When I first laid eyes on Kurtis, I didn't like him at all. He was a bully and a sadist who picked on those weaker than himself. Stan showed him what happened when he picked on someone who could fight back.
I'm facing him now, and my opinion of him hasn't changed much. He's now showing me that he's not just a bully and a sadist…
…he's a coward.
He's fixed his strategy to try to make sure I can't fight back at all.
At least that was his goal.
But Kurtis can plan in advance all he wants. I believe I can beat him, because I'm a better person than he is…
Yeah…
The truth is, I'd like to believe that…
…but the fact is, his strategy may have been sneaky, but it's smart. And finding a way to defeat it is going to be difficult, to say the least.
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disappearing Act
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
The door they opened led out into what looked like a large meadow.
They looked up to see overcast clouds overhead. Weird trees were growing here and there.
"Are we still inside the Palace?" asked Stan. "Boy, the Shadow Queen has waaaay to much free time."
"What do you expect?" sighed Francesca. "She's been cooped up in here for ten centuries…"
Then they heard a loud buzzing noise…
From up ahead of them, a large swarm of Insect-like creatures flew at them.
"Killer Needles!" shouted Stan.
He drew a card off of his deck.
Swords of Revealing Light.
"Back!" he shouted.
He threw the card into his Disk, and the Swords appeared. The swarm froze.
"Good thinking," gasped Andy.
And then a card appeared facedown behind the Swords…
It lifted up…
Dust Tornado!
The Tornado flew forward, and the Swords shattered!
"Aw, geeze…" sighed Stan.
The three of them threw cards down on their Disks; The Illusory Gentleman, Twin-Headed Behemoth, and Amazoness Swords Woman sprang up.
The three Monsters started to blast and slash at the Insects, but more kept coming!
"They're all over the place!" shouted Francesca.
"Why don't you tell them to buzz off?" asked a voice. "I'm sure they'd understand…"
They looked up at a tree, and saw someone sitting on the tallest branch.
"Kurtis…" snarled Stan.
"I'd tell them to go away," chuckled Kurtis, "but it's none of my beeswax!"
"All right, I've had enough," said Francesca.
She placed a card into a slot.
"Mirror Force!" she shouted.
The light from the Trap Card consumed the Insects, and they shattered.
"Good job," sighed Kurtis.
He leapt down from the tree.
"But you three will wish they had gotten you once I'm done with you," he snarled.
"Upset, Kurtis?" asked Andy. "Upset because your little sister has been banished?"
"You're too smart for your own good, Andy," answered Kurtis.
He growled.
"You know, the Spawn are able to communicate with each other telepathically, and once she started screaming for help, well, it just infuriated me.
"That beast is torturing her like you wouldn't believe. Just five minutes ago, it promised to stop and simply lock her in a cell after she had begged for mercy a hundred-thousand times. She's agreed to it, but I don't believe it will keep its promise once she has…
"And I'm powerless to do anything about it…"
"What do you want me to do?" asked Andy. "Cry?"
"Oh, you'll be crying pretty soon," muttered Kurtis, raising one of his talons.
"You think you can take me?" asked Andy. "I'll blow your dumb Harpies back to… uhm… uh… wherever Harpies come from!"
"Oh yeah," moaned Stan. "That got him…"
"Heh, heh," chuckled Kurtis. "Naw, I don't think so, Andy. You're still tired from your duel with Melissa, and I like to think of myself as an eagle, not a vulture."
He pointed to Francesca.
"I choose to take on you, Fran!" he demanded.
"Give her a break, Kurtis!" answered Stan. "She's still winded from dealing with Gloomtail…"
"You want to make excuses?" asked Kurtis.
His Disk flicked open, and he threw a card into it.
A Trap Card appeared: Nutrient Z.
Francesca started to glow. To her surprise, she felt her muscles getting stronger, and the weariness leaving…
"You're… you're healing me?" she asked.
"Now they can't make excuses," said Kurtis. "Now either duel me or I'll bring back those Insects, and you won't hold them off a second time."
"All right, fine!" said Francesca, taking out her deck. "I might even like this…"
She looked through her cards.
"And this time my Deckmaster will be Amazoness Fighter!"
The card glowed, and the muscular female Warrior appeared behind her.
"Well then," chuckled Kurtis, "here's mine… Something you no doubt have seen…"
He held a card up, and a Killer Needle appeared behind him.
"That's a pretty pathetic Deckmaster…" stated Francesca.
"Is it?" asked Kurtis. "I'll have you know that weak Monsters can sometimes make great Deckmasters. The King of Games once used his Kuriboh as his, and it saved his life!"
"What?" asked Stan. "Yugi dueled using this system?"
"Yes," answered Kurtis. "Him, Kaiba, Joey, and a few of their companions. But I have neither the time or the desire to tell you the whole story!
"So let's duel!"
The Life Point counters both set to 8,000.
"And let the Game commence!" laughed Kurtis.
The sky above darkened, and strange shapes appeared in the clouds…
Super… thought Francesca.
Kurtis drew his first hand.
"You know, Stan," he growled, "when you defeated my Harpies, it was traumatic for them! They cried for hours, and then they cried to their brother. And now their brother is angry at all of you!"
He threw a card down.
"So now he's here to teach you a lesson. Harpie's Brother in Attack Mode!"
In a gust of wind, a tall man with wings and black hair, dressed in leather with a scarf over the lower part of his face appeared. He had long talons. (1,800/600)
"Not bad," said Francesca, making a draw.
She paused.
She turned to Amazoness Fighter.
"Really?" she asked.
Fighter nodded.
"Okay…" she muttered.
She looked at her hand. One of her Paladins was there.
She concentrated.
No, this was only the cheap one. Playing it was safe.
"I summon Amazoness Paladin in Attack Mode!" she shouted.
She put the card down, and Paladin appeared. (1,700/300) –) (1,800/300)
"Heh, looks like we have a standoff, Kurtis!" chuckled Francesca. "But not for long… See, all I have to do is summon another Amazon on my next turn, and she'll be strong enough to take that guy down… and by the way, I already have one in my hand!"
"Do you now?" said Kurtis, drawing. "Well, maybe you should worry about what I have in my hand…"
He placed another card down.
"Bladefly, in Defense Mode…"
A Monster materialized. It looked like a wasp of some type, with cleavers for front legs. (600/700)
"Bladefly has two powerful effects," explained Kurtis. "First, it raises the Attack of all Wind Monsters on the field by 500 points…"
Harpie's Brother rose to 2,300 Attack, and Bladefly itself rose to 1,100.
"And also," chuckled Kurtis, "it lowers the Attack of all Earth Monsters on the field by 400!"
Paladin's Attack sank to 1,400.
"Harpie's Brother, attack with talon slash!"
Harpie's Brother flew forward, and swiped at Amazoness Paladin! She shrieked and then shattered.
Francesca's Life Points fell to 7,100.
"Fine," snarled Francesca. "I can take it…"
"Can you?" asked Kurtis. "Look at your arm, my dear…"
Francesca looked…
And to her horror, the part of her left arm from the shoulder to the elbow faded away!
"What on earth?" she shrieked. "What are you doing?"
She put her right hand between her shoulder and her left forearm, and it passed right through! She had no idea what was holding her forearm up.
"This Shadow Game's rules are very different than Melissa's, dear," chuckled Kurtis. "I got the idea from a guy named Marik Ishtar… Who was great at this sort of thing before he chickened out.
"As you lose Life Points, small parts of your body will fade away, and when you lose, you'll vanish completely! Just like a fog that fades in the morning light…"
"You're sick…" she growled.
"And you're finished," responded Kurtis. "Unless you can summon something with more than 2,300 Attack Points right now…"
Francesca drew a card.
This might cost me, she thought, but I have to take out that bug!
"I summon Getsu Fuhma in Attack Mode!" she shouted.
She placed a card down, and the redheaded Warrior carrying a katana appeared. (1,700/1,200)
"And since she's a Dark Monster, she isn't affected by Bladefly."
"She can't destroy Harpie's Brother…" remarked Kurtis.
"No, but she can swat your Bladefly!" answered Francesca. "Getsu Fuhma, attack Bladefly!"
Getsu Fuhma leapt at Bladefly.
Kurtis chuckled.
"I don't think so…" he said softly.
He waved his hand, and the Killer Needle started to glow…
Harpie's Brother leapt out in front of Bladefly and slashed his talon at Getsu Fuhma! She fell backwards and shattered into pixels!
"Huh?" gasped Francesca.
Her Life Points fell to 6,500, and now part of her right arm faded…
"You just found out my Deckmaster's ability the hard way," chuckled Kurtis. "If you try to attack an Insect Monster on my side of the field, I can redirect that attack to another of my Monsters! Bladefly is untouchable!"
Francesca's eyes narrowed.
"You planned this the whole time, didn't you Kurtis?" she accused. "That's why you wanted to duel me… Because most of my Monsters were Earth. You planned a strategy that would strengthen your Monsters and cripple mine!
"You aren't an eagle or a vulture… You're one of those annoying birds that leaves droppings all over my dad's car right after he washes it!"
"You know, dear Francesca," chuckled Kurtis. "You are ugly when you are angry!"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"I gotta hand it to Kurtis," muttered Peten, "that may have been a nasty trick, but it was a smart one."
"Yeah," chuckled The Unfriendly Amazon. "Let's see how far Francesca gets when all her Monsters are running at low power, and his are boosted…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"This is terrible…" groaned Andy. "Francesca is completely defenseless!"
"You got that right," chuckled Kurtis.
He drew a card.
"I summon Faith Bird in Attack Mode!" he laughed.
He put a card down, and a huge bird of prey with shining blue feathers appeared. (1,500/1,100) –) (2,000/1,100)
"Harpie's Brother, attack directly!"
Harpie's Brother took to the air and swooped down on Francesca.
"NOW!" shouted Francesca.
Amazoness Fighter grasped Francesca by the shoulders and braced them both! Harpie's Brother bounced off!
"What?" asked Kurtis.
Francesca grinned.
"My Deckmaster has a total of 1,500 Attack Points," she stated, "but once per turn, she can spend 300 of them to protect me from a direct attack!"
"Clever," stated Kurtis. "But now, what will protect you from Faith Bird?"
Faith Bird swooped down on Francesca and dug its talons into her! She screamed…
Her Life Points fell to 4,500, and half of her torso faded away…
"Fran, think of something!" begged Andy.
Francesca caught her breath…
She made a draw.
"I play… Pot of Greed!" she stated.
She played the card, and drew two more cards.
This will help, she thought.
"I'll place these two cards facedown," she said, fitting them into her Disk.
Two facedown cards appeared.
"And now I'll summon Amazoness Swords Woman in Attack Mode."
She put a card down, and Swords Woman appeared, brandishing her huge blade. (1,500/1,600) –) (1,100/1,600)
"Heh, heh," chuckled Kurtis. "I know what she can do, dear, but it hardly matters! I can stand to lose a few Life Points…"
He drew a card.
"I'll shift Bladefly into Attack Mode," he stated.
Bladefly flew up into Attack position.
"And now I'll summon Spirit of the Books in Attack Mode!"
He put a card down, and an eagle-like humanoid wearing a long robe appeared. He held a large tome under his arm. (1,400/1200) –) (1,900/1,200)
"Four Monsters?" asked Francesca.
"Good, you can add," laughed Kurtis. "But how good are you at subtraction?"
"No…" gasped Andy. "Even with her Deckmaster ability, Francesca will lose 3,000 Life Points!"
"Harpie's Brother…" started Kurtis.
"I activate a Trap Card!" shouted Francesca. "The Regulation of Tribe!"
Her Trap Card lifted.
"And I choose Winged Beasts!"
Chains sprang up and seized the three Winged Beasts!
"Now I activate… Scapegoat!"
The other facedown card lifted, and four sheep tokens appeared.
"You're free to attack my Swords Woman with Bladefly, but then they'll both be destroyed," stated Francesca.
"I don't think so," stated Kurtis, "but I will have it attack one of your Scapegoats!"
Bladefly flew forward, and cleaved the sheep in half.
"Your move," stated Kurtis.
Francesca made a draw.
"I'll sacrifice one Scapegoat to keep the Trap," she said, as another one vanished, "and I'll summon Amazoness Blowpiper in Defense Mode."
She put a card down, and Blowpiper appeared, squatting down. (800/1,500) –) (400/1,500)
"And that's my turn," she said.
"Good," said Kurtis, "and you'll soon see that your Trap Card isn't as useful as you think… because not all of my Monsters are Winged Beasts."
He drew a card.
"First I'll switch Bladefly back to Defense Mode, just in case," he started.
Bladefly shielded itself.
"Next," he continued, "I'll summon a little guy named Little-Winguard in Attack Mode!"
A small cute-looking creature in blue armor carrying a small sword appeared. (1,400/1,800) –) (1,900/1,800)
"And since Little-Winguard is a Warrior, he's free to attack! Little-Winguard, attack another Scapegoat!"
Little-Winguard flew forward, slashing through one of the sheep.
"And that will be my turn," chuckled Kurtis.
Francesca sighed as she drew.
"I'll sacrifice the last Scapegoat," she said, as the last token vanished, "and then summon Amazon Archer in Defense Mode."
She put a card down, and Amazon Archer appeared, holding her bow in her lap. (1,400/1,000) –) (1,000/1,000)
"Very well," chuckled Kurtis, making a draw. "Little-Winguard, attack the Archer!"
Little-Winguard flew forward again, and sliced Archer in two.
"Pretty soon, you'll have nothing left to sacrifice," warned Tyson, "and then my army will destroy you!"
Francesca closed her eyes…
She drew a card…
She looked at it.
"I'll deactivate my Trap Card…" she said.
The Regulation of Tribe shattered.
"And now," she continued, "I'll sacrifice Swords Woman and Blowpiper to summon Guardian Angel Joan!"
She threw a card down on her Disk, and the two Amazons vanished…
The immense, radiant form of Joan descended, glowing with holy light! (2,800/2,000)
"HUH?" gasped Kurtis. "This isn't supposed to happen!"
"Oh, but it is!" answered Francesca. "And Joan doesn't care about Bladefly either, because like most Fairies, she's a Light Monster! Joan, attack Spirit of the Books! Searing light of Heaven attack!"
Joan shot forth a blast of pure light, and Spirit of the Books was consumed by it!
"Way to go Fran!" shouted Andy. "Whoo-hoo!"
Fran's Life Points went up to 6,400. She was relieved to see some of her flesh restored.
Kurtis wasn't so lucky. His Life points went down to 7,100, and part of his left arm faded.
And it hurt. Badly. The intense holy energy of Fairy lords as powerful as Joan tended to be agonizing to people like him during Shadow Games. After all, she was an angel, and he was part demon.
"Your move," dared Francesca.
Kurtis growled as he drew.
"I'll move Little-Winguard, Faith Bird, and Harpie's Brother to Defense Mode…" he said with a scowl.
The Warrior shielded himself, and the two Winged Beasts folded their wings.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"Ergh," growled The End of Anubis. "I hate Fairies. Especially ones that are stronger than I am!"
"Talk about a lucky draw," mused Peten. "She managed to draw the most powerful Monster in her deck just when she needed her!"
"I hate that dame," muttered The Unfriendly Amazon. "She cost me the duel with her last time…"
"Well, unless Kurtis can do something soon, it looks like he's not going to be winning this…" muttered End.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Francesca drew a card.
"I play Premature Burial!" she exclaimed. "And I'll bring back Swords Woman!"
She played the card, and her Life Points slipped to 5,600. Swords Woman arose.
"But I'm only bringing her back so I can sacrifice her," she continued, "to summon Penumbral Soldier Lady!"
She switched cards, and Swords Woman vanished, replaced by the beautiful Warrior of Darkness. (2,100/1,400)
"Penumbral Soldier Lady," ordered Francesca, "take out his Faith Bird! Sword of Shadows!"
Penumbral Soldier Lady made a swipe, and Faith Bird burst in an explosion of Feathers!
"Guardian Angel Joan, destroy Harpie's Brother!" she shouted.
Joan shot forth her light, and Harpie's Brother screeched. He burst.
Francesca's Life Points rose to 7,900. Almost all her body had been restored by now.
Kurtis cringed again…
"Looks like the shoe is on the other foot, Kurtis," she warned. "Soon, I'll be able to take out your rotten Bladefly and you'll neither be able to boost your Monsters or weaken mine…"
Kurtis growled.
He drew a card.
"I play Pot of Greed!" he exclaimed.
He played the card, and the pot handed him two cards.
He looked at them.
"I'll place two cards facedown, and that will be my turn," he stated.
He threw the cards into slots, and they appeared behind his two Monsters.
Francesca looked at them.
Probably Traps, she thought. I'll have to be careful…
She drew a card.
"I activate a Trap Card!" exclaimed Kurtis. "Spiritual Wind Art – Miyabi!"
"Mi - what?" asked Andy.
One of his facedown cards lifted…
A young girl in a brown robe with long, green hair appeared on the field. She carried a staff with a white gem on the end.
"Who's THAT?" asked Francesca.
"Her name is Wynn the Wind Charmer," answered Kurtis, "and she has great powers over Wind, including the powerful spell called Miyabi. I can now sacrifice one of my Wind Monsters to destroy any card you have on the field. So I'll sacrifice Little-Winguard…"
Wynn raised her staff, and it glowed. Little-Winguard faded away.
"And I'll use that ability on Guardian Angel Joan!"
Wynn pointed her staff at Joan, and she vanished.
"And when I said I 'destroyed her'," continued Kurtis, "I don't mean I sent her to the Graveyard, I meant I sent her to the bottom of your deck! So unless you have some way to shuffle it, you won't be using her again."
"Clever," snarled Francesca, as Wynn the Wind Charmer vanished. "But now you have no Monsters to redirect an attack to, so its curtains for your Bladefly!
"Penumbral Soldier Lady, attack!"
She lifted her sword…
"Activate… Windstorm of Etaqua!" shouted Kurtis.
His other Trap lifted, and a fierce wind blew towards Fran. Penumbral Soldier Lady staggered back, and then crouched in Defense Mode.
"All right, fine," muttered Francesca. "It's your move."
Kurtis drew a card.
"I'll remove Little-Winguard from play…" he stated.
The card slipped out of his discard slot.
"And in return, I'll summon Garuda the Wind Spirit!"
A new Winged Beast appeared in a gust of wind. It was a muscular humanoid with an eagle's head and wings. He wore red trousers and a sash. (1,600/1,200) –) (2,100/1,200)
"Go!" he shouted "Blow away Penumbral Soldier Lady with wing gust!"
Garuda took to the air and started to beat his wings furiously! Penumbral Soldier Lady tried to shield herself from the gust, but eventually she lost and was blown to pieces.
"Well, Francesca," chuckled Kurtis. "I really don't think you have much left in your deck that can put up a resistance…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"He's got a point," chuckled Peten. "Other than Joan, Penumbral Soldier Lady, and Getsu Fuhma, I think ALL of her Monsters are Earth."
The Unfriendly Amazon slammed a fist down on her armrest.
She was really disappointed, not by the fact that the Amazons were being defeated, but that she wasn't the one doing it.
Ah well, she thought. So long as someone manages to take down that bitch, I'll be happy…
She leaned on her arm and sighed again.
She was likely going to be stuck with these two idiots for a long time, if not forever…
And she started to wonder whether or not dying was better than being trapped here…
She sighed again.
And then a thought came to her…
What would happen if these three actually managed to destroy the Shadow Queen?
Her magic spells would all be broken, including the one that kept her in the human world. Would she then wake up back home?
The Unfriendly Amazon was an exile, but being exiled on her home world was better than being stranded in this place. She was more homesick than she had admitted…
"Guys?" she said to End and Peten.
"Yeah?" asked the Fiend.
"You know, maybe we're supporting the wrong people…" she answered.
They looked at her strange.
"Listen…" she said.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"So now what?" asked Andy.
"Fran has a chance," answered Stan. "IF she manages to summon Flurrie. Flurrie's a Wind Monster, so she would benefit as much from that Bladefly as Kurtis's Monsters…"
"Hey, Fran!" shouted Andy. "Do you have Madame Flurrie in your hand?"
"Don't you think I would have summoned her by now if I did?" snapped Francesca.
"Sorry…" said Andy, sadly.
Francesca looked at her hand.
"I'll summon another Swords Woman in Attack Mode," she stated.
Swords Woman appeared again, swinging her blade. (1,500/1,600) –) (1,100/1,600)
"Now I'll place a card facedown, and that will be all," she stated.
A facedown card appeared.
Kurtis made his draw.
"I summon Takuhee is Attack Mode," he stated, placing a card down.
A huge eagle with brown feathers appeared. (1,450/1,000) –) (1,950/1,000)
"Attack her Swords Woman!" shouted Kurtis.
Takuhee swooped down on the Amazon…
"I activate Waboku!" shouted Francesca.
Her Trap Card lifted, and the Winged Beast was stopped dead in its tracks.
"I must say, my dear," snarled Kurtis, "you are a stubborn one, but you must admit, you don't have much chance of winning. Why continue?
"I'll tell you that no physical pain is waiting for you, mostly because when we're done, you won't really have anything that can feel pain…"
"Kurtis, number one, I don't believe you further than I could throw you," answered Francesca. "Number two, being turned into a bodiless phantom isn't very appealing, so excuse me if I try my hardest here!"
"Your funeral," he sighed.
Francesca drew.
"I play Graceful Charity!" she shouted.
She played the card, and the beautiful angel flew out with three cards.
She waited.
"Give me a minute…" said Fran, looking at them.
If the key to winning this duel is defeating his Soul Card, she thought, I have to figure out what it is first. Lust, huh? A certain attractive Winged Beast with a gorgeous figure and a whip comes to mind…
Then it hit her.
Ooh, I just got the best idea!
She handed two cards to the angel, and she vanished.
She fit a card into a slot.
"I play Dark Designator!" she shouted.
"Huh?" asked Kurtis.
"Here's how it works, Kurtis," stated Fran. "I can name any Monster that I can think of, and if it's in your deck, you have to add it to your hand!"
Kurtis looked at her strangely.
"Now let me think," said Francesca. "I choose… Cyber Harpie Lady!"
What in the name of… thought Kurtis, going for his deck.
He took out the card.
Why the heck would she let me have access to my favorite card? Heh… She was almost at the bottom of the deck… I never would have gotten to her otherwise…
"Now I summon…" said Francesca. "Amazoness Chain Master!"
She played the card, and the chain wielding Amazon appeared. (1,500/1,300) –) (1,100/1,300)
Kurtis raised an eyebrow.
"Chain Master…" shouted Francesca, "attack Takuhee!"
Chain Master swung her chain, and charged at the huge bird!
"What the…?" gasped Kurtis.
Takuhee swiped with its claws, and Chain Master shattered.
Francesca's Life Points fell to 7,050.
"I have to say, Fran," muttered Kurtis, "I've been in Shadow Games, where my opponent went crazy from fear, but never this crazy!"
"I'm not crazy," chuckled Francesca. "I'm smart! When Chain Master is destroyed in battle, her effect activates. I may have to spend 1,500 Life Points…"
Her Life Points fell to 5,550, and her chest started to fade.
"…but I'm willing to take that risk, because now I can see your hand and take one Monster Card from it!"
Kurtis gasped!
Francesca walked up to him.
"And in case my strategy hasn't sunk in by now, kindly hand over the Harpie!"
Kurtis growled a little, but he handed the card to her.
"Thank you!" said Francesca, snatching it.
She slipped the card into her own hand, and walked back to her position.
"I think that's enough for one move," she chuckled.
Amazoness Fighter grinned at her.
"Is Fran trying what I think she is?" asked Andy.
"Sure looks like it," chuckled Stan. "Instead of trying to defeat his Soul Card in a straight fight, she took it from him!
"And Kurtis doesn't seem to like it…"
Indeed, he didn't… He started to perspire a little…
He drew a card…
"Garuda…" he muttered, "attack Swords Woman!"
Garuda spread his wings again and blasted forth his windstorm. Swords Woman cringed, and shattered.
"Forget?" asked Fran. "I don't take any damage,you do!"
Kurtis's Life Points fell to 6,100, and the lower part of his right leg faded…
"Takuhee, attack directly!" he shouted.
Takuhee swooped down on Fran.
Amazoness Fighter grabbed onto her shoulders again, and the Winged Beast bounced off.
"Forget about my Deckmaster?" asked Fran. "She may be down to 900 Attack Points now but she still has enough strength left for three more times!"
"Your move…" snarled Kurtis.
Francesca drew.
Monster Reborn.
"I play Monster Reborn!" she shouted.
The holy ankh appeared on the ground, and Penumbral Soldier Lady appeared on it. (2,100/1,400)
"And now I summon…" chuckled Francesca, "Cyber Harpie Lady!"
She threw the card down, and the lovely female Monster appeared, and gave her whip a lash.
"I always wanted to give one of these gals a try," she said with a smirk. "And I don't need to tell you that Bladefly's benefit applies to Wind Monsters on both sides of the field!"
(1,800/1,300) –) (2,300/1,300)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"Hmmm," stated The End of Anubis. "Fran might actually win this…"
"You'd better hope she does," replied The Amazon.
Her two unwitting partners glared at her.
"Look," muttered the Amazon. "I don't like you two, and you two probably hate me just as much. Do we really want to be sitting here until the mountain erodes?
"As much as I hate to say it, we have to put our support behind those three kids… because if they don't take care of the Queen, we might never go home again…"
The End of Anubis sighed.
"Well, I have to admit, I liked this place at first," he stated, "but the air here kinda sticks to my lungs in a bad way…"
"Mmm," muttered Peten. "It is kind of rubbing me the wrong way too…"
"So?" asked The Amazon.
There was a pause. She finally spoke up.
"Show that brat who's boss, Fran!"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"Penumbral Soldier Lady, attack Takuhee!" shouted Francesca.
The Warrior made one swipe, and cut the bird in half!
"Cyber Harpie Lady, attack Garuda with whiplash attack!"
The Harpie lashed her whip, and Garuda shrieked! He shattered!
Kurtis staggered backwards, and his Life Points fell to 5,750.
"Traitor…" he grumbled.
"Your move now," dared Fran.
Kurtis slowly drew a card.
"I summon… Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress," he muttered. "In Defense Mode…"
He put a card down, and the small blue Dragon with smaller wings appeared, crouching in Defense. (1,400/1,200) –) (1,900/1,200)
Not my strongest Monster, he thought, sweating heavily, but it was the best I could do…
Francesca drew a card.
"First I'll place a card facedown," she stated.
A facedown card appeared.
"And then I'll summon… Command Knight, in Attack Mode!"
A flame appeared on her side of the field. The splendid image of Command Knight stepped out. (1,200/1,900) –) (1,600/1,900)
"Know why birds hate fire?" asked Francesca. "Because if their wings catch fire, they can't fly, and a bird that can't fly is a sitting duck! And since Penumbral Soldier Lady is a Warrior, she gains 400 Attack Points!"
Penumbral Soldier Lady's Attack grew to 2,500.
"Command Knight, attack his Dragon!" shouted Francesca.
Command Knight's sword blazed with fire, and she cleaved Winged Dragon in two!
"Cyber Harpie Lady…" she ordered, "destroy the Bladefly!"
Cyber Harpie Lady swooped, and brought her talon down on the Insect, crushing it!
"Good riddance!" sneered Francesca. "Penumbral Soldier Lady, attack directly!"
Kurtis screamed as Penumbral Soldier Lady stuck him with her Sword of Shadows!
His Life Points tumbled to 3,250, and he turned translucent!
"Darn you, Fran!" he shouted. "I will defeat you, even if it means destroying my own Harpie!"
"Go on!" laughed Francesca. "I dare you! I double dare you!"
"I never turn down a double dare," snarled Kurtis, making a draw.
Yes! he thought. I drew Lightning Vortex! Now I can…
His train of thought was interrupted.
"I activate… Showstopper!" shouted Francesca.
Her Trap Card lifted.
"I have to sacrifice my three Monsters and pay half my Life Points…" she stated.
The three Monsters in front of her vanished. Her Life Points fell to 2,275. Her body started to fade even more than Kurtis's…
"But now you have to discard everything in your hand!" she laughed.
Kurtis gasped as the cards in his hand were wrenched away.
"I hope Fran is okay…" muttered Andy. "I can barely see her over there!"
"Now, I think it's my move," continued Francesca, drawing.
Perfect, she thought.
"I summon Amazoness Priestess in Attack Mode!"
The slender Amazon sorceress appeared, her staff glowing with green fire. (1,500/1,500)
"Know how many Amazons are in my Graveyard?" she asked. "Six."
(2,100/1,500)
"Attack directly!" ordered Fran.
Kurtis screamed as the Priestess blasted him with her powerful spell.
His Life Points fell to 1,150, and he was now less than translucent. He was nearly transparent.
"Make your move…" she demanded.
Kurtis was bordering on panic. He never imagined that this would happen…
His hand shivered as he drew…
"Well!" he exclaimed, playing the card. "I play Monster Reborn!"
Cyber Harpie Lady reappeared.
"Why did you do that?" asked Fran.
"Take a look!" mocked Kurtis. "With the boost from Bladefly, she's more than strong enough to…"
"Uhm, I hate to interrupt," muttered Francesca, "but it appears you got so scared that you got confused. Your Bladefly has been gone for several turns now…"
(1,800/1,300)
"Now, since you have no other cards to play…" started Francesca.
She drew a card.
"I summon Amazoness Paladin in Attack Mode!"
Paladin appeared, holding aloft her sword. (1,700/300) –) (1,900/300)
"Mercy… please…" begged Kurtis.
"Mercy?" said Francesca, disgusted. "You should have thought of that before you started these things and became a big creep!
"Priestess, destroy the Harpie!"
Amazoness Priestess shot forth her spell, and Cyber Harpie Lady was destroyed.
"Now Kurtis," stated Francesca, "time for you to vanish into the Shadows! Paladin, attack directly!"
Paladin swung her sword, and Kurtis screamed as his Life Points fell to nothing…
And then with the sigh of a breeze, he vanished into nothing as well.
Francesca took some deep breaths…
To her relief, she saw her body regaining substance…
"FRAN!" shouted Andy, running up to her.
He hugged her.
She was whole again.
"I was worried for a while," he muttered.
"So was I," she sighed, "so was I…"
She took the Cyber Harpie Lady out of her discard slot as another door opened in the middle of the field.
"So what are you going to do with that?" asked Stan.
"I think we both know the answer to that," muttered Francesca.
She was about to rip the card in half…
Then a strange sensation came over her.
"Meh," she said with a shrug.
She tossed it over her shoulder, and they started walking towards the door.
They didn't see it disappear…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Merlee looked at the Cyber Harpie Lady.
Francesca's strategy was certainly unusual, he thought, but it was deadly. She actually used Kurtis's soul as a weapon against him…Good thing she never managed a direct attack with this, or he might have wound up brain-dead!
He carefully placed it in his pouch.
I hated using a little mind control magic on her, but I couldn't let her destroy it. It's too useful for me right now.
They are progressing, I think their chances are improving…
0
0
0
"Killer Needle": Insect/Wind, Level 4, (1,200/1,000)
Deckmaster SA: "Insect Vassal": If your opponent declares an Attack on an INSECT-type Monster on your side of the field, you can redirect the attack to another Monster on your side of the field.
0
0
0
"Amazoness Fighter": Warrior/Earth, Level 4, (1,500/1,300)
Deckmaster SA: "Feminine Strength": Once per turn, if you are attacked directly, you can deduct 300 points from the Deckmaster's ATK to negate the attack. If the Deckmaster's ATK reaches zero, you can no longer use this ability.
0
0
0
Coming up next…
Two down, four to go, but it gets even harder from this point.
Stan now has to face his first Shadow Game, in a deadly contest where fire as well as Shadows threaten to consume him. Tyson breaks out a whole new strategy, in a chapter called "Shadow Flames".
Don't miss it!
