Shadowchasers

by 0ccam's Razor

The thrilling conclusion! It's called Knight's Title! Don't miss it!

21. Ancient Rules

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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

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Ancient Rules

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We now must travel through distance and time once again. When it was nine AM in Neo Domino, which was when the problem in Dallas had started, it was midnight in Great Britain.

This was where the Shadowchasers was founded, roughly a thousand years ago. Only Jalal knew the exact date, as he was the only one of the founding Shadowchasers who was still alive. The location of his father's old lair – that had been converted into a tomb after he died – was a secret known only to him, but it was known to be in Britain somewhere. Jalal's public manor house was located a mile outside of Liverpool – emphasis on "public". It wasn't his true home, but only what he used when dealing with Mundanes. Shadowchasers who went to the house quickly took one of the many portals that led to the secret vale that held Shadowchaser Headquarters, where his true manor house, as well as the courts, administrative buildings, meeting halls, and many other important buildings needed for running the organization were kept far away from Mundane eyes.

As you might expect, Great Britain had more of a concentration of Shadowchasers in it than any other industrialized country. And the country had a great deal of Shadowkind too, as you might expect from its long history. In addition to the numerous clans, Britain was thick with sites of power, where magic was particularly strong. London itself was one of the few metropolitan areas, along with Rome, Hong Kong, and New Orleans, where the mystic ley lines that crisscrossed the planet were known to intersect. Other places of power were common in Britain, such as Stonehenge and other lesser known groups of standing stones. It may have been the concentration of supernatural energy that had caused a Shadow as powerful as Jalal's father to arrive here in the first place.

There would always be a need for Shadowchasers in Great Britain… And it would always be the place that they called home…

London.

At the stroke of midnight, the Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster (often incorrectly referred to as Big Ben, which was actually the name of its largest bell) let out its low, monotonous chime over the whole city.

In a pub on the south side of the city, it was an hour to closing time. The elderly bartender was serving the few remaining customers, most of them folks who worked late and came in for a pint on the way home.

He was quick to notice when Hank walked in. Hank was a native of Britain, but business kept him from home most of the time. He was a rare sight here.

"Hank?" said the barkeep, somewhat surprised. "Heh, long time no see! What's been keeping you?"

"Business," replied Hank. "And I'm afraid that's it's business that's brought me back home for a little while.

"Give me the usual, will you?"

The bartender filled a glass at the tap.

"Anything I can help you with?" he asked.

"Actually, yes," replied Hank. "I'm looking for the Colonel."

"Mmm…" said the bartender, shaking his head. "Afraid you got back about a week too late, Hank. The Colonel passed away last Monday. The doctor said he died in his sleep."

Hank sighed.

"Poor guy," he said. "He lived a long life, but everyone has to go sometime, I guess. So what did he do with all his money?"

"Well, he didn't leave it to me, that's all I know," said the bartender with a shrug.

Hank sipped from the glass.

"No one mentioned a… Silver Hemisphere, did they?" he asked.

The bartender gave a strange look.

"Well, I think I'd know if they did," he said. "What's that, half a globe?"

"Long story," sighed Hank.

Looks like this is a dead end, he thought.

"Pardon me, guvnor," said a voice next to him.

Hank turned his head, and then looked down.

Standing next to him was a very short figure, about four feet tall. He was dressed in an old and worn jacket and pants, a wool hat, and a scarf covering the lower half of his face. Clearly, this person looked like he was concerned with catching cold, despite the fact that it was summer.

However, Hank could see his pointed ears, his olive-green skin, and his watery eyes. Combined with his short stature, it was clear that he was a goblin.

Goblins were Shadows that were related to orcs at some point in their ancestry. But while orcs were violent and warlike, goblins were sneaky and stealthy. While orcs were warriors, goblins tended to be thieves. It was very hard to ever trust one of them – any Aware who knew anything about goblins knew enough to watch his wallet whenever they were around. Goblins rarely had any loyalty at all, and most would turn in their own mothers if the reward was good enough.

"What?" asked Hank.

"You lookin' for the Silver Hemisphere?" asked the goblin.

"Buddy, I only listen to serious claims," replied Hank, "and I don't fall for con games easily. I doubt you even know what the Silver Hemisphere is."

"But I do," replied the goblin. "It's a silver display stand meant to hold the Regalia of Day, right?"

Hank looked at him.

"Okay, I'm listening," he said.

"Well, maybe outside…" said the goblin. "In places like this, the walls have ears, y'know…"

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The street was pretty much empty at this time of night. The goblin looked back and forth.

"Look, Mr… 'Snitch'," started Hank.

"No 'mister'," replied the goblin. "Just Snitch. I just want to cut a little deal with you. I hear you're a duelist…"

He took a Duel Disk from under his coat, and a deck.

"Okay, what do you want?" asked Hank.

"We have a friend in common," said Snitch. "Name's Al-Khazzir?"

"He isn't a friend," replied Hank.

"Whatever," replied Snitch. "He's in jail, you know, and I am a friend. I just want to pay him a little visit before his trial starts."

"Then go to the detention center at Shadowchaser Headquarters and fill out a visitor's form!" replied Hank. "It's as simple as that."

"Well, that's kind of a prickly pear where I'm concerned," said Snitch. "See, I did some time about five years ago for breaking and entering…"

"…and ex-cons can't visit prisoners," replied Hank. "Well, sorry, but I can't change the rules."

"But I can!" replied Snitch. "All I gotta do, is get a signed permission form from either the arresting officer, or the judge presiding over his trial."

"And since I'm the arresting officer, you want it from me," sighed Hank, putting his hand on his hip. "You realize that I can't do that without going through the proper channels…"

"I'd ask the judge, but he's incredibly busy," replied Snitch. "Now look, we can do this like gentlemen if you want… I really know where this Silver Hemisphere is. And to avoid the red tape, I'll really make this worth your while."

"You want to duel so it counts as a wager as outlined by the Treaty," muttered Hank. "That way, the 'proper channels' can be avoided."

"But you'll benefit either way," replied Snitch. "You win, I'll tell you where it is, and I'll be on my way. If I win, you sign that form for me, and I'll tell you where it is anyway! Win-win situation. You couldn't ask for a better deal than that, could ya?"

Hank looked at the goblin.

He was well aware of an ancient saying that said, "if something seems too good to be true, it probably is".

But, if this goblin truly did know where the Silver Hemisphere was…

I'll figure it out later, he thought.

He activated his Disk.

Snitch smiled a smile that Hank did not like. He activated his own.

(Hank: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Snitch: 8,000)

Snitch grinned as he made his first draw.

Perfect! he thought. There it is… The card he gave me… This'll be a piece of crumb cake…

"I'll start by summoning Demon Roar God Galbath," he said.

As he played the card, a waft of bright light struck the field. An ugly-looking Fiend with a gargoyle-like face, armor, and scaly, wing-like protrusions on his forearms appeared. He carried a weapon that looked like a huge, spiked, iron ball on a chain. (1,500 ATK)

A Demon Roar God? thought Hank. Never heard of that before…

"What do you think?" asked Snitch, who now sounded a great deal more sinister than he did before. "He'll rip you a new one!"

"Let him try!" laughed Hank. "He's hardly the strongest Fiend I've ever seen."

"Yeah?" said Snitch, placing a card in his Disk. "Well, I'll toss down a facedown card for later. It's your move…"

Hank made a draw, and looked at it.

"I think I'll activate it now!" exclaimed Snitch.

His facedown card lifted, showing a Continuous Trap. It bore a frightening image of an armored Fiend appearing in a summoning circle.

"It's a rare Trap called Spell-Sealing Sigil," he said. "Now, I get to name one type of Spell Card, and for as long this Trap is in play, that type of Spell is off-limits for both of us.

"I'm naming Quickplay Spells."

What the… thought Hank. That means he knew about my Curse-Returner Hitogata… He came prepared.

"And all I gotta do to keep it," continued Snitch, "is make sure I've got a Light-Attribute Fiend on my field during each of my own End Phases."

"Light-Attribute Fiends are pretty hard to come by," replied Hank.

"Take a look," said Snitch, pointing to Galbath. "I got one already. And he ain't the only Demon Roar God. There are more, and they're all Light Fiends. No-one is quite sure why that is, but some folks think that they used to be fallen angels before they were Fiends."

Hank looked at his hand.

Well, he thought, whoever told him about my cards was a little misinformed…

He played a card.

"I summon Ashoka Pillar!" he shouted.

With a rumble, the tall, thin, stone tower rose out of the ground. (0 ATK)

"And just what are you gonna do with that?" laughed Snitch. "You can't use your Curse-Returner! When I smash it, you'll lose 2,000 Life Points!"

"We'll see about that," said Hank. "I play the Equip Spell, Spirit Mask."

He played another card, and a large, colorful tiki mask bonded to the apex of the tower.

"And what does that do?" asked Snitch.

"If this Monster is destroyed with Spirit Mask," explained Hank, "its controller has to discard one card."

Snitch burst out laughing.

"Of all the idiotic…" he laughed. "That has to be the dumbest…"

Hank flipped a card in his hand around, and Snitch stopped short.

"…that has to be the smartest move I've ever seen…" said Snitch, nervously.

Hank played the card, and Creature Swap appeared on his side of the field. Instantly, both Monsters switched places, Demon Roar God Galbath appearing on Hank's side of the field, and Ashoka Pillar appearing on Snitch's.

"Need I remind you," said Hank, "Ashoka Pillar also has zero Attack Points."

"Hold on!" shouted Snitch.

"Now, let's battle!" shouted Hank. "Galbath, tear down Ashoka Pillar!"

Galbath twirled the ball and chain over his head, and hurled it at Ashoka Pillar, smashing it into shards of rock. Snitch groaned and shielded himself.

"And don't forget, you lose 2,000 Life Points from its effect," continued Hank.

The goblin screamed as lightning struck him.

"And also don't forget," said Hank, as Snitch started to get up, "you have to toss one card due to Spirit Mask's effect."

Snitch grinned a little.

"Actually…" he said, taking a card from his hand, "it would be my pleasure…"

He discarded it.

Huh? thought Hank. What just happened?

(H: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 4,500)

He looked at Snitch.

"I've wiped out almost half your Life Points in one turn," he said. "That Spell-Sealing Sigil hasn't done you any good so far. So why don't you tell me who gave it to you?"

"No," said Snitch, drawing a card. "Besides, who said anyone gave it to me? Maybe I just pulled it.

"And by the way, you might like to know that the Monster I discarded because of your Spirit Mask was a Level 6 Monster called Demon Roar God Solcius.

"And when he's in my Graveyard, I can toss two cards…"

He quickly discarded Magical Mallet and Bark of Dark Ruler.

"…to bring him to the field!"

In an eruption of light, a new Fiend appeared in front of Snitch. It was a large, muscular creature, with batlike wings and a long, snaky tail, wearing a black breastplate with a golden design, black pants, and a golden mask over his otherwise human face. (2,200 ATK)

"Ho boy," said Hank.

"Next, I Normal Summon Demon Roar God Kushano," continued Snitch.

In another waft of light, a new Fiend appeared who looked like an academia-type. He wore a formal black jacket and trousers with silver designs and spectacles, had unkempt, long, white hair, and white, feathered wings. He carried a large, leather-bound tome with a skull on the cover. (1,100 ATK)

Snitch looked at the last card in his hand.

I'll save this for later, he thought.

"Solcius," he said, "wipe out Galbath with prismatic orb!"

The Fiend put his hands together, and formed a globe of multicolored lights. He hurled it, and Galbath was blown into gibbets of light.

"All right, Kushano, attack the guvnor directly."

Kushano adjusted his glasses, and fired a beam of energy from them, striking Hank.

"Ergh…" he groaned.

"That's my move, guvnor," said Snitch.

(H: 6,200) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 4,500)

Seems this guy is better than I thought he'd be, thought Hank, drawing a card.

He looked at the Monster on the card he had drawn.

"I play Stonehenge," he said, playing a Spell Card. "Now, I get to bring Ashoka Pillar back from the Graveyard."

The standing stones of Stonehenge surrounded the two duelists, and Ashoka Pillar reappeared. (2,200 DEF)

"I play a facedown, and end my turn."

A facedown card appeared behind Asoka Pillar.

"You think that oversized street lamp can protect you?" asked Snitch.

He drew a card.

"Trap activate," exclaimed Hank.

"Huh?" said Snitch, as the facedown card lifted.

"Rock Bombardment!" shouted Hank. "Now, by sending a Rock-Type Monster from my deck to my Graveyard, I get to inflict 500 points of damage!"

A large catapult manned by two soldiers appeared behind him. One of them lowered the basket, and the other loaded the Crystal Skull into it.

The first one pulled the lever, sending Crystal Skull shooting towards Snitch. He tumbled over as it beaned him on the head.

He slowly got up.

"Oh, aren't we clever…" he growled. "I summon Demon Roar God Urstos!"

With a cackling laugh, a hideous creature appeared next to the other two Demon Roar Gods. It was a skeleton, garbed in a tattered, black cloak, with rotting, molted, feathered wings. (1,500 ATK)

"This guy's effect comes into play whenever I have two or less cards in my hand," explained Snitch, "and as you can see, I only have one. Now, every Demon Roar God I 'ave gains 400 more Attack Points."

Solcius grew to 2,600 Attack Points, Kushano rose to 1,500, and Urstos rose to 1,900.

"Now let's see how you like it… Solcius, destroy Ashoka Pillar!"

Solcius blasted his prismatic orb, and Ashoka Pillar was blown into pebbles for the second time.

"And now, you get a taste of yer own medicine!" laughed Snitch.

Hank groaned as the lightning struck him.

"But what doesn't kill me only makes me stronger," replied Hank. "You see, because I just took damage from the effect of a card I control, I can Special Summon…

"…my Anubian Soldier!"

An explosion of sand burst from where Ashoka Pillar had been, and a tall, humanoid form rose out of the ground. It was a muscular man wearing Egyptian-style armor, holding a crescent-bladed battle-axe. He had the head of a black-furred jackal, the likeness of the Guardian of the Dead, Anubis. (1,000 ATK)

"Big deal!" laughed Snitch. "That's weak!"

"Yeah?" asked Hank. "He gains Attack Points equal to the amount of Life Points I had to lose to summon him."

Anubian Soldier glowed with dark energy. (3,000 ATK)

"WHAT?" shouted Snitch. "Rowan never told me about this!"

"Who's Rowan?" asked Hank.

"Uh, nobody…" muttered Snitch. "I move Kushano into Defense Mode, and end my turn."

Kushano knelt, and folded his wings over his chest. (800 DEF)

(H: 4,200) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 4,000)

"I draw one card…" said Hank, making a draw.

He looked at the card, which was Cabrera Stone.

Can't use this right now, he thought.

"And then my Anubian Soldier attacks Demon Roar God Urstos!"

The jackal-headed Warrior rushed at the skeletal Fiend, and made a savage slash with its axe. Urstos let out a loud cackle, and then burst into an explosion of bones and shards of cloth.

"Ergh…" muttered Snitch.

Both of his other Monsters' Attack Scores fell to their original scores.

"I throw down a facedown, and end my turn," said Hank, as a reversed card appeared.

(H: 4,200) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 2,900)

Criminy, thought the goblin, making a draw. This is harder than I thought it would be…

"I set a Monster," he said, "and move Solcius to Defense Mode as well."

He quickly played his last card. A set Monster appeared, and Solcius knelt and folded his own wings over his chest. (2,100 DEF)

"My move now," said Hank.

He drew a card.

Just what I needed, he thought.

"I sacrifice my Anubian Soldier…" he said.

Anubian Soldier vanished into grains of light…

"To Special Summon his master… King Scorpion!"

Lightning flashed, and a powerful, muscular man with bronze skin appeared in his place. He was bare-chested, with leather trousers, wearing bronze gauntlets and a helmet with a scorpion design on the crest. He held a kopesh sword in his right hand, and a large shield with a scorpion painted on it in his left. (3,000 ATK)

"I don't get it," said Snitch. "You sacrificed one Monster to summon one with the same amount of Attack Points?"

"King Scorpion's Attack Points are the same as whatever Anubian Soldier had when I sacrificed it," explained Hank. "And he gains effects depending on how powerful he is. If he has 2,000 Attack Points or more, he inflicts trampling damage. 3,000 or more, and he can dodge any Spell or Trap that targets him."

"Trampling damage??" gasped Snitch.

He looked at Kushano.

"Oh no…"

"Attack Demon Roar God Kushano!" shouted Hank.

King Scorpion made a swipe with his kopesh, and the Demon Roar God exploded, knocking Snitch over.

"My turn is over," said Hank.

(H: 4,200) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 700)

"I'm not finished yet," said Snitch, drawing a card.

He looked at it.

"First I set this," he said, as a facedown card appeared.

"Then I flip Morphing Jar into Attack Mode."

His facedown Monster flipped up. Morphing Jar appeared, and let out a cackle. (700 ATK)

Hank discarded Cabrera Stone, and made five draws. Snitch discarded his one card, and drew five times.

"Now," said Snitch, "since this Trap Card of mine seems to have been nothing more than a waste of time, I'll use this…"

The card he had just set lifted up.

"Magic Planter. I'll send Spell-Sealing Sigil to the Graveyard, to draw two more times."

The Trap Card vanished, and he made two draws.

Then he chuckled.

"Even better," he continued, "since we can use Quickplays again, I can use Mystik Wok."

He played a Spell Card, and Demon Roar God Solcius vanished into grains of light.

"Now I gain 2,200 Life Points.

"Next, I'll summon Demon Roar God Raven."

He played the card, and a new Fiend appeared. This one was dressed in black armor with a skull design on the breastplate, and a helmet that covered his face like a cowl. His wings were attached to his forearms, and looked like blades. (1,300 ATK)

"Raven here is Level 2," said Snitch, "but for each card that I toss, he gains one Level for one round, and also gains 400 Attack Points."

He quickly discarded two cards, and Raven glowed with an aura of Light. (2,100 ATK)

He could only have one reason for changing its Level, thought Hank. A Synchro Summon… But what Synchro Monster could he have that could beat King Scorpion's Attack Score of 3,000?

"And that's not all," continued Snitch. "The two Monsters I discarded are two guys named Demon Roar God Rulee. And when they go from my hand to the Graveyard, they go to the field next."

In two small bursts of light, two little imps with bat-like wings, big smiles, and red masks over their eyes appeared, crouching in Defense Mode. (400 DEF x2)

"Up next," he said, as a Spell Card appeared, "I play Monster Gate. First I gotta sacrifice a Monster. So, I'll get rid of Morphing Jar…"

Morphing Jar vanished.

"Then I pick up cards from my deck until I reach a Monster. Then I Special Summon it."

He took a card from his deck.

"And I got just what I needed! Meet Demon Roar God Grimro!"

The Fiend that appeared this time clearly looked more like a fallen angel than a true Fiend. She (it was clearly a female) was a dark woman dressed in a black gown made of black feathers, with dark hair, pale skin, and large, black, feathered wings. (1,700 ATK)

"Just how many of these guys are there?" asked Hank.

"The best is yet to come," chuckled Snitch. "I Tune Raven and Grimro together!"

The two Demon Roar Gods spread their wings, and flew into the night sky. Hank felt a strange sense of foreboding as they split into eight stars, which quickly vanished.

Then a portal started to open…

A hulking, intimidating form started to walk out of the portal. It was a broad-shouldered Fiend dressed in sinister-looking, but elaborately decorated shogun armor, colored black, red, and gold, with many sharp edges. His wings were seemingly made of steel, and seemed to be part of the armor itself.

"Meet Demon Roar God Valkyurus," said Snitch.

(2,900 ATK)

"He still can't beat King Scorpion," replied Hank, narrowing his eyes. "He comes up 100 points short."

"Can he now?" asked Snitch, playing another card. "I play Banner of Courage. Now, for my Battle Phase only, my Monsters gain 200 more Attack Points.

"So… Valkyurus… Take down King Scorpion!"

Valkyurus lifted his hand, and a flaming katana blade appeared in it. He let out a roar, his Attack Score rose to 3,100, and he charged at King Scorpion.

"Not so fast!" shouted Hank, as his facedown card lifted up. "I activate a Trap!"

The Trap Card was a very elaborate one, which showed an old fashioned, black and white picture of a man being held by his ankles over a castle parapet.

"It's called Blarney Stone," he said. "Legend says that kissing the Stone brings good fortune, and a kiss from this Trap brings luck to any Earth Monster, making him invincible in battle."

Valkyurus's sword slammed into King Scorpion, but the Warrior resisted it.

Snitch placed his last card into his Disk.

"I set this," he said, "and I end my turn."

(H: 4,100) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 2,900)

Hank drew a card and looked at it.

Okay… he thought.

"Trap activate," said Snitch.

"Huh?" said Hank.

"It's called Gamble," said Snitch, as his facedown card activated. "Since you have six cards, and I have none, I get to toss a coin. If I call correctly, I get to draw five times."

"You realize what's gonna happen if you call wrong, right?" asked Hank.

"Yeah, I'll have to skip my next turn, and I'll lose the duel," said Snitch, holding up a coin. "But I'm feeling mighty lucky today…

Even more than you could ever believe, he thought, looking at the coin.

It looked like a Euro, but it was actually a fake, two-headed one that he had gotten from a novelty store catalogue. Normally, a Duel Disk was programmed to detect such fakes, but the person who had given Snitch this Disk had tampered with that feature.

"It's heads!" he shouted, tossing it.

The coin spun in the air, and he caught it, slapping it on his wrist. Hank's eyes narrowed a little…

"Heads it is," said Snitch.

Even if Hank suspected that the move had been underhanded (and he did), he wasn't going to waste time challenging it. He knew that this guy would likely use a fast move to switch the coin for a regular one before he could inspect it. He was full of suspicion already anyway about this whole deal.

As Snitch drew five cards, Hank looked at the cards in his hand.

If I attacked one of those Rulee, I could bring him down to only 300 Life Points, he thought. But with Valkyurus on the field and his Banner of Courage in play, I'd lose King Scorpion on his next turn, and I can't have that…

"King Scorpion, destroy Demon Roar God Valkyurus!"

The powerful king made a slash with his blade, cutting down the evil Fiend, who was blown into slivers of brilliant light. Snitch shielded himself.

(H: 4,100) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 2,800)

"Not bad, guvnor," chuckled Snitch. "But now it's time to bring out my best…"

Valkyurus wasn't his best? thought Hank, in disbelief.

He made a draw.

"I play Monster Reborn!" he shouted. "Guess who's back…"

The fiery, glowing ankh appeared, and Valkyurus appeared again. (2,900 ATK)

"But he isn't staying," he continued. "I'm just gonna use him to summon someone even better.

"And it all starts with this guy… Demon Roar God Mihztorji."

He flipped a card in his hand around.

"See, he's a Tuner himself, but I can use him a different way. If I send him to the Graveyard…"

He discarded the card.

"…I can treat any other Demon Roar God on the field as a Tuner. So I'm gonna do that with one of my Rulee.

"And that lets me Tune all three of my Monsters together…"

All three of the Fiends flew into the sky, turning into a cluster of stars. Fog started to rise on the street, and Hank's eyes opened wide.

"That's ten Levels worth of Monsters!" he shouted.

"That's right!" laughed Snitch, as a large object appeared in front of him.

The large object appeared to be a granite throne, its back to Hank. Slowly, it rotated, showing another powerful-looking Fiend reclining on it. He was wearing armor and had a hair style each resembling the visual kei fashions, covered with decorated gold and crimson, with a mask over his eyes, and large, leathery wings on his back.

He yawned, and stretched, and stood up. (3,000 ATK)

"Meet the lord of the Demon Roar Gods," chuckled Snitch. "Demon Roar God Levuathan!

"And thanks to my Banner of Courage, he has enough firepower to atomize your King…"

Levuathan's eyes glowed with crackling energy. Thunder clapped. He lifted his hand, and lightning fell from the heavens, falling to his palm, and his Attack Score rose to 3,200. Then he hurled the lightning forward, and King Scorpion groaned before being blasted into shards.

"So much for him," said Snitch. "I'll set a facedown, and end my turn."

A reversed card appeared in front of him.

(H: 3,900) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 2,800)

Hank glared at Snitch and drew a card.

I wasn't sure before, but now I am, he thought. Synchro Monsters are rare enough as it is… Level 10 ones are not cards that would ever be found in the hands of any goblin tipsters. This whole thing was a setup.

I'd better beat this guy and find out why…

"First, I play a facedown," he said, as a reversed card appeared.

"Then, I play the Spell Card, Valley of Kings."

A Spell Card appeared in front of him.

"Now, by removing a Level 8 Monster in my Graveyard from play, such as King Scorpion, I get to Special Summon three Monsters from it, so long as all three of them have zero Attack Points."

He quickly pocketed the King Scorpion card, and three surges of energy appeared on the field. Crystal Skull appeared first (0 DEF), then Ashoka Pillar (2,200 DEF), then Cabrera Stone (0 ATK).

"You just summoned your Crystal Skull!" shouted Snitch. "You know what that means!"

Hank groaned a little as the Crystal Skull glowed with eldritch energy and it shocked him.

(H: 2,900) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 2,800)

"Since I played Valley of Kings," he said, "I'm not allowed to use any other Spell Cards or summon any other Monsters this turn. So I'll end my turn."

Snitch grinned as he drew a card.

Your strategy couldn't be more obvious, thought the goblin. You're planning to use Triangle-O next turn. The facedown card is likely a Trap that will protect those three Monsters… Most likely Totem Pole.

Well, you'd win the duel… If I let you use it…

"I play Card Destruction!" he exclaimed, playing a card. "Now, we each have to ditch all the cards in our hands and draw an equal number!"

Hank closed his eyes as he discarded the five cards he had, and made five draws. Snitch discarded his two cards, and drew two.

Hmm, he thought, looking at them. I can't get rid of Totem Pole with these… So I guess I'll just have to force him to use it up.

"Levuathan… Destroy his Cabrera Stone!"

Levuathan called lightning to his hand again, and shot it towards the artifact. Hank gestured, and his Trap Card lifted up, which was indeed Totem Pole. The tall, wooden monolith shot out of the ground, and the blue carved face shot forward, deflecting the blast.

"Fine, fine," said Snitch. "But you can only use that thing two more times, and those three Monsters are a liability to you now."

"So you say," said Hank. "It's my move!"

He quickly made a draw.

Got her, he thought, looking at it.

"I summon Counselor Lily!" he exclaimed.

He quickly played the card, and a tall female appeared, with long, curly red hair, dressed in a long, white coat, with eyeglasses, and large, feathered wings on her back. She held a pen and a clipboard. (400 ATK)

"Eh?" said Snitch. "That there's Injection Fairy Lily…"

"No she isn't," corrected Hank. "Not anymore. She was called that when she was younger, when she a nurse. But she continued her studies, and received a promotion, becoming a counselor, an administrative position. Now she's Counselor Lily.

"And she has greater powers than before… She's a Tuner now.

"Okay, Lily… Let's Tune up this duel!"

Lily nodded, and spread her wings. She flew upwards, and Crystal Skull, Ashoka Pillar, and Cabrera Stone appeared behind her. All four Monsters turned into eight glowing stars…

"I Synchro Summon the legendary guardian of Crete," said Hank, as a hulking form arose behind him. "I call forth Talos the Iron Titan!"

A huge creature appeared next to Hank, standing fifteen feet tall. It was a humanoid made entirely or iron, cast in the shape of a man in Spartan-style armor, holding a short (relative for its size) sword in its right hand. Its eyes glowed with a fiery light, as if there was a core of flames inside it. (2,500 ATK)

"Heh," chuckled Snitch. "Levuathan is stronger than that guy…"

"Oh really?" said Hank. "Well, why don't I activate Lily's effect? Since she was used as the Tuner to summon it, I can spend 500 Life Points, and Talos gains 1,000 Attack Points this round."

Talos glowed with a powerful aura. (3,500 ATK)

"And then I'm using Talos's effect," continued Hank. "By destroying one of my own cards this round, it can destroy one of yours. So I'll get rid of Totem Pole, and take out your Trap Card!"

Totem Pole shattered, and Talos breathed a stream of fire at the facedown card. The Mirror Force – because that was what it was – lifted up, and was burned to a crisp.

Another incredibly rare card, thought Hank. This guy has some explaining to do…

"Talos…" he ordered, "destroy Demon Roar God Levuathan!"

The Iron Titan charged forward, causing the ground to tremble with each step. It smote the Demon Roar God with its mighty blade, and an explosion of light lit up the street as the Fiend was blasted out of existence.

"You activated Levuathan's effect!" shouted Snitch. "When he bites the big one, I get to recover three Demon Roar Gods from my Graveyard!"

Three cards fell out of his discard slot, and he took them.

"Well, my turn isn't over," replied Hank. "I play Monster Reborn!"

He played the card, and the ankh appeared again. Ashoka Pillar appeared again. (2,200 DEF)

"Ashoka Pillar?" laughed Snitch. "Why'd you bring that thing back?"

"I'll show you," said Hank. "I play Double Spell!"

A Spell Card appeared in front of him.

"Now, for the cost of one other Spell Card…"

He discarded a card in his hand.

"…I can use one Spell Card in your Graveyard. And I think I'll use your Mystik Wok."

The Mystik Wok card appeared in front of him, and Ashoka Pillar dissolved into grains of light.

"Bet you're sorry you got rid of your Sigil now, huh?"

Hank took his last card, and placed it in his Disk. A reversed card appeared behind Talos.

"End turn…" he said, as Talos fell back to an Attack Score of 2,500.

(H: 4,600) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 2,300)

"You think you're so smart," growled Snitch, drawing a card. "Well, you aren't!

"I play Magical Stone Excavation! So I'll ditch these two cards…"

He discarded two of the Monsters he had recovered.

"…and get back my Monster Reborn!"

Monster Reborn slipped out of his discard slot.

"Now, I'll play it!"

The golden ankh appeared, and Levuathan appeared once again. (3,000 ATK)

"And I'll summon back Grimro too!"

He played another card, and Demon Roar God Grimro appeared again. (1,700 ATK)

"And finally, since Solcius is in my Graveyard, I'll toss my last two cards to summon him to the field again."

He quickly discarded his remaining hand, and in a blast of light, Demon Roar God Solcius appeared again. (2,200 ATK)

"Quite impressive…" muttered Hank.

"Levuathan, show him who the true Titan is!"

The Demon Roar God's eyes glowed, and his Attack Score rose to 3,200. He blasted his lighting, and Talos the Iron Titan was blown to pieces in an eruption of flames.

"So much for your Iron Titan," chuckled Snitch. "Grimro, attack…"

"You lose, pal," interrupted Hank.

"Say what?" said Snitch.

Then he noticed that Hank had activated his facedown card.

"I activate Curse of Akator," said Hank.

With a glowing surge of powerful energy, the Crystal Skull appeared, hovering over the field.

"What's happening?" shouted Snitch.

"This Quickplay Spell can be activated when a Monster is destroyed after Crystal Skull is used to summon it," replied Hank. "Now, we both lose Life Points equal to Talos's Attack Score.

"Now do you see why I padded my points using your Mystik Wok? Unfortunately, you didn't do the same."

Lightning flashed from Crystal Skull, striking both the duelists. Hank had time to brace himself, but Snitch wasn't so lucky. He tumbled over on the ground.

(H: 1,400) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 0)

Snitch looked up to see Demon Roar God Levuathan looking at him. The Fiend shook his head with a disappointed look, and then vanished.

The next minute, Hank had grabbed him.

"All right fellah, talk," demanded Hank. "Where did you get these cards?"

"From…" gasped Snitch. "From Toys R Us?"

"Don't lie to me, pal," said Hank. "You can't just walk into a store and buy a Level 10 Synchro Monster. Some of those cards would be worth hundreds of pounds on the open market, or thousands on the black market. Not to mention the fact that you knew how a lot of my cards worked. So I want to know what the whole deal is.

"Start talking, or I know an alchemist who'd pay good money for goblin warts."

"All right, all right!" shouted Snitch. "I'll sing! Rowan gave them to me! He's Al-Khazzir's lawyer…"

"So what was the deal?" asked Hank. "Did you want to visit him to slip him a weapon?"

"No…" muttered Snitch. "It's all because of the confession you got from him, which will likely be the biggest piece of evidence at his trial."

He sighed.

"Rowan is under a lot of pressure to get the judge to throw it out. All of the folks that Al-Khazzir named as his benefactors and buyers in that confession… They don't want to go to jail!

"But Rowan can't think of any legal arguments that the judge will listen to that will convince him that the confession can't be used…"

"Of course it can be used," said Hank. "I obtained it as part of a wager in the agreed-upon form of conflict between Shadowchaser and Shadowkind as outlined in the Treaty. It's completely legit."

"Yeah, but…" said Snitch, meekly. "Rowan was thinking… If he could get your signature… On anything, like a permission slip…"

He paused, nervously.

"He could type up a second confession," said Hank, "saying that Al-Khazzir's confession was obtained through an underhanded and illegal method, and then forge my signature on it, to make it look like evidence of a frame-up."

"More or less," squeaked Snitch.

Then Hank laughed. He laughed out loud.

"What's so funny?" asked Snitch.

"It wouldn't have worked, pal," said Hank. "He would have been making a pretty serious accusation against a Shadowchaser, so any evidence he had, such as the forged document, would have been subjected to magical examination, and he would have been interrogated using lie-detection magic. Trust me, it would have quickly been exposed as a forgery.

"And once you tell the judge that, he's not going to like it…"

"Wait!" pleaded Snitch. "I can make all this worth your while! I still know where the Silver Hemisphere is!"

"So where is it?" asked Hank.

"Well, uh…" said Snitch. "You'd have to call a place, and ask for a certain person… It's kinda hard to describe, but if you had a pen and a paper, then I could, y'know…"

"Tell you what," said Hank, lifting up a gemstone. "You can do all that when we get to Shadowchaser Headquarters."

Snitch groaned.

"You might as well…" he said. "It's not so bad for a guy like me who has a lot of guys he can rat on…"

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

In Neo Domino, it was a quarter to noon.

As Sorsha napped on the mantle, Ember sat in front of her laptop computer, looking through message boards and chat rooms on the internet, trying to find a reference somewhere to a successful deck that had used the maximum number of cards. She had not yet met with any success.

She sighed. She remembered another evening she had spent with her cousin, about six months ago…

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Akira's cards were all spread out on the counter. The Lightsworns were definitely not a group with specific membership rules. There were Warriors, one Beast, Spellcasters, Beast-Warriors… But one thing that Ember couldn't help but wonder about was the drawback that all of them seemed to share.

"I dunno, Akira," she muttered. "It seems like a deck that relies a lot on luck. With all of the self-milling, you never know if you're gonna have to toss the important cards."

"Well, the idea is to use that to your advantage," replied Akira. "I always pack three of these…"

He held up a Trap Card. It was Beckoning Light.

"This Trap predates the Lightsworns, but it works with them. You can use it to get any Light Monsters you want from your Graveyard, and that can be much easier than getting them from your deck."

"Assuming that you don't toss the copies of Beckoning Light with the self-milling," replied Ember.

"Well, that's where the laws of probability come into effect," said Akira. "If I have three copies of Beckoning Light, I have a pretty good chance of holding onto at least one. And one is usually all I need."

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Ember sighed. The laws of probability were a big part of Duel Monsters. But you couldn't count on them in this case.

The rules of Duel Monsters said that a deck had to have a minimum of forty cards, and a maximum of sixty, not including the Extra Deck. But you'd have to be crazy to have sixty. Most players stayed as close to forty as possible. If you had too many cards, your chances of drawing the right card when you needed it diminished. You were only allowed to have three copies of each card in your deck, or less in the case of a Semi-Limited or Limited card, and the less cards you had, the better your chances of drawing a card that was essential to your strategy.

Where do I start? she thought.

"Having difficulties, child?" said Jalal's voice.

Ember turned and saw Jalal's phantasmal image, which she was pretty much used to by now.

"I'm sure I'll figure out something," she replied.

"Oftentimes the solution to a problem comes when you aren't looking for it," said Jalal. "Archimedes figured out one problem that was troubling him when he was taking a bath.

"My father was a master of riddles and logic problems… No puzzle was so hard that he couldn't figure it out…"

Ember didn't speak for a minute.

"You know, boss…" she said. "I meant to ask you something… Everyone says you inherited your dad's wealth…"

"Yes?" asked Jalal.

"Well, how did that happen?" asked Ember. "Don't dragons live forever?"

A sad look crossed Jalal's face. A tear fell down his cheek.

"If you'd rather not talk about it…" said Ember, quickly.

Jalal sat down.

"No, child, sometimes I feel I must talk about it," he said. "Dragons don't live forever… I only wish that were so…

"It's quite a tale…"

He took a deep breath.

"My father was one of the greatest of dragonkind. A beautiful gold wyrm, the mere sight of which inspired bards and poets to write epic tales. The name Jamor Stormbringer was a name that was synonymous with majesty and glory."

Ember looked at him hard. Jalal nodded.

"Yes, it's my last name," he said. "I rarely use it these days anymore…

"But anyway, Jamor knew that even dragons must one day die. Before I was even born, he sought true immortality, so that his glory would live in person forever among Shadowkind, and not just in books.

"So, Jamor journeyed to a place where the barriers between our dimension and others were not as difficult to bypass. He discovered an in-between place that held the lair of Athentia the Great Sphinx.

"Now, dealing with Athentia is always incredibly dangerous. They say she is a creature who can trace her roots back to when the Titans reigned as the lords of existence, and her power is incomprehensible. Some seek her out for the great wisdom she holds. But one must be careful, because anyone who comes to her for knowledge must accept her dreaded Conundrum Curse as a payment. This legendary power turns the victim into a living riddle who can do nothing but attempt to solve it until he succeeds. If he can, he is deserving of whatever lore or wisdom was given to him.

"And woe to anyone who receives the Curse as a result of making her angry. These poor retches will likely be cursed forever. Athentia has a cruel streak at times, and has often required these victims to solve paradoxes of near-impossible complexity to gain their freedom.

"But Jamor approached Athentia not with a request for information, but with a bold offer. He challenged her to a contest of riddles. Had Jamor lost, he would have become her slave until he did die. But should he win, Athentia would make him immortal. The Great Sphinx thought she couldn't possibly lose, and accepted.

"And so the contest began. Each of them posed riddle after riddle, each one harder than the last, and each one was answered in kind. After the first day, a small crowd of planar beings had gathered to watch, and after several days, the crowd had grown to great size. Angels learned of the contest and took time from their schedules when they learned that Athentia had met a worthy challenge. Some of the viewers swore they saw Rao himself view from a distance…"

"Rao?" asked Ember.

"The Lord of Reason," replied Jalal. "A great being worshipped by the scholars and sages among Shadowkind. He is one of the greatest logisticians in existence.

"The contest literally lasted weeks, and consisted of thousands of riddles and logic problems posed by each participant. Finally, Athentia missed one, and it was enough for Jamor to claim victory.

"Athentia kept her word. She made Jamor immortal. And she spared him her Conundrum Curse as well, possibly because she figured it would be pointless using it on such a master of riddles.

"All went well for years. The young human maiden whom my father courted was honored when he took her as a consort, and I was born soon after. The years passed, and I grew into a man, and a powerful warrior in my own right.

"But there were other dragons in the world, and many grew envious of my father's glory, as well as his great horde. Dragons have vast riches, and my father was no exception. One exceptionally wicked wyrm named Malys was enraged by the fact that her horde was second best.

"Knowing she couldn't confront my father directly and hope to survive, Malys hired a reeve – a member of a race known for being the highest-priced and most skilled killers among Shadowkind. Promising a rich reward for the death of her rival, Malys sent him to assassinate Jamor Stormbringer.

"But the reeve would take a different approach than most did while slaying dragons. Rather than fight with armor and sword, he would approach under cover of darkness while my father slept, and stab with a blade that was envenomed with a powerful concoction called dragonsbane. It was a rare chemical, and one of the few things that dragons were afraid of; a poison that could deliver a horrible death to any dragon, killing him from within as it literally caused the victim's blood to burn."

Ember's eyes opened wide in fear. But Jalal continued.

"His blade struck, and my father roared as the poison infected his system. I arrived just in time to see the assassin fleeing. I couldn't take time to stop him – my father was in agony.

"He wasn't dying. He was truly immortal, and not even dragonsbane could change that. But I soon wished it had killed him, for his suffering was great. No remedy or medicine I could create could make the pain go away for longer than an hour.

"I worked without sleep for three days. At some point, my attempts to find a cure turned into an attempt to deliver euthanasia to end his suffering. But I couldn't kill him any more than that assassin could. Not with poisons, not with magic… Not even with a sharp blade.

"I dared to cast the most powerful ritual my father possessed, one he never risked using, in an attempt to banish the spell of immortality. In doing so, I drew power from the ley lines that crisscrossed Britain and tied the very land to the core of the magical power of the Earth itself. When I cast the spell, all of Britain shuddered.

"But it failed… The most powerful spell I possessed could do nothing to help him.

"The gift he had gotten was now a curse. I feared he would likely suffer forever. I had only one option left. I garnered the courage to seek out Athentia herself and beg her to take back her gift."

He paused.

"Were you scared?" asked Ember.

Jalal sighed.

"Michiko," he said, "I don't mind telling you that I was petrified. I knew of the horrible curse that befell those who angered Athentia. My father had forbidden me several times as only a parent could from ever attempting what he had done. But no matter how slim my chances were, I saw no other way.

"She was rather annoyed when I made that proposal. I remember the look in her eye when I spoke to her. She was looking at me like she might look at a grilled sirloin rather than someone who wanted to negotiate with her.

"But she did let me negotiate. I was willing to offer anything. I would even offer myself, giving her the prize my father had promised for her victory in that contest, with me in his place. But Athentia said it wasn't so easy. She said that giving immortality was much easier than taking it away, and it was out of her hands.

"The only way my father could lose his immortality was if he gave it to someone else. And he could not be tricked into giving it away via any means of deception, or threatened into parting with it via blackmail or any other means of force. He had to give it entirely via his own free will. He simply had to say the word, and whomever he wanted to receive the gift would get it, at the expense of losing it himself.

"And then she told me to be gone. No price, no Conundrum Curse… She just told me what I needed to know, and told me to leave. To this day, I have no idea why.

"I got back to see my father still in pain. I told him what the Great Sphinx had said, and offered to take myself what I now knew was a gift of incredible risk. He didn't want to, at first, thinking the same fate could befall any who had such a gift. But eventually, he relented, and bestowed his immortality upon me. I comforted him in his last hour, and said he would be avenged.

"I mourned, but not for long. After I laid him to rest, I went to confront his enemy. I took up my armor and sword, and went to confront Malys.

"I wouldn't strike like a coward like that reeve did. I stormed through the front gates of her lair, avoided her traps, and slew her guardians with ease. Then I confronted Malys herself, and attacked the wicked dragon head-on with sword in hand. The battle was long and terrible, as most battles between dragons and knights are wont to be, but finally, I drove my blade through her heart, and she was no more. For her greed, she only got doom.

"But my victory was short lived, for no sooner had I cleaned by blade, than the reeve appeared. Apparently, Malys had not paid him, claiming he had botched the job, and he was going to kill her and take his payment from her corpse. But when he arrived to see us fighting, he decided to watch, and finish off the weakened winner.

"I was exhausted, and in no condition to face him. He stabbed me with the same envenomed dagger that he had killed my father with, which he was planning to kill Malys with.

"I did the smartest thing I had yet done. I played dead.

"The reeve had made two mistakes. The first one was thinking dragonsbane had any special effect on half-dragons, which it didn't. My human heritage saved me from the same fate that almost befell my father. Also, the reeve didn't know that a dagger couldn't kill me. I was immortal now.

"When I recovered, I was the one in possession of my father's vast wealth, and that of Malys as well. That reeve could only take what he could carry from her horde, but I knew how to transport it all. I didn't know what to do with it. I had more money than I could use in thousands of years, and a life that would likely last for longer… I needed to find a use for it, and a reason to exist…

"That, dear Michiko, is how I started the Shadowchasers."

There was silence for a few minutes.

"Did you ever find this… reeve?" asked Ember.

"No, I didn't bother," replied Jalal. "I knew his days were numbered. Regardless of what his interpretation of the facts were, the job he did was botched. And reeves are not allowed to botch a job. Their race is supposed to be the greatest assassins in the world, and if a reeve ever fails, he quickly becomes the target of other reeves.

"I happens to all of them eventually. Reeves may be their own worst enemy as a race…

"Still, I only wish I could have gotten a good look at him… I never saw his face at all, it was obscured by his hood. All I remember were his glowing green eyes, and his horrible laugh that he made when he stabbed me. It made my blood run cold…"

Jalal looked at the computer screen.

"Keep working on it, Ember," he said. "The world of Shadow remains fraught with peril. Dangers like DaPen continue to challenge us, and we must remain ever vigilant…"

He turned, and then slowly started to fade.

Ember sighed, and leaned her head on her hands.

"DaPen," she muttered. "Yeah, yeah…

"Know what I think? I'd wager anything that DaPen's mental powers are a front to hide a body that's frail and weak. For all we know, he may just be a disembodied head in a jar who can't even move outside his stronghold without help."

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Ember had no idea that her comment had been heard by the last person she wanted to hear it.

In his office in Satellite, DaPen himself was leaning his head against his hand, staring at the wall, rather bored at the moment.

Members of DaPen's race did sleep, and they needed to sleep for roughly eight hours out of every twenty-four. But unlike most races, those eight hours didn't have to happen on a daily basis. They could stay awake when they had to, staying awake for days or even weeks at a time. Eventually, when fatigue did catch up to them, they would sleep to replenish their energy, sleeping every eight-hour cycle at once in a deep slumber that lasted days.

Naturally, they were smart enough not to go into this torpor unprotected. Their homes had secret vaults with deadly booby traps that made sure their sleep wasn't disturbed, and only their most loyal servants even knew about their resting areas.

DaPen wouldn't be ready to sleep for a few days now, but he was still bored. An appointment he had just cancelled. One trick he had learned long ago was to use his mental powers to hear any plots verbally made against him within the Neo Domino city limits. If a rival gang or member of Security made a plan against him and spoke it aloud, he'd hear it.

What Ember had said normally wouldn't have qualified. But he was so bored right now, his senses were more acute than normal, so he faintly heard it.

And he didn't like it. He sat up.

"So, the young apprentice thinks I'm helpless does she?" he muttered. "Maybe I should teach her some manners…"

He thought for a minute. What he could do to Ember right now was very limited. She was protected by the magical wards of the townhouse, and he was a great distance away…

But there was one little thing he could do if he put some effort into it… Maybe with a little unwitting help from one of the city's more annoying residents…

He picked up a remote on his desk, and turned the TV on. He turned on the guide section and perused over the listings.

No, there was nothing good on. There wasn't much on at noon anyway, unless you liked the midday news or game shows, which he didn't. He turned it off.

"Okay, then," he said. "Looks like I'll have to go elsewhere for entertainment… And Ember might fit the bill…"

He concentrated, and his eyes started to glow.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Back at the townhouse, Ember suddenly felt very sleepy.

She lay her head on the desk, and fell asleep.

She started to dream…

My goal to make the perfect sixty-card deck had taken an abrupt detour. A strange sleep had overpowered me, taking me into a place where I would start to doubt what was real, or even whether or not I was real. DaPen's strategy was a plan of trickery, more than any malicious attack.

And I would soon learn that I wasn't the only victim of this plan. Someone else was included in it. I had never met this person, but that would change soon…

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

DEMON ROAR GOD RULEE (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 1
ATK: 200
DEF: 400

Card Description: When this card is discarded from your hand to the Graveyard, Special Summon it.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

DEMON ROAR GOD GALBATH (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 4
ATK: 1,500
DEF: 800

Card Description: You can discard one card from your hand to destroy a face-up opposing Monster with a DEF that is lower than this card's ATK.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

DEMON ROAR GOD GRIMRO (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 4
ATK: 1,700
DEF: 1,000

Card Description: When you control a face-up "Demon Roar God" Monster, you can send this card from your hand to the Graveyard to search your deck for a "Demon Roar God" Monster, except for a "Demon Roar God Grimro", and add it to your hand.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

DEMON ROAR GOD KUSHANO (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Tuner/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 3
ATK: 1,100
DEF: 800

Card Description: When this card is in your Graveyard, you can discard one "Demon Roar God" Monster from your hand, except a "Demon Roar God Kushano", to add this card to your hand.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

DEMON ROAR GOD RAVEN (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Tuner/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 2
ATK: 1,300
DEF: 1,000

Card Description: Once per turn, you can discard any number of cards from your hand. For each card discarded by this effect, increase the ATK of this card by 400 and increase its Level by 1 until the End Phase of the turn.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

DEMON ROAR GOD VALKYURUS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Synchro/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 8
ATK: 2,900
DEF: 1,700

Card Description: "Demon Roar God" Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Monsters.

Once per turn, you can discard 1 Fiend-Type Monster from your hand. Draw one card.

Note: The proceeding six Demon Roar God Monsters were released in Japan for the "Duel Terminal 4: Demon Roar God Revival!!" set. They have not yet been released in the United States. (Note that Demon Roar God Monsters are NOT Archfiends. There are several words in Japanese that can be translated to mean "Demon" and the word that means "Demon" that makes certain cards Archfiends is a different word than the one on the Demon Roar Gods.)

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

DEMON ROAR GOD URSTOS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 4
ATK: 1,500
DEF: 200

Card Description: When you control this card face-up on the field and you have 2 or less cards in your hand, all "Demon Roar God" Monsters you control gain 400 Attack Points.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

DEMON ROAR GOD SOLCIUS (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 6
ATK: 2,200
DEF: 2,100

Card Description: Activate this card's effect by sending two cards in your hand to the Graveyard, except for a "Demon Roar God Solcius". Special Summon this card from your Graveyard.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

DEMON ROAR GOD MIHZTORJI (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Tuner/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 2
ATK: 400
DEF: 200

Card Description: Activate by sending this card in your hand to the Graveyard, and selecting one "Demon Roar God" Monster you control. Until the End Phase of the turn, the selected Monster is treated as a Tuner Monster.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

DEMON ROAR GOD LEVUATHAN (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Synchro/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 10
ATK: 3,000
DEF: 2,000

Card Description: "Demon Roar God" Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Monsters.

When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, activate by selecting three "Demon Roar God" Monsters in your Graveyard. Add the selected Monsters to your hand.

Note: The proceeding five Demon Roar God Monsters were released in Japan for the "Duel Terminal 5: Champions of Chaos" set. They have not yet been released in the United States.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

SPELL-SEALING SIGIL (Trap Card)

Continuous Trap

Image: Demon Roar God Valkyurus appearing inside a summoning circle.

Card Description: When this card is activated, declare either Equip Spell, Continuous Spell, Quickplay Spell, Field Spell, or Ritual Spell. Neither player can activate Spell Cards of the declared type while this card is face up on the field. If you do not control a LIGHT Fiend-Type Monster during your End Phase, destroy this card.

SPIRIT MASK (Spell Card)

Equip Spell

Image: A colorful, African spirit mask.

Card Description: When the Equipped Monster is destroyed, its controller selects 1 card from his hand, and sends it to the Graveyard.

Note: "Spirit Mask" was first used by Yanagi in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's" episode "The Facility (Part 1). Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

TALOS THE IRON TITAN (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Rock/Synchro/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 8
ATK: 2,500
DEF: 2,300

Card Description: Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Rock-Type Monsters

Once per turn, you may destroy one face-up Spell or Trap Card you control to destroy one card on the field.

Note: This is an upgrade of a Monster that I first used in "City of Souls", which was a Normal Monster.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

ANUBIAN SOLDIER (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 5
ATK: 1,000
DEF: 1,000

Card Description: This card cannot be Special Summoned except by its own effect. When you receive damage due to the effect of a card you control, you may Special Summon this card from your hand. When this card is Special Summoned this way, increase the ATK of this card by the amount of damage you received.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

KING SCORPION (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 8
ATK: ?
DEF: 0

Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned by Tributing 1 "Anubian Soldier" that you control. The ATK of this card is the same as that of the ATK that the Tributed "Anubian Soldier" had when it was Tributed. This card gains the following cumulative effects depending on its Attack Score:

* 2,000 or more: When this card attacks with an ATK that is higher than the DEF of a Defense Position Monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points.

* 3,000 or more: This card is not affected by Spell and Trap Cards that target a specific Monster.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

VALLEY OF KINGS (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: The entrance to a tomb that has been excavated in the desert.

Card Description: You may only use this card when you control no Monsters. Remove from play 1 Monster in your Graveyard that is Level 8 or higher. Special Summon from your Graveyard up to 3 Monsters with zero Attack Points. On the turn you play this card, you cannot activate any Spell Cards except this one and cannot Normal Summon, set, or Special Summon any other Monsters.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

BLARNEY STONE (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: An old-fashioned, black and white picture of a man being held by his ankles over the parapet of Blarney Castle to kiss the Stone.

Card Description: Select one EARTH Monster you control. The selected Monster cannot be destroyed by battle until the End Phase of the current turn. (Damage calculation is applied normally.)

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

CURSE OF AKATOR (Spell Card)

Quickplay Spell

Image: A Mayan shaman in a golden robe and mask, chanting and holding a Crystal Skull above his head, as worshippers kneel before him.

Card Description: You may activate this card when a Monster that was Tribute Summoned using a "Crystal Skull" as a Tribute, or one that was Synchro Summoned using a "Crystal Skull" as a Synchro Material Monster, is destroyed. Inflict damage to both players equal to the base ATK of the destroyed Monster.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Coming up next:

DaPen transports Ember to a dream realm so that she can amuse him. But Ember isn't the only victim. Someone else is there to meet her. And this other duelist happens to be a surprise guest star from the anime!

Who is he (or she)? Is this person friend or foe? I'm not telling yet, but it's going to be a wild ride.

"Dreamsprite" is coming soon.