Yuri
He followed the dirt path across a forest of palm trees that led to the beach that was once the secret spot for him and Crystal. But now that everyone was here to celebrate Tyson's birthday, he supposed it wasn't so secret now. Not that he cared. He was glad to have some time off from mercs, bounty hunters, and rare hunters to have some quiet time with his friends. The trip down the path was a bit of a struggle on the count of the stuff he was carrying. In one hand he carried a cooler. Some towels hung over his shoulder, and in his backpack, he carried his Duel Disk, extra clothes, and the plastic utensils Tyson requested for the party.
"It warms my heart to see you so happy," said Ser Norman.
"It warms my heart to hear you say that," Yuri replied. "After all the crap we've been through, I think I need some downtime."
"I suppose even skilled Duelists need to have their moments to relax. Just don't let it get to your head, my friend. We've got a job to do."
"There's still plenty of time before the tournament," Yuri said, gently pushing a fern out of his way. "For now, I just want to rest."
"Of course. You deserve it. I will not intrude in your fun, so you will not hear from me. Have a good time, Prince Yuri." He started to vanish.
"Who you talking to?" Andre asked. His image started to become visible as Ser Norman disappeared.
"Oh, you're here, too," said Yuri. "Did Crystal invite you?"
"She did," Andre said. He almost tripped on a rock. He carried two duffle bags in one hand and some towels over his right arm. "She and I got on the wrong foot at first. But she said she wanted to break the ice and warm up to me."
"Well, that's good. I heard you held back on us when we played. Obviously, you pissed a lot of people off. There's no greater insult to a Duelist than not giving it your all out of pity."
Andre rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, man. I've heard this lecture over a dozen times already. Can we...you know, just forget about it."
"Of course. As my dad said, forgive and forget and all that. Yeah, there's no need to start conflicts. It's time to party."
"Uh...could you also...walk me through this. I've...I've never really been to a party before."
"What?" Yuri laughed and punched him in the arm. "You mean you never gone out with friends? Hang out during the weekends? Things like that?"
Andre started to have harsh memories come back to haunt him.
He was sitting in front of his father for almost an hour. The mighty Dragon Rider, Andorex Martin, now serving as the advisor to his twelve-year-old grandson, Godwin Martin, the new King of Serania after Andorex and his legion of mercenaries and dozens of Great Seranian Houses ousted House Wyvernheart from in the coup now called the Clash of Wyrms.
Andorex was a highborn Neos, a race of bronze-haired men from the small continent of Eastos with a strong affinity with magic, greater than all the other races of men. He was also a giant of a man, tall and wide. His face had angular features and he always wore a powdered wig with regal curls that went down to his shoulders and long robes of black, red, and gold, making him look like a judge. He was scribbling on a few letters and signing some reforms, acting as though his son wasn't there.
Andre figured Andorex must have forgotten he was even sitting there in front of him. He twidled his thumbs, watching his father pour red wax onto a letter and seal it with the family crest.
"The crown looks good on you," Andre managed to say. He patted both hands rhythmically on the arms of his chair. "It really brings out that regal brow of yours."
Androrex looked up from his notes, wrinkled his nose, and dipped his quill into an ink bottle before he wrote a letter of credit to the Big Five, paying back what he owed them since it was they who financed his campaign against the Wyvernhearts.
"Are you...even content with being an advisor to the king?" Andre asked. "You seem to be miserable lately...well...more miserable than usual."
Andorex finally let out a deep chortle and set a few letters down, stacking them beside his scales, loaded with gold Star Chips. "What would you know about ruling a country, Andre? What would you know about government?"
"Well...Godwin is only celebrating his twelfth birthday and he's a king. A title that you pushed on him in this silly war you and House Thelborax started."
"Are you jealous?"
"You have three sons. You didn't push any of us to be king. Why Godwin? Why give him the crown? Why give him the power?"
"Power? You naive fool. Crowns don't give a man power. Besides, your brothers and your sisters have other duties to attend to. Edgar and Tytos are elite Dragon Riders defending the House and the kingdom. Lilly will soon marry Ser Lontos so she can secure the coasts and the ports. And Crimson leads the Red Company, a title that was meant for you, but I wanted you to be a Duelist instead. You have not yet impressed me in that aspect."
"Not yet impressed you?"
Andorex went back to his work. "What do you want, Andre?"
"What do I want? Are you kidding me? I beat some of the best players Duel Academia had to offer! I became friends with two princes from Master Yugi's Alliance, hell, Master Yugi is going to train me. I'm going to look after Yuri while he's on Earth. I led the assault in The Battle of the Red Drakes, defending our best trade route and the front line to our castle, while Edgar and Tytos were in Gardenrealm at a beach party. What do I want? Well, a bit of gratitude would be nice. I also want...I also want the Guilded Mountain."
Andorex looked up. "You wish to rule Castonia?"
"Yes. The castle and the mines should be mine. It's my right. Edgar and Tytos as you've said are Dragon Riders. Forbidden to marry as a part of their oath. And Lilly and Crimson have already been wed to great and powerful men. Godwin, your grandson, is now King of Serania. He cannot rule over it now that he sits on the Throne of Wyrms. There is no one left to rule the Guilded Mountain and since I have no other responsibilities. I can look after the castle."
Andorex set his quill back in the ink bottle and stood up straight. He took a deep breath through his nose. There was a pause, then he finally spoke: "For your deeds in the battle, we'll award you with lands and accommodations that are deserving of the Martin name. And I will see to it that I find an occupation in the Council of the Drake suited for your talents in coin and trade. Of that, I am content with. But I will be pissed on by Obelisk the Tormentor and blasted to ashes by the Winged Dragon of Ra before I let you have the Guilded Mountain."
Andre's body froze with a feeling of sorrow he never felt in his entire life. He gripped the arms of the chair tightly to control his emotions. "Why?" was all he could squeak out. "But I've done so much..."
"YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING! So you win a few Duels, win one battle, and are going to be deemed a glorified bodyguard for an exiled prince. Is that supposed to impress me? I didn't send you to Duel Academia to make friends. You were supposed to bring our House power in the Dueling world. I gave you the tools to acquire real power. I along with five lords from other Houses equipped you with the best cards money could buy. Instead, you chose to use those tools to make friends with fools, bedding harlots, and involving yourself with affairs that do not concern you."
"My friends needed help."
"You failed to defeat Zane Truesdale and become the best student in school. Instead, that title has gone to that bumbling idiot Jaden Yuki. And were supposed to come back with Belladonna Wyvernheart and her dragon, Bahamut. You failed to capture her and now she's vanished. I wanted that card. Without it, our claim to the Throne of Wyrms is doubted. There are twelve kingdoms to look over here in Serania, boy. And now four of them are in open rebellion. They fight against us because they doubt our claim. Without Bahamut, the King of True Dragons, there is no claim. You failed to get us that claim. So don't come here and bitch to me about gratitude. You are a worthless, ill-made, third-rate Duelist. Full of lust, overconfidence, and a thirst for power. And the Goddesses have condemned to watch you strut about wearing that majestic golden dragon that was my father's sigil and his father's before his. But no curse from the Goddesses will ever force me to submit to this ungodly request. I will be consumed by worms and maggots before I see you turn the Guilded Mountain into a den of thieves and whores. Leave!"
Andre said nothing more and got up from the chair.
"And speak no more of your claim to the Guilded Mountain! Go!"
"Andre?" Yuri asked. "You all right?"
"No, not really. Back where I'm from, I was so good at Duel Monsters that all the kids were scared of me. They avoided me because they knew I was just going to win each game."
"Well, that sucks. However, don't think the same thing will happen when you Duel my friends. They're all really good. If you think they're going to be 'afraid" He made quotation marks with his fingers "of you, then you've got another thing coming, Andre."
"I don't know. You're like the best player out of all of them and I beat you twice."
"I played you with a bad deck and the second time was just forfeit. Not saying those wins don't count, but they're not exactly something to boast about."
"Yeah, I understand. I guess we'll have to settle the score for real today. And I plan to beat you legitimately this time in M's barbeque tourmanent."
Yuri laughed and walked over a creek that streamed from a pond with a waterfall above them. "We'll just see about that." He sniffed the air. "Smell that? Gourmet burgers. Tyson's already started cooking."
"How far is it?" Andre asked.
"It's right behind these ferns." Yuri pulled them aside and revealed a sight that Andre had never seen back in Termnnia. A white sand beach, completely hidden from the world. There was a cave on the other side that led to a grotto where Yuri and Crystal once bathed together as children. Tiki torches were stuck into the sand and already lit. There were tables full of food and drinks, a tent that Tyson used to cook the food, an inflatable giant screen so they could watch movies and play games, and...girls.
Andre gulped. Patty was lying on a towel in a black and pink bikini as Crystal rubbed suntan lotion on her back. Up ahead he saw Natalya, Rosita, and Sabrina playing volleyball with the Dragon Sisters; Ashley, Shy, Layla, and Margery; all of them clad in scanty swimwear. Lance was acting as the referee, even though he was doing a terrible job, making calls that favored the Dragon Sisters. In the water, Ren, Nick, and Sam were playing football.
Laying by herself under the shade of a tree was a very sexy Asian girl with a voluptuous body. She had long black hair that flowed over her left shoulder, her skin was tan and oily from the lotion she applied, and her toxic purple top was unhooked to prevent tan lines. The Japanese kanji l for love, pleasure, and power was tattooed around a heart on her left buttock. The kanji for gold was tattooed on her ankle and the kanji for Dragon on her right wrist. She drank her alcoholic beverage from a straw, gingerly placing two fingers on it to keep it from moving around. Andre had never seen her before and guessed that she was new to the group.
"Yo, Yuri, who's she?" Andre asked.
Tell him the truth, Ser Norman said in Yuri's mind. Asshole.
"Oh, her? She's uh...a new addition to the group. Her name's Nikki Dragonuv. Supermodel, makeup artist, and up-and-coming Duelist. Crystal's taken her underneath her wing as her new protege. Ain't she hot?"
"She's beautiful, man."
Yuri put an arm over Andre's neck. "And she's single, too. Better take her now while you can."
"Um...maybe later."
"YURIIII!" Tyson hollered from the grill.
"YURIIII!" the rest of the gang cried out, stopping what they were doing to welcome him. Nikki didn't move. She just lowered her pink sunglasses and smiled, waving at him with her fingers.
"Yeah, Yuri!" Sam cheered, bumping fists with Yuri. "So glad you could make it."
Yuri and Tyson high-fived, then Yuri handed him his gift. An ultimate rare Behemoth, King of all Animals. "All right, y'all see that? This is a treasure, Yuri. I appreciate it, man."
Nikki walked to Yuri and gave him a hug. "Yuri, baby! So glad to see you."
"I thought you were never coming back," said Yuri.
"Hey!" she smacked his butt.
"Ow!" Yuri cried.
"You can't get rid of me that easily. Oh." She looked at Andre and lowered her sunglasses to get a better view of him. "Hmm. Who's your spicy friend?"
"Nikki, allow me to introduce Andre. I hate to be such a gossiper, but he thinks you're so, so fine!"
"YURI!" Andre cried out.
"Aww, does he?"
Andre went red and backed away. "No, I...I didn't say that. I said it would be so fine to Duel you."
"Duel me? Well, it just so happens I just got my Duel Disk, yesterday. My girl, Crystal hooked me up. You wanna have a go?"
"Sure but, uh, how about we make the match interesting and add some stakes."
Nikki slapped her hands on her hips. "Ugh, lemme guess. I win, I go on a date with you."
"No, I...I thought loser buys drinks."
"Buy drinks?" Nick scoffed. "We got six coolers full of alcohol and soda. And this place is secluded. There's not a shop around here for miles this part of the island. Buying drinks is gonna be kind of useless."
"All right, a date it is," Nikki said. "But don't think you're gonna beat me, hot stuff." She turned and walked back to her spot to pick up her Duel Disk.
"Oh, this is gonna be good!" Tyson said. "A match like this deserves some good food." He ran back to the grill to cook more ribs. Meanwhile, Andre and Nikki took their places.
"I sure hope this is what you want," said Andre.
"That makes two of us," said Nikki. "Now, ladies first."
T1
"Go, Nikki!" cheered Ashley.
"Kick some ass!" Shayla called out.
Nikki waved at them and jeered. "Thanks for having my back girls. All right, I summon White Dolphin! in attack mode!" She placed the card on her Duel Disk, shaped like a blue and purple butterfly wing. Water started to flood the sand in front of her. Then, a white dolphin with a blue horn on its head jumped out. After its 400 ATK was displayed, it fell back in the water with a splash.
"Ain't he cute? I'll end my turn with that."
T2
"That's all? Ha! Get ready, Nikki! I'm going all out. You guys want my best, well you got it! I summon Armor Exe!" He summoned a wizard armored in black stony armor outlined with orange and a green cape. It snarled revealing its 2400 ATK points.
"Next I play Mystical Bestiary! By removing two cards from the top of my deck, I can add two Spell Counters to him. It's something I must do because in order to keep him out since I have to destroy a Spell Counter at the end of every turn. Lucky for you, he can't attack the turn he's summoned. Your White Dolphin is safe for now. So I'll set two cards face-down and bring it back to you, beautiful."
T3
"Why, thank you. Ooooh, that Armor Exe sure is a tough monster. But let's see how he'll handle this. I activate the spell Aqua Fusion! This unique spell card allows me to fusion summon an Aqua, Fish, or Sea Serpent Fusion monster from my Extra Deck so long as I banish the number of monsters needed for the fusion summon from my deck or my hand. Since this card requires three monsters, I banish three monsters from my deck. Here comes Man-Eating Black Shark!"
Out of the water, a monstrous black shark with bulky human arms jumped out of the water. It snarled then the stats revealed 2100 ATK points.
"Well, I'm safe. Armor Exe still has more than enough attack points to take on both your monsters."
"You think your monster scares me, babe? Ha! You forget you have to remove counters from him during both our standby phases. He'll have no more counters by your next turn. Once your standby phase begins, he gets destroyed. But why wait until the next turn to destroy him? I activate this. The Umiiruka field spell!"
She held the card up. It sparked in all the colors of the rainbow with its shatter foil rarity. "Thanks to this card, my Water monsters get a field power bonus of 500 attack points but they lose 400 defense points. My Man-Eating Black Shark is now ready to chow down on your monster! Attack!"
Man-Eating Black Shark jumped out of the water but it was then caught with black chains.
"What happened?"
"You ran right into my trap, Nikki. Shadow Spell. Your monster can't attack and it loses 700 attack points. Also, I activated the trap, Pitch-Black Power Stone. On my next turn, I can place a Spell Counter on him to pay for his cost, so he'll stay for one more go."
"Damn! That's so rude! Whatever. I switch White Dolphin to defense mode and end my turn."
T4
"Nice try, Nikki, but not good enough. I use Pitch-Black Power Stone to give my Armor Exe a Spell Counter for one last go at your Life Points. Now I use Card of Sanctity! This ultra-rare card allows us to draw until we have six cards in our hands. Think of it as a redo. Yes! Just what I needed. I activate the spell, Cost Down! I discard a card and one monster I chose has its level reduced by two. Here comes Dark Red Enchanter!"
He summoned a magician in red and gold robes. As he smacked his green staff on the ground, his stats showed up, revealing 1700 ATK.
"When Dark Red Enchanters enters the field, I can place two Spell Counters on him and his attack increases by 300 for each Spell Counter he receives, so his strength goes up to 2300! First, I'll attack your Man-Eating Black Shark with Armor Exe. Attack!"
Armor Exe lunged forward and sliced up the shark with his claws. Nikki lost 500 Life Points. Then, she watched the Dark Red Enchanter spin his staff around and destroy the White Dolphin.
"Your monsters are toast. Deep-fried just the way I like 'em! I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn."
T5
"So that's how you wanna play, huh? No problem. I like playing dirty, too. Oh, now that it's my Standby Phase, you have to give up a Spell Counter for Armor Exe. But now that he has zilch, you have to destroy it."
"I know," Andre groaned. Armor Exe shattered into triangles.
"Now your Dark Red Enchanter is all alone. But don't worry, Andre, baby. I'll give him a few playmates. First I activate the Moray of Greed. I shuffle two Water monsters back into my deck and draw three cards. Ha! Perfect! I activate the continuous spell, Secret Cove of Phantasm! This card will decrease the levels of all my Sea Serpent monsters by two and increases their attack by 300 points. Then I play another continuous spell, Song of Serpents! If I summon a Normal Sea Serpent monster, I'm allowed to summon another one! Go Kairyu-Shin!"
The water next to her splashed and bubbled. The blue serpent dubbed The King of the Ocean rose upward and screamed menacingly at Andre. His attack was 1800 but with Umiiruka in play, it increased to 2300. "And don't forget the effect of my Song of Serpents! Now, I'm allowed to summon another Sea Serpent from my hand. Sea King Dragon!"
She summoned a yellow-skinned serpent with a giant blue shell protecting it. Its ATK was 2000, now 2500 from the power bonus.
"He still has no idea, does he?" Yuri asked as he ate the ribs Tyson cooked.
Patty giggled. "Nope."
Nikki reared her head up and laughed. "No more guppies, Andre baby. Now the big dogs are here to play. You should know that when Kairyu-Shin is out, he spells doom for my opponents. Once he and I are together, there's nothing that can stop us."
"I've taken down stronger monsters than your serpent, Nikki. I will beat it."
"Oh yeah? Let's see how confident you are after this. Sea King Dragon, attack his Dark Red Enchanter!"
"I activate Mirror Force!" shouted Andre.
"NO FAIR!" Nikki yelled.
Sea King Dragon fired a beam of toxic bubbles at Dark Red Enchanter until the mirror-like barrier protected him and bounced the attack right back at him and Kairyu-Shin, destroying them.
"Babies!" Nikki cried out in sorrow.
Andre happily held up his fist in triumph, feeling proud to have taken down those two monsters. "Sorry about that, Nikki. Looks like your babies are toast! Now, I discard one card from my hand and Special Summon, The Tricky!"
He summoned a strange caped monster with a domed head with a red question mark on the center and two tendrils of a jester's conical cap on both sides of its head. With a strength of 2000 ATK, the monster teamed up with Dark Red Enchanter and attacked her Life Points directly, winning the Duel.
"Awww, no! How could I lose? Crystal Anderson taught me everything I know."
"Man," said Tyson. "Kid's tougher than I thought. Training with Crystal proves nothing against him."
"He got lucky," Patty scoffed. "Look, there he goes, ready to claim his date."
Andre approached Nikki and helped her back on her feet. "Well...uh...I guess we go on a date, huh?"
"You sure you want to do that, mate?" Margery asked. "This girl isn't who you think she is."
"Ugh," said Nikki, sassily flinging some hair over her shoulder. "Whatever, ho. So prejudice. Let a girl have some fun, will you?"
Andre looked around for a moment, just noticing the gang was missing someone. "Hey. Where's Carter? Wasn't he supposed to be here, too?"
"You're looking at him," Tyson said. "Ahem...I mean her."
Andre looked down at Nikki. She winked. Behind the makeup, the long hair, the curved fluttery eyelashes, he finally saw the face of Carter Kim. "CARTER!" Andre called out. "It's you!"
"My name's Nikki now, bitch."
"But how!?" Andre murmured. "YOU!" he pointed at Yuri. "You knew!"
Yuri flashed him an arrogant and condescending smile while he gave a shrug. The whole gang started to laugh at what had happened. Earlier, the same thing had happened to Yuri and Nick. Now it was Andre's turn.
Nikki took her sunglasses off the hook of her top and put them back on. "Don't worry about the date, babe. You're not my type anyway." She snapped her fingers. "Yo, Shalya! Come on, bitch! Oil me up again."
Andre took a few steps back, embarrassed by what had just happened. "What the hell is wrong with this world?" he muttered.
"Sorry about that Andre," Yuri said. "I know we shouldn't joke about Carter — er — Nikki's new lifestyle, but you know how our group is. I'm glad she's a good sport about it."
Andre pointed at him dramatically. "You owe me a Duel for that, Yuri!"
Sam laughed, throwing the football into the air and then catching it. "Hey, Yuri. Did you hear that? This dork wants to challenge you to a match."
"Dork?" said Andre.
"Yeah," Sam said, throwing up the football and catching it again. "You heard me. You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Andre. Yuri's the best Duelist I know and his Black Tyranno is gonna cream ya!"
"Let's see him try," Andre said. Sam's words lit a fire in his heart, fueling him with determination to prove him wrong.
Yuri saw that passion in Andre's eyes and gave a nod to show he accepted. "Well...if that's what you want."
"Hold it! Hold it!" Crystal came running down the sands, putting on her Duel Disk. "We haven't played together since the big party months ago. Come on! You and me against him."
Patty put on a cropped basketball jersey as she stormed towards the pair, running so hard she left clouds of sand in her wake. "Wait a minute! Hold on a sec. Yuri, your promised you would tag with me in Tyson's Games today. Going back on your word?"
Crystal tugged on his arm and held it tightly. "Just let him play with me this once!"
Patty grabbed his other arm and did the same. "No! I called the first Duel with Yuri. Fork him over."
"Hey! Hey!" Yuri cried. "I can't Duel if you yank my arms off!"
"So choose me as your partner!" Crystal ordered.
"No! Choose me! You promised!" Patty exclaimed with a look of anger creasing her face.
"Girls! Girls!" Andre said, holding up his palm. "Come on. I have a score to settle with each of you anyway. Patty and Crystal. You two may have gotten the best of me last time, but I was cocky and had a deck filled with cards that weren't set for the new rules. And Yuri. Yeah, you had a bad deck and thereby granting me an easy win against you. But now, you're at your prime. I want your best and no forfeits if you're about to lose like last time. Otherwise, you're not as good as everybody thinks you are."
"Wait a minute!" said Lance. "Are you saying you want to take on all three of them at once?"
Andre nodded yes. "Yeah, that's right."
Sam reared his head up with a howl of laughter. "Is this guy serious? He doesn't stand a chance against Yuri alone. But now he wants to take on the Queen of Dragons and my girl, Patty? What a loser."
"What do you say, Yuri?" Andre asked. "With Patty and Crystal by your side, it should be an even match."
"Oh!" Crystal said. "Tossing jabs, eh?"
"Let him boast. If you want my best, Andre, you got it."
"Fine," said Crystal. "All three of us against you. There's no fun in this since we're just going to end this after his first turn."
"Hang on a second!" Nick came to Andre's side and activated the Duel Disk Layla let him borrow. "I'm siding with Andre."
"I can take them on myself, man. I got a new deck and I learned so much."
"Don't kid yourself, you fucking moron. There's no way you can take all three of them at once. You're good, Andre, but you're not that good. Trust me, you're going to need my help. Besides, with my Black Luster Soldier in my deck, this should even the odds."
Andre smiled at him and patted him on the shoulder. "Fine. I appreciate the help."
"Sure. Don't make me regret this and hold me back. You're going to need all the help you can get in this one. Especially with those new cards Yuri has in his deck."
"Pfft, like I haven't heard that before. Everyone has new cards and I beat them."
Yuri, Patty, and Crystal - 4000 LP
Nick and Andre - 4000 LP
"DUEL!" they all shouted.
Sam sat in his chair with a burger in hand, the other hand was balled up in excitement. "This is gonna be epic. Aww, man, what I wouldn't give to be Yuri right now. Two bikini babes by my side in a three on two handicap match. He always gets the luck!"
"Hmm," Lance tapped his lower lip. He watched as they all drew their starting hands. "I can't help but notice the allegory in that team down there."
"What?" Rosita asked.
"Well, look at Crystal all dressed up and radiant in her white swimsuit. She looks like an angel. Then you got Patty in her darker colors. Light and Darkness."
"I think you're looking a little do deeply into this man," said Sam. "Although, I have to say that's a good observation. It does look kind of cool."
Down in the sands, the Duelists double-checked to see if they were ready. "So how do we start this?" Nick asked.
"We'll start with me!" said Crystal. "Then it goes to Andre. Then to Yuri, then Nick, and finally with Patty."
Patty frowned at her and lifted her baseball cap up. "Me last? Ha! I see what you're doing!"
"I draw!" Crystal declared, ignoring her. "I'll start things off by summoning Tusk Dragon!" Crystal called a spiked blackish-gray wyrm with huge tusks on either side of its jaws [ATK 1800]. It let out a snarl as it hovered behind Crystal. "Now, I set two cards face-down and end my turn."
"So I guess it goes to me!" said Andre. "All right. Your Tusk Dragon is tough, but let's see how it fares against this. I set a card face-down and summon Breaker the Magical Warrior!" He called on a spellcasting knight with red-orange armor outlined in gold and wearing a red cape. "When Breaker the Magical Warrior is summoned," said Andre, "I can add a Spell Counter to him, increasing his attack by 300 so his attack is now at 1900. And now I activate the spell, Mystical Space Typhoon, and pop one of your face-down cards!"
He unleashed a fierce wind that shattered Crystal's trap card.
"Dragon Gust, huh? Nice try, Crystal. That ends my turn. Your move, Yuri — huh!"
All of a sudden, a majestic display of colorful arcane circles formed behind Crystal. All of a sudden, a dragon with a body of engraved dark steel emerged. It floated over the sands like a sage. He had four wings with blue membranes and different colored crystals formed on his arms and legs. A crown of red crystals grew out of his head. He spread his wings and created a display of glyphs and arcane spheres, then his 2200 ATK displayed next to him.
"What is that?" said Nick.
"When you destroy a spell or trap card, I can special summon this card from my hand. My new friend Mana Dragon Zirnitron! And when he's summoned that way, I can set a spell or trap card from my Graveyard. Dragon Gust is back and ready for me to use later. Okay, Yuri, sorry to interrupt your turn. You go."
"No need to apologize," Yuri chuckled. "You got your card back and we got a sweet dragon on our side. Draw!" Yuri swiped his card off his deck.
Ser Norman appeared over his shoulder. That friend of yours, Andre. He's strong, I can sense it. He knows it, too. Otherwise, he wouldn't have challenged you and your friends at once.
"You taught me over and over again that overconfidence is your greatest enemy. I'll make an example out of him with this new deck. All right, I activate Graceful Charity and draw three cards and discard two. Next, I summon Uraby and equip him with this spell card.
They saw a forbidding red and blue light illuminating through the sand cloud. When the sand finally cleared, it revealed a black battle-axe in the middle of the crater it created. The axe was forged and designed to resemble a Uraby and Trakadon. The Axe was shrouded by red and blue flames and adorned in red and blue orbs. Uraby walked to the axe and picked it up by the black hilt with its jaws.
"Far out, Yuri!" Patty exclaimed.
"It's called Axe of Ancient Souls. This increases the power of a normal-summoned dinosaur-type monster by 1000 ATK."
"That's my pal," Tyson said proudly as he served the Dragon Sisters some more food. "Yuri's always one step ahead! Andre and Nick got no chance against him. And with Crystal and Patty by his side, this match has already been decided."
"Forget that!" said Andre. "Nick and I will take down your overpowered dino. Go, Nick!"
"Yes! My turn!" said Nick. "I activate the spell, Landstar Forces! It allows me to special summon as many Landstar monsters from my hand as possible. I summon Knight of Landstar, Grappler of Landstar, and Swordsman of Landstar!" He summoned three toyish-looking monsters, one clad in armor, the other dressed an army commando, and the third was a swordsman with a sword as big as he was.
"Oh, Nick!" Patty jeered at the cartoony monsters. "How cute!"
"You won't think so for long, Patty. I tribute all three of them so I can summon this guy! Gilford the Lighting!" The sky darkened with thick, black, thunderclouds. Lighting zapped down from a large one hanging over Nick, causing the three monsters to vanish. Taking their place was perhaps the mightiest warrior in Nick's deck. He raised his giant sword in the air and let out a fierce battle cry before his 2800 ATK was displayed.
"Nice!" Andre cheered.
"You ain't seen nothing yet. When Gilford the Lightning is summoned by tributing three monsters, he can destroy all monsters you guys control! Sorry, Yuri, but your card won't be wowing anyone today."
"Oh, crap!" Patty said looking at her teammates. "Sucks to be you two."
Gilford held up his giant blade, conjuring a black cloud that shot lighting into it. He swiped it and sent bolts of lighting towards their monsters.
Just as Gilford's strike was about to hit, Yuri countered. "I don't think so, Nick. I activate the trap card, Return Buster! When you activate a monster effect that would destroy our cards, I can negate the effect and inflict damage to you equal to the monster's attack!"
"WOOO!" Patty cheered. She turned and smacked her bottom repeatedly and stuck her tongue out to taunt Nick and Andre. "Sucks to be you guys!"
"Yuri I could just kiss you!" Crystal jeered.
The lighting bounced away from Tusk Dragon and Uraby, then it curved into the air and zoomed back towards Andre and Nick.
"We're gonna take 2800 damage!" cried Nick!
Andre held up a card. "No, we're not, Nick! When a card that inflicts damage is activated, I can special summon this monster from my hand! Damage Mage!" He summoned a cloaked angel with one wing sticking out from underneath. "And then, we gain Life Points equal to the damage we were supposed to take!"
The Damage Mage held up both hands and formed a magical aegis around Andre and Nick. Their Life Points then went up to 6800.
"Aw, yeah!" Tyson cheered from behind the grill. "Nice save down there, guys!"
Nick wasn't so pleased with it. "Pfft. Whatever, I could have done that. I set my last card face-down and end my turn."
Patty drew giggling. "So you got yourselves a head start. Big whoop. All three of us are gonna wipe the floor with you two. First. I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Next, I activate Double Summon, which allows me to make two summons this turn. First, I call on Double Coston!"
She summoned two black ghosts with derpy looks on their chubby faces [ATK/1700]. "Now, I'm going to tribute my ghosts to summon this cutie from my hand! Go, Diabolos, King of the Abyss!"
The two ghosts vanished and in their place came Patty's second ace monster. The jet-black dragon hovered above her as it emerged from a cloud of darkness. It held up its massive, muscular arms and roared. The blue neon accents on its body lit up and then it landed behind her, creating a veil of sand [ATK/2800].
"Now I activate the Zera Ritual card and summon my baby!" She kissed the ghost rare card twice and held it up. "Zera the Mant!" She slapped the card on her Duel Disk and summoned her giant blue behemoth. He let out a terrible roar and slashed his claws around.
"Finally, I'll use Monster Reborn to bring back the monster I used as sacrifice for my beloved Zera the Mant. I resurrect Invader of Darkness!"
From a portal of darkness emerged a cloaked figure with a spiked body made of gold. His ATK was 2900.
Sam jumped up into the air with glee. "Look at that! Patty summoned three of her best monsters in one turn! Damn, I fucking love her!"
Patty looked at Crystal and frowned. "Hmph. Your turn, Crystal."
"Yup. I activate the Card of Demise (Anime Effect). This lets me draw until I have five cards in my hand but I discard my entire hand in five turns. Not that it matters. Yuri, Patty, and I are going to take you guys long before then."
"Bring it on!" said Andre.
"It's brought!" Crystal declared. "I tribute Tusk Dragon to summon Luster Dragon Number Two!" Her wyrm vanished and then a dragon with a body of emerald appeared, towering over her. "And now I activate the spell, Advanced Carnival. If I successfully Advance Summoned a monster, I can make a second one. I tribute Luster Dragon Number Two for Strong Wind Dragon!"
The dragon vanished and was replaced with a green muscular dragon with blue wings and a yellow belly toned with abs. Its attack was 2400.
"Now I activate my dragon's effect. He gains attack points equal to half the attack points of the monster I used as tribute, so his attack increases to 3600! And I'll attack Nicks Gilford the Lightning with him!"
Strong Wind Dragon spread his wings and soared towards Nick's warrior.
"Not so fast, Crystal!" shouted Andre. "I reveal my face-down card. The quick-play spell, Malevolent Flash! When a monster with 2000 or more attack points declares an attack, I can negate the attack and send that monster back to your hand."
"Oh, you won't do such a thing," Crystal sneered.
"Huh?"
Invader of Darkness held up his hand and released a sonic wave that caused the card to turn gray.
"What happened?" Andre cried in disbelief.
"Nice one!" said Crystal.
"Woo!" Patty cheered. "Girl power!"
Patty laughed at his look of disdain. "When Invader of Darkness is on the field, my opponents can't activate Quick-Play spells. Sorry, but Crystal's dragon is safe and Nick's Gilford is toast."
Strong Wind Dragon smashed his fist onto Gilford, crushing him and inflicting 800 damage to Andre and Nick's Life Points. The Dragon Sisters cheered. Tyson danced around behind the grill. Nikki, wanting to see the action, pulled a chair down from the shade and sat down to watch the game.
Andre and Nick - 6000 LP
"Had enough? Or are you thirsty for more?" Crystal taunted.
"I'm not afraid of your dragons, Crystal!" yelled Andre. "I'm going to slay them where they stand! You may have gotten the best of me this time, but it's a whole new ball game now!"
Patty wagged her finger at him. "Nope. It won't be that simple buckaroo." Diabolos' body was outlined by a dark blue aura. "Before your draw phase, I'm allowed to take a look at the top card of your deck and I can decide where it goes. Show it to me."
Patty took a look at the card Andre held up. "Oooo. Look at that. Mirror Force. Yeah, that's going to the bottom of your deck."
Andre gulped and did as he was told. "Oh, man. She's unreal. But I was dominating during the simulations." He drew for real this time.
Nick looked at Andre with a very stern expression. He sucked on his lips for a bit and briefly chuckled. "So...you could take on all three of them, eh?"
"All right, all right," said Andre, "geez. Let's just figure out a way to get out of this mess. We've got more Life Points than they do."
"And Crystal and Patty have a whole squad of powerful monsters, one of them won't allow us to activate Quick-Play spells. Not to mention Yuri's got an arsenal of cards we haven't seen before thanks to Phobos Corp. He's their champion now, who knows what else they put into his deck."
"We can turn this around."
"How? We barely have any cards in our hands."
"We do now thanks to this. Card of Sanctity. Now we each draw until we have six cards in our hands!"
"I hope you know what you're doing, Andre. That means they will get cards, too. They're working really well together and the last thing we need to do is boost their arsenal."
"Then we're gonna have to as well. We can take on whatever they can bring out if we can work together. Just follow my lead. I summon Rapid-Fire Magician!" Andre conjured a magical with gray armor carrying two staves. "Next, I activate the spell, Brain Control! This lets me take control of one of your monsters. I choose Diabolos."
A brain with ghostly claws formed over Andre. The claws reached for Diabolos and grabbed him.
"HEY!" shouted Patty. "Diabolos!"
"He's mine now! And he won't stay for long. But first, since I activated a normal spell, Rapid-Fire Magician will deal 400 points of damage to your Life Points!" Rapid-Fire Magician aimed his staff at Yuri, Crystal, and Patty, then fired orange fireballs like bullets from a light machine gun. All three of them yelled as they were peppered by the fireballs and clouds of sand and dust clouded them.
Yuri, Crystal, and Patty - 3600 LP
"How'd you guys like that?"
"Nice moves!" Nick said.
"You haven't seen anything yet, partner. I activate Breaker the Magical Warrior's effect. I remove his Spell Counter and pop the second of Yuri's face-down cards." Breaker raised his sword and swiped it through the air, sending a purple wave of arcane energy toward Yuri, destroying his Wall of Disruption trap card. "All right, guys, now I activate Polymerization, fusing together Breaker the Magical Warrior and Patty's Diabolos to create Mysterion the Dragon's Crown!"
Breaker and Diabolos vanished and their energies soared into the air. They combined and formed into a long wyrm in golden armor. On its head, it wore a crown that doubled as the legs of a giant warrior armored in gold as well.
Mysterion the Dragon's Crown
ATK/3000 DEF/1500
"And don't forget," Andre said. "I activated a spell, so you guys lose another 400 Life Points!"
Rapid-Fire Magician shot at them again and reduced their Life Points to 3200.
Andre, knowing full well that Crystal was not going to use her face-down cards to defend Patty, attacked Zera the Mant with Mysterion. The dragon swirled through the sky until its head came close to Zera. The warrior on top of the crown activated blades of arcane energy and slashed Zera's claws off. He roared in defeat and shattered to pieces, decreasing their Life Points to 3000.
"I don't believe it!" Sam whispered. "Did that Andre dork just wipe the field of Patty's two best monsters?"
Patty balled her fists, furious that Andre took her monster and used it as material to summon his own monster. And then he used that monster to destroy her favorite monster. She stomped her foot forward, her face was turning bright pink in anger. "You're going to pay for that, Andre!"
Nick pointed and laughed at her. "Now it's our turn, Patty! Andre's new monster is gonna cream you guys!"
"I think not!" said Yuri. "Crystal's got the strongest monster on the field. And thanks to your Card of Sanctity, we have fresh hands."
"Let's see what you can do with them!" said Andre. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."
"My turn!" Yuri yelled. "I activate the spell, Gifts from the Lost World! This lets me summon two Jurassic Egg Tokens to your side of the field, Andre!"
"What?" Andre stepped back as two giant brown eggs with white stripes formed in front of him in defense mode. [ATK/0 DEF/0]
"You can't tribute them," said Yuri. "You're stuck with them. Well, for now anyway. Remember my Axe of Ancient Souls? It can allow the monster equipped with it to attack twice per turn!"
Uraby charged toward the eggs and cut them in half.
"What good was it doing that?" Andre asked. "Your strategy is weird, Yuri. Why you would give me two tokens just to have your monster destroy them? Not that it matters. Your spell was a normal spell, so you and your girls take another 400 damage."
Rapid-Fire Magician rose up into the air with a mighty leap, then he assaulted Yuri and his teammates with a barrage of magic spheres that reduced their Life Points to 2600.
Yuri waited for the dust to settle before he resumed speaking. "You done? Good. You want to know why I gave you those tokens and destroyed them? It's so that my Axe can activate its effect! When the monster equipped with it successfully destroys two monsters in one turn, I'm allowed to summon a whole new powerful monster. Talon, King of the Raptors!"
Uraby disappeared. Taking its place was a four-meter tall raptor colored light orange with a white underbelly and black tiger stripes. His face was colored black with tribal designs. Talon had tribal jewelry on his arms, ankles, and around his neck. He sported a plume of swan-white feather fading into black on the tips. The claws on his talons and feet were jet black. He snarled, whipping his tail about to show off the golden spear attached to the tip. He then walked to the Axe of Ancient Souls.
ATK/2900 DEF/2000
LV 7
"Why is that card still on the field? Nick asked.
"When Talon is summoned, Axe of Ancient Souls stays and equips itself to him. Not bad, huh?"
"Now you're just being an asshole," said Nick. "Daddy gave you all those cards so don't think you're so tough!"
"Take it easy, Nick. I'm not the only one who's going to have new cards. More cool monsters and spells are going to be released before the Millennium Tournament for everyone to use."
"Really!" cheered Sam. "We can use those cards soon? Aw, sweet!"
"Not bad," Layla. "I could use one of those fancy cards. Phobos Corp makes the best stuff, I swear!"
Andre liked the card. He scanned it to take a look at its artwork. There was gold filigree and scrollwork all over it and the foil sparkled like a diamond. "Your monster is impressive, Yuri. But he won't stay out for too long. Mysterion's effect activates!"
"Huh?"
"When you activate an effect that special summons a monster with the same type, Mysterion will target it and banish it! Also, I can banish your Uraby Crafter, too, since all monsters with the same type I targeted are banished as well."
Yuri smiled. Talon looked up at Mysterion. The dragon wearing him opened its mouth and fired a green-colored beam at him. Talon's axe floated out of his claw and hovered in front of him. It started to spin faster and faster and faster until it formed a ring of red and blue fire. The beam shot by the dragon hit the ring. Yuri stood still as sand and fire, colored green, blue, and red flew all around him. The flames died down and were extinguished.
Andre felt so disheartened and heard Yuri chuckle.
"You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you? Sorry, Andre, but Talon can't be targeted by my opponent's card effects. Your Mysterion has failed to relinquish him from our battle."
"Aw, shit!" said Andre.
"Yeah, that's the way the ball rolls," said Yuri. "Now, from my hand, I activate Rush Recklessly. This will increase Talon's attack by seven hundred."
"No!" said Andre. "Now he's strong enough to destroy Mysterion."
"I'm not aiming for Mysterion. Take a good look at your partner. He's wide open for a direct attack. Sorry, Nick. Talon, attack!"
Talon roared, his eyes started glowing red. He picked up his axe and charged. He jumped up high and used his axe to smash the ground in front of Nick, blasting him with hot gusts and a cloud of sand.
Nick and Andre 2400 LP
Yuri, Patty, and Crystal 2600 LP
"Nice!" Crystal applauded. "Now we're in the lead."
"Your turn, Nick," said Yuri.
"Yeah, looks like it's up to me to change things around. Draw! All right, thanks to Andre's Card of Sanctity, I have a fresh hand, so that gives me more options to deal with your army of pests. Yuri, as much as I want to see Talon stick around, I'm afraid I can't let you do that. First, I'm activating Tribute to the Doomed."
"Fuck!" shouted Patty. "Now he can destroy any one of our monsters."
"That's right and I choose your Invader of Darkness!"
"Hey!" Patty watched as her monster was wrapped in ceremonial bandages. Suddenly, a fiendish hand rose out of the ground and dragged him into the Graveyard.
"Perfect!" Nick boasted, holding up his fist triumphantly. "Now Andre and I can use Quick-Play spells again. And my first one is gonna be Hand Destruction. We each discard four cards and then draw four cards (Anime Effect)."
"Nice, Nick!" said Andre. "That should ruin any of their strategies."
"Don't congratulate me just yet. I'm only getting started. Is everyone ready? Good. Here goes. Since I have no monsters on my field, I can summon this card without tributing. Go, Giltia the Dark Night - Soul Sphere!"
He summoned a retrained version of the classic fusion monster, Giltia the D. Night. The purple armored warrior spun his spear around. The ATK display revealed his 1850 ATK. "All right, ladies and Yuri. Since my knight was Normal summoned, I can banish a monster whose attack points are higher than his. I choose... Talon!"
"Oh no!" said Yuri.
"Wait, I thought he was unaffected by card effects," said Patty.
"No, he can't be targeted by card effects. Nick didn't target him so Talon is banished."
Giltia spun his spear, conjuring a black hole. Talon was sucked into it and was gone. Their friends all cried out in shock. Yuri's new monster was removed from the field just like that.
"He's gone!" shouted Patty. "I can't believe he did it!"
Nick balled his hand into a fist, raising it over his face. "And that's not all I'm gonna do, baby! I banish Gilford the Lightning and Neo the Magic Swordsman to special summon Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning!"
"Oh noooo!" Crystal wailed.
Everyone watched as Nick's most powerful monster jumped out of a portal of light and darkness. He landed right next to Nick, then stood up straight [ATK/3000].
"Now to activate my Black Luster Soldier's effect. When he's been summoned by banishing all Light monsters, I can banish a card you guys control and I choose Crystal's Strong Wind Dragon!"
Envoy of the Evening Twilight swiped his sword through the air, creating a portal to nowhere that sucked up Crystal's dragon.
"No way!" she cried out.
Tyson almost dropped his spatula from the amazement that flowed through him. "Did y'all see that? Andre and Nick wiped out the field of their army of monsters!"
Sam jumped out of his chair and jumped around, unable to contain his excitement. "Yeah, and now Andre and Nick are the ones with the powerful monsters! They turned the tables just like that. They got Crystal, Patty, and Yuri on the ropes. Man, I love this game!"
Nick wiped the sweat from his brow. He couldn't believe he just pulled off what he did. "Lucky for you guys Black Luster Soldier prevents me from conducting my battle phase if I activate this effect. I end my turn. What are you going to do now, Patty? Andre and I just wiped out all of your best monsters."
Patty snickered. "All of my best monsters? No. I've been doing some shopping lately and picked up some interesting new cards. Watch. I activate the ritual spell, End of the World."
The sky turned a dark and menacing shade of blue and then a strange glyph formed under the clouds, covering the whole sky above the city. White light shined down and smashed into the sand in front of Patty. When the light faded, it revealed a giant skull-faced fiend clad in black and white armor with a cape of blue fire and it wielded a giant double-sided axe.
"What is that!" cried Sam.
Patty stood up straight and placed her hand on her hip, grinning. "Guys. Let me introduce you to my newest monster. Demise, the King of Armageddon!"
ATK/2400 DEF/2000
"I pay 2000 of my Life Points to destroy all other cards on the field! Demise, smite them all!"
Demise conjured a wall of blue fire and incinerated all the cards on the field. The face-down cards, the monsters. Black Luster Soldier, Rapid-Fire Magician, Mysterion, the Uraby Crafter. All of them were gone.
"You thought it was going to be that easy, huh?" Patty said. "The joke's on you! Demise, attack Andre directly!"
Demise raised his axe and smashed it on the ground, sending a shockwave that rocketed towards Andre. It struck him with great force, the rumble machine in his Duel Disk shook horribly. "Damn," he said. Both his and Nick's Life Points plummeted down to 0.
"Yeah! We won! We won!" Patty declared.
"We won!" Crystal echoed, and she jumped on top of Yuri. Patty did as well, knocking both him and Crystal to the ground, where they rolled around laughing.
"Great game, guys!" Nikki stood up and clapped her hands. "And Yuri, those new cards of yours are something else. Can't wait for them to come out. Any one of them specific to water decks?"
"Oh, yes. There will be lots of cards like them. And a few more surprises as well."
Andre approached Yuri and shook his hand. "Good game."
"You, too. I thought you could take on all three of us."
"I wasn't expecting those new cards of yours. But next time, I'll be ready. Nick proved your new beasts are not invincible. And next time, you won't have your two girlfriends by your side."
"Yeah, but next time won't be for a while. Right now, I could use a beer and a burger."
The sun started to set, but the party continued. The grill was finally closed, the embers inside glowing hot red as they cooled down. Yuri helped M clean up the trash to keep the sacred grounds clean for Crystal's sake. The girls went to the grotto to drink and swim under the LED lights Nikki brought. Meanwhile, Andre, Nick, and the others sat around a campfire and told stories of their lives. All were having a good time except for Crystal. She was sitting alone by the surf. A tear rolled down her cheek.
"Is something wrong, Crystal?" Lance asked.
Crystal sniffed and scooted over so he could sit down. He offered her a drink, but she shook her head no.
"What's wrong Crystal."
"My mother just texted me," she said with a croaking voice. She wiped a few tears away with her palms. "Brett's coming back. It's just been confirmed."
Lance felt all the warmth and joy wash away. It was quickly replaced by an icy sensation in the pit of his stomach. "When?"
"Next weekend. He was training with some pro-league veterans and he feels he's ready to take on Yuri in the Millennium Tournament. You...you have to go, Lance. It's not safe."
"Crystal..."
"Don't argue with me! Don't you understand? He'll kill you. He's done it before. I've seen him do it. Please, Lance. You're one of the best things to have ever happened to me. I don't want anything bad to happen to you."
Lance placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. "I'm not going anywhere without you. Come with me! Come with me back to Washington DC. My mother has powerful friends in congress. People with the power to make unwanted folks disappear and...force elections to turn in their favor. She's also got friends all over the media. With one word, she can ruin the Martinetti Family. My mother has dealt with the likes of Brett before, Crystal. Trust me. He'll be a fool to mess with us."
"Lance, I...but I love it here in Aquarius. And Yuri's getting good. It's been one of my main goals to forge him into a great Duelist. He was always so scared to play at first. But now he's playing like a professional. I want to see where it goes."
"Is Brett's domination over you worth seeing Yuri grow? Don't answer that. Crystal. It's a matter of life and death. There are more important things than Duel Monsters."
Crystal looked at the sand. "Lance..."
He silenced her with a kiss, hoping his touch would make her change her mind. When he pulled back from her lips, he watched her blue/green eyes look down and up and left and right frantically as she wondered what to do.
"Come with me, Crystal. I will save you from that monster."
"You make it sound so easy."
"I have powerful friends. It will be like squashing a bug."
"Promise me something."
"Anything."
"Please, promise me everything will be all right."
"I will. With all my heart and soul."
Crystal leaned forward and kissed him, burying her lips into his. Lance swept her off her feet and carried her away from the party back to his apartment.
"Bye, guys!" Yuri said as they vanished into the forest of palms.
"I wonder where they're off to?" Andre asked, roasting a hot dog over the fire.
M raised his eyebrows up and down. "I can think of a place. Did you see the way they kissed down there?"
"Yeah, I sure did," said Yuri. "I sure hope Crystal knows what she's doing. She's gambling with the devil here. Brett Martinetti won't take this lightly."
Crystal
It was nearly dawn when Lance woke her. He told her to get her things ready, for his mother's helicopter was on the way to pick them up and take them to Washington DC. Dread filled Crystal but she knew this was what she had to do to finally get Brett Martinetti out of her life once and for all. It pained her that she couldn't have the time to say goodbye to her friends.
She wanted to phone Yuri, but Lance prevented her from doing so. It was too risky. And it would be best if he didn't know where she was until they met with his mother, The Gray Lion. Crystal got out of bed, showered quickly, and changed into a white dress. She didn't pack much into her suitcase. Just her cards, her favorite clothes, and her Duel Disk.
"Are you sure I cannot call my friends?" Crystal asked. She came back into the cottage after stuffing her suitcase in her car.
"No, Crystal. Not yet. Don't call them! Okay! Please, don't call them."
"It's not right that I leave without saying goodbye."
Lance stopped at the door. He slowly turned, smiling as he exhaled deeply through his nose. "This isn't goodbye, babe. It's just...well...see you later. It might take some time, but my mother will know what to do to keep you safe. Brett won't find you where we're going. Scratch that, he won't dare look for you. We have friends that make even the president shake in her heels. In fact, if it wasn't for my mother and her pals, President Deets wouldn't be president right now."
"I hope you're right." Crystal sat down on a stool and poured herself some brandy from the counter. "I've been under that monster's shadow for so long. Every time I have a hope of getting away, he's always there to rip me back into his clutches."
"He won't do that. Not this time."
"Please be right, Lance." Crystal squeezed his hand. "If Brett found out I was going with you..."
"Don't say another word. We'll be long gone before he arrives. I'm not afraid of him either." His phone rang in the pocket of his blazer. "Hello?" he said. "Yes. All right, we'll be on our way." He hung up and put the phone back in his pocket. "That was the pilot. He's forty-five minutes from here." He leaned toward Crystal and spread her legs. "That's plenty of time."
Crystal giggled and looked away. "Still hungry for more? You made love to me all of last night."
Lance grinned, sliding his hands up Crystal's legs until they reached under her dress and started caressing her inner thigh. "With a body like this? My hunger can never be satisfied."
"Lance..."
He kissed her and picked her up, leading her back to the bedroom for a quick romp. He laid her on the bed and started lifting her dress. Crystal moaned, feeling him kiss her belly until the waistband of her underwear arrested his progression. He looked up at her and smiled then bit into her undergarments and pulled on them with his teeth. Crystal closed her eyes.
At that moment, she failed to see the figures in dark blazers and slacks looming into the room. Lance's sick gagging was what caused her to look up. She gasped in utter horror seeing Santiago pulling Lance down to the ground. He had a wire wrapped around his neck — Santiago was choking the life out of him.
One of the men reached into his blazer and took out a giant bowie knife, which he spun around with his wrist dramatically. The other two ruffians grabbed Lance by the arms and held him as the man with the knife started decapitating him. Lance let out muffled, horrified screams, feeling the blade sink deeper and deeper into his flesh. Thankfully, mercifully, the man cutting his head off got in the way so Crystal could not see the rest.
Footsteps echoed down the hall. The doorway was darkened by a figure clad in black. Brett looked at Lance as his head rolled off his shoulders and thumped on the floor. He then looked at Crystal and smiled before sitting down at the edge of the bed. Crystal's lips shook in terror. Tears rolled down her eyes like faucets. She felt as if she were locked in the coldest layer of hell with the devil himself. So numb were her senses that she didn't even feel his hand rubbing her leg. He squeezed her knee and laughed.
"So, what'd I miss while I was gone?"