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Chapter 11: Silver's Cry!
Jack Atlas zoomed through a street in Satellite, keen eyes watching that black symbol in the sky as he approached. He felt an ache in his heart, one he was unfamiliar with.
'Is this… fear?' Jack thought to himself. He wasn't used to worrying about others, but when he gave up his loner ways after the fight against Goodwin, he had been feeling more emotions through his heart. When he spent time with Carly, he felt light as a feather. Now his heart was heavy with worry and he was not used to this feeling. Jack wasn't sure how to react to this emotion, but he knew he was going to have to figure it out soon. He spied his friends vehicles parked next to the building with the symbol for death hovering above it and parked his Runner next to theirs. "Time to see why this building has been marked with death."
Basement
Hueso yawned as he watched Dani suffer from her panic attack. She was groaning on the ground, making weird, primal noises in her panic. "I'll wait. Her death is inevitable, what's a few minutes here and there? I'll even let one of you guys try and help her, but I think she may be too far gone."
Yusei glared at him. "You snake!"
Yugi sensed the Pharaoh. "This is bad."
'Indeed,' Yami agreed, 'I recognize the power that man in using.'
"You do?" Yugi asked, shocked by this revelation.
'Yes. Anubis emanated the same power I'm sensing from this Hueso,' Yami explained, 'And I think I can help stop this twisted power from hurting Dani.'
'How?'
'I can't help from here,' Yami answered, 'You'll have to put the Millennium Puzzle close to or on Dani for me to be able to help. We share a special bond, Yugi, which is why we can do so much together. That doesn't mean I can't help other people. Remember when Joey was brainwashed by Marik and forced to Duel us?'
'That was one of the scariest moments in Battle City,' Yugi answered, 'I gave the Puzzle to Joey and used the Red-Eyes Black Dragon to help Joey finally break free.'
'Yes, your bond of friendship was the main catalyst for Joey escaping the mind games of Marik,' Yami answered, 'But when you put the Puzzle around Joey's neck, I was able to help chip away at Marik's control using my power. Your bond would create cracks in Marik's mind control that I would do my best to enlarge those cracks and make it as hard as possible for Marik to fix those cracks. I did what I could, but ultimately it came down to your friendship and it was more than enough to defeat Marik.'
'What are you getting at?' Yugi asked.
'I'm saying if you give the Puzzle to Dani, I can help Dani overcome this. Hueso is preying on her fear, which is destroying her capability to Duel. I can stop the slow transformation, but Dani will have to overcome her fear on her own.'
'I trust you,' Yugi thought. He stepped forward, approaching the black flame barrier.
"What are you doing?" Crow asked, noticing this even as he tried egging Dani on mentally.
"I'm going to help," Yugi answered as the Eye of Wdjat began to glow on his forehead.
"What the?" Yusei said, noticing the eye.
"Dude, he's got an eye on his forehead!" Leo shouted, "Cool!"
'This freaky stuff always happens when I'm around Yugi,' Kaiba thought to himself. The King of Games touched the barrier and it parted, allowing him through. As soon as Yugi finished passing through, the barrier sealed up again and the Eye of Wdjat disappeared
"Yugi, what's going on?" Akiza asked when she noticed the short Duelist inside the circle with her and the non-responsive Dani.
"So it seems little Yugi is going to try and help the poor girl," Hueso noted, "Good luck with that! Ha ha ha!"
Yugi ignored the Undead Lord and approached Dani, who was in a pseudo-fetal position. "Dani, it's me, Yugi!"
Dani seemed to be muttering something under her breath, her eyes not recognizing Yugi so deep was her panic attack. She had stopped making animalistic panic noises, but her rational mind seemed to be elsewhere. "All these squares make a circle. All these squares make a circle."
'Yugi, do it!' Yami commanded.
'Protect her Pharaoh,' Yugi thought and lifted the chain holding the Millennium Puzzle up and over his head and placed it over Dani's head. The Puzzle landed just below Dani's breasts and began to glow. Yugi stepped back as a bright yellow glow appeared around Dani. The Eye of Wdjat appeared on her forehead and Dani sat up. She blinked a few times in confusion, taking in her surroundings.
"What sorcery is this?" Hueso exclaimed.
"Who, what?" Dani asked, then shuddered as she began to recollect the events leading up to her panic attack. "Oh no!" She looked at her arm and was puzzled to see that it had been restored to smooth, fully alive skin. "Am I dreaming?"
'It's no dream,' Yami said in her head.
"Oh Lord, I've gone crazy and I'm hearing voices," Dani lamented, "I freakin hate zombies."
'I am protecting you from Hueso's dark powers,' Yami explained patiently, 'But you have to Duel on your own.'
"You sure I'm not just imagining that my arm's back to normal and I'm in my happy place, dying at the hand of some necromaniac?" Dani asked, getting to her feet
'Why don't you look at what's around your neck?' the Pharaoh asked, mildly irritated.
"Huh? Yugi's necklace?" Dani was confused as she held the Millennium Puzzle in her hands.
"The Millennium Puzzle is more than just a fancy piece of jewelry," Yugi explained.
"When did you get in here?"
"Dani!" Yusei called, concern evident in his voice
"What the hell is going on?" Dani demanded, unaware of the Eye of Wdjat still glowing on her forehead, signifying Yami's protection.
"Take a look," Akiza answered nervously, holding up a compact mirror.
Dani's eyes widened as she looked at her reflection. "Whoa! That's weird! What happened? The last thing I remember was that bastard telling me I was gonna become a z-zombie…" She shuddered violently at the thought. "Where are my cards?"
"Here's your hand," Yugi said, having collected Dani's dropped cards while she debated with the Pharaoh.
"Thanks," Dani said, taking the three cards. She then saw Mezuki still standing in front of her and recoiled.
'Dani, you can defeat this man,' Yami said to her in her head. 'You have to overcome your fear to do so.'
"I can't do it," Dani whispered, "It's too s-scary."
"You can take this creep, no problem!" Crow called encouragingly.
"We've got your back, no matter what!" Yusei yelled.
"We're with you all the way!" Akiza said with a smile.
"Dani! Dani! Dani!" Leo cheered.
"You've got this!" Luna shouted.
Dani was taken aback by the show of support. "You guys really believe in me?"
"Of course!" Yugi answered, "You helped me and Kaiba out, so you've earned my trust. I'm here for you." Dani looked around until she caught Kaiba's eye. He looked at her and nodded.
"Show him the power of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon," he said simply.
That finally brought a smile to Dani's face. "I will," she said, turning to face Hueso with renewed determination.
"Well this is an unexpected turn of events," Hueso commented from his place on the fake hillside. The vulture next to him let out a cry and took off for the rafters. "But death will still claim you all!"
"Not today!" Dani declared, pulling a card from her Deck. "Because you destroyed Masked Dragon, I'm allowed to summon a Dragon type from my Deck with 1500 or less Attack points. In this case, I'm gonna summon Flamvell Guard in Defense mode!" A blue dragon with flames bursting out of nearly every scale appeared in front of Dani and became a burning orb of defense, the dragon within visible through the flickering flames.
Flamvell Guard: Atk 100, Def 2000, LV 1
"Well well," Hueso said, trying to appear unconcerned by the change in his victim. The glowing eye on her forehead did nothing to help the sudden dryness in his throat. "Looks like you'll be putting up a decent fight after all. I'll set another card facedown to end my turn."
Dani took a deep breath to try and steady her nerves. She could feel the tremble in her legs as her phobia tried to take over again. "I can d-do this," she said to herself, more than anyone else. She glared at Hueso as she drew a card. "I can do this! I'll activate Dragon Shrine, which lets me send a Dragon type from my Deck to the grave. If that Dragon is a Normal type monster, then I get to send another Dragon!"
"Why is she sending monsters to the Graveyard?" Leo asked, perplexed.
"Sometimes it's easier to summon a monster from the Grave rather than wait to draw it from the Deck," Kaiba answered.
"I send Luster Dragon from my Deck to the Grave," Dani announced, "And since Luster Dragon is a Normal monster, I can send another Dragon. This one is The White Stone of Legend, which happens to have a special ability. Whenever this card goes to the Grave, I'm allowed to add a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my Deck directly to my hand!" A brilliant white stone appeared above Dani briefly before it shattered, revealing the image of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon before it faded into Dani's hand. Her Duel Disk reshuffled her Deck as she added the Blue-Eyes to the other three cards in her hand.
"See Leo," Luna said, "She was able to add a really powerful monster card to her hand just by sending a couple monsters to the Graveyard."
"Yeah, yeah," Leo said, waving his twin off, "I'm not a big fan of discarding monsters for no apparent reason."
"And that's why you'll never become a pro Duelist," Luna countered.
"Hey, I gave Yusei a run for his money last week!"
Luna sighed. "Oh Leo…"
"Quiet! Dani's making her next move." Leo said.
"Next I summon Alexandrite Dragon!" Dani announced. A jewel covered dragon appeared in front of her and roared. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, crystals of all kinds glittered in the dim light of the magnificent dragon.
Alexandrite Dragon: Atk 2000, Def 100, LV 4
"Whoa, that's one of the strongest Level four monsters I've seen!" Yugi exclaimed, "Only Joey's Panther Warrior can match this in strength!"
"That's good!" Akiza said, "She has to finish this Duel quickly."
"Don't I know it," Dani muttered, sending a glare at her quivering legs, mentally screaming at them to stop shaking.
'Screaming at your legs isn't going to do anything,' Yami said dryly in her mind.
"What the hell am I supposed to do?"
'Sheer willpower.'
"Oh shut up."
Hueso was perplexed by the "one-sided" exchange. "Am I dealing with a madwoman?"
"Not madwoman, just mad," Dani answered.
"That was a rhetorical question." Hueso glared at her.
"And I gave you a rhetorical answer." Dani smiled. It was a smile that was equal parts bravado, insanity, and predatory. "Now, Alexandrite Dragon, attack that weird horse-man with your Power Gem Attack!" The jeweled dragon roared and began to glow. It transformed into a huge gem that crashed and flattened Mezuki before transforming back into a dragon again, its task completed.
Hueso growled as he felt the recoil from the attack. "Impressive move, I'll concede that. But you're only delaying the inevitable."
Hueso LP: 3700
"So what if we're all going to get old and die?" Dani countered, "It happens, where there's life, there's death. Where there's good, there's also evil. But I'm not letting some freak like you send me to an early grave! I end my turn with a facedown!"
"So, two sacrifices on the field and a Blue-Eyes in the hand," Hueso observed, "You're thinking that you'll be summoning your dragon next turn." He drew a card. "Hehehe, I can't let that happen. I activate Call of the Mummy! With this Continuous Spell on the field, if I have no monsters on the field, I can Special Summon a zombie from my hand."
"Sounds like he's planning to swarm the field," Yusei commented.
"On your guard Dani!" Crow called encouragingly.
"So now I'll summon Paladin of the Cursed Dragon in Attack mode!" Hueso announced. A zombified version of Kaiba's Paladin of White Dragon appeared on the field. The dragon uttered a guttural moan, which made Dani shudder.
Paladin of the Cursed Dragon: Atk 1900, Def 1200, LV 4
"Zombie dragons," she bemoaned, "That's so not cool."
"He won't be alone, for now I summon the Tuner monster Plaguespreader Zombie to the field, also in Attack mode!" A bloated purple zombie bearing body parts of several different animals appeared next to the Cursed Dragon Paladin.
Plaguespreader Zombie: Atk 400, Def 200, LV 2
"Oh no!" Akiza gasped.
"A Tuner monster!" Yusei exclaimed, "This could be trouble."
"Correct," Hueso agreed, "For now I tune Plaugespreader Zombie with my Paladin of the Cursed Dragon to Synchro Summon one of my mightiest zombies!" Dani swore again as Plaugespreader dissolved into a puddle of black goo. That goo coalesced into two black stars which morphed into two black gooey rings. Paladin of the Cursed Dragon jumped into the rings and dissolved into four more black stars which oriented themselves upright before erupting into a black slime pillar.
"This is another reason why I hate zombies," Dani complained, "They are so GROSS!"
"Skeletal demon of booming thunder, come forth once more as one of the undead! Synchro Summon! Rise from the grave, Archfiend Zombie-Skull" Hueso chanted. From the pillar of slime came a white and purple archfiend with wicked red claws. Strands of its purple body hung off the skeletal white armor as the archfiend flared its wings and roared a gurgling roar at Dani. She took another step back in fear, bravado gone.
Archfiend Zombie-Skull: Atk 2500, Def 1200, LV 6
"I really h-hate this guy," Dani said.
"Attack that Alexandrite Dragon!" Hueso yelled, "Destroy it with your Wicked Lightning Attack!" The zombie archfiend held its arms above it head and created an orb of black energy. From that orb spawned a wicked black lightning bolt that zoomed over and destroyed Alexandrite Dragon in an intense explosion that knocked Dani onto the mist covered ground.
Dani LP: 3200
"Hang in there!" Luna called.
Dani groaned as she sat up. "Ugh, you people are really starting to piss me off." She quickly examined her body to find no change whatsoever, contrary to what Hueso claimed. "Well, seems like your Puzzle is protecting me Yugi."
"It won't protect you if your Life Points fall to zero!" Hueso said. "With that dragon out of the way, I'll end my turn."
The female Blue-Eyes Duelist drew a card before standing up. When she looked at it, her eyes widened. "No way!"
"What is it?" Akiza asked.
Dani grinned at her. "I just drew my favorite card. I summon Maiden with Eyes of Blue in Attack mode!" A young woman with long silver hair and bright blue eyes in a brown dress appeared next to Flamvell Guard and faced the zombie Archfiend with a solemn, but brave look. "I'll end my turn."
Maiden with Eyes of Blue: Atk 0, Def 0, LV 1
"So, your favorite card is a monster with no Attack points and you summon it in Attack mode?" Hueso asked incredulously. "You've gone mad! It's always the crazy ones that are the most dangerous. Perhaps you'd like to become my Queen on the Undead."
Dani made a face and stuck her tongue out at Hueso. "You can take that offer and shove it up your-"
"Insolent child!" Hueso interrupted in a rage, "You shall pay dearly for your disrespect to the dead."
Dani glared at Hueso. "I'm not disrespecting the dead, I'm disrespecting YOU!" Her right hand clenched in a fist as she shook with fury. "You claim to have power over the dead, and maybe you do, but using other people's corpses like that is downright shameful! I visit my mother's grave once a month talk with her, tell her how her little girl has had to scrap and fight to survive, how her little maiden has grown big and strong without her." She choked back a sob. "Don't you DARE accuse me of being disrespectful to the dead!"
"You tell him Dani!" Crow cheered.
"Don't back down!" Akiza called.
"You act defiant in your ignorance!" Hueso said, calming down as he drew a card. "But I will soon educate you on the powers with which you are messing with! I summon Zombie Mammoth in Attack mode!" True to its name, a zombified mammoth appeared next to the Archfiend Zombie-Skull and moaned at Dani.
Zombie Mammoth: Atk 1900, Def 0, LV 4
"That's just nasty," Dani commented.
"He won't be around for long," Hueso admitted, "Because I sacrifice Zombie Mammoth to summon forth another powerful zombie!" The undead mammoth dissolved into more black slime, which rose up and became a black orb. It began to grow and take on a draconic shape. "I special summon the Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon!" Wings took shape as the slime ball took on the shape of a Red-Eyes Black Dragon, but as the slime solidified, it was evident that this was not Joey Wheeler's beloved dragon. Skin hung off the new dragon in patches here and there, holes throughout the tattered wings. The shine present on a normal Red-Eyes Black Dragon was gone, replaced with a black skin that seemed to absorb any and all light. The red eyes were still there, but it was obvious that the zombie corruption had infected that too, as it was a darker red than a normal Red-Eyes.
Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon: Atk 2400, Def 2000, LV 7
Dani paled, having never seen one of the famous Dragons corrupted like that before. "How could y-you?!"
"It's a good thing Joey's not here to see this," Yugi commented, "He hates it when anyone else does anything funny to his Red-Eyes."
"I'd say it's an improvement," Kaiba said, "Dead and decaying, just like Wheeler's Dueling career."
"You really don't like the first Red-Eyes Duelist, huh?" Crow asked, "I suppose it stands to reason that Blue-Eyes and Red-Eyes would be rivals."
Kaiba scoffed. "Please, don't compare that dog to me. The only rival I have is Yugi."
"That's not what you'll be saying in a few years!" Leo smirked.
Yusei glanced at him. "Leo, try not to reveal too much about his future to him. Yugi too."
"Why not?"
"We're dealing with time travel here," Yusei explained. "We don't know what weird time paradox stuff could happen if they learn about something they weren't supposed to know yet."
Leo scrunched his face, trying to make sense of it. He finally gave up and huffed. "Time travel is weird."
"You said it," Luna agreed.
"Now, I'll wipe out both your monsters, starting with that Maiden!" Hueso announced. "Archfiend Zombie-Skull, attack with Wicked Lightning!" Archfiend Zombie Skull created another orb of lightning and hurled it at Maiden.
Dani grinned. "You just allowed me to activate my Maiden's special ability. Now she can negate your attack and switch battle positions into defense mode!" The Maiden with Eyes of Blue knelt down and began singing a melody that caused the dark lightning to dissipate. Once again, Kaiba was left with an unfamiliar sense of longing in his chest, even though he knew what was coming.
"That's one way to stop an attack," Crow commented.
"She's not done yet either," Kaiba admonished, "shut up and listen."
"And now for part two of my Maiden's special ability," Dani continued.
"There's more?!" Hueso asked incredulously, "Isn't stopping my attack enough?"
"Nope," Dani answered, "Maiden allows me to summon a monster directly from my deck that will put you in your place!" A bright white light erupted in a column behind her as she began chanting. "Shimmering lights from beyond signal the wakening of an ancient creature! His might is only heard of in legends; quake in fear at the sounds of his great wings! Alight on the battle field: Destroyer of Legends, Feared by all; The Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The legendary dragon flew out of the pillar of light with a roar and alighted next to the Maiden who smiled at her faithful companion.
"Blue-Eyes?!" Hueso exclaimed, "But how?"
Blue-Eyes White Dragon: Atk 3000, Def 2500, LV 8
"You underestimated the power of my Deck!" Dani replied, "Kisara's power is mighty enough to call upon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon whenever she's in trouble."
"Regardless," Hueso answered, pressing a button on his Duel Disk, "Your Maiden can only summon that beast once per turn, but I'll activate Solemn Warning to send that Blue-Eyes right to the Graveyard at the cost of 2000 Life Points!"
Hueso LP: 1700
The Trap card unleashed a dark energy that ensnared Blue-Eyes, who roared in agony before being consumed by the energy, leaving Dani with just her Maiden and Flamvell Guard on the field.
"No way!" she shouted, "Blue-Eyes!"
"And so that you don't try the same stunt next turn, I'll attack your Maiden again with Red-Eyes!" Hueso cackled, "Go my Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon, destroy that Maiden with your Zombie Fire Blast!" Dani watched in horror at the sudden turnaround as Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon unleashed a dark fireball that flew towards the Maiden with Eyes of Blue. She turned back and faced Dani calmly, a grim smile on her face before being struck and destroyed by the oncoming fireball. Inside the Puzzle, Yami gasped as he sensed the power from the Maiden card suddenly skyrocket.
'What is this?' he asked, 'Could it be?'
Out on the field, the smoke from the explosion covered the field briefly. Dani was knocked back by the shockwave onto the ground again. Flamvell Guard hovered between her and the zombies protectively, but she knew it wasn't going to be enough. A bright silver light appeared and the smoke dissipated. Everyone looked on as a silver orb hovered over where Maiden had been destroyed.
"What's going on?" Yugi asked.
"I don't know," Yusei answered, trying to make sense of it all. The orb abruptly flew towards Dani's Duel Disk and struck the top card. It began glowing silver.
"What sorcery have you unleashed?" Hueso demanded.
"I'm just as lost as you are," Dani answered, confusion all over her face, "But, you're out of attacks this turn!"
"Yes I am," Hueso agreed, "I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."
Dani looked at her glowing disk fearfully. "This is it!" She placed a finger on the card and felt a jolt of electricity surge up her arm. Dani drew the card and gasped.
"What did you draw?" Crow asked.
Dani placed the card in the Spell and Trap zone. "I activate Silver's Cry!" A translucent image of Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon appeared behind her, high on a mountaintop. "This card lets me summon a normal Dragon type monster from my Graveyard, and I think you know which card I'm bringing back!" Azure-Eyes let out a mournful roar, a roar sent fear up Hueso's spine. Azure-Eyes faded into a silver orb that grew and transformed into the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon once more.
"No way, I just got rid of that dragon!" Hueso cried.
"Well now he's back," Dani countered, "Albeit not for long, because Flamvell Guard is also a Tuner monster!"
"What?!"
"I Tune Level one Flamvell Guard with my Level eight Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Dani announced. Flamvell Guard shrank and compressed into a fiery orb that turned into a silver ring. That ring encircled Blue-Eyes, who transformed into eight more silver stars. Those stars twinkled before erupting into a brilliant silver light. "Shadow of a blinding light, shining just as brightly as a star itself! White turns to silver and blue turns to azure, both blinding in their magnificence! Rise up and let your light rise with you! I Synchro Summon the Azure-Eyes Sliver Dragon!" The bulkier version of Blue-Eyes appeared from the light and roared at Hueso.
Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon: Atk 2500, Def 3000, LV 9
Hueso was perplexed. "Why would you summon a monster weaker than Blue-Eyes?"
"Because there's more to a monster than mere Attack points," Dani answered, "Now I'll equip my Azure-Eyes with the Silver Wing Spell card!" The silver dragon's wings began to glow with a silvery energy.
"What does that do?" Hueso demanded.
"You'll see," Dani answered cryptically. "Now Azure-Eyes, show him the power of dragons and attack that Zombie Dragon with Silver Neutron Blast!" Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon inhaled deeply before unleashing an attack that flowed like quicksilver. It touched Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon briefly before the corrupted version of Red-Eyes disintegrated from the pure energy. Hueso growled at the turn of events.
Hueso LP: 1600
"I'll end my turn with that," Dani announced, seeing the finish line in sight.
"It's not over until my last zombie has fallen," Hueso declared, "And I'll activate Mezuki's special ability! By banishing this monster from my Graveyard, I can summon another zombie from my Grave. You haven't seen the last of Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon!" An image of the horse-man appeared briefly before dissolving into black sludge that coalesced into the Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon once again.
Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon: Atk 2400, Def 2000, LV 7
"Why'd he bring that monster back?" Yusei asked himself, "Unless he's planning to power it up somehow."
Hueso smiled a dark smile. "There's no need to power it up. I'm willing to sacrifice my Archfiend Zombie-Skull in order to win this Duel! Go Archfiend, sacrifice yourself to destroy that Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon!"
"Dani had better stop that attack somehow!" Luna exclaimed.
"No need," Dani said with a new confidence, "Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon, destroy the zombie with a vengeance!"
"Your dragon is finished!" Hueso declared. "Archfiend Zombie-Skull, Bloodlust Slash!" The zombie archfiend extended his glowing red claws and slashed at the silver dragon. Azure-Eyes guarded itself with its wings and blocked the attack. "What?!"
"Thanks to the Silver Wings spell card, Azure-Eyes needs to be defeated three times in battle before it can be destroyed. Your Archfiend isn't so lucky," Dani answered, "Azure-Eyes! Counter attack that zombie with your Azure-Claw Strike!" The Synchro monster raised its forepaws, the silver claws glowing a bright azure color. Azure-Eyes slashed at Archfiend Zombie-Skull and decapitated the creature. Zombie-Skull continued to flail about, prompting Azure-Eyes to keep hacking and slashing until Zombie-Skull was a bunch of twitching body parts that dissolved into little puddles of goo.
"No!" Hueso yelled. He took a breath and calmed himself down. "I'll end my turn."
Dani drew a card from her Deck, a grim look of determination on her face. "I'll activate my Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon's special ability! Once, during my standby phase, Azure-Eyes can summon any normal Dragon from my Graveyard. Now witness the teamwork between these mighty dragons as I summon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon once more!" Azure-Eyes unleashed a column of silver flames next to the powerful dragon and from those flames the Blue-Eyes White Dragon emerged with a triumphant roar.
Blue-Eyes White Dragon: Atk 3000, Def 2500, LV 8
Hueso looked on with a solemn look. "It would seem fate is against me."
"You got that right," Dani said, "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack that fake Red-Eyes with White Lightning!" Kaiba's beloved dragon roared and unleashed a torrent of energy that obliterated the zombie dragon once again, leaving the Undead Lord wide open
Hueso LP: 1000
"Now, Azure-Eyes, finish this Duel and take out his Life Points!" Dani shouted.
"If this is the way it was meant to be," Hueso said, "Then so be it." He watched calmly as the Silver Dragon sent another stream of energy his way. He took the blow soundlessly, not making a peep even when the energy exploded.
Ground Floor.
The building shook from the force of Azure-Eyes' attack, causing Jack to lose his balance briefly before the building stabilized.
"What was that?!" he exclaimed, "It felt like it was coming from below. Is that where the Duel is?" He ran down the corridor that Dani and Akiza had first explored not that long ago and beheld the dark door leading downwards. "This must be it. No stairs, just a slope. Seems this is meant to be a one-way trip. But if Yusei and the others are down there, they may need my help." Jack made his decision and began the slide down the flattened stairwell, white coat flapping behind him dramatically. "Time to see what's going on."
Basement
The explosion created a cloud of smoke as Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon's attack finally defeated Hueso the Undead Lord. Dani tried to peer through the smoke to see her opponent, but when it finally cleared, he had disappeared. The black firewall surrounding her, Akiza, and Yugi was extinguished, the symbol for death disappearing from the ceiling.
Hueso LP: 0
"That was terrifying," Dani said simply and fainted, exhausted by the ordeal. She was caught by Yugi and Akiza, who had rushed forward as soon as the Duel had finished. The Eye of Wdjat faded from her forehead, the Pharaoh's task done. Yugi gently lifted the Millennium Puzzle off of Dani and replaced it around his neck.
"You did it," Yugi said to the Pharaoh.
"She did it," Yami corrected, "All I did was block the dark powers from affecting her during the Duel."
"Is she alright?" Crow asked, kneeling down to support the unconscious Dani.
"She'll be fine," Akiza said after a quick examination. "She has been through a lot. A panic attack and an intense Duel will really do a number on you."
"I'll carry her," Crow said quickly, shifting Dani's weight off Akiza onto himself. "We can't exactly stick around here."
"What's going on?" Jack Atlas interrupted as he stepped away from the stairwell.
"Jack!" Yusei exclaimed, "You're alright!"
"Of course I'm alright," the former Master of Faster said dismissively, "That man thought he could take me on in a Duel. He was sorely mistaken. Now, what is this graveyard doing in the basement of a building, who's that girl that Crow is holding, and who are these two?" He indicated Kaiba and Yugi, who had joined the circle of Signers (and Leo).
Kaiba looked at the newcomer, giving him the once-over. His white trench coat was very similar to his own. Kaiba also noted the newcomer's fierce glare. It reminded him of his own glare. Right off the bat, he could tell this man was a lot like himself: proud, powerful, and willing to do anything to get his way. He made a mental note to stay wary of this man. Likewise, Jack was watching Kaiba warily out of the corner of his eye, noticing the similar attire and glare.
"Jack, you might want to prepare yourself," Yusei began slowly.
"We got Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba here helping us!" Leo shouted, unable to contain his excitement.
Jack took it in stride. "Kaiba and Muto, huh?"
"Nice to meet you!" Yugi said conversationally, "You must be the Jack they were talking about earlier. Looks like you made it out of your Duel okay."
"Of course," Jack said, miffed. "The Chaos Movement grossly miscalculated when they thought they could send a pathetic wannabe to challenge me, Jack Atlas!"
Kaiba chuckled. "And why does the great Jack Atlas have to refer to himself in third person? Do you really have to resort to such an outdated and pathetic way of speech to create a sense of self-importance?" A hush fell over the group as Kaiba's statement was registered with everyone.
"This isn't gonna end well," Crow whispered to Akiza.
"Kaiba's just talking because Dani's out cold right now," Akiza whispered back, "If we had some smelling salts right now, I'm sure it'd be a different picture."
"Coming from one who spent millions of dollars trying to beat one man simply to prove he's the best at everything," Jack retorted, "A little alteration in speech is nothing." Sparks were flying between the two proud Duelists until Yusei stepped in.
"Guys, we can't afford any infighting right now."
"Oh no, do go on," the Master interrupted, appearing on a video screen installed in the ceiling, "I want to see what happens next."
"So this is the Master," Crow said quietly. The Master could be described as handsome, but there was a look on his face that made it much more sinister, more evil. He didn't think anyone could ever be truly evil, but this man, the Master, made the Blackwing Duelist think otherwise.
"Oops, did I intrude at the wrong time?" the Master asked, "Whoopsie! My bad! Hehehehehehehe!"
"You!" Yusei yelled, "Why are you doing this?"
"Why so serious?" the Master pouted, "I'm just having a bit of fun! You lot are down there are busy beating my minions, I'm just trying to introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I'm a harbinger of chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about chaos?" He leaned closer to the camera and whispered "It's fair!"
"Fair?!" Yugi exclaimed, shocked by the casual manner with which the Master delivered such a chilling message.
"You're crazy!" Crow shouted.
"And what's wrong with that?" the Master asked with an evil grin. "It's done wonders for me. If I weren't crazy, I'd be insane!" He laughed and allowed everyone conscious to hear the insanity in his voice.
"We will stop you!" Jack declared, "Your madness stops here!"
The Master laughed again. "Oh, the madness is just beginning. In fact, since little Dani beat Hueso, you now have three, two, one." A steel door slid over the entrance leading up and out of the building. "Ohh, too late. Now you'll have to navigate my little maze."
"Maze?" Leo repeated. A door slid open in the hill where Hueso had been standing.
"Yes boy, maze!" the Master repeated, adjusting his hypnotic tie, "You know, the ones rats run around in trying to get the cheese? Except in this maze, you'll be running for your lives! Of course, you'll have to survive this room first. I give you ten seconds. Nine. Eight." Everyone made a mad dash to the open door, running down the corridor away from whatever the Master had planned. Crow, being slowed down by carrying the unconscious Dani, looked back. "Two. One!" An explosion rocked the building as strategically places charges effectively destroyed the room. Crow could hear the Master laughing despite the rubble covering the doorway. "Hello?! Hello? Operator? I believe my party's been, disconnected." The maniacal laughter echoed down the corridor, the only light coming from the glowing Signer marks.
"This, could be a problem," Yusei commented once silence fell.
Master of the Obvious, that's Yusei. Honestly, I'm a little nervous about this chapter. Be honest with me guys, are you okay with how I had the Pharaoh save Dani? I couldn't think of another way to save her without it being something ridiculous like making her a Signer or something. Did I do good this chapter?
So, the two anti-heroes have met. I did enjoy writing the Master's interruption. He's effectively chased our heroes underground into a maze where dangers lurk, darkness abounds, and minions await. Who do you think will be Dueling who next?
Don't be afraid to leave a review, I welcome any and all respectful criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve. That, and I enjoy talking with youse guys. Honest, I do!
Corina O, I'm willing to work with you, but you'll have to give me a bit more. I'd like to have the following: Name, relative age, appearance, personality, a signature card at the very least, if not a full deck. Your OC can't run Cyber, but I can construct a Machine deck for her. Good luck in choir, Lord knows I can't sing. I'm sure you'll do fine. Every bit of detail helps.
A bit of warning, it's gonna be a little while before the next chapter. It's the final month of the semester and I have to focus. Unfortunately, I can't do this story and get decent grades in my classes, so instead of my normal two weeks, it's probably going to be a month before I can get back to this. Bear with me guys, I'm not going on a long hiatus.
Until the next chapter my friends! Happy Easter!
From your Nutty Buddy,
The Eagle Nut