Here we are again people. The first actual chapter of this story.
On a side note, I would like to inform those few of you who do not know that there is a group fic being written by myself, Seeker of the Soul, and WolfGeneral. It is posted with WolfGeneral's story, and is entitled Between Black and White. It's really cool, especially since we have demons in it. Check it out.
Nothing much else to say, so let's get it on!
Also, I forgot to do this last time: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. I don't even own a fraction of the stock. Hell, I don't even own all of the cards that will be used in this story. Sad, isn't it?
Chapter One-Night of the Knights
Wraping a blanket around his body, Vaun Hiten leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes. It was a full days walk from Kai's village to the martial arts temple he had inherited nearly two years before. Normally he would stay the night at Kai's when he made these visits to his friend, but he had been made aware suddenly that Etsu Akira would be spending the evening with Kai, and he had no intention of burdening the silver-haired boys thoughts.
Indeed, although Vaun was only seventeen years old, his intuition had revealed to him early on that Etsu had deep feelings for Kai, and that Kai, if he would let himself, had feelings for her. It was best that Vaun do everything he could to remove potential distractions from Kai when necessary.
Shifting a bit, Vaun bent his head forward, the hilt of his katana quasi-parallel to his cheek, the sheath tip rested in the ground and the length of the blade running along his bent legs. Clearing his head of reality as a whole, he nodded off to sleep in seconds.
"Etsu, I had no idea you could cook like this." Kai admitted to the young woman across the table from him, his tone partially that of surprise and partially revealing his attempt to make conversation, a skill he had a great length to go before it was honed. "I mean, I always assumed you could cook, but this is phenomenal; quite possibly better than anything I could make."
"You're that good?" she asked, shoveling a bit more rice into her mouth.
"Well, when I went on that junior archeologist dig in Egypt five years ago I met with people from around the world. You know how I am: I can't help but learn. So I made it a point of learning a new technique everywhere I went. European food is needlessly messier than what we get in Asia, but they do have many excellent methods." he explained, then cut himself off.
'Don't focus on yourself!' he berated himself. 'She needs to feel like the center of attention.' Placing his chopsticks down on his now empty plate, he looked back up to the brunette. "You know Etsu, you know so much about me, but I often feel like I don't know a great deal about you." he began, trying his hardest to sound casual.
"There's really not much to learn about me." she said, off-handedly.
"That's what I say about myself, yet you seem to find great fascination with my life anyway." Kai countered with a bemused smile. Etsu blushed slightly. Whether it was because she was embarrassed by the fact that Kai knew about how much interest she had taken in his life, or because she found his logic game entertaining was unsure.
Opening her mouth, she stopped suddenly as music began playing. Glancing to her left where the open, wood-floored living room was, she giggled slightly, thankful to Zetsui for helping with her plans.
Closing her mouth to regain her calm, she turned back to Kai and asked, "Do you know how to dance?"
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Elsewhere, on the island of Kyushu, Japan, in a city that had long since lost its name, wandered a young man, probably in his mid-twenties, a leather jacket wrapped around his torso while blue jeans covered his legs. Spitting onto the ground by his side, he cursed for no apparent reason than for the sake of hearing his own voice.
"Damn this city sucks!" he transitioned from a list of course words to actual dialogue. "It's falling apart, no ones fixing it, and no one can leave. Hell, even after raiding a few houses, I still don't have the needed capital to get out of here."
"How about I give you a way out, permanently." a cold voice spoke behind him, shooting chills all throughout his body. There was something about that voice. It was cold, but by no means calm. It was full of the most intense and focused rage imaginable, and it was directed at this leather clad man. But it went beyond that. There was something...familiar about that voice. Not only in that it was one that he was sure he knew, but because it was as if a part of him had been expecting it to come, that it was inevitable.
"Who...Who are you?" he stuttered, fear gripping at him, despite his usually arrogant attitude.
"I have been many things. I was once happy. Then I was fought over. Then I was abused. Then a scapegoat. But now, now I am the pain of separation from those who are loved; Aibeitsuriku." the voice explained.
Finally the man could bear it no more, and turned around, facing another young man, a few years younger than himself, dressed in black, with black hair. However, even with his body fading into the dark background, it was obvious that the newcomer was exceptionally muscular. And despite the shadows, to the first man it seemed as though Aibeitsuriku's eyes were glowing bronze orbs of flame, boring into his soul. Something about those eyes. Those bright, harsh eyes.
"What do you want?"
"Hakujou, years ago you committed unspeakable acts. I have come to make things right." Aibeitsuriku explained, his voice staying at that leveled, sub-zero tone as he took a slow step forward. Then another. Then another, his pace quickening with each stride. The man named Hakujou stumbled back, but before he could crash against the ground, a fist -cold, as if made of some metal that had been left in the snow for many hours- smashed into his stomach, twisting the flesh around and grinding the ribs. The sounds of bone cracking filled both their ears, intensifying the fear of the one, while the other remained unaffected.
Twenty minutes later, Aibeitsuriku stood up to his full height, glaring down at crumpled heap before him, detecting the gasps of breath from the fallen man. Snorting, he turned away.
"Enjoy that darkness. The cold, lonely darkness that comes with the realization of your weakness. Feel grateful that I wont kill you, even though I could if I wanted to. This is the best justice I can administer."
"Would you like to do something more?" a female voice asked, slightly startling Aibeitsuriku, who normally was not one to be snuck up on. Turning, he was faced by a woman in a green tunic and a long, slitted beige skirt.
"What more could I do without taking his life?" the stone souled man asked, his tone betraying no sense of emotion.
"The stone you uncovered two years ago at a cemetery." the maiden said off-handedly. "With it, I can give you a power that you will be able to harness, enabling you to deprive anyone you wish of the very essence of life without taking their life." Intrigued, Aibeitsuriku turned his full attention to the newcomer, who continued. "I know all about Masumoto, and about how you've been taking revenge for him. But just beating these men wont do you any good. They'll still be able to walk the earth again and still terrorize the innocent. If you take my offer, you can ensure that they never harm another soul ever again."
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"Kai, I didn't know you could dance like this." Etsu smiled, truly impressed by his grace. Each song he had been able to quickly adapt to, changing his style of movements with nearly perfect fluidity.
"My mother taught me a few months before she died. Afterwards, Zetsui finished teaching me what she didn't." he explained. "Hey, don't worry about it." he quickly added, noticing the embarrassed look on her face. "I no longer let their deaths weigh me down, Etsu. Isn't that what you worked so hard to help me do two years ago?" With a light giggle, she nodded.
After the song had finished, the two dancers returned to the small dining room, where Zetsui had apparently left a large plate of glazed rice balls, the veins of pink on the surface revealing that they had berries in the center. Each of them taking one, they sat down together and began to enjoy their desert.
"So tell me," Kai said, turning his head a few degrees to more directly face her. "How long have you and Zetsui been planning this evening?"
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Vaun awoke with a start, his body automatically rising to his feet and his arms whipping out his sword. His fire had nearly died, a few glowing coals all that remained, and so light was minimal, with the trees blocking out most of the minimal moon and starlight. However, Vaun's skills had taught him better.
"Who's there?" he demanded of the trees, making it clear that he was asking with the hope that there was no one, but with conviction and determined to find the intruder. Slowing his own breathing, Vaun closed his eyes and began to strain his hearing, a sense he could still make use of. After a few minutes, he caught a sign of breathing and turned a few degrees to his right, holding his sword defensively.
Opening his eyes, Vaun saw that his eyes had not failed him. Standing next to a tree twenty feet away from him was a man, probably about his own age, dressed in clothes that Vaun did not recognize. They were obviously of an archaic style, with leather boots, a brown tunic tan leggings, etc. However, Vaun did recognize one part of the mans wardrobe that did not fit, namely the polished steel Duel Disk on his left arm.
"Again I will ask," the boy samurai stated. "Who are you?"
"My name is Sattou, Vaun Hiten, and I have no desire to fight with you. At least, not with steel. I much prefer my limbs where they are, thank you."
"Then why have you entered into my camp?" Vaun asked, not lowering his guard even the slightest bit.
"I was asked by some lady to come duel you. I don't fully understand why, but it's no trouble either. So, what do you say?"
Vaun watched the young man a bit longer, pondering his options. 'I can't kill him; not in good coincidence unless he attacks me first. I can't run from him, because I don't retreat. And I can't ignore him, because if I drop my guard, he could attack.' Sheathing his sword, he made his decision. "I don't fully believe everything you've just said, but there's only one way I'll get any real answers out of you, isn't there." Leaning over, but keeping his eyes on Sattou, he reached into his pack, navigating his fingers by touch until he found his Duel Disk. Slipping it onto his arm, he drew five cards. (VLP:4000)
"Excellent. I was afraid I'd have to go through hell to get you to agree." Sattou laughed, activating his own Duel Disk and drawing five cards. (SLP:4000) Drawing a sixth card, Vaun signaled that he'd make the first move.
"I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800/1600) in attack mode." he began, slapping the card onto the plate of his Duel Disk. In a flash of pixels emerged a man nearly seven feet tall, his body completely bound in smooth black armor with twisted silver designs running along it. Each hand was covered, the left hosting a large shield strapped to the wrist, while the other held his primary weapon, a long, curved blade that was wide in it design, as if it had been made by combining a spear and a shield. "Then I'll place one card face down and end my turn."
"Ah, facing me head-on from the very beginning. Well then, allow me to return the challenge." Sattou said, drawing a card. "I play the magic card known as Warrior Guild! This card activates when I have more than one card in my hand with the same name, and it special summons them to the field. So I can summon two Blade Knights (1600/1000) in attack mode." Two warriors, both dressed in shimmering silver armor appeared, diamond shaped shields in their left hands and short, curved swords in their right. "Next I summon Knight of Severing (1700/1400) in attack mode." Another warrior, dressed much like the other two only larger, and his armor was spiked at the joints. His sword was also a long scimitar and his shield was hexagonal and twice the length of either of the Blade Knight's buckler.
"Now I'll set one card face down, and since I now hold only one card, my two Blade Knights both receive a four hundred point boost." Sattou continued as both of his smaller knights attack power became two thousand, that of some level five monsters. "Now my Blade Knight will attack your Iron Knight!" Raising its sword the soldier to Vaun's left lunged across the field, preparing to slash down. In response, Vaun pressed a button on his Duel Disk.
"I activate my face down card, Iron Shield. This quick-play card negates all attacks you target a chosen monster on my field, Gearfried in this instance. And, since I have no other monsters for you to target, you can't attack this turn." the samurai explained as a large sheet of iron appeared next to Gearfried, who attached it to his left arm and fended off the attack. Shrugging, Sattou ended his turn, keeping his hand size at one.
With a hard swish of his arm, Vaun drew a fifth card and looked his hand over for a moment. Picking three cards, he set two in his magic and trap zone, but the holographic images of the cards did not flip up, meaning he was setting them for later. The third card also appeared face down, but horizontal and further from where Vaun stood, signaling that it was in the monster zone.
"Those three cards face down, and then I'll have Gearfried the Iron Knight attack your Knight of Severing! Iron Crush!" Running across the field at a speed that was unnatural for one laid down with so much armor, Gearfried reach back with his arm and then thrust forward, twisting his body as he did so to throw more of his weight into the attack. The spear point hit its mark, piercing into the stomach of the knight, causing it to shatter. (SLP:3900)
"A bold move, Vaun." the stranger admitted, drawing a card, giving him two and dropping the attack points of his Blade Knight's back to sixteen hundred. However, even as their attack points dropped, Sattou was smirking. Vaun raised an eyebrow, but was answered by the face down card behind the twin knights that was revealing itself. "And now that my monsters have lost attack points, my Card of Last Will allows me to draw five cards." he laughed, filling his hand which had just seconds before been nearly empty.
Surveying his new hand, Sattou seemed to be stirring over a few potential moves to strike back against Vaun's powerful Iron Knight with. After all, he would have to remove a minimum of six cards from his hand before his battle phase in order to give his Blade Knights the needed power to attack. It wasn't unheard of, but it was also difficult.
"First off, I play Monster Reincarnation to discard a card and place a monster from my graveyard into my hand. Since I only have one monster in my graveyard, it's rather obvious what I'll pick, isn't it." he explained as his slipped on of the cards into his magic zone, then another into his graveyard, which ejected one into his hand, which he turned over and placed onto the plate. "I summon Knight of Severing (1700/1400) to the field, and then I'll play the magic card, Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy one of your face down cards." While the armored knight appeared soldier appeared, a cylinder of dark wind drilled into Vaun's set card, shattering it. "Now I play Maidens Champion, giving one monster on my field with 'Knight' in its name to attack you directly this turn, so I'll have a Blade Knight attack directly!"
On Sattou's field appeared the image of a woman in a Renaissance dress, waving a handkerchief at one of the silver armored warriors, whose new posture indicated that this action was invigorating him. Charging the field, the knight stepped around Gearfried, intent on striking Vaun.
"I activate my other face down card, Attack Guidance Armor!" Vuan shouted as his face down card flipped up and demonic armor strapped around the silver armored knight at Sattou's side. "This card allows me to change who you'll target with this attack, so I'll have one Blade Knight destroy the other!" As the samurai explained this, the eyes on the breastplate of the dark armor flashed red, and instantly Vaun's assailant stopped mid attack and turned around, again being filled with resolve and charging for the trapped Blade Knight, who could barely lift his arm due to the bulkiness of the armor. In an instant, Vaun watched as the attack knight was impaled by the sword of his comrade, who had been pierced through the heart by his sword before both dissolved into light.
"Oh very good play Vaun. You both stopped a deadly attack and destroyed two of my monsters." Sattou clapped, fingering another card in his hand. "However, you still have my Knight of Severing to contend with. I'll have him attack your Iron Knight!" Moving his shield arm to the side the knight got into attack position, lifting his scimitar.
"What are you planning?" Vaun demanded. "That monster is too weak to beat mine, albeit just barely."
"Except, thanks to his effect, Knight of Severing has the power to beat your Gearfried." Sattou explained, sliding the card he had been fingering into his graveyard slot. "By discarding a card from my hand, Knight of Severing's attack power will rise by seven hundred this turn. Attack!"
With no more cards to protect his monster, Vaun watched, hiding his horror as Sattou's monsters attack rose to twenty-four hundred. The knight leapt into the air, swinging his sword down and cleaving his monster in half. (VLP:3400)
Taking Sattou's nod as a sign that his turn was over, Vaun drew again. "First, I will summon Decoy Soldier (1000/1900) in defense mode." On a horizontal image of his card appeared a man in old warrior clothes and light chain mail, holding a short sword and a large shield, while a crossbow and arrows hung on his back.
"Then I flip over my face down monster, Blacksmith Gearfried (700/500) into attack mode." A figure in tattered brown pants, leather gloves and no shirt appeared, his body and clothing nearly all black from the soot and ashes he worked with. In his hand was a short-handled hammer and long metal tongs, an anvil on a pedestal in front of him. "When flipped face up, Blacksmith Gearfried allows me to special summon one Gearfried from my deck with a an equipment magic card on him." Pulling his deck free from his Duel Disk for a moment, Vaun chose two cards before shuffling the rest and returning it to its holder. Placing the cards on his Duel Disk, Vaun continued. "I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800/1600) and equip him with Fusion Sword Murasame Blade."
Another black armored warrior, just like the first one Vaun had summoned, appeared. However, this ones weapon was different, because instead of a thick prism shaped blade, it was thin and curved outwards, like an elongated katana. For a few seconds there was a crackling sound from the weapon and Gearfried looked like he might loose control of his arm at any second, but that soon subsided.
"Normally, Gearfried destroys any weapon I give him, but the Murasame Blade cannot be destroyed by card effects, so it cancels Gearfried's effect out." Vaun explained. "And now, Gearfried's attack will raise by eight hundred, placing him at twenty-six hundred." Roaring with power, Vaun's warrior felt the added strength flowing through him. "Now, attack Knight of Severing!" In a flash, Gearfried crossed the field and swiftly cut the opposing knight to pieces. (SLP:3000) "Now, Blacksmith Gearfried, attack directly!" Snatching a short stick of metal from the forge behind him, the metal smith arched his arm back and flung the red-hot bolt at Sattou, striking him in the stomach, the stimulations of his Duel Disk deceiving his body for a second so that he felt like he was on fire. (SLP:2300) "End turn."
Drawing, Sattou looked his three cards over. Setting one as a monster and another in the magic zone, he passed control back over to Vaun, holding one card in his hand. Drawing a fourth card, Vaun grimaced because he couldn't use the cards in his hand at the moment. Leaving his hand alone, he turned his attention to the field.
"Gearfried the Iron Knight, attack his set monster." he ordered. Raising the curved blade, Gearfried slashed at the air in a cross shape, creating a current of wind in that same shape, splitting the set card image into four tiles.
"You've destroyed Questing Knight, who allows me to place a specific monster into my hand, as well as any trap, both from my deck." Sattou explained as two cards were extended from his deck which he snatched up. "Continue."
Nodding, Vaun raise an arm and pointed at Sattou's now nearly empty field. "Blacksmith Gearfried, attack directly!" Vaulting over his anvil, the iron smith raised his hammer and charged for Sattou, who pressed a button on his Duel Disk. His face down card flipped up, revealing it to be a quick-play magic card.
"Guard of Card allows me to discard one card from my hand to block your attack." As he spoke a massive shield appeared on his field, stopping the swinging hammer cold. "Also, the monster I discarded was Makyura the Destructor (1600/1000), and by sending him to the graveyard, I can activate trap cards from my hand, namely my Ground Crash, which can only activate if I have no monsters on the field and it destroys all attack mode monsters on your field." The ground beneath both the Iron Knight and the Blacksmith began to crack and crumble, creating graves for the two monsters as they fell into the holes.
"Very well, I end my turn." Vaun conceded, folding his arms across his chest. Although he currently had the advantage in every respect, his opponent seemed to also have every one of his moves pre-planned. 'His deck must be more focused than I thought. He specializes in just a few methods of battle and a limited number of card combinations, enabling him to predict the flow of the duel. Thus far it's been rather evident that he's using warriors, but what's his overall plan?'
"I summon another Blade Knight (1600/1000) and set one card face down." Sattou declared, emptying his hand as a his third silver soldier appeared. "And since I have no cards in my hand, Blade Knight is set to two thousand attack points. Blade Knight, attack Vaun's Decoy Soldier!" Twisting his wrist, the armored warrior slashed down, chopping Vaun's monster to pieces.
"When Decoy Soldier is destroyed, I get to special summon a level four or lower warrior from my deck to the field with an added five hundred attack points." Vaun stated as he took a card from his deck and summoned it. A man in armor much like Gearfried the Iron Knight's appeared, only it was not as smooth nor as polished, and did not have the twisting silver designs. "This is Gearfried the Ferrous Knight (1750/1550), and he powers up to twenty-two fifty because of Decoy Soldier's effect!"
Growling in frustration, Sattou ended. Even with the power boost, his Blade Knight wouldn't stand a chance against Vaun's newest monster. Furthermore, he didn't have any cards, and Vaun was drawing a fifth.
"First off, for the first five turns after Decoy Soldier summons a monster, that monster loses one hundred attack points each turn, meaning he'll soon return to normal." Vaun explained as his Ferrous Knight's attack points decreased to twenty-one fifty; still a formidable level of power. "Next I will set one card face down and a monster in defense mode." Two brown-backed card images appeared on his field next to his mighty warrior.
"Gearfried the Ferrous Knight, attack Blade Knight!" Raising his weapon, which wasn't as smooth or curved as the Iron Knights, Vaun's monster speared the opposing soldier through the chest, destroying him.
"I activate my face down card, Damage Reduction to reduce all the damage I take this turn to zero!" Sattou countered as his trap card flipped up. Nodding, Vaun ended his turn. Drawing, Sattou finally got a spark of hope in his eyes. "I play Life Slashing Treasure to draw until I hold five cards, but must discard my hand five turns later." Drawing five cards, Sattou looked over his vast new options.
'Strange,' Vaun observed. 'He's just throwing cards away it seems. When he had Blade Knight on the field, it made sense. But now he's just constantly discarding and drawing cards. What's his strategy?'
"I summon Makyura the Destructor (1600/1000) in attack mode." A warrior in dark purple clothing and black patches of armor appeared. From his mask, wrists and shoulders extended long razors, each ready to spear through human flesh.
"Next I play Knights Revival to summon a monster with 'Knight' in its name from my graveyard, namely my Blade Knight." In a flash of light, one of the silver armored warriors that Vaun had killed a few times already appeared. "Now I'll sacrifice both of them to special summon their advanced forms from my hand; Hellion Makyura (2400/1900) and Blade Paladin (2000/1600)!" Exploding into a pillar of darkness and a pillar of light. After a few moments both faded away, revealing to Vaun two monsters, both taller than their previous forms, and each more menacing in appearance.
The first was obviously the advanced form of Makyura. He was armored in tightfitting black armor that seemed to be very flexible. Instead of the three long claws on the arms, each arm was now equipped with a long curved blade running along the length of his forearm and curving over his fingers, the handle perpendicular to the blade, enabling him to hold them like tonfas.
The second was in armor much like Blade Knight's had been, but was much smoother and form fitting than the rigid armor of its predecessor. His shield was long and hexagonal, much like Knight of Severing's had been, while his sword was now a long claymore. Finally, the helmet no longer hid his face, but instead had the section that would normally cover the mouth removed, the visor merely reached down to cover his eyes.
"When Hellion Makyura is summoned, I may place any two trap cards from my deck or cemetery into my hand, so I'll take one trap from each." Sattou explained as his graveyard and deck both ejected a card for him, giving him a hand of three cards. "Next I'll set one card face down, leaving me with just two cards, and since I have two or fewer cards in my hand, Blade Paladin gains one thousand attack points, putting him at three thousand. However, it wont last long. Since I sacrificed Makyura the Destructor to the graveyard, I can once again play trap cards from my hand. So I play the trap card I got from my deck, Reward of Valor, allowing me to draw three cards because one of my monsters attack points was increased." he laughed, drawing three cards, giving him four and therefore costing him his Blade Paladin's power boost, but Vaun instantly realized what the other trap card Sattou had chosen was. "Now that Blade Paladin has lost attack points, I'll play the Card of Last Will that I got from my graveyard to draw five more cards!"
Looking over his eight cards, Sattou snickered. True, he only had a handful of cards left in his hand, but that was hardly a problem. Choosing another card, he slipped it into his magic slot. "Renewal of Triplets revives my three Blade Knights (1600/1000 x3) from the graveyard in attack mode." Filling his monster zones, the three smaller knights appeared, swords at the ready. "And now it's time I stopped holding back." he smirked, grabbing a card from his hand, one he had been eyeing constantly since he drew it, Vaun had noticed. Holding the card up, Sattou's field magic zone opened up, allowing him to slide the card in before he closed.
A pillar of faint green light appeared around the two duelists, while a glowing green ring appeared to create a perimeter, various symbols filling the rim of the field. Finally, a mysterious six-pointed star formed beneath their feet. Glancing up at Sattou's monsters, Vaun noticed their eyes flash red for a second as the same circle appeared on their foreheads.
"Behold the Seal of Orichalcos!" Sattou laughed, drawing Vaun's attention to him, and the boy samurai noticed that the same green circle had also appeared on his opponents forehead. "This field card imbues my monsters with dark powers, raise their attack points by five hundred each." (Hellion-2900)(Paladin-2500)(Knights-2100 x3) "Also, the Seal allows me to use my magic and trap zones as monster zones, so I have plenty more space to fill." he laughed, indicating his five empty zones and his hand of six cards. "Now, to even things out a bit, I play Reward of Discard, allowing me to discard cards from my hand to increase my Life Points by one thousand each, but I'll only discard one." (SLP:3300) Turning his chosen card around to show Vaun, who was puzzled to see a third Makyura the Destructor discarded.
'Why discard that this turn? Why not wait for a later turn when he doesn't already have Makyura's effect active?'
"Now I'll play another Renewal of Triplets to special summon all three Makyura's to the field in attack mode. (1600+500/1000 x3) Then I play Knight's Honor, a continuous magic card that makes it so that whenever a monster with 'Knight' in its name gains attack points via his own effect, that increase becomes permanent." Sattou howled with laughter as his three dark warriors appeared, along with the image of continuous magic card depicting a man in armor kneeling before a king, who looked like he was knighting the first man. Now all but one of Sattou's card zones was filled, and he still had two cards in his hand, meaning that Blade Paladin once again gained one thousand attack points, setting him at thirty-five hundred.
"Finally, I'll set one card face down, lowering my hand to one, meaning each Blade Knight gains four hundred more attack points, setting them at twenty-five hundred!" he laughed at his seemingly unstoppable army, a description Vaun would all to readily agree with. Eight monsters, each with a minimum of twenty-one hundred attack, and four of which would only get stronger as the duel progressed!
"Now, I'll have a Blade Knight launch the first attack to destroy your face down monster before I destroy you." Sattou laughed as one of the three soldiers bounded across the field and slashed down ward when suddenly an invisible barrier appeared and halted the attack.
"You activated my Weakening of the Attack, the quick-play version of Negate Attack, stopping your attack and ending your battle phase." Vaun breathed a huge sigh of relief at having survived. The balance of power had just drastically shifted in Sattou's favor. Drawing a fourth card, he sighed.
"I switch my Ferrous Knight to defense mode and then I summon Onyx Titan Gearfried (2200/2000), who raises the attack power of all Gearfried's other than himself by 300, but that's a relatively moot point for the time being, except my Ferrous Knight now has twenty-three fifty attack points. I'll then set two cards face down and end my turn." The newest of the Gearfried family was a man in shimmering black armor, however it appeared to be much coarser than metal.
"Bah, bring on all the Gearfried's you want, it wont help you!" Sattou called as he drew. "My Seal of Orichalcos is the ultimate power. A power even greater than yours, Guardian!" he said accusingly. Vaun looked at his opponent with a face full of confusion, but it didn't seem that Sattou realized as he continued ranting. "I was sent to take your soul, and with it your Guardian powers. In exchange, I got the awesome power of the Seal!"
'How odd.' Vaun noted to himself. 'Since he activated the Seal, he's become much more erratic and less like the light-hearted duelist he was. Was he just deceiving me, or is it something more?'
Since he now held two cards, the Blade Knights should have lost their power bonus, but thanks to Knights Honor, that drawback was now nonexistent. However, thanks to the fact that Sattou's field was now full, he wouldn't be able to use up one of the cards in his hand and raise their attack points. At least, that was the best case scenario for Vaun. He had to hope that the set card couldn't be activated yet.
"I activate the card I set last turn," Sattou called as his card flipped up, crushing Vaun's hopes. The trap card depicted a set of scales, one of the plates holding a pile of gold while the other had a stack of weapons. "Balanced Trade allows me to discard cards to raise the attack of my monsters by five hundred per card. I discard two, meaning each monster will gain one thousand attack points. Also, since I had two cards and then decreased that, my Blade Knights each gain another four hundred!" (Paladin-4500)(Hellion-3900)(Knight-3900 x3)(Makyura-3100 x3) "Finally, one of the cards I discarded was Repayment of Losses, which will allow me to draw a new card now that it was sent to the graveyard." he drew a new card, but did not play it and instead turned his attention back to his monsters.
"Blade Paladin, his Onyx Titan; Hellion, his face down monster. Then a Blade Knight will crush your Ferrous Knight. Attack!" he shouted and both monsters leapt into action, weapons raised. First a Blade Knight cut the dark armored Gearfried to ribbons, then the Hellion Makyura used its fearsome blades to slash apart a monster that appeared to be a large, burly Gearfried in heavy armor with a massive shield.
"That was my Gearfried the Iron Guardian (1000/2400), and since he did battle I get to draw a card." Vaun breathed, raising his hand to two, but Sattou brushed it aside as his Blade Paladin continued his attack. Vaun, however, triggered one of his face down cards. "Mirror Barrier is an equipment trap card that can only activate when you attack my monster. For three turns you can't attack my monster, and the attack that triggers this card is reflected back on its user, meaning Blade Paladin will now have his attack power reduced to zero!" he explained as a shimmering bubble appeared around his monster, deflecting the sword as it crashed down and firing a shockwave at the monster, sending him sailing backward.
Shaking with fury, Sattou shot a nasty glare at the card in his hand, then at Vaun. "Go." he seethed. With a nod, Vaun drew.
"I play Smashing Ground to destroy the monster on your field with the lowest defense, in this case, any of your Blade Knights of Makyura's, so I'll get rid of a Blade Knight." he began, only slightly relieved to remove one major threat from the field. "Next, I'll summon Metal Master Gearfried (1700/1500) in attack mode." A Gearfried dressed in chain mail and only patches of plate armor instead of a full body suit, with a blue cape hanging from his shoulders appeared. "And my Onyx Titan powers him up by three hundred points to two thousand. Metal Master Gearfried, attack Hellion Makyura!" he commanded and his new monster unsheathed a long sword rather than wield a cumbersome weapon like most of the other Gearfried's.
"Are you running to your death?" Sattou laughed as his monster raised his arms defensively. Vaun's monster swung his sword in a horizontal slash and the sound of metal hitting metal could be heard.
"I activate my trap card," Vaun shouted as his other face down card flipped up. "Obsidian Edge negates one battle that a warrior participates in and destroys the enemy monster." he explained. Suddenly his monsters blade transformed to a shimmer black color and slashed through Hellion Makyura's weapons and then cleaving his body in two.
"Next my Onyx Titan can still attack, so he'll attack Blade Paladin before he can get any of his attack points back from his effect." Vaun commanded and the glass barrier around his monster diminished and the warrior raised an arm with a massive block of onyx covering the fist, which he used to punch a hole in Sattou's monster. (SLP:1100)
"I set one card face down and end my turn." Vaun finished, leaving him with just one card in his hand.
"Blade Knight, attack his monster and clear it away!" Sattou ordered as one of his smaller knights began to charge Vaun's field, but once again Vaun pressed a button on his Duel Disk. The shield of Vaun's Metal Master suddenly transformed into a flat surfaced shield with two small doors that opened and a claw extended forth from the shield, grabbing one of the Makyura's around the waist and pulling him into the path of the Blade Knight's attack. Unable to stop the attack, the knight carried through with his attack and slashed the dark armored monster to pieces.
"Magic Arm Shield allows me to use your monster your monster to block your attack." Vaun explained to a fuming Sattou. (SLP:300)
"Blade Knight, attack his Metal Master Gearfried!" Sattou ordered the last of his two Blade Knights, who cut Vaun's monster down with ease. (VLP:1500) "I swear, I'll take your soul and your Guardian powers." Sattou growled, his aggression still has high as it was when the Seal first was activated. Drawing a card, Vaun looked Sattou straight in the eyes.
"I don't know how you found out about me," Vaun finally declared, his card hovering inches in front of his face. "But you will not be taking my powers. You've taken this duel too far, and now you face the power of the warriors spirit; the power of the Soul!" Turning the card around to show Sattou the green bordered magic card. "Iron Mining allows me to draw until I either hold five cards or until I reach an equipment card. Let us see what my soul deck will not give me." Drawing one card at a time, Vaun soon held four cards, the third one he drew having obviously been an equip card.
'Tenken told me a great evil may some day come. I hadn't thought it would ever happen, but I can't deny it anymore. This Seal...It serves an evil purpose and it fills a man with rage and hate, polluting the soul. I will stop the Seal in its path.' Vaun decided, returning to staring at Sattou's eyes, the windows to the soul, and he knew what he was facing.
"I set one card face down, and end my turn." he finished, folding his three remaining cards together and standing back expectantly while Sattou drew, and then began to laugh with pure insanity.
"There's still a way." he laughed. "I sacrifice a Blade Knight and a Makyura the Destructor to summon Kentsuchi-Disciple of the Blade (2700+500/2000)!" As two more of his monsters melted away, a new one took their place.
Dressed in black armor fashioned after the same mold as Blade Knight's, this warrior deserved to be named the disciple of the blade -both hands were clasped around the hilts of two claymores, while long blades like those used by Hellion Makyura seemed to be imbedded in his arms. Four curved swords were strapped to his back, their hilts and tips poking out from behind him, giving the appearance of eight curved spines. At both hips was a short sword, and what was at least six knives on each leg. Even his helmet, shaped like Blade Paladin's, had razor edges around the crown.
"Regrettably, your damned Mirror Barrier is still in effect, but at the end of this turn it vanishes. I set one card face down. Take your final move."
"I play the magic card Pump Up to double Onyx Titan Gearfried's attack points for one turn!" Glowing with a bright aura, Vaun's monster began to grow in size until its attack power had risen to forty-four hundred. "Now it's time I ended it. Onyx Titan Gearfried, attack Kentsuchi-Disciple of the Blade!" Raising his stone-gloved fist, Vaun's monster prepared his attack.
"I activate my face down card, Vanguard Sacrifice!" As the trap card flipped up, Vaun was horrified to see the aura around his monster fading away. "This card allows me to sacrifice one warrior on my field to negate one of your cards. Therefore, Pump Up is negated, but your attack continues." Sattou sneered as Vaun's monster continued his charge, only to run into the extended tip of a claymore, and then to be cut to pieces by the other swords. (VLP:400)
"I set one card face down and a monster in defense mode. End." Vaun finished, leaving him with two cards to Sattou's one, soon to be two as he drew.
"First off, it's been five turns since I played Life Slashing Treasure, meaning I must discard my entire hand to the graveyard." he explained, snapping the two cards together and inserting them into his duel disk with a casual air about himself. "Kentsuchi," Sattou began. His monster responded to his slightest word, raising both claymores in an attack position. "Destroy his defense monster." Crossing the two swords over each other, the sword master struck, snipping Vaun's monster in two.
"Activate trap!" Vaun shouted. "Iron Shrapnel activates when a Gearfried is destroyed, and it allows me to destroy one monster on your field, meaning your final Makyura the destructor has been destroyed!" From the holographic fragments of his monster fired a wave consisting of fragments of cracked and shattered metal, the jagged edges ripping through the armor of Sattou's monster with ease until, with a final howl of pain, Makyura faded away.
"It doesn't matter! I have Kentsuchi now! I can't lose!" Sattou shouted. "Also, please take note of his special ability. Whenever he destroys a monster, he gains one hundred attack points." (Kentsuchi-3400)
"It's my turn." Vaun declared. Drawing a card, he looked his options over. If he didn't summon a monster, he'd lose from a direct attack. If he did summon a monster, Kentsuchi would just get stronger. Finally choosing his cards, Vaun set a monster in defense mode and a card face down, ending his turn.
"Is that all you have, Guardian of Soul?" Sattou mocked. Vaun didn't answer, but merely gazed into the eyes of his opponent, trying to discern something about the young man who had randomly attacked him. Something felt very out of place from five minutes before. "Kentsuchi, attack!" Spearing his two main swords into the ground, the warrior reached down to his legs and drew forth four of his knives, which he flung at Vaun's face down monster.
"I activate my face down card, Command Silencer!" Vaun shouted as a totem pole appeared, emitting an ultrasonic screech. "This card negates your attack and lets me draw a card!"
"I don't think so." Sattou smirked as one of the knives struck the totem pole and destroyed the speaker, ending the shriek. "Any card that is chained to Kentsuchi's attack is negated and destroyed." Sattou explained as the remaining blades speared into Vaun's monster, destroying it. "And now Kentsuchi will gain another one hundred attack points." (Kentsuchi-3500)
"I draw." Vaun shouted, glancing at his two cards. One was an equipment magic card, but he needed a monster with relatively high attack points to use it effectively right now. "I summon another monster in defense mode and end my turn." he ended, having nothing else to do.
"So, we're just going to continue the cycle of you defending and making Kentsuchi stronger? Fine with me. Before too long you'll run out of monsters." Sattou mocked. However, as he did, Vaun noticed something: Sattou's skin was starting to pale and dry out. However, it soon became evident that either the erratic boy didn't know or didn't care. Waving his hand, his monster attacked and destroyed Vaun's defending monster, once again clearing the field. Selecting one of his two cards, his slid it into his magic zone. "I play the magic card, Battle Training of the Blade! This card totals the number of monsters in your graveyard, and Kentsuchi is considered as having destroyed that many monsters. Since he gains one hundred attack points every time he destroys a monster, he'll now gain quite a boost." Vaun glanced at his Duel Disk, realizing what this meant. He had eleven monsters in his graveyard now, meaning Kentsuchi would now grain eleven hundred attack points. (Kentsuchi-4600)
Drawing, Vaun breathed a sigh, though it was not one of relief. Sliding the drawn card into his magic zone, he activated the card. "Pot of Greed to draw two cards." he said, drawing said cards, and his eyes hardened. "It's time I showed you the real power of my soul." he declared, taking one of the cards and placing it on top of the plate.
"I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800/1600) in attack mode. Then I play the magic card Iron Refining, allowing me to special summon a Gearfried from my graveyard with half of its attack points, and if it's attack is reduced to an amount less than one thousand, I can draw two cards. I'm bringing back another Gearfried the Iron Knight (900/1600), meaning I can draw two cards." Once again armed with three cards, Vaun chose his next one. "Metal Purification allows me to sacrifice a Gearfried to draw three cards." Instantly the weakened knight vanished and Vaun drew until he held four cards. "Decentralization Prism allows me to sacrifice my lone monster to summon three Iron Knight Tokens (1800/1600) with the same stats and effect as my sacrificed monster." Gearfried faded away, only to be replaced by three Gearfried's. "Now I'll play Iron Burst, discarding an equipment card from my hand to raise the attack points of all Gearfried's by seven hundred." each of the Iron Knight Tokens began to glow with a dark grey aura as their attack points rose to twenty-five hundred. "Finally, I activate Brave Attack, allowing my three tokens to attack at once, combining their attack points!"
"But...But that's..." Sattou couldn't complete his thought as the three Iron Knight's each reach back, preparing their attacks on Kentsuchi. Combined, the three tokens had an attack power of seventy-five hundred, meaning twenty-six hundred points of damage would be dealt, and Sattou only had three hundred Life Points.
"Iron Force!" Vaun shouted and each knight complied, thrusting his weapon forward, their tips connecting as they impacted the body of Kentsuchi-Disciple of the Blade, piercing his armor and digging into his stomach before a cyclone of energy erupted from his back, slaying him. (SLP:0)
As the Life Point meter ticked down, Vaun noticed that the green circle that had surrounded them was closing in on Sattou, who suddenly had a look of pure terror on his face. As the circle's rim passed under Vaun's feet, he saw Sattou begin to scream, but could not hear him for some reason. Once Sattou was closly encircled, a green pillar flared to life around him for a moment more, and then it all faded, and Sattou dropped to the ground. Vaun took a step closer to get a better look in the almost nonexistent light, but it didn't take him long to catch the smell of decaying flesh. Drawing back in surprise, he continued to stare at the silhouetted body a few feet in front of him, wondering what had happened.
"He couldn't handle the Seal." a voice spoke up, and a figure emerged from woods. Vaun, startled from his pondering, rebuked himself for letting this person intrude. As they drew closer, Vaun noticed that it was a woman, probably a few years older than him, with shoulder-length chestnut hair, but that was the only real detail he could make out in the dim light. Without blinking, she continued. "He was so afraid of the Seal that when it amplified that fear, it began to deteriorate his body. Once the Seal took his soul, his body couldn't take it anymore, and gave out."
"In other words, he's dead." Vaun simplified, spared the shock of the news only because he had seen death many times before. "And what gives you the right to do this to people?"
"They do." she responded. "He wanted power, and we gave it to him. It was his own foolishness that did this too him."
"And why are you here?" Vaun asked. "Do you wish to face me and my powers as well?"
"Oh no, not here or now." she chuckled. "No, I was sent to observe the duel. This was just the beginning Vaun Hiten. You can't stand against us alone. You and the other Guardians will fall. Already we have sent other messengers, like Sattou, to challenge them. Soon you will all become a part of something far greater, and all will be made right, no matter what sacrifices we must make in the time being." she finished, turning on her heel. Pausing a moment, she sent one final comment over her shoulder. "If you survive the next few challenges, then I might consider dueling you myself."
Watching her fade away into the shadows of the woods, Vaun instantly went about gathering his few things together. He had no time to waste. It wasn't safe to travel home alone, and he needed allies for the coming battle he had just been warned of. If he got moving now, he'd make it back before dawn.
"Kai, I need your help."
To Be Continued...
Original Cards-
Vaun- Iron Shield, Blacksmith Gearfried, Decoy Soldier, Gearfried the Ferrus Knight, Onyx Titan Gearfried, Iron Mining, Metal Master Gearfried, Weakening of Attack (Seeker), Iron Shrapnel, Iron Burst, Iron Refining, Obsidian Edge.
Sattou- Warriors Guild, Severing Knight (Seeker), Maidens Champion, Questing Knight (Seeker), Ground Crash, Damage Reduction, Knights Revival, Reward of Valor, Renewal of Triplets (Seeker), Reward of Discard (Seeker), Knights Honor, Balance Trade (Seeker), Hellion Makyura (Seeker), Blade Paladin (Seeker), Kentsuchi-Disciple of the Blade, Battle Training of the Blade
Wow...Didn't mean for it to get that intense. This is actually really different than the original duel script. However, while writing this, I realized a major tactical error that completely reshaped the later half of the duel. Normally the first duel of a fic isn't that intense, but I guess I'm just special.
Also, in light of the fact that I have some big tests this weekend, plus I own a chapter to the group fic, chapter two will not be up till next week, most likely.
Vaun returns to Kai's village in search of allies. Kai doesn't know that Vaun's a Guardian. Time for them to put together what they know. But while they do that, there's another ally half a world away, and someone's working hard to push his buttons.
Next Time-Scorpion Sting
Review Responses-
The Helldragon- I've scripted Matt's cameo, but it wont be upon us for quite a while first. I'll have a better idea about which chapter exactly it will be in after I have managed to rally the Guardian together, which should take another five chapters or so, give or take a few.
Seeker of the Soul- He's not oblivious, he just keeps on outsmarting himself.
WolfGeneral- Sometimes, with some people, you just gotta lay it in front of them in as loud and simple a way as you can, you know?
G.O.T.Nick- Thanks for the props, but are they as good a kudos? Anyway, you, above all people, will want to tune into next chapter. While I'm taking tests, gather some party decorations so that when it gets posted, we might make merry and celebrate for no damned reason.
John- Granted that you asked so early on, I guess I should tell you. The winner of the final conflict will be Vacuum cleaner goes by, drowning out all other noise Neat ending, isn't it? What?
Noble Paladin- Yeah, it was short. Hence, this one had to be full length, plus make up for whatever last chapter lacked.
Black Death X- There's a bit of thickening, I like to think.