Yu-Gi-Oh! Sorcerer Kings

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER SEVEN



Steakhouse Scuffle!



Royal Shadow Warrior

The Restaurant District was conveniently located only a stone’s throw from the Hotel Strip, and consisted of a strip loaded with eateries of all shapes and sizes. Not every restaurant in Duelatopia was here – a few classy places were in parts of the city that fit their themes, and fast food places and street vendors were present everywhere – but here was the place to go when you needed a variety.

A few well-known chains had opened in Duelatopia over the years. The Olive Garden had a spot, as did TJI Fridays. Pizza Hut was here, and it would even deliver to guests. But there were enough unique establishments to please any palates. Here a Chinese place, there a Thai place.

And eventually the small group saw their goal – a large place called The Sizzling Sirloin. It was a big sit-down place, as they could see from the outside, and even from a distance they could smell the delicious aromas of charbroiled beef and grilled onions. It was clear that dinner was about to be served.

Yumi, Chelsea, and Ren walked in, and were met by a surprise. Sitting on a couch in the entrance hall were Sam and Erik.

“Sam!” said Yumi, in surprise.

The two rivals looked at each other in silence for a few seconds. Yumi noticed that both Sam and Erik were at the same spot she was, Green, as indicated by their badges. Sam slowly looked at the three of them, smirking a little when she saw that Ren was behind.

“Don’t tell me they won’t let you in?” asked Yumi.

“Coming here was Erik’s idea,” said Sam. “The waitress said that there’s a ten-minute wait for a table. This is a popular spot.”

She smirked.

“As long as you’re all here, want to make it a party of five? Separate checks, of course.”

“We’ll pay for all of us,” said Chelsea. “I beat a guy, and he gave me this.”

She showed her the coupon and Sam looked closely at it.

“Really?” she asked. “I do hope one of you is ready to work up an appetite…”

“What do you mean?” asked Chelsea.

“Show that to the waitress when she gets here, and she’ll tell you,” said Sam. “But in the future, be wary of any so-called coupons that have gold stars in the upper left corners. My mom told me about them.”

Chelsea looked at the coupon. There were three gold stars there.

“Uh…” said Chelsea. “Do all of these… coupons have three?”

“No,” said Sam. “Three means second-hardest. Four is hardest.”

“Hardest what?” demanded Yumi.

“Hey, y’all!” said a voice.

The voice came from a young woman in a short skirt and a halter top with the restaurant’s logo – clearly she was a waitress. She had blonde hair tied in a ponytail and deep green eyes.

“I’m Mary Jane, and I’ll be your waitress,” she said. “Party of three?”

“Depends…” said Chelsea. “Can you tell us what the deal is with this?”

Mary Jane looked at the coupon and then grinned.

“Well,” she said with a chuckle, “I was wondering when one’a those would show up. This should be fun…”

“What?” asked Ren.

“The coupon doesn’t guarantee a free meal, per say,” said Mary Jane. “That’s an invitation… to one of the Bonuses.”

There was a pause. They remembered what Sheena had said about the Bonuses of Duelatopia:

These folks could be any employee you see in Duelatopia. A store owner, bellhop, ice cream man… They might approach you with a challenge, and the reward is the same as a standard duel – one upgrade for winning, but no downgrade for losing. You might also be able to make some small wager in the process.

“So if one of y’all want, we can whet your appetites with a duel,” she continued. “If you lose, no harm, no foul, but you aren’t eating here without paying. Win, and you get upgraded, and your order is on the house.”

“Don’t look at the two of us,” said Sam. “It’s your coupon.”

Chelsea sighed.

“I’ve dueled enough for one day…” she said.

“I might be able to…” said Ren, glancing at the menu on the wall. “The thought of a free porterhouse is hard to turn down.”

He turned to Mary Jane.

“Who would I be dueling?”

“You’re looking at her!” laughed Mary Jane.

Ren looked at her. Then he chuckled.

“A sweet thing like you? Yeah, I think I could handle it…”

Mary Jane turned around.

“Hey, Luke!” she shouted. “Clear off the podium! We’re gonna have a dinner show!”

Lovely, thought Ren. I get to duel in front of a packed house… Ah well… It was bound to happen sooner or later…

* * * * * * * * * *

The podium, as she called it, was a circular, upraised, wooden stage with the proper dimensions for a dueling ring. As Ren shuffled his deck, his group was seated at a large table nearby.

“I don’t think this will take long…” said Ren, “but… uh… don’t order the best stuff on the menu until it looks like I’m winning.”

“We wouldn’t think of it, Ren,” said Chelsea. “Now knock ‘em dead.”

Ren stepped up to face Mary Jane, who had her own Duel Disk set.

“Ready, hon?” she asked. “I should warn you, the cards in my deck are rather… Unorthodox…”

“So you have a unique strategy,” said Ren. “That’s actually good. If there’s one thing a serious duelist hates it’s jerks who show no creativity and build decks that are cookie cutter.”

“That’s for sure,” said Sam. “Mom won’t invite anyone who uses cookie cutter decks. Those people give dueling a bad name. No one will ever win glory on this island with such a deck.”

“Well then…” said Mary Jane, as her Disk activated, “as they say in my business…”

She drew five cards.

“Dinner is served!”

(Ren: 8,000) -------------------- (Mary Jane: 8,000)

Ren drew his sixth card.

“I’ll start out by playing Graceful Charity…” he said, holding the card aloft.

In a sparkle of light, the lovely angel appeared, and her feathers fell on his deck. He drew three cards.

He looked over his hand, and then made two discards.

“Next I’ll summon one of my favorites,” he said. “Come on out, Getsu Fuhma!”

He threw the card on his Disk, and in a shower of petals, the lovely, red-headed, female ronin appeared, holding aloft her katana. (1,700/1,200)

Several whistles and catcalls came from the audience. Getsu Fuhma looked rather annoyed…

“Ignore them…” muttered Ren.

Then he spoke up.

“That’s enough to start…”

“All right!” said Mary Jane energetically.

She drew her first card.

“First I’ll set a Monster in Defense Mode, and a card facedown…”

A facedown card, and a facedown Monster appeared.

“And then I play a Continuous Spell Card. Soup’s on, hon!”

She placed the card in her Disk, and with a rumbling, a huge device rose up behind her. It was basically a giant iron cauldron with a fire burning under it, with a huge ladle inside. Steam was coming out of whatever was cooking inside the immense crockery. The smells of cooked meats and spices wafted from it.

“What is that?” asked Sam.

“Well, uhm…” muttered Erik. “I think it’s supposed to be a very big pot of soup…”

“Brilliant deduction,” said Mary Jane. “It’s called a Curry Pot, and for as long as it’s on the field, any Monster that would normally go to the Graveyards is removed from play.

“It does something else, but we’ll get into that later. For now, my turn is over, so I’ll leave it to you to bring out the next course.”

“You got it!” said Ren, drawing.

What’s she playing? thought Yumi. If this is some sort of RFG Deck, it’s a weird one…

Ren looked at the card.

Wow, he thought, I haven’t gotten a chance to use this guy yet!

“Chew on this!” he shouted. “I summon Double Pinaska!”

A new Warrior leapt onto the podium with a somersault. He had Spanish features, slick hair, and a slim moustache. He was dressed in leather pantaloons and a vest, and he had two sharp rapiers which he twirled dramatically. (1,500/1,500)

“All right!” he said, “Getsu Fuhma, attack her facedown Monster! Blade of Vengeance!”

Getsu Fuhma charged, and an odd Monster appeared on Mary Jane’s card. It looked like… Some sort of orange tuber with arms and legs, and a green, leafy plume on top, with arms and legs. It was crouching in defense.

Getsu Fuhma slashed with her sword, and it was blown into pieces.

“Uh, were my eyes deceiving me, or was that a carrot?” asked Ren.

“It was a Carrotman,” said Mary Jane, nodding. “Low in calories, high in vitamin A.”

She turned her head as the pieces of her Monster flew up and landed in the Curry Pot.

And all’s going according to plan, she thought. All I need to do now… Is brace myself…

“I don’t know what’s up…” said Ren, “but now you’re wide open! Double Pinaska, attack Mary Jane directly! Double slash!”

The Spaniard leapt up and did a somersault again, and when he came down, he made two slashes across Mary Jane’s torso. She gasped and fell on her behind. Everyone in the audience cheered.

“Getting nailed is the hardest part of dueling…” muttered Sam.

“Lucky for Mary Jane, she fell on her softest part,” chuckled Erik.

(R: 8,000) -------------------- (M J: 6,500)

“I’ll place this facedown and end my turn…” said Ren, fitting a card into his Disk.

A facedown card appeared behind his two Warriors.

“All right,” said Mary Jane, drawing a new card.

She looked at it, and then chose another.

“I summon another Monster, this time in Attack Mode. Don’t cry, it’s only Onionman!”

She played the card, and another strange Monster appeared. This one was definitely an onion, standing five feet tall, again with arms and legs. (1,200/1,200)

“Good grief, are all your Monsters edible?” asked Ren. “I wouldn’t mind if a few weren’t vegetables, but…”

“I admit that this onion looks rather bland…” said Mary Jane. “That’s why no good chef is ever far from his spice rack.

“I play the Spell Card, Mixed Spice – Garam Masala.”

She played the card.

“Say WHAT?” asked Ren.

“If you want to know what Garam Masala is, let’s just say that it’s a seasoning that only serious cooks use. And this Spell lets me search my deck for three similar Spells, and add them to my hand…”

She took her deck and looked through it, quickly taking three cards.

“Now I play one of them,” she said. “It’s called Spell Spice – Red Pepper.”

As she played the card, a cloud of red dust covered the field, and Getsu Fuhma started to cough…

“What’s wrong?” asked Ren, getting nervous.

“She must not be a fan of spicy food,” said Mary Jane. “This Spell Card deducts 300 Attack Points from one of your Monsters for one round.”

Getsu Fuhma fell to an Attack of 1,400.

Then they noticed that Onionman was burning with flames.

“And what do you know?” continued Mary Jane. “Those 300 points go right to MY Monster!”

Onionman rose to an Attack of 1,500.

“Want more?” asked Mary Jane. “I always say, there’s no such thing as too much seasoning. I’ll play a second Spell Spice – Red Pepper!”

She played the card, and Getsu Fuhma fell to 1,100, while Onionman rose to 1,800.

“That should do…” said Mary Jane. “Onionman, attack Getsu Fuhma with bulb basher!”

Onionman flew at the ronin, fist-first…

“Double Pinaska, defend!” shouted Ren.

There was a loud WHACK! and Onionman fell backwards, landing on its back.

When everyone looked, Double Pinaska was holding Getsu Fuhma in a gentle embrace and glaring at Onionman with a look of anger…

“How…” asked Mary Jane.

“Didn’t tell you about Double Pinaska’s ability,” said Ren. “It’s a powerful ability that I can use once per duel. When I choose to use it, I can negate one attack, no matter what the target, no matter how powerful it is.”

Mary Jane looked at her other cards.

“In that case…” she said, “I’ll play this. It’s called Spell Spice – Cinnamon.”

She played the card, and sparkling brown dust fell on Onionman.

“It moves my Monster to Defense Mode.”

Onionman knelt in Defense.

“Oh no you don’t!” laughed Ren, as his facedown card lifted. “I activate Final Attack Orders. Now any Monster in face-up Defense Mode is moved to Attack Mode and kept there.”

Onionman stood back up.

Mary Jane looked at her hand again.

“Very well…” she said. “I’ll place another card facedown, and my turn is over…”

A facedown card appeared.

Onionman’s Attack fell back down to 1,200, and Getsu Fuhma’s rose back to 1,700.

“About time,” said Ren, drawing a card.

“Sam, I thought you said three stars was second-hardest,” said Chelsea. “She’s hardly giving Ren a challenge, and her cards are barely better than stuff you’d find in a starter pack.”

“Are you calling me a liar?” asked Sam. “I was told that three stars is second-highest.”

“I dunno…” said Yumi. “I’m getting some pretty ominous vibes from that Curry Pot up there… Something tells me it’s hiding a secret, and Mary Jane is waiting for the right time to let it loose.”

Mary Jane looked at her and smirked.

Ren added his card to his hand.

“I’ll sacrifice Double Pinaska…”

Double Pinaska faded away into mist.

“…and summon Penumbral Soldier Lady!”

In an aura of darkness, the gorgeous, armored Warrior of Darkness appeared, holding her sword and shield. (2,100/1,400)

“Getsu Fuhma, chop up that onion!” he shouted.

Getsu swung with her sword, slicing the vegetable into slices. The pieces flew up and fell into the Curry Pot.

“I activate a Trap Card!” shouted Mary Jane, as one of her facedown cards lifted. “It’s called Counter Spice – Cumin. Since one of my Monsters was destroyed, I can Special Summon another from my hand. So meet Potatoman!”

A new vegetable Monster leapt out. This one… well, it was a potato, again with arms and legs. (900/800)

“I say potato, you say po-tat-o…”

“Now you’re talking…” said Ren with a smile. “I love potatoes. And I especially love them when they’re turned into French fries! Penumbral Soldier Lady, cut up that tater!”

Penumbral Soldier Lady charged forward and brought her sword down on Potatoman, smashing it to pieces. Once again, the pieces flew up and fell into the Curry Pot.

(R: 8,000) -------------------- (M J: 4,800)

“So what’s next?” said Ren with a grin. “You gonna bring out Hungry Burger?”

“No way,” said Mary Jane, with a wicked smile. “Hamburgers are only on the lunch menu. And I have something far more tantalizing. And you’ve helped me bring it out.

“You see, now that carrots, onions, and potatoes have been added to the mix, I can activate Curry Pot’s true effect…

“The time for soup, salad, and appetizers is past. The main course is about to begin. Start hoping you’ll last until dessert…”

“I knew it…” muttered Yumi.

“First…” said Mary Jane, “all Monsters remaining on the field are now removed from play…”

Ren stepped back in shock as Getsu Fuhma and Penumbral Soldier Lady exploded into gibbets of light.

“HEY!” he shouted.

“And then…” continued Mary Jane, taking a card from her deck, “I get to summon this…”

As she put the card on her Disk, the Curry Pot began to boil and then overflow…

And then, a huge creature leapt out of it, and landed on the podium with a crash. It was ten feet tall, with white armor decorated by garlands of roots and tubers, and a helmet that resembled a gravy boat. Its feet were clawed, and it held a huge spoon in its right hand and carried some sort of beverage cooler in its left. Its eyes glowed with evil light. (0/0)

“Meet my Curry Fiend Roux,” said Mary Jane. “Don’t try serving him with ketchup… He prefers the taste of blood!”

“Okay…” muttered Ren. “Zero attack points… I’m guessing this is one of those Monsters that gains Attack Points based on some sort of condition…”

“Indeed…” said Mary Jane. “For every Monster that has been removed from play, he gains 300 Attack Points. And for every card with the word ‘Spice’ in its name in my Graveyard, he gains 200 more.

“Do the math…”

“Math was never my strong point…” muttered Sam.

Erik counted on his fingers.

“Six Monsters…” he muttered. “Five spices… It all adds up to 2,800!”

“That’s as strong as my Dark Magician of Chaos!” shouted Yumi.

Ren sneered. He fit a card into his Disk.

“All right!” he said. “I’ll place this facedown, and that will be my turn…”

A facedown card appeared.

He started to sweat. He remembered one time he had dueled Yumi and had taken a direct attack from Dark Magician of Chaos. Yumi had apologized to him for a straight three hours afterwards before he spoke again, it had been so painful…

Mary Jane drew a card.

I’ll save this for when I need it… she thought, looking at it.

“Curry Fiend Roux…” she ordered, “attack Ren directly! Montezuma’s revenge!”

As the huge Fiend lumbered forward, Ren looked at his facedown card.

Okay, decision time… he thought. If I spring my Trap, I’ll lose less Life Points… But then, my chances of beating this thing go from slim to almost nonexistent.

Well, like my dad said… Sometimes you gotta fall down before you can get back up.

Curry Fiend Roux swung its spoon, and hurled a mass of soup, and the soup turned into fire. Ren screamed as it struck him, and fell down on one knee.

(R: 5,200) -------------------- (M J: 4,800)

He gasped for breath.

“Ow…” he muttered.

He glared at his foe.

“I’m not beaten yet, MJ,” he said, “You know what the strangest thing about food is?”

“What’s that?” asked Mary Jane.

“One minute it may be haute cuisine…” said Ren, standing up, “but the instant you put it in the sink, it becomes garbage.

“And that’s what I’m going to do your big lug over there!”

“Yumi,” asked Sam. “Out of curiosity, does Ren have another Getsu Fuhma in his deck?”

“I’m not sure,” replied Yumi. “We all agreed not to ask each other about the exact compositions of our decks in case we ever had to duel each other. Why do you ask?”

“Well, seeing as that big thing is a Fiend,” she said, “she’s someone who might be kinda useful to have right now…”

She’s right, thought Ren. Any Fiend that Getsu Fuhma battles is automatically destroyed. She’d be killed too, but at least I’d solve the immediate problem…

I do have a second one… But she could be at the bottom of my deck for all I know…

He drew a card.


Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:


“I play… Pot of Greed,” he said, playing it.

The laughing jar appeared in the air, and he drew two cards.

My father’s best card… he thought, looking at one of them.

He looked at his other cards and did a quick calculation.

But even if I used everything here…

He looked at Mary Jane.

“Question…” he said.

“Yes?” she answered.

“What Attribute is your Curry Fiend Roux?”

“Heh, heh…” chuckled Mary Jane. “He’s an Earth Monster, unlike most Fiends. Uhm… Why do you ask?”

Ren grinned.

“That’s all I wanted to know!” he said with a laugh.

His Trap Card lifted up.

“I activate my facedown Call of the Haunted!”

“What good will that do you?” asked Mary Jane. “All your Monsters were removed from play.”

“Not all of them,” replied Ren. “I played Graceful Charity on my first turn, before you even played Curry Pot, remember? One card I discarded was a Monster.”

The floor cracked, and Chthonian Soldier burst out of the ground. (1,200/1,400)

“Now I play… Frontline Base,” he said, playing a Spell Card. “Now I can Special Summon a Monster from my hand, so long as it’s a Union Monster… As long as it’s Level Four or less, of course. And I choose to summon Pitch-Dark Dragon.”

He played a card from his hand, and the small, Dark Dragon appeared. (900/600)

“And now… I sacrifice both of them…”

Chthonian Soldier and Pitch-Dark Dragon vanished…

“A double sacrifice?” exclaimed Yumi. “Can it be…”

The arena darkened, and a sliver of a crescent moon appeared above. Stepping out of the darkness was a powerful-looking woman with ebony-black skin, silvery hair, and glowing, silver eyes. She wore silvery armor, a cape that looked like the night sky, and a silvery crown set with a single white diamond. In each hand was a scimitar shaped like a crescent moon.

“Good lord…” said Yumi. “The Crescent Moon Queen!”

The Queen raised her scimitars menacingly at Curry Fiend Roux… (2,600/1,700)

“Heh, heh,” chuckled Mary Jane. “Impressive, but I see two things wrong with that. First, my Curry Fiend was stronger to start out with, and second, now you’ve removed two more Monsters from play, making him even stronger.”

Curry Fiend Roux glowed… (3,400/0)

“Oh really?” asked Ren. “Well I’m not done. I Equip her with Fusion Sword Murasame Blade.”

He played the card, and the Queen’s scimitars vanished, and were replaced by a much more impressive katana. (3,400/1,700)

Mary Jane stepped back in shock.

“They’ll destroy each other!” she gasped.

“No they won’t,” said Ren, taking his last card.

His Field Slot opened, and he placed it inside.

“I play Mystic Plasma Zone!”

An aura of darkness covered the field, and Crescent Moon Queen grinned. She rose to (3,900/1,300)

“And by the way…” said Ren. “My Queen has the ability to attack… twice! Crescent Moon Queen, attack Curry Fiend Roux!”

Crescent Moon Queen leapt up, and brought her blade down on the huge Fiend. Its eyes bugged out, and then it exploded in a fiery blast.

“And now…” continued Ren. “Attack directly!”

Mary Jane screamed bloody murder as the Warrior’s sword slammed into her like a hammer and she fell on her back.

“How does that taste?” asked Ren.

(R: 5,200) -------------------- (M J: 400)

“Of course,” said Ren, “my Queen has one weakness. She has to move into Defense Mode after attacking twice.”

Sweat beaded on the Queen’s face, and she knelt in Defense Mode…

“But thanks to my Final Attack Orders, she can gain her second wind right away, and move right back to Attack Mode.”

The Queen stood back up.

“It’s your move…” said Ren.

Mary Jane slowly got up. She took some deep breaths, and then drew a card.

“I play… Pot of Greed…” she said, playing it.

She drew two cards.

“All right…” she muttered, “plan B. First I’ll play Emergency Provisions to sacrifice my facedown card, which has been sitting here useless the whole time…”

She played the card, and the Trap Card – revealed to be Judgment of Anubis – lifted up and vanished.

“Now I’ll play this…” she said, playing a Spell Card. “It’s called Spell Spice –Garlic!”

“Garlic?” said Ren. “Don’t like the sound of that…”

“To play this card, I have to pay half my Life Points, and destroy the Curry Pot…” continued Mary Jane.

The Curry Pot shattered into shards.

“But in return,” she continued, “I get to bring Carrotman, Onionman, and Potatoman back.”

In three bursts of light, the anthropomorphic carrot (800/900), onion (1,200/1,200), and potato (900/800) reappeared.

“Go ahead!” laughed Ren. “I’m not afraid of them!”

“Did I mention that my Spell Card also gives them the ability to attack directly this round?” asked Mary Jane.

Ren stepped back…

“No, you didn’t…” he said, nervously.

“Carrotman, tuber thrash!” she shouted.

Carrotman leapt up, ignoring the Queen, and socked Ren in the face.

“Onionman, bulb basher!”

Onionman charged, and hit him in the stomach.

“Potatoman, spud spinner!”

Potatoman spun like a top, and slammed into Ren, knocking him over.

“I’m not gonna take this sitting down…” growled Ren.

He tried to get up, but stumbled.

“Okay, I’ll take it sitting down, but I won’t like it…”

Crescent Moon Queen gave him a look of concern. He slowly got to his feet…

Mary Jane placed her last card in her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

(R: 2,300) -------------------- (M J: 700)

“And mom always told me that veggies were good for me,” said Chelsea.

“Those three are mostly starch,” replied Sam. “Not many vitamins, except for the carrot…”

“This isn’t funny, people,” said Yumi. “Ren has nothing except his Queen. No other cards in his hand, and no other ones on the field except Frontline Base and Final Attack Orders. If that facedown card is something that can destroy the Queen, those oversized salad ingredients might finish him off…”

She’s right… thought Ren. My next draw had best be a good one…

He drew a card.

“Hey, Mary Jane,” he said, “know what I like about this game? The duel isn’t over until the last card is played!

“I play Bait Doll! This forces you to trigger that Trap now!”

Mary Jane gasped as her Trap, revealed to be a Mirror Force, lifted up.

“I thought so,” said Ren. “And since I didn’t declare an attack yet, it’s wasted.”

The Trap shattered.

“Crescent Moon Queen, attack the Carrotman! Chowtime!”

The Queen leapt up, and sliced the veggie down the middle.

Everyone cheered as Mary Jane fell to her knees…

(R: 2,300) -------------------- (M J: 0)

“I believe that means dinner is on the house for our group…” said Ren.

“Yes…” moaned Mary Jane. “And it will… be my pleasure to serve you…”

Ren smiled as he looked at his badge, which had just been upgraded to Green…

* * * * * * * * * *

While they were waiting for the food, the two groups swapped stories of the duelists they had encountered on the first day.

“You’re kidding,” said Sam. “A Batteryman Deck?”

“More formidable than it seems,” replied Chelsea.

Mary Jane came up to the table with a huge tray of food.

“Here we are,” she said. “Sirloin and mashed potatoes…”

She handed it to Yumi.

“Prime rib and fries…”

She handed it to Chelsea.

“Surf ‘n turf…”

She gave it to Sam.

“Roast beef and corn on the cob…”

She gave it to Erik.

“And for the breadwinner, our best porterhouse with a fully loaded potato and onion rings.”

She smiled as she gave it to Ren.

“You earned it hon,” she said. “I hope you’re hungry. Call me if you need anything else.”

“So, Sam,” said Yumi, “how did you do on day one?”

“Well, the first guy was easy,” answered Sam. “He played a Magnet Warrior Deck. I beat him senseless before he knew what hit him.

“The next guy was harder. He claimed he was a West Point cadet on furlough. He played an Army Deck.”

“Army Deck?” asked Chelsea.

“Let me put it this way,” she replied. “His kill-card was Air Fortress Ziggurat.”

“Grandpa told me about that one…” muttered Yumi. “He didn’t face it, but Seto Kaiba told him about it. It’s a giant, flying nightmare…”

“Whatever did you do?” asked Ren.

“Well…” said Sam. “I’d rather not reveal the secrets of my deck…”

“Oh come on…” said Yumi. “I heard that threat you made at Kaibaland. You called yourself the Consort of Ha Des. Admit it – you play a Fiend Deck.”

“Maybe,” muttered Sam.

“So how did you do, Erik?” asked Ren.

Erik took a bite and grinned.

“My first duel was easy too,” he answered. “I went up against someone who used a Human Wave Deck. Nothing I couldn’t handle.

“The big trouble came next… The guy used two Manticores.”

“Manticores of Darkness?” asked Chelsea. “Ho boy… Those things give Beast-Warriors a bad name. They just refuse to die.”

“I was able to beat them,” said Erik. “They’re easy to beat once you have a strong Monster or two of your own on the field. The guy kept sacrificing Monsters to regenerate them, but I kept killing them again and again, until he had no Monsters left to sacrifice, and he couldn’t bring them back again. Then he was in trouble, with no Monsters to summon, and me able to plow into him.”

“Good for you,” said Chelsea.

“So…” said Yumi, between bites, “I have to wonder, where do we go from here?”

“It’s just starting,” said Sam. “And you and I are going to duel eventually, I guarantee it!”

Sam didn’t know that a young man with fiery red hair was eyeing her from a table across the room…

As soon as her party ordered dessert, he was going to make a challenge, and he was intending to leave her on the floor writhing in pain…

Winning his second victory and a free meal to boot, Ren advances to Green. The day isn’t over yet, and more duels may be in the works before our heroes decide to turn in to sleep!



CARROTMAN (Monster Card)

Card Specs
Type: Plant
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK: 800
DEF: 900

Flavor Text: An odd species of creature believed to be created from common tubers tainted by fiendish magic.



POTATOMAN (Monster Card)

Card Specs
Type: Plant
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK: 900
DEF: 800

Flavor Text: This weird plant is believed to be related to the Mystic Tomato. It refuses to believe it is only a potato.



ONIONMAN (Monster Card)

Card Specs
Type: Plant
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK: 1,200
DEF: 1,200

Flavor Text: Though not the most formidable monster, this plant has been known to bring tears to folks’ eyes.



CURRY FIEND ROUX (Monster Card)

Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK: 0
DEF: 0

Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except via the effect of “Curry Pot.” For each card in your Graveyard with the word “Spice” in its name, increase the ATK of this card by 200. For each Monster that has been removed from play by each player, increase the ATK of this card by 300.



COUNTER SPICE – CUMIN (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A spice shaker full of yellow spice, glowing with energy.

Card Description: You can activate this card when one of your Monsters is destroyed. Special Summon a Level Four or lower Monster from your hand in Attack Position.



CURRY POT (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: A large pot of bubbling soup.

Card Description: When this card is face-up on the field, whenever a Monster would be sent to either Graveyard, remove it from play. When one “Carrotman”, one “Potatoman”, and one “Onionman” are removed from play by this effect, remove all Monsters on the field from play, and Special Summon one “Curry Fiend Roux” from your hand or deck.



SPELL SPICE – RED PEPPER (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A red pepper, glowing with energy in front of a spice shaker.

Card Description: Increase the ATK of one Monster on your side of the field by 300 for one round. You may then decrease the ATK of a Monster on your opponent’s side of the field by 300 for one round.



SPELL SPICE – CINNAMON (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A cinnamon stick, glowing with energy.

Card Description: Shift one Monster on your side of the field to Defense Position. You may then shift one of your opponent’s Monsters to Attack Position.



MIXED SPICE – GARAM MASALA (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A spice shaker with a green top full of brown spice.

Card Description: Search your deck for three cards with the words “Spell Spice” in them and add them to your hand. Then, shuffle your deck.

Note: The proceeding nine cards were first used by Don Simon in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Curry Worries”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



SPELL SPICE – GARLIC (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A clove of garlic glowing with green energy.

Card Description: You can activate this card if a “Curry Fiend Roux” on your side of the field has been destroyed. Pay half your Life Points and destroy one “Curry Pot” on your side of the field. Special Summon one “Carrotman”, one “Potatoman”, and one “Onionman” that has been removed from play in Attack Position. Monsters Special Summoned by this card may attack your opponent directly on the round they are Special Summoned.



DOUBLE PINASKA (Monster Card)

Card Specs
Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,500
DEF: 1,500

Card Description: When this card is face-up on your side of the field, you can negate one attack made by your opponent. This effect can only be used once per duel.

Note: “Double Pinaska” first appeared in “Legacy of the Duelist”.



CRESCENT MOON QUEEN (Monster Card)

Card Specs
Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 7
ATK: 2,600
DEF: 1,700

Card Description: This card can attack twice in the same Battle Phase. If this card attacks twice in the same Battle Phase, move it to face-up Defense Position at the end of the Battle Phase.

Note: “Crescent Moon Queen” first appeared in “City of Souls”.



Chelsea: Sam, don’t look now, but that guy is looking at you really strange.

Sam: Aw, maybe he just wants an autograph.

Yumi: I don’t think he’s a fan, Sam. I think he’s more intent on handing you your head.

Coming up next, “Heir of Kaiba! Evil versus Medieval!”

As Samantha’s destiny begins to unfold.

Ren: So, we’re finally gonna get to see Sam duel? With her actual deck?

Chelsea: Sure looks like it… So be here!

[Shuppet Master]

Being a fan of the Food Network, it was a pleasant surprise to see that infamous Curry Deck of Ra's headmaster rear its ugly head. And we all knew the Queen would show up in Ren's deck. Great job, Brian!

Brian told me about Sam's deck, but I promised not to spoil it to you people, so you're going to have to sweat it out for now. Mwa ha ha...

[Inferno_Dragon]

Interesting Duel, it is sort of like a Elimanator duel but it is not. It does sort of remind me of Jackie's Duel against Mary in Legacy of the Duelist. Except this duel involves the Food Deck used by the headmaster of Ra in Yu-Gi-Oh GX.

So we get to see Sam Duel, this is going to be interesting! Keep up the good work, DS!

[Hinoryu]

Sadly, I'm going to say I'm not very impressed by the duel. Curry Mask's deck wasn't original at all, it was a food-themed version of Amnael's deck. Curry Pot is the same as Alchemic Kettle - Chaos Distill, and you remove monsters to power up Roux just like the Golden Homonculus or the Helios series.

Also, the chapter was incredibly short. It took me a total of five minutes to read, though I admit I read faster than most people. The duel was... ten turns, by my count? Short duels aren't necessarily bad, but this one just sort of... flopped, in my opinion. Though this may make me a hypocrite.

Fiend deck for Samantha? For the heir of Kaiba, it must be more complicated than that. It seems to be in the Kaiba blood to act like a mad scientist and make everything as overcomplicated as possible. Especially given Shuppet Master's comments. So I shall eagerly await the next chapter.

[Mystic_clown]

Hmmm, I'm going to have to agrre with Hinoryu on this one. Curry Mask's deck never really caught my attention to begin with, and when Mary Jane played Curry Pot, I knew what was coming.

Hmm, I'm not sure why, but Sam just doesn't sit right with me. I don't know why, but there's something about her I don't like. Though, I am curious as to what deck she's using, now that Yugi Jr had the balls to make her family's card illegal (I know it was out of respect for Siegfreid, but come on, she's his daughter!). I hope it's not a dragon deck though. It would be nice to see someone not use a similar deck to their ancestor.

[Shuppet Master]

Even if Blue Eyes White Dragon wasn't banned in this story, the only copies of that card are sealed in thick glass. Samantha isn't likely to be able to use them any time soon.

EDIT: Off the beaten topic, Dark Sage did a marvelous job with Chelsea. I created her for "Sister of Anansi" as a sort of vision for Diane of her future, and Brian turned her into something really awesome. Brian's addition of that quirk makes Chelsea remind me of that girl from the old comedy "Beetlejuice", the daughter of that family that bought the couple's house when they drowned. She could see the ghosts and nobody else could. Chelsea would probably send old Beetlejuice to the Shadow Realm if he tried anything with her.

[Dark Sage]

Don't worry, Sam's deck is nothing at all like her great uncle's.

Yes... (Grins) I fondly remember that gem of a movie, Beetlejuice (still a good movie to rent if you're in the mood for some laughs), and I'm pretty sure that if old Beetlejuice ever crossed Chelsea, he'd regret it.

[jkBAKURA]

Unique, very unique.

I have to say that you've progressed much with the story telling in the past few chapters. The character interactions are more natural, and are fun to experience.

More plot information is slowly being revealed, and we're getting more detailed glimpses into the story's world. I love it when a story seems more like a mental movie then reading from a textbook.

As for the Duel. Curry has been used sparingly enough that it was a fun read. The tough part of using a Show created theme is striving not to copy the episode outright, either by expanding the theme, (the Garlic was a nice touch, but I've noticed you seem to like bringing in only one new card. Darkchild and Nergal coming to mind) or using it differently.

With Summoning Combo stradagies however, a person is somewhat limited. Anyone using Aincent Dragon can see it soming a mile away, and you have to go through the motions to summon the thing. Same with Roux (which, before I forget, is actually a Fire monster)

Still, you managed to keep the duel flowing in a way that was both familiar, and had me curious for more.

I have to admit though that the natural limitations left little new territory explored for Ren. The Queen we were all expecting from the start, but with a long story to go, maybe it's better to reveal only a little at a time.

No Dragons? Aww. You really haven't done a fic without them if I remember correct. I admit I'm a bit disappointed. Sigfried's duels were my favorites in the original trilogy. *smack* OK, bakura, we're on different characters now, snap out of it. Oh man, I've got to stop thinking of them as extentions of their ancestors. That's what they're trying to get away from after all.

What was I talking about? Oh yeah. I guess you aren't waiting til Later to unveil Sam's true colors. I'd hold off and wait for later, but I'm sure curiosity will get the better of me. See you Friday.

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER EIGHT



Heir of Kaiba!



Evil Versus Medieval!

“You know, you two…” muttered Yumi. “Just because the restaurant is footing the bill doesn’t mean you both had to order the biggest dessert they had.”

“Yeah, Chelsea…” said Ren. “You aren’t gonna be able to fit into that midriff if you keep packing away ice cream.”

“Ignore him, Chelsea,” said Sam. “This may be a tournament, but we’re also on vacation, and everyone knows that diets start after the vacation. Besides, since Ren was willing to duel to get us a meal for free, we might as well make the most of it.

“Speaking of which…”

She looked at Ren.

“This goes against my better judgment, but I was impressed. You have some good cards. Where did you ever get that Queen?”

Ren paused.

“Just before my dad and your dad were caught up in that crisis that sealed New York in Shadow energy all those years ago, he bought it at the convention that was supposed to start the New York City Regional.”

He took the card out and looked at it.

“It’s a very rare card… I think about fifteen confirmed copies exist.”

Mary Jane came up to the table with a tray.

“Here we are people…” she said. “Peach pie with vanilla ice cream…”

She handed it to Yumi.

“Chocolate mousse cake…”

She gave it to Ren.

“Napoleon pastry…”

She handed it to Erik.

“And for the two who seemingly don’t care about calories, Mobius’s Delight! A brownie topped with four kinds of ice cream, nuts, hot fudge, caramel, shaved coconut, a cherry, and a mint leaf.”

She placed the huge sundaes in front of Sam and Chelsea.

“Here’s some advice…” she added. “Get your boyfriends to help with them.”

Chelsea looked at Ren.

“He’s not my…” she started.

“She’s not my…” said Ren at same time.

They stopped.

Chelsea sighed, and went to the sundae.

As Sam started to spoon the ice cream into her mouth, someone leaned his hand on the table next to her.

“Excuse me…” she said, annoyed, “this is a private gathering…”

“Samantha Arachne,” said the interloper. “Remember me?”

Sam looked up.

It was a young man about her age, with fiery red hair that looked unkempt. His eyes were hidden behind sunglasses with black rims. He wore a hooded sweatshirt, jeans, and sneakers, all of which had seen better days. From the look of things, the wear and rips were there for effect.

Sam looked at him for a second before answering.

“No,” she said, offhand.

Chelsea chuckled.

“No?” he replied. “You humiliated me last month at Kaibaland!”

“Do you realize how little that narrows it down?” asked Sam, not looking up from her ice cream.

The boy growled.

“Tucker Trevane,” he said.

Sam paused.

“Oh yeah…” she said. “I’d never forget a name that dumb… You were that guy on vacation from California with the Hand Control Deck and an ego the size of Taiwan.”

“I remember too…” said Erik with a chuckle. “Sam’s Royal Decree made you powerless. Your three precious Don Zaloogs didn’t stand a chance.”

“Yeah, well, I have a better deck now…” said Tucker. “And I’m gonna pound you into the floor with it!”

Sam took a big spoonful of ice cream.

“You request a duel here, fellah, not demand one,” she said. “But I’ll duel you anyway… Once we’re finished with dessert. Until then, you’ll wait far away from this table.”

She paused.

“Get lost until I say we’re done!”

Tucker was startled by that last part. He backed away.

Once he had gone to another part of the restaurant, Sam raised her hand and said, “Waitress?”

Mary Jane came up.

“I gotta duel someone in a few minutes,” she said. “Can we use the podium?”

“Sure thing,” said Mary Jane. “That’s what it’s there for.”

So… thought Yumi. Now I get to see what her true deck can do…

It’s about time…

* * * * * * * * * *

When nothing remained but the melted remains of ice cream and fudge, Sam stepped onto the platform and faced Tucker.

“I warn you,” she said with a sly grin. “You may have changed your deck, but I have as well. And in case you think I’m anti-Trap this time, think again!”

“I’m not surprised…” said Tucker. “I’m going to make you wash down that ice cream by eating the floor!”

“Words, words,” muttered Sam. “I’ll believe it when I see it…”

The two Disks activated.

“Game on!” they both said.

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

“Ladies first…” said Tucker, drawing five cards.

“I’ll go first anyway,” said Sam with a grin, drawing six.

She looked over her hand.

“I summon the Malice Doll of Demise to the field,” she said.

She played the card, and a sinister-looking wooden puppet holding a large axe appeared and cackled. (1,600/1,700)

“Who’d have thought Pinocchio had an evil twin?” asked Ren.

“Quiet,” said Yumi, who was watching.

“Then I’ll follow up with a Spell Card,” continued Sam. “The fiendish Ectoplasmer.”

She fit a card into her Disk, and a Continuous Spell Card appeared.

“This card requires each player to sacrifice one of their Monsters at the end of their turns,” she explained. “Then, the very soul of that Monster is transformed into something called ectoplasm, which blasts away their opponent’s Life Points equal to half the sacrificed Monster’s Attack Score.

“All right, pal… I’m ending my turn now…”

She stabbed her thumb down. Malice Doll of Demise slumped over, and a ghostly form flew out of it, flying towards Tucker and striking him in the chest. He grunted and staggered back.

(S: 8,000) -------------------- (T: 7,200)

Ergh… thought Tucker. That felt like the cold chill I had the last time I had the flu!

“Okay Sam…” he said, drawing a card. “You want to play dirty? I notice that last move left you defenseless.”

He fit two cards into his Disk.

“I toss two cards facedown…”

Two facedown cards materialized.

“Next, I toss this guy out in Attack Mode. Ancient Gear Soldier!”

In a cloud of dust, a rickety metal robot made of gears and pistons with a machine gun for a right hand rose up. It stared at Sam with cold, emotionless eyes. (1,300/1,300)

“You’re playing an Ancient Gear Deck?” asked Sam in surprise.

“I prefer to call it a Medieval Shadow Deck,” said Tucker. “And now I’ll call you the target. Attack her directly!”

Cartridges flew from Ancient Gear Soldier’s gun as it fired a burst of hot lead, and Sam cried out in pain as the bullets stabbed into her torso.

The audience cheered.

Lovely… thought Sam, holding her chest. He’s already the crowd favorite… But not for long…

“Now I’ll end my turn…” said Tucker. “And I’ll use your own Ectoplasmer against you!”

Most people would say that Machines didn’t have souls to take. Nonetheless, Ancient Gear Soldier collapsed into a pile of metal, and a shadowy form flew into Sam, sending her staggering backward.

(S: 6,050) -------------------- (T: 7,200)

“Man, she just got hurt bad!” shouted Chelsea.

“No, she’s all right…” said Yumi. “I’ve heard of this combo…”

“Your move, Sam…” said Tucker, with a grin, crossing his arms.

Attack me… he thought. They say that what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger… If you attack me, I won’t be dead yet, and I’ll certainly be stronger…

He looked at his facedown cards.

“I draw one card,” said Sam, drawing. “And just like magic…”

A dark flame appeared on her side of the field, and Malice Doll of Demise appeared again with a cackling laugh. (1,600/1,700)

“WHAT?” gasped Tucker. “But how?”

“When this Monster is sent to the Graveyard by the effect of a Continuous Spell Card,” explained Sam, “he’s resurrected on the next turn. That means I can keep sacrificing him to Ectoplasmer, again and again. He doesn’t mind! In fact, he rather enjoys it.

“But you… If you want to go on the offensive at all, you’ll keep wasting your Monsters and leaving yourself wide open.

“Now let’s summon someone new…” she said, placing a card on her Disk. “Since we’re in a restaurant, I’ll summon the gourmet of the Underworld. I summon The Bistro Butcher.”

She played a card, and a tall Fiend appeared. He was a diabolical-looking creature with blue skin and pointed ears, dressed in a chef’s outfit, with a hook in place of his right hand, and holding a cleaver in his left. He let out a laugh that suggested madness. (1,800/1,000)

Tucker gulped.

“Butcher, attack him directly!” shouted Sam. “Ginsu cut!”

The Bistro Butcher leapt up, and made a slash at Tucker that started at his forehead and followed through all the way down to his mid-section. Tucker gasped and fell on one knee.

The crowd cheered again, even louder than before.

“Oh yeah?” he said, sweating. “Well, since you attacked me with that guy, I get to draw two cards…”

He made two draws.

“You could have two-hundred,” said Sam. “I don’t care. Malice Doll of Demise, you attack too. Cleaver heaver!”

The Doll laughed and hurled its axe at Tucker. He screamed and fell over.

His sunglasses fell off his face. He snarled as he picked them up.

(S: 6,050) -------------------- (T: 3,800)

“Aw, does that hurt?” asked Sam. “Why don’t you let one of my Monsters kiss it and make it worse?”

“I’ll pass…” muttered Tucker, getting up, “But I will use it to my advantage… I’m full of surprises, Samantha…”

One of his facedown cards lifted up.

“Like this one!” he shouted. “The Trap Card, Damage Condenser.”

A sparking, glowing, electric generator rose up behind him.

“Now, I just need to trash one of my cards…” he said.

He made a discard.

“…and I can Special Summon from my deck any Monster, so long as its Attack Score isn’t more than the amount of damage I just took from your Doll’s attack.

“And it doesn’t have to be low-Level. It could even be a Level Five Monster… Like my Ancient Gear Engineer.”

A new Monster appeared on the field in another burst of dust. It looked similar to Ancient Gear Soldier, only a little bigger, with a drill for a right hand and a clamp for the left. Its drill spun wildly. (1,500/1,500)

“A Level Five Monster with only 1,500 Attack Points?” said Chelsea. “Its effect must be pretty spectacular…”

Sam looked at the new Machine, which she had honestly never seen before. And that was saying a lot.

“Uh, yeah…” she said.

She looked at her cards.

If that guy is anything like other Ancient Gear Monsters, she thought, Traps are worthless against it during the Battle Phase…

She took the card she had just drawn from her hand.

But here’s a Trap I can use before he even reaches the Battle Phase.

She fit it into her Disk.

“I place a card facedown,” she said, as it appeared. “And I end my turn, activating Ectoplasmer again.”

A facedown card appeared. Then, Malice Doll of Demise slumped down again, and the ghostly spirit flew forward, striking Tucker again.

(S: 6,050) -------------------- (T: 3,000)

“Yes!” yelled Erik. “Keep going, baby, you’re doing great!”

“I hate to admit it,” said Chelsea, “but Sam is doing great. She’s making this guy look like a rank amateur.”

Soon to change… thought Tucker, as he drew.

He looked at the card.

“I activate… Shadow Spell!” shouted Sam.

Her Trap Card lifted, and a mass of chains burst up and bound Ancient Gear Engineer.

“Now your Engineer is trapped, and he’ll…”

The Machine threw up its arms, and the chains broke into pieces.

“…snap… them… like… dental… floss...” muttered Sam.

“Sorry, Samantha,” said Tucker, “but Trap Cards that target are worthless against this guy. How do you like that… baby?”

“Anyone except Erik who calls me that gets a knuckle massage…” growled Sam.

Tucker gulped.

“Now where was I…” he said. “Oh, yes…

“I activate Call of the Haunted…”

His other facedown card lifted, and Ancient Gear Soldier climbed out of the ground in a burst of dirt and dust. (1,300/1,300)

“Now I’ll sacrifice him…” continued Tucker, “for someone better…”

Ancient Gear Soldier vanished.

“My Ancient Gear Beast!”

In a flash, a robotic wolf, again made of pistons and gears, with razor-sharp claws and teeth, appeared on the field. It howled. (2,000/2,000)

“And I’ll just keep going…” he said, playing a card. “I’ll Equip my Engineer with Ancient Gear Tank.”

A large form materialized on the field. It looked like a cross between a motorcycle and a metal go-cart, with a cannon in front.

Ancient Gear Engineer climbed on board. A metal blast-shield with a small slit for a window covered it.

“The new wheels give him 600 more Attack Points.”

(2,100/1,500)

“That… isn’t good…” said Ren.

“All right!” shouted Tucker. “Ancient Gear Engineer, attack The Bistro Butcher! Diesel-powered overdrive!”

The Tank sped forward, and blasted its cannon, blowing the Fiend into an explosion of pixels.

“And Ancient Gear Engineer has another great effect,” said Tucker with a grin. “When he destroys a Monster, he can destroy one of your Spells or Traps. So say goodbye to your Ectoplasmer!”

The Tank shot another blast, blowing the Ectoplasmer card to bits.

“That isn’t good either…” said Ren.

“And Sam’s in big trouble,” added Chelsea. “She’s has nothing to protect herself from Ancient Gear Beast…”

“You got that right,” said Tucker with a grin. “Attack her directly, my Beast! Piston pounce!”

Ancient Gear Beast snarled. It ran towards Sam.

“Nothing to protect myself?” she shouted, throwing a card into her discard slot. “I think not!”

All of a sudden, a swarm of small, furry creatures appeared between Sam and the Beast, blocking its attack. It waved its paws and tried to swat them away, but they exploded, sending it skidding back.

There was a pause…

“HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!” laughed Yumi.

“What’s so funny?” asked Sam, annoyed.

“Oh, it’s rich…” said Yumi with a chuckle. “I just find it hilarious that anyone who fancies herself the heir to the Kaiba name would have a Kuriboh in her deck!”

Sam stared at her.

“One…” she said, “I’m not my great uncle. Two, in case you haven’t noticed yet, I play a Fiend Deck, and Kuriboh is a very useful Fiend. Don’t deny it, Yumi. Your family certainly wouldn’t.”

Yumi sighed. She wouldn’t, even though a Kuriboh had never made its way into her own deck…

“All right, I’m ending my turn,” said Tucker. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

(S: 5,750) -------------------- (T: 3,000)

“I draw…” said Sam.

She looked at the card and grinned.

“And I just drew the star of my deck!

“You may have destroyed Ectoplasmer, but my Doll’s effect is still valid, so he comes back one last time…”

Again, Malice Doll of Demise appeared in a dark aura. (1,600/1,700)

“And now I sacrifice him…” continued Sam.

The Doll vanished and Sam held up a card.

“Come forth, mighty Lord of the Underworld…” she said.

Lightning flashed, which was strange, since they were indoors.

“I summon… Dark Ruler Ha Des!”

A black bonfire appeared on the field, and a monstrous, hulking form appeared. It was an eight-foot-tall Fiend with scaly green skin, dressed in royal clothing, with a vest with a skull-like design, wearing a cross between a helmet and a golden crown. He clutched in his left claw a goblet holding some sort of liquid that emitted a smoky mist.

A dead pause fell over the patrons of the restaurant.

It was indeed the dreaded ruler of Fiends, Dark Ruler Ha Des. (2,450/1,600)

“Wow…” said Ren. “What a Monster…”

“What’s wrong?” asked Sam, as Tucker stepped back. “Does my consort scare you? I don’t blame you… He tends to have that effect on some people…

“Ha Des… Take care of that Ancient Gear Engineer, would you? Stygian blast!”

The Dark Ruler closed his fist around his wine goblet, and it shattered. Then he pointed, and a blast of dark flames shot from his fingertips, blowing the Engineer and his Tank to scrap.

“Not bad…” growled Tucker. “But when Ancient Gear Tank gets junked, you lose 600 Life Points.”

“Huh?” said Sam, as the ground started to smoke beneath her.

She screamed as an explosion erupted around her.

(S: 5,150) -------------------- (T: 2,650)

She glared at him.

“Your move…” she said.

Tucker made a draw.

“I move Ancient Gear Beast to Defense Mode,” he said. “Sit!”

The Machine sat on its hind legs.

“And I’ll place another Monster in Defense Mode too.”

A facedown Monster appeared.

“That’s it for me…”

Sam drew.

She looked at the Trap Card.

“I’ll place this facedown…” she said, fitting it in her Disk.

As it appeared on the field, she chose another card from her hand.

“And so long as Ha Des is here, I’ll summon one of his most loyal servants. I summon Opticlops.”

She played the card, and another Fiend appeared. It was a large, muscular ogre, with one eye and a horn on its head. (1,800/1,700)

“Not bad…” said Ren. “But Archfiend Soldier would have been a little better.”

“I never said I didn’t have one, Ren,” said Sam, annoyed. “Opticlops, attack his facedown Monster. Horn ram.”

Opticlops charged at the facedown Monster. Another Ancient Gear Soldier appeared on the card. The Fiend struck it with its horn, and it was smashed to pieces.

“Ha Des, reduce his Beast to slag. Attack!”

The Dark Ruler fired his Stygian Blast, and Ancient Gear Beast exploded into hot metal and shrapnel.

“Your move…” said Sam.

Darn… thought Tucker. If I don’t get a good draw, that abomination will attack me next turn!



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



He drew a card.

He grinned.

“Well Sam…” he said with a smirk. “It’s time for me to bring out the star of my deck.”

He showed her the card.

“Ancient Gear Golem?” asked Sam.

“Yeah…” said Tucker. “Only problem is, he needs two sacrifices, and I’m a little short on them right now. Oh well…”

He played a Spell Card.

“…guess I’ll have to use my Ancient Gear Factory!”

He played the card, and with a rumble, an enormous contraption started to rise behind him…

When they saw it in full light, it appeared to be a giant chamber, with a conveyor belt in the front, and a carousel of some sort on top covered with blue stars.

“Here’s how it works…” said Tucker.

The contraption hummed, and steam poured out of it. Mechanical shovels started to load scrap metal onto the conveyor belt, which delivered it to the inside of the chamber.

“If I want to summon a high-level Ancient Gear Monster, I can do so without sacrificing Monsters on the field, so long as I sacrifice Ancient Gear Monsters in my Graveyard, and their combined Levels equal at least twice that of the Monster I want to summon.”

“Hold on…” said Erik. “The two Soldiers were both Level Four… The Engineer was Level Five… The Beast was Level Six…”

“AND, I tossed a Level Two Ancient Gear to play Damage Condenser,” added Tucker. “So I have the prerequisite sixteen levels, and can save one Soldier for later if I need it.”

The stars on the carousel turned from blue to gold, until all of them were lit up.

“And now…” said Tucker. “Let’s all have a hand for the master of disaster… the Ancient Gear Golem!”

The chamber opened, and a giant, metal titan walked out. Like the previous Ancient Gears, it was made of cogs, pistons, and camshafts, but its rickety look was only there at first glance. Looking at it for more than a second, you saw its true aura of strength. (3,000/3,000)

“How do you like that, Samantha?” asked Tucker. “He’s just as strong as your dad’s dumb Dragons.”

Sam growled…

“All right!” he shouted. “Ancient Gear Golem… Attack the Dark Ruler Ha Des, with mechanized melee!”

“Hold it right…” started Sam, as the Golem lunged forward.

Then she stopped.

Oh, great… she thought. I forgot… Since he’s attacking with that thing, I can’t use my Trap Card!

Ancient Gear Golem slugged Ha Des with his fist, and he groaned before he burst into dark particles.

“Heh, heh…” chuckled Tucker. “So much for him… Your move…”

(S: 4,600) -------------------- (T: 2,650)

“You’ll pay for that…” growled Sam, drawing.

She looked at the card.

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

Another facedown card appeared.

“Why didn’t she move Opticlops to Defense Mode?” asked Ren, nervously.

“Because she knows that would have made it worse,” answered Yumi. “Ancient Gear Golem has a trampling effect.”

Tucker drew a card.

Hmmm… he thought.

He added it to his hand.

“Ancient Gear Golem, attack!”

The Golem threw its fist, smashing Opticlops flat.

(S: 3,400) -------------------- (T: 2,650)

We’re in a restaurant full of people… thought Sam. I’m the owner’s daughter… I can’t lose here… I’d be humiliated!

She drew a card.

“All right, Tucker,” she said. “I play Pot of Greed…”

She played the card, and the wicked looking jar appeared in front of her. She drew two cards, and it burst into pixels.

She looked at them and grinned.

“And now, my friends, it’s time for Dark Ruler Ha Des to make his return… Like I always say, you can’t keep a good Monster down for long.”

“You’re bluffing…” said Tucker. “I happen to know that he can’t be Special Summoned from the Graveyard. I’m no idiot.”

“I didn’t intend to,” said Sam.

She played a card.

“I play Monster Reincarnation,” she said.

The strange-looking ankh, looking somewhat like the one for Monster Reborn, appeared on the field.

“Now, by tossing one card,” she said, discarding a card, “I can bring the Dark Ruler back to my hand.”

The card slipped out of her discard slot, and she took it.

“Next, I activate Call of the Haunted.”

One of her two Trap Cards lifted, and a stone coffin appeared on the field. It opened, and The Bistro Butcher stepped out. (1,800/1,000)

“Now I’ll sacrifice him…” she continued, “to summon Dark Ruler Ha Des again.”

The Bucher vanished, and Ha Des reappeared, looking slightly irked. (2,450/1,600)

“Big deal!” said Tucker. “He’s still weaker than my Golem.”

“We’ll see about that,” said Sam. “Ha Des, attack his Golem!”

Ha Des prepared to fire his blast…

“Has Sam gone nuts?” shouted Ren.

“Naw,” said Yumi, “I think she knows what she’s doing.”

“Now I activate…” said Sam, “the powerful Bark of Dark Ruler!”

Her other Trap Card lifted. Ha Des howled and an aura of black flames surrounded Ancient Gear Golem.

“This fiendish spell requires the caster to sacrifice some of his life force,” said Sam, “but no-one ever said using the magic of Fiends would be easy. So I pay as much of my Life Points as I want, and for this battle only, the Monster my Fiend is battling loses the same amount of Attack and Defense Points.

Sam glowed with a dark aura…

“So I’ll give up 600 Life Points, which weakens your scrap heap just enough for Ha Des to trash it.”

Ancient Gear Golem fell to an Attack of 2,400, and Ha Des fired his blast. Explosions rocked over the Ancient Gear Golem’s armor, and it collapsed into a pile of junk.

(S: 2,800) -------------------- (T: 2,600)

“Your move…” said Sam.

Tucker growled… He drew.

He threw a card on his Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared. He waved his hand.

Sam drew a card.

Hmm… she thought.

“I’ll set a Monster in Defense Mode…” she said.

She put the card on her Disk, and a facedown Monster materialized.

“Ha Des, attack…”

Ha Des fired his blast. An Ancient Gear appeared on the card, and was vaporized.

“This is starting to get pathetic, Tucker,” she said. “Why don’t you just give up? Ancient Gear Golem is gone, and you can’t bring it back. It can’t be Special Summoned at all.”

Tucker drew a card.

He grinned.

“Maybe not…” he said. “But I can still bring it back…”

He played the card he had just drawn.

“…with a little thing called Ancient Gear Workshop. This works just like Monster Reincarnation for Ancient Gear Monsters, but I don’t have to discard a thing.”

The Ancient Gear Golem slipped out of his discard slot, and he took it.

“Well what about sacrifices?” said Sam. “You still need them, and now you don’t have enough Monsters left in your Graveyard to use another Factory.”

“Heh, heh…” chuckled Tucker. “Samantha, when you play a deck that uses a Monster like Ancient Gear Golem, you have to find ways to get around the little problem of needing two sacrifices. There are so many ways to summon it quicker, even I can’t use them all.

“For example… I play the Spell Card, Magnet Circle LV 2. This card allows me to Special Summon a Machine from my hand, so long as its Level is no more than… well, two. So I Special Summon Ancient Gear Cannon.”

He played the card, and a large cannon, again made of gears and pistons, appeared on the field. (500/500)

“Next…” he said, playing another Spell Card, “since my Cannon only has 500 Attack Points, I can play Machine Duplication. This lets me Special Summon two more Cannons from my deck.”

Two other Machines, identical to the first, appeared.

“Now I sacrifice two of them… Ancient Gear Golem, return!”

Two of the Cannons vanished, and the huge Golem reappeared. (3,000/3,000)

“Go!” he shouted. “Attack her Dark Ruler again!”

Ancient Gear Golem lunged forward, and slugged Ha Des again. He shattered into shards.

“And I’m not done with you…” continued Tucker. “I activate the effect of the Cannon I didn’t sacrifice. I can sacrifice it now, to blow away 500 more of your Life Points.

“Fire! And aim for her gut.”

With a blast, a cannonball shot from the Cannon, striking Sam in the belly and sending her falling to her knees.

The Cannon shattered. Sam winced in pain, holding her stomach.

(S: 1,750) -------------------- (T: 2,600)

“So…” said Tucker with a grin. “What are you gonna do now? Feel like throwing up? Please do… It will make victory all the sweeter.”

Sam slowly got up.

“I really remember you now…” she muttered. “The reason you played a Hand Control Deck was because you were so sadistic and liked seeing your opponents helpless. You haven’t changed. The method may be different, but it’s the same flavor…

“Like chocolate ice cream and chocolate cookies. Two desserts, both of them chocolate. Your deck is different, but you haven’t changed at all.”

She drew a card. She smirked when she saw what it was.

“What am I gonna do? Easy. I’m gonna send your Golem to the junkyard again.”

She played a card.

“I play Silent Doom!” she shouted. “Now I can raise a Normal Monster from my Graveyard in Defense Mode.”

Opticlops appeared, crouching in defense. (1,800/1,700)

“Now then…” she continued. “Let’s bring back the big guy again…”

“And how do you intend to do that?” asked Tucker. “You have only one card left in your hand. Even if it’s another Monster Reincarnation, you have nothing to discard to use it.”

“I didn’t say it was,” said Sam. “I can’t recover Ha Des from the Graveyard this time…

…but…”

She showed him the card.

“…my deck has two copies of his card! After all, I’m his consort.

“So I sacrifice Opticlops, to summon him… Third time’s the charm…”

Opticlops vanished. Dark Ruler Ha Des appeared again, and this time, he was mad. (2,450/1,600)

“Need I remind you that my Golem is still stronger?” asked Tucker. “And I don’t see any facedown cards that could be a second Bark of Dark Ruler…”

“I don’t need one,” said Sam. “I have… this!”

She pointed to her facedown Monster.

“I flip it into Attack Mode. Reveal… Winged Minion!”

The card flipped, and a small form flew out. It was a nasty imp the size of an infant, with bat-like wings and a lamprey-like mouth, dressed only in a ragged pair of shorts. (700/700)

“See, it’s called that because it has wings, and… uh, it’s a minion…” said Sam. “And this guy is a Fiend’s best friend, because by sacrificing it, I can increase the Attack and Defense of any Fiend by 700 points.”

Winged Minion perched on Ha Des’s shoulder, and then vanished into mist. Dark Ruler Ha Des grew to (3,150/2,300)

“This is exactly how I beat a guy who was using Air Fortress Ziggurat,” she said. “Now, Ha Des… destroy his Golem!”

Dark Ruler Ha Des fired an even more intense blast of dark flames, and the huge Golem exploded. Debris rained down on the podium.

(S: 1,750) -------------------- (T: 2,450)

Everyone cheered again.

“And with that…” said Sam. “I end my turn.”

Tucker nervously drew a card.

“I place a Monster in Defense Mode…” he said, placing it on his Disk. “That’s all I can do…”

A facedown Monster appeared.

“Well…” said Sam. “Seems all I need now is the right Monster, and this duel will be a wrap…”

She drew a card.

“That’s the one,” she said. “I summon Gil Garth.”

She played the card, and a creature that looked like a mechanical warrior covered with barbs and spikes, hunched over and holding a huge scimitar, appeared. (1,800/1,000)

“Don’t let his appearance fool you,” said Sam. “He may look like as much a Machine as your guys, but he’s all Fiend.

“Gil Garth, attack his facedown Monster.”

Gil Garth flew forward, and a Heavy Mech Support Platform appeared on the card. With one swipe of his sword, Gil Garth smashed it to bits.

“Ha Des…” said Sam. “Attack directly and end this!”

Ha Des fired the most intense blast yet, and Tucker screamed. He fell backwards and stumbled off the podium.

(S: 1,750) -------------------- (T: 0)

Everyone in the restaurant applauded.

“Thank you…” said Sam.

She looked at her badge, which was now at Blue.

Not bad for the first day… she thought.

“You didn’t do too bad…” she said to Tucker. “But maybe you should try a less challenging game… Like Tiddly Winks.”

She chuckled, and stepped off the podium.

* * * * * * * * * *

The strange fortuneteller looked at the three cards on her table.

In the middle was The High Priestess. To the right of her was The Fool. And to her left was The Strength.

“The circle is almost complete,” she said. “Only a few more variables remain to be revealed.”

She took the card off the top of the deck, and placed it underneath the first three cards, under the border between The Strength and The High Priestess.

The card showed a man in a flowing, purple robe, holding a wand up high in his left hand, and holding a sword in his right. In front of him was a table, on which was a golden goblet and a sphere with a pentagram drawn on it.

“The Magician,” she said. “Certainly, this represents young Samantha, a young woman with confidence who seeks new opportunities and new beginnings… Such as starting a new legacy for the Kaiba name by becoming the Queen of Games.

“One variable still remains for now, but I feel it will be revealed shortly.”

* * * * * * * * * *

Fifteen minutes later, the group was outside the restaurant, as the sun was starting to set.

“I can’t believe what a big crybaby that guy was,” said Chelsea.

“Who can blame him?” asked Erik. “His best Monster was trashed twice in the same duel.”

“So Sam…” asked Ren, “why the sudden respect for Ha Des?”

“Well…” said Sam, “Ha Des is a guy with a lot of power, a lot of influence… he’s rich…”

“In Greek myth, Hades was the god of wealth, as well as the god of the dead,” added Chelsea.

“True,” said Sam, nodding. “He rules an empire, he likely owns shares of stock in every major company in the place where Duel Monsters live… Maybe he just reminded me of my dad and my great uncle.

“They weren’t evil, of course, but Ha Des was the closest thing I could find to a billionaire CEO.”

“So, uhm, Sam…” said Ren, nervously. “You wouldn’t happen to have a Crush Card in your deck, would you?”

Sam glared at him.

Then she smirked.

“Oh, please,” she said. “My great uncle’s dumb viruses hurt him more often than they helped him.”

“Ain’t it the truth…” muttered Erik.

“Besides,” continued Sam, “that card and the related Traps aren’t nearly as powerful as they used to be.”

“So…” said Chelsea, “speaking of wealth, I guess we’re all thinking the same thing… What we’d do if we won the tournament. Five million is a lot of money.

“I looked it up by the way, Ren. It’s roughly six-hundred million Yen, give or take.”

Ren let out a low whistle.

“Hey…” said Yumi. “I’m gonna have college tuition to pay for in a few years, and my folks’ money isn’t gonna last forever.”

“I know what you mean, in a way,” said Sam. “Just once I’d like to have some money that didn’t come out of the trust fund that I was given. I know it sounds crazy, but I want money that I got myself.”

There was a pause.

“What about the big prize?” asked Ren. “The request? The wish?”

They all looked at each other.

“Know what I’d wish for?” asked Erik, holding Sam close.

He looked into her eyes.

“I’d wish for them to build us a romantic villa on the French Riviera, just for the two of us, our own little castle where I could…”

Before he could finish, Sam kissed him on the lips.

Yumi, Ren, and Chelsea watched. Ren looked at his watch and counted the seconds.

“We might have a new record here, people,” he said.

Sam let go, and blushed.

“Our hotel is right next to yours,” said Sam. “We’ll walk there.”

They couldn’t have known that Nicholas was watching.

In fact, he had been at a table nearby all during Ren’s duel and Sam’s duel. He had already reported what he had seen about Ren’s strategy…

He turned on a cell phone and spoke into it.

“Yes?” said the voice. “Did any of them duel again?”

“No…” he replied, “but get this… They’re paling around with Arachne’s daughter.”

“Arachne’s daughter…” said the voice. “An interesting concept. I don’t know whether it will benefit us or trouble us.

“Keep watching them until they get to their hotels. We need all the information we can garner.”

“Gotcha,” he replied.

Defeating a lout who was out for revenge, Sam manages three victories in the first day alone, bringing her up to Blue. Is there more to come in this first day of the tournament? We will see…



GIL GARTH (Monster Card)

Card Specs
Type: Fiend
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,800
DEF: 1,000

Flavor Text: An extermination machine protected by iron armor. Without mercy, he'll attack with his giant katana.

Note: “Gil Garth” is a Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United States.



Chelsea: It seems Sam is a pretty good duelist. She may be a worthy opponent.

Ren: Yeah, but I still don’t see what Erik sees in her. What attracted him to someone like that?

Yumi: I don’t know folks. Likely no-one knows, least of all Sam.

But we’ll soon see just how dedicated a boyfriend he is, because a challenge is one thing, an insult is another.

Coming up next, “Battle of Honor! Big Things in Small Packages”.

Chelsea: Erik’s gonna duel now?

Ren: Big things in small packages? I don’t get it…

[Hinoryu]

Well, after that one little line, I'll be quite surprised if Ren and Chelsea haven't hooked up by the end of the story.

Also, for what it's worth, I recall "Medieval Shadow" actually being a mistranslation of what Chronos titled his deck... I can't quite recall what it should be. "Darkness of Medieval Times"... A pun on "Darkness" and the "dark ages", I believe.

That said, that was fairly amusing. Sam doesn't seem to follow Kaiba's advice about not making a deck focused on one big monster. So far all we've seen is her trying to get Ha Des out as big and often as possible. But that's likely to change, I'm sure.

Also, as a friend pointed out, Tucker's design reminds me of Axel. Not that that's a bad thing, it just screamed at me to make "Card Break" jokes about it.

All in all, a decent chapter. Next one should be good, as I wasn't expecting Erik to really play any role.

[Dark Sage]

Oh, don't worry. Erik will play a major role. Just give him a little time. And wait until you see his deck theme.

And don't worry, there's more to Sam's deck than just Ha Des. In fact, I believe the next time she duels, Ha Des will not show up at all.

As for that so-called rule of Kaiba's... It came from a guy with three Blue-Eyes White Dragons in his deck, so it lost a little of its impact.

Just keep reading, and I might surprise you.

[Hinoryu]

For Erik's deck theme, judging from the next title, I'm guessing Moke Moke or at least some form of Zerg Rush. However, that could be his opponent.

And, for Kaiba's line... okay, I concede this. Did Kaiba ever have a whole duel without summoning Blue Eyes? Even in the Toei series?

[Neo Arkadia]

Not a bad chapter per say, but I personally saw it more of a nessecary evil than anything. And yeah. Tucker did strike me of Axel.

The Ha Des esque Deck was a nice touch, but Tucker's deck struck me as a little dry. Not your fault so much as Ancient Gear decks anymore are a dime a dozen. Or at least pop up once during a story. (Again, this is a fault of following a variety of stories on a cornacupia of sites.)

Also, Kaiba's Hypocracy goes *well* beyond Blue Eyes White Dragon. Packing your deck with nothing but supposedly 1500+ ATK monsters sans Saggi during Duelist Kingdom. Abusing Obelisk during Battle City ad nausem. Abusing Critias ad nauseum during Doma/Dartz.

Kaiba... *long* history of hypocracy.

I have an idea about the "Big Things" and "Small Packages" bit. Hoping it's wrong though.

[Mystic_clown]

Hmm, Tucker more reminded my of Reno than Axel, but then again, the two are fairly similar. Unfortunately though, he seemed a little dull and a bit flat.

Hmm, I don't get how the Crush card did more damage to Kaiba. From what I know, it only damaged him once, and that was when Pegasus used it against him.

I like the fiend deck, then again, that may be because Forte's using one similar to it in "Six Avatars" Hmm, I'm not sure what, but something about Sam puts me off a bit. I'm not sure what.

Hmm, I'm curious to see what happens with Erik's duel.

[Hinoryu]

Hmm, I don't get how the Crush card did more damage to Kaiba. From what I know, it only damaged him once, and that was when Pegasus used it against him.

Battle City finals, vs. Isis.

[Mystic_clown]

Hmm, true. But still, that card is bloody dangerous.

[jkBAKURA]

I read the chapter barely awake, but I liked what I saw.

It may have been a risk with the fans to have your Kaiba equivalent play such a drasticly different theme then her predecessors. (then again, did any of the main three characters ever really have a theme?)

I know some people may be thinking "groan, I've seen ten-thousand fiend decks already." For me at least, the chapter didn't seem to fall flat.

The fact that the duel was a little shorter actually worked to your advantage, because it didn't overload us with combos we've seen several times. That's not a complaint, as the duel still felt long enough to be satisfying.

As for the opponent, I kind of liked the pure Ancient Gear twist. Kyle and Sol both used hybrids, and it set apart the character from both of them.

One thing I've taken notice of is the restraint when it comes to the one-liners from the viewers of the duel, as well as in the story itself. It shows growth. Humor has it's place, and you're picking out the places to make, me at least, smile instead of roll my eyes.

All in all, after a rocky start, the pace that you've now set is working.

As for the next chapter, it certainly looks like a Low Level deck, but from whom? The pattern indicates Erik, and if so, it's a unique choice. If that's so, I hope he's used sparingly, but I'll try not to pass judgement until I see the chapter for myself.

Keep up the good work, and please, don't wait too long to include the first plot twist. I look forward to what these characters will do when confronted with the unexpected.

P.S. I absolutely loved the moment with the Kuriboh. It made me smile to no end. The irony was tangeble. Yumi's reaction was icing of the cake.
Trust me, if the moment wasn't so long, I'd have siged it by now.

[Shuppet Master]

So it seems the niece of my Sister of Anansi protagonist plays a sorta generic fiend deck focusing on the Dark Ruler as her true deck. Well, it makes sense - her mother played a similar sinister theme(Insect), so it's understandable. Kudos for not trying to mimic Seto Kaiba in any way.

And yeah, Dark Ruler does seem to be the CEO of Duel Monsters. I recall the Central Shadow Realm having Ha Des be a crime lord of some sort...

Nice touch with Erik saying what he'd do with the prize money. Very romantic.

We get to see Erik duel next, eh? I've wondered what his deck is. He wouldn't just be in the tournament just as a cheerleader, we know he has dueled. By the way, are we ever going to find out how Sam met him?

[Inferno_Dragon]

Interesting duel, well only Sam's part. True, there is a lot of fiend decks out there but her fiend deck is special. And the fact that she is doing something different from Seto or Siegfied really counts up to something. As for Tucker's deck, it is true. Ancient Gear Decks have been used many times and his deck was nothing special but it was a good try anyways.

Keep up the good work, DS!

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER NINE



Battle of Honor!



Big Things in Small Packages

“I think everyone’s had enough dueling for one day…” said Yumi.

“You’re telling me…” said Chelsea. “I’m exhausted. I just want to go back to my hotel and order a movie. I think The DaVinci Code is available tonight.”

“Don’t forget folks,” said Sam, with a sinister grin, “I’m one ahead of all of you.”

They looked around. Some people had not gotten tired of dueling…

Yumi and Sam saw a few of their families’ Monsters being played in the duels around them. Yumi and Sam watched as a Summoned Skull struck down a Vorse Raider…

They turned to each other and shrugged.

“Hey, beautiful!” said a voice behind Sam.

Before Sam could question this, she felt a hand slap her across the behind.

Sam was shocked for a minute.

She turned around in rage. Only Erik was allowed to touch her there…

The stray hand belonged to a teenager who looked about eighteen, wearing a leather jacket that was likely custom made, and designer jeans. His blonde hair had a great deal of spray in it, and he wore so much cologne that she felt like retching.

Sam was about to say something, when Erik stepped between them, a look of fury on his face.

“Did you just do what I think you did, pal?” he asked.

“And what if I did?” asked the teenager, taking an item out of his pocket that looked like a switchblade.

“Erik…” said Sam, nervously.

“I dare you…” started Erik.

The punk flicked the button on the device…

It wasn’t a real switchblade… It was one of those novelty combs made to look like one.

He started to comb his hair with it. Erik frowned. Obviously, this was one of those guys who cared more for his hair than any other part of himself.

“You need to lay off the caffeine, bro,” he said, casually palming the comb. “What do you care if I slap some bitch?”

Erik snatched the comb, and then quickly, broke it in half.

The punk looked dumbfounded as he dropped the pieces to the ground.

“Slapping her made me angry,” said Erik. “Calling her a bitch makes me want to inflict bodily harm.”

“So what are you gonna do?” asked the punk. “Slug me? I dare ya! I double dare ya!”

“I’m not a thug, buddy, ah…” started Erik. “Do you have a name?”

“Leroy,” said the thug. “Leroy Brown. Duel King of Chicago!”

Erik gave him a weird look.

“Leroy Brown…” he said. “And I suppose you think you’re the baddest man in the whole damn town?”

“That’s right,” said the thug, with a grin. “And I’m going to the top in this tournament.”

“Please…” said Erik. “That can’t be your real name. That’s likely just some egotistical…”

The thug took out his wallet and took something out of it – an Illinois driver’s license. He stuck it in front of Erik’s face.

Erik just looked at it for a minute.

“Okay, so it is your real name…” he said with a shrug. “Your folks must have either been big fans of Jim Croce or people with issues.”

“That’s nothing,” replied the thug. “I have a friend whose folks named him Lee Harvey, when his last name was Oswald. They were anarchists – hated the government.

“They’re both in jail now… Long story… And as for my name, I kinda like it.”

“A name’s splendor or lack thereof has nothing to do with your attitude,” said Erik, angrily. “Getting back to what we were saying, I’m not letting you get away with insulting my girlfriend, nor am I gonna slug you…

“Me and Sam have a little arrangement. She’ll duel anyone who challenges her, but anyone who insults her has to deal with me!

“So we’re dueling, and if I win, you apologize to Sam.

“Unless you’re scared…”

“Scared?” laughed Leroy. “Of you? Ha! To prove I’m not scared, I’ll up the ante… Loser forks over his rarest card, ala Battle City.”

“Erik, no!” shouted Sam.

Her voice fell to a whisper.

“You saved for two months to get… that card…”

“Don’t worry, Sam…” said Erik. “I’m gonna teach this guy a lesson…

“And remind him what happened to Leroy Brown at the end of that song… I’m sure he remembers…

“Well, the two men took to fightin’,
And when then pulled them from the floor,
Leroy looked like a jigsaw puzzle
With a couple of pieces gone.”

“Loser…” muttered Leroy

* * * * * * * * * *

Erik and Leroy stood apart, shuffling their decks.

“You sure know how to pick ‘em, Sam,” said Yumi. “Does he have a brother?”

Sam shook her head.

“I don’t know what I ever did to deserve such loyalty…” she replied. “I met him when he was just a bad duelist with a deck full of trash cards, trying to get into the hobby. He needed advice, I helped him… And… well, something clicked…”

“So what sort of deck does Erik have anyway?” asked Ren.

“Just wait…” said Sam. “You’ll see…”

(Erik: 8,000) -------------------- (Leroy: 8,000)

“Game on!” said Leroy, drawing five cards. “To show you I’m not all bad, I’ll let you move first. Prepare to lose!”

“As if…” said Erik, making his first draw. “Only thing I’m gonna lose is my lunch… I can smell that cheap aftershave from here…”

Leroy gave him a dirty look.

Erik chose a card from his hand.

“Well, to start off…” he said, “I’ll have this defend me.”

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

“That’ll do for now…”

“Ooh, sneaky!” said Leroy, making a draw. “Well, you don’t scare me…

“I summon my Marauding Captain…”

He played the card, and an aged veteran in armor and a cape, with a scar on his face, holding two swords, appeared on the field. (1,200/400)

“And just by summoning him…” he continued. “I can summon another Monster from my hand. So long as it’s Level Four or less, of course. Like my Warrior Dai Grepher.”

Marauding Captain gave a whistle. Leroy played another card, and another Warrior, this one in black leather armor and a headband, carrying a broadsword, marched out. (1,700/1,600)

“Seems like a basic Warrior Deck…” said Yumi. “Not the most creative, but quite effective…”

“Want more?” asked Leroy. “I’ll make Marauding Captain stronger, by Equipping him with Lightning Blade.”

He played a card, and one of the Captain’s swords vanished, to be replaced by a shorter one, sparking with electricity. (2,000/400)

“AND,” he continued, “I’ll Equip Grepher with Divine Sword Phoenix Blade!”

Grepher’s Sword vanished, and was replaced by a slimmer sword with a golden hilt shaped like a bird. (2,000/1,600)

“Two Monsters with 2,000 Attack Points on his first turn?” said Chelsea with a gasp. “This guy doesn’t fool around…”

“Not bad…” said Erik, crossing his arms. “But keep one thing in mind… The power of a warrior is not defined by a weapon, but by the one holding the weapon.”

“Where’d you hear weird stuff like that?” asked Leroy, with a strange look.

“Oh, I’ve studied many classic philosophers and wise men from all ages of civilization…” replied Erik. “However, that one I found in a fortune cookie.”

“Whatever…” said Leroy. “All right, guys, let’s show him how it’s done! Marauding Captain, attack that facedown Monster!”

The Warrior flew forward. A huge rodent appeared on the card, and with one swipe of a sword, it was smashed to bits.

“A Giant Rat?” asked Leroy.

“Uh huh,” said Erik, taking his deck. “And you likely know that when it’s destroyed, I get to summon an Earth Monster from my deck that has 1,500 Attack Points or less.

“Now let’s see… Since Giant Rat itself fits the bill, I think I’ll summon another one.”

He played the card, and another huge rodent appeared in Attack Mode. (1,400/1,450)

“I’m not scared of rats,” said Leroy. “My dad’s an exterminator… he kills them for a living. Let me demonstrate. Grepher, stomp that Rat!”

Warrior Dai Grepher swung his sword, and the Rat was blown to pieces.

“Thank you…” said Erik. “Now I can start my true strategy… I use the same effect, to Special Summon… my Toy Soldier!”

Music that sounded like the first few bars from “The William Tell Overture” sounded over the arena…

In a burst of energy, a small humanoid figure appeared. It was… a toy soldier, one seemingly made of wood, dressed in a Revolution-era uniform with a tall hat and a fancy coat. He carried a musket that was apparently a pop-gun. His face consisted solely of two dots for eyes and a slit for a mouth. He pointed the musket forward, as if he was preparing to fire. (800/300)

“Heh, heh, heh…” said Chelsea. “That’s adorable!”

“Don’t underestimate Erik’s Monsters,” warned Sam. “He may be cute, but he can be lethal if used right.”

Leroy looked at the last two cards in his hand.

“Eh, make your move…” he said. “As if that pipsqueak worried me…”

(E: 7,400) -------------------- (L: 8,000)

“Then I draw…” said Erik, drawing a card.

“And then, Toy Soldier’s effect activates. Namely, if he’s on my side of the field during my Standby Phase, two of his little friends come out to join him.”

The Toy Soldier produced a small bugle and played a rousing tune on it. In two bursts of energy, two more Toy Soldiers appeared next to him. (800/300 x2)

“Give me a break!” shouted Leroy. “This ain’t no Nutcracker Suite, and I’m not the Rat King! Those Lilliputians don’t scare me.”

“Next,” said Erik, “I’ll place three of my cards facedown, and turn it over to you.”

He fit three cards into his Disk, and they appeared, one behind each Toy Soldier.

Leroy looked at the field for a minute, and then drew a card.

“I activate Gravity Bind!” exclaimed Erik, as one of his Traps lifted. “Now all Monsters that are Level Four or higher can’t attack.”

“Oh, is that so?” asked Leroy with a laugh. “Well I got news for you… Marauding Captain is Level Three…”

There was a pause.

“Uhm… I knew that…” muttered Erik.

“Yeah, yeah…” said Leroy. “But since I don’t intend on keeping him around any longer, I’ll get rid of your Gravity Bind anyway…”

He held up a Spell Card.

“Go, Mystical Space Typhoon!”

He played the card, and the cyclone shot forth, shattering the Gravity Bind.

“Great…” muttered Ren. “His Soldiers are sitting ducks.”

“Now then…” said Leroy, “I’ll sacrifice both of my Monsters…”

Marauding Captain and Warrior Dai Grepher vanished…

“A double-sacrifice!” gasped Ren. “He’s getting serious!”

“To summon my best card…” continued Leroy. “The incredible Gilford the Legend!”

With a roar, a huge Warrior in black armor and a cape arose. He had flowing red hair, wore a mask over his eyes, and carried a giant sword. He raised it menacingly. (2,600/2,000)

“Whoa!” shouted Erik. “He’s a big one, isn’t he?”

“Yes, and just by summoning him…” continued Leroy, “I can Equip him with every Equip Card in my Graveyard, meaning that Lightning Blade and Divine Sword Phoenix Blade both go to him.”

The two swords appeared, and were absorbed into Gilford’s blade. (3,700/2,000)

“Not bad,” said Erik. “Your Monster is awfully good with swords… can he handle cannons?”

“Wha? Cannons?” asked Leroy in surprise.

One of Erik’s facedown cards lifted.

“Toy Cannon, to be precise…” he said. “You see, I knew you might have had Mystical Space Typhoon. The Gravity Bind was a decoy, to draw your attention away from the more important Traps.”

A cannon appeared beside the Toy Soldiers, manned by two other Toy Soldiers. One of them quickly loaded a cannonball into it, and then the other rammed it down with a pole.

“What’s happening?” asked Leroy, nervously.

“I’ll show you,” said Erik with a grin. “Ready… Aim…”

One of the Soldiers lit the fuse…

“FIRE!”

The Toy Soldiers all covered their ears with their hands, and the cannon blasted in a burst of flame and smoke, hitting Gilford in the chest with the projectile. He groaned and tumbled over, flooring Leroy on the way down.

“Ugh…” he muttered. “I know one toy I’m not getting for my little sister this Christmas.”

“Well you just lost 400 Life Points from that impact,” said Erik, “and it moved your Monster to Defense Mode. And I’m not done… Funny that you called my Soldiers Lilliputians…”

His last Trap Card lifted.

“I activate Gulliver Chain!”

A mass of chains erupted from the ground around Gilford, and he roared as they grabbed hold of him. He struggled, but to no avail; they tied him up and secured him to the ground.

“What did you do?” shouted Leroy.

“Rendered your best Monster helpless,” said Erik. “If you move him back into Attack Mode, those chains will tear him to pieces.”

Leroy snarled.

“Well…” said Yumi with a grin. “Handsome, loyal, and a pretty good duelist to boot. You sure know how to pick em, Sam.”

“Yeah…” said Chelsea. “But how will Erik get at his Life Points now? Gilford has 2,000 Defense Points, and those Soldiers only have 800 Attack Points apiece.”

“I’ll show you…” said Erik. “I believe… It’s my move!”

(E: 7,400) -------------------- (L: 7,600)

He drew a card.

“You ever hear the old saying, Leroy,” said Erik, “that ‘Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth’?”

“Maybe so…” replied Leroy, “but until they do, the strong will be here to push them around!”

“We’ll see…” said Erik.

“Next I play this…” he said, holding up a Spell Card, “it’s called Forced March. It lets my Soldiers go right past that big lug and get to you.

“Ever see old Laurel and Hardy movies? Well we’re about reenact one… Babes in Toyland, otherwise known as…

“March of the Wooden Soldiers!”

The Toy Soldiers started to march forward.

“Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!” shouted Erik, as they advanced on Leroy.

Leroy took a step back…

And then the three Soldiers fell to their knees, panting for breath. Their Attack Scores dropped to 400 apiece.

“HA!” laughed Leroy. “They look too pooped to attack a Barbie doll!”

“Yeah?” asked Erik. “That’s what this other Spell Card is for…”

He played another card.

“It’s called Fife and Drum Corp.”

Music started to play, and a parade of Toy Soldiers playing drums and flutes appeared, playing a rousing tune. Everyone recognized the familiar tune: “When Johnny Comes Marching Home”.

“Oh, this is priceless!” said Chelsea with a laugh.

“There’s nothing like a rousing tune to inspire someone,” said Erik. “And I’ll prove it… This Spell will give my Soldiers on the field their second wind, doubling their Attack Scores…”

The Toy Soldiers got up, and their Attack Scores went back up to 800 apiece. They aimed their muskets…

“Uh oh…” said Leroy.

With three blasts, three corklike projectiles struck the punk, hitting him in the chest, stomach, and left shin.

He fell to his knees and winced in pain.

“Ouch…” muttered Ren. “I felt that from here.”

(E: 7,400) -------------------- (L: 5,200)

“All right Erik…” grumbled Leroy, as he slowly got up. “I’m not about to be beaten, and if I ever am beaten, it sure as Hell ain’t gonna be by a bunch of third-rate wimps!”

“If my Monsters are third-rate wimps, Leroy,” replied Erik, crossing his arms, “it certainly doesn’t say much for your skills as a duelist, seeing as I’m beating you.”

Leroy glared at him.

He drew a card.

“See this?” he said, showing him the card, which was Pot of Greed. “It’s called a real man’s card, and I’m playing it now.”

The Pot appeared on his side of the field, and he drew two cards.

“Perfect…” he said, looking at them. “I don’t need Gilford right now, not when I have this guy… I summon the Armed Samurai Ben Kei!”

He played the card, and a battle-worn Warrior with a quiver of weapons on his back and a cowl over his head, dressed in ragged armor appeared on the field. He held a large naginata by his side. (500/800)

“And you called my Soldiers wimps?” asked Erik. “That guy is even weaker.”

“Forget what kinds of cards I’ve been using?” asked Leroy. “Now I play two more Equips… Big Bang Shot and Fusion Sword Murasame Blade.”

He fit them into his Disk. The first Equip didn’t seem to do much, but the second replaced Ben Kei’s spear with a long, sharp katana. (1,700/800)

“And guess what?” he continued. “Ben Kei gets an extra attack for every Equip he has!”

“Great…” said Ren. “That means he can wipe out all three of Erik’s Soldiers…”

“Not only that…” added Chelsea, “with Big Bang Shot Equipped to him, Erik can’t protect himself by defending.”

“You got it,” said Leroy. “Ben Kei, go! One!”

Ben Kei swung his sword, smashing one of the Soldiers to pieces.

“Two!”

He swung again, smashing the second one.

“Third time’s the charm…”

With a third mighty blow, Ben Kei destroyed the last Soldier. Erik cringed.

(E: 4,700) -------------------- (L: 5,200)

“So…” said Leroy, with a smirk. “What do you say now?”

“I say…” said Erik, “it’s my move…”

He drew a card.

“I play the Equip Spell, Symbol of Heritage,” he said. “Since I have three of the same Monster in my Graveyard, this card lets me summon one of them back.”

He fit the card into his Disk, and an odd variation on the more common ankh symbol appeared on his side of the field. A Toy Soldier appeared in a flash of light. (800/300)

“Now, I play a Spell Card called Crowning of the Emperor! I sacrifice my Toy Soldier…”

He played the card, and the Soldier held his gun to his side and saluted before he vanished in a burst of energy.

“And I summon a guy whom toys revere as their king. I’m not talking about Santa Claus, I’m talking about the Toy Emperor!”

In a flash, an imposing form appeared on the field. It was another toy soldier, but this one was dressed in an officer’s uniform, again suggesting Revolution-era, his coat covered with medals, and wearing a flamboyant hat. He carried a long saber, and was mounted on a wooden horse. His eyes were narrow, and his mouth was carved into a frown – clearly, he didn’t look too friendly. (2,300/800)

“Ho boy…” muttered Leroy.

“Eh…” said Chelsea. “On the other hand, who needs to defend?”

“Now Leroy…” said Erik. “Let me tell you a few things about Emperors… Throughout history, most of them have been fat, lazy slobs who liked being waited on, and never did an honest day’s work in their lives. And when their nations were at war, they hid like cowards in their palaces where it was safe.

“The Toy Emperor isn’t like that. In battle, he’s on the front line, leading his troops, and charging at the enemy with his sword drawn.

“And the lesson you can learn from that is…”

He paused.

“Well, there’s one in there somewhere, but I kinda forget what it is.

“Anyway, Toy Emperor, attack the Armed Samurai Ben Kei with imperial charge!”

Toy Emperor galloped forward on his mount, and clashed swords with Ben Kai. Then the Samurai’s sword flew from his hand, and the Emperor’s stabbed him in the chest. Armed Samurai Ben Kei burst into triangles.

“Toy Emperor has a special effect, by the way…” said Erik, taking his deck. “When he slays a Monster in battle, I get to take any Trap Card from my deck and add it to my hand.”

He leafed through his deck and took a card.

Mirror Force should do… he thought.

He smirked as he remembered his duel with that guy who used the Manticores. Toy Emperor had played an essential part of winning. He had both Curse of Anubis and Zero Gravity in his deck. So the first thing he did was take down one Manticore with Toy Emperor and Rush Recklessly, and use his effect to search for Zero Gravity. On his opponent’s next turn he triggered it, and on his turn, he destroyed both Manticores, and searched for Curse of Anubis. He triggered THAT on his opponent’s NEXT turn, and on his turn, he was able to destroy the annoying Beast-Warriors for the last time.

“And my turn isn’t over…” he said. “First, I think I’ll set it facedown…”

He fit the card into his Disk, and it appeared.

“Next,” he continued, “I have just enough Monsters in my Graveyard to play… Pot of Avarice. It’s an even better card than your so-called ‘real man’s’ card if I use it at the right time, because before I draw twice, I get to return five Monsters to my deck from my Graveyard.”

He played his last card. A goofy, pink satire of the Pot of Greed appeared in front of him. All three Toy Soldiers and his two Giant Rats slipped out of his discard slot. He combined them with his deck, reshuffled, and then drew two cards.

He looked at them.

“And since I haven’t Normal Summoned for this turn yet,” he finally said, “I’ll set a Monster in Defense Mode.”

He played the card, and a facedown Monster appeared.

(E: 4,700) -------------------- (L: 4,600)

“Erik is doing good, isn’t he?” asked Sam.

“Yes, but he may have made an error,” added Yumi. “He had Toy Emperor attack Ben Kei, when what he should have done was attack Gilford. I mean, what if Gilford gets free? He’s far more dangerous.”

Leroy drew a card and smirked.

“What indeed…” he said evilly. “What if Gilford gets free? Maybe we should find out! I play Heavy Storm!”

He held up the card, and a fierce wind erupted over the field. The Mirror Force lifted up and shattered, and then Erik’s Gulliver Chain shattered as well. Gilford threw up his hands in rage, and snapped the chains like spaghetti.

“Now, I’ll move him back to Attack Mode…” said Leroy.

Gilford stood up, and lifted his sword…

“Of course…” said Leroy, “since I played Heavy Storm, I had to destroy those two Equips he had. But no matter… I can get one of them back. I’ll simply remove Marauding Captain and Ben Kei from play…”

He took the two cards from his discard slot and placed them in his jacket.

“And that activates the effect of my Divine Sword Phoenix Blade, returning it to my hand.”

He took the Spell Card from the slot.

“Now I’ll just Equip it to Gilford again…”

The sword was absorbed into Gilford’s Sword, and he rose to an Attack of 2,900.

“And Gilford, pay that toy back for the humiliation! Attack!”

Gilford the Legend roared, and slammed his blade down on Toy Emperor. Erik shielded himself as an explosion rocked his field.

(E: 4,100) -------------------- (L: 4,600)

Erik growled.

He drew a card.



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“I’ll place this in Defense Mode, and end my turn…” he said.

A facedown Monster appeared.

“Aw, what’s wrong?” said Leroy, drawing a card. “Mad because your sorry excuses for Monsters are gone? You know, if you keep breaking your toys, your mommy isn’t gonna buy you any new ones!”

Erik glared at him.

Leroy played a Spell Card.

“I play Fairy of the Spring,” he said. “A sissy name, I know, but very useful. Now I can take an Equip Card from my Graveyard and add it to my hand. Only catch is, I have to wait until next turn to use it.”

He took a card from his discard slot.

He looked at the Fusion Sword card.

“Now, Gilford… Destroy the Monster on the left!”

Gilford swung his sword down…

Leroy was shocked to see that it was another Giant Rat. It was blown to pieces.

“No way!” he shouted. “You had three of them?”

“Yes,” said Erik. “I have a LOT of Monsters in my deck that they could summon. But it could be one of the first two that I put back in my deck with Pot of Avarice… who knows?

“And since I also put back all three Toy Soldiers… Guess who’s back…”

A Toy Soldier appeared again. (800/300)

“Fine…” said Leroy. “Even if you use that two-card trick again, you won’t beat me. Do you even have a Monster this powerful?”

Erik drew.

“Yes I do…” he said with a smile. “And I just drew him!

“First, I’ll activate Toy Soldier’s effect, to summon the other two.”

In two bursts of energy, the other two Toy Soldiers appeared.

“Next, I’ll play Premature Burial, to bring back my Toy Emperor.”

He played the card, and Toy Emperor reappeared, rising out of the ground. (2,300/800)

“Hold on!” shouted Leroy. “I thought that guy was a NOMI!”

“No he isn’t,” replied Erik. “Did I ever say he was? There’s just a Spell Card that can summon him with a shortcut.

“Now where was I?

“Oh yeah… I’ll flip-summon my facedown Monster… My Magician of Faith.”

His card flipped, and the petite, ponytailed Spellcaster in her tunic carrying her staff topped with a crescent moon appeared. (300/400)

“I’ll use her effect, getting back my Fife and Drum Corp…”

The Spell Card slipped out of his discard slot.

“Sorry, Erik, but I saw the text on that card,” said Leroy. “It only works on Monsters whose Attack Score is 1,000 or less. You can’t defeat Gilford with it.”

“Want to see my rarest card?” asked Erik, waving his last card. “This guy is a Level Seven Monster, but due to one of his effects, I can summon him with one sacrifice if the Monster I’m sacrificing has the word ‘Toy’ in its name.

“This toy isn’t recommended for children younger than seven.

“I sacrifice one Toy Soldier…”

A Toy Soldier vanished.

“To summon… my best card… Possessing twenty-four points of articulation, made in the USA, batteries not included… the Toy Dragon!”

In an explosion of energy, a huge creature appeared on Erik’s side of the field. It was shaped like a dragon, and seemingly built out of colored, plastic blocks. It’s eyes glowed red, and it stood on its hind legs, bearing its claws. (2,300/2,000)

“It still can’t beat Gilford!” shouted Leroy.

“Oh no?” asked Erik. “It has another special effect. It gains 400 more Attack Points for every Monster I have on the field with the word ‘Toy’ in its name, other than itself. And I have three more.”

Toy Dragon glowed, and rose to an Attack of 3,500.

“No…” gulped Leroy.

“Now…” said Erik, “I play Fife and Drum Corp again!”

He played the card, and the marching band appeared again. The two remaining Toy Soldiers rose to 1,600 Attack, and Magician of Faith rose to 600 Attack.

“Toy Dragon…” commanded Erik, “attack Gilford the Legend! Shooting star shower!”

Toy Dragon breathed out a blast of sparkling, glowing motes in a concentrated steam. Gilford groaned, and then burst in an explosion of pixels.

“My best Monster…” moaned Leroy. “Beaten by something… made of Legos…”

“Toy Soldiers, Toy Emperor…” said Erik, “attack directly!”

The three toys charged forward. The Soldiers fired their muskets, and the Emperor slashed with his blade. Leroy fell flat on his face.

(E: 3,300) -------------------- (L: 0)

Yumi’s group started to cheer.

“On your feet, Duel King of Chicago,” said Erik, walking up to him. “You owe me that card, and you owe Sam an apology.”

“And what if I don’t?” said Leroy with a scowl.

Erik looked at him.

“Then I’ll tell everyone I meet on this island that I beat you, and then I’ll show them the cards I used to do so. Then I’ll tell them where to look on the internet to see it. Your reputation as a duelist will plummet, Mr. Leroy Brown…”

Leroy gave a look of horror…

He slowly walked up to Sam.

“Works every time…” said Erik with a smug smile.

“I… sincerely… apologize for slapping you…” muttered Leroy.

“Now the card…” said Erik.

Leroy’s hand shook as he gave him the Gilford the Legend card.

“Remember this the next time you want to treat a woman with disrespect,” said Erik. “Now leave…”

Leroy started walking away.

“Faster!” shouted Erik.

Leroy ran, and was out of sight the next minute.

Erik looked at his badge, which was now at Blue.

Sam ran up and hugged him.

“My hero!” she shouted.

“Yeah…” he said. “Now what the heck am I gonna do with a Gilford the Legend?”

“Don’t worry, sweetie,” she replied. “I know a place on Duelatopia where you can trade cards. You can find something that better suits your deck.”

Yumi came up to them.

“Uhm, Erik…” she said, “congratulations, but…

“Uhm, why toys?”

Erik looked at her and smirked.

“Why not?” he answered.

Behind a nearby building, Leroy Brown seethed in anger.

He placed a cigarette in his mouth and took a lighter from his pocket.

Then he opened his side deck, and took out a second Gilford the Legend card.

That was humiliating… he thought.

He flicked the lighter and lit the cigarette. Then he looked at the Fusion Sword card.

One round… All I needed was one round, damn it, and he would have been stronger than that Dragon…

No-one humiliates Bad Leroy Brown and gets away with it…

But I’ll stay away from him for now… Once I get high in the rankings, I’m sending his toys to the discount bin…

* * * * * * * * * *

The fortuneteller looked at the four cards on the table.

She slowly revealed the top card on her deck, and placed it next to The Magician.

She smiled when she saw what it was. The image bore a nude man and a woman, embracing in a lush Garden of Eden.

“The Lovers,” she said. “The meaning could not be clearer. Erik’s purpose in this tournament is both to woo and protect his beloved. Regardless of what drew him to her in the first place, his loyalty to her is great.

“Still, that does not mean Erik will follow blindly. I feel he has a major role to play in what is about to happen…”

She picked up The High Priestess.

“My ally is about to meet with the one who is at the center of this group. I must prepare…”

She took her deck of Tarot cards and shuffled them into a full deck. She placed it on the center of the table.

Her eyes glowed with violet light, and the Tarot deck glowed. The cards reduced in size, and the design on the backs changed.

Her eyes turned back to normal, and the glowing stopped. Where the Tarot deck had been was now a deck of forty Duel Monsters cards.

She picked it up, and looked through it.

She nodded.

She reached under the table, and placed a second Tarot deck on the table. This one wasn’t as powerful as the other one, but then, she didn’t intend to do a serious reading with it.

She got up, and walked towards the back room.

* * * * * * * * * *

It was nine o’clock.

Yumi was sitting on her bed in her nightgown, quite tired from the events of the first day. She was speaking on the phone, having just received a call from home.

“Yeah, dad,” she said, twirling the cord with her finger. “It’s been eventful. Lots of dueling, lots of sights. No problems yet, I’m glad to say…”

“Just be careful,” said the voice of her father. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Yumi giggled.

“You wagered your soul in a duel against a demon from Hell,” she said with a grin.

“I stand corrected,” he replied. “Just be careful. Try not to play the hero. It may be tempting, but Arachne has a practical army ready to handle problems.

“Sleep tight. Your mother and I will e-mail you. And we’ll watch your duels on the website.”

Yumi hung up and yawned. She took the Puzzle off from around her neck.

She wondered what she would wish for if she won the tournament. She wasn’t greedy… When her father had won, he had made a selfless wish – for KaibaCorp to pay for the weddings of Ren and Chelsea’s parents, enabling them to have the weddings of their dreams…

There was a knock on the door.

Yumi raised an eyebrow.

Who could that be? She hadn’t ordered room service or asked for fresh linens…

If a Mouto received a surprise guest, it was usually bad news.

She picked up her Duel Disk and slipped it on. If the visitor meant her harm, it would make an effective club.

She held the knob for a second, and then threw the door open.

“Take it easy, child,” said the visitor. “You are quite tense.”

Yumi looked at the strange old woman. She looked about seventy or so, with a worn face and grey hair. She wore an old shawl over an old, red dress, and her left eye was covered by an eyepatch.

The lack of an eye seemed to be the only debilitating thing that age had done to her. No trace of arthritis was in her hands, and she stood up straight, although she was only about as tall as Yumi. Her teeth were still white and intact.

“Who are you?” asked Yumi.

“My name is Maria, child,” said the old woman. “I’m someone with an… interest in this resort…”

“You can’t be a duelist…” said Yumi. “You look about as old as my grandparents.”

“Heh, heh…” laughed Maria. “I was once quite a duelist, Yumi. As you say, I am as old as your grandparents, and like them, I was a contestant in Battle City. I won six locator cards too… But sadly, when I won the sixth, it was too late… Eight finalists had already been chosen.

“To think, if the Evil Spirit who had possessed Bakura was not so underhanded in getting there, I might have been on that blimp…”

“You should be glad you missed it,” said Yumi. “Terrible things happened during the finals. You might have met the same fate as Mai…”

Maria chuckled.

“I knew all about the God Cards, Yumi…” she replied. “And I had a card… an incredibly rare card… I could have used it to destroy Slifer, Obelisk, OR Ra! It didn’t matter which…”

Yumi gave her a strange look.

“Spells and Traps couldn’t destroy them…” she muttered.

“Aha…” said Maria. “I knew that. This card, this anti-God card, would attack the target indirectly. It was an Equip Spell, that would make any Warrior-Type Monster, even one as weak as Joey Wheeler’s Swordsman of Landstar, powerful enough to defeat an Egyptian God Monster… If it was used right.”

Yumi stared at her.

“This card…” she muttered. “Do you have it with you?”

Maria paused.

She looked down the corridor to her right, and then to her left.

“You bet I have it with me…” she replied, taking a card out of her dress.

Yumi’s eyes flashed with excitement. The thought of seeing such a card…

“One condition…” said Maria, lifting a finger. “I’ll show it to you, but keep quiet about this. This card is incredibly rare, and if folks knew I had it…”

“My lips are sealed,” said Yumi.

Maria handed her the card, and Yumi looked at it. The name of the card was Divine Mallet Mjölnir. She understood the name. Mjölnir was the name of Thor’s hammer, which could destroy anything.

She read the description on the card.

She was amazed. It had a hefty price, but it could theoretically work… The Warrior Equipped with this card could indeed destroy any of the Egyptian God Monsters…

It wasn’t foolproof, though. The duelist using it would have to find some way to protect said Monster from Slifer’s second set of jaws, or Obelisk’s mighty Fist of Fate, or Ra’s Phoenix Mode. But other than that…

She handed the card back.

“What do you want, Maria?” asked Yumi.

“I needed to tell you Yumi, that evil is indeed afoot on this island,” said Maria. “Just what the nature of this evil is, I can’t say for certain yet. But it will come for you and your friends eventually.

“And you cannot avoid it, for defeating it is the key to winning freedom for your spiritual guide.”

Yumi was puzzled. Then Maria took a business card from her dress.

“This belongs to an ally of mine,” she said. “Why not pay her a visit? She can open your eyes much wider, let you see things that you were once blind to.”

Yumi looked at the card:

Madame Cassandra

Fortunes told! Futures revealed!

Open 9PM to 3AM

Underneath that was an address.

“Strange hours for a business,” said Yumi.

“Her most powerful abilities only work at night,” said Maria. “I must leave you now… I’m certain we will meet again.”

She turned and walked away.

Yumi looked at the card.

And she did notice four stars in the upper left corner.

She tossed it on her bedside table and crawled into bed.

“Fortunetellers,” she muttered. “That’s a laugh…”

She turned off the light, but she found it very hard to sleep…

After watching what appeared to be the final duel of the day, a mysterious woman comes out of the shadows. What does she want? What does this mean? And who is this strange ally she is speaking of? Day One may not quite be over just yet…



TOY SOLDIER (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK: 800
DEF: 300

Card Description: If this card is on your side of the field during your Standby Phase, you may Special Summon up to two “Toy Soldiers” from your hand or deck.



TOY EMPEROR (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 6
ATK: 2,300
DEF: 800

Card Description: When this card destroys an opposing Monster as a result of battle and sends it to the Graveyard, search your deck for one Trap Card and add it to your hand.



TOY CANNON (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A toy, Revolution-era cannon manned by Toy Soldiers.

Card Description: Shift one opposing Monster into Defense Position. Inflict 400 points of damage to your opponent’s Life Points.



GULLIVER CHAIN (Trap Card)

Continuous Trap

Image: A group of Toy Soldiers amid a tangle of chains.

Card Description: You can activate this card when the battle position of an opposing Monster switches. Place that Monster in face-up Defense Position. If that Monster switches to Attack Position while this card is in play, destroy the Monster and this card.



FORCED MARCH (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A squad of exhausted Toy Soldiers marching up a staircase.

Card Description: During the turn you activate this card, the ATK of the Monsters on your side of the field is halved, and they may attack your opponent directly.



FIFE AND DRUM CORP (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A parade of Toy Soldiers with drums and fifes.

Card Description: During the turn you activate this card, the ATK of all Monsters on your side of the field whose ATK is 1,000 or less is doubled.



CROWNING OF THE EMPEROR (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: An elaborate crown, with a spotlight on it.

Card Description: Offer one “Toy Soldier” on your side of the field as a Tribute. Special Summon one “Toy Emperor” from your deck.

Note: The proceeding seven cards were first used by Bonaparte in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Dormitory Demolition”. Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. (Also, this version of “Toy Soldier” is a different version than the one used by Little Yugi in “Yu-Gi-Oh R”.)



TOY DRAGON (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Dragon/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 7
ATK: 2,300
DEF: 2,000

Card Description: This card can be Normal Summoned with one Tribute if the Monster you use as a Tribute has the word “Toy” in its name. This card gains 400 points to its ATK for every Monster on your side of the field with the word “Toy” in its name, excluding this one.



Yumi: Wish I could sleep… Something odd is in the air…

Ren: I won two duels today and a free dinner to boot… I should be happy, so why can’t I sleep?

Chelsea: The spirits seem restless tonight… What is going on?

Cassandra: Not sleeping well, children? Worry not… I will make it better…

Coming up next, “Vision of Things to Come; Yumi versus the Deck of Fate”.

As the wheels of destiny start to turn on Duelatopia…

[Hinoryu]

I'm thoroughly impressed. Erik has quickly jumped the ranks to become my favorite character; a dragon, albeit a lego one, showed up; you used Napoleon's deck amazingly well; and you even appealed the the mythology geek in me with Mjiollnir.

All in all, best chapter yet. Toys beating down the classic Equip Spam deck. A classic.

[Shuppet Master]

So it was Napoleon's toy soldier deck, huh? I should have known you were going to use that deck. And it looks like Leroy is going to be a recurring villian. Nice work, Brian. I can't really say anything more.

[jkBAKURA]

Chivalrous, likable, a sense of humor, and a deck theme that's a blast to read about... Are you sure that it's a good idea to keep this guy a minor character?

This was the most entertaining chapter I've read in a while. True, none of the menuvers were particularly unique on either side, but the sheer lunacy of the situation was great.

I have to wonder if Erik is packing some of Little Yugi's cards from Yu-Gi-Oh R.

Toy Dragon didn't do much for me. Maybe it was the visual, and maybe it was the cfact it was a dragon. Having a trump card be a custom creation is always a risk. It works if it's pulled off well in the first appearance, and this one felt a bit flat.

Next chapter is something that will keep me up at night waiting for if it is indeed what I think it is.

I can clean my apartment while I wait

[Dark Sage]

Erik has many cards other than what you've seen here. Whether any of them will be Little Yugi's cards, you'll just have to wait and see. And Erik will play an important role - just how important, I'm not going to say.

As for next chapter, yeah, it's probably what you think it is. Come back on Wednesday, and you'll see the whole thing.

[Inferno_Dragon]

Erik Deck was awesome. I mean at this point, you have used bits and pieces of Napeleon's deck from Yu-Gi-Oh GX and now you use all of it. Well, all that we know of. And that Toy Dragon is awesome.

As for Leroy's deck, it was a pretty bland Warrior Deck but I bet it gets better later on. Knowing you, you probably we find a way to spice it up.

Keep up the good work, DS!

[Shuppet Master]

Come back on Wednesday

What a coincinkidink! That day is the exact day I'm going to get my copies of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl! (I would get in two days, but my folks are leaving town and I have no transport until they get back on Wednesday.)

Sorry if this was not relevant to the thread.

[Mystic_clown]

Hmm, I'm not sure about this chapter. I never really liked Napoleon's deck and I'm a bit curious how you're going to use it later on, since you used pretty much all the tricks in this chapter.

As for Leroy, well, his deck came off as a little bland and so did he actually. He doesn't seem to different from Mick or Michael. He just seems like some punk.

Why am I getting a bad feeling this will have something to do with the Light of Ruin? Maybe it's because we're going through the Society of Light arc over here and there's the tarot card woman in your story.

[goldenzigzagoon]

I really liked this chapter. The Toy Soldier deck was something you usually don't see in fan fics, so it was fun reading this. I'm not sure how you could come up with more cards for a Toy Soldier deck, but Erik did say that he had a lot of Earth cards with less than 1500 attack points, and so far, there's only been 6 of them.

[Dark Sage]

CHAPTER TEN



Vision of Things to Come



Yumi versus the Deck of Fate

Yumi was tossing and turning in her sleep.

She envisioned herself in the grand Coliseum, after being declared the winner of the tournament…

“I wish…” she muttered. “I wish… I wish…”

Her eyes snapped open.

She hit the pillow with her fist.

“I wish I could get some sleep!” she shouted.

She looked at the clock. It was ten-thirty PM.

“Blasted jet lag…” she muttered. “Or maybe I just ate too much at that restaurant…”

She lay on her back for a few minutes…

She turned on the bedside light.

Her hand fell on that strange business card. She looked at it again.

Madame Cassandra

Fortunes told! Futures revealed!

Open 9PM to 3AM

“So…” she said. “It’s some crazy fortuneteller… Dad warned me about fortunetellers…”

He had indeed. The one time her grandfather had trusted a fortuneteller, it turned out to be Bandit Keith in disguise, who had been turned into a puppet by Marik. The enslaved Keith swiped the Puzzle and forced him to duel, without the Pharaoh to help him. Yugi likely would have won anyway, but before he could, Keith broke free, went nuts from having his mind controlled, and started a fire in the building. Yugi had been lucky to get out alive.

That was the elder Yugi Mouto’s first encounter with Marik, actually. Fortunately, it was also the last anyone ever saw of Keith. If Yumi’s grandparents had to guess, he likely died after an overdose of some sort…

Still, Marik was an old man now, his Rod in Shadi’s possession. Likely this fortuneteller was nothing more than some charlatan psychic who read palms for people’s amusement…

There was no sleep in her tonight… So it was a choice of either checking this out or renting a movie on the hotel’s pay channel.

She looked at the movie list.

She had seen all of them at least twice each.

Quickly, she got up and got dressed. An inner voice told her to take her Disk – maybe another night owl was out, and he’d want to duel. You never knew.

* * * * * * * * * *

Clock Tower Prison was visible in the distance from where she was. It slowly inched towards eleven o’clock.

The building was a strange one. It looked like it would be hard to miss. But Yumi had passed this spot twice the previous day, and had not noticed it.

Above the door was a sign that looked similar to the Shadow of Eyes card – two sinister-looking female eyes. Under them were the words “Madame Cassandra, Fortuneteller Extraordinaire”.

Yumi sighed and went in. As she closed the door, she heard the ominous tolling of the clock tower.

She was immediately met by the smell of incense and saffron. The dim room was illuminated by dozens of candles. Old and strange artifacts were around, reminiscent of the New Age – dream catchers hung from the walls, strange statuettes made of wood or wax hung on shelves, and weird items that she couldn’t even identify hung as ornaments.

A table with a green tablecloth was at the center of the room. A deck of cards was placed in the center.

Yumi looked at them. They weren’t Duel Monsters cards. Duel Monsters cards were smaller, and had a different design on the backs…

She looked towards a doorway where a curtain of beaded strings served as the door.

Someone was coming!

A young woman, who seemed to be about age twenty-five or so, pushed the beads aside. She was a raven-haired beauty, dressed in the attire of the classic European gypsies. Her eyes were deep green, and almost hypnotic.

“May I help you?” she asked.

“No! I was just leaving!” cried Yumi, turning towards the door.

“Stay!” shouted the woman.

Yumi froze…

“Don’t be afraid, Yumi…” said the woman, “I don’t bite…”

“How did you… know my name?” asked Yumi.

“Madame Cassandra knows many things,” said the woman, sitting at the table. “Things that are not revealed to just anyone…

“In my visions, I have seen a myriad of realms and realities, where bizarre and unpleasant things happen that you could not imagine. If you saw some of these things, you’d be appalled…

“Have a seat…”

Yumi slowly sat down, shivering at the sight of those eyes.

Cassandra took the odd deck of cards, and spread it on the table in a jumbled mess.

“I know your concern, Yumi,” she said. “You fear that evil is coming, and like your parents and grandparents before you, you must stop it. Perhaps I can help.”

She arranged the cards back into a deck, and shuffled them.

“Cut,” she said.

Yumi cut the cards, noticing that it was a small deck – about half the size of a dueling deck.

“Yes, Yumi,” said Cassandra. “Only twenty-two cards. A deck for a more serious reading would use a deck that had seventy-eight, but I have something better in mind after this is done.”

She combined the cards. Then she took four cards off the deck, one by one, and placed them on the table facedown.

“Let’s see what the cards of the Tarot reveal to us,” she said.

She turned the first card over.

“It is the card that represents you, Yumi,” she said. “The High Priestess. The divine feminine, and a guardian of secrets. You are the holder of divine power, and possess great potential.”

Yumi didn’t know what to say. Cassandra reached for the second card.

It bore the image of a man in a red robe and a golden helmet, seated on a throne holding an orb and a staff.

“The Hierophant,” she said. “It represents a partner, a counsel, a spiritual guide. Someone who stands by you with advice…”

Yumi looked to her right, and saw the Pharaoh standing there. He was listening intently, with his arms crossed.

“Continue…” said Yumi.

Cassandra reached for the third card.

“Oh my…” she said.

The card was a frightening picture of a castle being struck by lightning.

“The Tower…” mumbled Cassandra. “The symbol of destruction and failure… I fear that this means something bad lurks in your future…”

“What?” gasped Yumi.

“Perhaps the last card will give some insight,” replied Cassandra.

She flipped it around.

It was an odd picture. It showed the image of a group of people kneeling before a fiery, angelic figure on a wasteland.

“Yes, this is a positive card,” said Cassandra. “Judgment. It symbolizes rebirth, and rewards for past efforts…

“But it has another meaning… The need to make a final choice, and accept a new life…”

She returned the cards to the deck.

“Of course, Yumi, like I said, that wasn’t a serious reading. I have something for you that will let me see more.

“I practice a special form of fortunetelling that few others do – I call it Duelomancy…”

“What is…” started Yumi.

Cassandra’s eyes started to glow with purple light. Yumi froze in fear. She felt like running away screaming, but she was rooted to the spot.

Before she could do anything, Cassandra snapped her fingers, and the walls of the room melted away…

* * * * * * * * * *

Yumi looked around.

She was standing in a dark place, with fog covering the ground. She looked up, and to her sides and above, all she could see was darkness.

Uncanny darkness…

“Yumi,” said the voice of the Pharaoh. “We’re somewhere else. This Cassandra is either a master of FX, or has strange powers. She may be dangerous. We must be on guard.”

Cassandra appeared in front of Yumi, twenty paces away.

Her eyes shimmered…

“Here is how Duelomancy works, Yumi,” she said. “A battle of Duel Monsters must take place. Consider me a Bonus of Duelatopia.

“Say no, and I’ll simply return you safely to your bed. Accept, and we will duel. If you win, you will be upgraded to Blue, and my eyes will open to your future better than ever.

“Lose, and nothing…”

Yumi paused.

“Okay…” she said. “I accept. But… You don’t even have a Disk.”

“I don’t use a Disk,” answered Cassandra. “I duel using far more primeval methods…”

She lifted her arms, and a table with a white cloth on it appeared out of the mist. A deck was on the right-hand side.

“Please…” said Yumi. “There’s likely a holographic generator under that table, right?”

“You are awfully skeptical for someone who has the spirit of a five-thousand year old pharaoh living inside her,” replied Cassandra.

Yumi stared at her. She gulped.

“So…” she said, nervously. “Is this some sort of Shadow Game?”

“No,” replied Cassandra. “A Shadow Game creates Monsters from a dimension of darkness and evil. Sorcerers call it Tenebreos, although some know it as the Shadow Realm. It is a void of madness and entropy that connects both to our dimension and to Hell itself.

“This game will be more benign. It will conjure our beasts from a realm of pure thought. The Astral Plane is what most call it. It is, simply put, a Game of the Mind.

“But don’t worry, Yumi… I’m not trying to take your soul. That is what I’m hoping to prevent in the future.”

“Okay…” said Yumi. “I can live with that…”

The Puzzle glowed, and in a flash of light, the change overtook her.

“Game on!” she said, as her Disk activated.

“Let the Game of the Mind commence,” said Cassandra.

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

Yumi drew five cards from her deck and looked at them. Cassandra, however, took five cards off the top of her deck, one by one, and placed them in front of her, facedown.

“Uh…” said Yumi, “you know, it helps if you look at them…”

“Not always…” replied Cassandra. “You may make the first move…”

“All right!” said Yumi, drawing a card.

Perfect! she thought. I got Mirror Force on my first draw!

“I place one card facedown,” she said, placing it in her Disk, “and then summon Magician’s Valkyria.”

The facedown card appeared, and then Valkyria appeared, brandishing her staff. (1,600/1,800)

“That will do for my first move…” said Yumi.

Cassandra took a sixth card from her deck, and placed it next to the others.

“Let’s see,” she said, choosing a card. “I’ll start with a Spell Card… It’s called Vision.”

She set the card down, and the air rippled behind her with colors of pink and purple. A pair of evil-looking hypnotic eyes appeared in the colors, glaring menacingly at Yumi.

Both Yumi and Valkyria drew back in fear.

“Don’t be afraid…” said Cassandra. “It can’t hurt you… yet!

“This card lets me reveal the top card of my deck, and show it to you…”

She took the card.

“Mmm-hmm,” she said. “It is a Monster that represents something your spiritual guide has longed for, for many years.”

She showed her the card.

“It is called Arcana Force XI: Justice.”

“So now what?” asked Yumi.

“Now,” said Cassandra, placing it in her deck, “I shuffle this card into my deck, and if it is played during the course of the duel, you lose 1,000 Life Points.”

“In that case,” said Yumi, walking up to her, “just to make sure, I’m going to cut it.”

“Go right ahead,” said Cassandra, pushing the deck towards her. “As a prophet, I have been called a liar and a twister of truths several times, but I assure you, that is only the case with con artists who seek to make money from the gullible. You notice I didn’t ask you for a dime.”

Yumi looked at her. Then she started to vigorously shuffle.

“Still think I would resort to cheating?” asked Cassandra. “You need to have more trust in people, Yumi.”

Yumi placed the deck back on the table, and went back to her position.

“Continuing my turn…” said Cassandra, “I will summon…”

She placed a card before her.

“Arcana Force 0: The Fool!”

In a flash of light, a tall figure appeared in front of her. It looked like a collection of golden spheres, arranged in the shape of a humanoid body. Where the head would be was a dramatic mask of comedy, and over that was a cavalier hat with a feathered plume. It let out a loud cackle. (1,000/1,000)

“And what’s he gonna do?” asked Yumi.

“Watch,” said Cassandra.

A card appeared over The Fool’s head. It was the card Cassandra had played to summon it. Then it started to rotate clockwise.

“That card is going to spin until you tell it to stop,” said Cassandra. “If it lands upright, I can destroy one of your Spell or Trap Cards. But if it lands inverted, you can destroy one of my Spell or Trap Cards.”

“Fifty-fifty chance, huh?” asked Yumi. “Okay… Stop!”

The card slowly came to a halt…

It was right-side-up.

“Darn…” said Yumi.

The Fool’s “eyes” glowed, and Yumi’s Trap Card was blown to pieces.

“Don’t worry, Yumi,” said the Pharaoh. “Valkyria is still stronger than that thing.”

Yumi nodded.

“My move comes to a close,” said Cassandra, “so it’s time for you to see what fate has dealt you.”

Yumi drew a card.

“I’ll place another card facedown…” she said.

She fit it into her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

“Valkyria… Attack The Fool!”

Valkyria blasted a beam of magical energy, striking the creature. It didn’t shatter into triangles, but burst into globules of light, which dissipated.

“Weird…” muttered Yumi. “Uh… I’ll end my turn.”

(Y: 8,000) -------------------- (C: 7,400)

Cassandra drew a card.

“I play Pot of Charity,” she said, placing a card on the table. “Now, I will remove one Light Monster in my grave from play, in order to draw three times. Naturally, I will remove The Fool.”

She moved the card out of her discard pile, and then took three cards from her deck, placing them with the others.

“Next, I’ll place a facedown card of my own…”

She placed a card on the table, and a facedown card appeared.

“Then I will summon Arcana Force VII: The Chariot.”

She played the card, and a creature appeared that was even stranger than The Fool. It looked like a saucer-shaped mechanism with eyes all around its center; underneath it were two weapons that looked like hoses, and on top was a group of hands pointing up. (1,700/1,700)

“Okay…” muttered Yumi. “You know, this would make a good movie… You could call it War of the Weirds.”

“And once again…” said Cassandra, disregarding the remark.

The Chariot’s card appeared above it and started to spin.

“Are all your Monsters like this?” asked Yumi.

“Of course,” said Cassandra. “And this one is more powerful. If it lands upright, I gain control of any Monster it destroys in battle. But if it lands inverted, you gain control of it if it is destroyed in battle.”

“Ergh…” muttered Yumi. “Stop!”

The card slowed…

It stopped… and was upside down.

“HA!” laughed Yumi. “Looks like you lost that toss!”

“Perhaps…” said Cassandra. “But it still has more Attack Points than your Spellcaster.

“Attack her Magician’s Valkyria. Master blast.”

The Chariot flew forward and shot a blast of pure light from its hoses…

“I activate Rush Recklessly!” shouted Yumi.

Her facedown card lifted, and Valkyria shot up to an Attack of 2,300. She cast her spell, and The Chariot’s blast backfired. It exploded.

Then, with a ripple of light, The Chariot appeared next to Magician’s Valkyria.

Then the card appeared above it, and started to spin again.

“Now I get to tell it when to stop…” said Cassandra.

She paused.

“Stop right there!” she exclaimed.

The card stopped, and was upside-down again.

Then Cassandra actually laughed.

“Yumi…” she said with a chuckle. “If I had a dollar for the number of times this crazy Monster has done this… in my last duel, it changed owners four times before it stayed dead!”

“Yeah, I guess it is kinda funny…” said Yumi, drawing a card.

(Y: 8,000) -------------------- (C: 6,800)

“And thanks for the Monster, by the way…

“I sacrifice Magician’s Valkyria and The Chariot, to summon Dark Magician of Chaos!”

The two Monsters shattered, and the mighty chaos mage arose, twirling his staff. (2,800/2,600)

“Now I get one Spell Card back from my Graveyard back…”

Rush Recklessly slipped out of her discard slot, and she took it.

“Next… I play Monster Reborn to bring back Valkyria.”

She played the card, and the ankh appeared. Valkyria stepped forward. (1,600/1,800)

“Now, Valkyria…” ordered Yumi, “attack Cassandra directly!”

Valkyria fired her blast, and Cassandra cringed as it hit her.

“Dark Magician of Chaos, you too. Scepter strike.”

The sorcerer twirled his staff, and fired a lethal beam of black magic. Cassandra cried out in pain and fell backwards.

“So…” said Yumi. “Did you predict that that would happen? I’ll place a card facedown, and end my turn.”

A facedown card appeared behind the two Spellcasters.

(Y: 8,000) -------------------- (C: 2,400)

And to think I was scared of her… thought Yumi. This is just another duel… And not a very hard one at that.

Cassandra slowly got up and returned to her table. Her eyes glowed again. Yumi fidgeted…

She drew a card, and placed it with the others.

She played a card.

“I summon Arcana Force I: The Magician,” she said.

She played the card, and a thin, almost gaunt figure with two glowing eyes and nothing else on its featureless face, spindly limbs, and dressed in a colorful – if gaudy – outfit appeared in front of her. (1,100/1,100)

“That’s weak…” said Yumi.

“We’ll see…” said Cassandra. “This might seem familiar to you…”

The card appeared above The Magician, and started to spin.

“If it lands upright,” said Cassandra, “then during a round that a Spell Card is played, its Attack Score doubles. But if it lands inverted, then any round that a Spell Card is played, it gives you 500 Life Points.”

Okay, calm down… thought Yumi. All she’s doing is playing a very exotic Gamble Deck…

“Stop!” she shouted.

The card stopped.

It landed upright.

Oh well… thought Yumi. When it tries to attack Valkyria, I’ll trigger my Rush Recklessly, and even double Attack Points won’t be enough.

“Continuing my turn…” said Cassandra. “I play this Spell Card…”

A Spell Card appeared above her. It was an ominous card bearing the image of several swords embedded in the ground under a sky with a crescent moon.

“Suit of Swords X,” she said, as the card began to spin. “If this card lands upright, all of your Monsters are destroyed. If it lands inverted, all of mine are destroyed.”

Yumi drew back nervously...

She tried to keep calm. If she won this toss, she’d win the duel…

“Stop!” she shouted.

The Suit of Swords X card slowly came to a stop…

Yumi groaned when it stopped in an upright position.

A shower of swords fell on her side of the field, piercing Magician’s Valkyria and Dark Magician of Chaos and blasting them to shards.

“Next, I activate my Trap Card,” continued Cassandra, as her facedown card lifted. “Ace of Wand.”

The card bore the image of a wand with a glowing green tip, and once again, it began to spin.

“Now what?” shouted Yumi.

“Now,” replied Cassandra, “if it lands upright, you gain Life Points equal to the combined Attack Scores of the Monsters that were just destroyed. Inverted, and you lose that much.”

“Wait…” said Yumi. “You mean inverted is bad for me this time?”

Cassandra didn’t answer…

Yumi started to sweat… That was 4,400 Life Points!

“You hesitate?” asked Cassandra. “The wheels of fate lie in your hands…”

Yumi grit her teeth.

“Stop!” she shouted.

The Trap Card stopped. Yumi groaned again when she saw that it was upside-down.

A beam of energy shot from the card and struck Yumi. She screamed in pain.

“Don’t forget…” said Cassandra, “since I played a Spell Card, the Attack Score of The Magician is doubled, to 2,200.

“Attack Yumi directly. Spheroid stream.”

The Magician formed a ball of pure energy, and hurled it, striking Yumi in the chest. She fell over and winced in pain.

“My turn ends, so its Attack Score returns to 1,100,” said Cassandra. “It is your move…”

(Y: 1,400) -------------------- (C: 2,400)

Good grief… thought Yumi, getting up. I was winning this duel a minute ago, and now…

“That’s right, Yumi…” said Cassandra, as if she had said it out loud. “You ever hear the saying that there are no absolutes in life? The only absolute there is, is the one that says there are no absolutes.

“You thought victory was in your grasp, but I turned it around quickly. Fortunes can change, and one’s advantage can fluctuate with but a single incident. A small change can cause a domino effect that can result in big changes, which result in even bigger ones…

“And I believe it was you who told your companions…

“The duel is not over… until the last card is played!”

Yumi looked at her… She shivered…

She drew a card.

“I play…” she started.

Then she stopped. She looked at The Magician.

Oh, right… she thought. If I play a Spell Card, its Attack Score doubles. Better wait…

She returned it to her hand, and placed a card on her Disk.

“I summon Skilled Dark Magician,” she said.

She played the card, and the robed mage appeared. (1,900/1,700)

“Attack her sorry excuse for a magician!” she shouted angrily.

Skilled Dark Magician fired his black magic, and The Magician burst in globules of light.

(Y: 1,400) -------------------- (C: 1,600)

“I’ll end my turn there, Cassandra,” she said. “So what next?”

Cassandra drew a card.

“I play… Pot of Greed…” she said.

She placed a card on her table, and a much more familiar card appeared. She took two cards.

“My Skilled Dark Magician thanks you,” said Yumi with a grin, as one of the Spellcaster’s three collar-disks lit up.

“We’ll see…” said Cassandra, taking another Spell Card. “I’ll play a new Spell Card…”

She played the card, and an odd Spell Card appeared. It bore the image of a hand reaching for two Tarot cards.

“Selection of Fate,” said Cassandra. “It’s quite simple… You choose a card from my hand, and if it’s a Monster, I get to Special Summon it.”

Yumi’s eyes narrowed.

“So, it’s like a Spell version of A Hero Emerges?” she asked.

Cassandra just looked at her. Yumi walked up to the table.

“Yumi!” said the Pharaoh’s voice. “Be very careful. She likely played that card because one of those cards is something powerful.”

“You don’t think I know that?” asked Yumi.

She nervously stood in front of Cassandra and looked at the four cards on the table that consisted of her hand. How she was able to play without looking at them, she had no idea.

Her hand moved to one…

Then she reconsidered and moved to another.

“That one…” she said.

Cassandra sighed, and flipped over the card.

Yumi drew back in fear…

It was Arcana Force XI: Justice.

The evil eyes of the Vision card appeared behind Cassandra again, and Yumi screamed as they bored into her…

(Y: 400) -------------------- (C: 1,600)

Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



Then she drew back in horror, as a huge form appeared in front of her. It was the female figure of Justice, ten feet tall, apparently made of metal, holding a sword in its right hand and a set of scales in its left. It pointed its sword menacingly at Yumi. (2,100/2,100)

“Calm down, Yumi,” said Cassandra. “As always, this may work to your benefit…”

The card appeared above Justice’s head, and started to spin.

“If this card lands upright, then when Justice is destroyed, you lose 2,000 Life Points. But if it lands inverted, when it’s destroyed, I’ll lose 2,000 Life Points.”

Yumi started to sweat…

“STOP!” she shouted.

The card stopped.

To her horror, it landed right side up.

“Very well,” said Cassandra. “Justice, destroy her Skilled Dark Magician.”

Justice raised its sword…

Yumi backed up… She was about to trigger her facedown card.

No! she thought. My facedown card is Rush Recklessly… But if Justice is destroyed, I lose!

Justice slammed its sword down, smashing Skilled Dark Magician to bits.

(Y: 200) -------------------- (C: 1,600)

Yumi fell to her knees…

She just realized something…

She had lost.

I can’t win… she thought. I have no cards in my deck that can reduce her Life Points without attacking – my deck wasn’t designed for such things. And if I destroy that Monster… I lose…

I’ve lost…

“The turn is still mine, Yumi…” said Cassandra, taking another card, “and all is not as hopeless as you may think.

“I Equip Justice with this… It’s a special Equip Spell called Spirit Self.”

She played the card. Justice glowed with golden light.

“Now let me explain. I now name any Monster I can think of. If that Monster is not in your hand or deck right now, I lose 2,000 Life Points.

“If it is, you have three of your turns to summon it. If you can’t, all copies of it are removed from play.

“But if you can, then for as long as it’s on the field, the effect of the Equipped Monster – that would be Justice – is negated.”

“So…” muttered Yumi. “You’re going to name a Monster, and if I summon it in three rounds, it’s safe to destroy that thing?”

“Exactly,” said Cassandra. “The Monster I name is Dark Magician Girl.”

Yumi paused.

“Well, she’s in my deck,” said Yumi. “But why help me?”

“As a test, Yumi,” said Cassandra. “The name of the card is Spirit Self. Each duelist has a card in his or her deck that lies closer to the duelist than any other. It is the true Spirit Self.

“I believe that Dark Magician Girl is yours. If she is, she will come to your aid. If not, your future is one that I simply cannot tell.

“With that Yumi, my turn comes to its conclusion. Your three turns start now.”

Yumi drew a card.

It wasn’t Dark Magician Girl. It was only someone who might help her stall.

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

She played two cards, and the facedown cards appeared.

“That’s all I can do…” she muttered.

Cassandra made a draw.

Then she played a card.

“I play the Spell Card, Cup of Ace,” she said.

A Spell Card appeared above her, showing the image of a golden goblet against a cloudy sky. It started to spin.

“Again?” shouted Yumi.

“Calm yourself, Yumi,” said Cassandra. “In the Minor Arcana, Cups are almost always positive. But who will it be positive for? If this lands upright, I get to draw two cards. If it lands inverted, you get to draw two cards.”

Yumi grit her teeth.

I’m having awful luck with this… she thought.

“Stop that card!” she shouted.

The card stopped.

She almost cheered when she saw it had landed upside-down.

She quickly drew two cards, and looked at them.

Still no Dark Magician Girl! she thought. Darn, where are you hiding?

“Continuing my turn,” stated Cassandra, playing a Spell Card, “I play Reverse Reborn. This lets me Special Summon one of my Arcana Force Monsters from my Graveyard so long as I Equip it with this card. The drawback is, it automatically gets its inverted effect.”

She played the card. The Chariot appeared in a burst of light. (1,700/1,700)

“Chariot…” said Cassandra, “attack her facedown Monster…”

The Chariot flew forward, blasting its lethal beam…

Blast Magician appeared crouching on the card. (1,400/1,700) The blasts were deflected.

“Clever…” said Cassandra. “Justice, destroy him.”

Justice flew forward, and slashed with her sword, smashing Blast Magician to pieces.

“It’s your move…” she said. “Two rounds left.”

Yumi nervously drew.

Well, maybe this will work… she thought.

“I play Double Spell,” she said, playing a card. “Now, I’ll discard my Dedication Through Light and Darkness…”

She discarded the card.

“…to duplicate the Pot of Charity in your Graveyard, and remove my Magician’s Valkyria from play to do so.”

Valkyria’s card slipped out of her discard slot, and she tucked it into her shirt.

She drew three cards.

She made a face as she looked at them.

Still not there… she thought. I’ve failed again…

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

“Your move…” she said nervously.

Cassandra drew a card, and immediately played it.

“I summon Arcana Force IV,” she said, “The Emperor.”

As she played the card, and an explosion of energy erupted on Cassandra’s side of the field. A frightening figure materialized. It was a semi-humanoid creature, made out of black metal (apparently), with a skull-like face, long, mechanical claws, and metallic, batlike wings on the back. It had no legs, instead hovering over the ground on some type of mechanism. Its eyes glowed red. (1,400/1,400)

“I’m sure you know how this works…” said Cassandra, as the card appeared and started to turn.

Yumi started to sweat.

“Okay, stop!” she shouted.

She growled as the card stopped on the upright position.

“That means that it grants all Monsters on my side of the field with the words ‘Arcana Force’ in their names 500 more Attack Points,” explained Cassandra.

At that point, Justice grew to an Attack of 2,600, The Chariot grew to 2,200, and The Emperor itself grew to 1,900.

“Emperor…” said Cassandra. “Attack her facedown Monster.”

The Emperor reached forward with four clawed tentacles towards the facedown card. A female mage in blue clothing and blonde hair holding a staff appeared on the card. With four swipes of claws, she shattered.

“I’m not dead yet,” said Yumi. “That was an Apprentice Magician, and when she’s destroyed, I get to take a Spellcaster who’s Level Two or less from my deck and set it in Defense Mode.”

She looked through her deck.

“So let’s see… I think I’ll set my other Apprentice Magician.”

A new facedown Monster appeared.

“Clever,” said Cassandra. “But do you have a third one? Chariot, attack.”

The Chariot blasted its guns, and the second Apprentice Magician was blown away.

“No I don’t,” said Yumi, taking her deck, “but I do have a Magician of Faith.”

A third facedown Monster appeared.

“Justice, attack,” said Cassandra.

Justice slammed down with her sword. Magician of Faith appeared on the card, and was smashed to bits.

“I’ll use her effect to get back my Monster Reborn,” said Yumi, taking a card from her discard slot.

“So be it,” said Cassandra. “I end my turn, and this is your last chance. If you fail this time, the only card that can save you will be gone, and on my next turn, I will finish you off with this…”

She picked up the last card on her table, and showed it to Yumi…

Yumi gulped. It was a Level Eight Monster with 3,100 Attack Points called Arcana Force XXI: The World.

“I have just enough Monsters to sacrifice to summon it and still keep Justice,” said Cassandra, “and In case you’re wondering, it won’t matter whether its card lands upright or inverted. You’ll be smashed flat either way.”

Yumi looked at her deck.

She paused… She closed her eyes…

She quickly drew a card.

She grinned when she saw it.

“Do you know how scared you made me for a second?” she said to it with a nervous whisper.

Her facedown card lifted.

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

A figure burst out of the ground. It was Blast Magician. (1,400/1,700)

“Now…” she continued, “I sacrifice him… Blast Magician, step aside and make room for… You guessed it… Dark Magician Girl!”

He vanished, and in a flurry of colors and hearts, Dark Magician Girl flew onto the field. (2,000/1,700)

“How fortunate…” said Cassandra. “So Justice’s effect is now rendered invalid, and the duel continues… But there is one variable you overlooked. Even if you destroy The Emperor, Justice will remain one hundred Attack Points stronger than her.”

“I’m not done…” said Yumi, taking two cards from her hand. “Next, I play Monster Reborn, to bring back Skilled Dark Magician…”

She played the card, and the ankh appeared on the field. Skilled Dark Magician appeared on it. (1,900/1,700)

“And then…” she said, “I play The Sage’s Stone, to summon the main man from my deck!”

She played the card, and Dark Magician Girl’s staff glowed. Dark Magician appeared in a flash of light. (2,500/2,100)

“And like you said,” continued Yumi, “since I summoned the Monster you named, Justice’s effect is invalid.

“Dark Magician Girl, attack The Emperor! Dark burning attack!”

Dark Magician Girl fired a bolt from her scepter, and The Emperor exploded into pixels.

“And without him,” she added, “your other two Monsters return to their original levels.”

Justice fell to 2,100 Attack, and The Chariot fell to 1,700.

“Dark Magician… Attack Justice! Dark magic attack!”

Dark Magician cast his mighty spell, and the large creature cringed before exploding into particles. Cassandra shielded herself.

“Skilled Dark Magician, destroy The Chariot!”

Skilled Dark Magician fired a blast, and The Chariot burst into flames before bursting into fragments.

(Y: 200) -------------------- (C: 900)

“And I didn’t forget what happens when The Chariot is destroyed when in its inverted position,” said Yumi. “It’s Special Summoned to my side of the field…”

The Chariot appeared on Yumi’s side.

“And that means this duel is over. Chariot, attack…”

“Hold it, Yumi,” interrupted Cassandra. “You’re forgetting something.”

“What?” said Yumi.

Cassandra pointed. The card appeared above The Chariot, and started to spin.

“I still have to stop it to determine it’s effect, Yumi…” she said.

“Oh, what difference does it make?” asked Yumi. “You haven’t got a single card to protect yourself. Whether it lands upright OR inverted, I’ll attack with it and you’ll lose!”

“True,” said Cassandra, “victory is yours as far as this duel is concerned…

“But you forget the point of this duel, and you forget that The Chariot is not just a Monster Card, it is also a Tarot card. If I am to see your future correctly, I must know where it will land before you deliver the final strike.

“You came this far, Yumi… Don’t ruin it now…”

Yumi sighed, and then looked at her.

Cassandra looked up.

“Stop,” she said.

The card stopped…

It was in the upright position.

Cassandra smiled.

“Chariot, attack directly!” shouted Yumi. “Master blast!”

The Chariot blasted its guns, hitting Cassandra and knocking her over.

(Y: 200) -------------------- (C: 0)

The Monsters vanished…

Yumi walked up to the table as Cassandra got up.

She noticed that her badge was now at Blue.

“So…” she asked. “What does my future hold?”

Cassandra shuffled her deck.

Her eyes glowed again.

“It holds a great struggle, Yumi,” said Cassandra, “but the final rounds of the duel showed much.

“Dark Magician Girl represents you. Dark Magician represents your spiritual guide, the same counsel that was represented by The Hierophant.

“Allies will aid you in this conflict. They were represented by the Monsters that protected you while Dark Magician Girl struggled to come to your aid.

“And you may even find an ally from the most unlikely of places. That is what The Chariot represents. In this duel, my Monster came to your side, not once, but twice, and an ally may come to you from where you don’t expect.

“However, since The Chariot was upright before the last attack, I can assure that the help he or she gives you will be genuine.”

She showed her the Justice card.

“Follow the signs. Do not resist. Trust your insights, not your impulses. It will lead you to victory in the end…

“…and you will find the way to set the Pharaoh free…

“Find Justice…”

She smiled.

“Pleasant dreams…”

Then her eyes glowed again, with fiery light, and the whole room started to blur. Yumi felt she was falling asleep quickly. She tried to stay awake, but it was no use…

The next minute, she was back in her hotel room, sleeping soundly under the covers.

Sitting next to her on the bed was the strange woman who had been shadowing her. She removed her sunglasses and looked at Yumi.

Slowly, she placed her hand on the sleeping girl’s forehead, and Yumi smiled in her sleep.

The strange woman replaced the sunglasses, and then vanished.

After a spooky duel in a strange place, Yumi finally gets to sleep soundly, wiser for the experience. Day One is officially over. What will Day Two bring?

And to everyone reading… Want to see more of Cassandra? Let me know!



ARCANA FORCE I: THE MAGICIAN (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 4
ATK: 1,100
DEF: 1,100

Card Description: Toss one coin when this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Depending on the result of the toss, acquire one of the following effects:

Heads: During a round where at least one Spell Card is played, double this card’s base ATK until the End Phase of the turn.

Tails: During a round where at least one Spell Card is played, increase your opponent’s Life Points by 500.



ARCANA FORCE VII: THE CHARIOT (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 4
ATK: 1,700
DEF: 1,700

Card Description: Toss one coin when this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Depending on the result of the toss, acquire one of the following effects:

Heads: When this card destroys an opposing Monster as a result of battle and sends it to the Graveyard, the controller of this card Special Summons the destroyed Monster to his/her side of the field.

Tails: When this Monster is destroyed as a result of battle and sent to the
Graveyard, the controller of the Monster that destroyed it Special Summons this Monster to his/her side of the field.



ARCANA FORCE IV: THE EMPEROR (Monster Card)

Card Specs

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

Card Description: Toss one coin when this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Depending on the result of the toss, acquire one of the following effects:

Heads: Increase the ATK of all “Arcana Force” Monsters on your side of the field by 500.

Tails: Decrease the ATK of all “Arcana Force” Monsters on your side of the field by 500.



VISION (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A pair of evil-looking, hypnotic eyes surrounded by waves of red and purple.

Card Description: Pick up the top card on your deck and show it to your opponent. Then, shuffle that card into your deck. If you play that card during the course of the duel, your opponent loses 1,000 Life Points. This effect does not reoccur if a second copy of the same card is played.



SUIT OF SWORDS X (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: Ten swords driven into the ground, under a crescent moon.

Card Description: Toss one coin when this card is played. If the result is heads, destroy all Monsters on your opponent’s side of the field. If the result is tails, destroy all Monsters on your side of the field.



SELECTION OF FATE (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: Two facedown tarot cards with a hand reaching towards them.

Card Description: Your opponent chooses one card in your hand at random. If the chosen card is a Monster Card that can be Normal Summoned, Special Summon it to your side of the field.



CUP OF ACE (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A golden goblet against a cloudy sky.

Card Description: Toss one coin when this card is played. If the result is heads, draw two cards from your deck. If the result is tails, your opponent draws two cards from his/her deck.



REVERSE REBORN (Spell Card)

Equip Spell

Image: The face of Arcana Force I: The Magician, on a background composed of grey and black shapes.

Card Description: Select one “Arcana Force” Monster in your Graveyard. Special Summon the selected Monster in Attack Position and Equip it with this card. The Equipped Monster acquires its “Tails” effect. If this card is removed from the field, destroy the Equipped Monster.



ACE OF WAND (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A wand with a glowing green orb on the end.

Card Description: You can activate this card when one or more Monsters are destroyed outside of battle. Toss one coin. If the result is heads, the owner(s) of the destroyed Monster(s) gain Life Points equal to their destroyed Monster(s) combined ATK. If the result is tails, the owner(s) of the destroyed Monster(s) lose Life Points equal to their destroyed Monster(s) combined ATK.

Note: The proceeding nine cards were all used by Sartorious at various times in the second season of “Yu-Gi-Oh GX”. Creative credit goes to the writers of the episodes.



ARCANA FORCE 0: THE FOOL (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 3
ATK: 1,000
DEF: 1,000

Card Description: Toss one coin when this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Depending on the result of the toss, acquire one of the following effects:

Heads: You can destroy one of your opponent’s Spell or Trap Cards.

Tails: Your opponent can destroy one of your Spell or Trap Cards.



ARCANA FORCE XI – JUSTICE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fairy/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 6
ATK: 2,100
DEF: 2,100

Card Description: Toss one coin when this card is Normal Summoned, Flip-Summoned, or Special Summoned. Depending on the result of the toss, acquire one of the following effects:

Heads: When this card is destroyed, your opponent loses 2,000 Life Points.

Tails: When this card is destroyed, you lose 2,000 Life Points.



SPIRIT SELF (Spell Card)

Equip Spell

Image: A female gypsy meditating, while a spiritual form resembling her floats above her.

Card Description: This card can only be Equipped to an “Arcana Force” Monster. When this card is played, state the name of one Monster that can be Normal Summoned. If no copies of that Monster are in your opponent’s hand or deck, inflict 2,000 points of damage to your Life Points and destroy this card. If the named Monster is in your opponent’s hand or deck, if he/she does not summon it by the end of his third End Phase after this card is played, remove all copies of the named Monster in his/her hand and deck from play, and destroy this card. If he/she summons it by his/her third End Phase, the Monster Equipped with this card loses its effect for as long as this card is Equipped and the named Monster remains on the field.



POT OF CHARITY (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A ceramic vase with a peaceful face on the front.

Card Description: Remove one LIGHT Monster in your Graveyard from play. Draw three cards from your deck.

Note: “Pot of Charity” was created by Shuppet Master for his fic “Sister of Anansi”. Creative credit goes to him.



Ren: If Day One was that intense, I can’t wait for Day Two! Bring it on!

Chelsea: My army of the undead is ready to go.

Yumi: Patience people… I think we should just watch this duel that’s about to start for now…

Coming up next, “Rasputin Appears! Ice Age Chill”.

Something is rotten in the state of Duelatopia…

[jkBAKURA]

I love the Arcana Force theme. I think it's one of the best and most original deck theme ideas that GX ever came up with. (which really isn't saying much come to think of it.)

The chapter in itself was fairly standard. we've seen vague warning episodes that pique our interest in the anime as well. In fact, I'm reminded of "Prophesy of Shadows" way back when in "City of Souls"

Not a whole lot to mention, because this chapter deals more with the future then the present, and as such, I'll be more able to intelligently comment when the events predicted end up coming to pass.

As for the duel itself, it was obviously a friendly match. I liked it, but didn't feel the rush I got from watching the series. Maybe I'm just so used to the heart pounding live-or-die matches of Saiou...

But in either case, I look forward to more, as I said, I'm a die hard fan of the theme.

[Perfect Chaos]

Hey, haven't reviewed here in a while. Just been busy with end of the semester, so finals are bugging me pretty badly.

I never saw any of Season 2 for GX (because I don't have cable at my apartment over at uni), so I never got to see the Arcana Force cards used in the show.

However, I have to agree with jk that they really are one of the most original deck themes I've ever seen. The names are cool and the concept for each card seems a bit too balanced (if that's even possible lol).

The duel itself, while having no mal-intent, was still fun to watch, thanks again to usage of the Arcana Force cards. I, for one, would not mind at all seeing Cassandra at all for a repeat.

See you next chapter

-Sean

[Shuppet Master]

This was a really intense chapter. The way the duel swung back and forth between who would win was pretty interesting. It kept an aura of fear without the threat of death or worse.

Keep up the good work, Brian. ^_^

[Hinoryu]

Posting reviews when I see an update around 3 am is generally not a good idea, so I'll post my thoughts now.

The Arcana Force deck. While I love the cards, considering a lot of them have the Alien of Light on them, I'm not entirely sure they're 'real' cards. Perhaps cards the Wave of Light created. But I digress, they're very good.

Arcana Force 0 - The Fool. I always thought the Arcana Force needed a Fool, but I don't agree with the way his effect works, honestly. The Tarot cards are supposedly the journey of the Fool, so I would have made an effect to represent that. However, it served its purpose well.

A minor note, I believe it would be simply 'Duelmancy', without an 'o'.

All in all, though, I enjoyed it. Next chapter involves an Ice deck, it seems? That should be interesting to see.

[Dark Sage]

Hinoryu -

Yes, it is possible that the Wave of Light created Sartorious's cards. If that is the case, it may also be possible that years later, another powerful force, like the source of Cassandra's powers in the Astral Plane (as she says), created its own, more benign version of the same cards.

Not to give anything away on what Cassandra is, or her origins yet. Let's just say that she is not the typical psychic that you call using a psychic hotline.

[Inferno_Dragon]

I haven't seen all of the Society of Light series so I have only seen half of what the Arcane Force Deck can do but it is one of the most interesting decks out there. It also fits that Cassandra uses it in a duel.

Wait a second, I knew that name was familiar ... it is the name of Professor Trelawny's great great grandmother in the Harry Potter Series. We never see her but she is mentioned in one chapter.

As for Cassandra, I would like to see more of her in this fanfic. She is a pretty interesting lady.

Keep up the good work, DS!

[Dark Sage]

Before this chapter debuts, I’d like to say some words.

This chapter debuts a major character, who has a religious belief that is more common than many might think – he has none. In fact, he openly rejects such beliefs. If he worships anything, it knowledge. He has a reason, but I must keep that a secret for now.

Thus, a disclaimer.

This character is NOT, by any means, meant to represent all people who have atheistic, agnostic, or humanistic beliefs. I’m not such a person myself (I won’t tell you what faith I belong to) but I have friends who are, and they are decent people, even if I disagree with them on that matter. Just because you don’t follow any religion doesn’t mean you can’t be a decent person.

If you choose not to follow any religion, please do not be offended by this character. I did not design him to illustrate my own views to the contrary, or my disapproval towards such attitudes.

Now that I’ve taken care of that unpleasant business…

CHAPTER ELEVEN



Rasputin Appears!



Ice Age Chill

It was seven AM, the morning of Day Two.

Sheena Arachne walked onto the bridge, holding a cup of coffee.

“What’s the status so far?” she asked a technician.

“Two hundred and eleven guests are still in the running,” he answered. “So far, seven guests are at Blue status, but none beyond that.

“You might be interested in knowing… One of the guests at Blue is Ms. Mouto, and another is your daughter.”

Sheena smirked.

“It doesn’t surprise me…” she said. “Keep me informed of any changes…”

* * * * * * * * * *

Ren, Chelsea, and Yumi were sitting at an open-air café eating croissants and orange juice, while Yumi related her spooky duel with the fortuneteller last night. Ren looked in an Industrial Illusions catalogue.

“So…” he said, pouring through the ‘A’ section, “you said the names of these Monsters all started with ‘Arcana Force’?”

“That’s what I said,” replied Yumi.

“Well…” said Ren, looking at a page, “this catalogue was released this May, and I can’t find them in here anywhere. They must have been custom cards of some sort… This Cassandra woman clearly wasn’t your typical duelist.”

“That’s not entirely new to me, Ren,” muttered Yumi. “Most fortunetellers are just charlatans who want to make money… This one, though… I think her powers were real…”

She looked out onto the street.

“Somewhere in this big city, something is lurking, waiting to strike, and I have a feeling we’re gonna be caught in the middle of it…”

“So...” replied Ren. “Do we go looking for it, or do we wait for it to walk right up to us?”

There was a long pause.

“Hey,” said Chelsea, “is that Marlon?”

They looked over, and saw Marlon at the next table, talking to a slightly younger man. He was holding a small object in his hands.

“It seems… Egyptian in nature…” said Marlon, looking at the small disk, “and was likely an amulet of some sort, although the chain is long gone. Most of the hieroglyphs are strange to me, but the symbol in the center is clearly the Eye of Wdjat… A very popular symbol of magic, I believe…”

Yumi perked up. Marlon had found something with the Eye of Wdjat on it?

She glanced at her Puzzle.

Yumi got up, but before she could go over, three figures approached Marlon’s table.

Two of them were Nicholas and Olga, even though Yumi and her group hadn’t seen them yet…

The third was a man who seemed to be around forty. He was dressed in an outfit that resembled a smoking jacket, made of expensive material, with designer slacks and loafers. Most remarkably, his face sported a full black beard, long, but neatly trimmed and combed, with ample hair on his head.

“Marlon Farnsworth, I presume?” said the strange man.

He had one of those strange accents that made it impossible to tell where he was from.

“I am…” said Marlon. “And you are?”

“Well, my full name is Rasputin Arthur Graham Carlisle Lamont the 3rd,” said the man, holding out his hand. “Simply call me Rasputin, it’s much easier to remember…”

“I see…” muttered Marlon. “Not the most… respectable name…”

“Mmm, yes…” said Rasputin with a shrug. “It was the name of a Russian advisor to the Czar who was a bit of a scoundrel, but, eh, you can’t exactly choose your names…

“I knew a man who actually changed his family name. He thought the name Gore would have been bad for business… He was a butcher…

“I’ve considered changing mine… but it takes money that I’d rather spend elsewhere…

“Oh, where are my manners? These are my two protégés… Nicholas, and Olga.”

He pointed to the two teenagers. The two of them nervously waved.

“So what can I do for you mister… ah, Rasputin?” replied Marlon.

“I couldn’t help but take interest in that amulet you found,” said Rasputin, looking at the strange artifact. “You see, Mr. Farnsworth, like you, I’m an archaeologist of sorts, but I tend to study old cultures rather than old fossils. I travel a lot… Most recently, I’ve been operating out of Copenhagen…”

“Really?” asked Marlon, perking up. “I’ve been to Copenhagen. The Arken Museum of Modern Art is quite a place.”

“Indeed,” said Rasputin. “May I ask where you found that?”

“Believe it or not, I found it in a pile of coal,” said Marlon. “It caught my eye as I passed by this morning.”

Yumi rubbed her chin as she watched this…

She saw the Pharaoh watching next to her.

“Marlon…” said Rasputin, “mind if I call you Marlon?”

“Not at all,” he replied.

“I collect such artifacts,” said Rasputin. “If we had met elsewhere I might offer a decent check for it… But since we’re both guests of this tournament, what would you say to a duel with a wager?”

“I’m listening…” replied Marlon.

Rasputin took a card out of his jacket.

“I’m willing to ante this up against that amulet. It’s quite rare…”

Marlon stared at it. Yumi tried to look, but she couldn’t see it.

“I say…” muttered Marlon. “That IS quite rare!”

He looked at the amulet.

“I suppose I might even enjoy it,” he said. “Jolly good then…”

As he stood up, Nicholas and Olga went over to where Yumi’s group was sitting.

“Mind if we join you?” asked Nicholas. “His duels are always interesting to watch…”

“Perhaps…” said Yumi.

The Pharaoh looked at her and shook his head.

But I can’t shake the feeling that something is rotten in the state of Denmark… she thought.

* * * * * * * * * *

Marlon and Rasputin faced each other on the street beside the café. Their Disks activated.

“Game on!” they both said at once.

(Marlon: 8,000) -------------------- (Rasputin: 8,000)

“All right old boy…” said Marlon, drawing his first card.

He looked over his first hand.

“To start, I’ll place two cards facedown, and one Monster in Defense Mode…”

Two facedown cards and a facedown Monster appeared.

“Ho boy…” said Chelsea. “Looks like he’s gonna play the same trick he used on you, Yumi.”

“Well, let’s see what we have here,” said Rasputin, drawing his first card.

He took one of them.

“I play the Spell Card, Nobleman of Crossout.”

He played the card, and an effeminate knight in armor with a sword appeared. He stabbed into the facedown Monster, and it shattered.

“Good grief!” shouted Ren.

“So much for that strategy,” said Chelsea.

“Next…” continued Rasputin, “I’ll summon my Ice Knight.”

He played a card, and a knight in bulky armor that was seemingly made of entirely of ice and a cape made of white fur, carrying a sword made of dull metal appeared. (1,300/1,200)

“This Monster gains 400 Attack Points for every Aqua-Type Monster on the field,” he explained. “And that includes himself, incidentally.”

Ice Knight rose to an Attack of 1,700.

“Well, let’s see…” he said. “I could attack… But those facedown cards are a concern, so I think I’ll just end my turn.”

“Suit yourself…” said Marlon, drawing a card.

He looked at it.

“I summon my Sabersaurus to the field!” he exclaimed.

With a rumbling, the huge armored Dinosaur appeared, and roared. (1,900/500)

“Crush his Ice Knight!” he shouted. “Tusk trample!”

Sabersaurus charged, and smashed Ice Knight into little pieces. Rasputin cringed…

(M: 8,000) -------------------- (R: 7,800)

“Not bad…” said Rasputin, drawing a card. “Easy come, easy go I guess… But it’s far from over…”

He played a card.

“I play Premature Burial. I simply have to relinquish 800 Life Points, and my Ice Knight returns.”

The ground cracked, and Ice Knight rose out of the ground. (1,300/1,200) –> (1,700/1,200)

“And next…” he continued, “I sacrifice him to summon forth his master… Farwell, my Ice Knight…”

Ice Knight shattered into shards of crystal…

“I summon Mobius the Frost Monarch!”

A chilling wind seemed to blow over the whole field, as a huge form, best described as a fifteen-foot-tall giant sculpted out of ice wearing a purple cape rose behind Rasputin. His cape fluttered in the chilling wind that surrounded him. (2,400/1,000)

“And simply by summoning him,” continued Rasputin, “I can destroy your two facedown cards.”

Mobius breathed a blast of freezing vapor. Marlon’s two facedown cards lifted up, revealed to be Fossil Excavation and Widespread Ruin. They froze solid, and then shattered.

“I’m hardly done…” said Rasputin. “Next, I play a Spell Card… Called Mobius’s Palace.”

He fit the card into his Disk, and with a rumble, a huge palace made of ice crystal rose up behind him, glimmering in the morning light. The whole arena started to ice over.

“A powerful Spell Card,” he said. “It can only exist so long as Mobius is on the field, but when it does, all Beasts, Beast-Warriors, Winged Beasts, Plants, and Dinosaurs lose 500 Attack Points.”

Sabersaurus groaned, and fell to an Attack of 1,400.

“Now Mobius, attack!” shouted Rasputin. “Blizzard blight!”

Mobius breathed forth a cone of chilling frost, and Sabersaurus was frozen solid in a block of ice. It shattered into little pieces.

(M: 7,000) -------------------- (R: 7,000)

Ren turned to Olga.

“Your dad sure can duel,” he said. “He…”

“Rasputin’s not my dad,” Olga quickly said.

“Oh… uh… okay…” muttered Ren.

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

“That will do it for my turn…” he said.

Marlon drew a card. He looked at it.

“My Trap Card activates,” exclaimed Rasputin, as his facedown card lifted. “It’s called Mobius’s Glacier. This card needs Mobius’s Palace to exist, but it further inconveniences the Monsters the first card effects. Those Monsters can’t attack, and can’t be set in Defense Mode.”

“This is not a coincidence, Yumi,” said the Pharaoh. “Rasputin’s deck is specially designed to counter a deck like Marlon’s. He must want that artifact pretty badly…

“The question is… why?”

“Well, let’s see what we can do about that,” said Marlon. “I play… Pot of Greed.”

He played the card, and then drew twice.

“Since I can’t defend, I’ll go on the offensive,” he said. “I summon Balloon Lizard.”

He played the card, and a large creature appeared, floating in the air. It resembled an alligator, but its torso was spherical and bloated, similar to… a balloon. (500/1,900)

“Interesting…” said Rasputin. “But all for naught. I’ll destroy it before its effect becomes a serious issue.”

“I wasn’t intending to use its effect,” said Marlon, taking a card from his hand. “Let me share with you a common theory among paleontologists. Most folks say that dinosaurs were an evolutionary step up from common lizards, who were in turn a step up from amphibians. In a sense, ordinary cold-blooded reptiles evolved into dinosaurs, who many believe were warm-blooded, more like birds.

“This Spell Card is called Ultra Evolution Pill. What it does is speed up the evolutionary process. So if I used it on a Reptile, like this one, it might turn into a Dinosaur, now wouldn’t it?”

He played the card.

“So I use it to sacrifice my Balloon Lizard…”

The Reptile vanished in a burst of energy.

“To summon Black Tyranno from my hand!”

A huge, carnivorous Dinosaur, standing bipedal with dark skin arose, and gave a primal roar. (2,600/1,800)

Then the ice froze it to the ground, and its Attack fell to 2,100.

“I’ll place this facedown,” said Marlon, placing a card in his Disk, “and end my turn.”

Rasputin drew a card.

“I summon my second Ice Knight,” he said.

Another Ice Knight appeared. (1,300/1,200)

“And then,” he said, “I bring back the first with the power of Monster Reborn.”

He played the card, and the ankh appeared. Another Ice Knight materialized.

“And with three Aquas on the field,” he said, “they both have 2,500 Attack Points.

“Mobius, attack the Black Tyranno!”

“Hold it right there, old sport,” said Marlon. “I had a Trap ready…”

His facedown card lifted.

“Zero Gravity,” he said. “Now all Monsters on the field switch Modes.”

Mobius and the two Ice Knights crouched in Defense Mode, as did Black Tyranno, but the Dinosaur was quickly moved back into Attack Mode by the Glacier.

“Fine…” said Rasputin. “I end my turn then. You still can’t attack…”

Marlon drew.

“Oh, I can’t can I?” he said. “I play the Spell Card, Shield Crush!”

He played the card.

“Now I can destroy one Monster who’s in Defense Mode. Time to break the ice, so to speak. I target Mobius!”

A beam of energy shot from the card, and Mobius groaned as cracks started to appear all over him. He shattered into little pieces of ice.

“Mobius…” moaned Rasputin. “Smashed into pieces… like common cocktail ice…”

“That means his Palace goes too…” said Marlon.

The Palace blew into pieces, and Black Tyranno rose to its normal 2,600 Attack.

“…and like a chain reaction, that means the Glacier is gone as well.”

The Trap Card shattered, and the ice trapping Black Tyranno melted.

“And since the only cards you now have on the field are Monsters in Defense Mode,” continued Marlon, “Black Tyranno not only can attack now, he can do so directly!”

Black Tyranno charged, causing the ground to tremble, and stomped with its mighty foot.

Rasputin groaned and held his head…

“Ugh…” he said. “That was… unpleasant…”

(M: 7,000) -------------------- (R: 4,400)

“I’ll place a card facedown and end my turn,” said Marlon, fitting his last card into his Disk. “It’s your move…”

Rasputin drew one card. He gave it an odd look.

He placed it in his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

“Your move…” he said.

Marlon drew a card.

“Well…” he said. “With that facedown card there, Black Tyranno can’t attack directly, but I can still take care of your Knights.”

His facedown card lifted.

“I activate Call of the Haunted.”

The ground rumbled, and Sabersaurus clawed its way out of the ground. (1,900/500)

“Both of you…” he ordered. “Take down his Ice Knights!”

Sabersaurus charged, and smashed one of the Ice Knights to pieces. Black Tyranno charged and stomped the other one flat.

“Thank you…” said Rasputin, with a sinister smirk. “As a paleontologist, you surely know about another theory, Marlon… About how a catastrophic event caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, like, say perhaps, a meteorite crashing to Earth…”

“Well, yes, that’s a very common theory, but…” replied Marlon.

Then his eyes opened wide.

“Wait… Your facedown card…”

“Yes…” said Rasputin, as his facedown card lifted. “It’s the one I wagered, and I can activate it since I have fewer Life Points than you do…

“Jurassic Impact!”

The sky turned red, and a swarm of fireballs fell from above.

“Hit the dirt!” shouted Ren.

Everyone gasped in horror, as the meteorites crashed onto the arena, the two Dinosaurs howled, and were blown to atoms.

It wasn’t over yet. The whole arena had been turned to a volcanic wasteland, covered with molten lava.

“This is a hologram, right?” asked Ren, nervously.

“The cataclysm it causes not only kills all Monsters on the field,” said Rasputin, “but the owners of the destroyed Monsters lose 1,000 Life Points for each. Plus, the arena becomes so inhospitable to life that no Monsters can be summoned or set for one of each of our turns.”

“Fine…” muttered Marlon. “I’m ending this turn…”

(M: 5,000) -------------------- (R: 4,400)

“Then I draw…” said Rasputin.

He looked at the card he had drawn.

“Pass…” he said.

Marlon drew. He shook his head as he looked at the card.

“I pass as well…” he said.

“I guess there isn’t much they could do…” said Chelsea. “Without being able to summon… That was a powerful Trap. No wonder Marlon accepted the wager.”

The lava cooled, and became a rocky surface again.

Rasputin drew again.

“Well…” he said. “I can summon again, but to summon this lass, I need to remove Mobius from play.”

The card fell out of his discard slot, and he placed it inside his jacket.

“So I summon Tara the Ice Princess.”

He placed the card on his Disk, and a coldly beautiful princess with icy skin and hair, dressed in a skimpy fur bikini and white fur cloak appeared. A chilling wind blew around her. She didn’t seem at all like she was dressed for cold weather, but she was an Ice Princess... maybe that was the whole point. (2,000/800)

“And by the way,” said Rasputin, “she has the same ability as Mobius, but she can use it every round.

“Attack directly!”

Tara blew a chilling gust at Marlon. He shielded himself, but shivered under the intense cold…

(M: 3,000) -------------------- (R: 4,400)

“I say…” said Marlon. “When this is over, I might need some brandy to ward off this chill…”



Continued…