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CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
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Blast Asmodian
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"Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage." So says Richard Lovelace. Of course, these days, prisons use concrete and titanium, but you get the idea. No matter how secure a prison or jail may be, it is never truly escape-proof.
Alcatraz Island was supposed to be the escape-proof prison, and in its twenty-nine years of operation, it claimed that there were indeed no successful escapes. Some inmates tried, however. Thirty-six prisoners were involved in fourteen attempts, two men trying twice; twenty-three were caught, six were shot and killed, and two drowned…
And the remaining three? These three were involved in one of the most intricate escape attempts in corrections history. Although the official report said that they drowned, their bodies were never recovered. Some items that they used in their escape, however, including plywood paddles and the remains of a raft constructed from raincoats, were recovered on nearby Angel Island. As they were presumed dead, no effort was ever made to locate them. Whether they truly drowned or whether they succeeded… Well, the world may never know.
You would think that the prison at Shadowchaser Headquarters is even more secure than such modern high-security prisons as Colorado State Penitentiary and the military penitentiary at Leavenworth. After all, in this facility, magic is woven into the steel and concrete, and golems patrol the halls. But you have to remember one thing: The prisoners that are kept in this facility are not normal. In other words, when a convict is super-strong or has magical powers, it can be hard to keep him behind bars.
Especially when something unexpected happens…
"More French toast, people?" asked Boris.
"I tell you, Boris," sighed Jinx, "if we didn't burn off the calories while working, your cooking would make us too fat to do it."
It was eight o'clock the next morning, and an overcast cloud cover had blanketed Neo Domino. Something was up, but the Shadowchasers were focused on the here and now.
"So what's the plan?" asked Shichiro. "Edmund is still out there, and he's still a major threat…"
"Edmund will have to wait, people," said Jalal's voice from the other room. "An emergency has just come up."
Everyone turned.
"The lounge, people," said Shichiro, putting down his napkin.
The four Shadowchasers ran to the lounge with the ever-burning fireplace, where Jalal's holographic projection was waiting.
"An emergency, boss?" asked Gears.
"A crisis has occurred at Headquarters," said Jalal. "It happened just an hour ago, and I just managed to get the specifications."
"What time is it in Britain now?" asked Ember.
Shichiro looked at his watch.
"Midnight," he said.
"Yes," replied Jalal. "Usually, prisoners wait until lights out before enacting an escape."
"There's been an escape?" asked Shichiro, surprised.
"Four dangerous criminals who were recently brought in, three of them by your team," replied Jalal. "Fogg, who apparently orchestrated the escape with outside help, Hebi-Na, Zweig, and Dmitri."
"The vampyre that Sofia caught?!" gasped Jinx. "For the love of… You would think that an ophidia and a vampyre who were both awaiting trial for multiple murders would be under tightest security!"
"They were!" replied Jalal. "Fogg was the only one who actually had to leave his cell. He got to the portal room, and opened a portal with four entrances, three of the entrances opening in the others' cells. From what I understand, Hebi-Na, Zweig, and Dmitri didn't even know what was going on, but thought that the opportunity was too good to pass up.
"Anyway, we traced the portal, and it apparently led to Satellite. The four of them might still be together, or they might have gone their separate ways."
"They had outside help, you say?" asked Gears. "From who?"
"We're trying to figure that out," replied Jalal. "For now, it's up to you to find and recapture them."
"No problem…" said Shichiro. "I have a feeling that the reason Fogg wanted to come here might have been to find us…"
"Be careful…" said Jalal, as he slowly vanished.
Gears reached for his jacket, and took his sword off of its hook.
"Well, I got an idea where one of our fugitives might be…" he said.
Then Shichiro's mobile rang.
"Yeah?" he said, answering.
His brow furrowed.
"No, no I didn't…" he said. "Yes, yes I can… Okay…"
He hung up.
"Who was that?" asked Jinx. "What did that guy say?"
Shichiro reached for his own jacket.
"Nothing," he said. "It was a wrong number."
"What did the wrong number say?" asked Ember, in a suspicious tone.
"Look, I have to go somewhere…" he said.
And then he ran out the door.
Jinx got up.
"Well, while he's doing that, I have leads of my own to check," she said.
Ember watched Gears and Jinx leave.
She looked at the computer.
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Half an hour later, Shichiro drove his D-Wheel into a large parking lot. He quickly dismounted and took off his helmet.
"Y?" he called out. "Y, are you here?"
Then he heard a soft laughter.
"Are you always this gullible, pal?" asked a voice. "Little wonder we'll always be one step ahead of you…"
Shichiro's eyes narrowed.
He turned around, and gave a quick kick, just as Dmitri lunged at him.
"Rule number one about making a sneak attack, fellah," said Shichiro. "Don't gloat before doing it!"
He looked at the vampyre, who hadn't bothered to change out of his prison uniform. He got the idea now. Vampyres were masters of voice mimicry.
"No, I'm not always that gullible," he said. "Are you always this ugly?"
"Stuff it, Shichiro!" shouted Dmitri, "I'm in a really bad mood!
"I stood to make a lot of money from that assassination. But all because of that bimbo and her Wind Monsters, I lost the money, my D-Wheel, and almost my neck!"
"Looks like someone here didn't get what he wanted last Christmas…" muttered Shichiro.
"I don't observe Christmas!" replied Dmitri. "I'm not too crazy about Easter either…
"I am rather fond of Thanksgiving, though, seeing as all you really have to do then is eat and watch football…"
"Then why did you come here?" asked Shichiro. "We don't celebrate Thanksgiving."
"Believe me, I didn't want to come here," replied Shichiro. "I wanted to go back to the States and find that harlot. But I had to take the portal that Fogg gave me. Letting him lead us out was a mistake, but what are you gonna do?
"Well, I'll get back and kill her soon, you can bet on that. But right now, I gotta take out my anger on someone, and you'll have to do!"
He held up a Duel Disk, and it activated.
"So, you gonna duel me, or do you want me to find someone else to take my anger out on?"
"Fine," said Shichiro, as his own Disk activated, "and I'm sending you right back to the cooler…"
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Ember sighed as she went through the fourth search engine.
"Nothing…" she muttered. "Isn't there any place where a Shadowchaser can do research on the net?"
Sorsha hopped up on the desk.
"Go to Google," she said.
"Say WHAT?" said Ember.
"Serious," said Sorsha. "You can find the Shadowchaser library through Google if you're an actual Shadowchaser. Trust me."
It sounded ridiculous, but nonetheless, Ember clicked on Google. Then she input the word "Shadowchasers".
Then a small window came up.
It read:
"Please enter your Royal Bank of Scotland pin number."
"Royal Bank of Scotland?" said Ember.
She took the check card out of her wallet. The one that let her access Jalal's account.
"So… My pin for this account is also a password for the Shadowchaser website?"
"You're learning, smarty," said Sorsha.
Ember quickly typed in the number.
She was shocked as a website she had never seen came up.
"Welcome, Eiko Michiko," said the header.
Ember looked over the website carefully. It was a database with several categories that could be cross-referenced for specific hits.
She clicked on regions, and chose Asia, then Japan, and then Neo Domino.
Then she clicked on Shadowkind races.
It was a long list, but she quickly found the one she was looking for.
She paused for a minute.
Then she clicked on it: Ophidia.
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"So, just how do you intend to get back to the States anyway?" asked Shichiro. "Even if you beat me, even if you somehow get on a plane, which you can't do without a passport… Once you somehow get there, you can be sure that there'll be a whole squad of Shadowchasers waiting for you when you get off."
"I'll cross those bridges when I come to them," said Dmitri. "For now, I'll deal with you."
(Shichiro: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Dmitri: 8,000)
"Duel!" they both shouted.
Shichiro drew a card.
Not a bad start… he thought, choosing one.
He set two cards in his Disk, and a reversed card and a reversed Monster appeared.
"That all?" asked Dmitri, making a draw.
"I'll also set a Monster and a facedown card, and end my turn."
The same arrangement appeared on his own side of the field.
Shichiro made another draw.
Not much happening yet, he said.
"I flip Skelengel into Attack Mode," he said.
His facedown card flipped up, and the winged cherubim with its bow and arrow appeared. (900 ATK)
"Now I get to draw one card," he said, making a draw.
"Next, I summon Queen's Knight."
He played another card, and the lovely, female Warrior appeared. (1,500 ATK)
"Attack his Monster!" he shouted.
Queen's Knight brought her sword down on the reversed card, and a diabolic-looking treasure chest appeared on it. She sliced it in half like it was made of foam rubber.
"That was Dark Mimic LV1," said Dmitri. "And it has the same effect as your Skelengel."
He made a draw, and looked at it.
"Well, I'm not done with you," said Shichiro. "Skelengel, get him!"
The Fairy fired its bow, and Dmitri flinched a little.
(S: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 7,100)
"My move now…" said Dmitri.
He drew a card.
He smirked a little when he saw the Equip Spell. He added it to his hand, and chose another.
"I play Mystical Space Typhoon," he said, quickly playing the card. "But I'm not going to destroy your card… I'm destroying mine…"
The cyclone encircled his side of the field, and the reversed Spell Card was blown to pieces.
"That was Ojamagic!" exclaimed Shichiro.
"That's right," said Dmitri, "which allows me to take Ojamas Yellow, Green, and Black from my deck."
Three cards appeared in his hand.
"Next, I set one card…"
A facedown card appeared.
"Then, I summon Ojama Red in Attack Mode."
In a small burst of energy, a weird-looking imp appeared. It was – obviously – red, with a head shaped like an inverted tulip bulb, and wearing a yellow scarf. Otherwise, it looked similar to the other Ojamas. (0 ATK)
"Ojama RED?" exclaimed Shichiro. "I never heard of that one…"
"This is one of two previously unknown Ojamas," replied Dmitri. "He and Ojama Blue are the odd men out, because they, unlike the more familiar Ojamas, are Effect Monsters.
"What's his effect you might ask? By Normal Summoning him, I can Special Summon as many Ojamas as I'm able to in Attack Mode."
In bursts of yellow, green, and black, the three more familiar Ojamas appeared. (0 ATK x3)
"I end my turn."
Four Monsters with zero Attack Points, and a facedown card… thought Shichiro.
He made a draw.
An open cage planted near a gorilla herd baited with bananas would be less obvious…
But I have a surprise for him…
"I play Bait Doll!" he exclaimed, playing a Spell Card. "If that facedown card is a Trap, it forces you to activate it now!"
"As you wish…" said Dmitri.
The Trap Card lifted, and a loud bellow echoed over the field.
Threatening Roar? thought Shichiro. Smarter than I thought…
"It's still my turn! As per the second effect of Bait Doll, I get to shuffle it back into my deck instead of sending it to the Graveyard…"
He quickly shuffled his deck.
"Next, I play Reinforcement of the Army. Now I can search for King's Knight."
He played the Spell Card, and took the card from his deck.
"Then, I summon him."
King's Knight appeared in a flash of light. (1,600 ATK)
Then Jack's Knight appeared in another flash of light. (1,900 ATK)
Shichiro looked at his own facedown card.
He's obviously planning to use Hurricane… he thought. Well, I got another surprise for him…
"I end my turn…" he said.
"My draw…" said Dmitri, drawing a card.
"I sacrifice two Ojamas…"
Ojama Red and Ojama Yellow vanished.
Huh? thought Shichiro.
"I summon Barrel Dragon!" shouted Dmitri.
In an explosion of flames, the huge Machine made of black metal with three cannon barrels appeared in front of Dmitri. (2,600 ATK)
"Good lord…" said Shichiro.
"Now…" continued Dmitri, "I activate its effect…"
Three gold coins appeared in front of it.
"If two of these tosses come up heads, I get to destroy one of your Monsters!"
The coins all flipped. They fell, and spun…
They were heads, tails, and tails.
"Ah, well…" said Dmitri. "At least I still have its normal attack…"
Barrel Dragon fired its three guns, blowing Skelengel to particles.
"ERGH!" groaned Shichiro.
(S: 6,300) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 7,100)
"Now that I'm done with that," continued Dmitri, "Green, Black, take a load off your feet."
Ojama Green and Ojama Black knelt and crossed their arms. (1,000 DEF x2)
"My… move…" muttered Shichiro.
He drew a card.
"I throw down a facedown, and move my Monsters to Defense Mode," he said.
A new reversed card appeared. Queen's Knight knelt and held her shield up (1,600 DEF), King's Knight followed suit (1,600 DEF), and Jack's Knight did last. (1,000 DEF)
"My move?" chuckled Dmitri, making a draw.
He laughed as he looked at the card.
"I play Polymerization!" he exclaimed. "I'll fuse together my Barrel Dragon with Blowback Dragon…"
The smaller artillery Machine appeared on the field, and both Machines were drawn into a portal.
"I summon… the mighty Gatling Dragon!"
A huge, ugly Machine rolled onto the field. It was a giant mechanism on large wheels, with three gatling guns on flexible tendrils. (2,600 ATK)
"Next, I play an Equip Spell," he said, as he fit a card into his Disk. "It's called Sniper Scope."
"What does that do?" asked Shichiro, not really wanting to know.
"Sniper Scope can be Equipped to Barrel Dragon, Blowback Dragon, or this Monster," explained Dmitri. "It works like this… When I activate the effect, I make the tosses twice. Then, out of the two, I choose whatever result I want."
"You got to be kidding!" exclaimed Shichiro.
"Oh, I'm not…" said Dmitri.
The coins appeared again, and flipped.
They were heads, heads, and tails.
Then they flipped again.
This time, they were all heads.
"Think I'll choose the second one," said Dmitri. "And that means I can destroy three Monsters!"
Gatling Dragon blasted its guns, and all three of Shichiro's Knights were atomized.
"Attack him directly!" shouted Dmitri.
Gatling Dragon aimed its guns again…
"I activate… Defense Draw!" shouted Shichiro, as the machine guns fired at him.
His Trap Card shot up, and the blast was halted.
"Now, the damage is reduced to zero, and I get to draw one card."
He made a draw.
"Fine…" said Dmitri. "I end my turn."
Shichiro drew a card slowly.
He set a card, and a set Monster appeared.
"I end my turn…" he muttered.
Dmitri chuckled as he drew a card.
"You know, I could use my Monster's effect," he said, "but why bother? I summon Snipe Hunter."
He played the card, and the nasty, winged imp holding the toy pistol appeared. (1,500 ATK)
"Now, I'll use his effect!"
He discarded the last card in his hand, Tribute Doll, and Snipe Hunter cackled. It spun the roulette wheel on its pistol…
The number that came up was a six.
"HA!" laughed Shichiro. "Your Snipe Hunter missed!"
Dmitri was fuming with anger.
"Gatling Dragon…" he shouted, "annihilate his Monster!"
Gatling Dragon blasted its guns. Big Shield Gardna appeared on the card, and the blast bounced off. (2,600 DEF)
Then Gardna stood up into Attack Mode. (100 ATK)
Dmitri growled again. He pointed, and Snipe Hunter fired its weapon, obliterating the Warrior.
(S: 4,900) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 7,100)
"Make your move…" growled the vampyre.
Shichiro quickly drew a card.
"I play… two Spell Cards!" he exclaimed. "First, The Warrior Returning Alive, which lets me recover King's Knight from my Graveyard.
"Then, Dark Factory of Mass Production, which lets me recover two Normal Monsters. So I'll get back Queen's Knight and Jack's Knight."
The two Spell Cards appeared, and three cards slipped out of his discard slot.
"Lovely," said Dmitri, sarcastically. "You have the Three Stooges again."
"Don't underestimate them," said Shichiro. "I play my own Polymerization!"
The Spell Card appeared, and the three Knights appeared on the field.
"I'll fuse my three Knights together…"
The three Warriors dissolved into grains of light.
"…to summon the ultimate Warrior!"
With a roar, Arcana Knight Joker leapt onto the field. (3,800 ATK)
"Thirty-eight hundred Attack Points??" gasped Dmitri.
"And I'm not done," continued Shichiro. "I'll also Normal Summon Axe Raider."
He played another card, and the axe-wielding barbarian appeared. (1,700 ATK)
"Then, I play Monster Reborn!"
The golden ankh appeared, and Jack's Knight appeared again. (1,900 ATK)
"Jack's Knight, destroy Snipe Hunter!" he shouted.
The Fiend squealed as the Warrior struck it with his sword. It burst into globs of darkness.
"Axe Raider, destroy Ojama Green!"
Axe Raider made a chop with his blade, and the Ojama was blown to pixels.
"Now, Joker, destroy Gatling Dragon with celestial blade!"
Arcana Knight Joker brought its sword down on the huge Machine, slicing it in half. The remains exploded, and Dmitri screamed.
(S: 4,900) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 2,900)
"Huh?" said Shichiro. "You shouldn't have lost that many Life Points…"
"Sniper Scope has a little side effect…" muttered Dmitri, as he stared at Shichiro. "If the Equipped Monster is destroyed, the controller takes damage equal to its Attack Score."
Shichiro chuckled.
"So it has a catch after all," he said. "Well… I end my turn…"
Dmitri growled as he drew a card. He quickly played it.
"I play Pot of Avarice!" he shouted.
He quickly took Ojama Red, Yellow, and Green, Snipe Hunter, and Gatling Dragon from his Graveyard, and shuffled them into his deck.
He drew two cards. Then he quickly set both of them, and a reversed card and a reversed Monster appeared.
"I guess it's my move," said Shichiro.
He drew a card.
"I summon Warrior Dai Grepher!" he exclaimed.
In a burst of energy, Grepher appeared. (1,700 ATK)
"Destroy the last Ojama!" he ordered.
Grepher made a slash with his steel sword, and Ojama Black was no more.
"Axe Raider, take out his last Monster!"
Axe Raider charged at the card. Morphing Jar appeared on the card, and was slashed to ribbons.
Shichiro chuckled. He discarded the one card in his hand, and made five draws, while Dmitri made five draws.
"Joker, finish him off!" shouted Shichiro.
Joker charged at Dmitri.
"Not so fast!" shouted Dmitri. "I activate… Fires of Doomsday!"
His Quickplay Spell lifted up.
"This summons two Doomsday Tokens to defend me."
Two wispy imps made of black flames appeared in front of Dmitri. (0 DEF x2)
Shichiro pointed, and Joker and Jack's Knight cut them both down.
Shichiro looked over the five cards in his hand, and then at the facedown card he had on the field, which had gone unused all this time. He sighed.
"I end my turn…" he said.
Dmitri chuckled again, and made a draw.
"I play Overload Fusion!" he exclaimed, as a Spell Card appeared in front of him. "Now, by eliminating Barrel Dragon and Blowback Dragon from the game, I can summon Gatling Dragon again!"
He quickly pocketed the two cards, and Gatling Dragon rolled forward again. (2,600 ATK)
Go ahead and try, thought Shichiro. You don't know about Joker's effect. Since Gatling Dragon's effect is a targeting effect, if you try to use it on him, I just have to discard one Monster from my hand to blow that thing to scrap.
"Attack Warrior Dai Grepher!" shouted Dmitri.
Gatling Dragon fired, blowing Grepher to bits.
Okay, so maybe you do know… thought Shichiro.
"I set two reversed cards," said Dmitri, as two facedown cards appeared, "then I play Fairy of the Spring."
The glowing fairy holding two swords appeared behind him.
"Now I get Sniper Scope back from my Graveyard," he said, taking the card from his discard slot. "But, I have to wait until next round to user it. So, I'll end my turn there."
(S: 4,000) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 2,900)
Shichiro nervously drew a card.
What am I worried about? he thought, looking at his hand. I have Birthright right here. If either of those facedown cards is a Trap that can destroy Joker, I can discard this to negate it.
"I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight!" he exclaimed.
In another wave of energy, Gearfried appeared. (1,800 ATK)
"Joker, destroy Gatling Dragon!"
Joker charged at the huge artillery again.
"I activate Rising Energy!" shouted Dmitri, as his facedown card shot up.
"WHAT?" shouted Shichiro.
"So I toss one card," said Dmitri, as he discarded a card, "and my Monster gains 1,500 Attack Points!"
Gatling Dragon's Attack Score shot up to 4,100. It blasted its guns, and Joker screamed as he was blown to shards.
Rats… thought Shichiro.
"I set a facedown," he said, "and then move Axe Raider and Jack's Knight to Defense Mode."
A reversed card appeared, and then Axe Raider knelt and held his weapon in his lap. (1,150 DEF) Jack's Knight did the same. (1,000 DEF)
(S: 3,700) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 2,900)
"My move!" laughed Dmitri, drawing a card.
"I think I'll Equip my Dragon with Sniper Scope again!"
He played the card.
Then the three coins appeared and tossed. There was one head this time.
"Again!" laughed Dmitri.
The coins tossed again, and this time, there were three heads.
"Think I'll choose the second again," he laughed.
Gatling Dragon fired its guns, and all three of Shichiro's Monsters were blown to pieces.
"Oh, and Shichiro?" he said. "In case you're thinking of that facedown card you just set helping you this time…"
His own facedown card shot up, revealing Dust Tornado.
"Forget it."
The tornado ripped across the field, blowing Shichiro's Birthright card to pieces.
"Now…"
Shichiro looked at the huge Machine…
"Attack him directly!"
Shichiro was thrown backwards as the Monster's gunfire plowed into him. He skidded on the pavement, scraping the skin on his back.
"Ow…" he said.
(S: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 2,900)
"I set one more card facedown, and end my turn," said Dmitri, as a reversed card appeared.
Shichiro got up.
It's now or never… he thought. If he uses that thing's effect again, I'm finished…
He drew a card.
"Time to end this," he said. "I summon Freed the Brave Wanderer!"
A beam of light struck from the heavens, and the heroic form of the young General Freed appeared, clad in his glowing armor. (1,700 ATK)
"So sorry to disappoint you, Shichiro…"said Dmitri, with a sinister grin.
His facedown card shot up.
"I activate Bottomless Trap Hole!"
He started to laugh hysterically…
…and then he stopped short, as the Trap Card was blown to bits.
"What?" he said.
Then he noticed that Shichiro had activated his own facedown card, one that had remained unused since the start of the duel.
"A Counter Trap??" gasped Dmitri.
Shichiro breathed a sigh of relief.
"Destruction Jammer," he said. "In exchange for one card from my hand, it negates an attempt to destroy a Monster."
"WAIT!" shouted Dmitri. "You mean to tell me that you could have negated my Monsters' effects at any time??"
"No," said Shichiro. "I'm not that stupid.
"Destruction Jammer, along with its Spell counterpart, My Body as a Shield, have some specific rules. One of them being, they can only counter effects that will definitely destroy something. Your Machines and Snipe Hunter all have a chance of failure, regardless of how slight, so Destruction Jammer can't counter them.
"Bottomless Trap Hole, on the other hand… It has no chance of failure, so long as it isn't countered. So I could use this.
"And by the way… Freed the Brave Wanderer is another card whose effect can destroy a certain type of Monster with no chance of failure…"
"Oh no…" gulped Dmitri.
"I remove two Light Monsters in my Graveyard from play…" said Shichiro.
King's Knight and Queen's Knight appeared behind him, and then faded into ripples of light.
"…and Freed can destroy any Monster that's stronger than he is."
Freed made a slash with his longsword, and the great Machine shuddered. Then it exploded into fiery debris.
"And thanks to Sniper Scope, you lose 2,600 Life Points again."
Dmitri screamed again.
"Freed, finish him off! Brave sword attack!"
Dmitri hollered again as the Brave Wanderer slammed his longsword into him. The vampyre collapsed in a heap.
(S: 1,100) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 0)
Shichiro walked up to the criminal.
"I'm afraid you won't get that rematch with Sofia after all," he said, as he lifted the gemstone. "But tell you what… Next time I see her, I'll tell her you sent your love."
Dmitri looked up at him.
"I hate you…" he snarled.
"I can live with that," replied Shichiro.
Then the gemstone glowed, and the escaped fugitive vanished.
Shichiro sighed.
One down, three to go, he thought. I wonder how Jinx and Gears are faring?
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Regardless of how they were, Ember was hard at work studying on the website. She was copying careful notes as Sorsha watched her.
"Uh, Ember, listen…" said Sorsha. "If anyone asks, you aren't gonna say I put you up to this, right?"
"No, Sorsha, I'm not," replied Ember. "Just keep your mouth shut until I actually go to do it."
"It seems kinda dangerous, babe," said the cat.
"I'm going to have to do something like this sooner or later," replied Ember. "And I want this to be done with a bang, not a whimper.
"Besides… This time, I have a plan…"
We were off to a good start. One fugitive was in custody, and Gears and Jinx were following leads on two others.
As for me, I was working on my own project. I hadn't gotten permission, like was the case when I went after Max, but I really didn't need permission this time. I wanted to take the final step, to officially leave my apprenticeship behind and become a Shadowchaser in more than name. And I wanted to leave my mark in a spectacular way.
It seemed I had developed a great deal of guts in the relatively short time I had been in this group. We would soon see it if they paid off.
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SNIPER SCOPE (Spell Card)
Equip Spell
Image: A Snipe Hunter at the controls of a Barrel Dragon, looking at a crosshairs.
Card Description: This card may be Equipped to a "Barrel Dragon", "Blowback Dragon", or "Gatling Dragon". When coin tosses are made to determine the result of the Equipped Monster's effect, make the coin tosses twice, and choose either set of tosses to determine the result. If the Equipped Monster is destroyed, its controller loses Life Points equal to the Equipped Monster's base ATK.
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Coming up next:
Gears corners Dr. Zweig, only to find that the criminal junk dealer has been waiting for him. Zweig demands a rematch, and has learned from his past mistakes, creating a deck that almost no-one is able to master! But Zweig seems more than willing to make the attempt to obtain the power that this difficult archetype can grant to those who successfully master it.
"Big Core" is coming soon.
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Shadowchaser Files
The Painter; Faded Memories in Oil on Canvas
The elves are a race that values their freedom. Their history is one that can recall days when they were as wild as the woodlands and as unspoiled as the skies. One might imagine that they value their ability to express themselves.
Case in point, The Painter, as she is called by everyone who knows of her. Up to one year ago, she was just a young elf who was working her way through school in Great Britain. Then she realized that she wanted to paint. No, she really, really wanted to paint. And paint she did. She painted scenes that showed warriors, strange creatures, and beautiful princesses. At first, her work seemed like typical fantasy artwork (although critics noted that the female characters in her work tended not to show as much skin as was common in that genre).
But when Shadowkind observed her work, they saw strange things. Oddly enough, they saw familiar places and scenes in the landscapes, and familiar faces in the characters she had painted. Her paintings seemed to bring back memories that the viewers had lost long ago, fleeting thoughts that had faded back when they were thrust into this world. As incredible as it seemed, some came to the conclusion that her paintings were depicting places, people, and events from the homeworld of Shadow!
The Painter could not explain her talent. The images in her paintings had come from her sketchbooks, like any artist, and those had come from her creative process, which had come from her imagination. She hadn't used any supernatural help to see the images – they had come to her like any creative process had. But still, she soon attracted a small entourage of artistic Shadowkind who hoped to do the same as she did. Most of them were fellow elves, with a few gnomes and halflings.
The Painter continues to paint, and her works are in high demand, mostly from Shadowkind buyers. She rarely displays her works in galleries any more, doing original paintings for collectors and special commissions. Her first calendar will be available this coming September, and is sure to be a hit among fantasy art lovers.
Story Ideas: Many Shadowkind desire to find a way back to the home realm of Shadow. Some have noble reasons for doing so, others have selfish ones. They thus pursue every lead and research every clue towards that goal. The Painter, knowingly or not, can see the world of Shadow through her art, and that makes her of interest to anyone who seeks this goal.
This opens a lot of possibilities in a story. A group who seeks such a goal might want to recruit her, and might have very little luck with simple persuasion. She just wants to paint. If the group is one that won't take no for an answer, the Shadowchasers might have to step in to stop a kidnap attempt, or perhaps undertake a rescue attempt. As the saying goes, such power is dangerous only in the wrong hands.
Deck Suggestions: The Painter is an artist, and as such, she only uses Monsters that are beautiful and that have a mystical quality. She might use a Silent Deck, one which focuses on using both Silent Swordsman and Silent Magician.