Good evening everybody. I finally have another chapter for you guys. This one was tough to write, to be perfectly honest. Between overcoming my phobia and trying to capture Luna's Dueling style, this chapter took longer than I would've liked (do you guys realize that she had yet to Duel by herself in the main canon? Each time she's Dueled, she had Leo there to either set up or fight with her. Since she didn't Duel that much, I took a little artistic liberty with her Deck, so if you see something in her Duel that she didn't use in the show, don't be mad at me). That, and I'm on the eve of finals week. And making plans for the new Star Wars movie. So, yeah, enough about me, on with the disclaimer.
Luna: The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Yugioh, Yugioh GX, Yugioh 5D's, and Yugioh Zexal are all owned by Konami, 4Kids Entertainment, Toei Animation, and Kazuki Takahashi. Please support the official release!
Chapter 24: Life or Death!
Yugi allowed the Pharaoh to take over for this situation, since his expertise was going to be needed. By the time he'd explained what was coming their way, the zombie horde was already battering at the doors, trying to force their way inside.
"The sofa isn't going to hold them for long!" Jack called from the front room. It was thanks to his quick efforts that the horde hadn't made it inside, but it was obvious that his efforts were going to be enough.
"We need to narrow it down to a chokepoint," the Pharaoh was explaining to Yusei, making a hasty sketch with a pen and paper at the top of the stairs. "Like the battle of Thermopylae, so we can crush them in one fell swoop."
Yusei looked at him curiously. "Wasn't that battle long after the age of the Pharaoh in Egypt?"
Yami chuckled. "I may have spent 5,000 years in the Puzzle, but Yugi has asked for my help in history class a couple of times about ancient Egypt. It was only natural that I catch up on what I'd missed." His face grew serious once more as he returned to his sketch. "Our primary objective is to keep everyone safe. With Kaiba and Luna unaccounted for, my only guess is that they're facing down the man responsible for this attack."
Yusei glanced at his arm, the glowing Signer mark pulsing ever so gently. "Luna's definitely Dueling someone right now. I've never felt something so…cold, so…" he paused, searching for the right adjective to convey his feelings.
"So dead?" Akiza suggested from her post at the bottom of the stairs. "It feels like the same man Dani Dueled yesterday at the entrance of the maze."
"That explains the zombies," Jack said as he approached the group, "We've got maybe a minute before they're through. I hope you have a plan to hold them off."
Yami nodded. "I do indeed. It all hinges on her though." He looked at Akiza with his stern eyes, purple looking into brown eyes.
"Me?!" Akiza asked. There was a crash from the front door and both Akiza and Jack scampered up the stairs as the sounds of the horde entering the orphanage began to emanate.
"Yes," the Pharaoh said, putting on his Duel Disk, "If ever there was a time for you to use your psychic powers, it would be now."
"I'm not sure if I can control them though," Akiza said quietly, a touch of shame in her voice. "You weren't there in the maze, but I sort of lost control. I don't want to have that happen again."
The look on Jack's face said it all. "We don't have time for self-doubt! Either you control your powers or we all die here and the Master wins."
"No pressure though!" Leo piped up from where he stood, by the entrance of the room where Martha and the rest of the young ones were barricaded in.
"Jack's right," Yami said after shooting Leo a look that said 'not now!', "We need you. Can you do it?"
Akiza was scared, since the last time everyone had depended on her, the King of the Netherworld had been freed and nearly destroyed New Domino. "I don't know…" She was on the verge of cracking under the pressure when Yusei grabbed her hand. Startled, she looked up at him.
"I know you can do it," Yusei said simply, "I'll be right here next to you." The first zombie appeared at the bottom of the stairs and began to stumble its way up.
"If you believe in me," Akiza murmured, "then I can't let you down!"
Yami grinned as he fished a card out from his Deck. "Great. Now, how far can you project your power? Can you make it so that my cards are real?"
Jack spun and kicked the approaching zombie back down the stairs where it fell into the rest of its fellow undead. Having found no victims on the ground floor, the horde was eager for the taste of flesh, judging by the ravenous groans and growls coming from the multitude below. "We're out of time guys!"
"I don't know," Akiza answered, "I've never tried to give my power to someone else before."
"Well you're going to have to try," Yami said, playing the card on his Duel Disk. With a flash of purple runes and dark power, the Dark Magician appeared in front of the Pharaoh.
"Why not just let me use my cards?" Akiza asked, getting her Disk primed.
"We're trying to save the orphanage," Yami explained, "I fear your dragons are too powerful and too big to fit into this house without destroying it." He gestured at his Dark Magician, who primed his staff to attack. Jack shoved another zombie down the stairs, sending it crashing into the horde and buying them a few more precious seconds before getting behind cover at the top of the stairs.
"He's got a point," Yusei noted, as he held Akiza's hand up, touching her hand to Yami's shoulder. "You can do this Akiza." She nodded and began concentrating. A faint pink aura manifested around her, swirling a bit erratically.
The Pharaoh grinned as he felt her power flow into him. The nearest zombie was almost within striking distance when he yelled "Dark Magician! ATTACK!" A brilliant purple beam of energy scythed out from the Dark Magician's staff, disintegrating each zombie that touched it. The stairs were soon clear of the undead, small piles of ash the only indication that they had ever been there. The Pharaoh was satisfied with that attack and motioned to Akiza, who followed him down the stairs. The Dark Magician obediently led the way, staff at the ready. Another group of zombies charged at the odd-looking group descending down the stairs, only to be obliterated by the Dark Magician. Much to Yusei's surprise (and pleasure), the dark energy beams left the furniture completely intact. The only things being destroyed by the Dark Magician's attacks were those of flesh and blood, namely the zombies. Not entirely devoid of the sense of self-preservation, the remaining zombies began to flee at the sight of the Dark Magician and together, Yami, Akiza, and the famous spellcaster chased the zombies out of the house. The horde seemed to gather itself outside, lurking, waiting for the Signers to make a mistake.
"Well, we got them out of the house," Jack commented as the Pharaoh allowed the Dark Magician to fade away for the time being, the undead horde maintaining a healthy distance away from the orphanage. "But we're still surrounded and it looks like more are joining them. What's the plan?" Akiza took her hand off of Yami's shoulder, the pink aura disappearing and she slumped, breathing like she had just ran a 100 meter dash.
"I'm hungry," she declared and dashed off to the kitchen, hoping that hadn't been too dismantled during the undead's brief occupation of the lower floor. Yusei watched her go with a chuckle.
"I'd said first things first we need to feed the woman responsible for saving our skins for now," he quipped, drawing a chuckle from the group.
"Yes, I have a feeling we'll be needing her at full strength soon enough," Yami added, his tone much more solemn. He glanced out the window at the mass of walking dead and the black flame kanji of death floating in the distance over some small copse. "All we can do now is hope Kaiba and Luna can put a stop to the source. Until then, all we can do is hold out for as long as we can."
Woodland Grove
To say that Kaiba was nervous would be the understatement of the day, simply because there had been a few other understatements in the past few days that would top this particular understatement. However, to say that Kaiba was appalled, scared, anxious, and downright embarrassed in this particular situation would not be inappropriate, even as the two zombies that worked together to hold him down glanced at him with a look as befitting a scavenger would while appraising the quality of whatever meal it had found. Once more, the Kaibacorp executive struggled against his captors, only to find their combined weight too much for him. They may have been undead, but they were heavier than they appeared. Kaiba sent his best glare at them, but trying to intimidate the undead was like trying to combat a volcano with a garden hose; hopeless from the start.
'I can see why Dani hates these things,' Kaiba thought to himself belatedly as one of the zombies groaned, exhaling its foul breath on his face. 'Disgusting creatures.' The scene before him seemed to be oblivious to his struggles, but it was almost something out of a nightmare. The original Blue-Eyes Duelist couldn't help but see Mokuba putting on that pink and white Duel Disk getting ready to face this lunatic necromancer who looked like he'd just climbed out of the grave himself, seeing his younger brother getting ready to go to battle, a battle he should be fighting. He knew it was really Luna who was readying herself, but in his mind's eye it was Mokuba's hand that trembled as it fed the Deck into the Disk slot.
"What's the matter freak?" Kaiba taunted, trying desperately to take Luna's place in the Duel, "Reduced to picking on little kids? Too scared to take on a real man?"
"If you do not desist with the insults, I will have my undead rip that sharp tongue of yours right out of your head," Hueso said simply, not even sparing the Kaibacorp executive a glance, his black eyes only looking at the young girl standing across from him. Hueso could see the doubt in her eyes and smirked in anticipation. He enjoyed watching his prey squirm in their final moments, watching their looks of disgust at his shabby appearance turn to fear and agony as he corrupted them until, until there was nothing left of their original spirit.
Luna shivered just a little as she tried to steady herself. This was going to be the first time in a long time that she was Dueling on her own and it was the very first time she was Dueling without Leo by her side. Needless to say, she was a little shaken, feeling very much like prey under the Undead Lord's wolfish gaze. "I have to do this," she said to herself in a futile attempt to pump herself up.
"We will be with you Luna, do not despair," a gruff voice said from beside her.
"Regulus!" Luna gasp as she turned to face the Duel Spirit. Looking around the clearing, she could see the other monsters in her Deck by her side, ready to help her out. "Kuribon. Everyone!"
"We are ready to fight," Regulus continued, gazing at Hueso with a righteous anger in his eyes. "Be our guiding light Luna!" With a chorus of agreements, Luna's monsters zipped back into her Deck, eager to do battle against this dark man. With renewed determination, Luna glanced at Regulus, who brushed up against her reassuringly, much like how a housecat would, before also going into Luna's Deck. The youngest Signer couldn't suppress a small giggle at his antics. Regulus always seemed to be stoic, proud, and serious, but the few times Luna visited the Spirit World during the more peaceful times revealed that even proud Regulus could have some silly moments from time to time, no matter how he played it off.
Hueso raised an eyebrow at her seemingly abrupt smile, however small it was. He'd been warned by the Master about this girl's ability to communicate with Duel Spirits. He wondered just what it was she was seeing, though he had a card that would prevent her from gaining any valuable insight from those spirits. The Latin man was a little miffed the Master hadn't given him that particular card sooner, but was willing to overlook it. "It's not every day I get to corrupt someone so young. Were I someone who might actually care, it may seem tragic. As it is, I look forward to watching you serve me." That did the trick, wiping Luna's small smile off her face quicker than the Road Runner escaping Wile E Coyote. "Now then, shall we get started?"
"You don't need to do this," Luna said.
Hueso laughed. "Of course I don't need to. I do this because I can. It'll be so satisfying watching you die bit by bit." The look in his eye only confirmed his statement, much to Kaiba's dismay.
"You're a sick, twisted man," Kaiba shouted, "You need to be put down like the dog you are!" He began to struggle again, but to no avail. His zombie captors held firm and at the snap of Hueso's fingers, Kaiba suddenly had to worry more about avoiding having his tongue ripped out.
"I did warn you Kaiba," Hueso said simply, not even sparing him a glance. "Let the Duel commence!"
Hueso LP: 4000 Luna LP: 4000
"I'll even give you the last rites and let you have the first move," Hueso chuckled, "You're going to need it."
Chaos Movement HQ
In the Master's chambers, the sound of a palm smacking a forehead rang out across the room.
"Dammit you zombie nut," the Master swore, watching the Duel play out thanks to his hidden cameras. He had them everywhere, and while his minions knew about most of them, he had several cameras that not even his most trusted advisor Matthias knew about. As it was, he had a good view of the Duel and the onslaught of the orphanage. A small part of his attention was keeping an eye on the traveling Blackbird, wondering if Crow was going to make it there before Draco, but his main focus on was whether or not the spirits were going to be a factor in the final battle to come. "You do not give a Signer an advantage, you take every advantage you can get!"
Woodland Grove
Luna drew a card and looked at her opening hand of 6. It was a decent start, but she didn't have enough for a big play right now. Given that it was the first turn, she didn't need a big play, but just something to get them started. "I Summon Bird of Roses in Defense mode!" A big green plant-like bird with 3 roses sprouting from its head and wingtips appeared, holding its wings in front of it protectively.
Bird of Roses: Atk 1800, Def 1500, LV 4
"I place 2 cards facedown!" Luna announced. "Turn end!"
"My turn then!" Hueso drew a card with a flourish, eyeing his hand with that dangerous gleam in his eye. "I'll start by activating the Continuous Spell Call of the Mummy, which lets me Special Summon a Zombie monster from my hand if I have no monsters on the field! That lets me Special Summon the Spirit Reaper in Defense mode!" A grim reaper-like skeleton with a purple robe and a wicked scythe appeared, his signature weapon held in front of him to ward off attackers.
Spirit Reaper: Atk 300, Def 200, LV 3
"The next monster to rise from the grave shall be my Goblin Zombie!" Hueso announced, playing the card on his pitch black Duel Disk. A black insectoid-like figure lined with bone-like structures on the outside and wielding a scimitar appeared, crouching down next to the Spirit Reaper.
Goblin Zombie: Atk 1100, Def 1050, LV 4
"I'll end my turn with a facedown," Hueso declared with an evil chuckle. He watched Luna draw her card eagerly, the anticipation making him quiver.
"It's my turn then!" Luna exclaimed, taking a look at the card she drew before placing it on her Duel Disk. "I Summon Armored White Bear in Attack mode!" True to its name, a large polar bear in battle armor appeared in front of Luna, flexing his claws as he roared to announce his arrival.
Armored White Bear: Atk 1800, Def 1400, LV 4
"I switch Bird of Roses into Attack mode as well!" Luna announced.
'That's it,' Kaiba thought to himself, even as he struggled to break free from his zombie captors. 'Go on the offensive. Something I need to do as well.' He redoubled his efforts, eager to get away from the clammy hands holding him down.
"I'll attack that Spirit Reaper with Bird of Roses!" Luna continued. "Go!" The green plant-bird let out a caw as it took off, extending its talons to swipe at the purple robed Reaper sitting across the grove. Much to Luna's surprise, instead of being destroyed, the Spirit Reaper actually raised its scythe and pushed the Bird of Roses away, staying alive despite the overwhelming power from Luna's monster. "How?"
"Spirit Reaper's special ability prevents him from being destroyed in battle," Hueso explained, "No matter how many times you attack him!"
Luna was dismayed by that announcement, but only let it show for an instant. "Fine, I'll have my Armored White Bear attack that Goblin Zombie. Heavy Slam attack!" The white bear leaped high into the air, and unlike with Spirit Reaper, the Goblin Zombie was flattened and destroyed. Looking satisfied with itself, the Bear padded back to Luna's side of the field while the Undead Lord began to search his Deck.
"When you destroyed my Goblin Zombie, you allowed me to add a Zombie monster with 1200 or less Defense from my Deck to my hand," Hueso said with a grin as he fished out the card he was looking for. His Duel Disk reshuffled his Deck as soon as the card left the Deck. "In this case, my Pyramid Turtle shall be added to my hand. You have anything else for me?"
"No," Luna answered, "Turn end."
"Very well, my draw!" Hueso smirked at Luna. "I'll be Summoning that Pyramid Turtle in Defense mode and playing the Spell card Allure of Darkness, which lets me draw two cards by banishing a Dark type monster from the game. I banish Pain Painter from my hand to draw those two cards, since if I didn't have a Dark monster I'd be forced to discard my entire hand." He drew two cards from his Deck as a large, zombie turtle with a pyramid on its back appeared, groaning under the weight.
Pyramid Turtle: Atk 1400, Def 1200, LV 4
"Hmph, my Deck isn't giving me good draws," Hueso commented to himself. "Looks like I'll have to end my turn there."
"It's my turn!" Luna announced, drawing a card. "I Summon Ebon Magician Curran to the field in Attack mode!" A sullen little girl in a black dress wearing a black bunny hood and holding a pink whip appeared, not looking amused at all.
Ebon Magician Curran: Atk 1300, Def 0, LV 2
'I have to keep his monsters off the field,' Luna thought to herself, 'Until I can find a way around that Spirit Reaper, all I can do is wait until I draw the right card.' Out loud, she told Hueso "I'll have my Bird of Roses attack your Pyramid Turtle now!" As expected, the plant/bird hybrid flew forward and slashed at the Pyramid Turtle, decapitating the undead reptile and leaving it to dissolve into a puddle of goo. That goo began to coalesce into a solid form, gaining shape, beginning to take on a feminine shape. Much to Luna's surprise, the goo turned into what appeared to be a young woman, but on closer examination, it was an undead woman with dark purple hair contrasting against her red and yellow necromancer clothes. Purple lightning wreathed her fingers as she cackled maliciously.
Zombie Master: Atk 1800, Def 0, LV 4
"Since you destroyed my Pyramid Turtle, I get to Special Summon a Zombie with 1500 or fewer Defense points," Hueso said, "So now my Zombie Master is on the field! I chose her so that you couldn't destroy this monster in battle without sacrificing one of your own. Now what will you do little Luna?"
Luna felt lost. She had the feeling that something big was about to happen and she was going to need every monster she could get. "Turn end."
That bad feeling in the pit of her stomach only intensified when she saw Hueso's smile widen at the card he had just drawn. "Oh Luna, you might have had a chance had I not drawn this card. Now, your body will be mine! Ha ha ha ha ha!"
Satellite Highway
The journey so far had been uneventful for Dani and Crow. While there had been some small talk, it quickly fizzled into silence as both Duelists turned their thoughts inwards. Dani was recognizing some areas they were traveling past while Crow was trying to piece some smooth talk together. To pass the time, Crow turned on the radio and began listening to the music. What he didn't realize was that his spare helmet was also hooked up to the radio, and as was such, Dani was also subjected to the steady drumbeat that also played in her helmet. It stopped her reverie, but she decided against commenting simply to avoid conversation. Ever since that giant dark cloud had been pointed out, she'd been getting shivers, shivers akin to when she suffered from her phobia, never mind the fact that there was nothing dead or undead in sight. As it was, the female Blue-Eyes Duelist was content to try and focus her thoughts.
"Aww yeah, I love this song!" Crow said as the radio continued. Dani was curious as to what this song was, since she didn't exactly have access to a lot of music while surviving the streets of Satellite. She noticed the electric guitar slowly building in the background, but couldn't quite make out the singer's whispered words. Dani was straining to hear the next part of the lyrics when the song decided to take it up a notch.
"OH WAH AH AH AH!"
It was safe to say that Dani was very surprised. Her sudden jolt caught Crow off guard and suddenly the Blackbird was weaving around the road as Crow tried to compensate for the sudden change in balance. Quickly (and much to Dani's relief) Crow pulled over and let Dani get off. She took the helmet off quickly, not so much as to get away from the music but more from the sheer volume.
"What the hell was that?!" Dani demanded loudly, working her jaw in an attempt to clear out the ringing in her ears.
"Just a little heavy metal," Crow answered, a cheeky grin on his face. "You okay?"
Dani could still hear the song coming from the inside of her helmet. "I'll be fine, but where's the volume setting on this thing? My God that was loud!"
"I can see inside you, the sickness is rising, don't try to deny what you feel!"
"Oh shut up," Dani snapped at the helmet irately, looking all over it to find some sort of volume control. "I don't want to hear it."
Crow laughed as he got off the Blackbird and took the spare helmet from Dani. He pointed to a couple of what looked like decorative knobs and twisted one of them, the music from the helmet dying down as he turned it. "The volume control is right here. This one is for radio, the other is for tuning in to other communication frequencies. Don't touch that one, otherwise you might end up talking to someone you don't want to."
Dani breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief. "Thanks Crow." She looked around at where they'd stopped, eyes taking in the familiar territory.
"Anytime. What'cha lookin for?" Crow was surprised when Dani turned to him with a beseeching look in her eyes.
"Crow, I know you want to see the kids you're protecting, but can we please make a brief detour to the Satellite Cemetery a few blocks away?" Dani pleaded, "I want to talk to my mother for a bit."
Crow found that he couldn't say no to that face at all. He found himself saying "Sure, it can't hurt." Before the Blackwing Duelist knew it, they were already in the cemetery walking along the rows of graves. Dani was counting down the rows, keeping track of each one as they led the way.
"42, 43, 44," she counted aloud, maintaining a fast pace.
Crow was managing to match her stride well enough. "Why now?"
"47, 48, here we go, 49!" Dani finished, counting the rows and began to walk along row 49. "To be perfectly honest with you Crow, I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe it's because it's been awhile since I've talked with Mom, maybe it's because I don't know how long it'll be until I get this opportunity again to speak with her now that I've gotten mixed up with you guys. Mostly, it's because my gut is telling me to do this."
"Well, if you can't trust your gut, what can you trust?" Crow said sagely, following Dani along the aisle.
"Not a lot," Dani agreed, finally stopping at a small, white tombstone. "Hey Mom."
Crow peered at the grave, which had simple words carved into it. "Jean Collette Aoimoku, Zero Reverse Victim" "Guess I'll just leave you alone for a bit."
Dani shrugged. "I'm sure Mom enjoys the company." She turned and began addressing the tombstone. "Yeah Mom, I brought a friend. No, he's not my boyfriend Mom, though I'll admit he has potential. His name is Crow and as it turns out, he's a Signer. I'm sure you're wondering what a Signer is. As it turns out, your little maiden has gotten herself into a big mess. Let me tell you about who slept in my hideout a couple of nights ago…"
Martha's Orphanage
"Guys, I think the zombies are gearing up for another attack!" Leo called from the front room.
"How can they be gearing up?" Jack asked incredulously, "They don't have any gear to begin with."
"Now's not the time for arguing semantics," Yami snapped before turning to Yusei. "Is Akiza ready for another defense?"
"Well, she just demolished the last turkey wrap, so I think she's ready to go," Yusei answered before turning to the woman in question, "Akiza, you ready?"
There was a brief pause as Akiza finished chewing on the turkey wrap and swallowed. "Yeah, I'm ready. When do we start?"
"Soon," Yami answered, making sure everybody was at the top of the stairs. Their meager defenses were too damaged to fix with the limited time they had, so Yami decided to repeat the actions of their first defense that had made them so successful. He Summoned the Dark Magician as Jack came running up the stairs.
"I don't know if it's a trick of the light, but this batch seems a bit different," Jack warned Yami, "Be careful."
Yami nodded. "I will. Go and make sure Martha and the kids are ready to move, just in case. I sense that we won't be having as easy a time as we did last time."
"Right."
Yusei whistled as Jack strode past, determination on his face. "I don't know how you do it. Jack usually has problems taking orders from others."
The Pharaoh shrugged. "I've always had a natural talent for leading others. I can't help but wonder what he meant by different though."
"Whatever it is, it can't be good," Yusei pointed out, "I know we may be a bit more exposed, but there's a way to the rooftop that will help us maintain a chokepoint and allow us to use our dragons to fight these things."
Yami looked intrigued, but groans from downstairs diverted his attention really quick. "Yusei, take Martha and the others up to the roof, I have a feeling we'll have to make a stand here. Akiza, with me, let's hold them off while we can and buy time for the others to escape."
"Don't do anything too heroic," Yusei warned as he and Leo began to make their way down the hallway to Martha's room.
"I'll make sure he doesn't," Akiza said with a bit of sadistic cheer. "Right now, he needs me." Punctuating that statement was a group of zombies beginning to climb the staircase, groaning all the while.
"Dark Magician, attack!" Yami ordered as Akiza placed his arm on his shoulder, the pink aura appearing once more around her. As it was before, the group of zombies were disintegrated from the Dark Magician's attack, though the Pharaoh noted that it took longer for the zombies to fall apart. Like several seconds longer.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Akiza said simply as the house suddenly began to rumble. It wasn't enough to threaten the structural integrity of the house, but at the same time it was ominous enough to warrant a pause. The tension in the air was thick enough to slice with a knife as several thuds were heard from the floor below.
The spirit form of Yugi was scanning the hall as quickly as the Pharaoh. 'What do you think that is?'
'We're about to find out,' Yami thought back as a giant, undead hand came into view. The three of them gasped as the zombie shuffled into view. It was easily three times the size of a normal man and seemed bulkier than the Hulk.
"What is that THING?!" Akiza gasped. The bloated creature heard her and began to ascend the stairs, eager to make the kill.
"It's going to be stopped by the Dark Magician, that's what!" Yami declared, "Dark Magic Attack!" The beam of purple energy the Dark Magician unleashed hit the hulking zombie right in the chest, stopping the undead in its tracks, but not doing much else. The behemoth roared, raising its arms to block the offending attack and continued forward, slowly but surely.
'It's still coming!' Yugi cried.
"Use all of your power!" Yami ordered, throwing his fist into the air. The Dark Magician nodded and shouted a battle cry, the purple beam of power on his staff intensifying in both size and power to the point where they could see the attack taking effect on the overgrown undead. Skin began to flake off and the zombie let out another, vengeful roar before collapsing into dust as the Dark Magician finally prevailed.
Akiza and Yami shared a glance as they heard more rumbles from below. "That was insane!"
"And I fear there's more to come," Yami said solemnly, "Perhaps we'll be needing to retreat to the rooftop after all." As if to punctuate his statement, several more guttural roars much like the one the first hulking zombie had uttered came from below.
"Why'd you have to be right?" Akiza grumbled as they retreated down the hallway to check in on Yusei.
Satellite Cemetery
"So there you have it," Dani finished, touching her fingers to the tombstone of her mother as she knelt beside the grave. "I'm helping these guys save the world. I just wish I had more power to help them. They have these Signer birthmarks and crazy powers, and we have the King of Games and the first Blue-Eyes Master helping us as well. I wish I could even come close to their level of power." Crow watched as Dani's hand formed into a fist. She punched the ground in frustration. "I mean, what do I have that these guys don't? A Synchro Blue-Eyes? I want to help Mom, I really do…"
Crow knelt next to Dani and placed his right arm on her shoulder. "Trust me Dani, you've been a big help to us."
"How?"
"Well," Crow had to pause to think about it. "You led Yugi and Kaiba to us, though that was kinda unintentional, but you took out that zombie master."
Dani shuddered at the horrible memory, rubbing her arms to try and stop the shivers. "Don't remind me."
"And it's nice to have a new friend join the team," Crow continued, "Especially one like you."
"Just what is that supposed to mean?" Dani had a dangerous look in her eye.
"Nothing bad!" Crow said quickly, "I mean, you're tough, growing up here in the Satellite, and a pretty darn good Duelist, but you're also beautiful, a rare sight in the Satellite, if you'll forgive the bad rhyme."
Dani smirked. "Gee Crow, you sure know how to sweet talk a girl."
The Blackwing duelist chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "I'll admit, I don't have much practice with that." The Mark of the Crimson Dragon began glowing brightly on Crow's arm, startling both of them for a moment. Crow lifted his arm from Dani's shoulder as she stood up.
"What's going on?" Dani asked, curious.
"I have no idea," Crow answered. The red light illuminated the area, despite the fact that it was an overcast day. The Blackwing duelist gasped in sudden pain as the Mark burned. An orb of silver light the size of Crow's head appeared above Dani's mother's tombstone, the only other color in the bright red light. Watching in awe (and a little bit of fear in Dani's case), the orb began pulsing with energy before dividing into 5 smaller orbs that came to rest on top of the tombstone.
"Whoa," was all Dani said as the orbs began to shape themselves into cards and rested on top of the grave. The intense red light began to fade until the only glowing lights from a source not a million miles high in the sky was from the cards on the tombstone, glowing a gentle silver.
"Are those…Duel Monsters cards?" Crow asked hesitantly, cradling his still throbbing arm.
Dani reached out to the cards, getting a very good vibe from them. "I think they are…" The glow faded when she took them and Dani got to see what they are. "Dude…"
"What are they?" Crow peered over her shoulder at the new cards.
"The Crimson Dragon has sent a Christmas gift," Dani said, a big smile on her face as she picked up the cards. "Thank you Mom. I knew coming here was a good idea." She turned to Crow, a new confidence in her step. "Let's go save your orphans!"
Unheard by either of them as they began a spirited run back to the Blackbird, a female voice echoed faintly above the tombstone. "May the spirit of Kisara live on."
Woodland Grove
Hueso's evil laughter scared Kaiba. Whatever this card was, it was going to be powerful. That fear gave him an adrenaline burst the likes of which he had never felt before. It was strong enough that he was finally able to break free from the two zombies holding him down, ripping their arms off in the process. The two zombies didn't seem all that perturbed at the loss of their arms. They glanced at one another before chasing after Kaiba, who was running towards Luna. Kaiba heard their pursuit, turned around and confronted the zombies.
"Damn, you're persistent," Kaiba growled, "But you will not stop me!" With that, he unbalanced the zombies with a feint and shoved his former captors to the ground, where they lay there, unable to get up without arms.
"So you got away from my zombies before they could silence you," Hueso noted, not sounding too concerned about that prospect. "It's still too late to save Luna."
"I may not be able to Duel, but I refuse to be a helpless prisoner while she Duels," Kaiba shot back, coming to stand next to Luna, who looked a little reassured now that someone was standing next to her.
"Fine. But it won't stop me from playing the card that shall prove to be her downfall!" Hueso declared, opening the field spell slot on his Duel Disk.
"Will you just shut up and play this stupid trump card of yours?" Kaiba demanded.
"Mr. Kaiba sir, please," Luna said quietly, "I can do this."
"Since you're so eager to see my card, I suppose I best not disappoint you then," Hueso interrupted, "I play the Field Spell Zombie World!" Dark energy engulfed Hueso briefly, hiding him from view as waves of power emanated from the card, buffeting both Kaiba and Luna. Luna's Signer mark began glowing brightly, projecting a red shield around the two of them and protecting them from whatever hazardous effects this Spell was causing. When the darkness faded, both Luna and Kaiba gasped. The once beautiful grove was now something out of an apocalyptic nightmare. The small pond of water was now a bubbling pool of lava. Skulls covered the entire ground, crunching whenever someone moved. The trees were warped, twisted. Luna couldn't find another adjective that would be better than evil. Even Hueso wasn't unaffected. His skin looked very pale and wrinkled. His stance was all wrong. The only sign that gave an indication that he was alive as compared to the undead he commanded were his eyes.
"What is this?" Kaiba asked slowly, a little unnerved by the new surroundings.
"Zombie World!" Hueso rasped. Even his voice sounded like death. "This Field Spell prevents us from Tribute Summoning any monster that isn't a zombie and, my favorite part of this effect, all monsters on the field and in the Graveyards become zombies! Watch!" Luna watched, horrified, as one by one her monsters, full of life and teeming with energy, were twisted and corrupted, infected by the dark energy until they were but pale shadows of their former selves, still moving, but very much dead. Hueso's monsters were unchanged for obvious reasons, but definitely looked more comfortable in their new surroundings.
Even Kaiba was slightly intimidated by the change in her monsters, as the zombie Bird of Roses turned around and gave a pitiful caw. "You're one deranged maniac who doesn't deserve to be called human."
Hueso laughed. It did not sound right coming from a human being. "No, Kaiba, I have become the lord of Death himself. Tremble in my awesome power, for now that both sides of the field have become a haven for zombies, I, the master of all the undead, will now show you how futile it is to try and escape death! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
*Shudder* I hate zombies. But, I'm trying to address that fear. And yes, I know about the new Blue-Eyes support cards. You can guess what those mystery cards the Crimson Dragon gave to Dani. I couldn't think of another way to get them to her. And I decided to pay a little tribute to the Japanese version with the way Luna ended her turns, simply because I'd been watching a lot of the sub to try and see how she Dueled. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
Response to Guest Reviews (in which they ordered)
Guest 2: Well, you're getting 2 chapters of Luna Dueling, hope you enjoy!
Corina O: I realized the irony of the timing of my post and the contents of the chapter after I'd posted the chapter. The phobia is rough, and when all my friends watch that show and blow up my Facebook feed, well, I can always live without social media for an evening.
Guest (who reviewed on chapters 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 23, & 24, I'm assuming you're the same person): The tension is there, but I daresay these guys know when to fight each other and when to fight the bad guys. At least, Jack does, from what I gather, lol. The Master brought back XYZs from the future, cuz he's a time traveler. I'm not adding Pendulums at the moment, though if I see something that would work for the Master, then maybe. I'm always looking to adapt the strategies. Tag team voting has been closed for awhile. And for your claims that the Master is, well, the Master, I will neither confirm nor deny the allegations, though if he were a Time Lord, this is long after his Missy phase. Besides, he's got many characteristics of another famous villain, of which I've dropped several clues throughout the chapters. I hope to hear from you in future chapters!
Arc V: I have gone back and reread Chapter 17 multiple times, and I still don't see the reference you're making. I realized I'm going to catch a lot of flak for saying this, but I've never played any of the Assassin Creeds.
Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Reviews are always welcome, as is any and all respectful criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve. Seriously, I like talking with you guys. Reviews are how I improve.
From your Nutty Buddy,
The Eagle Nut
And in case I don't get another chapter up before the holidays;
Merry Christmas to those who believe!
Happy Hanukah to those that believe in something else!
Happy Holidays to those that don't believe!