Shadowchasers: Old Ties

by Witty Phantom-GP

The Randstad Shadowchasers are doing pretty well, but what if bigger threats start to arise? And what if a ghost from the past gets involved? One thing is certain - It's going to be a race against the clock if the Shadowchasers want to protect the world from this demented mastermind!

Welcome readers,

When you read this, you have decided to click on my story. I thank you for that. As made obvious by the title, this is a Shadowchasers story. That means it is set in the world that has been outlined in Cyber Commander's Shadowchasers stories. For all intents and purposes, I will assume you have read most of them and are aware of most events that have taken place in them.

This story takes place six months after Cyber Commander's "Shadowchasers: Soulscape".

This story uses the March 2012 list when it comes to Limited, Semi-Limited and Forbidden cards from the real game. In case a card from after the March 2012 era is Limited/Semi-Limited/Forbidden, I'll treat it as such for the sake of the story. For anime and manga-only cards, a list of them has been set up within the Shadowchaser Guidelines as written by Cyber Commander.

At the end of each chapter, I will list all non-TCG and non-OCG cards used in the chapter. That means all custom cards and cards that only appeared in the anime/manga. Even if I also used these cards in umpteen other chapters, I will still list them.

I think that's all. If there are still questions, just ask them in your review and I'll answer them in the next chapter.

Happy Reading,

Witty Phantom

++H++H++

++H++H++H++

SHADOWCHASERS: OLD TIES

++H++

CHAPTER ONE

++H++

GREAT PHANTOM THIEF

++H++H++

++H++

Have you ever been to The Netherlands? No? Well, good for you! We're a pretty boring country all in all. We don't have any really big cities like you have them in countries like India or the USA. We don't have any amazing landmarks like the Grand Canyon or Ayer's Rock. I often walk through the streets of my city and wonder… Why would any tourist come to a place like this?

The only city of which I can comprehend non-abysmal tourism rates, would be Amsterdam, and that would be because of the semi-romantic feel you could get from the canals and the old'n'fancy buildings.

I guess we're not really a country that should do a lot with tourism. Take the Randstad for example. It's a conglomeration of Utrecht, Rotterdam, The Hague and Amsterdam, and all of the cities in it have their own function.

Rotterdam's most important function is trade. Ships fare in and out almost constantly, providing one of the biggest harbours in Europe. The Hague is the seat of power. Politicians from all around the country come there to talk, and talk, and talk until they are just as far away from a decision as a week before. Amsterdam is the capital of our little country, mostly presenting herself as a place of culture (and drugs, but don't tell anyone). And finally, we have Utrecht. I really have no idea what the importance of Utrecht would be, but oh well.

Now, I can see you're wondering, why is this guy blabbering on about this Randstad? Well, I shall tell you, the Randstad is home to a very special little team of people, the Randstad Shadowchasers!

++H++H++H++

The sun had set and a driver was speeding down the highway on a D-Wheel. The D-Wheel was built out of glistering golden metal. The front was styled like a snake head.

The driver wore loose fitting clothing that flailed around his form as he was driving. His visible skin was tanned and covered by a very fine layer of scales. His pupils were thin slits. On his side, he wore a sword. This was Cahn Mingelboom, Snakeblooded and the newest member of the Randstad Shadowchasers.

'OK,' Cahn thought. 'I've almost finished my patrol round. If I don't get into any surprise traffic, I should be home well in time for dinner. I like dinner.'

These thoughts were rudely disturbed by the sudden bleeping of a LED light on his dashboard.

'Oh… This could mean trouble.'

As he pressed the button in front of him, the LCD screen in front of him flickered to life and showed the face of a pale, young man. His white hair had grown out quite a bit since the last time it had seen a clipper and the bags under his eyes indicated a lack of sleep. On his shoulder, what appeared to be a mechanical ferret constructed out of finely-woven platinum, was fast asleep. A smile appeared on his face. "Hey, Cahn," he said. "How did your patrol go?"

Cahn frowned. It wasn't anything like Ayden to ask stuff like that. "It went fine. Now, what's the emergency I need to take care of?"

Ayden smiled. "It seems we have a burglary in the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden," he said. He took a bite from the apple in his hand.

Cahn frowned once again. "How is that of any concern to the Shadowchasers? You know we don't have any authority when it comes to stuff like that.

"And how did you find that out, anyway?"

"Well," said Ayden with a smile. "You could say I sort of intercepted the museum's silent alarm, took a look at the footage from the security cameras, noticed the burglar used a spell to blast a hole through the door and knock out the security guard, deactivated the silent alarm, and called you."

Cahn smiled. "That answers some of my questions."

"Also," continued Ayden. "I made sure the police wouldn't receive the silent alarm. You should be capable of apprehending this guy without the police intervening."

"I can always rely on you for stuff like that," said Cahn with a smile.

"Great," said Ayden. "Now, are you still going there or do you want to make this a long-distance date?"

"Right," said Cahn as he revved his engine. "Bye."

"Bye."

++H++H++

As Cahn stopped in front of the museum and took off his helmet, he noticed the museum's door had been replaced by quite a large hole in the wall. 'Well,' he thought. 'I can see this will be hard to explain for the authorities…'

He pressed a button on his dashboard, causing the clamps that held his Duel Disk in place to open and release the device. It latched onto the gauntlet on his arm. At the same time, the lack of a Duel Disk would make it impossible for the D-Wheel's engine to start off.

Cahn dismounted the now-inert D-Wheel and walked through the hole in the building. If he wanted to find this burglar, he would have to hurry. He had no idea where he would have to search, whether there would be multiple burglars, and how well they would respond to the sudden appearance of a Shadowchaser. Randomly, he opted to follow the signs that said 'Egypt – a land of pharaohs'.

++H++H++

As Cahn entered the Egyptian exposition, he noticed a pale man in a black robe with what seemed to be a black cat wrapped in bandages at his side. He had raven-black hair that fell around his face in greasy curls. He stood over a vitrine in which a dangerous looking scabbard was stored.

"Can you see it, Paht?" said the man to the black cat at his side. "This is it. This is exactly what we need…"

The black cat, Paht, jumped onto the vitrine and looked down at the scabbard that was now only a few inches away from it, the only thing that protected it was the thumb-thick layer of Plexiglas. "Yes, I can see it, Master Venin," said Paht. "But how do you intend to grasp it? Destroying the glass with the same spell we used to enter could damage the Absorbing Scimitar or even activate any old enchantments on it that would than take effect uncontrolled."

"I know," said 'Master' Venin. "This is a real pickle."

"Could I help you?" said Cahn.

Venin spun around and narrowed his eyes as he saw who he was dealing with. "Shadowchaser…"

"You know," said Cahn. "I have a name. It's Cahn. Please use that instead of calling me my job. If you have a burst pipe and a plumber fixes it, you don't say 'Thank you, Plumber!' now do you?"

Venin rose his eyebrow. "I guess…" He suddenly pulled a wand out of his pocket and aimed it at Cahn before sending a blast of burning energy at the Snakeblooded Shadowchaser.

Cahn reacted with lightning-fast reflexes, drawing his sword and deflecting the blast with the blade, causing it to slam into the wall behind him, barely missing an ancient statue depicting Anubis.

"Hmm…" said Venin. "Something tells me this isn't the way to get rid of you…"

"No shit, Sherlock," said Cahn as he rolled his eyes.

"No," said Venin. "I mean that, by the time I manage to hit you, we might have the whole museum collapsing down upon us! When that happens, odds are the Absorbing Scimitar will be destroyed. I can't have that!"

"So you have decided that you will just cooperate and let me arrest you?" said Cahn in a hopeful tone of voice.

Venin chuckled. "That would be a waste of all the aces I have up my sleeve. No, we'll do this differently." The wizard took another wand out of his pocket and crossed it with the one he had blasted Cahn with. The two wands suddenly started to radiate an eerie light and wrapped around each other, levitating a few feet off the ground.

Cahn took a step back. "What does that do?"

Venin grinned. "Let's just say this is an insurance that you won't activate that pesky little arrest crystal of yours. Now, here's the deal. I need time to cast a spell that safely removes the Absorbing Scimitar from this box behind me without it starting to absorb my energy. Until then, these two wands are basically a bomb that activates when anyone but a familiar tries to cast a spell within these four walls. Now, that will take care of you until I actually want to leave this room. To make sure of that, I challenge you to a duel. If I win, you´ll just suck it up and leave."

"And if I win?" said Cahn.

Venin chuckled. "Like that will happen…

"But, fine, I guess I can also provide you with that. If you win, I'll just come with you and accept my arrest like a man."

"I thought that bomb of yours would go off as soon as I tried to cast a spell?"

"It automatically deactivates when a duel is concluded," said Venin quickly.

"Oh…"

"Yeah," said Venin. "It's kinda iffy, but it works.

"Paht, use a Lidless Box incantation to grant us access to the Scimitar."

"Yes, Master Venin." said the black cat before focussing all its attention on the plexiglas surface it was standing on.

Venin and Cahn activated their Duel Disks, Venin's a standard issue in black and gold and Cahn's a golden custom one with a red dragon wing as the tray and a red dragon head as the deck zone.

"DUEL!"

(Cahn: 8000)++H++(Venin: 8000)

"I'll go first," said Venin as he drew a card. "I Set a Monster and activate Dark Room of Nightmare and Shard of Greed!"

A horizontal set card appeared on the field. Behind it, the two Continuous Spells rose up. One depicted a torture chamber, the other shards of Pot of Greed.

"Turn end." said Venin with a smile on his face.

"Draw," said Cahn as he added the card to his hand. 'Not bad of a hand… In fact, I have one of my favourites right here…' "I Summon Serpent Knight Asp!"

A portal appeared in front of Cahn and a female ophidia slithered out of it. She carried a scimitar in her hand and had a serpentine trunk instead of legs. She hissed. (Lv: 4/ATK: 1800)

"Ahh…" said Venin. "The Serpent Knights… Weren't they those ophidia that wanted to be good and worshipped Osiris because they wanted to become dragons in their afterlife?"

"Well," said Cahn. "Yeah…"

Venin chuckled. "Cute…"

Cahn ignored him. "I activate Ancient Charge! As long as I have this card on my field, my Reptiles inflict Piercing Damage. Speaking of Reptiles… Serpent Knight Asp! Attack!"

As the Continuous Spell rose up in front of Cahn, the female ophidia lunged forward, scimitar held high…

…before being blocked by the small dagger in the hand of the black-robed woman that appeared on the card. (Lv: 4/DEF: 2000) (Cahn: 8000-7800)

"I guess Gravekeeper's Spy is too strong for your Serpent Knight...

"Also, Spy's Flip effect activates now, allowing me to Summon one weak Gravekeeper's from my deck. I Summon Gravekeeper's Curse!"

In a flash of light, another black-robed figure appeared. This one was a man with dreadlocks and a bent sceptre in his hand. He raised his sceptre and sent a blast of energy at Cahn, who just barely managed to dodge. (Lv: 3/ATK: 800) (Cahn: 7800-7300)

"Curse inflicts 500 damage when it is Summoned," said Venin. "Also, Dark Room of Nightmare inflicts an extra 300 damage when damage is inflicted to you by a card effect."

Another blast of energy was fired from the Continuous Spell. Cahn didn't manage to dodge this one, getting launched a few feet into the air. (Cahn: 7300-7000)

Cahn stood up, swaying on his feet. 'Oh, c'mon. He hasn't even had a chance to attack yet and I'm already down to an eight of my Life Points… This is not someone I can just underestimate.'

"So…" said Venin. "Is there anything else you would like to try or do you end your turn?"

Cahn looked at his hand, and one card in particular. Mystical Space Typhoon. He could set it now to take care of Necrovalley if his opponent played it. Then again, the odds were good his opponent would play some sort of Spell removal himself before he played Necrovalley. In that case, the Shadowchaser would lose his only defence against the Field Spell that made the Gravekeeper's such a terrifying Archetype.

Cahn made a decision. "I set two face-downs and end my turn."

The two brown-backed holograms appeared in front of Cahn.

Venin chuckled. "Very well… Draw! Now, my Shard of Greed activates. Since I drew a card during my Draw Phase, I can put a Greed Counter on it."

Some of the shards in front of the Continuous Spell fused together into half of the infamous Pot of Greed. (Greed Counter: 0-1)

"I Release Curse to Advance Summon… Gravekeeper's Chief!"

As the wizard placed the card onto his Duel Disk, a sandstorm whipped up around Gravekeeper's Curse. As it died down, an authorial figure in a black and white robe was revealed. He was tanned and held a sceptre in his hand. The sceptre was tipped with a snake head. (Lv: 5/ATK: 1900)

"Also," said Venin. "Since I Advance Summoned the Chief, I can Summon one Gravekeeper's from the Graveyard!

"Three guesses who I'm gonna Summon!"

Next to Chief, a second sandstorm whipped up. When it died down, the black-clad Curse was revealed. Gravekeeper's Curse blasted Cahn with another blast of black fire as a similar blast was shot from the Dark Room of Nightmare card. (Lv: 3/ATK: 800) (Cahn: 7000-6200)

"Well," said Cahn. "I must say I'm very happy you didn't add 'and the first two don't count.' to that banter. That line went stale long ago."

Venin looked at him. "I have you outnumbered three-to-one and that's your response?"

"Yup," said Cahn. "Now, don't you have any beatdown to do?"

"Oh," said Venin. "Right. I switch Spy to Attack Position and activate the final resting place of the royal family… Necrovalley!"

Gravekeeper's Spy stood up as the exhibition hall around the two duelists disappeared and was replaced by a large canyon in a desert. As the sand whipped around, Spy, Chief and Curse grinned confidently. This was their domain and they would defend it with all their might. (ATK: 1200-1700) (ATK: 1900-2400) (ATK: 800-1300)

"Venin," said Cahn. "Isn't it a bit ironic that the person who is trying to steal an old artefact uses the very same Monsters that are supposed to guard such artefacts?"

Venin grinned. "Who says I'm doing anything wrong? I'm simply planning to use the magical properties of the Absorbing Scimitar that would otherwise just dust away in this museum? Look. Unlike common crooks, I actually steal this thing with a reason besides just planning on selling it to the highest bidder.

"I want to use the Absorbing Scimitar to slay the Demon That Is No Demon that has been lurking around this city for a few weeks now. If I can master it, I can challenge this thing to a fight where I'll use the Scimitar to cut its throat and absorb all of its power. Then, I would become even more powerful than I am right now.

"Isn't that the eventual goal of all wizards? Improve themselves and become better users of magic? I just take advantage of the work of wizards that lived before me, the Egyptians, and use it in an entirely new way!"

Cahn's eyes widened. "What Demon?!"

Venin chuckled. "I see I got your attention… Have you sensed it, too? Or did you see it? Its claws scraping on the walls of buildings? How about this – We put an end to this silly duel and you let me work out my plan. Then, if I'm done, I've taken out the Demon That Is No Demon and you Shadowchasers won't have to worry about it anymore."

Cahn narrowed his eyes. "We Shadowchasers are perfectly capable of handling a demon that somehow managed to get to our world, thank you very much."

"Ahh…" said Venin. "Pity…

"Now, my Chief, attack his Asp!"

Gravekeeper's Chief raised his sceptre and sent a wave of fire at the Serpent Knight. Asp raised her scimitar in an attempt to block, but was disintegrated regardless. (Cahn: 6200-5600)

Cahn quickly pressed a button on his Duel Disk. "I activate Snake Whistle! Because one of my Reptiles was destroyed by battle, I can Summon a low Level one from my deck! Say hello to… Serpent Knight Moccasin!"

As the Trap flipped up, another ophidia jumped out in a flash of light. He was tall, bald and unarmed, and wore a tunic in dark shades. Moccasin wore Egyptian jewellery made from gold and adopted a martial artist's stance. (Lv: 4/ATK: 1000)

Venin rose his eyebrow. "If you think I'll get all wary because you Summoned a Monster in Attack Position with low ATK, you're wrong…

"Spy, attack!"

Gravekeeper's Spy jumped forward, drawing her dagger. As Moccasin tried to disarm her, she cut his throat and jumped back to Venin's side of the field. Moccasin slumped over and burst into pixels. (Cahn: 5600-4900)

"Moccasin's effect activates," said Cahn. "He's the Giant Rat of the Serpent Knights, meaning I can now Summon a weak Serpent Knight from my deck. I bring out… Serpent Knight Copperhead!"

The pixels reformed into another ophidia. This one carried two kukri in his hands and wore a blue tunic. A golden headband held a keffiyeh in place. Serpent Knight Copperhead hissed. (Lv: 4/ATK: 1400)

Venin growled. "I have no more I can do. I end my turn."

Cahn drew a card. "Very well. I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Necrovalley!"

An incredibly strong desert wind started blowing through the Necrovalley. It blew away all the sand and brought the duelists back to the Egyptian exhibition of the museum. Chief, Spy, and Curse gasped in shock. (ATK: 2400-1900) (ATK: 1700-1200) (ATK: 1300-800)

Venin's eyes widened. "N-No… Damn…"

Cahn smiled. "Remember you said I was outnumbered three-to-one? How about we make that three-on-three.

"I Release Copperhead to Advance Summon Strong Wind Dragon!"

Another strong wind picked up, whirling around the Serpent Knight. After a while, the Serpent Knight wasn't visible anymore. The tornado exploded outwards., revealing a big dragon. It had emerald scales and its eyes were burning with rage. (Lv: 6/ATK: 2400)

Venin took a step back but then remembered something. "Wait," he said. "Weren't you gonna make it three-to-three?"

"Patience…" said Cahn. "I'm getting to that now… At this time, Copperhead's effect activates. Since he was used for the Advance Summon of a Dragon or a Reptile, I'm now allowed to Summon a Serpent Knight from my Graveyard. I bring back… Serpent Knight Asp!"

Next to Strong Wind Dragon, a portal opened, out of which the female ophidia slithered. She nodded at Cahn. (Lv: 4/ATK: 1800)

Cahn smiled. Out of the Serpent Knights, Asp was definitely one of his favourites.

Venin scoffed. "Still not three-to-three…"

Cahn pressed a button on his Duel Disk. "I give you Call of the Haunted. I trust I don't have to explain it to you."

The Continuous Trap card lifted up. In front of it, the ground burst open and Serpent Knight Moccasin crawled out. (Lv: 4/ATK: 1000)

Venin took a step back. "Oh, damn…"

Cahn grinned. "You could very well say that, yes.

"Strong Wind Dragon, attack Gravekeeper's Chief!"

The emerald-scaled dragon opened its maw and launched a stream of emerald flames at the Gravekeeper's. The Chief was swiftly destroyed. (Venin: 8000-7500)

"Asp!" said Cahn. "Take out Spy!"

The Serpent Knight jumped forward and dug her scimitar into the Gravekeeper's Spy. The black-robed woman screamed and burst into pixels. (Venin: 7500-6900)

"Moccasin! Destroy his Curse!"

The ophidia martial artist jumped forward and smashed his foot into Gravekeeper's Curse's face. Curse burst into pixels as Moccasin jumped back to Cahn's side of the field. (Venin: 6900-6700)

Cahn looked at the last card in his hand. Serpent Knight Copperhead. There was no more he could do. "I end my turn."

Venin drew his card. "I'll put a second Counter on Shard of Greed."

The few shards that were left in front of the Continuous Spell fused together with the others, forming a complete Pot of Greed in front of Venin. (Greed Counters: 1-2)

"Now, since there are two Counters on my Shard," said Venin, "I can send it to the Graveyard to draw twice!"

The Pot of Greed shattered as Venin drew the cards.

"I Summon Gravekeeper's Recruiter and equip him with Wonder Wand."

In a flash of light, a tanned, bald man appeared in front of Venin. He wore a black robe and a sceptre with an emerald orb at the end appeared in his hand. (Lv: 3/ATK: 1200-1700)

"Recruiter," said Venin. "Attack Moccasin!"

The bald Gravekeeper's aimed the Wonder Wand at the Serpent Knight and fired a stream of green light at Mocassin, destroying him. (Cahn: 4900-4200)

"I'll use Moccasin's effect to Summon Serpent Knight Rattler!"

Another portal opened up on Cahn's side of the field and another ophidia slithered out of it. She had a long serpentine trunk and wore a purple bikini top. Her arms, neck, hair and face were adorned with countless of golden jewels. Her tail was tipped by a rattle and she carried similar rattles in her hands. She smiled seductively and shook her two rattles. (Lv: 4/ATK: 1100)

Venin frowned. "Fine, you can have that Monster. I'll just use Wonder Wand's effect to send it and Recruiter to the Graveyard in order to draw two cards. Also, since Recruiter was sent from the field to the Graveyard, I can add one Gravekeeper's with 1500 DEF or less from my deck to my hand."

The black-clad Gravekeeper's dissolved into pixels that floated towards the wizard's hand and turned into three cards there.

Venin grinned as he saw the cards in his hand. "I set two cards and end my turn. Tell me. Are you brave enough to attack when I've drawn a total of five cards this turn and set two of them?

"I mean, if I'm confident enough to just end my turn without a single monster on my field, and odds are you'll manage to get out another monster next turn, doesn't that mean something?"

Cahn looked at him hard. "I draw." As he added the card to his hand, he considered. 'He's right! With what I have right now, I could defeat him this turn, but can I really take such a risk?! If one of those face-downs is Mirror Force…

'That's it. I'll just have to play it save this turn and finish him off another turn.' Cahn sighed. "There's something I haven't told you about Rattler…

"She's a Tuner!"

Rattler burst into four stars that each turned into a green Synchro Ring. Asp jumped into the Synchro Rings where she was reduced to four glowing stars.

{*4 + 4 = 8}

"From the realm of literature, a talkative dragon will soar! Fight for youth and innocence, and jabber about it! Synchro Summon… Gibbering Jabberwock!"

The rings and stars exploded in a fury of light. When the light coalesced together, a strange Dragon had formed. It possessed sharp claws and long fingers, a long neck and huge wings. It head was fairly laughable and its teeth were those of a rabbit. It roared in rage. (Lv: 8/ATK: 2700)

"Now," said Cahn. "We have a couple of effects to take care off.

"Since I just used Rattler in the Synchro Summon of a Dragon or a Reptile, I can Special Summon one low Level Dragon or Reptile from my hand."

From a portal of light, a second Serpent Knight Copperhead appeared. He lifted his kukri into the air and hissed. (Lv: 4/ATK: 1400)

"So?" said Venin. "With your current field, you won't be able to bring my Life Points to zero. If you had used that Copperhead to Synchro Summon Gibbering Jabberwock, you could've won this turn…

"Not taking my face-downs in account, of course." He added with a grin.

Cahn sighed. "That brings me to Jabberwock's effect. His effect involves all Spells and Traps on the field and depends on the number of cards I have in my hand.

"When I have four cards in my hand, I can activate an effect like Heavy Storm, destroying all Spells and Traps on the field.

"Now, however, that I hold just two of them, I can use an effect like Trap Stun, meaning that no face-down Spells or Traps can be activated until the End Phase!"

Venin barely reacted as the Gibbering Jabberwock roared.

"Interesting, Shadowchaser…" he said. "You let your fear of walking into a trap take you over and take the safe route… Very well. Attack me with all your Monsters… I'll still be standing in the end."

Cahn looked at the one remaining card in his hand. "I also activate this Supremacy Berry to get a little Life Point boost."

A rain of gold fell down onto the Snakeblooded Shadowchaser as his Life Points increased. (Cahn: 4200-6200)

"Gibbering Jabberwock, Serpent Knight Copperhead, Strong Wind Dragon," said Cahn. "Sick him."

As the two Dragons blasted Venin with a stream of fire, Copperhead slashed him with his blade. The end result was a slightly dazed wizard who was wobbling on his feet. (Venin: 6700-200)

Cahn sighed. "I end my turn. Just give it up already. Please, I have places to go and people to see. Stop wasting my time."

Venin chuckled. "You think you've an ensured victory just because I'm dangerously close to losing? Think again…

"I'm only just beginning…

"I activate Rite of Spirit to bring back Gravekeeper's Curse!"

The Trap flipped up and the black-clad Spellcaster jumped out of it, blasting Cahn with a burning bolt of energy. (Lv: 3/ATK: 800) (Cahn: 6200-5400)

"Really?" said Cahn. "You're falling back to old tricks?"

Venin grinned deviously. "Oh, when I'm done with this move, you'll beg me to go back to using Chief and Spy shenanigans with Curse…

"I Release Curse to Advance Summon Gravekeeper's Visionary!"

Curse grinned as he literally exploded in a wave of dark flames, the flames coalesced together and formed a hieratic-looking man on a throne in a black and white robe. He wore an Anubis mask but his gaze burned into Cahn and his Monsters regardless. (Lv: 8/ATK: 2000-2800)

Cahn took a step back in shock. As proficient he had gotten with the Serpent Knights since he first bought some of their cards, he wasn't sure if he could Summon something short term that could get rid of Gravekeeper's Visionary. "No…"

"Oh," said Venin with a chuckle. "Don't worry. I'm just using Visionary as a stepping stone to my ultimate ace.

"I destroy Visionary as part of the Summoning Cost of…

"Nefertiti, the Forlorn Gravekeeper!"

Visionary, too, exploded in a dark tornado of flames. The tower of flames rose up to the ceiling of the exhibition hall and coalesced together, forming a giant ball of black fire. The ball exploded and revealed a woman sitting on the throne that had once belonged to Gravekeeper's Visionary. She wore a black bikini top and a black skirt that brushed the ground. She had the same features as the iconic Egyptian queen. In her hand, she lazily carried a huge scimitar of black-scorched metal. (Lv: 9/ATK: 2400-3900)

"The Forlorn Gravekeeper gains 300 ATK for each of her loyal subjects in the Graveyard," said Venin with a big grin on his face.

Cahn took a step back. He might've doubted his chances against Gravekeeper's Visionary, but he knew his chances against this behemoth were near zero.

"What?" said Venin. "Are you suddenly doubting yourself? Have you realised you stand no chance against the Forlorn Gravekeeper? How you are dancing on the edge of a cliff... No, how I'm letting you dance on the edge and how I can discard you at any given time if I'm done with you?

"Your nothing but a little pass-time for me…

"Nefertiti, attack Copperhead with Serpent's Burning!"

Nefertiti swung her blade and a giant snake of black fire lunged from it, towards the helpless Serpent Knight. As the serpent latched onto Copperhead, an explosion rocked the field and destroyed Cahn's Monster. (Cahn: 5400-2900)

Venin chuckled as he looked at the Set card in front of him. 'Next turn, I can use Enlightment to attack twice with Nefertiti and destroy all of his Monsters. Nothing can go wrong now…' "I end my turn. Go ahead, Shadowchaser…

"Or have you come to your senses and want to stop? Wouldn't blame you if that was the case…"

Cahn glared at the raven-haired wizard. "Just hold back on semi-witty banter, OK? You still have a long way to go before you can say you're the winner of this duel…"

"So?" said Venin. "Tell me – How many cards do you have in your deck that can get rid of Nefertiti? And how many cards do you have left in that deck of yours? It seems to me it'll take some time until you draw something that can turn this game around…

"And I'll make sure I'll keep the time you have to make a comeback is as short as possible…"

Cahn growled as he drew his card. Miracle's Wake. 'Not really a game-winning card, but it'll help me hold out just long enough…' "I switch Strong Wind Dragon and Gibbering Jabberwock to Defense Position and set a card. Turn end."

The green-scaled dragons covered themselves with their wings as a face-down appeared in between them. (DEF: 1000) (DEF: 2300)

Venin chuckled as he drew his card. "I see you didn't get anything game-breaking? Pity… It would be a waste if Nefertiti didn't get the slightest bit of opposition… She deserves better. I'm almost sad I brought her out in this duel…"

"Can you stop insulting my duelling and just take your damn turn?" said Cahn in an annoyed tone.

Venin grinned. "I see you want to hurry your demise, huh?

"Very well…

"Nefertiti, attack Gibbering Jabberwock! Serpent's Burning!"

The Forlorn Gravekeeper brought down her scimitar and the dark flame snake once again lunged forward, ensnarling the Jabberwock and burning its skin and flesh away. Gibbering Jabberwock roared and exploded into pixels.

"And now…" said Venin. "I'll let you see Nefertiti's wrath first hand…

"I activate Enlightment!"

As the wizard rose his hand, the Trap Card rose up. It radiated an eerie light and Nefertiti chuckled.

"What does that do?" asked Cahn, more-than-slightly disturbed.

"Simple…" said Venin. "It allows a Spellcaster I control to attack again if it destroys a Monster by battle…

"The only trade-off is that I can't Summon any Monsters the turn I activate it… But I don't need to…"

Nefertiti, the Forlorn Gravekeeper brought down her blade for the third time that duel and another burning serpent appeared. It wrapped around Strong Wind Dragon, destroying it in an inferno.

"I end my turn," said Venin. "Anything else?"

"Why, yes," said Cahn. "I activate Miracle's Wake, allowing me to bring back a Monster destroyed by battle this turn. I choose Gibbering Jabberwock!"

A bright light illuminated the field as the wacky dragon descended onto the field once again. Gibbering Jabberwock roared. (ATK: 2700)

Venin gritted his teeth. "Very well… You've bought yourself some more turns with that…"

Cahn scoffed as he drew his card. "Trust me," he said. "If it's up to me, this won't take a whole lot of turns anymore."

"Oh?" said Venin chuckling. "Why? Because you'll forfeit now? That would be great, anyway…"

Cahn rolled his eyes and looked at the card in his hand. Heaven's Lost Property. 'It's not the card I need to end this, but it is a way to get it. If it doesn't work, however… I'll be in an even bigger pickle…

'Worth a shot…' Cahn inserted the card into his Duel Disk. "I activate Heaven's Lost Property!"

A bright light shone from above from a pure-white cloud in the air.

"And what would that do, exactly?" asked Venin.

"Simple,' said Cahn. "It's like a Graceful Charity that works for both players. We both draw three cards and discard two."

"Uhhuh…" said Venin as he drew three cards and tossed two others into his Graveyard slot. Gravekeeper's Curse and A Man With Wdjat. "So tell me… Does this mean you've given up and have decided to raise Nefertiti's ATK as high as possible?"

Nefertiti, the Forlorn Gravekeeper was shrouded in dark flames and a wicked smirk emerged on her face. (ATK: 3900-4200)

"Yeah," said Cahn. "Sure." He then looked at the three cards he had drawn. Molting Escape, Tribute to The Doomed, and… 'Hey…' The Snakeblooded snatched the two Spells out of his hand and tossed them into his Graveyard slot. "This is it. This duel is over…

"And I've won."

Venin frowned. "My Monster has a high enough Attack Score to destroy the very Obelisk the Tormentor and you think you can beat that with just two cards?"

"Oh, I don't think…" said Cahn. "I know…

"I Summon Serpent Knight Sidewinder!"

In a bright flash of light, another ophidia appeared. He wore bronze armour in Egyptian style. In one hand, he carried a dangerous-looking spear, and, in the other, a big shield with a snake motif. Sidewinder hissed at Venin before looking up at Gibbering Jabberwock in awe. (Lv: 4/ATK: 1800)

The wizard chuckled. "Why would I be worried about some generic Level 4 Monster that, judging by his high Attack Score, doesn't have much of an effect?"

"Oh," said Cahn, "believe me… Sidewinder doesn't have a high ATK because it has a weak effect. It has a very powerful effect, actually. It just uses those Attack Points for its effect…

"Namely, Sidewinder can decrease its ATK by any amount during the turn it's Summoned to increase the ATK of another Reptile or Dragon by the same amount!"

Venin's eyes widened. "What!? But that means..."

"Yes it does," said Cahn. "I move all of Sidewinder's ATK to Gibbering Jabberwock!"

In one swift movement, Serpent Knight Sidewinder jumped up and mounted Gibbering Jabberwock. The comical Dragon roared and dug its claws into the ground. (ATK: 1800-0) (ATK: 2700-4500)

Venin took a step back as Nefertiti's grin turned into a look of distress.

"Master?" said Paht, who had looked up from his chanting.

"Hurry!" said the black-clad wizard. "If I hold the Absorbing Scimitar, he'll have to let me go!"

"I can't," said the familiar. "I still need more time… The statues in this room still have a lingering aura of protection magic… "

"Damn…"

"Venin," said Cahn. "I'm trying to beat you here and I would like it to be a bit of a dramatic victory, so would you hold your mouth and watch…

"As I attack Nefertiti, the Forlorn Gravekeeper! Go! Gibbering Jabberwock!"

The emerald-scaled Dragon rose up his head and jumped forward, powerful wings beating it off the ground. The ophidia on its back yelled and threw his spear forward, hitting Nefertiti, the Forlorn Gravekeeper in her stomach and pinning her to the throne. Terror filled her eyes as Gibbering Jabberwock dug its claws into her and she dissolved into pixels. Serpent Knight Sidewinder jumped off the Dragon's back and landed in front of Venin. As he jumped up, he smashed his shield into the wizard's jaw and sent him to the ground. (Venin: 200-0) (Cahn: Wins)

The two wands that had been connected by Venin fizzled and broke apart, falling to the ground harmlessly.

The black cat familiar stopped chanting and jumped to the ground before walking over to Venin. "Are you alright?"

Venin groaned as he picked himself up. "What are you doing, Paht? Don't stop casting that spell?!"

"I'm sorry for doing this," said Paht as his eyes started glowing. Venin's eyes turned blank as he fell back to the ground.

Cahn rose his eyebrow as he walked over. "Why would a familiar do that to his wizard?

"Wait. You can't do it with me, can you?"

"Nope," said the cat. "I merely caused a fluctuation in the amount of magical energy I share with Venin, causing him to faint. It's a handy trick in case I need to get rid of him for a moment or when the situation would only get worse if he isn't stopped…

"Venin never seems to get when it's time to shut it and let me take over."

"That's… interesting," said Cahn.

"Yes, it is…" said the cat. "Now, will you arrest us quickly? The sooner we get in, the sooner we can get back on the street. I have no further plans for wasting your time… or mine…"

Cahn fished the transportation crystal out of his pocket. "I wish more Shadow criminals had such a mentality…"

Paht nodded as he and the unconscious Venin faded into motes of light.

Cahn turned around and went for the museum's exit. He still had to drive back home, after all…

++H++H++

Cahn knocked on the door of the apartment he and Ayden rented. It was situated in an office building that currently wasn't let to any company at the moment. The municipality eventually had seen no choice but to divide the building in apartment and bring them onto the market as low-cost rentals.

When the door opened, Ayden stood in the doorway. He was a bit taller than Cahn and wore tight, black clothing. A smile appeared on his pale face. "Did you get him?"

"Uhuh," said Cahn as he walked through the door. "It was no biggie, but… well…"

Ayden frowned. "Did something worry you?" He closed the door and put his hand on Cahn's shoulder. The apartment had the indistinct architecture of an office with windows instead of walls between the different rooms. In a corner, a desk stuffed with computer equipment stood.

"Well, yeah," said Cahn. "The burglar also told me why he wanted to steal the Absorbing Scimitar from the museum. He wanted to use it to slay some sort of demon that he found out about in Amsterdam…

"Thing is… I think I sensed it, too… I even think I might have seen it…"

Ayden's eyes widened. "What?!"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before," said Cahn. "I thought it was nothing more than just an error on my part. That I was just mistaken."

"Cahn," said Ayden. "In our line of work, it's important to be more-than-slightly paranoid. Even the smallest thing that doesn't add up can point our attention to the grand scheme of some evil mastermind." He patted the Snakeblooded's head.

"I guess…"

Ayden smiled. "Now, if I'm not mistaken, the fact some shady wizard knew about this demon indicates that she will definitely have information on it, too."

Cahn took a small step back. "You're not seriously saying we'll have to deal with her, do you?"

"Yes, I do," said Ayden. "The fastest way to learn more about this thing is by getting the information from someone who already has it. And, if you want information on anything you should be asking…

"Jeannette the Izp…"

"I hate dealing with that…" Cahn paused, "wildfire…"

Ayden chuckled. "Trust me. We all do… Still, I'll put myself in the line of fire and visit her tomorrow. I think you deserve a little break from her…

"Besides, we don't need a repetition from last time she nearly burned you to cinders…"

Cahn rolled his eyes. "That was a one-time thing! Besides, it wasn't THAT close…

"Still, thanks for sacrificing yourself like that."

"No problem," said Ayden. "Besides, you still have some paperwork to catch up on…"

"Yeah, I guess…" said Cahn, pouting.

++H++H++

However, somewhere, in another part of nightly Amsterdam, a force had stirred. A dark force.

A beast with claws like razors and fangs like needles, empty eyes hungering at the people in the streets. It opened its maw and, with a gush of blood, muttered a single word… "Cahn…"

++H++H++

Ancient Charge
Continuous Spell
Image: An alligator attacking a bunch of knights.
Card Description: Reptile-Type Monsters you control inflict Piercing Damage.

This card first appeared in the GX manga. Rights go to the writers of the manga.

Serpent Knight Asp
Attribute: Light
Type: Reptile/Effect
Level: 4
ATK: 1800
DEF: 1500
Card Description: When this card is removed from play by the controller's card effect, you may Special Summon 1 "Serpent Knight" monster from your Graveyard.

Serpent Knight Moccasin
Attribute: Water
Type: Reptile/Effect
Level: 4
ATK: 1000
DEF: 1800
Card Description: When this card is destroyed by battle, you may Special Summon 1 "Serpent Knight" monster with 1500 ATK or less from your deck in Attack Position.

Serpent Knight Copperhead
Attribute: Earth
Type: Reptile/Effect
Level: 4
ATK: 1400
DEF: 1200
Card Description: When this card is Tributed for the Tribute Summon of a Reptile-Type or Dragon-Type Monster, you may Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Serpent Knight" monster from your Graveyard, except "Serpent Knight Copperhead".

Serpent Knight Sidewinder
Attribute: Wind
Type: Reptile/Effect
Level: 4
ATK: 1800
DEF: 1400
Card Description: On the turn this card is Summoned, you may select 1 face-up Dragon-Type or Reptile-Type Monster: Reduce the ATK of this card by any amount; Increase the amount of the selected monster by the same amount until the End Phase of the turn. You can only Summon 1 "Serpent Knight Sidewinder" per turn.

The above Serpent Knight Monsters were designed by Cyber Commander and first appeared in "Shadowchasers: Soulscape". All credit goes to him.

Serpent Knight Rattler
Attribute: Earth
Type: Reptile/Tuner/Effect
Level: 4
ATK: 1100
DEF: 400
Card Description: If this monster is used as a Synchro Material Monster, the other Synchro Material Monsters must be "Serpent Knight" monsters. When this monster is used as a Synchro Material Monster for the Synchro Summon of a Reptile-Type or Dragon-Type monster: You may Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Reptile-Type or Dragon-Type from your hand.

Gibbering Jabberwock
Attribute: Wind
Type: Dragon/Synchro/Effect
Level: 8
ATK: 2700
DEF: 2300
Card Description: 1 Tuner Monster + 1 or more non-Tuner Monsters
When this Monster is Synchro Summoned, if all Synchro Material Monsters were the same Type: Apply one of the following effects based on the number of cards in your hand:
2: Set Spell and Trap Cards cannot be activated until the End Phase of the turn this monster is Synchro Summoned.
4: Destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the field.

Nefertiti, the Forlorn Gravekeeper
Attribute: Dark
Type: Spellcaster/Effect
Level: 9
ATK: 2400/DEF: 2900
Card Description: Cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. Must first be Special Summoned by sending 1 "Gravekeeper's Visionary" on the field to the Graveyard. This monster gains 300 ATK for each "Gravekeeper's" monster in the Graveyard. If you have a "Gravekeeper's Visionary" in the Graveyard, this monster gets the following effects:
# Once per turn, during either player's turn, when a "Gravekeeper's" monster is Summoned to your side of the field: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the Summoned monster's level x 200. During your turn: Each time effect damage is inflicted to your opponent, this monster gains ATK equal to the inflicted damage, until end of turn.

Nefertiti, the Forlorn Gravekeeper was designed in a tandem effort with Metal Overlord 2.0. He deserves just as much credit for it as I do.

++H++H++

Next time on Shadowchasers: Old Ties: Ayden will go to get some information from this Jan person, but what will he do when he finds an unpleasant surprise instead? Will he give up, or will he fight for all he's worth?!

Be here next time on Shadowchasers: Old Ties!