Please note this story will be going through a major rebuild sometime in the future, any suggestion to help improve the story in any way, shape, or form would be appreciated.

Most people, when they wake up, have a sense of familiarity of where they are. Not having such a sense is rarely a good thing.

As such, when I opened my eyes to find myself not in the bedroom of which I had slept, but what appeared to be some sort of desert, I was not very happy. Indeed, my eyes quickly shut again.

Well, at first I just thought it was just a dream. Logic seemed to dictate it so. I felt no heat, no wind, nothing that sprang to mind at the word "desert", even the sand didn't feel right. Although the strange thing was it felt more... Painful to lie on.

And yet, despite the pinches to my arm, nothing changed. I tried rubbing sand onto my arm only to cry out in pain. It hurt so much!

"Where the hell am I…" Who was i talking to? Myself, i guess.

Well, I managed to get up, albeit rather unsteadily. The sun was high in the sky, even if it seemed to give little heat. Still, tiredness slowed my every muscle.

Stumbling to the ground again, I hazily noted my left arm had a duel disk strapped on. Which was rather odd, considering I usually kept it in a closet.

My bleary eyes tried to examine it, but All i could do was feel my eyes straining. So I turned away, eyes shut. I crawled for a short time before finally getting up, eyes now able to stay open, albeit blinking profusely.

However something caused me to stumble. Grumbling, I slowly got up to check what he had tripped on.

It was some kind of talisman by the look of it. A swirly mix of blue and brown etched with strange markings.

Well, why the hell not?

Shrugging, I moved over to pick it up.

No sooner had I touched it then the sand shifted. Something burst out, grabbing hold of my hand with the talisman.

The hand that gripped mine with the strength of iron was green, scaly, and had sharp fingers that dug into my flesh.

The talisman began to glow, and suddenly the grip vanished. The creature dusted the sand off, it's eyes never leaving me, before growling out the word 'Duel.'

Despite the creature's unnatural shape, especially the bottom half which seemed to just be a shifting mass, it still had a duel disk on an arm which it activated as the creature backed away, giving some space between them.

Mine did too, despite the fact I did nothing to it. I looked at it with dull surprise. Creepy, yes. But what had already happened sort of took the feeling away.

(Creature's LP: 8000)

(My LP: 8000)

'Me be first.' The creature spat out, drawing a sixth card. 'Summon "Broken Warrior" (1/200/200)'

Tiredly forcing his way out of the sand, a battered and beaten warrior appeared on the field. He was covered in bloodstains and his armour had dents which probably fused with his flesh.

'Turn end. Make your move Numiu.'

I had drawn before it clicked. 'Is that… my name?' I hesitated. Come to think of it. Most of my memories had... simply left. I remembered going to bed, I had played Duel Monsters... But little more.

...And i only noticed now? What the hell was going on?

'Do I know you?' It seemed like the best thing to ask.

I received a growl in response. 'Continue turn…'

Numiu… Better then nothing. I shrugged. It was then I actually looked at his cards. 'But… these aren't my cards.'

'Duel or die…' The creature snapped at him, the empty hand clenched into a fist.

Startled, I hurriedly selected a card from my hand. 'I summon "Gemini Elf" (4/1900/900)'

Twin elves materialized in a burst of sand.

'I don't like the look of that low level warrior. It probably has a powerful effect. And yet, I can't trust this deck to give me an alternative.' Clearing my throat, I declared an attack.

The two elves both brought their hands forward, a burst of magical energy materialized from both their hands, mixing together before it blew the warrior apart.

Quite literally, as it turned out. Bones, organs, skin. It rained down onto the arena.

Numiu's face showed disgust, the creature's expression remained passive.

'When the Broken Warrior is attacked, I take no damage. Also, I Special Summon Warrior from deck with equal or less attack then damage I took. Only catch, send any Broken Warrior's from Deck to Graveyard. But deck has no more.'

Sorting through his deck, the creature selected a card. '

'"Vengful Shinobi" (2/400/800), slaughter.'

Darkness swirled like a miniature vortex, for a brief moment covering an entire area. When it faded a man wearing all black covering his entire body and wielding a dagger appeared.

'Another weak monster, what is with this… thing?' Clearing my throat, I asked hesitantly 'do you have a name?'

The creature glared at me, 'Roberth' it spat.

'Very well, I end my turn Roberth, you go ahead.' I don't quite know why I was trying to be polite to Roberth, it seemed an odd reaction. And yet I was. But it wasn't important, I supposed.

Roberth drew a card. 'Two cards set, your go.'

Two face-down spell or traps materialized behind the shinobi.

'Most likely traps' I mused while I drew a card. I glanced at the new addition. 'Useful, but I better see what I'm opposing first.'

'My "Gemini Elf" attacks your Shinobi!'

I braced himself this time. One way or another, a monster was going to die. And considering what the last one had been like, it wasn't going to be pretty.

'Face-down, "Prideful Roar". Difference between our monster's power paid in blood. But Shinobi's attack is now three hundred greater then yours.'

He extended an arm. The Shinobi sliced a large gash into it

(Roberth's LP: 6500)

Howling in pain, Roberth kept his arm there as the blood quickly dripped onto the waiting blade which seemed to drink it greedily. The blade turned a deep red. The shinobi quickly swung the blade, dissipating the magic fired at him by the magicians, and in one fluid movement, ran forward and decapitated them both.

Their heads rolled along the dunes, picking up sand that stuck to the blood that covered the head before becoming nearly invisible.

I suppressed a gasp. And the Shinobi casually strolled up to him, dagger in hand.

'And now your price.'

I closed his eyes, tensed my body. He let out a cry as he felt the dagger tear through flesh. The agony that could only mean death was near. I opened my eyes to see...

A scratch.

(NLP: 7700)

A thin line along my forearm, Blood seemed to be attempting to squeeze out of the tiny gap with little success.

'You pay later.' Roberth growled, glaring at me. 'But Shinobi lets me pick up a card when attacked.' He did so.

Shaking slightly, I moved the put my Gemini Elf into the Graveyard slot, before realizing the card had vanished. Shrugging, I selected another card in my hand. 'I set a monster, and another card.'

There was silence for a few moments. Roberth took it as a sign that it was now his turn. He picked up a card.

'Activating "Nightmare Bonds", Attaching them to my Shinobi. Forced to stay in attack, but cannot be destroyed.'

Chains materialized from ripples in the air, binding the Shinobi like a straightjacket. The Shinobi struggled against the chains frantically. Yet he didn't make a sound.

'Turn end.'

'Your Shinobi doesn't seem very happy.' I commented as I picked up another card.

'He is not, nor am I. Make move.' Once again he growled.

That growl seemed to be a great stimulus, it sure made me draw rapidly. 'I flip summon my "Royal Magical Library" (4/0/2000).'

Rising like Atlantis out of the sand, a massive bookcase that was oddly clean appeared.

'And I follow it up with this spell, "Bond of Brethren". Allowing me to release a level four Spellcaster, in order to summon two specific monsters from my hand or deck. Namely, "Skilled White Magician" (4/1700/1900) and "Skilled Dark Magician" (4/1900/1700)

Both of the cards in his duel disk promptly turned to sand that somehow floated out of the duel disk into the desert.

'…Did that happen with his cards?' I hadn't really been paying attention to my opponent's duel disk. It had also probably happen to that elf card too.

However, looking at the opponent's duel disk now he realized it had no graveyard slot.

But his did. Not that it looked like it would be used, if all the cards just turned to sand.

'Well, my white magician attacks.'

The Skilled White Magician swung his staff around, it seemed to gather energy as it moved turning into what seemed to be a comet before the magician pointed the staff at the shinobi, the burst of white struck the Shinobi in the chest, tearing right through before striking Roberth, although in his case it left what looked like a burn mark rather then a hole. But he still managed to pick up a card.

(RLP: 5200)

A black aura surrounded the chains that binded the shinobi, and the hole in him regenerated. Although by the grunts of barely suppressed pain coming from the shinobi, it was most likely painful.

'And now the dark one.'

Another hole was torn through the Shinobi, another mark on the scaly skin of Roberth, another card in Roberth's hand.

(RLP: 3700)

'Finally, I set one card. It's your move.'

Roberth was silent as he drew a card. 'By releasing monster with equip, I can call on "Golden City Lord - Vanipri" (9/0/0).'

Slowly rising out of the sand with little apparent effort was a golden man. Quite literally, he seemed to be made of gold. Although from the strange blue glow around him, he was most likely enchanted.

'True intention, but also for himself.' Roberth muttered. Before saying with much larger volume 'first, my bonds allow an extra card when destroyed.' He drew. 'And now his effect. All my cards are turned to gold, unable to be used. But my ruler gets thousand for each.'

True to his word, the cards in his hand quickly became gold, an aura surrounded each and transferred to the Golden City Lord (9/0-8000/0)

'E-eight thousand.' Ok, I was terrified of this... Monster that stood before me. At least, I was for a brief moment.

'And now, he kills you. Life points survive, not you. White magician dead'

Bringing his hand back, a sword materialized in his hand once again made out of glowing gold. The sword was massive, towering above the dunes. He brought it down…

And was put to an abrupt stop.

Blocking his path was a colourful cylinder, a question mark etched on.

'My "Magic Cylinder" stops the attack, and sends the damage at you.' All traces of fear gone, I shook my head at the opponent. After all, I had won, so i had nothing to fear... I hoped.

The cylinder began to suck in the surrounding sand with a vortex, drawing the massive sword in.

At the same time, a second cylinder appeared behind Roberth. The sword went in one, and came out, right through Roberth.

But while there was blood, there were no organs. Instead the creature merely evaporated into sand.

And it was over.

(RLP: 0)

My grinning face was short-lived as my adrenaline left abruptly, leaving me face-first in the sand. So much for my heroic battle.

Groaning, I clawed his way to flip around. Staring into the blue sky, I couldn't help but wonder what the hell was going on.

But it could wait, right? I was tired, so very tired…

The world turned to darkness.