Disclaimer: I don't own Magic: The Gathering
OK, a non-duel chapter. Haven't done one of these in a while, so let's see what I can pull off.
After the tournament was over, Arrathir having finished in the top five, they left the shop. Eva was still fuming over her loss to Arrathir. He listened to her rant while munching on the Pocky he'd bought when they left the shop.
"I so almost had you!" ranted Eva "If Jugan had been at the bottom of your deck, you would have lost!"
Arrathir wasn't really listening to Eva. He perceived a strange ringing in his ears.
"..and then if you hadn't killed off my Mistblade Shinobi, I would have returned so many of your creatures to your hand," Eva said "And then…hey, are you listening?"
"No."
Eva turned to grab Arrathir and the stopped, perplexed.
"What's with your ears?' she asked.
"What?"
"They're different," said Eva, reaching up to stroke Arrathir's ears.
Reaching up, Arrathir found his ears were much larger than they had been. They also seemed to be covered in some kind of fur.
Chikuro…
I didn't do it.
Pulling Eva into an alley, Arrathir managed to pull Chikuro out in spirit form.
"Care to explain this?" he said, pointing at his ears.
"I was hoping this wouldn't come about," said the spirit "All right. Arrathir, I haven't exactly been up front with you. You see, in my past life, I was not a normal human; I was a half-demon."
"What?"
"In fact," said Chikuro "I think all the Keepers of Mana were half-demons."
"Dare I ask what kind of demon you were?"
"I was a rat demon," said Chikuro "My mother was mortal while my father was a demon."
"So, these are rat ears?' asked Arrathir "What is going on here?"
"My guess," said Chikuro "Is that since my powers are still awakening, you are merely taking on the form I used to have."
"Wait, so I'm going to have to walk around with rat ears?"
"You think that's bad?" asked Chikuro, clearly enjoying seeing Arrathir in his panicked state "Wait until the whiskers show up, oh and the tail!"
"I'm going to have a tail?"
"This is going to be an amusing development," said Chikuro.
"Why a rat?" moaned Arrathir "Couldn't you have been something cool, like a dragon or a wolf?"
"It could be worse," said Chikuro "Guess what kind of demon the Keeper of White Mana was?"
"I don't know," said Arrathir.
Chikuro motioned him to lean forward and whispered in his ear. Arrathir looked stunned and started laughing.
"What is so funny?" asked Eva.
Still giggling, Arrathir told Eva who immediately threw he head back and laughed uproariously.
"So," panted Arrathir "How long until we see Erik's changes?"
"It depends," said Chikuro "Knowing his Keeper, I'll be surprised if Erik lasts more than a few days before accepting the spirit."
"That persistent?"
"You have no idea…"
"But there's still the whole issue of these," said Arrathir, tugging on one of his ears "How do I explain this to people?"
"You could just say you're practicing for that holiday, what do you call it? Halloween?"
"This is serious, Chikuro!" said Arrathir "If people see me walking around with rat ears, they're gonna treat me like a freak!"
"Hey, that's your problem, not mine," said Chikuro.
"Is there even some advantage to my becoming a half-demon?" asked Arrathir.
"Well, how does squeezing your head through a hole the size of a quarter sound?" asked Chikuro.
"I can do that?"
"Not quite," said the spirit "But your body will become much more flexible than it is now. Also, your sense of smell and hearing will improve quite a bit. As your body continues to change, your whiskers and tail will appear, as I mentioned."
"Wait, how come you don't have a tail or ears?" asked Arrathir.
"I…don't know," said Chikuro "My guess is that when I awakened, my spirit initially took the form of your body, but now as I grow stronger, it is your body taking the shape of my spirit."
"I think it's cool," said Eva "It's like you're becoming one with Chikuro."
"Bet you wouldn't be thrilled if it happened to you!" snapped Arrathir.
"But they're so cute!" said Eva, reaching up to stroke Arrathir's ears again. Chikuro laughed and reintegrated Arrathir's body.
Great. Now she's all over me because of my ears.
Your problem, not mine. Do you know what this means?
No.
It means the other Keepers of Mana will be drawn to my power. Subconsciously, their hosts will seek you out, making it easier for us to awaken them.
What happened to you not caring about the other Keepers?
Hey, I can't help it. When I set out to do something, I like to do it very well. Watch out for that streetlamp.
Arrathir had been so focused on his conversation with Chikuro that he ran right into a streetlamp. Cursing the spirit, he rubbed his nose and trudged on through the crowded streets of Tokyo. His new ears flicked and twitched as he walked in response to changes in the air or whenever he heard a sound. He noticed his hearing was a lot sharper. He could make out the conversations of people all around him without a problem.
Maybe this won't be so bad after all.
Arrathir suddenly realized he'd lost Eva in the crowd. Looking around, he couldn't spot her in the sea of people milling about.
Great. What now?
Try sniffing her out.
What?
You heard me. You sense of smell has improved. You can pick up her scent from a distance and find her this way.
How am I supposed to know what she smells like?
Just try it.
Rolling his eyes, Arrathir sniffed the air. He could smell many things: the exhaust from passing cars, the grease for nearby fast-food joints, the garbage waiting to be picked up, and many other smells. Among all these was one that somehow seemed familiar. Arrathir fixated himself on that scent, following it through the crowd. It was stronger now. Speeding up to a run, Arrathir rounded a corner and saw Eva right in front of him.
"I knew I'd find you here!" he said.
"Arrathir!" said Eva "How did you find me?"
"When in doubt," said Arrathir "Follow your nose."
When they got back to the apartment, they were surprised to find Erik was there. He did a double take upon seeing Arrathir's new form. After a quick explanation he resumed his normal attitude, though Arrathir caught him sneaking glances at his ears throughout the evening.
As Arrathir flipped lazily through the newspaper, glancing at the headlines, an advertisement caught his eye. He couldn't read the kanji, but he got the general impression it was for some sort of gaming convention.
"Hey, Erik!" he said, "You can read Japanese, right? What's this ad all about?"
"That?" said Erik "It's for the Otakon convention tomorrow. It's a big gaming convention. They have video games, RPGs, tabletop gaming, you name it."
Sounds interesting. Maybe we should go.
As it turned out, Eva was obsessed with going the minute Arrathir told her about it. That's how, the next day, they found themselves in nerd heaven. The convention was in an arena a few blocks for their hotel. The entire arena was filled with tables covered in games. Arrathir and Eva milled about, observing. Fortunately for Arrathir many people had chosen to dress up in costumes, so his rat ears went unnoticed.
There was a lot to see. Entire tables were taken up by tabletop war games. Arrathir saw armies of Warhammer 40, 000 opposing each other on finely crafted terrain. He admired the precision with which each and every model was painted, right down to the rivets on the guns.
Eventually, Arrathir came upon a table selling Magic cards. As he looked through the cards, he suddenly spotted it: Yawgmoth's Bargain. An enchantment for six mana that allowed its controller to pay one life to draw one card!
This could really help my deck! I wouldn't have to keep relying on Night's Whisper when I play Vampiric Tutor!
"How much for Yawgmoth's Bargain?" he asked the salesman.
"How long have you been playing Magic?" the salesman asked. He had a posh English accent.
Arrathir was a bit surprised at the question. "About three years, why?"
"Yeah, I don't think you're ready for this card," said the salesman "This one's from the Urza's Destiny set. When did you start? Odyssey?"
"Onslaught," said Arrathir "But I have a lot of cards from the older sets."
"Yeah, but have you actually played the older sets? DO you know the intricacies of each set? Sorry mate, but this card's not for you. I have plenty of One with Nothing if you're interested."
Is it just me, or is this guy really starting to become arrogant?
Can I please kill him?
As much as I'd love to let you, that could mean anywhere from thirty to life in prison. I have a better idea.
You mean…
Yep. And you can do it.
Really?
Crush him.
It goes against my every principle to say this but, thanks.
Arrathir smiled and retreated to his Soul Room, letting Chikuro take over. (A/N: OK, I lied when I said this was a non-duel chapter.)
"How about I prove to you that I'm ready for this card?" said Chikuro "We'll duel and if I win, you sell me the card, but if I loose, I'll give you my Demonic Tutor."
"Let's see it," said the salesman.
Chikuro pulled out Arrathir's deck and flashed the card. He knew the salesman would accept. Demonic Tutor was a black sorcery for two mana that let you put any card from your library into your hand. Getting it on your opening hand was a sure way of getting your key cards out early on in the game.
"Either way, you win," said Chikuro.
"Fine," said the salesman, pulling out a deck "I'm Charles Wainscot." He rolled a 6 on his D20. Arrathir rolled a 12.
"I guess I'll go first," said Arrathir "I play a Swamp and summon Putrid Imp (1/1). Your move."
"I play an Island," said Charles "And I end my turn."
Excellent! I've got everything I need for my four-turn kill.
"I play a Swamp and attack with Putrid Imp, discarding a card to give him flying until end of turn," said Chikuro.
CHARLES: 19
CHIKURO: 20
"End turn."
"I play another Island and summon Man-o'-War (2/2)," said Charles "When this card comes into play, I return a creature to its owner's hand."
It had to be a blue deck.
"End turn."
"I play Exhume! We each return one creature from our graveyards to play. I return my Havoc Demon (5/5, Flying) to play! End turn."
"I'll play Mishra's Factory," said Charles "This land can be tapped for one mana, or by paying one mana it can become a 2/2 Assembly-Worker artifact creature until end of turn. It can also be tapped to give target Assembly-Worker +1+1 until end of turn. I Boomerang your Havoc Demon back to your hand and attack with Man-o'-War."
CHARLES: 19
CHIKURO: 18
Damn! He's just bouncing our stuff back to our hand!
Don't worry. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve for him.
"I play a Swamp and play Duress. Let's see what you've got." Charles' hand contained: Palinchron, Rewind, Boomerang, Cloud of Faeries, Island and Faerie Conclave. "Discard the Boomerang," said Chikuro. "Now I summon Putrid Imp (1/1). End turn."
"I play Faerie Conclave," said Charles "It comes into play tapped, but I can tap it for blue or pay two to make it a 2/1 blue creature with flying until end of turn. I'll summon Cloud of Faeries (1/1, Flying). When this creature comes into play from my hand, I can untap two lands, so I basically get to play it for free. Now I'll attack with Man-o'-War."
"I take it," said Chikuro.
CHARLES: 19
CHIKURO: 16
"End turn."
"I play Wasteland!" said Chikuro "Sacking it to destroy your Faerie Conclave. Next, I play Cabal Therapy, saying Rewind! Finally, I play Vampiric Tutor and end my turn."
CHARLES: 19
CHIKURO: 14
"I play an Island and attack with Man-o'-War."
"I block with Putrid Imp," said Chikuro "Discarding a card before he dies to give it flying."
"End turn."
"I play a Swamp and play Cabal Therapy. I'll say Palinchron." Charles' hand was: Palinchron, Rewind, Island, Man-o'-War and another Palinchron. Charles discarded his two cards.
"End turn."
What? We're wide open!
He's got a Rewind in his hand. It would be useless to try summoning anything.
"I play an Island and summon Man-o'-War (2/2)," said Charles "Next, I attack with Man-o'-War and Cloud of Faeries."
CHARLES: 19
CHIKURO: 11
"I play Zombify to return Havoc Demon to play!" said Chikuro "End turn."
"I play Intuition," said Charles "I search my deck for three cards and reveal them. You choose one and I put it in my hand; the rest go in my graveyard." Charles searched through his deck and pulled out three cards. He showed them to Arrathir and he saw he had chosen three copies of the same card: Accumulated Knowledge, a sorcery for two mana that let you draw a card and then draw cards equal to the number of Accumulated Knowledge cards in all graveyards.
That little…He's setting himself up for a massive card draw! Since he'll have two copies of the card in his graveyard, he'll draw three cards for two mana! Pretty slick. I'll bet he's got a fourth one in his deck.
"I choose Accumulated Knowledge," said Chikuro.
"Now I play Accumulated Knowledge, drawing one card as well as one card fro each Accumulated Knowledge," said Charles, drawing three cards. "End turn."
"Time to clear the field!" said Chikuro "I play a Swamp and sacrifice my Havoc Demon to Flashback my Cabal Therapy. I say Rewind!" Charles' hand contained no Rewind. "Now I play Reanimate to bring Havoc Demon back to play, but I loose life equal to his converted mana cost. End turn."
CHARLES: 19
ARRATHIR: 4
Are you crazy? He's going to return it to our hand and pwn us!
Relax. I always have a plan B.
"I play Mishra's Factory and turn my other Factory into a 2/2 creature, tapping the Factory I just played to give it +1+1 until end of turn. I summon Man-o'-War, returning your Havoc Demon to your hand and I attack."
CHARLES: 19
ARRATHIR: 1
You were talking about a plan B?
Got it right here.
"I play a Swamp and summon Kokusho, the Evening Star (5/5, Flying)," said Chikuro "I sack him to Flashback my other Cabal Therapy. I'll say Force of Will." Charles' hand was: Force of Will, Snap, Counterspell, and Island. "End turn."
CHARLES: 14
ARRATHIR: 6
So, what's your big plan? To keep bringing him back and sacking him?
That's about it.
Hate to break it to you, but he'll just keep summoning creatures and eventually you'll run out of Zombify and Cabal Therapy.
The creatures I can deal with. I'll just bring Havoc Demon back and sack him off.
"I summon Cloud of Faerie (1/1) and I turn one of my factories into a Worker, tapping my other Factory to make the Worker a 3/3 and attack with the Worker and Man-o'-War."
CHARLES: 14
ARRATHIR: 1
Any more stupid ideas? He's got a Counterspell in his hand.
Watch and learn, naki.
"I play Duress," said Chikuro.
"I Counterspell it," said Charles.
"Then I'll play Exhume to return my Havoc Demon to play."
"I return Palinchron (4/5, Flying)," said Charles.
"Then I'll play my final Cabal Therapy," said Chikuro "Snap." Charles discarded his card. "And now I summon Putrid Imp (1/1) and end my turn."
"I play Accumulated Knowledge," said Charles, "I draw four cards."
This does not look good…
"Now I summon Man-o'-War (2/2)," said Charles.
"I sack Havoc Demon to Flashback Cabal Therapy," said Chikuro "Clear the field!"
"Then I'll play an Island and turn my last Factory into a 2/2 Worker and attack," said Charles.
Shit! That was not supposed to happen!
CHARLES: 14
CHIKURO: 0
"I'll take that Demonic Tutor now," said Charles. Chikuro flung the card at him and stormed away.
To be continued…
Author's note: There you have it! The final chapter of the one update a day challenge. Granted most of you probably won't read this until tomorrow, but still. So, Arrathir's a half-demon and Chikuro lost a duel…what next?