Chapter 10: Bug vs. Dragon. The N00b Prince
"It's time to see if you have any bite to backup that bark. Duel!" Tiamat yelled at the young N00b at then end of the corridor.
"Fine. Then I, Donorlen, Prince of the N00bs, start this duel with Flying Kamekiri #1 in Defense Position!"
"Donorlen, huh? Then I, Tiamat, Master of Dragons, will destroy your pathetic insect with Spear Dragon. Spear Dragon, Spiral Twister!"
Spear Dragon, a small blue and yellow dragon, beat its wings above the field and opened its long beaked mouth. Out shot a green, spiral energy wave that struck the mantis and destroyed it. The wave continued after shooting through the exoskeleton and hit Donorlen in the heart, pushing him backwards.
"That's cheating. You can't hurt me when I am defending."
"My Spear Dragon has trample powers, so yes… I can."
"Fine, then I will use my Kamekiri's special ability to summon another bug, Pheromone Wasp. Then I start my turn by summoning Parasite Caterpillar. Caterpillar, attack Spear Dragon!"
Because Spear Dragon was switched to a weak defense after it attacked, the Caterpillar had no trouble destroying it.
"Now Pheromone Wasp, attack directly!"
The tiny wasp struck Tiamat in the chest. Tiamat fell to his needs and grasped his chest. The pain wasn't much, but he was still feeling the effects of his duel with Dismay.
"Tiamat! What's wrong?"
"Nothing… I'm fine. It was a weak attack."
"Good, because soon you will be dead. Now I special summon Petit Moth. I will end my turn by activating the Insect Barrier, preventing your insects from attacking." 'You may not have any bugs now, but you will soon.'
"Insect Barrier? Fine, I summon Twin-Headed Behemoth. Attack with Double Head Striker!"
A dragon whose body looked almost human appeared on the field. It had two heads where its arms should have been and a large spike where its head should been. Both heads lifted and shot out twin beams of blue and red light at Pheromone Wasp, but before hitting their target, a new insect took its place, covered in tentacles. It was seen for a split second and then covered in shadow.
"What is that thing? Behemoth, stop your attack."
"It's too late now. I have use the power of Mimic to switch my wasp with my Parasite Paracide. Once your attack completes, my parasite will infect your mind!"
The twin headed dragon's double onslaught finally reached the Parasite, which leapt up before getting destroyed and latched itself to Tiamat. It then proceeded to burrow into his body.
"Don't worry. My parasite won't infect you for long. My turn, and I will start by playing the Jade Insect Whistle," Donorlen pulled a little green, leaf-shaped whistle out of his pocket and played it. "You will learn what it does soon, but first, I summon the Cocoon of Evolution, wrapping it around my Petit Moth. Then I will attack your Behemoth with my Parasite Caterpillar."
The Caterpillar attacked. However, it was so weak that the Behemoth was able to destroy it easily, but before being destroyed, part of its body infected Behemoth.
"Now your monster is infected by my caterpillar. We each have a cocoon with a powerful insect in it now. Your turn…"
Tiamat started his turn, but too his shock, the monster that came to his mind was the same one that had just infected him. It began to emerge on its own, ripping out of Tiamat's body inflicting much pain to him. Tiamat fell to his knees, screaming in agony.
"Now do you see the power of my whistle? It drew Parasite Paracide out so he could inflict even more damage to you!"
"AHHHH!" Tiamat grabbed his sides as he fell over. The pain from the parasite was too much. He had no idea how much more he could take. He needed to get rid of it, and the best way was to defeat Donorlen. "I… will… kill you… summon… Mirage Dragon…"
"HA! You have activated the power of my Parasite! I stick to my guns, and here they are!"
The tentacles that were ripping out of Tiamat's body elongated and struck Mirage Dragon, turning it into an insectoid creature.
"What have you done?"
"Not I, my bugs."
"gack You… bastard…" Tiamat managed to say before he passed out.
"Well, it seems that he can't go on, so I am the victor!"
"No you aren't. He still has a lot of life in him and he hasn't given up. You can't do anything until he admits defeat," Bann yelled at the mistaken N00b.
"Fine, then now I summon Pinch Hopper. Oh no, I can't attack him. Damn you. I end my turn."
"Tiamat, you need to wake up. You haven't been beaten yet. Are you really gonna go down from a bit of aches?" Morgen yelled at his downed friend. "We may need a substitute."
"No, if we help him, then we admit his defeat and he dies. We can only hope he gets up. I shouldn't have let him go into battle. Not after our last duel," Jigen told his comrades.
"Last duel?"
"We fought… a Reckah… a powerful one…"
"…" all four stared from Jigen to Tiamat, unable to speak.
"I… I'm fine… cough." Tiamat started to get back on his feet. "I continue this duel… with Masked Dragon… and I switch Mirage Insect to the defensive."
"It's your funeral…" Donorlen began his turn, and his eyes opened wide, wider than any bug's. They were bright and ecstatic. "I attack your Masked Dragon with Pinch Hopper!"
Just like when Parasite Caterpillar attacked, his Pinch Hopper was no match for the Dragon/Insect of Tiamat and was destroyed and Donorlen took some damage.
"Good, with one insect gone, another takes its place! I summon Insect Queen!"
An enormous insect appeared on the field, sporting an enormous abdomen, six legs, and a humanoid face. Her power seemed to augment from the other insects on the field.
"Let's see you get past her!"
"Fine… I… sum…"
"Not so fast! Cocoon, unlock!"
At Doncorlen's beckoning, the cocoon on Tiamat's side of the field opened, revealing an enormous moth with violet wings and a brownish body. As it soared into the air, it spouted poisonous dust all over the place.
"You now have two giant bugs to deal with! You will not survive when I unleash the third! Mu ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
Next time on City of Fire: Uncertain Victory