The Duels begin! Yay! Who loves Polar-shipping! Azraelean does! They specially reviewed to ask for it! I couldn't refuse, but I couldn't write it either... it's a pain to write romance in a Duel, you know. I just settled for tactless words and well-meaning actions and maybe more ambiguity.
I'm a bit undecided really; I love Polar-shipping, but Puppy-shipping is a major draw as well. Maybe next time I should write a love triangle...?
Enjoy!
Turn Twenty: Harpie Queen
It somehow never quite mattered what the weather was like in Metropolis; any weather was mild compared to its neighbour Gotham. If Gotham was the Dark City, then Metropolis must be its very antithesis, being more or less bright all year round.
Yet, the sun that rose over Metropolis that morning was dim, half-hidden by clouds overhead. That suited the Batman just fine; the Bat-plane was thusly hidden by cloud cover instead of the Bat having to devise another way to get onto the KaibaCorp airship undetected. Despite all of Superman's arguments against his further participation, Batman ignored the Man of Steel and continued. There were answers to be gotten, and lives to be saved.
Interesting technology, the green-armoured spirit commented as he performed the final checks. I have never seen such outside of Geartown or the Dark City. How inspiring.
"They don't have planes where you came from?" Batman commented as he ran the final system check.
Not your human transport infrastructure, the spirit answered. Flight is a feat achieved by evolution instead of within easy reach of many. When several creatures are capable of aerial flight, one finds that the need for air transport diminishes rapidly. Furthermore, there are dangerous creatures such as the Cloudians who control the weather and can blow up a storm at any time. Such unpredictable conditions render mechanised flight a costly endeavour.
"Come to think of it, you may be correct," Batman muttered.
Sea transport is almost the same, the spirit continued mused. But far less so. The Ocean Dragon Lord Neo-Daedalus is a more benevolent than malevolent entity, so long as he is not angered. Land transport is the main mode of travelling, and there are vehicles for public use by all save a few who are... too large to fit.
The console gave a beep, indicating the all-clear. Batman began to taxi the large, expensive plane to the hangar exit. The plane soon picked up speed and acceleration enough that the take-off went smoothly and, most importantly, unnoticed, as the black vehicle flew out.
"…This is Metro Tower to Batman," Superman's voice broke in over the radio. "Batman, what are you doing?"
"Batman to Metro Tower," the Caped crusader clipped. "I'm going to take a look at the airship."
"You know I can–"
"Kal El," Batman cut in. "Reminder; no one who likes you is on that ship. If what the pink-skinned terror J'onn says is the bogeyman of Martians white and green alike says is true, then the Phantom Zone is connected to these Shadows. Then, these Monsters would have every reason to kill you."
"I could bring along the projector–"
"They unleashed a monster enough to take you down, Kal." Batman growled, the effects of lack of sleep sinking in. "They can probably summon more. And I don't want to risk them releasing the whole contents of the Phantom Zone on us." Can they do that?
It was a while before Zera answered. Perhaps. Maybe. This dimension and its relation to the Shadow Realm escapes me.
"But, Batman–"
"They won't touch me," Batman argued. "I stand the greatest chance, and you know it."
"Riddler was reported to be in a coma!" Superman hotly retorted. "No one knows what happened to him! Batman..."
The plane was already close to the airship when a blip sounded on the radar. Four small blips, too small to be any air-craft to date, at twelve o'clock... Batman looked straight ahead as the radar signalled that the two blips were right in front of him.
The two could not be Thanegarian. None of those of Thanagar had the red plumage of the male's wings, or the pure white of the female's that came with claws to match. No self-respecting Thanagar would wear that stringy blue bodysuit that was little more than stretched spandex, or lower themselves to civvies like the belt, gloves and scarf with casual khaki pants and top, all red. No Thanagerian had hair the colour of the sea, that shade of green, that he was sure of, and none were quite that slight. They flew not like Shayera and her speed or accuracy, but rather like a dance, limbs and body painting the air about them as they seemed to walk from cloud to errant cloud to bare air, almost luminescent in the sunlight, and despite their graceful flight could keep up with a plane going at close to supersonic flight.
Master of the skies, the Harpie's Brother, the mental voice murmured. And the Queen of the Harpies, mistresses of the winds they are.
Huh. There were monsters capable of fast flight. Batman found himself swallowing nervously. He wasn't keen to find out if a Monster that slight could bend steel yet.
The two figures hovered close, but not enough to be sucked into the jet turbines, inquisitively looking until they blinked and were gone again.
Batman released a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding, programming the plane to autopilot itself back to the Tower before preparing to launch. A small self-propelled pod holding the only passenger released itself and latched onto the closest air transport, i.e. the airship. Conveniently, the zeppelin opened to the top, where a Duelling platform stood ready for the battles yet to come.
Hearing the thud of the pod's heavy-duty casting hit the deck, Batman waited to make sure that it wasn't going to roll off due to some unforeseen error with construction before getting out quickly. Leaving the glorified, technology-fied coffin where it was, hidden away from sight, the Dark Knight of Gotham slunk into the little shadows there were to wait as the little sunlight hit the deck.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" the booming voice of Isono announced as Duellists gathered in the viewing box and by the platform alike. "Welcome to the next stage! Today, only eight of you will remain standing! We now begin the elimination rounds for the next stage of the Sixth Battle City tournament! First off, the match between Mai Kujaku and Katsuya Jounochi! Will the Duellists please take the stage!"
Yuugi grinned at the blonde bully turned best friend. "So, this will be your... fifth time?"
The usually energetic Duellist looked pale, and swallowed. "I've... Yuugi, if I don't survive this, I've named you the executor of my will."
"Jounochi Kun!" Yuugi cried in protest as the blonde walked towards the stage, grinning hard-headedly.
"So, Jounochi," Mai started. "Have you improved since our last duel? Or still relying on luck to see you through?"
The blonde young man grinned. "Why don't you try?"
"Okay." Mai winked. "Let's raise the stakes, shall we?"
"Let's not," Jounochi scowled. "I'm going to show you, Yuugi, Yami, even Kaiba that I'm worthy to be called a Duellist! And then, when I win, you'll have to come to Domino for Shizuka's wedding! Okay?"
"And..." Isono gave the signal to begin. "Start!"
Honey eyes met lavender as DuelDisks unfolded. "Duel!"
A group of the younger Duellists watched spellbound as two DuelDisks unfolded.
Mai: LP 4000
Jounochi: LP 4000
"I'll go first," Mai started. "Draw! I play Amazoness Fighter [1500/1300] in attack mode!"
In the shadows, a caped crusader swallowed as a muscled dark-skinned female fighter in green jungle-like clothings appeared. Amazonesses here? Was this the contracted the Queen referred to?
"Then, I place a face-down card and end my turn." the blonde woman, dressed today in lavender tank top with jacket thrown over and purple Bermuda shorts to match, finished with fingerless gloves and boots ended. "Big words for a gambler like you."
"All right!" her opponent grinned. "I draw! I play Rocket Warrior [1500/1300] in attack mode. Then, I play the handy Spell called Double Summon, so I can summon twice, and I summon Hayabusa Knight [1000/700]."
What could only be described as a humanoid-looking thing wearing parts of a missile's armour painted green and yellow, armed with sword and shield, appeared before Jounochi. This was immediately followed by a falcon-headed warrior with cloak and sword.
"I roll the Graceful Dice!" Jounochi announced as a figure with wings on its hat appeared, carrying a blue die which it threw into the air. The blue die bounced around for a while before it landed with a two face-up.
"Two? Better than none, I guess," the blond young man sighed. "So, Hayabusa Knight gains two hundred attack and defence points [1000/700 → 1200/900] until the end of my turn."
"Oh?" Mai blinked.
"Rocket Warrior, attack the Amazoness Fighter!" Jounochi announced.
"Won't that KO both monsters?" a brown-haired girl in the private viewing box on the hold asked a long-haired brunette with a die hanging on his ear, from where Batman could see.
"One step up, I guess," it was Seto Kaiba who muttered as the odd monster folded itself into a missile and shot like a bullet towards the Amazoness. The warrior attempted to retaliate but the monster passed harmlessly through her.
"When Rocket Warrior attacks, I take no battle damage and the monster it battled with has its attack decreased by five hundred points until the end of my turn," Jounochi grinned as the Amazoness Fighter began to glow [1500/1300 → 1000/1300].
"Hayabusa Knight, you're up!" Jounochi called as the falcon-headed knight charged forward.
"I won't let you!" she called. "Reverse card open, Amazoness Archers!"
Several Amazonesses armed with longbows appeared behind the fighter and fired, trapping the Hayabusa Knight in his tracks. The arrows glowed as they sapped the strength from it [1200/900 → 700/900]. Beside the knight, the other warrior winced as the arrow pierced its foot [1500/1300 → 1000/1300].
"Amazoness Archers can only be activated when the opponent declares an attack while I control an Amazoness monster," Mai explained. "It decreases all your monsters' attack by five hundred. And Amazoness Fighter fights back! Hayabusa Knight, defeated!"
The falcon-headed knight was quickly taken out with a kick to the head. Its owner winced. "Sorry."
Jounochi: LP 4000 → LP 3700
"I place one card face-down and end my turn," Jounochi sighed, slightly dispirited. Amazoness Fighter recovered [1000/1300 → 1500/1300], as did Rocket Warrior [1000/1300 → 1500/1300]. "You'll have to try harder, Jounochi. That strategy won't work on me!"
"Why didn't she activate the trap earlier?" Hibiki asked the tall Iemitsu.
"Amazoness Archers forces all monsters to attack after decreasing their attack," Iemitsu grunted. "If she activated the card, then Rocket Warrior would still escape without damage. Like this, at least Mai Kujaku gains the upper hand temporarily."
"At least his tactics have improved somewhat," Mai muttered as her fingers danced on top of a card. "Draw! I summon Cyber Harpie Lady [1800/1300] in attack mode."
A flurry of dark feathers preceded the entrance of the armoured crimson-haired beauty, talons out for blood.
"I then play the Spell, Graceful Charity," Mai announced as the silhouette of an angel with hands cupped appeared over her. "I draw three cards and discard two. I then place two cards face-down. Cyber Harpie Lady, attack Rocket Warrior!"
The Lady smirked as she dived towards the rapidly panicking monster.
"Trap card open!" Jounochi announced. "Fairy Box!" Loony carnival music began playing as a purple box similar to the ones used to play Whack-A-Mole appeared. "I call heads!"
A large golden coin appeared, flipping and spinning as it slowly descended to rest... Horus eye face-up.
"Er... yay!" Jounochi cheered as the Harpie stuck its hand into the wrong hole and Rocket Warrior flew out of another and slashed at the female monster, causing it to shatter. Mai frowned lightly.
Mai: LP 4000 → LP 2500
"'Er?'" Mai repeated incredulously. "Jounochi, are you focused on this duel or not? I end my turn by setting a card."
"'Course I do!" Jounochi grinned. "I draw! I pay five hundred life points to secure Fairy Box!"
Jounochi: LP 3700 → LP 3200
"And let's see... I play Gearfried the Iron Knight [1800/1600]!"
The black knight in gleaming iron armour appeared on the field. "Gearfried, attack the Amazoness Fighter!"
The knight charged and stabbed, the female warrior shattering, yet Mai's life points remained untouched.
"Because of my Amazoness Fighter's effect, I take no damage from a battle with her involved," Mai informed him smugly.
Jounochi smirked. "That's fine. Rocket Warrior, player direct attack!"
"Reverse card open!" Mai signalled as the card rose. "Mirror Wall!"
The silver wall rose, but Rocket Warrior phased through it harmlessly, albeit at a slower velocity, to hit Mai in the shoulder with less impact [1500/1300 → 750/1300]. Mai merely winced as she took the attack.
Mai: LP 2500 → LP 1750
"I end my turn by setting a face-down." Jounochi grinned. "You're in great form, Mai, but I'm even better!"
"Oh?" the blonde femme fatale murmured sweetly. "I draw! I don't want to pay the cost for Mirror Wall, so it's gone!"
The silver wall shattered as Mai considered her move. "I'll play Pot of Greed, so I draw two cards." Two cards duly drawn, and Mai smirked as she regarded the cards in hand.
Jounochi narrowed his eyes at her expression.
"I summon Harpie Queen [1900/1200] in attack mode!" Mai announced as she slapped the card down on the Disk. There was a whirlwind of white sparks, a flurry of feathers of pure white, as a vision of green hair and lean body and sharp claws, brow crowned with a gold piece set with purple stones descended on the field.
There were a few 'oohs' and 'aahs' but not many Batman actually heard as the hologram actually looked at him. Holograms couldn't see him... right?
The hologram just winked. Fine, it could.
"Harpie Queen, destroy Gearfried! Dance of the Sky!" she ordered, the Queen finishing off the black knight with a single swipe of claw that was both graceful and deadly.
Jounochi: LP 3200 → LP 3100
"I then play the quick-play Spell, Swallow's Nest, which allows me to tribute Harpie Queen to summon a Winged Beast type monster with the same level as her," Mai continued in a business-like tone as the Queen was swallowed up in white sparks. "I summon Harpie Lady Two [1300/1400]!"
The orange-haired sister of the first Harpie Lady appeared, baring her claws.
"When did Harpie Ladies have different colours?" Another voice in the viewing box asked.
From Batman's vantage point, it was Yuugi Mutou who answered: "Industrial Illusions released new types of Harpie Lady cards and more support cards last year. Mai was given first picking to all of them."
"And then I activate the quick-play Spell, Inferno Reckless Summon!" Mai continued. "This card can only be activated on the special summon of one of my monsters with fifteen hundred attack points and below while the opponent controls at least one face-up monster. It allows me to special summon as many monsters with the same name from my hand, deck and graveyard. So come forth, my Harpies!"
The orange-haired Harpie was soon joined by her sister of crimson hair in a purple bodysuit, two of the green-haired queens, and the armoured Cyber Harpie, all of them claws bared. There were now five Harpies on the field; two of the original three sisters [1300/1400], the Cyber Harpie Lady [1800/1300] and two Harpie Queens [1900/1200], around whom they congregated like a team would surround its captain.
A team of the scariest ladies this side of Duel Monsters had not been seen yet.
"Oh, not bad," Yami commented from the sidelines. "Quite a useful swarm technique."
"My opponent can also choose one monster they control and special summon all cards with the same name from their hand, deck and graveyard," Mai continued. "But, Jounochi, the only monster you have on the field is Rocket Warrior. Unless you have more than one copy of it, I don't think you can use the effect of Inferno Reckless Summon."
Jounochi looked at his field and at his hand before nodding. "I'm doomed, aren't I?"
"Depends," Mai shrugged. "Harpie Lady One," she indicated the red-haired Harpie Lady in a purple jumpsuit that did a lot to show off its assets. "Grants all Wind Attribute monsters a three hundred attack point boost when she's on the field."
"That means..." Jounochi gulped.
"Two Harpie Ladies with sixteen hundred attack, one Cyber Harpie Lady with twenty-one hundred attack, and two Harpie Queens with twenty-two hundred attack," Ryou quickly chipped in. "Good luck, Jounochi Kun. Be glad that it's not a real-life duel."
"Please don't say that with such a straight face..." Jounochi moped.
"Nii San?" the vertically challenged bespectacled young Sho Marufuji assessed. "Why did Kujaku San use two Harpie Queens and two Harpie Ladies and one Cyber Harpie?"
"Mmm," Ryou Marufuji assessed. "The Cyber Harpie Lady and the two other Harpie Ladies have their names treated as Harpie Lady, so due to the rule that say that a maximum of three copies of one card can be placed in any deck, the Harpie Lady cards have an issue as there are so many of them but only any three can exist in a deck. However, Harpie Queen is different as its name is treated only as Harpie Lady on the field or in the graveyard. That's why Mai Kujaku probably used Graceful Charity to discard a Harpie Queen into the graveyard beforehand, and then used this combination to swarm the field. Her opponent is in danger, with only a Rocket Warrior and a Fairy Box. Unless he's lucky, Katsuya Jounochi is out."
Interesting rule, the Batman thought.
"Harpie Queen, destroy Rocket Warrior!" Mai commanded. "The rest of my harem of hell, follow the Queen's Aria! Harpie Slash Festival! That's why I told you not to gamble with me! There's still things I need to face before I go back to Domino with you!"
"My trap's continuous!" Jounochi called, indicating the already revealed Continuous Trap. "Fairy Box!"
Bakura wolf-whistled. They all gave him looks.
"What?" the thief scowled. "It's true. The kid better start praying already."
"Jounochi has very... unusual luck," Ryou diplomatically chose to answer. "He might pull through yet."
"He'd better hurry up," Marik looked at the field. "Pharaoh, you think he's got a prayer?"
"Yes," Yami replied. "Either destroy the whole field, or stop the Harpies from attacking until he can marshal his forces. But no use thinking of that unless he can weather his way through."
"Harpie Queen, attack!" Mai commanded.
"I call, heads!" Jounochi yelled. The giant gold coin rolled to reveal a blank side.
"Argh!" The Harpie Queen shredded the warrior to bits.
Jounochi: LP 3100 → LP 2400
"My other queen, player direct attack!" Mai declared.
"I activate Nutrient Z!" Jounochi yelled as the next queen flew towards him. The blond young man winced as the Queen's claws cut into the side, despite the other trap lifting to reveal a bottle capped by a demonic skull with the numbers '4000' printed on it. The bottle quickly drained as Jounochi's life points increased.
Jounochi: LP 2400 → LP 6400 → LP 4200
"Cyber Harpie Lady, direct attack!" Mai screeched.
Grimacing, the blonde's hands fisted, luckily not crushing the lone card. "I... I call Heads! Mai, I'm just asking you to go back to Domino for Shizuka's wedding! I haven't even decided on a ring yet!"
Mai choked.
"What?" a tall brown-haired young man beside the two tri-coloured haired Duellists exclaimed. "Okay, I think the conversation just got away from us."
The coin spun again to land: a Horus eye glimmered in what little light there was.
"Yes!" Jounochi yelled as the Cyber Harpie's claws harmlessly phased through him.
"Not yet!" Mai called, no longer as confident. "Harpie Ladies One and Two, player direct attack!"
Fairy Box! Harpie Lady One, heads! And her sister, tails!" the blonde man snapped his fingers as two coins appeared and spun again towards the heavens. The audience seemed to hold its breath as the coin landed with a thud and their verdict; before the crimson-haired Harpie and her sister were two blank coins.
"Phew!" the young man heaved a sigh of relief as the claws narrowly missed him. He wasn't so lucky as the crimson-haired Harpie scratched.
Jounochi: LP 4200 → LP 2600
"I end," Mai looked very disoriented. "Incredible luck, this one..."
"Luck of the devil," Kaiba commented. Batman had to agree there, based on what little he knew about the game from observation.
"At the very least he has bought himself some time," the tall blue-haired man the shorter one had addressed as 'Nii San' analysed. "Now, all lies in what he draws."
"Heart of the cards, heart of the cards... please, I really need to get through this..." the whisper was audible even as a lone wind howled. "Okay! I... draw!"
The princess Diana was beside herself. "How dare those–"
"Calm yourself!" Doctor Fate barked, scanning more tomes. "Furthermore, Batman chose. No one forced him against his will. He is seeking answers. Answers that they will not permit us to follow him for."
"The airship is still around Metropolis!" Diana protested. "We have a chance to rescue him! Please–"
"There are aerial sentinels," The Doctor severely replied. "Even I would have trouble appearing about. There is also Circe to consider. Why would the sorceress of legend seek Metropolis, knowing full well that here is Superman's protectorate?"
This gave them all pause to consider, save J'onn, who was still lying in the infirmary after the spirit inhabiting Batman's mind, as the alien had identified, had cut at him. The severity of the wound had not been expected from any of the League.
"So there's no way then? Flash, if you would... Flash?" Lantern had turned his head to see the red speedster absorbed in a laptop. "Flash."
"Battle City live Internet broadcast," Flash absently replied. "They've started the first round of Duels. Go 'way, GL."
Zatanna sighed. "Before he left, Bats said that you needed to be more attentive when he was looking at your card collection. He was looking at a card the entire time I saw him."
Fate had perked up considerably at this. "Which card?"
"Er... hang on," Picking up the tin box, she rifled through it until she found it. "A blue globe trapped in a green net... here!" She extracted it. "Gravity Bind?"
"That was the exact thing the herald of the Ocean Dragon Lord said," Doctor Fate thoughtfully murmured. "We can assume that these cards actually have power, and were used to trap us. Another possibility is that they have on their side a meta capable of controlling gravity, but I would have been able to fight it should it be a meta-human. That magic I felt at the Bay was from another source. Hence, the only possibility is that the card, against all logic, was used to trap us at the Bay."
"The Pharaoh summoned monsters with these," Zatanna pointed out, telling them about the Dark Magician and the others, finishing off with: "Surely it isn't so far-fetched that someone could... play these cards."
"Hold it, we're being used in a bloody card game?" Lantern half-yelled.
"A game in which the rules we do not know," Doctor Fate corrected. "Shayera, you mentioned that your mace does nothing against these entities?"
"No," Hawkgirl shook her head. "So... it's not magic?"
"I do not know the answer," the sorcerer answered. "Is our expert here yet?"
"Oh yes!" A chirpy voice answered as a man with long white hair masking the left half of his face, dressed in a ruffled white poet's shirt under a red suit jacket with red pants and white shoes to match sauntered in, personal escort and Mr Terrific in tow.
"One Pegasus J. Crawford, present!"
Mai: LP 1750, Harpie Lady One [1600/1400], Harpie Lady Two [1600/1400], Cyber Harpie Lady [2100/1300], Harpie Queen x2 [2200/1200]
Jounochi: LP 2600, Continuous Trap Fairy Box.
The silence was a palpable thing as the audience looked on, whether interested or otherwise. Despite half the Duel Monsters world believing Katsuya Jounochi as a hack riding on the coat-tails of his friend, the other half knew better. The blonde must have had the devil's luck to survive as long as he did, especially on gambling cards.
"I pay five hundred life points for Fairy Box," Jounochi stated. The carnival box glowed as it took the cost.
Jounochi: LP 2600 → LP 2100
"Then, I play the Spell card, Roll of Fate*!" the blonde hollered as said card appeared to all, showing a die and the faces of two lovelorn lovers. "Mai, if you're at an impasse, and you don't know whether to say yes or no, let fate decide! Dice roll!"
"Jounochi..." the glamorous blonde murmured softly.
A white die appeared out of the air, spinning about its axis as the cube spun and bounced and finally landed. A dot in each corner of the die face showed itself. "Yes! So, I draw four cards and send four cards from the top of my deck to my graveyard!" He said as he drew and slotted cards into the graveyard slot of the DuelDisk.
"I play Monster Reborn**!" the blond then announced. "Gearfried the Iron Knight, come back!"
The knight in black armour returned in the flash of an ankh, knives ready.
"Then, I play the Spell, Release Restraint!" Jounochi announced as he played. "Tributing Gearfried the Iron Knight, I special summon from my deck the legendary swordsman!"
The black armour shattered, revealing pale skin and muscled chest and long hair as the master swordsman Gearfried the Swordmaster [2600/2200] appeared upon the field, tall and strapping and a lot like Conan the Barbarian. The five Harpies began tittering as the Swordmaster appeared on the field.
"Why... are they laughing?" the Caped Crusader heard the dark-skinned blond, Marik Ishtar, ask.
"Translate Gearfried's Japanese name and you'll find out," Yami coughed awkwardly. It was then that the Caped Crusader realised that the other blond, Malik, was nowhere around. Laid up?
"And I equip Gearfried with Lightning Blade!" Jounochi announced loudly, and Batman's attention switched back.
All the Harpies stopped laughing, looking fearfully as the Swordmaster reached out to grip the handle of the crackling sword. "Gearfried gains eight hundred attack points [2600/2200 → 3400/2200], but that's not the point! The point is, Gearfried's effect kicks in, so I destroy one monster! And I destroy Harpie Lady One!"
The Harpie Lady looked fearfully as the blade aimed at her and a high-pitched scream sounded as she shattered.
"My Harpie Lady!" Mai exclaimed as the other Harpie Ladies wilted and glowed, losing their attack power boost. [2200/1200 → 1900/1200] [2100/1300 → 1800/1300] [1600/1400 → 1300/1400]
"Then, Gearfried, attack the other Harpie Lady too!" the blond joked. Whether the monster got the joke was unknown, but the orange-haired Harpie was quickly impaled upon the crackling sword blade and shattered, taking the last of Mai's life points with it.
Mai: LP 1750 → LP 0
"And the first round is concluded, with Jounochi Katsuya as the victor!" the referee announced.
Kaiba snorted. "Got lucky again. But that's the luck of Jounochi, the underdog... A come from behind win... the speciality of the Knight Duellist."
However, the shadows were as they were already; empty.
The Batman wandered, silently assessing the airship as he did so. Should I? It seems harmless and should be, except that those six are here...
Watch out!
The Great Bat dodged in time to avoid the small axe that landed where his head who have been earlier. Looking up, he rolled in time for the slight albino woman holding the axe to miss. Kicking out at her, the Caped Crusader was surprised when his foot radiated pain like he had just hit a Mack truck as the albino in her gown glared at him, lifting her axe again. Batman dodged, throwing himself out of the way as a miniature incendiary device he had left in his place went off.
As he ran, the smoke cleared and the same woman appeared, glaring but otherwise perfectly fine.
"A meta?" Batman growled.
No! the voice was sharp. Ruin, the Queen of Oblivion!
He had no time for a explanation; the Queen had managed to get a hold of him. Slamming him against the steel wall hard enough to dent slightly, the red axe-like sceptre lifted, and Batman could see tendrils of white surrounding it...
"Well, now," a masculine tenor asked, as a brunet man casually dressed in slacks and a long-sleeved shirt of cream appeared. "What do we have here?"
In the stand-off, neither noticed the little green entity fly off to warn its Boss.
*Animé card
**Couldn't decide, use Raise Dead or Monster Reborn. Decided to use more well-known name instead. Shame; I thought Raise Dead was a lot cooler.
And we close out!
Stay tuned for the next turn: Ancient City – Rainbow Ruins! Duel, standby!