Yuanfen
By 7th Librarian and Mei1105

Day 2:In Gearville, Robots Duel You

The nearest coffee shop did not have any biscuits to Merlow's liking. But they did have takeaway coffee and brownies, which had suited the old wizard just fine, and he now sat happily secured in the passenger seat of Andy's jeep, sipping his drink and nibbling on the edges of his snack. It was a surreal experience to see someone you respected and admired as powerful and mystical doing something so mundane. Andy imagined this is what it would feel like if you walked into the White House and watched the president get his sleeve caught on a doorknob.

They filled the silence as he drove, taking them out of Rogueport and along the long roads that separated the towns and cities. Merlow was curious about the incident in the cafe, and admitted to hearing rumours of a masked vigilante in the last few months, though this was the first time anyone had caught more than a glimpse of said rumour.

"I'm all for people doing their neighborhood watch, and intervening if they can," Andy admitted, as they turned left on the road, taking them towards the north of the island. "Hell, I've been bounty hunting for the last five years. But even if those satyrs were being pervs and taking pictures of teenage girls, that attack didn't feel like protecting the streets - more like rough justice."

"Truth be told, it was only a matter of time m'boy," Merlow admitted, a sad expression on his face as he wiped crumbs of brownie off his chin. "The Shadow Spawn cannot be everywhere at once, and what limited law enforcement the island has now is still new, and finding its feet. Not even a hue and cry system would be effective - you cannot expect people who have lived in fear for most of their lives to suddenly drop everything and jump on criminals when they see them."

Andy remembered the way everyone in the cafe had seemed to shrink in on themselves when faced with the ire of satyrs, and he felt irritation stab through him. The Shadow Queen has been dead for five years, but people still act like she could jump out from behind their trash cans at any moment. I don't get it. Sure it had been hard for him to fully relax for a while after the tournament, but eventually life moved on. Mind you...we didn't all come out of it unscathed. Look at what happened to Stan...and even Fran went off the rails eventually in Vegas, enough to go drinking with Lyrius...

He shook himself and refocused on the road - there was no sense in getting worked up over that now. "Yeah but a vigilante who can do that much damage isn't exactly a great alternative."

"True. That's why I was relieved when I learned that you had come back," Merlow offered him a smile over the rim of his coffee cup. "You've been doing well for yourself here, Andy. Keeping the monsters back from the towns, stopping that revenant last night. Having a hero stepping into the gap right now is just what Arcadia needs."

Andy kept his eyes on the road, and savoured the pride that welled up inside him at the old wizard's words. It was like being complimented by a beloved grandfather.

His eye flicked to the rear view mirror just in time to see Lyrissa in the back seat. She hadn't said a word since they had got in the truck, and no sound passed her lips now, but Andy still caught the tail end of an eyeroll, and his pride fizzled out into irritation. She's just sour because I wouldn't let her take the top down…Lyrissa was fiddling with the edges of the tarp, but her request for fresh air and the presence of nature on their drive to Bogsly Wood had been firmly rebuked and the command kept her in check. Give her a chance to jump out and make a run for it? No thanks.

Merlow took a sip of coffee before continuing.

"And that's precisely why I sought you out. I have been watching Arcadia carefully over the last five years. There have always been monsters on the island, but about three years ago these attacks changed. Not just random pests left over from the Shadow Queen's rule. These were more frequent and more numerous. And the creatures themselves were different. Their energies were...twisted."

Andy had seen the monsters he was describing - abominations which shrieked as they lurched after you, bodies oozing and congealing, limbs contorted in unnatural ways, and an empty look of ravenous hunger in their eyes. It was like someone had tossed all the rejects from a factory of nightmares into a vat of gore, partially melted them together and said "fuck it - that will do!"

"It took me sometime," Merlow admitted, pulling a roll of battered parchment from the depths of a pocket, and flattening it. Out the corner of his eye, Andy could see it was a map of Arcadia, covered in red stickers like a child had decided to give the entire island chickenpox. "Arcadia is so magical in nature that scrying is an inexact science-"

Andy could not help but look over his shoulder as he realised he had someone who could make it a very exact science - she had certainly succeeded with Ohio Jones the previous night.

"-but using some more arcane divination, along with the location of the monster attacks, I have been able to narrow down a handful of sources for these monsters. I must confess I am still not certain what it may be, but I believe with a rough location, a hero and a priestess at my side, our chances of finding it are very good. Then we can look for a way to neutralise the monsters at their source."

Maybe it was the feeling of having someone positive to talk to for a change, but Andy found himself feeling confident about their chances too. After all, Merlow was one of the most knowledgeable wizards he knew (not that he knew many), and it was a relief to be around someone so proactive for once. Finally they might be able to permanently fix a problem that had been bothering the citizens for years, and make everyone's lives a little safer.

Still, they were only three people and like last time, Arcadia's problems seemed to be mounting by the hour. "Am I really the only one who's been willing to help you around here, Merlow?"

"The only one who's really in the magical know, as it were." Merlow said with a shake of his head. "Magic has always been a part of Arcadian life, but the only time it was an 'active' force in their lives, it was the Queen using it to do terrible, unspeakable things. So you can understand their reluctance to get involved."

Andy gripped the steering wheel a bit harder than necessary as they rounded a bend. "You can say that again. Everyone was so full of energy and hope when we left, but it's starting to feel like they've thrown away everything we gave them!"

In the backseat, Lyrissa stirred and he got the impression she was directing more attention to the conversation. There was no time for her to make a smart remark, though as Merlow piped up. "Speaking of all that you did, my boy, how are Stanley and Francesca? I keep tabs on you all, but I must confess this monster hunt has had me distracted as of late. Are they well?"

It was like someone had thrown a bucket of iced water over him, and Andy forced himself to focus on the road instead of the sudden pounding in his head. "Fran is...missing Merlow."

"Missing? Missing how?" There was a sudden sharpness in Merlow's eyes, the kind of one that reminded Andy of just how much the old man had lived through. "Who took her?"

Vegas was not something that Andy wanted to revisit, but he owed it to his ally. "It's complicated…" he paused as he realised that the cause of the complication was not someone he had ever discussed with the wizard before - he wasn't even sure if Merlow knew of him. "Have you ever heard of Lyrius Stormcloud?"

Merlow's brow furrowed in thought. "No, not at all. Should I have?"

Andy was not blind to Lyrissa's gaze, fixed on the back of his head like she was dying to go digging around in his brain. He did his best to ignore her. "I'm surprised more people haven't. He was the Shadow Queen's Champion...and her husband, for what that's worth…"

"Champion? That rings a bell." Merlow said slowly. "Yes, that's it...I read about a 'Champion' in a book from one of your ancestors. He was retelling a story his father had told him, about how the Dragon Master had several fierce battles with the Queen's Champion in the lead up to their attack on Arcadia. The Champion was powerful, strong enough to even kill one of the Dragon Master's dragons." The wizard's face paled slightly as it clicked for him. "Are you telling me he is alive? In this era?"

Andy nodded. "He was around at the tournament. Fought with the Shadow Queen at the end. Not sure how he got away, but he showed up again in Vegas two months ago. Tried to act like it was a big coincidence, but I didn't buy that for a second - his sword was being auctioned off in the city. Anyway...Fran and I got involved."

He swallowed hard as the memories teased him, flames and the smell of burning flesh and clothes…

"There was a fight...Fran and I got separated. I ended up with Lyrissa, and Fran disappeared with Lyrius and his lackeys. She was...she was really hurt, Merlow."

He could see it now - Fran on the table, her naked body painted in soot and blood as she clutched at her face while Lyrius touched her and dripped his own blood over her, claiming that he was doing what Andy could not - save her.

"I am sorry, Andy." The wizard's words were somber. "If this Lyrius worked for the Shadow Queen and Fran is in his possession, I…" He fell silent and shook his head. "Why are you here, instead of looking for her?"

The worry and guilt gnawed away at him, even though he knew he was doing the right thing. "Jermorille - Falgar, sorry - he found me afterwards. He said he would find Fran. He's been trying to put Lyrius down for a while. He told me to wait here where I could do some good - track down these magical trees he's been hunting down. But the more I think about it, the more I think he just wanted to keep me safe - doesn't want two heroes in Lyrius's grasp."

He could feel waves of incredulity radiating from the back of the jeep, but a glance in the rearview mirror didn't show Lyrissa rolling her eyes - they were closed as she shook her head in disbelief.

"Then that is probably the right move. Falgar is ancient and wise, Andy, moreso than I am by far. If anyone can find Fran, he can." Merlow said reassuringly. "He has had centuries of practice thwarting the Queen's schemes against your families and keeping them safe, hale and hearty."

"Mmm...that's what I keep telling myself," Andy agreed. He was very conscious that he didn't sound convinced.

"You were in dire straits five years ago, remember. With the future very uncertain and dark. But things have a way of working out, as you so proved. Quite magnificently, I might add and if anyone will survive, it will be Francesca. She comes from a very, very long line of successful survivors." Merlow said, squeezing Andy's shoulder firmly. "Now, let us talk about what we can expect in the way of dangers ahead and then you'll have a fine tale to regale her with when you reunite."

OOO

The path to Gearville hadn't been treated well in the last five years. It was overgrown to the point that tree roots had buckled the ground and the underbrush was thick and dense. Fran was even more thankful that Lyrius had insisted they bring unicorns. Not only did that mean she was suspended above the painful-looking thorns, but the unicorns passed through it like it was nothing, meaning they made good time.

Though they'd have made better time if Fran's unicorn didn't decide to stop and sample everything. She bit back as a sigh as her mount paused to sniff at some red flowers blooming out of a tree. "You guys had plenty of time to eat while we were Keelhaul Key. Work hours are not the time to make yourself a salad!"

The unicorn stopped in mid-bite, his ears folding back and looking for all the world like a sheepish teenager.

(You'll have to forgive Mistleaf.) Up ahead, Resonae didn't even have to look back at them to make her disapproval known. (He is so eager to prove himself that he does not realize he is proving only that he is still young and prone to distraction.)

Properly chastised, Mistleaf trotted to join the rest of the group, head lowered, still defiantly chewing on the leaves he'd snagged.

Fran bit her lip to keep from snickering. Her own teenage years were fresh in her mind and Mistleaf's sullen posture was unmistakable, a dramatic contrast to Resonae's high head and erect posture. She's definitely the herd matron. Lyrius had barely had time to finish Fran's new hair and make up before the Nightmare had banged on the door, declaring that Dracula had finally pinpointed a dragon, and that they should gear up and be "downstairs in five minutes, or I will make you live in a sewer with penguins!". Fran could not help but wonder how much TV she had been watching while they had recuperated at Dracula's castle.

The group crested a hill and there was Gearville jutting out of the beautiful landscape like a shard of rusting metal bone. Fran scowled at it. "Ugh, looking at this place still makes me think I need a tetanus shot."

"I think it is artistically pleasing, with the contrasting aesthetics of subtle nature and stark machinery." Lyrius offered. "Though beyond that, that contrast is troubling."

He pointed to Gearville and the expanse of flat, empty land surrounding it. "Arcadian flora grows aggressively, a by-product of the magic saturating the land. Being abandoned for five years, Gearville should be well overgrown. But there is not so much as a blade of grass near it."

Fran frowned as she realized he was right. "Do you think something's contaminated the ground? Like a leaking reactor or oil or something?"

(No.) Resonae was staring at the space, golden eyes narrowed. The other unicorns were shuffling on their hooves and looking like they'd rather not go any closer. (The woods themselves reject this place. Like a prey animal, they stay away from something that might devour them.)

"Smithy was a war monger in his homeworld. He claimed to have turned everything consumable there into fuel for his machines. When Gearville arrived here, we learned how true that really was. The surrounding forest, the ocean waters, the bedrock, even the air itself - all of it was something he could use for resources." Lyrius said, his face dark. "At least Iris had the sense to create a contingency before allowing Smithy into this world. Even then, it was a close call in keeping him contained."

Fran shivered at the realization. Out of all the things on the island, Smithy had had the best chance of killing them last time. Not much three teenagers could do against a giant robot. Even the Companions couldn't hurt him. And it had only been Merlow's intervention that saved their lives. "She was that desperate to stop us, she risked letting him loose?"

"Iris felt he was just as weak as she was and he cannot leave Gearville. But given how quickly machines can be built, adjusted and improved, I am sure both of those things were only temporary."

Fran gaped at him. "He wasn't cursed to be trapped on the island - if Smithy escaped and went weapons maker…" Images of everything from Halo MJOLINR Armor to MechWarrior BattleMechs to even lightsabers danced in her head, conflicts erupting across the globe as the balances of power shifted. "He'd never run out of people wanting his creations."

"Until he got bored and decided that it'd be more fun to fight all of humanity than watch your species kill itself." Dracula said as she stepped past them. "That's not to mention what he would do to all the Shadowkind species, either." She glanced over her shoulder, eyes fixed on Lyrius. "Do not take this as an insult to your feelings, my songbird, but your Queen was a fool."

"Pride makes fools of us all." Lyrius countered as he slid off Resonae. "You of all people should know that, Dracula."

The vampire rolled her eyes, but did not rise to the bait. Fran twisted to look over shoulder at the annoyed 'hmmph' that came from behind her. Resonae had shifted into her human form, and was directing her disapproving snort at the vampire, as she threw her saddlebags over one of the other unicorns and began pulling on the clothes they'd bought. "You're coming, too?"

"Yes. I do not like this place and feel there is much danger hidden within it." Resonae said firmly. "And I am the only one of this herd who has direct healing magic. As our trip to the Palace proved, it is often mere breaths between one's life and their death."

"...okay, next question," Fran raised her hand. "There's no humans around here for you to blend in with. Why do you need to be in that form?"

She couldn't help but feel that on the cusp of walking into what was probably going to be a fight, the unicorn was deliberately handicapping herself.

"I told you. Nature fears what may consume it. Unicorns are of nature, so being near that place is like putting myself into a dragon's jaws. At least in this form, my senses are blunted enough that I no longer feel the urge to fight to the death."

"No one is fighting to the death," Lyrius said firmly. "We are simply going to determine if Serenity is here, retrieve the card if she is not and move on."

"Master, I would be remiss if I did not point out that in the last year since we have been together, everywhere we have gone, we have been hunted, attacked, ambushed or assaulted by someone." Resonae said, folding her arms. "Even when relieving ourselves. Fools hope for the best, the wise prepare for the worst."

"Which is why, just like before, Dracula will go first."

The vampire gave him a look over her glasses. "...did you bring me along solely so I could be your immortal meat shield?"

"Of course not - I brought you along for your sparkling personality, and it would be tragic to lose it now."

"I'm detecting a lack of sincerity, songbird…" Her fingers slid over his cheek. "Though, I'm sure if I'm wounded, you'll be more than willing to help me heal with a bloody kiss…"

Then she was moving, striding towards Gearville and Fran shook her head. "I don't know what's more surprising to me - that she's not a flaming torch walking in the sun like that or she's done everything but put up a neon sign that says 'Do me!'"

"Woman needs a good hard seeing to," Mai nodded in agreement, but the smile didn't quite reach her eyes, and Fran stuck close to her side as they followed the vampire up the path.

Despite all their worries, their entrance to Gearville itself had little fanfare. Dracula and Resonae's inhuman strength meant they just yanked the gate itself off the hinges and tossed it aside. Filled with houses made of gears, chains that started somewhere and lead to nowhere and the quiet of a graveyard, the place felt even more alien than normal.

They passed several blocks in silence and only halted when Lyrius stopped dead in the middle of a four-way intersection. "Dracula. Which way?"

She stepped up beside him and pulled out the stone she'd used on the map not hours earlier. She held it in each direction in turn before pointed down the right path. "This one."

This process repeated itself twice more, one at a Y-shaped intersection and another at a T. Fran realized that the time she and Stan had been here, they hadn't bothered to explore any of it and now she was getting a chance to realize how big the place was. Or maybe it was the complete and utter emptiness that was magnifying its size. I'd call this place a ghost town, but even ghosts would die again of boredom here.

They entered a square of sorts, Fran pausing as the rest of the group made their way around the statue sitting in the center of it. The crowned robot, an Evil Santa Clause if there ever was one, was easily identifiable as Smithy and it didn't surprise her that the logic-driven robot had enough ego to put statues of himself up. Mouth open in an angry sneer and hefting a replica of his warhammer, she was half-expecting to step down off the plinth to attack her.

"What is the matter?" Resonae's voice sounded from behind her and Fran bit back the urge to jump - it seemed like everyone in the party had a habit of doing that.

"I'm not sure," The blonde admitted. "It's just that looking at this thing is giving me a bad feeling. Not like it's a danger...just…" She chewed the inside of her cheek, searching for the words. "Like I'm...less? For looking at it."

"I know the feeling. It has been with me since we entered here." Resonae said, eyeing the statue up and down. "This is a wicked place, Unicorn Maiden. This town devours nature to fuel war."

"Yeah." Fran said slowly, looking at the statue again. "Smithy was really proud of that last time. Really hyped up being a machine opposed to flesh-and-blood. Though I always was curious why he gave himself a crown - you'd think being a machine, they'd all recognize he was the superior model or whatever logically and not need an outward sign like that."

"If beings thought like that," Resonae said with a light smile. "Then I would have been crowned Queen of the World ages ago."

"Sure, girl, sure. You'd just be dripping in stallions serving you fruity drinks and fanning you with palm leaves." Fran rolled her eye.

"Why would I want to be fanned with palm leaves? They are food. They are delicious."

Fran ignored the comment, squinting up at the crown. It was like she remembered - stereotypical fantasy three pronged crown, fitted to his head and gleaming like ice in the blazing sun.

Like ice…

Resonae blinked at down at her as Fran seized her forearm with both hands in concern. "What is it? What is the matter?"

"Resonae." Fran said softly, suddenly very concerned that any loud noise might startle the secret she'd just figured out. "You guys told me a Reaping Tree looks like crystal, right? Almost see through?"

"Yes."

"I think I know why Arcadia's nature wouldn't touch this place. Last time, Smithy's crown. It was gold. A metal. Something he could forge." She pointed at the statue's crown. "So why does he have one made of crystal?"

Resonae followed her finger and then narrowed her eyes. Holding up a hand, a little wick of flame appeared on her extended forefinger. Jerking her hand like a gun, the wick of flame launched into the crystal crown. It struck and flared, hissing as it attacked the adornment.

Then it was sucked inside, the crystal glowing briefly with its stolen colors before settling back to clearness.

"Master!" Resonae hoisted Fran up by the scruff of her neck, leaping backwards to open up distance between them and the statue. "There is a Reaping Tree in this city!"

Her shadow erupted as Lyrius stepped out of it in the next instant, Fran seeing Mai and Dracula running back towards them out of the corner of her eye. "Where?"

"The crown!"

He stared at the crystal structure. Then his hand blurred to his side and in the next second, he was holding a pistol in that hand. The gun barked and unlike Resonae's imitation of it, when the bullet struck, a flurry of crystal shards flew from the crown as cracks spread everywhere across it. But with an eerily silent effort, the cracks sealed themselves and a mess bulged out to scab over the wound.

"Why do you have a gun!?" Fran demanded. "...why don't I have a gun?! I'm a squishy human!"

"Can you shoot one?"

"I'm American - I could shoot before I was potty trained!" Fran fixed her eye on the crown. "Okay. We know that thing is bad news. What now?"

"It healed it from my shot. That means it is either the entire tree grown in the statue or one of the roots shoved through it. Pieces of a tree don't heal themselves." Lyrius said. "The latter is the more logical conclusion - since there are more statues or the like around, that would explain why there's a 'dead zone' around the city. The tree sucked dry anything that encroaches."

"We'll know in a moment." Dracula said and took a step forward. In the space of that step, her being fell apart into a flock of bats. With little shrieks, they took to the sky and vanished over the rooftops in all directions. One of them remained on Lyrius' shoulder and then about a minute later, it spoke in the vampire's voice. "There are six more statues around this city. And more than twenty other things you are able to hide the Tree in." A pause. "Thirty things and climbing."

"Come back to us, then. We do not have time to search the city. We will have to follow the roots to the source." Lyrius shrugged off his backpack, passing it to Fran. Then he held up one finger to the bat. The bat, in a rather adorable fashion, nibbled on the offered fingertip until Fran saw red leak onto Lyrius' finger. With that, he jumped onto the statue itself and swung himself up to the head. The butt of his pistol cracked open the scabbed wound and then he shoved his finger into it, whispering to himself. Fran watched in mild amazement as the crystal darkened into a smoky red-black as his blood poured into it.

Lyrius leapt down as the flock of bats returned and became Dracula once more, the vampire licking her lips disturbingly. "I will not be able to track your blood for long. The tree will eat it as it travels to the trunk."

Indeed, the crystal crown was already slowly sucking the blood away and becoming translucent once more. Lyrius didn't seem bothered, rubbing thumb and forefinger together until his bitten finger healed. "It doesn't need to go that far. If my hunch is correct, we will also find the dragon card at the Reaping Tree. This is just more accurate."

Dracula nodded and her eyes began to scan the ground around the statue, half-lidded. Then she was sprinting down one of the streets and the rest of them chased after her. She sped up as they rounded a corner and Fran swore under her breath as she felt her legs begin to ache after several minutes and her lungs were following suit. Two months healing did not do wonders for my cardio!

A hand seized her waist and she yelped as Resonae slung her under one arm like a piece of luggage. Mai was in the same situation under the Nightmare's other arm and offered a helpless smile - this clearly wasn't her first time being carted around like this.

Fran was grateful for it - Dracula, Lyrius and Resonae were moving at inhuman speeds and their trip took them clear across Gearville. By the time Resonae set them down with only slightly more care than she'd picked them up with, they were in front of a warehouse. Dracula was standing in front of it.

"The blood trail has gone cold, but…" She held up the black stone she'd be using and it was glowing with heat. "This is about ready to burst into flames."

"I know this place-" Fran stepped up, ignoring the others as they looked at her. "This is where we beat Smithy last time. There's a forge under the warehouse."

"I can feel vibrations under our feet, Master." Resonae added, stamping her foot against the ground, her lips curling back in a snarl. "And the rotten feeling is stronger here."

Lyrius cautiously approached the open doors, peering into the warehouse. His head flicked downwards, and Fran followed his gaze to the exposed trapdoor in the center of the room. "Going down there blind is the Palace and Adder Man all over again. I will scout first, then report back."

"If they are down there, then I suggest we simply find a way to flood the room, lock it shut and destroy it all that way." Dracula said. "The dragon cards have divine essence - they will survive anything."

"If the Tree is down there, anything magical would be blunted and I did not think to bring any high-yield explosives." Lyrius pointed out. "Even with your money, harlot, they are remarkably difficult to get."

"What about grabbing a hammer and smashing things?" Fran suggested. "That's pretty effective if you just want to break something beyond all repair. Once did that to a nerd's iPhone to make him give up his money-laundering buddies."

"You saw what my bullet did. The Tree would just heal the damage." Lyrius shook his head, then his eyes widened and he threw himself away from the trapdoor. "Incoming!"

The trapdoor launched skywards as something red and sturdy burst through, flipping to land in a dramatic pose in front of the group. "We fight for evil!"

"We live for disorder!" Fran whirled as a black robot crashed to the ground behind her in its own pose, black sunglasses glinting in the light.

"We like what we do!" A green robot came charging out of an alleyway, skidding to a halt in front of Dracula.

"We struggle for chaos!" Mai was backing away as a pink robot leapt down off a nearby rooftop to crash down in front in a three-point landing that dented the ground.

"We are…" A yellow robot burst out of the ground near Resonae, hoisting his massive bulk free like it was nothing, one of his fists as big as her head.

"THE AXEM RANGERS!" The group chorused.

Somewhere in the distance of the night, a lone cricket chirruped.

"Red, they don't seem as impressed as they should be-"

"Shut up, Green!" Red jabbed a finger at the group. "They'll know our names and to fear us! We're the Smithy Elite!"

"Mmm, Smithy Elite what is the question…" Dracula said even as she backed up with others. "Morons? Idiots? Fools? Jellybeans?"

"If these guys are Elite, I don't think I want to see how low the bar for 'average' is." Fran agreed, sizing up her opponent.

"We are technological marvels! Like nothing your world has ever seen! And we'll crush you all!" Red snapped and twisted his hand, producing a double-side axe in his hand. The other Axems all did the same.

Fran felt the tension ratchet up a notch as the Axems all advanced on them in unison, swearing under her breath as she realized she didn't have a weapon of her own. Dracula would probably be just fine and Lyrius could break stone with his fists. But she and Mai were squishy.

The Axems all advanced again.

A rhythmic clanging noise broke the silence, followed by something sparking.

Everyone's head turned - Resonae was wailing on Axem Yellow, one arm sparking and jerking on the ground. Her blows were sending the robot stumbling and she caught his head in one hand, hoisting him up and slamming him repeatedly into a nearby wall.

"I am minus my fangs and hooves and glorious mane, but I have forgotten these fingers are just so useful for hitting things! I cannot wait to see what other pleasures they bring me!" Resonae smashed Yellow into the wall so hard sparks flew from his body. His hand wielding the axe rose to strike at her, but she caught it and ripped it free. "Oh yes, thank you!"

The axe sank into Yellow like a hot knife through butter, halting halfway in a shower of gears, sprockets and sparks.

"...Plan B, Rangers!" Red tossed his axe into the air and it transformed itself into a Duel Disk that landed squarely on his arm. "Take their energy to fuel Master Smithy's revival!"

"You are sorely mistaken if you think that woman is the only one capable of physically tearing you apart, machine." Dracula said in a low, eager tone. She started forwards, only for the ground to tremble and then thick, snake-like black sparks skittered across the ground around them. In the next instant, they all leapt up to expand in size and lash together into dome-like nets that trapped each member of the party with an Axem Ranger. "A parlor trick, is it?"

"It's a bit more than a trick. In fact, it's beyond anything your puny mortal brain can comprehend." A radioed voice echoed out from the surrounding buildings. "This is the fruit of our research into the magical and the technological."

"You've all heard of a Shadow Game? The kind of game that makes everything real? This is our version of such shenanigans!" There was a distinct note of pride in the second voice's words. "What is lethal to you all is not even a scratch to our Axem Rangers!"

"You have got to be kidding me!" Fran ground her palm into her forehead in exasperation. "Not these two stooges!"

"Cloaker and Domino." Lyrius wasn't as obvious with his frustration, but he said their names with a terseness usually reserved for overly friendly salespeople. "I would have thought Iris would have destroyed you both."

"Not so, good sir!" Cloaker's voice came back. "We were shuffled off to some stodgy corner of the Palace to do nothing but become glorified Roombas! Dusting an entire ballroom with a feather duster! Even for a machine, that's a tedious hell!"

"At least you had a job - I had to stand in the corner with that gauche lampshade on! Didn't even go with the room, let alone my palette! I don't even have any lights!"

"Ah - and there was the time-"

"Yes, yes, you were lost and neglected and forgotten, and after the Tournament you spent the last five years scouring the Palace and trying to find a way to revive your master yet again like the lickspittles you are." Lyrius cut them off with a dismissive wave of his hand. "And these traps require us to either duel the Axem Ranger in front of us or die. How novel you are."

"You know the old saying, chum," Cloaker rattled back, a digital edge of annoyance creeping into his voice. "If it isn't broke, don't fix it-"

"And to make an omelette, you have to break a few eggs! Namely, your fleshy bodies so we can get at the yolky souls inside!" Domino finished with some supreme satisfaction. "Axem Rangers, crush them!"

Machine, mortal and those born of darkness all raised their arms and eight Duel Disks all activated in unison.

Resonae continued to peel Axem Yellow apart like a piece of fruit.

TTTTTTT

Down below the feet of the duelists, there was indeed a Reaping Tree. With a trunk that was tens of feet wide, the crystalline plant almost filled the large vat it was in. Indeed, its roots had sunk into the otherworldly metal and spread like glassy cracks all along the bottom. The branches were massive, but few. They stemmed outwards from dozens of points, but careful effort on the part of Cloaker and Domino had twisted them together like one might do to wires and so they dug into the ceiling of the forge and rivered their way throughout the metropolis of gears, gizmos and gadgets until they fountained upwards amidst the statues that bore Smithy's visage.

The vat had a shallow amount of liquid in it, a thick, glossy substance that looked like Jello but flowed like water. The Reaping Tree was riddled with oblong fruit that wobbled and rippled at the slightest touch, the jolts and clattering of machinery occasionally causing one or two or three to fall into the pool below. They split open on impact, adding to the mass already there and even their skins and stems being gobbled up.

As the duels began, the forge staggered to life. Years of idleness meant even Smithy's bizarre metals rusted and it was sticky gears and stiff chains and groaning rivets that echoed about the cavernous expanse. And yet, even in this half-asleep state, the multitude knew their roles and routines to perfection. Heat flared against tanks and tubs, causing solid metals to boil and churn and drip their way into chutes that bent and angled until their spouts were angled into the vat that contained the Reaping Tree.

The metal flowed into the Tree's vat, hissing as it floated across the surface of the fruit muck already there. Steam began to curl upwards as the waterline rose and the superheated metal began to lap at the edges of the Tree itself. The crystal began glossy and smooth as the heat melted it into mirror smoothness, though it did not corrode or melt away. Not even when several powerful arms descended and began to stir metal and fluid together. In fact, the Tree seemed to be enjoying the molten bath as the wisps of steam began to curl their way into its trunk and branches and the metal mixture lost its unnatural glows as it thickened into crystal clear syrup.

More flowers budded, flowered and became fruit upon the Reaping Tree, only to swell and snap off to fall into the mixture below as more metals were fed into it. The waterline rose, impossibly clear and unnaturally clean. A sheen flared over the surface, refracted the Tree's crystalline structure, hungry and demanding.

Near the vat, a large forge door clanged open to expose a grill underneath. The flames in the forge flared steadily. Rhythmically. Powerfully. As if their very existence was the underpinnings of the forge's motions and movements.

As if they were a heartbeat.

TTTTTT

"I really do not enjoy dueling robots. There's such a lack of any engaging banter." Dracula said, drawing her opening hand. "Or terror."

"You are the one among your group with the greatest magical power. Our sensors indicated as such." Axem Green said. "That is why you are my opponent. You will become the greatest fuel for our Master's rebirth."

"Four hundred and twelve."

Green paused, his eyes flashing in confusion. "What?"

"I have heard some variation of that phrase four hundred and twelve times." Dracula said. "Seems like everyone wants a piece of me at some point to revive the 'real master of the vampire race' or their dead god or some primordial lich or their dead puppy. Like I said, just no engaging banter."

She drew for her turn, eyeing the cage that surrounded them. "This little parlor trick is rather amusing, you know. It's not often anyone can get magic and technology to blend right. It's almost worth calling it impressive."

"This cage will prevent you from fleeing. And you are only talking to delay the duel. It is a common tactic for mortals who are fearful." Green said flatly.

"Afraid? Oh no, Dracula is not afraid at all, little machine. But you - you will be." Dracula snapped her fingers and the cage around them dwindled as shadows crawled up from the ground to swirl and surround them in a pulsating black-and-purple dome.

"What is this? What have you done?" Green demanded, glancing back and forth. "This is not in our calculations!"

"I am beyond such things. I am Dracula. And I have brought us here so that you may well indeed embrace the fullness of my power." The gloom seemed to have swallowed up Dracula. Or perhaps, she had woven it into herself. Her form was indistinct, definitive edges slipping and sliding away between blinks even though Axem Green did not need to blink. Only her ruby eyes shone out of the dark, blood-red lips peeled back in a fanged smile and her cards, held in pale, slender fingers. "Let us begin." (DLP: 8000) (AGLP: 8000)

A spell card appeared in front of her. "I activate Magical Mallet, shuffling this card and my entire hand back into my deck, then drawing the same number of cards." The card flowed back into her deck as did all the cards in her hand. Then she swept empty fingers through the darkness around them and suddenly, there were six new cards in her grip. "Much better."

A second spell card appeared in front of her. "Hand Collapse. Now we both send two cards from our hands to the graveyard and draw two more. Though, they are sent and not discarded, so don't expect any clever effects to go off."

"I have been programmed with all pertinent duel knowledge, including the distinction between 'discarding' and 'sending'." Axem Green said as he shoved two cards into his discard slot and picked up two more.

"You see? So boring." Dracula held up a third spell card. "Reinforcement of the Army allows me to move one warrior monster to my hand from my deck. And I am going to summon it."

Her monster was not anything more than a floating purple machine that had a single blaster attachment on it. "This is my Balance Blaster." (0/0)

A sword, spectral and leaking ectoplasm, appeared in front of the monster. "I am equipping Balance Blaster with Sacred Sword Thanatos. And then I am going to banish a spell from my graveyard to special summon Spell Striker." The new monster was a kiddy, toy-like figure with tin-pot helm and wielding an oversized toy hammer. (600/200)

In a soft flash of light, a card appeared behind her monsters. "I set this face-down. My turn is over."

"I draw." Axem Green pulled the card from his disk.

"And now you die. I activate my set card - Nightmare Archfiends." Spell Striker vanished and three, lanky red demons with green hair appeared in front of Axem Green. "I tribute one monster I have and summon three Nightmare Archfiend Tokens to your field." (2000/2000x3)

"I do not understand. Why would you give me monsters?" Axem Green watched as the tokens all suddenly clutched their throats and collapsed to the ground, exploding. "What is happening?"

"When a token is summoned, my Sacred Sword Thanatos automatically destroys them and gives their attack points to the equipped monsters." Dracula's grin shone tauntingly in the darkness. "Except Balance Blaster says that when any monster I have has its attack score altered, you take damage equal to that amount instead. Do the math for me, calculator."

"That was three tokens at two thousand attack points, so it is six thousand damage." Axem Green didn't even grunt as Balance Blaster opened fire with a beam that sent him sliding back a foot or two. "I will survive that damage." (AGLP:8000-2000)

"Nightmare Archfiend Tokens, when destroyed, deal you eight hundred more damage." Dracula watched as the tokens clawed their way out of the ground, slashing harmlessly at the machine. "So our duel is over."

"I see. But I have fulfilled my function. This duel, however brief, has generated energy for Master Smithy. You have won nothing." Axem Green said, pausing as he realized the darkness around them wasn't fading. Neither were the Nightmare Archfiend tokens. "What is going on? The duel is over." (AGLP: 0)

"If you could call it that. So very boring. And Dracula is an old soul, Axem Ranger. Boredom brings forth nostalgic feelings of interesting times long past." Dracula's eyes grew malevolent, her smile cruel. "And for Dracula, few things are more nostalgic than hearing fresh, unheard screams."

"I am a machine. I do not feel pain, I do not scream. Your desires are pointless. There is nothing you can gain." The Axem Ranger said flatly, only to find the Nightmare Archfiend tokens were on him, climbing, clawing. Tiny claws making tiny dents in metal, tiny fangs seeking any protrusion or angle to gain leverage and tear at. A barbed tail jabbed at an eyepiece. "What is this? What is this? I do not understand."

"No, you do not. And that is a good thing. That means you can learn about yourself." Dracula purred and Axem Green did something he was not programmed to do or even be aware of.

He shuddered. His body trembled and he took a step back but there was nowhere to go. Dracula's presence was far, far beyond those ruby eyes and fanged smile and beckoning claws. It was in the dark, everywhere. Everywhere in the dark...because she was the darkness.

And as the tokens began to rent metal casing, twist robot joints until gears snapped and pulled at wires until they snapped, Axem Green learned how to scream.

TTTTTT

Dueling was as natural to Mai as breathing. From the minute she'd picked up the game on the cruise ships, as another means of taking rich old men down a peg or two, she realised she'd found her element. Even dueling robots didn't throw her - she'd pretty much done everything, especially in the last decade under Chance's command.

But this wasn't just a duel. The magic that crept over the field was familiar, like cold fingers ghosting over the back of her neck. Suddenly she wasn't in the warehouse any longer, or even on Arcadia. She was trapped in that hourglass, a thousand flesh-eating scarabs crawling over her arms, up her neck and into her hair.

Stop it. It's not a Shadow Game. It's just a cheap trick to frighten us…

The words were feeble in her mind as the scarabs continued their scramble over her skin.

"I'll start this duel off, human." Axem Pink's digitized voice was full of confidence as she drew her opening cards. "With a hand like this, Master Smithy's glorious revival is assured! I activate the continuous spell card Future Fusion!"

The card flashed into existence in front of her. "What it does will come into play later, so to complete my turn, I set one monster face-down." A second, horizontal brown-backed card flashed into play in front of her. "Your move, meatbag."

She wanted to move. It's just another duel. It's not a Shadow Game. But it was still magic, and that was enough to unnerve her. Her mind screamed at the unnaturalness of everything around her, and this time she had no drink or drugs to numb the fear. She could not remember the last time she had dueled sober, and the realisation frightened her more than the memories. I can't do this. I need Glory...I need something

"You going to do something other than stare, human?" Pink demanded after a few moments of inactivity. "Or are you going to make things easy for us and let us toss you in the vat, mushy bits and all?"

She couldn't do it. She felt paralyzed. She was going to lose to magic again. Just like Battle City. Just like the Orichalcos. She was going to go back into that hourglass, and this time there was no Joey, no Yugi, nobody who loved her enough to save her-

A horrible wail of electronics echoed around them, and Mai felt the hairs on her arms stand on end. It sounded like a scream, but definitely not the kind a human would make. It was the noise a soul made as it learned the true meaning of suffering.

I need to do this...if she played, she might lose. But if she just stood there she would definitely lose.

Trembling, she drew and tried to focus. No harpies in her hand yet, but they were there, waiting in her deck to come to her aid. Please don't let me go back to that place… "D-Draw!"

The card wasn't anything special, but years of instinct made it fall into place with what she already had in her hand. One of her cards glowed, a person-sized image of its picture appearing above her. "I reveal the Amazoness Queen in my hand to special summon Amazoness Spy in defense mode!" A dark-skinned woman leapt out of the darkness, wrapped in a concealing cloak and brandishing a curved blade. (800/1200)

"Then I sacrifice her for Amazoness Queen!" Mai's new monster was taller than she was, muscular body shown off in its glory thanks to her tiger-themed clothing and wielding a blade as large as she was tall. "Next, I equip her with Harpie's Rosewhip Wings! This makes my monster a Harpie and a Wind monster!"

Queen sheathed her sword, a crack filling the air as she pulled a thorned whip out of the ether. Blue-feathered wings snapped out from her back and she cracked her new weapon again, growling in approval. "Now Queen! Attack that set monster! Rosewhip Crush!"

Queen took flight and snapped her arm, the whip smashing the set monster into two neat pieces. The pieces shattered, briefly revealing a googly-eyed cartoon tank. Axem Pink reached for her deck. "You just destroyed Tankroid, so now I can draw one card."

"And I get to activate the effect of my Rosewhip Wings! When the equipped monster wins a fight, I summon another Harpie from the deck! Come out, Harpie Perfumer!" In a flurry of green feathers, her new monster descended. A woman dressed in a revealing leotard, her pink hair streamed behind her and colorful wafts of scent circled her. "And when I summon this monster with a high-level Harpie in play, I can add two Harpie spell and traps to my hand!" (1400/1300)

Perfumer wove her hands through the air, generating a shimmering kaleidoscope of scents that Mai reached into and pulled out two Duel Monsters cards. "And since it's still the battle phase - Scratch Crusher!"

Axem Pink didn't even twitch as Perfumer soared across the field and raked both sets of clawed feet over her. "Idiot meatbag, that doesn't even hurt my paintjob!" (APLP:8000-6600)

"Your life points say otherwise." Mai held up one of the cards she had searched earlier, Perfumer glowing and splitting off into a second monster. Dressed equally revealing clothing, her wings were also green while her hair was orange. Though her talons were much larger. "Elegant Egotist summons Harpie Lady #1 from the deck and her ability gives all my monsters three hundred more points!" (1700) (1300-1600) (2400-2700)

Feathers rained over Mai's field. "Wing Requittal - I pay six hundred life points and then during the next standby phase, I draw one card for each Winged-Beast I have. And thanks to my equip spell, I have three." (MLP:8000-7400)

"Boring! Stop playing cards and let me win already! It's not like you have a chance." Pink mocked as her Duel Disk beeped to indicate the start of her turn. "You're the weakest of your group, so just roll over and die!"

The robot drew and then Mai did as well. At the same time, Future Fusion lit up. "The effect of my spell card activates. I reveal one fusion monster in my Extra Deck and then send its components to my graveyard!" A purple bordered card flashed in front of her briefly. "I reveal Barbaroid the Ultimate Battle Machine and its materials are any five 'roid' monsters I want! So Stealthroid, Turboroid, Strikeroid, Expressroid and Heliroid are sent to the graveyard!"

She slid the named cards into her graveyard and then her set card lifted. It spat out a thick cloud of purple smoke, which cleared to reveal a cartoonish train giving Mai a google-eyed death glare. "Call of the Haunted revives Expressroid and he gets to drop off two more roids from the graveyard to my hand!" (400/1600)

Two cards fell out of her graveyard and she held them up to reveal Tankroid and Heliroid along with a spell card. "Vehicroid Connection Zone fuses my two war machines into an even better war machine! Fusion Summon Apacheroid!" A helicopter patterned in desert camo and bristling with weapons whirred up out of the darkness behind her, its eyes angry and spoiling for a fight. (2100/2200)

Before Mai could comment on the monster, jet engines roared as three of them - a stealth bomber, a fighter jet and a bomber - all zoomed up into the air around Axem Pink. "And then to complete my devastating strategy, I banish Strikeroid, Turboroid and Stealthroid from the graveyard to fusion summon Solidroid Beta!"

The three planes all began to fold and break apart, reshaping themselves into a cartoonish humanoid figure with wing arms and looking like it was ready to take off again just by running really fast. "Beta's effect activates! Your Queen is dethroned!" (2500/1900)

Mai braced herself as the jet fusion unleashed a volley of missiles that crashed into Amazoness Queen and swallowed her up in a fireball. Only burnt feathers remained to drift weakly to the ground. Oh no!

"Apacheroid attacks Harpie Lady #1!" The attack choppers chainguns opened up, perforating the Harpie Lady and spraying blood everywhere before she, too, exploded. "And when a 'roid' monster deals you damage, Apacheroid gets a follow-up strike that nukes a card on your field! So Perfumer is dead, too!" (MLP:7400-6900)

Perfumer screamed as the guns turned on her, delicate skin becoming married with bullet holes and stains of red. She crumbled in on herself, dropping to the ground and wailing before she erupted into pixels as well. Axem Pink's voice took on tones of approval. "Let's see how much of a morsel you'll be for Master Smithy! Solidroid Beta attacks directly!"

The attack was missiles that exploded right in Mai's face, a shockwave throwing her off her feet as searing heat licked at her hair and her face, shrapnel pelting weary limbs and tattering clothing. (MLP:6900-4400)

"See, I told you you were the weakest of your group. I should have just cut off that stupid fleshy head with my axe instead of dueling you." Axem Pink said, the digital edge to her voice making her disappoint all the more cold. "Since you're already down, count yourself out and surrender. I promise it won't hurt."

Mai barely heard her, her ears still ringing from the attack. She wiped my field out in one move. She could not remember the last time she had struggled so much. This was a mistake. I'm going to lose.

She looked at her deck. It would be so easy to just put her hand over it and admit defeat. Accept that she was fated to go back into the hourglass. Instead she shook the attack from her ears and straightened up. I'm committed now...might as well follow my stupid mistake all the way to the end…

"You done?" her voice sounded far away, like there was still some ringing in her ears.

"Yes, in case it wasn't obvious, meatbag."

"Draw." Mai picked up the card and immediately pushed it into her graveyard. "I discard Harpie Queen to add Harpie's Hunting Ground to my hand and then I'll activate it!" A ring of light spread from her feet, transforming the cold metal Gearville into a barren, craggy-looking wasteland. "I activate Harpie Cardinal Formation! I banish Queen and Perfumer from my graveyard and then add two different Harpies from my deck to my hand!"

She slapped one down and a smooth, tribal beat began to sound. "Descend, Harpie Dancer!" Like her flockmates, this Harpie bore talons and claws. But her feathers were snowy white and she moved with a languid grace as she began to move in time with the music. (1200/1000)

Axem Pink just watched silently - at least until a flurry of feathers pierced her Future Fusion card and it exploded. "What did you just do to my card?!"

"When I summon a Harpie in the hunting ground, I can destroy one spell or trap on the field. Then, I activate Dancer's ability - I return her to my hand and summon a different Harpie!" Dancer bowed, her performance finished and then vanished in a flurry of feathers. Another unearthly song began to ring out, performed by a Harpie colored in greens and silvers, her eyes closed as she sang. "Harpie Spell Singer in defense mode." (1300/1400)

"You humans make some dumb decisions." Axem Pink declared even feather's pierced into the hunting ground like it was cheap tofu. It promptly exploded, returning them to Gearville. "You just blew up your own card!"

"Which triggers Spell Singer's effect - when a card is destroyed by a 'Harpie' card, I can add a Harpie Formation from my deck to my hand!" Mai caught the card her deck spat out and held it up. Spell Singer took flight, flaming white energy coruscating around her briefly into the shape of a swan. "I activate Harpie Swan Formation! I summon my Harpie's mightiest pet straight from my deck!"

Spell Singer, still aflame, flew up and then dove back down, apparently exploding against the ground. When the light cleared, Spell Singer was still there - and had been joined by a massive dragon with leathery wings attached to its arms, a long neck ending a snarling maw and a chain wrapped around the Harpie's wrist. "Harpie's Pet Dragon! And he powers up for every Harpie on my field!" (2000-2300/2500-2800)

Axem Pink stared at her. "If I was programmed to laugh, I'd do it! You went through all that just to summon that sad excuse of a monster! You really are dumb!"

"You're one who didn't read my card's effect." Mai held up Swan Formation. "Not only does it summon the Pet Dragon, but it gains five hundred extra attack for each Harpie when I do summon it and then it can attack again for each Harpie!" Harpie's Pet Dragon growled, flames leaking from its mouth. (2300-2800)

Mai pointed across the field. "Speaking of dumb decisions, you left your weak Expressroid in attack mode! Harpie's Pet Dragon! Attack Expressroid and Apacheroid! Fearsome Fire Blast!" The dragon obeyed, whipping his head and launching twin fireballs at the two monsters. Expressoid panicked, its train wheels sparking on the ground as it tried to get traction and was instead incinerated by the flames. Apacheroid took skywards, trying to dodge but instead exploded violently as the attack hit and left debris raining down across Axem Pink's field. (APLP:6600-5900-3400)

"Then I set one card face-down." Mai shoved it into her Duel Disk with aching fingers. "I end my turn."

"Draw." Axem Pink ripped the card free from her deck. "You can build yourself up all you want - I'll just smash it all down! I summon Launcheroid!" A red missile carrying truck rumbled up onto her field. (500/1500)

Solidroid Beta eyed the truck and then the truck jumped into the air, transforming itself until it became a backpack and the trailer angled over Beta's back like a missile launcher. "Now I equip Beta with Launcheroid, raising his attack by five hundred and then letting him attack directly!" (2500-3000)

Mai's eyes widened as robot knelt and took aim. "Directly!?"

"Fire!" A single large missile shot across the field and caught Mai dead on, exploding hard enough that her two monsters were left shielding themselves while Mai herself was thrown to the ground for the second time. "And this time, stay there!" (MLP:4400-1400)

Mai didn't respond, just forced her tired body to her feet. "My turn! Draw!" She shoved the card into her disk, it resolved into a continuous spell card that depicted the Amazons and the Harpies battling Venonminaga in a thick, acrid jungle. "I activate Jungle Warfare! This card lets me swap out a Harpie or an Amazon for a monster from the other tribe! I replace Spell Singer with Amazoness Fighter!"

The Harpie winked out, replaced by a burly woman in leopard-patterned clothing and with fists that could have doubled as hammers. "Amazoness Fighter attacks Beta!" (1300/1300)

"That's dumb. You're dumb!" Pink mocked as Mai's monster charged for hers. "You can just surrender, you don't have to go out in a 'blaze of stupidity', you know!"

"Reveal trap card - Amazoness Onslaught! This card means any monster that my Amazons fight is banished at the end of that battle and thanks to Fighter's effect, I take no damage!" Fighter's fists pierced through Solidroid Beta's armor like tissue paper. Only for the machine fusion to glow and then explode, taking them both with it.

"You did what?" Pink demanded, but then got a faceful of flames as Harpie's Pet Dragon lumbered forwards and opened its mouth. "This doesn't hurt at all, you dumb human!" (APLP:3400-900)

"Let's see if losing will - I activate the other effect of Jungle Warfare! During the turn one of my monsters dies, I can add another monster from that tribe to my hand." Mai held up a new monster card. "And this monster is an Amazon, so Amazoness Onslaught means I can summon it during the battle phase! Come out, Amazoness Pet Tiger!"

A roar echoed as the giant tiger leapt out of the ether, covered in scars and missing one eye. It growled hungrily as it eyed up Axem Pink. "This monster gains four hundred attack for each Amazoness in play, but even without that bonus, it's more than enough for you! Direct attack!" (1100-1500/900)

Axem Pink went skidding backwards as the tiger lunged, claws raking across her torso. "You dumb human! You didn't win anything!" (APLP: 0)

Her Duel Disk reverted back into an axe and she brandished it with menace. "I'll still have your head and your soul for Master Smithy's revival!"

She charged, moving faster than any human and then Mai was seeing sky flash past her vision, the blow having sent her flying across the ground. Pain radiated out from her chest and it was suddenly hard to breathe. She could feel the vibrations in the metal beneath her as Axem Pink stampeded for her. It took everything she had to get to a sitting up position - and the robot was almost on her -

There was a pointed 'schiwng!' sound and Axem Pink froze. A second later, the lights in her eyes went out and her head - along with her axe's - toppled off their mounts. Her body followed after like a puppet with cut strings.

Mai stared, then felt a strong arm seize her waist and pick her up, a pondering huff of air ruffling her hair. "For beings from another dimension, they make some very terrible weapons."

The blonde duelist looked up at Resonae, then at the axe the Nightmare had stolen off of Axem Yellow. It was chipped, dented, cracked and looking like one good swing away from flying to pieces. She could still feel her heart thudding away in her chest. I'm okay. I won. I didn't go back to the hourglass…

It didn't seem real. She had been so sure that she was doomed…

"...blonde human, have I struck you dumb with my magnificence?" Resonae asked, dropping her neatly on the floor. "Or has your victory stolen the breath from you?"

Mai was shaking as she tried to breathe, looking back at the decapitated form of Axem Pink. "...Resonae, pinch me?"

"I beg your pardon?" the Nightmare blinked her golden eyes at her slowly.

"Just do it - I'm worried this isn't real."

She could tell Resonae didn't really understand, but she shrugged regardless. The next second Mai felt herself thud to the ground again, pain throbbing in her upper arm. "I said pinch!"

"Oh apologies - I thought you said punch. These human hands really are capable of so many things..."

OOO

A/N: According to the writer wife, I'm supposed to do an author's note here.

I note that we are terribly talented at writing stories.

There, now it is official.

Husband, I need more zeal than that!

Umm...there, now it is official! Hoorah?

...we'll work on it. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and thank you in advance for your reviews - they get us out of bed on cold November mornings.

Not that I don't have one good reason to stay in bed...

CREATED CARDS:

Mai:

Harpie's Rosewhip Wings
Equip Spell Card
Effect:The equipped monster is treated as a 'Harpie's', WIND, Winged-Beast monster. When the equipped monster destroys a monster as a result of battle, you can Special Summon one 'Harpie' monster from your deck.

Harpie Spell Singer
WIND
4 stars
Winged-Beast/Effect
1300/1400
Effect: This card is treated as 'Harpie Lady' while face-up on the field or in the graveyard. Once per turn, if a card on the field is destroyed by the effect of a 'Harpie's card, you can add one 'Formation' Spell/Trap card from your Deck or Graveyard to your Hand.

Harpie Swan Formation
Normal Spell Card
Effect: Special Summon one 'Harpie's Pet Dragon' from your Hand, Deck or Graveyard. The monster summoned by this effect gains 500 ATK for each face-up 'Harpie Lady you control and gains an additional attack for each 'Harpie Lady' on the field. You can only attack with 'Harpie's Pet Dragon' during the turn you activate this card. You can only activate one 'Harpie Swan Formation' per turn.

Harpie Cardinal Formation
Normal Spell Card
Effect: Banish two 'Harpie' monsters from your graveyard, then add two 'Harpie' monsters with different original names than each other or the monsters banished. You can only activate one 'Harpie Cardinal Formation' per turn.

Jungle Warfare
Continuous Spell Card
Effect: Once per turn, you can activate one of the following effects:
-Tribute one 'Harpie' monster you control, Special Summon one 'Amazoness' monster from your Deck or Graveyard.
-Tribute one 'Amazoness' monster you control, Special Summon one 'Harpie' monster from your Deck or Graveyard.
If a 'Harpie' or 'Amazoness' monster is destroyed by your opponent's card, you can add one 'Harpie' or 'Amazoness' card from your Deck to your Hand. You can only use this effect once per turn.

Axem Pink

Apacheroid
WIND
6 stars
Machine/Fusion/Effect
2100/2200
Effect: Tankroid + Heliroid. Once per turn, when a 'roid' monster inflicts damage to your opponent, you can destroy one card on the field.