Shadowchasers Sacrifice
Hello there to all readers who happened to click on this story. First and foremost, thank you. Anyways, this is yet another spin-off of Cyber Commander's Shadowchasers story.
To start off, I do not own any of the Yu-Gi-Oh! series. That's right, not the original, GX, 5Ds, or (thank God) Zexal. I also do not own the Shadowchasers concept.
For the technical bits of the story, I will be using the March 1, 2012 Limited/Forbidden List (which, I will admit, gave me quite a shock) for the entire fic. I will not change this for any reason, even if it gets updated. The duels will use the rules of the OCG/TCG as close as possible. Any cards that are special and have a limited number (such as Stardust Dragon or Blue Eyes White Dragon) or are used by only one person (such as the Destiny Heroes and Crystal Beasts) will follow the anime.
As to whether I will use the Japanese terms and card names or not, it will all be depend on whichever one I prefer. For example, I will be using Turbo Duel instead of Riding Duel, but I will use D-Wheel instead of Duel Runner. Usually, I will use the English card names, but in some cases I may stick with the original like if I ever mention Saviour Star Dragon. Just my preferace and, thanks to the Declaration of Independence, I am allowed to keep it this way.
Also, since this story takes place after the end of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds, Speed World 2 will be used for any Turbo Duels.
SPEED WORLD 2 (Spell Card)
Field Spell
Image: A blurred duel lane with the wind rushing past from racing at high speeds.
Card Description: If a Spell Card other than a "Speed Spell" Card is activated, its controller takes 2000 damage. During each player's Standby Phases, each player places 1 Speed Counter of their own on this card (up to 12 each). You can remove any number of your own Speed Counters from this card to activate an appropriate effect:
● 4: Inflict 800 damage to your opponent for each "Speed Spell" Spell Card in your hand.
● 7: Draw 1 card.
● 10: Select and destroy 1 card on the field.
Finally, the setting that this story takes place in, Milwaukee, will be a futuristic version of the actual city since this takes place after Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds and I am using the assumption that the world has upgraded along with New Domino City.
I was recently asked if I believe in happy endings. The question was so out of the blue that I simply said what most people might say, "Yeah, sure. Happy endings happen often enough."
It wasn't until later that I really thought about the question. It had bugged mean that such a deep question could be answered so flippantly. Such a question should not be answered without careful consideration.
If it was merely a question of can people be happy when they die, then I would have said yes and let the matter rest. But that isn't the real question.
First off, what even is a happy ending? What requirements must be fulfilled for an ending to be considered 'happy?' Does it come when a person has reached the end of its life? Could it take place at the end of any event? Can it only happen to sentient beings, or is it possible for the simple-minded beings who thrive purely on instinct to partake in this wondrous event as well? These questions and others must be taken into account before the true question can be answered.
Take for example, a suicide bomber is propably happy when he completes his mission. After all, they believe they are martyrs for their faith, did what was necessary for them to recieve paradise, and stayed true to their commitments. Therefore, one could say that he 'died happily.' So, it's a happy ending, right? If you got a chance to ask the man, he might say yes, but what about all the people who died as a result of the man's 'happy ending?' I highly doubt that they died happily and would consider their ending happy.
Some may argue this and point to fairy tales or legendary accounts of heroic deeds as evidence of happy endings. Real or not, some people's lives can quite easily be compared to the lives of the characters involved. Many point to the victory that Yusei Fudo had over Z-one to prevent the destruction of New Domino City. Not only did he stop the bad guys, Yusei also converted Z-one, was warned about future devastation, and took measures to prevent the event from happening.
Happy Ending, right? While it might seem that way at first glance, some things must be taken into consideration. To name a few, Yusei's actions to prevent the future catastrophe may not work. Until the catastophe actually happens, people will always wonder if it was enough. There will always be the question on whether or not the events foretold by Z-one and his cohorts will still come to pass. Not only that, but with all the time travelling that occured and the changing of the past, will any repercussions come as a result?
In light of all that, the happy ending is not so evident. To some individuals, it may seem as if the only thing that really changed were people's mindsets. More worries and fears were realized in light of the events.
And what is my real opinion on the question concerning happy endings, you ask?
To be honest, I am discinclined to believe in 'true' happy endings. I believe it depends on a person's view of the situation and not everyone will be happy as a result of the events. Instead, I think that there are simply 'acceptable' endings, where the 'lesser of two evils' statement comes into play.
You don't believe me?
Well then, listen to my tale. Through the experiences of my friends and I, you may find yourself changing your tune. I will tell you everything and leave nothing out.
No matter what kind of ending, there is one consistent theme to every one. That theme is sacrifice. Be it bloody sacrificial rituals, martyrdom, or simply sacrificing your time to help someone in need, sacrifice is necessary. How much sacrifice is needed depends on the situation. The greater the threat, the greater the sacrifice.
These, are the sacrifices we made.
Chapter 1: Dragonic Tactics
Milwaukee was, as far as the Shadowchasers were concerned, a rather unassuming and strategically unimportant city.
Even though the city held the largest population in the state of Wisconsin and was ranked the twenty-eighth most populous city in the United States, the population still did not meet the minimum population requirements to have a full Shadowchaser team for just their city. Therefore the team that was based there was in charge of the surrounding area as well.
However, because of the larger area, the Shadowchasers working here worked harder than usual to make sure the entire area was correctly patrolled. It was certainly not for the faint of heart. Their hours were longer and the Shadowchasers were constantly running from place to place.
Working this hard did have its rewards, though. For instance, many Shadows around the town respected them and were actually willing to help make the Shadowchaser's job easier. They did this by acting as informants, calling the Shadowchasers whenever big problems arose in an area.
Two veteran Shadowchasers had come up with the idea to have these Shadow citizens actively aid the Shadowchasers in alerting them. One of these two was actually on the job at the moment and had received a call about a half-orc being bullied by some unknown Shadow. The informant mentioned that the encounter may turn fatal if something or someone didn't intervene
The Shadowchaser was skeptical that a half-orc could actually be intimidated, but decided to check on it just in case. She, for the Shadowchaser was female, jumped onto her green D-Wheel, slipped her helmet over her short, dust-brown hair, and rode to a back alley in the Milwaukee downtown, her watchful, chocolate-brown eyes scanning the alleys for the half-orc. Her blue shorts and blue Adidas T-shirt fluttered in the wind as she rode.
Her name was Shaya Talim and, though she was only twenty-four, she had been an official Shadowchaser for nearly nine years, being one of the youngest people ever recruited into the Shadowchasers organization.
Shaya had an unfortunate childhood. While her father was a hard-working factory worker who loved her dearly, her mother was a rich snob, turned alcoholic brat. Her father had also been an extraordinary duelist before Shaya was born and during her first year of life. On the other hand, her mother had been her father's sweetheart and eagerly married Shaya's father upon learning that he was on his way to the Pro League of dueling. Sadly, due to mysterious circumstances, Shaya's father quit dueling and disappeared from the Pro Circuit.
He then looked for a job and wound up as a factory worker for Frito-Lay, while doing other odd jobs for people to earn money. Furious with her husband and his status change, Shaya's mother turned to drinking and the bars, often coming home in a drunken rage. She turned cruel and often beat her husband, but Shaya's father could not bring himself to raise a hand against his beloved.
When Shaya turned eight years old, her father gave her his most prized possession: the Light and Darkness Dragon. Sadly, that was the same year when her mother's drinking escalated to the point where she accidently killed her husband. Her rage hadn't ended so she inevitably turned on Shaya. Fearing for her life, Shaya ran away, never looking back.
From then on, she lived on her own doing surprisingly well for an eight-year-old. Being exposed to the world early, she quickly found out she was Aware and many helpful Shadows offered her aid. She would often stay with some kindly old dwarves, elves, or others if they allowed her to. She was well-liked by many Shadows in the area.
After about two months, she was found by a Shadowchaser named Ray, who offered to take her in as her guardian. Hesitantly, Shaya accepted. Since Ray was a Shadowchaser, she pretty much grew up as a Shadowchaser trainee and quickly joined their ranks. She mostly worked alongside Ray.
Sadly, because of her ordeal, Shaya seemed to be completely emotionless. People always described as calm and collected whenever dealing with a situation. However, whenever pushed too far, her anger breaks through her calm exterior.
It had seemed that Ray had been a great teacher. Shaya was incredible during her training, passing each and every test with amazing speed and determination. As her fellow Shadowchasers left Milwaukee and moved on from the Shadowchasers, she and Ray became lead Shadowchasers. Using some of her old Shadowkind contacts, Shaya started the tradition of using informants regularly.
After a few minutes of searching, Shaya came across the incident in-question. She jumped off her D-Wheel and ran down the alleyway. The sight she saw was actually quite comical. The informant was accurate. A large half-orc wearing an orange sleeveless and red shorts was actually quivering in the presence of a strange man who looked very much like a typical human, save for his pointed ears.
The stranger wore black jeans and a red sleeveless covered by a black leather jacket. He had messy raven-colored hair, but other than that, Shaya could see no particularly discerning features.
The half-orc, on the other hand, was easily recognized by Shaya. He had green eyes and short, buzz-cut dark brown hair. His name was Carn and he was a known troublemaker in the area.
Could he be some kind of elf? Maybe a dark elf, even? Or is he something completely different, like maybe a tiefling? But that wouldn't explain why Carn is so afraid of him. thought Shaya.
"Well this is certainly a switch" said Shaya, stepping into view of the half-orc and stranger.
Shaya was surprised to see that the stranger had glowing red eyes. Also, the skin she could see was heavily scarred. From the little bit she could see, the scars were not very deep, but there were a countless amount of them. When talking to Carn, his expression was obviously firce, but looked friendly and respectful when he turned to Shaya.
"Shadowchaser!" hissed Carn. The stranger lifted his eyebrows in interest at this tidbit of information.
"So Carn, you aren't causing anymore trouble are you?" asked Shaya, glaring at the half-orc.
"I'm not the one getting hassled here this time" growled Carn.
"And why should I help you out here?" asked Shaya. "You've 'hassled' a fair amount of others in just this month. Why should I stop him from giving you a taste of your own medicine?"
"Because he plans on killing me!" shouted Carn. And Shaya was inclined to believe him. She had seen that look of fear before.
Now her glare was turned on the stranger.
"Who and what are you?" she asked.
The stranger smiled. "My name is Vincent Drake and you must be Shaya Talim, one of the famous Milwaukee Shadowchasers." He actually bowed in respect. "It is an honor to meet you."
This threw Shaya off but she managed to keep her cool. "And what exactly are you, Vincent?
Before Vincent could answer, Carn took this moment to try to bolt out of the alleyway. Vincent turned to run after him, but Shaya blocked his way. As much of a bully as Carn was, this 'Vincent' was disorienting. She could tell that this man was dangerous from just being around. Shaya couldn't blame Carn for his anxiety.
"I'm sorry, but regardless of who you are, I cannot allow you to go after that man." Now Vincent seemed to frown at her. "Were you actually going to kill him?"
Smirking, Vincent responded. "Trying to pin an attempted murder charge on me, eh?" His expression became distant. "To be honest, I don't know. I was angry enough to, but I don't know if I could actually bring myself to do it."
"And why would you threaten a punk like Carn?"
"I was looking for information." Vincent observed her for a second. "How about this. Let's have a duel. If I win, you let me go free. Technically, you have no proof that I have done anything yet. So if you win, I may be inclined to answer some of your questions and I will admit to an attempted murder charge. Deal?"
In response Shaya activated her duel disk. "Deal."
Shaya: 8000
Vincent: 8000
"Since I am one who believes that chivalry is not completely dead," said Vincent, "you can have the first move Ms. Shaya."
Shaya rolled her eyes as she drew her card. "Oh, you are too kind" she responded sarcastically. "But please, quite with the formalness. Just call me Shaya."
Vincent nodded his head. "As you wish."
Sighing, Shaya started the duel. "First, I will set one card face-down and then summon out my Dragunity Tribus."
From the sky descended a humanoid parrot dressed in a green-trimmed white noble's outfit. Two sets of white wings spread from the creature's back. (500 ATK)
"This little guy may not look like much, but his effect allows me to send a Level 3 or lower Dragon from my deck to the Graveyard when he is Normal or Special Summoned. And I think my Dragunity Aklys will work just fine." She slipped the aforementioned card into her Graveyard.
"And with that, I am finished."
"Then it's my draw" declared Vincent as he added the drawn card to his hand. "I'll start out with a handy little card known as Dark World Dealings. With this card we each draw a card and then discard a card from our hands."
Ugh, don't tell me he's playing a Dark World Deck? thought Shaya as she drew her card and discarded Dragunity Corseca from her hand. Those tend to be really annoying.
However, Shaya was surprised when no effects activated after Vincent had discarded his card.
"Continuing" stated Vincent, "I will play Into the Void. This card can only be played if I have three or more cards in my hand and allows me to draw one card from my deck." He did so and smirked slightly as he saw the card. "Unfortunately, since I played Into the Void, I must discard every card in my hand at the end of my turn."
Why in the world would he do that? wondered Shaya. Since the discard is not a cost, he could still be playing a Dark World deck, I guess, but that would leave his hand entirely empty after he ends his turn. Card Destruction would have been a much better play. Unless... Shaya narrowed her eyes as she realized what kind of deck her opponent was now most likely playing. And in many situations, that deck could be considered even deadlier than a Dark World deck. She hoped her guess was wrong.
Vincent slapped a monster onto his disk that crushed any doubts Shaya might have had. "I summon out my Infernity Archfiend."
In an explosion of black fire the gangly four-eyed fiend with fiery-red hair appeared. (1800 ATK)
"Now, Infernity Archfiend attack her Dragunity Tribus with Hell Pressure!" commanded Vincent. A portal appeared above the humanoid creature and a claw descended from it, crushing the creature mercilessly. However, Shaya's life points stayed at the full 8000.
Vincent appeared confused. "Why didn't your life points go down?"
"Simple," answered Shaya as she showed him that her face-down card had activated. "My Defense Draw prevented any damage from occuring in the battle. Not only that, but I am now able to draw an extra card." She did so. "Are you done with your turn?"
"Not quite. I place three cards face-down and then I will turn it over to you." His duel disk started to beep. "And thanks to the secondary effect of Into the Void, I must discard every card in my hand." He slipped the remaining card into his Graveyard.
Shaya: 8000
Vincent: 8000
"Then prepare yourself" stated Shaya as she drew. "Now, I'll summon out my Dragunity Dux!"
Another winged humanoid appeared. This one carried a long rod with ribbons at the end. It also had a hawk's head and flew with metallic wings. (1500 ATK)
"Seems like we're both using Portmanteau decks" observed Vincent.
Shaya gave him a confused expression and frowned at him. "What kind of decks are we using?"
Vincent sighed. "Portmanteau. It's an English word used when two or more words have been blended together to make a new word. Your Dragunities, for example, are a mix of the words 'Dragon' and 'Unity' while 'Infernal' and 'Infinity' are the two words combined to create my Infernities, got it?"
"Uh, yeah, whatever..." said Shaya as she sweatdropped a little bit before regaining her composure. "Anyways, moving on, my monster's effect activates the moment he is normal summoned." A card fell out of her Graveyard and she took it, sliding it into her spell and trap card zone. "When he is, I am allowed to equip a level 3 or lower Dragon-type 'Dragunity' monster to him."
A small pink dragon momentarily appeared on the field with a long blade-like horn protruding from its head with two smaller points flaring off to the sides. It also had black wings and a black stripe going down its back. Then it coiled around Dux's arm, forming a pole-weapon bearing a resemblance to a trident.
"I'm not done either." A continuous spell card appeared on Shaya's field. "To that end, I play my Dragon Mastery. This card gives me two bonuses. The first is boosting any monster I control equipped with a "Dragunity' monster by 500 attack points." (1500-2000 ATK)
"Dragon Mastery also allows me to equip a face-up monster I control with a Dragon-Type "Dragunity" monster from my hand once per turn. So I will equip my Dux with Dragunity Brandistock as well."
Another small dragon appeared on Shaya's field. This one was green with silver armor. This one turned into a short pole-weapon with one blade.
"By the way, Dragunity Dux's effect kicks in, giving him 200 extra attack points for each 'Dragunity' card on the field." (2000-2600 ATK)
"And judging by the amount of attack points your monster just gained," observed Vincent, "I'm guessing that it doesn't just take monsters into account."
"Obviously" scoffed Shaya. "Now, since my monster has more attack points than yours, you should know what happens next. Dragunity Dux attack his archfiend." The bird-man swung its weapon and a gust of wind was flung at Infernity Archfiend, easily blowing it to bits.
"By the way, these equipped monsters aren't just for show. Corseca's effect allows me to add one level 4 or lower monster with the same Type and Attribute as the equipped monster from my deck to my hand." Shaya slipped a card from her deck and added it to the other three cards in her hand.
"Well, since you just destroyed my monster by battle" replied Vincent, "I am able to activate my Infernity Avenger's effect in the Graveyard. Since I have no cards in my hand when another Infernity was destroyed by battle, my Avenger can be Special Summoned to the field."
A short, wicked-looking cowboy appeared on the field. He carried a pistol in each hand and wore a western-style hat along with a cape that trailed behind him. (0 ATK)
"And thanks to his effect, his level is now equal to that of my Archfiend, which, if you hadn't noticed was four.
Shaya threw the small Infernity monster a disgusted look. A level four tuner monster. It's not too hard to figure out what he's planning, though I'm a little surprised he's trying to bring out Infernity Death Dragon this early in the duel. Too bad I have to ruin his plans.
"I know what you're planning and it's not going to happen. Thanks to my Brandistock, Dux has the ability to attack twice per round. And since you stupidly left your monster in attack mode, you are going to get hurt."
Dragunity Dux lunged again, this time with the weapon that was Brandistock. Infernity Avenger just laughed at the winged attacker. Before Dux could connect, however, a wall of black fire appeared between the two monsters. Dux reluctantly backed off.
"What happened?"
"You thought I left my Avenger unprotected. Well, you were wrong." Vincent pointed to a continuous trap card that he had activated. "My trap card is called Shield of Purgatory. Once per turn I am allowed to negate an attack so long as I have no cards in my hand.
"Continuing, I am also activating my Miracle's Wake in order to bring back my Infernity Archfiend from the Graveyard."
Once again, the gangly fiend appeared in an explosion of hellfire. (1800 ATK)
"And by Special Summoning my monster while there are no cards in my hand, I can activate its effect to add an 'Infernity' card from my deck to my hand." A card slid out of his duel disk and Vincent took it.
Shaya scowled as she looked at the rest of the cards in her hand. I may not be able to prevent Death Dragon's summoning, but I may be able to get rid of it and that wall before it can do any damage. She took two of the cards and slipped them into her duel disk.
"Make your move."
Shaya: 8000
Vincent: 7200
Vincent drew his card and looked at her strangely. "You should lighten up. I mean, it's not like this duel is life or death. Let's have a little fun in this duel."
"Sorry, but that's just not my style" explained Shaya. "When you do what I do on a regular basis and have been through what I have been through, fun and games seem to take a backseat to business."
"So then why the Dragunity deck?"
Now Shaya looked confused. "What?"
"Well, it's obvious you didn't pick those creatures because of the care-free nature that those creatures represent. So I'm just asking why you chose to use the Dragunity cards."
For the first time in the duel, Shaya actually looked slightly uncomfortable. "I have my reasons" she mumbled. Vincent gave her a sympathetic look and she glared at him. "I don't need your pity. So why Infernities? From your earlier 'let's have fun' speech, I don't see why you would use the despair-heavy Infernities."
Vincent didn't seem fazed at all. "Actually I have a very different reason for using these cards than the famous Kalin Kessler did.
"You see, I believe these monsters are not representatives of despair and hopelessness. To me, they seem to be outcasts who have lost everything they had and hit rock bottom. They were in an extremely desperate situation. However, rather than just laying down and dying, these creatures used their unique powers over the grave and created hope for themselves. As a result, they became powerful and were able to survive."
"And let me guess, you have some sappy sob-story that makes you think you're some kind of outcast from society who happened to hit rock-bottom?" guessed Shaya.
Vincent gave her a sad smile. "Yeah, something like that. But it's not the 'sob-story' that makes me an outcast. No, from the very moment I was born, I was shunned from any kind of society.
Shaya looked somewhat startled. She took in the man's appearance, from his shaggy black hair, to his scarred body and strange crimson eyes. "Except for the eyes, I might peg you as an Aware human. Unless you are powerful enough to hide your true form, I can't quite tell what you are. Just who and what are you exactly?"
"I suppose now is as good a time as any to reveal myself to the Shadowchasers" sighed Vincent. "My full name is actually Vincent Drake and I am a dhampir, or more commonly named, a half-vampire."
"That's impossible!" sputtered Shaya. "There is no way you could possibly be a dhampir! Vampires themselves are a rarity these, let alone offspring between them and humans."
Though that would explain why that orog would be nervous around this guy. Anything related to vampires is to be treated with the utmost care, thought Shaya.
"If you are done telling me how impossible it is for me to exist," retorted Dante, "then I would like to continue my turn.
"To start off, I will summon out my Infernity Guardian."
A large shield rose out of the ground in a burst of flames. In fact, the center of the shield was a skull surrounded by flames. (1200 ATK)
"Moving on, I also activate the dreaded Infernity Launcher." A large cannon rolled onto Vincent's side of the field.
"Okay, I have seen enough!" shouted Shaya as one of her face-downs lifted. "I'm using my Dark Bribe to not only tear down your newly built cannon, but also force you to draw a card! And if it's a monster, you are going to be in a bit of a bind."
Vincent smiled. "Pretty clever there Shaya. You avoided some major damage and forced me to draw a card. And you're right. If the card I draw is a monster, you could gain some major headway in this duel."
He drew a card from his deck and threw it down onto his duel disk.
"Too bad for you, this isn't a monster." Vincent smirked. "Now my Foolish Burial allows me to send my Infernity General from my deck to the graveyard." Vincent proceeded in doing so.
"Now, I am going to summon a monster you have probably been waiting for ever since I summoned my Avenger..."
Finally, here it comes thought Shaya.
Infernity Avenger and Infernity Archfiend both flew into the air and transformed into eight stars.
"Draconic messanger of souls, overseer of redemption, rise from the depths of Hell and pave the way for rebirth by hope..."
(*4 + *4 = *8)
"Synchro Summon... Purgatory Dragon-Ogre Dragoon!"
Fire and brimstone seemed to explode on Vincent's side of the field. As the smoke began to clear, a loud roar sounded across the field. A large creature stepped out of the smoke. While the creature was a winged dragon standing on two legs, it was definately not what Shaya had expected. This monster was mostly crimson red and was nowhere near as hideous as Infernity Death Dragon. It was more streamlined and edged out. One horn protruded from the back of its head and two from the back of its jaw. Large bat-like ears flared behind its head and two large claws were connected to its arms. One things Shaya noticed was the look in the dragon's eyes. It was not one of malice but rather of aged wisdom. (3000 ATK)
"What is that thing?" demanded Shaya. "Do Infernity decks like to abuse the hell out of big level eight dragons with 3000 attack?"
The crimson dragon growled in annoyance. As he did, fiery smoke started to pour from his mouth and nose.
"First and only warning, this guy does not like to be called demeaning names like thing and monster. He is an ancient, powerful dragon and prefers to be addressed as such" replied Vincent. "Second, this big dragon, as you call him, is the ace of my deck. He is the guardian of Purgatory, a place where souls filled with grace are said to be prepared for their entrance into Heaven.
"I know you were probably expecting a darker colored dragon with a far more hideous visage, so I'm sorry to disappoint." Vincent laughed and scratched the back of his head. "To be perfectly honest, I don't even own Infernity Death Dragon. Anyways, even if I did, I would probably use this guy over him anyways. He is the Infernity's guardian and represents hope while Death Dragon is their slayer and representative of death. Think of the two dragons as the shield and sword of the Infernities."
"With the same number of attack points as his partner, why is this one considered a shield and the other treated as a sword?" asked a skeptical Shaya.
"Because of their effects" explained Vincent. "Infernity Death Dragon can incinerate most monsters in its path. This one... well, you'll just have to wait and see."
"Sorry," responded Shaya as her other trap lifted up, "but I'm not big on surprises. I will use my Icarus Attack to destroy any two cards on the field by tributing a winged-beast on my field. So say goodbye to your Purgatory Dragon-Ogre Dragoon and your Shield of Purgatory!"
Dragunity Dux turned into a green spirit and flew towards the dragon. However, the dragon seemed to scoff at the attempt and made a loud roar. Th energy being that was Dragunity Dux was reduced to burning cinders that blew away in the wind.
Shaya gave an accusatory glare at Vincent, demanding to know what happened.
"Fortunately for me," said Vincent sheepishly, "my dragon has the ability to negate the activation of one spell or trap card per round as long as my hand is empty. Also, fair warning, but that includes your turn as well.
"Lucky for you, your Dark Bribe negated my Infernity Launcher. So I can't end this in one turn, but you are still going to take quite a large chunk of damage since you have no other cards to protect due to the fact that tributing Dux was a cost of your card. Infernity Guardian, attack her directly!"
The shield monster simply breathed a stream of flames at Shaya. She covered herself just in case this duel had somehow changed into a Shadow Duel. She quickly realized, to her relief, that is was still just a regular duel.
"Now, Purgatory Dragon-Ogre Dragoon, attack her with Purgatory Burst!" shouted Vincent.
Shaya just stared in defiance as the dragon launched a massive meteor-like ball of raging flames at her.
"And with that my turn is over."
Shaya: 3800
Vincent: 7200
Shaya looked at her hand a moment before drawing. The two cards in it were Cards of Consonance, which was now useless to her, and Dragunity Phalanx. Her next draw needed to be an amazing one to turn this duel around.
She drew her card.
A small smirk crossed Shaya's face. "Well, time to turn things around. Since you have two monsters on your side of the field with the same attribute, I am allowed to special summon Alector, Sovereign of Birds from my hand."
A torrent of wind blinded Vincent. When it died down, another humanoid bird-man had appeared on the field. It had the face of a rooster with crimson-colored wings. Most of its body, including its head, was covered in white armor. (2400 ATK)
"The I use its second effect to negate your dragon's effect for this turn so I can use spells and traps freely."
The Sovereign of Birds shot into the air and screeched. Purgatory Dragon-Ogre Dragoon doubled-over from the sonic attack.
"Now that that is done, I can play my Cards of Consonance without worry." She slid Dragunity Phalanx into her discard slot. "By sending a Dragon-Type Tuner monster with 1000 Atk or less to my graveyard, I am able to draw two cards."
"So, putting all your hope in those two cards, eh?" asked a grinning Vincent.
Frowning, Shaya answered. "So what if I am? Are you saying that I'm throwing this duel to luck? Sorry, but I actually believe in my cards. They haven't let me down yet and I doubt they will now."
Vincent laughed. "That's not at all what I meant. I was just making an observation. Your situation right now is a lot like how I use my deck. You are willing to take necessary risks in order to accomplish great feats. To tell you the truth, it has always taken my opponents more than just one turn to defeat my Purgatory Dragon, if they even manage to accomplish that. With you having negated its ability so quickly, I'm interested in seeing how far you and your deck can go against mine."
Shaya looked at him suspiciously once again but drew her two cards. She was actually mildly surprised when she saw them.
"So, did you draw what you needed?"
"Of course I did." answered Shaya. "Not only am I about to take down your dragon, but I am going to completely shred through your entire set-up and strategy." She played a spell card. "And it all starts with this, Spellbook Inside the Pot! Now we both are forced to draw three cards."
She drew her three cards and waited for Vincent to do the same.
Vincent, however, looked positively stunned. Then he let out a loud laugh as he drew his cards as well.
"Amazing, simply amazing" laughed Vincent as he shook his head in disbelief.
"So now, not only is your dragon unable to use its effect, but your Infernity Guardian is no longer indestructible, your Shield of Purgatory is out of commission, and most of your other cards are as well."
"True," agreed Vincent, "but, as you can see, I am not really worried. While you may have temporarily shut down my strategy and have your Normal Summon left, I must point out that my field is still stacked and you have yet to summon a monster that can defeat my dragon."
"Then I'll just have to wipe your field clean so I can show you. To wit, I will play Heavy Storm, destroying all spell and trap cards on the field."
A large windstorm devastated the field, sending all of Vincent's backrow to the graveyard.
"Should have known that was coming" sighed Vincent.
"Then you may have seen this coming as well, my Dragon Ravine field spell."
Shaya's field slot opened and she slapped a card into it. The area they were dueling in transformed into a rocky cliffside seemingly in the desert with dragons flying above them and the sun bearing down mercilessly.
"With this field spell, by discarding a card from my hand, I am able to either send a Dragon-Type monster from my deck to the graveyard or add a low-level Dragunity monster from my deck to my hand" explained Shaya. "I think I will choose the latter effect in this case."
She discarded Dragunity Militum from her hand and a card slipped out of her deck, which she took and added to her hand.
"Now I will summon out the monster I just searched for. So here it is, Dragunity Legionnaire!"
Yet another bird-man appeared in a flurry of wind. This was more had green wings and wore a white toga. It was also muscular and wore powerful gauntlets. (1200 ATK)
"And he has a similar effect to Dux. When he's summoned I can equip a low-level Dragunity Dragon. This time I will use Dragunity Aklys."
For the third time a small dragon flew onto the field. It wore silver armor along the length of its body and had a javelin-shaped horn. Legionnaire gripped and wielded it like a javelin.
"Sadly, he does not gain any attack points like Dux does, but his ability is stronger."
Dragunity Aklys was flung high-speed at Purgatory Dragon and crashed into it, causing both monsters to explode.
"What happened to my monster?" Vincent's expression hadn't changed much, but it was enough to see that he was a little disturbed to see his ace destroyed.
"By sending an equipped Dragunity to the graveyard, Legionnaire is able to destroy one monster on the field."
Then Vincent noticed that a wispy spirit resembling Dragunity Aklys was still on the field.
"Unfortunately for you, I am nowhere near finished" continued Shaya. "When Dragunity Aklys is sent from the field to the graveyard while equipped to a monster, it destroys one card on the field. Say goodbye to your Guardian."
The spirit dragon flew into Infernity Guardian. Somehow managing to squirm in pain, Guardian howled before bursting.
"And with all your monsters gone, that leaves you wide open. Alector, Legionnaire attack him directly!"
Alector dive-bombed Vincent while Legionnaire socked him in the gut.
"Finally, I end my turn."
Shaya: 3800
Vincent: 3600
"Then its my move" announced Vincent as he drew.
"You better hope you have some good cards in your hand" stated Shaya. "Otherwise this duel will be over shortly.
She's right. With her field spell, many of the cards in her deck are open to her next turn so long as she is able to discard. That, combined with her Dragon Mastery, gives her easy access to equip material for Legionnaire. If I'm going to turn this around, I'll need to get rid of both that monster and the field spell. He looked at the card he just drew then looked at his graveyard. And with this, I think I might be able to pull this off.
"I'm going to start off this turn by playing Wave-Motion Inferno. Then I will play one card face-down and summon my Infernity Dwarf."
A short, stocky dwarf with darker features appeared on the field. He wore a brown farmer's hat and overalls while carrying a fiery double-sided ax. (800 ATK)
"And now I'll activate the effect of my Wave-Motion Inferno." The continuous spell card disappeared. "Normally, it increases the attack and defense of all Infernity monsters by 400 points when I have no cards in my hand. However, if I send it to the graveyard like I just did, then I can also send every card in my hand to the same place."
He ditched the last card in his hand. Then he also slipped a card out of his graveyard and pocketed it.
"The card I just removed from play is a monster called Infernity General. You may remember that card as the one I sent there when I activated Foolish Burial. Now, by removing it from play like I just did, I can special summon not just one but two level three or lower Infernities from my graveyard."
Two monsters slipped out of his discard slot.
"One of these you probably remember. I will bring out my Infernity Beast and Infernity Avenger."
The short gun-slinging demon cowboy appeared next what appeared to be a large Great Dane with two strange-look pouches on its throat. (0 ATK)
(1600 ATK)
"And since Avenger is a tuner, as you know so well, I can tune my three monsters together to create..."
Infernity Avenger jumped into the sky and turned into one ring. Infernity Beast and Dwarf dove into the center of the ring.
"Birthed in the fiery pits, freed from its chains by its unwavering strength, it rides into the night..."
(*1 + *2 + *3 = *6)
"Synchro Summon... Infernity Nightmare!"
A galloping sound could be heard from behind Vincent. A large figure jumped over Vincent onto his field. The creature was a pitch black horse with fiery red eyes. It also had fire trailing off from its hooves. Its most notable feature, however, was a jagged horn sticking up from its snout, making it look like some kind of demonic unicorn. (2300 ATK)
"And just what can your creature do?"
"You're about to find out" replied Vincent with a sly smirk. "Infernity Nightmare, attack her Dragunity Legionnaire with Hellfire Stampede!
"By the way, Infernity Nightmare gains 300 attack points when it attacks a monster. That is an effect it has even if I have cards in my hand."
(2600 ATK)
The dark horse charged at the winged-beast and slammed its horned head against the poor thing. It flew back into a portal that that had formed. The portal quickly dissolved as Infernity Nightmare continued galloping and shot right past Shaya. It then circled around and came back to Vincent's side of the field.
"Okay, what was with that portal?" demanded Shaya.
Vincent chuckled. "Simple, when I have no cards in my hand, any monster that is destroyed by my stallion is removed from play." Shaya scowled as she pocketed her monster. "But that's not all my monster does when he attacks"
"What are you talking ab-" however she cut herself off as she saw the path Infernity Nightmare had run. Flames had been left behind in its wake and they were not dissipating. Rather, they were growing. The flames were actually spreading across the entire Canyon.
"My monster also has the ability to destroy one spell or trap card whenever it attacks and destroys a monster while I have zero cards in my hand" explained Vincent. "As you can tell, I chose your Dragon Canyon."
As Vincent talked, the Canyon finished burning up and the two duelists returned to their original dueling area.
"And with that, I end my turn."
Shaya: 2400
Vincent: 3600
Shaya had never hesitated to draw a card and she didn't start now. However, as she did, Vincent's face-down lifted up.
"Just to help you narrow down your choices, I am activating my Infernity Break." Vincent slipped Infernity Dwarf from his discard slot and pocketed it. "By removing one Infernity in my graveyard from play, I can destroy one card on the field. I choose Alector!"
A bolt of black lightning struck down hard on Alector, instantly vaporizing the sovereign.
Meanwhile, Shaya had just looked at the card she had drawn and cursed her misfortune. The card she had in her hand was Dragunity Primus Pilus and the card she had drawn was Mage Power. Since Primus Pilus was a level five monster, she couldn't summon it now that Alector was destroyed. If he had been, she could have won the duel last turn.
Fuming, she simply set the equip spell on her duel disk.
"Make your move"
Shaya: 2400
Vincent: 3600
"It would be my pleasure."
He drew his card and glanced at it for barely an entire second before it was slipped into his duel disk behind his demon horse.
"Attack her directly, but be gentle okay?"
The horse huffed before trotting up to Shaya. It seemed to debate on how exactly it could be "gentle." In the end, Infernity Nightmare decided on lightly pushing Shaya over with one of its front hooves.
"And with that, my turn is over"
Shaya: 100
Vincent: 3600
Shaya drew her card... and smiled.
"Now its time to turn this duel back into my favor in a big way." Shaya threw the card onto her duel disk.
"And it all starts with Monster Reincarnation. By discarding a card in my hand, like my Dragunity Primus Pilus. Then I will take my Dragunity Dux back to my hand and summon it."
The toga-wearing Dragunity returned in a flurry.
"And this time I will use its effect to equip it with Dragunity Phalanx."
Another tiny dragon arrived. It was purple with bronze armor and two blade-like horns on its head. Then it latched onto Dux's arm, creating a double-spiked gauntlet.
"Then I use its effect to unequip it."
The dragon jumped off of the winged-beast's arm
"And why would you do that?" asked Vincent.
"I forgot to say that the dragons that I have been equipping to my winged-beasts are also tuners. I think it's about time I made a Synchro Summon in this duel."
Shaya smirked as the two Wind creatures flew into the air and became six stars.
"Soar through the sky at light speed, magnifying your power to break the limit..."
(*2 + *4 = *6)
"Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight - Vajrayana!"
What happened next was strange, even for the game of Duel Monsters. Dragunity Phalanx experienced a major growth spurt, growing to adult size and gaining an orange hue. Immediately after, Dragunity Dux jumped onto the back of the adult dragon, now wielding a lance. (1900 ATK-2400 ATK)
"This card may be weak for a level six monster, but it has a powerful effect" explained Shaya. "Just like Dragunity Dux, I can equip it with a low-level Dragunity in my graveyard when it is summoned. And once again, I choose Dragunity Aklys."
For the second time, the small javelin dragon appeared on the field. This time, however, it became armor for the mounted dragon instead of Dux.
"Then I will send Aklys to the graveyard in order to double my monster's attack until the End Phase."
(3800 ATK)
Dragunity Aklys shattered. Dragunity Vajrayana was surrounded by a red aura and roared loudly.
"And I don't think I need to tell you what happens when Aklys is sent to the graveyard while equipped to a monster."
Once again, a spirit version of Dragunity Aklys shot towards Vincent's monster and destroyed it.
"Now, Dragunity Vajrayana, finish this duel with Tempest Strike."
The dragon and its rider, still surrounded with the red aura, charged at Vincent. Vincent looked like he was about to activate his face-down card but seemed to decide against it for some reason. Instead, he was blown back from the wind as Dragunity Vajrayana flew right over him.
Shaya: 100
Vincent: 0
As the images faded with the duel being finished, Shaya walked over to Vincent, suspicion written on her face. Ignoring Vincent's protests, she reached into the spell and trap card zone on Vincent's duel disk. She took the card still left there out of the disk and read the description on the unfamiliar card. Her eyes widened and then narrowed as she put it back in the duel disk.
"You could have won if you had activated that card" Shaya said, matter-of-factly. "Why didn't you?"
Vincent shrugged. "You read the card's effect. It was a risky card. I just didn't want to take the risk."
"Bullshit" spat Shaya. "You duel hard for most of the duel and then just decide to throw it at the end? Something doesn't add up here."
Vincent looked at her seriously. "Sometimes you have to lose in order to win."
Shaya quickly figured out what he meant. "You didn't want to win? Then what was the point of this entire duel?"
"I wanted to see if you Shadowchasers were the real deal. You surpassed all of my expectations. I had originally intended to end it quickly after I was satisfied, but you pushed further than I had thought. Any other questions?"
Shaya just gave him a cold look. Honestly, she didn't know where to began. This man had raised too many questions in such a short time. Shaya wasn't even sure what exactly he was.
"By the way, if you're going to arrest me, could I get one phone call before you take me in?" asked Vincent. "Trust me, it will make a huge difference. The only problem is, I don't know the guy's number."
"Then why even ask me?"
Vincent gave her a confident smirk. "Because I am one-hundred percent sure you do know the guy's number. He's an old family friend and his name is Jalal Stormbringer."
Purgatory Dragon-Ogre Dragoon (Monster Card)
Type: Dragon/Synchro/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 8
ATK: 3,000
DEF: 3,000
Card Description: 1 DARK Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Monsters
Once per turn, during either player's turn, when your opponent activates a Spell/Trap Card while you have no cards in your hand: You can negate the activation and destroy it.
Note: This card's name has been changed to Void Ogre Dragon in the TCG. This is the OCG name. "Purgatory Dragon-Ogre Dragoon" was first used by Kalin Kessler in the Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds Manga. Creative credit goes to the writers.
Shield of Purgatory (Trap Card)
Continuous Trap
Image: This card's picture was not seen in the Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds Manga
Card Description: While you have no cards in your hand, you can negate 1 attack per turn.
Note: This card's name has been changed to Shield of the Void in the TCG. This is the OCG name. "Shield of Purgatory" was first used by Kalin Kessler in the Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds Manga. Creative credit goes to the writers.
Infernity Nightmare (Monster Card)
Type: Beast/Synchro/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 6
ATK: 2,300
DEF: 1,300
Card Description: 1 DARK Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Monsters
When this card attacks an opponent's monster, increase its ATK by 300 for the Damage Step only. If this card attacks and destroys a monster while you have no cards in your hand, remove that monster from play and destroy 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field.
Next:
Vincent: It seems I finally have to use my fail-safe and go see the very leader of the Shadowchasers: Jalal Stormbringer. Behind my easy-going exterior, I am a nervous wreck. I have never met the man myself, he was my father's friend. But I was told if I ever needed help, go see Jalal. I am in way over my head and have no one else to turn to.
But anyways, enough about me. The second, most veteran member of the Milwaukee Shadowchasers makes his grand appearance next time. "Magical Dimension" is coming soon...