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DUEL SEVEN
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Secret Pass to the Treasures
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Gears turned on the computer, as his three comrades watched behind him.
"Okay…" he said. "My first thought was that someone kidnapped Hebi-Na because she knows something, and wanted to silence her. That would mean that the most obvious suspects would be her co-conspirators in Sonja's plan.
"Only trouble is…"
Three faces appeared on the screen.
"…they're all dead."
"I see what you mean…" said Shichiro.
Gears highlighted one of the images, a frightening picture of a monstrous face with mauve skin, two cold eyes, and four tentacles where the mouth would be. This was Louis DaPen, the illithid crimelord that had allied himself with Sonja, whom she had ordered killed when he had outlived his usefulness.
"After DaPen's death," said Gears, "his mob territory was taken over by the Yakuza crime boss Himato Kuin. But Kuin is a Mundane, and not nearly as cruel as the Shadowkind crime bosses… I doubt he's behind it…"
He turned to a picture of a man in a hood wearing a porcelain mask.
"Then there was Edmund Mason… The worm that walks… But he's gone… And we made sure that he had no apprentices or other students ready to take his place…"
He turned to the final picture, that of a forty-something man with a handsome face and a goatee.
"I don't think Mr. Draco could be behind it," said Ember. "Even if he somehow managed to survive in some form, he saved my life. Whatever happened to Sonja would have happened to me if it weren't for him."
Gears typed in some commands, and Hebi-Na's mug shot came up.
"So that begs the question…" said Jinx. "Did we miss someone?"
"Hebi-Na's own statement when she was arrested said she passed through from Shadow only two years ago," replied Gears. "She said she didn't have a mate, not now nor previously. And she claimed to have never joined an organized clan."
"She might have lied," said Jinx. "She might have bee trying to protect someone…"
Gears rubbed his chin.
"Well," he said. "She wasn't wearing any symbols of any ophidia clan we know about…"
"She was certainly familiar with the other ophidia in this city," said Ember. "She seemed to be a regular at that bar I investigated that catered to them."
"So then…" said Gears. "DID we miss someone? Did Sonja's whole plot have another conspirator the whole time that never confronted us?"
"We'd better find out," said Shichiro. "If it's true, kidnapping Hebi-Na might be the least of the crimes they have to answer for."
"Good point…" said Gears.
He sighed.
"I just wish I knew where we had to start looking."
Ember looked long and hard at the mug shot.
Then she said something peculiar, in English:
Yesterday, upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn't there.
He wasn't there again today.
Oh, how I wish he'd go away.
"What's that?" asked Shichiro. "A nursery rhyme?"
"Kinda," replied Ember. "It was something I read in literature class a few years ago… Part of a poem written a long time ago by some poet from the States…
"But I'm thinking it might illustrate our problem… What if the answer was obvious the whole time, and we just didn't pick up on it? In other words, we might have seen another factor to the whole equation in plain sight, but we never realized its importance, never realizing it was 'there'?"
They all looked at her.
They all looked at the mug shot again.
"I think I see what she means…" said Gears. "But we're going to have to retrace all our steps to find it…"
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The sewers under Satellite were home to a great many vermin…
Rats… roaches… spiders…
And today, snakes.
Fifteen ophidia made their way through the sewer. Hebi-Na was leading them, two soldiers armed with spears guarding her, prodding her with them every now and then. Taramanda watched from behind.
Of course, she was unwilling to drag her coils through this filthy place, so she had brought a magical device with her to maintain some dignity. She was seated on a large chair that had eight metal legs, resembling an ornate throne on a huge spider. This device wasn't very comfortable, but sometimes you had to sacrifice comfort for style.
Behind her was Hssimim, Csimith, and Msskim, each of them with flashlights and Duel Disks (just in case) followed by the final eight ophidia, soldiers armed with scimitars. Three of them had semi-automatic pistols tucked in their belts in case they needed to break tradition.
The past few hours had been anything but pleasant for Hebi-Na. She had not even been given a change of clothing; she was still wearing the prison-issue shirt that she had been wearing when she was kidnapped, a shirt that was now soiled and filthy. She was hungry too. All she had been given to eat since she got to Neo Domino were the table scraps that the other ophidia couldn't eat at the lunch table, which wasn't much. And all of them had insulted her at every opportunity.
This had caused a drastic shift in her outlook since the encounter in the throne room. Her fear of her Empress had now turned into incredible anger. After all, when you've hit rock-bottom, you tend to stop worrying about the consequences of your actions. Thoughts of murder, or better yet, murder-suicide were on her mind.
Of course, she had no idea yet how she was going to do that. Taramanda had bodyguards attending her around the clock, was incredibly powerful even without them, and as a Disgraced ophidia, Hebi-Na was not allowed to have a weapon.
Still, the thoughts were still on her mind. That much was certain.
"Oh, this is a waste of time!" cursed Hssimim. "There's nothing down here but busted pipes and asbestos!"
"If there's asbestos here," said Taramanda, "then that means this place hasn't seen a maintenance crew since years before Zero Reverse. It's been illegal to sell and use that stuff as building material in this and most other developed nations since the 1980's.
"It could mean something valuable is hidden here… Or it could mean there's nothing here worth coming for."
"If there is some great treasure down here," said Csimith, "wouldn't it make sense that there'd be something guarding it?"
"Hold up…" said Hebi-Na.
She felt the wall to her right, and then gave it a shove. It crumbled into a pile of broken stone.
Beyond the opening was a dark tunnel, which was made of finely mortared brick, and in far better repair than the older sewers.
"You first," ordered Taramanda.
The two guards poked Hebi-Na with their spears, and she grunted. She slithered into the dark tunnel, and the others cautiously followed.
After walking for about three-hundred feet, the tunnel terminated in a stone wall.
"Dead end," chuckled Hssimim.
"Shine a light on here," said Hebi-Na.
Taramanda pointed, and the three nobles shone their flashlights on the wall. They noticed a series of slashes carved in the stone in an orderly fashion. The slashes were arranged into four horizontal lines, perpendicular to each other.
"Is that some sort of writing?" asked Msskim.
Taramanda rode her chair to the wall, and inspected the slashes.
"It's qualith," she said. "Ancient, non-humanoid races like the illithids who are telepathic have no true written language, so when they feel the need to write, they use this alphabet. It's similar to Braille."
"Can you decipher it?" asked Hssimim.
"Qualith is incredibly complex," replied Taramanda, studying them. "Each line modifies the preceding lines through explaining abstract concepts associated with the above words. Only by looking at the entire message at once, and understanding all four lines simultaneously, can the message be understood."
"In other words, you can't decipher it…" sighed Csimith.
"Maybe I can…" replied Taramanda. "Some divine magic might be able to translate it…"
She held up her right hand, and her eyes glowed with a green light, as she channeled the divine power of her goddess. The qualith marks glowed, and then started to transform into regular words.
She opened her eyes, and read:
"The secrets of all things lie in their beginnings, and beginnings lead to endings, which lead to new beginnings."
There was a rumble, and a sound like stone upon stone, and a secret door lifted up where the writing had been.
Hebi-Na slithered in, and the rest of the party followed.
They were in a creepy chamber that looked like a foreboding temple, lit by violet torches, with an altar in front of them flanked by two pillars of skulls. Even more frightening was the guard who was standing at the altar, in front of a thick, wooden door. It was a tall creature, even bigger than Msskim, standing seven feet tall, muscular, shirtless, wearing black trousers, and an iron mask that didn't seem to even have eyeholes. He held a huge axe that had a sinister design.
"I knew it," said Csimith.
Hebi-Na was even more surprised by the door. It was the same one as the one in her vision.
Were those Monsters behind it?
The hulking guard looked at the party of ophidia (they knew he was looking at them, even though his eyes were hidden), and then spoke in a voice that was deep and demanding.
"Who intrudes on this sacred sanctuary?" he said.
"Uh…" said Hebi-Na.
Taramanda got off her throne, and pushed Hebi-Na aside.
"We seek the great power that is supposedly stored here," she said. "That which was returned to this temple after the defeat of its masters to await a new master."
The Guardian chuckled.
"And you snakes wish to become the new masters…" he said. "Well… The great power is indeed here, and I am obligated to accept any challenges for it, if one has the courage to try to claim it…"
"Child's play," replied Taramanda. "What does this challenge entail? A battle of swords? Incantations?"
The Guardian held up something with his free hand.
It was a deck of cards.
"Duel Monsters??" gasped Taramanda.
"Indeed," said the Guardian. "However, whoso challenges for this power and fails will be condemned to eternal torment in the Underworld. This power does not come easily."
"So then, it's a Shadow Duel?" asked Taramanda.
The Guardian nodded.
Taramanda turned to Hebi-Na.
"Well?" she snapped.
"Well what?!" asked Hebi-Na.
"WE weren't the ones who suggested we come here," replied Taramanda, "so it certainly won't be WE who risk our souls in a Shadow Duel. Duel him."
"Oh, this ought to be good!" chucked Hssimim.
"I don't have a deck!" protested Hebi-Na.
"Well, I certainly cannot accept a challenge from someone with no deck," replied the Guardian.
Taramanda looked at the three nobles.
"Csimith, lend her your deck," she ordered. "She'll use that."
"Why mine?" asked Csimith.
"Well, I'm certainly not letting her use mine!" said Taramanda.
Csimith sighed, and removed his Disk from his arm.
"Let me see that…" said Hssimim, snatching it.
He took the deck and looked at the cards.
"Okay, it will suffice…" he said.
He handed it to Hebi-Na.
Hebi-Na slipped the Disk on her own arm with another sigh.
"This will be a step towards gaining some respect back, Hebi-Na," said Taramanda. "Win me those cards, and I might feed you tonight.
"Lose, and I won't have to punish you… This demon will do it for me…"
Hebi-Na growled.
The Guardian chuckled softly. Then he held the axe out in front of him, and it was surrounded by an aura of dark energy. It transformed into a Duel Disk that fit over his left arm. It was a frightening-looking device, made of black metal, shaped like a dragon's head. The deck fit in the dragon's mouth.
Taramanda's eyes narrowed a little as she looked at it...
"Duel!" shouted both duelists.
The two Disks auto-shuffled the decks.
(Hebi-Na: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Guardian: 8,000)
"Ladies first," said the demon. "And I use the term loosely…"
"Uh, thank you…" said Hebi-Na, making her first draw.
She looked over the six cards with a suspicious look.
"Uh…" she said, as she played a Spell Card. "I think I'll play Allure of Darkness…
"Now I get to make two draws…"
She drew two cards and looked them over.
"Then I have to remove a Dark Monster in my hand from play, or I lose my whole hand…"
She took Obsidian Dragon, and placed it in her shirt pocket.
"Then… uh… I play Card of Variation."
Another Spell Card appeared.
"That means I get to draw two more cards…"
She made two more draws.
What kind of a crazy deck is this? she thought.
Of the ten cards she had drawn from her deck so far, the Monsters had included four Dark Monsters, one Wind Monster, and an Earth Monster, and there was no real common thread among the Types.
She took a card from her hand.
"I'm… I'm sending Lesser Fiend from my hand to the Graveyard," she said.
She placed the card in the discard slot.
"By discarding a high-Level Dark Monster, I get to Special Summon Dark Grepher."
In an aura of shadow, a sinister-looking Warrior with armor and ebony skin, holding a longsword appeared. It was supposedly what Warrior Dai Grepher was, right before he transformed into Dark Lucius. (1,700 ATK)
"Now, I use his effect…" she continued. "I send another Dark Monster to my Graveyard…"
She discarded Spirit Reaper from her hand.
"...to send one from my deck to the Graveyard."
In a flash of light, images of all the Dark Monsters in her deck appeared in front of her. She considered for a minute.
"Well, at least she knows how to use Dark Grepher," said Csimith. "That's a plus."
"Guess I'll choose you," said Hebi-Na.
She touched a second Dark Grepher, and it vanished, falling into her discard slot.
"Next, I set a Monster," she said, playing a card.
A set Monster appeared.
"I end my turn… And since I used Card of Variation, I now have to discard a card from my hand, or I lose 3,000 Life Points…"
She took Reload from her hand, and discarded it.
"Not bad," said the Guardian. "But now it's my move…"
He made a draw.
"I'll start by playing my Foolish Burial," he said, as a Spell Card appeared.
A card slipped out of his deck.
"Now I can send a Monster from my deck to the Graveyard."
He discarded the card.
"Now, a more long-lasting Spell Card."
He fit the card into his Disk, and with a rumble, a frightening apparatus appeared. It looked like a cannon… A cannon made of bones and skulls, not all of them human, held down by chains.
"What is THAT?" shouted Hebi-Na.
"It's the Everliving Underworld Cannon!" exclaimed the Guardian. "And I get to fire it whenever I Special Summon a Zombie-Type Monster, dealing you 800 points of damage."
"Seems this guy is using Zombies," said Msskim.
"Genius," said Hssimim. "What was your first clue?"
"Now, I'll summon Zombie Master," continued the Guardian.
In an aura of dark energy, an undead creature with rotting flesh and moldering clothes appeared on his side of the field. (1,800 ATK)
"Now I'll use its effect," he continued. "I'll discard one Monster from my hand to Special Summon a Zombie from my Graveyard… Like the one I discarded with Foolish Burial…"
He discarded a card, and a second Zombie Master appeared. (1,800 ATK)
Everliving Underworld Cannon glowed. Then it fired, and a burning, glowing skull shot at Hebi-Na, striking her in the chest and knocking her over.
"I'm not done!" laughed the Guardian. "I'll discard another Monster to use the second Zombie Master's effect, and bring out the Monster I discarded to summon it."
He discarded another card, and a third Zombie Master appeared. (1,800 ATK)
"Fortunately for you, my Cannon needs a full round to recharge before it can fire again. But why stop there?"
He discarded another card.
"I use the third one's effect to summon Mezuki!"
With a low growl, a bestial demon with the head of a horse, holding a nasty axe appeared. (1,700 ATK)
"You can't use that effect again," said Hebi-Na, narrowing her eyes.
"But I have another Spell Card," said the Guardian, as he played the last card in his hand. "The dreaded Book of Life! Now, I can bring Clown Zombie back from my Graveyard…"
With an evil cackle, a rotting, decayed clown balancing on a ball, holding a staff tipped with a scythe blade appeared. (1,350 ATK)
"Clown Zombie?" asked Hebi-Na. "Why'd you include that thing in your deck?"
"All cards have a purpose," said the Guardian. "And as per the second effect of Book of Life, I now get to remove one Monster in your Graveyard from play. And since Lesser Fiend is the biggest threat right now, I choose that one."
Lesser Fiend fell out of Hebi-Na's discard slot.
"Well, it was fun when it lasted," chucked Hssimim.
"Let's continue," said the demon. "Zombie Master number one… Incinerate Dark Grepher with wrath of the undead!"
The first Zombie Master threw back its arms, and threw a volley of lightning bolts at the Dark Warrior. He cringed, and then shattered into black shards.
"Second Zombie Master…" continued the demon. "Her concealed Monster!"
The second Zombie made the same attack. A big, green mantis appeared crouched on the card, and was blown to bits.
"That was Flying Kamakiri #1!" shouted Hebi-Na. "And when it gets totaled, I get to Special Summon a Wind Monster with a low Attack Score from my deck."
The qualifying cards appeared in front of her in holographic form. Looking at them, Hebi-Na slowly began to realize the strategy behind this deck.
"I summon a second Kamakiri!" she shouted.
Another big bug appeared in front of her. (1,400 ATK)
"I have three more attacks coming," said the Guardian. "Third Zombie Master, attack!"
The third Master shot its bolts, and the second mantis was blasted apart.
"I summon a third Kamakiri!" shouted Hebi-Na, as yet another of the Insects appeared. (1,400 ATK)
"Then I'll destroy the last one," said the demon. "Mezuki, doom chop!"
Mezuki made a slash with its axe, beheading the mantis. Its body shattered.
"I use my final Kamakiri's effect…" said Hebi-Na. "Come on out, Chaosrider Gustaph!"
There was a sound like a noisy engine, and a fiendish-looking Warrior rode onto the field on a motorcycle. He wore a horned helmet and a leather studded harness, and carried a long pike. (1,400 ATK)
"Humph," said the Guardian. "Clown Zombie can't beat that… My turn is over…"
(H: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 8,000)
"My move…" said Hebi-Na.
She drew a card.
"I summon Bazoo the Soul-Eater!" she shouted.
In a burst of energy, a decidedly different Monster appeared. It looked like a large mandrill ape with purple fur, and sharp claws and teeth. (1,600 ATK)
"Bazoo here may look like some dumb monkey," said Hebi-Na, "but it has an effect that can be very powerful if used right. I can remove up to three Monsters in my grave from play, and for each one, Bazoo gains 300 Attack Points."
All three of the Flying Kamakiris fell out of her discard slot. Bazoo screeched as it glowed with energy. (2,500 ATK)
"Gustaph has a similar effect," continued Hebi-Na. "I can remove up to two Spell Cards from play, and for each one, he gains 300 Attack Points."
Allure of Darkness and Card of Variation slipped out of her discard slot, and Gustaph's engine roared. (2,000 ATK)
Hebi-Na waited for a response from her opponent, but he said nothing.
"Bazoo," she ordered, "destroy one Zombie Master! Breath of souls!"
Bazoo opened its jaws, and breathed a blast of pure energy at one of the Zombie Masters. It exploded into bones and shards of cloth.
"Gustaph, destroy another one!"
Gustaph started his motorcycle, and sped at a second Zombie Master, cutting it in twain with his weapon.
"I set a card facedown, and end my turn," said Hebi-Na, as a facedown card appeared in a flash of light. "And by the way, the bonuses to their Attack Scores won't wear off until the end of your next turn."
(H: 6,500) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 7,100)
"You know," said Msskim, "she's not doing half bad."
"It's still early…" growled Hssimim. "Don't forget, this is the one who messed up while using the Venom Deck. You know, the one with Vennominaga?"
Hebi-Na seethed in rage…
She had made up her mind. Once this duel was over, even if it was the last thing she did before she was dragged into the Underworld, she was going to tell everyone here who was really responsible for her losing that duel.
She had kept quiet about it up to now… How a crucial factor had played a part in the action that led to her losing… But she would be quiet about it no longer.
"My move…" said the Guardian. "I draw one card…"
He made a draw.
"I move my Monsters to Defense Mode…"
The last Zombie Master and Clown Zombie slumped down and knelt. (0 DEF) Mezuki knelt and held its axe in its lap. (800 DEF)
"Next, I'm sending Plaguespreader Zombie to the Graveyard to use Zombie Master's effect."
He discarded the card he had drawn, and another Zombie Master appeared. (0 DEF)
The Everliving Underworld Cannon glowed, and fired, hitting Hebi-Na and knocking her over again.
"Man, I can't believe I forgot to bring my video camera…" chuckled Hssimim.
"Aw, shut up!" shouted Hebi-Na.
"What I can't believe is that he didn't summon Plaguespreader Zombie," said Csimith, "and use it with one of his Level 4 Zombies to Synchro Summon Doomkaiser Dragon."
"Or Revived King Ha Des," replied Msskim. "It doesn't make sense."
"All of you, be quiet!" scolded Taramanda. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth!"
(H: 5,700) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 7,100)
"My move…" said Hebi-Na.
She made a draw.
"Once again, I remove three Monsters from play to power up Bazoo…"
She took both Dark Grephers and Spirit Reaper from her Graveyard, and Bazoo rose to an Attack Score of 2,500 again.
"Then I remove Reload from play, to give Gustaph 300 more Attack Points."
Reload slipped out of her discard slot, and Gustaph rose to 1,700 Attack Points.
She threw a Spell Card into her Disk.
"Then, I Equip Bazoo with Big Bang Shot! This gives it 400 more Attack Points, and lets it inflict damage even when attacking a defending Monster."
(2,900 ATK)
"Good lord!" gasped Msskim. "Those Zombie Masters have zero Defense Points!"
"I'm not done!" said Hebi-Na, playing the last card in her hand. "I play a Spell Card called Dimension Distortion. Because I have no cards in my Graveyard now, I get to Special Summon a Monster that was removed from play."
A glowing portal opened, and Lesser Fiend appeared with a roar of bloodlust. (2,100 ATK)
Then Hebi-Na's facedown card lifted.
"Finally, I activate Escape From the Dark Dimension! This lets me Special Summon a Dark-Attribute Monster that's been removed from play."
A dark portal opened, and Dark Grepher stepped out. (1,700 ATK)
"Now, let's kill some Zombies… Bazoo, destroy one of the Zombie Masters!"
Bazoo blasted its breath of souls, and one of the Zombie Masters exploded. The Guardian cringed a little.
"Dark Grepher, the last one!"
Grepher made a slash with his blade, and the last Zombie Master was blown apart.
"Gustaph, take out Clown Zombie!"
Gustaph started his motorcycle, and literally ran the undead clown down.
"One left…" said Hebi-Na. "Lesser Fiend, obliterate Mezuki!"
Lesser Fiend breathed a blast of black flames at the bestial demon. Mezuki turned to bones, and then the bones disintegrated.
"I end my turn…" said Hebi-Na.
(H: 5,700) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 4,200)
"I draw one card…" said the Guardian, making a draw.
"So what are you gonna do?" asked Hebi-Na. "All you've got is that one card."
The Guardian quickly played it.
"It may be all I need," he replied. "It's called Card of Reversal, and I can use it because it's the only card I have. By playing it, I get to draw one card for each face-up card that you have on the field.
"And I count five."
He quickly made five draws.
"No way…" said Hebi-Na.
"Yes way…" said the Guardian. "I now summon Bone Crusher…"
He played the card, and a Monster appeared that was a bare skeleton, dressed in tattered furs and a Viking's helmet, holding a stone hammer. (1,600 ATK)
"…and then I play Nightmare's Steelcage."
He played the card, and a large, domed cage studded with spikes formed around Hebi-Na and her Monsters.
"That will keep you from attacking for two whole turns."
"But it will also keep you from attacking," said Hebi-Na.
"I know how my cards work," replied the demon. "I end my turn."
Hebi-Na paused for a minute.
"I thought Bone Crusher was destroyed at the end of the turn it was summoned," said Csimith.
"Only if it's Special Summoned," replied Taramanda. "That was a Normal Summon."
He probably intends to sacrifice Bone Crusher for something powerful, thought Hebi-Na. Better draw something good…
She made a draw.
It was Nobleman of Crossout.
Might be useful later, she thought.
"I can't do anything," she said. "I pass…"
The Guardian made a draw.
"Very well," he said. "I pass as well…"
Hebi-Na made a draw.
It was D.D.R. Different Dimension Reincarnation.
Should I go with this? she thought.
Maybe I should wait…
"I remove Dimension Distortion from play to give Gustaph a boost," she said.
Gustaph rose to an Attack Score of 1,700.
"And that's all for my turn."
The Steelcage shattered into shards.
"Then maybe now I'll draw a card worth using…" said the Guardian.
He drew, and looked at the card.
"Eh, this one's no good either," he said. "It's your move…"
"I've heard of bad hands before…" said Msskim. "But not even something he could use as a bluff?"
"He's up to something…" said Hssimim.
Hebi-Na drew.
She had drawn Mirror Force.
Yeah, I know what he's up to, she thought. One of the cards in his hand is Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness.
He thinks I'm going to attack Bone Crusher, and then attack directly. Then he'll be able to summon Gorz, which will lead to him summoning Kaien as well.
She looked at Mirror Force.
Well, he's in for a surprise…
She was about to order an attack…
Then she paused…
Why the heck didn't he move Bone Crusher to Defense Mode? she thought.
She looked nervously at Bone Crusher, who looked back at her with a cold stare. Hebi-Na's hand shook…
"She's losing it…" said Hssimim.
"Quiet, you!" ordered Taramanda. "This guy is planning something…"
She knew about Honest… The incredibly rare card that housed a Duel Spirit that was once owned by Judai Yukai. This Monster's effect could be activated from your hand during your opponent's turn, making another Monster's Attack Points rise by an amount equal to the attacking Monster.
But even if it was possible for someone else to have it, it only worked on Light Monsters, and Bone Crusher was decidedly Earth.
Hebi-Na paused.
Maybe I should… she thought.
NO! I'm not gonna back down!
"Lesser Fiend… Destroy Bone Crusher!"
Lesser Fiend breathed its dark flame, and Bone Crusher was dissolved into a pile of dust.
The demon laughed.
"Since you just dealt damage," he said, "I get to summon THIS!"
He played a card, and an explosion of black soot and smoke appeared on his side of the field, accompanied by an evil laugh…
With a bellowing roar, a hideous demon towered over the field. It had black skin, a muscular torso, spikes jutting out of its back, and a lower body composed of six spider-like legs.
"What is THAT?" shouted Hebi-Na. "That's not Gorz!"
"No…" said the Guardian. "It's a Fiend named Tragoedia. He's more powerful than Gorz.
"One of his effects is how his Attack and Defense Points are calculated. Both scores are 600 for each card in my hand. Note that I have four right now…"
(2,400 ATK)
Hebi-Na looked at Mirror Force. She fit it in her Disk, and it appeared facedown.
"I… end my turn…" said Hebi-Na, nervously.
(H: 5,700) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 3,700)
"I draw!" said the Guardian.
He made a draw, and Tragoedia's Attack Score rose to 3,000.
"Hebi-Na's shaking like a leaf," said Msskim.
"That's because her opponent just summoned the ugliest Duel Monster I've ever seen!" said Csimith.
"Who are you snakes calling ugly?" asked the Guardian. "Don't worry, Tragoedia won't be here much longer.
"First… I place one card from my hand on the top of my deck, to Special Summon Plaguespreader Zombie from my Graveyard."
He placed the card on the top of his deck, and in an aura of darkness, a Zombie appeared that was in worse shape than even most Zombies. It was bloated and in a state of advanced decay. Its arms were covered in fur, and its hands were paws. (400 ATK)
"Hold on!" shouted Hebi-Na. "How can you Tune those two Monsters together? That Fiend is Level 10! There's no such thing as a Level 12 Synchro!"
Then she grunted as Everliving Underworld Cannon's blast hit her again.
"True," said Guardian. "But I have my ways…
"Next, I play Giant Trunade!"
The Spell Card appeared, and a fierce wind ripped across the field. The Cannon vanished, and the card reappeared in his hand, while Hebi-Na's Spell and two Trap Cards were blown back to her hand.
"And since I got rid of Big Bang Shot and Escape From the Dark Dimension," continued the Guardian, "Bazoo and Dark Grepher leave as well."
Hebi-Na stepped back in shock, as Bazoo and Dark Grepher vanished in flashes of light.
"Next," said the Guardian, "I replay my Cannon…"
Everliving Underworld Cannon reappeared. Tragoedia fell to an Attack Score of 1,800.
"…And then play the Field Spell, Zombie World!"
He fit a card into his Field Slot, Tragoedia's Attack Score fell to 1,200, and the whole room was shrouded in darkness. Evil-looking tombstones covered with vile moss, and twisted, dead trees sprang up around them.
"In this realm," said the Guardian, "all Monsters on the field and in both Graveyards are considered Zombies, and neither player can Tribute Summon a Monster unless it was a Zombie to begin with."
"What good would it do you to make my Monsters Zombies?" asked Hebi-Na.
"It wouldn't," replied the Guardian. "I needed to make Tragoedia a Zombie.
"Next, I use one of Tragoedia's effects. I choose one Monster in my grave, and for the rest of the round, Tragoedia assumes that Monster's Level.
"I'll choose that Clown Zombie you destroyed a while ago. That means Tragoedia's Level falls to 2.
"Next, I summon another Clown Zombie."
Tragoedia's Attack Points fell to 600, as another of the undead jesters appeared. (1,350 ATK)
"You all wanted to know why I didn't summon Doomkaiser Dragon or Revived King Ha Des earlier. Well, I could have, but I knew it would have been pointless. She could have destroyed either Monster on her next turn with Bazoo.
"But now that Bazoo is out of the picture, I can Synchro Summon a Monster more powerful than either of them…"
The three Monsters dissolved into six glowing stars.
"A Zombie Synchro so powerful, that to summon it, I need Plaguespreader and no less than two other Zombies!
"Arise… Archfiend Zombie-Skull!"
Lightning flashed over Zombie World, and a new creature rose in a blast of electricity. At first glance, it looked like Yugi Mouto's famous Summoned Skull, but this Monster was clearly undead, looking gaunter and slightly decayed. Its wings were tattered and torn, and moss clung to its bony carapace. (2,500 ATK)
"I know what you're thinking…" said the Guardian. "It's only slightly stronger than the two Synchros you mentioned.
"Well, it has a powerful effect, but before I get to it…
"Since I returned Everliving Underworld Cannon to my hand, and then played it again… I can fire it again!"
The Cannon blasted, and Hebi-Na screamed.
"Now, as for my Skull's effect," continued the Guardian. "It prevents all Zombies I control from being destroyed by card effects."
Hebi-Na looked in disbelief.
She looked at the Mirror Force in her hand.
Then this is worthless! she thought.
"And just to be safe," said the demon, as he played his last card, "I Equip Skull with Mist Body. This prevents it from being destroyed in battle.
"Now… Time to battle! Archfiend Zombie-Skull… Annihilate Lesser Fiend with zombie lightning strike!"
The Archfiend's eyes glowed, and it hurled a blast of lightning at Lesser Fiend, blowing the four-armed horror to gibbets.
"It's your move…" said the Guardian.
(H: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 3,700)
"Okay…" said Msskim. "So… If she can't destroy it with card effects… And the Equip Spell prevents it from being destroyed in battle…"
"She's gonna have to find a way to defeat that thing without destroying it," replied Csimith.
"That's your deck she's using," said Hssimim. "Is it possible?"
"Maybe…" replied Csimith. "Depends on a lot of things…"
Hebi-Na nervously made a draw.
"Okay, demon…" she said. "I have nothing to lose at this point… Absolutely nothing…
"So, it's time to bet the farm, so to speak.
"I play the Spell Card, Card of Sanctity."
The Spell Card appeared.
"When I play this card, I have to remove everything I have from play… Every card on my field, and in my hand…"
Chaosrider Gustaph vanished, and so did the five cards in her hand, Escape From the Dark Dimension, Big Bang Shot, Mirror Force, Nobleman of Crossout, and D.D.R. Different Dimension Reincarnation.
"Why the heck is she doing that?" asked Hssimim.
"Because once she does that, she gets to draw two cards," said Taramanda. "She's betting it all on these two draws."
"Seems like playing with eternal fire," said Hssimim.
"Seems like," replied Csimith.
Hebi-Na closed her eyes, and drew two cards. Every eye in the room was on her.
She looked at them.
Then she smiled.
"You liked summoning that big, ugly, Fiend?" she laughed.
She threw a card on her Disk.
"Well, meet MY big, ugly, Fiend!"
There was an explosion of flames, and a savage storm erupted over Zombie World. For once, the Guardian looked a little frightened…
With a bellow that wasn't even remotely human, a beast that was just as big as Tragoedia emerged from the flames. It was clearly a Fiend, and it wasn't humanoid. Standing on all fours, it had an exoskeleton the color of fire that looked like a cross between an insect's carapace and a frame of bones. Its head had multiple horns, it had savage-looking claws, and huge wings that would be the envy of any dragon.
"Gren Maju Da Eiza!" exclaimed the Guardian.
"That's right!" exclaimed Hebi-Na. "The Lord of Chaos! And as such, its Attack Score is 400 for each card that I've removed from play.
"So far, there have been sixteen!"
"Hold on…" said Msskim. "Four-hundred… Eight-hundred…"
"Don't strain your brain," said Csimith. "Suffice to say, this duel is over…"
(6,400 ATK)
"You heard what he said…" said Hebi-Na. "Your Archfiend might survive this blast…
"But in the end, that's not gonna matter…
"Gren Maju Da Eiza…"
The Chaos Fiend's eyes glowed with evil energy…
"…attack with Flames of Chaos!"
The ophidia in the room all dove for cover as all of Zombie World became awash with fire. A bellow came from Archfiend Zombie-Skull as the attack hit home…
(H: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 0)
When the smoke cleared, the Guardian was down on one knee, and all of the ophidia in the room except for Hebi-Na and Taramanda were cowering in fright.
The Guardian's Disk vanished, and his axe reappeared.
He got up.
"Congratulations," he said. "You have prevailed."
Then Taramanda pushed Hebi-Na aside.
"Fine, fine," she said, walking up to the Guardian. "Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I'll take those cards now."
The Guardian glared at her.
"Excuse me, snake," he said. "Did I give you permission to approach me?"
Then he swung his axe and hit the Empress hard with the flat of it, knocking her clear across the room. Everyone in the room gasped in horror.
"No, I did not," he said.
All the ophidia raised their weapons.
"You can't treat the Empress like that!" shouted Hssimim.
"If she or any of you come near me like that again," said the Guardian, "I will strike with the edge of my axe, and it will be lethal…"
"Do you know who I am?!" screamed Taramanda. "I am the Empress of the Ophidia, the Chosen of Seghulerak!"
"I would likely be more impressed if I was an ophidia," replied the Guardian, "or if I recognized the authority of Seghulerak. I am not, and do not. Keep your distance, or you will die."
"My proxy won the duel!" shouted Taramanda. "I demand the reward."
"Heh, heh…" chuckled the Guardian.
Then he laughed out loud.
"Proxy?" he said. "Surely you jest… You cannot use a proxy to battle in a Shadow Duel. Even the Pharaoh of Egypt knew that in this type of contest, you have to fight on your own.
"The reward goes to the actual winner. Hebi-Na won the duel, even though the deck she was given was sabotaged so that she would lose."
"What are you implying?!" shouted Hssimim.
"Hebi-Na, look at the five cards at the bottom of the deck you were given," said the Guardian.
Hebi-Na took the deck out of the holder, and took the bottom five cards.
She held them up. They were Painful Choice, Confiscation, Raigeki, Harpie's Feather Duster, and Delinquent Duo.
"Five illegal cards??" shouted Taramanda.
"Your advisor put them there when he inspected it," replied the Guardian, "so that Hebi-Na would not only be playing with an oversized deck, but one that had five potential dead draws in it, cards that her Disk would not allow to be played. But in Shadow Duels, all liars and cheats are exposed for the treacherous rogues they are. I was aware of his scheme as soon as his mind conceived it, and the Shadows made sure the prohibited cards landed at the bottom of the deck every time it was shuffled."
"Hssimim…" growled Taramanda.
"He's lying!" shouted Hssimim.
"Hebi-Na…" said the Guardian. "Come forward…"
Hebi-Na cast an angry glare at Taramanda, and then slithered up to the podium.
The door behind him opened slightly. He reached in, and pulled out a wooden pine box, with a lock shaped like a horned skull.
The door closed.
"With the authority bestowed upon me, I bequeath to you the power of this shrine," he said. "You are the new master of the spirits who reside within here. The box will only open at your command. You are free to distribute the contents as you see fit."
He handed her the box. Then he stood back against the door.
"Hebi-Na…" said Taramanda, angrily. "You give me those cards…"
Hebi-Na looked at her.
"No," she said. "It's kind of hard to share with someone who kidnaps me, marks me for execution, puts the Mark of the Disgraced on my forehead, works me like a slave, and forces me to duel in a Shadow Duel that someone tries to rig.
"And don't think that killing me will get you these cards. That will send them right back to this temple."
"You dare refuse me, Hebi-Na…" growled Taramanda. "You dare refuse the one who our goddess favors?"
"YES!" shouted Hebi-Na. "Because it was our goddess's fault that I lost that duel with Ember!"
Everyone gasped.
"I'll tell you the real story now, your majesty," she said, sarcastically.
She took a deep breath.
"When Ember summoned Flamvell Urquizas, and set a reversed card, I may have talked tough, but I was worried, despite the fact that I knew Vennominaga was immune to all card effects. Ember was not an idiot, and I knew she wouldn't have made such a dumb move.
"And the card I had drawn on that turn, my last turn, was Dust Tornado!
"A common Trap… And if I had set it, and waited one round, I would have destroyed Samsara Dogma, and won the duel.
"Why didn't I, you ask? Because with her avatar on the field, your precious goddess was whispering in my ear, urging me to finish Ember quickly. She said Ember was a fool for thinking that a Trap would work, and I'd be a fool if I believed it would make a difference.
"What was I supposed to do, oh great exalted chosen of our goddess? Show weakness in front of the mighty Seghulerak?
"So I attacked… And it turned out that the only fool was me for listening to her…
"I wasn't being entirely truthful when I told him I had nothing to lose… Sometime during that duel, I gained something back… My self-respect. And I'm keeping it this time.
"So kill me if you want… Devour me if it makes you feel big… But you can be sure that my last words will be to curse the goddess that got me into this big mess!"
And she punctuated that remark by shoving Taramanda in the chest, daring her to respond to it.
The ophidia gasped again. And this time, Taramanda looked visibly nervous.
"That's enough!" shouted Hssimim.
He grabbed Hebi-Na by the neck.
"You hand over those cards right now!" he ordered. "A worthless slug like you doesn't deserve…"
"RELEASE HER!" boomed Taramanda's voice.
Hssimim froze in fear. He looked at Taramanda, whose eyes were now the cold, savage eyes of her bestial true form. And they were fixated on him.
His hand shook. He slowly released Hebi-Na.
"If anyone lays a hand on Hebi-Na," said Taramanda, "he'll be the next one with the Mark of the Disgraced…"
She blinked, and her eyes turned back to normal.
"This bears careful consideration," she continued. "We will discuss it back at the palace…
"Let's go…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
One hour later, the party was back at the palace. Taramanda was in a private meeting room with Hssimim and Csimith. Msskim and two guards were watching Hebi-Na in the room outside.
"This is wonderful," growled Taramanda, as she paced back and forth. "If what she said is true, we're punishing her for something that was my fault! If word of this gets out, the other ophidia clans are going to start to think of me as a despot!
"Nice going sabotaging her deck, Hssimim! You just added fuel to the fire!"
"She put those cards in the deck herself!" said Hssimim with a scowl.
"Oh, really?" asked Taramanda, crossing her arms. "Where did she get them from? The prisoners at the detention center aren't allowed to carry cards, you know."
"If you believe the word of that demon and the word of a Disgraced ophidia over me," said Hssimim, "I'll take it as an insult."
"Watch it," said Taramanda. "I'm seriously considering revoking my decision."
"Hebi-Na committed blasphemy!" shouted Hssimim. "Not once, but twice now! She does not deserve a second chance no matter what benefit she now has!"
Taramanda sighed.
"Hssimim," she said. "Do you remember the ophidia representative that we assigned to deal with the Shadowchasers soon after Saramanda turned traitor? He said that he was going to make peace with them, to lift the sanctions.
"Blasphemy, you screamed. Ophidia would never make peace with humans, you shouted. It will be a true dark age for our kind, you said. So, like a fool, I listened to you, I had him killed, and replaced him.
"And what did the replacement do? He didn't do any negotiating. He flat-out demanded that the sanctions be repealed, rudely telling Jalal to his face that he had no right to impose them and insulting every ambassador at the summit. Then, when Jalal held him in contempt, he said to Jalal's face, in front of dozens of witnesses, that the Age of Serpents would come, at which point Shadowchaser Headquarters would be turned into a grand temple for our goddess, and the Shadowchaser Council would be the first sacrifices!
"Someone really should have told him that was a dumb thing to do. But he sure was loyal to our goddess. And thanks to his loyalty, he's in jail for making terrorist threats, the sanctions against ophidia clans have increased, and the ophidia even gotten back the right to have a negotiator at all yet.
"Hssimim… I'm not going to let your interpretation of blasphemy be an excuse for losing a great opportunity like this. And furthermore, that little stunt you pulled is making me question whether or not there's a personal reason you want her dead. I'm not about to condemn someone to the Venomous Tarns just because you don't like her. From now on, it will be up to me and me alone what constitutes blasphemy."
"We don't need those silly cards!" shouted Hssimim. "The golem is more than enough to…"
Taramanda grabbed him by the collar.
"The bloodsilver golem that I used to break her out of the detention center at their headquarters?" she asked. "Oh, yes… Using it against the Shadowchasers again is a lovely idea!
"Never mind the fact that Jalal obviously identified it by now, and likely has every Shadowchaser researcher and his Incantifer allies pouring over all the information they can find on the Primals so that they can find out what its weaknesses are, so that when we use it again, as they likely expect us to, they can reduce it to a pile of junk!"
She gave him a shove.
"I'm not going to let that happen, Hssimim," she growled. "Need I remind you what we went through to get that thing in the first place?"
"No… ma'am…" said Hssimim, somewhat scared now.
Taramanda reclined back on her couch.
"It's the very mistake my sister made…" she grumbled. "She thought humans were dumb…"
She sighed. If she truly had been a despot, she would have had Hebi-Na drawn and quartered simply for the insult directed at her. She didn't like being insulted; empresses rarely did. But despots were stupid. Taramanda was smart. And she knew she couldn't let her pride cloud her judgment.
She had another reason why she felt she had to spare Hebi-Na. Rather than execute her as a heretic, she had to change her view. The reason was, Hebi-Na had stumbled upon a secret that Taramanda, as the chosen one of their goddess, had to keep secret at all costs…
Seghulerak was a deity in decline. And as much as Taramanda didn't like it, Hebi-Na's anger towards her was justified. Seghulerak could give special treatment to her chosen ones, but very little to anyone else.
She was once a goddess on par with such beings as Odin and Zeus, on several worlds, at times when the ophidia were a strong race… When they ruled empires, and conquered whole nations, enslaving whole civilizations. There was once a time when her temples were grand and terrible cathedrals, and the divine magic that she channeled produced epic spells that could make whole landscapes tremble.
But that was long ago. As time passed, evolution seemed to favor humans far better than it favored the ophidia. While humans became stronger as their race matured, the ophidia grew weaker, and their natural powers atrophied. Humans took back the lands that the snake men had stolen, and Seghulerak's neglected temples were left to rot.
With her people weakening, Seghulerak suffered. She lost power, and couldn't compete with other gods. The Venomous Tarns, the realm she ruled in the Abyss where the spirits of faithful ophidia went after death, grew smaller as other gods of that demonic plane pilfered land from it. She tried her best to hold onto the faith that her worshippers had, and losing any of it was a big blow.
As an anathema, Taramanda had to maintain the illusion that their goddess was still powerful, so that faith and dedication continued. If it ever stopped because the truth was realized, it would mean disaster.
If an ophidia got so angry that she cursed Seghulerak and withdrew her faith, it struck the goddess like a dagger to the heart. Hebi-Na had blamed their goddess for losing a crucial battle, and had done it in front of a dozen witnesses. Taramanda wasn't dumb. She could kill Hebi-Na for blasphemy, but she knew that the other ophidia might realize that she had something, and would spread the infidel's words. A dead ophidia could not be silenced! If more ophidia started to doubt Seghulerak's power because of this, it would be a calamity…
Taramanda couldn't kill Hebi-Na… She had to change Hebi-Na's outlook.
And for the same reason, she couldn't forfeit the great power that Hebi-Na had been given. It could make the ophidia more powerful than they had been in centuries… Finally give them a potential edge against the Shadowchasers, in their own game no less. The bloodsilver golem had worked once, but Jalal would find a flaw in its construction… She could almost count on it.
"Send her in…" she said.
Csimith opened the door. Hebi-Na came in, still clutching the box, with Msskim behind her.
"Hebi-Na…" said Taramanda, raising her hand, "it is the will of our goddess to grant forgiveness…"
It was like a massive weight off of Hebi-Na's shoulders as the mark on her forehead vanished and her skin healed.
"You are pardoned…" continued Taramanda. "And due to your acquisition, I now appoint you Minister of Special Tactics."
"Well…" said Hebi-Na. "That's more like it…"
Taramanda reclined on her couch again.
"You'll also need proper lodging," she said. "You can have the suite in the north wing."
"I thought that was the Supply Master's suite," replied Hebi-Na.
"It was!" said Taramanda, with a frown. "Until the ungrateful jerk tried to slip cyanide into my wine!"
"And his replacement isn't doing a good enough job to deserve a suite," added Csimith. "The food we've been getting since he took over has been kind of bland. We haven't had stroganoff for weeks…"
"So, we've got these powerful cards…" growled Hssimim. "What does our 'Minister of Special Tactics' suggest we do with them?"
"Uh, well," said Hebi-Na, "using them ourselves may not be wise until we make sure they're safe… We should give them a test run… It's not like we can lose them if something goes wrong..."
"Smart…" said Taramanda. "But I wouldn't trust them in the hands of any common grunts either."
"Then…" said Hebi-Na. "Maybe we should hire some professionals."
"You mean duelist assassins?" asked Taramanda. "That just might work… All we need are the right ones…"
Then Msskim spoke up.
"I know two guys who are pretty good," he said. "They'd work for anyone if the money was right. One of them is…"
"Fine," interrupted Taramanda. "Bring them."
"Ahem," said Msskim. "I can have them here in an hour…"
He turned and left.
"Well…" said Taramanda. "One hour… Hebi-Na, I have one more thing for you to do in the meantime…"
"Yes?" asked Hebi-Na.
"Go use the bathhouse," replied Taramanda. "I mean, you really stink…"
Hebi-Na sighed, and turned for the door.
"The inside of a golem is rather humid…" she said.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
CARD OF VARIATION (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A Duel Monsters card floating in clear water.
Card Description: Draw two cards from your deck. During the End Phase of the turn, discard one card from your hand. If you do not, take 3,000 points of damage.
Note: "Card of Variation" was first used by Kenzan in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Primal Instinct". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
CARD OF REVERSAL (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: Vorse Raider, KA-2 Des Scissors, Crawling Dragon, and Half-Goblin forming fighting stances with a card blocking their path.
Card Description: You may only use this card when you control no cards on the field and you have no cards in your hand other than this card. Draw one card from your deck for each face-up card controlled by your opponent.
Note: "Card of Variation" was first used by Kenzan in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Taken by Storm (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Author's note: Although Tragoedia is a character in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" manga, it has appeared as a game card, its actual form, in "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's". This story uses the latter continuity.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Next:
Shichiro: I thought that this punk was only a D-Wheel thief… I was wrong… He's tricked me into a duel using a Monster with an aura of evil so intense, I can feel it in my bones. How can this be? I'm seeing with my own eyes something that I thought can't possibly exist…
Taramanda: Wow, Shichiro… For a Shadowchaser, that's saying a lot!
"Soul Resurrection" is coming soon!
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Shadowchaser Files
Vlad Iscar, Hunter of Souls
Among the Chaser Hunters, unusual riff-raff abound. Some are angry, some are greedy, and some are merely hungry.
Vlad Iscar is a Shadowkind known as a "Soul Drinker". Soul drinkers are humanoid in appearance and indeed there is little physical difference between them and humans. A soul drinker's unique ability comes from becoming temporarily superhuman when it takes a fragment of a person's soul, becoming permanently superhuman when they have managed to total up a complete soul (depending on the strength of the souls, this can take from as little as five fragments to as many as a couple hundred). To take a fragment can be done in several ways for a soul drinker. The easiest perhaps is the traditional 'vampiric' method of drinking their blood. However, they can also take a fragment by seducing a victim, which is more difficult, but allows them to take more then the vampiric method. A third way is beating an opponent in a fair challenge (such as a duel), which earns them more then blood but less than seducing the victim. A person with a fragment of their soul missing often feels 'incomplete', which usually leads to extreme depression or psychosis.
Vlad is a soul drinker who has managed to nearly obtain a whole soul (which has not actually been done by a soul drinker for about two centuries). He is also proficient at sorcery, primarily magic that gives him stealth and illusion abilities. He prides himself with every kill or fragment taken, and if he is unable to get a piece of their soul as a 'souvenir' he takes whatever he can. He often took jobs as a mercenary even before he joined the Chaser Hunters because he felt that making a profit was an added bonus.
He was, unfortunately for him, caught once by the Shadowchasers in what he saw as an embarrassing moment. After just taking a fragment, he was caught in the act, and fought as was detailed by the Treaty. He lost, despite his temporary power boost due to his lack of a real fighting style up-front.
He escaped from the death sentence due to the fact that the Shadowchasers are usually lenient on his kind if the first fragment of a soul they took was by accident. Some have likened their desire to consume fragments as an addiction, which isn't far off. And Vlad did indeed take his first fragment by accident: It was the result of a relationship that went south after the fragment was taken and there is reason to believe he didn't realize it would happen.
However, Vlad escaped. His pride having taken a serious blow, the one thing he wants now more then anything is the soul of a Shadowchaser. For this reason, he joined the Chaser Hunters after one of them approached him.
Story Ideas: Vlad has become a bloodthirsty savage who wants power and the soul of a Shadowchaser more then anything, making it all too easy for him to be taken in by dark forces. But before his run-in with the Shadowchaser's he was willing to take jobs for even the 'grey area' good guys so long as they didn't mind a fragment of the target's soul missing.
Vlad is very close to consuming enough fragments to obtain a complete soul. If that were to happen, the power surges he gets from consuming them would become permanent, and he'd become even more dangerous. What might happen after that, no-one knows. Likely, not even Vlad knows, as he knows of no others of his kind who have succeeded.
Vlad is not main character material however. He would most likely be at best the hired help for the villain or a major minion of one, or at worst a one-time obstacle.
Deck Suggestions: Vlad prefers Zombies, or more specifically, ones that allow him to take his opponent's monsters for himself such as the Red Eyes Zombie Dragon and Paladin of Cursed Dragon in combination with Zombie World. He just loves taking his opponent's monsters for himself, so he probably also has cards like Brain Control and Creature Swap.
Vlad was a creation of fanfic author Aelsthla-Mental.
