I thought I'd post this a day early, because I had to explain some things. I'm a very nice guy, and it takes a LOT to make me angry. But something recently did. A writer was publishing a Shadowchasers fic without my permission. I didn't report him, but I made him delete the fic, and he will not write any Shadowchasers fics again.
I have mentioned the Guidelines several times, so let me explain it once more. If you want to write a Shadowchasers fic, you must ask me to send you the guidelines via e-mail, you must read them thoroughly, you must agree to them all, and I must approve of your story. Otherwise, using my setting is plagiarism.
You may argue that fanfiction cannot be written without committing plagiarism, but this is very different. I must insist on these conditions before a Shadowchasers fic is written.
On a separate note, you may have noticed that some of my older fics are gone. I did some housecleaning, and got rid of the ones I am not proud of. I was young and not very knowledgeable of the game or the anime when I wrote those fics, and it was time I got rid of them.
Anyway... on with the fic.
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DUEL ELEVEN
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Dramatic Rescue
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With one thing and another, the night passed, and the sun slowly rose over Neo Domino. It looked like it was going to be a good day.
To Msskim, who had been watching the townhouse all night, he doubted that his day was going to be very good. He was still depressed.
He was watching the place from a safe distance, dressed in a long trenchcoat and fedora to ensure that even an Aware human wouldn't recognize him as an ophidia. If the Tops' security force came by, he'd pull a quick vanishing act. He was big for an ophidia, but he was still good at stealth, as all members of his race were.
And if he truly needed to dispatch someone, he had a tool to do so that wouldn't leave any evidence or witness. An old fashioned sake bottle was tied to his belt, but it had no sake in it. It was a magical device that he was supposed to use if he got into trouble.
Still, he couldn't shake the depression that had been with him since yesterday, when the female ophidia he had a crush on rejected him.
If ophidia society had any redeeming features, one of them was that they had no "glass ceiling" in their culture. They worshipped a female deity, after all, so there was thus no discrimination between genders, and there were no traditional male or female roles. Genders among the ophidia had always been equal. So when a female said "no", that was pretty much the final word, and the male would be foolish to press the matter further.
A female had said "no" to him, and he was feeling as down about it as human would…
He needed something to cheer himself up, because watching this place was not getting his mind off of it. It was rather boring, actually.
He looked around. He wondered if he could get away with grabbing some passerby without anyone noticing it. It wouldn't be easy to do… After all, street crime was very hard to conceal in a neighborhood this upscale.
Then he heard someone cheerfully humming to herself, and saw a lovely female fey creature with delicate features walk down the street towards the townhouse. It was Mistle, of course…
…and Msskim could not believe his luck.
Ophidia thought of humans as enemies, and as prey. It was part of their tradition. But if a human were given a choice between regular steak and filet mignon, which would he prefer?
In way, that was how ophidia compared fey to humans. They considered the flesh of fey to be far more tender and sweet, a delicacy when they could get it, which was almost never, as fey lands were always protected by powerful magic that kept more brutal races out.
For Msskim, this was too much of a temptation to resist.
He quickly threw off the overcoat and fedora, and blocked Mistle's path. The nymph stepped back in terror at the sight of the hulking ophidia.
"Tell you what…" said Msskim.
He lifted his Duel Disk.
"I can give you a sporting chance… Or you can try to run…"
Mistle gulped…
Her hand shook as she lifted her own Duel Disk, and it activated.
Msskim chuckled.
"You really should have tried to run…" he said.
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Ten minutes later, Jinx was exiting the townhouse, dressed in her jogging leotard and headband, with a water bottle clipped to her belt. Naturally, this was because she was about to take her morning constitutional. She didn't expect trouble – after all, this was the Tops, the most upscale part of town. It would be pretty hard for any trouble to get in.
She was proven wrong as she opened the door, and heard a scream.
"Mistle?" she said.
She looked out the door.
Then she grabbed her Duel Disk, and rushed out the door towards where Mistle was struggling against Msskim.
Jinx was halfway down the street as the duel ended, with Mistle's Queen of Thorns being consumed in a blast of burning flame. Mistle screamed again, took two steps backwards, and fell over.
"Heh…" chuckled Msskim.
He took the sake bottle off his belt.
"That was incredibly easy…"
He undid the stopper, and Mistle turned into a cloud of vapor, and was drawn inside the bottle. Msskim fastened the stopper back on.
"Now to…" he started.
"HEY, YOU!" shouted Jinx.
Msskim turned and saw Jinx. He frowned.
"Want to try that on someone your own size?" she said with a snarl.
Msskim frowned again. He realized now he had been sloppy. He had let one of those Shadowchasers see him. After Taramanda had warned him about this…
He couldn't leave any witnesses now… But… He figured this could work out to his advantage. He had the nymph… But if he could capture Jinx, he'd have an offering for the Empress as well. And that might make up for going against orders.
He grinned at Jinx.
"That certainly wouldn't be you, Shadowchaser!" he laughed.
"Uhm…" said Jinx, looking at the muscular ophidia, who was clearly bigger than her size.
"So I'm not, but I think you'd better let Mistle go, or I'll…"
"Not my style…" said Msskim, as his Disk reshuffled his deck. "But I am willing to make a little wager…"
He placed the bottle back on his belt.
"There's room for two in there…"
Jinx fidgeted a bit, but she was far braver than Mistle was. She activated her Disk and stood to face the huge snake.
"Duel!" they both shouted.
(Jinx: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Msskim: 8,000)
"Draw…" said Jinx, making a draw.
"I'll summon X-Saber Airbellum…"
She played a card, and the bestial, clawed X-Saber appeared with a snarl. (1,600 ATK)
"…and I'll leave it at that…"
"Your Beast is pretty fierce," said Msskim, making a draw.
"But this guy is even fiercer. I summon Archfiend Soldier!"
In a cloud of black smoke and soot, a horned demon with purple skin, armor, a green cloak, and a longsword, appeared in front of Msskim. (1,900 ATK)
"Attack!" ordered Msskim.
Archfiend Soldier growled, and gripped its sword in both hands. It made a straight cut at Airbellum, and the X-Saber shattered.
Msskim fit a card into his Disk, and a facedown card appeared in a flash of light.
"Your move…" he said. "Just try to get past him…"
(J: 7,700) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 8,000)
"I can sure try," said Jinx, as she made a draw.
"I summon X-Saber Galahad!"
With another burst of energy, Galahad appeared in front of her. (1,800 ATK)
"Get that Archfiend!" she shouted. "Soul spear!"
Galahad charged at the Fiend, and his Attack Score rose to 2,100. He jabbed the demon through the chest, and it dropped its sword before shattering.
"An eye for an eye, snake," she said, fitting a card into her Disk. "I'll set a card facedown, and end my turn."
(J: 7,700) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 7,800)
"Then I draw!" exclaimed Msskim, making a draw.
"First thing I'm gonna do," he said, "is play the Trade-In Spell Card. I just have to ditch a Level 8 Monster…"
He discarded one of his cards.
"…and I get to make two draws…"
He drew two times. He looked at the two cards.
"And I reveal my facedown… The Birthright Trap Card!"
His facedown card lifted, and glowed with energy.
"This lets me bring a Monster back from my Graveyard, so long as it's a Normal Monster. So I'm bringing Archfiend Soldier back."
Archfiend Soldier appeared again. (1,900 ATK)
"Get that X-Saber!" he shouted. "Sword of perdition!"
Archfiend Soldier flew at Galahad. Galahad's Attack Score fell to 1,300.
"Surprise," said Jinx, as her facedown card lifted up. "I have a Trap too. It's called One Seriousness, and it Equips to Galahad like an Equip Spell, giving him 800 more Attack Points."
Galahad's spear was replaced by a large, nasty sword, and his Attack Score rose to 2,100. He made a slash, and Archfiend Soldier was thrown backwards. It was blown to bits.
"Ergh…" said Msskim. "That wasn't supposed to happen…"
"And when a Monster destroys a Monster while Equipped with One Seriousness," continued Jinx, "I get to draw one card."
She made a draw, as Galahad's Attack Score rose to 2,600. She looked at it, and then looked at the sake bottle.
Hang on, Mistle, she thought.
Msskim took a card from his hand, and set it on his Disk. A reversed Monster appeared.
"Mmm!" he said.
(J: 7,700) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 7,600)
Jinx drew another card.
"I summon Enraged Battle Ox!" she shouted.
With a roar, the axe-wielding minotaur appeared. (1,700/1,000)
"Uh…" said Msskim, "that's the guy who gives all Beasts and Beast-Warriors a trampling effect, right?"
"You got it!" exclaimed Jinx. "Go! Get his Monster! Axe crash!"
Enraged Battle Ox leapt at the facedown Monster. A small owl appeared on the card, and was smashed to pieces.
"Ergh!" groaned Msskim. "I activate… An Owl of Luck's Flip-Effect…"
A card slipped out of his deck.
"I get to take a Field Spell from my deck, and place it on top…"
He slipped the card on the top of his deck.
"It won't save you from this," said Jinx. "Galahad, attack directly!"
Galahad leapt at the ophidia, and struck him hard with the sword, knocking him down.
(J: 7,700) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 3,800)
Lovely... thought Msskim. An unescorted princess walks by alone, I take her out… You'd expect a Prince Charming to show up on a white horse, but no, I end up fending off blows from Joan of Arc… This is just not my day…
But I'll have the last laugh…
He stood up.
"It's my move!" he exclaimed, making a draw.
The Field Slot on his Disk opened, and he slid the card into it.
"I play… Pandemonium!"
The sky darkened, and lightning flashed. The street turned into a red, ribbed surface, and a boiling pool of lava formed between the two duelists. Sinister-looking stone arches rose around the two of them, with glaring, demonic faces carved into them.
"Intimidating, isn't it?" asked Msskim, as he played another card. "Well, it's just going to get worse from here. I summon Warrior of Zera."
In a burst of energy, a Warrior appeared in front of him. He was muscular, and wore a green breastplate, gloves, and horned helmet, along with blue trousers. He held a sword with a hilt shaped like a demon's head. (1,600 ATK)
"Warrior of Zera is unique among your kind," he continued, "in that two separate destinies are written for him. One, a future of light and goodness… The other, darkness and unspeakable evil…"
"Given the backdrop," said Jinx, "I can tell which one he's heading towards…"
"That's right," said Msskim. "I sacrifice him…"
Warrior of Zera erupted into a bonfire of black flames. A low growl echoed over the field, followed by a plume of black, fiery smoke. Jinx stepped back as a hulking creature started to take shape.
Out of the smoke, a hideous demon appeared. It looked like a diabolically corrupted version of the Warrior that Msskim had just sacrificed. Its head still resembled Warrior of Zera's helmet, but was now bony plating with real horns. The green gloves were now wicked, green claws that were a foot long. It still had blue trousers, now over goat-like, muscular legs and a huge tail. Its torso was scaly and muscular, and it had a pair of demonic wings.
Jinx shivered in fright as Mazera DeVille roared in pure bloodlust… (2,800 ATK)
"Don't let his good looks fool you," chuckled Msskim.
The demon flicked its claw forward, and threw three bolts of fire at Jinx. They hit three of the five cards in her hand, burning them to ashes.
"HEY!" shouted Jinx.
"When Mazera is summoned," continued Msskim, "it destroys three cards in your hand. Be grateful that it can only do it once.
"Now, let's continue… Mazera DeVille, destroy X-Saber Galahad with hellfire blast!"
The Fiend formed a ball of burning fire in its claws, and hurled it at the X-Saber. Galahad screamed as he was burned alive.
Then his armor and sword fell to the ground, scotched and smoking.
(J: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 3,800)
"I'm finished," said Msskim, with a grin.
I'm starting to see why Mistle panicked, thought Jinx. This snake is packing some pretty heavy artillery…
Mazera DeVille isn't exactly the most common card...
She looked at the two cards she had left, and then made a draw.
"I set a Monster in Defense Mode," she said, as a reversed Monster appeared.
"Then I move Enraged Battle Ox to Defense Mode."
The Beast-Warrior knelt and held its axe in its lap. (1,000 DEF)
"It's your move…" she said.
Msskim drew a card.
"I summon Archfiend General!" he exclaimed.
The Fiend that appeared looked very much like a Fiend, gargoyle-like and muscular, with skin that looked like exterior muscles, covered with a bony framework. It had iron gauntlets and boots, a black cape, and large wings. It held a black, iron sword. (2,100 ATK)
"Smash that Ox!" he shouted.
Archfiend General growled, and made a swipe with its blade, blowing Enraged Battle Ox to shards.
"DeVille, destroy her last Monster!"
Mazera DeVille fired its burst of hellfire, and a large mantis wearing a scarlet cape appeared on the card. It shrieked before it was burned to a cinder.
"Thank you…" said Jinx, with a grin. "Since you destroyed XX-Saber Emmersblade, I can Special Summon a low-Level X-Saber from my deck… Like X-Saber Passiul!"
In a flash, the X-Saber in blue armor with a large sword appeared in front of her. (100 ATK)
"That's a Tuner!" exclaimed Msskim.
Then he calmed down.
Don't loose your nerve… he thought. The only Synchro she has that can beat DeVille is Gatmuz, and she needs nine Levels worth of Monsters to summon him. The odds of her being able to summon exactly seven Levels on her turn is pretty unlikely…
"I end my turn…"
Jinx paused.
She made a draw.
"I summon… XX-Saber Garsem!" she shouted.
In another burst of energy, a new Beast appeared. He wore chain mail armor, had a scarlet cape, and had the head of an antelope-like mammal, complete with antlers. He held two swords, which looked like they were made out of the antlers of a similar animal. (1,400 ATK)
"Oh, please," chuckled Msskim. "I'd be a sorry excuse for a snake if I were afraid of an herbivore."
"Elephants are herbivores too," replied Jinx. "Bet you'd be scared if an angry one were charging at you."
"Touché," said Msskim, "but an antelope is a far cry from one."
"He's not an antelope," said Jinx, sounding annoyed. "He's a gazelle. And he gains 200 Attack Points for each X-Saber on the field."
(1,800 ATK)
"Big deal," said Msskim. "It's still not strong enough to beat DeVille."
"He may be too weak to beat your Fiend," replied Jinx, "but I can Tune him with Passiul to summon someone who can…"
Passiul and Garsem faded into six glowing stars. They flew into the sky, and Jinx started to chant…
"The Code of the Samurai reborn in the body of a powerful warrior! Spirits of the land endowing strength to his mighty blade! Clustering stars bring tradition to the modern era…"
A Warrior started to materialize…
"Synchro Summon… XX-Saber Hyunlei!"
A swordsman leapt onto the field, who appeared to be a Samurai who had updated his armor for a more modern look. It consisted of a blue suit with streamlined armor plating, and a visor over his eyes, along with a scarlet cape like the other XX-Sabers. He carried a katana blade that glowed with blue energy. (2,300 ATK)
"Still not strong enough!" laughed Msskim.
"Hyunlei has a special effect," replied Jinx. "When he's Synchro Summoned, I get to destroy up to three Spell or Trap Cards.
"So… Hyunlei, tear Pandemonium down!"
Hyunlei slashed his sword forward, and the sinister arches were blown to dust, and the blood-red sky was blown away. The Field vanished, returning them to the street.
Archfiend General howled. Then it fell to its knees, and shattered.
"Thought so," said Jinx. "That guy can't survive without the Field Spell."
"But Mazera can," replied Msskim. "And he's still stronger than your swordsman…"
"Not for long," said Jinx, fitting a Spell Card into her Disk. "I activate Shrink. This will cut that ugly thing down to size."
Mazera growled, as it was surrounded by an aura of red energy. (1,400 ATK)
"Hyunlei!" shouted Jinx. "Strike down Mazera DeVille with leaping dragon strike!"
Hyunlei took a running start, and leapt into the air, making a slash at the demon on the way down, and landing behind it. As he landed, Mazera DeVille collapsed, and then exploded in a fiery blast.
"Ergh…" muttered Msskim.
Hyunlei did a backflip, and landed back on Jinx's side.
"It's your move, snake," said Jinx. "And it seems I've crushed your best Monster."
(J: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 2,900)
"We'll see about that," said Msskim, making a draw.
"Heh, heh…"
He played a Spell Card.
"I play Advanced Ritual Art," he said. "I'll send eight Levels worth of Normal Monsters from my deck to the Graveyard…"
He took an Opticlops and a second Archfiend Soldier from his deck, and discarded them.
"…and in return, I get to Ritual Summon this creature…"
Another cloud of black smoke started to appear in front of him.
"Arise, Zera the Mant!"
The Monster that appeared was a demon that was just as hideous as Mazera DeVille. It was a hulking creature covered with a spiky, grey exoskeleton, with huge claws on its hands and feet. Its head was a cross between a skull and a demonic alligator, and its only article of clothing was a purple cape. (2,800 ATK)
"Zera the Mant??" gasped Jinx. "Wait… Wait a minute… That card… Only three copies of it were ever made… It's supposed to be the Blue-Eyes White Dragon of Ritual Monsters…"
"That's right," chuckled Msskim, "but I have one of them… Care to know how I got it? I got nowhere to go…"
"I'm all ears…" said Jinx.
She was starting to realize that her opponent was not a rank-and-file ophidia soldier. First Mazera DeVille, now this…
"You may have heard of Yugi Mouto's conflict with Marik Ishtar during Battle City," started Msskim. "Well, Marik's first strike against him used a brainwashed Bandit Keith as a weapon.
"Marik made Keith steal the Millennium Puzzle, and as a test, forced Yugi to duel for it, hoping to make Yugi's other self resurface.
"Marik wasn't going to make it easy for Yugi, and had given Keith a lot of powerful cards, including this one. Being the leader of the Rare Hunters, it was a simple matter.
"Now, both Yugi and Marik thought that no-one was witnessing the duel. They were wrong. An ophidia who had been using that abandoned warehouse as a temporary lair watched with curiosity from a nearby sewer grate.
"Eventually, the Evil Spirit of the Millennium Ring interfered, and broke Marik's control over Keith. Keith went nuts from the voices in his head, and started a fire in the place.
"Now, the ophidia watching thought it would be a shame if those priceless cards were incinerated, so while Yugi's two allies were busy saving him, he quickly snuck in, grabbed the cards, and quickly snuck out.
"He gave them to his clan leader, who eventually gave them to…"
Msskim caught himself there. He couldn't mention Taramanda's name…
"Uh, to another clan leader," he continued. "Eventually, I got this one."
He threw his last card on his Disk.
"But enough with old stories… I'm getting impatient. I haven't Normal Summoned yet, so I'm bringing out Gil Garth."
In another aura of shadowy energy, a new Fiend appeared. It looked more like an infernal machine than a true Fiend, a metal, armored humanoid, hunched over, covered with barbs and spikes, and holding a large scimitar. (1,800 ATK)
"Zera, destroy Hyunlei!" he shouted. "Demon dragon claw!"
Zera the Mant roared, and slashed at the XX-Saber with its wicked claw. Hyunlei fell backwards and was blasted into pieces.
Jinx braced herself as Gil Garth swooped down on her and its sword slammed into her with the force of a sledgehammer. She held her stomach.
"Ow…" she muttered.
(J: 4,800) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 2,900)
"My, move…" she muttered.
She drew a card.
She looked at the Trap Card. Then she looked at the card she already had.
This was going to take a lot of luck, but it might work.
She set both on her Disk, and a facedown card, and a facedown Monster appeared.
She nodded.
Msskim made a draw.
He quickly opened his Field Slot and played it. There was an explosion of energy, and Pandemonium rose again.
"And how is that going to help you?" asked Jinx. "Neither of your two Monsters benefit from this Field Spell."
"Maybe they do, maybe they don't," replied Msskim. "Pandemonium is the nerve center of Hell, after all, and there are ways it can benefit Fiends like you don't even realize.
"But for now..."
"Gil Garth, attack her Monster!"
Gil Garth made a slash with hit scimitar, and X-Saber Palomlo briefly appeared on the card before being cut down.
"Zera, attack her directly!"
Zera roared again, and this time Jinx actually screamed as the huge demon's claws cut into her. She fell down on her rump.
"Heh, heh," chuckled Msskim. "I gotta thank you, Shadowchaser… Up until now, I was feeling pretty depressed… But this was just what I needed to get my blood flowing!"
(J: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 2,900)
"Keep smiling like that…" said Jinx, getting up.
She sighed.
I'd better draw something good this turn, she thought, or I'm gonna be in big trouble… Not to mention Mistle…
She made a draw.
It was Pot of Avarice.
Well, that's halfway there…
She quickly played it, and retrieved X-Saber Passiul, XX-Saber Garsem, X-Saber Anabelera, X-Saber Urz, and Enraged Battle Ox from her discard pile. She added them to her deck, and the Disk reshuffled it.
She made two draws.
Then her facedown card lifted up.
"I activate Call of the Haunted!" she shouted.
In a flash of light, XX-Saber Hyunlei appeared again. (2,300 ATK)
"A fat lot of good he'll do you," said Msskim.
"Oh, really?" asked Jinx. "Well, maybe he'll do better when I give him an Equip Spell…"
She played a card.
"The Sword of Sparkles!"
Hyunlei's katana vanished, and he raised his hand. A new sword appeared in it, a broadsword with a wider blade, with the X-Saber insignia decorating the hilt. True to its name, it shimmered and sparkled in the morning light.
"So?" asked Msskim. "It didn't seem to increase his Attack Score by even one point."
"It doesn't need to," said Jinx. "Hyunlei, destroy Gil Garth!"
Hyunlei leapt at Gil Garth, and made a slash with the Sword of Sparkles, cleaving the Fiend down the middle. The infernal machine sparked and exploded.
"And when an X-Saber destroys a Monster with the Sword of Sparkles," continued Jinx, "he gets to destroy another card."
"Wait a minute…" said Msskim.
Hyunlei pointed the sword towards Zera the Mant, and a blast of energy shot towards the Fiend. It roared, and was blown to shards.
(J: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 2,400)
"So, what else have you got?" asked Jinx. "I can't wait to see what comes next."
"This isn't fun any more…" growled Msskim.
He drew a card.
"Look familiar?" he said, as he played it. "I have a Pot of Avarice too."
Mazera DeVille, Warrior of Zera, Archfiend Soldier, Zera the Mant, and Gil Garth fell out of his discard slot. He reshuffled his deck, and made two draws.
"I set a facedown," he said, "and then summon another Opticlops."
A facedown card appeared in a flash of light, and then an aura of darkness erupted from the spot in front of him. With a growl, a brutish, muscular ogre with one eye and a horn on its forehead appeared from out of the aura. (1,800 ATK)
"And I end my turn…"
He kept a straight face, but he grinned inwardly. The setup he had now had actually been his winning move when he forced Mistle to duel him.
If she attacks with that guy, he thought, all I'll have to do is activate my Hate Buster Trap Card. Her Monster will be destroyed…
Well, mine will be too, of course… But she'll take damage equal to her Monster's Attack Score…
And since Hyunlei has 2,300 Attack Points, this duel will be mine.
Jinx looked at him suspiciously. She made a draw, and looked at it.
"Sorry, snake," she said. "I'm not gonna fall for that…"
She set one of her two cards into her Disk.
"I'll set a facedown, and end my turn."
A facedown card flashed into existence behind Hyunlei.
Msskim frowned.
"Fine," she said. "I guess you're a great deal smarter than that nymph was…"
He made a draw.
"Here's where we get to the benefit this Field Spell can give any Fiend," he said. "At least low-Level ones. Do you remember back when I played Trade-In?"
"Uh..." said Jinx.
"The Level 8 Monster I discarded was someone called Imprisoned Queen Archfiend," continued Msskim.
As he said this, the phantom of a hideous-looking, vaguely female Archfiend appeared behind him. It looked similar to Infernalqueen Archfiend, but bigger and fiercer, and her wrists and ankles were bound by shackles.
"She was the Terrorking's original consort, before Infernalqueen came along. But she wasn't satisfied being a consort... She wanted to rule Pandemonium herself. So she tried to assassinate him.
"She failed. As punishment, she was locked tight in the deepest dungeon below Pandemonium, never to be released, while the infernal court siphoned her power for their own diabolical purposes.
"This is reflected by her effect. If she's in my Graveyard and Pandemonium is on the field, all Level 4 or lower Fiends, Archfiend or otherwise, gain a 1,000 Attack Point bonus during my Standby Phase, and keep it until my End Phase."
Opticlops let out an infernal roar... (2,800 ATK)
It charged at Hyunlei, and made a running tackle, horn-first. The XX-Saber was blown to shards.
"I activate the effect of X-Saber Palomlo!" shouted Jinx.
"Palomlo?" said Msskim. "It's in your Graveyard…"
"Exactly," replied Jinx. "When an X-Saber on the field is destroyed by battle, I can pay 500 Life Points to Special Summon him from the Graveyard."
The small lizard man appeared, crouching and shielding himself with his spear. (300 DEF)
"Bah!" said Msskim, setting his last card in his Disk. "I'll end with this."
A new facedown card appeared. Opticlops fell back to an Attack Score of 1,800.
(J: 1,000) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 2,400)
Jinx looked at her deck.
Here goes nothing… she said.
She drew a card.
Then one of Msskim's facedown cards lifted up.
"I'm not letting you pass this turn too," he said. "I activate Battle Mania."
Palomlo stood up, moving to Attack Mode. (200 ATK)
"It not only moves your Monsters to Attack Mode, it forces them to battle this turn."
Jinx looked at him.
"Fine by me," she said. "I play Saber Slash!"
She threw the card she had just drawn into her Disk.
"This Spell Card lets me destroy one face-up card for each X-Saber I have. My Monsters may have to battle…"
Opticlops shattered into shards.
"…but it seems you have no Monsters for them to battle with."
Msskim stepped back in shock.
"Wha… guh…" he said. "Well, fine! Like, I'm so scared of a Monster with 200 Attack Points!"
Then Jinx's facedown card lifted up.
"I activate Gatmuz's Urgent Orders!" she shouted. "With one X-Saber on the field, I get to Special Summon two from my Graveyard!"
In two flashes of light, Galahad (1,800 ATK) and Hyunlei (2,300 ATK) appeared again.
"Oh no…" moaned Msskim.
The three X-Sabers leapt up, and charged at Msskim, slamming their weapons into him and knocking him over.
"Ooh…" he moaned.
(J: 900) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 0)
"You lose, snake," said Jinx. "Now release Mistle before I get mad!"
Msskim nervously got up. He looked at the sake bottle.
Then he looked at Jinx. He couldn't use the bottle on her unless he found some other way to subdue her. He considered his options…
No, it was too risky to try to fight a Shadowchaser mano-a-mano. He may have been bigger than she was, but he knew what they were capable of.
"Here!" he shouted. "Catch!"
Then he threw the bottle towards Jinx, like he was throwing a forward pass. Jinx ran and made a diving catch for it. She succeeded, but fell on her stomach in the process.
She got up quickly, but by the time she did, her foe was gone. He had fled.
She sighed.
"Something weird is going on," she said, as she started to open the stopper. "And we gotta find out what it is…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
An hour later, the four Shadowchasers were in the living room, Gears holding and trying to comfort Mistle, who was crying softly.
"Easy, Mistle, easy…" he said. "He's gone, he can't hurt you…"
Jinx was on the computer, looking over the mug shots of ophidia criminals that they had on file.
"It's no good, people," she said. "He's not here… Whoever that guy was, he has no criminal record.
"No record of any Shadowchasers dueling anyone who had Zera the Mant either. Clearly no Shadowchaser ever dealt with this guy…"
"Or maybe a Shadowchaser tried to deal with him," added Gears, "and…"
Jinx looked at him.
"Good point…" she said. "But that guy must have been a big shot in some ophidia clan to have gotten that card…"
"I agree," said Shichiro, who was looking at the kanji symbols on the sake bottle.
"This Bottle of Life Trapping is clearly of ophidia design, so he didn't steal it… But an ophidia sorcerer wouldn't give a grunt something so powerful. Heck, there aren't many ophidia sorcerers around who can make things like this."
"You're all thinking what I'm thinking, right?" asked Gears. "Someone uses a three-thousand-year-old golem to bust a dangerous ophidia criminal out of prison, and then this morning an ophidia is watching us. Seems there's a connection somewhere…
"Somewhere, a snake nest is stirring…"
"Yeah," said Ember. "Well, I was up a little late last night looking into something on my own…"
She put on her jacket.
"I have an idea about where we might find some info on the Dark Synchros."
Everyone looked at her.
"Ember," said Shichiro. "This isn't going to be like your last 'idea' is it?"
Ember looked a little embarrassed.
"Shichiro, for the tenth time," she said, "I'm sorry about the concert... I guess those guys were a little... loud..."
"Only their clothes were louder than they were," said Shichiro.
"Fine…" said Ember. "I won't use tickets I get from a radio station any more. But bear with me, here… The Dark Synchros are Monsters with negative Levels… Creatures of negative energy…
"Who here knows about antimatter?"
"I read up on some literature on it once," replied Gears. "But Ember, I admit that those creatures where more than Disk-created holograms, but they couldn't have been made of actual antimatter. No-one can create enough antiparticles to make something that big. And antimatter cannot exist in a terrestrial environment. Such a creature would be annihilated as soon at it contacted matter, along with an equal amount of matter.
"Besides, antimatter is not negative energy. Energy and matter are two different things."
"True," said Ember. "But fifty years ago, a Shadowkind scientist wrote a paper on the relation between the two. And his source was a supposed expert on both subjects… As well as being an expert on demons and the nature of Evil. Apparently, he compared negative energy with evil energy.
"Mistle… You're a fey… Have you ever heard of anyone named Lord Copernus?"
Mistle suddenly stopped crying.
"Why do you ask?" she said.
"He was the source this guy cited," replied Ember. "You see, this scientist was satyr, and…"
"You trust a satyr on this?" asked Shichiro. "Usually, all they do is sing, dance, drink cheap wine, and make absolute fools of themselves."
"I'm serious, people!" said Ember. "This guy wrote an academic paper on the relation between antimatter and negative energy, and he cited someone named Lord Copernus."
Mistle sighed.
"Normally, I wouldn't trust a satyr," she said. "And if you were me, you'd know why…"
"Yes, Mistle, we know…" said Gears.
Satyrs were notorious for chasing after nymphs when they became drunk, which happened rather often. Gears didn't doubt that Mistle had been forced to flee from a few of them in her time.
"But…" continued Mistle, "I have heard of Lord Copernus… I've never met him, but he's supposed to be a fey lord of some sort. I think he's something called a leshay."
"A leshay?" asked Shichiro.
"I don't even know what that is," replied Mistle. "I always assumed it was some sort of incredibly powerful fey spirit.
"If you want to know where to find him, I haven't the slightest idea. My advice is to find that satyr. If he wrote the paper fifty years ago, he should still be alive. Satyrs are nature spirits, just like nymphs. They live a very long time."
"I could do that," said Ember. "I know where he lives… The last mention of his name put him in Satellite."
"This guy wrote an academic paper and he lives in Satellite?" asked Shichiro.
"Who knows?" asked Ember. "He may have been educated, but he may have gotten drunk as much as any other satyr, and been driven there by more respectable fey."
"Uh, Ember, wait…" said Gears.
He turned to Mistle.
"I'll be okay, lover," she said.
Gears motioned for Ember to follow him. He led her out to the garage.
"I just finished it," he said, turning the light on.
In the middle of the garage was a beautiful, new D-Wheel, gleaming, streamlined, and painted fire-engine red.
"Whoa…" said Ember.
"Told you you'd be able to try it out today," said Gears. "I put the last coat of paint on it last night; red paint for a D-Wheel isn't easy to come by, but I think it fit.
"It's all yours…"
Ember felt a sense of awe as she walked towards it. She picked up a helmet.
None of them knew that Msskim was not the only spy who had been watching the townhouse. Another interested party, who didn't care about Mistle, had been watching them and Msskim, and because he had not been caught by Jinx, had not yet left.
It was none other than the strange man dressed in black, with black sunglasses. He had heard the whole conversation, using tricks that bypassed the house's protective magic.
He started to speak into a device that resembled a headset cell phone.
"Master," he said. "One of them is making a move. Does the name Lord Copernus mean anything?"
He waited, and then a telepathic response came.
"Yes is does, and I'm afraid that's bad news," came the reply. "Having the Shadowchasers form an alliance with that meddler is the last thing we need.
"Do something to discourage them, but don't show yourself to them yet."
"Okay," said the man, "I'm on it…"
As Ember pulled out of the garage on her ride, he turned, and vanished into a dark portal.
Ember inputted some commands on her D-Wheel, activating the optional extra that only Shadowchasers had.
Satellite was on an island that was separated from Neo Domino, and the Daedalus Bridge was not yet open for civilian traffic. But until it was, the Shadowchasers had other ways to get to Satellite.
"Trans-dimensional system activated," said the computer voice. "Opening portal."
There was a flash of light, and a shimmering portal, large enough to drive through, appeared in front of her.
"Next stop," said Ember, "the other side…"
She started up her engine, and drove through the portal.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Next:
Ember: I'm no slouch in a regular duel… But in a Turbo Duel, I remain a rookie. I can only hope that in this dangerous race, the wind will fan the fires.
My Flamvells are moving faster than they ever have! We'll see who rules the road!
"Rush Recklessly" is next. Turbo Duel, Acceleration!
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Shadowchaser Files
Xideous, Fiendish Author
In northern Norway, hidden just as well as Shadowchaser Headquarters, is a super-maximum security detention facility that is called The Cage by Shadowchasers. The Shadowchasers assigned to The Cage are among the best. They are immune to threats, insults, and bribes, and cannot be swayed by honeyed tongues which have fooled scores of mortals over the centuries. You see, The Cage is a place where extradimensional prisoners are detained; demons and other fiends that are too dangerous to be held at the detention center at Headquarters.
One prisoner that they do not understand, however, is one in one of the most secure cells. Named Xideous, he is a hulking, gargoyle-like fiend with shaggy, loose skin. He has the power to assume less hideous forms, but rarely bothers, as he knows he'd never fool anyone, and doesn't desire to. He is a gehreleth, one of the natives of the Lower Plane of Carceri (called Tartarus by Mundanes). Specifically, he is a shator gehreleth, one of the rulers of the species. Xideous is unlike the other prisoners at The Cage; he is polite and courteous to the staff, and spends all of his time reading the tracts and tomes that his human lawyer brings in, and writing with an old-fashioned pen.
Xideous (not his real name; fiends must keep their real names secret from mortals, lest they be used against them) was first summoned to Earth five years ago by a demonologist named Thaddeus Coll (who will be covered next chapter). Coll only summoned Xideous in order to ask some questions. Coll was surprised when Xideous didn't want to go home after he was done. (Gehreleths rarely willingly leave Carceri, as it is the source of their power.) Xideous wanted to make a deal with his summoner, and when Coll found out what it was, it was too good to turn down, especially since it wasn't going to cost Coll anything vital.
After making deals with some other contacts, Xideous spread the word among the British Shadow underworld that he was going to assassinate the King of England. As he expected, the Shadowchasers intervened. The shator put up a good fight, but he was apprehended.
What the Shadowchasers didn't suspect at the time is, Xideous held no malice against the King. He wanted to be arrested. For his true plan to work, he needed someplace safe to work. And he figured that The Cage was the safest place he could be. Sure, he couldn't leave, but now he had all the time he needed to accomplish his master plan.
What is his master plan? He wishes to write a copy of the fabled Book of Keeping, so that it may be published and mass-produced.
The Book of Keeping is an ancient tome that details the processes of summoning and controlling yugoloths, another race of fiends. No spellbook is more complete at detailing the summoning of yugoloths than this one. It is said to even contain the true names of some of the leaders of the yugoloths race. Gehreleths are the mortal enemies of yugoloths, and are summoned by mortals more often than they are. By publishing this book on a large scale, Xideous hopes to cripple his racial enemies. (And this is why he knew that a prison was the safest place for him; if any yugoloths knew what he was doing, he'd be the target of every yugoloths assassin in the Lower Planes.)
Xideous has yet to hold one of the five (it is assumed) copies of the true Book of Keeping. But his contacts supply his lawyer (who is actually the demonologist who he made a deal with) with all the information on yugoloths that they can, and he works with what he has. He is certain that they'll find an actual copy eventually. He thinks that Jalal is a fool for letting his work continue, and that his whole organization is clueless.
In truth, Jalal is fully aware of Xideous's intentions, and will sooner supply a prisoner with dynamite than let a copy of the Book of Keeping get by the screeners at The Cage. So far, Xideous has only obtained books of yugoloths history and culture, which is permitted, but if his lawyer tries to bring a spellbook or magical scroll in, he will be in for a rude awakening. Jalal doubts that Xideous will ever make much progress, but he has his eye on the gehreleth in case he does.
Story Ideas: Xideous is in prison, so any story involving him will have very little contact with him personally. But he has several contacts through his lawyer searching for information on the Book of Keeping, and that can lead to many dangerous situations, especially since one of those contacts happens to be Red Shroud, who has an interest in the project.
No-one knows who authored the true Book of Keeping, and the five known copies tend to switch owners at inopportune times. Some doubt that the book exists, but Jalal himself can verify that it does. He saw a copy with his own eyes soon after he founded the Shadowchasers. He even got a chance to skim through a few of the pages before he was forced to flee for his life from its then owner. As you might expect, these tomes are considered priceless on many worlds and realities, and whoever owns one will not take chances with it.
Clearly, any story involving Xideous is going to also involve the yugoloths in one way or another. They are going to take a dim view of someone trying to strike at them this way, and the history of the Lower Planes has shown that in battles between yugoloths and gehreleths, it tends to end badly for the gehreleths. This is one of the reasons why celestial beings let the Blood Wars continue; so long as evil beings are fighting each other, the impact they have on good ones is lessened.
One thing that should never be forgotten is that what Xideous is trying to do is in no way a noble cause. No-one would blame anyone for striking against an evil race like the yugoloths, but a readily-available Book of Keeping will give every dark wizard in the world the means to summon the most powerful ones. Xideous's plan would hurt an evil race if it succeeded, but would hurt many innocent races far more, as evil conjurers used the tome to summon armies of the fiends. No good can ever come from this book.
Deck Suggestions: When he first fought the Shadowchasers, Xideous's deck was a Normal Beatdown Deck, but with a twist. All of his Monsters were Dark. He used Vorse Raider, Archfiend Soldier, Mad Dog of Darkness, Mechanicalchaser, Tri-Horned Dragon, and Cosmo Queen. With this lineup, he was able to use both Normal Monster support (such as Justi-Break, Dust Barrier, Birthright, Ancient Rules, and Faustian Bargain) along with Dark-Attribute support (such as Allure of Darkness and Escape from the Dark Dimension).
While in prison, he hardly has the need to duel anymore. If he ever did, it is not known whether he would use the same deck or a different one. After all, when he faced the Shadowchasers the first time, he didn't want to win.