When people mention vampires, they usually think of Bela Lugosi as he appeared in the Universal Studios classic version of Dracula.
Sometimes I wonder if everyone's perception of them would have changed if that movie had been more faithful to Bram Stoker's book. I once read it out of curiosity.
The Dracula in the book looked older than Lugosi did at the time, although he got younger as the book progressed. He had white hair… and a moustache. He was dressed all in black, but there was never any mention of a cape. And he didn't speak with an accent either – one character remarked that his English was perfect.
Still, thanks to Lugosi, we picture him with black hair, clean shaven, with a creepy Hungarian accent…
I'm not an expert on vampire lore by any means. I ended up using them in my deck because… Well, it kind of happened when I made my plans for a deck.
I have to wonder about the matchup that I'm up against…
Vampires versus Dinosaurs?
If this were a movie on television, I'd likely change channels…
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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
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Banisher of the Light
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Friday, September 24th, 2106, 11:15 AM
Shortly before the mess with Lumis and Umbra had started, Russell was consoling a Slifer student on the steps outside the door to the Great Hall.
"Ow… ow… ow…" groaned the Slifer.
"Come on, now… Nathan was it?" asked Russell. "It can't hurt that much…"
"Want a bet?" sighed the youth.
He groaned.
He was slim and weak in appearance, with shoulder-length brown hair, grey eyes, and slightly pale skin. He had reason to be upset – his opponent on the field test had been truly merciless.
"What did he call that thing he attacked me with?" he asked.
"Super-Electromagnetic Voltech Dragon," answered Russell.
"How the heck did he summon something that powerful with one sacrifice?" asked Nathan.
"It's a five-star Monster…" muttered Russell.
Nathan looked at him.
"It had over three-thousand Attack Points!" he protested.
"That thing's effect depends on the Monster you use as a sacrifice to summon it, Nathan," explained Russell. "If you sacrifice a Batteryman D, it's immune to Spells and Traps. If you sacrifice a Batteryman C, it gets a trampling effect. If you sacrifice a Batteryman AA, like he apparently did, it gains 1,000 Attack Points.
"But you didn't do too bad from the scores I saw… Here… Why don't you let me see the deck…"
Nathan looked at his deck. Then he reluctantly handed it to Russell.
"You have to excuse me for being so… distant," said Nathan. "You know, when I was young, they thought I might have had ADD…"
"Really…" muttered Russell. "That will keep you out of the army, for sure…"
"Well, I didn't," continued Nathan, "and my IQ test scored pretty high, so I figure once I get the deck just right…"
"Nathan," said Russell, "do you know what my dad said to enlisted men when he was a younger officer and they couldn't do something? He told them to do their best to get better, and take the problem face-on again when they could. 'Once more, with feeling!' That was his motto whenever someone couldn't do something the first time."
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Hiding behind a tree not far away was a shadowy form.
He looked up, and a face appeared before him.
"One of the master's principle enemies is consoling a student named Nathan Evans," said the face. "It would be best to target Nathan and keep away anyone else. After all, he's having a terrible day."
"Fine," said the figure. "But you remember our deal… The conditions that the guy put on me so long ago to break the curse are getting annoying…"
"Of course," said the face. "Do this job well, and we'll talk about making this arrangement permanent."
The figure walked towards the Great Hall.
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"Nathan…" said Russell with a small laugh. "This deck is full of vampires!"
"Uh, yeah…" muttered Nathan. "Well…"
He coughed.
"See, I didn't set out to really make a Vampire Deck," he answered. "I wanted to focus on deck destruction, limiting an opponent's options. So I used Vampire Lord, then Vampire Lady, then Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower, and, uh…
"Well, as you can see, one thing kinda led to another, and it turned into a Vampire Deck."
Russell looked at a Spell Card.
"This is a very powerful card," he said.
"Actually, it was because of that card that I lost the field test," said Nathan. "Read the fine print – it has a dangerous side effect."
Russell read the description closely.
"Well, this deck could use something…" said Russell, opening his backpack. "One Monster that can get you out of a jam in a hurry…"
He opened his cases of cards, and looked through them.
"Here, switch your Despair From The Dark with this guy," he said, handing him a card.
"Really?" said Nathan, looking at it. "You'd just give me this powerful card?"
"Why not? I never actually use it… Now how about we…"
"Hey, handsome," said a voice.
He looked up, and saw Sersei.
"How about coming for lunch in the Obelisk dining hall?" she asked. "It's a lot better than the stuff they have at Ra."
"Uh, Sersei," muttered Russell, "not that I'd refuse a lunch invitation from a pretty girl, but what about Anthony?"
Sersei scowled.
"Anthony the jerk?" she asked.
Russell grinned and turned to Nathan.
"Boyfriend trouble…" he said with a smirk.
"Sure," he said to Sersei. "Can Nathan come?"
Sersei sighed.
"All right, fine…" she said.
They started to cross the campus to the Obelisk Dorm.
"So, how'd you do?" asked Russell.
"Piece of cake," said Sersei. "That guy with Ha Des didn't know what hit him…"
"Ha Des is a wimp," said a voice in front of them. "He thinks supernatural power is such a big deal? Sometimes the raw force of nature can defeat anything."
They looked at the stranger in front of them. He was a youth dressed in jeans, a khaki jacket, and a wool hat…
…and one of the Orichalcos Disks on his arm.
Russell's eyes narrowed.
"If you're looking for trouble, buddy, I warn you," he said, "I'm well prepared."
"I know," said the youth, "and I'm not dumb enough to go up against Hermos… I did before, after all."
"What? Who are you?" asked Russell.
"The name's Rex Raptor," said the youth. "You may have heard of me as…"
"Wait…" interrupted Russell.
He paused.
"Maybe I did…" he continued. "I think you were one of Joey Wheeler's old enemies – someone who he described as a pathetic duelist who had fallen from grace."
Rex growled.
He pointed to Nathan.
"Say what you want, but I'm going to duel your friend," he said.
"Over my dead body!" shouted Russell.
"No…" said Sersei. "Let me duel him…"
She stepped forward.
"I read Joey's autobiography, and he admitted that his wife had beaten him in a duel once. Do the math – if a deck like hers can beat him, it can surely beat someone who he beat."
Rex took a card out of his jacket.
"You'll change your mind about me being pathetic in a few seconds…" he said.
He held up a card whose title was Chains of the Underworld…
Suddenly, eight shackles burst out of the ground and grabbed Russell and Sersei's wrists and ankles! They struggled, but the chains pulled taunt.
"You son of a…" growled Sersei.
Rex turned to Nathan.
"You'd best duel me," he said, "or I'll summon something to start munching on them…"
"All right, fine!" shouted Nathan.
He turned to Russell.
"I'll do my best…" he said.
Rex lifted his arm, and the blade-like Disk activated.
"Good…" he said. "It's dino-feeding time!"
Nathan activated his Disk, and they drew the top five cards…
"Nathan…" said Russell. "Concentrate. Don't worry about us, just try hard and you'll beat him. Remember, once more, with feeling!"
"Once more, with feeling…" muttered Nathan.
(Nathan: 8,000) -------------------- (Rex: 8,000)
"Time to start things off with a bang," said Rex, drawing his first draw. "First, I'll summon my Mad Sword Beast."
He played the card, and a loud rumbling proceeded the appearance of a Monster. A huge creature resembling a cross between a rhinoceros and a dinosaur with a huge horn on his nose ran up. It growled, and bore razor sharp teeth. (1,400/1,200)
"And then…" he continued, "I'll summon Gilasaurus!"
He played another card, and a small Dinosaur resembling a raptor leapt up. It bore wicked claws that seemed to be designed for tearing, and then grinned a smile full of sharp teeth. (1,400/400)
"Two Monsters at once?" gasped Nathan.
"Heh, heh," laughed Rex. "Gilasaurus is a Special Summon. Of course, since I did that, I have to give you the option of Special Summoning something from your Graveyard…"
He laughed again.
"But since you don't have any there… tough!"
"That HAS to be cheating…" protested Sersei.
"I'm afraid it isn't…" muttered Russell. "Summoning Gilasaurus on your first turn as a Special Summon may be a dirty trick, but it's legal."
"Your move…" said Rex.
These two Monsters may be weak, he thought, looking at his hand, but even if he trashes one of them, I'll still have one to sacrifice for my Dark Driceratops, and I'll walk all over him!
Nathan drew a card.
This is the worst hand ever, he thought, looking over his cards. The only Monster I have is Red Moon Baby, and it can't even come close to standing up to those Dinosaurs…
I have to take a risk…
"I play a Spell Card…" he said. "It's called… Dragged Down Into The Grave!"
He played a Spell Card, and it appeared, showing the image of robed man falling into a vortex.
"What does that do?" asked Rex.
"It's a two-step process," answered Nathan. "First, we each show each other our hands, and choose a card for our opponent to discard."
Rex growled, and turned his hand towards Nathan.
"I choose that Dark Driceratops," said Nathan.
Crud, thought Rex, discarding it. This guy isn't dumb.
"Now you…" said Nathan, showing him his hand.
"Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!" laughed Rex. "What an idiot! Playing a card like that when you had only one Monster? You'll be defenseless!
"Well, whatever that thing is, I choose that one."
Nathan discarded the Red Moon Baby.
"And now, step two…" he said. "We both draw one card."
Rex's eyes narrowed.
They both drew.
"Well," said Nathan, "I may have discarded that one Monster, but I drew a much better one. I summon… Zombie Werewolf, in Defense Mode!"
He played the card. A frightening-looking werewolf wearing torn trousers and broken chains on its wrists appeared out of the shadows. It rose it head to the sky and howled, as if there was a moon there – which there certainly wasn't – and then crouched down and then shielded itself in Defense. (1,200/1,200)
"And I'll also play a card facedown," he continued, placing a card into his Disk. "And my turn is over."
"That's better?" asked Rex, drawing a card. "I don't know if you know this, but my Mad Sword Beast can hurt you even if your Monsters are in Defense Mode!
"Mad Sword Beast, take out that slobbering flea-ridden mutt!"
Mad Sword Beast charged, causing the ground to tremble… It trampled the Werewolf, smashing it to pieces.
"And now that you're defenseless…" continued Rex. "Gilasaurus, attack…"
"Oh, am I?" asked Nathan.
A burst of darkness appeared on Nathan's side of the field, and Zombie Werewolf appeared again, this time in Attack Mode. I howled again, this time notably angry. (1,700/1,200)
"What in the name of…" muttered Rex.
"Werewolves are hard to kill, Rex," said Nathan. "Your Dinosaur wasn't made of silver. If one of these guys is destroyed in battle, I get to summon another from my deck, with 500 more Attack Points."
"Then I end my turn…" growled Rex.
(N: 7,800) -------------------- (R: 8,000)
Nathan drew.
"I play… Pot of Greed," he said, playing a card.
He drew two cards.
"And it seems fate has smiled on me…"
"I don't believe in fate!" shouted Rex.
"I'm guessing you don't believe in vampires either," joked Nathan, "but you're about to see one, as I sacrifice Zombie Werewolf…"
The Werewolf vanished into a shadow…
"…to summon Vampire Lord!"
As the shadowy burst, the sinister-looking vampire in his exotic costume appeared. He threw his cloak open, and his eyes glimmered with an evil light.
He grinned, showing a flash of white, pointed teeth… (2,000/1,500)
"Next, I activate my facedown card," said Nathan. "A little thing called Robbin' Zombie."
His facedown card lifted, and a Trap bearing the image of an undead goblin with a sword appeared.
"When this card is active, whenever you lose Life Points from a battle, you lose the top card from your deck."
"WHAT?" shouted Randy.
"Vampire Lord, attack Mad Sword Beast with Children of the Night!" shouted Nathan.
Vampire Lord's eyes glowed red. He lifted his cloak, and a swarm of bats flew at the Dinosaur, blasting it into pixels.
"Now the effect of Robbin' Zombie kicks in," said Nathan.
Rex grumbled, and discarded the top card from his deck.
"And let's not forget Vampire Lord himself. He not only preys on your Monsters, he preys on your deck. Whenever he damages your Life Points, I name a type of card, and you remove one from your deck and discard it.
"To make sure you can't use any creepy surprises, I say Trap Card."
Rex looked through his deck and found a Trap called Jurassic Heart. He discarded it.
(N: 7,800) -------------------- (R: 7,400)
"Great…" muttered Russell. "Nathan is making the classic Vampire Lord mistake…"
"What do you mean?" asked Sersei.
"So many people are afraid of Traps," said Russell, "when they have control of a Vampire Lord, they try to get rid of them, completely forgetting about Vampire Lord's other effect.
"What does Nathan care if Rex destroys that Monster using a Trap? Vampire Lord will come right back on his next turn. To a duelist like Nathan, Spells are far more dangerous."
Rex shuffled his deck, and then drew a card.
"Heh, heh…" he said, with an evil grin.
"Thank you!" he said to Nathan. "If you hadn't done that, I might not have drawn this!"
He showed Nathan the card.
"Polymerization?" asked Nathan.
"Yes…" said Rex, one which I'll use to fuse Gilasaurus with Chitoptera!"
A creature the size of Gilasaurus appeared on the field, resembling a pterodactyl…
And then they swirled into a murky blur…
The blur burst, forming a much larger winged Dinosaur with black scales, and an evil expression on its face. It spread its wings and screeched. (2,000/1,200)
"Meet my Horned Saurus!" said Rex. "Why don't the two of you get close…
"Horned Saurus, attack Nathan directly! Dive bomb drop!"
Horned Saurus soared into the air, and swooped upon Nathan, talons-first, completely ignoring Vampire Lord. Then it dug its talons into Nathan's shoulders! He screamed and fell over.
"How'd you do that?" he gasped. "I still had a Monster on the field!"
"Horned Saurus has the ability to attack directly on the round it's summoned," answered Rex. "One of the primary reasons you never summon it on the first turn of the duel."
(N: 5,800) -------------------- (R: 7,400)
"You think Nathan can win?" asked Sersei.
"I dunno," said Russell. "Dinosaurs are a very neglected Monster, but the ones that are available are incredibly strong in battle…
"But they have a weakness… They have all the subtlety of a demolition ball. A clever strategy can be used to defeat them."
That really hurt… thought Nathan. More than any direct attack I remember. Something is wrong here…
He drew a card.
"I play Graceful Charity!" he shouted.
He played the card, and drew three cards.
He looked them over, and discarded a second Robbin' Zombie and a Nobleman of Crossout.
"I'll place one card facedown, and that will be all," he said.
A facedown card appeared.
Rex drew a card.
"I summon Balloon Lizard in Defense Mode," he said.
He played a card, and a new Monster appeared, floating in the air. The name "Balloon Lizard" was a perfect description. It looked like an alligator with a spherical, balloon-like body. It floated in the air as if it were full of helium. (500/1,900)
"Next," he said, "I'll use Raise Body Heat, and I'll Equip it to Horned Saurus."
He played the card, and Horned Saurus's scales glowed cherry red.
"Running a temperature gives it 300 more Attack and Defense Points."
(2,300/1,500)
"Horned Saurus, attack the Vampire Lord!" shouted Rex.
Horned Saurus flew into the air.
"I don't think so!" shouted Nathan. "Trap activate! Red Ghost Moon!"
His Trap Card lifted, and a haunting, wicked laughter filled the air. An evil looking harvest moon rose behind him, casting a glow over the whole arena. Horned Saurus stopped in a daze and started to swagger, caught in a sinister spell…
"Now," said Nathan, "I merely have to discard one Zombie from my hand, like Vampire Lady here…"
He discarded the card.
"…and your attack is halted, this battle ends right now, and the Attack Points of the Monster that tried to attack get added to my Life Points."
Sparkling pink dust from the Red Ghost Moon fell on Nathan, and he glowed with a blood-red light.
(N: 8,100) -------------------- (R: 7,400)
"That is one powerful Trap…" said Sersei. "It's like combining Negate Attack and Draining Shield together."
"True, but with that cost, you'd need to be playing a Zombie Deck," added Russell.
"Ergh…" said Rex. "All right, you win that round…"
"Then its my move…" said Nathan, drawing a card.
"And I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon, to cure your Dinosaur's fever."
He played the card, and the whirlwind smashed the Raise Body Heat card. Horned Saurus fell back to its normal stats.
"So what?" said Rex. "Your creepshow still can't beat it…"
"Not by himself," said Nathan, "but he has help… I summon Vampire Bat!"
He played a card, and with a multitude of squeaks and squawks, a swarm of bats flew into the arena, coalescing into one giant bat. (800/800)
"When this Monster is on the field, all Zombies on the field gain 200 Attack Points," said Nathan.
Vampire Lord rose to 2,200 Attack, and Vampire Bat itself rose to 1,000.
"Vampire Lord, destroy Horned Saurus!"
Vampire Lord raised his cloak, and the swarm of bats shot forth. Horned Saurus was thrown back, and fell to the ground with a crash. It burst into shards.
"Then you lose one card from Robbin' Zombie…" continued Nathan.
Rex growled, and discarded the top card from his deck.
"And I'll say Trap Card again."
Rex growled again, and took a Trap called Chains of the Underworld from his deck. He discarded it.
Unfortunately for Russell and Sersei, the fact that he did so had no effect on the chains holding them.
(N: 8,100) -------------------- (R: 7,200)
"My move…" said Rex.
He drew a card.
He smirked.
"I summon Giant Rex in Attack Mode!"
He played a card, and a huge, bipedal Dinosaur looking like some psychotic T-Rex with claws and teeth like swords and a fan on its back appeared. (2,000/1,200)
"That's a four-star Monster?" gasped Sersei. "It has to have a catch…"
"It does," said Russell. "And if Rex does what I think he's planning, he'll be in big trouble…"
"Impressive," said Nathan. "But my Vampire Lord is still stronger."
"He won't be if your booster is dead!" shouted Rex. "Giant Rex, attack Vampire Bat with carnivore crunch!"
Giant Rex charged, causing the ground to tremble! It tore its teeth into Vampire Bat, causing it to burst into a flurry of bats…
The bats hung in the air… Nathan took a card from his deck and discarded it…
The bats combined into one bat again.
(N: 7,100) -------------------- (R: 7,200)
"What the…" muttered Rex. "How did it survive?"
"Vampire Bat has another ability," said Nathan. "If I discard another Vampire Bat from my hand or deck when it's about to be destroyed… It isn't destroyed."
Rex growled.
"And don't think I don't know the drawback that your Giant Rex has… Rex," said Nathan, with a grin. "If it fails to destroy a Monster during your Battle Phase – and it couldn't – it bites the dust when you end your turn."
Rex's eyes narrowed.
"That's all I can do…" he said.
Giant Rex groaned, and then collapsed to the ground with a crash. It shattered into bits.
Nathan drew.
He added the card to his hand.
"Vampire Lord, destroy Balloon Lizard!" he ordered.
Vampire Lord's bats flew at the bloated lizard…
…and it exploded in a violent burst, throwing Nathan on his behind!
"What happened?" asked Nathan.
"That's Balloon Lizard's special ability," said Rex with a smirk. "When you destroy it, you lose 400 Life Points for each of my Standby Phases that I had it on the field. In other words, two."
"Yeah, well you're gonna lose more!" said Nathan, angrily. "Vampire Bat, attack with nightmare scourge!"
Vampire Bat broke up into a swarm of bats again and rushed at Rex, biting and clawing at him! Rex vainly tried to shield himself.
"And once again, you lose a card from the top of your deck…" he said.
Rex took the top card from his deck.
My Tyrant Dragon… he thought.
His face turned red with anger as he discarded it.
"I'm getting really sick of this…" scowled Rex.
"Hey, how do you think my Monsters feel?" asked Nathan. "Hello? They're vampires? They hate being out in the daylight! This is the time of day when they like curling up in a nice, warm coffin."
(N: 6,300) -------------------- (R: 6,200)
Sersei was really starting to get upset. She struggled against the chains.
"You'll only make it worse…" said Russell.
"This is so embarrassing…" she replied. "Usually when I'm tied up, there's more intimacy involved…"
"Hey, don't go there…" warned Russell.
"Nathan doesn't seem to be making much progress," added Sersei.
"Don't worry," said Russell. "If he decks this Jurassic jerk out, he'll win."
Rex drew a card.
"I play Offerings To The Doomed!" he shouted. "And I'll use it on your Bat!"
He played the card, and a beam of energy struck the Bat. It burst into a swarm of bats again.
Nathan took his deck again, and discarded another card from it.
"Sorry," he said, as the Bat reformed, "but I had another one."
"I figured you did," said Rex with a grin, "but I'm not as dumb a duelist as you may think. You can only have three Bats in your deck, meaning you can't discard any more! If I destroy it again, it stays destroyed!"
"He's right…" muttered Russell.
"Now I'll summon Black Stego in Attack Mode," said Rex.
He played the card, and another huge dinosaur appeared with a roar. It was… Well, it was a stegosaurus. That was the best way to put it. (1,200/2,000)
"That doesn't look too impressive," said Nathan.
"What do you expect?" replied Rex. "He's an herbivore. Black Stego, destroy his Bat! Spike-tail smash!"
Black Stego spun 360 degrees and clobbered Vampire Bat with its tail, smashing it into an explosion of small bats, which in turn burst into small bits of vapor.
Vampire Lord fell to 2,000 Attack.
"Your move…" said Rex.
(N: 6,100) -------------------- (R: 6,200)
Nathan drew a card.
"I summon my third Zombie Werewolf in Attack Mode!" he shouted.
Another Werewolf appeared and howled! (1,200/1,200)
"Vampire Lord, attack Black Stego!"
Vampire Lord reared up, and the swarm of bats shot forward…
"Fooled you…" chuckled Rex. "When Black Stego is attacked while in Attack Mode, I can activate his effect, and switch him… to Defense Mode!"
Black Stego crouched down in Defense. The bats all bounced off its tough hide.
Nathan frowned.
"I end my turn then," he said. "Don't forget, you used Offerings to the Doomed on your last turn, meaning you can't draw on this one."
Rex looked the one card in his hand.
"In that case, I'll pass," he said. "Black Stego will make an adequate shield."
Nathan drew a card.
That's it… he thought.
"I play Rush Recklessly," he said, playing the card. "And I'll use it to give Vampire Lord a boost."
Vampire Lord's eyes glowed blood-red…
"Now, let's try this again…" said Nathan.
Vampire Lord lifted his cloak, and this time, Black Stego couldn't withstand the onslaught of the scourge. It moaned, and the collapsed, shattering into bits.
"Zombie Werewolf, attack directly!" ordered Nathan. "Terror claw!"
The werewolf leap up and struck Rex with his talons! The Dinosaur duelist fell backwards.
"And now…" continued Nathan.
"I know, don't remind me…" interrupted Rex, discarding the top card from his deck.
"My turn is over…" said Nathan.
(N: 6,100) -------------------- (R: 5,000)
Rex drew.
"I play… Pot of Greed!" he shouted.
He drew two cards.
"HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!" he laughed. "I just drew just the cards I need to summon one of my most powerful beasts!"
He played a card.
"I summon Armored Lizard in Attack Mode."
A small, lizard with a blue scales and small claws appeared. (1,500/1,200)
"What good will that do?" asked Nathan.
"It's a Reptile," said Rex. "And with the card I'm about to play, that's exactly the type of Monster I need…
"I play the Spell Card, Ultra Evolution Pill!"
He played the card. A small capsule appeared in the air. Armored Lizard reached out, and caught it.
"Oh… no…" said Russell.
"What?" said Sersei.
"When that Spell Card is played, the user can sacrifice a Reptile for any Dinosaur Monster in his hand," said Russell.
Armored Lizard swallowed the pill, and started to glow.
"Yeah, and I have a great one," said Rex, waving his last card. "Maybe once I defeat this guy, I'll have him munch on you two for a while. I owe Hermos for what he did to me!"
He smirked at Sersei.
"And YOU… well, you should have just chosen your friends better…"
Armored Lizard started to grow and mutate… Disgusting popping noises resounded over the arena as its skin stretched. Its scaled darkened and turned black…
…until finally, it had formed into an enormous creature resembling a dark-scaled Tyrannosaurus Rex! (2,600/1,800)
"Meet Black Tyranno," laughed Rex.
"Impressive…" said Nathan.
"Black Tyranno, attack Vampire Lord with dino bite!"
Black Tyranno lunged forward, and chomped down on Vampire Lord, biting him in half!
(N: 5,500) -------------------- (R: 5,000)
"Nuts…" said Russell. "Vampire Lord's resurrection effect doesn't work if he's destroyed in battle…"
"Your move, Nathan…" said Rex with an evil smile.
Nathan drew.
Lovely, he thought. NOW I draw this guy…
"Uh…" he said. "I move Zombie Werewolf into Defense Mode…"
Zombie Werewolf crouched in Defense.
"Heh, heh…" said Rex, drawing a card. "Do you know what Black Tyranno can do? If the only cards you have on your side of the field are Monsters in Defense Mode…"
"You can't attack me directly!" cried Nathan. "I still have a Trap Card on my side of the field!"
"Humph…" muttered Rex. "Seems I can't even intimidate good."
He looked at the card he had just drawn.
Eh, I don't need this… he thought.
"Black Tyranno, destroy his Werewolf!"
Black Tyranno charged, and ripped Zombie Werewolf in half!
"That was his last Monster!" gulped Russell. "If he doesn't do something, that monstrosity will attack him!"
"Come on, Nathan," said Rex, "This is getting boring…"
Nathan drew a card.
He smirked.
He placed a card on his Disk.
"I summon… Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower!" he shouted. "Attack Mode!"
With a rumbling noise, a huge tower made of bones and skulls erupted out of the earth, and rose to a column about ten feet tall. (400/1,500)
"This can't be attacked if I have another Zombie is on the field," he explained. "And when the Tower is on the field, every time a Zombie is Special Summoned, the top two cards on your deck go to the Graveyard.
"And I'm going to Special Summon some! I'll start by playing this Spell Card… Book of Life!"
He played the card.
"It's called Book of Life because it gives life to creatures who formerly didn't have it. And it lets me remove a Monster in your Graveyard from play and Special Summon a Zombie from my Graveyard. Guess which one I'm bringing back…"
Vampire Lord appeared again, from an aura of darkness. (2,000/1,500)
"And I'll remove your Dark Driceratops from play, so you can't use it again."
Dark Driceratops fell out of Rex's discard slot.
Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower glowed. Rex growled, and discarded the top two cards from his deck.
"Next," said Nathan. "I banish Vampire Lord from the game, to summon… Vampire Genesis!"
Vampire Lord disappeared, and a frightening, hulking form arose. It was a muscular, creature about ten feet tall that looked more like a Fiend than a Zombie, with a thick, spiked cape, and a barbed harness. It roared in rage. (3,000/2,100)
"By the way, this counts as a Special Summon…" added Nathan.
"Ergh!" growled Rex, as he discarded two more cards.
"And I'm not half done yet!" said Nathan. "I Equip Vampire Genesis with this… Genesis Crisis!"
He played an Equip Card, bearing the picture of a demonic face surrounded by flames.
"Now let me explain…" said Nathan. "When Vampire Genesis is Equipped with this card, once per turn, during my Main Phase, I can search my deck for any Zombie I want and add it to my hand…"
He took his deck and looked though it.
"A Zombie like Ryo Kokki, here…" he continued. "But it isn't staying in my hand… I'm discarding it to activate Vampire Genesis's effect…"
He discarded it. Vampire Genesis glowed…
"…which lets me Special Summon any Zombie from my Graveyard who has less level stars than the one I'm discarding, like Vampire Lady. Remember her? I discarded her to activate Red Ghost Moon."
A female vampire with green skin in a violet dress appeared. She made a seductive pose… and then grinned wickedly. (1,550/1,550)
"And I just Special Summoned a Zombie again…"
Rex was furious. He discarded two more cards from his deck.
"And now, on to business," said Nathan. "Vampire Genesis, attack Black Tyranno! Crimson shroud!"
Vampire Genesis turned into a cloud of red mist, and blew forward, obliterating Black Tyranno!
"Vampire Lady, attack directly!"
Vampire Lady's eyes glowed…
She threw her hands forward, and a flock of dark birds shot forward, pecking and scratching at Rex. He groaned.
"Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower, you too…" said Nathan.
The skulls on the tower glowed, and shot beams of energy at Rex. He winced.
"And, since you took battle damage three times…" added Nathan.
"I KNOW! I KNOW!" shouted Rex. He discarded the top three cards from his deck.
"And then there's Vampire Lady's effect," added Nathan. "I doubt you have any Traps left, so I'll declare Spell Card.
Rex looked at his remaining cards, and discarded Graceful Charity, which at this point would have hurt him more than it helped.
(N: 5,500) -------------------- (R: 2,650)
"That Genesis Crisis is a powerful card…" remarked Sersei.
"Yes, but it has a dangerous side effect," said Russell. "Vampire Genesis may be powerful, but should Rex manage to defeat it, Nathan will be in big trouble…"
"It's your turn," said Nathan.
"About time!" shouted Rex.
This is ridiculous! he thought. That last turn cost me TEN cards, and I only have nine left in my deck!
He drew a card.
Well, this will save me from decking out…
"I play Pot of Avarice," he said, playing the card.
Five cards fell out of his discard slot. He combined them with his eight remaining cards, shuffled them, and drew twice.
"I'll summon Balloon Lizard again in Defense Mode, and place two cards facedown," he said.
Balloon Lizard reappeared.
Then he fit his last two cards into slots, and two facedown cards materialized.
"My move!" said Nathan.
He drew a card.
Hey, the card that Russell gave me, he thought. But I hardly need it now…
"I'll use the ability of Genesis Crisis again," he said, "to get my other Ryo Kokki from my deck!"
He got the card from his deck.
"Now, I discard it…"
He discarded it, and Vampire Genesis glowed.
"…and bring back Zombie Werewolf. Remember him? I'm sure he remembers you."
Zombie Werewolf appeared, and howled again. (1,200/1,200)
"And Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower activates!"
Rex frowned, and discarded two more cards.
"Vampire Genesis, attack Balloon Lizard!"
Vampire Genesis roared…
"Not so fast!" said Rex. "I still had one Trap left… Activate, Threatening Roar!"
A great beast appeared behind Rex, and let out a great roar! Vampire Lady and Zombie Werewolf clutched each other in fear and then hid behind Vampire Genesis, but even he drew back nervously.
"This Trap can panic even the bravest of Monsters," said Rex, "making them too scared to attack for the rest of the turn."
"In that case, I end it…" said Nathan.
"First, I draw," said Rex, drawing a card.
"Then I activate… Reckless Greed."
His last Trap lifted, showing the image of a man greedily approaching a booby-trapped treasure chest.
"I now have to skip my next two Draw Phases," he explained, "but I get to draw two cards right now."
He made two draws.
"Heh, heh…" laughed Rex. "Ha, ha… HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"
He grinned.
"Nathan…" he said. "I may have only six cards left in my deck, but I just drew the ones that will seal your fate!"
He played a Spell Card.
"I play… Premature Burial."
A huge horse made of wood appeared, glaring with a blank expression. (1,600/1,200)
"That's The Trojan Horse!" shouted Nathan.
"Yeah," said Rex, "you made me discard it with your Robbin' Zombie. And when it's sacrificed to summon an Earth Monster, it counts as two sacrifices.
"So I'll sacrifice my Trojan Horse…"
The huge wooden horse vanished…
"To summon… Ultimate Tyranno!"
He played a card, and a carnivore even bigger than Black Tyranno, with fiendish, armor, barbed scales and horns all over its body appeared, and roared! Its eyes glowed with evil light. (3,000/2,200)
"Well…" gulped Nathan. "It sure is… ultimate. But if you attack Vampire Genesis, the battle will be a draw…"
Rex grinned…
He held up the last card in his hand…
Raise Body Heat.
He played it, and Ultimate Tyranno's scales glowed cherry red. (3,300/2,500)
"And by the way…" said Rex, slowly. "This Monster has the ability to attack every Monster on your side of the field in one Battle Phase. In fact, it doesn't have a choice… That effect is mandatory."
Nathan gulped.
"It's an Asura Priest on steroids!" shouted Sersei.
"Well, guess you got me…" he said.
Rex chuckled.
"I know all about that Genesis Crisis card, Nathan," he said. "If Vampire Genesis is destroyed, your other Monsters bite the big one. But while my Tyranno must attack all of your Monsters, I get to decide the order it attacks them in.
"GET THEM!"
Ultimate Tyranno, let out a roar that the whole school must have heard, and charged, causing a veritable earthquake…
What happened next was a massacre. Vampire Lady screamed as she was picked up in the beast's teeth and chewed to bits. Zombie Werewolf was torn in half by its huge claw.
Finally, the creature chomped its jaws on Vampire Genesis, and the vampire deity burst into globules of dark energy. And as it did, Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower shattered into shards of bone.
(N: 1,950) -------------------- (R: 1,850)
"Like I said," said Rex, with an evil grin. "Sometimes the raw force of nature can defeat anything. It's your move…"
Nathan gulped and looked at his hand…
The only Monster I have is the one Russell gave me… he thought. It could get me out of this mess, but it needs a sacrifice to summon.
If this draw isn't something that can block an attack, that thing is gonna attack me…
He drew.
Well, he thought, let's hope that this guy wasn't paying more attention than I thought he was…
"Hey, Rex!" he shouted. "How's your memory?"
"What?" said Rex. "What does that have to do with it?"
"Everything," said Nathan, playing a Spell Card. "I play… Question!"
The Spell Card appeared, showing a wacky-looking game-show contestant.
"Here's how it works," said Nathan, raising his Disk. "You gotta guess what Monster is at the bottom of my Graveyard. Guess right, and it's gone for good. Guess wrong, and I get to Special Summon it right now."
"He's taking a risk…" muttered Sersei.
"Yes…" answered Russell. "But this card is a risk worth taking… Jaden Yuki himself once faced an opponent who used this card, and while he ended up winning the duel in the end, he failed at the part where he was confronted by this Spell…"
Rex stared at him.
What kind of a game is he playing? he thought. I can barely remember the card at the bottom of MY Graveyard! It's been such a long duel…
How did the duel start?
Wait… I went first… First I summoned Mad Sword Beast, and then I Special Summoned Gilasaurus… Then he moved, and he played… What was that Spell Card he played?
Wait a minute…
His eyes opened wide…
"I see you're slowly starting to realize something," said Nathan. "Want a hint? The card at the bottom of my Graveyard is the one that you made me discard when I played Dragged Down Into The Grave! I doubt you even looked at it!"
Rex's eyes narrowed.
"Should we give him ten more seconds, guys?" asked Nathan.
Rex was now getting steamed.
"Oh, I'm sorry, an angry glare was not the answer we were looking for," said Nathan. "Thus, here comes… Red Moon Baby!"
A small creature appeared on the field. It was bizarre, resembling a demonic infant dressed liked a vampire. It frowned, showing two pointed fangs. (700/1,000)
"All that for a weakling?" asked Rex. "It has only 700 Attack Points, and my Monster has over three-thousand!"
"Yeah, it's rather weak," said Nathan, "but I only did that so I could sacrifice it…"
Red Moon Baby vanished.
"…to summon… Dark Dust Spirit!"
A red fog arose on the field, and a hideous creature stepped out. It was a Zombie with wrinkled, blood-red skin, a gaunt, skull-like face, and long, shock-white hair. Its empty eye sockets glowed with pinpoints of light. (2,200/1,800)
"And when Dark Dust Spirit is summoned, it destroys all face-up Monsters on the field except itself! Dark Dust Spirit, wipe out his lizards!"
The Spirit breathed out a cloud of toxic dust, and Balloon Lizard exploded. Ultimate Tyranno moaned, and then fell over… slowly, it was eroded into sand!
"Now, attack directly!"
Dark Dust Spirit's eyes glowed intensely. It leapt up with a cackle and flew forward, and raked at Rex with its long fingernails. The Dinosaur duelist screamed and tumbled over.
(N: 1,550) -------------------- (R: 0)
"No…" groaned Rex, getting up on his knees. "I can't go back…"
And then he faded into darkness.
The chains holding Russell and Sersei crumbled.
"Nathan, you were great!" laughed Sersei.
"THAT was with feeling!" said Russell.
"Yeah…" muttered Nathan. "I just wish I could have done better on my actual test…"
"You'll get better," said Sersei. "Now let's get lunch before they stop serving it!"
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Russell, Trisha, and Jason sat in the Ra common room.
Out the window, a full moon just as ghostly as Nathan's Red Ghost Moon shone over the skyline, and Jason thought of the witch-tales he had heard of as a kid… Stories of things that went bump in the night. He thought he was too old to be scared of the night, but today, ghosts had appeared in broad daylight, and it seemed the supernatural was at hand.
"I looked it up…" said Trisha. "Umbra and Lumis were Rare Hunters who were specifically trained by Marik Ishtar to defeat duelists who held Egyptian God Cards. They fought Yugi and Kaiba in a two-on-two duel… Like most egotists, they underestimated the abilities of their opponents, and were defeated."
"I did some research on Rex Raptor too," said Russell. "Not a very pleasant story. He was once a big shot duelist, but in Duelist Kingdom, he dueled Joey – who everyone thought was a joke at the time – and convinced him to wager his Time Wizard against his own rarest card, a Red Eyes Black Dragon. Joey defeated him, which is how he got his trademark card. After that, everyone lost respect for Rex, and he never truly recovered.
"Likely he was some egotist who thought the world owed him everything, and then threw a fit when he stopped getting it. I hate that type. So does my father."
He paused.
"But he claimed he faced Hermos before… Strange…"
"This is serious…" said Jason. "Aside from the fact that these Orichalcos Duels are happening, it seems that the ghosts of duelists whom the Trinity faced are attacking students. And while none of them have yet used the Seal, they use the same Disks as those who actually do."
"Maybe you actually have to have a soul to use the Seal, and these phantasms simply don't," suggested Trisha.
"Possibly," said Jason. "But still, we have no idea who may come next…"
He paused.
"The Trinity had deadlier enemies… Marik, Bakura… there were rumors about Pegasus…"
"I pity the student who has to face Pegasus, if he shows up…" muttered Trisha. "His Toon Deck was incredibly dangerous…"
They all took cards out of their side decks.
They looked at Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos…
"It all depends on finding the Dark Messiah…" said Jason. "If he even exists at all…
"If I were Kaiba, I'd likely start doubting this was real… And I must say it's hard to believe.
"But I can't ignore it…
"I have to hope that wherever the Messiah is, he'll help us find him."
Friday, September 24th, 2106, 6:45 PM
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ZOMBIE WEREWOLF (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK:
1,200
DEF: 1,200
Card Description: This former Beast-Warrior desired immortality, but became an undead creature as a result. If this Monster is destroyed as a result of battle, Special Summon one "Zombie Werewolf" from your hand or deck. A Monster Special Summoned in this way has 500 more Attack Points than the one destroyed to activate this effect.
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0
0
VAMPIRE BAT (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK:
800
DEF: 800
Card Description: This creature flies through the night, preying on living blood. When this Monster is face-up on the field, increase the ATK of all ZOMBIE-Type Monsters on the field by 200. You can discard one "Vampire Bat" from your hand or deck to prevent this Monster from being destroyed in battle or from a card effect. (Damage calculation still applies, if applicable.)
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0
0
RED GHOST MOON (Trap Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Trap
Attribute: -
Level: -
ATK: -
DEF:
-
Image: An ominous stone bridge leading up to a sinister harvest moon.
Card Description: You can activate this effect when your opponent declares an attack. Discard one ZOMBIE-Type Monster from your hand. Negate the attack and end the current Battle Phase. Add the current ATK of the attacking Monster to your Life Points.
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GENESIS CRISIS (Spell Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Spell/Equip
Attribute: -
Level: -
ATK:
-
DEF: -
Image: A demonic face surrounded by flames.
Card Description: This card can only be Equipped to "Vampire Genesis". When you have a Monster Equipped with this card, once per turn, during a Main Phase, you can add one ZOMBIE-Type Monster from your deck to your hand. If the Monster Equipped with this card is destroyed or removed from the field, destroy all Monsters on your side of the field.
Note: The proceeding four cards were used by Camula in the multi-part "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Field of Screams". All creative credit goes to the creators of that episode.
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0
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GIANT REX (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Dinosaur/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 4
ATK:
2,000
DEF: 1,200
Card Description: This huge carnivore preys on anything smaller than itself, often without thinking of the consequences. If this Monster does not destroy an opposing Monster during your Battle Phase, this Monster is destroyed during your End Phase of the same turn.
Note: "Giant Rex" was first used by Noah in the anime episode "Brothers in Arms". It has since been used by Rex Raptor and Tyranno Kenzan.
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CHITOPTERA (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Dinosaur
Attribute: Wind
Level: 4
ATK:
1,400
DEF: 1,200
Card Description: This flying reptile moves as fast as an eagle, and makes no more noise than a bat while looking for prey.
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0
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HORNED SAURUS (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type:
Dinosaur/Fusion/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level:
6
ATK: 2,000
DEF: 1,200
Card Description: Chitoptera plus Gilasaurus
This evil-minded relative of the pterodactyl hunts not only out of hunger, but out of enjoyment. This Monster can only be Special Summoned via Fusion Summon. On the turn this Monster is successfully Fusion Summoned, it can attack your opponent directly.
Note: "Chitoptera" and "Horned Saurus" were first used by Rex Raptor in the multi-part anime episode "On the Wrong Track". All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
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Nathan's Vampire Deck
Nathan didn't set out to construct a Vampire Deck. His goal was a Deck Destruction Deck, which would limit his opponents' options, and perhaps win by decking out. But after adding two Vampire Lords, several Vampire Ladies, Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower, and Vampire Genesis, he decided to settle on one unifying theme to achieve his original goal.
Nathan's deck isn't perfect. He has quite a few high-level Monsters, but not all of them are for summoning. Some of them are simply useful for activating Vampire Genesis's effect, which leads to him activating the Bone Tower's effect. Robbin' Zombie is a key card in his deck, as it helps with the main strategy.
Nathan also has some powerful offensive power. Zombie Werewolf can grow to an Attack Score of 2,200 if used to fullest potential (amazing for a four-star Monster) and also guarantees him a Monster to sacrifice. Vampire Bat (which is indestructible until he runs out of additional ones to discard) can make even Vampire Lady a decent Monster.
Nathan does not know it, but a lot of his cards were favorites of the Shadow Rider Camula. Using vampires was a natural for Camula, seeing as she was one herself. Of course, as Yugi would say, in most cases, a card is only as evil as the duelist who uses it, just as any weapon can be considered evil… if used by someone with evil intent.
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Coming up next:
Cassius sabotages an experiment, which unleashes an evil force from a dark prison. The only thing standing in this demon's way is the school's gym teacher. Who is this creature, and can he be stopped?
Find out, in "Giant Trunade", coming soon.