Disclaimer: I do not own nor claim to own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Magic: The Gathering.
Ask and ye shall receive, people! Hot off my caffeine-loaded, hyperactive brain, here is the latest chapter of Magic: The Gathering vs. Yu-Gi-Oh! In this chapter, the storyline takes a little twist. Read on to find out how!
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"Shit!" cursed Arrathir as he came up to another dead-end. The duelist had been wandering the labyrinth of Domino's back alleys for a few hours, trying to find an opponent. Now he was hopelessly lost and all attempts to find his way out always ended with him meeting a dead end. He backtracked and stood at the crossroad of two alleys. In all directions he saw the same thing: puddles of oily water, dumpsters, overflowing with garbage in which rats scurried, scavenging food, but no indication of a way out. He shivered. Despite his overcoat, the cold wind that whipped through the alley was cutting right through him. They sky had become overcast and he could hear the distant rumble of thunder.
The duelist's hand suddenly burst into black flames. He applied his hand to the wall next to him, charring the bricks. When he removed his hand, a black circle marked the alley wall.
This way I can tell where I've been.
Putting out his handful of mana, he wandered down another alley, marking his path as he went. He considered summoning his Havoc Demon to fly him out of there, but he had never attempted to summon such a powerful creature and he was afraid he may not be able to control it. As well, people would panic if he were seen.
Guess I just have to keep trying. One of these alleys has got to lead back to the street.
He knew he had to hurry. In less than five hours, the Battle City tournament preliminaries would be over and if he did not have eight locator cards, he could not participate in the finals. He knew Yugi was going to make it; he was the reincarnation of Yu-Gi-Oh, the King of Games, after all. Joey was a bit of a toss-up. Arrathir considered his deck was based too much on luck. Most of his powerful cards involved some king of gamble (Quiz, Demon's Die, Angel's Die, Time Wizard) but somehow he always managed to pull off some crazy combo at the last second to save himself. Ryou, he wasn't sure about. Not having seen the albino boy play, he couldn't gauge his skill, but Yugi had told him something about his occult-based deck and some of his strategies, plus he'd made it into the finals in the previous Battle City. Khell, he was sure would make it. The mage already had seven locator cards and had a powerful deck that would not fail him.
Arrathir groaned in frustration as he saw his black mark ahead of him. He'd been going around in circles. This wasn't going to work. He didn't feel like knocking on some stranger's door to ask for directions. He suddenly felt a surge of mana to his left. There was a summoner nearby! He accelerated his pace, picking his way through the trash-filled alley, leaping over garbage cans and rubble, following the mana. It seemed to be on the move, and more than once he had to modify his path to keep up with it. Several times he encountered a dead-end and had to backtrack. Suddenly, he felt the mana get stronger. He was getting closer! As he sprinted through the alley, splashing through puddles, he could tell it was right around the corner. He skidded around the corner, and saw…nothing. The alley was as deserted as the rest. The mana signal seemed to have disappeared.
What happened?
Suddenly, as if urged on by an unknown force, Arrathir threw himself forward as a great white wolf leapt over him. The wolf landed nimbly on its pawn and turned, preparing for another attack.
Tundra Wolves? What is going on here?
Tundra Wolves was a 1/1 white creature with first strike from the Legends expansion. Arrathir struggled to understand why it was here and attacking him. As the wolf charged him again, he threw himself sideways, impacting rather painfully on the alley wall. He slid to the ground, clutching his shoulder in pain. He heard the wolf's panting as it approached. He looked up and saw the wolf standing in front of him, growling. The wolf leapt at him and landed on his chest, pinning him down. He could feel the creature's warm breath on his face. His survival instincts kicked in and he punched the wolf's snout. The wolf gave a yelp and jumped off him. Arrathir stood up. He wasn't going down so easily.
Charging his mana, he summoned a Festering Goblin (1/1). The zombie materialized from the mana and squared off against the wolf. The canis lupus growled and jumped at Arrathir's creature, sinking its teeth in the creature's throat, ripping out its jugular. The zombie exploded in a shower of mana. The wolf then turned its attention back to Arrathir when it suddenly exploded into mana as well. Festering Goblin had the ability to strike from beyond the grave. When it went into the graveyard, its controller could give –1/-1 to target creature. As a 1/1, the wolf had no chance.
Arrathir calmed himself. Two narrow escaped with death in one day were plenty for him. He walked on, but still kept alert. He was being hunted. Every sense told him something was watching him, following him. He kept his mana charged, ready to summon if need be.
Before he knew what he was doing, he had summoned a Skinthinner (2/1). The zombie stood at attention, ready to obey its master's command. Arrathir scanned the dark alley. At first he saw nothing. Then, far off in the distance he noticed a small patch of silver in the shadow. As he watched, a creature stepped out of the shadows. It was about five feet tall and wore armor plate and a red cape. Its head was covered with a helm that had funny pointed ears. In its right hand it held a katana, the traditional sword of the samurai. In the other hand, it held a jitte, a small weapon with two prongs designed to catch and snap off an enemy's sword blade.
Kitsune Blademaster? This is getting weirder by the minute!
The fox samurai charged at Arrathir, katana raised to strike. The Skinthinner jumped in front of its master, the 2/1 facing off against a 2/2. Because of its bushido ability, the kitsune easily cut Arrathir's zombie in half before turning its attention back to Arrathir who calmly charged his mana and fired a black beam at the fox. The creature stopped in its tracks and fell over; writhing in agony as the Terror spell slowly killed it.
"O.K.," said Arrathir "Come out, whoever you are, and let's duel face-to-face."
He heard a low laugh from the darkness. "You dare challenge me? Very well, you have sealed your fate."
Arrathir turned, trying to see where the voice came from. A man stepped from the shadow, as if materializing from it. He was tall, gaunt, and wore a dark blue and gold striped shirt under a black trenchcoat. His face was partially covered with a silver mask that covered his face, except for his eyes, nostrils, and mouth.
"Igor Faust," the man introduced himself "It is a pleasure to meet you, Arrathir."
How does he know my name?
Faust's hand burst into white flames as he gathered his white mana to summon another Tundra Wolves (1/1). The white wolf growled at Arrathir. Its master patted the creature's head and the wolf calmed down but kept a watchful eye on Arrathir.
"Well, boy," taunted Faust "Aren't you going to summon your first monster?"
Arrathir felt strangely relaxed. He knew this was a real Magic duel. One-on-one, with real creatures, and where a loss of lifepoints meant a loss of life. He gathered his mana and summoned Carrion Feeder (1/1).
(A/N: Both summoners gain one mana per turn)
"Pitiful," said Faust "Did you forget your little zombie cannot block, and even if it did, my wolf has first strike and would pulverize it before your creature could strike?" As he spoke, the wolf leapt at Arrathir, clawing his across the chest. Arrathir gasped in pain as the wolf's blunt claws tore through his shirt and scratched his skin.
"First blood," said Faust.
I need to hold off his creature until I can summon something more powerful.
Arrathir shot a ball of black energy at the Tundra Wolves. The creature yelped and shook for a few instants before a thin black line shot out of it and attached itself to Faust.
"Contaminated Bond," explained Arrathir "Whenever you attack or block with this creature, you loose 3 life."
"Good," said Faust, without appearing to be concerned "But it won't save you from my next creature." Faust's mana gathered and formed into a human wielding a zanbato, a large blade on a pole used by samurai to combat cavalrymen by cutting their horses out from under them. Arrathir recognized the creature. It was Devoted Retainer, a 1/1 samurai with bushido 1.
Arrathir gathered his mana and summoned his creature. The mana twisted and turned, as the creature took shape. A small, skeletal creature appeared, clutching a rusty dagger. Arrathir was pleased with the result. His 2/1 Dross Prowler might not be powerful, but it had Fear, making it unblockable to anything but black and artifact creatures.
"Do you really think your little zombie impresses me?" sneered Faust "Watch a real Summoner at work!" The white mana quickly formed a beast with blue wings. It hovered above the ground and its tail-like feet waved behind it, as if it were made of smoke.
Arrathir didn't recognize the creature, but he suspected it must have flying. Having just used a Terror spell, he knew he couldn't cast it again for a while.
"Your flyer doesn't impress me," he said "I have enough mana to cast this!" Arrathir's Dross Prowler suddenly grew several feet taller.
Faust looked shocked, "What sorcery is this?"
"Clutch of Undeath," replied Arrathir "Dross Prowler, attack!"
The zombie leapt forward and ran at Faust. The flying creature Faust has just summoned got between its master and the approaching threat, but it fled in terror at the zombie's approach. The Dross prowler slashed Faust across the chest with its blade, slicing through his clothes, the mage's blood quickly staining his shirt.
Now I've got a huge beatstick with Fear!
"Humph!" said Faust "You're not doing too bad, for a beginner, but how will you deal with this?" He closed his eyes and while he chanted, his flying creature glowed briefly.
Did he make his flyer stronger?
With a silent command from its master, the flying creature swooped down on Arrathir and clawed at his face before he could react. Arrathir gingerly probed the slashes on his face, wincing in pain. He spat on his hand and rubbed the saliva into his wounds; the natural coagulant and antiseptic present in saliva would help them heal faster.
"It is on!" said Arrathir. He channeled all his mana into a Consume Spirit spell with the intent of targeting Faust directly. Arrathir's hand shot out as he cast his spell. To his surprise, his spell bounced off Faust and hit his flying creature instead. The creature seemed unaffected.
"What happened?" asked Arrathir, bewildered.
"Fool!" said Faust "Now you see my true power! That creature is a Dawn Elemental. A 3/3 creature to which all damage done is prevented! I also enchanted it with Pariah, redirecting all damage done to me to it!"
SHIT! Now all my attacks are useless! I can't Terror it because the spell needs to recharge! I can still use Cruel Revival and Betrayal of Flesh though.
Faust summoned his next creature, a tall bearded man wearing a pilgrim hat and black robe. Arrathir did not recognize the creature.
"Witch Hunter," explained Faust "A 1/1 that has the ability to tap and deal 1 damage to a player. As well, for 1WW, it can return a creature to its owner's hand. (A/N: They can summon it again without waiting for the spell to recharge) I attack with my Dawn Elemental."
The creature flew at Arrathir, its talons leaving three more red gashes on Arrathir's face.
Damn! That brings me down to 13! Six from his Dawn Elemental and one from his Tundra Wolves. He's down to 15 from my Dross Prowler.
"Time for a little payback," said Arrathir, casting his Cruel Revival on the Dawn Elemental. The creature fell to the ground and twisted in pain as the spell inexorably killed it.
"Humph!" said Faust "So you have some skill. I guess I'll go on the defensive for a while. I cast Aurification!" Faust's clothes immediately became golden. "This enchantment grants me the Midas touch! When a creature deals damage to me, it becomes solid gold and cannot attack!"
"You done?" asked Arrathir "Because your enchantment doesn't faze me one bit!" Arrathir took a deep breath and prepared to summon one of his most powerful creatures. His mana molded itself into a giant shape. The mana solidified into a creature with a scaly yellow-green hide. Its head was wrapped in cloth with a slit left for the eyes. Each of its three arms held a deadly weapon. The monstrosity bellowed an unearthly screech as it waved its scimitar in a deadly challenge. Faust's creatures cowered in the face of the Twisted Abomination.
A 5/3 that can regenerate for one mana! Oh, yeah!
"Dross Prowler, attack Faust!"
Arrathir's zombie jumped up from its crouch and ran at Faust. As it struck Faust, its arm turned golden. The gold spread over its entire body until it was completely golden.
"Ha!" said Faust "Look at your zombie now, a useless blocker!"
"But with that attack, you're down to 10," reminded Arrathir.
"Watch this!" said Faust. As he kneeled down, a white light enveloped him. Some of the wounds caused by Arrathir's attacks healed over. "Renewed Faith, I gain six life, and I still have enough mana to get rid of your creature!" Faust's Witch Hunter began chanting and Arrathir's Twisted Abomination began to disappear. Arrathir dropped into the lotus position and closed his eyes. He felt his mana flowing through him and there was a sudden surge of mana into his mana pool. Suddenly, a loud wail echoed through the alley. Creatures and summoners alike clutched their head in pain as the wail pierced their skulls. The Witch Hunter and Carrion Feeder soon fell to the ground, killed by the shrill sound.
"What was that?" gasped Faust, still shaking his head.
"Wail of the Nim," said Arrathir, who now had a massive headache. "Deals 1 damage to each creature and each player."
"But how?" asked Faust "You only had one mana left!"
"Dark Ritual," explained Arrathir "Adds three swamp mana to my mana pool. Just enough to cast Wail of the Nim. I guess you're not attacking?"
Faust said nothing.
"Now the fun starts!" said Arrathir, summoning an Undead Warchief (3/2) "All my zombies get 2/1 from him! Twisted Abomination, attack!"
The zombie mutant swung its cleaver and lumbered forward to deliver a crushing blow to Faust.
To be continued…
Author's note: Well, things are looking really good for Arrathir, for the moment. What tricks does Faust have hidden up his sleeve? In case I don't update before then, merry Christmas to all my readers! Have happy holidays!