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DUEL ELEVEN
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A Vestige from the Past
The Predator
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As Ben had quickly learned, meals were often quite a social affair among Shadowchasers. The morning came, and Bartholomew served buttermilk pancakes and sausage to the group. Clearly, one of the benefits of living here was that you could eat well.
"Bartholomew, I do hope you don't mind cooking for a fourth person," said Dugan, as he sipped his coffee.
"Heck, Dugan," said Bartholomew, "You could put me in charge of your old mess hall and I wouldn't have a problem. Besides, it's nice to have someone else appreciate my cooking."
"We appreciate it!" said Nichole.
"Well, Ben, we might have some good news," said Dugan. "Taka is putting the word out through the underworld, and as soon as anyone he has connections with recognizes your description, he'll let us know."
"Freddy is keeping his ears open too," added Nichole. "Who knows? He might even make a conscious effort to find something out."
"Thanks guys…" said Ben.
"It's too bad that Xing had to leave town," said Karl. "But as I was saying, this Shelly person was most likely trouble. I think she had a demonic graft."
"A what?" asked Ben.
"It's a new 'fad' among wizards who have connections to demons," replied Nichole. "They combine surgery and magic to replace part of the subject's body, usually a limb, with a demonic equivalent. It confers some advantages… And some disadvantages.
"The biggest problem is, these wizards don't always bother with some important details… Like asking the patient's permission."
"Well…" said Dugan, "I'm afraid that without even knowing this girl's last name, there's very little we can do unless she shows up again…"
"Dugan, I had meant to ask you," said Ben. "Do you know of someone named Kesto Brighteyes?"
As he said the name, Nichole grumbled a little, and took a very big bite of her pancakes.
"Yeah…" said Dugan, looking at Nichole. "We know about him… The Shadowchasers refer to him for matters of research sometimes…"
Nichole grumbled a little more.
"You have to excuse Nichole," said Karl. "Kesto is a member of the Athar…"
"The Athar?" asked Ben. "The group that believes that the gods are frauds?"
"You've heard of them too, huh?" asked Karl. "Yeah… Kesto is a lot less… Forceful than most Athar, but when you belong to that group, you earn a lot of enemies among religious groups."
"What most of Kesto's detractors fail to realize," said Dugan, as he took another pancake from the plate, "is that in this country, we have something called the First Amendment!"
Nichole sighed.
"Out of curiosity, Ben…" she asked, "why do you ask?"
"Oh, just something I found out about…" he replied. "Something I might look into…"
As Dugan wiped his mouth, the computer on the desk started to beep. He got up, and walked over to it.
"Seems we have two situations that need to be looked into, people," he said.
Nichole and Karl gulped the last of their orange juice, and got up to look with him.
"Nichole, you know that underground dueling arena near Hyde Park?" asked Dugan.
"The one you keep saying that we can't deal with because no Shadows are involved?" asked Nichole.
"Well, seems you're gonna get your wish," said Dugan. "Seems Shadows are involved now. We have reports that an injured bugbear and orc were just carried out of there."
"I'll handle it," said Nichole. "This will be a pleasure. We got a warrant?"
"Give me two minutes to print it out," said Dugan, as he typed in something. "In the meantime, go get the Marvelous Rod. You may need it."
Nichole nodded, and went down the hallway towards the room where her sword was kept, among other things.
"Karl…" said Dugan. "Here's something else… It looks like our old friend Gripilus is back, trying to raise a ruckus at the Statue of the Republic."
"I'll go get him," said Karl. "I owe that guy from last time… It took me forever to get the smell of that stink bomb out of my jacket."
Ben watched as they left.
"So what now?" he asked.
"Well…" said Dugan. "I've got a few reports to fill out… Maybe you can help label them?"
"I guess…" said Ben, sadly.
"Ben, look…" said Dugan. "I know this is hard on you, and probably downright frightening… But if no-one else can do it, Jalal will help you as soon as he gets done with what he's doing. I can guarantee it. Jalal is good at what he does."
"I suppose he knows every trick in the book, right?" asked Ben.
"Hell, he wrote the book," replied Dugan. "There's no haystack so big that he can't find the needle in it."
"Thanks…" said Ben. "That's… reassuring…"
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A nondescript door stood at the far end of an alley at the edge of Hyde Park. Those "in the know" knew that this door led to the local underground dueling arena, a place where dueling was put on for the entertainment of the public, done using very violent and brutal house rules. Most customers who came here hid their identities – not all of them were criminals or lowlifes, but average folk (and the occasional member of the upper class) who simply enjoyed seeing dueling on a level that you couldn't see in the Pro Leagues.
Nichole walked up to the door, and knocked on it. A small slot opened, and two eyes looked out.
"Password?" asked a gruff voice.
Nichole held up the search warrant.
"Shadowchasers," she said. "Open the door, Guido, or I'll knock it down."
"Oh, yeah, sure," said the gruff voice. "I'd like to see you try it…"
Then the eyes opened wide as they saw a Bigby's Clenched Fist rocketing towards the door. The doorman screamed as the door was blown inward, and he was knocked down.
"Well…" groaned the thug, as Nichole walked in, holding a rod topped with a metal fist. "I guess I asked for it…"
Normally, you had to be trained in wizardry to actually cast spells. Spell-storing rods were new gizmos that let practically anyone do so, if used right. A trained wizard cast a supply of spells into the rod, and then anyone could use them at any time by touching the sigils on the rod in the right sequence.
Of course, just any spells couldn't be stored in any spell-storing rod. The one Nichole had just used was called a Marvelous Rod of Bigby, which was designed to hold the spells invented by the famous archmage it was named after, evocations that employed pure force with a hand and fist theme.
"Guido, what's going on?" shouted a man running up to the door.
Then he saw Nichole.
"Uh oh…" he said, nervously.
Nichole grabbed him by the shirt.
"Hello, Mike," she said.
"Look, Miss Belvins, I can explain!" he said.
"You told us you wouldn't lure Shadowkind here," said Nichole. "Or did you think that the orc and bugbear who were carried out this morning were just very ugly humans?"
"It's not my fault, Miss Belvins!" stammered Mike.
His voice fell to a whisper.
"Yesterday, two guys came here… One was a duelist, the other was a guy packing some very serious magic! Just ask Guido! The guy turned him into a Gila monster!"
Guido got up and nodded, now very nervous himself.
"It took three hours for the spell to wear off," continued Mike. "The wizard told us that unless his partner could duel here, and unless he got some Shadowkind as opponents, he'd torch this building.
"You do realize, Miss Belvins, that I've never been able to find an insurance company that will cover this place…"
Nichole looked at him.
"Where's this duelist?" she asked.
"You sure you want to deal with him?" asked Mike. "He's really good…"
"Take me to him," demanded Nichole.
Mike led Nichole into the common room, which was a combination of a bar, arena, and night club. Not many customers were here presently, but a duel was going on…
…or rather, one was ending. A duelist who looked human delivered the final blow to a dark elf, who screamed and collapsed.
"Can't you give me someone who can last more than four rounds, Mike?" said the duelist. "That was the most pathetic one yet!"
"Hey, bub!" said Nichole.
She looked at the duelist hard. He had brown hair, a goatee with no moustache, and wore khaki clothing. He also had a bullwhip strapped to his belt.
"You want to duel someone who can fight back?" she said. "I'll take you on…"
"Well, well," said the man, with a smug look. "I was wondering when one a' you would show up…
"Sure, I'll duel you… But around here we got certain rules that we follow…"
"Mr. Hunt, this is not a good idea!" protested Mike.
"Shut up, Mike!" shouted the duelist. "And get the equipment."
"Mr. Hunt?" said Nichole, raising an eyebrow.
"That's right!" he replied. "Giese Hunt, at your service."
Giese Hunt? thought Nichole. As in Giese the Spirit Hunter?
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Giese the Spirit Hunter was a name that had become legendary among duelists. He had once started out as an average duelist, but had developed the ability to see Duel Spirits, and had even acquired a Spirit Partner, like how Yukai Judai had gained Winged Kuriboh. But by a cruel twist of fate, his Spirit Partner had been stolen.
He didn't adapt to the theft well. It made him unstable, and he became a ruthless hunter of spirits himself, using cruel technology to trap them and drain their energy.
He had a goal, however: He desired to hunt the mythical Rainbow Dragon, and he believed that the key to succeeding was to capture the seven regular Crystal Beasts. The insidious Professor Cobra gave him the chance, allowing him to lure Johan Anderson into a disclosure duel.
However, Johan defeated him, and Giese collapsed from exhaustion due to the dis belt he was wearing. Then a mob of spirits he had previously trapped attacked him, and he vanished without a trace. He was never seen again, and was presumed dead.
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So how can he be here now? thought Nichole. He's not only alive, he doesn't seem to have gotten a day older!
Mike came up to her, and opened a briefcase. Nichole looked at the nasty-looking arm, leg, and neck cuffs inside.
"I suppose those are the things that turn Life Point damage into real damage?" she asked.
"Yep," said Giese. "That's how we do things here… If you're scared, you can just…"
"I'll show you how scared I am!" cursed Nichole. "Mike! Give 'em to me!"
Mike nervously started to attach the devices to Nichole's wrists.
"You going to take me in too after this is over?" he asked.
"Just be quiet," said Nichole. "Don't tell me you didn't see the potential to make a profit from this guy, Mike. If you were really opposed to it, you would have picked up the phone and called us as soon as that wizard left."
Mike sighed as he fastened the last cuff.
Nichole looked at Giese and her Duel Disk activated.
"I'm game if you are," she said.
(Nichole: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Giese: 8,000)
"Draw…" said Giese, making a draw.
He looked over his hand.
"Not bad…" he said. "Meet my Lure Phantom!"
There was a ghoulish giggling, and a silly-looking spook appeared in front of Giese. Despite seemingly being made mostly of transparent vapor, its arms seemed to be at least partially mechanical. (0 ATK)
Another Monster with zero Attack Points… thought Nichole. So what's this one's story?
Giese fit another card into his Disk, and a reversed card appeared in his Spell Zone.
"That'll be all for now, princess," he said.
Nichole frowned, and made a draw.
She flicked open the Field Slot on her Disk.
"I play Amazoness Village!" she exclaimed.
There was the sound of tribal drums, and the arena faded away. A jungle rose around them, full of thatched huts with a wall made of logs surrounding them.
"Nice backdrop…" chuckled Giese.
"Next, I summon Amazoness Swords Woman!" shouted Nichole, as Swords Woman appeared. (1,500 ATK)
"And being on their home turf gives all Amazons a 200-point bonus to their Attack Scores."
(1,700 ATK)
And even if his Trap Card destroys Swords Woman, she thought, my Field Spell has another effect he won't be able to deal with.
"Attack his Lure Phantom!" she shouted. "Amazoness sword slash!"
Swords Woman hollered a war cry, and dashed towards the silly ghost…
"I activate Lure Phantom's effect!" shouted Giese. "Get her!"
The effect was downright weird. Lure Phantom's hand shot from its wrist, but connected to it by a cord, like some sort of grappling hook. Swords Woman shrieked at it grabbed her by the ankle, and yanked her towards it.
"What's happening?" shouted Nichole.
"Lure Phantom's special effect," said Giese. "When a Monster attacks it, I can send that Monster back to your hand, so long as I send Lure Phantom back to mine."
Lure Phantom gave Swords woman a great hurl, and she flew towards Nichole…
"But before she reaches you…" continued Giese.
His Trap Card flipped up.
"Go, Hunting Net!"
A rocket shot out of the card, and the rocket unfolded into a net, snagging Swords Woman. Nichole looked with horror as Swords Woman was dragged over to Giese's side of the field.
The horror turned to anger when the net set up and suspended her as a prisoner behind Giese.
"What's the big idea, Giese?" cursed Nichole. "You can't just trap my Amazons like they were wild beasts!"
Giese shrugged.
"I sure don't see much difference," he said.
Nichole was about to go over and slug him, when Mike spoke up.
"Nichole, don't!" he shouted. "If you do…"
Then Nichole remembered where she was, and remembered the equipment she was wearing. The rules in the Pro League about physically touching your opponent were likely enforced in a much different way here.
"It's still my turn…" she grumbled.
She set a card, and a facedown card appeared in front of her.
"And I'll end it there…"
Giese put a toothpick in his mouth and chewed. Then he drew a card.
"Summoning my Lure Phantom again…" he said.
The goofy specter appeared again. (0 ATK)
"Then I'll set a facedown…"
Another set card appeared behind Lure Phantom.
"…and I end my turn…"
"Oh, give me a break!" exclaimed Nichole, as she drew a card. "Do you actually expect me to fall for the same trick twice?"
She played a card.
"I'm summoning Amazoness Trainee…"
A new Amazon appeared, this one younger than Swords Woman. She had platinum-blonde hair tied in a ponytail, and her bikini top and breechcloth were made of zebra skin. She carried a spiked chain. (1,500 ATK) –) (1,700 ATK)
"But if you think I'm going to take the bait, you're nuts," said Nicole. "I end my turn."
"Well, seems you aren't gullible…" said Giese, as he made a draw. "Guess this Trap Card isn't gonna work…
"So then… I'll play Blasting Vein."
He played the Spell Card, and the set card in front of him – which was indeed a second Hunting Net, was burned to ashes.
"By destroying my set card, I get to draw twice," continued Giese.
He made two draws. Then he chuckled.
"I play Decoy Baby!" he laughed, as he played a Spell Card. "Swords Woman over here is a Warrior… So this Spell Card lets me set a trap for a Warrior that's on the field."
An illusory copy of Swords Woman appeared in front of Trainee. Trainee frowned, and made a rush for it.
"NO! STOP!" shouted Nichole.
But screaming didn't help. Before Trainee made it three steps, another net shot at her, and she was snagged in it, just as Swords Woman was. Nichole clenched her fist as Trainee was dragged to the spot right next to Swords Woman.
"You're making me angry, Giese…" she said.
"What are you so upset about?" asked Giese. "It's not like they're in any real danger… That equipment I used to siphon the energy from Duel Spirits… I don't have it any more… Not yet, at least."
So he is the same Giese! thought Nichole.
"So you're just doing this out of some demented idea of fun?" she asked, with a frown.
"Not exactly…" said Giese, as he took another card from his hand. "Your Monsters are in no danger…
"You, on the other hand…"
Lure Phantom turned into an orb of energy.
"I sacrifice this critter to summon my Hell Gundog!"
A new Monster appeared where Lure Phantom had been. It was a large bulldog, with a harness on its back holding two cannons, and a spiked collar. It breathed fire as it looked at Nichole. (1,000 ATK)
"Get her!" shouted Giese. "Attack directly!"
Nichole tried to brace herself, even as Hell Gundog's claws stabbed into her, but then the lights on the collar, bracelets, and anklets she was wearing flashed, and electricity coursed through her. She screamed and fell to her knees.
"Feel that?" asked Giese. "When you duel here, you're dueling in Hell itself.
"And by the way… When Hell Gundog dishes out damage, one card in your hand is destroyed."
Nichole caught her breath, and looked at her hand of cards. Her Amazoness Spellcaster card shattered into pixels.
(N: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 8,000)
Slowly, she got up. She took some deep breaths.
"Mind if I ask you a question, Giese?" she asked.
"No, I don't bein' asked," he replied.
"Why are you here, Giese?" she asked. "I mean weren't you..."
Giese laughed. He took the toothpick out of his mouth and flicked it away.
"What, dead?" he asked. "Heh, well, I guess I was kinda dead... It did wonders... Kinda like therapy."
"Dead people don't just come back to life..." said Nichole.
Of course, I still don't know how Ben did it… she thought.
"Really?" asked Giese. "Then explain the Dark Signers. They were dead, hon. Their backs were broken, and their hearts had stopped beating. You can't get deader than that. But the Crimson Dragon gave them their lives back.
"It's not the only entity in the cosmos that can do that, y'know. I can't spill the beans entirely, but let's just say a bunch of... really powerful guys used a spell of some sort, and poof! I'm back among the living."
"Why did they bring you back?" asked Nichole. "Why not some really good duelist like Cobra? That guy you were working for?"
"Because Cobra never worked with these guys," replied Giese. "I did. They're the ones I had bought all my spirit-hunting equipment from.
"What, did you really think I invented all that junk myself? Nah, I went to folks who were experts in the matter. And now, they helped me again...
"So I owe them...
"I set one card and end my turn..."
A reversed card appeared behind Hell Gundog.
"Draw…" said Nichole.
She made a draw.
"I summon Amazoness Sage!" she shouted.
Sage appeared, waving her quarterstaff. (1,400 ATK) –) (1,600 ATK)
"Go, Trap Hole!" shouted Giese, as his facedown card lifted up.
Sage paused. Then a pit trap opened under her feet, and she shrieked as she plummeted into it.
"I was hoping you'd do that…" said Nichole. "I use the other effect of Amazoness Village!"
"HUH?" said Giese. "It has another effect?"
"You got it!" replied Nichole. "Once per round, when an Amazon is destroyed, I get to Special Summon another low-Level Amazon from my deck."
Amazoness Paladin appeared in a flash of light. (1,700 ATK) –) (2,000 ATK)
"And now that you're out of Traps for the moment… Paladin, eviscerate that Hell Gundog!"
Paladin leapt at the demented Beast, and with one swipe of her blade, cut it in half down the middle. Giese cringed as the shock cuffs he was wearing reacted.
"Oh yeah?" he shouted. "I use Hell Gundog's effect! When it goes down, I get to Special Summon another one from my deck!"
A second Hell Gundog appeared, sitting on its hindquarters. (500 DEF)
Then Giese noticed that Nichole had activated a Trap Card.
"Queen's Pawn?" he asked.
Then Amazoness Tiger bounded onto the field. (1,100 ATK) –) (2,100 ATK)
"You like dogs?" asked Nichole. "I'm a cat-person myself…"
The tigress pounced on the second Hell Gundog, tearing it to pieces.
"Not bad…" said Giese, "but I have three of them in my deck…"
A third Hell Gundog appeared. (500 DEF)
"I end my turn," said Nichole.
(N: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 7,000)
Giese made a draw.
This isn't gonna be nice… he thought. It's not like I got something to threaten her with like I did when I dueled that kid… But… No pain, no gain, I always say.
He set a card, and a reversed Monster appeared next to Hell Gundog.
"Move," he said.
Nichole made a draw.
"Come on out, Amazoness Chain Master!" she shouted.
Again, another of the Warrior women appeared. This one wore a white fur bikini top and breechcloth, along with fur boots. She had platinum blonde hair worn loose, and carried a long spiked chain. (1,500 ATK) –) (1,700 ATK)
She looked at Giese with a look of absolute fury.
"Eh... Why is she so angry?" said Giese, nervously.
"Uh, Giese..." said Nichole. "In case you didn't notice, Amazoness Trainee, one of the two Amazons you're holding hostage right now, uses a chain as a weapon. Who do you think is training her?"
Giese looked at Trainee and then at Chain Master.
"Oh..." he said.
Paladin rose to an Attack Score of 2,100, while Tiger rose to 2,500.
"Ladies, let's clean up," said Nichole. "Chain Master, the last Gundog!"
Chain Master twirled her chain over her head, and hurled it at the Beast. It roared, and shattered into pixels.
"Paladin, the other Monster!"
Paladin lifted her sword, and Nichole was frankly surprised when she saw the Monster that appeared, It looked like a little, white mouse, wearing a collar that held a gold lock and key, with another key on its tail.
Paladin's sword fell, and it was blown to shards.
Somehow, Giese didn't strike me as the cute Monsters type, thought Nichole.
"Tiger, attack him directly!" she shouted.
"Wait…" said Giese.
Tiger didn't wait. She roared, and tackled the Spirit Hunter. Giese screamed as he was shocked by the cuffs he was wearing.
(N: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 4,500)
"You like playing in Hell now?" asked Nichole.
Giese got up, with sweat pouring down his face.
He drew a card. He grinned an evil grin.
"Oh, I love it…" he said. "In fact…
"Mike! Increase the devices to max power!"
"HUH?" said Nichole.
"Mr. Hunt, please!" said Mike. "Someone might die!"
"You'd better hope she does," said Giese. "It's the only way you'll ever stay out of jail now."
"Mike…" said Nichole. "You have a choice, you know…"
Mike nervously took a remote out of his pocket and looked at it.
"I know…" said Mike. "And I don't want to go to jail…"
He turned a dial on the device. Nichole felt a tingling and a hum as the settings on the devices she was wired to were changed – and not in a good way.
"You're crazy…" she said, pointing to Giese.
"Everyone is in my business…" said Giese. "On with the duel!
"I play my Foolish Burial Spell Card!"
He quickly played the Spell. Then he took a card from his deck, looked at it, and discarded it.
"You say you're a cat-person?" asked Giese. "Well, I have nothing against cats… In fact, I have one myself… Meet Lock Cat!"
He played a card, and a sassy-looking white cat with a golden lock on its collar appeared in front of him. (1,200 ATK)
"By Normal Summoning it, I get to Special Summon a Beast-Type Monster from my Graveyard in Defense Mode. I think I'll bring back my Key Mouse."
The cute-looking mouse that Paladin had destroyed last turn appeared next to Lock Cat. (100 DEF)
"And there's more," said Giese. "Because I now have two Beast-Type Monsters on the field, I can bring Chain Dog back from the Graveyard."
A much friendlier-looking dog than Hell Gundog appeared next to Key Mouse and Lock Cat. It was a beagle with a collar and a waistcoat made of golden chains, with a lock and a key on the front. (1,600 ATK)
"Now for my first big surprise," he said. "Because Key Mouse is a Tuner, I can Tune it with Lock Cat and Chain Dog…"
The three Beasts flew into the sky above Amazoness Village. All three of them turned into eight glowing stars, and the Spirit Hunter started to chant.
"Primal rage focused in the heart of one powerful beast. Beat with a pulse of absolute fury and bring destruction to all in your path!"
(*1 + *3 + *4 = *8)
"Synchro Summon… Garnecia Earthshaker!"
There was a loud trumpeting, and a huge humanoid creature appeared on Giese's side of the field with a crash. It had a hulking, muscular body with stout limbs, dressed in a kilt and collar with orange streamers as frills. Its head resembled that of an elephant more than anything. (2,200 ATK)
"Wait a minute," shouted Nichole. "That's Garnecia Elefantis!"
"It used to be Garnecia Elefantis," replied Giese. "A Level 7 Normal Monster that fell out of use a long time ago. Now it's a far more powerful Synchro Monster called Garnecia Earthshaker.
"But before I show you what it can do, I'm going to give it a special Equip Spell…"
He fit a card into his Disk.
"By paying 1,000 of my Life Points, I can Equip Garnecia here with the Wings of Decarabia."
Huge, black feathered wings sprouted from Garnecia Earthshaker's back.
"I'm not sure just who Decarabia is," he continued, "but when I Equip this card, I name one Type of Monster… And my Garnecia gains 1,000 Attack Points when battling that Type of Monster."
"Oh, is that so?" asked Nichole. "Well, your Garnecia can't come near my Warrior Amazons until my Tiger is gone, and she's a Beast."
Giese laughed out loud.
"Fine… It'll attack her then!" he laughed. "Garnecia Earthshaker, attack Amazoness Tiger!"
The huge pachyderm charged, causing the floor to tremble. Nichole thought he was nuts… Until Amazoness Tiger sat in Defense Mode. (1,500 DEF)
"My Garnecia has an effect of its own," said Giese. "When it makes an attack, I get to choose what Mode the target is in!"
Garnecia Earthshaker brought its foot down, and squashed Tiger flat. Then the cuffs Nichole was wearing reacted, and she felt like she was being stabbed by electric knives. She screamed.
"Did I mention that my Monster also has a trampling effect?" asked Giese.
Nichole panted for breath.
"I use…" she gasped. "I use the effect… Of Amazoness Village…"
Amazoness Fighter appeared in front of her. (1,500 ATK) –) (1,700 ATK)
"I end my turn," said Giese, with a chuckle.
(N: 6,300) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 3,500)
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Pain… That's what Nichole felt…
Of course, it wasn't like pain was new to her… Or like she hadn't expected it… So many people had tried to tell her, several times, that life was pain…
One time when she was ten, she almost learned that lesson the hard way, and someone broke the news to her, so to speak.
Her brother had told her to stay home, but she had been curious. She followed him, staying out of sight, into an old condemned factory in Riverdale.
And as she watched, hidden behind two garbage cans, three young toughs, whom she later learned were members of the Lords of Hell, a gang that was one of the Blue Serpent's many rivals, jumped him.
Two of the Lords held him by each arm, while the third, who was armed with a pipe, confronted him.
"All right, tough guy," he said, "what's the deal? You think you can just sneak around here without us knowing?"
Marc didn't answer. He just glared at the thug.
"You know what I'm gonna do to you if you don't start spilling your guts?" shouted the thug.
"You gonna clock me across the face with that pipe?" asked Marc.
The thug looked at him. Then he did just that. Blood flew from Marc's nose where he was hit.
"It was a rhetorical question, wise guy!" shouted the thug.
Nichole couldn't keep quiet any more.
"Big brother!" she screamed.
Everyone froze, including Marc. The Lord released Marc.
"What's this?" said the Lord. "A little mouse?"
"NICHOLE!" screamed Marc. "Run for…"
Before Marc could finish, a wrench flew from out of nowhere, hitting the leader of the Lords in the back of the head.
He was hurt, but not out – yet. Then five other young toughs charged into the room, armed with chains and baseball bats. They were all sporting the colors of the Blue Serpents.
Nichole quickly figured it out. This had been a set-up to lay a trap for three leaders of the Lords of Hell.
Marc was thrown aside, and a fight started, but it was over quickly. The five Blue Serpents made short work of the three members of the rival gang, as Nichole shivered in fear behind the garbage cans.
Finally, one member of the Serpents helped Marc up.
"You okay, bro?" he asked with a chuckle. "Sorry you had to be the bait… Heh…"
Marc ran over to Nichole.
"Nichole…" he said, taking her in his arms. "I'm so sorry you had to see that… Please… Next time I tell you to stay home, stay home!"
"Hey, cut your little sis some slack, Marc," said another member of the Serpents. "She's gonna have to learn how this works eventually."
Marc sighed…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Nichole made a draw. Then she looked at the three cards in her hand: The Warrior Returning Alive, Staunch Defender, and Amazoness Willpower.
I can get Sage back from the Graveyard, she thought. Then I could use Willpower next turn to summon Tiger back with a full 3,100 Attack Points!
Trouble is, he'd just change her to Defense Mode again…
She looked at her three Monsters.
With that Earthshaker's effect, it won't matter what mode my Monsters are in, but if he summons another one…
She turned two cards on her Disk, and Chain Master and Paladin knelt in Defense Mode. (1,300 DEF) (300 DEF) Then she set a card, and a facedown Monster appeared.
Giese made a draw.
He looked at the card. The Spell Card, Dark Auction.
Lessee here, he thought.
He looked at the captive Swords Woman and Trainee.
If I used this, I could deal damage to her equal to the Attack Score of one of those dames… The downside is, I'd have to let her go to do it. That may not be the best idea…
He picked another card from his hand.
"Alright…" he said. "I'm playing Card Destruction. I'm sure I don't have to explain this one."
The Spell Card appeared, and he discarded three cards while Nichole discarded two. Nichole's eyes narrowed as she watched Giese discard his.
That Spell Card he just got rid of… she thought. Could it be?
She made two draws, while her opponent made three.
"Much better!" laughed Giese. "First off, I'm gettin' rid of this Field Spell. I play Mystical Space Typhoon!"
He held up the card, and a tornado of energy tore through the field. Amazoness Village was torn apart, and the dark nightclub returned.
"Next," he said, as he played another Spell Card, "Shield Crush!"
A bolt of energy shot at Chain Master, blowing her to shards.
"Now I play… The Equip Spell, Mage Power!"
He played the card, and Garnecia Earthshaker glowed with unholy energy.
"Thanks to this card, your two Amazons, and the Wings of Decarabia, my Monster gains 2,000 more Attack Points."
(4,200 ATK)
"Okay… Garnecia Earthshaker, attack Paladin!"
The huge Beast trumpeted, and its Attack Score rose to 5,200. It charged forward…
"Go, Staunch Defender!" shouted Nichole, as her facedown card shot up. "Fighter, defend Paladin!"
Fighter rushed into the path of the charging beast, and was crushed by it.
"And due to Fighter's effect, I take no damage at all," she said, wiping her brow.
"Lucky," chuckled Giese.
"Go to Hell…" groaned Nichole.
"Go to Hell?" asked Giese. "Oh, I've been there. It's not as bad as people say, actually..."
Nichole didn't answer for about half a minute.
Then she looked at Giese with a look that gave even him pause.
"You are going down, you bastard…" she said. "And you're going down hard.
"It's my move…"
She drew a card.
"I play… Double Spell," she said, as a Spell Card appeared in front of her. "For the cost of one other Spell Card…"
She discarded Scapegoat from her hand.
"…I can use one in your Graveyard."
A Spell Card floated out of Giese's Duel Disk, and then flew to Nichole's hand.
"Oh crap…" said Giese.
Nichole threw the card into her Disk, and Giant Trunade appeared in front of her. Mage Power and the Wings of Decarabia were blown off the field, and then both Swords Woman and Trainee broke free from the nets holding them. They flew back to Nichole, changing into cards in mid-flight, and she quickly caught them.
"At first I was puzzled as to why you had that card..." said Nichole. "But then it hit me... You profess to be an expert on Traps... So naturally, you're wise enough to be afraid of how powerful they are. You use them so much, you dread what would happen if someone sprung a lethal Trap on you. So it makes sense that your deck has some defense against them."
Giese only growled at this. Nichole responded by playing a card, and Swords Woman materialized on the field next to Fighter. She looked at Giese with an expression of pure hate. (1,500 ATK)
"Because I have at least one Amazoness on the field," continued Nichole, "I'm allowed to Special Summon Amazoness Shield Maiden from my hand."
Another Amazon, this one around the age of Trainee, with red hair tied in pigtails, dressed in a bikini top and breechcloth made of leopard skin, appeared next to the other two Amazons. She held a decorated painted wooden shield that was just as tall as she was, and knelt behind it. (1,600 DEF)
"Make your move…"
Giese angrily drew a card.
He quickly played it, and Supremacy Berry appeared in front of him. He glowed with energy.
"I got 2,000 Life Points from that," he said, "and I'm payin' 1,000 of em to use Wings of Decarabia again."
He played it, and the black feathered wings appeared on Garnecia Earthshaker's back again.
"I'm naming Warriors again. And you didn't fool me, Shadowchaser! You summoned Swords Woman to draw attention away from that Shield Maiden! She's more important for some reason!"
Then he played Mage Power again, and it rose to an Attack Score of 3,200.
"And don't forget… When Garnecia attacks her, it can switch her to Attack Mode…"
Garnecia Earthshaker charged at Shield Maiden, its Attack Score rising to 4,200. Shield Maiden stood up… (1,000 ATK)
Garnecia tried to crush Shield Maiden with its fist, but she blocked with her shield. The shield was blown to pieces, but Shield Maiden was still standing.
"Huh?" said Giese.
"Shield Maiden can survive one battle per turn," said Nichole.
"Yeah, well…" said Giese, with a grin. "You still take damage."
However, Nichole only glared at him coldly as the shock cuffs reacted.
(N: 3,100) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 4,500)
Now Giese was unable to hide it. A sense of terror was slowly overcoming him…
"D… Didn't that hurt?" he stammered.
"It was excruciating…" replied Nichole. "But I'm not giving you the satisfaction any more…
"My move…"
She drew a card.
"You were right, by the way… Shield Maiden was more important… She's a Tuner. But because I Special Summoned her using her effect, I wasn't allowed to Synchro Summon during the same turn.
"Here's someone else who's eager to see you…"
Amazoness Trainee appeared with the other Amazons. (1,500 ATK)
"Now, I Tune together Shield Maiden with Amazoness Paladin…"
The two Amazons leapt into the air, and faded into auras of glowing light…
"Champion of Themyscira with a powerful weapon! Use your celestial powers to bless your enchanted sword with the powers of the Ancients!"
(*3 + *4 = *7)
"Synchro Summon… Amazoness Hexblade!"
Landing on the field was a powerful and very different-looking female Warrior. She was, unlike her fellow Amazons, wearing actual armor that seemed to be in the style of the Bronze Age; primitive, but not as much so as the tribal garb of the others. Most remarkably, she held a longsword decorated with runes with a hilt encrusted with gems. She had flowing red hair down to her waist. (2,400 ATK)
"Oh, I'm so scared," said Giese, trying to sound more confident than he was. "Did you forget? Not only is my Monster stronger, it gains 1,000 Attack Points when it battles a Warrior Monster. Red Sonja over there still can't beat it."
"Want to know what her effect is?" asked Nichole.
Amazoness Hexblade ran her hand along the length of her sword, and magical sigils encircled the blade.
"Her effect is the effect of any Monster on the field that I choose. And I choose your Garnecia Earthshaker!"
"But that means…" said Giese, turning pale.
"That's right," said Nichole. "She can switch it to Defense Mode when she attacks. Earthshaker gains 1,000 Defense Points from Mage Power, but none from the Wings of Decarabia.
"But before Hexblade does anything…
"Swords Woman… You attack it."
Swords Woman rushed at the huge pachyderm.
"And because the damage from this battle is taken by you, that Equip Spell is going to be a liability!"
Garnecia Earthshaker's Attack Score rose to 4,200. It threw a punch, smashing Swords Woman into pixels.
But not her sword. It was sent spinning towards Giese, and he shouted in pain when it hit him. Then he screamed even louder when the devices shocked him.
"Amazoness Hexblade," ordered Nichole, "take down that oversized lummox!"
Hexblade rushed at the huge Beast, and true to what she said, it knelt and shielded itself in Defense Mode. (1,800 DEF) Hexblade's sword fell, and the huge Monster exploded in a mighty blast.
Then Giese screamed again as the devices started to flash.
"Hexblade got all of its effects," said Nichole. "Trampling effect included.
"Trainee… Finish him off!"
Amazoness Trainee rushed at Giese, twirling her grapple above her head. She made a leap, and threw it downward. The Spirit Hunter made one final scream as the shock cuffs started to sizzle and smoke…
(N: 3,100) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 0)
He fell flat on his back.
Nichole felt herself. She had won, and by a comfortable margin. It had been more painful than it had been hard.
She walked up to him.
The look frozen on his face wasn't pain… It was fear. Incredible horror. And she knew that she wasn't that intimidating.
He was dead… Again, it seemed… But the shock cuffs weren't what killed him…
Her train of thought was broken as she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Mike was making a run for the back door.
She grabbed the Marvelous Rod of Bigby off her belt, pointed it at him, and touched three sigils. Before he made it to the door, a Bigby's Grasping Hand grabbed him.
Nichole knelt down beside Giese's body and lifted something off of his neck.
It was another of those weird pendants…
She shivered.
Divine magic that can raise the dead… she thought. Not even Donny Lewison can do that… No living follower of St. Cuthbert can…
Who the devil are we up against?
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
LURE PHANTOM (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 1
ATK: 0
DEF: 0
Card Description: When an opposing Monster attacks when you control this face-up card, you can return this card and the attacking Monster to their owners' hands.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
HELL GUNDOG (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Beast/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 5
ATK: 1,000
DEF: 500
Card Description: When this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent, your opponent discards 1 card at random from his hand. When this card is destroyed, you may Special Summon 1 "Hell Gundog" from your hand or deck.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
HUNTING NET (Trap Card)
Counter Trap
Image: A net being propelled forward by rockets.
Card Description: Activate when an opponent's Monster would be returned to his hand. Place that Monster in your Spell/Trap Zone instead as a Continuous Spell Card, and put 1 "Prey Counter" on it.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DECOY BABY (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A group of ducks gathered around a duck decoy.
Card Description: Select 1 opposing Monster that is the same Type as a Monster in your Spell/Trap Zone with a "Prey Counter". Place the selected Monster in your Spell/Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell Card, and put 1 "Prey Counter" on it.
Note: The preceding four cards were first used by Giese in the two-part "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Trapper Keeper". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
BLASTING VEIN (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A Duel Monsters card in the middle of a fire.
Card Description: Destroy 1 facedown Spell or Trap Card you control. Draw 2 cards.
Note: "Blasting Vein" was first used by O'Brien in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Hanging With Axel (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
AMAZONESS SHIELD MAIDEN (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Warrior/Tuner/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK: 1,000
DEF: 1,600
Card Description: If you control at least 1 "Amazoness" Monster, except an "Amazoness Shield Maiden", you may Special Summon this card from your hand. You may not Synchro Summon on the turn this card is Special Summoned by this effect. Once per turn, this card is not destroyed by battle.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
AMAZONESS HEXBLADE (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Warrior/Synchro/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 7
ATK: 2,300
DEF: 1,200
Card Description: Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner "Amazoness" Monsters
When this card is Synchro Summoned, select 1 other face-up Effect Monster on the field. This card gains the effect(s) of the selected Monster for as long as this card is face-up on the field.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
GARNECIA EARTHSHAKER (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Beast/Synchro/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 8
ATK: 2,200
DEF: 800
Card Description: Tuner + 1 or more Beast-Type non-Tuner Monsters
When this card attacks a face-up Monster, you may switch the attack target's Battle Position. During battle between this attacking card and a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of this card, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DARK FORGE – WINGS OF DECARABIA (Spell Card)
Equip Spell
Image: A ferocious Thunder Unicorn with large, feathered wings, galloping through raging flames.
Card Description: Equip only to a Beast, Beast-Warrior or Winged Beast-Type Monster that is Level 5 or higher. Pay 1,000 Life Points to Equip this card. When this card is activated, select one Type of Monster. The Equipped Monster gains 1,000 Attack Points when battling the selected Type. You can only control 1 "Dark Forge" card.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Next:
Dugan: Whoever Ben is, he seems to have an enemy out there who wants him dead. Very few Shadows in history have ever had the guts to invade the headquarters of a team of Shadowchasers… I'm face to face with one who has, but he seems gutless… And he also lacks a heart, lungs, or any other interior organs. Still, he seems dead set on getting past me to get to Ben.
I can't allow that… I have to defeat him at all costs…
"The Professional; An Unlikely Assassin" is coming soon.