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"This is how it works," Death explained. "You pick a game and we play. Cheating is allowed, but if either one of us is caught by the other, they lose. If you win, you'll wake to back in the hospital bed and I'll give you another 10 years. If you lose, then it's your judgement day. Understood?"
I nodded, thinking hard. Games, games, games.. Heh, this sounded like the plot to a Yu-Gi-Oh episode..
Wait, that's it!
"I pick the children's' card game, Yu-Gi-Oh!" A duel disk suddenly appeared on my arm, my deck already in place. A similar contraption spawned out of Death's arm, only looking more bone-like and monstrous. We both got into position.
"DUEL!"
Carter: 8000
Death: 8000
"I'll go first! Draw!" I drew my first card.
Carter's Hand:
Magic Cylinder
Dark Magician
Magician of Faith
Swords of Revealing Light
Breaker the Magical Warrior
Kuriboh
I nodded to myself. This was a really good hand to start with.
"I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior!" I said, slamming the card on my Duel Disk. The red and gold knight appeared in front of me, in a battle position. It gained a Spell Counter, giving it 300 extra attack points.
Breaker the Magical Warrior - Dark
Level 4
Spellcaster/Effect:
"When this card is successfully Normal Summoned, put 1 Spell
Counter on it (max 1). Increase the ATK of this card by 300
points for each Spell Counter on this card. Also, you can
remove 1 Spell Counter from this card to destroy 1 Spell Card
or Trap Card on the field.
I placed a card facedown, ending my turn.
Facedown: Magic Cylinder.
Death seemed to grin, drawing his own card. "I'll start off by placing two cards face down." The two cards appeared on the field.
Facedowns: Mirror Force/Trap Hole
"Next, I'll activate Graceful Charity from my hand."
Graceful Charity - Spell
Draw 3 cards from your Deck, then discard any 2 cards from
your hand.
He drew his 3 cards, the hood surrounding his face shrouding him in darkness. He sent two to the Graveyard spot on his Duel Disk.
Cards Discarded - Summoned Skull/Giant Soldier of Stone
"Next, I'll activate a Spell Card from my hand. Go, Monster Reborn!"
Monster Reborn - Spell
Special Summon 1 monster from either player's
Graveyard.
Aw, crap. I thought.
Death pulled the Summoned Skull from his deck, placing it on his Duel Disk. The horrific beast towered over me.
Summoned Skull - Dark
Level 6
Fiend
[This card is treated as an "Archfiend" card.]
ATK 2500/DEF 1200
He outstretched his hand towards me.
"Go, Summoned Skull! Lightning Strike!"
It blasted at my Breaker, about to destroy it in a flash of lightning.
"I don't think so! I activate my trap, Magic Cylinder!"
Magic Cylinder - Trap
When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Target the
attacking monster, negate the attack, and if you do, inflict damage
to your opponent equal to its attack.
Two cylinders appeared on the field, one opened towards Summoned Skull, the other aimed at Death. The one opened towards Summoned Skull absorbed it's attack, before the other one aimed the attack right back at Death, slamming into him and deducting Life Points!
Carter: 8000
Death: 5500
I grinned. "Now that's how you play!"
Death nodded in agreement. "That was a good move. I place a face-down card, ending my turn."
Face-Down: Trap Jammer
Death's Hand:
Red-Eyes Black Dragon
Heavy Storm
Sangan
I drew my next card, placing it in my hand.
Carter's Hand:
Dark Magician
Magician of Faith
Swords of Revealing Light
Kuriboh
Negate Attack
I frowned. My options were limited, but I could buy some time.
"I activate Swords of Revealing Light!"
Swords of Revealing Light - Spell
Flip all monsters your opponent controls face-up. This card
remains on the field for 3 of your opponent's turns. While this card
is face-up on the field, monsters your opponent controls cannot
declare an attack
A bead of sweat dripped down my face. "Now, I summon a face-down monster."
Face-Down: Magician of Faith.
I grimaced, placing a face-down card. "I end my turn."
Face-Down: Negate Attack.
Death simply drew his card. He looked at it, before chuckling to himself.
"I activate the spell card 'Change of Heart'."
Shit.
Change of Heart - Spell
Select and control 1 opposing monster (regardless of
position) on the field until the end of your turn.
"I'll take your breaker, thank you."
Breaker took his place on Death's side of the field.
"I activate your Breaker's special ability, removing a spell counter to destroy your Swords of Revealing Light."
SHIT.
Breaker raised his sword into the air, making it glow, sending out shockwaves and destroying the swords.
Breaker's attack points dropped back down to 1600.
"Now, Breaker, attack his face-down monster!"
Breaker successfully plunged his sword into the card. Magician of Faith appeared, a sword in her chest.
"Not so fast - I activate my Magician of Faith's effect!"
Magician of Faith - Light
Level 1
Spellcaster/Effect
FLIP: Add 1 Spell Card from your graveyard to your hand.
ATK 300/DEF 400
"I'll take my Swords of Revealing Light back, thanks."
Death sighed. "Not like it matters. Summoned Skull, attack!"
"I don't think so! I activate my trap, Negate Attack!"
For a second, a portal opened up, and I thought it was going to swallow up Summoned Skull's attack. However, it started sparking with electricity.
"I activated my counter-trap, Trap Jammer."
Trap Jammer - Counter Trap
You can only activate this card when your opponent activates
a Trap Card during the Battle Phase. Negate the activation of
the Trap Card and destroy it.
I took a step back as the portal faded, the electricity sparking towards me and striking me directly, forcing me to scream and writhe.
Carter: 5500
"H-Holy.. That.. Hurt."
I stood back up (I didn't even realize I'd keeled over), glaring at Death.
"I'll end my turn. So, Breaker returns to your side of the field."
Breaker walked back over, and I glared at it. I drew my card.
Carter's Hand:
Dark Magician
Swords of Revealing Light
Kuriboh
Monster Reborn
That could come in handy. I think I have a plan - I just need a couple of turns. I thought to myself.
"I'll start off with a move that should look a little familiar; I activate Swords of Revealing Light!"
His Summoned Skull was trapped in the Swords one more time.
"Now, I'll summon Kuriboh."
The little fuzzball appeared on the field. Death seemed very confused.
"I end my turn."
Death drew his card. "I place a card face-down."
Face-Down: Raigeki Break
"And summon Sangan, ending my turn."
Sangan - Dark
Level 3
Fiend/Effect
When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: Add
1 monster with 1500 or less ATK from your Deck to your hand.
Death's Hand:
Red-Eyes Black Dragon
Heavy Storm
Sorry, Death, I'm not stupid. I thought. I drew my card.
Just what I needed.
"I'll start by placing a card face-down."
Face-down: Monster Reborn
"Now, I activate the Spell, Card Destruction!"
Card Destruction - Spell
Each Player discards their entire hand, then draws the
same number of cards they discarded.
Death looked concerned. He discarded his two cards and drew two. I discarded my single card and drew.
Axe of Despair!
I placed the card in my hand.
"I'll start off by activating my face-down: Monster Reborn!" The card flipped up. "Now, from my Graveyard, I summon the Dark Magician!"
Dark Magician - Dark
Spellcaster
ATK 2500/DEF 2100
"Now, I'll activate the Spell Axe of Despair!"
Axe of Despair - Spell
A monster equipped with this card increases its ATK by 1000
points. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard,
if you offer 1 monster on your side of the field as a Tribute:
this card returns to the top of your deck.
The axe appeared in my Magician's hand, making his attack points total up at 3500!
"Now, I'll attack your Summoned Skull with my Dark Magician! Black Magic Attack!"
Dark Magician lept into the air, about to chop Summoned Skull's skull off with his attack, when he was suddenly stopped.
"I don't think so."
Death had activated his face-down: Mirror Force.
Mirror Force - Trap
When an opponent's monster declares an attack. Destroy all your
opponent's Attack Position monsters.
No. NononononONONO-
Dark Magician's attack had been absorbed, and now blasted out across my entire side of the field. It destroyed all my monsters, leaving me open. I had no cards in my hand, and the only card on my side of the field was Swords of Revealing light.
"I.. I end my turn."
Death drew his card.
"I activate a field spell: Mausoleum of the Emperor."
Mausoleum of the Emperor - Field Spell
Both players can Normal Summon or Set monsters without
Tribute(s) by paying 1000 Life Points x the number of monsters
needed to Tribute Summon them.
"And I use it's effect to summon Another Summoned Skull!"
"Wait, what?!"
The Mausoleum built itself around us, a Summoned Skull rising from it's depths.
Death: 4500
B-But.. How?! That's the exact card he needed!
"Now, I activate my face-down card: Raigeki Break!"
Raigeki Break - Trap
Discard 1 card, then target one card on the field. Destroy it.
No. T-This is too perfect. This can't be happening!
He discarded his card, destroying my Swords of Revealing light. I didn't pay attention to what card he discarded; it didn't matter. I was going to die.
"Sangan, attack his Life Points directly!"
I yelled as it's teeth sank into my arm.
Carter: 4500
H-How.. This.. This is working out too well..
"Summoned Skull.. LIGHTNING STRIKE!"
I writhed in agony as the lightning blasted me, forcing me to collapse to my knees.. I couldn't lose. Something went.. Wrong..
Carter: 2000
You can cheat. As long as you don't get caught.
"SUMMONED SKULL, FINISH HIM OFF!"
The perfect plays. The equal Life Points. No.. It can't. I stood up, my legs shaking heavily. I tried to spoke, but it seemed caught in my throat.
The lightning was centimeters away when I yelled it.
"YOU STACKED YOUR DECK!"
The lightning stopped, right about to zap me into nothing.
Death spoke, a light chuckle to his voice. "Heh. Y'know, I was wondering when you would figure it out."
I panted heavily, staring at the lightning still inches from my face. All of it faded, leading me to collapse again.
"Well, you caught me. That's an automatic win. I'll let you go. But remember:
"You only have 10 years."