Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.
Demon Duelist Legacy-Dark Soul Arc
Chapter 13: The first Dark Soul duel
She popped open her field magic card slot and slapped a card in. "I didn't want to have to use this, but you leave me little choice in the matter. Activate Seal of Dark Soul!" The field around them began to grow dark, the moon fading away beneath a veil of gloom.
Rikuo had experienced the hells of a darkness game, and yet something about this evil energy he was sensing sent shivers of true fear down his spine. ("Something's wrong with this energy. It's not like when a darkness game has been invoked. In those situations I can feel the presence of a single judging force that simply watches the duel and waits for the winner. Here though...") It felt like the watching force was somewhere on the field with him. "What is this place?"
Jasmine smiled at the wolf demon's obvious fear of this place. "Consider it a darkness game with a truly interesting twist. So, ready to play a game where your soul is on the line?"
Rikuo frowned and chided himself for letting his fear show. "Silence yourself wench, before I go over there and break you in half."
Jasmine sneered coldly. "Whatever you say, wolf." She slid two cards into her duel disk. "Now I set these two cards face-down and end my turn."
Rikuo drew and slapped down a monster. "I summon X-Head Cannon (1800/1500) in defense mode! End turn." A blue and yellow machine monster appeared on his field.
Jasmine smiled and drew. "I summon White Magical Hat (1000/600) in defense mode." A man in a blue suit with a white top hat appeared on her field in a crouching position. "End turn."
Rikuo drew and watched Jasmine quizzically. ("Why didn't she attack me?") "End turn."
Jasmine drew and frowned. "End turn."
Rikuo drew and continued to watch her intently. "End turn."
Jasmine drew once more and she sighed. "End turn."
Rikuo drew and smiled at her. "You know that when you draw you will lose the rest of your hand. So why did you keep those cards?"
Jasmine lifted her hand up to reveal a tattoo of a black fang on the front. "This is why."
Rikuo sensed something about that tattoo that was truly unnatural. ("No matter though. I can worry about her little drawing later.") "End turn."
Jasmine drew and a guillotine blade appeared out of nowhere, slashing her hand of cards apart. "End turn."
Rikuo drew and chuckled. "Now it's time to get rid of your Seal of Dark Soul." He slid his newest card into his duel disk. "Activate Heavy Storm!" All around him a heavy wind began to pick up. "In just a few seconds all of your trap and magic cards will be blown away."
Jasmine flipped up one of her two face-down cards. "You're almost right. Reveal Weather the Storm. This will negate your Heavy Storm and leave me safe." The wind immediately died down.
Rikuo didn't seem worried though. "Now I'll make you regret not attacking me. I sacrifice my Demon Slime to summon Demon Dragon Lord!" (2400/1000) A dragon demon wearing light armor and wielding a spear appeared on his field. "And I'll also activate the magic card Dark Energy to raise its attack points by 300!" (2700/1300)
Jasmine watched the play impassively. "By all means attack me. You won't win."
Rikuo pointed at the Kitsune Ninja Master. "Dragon Demon Lord attack!" The demon raised back its arm and threw it across the field at the ninja.
Jasmine flipped up her face-down card. "Activate Ninjitsu Art of Decoy! As long as this continuous trap card remains in play my Kitsune Ninja Master cannot be destroyed in battle." The demon ninja snapped its fingers and it disappeared, leaving behind a wooden dummy that was destroyed instead of it.
Rikuo- 2700/5300
Jasmine- 1400/8000
The Kitsune Ninja Master reappeared on her field. "I'm sure you've by now noticed that you have a second life point total. Well first off it isn't for life points. It's for soul points."
Rikuo looked down at his duel disk system in confusion. "What are soul points?"
"When you run out of them your soul will be gone. That is the first special power of the Seal of Dark Soul." Jasmine didn't seem too worried about the fact that she might lose her soul. "That leaves two other special abilities you should be worrying about."
Rikuo already knew she would tell him what they were. Not until she felt like it, at least. "End turn."
Jasmine drew and smiled faintly. "Special ability number two is that at the standby phase of my turn I increase the attack of all monsters on my field by 500 points." She pointed to the Kitsune Ninja Master. "So it's time to give my monster a charge-up." A tattoo of a black fang appeared on the ninja demon's forehead. (3000/1000)
Rikuo grimaced as he looked at his Dragon Demon Lord. ("I'm sorry Ryu.")
Jasmine pointed at the demon. "Attack it now!" The Kitsune Ninja leapt across the field and slashed the dragon demon to pieces.
Rikuo- 2400/5000
Jasmine- 1400/8000
Rikuo frowned at his opponent. "Why didn't your soul points go down?"
Jasmine smiled grimly. "It's because the Dark Soul on the field didn't choose my monster as its target this turn." When all she got in response was blank stare from Rikuo, she sighed and brushed a lock of her hair back. "Currently there is a spirit that is floating around this field at random, selecting one of our monsters as a target each turn. If the selected monster attacks that turn, then the owner loses soul points equal to its attack total. Understand?"
Rikuo understood the concept fine. That didn't mean he liked it though. "Why would you play a magic card like that?"
Jasmine motioned to her opponent. "Shut up and draw, wolf."
Rikuo slid the card he had in his hand into the graveyard as per the effect of her Robbin' Goblin trap card. "Don't you want the top card of my deck?"
She shook her head. "I don't care."
He drew off the top of his deck and slid the card into his duel disk. "Maybe you should have, because I'm activating Pot of Greed thanks to your laziness." He drew two cards off the top of his deck and slid them both into the duel disk slot. "End turn."
Jasmine drew and she slid the card she had drawn into her duel disk. "One card face-down. End turn."
Rikuo drew and took a deep breath. He was starting to get nervous. ("Making mistakes won't help in this darkness game.") "End turn for now."
Jasmine drew and she flipped up her face-down card. "Reveal the continuous trap card Dark Soul Barrier. As long as this trap card remains face-up on the field then my monsters cannot be the target of the dark soul that still wanders our field."
Rikuo felt the pressure building on him. ("She's playing me with a card I cannot figure out how to beat yet.")
She motioned to her Kitsune Ninja Master. "Now I trigger my monster's special ability! As you remember, I may pay 1000 life points to give my monster the power to attack directly!"
Rikuo- 2400/5300
Jasmine- 400/8000
Rikuo flipped one of his two face-down cards. "Negate Attack will stop your monster from attacking this turn."
Jasmine frowned and nodded weakly. "Alright, end turn."
Rikuo drew and slid the card into his duel disk. "One card face-down and end turn."
Jasmine drew and pointed at the X-Head Cannon. "Attack!" The Kitsune Ninja Master leapt across the field and slashed the robot down. "End turn." (4500/1000)
Rikuo looked at his monster-less field and sighed. ("Almost monster-less actually.") He glared angrily over at the frozen Wolf Demon Avatar and clenched his fists. ("I will make you pay for that. I swear it.")
He drew and his eyes widened as he recognized the card, and the possibilities it represented to him. ("That might just work.") He slid the card into his duel disk. "End turn."
Jasmine drew and pointed at him. "Good-bye General. Attack!" The Kitsune Ninja Master leapt across the field, Shadow Knives ready to cut Rikuo down.
The wolf demon tapped a button on his duel disk. "I'm not out of this yet. I won't let you win! Reveal Safeguard!" A steel shield sprang up between him and the Ninja Master. "Now I'm safe for this turn."
Jasmine sighed. "I'll set one card face-down and end my turn." (5000/1000)
Right before Rikuo drew; he felt warmth flush through him. ("This is it. This is the draw that will win me this duel!") His hand pulled the card free and he lifted it up to his eyes. He was greeted by a gold-facing on the card.
"Jasmine," he asked casually, "Your Seal of Ice trap requires that I increase my monster's attack points to free it?"
She nodded. "That's correct. Can you?"
He sneered and slid his card into his duel disk. "Oh yes...." The ice started to crack and an earth-shaking howl could be heard from within the ice. "This is your end! Activate the Legendary Weapon Card Howling Sword!!!" The ice exploded, revealing the Wolf Demon Avatar wielding Rikuo's sword.
Rikuo looked down at the empty sheath at his side and smiled. "Howling Sword raises the user's attack points by 1000 and then doubles that total. Get ready to meet your end fox!" (13000/3000) "Wolf Demon Avatar, attack her Kitsune Ninja Master and destroy her life points! Howling Sword Nova!"
Jasmine stared in horror as the golden demon launched towards her, his entire body wreathed in flames. ("My trap can't stop him!")
Rikuo sneered as the Wolf Demon Avatar slammed its sword down on her monster. "And the duel is mine!" All around them the darkness faded, revealing the forest and the moon once more. "You've failed in defeating me."
Jasmine watched him evenly, her eyes narrowed. "Take a look at the life point scores wolf."
Rikuo- 2400/0
Jasmine- 0/8000
Rikuo stared numbly at his soul point total. ("I forgot...about the dark soul....")
Jasmine smiled and lifted her hand to point at him. "I may have lost the actual duel, but you also lost all of your soul points."
Rikuo felt a sharp pain and then nothingness...
Jasmine felt the same....
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Envirius watched as a pair of crystals appeared on his desk, one purple and one blue. He smiled down at them. "Why hello there Rikuo. What a pleasure to finally meet you." He reached down and picked up the blue crystal, touching it with his consciousness. ("It's time to go and see the general.")
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Meanwhile, the joint body of Daniel/Rikuo stirred...
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Envirius withdrew his mind from the crystal and clenched his fist angrily. "WHAT TRICKERY IS THIS!? THIS ISN'T RIKUO!!!"
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Rikuo opened his eyes slowly, expecting to see a prison for his soul. Instead, he still sat in the forest. Jasmine was gone. ("Daniel, are you alright?")
When silence was his answer, Rikuo felt very cold. ("Daniel!?") Still there was no answer. He hesitantly reached out with his mind to connect to Daniel's thoughts.
All he found was a single, lingering mote of light. As he brushed it vanished, leaving behind a message. ("Rikuo...save my mother. Watch your temper. Help the others. Get me back......")
Rikuo returned to his mind to feel tears drip down his face. ("He paid for my mistake....") His head lowered to the ground, and then snapped up as he howled into the night sky.
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Envirius snarled and considered shattering the crystal and destroying the soul, but then his moment of anger passed and he found himself staring out his window. With his ears he could hear Rikuo's howls of anguish and rage. ("At least I get the consolation of sending him into despair.")
He sighed and picked up his phone. He pressed a button on his speed-dial. As soon as he heard someone pick up the other end of the line he said, "You've recovered Jasmine's body and her weapon, correct?"
"Of course, did you doubt that I would?"
Envirius chuckled. "Not really. Bring me the Shadow Knives. As for her body, make sure it is kept safe."
"You don't intend to restore her soul?"
Envirius snorted. "Of course not. She failed in the duel."
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For the fiftieth time in the last hour Rikuo blew apart a tree with the Howling Sword. ("DAMN YOU PILKINGTON!")
Finally he was done with his fit of rage. Collapsing to his knees, he took a deep breath and came back to his feet looking as determined as ever. "So be it." He sheathed the Howling Sword and followed his nose, using his sense of smell to help him locate whoever had picked up Jasmine's body.
("And when I find them, I'll find the person who has Daniel's soul in captivity. And when I find that person....") He smiled grimly. "I hope they've got the best health insurance plan on the planet. That way they can recover from the beating I give them, just so I can beat them again and again."
To be continued...
Next Chapter: Seto vs. Valeus
Author's Notes: If this chapter was hard to understand, then please forgive me. I need a little bit of practice to get into the habit of writing using the Dark Soul rules system. Later.