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CHAPTER FIFTY
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Fake Hero
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You ever work in a place where someone has put up one of those gag signs that says, "You don't have to be crazy to work here, but it helps"? It's an old joke, but when your career happens to be dueling, it's close to the truth.
In the history of the Pro League, as my cousin can attest, there have been duelists who have actually been insane, like Doctor Collector (and the one responsible for killing him, if Edo Phoenix's story can be believed) and plenty of others who are simply eccentric.
Take Mathmatica, one guy I read about. Claiming to be a mathematical genius, he wore a red suit covered with numbers, and while dueling, compared every move to percentages and equations. If his goal was to drive his opponents nuts, maybe he had something. It was all very odd, but seeing as he was the 10th ranked duelist in the League at the time, he must have been doing something right.
Even more eccentric was another pro named Kabukid. A master of "performance dueling", he dueled dressed in full kabuki costume (it's a mystery to me how anyone can duel wearing something that bulky) and his strategy made the whole duel follow the plot of a dramatic production. Maybe he was more interested in pleasing crowds than working his way up to serious levels of competition, but it was still strange.
To this day, the dueling world is full of oddballs. And Gears was about to be challenged by one of the most eccentric of the lot.
Problem was, I doubt anyone who wasn't as strong or as skilled as Gears would call this guy an "oddball" to his face…
As Gears strode towards the factory, the fog started to get thicker. Like Jinx, he wasn't sure if this was the work of DaPen or the work of the other villains who had made Satellite their home.
He knew he couldn't worry about the latter right now, and frankly, he didn't want to worry about them. He didn't know if he had the courage to face a duelist who had a Monster in his deck the size of Tokyo Tower.
Then he stopped short. His eyes slowly moved from side to side.
He spun around, and drew his sword, just in time to block a blow from another sword.
He traded blows with the swordsman for a few seconds, but Gears had been trained better, and after those few seconds, the assailant's sword flew from his hand. He backed up with a sneer on his face.
Gears looked at the bizarre figure. He was a man dressed in medieval-style plate armor, gold plated (armor couldn't be made of solid gold, it was far too soft and far too heavy) complete with a helmet with a red plume. He had grey hair and a bushy moustache.
Gears's expression turned to one of disgust.
"Well, well, well," he said. "If it isn't Jill deLauncebeaux, the biggest fool to wear a knight's armor since Sir Percival."
"I would not say such things if I were thou…" growled the man. "Thine venomous words would cause thee to choke!"
"Yeah, yeah, right," said Gears. "If that's your way of calling me a liar, prove it! You claim knighthood runs in your family, but working for Godwin was clearly violating several aspects of the code of chivalry.
"And now you're working for DaPen? Your ancestors would so proud…"
"I know of no DaPen!" replied Jill. "Thou words speaketh true… Godwin is little more than a tyrant.
"My new liege is one whose goals are to overthrow him and bring harmony to Neo Domino… I couldn't be prouder to help him do so."
"This new liege…" said Gears. "Does he wear a black cloak and go by the name Edmund?"
Jill nodded.
Gears sighed.
"I hate to tell you this," he said, "but while I don't doubt he might be trying to overthrow Godwin, his plans once he does so will be even worse. Just because he wears a black robe doesn't make him a priest, Jill."
"I don't trust anyone blindly," replied Jill. "But Edmund showed me proof. He chanted, and beings of radiant light in golden armor descended from the sky."
He held up his shield, which Gears knew was actually a custom-made Duel Disk.
"They gaveth me a powerful card as proof of their sincerity, and then showed me a vision of the future… One of beauty… One of harmony and peace…"
"Look, pal…" said Gears. "If I have to duel you to show you that the card they gave you is nothing special and that Edmund is a liar, I will!"
"Very well!" shouted Jill. "Have at thee, then!"
The shield changed shape, revealing slots for the Monster Zone, Spell/Trap Zone, and a discard slot. Gears activated his own Disk.
"Duel!" they shouted.
(Gears: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Jill: 8,000)
"I'll start this off," said Gears, making his first draw.
He looked at his six cards.
Wow… he thought. I couldn't have asked for better!
"I'll set a Monster," he said, as a reversed Monster appeared.
"Then I'll toss two facedown cards."
Two reversed cards appeared in two flashes of light.
As soon as he attacks, he thought, my DNA Transplant will change his Monster to Light.
Then, when he destroys my Ally Bomb… Boom. And then I'll get a free shot at him.
"Your move…"
"Then I draw," exclaimed Jill, as he whipped a card off of his Disk.
"And I calleth my Warrior to the field, Masked Knight, Level the Third!"
With a sparkle of light, an armored knight appeared in front of him – sort of. It more looked like a child dressed in armor. It held a small sword, and like its name suggested, its helmet included a golden mask that covered its face. (1,500 ATK)
"Now," continued Jill, "my Masked Knight can use its effect most special. By foregoing its attack, it can smite thee for 400 points of damage."
Masked Knight's helmet glowed, and a bolt of energy shot at Gears, hitting him in the face.
"Okay, that was unpleasant…" he muttered.
Jill played a card, and a Spell Card appeared.
"Next, I cast a Spell… my Level Up! Now my Warrior evolves, into Masked Knight Level the Fifth."
Masked Knight glowed with golden energy, and grew taller and broader, becoming an adult version of itself. (2,300 ATK)
"Now, I use its effect as well, and smite thee for a further 1,000 points of damage!"
An even more intense bolt of energy shot at Gears and he cringed.
"I placeth one card facedown," said Jill, as a reversed card appeared, and "my turn is done."
(G: 6,600) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 8,000)
I don't know what's worse… thought Gears. The burn damage or listening to his dumb accent…
All right… Next round, he's probably gonna evolve that guy into the LV 7 form… And that can use its effect and attack on the same turn.
I could just wait and let my Ally Bomb do its job…
He drew a card.
I hate waiting…
One of his facedown cards lifted up.
"I activate Dust Tornado!" he shouted.
The Tornado tore across the field, and Jill's Sakuretsu Armor was blown to pieces.
Then Gears's other facedown card lifted.
"Next, DNA Transplant. Now I can turn all Monsters on the field into Light.
"Then I sacrifice my Monster…"
His facedown Monster vanished.
"…to summon Ally of Justice Rudra."
In a blast of shadow, the metal wolf bounded onto the field. (1,900 ATK)
"Humph," said Jill. "Thine metal mongrel is no match for my Knight."
"Look, buddy…" said Gears, through his teeth, "it's taking me a lot of willpower not to say anything to you about how ridiculous you look in that outfit you're wearing, so do me a favor and don't insult my Monsters, okay?"
Jill didn't respond. He simply looked at Gears, rather taken aback.
"And furthermore, you're wrong," continued Gears. "Due to my Trap Card, your Masked Knight is Light, and Rudra gains 700 Attack Points when fighting a Light Monster.
"Attack!"
Rudra pounced, tackling the Masked Knight, and blowing it to shards.
"That oughta do it…"
(G: 6,600) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 7,700)
"I draw…" said Jill, making a draw.
"Then, I cast the powerful Level Modulation!"
A new Spell Card appeared.
"Now, you draweth two cards, and I calleth my Masked Knight back from the grave."
Gears sighed. He made two draws, and Masked Knight LV5 reappeared in front of Jill. (2,300 ATK)
"Yeah, well…" said Gears. "I happen to know that your Knight can't attack or use its effect on the round it's summoned with that card."
"Well then…" said Jill. "I'll play one card facedown then, and thou can taketh thine turn."
Gears frowned as he drew a card.
You need a Shakespearean scholar to understand this guy… he thought.
That facedown card is a concern… But I gotta try to take out that Knight before the next form shows up!
"I summon Ally of Justice Garadholg," he said.
In another burst of shadow, the metallic fox with the glowing mane leapt onto the field. (1,600 ATK)
"Rudra, destroy his Knight!"
Rudra leapt towards the Masked Knight, and its Attack Score rose to 2,600.
"Yield, foul beast!" shouted Jill, as his facedown card shot up. "I reveal my Martyr's Flag!"
He quickly discarded Mystic Swordsman LV2 from his hand.
"I send one card to the grave, and my Monster's power doubles!"
Ho boy… thought Gears.
Masked Knight shot up to an Attack Score of 4,600. Gears shielded himself as it swung its sword, blowing Rudra to scrap metal.
Gears took a card from his hand and fit it into his Disk. A facedown card appeared.
I've got to hope he doesn't draw that Glory Shield card of his, he thought. If he does, I don't know what I'm gonna do…
"Your move…"
(G: 4,600) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 7,700)
"My move!" shouted Jill, making a draw. "And now, my Masked Knight grows into its final form. Behold, Masked Knight Level the Seventh!"
Masked Knight glowed with brilliant energy, and grew even taller and broader. It now stood seven feet tall, and held and even nastier sword. (2,900 ATK)
"Now Masked Knight," he continued, "smite the knave with your full power!"
Masked Knight roared, and its helmet glowed with energy. Gears howled in pain as the energy bolt struck him right in the forehead.
"Now, sunder his Monster!"
Masked Knight lifted its blade, and leapt at the small Machine.
"Not so fast!" shouted Gears. "I have a Trap! My Draining Shield!"
His facedown card shot up, and the Knight's sword slammed against an invisible shield.
"So be it," said Jill. "I endeth my turn…"
(G: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 7,700)
I gotta do something before that thing makes me into a shish-ka-bob, thought Gears.
He drew a card.
He set it on his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.
This should hold him off for one more round… Maybe then I'll be able to think of something…
He nodded.
Jill drew a card.
Huh? thought Gears. When he drew that card… I felt a surge of great power…
"Prepare to meet thine fate, insolent fool!" exclaimed Jill. "I hold in my hand a card of incredible might…"
He opened his Field Slot, and placed the card in it.
There was a rumble, and a huge structure started to rise behind him.
It can't be… thought Gears, as he opened his eyes in disbelief.
Before his unbelieving eyes, the impossible was happening. The card that Jill had played was causing a giant castle to form, one made out of solid gold, with buttresses, towers, and parapets. It glowed with a radiance that illuminated the whole block.
"Tremble before the might of… Golden Castle of Stromberg!"
"Okay…" said Gears. "Time out… I'm only gonna ask you this once, Jill…"
He took a deep breath.
"Where the devil did you get THAT? Are you out of your ever-loving mind?!"
"Didst I not tell you?" asked Jill. "My liege summoned a host of angelic beings who formed this card out of pure radiance. They gave it to me, and…"
"Jill, this is insane!" shouted Gears. "One, that card wasn't made by angels, it was made by a jealous computer hacker who wanted to ruin KaibaCorp! I have no idea where Edmund got it… I would have thought Leon burned it. Second, that card is llegal! Using it is breaking the rules of the game!"
He calmed down a little.
"But you know something? I realize now that it isn't your fault. Clearly, Edmund put a curse on that card before he even showed it to you. And guess what? Lucky you, since I took a vow to protect humans from evil Shadows, I gotta help you shake off the curse, meaning I can't abandon this duel.
"Lucky me…"
"Don't try to deceive me with lies," said Jill. "I activate Masked Knight's effect!"
Gears cringed as the bolt hit him again.
"Then, my Monster attacks!"
Masked Knight charged again.
"I activate Half or Nothing!" shouted Gears.
His facedown card lifted up, and Judge Man appeared.
"What be this?" asked Jill.
"Now, you can either end your Battle Phase, or keep attacking," said Gears. "But if you do, your Knight's score is cut in half."
"Then I end it," replied Jill. "And I set a card facedown."
A facedown card appeared.
"And my Castle has numerous effects. On your turn, all Monsters thou possesses in Attack Mode have no choice but to attack."
"Lucky me…" said Gears again.
(G: 4,500) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 7,700)
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In his office, DaPen was watching with Edmund close by.
"Okay, Edmund, spill it," said DaPen. "How did you get that card? Why didn't Leon destroy it after the Grand Prix?"
"It's a long story, but I do have the time…" said Edmund.
"Leon von Schroeder had every intention of throwing that card into a furnace after the Grand Prix was over. But only an hour after his duel with Yugi ended, the elder von Schroeder received a call from Maximillion Pegasus himself. Surprisingly, he didn't seem angry at all at Ziegfried about his card being altered and made into that broken monstrosity. Pegasus was willing to make a business offer that involved both of the brothers, and it was too good to turn down… But an important part of it was that Leon turn over the Stromberg card, unharmed, with no questions asked.
"Why did Pegasus want it? As angry as he might have been at Ziegfried, Pegasus had one fear that continually plagued him… The fear of the power of the three Egyptian God Cards, likely the biggest mistake he had made in his entire career. Even though all three were in Yugi's hands, he could never be too safe, and he was always looking for weapons that had the potential to defeat them. He figured this Field Spell might be powerful enough to do so.
"But the card remained locked in a vault for years, until one fateful day, a greedy employee purloined it after using his hacking skills to discover how to bypass the system. But he quickly found that it was too hot to fence on any standard black market. And very few duelists wanted a card that was so well-known for being illegal.
"So the Golden Castle of Stromberg was passed from hand to hand among the underworld, until… someone I associate with obtained it.
"Of course, since it is illegal, I had to alter the card slightly so that Mr. deLauncebeaux's Disk would recognize it… But seeing as I was altering it anyway…"
"So you did put a curse of some sort on it?" asked DaPen.
"Mmm… yes…" said Edmund. "But that wasn't the only card…"
DaPen looked a little confused.
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"Jill…" said Gears. "I'll say it one more time… Edmund put a curse on that card. It's controlling you."
"Don't be absurd," said Jill, "I feel fine! And I have something I wanted for years… A castle of solid gold! A monument to the family of noble, iron-blooded knights who were once proud of the name deLauncebeaux."
"Didn't you hear me when I told you that the card was illegal?" asked Gears. "What would your family say if they knew their lineage had produced a cheater?"
He drew a card.
This is bad, he thought. Golden Castle of Stromberg is almost indestructible. It can't be destroyed by Spells, Traps, or Monster Effects, even ones controlled by its user. And with its numerous powers, it's likely the most broken Field Spell ever conceived.
"I move Garadholg to Defense Mode…" he said.
Garadholg shielded itself in defense. (400 DEF)
"And my Trap activates!" shouted Jill. "My Final Attack Orders!"
His facedown card lifted up, and Garadholg leapt back up into Attack Mode.
"Well…" said Gears. "If I gotta attack… I might as well make it good…"
He threw a card onto his Disk.
"I summon Ally of Justice Unlimiter."
The small, metal drone appeared. (600 ATK)
"Now, I sacrifice it, to double Garadholg's Attack Score."
Unlimiter vanished, and Garadholg glowed with shadowy energy. (3,200 ATK)
"Attack his Knight!"
Garadholg pounced, its Attack Score rising further, to 3,400, and Masked Knight screamed. It shattered into shards.
"Insolent rogue!" shouted Jill. "I activate my Castle's effect most special! Any Monster you control that attacks is smote, and you take damage equal to half its Attack Score!"
Lightning flashed, and Garadholg was blown to pieces. Gears cringed.
"Okay…" he muttered. "I kinda forgot about that…"
He looked at the cards in his hand.
"I have to end my turn…" he said.
(G: 2,900) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 7,200)
"It be my turn," said Jill, drawing a card.
"It now be my Standby Phase, and now thou shalt pay the cost of my Field Spell!"
"I know…" growled Gears. "I have to discard half my deck…"
A command on his Duel Disk flashed, saying, "Discard 15 cards."
Fifteen? thought Gears. Wait…
He paused for a minute.
Let me think, here… I started with a hand of five cards… Had five turns… Drew two cards due to Level Modulation… That's twelve cards… Now my Disk makes me discard fifteen, which is supposedly half of what I have left…
That can mean one of two things… Either Golden Castle of Stromberg rounds up… And I'm pretty sure it doesn't…
Or…
…I had forty-two cards in my deck when I started!
"Well?" demanded Jill.
"Just give me a minute!" shouted Gears.
I got that card from Ross… thought Gears. That was forty-one… Where the heck did I get a forty-second one?
He took fifteen cards, and discarded them.
"Now…" said Jill, "I activate another effect of my Castle… I can Special Summon a Level 4 or less Monster from my deck every round."
Masked Knight LV3 appeared, apparently the second one from his deck. (1,500 ATK)
"Attack him directly!"
Gears screamed as the Warrior slashed at him with its sword.
(G: 1,400) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 7,200)
"Turn end…"
This is just getting worse… thought Gears. If I remember correctly, Yugi defeated that card by reducing the size of his deck to only a single card, thus making the cost impossible to pay.
But if that final card hadn't been Monster Reborn, he would have lost the duel anyway. I really don't think that I have the luck he has to destroy that thing the same way…
He drew a card.
Maybe I can trick him into hurting himself… And if I simply don't summon a Monster on my turn, I can't attack, and won't hurt myself.
"I throw three cards facedown, and end my turn!" he shouted.
Three facedown cards flashed into existence.
"My move!" exclaimed Jill, drawing a card.
He looked at the card and shuddered. This Monster scared even him.
"Once again," he said, "thou shalt discard half of thine deck."
"Yeah, yeah…" said Gears.
He discarded seven cards.
"Now, I evolve my Knight into its Level 5 form…" said Jill.
Masked Knight glowed, and grew into Masked Knight LV5. (2,300 ATK)
"Then, I use my Castle to summon the third of my Level 3 Knights!"
Masked Knight LV3 appeared again. (1,500 ATK)
"You're as bound by that Castle's effect as I am," said Gears. "Your Monsters must attack."
"So be it!" shouted Jill. "Masked Knights… Slay him!"
Masked Knight LV5 charged at Gears…
"I activate… Birthright!" shouted Gears.
One of his facedown cards shot up, and Ally of Justice Claíomh Solais appeared in front of Gears. (2,300 ATK)
"It's too late!" shouted Jill. "E'en by mutual kill, I'll slay Claíomh Solais!"
The Masked Knight charged at the Machine…
"Go, Limiter Removal!" shouted Gears.
Another of his facedown cards shot up. Claíomh Solais's Attack Score rose to 4,600. Jill gasped.
"Then, Emergency Provisions!" shouted Gears. "I'll sacrifice both Limiter Removal and DNA Surgery to gain 2,000 Life Points!"
The Spell and Trap Card vanished, but Masked Knight LV5 was blown to pieces by Claíomh Solais's lightning bolts. Then Masked Knight LV3 charged at the Machine, and was vaporized by a second attack.
(G: 3,400) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 1,800)
Jill nervously looked at the Monster in his hand. He slowly set it on his Disk, and a reversed Monster appeared.
"So be it…" he said. "You'll run out of cards soon anyway…"
Claíomh Solais shattered into pixels.
Maybe, maybe not… thought Gears. That odd card in my deck… What could it be?
All I know is, I gotta do something fast or I'm a gonner… And more than likely, so is Jill, even though he doesn't know it.
He made a draw.
It was Pot of Avarice.
Hmm… he thought.
"Give me a minute, Jill," he said. "I'm gonna take a look at my Graveyard."
He hit a button on his Disk, and all the cards in his Graveyard appeared in front of him.
Most of my deck is in my Graveyard, he thought. The "intruder" is likely in here somewhere…
Then he saw it. A card that he had never put in his deck.
AHA! There's the stinker! Now let's take a closer look…
He looked at the card.
He couldn't believe it. This card could actually help him!
But how? he thought.
Then he realized it.
That kid… he thought. The kid who barreled into me… He helped me pick up my deck…
Did he know the threat I'd be facing?
He looked at Pot of Avarice.
I just gotta hope I draw the right card…
"I play Pot of Avarice!" he shouted.
He took five Monsters from his Graveyard, and combined them with his six remaining cards. He shuffled them, and drew twice.
He grinned.
"I send Final Attack Orders to the Graveyard to Special Summon Trap Eater in Defense Mode!" he shouted.
The Trap Card vanished, and Trap Eater appeared. (1,600 DEF)
"Next, I set a Monster…"
A reversed Monster appeared.
"Now, Jill…" he said, taking a card from his hand, "I'm going to summon a castle of my own… And it's even more powerful than yours!"
"Thy wicked tongue lieth!" shouted Jill.
"I play Monster Reborn!" exclaimed Gears.
The ankh appeared, and a huge Machine materialized. Roughly pyramidal in shape, it was made of iron and steel, with two large arms, and tank treads on the bottom. It had several exhaust pipes, which spewed out smoke.
It shielded itself with its arms. (200 DEF)
"Meet Dimension Fortress Weapon."
"You dare compare my castle of gold to that ugly abomination?" shouted Jill. "You'll pay for that vile insult!"
"It's your move," said Gears, quietly.
"I draw!" exclaimed Jill, drawing a card.
"And thou shalt pay the cost for my Field Spell once again!"
"Sorry, Jill," said Gears, "not this time."
"Thou must!" replied Jill.
"No," said Gears. "When I said that Dimension Fortress Weapon was stronger than your Castle, I meant it.
"You see… When it's on the field, both players are forbidden from sending cards directly from their decks to the Graveyards."
Jill gasped.
"But that means…" he said.
"I can't pay Golden Castle of Stromberg's cost," replied Gears. "My Monster prevents me from doing so. And you know what that means…"
Cracks started to appear all over Golden Castle of Stromberg. Jill could only stare as his castle of gold collapsed into a pile of rubble.
Then Jill looked at Gears. His eyes glowed red, and an aura of dark flames surrounded him.
"Jill?" said Gears. "What's the matter, Jill?"
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"Uh oh…" said Edmund.
"Uh oh?" said DaPen. "What uh oh? I don't like uh ohs…"
"Uhm…" said Edmund. "This is gonna make you laugh…"
"It takes a LOT to make ME laugh," replied DaPen.
"See, Golden Castle of Stromberg wasn't the only card I put a curse on," explained Edmund. "The curse on Golden Castle was actually a catalyst for a more powerful curse I put on another card in Jill's deck. And the more powerful curse was going to be triggered by Golden Castle being destroyed.
"But… uh… I kinda expected Gears to destroy it the same way Yugi did… By reducing his deck down to one card, making it impossible to discard half the number that way… It was a pretty desperate move on Yugi's part, and at that point, only Yugi would likely manage to win.
"But… Gears managed to defeat it another way… A pretty smart way, I might add, rather than one done out of desperation."
"What are you saying, you walking pile of vermin?" shouted DaPen. "Your spell was released too soon?!"
"Uhm… In a nutshell, yes…" replied Edmund. "So the effect it may have on Jill now… Uhm, I really don't know what effect it may have."
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"Uh, Jill?" said Gears.
Jill didn't respond at first.
"Earth to Jill," said Gears. "Hello?"
Then Gears spoke, now in a haunting, demonic voice.
"Prepare to die, Shadowchaser…" he said.
"My Monster moves to Attack Mode… Reveal… Doomcaliber Knight!"
His facedown Monster flipped up, revealing a fiendish knight in black armor, on a coal-black horse, holding a sharp lance and a shield shaped like a skull. (1,900 ATK)
"Destroy his Trap Eater!" shouted the now-possessed duelist.
Doomcaliber Knight charged on its steed, and with one swipe of its lance, sliced the Tuner in half.
"I set a facedown card, and end my turn," he said.
A facedown card materialized.
Good lord… thought Gears. Destroying the Golden Castle only made Edmund's spell worse!
Blast! If I'd had known this would happen, I wouldn't have bothered destroying the Castle! I could have won last turn if I had simply attacked! My Monsters would have finished him off before the Castle finished me off!
Okay, I can do this…
Doomcaliber Knight is a tough Monster… If I activate a Monster's effect, he'll be forced to sacrifice it to use its effect, and destroy my Monster…
But the two Monsters I have on the field are Dimension Fortress Weapon and Dark Resonator. Both of them have Continuous Effects, which Doomcaliber Knight can't use its effect on.
Even worse, he suddenly got smart. He purposely attacked the Monster that could have defeated it.
He looked at his deck, which now had only nine cards left. He looked at the one card left in his hand, Mind Trust.
Come one… There's gotta be a card left in this deck that can help…
He made a draw.
That'll do!
"I sacrifice both my Monsters…"
Dimension Fortress Weapon and his facedown Dark Resonator vanished.
"…to summon Ally of Justice Thunder Armor!"
In a glowing aura, the huge, intimidating, armored robot, with a cockpit in the center and two bladed arms, rose in front of him. (2,700 ATK)
"Destroy Doomcaliber Knight!" he shouted.
Thunder Armor made a slash with its energy blade, and the Fiend knight groaned before it shattered into pixels.
(G: 3,400) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 1,000)
"Trap Card, activate," said Jill.
His facedown card lifted up.
"Flat Level 4," he continued. "Since my Monster was destroyed, both players can summon a Level 4 Monster from their decks.
"And I choose to summon Mystic Swordsman LV4."
A new Warrior appeared, this one wearing silvery robes and a helmet, and holding two blades. (1,900 ATK)
Gears looked through his deck. Fortunately, all of the Monsters he had sent back to his deck using Pot of Avarice were Level 4.
"I summon Nanobreaker in Defense Mode," he said.
The female cyborg appeared, kneeling and holding her sword down. (1,800 DEF)
He's likely going to attack Nanobreaker in order to Level up that guy into its Level 6 version, he thought. But even if he does, Thunder Armor is stronger.
Gear's eyebrows narrowed.
"Your move…" he said.
The possessed Jill drew a card.
"I summon Tune Warrior," he said.
He played the card, and a Monster appeared that looked more like a robot than a Warrior. It was covered with dials and antennae, and it had port plugs instead of arms. (1,600 ATK)
"A Tuner Monster?" gasped Gears.
"Yes…" said Jill, "and now I Tune both my Monsters together…"
Tune Warrior and Mystic Swordsman LV4 both faded, and turned into seven glowing stars.
"…I Synchro Summon… Mordred the Black Knight!"
With a roar, a new knight-Warrior appeared in front of Jill. It was dressed entirely in pitch-black armor; no flesh showed through. Its helmet covered its entire face. It held a glowing sword, and carried a black shield with a red dragon painted on it. (2,800 ATK)
Mordred? thought Gears. As in King Arthur's evil son, fathered via an incestuous relationship with his sister? The son who eventually killed him?
"Crush Thunder Armor!" shouted Jill.
Mordred roared, and brought his sword down on Thunder Armor, slicing it clean in half. What remained exploded.
"Now, Mordred's special effect activates," said Jill. "You lose 200 Life Points for each Level your destroyed Monster had."
Mordred glared at Gears, and Gears winced in pain.
(G: 1,700) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 1,000)
Man, and I thought the Golden Castle was bad! thought Gears. No doubt about it… This is the card that holds the true curse…
He looked back at his deck.
Only one card can help now…
"Turn end…" said Jill.
Gears paused.
He drew a card.
Got it!
"I summon Flamvell Magical!" he shouted.
In a burst of flame, the fiery Spellcaster appeared. (1,400 ATK)
"Now, I'll Tune my two Monsters together…"
Nanobreaker and Flamvell Magical flew towards the sky. They formed into eight glowing stars…
"…to summon a knight who's deserving of the title! I summon Jalal the Dragonborn!"
In a flash of lightning, Jalal appeared on the field, brandishing his gleaming sword. (2,600 ATK)
The two knights, one of utter darkness, and one of heroic light, glared at each other…
"Now, I activate Jalal's effect," continued Gears. "I pay half my Life Points, to remove Battle-Tuned from my Graveyard."
The Spell Card slipped out of Gears's discard slot, and Jalal's sword glowed, as the Rune Counter appeared.
"Now, I'll use its effect. I can remove a Tuner Monster in my Graveyard from play, and increase Jalal's Attack Score by an amount equal to its Attack Score."
Another card slipped out of his discard slot.
"The Tuner I'm removing is Ally Mind, which has 1,800 Attack Points!"
Jalal glowed with energy… (4,400 ATK)
"Attack! Destroy Mordred!"
Jalal charged, and his blade went straight through the evil knight. Jill deLauncebeaux, the would-be knight, screamed as the curse was forcibly ripped out of him…
(G: 850) - - - - - - - - - - (J: 0)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
To say that Louis DaPen was now angry was an understatement.
"I guess I put too much faith in how powerful Golden Castle of Stromberg was," said Edmund.
"You guess?" said DaPen, angrily. "Mr. Poston will be here any minute, and we're hardly prepared to handle him! All because you promised Mr. deLauncebeaux would be able to finish him using that Field Spell."
"Well…"said Edmund. "I guess I could duel him myself…"
"Get out of my sight, Edmund," said DaPen. "Your Worm Monsters against his Monsters-specifically-designed-to-fight-Worm-Monsters? I don't think so.
"I'll handle him myself, and while I'm doing so, I'll think over this partnership of ours very carefully."
Edmund didn't say anything. He walked through the door behind DaPen's desk.
DaPen picked up a briefcase. It was a finely crafted leather case with a bronze handle and hinges, and a digital lock.
Of course, the digital lock was a ruse. Trying to use it to open the case would trigger a trap consisting of two stored psionic attacks: it would hit whoever was trying to do it with a programmed Ego Whip, guaranteed to make him drop it, followed by a Psionic Suggestion that he make himself scarce fast.
The real lock was contained in fingerprint readers built into the handle. To open the briefcase, DaPen had to squeeze a specific pressure sequence, and the case would open.
The inside of the briefcase was like a Bag of Holding, only bigger than most. It could hold up to a hundred cubic feet of material inside its extradimensional space, and always weighed only ten pounds, regardless of what was put inside it. Even better, whenever he reached inside, whatever he wanted was always on top, allowing him to get it immediately.
He now wanted a deck of cards that he always kept in there.
He took out the deck case and looked at it.
No time to construct a special deck for Mr. Poston, he thought. I'll have to use my real deck…
Of course… Getting back to basics might be interesting…
He closed the briefcase and turned on his laptop.
After about a minute, Viva la Vida started to play again.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jill was out cold. Gears sighed, and looked at Golden Castle of Stromberg.
He placed the illegal card in a pouch on his side.
Jalal will know what to do with it, he thought. He'll make sure no-one ever uses that accursed card again.
He looked towards the factory.
For now… I have an appointment with someone… And I think he's expecting me…
We wouldn't find out for several weeks just who that kid was who gave Gears the Dimension Fortress Weapon. When we finally identified him and tried to return it, he didn't remember running into Gears, and he didn't know how he had lost the card. It was a mystery that we never really figured out, but then again, everything happening those two days in Satellite were causing things that couldn't be explained.
Whatever the case, the card had been a godsend. Jill was defeated, and Gears was now able to make the same attempt that Jinx had made…
What results that would bring, at this point, were anyone's guess…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MASKED KNIGHT LV3 (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 3
ATK: 1,500
DEF: 800
Card Description: Once per turn, you can inflict 400 points of direct damage to your opponent. If you use this effect, this card cannot attack during the same turn. During your Standby Phase, you may send this card to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 "Masked Knight LV5" from your hand or deck.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MASKED KNIGHT LV5 (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 5
ATK: 2,300
DEF: 1,300
Card Description: Once per turn, you can inflict 1,000 points of direct damage to your opponent. If you use this effect, this card cannot attack during the same turn. During your Standby Phase, you may send this card to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 "Masked Knight LV7" from your hand or deck.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MASKED KNIGHT LV7 (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 7
ATK: 2,900
DEF: 2,200
Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card can only be Special Summoned via the effect of "Masked Knight LV5". Once per turn, you can inflict 1,500 points of direct damage to your opponent.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MARTYR'S FLAG (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A footsoldier planting a red flag, as Masked Knight LV7 stands behind.
Card Description: Activate only during your opponent's Battle Phase. Tribute one Monster you control OR discard one card from your hand to double the ATK of all Warrior-Type Monsters you control until the End Phase of the turn.
Note: The Masked Knights and "Martyr's Flag" were first used by Jill in the "Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's" episode "Battle with the Black Rose". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
GOLDEN CASTLE OF STROMBERG (Spell Card)
Field Spell
Image: A medieval palace made of pure gold.
Card Description: Once per turn, you may Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Monster from your deck. This card cannot be destroyed by Spell, Trap, or Monster effects except its own effect. All Monsters in Attack Position must attack if they are able to; when your opponent's Monsters attack, they are destroyed at the end of the damage step, and your opponent takes damage equal to half the ATK of the destroyed Monsters. During your Standby Phase, your opponent sends half the cards in his/her deck to the Graveyard. (This is not optional. If he/she cannot, destroy this card.)
Note: "Golden Castle of Stromberg" was first used by Leon in the original anime episode "Sinister Secrets (Part 2)". Of special note, this was a ceremonial card meant only to be given as a trophy, and only the first effect was original. The rest was all added by Ziegfried, making this an illegal card even via anime rules.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FLAT LEVEL 4 (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: Axe Raider in a heroic pose. Above him are the words "LV1, LV2, LV3" in small letters and "LV4" in big letters.
Card Description: Activate when a Monster you control is destroyed by battle. Both players may Special Summon a Level 4 Monster from their hands or decks.
Note: "Flat Level 4" was first used by Kaiba in the original anime episode "One Step Ahead (Part 1)" Creative credit goes to the writers.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MORDRED, THE BLACK KNIGHT (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Warrior/Synchro/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 7
ATK: 2,800
DEF: 2,000
Card Description: Warrior-Type Tuner + 1 or more Warrior-Type non-Tuner Monsters
When this card destroys an opposing Monster and sends it to the Graveyard, inflict 200 points of direct damage to your opponent for each Level of the destroyed Monster.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Coming up next:
Will Gears have any more luck than Jinx did? He's better, because now DaPen is breaking out his true deck, one far more deadly than the one he used against Jinx. Gears enters a battle against a force unlike any he has faced before, and he may have to bust out a secret weapon of his own before it's over. And just what card did Ross give him, anyway?
"Psi-Station" is coming soon.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Shadowchaser Files
The Rat Lord, Agent of the Whispered One
Some secrets neither man nor Shadow was meant to delve into. The case of the Rat Lord is testament to that.
The hobos and bums of New York City all swear they've seen the Rat Lord prowl among the sewers and the subways. They say he's some sort of monster who can control the vermin who live there. Shadowchasers think he might be a wererat, but the truth is more terrible.
A few years ago, the Rat Lord (who used a different name then, but it has been forgotten) was a Sensitive scholar who liked to study the occult in his spare time. In his studies, he discovered references to an entity named Vecna. This name intrigued him, and he searched for any information on Vecna that he could. He didn't know that Vecna was a Shadowkind deity associated with liches, secrets, and magic. Known by many names, including the Master of the Spider Throne, the Whispered One, and the Maimed Lord, Vecna was once one of the most evil of wizards, who became one of the darkest of liches, who later ascended to become one of the most dreaded deities.
Eventually, the scholar's research brought him to a dusty, old tome. He started to read the book, and was compelled to keep reading it. Little did he know, Vecna was not just the subject of this book, he was the author.
The scholar kept reading, forgetting to eat, drink, or sleep. The book was cursed, of course, but he didn't realize it. He eventually read until he died of starvation, but he passed onto undeath, still reading the cursed words.
Eventually, he finished, and had become a creature called a vitreous drinker, a type of undead monster used by Vecna on the homeworld of Shadow as spies and information gatherers. This, of course, was the purpose of the book; it was used as a recruiting arm for the Whispered One. Now serving the Lich God, the former scholar used his new powers to see through the eyes of the rats and mice in the underground of New York, using them to learn secrets that his master could use.
The Rat Lord has become legendary among the vagrants of New York, but he has not become a major threat yet to the citizens of the city. His power is growing, however, and soon, he may acquire enough power to cast spells himself, and see through the eyes of other creatures.
Story Ideas: Any plot dealing with the Rat Lord should also involve Vecna. His cult is small, but any who worship him worship incredible evil. Only the darkest of sorcerers worship this being, hoping to learn the forbidden secrets he has at his disposal.
A story that sets the Rat Lord up as an enemy will take the heroes into the underbelly of the city, where they will encounter wererats, zombies, and ooze-like Shadowkind. This might be a hard task, because while they are hunting the Rat Lord, he will be hunting them. The Predator and Alien movies are good sources to find the right tone for such a story.
Deck Suggestions: The Rat Lord might use a Zombie Deck, but might use an unorthodox strategy. He might use Lich Lord, King of the Underworld, a Monster that resembles Vecna, and combo it with Ectoplasmer. Alternatively, he might construct a deck that uses Fushioh Richie, another Monster that resembles Vecna. It can be done if one works hard enough.
