Yu-Gi-Oh! The Thousand Year Door (Act Two)

[Master of Paradox]

Shuppet Master: I'm pretty sure it's actually spelled "Judgment".

And once again, I have bad luck with girls named Raven. At this rate, one will be involved in my death.

Sorry, DS, but Raven's still an irritating, self-satisfied, aggravating insert-demeaning-term-here. Her playing the Dark Scorpions makes me feel bad for them. Her opponent was fairly interesting, though - I think most of us expected Hysteric Angel/Fairy. I know I did.

The duel would have made up for this, but I hate the fake Dark Scorpions. Hate them beyond all reason. At least that's their swan song. (Interesting, though, to see a non-Sanctuary Fairy deck.)

Did I like anything? Well... I did like Saturn's little speech complaining about her type name. How they got from "Angel" to "Fairy" still puzzles me.

The next chapter doesn't look very promising, either. Oy...

[Dark Sage]

It's a little early for New Year's but I'd like to make a resolution anyway.

I, Brian Corvello, promise never to make another new fanfic Monster Card featuring a new member of the Dark Scorpions ever again. Nor will I use any of the three I have already created ever again.

To further fulfill this resolution, I am putting another restriction on anyone who uses my work. No one is allowed to use Dark Sorpion Shanna the Quick, Dark Scorpion Fandral the Dashing, or Dark Scorpion Tornas the Joker in their own fanfic. They are off limits.

Raven or another character might reference them in a future chapter, but I give you my word... they will never be summoned in a duel again.

You can't mess with the originals.

- DS

[starjake]

Oh, for Pete's sake, Brian, don't bash your own creations just because MoP doesn't like them. Don't let someon else' opinion dictate your own! I like the new Dark Scorpion members, and you're not messing with the originals by creating new team members. And, no, I'm not saying this to 'free up' your creations so I can use them; I currently have no plans to use a Dark Scorpion deck in my fic. I just think it's silly to get rid of something you created just because someone else doesn't like it.

[Dark Sage]

Well, Randy, personally, I think creating them was a big mistake too. I just don't like them.

Why did I have Raven make it to the finals then? Well, I have my reasons.

[jkBAKURA]

Hey, Long time no see. I haven't been able to do more then read for a while, so I'll make this one count.

First and foremost, going strong and good work. Things could have been better, but I think our well known critic MoP is going a bit far.

I do have to agree on the original scorpions though. For one thing, with the support cards now, five seems the correct number to include. For those who must make more, certain guidelines must be followed. For example, one of the great things is the talents and personalities for each member. If there isn't a role for them to play, don't make them.

Second, I was shocked when none of your originals had a choice of effect when doing damage, they all had one standerd (and if I may be so bold unrelated) effect.

With all of the flaws pointed out at Raven's last appearance, I was able to enjoy the duel as it was. It did seem to end abruptly, and I would have bet money on Zerato's appearance. Still full of suprises.

With the previous returns of old rivals, I am expecting a sub-par coming next. It would be fabulous if I was proven wrong though. It would not be the first time.

[Shuppet Master]

Well, you can bury your creations(I came up with those new Dark Scorpions, but Brian altered their names and effects), but I like the Dark Scorpions to create my own and screw what Master of Paradox says! :p

(Bolt of lightning strikes me.)

Ayaih!

Anyways, Brian, since you destroyed your own Dark Scorpion monsters, may I make a suggestion? If you are going to destroy everything else connected to the Dark Scorpions you made up, how about using a GX card that is used later in the series. It's called "Dark Scorpion's Retreat" and has a special effect I can't say here.

[Mystic_clown]

Hmm, the chapter was alright, although, personally, I wanted Raven to loose. How come people whom have only commited the sin of being jack-asses *cough*Poison*cough*Jackson*cough* get sent to the grave yard, but she gets off scott-free?

Anyway, If you want to destroy your creations Brian, go ahead, but I think you took it a bit too far Paradox.

[Master of Paradox]

Everyone's saying he's "destroying" his creations. How can you destroy something that isn't there to begin with?

Besides, the false Dark Scorpions (pardon the term) aren't destroyed. They still exist in the two Raven duels so far. They simply will not be seen again - more "banned" than "destroyed".

[Silencer]

I'm linking all chapters. Some a bit more then others. 1 thing that annoys me though is something like this

"Now my monster will get to pick something from your graveyard"

Monster wisphers something in the duelists ears

"Oh what a great idea. You always have the best ideas"

...

I hated it the first time pegasus did it and I hate it everytime somebody does it. It just pointless. Why not just say.

"Now I get to retrieve a card from your graveyard."

Or if you really want to involve the monster.

"Now my monster bring me that card."

It's just annoying, seriously (atleast that's what I think).
Pegasus did it out of mockery because it suits him. But most other duelist just come over like copycats if they do it.

[Shuppet Master]

Ah, don't worry, Silencerf. I promise that I won't do that in my stories(of course, I don't use cards like Dark Scorpion Pilfer often ). Pegasus is one of my favorite eccentric characters because he's the father of Toon monsters and he acts weird, even when not insane. (Play Nightmare Troubadour for the DS and get into a Shadow Game with him, and you know what I mean.)

If I did do it, the guy who uses the card would be the epitome of annoying(like "I'm gonna rip your #*#*ing face off if you don't shut up!" annoying) and would be hated or at best intolerated by everyone else, even his superiors, and would either stop his ways or die a horrible painful death. Mwa ha ha...

[Dark Sage]

Well everyone, time for a new chapter.

This chapter may be short, but I promise the next will be longer.

So enjoy.

- Brian

[Dark Sage]

[B][I]I like the Amazons… But up until the time I came to Monster Island, I thought that legends like the story of The Unfriendly Amazon were just fairy tales that some duelist who happened to be a writer made up…

Turned out I was wrong. Shortly after I met Stan and Andy, the real thing showed up gunning for me. She affirmed my story, and showed a great hatred of true Amazons, like the ones in my deck. Naturally, she hates anyone who uses them… people like me.

I thought I was done with her – but now she’s back, and she’s gunning for revenge with a whole new strategy.

I hope I can take her out again… That Skill Drain deck of hers was rather rough.

But I’m not a coward. If I can’t stand up to her, I’ll never defeat the Shadow Queen…

[B][size=3]CHAPTER FORTY-TWO



Girl Power

The Shadow Spawn had certainly seen better days.

They knew that the images of Joey Wheeler and Seto Kaiba in front of them were only phantasms (none of them had the guts to face Yugi yet), but that didn’t make being smashed by them any less embarrassing.

Their mother had left them alone for the time being, and Melissa was trying her luck against Kaiba. She had been waiting to face him for years so she could steal his three Blue-Eyes…

And right now, it seemed like that dream was a long way off…

“Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!” shouted “Kaiba”. “Attack The Creator!”

Melissa cringed as The Creator was blasted into shards.

“Blue-Eyes!” shouted Kaiba. “Attack her directly!”

Melissa screamed as a bolt of White Lightning ripped through her, and her Life Points fell to nothing.

She fell on her back, and smoke rose from her clothing…

“Pathetic,” said her opponent. “Even Wheeler gave me a better challenge than that…”

“Kaiba” vanished.

“Bravo,” said Kurtis, clapping. “Encore!”

“Hey…” groaned Melissa, “I brought his Life Points down more than you could…”

“Yeah,” he responded. “You brought them down to 7,000 instead of 7,500…”

“People, this is embarrassing,” sighed Maria. “We’ve each lost by shutout at least once…”

“Twice here,” groaned Leopold.

“We’d have the advantage if we could do it our way…” sighed Tyson.

Vladimir stared at him.

“Tyson,” he stated. “These duelists are non-living doppelgangers. They may be able to talk and even insult us, but they’re actually mindless, with no more real souls than a player piano. ‘Our way’, as you put it, can only be done against living, sentient opponents.”

“I guess…” muttered Tyson.

Melissa smirked.

“Hey, Vladimir…” she chuckled. “You claim to be the best one of us… I dare you to take on Yugi!”

Vladimir drew back.

“Why?” he asked. “Mom was planning on dueling him personally.”

“Aw, are you afraid to go up against the King of Games?” asked Melissa.

Vladimir’s eyes narrowed.

He stepped up to where Melissa had been.

“Present Yugi Mouto,” he ordered.

A light flashed, and the intimidating form of Yugi Mouto appeared in front of him…

A light shone from the Millennium Puzzle…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Half an hour earlier…

In the arena where Stan had dueled The End of Anubis, the three partners still were no closer to proceeding.

“I guess one of us should pull a lever next,” said Andy to Francesca.

Francesca sighed.

“I’ll do it, baby,” she said.

She went to the lever with her name on it, and threw it down.

The door on the right slowly opened…

A tall figure walked out…

Francesca gasped. She recognized her immediately…

“The Unfriendly Amazon!” she shouted.

“Hello Fran,” scowled the Amazon. “So good to see you again.”

“What do you want?” asked Fran. “You want your butt kicked again?”

The Amazon growled.

“Thanks to you Fran,” she replied, “the Queen buried me for what seemed to be an age. But she can be generous – she gave me another chance. I’m not going to lose to you this time.

“And once I defeat you, you’ll be the one who’s tucked away in the Graveyard, and I’ll get what I wanted all along… Namely your deck.”

“WHAT?” exclaimed Francesca, nearly laughing. “What do you want my cards for? I thought you hated the Amazons!”

“I do!” snapped The Unfriendly Amazon.

She paused.

“Perhaps it hasn’t kicked in yet,” she said, “but the Shadow Queen can enchant cards and bring them to life. Once I defeat you, she’s promised to do exactly that to the Monsters in your deck… And then force them to serve as my slaves. I’ll finally be able to enact my revenge by dominating them!

“They’ll suffer forever…”

“You’re insane…” scowled Francesca.

“We’re all a little insane, Fran,” chuckled the Amazon, “and you’ll either duel me, or you and your friends will never leave this arena…”

She drew her sword.

“…at least not in one piece…”

Francesca sighed.

“Fine…” she said.

“Fran…” warned Andy, “be careful. “You know she plays a Skill Drain deck, and most of your Monsters are powerless without their effects…”

“Then I’ll just have to be really careful, Andy,” replied Francesca.

Fools, thought the Amazon. Little do they know, I’m now using a completely different deck. I’ll take Francesca completely by surprise…

Francesca faced her foe, and the two activated their Disks.

“Now choose your Deckmaster,” chuckled the Amazon. “As you can see, I’m my own… And I can guarantee my powers will be better than any you have!”

Fran looked through her deck.

Her eyes caught sight of her most powerful Monster.

Heh, why not? she thought.

She held the card up.

“My Deckmaster is Guardian Angel Joan!” she shouted.

A flash of light appeared, and the lovely form of Joan appeared beside her.

“Now let’s duel…” dared Francesca.

Then she heard an enchanting, musical voice behind her.

“Francesca,” said Guardian Angel Joan’s telepathic voice. ”Fear not, for I will stand behind you and help you vanquish this evil creature. My power of Resurrection is incredibly potent…”

“Resurrection?” asked Fran. “How does that work?”

”If you simply discard one card and pay 500 Life Points, I can revive a four-star or lower Monster, chosen at random, from your Graveyard,” answered Joan. ”But be careful, because I cannot use this ability to revive the same Monster twice.”

“Okay,” answered Francesca. “That sounds good…”

“All right Francesca,” chuckled The Amazon, making a draw. “I’ll start this thing off…”

She added the card to her hand.

“Okay…” she chuckled. “I’ll place one card facedown…”

She played a card, and it appeared.

“And now I’ll summon Etoile Cyber in Attack Mode!”

She placed a card down, and a tall form appeared. It was a thin woman dressed in a colorful blue and red bodysuit decorated with ribbons, with gorgeous, flowing, chestnut hair. She spun a pirouette and then turned to face Francesca. (1,200/1,600)

“That will be my turn,” chuckled The Amazon.

Etoile Cyber? thought Francesca, making a draw. Who the heck is that?

She looked at her hand.

Her facedown card is likely her Skill Drain… But Getsu Fuhma can handle that gal without her effect…

She threw a card down.

“I summon Getsu Fuhma in Attack Mode!” she shouted.

The redheaded Warrior of Darkness appeared, holding her katana aloft. (1,700/1,200)

“A new one?” chuckled The Amazon.

“Uh huh,” answered Francesca. “And unless you have any Fiends or Zombies in your deck, she doesn’t care about your Skill Drain! Getsu Fuhma, attack her Etoile Cyber!”

Getsu Fuhma lifted her sword and leapt forward…

“I activate Mirror Wall!” shouted The Amazon.

Francesca gasped as a wall of glass sprang up! Getsu Fuhma’s blade struck the glass, and her Attack Score was reduced to 850!

“Etoile Cyber, counter-attack!” shouted The Amazon.

Etoile Cyber spun around and delivered a kick to Getsu Fuhma, smashing her apart!

Francesca’s Life Points fell to 7,650.

“All right, you win round one…” muttered Francesca.

“Of course,” chuckled the Amazon, making a draw.

“I’ll pay 2,000 Life Points to keep my Trap in place…”

Her Life Points fell to 6,000.

“What’s she thinking?” asked Andy. “That’s an expensive Trap to keep…”

“Now I’ll place a card facedown,” said The Amazon with a grin, placing a card.

The card appeared.

“And now that you have no Monsters to defend you, I can attack you directly with Etoile Cyber,” she continued. “And when she makes a direct attack, her Attack Score increases by 600 points!”

Etoile Cyber spun her pirouette and her Attack rose to 1,800. Francesca grunted as the Warrior kicked her in the stomach.

Her Life Points fell further, to 5,850.

“I warn you, Francesca,” sneered The Amazon. “You haven’t even seen the beginning of my new strategy…”

“You can’t keep hiding behind that Mirror Wall forever,” gasped Francesca. “It’s my draw…”

She made a draw.

“I activate my Trap!” shouted The Amazon.

Her Trap Card lifted.

“It’s a handy Continuous Trap called Life Absorbing Machine!” she declared. “What does it do? You’ll see on my next turn!”

“Wonderful,” muttered Francesca. “I’ll summon Amazoness Swords Woman in Attack Mode…”

She placed a card down, and the scantily clad Warrior with her huge sword appeared. (1,500/1,600)

The Warrior sneered at The Unfriendly Amazon.

“What was it you said about this one?” asked Francesca. “Didn’t you say she was the one who argued the loudest for having you thrown out of the tribe?”

The Amazon frowned.

“Yeah,” she said, “and once the Queen gives life to your deck, I’m going to torture her the most!”

“It’s your move…” growled Francesca.

I’ll never let you enslave my Amazons… she thought. I won’t let you win this duel…

The Unfriendly Amazon drew.

Good, she thought. My combo is two-thirds complete…

“First, my Life Absorbing Machine restores my Life Points by half of what I paid last turn,” she announced.

Her Life Points went up to 7,000.

“Then I’ll pay 2,000 again, to keep the Mirror Wall…”

They went down to 5,000.

“And finally, I’ll summon Blade Skater in Attack Mode!”

A flash of light appeared on the field, and a figure actually skated into view. It was a female in a silvery bodysuit, with a bald head, wearing ice skates and two sharp blades on her forearms. (1,400/1,500)

“This gal is lighter on her feet than Michelle Kwan on her best day!” laughed The Amazon.

“Big deal…” replied Francesca. “She still can’t defeat Swords Woman. And what’s with the dancers and figure skaters? Aren’t they a little… effeminate for someone who’s supposed to be as tough as you are?”

“That’s the whole idea…” snarled the Amazon, with an evil glare.

Fran didn’t like that look.

“The Amazons who banished me take pride in being so tough and rugged…” she snarled. “So in this duel, I’m going to humiliate them and you with a female Warrior who’s much more cultured!

“And as soon as I draw the right card, you’ll see her true power!

“Now make your move…”

Francesca drew.

Perfect… she thought.

“Time to use my Field Magic Card,” she announced.

The Unfriendly Amazon chuckled.

“Hate to break this to you,” she replied, “but Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater are both Earth Monsters. Your Gaia Power will benefit them too…”

“This isn’t Gaia Power,” answered Francesca, opening her Field slot.

She placed a card in it.

“Time to bring us… to Themyscira!”

A blinding flash of light pervaded the arena, and the surroundings changed. Before everyone’s eyes, they were standing in what best could be described as… paradise. It was a beautiful, lush rain forest, unspoiled and pure, with sparkling waterfalls. Ancient temples of strange architecture surrounded them.

“Since you were once an Amazon yourself,” chuckled Francesca, “I’m sure you’ve heard of Themyscira… maybe when you were young, and being trained? The ancestral home of the Amazons? It is said that an Amazon who dies heroically in battle will be welcomed into this paradise… That pretty much leaves you out.

“And because this is their true home, all Amazons gain a 500-point bonus to both their Attack and Defense Score!”

Amazoness Swords Woman rose to (2,000/2,100)

“Your move…

The Amazon snarled as she drew.

“Yes…” she chuckled as she looked at it. “Now my combo is complete…”

“First I’ll gain 1,000 Life Points from Life Absorbing Machine,” she stated.

Her Life Points rose to 6,000.

“Then I’ll deactivate my Mirror Wall, so I don’t lose any more.”

The Trap Card vanished.

“And now I play… Polymerization!”

She fit the card into a slot. Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater started to dance up a storm…

A flash of light consumed them, and from out of the flash, a new figure appeared. It was a female in a red and purple spandex suit, with flowing black hair, and red shades. She wore ice skates and had spiked protrusions on her shoulders.

“I summon Cyber Blader!” laughed The Amazon.

(2,100/800)

“Now I’ll place a card facedown,” she continued.

She played a card, and it appeared.

“That will be my turn,” chuckled The Amazon.

“Fine…” stated Francesca.

She drew a card.

Waboku… she thought.

“I’ll place a card facedown, and that will be all…” she stated.

She fit a card into a slot, and it appeared.

“Stan,” muttered Andy. “You ever hear of Cyber Blader?”

“No…” answered Stan. “Somehow I doubt that she’s good news…”

The Amazon drew.

“Cyber Blader,” she ordered, “attack Amazoness Swordswoman with whirlwind rage!”

Cyber Blader spun into a furious pirouette and hurtled towards Swords Woman…

“I activate Waboku!” shouted Francesca.

Her Trap Card lifted.

“Oh, will you?” answered the Amazon. “I activate my Trap Jammer!”

Her own Trap Card lifted, and the Waboku card shattered.

Cyber Blader plowed into Swords Woman, and she was blown to shards.

“That may have cost me a few Life Points,” sighed The Amazon, as her Life Points fell to 5,900, “but I just couldn’t resist a chance to destroy her… It was so… therapeutic.”

“Keep yakkin’, you sorry excuse for an Amazon,” snarled Francesca.

She made a draw.

Perfect, she thought. That was just what I needed…

“I summon Amazoness Fighter in Attack Mode!” she shouted.

The muscular Warrior appeared. (1,500/1,300) –> (2,000/1,800)

“And now,” stated Francesca, “I’ll Equip her with The Girdle of Hippolyta!”

She placed a card in a slot, and the golden belt formed around the Fighter’s waist, bringing her Attack up to 2,800.

“Now she’s strong enough to defeat your dancer!” stated Francesca. “Fighter, attack!”

Amazoness Fighter leapt forward and aimed a kick at Cyber Blader…

She hit the Warrior in the gut…

Cyber Blader let out a groan of pain, but when Amazoness Fighter fell back, she was still there!

The Unfriendly Amazon chuckled… Her Life Points fell to 5,200.

“Wha?” asked Francesca. “How did she survive?”

“That’s one of Cyber Blader’s powers,” chuckled the Amazon. “When my opponent has exactly one Monster on the field, she can’t be destroyed in battle!

“And you haven’t seen anything yet…”



Continued…

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



As usual, the Shadow Queen was watching with Grodus.

“Perfect,” said the Queen. “With our arsenal of rare cards, my it’s only a matter of time before my servants bring down those kids…”

“Uhm, your majesty,” asked Grodus, “if I may ask a question…”

“Shoot,” answered the Queen.

“Where exactly did we get all these rare cards?” he asked. “Every duelist in your employ seems to have them…”

The Queen chuckled…

“We got them the easiest way we could, Grodus,” she answered. “We bought them.”

“Uh, bought them?” asked Grodus. “Even we aren’t that rich…”

The Queen chuckled.

“Lesson number one of business, Grodus,” she replied. “Always be on the lookout for great bargains… Let me tell you a story…”

“Marik Ishtar once sought to usurp the power of the Pharaoh… And in his quest, he became the leader of a criminal organization called the Rare Hunters.

“The Rare Hunters stole and otherwise illegally obtained the rarest Duel Monsters cards, selling some of them on the black market, while keeping the best for themselves. As you can imagine, they had powerful decks, even though some of them had weak strategies.

“Anyway, Marik made a lot of mistakes. Eventually, the dark spirit within him took complete control of him. When Yugi eventually defeated the dark side, Marik’s soul was healed, and he decided to start a new life…

“A peaceful one, with his sister and his foster brother…

“But he had a lot of cleaning up to do first. He had to disband the Rare Hunters and get a lot of guilt off his conscience. He gave them all an ultimatum – either hand over their ill-gotten cards or be turned over to the authorities. They didn’t have a choice.

“Marik knew that returning the cards to the original owners would be too difficult. So he decided on a better way to get the weight off him. He’d have an intermediary sell them at the next Duel Monsters convention, for five percent of the legitimate market value, and then give every cent of the proceeds to charity.

“Of course, everyone running the event thought that the seller was nuts, but it was his choice.

“I found out about it of course – it was publicly advertised. So I sent several duelist – my kids among them – to get all they could carry…

“And we walked away with a king’s ransom in rare cards that we had bought for relative peanuts.

“Like I said, always take advantage of a bargain…”

She chuckled again. Then she sighed.

“And we owe it all to Marik…” she pondered. “Too bad he, his sister, and his foster brother are three of the duelists we’re going to have to take care of once we leave this place. We can’t have any duelists of that caliber able to threaten us…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

”Francesca,” urged Joan, ”Don’t give up hope yet… No Monster is indestructible… I’m sure that Cyber Blader has a weakness…”

“Yeah…” muttered Francesca with a smirk. “And I think I know what it is…

“She said that her Cyber Blader can’t be destroyed in battle if I had exactly one Monster on the field… So if I have two she loses that power!”

”Be careful, Francesca!” warned Joan. ”I doubt it is that simple!”

The Unfriendly Amazon drew one card.

“Perfect,” she said. “First I’ll play this card facedown…”

She fit a card into a slot, and it appeared.

“Now I’ll use Emergency Provisions to send it and Life Absorbing Machine to the Graveyard!”

She played a card, and a huge mouth appeared, swallowing the two cards.

“And thus I gain 2,000 Life Points…”

Her Life Points went up to 7,200.

Fran drew her next card.

“For my next move,” stated Francesca, “I’ll summon Amazon Archer in Attack Mode!”

She placed the card, and the Amazon fletcher appeared. (1,400/1,000) –> (1,900/1,500)

“Now your Cyber Blader can be destroyed in battle!” gloated Francesca.

“True,” chuckled The Unfriendly Amazon, “but neither of your Warriors are powerful enough!”

“What do you me…” started Francesca. “YAAAH!”

Cyber Blader’s Attack Score shot up to 4,200!

“How the Hell?” shouted Francesca.

The Unfriendly Amazon laughed out loud.

“Time to come clean,” she said, “and tell you exactly how my Monster works. If my opponent has exactly one Monster on the field, as I’ve already said, she can’t be destroyed in battle. If you have exactly two Monsters on the field, her Attack Score is doubled! If you have exactly three, she’s immune to all Magic Cards, Trap Cards, and Monster Effects!

“That makes getting rid of her very hard, wouldn’t you say?”

Francesca started to sweat.

“I… I end my turn…” she gulped.

“Good,” said the Amazon. “So which of your Warriors should I crush? I could do you a lot of damage by attacking your Archer, but since your Fighter is the bigger threat right now…

“Cyber Blader, attack her Fighter with whirlwind rage!”

Cyber Blader spun forward, and obliterated the Fighter.

Her Attack Score returned to 2,100.

“Well, make your move…” sighed The Amazon.

Francesca angrily drew…

“I’m activating my Deckmaster ability!” laughed The Amazon. “Come Forth!”

She discarded a card.

“Huh?” asked Francesca. “What can you do?”

“It’s simple, really,” stated The Amazon. “Each time it’s your turn, I can discard one card, and then choose one card from your hand. If that card is a Monster Card, you have to Special Summon it in Attack Mode!”

Fran gasped…

If she guesses right, I’ll have two Monsters on the field again, and one of them will be wide open for an attack!

She looked at her hand… Of the six cards she had, two were Monsters: Amazoness Paladin, and Amazoness Blowpiper…

“Card on the far right, Francesca,” stated The Amazon.

“You made a lucky guess, pal…” sneered Francesca.

She played the card, and Amazoness Blowpiper appeared. (800/1,500) –> (1,300/2,000)

Cyber Blader went up to 4,200 Attack again.

“I’m so sorry, Blowpiper…” she whispered.

She turned a card on her Disk.

“I’ll end my turn by switching Amazon Archer to Defense Mode,” she stated.

Amazon Archer knelt, and held her bow in her lap.

“My move…” chuckled The Amazon, drawing.

Ooh, Mirror Force… she thought, excitedly. This should be good for insurance…

“I’ll place a card facedown,” she said, setting it.

The card appeared.

“And now, Cyber Blader, attack her Blowpiper!”

Cyber Blader did her deadly dance, and blasted Amazoness Blowpiper to pieces!

Fran’s Life Points took a nosedive to 2,750.

“That’s my move, Francesca,” she chuckled.

Fran angrily drew…

Hey, she thought, looking at the card. Time to give this witch a little stroll down memory lane…

“I’m using my Deckmaster ability again, Francesca!” laughed The Amazon, discarding a card.

“Well, by all means, pick a card,” said Francesca with a grin.

Huh? thought The Amazon. You’d almost think she wants me to drag out another of her Monsters. What’s she up to?

Well, I already discarded a card, and I intend to make the most out of it…

“Card on the far left,” she said.

Francesca chuckled.

She showed her the card, which was Dramatic Rescue.

“Sorry, wrong,” she said. “But you know, my friendless friend, I’m going to summon someone anyway…”

She put a card down.

“I summon Amazoness Paladin!”

The general of the Amazon army appeared. (1,700/300) –> (2,300/300)

“What?” asked The Amazon, surprised. “Why would you want my Monster’s Attack to go up?”

“Remember THIS card?” asked Francesca, showing her a card.

“ARRGH!” shouted The Amazon. “That’s your Earth Tremor card! That accursed thing cost me the duel last time!”

“Aw, you remembered!” laughed Francesca, fitting it into a slot. “Then you know that I simply have to sacrifice an Earth Monster…”

Amazoness Paladin vanished.

“…and it creates an earthquake that blasts off 500 of your Life Points for every star of the strongest Monster you have on the field!”

“NOOO!” screamed The Amazon. “Cyber Blader has seven stars!”

What happened next could have been described as an unnatural disaster. The realm of Themyscira shook, and illusory stones tumbled from the cliff-sides! Cyber Blader screamed and covered her head as debris rained down on her master, crushing her!

As The Unfriendly Amazon pulled herself up in a daze, her Life Points tumbled to 3,700.

“See?” chuckled Francesca. “Your Cyber Blader is nearly indestructible, but you sure aren’t…”

The Amazon hissed.

She drew one card.

“I hope you enjoyed that as much as I’m going to enjoy this!” she shouted. “I’m playing a classic… Stop Defense!”

She fit a card into a slot, and Amazon Archer rose up into Attack Mode!

“Cyber Blader, attack!” she shouted.

Cyber Blader danced forward, and demolished Amazon Archer.

Francesca’s Life Points fell again to 2,550.

There’s got to be something I can do… thought Francesca.

”Francesca,” said Joan, ”There is a way… Cyber Blader is powerful depending on how many Monsters you have on the field… but only to a point…”

Francesca looked at her cards…

And then at the field…

“It all depends on what I draw now…” she whispered.

She drew a card.

“Okay, Amazon, I play Mystical Space Typhoon!” she shouted.

She played the card, and the Mirror Force card was blown away.

“Big deal!” laughed the Amazon. “I hardly need it anymore!”

“Oh, I beg to differ!” laughed Francesca. “I’m activating my own Deckmaster ability!”

She took three of her cards.

“First, I’ll discard three cards, and spend 1,500 Life Points!” she exclaimed.

“What?” shouted The Amazon.

“Is she crazy?” gasped Andy.

Fran discarded three cards, and her Life Points fell to 1,050.

“Now Joan, do your stuff!” she shouted.

Guardian Angel Joan clasped her hands, as if in prayer…

“Now I can Special Summon three random four-star or lower Monsters from my Graveyard!” exclaimed Francesca.

Three shapes appeared in front of Fran. The first was Getsu Fuhma (1,700/1,200), followed by Amazoness Fighter (1,500/1,300) –> (2,000/1,800), and then Amazoness Swords Woman (1,500/1,600) –> (2,000/2,100).

“Well, that will work…” added Francesca.

“What do you mean?” sneered The Amazon. “They’re all weaker than Cyber Blader!”

“I still have one more Monster to summon!” laughed Francesca. “I call my Deckmaster herself to the field!”

Guardian Angel Joan spread her wings and flew upward! She made a pose in the air, and then landed gracefully beside the others. (2,800/2,000)

“Notice that I have four Monsters now,” growled Francesca. “That means Cyber Blader can be destroyed in battle… She has her original Attack… And she isn’t immune to card effects.

“And most importantly…

“…Joan outranks her by 700 Attack Points!

“See? I learn fast…”

The Unfriendly Amazon gulped…

“So you can just forget about your dreams of getting your hands on my deck,” snarled Francesca, “because this duel is over! Guardian Angel Joan, attack Cyber Blader with searing light of Heaven!”

Joan raised her arms, and a ball of pure light appeared in them! She shot it forward… Cyber Blader screamed and shattered into pixels!

“And now…” ordered Francesca. “Amazoness Swords Woman… Amazoness Fighter… Attack that reject directly and end this!”

The two Amazons leapt forward… Fighter delivered a fierce kick, and Swords Woman slashed with her blade!

The Unfriendly Amazon’s Life Points fell to zero…

She fell to her knees, and smoke rose from her form…

And then she shattered…

Francesca turned to Stan and Andy.

“You know guys,” she sighed. “When I was a little girl, my parents wanted me to take ballet lessons, but I didn’t want to, because I thought dance lessons were for wimps… They told me that dancers can be just as cool as anyone else…

“This whole thing has taught me… It’s good to listen to your parents…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Meanwhile, Vladimir was facing a very realistic facsimile of the King of Games.

“Yugi” had 4,000 Life Points remaining, one facedown card, and Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in Defense Mode. (1,500/1,200)

Vladimir was behind at 3,000.

He drew a card.

“I summon Drillago in Attack Mode!” he shouted.

He placed the card down, and an infernal Machine with drills and screws all over it appeared. (1,600/1,100)

“Destroy his Gazelle!” shouted Vladimir.

Drillago’s drills spun. It leapt forward and Gazelle shattered.

“Yugi” smirked.

“Thank you,” he said. “You activated my Trap… Soul Rope!”

His Trap lifted, and his Life Points fell to 3,000.

“Now I can summon any four-star Monster from my deck that I choose, and I choose Queen’s Knight!”

He placed the card down, and the lovely Warrior dressed in scarlet armor appeared. (1,500/1,600)

“Uh oh,” sighed Kurtis. “I can see what’s coming…”

“So,” mocked “Yugi”, “any other moves you’d like to make?”

“Just move…” sighed Vladimir.

He couldn’t believe this pre-programmed hologram was talking down to him like this…

“Yugi” quickly made a draw.

“I summon King’s Knight!” he shouted.

He placed a card down, and the monarch in golden armor, carrying a sword and shield appeared. (1,600/1,500)

“And that lets me summon… Jack’s Knight!”

He put another card down, and the handsome Warrior in sapphire armor with a shield and sword appeared. (1,900/1,000)

“Jack’s Knight, attack his Drillago!” he shouted.

Jack’s Knight brought his sword down on the Machine, and it exploded.

“King’s Knight, Queen’s Knight, attack directly!”

Vladimir screamed as the two Knights closed in on him and made two swipes with their blades, knocking him over.

His siblings chuckled.

“Bravo, well done,” said a voice.

“Yugi” vanished, and the Shadow Queen’s image appeared.

“You’re improving, Vladimir…” she said.

“What do you mean?” asked Leopold. “He lost…”

“Not many duelists could have reduced Yugi to half his Life Points,” noted the Queen. “You’re all getting better…

“Of course, until you actually start winning a few of these matches, we won’t know for sure if we can take them down or not. I’ll probably have to duel Yugi personally, but he’s still good practice.”

“Uhm, mom?” asked Melissa. “Question? After you beat him, can I have those Knights?”

“I guess,” sighed the Queen. “But we’re still a long way from that. First we have to get out of here…

“Anyway, Francesca has just won another duel, and this is starting to worry me… It seems that with each duel they win, these kids get stronger. If your involvement is needed, you’ll have to up the ante…”

The Spawn looked at each other.

They chuckled…

“Hee, hee,” giggled Melissa. “I love dueling that way.”

“So do I,” laughed Maria. “If there’s one thing I love more than banishing some poor fool to the Shadow Realm, it’s the duel that leads up to it!”

“Quite,” replied the Queen. “For one thousand years, I’ve never given anyone but you six the gift of Shadow Magic, and only one of my original servants who has it remains…

“Speaking of which, maybe I’ll have him test one of them first…”

The Shadow Spawn all gasped.

“Are you crazy?” gulped Kurtis.

“That guy’s a monster!” shouted Leopold. “What were thinking keeping him as a pet?”

“He not only ate my homework,” shuddered Maria, “he ate my tutor!”

“That was her own fault…” sighed Tyson.

“Look,” stated the Queen, “I know none of you like him that much, but he’s one of my oldest surviving servants. And I’ve been secretly teaching him how to duel.

“Eventually, we’ll see if one of those kids is able to handle the horrors of a Shadow Game…”

“So who’s his intended victim?” asked Vladimir, who was just as frightened.

“That’s entirely up to him,” answered the Queen. “But given his state of mind, I think there’s a very good chance that he’ll choose Francesca…

“He has his reasons…”



THEMYSCIRA (Magic Card)

Card Specs

Type: Magic/Field
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Card Description: The ancestral home of the Amazons, where the souls of all Amazons who die honorably enter upon death. All Monsters on the field with the word “Amazoness” in their name, or who are named “Amazon Archer” gain a 500-point bonus to their ATK and DEF.


Note: “Etoile Cyber”, “Blade Skater”, and “Cyber Blader” are real cards that will be released in “Elemental Energy”. The English names are subject to change.


”Guardian Angel Joan”: Fairy/Light (2,800/2,000)

Deckmaster SA: “Resurrection”: Discard one card and pay 500 Life Points. Put all the Monsters of Level Four or lower in your Graveyard into one pile and shuffle, and draw one at random. Special Summon the drawn Monster. You can use this effect multiple times during your turn. If a Monster that is Special Summoned this way is sent to the Graveyard, it is removed from play.



”The Unfriendly Amazon”: Warrior/Earth (2,000/1,000)

Deckmaster SA: “Come Forth!”: Discard one card from your hand. Choose one card from your opponent’s hand. If the card you choose is a Monster Card, your opponent must Special Summon it in face-up Attack Mode, ignoring any Special Summoning requirements.



[B][I]Who is this strange servant of the Queen whom even the Spawn are afraid of? That is a question that will go unanswered for now.

Coming up next…

Again, we leave our trio alone to check up on another finalist. Chico enters a den of evil, where a vile seductress waits… Can he escape her clutches?

A chapter called “Mistress of the Night” is coming soon…

[starjake]

Girl Power indeed...those dancers are no laughing matter; they're the reason why Alexis is in Obelisk Blue in the GX series!

I liked your use of the field card, especially when Fransesca used Earth Tremor. As Senor Pikachu has told me a few times, using the surrounding area during a story is just as important as telling the story itself; kudos. Showing us that the Spawn are losing is a nice touch as well.

However, I am getting a bit tired of seeing what's going on elsewhere in the castle. A side trip here and there is fine, but this will be the third time this act that we've diverged from the main plot. Unless, of course, these side duels eventually have something to do with the plot...that's not a question I can correctly guess.

But this was good. so when does Andy get to pull his lever?

[Master of Paradox]

I'm not going to accuse you of sinking to fan worship, since odds are you've been writing this chapter long before that episode of GX, but I am going to suspect it. Especially since you've cited Alexis as your favorite character.

This duel bored me, sad to say. Not only was it fairly predictable once the Unfriendly Amazon got out Etoile Cyber, but it was too short (which you confessed to). And Themyscria was completely unnecessary.

On top of that, there was more filler scenes of "the three" humiliating the Shadow Spawn. Wise move, making your big villains look like weaklings repeatedly.

I do look forward to the next chapter, if only for personal reasons.

[Dark Sage]

Well, one reader who liked it, another who doesn't.

Anyway, MoP, I outlined this chapter long before GX premiered, so no, I wasn't inspired by Alexis.

Second, the Spawn will only be seen in this subplot once more, and I think it might surprise you.

Third, I felt that since Gravekeepers have a field card, so should the Amazons.

Andy will use his lever in the chapter after the next.

And hopefully the NEXT chapter will be appealing even to Master of Paradox.

- DS

[Shuppet Master]

Yeah, the chapter was short(the Unfriendly Amazon was actually my favorite minion in the story because she looks sexy with that long gray ponytail and I have two Unfriendly Amazon cards) but that was because The Amazon was stupid - just like End, she relied on only one monster, not realizing that Cyber Blader's weakness was swarm tactics - it's weak when your foe has a full field of monsters and only strong when your opponent is ALSO relying on a small field. Duh! >_>

Anyways, it was nice that Vlad challenged Yami yugi and did some damage to him(of course, Vlad's been beaten by Leon Wilson, because Leon dropped him to less than 1000, but that was because of Zigfried's awful magic card, the Castle of Stromburg. I'm sure without it, Leon would have had a harder time). And for who that strange minion the Queen has, I know but I'm not telling ya!

[jkBAKURA]

Funny, Use a Ground Collapse or Ojama Trio and Cyber Blader would be almost unstoppable.

Too short yes, and I am dissapointed that the field didn't have another effect, but more enjoyable then End's reappearance.

Why a deckmaster effect needs 2 costs is beyond me, but the Amazon's was unexpected.

A suprise indeed Sage. Nice work

[goldenzigzagoon]

You know to make the duell longer you could have added some of the newer cards in the Cyber Skater theme even though I could see why you did not because everyone is saying you ripped off Alexisis anyway.

[Shuppet Master]

EDIT: Sorry, folks, but Dark Sage(no offense to him, of course, I'm sure he didn't intend it) did something illegal - he linked to a picture on a site that forbids remote linking. If you saw that picture that said "Remote Linking to this Image is Not Allowed", then that means that you can't use the image tag to display an image that is on their site. They have installed a bot to stop that because people of unsavory natures are using their images, linking to them directly, to save on costs and effort to ask permission for their works and display it on their server. While some sites don't mind what you do to their images, remote linking is something which eats up bandwidth on both servers.

So everyone, don't link directly to an image unless they are public images(for example, the site Dark Sage gets his card images from is a public site and has placed their mark on their images to ensure that this is their work).

[Perfect Chaos]

Hey Brian and fellow readers,

Sorry I haven't been reviewing for a while now, but I'm still recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma. I'm even lucky to have even found a computer that has Internet access. I'm sorry, but I won't put a review in this because I don't have time, but I'm just letting everyone know that I will be absent for some time and the reason why.

Until then,

-sean

[Dark Sage]

My last chapter was two short and unimpressive, so I decided to put up the next one right now.

Before I begin, one card used by the protagonist of this chapter is the property of Master of Paradox, and has been used with his permission.

I at least hope, for that reason, he likes it.

- DS

[Dark Sage]

[B][I]One of the actors I most admire is Clint Eastwood. I share one thing in common with one of his most famous characters… I don’t truly have a name. I rejected the name my parents gave me, because they rejected me. Until I prove myself worthy of being a man, everybody can just call me Chico… I don’t mind.

The moment I set foot on Monster Island, I knew that the natural order was out of balance and that evil spirits ruled this place. I’m not a Native American by birth, but my adoptive family’s tradition rubbed off on me enough so that I could sense when something is wrong with the land. This land was suffering, crying out in pain…

…crying out for help.

I resolved to fight this evil by doing what I did best – dueling. I worked hard to get as far as I could in this tournament, and now I’ve reached the apparent epicenter of the evil that rules this land.

And now I’ve come face-to-face with one of the evil spirits I was seeking. The worst part is, she seems to have a crush on me… And she’s issued a challenge…

Well, as another of Clint Eastwood’s characters once said…

Go ahead… Make my day…

[B][size=3]CHAPTER FORTY-THREE



Mistress of the Night

It was shortly before Stan’s duel with the End of Anubis.

Like the other finalists, Chico was trying hard to hide how nervous he was.

He didn’t need his gut instincts to know that there was evil around him – anyone who wasn’t blind could tell you that the Palace of Shadow was a den of evil. It seemed that whoever had built the place wanted it to look evil. It was like Dracula’s castle, only not in black and white.

Right now, he was walking down a long stone staircase. Torches lit the walls, and cobwebs hung from the ceilings. He had the feeling he was heading into some dark cellar, but he had to go forward.

He sat down on the steps, and fished something out of his pocket.

It was a Crystal Star that had been called the Golden Star, and like its name implied, it was the color of pure gold. Getting this had not been easy…

Once he got his seventh card, the Interdimensional Matter Transporter had taken him to Petalburg. There, someone had pointed him in the direction of a ruins outside of town, commonly known as the Shwonk Fortress to locals.

He quickly found his way into the inner sanctum of the fortress, a strange crypt that suggested Egypt. He was met by a curious creature. He resembled Koops in general outline – he was, like Koops, a turtle – but there the similarities ended. This creature wore shades and an Egyptian headdress. He promptly introduced himself as Tutenkoopa.

Chico didn’t know whether to laugh or be insulted. But he still had to duel this creature…

And he soon learned that despite Tutenkoopa’s ridiculous appearance, he was no amateur…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Chico was in trouble.

His Life Points stood at 2,500, and his enemy’s were just ahead at 3,200. Even worse, his Necrovalley had been wiped out. His only defense right now were two facedown cards. His foe had a Monster facedown in Defense.

Tutenkoopa chuckled.

“Run out of insults, Chico?” he asked. “Maybe it’s sunk in that I’m more than I appear… I’ve been the high priest working for the Shadow Queen for years, and I know how to handle upstarts like you.”

“Humph,” snarled Chico. “You know, in this tournament, I dueled a guy who used a Monster that looked kind of like you. Andy is a far more noble duelist than you’ll ever be, and I’ll wager that his Monster is a nobler Monster than you are!”

He drew a card.

“But it’s my turn, so I’ll place a Monster facedown in Defense, and that will be my turn.”

A facedown Monster appeared.

“So be it,” chuckled Tutenkoopa, making a draw.

He grinned.

“I flip my facedown monster into Attack Mode!” he laughed. “Go, Poison Mummy!”

The card flipped face-up, and a rotting mummy clad in rags appeared. (1,000/1,800)

Poison Mummy breathed a foul gout of decay at Chico and he gasped! His Life Points fell to 2,000.

“If you think that was impressive, wait until you see this,” continued Tutenkoopa. “I’ll sacrifice Poison Mummy for a Spellcaster called Great Dezard!”

He switched cards on his Disk, and Poison Mummy vanished. In its place rose a tall Egyptian priest in white robes and a headdress. (1,900/2,300)

“Great Dezard, attack his facedown Monster with kopesh slash!” ordered Tutenkoopa.

Great Dezard lifted a curved blade, and swung it forward…

Cat of Ill Omen appeared on the card and shattered.

“Thank you…” muttered Chico. “Now I can search my deck for any Trap Card and place it on the top of my deck. It isn’t as good an effect as it would have been with my Field Card, but I’ll take what I can get…”

A card slipped out of his deck, and he placed it on top.

“That will hardly be a problem,” chuckled Tutenkoopa.

Great Dezard’s robes turned silver.

“Now that he’s destroyed one of your Monsters,” he continued, “he’s immune to Magic and Trap Cards that target!

“And it’s your move…”

Chico made a draw.

I know what’s coming next, he thought. But I have to do something…

“I’ll place this card facedown…” he said, placing down the card he had drawn.

It appeared next to the other two.

“And then I’ll summon Gravekeeper’s Vassal in Defense Mode.”

He set the card, and the short, weasly Gravekeeper dressed in rags appeared, shielding himself. (700/500)

“Aw…” said Tutenkoopa, feigning sympathy. “Run out of good Monsters? Well I sure haven’t!”

He made a draw.

“Great Dezard, destroy his Vassal!”

Great Dezard swung his sword, and the Vassal was eradicated.

Great Dezard’s robes turned gold…

“And now that he’s destroyed two of your Monsters,” chuckled Tutenkoopa, “I can sacrifice him…”

Great Dezard vanished…

…and the stench of a grave pervaded the chamber…

“To summon a creature feared to all as… Fushioh Richie!”

A hideous Zombie arose! It was a gaunt, rotting creature wearing the remains of a wizard’s robe, carrying a sickle-ended staff. He glowed with an unholy aura. (2,600/2,900)

“You confront me with Fushioh Richie…” snarled Chico. “He was the Gravekeepers’ deadliest enemy! The Gravekeepers protect tombs, and that walking worm nest only defiles them!”

“Say what you will,” chuckled Tutenkoopa, ”but behold his power! Descend into the earth, Fushioh Richie!”

The Zombie vanished, and was replaced by a facedown card.

“That will be my turn,” chuckled Tutenkoopa. “And by the way, this guy is just as immune to Magic and Trap Cards as Great Dezard was…”

Chico surveyed the situation.

Every time that… thing flips face-up, this guy can summon a Zombie from his Graveyard. he thought. I have to make this next draw count…

He drew. He looked at the card.

“I place a Monster facedown in Defense Mode, and end my turn,” he said, setting the card.

A facedown Monster appeared.

“Fine,” chuckled Tutenkoopa, drawing a card. “Now rise, Fushioh Richie!”

The Zombie flipped into Attack Mode.

“And now I’ll use his ability to bring back Wandering Mummy!” exclaimed the Koopa.

A pair of rotting mummies appeared next to the undead sorcerer. (1,500/1,500)

“Fushioh Richie, blow away his facedown Monster with unholy blight!”

The creature thrust his staff forward…

A bald, chubby nomad appeared on the card, and was blown into pixels.

“HA!” laughed Chico. “You just flipped my Gravekeeper’s Guard! And when that happens, I can send one Monster on your side of the field back to your hand! Goodbye Richie!”

Fushioh Richie vanished.

“And unless you can somehow repeat the process of summoning Great Dezard and destroying two more of my Monsters with him, he won’t be coming back,” gloated Chico.

Tutenkoopa was speechless for a second.

“I’m not finished yet, Chico!” he cursed. “I can still attack you with my Wandering Mummy! Attack him directly!”

The two mummies lurched forward and slugged Chico! He groaned, and his Life Points fell to 500.

“So now what?” asked Tutenkoopa. “You seem to be out of Monsters!”

Chico drew.

“On the contrary,” he said with a smirk, “I’ve had three waiting on the field for quite a while! Go, facedown cards! Embodiments of Apophis!”

His three Trap Card lifted up, and purple smoke poured from them…

The three snake-like Embodiments of Apophis emerged, holding their swords high! (1,600/1,800 x3)

Tutenkoopa gasped…

“Go!” shouted Chico. “Attack his Wandering Mummy!”

The first Apophis struck down the Zombie.

“Now, you two, attack directly!”

Tutenkoopa screamed as he was struck down by the two serpents.

His Life Points fell to zero, and he fell to floor.

He vanished, and a golden glow lit up the chamber…

The shining Golden Star lowered itself into Chico’s hands…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Chico remembered this and the other battles he had fought as he continued to descend the stairs. He wondered where Andy was right now – Andy was the only duelist who had defeated him during this tournament. He was guessing that Andy had likely succeeded too… Perhaps they would get a chance for a rematch when he finally found the finals.

The stairway finally ended, and he came to a stone door, one with strange runes over the surface.

With a creak, the door opened…

Most folks would have turned and ran at this point, but Chico was motivated by bravery and a desire to put an end to the blight on this land. But he was still cautious. He carefully walked in…

He almost regretted that he had. He was in a crypt, a very evil-looking one. Demonic gargoyles and sinister paintings adorned the walls. Curtains the color of blood were hanging from several places. A fireplace with a lit fire was on one wall, carved in a fiendish shape.

Most shocking, at the far end of the room was a coffin, well-made and painted black, with a pentagram-symbol on the lid, surrounded by a silk canopy.

“Okay…” muttered Chico. “Think I’ll be leaving…”

As he turned, the door slammed shut…

Chico nervously turned towards the coffin, and a girlish giggle came from it…

The lid of the coffin slowly opened, and a form rose out of it…

It was a woman with green skin and hair, and a near-perfect figure. She was dressed in a purple dress with a long train.

She grinned at Chico, showing a flash of small, pointed teeth…

“Vampire Lady?” gulped Chico, sweating.

“And who might you be?” she purred. “I don’t get guests too often… Oh, it’s so lonely down here…”

She drifted up to him… Chico tried to run, but he was rooted to the spot.

“You’re so handsome…” she said, stroking his cheek. “Such nice hair…”

She felt his arms.

“Such muscles… Why not stay a while and keep me company, hmm…?”

Chico pushed her away.

“I don’t date outside my species,” he growled. “Now how about letting me out of this place?”

“You can’t get away from me darling,” chuckled Vampire Lady. “And I won’t let you go so easily. Big, strong boys like you come along once in a blue moon.

“But if you’re willing to make a little gamble, I’ll give you a chance…”

“What kind of gamble?” asked Chico.

Vampire Lady gestured, and a Duel Disk appeared on her left arm.

“I just want to play a little game,” she answered. “Duel me… If you win I’ll let you go…”

“And if I lose?” asked Chico, getting nervous.

“Like I said, I’ve been lonely for a long time,” replied the vampire. “If I win, you have to share my coffin…”

Chico gulped.

“For how long?” he asked.

“As long as I want,” she purred.

Chico paused.

“Not sure if that’s a good idea…” he stammered.

Vampire Lady took hold of his arm and applied pressure.

Chico could feel it – she was strong.

“If you refuse, I’ll simply drag you there,” she warned with a smile.

“All right, all right!” gasped Chico. “I guess I really have no choice…”

Vampire Lady backed up, and started to shuffle her deck.

I have to beat this creature, thought Chico, looking at his. Otherwise I’m going to be her bedmate for as long as she wants, which could be forever… And who knows what she’ll do if she gets tired of me… I know what vampires do! I have to trust my deck…

“Well Chico,” said the Monster. “Time to choose a Deckmaster… Make certain it’s a good one…”

Chico looked through his deck.

Well, he thought. This guy is pretty hard to summon… Maybe he’d be better as a Deckmaster…

He held the card up.

“I choose Mystical Knight of Jackal!” he exclaimed.

A golden glow surrounded him, and the golden-armored Beast-Warrior appeared.

“Splendid,” chuckled Vampire Lady. “I, of course, will be my own Deckmaster. Now let’s begin…”

The Duel Disks flipped into position, and they drew their first hands.

“You may go first,” she purred.

Chico drew his first card.

Awesome! he thought. I haven’t had an opening hand this good in months!

Then he heard a haunting voice in his head. He sensed it was coming from Mystical Knight of Jackal.

”Chico,” said the Beast-Warrior, ”I swear on the divine power of Re-Horakhty that I can help rescue you from this demoness. My Deckmaster ability is great…”

”Really?” answered Chico. ”What is it?”

”Normally,” responded the Knight, ”My power can ‘spin’ a defeated Monster back to the top of your foe’s deck. Now, however, if one of your Monsters is destroyed in battle, simply pay 500 Life Points, and I’ll transport it back to the top of YOUR deck.”

Yes! thought Chico. I can’t lose!

“Now then,” he said, flicking open his Field slot.

He fit a card into it.

“I play Necrovalley!”

A vortex surrounded the two of them, and the creepy tomb transformed into the desert valley. Cliffs rose around them, and the Pyramids and the Sphinx appeared far behind Chico.

“In this ancient burial ground, tombs are sacred places,” explained Chico, “so folks like you are abominations!”

Vampire Lady giggled.

“You flatter me,” she chuckled.

Chico chose a card.

“Now I’ll summon one of the guardians of Necrovalley…” he continued. “Gravekeeper’s Curse, in Defense Mode!”

He set the card, and the black-robed nomad carrying his hooked staff appeared, kneeling in defense. (800/800) –> (1,300/1,300)

“And just by summoning him,” stated Chico, “I can take a piece right out of your Life Points!”

Gravekeeper’s Curse pointed his staff and fired a blast of black energy at Vampire Lady…

She merely smiled as it hit her. Her Life Points fell to 7,750.

“What?” gasped Chico in surprise. “You should have lost 500 Life Points!”

Vampire Lady giggled.

“In case you didn’t realize it yet, darling, I’m a vampire,” she chuckled. “Vampires are very hard to hurt. My Deckmaster ability halves any damage I take from card effects. So your Curse barely left a mark!”



Continued...

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:


“Then it’s your move,” answered Chico.

Vampire Lady drew.

“Well,” she said, “my opening hand isn’t too great…”

She played a Magic Card.

“So I play Magical Mallet!”

A toy, wooden mallet with wings on its head appeared in the air, and spun in a chaotic pattern.

“What’s that?” asked Chico.

“A reset card,” answered the vampire. “This lets me put this card, and any number of cards I want from my hand back into my deck, reshuffle, and draw the same number of cards. And I’m going to return all six!”

She returned the cards to her deck and reshuffled. Then she drew six more cards.

“Well,” she sighed. “Still not the best hand… but fortunately…”

She played a Magic Card.

“…I drew Magical Mallet again, meaning I can use it again!”

The Mallet spun again.

Chico’s eyes opened wide.

Talk about a dangerous card… he thought. It basically lets her choose what cards she starts this duel with!

Vampire Lady returned the Magical Mallet and two other cards to her deck and reshuffled again. She drew three more cards.

“See Chico,” she said, “Magical Mallet is a great card to have when you’re looking for an important card… Like this one!”

She played another Magic Card.

“I play… Dark Snake Syndrome!”

Chico felt a tingling over his skin…

He looked at his arms, and saw that they were covered with hideous tattoos, shaped like demonic snakes!

“What did you do?” he gasped.

“Dark Snake Syndrome is a curse that will slowly sap your Life Points,” chuckled Vampire Lady. “On my next turn, you’ll lose 200 Life Points… then 400 on the next turn, then 800 on the next turn, and then… well, you get the idea…”

Chico looked at her. He noticed that the same tattoos were covering her flesh as well.

“I notice that you have the same problem,” he snarled.

“True,” chuckled his opponent. “But remember my Deckmaster ability? It will only hurt me half as much. And my turn is just starting…”

She took another card from her hand.

“Next I’ll place one card facedown on the field…” she stated.

She fit a card into her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

“Next, another Continuous Magic Card,” she stated, playing another card. “It’s called Level Limit Area B. So long as this card is in play, all Monsters of four stars or greater are shifted into Defense Mode and kept there!”

She put another card on her Disk.

“Finally,” she said, “I’ll summon a creature called Servant of Catabolism in Attack Mode!”

An ugly creature resembling a cross between a snail and a squid appeared in front of her. (700/500)

“It may be weak,” she stated, “but it can bypass your Monsters and go straight for your Life Points! Servant of Catabolism, attack!”

Chico gasped as the mollusk leapt at him and grabbed him with its tendrils! It squeezed!

He panted for breath as his Life Points fell to 7,300.

“Your move, darling,” said Vampire Lady.

“Don’t call me ‘darling’,” growled Chico, making a draw.

He switched cards on his Disk.

“I sacrifice Gravekeeper’s Curse for Gravekeeper’s Chief!” he shouted.

The Curse vanished, and the nomad wearing formal robes carrying a golden staff appeared. (1,900/1,200) –> (2,400/1,700)

He knelt in Defense.

“And now I can use his effect to Special Summon one Gravekeeper from my Graveyard,” stated Chico, “and with only one in my Graveyard, you can guess who’s coming back!”

Gravekeeper’s Curse reappeared. (800/800) –> (1,300/1,300)

He swung his staff, and blasted the ray at Vampire Lady again. Again, it didn’t seem to bother her much. Her Life Points went down to 7,500.

“And your strategy has a fatal flaw in it,” said Chico with a grin. “My Chief may not be able to attack right now, but my Curse only has three stars! Gravekeeper’s Curse, attack her Servant of Catabolism!”

Gravekeeper’s Curse aimed his staff and it glowed…

Vampire Lady chuckled…

“Activate… Sakuretsu Armor!” she shouted.

Her facedown card lifted, and Gravekeeper’s Curse was blown to bits!

“See honey?” she purred. “That apparent flaw wasn’t so much of a flaw, now was it?”

Chico growled.

“It’s your turn…” he said.

Vampire Lady made a draw.

Chico felt a slight burning on his skin, as the snaky tattoos started to slither! His Life Points went down to 7,100. Vampire Lady’s went down to 7,400.

She placed down a card.

“I summon Jinzo #7 in Attack Mode!” she laughed.

A tall, humanoid android covered with wires and tubes appeared. It had the number 07 printed on its chest. (500/400)

“This guy may be even weaker than Servant of Catabolism,” chuckled Vampire Lady, “but he can do the same thing! Jinzo #7, attack directly!”

The Machine leapt forward and slugged Chico in the face!

“Your turn, my Servant!” shouted the vampire.

Servant of Catabolism leapt forward and constricted Chico again!

His Life Points fell to 5,800.

“Well,” chuckled the Monster, “I think that’s enough for one move…”

Chico made a draw.

What can I do? he thought. She’s got me totally locked down!

“I summon Gravekeeper’s Assailant…” he stated, placing a card down.

The shadowy assassin appeared, brandishing his dagger. Again, he knelt in Defense. (1,500/1,500) –> (2,000/2,000)

“Anything else?” asked Vampire Lady.

“No,” sighed Chico. “I have to end my turn…”

Vampire Lady drew.

The tattoos on Chico’s flesh throbbed. His Life Points fell to 5,400. Vampire Lady’s fell to 7,200.

The vampiress drew.

“I summon Rainbow Flower in Attack Mode,” she stated.

A clay flower pot with an angry face painted on it appeared. Then a large flower with multicolored petals, a smiling mouth, and a single eye in the center sprouted out of it. (400/500)

“Let me guess,” sighed Chico, “this Monster can attack me directly too…”

“You’re smart, cutie,” chuckled Vampire Lady. “Go my creatures!”

Rainbow Flower darted forward and bit Chico on the arm! Jinzo #7 slugged him in the face again! Servant of Catabolism gripped him in its lethal hug!

Chico’s Life Points fell to 3,600, and he fell to his knees.

“Well, we’re almost done,” sighed Vampire Lady. “But don’t despair Chico… It may be hard at first, but I assure you, you’ll grow to like me after a while…”

Fat chance… thought Chico.

Then he heard Mystical Knight of Jackal’s voice.

”Chico,” he stated, ”This has taken a dangerous turn…”

”Tell me about it…” answered Chico.

”Our foe is playing a Direct Damage Deck,” said the Beast-Warrior. ”I fear my Deckmaster ability is of no use, because she has no intention of EVER attacking your Monsters.”

The creature offered his hand.

”But if all I can do is encourage you, that’s what I’ll do…”

He helped him up.

Chico drew a card.

“Okay, Elvira,” he said, “I’m playing Pot of Greed!”

He played the card, and the jar handed him two new cards.

“All right!” he shouted. “First I’ll summon Gravekeeper’s Cannonholder!”

He placed the card down, and the black-robed nomad carrying a primitive cannon appeared. (1,400/1,200) –> (1,900/1,700)

He knelt in Defense.

“With this guy,” explained Chico, “I can sacrifice a Gravekeeper and blow away 700 of your Life Points! So I’ll sacrifice both my Assailant AND my Chief!”

The two Gravekeepers melted into orbs of dark energy, and they were absorbed into Cannonholder’s cannon.

“All right Cannonholder… lock and load!”

Cannonholder pulled the pin back and aimed at Vampire Lady…

“FIRE!” shouted Chico.

The Gravekeeper fired two blasts, striking Vampire Lady in the chest! She flinched a little as her Life Points fell to 6,500.

“Not bad…” she chuckled. “But don’t you remember my Deckmaster ability? I only take half damage from card effects!”

Chico frowned.

“I’ll place this card facedown, and that will end my turn,” he said.

He played the card, and it appeared in front of him.

Vampire Lady drew again.

Chico grunted as the tattoos burned again. His Life Points fell to 2,800, while Vampire Lady’s fell to 6,100.

She put a card down.

“I summon another direct damage Monster,” she said with a smile. “Mystic Lamp!”

An old oil lamp, like the kind genies came out of, appeared. (400/300)

“Do the math, Chico!” laughed the vampire. “I have four Monsters who can attack you directly, and their total Attack adds up to 2,000! I simply have to attack this turn, and my Magic Card’s curse will finish you on my next turn!

“Mystic Lamp, attack!”

A blast of smoke shot out of the Lamp’s spout…

“Activate Waboku!” shouted Chico.

His Trap lifted, and the three priestess in blue robes sprang up.

“Looks like I delayed my defeat for one turn,” snarled Chico. “And I’ll fight to my last card before I let myself become some teddy bear!”

“You’re only delaying the inevitable,” sighed Vampire Lady. “Why don’t you give up? Are you sure you even WANT to win?”

She blew him a kiss.

“Oh, I’m sure…” growled Chico, drawing.

“I play Graceful Charity!” he shouted.

The beautiful angel flew out of his Disk, and handed him three cards.

Okay… he thought. Now I might still have a chance…

“All right babe,” he said out loud, “it’s time to combo!”

He placed a card into a slot.

“I play Dark Room of Nightmare,” he stated.

A Magic Card with the image of creepy shadows in a sinister temple appeared.

“Next,” he continued, “I’ll summon Gravekeeper’s Vassal… in Attack Mode!”

He played the card, and the sneaky vassal of the Gravekeeper’s appeared. (700/500) –> (1,200/1,000)

“Now, you’re likely wondering why I keep such a pathetic Monster in my deck,” stated Chico. “The answer is, he makes a good combo with this Magic Card.”

“You see, so long as Dark Room of Nightmare is in effect, any time I do damage to my opponent that isn’t battle damage, he or she loses an extra 300 Life Points.

“That brings us to Gravekeeper’s Vassal’s special ability. When he attacks, the damage he does isn’t considered battle damage, it’s considered effect damage.

“And even better, he’s only a three-star Monster, so he’s allowed to attack with your Level Limit card in place!

“So, Gravekeeper’s Vassal, attack her Rainbow Flower with evil eye!”

The Vassal glared at Rainbow Flower, and a blast of dark magic struck the plant! Its one eye glazed over, and it shattered.

Vampire Lady’s Life Points fell to 5,650

“Yeah, I know,” said Chico. “Since that didn’t count as an attack, it only does half damage, but at least I can destroy your Monsters…

“I’ll place a card facedown, and end my turn.”

He placed a card into a slot, and it appeared.

Vampire Lady chuckled as she drew…

This time the tattoos on Chico’s flesh started to sizzle and smoke! He screamed as his Life Points fell to 1,200!

Vampire Lady grinned as hers fell to 4,850.

“So you have a Monster who can attack,” she purred. “Doesn’t matter. The three Monsters I have left can attack too, and they’re packing enough Attack Points to win this duel right now…

“This has been fun, Chico, but…

“Servant of Catabolism, attack his Life Points directly!”

Servant of Catabolism leapt forward.

“I activate Eye of Wdjat!” shouted Chico.

His Trap Card lifted, showing an Egyptian eye surrounded by hieroglyphics.

“Eye of Wdjat?” gasped Vampire Lady. “What does that do?”

“It’s a rare card,” growled Chico. “Since you ordered your Servant to attack, I can now redirect that attack towards a target on your side!”

A glowing eye appeared on the Servant’s shell…

“And I choose your Mystic Lamp!” shouted Chico.

Servant of Catabolism did a one-eighty, and lunged at Mystic Lamp! It crushed the lamp into shards!

Vampire Lady’s Life Points fell to 4,550.

She chuckled as she turned a card on her Disk.

“I’ll end my turn by shifting Jinzo #7 into Defense Mode…” she giggled, as the Machine knelt. “But it was too little, too late Chico. On my next turn, my Magic Card’s curse will drain your remaining Life Points, and that will be that…

“So make your last move…”

She’s right… thought Chico. Unless this next draw is my best draw in whole career, I won’t be winning this one…

I planned to defeat the evil that had polluted this land… Seems I’m nothing but a failure…

”You’re not a failure,” said Mystical Knight of Jackal’s voice. ”A failure wouldn’t have even gotten this far…”

”But her strategy is so hard to defeat,” answered Chico. “It was much easier in the beginning when this tournament started.”

”Beginnings are often easier,” replied the Knight. ”Only someone willing to endure true difficulties can endure something to the end. And ever since your deadbeat parents left you to die, you’ve been taught that the easy way out was the wrong way…

“After all, you saved your allowance for six months to afford the rarest card in your deck…”

My rarest card? thought Chico, looking at his deck.

He knew what the Jackal was talking about. That card was his favorite… A card that held the very history and origins of the Gravekeepers in the form of one Monster…

But if he drew it now, it couldn’t help… He’d need something different…

”Believe in your deck, Chico,” said the Knight. ”If you have faith, the right card will come to you…”

Chico made a draw…

The skies over Necrovalley darkened…

“All right, Vampirella!” he shouted. “Here’s where it gets interesting! I play… Heavy Storm!”

He slammed the card into a slot, and a fierce wind tore through the whole area! First his Dark Room of Nightmare was blown apart, followed by Vampire Lady’s Level Limit Area B, followed by the Dark Snake Syndrome! Finally, Necrovalley itself disintegrated, returning the arena to Vampire Lady’s tomb.

He was relieved to see the hideous tattoos on his skin vanish.

“This duel isn’t over, Vampire Lady,” he snarled. “It’s just getting started!


Continued...

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“First I’ll shift my Cannonholder into Attack Mode!”

Cannonholder rose off the ground and aimed his cannon.

“Gravekeeper’s Vassal, attack her Jinzo #7!”

The Vassal glared with his evil eye. The wicked android sparked and blew up.

“Cannonholder, attack her Servant of Catabolism with shadow blast!”

Cannonholder blasted a beam of dark energy from his weapon, blowing the Servant into pixels!

Vampire Lady’s Life Points fell to 3,850.

“And don’t think I’m done with you yet!” yelled Chico. “I’ll sacrifice my Vassal so that Cannonholder can get in one more shot!”

Gravekeeper’s Vassal melted into dark energy, and was absorbed into the cannon. Cannonholder fired, striking Vampire Lady in the chest!

Her Life Points fell down to 3,500.

Her brow furrowed.

“Seems I underestimated you,” she said. “No matter… I like my companions a bit on the tough side…

“It’s my move…”

She drew a card.

She showed it to him. Pot of Greed.

She played it, and the jar handed her two more cards.

Chico may have defeated one strategy, she thought, looking at them, but his Life Points are low enough to finish him with my back-up plan. And with these cards, I already have all the cards in my hand that I need to pull it off…

“For my next move,” she said, “I summon Jirai Gumo in Attack Mode!”

She placed a card down, and a huge spider with claws like scythes and a slobbering set of mandibles appeared. (2,200/100)

“Perhaps you heard of Jirai Gumo?” she asked.

“Yeah, I know about it,” said Chico, quizzically. “I know that if you attack with it, there’s a 50% chance you’ll lose half your Life Points.”

He paused.

“Wait…” he started. “Your Deckmaster ability…”

Vampire Lady shook her head.

“Paying half your Life Points to attack with Jirai Gumo is a cost, not a card effect,” answered Vampire Lady. “So my ability is of no use there. So I’m not going to attack. I’m just leaving it as an offensive wall until my true strategy can be revealed. It’s your move.”

What’s she up to? thought Chico, making a draw.

He looked at the card.

“I’ll place one card facedown,” he stated. “And also a Monster facedown in Defense.”

The two facedown cards appeared.

“Next, I’ll move my Cannonholder into Defense Mode…”

He turned the card, and Cannonholder knelt.

“And that’s my turn…”

“Wonderful!” cheered Vampire Lady, drawing a card. “Now, I always say, while one is good, two is better! So I’ll summon another Jirai Gumo in Attack Mode!”

She placed the card, and a twin of the first trapdoor spider appeared. (2,200/100)

Chico looked at her.

“You’re up to something…” he snarled.

Vampire Lady laughed evilly.

“Well,” she stated, “since you really can’t stop me, I might as well show you the Monster I’m going to set on my next turn… After all, we’re going to have to get to trust each other eventually…”

Huh? thought Chico. Why would she show me her strategy?

She turned the card and showed him…

“Jigen Bakudan!” exclaimed Chico.

“That’s right!” chuckled Vampire Lady. “The infamous bomb-Monster. I set this little guy facedown in Defense, and when he’s flipped, all the Monsters on my side of the field are destroyed… And you take damage equal to half their total Attack Scores. That amounts to 2,200 Life Points gone, which is 1,000 more than you have left!

“And if you think you can save yourself by using Nobleman of Crossout, think again…”

She showed him another card in her hand.

“It’s called Book of Taiyou,” she stated. “This Magic Card lets me…”

“I know what it does!” snarled Chico. “I have that in my deck myself. It lets you activate a Monster’s flip-effect on the round you set it!”

“Correct,” stated Vampire Lady. “So I end my turn… And I’ll accept a peaceful surrender if you want to be spared the humiliation…”

Chico drew.

He sighed.

“I place one card facedown…” he muttered.

The card appeared.

“Sorry,” he sighed, “but I’d rather go down fighting… do what you have to…”

A tear fell down his cheek…

Vampire Lady chuckled as she made a draw.

“So brave…” she laughed.

She placed a card on her Disk.

“Anyway, I’ll set this Monster facedown in Defense…”

The facedown Monster appeared.

“And now…” she stated, playing a card, “I activate Book of Taiyou!”

The card flipped, and Jigen Bakudan appeared…

“I activate my Trap!” shouted Chico. “Go… Divine Wrath!”

He discarded one of the two cards in his hand. Vampire Lady gasped as thunder rolled…

Lightning fell from the ceiling, vaporizing Jigen Bakudan!

“Heh, heh, heh…” chuckled Chico. “Couldn’t you have recognized such an obvious bluff when you heard it? Thanks to my Divine Wrath Trap, your Jigen Bakudan was destroyed the instant it tried to activate its effect, negating the effect and destroying it.

“So what are you going to do now?”

Vampire Lady didn’t answer…

“I take it that means it’s my turn,” stated Chico.

He made a draw.

His eyes opened wide!

“I flip my facedown Monster into Attack Mode…” he stated. “Presenting… Magician of Faith!”

The splendidly dressed Spellcaster with her crescent-moon staff appeared. (300/400)

A card slid out of his discard slot.

“I’ll use her to get back my Necrovalley card, and play it now!”

He threw the card into his Field slot, and the vortex consumed the room. Necrovalley returned. Gravekeeper’s Cannonholder’s stats went up to (1,900/1,200)

“Now I’ll move my Cannonholder into Attack Mode…” he continued.

Cannonholder stood up.

“And I’m not half-done yet!” exclaimed Chico. “I activate my other facedown card… Rite of Spirit!”

His Trap lifted.

“This lets me bring one Gravekeeper back from my Graveyard, and I’m choosing my Chief!”

Gravekeeper’s Chief appeared, holding his scepter aloft. (1,900/1,200) –> (2,400/1,700)

“And just you know,” continued Chico, “when he’s on my side of the field, I’m not bound by the negative effects of Necrovalley. So I play… Monster Reborn! Gravekeeper’s Assailant, return!”

He played the Magic Card, and the shadowy assassin appeared, carrying his long dagger. (1,500/1,500) –> (2,000/2,000)

“And finally…” said Chico. “I’m going to give you a taste of the rarest card in my deck… The mightiest Gravekeeper of all…”

He switched cards on his Disk…

“I sacrifice my Magician of Faith…”

Magician of Faith vanished into mist. The sky darkened over Necrovalley again, and lightning flashed!

“…and I summon… [B]Gravekeeper’s Mummy!”

A golden sarcophagus appeared on the field… It slowly opened…

A tall form crawled out. It was an ancient, mummified cadaver, clad in rotting burial linens, and decorated with golden jewelry and a bejeweled Egyptian burial mask. He carried a long crook. (2,000/0) –> (2,500/500)

“Gravekeeper’s Mummy?” exclaimed Vampire Lady, startled. “How can a Gravekeeper be a mummy? You yourself said that in Necrovalley, Zombies were…”

“Abominations?” interrupted Chico. “Most of them are… But this one is a far nobler Zombie than any vampire. He was the first Gravekeeper, and the one responsible for starting their proud tradition. Upon his death, his followers embalmed his body in a sacred ritual, and legend has it that when Necrovalley is threatened, he will emerge to defend it once more…

“But enough with legends… Gravekeeper’s Chief, attack the first Jirai Gumo!”

The Chief cast a spell, and shot a beam of ancient magic at the huge spider, blowing it into pixels!

Vampire Lady’s Life Points fell to 3,650.

“Gravekeeper’s Assailant, attack the other one!” shouted Chico.

Assailant raised his dagger…

“Stupid…” chuckled Vampire Lady. “It’s 200 Attack Points stronger!”

“True, but when Necrovalley is active, Gravekeeper’s Assailant can change the battle position of a Monster when he attacks!” answered Chico. “So he’s changing it to Defense Mode, where it’s 1,900 points weaker!”

Jirai Gumo crouched in Defense Mode, and Assailant plunged his dagger into it, blasting it into pixels!

“And now that you’re defenseless,” chuckled Chico, “Cannonholder, attack directly with shadow blast!”

Cannonholder aimed his cannon and fired, striking the vampire in the stomach! For the first time all duel, she screamed…

Her Life Points fell to 1,750.

“And now for the grand finale…” proclaimed Chico, “Gravekeeper’s Mummy, attack with Spell of Souls!”

Ancient, mystical energy started to flow around Gravekeeper’s Mummy, and ghostly wisps surrounded him… cries from the souls of deceased Gravekeepers filled the room…

He pointed his crook, and blasted his mighty spell at Vampire Lady, knocking her over!

Her Life Points fell to zero…

Mystical Knight of Jackal turned to Chico.

”Congratulations, Chico, he stated. ”I may have been of little help as a Deckmaster this time, but perhaps in the future it will be different.

”For now, remember to have faith, and the evil in this land will wiped out…

”If not by you, than by those who you ally yourselves with…”

He vanished.

Vampire Lady got up, as Necrovalley and Chico’s four Monsters vanished.

She hung her head.

“Well, you won…” she said sadly.

She sighed.

“You can still share my coffin if you want…” she said softly.

“No thank you!” snapped Chico. “Just point me in the nearest direction out of this chamber of horrors…”

“Before you go…” sighed Vampire Lady, walking up. “Why don’t you take something to remember me by…”

“Remember you by?” asked Chico. “I want to forget you!”

“Just hear me out, please!” pleaded Vampire Lady. “There’s a reason I’m so lonely… A reason I tried to force you to stay…”

She paused.

“The master of this Palace is a wicked creature… She keeps me as much a prisoner of this tomb as… as I wanted to make you. But I can help you defeat her…”

“Oh? How?” asked Chico, somewhat annoyed.

He wasn’t sure whether or not to believe this vampire, but she had lost… He knew that no duelist with any honor would break a wager…

…hopefully.

Vampire Lady took four cards out of her dress.

“The master doesn’t know I have these,” she urged. “Take them, and you can defeat anyone…”

“Yeah, right…” said Chico, as he took them. “They’re probably just some sort of cheap…”

His eyes bugged out as he saw what they were.

“No way…” he gasped. “No freakin’ way! I’ve heard of these cards… But…”

He was speechless. These cards were so rare, they made Gravekeeper’s Mummy look like something you could pull out of a booster pack…

A door behind Vampire Lady opened, revealing a stairway going up.

“Go…” she said, sadly. “Leave me…”

Chico walked to the door.

He looked at the cards.

That vampire was a beast, he thought. But is it wrong to accept help from one evil creature to defeat another? These cards would make my deck twice as powerful…

A strong feeling of temptation came over him…

Finally, he removed three cards from his deck, and then shuffled the four new cards into it.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

In her tomb, Vampire Lady sadly sat on the edge of her coffin.

Not all of what she had said to Chico was lies, although a lot it was… She was pretty lonely down here, and Chico would have made a great companion…

An image flashed in front of her. She stood up as the Shadow Queen’s face appeared.

“Vampire Lady?” she said in a comforting voice. “Don’t feel bad for losing… So you didn’t get what you wanted…”

“It would have been nice…” sighed the vampire.

“Well,” suggested the Shadow Queen, “you can still have him if you want… You just have to wait until the finals are over…

“And you played your part well… You’re an excellent liar…”

Vampire Lady chuckled.

“He should have known never to believe a vampire,” she giggled.

“What my victims don’t know,” stated the Shadow Queen, “is that by accepting my help in the form of these rare cards, they’re technically on my payroll. So if Stan, Andy, or Francesca should fall to any of them in the finals… Well, my job is done…”

She chuckled.

“And once they’re out of the way, I’m free to do anything with my unknowing minions as I want…

“Hang tight… You won’t be lonely much longer…”



MAGICAL MALLET (Magic Card)

Card Specs

Type: Magic
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Card Description: Image of a wooden toy mallet with wings on the head. Shuffle this card and any number of cards from your hand back into your deck, and then draw a number of cards equal to the number you returned to your deck.

Note: “Magical Mallet” was used by Chaz in the “Yu-Gi-Oh GX” episode “Making the Grade”. All creative credit goes to the writers of this episode.



EYE OF WDJAT (Trap Card)

Card Specs

Type: Trap
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Card Description: Image of an Egyptian eye surrounded by hieroglyphics. You can activate this card when your opponent declares an attack. Redirect the attack of the attacking Monster to another Monster on your opponent’s side of the field, or to your opponent directly if he has no other Monsters on the field.

Note: “Eye of Wdjat” was used by Odion in the anime episode “Awakening of Evil (Part One)”. All creative credit goes to the writers of this episode.



GRAVEKEEPER’S MUMMY (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 5
ATK: 2,000
DEF: 0

Card Description: This embalmed creature was the first Gravekeeper, and the secret guardian of Necrovalley. When this Monster destroys an opponent’s Monster, you can Special Summon one “Gravekeeper’s Servant Token” (Zombie/Dark/2 stars/1,000/1,000) to your side of the field in Attack Mode during your next Main Phase.

Note: “Gravekeeper’s Mummy” was created by Master of Paradox for one of his chapters in the fanfic “Yu-Gi-Oh! Lady of Dragons”. All creative credit goes to him.



”Mystical Knight of Jackal”: Beast-Warrior/Light (2,700/1,200)

Deckmaster SA: “Self Spin”: When one of your Monsters is destroyed in battle, you can pay 500 Life Points to put the destroyed Monster on the top of your deck.



Vampire Lady”: Zombie/Dark (1,550/1,550)

Deckmaster SA: “Vampiric Immunity”: All damage you take from card effects is halved.



[B][I]Before I continue, rest assured that this will NOT be the last you see of Gravekeeper’s Mummy in this fanfic. Chico will use him again, and make good use of his effect.

Coming up next:

The heroes are still stuck in the arena, but an exit is in sight. Peten the Dark Clown shows up to challenge Andy again, and if you thought his deck was anti-Dragon before, wait until you see what he’s got up his sleeve now. Plus, fans of “Yu-Gi-Oh GX”, wait until you see what Andy has in his deck!

It’s all coming up in a chapter called “Comedy and Tragedy”, coming soon…

[jkBAKURA]

Nice! I much prefered this to Chico's first appearance, and I am astounded that you found a way to make the Vassel work. Probably was a goal of yours in this chapter. Now to clear up a bit of confusion. While it is true that Paradox did write the duel for that chapter, Gravekeeper's Mummy was my design. With the way it was presented, I don't blame you for the mistake, in fact I am quite flattered. Next time, I wouldn't mind you asking for permission however. But enough with that. I do look foreward to another appearance of him in the future if that is what to happen. Keep it up, this was the best chapter in a long time.

PS. I noticed a couple of Hasker's cards as well. Was that intentional, or simply coincidence?

PPS. The whole time I was waiting for a Ring of Destruction, but I suppose that would have bee3n too obvious

[Dark Sage]

Bakura -

Master of Paradox said I only needed his permission to use the card, and he gave me it. Sorry about that.

As for Vampire Lady's similarities to Haskar, well, they both run Direct Damage Decks, so they have a few cards in common. That's about it.

[Shuppet Master]

That was a really great chapter, D.S.! I always wondered how to make those weenie monsters from Metal Raiders work, and you did pretty well with it. Vampire Lady was a freaky character, and something tells me that things are looking bad.

So that is the Queen's plan, to turn the other finalists into her servants by giving them useful cards, so technically they are serving her. Poor Stan, Fran, and Andy!

Can't wait for the finals, and I can't wait to see what cards you were talking about with Andy, since I'm a big fan of GX. Keep up the good work!

[Master of Paradox]

jkBAKURA: You invented the Gravekeeper's Mummy, yes, but the one Chico used was my design. Besides, we're coauthors... (Something tells me that between this and my deal on Friday, the relationship between us is now strained.)

A much better chapter than the first go-round with Chico. For one thing, we didn't have to sit through his past this time.

Just by reading the "coming next chapter" blurb on the last chapter, I guessed Vampire Lady would be his opponent. Very creepy, as appropriate for a vampiress.

That was an... interesting duel. I noticed the similarity between the VL and Hasker myself, but some of your personal comments in the past had left me prepared for such things. Dark Snake Syndrome is an incredibly unpleasant card to look at, let alone be hit with, and the accompanying "weenie rush" made Chico seem in even deeper trouble. (Nice touch, as well, to have her use Level Limit Area B instead of the usual protective tricks - I'll have to keep it in mind for a certain future project.) Chico's deck hasn't changed much, but a good Gravekeeper deck doesn't.

And you handled the Mummy nicely.

I have only a few suspicions as to what the VL gave Chico... and I admire the touch of having the Shadow Queen transform the other finalists into extra servants that way.

Next chapter should be, if nothing else, rather interesting. I know exactly what cards you're talking about, and to be frank, Andy's inclusion of those could be stretching the deck a bit too far.

[Pokemasterkatie]

Next chapter should be, if nothing else, rather interesting. I know exactly what cards you're talking about, and to be frank, Andy's inclusion of those could be stretching the deck a bit too far.

I'm inclined to agree; since I have a good idea which cards he's speaking of.:/ I mean, Fire is a pretty rarely used type; so what are the chances...unless there's a rematch with Tyson in a future chapter?

[Dark Sage]

After a bit of a lull, it's time for a new chapter.

When I said that fans of "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" would love what Andy has in his deck, a few folks thought I meant Bastion's H2O Monsters. Well, no. Those guys are two situational (and they aren't even Dragons - Hydrgeddon and Oxygeddon are Dinosaurs, and Water Dragon is actually a Sea Serpent).

But I think you'll like this chapter anyway.

- Brian

[Dark Sage]

[B][I]Being a duelist who uses a Dragon Deck, one great duelist who I admire is Seto Kaiba.

Kaiba uses a lot of Dragons, not the least of which are his three unique Blue-Eyes White Dragons. But his deck isn’t truly Dragon-themed… More or less, it’s a Beatdown Deck.

He uses a lot of other Monster Types… Warriors like Blade Knight, Beast-Warriors like Vorse Raider, Fiends like La Jinn…

I also believe he has three Peten the Dark Clown cards in his deck. These three Monsters are useful to him in two ways: One, their effect helps him put up a good defensive wall. Second, because they have only 500 Attack Points and are Dark Monsters, they can be used to trigger his deadly Crush Card Trap.

I doubt even Kaiba knows that one of his Monsters has come to life, turned evil, and is attacking a duelist who admires him. If Kaiba were here, he’d likely be upset.

Well, this clown is in for a rude awakening…

Because between the last time we met and now, I obtained a secret weapon or two…

[B][size=3]CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR



Comedy and Tragedy

Maria was sweating heavily…

She had Amphibian Beast (2,400/2,000), and Gagagigo (1,850/1,000) in attack Mode on her side; her opponent, Seto Kaiba’s doppelganger, had a clear side, but he had just foiled her attempt at a direct attack with his Negate Attack.

The scores were at a dead tie, with each of them at 2,800…

And it was “Kaiba’s” move.

“I play my Pot of Greed!” he shouted, playing it.

He drew two cards, and grinned.

“I play the Ritual Magic Card, White Dragon Ritual!” he exclaimed, playing the card. “To do this, I’ll sacrifice the Blue-Eyes in my hand… And summon Paladin of White Dragon!”

A powerful Knight in shining white armor astride a white dragon appeared, holding a lance. (1,900/1,200)

“Next,” he continued, “I’ll play Monster Reborn, to bring back the Blue-Eyes I just sacrificed!”

He played the card, and the ferocious Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared on the field. (3,000/2,500)

“Paladin!” shouted “Kaiba”, “destroy Gagagigo with dragon lance!”

The Paladin flew forward, and speared Gagagigo, blowing it to pieces.

“Blue-Eyes, obliterate Amphibian Beast with white lightning!”

The Dragon blasted forth its powerful breath weapon, eradicating the Beast.

“But wait…” said Kaiba with a grin, “there’s more! Now that my turn’s ending, I can sacrifice my Paladin for another Blue-Eyes, so now I have two!”

Paladin vanished, and a second Blue-Eyes appeared in front of him.

Maria’s Life Points were at 2,150.

“So what are you going to do now, Maria?” he gloated.

He asked.

Maria shakily reached for her deck…

“I play the Magic Card… Reload!” she stated.

She put her five cards into her deck, reshuffled, and drew five more cards.

Her eyes opened wide.

“I play… A Legendary Ocean!” she shouted.

She threw a card into her Field Slot, and the arena became awash with sea water. The beautiful palace arose behind her.

“Now I play Premature Burial!” she exclaimed. “I’ll use it to bring back Gagagigo!”

Her Life Points slipped to 1,350, and Gagagigo arose. (1,850/1,000) –> (2,050/1,200)

“But I won’t be keeping him,” she continued. “Due to the downgrading effect of A Legendary Ocean, I can now summon my next Monster with only one sacrifice… So I sacrifice Gagagigo to summon Levia-Dragon – Daedalus!

The lizard man vanished, and a huge form erupted out of the Ocean. It was a sea Monster with a serpentine body, fins, and huge teeth! (2,600/1,500) –> (2,800/1,700)

“Impressive…” said “Kaiba” with a smirk. “But that’s still not strong enough…”

“I’m not done!” continued Maria. “Now I can sacrifice Daedalus to Special Summon an even stronger beast…”

Daedalus shattered as she put a card down.

“So arise, Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo-Daedalus!”

The biggest sea monster of all appeared… it looked like the original Daedalus, but with two heads and nastier-looking fins. (2,900/1,600) –> (3,100/1,800)

The two Blue-Eyes and their master drew back in fear…

“And that’s not the half of it,” chuckled Melissa, as the waters around her started to churn. “By sacrificing A Legendary Ocean, Neo-Daedalus can destroy all cards on the field and in both our hands except himself!”

A huge series of waterspouts shot up, and the two Blue-Eyes were blown apart!

After a minute, Neo-Daedalus was the only card in play…

“Kaiba” gasped…

“Neo-Daedalus, attack directly with fury of the tempest!” shouted Maria.

Kaiba’s double screamed as a blast of water plowed into him, knocking him over…

He shattered into pixels.

“Uh… did I just win?” muttered Maria.

“Sure looks that way, Maria,” said Leopold with a grin.

“I call it luck…” sighed Melissa.

“Luck or not, we’re getting better,” stated Vladimir. “But remember one thing… these virtual images are just phantoms. The real things will be a lot harder…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Earlier, Stan, Andy, and Francesca were still trapped in the arena…

But they figured they were closer to an exit.

“Only one lever to pull down, guys,” said Andy, “mine. And I can just guess who’s going to come out when I pull it…”

He went to the lever and pulled it down…

The door on the left slowly opened, and a cackling laughter echoed throughout the arena…

A figure tumbled into view, then leapt up and did a somersault…

He smiled at Andy.

“Peten the Dark Clown,” sighed Andy. “Long time no see. Where have you been keeping yourself…?”

Peten’s smile turned into a scowl.

“Where? WHERE?” he snarled. “The Queen punished me good, Andy. Do you know what it’s like to be sealed away in the Graveyard? I couldn’t move… I couldn’t see… I couldn’t hear!

“But there was one thing I could do… I could think! And the only thing I could think about was how I wanted to pummel you to pieces!”

He cackled with insane laughter again, as a Duel Disk appeared on his arm.

“If you defeat me,” he chuckled, “you and your friends are free to progress to the second level of the Palace of Shadow. But that’s not going to happen. I’m going to defeat you, little boy… And I’ve been improving my deck since our last encounter!”

The change fully came over Andy.

“I hate to tell you this, but so have I,” answered Andy. “And I’ll duel you if I can get rid of you for good!”

“Be careful, Andy!” shouted Francesca. “You know he has a Buster Blader!”

“I know!” answered Andy. “But I’m fully prepared for it!”

“Very well…” laughed Peten.

Their Duel Disks activated.

“Now choose your Deckmaster!” he laughed.

Andy took out his deck.

Decisions, decisions… he thought. Well, since I play a Dragon Deck, why not use a Dragon this time?

He held a card up.

“I choose… Luster Dragon #1!”

In a flash of light, the beautiful sapphire Dragon appeared.

“Now then…” started Andy.

”Andy…” said a soft, mystical voice in his head.

Andy turned, it was coming from Luster Dragon.

”Was that you?” he answered. ”I didn’t think dragons could speak…”

”Dragons possess the ability to communicate telepathically with any being who has a language,” answered Luster Dragon. ”Word just hasn’t gotten out, because we tend to eat anyone who hasn’t earned our respect…

“You, however, is someone we respect, so listen closely…

“My Deckmaster ability allows you to Special Summon my older sibling, Luster Dragon #2 to the field, and it doesn’t matter whether he is in your hand, your deck, or in the Graveyard at the time.”

”How many times?” asked Andy.

”As many times as you like, once per turn,” answered Luster Dragon. ”But it is only free the first time you do it. The second time, you must pay 500 Life Points… The third time, you must pay 1,000… And the payment increases by 500 each consecutive time.

“Use this ability wisely, and we will defeat our foe. Remember, he holds dragonkind’s mortal enemy in his deck…

“And I’m certain that Buster Blader is not the only bane of dragons he carries.”

“Okay Peten, enough talk,” exclaimed Andy. “Let’s duel!”

The Life Point counters rose to 8,000 apiece.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Watching closely – more closely than usual – were the Shadow Queen and Grodus.

“Are you sure it’s wise to trust this joker?” asked Grodus. “He already cheated once…”

“I know,” pondered the Queen, “but Peten and I reached an… understanding…

“First, while he was improving his deck, I made him replace the trimmed-down Buster Blader with a normal one…

“Second, he knows I’ll be watching closely, and if he does anything to cheat, I’ll not only stop the duel, but I’ll use this…”

She held up a glowing card.

Last Day of the Witch.

“That…” muttered Grodus. “That destroys all Spellcasters on the field…”

“And if I use this magical version, it will destroy any of my servants in whatever room I choose who happen to be Spellcasters.

“So if Peten cheats this time, he dies, plain and simple. Since he knows I have this card, I don’t think we have to worry about that…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

Bah… thought Peten, drawing his first hand. I don’t have to cheat to beat this child… My anti-Dragon deck is good enough using my own skills!

He made his first draw.

He chuckled. He opened his Field slot.

“For my first move…” he giggled, “I’ll play this card… A Field Magic Card called Array of Revealing Light!”

The Field slot closed, and a glow appeared on the arena. A mystic circle with glowing lines appeared on the floor.

“Array of Revealing Light?” asked Andy. “What does that do?”

“Simple,” chuckled Peten. “I name one Type of Monster, and for as long as this Field remains in play, that Type of Monster cannot attack on the turn it is summoned!

“And I choose Dragons!”

“Aw, nuts!” exclaimed Francesca. “Now practically every Monster Andy has is going to have to wait a round before it can attack!”

Peten chuckled an placed another card down.

“Next, I’ll summon this guy in Attack Mode… Mystic Clown!”

A tall figure appeared. It was a gangly, thin Fiend, with colorful clothes in shades of purple, and one eye.

“AND, he gets a little boost!” laughed Peten.

(1,500/1,000) –> (2,000/1,500)

“How did your Clown get stronger?” asked Andy.

“My Deckmaster ability increases the Attack and Defense of any clown Monster I summon by 500!” laughed Peten.

He took another card.

“I’ll finish by placing this facedown, and turn it over to you…”

A facedown card materialized.

Andy drew a card.

“Well you aren’t the only one with a powerful Deckmaster!” he warned. “First I’ll summon my Cave Dragon!”

He placed a card down, and the lumbering, elderly Dragon appeared. (2,000/100)

“Next,” he said, “I’ll use my Deckmaster’s ability to Special Summon Luster Dragon #2 from my deck!”

Luster Dragon #1 glowed, and a card flew out of Andy’s deck. It fell on his Disk, and the powerful Luster Dragon #2 appeared. (2,400/1,400)

“Since I can’t attack with them thanks to your Field Card,” he continued. “I’ll end my turn there…”

Peten growled. He drew a card.

“I’ll summon Toon Alligator in Defense Mode…” he snarled.

He placed a card down, and the comical, grinning alligator appeared, shielding itself with its stone axe. (800/1,600)

“And I’ll also move Mystic Clown into Defense Mode, and that will be all…”

He turned his card; Mystic Clown knelt and shielded himself.

Andy drew a card.

“Spear Dragon in Attack Mode!” he shouted.

He placed the card down, and the pterodactyl-like Dragon appeared. (1,900/0)

“I may not be able to attack with him this round, but I can attack with my other two! Cave Dragon, wipe out Mystic Clown with noxious breath!”

Cave Dragon blasted forth his gaseous breath; Mystic Clown gasped and shattered.

“Luster Dragon, attack that dumb-looking cartoon with emerald flash blast!”

Luster Dragon shot forth a beam of energy, blowing Toon Alligator away!

“Yes!” exclaimed Francesca. “Peten has no more Monsters on his side and Andy has three! Next round, Andy will clean his clock!”

“Then why is Peten smiling?” asked Stan.

Peten was indeed chuckling. He drew a card.

“I’m not done yet, Andy…” he giggled.

His Trap Card lifted.

“I activate Call of the Haunted to bring my Toon Alligator back!”

The comical Reptile returned.

“But I’m only doing that so I can sacrifice him…” continued Peten. “To summon this…”

He placed a card on his Disk, and Toon Alligator vanished.

“I summon Dragon Seeker!”

A man-sized Fiend appeared. It was hideously ugly, hunched over, and combining the features of a dinosaur and lizard. It had bat-like wings on its back. (2,000/2,100)

“Just by summoning this guy, he can destroy one Dragon on the field!” exclaimed Peten.

Beams of energy shot from Dragon Seeker’s eyes, and Luster Dragon #2 was blown into pixels.

“Actually, he can destroy two,” laughed Peten. “I still have his attack to use on Spear Dragon! Dragon Seeker, attack Spear Dragon with dark claws of fury!”

Dragon Seeker leapt forward, and slashed at Spear Dragon, tearing it in half!

Andy’s Life Points fell to 7,900.

“Well,” chuckled Peten. “Your move…”

That guy’s grinning like a Cheshire Cat… thought Andy as he drew. I’ll bet he already has Buster Blader in his hand, and he’s just waiting for the right time to summon him…

For now, I’d best just protect myself…

“I summon The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave in Defense Mode,” he stated.

He placed a card down, and the sleepy, rocky Dragon appeared.

“And also, a card facedown,” he continued.

He fit a card into a slot, and it materialized.

“Over to you, clown…” he dared.

“Then I draw…” chuckled Peten.

“Heh, heh…” he laughed. “HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!”

He calmed down.

“I couldn’t have asked for better!” he exclaimed.

He took another card from his hand.

“I bring my Toon Alligator back again with Monster Reborn!” he laughed.

He played the card. Toon Alligator reappeared.

“Now I’ll sacrifice both my servants to summon…”

He chuckled, as Toon Alligator and Dragon Seeker vanished into mist…

He put a card down…

“BUSTER BLADER!” he laughed.

With a bellowing war cry, the huge Warrior in armor appeared, holding aloft his mighty sword! (2,600/2,300)

“Now, with two Dragons on the field and two in your Graveyard, he has more than enough power to cause you a world of hurt!” laughed Peten.

(5,600/2,300)

“Fifty-six hundred Attack Points already?” gasped Francesca. “Now what?”

“Buster Blader…” started Peten.

“I activate Threatening Roar!” shouted Andy.

His Trap Card lifted, and the great beast roared, causing both Peten and Buster Blader to shield themselves.

“Fine,” chuckled Peten. “You’ve bought yourself a turn, nothing more. I’ll end my turn by playing this card facedown.”

He fit a card into a slot, and it appeared.

”Andy,” said Luster Dragon’s telepathic voice. ”This has gotten dangerous…”

Andy drew a card.

”Don’t worry,” he replied. ”I’m gonna take down this joker the same way I did the last time…

“I’ll place one card facedown,” he said, fitting a card into a slot.

A facedown card appeared.

“Now I’ll pay 500 Life Points to activate my Deckmaster’s ability again,” he exclaimed.

His Life Points fell down to 7,400.

“I’ll summon Luster Dragon #2, and place him in Attack Mode!”

Luster Dragon reappeared.

“That will end my turn…” he sneered.

“Oh dear…” remarked Peten. “A facedown card… Whatever could it be…”

He held his forehead.

“Wait…” he chuckled. “It wouldn’t happen to be… Burst Breath, would it?”

Andy glared at him.

Strange, he thought. He’s right… but he doesn’t seem to be the least bit worried. But what is he going to do? I’ll activate it the second he draws!

“Well Andy…” chuckled Peten, “I’ll draw one card…”

He drew a card.

“I activate Burst Breath!” shouted Andy, as his Trap lifted.

Luster Dragon #2 growled… Energy appeared in its jaws…

“Poor Andy…” chuckled Peten. “You won’t get me with the same trick twice! I activate my own facedown card!”

His facedown card lifted, showing a Quickplay Magic Card with the image of Marauding Captain fending off a fiendish creature.


Continued...

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“It’s called My Body As A Shield!” laughed Peten. “Activating this card costs me 1,500 Life Points…”

His Life Points fell to 6,500.

“But it’s a price I’m willing to pay, because it negates and destroys any card that destroys Monsters!”

The Burst Breath card shattered.

Andy gasped.

“Unfortunately,” grinned Peten, “since your Trap was negated, your Dragons survived… but not for long! Buster Blader, attack his Cave Dragon with blade buster attack!”

Buster Blader leapt forward and made a slash, cleaving Cave Dragon in two!

Andy’s Life Points tumbled to 4,800.

“God help him…” whispered Francesca.

“He’d better…” muttered Stan. “Cause I don’t know who else can!”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

“Very clever, Peten,” chuckled the Shadow Queen. “I never expected you of all people to learn from your mistakes…”

“Your majesty,” said Grodus, “even if Peten wins, I must remind you that The End of Anubis and The Unfriendly Amazon have failed. What will become of Stan and Francesca after this?”

“Well, regardless of the outcome of this duel,” she answered, “whoever is left will proceed to the next level of the palace…

“And if our victims thought it was hard so far, they’re in for a surprise.

“In fact, Grodus, when they enter the second circle, I want you to confront them personally…”

“Me?” asked Grodus.

He reached into his robes and took out a deck of cards.

“Well, why not?” he chuckled. “It’s been a while since I’ve gotten a chance to get involved…”

“Well, don’t get carried away,” warned the Queen. “Your deck has its strong points, but it does have weaknesses…”

Grodus drew a card from his deck. He looked at the hideous, fiendish figure clad in gold armor…

“Don’t worry,” he said. “Those three brats have seen plenty of Dark Monsters before, but not even Stan’s Dark Magician is as Dark as the Darkness in my deck!”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

“Ready to give up, Andy?” chuckled Peten.

“I’ll never give in to some Barnum and Bailey reject, Peten!” shouted Andy, making a draw.

Des Volstgalph? he thought. Powerful, but useless right now…

“I’ll switch Luster Dragon into Defense Mode, and that will end my turn,” he stated.

Luster Dragon bowed and folded its wings.

Peten cackled as he drew.

This might be good for later, he thought, looking at the Warrior.

“Buster Blader, slay his Luster Dragon!” he shouted.

Buster Blader charged, and smote Luster Dragon, blowing it into shards.

“Make your move…” chuckled Peten.

Andy drew.

His eyes opened a little.

One of my secret weapons… he thought. Aw, but if I summoned it now, it would just be killed!

“Actually,” he stated, “I choose to end my turn without making any move!”

“Your choice,” chuckled Peten, drawing a card. “Buster Blader, you know what to do…”

Buster Blader leapt forth, and destroyed The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave.

Now what? thought Andy. Keep defending until I run out of Monsters I can defend with? If he manages a direct attack with that super-strong Buster Blader, I’ve had it!

”Andy, said Luster Dragon’s voice. ”Things may look bleak, but remember one thing…

“In a duel, all it can take is one draw to turn the entire thing around. Remember when you dueled Gerald Laxina? Time nearly ran out… But your last draw made all the difference.

“It will come to you… Don’t give up so long as you can make one more draw…”

Andy paused.

“Okay, thanks…” he answered.

He went to his deck.

One draw… he thought.

He drew.

Heh, heh… Well what do you know…

“Time to say bye-bye to your Blader, Peten!” he shouted. “I play… Snatch Steal!”

The Magic Card appeared.

“NO!” shouted Peten. “My Monster…”

“…is mine!” laughed Andy.

Buster Blader vanished and reappeared on Andy’s side, his Attack Score back down to 2,600.

Peten gulped.

“And now, to get rid of him, I’ll sacrifice him to summon the Monster whose name is feared by everyone, whether they can spell it or not… [I]Des Volstgalph!”

Buster Blader vanished, and the huge desert Dragon appeared with a roar. (2,200/1,700)

“Be glad I can’t attack you with it this turn, thanks to your rotten Field Card,” warned Andy. “It’s your move.”

“YEAH!” shouted Francesca. “Go Andy!”

“Uh, Francesca…” muttered Stan. “Andy just made a mistake…”

“Huh?” answered Francesca.

“Well,” sighed Stan, “Andy was so nervous about Buster Blader and so anxious to get rid of him, he threw away a good opportunity to damage Peten. See, since Des Volstgalph couldn’t have attacked anyway, Andy should have attacked Peten directly with Buster Blader, and then sacrificed him.”

Andy looked over at his friends. He had clearly heard that…

“Calm down, Andy!” shouted Stan. “You got rid of Buster Blader, didn’t you?”

Peten chuckled.

“Should I make my move, Andy, or would you like to make another dumb mistake?” he giggled.

“Just move…” snarled Andy.

“Gladly!” laughed Peten, drawing. “My Buster Blader may be gone, but my deck is full of vicious beasts waiting to destroy you!”

He threw a card down.

“I summon… The Hunter With 7 Weapons!” he announced.

A figure materialized. It was a tall, grim-faced Warrior with a bald head, dressed in a leather suit and cloak. As his name suggested, he was armed to the teeth with weapons. (1,000/600)

“When this guy is summoned…” stated Peten.

“I know!” interrupted Andy. “When he’s summoned, you can name one type of Monster, and when he battles that Type, he’s assumed to have 1,000 extra Attack Points!”

“Clever,” smiled Peten. “So I’m naming Dragons…”

“You’re pretty lousy at math, Peten,” called Francesca. “That makes his Attack Score 2,000, and Des Volstgalph is 200 points stronger!”

“Actually, Francesca, I knew that,” answered Peten. “But I’m prepared. This guy has seven weapons… But I’m going to give him an eighth one! After all, as any Warrior knows, you can never have too many weapons…”

He fit a Magic Card into a slot.

“I’m Equipping him with Sword of Dragon’s Soul!” he laughed. “The first effect of this Equip raises any Warrior’s Attack by 700!”

The axe in The Hunter’s right hand vanished, and was replaced by a large, serrated blade.

“This is more than strong enough to defeat Des Volstgalph!” laughed Peten. “Hunter, attack with specialized strike!”

The Hunter With 7 Weapons leapt forward and jabbed Des Volstgalph in the neck with his blade! The Dragon roared, and shattered into pixels!

Andy’s Life Points fell to 4,300.

“I end my turn, Andy,” laughed Peten. “So what are you gonna do? My Hunter has an Attack of 2,700 against your Dragons, and even if you managed to summon your Tyrant Dragon, which I doubt you can, any Dragon that battles a Warrior armed with Sword of Dragon’s Soul is destroyed automatically!”

“Heh, heh…” chuckled Andy. “Heh, heh, heh, heh…”

“Hey!” shouted Peten. “What’s so funny?”

Andy drew one card.

“What’s so funny?” he asked. “I’ll show you…”

Then he placed a card on his Disk.

“I summon Cyber Dragon in Attack Mode…” he stated.

The ground started to rumble…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

“What’s this?” gasped the Shadow Queen, getting up. “This is impossible… Andy’s summoning a Monster… that I’ve never even heard of!”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

From out of the ground, a [B]huge creature erupted! It was a giant, serpentine beast made of metal. It roared, and coiled around Andy. (2,100/1,600)

“GOOD GRIEF!” shouted Francesca. “Andy, where did you get that?”

“From Marty,” answered Andy. “That secret stash of cards he had… It had everything…”

“Never mind where he got it!” shouted Peten. “How the heck did you summon a Monster that powerful when you had no Monsters on your side?”

“I was able to summon it because I had no Monsters on my side,” replied Andy. “Cyber Dragon’s special ability lets me Special Summon it directly to the field if my opponent has at least one Monster on his side and I have none.”

“Yeah?” said Peten, with a sinister chuckle. “Well a fat lot of good it will do you, because…”

“Cyber Dragon…” ordered Andy, “attack The Hunter With 7 Weapons with strident blast!”

Cyber Dragon roared! It blasted a wave of flame from its mouth, enveloping The Hunter!

Not even ashes were left.

Peten’s Life Points fell to 6,100.

“WHAT?” shouted Peten. “HOW? Your Dragon…”

“The name ‘Cyber Dragon’ is a misnomer, Peten,” answered Andy. “This Monster is a Machine, so he didn’t care about your Field Card, your Hunter’s effect, or that Equip Card.”

Peten shivered.

“Your move…” dared Andy.

Peten drew.

“I p-play… Pot of Greed…” he stated.

He played the card, and it handed him two cards.

He grinned a sinister grin.

“I’ll still beat you Andy!” he cackled. “I summon Crass Clown in Attack Mode!”

He placed the card down, and the ugly, fiendish clown appeared, balancing on his ball.

“And let’s not forget my Deckmaster ability!” he laughed.

(1,350/1,400) –> (1,850/1,900)

“Humph,” scoffed Andy. “Even with that bonus, your Fiend is no more than a clown to my Cyber Dragon.”

“Well then,” chuckled Peten, “I’ll just have to make him stronger, with the Magic Card, Psycho Circus!”

He played a card, and a Magic Card with the image of several clown Monsters doing tricks around a sinister-looking carnival under a stormy sky appeared.

“This Continuous Magic Card increases the Attack Score of any clowns that we both summon by 500!” laughed Peten. “Pity you likely don’t have any in your deck!”

Crass Clown’s Attack went up to 2,350.

“Crass Clown…” shouted Peten, “attack Cyber Dragon with acrobatic daggers attack!”

Crass Clown let out a bone-chilling laugh… He did a handstand on his ball, and then threw three daggers at Cyber Dragon! The great beast exploded!

Andy’s Life Points fell to 4,150.

“Poor Andy…” muttered Francesca. “A great Monster like that done in by a… clown…”

“I dunno, Fran,” answered Stan. “Andy doesn’t seem worried at all…”

“Is that your move?” asked Andy.

Peten chuckled manically, and nodded.

“Yeah, just keep laughing…” snarled Andy, drawing. “Laugh until the guys in the white coats come to take you out of here in a rubber truck!”

He looked at the card.

I’ll save this, he thought.

“Well, Peten, since I have no Monsters on my side again, I’ll just summon another Cyber Dragon!”

He placed a card down, and the ground shook again. Another Cyber Dragon erupted out of the ground!

“You have two in your deck?” exclaimed Francesca.

“No… three,” stated Andy. “These guys have a lot of surprises.

“Next I’ll play Monster Reborn! Guess who’s back?”

He played the Magic Card, and in a flash of light, the first Cyber Dragon reappeared.

“I’m not impressed!” snarled Peten.

“But wait,” answered Andy, “there’s more! Or actually, less, depending on how you look at it.”

He took a card from his hand and showed it to Peten…

Polymerization.

“I mean, any first grade math teacher will tell you that two is greater than one, but that isn’t always the case…”

He played the card, and the two Machines swirled into a vortex of light…

“Especially when the one in question is… Cyber-Twin Dragon!”

An enormous form appeared. It was a bigger, meaner, two-headed version of Cyber Dragon, with even an even nastier-looking visage on its two faces. (2,800/2,100)

“Just when I thought he’s done everything he can to surprise me, he proves me wrong,” muttered Francesca.

“Your move…” said Andy with a glare.

“I uh…” stammered Peten. “I move Crass Clown to Defense Mode…”

Crass Clown shielded himself.

“And I’ll place a card facedown…”

He set a card, and it appeared behind Crass Clown.

“That all?” asked Andy, drawing. “Well it won’t help! Notice that Cyber-Twin Dragon has two heads! That means he can attack twice in one round!

“But first, I’ll wipe out your facedown with Mystical Space Typhoon!”

He played the card, and Peten’s Sakuretsu Armor shattered.

“Uh oh…” muttered Peten.

“Uh oh is right,” chuckled Andy. “Cyber-Twin Dragon, destroy his Crass Clown!”

The Dragon’s right head breathed flame, eradicating Crass Clown.

“Now attack directly!”

The left head shot forth its fire, and Peten screamed!

The Duel Monster’s Life Points tumbled to 2,500.

“Had enough yet?” asked Andy.

“NO!” snarled Peten.

He drew a card.

He grinned at Andy again.

“I’ll match you card-for-card, and fusion-for-fusion!” he shouted.

He fit the card into a slot.

“I’ll play Silent Doom!” he laughed. “This lets me summon a Monster from my Graveyard and place it in Defense Mode, so long as I don’t attack with it!”

Crass Clown appeared, crouching in Defense.

“Next I’ll summon… Dream Clown!”

He placed the card down, and the silly-looking Warrior-clown appeared. (1,200/900) –> (2,200/1,400)

“And now I’ll play… you guessed it… Polymerization!”

The two clowns swirled into a multicolored portal of light…

“You remember my fabulous Fiend with the funny name, don’t you?” laughed Peten. “Bickuribox!”

The large box appeared on Peten’s side of the field, and the crazy fiend-in-a-box popped out, cackling.

“And by the way, in case you were wondering, it also benefits from my Deckmaster ability AND my Psycho Circus card!”

(2,300/2,000) –> (3,300/2,500)

“Now I can destroy your Dragon…” he warned.

“You’ll have to wait one turn…” muttered Andy.

He drew a card, and added it to his hand.

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

The facedown card appeared.

His eyes shot daggers at Peten.

“You don’t fool me, Andy!” shouted Peten. “That card is nothing more than a bluff!”

He drew.

“Bickuribox, attack!”

Bickuribox cackled! It pulled a large scythe out of its mouth and sprang forward…

“Activate… De-Fusion!” shouted Andy.

His Quickplay Magic Card lifted, and Bickuribox was stopped dead in its tracks. It melted into a dark glob, and then split, forming into Crass Clown (1,350/1,400) –> (2,350/1,900) and Dream Clown (1,200/900) –> (2,200/1,900)

“Where did you get that?” shouted Peten.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” answered Andy.

Peten growled…

“I’ll place a card facedown and end my turn…” he muttered, placing his last card into a slot.

The card appeared.

“It’s your move!” he shouted.

Andy drew.

“Cyber Twin Dragon, cream his clowns with double strident blast!”

Cyber Twin Dragon shot forth two bursts of flame, and the two clowns were incinerated.

Peten’s Life Points were now at 1,450.

“Anything left in your bag of tricks, Peten?” asked Andy.

“I might,” sneered Peten. “Since you attacked when I had no cards in my hand, I was able to activate this Trap!”

His Trap Card lifted.

“Card of Last Will! Now I can draw five cards!”

He made five draws.

“Well, make your move then,” stated Andy. “We’ll see if you have a good one.”

Peten drew a sixth card.

He glared at Andy.

“Okay, Andy…” he growled. “This isn’t fun anymore… You’ve forced me to resort to my emergency plan…”

His cards floated out of his hand, positioning themselves above his head. Then his Disk vanished!

“First I’ll summon Saggi the Dark Clown in Attack Mode…” he growled.

One of his cards faded away, and the creepy-looking Saggi appeared. (600/1,200) –> (1,600/1,700)

What’s he up to? thought Andy.

“And now…” snarled Peten, “I’ll summon my favorite Monster to the field… me!”

Peten floated forward, until he was side by side with Saggi. (500/1,200) –> (1,500/1,700)

“Uh, you can do that?” asked Andy.

“You’re allowed to summon a Deckmaster to the field, Andy,” answered Peten. “The End of Anubis, The Unfriendly Amazon, and I are no exceptions.”

“Yeah, well that was a dumb move,” said Andy. “Even with your Deckmaster ability, you only have 1,500 Attack Points – one shot, and you lose this duel!”

“I don’t think so…” chuckled Peten.

Another of his cards faded, and it appeared on the field.

“Polymerization!” he shouted.

Peten and Saggi formed into blurs, and a flash of light covered the area…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

“Well, Peten’s made a risky move…” sighed the Queen. “But then again, he’d have lost anyway if he hadn’t…”



Continued...

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:


Andy was now facing a clown that was ten feet tall, and almost as wide as he was tall.

The immensely fat clown was dressed in an orange suit, large pointy shoes on legs that seemed too small, had arms that also seemed too small, had a frilled collar, and a tall, pointy hat. His face has rosy painted cheeks and a silly smile.

Despite this comedic appearance, the creature exuded a definite aura of menace. (2,000/1,700)

“As you can see,” said a voice that was deeper than Peten’s original voice. “I have fused with Saggi to form a new Spellcaster called Clown-A-Round. This new form has 2,000 Attack Points…

“My Deckmaster ability still applies, giving me 500 more…

“And finally, my Psycho Circus card gives me 500 additional!”

(3,000/2,200)

“Not bad…” sighed Andy.

“And my turn is just starting…” continued Peten.

Another of his cards revealed itself.

“I play Quick Attack. Now I can personally demolish your Dragon!”

A large ball with stripes and stars appeared in his hand.

“Bouncing ball barrage!” he shouted.

The ball flew forward, and bounced around in a chaotic mess! Cyber Twin Dragon exploded!

Andy shielded himself as his Life Points fell to 3,950.

“Finally, I’ll place a card facedown, and that will be all,” he said, and a card appeared behind him on the floor. “Just try to stop me…”

He chuckled a chuckle that was clearly inhuman.

Andy drew.

“Fusing yourself with Saggi has clearly driven you insane, Peten,” remarked Andy. “Not that you were entirely lucid to begin with!”

He placed a card on his Disk.

“I’ll summon Masked Dragon in Defense Mode,” he stated.

The masked, fiery Dragon appeared, crouching in Defense. (1,400/1,100)

“Andy is clutching at straws…” muttered Stan.

“There’s got to be something he can do…” sighed Francesca.

Please baby, do something… she thought.

“My draw…” said Peten.

A new card appeared.

“I play Pot of Avarice,” he said, as the wacky jar that Andy had seen Gerald used appeared. “This lets me…”

“I know!” interrupted Andy. “It lets you put five Monsters from your Graveyard to your deck, reshuffle, and then draw two cards!”

Five cards appeared, and then vanished. Then two cards appeared, joining the two Peten already had.

“Next I’ll summon Mystic Clown yet again,” continued the Monster.

Mystic Clown reappeared. (1,500/1,000) –> (2,500/1,500)

“Too bad he can’t stay,” stated Peten. “Because I’ll activate my facedown card… Altar For Tribute!”

His Trap Card lifted, showing the image of an evil-looking altar.

“Now I can sacrifice Mystic Clown, and gain Life Points equal to its original Attack Score,” he stated.

Mystic Clown melted into light, and Peten’s Life Points went up to 2,950.

“Next, I’ll play the Magic Card Dark Designator,” he said, as another card appeared. “Now I can name any Monster I can think of, and if you have it in your deck, you must add it to your hand.”

Andy drew back in surprise.

“Now let’s see,” chuckled Peten. “I name Red Eyes Darkness Dragon!”

“What?” said Andy.

He went to his deck and leafed through it, taking the card out.

“Why did you do that?” he asked.

“So I could do this,” continued Peten. “I now activate Confiscation!”

Another Magic Card revealed itself.

“This may cost me 1,000 of the Life Points I just gained…”

His Life Points went down to 1,950.

“…but now I get to see the cards in your hand, and force you to discard one!”

The images of Andy’s four cards appeared before Peten.

“Heh, heh,” he chuckled. “Naturally, I choose to banish Red Eyes Darkness Dragon!”

“NO!” shouted Francesca. “That was Andy’s strongest Monster!”

“And now that that’s done,” chuckled Peten, “did you think you were safe putting that Masked Dragon in Defense Mode? Well you aren’t! As Clown-A-Round, when I attack, I get to choose the battle position of the Monster I’m attacking, and I choose Attack Mode!”

The huge ball appeared in his hand, and Masked Dragon rose into Attack Mode!

“Bouncing ball barrage!” shouted Peten.

He hurled the ball, and Masked Dragon was blown apart!

Andy’s Life Points fell to 2,350.

Andy snarled as he took a card from his deck…

He placed it on his Disk, and a second Masked Dragon appeared in Defense Mode.

“Finally…” chuckled Peten, “I’ll place this card facedown…”

His last card vanished, and appeared on the field.

“Make your move…”

Andy drew a card.

A Trap Card… he thought.

He fit it into a slot.

“I’ll place a card facedown…” he stated.

The facedown card appeared.

“Now I’ll pay 1,000 Life Points to activate my Deckmaster’s ability one last time!”

His Life Points fell to 1,350, and Luster Dragon #2 appeared on the field once again! (2,400/1,400)

“And now I’ll play this Magic Card…” he shouted. “Scorching Ruin!”

He threw a card into a slot.

“Not so fast Andy!” laughed Peten.

His Trap Card lifted.

“I activate Spell Shield Type-8!” he cackled. “That means your Magic Card fizzles!”

The Quickplay burst!

“No…” moaned Francesca. “That was his only chance…”

“Didn’t you know that I saw your hand?” chuckled Peten. “I knew you had Scorching Ruin in it. Luckily, I had a Trap to counter it!

“There’s nothing more you can do! Just end your turn!”

Andy hung his head…

Peten chuckled, and another card appeared.

“This duel is over…” he laughed.

The ball appeared in his hand, and Masked Dragon shifted into Attack Mode…

Peten hurled it, and Masked Dragon was blown to pieces!

“NOOOO!” screamed Francesca.

She fell to her knees.

“He lost…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

“YES!” shouted the Shadow Queen, getting up.

“After nineteen failures, it seemed a good round number like twenty was the key!”

“Uhm, your majesty…” muttered Grodus.

“I knew it was only a matter of time…” cackled the Shadow Queen.

“Your majesty…” sighed Grodus.

“Grodus!” shouted the Queen. “Can’t you see I’m happy?”

“Uhm, sire…” he said. “I think you should slowly turn your head and look back at the orb…”

The Queen looked.

“What the?” she said, surprised.

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

The smoke started to clear…

“Hmmm…” murmured Peten.

Andy was still there, as was his Luster Dragon #2 in the front, and Luster Dragon #1 behind…

His Life Point counter still stood at 1,350.

“WHAT?” shouted the merged clown.

“It was a close one, Peten, I’ll give you that,” said Andy. “But see, I knew you knew I had Scorching Ruin. I also knew that you could shift Masked Dragon to Attack Mode, and that you had a facedown card.

“Did you honestly believe I would have risked spending 1,000 Life Points without a little protection?”

He pointed to the activated Trap Card beside him.

“By destroying Masked Dragon, you activated this,” he explained. “It’s a Continuous Trap called Spirit Barrier. So long as it’s active, I can’t take damage from a battle so long as I have a Monster on my side of the field, and as you can see, Luster Dragon #2 is standing strong!”

Peten growled. Francesca gasped a sigh of relief.

“And due to Masked Dragon’s effect, here comes my third one!” shouted Andy.

He threw down a card, and the third Dragon appeared. (1,400/1,100)

“Fine,” chuckled Peten. “Then my turn is over… But what now Andy? You haven’t got a card in your deck that can defeat me now!”

Andy looked at his hand. The only cards he had were Premature Burial and Mirage Dragon.

Even if I brought back Cyber Twin Dragon, he wouldn’t be enough to defeat Clown-A-Round… he thought.

But he isn’t completely right… There are still a couple of tricks I could use… It all depends on what my next draw is…

Come on, baby needs a new pair of shoes…

He drew a card…

He placed the card in a slot.

“I’ll place this card facedown…” he said softly.

He fit Premature Burial into another slot. His Life Points fell to 550.

“And now I’ll use this to bring back another Masked Dragon!”

Another Masked Dragon appeared. (1,400/1,100)

“It’s your move…” he growled.

Another card appeared.

“Well, now it truly ends, Andy!” laughed Peten. “I just drew Mystical Space Typhoon!”

“Too bad you won’t get a chance to use it!” shouted Andy. “I activate… Supernova!”

His Trap Card lifted… The ceiling glowed with intense light…

“What?” muttered Peten. “What’s happening?”

“Because I now have two Monsters with the same Type, Attribute, and star level on the field, I can now spend all my Life Points but one…” started Andy.

His Life Point counter fell to 1.

“And now I can destroy two opposing Monsters! But I only need to destroy one!”

The creature in front of him gasped in fear…

“Supernova…” shouted Andy, “wipe out Clown-A-Round!”

A burning beam fell from the ceiling, and Peten screamed!

“Curse… you… Andy…” he gasped.

And then he shattered into shards.

Andy fell to his knees.

His Monsters and Deckmaster vanished.

“ANDY!” shouted Francesca, running up to him. “Are you okay? Say something!”

“Something…” he muttered.

He gasped.

“Just… give me a minute.”

“Look…” said Stan.

The three doors on the wall vanished…

And then a huge, double-door appeared.

It slowly creaked open.

“That door is our means of exploring further,” stated Stan. “But we have to be careful… That was our closest shave yet…

“And people, I think that it’s going to get even harder from here on out…”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

The Unfriendly Amazon opened her eyes…

She was sitting on a chair in the center of a large cavern.

To her right was a chair holding The End of Anubis… To her left was another one holding Peten the Dark Clown (in his original body – possibly someone had used another De-Fusion).

She noticed that the three chairs were surrounded by a glowing circle, in a thirty-foot radius.

“End!” she shouted nudging him. “Wake up!”

The Fiend slowly came to.

“How’d we get here?” she asked.

“I think Peten had something to do with it,” snarled the Fiend.

“Don’t blame me!” accused Peten, lifting his head. “I did better than the two of you did! You should have used Ground Collapse on Francesca you moron!”

The Unfriendly Amazon gave a sulk.

“I had three of them, Peten,” she mused. “Just because I have cards in my deck doesn’t mean I’m lucky enough to draw them, Mr. I’ve Got Three Polymerizations…”

“Well, well,” said a voice from the shadows. “Tweedledum, Tweedledumber, and Tweedledumbest…”

The Shadow Queen walked into view.

The three Monsters gulped.

“Your majesty, please, we tried…” begged the Amazon. “You can’t send us back…”

“Oh, I could throw you three jerks in the Graveyard again,” sighed the Queen, “but that wouldn’t be any fun. You three are going to stay right here… And to make sure you do, we’re going to play a little game…”

“A game?” asked End.

“Yeah,” she answered. “I’m not going to tie you down or even lock the door to this chamber… Heck, there isn’t even a door to lock… But I have another way of keeping you in those chairs…”

The Queen took three Magic Cards out of her dress and showed them to them.

Last Day of the Witch, Warrior Elimination, and Exile of the Wicked.

“NO!” shouted Peten.

“Have mercy!” pleaded the Amazon.

“I take it you know that if these cards were activated, it would mean your doom,” muttered the Queen, gesturing over them.

The cards melted into a ball of light… Then the light split into three orbs…

And each orb shot into their chests!

“Here’s the deal…” explained the Shadow Queen. “I placed one card inside each your beating hearts. I won’t tell you who has what, except that each of you is carrying one that will doom one of the other two should it be activated. Only I can remove them.

“See the circle surrounding you? Stay in the circle! If you aren’t in the circle, the card inside you activates.”

They all gulped.

“Simple enough?” she asked. “And don’t one of you try to kill the other two, because if that happens, the one who dies is no longer in the circle!

“Of course, that means if one of you leaves the circle and one of you bites the dust, another one of you bites the dust, and then the third one bites the dust!

“Who needs a prison cell when your prisoners won’t want to leave?

“Maybe after a few months, I’ll decide to forgive you for screwing up… Maybe, that is…”

She waved her hand, and a globe of light started to form.

“But I’m not heartless. For now, to keep yourselves occupied, this will let you watch Stan, Andy, and Francesca’s progress… if that amuses you.”

She turned and vanished into the shadows, leaving them alone.

The End of Anubis hung his head…

“This is your fault, dog-face…” mumbled the Amazon.

“Oh shut up, bimbo!” he replied.

The Queen chuckled.

This was much better than throwing them in the Graveyard…

So much for them, she thought. But that last duel was a great one… Maybe after Andy is defeated, I’ll use his cards… A Cyber-Twin Dragon would make an excellent steed once I get out of this place…




SILENT DOOM (Magic Card)

Card Specs

Type: Magic
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Card Description: Image of a hand with a glowing orb in the palm. Select one monster in your Graveyard and Special Summon it to the field in face-up Defense Mode. The selected monster cannot attack for as long as it remains face-up on the field.

Note: “Silent Doom” is a Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United States. It was used many times in the anime, originally by Kaiba in “A Duel With Destiny”.



PSYCHO CIRCUS (Magic Card)

Card Specs

Type: Magic/Continuous
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Card Description: Image of Crass Clown, Dream Clown, Saggi the Dark Clown, and Peten the Dark Clown performing in front of a sinister-looking circus tent under a stormy sky. When this card is on the field, all face-up Monsters on the field with the word “Clown” in their names, or who are named “Bickuribox”, gain a 500-point bonus to their ATK.



CLOWN-A-ROUND (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spellcaster/Fusion/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 6
ATK: 2,000
DEF: 1,700

Card Description: Peten the Dark Clown + Saggi the Dark Clown

The most powerful clown Monster in existence, he might rule over the others if he weren’t insane. When you attack an opposing Monster with this Monster, you can change the Battle Position of the target.



”Luster Dragon #1”: Dragon/Wind, (1,900/1,700)

Deckmaster SA: Once per round, during your Standby Phase, you can Special Summon one “Luster Dragon #2” from your hand, deck, or Graveyard. The first time you use this ability, there is no cost. The second time, pay 500 Life Points. With each consecutive time, increase the Life Point payment by 500.



”Peten the Dark Clown”: Spellcaster/Dark, (500/1,200)

Deckmaster SA: Every Monster you summon that has the word “Clown” in its name, or who is named “Bickuribox”, gains a 500-point bonus to its ATK and DEF.



[B][I]The heroes have passed into the second level of the Palace of Shadow… You know the old saying, “Out of the frying pan, into the fire”?

But coming up next, one of the winners of our contest falls deep into the fire! One of the two user characters who made it to the finals delves into an infernal pit, where a fiendish force challenges him! It’s a diabolic chapter called “Luck of the Roll”, coming soon…

[Perfect Chaos]

Hey DS,

Yeah, I got my Internet back a few days ago, so I can finally review.

This chapter was really interesting. I think I liked Peten best (after End of course) of all the monster cronies that the Shadow Queen used. The duel was actually pretty good, as I thought that Andy was going to just take it all the way at one point, before Peten made a comeback. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that Andy was using the Cyber Dragon combo. I like Cyber Dragons, but I think they're a little overpowered, but that's just me.

I really liked the punishment that the Shadow Queen put for End, Amazon and Peten. When I read through the punishment, I immediately thought of the Saw movies, which I thought was really ingenius of the director to come up with murder scenes like that. That was definitely one of the highlights I found in this chapter.

I look forward to the next chapter and when Grodus finally duels.

-sean

[starjake]

Hmm...I'm trying to figure out what type of deck Grodus has. Going by the description of the card given in the chapter, I'm thinking one series of monsters, but the title of the next chapter suggests a different type...then again, you didn't promise that Grodus will be dueling next chapter...

Anways, back to the current chapter; the new clown cards were very intriguing. I also enjoyed Luster Dragon's comment on how dragons tend to eat those they don't respect...a nice chuckle line there. As for the duel, there was one slight incongruency which could very easily be written off as poetic liscense: De-Fusion only brings back the Fusion-Material monsters if they are in YOUR Graveyard. In this case, the monsters would've been in Peten's Graveyard, and thereby off-limits to De-Fusion's effect (Bickribox would still have been sent back to the Fusion Deck, however). As I said, this is a very minor technicality in a story that doesn't follow real-life rules to a T.

Grammar notes: I'm seeing fewer and fewer misuses of quotation marks, so that's good (I don't remember seeing any in this chapter, actually). I do believe you used 'two' instead of 'too' in one instance, so be sure to watch out for that. Nothing else jumps to mind; it's clear you're taking more time to proofread; either that, or you're just becoming a better writer.

I have a pretty solid idea as to one deck-type the next chapter will feature, but I haven't the foggiest notion who the duelists themselves are. I'll see you then!

[Pokemasterkatie]

How friggin stupid of me to forget the Cyber Dragons(Jaden vs. Zane round 1 is even one of my favorite duels in GX!)! ...I knew Water Dragon was a Sea Serpent, BTW. And it is kind of obvious Hydrogeddon and Oxygeddon are Dinosaurs if you look at the pictures and not the names--Oxygeddon looks like a Pterodactyl, while Hydrogeddon sort of looks like an Ankylosaur. Great duel...good thing for Peten Andy didn't bring out the big bad Trampler, though losing by Supernova is likely just as painful.

And judging by the new card set that has just come out, I have a good feeling what the theme of Grodus' deck is. I have been wrong before, so take what I said with a grain of salt.:p

[Shuppet Master]

Grodus isn't dueling next chapter. Didn't you hear Brian? It's one of the user characters! Anyways, I really enjoyed the chapter and all those cards Peten used. They seem to have a cross between a fun Clown deck and an anti-dragon deck. And the fate of the Duel Monsters is just evil.

I really was worried about Andy using Supernova again. I'm sure Paradox is going to chew you out for using it again, Brian. I have a feeling that sooner or later, Andy is going to lose a duel because of that card!

Can't wait for the next chapter.

EDIT: To Pokemasterkatie, if you're guessing the D.W. guys, yep, it's them. I can't wait to see how those guys work!

Also, I liked the Cyber Dragon family too. I was stunned when Andy pulled out that card! But then, when you have an opponent who has a powerful warrior with 2700 attack and able to kill any dragon in one hit, you need a non-dragon and Warrior Dai Grepher would have tied in attack.

[Dark Sage]

To Perfect Chaos: I never even heard of the Saw movies. But I will tell you that I planned this out from the very beginning, by having a Spellcaster, Warrior, and Fiend as the the assassins. And take note, this is not necessary the last we'll see of these three, although they won't be dueling again.

To Starjake: Actually, I was going by anime rules. Yugi used De-Fusion to split up his opponents' Fusion Monsters several times - the first time was in the Battle City episode with Strings when he used it to split Humanoid Worm Drake into Worm Drake and Humanoid Slime.

Anyway, you may have an idea what the next opponent's deck type will be, but I guaruntee, you are wrong! The next duelist uses a very special deck. But if you're thinking what I think you're thinking... well, just wait and you'll see.

To everyone: I'm not at liberty to discuss Grodus's strategy. But the duel with him and whoever he duels with will be epic.

And by the way, Andy will use both Cyber Twin Dragon and Cyber End Dragon, but he does NOT have Power Bond. Since those three cards are his only Machines, that card would be uneccessary.

[Master of Paradox]

I'm trying to find the right words for this...

First of all, I did like Peten in his first appearance. I liked him here, as well. I guess I just like dueling clowns.

As for this duel... I don't know. It felt like pretty much the same duel as before, but with Cyber Dragons and a really silly clown fusion. Psycho Circus was fun to see, but clown decks are starting to play themselves out.

Nasty little torture for Peten and friends, though. I have a soft spot for well-planned punishments.

I have no comments for next chapter, other than to say you pretty much tipped your hand on the opponent's deck theme.

P.S. - That wasn't the first Saggi/Peten fusion I've ever seen. The first was in a story by WolfGeneral on Fanfiction.net, and it was far less silly than Clown-A-Round (dumb name, that).