Author's note: The following chapter features a team duel. Now, there have been several interpretations of how this kind of duel works in the anime, and I have used several in many of my stories. However, in this version, I will use the actual rules set forth by Konami. These rules were used with anime applications in the Judai/Asuka versus Kenzan/Rei duel in Season 4 of GX.
And I hope I didn't screw it up.
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CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
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Delinquent Duo
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There are many times when the myths and legends that we know of are contradicted by what I learn as a Shadowchaser. I'll give an example.
The legend of the Minotaur is a well-known part of Greek mythology. Before he ascended the throne of Crete, Minos fought with his brothers for the right to rule. Minos prayed to Poseidon to send him a snow-white bull, as a sign of approval by the gods for his reign. His side of the bargain would be to sacrifice the bull as an offering, and as a symbol of subservience. A beautiful white bull rose from the sea, but when Minos saw it, he coveted it for himself. He instead sacrificed an ordinary bull, hoping it would please Poseidon. Of course, it was a foolish act – you don't double-cross the gods.
Poseidon punished Minos by making his wife fall madly in love with the bull. Minos still would not kill the bull, and would not even halt this strange relationship, and he finally realized the extent of his folly when his wife gave birth to the savage Minotaur. Minos didn't dare kill the Minotaur, for fear of angering Poseidon further, but the monster was far too dangerous to let roam free. He commissioned the great architect Daedalus to build the Labyrinth, a maze-like prison where it could never escape from. But because this monster only ate human flesh, Minos was forced to wage wars and force other countries into horrid treaties just to supply it with victims. This went on until the hero Theseus slew the beast.
Now, why does this legend contradict what I know as a Shadowchaser? Well, you would think that the Minotaur was a unique creature, a one-of-a-kind. But it isn't. It seems that minotaurs are actually a whole race of Shadowkind. And this is not the only instance where this is the case. Quite possibly, the myths we know of were inspired by stories of exceptional members of these races.
In a way, our job will be harder than that of Theseus. He only had to deal with one minotaur. Fortunately, there's two of us too…
The Makira Fish Processing factory was one of many fish canneries on the docks, and it was more automated than most. Robots and machines did most of the work, which was good, as working with fish tended to be unpleasant for humans. Just being in a place like this for any length of time made the smell of fish stick to you.
Today, the owner had given the few human workers the day off. The robots still worked the conveyor belts as fish was brought in from boats unloading their catches…
And in the middle of the loading bay, DaPen's two bodyguards, Vincent and Albert, stood guard, watching the door, armed with two heavy duty firearms.
"Hey, Vince," said Albert, "being around all these fish kinda makes me hungry…"
"Breathing makes you hungry…" muttered Vincent.
"Say," said Albert, not noticing the remark, "what say we both go out for fish and chips when we're done here?"
"Albert, don't you ever think of anything besides your four stomachs?" asked Vincent.
"Well, sure," replied Albert. "Sometimes I think of the stuff I like to put in them."
Vincent sighed.
"Cheeseburgers…" continued Albert. "Chili dogs… Pancakes… Fried clams…Oh, and mozzarella sticks… Don't you just love mozzarella sticks dipped in marinara sauce, and…"
"Alright, enough already!" shouted Vincent. "Now you're making ME hungry!"
You may think that Albert should have spent his time thinking about things other than food, but he couldn't help it sometimes. After all, ten years ago, things like cheeseburgers and fried clams were luxuries that he could never have afforded.
Mundanes saw the two brothers, Vincent and Albert Schumer, as two hulking, muscular humans, but they were, in reality, minotaurs, reflections of the mythic beast slain by Theseus. They were both born on Earth, and as a result, were more acclimated to life here than any Shadowkind émigré. Their names were rough phonetic translations of their minotaur names, which were unpronounceable by humans.
The twins were born in Satellite, the sons of a minotaur and a human woman (which is always the case; there's no such thing as a female minotaur for some reason, and to reproduce, they have to mate with females of other races). They were abandoned by their parents at an early age, and soon experienced the usual problem that bestial creatures do fitting into society. As children they became notorious as bullies, and as children are usually Aware, most human children steered clear of them. At age thirteen, as minotaurs grow fast, they set out on their own, and made a living shaking down others for cash and valuables. They met with some success – most of their victims were quite willing to give the hulking muggers what they wanted to avoid trouble, but it was still difficult getting enough food to feed two young, growing minotaurs.
Their luck changed one day, when they tried shaking down a very well-dressed man who seemed quite out of place in Satellite. The man was actually Louis DaPen, newly arrived from beyond Shadow, who was trying to stake a claim for himself in this new world. Instead of turning the young minotaurs' brains into tapioca, he spared their lives, and offered them jobs. They'd been his personal bodyguards ever since, and were incredibly loyal to him.
"So…" said Albert, "what do we gotta do again?"
Vincent sighed again.
"Look, I'll explain it one more time," he said. "The boss says that the Shadowchaser dame is gonna come here. Once she does, we smoke her. Simple, right?"
"Uh, yeah, except for one thing…" replied Albert. "What if she smokes us first?"
"Don't worry," said Vincent. "In case something goes wrong, your brother has a plan-B…"
He motioned to some crates behind them.
They didn't know that Jinx and Ember weren't about to go in through the front door yet. Both of them had moved a big box under a window, and were looking in.
"Those are minotaurs, right?" asked Ember.
"Yeah," said Jinx. "And this could be trouble…"
She hopped off the box.
"Hold on, Jinx," said Ember. "You told me that when I was trained, I'd be able to take a minotaur on in a fistfight."
Jinx opened the compartment next to the seat on her D-Wheel.
"A fistfight, yes," she replied. "In case you didn't notice, those two are packing automatic assault rifles.
"And that's really strange… Most minotaurs have trouble using a weapon more advanced than a hunk of pipe. Clearly, these are exceptional ones."
She took something out of the compartment. It was an old, beaten leather jacket, with a flaming skull on the back, covered with spikes, studs, and chains.
"Jinx, that looks like something that the Hell's Angels would wear," said Ember.
"Remember what I said about Sorsha's owner?" replied Jinx. "The hellfire warlock? He gave us this. It's called a demonic biker's jacket."
"It's magic?" asked Ember.
"Yup," said Jinx. "Let's just say that if the Hell's Angels had jackets like this, their group's name would be much more literal. Help me get it on…"
Three minutes later, Jinx zipped the front of the jacket closed, and walked up to the front door. She handed Ember her Duel Disk.
"Hold this," she said. "And stand back… Don't get too close to me…"
Then she kicked the door open. The two brothers were somewhat surprised to see her simply charge in.
"Looking for me?" asked Jinx.
"Get her!" shouted Vincent.
Ember was horrified as both of them opened fire, and apparently hit their mark. Jinx didn't make a sound, but was knocked over as about seven rounds hit her in the chest.
"JINX!" screamed Ember.
And then she and both the brothers were shocked as Jinx simply stood up, with a wicked glint in her eye. There was no sign of any wound.
Jinx took a deep breath, and the skull symbol on the back of the jacket literally started to burn. She held up her hands, and they became shrouded in dark fire.
"Don't just stand there!" screamed Vincent, as she started to walk towards them.
They opened fire again, but this time, they didn't even halt her progress. Jinx lifted her hands, which had now grown into fiendish claws. The two brothers stopped shooting, and their hands quivered…
"What's the matter, boys?" asked Jinx, in an inhuman voice. "Scared?"
She made a slash with her right claw, and tore through Vincent's suit. Albert turned, dropped his gun, and dove behind the stack of crates.
"Wait for me!" shouted Vincent, following him.
"You can run but you can't hide, assassins," said Jinx.
"Shadowchaser!" shouted Vincent's voice. "Truce!"
Jinx paused.
"Uh…" said Vincent. "The guns were uncalled for, I guess… But… We can handle this the way the way you normally do it if you want…"
"You ditch the guns, I ditch the jacket," said Jinx, "and then we duel?"
"Uh, yeah?" said Vincent.
"Why not?" asked Jinx. "Throw away the guns and come out."
Vincent tossed his rifle away, and two automatic pistols followed. Then they walked out, holding Duel Disks.
Jinx unzipped the front of the jacket, and gasped for breath as she started to change back to normal. Ember walked up to her.
"You had them!" she whispered. "Why did you…"
"Shh!" said Jinx.
She pointed to a label inside the jacket.
It said, "Caution: Using for longer than five minutes can cause recklessness and abandonment of moral restraint."
Ember handed her back the Duel Disk, and she put it on her arm.
"So, boys," said Jinx. "I can't exactly duel both of you at once… Who's it gonna be?"
Albert looked at Vincent.
"Uh…" he said. "Rock, paper, scissors?"
The two thugs shook their fists, and then threw them down, both coming up rock.
"Darn…" said Vincent. "We'll… try again…"
They did it again, but both of them came up rock again.
"Oh, this always happens!" groaned Albert.
"You two are doing this on purpose!" shouted Jinx, starting to get annoyed.
"Hey, Jinx," said Ember. "Uhm… If I may make a suggestion… Does everyone here know how to team duel?"
Vincent and Albert looked at Ember.
"I'm kinda surprised that you do," replied Jinx.
"My cousin kinda taught me…" said Ember.
Vincent let out a soft chuckle.
"Okay, beautiful…" he said. "We'll duel you two-on-two! We're betting we learned from someone better than your cousin…"
"Fine!" said Jinx.
Simultaneously, four Duel Disks activated. Ember stepped forward to face Vincent (a formality, because Jinx would actually get the first move on their side).
"Be careful," said Jinx to Ember, from behind her. "I don't trust these two goons any farther than I can likely throw them."
"I'm being careful," said Ember.
"Duel!" they all said.
(Jinx & Ember: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Vincent & Albert: 8,000)
"My draw…" said Vincent, drawing a card.
He added it to his hand, and then opened the Field Slot on his Disk.
"To start," he said, "I'll play the Field Spell, Mausoleum of the Emperor."
He placed a card in the slot, and the whole factory changed. The backdrop transformed into an ancient temple, with altars behind each set of duelists with a flaming brazier in each center and two guards armed with spears flanking them. A dark pit spanned by a bridge separated the two.
"Ember…" said Jinx. "We may be in trouble…"
"What?" said Ember. "I know what it does… It lets you Normal Summon high-Level Monsters by paying Life Points rather than making sacrifices…"
"Yeah, Ember, but the thing is," continued Jinx, "this Field Spell is a very common card for team duel strategies. I have a feeling that these guys were prepared for this all along."
"Maybe, maybe not!" chuckled Vincent. "I don't think I'll actually use its effect yet… Instead, I'll set a Monster, and then a reversed card."
Two facedown cards appeared in front of him, one horizontal, and one vertical.
"I'm finished…"
Jinx and Ember quickly switched places.
"Then it's my draw!" said Jinx.
She made a draw.
"Come on out, X-Saber Airbellum!" she shouted.
With a feral roar, the bestial, clawed X-Saber appeared. (1,600 ATK)
"Attack his Monster!" she shouted.
Airbellum snarled, and leapt at the facedown Monster…
Then, Gear Golem the Moving Fortress appeared on the card. (2,200 DEF) Airbellum let out a shriek, and fell backwards.
"Crud…" said Jinx.
She took three other cards.
"I set two cards, and then Equip him with Soul Saber."
Two facedown cards appeared, and the large, steel sword appeared in Airbellum's hand.
"That's all for me."
(J & E: 7,400) - - - - - - - - - - (V & A: 8,000)
Albert switched places with his brother, and drew a card.
"I think I'll use the effect of the Field Spell now," he said, with a chuckle. "I'll drop 2,000 of our Life Points to summon the mighty Sengenjin!"
With a low, guttural roar, a hulking, blue-skinned ogre with a single eye, dressed in furs, appeared on their side of the field. It carried a variety of weapons slung on its back – swords, axes, maces, and spears. (2,750 ATK)
That guy's a regular Swiss army knife, thought Jinx.
"Crush X-Saber Airbellum!" shouted Albert.
Sengenjin roared, and leapt at the X-Saber.
"I activate the effect of Soul Saber!" shouted Jinx. "If my Monster gets rid of it, he isn't destroyed!"
Airbellum blocked Sengenjin's fist with the sword, and the sword shattered.
"I also get to draw one card," said Jinx, making a draw.
"Then it's your move," muttered Albert. "Or rather, it's your lackey's…"
"Lackey?" shouted Ember. "Hey…"
"Don't listen to him, Ember," said Jinx. "You take it from here… Use what I gave you, and show them what you're made of."
(J & E: 6,250) - - - - - - - - - - (V & A: 6,000)
Ember stepped up, and made a draw.
Use what she gave me? she thought. What…
She looked at X-Saber Airbellum.
Of course! Airbellum is a Tuner Monster. If I just have the right non-Tuner…
She looked at her hand.
Let's see… Blue Flame Swordsman, Molten Zombie, Blazing Inpachi, and Little Chimera… Darn, I don't have any Level 3 Monsters here…
She paused. She looked at the field.
Wait… Jinx's facedown cards!
"I summon Molten Zombie," she said.
In a burst of flame, the undead Pyro appeared. (1,600 ATK)
Then she waved her hand, and one of the facedown cards lifted.
"Next, I activate Miniaturize! This Trap causes one Monster to lose 1,000 Attack Points."
"Better check the math," chuckled Albert. "Sengenjin will still be stronger than that ugly thing."
"You got a lot of nerve calling our Monsters ugly," said Ember. "Look in the mirror lately? And I'm not using it on Sengenjin… I'm using it on Molten Zombie."
Molten Zombie shrank to half its size. (600 ATK)
"Then, I chain Emergency Provisions," she said, as the other facedown card lifted.
Miniaturize vanished into grains of light.
"You may wonder why I'm doing this… Well, it's because Miniaturize also reduces Molten Zombie's Level from 4 to 3."
"So what?" asked Albert.
"She's making a Synchro Summon, lead-head!" scolded Vincent.
"Oh…" said Albert.
Then X-Saber Airbellum and Molten Zombie flew into the air over the Mausoleum, and faded into six glowing stars. In a flaming burst of energy, Flamvell Urquizas descended. (2,100 ATK)
"Now I play… Salamandra!" continued Ember. "This makes Urquizas even hotter!"
Urquizas burned fiercely. (2,800 ATK)
"Attack Sengenjin!" she shouted. "Fist of flame!"
Flamvell Urquizas roared, and flew forward, striking the ogre in the gut. Sengenjin groaned, and shattered into shards.
"And now Urquizas gains 300 more Attack Points."
(3,100 ATK)
"I end my turn."
"Not before I activate this," replied Albert with a sneer.
The facedown card his brother had set lifted up.
"The Continuous Trap Card, Life-Absorbing Machine.
"Okay, bro, she's all yours…"
(J & E: 7,250) - - - - - - - - - - (V & A: 5,950)
Vincent stepped up, and drew a card.
"Thanks to that Trap Card," he said, "we now gain back half of the Life Points we spent last turn…
"And I'm playing Mystical Space Typhoon!"
The card appeared, and the cyclone blew across the field, blowing Salamandra to pieces. Urquizas fell to an Attack Score of 2,400.
"Next, I think I'll sacrifice Gear Golem…"
The Moving Fortress vanished.
"…to summon Metal Shooter."
A new robot appeared, one that looked similar to Gears's Ally of Justice Light Gazer. It had the same inverted pear shape, same blasters for hands, and also levitated on an energy field. (800 ATK)
"Only 800 Attack Points?" asked Ember.
"Yes, but by Normal Summoning it, it gets two counters," replied Vincent, "and each one gives it 800 more Attack Points."
(2,400 ATK)
"And I'll give it even more, by playing the Equip Spell, Big Bang Shot!"
He played a card, and the Machine glowed with energy. (2,800 ATK)
"Trust me, this is really gonna make a big bang! Attack! Pulse cannon!"
Metal Shooter fired a bolt of pure energy from its blaster, and Ember shielded herself as Urquizas was blown to bits.
"Urquizas…" she said, sadly.
"I end my turn," said Vincent.
(J & E: 6,850) - - - - - - - - - - (V & A: 6,950)
"Take a breather, Ember," said Jinx, as she drew a card.
She stepped up, and looked at her hand.
She set a card, and a reversed Monster appeared.
"That's my turn, fellahs," she said.
Albert stepped up with a sinister chuckle. He made a draw.
"I summon Enraged Battle Ox!" he said with a laugh.
The armored, horned Beast-Warrior holding an axe materialized. (1,700 ATK)
"He kind of looks like you two," said Jinx, "only he's a lot handsomer."
"Oh, you are asking for it…" growled Albert. "Battle Ox, attack!"
"Albert, wait!" shouted Vincent.
Enraged Battle Ox charged at the facedown card…
Then it was thrown backwards, as Roulette Barrel appeared on the card. (2,000 DEF)
"Nice one, bro," said Vincent, in disgust. "How many times has the boss told us, attack with the stronger Monster first!"
"Eh, I wanted to attack her with the stronger Monster…" muttered Albert. "Aw, spit… Metal Shooter, destroy it!"
Jinx cringed as Metal Shooter blew the Machine to metal scrap.
(J & E: 6,050) - - - - - - - - - - (V & A: 6,650)
"Ember…" said Jinx. "Take them out…"
Ember stepped up, and made a draw.
Not bad, she thought, looking at it.
"I play… Monster Reborn!" she exclaimed.
The holy ankh appeared, and Molten Zombie appeared again. (1,600 ATK)
"Now, I get to draw one card," she continued, making a draw.
"Next, I summon Blue Flame Swordsman!"
In another bonfire, the fiery Warrior appeared. (1,800 ATK)
"Slay his Enraged Battle Ox!" she shouted.
Blue Flame Swordsman made a slash with his trusty blade. The Beast-Warrior groaned, and then shattered.
"I throw down a facedown," said Ember, as a facedown card appeared, "and I end my turn…"
(J & E: 6,050) - - - - - - - - - - (V & A: 6,550)
"My move!" snarled Vincent, making a draw.
"Metal Shooter… Destroy Molten Zombie!"
Metal Shooter aimed its blaster…
"I activate… Sakuretsu Armor!" shouted Ember, as her facedown card shot up.
"Nice try!" laughed Vincent. "But whenever Metal Shooter would be destroyed by a card effect, it can survive by ditching one of its counters!"
"Uh, Vince?" said Albert. "If Metal Shooter ditches one of its counters, won't it lose 800 Attack Points?"
Apparently, Albert was correct. Metal Shooter fell to an Attack Score of 2,000.
"It's still strong enough to blast that Zombie!" shouted Vincent.
Metal Shooter fired…
"I activate Blue Flame Swordsman's effect!" shouted Ember. "I'll cut 500 points off his score, and give them to Molten Zombie!"
"Hey, not bad!" said Jinx, with a grin.
Blue Flame Swordsman fell to an Attack Score of 1,300, while Molten Zombie shot up to 2,100. As Metal Shooter fired its blast, Molten Zombie swatted it aside. The robot fell backwards sparking, and then exploded.
"Ergh…" grunted Vincent.
He took one of the two cards in his hand.
"I'll set this, and then you go."
A reversed card appeared.
(J & E: 6,050) - - - - - - - - - - (V & A: 6,450)
"My move!" shouted Jinx, walking up and drawing.
She looked at the card.
"I summon X-Saber Galahad!" she shouted.
In a burst of energy, the toad-like Warrior in bronze armor appeared. (1,800 ATK)
"Molten Zombie, attack Vincent directly!" she shouted.
Molten Zombie grunted, and blew a blast of flame at the minotaur…
Vincent snarled, and his facedown card flipped up, revealing a Negate Attack card. The blast was halted by a dome of energy.
"Darn," said Jinx. "I'll set a facedown card, and then move Blue Flame Swordsman to Defense Mode."
A reversed card appeared, and then the Swordsman knelt and held his sword down. (1,600 DEF)
"My move!" chuckled Albert, making a draw.
"I summon the Pitch-Black Warwolf," he said with another chuckle.
In a shadowy aura, a fierce-looking werewolf appeared, dressed in a loincloth and fur cape, holding a sword. As its name suggested, its fur was pitch-black. (1,600 ATK)
This is seriously odd, thought Jinx. At first, these two seemed to be prepared for team duels… Using Mausoleum and Life-Absorbing Machine…
But Vincent seems to be using Machines, while Albert is using Beast-Warriors. What's the common thread?
"I throw two cards facedown, and end my turn," said Albert, as two reversed cards appeared.
"Be careful, Ember…" said Jinx, as Ember stepped up to face him. "The fish smell better than this…"
Ember looked at Jinx's facedown card, and then made a draw. She added it to her hand.
"I summon Blazing Inpachi!" she shouted.
In another burst of flame, the huge wicker man made of burning logs appeared. (1,850 ATK)
"Attack his Warwolf!" she shouted.
Blazing Inpachi lunged at the lycanthrope with a burning first.
"I activate… Rush Recklessly!" laughed Albert, as one of his facedown cards shot up. "This gives my Monster 700 more points!"
The Warwolf rose to an Attack Score of 2,300.
"Oh yeah?" said Ember. "Well, I have a facedown card too, that my partner set… Skull Dice!"
Her Trap Card shot up, and the little imp appeared, it tossed its die.
The die skipped and bounced, and then came up a four. Pitch-Black Warwolf fell to an Attack Score of 1,900.
"It's still stronger than your Inpachi!" laughed Albert.
Pitch-Black Warwolf slashed with its sword, and the Inpachi burst into an explosion of flaming logs.
"But not stronger than Molten Zombie!" replied Ember.
Molten Zombie blasted its breath weapon, and the werewolf howled before it was incinerated.
"Now, X-Saber Galahad attacks you directly!"
Albert had nothing left to protect him. He hollered as the X-Saber slashed at him across the chest with his sword.
"Grr…" he grunted.
(J & E: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (V & A: 4,450)
"I end my turn," said Ember.
"You take over, bro," said Albert.
Vincent stepped up, and made a draw.
"Time to use the effect of the Field Spell again," he said. "I'll pay 2,000 Life Points, to summon the all-powerful Emes the Infinity!"
An eruption of light burst on the two thugs' side of the field, and an impressive-looking robot appeared in front of them. It was made of gold and silver, designed to look like royalty. It had a metal, serpentine trunk instead of legs, and four arms, which held four different weapons, a sword, shield, scepter, and spear. (2,500 ATK)
"Now, I'm going to make sure you don't use that guy's effect again," he said, pointing to Blue Flame Swordsman. "Emes, take him out!"
Emes the Infinity loomed over the Swordsman, and its sword crashed down with force so strong, the whole room shook, smashing Blue Flame Swordsman to pieces.
"Ergh…" said Ember. "I activate his other effect… And summon the regular Flame Swordsman to the field."
"In a burst of flame, the true Flame Swordsman appeared in Defense Mode. (1,600 DEF)
"And Emes's effect activates," replied Vincent. "He gains 700 more Attack Points."
(3,200 ATK)
He took his last card, and fit it into his Disk. A reversed card appeared.
"There… That should do it…"
(J & E: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (V & A: 2,450)
Jinx stepped up, and drew a card. She looked at the three cards she had, and then chose one.
"I play… Gift of the Martyr!" she exclaimed. "Now, I'll send Flame Swordsman to the Graveyard, to give his Attack Points to X-Saber Galahad."
Flame Swordsman vanished, and Galahad rose to an Attack Score of 3,600.
"And guess what?" asked Jinx. "When Galahad attacks a Monster, he gains 300 more Attack Points!
"You two are through! Galahad, destroy Emes the Infinity!"
Galahad's Attack Score rose to 3,900 as he charged. He made a savage slash with his blade, and the huge Machine groaned. It sparked, and then exploded into pieces of hot metal.
"Ergh…" groaned Vincent.
"Molten Zombie, end this duel!" shouted Jinx.
Molten Zombie started to breathe its flames at Vincent.
"We aren't done yet!" shouted Vincent, as his facedown card shot up. "Activate… Scapegoat!"
Four fluffy, multicolored sheep appeared in front of the two minotaurs. (0 DEF x4) Molten Zombie's flames incinerated one of them.
Jinx sighed.
"I have to end my turn…" she said.
(J & E: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (V & A: 1,750)
Albert made a draw.
"First, we gain 1,000 Life Points due to Life-Absorbing Machine," he said.
"Then I'll set a Monster, and end my turn."
A reversed Monster appeared.
(J & E: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (V & A: 2,750)
Ember stepped up, and drew a card.
Ooh! I drew Infernal Flame Emperor! she thought.
Now, let's see… I could use the Field Spell to summon it…
No, wait, I can't do that… If I do, it wouldn't count as Tribute Summoned… And I have to Tribute Summon it in order to use its effect.
Oh well…
"I sacrifice X-Saber Galahad and Molten Zombie," she said.
Both the Monsters in front of her vanished into plumes of fire.
"…to summon Infernal Flame Emperor!"
In a great bonfire, the giant, centaurian, winged Pyro appeared, and let out a loud bellow. (2,700 ATK)
"Now I use his effect," she continued. "I'm removing three Fire Monsters in my Graveyard from play to destroy your Spell and Trap Cards."
Molten Zombie, Blazing Inpachi, and Blue Flame Swordsman slipped out of her discard slot.
"Well, before it's too late…" said Albert.
His facedown card shot up.
"I activate Gift of the Mystical Elf! Now, my partner and I gain 300 Life Points for each Monster on the field. There are five right now, so that's… uh… that's…"
"1,500 Life Points…" sighed Vincent.
"Oh, yeah…" said Albert. "I was never too good at math…"
Life-Absorbing Machine shattered into pixels, and the whole Mausoleum crumbled into rubble, returning them to the fish cannery.
"Yeah?" said Ember. "Well here's some subtraction! Attack his facedown Monster!"
Infernal Flame Emperor hurled a ball of fire at the reversed Monster. Soul Tiger appeared on the card, and was burned to ashes.
"That's all I can do…" she said.
(J & E: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (V & A: 4,250)
"It's my draw," said Vincent.
He stepped up, and made one draw.
"Okay, Shadowchasers," he said, playing a Spell Card. "I play Card of Variation.
"Here's what it does. I get to draw two cards now…"
He made two draws.
"Now I'll use one of them… Swords of Revealing Light!"
He played the card, and the shower of swords fell down around Ember.
"Crud," she said.
"Don't worry, Ember," said Jinx. "With two of us, those Swords will expire faster than normal."
"All right, I end my turn," said Vincent. "And since I played Card of Variation, I have to toss a card now, or we lose 3,000 Life Points. So I guess I'll get rid of this one…"
He discarded the other card he had drawn, Battle Footballer.
"My move," said Jinx, as she switched places with Ember.
She made a draw, and looked at her three cards again.
"I summon Alligator's Sword," she said.
With a flourish, the reptilian Beast wielding its sword appeared. (1,500 ATK)
"And I end my turn."
Albert stepped up, and drew a card.
"First I play Monster Reborn," he said, playing the card.
The glowing ankh appeared, and Pitch-Black Warwolf appeared again. (1,600 ATK)
Huh? thought Jinx. He chose to bring that back and not Emes the Infinity?
"Now, I sacrifice it," continued Albert.
The Warwolf vanished.
"…for Minoan Centaur!"
A new Beast-Warrior appeared where the Warwolf had been. The best way to describe it was to say that it was a combination of a minotaur and a centaur. It had the lower body of a horse, with goat-like legs, and the upper body of a muscular, bestial human, dressed in a deerskin, with bull-like horns and a black beard, holding a battle-axe. (1,800 ATK)
"Next, I play the Spell Card, Token Thanksgiving," he continued, as a new Spell Card appeared. "This destroys our Sheep Tokens…"
The three Tokens burst.
"…but we gain 800 Life Points for each.
"I end my turn."
(J & E: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (V & A: 6,650)
Huh? thought Jinx. Why didn't he attack Alligator's Sword?
And what effect does this Minoan Centaur have? A Level 6 Monster with an Attack Score that weak has to have a pretty powerful one…
"Be careful, Ember!" she warned.
Ember made her draw carefully. She considered the three cards in her hand.
"I summon Tenkabito Shien," she said.
In a burst of flame, Shien appeared astride his coal-black horse. (1,500 ATK)
"It's… your move…" she said, slowly.
"I draw one card," said Vincent, as he stood forward.
He made a draw.
"And I'll summon it… Meet Machine Lord Ür."
In a beam of light, a weird Machine materialized. It looked like a robotic chess bishop, made of crimson metal, with long, clawed arms, hovering in mid-air. (1,600 ATK)
"I end my turn," he said.
Jinx paused and made a draw.
Something is seriously wrong, she thought. Machine Lord Ür and Minoan Centaur are both stronger than two of our Monsters, but for some reason, these two don't want to attack. What are they waiting for? These Swords are only going to last until the end of this round.
She looked at the card she had just drawn, which was Maximum Six.
Think I'll wait before bringing this guy out…
She chose another card.
"I'll set a Monster," she said as she set the card on her Disk, "and then move Alligator's Sword and Shien to Defense Mode."
Shien shielded himself with his blade. (1,000 DEF) Alligator's Sword knelt and held its sword down. (1,200 DEF)
"I end my turn, which means your Swords go away."
The Swords of Revealing Light faded and disappeared.
"Then it's my move!" laughed Albert, standing forward.
He quickly drew a card.
"First, I activate Minoan Centaur's effect. First, I sacrifice it…"
Minoan Centaur vanished into grains of light.
"…and in return, I can Special Summon two Beast-Warriors from my deck, so long as both of them are Level 4 Normal Monsters.
"So… Here comes Vorse Raider and Gene-Warped Warwolf!"
Two savage creatures appeared. One was the armored, axe-wielding brute that Seto Kaiba often used. (1,900 ATK) The other was a four-armed, tattooed wolfman with snow-white fur. (2,000 ATK)
"Now…" continued Albert. "I sacrifice all three of our Monsters…"
Vorse Raider, Gene-Warped Warwolf, and Machine Lord Ür vanished into grains of light…
"Three sacrifices??" shouted Ember.
"That's right!" laughed Albert. "All to summon Beast King Barbaros!"
With a savage, primal roar, the most ferocious Beast-Warrior yet leapt onto the field. It was also centaurian in shape, but its lower body was that of a great lion, and its upper body was a savage, muscular human. It carried a long lance in one hand, and a shield in the other. (3,000 ATK)
"I knew you two were up to something!" shouted Jinx.
"That's right, beautiful," said Albert. "And since I used three sacrifices to summon this guy, he wipes out every card on your side of the field."
Jinx covered her head as an explosion ripped through her side of the field, blowing Infernal Flame Emperor, Tenkabito Shien, Alligator's Sword, and X-Saber Anabelera to shards.
"Get her!" shouted Albert.
"JINX!" screamed Ember.
Ember could only watch as the Beast King stabbed Jinx in the middle of the torso with his lance, trying to run her through. He was a duel-created hologram, so he didn't succeed, but Jinx was still knocked over onto her behind.
(J & E: 3,000) - - - - - - - - - - (V & A: 6,650)
"Heh, heh…" said Albert. "That ought to do it…"
Ember helped Jinx get up.
"Ember, we gotta try to work together here," said Jinx. "It's your move… I might have something that can take that thing out, but I can't do it alone…"
Jinx looked at Albert.
"Right…" she said.
She drew a card.
"I throw down a facedown," she said, as a reversed card appeared, "then I remove Shien from play to Special Summon Inferno in Defense Mode."
The card slipped out of her discard slot, and Inferno appeared, crouching in Defense. (1,900 DEF)
"It's your move…"
Vincent chuckled, and made a draw.
"Beast King…" he ordered, "put out that fire!"
Barbaros charged at Inferno…
"I activate… Martyr's Flame!" shouted Ember, as her facedown card shot up. "This Trap turns your attack into a direct attack, and cuts the damage in half!"
Then she shrieked as the lance stabbed into her, knocking her over.
"Heh, heh," chuckled Vincent. "Suit yourself…"
He set the card he had drawn on his Disk, and a reversed Monster appeared.
"Your move, beautiful," he said.
(J & E: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (V & A: 6,650)
"Ember…" said Jinx, as Ember got up.
"I protected Inferno as best I could…" sighed Ember. "Now… Take it from here, Jinx…"
Jinx looked at the two cards in her hand, Maximum Six and a Trap Card.
Okay… she thought. Now I really need some luck…
She made a draw.
Yes!
"I sacrifice Inferno…" she said.
Inferno vanished into grains of light.
"…to summon Maximum Six!"
With a roar, the muscular, six-armed brute appeared. (1,900 ATK)
"Maximum Six?" laughed Vincent. "You think he scares us? You'd have to roll exactly six to make him stronger than Barbaros, and no-one's luck is that good!"
Jinx ignored him, as a die appeared, it rolled, skipped and bounced.
It came up a five. Maximum Six rose to an Attack Score of 2,900.
"OOH!" gloated Albert. "So close… So close, but sadly, not close enough…"
Then he stopped as Jinx played the card she had just drawn.
It was Graceful Dice.
The teddy bear appeared, and tossed its die. It bounced, and it landed on the four. Maximum Six rose to an Attack Score of 3,300.
"You were saying?" asked Jinx. "Maximum Six, clobber their Beast King!"
Maximum Six roared, and threw a punch at the Beast King. Barbaros bellowed, and then shattered into pixels.
The two brothers glared at Jinx and her apprentice in anger as Jinx looked at the last card in her hand.
This would be incredibly risky… she thought, but I might as well set it.
She placed it in her Disk, and a reversed card appeared.
"It's your move…"
Maximum Six returned to an Attack Score of 2,900.
(J & E: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (V & A: 6,350)
"Draw!" said Albert, drawing a card.
He grunted, and then threw a card into his Disk. A reversed card appeared in front of him. He snarled at Ember.
"I take it that means it's my move…" said Ember.
She made a draw.
"Maximum Six, attack their mystery Monster!" she shouted.
Maximum Six lunged at the facedown Monster. Morphing Jar appeared on the card, and was smashed flat.
"I'm sure you know the drill," said Albert.
He discarded one card, and Ember discarded two. Both of them made five draws.
Ember looked at the five new cards.
"Uh… I set one Monster, and end my turn…" she said.
A reversed Monster appeared next to Maximum Six.
Vincent stepped forward and made his draw. He was more than a little upset… He had been hoping to use that Morphing Jar's effect himself.
He set the card, and a facedown Monster appeared in front of him.
"That's all," he said.
Jinx drew a card.
D'oh! she thought. My Polymerization card? Just the card I DIDN'T want!
Oh well…
She looked at the defensive Monster that Ember had set.
Better leave that in Defense Mode for now, she thought.
She pointed, and Maximum Six charged at the facedown card. A second Gear Golem the Moving Fortress appeared on the card and was blown to pieces.
"That's all for me," she said.
Albert stepped forward and drew.
"Hey, bro!" he said. "I drew… it."
"It?" said Jinx. "What's 'it'?"
"I have a feeling I'm not gonna like 'it'," said Ember.
"You want to know what 'it' is?" chuckled Albert. "Well, 'it' is our most powerful and rarest Monster…
"To summon 'it', I have to remove from play one Machine and one Beast-Warrior from either my field, hand, or Graveyard. And since in the rules of a team duel, partners share each, I can remove one Beast-Warrior from my Graveyard, and one Machine from my brother's…"
Vorse Raider and Machine Lord Ür appeared behind him, and then vanished into ripples of light.
This is it… thought Jinx. This is the common thread…
"I summon…" exclaimed Albert. "The mighty Beast Machine King Barbaros Ür!"
In a blast of digital ones and zeroes, a new Beast-Warrior appeared. It looked like the original Barbaros, albeit with blue skin and affixed with cybernetic implants. Its weaponry was now far more modern – instead of a lance and shield, it now held a laser cannon in each hand. (3,800 ATK)
"Dear lord!" shouted Ember.
"This is what happens when Beast-Warriors go bionic," chuckled Albert. "Okay, big guy… Wipe out Maximum Six! Flashing destructive bullets!"
Beast Machine King Barbaros Ür fired his weapons, sending several rounds of hot, destructive death at Maximum Six. The Warrior roared before he was obliterated.
Strangely, though, Jinx didn't feel a thing…
(J & E: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (V & A: 6,350)
"Our Life Points didn't go down?" asked Jinx. "Not that I'm complaining, but…"
"Of course they didn't," replied Albert. "This Monster has a drawback… Its attacks don't inflict any battle damage."
Jinx and Ember looked at the two brothers.
"Of all the stupid…" said Jinx. "How are you supposed to win that way?"
"Because, he still has 3,800 Attack Points, meaning he's practically unbeatable," replied Albert. "Most duelists who have this card use it in Skill Drain Decks, but in this case, he's here to keep you occupied while we finish you with this!"
His facedown card lifted up.
"I activate the Trap Card, Final Countdown!"
"What are you talking about?" said Ember. "Everyone knows that Final Countdown is a Spell Card!"
"This is a different Final Countdown," explained Albert. "While it's on the field, we can't use any Spells or Traps… But we can set one each turn. When we finally decide to drop the bomb, so to speak, we send all the cards in our Spell/Trap Zone to the Graveyard.
"Then you get blasted for damage depending on how many there are; 500 points for two, 1,500 for three, 3,000 for four, and 5,000 for five!"
"So…"
He set a card in his Disk, and a reversed card appeared. A detonator appeared next to him, and it went up to 500.
"On my brother's turn, he'll be able to finish you two off but good… Make your move…"
The two minotaurs chuckled.
Ember's hand shook as she drew a card. She looked at it.
She waved her hand, and the Trap Card that Jinx had set lifted up.
"I activate The Paths of Destiny!" she shouted.
"Ember!" shouted Jinx. "If you miss the toss, we lose!"
"Yeah, but if I don't make it, we lose anyway!" replied Ember.
A coin appeared in her hand.
"Start hoping some of your luck ran off on me…" she said.
She tossed the coin, and her heart stopped. It fell to the ground.
She breathed a sigh of relief as it came up heads, and their Life Points went up.
"Oh, terrific!" grunted Vincent. "Now we need five cards to finish them off with that Trap!"
"Hold your horses!" replied Albert. "I get to toss too, remember?"
He tossed the coin.
Then he laughed, as it also came up heads.
"Looks like we're still far ahead of you two!" he laughed.
"Don't count your chickens yet," said Ember. "I set a new Monster, and then three facedown cards."
A concealed Monster appeared, and then three reversed cards flashed into existence.
"Your move, bud," she said.
(J & E: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (V & A: 8,350)
Vincent made a draw. He chuckled a little.
"Do you actually expect me to attack while we're so close to victory while you have three facedown cards on the field?" he asked. "I'm not as dumb as I look, ladies…
"I'll just increase the power of our Trap Card…"
He set another reversed card, and the detonator went up to 1,500.
"It's your move, beautiful," he said.
Jinx stepped up, and made one draw. It was Baby Dragon.
She looked at the three facedown cards Ember had set, and the two Monsters she had set.
Slowly, she came to understand Ember's strategy… Would it work? It would take perfect timing…
She set Baby Dragon on her Disk, and it appeared facedown with the other two defensive Monsters.
"Your move…" she said.
Albert chuckled, and made a draw.
"I'm not going to attack either," he said. "I'll simply juice up my Trap Card even further…"
He set a third card, and the detonator rose to 3,000.
"On my brother's next turn, it will be able to inflict 5,000 points of damage… Then… Boom. Game over. Make your last move."
Here goes nothing… thought Ember.
She deftly drew a card.
She looked at the two minotaurs.
One of her three facedown cards lifted.
"First, I activate DNA Transplant," she said. "Now, I can change the Attributes of all Monsters on the field to Fire."
"Knock yourself out," laughed Albert. "Making Barbaros a Fire Monster won't help you destroy it."
"Destroy it?" asked Ember. "I'm taking it!
"I flip Hiita the Fire Charmer into Attack Mode!"
One of her reversed Monsters flipped into Attack Position. It was Hiita, in her youngest form, dressed in her green jacket, and holding her staff, with her fox at her feet. (500 ATK)
"By doing so, I get to take control of one Fire Monster. Barbaros… Get over here!"
Hiita started to chant, and Beast Machine King Barbaros Ür was pulled over to Ember's side of the field.
Then the two brothers burst out laughing.
"So take Barbaros, you fool!" laughed Vincent. "What are you going to do, attack with it? It can't deal any damage, remember?"
"Yes it can, once I help it," replied Ember.
Another of her facedown cards lifted, a very fancy Trap showing the image of Hiita sitting in a magical circle.
"It's Hiita's favorite Trap Card… Spiritual Fire Art – Kurenai. Now, I can sacrifice a Fire Monster, and then you get walloped for damage equal to its base Attack Score."
A look of shock crossed Albert's face.
"Say what?" he said.
Beast Machine King Barbaros Ür turned into a blazing ball of fire. It shot right towards the minotaur assassin, and exploded around him in a blazing conflagration.
(J & E: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (V & A: 4,550)
Albert was still standing, but he was stunned, and staring into space.
"Bro?" said Vincent. "Uhm… Are you all right?"
"Pain…" muttered Albert. "Terrible… Agonizing… Pain…"
"I'm not done!" continued Ember. "I Flip-Summon Baby Dragon and Little Chimera!"
Both facedown Monsters flipped up. Baby Dragon leapt into Attack Position (1,200 ATK), and then a small, white cat with bat-like wings did the same. (600 ATK)
"Little Chimera increases the Attack Scores of all Fire Monsters by 500 points!"
Hiita's Attack Score increased to 1,000, Baby Dragon's increased to 1,700, and Little Chimera's increased to 1,100.
"Finally…" continued Ember.
She opened her field slot and fit a card into it.
"…I play Molten Destruction!"
There was an explosion of flames, and a flow of lava covered the whole factory floor. The Attack Scores of all three Monsters increased further, Hiita rising to 1,500, Baby Dragon to 2,200, and Little Chimera to 1,600.
"Wait…" said Albert. "Wait… WAIT!"
"Everyone…" said Ember. "Attack directly!"
The three Monsters charged, spewing flames from their mouths (in the cases of Little Chimera and Baby Dragon) or her magic staff (in the case of Hiita). Albert screamed, and fell on his stomach.
(J & E: 3,500) - - - - - - - - - - (V & A: 0)
Jinx looked at the two brothers.
"It's all over you two," she said. "You're under arrest. Put your hands in the air."
Albert slowly got up. He reached into his jacket, and pulled out a switchblade, which he snapped open.
"Oh, please," said Jinx. "Do you really think you can take me down with that?"
"Vince…" said Albert, "your plan-B bombed… You got a plan-C?"
"Uh…" said Vincent.
He quickly reached into his coat, and took out a small object. It looked like a small, metal cube, a different color on each face.
Edmund had given him this, and called it a Cubic Gate. He had told him to use it only in an emergency. This was an emergency if he had ever seen one.
"You like Chinese food, Albert?" he asked.
"Oh yeah!" said Albert. "I like Mandarin chicken, lo mein, moo-goo-gai-pan…"
"Enough fooling, you two!" said Jinx, holding up her gemstone. "Time to take you in…"
Vincent pressed his thumb down on one side of the cube. Then both he and Albert started to fade away.
"HEY!" shouted Jinx.
"You gotta admit…" said Vincent, as they disappeared, "the fringe benefits for being one of Mr. DaPen's top enforcers is great!"
And then they were gone.
Jinx sighed.
"Just perfect…" she said. "They give us all that trouble, and then they get away."
"Well, at least we won," said Ember.
Jinx smiled at Ember.
"And I couldn't have won without you," she said.
"Ember… You've been my apprentice for a while now… But you're more than that now…"
She held out her hand.
"Now I can call you a partner."
They clasped hands.
"Now let's get home and take showers so we can get this fish smell off of us, eh?"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DaPen was sitting in his office, his brow furrowed with anger, as Edmund watched.
"Where did your Cubic Gate send them?" he asked.
"From what I can garner, Hong Kong," replied Edmund.
DaPen scowled, and picked up the phone.
"All right…" he muttered. "I'll wire them the money so that they can fly home via Hong Kong International Airport… And then I'll discipline them."
"Don't be so hard on them, my friend," replied Edmund. "We were sidetracked by that plan anyway…
"We'd best put more attention towards our primary goal… Getting our hands on the Silver Hemisphere…
"For once we have it, our true plan can be put into place… And our reach will extend farther than it ever has before…"
As you might expect, I was very anxious at this point to do the Rite of Passage, and become a full-fledged Shadowchaser. And little did I know, an opportunity would come the next day. The next day would be a little hectic for all four of us, actually, as a plan was being made that would give us a world of trouble. It was time for us to relax and rest, and we needed to… four criminals who desired our deaths would be heading our way in the morning…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
BEAST MACHINE KING BARBAROS UR (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Beast-Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 8
ATK: 3,800
DEF: 1,200
Card Description: Remove from play from your hand, your side of the field, or your Graveyard one Beast-Warrior-Type and one Machine-Type Monster to Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card battles, battle damage to your opponent is reduced to zero.
Note: "Beast Machine King Barbaros Ür" is a Japanese card that has not yet been released in the United States.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
CARD OF VARIATION (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A Duel Monsters card floating in clear water.
Card Description: Draw two cards from your deck. At the End Phase of the turn, discard one card from your hand. If you do not, take 3,000 points of damage.
Note: "Card of Variation" was first used by Kenzan in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Primal Instinct". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FINAL COUNTDOWN (Trap Card)
Continuous Trap
Image: A time bomb with its counter at 007.
Card Description: While this card is face-up on the field, you cannot activate any Spell or Trap Cards, or set and Spell or Trap Cards except via the effect of this card. Once per turn, you may set one Spell or Trap Card. During your Main Phase, by sending this card and all cards set by this effect to the Graveyard, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the following amount corresponding to the number of cards sent to the Graveyard: 2 cards: 500 Points; 3 cards: 1,500 Points; 4 cards: 3,000 Points; 5 cards: 5,000 Points.
Note: "Final Countdown" was first used by Ushio in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's" episode "The Take Back (Part 2)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode. (Note that, in Japan, the name of this card is different than the Spell Card "Final Countdown", which spells "Final" using kanji and furigana. This anime-only card spells it using katakana.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
METAL SHOOTER (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Machine/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 5
ATK: 800
DEF: 800
Card Description: When this card is Normal Summoned, place two counters on it. This card gains 800 Attack Points for each counter on it. If this card would be destroyed by a card effect, remove one counter to prevent it from being destroyed.
Note: "Metal Shooter" will be released in the United States in November in the "Dark Legends" set.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Coming up next:
The Shadowchasers are going to have their hands full tomorrow. An old enemy with a bad-on for one of them hacks into the security system of the prison at Shadowchaser Headquarters, and four dangerous criminals escape! Where do they go? Guess. Fortunately, there's four Shadowchasers too, but it's going to be a long day finding them all. Next chapter, Shichiro is forced into a confrontation with one of them, who tends to play dirty.
"Blast Asmodian" is coming soon.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Shadowchaser Files
The Sons of Tyranny, Warriors of Hextor
Not all the deities from beyond Shadow are as benevolent as St. Cuthbert. For example, Hextor is purported to be the god of war, conflict, and destruction; not exactly the type of god for whom a local church would start holding bake sales, but the kind whom a disaffected youth might turn to. Such is the case with the Sons of Tyranny, a "one-percenter" motorcycle gang (outlaw gang) that now threatens to replace the Hell's Angels as the most notorious one-percenter gang in the United States.
The group started as a small motorcycle gang of no more than eight members, who drove up and down the west coast of the United States, terrorizing every small town they passed. One day, as gang legend has it, they drove into a town that was prepared for them. The local sheriff had called in the State Police, and they cornered the bikers in an abandoned gas station. For the eight punks, it seemed hopeless.
Just then, a six-armed, ten-foot-tall giant of a man appeared in front of them. He wore a leather jacket and pants, had a flaming tire chain strapped to his hip, and spoke with a voice like thunder. The being said that if the gang swore allegiance to Hextor, he would not only get them out of the situation, he would make them the most feared gang in the country.
They agreed, and the six-armed man touched each of them on the heart. They felt strength flowing through their bodies, and a surge of power that begged to be used for violence.
Newspaper reports nation wide reported the next day of the massacre in which nearly one-hundred police officers were killed by a murderous gang of outlaws on motorcycles. The Sons of Tyranny were born.
The group grew, as every ne'er-do-well with a motorcycle begged to join. The group became too large, so it split into two, and then into four. At this point, there's no telling how widespread the gang has become, and how many of them are wearing Hextor's symbol on their jackets or tattooed on their skin: a black gauntlet clutching four red arrows.
One joins the Sons of Tyranny for the same reason one joins similar groups. Abuse, neglect, pure selfishness, or a sour outlook on the establishment has made one angry, and made one want to lash out at society. The difference between them and similar groups is, they have a deity as a patron, and they are aided by divine magic. A member's leather jacket might be enchanted to protect him as well as a flack jacket. He may carry brass knuckles that make him as strong as ten men, or a studded chain that can shroud itself with flames upon command. And a few might even wear one of those demonic biker jackets that Jinx used against the Schumer brothers.
Some Shadows may join the Sons of Tyranny, as Hextor is not picky about who worships him. Gnolls sometimes join, as do a few bugbears. Orcs might join, but an orc would have to be incredibly angry and direct most of his anger towards other orcs to consider worshipping any god other than the one that orcs usually worship. Indeed, the Shadowchasers have come across whole clans of orcs that were slaughtered by these bikers, likely under the direction of a previous member of the clan who was abused by them.
Regular law enforcement are scared to death of the Sons of Tyranny, and any who are allied with the Shadowchasers know enough to call them right away when they drive into town. Some Sons of Tyranny own Duel Disks, and some own D-Wheels, but they care little about the Treaty and typically only use Duel Monsters when they think doing so would be fun. The Shadowchasers know this, and meet the Sons of Tyranny heavily armed, ready to show know quarter. The Shadowchasers have managed to take out a few individual gangs this way, but the Sons of Tyranny continue to spread, and continue to grow…
Story Ideas: The Sons of Tyranny could make an ideal group for the primary villains of a story, for the most part, at least. Their existence begs one question: does Hextor put all his chips on such crude and uncouth worshippers? After all, Hextor is a god of war, and crime is not the same thing as war, no matter how brutal it is. If Hextor has smarter and more powerful minions, the Sons may be unknowing pawns of a greater scheme.
For ideas on using the Sons of Tyranny, one can look into the history of real "one-percenter" motorcycle gangs, which more-or-less means the Hell's Angels in a real life setting. This can be hard, though, because members of that group keep their origins and most of their traditions secret. Keep one thing in mind, however: the Sons of Tyranny are actually more lax in whom they allow to join them than some real groups. Female members are welcome to join, and members of any ethnic group are welcome, things that are unheard of in a real one-percenter. Also keep in mind that this is one group that The Rolling Stones would never hire as bodyguards. (But some Shadowkind might, especially those who don't mind what happens to anyone who tries to mess with them.)
Deck Ideas: The Dark Attribute is common among worshippers of Hextor, and so are Warriors, and for this faction, Machines. One possible deck idea would be the Scrap Motor Deck used by Keith in "Yu-Gi-Oh R" (find an alternative for The Wicked Eraser). Other ideas would be decks full of Dark, sinister Machines, like Bowganian, Drillago, Brave Scizzar, and possibly Gatling Dragon. Another possibility is a RFG deck that uses Chaosrider Gustaph and Diskblade Rider as the main offensive forces.