With some conspiracy theories, timing is everything. A conspiracy theory may not have happened if the event that spawned it had happened at a different time. Take the case of the disappearance of aviator Amelia Earhart.
She and her partner Fred Noonan vanished while attempting to circumnavigate the globe in an aircraft, not to be the first, but if successful, this would have been the longest trip ever made this way. The only clue to their disappearance was their final radio signal, made upon their approach to Howland Island, which suggested they had miscalculated their position.
Now, the most logical explanation would be that her plane had run out of fuel or had engine trouble, causing it to crash in the middle of the ocean. The currents would have carried their bodies and the wreckage of the plane hundreds of miles away by the time search teams had gotten to the spot, making recovery efforts nearly impossible.
So why did timing cause conspiracy theories? The Pacific War.
Some people couldn't shake the theory that this was not an accident, and that Earhart and Noonan were actually spies who were working for the United States government on an espionage mission to spy on the Japanese. These people claim that they were shot down, and possibly executed by the Japanese or died as POWs. They also claim that the United States did nothing to rescue them in order to maintain plausible deniability.
This theory may have been fed primarily by Flight for Freedom, a 1943 moviewith a similar plot. (The pilot in the movie was not Earhart, but she seemed to have been based on her.) For a long time after World War II, a place in Tinian, about five miles northwest of Saipan, was rumored to be the unmarked graves of the two aviators; in 2004, however, government funded archaeologists dug up the site, and found no trace of human remains at all.
My opinion? Amelia Earhart's body will likely never be found… But in all likelihood, the myths of foul play surrounding her death are just that. Myths.
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CHAPTER TWO
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We Didn't Start the Fire
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It may have been warm for October in Memphis… But in Roswell, New Mexico, it was eighty-five degrees. Of course, it was a relief from the much hotter temperature of the earlier summer months.
Locals here and in Arizona liked to say "it was a dry heat"; visitors tended to think that was a joke thought up by the residents to make people think that the lack of humidity made the unbearable summer heat pleasant.
In any case, hot noontime temperatures in cities like Roswell tended to make places with air conditioning – like the Roswell Museum and Art Center – big draws at that time of day. Today was no exception.
As the noon crowd came in, a man who looked about sixty, with a short beard and neatly trimmed, long hair, along with khaki outdoorsman clothing, walked in. A young woman who looked like she might have been his daughter was next to him, wearing a sweatshirt and shorts, with her blonde hair tied in pigtails.
This was, in fact, none other than veteran Shadowchaser Edgar McDonald; the young woman was Maddie Fulson, formerly his sixth successful apprentice, and now his partner. As for why the two were in Roswell, well… It had been a false alarm…
"The guys in charge really should start taking refresher courses in basic Shadow identification…" he muttered.
"Yeah, so should you," said Maddie, with a smirk, "especially after you melted that statue up in Salt Lake City last week…"
"Point taken…" he sighed.
He looked at his Duel Disk.
"I hope this new upgrade that the boss promised is finished soon," he said. "He's okay, but the other bigwigs at Headquarters drive me crazy."
"Have you ever considered quitting field work and applying for one of the positions there?" asked Maddie. "I mean, I haven't met a single member who knows you who wouldn't give a recommendation."
"True, but then I'd have to work with them," he said, "and like I said, they drive me crazy."
He glanced at his watch.
"Ah, well, we have some free time… At least we can take a breather here… Art tends to be expensive, but at least looking at it is cheap. And relaxing."
Maddie looked around, and saw a large, heavy-set man with a handlebar mustache in an expensive suit – the curator, she assumed – talking to a woman in an office suit.
"Yeah…" she replied. "A museum is a safe place… Cold, beautiful, and you aren't allowed to touch anything…Where did I hear that?"
She looked at the current display. It seemed like the general theme of museum now was "fantastic art", a relatively new branch of surrealism. A painting by Salvador Dali, the master himself, dominated the central area, and several paintings by other artists were around it…
A creepy painting of a tree at night was in one corner (the title was The Goblin Tree, and the artist was Anne Sudworth), next to it was a picture of a scantily clad and erotic female alien (Space Angel, no signature), and to the opposite side, a painting of a stern-faced young woman with a low-cut, silver uniform at the console of a spaceship (Commander, by Boris Vallejo)…
Maddie looked around. There sure were a lot of Shadows here today. She had no idea there were so many in this city. A lilend was writing things down on an iPad, looking back and forth from one painting to another as she did, a raegir was speaking on a mobile as he did so. (Makes sense, thought Maddie.)
Then she entered, and everyone in the museum turned to take notice. Even the Mundane humans couldn't help but look at the tall woman with a near-perfect figure, long, flowing hair, and rather… exotic clothing. (A white top with a dangerously plunging neckline and petticoat with a scarlet sarong and ribbon holding back her hair, bangles on her wrists and ankles, hoop earrings, and most remarkably, no shoes.)
Of course, as remarkable as she looked to the Mundane humans, Maddie could see beyond that. What most could see as plain Caucasian skin was actually almost bronze (not bronze as in richly tanned, bronze to the point of being almost metallic if you looked at her in the right light), raven hair was actually the color of fire, and piercing, green eyes were actually like pools of liquid fire that were actually more piercing.
There was a loud cough. Maddie turned, and saw that it came from the heavy-set man in the suit.
"Excuse me…" he muttered to the woman he had been talking to, and turned away.
Maddie turned back, and the odd woman was gone.
Eh? she thought.
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Again, in Great Britain, but in a much more business-oriented place, another man in a suit – but much thinner – walked into a place full of high-tech equipment, where a woman in a white lab suit was working writing on a clipboard near a high-tech monitor.
"Oh, uh, Jabels!" she said, suddenly, turning to greet him. "I was just going to…"
"…call me?" he said, in his usual stuffy tone. "I've left numerous messages, you realize…"
"Yes, well…" she said. "Fortunately, it's ready for testing… Gary!"
One of the other men on the other side of the room fumbled with something at a table.
"And only three days past deadline…" muttered Jabels, as the aide brought the item – the style of Duel Disk used by the Shadowchasers – to them.
"Oh, but it's worth waiting for," she said. "With the technology that you provided, and I have no idea where it came from…"
"An old, ahem, friend of the organization who we hope will be making more contributions soon," replied Jabels. "But Ms. Phelps…"
"Right, right…" she said, picking it up.
She opened the Extra Deck chamber of the Disk, and Jalal's card slipped out.
"Right now, our new communications grid is up, and simply by having this card in any Duel Disk, an authorized user will have access to that grid. In simple terms, it will mean that any Shadowchaser will be able to contact any other Shadowchaser, anytime, anywhere, so long as each has a Duel Disk.
"With this system in use, disasters like what almost happened with that giant robot in Antarctica can be stopped before they start. It's like… Big Brother, but not evil!"
"Okay, just watch it there…" said Jabels. "Not the best comparison…"
He picked up the Disk.
"Still… It has possibilities… I'll be meeting with him in a couple of days to give him something… I'll have to thank him then…"
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"Mom, isn't it a little early to start making plans for that?" asked Maddie into her mobile phone. "It's a month and a half away? YES I'll be there! Where else would I be? Oh, come on, you talk like that happens all the time…"
Then she shrieked as the cold silence of the museum was interrupted by an alarm. She turned, and saw that the strange woman – the gypsy or whatever – had leapt over the felt rope in front of a set of paintings on the wall to the right of the Salvador and grabbed one of them off the wall.
"Mom?" she shouted. "I'll call you back…"
"HEY!" shouted Edgar towards the woman.
The strange woman's eyes glowed brighter, and she pointed, quickly muttering something in a language that they both recognized as Ignan, a language used by Fire Elementals. And the results were to be expected… A stream of flames shot at Edgar. He quickly grabbed hold of Maddie with his left arm, then shielded himself with his right, and the fire was absorbed into a steel armband he was carrying.
The strange woman turned the other way, darting down the hallway, towards the fire escape.
"Stop her!" screamed the portly curator.
"Ugh, I did not want to deal with a nasty fire sorceress today…" groaned Edgar, as he and Maddie nonetheless ran after her.
"She's a fire genasi, right?" asked Maddie. "Why on earth would she steal that painting with a priceless Salvador Dali not ten feet away?"
"No idea," answered Edgar.
He kicked the door open, and saw the woman running down the street with the painting under her arm.
"Of course… Art appraisal isn't my specialty, but I would think that you'd have to be a pretty dumb art thief to try lifting something from a museum in broad daylight without a car or something parked outside…"
Of course, as they started to chase the thief down, the fact that they were chasing a genasi was on their mind too… A very mysterious and rare type of Shadowkind.
They were plane-touched beings, much like tieflings and aasimar, but much, much rarer than either. Instead of being the descendants of unions between human and fiend or human and angel, a genasi was the end result of a coupling of a human and an elemental being. Of course, in most cases, such creatures weren't even biologically compatible with humans. Bad jokes about their origins aside, powerful magic was often involved in the original siring.
It got worse. A lot of genasi were, in one way or another, connected to Tharizdun, who in his pseudonym of the Elder Elemental Eye, made several bargains with dark elemental powers, granting them access to unholy rituals that involved things… best not spoken about.
Of course, good or evil, genasi tended to see themselves as wild children of the elemental forces, embracing freedom found in the raw power of the elements at their purest states.
As the two Shadowchasers ran after her, Edgar held his hand in front of Maddie.
"Slow down…" he said. "She isn't going anywhere… That leads to a dead end…"
The two of them walked into the alley, which opened into a large courtyard that held a makeshift basketball court, used for a high school on the other side, separated by a large mesh fence. She was struggling with a door that led into the rest of the schoolyard, only to find it was locked shut with a chain and padlocked.
Edgar wasn't kidding. Her escape route was cut off.
She turned to them, clutching the painting, giving them a look that was daring them to come any further.
"Ma'am, I don't think that belongs to you…" said Edgar.
"Go away…" she warned. "It's mine! You hear me!"
"Ma'am, listen…" said Edgar.
"Really, really Ms. Alva!" shouted a voice.
The overweight curator ran into the entrance of the court, huffing and puffing as he did.
"Ms. Alva, this is insane!" he exclaimed.
"You know this woman, Mr., uh…" said Maddie.
"Clayton," he replied. "She's a friend of my wife… Well, actually, more like an acquaintance… My wife started going to this New Age massage therapist, this Yolanda Alva person… Last month. It seemed harmless…
"Then, just two days ago, she barges into the museum – happens when the elementary school is having a field trip, naturally – and demands that painting, saying it's hers. When I asked her to leave, she yelled at me using… Uh… Questionable language…"
"It wasn't 'questionable', you big, fat, idiot, you knew exactly what I meant!" shouted Yolanda.
"You aren't exactly helping your case, lady," said Maddie.
"What did she…" asked Edgar.
"No idea!" exclaimed the curator. "That painting has been with the museum since before I was curator! Since before I was born in fact!"
"I'm not letting your filthy hands take it back from me…" she cursed.
"Ms. Alva, take it easy…" said Edgar.
He started to walk towards her.
"I think you're confused for some reason, if you just let me…"
She snarled, and lifted her free hand. A ball of fire surrounded it.
"I'll burn it to ashes before I let anyone have it…" she threatened.
"Ooh…" groaned Clayton. "The insurance company is never going to believe this…"
"Ms. Alva…" said Edgar. "Think about what would happen… Not only would I arrest you for it, he'd be well within his rights to sue you for whatever it costs, and that's probably a lot. Do you really want to spend God knows how long working to pay for it?"
She shivered a little.
"It's mine…" she said, softly.
Then she held up her left arm, and a Duel Disk unfolded from it.
"If that's the only way I can get you to give it up," he said, "then so be it…"
"He's going to wager it!" shouted Clayton. "Now wait just a minute here…"
"Calm down…" said Maddie. "I've known this guy for years…"
She backed up to him.
"Give him about five rounds… Most of his opponents give up by then… Edgar is kind of… Intimidating…"
(Edgar: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Yolanda: 8,000)
Edgar unfolded a device, placing a holo-imager over right-eye, Maddie complying with hers. The virtual reality grid covered the lot, and the two Disks auto-shuffled.
Edgar drew five. His eyes quickly fixated on one of the cards, which he moved to the rightmost spot in his hand. Then he looked over the other four.
Not the best, he thought, but not the worst either…
"You move first, Ms. Alva," he said.
"Just call me Yolanda…" she said, sounding a little less angry than before.
Good, good, he thought, as she drew the sixth card. Calm down now… Hopefully we can end this well…
"I'll start with the Spell Card, Cards from the Sky," she said.
As the card appeared, a golden sunbeam cascaded from below, and soft motes of light fell on her deck.
"By banishing a Light-Attribute Fairy from my hand and skipping my Battle Phase this turn, I draw twice…"
She drew, then looked at them briefly.
"Next, I'll play Light of Redemption…" she continued.
As another Spell appeared, the light intensified, and a choir started to sing.
"I'll pay 800 Life Points, and I can recover the monster I just banished…"
A larger mote fell from above in a spiraling pattern turning into a card as she caught it.
That was… That was pretty smart… thought Maddie.
"I summon to the field… Arcana Force III – The Empress!" she shouted.
The light changed, becoming far less soothing, turning rather blinding and searing. A female figure appeared in front of Yolanda, an alien-like creature, but not attractive at all. She was gaunt, with an enlarged, bony cranium over a sallow, shrunken face; she had a blue leotard over a thin torso with spindly limbs, spikes over the shoulders, and a gossamer cape. (1,300 ATK)
Ugh… thought Edgar.
He recognized it, and was a little disappointed. When she first said she was using Light Fairies, he was hoping for monsters that were friendlier than these…
The Empress' card appeared above the monster, and then started to rotate, clockwise.
"All up to luck," said Yolanda, "because like the tarot card she resembles, the Empress can grant a boon or a bane, depending on whether she's upright or inverted…"
The card stopped, landing upright.
"Seems the toss says I win," she said, "which means I can summon another Arcana Force monster whenever you summon a monster… It's your move…"
(E: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Y: 7,200)
That means I'd best get rid of her quickly… thought Edgar, drawing a new card.
"I'll set a monster for now…" he said.
"And like I said," replied Yolanda, "I summon Arcana Force VII – The Chariot!"
As she said that, an odd contraption, for want of a better term, floated up from below. It was saucer-shaped, with eyes around the circumference, two odd spigots below, and a smaller saucer mounted above, with grasping mechanical hands attached to metal coils. (1,700 ATK)
Another card appeared, once again starting to spin.
If she loses this toss, I can take care of the immediate problem right now… thought Edgar.
Unfortunately, that was wishful thinking. Again, it came to a stop upright.
"Okay, third time's the charm?" asked the curator, nervously.
"Don't panic, people," said Edgar. "I'll end with one card here…"
A set card appeared in his Spell Zone, then he nodded to Yolanda.
She nodded back, then drew a card.
"I summon Arcana Force I – The Magician!" she shouted.
Another weird, alien-looking creature appeared, this one even thinner and lankier. Its bald head had an elongated face with two eyes and no other features, it wore a high collar and flared shoulder pads (but no actual shirt) very baggy pants with vertical stripes, and an odd pair of pointed shoes. (1,100 ATK)
"Are those parachute pants?" asked Clayton.
"Your guess is as good as mine," replied Maddie.
Again, the card started to turn around and around, and then stopped at the upright position again.
"Oh, merde!" groaned Edgar, under his breath.
"Destroy his set monster, Chariot!" she shouted, as the contraption aimed its spigots. "Master Blast!"
The thing aimed and fired a concentrated beam – like a knife – of light at the set monster, but a metal, curved blade appeared, blocking it. A scary-looking grim reaper was holding it. (200 DEF)
Phew! thought Maddie. Hopefully Spirit Reaper can keep them at bay for now…
"I can't do anything else…" muttered Yolanda.
"Then it's my turn…" said Edgar.
He drew a card, and considered it, along with the others. Then he looked at the Chariot.
Maybe I can kill two birds with one stone… he thought. Or maybe even three…
"I summon Emissary of the Afterlife," he said. "He's a grim reaper too, but… He's a little more up-front…"
With a low, spooky moan, a ghostly, skull-faced demon holding a larger scythe floated onto the field. (1,600 ATK) Edgar looked at Empress and then at Yolanda.
"Well?" she said.
She must not have another… he thought. Oh well…
The Fiend howled and flew towards the Empress, who scowled at it as it lifted its scythe. There was a slash, then the Empress made a face that with a look of shock as the Emissary appeared back on Edgar's side in a dark haze… Then she fell apart, bisected at the waist.
(E: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Y: 6,900)
"I think I'll end my turn there… It's not too late to reconsider…"
"No…" said Yolanda, as she drew. "I'm not letting you have it… Chariot, kill that thing!"
The strange Fairy fired its death ray again, cutting the Emissary down the center like a laser torch; it shattered when the beam reached the halfway point.
"Now I use the Chariot's upright effect…" she continued.
"Yes, you get to summon my Emissary…" interrupted Edgar, "but before that, Emissary itself has an effect, letting both players take a Level 3 or lower Normal Monster from their decks."
"I don't; have one and I don't care!" she replied.
"Oh?" said Edgar.
He took the card and looked at it. Then he turned it forward.
"Do you care now?"
Yolanda gulped, and the expression was one that signified that the answer was "Yes". The card Edgar was holding was Left Arm of the Forbidden One.
"Exodia…" she said, a quiver in her voice.
He put it with his other cards, and Emissary of the Afterlife appeared on Yolanda's field. (1,600 ATK)
"Yolanda…" he said, "take it from someone who's been there… Losing to this deck is not pleasant…"
"And I can vouch for that!" shouted Maddie.
"Thank you, Maddie…" he continued, before turning back to Yolanda. "Seriously, it's just a painting!"
"It's your turn…" she said.
Edgar shook his head, and drew. Then he set two cards, causing a monster and a set card behind it to appear.
"Yolanda, please…" he said. "Why don't you just stop this so we can discuss it like reasonable adults?"
"No…" she replied.
"Look, before I finish my turn, can I just ask why you think that painting is yours?" he asked.
"Think?" she shouted.
"Okay, okay…" he said. "Let me rephrase that… Why is it so important to you?"
"I modeled for it!" she said, still sternly, but not as loud. "The guy who painted it… He promised I could have it…"
"Uh…" said Maddie.
"That's impossible…" said Clayton. "Like I said, that painting was donated a long, long time ago, in… 1951, by an anonymous donor. She can't be that old…"
"Wait... 1951?" asked Maddie. "Wasn't that…"
Clayton let out a long, tired sigh.
"Yes, yes…" said Clayton, sounding a little embarrassed. "It was five years after the famous 'Roswell UFO Incident'. Folks around here do like the publicity of that little yarn, but…"
His voice sank to a whisper.
"Let me be honest, ma'am, I'm not saying I'm a skeptic on such matters, but if you want my personal opinion, I think that whatever the truth of that whole mess was, it's become two mixed up with rumors, innuendo, and outright hoaxes, to the point that no-one will ever find out what happened.
"We didn't have this conversation…"
Maddie looked at the painting, and she noticed something… It did sort of look like Yolanda… What she might look like if she were an alien… But…
She'd have to be about… A hundred years old… she thought. Doesn't make sense, genasi can't live that long… usually…
And if she did have some way to gain longevity, you'd think she'd have an easier way to get that painting…
"Then it's your move…" said Edgar. "If you won't listen to reason, then I'm more than prepared to use as much force as necessary!"
(E: 7,900) - - - - - - - - - - (Y: 6,900)
Yolanda drew a card, then looked at him closely.
"I'm activating my Spell Card, Magician's Scales," she said. "By sacrificing one of my Arcana Force monsters, I can get any Spell Card I want from my deck."
"Gee that's kind of… powerful…" said Maddie.
"But before we get to that," continued Yolanda, "because I used a Spell Card this turn, The Magician's Attack Score doubles."
(2,200 ATK)
"Now then…"
The Chariot disappeared, and Yolanda quickly snatched up a Spell Card as it floated up to her hand.
"Oh, you'd better believe it," she said. "This one's pretty good too… Necro Sacrifice!
"First, I choose two monsters in my Graveyard, and then send them to your side of the field… But, it's up to you whether they're attacking or defending…"
"Uh, I think defending is the better option…" said Edgar.
There were two flashes rushing to either side of him, turning into the Empress (1,300 DEF) and the Chariot (1,700 DEF), kneeling and shielding with their arms (or in the Chariot's case, what passed for them).
I've got two more monsters, he thought, but I really don't know if that's a good thing right now…
Then the two cards appeared above the two tarot monsters, and started to spin… Then the Chariot's card stopped upside-down, and then the Empress' did too.
"Great Jehoshaphat…"he muttered, under his breath.
"Due to the Chariot's inverted effect, it switches sides from you to me," continued Yolanda.
The apparatus floated over to her side of the field, turning to face Edgar.
"And now, because I sent two monsters to your side of the field using Necro Sacrifice, I can summon a Level 7 monster with no actual sacrifice. I summon Arcana Force XVIII – The Moon!"
There was a giant cloud of freezing mist, and a huge… thing appeared next to the other monsters. It didn't look like a moon at all, it looked like a giant cryogenic chamber with a small alien inside, robotic arms to each side, and a mass of metal tentacles underneath. (2,800 ATK)
"Lord, she has enough there for a whole invasion force!" shouted Maddie.
"No… problem…" said Edgar. "Nothing I… can't handle…"
Then the Moon's card appeared, and again, started to spin… Maddie cried out and hit her forehead with her hand as it came up upright again.
"Good grief, he just can't catch a break today!"
"It gets worse…" said Yolanda. "Because I summoned a monster with the Empress on your side of the field with her inverted effect, you discard one of your cards…"
Edgar stopped for a minute. He looked at his hand of four cards.
"Whatever you say…" he said.
"But don't worry…" she continued, "if she's too much of a burden…"
A device at the peak of the huge chamber started drawing motes of energy in, as the whole device started to shimmer. Then, a fiery beam of pulsating light shot from it as the energy was expended, hitting the Empress and blowing her into globs of light.
"Next I'll use the Chariot again on your other monster…"
The thing aimed, and a monstrous, red-skinned creature with eyes all over its body appeared kneeling on the card.
"Ho-boy…" said Maddie.
The beam of light shot, impaling it through the chest and smashing it to bits.
"That was Big Eye…" said Edgar. "And via its Flip Effect, I can look at the top five cards on my deck, and then put them back any way I want… So let's see…"
He lifted the cards off his deck, then looked at them, trying very hard to keep a poker face, which was getting even harder by the minute. Not even one of the remaining three components to Exodia was there.
If I didn't know better, I'd say she's able to alter probability in some way, he thought. But… Something just seems wrong…
He made two adjustments, then put them back.
"I can't get by your Spirit Reaper yet," said Yolanda, "so I have to end…"
Edgar drew, then took one of his cards, switching Spirit Reaper on his Disk for it.
"I'm sacrificing this guy for my Tongue Twister…" he said.
There was a loud hiss, and a very unlikely monster appeared. It looked like… Well, a giant cross between a snake and a tongue, with one eye, glaring menacingly at Yolanda. Well… As best it could. (400 ATK)
"Mmph!" she said, covering her mouth in an attempt to stifle a laugh.
"I know, I know, it looks pretty ridiculous," replied Edgar, as he tapped his Disk, "but I can use it for my Spiritual Dark Art – Greed."
As the Trap lifted up, the odd Fiend vanished.
"By sacrificing this Dark monster, I can draw twice… unless you counter it by showing me a Spell Card in your hand."
Yolanda's expression quickly turned serious. She didn't say anything, but flipped one of her cards around. Edgar groaned a little. It was Cup of Ace.
Could have been worse… he thought.
"Nonetheless," he said, "I still get to use the effect of Tongue Twister itself to make two draws."
"But you already summoned this turn, so they better be good ones," replied Yolanda, as he took two cards.
"Your turn…" he replied.
"Guess that answers my question," she said, as she made her draw. "First of all, the Moon's upright effect activates now, and I get a Moon Token."
The glass bubble on the Moon burst open with a freezing vapor and viscous,blue liquid pouring out, along with the small alien. (0 ATK)
"Since you know I have this, I'll play it now…"
The Cup of Ace appeared, and then started to turn. Again, The Magician rose to a Score of 2,200.
Come on, come on… thought Edgar.
Unfortunately, it landed upright again, and he shook his head in frustration.
"I get to draw twice because of that," said Yolanda, making two draws, "and now… Attack directly! Cosmic Crush Cannon!"
The weapon at the top of the Moon started to draw in power as Edgar's Trap Card lifted up.
"I use Gravity Bind!" he shouted, as ripples of energy started to wave over the lot. "There's a disadvantage to having monsters that powerful…"
"So how do you like that?" asked Maddie.
"I actually like it a lot…" said Yolanda, with an evil-looking smile. "I'll call off that attack, but… Now that you've used that Trap, I can feed it to my Trap Eater!"
"What?" said Edgar.
Then he was cut off as a giggling Fiend with a very big mouth flew at the Gravity Bind card, and swallowed it in one gulp. The Tuner smiled at him with its toothy grin. (1,900 ATK)
"Oh boy…" he said.
"Now I can sacrifice my Moon Token and Emissary of the Afterlife," she said, as the two monsters disappeared.
Here it comes… thought Edgar, as a flaming portal of pure light erupted between them.
"Arcana Force XXI…" shouted Yolanda. "The World!"
The… creature that rose out of the vortex was bigger than the Moon, even less subtle, and hard to describe in any secondhand terms. About half of its body, shaped like an inverted cone standing on end, didn't seem solid; it was more like a void in physical shape, made stranger by the other half, which was obviously robotic. The robotic part looked even stranger, the proportionately small head surrounded by a metal ring-collar combination with golden orbs evenly spaced around it, a plate covering its torso with a pulsating, orange core where the navel might be on a human, and two long, strong-looking metal arms with three sharp, metal, knife-like claws at each end. (3,100 ATK)
Clayton took a handkerchief from his pocket and mopped his brow. And it wasn't just the heat making him perspire.
"This reminds me of that time I was appraising a collection at a museum in Geneva," he muttered. "One work on display was Edvard Munch's The Scream…"
"You're comparing that to Munch's work?" asked Maddie, turning to him.
"Of course not…" replied the curator. "I've always wondered why the figure in that painting was screaming… Well… Something like this would probably be a good reason…"
"Very funny…" replied Yolanda.
"Before you do anything else," replied Edgar, "I get to use Emissary's effect again…"
Yolanda tensed a little, and Edgar took another card from his deck. He looked back at Yolanda.
"Still not complete yet?" she asked. "What a shame…"
The card appeared above the World, then started to turn, around and around… Then it stopped right-side-up again.
This is the type of day where I end up wishing I'd stayed in bed, thought Edgar.
"I'll set two cards of my own," continued Yolanda, as two face-down cards appeared behind her monsters, "but I'll be able to use them quickly, because the World's upright effect lets me sacrifice two monsters…"
Two burning beams of light shot from the World's eyes, piercing through Trap Eater and the Magician and turning both to dust.
"…and your turn is skipped, gramps… meaning it's my turn again…"
Oh, she's toast… thought Maddie, as she watched Yolanda make her draw. If there's one thing Edgar does not like, it's people who call him "gramps".
I just hope he isn't in over his head…
The cryogenic chamber opened again, and a second Token jumped out, this time crouching in Defense Mode. (0 DEF)
"Attack him directly!" shouted Yolanda. "Savage Genesis!"
As the eyes glowed again, the sky darkened, and blood-red clouds started to appear above…
"From my Graveyard, I banish Necro Gardna!" shouted Edgar.
As the thunderous cosmic death ray blasted towards him, a dark Warrior leapt in front to take the blow. He was vaporized, but at least the bolt missed.
"Nice…" said Yolanda.
The Moon's weapon started sucking in energy again.
"Got anything else?"
Unfortunately for Edgar, the answer to that was a definite "no".
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
About ten minutes earlier, Jalal was at his desk once again. He rubbed his chin for a minute, and then started typing again.
As you might expect, I've spent a lot of time studying dragons, their biology, their habits, their history and culture (what little is known about it). Some scholars say that they are the most powerful of Shadowkind, and that assumption may not be far off.
They're complicated too, their personalities almost as varied as humans. Some are good, some are evil, some are very serious, and others are whimsical. Some dragons are social beings who welcome attention of other races, while others prefer to live in isolation killing – or at very least, driving away – anyone who bothers them…
But all dragons are egotistical. (If there's ever been a humble, shy, dragon with a lack of self-respect and confidence, or even a dragon who knowingly or willingly served another mortal being via its own free will, I've never heard of one.) Good or evil, they see themselves as superior to creatures less powerful and younger than they are (which is most of them) and tend to lord over creatures they do associate with. Of course, folks who are willing to argue with a dragon when it boasts that it's better than humans – at least to its face – are few and far between.
When a race has a lifespan that is measured in millennia, rather than decades, they tend to look upon those other races as humans do upon mayflies.
I'm not saying my father was an exception to this. Among dragons, there are no exceptions. He wasn't a bad parent, but in many ways, his arrogance was his downfall, as it is for many seeking the goal he did.
It's little surprise than the most common known ways of actually gaining eternal life (like lichdom) are evil and vile methods that often require the deaths of other sentient beings. Dictators and tyrants want to rule the world, but they eventually realize that, even if they succeed, they can't take it with them. Some, like the Egyptian Pharaohs try to gain a type of immortality by building grand tombs and temples to display their greatness for future generations… Some… Take darker paths…
Half-dragons are little better than their sires, and being one myself, I can relate. They can be haughty, obnoxious snobs sometimes, like arrogant bluebloods who think their birthright makes them special. Maybe you know the type, the ones who tend to dress in expensive suits and use terms like "prole" or "plebian", the type that the manager of the fanciest restaurant in town would love to kick out, if not for the fact that he spends more there in a week that most customers do in a year.
I don't claim complete innocence there. But, having no choice but to accept the eternal life my father won, I've learned a few things from spending ten centuries around humans. Seeing how fragile life can be, and how easy it can be taken away… One would think that living so long would make a man see others as mayflies too, and yet for…
At that exact moment, half a world away, the direct attack from Arcana Force XVIII – The Moon struck Edgar. The word Jalal was about to type was "some", but his finger slipped, and it turned out "son".
"What was THAT?" he said out loud, startled.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Ow, my kidneys… thought Edgar.
(E: 5,100) - - - - - - - - - - (Y: 6,900)
"To end my turn…" said Yolanda.
One of her two face-down cards lifted up.
"From this point on, Lucky Chance will be in play. I'll be able to draw once whenever I correctly call the effect of one of my cards.
"Like I said, fellah, it's mine and I'm not letting anyone take it from me… Ever. It's your move…"
"What I'm wondering is why she thinks an artist would want to make her look like an alien," asked Maddie.
"Oh, uh, I've actually seen that a lot in modern fantasy art," said Clayton.
"Pardon?" asked Maddie.
"Well, see, modern artists don't actually paint while a live model poses these days," he said, continuing. "Not most of the time, anyway. They usually take photographs, then sketches, and then use them when doing the actual portrait.
"And I've seen that sort of thing very often, the artist will take the sketches of the model and incorporate her physical features into a painting of some mythical creature, like say a mermaid, succubus, dryad, vampire, anything he can picture that's attractive, exotic, and human-like… In fact…"
"He had a very good reason for it!" shouted Yolanda.
As she looked at him, her eyes were glowing like fire.
"He wanted to paint me the way I'd look if I were his species."
The three of them looked at her.
"The guy who painted it was an alien?" asked Edgar.
"That's right…" said Yolanda.
He looked at Clayton.
"Uh…" he said. "I assume you mean… The same ones in the alleged Roswell incident…"
She nodded. Maddie sighed.
"Want me to call the guys in the white coats, Edgar?" she asked.
"Maddie, you're not helping…" he said. "Yolanda, this is hard to believe…"
"I don't care whether you believe me or not," she said, "are you going to move or what?"
Edgar rubbed his eyes, and thought for a minute. Then he made a draw.
Yolanda didn't use the World's effect again, nor did she summon a monster, he thought. Obviously, that means she has none she can summon at the moment, because if she had sacrificed the Moon and the Token, there would have been no guarantee she could win on her next turn or have enough monsters do it again.
She must want that painting pretty badly… She may sound crazy, but she's playing very carefully.
Of course, she probably will win on her next turn unless I make this move count…
"I summon the Hierophant of Shada," he said.
As he played the card, a five pointed star in a circle formed in midair, and an old man emerged, one with grey hair and a beard (no mustache) wearing a plain white toga with a grey sash, and an Egyptian-style headdress with a golden snake in the front. He held a small rod shaped like an ankh. (1,600 ATK)
"Wha?" said Yolanda. "What does he do?"
Maddie smirked.
"Well…" she said. "I sure know what he does, but… I think Edgar can explain it…"
"You'll find out soon," said Edgar.
The odd priest held the ankh higher, and there was a flash of magic, shattering the Moon Token.
"Now that I've done that," he said, "I'll use the Spell Card Attraffic Control."
A Continuous Spell rose behind the Hierophant, and lines of pure light shot across the center of the arena, crisscrossing like a laser security grid.
"Since I did that, you can't attack if you have three or more monsters."
"Talk about dumb," she said. "I only have two monsters."
"The Moon's effect, remember?" said Edgar, pointing to the huge apparatus. "Your turn…"
This time, Yolanda laughed as she drew a card.
"You should have read the text clearer, pops," she laughed, "I don't have to use that effect. Which means that old geezer is ancient history! Kill him!"
The World powered up its wave motion beam, and the old Spellcaster glared at it in anger…
Then, as the lethal ray started to strike, the Hierophant's eyes burned with dark flames, and he lifted the ankh. The beam of light was engulfed by an even stronger bolt of darkness, and both fell back on the evil Fairy, blowing it to atoms.
"WHAT?" shouted Yolanda.
She looked at the Hierophant, who was looking at her with a very angry expression. (4,000 ATK)
(E: 5,100) - - - - - - - - - - (Y: 6,000)
"You don't seem to have much respect for your elders, young lady…" said Edgar. "Hierophant of Shada is a card bearing the image of Siamun Muran, the vizier to the Pharaoh, the original holder of the Millennium Key, and most importantly, the only one able to control the powerful Seal that bound Exodia. In effect, Muran had Exodia's near-unstoppable might at his command.
"Now, due to his effect, because you attacked him while I had no other monsters, I was able to increase his score by 800 for every Normal Monster in my hand with the words 'Forbidden One' in its name. I have three."
He turned three cards in his hand around, the Right Arm, Right Leg, and Left Leg.
Yolanda's eyes burned a little. She lifted her finger with a low snarl, then she let out a heavy sigh as her other face-down card lifted up.
"I'm using the Spell Card Detour of Fate," she said, slowly. "Since my Arcana Force monster was destroyed, I can discard a card to bring the Empress back from the Graveyard…"
A magic circle covered with eldritch sigils appeared on the floor, and the female alien rose out of it as Yolanda discarded one of her cards. (1,300 ATK) The Empress' card appeared, and started to spin.
"This means I get to use the effect of my Lucky Chance card, by the way," she said. "I simply call heads or tails, and if the result of my monster's toss is the same, I get to draw once. Naturally, I call heads."
It started to spin a little quicker before landing right side up again. Yolanda made a draw.
"What a surprise," sighed Edgar.
"I summon Arcana Force IV – The Emperor!" she shouted.
Yet another robotic creature appeared, this one made of coal-black iron, in the shape of a devil with large, clawed hands, horns on a skull-like face, and metal wings. It had no legs, instead having another mass of tendrils. (1,400 ATK)
"Again, I call heads on my Lucky Chance," said Yolanda, sounding cheerful now, as the card appeared above the Emperor. "So round, and round, and round it goes, where will it stop? Who… Huh?"
To everyone's surprise, it stopped upside-down.
"You were saying?" said Maddie.
"Uh…" said Yolanda.
"I figured that lucky streak had to end soon…" added Clayton.
"You missed that toss," said Edgar, "so all three of your monsters lose 500 Attack Points."
(The Empress: 800 ATK, The Emperor: 900 ATK, The Moon: 2,300 ATK)
"I… uh… I end my turn…" said Yolanda.
"And that means the cost of using my Hierophant's effect now comes into play," said Edgar. "He goes to the Graveyard, but those three Forbidden One monsters… I summon them all in Attack Mode."
He flipped the three cards onto his Disk, and three rather disturbing items, two disembodied arms and a leg, each of them seemingly made of gold with shackles on the wrists and ankle, appeared. (200 ATK x3)
"And what are you going to, uh… Do with them?" asked Yolanda.
"I'll show you," he replied. "I draw one card…"
He drew, then put that aside.
"With these fragments of the Forbidden One, I open the Overlay Network!" he chanted, as a five-pointed star started to form on the ground and a vortex behind him. I call the avatar of pure power…"
The star burned, and the three pieces turned to smaller flames.
"Shadow Lord Exodia!"
A large being rose from the magical circle, one with a shiny, frictionless, metallic skin. It may have been possible at first glance to compare it to Exodia Necross or Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord, but rather than the skull-like face of the first, its face seemed younger and youthful, and its skin was a shiny, silver-like material, rather than rock. It didn't seem quite as hulking either, even though it was muscular. It carried a long crook in its right hand, a weapon-like version of the Pharaonic crook of Egypt. (1,800 ATK)
"A sterling silver Exodia?" asked Yolanda.
"No, electrum," said Edgar.
"What?" she asked.
"Uh, electrum," said Clayton, "It's an alloy of gold and silver. Very old coins used to be minted out of it rather than gold, because you see…"
"Shut up!" shouted Yolanda.
"Shutting up now…" he said.
"Don't worry," said Maddie, "I think Edgar can have this finished soon."
"As if…" said Yolanda. "I can still use the Empress' effect to summon Arcana Force IX – The Hermit."
She played the card, and a column of light shot upwards from the right of the Moon… Then something weirder than all of the others looked like a long, inverted, three sided pyramid, an edge facing forward, with one eye on each face, and a mouth under each eye; a single arm was under each mouth, each one carrying a long staff, and under each arm were two long, spindly legs, six in all, which the thing was perched on. (1,900 ATK)
"Okay, this is… new…" said Edgar.
"You'd better believe it, buster," she said, as the card appeared over it. "The Emperor's effect may reduce his score for the moment, but people change, and so do monsters. This Hermit is powerful but risky… I'll call heads on Lucky Chance again…"
The card started to turn…
"…and upright on the Hermit, I'll be able to switch the effect of any other Arcana Force monster on the field to any position I want. Inverted, however, and all of them switch to inverted."
That's a pretty big risk, thought Maddie. If the Moon's effect switches… Uh… Well, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be good for Yolanda…
Everyone watched the card, Yolanda looking a little nervous… Then she held her chest with a look of relief as it stopped right side up. She drew one card, and then pointed to the Emperor. Its card appeared again, and then turned 180 degrees.
(The Empress: 1,800 ATK, The Emperor: 1,900 ATK, The Moon: 3,300 ATK, The Hermit: 2,400 ATK)
"I see…" said Edgar.
Shadow Lord Exodia pointed its crook at the Empress.
"What are you doing?" said Yolanda, nervously. "They'll… They'll kill each other!"
"I beg to differ!" replied Edgar. "You see, once per turn, if my monster is in a battle it normally wouldn't survive, it can get rid of an Overlay Unit, and gain 500 Attack Points…"
A powerful bolt of violet fire cascaded from the weapon, and a horrid scream came from the Empress as the divine flames seemed to burn it alive, literally. It collapsed in a pile of ashes.
(2,300 ATK)
"I'm ending my turn now," said Edgar. "However, if a turn ever ends when it has no Overlay Unit after I've spent them all using its effect, it's destroyed, but if that happens, I get to take every part of the actual Exodia that's there except the central piece from my Graveyard.
"So that means it's your turn…"
(E: 5,100) - - - - - - - - - - (Y: 5,500)
Yolanda made a draw, and then looked over what she had.
That damn Attrafic Control… she thought. No matter what happens, I won't be able to get at him this round… But…
Again, a new Token leapt out of the Moon's chamber. (0 ATK) Then it disappeared quickly.
"I'm sacrificing this to summon Arcane Force X – Fortune!" she shouted.
There was a loud droning buzz, and a thing seemingly leapt from above and landed in front of her. This was hideous. It was bent over double, and had a back with a bony ridge, but it had a face with four beady eyes and a long, sharp proboscis. It had six arms, and each held a weapon – or tool: a spear, bullwhip, sickle, shears, trident, and a crossbow. (2,000 ATK) –) 2,500 ATK
"Ugh…" said Edgar. "That's a wheel?"
"No, this is," said Yolanda.
She pointed up, and a wheel with the numbers one through six on it appeared in midair.
"The slightly different spelling sets this monster apart from the others because it's different," she said. "Each round, it could attack anything. Either player, directly, either player's Spell and Trap Cards, or the most powerful monster on either side of the field…"
"Uh…" said Edgar.
"In fact…" said Yolanda, with a small chuckle, "it could theoretically destroy itself if it had to, but let's see what happens…"
"Uh, hold it…" said Edgar.
Not bothering to stop, Yolanda grabbed hold of the edge of the wheel, and spun it hard, clockwise, causing it to spin around and around and around…
It slowly started to stop…
"FOUR?" she shouted.
"Four?" gasped Clayton. "What does four do?"
Fortune looked at the Moon next to it… Then it lifted its sickle, and swiped. The Moon quivered for a second, then fell into two pieces, sliced in half by a diagonal cut, before falling apart in a clatter and a pile of junk.
Edgar held his hand over his eyes and groaned.
Don't laugh, he thought, it would be cruel…
"Yolanda, please," he pleaded, "this is bordering on the absurd! You need help, and you're just going to hurt yourself!"
"I need help?" she shouted. "Are you calling me crazy?"
"Well, uh…" he said.
Truthfully, he did think she was crazy, but it was kind of hard to say so.
"Well, you're trying to convince me that you were a model for an alien who was into art," he said, "what do you expect me to think?"
"You don't believe aliens are real?" she asked.
Edgar stopped. Truthfully, it wasn't his skepticism over the possibility of intelligent life in on other planets that was the issue. The Primordial Titans were pretty solid proof that there was. What was farfetched was the idea of the government covering it up for so long for… Well, whatever mad reason they had, and managing to keep such information secret from the public for so long. And seriously, the thought of an alien coming her to paint was even more bizarre.
Honestly, he thought, a guy flies a million light years from another galaxy, lands on this planet, and when he makes peaceful contact with an earthling, he asks to paint her portrait? That would be farfetched even for Ron Sterling.
"It's your move," she said. "It's not over yet…"
"Suit yourself…" he replied, as he drew.
Wiseman's Chalice… he thought.
"Much as I appreciate the help," he said, "unintentional as it was…"
Shadow Lord Exodia pointed at Fortune, and its score went up to 2,800 as its crook absorbed another Unit.
"…attack with Punishing Darkflame!"
Again, the blast thundered across the courtyard, and a scream proceeded the creature collapsing in a pile of ashes.
(E: 5,100) - - - - - - - - - - (Y: 5,200)
"Next, I'll summon the Avatar of the Pot…" he said.
"Say what?" asked Yolanda.
There was a loud, throaty chuckle, and a tall statue of a muscular man made of green stone wearing a breechcloth with the Pot of Greed for a head appeared next to Exodia. (1,200 ATK)
"Huh?" said Yolanda. "Why in the world would you use that? It makes as much sense as putting Guardian Elma in your deck these days."
"Uh, someone is going to have to fill me in here…" said Clayton. "My knowledge of this game isn't as good as it is for the typical folk…"
"Guardian Elma is a card that requires another card to use, and that card is illegal," replied Maddie, "making Elma herself pretty much worthless. This guy also needs an illegal card to use its effect, Pot of Greed."
"And Spirit of the Pot of Greed does too," replied Edgar. "So does Jar Robber, actually… But with this Special Spell Card…"
He turned a card in his hand around.
"Those monsters gain some use through a clever loophole. It's called the Refurbished Pot of Greed, and while its first effect simply lets me draw once, it's second effect makes its name count as the actual Pot of Greed anywhere but in the deck."
A wash of green covered the odd jar, and it turned into the true Pot of Greed, chuckling evilly.
"That means this card can resonate with the Avatar's effect, and I can discard it to then draw three cards."
He fed the card into the side slot, then picked up three cards from his deck. One of them was the Left Leg, but…
Damn, why is the Head always the one you need? he thought.
"That's all for now…" he said.
Yolanda's hand shook a little as she drew. She glanced at the painting at her side again.
"I'll throw this down," she said, as a new set card appeared, "and then… uh… This card I'm about to use is risky… but it seems I have to… I sacrifice the Hermit…"
The odd creature disappeared.
"…and summon Arcana Force XI – Justice."
This one was something else that Edgar had never heard of Saiou using, and it seemed more human-like at first, female, wearing a slim, metal, armored top, shaped to fit a woman's torso, a long, white skirt, long, velvet gloves, with sharp fingers, and a china mask over the face with no features…
Then, looking at it again, it was clear that the armored dress was the whole creature; there was no body wearing it underneath. At least, no physical one. (2,100 ATK) –) (2,600 ATK)
It lifted its hands threateningly, and the card above started to turn. It had no eyes, but Edgar knew it was looking at him…
"All right, that's just plain wrong," said Clayton.
"What do you know lard-ass?" said Yolanda.
"WHAT?" he shouted. "Now you see here, now, missy…"
"It's not worth it…" said Maddie, holding her hand up.
"I call heads again," continued Yolanda, "and if it does come up heads, I destroy one monster, but if it's tails, then I lose all my monsters…
"And before you try to counter this, you can't. In fact, neither player can counter either of the effects."
She chuckled evilly as it did indeed come up inverted. Justice pulled a very large golden sword, seemingly out of nowhere, and cut downward, slicing Shadow Lord Exodia in two, creating a burnt scar. It teetered, then burst.
"I'm not done!" shouted the genasi.
The Emperor's metal tentacles reached for Avatar of the Pot, grabbing its four limbs, and then pulled at them spread-eagle. Clayton looked away, but Maddie could watch… Barely. The looked away right before it was torn apart.
"You…" said Edgar, coming very close to getting angry now.
"Burn!" shouted Yolanda.
He stood his ground as much as he could as Justice came at him with the sword. Still, some every man has his limits, and Edgar was no exception. As the thing cut him across the chest, he shouted in a furious mix of pain and anger.
Now Yolanda and her two monsters looked a little frightened…
"I, uh…" she said. "I play Sebek's Blessing…"
She used one of her Spell Cards, and briefly glowed with an aura of energy.
"That means I gain Life Points equal to the damage done by that attack, and I think I'll end my turn now…"
(E: 1,800) - - - - - - - - - - (Y: 7,800)
Edgar closed his eyes. Beads of sweat fell down his forehead. Then he opened them as he made a draw.
"Yolanda…" he said, looking up. "I had some sympathy for you at first, and I honestly wanted to cut you some slack. I saw you as confused and possibly unstable, and wanted to help…"
She was about to say something, but a stern look from Edgar made her stop.
"I haven't revoked my initial goal, but these insults, however, are getting out of hand… Trash talking is one thing, but insulting the poor man's weight? That is the most juvenile type of behavior and is inexcusable.
"I don't usually make moves this risky, but it seems I have little choice…"
He used a Spell Card, and a shimmering, phantom form of Frontier Wiseman appeared next to him, and a glowing, golden goblet appeared as he lifted his hands.
"I use the Spell Card Wiseman's Chalice," he said. "Because I have no monsters, I can Special Summon a monster from your Graveyard…"
The chalice started to overflow with colored liquid, and then poured on the ground… To Yolanda's shock, the monster that appeared was the Hermit. (1,900 ATK)
"You…" he said.
"I'm using the effect of this monster now…" he said. "You never said its effect couldn't be used on an opposing monster…"
"I can still use the effect of my Lucky Chance!" shouted Yolanda. "I choose… Heads…"
Maddie watched as the card spun.
He made a risky move… she thought. No matter what happens, the side effect of Wiseman's Chalice means Edgar isn't allowed to Tribute the Hermit, and that it moves to Yolanda's side of the field at the end of his turn. Yolanda's move is kind of clever… She'll need the extra draw if it comes up heads.
As they watched, the card turned, and stopped right side up.
"Good!" said Edgar, pumping his fist. "So I'll turn Justice from upright to inverted."
The dress-like thing and the Emperor exploded into shards that looked like flaming, sharp glass.
Yolanda moaned as she fumbled for her deck.
"I draw once…" she said.
Edgar wasted no time. He turned to the Hermit and nudged his head. It lifted its spears, and leapt, spinning as it did like a jumping jack. Then it hurled all three as it spun, sending them stabbing into Yolanda's chest and torso, causing her to fall on her rear with a loud sob.
(E: 1,800) - - - - - - - - - - (Y: 5,900)
"Yolanda!" he shouted.
She sat up, and the spires turned to dust. He looked at her carefully as she stood up… Then he played another card, causing a miniature version of Cyber Dragon to appear next to the Hermit. (0 ATK)
"I'm summoning Cyber Valley next," he said, "and then I'll use its second effect, and banish it along with the Hermit to draw twice more…"
He made two draws, then set one of them, causing it to appear in his Spell Zone.
"…and I'm done…"
He looked at her as she got up. This was hurting her a lot, and he didn't know just how much she knew it… Did she truly believe somehow that she had modeled for that painting?
She drew a card, and as she did so, her set two of the ones in her hand. Then, quickly, her Trap Card next to them flipped up.
"I'm activating my Beckoning Light Trap," she said. "I'll discard these…"
She threw her two cards – Divination of Fate, and Ace of Pentacles – into her Graveyard.
"…and then get back two of my Light-Attribute monsters."
Two cards – the Empress and… well, another card – came out of the slot. Then one of the Spell Card she had just set opened.
"First, I'll use Reverse Reborn," she said. "I can summon the Emperor from my Graveyard, but it automatically gets it inverted effect…"
The steel devil appeared, crossing its bulky arms. (1,400 DEF)
"Then I'll use this…"
Her second Spell Card opened up, revealing it to be Fiend's Sanctuary. A five-pointed star appeared on the floor, and a small, metal stickman rose from it. (0 ATK)
"I sacrifice both my monsters…" she said.
"Not another double sacrifice!" shouted Maddie.
"Oh yeah…" said Yolanda.
The ground started to tremble, and a hand reached out of the pavement…
"If you think this is scary, I don't blame you… I summon Arcane Force: XXVI – The Tower!"
The huge… well, monster that rose from the ground was like a tall, hulking slab of bulky stone in humanoid – well, almost-humanoid – form. It had a thick cylindrical torso atop three equally thick legs, and four muscular arms with large, muscular hands. Its head had a ridged, dome-shaped cranium, and one eye under a smaller ridge for a nose, and no mouth or ears.
Then the one eye opened. It was blood-red. (2,600 ATK)
"That's the worst one yet…" said Clayton, starting to sweat.
"I take it you don't mean creepy like Edward Gorey?" asked Maddie.
"No, Edward Gorey was okay as far as his medium went," replied the curator, "this crosses the line…"
"Yeah, well, the guy who invented this game was an artist himself," sighed Maddie, "but I'm not sure how much he was involved with these guys…"
Edgar was a little worried too… The Tower was almost never good news in a tarot reading, and it didn't matter whether it came up upright or inverted. It came right after The Devil, and was the universal symbol of ruin and destruction. It could mean chaos, downfall, destruction, indecision, or doubt... The only time it could ever be positive, maybe, was when it appeared inverted in a reading with several cards, when it might counter an even worse prediction made earlier in the reading.
The Tower's one eye glowed, and three copies of its card appeared above it, and then started to spin.
"Three?" asked Edgar.
"As you heard," said Yolanda, "the difference in spelling means this one is different. Listen closely. When these three cards stop spinning, I add up the number of them that are right-side-up, then add one."
The cards stopped, and two were right-side-up, one was upside-down.
"Well, that's a four…" she said. "I'll explain that if I have to, but… This card can't be destroyed by card effects the turn it's summoned, so bye-bye!"
The brute lifted its right fist, and it thundered towards Edgar…
"Defense Draw activate!" he shouted.
His Trap lifted up, and a shield of force funneled out of it, holding the fist at bay.
"Phew!" he said, and made a draw.
Finally… he thought when he saw what it was.
"So you're safe, for now…" she said. "But not for long. See, that three I rolled is the number of End Phases before the Tower's own effect destroys itself."
"Come again?" asked Edgar.
"Consider this thing a Tower of Babel with legs," she said. "After four Standby Phases, yours and mine, it destroys itself, and the player whose turn that is when it happens takes 3,000 points of damage.
"Or that may happen sooner, if you destroy it outside of battle, but then I'm the one who takes damage.
"Get it?"
"Yeah, I got that…" said Edgar. "That card is an even crazier risk than the Hangman was."
"Yeah, well maybe I just like to take risks," she said.
"You sure you don't want to add Sowing of the Fool to your deck?" he asked.
"PUH-LEASE!" she shouted. "There's a difference between 'take risks' and 'act like Evel Knievel'!"
"Uh, touché," he said.
It means that she has an edge here… he thought. Four End Phases means it will destroy itself on my turn…
"End turn…" said Yolanda, "so turn one ends now…"
She stabbed her thumb down, and Edgar drew.
At least I can protect myself… he thought.
"I'll use the Spell Card, Level Limit Area B," he said.
The Continuous Spell appeared, and the Tower made a creaking, groaning sound as it knelt. (2,600 DEF)
He played two more cards, and two set cards formed in front of him in two flashes.
No monsters to defend me, he thought, one Continuous Spell keeping a huge thing at bay…
He looked at his four remaining cards, Exodia's left leg, Exodia's central piece, Magical Stone Excavation, and Book of Taiyou.
…only a hair's breadth from victory, but still distant… It's like I'm seeing this through the eyes of that lunatic Rare Hunter from Battle City, and in two turns, it may well end the same way!
Yolanda didn't say anything as she drew a card. She only looked at him slightly, and then set it, then said, "That's the end of turn three…"
Edgar stopped.
He didn't know why… Maybe it was because of all her cards dealing with chance and tosses, but he suddenly remembered the line from that old country song… How did it go?
"Son, I've made a life… Out of reading people's faces… And knowing what their cards were… By the way they held their eyes…"
Edgar had been a Shadowchaser for a long time, and for someone whose life often depended on what cards his opponent used, literally, that was a "trick" he had picked up too, and given that she didn't summon the other card she had… He was almost sure the card she had set was Destruction Jammer.
Avoiding the Tower's blast at the end of his turn wasn't going to be easy…
He drew a card. It was The Beginning of the End… No help there, but…
Wait… he thought.
"I'm using Magical Stone Excavation," he said, as he played the card. "I'll get rid of these…"
He tossed two of his cards.
"Oh, by the way…" he said. "As of right now, all five of Exodia's components are in my Graveyard right now…"
"So?" asked Yolanda.
"Just keep note of that," he said. "Excavation's effect recover's Wiseman's Chalice…"
The Spell Card appeared again, and once again, Frontier Wiseman appeared. Again, the cup spilled… But this time, the monster that appeared… was Justice. (2,100 DEF)
"Wait… WAIT!" shouted Yolanda.
"I don't think this effect is optional, Yolanda," he said, as the card again started to turn. "And as you said yourself, it can't be countered…"
Everyone was watching it closely… Then it started to slow… Then, it nudged to the right-side-up position, and Maddie let out a small cheer. Justice drew its sword again, stood up briefly and cut through the much bigger Fairy. Yolanda screamed…
She screamed loudly…
(E: 1,800) - - - - - - - - - - (Y: 2,900)
"Made it with half a turn to spare..." said Edgar, with a gulp.
"Well, that should…" said Clayton.
"EDGAR!" yelled Maddie. "Yolanda…"
Edgar noticed it too, Yolanda was still screaming, and the reason was because the Tower was still there. Justice's sword had made a terrible scar on its chest, but now it had turned toward Yolanda with a look of fury…
Then it grabbed her in its right fist.
"But… but…" said Maddie. "She still has Life Points left, it… It's trying to kill her!"
"Stop it!" shouted Edgar.
He was about to run to Yolanda, but then, Justice lifted its sword, a silent warning telling him to yield.
Then its blank face turned to him. A voice came from the creature:
"Finish it… Or we will…"
"Uh…" thought Edgar. "Fine… If that's the only language you… things understand…"
He played the Beginning of the End card.
"I'll banish five of the nine Dark monsters in my Graveyard to draw three cards."
He took Shadow Lord Exodia, Spirit Reaper, Hierophant of Shada, Big Eye, and Exodia the Forbidden One, then put them aside as he drew three times.
Please let me get what I need… he thought. Yes!
"I set this monster," he said quickly, as he set the card, "then use Escape from the Dark Dimension to summon the head of Exodia to the field…"
One of his two Trap Cards lifted up, and a dark wormhole opened. Exodia's disembodied, severed head floated out of it. (1,000 ATK)
"Then, Book of Taiyou!" he shouted.
The set monster flipped up, revealing, of all things, a cute-looking penguin holding a sword. (750 ATK)
"I'll use Penguin Soldier's effect to reclaim itself and Exodia…"
The Penguin turned to a watery blob, and the head to an orb of shadow, both turned to cards, and both flew to his hand.
Yolanda screamed again, weaker this time. Edgar's other Trap lifted up.
"I have just enough cards left in my Graveyard to use Backup Soldier…" he said.
The Right Arm, Right Leg, and Left Leg flew out of his discard slot. Then he used one more Spell Card…
Monster Reincarnation. He discarded Penguin Soldier, and took the Left Arm…
The sky darkened, and flaming lines started to draw a pentagram in mid-air. The Tower stopped, then slowly turned towards Edgar…
Slowly, the giant form of Exodia the Forbidden One emerged from the portal, its arms and legs bound by shackles… Then the shackles broke, and it roared to the heavens…
"Exodia… OBLITERATE!"
Justice dove for cover, but broke into little shards, as the powerful bolt of divine flames blasted through the Tower. Infernal obscenities came from the thing's death throes as it was literally eroded by the blast…
(E: 1,800) - - - - - - - - - - (Y: X)
Yolanda was propelled backwards, but Exodia quickly reached an arm out, catching her before she fell and letting her down gently.
As it vanished, Edgar ran up to her and knelt beside. A quick check to the pulse on the neck confirmed that she was alive, but…
"Maddie, call an ambulance…" he said.
As Maddie dialed the nearest Shadow-compatible paramedics, Edgar knelt over her.
He noticed an odd pendant she was wearing. It resembled a mask, shaped like a shield, black on the left side, white on the right, the black side with a distorted smile, the white side with an equally distorted frown.
He gently undid the chain, then looked at it closer.
"Their coming, Edgar, they…" said Maddie. "What…"
"I think I know why she was having so much luck…" he said. "Three rules about gambling, Maddie. Never play craps with a guy who brings his own dice, never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a state…
"And never play any game of chance against someone with one of these."
He lifted the small pendant, and she was a little surprised.
"A Charm of Olidammara?" asked Maddie. "She was cheating?"
"Well, only if she was actually channeling the Laughing Rogue, and that seems unlikely," said Edgar. "Using ugly eldritch abominations really aren't his style…
"It's possible she was working for some cult that followed some dark aspect of Olidammara or something, but we might have to wait until she wakes up to find out…
"…whatever the case, she must have wanted that painting pretty badly…"
He looked at the Space Angel portrait and Yolanda's cards on the ground…
This is bigger than simple art… he thought. Much bigger…
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
NECRO SACRIFICE (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A grinning mouth above a forest with trees shaped like hands; in the center, a figure is inside a glowing sphere.
Card Description: Select 1 Level 5 or higher Monster in your hand that can be Normal Summoned. Take the Monster(s) from your Graveyard necessary for a Tribute Summon of the selected Monster, and Special Summon them to your opponent's side of the field in face-up position (your opponent decides the Battle Positions). During this turn, you may Normal Summon the selected Monster without Tributing
Note: "Necro Sacrifice" was first used by Saiou in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Source of Strength".
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
REVERSE REBORN (Spell Card)
Equip Spell
Image: The face of Arcana Force VIII: The Strength on a background of grey and white shapes.
Card Description: Select 1 "Arcana Force" Monster in your Graveyard. Special Summon it to your side of the field in Attack Position and Equip it with this card. The Special Summoned Monster has its "Tails" effect applied. If this card is removed from the field, destroy the Equipped Monster.
Note: "Reverse Reborn" was first used by Saiou in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "The Phoenix Has Landed (Part 2)".
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
MAGICIAN'S SCALES (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: Arcana Force I: The Magician producing crackling orbs of plasma from its hands.
Card Description: Tribute 1 "Arcana Force" monster you control. Add 1 Spell Card from your deck to your hand.
Note: "Magician's Scales" was first used by Saiou in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Future Changes".
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
HIEROPHANT OF SHADA (Monster Card)
Spellcaster/Dark/Lvl4/1,600/1,200
Effect: If this card is attacked by an opposing monster, you may increase its ATK by 800 for every Lvl 1 "Forbidden One" monster in your hand. If you do, then during the Standby Phase of the turn, send this card to the Graveyard and Special Summon all "Forbidden One" monsters in your hand in Attack Position.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
SHADOW LORD EXODIA (Monster Card)
Spellcaster/Dark/Xyz/Rank1/1,800/0
3 Lvl 1 Normal monsters
Effect: Cannot be Special Summoned except via Xyz Summon. If this card would be destroyed by battle, you may detach 1 Xyz Material to prevent it from being destroyed and increase its ATK by 500. If all of this card's Xyz Materials are detached via this effect, destroy this card during the Standby Phase of the turn, and then add up to 4 Lvl 1 Normal monsters to your hand from the Graveyard.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
REFURBISHED POT OF GREED (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: The Goblin of Greed holding up a hastily repaired Pot of Greed, mostly made from bits of the other Pots, including the Jar of Greed and Pot of Generosity. Several half-empty tubes of Krazy Glue are lying on the ground.
Card Description: Draw 1 card. This card's name is treated as 'Pot of Greed' while in the controller's hand or when activated.
"Refurbished Pot of Greed" was designed by Metal Overlord 2.0. Credit goes to him.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
DETOUR OF FATE (Spell Card)
Quickplay Spell
Image: A surrealist picture of a bald man in a suit, derby hat, and a cane, from behind, on a road floating in a void, a sun with a face to his left, a moon with a face to his right, and the Northern cross ahead. The path ahead of him forks.
Card Description: Activate by discarding 1 card from your hand when an "Arcana Force" monster you control is destroyed by battle. Special Summon an "Arcana Force" monster from your Graveyard with a lower Level than the destroyed monster. It cannot attack this turn.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
ARCANE FORCE XVI – THE TOWER (Monster Card)
Fairy/Light/Effect/Lvl7/2,600ATK/2,600DEF
Effect: Cannot be Special Summoned. This card cannot be destroyed by Spell, Trap, or Monster Card effects the turn it is summoned. When this card is Normal Summoned, flip a coin 3 times; add 2 to the number of Heads results, and take note of the sum. Destroy this card after a number of End Phases (counting yours and your opponent's) pass equal to the sum. If this card is destroyed via a Spell Card, Trap Card, or monster effect, other than its own effect, the opponent of the player who activated the effect that destroyed it takes 3,000 points of damage. If this card is destroyed by its own effect, the turn player takes 3,000 points of damage.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
ARCANE FORCE X – FORTUNE (Monster Card)
Fairy/Light/Effect/Lvl5/2,000ATK/2,000DEF
Effect: Cannot be Special Summoned. During each of your turns, roll 1 die, and apply 1 of the following effects depending on the result:
1: You take damage equal to this card's ATK.
2. Destroy all Spell and Trap Cards you control.
3. Destroy the face-up monster you control with the highest ATK.
4. Destroy the face-up monster your opponent controls with the highest ATK.
5. Destroy all Spell and Trap Cards your opponent controls.
6. This card may attack directly this turn.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
ARCANA FORCE XI – JUSTICE (Monster Card)
Fairy/Light/Effect/Lvl6/2,100ATK/2,100DEF
Effect: When this card is Summoned, toss a coin: Heads: Destroy one face-up monster controlled by your opponent. Tails: Destroy all of your monsters. The effects of this card cannot be countered or negated.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
ARCANA FORCE IX – THE HERMIT (Monster Card)
Fairy/Light/Effect/Lvl5/1,900ATK/1,900DEF
Effect: When this card is Summoned, toss a coin: Heads: Select 1 face-up "Arcana Force" monster except this one; that monster's effect is now treated as the opposite coin toss result. Tails: All "Arcana Force" monsters you control are treated as having their Tails effects.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Jemorille: Any criminal psychologist who specialized in art thefts would have called Yolanda's attempt even worse than that of an amateur. She had tried to lift a painting in broad daylight, with in a crowded museum during business hours, and with no escape plan. Clearly, her chances of escaping with it were close to zero.
And the excuse she gave was farfetched, even when heard by a man with an open mind like Edgar. He would have dismissed it as the ranting of a lunatic… But her cards were rare as it was, and at least two of them seemed to be tainted with a dark curse that made them as dangerous to her as it was for any who dueled her.
For now, we aren'tready to leave Roswell. Next chapter, a new page is added to this already deepening mystery, possibly with a new clue.
Hopefully. After all, nobody seems to have much right now. "Big Shot" is next.
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Author's note:
Starting next chapter, an old feature will be back, with a new twist. The Shadowchaser Files will be returning, but they will not just profile characters.
This time around, the Files will come in categories:
Personalities: Much like before, unique characters of the franchise.
Races: Whole species of Shadowkind unlike any you have ever seen.
Organizations: Groups with Shadow-related organizations and memberships, both benign and malignant.
Artifacts: Magical and technological devices with eldritch – and often forbidden – powers.
Locations: Mystical, mysterious, and often dreaded locations where strange things are bound to happen.
It's all coming soon.