(Bangs head repeatedly against cave wall) What (BANG) is (BANG) wrong (BANG) with (BANG) my (BANG) schedule?! Seriously, its been almost another month before I've updated, for the third or fourth time in a row!
(Sigh) Well, at least my current schoolwork is done for the semester, and summer break has begun. Hopefully, I will get a chance to write more often, and have some time to think over this story's plot.
Hey, look on the bright side, right?
Oh, forgot you were still here, M.C. I figured you would have left by now.
Not while this story is still getting good comments from its readers! Also, this is the 10th chapter, which means you're now on the road to fully writing the story!
That HAS been happening recently, hasn't it? Well, that is a good thing to see. Now, to keep those good comments coming. M.C, please place the usual disclaimer, and we can get started.
Certainly! The author of this story does not own the card games Yugioh and Android: Netrunner, nor does he own the companies Konami and Fantasy Flight Games. The author does own his OC, Duel Runner and Duel deck.
Onward to the Chapter!
Moving up each step towards the next floor takes more effort than normal. I can probably place this problem under the fact that my mind is in disarray about the level of trust that I still have with my friends. Then again, it could also be put under the fact that my body is still recovering from the exertion through the plant's outermost layer of gates and the attacks of a digital sea serpent.
I blink in confusion as that last though passes through my mind; why had that attack hurt, anyway? Granted, it hadn't broken any bones or stretched any muscles to rupturing points, but the effects of Levia-Dragon, Daedalus had felt real enough to me at those moments. That field spell, 'A Legendary Ocean', had also felt real enough to make me think I was drowning under a digital sea. But, what does it all mean? Am I some kind of mutant with a mindset that makes Duel Monsters cards real?!
I pause on the steps just after turning upwards to the section that leads to the next floor, my head aching slightly from all of these questions. I don't know who to turn to for the answers—my friends or my cards are the best options available at the moment. I resume walking as I weigh the two choices; my friends are human beings who have been in tough situations and were changed for the better. They seem like trusting individuals, compared to most of the other people I've seen in Satellite who put themselves over all or most others they come across.
On the other hand, my cards have been just as strong a connection in some aspects, and completely mysterious in others. However, Rielle and Ken seem sincere in their emotions towards me, more like old acquaintances rather than just art on pieces of paper brought to life as illusions of my mind.
'Huh. That sounded a lot better in my subconscious.' I shake my head. The reaction to my train of thought derails and explodes into a new throbbing for my skull to enjoy. I resume my steps with more firmness as I walk to the next floor, and where this 'Larry' is supposed to be. Reaching the top and moving forwards past a set of stairs to my left, I see a smaller room than before, the conveyor belts replaced with a few large tables put in horizontal rows. Two large windows on the outer walls show the sun approaching a setting position, its rays breaking through the soot and dust at random intervals like a disco ball reflecting light.
A sharp, "Shi-shi-shi," spoken at a high pitch returns my attention inwards. I step back in surprise as a small man with black hair shaped like an iron, elongated eyes with small pupils and a grin that seems too wide for his face starts walking towards me. His hot-pink shirt does not mix with his tattered brown jeans and near-broken sandals, making me question the fashion sense here in Satellite.
"Samuel!" I hear Tank shout out from further into the room. "You're here!"
"Shi-shi-shi," the stranger then says again, this time like he is laughing at me. "So you're the friend that he's been telling me about? The one who will come and save him?"
"I am, Larry," I say while crossing my arms in front of me to provide extra intimidation. Larry pauses at the name, his grin dropping but not completely fading at my intuition.
"Well," Larry then says while extending his grin again, "you should know that I'm not going to let you take your friend without a challenge. Shi-shi-shi!"
"Watch out, Samuel," Tank then adds with a panicked expression. "This guy's more powerful than he looks!"
Larry glares back at Tank as this is said, his grin completely fading for a split second as a stiff frown takes its place. The turning of his face reveals a small yellow scar below his right eye that I hadn't seen before. The fact that it is yellow makes me pause and look at it further, curious as to whether it was a tattoo or some other form of marking. I don't get a clear look as Larry returns his gaze to me; he most likely catches my confused stare as his eyes twinkle with some sinister intent. Come to think of it, didn't Kuroe's gang and Lug have similar markings on their faces? Is this some sort of gang tattooing, or some other kind of marking that I don't know about?
"Shi-shi-shi," Larry chuckles as he readies his Duel Disk and shifts his stance slightly. "I won't be holding back, you know."
"As if I would want it any other way," I quickly reply while swallowing a growing lump in my throat and raising my Disk up to Duel. "Let's see your worst!"
"DUEL!"
Larry adds in a quick, "Shi-shi-shi," at the end, to my annoyance.
[DUEL BEGINS]
[ROUND 1] [Samuel: 4000 LP] [Larry: 4000 LP]
[CARDS IN HAND: 5 (Samuel), 5 (Larry)]
"Shi-shi-shi! I'll go first!" Larry announces while flashing a peace sign with his left hand. Drawing his card, he quickly selects a card and slides it into his Disk.
"I activate the Spell Stray Lambs! Now, I get two Lamb Tokens in Defense Mode!" The card's picture shows two small lambs, one colored pink and the other white, each with ironically calm smiles amidst a white background. As the card activates, two small bleats are heard as the lambs from the card appear on Larry's field in puffs of pink smoke. They quickly adopt a light shade of blue and lay on the ground, almost like they're taking a nap (EARTH, Beast, 0 ATK/0 DEF, LVL 1) (X2).
"Um… I didn't expect you to run cards like this," I say with a raised eyebrow at both sheep. To be fair, the calm nature of these tokens is making my heart beat faster in worry. Memories of a one-eyed, soulless jar with a long, evil tongue start to trickle to the front of my mind, causing me to blink several times to clear them away.
"Shi-shi-shi! Then you don't know me very well, do you?" Larry accentuates his question with another one of his grins, his smile still looking too large for his face to properly display. "I'll end my turn with one face-down card!"
"My move," I say as I draw a card. Looking at my current hand, a few interesting strategies come to mind as I see two cards that I haven't used in Duels before. However, each of them required some setup in order to earn the best value. Considering the one card that Larry has activated so far, I shouldn't make any quick assumptions of his strategy.
'Better play it safe… ' I think to myself as I take one card from my hand and place it onto my Disk. "I Summon Pipeline in Attack Mode!"
The room suddenly goes dark for a split second, several green lines etching into the walls and ground without any outside source making them. The lines congregate in front of me before rising up and branching out in midair. They stop moving when they reach a height just above my eye level, looking like they can continue onward if they want (EARTH, Program, 1700 ATK/1800 DEF, LVL 4).
"Pipeline attacks one of your Lamb Tokens! Multilateral Meltdown!" The lines suddenly flash bright red before shifting through the air towards the pink lamb. The mammal doesn't emit a sound as its body is stabbed multiple times by the lines, nor when its body quickly dissolves into a pinkish liquid that 'POOFS' out of existence. I flash a glance at Larry once the attack concludes and Pipeline's lines return to normal, only to see that he isn't fazed by the rather grotesque attack that my monster uses.
"I now activate a Continuous Spell Card known as Doppleganger!" Sliding the card into my Disk, I feel the ground shake slightly as three black pillars of code flash into existence in a triangle formation around the field. The hairs on the back of my neck tingle as I notice a large computer monitor appear behind me and shroud my body slightly with its size.
"My turn is finished after I Set this card face-down." I end the sentence with a small glare, trying to keep myself calm for what will probably be a big turn from Larry or me during the next round.
[ROUND 2]
[Samuel: 4000 LP/Larry: 4000 LP]
[CARDS IN HAND: 3 (Samuel), 4 (Larry)]
"Shi-shi-shi! My turn to draw!" Larry takes the top card from his Deck, chuckling even more when he sees what it is. "I Tribute my remaining 'Lamb Token' to Advance summon Evil HERO Malicious Edge in Attack Mode!"
The white lamb squeaks slightly before a black hand rises from the ground and crushes the mammal into tiny pixels. Before any of us can react to the violent display, the hand presses against the floor as the rest of a humanoid body rises from a black portal in the ground. Once fully upright, the humanoid is revealed to be a man clad in a very dark indigo leather suit and armor, save for a confusing orange circlet around its lower belly. Spikes shine all over its body; each foot has a long spike as an additional toe, spiked bracers are all over its upper and lower body, two large wings with metal spikes replacing bone jut from its back, and each hand has three silver knuckle studs.
An indigo visor covers most of the creature's face as it clenches its fists in my direction, a silver claw jutting out of each knuckle stud like an iconic comic book hero would have. The connection is only further expressed by the calmly sinister smile that I see just below the visor covering it face;its confidence is so strong that my throat starts to lock up in surprise (DARK, Fiend, 2600 ATK/1800 DEF, LVL 7).
"H-hold on!" Tank yells out from the sidelines. "That card's a LVL 7, right? How can you Advance Summon it with only one Tribute?!"
"Shi-shi-shi! It's all because of your friend, fool!" Larry's grin only grows wider as he wiggles his thumb and index finger in an 'L' shape at Tank. "As long as my opponent controls a monster, I can Advance Summon Malicious Edge with only one Tribute!"
"So, you set up your field to Summon a high Level monster," I say with as nonchalant a tone as I can make while staring at the downright disturbing HERO. "Big deal. What are you going to do with him?"
"Attack, Malicious Edge!" Larry quickly commands. "Take out his Pipeline with Steel-Tipped Malice!" The HERO leaps forwards, wings unfurling as he flies across the field before diving down at Pipeline.
"I figured that you'd do that," I call out as I press a button on my Disk. "I activate the Trap Card -"
"Sh-shi-shi! Not a chance!" Larry interrupts my declaration while pressing a button on his own Disk, his Set card flipping upright and revealing itself. "I activate the Continuous Trap Royal Decree! By my command, all other Trap Cards on the field have their effects negated!"
Malicious Edge suddenly stops its dive, flapping in midair as the sound of blaring trumpets is heard. Two knights in blue-green armor and carrying long spears step onto the field, escorting a middle-aged man with a golden crown, flowing purple robes and carrying a golden staff with a red orb in his right hand. The third man then stands upright on his own, points at my activating Trap and pounds the back end of his staff into the ground. The two knights quickly slam the backs of their spears down as well, resulting in my card sparking with red electricity before disintegrating. The three men quickly move away from the field, the crowned man looking fatigued from the effort.
With the field cleared, Malicious Edge resumes its attack, flying close to the ground and slicing open Pipeline's inner circuitry with two clean slashes. A clear liquid spurts out and onto the floor as my monster collapses into a twitching heap of wires and sparks. Before I can react, pain erupts from my left cheek as I see Malicious Edge fly just by my body. Instinctively feeling the affected area with a hand, my vocal cords finally react with a scream as I feel three distinct slash marks on my skin (Samuel: 4000-3100 LP).
"Samuel!" Tank calls out in shock as Malicious Edge backflips from behind me onto Larry's field. "Are you okay?! What's wrong?!"
Larry utters his, "Shi-shi-shi," again, only this time, it sounds much more sinister. I growl in pain as the holographic wound starts to fade away under my touch. After a few seconds of heavy breathing on my part, the pain turns into a faint tingle that I barely notice anymore.
"I'm fine, Tank," I respond, trying but unable to completely hide my fear. "I guess I forgot how realistic this holographic Dueling system can be under the right circumstances. I've got to remember that it isn't actually real at all." To my surprise, Malicious Edge seems to take this comment to heart as a very deep growl bounces across the room's walls and I see his smile turn upside down. Larry and Tank seem to hear the sound as well; both of them look around for a moment in similar disorientation before Doppleganger's pillars start to spark with white lightning.
"I use Doppleganger's effect," I explain as the energy grows in intensity. "Since you destroyed one of my monsters in battle, I can Special Summon a Doppler Token with the destroyed monster's ATK and DEF Points. The price for this act of creation is to the tune of 400 Life Points per LVL that the destroyed monster had; in this case, that's 1600 Points." By now, the energy turns into a concentrated triangle of white as I suck in a deep breath to block out a wave of pain. A white line travels from the monitor behind me to Pipeline's inert body, the energy now starting to gather around the line (Samuel: 3100-1500 LP).
My efforts are rewarded as the white lightning finally impacts Pipeline's destroyed form, causing it to rise up as if on a puppet's string. Its form starts to flicker spastically as it barely retains a solid state(DARK, Program, ?-1700 ATK/?-1800 DEF, LVL 1).
"Uh… " Larry's movement slows in what I take as confusion regarding what has occurred or surprise at my card's effect. "I think I'll end my turn. Shi-shi-shi!" Larry's apparent signature laugh is toned down quite a bit this time, the confusion still evident on his face despite his attempt at humor.
"It's my turn!" I call out as I draw my card, the earlier pain quickly fading away like the wound from before. Looking over my hand and the current field, I realize that most of my options have been cut off with that Royal Decree card negating all Traps. What's more, that Malicious Edge monster is a heavy hitter that none of my lower-LVL cards can take down. Unless… I look over one familiar card and nod to myself, smiling as I see a plan coming together.
"I Summon Cyber Cypher in Attack Mode!" As I deftly slide the card onto the Disk, the same chitter from Ida's Duel echoes across the field. A second later, the dog/insect hybrid with a visor covering its face leaps to my side (ATK: 2000). "I now use its effect, which halves the ATK of your Malicious Edge! Siphoned Shutdown!"
Larry utters a confused, "Shi-shi-shi?!" as Cyber Cypher's visor flashes a blinding white in relation to its body. The light concentrates itself into a small beam of energy, Cypher quickly turning its head towards Malicious Edge's position. The fiendish HERO tries to shield itself with its wings, but the beam pierces through them like a knife through butter. Malicious Edge slumps to the ground as the beam continues to impact it, Cypher chirping loudly as an indication of its success (ATK: 2600-1300).
"Even though Cyber Cypher can't attack the monster it affects," I remark with a growing smile, "your card's ATK is reduced enough for my other monster to take it down." Larry frowns at this while Tank cheers me onwards. "My Doppler Token attacks Malicious Edge! Risen Revenge!" The revived Pipeline's pieces turn red again, phasing out briefly before phasing inside Malicious Edge's body. The HERO howls in pain as its body melts to the ground, its wings being the last parts to dissolve into the primordial ooze. One small globule of the liquid suddenly flies off the main mass and lands with a hiss onto Larry's shirt which causes him to squeal out in surprise and brush the clothing vigorously (Larry: 4000-3600 LP).
"I'm not finished yet," I call out to draw Larry's attention to my next action while Cyber Cypher's visor shuts off the beam and returns to its normal state. "Since the monster affected by Cyber Cypher has been removed from the field, Cypher can attack again! So, it'll go in for a Direct Attack! Corrosive Claw!"
Cypher, like in its previous appearance, barks like a wolf before racing across the field in two bounds, slicing into Larry's Duel Disk with two swings of its paws. Larry stumbles back slightly from the impact's force as Cypher returns to my field and wags its tail with extra force (Larry: 3600-2600 LP).
"You should be thankful that Cyber Cypher inflicts only half of the regular Battle Damage that it could deal," I explain before Larry can question why he took less damage than normal. "But that doesn't mean that I don't have further tricks up my sleeve!" I take a card from my hand and show it to Larry; the moment I do so, a large green sphere of digital code quickly expands around the battlefield.
"I use Snowball's ability from my hand! Destructive Renewal! Since I dealt you Battle Damage, I can reveal this card from my hand and gain Life Points equal to the damage that I just dealt. So, that's 1,000 points back to me!" As I finish my explanation, a large line of code trails down from the sphere, touching my forehead and sending pleasurable tingles through my brain (Samuel: 1500-2500 LP). The code detaches from my skin after a few seconds, the sphere quickly shrinking back into Snowball's card.
"All right, Samuel," Tank cheers from the sidelines. "You're almost equal with Larry again! What a play!" I give Tank a thumbs-up in reply; Larry just mutters something under his breath.
"It's your turn, Larry," I finish with a confident smile. "Show me what else you've got!"
[ROUND 3]
[Samuel: 2500 LP/Larry: 2600 LP]
[CARDS IN HAND: 3 (Samuel), 4 (Larry)]
"Shi-shi-shi! Be careful what you wish for… " Larry says ominously as he draws his card. He only looks at the card for a second before grinning even wider than before. "I activate the Spell Card Terraforming! This lets me fetch a Field Spell from my Deck and place it into my hand!" The card that he plays depicts a terrestrial planet's surface in the process of being transformed into a lush, water-filled landscape similar to Earth's. Larry quickly takes his Deck out of the Disk's holder, browses through it for a moment, and quickly takes one card from it. The rest of the Deck goes back into the holder where an automated program automatically shuffles the cards randomly. I choose not to mention the apparent Field Spell gimmick that this gang has, like Kameno's gang had with rare monsters.
"Now, I play the Field Spell Mausoleum of the Emperor!" Larry cackles as he plays the card into the same slot that Lug had used for A Legendary Ocean. The slot closes just before the ceiling turns into a dark green night sky shrouded with white clouds. The green color comes from behind a large altar made of old stone that rises from the floor and reaches three levels in height. A long pathway of ascending stairs leads to the top, where a massive stone brazier holds a blazing fire. Each obelisk has a terracotta statue with an accompanying long spear standing vigilant against any threat. Larry stands in front of the brazier, his laughter amplified by the height advantage.
"Shi-shi-shi! With this card, my victory is assured!" Larry raises his arms skywards as shadows dance off of his body from the fire behind him. His face shows absurd confidence, as if he is about to conduct a terrible ritual on this very ground. His attitude so far isn't making that impossible…
"I use Mausoleum's effect, shi-shi-shi!" Larry cries out from his vantage point with arms still raised. "The energies from this place allow both of us to Normal Summon high Level monsters instead of Advance Summoning them with Tributes. All we have to do is pay 1000 Life Points for each Tribute that we would have normally offered."
"That sounds like a huge risk," I respond while cupping my hands around my mouth to carry my voice further across the digital field. "You don't have many Life Points left to pay."
"Shi-shi-shi! The price is well worth the reward! I pay 2000 Life Points in order to Normal Summon the terrible, the mighty, the legendary ANCIENT GEAR GOLEM!"
The fire from the brazier shoots skyward after Larry makes this declaration, reaching the height of the two obelisks beside it. At the same time, the two terracotta warriors suddenly move with human speed, each one thrusting their spear into Larry's body. I hear a cry from Larry before the fire shines brighter than I can stand to look at (Larry: 2600-600 LP).
When I am able to see again, my jaw drops in horror. Standing between the obelisks and behind the now-dimmed fire is what I can only call a mechanical titan. Its body is made of steel plates, pistons, wires and gears all moving and working in a synchronized fashion to keep itself functional. Two giant metal human-like hands connect to arm pistons shielded by a few huge overlapping plates. The chest cavity is open, revealing a small section of the inner gears which were constantly working. One massive gear takes a huge chunk of its left shoulder. Its legs are joined to the upper body by another massive gear that replaces the waist.
The face is just as terrifying; it consisted of a mouth composed of two oppositely-moving gears, a medieval-style helmet covering its head and its left eye socket is glowing a deep red to replace its right eye socket which is filled by a larger gear. The machine tilts its head down to make eye contact with me, steam hissing out of the body as several gears by the head whine slightly at the change (EARTH, Machine, 3000 ATK/3000 DEF, LVL 8).
"Woah!" Tank echoes my thoughts from the sidelines by the volume of his shout. "That thing is HUGE!"
"Shi-shi-shi! I told you it was worth it!" Larry's voice is slightly labored, most likely from the large amount of Life Points that he had to pay for this giant. "Now, Gear Golem, attack that Doppler Token! Oh, and before I forget, Gear Golem prevents you from activating Spell or Trap effects until the end of the Damage Step! Go, Mechanized Melee!"
Gear Golem obeys; it steps over Larry's position while using the obelisks for support before running down the stairs at my monsters. A loud clatter of noise comes from its body as the cogs and gears are put into overdrive. I brace for impact as it draws its right fist back for a punch, knowing that I can't do anything to stop the attack. I just hope that it doesn't hurt too much…
The Doppler Token attempts to constrict the approaching limb before impact occurs, but it is repelled by the amount of kinetic force being put behind the attack. Before anyone can react further, Gear Golem's fist makes contact; the Doppler Token's body rapidly expands outwards like it is extracting the surrounding air, and then it violently explodes like a balloon popping, except where a balloon has only air inside it, this explosion streams Pipeline's corrosive liquid all over me and the surrounding area; Tank only just dodges getting impacted.
I am not so lucky; with no time to dodge, I am quickly sprayed in a thin layer of Pipeline's inner fluids. The substance starts to burn my skin raw, making me cry out in pain and start to futilely scratch at the affected areas. I don't get much chance to do so before my neck is brutally snapped to one side by Gear Golem's oncoming fist. I feel my body launch off the ground and fly into a nearby wall, and I certainly feel my back and head slam into said wall with a sharp crack.
At that moment, my mind detaches itself from my body without my agreement, my ears muting themselves to almost all surrounding sounds as my vision starts to turn black at the edges. I vaguely see 'Gear Golem' returning to its master as it registers the successful attack, but a spasm from my neck makes my body convulse reflexively as new pain spreads through me (Samuel: 2500-1200 LP).
I feel a familiar roar in my head make itself known again, just as another vision or memory closes my eyes for me…
"Watch closely, Epsilon."
I blink as I see a younger version of myself standing beside a humanoid robot in a large, open metal room, a sophisticated remote in its right hand and pointed upwards. In front of us stands a robot two stories in height, its outer chassis bulky and resilient to the eye. A large metal plate with the sign "H.B." broken by a lightning bolt glows on its chest plate. The robot presses a button on the remote, my younger self standing back in surprise as the larger robot suddenly activates, its eyes glowing a bright purple as it straightens its posture before standing at attention.
"You see," the robot explains without turning towards 'me', "with the push of a button, I will this machine to come to life. This is an example of power; to be specific, an example of great power in the hands of one individual. All humans strive for such power—the ability to command legions of beings with the simplest of actions. Furthermore, humans have the innate desire to test their power against other sources of strength and intellect."
The larger robot now begins to move as the smaller robot moves to the side; 'I' can only stare in awe as the metal floor beneath us rumbles with every step taken. At an unseen command, ten robotic dogs emerge from hidden panels in the walls and charge at the behemoth. The robot reacts quickly, opening its two hands and firing concentrated laser beams in two separate arcs across the ground. The beams incinerate two dogs and stun two others, but the first dog leaps onto the robot's shell before it can react further. Three other dogs quickly follow suit, each one gnawing at a different piece of the robot's plating and causing sparks to fly.
Suddenly, the robot tenses up before releasing a shockwave of sound that blows the dogs to and fro like bowling pins. The dogs that land on all fours shake their heads, their eyes blinking rapidly in confusion. The two stunned dogs from before now race towards the robot, their tails whipping forwards and revealing spiked tips that penetrate the robot's outer shell. Oil and fluid sprays out of the holes, even more so when the tips retract and fully open the wounds. 'I' turn away in disgust, the humanoid robot observing with an unchanging expression.
The now-bleeding robot opens its hands again, firing the same laser beams at the two dogs in front of it and incinerating them to burning shells. With superb maneuverability, it then spins on its feet while arcing its beams in a wide circle. The result is two spinning rays of energy moving in the same direction but at different levels of height. This leaves barely any space for dodging the attack, and all of the remaining dogs burst into flames as they come into contact with one of the rays. I am surprised that neither the humanoid robot nor 'I' am hit by the spinning rays of death.
"As you see, Epsilon," the humanoid robot then comments while drawing the remote out again, "creations such as this, and such as myself, have been made by beings of great power and influence. We have as much ability to create as destroy." With that, it pushes a second button on the remote that causes the large robot to shut down, its body slouching over at the lack of power. The floor below it lowers into the ground, probably taking the machine to a repairing station. The same occurs for each of the dog bodies that are now scattered around the area.
"I… I understand, Alpha," I hear 'myself' respond, "but did you have to be so violent with the display of power?"
"Violence is one of the easiest ways to exert power over others," Alpha responds while turning towards 'me' and putting the remote away. "Just as a company CEO exerts control over his or her employees with daily schedules, salaries, promotions and suspensions, so can a machine of greater intellect command lesser-minded automatons to do its bidding. Violence is not the only way, however, but it is often regarded as the best way amongst humankind."
"But what if I want to use a different method than violence?" 'I' question as 'I' stand upright and brush dust off of 'my' clothes. "Can I still find a power greater than my enemies if I choose not to fight them?"
"There is always a greater power, Epsilon," Alpha answers as the floor around us begins to dissolve into digital pixels. "Nothing is invincible or invulnerable, truths are always broken at some point, and secrets are always discovered at some time. What matters is that you adapt to the current situation. If you do, there is a greater chance that you will find a greater power than your foes can ever wield."
The floor dissolves completely, along with all light in the room…
… My eyes snap open on reflex as I feel my mind return to my body. A part of me wonders whether this is a medical condition or something else, but that thought is quickly pushed aside as I slowly stood upright. I walk back to where I stood when the Duel began, a strange calm overlapping the already-fading pain from Gear Golem's attack.
"Are you finished?" My voice sounds absurdly monotone despite the amplification I have to use to reach Larry's height, considering that I almost had my neck snapped by a massive metal fist. Larry looks completely confused as he nods to answer my question.
"Then, I draw." I keep the monotone voice as I draw sharply from my Deck. Looking at the card, I see a white aura around it, instantly recognizing it as my chosen weapon. Perhaps this is what 'Alpha' had said about a greater power. In any case, it would help me to defeat Larry's current field.
"I Summon Gordian Blade in Attack Mode." My digital weapon rises from the ground in a stream of white energy similar to Doppleganger's own energy. It turns towards 'Gear Golem', floating in midair in preparation to strike (ATK: 2000).
"Gordian Blade's effect; once per turn, I can equip it to another monster that I control. I choose to equip Cyber Cypher with Gordian Blade. The equipped monster's Attack Points double while equipped this way. Go, Empowered Equip!" Larry steps back in surprise as Gordian Blade rises above Cyber Cypher's body before sliding into the beast's back like a key into its keyhole. Cypher freezes up while this takes place, only moving once Gordian Blade's entirety is inserted inside. Once inside, Cypher's body size instantly doubles, its visor now glowing a mixture of black and white as its claws extend and sharpen further. As it registers its new body, its pleased chitters turn into low growls of pleasure (ATK: 2000-4000).
"Four thousand Attack Points?!" Larry is flabbergasted by my monster's combined strength. "That's impossible! How can your beast be stronger than my Ancient Gear Golem?!"
"There is strength in unity, Larry," I respond, my voice growing in intensity as I continue to speak as my emotions return to me. "Strength you choose not to see, and strength that will be your downfall. Battle! Cyber Cypher attacks Ancient Gear Golem! Critical Slash!"
Cypher roars like a tiger as it charges up the Mausoleum steps towards its target. Gear Golem swings a fist to try to stop my attack, but Cypher leaps upwards before the attack hits the ground, landing on Gear Golem's right arm and deftly racing up the plating towards the giant's head. Gear Golem then tries to slap Cypher off of its arm with its other hand, but Cypher launches its extended tail forwards before diving off the arm into the air below. The tail pierces the golem's armor and holds fast, allowing Cypher to swing in a long arc away from the incoming hand and launch it higher than before.
Detaching its tail, Cypher instantly launches it again, this time impacting Gear Golem's neck and making a few gears freeze up. Arcing towards the back of the giant's neck, Cypher extends its claws, opens its jaws, and stabs the back of Gear Golem's neck with both claw and tooth. The force of the attack makes the giant's neck shatter; the head slowly falls off the main body as the red eye within shorts out. As the head tumbles down Mausoleum's steps, the body collapses and breaks apart like a building would in an earthquake. Larry screams and dodges as many pieces of debris as he can, only being hit on the head once by a larger gear (Larry: 600-100 LP).
Cypher emerges from the wreckage once all of the pieces have fallen to the Earth, racing down the steps again to return to my side. It makes eye-to-visor contact with me, nearly purring as I scratch behind its digital ears and between its wings to show my admiration for its efforts.
"Woohoo! Go, Samuel! You crushed that construct!" Tank's cheers echo off the walls, his voice apparently amplified by the power of my attack. The amount of energy he puts into the compliment makes me smile and, for some reason, blush slightly.
"My turn's finished, Larry," I say with a triumphant smirk on my face, confident that Larry has no further options open to him.
[ROUND 4]
[Samuel: 1200 LP/Larry: 600 LP]
[CARDS IN HAND: 3 (Samuel), 3 (Larry)]
"Sss… sss… sss…" Larry seems to hiss out his disapproval of the current situation, drawing his card slowly. Instantly, his expression turns wild as he slams the card into his Disk. A storm cloud appears in Mausoleum's sky, growing larger by the second.
"I activate the Spell Lightning Vortex! By discarding one card from my hand, all of your face-up monsters are destroyed! Say goodbye!" Larry tosses a card from his hand into his Disk's Graveyard, looking skyward as massive lightning bolts impact my side of the battlefield. One bolt makes impact with Cyber Cypher, a piercing screech coming from the beast as Gordian Blade is pulled out forcefully from within Cypher's body. The weapon then channels the storm's energy into itself, not a single bolt touching Cyber Cypher. Several seconds later, a rumble of thunder sounds from the storm as it and Gordian Blade dissipate from view, the electrical energy of the storm fading away into static discharge.
"What…? How…?" Larry doesn't seem to be able to ask the obvious question concerning Cyber Cypher's continued survival.
"Gordian Blade is a Union monster," I quickly explain. "Union monsters prevent the equipped monsters from being destroyed by battle or card effects by sacrificing themselves instead. In short, your Lightning Vortex only reduced Cyber Cypher to normal power." Cypher confirms this as its body shrinks down to normal size and its growls become chitters again (ATK: 4000-2000).
"I Set a monster and place one card face-down. That's my turn." Larry's voice is full of sadness and anxiety at this mistake. I feel a sense of remorse swell up in my chest; apparently, this trend of making other Duelists emotionally distraught is also becoming a common thing in my Duels. However, this is something that I don't want to happen.
"I draw." I take a card from my Deck, noticing that I have multiple ways to end the Duel in my victory, even with Royal Decree still in effect. As I look over the field situation, my head starts to throb slightly, the recent memory of Alpha coming back to mind.
'A greater power… ' I think to myself. 'I think that Larry needs to realize that a greater power does exist. But, I don't want to hurt him too much; I'm not vengeful like that. I guess I'll have to go with another route… '
"I Summon the Tuner monster Expert Scheduler Analyzer in Attack Mode!" The six blue heads with goggles appear individually onto the field, floating in a circle in midair (ATK: 1600).
"I now tune my Level 4 Expert Schedule Analyzer with my Level 4 Cyber Cypher!" Both monsters leap or levitate skyward, 'Analyzer's' body becoming four green rings. 'Cypher' enters the rings and turns into four white stars, a beam of green energy passing through the rings as a different chant springs from my lips…
"Utau, saibasupessu no subete! Mugen no heiwa no furagmento ga tanjou! Shinkuro Shokan! Kouka, Eden Shaado!"
(Sing, all of cyberspace! A fragment of infinite peace is born! Synchro Summon! Descend, Eden Shard!)
A voice too lovely for words reaches all of our ears as a single blue and green crystal emerges from the Synchro energy. Its body shows a myriad of trees, lakes, skies and mountains flowing like water off of well-polished diamonds. Between these paradises are small comets of energy, similar to tiny angels floating between worlds and encountering others of their kind along the way. A trail of glowing blue and green dust falls from its body as it hovers in the air; said dust feels like light rain or snow as it caresses my injured body(LIGHT, Program/Synchro, 2500 ATK, 3000 DEF, LVL 8).
"Eden Shard's effect," I begin after taking a few moments to bask in the comforting embrace of my Synchro monster's energies. "When it attacks a monster in Defense Mode with fewer Defense Points than its Attack Points, it inflicts piercing damage to the opponent equal to the difference. I'm sorry, but this is how it must end."
I see Tank look at me in confusion out of the corner of my eye while Larry only nods his head as he tries to let out his signature laugh, only to fail out of sadness.
"Eden Shard attacks your Set monster," I command with a calm wave of my hand. "Fragmented Lifestream!" The same voice rings out as the Synchro monster's body splits into eight equal parts; each part releases more dust and forms part of a large cloud of dust that contains a few of the 'angels' that the main body had. The cloud spreads over Larry's field and quickly condenses into a wave of glowing water, sweeping down the Mausoleum steps like a waterfall and sweeping away the small cluster of germ-like organisms that Larry had Set (DEF: 100). Larry is caught in the wave as well, his body flailing around in the current until he is gently placed onto solid ground. (Larry: 100 LP-0 LP) [DUEL ENDS]
The battlefield fades away, Tank continuing to stand on the sidelines as I walk over to Larry's prone position. Concern fills my mind as I notice that Larry remains prone; has he fallen unconscious from the Duel? Actually, I should be more amazed that I didn't fall unconscious for a longer time, considering that I have probably been dealt more damage than Larry.
"Tank," I call out to my friend after I register that Larry's pulse is still functioning. "Are you able to find your way out of here and back to the hideout?"
"Uh, yeah," Tank responds after an awkward silence of about 3 seconds passes. "I think so. But, what about you? Are you coming back with me?"
"There's still this gang's leader, Lenny. I still need to defeat him. Otherwise, the group can easily rally up and pursue us again, especially if their leader is left unharmed."
"Oh," a nasally voice cuts in as I hear footsteps from the stairway behind us. "I won't be harmed by the likes of you. You should be more worried about yourself!"
And we have a cliffhanger, ladies and gentlemen!
Yes, like that hasn't been done before. In any case -
But that's not all! Please enjoy a sneak preview of the next chapter, coming to you right now!
Wait, when did you -
[Next time on on "Stardust Accelerator: Digital Warrior"...
?: The name's Lenny. I run this group, and I hate how you've been treating us today.
Tank: Hey, you were the one who started it all earlier today!
Samuel: Quiet, both of you! Can't we resolve this in a way everyone will accept?
?: Face it, my bugs are too powerful for you to defeat!
Samuel: I won't back down, no matter what the odds!
Next chapter: Fight for Friendship! Insurmountable Insects!
?: You'll be having nightmares for weeks!]
... How the hell did you do that?! (Turns to M.C. and bears teeth)
Well, I had some spare time on my hands between your updates, so I chose to make something cool for the viewers! Well, the title wording may be changed, but it's still the same!
You should have authorized it through me first! (Snorts smoke before coughing suddenly) Gah, I need to clear my head, but I'll get back to you on these trailers! All you readers out there, inform me whether or not this format is good enough to continue being used.
Draconos is taking off!