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DUEL FIFTY-TWO

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The Gift

The Dark Queen

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Right before Dugan had met the Flying Dutchman, Nichole was wandering through the same uncanny darkness.

She had never been truly afraid of the dark, but she knew that the dark could sometimes be dangerous. The dark could hide dangerous things that could hurt you. That was likely why mankind had always feared the dark when their race was young…

She remembered when she was a child when the landlord who owned their building shut off the power, either because someone hadn't paid their bills, or because he hadn't paid his. Without lights, the inner city apartment could be scary. Marc would hold her close to keep away the dark…

As she thought these things, the lights went on. Old fashioned overhead industrial-sized lamps.

She was in a large, empty warehouse. Here and there were beer and soda cans, cigarette butts, and other trash strewn around the place…

In the center of the large area was a large wrestling ring… It was in disrepair, and had seen much use...

Nichole shuddered. She knew all about that ring. The Blue Serpents used it whenever a fight was needed. To induct new members into their gang, to punish members who had screwed up, or just to entertain. The Blue Serpents needed very little excuse to fight each other when there weren't any rival gangs to fight.

"The old headquarters of the Blue Serpents…" she muttered. "Seems all that's left is garbage and dust…"

Then she noticed that her sword was gone. So was most of her other equipment. Her Duel Disk remained on her arm, but little else.

"Well, well, well," said a voice behind her. "If it ain't Joan of Arc."

Nichole felt her temper rising to a boil. It seemed that the slimiest Serpent was still here.

She turned around, and looked up at the face of a man who towered over her, who was almost as wide as she was tall. Sven was six-foot-ten and four-hundred and fifty pounds of solid muscle. His grey skin and red hair (tied in a ponytail) betrayed his half-giant heritage, and he wore a tank top and jeans with blue sneakers (clearly all of which had been custom-made). He had a large tattoo of a blue dragon on his right arm, the tattoo that all members of the Blue Serpents had. Even Marc still had the tattoo, and she doubted that even Jalal would allow his organization's health insurance to pay for its removal when he was released.

Most young women in Nichole's position at this moment would have been scared to death. But she felt no fear as she looked at the hulking leader of the Blue Serpents… Only anger…

"You…" she said, with a voice full of bile.

"How I missed that face…" said Sven.

"I sure didn't miss yours…" replied Nichole.

She knew, on some instinctual level, that this couldn't possibly be the real Sven; he wouldn't be getting out of jail for a long time. But if this dimensional limbo had created him from her bad memories, she also knew that it might as well be him.

She glared at him with fire in her eyes.

"I wasn't allowed to visit Marc until I was eighteen," she hissed. "Prisons have rules about minors being let in to see the inmates. All because of you… All you considered him was an expendable pawn…"

Sven shrugged.

"Hey, when you grow up on skid row, you gotta answer when opportunity knocks," he said. "Vance offered me a job as his lieutenant, and then put me in charge of running the Blue Serpents. I got more out of it than any half-giant living on the South Side would have gotten…"

"Just how many half-giants are there living on the South Side?" asked Nichole.

"Heck, I probably got more than any half-giant in the world!" said Sven. "Among giant clans, half-giants are about one rung higher on the social ladder than slaves. Being among humans is just as bad. They don't fit in among Mundanes, and they aren't trusted by Awares.

"Being among other Shadows is worst of all. Dwarves see us and they remember how many of their kind have been enslaved by fire giants. Elves and fey see us, and they remember how many frost giant cookbooks have recipes for ragout of dryad and pixie potpie.

"Haven't you ever read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire?"

"Who hasn't?" asked Nichole.

"Well, you saw how humiliated Hagrid was in that book when people found out he was a half-giant," said Sven. "The only reason folks were willing to overlook it was because he was such a nice guy."

"Which you definitely aren't," added Nichole.

"I even got more than my stupid father got!" shouted Sven. "And he was a true giant. Know what happened to my dad? He mouthed off to a mountain giant who smashed him as flat as a pancake."

Sven punctuated the sentence by hitting his right hand with his left fist. Nichole gulped. Mountain giants were the rarest and largest of the giant races. Very few non-giants had seen them, but they supposedly resembled titanic hill giants that were anywhere from forty to sixty feet tall, huge even by giant standards. Most biologists assumed that, like dragons, they could eat anything, including inorganic material, as it was difficult to imagine how a Shadowkind so big could find enough food to feed itself without disrupting the ecosystem.

"Marc was nothing but a follower," said Sven. "And he was pretty stupid too."

"Stupid?" shouted Nichole. "I'll have you know that he's working as a tutor in the prison library. He's teaching illiterate inmates how to read. That's one of the reasons why he's going to be getting out."

"Well how hard can that be?" said Sven with a smirk. "I could still make or break him."

"You think that Marc was a follower?" said Nichole. "You were little more than a trained dog, doing whatever Vance said. If he'd told you to jump of a thirty-story building, you'd ask whether he wanted a free dive or a gainer."

Sven looked at her hard. Apparently, that one had gone a little too far.

"Well…" he said. "Running the Blue Serpents was fun. I got to do things like this."

He effortlessly gave Nichole a shove, and she fell backwards on her behind.

"You always were a bully, Sven…" she growled.

As she sat up, she noticed that the pouch containing her side deck had opened, and a card had fallen out. She picked it up.

Then her eyes opened wide. She had almost forgotten about this card…

Marc… she thought, as she looked at it.

She had so much wanted to confront Sven herself when she and the other two Shadowchasers raided the Blue Serpents headquarters. And she wanted this card to be the weapon that she took him down with…

But Dugan had shot down that idea, saying that it was too dangerous for an apprentice and that it would jeopardize the mission. Still, ever since then, Nichole had carried this card with her in her Side Deck, keeping it as a symbol of something dear to her…

"Interesting card there, princess?" said Sven. "Face it, you've wanted to throw down with me ever since you and your two pals broke up the gang…"

He chuckled, and a large Duel Disk appeared on his arm. It was a large, bulky, black and grey model with amber gems.

"I'll duel you…" he said. "But if I win…"

"You get to have your way with me, right?" asked Nichole.

She had known that Sven had often made that wager with female members of the Serpents who had made him angry. Marc had told her about it, mostly in his letters from prison. Sven had claimed that he would never force himself upon a woman, and in his sick mind, he thought that such a wager would it make it look like he had given them a fair chance.

Nichole fit the card into her deck, and hit the auto-shuffler. Then she stood up, and the Disk activated.

"I see you've accepted my challenge," said Sven with a grin.

Then his face turned serious.

"One more condition," he said. "This is still my turf, so we use my rules. Pulling the Rug and Mask of Restrict are off-limits. You use either, you forfeit this duel."

"I kinda expected that," said Nichole. "Fine by me…"

Sven grinned again.

"I'll try to make this as painless as possible…" he said. "Heh, heh…"

(Nichole: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Sven: 8,000)

"Age before beauty, princess," said Sven.

He drew his first card.

"I'm goin' first…"

He looked over his hand.

He fit two cards into the Disk, and a facedown card and a facedown Monster appeared.

"Now I play… Foolish Burial," he said.

He played the Spell Card, and then discarded Granmarg the Rock Monarch.

Ditching one of his Monarchs? thought Nichole. Why?

He opened the Field Slot on his Disk.

"I activate Tomb of the Elemental Imperium!" he shouted.

Nichole stepped back in shock as the warehouse around her melted away, and a large, underground burial chamber surrounded them. There were four banners to each side of them with a stone statue below each one. Each of these eight banners seemed to represent one of the Attributes of Duel Monsters (with two each for Light and Dark) and there was a statue below each of them.

"All I need to keep this Field Spell in play," he said, "is make sure that a Monarch is in my Graveyard. That's why I sent Granmarg there. We'll get to what it does later.

"That… oughta do it…"

Nichole looked around at the spooky tomb, wondering what it did. But she looked more closely at the hidden Monster as she made a draw.

It's most likely a Monster that will Special Summon another Monster when I destroy it, she thought, giving him a sacrifice for one of his Monarchs…

I have to avoid that at all costs…

"I summon Amazoness Trainee!" she shouted.

With a shout, the young Amazon in a zebra skin leapt onto the field, swinging her spiked chain. (1,500 ATK)

"Sorry to ruin your plans, Sven," she said, "but when Trainee smashes your Monster, she'll send it to the bottom of your deck instead of the Graveyard!

"Attack!"

Trainee rushed at the hidden Monster. A winged cherub holding a bow and arrow appeared on the card.

"Skelengel?" asked Nichole.

"Yes," said Sven. "And its Flip-Effect still happens, even though it didn't go to the Graveyard.

He drew a card.

"I'll set one card facedown," said Nichole, as a facedown card appeared behind Trainee, "and I end my turn…"

Sven made a draw.

"Of course," he said, "you, like many people, likely think that my mind is as weak my body is strong… Well, let me show you just how wrong that assumption is…"

"The effects of this Field Spell are dramatic… I get to conjure up a Spirit of the Elemental Imperium Token every one of my Standby Phases."

A small Monster appeared in front of him. It looked like a Monarch, wearing golden armor, but it was only four feet tall. (500 ATK)

"And now, I sacrifice it…"

The Token vanished.

"…for Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!"

A twelve-foot tall giant dressed in white armor with a golden discus on his back, with an electric globe for a cranium, appeared in its place. (2,400 ATK)

"What's more," he continued, "the Field Spell also increases a Monarch's Attack Score by 600 points!"

(3,000 ATK)

"No fair!" screamed Nichole.

"Blame the card designer!" laughed Sven. "Now I activate his effect. Too bad for your Amazon…"

Zaborg reached for Trainee. She screamed as electricity shot through her body, and then she was blown into pixels.

"No…" said Nichole.

"Now, Zaborg attacks you directly!" shouted Sven.

The Thunder Monarch formed a ball of crackling lightning in its hands…

"I activate… Draining Shield!" shouted Nichole, as her facedown card shot up.

"I think not…" said Sven.

His facedown card lifted up.

"I activate Dark Bribe. You get one draw, but your Trap Card is no more."

Nichole sighed as the Trap shattered. She drew a card. Then she screamed as Zaborg's blast plowed into her.

(N: 5,000) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 8,000)

"I next play Fragment of Greed," continued Sven, as the same Continuous Spell that the Flying Dutchman had used appeared in front of him.

"It's your move…"

Nichole drew a card.

She threw a card on her Disk, and Amazoness Fighter appeared in front of her. (1,500 ATK)

"Now there's a woman I can relate to," said Sven.

Nichole frowned, and threw another card into her Disk. A facedown card appeared.

"Make your move…" she said.

"I draw…" said Sven.

"And I use the effect of my Field Spell again," he said.

Another Spirit of the Elemental Imperium Token appeared. (500 ATK)

"Now I'll sacrifice it…"

The second Token vanished.

"…for Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch!"

A giant just as big as Zaborg appeared, this one wearing Japanese-style plate armor with fire shrouding its hands. (2,400 ATK) –) (3,000 ATK)

"This Monarch doesn't destroy a Monster on the field," continued Sven, "it destroys a card in your hand."

Thestalos threw a small fireball, and it struck the Amazoness Chain Master in Nichole's hand, setting it on fire.

"Yee-ouch!" she shouted, as she dropped it. "Hot, hot, hot!"

"It's about to get hotter," said Sven. "And because Chain Master is a Level 4 Monster, you lose 400 Life Points.

"Now, Zaborg, attack her Fighter! Rolling Thunder!"

Zaborg blasted his wave of lightning, and Fighter was incinerated.

"Thestalos, attack…"

"I activate… Pride of Tribe!" shouted Nichole, as her facedown card lifted up.

Amazoness Swords Woman appeared where Fighter had been. (1,500 ATK)

"Well, in that case…" said Sven.

He threw a Quickplay Spell into his Disk.

"I activate Blazing Blade of Surtr. This lets my Monarch attack directly, so long as I cut its Attack Score in half."

A huge, flaming sword appeared in the Firestorm Monarch's hands, and his Attack Score fell to 1,500. Nichole screamed as it closed in on her and hit her hard. She fell to her knees.

(N: 3,100) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 8,000)

"That's right, Nichole, on your knees," said Sven, as the sword vanished and Thestalos's score returned to 3,000. "I like a woman that way…"

He chuckled again.

"Your move…"

"I take back what I said, Sven…" said Nichole, quietly. "You aren't a dog…"

She got up.

"I should have called you a pig."

"Say WHAT?" shouted Sven.

"Of course, you always were a chauvinist…" muttered Nichole. "As nasty as Roxy was, I have to pity her… She never realized that all the male Serpents saw her as nothing more than something to play with.

"Hell, you always bragged to the Aware members of the gang about your dad, the mighty fire giant warrior, who you now tell me got smashed by a mountain giant who he mouthed off to. What happened to your mother, dare I ask? You never mentioned her once!"

She drew a card.

"So I guess I'm starting to realize what the whole 'turning point' actually was… It wasn't when the Shadowchasers toppled your gang… It was when I rejected you. You wanted me to believe that the Serpents' way of life was the path to easy street, but I knew otherwise.

"It's like what someone I know said recently… We all have to make a decision when we start down the road of life… Some folks choose the straight and narrow… It's the easy and safe route, but it leads to obscurity.

"Others, like me, choose the winding path… It's harder, and often more dangerous, but it leads to rewards, and those who choose it leave their mark upon the world.

"And then there are folks like you… They find roads that offer easy paths that promise to lead towards glory… But more often than not, they are nothing more than dead ends…"

"Who told you that?" asked Sven with a smug smile, as he crossed his arms. "That Chinese guy who lives on Crescent Avenue who always talks to his plants?"

Nichole a card on her Disk.

"I set a facedown," she said.

A facedown card appeared behind Amazoness Swords Woman.

"Then, I play the Field Spell, Amazoness Village," she said. "That gets rid of your easy way to summon Monarchs, by the way…"

Sven gasped in horror as his Tomb crumbled into dust. Both of his Monarchs fell to an Attack Score of 2,400. The rainforest village full of thatched huts rose up around them. Swords Woman's Attack Score rose to 1,700 ATK.

"I end my turn…" she said.

"Humph…" said Sven.

He drew a card.

"I've had two Draw Phases since I played Fragment of Greed," he said, "which means I can ditch it to draw two cards…"

He made two draws.

"I have other ways to summon Monarchs," he said. "Here's one of them… Jester Confit…"

The short, portly jester that the Mean Emcee had used appeared in front of him. (0 ATK)

"Because that was a Special Summon," he said, "I can sacrifice it…"

He played his last card, and the Jester turned into an orb of light.

"…for Kuraz the Light Monarch."

The orb of light burst, and a new giant appeared, dressed in golden armor, a cape, a full-head helmet, and a ring on its back. (2,400 ATK)

Nichole was a little surprised. This was one Monarch she had yet to see.

"This Monarch can't attack on the turn it's summoned… But it can destroy two cards on the field…"

Nichole sighed.

"Sorry…" she said, looking at Swords Woman.

"What are you talking about?" asked Sven. "She's perfectly safe…"

Then to Nichole's utter shock, both Zaborg and Thestalos shattered into pixels.

"You're probably wondering why I decided to trash my own cards," said Sven. "Well, because the cards that Kuraz destroyed were mine, I get to draw one card for each…"

He made two draws.

"Mmm…" he said. "Your move…"

"You made a mistake, pal…" said Nichole, as she drew a card.

"I sacrifice Swords Woman…"

Swords Woman dissolved into grains of light.

"…for Amazoness Queen!"

The Queen trod onto the field, glaring angrily at Sven and his huge Monarch. Kuraz may have been bigger, but she radiated just as much authority. (2,400 ATK) –) (2,600 ATK)

"And now that mistake is gonna cost you," said Nichole. "Attack his Light Monarch! Blade of Hippolyta!"

The Queen leapt at Kuraz, and with one slash of her scimitar, blasted the Light Monarch into pieces of broken gold.

"Make your move…" said Nichole.

(N: 3,100) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 7,800)

"You think I made a mistake?" asked Sven, as he made a draw. "You really think I did?

"Uh-uh… I was hoping you'd summon your Queen…

"I play the Spell Card, Call of Jotunhelm," he said, as he played a Spell Card.

"Jotunhelm is where the giants came from, you know. My dad always talked about it… It was the sort of place that giants dreamed of going to, where they once lived like kings, but could never find any more…

"You know how it is… The fire giant clans who live in Norway are certain that Jotunhelm is in Siberia… But if you ask the frost giants who live in Siberia, they're certain that it's in Scandinavia."

"If I remember my Norse mythology, it wasn't on Earth at all..." muttered Nichole.

"What?" asked Sven.

"Oh, never mind…" said Nichole.

"Anyway," continued Sven, "this spell lets me Special Summon a Monarch from my Graveyard, so long as I cut its Attack Score in half."

Thestalos appeared in front of him again. (1,200 ATK)

"And now I'll sacrifice him…"

Thestalos vanished.

"…for Raiza the Storm Monarch!"

A windstorm started over the Village, and another twelve-foot-tall Monarch appeared. This one had green, ribbed armor and a cape, and a head that vaguely resembled a bird's. (2,400 ATK)

"And its effect lets me blow one card back to the top of your deck," said Sven. "And I choose your Queen!"

The windstorm started up again, and Amazoness Queen struggled, only to be blown off her feet. She vanished into mist.

"I activate… Threatening Roar!" shouted Nichole, as her facedown card lifted up.

Sven put his hand on his hip in disgust.

"In that case," he said, as he held up a card. "I'm getting rid of this Field Spell…

"Mystical Space Typhoon!"

A cyclone erupted around the Village, and the huts were blown to pieces. The rain forest faded away.

He set a card on his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

"Make your draw…" said Sven. "Not like we both don't know what it's gonna be…"

Nichole drew a card, which, naturally, was Amazoness Queen.

I'm being pounded, she thought. What will happen to me if I lose here? Will what happened in the past really be undone? Will my present self be… erased?

She set another card on her Disk, and a set Monster appeared.

She nodded.

"Humph…" said Sven, as he made a draw. "Seems you have more lives than a cat from Hell…

"No matter…"

His facedown card lifted up.

"I activate the Trap Card, Level Conversion Lab," he said. "This is kind of complicated, so listen carefully. I first have to show you a Monster in my hand.

"I think you may have heard of my ace card…

He flipped the card around, and Nichole looked at it. Delg the Dark Monarch? She had certainly heard about it, but had never seen it…

"Now, a die is going to roll," continued Sven. "If it comes up one, I have to toss this card. Any other number, and that's the Level of this Monster for the rest of the round."

A die flew out of the card, and it skipped and bounced. It came to a stop on the three.

"Not bad," said Sven. "That means I can summon it as a Level 3 Monster… Without a sacrifice."

Yet another Monarch appeared. This one was dressed in black plate armor and a dark cape, with a fiendish-looking helmet. (2,400 ATK)

But it has to be Tribute Summoned to use its effect… thought Nichole. Doesn't it?

"Like its Light counterpart, Delg cannot attack during the turn it is summoned," said Sven, "but what it can do, is use its effect no matter how it's summoned. And that effect is a powerful one…. it can remove two cards in your Graveyard from play…"

Nichole looked shocked as Swords Woman and Trainee fell out of her discard slot.

"…and then it can send two more cards from your deck to the Graveyard!"

Two cards flew off the top of Nichole's deck to the Graveyard pile.

"Now, Delg may not be able to attack… But Raiza sure can!

"Attack her Monster! Death Gale!"

Raiza lifted its cloak, and a blast of wind blew towards the Monster. Warrior Lady of the Wasteland appeared on the card, and shattered.

Nichole grinned, and a second Warrior Lady appeared in front of her. (1,100 ATK)

Sven growled.

"I end my turn…" he said with a snarl.

Nichole made a draw.

"So, Delg is your best card, eh?" she said.

Warrior Lady of the Wasteland dissolved into grains of light, and the Queen leapt onto the field again. (2,400 ATK)

"Guess what, Sven?" she said. "Since my Queen can't be destroyed by battle, she's just strong enough to topple your big, bad Monarchs!

"Attack! Destroy Delg the Dark Monarch!"

Amazoness Queen leapt at the sinister Spellcaster, and made three slashes with her sword, making three deep cuts. Delg shivered for a second, and then burst into pieces of broken metal.

"I end my turn…"

"You destroyed my ace card…" growled Sven.

He drew a card.

"No-one ever dared do that before…

"Nichole… Now I'm getting very angry!"

He threw a card into his Disk, and a Continuous Spell appeared behind Raiza, one that Nichole had never heard of.

"Imperial Powers?" she said, looking at it. "What does that do?"

"I'm only going to explain this once," said Sven. "First, I take one Monarch from my Graveyard…"

Zaborg slipped out of his discard slot.

"Then, I Equip it to a Monarch on the field like an Equip Spell."

Raiza's armor mutated, turning into an amalgamation of its actual armor and that of Zaborg.

"You wanted to know what Imperial Powers does? With Zaborg Equipped to Raiza, it has Zaborg's effect once per turn, so long as I discard a card."

"Where did you get all these cards?" asked Nichole.

"I told you that working for Vance had its benefits," said Sven. "So, I'll discard this to destroy your Amazoness Queen."

He discarded his last card, Samsara Kaiser, and lightning struck Amazoness Queen, obliterating her.

"You're next!" he shouted. "Attack directly! Lightning Tempest!"

Nichole screamed as a powerful surge of electricity shocked her from head to toe. She collapsed.

(N: 700) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 7,800)

"Can't give up…" she moaned. "Can't let the bastard win…"

"Let me win?" laughed Sven. "Are you suggesting that I'm not capable of winning?

"Believe me, Nichole, I've beaten duelists far better than you…

"In fact, you're even better at this card game now than your brother ever was… The one time we dueled, he didn't even last this long. Like I said, he was stupid…"

Nichole glared at him. She quickly stood up.

"Wrong thing to say, buster…" she said.

She drew a card.

"I activate The Warrior Returning Alive," she said, as she played a Spell Card.

A card fell out of her discard slot, and she quickly took it. It was one of the cards he had sent to the Graveyard with Delg.

Okay, secret weapon time! she thought. Let's just hope that Sven does what I think he does…

"I throw a card facedown," she said, "and then summon another Amazoness Fighter."

Another of the muscular Amazons appeared (1,500 ATK), and a set card appeared behind her.

"I end my turn," she said.

"Humph," said Sven.

He made a draw.

"I play Imperial Tariff," he said. "You draw one card, I draw two… But I can't activate any of my cards this round except the ones that are already face-up."

Nichole made a draw, and Sven made two draws.

He looked at the two cards. Then he quickly discarded one of them, By Order of the Emperor.

"I'll get rid of this to destroy your Fighter!" he shouted.

Lightning started to course around Raiza.

"I activate… Dramatic Rescue!" shouted Nichole.

Fighter vanished, and her card reappeared in her hand.

"So Raiza's effect has no target."

Lightning struck, but it hit nothing.

"Then, I Special Summon a new Monster from my hand… However, while the rescued Monster had to be an Amazon… This one can be any Monster…"

The lights dimmed, and a powerful female Warrior leapt onto the field. She had ebony skin, long black hair, and eyes that were shimmery silver pools. She wore an armored halter and skirt, and a silver crown set with one white gemstone, along with a long, black cape that looked like the night sky. (2,600 ATK)

"What in the name of Ymir's beard?" gasped Sven. "That's Crescent Moon Queen! How'd you get a card that rare?"

"Marc gave it to me," replied Nichole.

"How'd HE get a card that rare?" demanded Sven.

"He won it at the Big Club," said Nichole. "You know, the high-stakes gangland poker tournament that was held at Hollywood Casino Aurora? You sent him to it as one of your representatives."

"Why that dirty…" said Sven. "He was supposed to give me first pick of anything he won! That card wasn't even included in what he showed me!

"And… And I even had them strip-searched…"

"AND 'Four Face' Freddy was there to make certain no-one pulled a fast one," added Nichole.

'Four Face' Freddy had probably been the most hated member of Vance's gang. He was a toadying lackey to Vance, and a master of disguise (sort of) whose job was to spy on other members of his gang – including the Blue Serpents – and report any disloyalty.

"Marc knew how thoroughly he'd be searched," said Nichole, "and he knew that Freddy was there. He always thought that Freddy's disguises were kind of pathetic. He knew you'd take that card, because he knew how greedy you were. But he wanted me to have it. And the card was out of your reach before Freddy even knew it was there.

"As soon as Marc won the pot that included the card, he hid it in a wad of cash so that Freddie wouldn't notice it right away. Now, you might remember that the casino's hotel where the tournament was being held didn't allow smoking in its convention halls. That was bad news for Freddy, who was a four-pack-a-day smoker. So, when he took a break to go smoke, Marc told the other Serpents that he was going to use the rest room. But he actually went to the hotel's gift shop.

"He bought a gift card, envelope included, and a stamp. He put this card in the gift card, put it in the envelope, stamped it, used the pen he always carried to address it to our apartment, and threw it into the hotel's outgoing mail. It took him only five minutes, and no-one, not even Freddy, was at all the wiser.

"Seems he wasn't as dumb as you thought he was."

Sven fit his last card on his Disk, and a facedown card appeared.

"I end my turn!" he shouted.

Nichole drew a card.

She looked at it hard.

"My Queen attacks your Storm Monarch!" she shouted. "Crescent Sword Slash!"

Crescent Moon Queen drew two crescent-shaped falchions, and made a rush at Raiza, with two slashes, the Storm Monarch shattered into pieces of green metal.

"And I'm not done with you," said Nichole, "because Crescent Moon Queen gets two attacks!"

Crescent Moon Queen rushed at Sven. He looked like he was about to activate his facedown card…

Then apparently he changed his mind, and stopped. The Queen hit him hard with her sword. Sven grunted and fell backwards, landing hard on the ground with a crash.

"That was for Marc," said Nichole with a sneer.

"Of course, now my Queen has to move to Defense Mode, because she attacked twice…"

The Queen sheathed her blades, and knelt down in a defensive position. (1,700 DEF)

She fit the card she had just drawn into her Disk, and it appeared facedown behind the Queen.

"Make your move…."

(N: 700) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 5,000)

Sven drew a card.

"I activate… Pot of Avarice," he said.

He took Samsara Kaiser, Delg, Kuraz, Raiza, and Zaborg, and shuffled them into his deck. He made two draws.

He smirked.

"I Special Summon Gilasaurus," he said.

He threw the card on his Disk, and the small raptor appeared. (1,400 ATK)

"I also get to Special Summon a Monster," said Nichole. "I summon Amazoness Queen from my Graveyard!"

The Queen appeared, looking quite angry at Sven. (2,400 ATK)

Then Sven laughed. He laughed long and loud.

"I was hoping you'd do that…" he said with an evil grin.

His facedown card lifted up.

"I play Call of the Haunted to summon Thestalos from my Graveyard!"

In a flash of energy, Thestalos appeared again. (2,400 ATK)

"Big deal," said Nichole. "Him, I know for a fact you have to Tribute Summon to use his effect."

"But I have someone else…" said Sven, holding up his final card. "You see, Delg may have been my ace, but it wasn't my best card…

"Not even Marc knew about this guy… I only took him out for special occasions…

"And the only way to summon him is to remove another Monarch from play… So goodbye Thestalos…"

The Firestorm Monarch vanished, and a dark, creeping shadow started to form…

"…hello Nergal the Night Monarch!"

The creeping shadow gave way to total darkness. Nichole couldn't see the Monster clearly. All she could see was a large humanoid form in the darkness, with two glowing eyes peering out. (3,300 ATK)

"Is your Night Monarch going to show himself, or is he going to stay hidden in the dark?" asked Nichole.

"Legend has it that if you did see him, you'd die of fright," said Sven. "But you can see how many Attack Points he has. And he also can't be destroyed by card effects.

"Your Amazoness Queen might survive this attack… But with only 700 Life Points left… Well, do the math…

"Nergal… Attack with Dark Embrace…"

Then the darkness literally rushed at Amazoness Queen, like a dark hand reaching to grab her. Nergal's two glowing eyes looked at Nichole hungrily…

"You haven't beaten me yet!" shouted Nichole.

Her facedown card lifted up.

"I activate Amazoness Ambush!"

"Amazoness Ambush?" said Sven. "What does that do?

Nichole held up the Amazoness Fighter in her hand.

"It draws your attack away from my Queen," said Nichole, "and forces your Night Monarch to battle an Amazoness in my hand.

A phantom form of Fighter appeared on the field. (1,500 ATK)

"In your hand?" shouted Sven. "That doesn't make sense!"

The wave of darkness charged Fighter. She gasped, as she was slowly engulfed by it.

After a few seconds, she was gone.

Nichole sighed.

"The guy's father was twenty feet tall, and he says my Trap Card doesn't make sense…" she muttered.

"Anyway… Even though Fighter had to be in Attack Mode, her effect was still valid, and I took no damage."

"Well, now what?" asked Sven. "Just move, and hurry up."

Now what? asked Nichole. Good question… I don't have anyone who can stand up to that guy…

She drew a card.

Then again…

Crescent Moon Queen stood up. (2,600 ATK) She looked at Amazoness Queen and nodded. Amazoness Queen nodded back with a smile.

"What's going on?" asked Sven.

"I'll show you," said Nichole.

She played the card she had just drawn.

"I play Gift of the Martyr!" she shouted.

"I send Amazoness Queen to the Graveyard…"

Amazoness Queen dissolved into grains of light.

"…and her Attack Score is added to Crescent Moon Queen's!"

(5,000 ATK)

"Oh… shit…" said Sven.

The Dark Queen made a rush for those eyes. She struck with her sword, and an unholy scream filled the air…

The darkness fell apart, shattering like glass.

"She gets to attack twice, remember?" said Nichole.

"Crap!" shouted Sven. "Why didn't I summon Gilasaurus in Defense Mode?"

"Because the size of your ego matches the size of everything else about you," said Nichole. "Except your brain. You were so confident you'd beat me last turn, why not summon it in Attack Mode?"

The Queen made a swipe with the sword in her left hand, beheading Gilasaurus. Sven screamed.

(N: 700) - - - - - - - - - - (S: 0)

Nichole was breathing heavily. Sweat was pouring down her brow.

Sven was gone. Whatever he had been, whether he had been a demon or some dark vestige, he had retreated back to whatever Hell he had come from.

Nichole almost wished it could have been the real Sven… But still, she felt a small bit of closure now…

She took the Crescent Moon Queen card off her Disk. She closed her eyes and sighed.

Then she returned it to her Side Deck.

She did a quick check. Her sword had been returned to the sheath on her back, and the rest of her equipment was on her belt.

Well, I'm glad that's over, she thought.

A portal opened in front of her. She took another deep breath, and walked through it.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

CRESCENT MOON QUEEN (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Warrior/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 7
ATK: 2,600
DEF: 1,700

Card Description: This card can attack twice in the same Battle Phase. If this card attacks twice in the same Battle Phase, move it to face-up Defense Position at the end of the Battle Phase.

Note: "Crescent Moon Queen" first appeared in "City of Souls".

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

NERGAL THE NIGHT MONARCH (Monster Card)

Card Specs

Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 8
ATK: 3,300
DEF: 1,600

Card Description: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by removing 1 Level 5 or higher "Monarch" Monster you control from play. This card cannot be destroyed by Spell Cards, Trap Cards, or the effects of Effect Monsters.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

CALL OF JOTUNHELM (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: Mobius the Ice Monarch sitting on a throne surrounded by Ice Knights.

Card Description: Special Summon 1 "Monarch" Monster from your Graveyard. Reduce its ATK by half.

Note: "Call of Jotunhelm" and "Nergal the Night Monarch" first appeared in "Dark Messiah".

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

TOMB OF THE ELEMENTAL IMPERIUM (Spell Card)

Field Spell

Image: An underground burial chamber with eight banners, one with a symbol representing one of the eight Monarch monsters, hanging beneath a matching stone statue.

Card Description: Destroy this card if you do not have at least 1 "Monarch" Monster in your Graveyard. All face-up "Monarch" Monsters gain 600 ATK and DEF. The controller of this card can Special Summon a "'Spirit of the Elemental Imperium Token" (Warrior/Earth/Level 1/500ATK/500DEF) to his side of the field during each of his Standby Phases. "'Spirit of the Elemental Imperium Tokens" cannot be used for a Synchro Summon or a Tribute Summon for any Monster except a "Monarch" Monster.

Note: "Tomb of the Elemental Imperium" was created by fanfic author Metal Overlord 2.0. Thanks for the suggestion!

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

IMPERIAL POWERS (Spell Card)

Continuous Spell

Image: Zaborg the Thunder Monarch sitting on a throne issuing a command to Thunder Knight.

Card Description: Select one face-up Monster you control that is Level 6 or lower. Select 1 Level 6 or lower Monster in your Graveyard whose effect is activated when it is Tribute Summoned, and Equip it to the selected Monster as an Equip Spell Card. The selected Monster's effect(s) is negated. Once per turn, you may discard 1 card from your hand to use the effect that would activate when the Monster Equipped to the selected Monster would be Tribute Summoned as the effect of this card. If the selected Monster or the Monster Equipped to the selected Monster is removed from the field, destroy this card. If this card is removed from the field, destroy the selected Monster.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

IMPERIAL TARIFF (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: Harpie's Brother handing a bag of gold to Raiza the Storm Monarch.

Card Description: You cannot Summon or set Monsters, activate Trap Cards, or activate other Spell Cards from your hand during the turn you use this card. You can only use this card if you control at least 1 face-up "Monarch" Monster on the field and have at least 3 "Monarch" Monsters in your Graveyard. You draw 2 cards, and your opponent draws 1 card.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

BLAZING BLADE OF SURTR (Spell Card)

Quickplay Spell

Image: Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch holding a sword made of fire.

Card Description: Select 1 "Monarch" Monster you control. The selected Monster may attack directly with its ATK halved this turn.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

AMAZONESS AMBUSH (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: Similar to "Hidden Soldiers", except that the Warriors fighting the dragon and the ones hidden behind the ridge are all Amazons.

Card Description: Activate only when your opponent declares an attack. Select 1 "Amazoness" Monster in your hand. The battle is conducted as if the attacking Monster was attacking the selected Monster, with the selected Monster as the new target. The selected Monster is considered to be in Attack Position.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Next:

Karl: Sometimes fate throws you a curveball… And sometimes it gives you something that you pretty much have to see to believe.

That demon said I'd face an adversary that represents a turning point in my life… I'm here, and this duelist is not what I expected. She doesn't seem dangerous at all, and I'm wracking my brain trying to remember where I saw her before.

Being a fan of science fiction, I'm certain that any time now, the surprise twist is going to reveal itself, and the true danger of my situation is going to become apparent. Until then, the only thing I can do, I suppose, is duel.

"The Defining Duel; A Defined Duelist" is coming soon.