Hello everyone!
I gotta say, this chapter - plus the one that follows - are likely chapters I've had the most fun writing in a long time. Outlining them, however, was another story. The complex - and unorthodox - duel had to be rewritten at least three times and edited… Well, a lot. It was brutal, hard work, and kind of why I saved it for the finale of "Flood Season".
So, kick back, relax, grab a beverage, as we begin the final stretch of the race to save Cauldron as the rain starts to fall harder…
Oh, and I would like to thank MultiplePersonas for the use of his cards. For ease of space, I will not list the info for those at the end of the chapter, but will gladly provide that information via PM, as I'm certain he would.
Edit: As MultiplePersonas has just reminded me, the Dark World cards were, in fact, designed by RocketKnight777, so credit for such goes to him.
0-0-0-0-0
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Flood Season
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Chapter Fourteen
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Encouragement
0-0-0-0-0
"Left," said Cammy.
They had been going down this long, sloping corridor for almost twenty minutes, and this was the fifth time they had come to a four way intersection; each time, Cammy would say "left", "right", or "straight". Each was the path that took them lower and lower, into the dark sub basements of the compound.
And the darkness now was uncanny. Their lamps still supplied enough light to see where they were going, but far less than before, and the shadows their lights created seemed more menacing and ominous. That same feeling of being watched that Francis had felt in the city above, it was definitely here too, along with a feeling that something was waiting for them, and the feeling seemed to grow with each turn they took.
"Like going down SCP-167," muttered Sonya. Noticing that Malakar was about to ask something in response, she added, "I'll tell you later."
There was little doubt now among the three Shadowchasers as to whether Cammy was going to turn on them and lead them into a trap, and they were now far more concerned with when and how she was planning to. Despite this, changing their minds and going on without her was no longer a choice. Getting lost in a place like this - or worse, not getting lost and winding up having to face whatever nightmare was at the bottom of this pit on their own - didn't seem the better way. So, for now, they followed her directions.
Only a minute or so after they took the left, they started to hear whispering and snickering noises behind them. "What?" said Francis and turned around.
Standing there were three figures, about the size of gnomes, but hunched over, with long arms dragging on the ground. Then they grinned and opened their eyes…
…or rather, each of them opened a single eye, as each had only one, with a slitted pupil and sickly green sclera. Each single eye took up half the creature's face. Their grins showed that their mouths were twice the size - proportionately - of humans', and the sudden increase in illumination showed they had long fingernails - which were longer than the fingers they were attached to - and pointed spurs all over their bodies.
"WHAT?" he shouted, louder. Unfortunately, the creatures burst out laughing and then fled down the hall; they were quickly lost in the darkness.
"A little louder, Francis," said Cammy, "don't think they heard you in Tokyo."
"What are those things?"
"Nothing." Seeing the angry looks of her captors, she sighed and said, "Fine, it was something but nothing we need be concerned with."
"You will need to explain better than that," said Red Feather.
"Ugh… In case you mainlanders forgot," started Cammy, suddenly sounding more somber than before, "this complex was once an outpost for the Kopru. They were very bad news. Most Shadows and Awares think they were 'aquatic illithids', but that only scratches the surface. They had the same potent psychic abilities, yes, but they also researched dark magic of primordial nature, and… blended the two in ways they were never intended to… You know all the stories where mad scientists are warned about 'things man was not meant to know'?"
"That tends to be the reason they are driven mad," answered Sonya.
"Exactly, the Kopru were the type who had a yearning for all that forbidden knowledge and went farther researching it than most mortals are able to." She pointed to her left temple. "After all, you can't lose what you don't have! Heh. And you may have noticed by now, Cauldron as a whole used to have a lot of Shadowkind like that living on the island. Ophidia, kuo-toa, even demonic denizens of the Lower Planes, all ancient races who knew the primal secrets of the world that younger races should avoid. There's something on this island they knew about that that they guarded jealously. Some believe that's what Salazar was really after. Some even believe he found it."
"And this has to do with those things because -"
"Was getting to that. Even if a mortal mind can safely tolerate such forbidden knowledge, it can't always contain it. Sometimes when creatures like Kopru sleep, their dreams cause 'leaks', causing the sleeper's own psychic powers to give their dreams a sort of pseudo-life. Takilar called them 'figments'.
"Kopru tend to dream of weird things. Live down here long enough, you get used to them after a while. Left again."
As they turned into the side corridor, Francis had sudden realization. "Is that why you three came down here in the first place? To find that… ancient knowledge?"
"Maybe, though Ruby said once she figured nobody would be stupidenough to come down after us." The smarmy grin as she said it left no doubt as to what she meant. But it passed quickly. "Course, it also made it hard to convince the Alleybashers to come here."
"Oh, maybe they just didn't like the idea of being poisoned and turned into to undead slaves," said Sonya, rolling her eyes.
"Eh, touché."
"Cammy, look at me for a minute?"
She turned towards Francis, as he lifted his lamp to get a good look at her. She looked annoyed and angry, as any prisoner would. Francis was no psychologist, but this talk did have him wondering if something about all this dark, hidden knowledge about Cauldron's past that Cammy spoke of, what she and her two cohorts seemed to be looking for, was what caused this woman to snap.
He wasn't the one with the right to judge, but on a small level, he started to wonder how much of Cammy was a victim rather than villain…
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Jarl Hranleurt was, as already said, a huge man, about a foot-and-a-half short of being twice as tall as Jenya, and nearly as broad as she was tall. Most of the time, any citizen of Cauldron would claim his beard alone was more intimidating than all the clergy of St. Cuthbert in the city combined.
But not now. The air of authority Jenya radiated at this moment, refusing to turn and face him as she slowly led the way to the foyer - seemed to dwarf him completely.
"I'm glad you finally responded to my query, Asfelkir," she said in a bitter tone, "after all, I only sent it in February."
"I suppose you're going to gloat now," he said with a long heaving sigh.
"I like to think I have a better sense of priorities."
"Look, I can explain…"
Jenya stopped, turned to face him, and with a cross look as she crossed her arms, said, "Fine, explain."
"You want to know why I acted like an aloof, arrogant, lazy, irresponsible hypocrite who wouldn't listen? Fine, it's because I'm an IDIOT, okay?"
"I am tempted to record that comment for posterity," said a voice in front of them, "but as Matron Jenya said, this is not the time nor place."
"Archdeacon Jurgesson," said Jenya to the man who had spoken, "so glad you managed to come."
Unfortunately, the Archdeacon of Pelor wasn't in very good shape. His eyes were bloodshot with bags under them, and his vestments hadn't been washed in days.
"Any word from Pontifex Mellifleur?"
"Not one," said Jurgesson, shaking his head. "I sent an acolyte to the Cathedral of Wee Jas, and he claimed the doors are locked and deadbolted. If anyone is inside, they won't respond."
"That doesn't make sense," grumbled Hranleurt, "Mellifleur is a bitch, but she ain't a coward."
"Regardless, the situation is grim. The lake is already starting to overflow, and it doesn't seem like conventional barriers are going to be enough. The city guard is already working overtime with some volunteers, but we lack materials. A lot of the cement the foundry had was put aside for the Festival grounds." His voice was bitter as he said that, for good reason, and it was hard to blame him. "As of now they've imposed a curfew on anyone else and are trying to prevent panic."
"We'll assign fault later," said Jenya. "It seems Cauldron's salvation rests on the ones I sent to recover those wands, and I doubt they can do it alone. Asfelkir, how many of the Iron Covenant can you spare?"
"I have twenty on duty at the Citadel right now, give me an hour and I can rally up to about thirty more. But that would leave the Citadel and a few of our safehouses with a skeleton crew."
Jenya closed her eyes for a minute. In the back of her mind, she knew this was not a divine test to prove her competence or worth. Neither Cuthbert, Pelor, nor Kord would be so callous in their judgments. But if Cauldron was to be spared, she'd have to treat it as such.
She opened her eyes and said, "Do it."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Ugh, no welcome mat in front of that door."
Sonya's statement was trite, but correct. The corridor had finally ended in a huge, arch-shaped door, with a scary-looking devil face on it, with curved horns, angry eyes, and a huge, wide mouth full of shark-like teeth.
"Yes, Tak designed it that way." Cammy walked up to it, boldly sticking her arm into the devil's mouth. "He figured nobody would be brave enough or stupid enough to do this." She grasped a knob inside the mouth, turned it to the right, and then quickly withdrew it, doing so before the jaws snapped shut. The eyes shut, and the door slowly started to lift into the ceiling.
"Stay close to me," she said softly.
They walked in and saw… black. It seemed everything in this vast, cavernous chamber was made of black stone. Despite this, they could easily make out the rounded black walls and features of the room - as if there were shades of darkness. There were two tall, thick pillars that supported the pinnacled ceiling, and three altars that rested upon a two-step dais that took up about a third of the room.
The pillars carved in a way that was… disturbing. They were intricately carved with skulls, tentacles, demonic shark-like faces (Kopru faces, obviously), grinning demons, and runes of the Kopru's strange language. The two side altars were perfectly rectangular slabs, one with Vecna's symbol on the front, the other with Hextor's (each symbol a recently added alteration) while the larger was the same with a larger, similarly shaped slab placed over it, with the symbol of Pyremius on the front. ("Figures," said Cammy, rolling her eyes.) Of course, their attention was all focused on what was behind the main altar, the one thing in this large room that didn't seem made of black stone, being the color and texture of clay.
Maddie had no means of giving them any third-person account of the golem she saw, and as a result, they were just as put off by this far larger, though seemingly immobile, version of it, a looming and menacing monstrosity more than twice the size of the one Maddie had encountered.
"Sonya, think you can get a reading on that thing?"
"On it, chief," she replied.
"A reading", of course, was done via a device Sonya produced from her satchel, one that most Shadowchasers referred to as a "PKE Meter" - not the actual name, but with a similar purpose. As she focused it on the golem, Cammy looked around and called "Tak? Tak, where are you? Damn, where is that idiot?"
"Maybe he is not at home?" asked Red Feather.
"Don't think he had anywhere to go. Tak?"
"Huh, this is odd," said Sonya. "It's emitting Strong traces of Evil, Chaos, and Divine magic, with Overwhelming Necromantic magic. Not unexpected, but all but the last are dormant. This may be a flesh golem version of the Brass Sentinel."
The Brass Sentinel was something that predated all four of the Shadowchasers here. From what they'd heard, it was a giant clockwork device made not just of brass, but iron and adamantine. It was meant to be a body for an insane derro king (more insane than the typical derro, at least) who was skilled in Earth Elemental magic. Like most evil sorcerers, he wanted to live forever, but unlike most, lichdom didn't appeal to him. Instead, he sealed his own soul in a brass orb that was meant to be placed in the device, where it would function as a brain, the Brass Sentinel becoming his new body. The Shadowchasers prevented this, and as a result, the Sentinel was afterwards little more than an immobile statue.
No sooner had Sonya made his analysis, however, a loud, shrill, cackling echoed through the entire chamber.
"Honestly, Cammy, if I knew you were going to bring guests, I would have cleaned up!"
A figure was now reclining on the largest altar, who obviously hadn't been there before. He seemed taller than the average human and was clothed in a long tattered robe with a hood over his head.
"Takilar, I assume?" asked Francis.
"Stop me if you heard this one," said the figure not answering the question. "A woman walks into a pub, completely naked, holding a poodle under one arm and a two foot salami under the other, and the bartender says to her-"
"We want the wands now, Takilar!" demanded Francis.
"Meh, everyone's a critic nowadays." The gnoll priest sat up; both Sonia and Francis went to reach for their weapons, but Cammy lifted her hand and whispered, "Choose your battles carefully. He's seriously got the field advantage in this place."
"Guess that's the problem with comedy, sooner or later you run into someone who doesn't get the joke."
Sadly, gnolls did indeed act that way. Almost all of them had a sick sense of humor and tended to find humor at the most inappropriate of times. Some believed their hyena-like appearance was a curse leveled upon them for laughing at the victims of some violent and bloody conflict they had caused, one which the Powers of Law did not find funny.
"You know… Sonya, was it? Your comparison there was right to a point. But constructs of metal and stone have exhausted their potential and are now the way of the past. Flesh… enchanted, strengthened, and enhanced, holds the key to the most potent of magics."
"So said Dr. Frankenstein, I believe."
"A man born far too soon for anyone to accept his work, yet not nearly soon enough for anyone to appreciate it."
"You're crazy," added Francis.
"Oh, like I've never heard that onebefore," chuckled Takilar. "Maybe my methods are controversial, but most unorthodox ideas are. Tell me, is coffee good for your health?"
"Say what?"
"An honest question, I'm sure. Talk to a few dozen know-it-all doctors, and I'd wager any amount of money half of them would say the stuff reduces inflammation, improves circulation, protects the liver and improves your, ahem, 'performance with your significant other'. But the other half would say it reduces your lifespan by a decade, causes insomnia, anxiety, high blood pressure… Who's to say who's right and who's wrong."
"This is madness, Tak!" shouted Cammy. "Please, this has gone too far. There's still time to call this off."
Takilar chuckled and stood up. "Easy for you to say, old friend." Then he lowered his hood and undid the sash that tied his cloak together. "Not much left for me to lose now, wouldn't you say?"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
The Athar often made a joke that went along the lines of, churches should encourage disasters and wars, as they see a surge in donations during such events.
Their callous sense of humor was one of the biggest reasons the Athar weren't well-liked. Supposedly one now-deceased Athar claimed he had invented the "priest, minister, and rabbi walk into a bar joke", the fact that Athar is deceased leading to a different type of joke.
Still, the assumption that church services get far more attention during such times wasn't far off. Neither Jenya nor her acolytes had seen such attendance at mass outside of holiday services, and she had certainly never spoken before such a large number, least of all not without a prepared sermon. Still, she did her best.
As she spoke, Falma and Illewyn stood to either side of the pulpit, softly chanting while reading from missals in a language none of the congregation could understand. Some of the long-time churchgoers thought this was Supernal (wishful thinking, Jenya would be the first to admit she knew nobody except Donnie Sinclair himself who could even understand it) or that it was the native tongue of the ancient civilization that St. Cuthbert hailed from (also not likely). Whatever it was, the chanting was indeed a faint channeling of divine magic that caused a calming effect on everyone listening as Jenya spoke; most had come out of stress, worry, fear, or frustration, and such feelings were dangerous to have in this crisis. But right now, most of the burden of reassuring them fell on Jenya herself.
"Thank you all for coming,' she started. "It is wonderful to see so many familiar faces, and so many new faces among them."
Indeed, several orcs, kobolds, and goblins were attending, and seemed to have taken effort to sit as far away as possible from the elf, gnome, and dwarf parishioners. It was truly a shame such lines between them were still obvious, but the inspiration came to Jenya quickly.
"Today, I would like to touch on Cuthbert's Three Virtues," she began. "These are dark and difficult times; many feel now that the current crisis was avoidable and preventable, brought about by misinformation, complacency, and blatant greed. Some feel they have experienced betrayal of trust.
"Yet, we persevere, as we must. Nobody questions the Virtue of Tenacity. In the face of fear, hatred, and doubt, we can continue to stand true to our beliefs… But there are more Virtues to consider.
"Respect is perhaps the first Virtue all must consider upon following Cuthbert's path. I ask all of you, look to the pews to your sides and in front of you. Look to those you would call rivals or enemies. Despite any animosities or grievances, you feel towards them, you will find qualities you may admire, qualities that should be admired. No matter where your overall loyalties lie, conducting yourself with honor towards those you oppose, be they your brothers or sworn enemies, shows respect. Respect must be given for trust to be earned. Such is the beginning of the path towards redemption in Cuthbert's eyes.
"There is one further step towards the path: Compassion. Grudges last long in this day and age, rivalries are far easier to start than they are to lose. It is easy to see the differences you have from someone you distrust, dislike, or disagree with. The challenge is looking beyond how you are different and seeing how you are similar. Through this understanding, you can feel compassion towards those who have suffered hardships and losses, even those of a calling far different than yours. By feeling and understanding compassion in enemy and ally alike, you reaffirm your connection to the world.
"By accepting and embracing these Virtues, Cauldron can survive, endure, and persevere. Life will go on."
She opened her eyes and looked up. Someone had come in during the sermon, a man wearing the uniform of a city courier, but said uniform was wet and dirty.
"Uhm," she stammered, "Sisters Illewyn and Falma will be available for confessional should you have anything else to ask, I will - hopefully join them in twenty minutes or so."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Francis, Red Feather, and Malakar were horrified upon seeing Takilar's face. Even Sonya seemed nervous. Only Cammy seemed unafraid, though her reaction was sadness as she shook her head. She had told them that his botched attempt to become immortal had made him undead, but this was more extreme than they had assumed.
He might have passed for a zombie or ghoul, the latter being a common undead of gnoll stock, but the living corpse Takilar had become was in even worse condition than most of those. The whole left side of his face was rotted away, leaving that half a bare skull with an empty eye socket. His teeth were broken and rotting, yet still sharp and menacing, and the flesh he had left was covered with cancerous pustules and boils. His pelt was covered with mange and the hair was falling out in clumps.
"Heh, actually, this looks a lot worse than it is." Of course, seeing this rotted corpse talk made it worse yet.
"What the devil are you?" asked Red Feather.
"He's a huecuva."
"Malakar?" said Francis, turning to him. They heard Takilar snarl a little, but Malakar went on, his tone as he looked at the rotting undead corpse being one of derision and contempt.
"A curse bestowed as an extreme type of divine punishment, used by some Shadowkind gods when a member of their clergy acts in a way that is completely contradictory to their vows and accepted dogma, usually repeatedly. No surprise to me that Pyremius doesn't tolerate apostates."
Takilar's bony claw curled into a fist, a rage building inside him that everyone couldn't help but notice. "A mere two months ago I would have torn you to shreds for such an accusation," he growled, "but… you're right. It seems my experiments hardly met with his approval. I got what I wanted, but in hardly the most… ideal way."
"Give us the wands, Takilar, you can at least -"
"Oh, I assume you mean these?" he snapped. He moved part of his robe aside, and showed a torso partially rotted away, with three yellowing ribs exposed, and two of the wands (the final two, counting the one Maddie had) wedged inside his ribcage! Francis and Sonya wanted to throw up right now, and even Red Feather was queasy. Still the insinuation was obvious: he wasn't just going to have them over, his response being, "You want these, you'll have to take them."
"Takilar, listen to reason here. There are four of us and one of you. Surely you don't think you can take on all of us?"
"Hmm, I do believe you're right," he said. As he rubbed his chin with his left hand, he casually held his right palm upward, and a blue flame started to burn on it. "Better fix that."
'GET DOWN!" As Cammy screamed her warning, she tackled Red Feather pushing her out of the way and to the floor, crashing into Malakar and taking him to the floor with them. Francis and Sonya dodged in the other direction. It seemed, unfortunately, that Takilar was aiming for Cammy, his fiery spell homing in on her and causing a burst that seemed to consume her, Red Feather, and Malakar.
"And don't call me 'Shirley', by the way."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Excusing herself as she passed through the congregation, Jenya quickly motioned for the messenger to follow her into the foyer.
"It was a marvelous sermon, Matroness," he said.
"Thank you," replied Jenya. "I assume you were sent by Jarl Hranleurt?"
He nodded. "I'm afraid it's bad news."
The messenger quickly explained that Hranleurt and his volunteer members of the Iron Covenant (which were, in fact, a fancy way of saying "church security" for his faction) had found the gatehouse leading to the Kopru ruins, but had discovered that the gatehouse had been ransacked and looted of anything useful, while the transport cage had been destroyed by sabotage, leaving the ruins themselves currently inaccessible.
"We've sent another messenger to the Citadel; there's an acolyte there who's an arbalist; hopefully he can hit the other side of the chasm with a crossbow grapple, and using that we can fashion a -"
"Wait - there is another way."
"Professor?" asked Jenya.
Indeed, the comment had come from Fawley, who quickly removed his slouch hat while entering the foyer to confirm it was him. Behind him was a young woman wearing a Colfer Academy uniform. She had richly tanned skin that seemed a perfect match for her bobbed chestnut hair with bangs and a stoic expression.
Still, she didn't stand out much compared to the typical resident of Cauldron, so Jenya stopped and let Fawley speak. "Indeed, it was an excellent sermon, Matroness Jenya, very uplifting." Before Jenya could again say "thank you", Fawley went on, addressing the messenger. "I may be able to supply access in a much quicker and safer manner. I need you to return to the Jarl and tell them I will be there in ten minutes."
The messenger nodded with a "Yes Sir," and was off in an instant.
"Matroness," he continued, "can you dictate a letter via sending to someone at the Academy?"
She nodded. "All I need is the recipient's name and location."
He took a pocket watch from his jacket and checked the time, noting, "Then this will be the easy part."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Francis got up, holding his head. "What?" he said. Then Sonya grabbed hold of him, quickly helping him to his feet.
He hadn't felt any feet, nor had he heard any scream; the fireball seemed to have vaporized Red Feather, Malakar, and Cammy.
"Hmm, unfortunate," said Takilar.
"What did you do, you mangy bastard?" snapped Sonya.
"Bastard?" Takilar. chuckled. "What makes you think… Hmm… Actually, I grew up in an orphanage, so you're probably right."
"I thought you were on the outs with Pyremius," asked Francis.
"Mm-heh-heh. Yes, I know, it seems the Lord of Nightmares still grants my divine magic, I'm pretty sure that's the whole point. Not only can I still focus his power, it's stronger than before, and grows stronger by the day. A few months and I could be stronger than any of Pyremius' chosen has ever been. Never found it all very funny myself, but hey, like I said, sometimes you just don't get the joke."
This does not make any sense, thought Francis. Is it even supposed to?
"What did you do to them?" demanded Sonya.
"Oh, right, right, them. Sent them to a realm of unending Chaos and torment. Or maybe Monte Carlo, sometimes it's hard to tell the difference."
"Where ARE they?"
"Fear not, mainlanders, I can bring them back." Then he leapt from the altar, landing five meters away - as he confronted them, a Duel Disk appeared on his wrist and activated. "Those three are just my assurance that this goes interrupted."
"You want a duel?" said Francis. "Well fine, bring it on."
"Not just you, both of you."
Francis and Maddie were more than a little surprised. It wasn't often that one of these types demanded they duel two on one.
"Mind if I ask why?"
The huecuva snickered again. "I have my reasons."
"Fine, it's your funeral then," said Francis.
As Francis and Sonya stepped forward, runes on the floor lit up underneath their feet, forming magical pentagrams under each of them, each about a meter in diameter.
"What is this?" gasped Francis.
"I'd say trouble," answered Sonya. She lifted her hand and pushed it forward. Sure enough, there was some invisible barrier around her. They were trapped. Like a personal Orichalcos seal, she thought. Except he didn't create this with any card.
"Calm down, I have one too," remarked Takilar. He pointed to the floor, showing that there was indeed an identical circle around him. "As for what it does, you'll see soon enough. Now, onto this little competition, should I go first or would one of you like to do the honors?"
He cannot be that crazy, thought Francis.
This of course was the problem with a Triangle Duel. Each player was treated as an opponent, and whoever went first would be at a severe disadvantage if the other two "ganged up" on him.
This guy is either foolhardy or he's up to something, thought Sonya. "If it's all the same to you," she said out loud, "then by all means, you may go first."
"Gladly," said Takilar, and then cackled again, louder than before. "It's showtime! DUEL!"
(Francis: 8,000) - - - - - - (Takilar: 8,000) - - - - - (Sonya: 8,000)
"Now, let's see here… I'll set one card, and then play… Card Destruction!"
"Uh, wait, wait, hold up," said Sonya. "You, uhm, sure about that?"
"Of course I am." The gnoll played the card, and the familiar Spell card appeared, projected from the Duel Disk. "So, we discard our entire hands and then draw an equal number of cards."
"Whatever you say," said Sonya. She quickly did so, carefully switching the order of the cards before doing so. "Of course, three of those cards have effects I can use as a result."
"Eh?"
"That's right, first I discarded Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World, whose effect now summons him to the field!"
A creeping dark shadow wafted from below, causing a tall, gaunt, and ugly Fiend to come into being. It had a helmet, chestplate, and codpiece made of bone, and carried a spear. (1,600 ATK)
"Nice outfit," remarked Takilar.
"I also discarded Greii, Inventor of Dark World."
There was a cackling much like Takilar's, and a small, sneaky-looking fiend leapt up in front of Sonya. It wore a dirty lab coat and goggles with dark lenses, and the top of its cranium had been replaced with a glass dome, its brain clearly visible within. It produced a pair of long wrenches and bore them menacingly. (300 ATK)
"Not only was I able to summon him, but because your card was the effect that did so, I get back the Trap Card I just sent to the Graveyard." She recovered the card from her discard slot and continued. "And I also discarded Vilot, Musician of Dark World."
A phantom appeared behind her, that of a tall, dark figure wearing a ragged tuxedo, playing a violin, but producing no audible music. "Which means both the Fiends I have on the field gain 300 additional Attack Points." (Beiige: 1,900 ATK, Greii: 600 ATK)
"Didn't think this through, huh?" asked Francis.
"Bah!" scoffed the huecuva. "Still my turn, I believe, so I still summon Alice, Lady of Lament."
The monster that appeared could hardly be called a "lady", as she looked like a young girl about 12 years old, with a cute smile and long, flaxen pigtails. Still, that hardly hid the fact she was a demon. She had bat-like wings on her back, and her entire body except her head was covered with rough, black, leathery, skin tight armor; whether it was truly armor or some sort of carapace was hard to tell. It had rough ridges on her arms, odd purple highlights, and inlaid gems. She wore a helmet the shape of a skullcap with a smaller set of wings, over small curved horns, and she had a long, barbed tail. The creepiest thing about her was her eyes, which were mismatched. The right one was green with a slitted pupil, the left was deep red. (0 ATK)
"By summoning her, I get to summon a Lady of Lament from my Graveyard, so it is fortunate I just discarded Lilith, Lady of Lament!"
More dark shadows, and a taller lady-demon appeared. She was definitely older than Alice, with red hair, which was again cut in pigtails, but shorter. She had the same skintight carapace as Alice, but with red highlights, and her horns, wings, and tail were all larger. (2,000 ATK)
"Then I can use Lilith's effect, by sacrificing a Dark Attribute Monster, I can take three Trap Cards from my deck."
Alice nodded and then disappeared, and then three large Traps sprung up above and behind Takilar - they were easy to recognize, Dark Spiritual Art - Greed, Dark Oblation, and Painful Escape.
"I only get to keep one of them." The three cards turned back to front, then combined, then separated. "You get to choose which, Mr. Mills."
"Okay, okay, fine let's see." As Francis considered the three cards, Lilith seductively twirled her tail while looking at him seductively. Damn, I did not need this, he thought. "Okay, left card."
"Very well then, the other two go back to my deck -" Two of the larger cards vanished. "-and I'll set the one I have, and because Alice was the sacrifice, I gain a Fiend-Type monster from my deck whose Attacks and Defense Scores combined equal exactly 2,000." Holding up his left hand, a card appeared in it. "And I'm not done. One monster I discarded a moment ago was Gabrielle, Lady of Lament. By banishing her and a second Fiend from my Graveyard, I can summon a Fiend-Type monster from my deck, again with scores that total exactly 2,000. I choose… Barrier Statue of the Abyss."
He placed the two cards in a pocket inside his robe, and a new monster appeared that was indeed a statue, made of black stone and depicting a short, stout imp with small wings, on a pedestal. (1,000 ATK)
Okay, that's trouble, thought Francis.
"Finally, yet another card I discarded was Isolde, Lady of Lament, and I can now banish her card and that of another Lady of Lament. Having done so, I can take a Level 3 Fiend monster and set it on the field.
Again, he stashed the two cards in his robe, causing a third monster, concealed in Defense Mode, to appear in front of him.
"And with that, I conclude my turn."
"About time." Francis drew a card, looking at the Barrier Statue of the Abyss. With that thing on the field, he thought, monsters other than Dark monsters can't be Special Summoned, and because nobody can attack until everyone has drawn once, my options are limited here.
"I'll summon Guardian of Felgrand."
Playing the card caused a big, bulky, tough-looking knight to appear, holding a battle axe and wearing silvery armor and a white, flowing cape. (500 ATK)
"He may not look very tough, but by summoning him, I can take a high-Level Dragon from my Graveyard and Equip it to him. Then, he gains half that monster's Attack Score, so by doing so with Felgrand Dragon -" He fit the card in the space in his Spell Zone and the Guardian's armor and weapon shimmered, turning from silver to radiant gold. (1,900 ATK)
"I'm done, over to you, Sonya."
"Aye-aye!" she replied, and enthusiastically made her first draw.
Okay, let's see here, she thought. I've got Beiige and Greii here, Francis has his… Dragon-Warrior guy, and tall-dark-and-ugly over there has Barrier Statue, Lilith, and his set monster. Still… Are the monsters on the field the ones to worry about?
"I summon Brron, Mad King of Dark World."
As she played the card, there was a hideous cackling, announcing the arrival of the king of the Dark World armies. He was taller than Beiige, but more muscular; he had shark-like teeth and bony spurs on his scalp that suggested hair. His only actual clothing was a long, ragged cloak and a codpiece similar to Beiige's, but more noticeable were the chains wrapped around his torso, binding his arms like some crude straitjacket. (1,800 ATK)
"Since I summoned him, I also get to summon his royal consort, Karnaysha, Wicked Queen of Dark World."
Placing a card on the final space of her Monster Zone called out one more Dark World Fiend, a female version of Brron who looked slightly saner, but just as hideous. Her nails were sharp, bony talons, and she had long, tangled, pink hair. (1,500 ATK)
"Impressive," said Takilar.
"I'll show you impressive, Brron, time to put the hurt of that Statue, Lunatic Lunge!"
The Mad King flexed and threw his arms up, bursting through the chains binding him, and then lunging at the Barrier Statue with a feral roar, and smashing it to pieces. Karnaysha looked a little irked at the display, crossing her arms and shaking her head.
"Now, before the rest of them strut their stuff, Brron's effect lets me toss another of my cards, and I think I'll get rid of Fu-Sha, Martial Artist of Dark World." As she did so, all five of the Fiends were bathed in a dark aura and grew slightly. "Doing so increases their Attack Scores by a further 400 points."
(Beiige: 2,300, Graii: 1,000 Karnaysha: 1,900, Brron: 2,200)
"Also, when Brron uses his effect, Karnaysha uses hers, meaning I can discard another card, and when she does it, it counts as an opposing player's card effect. So, I'll discard Broww, Huntsman of Dark World." Karnaysha shut her eyes, and they appeared open behind Takilar, looking hungrily as Sonya discarded another card."
"Bah, you think that scares me?" the huecuva scoffed.
Francis realized it probably didn't, but Sonya's cards did make him rather nervous.
"Well, via Broww's effect, I get to draw twice." Sonya made two draws, giving them a brief look over. "Okay, now where were we? Right, Beiige, you can put the hurt on Lilith, Lady of Lament!"
The Vanguard twirled his spear dramatically, then lunged at Lilith, stabbing her in and through her torso; the demoness groaned and then shattered.
"The last one's yours, Karnaysha."
The Wicked Queen cupped her hands together, creating an orb of black, fiery shadow, and threw it at the set monster. But then she groaned, "UGH!" from a small backlash as the monster was revealed. It looked like a child vampire prince, wearing long, dark, fancy robes. He held a long staff with a fiendish foot on the lower end and a shrunken head with one eye on the other. (2,000 ATK)
"You just flipped my Terrifying Toddler of Torment," chuckled Takilar, "and as a result, I… Eh?" Francis and Sonya were giving funny looks at him and the monster. "What? Ugh, I didn't name the blasted card, okay? As I was saying, as a result of his Flip Effect, I get to send another Fiend-Type monster from my deck to the Graveyard."
He took the card he wanted, looking briefly at the odd, rock-like creature on the card before discarding that. This will be of use later.
"Well, I'm still not done," said Sonya, "I'll set two cards, and then seeing as Greii is considered a Tuner because I summoned him via his effect, I'll Tune together him, Brron, and Karnaysha -" She pointed upward, sending the three Fiends flying through the shimmering Synchro Rings and dissolving into a cluster of stars.
"The primal energies contained within these monsters combine to spawn an abomination blacker than the darkest Shadow…"
(*4 + *4 + *1 = *9)
"I Synchro Summon, Taion, Defender of Dark World!"
There was a crash that shook the entire chamber as a giant Fiend landed from above. Unlike the earlier tall and gaunt demons, this one was hulking. It was about ten feet tall and almost as wide. Wearing dun-colored fatigue-style armor, it held a large axe that looked disturbingly like a meat cleaver, and had a bandoleer covered with an assortment of sharp knives and hooks which, again, seemed more proper for a butcher than a demonic soldier. (3,100 DEF)
"Finally, summoning him lets me discard one more card, so I'll get rid of Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World. Which of course, means he can use the Graveyard as a quick detour to the field."
The Fiend that appeared this time was a muscular beast who had all the trappings of the iconic demon, horns, talons, claws, and wide, bat-like wings. True to his name, he wore golden plate armor, and held an axe that looked finer made and more proper for use as a weapon. (2,300 ATK)
"And… I'll end my turn." As Takilar drew, she added, "By the way, so long as Taion is there and in Defense Mode, he draws all attacks to him, meaning both Goldd and Francis' Warrior are safe from attacks."
"Good to know," replied Takilar, "and his 3,100 Defense Score would seem to make you two nearly untouchable. But I have no intention of dealing with him that way. First thing's first, you may recall how I banished Gabrielle's card on my last turn along with a second monster. The second monster was Jacqueline, Lady of Lament, and so long as she is still banished, her effect activates during each of my Standby Phases.
"First, this effect I have to choose one of my banished Fiends, like Gabrielle herself." A phantom of another Lady of Lament appeared behind him, with the same skin tight armor, wings, and tail, but with short, bobbed hair, and a pouty expression. "Then, because I selected a Lady of Lament, I draw once, and then get a specific Spell Card from my deck."
After drawing, he took a second card that was dispersed from the center of his deck, giving him now a hand of five cards.
Then, the phantom of Gabrielle leapt up and did a somersault, turning into an orb of darkness as she flipped and then shrinking to fist size and then turning into her card, before finally flying into the bottom of Takilar's deck.
"Now for that specific Spell Card - Dark Omen - Augury of Hextor!"
Francis and Sonya did not like this at all, they had no idea what the picture on the card was supposed to depict. It was a knight in dark, crimson armor, sitting cross legged, holding a disk in front of him, gold with a violet circle in the center. On either side of this strange knight was a dead tree.
"The effect of this card deals 1,000 points of damage to one player, but also makes that player impervious to damage for the rest of the turn. Now, let's see…" He looked at Francis, and then at Sonya. "Meh," he said with a shrug, then made a slashing motion across his chest, and a bolt of energy darted from the card… and curled backwards, striking Takilar.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Back at the ruined and looted gatehouse, the small number of troops gathered by Hranleurt and Jurgesson were starting to get bored. One of them was sitting with his back to the outer wall of the gatehouse, his long sword unsheathed, and sharpening it with a whetstone.
"Is this a fictional character?" The question was asked by another soldier, standing and leaning against the same wall.
"No," came the reply.
"Is this person still alive?"
"No."
"Dead longer than 100 years?"
"Yes. That's five."
Meanwhile, Hranleurt was on the edge of the ravine, peering over towards the other side, rubbing his chin as he visually studied the structure. He looked down, into the dark undersea lake below.
"How much rope do we have? If I could lower myself down I could -"
"I don't think that's safe, Asfelkir," said Jurgesson.
"Eh? I can swim?"
"Drowning might not be the biggest danger with water like that. Not even completely certain it's 'water'. Let's just wait for the Professor before we try anything rash."
"Dead more than 500 years?" asked the first soldier.
The second soldier did a quick sum in his head and answered, "No".
"Born in Asia?"
"No."
"Born in Europe?"
"Yes, four more."
As he started to think about how to phrase the next question, a female soldier nearby butted in, saying, "King Henry VIII ''.
"Lori, do you mind?" he snapped.
"She's right," said the one with the whetstone.
The other soldier sighed and used the wall to slump down into a sitting position. "What the hell are we waiting for, anyway?"
Then a spiraling portal of blue magic started to open in front of them, and he and his friend stood up. "I'd say that," said Lori.
Appearing from the portal was Fawley, along with Illewyn and the young woman who was with him at the church.
"Sorry I'm late," he said.
"I have no idea what this idea of yours is, Fawley," said Hranleurt, "but I really hope it's better than that whole deal with the wand of wonder last March."
"Hranleurt…" said Jurgesson.
"You're never going to let me forget that, are you?" growled the Professor.
"Seriously," chuckled the much larger man, "I would have called that thing the wand of wonder what the fuck the man was thinking."
"The box, Gennifer," growled Fawley.
The young student nodded, and then took something from within her robe, a curious device that looked like a plaque, or rather a stack of them. She handed them to Fawley, who quickly unfolded them into a sort of collapsible box, about twice the size of a shoebox, with runes on each side, a magical thaumaturgy circle on the lid.
"Now, hopefully, Ms. Shale got my message." He traced the runes on the circle with his finger, causing them to turn multiple colors, then touched the center, causing all of them to turn flaming white. Then he opened the box - there was a scroll tube inside.
"Cool," said one of the soldiers. Fawley handed it back to Gennifer, who started to fold it up again. "What is that?" asked Lori.
"Teleportation chamber," answered the Professor. "Ms. Shale has another at the library in Colfer. Put an object inside one, send it to the other, a simple apportation enchantment."
He opened the scroll tube, and added, "This, however, is going to be far more complicated."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"You used it on yourself?"
(F: 8,000) - - - - - - (T: 5,900) - - - - - (S: 7,900)
"Meh, heh, heh, indeed. As I said, as a result, I am impervious to damage this turn, but I also get to draw one card." Drawing once, he gave a hard look at what he had drawn, and said, "Mmm-hmm…"
"Bad draw, Takilar?"
"Mmm, not quite what I wanted, but -" He flipped another card in his hand around, another Fiend-Type with the name Jacqueline, Lady of Lament. "I can discard this monster along with a high-Level Dark monster to draw twice more."
After disposing of the two cards, he drew two replacements… And then started to snicker. "Mmm-hmm," he chuckled. "Heh-heh… BWA-HA-HA-HA!"
"Think he got something good there," said Sonya.
"Oh, definitely," sniggered Takilar, "first I'll summon Ahrima, the Wicked Warden!"
There was a loud, ghostly, ominous howl, and a ferocious hellish hound materialized in front of Takilar. It was huge, its mane reaching to the gnoll shaman's neck, and its hide had both hair and reptilian scales, mangy and gray. It naturally had long claws and nasty, sharp teeth, and had horns and a long tail, both of which looked like those of the Ladies of Lament. (1,700 ATK)
"Uh… nice doggie?" said Sonya.
"Trust me, he isn't the one you should be worried about." Takilar lifted his left arm, and a flick of his wrist caused the Field Zone slot of his Disk to open. "I assume you two aren't afraid of the dark, but you will be once you experience this… The Field Spell, Lair of Darkness!"
Neither Francis nor Sonya was going to dignify Takilar's lame attempt at humor with a reply, but the truth was, they were afraid of the dark; it was, in fact, a common fear among Shadowchasers, a fear that they were encouraged not to hide nor suppress. One theory told that Awareness - the ability to see the Shadows for what they were - cannot be obtained by someone with no fear of darkness or the unknown.
The whole reason Shadowkind were called that is because - as the same theory said - they were hidden, the Veil that blinded most humans to their existence depending on ignorance and complacency in humans. Only those who suspected on some primal level that something was amiss, and the darkness held something dangerous could the psyche learn to adjust and see what was there for what it was.
Mostly conjecture, of course, but be that as it may, this was not ordinary darkness. Rather than being the absence of light, there was something here, like a dark, eerie fog. And unlike the Yami and Mystic Plasma Zone Field Spells, it seemed malevolent and threatening. Both the Shadowchasers swore there were… things in the darkness around them, lewdly gawking at them, but only saw them from the corners of their eyes. Trying to look at them at full glance caused them to withdraw into the deep, eerie darkness.
"So… what does this Field Spell do?" asked Francis.
"For starters, all Monsters on the field are considered Dark-Attribute," explained Takilar. "For the other effects, you'll see in a minute, but first -" Ahrima, the Wicked Warden howled, and the Terrifying Toddler of Torment covered himself with his cape, fading into the darkness and disappearing. "I can use my Warden's effect to sacrifice a Dark monster, and then take a high-level Dark monster from my deck."
His hand of three cards increased to four, and he nodded. "We'll get to that one later, for now -" He used a familiar Spell Card. "- by using the Spell Card, Enemy Controller, I can sacrifice a monster and then take control of one of yours!"
"Oh, damn," said Sonya. It was obvious to her he was going to use it to grab Taion… But to her utter shock, Goldd disappeared into pixels, and then Taion was dragged over to Takilar's side of the field.
"Say WHAT? How did you sacrifice MY monster?"
"Mmm-heh-heh, that is another benefit to the Lair of Darkness. Once per turn, should I need to sacrifice a monster for a card effect, I can use any Dark Monster on the field, not just my own."
Taion stood up into Attack Mode. (2,800 ATK) "Now comes the good part, as Taion puts the hurt on Vanguard of Dark World!"
The hulking Fiend's mighty cleaver swung downward, a blade of energy striking Beiige and slicing him in half. "Ugh," grunted Sonya.
"Now my Warden attacks directly! Savage Howl of Pandemonium!"
The demonic hound let out an ear splitting din, and Sonya screamed, her back slamming against the barrier that held her in that spot.
(F: 8,000) - - - - - - (T: 5,900) - - - - - (S: 5,700)
"Sonya!" shouted Francis.
"I'd focus more on the immediate problem, mainlander. I will activate the Trap Card I got from Lilith, Dark Oblation." The set card lifted, and Taion shattered into particles, which were in turn sucked into the card.
"We'll get to that in a minute. First thing's first, because I just sacrificed a monster… Well, if you recall, I sent a monster to my Graveyard when I used Jacqueline's effect, but this time, I believe I will let this monster speak for himself."
Two huge, reptilian, evil-looking eyes opened behind Takilar, looking hungrily at the two Shadowchasers…
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Are you sure this will work?" asked Hranleurt.
Fawley unrolled the parchment of the scroll and started to go over the writing on it. "When the Archmage Bigby developed this and many other spells, he did so for his own use and that of his apprentices, only donating a few scrolls like this to universities as encouragement when requesting certain favors."
"Uhm," started the Jarl.
"It's a very difficult spell and trying to cast it is a crapshoot."
"Exactly, Archdeacon," said Fawley, with a nod. "This will take two minutes to cast, and once I begin, I cannot stop, so I must request, everyone be silent."
He closed his eyes for a few seconds and waited. Everyone was silent; all he could hear was the soft dripping of water from the cavern ceiling.
He opened his eyes, and slowly started to read the text on the scroll…
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
This guy is full of surprises, thought Francis.
He had suspected, of course, given all the Dark support Takilar had, that Diablos was lurking somewhere in the heucuva's deck. And Diablos, King of the Abyss - often believed to be the true form of the much weaker Dark King of the Abyss, the hated rival of Dark Ruler Ha Des - wasn't that unusual a card. He had even used it himself once or twice. But this… This monstrosity was clearly an evolved form of Diablos that had been corrupted further. It seemed every part of its black, scaly hide was covered with sharp, serrated blades, as well as blood-red tattoos that seemed to shimmer and glow in the darkness of the Lair. (3,000 ATK)
Of course, as terrifying as it was, Sonya couldn't resist finding humor in it: "I have no idea who that is, but I'll bet he never needs a can opener."
Takilar chuckled a little, rubbing his chin as he looked at Sonya. "OH, now I recognize the name, Sonya Clarkson, right? Meh, who else could be so insistent on laughing at the things trying to kill her? Actually, I kind of admire such an attitude."
"Not as easy as you think," she replied, dryly.
"Ah, well, where was I? Oh yes, now that I've summoned Diablos, Lord of the Lair… Attack Guardian of Felgrand! Festering Purge!"
Despite having used Dragon-Type monsters for most of his career, what happened next was unlike anything Francis had ever encountered. The breath weapon spewed from Diablos was like a wave of darkness and pestilence, which struck his Warrior and literally caused him to rot and decay, causing his bones and rusted armor to fall in a heap in front of him before being reduced to dust.
(F: 6,900) - - - - - - (T: 5,900) - - - - - (S: 5,700)
"Ew…" he said. "Okay, okay… Sonya… I know I tend to say this a lot, but, uhm… We're in the fight of our lives!"
"Meh-heh-heh," chuckled Takilar. "You mainlanders have no idea…"
To Be Continued…
Before I go, I'll detail the fanmade cards that are my own work. As previously said, I won't detail the Dark World cards for ease of space, nor will I detail a certain other card – yet – to avoid a spoiler.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Dark Oblation (Normal Trap Card)
Image: An aged wizard in a dark laboratory, on his knees and clutching his throat. Behind him, Lilith Lady of Lament is levitating over a pentagram, using a dark spell to draw his soul from his body.
Effect: Activate only when you control a "Lair of Darkness". Tribute 1 monster whose original (printed on card) Attribute is DARK. During the End Phase of the turn, draw 1 card for every 4 levels the Tributed monster had.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
\
Gabrielle, Lady of Lament (Effect Monster)
Fiend/Dark/Lvl3/200/1,800
Effect: If this card is in your GY, you may banish it and a second "Lady of Lament" monster; if you do, Special Summon a Fiend-Type monster from your deck in Attack Mode whose ATK and DEF combined equal 2,000. The Special Summoned monster cannot use its effect that turn. The effect of "Gabrielle, Lady of Lament" can only be used once per turn.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Isolde, Lady of Lament (Effect Monster)
Fiend/Dark/Lvl3/800/1,200
Effect: If this card is in your GY, you can banish it and 1 other Fiend-Type monster from your GY; then, select 1 Level 3 Fiend-Type monster from your deck and Special Summon it in face-down Defense Mode. Any Flip Effects of the Special Summoned monster cannot be used this turn.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Jacqueline, Lady of Lament (Effect Monster)
Fiend/Dark/Lvl3/600/1,400
Effect: If your "Jacqueline, Lady of Lament" is currently banished during your Standby Phase, you may activate the following effect: Select you're your banished DARK monsters. If the selected monster is a "Lady of Lament" monster, draw 1 card; if it is "Jacqueline, Lady of Lament", draw 2 cards instead. After the resolution of this effect, place the selected monster on the bottom of your deck.
