Credit for this chapter goes mostly to MultiplePersonas. Excelsior!
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In my line of work, you have to be prepared for anything. I've settled a surf war between kelpies and nixies (it's not a "turf war" if it's not on land), fitte
d mermaids with extra appendages (and they weren't legs), and I won't go into detail about what happened in Bermuda, but it involved a fake pregnancy, Mexican bikers, and an Indian thuggee cult...or maybe a taco stand, or both. Chaos theory is chaos fact. Such as it is. At this point, nothing surprises me.
That said, I'm always learning new things on the job. Things like, "assassins often disguise themselves as delivery boys", or "squirrels rarely remember where they store their nuts". And sometimes I learn something useful, like today. Of course, I may have some trouble sharing that info today...
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DRAW TWENTY-ONE
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Nubian Guard
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It was reaching midday on the third day of the tournament as Bruno was returned to his room. A few minutes later, his lunch of gorgonzola and crackers was delivered, and he began to stuff himself. It tasted like feet, and felt like rocks in his stomach. Not helping his mood was the fact that Alice in Despairland had gone silent. She continued to radiate melancholy, but she wouldn't say a word, in spite of his prodding.
Annoyed, Bruno began rifling through his deck for her card when he spotted something that he decidedly hadn't put there himself. It was a paper napkin, and somebody had scrawled a message on it.
"Jean-Claude is key threat. I'm unavoidably detained. Do not attempt contact as yet. Z is in charge. Continue tournament as normal. Investigate as needed. Spread word in code. Jean-Claude controls communications. Beware castle surveillance."
Underneath was Jalal's signature.
Unnerved, Bruno rushed to the door and peered into the halls. Guards were looking back at him, and he swiftly withdrew into his room and bolted the door. Just for safety, he drew the curtains as well, then walked into the bathroom and locked that door, too. Under surveillance like this, he couldn't be too careful.
Alice's misery was still weighing on Bruno's mind, and her frequent sobbing didn't help. He began to ponder how he could send a coded message around the island. A group text seemed like the best idea, but how to code it? Anagram? Every other word? Those seemed too suspicious, too easily broken. It had to look natural. It was a real puzzle.
A puzzle!, Bruno realized, leaping up with a smile and a snap of the fingers. It was perfect! A duel puzzle to convey the message! It wasn't foolproof, of course, but it was his best shot. It was an incredible stroke of luck that he'd downloaded that duel puzzle creator app last week. Glad for the distraction from Alice, he got to work.
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Not far away from the drama of love triangles, existential crises, and hysterical spirits was a Shadowchaser who wouldn't be surprised to experience all three at once. Sonya Clarkson, the living weirdness magnet (as she was called), hiked up the mountainside, looking for the last opponent she needed to qualify for the finals. So far, she was having no luck. It was a brain-buster how a hundred different duelists could all stay so separated on such a small island.
At least it's good exercise, she thought.
Before Sonya knew it, she'd reached the peak. It was surprisingly broad, but otherwise empty, home only to a big crater, as big around as a medium-sized house.
That's… odd, she thought.
She was no geologist, but this didn't seem natural. Too smooth and deep. But it didn't quite seem man-made either. It was also definitely brand-new.
Sonya's ears perked up as she heard something. Most would simply assume it was the wind, but Sonya was sure she heard breathing. Soft, smooth, and somehow not entirely human. Narrowing her eyes, Sonya turned and examined the crater more closely, feeling her way along the edges. About halfway through, her hand vanished from sight. A horrible, icy-cold pain erupted all over her missing hand, and she yanked it back.
"A portal!" she exclaimed. It figured that she'd be the one to find it. But where did it go? It'd be pretty stupid to just jump through and find out, but maybe…
Hesitantly, Sonya pulled out her phone and turned on its camera, ready to snap a pic of the other side, when she felt a sharp pain in her wrist. Her phone clattered to the ground.
Confused, Sonya whipped her head around. She was alone, or so it seemed, but when she bent down to pick up her phone, it was gone!
Annoyed, Sonya went back to feeling her way around, this time moving more quickly. She could hear a scuttling now, something large and stealthy, moving along the wall. Listening carefully, she allowed it to stop, then moved in close. Though there was nothing ahead of her, she reached out a finger and felt something. Something very hot.
"OUCH!" yelped an unseen creature as she put her blistering finger in her mouth. "Damn it! That was my eye!"
The appearance of rock melted away, exposing a charcoal-colored creature clinging to the wall. It had four limbs, but they didn't seem to be arms or legs, exactly, as all four looked exactly the same, each ending in the same dexterous appendage that combined hand and foot. The thing didn't have a face, merely a knob of a head with a pair of glowing yellow eyes, one of which was squinting and turning orange. Smoke was pouring out from all over its body, or perhaps the smoke was its body. Sonya had seen a creature like this before, but only in hologram form. Before she could even react, the creature had seized her D-Gazer as well.
"What the hell?" Sonya exclaimed, raising her fists. "The Thing in the Crater?! What's going on here?"
"None of your business!" the creature snapped. "Get out of here, and forget all of this!"
Sonya shook her head. "Yeah, right," she said. "I'm gonna just ignore a rift that leads to who-knows-what because a thing made of smoke tells me to. Now spill it, where does this thing lead? Also, give me back my stuff!"
The Thing in the Crater snorted. "I don't have to tell you anything, young man. I don't even have to respect your authority. I'm a duel spirit, after all, not a Shadow. Now beat it!"
Sonya's face flushed. "No way! Also, I'm a woman."
Sonya got the impression that the creature was rolling its eyes. "You humans all look alike, anyway. Same shape, same face…"
"This from a guy who doesn't have a face," Sonya said with a shrug.
Despite having no face, it was clear the look it was giving her was not a pleasant one.
"A spirit with an attitude," she mused. "Anyone ever tell you that your card is one that's only good when you," she made a slashing motion across her throat, "if you know what I mean?"
As she expected, the Thing started to burn fiercer. Ooh, it's mad now, she thought. She took a few steps backwards.
"C'mon, fellah," she said with a wag of her finger. "Unless you're rooted to that spot. Oh wait, are you?"
The creature erupted in pure fury and tried to make a grab for the Shadowchaser, but as she had hoped, he could not. He was clearly bound to the spot, like summoned creatures often are.
"I'm guessing you're stuck there guarding that portal and you'd really rather not be," she said.
"None of your business," the Thing repeated, its shoulders slumping.
"Right, some spell-slinger evil sorcerer grabbed you from your home wherever that is, and told you to guard this portal, then used magic to make sure you did. Am I getting warm here? If you'll pardon the expression."
"Yeah, but I'd really rather not pardon the expression," it grumbled.
"You got a name?" she asked.
"What's it to you?" it rudely snapped.
"Because I've seen this before," she said, offhand, "I've seen wizards do this to power furnaces and barbecue grills, I know it's rather undignified." She stopped, and it crossed its arms, but didn't reply this time. "So, what are you guarding?"
"Look, I don't even know, okay?" it said. "Don't particularly care. The cambion said it was important."
Cambion? she thought. Was that a deliberate slip?
She looked around back and forth. Whether it was or not, only a complete idiot would ignore it now.
"I take it you know how to duel?"
"Well, yeah," he replied. "Something I learned before I learned to walk. Why?
"How about we have a little wager?" she asked. She lifted her left arm slowly, the Disk born like a shield. "I win, you return my phone and D-Gazer and let me photograph the inside of the portal. You win, I leave empty-handed and keep my mouth shut."
The Thing's colors and composition changed suddenly, first to a wispy grey surprise, then to a curious reddish brown, and then to a pale blue color she construed as sinister delight.
"Let me put it this way," she said, much quieter, a small tremble to her voice now, "you got anything else to do?"
"That does sound rather interesting," it said, with a new tone in its voice like the crackle of a fire. "But with one amendment: when I defeat you, you leave me alone, all right-by taking a one-way trip through that portal!"
Sonya shook her head. "I figured as much," she said. The Duel Disk snapped into position. "Let's do it."
What have I gotten myself into? she thought.
The Pyro nodded and a black Duel Disk appeared on its wrist in a puff of smoke. It seemed to be made out of cooled lava.
(Sonya: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Thing: 8,000)
"I'll take the first move," the Thing in the Crater insisted, drawing a hand of six and ignoring the look on Sonya's face. "And I'll start by activating Molten Conduction Field to send two Laval monsters from my deck to my Graveyard!" The creature seized its deck and selected two cards, slipping them into its Graveyard slot. "And it just gets better, because one of the cards I discarded was Laval Volcano Handmaiden, and when she's sent to the Graveyard, I can discard another Laval monster from my deck-like another Laval Volcano Handmaiden! And why stop there? I'll discard a third Handmaiden, and use her effect to discard Laval Lakeside Lady!"
Sonya faked a yawn as the Thing discarded three more cards. The creature responded by changing to an angry red. "Real cute, girl," it sneered. "Let's see if I can pique your interest by summoning Laval Magma Cannoneer!"
The soldier that sprung forth was big and blocky, seemingly carved entirely from stone. Two big cannons were mounted on its shoulders, and there were several medallions on its body, all engraved with the same flame symbol (1,700 ATK).
"And then, with three different kinds of Lavals in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon Laval Coatl!"
A second monster joined the Cannoneer, this one a pterodactyl-like creature with a long neck and four legs. It was formed out of glowing lava rocks, and had two engraved medallions like the Cannoneers, one on its forehead and one on its collar (1,300 ATK).
"So I can use it to give Cannoneer a Tune-up!" the Thing cried as the Laval Magma Cannoneer faded into four stars and lined up inside the two rings that had once been Laval Coatl.
"Bubbling lava and scorching ruins, beast of the underground inferno take flight! Synchro Summon Lavalval Dragun!"
(*2 + *4 = *6)
The stars and rings spun together and let loose a flash of light. When it faded, there was a new monster that seemed like a grown-up version of Laval Coatl, with an armored collar and chest plate decked out with yet more fire medallions, and a rocky, armored rider on its back It beat its wings slowly as it hovered and looked down on Sonya (2,500 ATK).
"Not bad for a first turn, eh?" the Thing asked, sounding impressed.
"Meh," Sonya said with a shrug, not sounding anything of the sort. "Been there, done that, got the t-shirt to prove it."
The Thing in the Crater's whole body flushed red. "Well, I'm not even finished! Next, I activate my Lavalval Dragun's effect! Once per turn, I can add any Laval monster in my deck to my hand! I'll go with my Laval Cannon! Go, Laval howling!"
Lavalval Dragun let out a horrible screech. Once again, the smoke creature took out its deck and rifled through it, selecting a card.
"Of course, there is one condition to this effect," it continued, replacing the deck for the Disk to shuffle. "When it's done, I have to discard a Laval monster from my hand. But, as you've already seen, I can turn this to my advantage, and I'll do it by discarding Laval Phlogis! When it goes to the Graveyard, all Laval monsters on my field gain three-hundred Attack Points! Laval kindling!"
The phantom of another rocky creature materialized in front of the Thing. It looked like the Thing from the Fantastic Four in a metal chest plate and codpiece engraved with more engraved medallions, carrying a sword made of lava rock in one hand, and a huge piece of kindling in the other. It tossed the log into the air, and the Thing in the Crater's oversized pterosaur caught it in its mouth. The magma in its body, barely hidden by a layer of rock, glowed brighter, and the phantom disappeared (2,500 ATK) -) (2,800 ATK).
"And I'll end my first turn by setting these," the Thing finished, slipping two cards into its Duel Disk. Two facedown cards appeared before it. "Top that, flesh creature."
"Still not very exciting," muttered Sonya, rolling her eyes and drawing. "You know you've reached a rut when two guys in one tournament insult you for being carbon-based. Anyway, I'll start off by activating the Cheerful Coffin to discard some cards from my own hand."
As soon as Sonya had activated the Spell, though, the Thing was ready for her. "A move so counterintuitive, it must be preparing for something nasty!" it hissed as its facedown lifted. "So I'll counter it! Flamvell Counter it! I'll banish one of my Laval Volcano Handmaidens to negate your card and destroy it!"
Sonya glared as her Spell's hologram shattered, but shook her head. "Whatever," she sighed. "Then I'll just set these."
Sonya fit two cards into her Disk, and two set cards, a monster and a Spell or Trap, materialized before her.
"A pitiful start," the Thing in the Crater sneered, snatching up another card. "I certainly hope you don't mind the cold weather, considering where you're headed."
Sonya smirked. "So you do know where the portal leads!" she declared.
"Nope," the Thing replied in a monotone as it rearranged its hand. "Just that it leads someplace very, very cold. Knowing that, guys like me have no desire to explore it." It stopped for a minute, then seemed to pout a little. "Come to think of it, that may have been the whole point Eh, anyway, to start my turn, I'll activate the effect of the Laval Lakeside Lady in my Graveyard, banishing her and another of my Handmaidens to destroy your set monster! Laval fireball!"
Two more cards slipped out of the Thing's Duel Disk, and another spectral monster appeared, this one a young lady with skin made of smooth rock and long hair made of flames. She was wearing a black dress made of coal with a white trim, and a silver headband and bracelets with Laval medallions. She giggled and conjured a fireball in her hand, tossing it at Sonya's set monster. The facedown card briefly transformed into a bare-chested barbarian with the head of a rhino before it screamed and shattered. Still giggling, the Laval Lakeside Lady faded into nothingness.
"Not a big deal," Sonya said with another shrug. "That was my Fiendish Rhino Warrior your firebug just torched. When he's destroyed, I can discard a Fiend-type from my deck-and I have just the one in mind!"
Chuckling to herself, the Minnesotan Shadowchaser selected a card from her deck and discarded it.
"I don't know what you're so cheerful about," the Thing snarled, turning orange. "But I imagine it has something to do with that set card! So, to deal with that, I'll use my Dragun's effect again, adding another Laval Lakeside Lady to my hand and immediately discarding it! Go, Laval howling!"
True to its word, the Pyro took a card from its deck and slipped it into the Graveyard.
"And now I'll use her effect, banishing her and my Laval Magma Cannoneer to destroy your set card! Another Laval fireball!"
Once again the fiery young lady's phantom was conjured, and she tossed a fireball at Sonya's last card on the field. This time, though, Sonya was ready.
"Not so fast!" she declared. "As they tend to say… In response to that, I'll activate my facedown Spell, Gateway to Dark World, to revive the monster I just discarded! Come on out, Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World!"
Sonya's set card lifted just before the fireball could do its job, and, with a roar, a humongous Fiend erupted from the earth. It was a huge, black-grey draconic creature with enormous wings and horns not only on its forehead, but its arms and chin as well. It let out an earthshaking bellow and took a battle stance (2,700 ATK).
The Thing calmed down, returning to a wispy greyish white. "So that was your plan!" it chortled. "I thought it might actually be something worth worrying about! Oh, but let me guess: You have plans to increase its Attack Power using the effect of a card in your hand? Well, it won't help you, and here's why! I'm summoning Laval Cannon!"
Another Laval rose up, this one a humanoid shape made of rough-hewn blue rock. It was bare-chested, save for the Laval medallion in between its pectorals, and it also used a medallion as an eyepatch. Its legs were covered in yet more medallions, and, most disturbing of all, it had a high-tech blaster instead of a left hand (1,600 ATK).
"And when it's summoned, I can bring back a banished Laval! Come to me, Laval Volcano Handmaiden!"
A clump of burning coals materialized on the Thing's field, then burst to reveal another young lady made of volcanic rock. This one had a modest blue dress and scarlet gloves, as well as fiery hair down to her waist. Like the others, she was decked out in Laval medallions (100 ATK).
"And, of course, she's here for a Synchro Summon! I'll tune her with my Laval Cannon!"
Like before, the Thing's aforementioned monsters faded into stars and rings and combined into a dazzling light.
"Just beneath the earth's crust, a power awakens! Arise, beast of fire and sky! Synchro Summon Lavalval Dragon!"
(*1 + *4 = *5)
A serpentine Dragon formed from the light and took to the sky. It was even more rocky than the other Lavals, considering it was much more brown than red or orange. It had a wide pair of wings, and Laval medallions all down its stomach (2,000 ATK).
"From beneath the Earth's crust?" asked Sonya. "Is the core too much for him to handle?"
"Very funny," it scowled, "But I'm nowhere near done yet!" It burned fiercer, turning a proud vermillion. "I'll use my new monster's ability to dominate you completely! By shuffling Laval Volcano Handmaiden and Laval Cannon back into my deck, my Dragon can return one of your cards to your hand! Laval roar!"
The serpentine Dragon undulated and roared as its master shuffled two cards into its deck. The cry was so loud that even Grapha flinched as he was thrown from the field.
"And to complete the combo," the Thing bragged. "I activate my Trap Card, Molten Whirlwind Wall!"
The smoky Pyro's set card lifted, and a cyclone of red flame erupted onto the Thing's field, enveloping his two monsters. They both purred with pleasure as their bodies grew hotter and hotter, eventually burning blue (2,000 ATK) -) (2,400 ATK) (2,800 ATK) -) (3,200 ATK).
"This card grants my Laval monsters a hundred Attack Points for every Laval monster in my Graveyard! So this is going to hurt! Double direct attack!"
Both of the dragons screeched as they reared up and sent powerful waves of blue fire at the stoic Shadowchaser, who took a defensive stance and tried to stand her ground as the blaze washed over her.
(S: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 8,000)
Unfortunately, trying does not guarantee success…
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"Be careful," ordered Xander. "Need I remind you what happened in the Field of Nettles?"
"Big deal," said Zanth, "so I destroyed the place two days before the hordes of Gonith could do it. Probably did Orcus a favor."
He was sitting in an uncomfortable-looking cross-legged position in front of a stone being used as a makeshift table, on which was a Bunsen burner powered by a small portable battery, heating a flask of green liquid. Indeed, this wasn't exactly the best condition to brew potions, but it was the best he had. He was wearing latex gloves and a particle mask over the lower part of his face.
Also on the "table" was the contents of a deck of Duel Monster cards, spread out, 55 total, including the Extra Deck.
"Okay, okay, gimme the blood," he said, holding his hand out to Sarah.
"It's not the blood of a murdered, unbaptized infant," she said, with a sigh. She handed over a test tube of red liquid. "Couldn't get that around here, for obvious reasons. But the guy said this will work."
"I sincerely hope so, seeing as this was your idea," added Xander.
Zanth unstopped the tube, and made a face from the foul odor, which ironically, backed up Sarah's claim. He slowly dribbled it into the flask, a minute portion at a time. It started to bubble fiercer, while changing to blue, then red, then black, and back to green.
"Ick, smells like burning rothe dung," exclaimed Sarah.
"Which is just how it's supposed to smell," said Zanth, sounding far more optimistic
He pulled off the gloves he was wearing, then tossed them aside, leaving them for Sarah to pick up. Then he picked up a different set from beside him.
This last ingredient is too dangerous to trust to latex, he thought.
He affixed the new, white cloth gloves to his hands (clearly enhanced in some way) and slowly took the small vial Xander had given him….
Then he was startled by Xander's voice. "Be extra careful with that. The way it's concentrated, dropping it on exposed flesh would give you about thirty seconds to get through all Six Stages of Grief."
"Thank you for that vote of confidence," growled Zanth, who was now clutching it hard in his fist to specifically avoid that.
He very slowly started to pour it...
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"Are you absolutely sure that you're a Shadowchaser?" the Thing asked. Sonya could tell it would have a shit-eating grin if it had a face. "Not just some child playing dress-up? Because I was told that Shadowchasers could actually be trouble."
Sonya struggled to her feet and gave the Pyro one of her trademark glares as she drew a card. "I'm not much for banter," she said with a shake of the head. "I've always believed that actions speak louder than words. That said, a couple of attacks does not a victory make. I still have a big chunk of Life Points left, and this duel is still on!"
"Hm," the Thing replied. "You're right, you really aren't much for banter."
"But am a duelist! So I'll begin my turn by activating Dark World Bounty!"
Sonya shoved the card into her Disk, and it materialized on the field. The Continuous Spell bore the image of two nasty-looking Fiends, one in gold, one in silver, presenting a third, smaller Fiend, one with enormous, dagger-like teeth and a fur cape, with baskets of gold and jewels.
The Thing in the Crater turned a puzzled timber wolf grey. "I've never heard of that one. What does it do?"
Sonya smirked back. "Now, once per turn, when a Dark World monster is Special Summoned from my Graveyard, I get to draw a card! And that's about to happen right now, because I'm activating Dark World Dealings! Now we each draw one card, then discard one!"
Both duelists snatched a card from the tops of their decks, then, lightning-fast, discarded another.
"And the card I discarded was the Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World that you added to my hand, which, when discarded, lets me destroy a card on your field! So sayonara, Molten Whirlwind Wall!"
The Thing's Trap shattered. The flaming tornado blew out, and the Dragons' blue flames faded back to their usual orange (2,400 ATK) -) (2,000 ATK) (3,200 ATK) -) (2,800 ATK).
"And now that Grapha's back in my Graveyard, I can use its other ability! I summon Grrai, Inventor of Dark World!"
There was a high-pitched cackle, and a short Fiend jumped into existence. He was small and grey, with thick glasses and a glass dome atop his head, exposing his brain (300 ATK).
"Whom I'll return to my hand to revive Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World!"
The little Inventor vanished in a puff of smoke, and the massive dragon-demon took its place on the field. Sonya smirked and drew a card as Dark World Bounty glowed.
"Who will waste no time in wasting your Lavalval Dragon! Go, Marengo mutilation!"
Grapha cried out again, then stared down the smaller Dragon and opened its mouth wide, unleashing a dark grey stream of energy. Lavalval Dragon screamed in agony as the attack struck, then exploded into flaming rocks that bombarded the crater as the duelists shielded themselves.
(S: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 7,300)
"Like I said," Sonya said, dusting off her jeans. "This duel is still on."
The Thing in the Crater responded with a chuckle, turning a delighted burnt sienna in the process. "Please," it sneered. "You had the perfect opportunity to eliminate both of my monsters, but instead you settled for eliminating a slight power boost! Now your turn is over, and I've still got the stronger monster! You've barely even bought yourself time!"
Why do they always make speeches? thought Sonya. She clenched her fist and sent another glare his way. "Molten Whirlwind Wall would've only become more powerful with time, you know. Within a couple of turns, I'd be back facing down more and more super powered Lavals! "
"Meh, so you have something in calcium-rich brain-box of yours," he mused. "Big deal."
"And who said my turn was over, anyway?" she continued. She shoved a card into her Disk, and it emerged facedown on the field.
"Now it's over! Come and get me!"
"I'll be happy to oblige," the creature said as it drew. "Now that you've expended its discard effect, I have nothing more to fear from your Dragon Lord of Dark World!"
"Then how about from my Trap!" the Shadowchaser shot back. "Activate Dark Smog!"
Sonya's set card lifted, exposing a Trap with the image of the gold-clad demon from Dark World Bounty peering through smog at a white wolf in battle armor.
"Now each and every turn, I can discard a Fiend-Type monster to banish a monster in your Graveyard! So I'll ditch Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World to banish your Lavalval Dragon!"
With a flourish, Sonya discarded a card from her hand. Simultaneously, a card was launched out of the Thing's Disk and absorbed into its smoky body.
"And I'm sure I don't need to tell you that I can Special Summon Goldd when he's discarded by a card's effect!"
In a burst of darkness, the gold-clad demon from Dark World Bounty and Dark Smog appeared in person before the Minnesotan Shadowchaser. He was even uglier in person, with big leathery wings, a heavy lower jaw, and, freakiest of all, what appeared to be two smaller, upside-down faces growing out of his temples. He kneeled and shielded himself with his battle-axe (1,400 DEF).
"Which, in turn, activates my Dark World Bounty, letting me draw a card!" She cast a smug smirk at the Thing. "Still think this duel will be easy?"
The Thing in the Crater remained a cool gray color, which Sonya took to mean it was keeping its cool. "Not as much, no," it replied. "But I'll still win. Get ready for the big chill."
Sonya sneered in response. "As a matter of fact, I don't need to. My hometown had a record four feet of snow on the ground-"
"That's not that big a deal."
"-on Halloween."
The creature shuddered, turning a sickly yellow. "Okay, that scares me. But your Fiend still doesn't! I summon Prominence, Molten Swordsman!"
With a cry of "Hai!", a swordsman made of volcanic rock sprang up next to Lavalval Dragun. He wore shoulder pads and a kilt sculpted from black stone and embossed with Laval medallions, and had three more of said medallions down the center of his face. He swung a sharp blade carved from obsidian (1,800 ATK).
"I'll bet you regret putting that Wu-Lord in Defense Mode now."
"Yeah," Sonya agreed, blushing slightly. "I kinda jumped the gun on that one."
"That could be a costly mistake! Go, Prominence, destroy her monster with molten sword slash!"
Prominence pranced forth with a grace unexpected of a creature made of rock and brought its sword in a vicious horizontal arc that shattered Goldd to pixels.
"And Lavalval Dragun, incinerate Grapha with Molten Mayhem!"
The Thing's pterosaur sounded another screech and spat a stream of molten lava at the Dragon Lord of Dark World, melting it into a smoking heap before the remains were obliterated entirely.
(S: 2,300) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 7,300)
"And before I end my turn, I'll use my Dragun's ability again, moving Laval Judgment Lord to my hand and then discarding it! Laval howling!"
The Thing added yet another Laval to its Graveyard, then turned a smug orange. Sonya gritted her teeth and drew another card.
"You remember this combo from my last turn."
Grrai reappeared on her field, then was bounced back to her hand as Grapha was revived again. Dark World Bounty glowed, and Sonya drew another card.
"Big deal," the Thing said, shaking its head. "Grapha couldn't defeat my Dragun before, and it can't do it now."
"That's not the plan this time," Sonya shot back. "This time, I'm reactivating the effect of my Dark Smog, discarding Grrai to banish one of your Laval Volcano Handmaidens."
True to her word, Dark Smog glowed and another card was ejected from the Thing's Disk, absorbed into its smoky body.
"And much like Goldd, when Grrai is discarded, he comes right back to the field."
As Sonya said this, Grrai was revived, but this time with a slight golden glow.
"What good will he do you?" the Thing taunted, glowing an even brighter orange. "You haven't even bothered to defend."
"I don't need to defend," Sonya retorted, shaking her head. "Because when Grrai is Special Summoned with his effect, he becomes a Tuner!"
"A Tuner?!" the creature repeated, shifting to a pitifully light grey. "As in-?"
"As in now I can Synchro Summon! So now I'll tune my Level 1 Grrai with my Level 8 Grapha! Let's sync up, boys!"
Grrai cackled and leapt into the air, transforming into a glowing green ring. Simultaneously, Grapha melted into eight bright stars, which lined up within the ring.
"Stars shine bright to call the guardian of a world of darkness. Let the earth tremble as its power is awakened! Synchro Summon...Taion, Defender of Dark World!"
(*1 + *8 = *9)
A dense shadow spread over the field as Sonya's new monster dropped from the sky, releasing a mammoth shockwave on impact. It stood seven feet tall, and was just as wide, a round-bodied creature with a rather small head and oversized arms and legs. It wore tan armor and a headband, as well as a bandoleer loaded with maces, knives, and other weapons, and carried a rocket launcher with a muzzle shaped like a demonic skull (2,800 ATK).
"Hmph," the Thing snorted, regaining some of its color. "All that hassle, but you've only summoned a monster equal in power to mine."
"Attack points aren't everything, as a wise man once said. And in this case, his effects make up for it. First, when he's Synchro Summoned, I get to discard a card from my hand."
She discarded another card.
"And that card was Broww, Huntsman of Dark World, so I get to draw one to replace it. Now, Taion, attack his Swordsman! Blasphemous Blast!"
Taion took a knee and hefted its bazooka. It fired, and a volley of burning skulls shot out with a shriek, blasting Prominence to hot coals.
(S: 2,300) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 6,300)
"You may regret not using his effect, you know," the Shadowchaser pointed out.
"Whatever," the Thing said, paling in color again. "At least by mutual kill, Dragun can destroy him."
"No, he can't, and I'll show you why. I set a card and end my turn."
A set card materialized the hulking Fiend, and the monster began to shift, crossing its arms in front of itself (3,100 DEF).
"You see, on the turn that Taion goes on the offense, he switches to defense quickly. That's why he's called Defender of Dark World instead of Attacker"
The Thing's color shifted back to an angry red as it added a card to its hand. "Very clever, meat sack," it said with a glare. "But I'll get around it. For now, I activate Lavalval Dragun's effect again, adding the Laval Volcano Handmaiden from my deck to my hand and then discarding it."
The pterosaur let out another roar, and the Thing in the Crater pulled a card from its deck and slipped it into its Graveyard.
"And in case you forgot, when Laval Volcano Handmaiden goes to the Graveyard, I get to discard another Laval! So, to join it, I'll discard my second copy of Laval Magma Cannoneer!" Yet another card was added to the Thing's growing discard pile. "And to add to that, I'll activate Burial from a Different Dimension to retrieve both Laval Lakeside Ladies and a Laval Volcano Handmaiden."
Three cards floated out of the Pyro's smoky body and returned to its Graveyard.
"And I think I'll use them, banishing a Laval Lakeside Lady and Laval Warrior to destroy your set card! Laval fireball"
Once more the young Laval lady's ghost emerged and hucked a fireball, and once again Sonya was ready for it. "The Forces of Darkness!" she yelled, as it lifted and spun around. "This lets me return two 'Dark World' monsters in my Graveyard to my hand! Come on back, Goldd and Grrai!"
Two globes of inky darkness floated out of the discard slot, turning to cards as she caught them.
"But wait, there's more!" she bragged. "Now that I've returned them to my hand, I'll activate Dark Smog again, discarding Goldd to banish your other Laval Lakeside Lady." Yet again, Sonya discarded a card as one of the Thing's cards was ejected and absorbed into its body. "Which means Goldd can, eh, you know the drill."
Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World, sprung forth again, swinging his battle-axe (2,300 ATK).
"This time he's coming back in Attack Mode, which, in turn, activates my Dark World Bounty."
Sonya's Spell glowed again, and she drew a card.
The Thing, meanwhile, was burning so fiercely that a blue halo surrounded him. "Your combo may be clever," it snapped. "But it won't do anything to stop my attack! Lavalval Dragun, melt her Wu-Lord with molten mayhem!"
The molten pterosaur let out another shriek, but it stayed where it was.
"Are you deaf?" the Thing in the Crater raged. "I told you to destroy Goldd!"
Despite his words, Lavalval Dragun wouldn't budge.
"Oh, didn't I mention?" Sonya bragged, putting a hand to her cheek in mock embarrassment. "When Taion is in Defense Mode, you can only attack him."
The Thing flushed a sickly yellow, and barely managed to say, "End turn."
Now quite proud of herself, Sonya drew a card, and her pride only grew. "Time to go on the offensive," she declared. "This turn; I regain the full advantage. For starters, I'll reactivate my Dark Smog, discarding Grrai to banish your Laval Coatl. And then...well, you know the rest."
The Thing in the Crater burned black again as Dark Smog's effect repeated. As before, Grrai, Inventor of Dark World returned to the field, a golden glow surrounding him. Dark World Bounty flashed, and Sonya drew another card.
"Now let's bring out Renge, Gatekeeper of Dark World."
The Minnesotan Shadowchaser slapped another monster card onto her Disk, and another demon materialized. This one had a very similar build to Taion, but it was considerably smaller. Its armor was grey, and it carried no weapons. Instead, it held out two massive hands with orange palms (100 ATK).
Despite the Thing's smoky form, Sonya saw it visibly shudder. "You're not planning to-?"
"That's right!" Sonya declared. "It's time for another tune-up! This time, I'll tune Grrai, Inventor of Dark World, with Goldd and Renge!"
As before, Sonya's monsters faded into stars and a ring.
"Stars shine brightest on the darkest of nights! Let the Dark World's most feared demon emerge from the shadows! Synchro Summon...Blak, Executioner of Dark World!"
(*1 + *4 + *5 = *10)
Shadows zoomed forward from all around the crater, converging next to Taion. The darkness solidified, taking a massive shape. The Fiend that appeared from them was enormous, at least eight and a half feet tall, and the color of charcoal. It had a body built like Goldd's, but its face was skeletal, with two large horns on the sides, and four smaller horns on its forehead, with a jet-black Mohawk above them. It carried a two-handed axe as long as the demon was tall. Saliva dripped from the creature's pointed fangs, steaming when it hit the earth (3,300 ATK).
"Now this one thinks the best defense is an aggressive offense." she taunted. "Scared yet, Smokey?"
No reply.
"Well, maybe he'll be scarier once he struts his stuff, because when Blak is Synchro Summoned, he lets me discard two cards from my hand, and in case you haven't caught on yet, that's a good thing." She slipped two more of her cards into her Graveyard. "And it only gets better, because Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World, can destroy a monster on the field. Give you one guess who the target is."
The ghost of a grey, egg-shaped demon materialized from Sonya's Disk and jumped forward, pulling a knife and slashing at the Dragun's throat before it could even react. Lavalval Dragun let out a pitiful shriek and exploded into triangles.
"You thought your direct attacks were bad?" she continued, showing an unladylike sadism. "Well, they were nothing compared to what you're about to feel! I'll move Taion back into Attack Mode, and equip Blak with the Black Pendant."
Taion shifted into a standing position, and a glowing obsidian pendant appeared on Blak's neck (3,300 ATK) -) (3,800 ATK).
"Double direct attack! Blasphemous blast and giant guillotine slash!"
Taion fired his otherworldly bazooka again, knocking the Thing in the Crater into the wall of their battlefield, knocking the wind out of him, and before it could recover, Blak lunged forward and swung his massive battle-axe across the Pyro's midsection. The Thing howled in agony as the blade slashed through it. It crumpled to the ground, moaning.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
The concoction on the stone bubbled fiercer, then changed to red, then green, then blue. Zanth tensed as it turned one more time, to clear. The bubbling started to slow.
"Success!" he said with a sigh.
He switched the device off and pulled the gloves off as the boiling stopped completely. After about a minute, he lifted the beaker, along with a box of Q-tips.
"One dab on each card, and this should do the job," he said.
"So it won't take root until damage is done?" asked Xander.
"Better," replied Zanth. "Deluded this way, damage has to be done using one Spell, one Trap, one regular monster, and one Extra Deck monster. It's harmless - and thus undetectable - unless all four are used."
He waved his arm, causing them to all form back into a deck again. "I trust you have the antidote handy?"
Xander said nothing, but handed him a second, slightly larger vial made of white ceramic as he took his deck back. "Keep it secure."
"Count on it," replied Zanth, "I've had enough 'roughing it'. Sarah!"
His familiar fumbled a little as she picked up the equipment, and he simply motioned for her to follow.
The castle was within reach...
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Convinced I'm a Shadowchaser now,big guy?"
(S: 2,300) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 700)
"I think I've proven it," Sonya taunted. "So tell you what: I'll call off the duel if you give me back my stuff. I've proven that I'm the better duelist."
"Not a chance!" the Thing snapped as it struggled, slowly, into a standing position It was now almost completely white. "Today's events aside, this is the cushiest job I've had in decades, and I'm not about to blow it!"
"Whatever," Sonya replied. "Since Taion attacked directly, it doesn't switch into Defense Mode this turn. So it's your move."
"That's right! Draw!" The creature snatched up another card and blazed red. "Like you said, a couple of attacks does not a victory make! This turn, I mount my comeback!"
"Then you won't mind me activating my Dark Smog again," Sonya bragged. "I'll discard Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World, to banish your Lavalval Dragun."
Another card was eliminated from Sonya's hand, likewise another from the Thing's Graveyard. Surprisingly, the Thing actually seemed pleased by this, as it burned even brighter scarlet. "If that's what you chose to discard, I'd surmise that your combo is running its course," the Pyro announced. "Besides, I still have enough Lavals in my Graveyard to activate this! Go, Bountiful Forge! Since I have at least four Lavals with different names down there, I get to draw two!"
The smoky creature activated the Spell to enhance its hand, then examined its cards and burned ever brighter. "Perfect! So, little human, you duel well-I won't deny it. How are you at other games?"
"'Other games'?" Sonya repeated, furrowing her brow.
"That's right. Twenty Questions, for example, or Botticelli. I've never had much talent for guessing games, myself, though you'd be surprised at how well I play hopscotch. Never underestimate a volcanic creature's ability to jump."
Sonya scowled. "Just what are you talking about? What does this have to do with our duel?"
The Thing shook what passed for its head. "Because my next move is a guessing game! I activate Question!"
The Pyro laughed and inserted another card into its Disk, and a Spell materialized, bearing the image of a man in a striped top hat striking a game show buzzer. In a matter of seconds, a podium sprung up in front of Sonya, topped with a buzzer.
"So, young lady, are you ready to play? Today's show features only a single question: Which monster is at the bottom of my Graveyard?"
Panicked thoughts raced through Sonya's mind. What could it be? We've both been adjusting his Graveyard all through the duel-it'd take a computer to keep track! Let's see...I banished Coatl earlier, didn't I? And those Volcano Handmaidens have bounced everywhere! Damn, Question was a smart card for this deck!
"Tick, tock, Shadowchaser," the Thing taunted, wiggling what was probably a finger. "Do you have a guess or not."
Sonya was visibly sweating as she hit the buzzer. "Well," she guessed, speaking slowly and carefully. "You discarded Laval Warrior on your first turn, and I don't remember banishing it with Dark Smog, so I'll say...Laval Warrior!"
There was a loud buzzing sound and the podium glowed red.
"Oh, so sorry! I banished Laval Warrior myself to activate the effect of my Lakeside Lady! The correct answer was...Laval Phlogis!"
The podium faded into nothingness, and the bulky, rocky, Fantastic Four's Thing-like monster rose up, swinging a burning sword in one hand and a burning log in the other (1,700 ATK).
"And now that he's here, I'll set a card and summon Laval Forest Sprite to join him."
Another set card materialized, and yet another Laval sprung up in front of it. This one was a little girl, very similar in appearance to the Volcano Handmaiden and the Lakeside Lady-for good reason, if you looked into it. According to some guidebooks, she was their little sister. Her hair was darker red than theirs, more brick-red than crimson, and she kept most of it under a scarf pinned with a Laval emblem. In addition to that, she had Laval symbols on her bracelets, anklets, and necklace. Her hands and feet glowed bright orange and looked ready to melt (300 ATK).
"And I'll tune her with Laval Phlogis! Go, my servants!"
As before, the monsters flew into the air and dissolved into stars and rings.
"Flames of passion, burn brighter and hotter to summon a champion! Arise, Laval the Greater!"
(*2 + *4 = *6)
The stars and rings vanished, but no new monster materialized. Instead, the earth burst open in front of the Thing in the Crater, and a monster jumped out. It was nearly as tall as Taion, but not as bulky, instead having the body of a weightlifter, if weightlifters were made of grey stone with odd spikes jutting out. Laval emblems decorated its arm and leg bands, a strip down its abdomen, and its overly large forehead. The rock-man grunted and flexed, and his head and shoulders exploded with blue flames (2,400 ATK).
"And if you recall," the Thing bragged as his monster continued flexing, "When Laval Phlogis is sent to the Graveyard, it increases the Attack Scores of all Laval monsters on my field by three hundred! Laval kindling!"
As before, the ghost of Laval Phlogis appeared and hucked its burning log into Laval the Greater's flames, causing them to burn fiercer and brighter (2,400 ATK) -) (2,700 ATK).
"And, on top of that, when Laval Forest Sprite is sent from the field to the Graveyard, she increases the Attack Power of my Laval monsters by another two hundred for every Laval in my Graveyard until the end of the turn! Laval brushfire!"
This time, it was not just one ghost that appeared, but seven. The ghosts of the Thing's vanquished Lavals gathered and were absorbed into Laval the Greater's flames, sending the flames soaring higher and higher. Instead of blue, they now burned pure white (2,700 ATK) -) (4,100 ATK).
Despite the new monster's ever-increasing power, Sonya did her best to keep her cool. Keep calm, she told herself. They're hot, you're cool. They're cool, you're hot. You don't play the game. You play your opponent.
"Any other effects to activate?" she asked, sending another glare the Thing's way.
"Well, now that you mention it," the Thing replied. "When Laval the Greater is Synchro Summoned, normally I'd have to discard a card, much like the effect of your Taion. But, as you can see," it held its two hands up, to show he had no cards.
I had to ask, thought Sonja.
"Laval the Greater, attack Taion! Laval Wildfire!"
Laval the Greater held its hands in front of it and planted its feet in a stance that wouldn't look out of place in Dragonball Z, conjuring a stream of white fire that took on the shape of a dragon and wrapped itself around the Defender of Dark World. Taion remained silent as it burned, finally exploding and leaving no trace.
(S: 1,000) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 700)
"That'll be all for my turn," the Thing reported as Laval the Greater's ATK dropped back to 2,700 and its flames returned to their normal hue. "And I have a feeling this is almost over, so-whoa!"
Suddenly the Thing in the Crater let out a wild spasm, twitching and howling. It didn't seem to be in pain, but it sure looked surprised.
"What the hell was that?" Sonya asked, surprised that she was actually concerned.
"Ugh, I think you just got a text," the Thing responded, annoyed. "You need to adjust the vibration on your phone. It's too strong."
"I don't wanna miss any calls," Sonya shrugged. "Last time I did, I ended up almost having to marry a sahuagin warlord, and I don't like dating outside my genus as it is. Anyway, it's my turn! Draw!"
Not exactly grade-A cards here… Sonya thought, examining the two cards that made up her hand. All she had were Brron, Mad King of Dark World and The Puppet Magic of Dark Ruler. But the real question here is if I should attack. Laval the Greater is much weaker than Blak, but that set card could be deadly-unless that's just what he wants me to think!
She examined her smoky opponent, who had returned to its normal dark grey. Damn, that's a good poker face. What do I do?
After a moment's thought, Sonya spoke. "Okay, Smokey, I'll take your bait!" she announced. "Blak, execute Laval the Greater with giant guillotine slash!"
Blak nodded and hefted its massive axe, then pounced on the sneering Laval. Just before its weapon could connect, though, the Thing spoke.
"Play with fire, you get burned, human. I activate Dustflame Blast!"
The Thing in the Crater's Trap lifted. As far as card art went, this was pretty sparse. It just depicted an explosion with the Laval symbol at the center. However, ...
"This card is a risky one in a Laval deck," the Pyro explained. "When it activates, I have to banish every last Laval monster in my Graveyard-"
Seven cards were ejected from the Thing's Duel Disk and were enveloped by their owner.
"And then I can destroy up to that many cards on the field! I'll take out all four of yours!"
The entire field erupted in a massive fiery explosion, blowing Sonya back and slamming her painfully into the side of the crater. Eventually the fire gave way to smoke, and when it cleared all of Sonya's holograms were gone.
(S: 1,000) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 200)
Sonya was coughing from all the smoke and ash, but was smiling from ear to ear.
"Looks like you just burned yourself. Badly," the Minnesotan Shadowchaser taunted as she got to her feet. She coughed one more time and went on "When my Black Pendant is destroyed, you take five hundred points of damage!"
"Big deal," the creature replied. "I still have a few left, and now you have nothing. This duel is mine!"
"Not just yet. It's still my turn, so I'll summon Brron, Mad King of Dark World."
In a burst of darkness, the sharp-toothed Fiend with the fur cape from Dark World Bounty materialized, struggling against his straight jacket (1,800 ATK).
"And I'll return him to my hand to Special Summon Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World one more time."
Brron disappeared, and Grapha took its place, looking even more pissed than usual.
"And… That's all."
"I'll say," said the Thing. It took great pleasure in taking its time drawing, turning orange in the process. "Hm... this'll do, I suppose. For my final turn, I'll summon Laval Lancelord."
It set the card on its Disk, and another rocky creature appeared. It was tan in color, and rather bulky, carrying a burning spear made of volcanic rock, and wearing nothing but a kilt, a Bane mask, and Laval medallions all over its body (2,100).
"Now that that's done, Laval the Greater, attack her Dragon Lord! Sacrifice yourself so that I may finish this! Laval incineration!"
Laval the Greater burned brighter, and conjured another big fireball, tossing it at Grapha, but Sonya stood her ground. There was a flash of light, more smoke, and when it cleared, both monsters were still standing. The only change was the transparent Trap Card standing between the players, depicting people piling up garbage to block an oncoming army.
"What is this?!" the Thing demanded, pointing at the card and turning. "You didn't set any cards last turn!"
"Didn't need to," Sonya replied with a shrug. "One of the cards I discarded with Blak's effect was Emergency Trash Barricade, and it activates from the Graveyard. Once per duel, I can end the Battle Phase whenever I want. Which I did when you declared your attack."
The Thing's eyes stopped glowing, and it faded back to that ultra-pale grey. "Uh-oh…"
"That's right!" Sonya laughed. "So with no cards left to use, you're all sizzle… But no steak."
The creature didn't reply, but Laval Lancelord melted into lava and disappeared.
"Considering Lancelord's effect, and a sitting duck, I'll take that as a yes."
Sonya drew a card and raised an overly large eyebrow. "Hm," she said. "Well, I guess I could finish it the way you intended, the old 'beat them at their own game' thing but...that's kind of low. Besides, I'm not a big fan of irony."
Then she perked up, "I can end this on a better note! Instead, I'll activate The Gates of Dark World to give my Fiend a power boost."
Sonya's Field Spell slot opened and she inserted her recently-drawn card. An enormous freestanding doorway materialized behind her, with double doors etched with eldritch runes carved into them. Dark energy seeped out of the closed doors and flowed into Grapha (2,700 ATK) -) (3,000 ATK).
"Finish him, Grapha! Morengo mutilation!"
With a roar, the Dragon Lord of Dark World fired another grey beam that blasted through Laval the Greater and struck the Thing in the Crater in the gut, turning him almost white. Laval the Greater screamed and exploded into pixels as its master's Life Points dropped.
(S: 1,000) - - - - - - - - - - (T: 0)
"As another wise man once said - and I use the term loosely, that's game!" Sonya announced as the holograms faded. "Now give me back my stuff!"
The Thing straightened up, slightly regaining his color. "Very well," it said. It made a sound like chalk on slate and Sonya's phone and D-Gazer shot out of its abdomen, looking no worse for wear. "Please, be my guest and take as many photos and videos as you like."
Sonya frowned. "Yeah, sure," she said. "Like the Spider said to the Fly. Well, yes, I will-because I can just fight my way back out if I have to."
"You wound me," the creature told her. "That would be barbaric. Please, go ahead."
Annoyed, and with great care, Sonya stepped forward and reached her phone through the portal again, her hand burning with cold as she did. She snapped a few pics, moving the phone as she did, and withdrew. Surprisingly, the Thing did nothing to stop her.
"I suppose I'll be seeing you," the Thing said, gesturing what passed for its head toward the rim of the crater.
Sonya said nothing, but withdrew her hand from the rift and slowly walked over to climb out. She reached the rim, and had to hold onto it to climb out. She had just lifted herself off of the ground when a searing pain tore through her fingers, forcing her to drop down again. She looked up to find a six-foot wall of flames around the rim of the crater.
"Sucker," the Thing jeered. "I promised I'd give you back your possessions! I never said I'd let you leave! I'd be extinguished for such a failure!"
Never trust a being summoned by magic, Sonya thought.
"By the way, I should mention that if I actually believed you could fight your way back, I'd have heard of you before. You can count on one hand the folks who actually have, and it's not wise for a common summoned Duel Spirit to mess with folks in the same class as Heracles and Theseus."
Say WHAT? thought Sonya Where the hell does this thing lead?
"So you do know what's behind this?" she asked.
"You really expected the truth?" he asked. "Still, if you aren't keen on burning to death, you may want to take your luck with it anyway. I suppose it's possible somebody will find you before you die of hypothermia. Of course, they don't exactly like humans much, but they have, ahem, uses for them."
Sonya looked at it briefly. She recalled the safety tip regarding portals when you didn't know where they led. Which was don't use them, under ANY condition. There were many places in the universe where humans simply could not survive. She had heard stories like this, like one where the sole survivor ended up in a place that was a feeding frenzy of predators - he managed to get to the portal and survived with only an arm lost. Another story told of a group who ended up in a place with no air. The survivor had an ioun stone to protect her, but she was helpless to save her companions, whose blood literally boiled as she watched.
"So, the portal or you," she mused. "Think I'll take option number two there."
She ran at the creature, attempting a roundhouse kick, but it ducked aside and laughed. The wall of flames inched forward, entering the crater. Smoke began to collect, and Sonya was forced to crouch low as the flames approached. It was closing in faster and faster, and the Thing was right at home within them.
All of a sudden she remembered hearing somewhere that most victims of house fires were killed by smoke inhalation before the flames ever got to them. Funny the safety tips you remember when it's too late to avoid the problem.
The fire would take her soon. The only way out was right into the Thing's hands. She crouched down and held her breath. She'd played tuba in a marching band, so she could hold it for maybe four and a half minutes if she didn't panic, but that was difficult considering the flames were reaching her. Her skin began to blister, and tears welled up in her eyes. And worse, she could still hear the Thing's sadistic laughter.
Her vision was blurring, and her skin searing, but still she refused to enter that portal. Oddly enough, those nightmarish stories about blindly choosing portals were only clearer now. Whatever was there just had to be worse.
The seconds ticked on, and the flames only grew stronger. This may be it, Sonya thought, closing her eyes and dropping to the ground.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"This just isn't like him," said Z.
He was checking his emails on the iPad, or rather, the five sent ones that Jalal had not replied to. "Something is wrong."
Monika's voice came from the shrubs behind him: "I've always known that it's best to prepare for the worst case scenario and hope for better. I think that's what humans are supposed to do."
"I know, trouble is I'm not sure what the 'worst case' is right now," he replied. "I - uh... "
Then his phone beeped, at precisely the moment Sonya's did. As he hit the Accept button, his sudden expression of relief turned to one of disappointment when he saw it was from Bruno.
He was cut off by an explosion from the forest. He leapt up and turned around as Monika leapt from the brush.
"FIRE!" she shouted.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Sonya was on the brink of unconsciousness. Everything was going dark...
Then, she felt something. A gentle tug on the back of her shirt. Sonya felt herself lifted up and hoisted, quite forcefully, out of there and down the mountain. She opened her eyes and the small light turned to a blur as her vision zoomed by around her before she was dropped gently onto the grass.
"Well, if it isn't my old apprentice," said a kind voice. Smiling down at her from atop a gynosphinx was the sweaty face of Mr. Z.
"Z?" Sonya asked, sitting up. "Always one for a dramatic entrance. How'd you know I was in trouble, anyway? Hey, Monika."
"Hello, dear," purred the sphinx.
"It was kind of hard not to," said Z, in response to the question. "And fortunately, a sphinx's nose is better than a bloodhound's."
"Take it from someone who survived five wildfires," added Monika, "This sort of thing is hard to ignore."
"I would've gotten you out of there sooner, but you seemed to be doing okay," continued Z. "You even got some pictures of...whatever. You okay?"
"Oh, yeah," she replied, rubbing her arms. "I'm no stranger to burns. Ricky ignites something every other week. He actually set a fire extinguisher on fire. Twice."
"Twice?"
"Well, the second time was just to prove he'd done it."
"I take it you didn't see the text Bruno sent out," Z said, pulling out his phone. "Here."
He handed her the phone, and Sonya saw the text that had made the Thing shudder. It was a Duel Puzzle, and a weird one. In the game, Sonya had Freed the Matchless General on her field, but it was restrained by her opponent's Fiendish Chain. Reinforcements was set on her side, and her hand contained Giant Red Seasnake, Turret Warrior, and The Law of the Normal. Her Life Points stood at 1,000. As for her opponent, in addition to the active Fiendish Chain, controlled Castle Gate and Moulinglacia the Elemental Lord in Attack Mode, and two set cards: Wiretap and Interdimensional Matter Transporter. Its hand contained Final Ritual of the Ancients and A Deal with Dark Ruler. Its Life Points were 5,000.
"Win this turn!" shouted the caption.
Sonya started the puzzle, and the computer automatically activated Interdimensional Matter Transporter, banishing Moulinglacia.
"No-brainer," Sonya said, rolling her eyes. She summoned Giant Red Seasnake, then Tributed Freed to Special Summon Turret Warrior. They both attacked Castle Gate, and the opponent's Life Points were reduced to zero. As a prize, the game produced a message.
"In summer, when the days are long,
I hope you'll understand the song."
Sonya raised a heavy eyebrow and thought back to the man she'd met on the first evening of the tournament. "Yeah, this is from von Klein, all right. Humpty Dumpty's poem. But what about it?"
"Please, dear," Monika told her. "You've figured out plenty of my riddles. You can decipher this."
Sonya restarted the puzzle, and stared at it for a moment. "Well...Wiretap seems self-explanatory," she said. "We can't trust our communication systems, right?"
Z nodded. "Go on," he urged.
"Okay...let's see here I guess the set Reinforcements combined with Wiretap means we can't call for help. He'd know if we did. A Deal with Dark Ruler and Final Ritual of the Ancients seems self-explanatory. And Moulinglacia must be Levistus. Freed is Jalal, and Fiendish Chain means he's detained. Or worse. Law of the Normal means we need to act casual."
"And Castle Gate and Turret Warrior?"
"Hm... get into the castle and strike from within, I suppose? But what about Giant Red Seasnake."
Z chuckled at this. "It's a red fish. As in, red herring. Leave it to Bruno to leave such a stealth pun. He wants us to use them to keep Jean-Claude guessing."
Sonya nodded. "So we just keep dueling. But now we have a problem."
"Oh?" Monika asked with a sly grin.
"If I can't text the photos I took; we'll have to get them to Jalal another way. Either we get in ourselves, or give my phone to someone who's going in."
She tried to get to her feet, but groaned and collapsed, clutching her burns.
"First things first," Z told her. "We need to get you to a medical tent. Monika?"
"On it," the sphinx said with a nod. Sonya was hoisted onto her back, and Monika started walking, slowly this time to keep Sonya comfortable. (And to keep from breaking her own spine - gryphons could do this pretty well, but not so much sphinxes.)
"So, Sonya," Z inquired. "Last time I saw you, you were pregnant with a litter of bunnies. What happened with that?"
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Well, here we are, thought Zanth.
He clicked on his mobile as he walked up to the castle gate. "Any last instructions, sahib?" he said into it.
"Don't get smart," replied Xander. "Just lay low until I get there, which should be shortly."
"Aye-yi-yi," he muttered. He switched it off, then sighed even louder as "Pegasus" appeared as it did for Bruno.
"Sarah, think can you get that?" he asked.
The Yokai floated towards it, as he watched and muttered something about how homesick he was starting to get…
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GRRAI, INVENTOR OF DARK WORLD (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 1
ATK: 300
DEF: 150
Card Description: If this card is discarded from your hand to the Graveyard by a card effect, Special Summon it; it is then considered a Tuner Monster. If this card is discarded from your hand to the Graveyard by your opponent's card effect, select one Trap Card from your Graveyard and add it to your hand.
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TAION, DEFENDER OF DARK WORLD (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Synchro/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 9
ATK: 2,800
DEF: 3,100
Card Description: 1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner "Dark World" Monsters
When this card is successfully Synchro Summoned, discard 1 card from your hand. During the End Phase of a turn where this card attacked an opposing monster, switch it to Defense Position. While this card is in Defense Position, your opponent cannot attack any monster except for "Taion, Defender of Dark World".
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BLAK, EXECUTIONER OF DARK WORLD (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Synchro/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 10
ATK: 3,300
DEF: 2,700
Card Description: 1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner "Dark World" Monsters
When this card is successfully Synchro Summoned, discard 2 cards from your hand. When this card battles a monster, battle damage to your opponent is doubled.
(Note: The preceding three cards were created by Rocket Knight 777 for his fic, "Shadowchasers: The Glass City Saga". Creative credit goes to him.)
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DARK WORLD BOUNTY (Spell Card)
Continuous Spell
Image: Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World and Sillva, Warlord of Dark World kneeling before Brron, Mad King of Dark World and presenting him with baskets of gold and jewels.
Card Description: Once per turn, when a "Dark World" monster is Special Summoned from the Graveyard: Draw 1 card.
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BOUNTIFUL FORGE (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: Kayenne, Master Magma Blacksmith, creating Laval Warrior's axes in his forge.
Card Description: If you have 4 or more "Laval" monsters with different names in your Graveyard, draw 2 cards.
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EMERGENCY TRASH BARRICADE (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: Terrified townspeople heaping piles of garbage to block an oncoming army's attack.
Card Description: This card can only be activated from your Graveyard after being discarded from your hand or deck by a card's effect. Once per duel, during either player's turn, you can end the Battle Phase whenever you wish.
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Xander: Purpose… It's something all things have, something mortals take for granted.
Everything on this powers-forsaken backwater world has purpose. Soil and water feed plants, which feed the herbivorous beasts, which in turn feed the carnivorous ones, and all feed the sapient beings. Everything, down to the lowest microbe, has a purpose.
Even the Created – or Never-Born, as the ones here call themselves have purposes…
Unless such are mistakes thought up by insane magicians, designed haphazardly with ill-conceived plans. The only purposes they have, is to be taken apart for raw materials so their perfectionist creators can build more things with no purpose. Some are less lucky, and simply thrown on the trash heap…
Even worse are those who escape such fates. They have NO purpose unless they find one.
My only purpose now is to duel in service of at tyrant.
A sick joke, but then, I know none other.
"Vanity's Emptiness", coming soon.