Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's: Shadowchasers

[Shuppet Master]

Oh freaking great, we know now that DaPen is a FRAKING MINDFLAYER!!! (And yes, I've seen them before, I have read Dungeon Magazine so many times you CANNOT avoid seeing those tentacled-faced freaks. )

I have a feeling the Sword of Midnight will fall into DaPen's hands soon and then the Shadowchasers will have to rush to his hideout and beat him to save the world. *sigh*

Great chapter.

[Dark Sage]

Actually, Chris, "mind flayer" is a term that humans and ther races use that they do not like. They prefer to be called by their race's true name, illithids.

Its sort of like how many races are referred to by names which have now become slurs that are disrespectful to use. The same is often true with mythical creatures.

[Shuppet Master]

Ah, yeah... sort of like calling an Afro-American the N-word. So it's a nasty slang, huh?

Well, I've read some many Dungeon mangazine issues that I sort of know most of the D&D mythos by now. I was one of those 13-year olds who bought the basic D&D manual and played the one-on-one adventure in the beginning with the evil wizard and his goblin henchman, and it was fun! I did attend one play session of a Dragonlance gaming session, and played a 1st-level Red Wizard, it didn't go very well, but it was fun listening to those guys play. Sadly, I am in the country so I can't do much there now.

Reading your fic reminds me of those old days when I used to curl up with a copy of Dungeon and read the story. "Bane of the Shadowborn" was probably my favorite, because Ravenloft was one of my favorite settings - all gothic horror and the Forces of Nature could turn you evil or make you the ruler of a domain.

EDIT TO SELF: I REALLY NEED TO GET A NEW TRAINER CARD...

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

Very nice chapter.

It was long, had history, had explanation, had some comedy and had a battle in it. I want more of these chapters; I really loved reading it.

This world is becoming more widespread by the minute. That makes a lot of opportunity for more secrets and revelations.

Keep up the good work.

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

You all are likely wondering just what Jalal does in his twenty-one waking hours besides tell his men what to do. What exactly does his job entail? Well, you don’t know the half of it. I later learned that he hadn’t taken a vacation in fifty years (and he claimed that he was bored out of his skull the last time he did) and being as old as he is, he doesn’t care for holidays that weren’t around during his father’s time. He celebrates Christmas and Easter and takes both of them off, but he rarely takes off any other days personally. (And like most beings who have become immortal, he stopped celebrating his own birthdays a long time ago.)

Jalal is busier than most folks believe, and those who know wouldn’t want his job. The Shadowchasers are a law enforcement agency, but they have global authority, more so than any Mundane law enforcement division. They’ve been around longer than America, let alone the FBI. Jalal’s duties can compare with those of the head of state of some of the most powerful nations in the world.

He doesn’t propose all the laws that the Shadowchasers make, but he must approve each one (he has the power to veto any that he doesn’t approve of). He receives and visits diplomats of Shadowkind races (using his spell that projects his image), forming alliances and minor treaties. He considers and approves every major action that his organization must take. He is also the judge of the highest court that the Shadowchasers have, the last court that a case can appeal to, although, like the U.S. Supreme Court, he only agrees to hear the most important cases.

Jalal is still a warrior at heart, and he is a Shadowchaser. However, due to his position, he only leaves Shadowchaser Headquarters to handle the gravest threats to the relations between humans and Shadows…

An illithid running a crime syndicate in Neo Domino certainly qualified…



Somewhere in the vast countryside of Yorkshire, a place known as God’s Own Country by the locals, stood the nerve center of the Shadowchasers. It had no special name except Shadowchaser Headquarters. It stood in a remote valley, hidden from Mundanes by powerful magic. The valley could not be seen by simply viewing it or using any technological devices, and if anyone were to stumble upon it by accident, powerful enchantment spells would compel him to take a different route. Only the Shadowchasers knew how to activate the right portals that allowed access to the place, or that could send someone to it.

Construction of the complex had begun about a century after Jamor Stormbringer’s death. Jalal commissioned a clan of dwarves to build the place, and paid them well to do so. It took two-hundred years of building before the place could be used as the organization’s headquarters, but ask anyone who knows anything about dwarves, and they’ll tell you that anything built by them is built to last. Jalal never stopped expanding the original complex, and the same clan of dwarves still worked for him on many projects. The current chieftain of the clan was the great, great grandson of the chieftain who had overseen the groundbreaking. (Dwarves were made to last rather long themselves.)

The Headquarters was practically a city unto itself, larger than some small cities of Europe. It held buildings devoted to all aspects of governing the Shadowchasers: the meeting halls, courts, embassies, and research facilities. It also held a fair number of shops and restaurants that catered both to those who worked in these buildings, and the occasional visitors.

The town had its own police force, but very little of it was made up of living creatures. Powerful wizards had created clay, stone, and iron golems to provide defense in case of an attack. These walking monoliths were incredibly powerful, the iron ones able to flatten an armored car with one smash, and as hard to hurt as anything made of their materials. A small force of Shadowchasers was only needed to direct them. Much of this police force served as correctional guards at the prison complex, which was mostly underground, and accessed from several points.

The most beautiful building in the complex, and the one that most folks rarely saw the inside of, was Jalal’s manor house. But he actually spent very little time here. Most of the day, he was busy elsewhere in the complex.

He was there now, however. One thing the manor house had was portals that led to places where only he was allowed to go, no exceptions. And he needed to go to one of those places now.

He stood in front of a full-length mirror, adjusting his suit. It was a different suit than what he usually wore… It was his armor, a symbol of knighthood that was just as timeless as he was.

Plate armor had first seen widespread use during the Middle Ages. It was the best armor available for a knight… A skin of steel that could protect him from practically any weapon of the time period. Modern folks tended to think that it was very heavy, but in reality, it only averaged ninety pounds (which really wasn’t any more than the weight that a modern soldier in a flack jacket and full combat gear wore into battle).

Plate armor had fallen out of use around the Seventeenth Century, primarily due to the increasing use of firearms. The armor was adequate protection against arrows, spears, and swords, but could offer little defense against guns.

Not so for Jalal’s suit of armor. This suit didn’t look much like the average suit; it was made of a crimson substance, and had a scaly surface. It was special armor that could protect him from the highest caliber machine guns. This armor was made from the flayed skin of the dragon who had desired his father’s death, the red wyrm Malys.

Dragons are magical creatures in every way. As a result, practically no part of their bodies couldn’t be used in the creation of powerful magical items. If a knight was brave enough and strong enough to slay a dragon, he could become rich beyond compare by selling the carcass to those who could use it.

This was, in fact, how Jalal had first hired the dwarves who would build Shadowchaser Headquarters. He presented Malys’s carcass to them, saying that if they made him a suit of armor from her hide, they were free to do anything they pleased with the rest. The dwarves were happy to oblige, and made him this armor, which had protected him in every battle for the past thousand years.

He was expecting another battle now. The research he said he had to do required a book from a special place. He placed his sword in its sheath, and turned to the wall. A glowing portal opened.

He took a deep breath, and walked through it.

* * * * * * * * * *

Jalal was standing in a dim cavern tunnel, the walls lit by torches. He was no longer on Earth, but elsewhere in the cosmos. He didn’t know the name of this world; in fact, he had not seen its surface, or any part of it besides this subterranean complex. But it was all he needed.

He knew that at the end of this tunnel was the entrance to the Black Library, a treasure trove of knowledge where someone could find practically any information if he knew where to look.

Unfortunately, no-one was allowed in the Black Library without its owner’s permission. The owner was a powerful king in another dimension, who was known for his incredible ego. To get that permission, you had to visit him (which often required waiting for days for an audience) and feed that ego with flattery and gifts.

Jalal was not going to do that. He never had, and he never would. He had his pride.

However, he had been here several times before, and each time, he had successfully fought his way past the creature put here to guard the place. The aforementioned king was very technophobic, so there wasn’t much else in the way of defense. He was hoping that the guardian would have more sense this time and simply let him in, but he wasn’t getting his hopes up.

He walked forward, and entered a large cavern. Standing by a doorway at the far end, leaning casually against the wall and filing his nails, was the guardian.

He was a tall, muscular, fiendish creature, about six feet tall, with blue skin, pointed ears, and long, pale hair. He was dressed in an expensive looking leather jacket and pants, black sneakers, and a pair of stylish sunglasses. A sword was strapped to his back, and a ring of keys was on his belt.

Jalal sighed.

Best get this over with, he thought, as he walked up to the creature.

“Xvartnar,” he said, “is Ilsensine’s Tome still in there?”

“Yup,” said the guardian, not looking up.

“And what the chances are that you’re not going to give me any trouble this time?” asked Jalal.

The creature chuckled, and put the file away.

“Well…” said Xvartnar. “I ‘spose I could be nice, and just let ya have it…

“I could… But I ain’t gonna.”

Jalal let out a sigh, accompanied by a look of annoyance.

“Look, Xvartnar,” he said. “We both know what’s going to happen. You’re going to tell me that entrance is forbidden without your boss’s okay. Then we’re going to fight. Then, I’m going to beat the crud out of you. Then, you’re going to crawl away to heal yourself, and most likely mutter obscenities at me under your breath, as I go in there and get what I need. It’s been the same routine every time I’ve come here for the past two-hundred years. So why do you even bother? Just once I’d like to come here without having to fight!”

“Are you calling my job pointless?” asked Xvartnar.

“No,” said Jalal. “The Battle of New Orleans was pointless, but it still made Andrew Jackson a hero. You’re just annoying. All I want is to get this done without any trouble.”

Xvartnar glared at him over his sunglasses.

“Well, Jalal,” he said, “you can’t always get what you want. Besides, do you know what my boss would do if he found out I simply let someone into the Black Library? I’d be fired! Do you have any idea what life is like for a guardian oni who doesn’t have anything to guard?

“I would probably have to go do what my dumb brother is doing, guarding Sultan Yasuf Alrahad’s harem. There is no way I’m gonna accept a headache like that!”

“Guarding harem girls is a headache?” asked Jalal.

“The worst!” exclaimed Xvartnar. “I should know, I filled in for my brother for a week, and it was Hell! They complain about everything! They complain when the air conditioning is too low! They complain when there aren’t enough croutons in their salad! They complain when they get regular mineral water instead of the flavored kind! And guess who they complain to?

“I have no idea why my brother has never put one of those spoiled brats over his knee and spanked her…”

“Maybe because Sultan Alrahad is a tenth degree water elementalist who’s rumored to punish insubordinates by feeding them to his pet devil sharks?” asked Jalal.

“Yeah, probably…” muttered Xvartnar. “But I’ve got a much better job than my brother has, and I’m not gonna jeopardize it!”

“Fine!” shouted Jalal.

He drew his sword.

“If I have to fight you to get in there, I will!”

“Wait, wait, hold up Jalal,” said Xvartnar, with a grin. “I never said that we gotta fight with swords this time…

“How’s about we make it more fun for a change?”

Then he picked something up from behind him.

It was a Duel Disk.

“You want to duel me?” asked Jalal. “You’re kidding, right? Xvartnar, in case you didn’t know, I was the one who proposed that the ‘Fair Fight’ clause in the Treaty could best be handled if Duel Monsters was used. Do you actually think you can beat me at such a contest?”

“Well…” said Xvartnar, “you did say that you were gettin’ sick of fighting the old way…”

“I’m surprised that your boss even got you a Duel Disk…” said Jalal.

“He didn’t,” replied Xvartnar. “You know how he is… But he can’t tell me how to spend my paycheck.”

Jalal gestured, and his sword vanished.

Then, in a glow of golden light, a Duel Disk appeared on his own arm. It was gold plated, the tray shaped like a dragon’s wing, and the deck holder shaped like the head of a gold wyrm, holding the deck in its mouth.

“Show off,” muttered Xvartnar.

“Fine…” said Jalal. “You’re on…”

Xvartnar laughed.

“This’ll be fun…” he chuckled.

(Jalal: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Xvartnar: 8,000)

“I’ll make the first move, chump,” he said, drawing a card.

“You’ve been working for your boss too long,” said Jalal. “You’re starting to get his attitude.”

“Oh, funny,” growled Xvartnar.

“I play a facedown, and then summon Dark Valkyria!”

First a facedown appeared, then an aura of shadow crept over the field. The Monster that appeared looked like Dunames Dark Witch at first, but her skin was violet, her hair was white, and her armor had a sinister theme. It looked like a dark elf version of Dunames. (1,800 ATK)

“That… oughta do it…”

“Then it’s my draw,” said Jalal, drawing a card.

He looked at it.

“I summon Light Lindworm.”

In a shining burst of light, a four-legged, many-tailed creature appeared that resembled a cross between a dragon and a large lizard. Its scales were shimmering gold. (1,900 ATK)

“Attack!” shouted Jalal. “Destroy her!”

Light Lindworm blasted a beam of pure light from its jaws, and Dark Valkyria let out a scream before she was burned to ashes.

“I’m not done with you,” said Jalal, as a Quickplay Spell appeared on his side of the field. “I activate Both Sides. Now, I can sacrifice my Light Monster to Special Summon a Dark one of the same Level from my deck.

“So, I summon Axe Dragonute!”

In a burst of dark energy this time, a tall, muscular dragon-man with black armor and wings appeared, holding a heavy battle-axe. (2,000 ATK)

“You’re wide open! Direct attack!”

Axe Dragonute grunted, and lifted his axe, and then brought it down hard on the oni. He cursed something incomprehensible and took a step backwards.

“Axe Dragonute now moves to Defense Mode…”

Dragonute knelt down, and held its axe in its lap. (1,200 DEF)

“I’ll end with two facedown cards of my own,” he said, as two reversed cards appeared, “and then you can make your move.”

(J: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (X: 5,900)

“Stuck-up, stuffy sonuva…” muttered Xvartnar, as he made a draw.

“Do NOT finish that comment!” shouted Jalal.

Jalal would not tolerate any unkind words said about his mother, even unintentional ones. That was one of the few things that would make him angry.

“Well, sor-ry!” exclaimed Xvartnar.

His facedown card lifted up.

“I activate the Soul Resurrection Trap Card! Since Dark Valkyria is a Gemini Monster, she’s considered a Normal Monster while in my Graveyard, so this Trap can bring her back in Defense Mode.”

Dark Valkyria appeared again, kneeling and crossing her arms over her chest. (1,050 DEF)

“Next, a Spell Card,” said Xvartnar. “It’s called Star Blast.

“The Monster I want to summon is Level 8. But for each 500 Life Points I pay, I can downgrade that Level by one.

“So I’ll pay 1,000 Life Points to reduce it to 6. Then, I’ll sacrifice Valkyria…”

Dark Valkyria vanished, and a far darker shadow started to rise. The shadow turned into dark flames with obscuring smoke.

What is he summoning? thought Jalal.

“Behold…” said Xvartnar. “Behold the incredible power of… Fallen Angel Asmodeus!”

A creature slowly walked out of the shadows, and even Jalal flinched. Asmodeus was a well-known name to any student of religion. He was a figure mentioned in the Book of Tobit, part of some old versions of the Old Testament. Protestants believe the Book to be apocryphal, and it is not regarded as cannon by most students of Judaism. In the scriptures of the Book (which, like most books of scriptures, did not include illustrations), Asmodeus was a powerful demon of lust who was bound to the deserts of Egypt by the archangel Raphael.

The Monster that Xvartnar had summoned had a fitting name. He looked like an angel in general shape, but his black wings and dark armor signified that he was indeed fallen… (3,000 ATK)

“Interesting…” said Jalal, ominously.

“First I’ll activate this big guy’s effect,” chuckled Xvartnar, looking through his deck. “Once per turn, I can send a Fairy-Type Monster from my deck to the Graveyard.”

He discarded a card.

“Now, attack his Dragonute! Dark smite!”

Asmodeus’s eyes glowed with evil light. He lifted his hand, and called burning lightning to it, then hurled it at Axe Dragonute, blowing the Dragon to gibbets.

“Heh, heh, heh,” chuckled Xvartnar. “You were lucky it was in Defense Mode…

“Think I’ll throw down these, and that’ll be all.”

Two reversed cards appeared.

(J: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (X: 4,900)

Jalal looked at Asmodeus. Then he made a draw.

One of his facedown cards lifted up.

“I activate Immortal Dragon,” he said. “Now, one of my Dragons comes back from the Graveyard.”

“Uh-uh,” chuckled Xvartnar, as one of his own facedown cards shot up.

“I activate Dark Bribe. Now, you draw once, but you don’t get your Monster back.”

Jalal’s Trap Card shattered. He made one draw.

“In that case,” he said, “I’ll set a Monster, and that will be all.”

A reversed Monster appeared.

“First I draw,” said Xvartnar, drawing a card, “then I attack! Dark smite!”

Asmodeus called the burning lightning to his hand again, and hurled it forward. A large Dragon that seemed to be made entirely out of stone appeared on the card, and was blown to shards.

“So much for your Golem Dragon,” said Xvartnar. “Next, I use Asmodeus’s effect, to send another Fairy to my Graveyard…”

He discarded a card.

“Then, because I have at least two Dark Fairies there, I can Special Summon this guy. Fallen Angel Baal, in Defense Mode.”

A diabolical-looking knight, again with black, feathered wings, and horns on his helmet appeared. He knelt in defense. (1,400 DEF)

Then Jalal felt a sharp pain strike him.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Baal’s effect,” replied Xvartnar. “You just lost 1,000 Life Points, 500 for each Dark Monster on the field.

“Think I’ll end my turn there…”

(J: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - (X: 4,900)

Jalal hesitated before drawing. Then he made a draw.

“I summon the Tuner Monster, Chaos-End Master!” he shouted.

In a flourish of light, the same angelic Warrior that Ember had used to summon her Shadow Ghoul appeared, striking a pose. (1,500 ATK)

“A Tuner ain’t no good without any non-Tuners,” chuckled Xvartnar.

“Then I’ll just have to get one,” said Jalal. “Attack Fallen Angel Baal!”

Chaos-End Master blasted a beam of pure light from his hands, and Baal was blown to bits.

“Now that I’ve done that, I get to Special Summon a high-Level Monster from my deck, so long as its Attack Score isn’t more than 1,600.

“So, I summon Sphere of Chaos.”

With a beeping, humming sound, a large, spherical Machine made of dark steel, with gold lights and a big, golden optic sensor appeared. (1,600 ATK)

Jalal’s other facedown card lifted up.

“Next, the Trap Card, Urgent Tuning.”

Chaos-End Master and Sphere of Chaos glowed, and then turned into eight shimmering stars.

“Now, I can Tune my two Monsters together in the middle of my Battle Phase.

“I summon… Light End Dragon!”

There was a tremendous flash of light, and Xvartnar covered his eyes. Appearing on Jalal’s side of the field was a huge, beautiful Dragon, serpentine with white scales, four feathered wings, and a golden collar and crown. (2,600 ATK)

“Light End Dragon…” ordered Jalal, “destroy Fallen Angel Asmodeus!”

Light End Dragon roared…

“You gotta be kidding!” laughed Xvartnar. “Asmodeus is stronger than that guy!”

“Oh, really?” said Jalal. “Maybe so, but when Light End Dragon battles a Monster, I can cut 500 points off of its Attack Score to cut 1,500 off of its opponent’s.

“Attack! Shining sublimation!”

Light End Dragon’s Attack Score fell to 2,100, but Asmodeus’s fell all the way to 1,500. Xvartnar shielded himself as a tremendous blast of light struck the fallen angel, blowing him to gibbets.

“Your fallen angel is gone,” said Jalal.

“Gone, but not forgotten,” said Xvartnar’s voice through the smoke. “He left somethin’ behind…”

The smoke cleared, and Jalal saw that there were now two more dark Fairies on Xvartnar’s side of the field, crouching in Defense Mode. One was tall and thin (1,300 DEF), the other was short and squat (1,200 DEF), but both looked like miniature versions of Asmodeus.

“You see,” said Xvartnar, “when the big guy bites the dust, he leaves behind an Asmo Token and a Deus Token. And they both got a defensive property… The Asmo Token can’t be destroyed by card effects, while the Deus Token can’t be destroyed by battle.”

Jalal paused.

“Interesting…” he said.

“You say that so often…” chuckled Xvartnar.

“I end my turn…” muttered Jalal.

(J: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - (X: 4,300)

Xvartnar drew a card, and looked at it.

Then his other facedown card lifted up.

“Time to get serious…” he said. “I activate my Blasphemous Benediction Trap Card. Now, by sacrificing a Dark Fairy that’s Level 5 or greater, I can summon another one from my Graveyard.”

The Asmo Token vanished.

“But, don’t worry… Asmodeus ain’t comin’ back… He can’t be summoned from there. I’m gonna bring back someone I tossed with his effect.

“I summon Fallen Angel Superbia!”

Another dark shadow fell across the field, and another Dark Fairy appeared. This one didn’t even appear vaguely humanoid. It looked kind of like a black chalice, with a flared bottom, with a fiendish face on the front, small claws on the sides, and large, brown, feathered wings on the back. (2,900 ATK)

“I’m not done,” chuckled Xvartnar. “When Superbia is summoned from the Graveyard, I get to summon another Fairy from there!

“So, I’ll summon Fallen Angel Ede Arai!”

The Dark Fairy that appeared this time looked sort of like Asmodeus, but more bestial. He had the same dark wings, but was dressed in furs and hide armor. He had two devilish horns on his forehead, and long claws. (2,300 ATK)

Xvartnar took one of his two remaining cards.

“I set a card facedown, and end my turn…”

A reversed card appeared.

Jalal looked at the three Fairies as he made a draw.

Smart… he thought. He realized that I would have activated Light End Dragon’s effect again if he had attacked…

Better be careful…

“I summon Twin-Headed Behemoth!” he exclaimed.

He played the card, and the winged Dragon with two heads appeared. (1,500 ATK)

“Light End Dragon…” he ordered. “Attack Fallen Angel Superbia!”

The Dragon roared again.

“I activate… Negate Attack!” shouted Xvartnar.

His facedown card flipped up, and the Dragon’s beam hit an invisible shield.

“No big deal,” said Jalal.

“Oh, but it is a big deal,” said Xvartnar with a grin. “You see, since Negate Attack is a Counter Trap, I can now sacrifice a Dark Monster…”

The Deus Token vanished.

“To Special Summon Dark Voltanis!”

The Monster that appeared was, to say the least, bizarre. The regular Voltanis had been undefined enough as it was, but this Dark version was even more so. Like the original Voltanis the Adjudicator, it seemed to be a faceless, vaguely humanoid creature that seemed to be dressed in a combination of robes and armor, with wings that were not truly attached to its body; but in this case, it was all black. (2,800 ATK)

“And guess what, Jalal?” continued Xvartnar. “Since I summoned it this way, I get to destroy one of your cards!”

Light End Dragon shattered into shards of light.

Jalal looked at Xvartnar’s small army of Dark Fairies, which consisted of two Level 8 Monsters and one Level 5 one, all of them with very high Attack Scores…

Seems I underestimated this guy… he thought. But at least he used up all the cards in his hand…

He took one of his own cards.

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

Xvartnar drew a card and looked at it.

It was Dimensional Prison.

That could come in handy, he thought.

He placed it in his Disk, and it appeared, reversed.

“Dark Voltanis, destroy Twin-Headed Behemoth!” he shouted.

Dark Voltanis waved his hand, and the air started to warp and bend. The Dragon burst.

“I’ve been waitin’ a long time for this, Jalal!” he laughed. “Superbia… Attack him directly!”

The weird Fairy spewed a blast of black flames from its mouth, engulfing Jalal in a practical furnace.

The smoke cleared, with Jalal simply staring at the oni.

(J: 2,800) - - - - - - - - - - (X: 4,300)

“That was… unpleasant…” he said.

Xvartnar laughed out loud.

“You said that about the Crimean War!” he laughed. “And I’m not done with you…”

“Oh yes, you are!” shouted Jalal. “Trap Card, activate! Damage Condenser!”

His facedown card flipped up.

“I just lost 2,900 Life Points from your attack,” he said. “Now, by discarding one card from my hand…”

He quickly discarded a card.

“I can summon any Monster from my deck with equal or less Attack Points. And I choose to summon Rare Metal Dragon in Attack Mode.”

Another Dragon materialized in front of him. It was a hulking, wingless Dragon, seemingly made entirely out of metal. (2,400 ATK)

Jalal quickly shuffled his deck.

“Aw, crap!” shouted Xvartnar. “Ede Aria can’t beat that! I end my turn!”

“And that means Twin-Headed Behemoth’s effect activates,” said Jalal, “and it makes a quick recovery.”

Twin-Headed Behemoth appeared again. (1,000 ATK)

“Now, it’s my move…”

He drew a card.


Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:


“You know, Jalal,” laughed Xvartnar, “I gotta say, I kinda like this! This little game of yours is pretty fun! Maybe I should’ve tried taking you down this way a long time ago!”

If I say anything, thought Jalal, I’ll just encourage him…

“I play my Pot of Avarice!” he exclaimed.

He played the card, and Light Lindworm, Axe Dragonute, Golem Dragon, Chaos-End Master, and Sphere of Chaos slipped out of his discard slot. He shuffled them into his deck, and made two draws.

He looked at them.

“Time to turn this around, Xvartnar,” he said. “I play the Continuous Spell, Burden of the Mighty.”

“Eh?” said Xvartnar. “Burden of the Mighty?”

“It causes each of your Monsters to lose 100 Attack Points times its Level,” explained Jalal, as the card appeared. “The bigger they are, the harder they fall, as the saying goes.”

The three Dark Fairies groaned as a red aura surrounded them. Dark Voltanis fell to an Attack Score of 2,000, Superbia fell to 2,100, and Ede Aria fell to 1,800.

“Now that that’s done…” said Jalal. “I sacrifice both my Monsters…”

Twin-Headed Behemoth and Rare Metal Dragon vanished. Then, two orbs, one of pure light, and one of pure darkness, rose in their place…

They combined…

“I summon Light and Darkness Dragon!”

Out of the shadows, a Dragon even bigger than Light End Dragon appeared. Its name fit it perfectly, as it seemed to be a combination of both light and darkness, light on the right side of its body, with a huge, feathered wing, and dark on its left side, with an equally huge, batlike wing.

It let out a loud roar. Xvartnar stepped back in shock. (2,800 ATK)

“Attack his Fallen Angel Superbia!” shouted Jalal. “Shining Breath!”

The huge Dragon bellowed.

“I activate Dimensional Prison!” laughed Xvartnar, as his facedown card shot up.

I don’t think so… thought Jalal.

Light and Darkness Dragon’s Attack Score fell to 2,300, and Xvartnar’s Trap Card was blown into shards. The Dragon blasted a burning bolt of plasma from its jaws, and Superbia exploded with such force that the guardian oni was knocked over.

“Heh, heh, heh, heh!” laughed Xvartnar, looking up. “Silly me! I forgot all about that Dragon’s effect!”

“A powerful effect,” replied Jalal, “that can negate the effect of any card at all, Spell, Trap, or Monster. However, to do so, it must give up 500 points from both its scores. And it’s your move…”

(J: 2,800) - - - - - - - - - - (X: 4,100)

Xvartnar stood up and looked at the huge Dragon.

That means it can use that effect three more times, he thought. And the effect isn’t optional, it activates automatically.

But I don’t have to wait for it to use it three more times. If It can force it to use its effect even once more… I can destroy it with Dark Voltanis…

He drew a card.

It was a Level 4 Monster called Fallen Angel Lilith.

Uh… Think I’ll save that… he thought.

“I move Dark Voltanis and Ede Aria to Defense Mode,” he said.

Dark Voltanis wrapped its wings around its body. (1,400 DEF) Ede Aria knelt, and folded his wings. (2,000 DEF)

“That’s all.”

“My move,” said Jalal, drawing a card.

He looked at it.

“Attack Dark Voltanis!” he shouted.

Light and Darkness Dragon blasted its shining breath, and Dark Voltanis exploded into a burst of soot and smoke.

Jalal fit a card into his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

Huh? thought Xvartnar. A Trap Card? But… Doesn’t he know that if he tries to activate it, his own Monster will counter it?

He drew a card.

Hmm…

“I set a Monster, and then end my turn.”

He played a card, and a set Monster appeared.

“My move,” said Jalal, making a draw.

He pointed, and his Dragon blasted his breath weapon, vaporizing Ede Aria.

“Your move again,” he said.

I still don’t get it, thought Xvartnar, looking at the facedown card. If he activates it, his Monster will negate it, and if I destroy his Monster, it will be destroyed…

WAIT!

That’s it! Dark Coffin! It has to be Dark Coffin! It activates when it’s destroyed!

He quickly made a draw.

That’s the ticket… he thought.

“I activate my Nobleman of Crossout Spell Card!” he exclaimed, playing it. “Now, I can eradicate a Monster that’s hidden in Defense Mode. Even my own…”

“But thanks to your Dragon, that’s not gonna happen…”

The Spell Card appeared. Jalal grumbled.

“Like you said,” he replied, “my Dragon’s effect automatically activates…”

Light and Darkness Dragon fell to an Attack Score of 1,800, and the Spell Card shattered.

“Your move…” chuckled Xvartnar.

Jalal made a draw.

“I summon Luster Dragon,” he said.

In a burst of blue light, the beautiful, slender Dragon seemingly made entirely out of sapphire appeared. (1,900 ATK)

“Light and Darkness Dragon, attack!” he shouted.

The Dragon blasted its shining breath, and Dark Mimic LV1 appeared on the card, before it was burned to a cinder.

“I activate Dark Mimic’s effect,” said Xvartnar.

“No you don’t…” said Jalal.

Light and Darkness Dragon fell to an Attack Score of 1,300, and a red light flashed on Xvartnar’s Disk.

“Luster Dragon, direct attack!” ordered Jalal. “Sapphire spark!”

Luster Dragon breathed a blast of blue energy, and Xvartnar groaned as it hit him.

“Ergh…” he muttered.

(J: 2,800) - - - - - - - - - - (X: 2,200)

Then he looked at Jalal, and looked at the Dragon. Then he looked at the last card in his hand, Fallen Angel Lilith.

He drew a card. It was Mirror Force.

Perfect, he thought. Now I can use Lilith here to defeat Light and Darkness Dragon. Then, once I do, all of Jalal’s cards will be destroyed, including his Dark Coffin, which will force me to either toss a card from my hand, or destroy one of my Monsters.

It will also let Jalal summon a Monster from his Graveyard, most likely Light End Dragon.

What he doesn’t know is, I want Lilith to be destroyed. Once she dies from a card effect, I get to Special Summon any Dark Fairy I want from my deck. Even Darklord Zerato!

He might try to use Light End Dragon’s effect to beat him, but with my Mirror Force, I can wipe it out, and then one direct attack from Zerato, and I win!

“I play a facedown,” he said, “and then summon Fallen Angel Lilith!”

The reversed card appeared, and then a tall, raven-haired woman of dark beauty appeared. She was dressed in an outfit that looked like a black, one-piece, low-cut, thong bathing suit, with bare feet, and had the same dark, feathered wings. (1,800 ATK)

“Remember my Burden of the Mighty?” asked Jalal.

Lilith’s Attack Score fell to 1,400.

“She’s still strong enough to take out your Dragon!” shouted Xvartnar.

Lilith made an evil grin. She leapt at the huge Dragon, and made a slash at it with her long nails. Light and Darkness Dragon howled, and then shattered into pixels. Then, Luster Dragon, Burden of the Mighty, and Jalal’s facedown card shattered…

But Xvartnar saw it briefly before it did so… It wasn’t what he had thought it was.

“HUH?” he shouted. “It wasn’t Dark Coffin?”

“No,” said Jalal. “It was Statue of the Wicked, another Trap Card that must be destroyed to take effect.

“But don’t feel too bad… The guess you made was a valid one.

“And due to it being destroyed, I get a Wicked Token.”

A huge, golden snake with small claws wearing a tutan mask appeared in front of Jalal. (1,000 ATK)

“And due to the second effect of Light and Darkness Dragon, I get to Special Summon a Monster from my Graveyard. I choose to summon Herald of Creation.”

In a golden aura, a tall figure appeared next to the Token. It was a woman dressed in long, white and golden robes and a veil, with golden hair, holding a long staff with a golden ring on the end. She shimmered in pure light. (1,800 ATK)

“Wait just a minute!” shouted Xvartnar. “I never sent her to your Graveyard!”

“No, you didn’t,” replied Jalal. “I put her there myself when I activated Damage Condenser.

“And now… It’s my move…”

(J: 2,700) - - - - - - - - - - (X: 2,200)

He drew a card.

“Go, Monster Reborn!” he exclaimed.

The holy ankh appeared in the air, and glowed with golden fire. Light End Dragon appeared in front of him, and let out a roar. (2,600 ATK)

“Uh…” muttered Xvartnar.

“Now, I activate Herald of Creation’s effect,” said Jalal.

The Herald lifted her staff, and it glowed with blinding light.

“By tossing one card,” he continued, as he discarded his copy of Dragon’s Rage, “I can recover a Level 7 or higher Monster from my Graveyard.”

Light and Darkness Dragon slipped out of his discard slot.

“Now, I sacrifice Herald and my Token to summon it again!”

Herald of Creation and the Wicked Token dissolved into grains of light, and Light and Darkness Dragon loomed over the field again. (2,800 ATK)

Fallen Angel Lilith stepped back with a look of panic…

“This isn’t fun any more!” shouted Xvartnar.

“Light End Dragon…” ordered Jalal, “attack!”

Light End Dragon opened its jaws…

“Go, Mirror Force!” shouted Xvartnar, as his facedown card flipped up.

Light and Darkness Dragon roared, and its Attack Score fell to 2,300. The Trap Card was blown to shards.

“Well…”sighed Xvartnar. “Ya can’t blame me for trying…”

Light End Dragon’s Attack Score fell to 2,100, and Lilith shook in fear as hers fell to only 300. Then she let out a scream as its shining sublimation hit her and she was eradicated.

“Light and Darkness Dragon…” commanded Jalal, “attack directly with dark baptism!”

The huge Dragon let out a blast of pure darkness, and the guardian oni screamed as he was propelled backwards.

(J: 2,700) - - - - - - - - - - (X: 0)

Jalal looked at the fallen oni, and deactivated his Duel Disk.

“Well…” he said. “I hope I never have to go through that again…”

“The duel?” gasped Xvartnar.

“No,” replied Jalal. “The Crimean War.”

He reached down, and snatched the ring of keys from Xvartnar’s belt.

“Don’t bother to get up, I know the way in.”

He walked up to the door to the Black Library, and unlocked it. He threw it open.

“You know…” grumbled Xvartnar, to himself, “if the boss was smart, he’d invest in a decent security system for that door…

“But NO! Modern technology is addictive, he says! Use technology too much, you’ll get dependent on it, he says!”

He sighed.

“Maybe asking Sultan Alrahad if he needs another harem guard isn’t such a bad idea after all… At least no-one is ever dumb enough to try breaking into there…”

* * * * * * * * * *

Near the center of Neo Domino, near the Kaiba Dome, was a small café called the Red Wagon. The regulars who ate there liked the place because of the good food, friendly atmosphere, and especially, the large portions.

One such regular was walking in right now, as it was the start of the lunch hour.

He was a tall man, dressed in what looked like biker gang attire. He wore a leather jacket covered with metal studs, with a flaming skull design on the back. He had earrings, a nose ring, dark sunglasses, and hair that was dyed bright orange.

However, he was more than just the standard motorcycle punk. Dueling fans knew that he was Mukuro Enjo, the man who was once the champion of the riding duels. Before Jack Atlas had appeared, he had fought seven duels, and only lost one of them. But Jack handed him his second defeat, and it was what knocked him off the top. He had tried to regain the number one spot, dueling Jack again and later dueling Yusei to try a third time, but had never made it back.

Right now, however, he wasn’t interested in gaining back his title… He was only interested in a cheeseburger and fries. He liked this place, as it was one of the few places where he still had fans who appreciated him.

“Hey, Suzie!” he called to the waitress, as he came in. “Gimme the usual, will ya?”

“Comin’ up, hon,” she said, as he took a seat at the counter.

Mukuro didn’t notice as Edmund walked into the restaurant behind him. The waitress gave him a funny look. She could see that there was something funny about this guy.

Edmund pulled up next to Mukuro.

“Pardon me,” he said. “Are you the former Turbo Duel champion Mukuro Enjo?”

“Who wants to know?” asked Mukuro, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, just someone with an interest in your work,” replied Edmund. “If that is who you are.”

“Heh, heh, heh,” chuckled Mukuro. “What are you, an agent? Sorry fellah, I already have an agent.

“And besides, even if I didn’t, you came at a bad time. I was thinking of taking a break from dueling for a while. I came into some money, and was thinking of taking a vacation.

“Maybe go somewhere where there’s a lot of culture, good food, and entertainment… Like France, or Italy…”

“Just let me ask you one thing,” replied Edmund. “Can you duel without a D-Wheel?”

The waitress slid a cheeseburger with fries in front of Mukuro.

“Sure I can!” he said, with his mouth full. “You gotta know how to do the basic stuff before you can do the hard stuff…”

Mukuro was so occupied with his meal, he failed to notice a tiny, green worm crawling onto his shoulder…

* * * * * * * * * *

Half an hour later, Mukuro left the restaurant. He held his head, as if it were swimming. He shook it, trying to get the fog out of it.

He walked to his bike, but then thought otherwise. He’d likely crash if he tried to drive like this. Instead, he disconnected his Duel Disk from it, activated the special lock, and walked off.

Edmund watched him leave, watching closely…


Jalal had met with success, apparently, but more trouble was heading for downtown Neo Domino. Edmund had struck again, and the limits of his boldness apparently knew no bounds. Things were coming to headway, and soon, this day would reach a point where we’d truly discover what we were up against. We wouldn’t exactly like it, but we’d have to deal with it nonetheless.



FALLEN ANGEL ASMODEUS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 8
ATK: 3,000
DEF: 2,500

Card Description: This card cannot be Special Summoned from the deck or Graveyard. Once per turn, you may send 1 Fairy-Type monster from your deck to the Graveyard. When this card you control is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, Special Summon 1 "Asmo Token" (Fairy-Type/DARK/5 Stars/1800 ATK/1300 DEF) and 1 "Deus Token" (Fairy-Type/DARK/3 Stars/1200 ATK/1200 DEF) to your side of the field. An "Asmo Token" cannot be destroyed by card effects and a "Deus Token" cannot be destroyed by battle.



FALLEN ANGEL SUPERBIA (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 8
ATK: 2,900
DEF: 2,400

Card Description: When this card is Special Summoned from your Graveyard, Special Summon one Fairy-Type Monster from your Graveyard except for a “Fallen Angel Superbia”.

Note: “Fallen Angel Asmodeus” and “Fallen Angel Superbia” are Japanese promotional cards that have not yet been released in the United States.



FALLEN ANGEL EDE ARAI (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 5
ATK: 2,300
DEF: 2,000

Card Description: When this card is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, it gains the following effect:

* When this card attacks a Defense Position Monster with an Attack Score greater than the attack target’s Defense Score, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent.

Note: “Fallen Angel Ede Arai” was first used by Midori Hibiki in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” manga. (This card will be released as a promotional card in Japan next month. It is not known if its effect will be the same as the manga version.)



FALLEN ANGEL BAAL (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,200
DEF: 1,400

Card Description: You may Special Summon this card from your hand when there are two or more DARK Fairy-Type Monsters in your Graveyard. When this card is Special Summoned in this manner, inflict 500 points of direct damage to your opponent for every face-up DARK Monster on the field. This card cannot attack during the round it is Special Summoned via this effect.



FALLEN ANGEL LILITH (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,800
DEF: 800

Card Description: When this card is destroyed by your opponent’s card effect, you may Special Summon one DARK Fairy-Type Monster from your deck.



BLASPHEMOUS BENEDICTION (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: Darklord Zerato presenting a scroll to a man in a dark cloak.

Card Description: Tribute a DARK Fairy-Type Monster you control that is Level 5 or greater. Special Summon a DARK Fairy-Type Monster from either Graveyard other than the one that was Tributed.



SPHERE OF CHAOS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 5
ATK: 1,600
DEF: 0

Card Description: This card is also treated as a LIGHT Monster. Once per turn, this card is not destroyed as a result of battle. When this card is Tribute Summoned, you may add 1 Level 3 or lower Monster from your deck to your hand.



LIGHT END DRAGON (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Dragon/Synchro/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 8
ATK: 2,600
DEF: 2,100

Card Description: Tuner + 1 or more LIGHT non-Tuner Monsters.

Activate only when this card attacks or is attacked. Decrease the ATK and DEF of this card by 500 to decrease the ATK and DEF of the opposing Monster that battles this card by 1,500 until the End Phase.



GOLEM DRAGON (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Dragon/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 200
DEF: 2,000

Card Description: Your opponent cannot select Dragon-Type Monsters other than this one as attack targets.



AXE DRAGONUTE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Dragon/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 2,000
DEF: 1,200

Card Description: When this card attacks, switch it to face-up Defense Position at the end of the damage step.

Note: “Sphere of Chaos”, “Light End Dragon”, “Golem Dragon”, and “Axe Dragonute” are Japanese cards that have not yet been released in the United States.



LIGHT LINDWORM (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Dragon
Attribute: Light
Level: 4
ATK: 1,900
DEF: 1,200

Flavor Text: An ancestor of modern Dragons, the Lindworms were until recently thought to be extinct. Their lack of wings distinguishes them from their modern kin.



IMMORTAL DRAGON (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A dark, shadowy dragon rising out of the ground.

Card Description: Select and activate one of the following effects:
* Special Summon 1 Dragon-Type Monster from your Graveyard.
* Special Summon 1 of your Dragon-Type Monsters that has been removed from play.



BOTH SIDES (Spell Card)

Quickplay Spell

Image: A burst of energy, the right side black against a white background, and the left side white against a black background.

Card Description: Choose 1 of the following 2 effects:
*Tribute a face-up LIGHT Monster you control. Special Summon a DARK Monster of the same Level from your hand or deck.
*Tribute a face-up DARK Monster you control. Special Summon a LIGHT Monster of the same Level from your hand or deck.

Note: “Light Lindworm, “Immortal Dragon”, and “Both Sides” were first used by Manjoume in various issues of the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” Manga. Creative credit goes to the writers.



Coming up next:

We switch over to Hank, who goes to Plzeň (where is that?) to meet with an arms dealer about the Silver Hemisphere. But dealing with him is tricky, as the wealthy Shadow is mercenary to the core, and is reluctant to help anyone without a benefit to himself. Hank is forced to duel with an expensive wager, and is unable to use his Hidden Treasure Deck this time. Good thing he has others. “Weapon Change” is coming soon.

[Shuppet Master]

Nice chapter, shows Jalal in the flesh. So Jalal uses the infamous L&D Dragon, huh? I love dragon decks a lot, they are probably my favorite monster type. ^_^

And we have a brain parasite attacking the lfaming duel rider. Sheesh, Edmund is evil. I remember watching Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, and seeing that beetle crawl out of the crewman's ear was gross.

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

I liked the fall angel deck. Something about them just made me want to have them.

Dragondecks are not my favorite kind, but it makes perfectly sense for a person like Jalal to have them. I like how it wasn't that very standard, which makes it stand out a little bit more.

That Edmund is indeed a fishy charactar and does almost nothing but brain control, will we see his full potential?

And I'm curious about Ember for now..

[Dark Sage]

That Edmund is indeed a fishy charactar and does almost nothing but brain control, will we see his full potential?

Oh, you will indeed. You'll find out what he truly is soon, and he'll duel using that new deck he got sometime around Chapter 32. Edmund isn't a coward, as evidenced by his decision to face Gears using the Union Machine Deck. He's just lying low until he's truly ready. You'll soon see just how fishy he truly is...

[The_Missing_Link]

I'm liking everything so far, with a decent storyline and cast for once (no offense but your last few fics seemed recycled), but I noticed something you seem to do a lot

"XXX gestured, and a duel disk appeared" or "XXX gestured, and three cards disappeared"


What is the person gesturing with and how are they doing it? It might seem a little nit picky but you tend to use "gesture" without taking into account how the character makes things appear or disappear. Why can't the person snap their fingers or wave a hand? I got on your case about the lack of emotions your characters were emoting so I would suggest to take a step back and see what else you are possibly repeating

[Dark Sage]

I know I'm doing something right when I get your attention, Becca.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll write that down and try to avoid it in the future. I guess I can be more creative in describing hand movements.

[mario72486]

An interesting duel. It's been a while since I've seen a decent Dragon-type deck, and it was cool to see the Fallen Angels in action. Even better was the fact that Jalal was participating this time around. Hopefully we'll see him dueling more in the future.

The bit about the green mind-controlling worm reminds me of one of the early Yu Yu Hakusho arcs involving the Four Saint Beasts, in which demon bugs are used to warp the minds of their targets. Something tells me Edmund's true deck involves such a strategy, taking over the opponents monsters (a la Brain Control, Snatch Steal, Brain Jacker) and using their Magic/Trap cards to his advantage. We'll just have to wait and see...

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

When you think of cities in the Czech Republic, what city comes to mind? Prague, right? Unless you actually live in Eastern Europe, or are an expert in the culture of that region, you likely can’t name any other Czech city. Prague isn’t very big, as far as European cities go, with a population of just over a million, but the Czech Republic isn’t very big either. Still, not everyone in the country lives in Prague. There are other cities.

Located about ninety kilometers west of Prague in western Bohemia is the small city of Plzeň. It’s quite small, with a population of under two-hundred thousand. Probably the best thing that Plzeň has going for it is its brewery, which gave the name to a style of beer, the pale lager called Pilsener, arguably the world’s most popular style.

And at nine AM local time, Hank had been ushered into a large trophy room in a luxurious mansion in the residential part of Plzeň, where he waited to meet its owner…



Hank was more than a little nervous.

The trophy room he was in was a practical museum. It contained large display cases containing weapons and full suits of armor, taken from various time periods of various cultures all over the world. Clearly, his host was a collector of weapons as well as a dealer of them.

But the displays weren’t what was making him nervous. What was making him nervous was the sentry that he knew was just outside the door, that he had been led past. It was a sand golem, a seven-foot-tall magical construct made out of sand that had been made incredibly dense. It wasn’t the strongest type of golem, but it was still strong enough to break a man in two if it was given the order to do so.

That’s the way it was with mercane. Even the ones who might very well be capable in a fight didn’t do so too often, leaving such matters either to bodyguards or magical guardians like that. What was the point of being rich if you didn’t use your money to protect yourself? If you didn’t, someone might try to take what was yours.

“Welcome, Mr. Richards,” said a voice from the other side of the room.

Hank turned, and saw a tall man walk in, followed by a smaller sand golem, this one carrying a silver tea service. Mundane humans would see the man as a tall, balding gentleman in his mid-forties, wearing a velvet smoking jacket and gold-rimmed spectacles.

Hank, however, was Aware, and he could see that the man was clearly a mercane. As such, he was a tall, thin, lanky humanoid, completely hairless with midnight blue skin. He seemed androgynous, and his strangest feature was his long fingers, which each had one extra joint than was the norm for most humanoid life.

“Marcus Owlsley, I presume?” asked Hank.

“That would be me,” said the mercane, pouring the tea. “I see you’re enthralled by my collection of antique armaments. I’m quite proud of them myself… They took me over fifty years to collect…

“Take the one you were looking at when I came in; that suit is an Ottoman-Turkish set from the Sixteenth Century, worn by some palace guard, I believe…

“Oh, but where are my manners? Can I get you something? Coffee? Juice? A croissant?”

“I’ve eaten,” replied Hank. “I see you use sand golems…”

Owlsley sipped his tea.

“Why not?” he said with a shrug. “They’re very efficient servants. Practical, too. Sand is a cheap material… Since it’s an Earth-based substance, it’s easy to enchant… They’re cheap to maintain, seeing as they don’t eat, sleep, or need new clothes… And these golems are good at heavy lifting and can double as bodyguards. Even better, they don’t mind working overtime.”

“I’ll bet they get sand all over the floor,” replied Hank.

“I have a housecleaning service who doesn’t ask questions,” said Owlsley, putting the cup down. “So, how could a Shadowchaser need my services? You realize I not only deal in weapons, I research their creation.

“Hunting lycanthropes? I could construct bullets of a silver alloy that could be fired from the highest-caliber firearm…”

“Well, uh…” said Hank.

“Even better…” said Owlsley, “I could construct a high-pressure water gun, guaranteed to last a thousand times longer than any you’d find in any toy store…”

“For dealing with Shadows that are vulnerable to holy water, right?” asked Hank.

“Precisely,” replied Owlsley. “I could build anything you need, for the right price…”

“Actually Owlsley,” said Hank, “what I need from you is something that I believe you’ve already acquired… A Silver Hemisphere, a display stand for three swords covered with runes. Ring any bells?”

“Mmm,” replied Owlsley, sipping his tea. “I’m afraid you came a little too late… A fellow in Neo Domino already inquired about that one… He’s prepared to pay fifty-thousand Euros for it. And it was a price I was quite willing to agree to… A display stand isn’t much use to me without the things it’s supposed to display. Anyway, I can’t simply break a deal with a customer once I’ve made it…”

“Let me guess,” said Hank, “his name is Louis DaPen.”

“I can’t tell you who my customers are,” replied Owlsley. “Merchant-client confidentiality, you know how it is.”

“Well, let me tell you something,” said Hank. “If it is indeed DaPen whom you’ve agreed to sell it to, you might be interested in knowing that he’s an illithid.”

Owlsley coughed, and spilled tea on his jacket. Apparently, that came as somewhat of a shock.

“I thought that might get your attention,” said Hank. “I can’t offer any concrete proof…”

Owlsley looked at him.

“You know…” said the mercane, putting his cup down again, “if you are telling the truth, and he is an illithid, it would explain a lot…”

“And you folks don’t sell to illithids, I believe,” said Hank.

“No, we don’t,” said Owlsley with a frown.

He poured a fresh cup.

“Seventy-five years ago in China,” he continued, “one of my kin made a deal with a group of three illithids, to deliver a rare magical item called a Will of Demon, a potent amulet that could increase both intelligence and memory if the wearer didn’t mind losing his morals. The mercane delivered, but the illithids would only pay half of the agreed-upon fee.

“Naturally, the mercane would not turn over the goods until full payment was made. And then the illithids murdered him and his entourage, and robbed his supplies. They thought that with no witnesses, they would get away with it.”

“But they didn’t know that when you harm a mercane,” said Hank, “there are always witnesses. Some sort of racial telepathy, right?”

Owlsley nodded.

“What happens to one of my people is known to all of us,” he replied. “We haven’t dealt with illithids since.”

“Well,” said Hank, “I’m certain that Jalal would happily pay you just as much for it as DaPen was going to…”

“Hold on…” said Owlsley, interrupting. “I didn’t become the biggest weapons supplier to Shadowkind by being stupid, Mr. Richards. If an illithid AND Jalal both want this item, it clearly has some deeper value…

“I’m going to need a payment more… meaningful than merely a monetary one…”

Hank rubbed his chin.

“Are you a gambling man, Owlsley?” he asked.

Then Owlsley actually laughed.

“Am I ever!” said the mercane with a laugh. “I’ve been a member of the Camelot Casino Club for the past twenty years. I’m such a high roller at Monte Carlo, they let me see the opera and ballet performances there for free. I win more playing poker in a month than the yearly salary of that housekeeper I told you about.”

“Then what would you say to a wager?” asked Hank. “I assume you duel?”

“Of course I do,” replied Owlsley, sipping his tea again. “When a duelist in a high place wants a custom-built Disk, they come to me. What, do you really think they make them themselves?”

Hank took his deck out of his Disk, and spread the cards out.

“Ah, is that the Hidden Treasure Deck I’ve heard so much about?” asked Owlsley.

“It’s a powerful deck,” replied Hank, “so long as you use it right. And I’ll wager it for the Silver Hemisphere.”

“I might be inclined to agree to that,” replied Owlsley. “However, I have a small policy regarding contests with wagers. I don’t believe you should be allowed to use the wagered goods in the actual contest.”

Hank looked at him.

Then he opened his jacket, underneath which was a vest that contained holders holding three decks, and an empty holder.

“My word,” said Owlsley. “Seems that someone, like the Boy Scouts, is always prepared…”

Hank put the Hidden Treasure Deck in the empty holder, and took another deck.

“Well then…” said Owlsley, “in that case, it’s a bet… But we can’t exactly duel in here… Too many fragile things. Why don’t we go out on the patio?”

He set the teacup on the golem’s tray, and motioned for Hank to follow him.

* * * * * * * * * *

Back in his manor house, in his private study, Jalal opened the book he had gotten from the Black Library. It was an old, thick, leather-bound book called Ilsensine’s Tome.

No-one really knew just who or what Illsensine was, but it was a name that came up a lot when the history of the illithids was looked into. Some thought it might be an entity that the illithids worshipped, or at least did at one time, although that was a stretch. Most illithids didn’t worship anything; their great egos led them to believe that they were the most powerful beings in the cosmos, and worshipping gods was contradictory to that belief.

The book’s author was uncredited, as were many of the books found in the Black Library. Most of the works there were written via the collective efforts of several researchers who had lived a long time ago.

Jalal started to read. The first chapter quickly got into the heart of the matter, with a page-turning story that seemed too bizarre to believe:

Among all races and cultures, from elves, to humans, to orcs, there are legends that tell of their origins. All races have myths, stories, and tales that tell about how their respective peoples came to be. It is part of the nature of mortals. When comparing the origin myth of one race to that of another, inconsistencies and contradictions are commonplace. If one believes the myth that one race says is responsible for their creation, the myths of several others make little sense. This does not mean that some or all of these myths are untrue or fanciful. To the races that they pertain to, they are true, so long as they are believed. Thus, like any good myth, the following story can be considered true, regardless of whether or not it actually happened.

Countless millennia ago, the first illithids arrived in the known universe through portals leading from the Dimension of Madness. Unable to go back, and eager to stake a claim for themselves in this new reality, they started to expand, with the goal to build an empire by enslaving sentient creatures. They succeeded, and soon, their worlds-spanning empire became one of the greatest ever seen in the cosmos.

As their power grew, both in the form of their mental powers and the manpower of thousands of slaves, the illithids commanded might that only the gods could previously harness. Able to create whole worlds from artificial material, they built many to expand their tentacles into the vast beyond. One such world was their capital, the dark planet Penumbria, built around a cold star. So powerful was this dark kingdom that briefly, the Blood War paused, as the demons and devils considered an alliance to deal with the threat posed by the illithids.

But this dark empire would not last, for this display of might would be their undoing. In order to create worlds, even artificial ones, the illithids were forced to tap into a mighty source of power that few dared to delve into. Most sages call this energy source the Power Primordial.

The Power Primordial is a mysterious force of energy, believed to be the remnants of the cataclysmic event that created the universe at the beginning of time. These primordial energies still linger in places throughout the universe, and can be tapped by those who know where to look. Contained within the Power Primordial is the energy needed to create worlds, and any planetary body requires it to support life. If any creature was truly able to master the Power Primordial, he could become capable of almost any feat imaginable, gaining godlike power.

But in their hubris, the illithids considered the Power Primordial to be nothing more than a useful tool, a type of mortar and brick for their incredible construction projects. Over time, their principle slave race (known today as simply the “forerunner race”) who were driven to build their grand cities and landscapes, were exposed to the powerful energy in bits and pieces. Slowly, they recognized the might of the Power Primordial, and used it to develop a resistance to the mental powers of their masters.

Led by the warrior Gith, the race revolted. The rebellion started small, but soon grew. Robbed of their most potent weapon, the illithids stood no chance. The rebellion expanded, and spread to every illithid world. Illithids were slain by the thousands, and their empire collapsed, their grand cities falling into flaming ruin.

But the illithids were saved from extinction by an unexpected development. Gith was betrayed by one of her own generals, Zerthimon, who felt she had become tyrannical and power-hungry. A civil war erupted among the race, as it split into two factions that would become two offshoots of that forerunner race:

The ones loyal to Gith, the githyanki… And the ones who chose to follow Zerthimon, the githzerai. This disruption allowed the surviving illithids to retreat to underground strongholds, where they still dwell.

Even as this happened, the war between the two offshoots raged on. Finally, in one great battle that encompassed all of Penumbria, the energies unleashed by the two factions tore the world apart. Needing to relocate, the githyanki fled to the Astral, where they settled on the floating islands that were all that remained of deceased entities who once called themselves gods. The githzerai arrived in the ever-shifting chaos of Limbo, where they learned to shape the pure chaos into orderly forms, and develop settlements of their own.

Since those ancient times, githyanki and githzerai have grown numerous, their races growing stronger. They still despise one another, and skirmishes between the two are common. But both of them have not forgotten their enslavement, and will mercilessly kill any illithid they find.

“Hmm!” said Jalal, as he finished reading this passage.

He had lived for a very long time, and he was open-minded about most things. But he had serious doubts about the authenticity of this story. After all, he had been alive for over a thousand years, and seen literally hundreds of different races of Shadowkind. If these “githyanki” and “githzerai” had ever come to Earth, they couldn’t have stayed hidden from him forever. And it would have been hard to believe that they had never come to Earth if they were indeed real. The mysterious hand that grabbed Shadowkind from the other world didn’t seem to exclude anyone…

Even if these two races were safe on the Astral and in Limbo, he knew about the races of those two dimensions. Nothing ever mentioned these two.

The story was likely only a parable…

“Unless…” muttered Jalal.

He rubbed his chin.

“Unless the githyanki and githzerai were wiped out ages ago by something else…”

* * * * * * * * * *

“Nice place…” said Hank.

The patio, as Owlsley had called it, was a beautiful garden full of flower beds, carefully manicured shrubs, and topiary statues around the perimeter. On one end was a fountain with a marble statue built as a reproduction of the Venus de Milo.

“Quite right,” said Owlsley. “And quite the nice place for a duel, wouldn’t you say?”

He held up his left arm, and activated his Disk. Hank’s eyes opened wide in surprise. It looked just like one of the Chaos Disks used by the minions of the Orichalcos so many years ago.

Owlsley answered his question before he could ask it.

“No, it isn’t authentic,” he replied. “Just something I had made for shock value… Intimidation is a big part of dueling, as you no doubt know.”

“I call it bad taste,” said Hank.

He activated his own Disk.

(Hank: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Owlsley: 8,000)

“I draw!” exclaimed Hank, drawing his first card.

He looked over the six cards in his hand, and chose one. He quickly set it on his Disk, and a reversed Monster appeared.

“And I think I’ll leave it at that.”

“Playing conservatively, I see,” said Owlsley, drawing a card.

“I summon my Cannon Soldier.”

He played a card, and a popular Machine materialized in front of him. Unlike the Toon version that Ember had used, this was the real thing, and looked nasty and lethal. (1,400 ATK)

“Attack his Monster!” commanded Owlsley.

Cannon Soldier’s barrel glowed. Hank’s Monster appeared on the card; it looked like a stone statue of a dinosaur, sitting upright, crouching in Defense Mode.

Cannon Soldier fired a bolt of plasma, and the stone Dinosaur was blown to pieces.

Not bad, thought Hank. But while you may have taken it out now, in a few rounds, you’ll see what it can really do…

“I set one card, and end my turn,” said Owlsley.

A facedown card appeared behind Cannon Soldier.

Hank drew a card and looked at it. It was a Spell Card called Distrain Card.

Not the right time for this, he thought.

He took another card from his hand.

“I play Miracle Rupture,” he said, as a Spell Card appeared on his side of the field.

“First, I take a Rock-Type Monster from my deck, and send it to the Graveyard…”

He chose a card from his deck, and then discarded it.

“Next, I reshuffle…”

He shuffled his deck.

“And then make one draw.”

He drew one card.

He played another Spell Card.

“Then, I play Silent Doom. I’m gonna bring back the Monster I just tossed. Giant Soldier of Stone.”

A very large Monster appeared on his side of the field. It was one of the oldest Rock-Type Monsters, and one that had gained some degree of fame by being part of the original deck of the King of Games; a hulking stone fighter with two stone swords on its back. (2,000 DEF)

“Then I set another Monster…”

A set Monster appeared.

“And I end my turn.”

“Tell me,” said Owlsley, with a grin, as he made a draw, “do all of your decks try to win without attacking?

“I sacrifice Cannon Soldier…”

The Machine vanished into pixels.

“…for an upgrade… I summon the Cannon Soldier MK-2!”

A new Machine appeared where Cannon Soldier had been. It looked like Cannon Soldier at first glance, but stood head-and-shoulders above the original version, had two cannons, mounted on its shoulders, and was far more high-tech in appearance. (1,900 ATK)

“Monsters like this give me inspiration,” he said. “Inspiration to build new things, things that folks with big wallets will gladly shell out lots of money for.”

He chuckled.

“Attack his facedown Monster!” he ordered. “Plasma cannon!”

The Machine fired its twin cannons at the facedown Monster…

However, Stone Statue of the Aztecs appeared on the card, and blocked the blow. (2,000 DEF)

“Ah-ha!” laughed Hank. “That’s too tough a nut for your Cannon to crack. And due to its effect, the damage you receive is doubled!”

“No big deal,” said Owlsley. “I end my turn.”

(H: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 7,800)

Hank made a draw.

“I summon Weathering Soldier!” he exclaimed.

He played a card, and a new Rock Monster appeared. This one looked like a headless, humanoid brute, with thick arms. (2,000 ATK)

“So, you do have a few Monsters that can attack,” said Owlsley, raising an eyebrow.

“That’s right!” said Hank. “Weathering Soldier, blow that Cannon Soldier away! Wind slash attack!”

Weathering Soldier leapt up into the air, and aimed a punch at the large Machine…

“Not so fast!” shouted Owlsley. “I activate Negate Attack!”

Weathering Soldier’s fist slammed into an invisible shield. Hank frowned.

“Right then…” he said. “I’ll play a facedown…”

A facedown card appeared.

“…and then I end my turn… Which means I have to reduce Weathering Soldier’s Attack Score by 600 points.”

Weathering Soldier glowed with green energy. (1,400 ATK)

“My move,” said Owlsley, drawing a card.

“I play the Spell Card, Stray Lambs,” he said, playing a card.

Two little Lamb Tokens appeared on his side of the field. (0 DEF x2)

“You see, like the original Cannon Soldier, the MK-2 version lets me sacrifice Monsters to inflict direct damage. However, with this upgraded version, I can inflict 1,500 points of damage in one blast. The catch is, I have to sacrifice two Monsters at once to do so.

“So, I’ll sacrifice my two Lamb Tokens…”

The two Tokens vanished in a wave of energy, as Cannon Soldier MK-2 absorbed them…

“FIRE!” shouted Owlsley.

The Machine blasted its cannons, striking Hank. He groaned, and held his chest.

“Now I can use its regular attack,” said Owlsley. “Attack Weathering Soldier!”

The Machine’s cannons glowed again.

“I activate… Staunch Defender!” shouted Hank, as his facedown card flipped up. “Now, your MK-2 has no choice but to attack my Stone Statue of the Aztecs again!”

Cannon Soldier MK-2 fired, hitting the Stone Statue again, but it didn’t crack.

“Fine…” said Owlsley. “Your Weathering Soldier is hardly a threat to me now. I set one card, and end my turn.”

A facedown card appeared.

(H: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 7,600)

Hank drew a card. Then he quickly played it.

“I play Forbidden Chalice!” he exclaimed. “Now, I chose one Monster on the field, and that Monster gains 400 Attack Points, and loses its Effect until the End Phase.

“I choose my Weathering Soldier.”

“Wait…” said Owlsley. “If it loses its effect…”

“That’s right,” said Hank. “It’s Attack Score goes back to its base score. Plus, it gains 400 more.”

Weathering Soldier glowed with golden light. (2,400 ATK)

“Now, let’s try this again!” shouted Hank.

Weathering Soldier leapt up, and socked Cannon Soldier MK-2. The Machine sparked and exploded.

“And my turn is over,” said Hank. “Unfortunately, that means that the effect of Forbidden Chalice wears off, which means that Weathering Soldier loses the 400 Attack Points it gained. Plus, it gains its effect back, so it loses 600 again.”

Weathering Soldier fell to an Attack Score of 1,400 again.

And that’s just what I need to summon something better than that Cannon, thought Owlsley.

(H: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 7,100)

Owlsley drew one card. Then his facedown card lifted up.

“I activate Labyrinth of Nightmare,” he said. “It works as follows. At every turn’s End Phase, all Monsters that are in Attack Mode on the turn player’s side of the field move to Defense Mode, and vice versa.

“Now, I’ll summon Giant Rat.”

He played the card, and the huge rodent appeared. (1,400 ATK)

“Attack Weathering Soldier!” he shouted.

Hank’s eyes opened as Giant Rat charged at the Rock Monster. Both Monsters threw punches at each other, and both of them were blown to pieces.

“It was a draw,” said Hank.

“But I’m sure you know about Giant Rat’s effect,” replied Owlsley. “I get to Special Summon an Earth Monster with a low Attack Score.

“And the one I want to summon couldn’t be lower. I summon Castle Gate!”

With a rumble, a titanic form rose behind Owlsley, standing over twenty feet high. As its name suggested, it looked like a large castle gate, with a huge door on its front, a head that was shaped like a tower, and two huge arms shaped like parapets. (0 ATK)

“Quite impressive…” muttered Hank.

“It may have zero Attack Points,” said Owlsley, “but on the plus side, it can’t be destroyed via battle. “I end my turn, which means Labyrinth of Nightmare’s effect kicks in.”

Castle Gate shielded itself with its arms. (2,400 DEF)

“My move…” said Hank, as he drew a card and looked up at the huge Monster.

He looked at the card he had drawn.

“I set one Monster,” he said, as a reversed Monster appeared, “and then move my other two Monsters to Attack Mode.”

Giant Soldier of Stone stood up in Attack Mode (1,300 ATK) and Stone Statue of the Aztecs did the same. (300 ATK)

“Then I end my turn.”

Labyrinth of Nightmare glowed, and both Stone Statue of the Aztecs and Giant Soldier of Stone moved back to Defense Mode. (2,000 DEF x2)

“Well, I see you’re very smart,” said Owlsley with a chuckle. “We’ll see if it’s enough…”

He made a draw.

“I summon Dark Elf,” he said.

He played a card, and a tall, beautiful female elf in a black robe with dark hair, wearing a tiara appeared. (2,000 ATK)

“You sure you want to use her?” asked Hank. “You do know that attacking with her costs 1,000 Life Points, right?”

“I’m not going to attack with her,” replied Owlsley. “I’m going to use her to use Castle Gate’s effect, once I switch it to Attack Mode.”

Castle Gate unshielded itself. (0 ATK)

“You see, so long as Castle Gate is in Attack Mode, I can sacrifice a Monster once per turn, to deal damage equal to half the Monster’s original Attack Score.”

Dark Elf vanished, and Castle Gate pointed its arms.

“Go! Castle cannons!”

Castle Gate fired a mighty blast, knocking Hank over.

“Ergh…” muttered Hank. “I’m starting to see the picture, Owlsley… Half the Monsters in your deck are meant to be used as ammunition for the other half!”

“I do what I have to,” said Owlsley. “I set one card facedown, and end my turn, which means my Trap Card activates again.”

A facedown card appeared, and Castle Gate reverted to Defense Mode once more. (2,400 DEF)

(H: 5,500) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 7,100)

Hank grunted as he drew a card.

“First I move Stone Statue of the Aztecs into Attack Mode again,” he said.

The Stone Statue stood up. (300 ATK)

“Then I flip my facedown Monster into Attack Mode as well… Reveal… Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo!”

His facedown Monster flipped up, revealing a fossilized dinosaur skeleton with a large, thick cranium, standing upright. (1,200 ATK)

“By Flip-Summoning this guy, all Monsters on the field that were Special Summoned are destroyed.”

“Eh?” said Owlsley.

The Fossil glowed, and then both Giant Soldier of Stone and Castle Gate shattered into shards of rock.

“Blast…” muttered Owlsley.

“That’s not all,” continued Hank. “So long as it’s on the field, neither of us are allowed to Special Summon.

“And now it attacks you directly!”

Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo made a dash at Owlsley, head first…

“I was hoping to save this for a stronger Monster,” said Owlsley, as his facedown card flipped up, “but no matter… Go, Draining Shield!”

A barrier of force surrounded Owlsley, and the fossilized dinosaur rammed into it.

Hank frowned and pointed. Stone Statue of the Aztecs lumbered up and butted its head into Owlsley.

“That’s all for me,” said Hank. “So your Trap Card activates again.”

Stone Statue Shielded itself again. (2,000 DEF) Pachycephalo knelt and crossed its arms. (1,300 DEF)

(H: 5,500) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 8,000)

“My move,” said Owlsley, drawing a card.

He looked at the card he drew, which was Mass Driver. Then he looked at the other three cards in his hand.

“I play Magic Planter,” he said, as a new Spell Card appeared. “Now, I just have to sacrifice a Continuous Trap Card, and then I get to draw two cards. So, I’ll sacrifice Labyrinth of Nightmare.”

The Labyrinth card disintegrated, and he made two draws. He looked at them.

“Next, I summon Gene-Warped Warwolf.”

He played the card, and the four-armed, tattooed lycanthrope appeared. (2,000 ATK)



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“Another Monster that you use for cannon fodder?” asked Hank.

“Sometimes,” said Owlsley. “But he’s also a pretty good fighter on his own.

“Attack Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo!”

The Warwolf growled, and lunged at the Rock, making a swipe with all four claws, blasting it to rubble.

“I’ll set two more cards facedown,” said Owlsley, as a facedown card appeared, “and then I’ll call it a turn.”

Hank quickly made a draw.

How many Trap Cards does this guy have? he thought. Well, this will teach him…

He took a card from his hand.

“I play Distrain Card!” he shouted.

Then, a sharp, purple, shard of a gemstone fell from the sky, and impaled one of Owlsley’s two facedown cards.

“Eh?” said Owlsley.

“Now, you can’t use that one this turn,” said Hank, with a grin. “And if you try to use the other one this turn, it will cost you 800 Life Points!”

“Ergh…” muttered Owlsley.

“Now, I play Card Destruction,” he said, playing another Spell Card. “Now, we have to ditch the cards in our hands and draw new ones.”

Both of them discarded the cards they had, Hank discarding three, and Owlsley two, making new draws. Owlsley looked at them, keeping a poker face.

“Tell me something, Owlsley…” said Hank. “You’ve been in this world a long time… You ever hear of a theory called the Gaia Principle?”

“Rings a bell somewhere,” said Owlsley, with a frown.

“Well, Owlsley,” explained Hank. “Some philosophers think that the Earth, as in the planet, is a living thing. That it is as much a living creature as the two of us are. The planet is, in effect, a living body. That is the Gaia Principle, which they named after the mythical goddess of the Earth.

“Every part of the Earth functions in a way that a part of any living organism functions. So, if we are to believe this, we could say that mountain ranges are its skeleton… And that oceans and rivers are its circulatory system…”

“Quite interesting…” said Owlsley, raising an eyebrow. “And just where do humans and Shadowkind fit in this giant living organism?”

“Well, that depends on what your point of view is,” replied Hank. “An optimist would say that we are like the benign bacteria that helps the body digest food.

“But pessimists think differently. They might say that we are actually viruses who threaten to destroy the body. They might even say that our cities are tumors that give the Earth pain.”

“And is this theory of yours leading somewhere?” asked Owlsley.

Hank grinned.

“I’m going to provide proof!” he shouted, playing a card. “First, Monster Reborn!”

He played the card, and the holy ankh appeared. Giant Soldier of Stone materialized. (1,300 ATK)

“Now, I sacrifice both my Monsters…”

Giant Soldier of Stone and Stone Statue of the Aztecs vanished, and a great rumbling shook the whole patio…

“…to summon the very avatar of the living Earth… I summon Earth Giant Gaia Plate!”

With a mighty roar, a true titan rose behind Hank, a giant made entirely out of stone. It was twenty feet tall, faceless, and had thick limbs, and huge fists. It raised its arms to the heavens and let out a bellow that sounded like an earthquake. (2,800 ATK)

“My word…” said Owlsley.

Gene-Warped Warwolf whimpered in fear…

“I’m not done,” continued Hank. “Do you remember the first Monster you destroyed in this duel?”

“Uhm, yeah…” muttered Owlsley. “It was a… a…”

“It was called a Carboneddon,” replied Hank. “A Monster made entirely of raw carbon. It’s now lying at the very bottom of my Graveyard, with twelve cards on top of it…

“And do you know what happens when carbon is exposed to incredible pressure?”

“It turns into diamonds?” asked Owlsley.

“That’s right,” said Hank, “enabling it to transform into a Monster of pure diamond…

“I Special Summon Hyozanryu!”

In a great blast of energy, another large Monster appeared. It was clearly a Dragon, and like Hank had said, it was made entirely out of diamond crystal, its scales glimmering in the morning light. It had a long horn on its nose, and two on the back of its head. (2,100 ATK)

“Time to take you out!” shouted Hank. “My Earth Giant attacks Gene-Warped Warwolf… And due to its effect, any Monster that battles it has its Attack Score cut in half!

“Attack! Earth-shattering fist!”

Gaia threw its mighty fist forward, and the Warwolf’s Attack Score fell to 1,000. Owlsley braced himself as the Beast-Warrior was smashed flat.

“And I’m not done!” continued Hank. “Hyozanryu, attack directly! Diamond devastation!”

The Diamond Dragon breathed a cone of sharp diamond crystals at the mercane. He grunted, and then fell on his seat.

(H: 5,500) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 4,100)

Owlsley chuckled for a few seconds before he got up.

“I see you are truly a force to be reckoned with, Mr. Richards…” he said.

He drew a card.

“And you clearly want that Silver Hemisphere quite badly… I know now that it’s worth a fortune… I can’t let you win this duel now…

“Your turn is over, so the effects of your Distrain Card wear off…”

The gem shard impaling the card vanished. Then the facedown card flipped up.

“I activate my own Earth-shattering card… It’s called Earthshaker.

“I’ll explain. I name two Attributes. Then you choose one. All Monsters on the field that are the Attribute you choose are then wiped out.

“I name Earth and Light.”

“Which one do you think?” asked Hank. “I choose Light.”

Hyozanryu roared, and then shattered into pixels.

“I was hoping you’d choose that one,” replied Owlsley, as his other facedown card lifted up. “Next, I chain-activate Emergency Provisions.”

The Earthshaker card faded away, and he glowed with energy.

Owlsley took the last two cards in his hand.

“Next, I summon a second Dark Elf…”

Another Dark Elf appeared. (2,000 ATK)

“Then, I play the Spell Card, Creature Swap!”

Why, you dirty… thought Hank.

The Spell Card appeared, and both Monsters switched places on the field.

“Always find ways to turn a negative into a positive,” said Owlsley. “That’s one motto we mercane always live by.

“Attack!”

Earth Giant Gaia Plate loomed over the field, and Dark Elf fell to an Attack Score of 1,000. It threw its mighty fist forward, squashing her flat. Hank was knocked over by the impact.

“Now that that’s done,” said Owlsley, playing his last card, “I’ll set this, and then you go…”

A reversed card appeared.

(H: 3,700) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 5,100)

Hank made a draw.

He quickly set a card, and a reversed Monster appeared.

“That’s it,” he said.

Owlsley made a draw.

“I should mention,” said Hank, “Gaia has a little condition you should know about. If you want to keep it, you have to remove from play a Rock Monster in your Graveyard every one of your Standby Phases.”

“I see…” said Owlsley. “Well then, it’s a good thing I have one…”

Castle Gate fell out of his discard slot.

“Attack his Monster!” he commanded.

Gaia’s hand fell towards the facedown Monster. Morphing Jar appeared on the card, and was crushed into dust.

They both quickly discarded the last card they each had, and made five draws apiece.

Then Owlsley’s poker face quickly vanished. He had clearly made a good draw, and wasn’t afraid to show it.

I don’t like this, thought Hank.

Owlsley quickly played a Spell Card.

“This is one my most powerful cards,” he said. “But see for yourself… I play Linear Accelerator Cannon!”

A huge weapon appeared behind Owlsley. It was a space-age cannon, the size of a large bus.

Earth Giant Gaia Plate dissolved into pure energy, and the Cannon started to glow…

“What’s happening?” asked Hank.

“This Spell Card lets me sacrifice a Monster,” replied Owlsley, “and inflict damage equal to the base Attack Score of that Monster.”

Hank mouthed a brief cuss word as the cannon glowed more intensely…

Then it fired, letting loose a blast of super-intense plasma, engulfing Hank and throwing him back ten feet.

(H: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 5,100)

Hank slowly sat up. Smoke poured from his clothes and hair. His hat had been knocked off; he slowly reached for it.

“Unfortunately,” said Owlsley, “since I used that card, I can’t play any other Spell Cards this turn. So I’ll set a Monster, and end my turn.”

Hank barely heard him – his ears were ringing. He slowly got up as a reversed Monster appeared in front of Owlsley.

He slowly made a draw, and looked at the six cards he had, courtesy of the Morphing Jar.

I’ve almost got all I need to summon something good, he thought. I just need a little unintended cooperation from Owlsley…

“I play a facedown,” he said, “and then summon a second Weathering Soldier.”

A reversed card appeared, and then another Weathering Soldier materialized. (2,000 ATK)

“Get his Monster!”

Weathering Soldier leapt at the facedown Monster. A second Cannon Soldier appeared on the card, and was blown to pieces.

“It’s your move…”

Weathering Soldier fell to an Attack Score of 1,400.

Owlsley quickly drew a card.

“I play Monster Reborn,” he said.

He played the card, and the glowing ankh appeared. Cannon Soldier appeared again.

Then his facedown card flipped up.

“Next, I activate Inferno Reckless Summon. I’ll summon my other two Cannon Soldiers.”

Two more Cannon Soldiers appeared. (1,400 ATX x3)

Hank’s first Weathering Soldier appeared next to the other one. (2,000 ATK)

“You asked me if I was a gambling man, Mr. Richards…” said Owlsley. “Well, I am one enough to know that three of a kind beats a pair. And now it’s time to say all in…”

“But I have a wild card,” replied Hank.

His facedown card shot up.

“I activate Hallowed Life Barrier!” he shouted. “Now, I just have to toss one card…”

He discarded a card.

“…and my Life Points can’t be touched this round. So I’m safe from your Cannon Soldiers.”

“This is annoying…” muttered Owlsley, playing a Spell Card. “Still my turn… I play Enemy Controller.”

The large video game control pad appeared over the field, and the Weathering Soldier with 1,400 Attack Points knelt and shielded itself in Defense Mode. (1,200 DEF)

Owlsley pointed, and one of the three Cannon Soldiers fired. The Weathering Soldier that had changed positions was blown to shards.

“Next,” said Owlsley, playing a new Spell Card, “I play Shrink.”

The other Weathering Soldier shrank to half its size. (1,000 ATK)

Owlsley pointed again, and a second Soldier fired, blowing the second Weathering Soldier away.

“And with that, I end my turn,” said Owlsley. “So, what are you going to pull out of that deck next?”

Hank drew a card.

“I’ll show you…” he said with a grin.

He played a Spell Card, and it glowed with eldritch energy.

“I play Fossil Fusion!”

“Huh?” said Owlsley.

Then Weathering Soldier appeared on Hank’s side of the field, and Cannon Soldier MK-2 appeared on Owlsley’s.

“This Spell Card let’s me fuse together one Monster in my Graveyard with one in yours,” explained Hank, “forming a truly colossal fossil!”

The two Monsters vanished into grains of light.

“I summon Fossil Machine Skullwagon!”

An odd Monster materialized. It looked like a small semi-truck, made out of stone with a skeletal framework, with glaring headlights that looked like eyes. (1,700 ATK)

“That doesn’t seem too impressive…” muttered Owlsley.

“Just wait…” replied Hank, playing another Spell Card. “I play… Time Stream!”

Then all of reality seemed to come apart. The courtyard was transformed into a chaotic void. Clocks, hourglasses, and other timepieces spun in a maelstrom of energy that seemed to be formed around the Monster that Hank had just summoned.

“What’s going on?” shouted Owlsley.

“Time Stream costs me half my Life Points,” replied Hank, “but it’s worth it, because it tears a hole in the very fabric of time, opening a portal from the Mesozoic Era to the Paleozoic, allowing me to devolve my Monster.”

“Devolve it?” said Owlsley. “Into what?”

“Into something stronger,” replied Hank, as the storm started to subside. “Meet the true king of the road… Fossil Machine Skullconvoy!”

Now in place of Skullwagon was another truck made of stone and fossilized bone, but one twice the size. It was vaguely shaped like an armored, herbivorous dinosaur on wheels, the size of a big rig. (2,100 ATK)

“And this means trouble for your Monsters,” said Hank, “because Skullconvoy can attack all three of them in one turn.”

“It can?” shouted Owlsley.

“Skullconvoy…” ordered Hank, “mow those Cannon Soldiers down!”

Skullconvoy’s engines roared, and it sped forward, smashing into the first Cannon Soldier, and blowing it to scrap. But it didn’t stop there, running down the second and then the third, blasting them into rubble. Owlsley cringed.

(H: 450) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 3,000)

“Ergh…” muttered Owlsley. “This isn’t over, Mr. Richards… I still have 3,000 Life Points…”

“Afraid it is, and you don’t,” replied Hank. “Skullconvoy has another effect. You lose 1,000 points of damage for each Monster it smashes.”

Then Owlsley froze as a shadow fell over him. He looked up…

Then he screamed as broken parts of Cannon Soldiers rained down on him, and he fell over.

(H: 450) - - - - - - - - - - (O: 0)

Hank deactivated his Duel Disk, and Fossil Machine Skullconvoy disappeared. Owlsley sighed, and got up. He took out a pocket handkerchief and mopped his brow.

“I’ll call someone and have him bring the Silver Hemisphere,” he said, coldly.

Hank nodded. He watched Owlsley walk into the house. He knew he likely would only see servants until he got the Silver Hemisphere. But he knew he’d get it.

He knew that losing had been a serious blow to Owlsley’s pride. But he also knew that mercane always kept their word. They may have been mercenaries to the core, but if they ever became known for breaking it… Well, that would be bad for business.

* * * * * * * * * *

One hour later, in the townhouse in Neo Domino…

Gears came upstairs from the basement.

“Well, people, the Sword of Midnight is in the back of the vault,” he said. “DaPen will have to get past us now if he wants it.”

“Good to hear,” said Shichiro.

Then his cell phone rang. He quickly answered it.

“Yeah?” he said “Hank?”

He listened.

“Okay, great Hank…” he said. “Listen… It’s too risky to rely on any regular mail service… Do you think you can send it using Stamps of Delivery?

“Yeah, I know, but I’m sure Jalal will foot the bill.

“Okay, bye…”

“Stamps of Delivery?” asked Ember, who had been listening.

“Magical stamps that provide the best in mail delivery,” said Shichiro. “You address a package, put the right amount of these stamps on it, and the package is teleported to the mailbox of the address, instantly.”

“Unfortunately,” said Jinx, “they’re incredibly expensive, and they’re postmarked after use, so they can only be used once. Human wizards don’t make them… Some people think that they’re made by some extra-planar delivery service, who just distributes them to mortals.”

“Where can you get them?” asked Ember, raising an eyebrow.

“Pretty much any post office where at least one employee is a Shadowkind,” replied Gears. “And there are more than you think.”

As Ember was thinking of a possible safe and fast way to send a birthday present to her grandmother next month, who lived in the States, there was a frantic knock on the door.

Shichiro went up and looked through the window.

“Ah, it’s only Ooka,” he said opening it.

As he did so, a very frightened kobold rushed in, gasping for breath. He was holding a Duel Disk, and looked like he had run a long distance.

“Ooka!” exclaimed Shichiro. “Are you alright?”

“I think so…” gasped the kobold. “I don’t think he followed me…”

“Don’t think who followed you?” asked Gears.

“Mukuro Enjo!” shouted the kobold. “He showed up at Kaibaland… Started challenging every Shadowkind there with a Duel Disk, didn’t give us much choice in the matter, and beat the crud out of anyone who accepted. He’s gone loony!”

“Mukuro?” asked Jinx. “He never really struck me as the most stable person to begin with… But he isn’t Aware…”

“Maybe he just became Aware,” said Gears. “And maybe he’s become afflicted with Awareness Madness.”

“Huh?” said Ember.

“It happens sometimes,” said Gears. “Sometimes a Mundane becomes Aware, his eyes open to the truth, and his mind can’t handle the new things he sees. He snaps, and becomes dangerous.”

“You did the right thing telling us,” said Shichiro to Ooka. “I’ll go check him out…”

“Uh, actually, Shichiro,” said Jinx, “I think I can handle this…

“Ember… You come with me…”

“You two sure?” asked Shichiro.

“Positive,” said Jinx, reaching for her helmet.


I didn’t realize it at this point, but in less than an hour, a test would start that would test me more than I had been tested to date. Up until now, I had used my inspiration and knowledge to pass the trials that had been set before me. Now, I would have to use my wits, and my faith in what I already had. My next opponent would not be a pushover… And as much as I didn’t like it, I knew that it would only get harder from this point on.



CARBONEDDON (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Dinosaur/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK: 900
DEF: 600

Card Description: If this card is in your Graveyard, with at least 10 cards on top of it, you may remove it from play to Special Summon 1 “Hyozanryu” from your hand or deck.

Note: “Carboneddon” was first used by Misawa in the multi-part “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “The Duel-Off”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



WEATHERING SOLDIER (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Rock/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 2,000
DEF: 1,200

Card Description: During each of your End Phases, decrease the ATK of this card by 600.



FOSSIL MACHINE SKULLWAGON (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Rock/Fusion/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 6
ATK: 1,700
DEF: 1,400

Card Description: 1 Rock-Type Monster in your Graveyard + 1 Machine-Type Monster in your opponent’s Graveyard that is Level 5 or 6

This card can only be Special Summoned via the effect of “Fossil Fusion”.



FOSSIL MACHINE SKULLCONVOY (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Rock/Fusion/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 8
ATK: 2,100
DEF: 1,400

Card Description: 1 Rock-Type Monster in your Graveyard + 1 Machine-Type Monster in your opponent’s Graveyard that is Level 7 or higher.

This card can only be Special Summoned via the effect of “Fossil Fusion”. This card can attack up to 3 Monsters in 1 Battle Phase. This card cannot attack directly after attacking any Monsters. If this card destroys a Monster and sends it to the Graveyard, inflict 1,000 points of damage to your opponent.



MIRACLE RUPTURE (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: Giant Soldier of Stone behind a shining light.

Card Description: Select 1 Rock Monster in your deck and send it to the Graveyard. Then, shuffle your deck, and draw 1 card.



FOSSIL FUSION (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: Similar to “Polymerization”, with dinosaur skeletons replacing the two dragons.

Card Description: Select 1 Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck that includes the word “Fossil” in its name. Remove from play from your Graveyard and your opponent’s Graveyard the Fusion Material Monsters listed on that Fusion Monster to summon the Fusion Monster. (This is considered a Fusion Summon.)



TIME STREAM (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A roaring dinosaur in front of a city awash with eerie energy.

Card Description: Pay half your Life Points to activate this card. Return a Fusion Monster you control with the word “Fossil” in its name that is Level 4 or 6 to your Extra Deck, and Special Summon from your Extra Deck a Fusion Monster with the word “Fossil” in its name that requires the same Type(s) of Monsters as Fusion Material Monsters. The Special Summoned Monster must be 2 Levels higher than the one returned to your Extra Deck.

Note: The proceeding six cards were all used by Jim at various times in the third season of “Yu-Gi-Oh GX”. Creative credit goes to the writers of each episode.



DISTRAIN CARD (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: Three reversed Trap Cards, the center one impaled by a shard of purple crystal.

Card Description: You may activate this card when your opponent has two or more facedown Spell and/or Trap Cards. Select one facedown Spell or Trap Card controlled by your opponent. Your opponent cannot activate that Spell or Trap Card in response to this card’s activation, and cannot activate it this round. If your opponent activates another set Spell or Trap card this round, he takes 800 points of damage.

Note: “Distrain Card” was first used by Jeager in a second season episode of “Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



EARTH GIANT GAIA PLATE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Rock/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 8
ATK: 2,800
DEF: 1,000

Card Description: This card may be Special Summoned by removing two Rock-Type Monsters in your Graveyard from play. The ATK and DEF of a Monster that battles this card are halved. During your Standby Phase, remove from play one Rock-Type Monster in your Graveyard. If you do not, this card is destroyed.

Note: “Earth Giant Gaia Plate” is a Japanese card that has not been released in the United States.



The two races mentioned in this chapter, githyanki and githzerai, are both registered trademarks of Wizards of the Coast Inc, and are not included under its Open Gaming License. Both first appeared in the first edition of Fiend Folio, published in 1981.



Coming up next:

Jinx believes that Mukuro’s rampage is a sign that Ember’s opponent for the Rivalry of Warlords test has been chosen, and directs her towards the former champion. Does Ember possibly stand a chance against someone who has gone toe-to-toe with no less than two of the Signers?? Ember’s true test of faith begins, as a duel of Fire against Fire starts. “Flame Champion” is coming soon.

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

Good chapter. I don't know why, but Rock-typed monsters always intrigued me. Although Jim's deck was original I didn't like it very much, but Hank managed to pull it off more than Jim IMO. I liked this duel.

The arms deck was..weird.

So we got the Silver Hemisphere now, that's a good thing. Atleast, if it happens to get to the house safely.

I like Rock Monsters, but I also like Fire monsters, so the next chapter should be awesome. Atleast I hope so.

[Shuppet Master]

At least, if it happens to get to the house safely.

What are the chances of THAT happening?

Anyways, I didn't realize Mukuro was a fire duelist. I do know he used the Flaming Skulls, but a fire duelist? Che. Well, I pray for Ember's good luck.

[Dark Sage]

Anyways, I didn't realize Mukuro was a fire duelist. I do know he used the Flaming Skulls, but a fire duelist? Che. Well, I pray for Ember's good luck.

Well, Chris, Mukuro's deck (at least the Monsters) combine Fire with Zombies for the most part. They've never come right out and said it, but his Monsters seem to have been inspired by the Marvel Comics character Ghost Rider.

What I've done next chapter is expand it a little, as duels in a fanfic tend to take longer than they do in the anime. I think I did an okay job.

[Shuppet Master]

Oh yeah, I sort of remember his Grim Reaper tuner monster from his duel with Yusei, that should've tipped me off that he had zombies too. And yeah, he looks sort of like an evil Ghost Rider. ^_^

Can't wait for the next chappie.

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER THIRTY

Author’s note: The events of this chapter begin halfway through Episode 35. At this point in the story, Yusei has had his first duel with Kyosuke Kiryu, cumulating in the summoning of Ccapac Apu and Yusei’s defeat. As a result of this, the supernatural activity in Neo Domino is leaning in favor of Evil, and benign Shadowkind are growing worried.



Theme parks are fickle things. Walt Disney pretty much invented the concept when he proposed the idea of Disney World, and then built it, and it became a success. Other theme parks have emerged over the years – like Six Flags and Bush Gardens in the States, along with many small ones that didn’t last long, but few have reached Disney’s grandeur.

Seto Kaiba made a modest attempt, and achieved a modicum of success. Kaibaland was a dream that was in his head even before he controlled KaibaCorp. At first, after Duel Monsters was a well-established pastime, it was little more than a large one-building complex full of dueling arenas and arcades. But going there was difficult – often, the arenas had to be booked months in advance to get a spot. Kaiba wanted something that was more available to everyone.

He started serious work on the project after Battle City, and held its grand opening by holding the KC Grand Prix, an invitational dueling tournament to gain publicity. There was a small snafu during the tournament, but it was a success, and work began on more Kaibaland locations.

It was here that someone could go to have fun, as you could at any theme park, and in this one, you were encouraged to bring your Duel Disk. In addition to roller coasters and food courts, this was a place where a duel could happen at any time. Although, at the moment, the dark clouds overhead didn’t make Kaibaland seem all that inviting. I sensed that there was trouble in the air, and some of that trouble had come to this place…


Jinx drove into Kaibaland’s main promenade, with Ember holding on behind on her D-Wheel.

“So…” said Ember, as they stopped. “Are you gonna duel Mukuro?”

“Nope,” replied Jinx. “YOU are.”

“HUH?” gasped Ember.

“Listen up, kid,” said Jinx. “This wasn’t an accident. Fate moves in mysterious ways.

“You have to do the Rivalry of Warlords test… You play a Fire Deck, Mukuro uses Fire… Everything has fallen into place. This is your job to handle.”

“Jinx…” muttered Ember. “I don’t know if I can take a tough guy like Mukuro Enjo. I mean… This guy used to be the riding duels champion!”

Jinx got off her bike.

“Ah, big deal,” she said. “Let me tell you a little secret… Professional duelists are a lot like professional wrestlers. A lot of their moves are more to please the crowd than anything else.

“Remember, to pass this test, you have to use your ace Monster to beat his. Now… I believe his ace Monster is his Skull Flames… Keep an eye out for it…

“And here… Take this for luck…”

She handed her a card.

“What’s this?” asked Ember.

“A Trap I used to use,” replied Jinx. “Don’t have much use for it any more. Only so much you can fit in a deck, after all.”

Ember read the description, and then slowly shuffled it into her deck.

“Now…” said Jinx, looking at the large public dueling arena. “Let’s go get him…”

* * * * * * * * * *

A young elf holding a Duel Disk let out a scream as a huge wave of fire slammed into him, knocking him over.

“Heh, heh,” chuckled Mukuro. “Legolas you ain’t. Maybe you should stick to bows and arrows. Now who’s next?”

“Hey, buddy!” shouted Ember’s voice.

“Eh?” said Mukuro, turning around.

“Care to try that on someone who can fight back?” asked Ember.

Mukuro looked at her, glancing over his sunglasses. Ember nervously looked back.

“Or are you too macho to fight girls?” asked Ember.

“Not like I’ve never dueled one before,” replied Mukuro. “Heh, I remember Maizuru Kujyaku fondly… Yeah, she was a sport…

“Course, she was a lot tougher…”

Ember gulped, and walked up to the middle of the floor.

“Gotta say, I’m kinda curious,” said Mukuro, as one of the elf’s friends helped him up. “What’s your deal? You don’t seem like some amateur like these others… Any particular reason why you want to duel?”

“Well…” said Ember. “It’s hard to explain… Why do you want to duel?”

Mukuro snickered.

“I asked you first, y’know,” he said. “But… You asked me second… I’m guessing you mean why I’m dueling at all, as opposed to why I’m dueling now.

“Why do I want to duel? Ever want to simply be the best there ever was?”

“Maybe,” said Ember.

“My dad runs a mechanic shop…” started Mukuro. “I used to help him when I was a teenager. We fixed cars, and motorcycles… The occasional outboard motor… Anything with an engine. It paid the bills.

“Around when I turned twenty, Turbo Duels started to become popular, and some of our customers brought in D-Wheels. I saw this, and I realized this was what I wanted. I wanted to be the greatest riding duelist there ever was.

“But my dad was against it. He wanted me to have more reliable work. He didn’t think that competing for a living was reliable.

“So, I made a deal with my dad. I asked him for one year. Just one year to try to become a success as a professional duelist. If I didn’t, I’d give it up, come back, and I’d try to become the best mechanic there ever was instead.”

“So what happened?” asked Ember.

Mukuro shrugged.

“That was about two years ago, and I’m still a duelist, aren’t I?” he replied. “So… Why are you dueling?”

“Well…” muttered Ember. “It… kind of happened by accident…”

“Heh, heh, heh…” chuckled Mukuro. “Babe, do you know how many times I’ve heard someone say that? You got a name?”

“Ember…” said Ember, softly.

“Well then, Ember…” said Mukuro, as his Disk activated. “Let’s throw down!”

Ember activated her own Disk. She was more nervous than she had been in a long time.

(Ember: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Mukuro: 8,000)

“Ladies first,” said Mukuro, with a grin.

“Thank you,” said Ember, making a draw.

She looked over her hand, and took two cards. She placed them in her Disk, and a reversed card and a reversed Monster appeared.

Okay, I’ve got a plan, she thought. When he attacks, my Negate Attack will stop him… Then on my turn, I’ll flip Hiita to take his Monster…

Then I’ll sacrifice both of them for Familiar-Possessed Hiita, and then make a direct attack.

“Your move…”

Mukuro drew a card.

“I summon Emissary of the Afterlife,” he said.

He played the card, and with a ghostly moan, a spooky grim reaper holding a scythe appeared. (1,600 ATK)

That’s not a Fire Monster! thought Ember.

Jinx was watching, and she was more than a little worried.

I should have warned Ember, she thought. His deck isn’t as pure as hers is… He also uses a few non-Fire Zombies and Fiends…

“Attack her Monster!” shouted Mukuro. “Sickle slasher!”

Emissary of the Afterlife made another moan, and flew towards the hidden Monster.

“Go, Negate Attack!” shouted Ember, as her facedown card flew up.

The Fiend crashed into an invisible shield.

“Seems this isn’t gonna be easy,” chuckled Mukuro. “I end my turn…”

Ember slowly drew a card.

“I flip Hiita the Fire Charmer into Attack Mode,” she said.

The card flipped up, and Hiita appeared in a burst of flame. (500 ATK)

“Then, I summon Little Chimera.”

She played another card, and the small, winged cat appeared. (600 ATK)

“Then I sacrifice both of them…”

Both Monsters vanished in bursts of fire…

“…for Familiar-Possessed Hiita!”

In a larger burst of magical flame, the older, more mature version of Hiita appeared, with her savage fox by her side. (1,850 ATK)

“Destroy his Fiend!” shouted Ember. “Fire magic!”

Hiita fired a blast of flames from her staff, and Emissary of the Afterlife groaned before going up in smoke.

“Heh, heh,” chuckled Mukuro, taking his deck. “When Emissary of the Afterlife is trashed, both players get to take a Monster from their decks, so long as it’s Level 3 or less, and has no effect.

“I’m gonna go with my Charcoal Inpachi.”

“Really?” said Ember, looking through her deck.

“Guess I’ll go with Guard of Flamvell.”

Ember replaced her deck, and looked at the rest of the cards she had.

“I can’t do anything else,” she said. “It’s your move…”

(E: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 7,850)

Mukuro made a draw.

“Think I’ll set this guy, and end my turn,” he said, as a concealed Monster appeared.

Ember looked at the hidden Monster.

It’s clearly his Charcoal Inpachi, thought Ember, as she made a draw. That has 2,100 Defense Points.

And I’ve got nothing that can beat it.

She looked at the card she had drawn.

“I summon Flame Ruler,” she said.

In another blast of fire, Flame Ruler appeared. (1,500 ATK)

“I end my turn.”

Enjo chuckled as he made a draw.

“First, I flip Charcoal Inpachi into Attack Mode,” he said.

The facedown Monster flipped up, revealing a burned out, charcoal statue, big, thick, and blocky. (100 ATK)

“Huh?” said Ember. “Why…”

“Then, I summon Gaia Soul, the Combustible Collective!” he continued.

He played a card, and a very frightening-looking Monster appeared. It was a large, red, lumpy, bloated sphere, emitting burning gasses, with one beady eye in its center. It looked like it was about ready to burst at any second. (2,000 ATK)

“Now, by sacrificing a Pyro Monster, it gains 1,000 more Attack Points.”

Charcoal Inpachi vanished, and Gaia Soul swelled up, becoming even more bloated. (3,000 ATK)

“You made a big mistake!” laughed Ember. “It may be able to beat either of my Monsters, but when you end your turn, it will destroy itself, and you’ll be defenseless!”

“Will I, now?” asked Mukuro. “We’ll see about that. But first…

“Attack her Flame Ruler!”

Gaia Soul shot a thin blast of glowing, violet flames at Flame Ruler. Ember cringed in pain as he exploded.

“Up next,” said Mukuro, as a Spell Card appeared. “I play my Creature Swap.”

“HUH?” gasped Ember.

“Now we both gotta trade Monsters,” he continued.

Ember frowned as Gaia Soul and Hiita changed places, each one appearing on opposite sides of the field.

“Ho-kay,” he said. “Think I’ll end my turn… And like you said, that means Gaia Soul goes boom.”

Ember shielded herself as the Combustible Collective exploded into particles.

Man, that WAS a clever strategy, thought Ember. A lot like professional wrestling? This clearly is not choreographed…

(E: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 7,850)

She made a draw.

She chose a card, and set it on her Disk.

“I think I’ll set a Monster of my own,” she said, “and I’ll end my turn..”

A reversed Monster appeared on her side of the field in a flash of light.

“Can it be?” chuckled Mukuro. “My move?”

He made a draw.

“Hiita sure is a beauty,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to give her a spin…”

Hiita seemed a little annoyed by this comment, and Mukuro clearly noticed it.

“Eh…” he said. “Boy, that was kinda surreal… Uhm… Guess I’ll summon Molten Zombie…”

In another blast of fire, the hunched over, undead Pyro appeared. (1,600 ATK)

“Attack!” he ordered.

Molten Zombie breathed a cloud of flame at the reversed Monster. However, Guard of Flamvell appeared on the card, shielding itself, and the Zombie was knocked over by the backlash. (2,000 DEF)

“Aw, crud,” muttered Mukuro. “That’s all for me…”

(E: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 7,450)

Ember made a draw. It was a Pyro called Flamvell Baby.

This will be good later, she thought.

She quickly played another card, and another set Monster appeared next to Guard of Flamvell.

“Your move,” she said.

Mukuro made a draw.

“This time I’m gonna attack with Hiita,” he said. “Attack the facedown Monster!”

Hiita aimed her staff at the facedown Monster. However, another Guard of Flamvell appeared on the card. (2,000 DEF)

“TWO of them?” shouted Mukuro.

Hiita fired her blast, and this time she fell over from the backlash.

“That’s right,” said Ember.

“Okay, you’re starting to try my patience,” grumbled Mukuro. “I end my turn.”

(E: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 7,300)

Ember made a draw, and looked at the card.

That’s it… she said.

“I sacrifice one Guard of Flamvell…” she said.

One of the two Dragons vanished into particles of light.

“…to summon Flamvell Devil!”

A burst of flames appeared on her side of the field, ones that were so hot, they burned blue. A Fiend stepped out of the bonfire, a muscular demon surrounded by an aura of blue fire. His arms and the crown of his head were covered with bony ridges that resembled flames, he wore an amulet over his shirtless torso with a setting shaped like a skull, and a pair of black trousers with a belt that had a buckle shaped like a skull. (2,100 ATK)

Jinx’s eyes opened wide. She never expected Ember to summon something like this.

“Whoa…” said Mukuro, with a grin. “That’s my kinda guy.”

Flamvell Devil growled a little, clearly not liking the compliment.

“Hiita,” said Ember. “I’m sorry it had to come to this.”

Hiita simply bowed her head.

Flamvell Devil hurled a ball of white-hot fire, and Hiita was reduced to ashes.

“There’s more,” said Ember. “Whenever he inflicts battle damage, you lose 200 extra Life Points for each Pyro I have in my Graveyard. I have one in there right now, Flame Ruler.”

Mukuro winced a little, as a fiery aura surrounded him.

“And that’s all for my turn…”

(E: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 6,850)

Mukuro grumbled as he made a draw. This duel was quickly becoming less and less fun for him.

“All right…” he muttered. “First I move Molten Zombie to Defense Mode…”

Molten Zombie slumped down, and crossed its arms. (400 DEF)

“Then I’m removing one Fire Monster from play to Special Summon Inferno.”

Gaia Soul slipped out of his discard slot, and he pocketed the card. Then the large bonfire with two glaring eyes appeared on his side of the field. (1,900 ATK)

“I’ll end my turn there.”

Ember quickly made a draw.

“Come on out, Blue Flame Swordsman!” she shouted.

In a flourish, the blue-armored twin of the famous Fusion Monster appeared. (1,800 ATK)

“Take out his Zombie!” she shouted. “Flaming sword of battle!”

“Tōki Enzan Ken!” screamed the Warrior, as he brought his sword down on the Pyro, slicing it in half.

Whoa… thought Ember. They’re really getting into this…

Flamvell Devil hurled its fireball, and Inferno exploded into a cloud of ash.

Ember don’t be too careless! thought Jinx. You have to keep this duel going until he manages to summon his best!

Ember grinned, and put her hands on her hips. She was getting more confident by the minute.

“It’s your move,” she said.

“It’s your move,” repeated Mukuro, in a mocking tone of voice. He quickly made a draw, and looked at the card.

“First, I’ll throw these down,” he said, as two reversed cards flashed into existence.

“Then, I’ll play my Foolish Burial Spell Card.”

The Spell Card appeared.

“Now, I get to send any Monster I want from my deck to the Graveyard.”

He took a card from his deck, and quickly discarded it.

“Next, I’ll summon Blazing Inpachi!”

In another burst of flames, a new Pyro appeared. It looked somewhat like Charcoal Inpachi, but this one’s fire had not come close to going out yet. It was burning like it had been doused in gasoline and then had a torch put to it. (1,850 ATK)

“Attack Blue Flame Swordsman!” he shouted. “Burning fist!”

Blazing Inpachi lunged forward and socked the Warrior with its fist, blowing him to shards.

“I activate his effect!” exclaimed Ember. “When he’s destroyed, the real Flame Swordsman comes out.”

In another flourish, the real Flame Swordsman stepped onto the field. (1,800 ATK)

“So I see…” muttered Mukuro. “My turn is over…”

(E: 6,450) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 6,850)

Ember looked over the field, and made a draw.

“I think I’ll summon MY Blazing Inpachi!” she said.

She played the card, and a twin of Mukuro’s Monster appeared on her side of the field. (1,850 ATK)

Then Mukuro smiled again.

“Y’know…” he said, “maybe this isn’t so bad after all. You’ve got taste… You doing anything on Friday night?”

“You aren’t my type,” said Ember, with a frown. “Flamvell Devil, attack his Blazing Inpachi!”

Flamvell Devil prepared to hurl his ball of flame…

“I activate… Sakuretsu Armor!” shouted Mukuro.

He waved his hand, and one of his two facedown cards shot up. A shimmering shield formed around the Inpachi, and Flamvell Devil was blown to pieces.

“Fine…” said Ember. “Blazing Inpachi, attack his Inpachi!”

The two blazing wood spirits glared at each other…

Then they charged at each other, and each threw a punch at the same time. Both of them burst into showers of flaming wood embers.

“You’re out of Monsters!” shouted Ember. “Flame Swordsman, attack him directly!”

Flame Swordsman hollered a war cry and charged at Mukuro, slashing at him with his blazing sword. The biker punk fell over onto his seat.

“Ergh…” he said, holding his head.

(E: 6,450) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 5,050)

“Heh, heh, heh…” he chuckled.

He got up.

“Not bad… But everything’s in place now for my favorite part of the duel…

“My draw…”

He drew a card.

Then his other facedown card lifted up.

“I activate Limit Reverse. Now, I can summon a Monster from my Graveyard that has 1,000 or fewer Attack Points.

“And I choose to summon Ruklamba the Spirit King.”

In a flash of light, the Fiend that Maccal had used appeared; the humanoid crocodile with long, wet hair and watery eyes. (1,000 ATK)

“Next, I use its effect. I can sacrifice it…”

Ruklamba vanished.

“…and in return, I can Special Summon as many Monsters as I want, so long as their Attack Scores total up to 2,000.

“So… I’ll summon Burning Skull Head, and Skull Vase.”

Two odd Monsters appeared. One of them was a bare skull that was surrounded by an aura of fire, floating in mid-air. (1,000 ATK) The other was much weirder. It looked like an antique, porcelain vase filled with water, with a skeleton inside it. (800 ATK)

Then Burning Skull Head burned fiercely, and shot a wave of flames at Ember.

“HEY!” she shouted, as it hit her. “What happened??”

“When Burning Skull Head is Special Summoned from my hand,” chuckled Mukuro, “you lose 1,000 Life Points.

“And I’m far from done…

“I sacrifice both these small Monsters…”

Burning Skull Head and Skull Vase vanished into globules of light…

“…to summon Skull Flames!”

In an explosion of intense fire, a far more intimidating Monster appeared. It looked like a sinister witch doctor in a black robe and red cape, both of which were decorated with skulls and bones. A skull-shaped mask covered its face. (2,600 ATK)

Ember got excited.

This is it! she thought. This is his ace! If I can summon Urquizas and beat this guy, I’ll have done it!

“Now then,” said Mukuro, “since I sacrificed Skull Vase to summon this big guy, I get to draw one card…”

He made a draw.

“And I’m still not done…”

He placed a card on his Disk, and a second Burning Skull Head appeared. (800 DEF)

“Another one?” asked Ember.

Then she screamed as it shot flames at her again.



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“That’s right,” chuckled Mukuro. “Skull Flames lets me Special Summon a Burning Skull Head from my hand every round. Of course, that means I can’t actually attack.

“But, Skull Flames has another effect too. Next round, if I skip my Draw Phase, I can get back a Burning Skull Head that’s in the Graveyard.”

Which means he’ll always have one to summon using that thing’s effect, thought Ember. I’m gonna have to get rid of that guy pretty quick…

(E: 4,450) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 5,050)

“My move!” she shouted, drawing a card.

“You brought out your best, now it’s time to meet mine,” she said. “Guard of Flamvell… Flame Swordsman… You take it from here!”

The Dragon and the Warrior nodded to each other, and then leapt up, and flew towards the ceiling. Both of them dissolved into six glowing stars…

“Synchro Summon… Flamvell Urquizas!”

Flamvell Urquizas landed in an aura of super-hot flames. (2,100 ATK)

“I’ll admit that he’s pretty cool,” replied Mukuro. “Or hot… Whatever… But my Monster is hotter…”

“We’ll see about that,” said Ember, holding up a card. “I’m sending my Flamvell Baby to the Graveyard.”

She discarded a card.

“By doing that, my Fire Monster gains 400 more Attack Points.”

Urquizas burned more intensely. (2,500 ATK)

“Still not strong enough,” laughed Mukuro.

“I’m still not done,” said Ember, as she played a Spell Card. “I play Double Attack. Now, my Monster can attack twice, so long as I first toss a Monster that’s a higher Level.

“So, I’ll discard my Level 9 Infernal Flame Emperor…”

She discarded another card.

“…and my Level 6 Flamvell Urquizas gets two attacks.

“Now, attack Burning Skull Head! Fist of flame!”

Flamvell Urquizas roared, and threw a punch at the flaming noggin. It burst into shards.

Then Mukuro screamed in pain.

“What happened?!” he shouted.

“Urquizas inflicts trampling damage,” replied Ember. “So you just lost 1,700 Life Points.

“Plus, whenever Urquizas inflicts battle damage, he gains 300 more Attack Points.”

(2,800 ATK)

“I’m still not done! He gets to attack twice, remember?”

“Uh… oh…” said Mukuro.

Flamvell Urquizas socked the flaming Zombie in the gut, and it groaned. Then it burst into a shower of cinders.

(E: 4,450) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 3,150)

Jinx crossed her arms and smiled.

You did good, kid, she thought. Now finish him off, so we can close the book on this whole mess.

Ember’s eyes narrowed a little.

Somehow… she thought.

She paused.

Somehow… Something seems… Wrong…

She looked at the three cards left in her hand.

“I’ll set this facedown, and end my turn,” she said.

A facedown card materialized.

Mukuro made a draw.

“I play… My Pot of Avarice,” he said. “Now, I’ll take these five Monsters…”

He took Emissary of the Afterlife, Inferno, Skull Vase, Blazing Inpachi, and Molten Zombie, and shuffled them into his deck. Then he drew twice.

Then he laughed out loud.

“You are spunky…” he laughed. “So I’m gonna show you something that very few people actually see…

“I’ve only used this once before, during the Fortune Cup…”

Ember froze. She had missed that match. She had been working.

She turned to Jinx. Jinx shrugged.

“I remove Skull Flames from play…” said Mukuro.

The card slipped out of his discard slot, and he quickly pocketed it.

“And in return, I get to summon this!”

Another explosion formed on his side of the field, and it formed into a flaming tornado. Slowly a creature started to take shape…

It looked like a cross between Skull Flames and a savage, undead centaur, made almost entirely of bones, shrouded in a veil of flame. It had the same cape, and wore metal barding on its lower body. (2,600 ATK)

He has a Monster even stronger than Skull Flames? thought Jinx. Man, I really ought to watch more TV…

“Meet the highest Level Zombie in the game of Duel Monsters,” laughed Mukuro. “Speed King ☆ Skull Flames! I’d call it Hell on wheels, but it doesn’t have wheels! It may not have as much fire as the original Skull Flames, but it has what it takes.”

“Yeah?” said Ember. “Well, I got news for you… Urquizas is still stronger than Ghost Rider over there.”

“It’s about to get stronger,” said Mukuro, fitting another card into his Disk. “I Equip it with Big Bang Shot. This gives it 400 more Attack Points, and a trampling effect to boot.”

(3,000 ATK)

“Now, destroy Flamvell Urquizas! Blazing sirocco!”

Speed King ☆ Skull Flames’ eyes burned like hot coals. It started to breathe a fiery cloud at Urquizas, and Ember started to panic…

Then she remembered her facedown card.

“I activate… Martyr’s Flame!” she shouted, as it flipped up.

Urquizas dove for cover, and the fiery wind hit Ember instead. She fell down on one knee.

“My Trap Card…” she panted, “turns your attack… into a direct attack… And cuts the damage in half…”

Mukuro laughed out loud.

“You love your Monsters so much you’d take a hit for them?” he asked. “Talk about dumb!”

“Dumb?” asked Ember. “More like smart… I realized that if Urquizas had gone down, I’d likely have had nothing that could have beaten that thing.”

“Clever,” chuckled Mukuro. “You’re free to try when it’s your turn… But not before Speed King gets to strut his stuff some more…”

Speed King lifted its hands, and two Burning Skull Heads appeared in them. It hurled them at Ember, and she screamed as they exploded upon hitting her.

“Once per round,” said Mukuro, “you get nailed for 400 points of damage for each Burning Skull Head in my Graveyard.

“You see how it all works? Burning Skull Head, Skull Flames, and Speed King ☆ Skull Flames… The three of them all work in synergy. Each one can help the other two in some way. This is why I became a success in dueling, and didn’t have to go back to my dad’s garage, where it took me an hour at the end of each day just to get my fingernails clean!”

“He must be very proud of you,” muttered Ember.

(E: 2,150) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 3,150)

“My move…” she said.

She drew a card.

Eh? she thought, looking at it. Hey, this is the card Jinx gave me…

She looked at the other two cards in her hand.

It’s all gonna be up to a great deal of luck, she thought.

“I throw two cards facedown,” she said, “and then move Urquizas to Defense Mode.”

Urquizas knelt and shielded himself with his arms. (400 DEF)

Huh? thought Mukuro. What the… Doesn’t she know what Big Bang Shot does?

“I end my turn,” said Ember.

Mukuro drew a card.

The two cards in his hand were Burial From a Different Dimension, and Spirit of Flames.

Those facedown cards… he thought. They have to do something… Most likely, one will destroy my Speed King.

She clearly doesn’t know about his final effect. But… Just so I can win the duel this turn either way…

“I remove one Burning Skull Head from play, to summon Spirit of Flames in Attack Mode,” he said.

The card slipped out of his discard slot, and Spirit of Flames appeared. (1,700 ATK)

“That’s what I was hoping you’d do,” said Ember. “I activate… Demise of the Land!”

One of her facedown cards shot up.

“Since you Special Summoned a Monster, I get to activate a Field Spell from my deck. Like Molten Destruction!”

Behind Ember, a volcano erupted. The lava cascaded down the slope, flowing all over the field, and turning the arena into a fiery wasteland.

Spirit of Flames’ Attack Score rose to 2,200, but Speed King didn’t change at all.

“Just as I thought,” said Ember. “When you said that it ‘didn’t have as much fire as the original Skull Flames’, you meant that it wasn’t a Fire Monster at all.”

“Yeah, it isn’t,” replied Mukuro. “It’s Wind. But Urquizas is Fire, and that means that this Field Spell lowers his Defense Score to zero. And that means if you can’t stop this attack, I win!

“But just in case, I’ll first play Burial From a Different Dimension. I’ll return Burning Skull Head, Skull Flames, and Gaia Soul to my Graveyard.”

He played the Spell Card, and discarded the three cards into his Graveyard slot.

“Then, Speed King can use its effect again!”

Speed King conjured up the two Burning Skull Heads and hurled them at Ember again. She screamed as they burned her again.

“Now…” he commanded. “Attack!”

Speed King’s eyes started to glow again…

“Well, let’s see if I can,” replied Ember. “I activate the Trap Card, Prepare to Strike Back!”

Her other facedown card shot up.

“Here’s how it’s gonna work, Mukuro,” she said. “I’m gonna toss a coin. If I call it right, Urquizas will move into Attack Mode, right in time to meet your Monster’s attack. I call it wrong, and all your Monsters will gain trampling effects for this round, although that really doesn’t matter, because Speed King already has one.”

“So, it’s all or nothing, huh?” said Mukuro.

“I’m hoping some luck from a certain someone rubbed off on me,” replied Ember.

She glanced at Jinx.

A coin appeared in her hand.

“Heads!” she shouted, tossing it.

The coin spun in the air… It landed on the ground, and wobbled.

And it came to a rest, heads.

Flamvell Urquizas stood up, prepared to attack… (3,300 ATK)

It was too late for Speed King to call off its attack. It tried to blow its blazing sirocco at Urquizas, but the Pyro simply charged through, and punched the Zombie hard. It burst into fiery shards.

“Ugh!” gasped Mukuro. “I… I activate its final effect! I get to Special Summon the regular Skull Flames from my Graveyard!”

The original Skull Flames appeared again. (2,600 ATK) –> (3,100 ATK)

“And Urquizas gains 300 more Attack Points from his effect,” said Ember.

(3,600 ATK)

(E: 1,350) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 2,850)

“And now…” said Ember. “It’s my move…”

She drew a card.

“I remove my Blazing Inpachi from play to Special Summon my own Spirit of Flames,” she said.

In a burst of fire, a Spirit of Flames appeared on her side of the field. (1,700 ATK) –> (2,200 ATK)

“Finally, I’ll play Monster Reborn!”

She played her last card, and the glowing ankh appeared.

“I’ll summon a Monster from your Graveyard!”

Mukuro gasped, as his discard slot started to glow.

Then, Gaia Soul, the Combustible Collective appeared on her side of the field. (2,000 ATK) –> (2,500 ATK)

“I’m sure you know that during my Battle Phase, Spirit of Flames gains 300 more Attack Points.”

Spirit of Flames rose to an Attack Score of 2,500. It breathed a cone of flame at its counterpart on Mukuro’s side of the field, and the enemy Spirit of Flames groaned before it shattered.

“Flamvell Urquizas,” ordered Ember, “destroy Skull Flames!”

Urquizas socked the flaming Zombie again, blowing it into a cloud of smoke and ash.

“Now, Gaia Soul, attack him directly and finish him off!”

Gaia Soul blasted its white-hot stream of flames, and Mukuro screamed as it plowed into him.

Then he collapsed.

(E: 1,350) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 0)

Jinx ran up and hugged Ember.

“You did it again!” she laughed. “You’re doing great, Ember! You keep this up, and someday, Jalal is going to pick you to be one of the Elite Guard!”

“What are they?” asked Ember.

“I’ll explain later,” said Jinx.

Then they looked, and saw that Mukuro was sitting up, groaning and holding his head as if he had a very bad headache.

“Man…” he said. “What happened? Where am I?”

“Kaibaland,” said Jinx. “You don’t remember?”

“I was having lunch at the Red Wagon…” muttered Mukuro.

“Man! I had the worst nightmare! I dreamt I was being eaten alive by worms!”

Then Jinx saw something lying on the ground.

It was a small, green worm, similar to a small nightcrawler.

“Oh… my God…” she said.

“What?” asked Ember.

Jinx stomped on the worm with her boot. Then she quickly started dialing her cell phone.

“Gears told me about this,” she said, in panic.

“Gears!” she shouted into the phone. “Yeah, it’s me! Shut up and listen!

“Mukuro was a distraction! Someone is coming after the Sword of Midnight! Go get it, quick!”

* * * * * * * * * *

Jinx’s call could not have come at a worse time for Gears. Mistle was back at the townhouse, and he had almost garnered enough courage to give her the card he had gotten for her as a gift.

Still, Jinx’s frantic call caused him and Shichiro to rush down to the vault. Mistle cautiously followed from a distance.

They threw open the vault door, and received a shock.

The Sword of Midnight was gone.

But that wasn’t the worst of their problems.

More of those green worms were scattered around the floor. Most of them appeared to be dead, but a few were twitching.

“Good lord…” muttered Gears.

He looked at Shichiro. Then he turned around.

“We gotta call Jalal,” he said, somberly.

“What is it honey?” asked Mistle. “What are those disgusting things?”

“Cast-off residue,” replied Gears, “from a worm that walks.”



Our enemies now stood revealed. One was a tentacled aberration with psionic powers that ate brains. The other was a… worm that walked. And this, of course, begged from me the question, what the Hell was a worm that walked? At this point, I briefly considered going back to Mr. Draco and asking for my old job back, even though I knew that wasn’t possible.

At any rate, the score now stood at DaPen: 3, Shadowchasers: 0. The dark cloud cover continued to shroud the city. I didn’t know it, but elsewhere, a hero had fallen, and was in need of serious help. Things were clearly going to get worse before they got better, and there was no turning back from this point.



BURNING SKULL HEAD (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Fire
Level: 4
ATK: 1,000
DEF: 800

Card Description: When this card is Special Summoned from your hand, inflict 1,000 points of direct damage to your opponent. Also, by removing this face-up card from play, you may return one “Skull Flames” that has been removed from play to your Graveyard.



SKULL FLAMES (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Fire
Level: 8
ATK: 2,600
DEF: 2,000

Card Description: Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 "Burning Skull Head" from your hand. If you use this effect, skip your Battle Phase for the turn. During your Draw Phase, you can add 1 "Burning Skull Head" from your Graveyard to your hand instead of conducting your normal draw.



SPEED KING ☆ SKULL FLAMES (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Wind
Level: 10
ATK: 2,600
DEF: 2,000

Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned from your hand by removing 1 “Skull Flames” in your Graveyard from play. If this card is sent to the Graveyard, you may Special Summon 1 “Skull Flames” from your Graveyard. Once per turn, inflict 400 points of direct damage to your opponent for each “Burning Skull Head” in your Graveyard.

Note: “Burning Skull Head”, “Skull Flames”, and “Speed King ☆ Skull Flames” are Japanese promotional cards. They have not yet been released in the United States. (Note that the ATK and DEF of “Speed King ☆ Skull Flames” is different from the anime version.)



SKULL VASE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Water
Level: 3
ATK: 800
DEF: 400

Card Description: When this card is successfully Tributed for a Tribute Summon, draw 1 card.

Note: “Skull Vase” was first used by Mukuro Enjo in the “Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s” episode “Surprise, Surprise”. Creative credit goes to the writers of those episodes.



FLAMVELL DEVIL (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Fire
Level: 5
ATK: 2,100
DEF: 1,200

Card Description: When this card inflicts battle damage to your opponent, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the number of Pyro-Type Monsters in your Graveyard x 200.

Note: “Flamvell Devil” was released in Japan for the “Duel Terminal 2: Invasion of Worms!!” system. It has not yet been released in the United States.



FLAMVELL BABY (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Pyro/Tuner/Effect
Attribute: Fire
Level: 1
ATK: 800
DEF: 200

Card Description: During your Main Phase, activate by sending this card from your hand to the Graveyard. Increase the ATK of 1 FIRE Monster you control by 400 points.

Note: “Flamvell Baby” was released in Japan for the “Duel Terminal 3: Justice Strikes Back!!” system. It has not yet been released in the United States.



Author’s note:

After thirty chapters, this fic has become more of a success than I thought it would be. People are even starting to ask if they can write their own Shadowchasers stories.

Thus, starting next chapter, I will provide a bonus at the end of each chapter. I call them “Shadowchaser Files”.

These bonus pieces will each outline an individual of interest in the world that the Shadowchasers live in. It could be an outstanding member of the organization, an ally, a criminal that they are looking for, or simply someone that they have their eyes on. The world of Shadow is full of interesting people.

None of these individuals will appear in this fic, or any other fic that I will write. However, anyone else who writes a Shadowchaser fic, once they receive permission after I release the guidelines that I’ll get around to creating, is free to use them. The objective here is to provide ideas.

So… In the words one wise man, onward and upward.



Coming up next:

Gears goes looking for the worm that walks. And just what the heck IS a worm that walks? Explanations are in order first, but you can bet it’s something not all too pleasant. And it won’t be as easy as you might think.

“Factory of 100 Machines” is coming soon.

[Shuppet Master]

So now DaPen has all the swords. I knew this would happen, and soon he'll get the Hemisphere as well. Ugh, I hate when RPG logic always prevails. (Remembers Final Fantasy IV when Golbez gets all the Crystals and opens the way to Zemus even though the heroes tried to claim the Crystals.)

Nice duel though, and it looks like Ember's now fully out of training and ready to start serious training in the Shadowchasers! I don't begrudge her for wanting her old job back.

So... that Shadowchaser file stuff sounds cool. I am tempted to write up my own ideas - like ripping off of Spy Kids and having twins who are the children of a Shadowchaser, one is... well, I'll wait for the guidelines before I ask permission. I don't want to smash this wonderful setting into dust like I almost did with Yu-Gi-Oh Jr. <_<

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

That was a solid battle, it had plural spotlights, so we were never dissapointed. Good call.

The worm guy will probably use a Worm-deck, which will be interesting to see how you build it.

Keep it up.

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

“Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This quote can be attributed by a lesser noble of the Nineteenth Century named John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton. And it is sadly often true. People in positions of power often abuse it, and often become drunk with it. They begin to think they are better than those without it, and become bullies and tyrants.

Jalal knew this well. Power is something that dragons have, which makes them feared. Evil dragons have been known to blackmail towns into offering them maidens as sacrifices, as the most famous story about St. George illustrated. (Historians claim that, while St. George was real, this story about him was a myth. The Shadowchasers are not so sure about that, even though there is no proof that it happened.) Jalal swore when he obtained his dad’s great horde and the power that came with it, he would never let it get the best of him, and he would distribute and invest the tremendous wealth with wisdom and care.

With the corrupting influence that power has, it’s odd the strange things that people will do to get it. They might invest their money in risky projects, or in the case of people who know a few things about the world of Shadow, attempt the most ghastly experiments.

It seemed we had come across such a person now… And Gears was more than familiar with such folks…



One hour later.

Jinx and Ember had rushed back, and they all were sitting in the room with the fireplace, with Jalal, again in holographic form, listening to everything they had to say. Sorsha and Boris were listening too, on the mantle. Five Unseen Servants were cleaning and sterilizing the vault.

“First an illithid, now this,” muttered Shichiro. “I’d ask what was next, but I don’t want to push my luck.”

“A worm that walks?” asked Ember. “Dare I ask what that is?”

Gears sighed.

“Something terrible,” he said. “I’ve fought one before.”

“I’d better explain it, Gears,” said Jalal. “I’m good at such things.

“A worm that walks is a powerful necromancer who has undergone a blasphemous ritual to gain power, using a cursed spellbook called Kyuss’s Tome. This ancient book is named after a denizen of Shadow who may or may not be apocryphal. Very little is known about Kyuss himself. If he truly existed, he was not the first man to master the magic of the dead, but he may well have been the greatest necromancer who ever lived.

“Kyuss is known less for his own deeds than for the results of them that still plague the world. Horrid undead creatures and hideous abominations that walk the earth to this day are attributed to him. And no-one knows just how or even whether he met his end. But he left behind one powerful artifact of his legacy – this is Kyuss’s Tome.

“Kyuss’s Tome is a book of dark magic so vile, only those with incredible willpower can read it without being driven mad. The Shadowchasers have yet to recover the original version. One Shadowchaser in modern times located it, though. And she was even able to browse through a few of its pages before she was forced to flee for her life from its then-owner. Copies of it do exist, although they are rare, for good reason. To copy this book, the scribe apparently must willingly and permanently surrender his sanity.

“But one need not copy the Tome to use the most powerful spell contained therein. He must simply read the book and retain his sanity. As far as what the ritual entails, well, spells like these are kind of like sausages… it’s best not knowing what goes into them.

But anyway, if a master of the dark arts manages this and casts the ritual, the end result summons a swarm of worms and maggots that devours his physical body. The colony of worms becomes the sorcerer’s new body, taking a humanoid shape with the wizard’s consciousness controlling it. The creature is then referred to as a worm that walks.”

“Why the Hell would anyone do that?” asked Ember.

“Ember,” replied Jalal, “dark wizards turning themselves into monstrosities is nothing new, although most of them become liches. The reason they do it is simple – more power. A worm that walks may not be able to get a date for Saturday night, but his spellcasting power increases dramatically, and he becomes practically immortal, even if it costs him his humanity.”

“Why do you suppose this creature is working for DaPen?” asked Shichiro.

“A bigger question is why the heck an illithid would ever work with a necromancer?” added Gears. “Necromancers create undead monsters, and undead are one of the few things that illithids are afraid of. All undead, even intelligent ones, are immune to telepathic detection and manipulation, and have no brains to consume. Confronting such mindless creatures can even be traumatizing to some of them.”

“Undead…” muttered Boris. “I hate those things. They make skulls look bad.”

“Why did Maskent make you look like a skull in the first place?” asked Sorsha. “What do skulls have to do with cooking?”

“You know…” muttered Boris. “I often wonder that myself…”

“You two be quiet!” ordered Jalal.

“Yes sir…” said the two magical creatures, meekly slinking away.

“Of course!” said Ember.

“What of course?” asked Shichiro.

“Well, DaPen wants to use the Regalia of the Day for something, right?” replied Ember. “That means he probably wants to cast some sort of magical spell. But illithids have no talent with magic. So he had to ally himself with a wizard.

“And a necromancer is likely the only type wizard who’d ally himself with an illithid, because he knows he has some sort of defense against them. Heck, this guy is a living colony of worms… His mind functions without a physical brain. I’d wager he’s immune to DaPen’s powers too.”

“This girl is a genius,” said Jinx.

Then she got up, and opened a laptop. She started to type.

“Well, he won’t stay hidden for long,” she said. “We can use the townhouse’s equipment to find him. A necromancer that powerful is likely emitting negative energy like a furnace. A scan of the whole city should hone in on him.”

Then Gears got up.

“You do that, Jinx,” he said. “In the meantime, I’m gonna go try to find this guy myself… Wait for Hank to send the Silver Hemisphere, and protect it with your lives. It’s the only thing that DaPen needs for whatever he has planned.”

“But honey…” said Mistle. “How will you find this gross thing?”

“The same way I found one the first time…” replied Gears.

He walked out the door.

* * * * * * * * * *

The cloud cover still hung in the air, as Gears slowly drove towards his destination in Satellite. He eyed the large, rundown factory.

The sign in the front was covered with soot and ash, and could be barely made out as Wasabi Recycling Center. This factory was not still functioning – at least not officially.

The resident of the place called himself a technology dealer, but all of the locals called him a junk dealer. Still, this junk shop sold some parts that were hard to get anywhere else, and at affordable prices. Plus, he didn’t ask any questions, so long as no-one asked him any. Yusei Fudo had come here when building both of his D-Wheels, and Crow had been seen here a few times too.

Even Gears had made a few deals with the guy, when he had first become a Shadowchaser seven years ago, until he had learned that he was Aware, and was making some suspicious bargains with some unsavory Shadowkind. Gears had come close to throwing the book at him, but a pretty reliable alibi had gotten the crook out of trouble.

Gears placed his Duel Disk on his arm, and cautiously walked into the factory.

He didn’t see his target right away, but that wasn’t surprising. Someone could hide a battleship in here. The place was piled high with parts of cars, motorcycles, various industrial machines, and heaps of pipes and scrap metal. Puddles of oil and grease stained the floor in places. There were even a few robot corpses here and there, old models once used by Sector Security.

Gears made his way through the big mess, carefully looking from side to side.

An inner voice told him to duck… And he dodged aside, just as a blast of energy shot past him.

Gears rolled out of the way, as the assailant shot several more blasts. Gears dodged them, and moved closer to the gunman, until he threw a punch that knocked him down and knocked the weapon out of his hand.

Gears growled, and lifted the man up by the collar. He hardly looked like a serious threat. Dressed in a pair of overalls and a work shirt, the gnomish man had a strong chin, a bulbous nose, thick glasses, and was bald except for some white hair on the sides of his head that he never seemed to comb. He would look like something out of a Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale, aside from the criminal mark on his cheek.

“Dr. Zweig!” shouted Gears. “Remember me?”

“Ah, yes!” chuckled the junk dealer. “My old friend Gears… How could I ever forget?”

“Stuff it, Zweig!” snapped Gears. “I’m looking for a worm that walks… You wouldn’t happen to know where I could find one, would you?”

“Nowhere,” replied Zweig, shaking his head. “That one you fought… There wasn’t enough left of him for fish bait…”

“Well, there’s a new one in Neo Domino now,” said Gears. “Ring any bells?”

“Not a one,” replied Zweig.

“Zweig…” said Gears. “This is serious business. You know what happened last time. Where servants of the Worm go, death follows.”

“Heh, well…” said Zweig. “If that’s the case, I’d be pretty dumb to tell you anything, now wouldn’t I?”

Gears frowned. Then he started shaking Zweig hard.

“Hey, hey, HEY!” gasped Zweig. “Watch it! I have a heart condition, you know…”

Gears knew that Zweig was lying. Zweig was perfectly healthy, but used his age to make people think he was frail.

“Baloney,” said Gears, dropping him. “Now start talking!”

“Hey, I’m an informant!” replied Zweig. “I don’t do these things for charity…

“Although…”

He quickly turned around and picked up something. Gears’s hand went for his sword… Another weapon?

Gears stopped, as he saw that it was a Duel Disk.

“Oh, I get it,” said Gears. “You’re still pissed off because I beat you so badly the last time, right?”

“I’ve heard you’ve changed your deck,” replied Zweig. “Something about… Dark Machines?”

“Yeah,” said Gears. “So, you want to show me up, huh?”

He activated his own Disk.

“Well, if that’s what it’s gonna take for me to get you to talk, then fine…”

* * * * * * * * * *

Meanwhile, as the computer was beginning its scan, Shichiro and Jinx were sitting on the front step of the townhouse.

“You think it might rain?” asked Jinx.

“These aren’t rain clouds…” replied Shichiro.

Then an aura of sparkling lights started to appear at their feet. Shichiro stood up.

A large package slowly materialized. It was clearly too big for the mailbox, so it had been left at the doorstep. On it were several large stamps, each one bearing an image of the Greek god Hermes. The return address was for a post office in Prague.

“It’s here,” said Shichiro, picking it up. “You heard what Gears said… We have to guard this with our lives…”

* * * * * * * * * *

“I have to say, Gears,” said Zweig, “it’s been a long time, but this will clearly be worth the wait…”

(Gears: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Zweig: 8,000)

He made his first draw.

“You humiliated me that first time… I’m going to pay you back bonzai!”

He played a Spell Card.

“I’ll start by playing my Foolish Burial. That means I can…”

“I know what it means, ignoramus,” said Gears. “It means you can send a Monster from your deck to your Graveyard.”

“Well, you don’t have to be rude about it,” muttered Zweig.

He took a Monster from his deck (it was called Quantity) and discarded it.

“Next, I play another Spell Card… Flute of Hamelin. It’s a childish name, I know, but I assure you, I’m not playing around.”

“Okay…” said Gears. “That one, I don’t know about.”

“It lets me discard my other two Quantities,” said Zweig, discarding two more cards.

“Next, I’ll summon Quality.”

He played a card, and a metal android with streamlined, silver plating and no facial features appeared in front of him. (1,200 ATK)

“I end my turn.”

Gears frowned as he drew a card.

He’s clearly planning something, he thought. First sending three Monsters called “Quantity” to his Graveyard, then summoning a weak Monster called “Quality”?

There has to be a common thread between all this…

“I summon Ally of Justice Blind Sucker!” he exclaimed.

In a shadowy aura of energy, Blind Sucker appeared. (1,600 ATK)

“Eliminate Quality!” he shouted. “Photon torpedoes!”

Blind Sucker blasted twin torpedoes from its launchers, and the droid was blown to scrap.

Zweig grinned.

(G: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Z: 7,600)

“Thank you,” he chuckled. “You see, by destroying Quality, you activated its effect, allowing me to Special Summon all three of my Quantities!”

Then, three robots that looked like smaller versions of Quality appeared where Quality had been. (500 ATK x3)

“I’ve got news for you, Zweig,” said Gears, “quantity does not equal quality.”

He took a card from his hand.

“I’ll throw one card facedown, and that’ll be all.”

A facedown card appeared in a flash.

“My move!” laughed Zweig, making a draw.

“I play my Delta Attacker Spell Card!” he laughed, as a Spell Card appeared. “Since I have three Normal Monsters on the field that have the same name, all three of them can attack directly!”

The three Quantities pointed at Gears, and small guns opened on their wrists…

Three small guns fired, and Gears held his chest from the impact.

“Ergh…” he said.

“Next, I play Special Coating Body,” continued Zweig, as a Continuous Spell Card materialized.

The armor on the three Quantities changed from silver to gold.

“The new chrome paint job keeps them from being destroyed in battle. And that ends my turn.”

(G: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (Z: 7,600)

“You haven’t changed, Zweig,” muttered Gears. “You were always trying to one-up everyone. You’re clearly attempting to make a better Dark Machine Deck than mine.”

He made a draw.

“Well, you’re gonna fail!”

One of his facedown cards lifted up.

“I play DNA Transplant. Now, I can change all Monsters on the field to Light.

“Then, I summon Ally of Justice Thousand Arms!”

In another burst of dark energy, a new robot appeared. This one looked far more humanoid than most of the Allies of Justice, and it had exactly six arms, far less than the number its name suggested. Each arm held a weapon, swords, axes, and spears. (1,700 ATK)

“Go ahead!” laughed Zweig. “My Monsters are protected by their Special Coating Body, remember?”

“True,” replied Gears, “but that won’t protect you from taking damage from this attack. And Thousand Arms has the ability to attack every Light Monster on your side of the field.”

Zweig stopped short.

“Ho boy…” he said.

Thousand Arms flew at the three Quantities. It made three slashes with its blades, striking each one. Zweig screamed.

“I’m not done!” shouted Gears.

Then Blind Sucker blasted its photon torpedo, striking the central Quantity. Zweig screamed again.

(G: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (Z: 2,900)

Zweig stopped to catch his breath.

“Okay, that was… Pretty good…” he muttered. “My move now…”

He made a draw.

“I sacrifice two of my Quantities…” he growled.

Two of the small Monsters vanished into grains of light.

“…to summon some heavy metal… The Fiendish Engine Ω!”

With a noise that sounded like an engine backfiring, a huge Machine exploded onto the field. It looked like a combination of a battle-tech robot and an oversized car, with blades on its arms and exhaust pipes all over, which were spewing out black, foul-smelling smoke. (2,800 ATK)

“How’s THIS for a Dark Machine!” laughed Zweig.

“Looks pretty stupid,” replied Gears.

Zweig made a scowl.

“Now, I activate its effect,” continued Zweig. “I can raise its Attack Score by 1,000.”

Fiendish Engine Ω roared, and more exhaust poured from its pipes. (3,800 ATK)

“Which means it will fall apart at the end of your turn,” added Gears.

“You should be concerned about the here and now,” replied Zweig. “Destroy his Blind Sucker! Maximum overdrive!”

Fiendish Engine Ω revved its engines, and sped at Blind Sucker, blowing it to scrap and knocking Gears to the floor.

“Ugh…” said Gears.

“Like you said,” continued Zweig, playing a Spell Card, “it will be destroyed when I end my turn. But I’m gonna play Mystik Wok to sacrifice it before that happens.”

Fiendish Engine Ω vanished into glittering pixels, and Zweig glowed with energy.

“Now, my final Quantity moves to Defense Mode…”

Quantity knelt and shielded itself. (400 DEF)

“…and I end my turn.”

(G: 4,300) - - - - - - - - - - (Z: 6,700)

Okay… thought Gears. Just when did I lose control here?

He made a draw.

So long as that Special Coating Body is protecting his last Quantity, it’s a pretty solid shield…

He looked at the card he drew. It was his Morphing Jar.

So I’ll have to get something better…

“I toss two cards facedown,” he said, “and then set a Monster.”

The Morphing Jar materialized facedown next to Thousand Arms, and two set cards appeared behind it.

“My turn!” cackled Zweig, making a draw.

He chuckled again.

“I activate Spellbook of the Pot,” he said, playing a Spell Card.

The Pot of Greed appeared in front of him, and then two ghostly, floating textbooks floated out of the top.

“Now, I get to draw three cards. The downside is, you also get to draw three cards.”

Gears frowned. He made three draws as his opponent did the same.

And then Zweig started laughing hysterically.

“Get a good card, Zweig?” asked Gears, narrowing his eyes.

“Did I ever!” laughed Zweig. “And you’ll see it, once I first play Silent Doom…”

He played another Spell Card, and another Quality appeared, crouching in Defense Mode. (400 DEF)

“Now, I sacrifice both of them…”

Both Qualities, along with the Special Coating Body card, vanished into grains of light…

“…to summon the darkest Machine of all… I summon Big Saturn!”

The robot that loomed over the field was certainly big, no question about it. One might at first say that it about as interesting as any other giant robot, but there was a definite air of menace looming about this armored giant, who seemed to be built of seamless steel plate with a glowing core in its chest, with oversized limbs. It glared at Gears with eyes that lacked any kind of emotion. (2,800 ATK)

“Big Saturn?” said Gears, somewhat confused. “I… I’ve heard of that thing… Somewhere…”

“I guarantee you’ll never forget it,” replied Zweig. “Now let me show you what it can do…

“I toss one card, and pay 1,000 Life Points to boost its Attack Score by 1,000 points.”

He discarded a card.

“Big Saturn… Full assault mode!”

The huge robot glowed with pure energy, and hatches opened all over it, sprouting laser guns and cannons on its arms, chest, and far more unlikely parts of its body. (3,800 ATK)

“Attack his Thousand Arms! The End of Cosmos!”

Gears barely even saw what happened next. All he saw was a furious blast of energy that vaporized his Monster and hit him like a punch to the face, knocking him over.

“Ergh…” he groaned, holding his head.

“Okay, cease fire,” chuckled Zweig.

Big Saturn retracted its guns.

“You should have known better, Gears,” he chuckled. “When I used to live in the suburbs of Neo Domino, folks knew enough not to cross the Wizard of Walnut Town!”

“First of all, you’re no wizard, and the curses you ‘cast’ at people were fake!” shouted Gears. “Second, if what I heard is true, it was what you did in your little shop in Walnut Town that made Security decide to ship you to Satellite in the first place!”

“Humph… Big deal,” muttered Zweig. “At least here I have privacy.

“I’ll set a facedown…”

He played his last card, and a facedown card appeared.

“And it’s your move…”

(G: 2,200) - - - - - - - - - - (Z: 5,700)

Gears made a draw. It was Ally Bomb. He looked at Big Saturn.

I’ve only heard rumors of this thing, he thought. It isn’t exactly the most common card. Clearly, DaPen has struck again.

It likely has some other effect, and I’m just gonna have to find out about it though trial and error.

He took Ally Bomb and set it on his Disk. It appeared facedown.

“It’s your move,” he said.

Zweig chuckled, and drew a card.



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“Okay, Gears,” he said. “I activate Pot of Avarice…”

The Spell Card appeared, and he took all three Quantities, Quality, and Fiendish Engine Ω from his discard slot. He reshuffled, and made three draws.

“Well, Gears,” he said, “it’s time to retire…

“I play the Spell Card, Creature Swap!”

“That’s nuts!” shouted Gears. “The only Monster you have to give me is your Big Saturn!”

“That’s the idea,” replied Zweig. “Now choose one of yours so we can finish this.”

Gears frowned. He pointed to the card that was concealing his Morphing Jar, and both Monsters vanished, and switched places.

“I’ll set a Monster,” said Zweig, playing his last card, “and I end my turn...”

A reversed Monster appeared next to Gears’s Morphing Jar.

Gears looked hard at Zweig. Then he looked hard at Big Saturn, half-expecting it to blow up at any second.

He made a draw.

Then one of the cards he had set facedown lifted up, revealing itself to be Monster Reborn.

“I’m bringing my Blind Sucker back from the Graveyard,” he said.

Blind Sucker appeared next to Big Saturn. (1,600 ATK)

“And this duel is over!” laughed Zweig. “You see, when Big Saturn is destroyed by an opposing card effect, both players lose Life Points equal to its base Attack Score.”

“HUH?” said Gears, as Zweig’s facedown card lifted up.

“So, by destroying my Monster with Torrential Tribute, we’ll both lose 2,800 Life Points,” laughed Zweig, “which is more than you have!”

No… thought Gears, as the Trap Card started to glow.

Then he suddenly realized something…

His other facedown card… He had put it and Monster Reborn on the field so he wouldn’t lose them if Morphing Jar had been flipped… But it could actually save him now!

“Not so fast, Zweig!” he shouted.

“Eh, a Trap?” gasped Zweig, as Gears’s facedown card lifted.

“That’s right!” said Gears with a grin. “This was just a bluff, but wouldn’t you know it… YOU made it work!

“It’s called Overwhelm! It can negate any Trap Card or Monster Effect, so long as I’m in control of a Monster that’s Level 7 or higher that was Tribute Summoned. And as you can see, Big Saturn is standing strong!

“So much for your Torrential Tribute!”

Big Saturn’s eyes glowed, and it fired a blast of pure energy, blowing the Torrential Tribute card to pieces.

“No fair!” cursed Zweig.

Gears took some deep breaths.

I got out of that one by the skin of my teeth, he thought. But I’m not out of the woods yet. The Monster he set last turn may be Man-Eater Bug, Old Vindictive Magician, Night Assailant, or something else that can destroy Big Saturn.

“Continuing…” said Gears, “I’m sacrificing Blind Sucker summon Ally of Justice Enemy Catcher.”

Blind Sucker vanished, and the large, squid-like robot appeared. (1,800 ATK)

“When Enemy Catcher is Normal Summoned, I get to take control of one of your set Monsters for one round. So I’ll be taking the one that you set yourself.”

Enemy Catcher fired a tractor beam at the hidden Monster, and pulled it over to Gears’s side.

“Now, let’s see what it is,” continued Gears.

The Monster flipped into Attack Mode, revealing itself to be KA-2 Des Scissors. (1,000 ATK)

“Ah, well,” he said. “As one great duelist said, sometimes you’ve got to make the best of the cards you’ve been dealt.

“I’ll use Big Saturn’s effect, tossing one card and paying 1,000 Life Points for it to assume full assault mode.”

He discarded a card, and Big Saturn sprouted its weapons again. Zweig clenched his teeth.

“Since I know what your other facedown card is, since it was my card, I’ll attack it with KA-2 Des Scissors.”

The Machine shot a spray of toxic gas from its front, and Morphing Jar appeared on the card before it crumbled to dust.

“And due to the effect of Scissors, you lose 1,000 Life Points.”

Zweig groaned.

“But we still get five new cards due to Morphing Jar’s effect,” he replied.

Gears discarded the cards in his hand, and made five draws. Zweig simply made five draws.

“Enemy Catcher, attack him directly with retro engines!”

Enemy Catcher shot flames from its two side engines, and Zweig groaned as he shielded himself from them.

(G: 1,200) - - - - - - - - - - (Z: 1,900)

“This next hit is gonna wipe you out!” he shouted. “Big Saturn… Attack directly!”

Big Saturn’s laser guns and missiles homed in on Zweig, and exploded around him…

But when the dust cleared, he was unharmed, and a phantom Monster was standing in front of him.

“Huh?” said Gears. “Necro Gardna?”

“Yeah…” muttered Zweig, as it vanished. “That’s what I discarded when I used Big Saturn’s effect myself.”

“Then I end my turn…” said Gears.

KA-2 Des Scissors vanished and appeared back on Zweig’s side of the field.

Zweig was visibly upset when he made a draw.

He threw a card into his Disk, and a facedown card appeared. Then he turned a card on his Disk, and KA-2 Des Scissors shielded itself in Defense Mode. (1,000 DEF)

He frowned at Gears.

“I take it you want me to go,” said Gears, making a draw.

“Enemy Catcher, eradicate KA-2 Des Scissors!”

The Ally of Justice fired its retro engines, and the clawed mecha blew up.

“Big Saturn, attack…” he started.

“Not this time, Gears,” said Zweig, as his facedown card lifted up. “You see, I was prepared… I activate Remove Brainwashing!”

An energy beam shot out of the card, and Saturn was pulled back to Zweig’s side.

“Now it’s back where it belongs,” he said.

Gears looked at the six cards in his hand, then at Enemy Catcher, then at his concealed Monster.

He took one card from his hand, and threw it into his Disk. A facedown card appeared.

“Make your move…” he said.

Zweig chuckled as he drew a card.

“I activate my Trap Card!” responded Gears. “Hallowed Life Barrier! Now, I toss a card…”

He made a discard.

“…and you can’t touch my Life Points this round.”

Zweig laughed out loud.

“Thanks for triggering that so fast, fool!” he laughed. “If you hadn’t, I might have wasted 1,000 Life Points and one of my cards to activate Big Saturn’s effect!”

“I summon Cyber Raider!” he laughed.

As he played the card, an android wearing a blue, spandex suit and a metal helmet appeared in front of him. (1,400 ATK)

Gears just glared at him. Zweig looked at Big Saturn.

“No need for full assault mode this time,” he said. “Just crush that Enemy Catcher.”

Big Saturn moved with uncanny speed for a machination its size, and socked the robot squid. The Ally of Justice blew up.

“Now, Cyber Raider’s going to take out your mystery Monster! Go! Cyber knuckle!”

Cyber Raider dashed towards the facedown Monster. Gears grinned…

Ally Bomb appeared on the card, and was smashed to pieces.

“And you call me a fool,” said Gears. “I triggered it early on purpose, so you would be sure to summon a second Monster.

“Now, since Ally Bomb was destroyed by a Light Monster, which Cyber Raider is because DNA Transplant is still in play, I get to destroy two cards…”

Then both Cyber Raider and Big Saturn started to sizzle and spark. Zweig cowered as both Machines exploded.

“And you know what that means,” continued Gears. “We both lose 2,800 Life Points. However, because of my Hallowed Life Barrier, the damage to me is negated.”

“But that means…” gasped Zweig.

“You lose,” replied Gears.

Zweig screamed as an explosion erupted around him, knocking him to the ground.

(G: 1,200) - - - - - - - - - - (Z: 0)

Gears sighed.

“Just like last time,” he muttered. “You’ll never be a true duelist, Zweig, until you learn to be more than someone who tries to top everyone else’s ideas…”

“Not the best philosophy,” said a voice. “I’ve spent seven years now building ideas on those of my mentor, and I’ve improved them dramatically…”

A cold chill ran down Gears’s spine. He slowly turned around.

Edmund was standing about twenty paces away. Apparently, he had been watching the whole time.

Gears took a close look. He could faintly see the small worms slithering behind the eyeholes of the mask.

“Same getup as the last guy,” replied Gears. “Heavy, dark robes, a mask… Likely a lot of illusion magic too. All an attempt to hide what you really are under them… Even most Awares can’t see the truth when looking at a worm that walks… The truth is just too terrible for their minds to accept.”

“Thank goodness you’re here!” gasped Zweig, getting up. “Now we can…”

“Save it, Zweig,” said Edmund. “I’m through with you. You’ve outlived your usefulness.”

“WHAT?” shouted Zweig. “But we had a deal!”

“Zweig, I’m a master of the dark arts,” said Edmund. “Do you really think I’d keep a deal with some crooked junk dealer? Folks like you are beneath me.”

He turned to Gears.

“Folks like you, however, pique my interest… That Turbo Duel we had made me want to learn more…”

Gears growled, and his Disk activated again.

“Ah, I don’t think so,” replied Edmund. “I’m not ready to face you again right away… According to my spies, something arrived at your place that I have to go look into.

“Business before pleasure, you know.”

He turned around, and started to walk away. Gears made a rush for the fiend, but then hesitated. Trying to tackle a worm that walks was not a good idea.

He tried to think of a way to subdue him, but as he did, Edmund vanished into the Shadows.

He’s going to the townhouse, thought Gears. I’ve got to get there…

He ran to his D-Wheel and leapt on. He hit the ignition.

It wouldn’t start.

He looked at the console and shouted a curse word. That worm had drained the whole charge.

He took out his cell phone. The least he could do was call the townhouse and warn them.

“Shichiro!” he said into it. “It’s me. You’re about to have company, and that thing drained the power on my Wheel. You’re going to have to handle him yourself.”

“Roger on that, Gears,” replied Shichiro. “What can I expect from this guy?”

“Okay, listen close…” said Gears. “If his deck is anything at all like the worm I fought before, he’ll… Hello? Hello? Shichiro?”

All he heard was static. Something was interfering with the signal.

Damn! he thought. That guy thought of everything!

“Uhm, I’ll just be leaving,” said Zweig.

Gears’s head spun around.

Then he leapt at Zweig, and pinned him to the floor.

“Not this time, Zweig,” he said, pointing the gemstone at him. “No alibi or excuse this time around… You’re under arrest for aiding and harboring a practitioner of the dark arts. That’s a felony, in case you didn’t realize.”

“This is not my day…” groaned Zweig.

* * * * * * * * * *

As Gears walked his D-Wheel towards a place where he hoped he could get enough of a charge to get home, a feeling of dread started to overtake him.

Another strange card had been on Zweig, fitting the general theme that they were used to now. He had placed it in his pocket.

It was Cloudian – Storm Dragon. Just what these Cloudian cards all meant, he didn’t know. And he had a feeling that a true storm might be starting soon.


Gears had beaten one henchman, and had certainly found the worm that walks. But it hardly mattered, because now he was out of contact with us, and the worm was heading for our townhouse, intent on confronting us directly. Very few Shadowkind had ever successfully made an assault on a property owned by the Shadowchasers (would a criminal try to break into the police station?) but it had happened in the past by Shadows who were overconfident, egotistical, or just plain desperate.

At least Gears had managed to get a brief warning to us, enough for us to not be surprised. Still, Shichiro would be facing a foe unlike any he had ever seen before, armed with Monsters the likes of which the world had only seen when the last worm that walks had appeared, and Gears had hoped would stay buried.

As one of the Signers struggled to recover from surgery, due to an injury sustained from a violent Shadow Game, another such contest was about to start, in a different conflict…



ALLY OF JUSTICE THOUSAND ARMS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,700
DEF: 0

Card Description: This card can attack every face-up LIGHT Monster your opponent controls once per Battle Phase. If this card battles a non-LIGHT Monster, destroy this card after damage calculation.

Note: “Ally of Justice Thousand Arms” was released in Japan for the “Duel Terminal 2: Invasion of Worms!!” system. It has not yet been released in the United States.



BIG SATURN (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 8
ATK: 2,800
DEF: 2,200

Card Description: This card cannot be Special Summoned from the hand or deck. Once per turn, you can discard one card and pay 1,000 Life Points to increase the ATK of this card by 1,000 until the End Phase of the turn. When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard by your opponent’s card effect, inflict damage to both players’ Life Points equal to this card’s ATK.

Note: “Big Saturn” is a Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United Stated.



QUANTIY (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine
Attribute: Dark
Level: 1
ATK: 500
DEF: 400

Flavor Text: This combat droid is not very formidable alone. However, a Quantity is only found alone after it has been deactivated.



QUALITY (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,200
DEF: 500

Card Description: When this card is destroyed, Special Summon as many “Quantity” as possible from your Graveyard.



SPECIAL COATING BODY (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: A Quantity covered in shining armor.

Card Description: All Special Summoned “Quantity” Monsters cannot be destroyed by battle.

Note: The proceeding three cards were used by David Rabb in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” manga. Creative credit goes to the writers.



FLUTE OF HAMELIN (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: The Pied Piper, standing in front of a giant rat, underneath a crescent moon.

Card Description: Select one of your Monsters that was sent to the Graveyard this turn. Both players must discard all Monsters with the same name as the selected Monster from their respective hands and decks.

Note: “Flute of Hamelin” was first used by Princess Rose in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Happily Never After”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that chapter.



SPELLBOOK OF THE POT (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: Three ghostly books flying out of the Pot of Greed.

Card Description: Both players draw 3 cards from their decks.

Note: “Spellbook of the Pot” was first used by Jaden in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” manga. Creative credit goes to the writers.



Coming up next:

It wasn’t much of a warning, but at least Gears managed to get one out. Coming up next, Edmund arrives at the townhouse to find Shichiro blocking his path, and nothing is going to make him get out of it. Edmund finally unleashes the power of his true deck, and it’s not going to be pretty, in more than one way. Still, Shichiro has a few new surprises of his own.

“Humanoid Worm Drake” is coming soon.




Shadowchaser Files


Red Feather, a Shadowchaser on the Wild Side

It isn’t often that a Shadowkind joins the Shadowchasers, and even rarer that one does after being branded a criminal by them. But the elf who calls herself Red Feather not only did so, but has become one of the organization’s most celebrated members.

Ten years ago, an elf was dragged into this world; her true name is not spoken of anymore, but at the time, she called herself White Feather. Used to the lush, unspoiled wilderness of her home, she was horrified by the toxins that poisoned the ground, water, and sky of this new world. Her heart trembled when she witnessed unchecked urban sprawl and factories spewing smoke and soot into the environment. Falling back on her instincts, she fled into what little wilderness she could find.

Over time, White Feather began to understand bits and pieces of this new world. She came into contact with a group of nature lovers who shared her views. Using her great beauty and natural charisma, she awed the environmentalists, and directed them to take action. Although she wanted to stay as far away from the cities as possible, she believed that it was only a matter of time before the dominant race of this planet drove it to ruin. She had to take action, and believed that no action was too small. She slowly formed a group, an environmental group that named themselves the White Feathers, after her, claiming that white was the color of purity.

At first, the White Feathers seemed like any other such group. They held protests and demonstrations against animal cruelty, pollution, and deforestation, and strove for gun control and wildlife protection. At first, it all seemed benign, and White Feather was making a name for herself.

But White Feather was naïve to the ways of man, and when she realized that very few people actually listened to her protesters, she made a grave mistake. Five humans offered to join her group, claiming that they had a method that would get better results. Eager to actually make a difference, White Feather welcomed them, and unwisely allowed them too much leniency.

Eventually, she was horrified when she learned that what she thought would be a protest at a chemical plant by her five new recruits had actually become an arson attack. The five radicals were arrested at the scene, and like most such criminals, made no effort to hide the name of their group.

In her naïveté, White Feather never realized that there was a dark side to her beliefs. Some humans took it too far, and committed the hypocrisy called eco-terrorism. She had let people into her group who might have been willing to commit murder to get the point across. And the responsibility for it fell on her.

Despondent, White Feather fled deeper into the wilderness when human authorities came. But she finally stopped running when the Shadowchasers came, tipped off that a Shadowkind had headed the group. White Feather gave up, now convinced that her cause was a lost one. She later pled guilty, and because no lives were lost in the attack, was given a lenient sentence.

The prison at Shadowchaser Headquarters has no work detail, so prisoners have two options: they can rot, or they can read. White Feather chose to read, and looked into the history of the organization. She eventually made a shocking discovery. Humans were not the only ones who had raped and poisoned nature… Shadowkind had been doing so for centuries, long before most of the cities and factories were built.

Necromancers created the walking dead and hideous flesh golems, abominations that were as much anti-life as the life she had wanted to preserve. Evil wizards called defilers fueled their magic by draining the energy from living things, reducing plants and trees to dust and causing wild beasts pain. Powerful divine magic cast by wicked shamans had caused wildfires that had burned whole forests into ash. Never before had White Feather heard of such evil…

But in reading of these crimes, she saw hope… She saw that the Shadowchasers kept them in check.

Upon release, she approached Jalal with a bold offer. She would resurrect her group, with one change: If the Shadowchasers would accept her, she would run it under his direction. She also said she would call herself Red Feather from now on; she was no longer pure, and red would be the symbol of the wound she had to take to see the dark side of every cause. Her offer was met with acceptance.

Red Feather’s group is now small, made up mostly of Awares, and devotes themselves to a more active role in protecting nature, from threats that are far less subtle than the ones she had once meant to protect it from. She now does a background check on every prospective member to avoid another disaster. Despite the fact that she still dislikes technology, she uses it when she must, having learned to use a Duel Disk and other basic equipment.

Red Feather appears as a stunning elf beauty with raven-black hair and piercing blue eyes. She wears simple, hand-made clothing that suggests Native American design, which is decorated with feathers (of every color except white), shells, beads, and carved pieces of wood. When faced with a problem that dueling can’t handle, she rarely uses a sword as most Shadowchasers do, preferring balanced throwing knives and a longbow, which is enchanted with elven magic.


Story Ideas: For an example of a Shadow-related villain whom Red Feather would be eager to oppose, look no further than Saruman from Lord of the Rings (either the book or the movie trilogy will do, but the book is more complete). He committed many crimes, but the one that did him in was destroying an ancient forest to feed his forges, which enraged Treebeard and convinced the Ents to march against him. Red Feather could handle such a villain herself, or could just as easily convince her own army of nature spirits to help. A Shadowchasers story revolving completely around Red Feather is possible, if an author is willing to work on it.

Keep in mind that Red Feather will never turn radical, and will not ridicule herself. She isn’t the type who would protest outside of a fast food restaurant chanting that meat is murder, or protest wearing nothing but a sign that says she would rather go naked than wear fur. While she will not eat meat or wear fur, she knows that somewhere, one must draw the line.


Deck Suggestions: Several are possibly, including Beastdown, Plants, or even Naturia Monsters. Neither Red Feather nor any of her followers ever use Machines, and are not too fond of Fiends either.

[Shuppet Master]

Nice chapter and nice Shadowchaser file. I think my sister Ruth would love to be a part of the Red Feathers, she's sort of eco-friendly herself and became a vegan for animal rights.

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

In most stories that follow a good-guy/bad-guy theme, the principal villains tend to share something in common: they don’t get involved. They stay out of the picture, leaving their henchmen and minions to handle the heroes for most of the story. Usually, the main villain only confronts the hero at the climax, when his overconfidence has left him no choice, or he has no other options.

Nowhere was this more expressed than in the old British television series “The Prisoner”, which lasted only seventeen episodes. It was a spy series about a British agent who was held captive in a mysterious seaside village, and his attempts to escape. His enemy in every episode was an officer called Number Two. The Prisoner would foil Number Two’s plans time and again, and would keep trying to find the elusive Number One, the person behind the whole scheme, but didn’t succeed. Unfortunately, the series didn’t last long enough for him to do so.

Why do villains not get involved? It isn’t for lack of courage or ability. More likely, it is due to ego, or not wanting to risk the whole plan falling apart. Getting involved yourself would put you at undue risk, and that could spoil the whole game.

It seemed that one of our two foes was willing to take that risk right now, and go against tradition. Why? Maybe he simply didn’t care. But we would soon learn that he was no pushover…



Thunder rumbled, and the clouds churned in the sky. Ccapac Apu had not been truly freed in his brief appearance, but the Shadow Game where he had appeared had caused his evil influence to linger over the city like a bad rash.

At the townhouse, Shichiro stood outside the front door, while Jinx, Ember, and Mistle lurked inside, watching out the windows.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” muttered Jinx. “Something bad has happened.”

“Something bad is gonna happen,” replied Ember. “How long do you think it will take for that… thing to get here?”

“I’m surprised it isn’t here already,” replied Jinx. “Wizards often know spells that can transport themselves long distances in an instant.”

“Like in Star Trek?” asked Ember.

“Not quite like that, but yes,” replied Jinx. “Our D-Wheels can open portals and teleport using technology… Any wizard worth his salt can do it with magic. But magic has a much longer range. A truly powerful wizard might be able to teleport to any spot on the globe if he…”

“Uh, ladies?” said Boris’s voice.

Mistle let out a small shriek.

“You scared me!” she shouted.

“Sorry,” said Boris, as he held up a tray full of small rolls. “I thought these might help…”

“I can’t believe this…” said Jinx. “A necromancer is on his way here, and you’re baking…

“Uhm, what are those, anyway?”

“Garlic knots,” replied Boris. “I heard that garlic helps keep evil supernatural creatures at bay, so I…”

“I don’t think this guy follows the same rules as vampires, Boris,” replied Ember.

She sighed.

“Then again, every little bit helps…”

She took one of them and bit into it.

“See anything yet, Shichiro?” asked Jinx.

“Not since you last asked me,” said Shichiro, looking at his watch, “which was, oh, about two minutes ago!”

“Sorry,” said Jinx.

“Me-YOW!” screeched Sorsha, as she ran up behind Jinx.

“Sorsha?” said Jinx. “Do you have fleas?”

“Fleas my butt,” said the familiar. “There’s a wizard who’s at least on par with my master nearby. Only this one isn’t as nice.”

“You sure?” asked Jinx, standing up.

“I’m a familiar!” snapped Sorsha. “I can tell when wizards are around!”

“Hey, Shichiro!” shouted Jinx.

“Yeah, I heard!” he replied. “And here he comes…”

Twenty paces in front of him, a dark, inky, pulsating portal started to appear. Shichiro stood firm, ready to face whatever came out of it…

Edmund stepped out of the portal, and stretched his arms. He muttered something, and threw his arms down, causing the portal to vanish.

“Oh, hello, Shichiro…” he muttered, sounding somewhat disappointed. “Seems that Gears managed to get through to you before I jammed the cell service in that place, huh?”

“Briefly,” replied Shichiro. “I’d say I was sorry to disappoint, but I don’t feel much sympathy for freaks…”

“So I’m a freak, am I?” asked Edmund.

“Yeah…” said Shichiro. “And coming from a Shadowchaser who’s dealt with creatures who have one eye, three eyes, or even no eyes, that is saying a lot.”

“Must we resort to name calling?” asked Edmund. “I have a name, you know… Edmund Mason.”

“Seems a rather ordinary name for a wizard with the guts to have read Kyuss’s Tome,” replied Shichiro. “Do you still use it, or did you give it up when you decided to become a walking bait shop?”

“Why should I use some dumb pseudonym?” asked Edmund. “I have no problem with my name, unlike most dark wizards… Lord Voldemort had a real name… Tom Marvolo Riddle. But since his mother gave it to him, his mother wasn’t a wizard, and he hated people who weren’t wizards, he stopped using it. Dumb, if you ask me.

“Course, a lot of things he did were dumb. You know how many times he tried to do away with Harry Potter using the Killing Curse, only for it not to work? Four. A smart wizard tries something new after something fails to work twice, at most.”

Shichiro sighed.

“I assume you did this to yourself for the usual reason?” he asked. “To gain power?”

Edmund looked at him.

“Well, take a look at me,” he said, as he took the mask off. “I didn’t exactly do it to pick up chicks.”

Mistle screamed. Jinx, Ember, and Shichiro covered their eyes. Then Shichiro forced himself to look.

“Put… the mask back on…” he gasped.

“Don’t you start ordering me around, Shichiro!” echoed Edmund’s voice, which came from no mouth.

Shichiro sighed.

“Please put the mask back on?” he said.

Edmund put the mask back over his “face”.

“As Stephen King once said,” he said, “and I quote, ‘If I cannot horrify, I’ll go for the gross-out. I’m not proud’.”

“Listen, Ed,” said Shichiro.

“Edmund!” snapped Edmund.

“I suppose you came for the Silver Hemisphere,” continued Shichiro.

“The thought did cross my mind,” replied Edmund.

“Yeah, well…” said Shichiro. “It’s in the vault downstairs, and the vault is now warded specifically against necromantic magic. You can’t get in there unless you figure out how to turn the wards off…”

His Disk activated.

“And you can go into that townhouse over my dead body…”

“Hmm…” said Edmund. “Yes, that’s a real pickle…”

He lifted his left arm, and a Duel Disk of his own appeared on it in a brilliant flash of light. It seemed not as high-tech as the standard Disk, made of a dull metal, its blade did not seem retractable, and had a sharper edge. Shichiro was more than a little surprised. It looked uncomfortably like the styles of Disks said to be used by some Duel Spirits.

“Well, if we must duel,” he said, “I suppose we simply must… But first…”

He waved his hand, and a black flame appeared in it. Then he dropped the flame, and it started to spread, forming a ring of cold, dark fire thirty feet in diameter around him and Shichiro.

“What’s going on?” asked Shichiro. “What’s this fire?”

“Oh, that…” said Edmund. “Never mind… It’s just a little something to make the duel more… Interesting…”

I’d better be careful… thought Shichiro. This guy has a serious poker face…

Heck… He doesn’t even HAVE a face!

(Shichiro: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Edmund: 8,000)

“Oh, Shichiro, be careful…” muttered Jinx. “This is one guy that I do NOT trust!”

Edmund chuckled.

“Well, I don’t trust any of you guys either,” he said. “So we’re even.”

“Hold that pose,” said Shichiro, drawing a card.

“I’ll set a Monster,” he said.

A reversed Monster appeared in front of him.

“And I’ll leave it at that.”

“Not much of a start,” chuckled Edmund, making a draw.

“Tell you what, I’ll also set a Monster.”

A defensive Monster appeared on his side of the field.

“Then I’ll set these, for later.”

Two reversed cards appeared behind his Monster.

Shichiro made a draw.

“Time to take the offense!” he shouted. “I’ll summon Queen’s Knight!”

In a flash of light, the queen in crimson armor appeared. (1,500 ATK)

“Next, I give her an Equip Spell… The Sword of Tengu.”

He threw a card into his Disk, and Queen Knight’s regular sword vanished, replaced by the long katana. (1,800 ATK)

“Attack his…”

“Not so fast!” interrupted Edmund.

His facedown card on the left lifted.

“I activate A Feint Plant,” he said. “Now, you can’t attack any facedown Monster I control this turn. And since the only Monster I have is facedown, you can’t attack.”

“Fine…” muttered Shichiro. “I end my turn.”

Something’s up, he thought. A Feint Plan is a very situational card…

Edmund made a draw.

“I activate a Continuous Spell Card,” he said, as a Spell flashed onto his side of the field.

Shichiro had never seen this Spell Card before. The image on it was a comical scene, with two Penguin Soldiers doing a handstand on top of the back of a Des Koala in a circus spotlight.

“It’s called Flip-Flop,” continued Edmund, “and it may look and sound funny, but I’m deadly serious. When this Continuous Spell is in play, a player loses 500 Life Points when his opponent activates a Flip-Effect.”

“Just how many Flip-Effect Monsters can one deck have?” asked Shichiro.

“Far more than you may think,” replied Edmund. “And I’m going to activate one right now…”

His facedown Monster flipped into Attack Mode.

“Meet Worm Apocalypse.”

The creature that appeared could be described in two words: weird and grotesque. It looked like a humanoid earthworm with dun brown skin, two rubbery tentacles for arms, and two thin legs. Its face had two eyes shaped like vertical slits. (300 ATK)

“What the?” said Shichiro.

Then he cringed as a bolt of energy blasted out of the Flip-Flop card, striking him.

“And of course,” continued Edmund, “its Flip-Effect does something. It destroys one Spell or Trap Card.”

Queen’s Knight gasped as a spray of foul slime splattered on the Sword of Tengu. She quickly dropped it, and it fell to the ground and melted into sludge. (1,500 ATK)

“Continuing…” said Edmund, “I’ll set another Monster, and end my turn…”

Another concealed Monster appeared next to Worm Apocalypse.

(S: 7,500) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 8,000)

Shichiro looked long and hard at Edmund’s Monster, and then made a draw.

“I Flip-Summon my own Monster,” he said, as his own Monster flipped into Attack Mode. “Skelengel!”

The winged cherub with a bow and arrow appeared. (900 ATK)

“How adorable,” said Edmund, sarcastically.

“Of yeah?” said Shichiro, with a grin. “Well, guess what? That was a Flip-Effect, so your own card works against you!”

Edmund didn’t make much of a reaction as the red aura surrounded him.

“The irony would have surprised me more if I hadn’t expected it,” he said, sarcastically.

“And due to its effect,” continued Shichiro, “I get to draw one card.”

He made a draw, and then threw a card into his Disk.

“Now, I play this,” he said.

“Reinforcement of the Army in a Warrior Deck,” muttered Edmund, as the Spell Card appeared. “What will they think of next?”

Shichiro growled a little, as he took a card from his deck.

“You know, buddy…” he said. “You’re starting to get annoying!”

He played the card.

“I summon King’s Knight!”

In a flash of light, King’s Knight appeared. (1,600 ATK)

“Oh, what next?” asked Edmund, feigning excitement. “Wait… Could it be Jack’s Knight?”

Shichiro frowned again, as Jack’s Knight appeared. (1,900 ATK)

“Skelengel,” he ordered, “destroy Worm Apocalypse!”

The Fairy drew back its bow, and fired a shot. The Worm exploded in a burst of colored lights.

“Somehow,” said Ember, “a worm is the last thing you’d ever expect to explode.”

“Now, my King’s Knight is going after your other Monster!” shouted Shichiro.

King’s Knight lifted his sword. Another weird Monster appeared on the card. It was a humanoid, faceless creature that seemed to be made entirely out of pale gelatin.

“Ho boy…” said Ember.

King’s Knight struck it with its sword, and it burst into quivering chunks of jelly.

“You flipped my Worm Hope!” exclaimed Edmund. “So first, Flip-Flop activates!”

The beam of energy shot out of the card, striking Shichiro again.

“And due to Worm Hope’s effect, I get to draw one card…”

Edmund made a draw.

“However, since Worm Hope was also destroyed by your attack, I must also discard one card.”

He chose a card from his hand, and then discarded it.

Worms? thought Shichiro. I’ve fought some spineless opponents in my time, but this…

“I’m not done!” he shouted. “Queen’s Knight… Attack him directly!”

Queen’s Knight leapt at Edmund with her sword drawn…

“YA!” she shouted, slashing at him across the chest.

“Ergh…” muttered Edmund.

“Jack’s Knight, you’re up!” continued Shichiro.

Jack’s Knight leapt at Edmund…

“Not so fast!” shouted Edmund. “I activate Defense Draw!”

His other facedown card shot up.

“Now, your Knight’s attack is rendered useless, and I get to draw one card.”

The sword simply bounced off of him, and he made a draw.

Shichiro sighed.

“I end my turn,” he said.

(S: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 5,400)

“I have to admit, Shichiro,” said Edmund, “dueling is a lot more exciting than fighting via spell battle…”

He drew a card.

“Of course, you can’t cast real spells, so if I had tried to take care of you that way, it wouldn’t have been very exciting at all. It would have been downright boring.

“I play Monster Reborn. I’ll use it to bring back the Monster I tossed with Worm Hope’s effect… A more powerful Worm…

“Worm Illidan!”

The glowing ankh appeared, and a huge, hulking, hideous creature rose onto the field. It was a muscular, blue-skinned thing, with pointy spires all over its hairless body, and inhuman, lidless eyes. Its most disturbing feature was its mouth, which had a vertical jaw, lipless, with pointed teeth. (2,000 ATK)

“Just how many of these Worms are there?” asked Shichiro.

“Twenty-six,” replied Edmund.

“Huh?” asked Shichiro.

“The Worm Empire is made up of a race that has twenty-six subspecies,” explained Edmund. “Each one has a name that starts with one of the letters of the English alphabet. So far you’ve seen A, H, and this is I.”

“I’m curious to see the X Worm,” said Ember.

“I’m sure not!” squeaked Mistle, who had been hiding below the window ever since Illidan had appeared.

“Of course,” said Edmund, “I don’t use all twenty-six of them in the same deck at once.

“Let’s continue, shall we? Illidan, wipe out Skelengel… There’s only room around here for one group of Flip-Effect Monsters…”

Worm Illadan roared, and three of its spires shot from its body, striking Skelengel and blowing it to pieces.

“ERGH!” groaned Shichiro, as a pain ripped through him.

He started gasping for breath.

That hurt… he thought.

He looked at the circle of flames.

I should have known… This barrier… Edmund’s mumbo jumbo… This isn’t any Disk-created hologram… This is real…

A Shadow Game…

Makes sense… He is a dark sorcerer… But I have to win, or I may lose far more than the Silver Hemisphere…

“Still my move,” continued Edmund, “so I’ll set a Monster…”

A reversed Monster appeared beside Worm Illidan.

“And each time I set a card, Illidan gains a Worm Counter.”

A small, orange lump appeared on Worm Illidan’s chest.

“And I end my turn.”

(S: 5,900) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 5,400)

Shichiro made a draw.

So what does it do with them? he thought.

“I move all three of my Knights to Defense Mode,” he said. “And that’s all for me.”

Queen’s Knight knelt and held up her shield. (1,600 DEF) King’s Knight did the same (1,500 DEF) and Jack’s Knight followed suit. (1,000 DEF)

“Then it’s my move,” replied Edmund, making a draw.

“First, I set a new Monster…”

Another set Monster appeared.

“That means Illidan gains another Worm Counter…”

Another lump appeared on Worm Illidan’s chest.

“And now that it has two, I can expend both of them to destroy one Monster.”

The two lumps burst into a cloud of foul spores, and covered Queen’s Knight. She screamed, before bursting into shards. Shichiro took a step back in shock.

“Next, I’ll Flip-Summon the Monster I set last turn,” continued Edmund. “Worm Dimikles.”

The card flipped, revealing a four-legged creature the size of a wolf, with a clear membrane for a skin, a serpent-like face with a toothy mouth, and six long, sharp tails. (1,700 ATK)

The Flip-Flop card glowed, and the burst of energy shot out of it, striking Shichiro.

“And due to its Flip-Effect, it gains 300 points to both its scores.”

(2,000 ATK)

Crud! thought Shichiro. One of these days, I’ve gotta find room for Nobleman of Crossout in this deck…

“Dimikles, destroy King’s Knight!” ordered Edmund.

The Worm’s six tails shot forward, impaling King’s Knight and blowing him to shards.

“Now, Illidan will finish up…”

Illidan roared again, and shot its spires at Jack’s Knight, and he exploded into pixels.

“So what now, Shichiro?” he asked.

“Watch me,” replied Shichiro.

(S: 5,400) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 5,400)

Then again, he thought, I’m not it the best situation… I’ve got no Monsters on the field, and he’s got two good ones…

I’m gonna need something really good if I want to get through this…

He made a draw.

Wow… Didn’t expect that much…

He quickly played a Spell Card.

“I activate Silent Doom,” he said. “Now, I can bring Queen’s Knight back to the field in Defense Mode…”

Queen’s Knight appeared, crouching in Defense. (1,600 DEF)

“Now, I sacrifice her…”

Queen’s Knight vanished, and a powerful aura of light appeared where she had been…

Music started to play over the field, of the type that typically heralded the coming of a cavalry. In a flourish of golden motes, a powerful man in decorated plate armor, with long, blonde hair, and a stately moustache, with a stern and noble expression on his face appeared, holding a longsword and a large shield. It was the commanding officer of the Warrior class of Duel Monsters, Freed the Matchless General. (2,300 ATK)

“Not bad…” muttered Edmund.

“All right, General,” said Shichiro. “Take out his Illidan!”

Freed nodded, and lunged at Worm Illidan, slicing it down the middle with his longsword. The Worm’s eyes bugged out, and then it exploded into a burst of disgusting mucus, some of which splattered on Freed’s armor.

“Eh, gross,” said Ember.

“I set two facedown cards,” said Shichiro, as two reversed cards appeared, “and I end my turn.”

(S: 5,400) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 5,100)

Edmund silently made a draw.

He waved his hand, and Worm Dimikles curled up in Defense Mode. (1,700 DEF)

“That’s all?” asked Shichiro.

Edmund glared at him.

“My move…” he continued, making a draw.

“Come on out, Axe Raider!” he shouted.

In another flourish of energy, the axe-wielding barbarian appeared. (1,700 ATK)

“Freed, destroy Worm Dimikles!”

The Matchless General made a slash with his blade, cleaving the soft membrane of the Worm in two.

Shichiro paused.

Once I attack that reversed Monster, he thought, its Flip-Effect is gonna activate… But letting him activate it himself may be worse…

“Axe Raider, attack!” he shouted. “Axe crash!”

Axe Raider swung his weapon, and the Monster on the card exploded in a burst of black tar.

“You activated the Flip-Effect of Worm Jeetrikups,” chuckled Edmund.

The Flip-Flop card glowed, and blasted the bolt of energy at Shichiro.

“And as a result,” continued Edmund, “since it was also destroyed, it is summoned back to the field in Defense Mode.”

The Monster appeared, looking much like a mass of hulking, black tar, with arms, legs, and a face. (0 DEF)

“Crud…” muttered Shichiro. “I have to end my turn…”

(S: 4,900) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 5,100)

Edmund chuckled as he made a draw.

“I’ll get rid of Jeetrikups…” he said.

Jeetrikups vanished.

“…to summon Worm Erokin!”

A much larger, much more hulking creature appeared, one that was heavy set, and covered with disgusting slime. It had the same vertically hinged mouth, and the same cold eyes. (2,400 ATK)

“It’s only going to get worse from here,” said Edmund. “I could simply take care of Freed with that, but I’d much rather play the Spell Card, Searing Light.”

Shichiro didn’t like the look of the Spell Card that appeared at all. It was a Quickplay that bore the image of a duelist facing a bizarre Monster that he couldn’t identify.

“I simply have to choose one Light Monster on the field,” continued Edmund, “and then remove one in my Graveyard from play that’s a lower Level.”

Worm Illidan fell out of his discard slot.

“Erokin is Level 6,” continued Edmund, “and Illidan is Level 5.

“Now, Erokin gains Attack Points equal to those of Illadan for one round.”

Worm Erokin roared in pure bloodlust… (4,400 ATK)

“Erokin,” ordered Edmund, “take care of his so-called Matchless General.”

Worm Erokin spewed a gout of foul slime at the General, and Freed groaned as his armor rotted and corroded. Fortunately, he shattered before anything else happened.

“No way…” muttered Jinx. “He beat Freed…”

Edmund chuckled softly as he slipped a card into his Disk, and a facedown card appeared behind Worm Erokin.

“It’s your move…” he said, as Erokin’s Attack Score fell back down to 2,400.

(S: 2,800) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 5,100)

“Light…” gasped Shichiro. “These things are… Light?”

“What did you expect them to be?” asked Edmund.

“I dunno…” muttered Shichiro. “They like slime so much, maybe Water? What are these Worms, anyway? Aliens of some sort?”

“Why, yes,” replied Edmund. “Alien beings created to do the bidding of a far greater power. And they are the perfect example of natural selection at work.

“See, the Worms were never very powerful as a race. But they not only survived, they built a vast empire, all due to one skill they were exceptional at – the art of the ambush. By basing their powers on sneak attacks and surprise, they managed to conquer whole planets.”

“And that’s why they like Flip-Effects so much?” asked Shichiro.

“You’d better believe it,” replied Edmund.

Shichiro made a draw, and looked at the three cards in his hand. Then he looked at the two on the field.

He placed a card on his Disk, and a set Monster appeared next to Axe Raider. Then Axe Raider knelt in Defense Mode. (1,150 DEF)

“Is that all?” asked Edmund, making a draw.

He looked at the card, which was My Body as a Shield.

“Worm Erokin, attack his facedown Monster!”

Erokin spewed its slime at the hidden Monster. It was revealed to be a muscular human, bare-chested and dressed only in a ragged pare of green trousers, his long hair tied in a ponytail. He held a short sword in his left hand and a spear in his right. He cringed as the slime hit him, and then shattered.

“Did my eyes deceive me,” asked Edmund, “or was that Kagemusha of the Blue Flame? That’s one of those Monsters who’ve gotten a cult status from being so useless. Why would you have such a Monster in your deck?”

“Watch your tongue,” replied Shichiro. “Perhaps Kagemusha is more useful than you may think.”

“Bah!” said Edmund.

He took the My Body as a Shield card.

“I’ll set this, and end my turn.”

The card appeared reversed, next to his other one.

“My move!” shouted Shichiro, making a draw.

He looked at the card, and his eyes perked up.

“Axe Raider, move to Attack Mode!” he ordered.

Axe Raider stood up.

“Now, I use my facedown cards,” he said. “First… Birthright!”

The facedown card lifted up, and Kagemusha appeared again. (800 ATK)

“Next,” he said, as the second facedown card lifted, “I activate The League of Uniform Nomenclature!”

Two twins of Kagemusha appeared next to the first. (800 ATK x3)

“You not only put a worthless Monster in your deck,” chuckled Edmund, “you put three copies of it in there? Maybe you aren’t as good as your reputation claims.”

“We’ll soon see,” said Shichiro. “I summon Junk Synchron!”

In a small burst of energy, Junk Synchron appeared in the last space on his Monster Zone. (1,300 ATK)

“Now, let’s show this worm a thing or two…”



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



Junk Synchron gave its ripcord a yank, and then it and one of the three Kagemusha flew into the sky. They dissipated into five glowing stars…

“Synchro Summon… Junk Warrior!”

Junk Warrior landed in front of him with a roar. (2,300 ATK)

“And guess what, Eddy…”

“It’s Edmund!” shouted Edmund.

“Whatever,” said Shichiro. “Junk Warrior gains the Attack Points of all Level 2 or lower Monsters that are on the field when it’s summoned. NOW do you see the point of my low-Level Warriors? They don’t seem so useless now, do they?”

Junk Warrior glowed with golden energy… (3,900 ATK)

“Uh oh…” said Edmund.

“Junk Warrior…” shouted Shichiro, “attack Worm Erokin with Scrap Fist!”

Junk Warrior’s jetpack ignited, and it flew at the vile Worm. Jinx, Ember, and Mistle cheered as it socked the creature in its fat gut, blowing it into particles.

“Ergh…” groaned Edmund.

(S: 2,800) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 3,600)

“Now to take you down!” shouted Shichiro. “Kagemusha… Axe Raider… Attack him directly!”

All three of the Warriors charged at Edmund…

“Not yet, Shadowchaser…” growled Edmund.

One of his two facedown cards lifted up, revealing a Quickplay.

“I activate Dark Wall of Wind!”

A fierce tornado of pitch-dark wind erupted, concealing Edmund and knocking the three Warriors backwards.

When the storm subsided, Edmund was chuckling softly.

“Seems I underestimated you, Mr. Osaka,” he said.

“So, you’ve decided to address me more formally now?” asked Shichiro.

“I thought that you were little more than an upstart at first,” replied Edmund. “A young Shadowchaser who couldn’t handle a true test of might…

“It seems I’ll have to unleash my true power upon you…”

Shichiro glared at him.

“I’ll set a card facedown…” he muttered, as a reversed card appeared, “and that’s all.”

Edmund made a draw. He quickly played it, as it was Pot of Avarice. He took five Worms from his Graveyard – Erokin, Jeetrikups, Dimikles, Apocalypse, and Hope – and shuffled them into his deck, and then drew twice.

“I play this,” he said. “Swords of Revealing Light.”

The Spell Card appeared, and a shower of swords fell around Shichiro.

“Aw, nuts…” he said.

“That will keep you at bay for three full turns,” said Edmund. “And I’ll end my turn now…”

Shichiro made a draw. He looked at the two cards in his hand.

He set one on his Disk, and a reversed Monster appeared on his last space.

“Mmm!” he said.

“My draw…” said Edmund.

He drew a card.

“I’ll set this Monster, and that will end my turn.”

A reversed Monster appeared.

Shichiro drew a card.

Oh, Big Shield Gardna? he thought. I was hoping for something more useful…

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

“Then it’s my draw again…” said Edmund, making a draw.

“I flip Worm Cartaros into Attack Mode,” he said.

The facedown Monster flipped up. This Worm appeared humanoid, but hunched over, with pale, white flesh, the same vertical jaw, and four leathery, wing-like membranes on its back. (1,200 ATK)

The Flip-Flop card glowed, and shot its wave of energy at Shichiro. He grunted.

(S: 2,300) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 3,400)

“And due to its Flip-Effect,” continued Edmund, “I get to take any low-Level Worm I desire from my deck…”

He took a card from his deck.

“I choose Worm Barses. And now I can summon it.”

He played the card, and another Worm appeared. This one was a bulky creature with an ovoid head-torso combination covered with scales, four arms with thick-fingered hands, and the same vertical mouth. (1,400 ATK)

“Next,” continued Edmund, “I play my Double Summon Spell Card.”

“Oh no…” muttered Jinx. “This can only mean one thing… A double sacrifice…”

“Heh, heh…” chuckled Edmund. “Not quite… True, the Monster I’m summoning is Level 8… But, I’m allowed to summon it with one sacrifice if the Monster being sacrificed is a Reptile-Type Monster with the word ‘Worm’ in its name.”

First they’re Light, now they’re Reptiles? thought Shichiro.

“So, I sacrifice Worm Cartaros…” said Edmund.

Cartaros vanished, and a large burst of radiant energy erupted from the spot…

“I summon her royal majesty… The Worm Queen!”

Shichiro stepped back in fright as the huge creature loomed fifteen feet over the field. The name that Edmund had given it was the only indication of its gender – it was not female in any mammalian sense, and was not beautiful. In shape, it was somewhat centaurian, its lower body a bulbous abdomen with six legs. Its upper body was muscular, had four arms, and horn-like spines on its back. It had similar horns on its head, and the only features on its face were two glaring eyes that were devoid of any emotion. Its whole body was covered with a thick, grey exoskeleton. (2,700 ATK)

Mistle hid again, and covered her eyes.

“Tell me when it’s gone!” she squeaked.

“So…” muttered Shichiro. “I suppose this is the ruler of this Worm Empire you’ve been talking about?”

Actually, he doubted whether that was actually the case, but he thought he should ask.

“Maybe…” said Edmund. “Maybe not… But she’s still no-one you’d want to be messing with…”

He played the last card in his hand.

“I play Book of Moon! I usually use this to reuse the Flip-Effects of my Monsters… But now it will have a much better use…”

Shichiro gasped as Junk Warrior vanished, replaced by a facedown Monster.

“Worm Barses,” ordered Edmund, “get that Junk Warrior!”

The four-armed Worm rushed at Junk Warrior. It appeared crouching on the card, just as the Worm started to pummel it with its fists, causing it to shatter.

“Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system…” said Edmund. “Worm Queen… Destroy the Kagemusha of the Blue Flame on the left!”

Worm Queen glared at the Kagemusha with piercing eyes. Then, it simply lifted its front right foot, and stepped forward to squash him flat…

Shichiro’s facedown card shot up as it actually did so.

“I activate… Spirit Force!” he shouted. “Now, the damage I would take is reduced to zero, and I get to retrieve a Tuner from my Graveyard.”

Junk Synchron slipped out of his discard slot, and he took it.

“Well, good luck using it,” replied Edmund.

My Swords are still in play for one round, he thought, and I didn’t let him in on Worm Queen’s effect…

Once per turn, I can sacrifice a Worm Monster to summon one from my deck that’s an equal or lower level.

So, next round, since Worm Queen is Level 8, I can use that effect to sacrifice Worm Queen herself to summon the actual lord of my deck, and show him the true meaning of fear.

“My move!” shouted Shichiro, making a draw.

“I flip my facedown Monster into Attack Mode,” he said. “Meet Tuningware!”

The card flipped up, revealing a tiny, cute robot wearing a saucepan over its head, and a scarf around its neck. (100 ATK)

“Eh?” said Edmund.

“Now, I summon Junk Synchron again,” continued Shichiro.

Junk Synchron appeared again. (1,300 ATK)

Junk Synchron pulled its ripcord again, and this time, both it and Tuningware split into four glowing stars. A smaller shape started to form…

“Synchro Summon… Armory Arm!”

The Synchro Monster that appeared was indeed an arm. It looked like a robotic arm, with long, clawed fingers. (1,900 ATK)

“And what good will that do you?” asked Edmund.

“We’ll see,” said Shichiro. “You see… Because I used Tuningware in a Synchro Summon, I get to draw one card.”

He made a draw.

“And now I’ll use it! The Giant Trunade Spell Card!”

He played the Spell Card, and a fierce wind erupted over the field, causing the Flip-Flop card, Swords of Revealing Light, and Edmund’s facedown card to vanish.

“Is Shichiro nuts?” shouted Ember. “That will let Edmund reset the Swords card next turn!”

“Not if I finish this on this turn,” replied Shichiro. “I play Monster Reborn!”

He played the card, and the glowing symbol appeared. Junk Warrior materialized again. (2,300 ATK)

Then Junk Warrior lifted its arm. Armory Arm flew over it, and its sleeve opened up, and lowered over Junk Warrior’s hand, fitting into place like a gauntlet.

“Huh?” said Edmund.

“Armory Arm is like a Union Monster,” said Shichiro. “It can Equip to other Monsters. And it increases Junk Warrior’s Attack Score by 1,000 points.”

(3,300 ATK)

“But first… Axe Raider, destroy Worm Barses!”

Axe Raider charged, and slammed his axe into Worm Barses, blowing it into hunks of unidentifiable material.

“Now, Junk Warrior…”

Junk Warrior lifted its gauntlet, and then its whole body was surrounded by an aura of flame…

“…slay his Worm Queen!”

Junk Warrior roared, and flew towards Worm Queen, socking the evil monarch in the chest. Worm Queen shrieked, and exploded into a burst of colored energy.

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

“Monsters come and go,” cursed Edmund, “but I won’t be so easily defeated!”

“Oh yeah?” replied Shichiro. “Well, Armory Arm has another effect. You now lose Life Points equal to your destroyed Monster’s Attack Score.

“And I’m afraid that’s exactly how much you’ve got left.”

Edmund gasped as a large hand of fire shot towards him…

Then he screamed…

(S: 2,300) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 0)

Edmund glared at Shichiro as the burning circle around them died down, and then disappeared.

“It’s all over Edmund…” said Shichiro.

He drew his sword from its sheath and pointed it at the necromancer.

“Now put your hands in the air.”

“My pleasure…” said Edmund, raising his hands.

And then, Shichiro felt weaker than he had ever felt before. He dropped his sword, and fell to his knees.

“SHICHIRO!” screamed Jinx.

She ran out of the house.

“What happened?”

“I made a stupid mistake…” gasped Shichiro. “I told a wizard to raise his hands…”

Meanwhile, Edmund was pondering. That Shadow Game had taken a lot out of him… He likely had enough power left to overpower Jinx and Ember and take the Silver Hemisphere by force… But then, he would have none left to get back to Satellite, and then he’d be in real trouble when Gears finally got back.

So, he decided to simply cut his losses. As Jinx helped Shichiro to his feet, he turned and walked away. He turned a deaf ear to the threats that Shichiro shouted at him as he conjured up the portal again.

He hated to lose, yes… But he who fails and runs away lives to win another day.

* * * * * * * * * *

It was half an hour later that Gears sped into the garage on his bike. He would owe a debt to the Stout Mug Clan that lived in Satellite charging his D-Wheel, but the important thing was, he made it back.

Well, the townhouse is still standing, he thought, as he leapt off his bike. That’s good news…

He ran inside, to see Boris situated on a chair, reading a magazine.

“Boris!” shouted Gears. “Where’s Shichiro!”

“You mean Hurricane Shichiro?” asked Boris. “In the kitchen. And I’d advise you not to let any of your limbs get too close to his mouth.”

Gears ran into the kitchen, and saw that Shichiro had moved the table close to the refrigerator, and was in the process of devouring the leftovers. Jinx, Ember, and Mistle were watching in puzzlement.

“Oh, hi Gears,” he said, with his mouth full. “You weren’t saving that leftover cheesecake, were you?”

“What happened to him?” asked Gears to Jinx.

“He dueled that thing,” replied Jinx. “He won, but it hit him with some sort of spell… It left him exhausted, dehydrated, and apparently, very, very, hungry.”

Gears sighed.

“It was likely Enervation,” he replied. “Not the most powerful necromantic spell, but one of the most notorious. It sucks the energy right out of you.

“Shichiro, did this guy use Light-Attribute Reptile Type Monsters called Worms?”

Shichiro nodded.

“Ugly things, too,” he replied. “Did you have this much trouble with the first one?”

“Did I ever…” sighed Gears, sitting down. “Maybe it’s time I told you all the whole story…”

“We’re all ears,” muttered Shichiro. “Do we still have any of that spaghetti left?”

“I remember it all too well…” started Gears. “Seven years ago, I was much younger, and had only been a Shadowchaser for a few months… And then he showed up… A worm that walked with diabolical plans. I never even learned his name.

“I foiled several of his schemes, dueling several of his minions, before I finally confronted him once and for all in the B.A.D. Area of Satellite, the worst part of the worst part of town. He forced me into one of the most dangerous of duels… A Turbo Shadow Duel.

“His Worm Monsters were like nothing I had ever seen. I was nearly outmatched. Finally, with my Life Points in triple digits, I lucked out, and my Colossal Fighter destroyed his Worm Queen, defeating him.

“The force of the impact caused him to lose control of his D-Wheel, and he crashed. The engine must have ignited, because it exploded. I know he didn’t survive – I saw his burning carcass. And I didn’t find any trace of his cards either. I assumed they were burned to ashes.

“I was victorious, but it wasn’t over. For days afterwards, my dreams were haunted by the Worms… Monsters of Light more merciless than the Darkest of Fiends. I knew they were just biding their time until they decided to come back and get me.

“Then, one week later, I was asked to deliver something to a dwarf merchant. He was a very old, very friendly dwarf, and he invited me in for brandy and scones. It was the dead of winter, so I accepted. We talked, and I mentioned the Worms. To my surprise, he knew about them. He told me a weird story, and I couldn’t help but listen.

“He told me that the Worms were created by a sinister force of Light that lurked in a distant galaxy, a malignant intelligence that was personified by a white hole.”

“A white hole?” asked Ember.

“It’s the opposite of a black hole,” replied Gears. “White holes were only rumored to exist until one was discovered a few years ago… This very one, incidentally. While black holes absorb light, white holes apparently emit it somehow, spewing out radiance like a gigantic volcano of light.

Now, there are some theories and philosophies among Shadowkind that say that incredibly old celestial bodies, like stars and planets, can become sentient and intelligent over several millions of years. This ‘white hole’, if you will, developed a particularly malignant and sadistic intelligence, along with unheard-of power. It desired nothing less than the destruction of all beings that were inferior to itself, which was basically everything.”

“The Light of Ruin…” muttered Shichiro.

“Yes, that’s what this guy called it,” replied Gears. “The Light of Ruin created the Worms as its blindly loyal servants, forming them into an army, skilled in the art of the ambush. The Worms marched forward like a relentless tide, conquering many planets and forming an empire.

“But they made the mistake of invading a world that was the home to a race called the Justicars.

“The Justicars had long been skilled in making gadgets and mechanical devices, and it was their love of such toys that saved them. When the Worms invaded and started to subjugate and enslave their race, they acted.

“Their artificers stripped their planet of all their valuables. Brass, bronze, silver, gold, platinum, and gems, which fortunately were of no use to the Worms. They pounded the metal into shape in magical forges, forming robotic hulls, and gave them gems for hearts and brains. Creating mechanical beings that could combat the Worms…”

“The Allies of Justice!” exclaimed Jinx.

“That’s why they’re so powerful against Light Monsters!” added Ember.

“Exactly,” replied Gears. “The Justicars enchanted them with the Light of Ruin’s opposite – the Healing Darkness.

“And no sooner did the Allies of Justice come to life, they knew their purpose. When the Worms attacked next, they were met with fierce opposition. Their skills of ambush and deception proved worthless against the logical minds of the Machines, and the weapons of the Allies seared and burned their flesh that was so thick with the evil Light.

“The Worms fled, but the Allies pursued. Their empire started to crumble, as the Allies liberated one world after another. The Justicars gained more resources, and made more of their miraculous Machines, and the Worms were chased to the far ends of the universe. But the Light of Ruin continued to spawn its servants, and no Allies ever managed to find the Worms’ homeworld. Apparently, the war continues even to this day.

“Now, the story seemed a little farfetched when I first heard it. I doubted the old dwarf’s words at first… And then, he showed me his deck. The true Allies of Justice. I was shocked to actually see them, and even more shocked when he told me to take them! I objected, of course. How could I accept cards so precious? But he told me that he was old, and he could no longer duel. Arthritis and poor vision plagued him. He knew he didn’t have many years left. He said he would feel safer knowing that they were in a competent duelist’s hands.

“So I took the cards, and made a deck around them, knowing now that I had a weapon in case those Worms ever did come back…”

“And now they have…” muttered Shichiro.

“Heaven help us…” muttered Jinx. “But… On the plus side, we still have the Silver Hemisphere…”

“And we have to guard it with our lives,” replied Gears. “It’s the only thing that’s keeping DaPen and this necromancer from doing whatever they’re planning to do. If the fully assembled Regalia of the Day can allow a wizard to cast the most powerful of spells, it could let a necromancer cast the most powerful necromantic spells.”

“Such as?” asked Ember.

“Terrible things…” replied Gears. “Possibly create whole armies of undead, or create flesh golems the size and strength of titans… Or even worse, transform himself into an undead sorcerer of even greater power than a worm that walks.

“We must be prepared…”



As the day came to a close, the general feeling in the air was one of doom, gloom, and despair. We had seen what Edmund could do, and Shichiro’s victory over him hadn’t seemed to accomplish much. But it had at least kept the final component of DaPen’s scheme safe in our hands.

As the night began to fall, I would try to sleep, and wouldn’t have much success. When I did finally fall into a slumber, visions of the hideous Monsters that Edmund had brought to life appeared in my dreams… Minions of the Light of Ruin, a source of Light more evil than any Fiend that was Dark…



WORM APOCALYPSE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Reptile/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 1
ATK: 300
DEF: 200

Card Description: Flip: Destroy 1 Spell or Trap Card on the field.



WORM BARSES (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Reptile/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 3
ATK: 1,400
DEF: 1,500

Card Description: When this card is Normal Summoned, switch 1 Monster in face-up Defense Position to Attack Position.



WORM CARTAROS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Reptile/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 4
ATK: 1,200
DEF: 500

Card Description: Flip: Search your deck for 1 Reptile-Type “Worm” Monster that is Level 4 or less and add it to your hand.



WORM DIMIKLES (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Reptile/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 4
ATK: 1,700
DEF: 1,400

Card Description: Flip: Increase this card’s ATK and DEF by 300 for as long as it is face-up on the field.



WORM EROKIN (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Reptile/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 6
ATK: 2,400
DEF: 1,200

Card Description: This card cannot be Special Summoned. Once per turn, you may select 1 “Worm” Monster you control and switch it to facedown Defense Position.

Note: The proceeding five “Worm” Monsters were released in Japan for the original “Duel Terminal” set. They have not yet been released in the United States.



WORM HOPE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Reptile/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 1
ATK: 800
DEF: 1,500

Card Description: Flip: If this card is flipped face-up by your opponent’s Monster attacking, draw 1 card. Also, when this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, select 1 card in your hand and send it to the Graveyard.



WORM ILLADAN (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Reptile/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 5
ATK: 2,000
DEF: 1,800

Card Description: Each time you set a card on your side of the field, place 1 Worm Counter on this card. You may destroy 1 opposing Monster by removing 2 Worm Counters from this card.



WORM JEETRIKUPS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Reptile/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 3
ATK: 1,200
DEF: 0

Card Description: Flip: When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard on the turn it is flipped face-up, Special Summon this card in face-up Defense Position.

Note: The proceeding three “Worm” Monsters were released in Japan for the “Duel Terminal 02: Invasion of Worms!!” set. They have not yet been released in the United States.



WORM QUEEN (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Reptile/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 8
ATK: 2,700
DEF: 1,100

Card Description: This card can be Tribute Summoned in face-up Attack Position by Tributing 1 Reptile-Type “Worm” Monster. Once per turn, by Tributing one Reptile-Type “Worm” Monster you control, Special Summon 1 Reptile-Type “Worm” Monster from your deck that is an equal or lower Level than the Tributed Monster.

Note: “Worm Queen” was released in Japan for the “Duel Terminal 04: Demon Roar God Revival!!” set. They have not yet been released in the United States.



DARK WALL OF WIND (Spell Card)

Quickplay Spell

Image: A man in a white cloak, in the center of a dark whirlwind.

Card Description: Activate only during your opponent’s Battle Phase. Reduce the damage you take from direct attacks this turn to zero.

Note: “Dark Wall of Wind” was first used by Marik in the original anime episode “The Darkness Returns (Part 2)”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



FLIP-FLOP (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: Two Penguin Soldiers balancing on one flipper on a Des Koala’s back on a circus platform in a spotlight.

Card Description: When the Flip-Effect of a Flip-Effect Monster is activated, the opponent of the Monster’s controller takes 500 points of direct damage.



SEARING LIGHT (Spell Card)

Quickplay Spell

Image: A duelist shielding himself while confronting Arcana Force 0: The Fool, which is emitting a blinding aura of light. (The duelist has more than a passing resemblance to Judai Yuki, suggesting that the card was designed by someone with a grudge against him.)

Card Description: Select one LIGHT Monster you control. Remove from play one LIGHT Monster in your Graveyard with a lower Level than the selected Monster. Increase the ATK of the selected Monster by the ATK of the removed Monster until the End Phase of the turn.


Coming up next:

DaPen and Edmund are going to leave the Shadowchasers alone for at least a chapter, which gives Ember a good opportunity to finish her training. And it’s going to be difficult, because Jalal reveals her fourth test, and it’s going to be much harder than any of the first three. Meanwhile, she’s going to do what she’s supposed to do, pay attention to Jinx, as the latest Shadowkind threat she has to handle is one whose race is actually native to Earth. A Shadowkind race that’s native to Earth? How is that possible? It will all be revealed soon.

“Giant Soldier of Stone” is coming soon.



Mr. Yoshitsumo, Snakeblooded Shark

It can be said that the world of high-finance is similar to swimming in a tank full of sharks. Among these predators lurks Mr. Yoshitsumo, perhaps the most ruthless and cunning financial mogul ever to enter a boardroom. He’s one of the most sought-after consultants and advisors in the world, if not THE most, for good reason: he’s one of the most successful. If he has a first name, no-one has ever learned it.

Mr. Yoshitsumo looks innocent enough on the surface. He’s clearly of Japanese origin, is in his fifties, with graying hair, and is clean-shaven. He often wears a black trenchcoat over his custom-tailored business suit, and is never seen without his briefcase. Many folks would love to get ahold of that briefcase, knowing that the contents he is entrusted with are worth a fortune, but no-one has ever succeeded. Awares and Shadowkind recognize Mr. Yoshitsumo as a snakeblooded human, but even the ophidia fear him for his influence and power.

Mr. Yoshitsumo is on one hand, a mystery. Even the Shadowchasers have only discovered the following about his past: No record exists of his birth. He was raised in an orphanage in Fukuoka, Japan. He left both the orphanage and any organized education at the end of junior high school. As far as anyone knows, he never attended any college or university. He would have seemed to be simply a cipher, but at the age of nineteen, he made the front pages of The Wall Street Journal and The London Financial Times for single-handedly brokering an eight-way merger between companies in the United States, Great Britain, Russia, Germany, and Taiwan.

From that point on, Mr. Yoshitsumo went on to become the most sought-after consultant in the world. He shuns employment with a single company, instead selling his services to anyone willing to pay. And he gets results, almost every time.

Mr. Yoshitsumo has repeatedly turned down offers to be partner, President, CEO, CFO, or Chairman of the Board for most of the Fortune 500 companies, as well as seats on the cabinets of the last five U.S. Presidents. He also has never given public consideration to starting a company of his own. “The world of high finance is too risky for me,” he often says. “However, if my opinion may be of assistance to braver souls, then I am glad to give it.” Of course, his fee for giving it is astronomical, and usually includes a percentage of revenue.

Despite being a snakeblooded, there is no proof (or even any solid evidence) that Mr. Yoshitsumo uses supernatural aid in his work. Despite this, his relation to the vile ophidia makes some people suspicious of him. Jalal has never hired Mr. Yoshitsumo, but he has worked with companies who have, and he keeps an eye on the consultant. Jalal is rich enough not to worry about Mr. Yoshitsumo’s influence, which likely could ruin most folks who are too interested in him. For now, Mr. Yoshitsumo doesn’t seem any more corrupt than the next corporate tycoon… But what his ultimate plans are, only time will tell…


Story Ideas: Probably the only duelist in the Yu-Gi-Oh anime who could afford to hire Mr. Yoshitsumo is Seto Kaiba, and he has little to do with the Shadowchasers. (If he ever gave either Gozaburo or the Big Five any advice, they clearly didn’t heed it. Rex Godwin might have worked with him at some point, but he’s not exactly a heroic figure.) Jalal could, but he doesn’t trust him, and most characters in any fanfic do not even approach his price range. So what to use this man for?

Mr. Yoshitsumo’s mysterious agenda might bring him into contact with almost anyone. He could appear almost anywhere, appearing out of the shadows when someone hits a dead end, possibly to point that person in the right direction. Once he has done so, he can leave as mysteriously as he came. Exactly how Mr. Yoshitsumo knows these things and why he’s choosing to share them isn’t important. His presence and odd bits of advice can add to the tone of certain plots, particularly dark ones.

Keep in mind that Mr. Yoshitsumo does not do anything for charity. If he gives help to anyone, he’s going to want something in return eventually. If he knows that the folks he’s helping could never meet his regular fee, he might require payment of a different sort. To that end, he could become a villain in his own right, or a plot device to open a new chapter.


Deck Suggestions: Many and varied. Mr. Yoshitsumo likely has many decks to use if he ever had to duel, and prides himself on not being predictable. In fact, if he had to use Duel Monsters to solve a problem, and there were any living witnesses to the duel (his opponent included) he’d likely never use that deck again.

[Shuppet Master]

Interesting Shadowchaser file! I was sort of expecting you to create a business mogul character, but a yuan-ti... er, sorry, snakeblood? Interesting. Of course, someone richer than Seto Kaiba has the privilege of making a million decks with various themee, so he need not worry about throwing away a deck after using it.

He's also very flexible, a rare beast in fanfiction. I'd say he'd be true neutral.

Oh, the duel was good too, and nice use of a card which is considering trade bait. ^_^

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

Ok chapter, the duel itself wasn't very exciting to me personally, but I speculate a good rematch. I think I'm already tired of Shichiro's deck.

On a positive note: I really liked the explanation given to the Allies of Justice. Although the 'predestined' thing was kinda over the top, the idea itself was very cool. We finally know why they have such powers against Lightmonsters now.

I'm also fond of the Light-dark contrast, but this time it being backwards. This time Dark is good and Light is bad. Awesome.

I wonder what next chapter will bring and who the Shadowkind of Earth are. Ember's deck is totally my thing, but I'd hate to be bored by it after several battles.

The shadowchaserfiles are coming again nicely, just like they did with the previous fanfic.

nice use of a card which is considering trade bait.

Quoted for truth.

Again, I'm liking the story I a whole, so my negative feedback isn't really to downgrade your story or anything Brian, just my personal expierences.

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

It’s been well-established that Shadows are not native to Earth, but to elsewhere in the universe. It’s possible for a Shadow to be born here, but while he may be native to our world, his people are not. No Shadowkind race originated on Earth, right?

Well, yes and no. It can be confusing, but sometimes things happen, and sometimes Shadows do weird and powerful things that create creatures that have not been seen anywhere, either on Earth or in their native realm. Sometimes these creatures become numerous, develop the ability to reproduce, and become a race unto themselves. Their race thus originated on Earth…

And yet, they are still Shadowkind for all intents and purposes, because their origins lie in magic and enchantments caused by Shadowkind. The veil still obscures them from common people, and anything that affects a Shadow still affects them. Thus, they fall under the jurisdiction of the Shadowchasers.

As a new day was dawning, I was about to meet one of these “native Shadowkind”, and find out that native to our world or not, some Shadowkind had bizarre goals, and this led to them doing some bizarre – and illegal – things.



The next morning at six-thirty, the four Shadowchasers were gathered around the breakfast table, discussing the immediate problems. Both Edmund, and more importantly, the giant that they had learned had appeared in Satellite yesterday, a demon the size of a skyscraper that Jalal had identified as Ccapac Apu. They had wondered just where it had gone… How could a thing that size have hidden itself?

And more importantly, none of them were eager to go and face it if Jalal told them to do so. What would they do, stab it in the toe?

“More Java, anyone?” asked Boris, coming up with the coffee pot.

Simultaneously, four mugs lifted up.

“I thought you folks didn’t like my coffee…” muttered Boris, as he started to refill them.

“We need the caffeine today,” replied Shichiro. “Gears, how are we going to find Edmund now?”

“Well, he likely won’t go back to that junk shop now that I know he was there,” replied Gears. “Jinx, is your scan picking up anything?”

“No,” replied Jinx, sipping her coffee. “Funny that you mentioned the B.A.D. Area. It’s been so full of negative energy lately, it’s the only spot on the map that’s registering.”

“That place has been a hot spot for evil energy ever since Zero Reverse,” muttered Shichiro.

“Well, in the past few weeks, it’s gotten a great deal hotter,” said Jinx. “It’s a regular chill-grill.”

“A ‘chill-grill’?” asked Ember.

“It’s a slang term for a very large source of negative energy,” replied Gears. “Since negative energy is the energy of death, most folks associate it with cold, so any large source of it is like a very big fire, but very cold instead of hot. Shadows and Shadowchasers call an area like that a chill-grill.

“I hesitate to think what might be going on in that place…”

“Something that the four of you should not concern yourselves with… yet,” said Jalal’s voice. “I’m considering our options.”

He slowly appeared in front of them in holographic form.

“You know what’s happening there?” asked Shichiro.

“It and the appearance of Ccapac Apu are connected,” replied Jalal.

The four humans shuddered as he mentioned that.

“Fear not,” said Jalal. “From what I now know, Ccapac Apu and the rest of the Earthbound Gods…”

“There are more of them?!” gasped Gears, getting up.

“Do not interrupt me, Gears,” replied Jalal. “Yes, there are more, but they are imprisoned in some way. They can only influence the world at this point when their minions summon them in a Shadow Game.

“However… We will not engage these minions until we learn more about them. Like I said, I’m considering my options, and there is one force opposing them already.”

He cleared his throat.

“Michiko, if you needed to take a shower, why don’t you do so now?”

Ember felt a little excited as she got up. Did this mean her fourth test was going to be assigned?

“C’mon, Gears,” said Shichiro, as they watched her leave the room. “You said you’d help me fix the transmission on my Wheel.”

“I didn’t know that the transmission on your Wheel was…” started Gears.

Then Shichiro hit him on the back of the head.

“Oh, right…” he said.

The two of them left the room as Jalal sat down (apparently on nothing).

“One test remains, Kaede,” he continued. “One more, and then Michiko may attempt the Rite of Passage.”

Jinx sighed, and didn’t say anything.

“I know, Kaede, I know,” said Jinx. “Most apprentices become frightened when they hear what they must do to complete the Rite of Passage, and it’s difficult for teachers to give it to them. But it must be done…

“To complete the Rite of Passage, young Michiko must handle a Shadow-related threat on her own, alone, without help from you or any other Shadowchaser.”

“It’s a dangerous and reckless tradition,” muttered Jinx.

“Well,” said Jalal, “it need not be done right away…

“In the meantime, here is the fourth test…”

She handed Jinx a card. It was the Trap Card, Limit Reverse.

“You can’t be serious!” shouted Jinx. “You’re telling me that this one actually can be given?”

“I don’t design tests that I never mean to give, Kaede,” said Jalal.

“Well, I certainly can’t recall anyone ever taking it,” replied Jinx. “Let alone passing it…”

“Maybe someone did and was told to keep quiet about it,” replied Jalal. “Tell Michiko that I wish her good luck…”

Jinx didn’t know that Ember had been listening outside the kitchen door the whole time. Jalal knew, and his wish of good luck was meant to be a personal one.

Ember didn’t know what the Limit Reverse entailed. But now she knew what the Rite of Passage did…

And Jalal had been right… It did frighten her.

* * * * * * * * * *

Half an hour later, Ember was in the room she had been given, going over her deck.

She looked at Flamvell Urquizas and her other key cards: Flame Swordsman, Infernal Flame Emperor, Familiar-Possessed Hiita, and all the other Flamvell Monsters…

One person was in her mind right now… Hebi-Na.

It was kind of hard to imagine that Hebi-Na had been the one to fully open her eyes, and that she had done so by trying to put a bullet in her head. It was all water under the bridge now, of course. She was locked up, and would likely be given five consecutive life sentences soon…

“Ember?” asked Jinx’s voice from behind.

“Uh, yeah Jinx,” said Ember. “I’ll be ready to go in a minute…

“Jinx, I have a question… What do the ophidia worship?”

A serious expression crossed Jinx’s face.

“The ophidia worship a Shadowkind deity that they call Seghulerak,” she replied. “She’s a very odd goddess, who represents both survival and destruction.”

“In other words,” replied Ember, “she teaches the ophidia that, in order to survive, they must conquer and subjugate all other races.”

“Exactly,” said Jinx. “Her dogma is full of talk of the Age of Serpents that she urges her children to prepare for…

“A time when the Earth will split, and vomit a torrent of snakes and crawling things, which will descend on humanity like a plague, and establish the ophidia as the true masters of the world, where Seghulerak will rule as queen.”

“So, why do the Shadowchasers put up with this talk?” asked Ember.

“Well, Ember,” said Jinx, sitting down, “alone, an ophidia criminal can be dangerous. Hebi-Na would have killed you, and wouldn’t have lost any sleep over it. She likely had a lot of blood on her hands. But as a Shadowkind race, their goals are jokes.

“We have yet to see any magic that their leaders cast work properly. They spend time on elaborate rituals that never actually do anything. It can actually be sad sometimes. In the past, they have planned grand incantations in order to summon Seghulerak to Earth, preparing for decades or even centuries to finish the project. Nothing ever results from these grandiose schemes, except rebellion from the members of the clans who were told they would work. And when the Shadowchasers study these rituals, we find that they weren’t even close to being what was needed for such magics. Half the time, the ophidia who attempt them aren’t even divine magicians. Some of us tend to doubt that Seghulerak even exists.”

“So maybe the whole joke is on the ophidia,” said Ember, “and they don’t realize that they’re the butt of it.”

“More than likely,” said Jinx. “But keep in mind, they’re still dangerous. If we didn’t keep them in check, they wouldn’t keep their appetites in check. Every ophidia alive would love to taste human flesh again, and it’s only the Treaty that stops them.

“Most of them…”

She sighed, and handed her the Limit Reverse card.

“Here.”

Ember smiled a little, as she always did when she saw this card. It had the image of Swordsman of Landstar on it, clearly not Katsuya Jonouchi’s strongest Monster, but one of his cutest.

“So, is this my fourth test?” she asked.

“Yes, and listen closely,” said Jinx. “Once I explain the rules, you’ll only have an hour to adjust your deck. After that, you can’t change it.

“The next time you duel alone, you must win by reducing your opponent’s Life Points to exactly zero. Not one point more.”

A serious expression crossed Ember face.

“Has… anyone ever done this test?” she asked, even though she had heard what Jinx had said to Jalal.

“I have never met a Shadowchaser who has,” replied Jinx. “I always thought tests like this were symbolic in some way.

“Do you need to change your deck?”

Ember spread out her deck and looked at the cards.

“I’ll go with what I’ve got,” she said.

Jinx sighed.

“Then let’s go jogging,” she said.

* * * * * * * * * *

Fifteen minutes later, Jinx was slowly driving her D-Wheel down the main boulevard of the city with Jinx jogging behind her.

“Come on, Ember!” urged Jinx. “Feel the burn!”

Then an incoming call flashed on her D-Wheel.

“Take five,” she said, pulling over.

She threw Ember a towel, and turned on the screen. Shichiro’s face appeared on it.

“Jinx, how far are you two from the Air and Space Museum?” he asked.

“About four blocks,” replied Jinx. “Why?”

“Cause a guy who you’re just dying to see just went in there,” said Shichiro, “and I don’t think he paid the admittance fee…”

“Wait…” said Jinx. “You’re kidding! That thieving Arcane Golem went there again? He’s actually stupid enough to try to rob the same place twice?”

“Apparently so,” replied Shichiro.

“Arcane Golem?” asked Ember.

“Get on!” ordered Jinx.

Ember hopped on and put her helmet on, as Jinx started up the engine.

“I’ve got you now…” she said.

* * * * * * * * * *

Just what was an Arcane Golem? Jinx explained it later.

Magic is divided into many schools, such as evocation, illusion, alteration, and necromancy, like what Edmund studied. Most wizards are generalists, but some, like Edmund, become specialists, specializing in one school. By doing so, they can become very powerful in that school, at the cost of limiting their options in others.

There was one school of magic that you could only use if you specialized in it. Generalists could not use spells of this school at all. It was called wild magic.

Wild magic is a very powerful but very unpredictable school of magic that taps the raw energy of Chaos. A wild mage, as a practitioner is called, can cast some very powerful incantations, but the problem is, his spells often don’t do what he intends them too. Plus, there is always the risk of the dreaded wild surge, an explosion of chaotic energy that can literally do anything. What’s more, any spell that a wild mage casts, not just a wild magic spell, carries a risk of something going wrong, and the chance increases when the wild mage casts a wild magic spell. The more powerful the spell that the wild mage casts, the greater the chance for a mishap. Only the bravest (but not always the most intelligent) wizards choose to become wild mages.

Fifty years ago, there was an elven wild mage named Holla. She wasn’t scared by the unpredictability of the art, and her response to the occasional wild surge, even the one that sent her to the middle of the Northern Territory of Australia, was that “accidents will happen”. Unfortunately, the frequent explosions that her magic caused frightened the other elves in her clan, until her clan leader gave her an ultimatum – switch to more traditional magic, or leave the clan. Holla decided to leave, saying that she’d prefer privacy anyway.

And soon, she created the first of the Arcane Golems. They were marvelous constructs made of stone, each one seven feet tall, incredibly strong, and each one able to channel a type of elemental energy – fire, acid, lightning, or frost. Holla made more and more of them, and they became stronger, and seemed more intelligent. She even tried to sell them to the Shadowchasers, but was met with a flat refusal.

The reason for this was, Jalal had seen them function, and was becoming worried about how smart they seemed. What if they rebelled and killed her, and then turned their aggression on innocents? Holla laughed. Impossible, she said. She had a plan that she thought was foolproof.

In order for the Golems to keep functioning, she had to cast a certain spell on them once a month to recharge their magical energies. If she didn’t, they’d turn to immobile stone statues, dead for all practical purposes. The spell was written in ancient elven, which only elves could comprehend and read, and even if they found a way to read it, they couldn’t cast it themselves, because the spell had to be spoken, and she didn’t give them any voices or other ways to talk. So they didn’t dare rebel, because doing so would write their death sentences. It was a plan that certainly seemed foolproof.

Then, one day, Holla cast a spell that created the mother of all wild surges, the wildwind, a storm of chaos more lethal than any other. The surge turned every human in a five-block radius into weird, pink fish with feet. It took two Incantifers to turn them back and quell the surge.

The Shadowchasers arrived, of course, but they had come too late to either arrest or save Holla. She had apparently been caught in the epicenter of her own surge, and had vanished without a trace. Some say that it had been waiting to happen, and it had served her right. All efforts to locate her after that failed, and her ultimate fate is a mystery. (But a warrant for her arrest is still valid if she ever appears alive.) The Arcane Golems remained behind, cleaning and maintaining her laboratories in case she came back. She had cast the spell to maintain them only a few days previously; everyone assumed that in only a month, they’d be no more, so they decided not to risk any lives trying to destroy them.

But the Golems were far smarter than even Holla had believed. They read her spellbooks, and while they couldn’t cast any powerful spells individually without voices, they could cast a few powerful ones by combining their powers. They were able to cast one that allowed one of their own to talk. Eventually, this one member learned to cast more powerful spells, and before the one-month deadline was up, he managed to cast the spell that kept them from going inert. Soon, they were all able to talk, and could cast the spell at any time.

It didn’t end there. They started to build more Arcane Golems. They improved on Holla’s design, making the spell needed to recharge them unnecessary. For the ones who still required it, they managed to create special amulets that made it unnecessary for them as well. They nourished themselves by eating stone and other mineral substances, like oil and coal.

The Arcane Golems soon became so numerous, they started to split into small groups. Eventually, they started to petition to Jalal to obtain the rights allotted in the Treaty to other Shadowkind. Jalal couldn’t ignore this. Whether the Golems had actually gained life was a question for philosophers to answer, but they now clearly possessed the three traits that defined sentient beings, according to the Shadowchasers’ definition: intelligence, sapience, and self-awareness. They were also becoming civilized, another prerequisite of falling under the Treaty’s jurisdiction. So he consented.

The only problem is, in recent years, Arcane Golems have realized that their diet of normal minerals can benefit greatly from the addition of minerals of more exotic types. Stones of magical nature or ones used in alchemy can give them additional powers. And with hearts that were created by wild magic, they don’t always seek them out through legitimate channels…

* * * * * * * * * *

When pulling in front of the Neo Domino Air and Space Museum, one would instantly take notice of the large marquee in the front:

NOW APPEARING! THREE WEEKS ONLY!

APOLLO 11

EXPERIENCE THE MAJESTY

“I’ve heard of this exhibit,” said Ember, as they got off the bike. “The Apollo 11 exhibit is on loan from the Smithsonian. So what does some golem want from it?”

Jinx opened the compartment next to the seat of her D-Wheel.

“I have a pretty good idea,” she said.

She took out two small tubes of red liquid, and one tube of a blue one. She handed one of the red ones to Ember.

“Drink this, and follow me,” she said. “It will protect you from what this guy can do.”

Ember uncorked the bottle and followed Jinx up the steps to the entrance. She drank it in three gulps.

“Mmm!” she exclaimed. “It tastes like cinnamon! But, what can this guy do?”

They ran into the museum, and stopped short.

Everyone in the museum had been literally frozen. Every human was frozen in mid-stride, and covered with a fine coating of frost.

“There’s your answer,” replied Jinx.

“Are they dead?” asked Ember.

“Naw,” replied Jinx, shaking her head. “They’ll come to in about an hour… With bad headaches. But we have to find the guy who did this before he makes off with what he came here for.”

What the Arcane Golem had come for was something that was hard to get anywhere but a museum that was showing this particular exhibit.

In the exhibit hall where the Apollo 11 display was kept, mementos of the famous moon landing by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were on display. There were dozens of photographs, the two astronauts’ space suits, and parts of the Apollo 11 craft itself.

In the center of the room, the Arcane Golem himself was standing over a display case containing several stone samples that had been collected on the moon’s surface by the two astronauts. He was trying to figure out how to disable the alarm that protected the case.

He was a monolithic creature, seven feet tall and made of stone, in the shape of a human, covered with pale blue runes that looked like a cross between carvings and tattoos. His left hand was bigger than the right; an Arcane Golem used its left hand for anything that required strength, and its right for anything that required manual dexterity.

“Hold it,” said Jinx.

The Golem turned around and saw her. It grumbled a little.

“It’s a good thing we got here,” said Jinx. “NASA would hate to lose those rock samples… It’s not like it’s easy for them to get new ones.”

“And just what good are they to NASA?” asked the Golem, turning around. “They can’t actually do anything with them except display them in museums like these, because they’re lunar in origin.

“But for someone like me… A stone that came from such a source can grant great power… A bit of the moon’s soil has enchantment that can’t be found on Earth’s surface, and can’t be gotten by anyone without the ability to go to the moon.”

“Well, keep dreaming, buddy,” said Jinx. “You Arcane Golems seem to think you can take anything you want these days. Life isn’t like that.”

The Arcane Golem held up his left arm, and it started to shape like putty. A stone Duel Disk took shape on it, complete with a deck in a holder.

“You cannot beat me,” replied the Golem. “I am hard stone, and all you are is soft flesh.”

Jinx smirked, and activated her Duel Disk.

“Oh, you’re lucky I have to duel you,” she said, “or you’d see what I was capable of doing to ‘hard stone’.”

(Jinx: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Arcane Golem: 8,000)

“I draw…” said the Golem, making his first draw.

He looked at the card he had drawn, which was Heavy Storm. Not the right time for that, perhaps, but a good card to have.

“I set three cards,” it said.

It placed three cards into its Disk, and three facedown cards appeared in front of it.

“Then, I summon B.E.S. Armored Core.”

There was an unearthly hum, and a large spacecraft rose behind the Arcane Golem. It looked like a bulky, robotic fighter drone, with a glowing core in the center. (1,300 ATK)

“I end my turn.”

Jinx slowly made a draw.

B.E.S. Monsters, huh? she thought. Normally, those are a big problem… If one of them is destroyed, another one takes its place…

But… In order to do that, he’d need a Continuous Spell Card called Boss Rush, and he hasn’t got it!

“Jinx, careful…” said Ember.

“Don’t worry, Ember, he’s trying to scare me,” said Jinx. “I summon Abare Ushioni!”

In a burst of energy, the bull-like Beast-Warrior appeared. (1,200 ATK)

“Now, I activate its effect…” she said.

A coin appeared in her hands.

“On the contrary…” said the Golem.

One of his facedown cards lifted.

“Divine Wrath?!” gasped Jinx.

The Golem discarded Heavy Storm, and a bolt of lightning struck Abare Ushioni, vaporizing it.

Okay, maybe he’s better at this than I give him credit for… she thought.

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

“That’s all,” she said.

“Draw,” said the Golem, making a draw.

“B.E.S. Armored Core, attack the female directly.”

The craft fired several rounds from a laser cannon on its underside, striking Jinx and knocking her over. She slowly stood up and held her stomach in pain.

“I end my turn,” he said again.

(J: 6,700) - - - - - - - - - - (AG: 8,000)

Alright! thought Jinx. Enough fooling around…

“I summon X-Saber Urz!”

With a battlecry, the savage Warrior holding twin scimitars leapt onto the field. (1,600 ATK)

“Ground that spaceship!” she shouted.

Urz assumed a fighting stance…

Then, a siren sounded through the whole room, and red lights flashed.

“Huh?” said Ember. “Did someone trip an alarm?”

“No, you foolish human,” said the Golem, pointing to a Trap Card he had just activated. “Your attack triggered a Trap Card called Alert. Now, I get to activate a set Continuous Spell Card, just like I would a Trap Card.”

“A Continuous Spell Card?” gasped Jinx. “But that means…”

“Yes,” said the Golem, as his last facedown card lifted. “Boss Rush.”

Urz couldn’t stop his attack. He leapt at the spaceship, striking it with his scimitar and slicing it cleanly in half.

(J: 6,700) - - - - - - - - - - (AG: 7,700)

“I… end my turn…” muttered Jinx.

“Not before I use the effect of Boss Rush,” replied the Golem, “to Special Summon B.E.S. Tetran.”

A new spaceship appeared, this one saucer-shaped and flat, again with a glowing core in the center (with a gap in the front exposing it) and four tentacles sprouting from each corner. (1,800 ATK)

“My move,” said the Golem, making a draw.

“The problem with summoning a Monster with Boss Rush is, most of the time, it doesn’t have any shields to protect its power source.

“But I can give it some, with the Spell Card, Shield Recovery.”

He quickly played the Spell Card, and B.E.S. Tetran glowed. Three shields formed in front of the core.

“Now, I can expend one of them, to destroy your Trap Card.”

The Tetran blasted a bolt of energy from one of its tendrils, hitting the facedown card…

“I activate it!” shouted Jinx. “Skull Dice!”

The little imp appeared, and tossed its die. It skipped and bounced, and landed on the three. B.E.S. Tetran fell to an Attack Score of 1,500.

The Golem frowned.

“I set one card,” he said, “and then play the Continuous Spell Card, Debris Collector.”

A set card and a Continuous Spell appeared on the field in front of him.

“My draw!” exclaimed Jinx.

She drew a card.

“I summon X-Saber Galahad!” she shouted.

The toad-like Warrior in armor appeared next to Urz. (1,800 ATK)

“This is pointless,” said the Golem. “Your tribesmen cannot match my futuristic technology.”

“We’ll see about that,” said Jinx, fitting a card into her Disk. “Once I Equip Urz with Soul Saber!”

Urz’s two swords vanished, and a larger sword that looked like X-Saber Passiul’s weapon appeared in his hands.

“When he’s Equipped with this, he can survive any battle,” she continued. “So Urz, take out the second shield!”

Urz gripped the Soul Saber in both hands, and leapt at the direct center of the craft, striking the second shield, and shattering both it and the weapon. He fell backwards, but was unharmed.

“Of course, while he survived, the Soul Saber was destroyed,” continued Jinx. “But when that happens, I get to draw one card.”

She made a draw.

“Now, Galahad attacks, and when he attacks, he gains 300 Attack Points.”

Galahad leapt at Tetran, his Attack Score rose up to 2,100, and he slashed at the third and final shield, smashing through it.

“My Tetran is still standing,” said the Golem. “And now I will activate my Trap… Cyber Summon Blaster.”

His facedown card lifted up, and a huge machine rose up behind him. It looked like a laser gun of some sort on tank treads, with a dish antenna for a blaster.

“This Continuous Trap will inflict 300 points of damage to you whenever I Special Summon a Machine-Type Monster.”

“Uhm, I’m guessing that’s not good…” said Ember.

“Not particularly,” replied Jinx.

(J: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (AG: 7,400)

“And now, it’s my move,” said the Golem.

He drew a card.

“B.E.S. Tetran,” he ordered, “obliterate X-Saber Galahad.”

The craft aimed its guns at Galahad, and the X-Saber’s Attack Score fell to 1,300…

“I activate his effect!” shouted Jinx. “If he would be destroyed in battle, I can protect him by sacrificing another X-Saber! Urz, see you later!”

The laser beams struck Galahad, and Urz vanished into grains of light as Galahad withstood it.

But because it battled without a shield, thought Ember, Tetran will be leaving…

It sure looked that way. B.E.S. Tetran’s core ruptured, and explosions rocked all over its hull. Then it shattered into pixels.

“Of no consequence,” said the Golem. “Due to Debris Collector, since my Monster was destroyed by its own effect, I now get to draw one card.”

He made one draw.

“I now end my turn, and activate the effect of Boss Rush, to Special Summon Big Core.”

Jinx stepped back as a larger, more ominous spaceship loomed over the field. It was big, bulky, and armored, and once again had a glowing core in the center. (2,300 ATK)

“And that means my Trap Card activates,” said the Golem.

Cyber Summon Blaster shot a beam of energy, striking Jinx. She hollered in pain.

(J: 5,700) - - - - - - - - - - (AG: 7,400)

Man, I’m getting nowhere fast, thought Jinx. Time to try something new…

She made a draw.

“I sacrifice Galahad…”

Galahad vanished into pixels of light.

“…to summon Maximum Six!”

With a roar, the muscular, six-armed ogre appeared. (1,900 ATK)

“Now, let’s see if I can’t turn this around…”

A die appeared in mid-air, and it started to skip and bounce…

Then it landed on the six.

Maximum Six roared again. (3,100 ATK)

“Attack!” shouted Jinx. “Aim for the core!”

Maximum Six leapt at the huge craft, and jammed its fist right into the glowing power source. Big Core shuddered, and then exploded into space junk.

“Ergh…” growled the Golem.

“No matter,” he said. “Since it was actually destroyed by its effect, I get to draw once due to Debris Collector.”

He made a draw.

“I end my turn…” muttered Jinx.

“Then it’s time for something new,” replied the Golem. “B.E.S. Crystal Core.”

A new spaceship appeared, this one different than all the others. It looked like a huge mass of crystal, with a glowing core in the center, and two metal tentacles tipped with laser cannons. (2,100 ATK)

Cyber Summon Blaster fired, striking Jinx again. She grunted.

(J: 5,400) - - - - - - - - - - (AG: 6,600)

Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



The Golem drew a card.

“I play Monster Reborn,” he said. “I’ll summon B.E.S. Assault Core from the Graveyard.”

The holy symbol appeared, and Assault Core appeared again. (1,300 ATK)

Then Cyber Summon Blaster glowed, and zapped Jinx again.

“Ugh,” she said.

“Now, I activate Crystal Core’s effect,” continued the Golem, “to move your Monster to Defense Mode.”

A wave of energy shot from the Crystal Core, and Maximum Six knelt and shielded itself. (1,600 DEF)

Then Crystal Core aimed a tentacle at Maximum Six and fired a laser, blowing it to shards.

Assault Core aimed its guns at Jinx…

“Not again…” she said.

She screamed as it fired its weapons at her, knocking her down again.

“Jinx?” asked Ember.

“I’ll be fine…” gasped Jinx. “So long as I don’t laugh or sneeze any time soon…”

“Now, it is time for Crystal Core to leave…” said the Golem.

Crystal Core exploded into shards.

“Which means I get to draw once due Debris Collector…”

He made one draw.

“And now I summon one of the most powerful members of the Bacterium fleet… The B.E.S. Big Core MK-2.”

Before Jinx’s eyes, the biggest, most frightening-looking spaceship appeared in front of her. It was large, streamlined, and more high-tech than any of the previous B.E.S. ships, colored in hues of silver and crimson, with two cores, complete with two gaps that would hold the shields.

And she was even more surprised to see three shields materialize in each of those gaps. (2,400 ATK)

“Wait just a minute!” she shouted. “B.E.S. Monsters don’t get shields when they’re Special Summoned!”

“Most B.E.S. Monsters don’t,” corrected the Golem. “This one does.”

Then Jinx screamed as the Cyber Summon Blaster zapped her again.

(J: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (AG: 6,600)

Man… thought Jinx. I’m really getting pounded…

She drew a card, and then looked at the five cards in her hand.

“I summon Time Wizard!” she shouted.

In a flash of light, the short, humanoid clock appeared. (500 ATK)

The Arcane Golem lifted an eyebrow.

“Go!” shouted Jinx. “Time Roulette now!”

Time Wizard thrust its staff forward, and the arrow on the tip started to spin.

It spun, and spun, and spun…

Then, Jinx made a curse as it landed on one of the two skulls. The air warped, and then Time Wizard dissolved into particles.

“Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh,” chuckled the Golem.

“Don’t laugh yet,” said Jinx. “I throw a card facedown, and then play Monster Reborn.”

A reversed card appeared, and then the holy ankh appeared in mid-air. X-Saber Urz appeared. (1,600 ATK)

“And I end my turn.”

(J: 3,250) - - - - - - - - - - (AG: 6,600)

“My draw,” said the Golem, drawing a card.

“B.E.S. Big Core MK-2, annihilate X-Saber Urz.”

The spacecraft glowed with energy, and shot a beam of pulsating energy at the X-Saber.

“Activate… Fairy Box!” shouted Jinx.

Her facedown card shot up, and a coin appeared in her hand once again.

“Heads!” she shouted, giving it a toss.

The coin fell to the ground, and this time, her luck was better. It was indeed heads.

X-Saber Urz swatted the blast aside, and the large craft shuddered. One shield on each of its sets shattered. The Arcane Golem growled.

“I end my turn,” he said.

(J: 3,250) - - - - - - - - - - (AG: 5,000)

Jinx quickly made a draw.

“First, I pay 500 Life Points to keep Fairy Box,” she said. “Then I summon X-Saber Airbellum.”

With a savage growl, the leather clad, clawed Beast appeared next to Urz. (1,600 ATK)

“Now, I Tune both of them together!”

Both Airbellum and Urz glowed, and faded into seven glowing stars. They flew to the ceiling of the museum room…

X-Saber Urbellum landed, drawing his two swords. (2,200 ATK)

“Do you really think some primitive barbarian can defeat my space age Machine?” asked the Golem.

“We’ll see, won’t we?” asked Jinx, playing a Spell Card. “I play Pot of Avarice.”

She played the card, and took Galahad, Airbellum, Abare Ushioni, Maximum Six, and Time Wizard from her discard slot. She shuffled them into her deck, and made two draws.

She looked at them.

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

Two more reversed cards appeared behind Urbellum.

(J: 2,750) - - - - - - - - - - (AG: 5,000)

“Your Trap Cards don’t scare me,” said the Golem, as he drew a card. “Even if my Monsters are destroyed, my Boss Rush will just summon new ones to replace them.

“B.E.S. Big Core MK-2, destroy X-Saber Urbellum!”

B.E.S. Big Core MK-2 prepared to fire its weapons…

“Hold on there, big guy!” shouted Jinx, as one of her facedown cards lifted. “I activate… Ordeal of a Traveler!”

A huge, stone sphinx appeared behind her. She held up the two cards remaining in her hand.

“First, you gotta choose a card in my hand. Then you gotta guess whether it’s a Spell, Trap, or Monster. You guess right, your attack can go through. But if you guess wrong, then your Monster goes back to your hand.”

“WHAT?” shouted the Arcane Golem.

He hesitated.

“Get the idea?” asked Jinx. “It might put a big crimp in your whole Boss Rush strategy, now wouldn’t it?”

The Golem grit its teeth.

“C’mon, c’mon…” said Jinx. “Shouldn’t be too hard… There are only two cards…”

“All right…” said the Golem, lifting his hand. “I believe…

“That the card in the right… is… a Monster!”

Jinx grinned. She turned the card around. It was Double Spell.

“Wrong,” she said.

The Arcane Golem gasped as B.E.S. Big Core MK-2 vanished, and the card reappeared in his hand.

“You’ll pay for that!” snarled the Golem, taking a card from his hand. “I summon…”

Then he stopped short.

“You can’t make Normal Summons with Boss Rush on the field, can you?” asked Jinx. “That’s the big weakness of your whole strategy.”

The Golem quickly chose another card.

“I play A Feather of the Phoenix,” he said. “Now, I toss one card…”

He discarded a second Boss Rush.

“Then, I get to take any card I desire from my Graveyard, and place it on the top of my deck.”

A card slipped out of his discard slot, and he placed it on top.

“Then, I move Assault Core to Defense Mode…”

Assault Core landed, and the core dimmed. (2,000 DEF)

“…and then set a card facedown.”

A reversed card appeared.

“It’s your move.”

Jinx drew a card, and looked at it.

“I pay 500 Life Points to keep Fairy Box,” she said.

If I attack Assault Core, I’ll just get another big spaceship to deal with, she thought. I’ll play it safe for now.

“I set one Monster, and end my turn.”

A reversed Monster appeared next to Urbellum.

(J: 2,250) - - - - - - - - - - (AG: 5,000)

“I draw one card,” said the Golem.

He made a draw.

“And now I activate Reckless Greed.”

His facedown card lifted. He made two more draws.

“That’s what I was hoping for,” said Jinx. “I activate… Gamble!”

Her own facedown card lifted.

“This card is risky, but it can work out when you’re in a bind. Since you now have seven cards in your hand and I have only two, I get to toss a coin. If I guess right, I get to draw until I have five. But if I guess wrong, I have to skip my next turn.”

She tossed a coin.

“Heads!”

Ember nervously watched as the coin flew.

She breathed a sigh of relief as it came down heads. Jinx grinned as it came up heads. She made three draws.

“Enjoy it while you can,” said the Golem. “I play Heavy Storm!”

He played the card, and a fierce wind tore through the room, eradicating Boss Rush, Cyber Summon Blaster, Debris Collector, Fairy Box, and Ordeal of a Traveler.

“Now, I set a new card…”

A new reversed card appeared.

“And I sacrifice Assault Core to summon my ultimate weapon!”

B.E.S. Assault Core vanished.

Jinx and Ember waited.

“I don’t see any Monster,” said Jinx.

Then static appeared on the large Imax movie screen behind the Arcane Golem. A cinema scene appeared on it, showing an enormous military satellite, armed with a giant laser, orbiting the Earth. (0 ATK)

“Satellite Cannon?!” gasped Jinx.

“That’s right!” exclaimed the Golem. “One of the most lethal examples of space-age weaponry ever built!

“With that, I end my turn, which means that its charging sequence begins.”

Satellite Cannon started to glow with energy… (1,000 ATK)

“My move!” shouted Jinx.

She made a draw.

“I play Roll of Fate!” she exclaimed, playing a card.

The Spell Card appeared, and a die shot out of it. It skipped and bounced, and landed on the two.

“Not the best,” she said, as she made two draws, “but I’ll take it.”

She then took the next two cards, and pocketed them.

“First I set a new Monster,” she said.

A second reversed Monster appeared next to her other one.

“Urbellum, there’s your target!” she shouted, pointing to the huge satellite. “Get it!”

Urbellum looked at the screen, and then growled a little.

“You can’t be serious,” said the Arcane Golem.

Then Urbellum took a step, and vanished.

“He’s a Synchro Monster, genius,” said Jinx. “He’s right at home among the stars.”

Everyone turned and looked at the screen, and saw X-Saber Urbellum literally flying towards the huge Machine with his weapons drawn.

“Maybe so,” replied the Golem, “but it’s pointless. Only Level 8 and higher Monsters can destroy Satellite Cannon in a battle. Your Warrior is one Level too low.”

“But Urbellum has more points,” replied Jinx. “And that means you’ll still take damage!”

As she said that, Urbellum made a slash at the huge craft with his two blades, and it shuddered.

Then the Golem waved his hand, and his facedown card shot up.

“Nice try,” he said, “but you triggered a Trap called Spirit Barrier. Now, I won’t lose any Life Points from a battle so long as I have a Monster on the field.

“I’m untouchable…”

Jinx sighed as Urbellum reappeared in front of her.

It’s okay, she thought. He can’t draw for two rounds due to Reckless Greed, and that thing won’t be powerful enough to destroy Urbellum for a while.

“My move,” said the Golem. “I’ll skip my Draw Phase, then I’ll summon Moai Interceptor Cannons.”

In a shimmering burst of energy, a large Easter Island statue with a cannon in its mouth appeared in front of him. (1,100 ATK)

“Next, I play a Spell Card,” he said, as a card appeared in front of him. “It’s called Charge. This Spell rushes the charging process of Satellite Cannon, giving it two rounds worth of energy right away.”

Satellite Cannon glowed with energy again. (3,000 ATK)

“But first…. Moai Interceptor Cannons, attack the defensive Monster on the right.”

The Cannon’s gun blasted, and X-Saber Palomlo appeared on the card before being blown away.

“Satellite Cannon…

“FIRE!”

Satellite Cannon swerved in mid-orbit…

Then it fired a brilliant beam of pure light earthbound. Jinx shielded herself as the beam crashed down, eradicating X-Saber Urbellum.

Jinx stopped to catch her breath as Satellite Cannon’s Attack Score fell to zero.

“I activate Palomlo’s effect!” she shouted. “Since you just destroyed one of my X-Saber Monsters, I can pay 500 Life Points to bring him back!”

Palomlo appeared, kneeling and shielding himself with his spear. (300 DEF)

“So be it,” replied the Golem. “I activate the effect of Moai Interceptor Cannons, moving it to facedown Defense Mode.”

The statue vanished, and was replaced by a reversed Monster.

“I end my turn.”

Satellite Cannon glowed again, starting to recharge. (1,000 ATK)

(J: 950) - - - - - - - - - - (AG: 5,000)

Jinx drew a card.

“Time to finish this,” she said. “I play Mystical Space Typhoon!”

She played the card she had just drawn, and the cyclone tore across the field, blowing the Spirit Barrier card to pieces.

“Fine,” said the Golem. “Whatever you summon, I’ll survive, and my Cannon can’t be destroyed. It can gain Attack Points even when it’s in Defense Mode.”

“But you can’t switch it to Defense Mode until next turn,” replied Jinx. “And by then, it will be too late.

“I’m going to summon a very special member of the X-Sabers… One so special, they had to give him a second X!

“I summon XX-Saber Reijigra!”

She quickly played the card, and a strange creature appeared next to Palomlo. It looked like a humanoid gecko lizard, dressed in armor, a red cape, and red pantaloons, holding two daggers. (200 ATK)

“It doesn’t seem like much to me,” replied the Golem.

“Big things come in small packages,” replied Jinx. “By summoning Reijigra here, I get to recover any X-Saber I want from my Graveyard.”

X-Saber Urz slipped out of her discard slot, and she took it.

“Next, I’ll play my Double Summon Spell Card.”

She played another card, and a Spell Card appeared.

“Now I can summon Urz.”

Urz leapt onto the field, brandishing his swords. (1,600 ATK)

“Next, I Flip-Summon X-Saber Passiul!”

Her facedown Monster flipped up, and Passiul stood up, holding his sword. (100 ATK)

“Now, I Tune together Palomlo and Urz! All together, now…”

Urz and Palomlo leapt up, and dissolved into five glowing stars. The sound of galloping hooves and a howling wolf echoed through the room…

From out of the shadows, X-Saber Wayne appeared. He drew his bladed six-shooter, and twirled it on his finger. (2,100 ATK)

“How cute,” said the Golem.

“I’m not done,” said Jinx. “When Wayne is summoned, I get to Special Summon a Warrior-Type Monster from my hand. So, I’ll bring out X-Saber Anabelera!”

Anabelera leapt onto the field, brandishing her sword. (1,800 ATK)

“Now, time for another Tuning! Passiul, Anabelera, GO!”

The two X-Sabers leapt up into the air, and then both of them split into six glowing stars. Another galloping sound was heard, and Gaia Knight, the Force of the Earth rode onto the field on his charging steed. (2,600 ATK)

“Want more?” asked Jinx, taking two more cards. “Remember this?”

She played another card, and Double Spell appeared.

“I’ll toss one Spell Card…”

She discarded her Dangerous Machine Type-6.

“…and use your Monster Reborn!”

In a flash of light, X-Saber Urbellum appeared again. (2,200 ATK)

She managed to summon three of her Synchros in one turn! thought Ember, opening her eyes wide.

“All right…” said Jinx, as the three Warriors looked at the screen. “Let’s see if you and your Satellite Cannon can survive the onslaught I’m sending towards it…”

The three Synchro Monsters vanished…

They all looked up at the screen. Gaia was leading the assault, riding his mount through the astral towards the huge satellite, with Wayne and Urbellum following close behind.

“I already know the answer!” shouted the Golem. “Yes I can! I have 5,000 Life Points left, and the amount I’ll lose from your attack only totals 3,900!”

“Then let’s fix that,” said Jinx, as she threw her last card into her Disk. “I play Graceful Dice!”

The winged teddy bear appeared, holding its blue die.

“Now, each of my Warriors will gain 100 Attack Points times what I roll. Four or more, and I can end this on a high note.

“Roll!”

The bear tossed the die… It rolled…

It landed on a five. A look of fear crossed the Golem’s face…

Gaia’s Attack Score rose to 3,100, Wayne’s to 2,600, and Urbellum’s to 2,700. Gaia stabbed his two lances into the giant satellite, Urbellum slashed with his blades, and Wayne fired six rounds.

“ARGH!” screamed the Arcane Golem.

(J: 950) - - - - - - - - - - (AG: 0)

The screen went dark.

“Put your hands in the air,” said Jinx. “You’re under arrest.”

The Golem’s eyes glowed with an icy blue light.

“Let’s see how you arrest me after I break your back,” he said.

He charged at Jinx.

That was a mistake. As he made a grab for Jinx, she threw a punch at his face. Ember grit her teeth as a sound like a pickaxe cracking stone echoed through the whole building and the giant collapsed.

“Jinx…” said Ember, as she walked up to her. “You… You can punch out a creature made of stone?”

Jinx took some deep breaths and held her fist.

“Not normally,” she replied. “You know that potion I gave you, the one that tasted like cinnamon that protected you from his frost powers?”

“Yeah?” said Ember.

“I also drank a second potion,” continued Jinx. “It’s called a Potion of Bull’s Strength. Guaranteed to make a human more than a match for anything up to a frost giant’s level of strength.”

She took the gemstone out of her pouch.

“How strong are frost giants?” asked Ember.

“Oh, strong enough to lift a small bus on a good day,” replied Jinx.

“Remind me not to hug you until it wears off,” said Ember.

The Arcane Golem vanished.

“So…” said Jinx. “Ready to get back to jogging?”



Another criminal arrested, another job accomplished. I was learning more and more, even though I was close to finishing my training, closer than I thought, actually. Very soon, I would get an opportunity to do the fourth test, and soon after that, the Rite of Passage, which was still on my mind.

I didn’t know it, but DaPen still had plans for today. He had plans to target both Shichiro, who was still at the townhouse, and Gears, who was gathering information from tipsters…

And for Jinx and me as well. His plan for us would take shape later in the day.



ALERT (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A spaceship corridor with alarms flashing.

Card Description: Activate when your opponent declares an attack. Activate a set Continuous Spell Card on your side of the field.



SHIELD RECOVERY (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A mechanical claw sparking with energy reaching towards a metal plate.

Card Description: Select one face-up Monster with the word “B.E.S.” in its name or one that is named “Big Core” that has no Counters. Place a number of Counters on the selected Monster equal to the number it gains via its effect.



B.E.S. ARMORED CORE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 3
ATK: 1,300
DEF: 2,000

Card Description: If you control no Monsters, and your opponent controls at least one Monster, you may Special Summon this card from your hand.

Note: The proceeding three cards were first used by Gil in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Duelfellahs”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. (Of special note, “B.E.S. Armored Core” was called “Assault Core” in the anime, and no effect was used. The effect listed above is the one used in the video game “Tag Force 2”.)



CHARGE (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: Satellite Cannon orbiting the Earth, with the sun rising over the horizon.

Card Description: Increase the ATK of all “Satellite Cannon(s)” you control by 2,000.

Note: “Charge” was first used by Orgene in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Generation neXt.” Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



DEBRIS COLLECTOR (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: A robotic spaceship with two tentacles, loading space debris into a hatch on its top.

Card Description: When a Monster is destroyed by its own effect, the controller of the destroyed Monster may draw one card.



SOUL SABER (Spell Card)

Equip Spell

Image: X-Saber Urbellum holding up X-Saber Passiul’s sword.

Card Description: Equip only to an “X-Saber” Monster. If the Equipped Monster would be destroyed as a result of battle, you can destroy this card to prevent the Equipped Monster from being destroyed. If this card is destroyed in this manner, draw one card from your deck.



Coming up next:

Who here is a fan of the Underworld series? In that series of movies, vampires and werewolves are depicted as enemies. Well, if that enmity ever existed in the world of Shadowchasers, it doesn’t any more – vampires were wiped out centuries ago. But werewolves still prowl the cities, and they’ve become a real problem for the Shadowchasers.

Next chapter, we find out what Gears was doing when Jinx was dueling that Golem. A disturbance at Bootleg leads to a Turbo Duel where he pits his Allies of Justice against some of the most powerful cards in the modern game, made even more deadly using the rules of the Turbo Duel. It’s all coming to a head in “Battle-Scarred”, coming soon.

And no, there won’t be any Archfiends…



Shadowchaser Files:

Maddy Webber, Pop Princess of Shadow

Pop stars come and go in the modern world. Most of them don’t last longer than a few months, lacking the talent and the charisma to make it big in the entertainment world. The newest pop sensation that everyone has their eyes on is the young (it seems), upcoming star, Maddy Webber.

Maddy didn’t get her start as a mail-order star headed by some big corporation, as is often the case in recent years. A few years ago, she started her own band called the Web-Slingers, and started playing in small gigs in New York. Soon, both the Web-Slingers and Maddy alone were hot and in demand. Eventually, she expanded, and released her first single, which shot to the top of the charts, and she was a star.

Maddy seems to be a young woman just over nineteen. She has richly-tanned skin, with hair that is tied in long pigtails, always dyed vibrant colors, like orange or violet. She wears fashionable clothing that often includes a halter top that shows off the navel.

Maddy’s past and personal life has not been delved into much yet; she is better at avoiding the paparazzi than most pop stars, and when a question is asked about her love life or plans, she usually responds by saying “Maybe!”

Awares and Shadowkind see Maddy for what she truly is. She is a dark elf who is at least one-hundred years old (still quite young for her people). As such, she cannot abide the light of the sun, but the hip crowd she usually associates with rarely sees the light of day either, so they do not question her nocturnal lifestyle. Of course, many Shadowkind are not happy to see a dark elf achieve such success.

Many simply do not trust her. They say that female dark elves cannot come into any positions of power without doing anything corrupt, as it is commonplace in their society to get ahead by betraying those close to you. Maddy laughs at these rumors when she even hears about them, saying she’s just a girl who likes to sing.

The Shadowchasers know the following about Maddy: She comes from a clan of dark elves that make their home in Schenectady, New York. She is rarely at home anymore, but a great deal of her profits go to her clan. Her clan leader, a powerful dark elf priestess, is also her agent and her advisor. All of the other members of the Web-Slingers, whom she still performs with on occasion (as Bruce Springsteen does with the East Street Band) are also dark elves from the same clan. Nothing particularly sinister has been uncovered about Maddy or her clan, but the Shadowchasers still unofficially watch any Shadow who becomes this successful.

Recently, Maddy has gotten her biggest break: She won the bid to sing in the halftime show of this year’s Superbowl. After that, the sky may be the limit.


Story Ideas: Celebrities, especially pop stars, are frequently in the media spotlight. And they are often the subject of scandals, mostly about their sexuality and vices. Some of these scandals have some truth to them, while many are baseless lies. Most stars take them with a grain of salt. Dark elves, however, have too much pride to allow themselves to be insulted in such a public manner. If Maddy becomes so popular that she becomes a target of vile scandal rags, the ones responsible for starting such rumors might find themselves the targets of dark elf assassins. Whether such attacks are orchestrated by Maddy herself or by the matriarch of her clan (which begs the question of who ultimately has more authority) could be something that the Shadowchasers have to figure out. Maddy could indeed just be a “girl who likes to sing”, but her clan might have other ideas.

The situation may well be reversed. Remember, fighting Shadows is only one part of the Shadowchasers’ job. They also protect benign Shadows from anyone who wishes to harm them. Possibly, Maddy herself might become a target of an assassin, possibly from a rival pop star who’s jealous of the dark elf’s success. It might be difficult, but there are worse jobs than protecting the latest pop sensation…


Deck Suggestions: Dark elves love Duel Monsters, but there’s no universal deck theme among them. They tend to put together decks that involve magic, darkness, or both, such as Spellcasters or Fiends. A Dark Necrofear/RFG Deck might suit Maddy very well. She might also own a D-Wheel that she keeps handy, if only for the occasional thrill.

[Shuppet Master]

If I ever decide to do a Shadowchaser fic(ha, right, like in a million years!) I might make Maddy Webber a supporting character. I love the drow - and yes, I know "drow" is not the right term for dark elves, but I grew up playing AD&D and that was the term they used for dark elves, so I apologize.

Dark elves are my favoirte humanoid race - they have a really complex society and there are "rogues" who are good-natured - I love reading stories of former dark elf priestesses who change their religion from Lloth, the Spider Queen(I bet Maddy's clan priestess worships the Spider Queen, I mean - the web-slinger thing is obviously a hint) to the nature gods and such not. Dark elves are faascinating to me. ^_^

I love your files. I really want to use everyone, but I realize that I can't and that would be no fair to anyone who wants to write their own Shadowchaser fics.

Oh yeah, great duel, I like how you implemented wild magic.

[Dark Sage]

Actually, Chris, "drow" is indeed the correct name for the race, when playing D&D that is. However, there are certain elements of D&D that are not included in Wizards of the Coast's Open Gaming License. The name "drow" is not included in it. I will try not to use copyrighted names for Shadowkind when I don't have to, so the race that includes Maddy will be referred to as "dark elves" for this fic. Call them drow if you desire... They're the same thing.

[Dark Sage]

Author’s note: Credit for the creation of the antagonist in this chapter goes to fellow fanfic author SeekerD. Thanks for the help, pal.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

As I learned more about the new world I was a part of, I studied the Shadows in great detail. Shadowkind are more than just monsters. They are complex creatures with societies and traditions. One point of interest is lycanthropes. There are not only several subspecies, but two general classes: infected, and true.

An infected lycanthrope is the type that most Mundanes are familiar with, the type that Hollywood has glamorized since the days of the Universal Studios monsters. If a human is injured by a lycanthrope (and survives, naturally) he stands a chance of contracting a curse which can transform him into an infected lycanthrope. This curse causes him to transform into a beast involuntarily, and the chances of it happening each night depend on the phases of the moon (not much chance under a new moon, a very strong chance under a full moon). Also, there are spells and rituals that some evil wizards use to inflict this curse on others, or even inflict it on themselves (although they’d have to be pretty insane to do so). The Shadowchasers have a simple protocol for dealing with infected lycanthropes: capture alive so that a cure can be administered using magic (and fortunately, doing so is far easier than popular culture would suggest). There are even vaccines against lycanthropy, but they are so hard to make, that only the Shadowchasers themselves get them. (I didn’t get mine until after my initiation, and it was much like getting any other shot.)

Now, true lycanthropes are very different. They are not cursed; they are part of an actual race, born as lycanthropes. Either one or both of their parents was a true lycanthrope, and they gain the ability to transform into beast form at puberty. (You think growing pains are bad for the typical teenager? Try dealing with it when you start sprouting claws and fangs.) Once they get past this point, true lycanthropes can control their changes, and aren’t bound by the phases of the moon, but their attitudes tend to reflect their beast side. Wererats thus tend to be sneaky and stealthy, while werewolves can be aggressive and domineering. Whether or not a true lycanthrope can control his beast side depends on his personal self-control and background.

Anyway, most true lycanthropes have a hard time dealing with humans (partially because they can spread the curse) and those that turn really bad are hard to deal with…



While Jinx was dealing with the Golem, Gears was riding his D-Wheel through the Daimon Area, on patrol.

This part of town wasn’t as interesting since the Black Rose Witch came out of the closet, but it was still a hotbed for violence. Gangs of kobolds fought over turf at times, orcs hung out up to no good, and if a troll was pulled over from Shadow into this city, it usually showed up either in Satellite, or around here.

It seemed rather slow today, but Gears didn’t know that more than one person had his eye on him as he crossed an area that was about ten blocks from Bootleg…

* * * * * * * * * *

DaPen was sitting in his office, thinking hard.

His head turned as his mobile rang. He picked it up.

“Speak,” he said into it.

He listened.

“I see… Hmm… Yes… Okay, keep him in sight…”

He hung up. Then he started to dial another number. He looked at the clock.

“It’s only nine AM,” he muttered. “Lukas is likely sober enough to handle this… At least, I hope…”

* * * * * * * * * *

Indeed, at the popular criminal watering hole of Bootleg, Lukas Wolf was indeed still sober. It was a little early for hard liquor, and he could hold it more than most folks could. Nonetheless, he had finished one beer, and the serving maid was bringing him another.

“Anything else?” she said, trying hard not to be rude.

“Naw,” said Lukas. “I’ll call you when I need you…”

Then he slapped her on the behind with a laugh. She was angry, of course, but she was too afraid of him to raise a hand. She just muttered a curse word as she went back to the bar.

Anyone could clearly see that Lukas didn’t care much about his appearance. He had long, grey hair that was ruffled and uncombed, leaving split ends and bangs that almost completely covered his eyes. He wore a dusty gray T-shirt, faded blue jeans, and a torn up black trench coat. He was barefoot (not many shoes could survive being put on his feet anyway, which had long, uncut toenails). Both the barmaid and the bartender wondered just why he spent more money on the D-Wheel parked outside than he did on himself.

If they were Aware, they might have known the truth. Buying new clothes was pretty pointless for a werewolf, as his transformations tended to rip them.

Lukas’s early life hadn’t been too out of the ordinary, even if it wasn’t perfect. When he was young, he grew up only with his mother to care for him, not knowing who his father was or whether that man was alive or not. Neither he nor his mother knew that his father had been a true werewolf, and that the genes had been passed onto him. He was teased by the kids for his gray hair, but aside from that he would've had a typical childhood.

But it was on his thirteenth birthday that he experienced his first lycanthrope transformation, and he didn’t take it well. In his beastly rampage, he killed his mother; fearing persecution, he ran away and lived in the streets of Neo Domino, hiding out in the more rural areas.

Constantly he was pursued by Security and the Shadowchasers alike, and had more than one run-in with a novice (at the time) who called himself Gears. Then, one day about five years ago fate brought him into contact with Louis DaPen. From then on, he worked for DaPen, believing he would not have survived otherwise.

He had half-finished the drink when his own mobile rang.

“Eh,” he muttered, answering it. “What?”

Then a look of shock crossed his face.

“Mr. DaPen!” he gasped. “Sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“Quiet, Lukas, or I’ll turn you into a rug,” replied DaPen. “Do you still have those new cards I gave you, or did you already hawk them?”

“Calm down, I’ve still got ‘em,” replied Lukas. “And I’m itchin’ to use ‘em…”

“Well, you’ll get your chance,” replied DaPen. “Your old ‘friend’ is heading towards Bootleg, so all you have to do is attract him there.”

“Right!” said Lukas. “Uh… How do I do that?”

“Oh, I don’t know…” said DaPen. “Cause a scene or something…

“And for heaven’s sake, don’t end the duel too fast. Make it last a while this time.”

Lukas hung up.

He looked around. Not too many more people were in the bar. There was the bartender, the barmaid, and six customers besides himself, each of them tough guys with criminal marks.

He looked over at the barmaid. He thought for a minute…

Naw, I’d better not, he thought. That would be TOO much of a scene.

He strode up to a customer that wasn’t with any of the others.

“Hey, fellah,” he said, tapping him on the shoulder.

The patron looked at him.

“I don’t like your face,” said Lukas.

“Eh?” said the man.

Before he could do anything, Lukas had socked him in the jaw.

* * * * * * * * * *

At that moment, Gears, was only two blocks from Bootleg. He looked down at his screen as a message flashed on it.

“Go ahead, Shichiro,” he said.

“Guess what, Gears?” replied Shichiro. “The docket just bleeped. Your least favorite shapeshifter is at Bootleg, tearing up the place.”

“Good lord, again??” shouted Gears. “The last time this happened, we had to de-curse ten people and give one of them a booster shot!

“Don’t worry, I’m on it… And I’m bringing him in this time…”

He shifted gears on his bike.

* * * * * * * * * *

Lukas was disappointed. Very disappointed.

He had taken down all six of them without even assuming his bestial form. The barmaid was cowering behind the counter, while the bartender was reaching for something.

“Man, what do they feed you guys in jail?” asked Lukas. “Baby food?”

Then he heard the cocking of a gun behind him.

“Put ‘em in the air, pal!” shouted the bartender.

Lukas turned, and saw the bartender pointing a hunting rifle at him.

He chuckled. The odds that it was loaded with silver bullets were incredibly slim. Still, this gave him an excuse to let out his frustration even more, and maybe get out of paying his bar tab.

He looked at the bartender and growled a little.

“You know, Lukas,” said Gears’s voice. “I would think that seven people wouldn’t meet the requirements for a barroom brawl.”

Lukas spun around to face the Shadowchaser. Gears saw that he came just in time. The transformation had started. Lukas’s eyes were glowing, and his canine teeth had grown into fangs.

The bartender pointed the gun.

“Put it down!” shouted Gears. “You’ll only make him angry, and you do NOT want him angry!”

“To late for that, Gears,” snarled Lukas.

Only Gears could see it happening, but the transformation was starting in earnest. Lukas’s face was becoming far more feral, and his hair was becoming fuller and growing all over his body.

“Is he having a stroke?” asked the bartender.

“Get on the floor and stay there!” ordered Gears.

Then Lukas threw back his head and let out a howl. The bartender dropped his gun and did what he was told.

Lukas snarled and leapt at Gears, but Gears was ready. He clocked the werewolf on the chin. Normally, using your fists on a lycanthrope was suicide, but Gears knew ways to do it that you could only learn in the Shadowchasers.

Still, Lukas was only stunned a little by the blow. Now that the transformation was complete, he made a leap, jumping right over Gears and rushing out the door.

“Want to take it outside, do you?” asked Gears. “Fine.”

Truthfully, that’s what he wanted. A true werewolf in this form kept his human intelligence, but it was dominated by a bestial rage.

Still, he wasn’t expecting what happened when he ran outside. As he did so, he heard the roar of a noisy engine. He dodged aside, just in time to avoid being run over by the D-Wheel with Lukas at the controls.

Lukas swerved as Gears got a good look at the D-Wheel. It was similar to Mukuro Enjo’s Wheel, a similar chopper design, with flames painted on the chassis, and rat skulls decorating the handlebars.

Lukas took off his helmet and smiled at Gears. It was a very unpleasant smile – all fangs and very little actual smile.

“What do you think, Gears?” he asked. “Is it me?”

“Actually,” replied Gears. “Yes.”

Lukas chuckled, and started up the engine again. Gears leapt onto his own Wheel, and it started up.

“So, you’ve upgraded yourself?” said Gears. “Fine… I just had the engine overhauled, and I’m eager to see how well it does!”

“Eat my dust!” laughed Lukas.

He howled again, and sped off down the street with Gears in pursuit. Both of them hit a command on their dashboards, and the Speed World card appeared on them.

Gears knew he had to be careful. As crude as Lukas was, he was friends with many Card Ghouls, thieves who stole Duel Monsters cards and sold them on the black market. He had often worked for them as an enforcer and a legbreaker. As a result, he had access to a great deal of rare cards, and had put together one of the most lethal deck themes in existence.

To make matters worse, the rage that dominated him in beast form did not seem to impair his ability to duel. In fact, it seemed to improve it. This was one reason why Lukas had not been caught up to now. No-one had been able to beat him.

And Gears really had NO idea how this theme could be applied to a Turbo Duel. He’d just have to play it by ear.

(Gears: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Lukas: 8,000)

Gears made his first draw, and looked at the six cards on his gauntlet.

Okay… he thought. I’m off to a good start…

“Okay, hairy,” he said. “I’ll set one card, and then summon Ally of Justice Blind Sucker.”

A set card appeared, and then the glowing portal opened. Blind Sucker flew out on rocket jets. (1,600 ATK)

“It’s your move.”

Lukas snarled, and made his first draw. Both Speed Counters rose to one.

“I’ll see your Machine,” he snarled. “I summon Gladiator Beast Dimacari.”

The portal opened behind him, and a humanoid Beast leapt out. It looked like a warrior with indigo fur and the head of a bull, wearing a kilt and metal gauntlets. (1,600 ATK)

“Heh, heh,” he said. “Your move…”

Gears drew a card, and both Speed Counters rose to two.

I’ve got just what I need to spring a big surprise on this guy, he thought.

“I set one more card, and then set a Monster,” he said.

A new facedown card and a facedown Monster appeared before both vanished.

“And I end my turn.”

Lukas laughed as he made a draw. Both Speed Counters went up a notch, to three apiece.

“I’m bringing out Gladiator Beast Bestiari!” he exclaimed.

The portal opened again, and this time a Winged Beast flew out. It had green feathers, a head shaped like that of a sparrow, wore a kilt and armor covering its wings, and wore gauntlets equipped with blasters. (1,500 ATK)

“And the best thing about Gladiator Beasts is… They combine!”

Bestiari and Dimacari lifted their arms, and clashed their gauntlets together. Both of them flew into the sky, and burst into a flash of light.

“Fusion Summon… Gladiator Beast Gyzarus!”

Another Winged Beast flew out of the sky. It looked like Bestiari at first glance, but had much heavier, bulkier, darker armor. (2,400 ATK)

“Now I can use his effect to wipe out both your Monsters!”

Gyzarus started to glow with a radiant light…

“On the contrary, Lukas,” answered Gears, as one of his facedown cards spun around, “he’ll do know such thing! I play Destruction Jammer! Now, I just toss one card…”

He quickly discarded Ally of Justice Claíomh Solais.

“And it’s bye-bye birdie.”

Gyzarus screeched and exploded into black pixels.

“Why, you!” snarled Lucas. “Now I’m really mad!”

He took a card from his gauntlet, and a Speed Spell appeared in front of his D-Wheel.

“But I can improvise… I play Speed Spell – Zero Rebirth. Now I can bring back Gyzarus in Attack Mode… But his Attack Score becomes zero.”

Gyzarus appeared again, flying in front of Lukas’s D-Wheel. (0 ATK)

“I throw a card facedown,” he said. “And I end my turn.”

A facedown card appeared next to his D-Wheel, and then faded from view.

Okay, this is weird, thought Gears. Gyzarus can use its effect when it’s Special Summoned in any way, not just Fusion Summoned. Lukas could have done so when he brought it back with Zero Rebirth.

But for some reason, he chose not to… Why?

He made a draw. Both Speed Counters rose to four.

“I Flip-Summon Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive!” he exclaimed.

Dekoichi appeared next to his bike, chugging alongside him. (1,400 ATK)

Gears drew a card.

“Blind Sucker, attack Gyzarus!”

Blind Sucker’s jetpack ignited. It flew in front of the Gladiator Beast, and fired its missile…

“I activate… Defensive Tactics!” exclaimed Lukas, as his facedown card spun around. “Now, the damage to me is reduced to zero, and my Monster isn’t destroyed.”

The missile exploded against Gyzarus’s armor, but didn’t leave a dent.

“And even better,” he continued, holding up the Trap Card, “Defensive Tactics doesn’t go to the Graveyard, it goes to the bottom of my deck.”

He slid the card on the bottom of his deck.

“Now then…” he said. “I use his effect… He goes back to my deck…”

Gyzarus vanished.

“And in his place, two Gladiator Beasts come out! So, let’s hear it for Hoplomus and Laquari!”

Two separate portals opened, and two creatures emerged. The first was a hulking, humanoid rhinoceros clad in plate armor. (2,100 DEF) The second was a humanoid tiger in a breastplate, surrounded by a ring of flames. (1,800 ATK)

“And due to their effects, Hoplomus gains a boost to his Defense…”

Hoplomus growled a little. (2,400 DEF)

“…while Laquari’s Attack Score rises!”

Laquari roared. (2,100 ATK)

“I know what you’re trying to do, Lukas, and I won’t let it happen,” said Gears.

His other facedown card spun around.

“I activate Overworked! This destroys all Monsters on the field with Attack Scores higher than their base scores.”

Laquari burst into flaming pixels.

“You’re going to have to work harder than that to bring out the big guy this time, pal,” said Gears. “I set a Monster, and end my turn.”

A facedown Monster appeared in front of him, and then faded from sight.

Gears seriously juiced up that deck of his, thought Lukas. What he doesn’t know is, I’ve done the same with mine.

He drew a card, and both Speed Counters rose to five. He looked at the Speed Spell.

This’ll be good for later, he thought.

“Come on out, Test Tiger!” he laughed, as he played a card.

The portal opened again, and a large tiger leapt out, one wearing a colorful costume. It started to run beside his D-Wheel. (600 ATK)

“Now, I sacrifice it, to use its effect, and bring out another Gladiator Beast.”

Test Tiger vanished into an orb of energy…

“Gladiator Beast Darius!”

The orb burst, transforming into a tall, humanoid horse, wearing a loincloth and shoulder guards, and holding a metal whip. (1,700 ATK)

“And since he was summoned using Test Tiger’s effect, he gets to use his own effect, as if he were summoned by another Gladiator Beast.”

“You mean?” asked Gears.

“That’s right,” replied Lukas. “I get to bring back a Gladiator Beast from my Graveyard. So welcome back, Gladiator Beast Laquari!”

In an aura of flames, Laquari appeared again with a roar. (1,800 ATK)

“All right!” laughed Lukas. “Laquari… Hoplomus… Darius… Let’s bring ‘em all together!”

The three Gladiator Beasts flew into the sky, and burst into an explosion of light, which turned into a sphere of fire. It fell back to Earth like a falling meteor…

“Fusion Summon… Gladiator Beast Heraklinos!”

With a savage roar, an eight-foot-tall, fiery Beast-Warrior appeared from the orb. He seemed to combine the features of a wolf and lion at first glance, but then again, might have had the features of several animals in him in one way or another. He carried an axe, shield, and wore armor. (3,000 ATK)

“Terrific…” said Gears.

“That’s an understatement,” chuckled Lucas. “You’re dead meat.”

Heraklinos slashed with his weapon, and Blind Sucker exploded. Gears struggled as his D-Wheel shook, and his Counters fell to four.

“I set two cards facedown,” said Lukas, “and end my turn…”

Two facedown cards flashed into existence in front of his bike, and faded from view.

(G: 6,600) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 8,000)

Gears’s eyes narrowed. He drew a card.

His own Speed Counters clicked up to five, while Lukas’s went up to six.

He looked at the cards in his hand.

Two facedown cards… he thought. Heraklinos can negate any Spell or Trap I try to play, so long as Lukas can discard a card… But Monster effects are its weakness…

Normally, a duelist who uses Gladiator Beasts uses a Trap called Gladiator Beast War Chariot to handle that…

So… Either one of those facedown cards is War Chariot, or Lukas is bluffing…

Fortunately, I have something that can help me… And with Lukas, it will be pretty easy to tell whether he’s bluffing or not…

“I Flip-Summon Mecha Bunny,” he said.

His facedown Monster flipped up, and a large, metal bunny appeared, hopping in front of his D-Wheel. It had the words “Love It” on its forehead. (800 ATK)

“Heh, heh, heh, heh…” chuckled Lukas. “Sending a rabbit out against a wolf… Whatever will I do?”

“Yeah, you laugh,” said Gears. “When Mecha Bunny is flipped, I choose one card on the field, and that card’s controller takes 500 points of damage. So, I think I’ll choose your Gladiator Beast Heraklinos.”

“Erk!” said Lukas. “Is that the best you can do?”

“No, THIS is!” replied Gears. “I summon Ally of Justice Cyclone Creator!”

The dark portal opened, and the robotic bluejay flew out. (1,400 ATK)

“Now, I Tune together Cyclone Creator and Mecha Bunny!”

The two Machines flew into the sky, and dissolved into five glowing stars…

Ally of Justice Catastor flew down, and glared at Heraklinos. (2,200 ATK)

“Eh?” said Lukas.

“Catastor automatically destroys any Monster it battles that isn’t a Dark Monster,” said Gears. “And gee… Isn’t Heraklinos a Fire Monster?”

Then Lukas bore his fangs and let out an angry snarl…

“You should take anger management classes, Lukas!” laughed Gears. “Your own attitude gives you away! Now I know that neither of those facedown cards is War Chariot!

“Catastor, destroy Heraklinos!”

“You’re right, congratulations,” snarled Lukas. “But I’ll use one of them anyway…”

One of the two facedown cards spun around.

“It’s called Alter for Tribute. Since Heraklinos has had it anyway, I’ll sacrifice him, and gain Life Points equal to half his Attack Score.”

Heraklinos vanished into granules of light, and Lukas glowed with energy.

“Fine!” shouted Gears. “Catastor… Attack him directly!”

Catastor prepared to fire its beam again.

“Forget about my other Trap Card?” asked Lukas, as his second facedown card spun around. “It’s something no Gladiator Beast should be without… It’s called Waboku.”

Three blue-robed, hooded priestesses appeared in the air in front of Lukas, blocking Catastor’s blast with a dome of energy.

“It reduces the battle damage I would take this round to zero. It wouldn’t have protected Heraklinos from Catastor, but it would have done wonders against a stronger Monster.

“I may get mad every now and then, Gears… But that doesn’t mean I’m dumb, y’know…”

“At least Heraklinos is gone,” replied Gears. “It’s your move.”

(G: 6,600) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 8,700)

“Enjoy it while you can, Gears,” replied Lukas. “I’m far from beaten…”

“Give it up,” said Gears. “I just took out your best Monster. Everyone knows that Heraklinos is the strongest Gladiator Beast.”

Under his helmet, Lukas smiled evilly…

How little he knows… he thought.

* * * * * * * * * *

In his headquarters, DaPen walked down a hallway.

He came to a door, where a sign on the front said, “Do not disturb”. He knocked on it.

No answer.

That meant to come in. If the person inside didn’t want him to come in, then he would have said something.

DaPen opened the door, into a room of complete darkness. The only light came from the open door behind him.

“Hello?” said DaPen. “Uh, you are in here, right? It’s kind of hard to tell with no lights…”

“I like the dark,” said a soft, soothing voice in the center of the room. “Dark for dark business, I always say…

“You know, an old English proverb says, it is better to light a single candle than to curse darkness… Some, like me, choose to embrace the darkness itself. When you don’t use your eyes, you open your mind to things it otherwise wouldn’t see…”

“Yes, yes, quite,” said DaPen. “Well, I’m sorry to interrupt your meditations, but we have business to attend to. Ready to do that favor you owe me?”

“Of course,” said the voice. “I’m a man of my word… And I always pay back my debts…

“Besides… I might even enjoy it…”

In the darkness, the man smiled, ever so slightly…

* * * * * * * * * *

Lukas made a draw, and his Speed Counter rose to seven, while Gears’s rose to six.

Thanks for the card, DaPen, he thought, as he looked at it.

“I play this,” he said. “Speed Spell – Summon Aura!”

“HUH?” said Gears, looking at it. “A Continuous Speed Spell?”

“That’s right!” laughed Lukas. “And so long as my Counters stay at four or more, I’m allowed to keep it.

“And as for what it does, it deals 500 points of damage to you whenever I Special Summon a Monster.”

“Say WHAT?” shouted Gears.

“I didn’t design the card,” chuckled Lukas. “Now then… I summon Gladiator Beast Secutor.”

The portal opened again, and a smaller Gladiator Beast leapt out. This one was a lizard man of some sort, wearing a toga, with two odd blaster mechanisms on his back. (400 ATK)

“Yeah, I know that guy’s effect,” replied Gears. “You can send him back to your deck to summon two Gladiator Beasts. But only if he survives a battle, which seems unlikely.”

“More likely than you think,” replied Lukas, as a new Speed Spell appeared. “See, since my Speed Counters are at least as high as his Level, I can use him in a Death Battle!”

Gears looked at the Speed Spell. He had never seen this one either, but since Gladiator Beast Andal was on the art, it seemed to have been designed specifically for Gladiator Beasts.

“Alright, Secutor,” said Lukas, “attack Dekoichi!”

Secutor flew in front of the Battlechanted Locomotive, and aimed his blasters. He fired a blast of plasma…

Then, to his surprise, Gears felt an impact of energy. He groaned as his Counters slipped one notch, to five.

“Death Battle not only protects my Monster from being destroyed in the battle,” explained Lukas, “but the battle damage is transferred to you. The catch is, Secutor would die at the end of my turn.”

“But since he’s a Gladiator Beast,” added Gears, “he goes back to your deck via his effect before that happens, right?”

“You got it!” laughed Lukas, as Secutor vanished.

He held up two cards.

“Now, by using his effect, I can Special Summon two Gladiator Beasts… Meet Theseus and Flamma!”

The portal opened again, and this time, two Beasts flew out. The first one, the one that Lukas had named after the legendary king of Athens, seemed to be a relative of Panther Warrior. He had the same cat-like features and scimitar, although his armor was more like the other Gladiator Beasts. (2,300 ATK)

The other one seemed to have based its animal side on a hawk. It had golden feathers and larger, fuller wings than Bestiari, and wore a white toga. It carried a long halberd in its upper talons. (1,500 ATK)

“I’ve never seen these guys before!” gasped Gears.

Then he screamed as two blasts of energy shot out of the Summon Aura card, and struck him.

“They aren’t exactly common,” chuckled Lukas. “Theseus never saw much use because he can only be summoned by Secutor, and folks didn’t use Secutor all that much.

“And Flamma is incredibly rare, because he’s a Level 4 Tuner.”

“A Gladiator Beast Tuner??” gasped Gears.

“That’s right!” laughed Lukas. “And I’m gonna use both my Monsters to summon a Gladiator Beast Synchro!”

Flamma spread its wings, and its eyes shone with pure light. Then, it and Theseus flew into the sky, and split into nine glowing stars…

A bolt of light shot down from the heavens…

“Synchro Summon…” laughed Lukas, “Gladiator Beast Julius!”

Flying out of the ether of Speed World was a Winged Beast who resembled Gyzarus at first glance, but with armor of bronze, and a head resembling that of a bald eagle. He had a twenty-foot wingspan, and held twin swords in both of his upper talons. (3,300 ATK)

“Good lord…” said Gears.

Then he screamed again as he was blasted by the Summon Aura again.



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“You know, Gears,” said Lukas, “according to legend, Romulus and Remus, the two founders of Rome, were raised by a she-wolf after their father, the god Mars, abandoned them.”

“I know,” replied Gears. “And after they built their city, they fought each other over who had the right to rule, and Romulus killed his brother. That’s why the city is called Rome and not Rem. It just goes to show you what influence wolves can have on young people.”

“Well, my influence over this guy,” replied Lukas, “who was named after one of the greatest military minds in Roman history, will certainly leave a mark. And by the way, Julius here is a Dark Monster, so your tin can’s effect won’t work on him.

“But I’m not gonna take any chances. Since I used Flamma in a Synchro Summon, its effect activates, and I get to bring out yet another Gladiator Beast. I think I’ll bring out Gladiator Beast Murmillo.”

The portal opened again, and a small, aquatic fish-man with blasters on its back similar to Secutor’s appeared, shielding itself in Defense Mode. (400 DEF)

The Summon Aura blasted at Gears again, and he grunted.

“And due to Murmillo’s effect,” continued Lukas, “I can destroy one Monster.”

Catastor exploded into shards.

Lukas chuckled.

“It’s your move… And you’re going down…”

(G: 3,600) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 8,700)

He’s not too far off, thought Gears. My Life Points are way down. And with that huge eagle on the field, and me not even knowing what it can do, I’m not in the best shape…

He made a draw. His Counters went up to six, while Lukas’s went up to eight.

“I move Dekoichi to Defense Mode, and then set a Monster,” he said.

Dekoichi slowed down a little. (1,000 DEF) Then a set Monster appeared.

“That’s all I can do.”

Lukas chuckled as he drew. Both Speed Counters went up by one.

“Murmillo moves to Attack Mode,” he said.

Murmillo stood up into a fighting stance. (800 ATK)

“Julius, attack Dekoichi with pride of Rome!”

The Winged Beast slashed with his two blades, and the Battlechanted Locomotive was blown to scrap.

“And when Julius destroys one of your Monsters, he takes out all your others as well.”

Gears gasped as his reversed Monster shattered.

“Now, Murmillo, attack directly!”

Murmillo fired its blaster at Gears, and he groaned a little.

“Next, I send Murmillo back to my deck…”

Murmillo vanished.

“…to bring out Gladiator Beast Retiari.”

The portal of energy opened, and a new Beast flew out. It was another lizard man, who seemed to have a passing relation to Gagagigo in some way. He was dressed in a loincloth and cape, and carried a trident. (1,200 ATK)

Summon Aura glowed, and blasted Gears again.

“By summoning him,” said Lukas, “I can banish one Monster in your Graveyard from the game. So I’m getting rid of Catastor so I don’t have to worry about it again.”

Gears growled a little.

“It’s your move…”

(G: 2,300) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 8,700)

Gears punched his dashboard. He was angry now.

This walking carpet isn’t better than me… he thought.

He drew a card. His own Speed Counters rose to eight, while Lucas’s rose to ten.

He looked at the four cards on his gauntlet.

Well, here goes nothing, he thought.

He took all four, and threw them all on his console. A reversed Monster, and four reversed cards appeared.

“Your move,” he said.

“Heh, heh,” chuckled Lukas. “Trying to bluff your way out of this, huh?

“Retiari, get his Monster!”

Retiari charged, and thrust with his trident. Morphing Jar appeared on the card, and was blown to shards.

“Now we have to toss our hands and draw five more,” said Gears.

Lukas chuckled, and discarded the one card in his hand. Both of them made five draws.

“As if it will matter,” he said. “Julius, attack him directly!”

Julius swooped down on Gears.

“Sorry, wolf-boy,” said Gears, “you thought I was bluffing, and you’re gonna regret it. Go, Dimension Wall!”

A portal of light appeared in front of Julius, and the Gladiator Beast stared at it.

Then he lifted his swords, and slashed at it. Lukas howled in pain.

“All the damage I would have taken from that attack is now taken by you instead,” said Gears.

“You miserable…” snarled Lukas.

His Speed Counters fell three places, down to eight.

He looked at the five cards in his hand.

“I send Retiari back to my deck…”

Retiari vanished.

“…to summon Gladiator Beast Auctorati.”

A new Gladiator Beast flew out of the portal, this one had the head of a savage greyhound, was dressed in a toga, and carried a steel mace. (950 ATK)

The Summon Aura glowed, and blasted Gears again.

“With Auctorati’s arrival, I get to draw one card,” he continued.

He made a draw.

He looked at it. It was Bestiari again.

I’ll save him for later, he thought, stowing it on his gauntlet.

He threw a card on his console, and a facedown card appeared.

“Make your move…”

(G: 1,800) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 5,400)

Gears made a draw. His Speed Counters rose to ten.

“Come on out, Mechanicalchaser!” he exclaimed.

He played the card, and the Machine hunter materialized. (1,850 ATK)

Now… thought Gears. I have to hope that he does what I need him to do…

“I end my turn…”

Lukas drew, and his Counters also rose to ten.

He looked at Bestiari.

Control yourself, Lukas… he thought. Sure, you want to beat him bad… Tear him apart… Suck the marrow from his bones, eat his liver…

Where was I?

But you can’t get carried away. Besides, DaPen said he wants this duel to last a while.

“I sacrifice Auctorati…” he said.

Auctorati transformed into a globe of light.

“…to summon Gladiator Beast Alexander!”

With a roar, another Gladiator Beast burst out the orb. He was a lion-like humanoid, in golden armor, with large, golden wings. (2,400 ATK)

“Destroy his Mechanicalchaser!”

Alexander roared, and flew at the Machine.

“I activate… Half or Nothing!” shouted Gears, as his facedown card spun around.

“Now, you can either end your Battle Phase, or keep going… But if you keep going, the Attack Scores of your Monsters are halved.”

“Then I end it!” shouted Lukas, now even more enraged.

He placed a card on his Disk, and another facedown card materialized.

“But your Traps aren’t gonna last you forever, y’know!”

They don’t have to, pal, said Gears. You did just what I wanted you to do…

He drew a card, and his Speed Counters hit twelve. He was now at his limit.

“I summon Ally of Justice Cosmic Closer!”

A strange Machine rose into the air behind his bike. This Ally of Justice didn’t resemble a creature in the slightest. It looked like a large computer cabinet on rocket engines, with a glowing portal in its center, full of scintillating colors. (2,400 ATK)

“How did you summon THAT without a sacrifice?” shouted Lukas.

“I had help,” replied Gears. “From you. You see, Cosmic Closer may be Level 8, but I can Special Summon it if my opponent has more than one Monster and one of them, no more than one, is a Light Monster.

“You have two Monsters right now, a Light one, and a Dark one.”

Lukas growled.

“And I’m far from done,” continued Gears. “I activate another Trap Card…”

His last facedown card spun around.

“Birthright. Now, I can bring back the Monster that Julius destroyed earlier.”

Robotic Knight appeared in a flash of light. (1,600 ATK)

“I’m still not done,” said Gears, as a Speed Spell appeared. “I play Speed Spell – Synchro Return. Guess who’s back?”

A pitch-black portal opened, and Catastor flew out. (2,200 ATK)

“No way!” shouted Lukas. “I removed that thing from play!”

“And that’s exactly why I was able to bring it back using Synchro Return,” replied Gears. “And I’m still not done…”

He played a second Speed Spell.

“I plat Speed Spell – Platinum Echoes. Now I can Special Summon an Ally of Justice from my Graveyard, so long as it has a lower Level than one on the field. So, since Cosmic Closer is Level 8, I can bring Claíomh Solais back from the Graveyard.”

Another glowing portal opened, and Claíomh Solais flew out. (2,300 ATK)

“Five Monsters, and not one of them can beat Julius,” sneered Lukas. “Pathetic…

“And I think I’ll activate this…”

One of his Trap Cards lifted up.

“Gift of the Mystical Elf! A pansy name, yes, but now I get 300 Life Points restored for each Monster on the field.”

“Lovely,” said Gears. “Thing is, can you count?”

“Oh, you are SO dead…” snarled Lukas. “There are seven, smart-ass, and that means I get 2,100 Life Points!”

“And there’s one more coming up,” said Gears. “I haven’t made a Normal Summon yet. I sacrifice Catastor and Robotic Knight…”

The two Machines turned into an orb of pure energy…

“To bring out Perfect Machine King!”

In an explosion of flames, Perfect Machine King flew onto the field, flying on a heavy-duty jetpack. (2,700 ATK)

“With three other Machines on the field,” continued Gears, “its Attack Score rises by 1,500 points!”

(4,200 ATK)

“HEY!” shouted Lukas. “Wait a minute…”

“Obliterate Gladiator Beast Julius!” shouted Gears. “Mega missile assault!”

Two hatches opened on Perfect Machine King’s shoulders, and it launched a volley of missiles at the Winged Beast. Julius let out a screech, and then went down on a stream of flames. Lukas’s anger briefly turned to fear.

“Cosmic Closer,” ordered Gears, “attack Alexander!”

Cosmic Closer’s portal glowed even more intensely. Alexander roared, and flew towards the Machine.

Both duelists braced themselves, as both Monsters were blown to bits.

“All right!” shouted Gears. “Mechanicalchaser, Claíomh Solais… Attack him directly!”

Claíomh Solais blew flames from its beak, and Mechanicalchaser made a slash with one of its knives. Lukas howled savagely as his Life Points took a dive, and his Speed Counters fell to eight.

(G: 1,800) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 2,450)

Gears placed his last two cards on his console, and two facedown cards appeared.

“Your move,” said Gears.

There was silence for a few seconds. Lukas didn’t respond.

“Lukas?” said Gears.

He slowed down his bike a little to make sure that Lukas was still keeping up with him.

Then he saw something he didn’t like. Lukas’s eyes were now completely inhuman, and he was drooling. Clearly, his bestial side had now completely taken over.

The question is, thought Gears, can he even finish this duel?

Lukas growled in a primal tone, and drew a card off his deck. Clearly, he still could, even if he had to do so purely by instinct at this point.

Gears had to stay with his plan. He hit a command on his dashboard, and one of his Trap Cards activated.

“Dust Tornado!” he shouted. “I’ve had about enough of that Summon Aura!”

The windstorm blew across the field, and the Summon Aura card was blown to pieces.

Then his second facedown card lifted up, and DNA Transplant appeared.

“Now, all Monsters on the field are changed to Light Monsters,” he said.

Lukas didn’t seem to care. He hit a command on his own console.

“Limit Reverse,” he snarled, in a voice that had no humanity in it.

His facedown card spun around, and Gladiator Beast Auctorati reappeared. (950 ATK)

Lukas growled, and played another card. Gladiator Beast Bestiari appeared again. (1,500 ATK)

“Now, Monsters go bye-bye,” he snarled.

Auctorati and Bestiari flew into the sky, and vanished into a flash of light again…

Gyzarus was back. (2,400 ATK)

No… thought Gears. I don’t have a Destruction Jammer set this time…

Gyzarus’s eyes glowed, and both Perfect Machine King and Claíomh Solais shattered into pixels.

Gyzarus screeched, and dive-bombed at Mechanicalchaser. It made a slash, ripping it in half.

“ERGH!” groaned Gears.

(G: 1,250) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 2,450)

Then Gyzarus vanished, and Laquari (1,800 ATK) and Darius (1,700 ATK) both appeared. Darius glowed with energy, and Flamma appeared as well. (1,500 ATK)

Then all three of the Gladiator Beasts flew into the sky, and exploded into a ball of fire once more. Gladiator Beast Heraklinos alighted in front of Lukas’s bike again. (3,000 ATK)

“Are you done?” he muttered Gears.

Lukas barked at him.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” replied Gears.

Okay… thought Gears. Now is not the time for a bad draw…

Gears drew a card, and looked at the field.

He quickly set it on his console, and a set Monster appeared before it faded.

He nodded.

Lukas grinned, and drooled, and made a draw. He barked a command, and Heraklinos charged.

He made a swipe with his blade, and Unknown Crusher appeared on the card. It was blown to pieces.

“Gotcha!” laughed Gears. “Any Light Monster that battles Unknown Crusher is removed from play. And since you don’t even have any facedown cards this time…”

Lukas let out a cry as Heraklinos vanished.

“It’s my move…” said Gears.

He made a draw.

Not the best, he thought, but I’ll take it…

“I summon Ally of Justice Garadholg!”

The robotic, four-legged fox leapt out of the portal, and dashed beside Gears’s bike. (1,600 ATK)

“Attack!” he shouted.

Garadholg leapt up, and clawed Lukas in the face. Lukas roared, and tried to claw the hologram, not fully aware of what it was.

“Your move now, Lukas,” said Gears. “Time to end this battle…”

(G: 1,250) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 850)

Lukas growled, and made a draw.

He chuckled, and set a card on his console. A facedown Monster appeared.

He grunted at Gears, and nodded.

Gears looked at his screen, and considered.

It’s likely another Hoplomus, he thought. If I attacked that and didn’t destroy it, he’d be able to Special Summon Spartacus, and I’d be in trouble again. And it has a Defense Score of 2,100.

He made a draw.

He grinned.

And to think I was thinking of taking this guy out of my deck… he thought.

“I summon Ally of Justice Reverse Break!” he exclaimed.

The portal opened, and a large, armored vehicle drove out, driving beside his bike. It looked like a drilling machine, with a four-eyed face under the drill, and two metal tendrils above, each one tipped with a spinning rotary saw. (1,200 ATK)

“Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…” chuckled Lukas, as he looked at the weak Monster.

“Laugh while you can,” said Gears. “Its name is ‘Reverse Break’. Get it? ‘Reverse’, as in reversed Monsters, and ‘Break’, as in, it breaks them. When Reverse Break attacks a set Monster, that Monster is automatically destroyed, battle damage is reduced to zero, and Flip-Effects are negated.”

“Err?!” said Lukas.

“Go!” shouted Gears. “Get that Monster!”

Reverse Break sped towards the facedown Monster, its drill and blades spinning. It hit the card, and the facedown Gladiator Beast exploded.

“It’s time I end this!” shouted Gears. “Garadholg, attack directly!”

Garadholg pounced on the werewolf, and Lukas screamed. He lost control of his D-Wheel, and went spinning out of control, eventually coming to a stop in a pile of garbage.

(G: 1,250) - - - - - - - - - - (L: 0)

Lukas was on the ground, panting heavily, gasping with grunts of rage, his human side not yet emerged. Gears ran up behind him, holding a vial of liquid with a special stopper on the end.

Before Lukas could do anything, Gears jabbed the end of the stopper into his arm. Lukas roared, but then felt incredibly tired. The tranquilizer worked fast, and he fell asleep in ten seconds.

Man… thought Gears. Should I get him to a doctor… Or a vet?

He looked at the deck on Lukas’s D-Wheel. He took the cards from it.

I really lucked out, he thought. I mean, he never once drew even one copy of his War Chariots?

He thumbed through the cards. He looked through all of them.

To his surprise, the deck didn’t even have any War Chariots.

Why? thought Gears. Why would he take out such a powerful card?

Then he took Gladiator Beast Julius out of the discard slot…

Then he looked at the three other Gladiator Beasts he had never seen before: Theseus, Flamma, and Auctorati. Then he looked at the Summon Aura and Death Battle Speed Spells.

If you want to put new cards in a deck, you have to take some out. Clearly, Lukas had figured that the new strategies that DaPen had given him were worth the risks posed by Effect Monsters…

Gears sighed. The double-edged sword of deck construction.

“Lucky me…” he said.

He looked at Lukas, who was snoring like a baby. He reached into his pocket, and sure enough, a card was there.

Cloudian – Turbulence.

I’ll file this with the others, he thought, as he took the gemstone out his pocket. Right now, I’d best get back to Bootleg and make sure that none of the folks that he beat up need to be de-cursed…


My cousin had often told me about Gladiator Beasts. He had encountered them a lot on the pro circuit. They were tough… More than a match for his Lightsworns. Gears was incredibly lucky that his opponent wasn’t as good at using them as most pros.

The day wasn’t half-over, and DaPen wasn’t half done. He hadn’t really expected Lukas to make any headway. Lukas’s true purpose was to remind Gears that he was still there.

DaPen had another plan of that nature aimed at Shichiro, which would be going down very soon…



SPEED SPELL – SYNCHRO RETURN (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: Junk Warrior glowing with soft light, with Speed World’s energy in the background.

Card Description: You can only activate this card when you have 5 or more Speed Counters. Special Summon one of your Synchro Monsters that has been removed from play. At the End Phase of the turn, remove the Special Summoned Monster from play.



SPEED SPELL – ZERO REBIRTH (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A young boy in a boxer’s outfit surrounded by a flaming aura, standing over an adult in a boxing outfit who has been knocked out.

Card Description: You can only activate this card when you have 3 or more Speed Counters. Special Summon 1 Monster from your Graveyard that was destroyed by a card effect this round in Attack Position. The ATK of the Special Summoned Monster becomes zero.

Note: “Speed Spell – Synchro Return” and “Speed Spell – Zero Rebirth” were first used by Yusei in the “Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s” episode “Second Round Showdown (Part 2)”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



ALLY OF JUSTICE COSMIC CLOSER (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 8
ATK: 2,400
DEF: 1,200

Card Description: If your opponent controls 2 or more Monsters, 1 of them being a LIGHT Monster, you may Special Summon this card from your hand.

Note: “Ally of Justice Cosmic Closer” was released in Japan for the “Duel Terminal 3: Justice Strikes Back!!” set. It has not yet been released in the United States.



ALLY OF JUSTICE REVERSE BREAK (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,200
DEF: 1,200

Card Description: If there is a face-up LIGHT Monster on the field, destroy this card. If this card attacks a facedown Defense Position Monster, destroy that Monster without flipping it face-up or applying damage calculation.

Note: “Ally of Justice Reverse Break” was released in Japan for the “Duel Terminal 4: Demon Roar God Revival!!” set. It has not yet been released in the United States.



SPEED SPELL – PLATINUM ECHOES (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: Allies of Justice Garadholg and Catastor flying through the energy of Speed World.

Card Description: You may only activate this card when you have 5 or more Speed Counters. Select one “Ally of Justice” Monster you control. Special Summon an “Ally of Justice” Monster from your Graveyard that is a lower Level than the selected Monster. The effect of the Special Summoned Monster is negated.



GLADIATOR BEAST JULIUS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Winged Beast/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 9
ATK: 3,300
DEF: 2,000

Card Description: Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner “Gladiator Beast” Monsters

If this card destroys an opponent’s Monster by battle, destroy all other Monsters your opponent controls with this card’s effect. If this card battles, by returning a “Gladiator-Beast” monster to the deck at the end of the Battle Phase, Special Summon 1 “Gladiator-Beast” monster from your deck except one with the same name as the Monster that was returned to your deck. This effect can only be used once per turn. If you use this effect to return this card to your Extra Deck, Special Summon 2 “Gladiator Beast” Monsters from your deck instead.



GLADIATOR BEAST THESEUS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Beast/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 5
ATK: 2,300
DEF: 1,800

Card Description: This card cannot be Special Summoned except by the effect of “Gladiator Beast Secutor”. When this card is Special Summoned, it is unaffected by Trap cards. At the end of the Battle Phase, if this card attacked or was attacked, you can return it to the deck to Special Summon 1 “Gladiator Beast” Monster from your deck.



GLADIATOR BEAST AUCTORATI (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Beast/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 2
ATK: 950
DEF: 900

Card Description: If this card is Special Summoned by the effect of a “Gladiator Beast” Monster, draw 1 card from your deck. At the end of the Battle Phase, if this card attacked or was attacked, you can return it to the deck to Special Summon 1 “Gladiator Beast” Monster from your deck except “Gladiator-Beast Auctorati”.



GLADIATOR BEAST FLAMMA (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Winged Beast/Tuner/Effect
Attribute: Wind
Level: 4
ATK: 1,500
DEF: 1,000

Card Description: If this card is used to Synchro Summon a Synchro Monster, Special Summon 1 “Gladiator-Beast” Monster from your deck.



SPEED SPELL – SUMMON AURA (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: Doom Shaman conjuring up a portal, through which a Diskblade Rider is emerging.

Card Description: Activate only while you control “Speed World” with 4 or more Speed Counters. If your Speed Counters fall below 4, destroy this card. Inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent each time you Special Summon a Monster.



SPEED SPELL – DEATH BATTLE (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: Gladiator Beast Andal charging through the aura of Speed World.

Card Description: To activate this card, you must control “Speed World” with at least as many Speed Counters as the Level of the intended target for this card. Target one Monster you control in Attack Position. The targeted Monster cannot be destroyed by battle during this turn. If the targeted Monster attacks a Monster with greater ATK or DEF than the selected Monster’s ATK, inflict the Battle Damage to your opponent. At the end of the Battle Phase, destroy the targeted Monster.

The proceeding six cards were created by fanfic author SeekerD. Special thanks to him.



Coming up next:

Who was that creepy guy in that dark room? Well, you might have seen him before, actually. And next chapter, he goes to meet with Shichiro, as DaPen’s plans for today are not yet complete.

“Mind Crush” is coming up next.


Shadowchaser Files

Chicken Bone, the Hermit of the Bayou

There are many enigmas in the world of Shadow, and Chicken Bone, a strange old recluse who lives in the Louisiana bayou a few miles outside of New Orleans, is one of the biggest.

Some folks think that Chicken Bone is a practitioner of Voodoo, but this is not the case. Chicken Bone, who appears to be human, at least on the surface, is a member of a very rare and secretive Shadowkind religion called Voodan. It may or may not be related to Voodoo in some way; the few known practitioners will not confirm nor deny.

Those who have met Chicken Bone have his image forever etched in their heads. He seems like a wrinkled, old man, of clearly African origins. His hair is cropped close to his head, and he wears long robes colored in a mishmash of hues that some would call gaudy. He seems to be frail with age, and leans on a wooden staff, from which dangle dozens of bones. Despite his name, these bones come from many small animals, including frogs, squirrels, mice, fish, and rats, as well as chickens. He may or may not be typical of the Voodan – so few have been seen, it is impossible to say.

Visiting Chicken Bone’s wooden shack can give people quite a scare. Zombies prowl the outside perimeter, but they don’t harm anyone unless Chicken Bone is threatened. Some Shadowchasers who know about undead have recognized them as juju zombies, more powerful versions of standard zombies. Chicken Bone does not claim to have created them, nor does he claim to be their master.

Chicken Bone is sought out occasionally for the wisdom he possesses, but also for a darker purpose: he has the ability to bestow curses on humans or Shadows alike if he has a sample of the intended victim’s tissue. A hair sample is enough, and Chicken Bone will do so for a price. However, Chicken Bone has no use for simple money, and he does not reveal what the price is until he has done the job (he claims that the cost comes to him in the ritual he must cast) and always requires a tissue sample from his customer first, in case payment is not made.

Casting such a curse requires a ritual that takes several hours. (The more potent the curse, the longer it takes.) During the ritual, Chicken Bone enters a trance where he lights several candles, chants in an incomprehensible language, burns incense, and offers the life of one of more small animals (to what, he will not say). Once the ritual is done, the curse takes effect, and Chicken Bone reveals the payment to his customer.

The curse, regardless of potency, is very hard to remove. The only known way to do so is to visit Chicken Bone and convince him to reverse it. Fortunately, this seems easy to do. Chicken Bone seems to have little loyalty to past customers, and is willing to cancel one of his curses for discount costs.

One could simply try to force Chicken Bone to remove a curse, but this may be unwise, because in addition to the zombies that protect his home, several other spirits have been known to come to his aid. Anyone who challenges him to a duel must take incredible caution; it is rumored that he is able to create Shadow Games as well.


Story Ideas: Casting curses on your enemies is not a morally sound thing to do, so the Shadowchasers are unlikely to see Chicken Bone as any sort of ally. His being hired by an unscrupulous Shadow to harm them is more likely, but one must take into account just how powerful he can be. Just how far can his spells reach? Can they affect any victim on any location on the globe? If they can, he could be a force to be reckoned with. Keep in mind, an enemy would have to get close enough to one of the main characters to get part of her tissue. Getting a hair sample is never easy.

If a successful curse is cast, dealing with Chicken Bone might make up a key part of the story. Although Chicken Bone is not truly a practitioner of Voodoo, he is similar. It’s up to you whether you want his powers to be based on true Voodoo (in which case you can research the history of Haiti for more information) or whether you want to go with the image that is presented in popular culture. (Such as that presented in the James Bond film Live and Let Die.)


Deck Suggestions: Most likely, a Zombie Deck. In a duel, Chicken Bone may not use a Disk, dueling in a fashion similar to the way that Saiou dueled Manjoume in the second season of GX.

[Shuppet Master]

Oh cool, a mock-Voodoo guy who will most likely be a foil for a story! I like this Chicken Bone character. You sure make up some interesting bios, Brian.

And the duel was pretty crazy, a lycanthrope Turbo Duel with the Gladiator Beasts. Keep up the good work.

[mario72486]

To be honest, I despise Gladiator Beasts with a passion. It’s mostly due to the people I’ve played against that used them, but it’s also how the decks themselves were built, being able to tag out its monsters at every opportunity and wreak havoc at every turn. However, this particular duel has helped me to lighten up about the strategy. In the right hands, and if the cards SeekerD designed were real (kudos to his creativity), Glad Beasts would be an even more powerful force to be reckoned with.

I’m shocked that you had it so Lukas removed his War Chariots to make room for the cards DaPen gave him. One would think they’d be a staple, but considering the duel was meant more to stall than to defeat Gears, I can understand why he’d not run them.

The duel itself was excellent, one of the better Turbo duels I’ve read up to this point. But there were a few things I wanted to point out that could use remedying. When Gyzarus was brought out the second time, the effect of Summon Aura went off, even though it was destroyed by Gears’ Dust Tornado moments before. In addition, Gears’ Life Point deductions after that point are not calculated.

That’s about it for now. I’m looking forward to future chapters.

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

Good duel. Gladiator beasts just have a cool appearance. They're a bit frowned upon where I live, seeing that they are one of the most powerful decks. If they had other effects or another strategy I'd use them for their cool looks.

The battle was nicely written, and lasted a good while. Julius was awesome.

Looking to see some more Ember.

[Dark Sage]

Thanks for the tip-off, Mario. It is now fixed.

And trust me, you're not alone. A lot of people, myself included, hate Gladiator Beasts. I'm also not too fond of Lightsworn, even though Joan used them in "Soul of Silicon". I used to really hate Tele-DAD decks, which were dominating every tournament, but fortunately, Konami got smart, and Limited several of the cards that were essential to them. Now, Tele-DAD is much, much weaker.

They made Bestiari Limited too, and it likely won't be long before they realize that these "Tier One Decks" (which more creative players like to call Cookie Cutter Decks) are ruining the game, and Limit more cards.

Still, I will use them in my fanfic, because I can't help but be curious sometimes. I think, what would GBs be like in a Turbo Duel? That, and the fact that SeekerD designed Lukas, and also designed his deck. You have him to thank for it, more or less.

Anyway, I might ask someone else to design a Shadowkind someday... Depends on how far I decide to take this idea personally. Like I said, I may have opened a big can of worms here, and it seems to have struck a cord.

[Shuppet Master]

Sorry to nitpick, but that's "struck a CHORD."

Can't wait for the next chapter.