Author's Notes: Evilish Dalin Goodness Ahead!
Chapter Seven: Flight of the Dark Angels
"Bring on your attack, I'm prepared." He was, to a degree. But right now he had no way to stop the effect of Wings of Inferno, and that didn't bode well for his chances in this duel as things stood now.
"So be it. Dark Angel Banafor, attack with Rain of Fire!" The dark angel flew up above the field, and flapped his wings. Flame fell from his wings, raining down upon Daniel's field. He quickly depressed a button on his disk, activating a set card. But it wouldn't stop the damage. (DLLP: 650)
"My Negate Attack trap card not only stops your attack, but it ends your battle phase immediately. Since you didn't have any other monsters anyways that doesn't really matter." The dark angel duelist didn't respond with words, he simply slid a card onto his disk. It formed behind his fallen angel, lying in wait of Daniel's next move.
'E-Heroes just aren't going to cut it against this guy. I'm going to have to turn up the heat if I want to win. I just have to trust my soul deck, and unleash all of my power right now!' He drew his card, and he felt his deck pulse in response. By the look in Dalin's eye, he too had felt the pulse.
"My deck has rewarded me, and now this is a whole new game. I activate Card of Sanctity, allowing us to draw until we have six cards in our hands!" Daniel proceeded to draw six cards, while Dalin drew four. Now with a new hand of cards, this really was a new game.
"Show me your strength Pilkington. That's something I'd truly like to see."
Daniel took a look at his new hand, and immediately saw his plan of action. "If we're going to make this a new game, that makes clearing away the old and bringing in the new. So go, Heavy Storm!"
Dalin barely seemed bothered as a huge gust of wind blew away all of his magic and trap cards, reducing Banafor to its original attack strength. Then again, not a lot seemed to bother Dalin from what Daniel had seemed. 'He's about as emotionless as Yamidra. How can he have such an ice cold personality and be such a strong duelist?'
"Is that all you are going to do Pilkington, or did you have something else in mind?" Daniel grinned confidently and slapped a card from his hand onto his disk. A hologram of a gear formed creature now stood on his field, looking old and rusty.
"This is Clockwork Alarm(2000/0) and he's about to put out Banafor's lights. Go Clockwork Alarm, attack Banafor!" The scrap creature suddenly went into action, pounding a sort of pendulum fist into Banafor's chest. The angel grimaced and doubled over before shattering into nothingness. (DLP: 3750)
"Your new creature has an impressive attack strength, but now he switches into defense mode I believe." Daniel didn't know how to react to that, as it was rare for anyone to have knowledge of his Clockwork monsters since they were part of his very soul and one of a kind. But Dalin was right, and his Clockwork Alarm did move into defense mode.
"You may know what my monster does, but I'm not worried yet. I set two cards face down, and that ends my turn." Now he had the advantage, but since Dalin had a good number of cards to work with there was no telling what exactly would happen.
The cold hearted duelist narrowed his green eyes and at his new card, and then slid it into his disk. "I activate Pitch-Black Inferno Bonds, which will lock down all set magic and trap cards on your field."
Daniel grimaced as fiery black ropes wrapped themselves around his two set cards, preventing him from accessing them. 'Without my set cards my Alarm is defenseless. Luckily he's in defense mode, so my life points are safe.'
"I summon Dark Angel Tsar(1600/1300) to the field in order to combat your Clockwork Alarm." Another handsome angel appeared before Dalin, also with black wings. The only difference was that this one had characters in Latin on his robes that Daniel couldn't read.
"Now I activate another effect of my Wings of Inferno. When I have only one Dark Angel on my field and they are in the cemetery I may automatically equip them to my newest monster. So Dark Angel Tsar gains the power of the inferno." Tsar stretched out his wings, which were quickly wreathed in flames, granting him the deadly effect of that special equip card.
"Dark Angel Tsar attacks with Rain of Fire!" The fallen angel flapped his wings, and burning embers pierced through Clockwork Alarm, turning it into nothing but a molten slag heap. And the same could be said of Daniel's life points. (DLP: 150)
"Now I set a single card face down. The turn is yours Pilkington. Use it well." The crowd that had gathered around them seemed to be in awe of the raw power that was being displayed in the duel. None of them had ever heard of Dalin, but a few were dueling fans, and knew who Daniel was. Which was why they were shocked.
'This guy is on a totally different level than I could ever have guessed. Now I see how he's so strong. His cards work so well together, and he never for a moment loses focus. He's got the mind of a dueling machine, but he's got creative thinking. Which makes this all the tougher.' Despite the situation Daniel drew his card calmly.
"All I can do is set this card face down. Back to your Dalin." The spectators had no idea why Daniel was so confident when two of his three set cards were useless, and all he had to work with was a single face down card. All Dalin had to do was declare an attack and he would win the duel.
Dalin drew, but before he had a chance to say anything Daniel was already activating his face down card. "I reveal Freeze Frame! This trap lets me select one phase, and during this turn you don't have that phase. So I declare battle phase!"
Dark Angel Tsar froze in mid wing beat, giving it a rather surreal look. Dalin didn't look bothered by this, and Daniel could have sworn he saw a smile peak out at the corner of Dalin's lips. 'So he definitely enjoys a challenge, he just doesn't show it as much as some people. Good to know he's not just a guy who duels for money.'
"That was an impressive draw. But I assure you that you cannot top deck your way to victory in a duel against me. I set a monster face down, and return control of the duel to you." A horizontal card appeared beside Tsar, and then Daniel was once again drawing.
Daniel took one look at his new card, and then at his other two. Now he knew exactly what he could do. "I start my turn off by summoning Clockwork Gnome(0/1000) in attack mode. Its effect summons the other two to my field!"
Three clockwork figurines now stood in front of Daniel, and none of them looked all that impressive. But as every good duelist knows, looks can be deceiving. "I continue by activating Clockwork Gear Shield, a quick-play magic card that prevents me from losing life points when my Clockwork monsters are destroyed during this turn."
A giant gear slammed down in front of Daniel, sitting there in order to prevent him from coming to harm. Dalin smiled slightly once again, and Daniel got the feeling that the other duelist knew what was coming. "I have my three Clockwork Gnomes each attack Dark Angel Tsar!"
Before the three weak monsters made it very far a rain of fire splashed down upon them, melting them into scrap metal. "Your machines are finished. However, I do believe that when a Clockwork Gnome is destroyed you gain one thousand life points."
"It looks like you know a lot about my Clockwork monsters. But that doesn't mean you can beat them. Now how about I collect those life points?" Energy flowed into Daniel, and his fans in the crowd cheered at the restoration. Now he was truly back in the game. (DLLP: 3150)
"One card left in my hand. Guess it means that it's time I rely on a bit of faith. So I activate Mirage of Nightmare and end my turn." Dalin raised an eyebrow, surprised that Daniel was willing to risk himself on such a chancy card. Then again, it wasn't as if the other duelist had much of a choice.
"I begin my turn by flipping my face down monster, Fallen Priest(200/500). This creature's effect automatically revives one dark angel from my cemetery. Therefor I revive Dark Angel Banafor(1700/1200)." The familiar fallen angel rose up from a pillar of flame that issued forth from the ground, and he appeared holding a ball of black flame.
"Now according to Banafor's effect I deal you five hundred points of damage. Burning Orb Strike!" Dalin's monster hurled his ball of flame at Daniel, striking the half-demon in the chest. He grimaced as his breath left him, and his life points dipped somewhat. (DLLP: 2650)
"Nice to know that your monster still packs a punch. But I'm not going down just because you dealt a little bit of added damage to me. Also, thanks to Mirage of Nightmare I get to draw four cards." He picked up four cards off his deck, and then lifted them up so he could take a look at them.
"Mirage of Nightmare is meaningless at this point. I sacrifice Fallen Priest in order to bring out Dark Angel Viz(2400/1800)!" A beautiful woman with flowing blonde hair now stood where the fallen priest had. Like the other fallen angels this one also had black wings, and three black spheres floated around here like a perverse halo.
"You said at the start of this duel that you were willing to lay it all on the line in a duel. Well so am I, so bring on your attack!" Dalin nodded, and turned to face his three fallen angels, addressing them as one would a friend, or an equal.
"Tsar, Banafor, and Viz. You three have the necessary strength to grant me victory. So go forth and burn him to ashes! Direct attack!" The three dark angels took flight, ready to crush Daniel beneath their power. But he wasn't ready to lose yet.
"Hold it right there! I discard Clockwork Kuriboh(300/200) from my hand in order to immediately end your battle phase! This only works when I have no monsters on the field, and luckily enough I fit the bill." A golden colored Kuriboh danced out in front of the three other monsters, its giant gear-eyes spinning rapidly. Mesmerized the three creatures stopped, letting only flickers of flame drip down upon Daniel. (DLLP: 2150)
"That was an impressive move. However, since you just discarded a card from your hand you only hold three cards. When you draw you will hold four cards, and since you drew four from Mirage of Nightmare's effect you will lose your entire hand. You cannot win." Daniel didn't respond, instead he took the top card of his deck in his fingers, and closed his eyes.
'Dalin is right. If I want to keep this duel going and achieve a win I'm going to have to draw the right card. So here I go!' He snapped the card up and then held it in front of his eyes. Slowly those eyes opened and a big grin split his face.
"Time to turn the tide back in my favor! Go, Emergency Provisions! Using its effect I'll sacrifice Mirage of Nightmare and the two face down cards you sealed away to gain a grand total of three thousand life points!" The three named cards shattered, and the only sound outside of the crowd's collective gasp was the sound of his life points trickling upwards. (DLLP: 5150)
"Impressive. Yet you are still at a disadvantage. Can your three cards help you recover from that?" Dalin folded his arms across his chest, casually awaiting Daniel's next play. He was curious as to how his opponent was going to continue the duel.
"Yes, they can. I remove Clockwork Alarm from the graveyard to special summon Clockwork Paladin(2100/2100)!" A tall humanoid figure appeared, with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, each of which was formed from gears. It struck an imposing figure at over nine feet in height, making it the largest monster in play.
"Now I equip him with Gear Javelin, granting him a boost of four hundred attack points!" Paladin's spear was suddenly replaced by a long and thin metal javelin. The machine monster stared passively across the field, holding the javelin against its shoulder.
"I see. Now your Clockwork Paladin is strong enough to defeat even my Dark Angel Viz, albeit barely. But do you really think my face down card is a bluff? You are willing to attempt an attack if you so choose. But know this. I don't bluff." Daniel narrowed his eyes at Dalin's comment, trying to decide exactly what to do.
"We'll see about that. Clockwork Paladin, attack Dark Angel Banafor!" The machine stretched back his arm, the gears in its body creaking for a moment. Then all of a sudden it snapped its arm out, sending the javelin hurling straight at the dark angel.
"As I said, I don't bluff. Activate magic card, Dark Wall of Air!" A swirling mass of pitch black wind whirled around Dalin, and the javelin rebounded straight at the Clockwork Paladin. With mechanical ease the creature grabbed it in mid-flight, and set it butt first against the ground.
"I know you said that, and I was pretty sure you were telling the truth. But I gambled that your face down card wouldn't hurt me, but rather just stop me. Looks like I was right, and now it isn't there to protect you anymore. One card face down, and that's all." Now he had a strong monster to fight with, and he could continue the duel and relax.
Dalin drew, and then took another card from his hand and slid it into his duel disk. "I regret doing this to my monsters, but the damage is needed. My next card is a magic card called Black Inferno Sun, which requires that I sacrifice all dark angels on my field."
The three monsters converted themselves into balls of dark flame, and started flying towards Dalin. Daniel's opponent raised both arms over his head, and the black flame gathered together. It continued growing until it was the a miniature black sun the size of a car. "Black Inferno Sun has the power to deal damage to you equal to half the combined attack of the sacrificed dark angels."
Daniel grimaced, and Dalin prepared himself to throw the massive ball of energy. 'That thing looks like Sestros' Abyssal Sun. And I'm guessing that the realism involved in this duel will make that attack deadly. It could do some serious damage to not just myself, but everything around the impact point.'
"This is it. Black Inferno Sun!" The mighty duelist hurled the sphere of energy, and sent it flying at incredible speeds towards Daniel. The crowd stared in shock as it sped towards the champion duelist, who seemed rooted to the spot.
"It's not over yet Dalin. Activate set card, Time Jump! This card negates any card it is chained to, and speeds up the turn count of the duel by three. Looks like you wasted your three monsters for nothing." The attack flickered out of existence about five feet in front of Daniel, leaving just traces of the intense heat that it had created.
Dalin frowned slightly, and then looked over his hand once again before deciding on how to continue. "I set a monster in defense mode, and one card face down. My turn is over." Just like that the flow of the duel had changed, and Daniel was now in the driver's seat for the first time since it had begun.
With that new bit of breathing room Daniel felt that he could really relax, not just the little amount that he had done previously. Also, his monsters was stronger than ever. "Clockwork Paladin gains two hundred attack points over the passage of each turn. Since I played Time Jump he now has thirty-three hundred attack points. Nearly enough to finish you off if he goes direct."
"Time to see what you're defending. Clockwork Paladin, attack his set monster!" His machine promptly hurled his javelin, which slid through the holographic card and blew it into tiny pieces. Dalin's face down card didn't activate.
"You just flipped and destroyed Dark Angel Bardiel(300/300), who automatically allows me to take control of the monster that destroyed it, and turn it into a dark angel." Black wings suddenly burst out of Clockwork Paladin's back, and its eyes burned a dark red color. It flew over to Dalin and settled down in front of him.
'Damn...it seems like every time I get an edge he has something waiting in the wings to counter me. Now one of my strongest monsters is his to control, and it'll just keep getting stronger. Just one chance now.' He slid his remaining card onto his duel disk, and that was all he could do for the turn.
The dark angel duelist immediately slammed his new card onto his duel disk, and another dark angel appeared, this one with red robes and a cruel sneer on his face. "This is Dark Angel Shamshel(1900/1500), and I can automatically equip Wings of Inferno onto him from the cemetery."
"Shamshel attacks you directly!" The named monsters launched his attack of falling flames, and Daniel's set card immediately flipped up, revealing a massive creature that barely had time to form before it was burned away. (DLLP: 4650)
"My Mobile Fortress Stronghold is a trap monster with zero attack and two thousand defense. It was enough to save me from that attack being a direct one, so I can't argue with it." Dalin raised an eyebrow, surprised at this action. Daniel knew why, but explaining himself would have to wait until his next turn.
"Very well. Dark Clockwork Paladin(3500/2100) now attacks you directly!" Daniel's former monster swooped down at him, and swung the javelin horizontally. It caught the half-demon in the stomach, lifted him off the ground, and then sent him flying back into the brick wall that was ten feet behind him. (DLLP: 1150)
Daniel dropped back to the ground, clutching his stomach. He knew the holograms were set to their maximum level of realism, but that was too real. 'Real enough to be magic. Looks like that's another reason this guy is so high up in the Underworld of Dueling. He can make his attacks even more dangerous.'
When he looked back up he saw that Dalin was waiting with his arms across his chest, indicating that his turn was finished. That meant it was time for Daniel to get down to business. "You're about to wish you had checked the effect text of Gear Javelin before attacking me directly with a monster equipped with it."
"Now that it's my turn, and Gear Javelin is still my equip card, I can sacrifice it in order to activate its effect. All damage dealt by the equipped monster through battle is now transferred to my life points. So basically your attack didn't accomplish anything." Dark Clockwork Paladin's sword once again replaced the javelin, and energy flooded into Daniel's body, giving him back almost everything lost in the previous turn. (DLLP: 4650)
"Don't get too used to my Clockwork Paladin, because the downside to Gear Javelin is that it takes the equipped monster with it when sacrificed. Of course since you have control of it I'm not really bothered by the downside." Daniel sneered as his former monster faded away, leaving Dalin's only monster as his Dark Angel Shamshel.
"I set this single card face down, and that's all for now. Let's see if Shamshel can redo the damage you dealt last turn." Now it was his turn to fold his arms over his chest and wait patiently for his opponent to make his move. There was no telling exactly what would happen, but he could only hope he would be prepared.
His opponent glanced at his newest card, and then placed it in his duel disk, causing the holographic representation to appear in front of him. "I set a card face down. Next, Dark Angel Shamshel attacks directly with Rain of Fire!"
"I'm getting tired of that attack, so I'll make sure your Wings of Inferno don't come back. To do so I activate Chains of Time, which will keep your monster frozen in a single moment of time for as long as my trap card is active. That means your attack never went off, and your monster won't be attacking or defending you." Daniel smirked at the success of his play, as he knew he had kept himself from taking any serious damage.
"Very well. Your turn now begins, but I am prepared for what you will undoubtedly do." Daniel didn't care what his opponent said, he was just happy he had recovered from his previous losses. Now the duel was pretty even, with Daniel having the life point advantage.
"Okay, I activate Pot of Greed!" He slipped two cards off his deck, and smirked at what he saw. This would make the duel more interesting, that was for sure. Now all he had to do was use them correctly and everything would be fine.
"I've observed how you top deck, and I was certain that you would draw a card that would replenish your hand. Therefor I prepared accordingly with Death Binding Flames! This trap activates when you draw cards out of the draw phase, and as long as it remains active those drawn cards are removed from the game." Daniel gasped as black fire wrapped around his two new cards and pulled them away to hover above him.
"Now during each of your standby phases you will lose three hundred life points for each card that is removed from play in this manner. Since it is two, you will lose six hundred points during each of your turns." This news made Daniel scowl, but not as badly as the knowledge that he now had an empty field and no cards in his hand to work with. He couldn't continue his turn or defend himself.
Dalin drew, and promptly played his new card, just as he had done each turn. Once again it was another dark angel, this one with a black beard and a stern face. "This is Dark Angel Toraisu(1500/1500). He will not remain alone."
The underworld duelist slid another of his cards into his duel disk, and a jet black book appeared in Toraisu's hands. The fallen angel began to chant in Latin from a passage in the book. "This is Book of the Dark Faith. By discarding one card from my hand I can draw from my deck until I reach a dark angel, which will then be summoned. All other cards drawn this way are discarded."
He took the last card in his hand and slid it into the graveyard, before moving onto the draw part. The first card was sent to the grave, as was the second, and the third. But on the fourth card Dalin had what he needed. "I now summon the second Dark Angel Banafor(1700/1200) into play."
"Burning Orb Strike!" Daniel was ready for the attack, and with his demonic reflexes he caught the ball of black fire. It began scorching his hands immediately, but he pushed it upwards, sending it spiraling into the bricks behind him. It broke several, but dealt no severe damage to him. (DLLP: 4150)
"With nothing to defend yourself you are easy prey. Dark Angel Banafor, attack with Burning Blood Orb Strike! Dark Angel Toraisu, attack with Dance of Flame!" Black flames streaked over Daniel's body, forcing him to his knees from the pain. When the fire faded he was left intact, but worse for the wear. Especially his life points. (DLLP: 950)
"It seems we have come full circle, and now you are back to a state of helplessness. Remember what I said earlier. You won't be able to top deck yourself to victory against me. End Turn." Although Dalin had no face down cards, he did have a distinct advantage. Now it was Daniel's turn to see if he could prove Dalin wrong and draw a card to provide victory.
The moment Daniel drew he slammed the card into his disk, activating its effect. "I've just top decked myself to victory, and I'll prove it! Although I immediately take six hundred damage, your trap won't be a threat much longer, because I play Mystical Space Typhoon!" (DLLP: 350)
Dalin's trap shattered, and the two cards dropped back into Daniel's hand. "With my two cards back and available I start off by setting one card face down. Then I activate Broken Time! Our hands, decks, and graveyards are now shuffled together, and each of us draws four cards!"
Both duelists did as the card effect stated, and now all that remained was what had already been on the field. "Now, each duelist may choose to spend increments of one hundred life points to allow both players to draw an extra card. For each one hundred we pay we draw one card. I choose to pay three hundred life points!" (DLLP: 50)
Dalin narrowed his eyes and slid three cards off his deck, giving him seven cards. At the same time Daniel did the same, giving him more than enough options to make the duel especially interesting. "I choose not to spend any of my life points to allow you to draw more cards."
Daniel smirked and slapped a monster onto his disk. "I'm not really bothered. My new monster is Clockwork Priest(1500/1000) who creates a Clockwork Gear Token(500/500) for me to use." Two new monsters appeared, one a mechanical priest and the other a little gear monster.
"Also, Clockwork Priest lets me discard cards to create more tokens. So I discard these two cards from my hand to create two extra tokens." He slid the cards into his cemetery, and two more little gear monsters appeared. Now he had a total of four monsters to work with.
"Your monsters are no match for my dark angels. Show me something worthy of my strength Pilkington. I know you're capable of it." Daniel nodded, and took another card from his hand, which he slid into his disk.
"I'm well aware of that, but before I go any farther I'll have to rid myself of the threat of your face down card. So Mystical Space Typhoon once again helps me out and destroys your card!" A gust of wind shattered the set card, leaving Dalin only with his three dark angels, one of whom couldn't help Dalin out at all.
"Now I activate Clock Polish, which lets me sacrifice a Clockwork monster to gain one thousand life points. I offer up the original gear token for that life point increase." His little token faded away, and his life points took a turn for the better, putting him in relatively good standings. (DLLP: 1050)
"I'm surprised you didn't sacrifice the other Clockwork Gear Tokens to gain more life points. But perhaps you aren't simply running away, but need to pay for a cost. Is that it?" Daniel nodded, and then grabbed another card from his hand and placed it into his disk.
"Got it in one, but that comes later. My Junk Dealer magic card lets me revive two machines at half their stats. So I revive the two monsters I discarded, a Clockwork Runner(250/250) and a Clockwork Magician(250/250)." A little mechanical mouse and a mechanical magician stood in front of him, offering him new options.
"When these monsters are summoned I get to draw one card each. That's not the best part though. I can sacrifice monsters to my Clockwork Magician in order to draw a card. So I sacrifice my gear tokens to draw two new cards!" In quick succession he drew four cards, and his two tokens blew into tiny little pieces.
'This is his true strength. I'm beginning to be impressed, but the question remains. Does he have the strength to turn this duel in his favor?' Dalin smirked, ready and waiting for the assault that he knew was coming. He wondered exactly how strong an attack his opponent would be able to unleash.
"Now I sacrifice my magician and my runner to the magician's effect and draw two more cards!" Another two cards come off his deck, giving him a grand total of seven cards. But Dalin got the feeling he wasn't finished yet, and the crowd waited with baited breath.
"Here's what I needed life points for. Replay costs half my life points, and lets me reactivate a magic card from my cemetery. So I activate Junk Dealer to revive Clockwork Magician(250/250) and Clockwork Runner(250/250) again to draw two more cards!" The number of cards in his hand pumped up to eight as his two monsters appeared again. (DLLP: 525)
"You know what comes next. I sacrifice both of them to draw another two cards!" The two monsters once again vanished, but they left behind a dangerous legacy. Daniel now had ten cards in his hand, and there was no telling what those cards could accomplish for the machine duelist.
"I discard a card from my hand to create a Clockwork Gear Token(500/500). But that's not my real reason for discarding. I discarded so I could play Monster Reborn and revive a monster that will put you in a dangerous position. Meet Jinzo(2400/1500)!" The tall cyborg that was Daniel's favorite monster had now made his appearance, and the tide of the duel was turning in Daniel's favor.
"I continue to be impressed. But simply summoning a strong monster with a powerful effect does not guarantee victory, nor does drawing a large number of cards. I await your move, to see the ultimate peak of your power." Daniel's brow furrowed for a moment, but then he was back in his groove, ready to show Dalin what he was made of.
"I discard my Clockwork Technician(300/100) from my hand to prevent any Clockwork monsters from being destroyed until the start of the next turn. Normally that wouldn't include Jinzo, but since I don't want him to feel left out I've got the perfect magic card." Grinning he slid another of his numerous cards onto his disk, continuing his combo.
"Gear Conversion lets me change one monster on my field into a Clockwork monster with a bonus of five hundred points. So meet the new and improved Clockwork Android(2900/1500)!" Gold plating had now replaced Jinzo's green armor, and little gears could be seen spinning inside the armor.
"That's to protect Jinzo and here's the kill! Limiter Removal doubles each of my machine's attack power. Normally they would die at the end of the turn, but my Clockwork Technician prevents that." Dalin nodded, well aware that Daniel's deadly force was now pointed towards him. Each of the machines was now steaming as the pressure in their bodies built up.
"Clockwork Android(5800/1500) and Clockwork Priest(3000/1000) have enough power to destroy your two monsters and finish you off! Attack now!" The clockwork Jinzo gathered a ball of black energy in his hands, and then launched it at Banafor. At the same time Clockwork Priest attacked Toraisu with a burst of magical energy. Each monster shattered under the force of the attacks.
To Daniel's shock Dalin wasn't down for the count. In fact, blue energy was surging around his body, and he seemed to be reinforced with power. "I am never without an option. I activate Justice For All from my hand to set my life points at double their starting amount before you attacked. However, during each of my turns my life points will drop by half." (DLP: 3400)
"Then I'll just have to do as much damage as possible! Clockwork Gear Token(1000/500), attack him directly!" The monster slammed itself into Dalin's stomach, and though the duelist was forced backwards, he appeared to have barely felt the damage. He was used to duels like this and worse. (DLP: 2400)
"I've still got a distinct advantage, so I set two cards face down and end my turn." He slid his two cards onto his disk and now stood at the ready, awaiting the moment when he would be able to attack again. Dalin might have a good sized hand, but Daniel was ready for him.
Dalin drew, and the blue light around him faded somewhat, indicating the loss of life points. Every person in the crowd was now on the edge of their proverbial seat, waiting to see which of the two skilled duelists would come out on top. (DLP: 1200)
"You are a powerful duelist Daniel Pilkington. Worthy of my time and my effort. For that I thank you. However, you are not quite strong enough to defeat me. I activate my ritual magic card, Dark Justice Unleashed!" A set of black balancing scales appeared on the field, with a mystical urn on each side.
"To activate this card I must give up seven levels worth of monsters. I shall now do so in order to unleash my favorite monster, and what is perhaps my deadliest monster as well." He slid two cards from his hand into his cemetery, and the spirits of his monsters rushed into the urns, granting it the power needed to finish the ritual.
'Whatever it is he's about to summon, I'm ready for him.' Daniel glanced down at his two set cards briefly, and then returned his attention to the field. The ritual was completing itself, and a new monster was being summoned.
"Now she is unveiled. Sol, Angel of Dark Justice(1900/1900)!" His angel was a beautiful woman in black robes, with her black wings extended out behind her. In one hand she held the same set of black balancing scales that had been used to summon her, and her eyes were covered by a black blindfold.
"It is over. Each turn I may discard one dark attribute monster from my hand to activate one of Sol's special abilities. So I discard a monster, and select her first ability. Dark Flames of Justice!" Sol reached up and pulled away her blindfold, and twin streaks of black fire shot across the field, slamming into Daniel's chest and dropping him to his knees. (DLLP: 0)
"Dark Flames of Justice is an effect that deals one thousand points of damage to the opposing player. That means that this duel is now over. A pity, isn't it?" Daniel grimaced, not knowing what was going to happen now that he had lost. If this was the guy that Rikuo had mentioned, then he was in trouble.
When he looked up, he saw that Dalin was already walking away, and the crowd was parting to let him through. Daniel stood up, blinking to clear away what seemed to be foggy vision. The attack must have done more damage than he thought. "What about the stakes? Aren't you going to take something of mine?"
Dalin stopped for just a brief moment to say what he had to. In that cold voice of his he surprised Daniel completely. "I already have. Thank you." He then continued walking, and vanished around the corner. Daniel gave chase, but found nothing there.
"I should have at least smelled something, but I can't smell a trace of him. Sometimes I really hate magic." Sighing he began the walk home, irritated by everything around him. The whole world seemed vague and fuzzy, and began to wonder if something was seriously wrong with him.
When he did make it home, he found a note from his wife saying that she was going out for groceries. Ichigo was laying face down on the table, his deck sprawled out in front of him. Apparently he had fallen asleep while reworking his deck. "That's my boy."
He smiled and grabbed a blanket from the crouch, which he draped over his son's body to keep him warm. He was still confused about what Dalin had said, but now he was home, and it seemed that his family was fine. So there was nothing to worry about.
Daniel turned on his heel and discovered that he was dead wrong. The face he saw staring at him in the mirror was a face he hadn't seen since he was still a teenager. It was a face completely devoid of unnatural features, such as ears and slotted eyes. Everything that made him a half-demon was gone, and now he knew why his senses seemed dulled. They were.
"Well that's new..."
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Next Chapter: Like Pieces Of A Puzzle
Author's Notes: And there you have it. Alternate Dalin wins the duel, and Daniel is suddenly without his demonic powers. Can I get a 'dun dun dun!'?
Review Responses
G.O.T. Nick: I'll just snicker at you and leave it at that, okay? And I won't tell why I'm snickering.
Time Mage: The truth about this Alternate Dalin will wait for later.
Adriel Touchstone: Yeah...but it's no big.
Original Cards: (WGWolfGeneral card, TMTime Mage card, all the rest are mine)
Daniel: Clockwork Alarm(WG), Freeze Frame, Clockwork Gnome(WG), Clockwork Gear Shield, Clockwork Kuriboh, Clockwork Paladin, Gear Javelin, Chains of Time(WG), Broken Time(TM), Clockwork Priest(WG), Clockwork Runner(WG), Clockwork Magician(WG), Replay(WG), Clock Polish, Clockwork Technician, Gear Conversion
Dalin: Pitch-Black Inferno Bonds, Dark Angel Tsar, Wings of Inferno, Fallen Priest, Dark Angel Banafor, Dark Angel Viz, Black Inferno Sun, Dark Angel Ramiel, Dark Angel Shamshel, Death Binding Flames, Dark Angel Toraisu, Book of the Dark Faith, Justice For All, Dark Justice Unleashed, Sol-Angel of Dark Justice
Anime Cards: Junk Dealer, Dark Wall of Air
