Spice: Hello once again, ladies and gentlemen, to Chapter 9 of Yu-Gi-Oh Virtual: Enter the Element Reavers! In this chapter, we see Serina begin her own preparations and acquire some new Monsters for her coming duel with Cloud before the tournament. The first scene of this chapter would include a lemon flashback involving Serina and Command Knight, but I will post it separately on Ao3. Thanks again to Phoenix for providing me a Pseud on his Ao3 account for just this purpose, and I will let you all know when that little moment is written and put up there.
ELFI: The Captain does not own Yu-Gi-Oh, nor the entirety of this storyworld.
Spice: Without further ado, on with the story!
-Serina Mordred's room, around the time Cloud met Alexandra, no P.o.V-
Serina stirs and opens her eyes as she wakes up in her bed, face nuzzled into the crook of the neck of another in bed with her. Smiling softly, the ravenette Kitsune warrior climbs onto her hands and knees on the bed, the black bed sheet lifting as she did so, as she gazed upon the flushed, but peacefully slumbering face of her Command Knight, replaying what had transpired between the Player and her Monster over an hour or so ago as her soft smile slowly shifts to a lewd grin.
Shaking her head to clear herself of those thoughts, Serina's smile regained it's soft gentility as she lovingly captured Command Knight lips with her own while running her hand through the blonde Knight's hair, getting the effect she desired as the Monster she'd chosen as her starter woke from her slumber as the vulpine kunoichi broke the kiss and pulled back a little. "Rest well, my darling knight?" Serina coos.
"Mmm… yes, it was quite… refreshing," Command Knight replies with a blush and a small smile. "I trust you were satisfied, milady?"
"But of course, my lovely retainer," Serina replies, giving Command Knight a peck on the nose before rising off of the bed and gathering her clothes, her demeanor changing from that of a satisfied lover to her usual, cool visage. "Now then, get dressed, my Knight. We must make preparations at once for us to begin our training."
"By your will, milady," Command Knight replies, her demeanor changing back to that of a dutiful Knight as she also rises from the bed and starts gathering her clothes and equipment.
-about ten minutes later, just outside the Village of Beginnings-
Serina, Command Knight, and Serina's Silver Fang stood just beyond the gate leading out of the Village of a Beginnings and leading out into the open road. They looked out , silently observing the immediate area.
"What is the plan, milady?" Command Knight asks, hand resting on the hilt of her blade.
"We hunt, alpha?" the Silver Fang barks in question with a tilt of its head.
"We will, Silver Fang, but that will not be all we do," Serina replies, looking to the wolf before turning to the Knight. "We shall be fighting most creatures that we come across. I would like to recruit a Trap Master if possible, however. In addition to having an especially high drop chance for Trap Cards in the wild, one's talents and capabilities would be of great benefit to my capabilities as a kunoichi."
Command Knight nods in understanding. "Very well, milady," she replies dutifully. "I shall be extra vigilant for any signs of a Trap Master in the area."
"Well, I suppose that is one way of going about it," a voice from ahead says, catching the attention of Serina, Command Knight, and the Silver Fang, making the three look ahead of them to see a pair of elves, whom Serina deduced to be a single Gemini Elves, looking back at them while holding themselves in a way that really brought attention to their slightly swaying breasts.
As much as she appreciated the view, however, Serina was on a personal mission here, and as such, held her Iron Shortsword at the ready, the European weapon feeling as alien in her hands as it had the day she first bought her current weapons and armor, as she spoke to the Monster before her. "What do you mean?" she asks without.
"Well~," the light elf starts, her voice matching the one that had interrupted Serina's conversation with her monsters, implying that she was the one who got their attention, "wandering around looking for a fight is all well and good, but without knowing where to find what, specifically, you're looking for, you could very well be looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack."
"Fortunately for you," the dark elf then starts, picking up where her twin left off, "we just so happen to know the perfect place to find Trap Masters, as my sister and I have been tasked by the Administration to teach newcomers leaving the Village of Beginnings about Requests by bringing them right to a place where you're guaranteed to face a Trap Master."
Serina looks to her Command Knight is silent conversation. After a few seconds, she nods to the Beast-Warrior, prompting her to look to the Gemini Elf. "Take us there," she replies simply.
The two elves smile and nod their heads while shifting their stance so that they're standing upright. "Very well, then," the light elf starts. "Follow us, we'll take you there," the darker elf finishes while they motion for Serina and her Monsters to follow, prompting her to nod in return as they start following the Spellcaster-Type Monster, Command Knight falling in step behind her and to the left, an ideal position to react to incoming attacks, while the Silver Fang takes up a similar position on her right side.
When they arrived at the spot, the first thing she noted was that, indeed, there was a Trap Master floating about, oblivious of any potential dangers. The two Gemini Elves then look to her. "I'm sure a smart cookie like you already knows this, but in the wilds, Monsters like Weapon Hunter and Big Shield Guardna have high drop chances for weapons and armor, respectively," the light elf explains.
"Following in that same line of thought, Trap Masters have extraordinarily high drop chances for Traps of any rarity," the dark elf finishes with a smirk. "Care to try your luck?"
Serina chuckles a little as she closes her eyes for a moment before looking to the Trap Master with a smirk. "Gladly," she replies as she draws her shortsword. Before engaging, however, she turns to her Command Knight and Silver Fang. "I must request, however, that neither of you interfere. I wish to challenge the Trap Master to a duel for its allegiance."
Command Knight bows her head and puts a closed fist over her heart in salute. "As you command, milady," she replies dutifully, a small smile on the Warrior's face due to her master's honorable decision to challenge the Trap Master to single combat.
The Silver Fang seemed a bit off-put, however. "No help Alpha?" The wolf barks in confusion.
Serina looks to the Silver Fang and nods. "No help Alpha," she affirms with a commanding voice. "Help bad for pack growth here."
The Silver Fang huffs, but nods obediently, understanding that the alpha's word was law. It might not like being unable to help her in her hunt right now, but if it meant the expansion of the pack, the wolf can cope with watching Serina demonstrate her strength and once more affirm her position as pack alpha.
Now assured that her Monsters would not intervene, Serina shifts her shortsword into a reverse grip and steps forward. "Trap Master!" She calls out, getting the Warrior-type Monster's attention. "I challenge you to a duel!"
The Trap Master examines Serina for a moment before smirking. "Very well, Beastkin, I accept. But first, I am curious: what do you seek of me with this challenge?"
"Your allegiance," Sasha replies with a similar smirk as she enters a ready stance, "nothing more. There is someone I desire to defeat, and among the list of Warriors I seek is one who would be adept at laying down the proper instruments to help level the playing field against him. Who better for such a task than one such as yourself?"
The Trap Master chuckles and grins as he throws open his cloak, revealing an array of saws, drills, and shears while his top hat opens up into a snapper trap. "Spoken like a true warrior, Beastkin. Very well, then. Let us begin!"
-Command Knight's P.o.V.-
I unhook my sheathed sword from my belt and plant the tip in the ground with my hands resting upon the pommel as my mistress and the Trap Master begin to circle each other, silently sizing each other up. While I was irked at the Warrior referring to my Mistress as "beastkin", I easily fought down the urge to take my mistress' place in the duel. This was her task and hers alone, and as her loyal retainer, it is not my place to interfere in such affairs.
My mistress' Silver Fang was now laying on its stomach with its head resting upon its paws, disappointment at not getting to fight evident in the wolf's eyes.
I could not, however, keep a smirk off of my face at the Trap Master's evident confusion and irritation at my Mistress not growing impatient and rushing into combat. When we'd first reached the Village of Beginnings, she had explained to me that, while she was a Beast Warrior, she would carry herself as a practitioner of an art she referred to as Ninjutsu. From her description, much of the art's combat aspects focus on analyzing your adversary and fighting to win through any means necessary. While that last part irks me a little, she is a considerate and understanding master, so I tolerate it. After a bit, the Trap Master's confusion and irritation lead to it charging at my Mistress, a fatal error.
With practiced ease, my Mistress parries the Trap Master's circular saw with her blade and shifts into a grapple, slamming the Trap Master into the ground, and then stomping on him once before jumping back a bit. I noted that the Trap Master had crossed its circular saw and claw shears in front of itself defensively when she slammed her foot down, a clear sign of shifting to Defense Mode to dampen the impact.
Shakily, her opponent floated back into an upright position and noted that she had assumed her defensive stance again. I swatch the Trap Master assume a more guarded stance of its own, an impressed smirk on its lips. "Clever, beastkin," the Trap Master compliments. "One able to balance human reason and animal instinct as you do is rare, indeed. This shall be a good test to see if you have what it takes to earn the respect of Warriors much greater than I."
"My gratitude, Trap Master," my Mistress replies. "I am honored to know I have exceeded expectations."
"Be that as it may, this is not over yet, Beastkin," the Trap Master reminds. "Show me your full worth as a warrior!"
"With pleasure!" my Mistress replies as she initiates the charge this time, blade shifting into a forward grip as the distance between them closed.
-Serina's P.o.V.-
Taking the blade into both hands, I leap the rest of the distance between myself and the Trap Master, bringing my blade down in a diving slash. My opponent was quite able to dodge to the side, but I merely roll with the impact of my landing to get into position again and catch the Trap Master in a rising slash. He brought up his shearing claw to dampen the impact, but I could tell I was slowly racking up more damage as he was pushed back from the force of the blow.
'One benefit of being a Beast-Warrior,' Serina thinks to herself. 'Easier to react to sudden changes thanks to the animal instinct. Tricky to work into a proper fighting style, though. Also doesn't help that these European weapons don't feel right in my hands. What I wouldn't give for a Wakizashi or Katana right now.'
Setting my mental complaints aside for the moment, I bring my Bracer up to check my opponent's stats quickly.
[Trap Master - Lvl 3 - LP: 130/300 - ATK: 50 - DEF: 110 (55 Passive)]
Nodding to myself and retaking my stance as the Trap Master recovered from my attack, I could see him eyeing me inquisitively. Based on his posture, it was clear my opponent was weighing his options. Smirking, I decide to cut his contemplation short by charging in, sword ready for a charging thrust. He seemed to smile a little at my decision, even as he used his shears to parry my attack while moving to the side, effectively side-stepping my attack. Smirking, I turn my blade and convert the thrust into a spinning slash, catching him as he was about to attempt to counterattack and launching him back a bit.
Capitalizing on the chance, I moved a bit closer and then jumped for a diving kick. Because the Trap Master was still recovering from my spinning slash, the attack connected full-on and knocked him to the ground. He smiled as my foot met his body and nodded in approval before shattering like glass on impact, dropping three Coins, 30 exp, and 3 cards. Picking them up, I saw it was two Trap Cards and a Monster Card: Kunai with Chain, Quantum Cat, and the Trap Master I'd just fought. Smirking, I put Trap Master in my Monster Zone and set Quantum Cat face-down in my Spell/Trap Zone while slotting the Kunai with Chain into my Bracer's deck. Trap Master appeared beside me with a smile, while I felt a spectral presence perch itself on my shoulder.
"Congratulations, master," Trap Master says as he extends a hand, which I shake with a smirk. "I look forward to putting my tools to use under your guidance."
"Nyah~, so you are mein Meister?" The spectral entity calls out in my mind with a German accent, drawing my attention to my shoulder, where I see the ghostly image of a cat that seemed to change its specific appearance and the color of its pelt intermittently. "A pleasure to meet you. I shall be ready, vhen you have need of me."
"Indeed," I reply to them both, then turn to address the Gemini Elf. "My gratitude for-... where'd they go?"
That brought the attention of all four of my Monsters as we looked around, only to find that the two elves were nowhere in sight. It was then I noticed a beeping come from my Bracer, and I brought it up to see what it was. I was greeted with the following notification.
[Request: Gemini's Teaching - Complete]
[Reward: 200 EXP, 50 coins]
A level up. Excellent.
[Serina Mordred: LP: 800, ATK: 140, DEF: 100]
Nodding in satisfaction of my new stats, I brought up my Upgrades menu to allocate my new Upgrade Point. After some careful contemplation, I put the point into Hunting Howl for an Aura Buff. Almost immediately, my throat and vocal chords felt like they were on fire, though having gone through a Transformation and gotten two Abilities meant that it wasn't as bad as it could've been. Command Knight, ever my loyal retainer, was the first to notice the effects of my change and rushed to my side, supporting me through the change, joined soon after by Silver Fang and Trap Master. Quantum Cat was still just an astral projection, but sent a soothing sensation to my mind in support.
-no P.o.V.-
"Are you alright, milady?" Command Knight asks Serina as the Beast-Warrior finds her balance once more and unclenches her teeth, panting as her hand finally leaves her neck.
"I am fine, my loyal Knight," Serina reassures, voice hoarse from acquiring the ability she'd chosen. "The worst of it has already passed." Once Serina was back on her feet, she turned to her assembled Monsters. "Now then, it is time to continue on. We still have preparations to make for our coming battle."
"Speaking of, you mentioned needing my talents for something to do with this battle, care to explain the details?" Trap Master asks, eliciting a predatory smirk from Serina.
"But of course," she replies, motioning for the rest of her Monster entourage to follow. "Come, I will explain as we travel."
-Harpies' Hunting Grounds, with Cloud-
Cloud Skywind shot up in his modest bedding provided by the Harpie Queen, a cold shiver running down his spine. The sudden action surprised Wynn, who awoke with a start. "Are you alright, big brother?" the Wind Charmer asks worriedly.
After a moment, Cloud regains himself and nods reassuringly to his little sister figure. "Yes, I'm fine now. Thank you for your concern, Wynn. Now, back to sleep." The former Gusto needed no further prompting and nodded with a yawn as she settled in again and fell asleep. Cloud did the same, though sleep eluded him for a little while. 'That feeling… Serina's gonna have a nasty surprise ready for when I return to the Village of Beginnings for the tournament. I can feel it on the winds…'
Spice: And that's chapter! Next time, we get back to Cloud as he begins preparations for the big throw-down against the Phantom Gryphon pack. But first, there's something I need to announce.
ELFI: The Captain still needs OCs for the Beginner's Tournament. The end total number of participants is to be 32 Players with their Monsters. Please submit a PM with your OC if you wish to contribute.
Spice: A quick stop to Phoenix Champion's profile will provide you with the links you need for the character creator for just this purpose. Seriously, I haven't even reached the half-way point of having slots for this tournament filled! Other than that, constructive criticism is welcomed and highly appreciated. Until next time, this is Spiceracksargent001: signing off.