Shadowchasers: Dance Macabre
By Metal Overlord 2.0
Hello again everyone and welcome to chapter three of 'Dance Macabre'. I apologize for the delay in getting this chapter out, I went through several revisions before I found everything to my liking and, with a little luck my hard work will pay. I'd like to thank everyone who's read and reviewed so far, with special mention to Michael DJ and Scarlet Weatherman, both of whom have been invaluable in their feedback and suggestions as this chapter progressed. That said? Enjoy the chapter!
"Alright, let me get this straight," Lestrad remarked as he followed Baskerville and Voltaire through the heart of the forest surrounding Gallowmere. "I'm on the trail of a kidnapping with no idea as to the identities or the motivations of the guilty party responsible; my backup consists of a deluded vigilante whose reason for breaking into a man's house sound like it was ripped from the script of a tabletop role playing game. Our supplies amount to one pistol, limited ammunition, trading cards, an oversized wristwatch, and a sword. And now our only real guide, you're self proclaimed 'demon dog' can't seem to smell a damn thing."
Voltaire looked over from where he was patting an unhappy Baskerville. For the last half hour the hell hound had seemed to lose his earlier drive and had been leading them in circles through the dense forest. "That's about the gist of it yes, and, your point would be?" He asked arching an eyebrow behind his glasses.
The inspector paused before giving a small sigh. "Oh nothing really, I was just wondering when any of this is going to start making sense."
"Oh is that what's been bothering you? Well as soon as I figure that one out myself, I'll be sure to let you know. In any case you're not the only one who's concerned with how the trail seems to have suddenly gone cold." The Shadowchaser pulled out the warp stone and, for the third time so far tonight held it out for the hound to smell.
Baskerville took several deep whiffs and, for a moment seemed to set off in a direction with a fair amount of certainty. But then he stopped, sniffed at the air and gave a frustrated growl as if he had already lost the scent again. "Odd, something about the area's interfering with Baskerville's senses, normal and supernatural alike. Closest I could come to describing it is how a storm can interfere with the radar system of an airplane. "
"Which is all well and good except there's barely a cloud in the sky," Lestrad observed looking up at the night sky, partially hidden beneath the thick interlocking canopy of gnarled leafless branches from the trees around them. "And I can't think of many chemical based odors that could throw a dog's sense of smell off AND be undetected by human scent. So what does that leave us with?"
"Nothing that bodes well, unfortunately," Voltaire said running his hand over the surface of a dead tree. "My best guess is something is giving off an aura potent enough to mask all other traces of magical energy in the area, and a particularly malevolent aura at that. Have you noticed how quiet the forest is tonight inspector?"
After taking a moment to cock an ear the inspector's eyebrows furrowed as for the first time the complete absence of sound in the forest became apparent to him. There was no chirp of a cricket, no distant hooting of an owl, nothing but the low mournful howl of the wind and the swaying of lifeless tree limbs. "Hmm, come to think of it this is a bit out of the ordinary, you think there's a connection?"
"Most likely, animals are far more in tune to their surroundings then humans inspector, call it instinct, call it a sixth sense, but something here is warning every living thing in the area to stay away," Voltaire was saying as he stepped through a bush and suddenly stopped. "Inspector? I think you better come take a look at this."
Pushing past the inspector's eye widened as he looked upon a clearing in the forest that didn't seem to have been cut so much as it had been scorched. The ground was covered with a fine layer of ash that smothered the ground without as much as a single blade of grass poking through while burn marks had been left the trees around the clearing little more then blackened husks. The utter desolation made the rest of the lifeless forest seem almost endearing.
"The hell happened here?" Lestrad wondered. "If I didn't know better I'd say a bomb went off." He had seen photographs of the devastation Britain had suffered from the constant bombardment of German bombers during the second World War, and the similarities between the way the area had seemingly been scoured clean of life was deeply unsettling.
"Except a bomb would have blown these trees to bits, and despite the obvious scorch marks they seem to be more or less intact, which means something else started the fire that happened here." Voltaire said kneeling down and taking a pinch of the ashes between his thumb and forefinger. Reaching into his coat he took out what looked like a telescopic eyepiece, similar to the devices used to examine gemstones and tapped a few progressively smaller lenses into place. When the last lens slid into place he paused. "…Okay that's creepy."
"It is a bit of an eyesore granted, but what's got you so spooked about a pile of ash?" Lestrad wondered not noticing Baskerville suddenly raise his head and stare at something behind them.
"You mean other then the fact that these ashes seem to contain tiny fragments of cremated human bone?" Voltaire said in a flat tone. Seeing the inspector's startled expression he gestured to the soil around them. "The ash were standing in is littered with traces of a skeletal structure too large to belong to an animal. Someone was set on fire and left here to roast inspector, and in my line of work that's usually a recipe for several very unpleasant scenarios."
It was Baskerville's deep growl that alerted both men to what was now happening around them. Like the questing limbs of a nightmarish squid, tendrils of glowing green luminescent energy drifted out from every direction flowing over the ground with a disturbing air of purpose. "Does a light show like this fall under one of those scenarios Voltaire?" The inspector asked stepping out of the way of a tendril of the stuff as it slithered close to his foot.
"Unfortunately, yes. Its ectoplasm, an energy source spirits use for physical manifestations, the stronger the spirit the more ectoplasm required, and this looks like a lot." Voltaire explained warily eyeing where the tendrils seemed to be slowly converging at a spot in the center of the clearing in a glowing vortex of supernatural energy.
"Ectoplasm? Wait, you mean like the stuff in, oh what was that movie, 'Ghostbusters'?" There was a pregnant moment of silence where Voltaire and Baskerville gave the inspector identical looks of disbelief. "What? Its not like living in a village is synonymous with living under a damn rock." He snapped irritably.
Before Voltaire could comment the ground beneath them began to shift and churn like a sand dune. The ashes began to use the ectoplasm as mortar to slowly give shape to a charred black human skeleton. As it neared completion the skeleton suddenly arched its back empty eye sockets glowing from within with a fiendish red light its jaws snapping wide open. As they watched it crawled to its feet all the while regenerating muscle and flesh while fragments of ancient cloth was woven back into a tattered semblance of a petty coat and breeches.
But even as a being of flesh and blood the creature (or was it a man?) in front of them was still horribly disfigured. Blistered lifeless skin lay beneath ill fitting bandages wrapped around his face, the loose ends twisting in the air like the hair of a gorgon beneath a tri cornered colonial hat. The freshly resurrected creature's hands reached to his throat as he struggled to breathe, hacking up ash and dirt before finally taking a hoarse death rattle gasp. Noticing Voltaire and the inspector the creature reached into his coat, and with a flourish pulled out a rusty antique flintlock pistol which he leveled at Voltaire before he spoke his voice hoarse and brimming with malice. "Stand and deli-"
BANG! BANG! BANGBANGBANG! The ghoul's body jerked with every shot fired from Lestrad's revolver every bullet hitting its mark. One shot the gun out of his hand (and blew off a finger), one hit him right between the eyes snapping his neck back with a crack of his vertebrae, and as he collapsed in a heap three more rounds tore through his body piercing both his heart and lungs.
"…Huh, well that was a bit anti-climactic." Lestrad said reloading his gun while Voltaire's eyes had doubled in size behind his glasses. After a moment the inspector looked back at Voltaire and smirked behind his mustache. "Oh I'm sorry, was that the part when you were going to negotiate your way around a bullet by challenging him to a card game?"
Voltaire looked at him blankly before putting a hand to his mouth to stifle a laugh. "In theory, but theoretically I'm also supposed to be able to intimidate criminal shadow-kind out of discarding loaded firearms…don't worry just because Jalal believes it doesn't mean I have to." He added seeing the expression on Lestrad's face.
"The more I learn about this little club of yours the more amazed I am that any of you live to see thirty." Lestrad said as he and Voltaire turned to leave the clearing. "Though I'm a bit surprised that one of these big bad boogiemen you lot are supposed to keep in line go down as quickly from a bullet as any other criminal."
The two men took a few more steps before suddenly stopping as they reached the same conclusion simultaneously. "…He's not really dead is he?"
"Well technically he already is so I suppose what we just did seems a bit…redundant." Voltaire and Lestrad exchanged a look before turning around. The fallen ghoul had burst into flames as he rose up like a phoenix his wounds searing shut and filling the air with the grotesque smell of burning flesh. The ghoul reached up and wrenched his head back down to face them with a sickening crack his face stretching into a deranged grin.
"Heh-heh-heh…your going to need something with a little more pop to put me back in the ground copper, now its my turn." He raised a hand before a fireball began to build in his palm before he thrust his hand forward hurling it at inspector Lestrad. With a snarl that bordered on leonine Baskerville leapt into the path taking the blast head on.
Where a normal dog would have been incinerated the hound's head simply jerked to the side before turning to reveal that not so much as a hair was singed. Baskerville took a step towards the ghoul growling as his form seemed to slowly take on a far more menacing quality before he paused in mid shift as Voltaire stepped forward.
"Thanks for looking after the inspector Baskerville, but I'll take it from here." Voltaire said before he raised his right hand and slammed it into the soul as his eyes glowed behind his glasses. A black mist began to emanate from Voltaire's outstretched palm, similar in nature to the ectoplasm that had revived the ghoul, covering the clearing until both he and the ghoul were enshrouded in a pulsing dark miasma.
Lestrad stared in silence processing what had just happened for a moment before he simply sat down on a rock and shook his head. "…I don't know what just happened and frankly I don't want to know. They don't pay me enough for this bloody job, that's all I'm going to say." He muttered folding his arms across his chest as he waited to see what happened next. Baskerville joined him in silent vigilance knowing all too well what was about to unfold.
Inside the miasma Voltaire and the ghoul stood across from one another neither of them saying a word. Then a far more lucid chuckle escaped those cracked charred lips. "Fancy that, first couple of victims that stumble into my neck of the woods in years and one of them knows how to start a Shadow Game, pretty dangerous trick for a Shadowchaser."
Voltaire gave the ghoul a suspicious look. "You seem rather well informed for someone who just crawled out of the dirt. I'm guessing you're not just a random specter."
The ghoul gave a mocking bow. "How right you are sir! The name's Adleg, former footpad and indentured enforcer to the lord of Gallowmere, at your service."
"Lord of Gallowmere?" Voltaire's eyebrow arched. "Last time I checked this area belonged to the townsfolk, not some nameless aristocrat. Does this 'lord' have a deed verifying that claim?"
"Unlike Jalal, my employer prefers the authority of the iron fist over any amount of paperwork sir, which is why I've been called upon to bring and end to your excursions tonight. In exchange he's promised to extend my stay among the living for some…recreation." Adleg's smoldering eyes gleamed with murderous anticipation at this. "So name your challenge stranger, I don't have all night."
Voltaire pulled out his duel disk and quickly slipped it on as it whirred to life. "Probably the only thing were going to agree on tonight. My choice shall be Duel Monsters."
Adleg lowered his head and sneered before thrusting out his right arm to the side. In a burst of flames a coal black duel disk appeared with the deck tray shaped like the open mouth of a skull. "Break out the butter…I'm gonna make TOAST!"
VOLTAIRE: 8000 LP ADLEG: 8000 LP
"I'll go first," Adleg said whipping the top card from his deck. Scanning the contents of his hand he smirked. "Right off the bat you're in for a world of pain stranger. I play Everliving Underworld Cannon." With a rumble a ghoulish looking cannons big enough to be mounted on a battleship rose up with a skull's head for the barrel. "Now once per turn whenever a Zombie type monster is special summoned you'll take eight hundred points of damage."
Behind his glasses Voltaire blinked in surprise. He's using a Zombie type deck as well? Interesting, if I can assemble my Bone Towers I'll be able to deck him out in no time. He thought before his attention was drawn to the sight of Adleg discarding a monster from his hand. Before he could comment a pair of flaming skulls appeared on each side of the ghoul which began to orbit him with a cackle (1000/800). Burning Skulls? That means the card he discarded had to have been Skull Conductor…oh this is going to hurt.
"Now you not only take damage from my Cannon, but from each of my Skulls, to get ready to feel the burn stranger!" Adleg laughed as the cannon fired a skull shaped energy beam while at the same time the flaming skulls whirled towards Voltaire their fiery auras looking like the tails of a comet. The Shadowchaser crossed his arms in front of his chest before they began to slam into him one after another, gritting his teeth as swet broke out on his brow from the heat.
"And to think people used to think it was safer to go second after your opponent…eh?" Looking down at his duel disk the Shadowchaser's brow furrowed at what the life point counter was telling him. "Not that I'm complaining mind you, but shouldn't I have taken more damage from that move?"
Adleg gave a wheezing cackle echoed by the duet of skulls circling him. "Confused? You're not up against the original Burning Skull archetype stranger, what you see here is the upgraded forms of Burning Skull Head, Inferno Skull. They make up for their reduced effect damage for several potent abilities. Of course whether you live long enough to find those out is another matter entirely. Two facedown cards and my turn is done." The remainder of the ghoul's hand was set on either side of the underworld cannon.
VOLTAIRE: 5600 LP ADLEG: 8000 LP
I'm starting to miss dealing with the Bandersnatch already Voltaire thought drawing a card. It might have been a mindless sociopath but at least it couldn't talk. "You're not the only one who's fond of using Skull monsters, I summon Skull Chevalier in attack mode!" Voltaire said playing the card. A form leapt over his head and landed with a cry. It was a skeleton identical in shape to Skull Servant except it was dressed in the outfit of a musketeer. It drew a fencer's blade from it's sheathe and struck a dramatic pose (1900/0).
"Not only is its attack score formidable for a level four monster, but by discarding a level three or lower non Tuner Zombie from my deck, it can attack twice in one battle phase, destroy his Inferno Skulls!" Voltaire commanded. Skull Chevalier leapt forward skewering one of the burning skulls in midair. Then, as Voltaire quickly sent a Lady in Wight from his deck, the chevalier turned bending the thrust into a sideways slash splitting the second skull in half along the line of its jaw. Unsurprisingly Adleg seemed to have placed his monsters in defense mode so his disk registered no battle damage.
What was surprising was the sight of him suddenly drawing five cards off the top of his deck and fanning them out in front of his face. He pointed to one of his facedown cards which were now active. "Draw power is always vital for a deck like mine where my strategies eat up the cards in my hand quickly, and Card of Last Will is among the rarer ones at my disposal. Struggle as much as you'd like, it will give all the more fuel to my fire!"
"If you're done fulfilling your quota for villainous monologue, I haven't finished my turn yet," Voltaire said taking another card from his hand. "On the turn a card has been sent from my deck to the graveyard Flute of Hammelin enables us to discard all monsters of the same name from our hands and deck. Normally this would mean I simply discard two more copies of Lady in Wight, but since it's treated as a Skull Servant while in my graveyard I discard all three copies of that monster instead." The three level one zombies jutted out from his deck before he snatched them up and quickly discarded them. "A facedown card will end my turn." Voltaire said as he took one more card and placed it behind his monster.
Adleg drew his next card with a sneer. "Well if you wanted me to stick to the action stranger, all you had to do was ask!" With a roar a massive iron furnace rose up behind him in the shape of a skull with smoke billowing from its sockets flames spewing from between the bars of the grill that served as the 'mouth'. Skull Furnace is a continuous spell card that allows me to special summon an Inferno Skull from my deck to the field."
The entire furnace started to shake and groan ominously as Adleg took a card from his deck and placed it on the board. The grill over the furnace snapped open before the last of the Inferno Skulls came shrieking out of the flames like a cannonball, striking Voltaire before a second blast from the underworld cannon added to the damage. "And that's not all! I chain my last Inferno Skull's summoning to Inferno Reckless Summon."
Before the Shadowchaser could recover from the previous barrage two more of the skulls shot out from the furnace forcing him to his knees as all three of the skulls cackled with glee (1000/800X3). It was a while before he was able to get back up, steam wafting up from his coat thankful for the protective wards that had been woven into the coat's fabric. But despite the much needed protection the Shadow Game was beginning to take it toll. "I'll…ugh, use Reckless Summons effect to summon two more Skull Chevaliers." He said as two identical skeletal swordsmen appeared to join the first all three raising their blades in a show of camaraderie (1900/0X3).
"Strength in numbers won't save you stranger; I sacrifice two of my Inferno Skulls to summon Skull Flame." With a shriek all but one of the skulls exploded the flames from their destruction swirling together and becoming a menacing phantom, dressed in the lavish robes of a king with shoulder plates made of bone and a fiery mane (2600/2000). "Luckily for you, using the effect of Skull Furnace bars me from my battle phase for this round, so I'll finish my turn."
VOLTAIRE: 2200 LP ADLEG: 8000 LP
Voltaire drew a card assessing what options were available with the cards he had. Seeing at least a temporary solution he nodded to himself. "I play Riryoku, cutting the attack score of Skull Flame and adding the amount lost to one of my Skull Chevaliers." The burning phantom hissed and held its chest as it glowed with a dark blue aura, a similar aura appearing around the middle skeletal swordsman (1900-3200/0).
"Skull Chevalier, destroy Skull Flame!" The augmented undead warrior charged using the same thrust technique its sibling had used to destroy the Inferno Skulls before. Adleg smirked and snapped his fingers the furnace behind him suddenly shaking as it powered up once more. But this time when the Skull Furnace's grill covered mouth cracked open it inhaled sucking the last Inferno Skull into its gullet screaming all the while.
Flames shot out from its eyes while at the same time the burning aura around Skull Flames intensified. Emboldened by its newfound power the infernal ruler held out a claw a fireball burning in each one before it slammed them together sending out a burning shockwave that slammed into the charging Skull Chevalier and sending it crashing into its comrades. "Forgot to mention the second ability my Skull Furnace has, by sacrificing a Fire attribute Zombie I can end your battle phase immediately. Looks like you wasted a potent spell for nothing!" The ghoul laughed.
Voltaire simply grinned and showed the ghoul a spell card from his hand. "Don't be so sure. At the right instant my King of Skull Servants' power can grow to eight, nine or even ten thousand points or more, so its always amazing what a substantial boost such a common card like Mystic Wok can give me." The Skull Chevalier chosen for Riryoku's effect took off its hat and bowed to Voltaire before vanishing into a cloud of dark energy which the Shadowchaser absorbed into his body. "Ah, much better, now, what was that you were saying about having 'wasting a potent spell card'?"
Seeing his opponent just glare at him he sighed and waved his hand. "Oh why do I even bother? Go on make your move then." He said switching his remaining Chevaliers into defense mode.
VOLTAIRE: 5400 LP ADLEG: 8000 LP
Adleg paused before he initiated his draw phase seeming to mull something over. "I could use Skull Flame's effect to retrieve one of my Inferno Skulls from my graveyard and then special summon it from my hand, but I think I'll forgo that option to conduct my normal draw phase." He said drawing a fifth card. "Besides, now that three copies of Inferno Skull are in my graveyard, I can use their third effect to shuffle them back into my deck, and draw another card." The skulls burst out of the ghoul's graveyard and disappeared into his deck before a card was ejected into his hand.
But that means…he can use Skull Furnace in combination with those Inferno Skulls indefinitely! Voltaire realized his eyes widening. Skull Flames was just a way of getting them into his graveyard faster, as long as he keeps sacrificing the Inferno Skulls he summons from his deck with Skull Furnace to hold off my attacks , he can do at least forty eight hundred points of damage before reloading to repeat the entire procedure!
As if reading the Shadowchaser's mind Adleg sneered and snapped his fingers. Skull Furnace started back up before spitting out an Inferno Skull, both it and the blast from the Underworld Cannon striking Voltaire taking away half of the life points he had managed to recover last turn in one move. "How are you feeling Shadowchaser, rare, medium, or well done? I'll roast you alive to whatever is your taste!"
"ENOUGH WITH THE ONE LINERS!" Voltaire roared making the ghoul draw back in surprise. The duel so far had been rapidly draining his patience and it seemed Voltaire had reached his breaking point. "I mean really, what's next? 'Flame on!'? 'It's going to be a hot time in the old town tonight'? The damn chorus lines from 'We Didn't Start the Fire'? We are in the middle of a Shadow Game, yet I am literally experiencing more pain listening to your bit player monologue then any amount of damage you've dealt me so far! So either put up or shut up!"
Adleg stared at the Shadowchaser for a moment before he took a card from his hand and slapped it onto the tray. Suddenly every monster on both sides of the field vanished as a heavy fog began to roll in. As Voltaire tried to see through the black mist an enormous shape trundled out of the darkness. It was a massive oriental wagon with a fiendish green demon's head jutting from the front of the wagon between two burning wheels. A clawed hand on either side of the wagon's upper half held a lantern, each one swinging back and forth with its movements (?-5000/1000). "Kasha the Fire Wagon, how's that for 'put up or shut up' Shadowchaser?" He growled.
Voltaire took a step back in shock finding his field now completely devoid of monsters. Seeing his expression the ghoul leered in triumph. "No witty comeback now eh? Too bad, Kasha! Kill him!" The demon head's eyes glowed as the wheels on either side of the wagon began to spin faster and faster before they suddenly flew off the hinges and took off towards Voltaire like flaming buzz saws. Discarding a card from his hand Voltaire opened his mouth to say something when both wheels slammed into him full force in an explosion that hid him from view.
Adleg strained to see through the mist the impact had kicked up eager to see Voltaire's dismembered body parts littering the ground. What he saw was the Shadowchaser standing upright completely unharmed. Seeing the thunderstruck expression on his opponent's face Voltaire gave a toothy grin. "Had you going didn't I? Sorry, I owe it to a friend of mine to stay in one piece tonight."
"HOW…" Adleg started to bellow flames bursting all around his body before he noticed the card Voltaire had activated right before the attack. Rage gave way to confusion the flames smoldering. "Rainbow Life? You had that card set the whole time?"
"I know what your thi…" Voltaire stopped in mid-sentence a peculiar look coming over his face. "Actually scratch that, I'm likely a lot happier not knowing what your thinking so let me put it another way. I suspect to have a general impression of what you might be thinking, which would likely be 'Voltaire you miserable third rate excuse for a duelist, you could have activated Rainbow Life at any time and discourage me from an entire round's worth of my Skull Cannon combo.'"
"…Perhaps not in so many words, but something along those lines did cross my mind." Adleg admitted scratching his blistered blackened scalp beneath his hat.
"If that's on account of an itch I'd call that a lost cause friend," Voltaire said before changing the subject as Adleg's eyes burned. "Anyway, the point is, I could have used it sooner, but I didn't. Because I knew that if I goaded you into trying to finish me off in one turn, I could use it to restore my life points to their starting amount and then some. And seeing as Rainbow Life's effect will last for the remainder of your turn, I'd say the number of options you have are now limited at best."
Adleg gritted his teeth before taking two cards from his hand and setting them. "Two cards facedown, that's all for now." He said his hand now consisting of three cards.
VOLTAIRE: 8800 LP ADLEG: 8000 LP
Voltaire drew a card and looked at his current hand. "Try and keep up with me, this is going to get complicated. First I set a card and play Skull Fortune. Now I can draw one card for every monster labeled 'Skull Servant' in my graveyard, until my hand reaches maximum size." He drew four more cards until his hand reached a total of six glancing at one of his new cards with a touch of disappointment.
"Pity, if I had known I was about to get this I would have done this earlier for an extra draw, ah well. Next I activate the card I set earlier Giant Trunade!" He flipped over the spell card as a hideous face appeared in the sky above them and howled the sound sending a whirlwind through the arena. Voltaire held onto his hat with one hand and his cards with the other his coat flapping in the breeze.
Adleg wasn't so lucky, all of his spell and trap cards were swept off the field and Kasha's lamps flickered its burning aura threatening to go out any moment. The ghoul swore under his breath as he struggled to hold onto all seven cards now in his hand. "Clever, but all I need to do is set them all next turn and you'll be right back where you…what is that?" He asked seeing a spell card appear on Voltaire's side of the field he had never seen before. It had the image of the man from Ordeal of the Traveler with a terrified expression on his face as Infernity Death Gunman held his pistol to his temple.
"It's called Suffering of the Traveler. Now I call the name of a number of cards up to the number in your hand. In this case the number is potentially seven but I'll settle for four. Now, if I correctly guess the identity of a card in your hand you must discard it, but if I get it wrong one of my cards is discarded and I lose one thousand life points for each mistake."
Closing his eyes Voltaire began to think, mumbling something under his breath before he spoke out loud. "I believe among the cards in your hand are…Everliving Underworld Cannon…Skull Furnace…Tutan Mask…and unless I'm mistaken…Fire Trap?"
The cards left Adleg's hand not so much by a conscious move to discard them, rather by the ghoul dropping more then half the cards in his hand out of shock. "That's…that's not possible…how did you know those were the cards I had set?" The ghoul demanded outrage and suspicion on his face.
"It only took a little deductive reasoning really," Voltaire said his eyes still closed as he spoke. "The trick was picturing what I would do in your situation. Though your motives are vile, I cannot deny that you are an excellent Zombie duelist, perhaps even equal to my own skill with the type. Thus I tried to imagine the steps I would take to maintain the advantage you had up until now."
"The most likely strategy would be a two layered defense: one card to protect your monster and the other to protect your spells and traps. Since neither card activated when Giant Trunade was played that immediately ruled out Magic Jammer, Dark Bribe, and Solemn Judgment. Out of the remaining options Fire Trap seemed the most likely answer, oh sure there were flashier counter traps like Judgment of Anubis that might have done the job just as well, but its difficult to resist cards that are both powerful and fit snugly into your overlying theme."
"Deciding on Tutan Mask was more of a matter of deducting the most versatile defense for Kasha. There are obviously the more generic cards like Destruction Jammer and My Body as a Shield, but as a fellow Zombie duelist I figured you'd take advantage of a trap that could protect not only against targeting effects based on destroying monsters, but crippling them in other just as devastating ways. Tutan Mask would keep Kasha safe from everything from Dark Core to Nightmare Wheel to Shrink to Fiendish Chains just to name a few, all without paying so much as a dime. So? How did I do?" He asked peeking one eye open and giving a toothy grin.
Adleg cursed and stuffed all four cards into his graveyard far more roughly then necessary. "This wouldn't be so humiliating if you weren't so fond of flapping your damn tongue." He growled.
Voltaire opened his mouth to say something, and then paused. "Hmm, I do seem to love the sound of my own voice don't I? A terrible habit but sadly one I have yet to find myself able to break. Moving right along then, I summon Lady in Wight in attack mode." With a mournful wail a skeleton with stark white hair and a tattered black dress flew down out of the darkness floating in midair as spiders crawled in and out of her empty eye sockets (0/2200).
Taking off his hat Voltaire bowed to the Lady in Wight who turned and gave a giggle before curtsying in a macabre exchange of pleasantries. Noticing Adleg's expression he smirked and held up a finger. "Be she of fur and claw, scale and fang, hoof and wing, slime and tendril, or death itself, no woman should ever be denied a gentleman's respect."
"Feh, in that case I promote you from an idiot to a chivalrous idiot, it still doesn't change the fact that you summoned that bag of bones in attack mode where I can blast away more then half your life points in one attack." Adleg retorted earning a glare from Voltaire's monster.
"Oh she will be attacked make no mistake, just not by you. The funny thing is, even if I hadn't gotten rid of Tutan Mask it would have been useless against my next card seeing as it doesn't technically 'target' a monster." He flipped a card around from his hand and showed it to the ghoul whose pupils shrank.
"Lord and damnation…" Adleg groaned as he realized the true havoc Voltaire was setting up to inflict on him this turn had only begun.
"Oh so your familiar with Creature Swap then?" Voltaire said beaming as their monsters vanished and reappeared on the opposite side of the field. "It's a versatile little devil in general but it works beautifully with my deck. So many of my monsters start out with abysmal attack score all I need to do is wait for my opponent's to summon some double tribute terror or high attack NOMI, summon a Skull Servant and voila! Now then," He adjusted his glasses the red ting of the lenses making his smile take on a far more sinister nature. "I think it's about time we addressed the lack of damage you've taken up until now. Are you ready Lady in Wight?"
The monster nodded with a cackle clearly eager to help deal a crushing blow to the ghoul. "Kasha, attack now!" Voltaire declared thrusting a hand forward. Rather then attack with its burning wheels the entire fire wagon rolled forward at breakneck speed. Lady in Wight turned to Adleg and gave a sneer before she floated up and vanished leaving nothing between him and the five thousand points worth of damage bearing down on him. The ghoul screamed as Kasha plowed into him full force, straining to push off from the advancing zombie even as he was slowly pulled under its wheels and crushed.
Finally Kasha rolled to a stop the tattered remains of Adleg's broken body still dangling from beneath the wagon. With a fiendish laugh the monster suddenly rolled back in reverse crushing Adleg a second time. The sound of snapping bone and pulping flesh making Voltaire pull down his hat wincing. "Ooh, I hope he didn't bother to regenerate a working nervous system that hurt just listening to it."
When he looked up Adleg was more or less a broken semi-liquid smear of mangled flesh and bone streaked along the ground for several feet, with a faint residue still clinging to Kasha's wheels. Either my miracle or dumb luck both his duel disk and cards lay on the ground next to the ghoul's remains intact. "I'm not sure if you can actually hear me at this point, but I'm ending my turn now. I'll understand if you need a minute to, ahem, 'compose' yourself."
VOLTAIRE: 8800 LP ADLEG: 3000 LP
For at least a minute Adleg's remains failed to so much as twitch. Then, slowly the broken heap began to catch on fire as the ghoul began to regenerate once more. Immediately however Voltaire could tell something was wrong. Instead of ectoplasm, tendrils of dark energy from the miasma around them were flowing into the ghoul's writhing carcass. The flames turned from an angry red to a strange purplish black, and wherever they touched Adleg's form the grey mottled flesh began to slough away leaving nothing but blackened bone.
Adleg took a step forward wheezing abnormally, and with every breath a crimson mist leaked from his mouth staining his teeth reddish black. From deep within Adleg's chest a low growl began to emerge rising in volume until it erupted into a scream of unimaginable hatred and anger. As he screamed his eyes sizzled and exploded from within, leaving empty sockets from which tongues of flame shot forth as the last of Adleg's flesh fell away leaving him a burning skeleton.
Good lord…he's lost all trace of his original form, the hatred in his soul must have kept growing and growing until it finally consumed him. Now, bolstered by the power of the Shadow Realm, he's transcended from a generic ghoul to a full fledged Wraith. Voltaire thought realizing the battle had taken a far more dangerous turn.
By now Adleg had gathered back up his duel disk and cards and drew a fourth card. When he spoke more of the red mist (which Voltaire now realized was actually what little blood remained in his body reaching beyond the point of boiling) spilled out of his mouth. "Draw card…play Trade In. Discard Skull Flame… draw twice." Rather then simply discard it the copy of Skull Flame caught on fire and burnt to ashes as the wraith drew two more cards his hand growing to five. "I play…Aetonix Flame…die…DIE!"
As Adleg screamed his jaw cracked impossibly wide and vomited out a wave of searing black flame. Kasha was consumed by the blast wailing all the while before its burnt husk finally shattered. Then the second part of Aetonix Flame took effect, Skull Flame rising up with a laugh from the graveyard (2600/2000).
Then Adleg took a card from his hand and swapped Skull Flame for it, as the monster vanished and a far larger monster took its place. It resembled Skull Flame in general outline, but its body was far more bestial looking with a roaring furnace in its chest with flames spewing from pipes running down its back in two rows. Its almost crocodilian mouth split open as the beast threw back its head and gave a cry like nothing Voltaire had ever heard before. It was like the shriek of a train whistle merged with the roar of some ancient dinosaur, flames spewing from the pipes on its back forming a much larger version of Skull Flame's burning mane (2600/2000).
"Tribute Skull Flame…summon…Inferno Skull Beast-Folgaran…" Adleg rasped his eye sockets glowing menacingly. "Activate first effect…discard up to three…Inferno Skulls from the deck…to the graveyard…deal five hundred points of damage…each." As the three zombies ejected from the deck Folgaran inhaled deeply before spitting out three enormous fireballs. This time the force behind each blast was nearly enough to knock Voltaire off his feet; the runes began to give off a warning red glow complex patterns snaking across the surface of the trench coat indicating they were nearing their limit.
But what became a far more immediate concern to him was the sight of Folgaran's chest furnace glowing far more fiercely then before as its attack power began to climb (2600-3800/2000). "Folgaran gains…four hundred attack points…for every Inferno Skull in graveyard" Adleg rasped. "However…when first effect is used…battle phase is forfeit…but…not satisfied…must see you suffer more." Adleg played a spell card that Voltaire only dimly recognized, some obscure report of an incident during the Kaibacorp Grand Prix? "Mischief of…the Time Goddess…turn moves ahead…field is treated as being in second main phase…move to battle phase…ATTACK!"
Folgaran gave another wail as it charged dragging one of its claws along the ground flames covering its talons before it delivered a savage upward strike that sent Voltaire flying through the air and landing hard on his back with a cry of pain. The runes had only barely managed to absorb enough of the blow to prevent the five identical claw marks on the Shadowchaser's coat from reaching his flesh. Rolling over onto his stomach Voltaire looked around for his hat and saw that it had fallen a few feet away and had caught on fire. "I think…I liked it better when he was making puns." He growled crawling over to it. Struggling into a sitting position he beat out the flames and put it back on his head with a grimace.
Adleg gave a dry scratchy laugh, ash and bloody mist staining his duel disk and cards. "Yesssss…Destroy…must destroy it all…everything will burn…everything will die…just as I did…no other path…is left. Moving to…second main phase…shuffle Inferno Skulls… back to deck…draw card." Folgaran snarled as its attack power dropped back to its original score, while the three monsters that had been the bane of Voltaire's existence since the duel began returned to the wraith's deck as he drew a third card. "Set three cards…end turn."
VOLTAIRE: 2500 LP ADLEG: 3000 LP
Still sitting Voltaire slowly drew a card still too weak from the attack to get back to his feet. When he saw what he had drawn a small smile appeared on his face. "I was wondering when you'd finally decide to grace us with your presence, ready to bring this battle to a close?" A faint glow from the card was the only answer he needed. "I summon King of the Skull Servants in attack mode!" The shadows in front of him parted as the undead ruler rose up glowing as he gained strength from all of the vassals that had been discarded since the duel began (?-5000/0).
Turning the king looked down at Voltaire and extended a bony hand which the Shadowchaser took as he was pulled back to his feet. As their hands made contact some of the energy surrounding the King of Skull Servants transferred to Voltaire, the runes on his coat fading as the damage he had taken from Folgaran's attack was slowly recovered until finally he stood unaided. "Alright Adleg, I'd be lying if I said this hasn't been a challenge, but as I said before this duel started I cant afford to waste all night here, so its time to end this."
"From my hand I play two spell cards, first Dark Shuffle, selecting five Dark attribute monsters and placing them on top of my deck in any order, and then Take Over 5, allowing me to discard the top five cards of my deck to the graveyard."
Adleg's empty sockets blazed. Useless gesture…facedown cards are…Aegis of Gaia…Prideful Roar and…Backdraft. Even if he discards…three more Skull monsters…its attack won't reach higher then…eight thousand. With Aegis…can raise life points…high enough to make Folgaran…even stronger. Then…when damage is done…Backdraft will inflict damage…equal to Folgaran's attack…I win.
As his deck finished shuffling Voltaire took the top five cards he had selected and held their back to the wraith, his eyes hidden behind the gleam of his glasses. He threw all five cards into the discard slot as King of Skull Servants attack score slowly began to grow, and grow, and grow. And just as Adleg's bony claw pressed the button to activate Aegis of Gaia the King's attack score rose beyond eight thousand (5000-10000/0). "Not possible…only had three monsters…left that were compatible…with the King's effect!"
"Not quite, the last two cards I discarded were copies of a zombie called Wightmare. Its a new addition to my deck designed to combat remove from play strategies, but more importantly it counts as 'Skull Servant' while in the graveyard." Voltaire looked the wraith square in the eye socket his expression grim. "You know what's going to happen the moment you lose this duel, if you have any last words you might as well say them now."
Adleg lowered his skull in silence. Then his shoulders moved up and down as he gave a rattling laugh. "Doesn't matter…I'm finished either way…either you destroy me…or he will…nothing but a pawn… no last words…just end it."
Voltaire sighed before nodding. "King of Skull Servants, attack Inferno Skull Beast Folgaran!" The undead ruler glowed with a green aura as Folgaran gave one last deafening scream, flames erupting from the pipes on its back as it refused to go down without a fight. At the peak of their power, the two monsters charged before their attacks collided in an explosion of such intensity that the entire Shadow Realm seemed to come apart at the seams.
VOLTAIRE: 2500 LP ADLEG: 0 LP
Outside the dome Lestrad had been cleaning his revolver when Baskerville picked his head up from where it had been resting and gave a bark that nearly blew out the inspector's left eardrum. "Bloody hell! I don't care if you really are part demon or just some overgrown mutt fresh off the streets, you give me a start like that again and I'll…" He stopped seeing Voltaire emerge from the rapidly vanishing shadows a tired expression on his face making him suddenly seem far older then his appearance would suggest.
"Voltaire? What in blazes happened in there? And where did that petticoat wearing pyromaniac run off to?" He asked. Instead of answering Voltaire sat down between him and Baskerville and held up a hand he had been holding in a closed fist. Loosening his fingers slightly Lestrad caught a glimpse of a tiny sphere, no bigger then an acorn, that glowed with a reddish orange light pulsing faintly. "The devil…?"
"Its Adleg's soul, inspector. Beneath all of the hatred, the rage, the overwhelming desire to destroy everything in his path that's kept him in this world since he died, some tiny piece of the man he once was still existed." Voltaire said softly, transfixed by the sight of the little sphere fluttering about in his hand, like a caged bird eager to take flight.
"A Shadow Game gives whoever calls upon it the power to decide the fate of the defeated foe. However unlike many who have used this power, I had no interest in inflicting any form of punishment." Voltaire held up the soul. "The moment I open my hand so much as an inch, all that remains of Adleg will be finally free to move on to the other side. Either eternal salvation…or eternal damnation, its fate is sealed. Hell of a sobering thought isn't it?"
The inspector sat there in silence trying to wrap his mind around the idea that the man sitting next to him was holding the immortal soul of a human being. "…Somehow I imagined my soul would look a bit more impressive then a Christmas tree light."
Voltaire went silent and lowered his head. When his shoulders started to shake for a terrible moment Lestrad thought he had pushed the poor lad to tears. Then the Shadowhcaser burst out laughing. He laughed for a good two minutes as the inspector and Baskerville exchanged looks of concern before Voltaire wiped a tear from his eye still laughing softly. "Oh inspector, you have quite a gift for bringing a touch of the mundane to even the most solemn moments."
The inspector gave a scoff at this nonetheless relieved that Voltaire seemed to be back to normal (or at least whatever passed for 'normal' in his situation). "Well one of us has to keep their head screwed on straight; if you go any further over the deep end you're going to need a life preserver and a rope. So what happens now? Do you have to eat it to fuel those unholy eldritch powers of yours?"
Voltaire gave the inspector an odd look. "Good grief man, what do you take me for? No I'm not going to eat it." Finally with a small sigh he opened his hand. Immediately Adleg's soul shot off into the air zipping about in a few directions before flying away. "His fate is out of my hands now; all we can hope for is that when he's guided to the other side he can find some small measure of peace."
"Right, well I don't know about you, but I've had enough of this philosophical claptrap for a lifetime," Lestrad said standing up and holstering his gun. "Now that the, ah, 'malevolent presence', has been dealt with, what say we give your mutt another chance to track our quarry's scent?"
"Claptrap? I emerge from an impenetrable realm of darkness with a living soul in the palm of my hand and that's your response? Dear me, probably for the best you became a police officer inspector, I imagine you'd make a terrible priest." Voltaire pulled out the warp stone and held it out for Baskerville. This time after taking a few deep sniffs he gave an excited bark and took off deeper into the forest apparently no longer hindered from picking up the scent. "YES! Were back in business inspector, come on before were both left in the dust!" The Shadowchaser said taking off after Baskerville.
Lestrad watched the two rapidly disappearing figures with a sweat drop running down his head. "Just how much running are we going to be doing tonight anyway? Oh never mind…hold up damn it! You're still under police custody!" He shouted running after them all the while wishing he hadn't been so quick to complain the previous evening about how much he needed to get a bit more exercise.
There was no indication any of them had noticed the figure that had been watching them the entire time. As it walked into the clearing all of the color sound and light around it seemed to drain away, sucked into the depths of a robe so black it could almost be described as an entirely different spectrum of the color.
The figure watched Voltaire and Lestrad depart before it shook its head. A sound emerged from the hood that covered its face that was either the wind rustling through the branches of the trees, or a very long drawn out sigh.
Then the figure spoke every word like falling slabs of granite. Had anyone been nearby they wouldn't have so much heard the words as suddenly find them in their heads. HOW HE TALKED ME INTO THIS I'LL NEVER KNOW.
Sensing something, it turned seeing Adleg's soul come flying back from the forest either out of curiosity, or instinct. AH, THERE YOU ARE. Holding out its arm the figure waited with glacial patience before it finally settled snugly into the palm of its hand. Then with a great deal of care the figure opened its robe and tucked the soul away. I SUPPOSE HE WAS RIGHT ABOUT ONE THING; THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY BUSY NIGHT FOR US BOTH. Its task complete the figure vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
While I'm sure all of you have questions, like how Voltaire knows how to call upon a Shadow Game, or who his mysterious acquaintance is (though any Terry Pratchett fans in the audience will probably figure it out instantly) all I can say is the usual 'all will be revealed in time' shtick LOL Next chapter finds Voltaire and Lestrad are at Palethorn's front gates. Before they can get inside however, they must get past an army of fallen warriors, whose commander has long awaited the coming of a worthy foe. 'The Forceful Sentry' is coming soon. Until then, adieu!
CUSTOM CARDS
INFERNO SKULL
Level 3 Fire Attribute
Zombie/Effect
1000/800
Image: A black skull covered in flames flying at the camera screaming.
Text: This card's name is treated as 'Burning Skull Head' while in the hand or graveyard. When this card is special summoned inflict 800 points of damage to your opponent. If three copies of this card are in your graveyard you can shuffle them into your deck and draw one card.
SKULL FURNACE
Spell Card
Continuous
Image: A black iron furnace in the shape of a skull, with smoke and flames coming out of the eye sockets and a grill over the mouth.
Text: Once per turn you may special summon one 'Inferno Skull' from your deck to the field. When your opponent attacks you can send one face up Fire attribute Zombie to the graveyard to end the battle phase immediately.
INFERNO SKULL BEAST-FOLGARAN
Level 10 Fire Attribute
Zombie/Effect
2600/2000
Image: A bigger more feral Skull Flame covered in black iron with a furnace built into its chest and flames spewing from two rows of pipes down its back creating a burning mane.
Text: This card cannot be normal summoned or set. This card can only be special summoned by offering one face up 'Skull Flame' as a tribute. Once per turn you can discard up to three 'Burning Skull Heads' from your deck to the graveyard and inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent for each monster discarded, this monster cannot attack the turn this effect is used. Increase the attack of this card by 400 for every 'Burning Skull Head' in your graveyard.
NOTE: Folgaran was actually based on an earlier suggestion for Adleg's kill card made by MichaelDJ47 so he deserves much of the credit for the initial inspiration. Anyone who wishes to use the 'Inferno Skull Archetype' is more then welcome to ask provided they get my permission first.
SKULL CHEVALIER
Level 4 Dark Attribute
Zombie/Effect
1900/0
Image: A skeleton dressed in the outfit of a Musketeer, drawing a fencing blade and striking a dramatic pose.
Text: When this card successfully destroys a monster as a result of battle you can discard one level three or lower non-Tuner type Zombie to the graveyard so this card can attack again. If this effect is used this card cannot attack your opponent directly.
SKULL FORTUNE
Spell Card
Normal Type
Image: A vault piled high with gold and jewels with King of Skull Servants sitting on a throne in the middle.
Text: Draw one card for every 'Skull Servant' in your graveyard until your hand is at the maximum amount (cards that remove the restriction on the number of cards in your hand do not apply)
SUFFERING OF THE TRAVELER
Spell Card
Normal Type
Image: Infernity Death Gunman holding his pistol to the head of the man from 'Ordeal of the Traveler' who is obviously terrified.
Text: Call out a number of cards up to the number in your opponent's hand. If you call any of them right your opponent discards those cards from their hand. For every card you call that is not in their hand, you must discard a card at random and lose 1000 life points.
NOTE: Because it was featured in chapter one Dark Shuffle was not mentioned. However credit for it still goes to Ruin Queen of Oblivion as before.
CARDS FROM THE SHOW/MANGA
CARD OF LAST WILL
Trap Card
Normal Type
Image: A hand emerging from a plot of soil in front of a tombstone holding up five cards.
Text: Activate when one of your monsters is destroyed as a result of battle. Draw a number of cards from your deck until your hand has five cards total.
NOTE: Though this card first appeared in episode 91 'Mind Games- Part 2' of the original Yu-Gi-Oh series I used the effect of the version from the manga, which as it turned out is far better balanced then the one used in the show. Creative credit goes to both the makers of the manga and the show.
FIRE TRAP
Trap Card
Counter Type
Image: A knight in red armor bearing sword and shield as he stands in the center of a fiery whirlwind.
Text: Activate only when your opponent activates a card with an effect that would destroy face up spell or trap card(s) you control. Negate the activation and effect of that card and destroy it. When this card is destroyed by a card effect and sent to the graveyard, you can draw 1 card.
This card first appeared in GX episode 109 'Judai VS the Fiery O'Brien'. All creative credit goes to the makers of that episode.
AETONIX FLAME
Spell Card
Normal Type
Image: An unidentified fiend in the center of a firestorm with a blinding light at its core.
Text: Select 1 Fire or Fiend type monster in your graveyard. Destroy all non Fire non Fiend monsters your opponent controls and special summon that monster. You cannot conduct your battle phase this turn.
This card first appeared in episode 150 of the DOMA Arc 'Deja Duel! Part 2'. All creative credit goes to the creators of that episode.
BACKDRAFT
Trap Card
Counter Type
Image: A warrior being blown off his feet from an explosion with debris falling around him.
Text: Activate only when a Fire attribute monster you control inflicts battle damage to your opponent. Inflict damage to your opponent equal to its attack.
This card first appeared in chapter seven of the GX manga 'The Real Duelist'. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
FLUTE OF HAMMELIN
Spell Card
Normal Type
Image: The Pied Piper, standing in front of a giant rat underneath a crescent moon.
Text: Select one of your monsters that was sent to the graveyard this turn. Both players must discard all monsters with the same name as the selected monster from their respective hands and decks.
This card first appeared in the GX episode 74 'Happily Ever After'. All creative credit goes to the makers of that episode.
