Disclaimer: I only own the characters that I made up for this story. Everything else is property of its respective owner and I take no credit for it. I do own a few of the cards and those will be marked with a (*).
A/N: The archetype that will be used in this chapter has some pretty devastating effects in both real life and in the anime. However, I will not be using the effects that these cards had in the anime, though I will be changing the name of one of the cards to match the tarot card, since I think its better that way. Also, the meanings of some cards will change to fit the story, as their original meanings don't fully fit here.
Theme Song: All The Right Moves by One Republic
Chapter 10: A Duel against Fate! pt. 1
It had been two days since they met with Brutus, who explained their destiny to them. Though they still found it kind of hard to believe, they had listened to him, getting the feeling that he was making sense. Brutus showed up once more to give Akira a message, and quickly left. Akira did the same, taking the first flight to Egypt that he could find, though he promised his friends he'd be back soon.
It was morning, and Casey and Zeke were eating in the kitchen, and Blake, whom they allowed to stay there for a while, was in the living room watching the news. Suddenly, he came rushing into the kitchen, pointing to the tv. "Hey guys! Look at this!"
They all rushed to the living room, Blake turning up the volume on the tv.
"Though the highways are still under construction after what happened a few days ago, the freak storm that assaulted our peaceful city, other buildings are also under construction. The Security Tower has been busy fixing the office of the Ex-Vice-Director of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, who has mysteriously disappeared and is presumed dead. Though Security still isn't sure who would do this, or why, they are intent on finding out. So far, they assumed that Team Enigmatic were also victims of the same thing that threatened the Vice-Director..." said the reporter.
"So, whoever is behind Vice-Director Yeager's disappearance is also behind what happened with Kaiser and his friends?" wondered Zeke.
"... a vital piece of information found three days ago, which showed that Team Enigmatic was mysterious for a reason. The reason why no duel record was found during the WRGP is because they are made up of a group of four high-profile criminals who had recently escaped from the Aguerris Center. Though all of them are dangerous, the most dangerous of them are the ones who go by the name of Tueur and Kaiser, being just a few crimes short of being on Security's ten most wanted list."
The group gasped as they heard this. "You're kidding!" murmured Casey. "But, they seemed so nice..."
"Once they learned of this, Security was about to rush in and take action, wanting to apprehend them and send them back to prison, but was stopped by Officer Trudge, who mentioned that they were hospitalized on the same night as Vice-Director Yeager's disappearance, after suffering a similar fate as him. He commanded them to bring in Kaiser and Tueur for questioning, since they might have some information that might help them, and they were the only ones who could possibly know something about this, since the other half of Team Enigmatic has also disappeared. As they rushed into the hospital to bring them in for questioning, they found the rooms empty, and no trace of either Tueur or Kaiser. They are currently trying to decide whether to put an alert out on these criminals, as both of them are known to be in weak physical condition and in need of medical attention. For now, just be on the lookout for them and report them to Security so they can be given medical attention. Given their condition, it is doubtful that one might be in danger if they encounter them. Still, caution must be exercised."
"Wow... I didn't know that about them. Still, if they are in need of medical attention, how'd they escape?" Casey wondered.
"Its possible that they had help..." Blake stated.
"Or that they were taken..." added Zeke.
"True." Blake admitted. "Wouldn't that mean that they need help, then?"
"Yeah, but since we don't know anything else, we can't do much." Zeke replied.
"What do we do now? I mean, we've barely even begun to prepare for our battle." Casey asked, unaware of the smile on Zeke's face.
"Easy. The battle hasn't begun, so we need to have fun before it does, because it might be the last time we do this." Zeke stated.
"Really? What did you have in mind?" Casey asked unenthusiastically.
"Well..."
A few hours later, Casey, Blake, and Zeke stood at the entrance to Kaiba Land. They walked through the entrance, having only to flash the tickets that Zeke had obtained the day before to enter, and gazed at the wondrous attractions.
"Been a long time since I've been here..." Casey murmured.
"Heh. I'm pretty sure that its been a long time since any of us has been here. But as long as we are here, I suggest we enjoy it." Zeke stated, smiling.
Casey and Blake nodded, following him as he ran to one of the rides.
The day went on pretty well. Blake had brought a camera, so he was able to take pictures of everything he could. Surprisingly enough, they had time to ride almost all of the rides, though they wasted some time for Blake to get better after he got sick from the Blue-Eyes Jet Coaster, which was said to be their fastest roller coaster.
After that, they spent some time watching the Kaibaman Show and some duels featuring some of the local duelists at the Duel Stadium. They also entered the Monster Horror Building, in which Casey and Blake were easily scared. Zeke only laughed at this, which caused Blake to get revenge by scaring him a little later as they were exiting the place, though they had to drag a fainted Zeke out of there by themselves.
During lunch, Casey ate her food quickly so she could go ahead and look around the shops. Meanwhile, Zeke and Blake got into a little grudge match between each other and decided to settle it with a series of eating competitions, ranging from eating strange foods, to heavily spiced foods. Needless to say, by the time Casey returned, they were knocked unconscious by whatever they had eaten.
She waited a bit for them to wake up, and then had to wait for them to explain what happened, which took quite a bit of time as they kept interrupting each other.
"Excuse me, would you guys like to know your fortunes?" said a voice from behind them. When they turned around, they saw a tall, young woman with blond hair in a revealing bright red dress standing behind them. Upon seeing her, Blake and Zeke managed to stop their fighting and just stared at her.
"Yeah!" they agreed, pulling Casey along with them, despite her protest.
The woman took them to a small purple tent that wasn't too far from where they were, all the while Casey tried to tell her friends that this was a bit strange, though they just ignored her. As they stepped inside, they saw that the inside was much bigger than the outside.
As they looked around the large, yet dimly lit tent, a cloaked figure walked into the light. "Step forward, Casey, if you wish to know your fortune..."
Alarmed, Zeke and Blake broke out of their trance and raised their duel disks, stepping before Casey as they tried to protect her. "Who are you?" Zeke asked.
The cloaked figure simply pointed to Casey. "Sorry but right now, I am here for the girl. If you guys want to know your fortunes, you can try it after we are done."
"Well, you aren't getting that chance unless you explain yourself." Blake stated.
The figure sighed. "Very well. We are the Fates. I believe it was Casey who wanted to know her fortune, so I'm here to do that. If you two please, move out of the way so that the duel may begin."
"Duel?" Casey asked as Blake and Zeke lowered their duel disks and stood to her side.
"Yes. We cannot just tell you your fortune so easily. You must pay a price. Through the duel, I shall tell you your fortune, but it shall be said so little by little. To get all of the information, you must defeat me." said the figure.
"Alright." Casey agreed, activating her duel disk.
(4000-4000)
"I'll begin, and in case you are wondering, you may call me Faye." stated the cloaked figure.
"That's your name?" Zeke wondered. "I wasn't aware that the Fates had individual names."
"We don't, but that doesn't mean that we don't like to individualize ourselves from time to time. Besides, this body is mostly a copy of a girl we met long ago. Her name was Faye, so why not take the name too?" she explained.
"Now, let's continue. To begin this duel, I'll start by setting two cards, and activating the field spell, Light Barrier!" She placed the cards on the disk, and then they were surrounded by a ring of light that illuminated the whole tent, revealing it to be much bigger than they had originally thought, looking it spread for miles and miles.
"Your turn."
(4000-4000)
"No monsters?" Casey asked as she drew a card.
"I am telling you your fortune, don't start questioning my methods..." Faye replied, slightly annoyed by her question.
"Okay..." Casey looked at her hand. She held Field-Commander Rahz, The Warrior Returning Alive, Protective Whistle*, Reinforcements of the Army, Obnoxious Celtic Guard, and Spiritual Earth Art - Kurogane.
"I'll set two cards, and summon Obnoxious Celtic Guard!" The more skillful version of Celtic Guardian appeared on the field, the two cards she set appearing behind him. (1400/1200)
"Attack her directly!" Celtic Guard rushed at her and swung his sword, striking her duel disk as she used it for a shield.
"I'll end my turn."
(4000-2600)
"I'll start by activating the effect of Light Barrier. First, I toss a coin..." A holographic coin appeared and spun around, landing on heads. "Now, when I summon an 'Arcana Force' monster, I can skip the coin toss and just pick an effect to activate." Just then, another one of her cards activated.
"Now I activate the continuous spell, Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen! Once per turn, if I control no monsters, I can special summon a Fairy-Type monster from my hand. So, I will be summoning Arcana Force VI - The Lovers." A dark monster appeared on the field, looking barely human, and even less feminine. It was only one monster, despite its name giving one the idea that there were two. (1600/1600)
"I now activate Light Barrier's effect, allowing me to choose one of its effects. I choose the first, meaning that it counts as two sacrifices when I summon an Arcana Force monster."
Casey looked at the monster with curiosity.
"This duel shall explain to you the question that you wanted to know, the one regarding your friend, and your fate." she said.
"Really?" Casey asked in disbelief.
"Yes. Such is the case here. The Lovers represents the two of you, and how one makes a sacrifice for the other."
Casey lowered her head for a moment. She was right. 'That was what happened with Matsu...'
"Up next, since that was a special summon, I can still make another summon. I summon Shining Angel!" An angel dressed in robes like the ancient greeks used to wear, appeared on the field. (1400/800)
"Shining Angel, attack Obnoxious Celtic Guard!" The angel threw a punch at Celtic Guard as he struck with his sword, both monsters shattering and turning to pixels as they killed each other.
"Thanks to the effect of my monster, I can special summon a Fairy-Type monster from my deck when he's destroyed, as long as the monster that I summon has 1500 attack points or less." She took a card from her deck and placed it on the duel disk. The monster that appeared looked sort of like a court jester, yet a bit more regal and sophisticated, and without a jester's hat. (1100/1100)
"Meet Arcana Force I - The Magician! By using the effect of Light Barrier, I can choose to activate the first, meaning that when a spell card is activated, his attack points double until the end of the turn. This card represents skill. The ability to make things happen, which is something that the sacrifice had. I'll have The Lovers attack you directly."
The Lovers appeared before Casey and threw a light punch that went through her, though the phantom pain from the duel disks caused her to partially feel it.
"I'll set a card and end my turn."
(2400-2600)
"Not bad." Casey as she drew another card.
"I activate Reinforcements of the Army to add a level four or lower Warrior-Type monster from my deck to my hand!" As she took the card from her deck, The Magician glowed with a bright light as its attack points doubled.
"I summon Marauding Captain!" A young warrior wielding two swords appeared on the field. (1200/400)
"Thanks to his effect, when he's summoned, I can special summon another Warrior-Type monster from my hand. I summon Educated Spellcaster*!" The small spellcaster appeared on the field, wielding its small staff in its hand. (1000/100)
"And its effect lets me special summon a level four or lower Warrior-Type monster from my graveyard, thought its effect is negated, and it will be destroyed at the end of my turn." Once again, Obnoxious Celtic guard emerged onto the field, though he seemed slightly saddened by his previous defeat, shielding himself with his sword. (1400/1200)
"I tune my Marauding Captain and my Educated Spellcaster!" Educated Spellcaster became three green rings that floated around Marauding Captain, who dissolved into three glowing stars.
"Magic and strength work together! Combine your powers and become an unstoppable force! Synchro summon! Shine, Educated Knight*!"
A knight covered in gold and silver armor appeared in the field, wielding a powerful sword of light and a strong shield. (2500/1900)
"Next, I'll activate the effect of the Turret Warrior in my hand, letting me sacrifice a Warrior-Type monster on my field to special summon him, and if I do that, then his attack points are raised by the original attack points of the monster that I sacrificed." Obnoxious Celtic Guard dissolved into pixels that became the large, mechanized, Turret Warrior. (1200/2000) = (2600/2000)
"Educated Knight, attack The Lovers!" The knight fired an energy blade at the monster, but the attack was halted by one of Faye's traps.
"Negate Attack? Well, I guess I have to end my turn now..."
(2400-2600)
The effect of Light Barrier activated, tossing a coin that, once again, landed on heads.
"I summon Arcana Force IV - The Emperor!" A large robotic monster appeared on the field, large metal wings protruding from its back, and four tentacles at the end of each arm. (1400/1400)
"Thanks to Light Barrier, I activate his first effect, which increases the attack points of all 'Arcana Force' monsters on my field." All of her monsters glowed as their attack points rose. The Magician now had 1500 attack points; The Lovers, 2100; and The Emperor, 1900. "I also activate Double Summon, allowing me to make another normal summon this turn."
"Now, to continue with the story... This is where The Emperor comes in. Despite the skillfulness of the sacrifice, The Emperor was just too powerful."
One of her set cards rose, activating. "I activate the continuous trap, By Orders of the Emperor! This lets me choose to negate the effect of an effect monster who's effect activates when its summoned, and if I do, I can draw a card. Now, I'll sacrifice The Lovers to summon Arcana Force XII - The Hanged Man!" The Lovers dissolved into pixels that became a large tree with a crystallized, cocoon with four tentacles hanging from it. (2200/2200) - (2700/2200)
"Thanks to my trap, I choose to negate its effect. Stagnation, victory through surrender. The sacrifice achieves his goal by giving up his life, sacrificing himself for others to achieve victory."
Casey gasped. "If Matsu is the sacrifice, then, does that mean...?"
"Yes, it does. The man that you loved so much no longer exists, his existence taken away by the Emperor!"
"You've got to be lying!" Casey said, not wanting to believe it was true.
"The Fates never lie, little girl. We speak only what has happened, and what shall happen. Believe it or not, but you asked to know, and we are telling you. The Hanged Man, attack Turret Warrior!" The cocoon stretched its tentacles and wrapped them around Turret Warrior, squeezing until he monster was crushed.
"I end my turn."
(2300-2600)
'Damn it... I won't believe her, she can't be right!' Casey thought as she drew a card.
"I summon Command Knight in defense mode!" The regal knight, dressed in red and gold clothing, appeared on the field, using her sword to defend herself. (1200/1900)
"With her effect, all Warrior-Type monsters on the field get an extra 400 attack points." Command Knight glowed as her attack points rose to 1600, while Educated Knight's attack points rose to 2900.
"Educated Knight, destroy The Hanged Man!" Her knight fired an energy blade from his sword, cutting the cocoon in half.
"I end my turn with that."
(2300-2200)
Light Barrier activated its effect again, though this time, the coin landed on tails, which negated its effect until the next turn. Still, this didn't seem to bother Faye at all.
"I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards." She took a quick look at them. "I see you fear what I am telling, but it is something you'll have to accept. Do not be sad, though. The man of which we speak had the ability to make things happen, and just like you, he had to choose his fate. Now, its your turn."
A spell card appeared on the field, depicting two tarot cards and someone trying to choose one of them. "Now you must pick a card from my hand, and if it is a monster, then I'll be able to special summon it."
Casey chose the one on the right, causing Faye to place it on her disk. "You just picked Arcana Force XXI - The World!"
A large, dark machine appeared on the field. Its size taking up so much space that one could hardly see its face. (3100/3100) - (3600/3100)
"As you see, this is the fate that you shall end up choosing. Fighting your world for survival, and the one who affects its power the most is The Emperor. You will have to fight them both to win this war, and it shall not be an easy battle. This is all I can tell you, however, since this duel is over."
"It is not!" Casey stated, wanting to get more answers.
"Yes it is. I already know that your monster is immune to destruction through battle, but it is not immune to attacks. I activate the equip spell, Megamorph! Since I have lower life points, I can equip this card onto The World and double its original attack points!" The World glowed as its attack points rose to 6700.
Casey and her friends just stood there, in shock and awe, unable to do anything against this beast.
"Attack her Educated Knight and end this duel!" The machine extended its clawed hand and crushed Educated Knight, completely reducing Casey's Life Points to zero.
The holograms disappeared along with the field spell, causing the dim lightning that was in the tent when they first entered to return.
"Until you can fight your world and defeat it, you cannot fight this war without being a hindrance." stated Faye.
Casey lowered her head. "Please... Tell me that you were wrong. Please tell me that Matsu is still alive..." she pleaded.
"Sorry child, but the Fates don't lie. The man gave his life to help you defeat The Emperor, and you need to acknowledge that."
"Sorry..." she whispered. "I... I just can't believe it..."
Faye sighed and turned to leave, but stopped when Blake spoke up. "What happened? There's no exit!"
Faye turned to him. "Your fortunes are the next ones to be told, so be ready." she explained, disappearing into the darkness.
"Are you kidding me...?" murmured Blake, annoyed by the fact that another duel would have to go through before they could leave this place. "Wonder who's going to be dueling now?"
"Why don't you come and find out?" said a voice. When he looked up, he saw that it was the same woman who had guided them there.
Blake's eyes widened. He never even noticed her leave their side, and here she was, standing before him. "Because I don't know who's fortune is going to be told next."
"Its you, of course. Your fortune is next to be told, and just like with Faye, you'll have to defeat me to get all the answers." she explained, activating her duel disk.
"Alright. You're on!" Blake replied.
End of Chapter 10.
Casey has just dueled against one of the Fates, who predicted some very unfortunate news. As she tries to deny what Faye told her, Blake is busy with his fortune, trying to get some answers regarding his fate in this war. However, just like Casey's opponent was strong, so will his. Can he defeat his opponent and get all the answers he needs? Find out in A Duel against Fate! pt. 2