Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh. I do own Temarocia though, and everything in it.

Song of Temarocia

Chapter 13: Spoken through the Cigarette

Ruerto sneered and cracked his knuckles. "You ready, kid?"

"Heh, I was…" Jason disappeared as the ex-general kicked him straight through the next two walls behind him and followed after him.

Flair drew his katana slowly and lifted the blade up to aim at Raiza's chest. "Shall we take this elsewhere? There isn't enough room here for me to move."

"That's fine." His wiry red hair bristling, the killer leapt backwards and ran down the hallway, pursued by the samurai as the two disappeared from sight.

"It looks like," King put out his current cigarette. "That it's just you and me, slimy."

"That's just fine." Gozum's Carrier was already in place, though it lacked a Life Deck. "Shall we duel using your skill, or are you scared that you won't be able to beat me if you use your precious little kicks?"

"I didn't intend to beat you with my normal methods anyway." King summoned his Carrier and removed his Life Deck from it. "Even my feet have limits to them, and I need to give them a little bit of time to recover."

"Duel!" They both drew their opening hands at the same time.

King- 8000

Gozum- 8000

"Draw!" King added a card to his hand and flicked a different card into the air up above his head before using that same hand to flick a cigarette up to his mouth. The card he threw continued up into the air and then floated onto his field where it was replaced by a much larger version of itself. "I set one monster face-down and one card face-down too, end turn."

"Draw!" Gozum drew from his deck and snapped a card up. "I activate the magic card Graceful Charity, drawing three cards from my deck and discarding two." He licked his lips, as he had already won this duel. "Also I summon Snake Bite in attack mode." A humanoid snake appeared on his field, it's marking making it seem like its chest was an open fanged mouth. (1600/1800) "Attack his set monster now!"

King didn't flinch at all as his set monster was pounced and shattered. "When French Sports Car is destroyed as a result of battle I special summon two more of it from my deck to the field in defense mode." A pair of elegant sports cars appeared on his field. (500/500)x2

"Che, what kind of bizarre things are those?" Gozum threw two cards in front of him and they appeared face-down on the field. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Hold it," King lit up his cigarette and covered it with his hand as a powerful blast of dusty wind whipped across the field and shattered one of Gozum's set cards. "I activate Dust Tornado to destroy one of your set cards and then set a magic or trap card from my hand onto the field." A card appeared in place of his used trap.

Gozum narrowed his eyes but had nothing to say in response to that.

"Draw." King added the card to his hand and held up a different one. "Go Mystical Space Typhoon, blast that set card of his into dust!" A powerful wind started building as it got ready to destroy the card.

"Speaking of dust, I've got a response to that!" Gozum's set card flipped up to reveal Dust Tornado. "Let's deal with the card you set last turn!"

"Crap!" King threw up his hands to guard against the powerful blast of wind that shattered his set card, Choir of Pure Maidens. "I wanted to listen to that too!"

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, but your attempts to control this duel's tempo have proven useless!" Gozum hissed, his tongue sliding from his lips and moving out a bit farther than what should have probably been humanly possible.

"…that's a bit disturbing…" King pointed at one of his sports cars and it disappeared, replaced by the heavy engine of an elegant locomotive. "I sacrifice my car to summon French Bullet Train in attack mode!" (2200/1600) The train whistled loudly. "Attack Snake Bite now!" He gave Gozum a thumbs-down while his monster plowed through the snake creature. "Sorry, but I'm not so easily beaten!"

King- 8000

Gozum- 7400

"At this time the effect of French Bullet Train activates now." King pulled the top card off of his deck. "I look at the top card of my deck and if it is a monster card I discard it to the graveyard. During my next turn's main phase I can normal summon that card." He slid the card into his graveyard. "I set one card face-down and end my turn." A set card appeared behind his returned train.

Gozum drew from his deck, lips curling up into a sick smile. "Revive yourself, my Sleeper Serpent!" A giant snake appeared on his field, hissing at King and his monsters. (2400/1000)

"Where'd that come from?" King blinked at the creature and then rubbed his eyes to make sure he hadn't imagined its appearance.

"Last turn I discarded it with Graceful Charity." Gozum hissed in delight. "When this card is sent from my hand to the graveyard by the effect of a magic card during my next turn's main phase I can summon it from there without sacrifice, but during this turn I cannot make another summon." He pointed at the Bullet Train. "Get rid of that thing!"

King had to cover his cigarette again as his Bullet Train was slammed into and knocked over. "You're being a nuisance…"

King- 7800

Gozum- 7400

"End turn." Gozum snickered at the young man. "Come on buddy, you can't actually expect to beat me can you? I'm a Crime Lord of this place while you're just some weirdo."

"That's all it takes to bring you down." King drew and his remaining sports car disappeared. "I normal summon the French Repair Driver that was sent to the graveyard by Bullet Train's effect." An elegant tow truck-like vehicle appeared on his field in defense mode. (1600/1800)

"A weak defense like that won't hold against me." Gozum started to hiss in delight until he saw an old-fashioned elegant train appear on King's field. "And what's this?"

"My French Train." (1800/1800) King pointed at the Sleeper Serpent. "Attack." The huge engine roared across the field and exploded when it collided with the other monster. "When this card battles I can discard the top card of my deck into the graveyard. If that card is a monster then during my second standby phase from this time I can add it to my hand." He looked at the top card of his deck and then slid it into his graveyard slot. "End turn."

King- 7200

Gozum- 7400

Gozum drew and pointed at the French Repair Driver. "Get rid of that eyesore!" His Sleeper hissed and wrapped around the machine like a constrictor, squeezing until it exploded violently. "Then I summon Snake Egg in defense mode." A large egg appeared on his field. (0/2000) "While this card is face-up in play during the end phase of each of my turns I add a counter to it. End turn." A glowing counter appeared over the card.

"Draw." King drew and threw the card out in front of him. "I set one card face-down, end turn."

Gozum drew and threw the card in front of him, its shape changing into that of a humanoid snake holding a heavy spear. "I summon Snake Hunter in attack mode!" (1600/800) "Attack his life points directly!" Both of his monsters roared across the field, eager to sink their fangs into the other man's body.

"Reverse card open." King flicked his now spent cigarette away as a powerful vortex appeared between himself and the charging serpents, stopping them cold. "Negate Attack stops your attack and ends the battle phase."

"So you've bought yourself another turn huh?" Gozum lifted his shoulders up a little bit. "That's not really so bad, considering that you can't do anything against me. I've got three monsters in play and with their power I can easily overwhelm you next turn. I place one card face-down and at the end phase of my turn Snake Egg gains another counter." A new glowing counter appeared over the monster card. "End turn."

"Let me show you what the beauty of France is compared to your slimy reptiles." King drew and a card slid out of his graveyard slot. "I add the monster discarded by the effect of French Train to my hand." Looking at the drawn card he smirked. "I also activate Pot of Greed, drawing two cards from my deck." Snapping two cards off of his deck swiftly, he motioned to his set card. "I reveal Call of the Haunted, reviving French Bullet Train!" The sleek new age engine reappeared on his field. (2200/1600)

"So you've revived your weird metal thing, so what?" Gozum's tongue slithered out of his mouth slowly.

"I'll show you right now," King sounded overjoyed. "I'll show you the French Revolution! French Bullet Train, attack Snake Hunter!" The engine roared across the field and slammed into the humanoid reptile, destroying it.

King- 7200

Gozum- 6800

"At this time the effect of French Bullet Train lets me discard the top card of my deck if it is a monster!" Removing the top card of his deck, he grinned and slid it into his graveyard slot. "That'll be coming out during the next turn."

"Maybe," Gozum didn't look very impressed. "What good does all that do if you during my next turn I run down your little train thing again?"

"You won't be!" King grabbed a card from his hand and snapped it up. "I activate the quickplay magic card Quick Summon, letting me normal summon a monster from my hand to the field!" His French Bullet Train disappeared, replaced by a large multi-tired vehicle that looked like it was meant to run over monster trucks. (2300/1800) "I summon French Super Driver, which when tribute summoned lets me equip it with the monster sacrificed to summon it if that tribute was a machine! It gains half of that card's original attack and defense!" (3400/2600) "Super Driver, attack Sleeper Serpent now! Show him the great beauty that is the French!"

Gozum grunted as the powerful multi-wheeler tore down the hallway and ran over the Sleeper Serpent, crushing it and sending a powerful shockwave his way.

King- 7200

Gozum- 5800

"I place two cards face-down and end my turn." King grinned widely, pleased to see his French machines functioning so well.

"Draw!" Gozum added the drawn card to his hand angrily. "I won't let this insult pass! I activate the magic card Heavy Storm! All magic and trap cards in play will be destroyed!"

"Reverse card open!" One of King's set cards flipped up and his life points suddenly shot up. "I activate the trap card French Fuel. By sacrificing one French card on my field, I can gain life points by either its attack strength if it's a monster, or by 1500 if it's a magic or trap card! My choice is the equipped French Bullet Train!" Then his cards were destroyed, leaving his Super Driver weakened. (2300/1800)

King- 9400

Gozum- 5800

Gozum was about to continue but his eyes widened as he realized there was a new monster on King's field. "Where did that thing come from?"

"This?" King motioned to the elegant-looking Buggy on his field. "This is my French Buggy. The other set card you destroyed was my French Parade, which when destroyed while face-down lets me draw the top card of my deck. If it is a machine type monster with French in its title then I can special summon it!" (300/1200)

"I can't stand it!" Gozum pounded his bare feet against the ground, nearly literal steam coming off of his head. "How does it seem to be that no matter what you do in this duel it goes your way?"

"That is the elegance of the French." King brushed a lock of his hair back.

"I've had enough of your annoying methods!" Gozum pointed at his Snake Egg, which exploded and a pair of snakes appeared on his field. "By sending Snake Egg to my graveyard I can special summon one level four or lower reptile from my hand to the field per counter! I special summon the two Golden Snakes I'm holding!" (300/800)x2

"A pair of golden serpents doesn't frighten me." King lit up another cigarette. "Care to try sacrificing them?"

"Of course!" Gozum hissed as his two monsters disappeared and a giant bulbous-bodied purple reptile appeared on his field. (2800/1800) "This monster is called Poison Obliterator! When he deals you life point damage you take an additional 1000 points of damage, as well as the fact that he deals damage through defense!"

King bit his cigarette a little tighter with his teeth. "Yeah, that's not bad…"

"When a Gold Snake goes to the graveyard from the field I draw one card!" Gozum drew two cards and held one of them up. "I activate the equipment magic card Snatch Steal, letting me equip it to your Super Driver and take control of it!" The powerful multi-wheeler drove over to his field. "Now I'll switch this bizarre thing into defense mode!"

"Defense mode?" King blinked in surprise at this. "Hey, what's the deal with that? You aren't going to attack me with it?"

"No," Gozum sneered. "I am called the Traitor for a reason. When I was on the outside I could talk people into the most ludicrous deals ever, many of them betraying those they loved just to make sure that their life wasn't ended by my 'army of assassins', or that their kids didn't 'accidentally' get poisoned in their sleep. It was a good life, until I was caught…"

"From what it sounds like you were caught for the better good of the people as a whole." King frowned at the slimy creature that dared to call itself a human. "And you think that I'll give Mon Alita chéri to you? You're out of your mind."

"Like a weakling such as yourself could protect her, even if you wanted to!" Gozum held up the other card in his hand. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon on my own Snatch Steal!" The blast of wind shot from his card into the equipment card, the defense mode Super Driver returning to King's field.

"You're giving it back to me?" King nearly dropped his cigarette out of his mouth because of his surprise, until he realized that something was wrong with the Poison Obliterator. (5600/1800) "What the hell?"

"When I have no cards in my hand or on my field other than my Poison Obliterator its original attack is doubled and it gains an additional effect." Gozum's tongue slid out and licked along his lips slowly. "When my Obliterator destroys a monster as a result of battle you take that monster's attack in damage to your life points!"

"What?" King's cigarette dropped out of his mouth along with the falling of his jaw as the Poison Obliterator filled up with air.

"What kind of man can't even protect something as simple as a girl," Gozum pointed at King. "Oh wait, that kind right there! Poison Obliterator, destroy that pitiful monster of his right now!" The monster belched a spear of poison out that pierced right through the Super Driver and hurtled towards King rapidly. Then it connected and the entire hallway was swallowed up in a powerful cloud of poisonous purple gas.

King- 2300

Gozum- 5800

Gozum leaned in close, waiting for the cloud to lift away. "This poison is some of the strongest in all of Temarocia…that much of it will leave you a dead man!"

The cloud started to fade away slowly. "Here's a little quiz for you," The voice was King's. "What happens if your entire family smokes heavily, you included? You've got two choices. A) You get a family of cancer-ridden, black-lunged, horribly withered people…or B) you get a group of people so ungodly healthy that they are nearly immune to disease, physical ailments, and are literal superhumans."

"What the…" Gozum wasn't sure how to react, until the cloud cleared to reveal King absolutely unharmed. "That's impossible; nothing alive can survive breathing that poison!"

King leaned down and picked up his fallen cigarette. "Then I guess I'm undead, it would explain how I can smoke over ten packs of these things a day and have lungs so clean you could transplant them and that person would live for a century."

He flicked the now bent thing over his shoulder before stuffing his hands into his pockets. "The Lawless family is a family of martial artists, famous athletes, a freaking brain surgeon, and that one guy that made up the satellite network that all Duel Disks run off of. In other words, we're a group of gods among men. That's why your poison might as well have been air freshener for all I'd care."

"Why should I…" Gozum started…

"I'm not done yet!" King kicked a piece of stone near him at the slimy human and it whizzed past Gozum with enough speed behind it that it might as well have been a bullet. "Of course that results in parents that treat us like little children, and hate it when we do anything that might endanger the lives of the world's next potential rocket scientist, great inventor, politician, etc..."

"That's why I invented my own style of fighting." King slowly rotated his right leg in a full circle, not even needing to adjust his hips to keep his balance as he finished the track. "The old hag never checks my legs when I come home, but she always checks my hands. So I just have to keep my hands clean."

"Why are you telling me this?"

King smiled slightly and lit up another cigarette. "I'm just putting a little bit of perspective into place for you, and I guess I'm reminding myself why I'm part of the Freaks Gang…the best five-man gang in all of New York."

He drew from his deck. "At this time the monster sent to my graveyard special summons itself. Come out now French Jet Fighter!" An elegant jet fighter appeared on his field. (1200/1800)

"That creature can't beat my Poison Obliterator…" Gozum's eyes widened as the French Buggy suddenly rushed across the field toward his monster. "Are you crazy, you'll destroy yourself?"

"You wish I was feeling that merciful." King took a deep drag of his cigarette. "I'm going to make you eat your words. When French Buggy attacks an opponent's monster it cannot be destroyed in battle and all battle damage to me is zero. Also, the effect of French Jet Fighter lets me activate traps from my hand."

He flipped the card he had drawn over to reveal a trap. "I activate Overdrive Engine, which activates when a machine type monster on my field attacks a monster on your field. I draw two cards." Two cards left his deck while the French Buggy bounced harmlessly off the body of the Poison Obliterator.

"Two cards can't possibly make the difference here!" Gozum started laughing. "You're fooling yourself if you think that you can win off those two cards!"

King sighed and finished off his cigarette, flicking it into the nearest iron torch to dispose of it. "I activate the quickplay magic card Emergency Casting, letting me activate a normal magic card from my hand."

He held up his other card and his two machine monsters disappeared. "My other card is Overload Fusion, which lets me remove any number of fusion material monsters from my field and graveyard to special summon a dark attribute machine type fusion monster from my fusion deck!"

A card slid out of his graveyard and he held it up. "French Parade activates now. When this card is in my graveyard and a machine type fusion monster would be special summoned to my field then that fusion summon is negated and French Eiffel Titan is special summoned instead!"

There was a giant explosion of light as a huge and elegant robot built to resemble the Eiffel Tower came into play. (?) "When this guy is summoned I can remove any number fusion materials to raise its original attack and defense by 800. I remove nine monsters total." (7200/7200)

"7200?" Gozum gaped at the monster…

"It's not over yet." King placed a hand on top of his deck. "If the number of removed monsters is five or more I draw the top card of my deck. If it is a magic card I may activate it immediately."

He drew and held up the card. "Limiter Removal doubles the attack of all machines on my field by double." (14400/7200) "French Eiffel Titan attacks your piece of trash!"

Gozum screamed as the giant robot full force drop-kicked his monster and popped it like a balloon, the impact hurling him across the hallway and into the wall.

King- 2300

Gozum- 0

"Now what is it that I can't do?" King was suddenly standing next to the slowly falling Gozum, his leg aimed at the sky. "Charger à la tête!" His leg dropped and the entire hallway vanished in a powerful spray of dust.

To be continued…