Chapter Fifteen: Enter the Spire!
The time had finally come. The six Duelists who were able to collect four Decoder Devices would now meet their fate. Their fate, which lay within the Blackheart Spire. All they had to do now was decipher their passwords and enter the Spire.
Nick stood at the first port and entered his four Decoder Devices in the four slots. The screen flickered on and displayed a message.
[NOW DECODING DATA...]
Several seconds later, the screen changed.
[YOUR PASSWORD IS (T R A W E). ENTER THE SPIRE THROUGH THE BLUE DOOR AND INPUT YOUR PASSWORD INTO THE KEYPAD. BE SURE TO DECODE YOUR PASSWORD BEFORE INPUTTING ANY DATA INTO THE KEYPAD. THANK YOU FOR ENTERING THE NEW MEPHISTO CITY TOURNAMENT.]
"I'll see you inside!" Nick walked away, looking around the Spire's doors until he found the blue one. "Okay... T, R, A, W, E... My first Decoder Device says..." He put the other three back into his pocket and pressed the button on the side of the Device.
[WA-]
"WA... Hmmm well the door it blue, so maybe water...? I better make sure." He took out his second Decoder.
[-T-]
"Okay then, it's WATER." He looked at the keypad's small letters and carefully typed in the word 'WATER.' The door opened wide. Nick hesitantly entered...
---
"My turn..." Laurna stepped toward the next port. She gently set the four Decoders into their slots. She got the same message as Nick.
[NOW DECODING DATA...]
[YOUR PASSWORD IS (M L A E F). ENTER THE SPIRE THROUGH THE RED DOOR AND INPUT YOUR PASSWORD INTO THE KEYPAD. BE SURE TO DECODE YOUR PASSWORD BEFORE INPUTTING ANY DATA INTO THE KEYPAD. THANK YOU FOR ENTERING THE NEW MEPHISTO CITY TOURNAMENT.]
"Hmm, red. I'll see you guys later..." Laurna waved to everyone as she found the red door.
"Let's see... (M L A E F) that's easy! It's FLAME!" She eagerly entered the password into the keypad. The door opened slowly and Laurna hopped inside.
---
"I guess I can go next." Manny said. He walked to the next port and timidly set down his four Decoder Devices.
[NOW DECODING DATA...]
[YOUR PASSWORD IS (W A H D S O S). ENTER THE SPIRE THROUGH THE BLACK DOOR AND INPUT YOUR PASSWORD INTO THE KEYPAD. BE SURE TO DECODE YOUR PASSWORD BEFORE INPUTTING ANY DATA INTO THE KEYPAD. THANK YOU FOR ENTERING THE NEW MEPHISTO CITY TOURNAMENT.]
"Wish me luck Jason! I'll wait for you inside." Manny walked over to the Spire's wall, searching for a black door, as the whole building was practically pitch black.
"Good luck Manny... you'll need it..." Jason muttered to himself quietly.
"Agh... My password was... (W A H D S O S). Hmm... What could that be? Uhmm.. W...S... SW... SHWO... DWHOSAS... Oh, it's SHADOWS... I see... the door is black so the password is SHADOWS!"
After a few minutes of trying to figure his password, and forgetting he could use his Decoder Devices to help him, Manny managed to enter the Spire.
---
"Would you like to go next Ace?" Jason asked.
"It's okay, you can go ahead." he replied.
"Thanks." Jason nodded his head to him.
He approached the next port that rose out of the platform and set his Decoder Devices in the four slots.
[NOW DECODING DATA...]
"Hmm...this technology is pretty advanced and high tech... Too bad Hunter works for them. Otherwise he'd probably be my best friend..."
[YOUR PASSWORD IS (T I G L H). ENTER THE SPIRE THROUGH THE WHITE DOOR AND INPUT YOUR PASSWORD INTO THE KEYPAD. BE SURE TO DECODE YOUR PASSWORD BEFORE INPUTTING ANY DATA INTO THE KEYPAD. THANK YOU FOR ENTERING THE NEW MEPHISTO CITY TOURNAMENT.]
"Ha, easy... Light. All right, now where's that white door?"
---
"Go ahead Tony." Ace said.
"Whatever you say man. Don't even think of running off now..."
"You know I won't. I've got business with Blackheart too."
"I know. See you inside." Tony walked up to the next port and set down his four Decoders. "Well, this is it..." he said to himself.
[NOW DECODING DATA...]
[YOUR PASSWORD IS (R U H R C I N A E). ENTER THE SPIRE THROUGH THE GREEN DOOR AND INPUT YOUR PASSWORD INTO THE KEYPAD. BE SURE TO DECODE YOUR PASSWORD BEFORE INPUTTING ANY DATA INTO THE KEYPAD. THANK YOU FOR ENTERING THE NEW MEPHISTO CITY TOURNAMENT.]
He picked his Decoders back up as the port lowered back into the platform.
"Green door, huh? Oh there it is..." He stepped up to it and examined the keypad. "Let's see what Decoder #1 says..."
[HUR-]
"HUR...? Ah, HURRICANE!"
---
"Here I go..." Ace was talking to himself. He looked up to the sky. "Vance... wherever you are... I'll find you soon..."
He silently set his Decoders into the final port.
[NOW DECODING DATA...]
[YOUR PASSWORD IS (T A R E H). ENTER THE SPIRE THROUGH THE BROWN DOOR AND INPUT YOUR PASSWORD INTO THE KEYPAD. BE SURE TO DECODE YOUR PASSWORD BEFORE INPUTTING ANY DATA INTO THE KEYPAD. THANK YOU FOR ENTERING THE NEW MEPHISTO CITY TOURNAMENT.]
He quietly walked up to the door and typed in 'EARTH.' The door opened and he entered the Spire.
---
They were all standing in separate pitch-black rooms. A screen lowered from the ceiling. The same message played in all six dark rooms.
An image of Jeff Blackheart was displayed on the screen.
"Hello Duelists, and congratulations for making it this far. Here at Blackheart Corporation we are always about innovation and developing new and more efficient ways to increase the quality of our lives. To demonstrate this, we have provided a special trial for each Duelist. It will use the newest technology we have developed. It is a special Duel Monsters simulator which utilizes each and every card in your deck. Operation methods and a simple guide to the basics of the simulator will come later in this message.
In a brief explanation, the simulator is a combination of borrowed technology from the Kaiba Corporation and my own special modifications. My modifications make the system so realistic and so life-like that you will feel everything and sense everything in the virtual environment. Your every thought and action can and will be digitized into data and expressed as an interaction with the virtual environment. You Duelists have the very grand honor of being the first to use this system before it is widely released and distributed to the public.
Now please enter the next room, where the next part of the message shall be played."
The screen flickered off, and a door was illuminated in each of the six rooms.
---
Nick, Tony, Laurna, Ace, Jason, and Manny had all entered a hexagon-shaped room, where a comfortable couch was put in the middle. They all took a seat and waited for the message to come on again.
"So...what do you think of this virtual system thing?" Nick asked.
"I think it's a big load. I don't trust anything Blackheart wants me to hook myself up to." Ace said.
"I doubt Blackheart had planned for all of us to be here though... Especially after all the run-ins with his Eliminators... He couldn't have arranged this just for us... And if he did, then his corporation would undergo a lot of investigations..." Laurna said to all of them, as she tried to ease the tension.
"Well, there's the screen coming down... I suppose we should listen to this..." Tony said.
The larger screen flickered on.
"Now that I have your attention again, please pay close attention to these instructions and guide to utilizing this Virtual Duel Monsters Simulation System. Before entering the virtual world, you must choose one card from your deck that you wish to represent yourself within this world. Each card has a special ability that will affect each of your trials in a different way. Choose wisely. Once you do so, you may enter the pod and insert your deck into the scanner. The pod will close, and the trial will begin."
The screen changed to an image of Jeff Blackheart, dressed up as Vampire Lord.
"Here is the basic explanation of the system:
You begin with 8000 lifepoints. You will become the commander of your deck. As such, you will be able to attack and defend yourself at will. Monsters and obstacles will try to attack you and reduce your lifepoints. Your goal is to use your deck and your abilities as Deck Commander to complete the assigned area of your trial. Here in the Blackheart Spire, we will use this system to assess who is most fit to be a finalist in this tournament. Two players will be ejected from the competition with the worst score and time for their area. Your lifepoints being reduced to zero also results in an instant ejection.
Summoning, attacking and defending work differently here. When you begin the trial, you draw six cards from your deck. Every four minutes, you may draw one more card from your deck. There is a time limit of sixty minutes for each area. To summon a monster, you must pay lifepoints equal to half to attack power of the monster. This monster may attack as many times as you wish until it is destroyed. There is no limit to the number of monsters you can summon. When you destroy a monster or obstacle by attacking, you may draw one card. If a monster was destroyed, you gain lifepoints equal to the monster's attack power. You Deck Commander works in a similar way, but is only destroyed when lifepoints reach zero. When using a monster to defend from an attack and the defense points are higher than the attack points of the attacking monster, that monster is destroyed, but no card or lifepoints are gained.
See the following example..."
They all watched the screen as the Vampire Lord roamed around the halls of a fortress. As he approached a corner, Reaper of the Cards lunged at him from the shadows. The Reaper's attack missed, causing it to stumble into a wall. Blackheart turned around and launched a barrage of bats from his cape. His lifepoints were increased by the Reaper's attack power, and he drew a card.
"This is an example of attacking an enemy monster."
Blackheart continued walking the halls of the fortress when a Dark Bat attacked him. He raised his cape in defense. The Bat's attack was deflected and as a result, it was destroyed.
"This is an example of defending an enemy attack. No lifepoints or cards are gained."
Next, Blackheart demonstrated summoning.
"Monsters' effects are different in the virtual realm. Use the help screen on your Duel Disk if you need an explanation of how an effect works here. You can also use this for magic and traps as well."
Blackheart pointed out the screen added to Duel Disks in this virtual world. He pulled out a card from his hand, and said, "Summon Giant Orc!" A big, red "-1100" appeared over his head as the Giant Orc materialized from the card.
"Giant Orc, attack this wall!" He pointed to a cracked wall. The Orc smashed it as commanded. Inside the room there was a Goblin Attack Force, enjoying drinks. Blackheart pulled another card from his hand.
"Activate Warrior Elimination!" The Goblin Attack Force was turned to dust. He turned around to see an angel floating about. It then turned around...It was the angelic and demonic figure from the magic card Change of Heart. It was headed straight for his Giant Orc.
"Activate Eight Magical Absorbers!" A small device materialized from the card, and absorbed in the winged figure like a vacuum.
"This is enough to get you started on the basics. Any other questions can be answered on your help screen while within the virtual world."
The screen rose back into the ceiling. A door opened in front of the couch. It led to another dark room. A voice came onto the PA system.
[Please proceed into the room before you.]
They did as they were told. The six of them walked toward the dark room, and as they approached it, an array of lights came on. This revealed the room's contents. There were six virtual reality pods, three on each side of the room. In the center of the room, there was a sort of podium, where a woman was standing. The group didn't recognize her, but it was Sera.
She spoke into the microphone again. "Each of you please enter a pod. We will begin soon."
"First things first, who are you?" Nick asked.
Sera just stood there, staring blankly at the wall in front of her.
'Useless... She must be one of Blackheart's drones or something. Let's just do what she says so we can get along with this." Ace said.
They all took a seat inside separate pods. Jason, Nick and Laurna on one side, and Tony, Manny, and Ace on the other.
"Please insert your decks into the slot on your right hand side. The pod will close once you have done so. A helmet will lower into the pod. Fit it so that the visor comes right above your nose."
As they all followed Sera's instructions, the room became dark again.
---
Nick and the others began to feel somewhat dizzy. Through the helmets they could see a swirl of colors and designs. After a few seconds, the sensation stopped. Their pods opened up. The lights came back on.
Ace was the first to get out.
"Did something go wrong? Ace said.
The others made their way out of the pods.
"I dunno... Did anyone else see those crazy colors and stuff?" Manny asked.
"I think we all did." Laurna said, as she felt somewhat disoriented.
"Wait a minute... Where did all the pods go? They're gone!" Tony exclaimed.
Jason looked around. "That's odd... they were here a minute ago."
"Forget the pods... What happened to the door we used to come in here?" Ace inquired.
At that moment, another figure entered the room. Jeff Blackheart.
"No need to panic my young friends... You have already entered the virtual world. The transition between the worlds is nearly seamless.
"Impressive..." Jason muttered to himself.
"I assume that you have all seen the instructional message?"
"Forget that Blackheart! Where's my brother?" Nick yelled.
"I'm sorry, this is an automated message. Your question was not acknowledged."
"I welcome you to the virtual world of Duel Monsters." Blackheart said.
The room started to twist around and reconfigure itself. It changed into a small blue colored room with a huge door at one end. On the other side there were six chairs and a long table.
"This is the lounge area. Only one of you will participate in one of the special trials at one time. You will be able to watch the progress of your comrade through this screen."
In front of the table, a huge screen materialized from nothing. It flickered on and showed the Blackheart Corporation logo.
"Now is the time for you to choose your Deck Commanders. You may choose any monster card in your deck. Allow me to demonstrate."
Blackheart pulled his deck from his Duel Disk and chose a card. He showed it to everyone. It was Demon Soldier.
"Demon Soldier, become one with me!" Blackheart called out.
The card created a transparent image of the monster, then it moved over Blackheart's body. There was a brief flash, then Blackheart was standing there, wearing the same armor as the Demon Soldier.
"As soon as you are all finished making your choices, the trials can begin. There will be an announcement to name the first participant. Your names will be chosen randomly to determine the participant." Blackheart's image then disappeared.
---
Back in the real world...
Deborah Poljacik was falling deeper into her coma. The doctors had many similar patients. They didn't know how to treat them... They had no idea how the Dark Matter affected their bodies. Everyone felt so helpless.
A doctor was standing over Deborah, talking to some colleagues of his.
"There's nothing we can do for her... She had a violent reaction to this substance, and her internal organs are deteriorating. Even if she woke up again, there would be no chance for her to recover... It would be better for her to be put to rest. We need to have the consent of a relative to do so... The only one who would have the legal power to do so is her adopted son, Duo."
"Let's get in contact with him. He needs to know the condition that she is in..."
---
The six of them were seated at the table. They looked through their decks trying to decide who would be a suitable Deck Commander.
"So, since we don't know what we'll be facing in our trials... It would be a good idea to choose a monster with a Commander Ability that would be good in a lot of situations, right?" Nick asked.
"That sounds reasonable. Although I can't really decide what I should choose from my deck..." Tony was looking through his deck with an exasperated look on his face.
"I know who I'm going with..." Ace stood up. He held a card out. "Marauding Captain, become one with me!"
After a brief flash, Ace became the Marauding Captain.
"Whoa Ace, you're looking good in that armor..." Laurna smiled. "What sort of ability does Marauding Captain have here?"
Ace took a look at his Duel Disk and read the help screen, "Marauding Captain: When summoning a Warrior-Type monster, you are allowed to summon another Warrior-Type for free."
"Sounds good... Although my choice is better..." Nick said. "Lord of Dragons, become one with me!" Nick then became the Lord of Dragons. "Lord of Dragons protects my Dragon-Types from the magic, trap and obstacle effects!"
"I think I've got my Commander..." Laurna twirled around and called out, "Mystical Sand, become one with me!" There was a flash, and Laurna was floating around on a broom stick.
"Cute..." Ace said.
"I boost up all my female monsters by 500 points, and Earth attribute monsters are protected given an additional 300 point bonus! This should help me over power whatever they wanna throw at me!" Laurna fell off the broomstick. "Ow... I guess I was a little too excited there..."
Ace couldn't help but giggle.
"Okay, now for my selection..." Jason pulled out his card. "Kaiku, Turner of the Dead, become one with me!"
"That's a cool mask you've got there..." Nick complimented him.
"Thanks. Kaiku's ability allows me to cut the summon cost for level four monsters in half, and I can prevent cards from being removed from my graveyard."
"My turn..." Tony said. "Century Thief...become one with me!" he called out. "Heh, when I destroy a monster, I can name a card, and destroy all of the card within a certain radius!"
"Well, looks like it's my turn." Manny took a card from his deck. "Patrician of Darkness, become one with me!"
"Patrician of Darkness...? I don't remember you ever using that card..." Nick said.
"Well, I'd have to change my deck to get this far... Patrician's ability lets me redirect enemy attacks and power up my Zombie-Types by 300..." Manny smiled.
"Zombies... Interesting..." Nick said.
"Well, that's all of us... I guess we're going to being soon." Ace was looking around as he awaited the announcement for the first participant. "That imitation Blackheart should be here since we're all done selecting our commanders."
The huge door at the other end of the room opened. In came Jeff Blackheart, although this time, he was Vampire Lord.
"Speak of the Devil..." Tony said.
---
"Hunter, start the drill. The boss wants us to be past the layer of bedrock underneath Old Mephisto in three days or less. It would be in our best interest to start now before we're needed to take part in the trials." Zane said.
"Yes, Zane. Right away..." Hunter kept typing on his computer. "The hydraulic engine should be ready in about fifteen minutes."
Zander was standing by the window, staring at the sky. "So this whole building... It can completely reverse on itself and go underground?"
"Correct Zander... That's why all the rooms go in a circle around the center of the Spire. When we dig down deep enough, the highest room and pass through the center of the Spire and go all the way down to the deepest point. It takes each layer lower and so on. The Spire itself is much like a cone. The mechanism can make the cone reverse so it's pointing down."
"And from there...Blackheart will try to find the Gate to the Underworld... Then he'll present all those souls he's stolen to his master..."
"Uhh... Right... I'm not sure about that, but whatever you say."
"I saw those people hooked up to those machines... He uses them to control the monsters in the virtual world. Their brains still function when the body lacks a soul. Blackheart didn't want them to go to waste, so he just uses them as dummies..." Zander looked disgusted.
"Zander... You have never questioned Blackheart. Do I sense some sort of rebellion here...?" Zane said.
"No. I just think what he's doing is pointless. The people should be allowed to rest. Not kept alive with no hope of returning to their families. Hunter could have easily programmed the system so that there would be no need or any of this."
"Just be careful what you say... You don't want Blackheart to get angry." Hunter said. "There... the drill should be ready now. Begin drilling..."
"Not yet... I want to take one last look at the sky before we're all brought to Hell." Zander said, as he looked out the window.
"Hey there was someone calling from the hospital looking for that Pojacik kid's brother..." Siefer stuck his head into the control room. "All the Dark Matter that flooded the streets got his Aunt sick or something... They were asking whether they should take her off life support."
Zander turned around. "And what did you say?"
"I just told them to do it. It's not as if Duo could have answered in the condition he's in." Siefer chuckled in a sinister manner.
Zander turned toward the window again. He whispered to himself, "I'm responsible for this..."
---
Blackheart walked towards them. His cape seemed to flow although there was no sign of wind. "I see you've all chosen your Deck Commanders. We'll begin in a few minutes. I simply have a few words for you. Manny Hung... You seem to be the underdog around here. I hope you take this time to show those who look down upon you think twice before underestimating you again. Jason...You seem to be too trusting. That itself can be a fatal flaw. Laurna, your reliance on your friends may be your downfall. Ace Sotras... You've thrown yourself into the fray, thinking that somehow you can find your brother. I can assure you, defeat me and you'll find Vance safe and unharmed. Antonio Nicosia, you have the least to gain here, and the most to lose, but you are here to stand together with your friends. I admire your courage. Nikolas... Nick... Nicky... What can I say? Your brother Duo is waiting for you." he laughed. "I wish you all good luck. Now to choose the first participant."
Another table materialized in front of him.
"Each of you place a monster card from your deck facedown here. I will shuffle them and choose one. The card's owner will be the next participant."
They all did as he said. Nick slammed his card onto the table because the sight of Blackheart infuriated him. Blackheart took the cards and shuffled them. He placed the six cards facedown on the table and put his finger on one. He revealed the card Despair from Darkness.
"Hm, whose card is this?" He held it out.
"it's mine." Manny stepped up.
"Ah, Manny, well you're the first participant. Now we must select the field on which your trial will take place." Six cards appeared in Blackheart's hands. He did the same with them and placed them facedown on the table. "Choose one."
Manny picked up a card and looked at it. "It says Graveyard Area on it."
"This should be interesting..." he smiled. "Your chosen Deck Commander is the Patrician of Darkness... You should feel right at home in the Graveyard... It was the area designed by Manuel Figo... Now go and prove anyone who has ever underestimated you wrong!" He smiled again, then disappeared along with the table in a cloud of mist.
Manny slipped the Despair from Darkness card back into his deck and approached the door. He turned and said, "See you guys later..." He seemed nervous. After a deep breath, he walked through as the door closed behind him.
"At least we can watch him through this screen..." Nick said.
"We'll be rooting for you..." Jason said to himself.