If you're an American voter who voted for the current American President, you probably heard angry accusations by the opposing party about how he "stole the election" using voter fraud and/or underhanded tactics.
And, you may have heard that from members of your own party the last time a member of the opposing party was President.
Let me ask you something. How many Presidents have had to deal with accusations like this? Simple answer, really. ALL of them. It's nothing new, and in fact, these accusations and the vile attack ads that mud-slinging candidates have thrown at each other used to be much worse.
Political conspiracy theories are older than you may think. It was no secret that Thomas Jefferson was born illegitimate, but some of his enemies said that his father was George Washington himself. (Washington was only eleven years older than Jefferson.) Abraham Lincoln was rumored to have had a homosexual affair as a young man, if not to have been outright bi. FDR was rumored to have known about the attack on Pearl Harbor in advance, not to mention having ordered the attack Nagasaki after already receiving a surrender from Japan, doing so simply to frighten the Russians. (Rather hard to do, seeing as he died even before the attack on Hiroshima, and Truman gave the orders for both attacks.)
For anyone who thinks accusing a politician of being the anti-Christ is a new tactic, guess again. Almost every U.S. President was accused of being one, if not the Devil himself.
Even some of the most beloved of our Founding Fathers spread blatant lies, like John Adams did in this excerpt from a campaign speech referring to Jefferson:
"Murder, robbery, rape, adultery and incest will be openly taught and practiced, the air will be rent with the cries of the distressed, the soil will be soaked with blood and the nation black with crimes. Are you prepared to see your dwellings in flames? Female chastity violated? Children writhing on the pike?"
He also said that Jefferson was "the son of a half-breed Indian squaw raised on hoe-cakes" and accused Alexander Hamilton, of being "a Creole bastard brat of a Scotch peddler."
Jefferson was hardly innocent either, replying by saying Adams wanted to start a war with France, that "While he's not busy importing mistresses from Europe he's trying to marry one of his sons to a daughter of King George III," and that he was "the son of a half-breed Indian squaw raised on hoe-cakes."
Florentine philosopher Niccolò Machiavegli once said, "Politics is the art of lying". And when too many people believe such lies… They turn into conspiracy theories.
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CHAPTER EIGHT
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Lake of Fire
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Russia. Specifically, the Tunguska region of Krasnoyarsk Krai.
The region that was most often associated with Siberia, it was a vast expanse of forest, covered with snow, pelted by chilling winds.
In the mid-part of the region, far from most towns and cities, a lone hiker dressed in cold-weather gear trudged through the forest. He wasn't having a very good time – and was starting to understand why the thought of being sent to a gulag in this part of Russia was such a feared punishment – but was trying to keep his mind occupied by humming the old tunes he knew, even though he was running out of them.
"The toilets in the Army are the best that they can get,
"Last night my roommate had to go, they haven't found him yet.
"Oh, I don't want no more of Army life,
"Gee mom, I wanna go home."
He was about to sing another verse, but then yelled "OUCH!"
Then he cursed something under his breath, looked around, and sat down on an old log, setting his pack down. He pulled off his right boot and started to shake the rocks out of it.
"My mom wanted me to be a dentist…" he grumbled. "I wouldn't listen…"
"Hank?" said a voice from the device on his arm. "Hank, you there?"
Hank lifted his arm where his Duel Disk was, and tapped the switch. Like Douglas, this new system was taking a while to get used to, but it seemed simple enough.
"Talk to me," he said, in a tired voice.
"See anything yet, Hank?" asked the voice on the other end.
"No, Felix," he replied. "There's nothing here but trees, snow, and… more trees. There only people who really live here are the Evenks and a few small clans of goliaths, and I doubt they'd have anything someone would want. Someone would have to be an idiot to start trouble in a place like this. Honestly, I could find something more interesting in the Sahara Desert."
"Okay, Okay, watch it there," said Felix's voice. "Tell that to the guys we sent to Oman to deal with that really mean djinn who was causing trouble. We had to call in Rayearth to break the curse that the jerk had cast on the prince's daughter, and even then it took a week for the poor girl's skin to clear up.
"I know these trips to Sky Monastery aren't the most desirable of jobs, but as you know, the yikaria would love to seize back control of it from the monks, and we're under an obligation to check on them…"
"Yeah every four months," replied Hank. "We aren't due for another six weeks…"
"Every four months or if reasonable cause exists that there's a threat," replied the voice, "and as my source claims, a few have been sneaking around that area."
"You trust him on that?" asked Hank. "You'd think a bunk of eight-foot tall guys with the heads of yaks would be hard to miss."
"We can't take the risk, Hank," said the voice. "They may look funny, but as we both know, they're some of the most powerful elementalist wizards around, and them getting ahold of that place again is the last thing we need. Besides, there might be a few things to see. You're pretty close to the site where that… Thing crashed way back when…"
"What… The Tunguska Event of 1908?" asked Hank.
He looked around. Indeed, he was in that area, where well over a hundred years ago, something had crashed from the sky, something that had stuck with the power of a small nuclear bomb, despite the fact it was long before such weapons had been invented yet. It left no crater, but it did leave a fifty-foot mile radius area of burnt, scorched trees. Miraculously, it had happened in an uninhabited area, so no-one was hurt, but if it had crashed in a place like Moscow or St. Petersburg… It was frightening to think of what may have happened.
Most scientists – both those who studied the crude theories of the time and modern ones – assumed it had been a meteor, but that didn't stop wild mass guessing…
"Come on, Felix you don't actually believe that story about Nikola Tesla being some mad scientist who caused it by building a death ray?"
"Well, there has been a lot of research since then," said Felix, "and so much has been debunked, but you never know… Maybe they missed something…"
"Right, maybe you're going to tell me the story about Nibiru crashing into Earth?" sighed Hank. "I'll talk to you later…"
He turned the communicator off.
Guy really needs to get out more, he thought.
He picked up his pack and his walking stick, then started to hike northward again… Then he stopped.
He was closer than he thought to that incident they just spoke about. In fact, he was pretty sure this part of the forest was "ground zero", so to speak.
He looked around. He was in the middle of Siberia, in a region where there were rarely more than forty days a year when the temperature went over fifty degrees, none of them in October… Snow was on the ground…
Why do I suddenly feel like I'm in Miami? he thought.
He slowly started to walk forward again. Then he stopped again, suddenly.
The underbrush around him was burnt and scorched, as were most of the trees. Small fires were still burning. Several acres of woodland in front of and around him had been burned by still smoldering flames.
What in… he thought. Of all the things he had heard of the yikaria doing, wildlife arson was never one of them. Fire was part of elementalist magic, but the yikaria were skilled enough not to be careless with it.
He paused and stared for a good minute. Looking at the blasted landscape around him, he drew his coat tighter around himself with a shiver that wasn't just from the cold anymore. He had read stories about the Shadowchasers before him, and one of his favorites had always been Voltaire Amore.
Namely, he was suddenly reminded of a report where, in a similarly burnt out forest deep in Europe, Voltaire had run afoul of a particularly nasty ghoul by the name of Adleg. A real piece of work even by the standards of most undead, Adleg had been burnt alive after a failed robbery, and thus had returned with a taste for arson and murder.
Seeing such devastation Hank had to wonder, if a tiny burnt out section of a forest had created such an unpleasant creature, what could something on this scale have possibly created that might still be lurking around?
Suddenly, the peculiar change in weather turned from warm to very hot. He turned around to see a ball of fire crashing towards the ground, towards him.
Fortunately, it was moving slowly for some reason, not like it was falling at all. Still, he didn't take time to question that. He dove aside, and the ball of flame hit, setting fire to some brush and turning the snow to hot steam.
Okay, NOW things are getting interesting… he thought, as he looked up, and saw a man-shaped figure walk towards him.
The strange man was clearly not a yikaria, and he was… bizarre. A muscular man with bronze feathers in place of hair, on his elbows, shoulders, and on his back. He wasn't exactly dressed for the location, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans, but waves of heat seemed to radiate from his body. He was bald, and had burning red eyes. He lifted his arms, and flames danced over his skin.
"Oh, thank goodness, it's just a phoelarch…" gasped Hank. Then he caught himself. "What am I saying?"
That was likely worse. Phoelarch were Shadowkind, but not naturally occurring ones. They had once been human, but unlike standard ways to transform yourself into a powerful being, no-one ever wanted to be one or became one intentionally. This was the occasional result of surviving a deadly magical disease called fire taint.
While any injury involving fire is dangerous, if such an injury occurs in a place where dark or unholy magic is strong, the victim risks contracting fire taint. Symptoms of fire taint include (along with the injuries caused by the burns) pain from the burns more intense than normal, leading to mental anguish, muscle weakness, possibly brain damage, and the inability to heal the burns with conventional medicine. If a cure for the disease is not applied, insanity or death might result.
Still, some victims are strong enough to overcome the disease on their own without treatment through a strong constitution or sheer force of will, and if they manage to do so, a transformation from human to phoelarch occurs, giving the victim great power over the element of fire.
Still, this and other transformations gained via surviving magical diseases was one of the riskiest ways to gain magical power. Aside from the usual risks of refusing treatment for a disease, there was always the chance that the madness caused might not be reversed by the transformation…
The phoelarch stretched, as if to yawn… Then flames spouted from his arms to both sides, igniting two trees that the first fire had at first missed.
"HEY!" shouted Hank.
He threw his pack aside, and tried to tackle the creature… Which was a bad idea. A wave of intense heat sent him tumbling backwards into what was now wet mud caused by the melted snow.
The phoelarch cackled.
"The Son of Man will send his angels," he cackled, "and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
"What in the world are you talking about?" asked Hank. "Not that I don't welcome some relief from the cold, but you're going to burn the whole forest down, you idiot!"
"Humans are heading that way already," said the creature. "He said to Noah after the Great Flood that the end would come not with Water, but with Fire, and when that time came, the world would burn.
"And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of His name."
"Anyone ever tell you you're a lunatic?" asked Hank. "Look, my past attempts to reason with people making crazy sermons never seem to work…"
He threw his coat aside, and then pulled his sword from the sheath.
"…so I'm not gonna bother!"
He lifted the weapon, but before he could take a swing, there was another surge of flame, and the metal bent like soft lead.
Okay, so maybe that wasn't such a good idea… thought Hank.
"You're crazy…" he said to the phoelarch.
"Am I?" asked the creature.
He gestured, and a ring of flames encircled both him and Hank, about twenty yards in diameter.
Then he lifted his left arm, and a Duel Disk in the shape of a flame appeared on it.
"You're young, and it's not too late," he said. "I'll give you advice… Take old Ezekiel's words to memory and hear them well…"
Ezekiel? thought Hank. I've heard of nutcases who thought they were Jesus or Moses, but…
"Twenty-five years ago, I was just the young son of a sheep farmer, and I was put in charge of disposing carcasses that had succumbed to an extreme epidemic of some cattle-borne illness. I was throwing them into bonfires I had lit.
"When I picked one up… It was infected by a swarm of rot grubs, which leapt on me…"
Now even Hank was afraid. Rot grubs were the stuff of nightmares, horrid parasites from beyond Shadow. They were the size of slugs and lived in carrion and filth, but if they came in contact with a warm-blooded living creature, they'd burrow their way into him until they reached his heart. The victim would usually die in two minutes tops, but he'd spend those two minutes screaming in horrible agony the whole time.
"I panicked, and ran, not watching where I was going," continued Ezekiel, "and I crashed headlong into one of the bonfires. My father heard my screams, and pulled me out in time. I was burned over most of my skin… But my life had been saved, as the fire had killed the grubs."
So that explains it… thought Hank. Some dark curse must have killed the sheep and attracted the grubs, and the lingering magic combined with the accident caused fire taint.
"I lay sick in bed for weeks, unconscious most of the time," continued Ezekiel, "and had horrible dreams. I dreamt of fiery meteors falling from the sky, of Moscow and St. Petersburg erupting in flames, and then finally, the largest one of all… One that I knew was yet to come…
"I woke up… I was stronger than before, STRONG!"
He lifted up his hands, and flames spouted upward.
Crazier too… thought Hank.
"That fire did more than save my life then…" continued Ezekiel. "I was purified on a white-hot fire. I know what my dreams meant. The end is coming, and only a few will be saved…"
His Disk activated.
"You want to duel me?" asked Hank.
"Like I said, you're young," he continued. "The white hot fire can purify those who truly desire it. Accept it and be saved… Or reject it and you can join the fate of all sinners when the time comes…
"They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power."
Hank rolled his eyes. This guy was clearly insane. Still, with the subject of Voltaire Amore was still fresh in his mind, he switched his own Disk into position.
He's much stronger than I am, he thought, and as Voltaire was known to say, three of the most useful rules you learn in the Shadowchasers are, mind your manners, keep an open mind, and if someone offers you a fighting chance when you should otherwise be past tense, you damn well take it!
He flipped his Duel Gaze over his left eye, and the system activated.
"Duel interface set, augmented reality vision link established."
(Hank: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Ezekiel: 8,000)
Ezekiel drew a card, and his expression suddenly turned serious.
"For my first move…" he said, "I'll summon Vermillion Sparrow Summoner…"
As he played the card, a bird made of fire soared down from the sky, then slowly touched down, folding its wings. It quickly turned into a young woman with purple hair and eyes. She wore a black "catsuit" with a cloak and gold trim. (1,600 ATK)
He flicked his hand, and a reversed card appeared behind her.
"That's all…"
Vermillion Sparrow Summoner? thought Hank, looking at the female Spellcaster's face. I'm guessing she does more than summon Vermillion Sparrow.
He looked at his first draw. It was a new one… He hadn't gotten a chance to test this one yet, but…
No time like the present, he thought, fitting it on his Disk. The ground shook, and a mass of bones lifted up from out of the ground, piecing themselves together into a large T-Rex skeleton, with sharp spurs jutting from every joint and blue flames in its eyes. (1,700 ATK)
"Then an old standard," he said, "my Gilasaurus."
The well-known, smallish raptor leapt beside the large Zombie and hissed. The Spellcaster gave a mean look at both the monsters. (1,400 ATK)
"Skelesaurus, attack with Enervation Blast!"
He called it a 'blast', but it was more like a cloud of dust, and what happened even made Hank flinch a little. Vermillion Sparrow Summoner screamed in agony as her clothing, then flesh turned to dust, and she collapsed into a pile of bones.
"Uh… Uhm…" said Hank. "I…"
Skelesaurus growled a little.
Maybe I should have thought this through some more, he thought.
"Bah…" said Ezekiel. "Such is the fate of the weak… But at least she has some use. Her death means I get to summon a Warrior from my deck with 1,500 Attack Points or less, so I choose Rune Lord."
There was a small surge of fire, and the Warrior that appeared looked like a dwarf with blackened armor, fiery red hair and a beard, and flames shrouding his hands. (1,300 ATK)
"Yeah? Let's see how tough he is…" said Hank. "Gilasaurus, Savage Claw!"
The small dinosaur moved at a blur, and a look of shock appeared on the dwarf's face. As Gilasaurus stopped, a long, diagonal scar appeared on the Rune Lord's armor… then he shattered.
"So much for him…" said Hank.
"He's gone, but not for long," said Ezekiel. "For when sent from the field or my hand to the Graveyard, Rune Lord is eradicated completely…"
"Uh, as in banished?" asked Hank.
"Call it what you will," continued Ezekiel, "but I will be able to use him again if at least two superior beings of Fire come to my aid before my next turn ends… But only from the same place whence Rune Lord himself came, so long as I haven't already done so… Which I assure you, will not be difficult."
Okay, this guy is talking weird, but I think I get it, thought Hank. He'll be able to recover that Rune Lord for whatever reason he plans if he summons at least two high Level Fire monsters, on his turn… But only if he doesn't summon anything from the Extra Deck or doesn't plan to on his next turn…
He took three more of his cards and set them.
Better be prepared, he thought, as they phased into existence behind his monsters.
"Your move…"
"Oh, I'll draw…" said Ezekiel, drawing. "And the next card I use… Is Convulsion of Nature!"
As he played the Continuous Spell the ground split and cracked, geysers of magma flowed from below, and a powerful storm started to rage overhead. Hail started to fall from the heavens, turning into foul smoke upon hitting the ground.
"A mere foreshadowing of what is to come…" said Ezekiel. "Now, we both take our decks, and turn them upside down with the bottoms facing upwards."
Hank reluctantly did so, having a feeling what this guy was up to.
"Next, I use my Continuous Trap Card," continued Ezekiel, as the card lifted. "With Hazy Glory, I can Normal Summon a monster with the words 'Hazy Flame' in its name for one less sacrifice. And because all of them except one are Level 6, that means I don't need any sacrifices for any of them."
Hank started to sweat a little. He heard of Hazy Flames… He wasn't all-too sure what that odd one was, but he had heard rumors of an incredibly powerful and nigh-unstoppable beast…
"I summon Hazy Flame Sphynx!" shouted Ezekiel.
There was a shower of embers, and a female leonine monster with a woman's head and long, flowing, fiery hair prowled menacingly onto the field. She looked at Hank, licked her lips, and smirked. (1,900 ATK)
"Like all sphinxes, this one has a riddle, but fear not, I have to guess it. I have to guess whether the top card of my deck is a Monster, Spell, or Trap, and if I'm correct, I get to Special Summon a Fire Attribute monster from my Graveyard or hand.
"I guess monster…"
He flipped the top card from his deck, and turned it towards Hank.
"What a surprise, it is," replied Hank.
Then a crafty and ironic thought came to him.
"You needed Convulsion of Nature to be sure? What sort of prophet are you?"
"Careful," replied Ezekiel. "The Pharaoh doubted that Moses was a prophet until it was too late. Now, I'll get rid of this…"
He discarded the card he had picked up.
"…and because I was right, I can Special Summon Hazy Flame Cerbereus."
He took another card from his hand, and there was a loud howl that grew into three. A mastiff with three heads, fiery orange fur, and bright red snakes as manes appeared from the lava behind him. (2,000 ATK)
"Ugh…" said Hank.
"Time for the true test…" said Ezekiel.
Then Sphynx smiled sweetly at Gilasaurus… And flaming beams of energy shot from her eyes, turning it to a pile of ash. Then three large fireballs shot from Cerbereus' mouth and slammed into Skelesaurus. A pile of scorched and burned bones fell on the ground with a clatter.
(H: 7,200) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 8,000)
"My turn is over now, and because I met the conditions, Rune Lord returns to my hand…"
He held out his palm, and a small flame appeared in it, turning into the card.
"Time to prove yourself… It will be interesting to see if He will judge you any more worthy of living on His domain than the ancient creatures you use in your deck."
"You know fellah…" said Hank. "I've seen a lot of guys like you… Most of them become conservative television evangelists… Or head small churches who ask for donations and buy time on public radio…"
He drew a card.
"Sure, they act like lunatics, but they always have a large audience. So why do it out here in the middle of nowhere? By the way, I'm activating this…"
One of his three Trap Cards lifted up, revealing the Birthright card.
"Skelesaurus is a Gemini Monster, meaning I can summon it to the field using this card."
The lava underneath him churned, and the bone dino crawled out of the molten rock again. (1,700 ATK)
"Now, by what you said, I take it you meant that the dinosaurs were… judged unworthy of ruling the Earth, and were, uhm, 'smote' by the higher powers. Maybe by, say, a meteor striking the Earth?
"Well, that's not the only theory, just the most popular one. They could have frozen to death in an ice age or gone extinct due to a blight that made them sterile.
"You see, 'Ezekiel', that's one of the most frustrating things about paleontology, you only have fossils to work with, and bones only let you make theories about extinct creatures, educated guesses about what they were like… And hypothetical theories about what they might have become."
"Might have become?" asked Ezekiel. "What are you blathering about?"
"Let's start off with the educated guesses," said Hank. "Skelesaurus here is nothing but a fossil, a complete fossil, maybe, but still a fossil, so we'd only be able to guess what the dinosaur might have looked like when alive, with its flesh and organs. But… By Gemini Summoning it… We can entertain one possibility…"
A flash started at the skeleton's tail, and started to cover the whole monster, covering it with muscle, tendons, and finally skin. As Ezekiel watched, the skeleton was given life, becoming a live dinosaur with dull orange skin and tiger-like stripes, its formerly glowing eyes now savage and reptilian.
"By doing so, Skelesaurus' Type and Attribute changes to Dinosaur and Earth, respectively," said Hank, "which means I can use this other Trap…"
Another set card lifted up, one called Survival of the Fittest. The dino let out a low roar, saliva dripping from its teeth. (2,700 ATK)
"It not only boosts his Attack Score by 1,000 points, it lets him attack another monster after destroying one. Which is a good thing, because I figure, after being dead for eons and brought back to life, he's awfully hungry."
"You impudent…" said Ezekiel.
"Go, chow down!" shouted Hank, pointing to Sphynx.
Then Ezekiel looked a lot less confident. The Dinosaur charged the Hazy Flame, its jaws closing on her with a loud chomp. Then it quickly shifted to get a better grip on the Beast-Warrior, then swallowed it.
It turned to the now-frightened Cerbereus, but quickly pounced on that one too, making just as short work.
(H: 7,200) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 6,500)
"Infidel…" growled Ezekiel. "By destroying my Cerbereus, you've triggered its effect, and I get to take any card with the word 'Hazy' in it from my deck."
Again, a small fire appeared in his hand, and turned into a card.
"Yeah, yeah, heard it all before," said Hank. "My Gemini Summoned Skelesaurus has an effect you'll like even less."
The lava started to churn again, and both Hazy Flame Sphynx and Hazy Flame Cerbereus crawled out, but their flesh was decayed with rib bones sticking through, and their eyes… Their eyes seemed colder now… Worst of all, they were on Hank's side of the field. (1,900 DEF), (200 DEF)
"What have you done?" screamed Ezekiel.
"Brought them back as Zombies," said Hank, "but don't fret, I have plans for them…"
His third Trap lifted up.
"I'll use the Trap Card, Hyper Metabolize. I can make an extra Normal Summon of a high-Level Dinosaur… But, the monsters I sacrifice also have to be high-Level.
Then a huge Dinosaur crawled out, a titan standing twenty feet tall with an armored, spiked carapace.
Ultimate Tyranno let out a roar that shook the forest. (3,000 ATK)
"It seems like an uneven trade-off, but it also makes him invulnerable on your next turn. And by the way, chuckles, that starts now."
"How dare you," said Ezekiel, as he drew. "I'm not intimidated by such things…
"His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
"Should I throw up now or later?" asked Hank.
"I use the effect of Hazy Glory to summon, with no sacrifice, my Hazy Flame Peryton!" shouted the phoelarch.
The monster that appeared this time, looked like it was sculpted out of pure fire, resembling a beautiful stag with large wings. (1,600 ATK)
"Then, by discarding a Fire monster from my hand, and sacrificing Peryton, I can summon two additional Hazy Flames from my deck…"
He discarded Rune Lord again, and the Pyro disappeared in a cloud of smoke and ash. In its place, another Sphynx rose, (1,900 ATK) then a fiery, gaunt, hose-like creature with large, fiery wings. (2,100 ATK)
"Next, I'll use the effect of this Sphynx too… I'll declare monster…"
He lifted the card up, and turned it forward.
"Right again…" sighed Hank. "What a surprise…"
Ezekiel discarded it, and Cerbereus rose out of the lava again. (2,000 ATK)
He must have enough monsters to summon that big one… he thought. But…
"I use the Pot of Dichotomy Spell Card!" shouted Ezekiel, holding a card up. "By sending three monsters of different Types from my Graveyard to my deck and reshuffling, I can draw twice… So I'll send my first Sphynx, my Hyppogrif, and my Mantikor…"
Three cards appeared behind him in enlarged form. The Sphynx was easy enough to recognize, another was a match for the winged horse he had just summoned, and the third was some devilish lion-like creature. His deck reshuffled, and he made two draws.
"I can't attack this turn…" he said, "so I'll set these, and end…"
Two fires appeared in front of him, spreading and forming into two set cards. Then a fire formed in his hand once more.
"…which means that once again, I get Rune Lord back…"
Hank drew, then looked at those three monsters, then at his own… suspiciously.
That seems like a pretty obvious set-up… he thought. I'd be pretty dumb to attack…
Unfortunately, since I have Ultimate Tyranno, I don't exactly have a choice here…
"Ultimate Tyranno, destroy his Sphynx with Primal Fury!" he shouted.
The giant Dinosaur let out an enormous bellow… Then one of Ezekiel's set cards lifted up and around.
"I use the Covering Fire Trap Card!" exclaimed Ezekiel. "Now I can add my Hyppogrif's might to my Sphynx's!"
The Sphynx's eyes glowed again, her Attack Score shooting up to 4,000. A white-hot blazing ray of even more power shot from her eyes, turning Ultimate Tyranno to hot ash.
Hank paused for a minute. Then he looked at his other monster.
"I attack Hazy Flame Hyppogrif with my Skelesaurus!" he shouted, as his other Dinosaur tromped towards the Winged Beast."
"You foolish simpleton," chuckled Ezekiel, as his other set card lifted up. "I use the Spell Card, Forbidden Tome!
"By using this card when you declare an attack, the effects of all other cards are negated until the end of the battle, and all monsters are reduced to their original Scores."
The Dinosaur howled as the flesh melted off its bones, returning it to a skeletal state, and its Score returned to 1,700. A flaming feathers shot from Hyppogrif like darts, reducing it to charred bones again.
(H: 5,800) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 6,500)
"Thank you…" said Hank. "Because now that I have no monsters on my field and you have at least two, I can summon my Steel Shelled Ankylosaur."
He played a card, and a new Dinosaur climbed out of the magma, one with a rather appropriate name. It was a huge ankylosaurus, about fifteen feet long and almost as wide as it was tall, covered with metal spiked armor all over its hulking body. (2,000 ATK)
"Unfortunately," he said, fitting his last card into his Spell Zone, "I have to summon it in Attack Mode. Since I've already attacked, I'll just set this and end…"
Interlude
About ten miles outside of Florence was a manor house that, according to the deed, was owned by a man named Alphonse Narcasso. Most knew him as a retired judge for the city.
Still, no-one ever saw Judge Narcasso anymore. Whenever anyone went to the house, they were told he was "away on personal matters". Not that anyone usually had reason to visit him; the utility bills were always paid on time, he had no relatives, and like most wealthy people in the city did, others did errands for him. He was regarded as a reclusive and possibly lonely old man.
Now, a lot of people did know that Narcasso hadn't been the most honest of judges, and that he had accepted bribes in his time. But few knew to what extent. He had graduated law school by buying the answers to his final exam, and was appointed a judge by blackmailing a politician using organized crime influences. And his willingness to accept bribes was far worse than anyone knew about.
Very few knew that even if you bribed him, there was no guarantee he'd rule in your favor. Sometimes, when he felt a defendant who bribed him deserved it – or simply annoyed him – he'd rule against him anyway, after making sure the sentence he handed down would discourage retribution or make such impossible.
The last time he had done that, he had miscalculated.
Which is why very few people – fifteen, exactly – knew that Judge Alphonse Narcasso was dead, the body disposed of using powerful magic. The house was now used as a base of operations for the highest ranking members of Cattivo Fanciullo's gang – who Narcasso had double crossed, naturally – and it was a simple trick to use magic to look like him if he had to appear in public.
In an office that had been converted from a den, Fanciullo leaned on his head and groaned, the bad headache only getting worse. He picked up the bottle of Tylenol in front of him, and then checked his watch. Nope. It hadn't been four hours since he last took it…
Oh, what the hell… he thought, opening the bottle.
Fanciullo often lived by the phrase, "there are two types of people in the world of organized crime, smart people and dead people". Narcasso had obviously not been the smart type. But there were exceptions to this rule. It was possible for a genius in this business to wind up dead if his best-laid plans went wrong. The story of Maxwell "Silver Hammer" Pepard was such a story. (And yes, he did get his nickname from the song. Long story.)
Maxwell was the chief lieutenant of Abe Leonelli. Now, nobody could even remember a time when the Leonelli Family and the Contague Family didn't rule the underworld of Rome, or a time when the two families didn't hate each other. No-one knew just how the decades-old violent feud between the two crime families started, but many Italian lawmakers who studied American history compared them to the Hatfields and the McCoys (and many pointed out that they were worse than the Hatfields and the McCoys, who had eventually been willing to make peace.)
Eventually, however, a violent shootout between the two gangs caused the deaths of three law-enforcement agents in the crossfire – one of them a policewoman – and both gangs were in trouble. Many cops who they were paying off told their contacts they would refuse to support them anymore (well, some of them "told" them that, most actually ambushed and arrested the guys sent to pay them off) while the head of the DIA (the Direzione Investigativa Antimafia, or Anti-Mafia Investigation Department) in Rome was fired and his replacement announced a new zero tolerance policy promising the maximum sentence the law allowed for anyone convicted of organized crime activities; this included any police officer caught accepting bribes.
Not only were Leonelli and his counterpart Marcel Contague in jeopardy because of these new reforms, so were all the other gangs in Italy; practically overnight, lesser gang members went from admiring members of the two gangs as role models to hating their guts. It was clear that their feud had gone a little out of control, even more so when someone asked Contague just how the hell it had started way back when his great-grandfather was in charge, and he had no idea.
So the two mob bosses met, and decided to finally call a truce. They would divide their territory and activities between them – each handling the areas they were better at – and in return would watch each other's backs for mutual protection.
Unfortunately, it was clear that Leonelli was getting the better deal in the whole bargain. Before they finally formally agreed to it, Contague grumbled, and said, "I suppose I'm lucky I don't have to turn over my first-born daughter, Abe…"
Quite a few members of Leonelli's gang laughed at that, even though they knew Contague would never have actually agreed to it. (Molly Contague was very beautiful but her dad was incredibly overprotective.) Leonelli simply chuckled a little and replied, "Not that I wouldn't welcome the offer, Marcel, but tell you what… Just have your daughter send over that lasagna of hers I've heard so much about sometime, and I'll settle for that."
Yes, mobsters do love to eat. Look at them sometime when they appear on the news.
Anyway, Leonelli had been joking, but he was a little surprised when he had his Christmas Eve party the next month and one of Contague's men came over, delivering a large pan of the lasagna along with a Christmas card from Contague's daughter wishing him happy holidays. It was a gesture of goodwill that seemed genuine.
Well, the truce actually turned out in favor for both gangs over the next year. Not only did they manage to stay clear of the police for the most part, despite the new reforms, they were able to profit more than ever. For the first time in years, it was getting to the point that both mobsters didn't have to sleep with a rifle next to them, and they were actually starting to relax. Many were wondering why they didn't do this years ago.
Everyone seemed content… Except one man. Leonelli's second-in-command, Maxwell "Silver Hammer" Pepard.
Max was older than his boss, and tougher. He was a soldier once, and a very hawkish one who had fought in the War, and had been court martialed for torturing POWs. He started to think that Leonelli was getting soft and that making peace with Contague – or anyone – was the same as a surrender. He wasn't stupid, and was a good planner as far as gangland strategy was concerned, but maybe that was his problem. It made him think that peace made you weak. (And he had a point; Leonelli had gained weight over the past year, and was out of shape.)
So he started to engineer a plot that would not only rekindle the fighting, but make it worse. When November came around and Contague promised Leonelli that Molly would have someone send over the lasagna again, hinting they might make this an annual tradition, Pepard obtained a rare poison called vashita, which was a lethal as cyanide, but without the telltale smell of almond. If Max put it in the lasagna, whoever ate it would die within seconds.
Of course, he knew that he couldn't assassinate Leonelli this way, because the mobster had a food-taster. But that's exactly what he was counting on. If the food-taster was killed this way, it would clearly look like an attempt on Leonelli's life orchestrated by Contague, and it would be more than enough for Pepard to convince his boss that their enemy had violated the deal.
Well, Pepard's plan seemed to be perfect. He went over every possibility he could think of a hundred times. No-one saw him slip the poison into the pan of lasagna when the mobster told the cook to reheat it; he and the cook were the only ones in the kitchen.
But then Pepard's plan came crashing down. It seemed that Leonelli's food taster was sick with a 104 degree fever and hadn't been able to make the party. So the guy who Contague had sent to deliver the lasagna volunteered to do the job.
Pepard got part of what he wanted. When the man dropped dead, he was furious, and knew someone had tried to kill him… but he quickly smelled a rat, and didn't blame Contague right away. Would his old rival send one of his own men with poisoned food and not warn him not to eat it? Contague wasn't that stupid.
The mobster quickly told his men to seal off the exits to the place, and had everyone searched. In the end, the true culprit was revealed. As you might expect, Leonelli's next order of business was finding a replacement for Pepard.
The moral of the story is, no matter how well-prepared you are, no matter how many contingencies you plan for, you can never plan for them all. Murphy's Law, in a nutshell.
Fanciullo turned his chair to a small refrigerator by the side, then opened it. Inside was gin, vermouth, and chilled martini glasses. As he took them out, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," he said.
The door opened, and a tall, thin, gaunt, almost sickly-looking man with a pointed nose with spectacles perched on them walked in. He was holding the book that Fanciullo had gotten from the strange girl.
"Well?" asked the don.
"Well, it's clear it has a magical seal on it, sir," said the tall man.
"You have a degree in linguistics, Tranello," said Fanciullo, "can't you do better?"
He started vigorously shaking the mixing glass.
"Well, the sigils on the cover are obviously in an archaic form of the Ignan alphabet," replied Tranello. "An alphabet that was developed on the Elemental Plane of Fire, and used in many languages, including Draconic. Problem is, the language is clearly not any known language that uses Ignan. It's something very different."
Fanciullo stopped shaking it.
"Say what?" he asked.
"Well, if you ever tried using Japanese kanji symbols to literally spell something out in a Western language, you'd know what I meant," replied the henchman. "I think I know some people who… well, might know some people who could figure it out, but stuff like this isn't exactly downloadable."
"Do the best you can…" muttered Fanciullo.
As his accountant left, he poured the martini into a glass.
One of those weeks my ass, he thought.
He took a sip from it as he held his head.
This is gonna be a bad month…
End of Interlude
"Now comes the time reckoning!" laughed Ezekiel, as he drew.
He paused, and looked at the card, then played it.
"I activate The Big Cattle Drive!" he exclaimed. "Because the monsters I now have consist of a Beast, a Winged Beast, and a Beast-Warrior, I can draw three times!"
He quickly drew thrice.
"However, I can't use the effects of any other card this turn, but the time has come…"
He lifted his arms, and flames spouted from them. Hank ducked, and then looked… The fire was coming perilously close to the trees.
"Stop it, you maniac!" he shouted. "Do you want to burn this whole forest down?"
"I made my sacrifice, and now it's time to see if you're willing to…" replied Ezekiel.
"If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It's better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands."
"It seems reasoning with him is pointless…" muttered Hank.
"Attack, my Hyppogrif!" shouted Ezekiel, as the Winged Beast's fiery feathers darted towards Steel Shelled Ankylosaur. "Baptize him and his monster in the white hot flames of renewal!"
"I hate to interrupt a good insane rant," said Hank, "but the armor this guy has isn't just for show. By reducing his Attack and Defense Score by 500, he can survive."
The burning feathers stabbed into the armored dino, embedding themselves in its hide, but while his Attack Score fell to 1,500, he withstood the assault.
Ezekiel frowned. Cerbereus breathed its triple fireballs, but while they scorched Ankylosaur's shell a little, they failed to crack it. (1,000 ATK)
Angry now, Ezekiel turned to Sphynx and pointed, and her beams struck the Dinosaur in the frontal section. This time, the armor did crack, and Ankylosaur's left hind leg gave out, but he still persevered. (500 ATK)
(H: 4,300) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 6,500)
"Seems these Dinosaurs were a little tougher than you assumed," replied Hank. "But then, those guys may be powerful, but not as powerful as a continent-shaping cataclysm."
"SHUT UP!" shouted Ezekiel. "I'll set these and end my turn!"
Again, two large flames appeared in front of him, turning into two set cards.
"Hard to stay in character now?" asked Hank. "Well before you do, I'll activate this!"
His Trap Card lifted.
"Unstoppable Rage," he said. "Because you couldn't destroy my monster, even though you attacked it at least twice, I get to draw twice. However, of the two cards I draw, I have to discard one of them…"
He slowly drew twice. The two cards were Living Fossil and Fossil Tusker. He glanced at the one other card he had, and then discarded Fossil Tusker.
"It's my move now…" he said, making a third draw.
"This monster is Level 8, but I can sacrifice it with only once sacrifice if said sacrifice is a Dinosaur…"
Steel Shelled Ankylosaur disappeared, and there was a crackle in the air and a distinctive smell of ozone.
"You say dinosaurs died out because they were 'not worthy'?" he asked. "Well, let's see what might have happened if the Powers that Be had judged differently… I summon Super Ancient Dinobeast!"
The monster that appeared was huge, almost as big as Ultimate Tyranno, and didn't seem to resemble any known species of dinosaur. It was bipedal, but hunched over, with a ribbed, scaly, armored hide, a dorsal horn, and small, vestigial wings on its back. (2,700 ATK)
"Eh…" said Ezekiel.
"Next, I use Living Fossil to revive Ultimate Tyranno from the Graveyard," said Hank, as he fit the card into his Disk.
The huge dino crawled from the lava again, lacking much of the show and flourish from last time. (2,000 ATK)
"Due to Ancient Dinobeast's effect, I get to draw once whenever a Dinosaur is summoned from the Graveyard," said Hank, making a draw. "As for Tyranno himself, sure he loses 1,000 Attack Points and his effect…"
Tyranno eyed Hazy Flame Sphynx hungrily… Then it charged at her, causing the ground to tremble again.
"…but that doesn't make her higher than him on the food chain…"
For the second time, Sphynx was seized in one mighty chomp. Ezekiel looked at Hank angrily.
"I despise you…" he said.
Then a blast of radioactive energy from Super Ancient Dinobeast hit Hyppogrif, vaporizing it.
(H: 4,300) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 5,800)
"And the feeling is mutual, okay?" replied Hank. "Be glad my old friend Red Feather isn't here… I've never actually seen her kill someone who's been so careless with fire, but there are rumors…"
He took his last card, the one he had just drawn with Dinobeast's effect, and played it.
"I'm using my Advanced Draw Spell Card," he said. "I'll sacrifice Ultimate Tyranno to draw twice…"
The huge Dinosaur disappeared, and he made two draws, again.
"I'll set this card, and it's your move, fellah…" he said, playing one of them.
Ezekiel started muttering something which Hank couldn't understand. (He recognized the language – it was Latin – but he had never actually studied that.) He drew, then one of his Trap Cards lifted up.
"I'm using Beast Burial Ritual," he said. "By destroying one of my Beasts, I get to draw twice…"
Cerbereus vanished in a plume of dark smoke as he made two draws.
"Oh no…" said Hank. "If he destroys that one…"
"Exactly…" said Ezekiel, "I get to take another Hazy Flame from my deck."
"You keep this up, you're not going to have many left in your deck!" replied Hank.
Ezekiel held out his hand as the flaming card appeared in it again.
"Silence!" he replied. "More than enough remain, and lucky for you, I can't use those two cards I drew until next turn, so I'll set one monster, and then banish my Vermillion Sparrow Summoner to summon Inferno in Defense Mode."
First a set monster appeared, then a blazing pyre with burning eyes appeared next to it. (1,900 DEF)
"Your move…" he said.
"Okay, let's see here…" said Hank, as he drew..
Speak of the devil, he thought.
"Time for something different…" he said. "I summon Aarakocra."
It was an odd monster, or that it was certain. She – there was no doubt, given the facial features and long, pink, gossamer robes – had wings, feathers, and a long, multicolored plume down her back, her face being both bird-like and humanlike, soft and gentle. (1,400 ATK)
"Who is she?" shouted Ezekiel.
"Remember what I've been saying?" replied Hank. "My hypothetical situations regarding dinosaurs? Some people have studied what might have happened if they hadn't gone extinct, and this is often combined with the theory that at least some of them didn't go extinct, and evolved into birds.
"The Archaeopteryx is an ancient bird that could well have been the 'missing link', quote-unquote, between dinosaurs and birds, so this monster is…"
"What are you, a duelist or a biology professor?" shouted Ezekiel.
"Losing your patience, huh?" said Hank, as his Trap Card opened. "Well, I lost patience with your dumb sermon about fifteen minutes ago. The correct science here is paleontology, by the way. I activate Fossil Excavation."
He discarded his other card, Cost Down, and once again, Ultimate Tyranno crawled out of the ground. (3,000 ATK)
"Fortunately for you, he can't use his effect this time either, however, I get to draw due to Dinobeast again…"
He looked at the top card on his deck – still in plain sight due to Convulsion of Nature – and took it.
"Now for your monsters…"
Ultimate Tyranno simply lifted its foot, and crushed Inferno with one solid smash. Then Super-Ancient Dinobeast breathed again towards the set card; Rune Lord appeared again, and was atomized.
Then Aarakocra spread her wings and flew upward in graceful flight, then swooped down, delivering a kick to the phoelarch's chest with both feet, knocking him backwards.
(H: 4,300) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 4,400)
"With that, it seems the score is nearly tied," said Hank. "So now I'm going to relate another hypothetical theory regarding what may have been possible should dinosaurs not have gone extinct.
"As we all know, cartoons and the like that show dinosaurs existing alongside primitive humans is fantasy, as humans didn't come along until millions of years later. But… What might have happened had dinosaurs survived, and humans had been able to actually domesticate them?"
Ezekiel chuckled a little.
"Maybe we'd actually have drive-in restaurants that served bronto burgers and pterodactyl wings?" he said with a grin.
"An old fan of The Flintstones, are we?" asked Hank. "Maybe… But here's a more practical use…
"Using my Level 8 Ultimate Tyranno and Super Ancient Dinobeast… I build the Overlay Network!"
The black hole appeared over the flaming arena, and sucked the two Dinosaurs into it… Then the lava flows started to calm, the tremors quieting…
Then a Dinosaur even bigger than Ultimate Tyranno blasted out of the ground like a volcanic eruption. It had the general shape of a T-Rex, but unlike the well-known Tyrant Lizard, it had well-developed, muscular arms with claws. Plus, it had an armored hide that suggested the monster he summoned earlier, just much thicker.
The thing opened its jaws, its loud roar echoing over the landscape and causing the ground to tremble…
(3,400 ATK)
"What is that?" shouted Ezekiel.
"The Battle Titan," replied Hank. "The idea behind it is simple… If humans could have domesticated dinosaurs, they could have crossbred them the same way a horse and donkey is crossbred to breed mules. In this scenario, they would have crossbred a strong and fierce carnivore with a tough and armored herbivore to get the best of both worlds into one creature, creating a living tank, one which would could be used in armies the same way war elephants were used, but with much, much greater efficiency."
He closed his eyes and laughed softly.
"Just a theory, of course…Of what might have been…"
He slipped his last card into his Disk, and it appeared behind the Battle Titan in his Spell Zone.
"It's your move…"
Little does that mutton-headed imbecile know, thought Ezekiel, I've got a beast that will put his to shame…
He glanced at the top card of his deck – still clearly visible – and drew it.
Interlude
A large room in Fanciullo's manor resembled a fancy dining hall. For all practical purposes, it was indeed the dining hall, at least for Fanciullo's enforcers (Fanciullo himself ate alone) but they really had no schedule. The kitchen had a small staff, and could serve them at any time – within reason – and usually had the main meal prepared at this time.
Still, for Tranello Dominare, it was hard to eat when he was engrossed in a project, especially one that was driving him nuts like this one was. His plate of linguini was untouched as he typed at his laptop, the odd journal beside him.
He wasn't the only one there. Uomo and Amare were sitting at the other end, and another member of Fanciullo's gang was seated closer to Dominare, one who tended to stand out.
See, Vincenzo Belsito, Fanciullo's most powerful enforcer and general legbreaker, was a guy who tended to stand out in crowds, even among Mundanes who couldn't see his true form. Simply put, he was huge. A very rare type of lycanthrope called a devil swine (probably related to were-boars, but the animal stock based on the razorback rather than the common boar) he was seven feet tall, solid muscle (the suit he was wearing was custom-tailored) and his head resembling a fierce boar.
As Dominare typed, he muttered and sighed a little, feeling tired. Then Belsito stopped eating for a moment and belched a little.
"Vincenzo, do you mind?" asked Dominare. "You eat like a pig."
The large creature turned and looked at him.
"I am a pig, stupid!" he replied.
"Ugh, walked right into that one…" muttered Dominare. He leaned his head on his hand.
Belsito took a long drink from his mug, then wiped his chin.
"And what's wrong with pigs anyway…" he continued. "Pigs are pretty smart you know, like the ones in that book… What was it called, ah, oh right… Animal Farm?"
"You want to tell him, or should I?" asked Uomo to Amare.
"They get a bad rap, you know?" continued Belsito, who didn't seem to notice the remark.
He paused to take a bite, then went on.
"A guy hates women, they call him a 'male chauvinist pig. I mean come on! Name one guy like me who was like that!"
"Uh, Pierto Roama?" replied Dominare.
"Oh, he didn't hate them any more than he hated everybody!" snapped Belsito.
"He's got a point there," added Amare.
"You stay out of this, Amare!" snapped Belsito.
Then he turned back to Dominare, who was leaning on his hand even harder. Truthfully, Roama was the only devil swine other than Belsito he knew about. (They were kind of rare.)
"Someone tries to make a bad thing look good, they say he's 'putting lipstick on a pig'," continued the devil swine. "You try to build something good with bad stuff, they say you 'can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear'. What do people have against pigs anyway?"
"I dunno," sighed Dominare, "maybe because whenever you go to a farm where they raise them, it's hard to be downwind from them, and you always have to watch where you step?"
Belsito stopped. He put his fork down, looked at Dominare for a few seconds, and then stood up.
"Congratulations, Tranello, you just made history," said the devil swine, "you have made me lose my appetite!"
Then he stormed out the other side of the room, slamming the door so hard it made the light fixture quiver.
"I thought those guys were pals," said Amare.
"They are," replied Uomo. "You wanna know what Vince does to guys he doesn't like who makes him angry?"
"Uh…" said Amore.
"You don't wanna know what he does to guys he doesn't like who makes him angry," said Uomo, shaking his head.
End of Interlude
"As of right now, simpleton," said Ezekiel, "my Graveyard consists of Inferno, plus Sphynx, Hyppogrif, Peryton, and Cerbereus."
He looked at the card he had just drawn, and started to chant.
"And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
"And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
"And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.
"And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
"And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
"And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
"Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six."
Then he threw the card on his Disk, and an explosion erupted from the spot that was seen miles away.
Hank shielded himself from the surge of hellish, fiery heat as a titanic, slightly reptilian… thing towered over him, flames spurting from pores on its blackened armored hide. (2,800 ATK)
Still, despite the overwhelming heat, he was trying his best to keep a cool head, even though sweat was pouring down it…
"Pyrorex the Elemental Lord, huh?" he asked.
"I use its effect," replied Ezekiel. "By summoning this creature, I can destroy the product of your proposed unholy union and deal damage to both of us equal half your monster's Attack Score!"
Harsh, searing fire shot at Battle Titan.
"I survived the white hot fire once… Can you?"
"I sure can…" replied Hank, "and so will my monster. You see, Battle Titan's armor is not only tough, it's reflective, and by getting rid of and Overlay Unit, I can force your monster's effect to target another monster.
"So I'm going to make Pyrorex hit itself."
Battle Titan's scales turned a molten silver hue, and the flames reversed direction.
"DAH!" shouted Ezekiel. "I'll activate this card before that happens…"
His Trap lifted up.
"Spiritual Fire Art – Kurenai!"
"Oh… shit…" said Hank.
Then Pyrorex itself turned into a ball of flame, plummeting past Battle Titan, slamming into Hank, and knocking him on his side.
(H: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 4,400)
"Feeling it now, sinner?" mocked Ezekiel. "The pain that awaits those who are judged unworthy?"
Hank grunted, and looked at him, not getting up yet.
"All I feel now," he said, "is disgust. You're a fraud, fellah."
"How dare…" started Ezekiel.
"That passage of the Bible you quoted a minute ago, before summoning Pyrorex," interrupted Hank, "was Revelation 13:11 through 13:18, the description of the second Beast. Odd that a prophet trying to convince someone he perceived as a sinner to 'repent' would use a thing that represents Evil and the Enemy of God. If you had bothered to read Revelation 19, which came later, you'd see the part where Christ defeats both Beasts and casts them into Hell.
"Know what I think, Ezekiel? You barely even understand half the things you're quoting, you just used some search engine to find the scariest 'fire and brimstone' stuff out of the Bible and strung it all together in one incoherent mess in some lame attempt at psychological warfare."
The two duelists looked at each other hard for a minute or two… Ezekiel took two cards from his hand.
"I set two cards and end my turn…" he hissed.
Now's my chance… said Hank, as he drew.
"Battle Titan, attack him directly!" he shouted.
The sky darkened, and with another earthshaking roar, the Titan lunged at the mad prophet. A scream was all Hank needed to know the strike had hit home…
But then the scream turned into a sinister cackle as Ezekiel slowly started to get up. He was covered with bruises and had a black eye, but he seemed happy…
And he was standing between two Trap Cards.
(H: 1,500) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 5,000)
"Nutrient Z?" gasped Hank. "And… Volcano God's Retribution?"
"Indeed…" said Ezekiel. "I gained 4,000 Life Points before I took any because of my first Trap, but your lummox still managed to deal 3,400 points of damage, and while they say the Lord forgives all, I'm merely a prophet, so I don't have to!"
Then, the ground cracked open, and Sphynx (1,900 ATK), Cerbereus (2,000 ATK), and Hyppogrif (2,100 ATK).
"Three of them?" shouted Hank. "Come on…"
"Of course, they lose their effects," replied Ezekiel, "and should your destroy them now, well, the damage I take will be far more severe."
"I have to end my turn," replied Hank. "Don't forget, no attacks this turn."
"I wouldn't think of it," said Ezekiel with an evil smile as he drew.
"With Hazy Glory's effect, I summon Hazy Flame Hyudra!" he shouted.
This time, the monster looked like a nest of fiery, venomous serpents. (2,300 ATK)
"Like you said, I can't attack, so…"
He set one more card, and it appeared in his Spell Zone.
"And then it's your go…"
"Here goes…" muttered Hank.
He drew.
"Attack that Sphynx, Battle Titan!" he shouted.
"You took the bait!" laughed Ezekiel.
His Quickplay Spell lifted up.
"The Spell Card, Emergency Overlay! To use this I have to discard a card and banish all my Spells and Traps except this one…"
He discarded Rune Lord for what was likely the last time, and both Hazy Glory and Convulsion of Nature disappeared, taking with them the lava flow and blood-red skies.
"But now, I can build the Overlay Network, and the true messenger can descend!"
A fiery, flaming vortex opened, and the four Hazy Flames turned to balls of fire. Each was sucked through, one by one…
Then a monster flew out of it that was three times as big as any one of the others. Beautiful and ferocious at the same time, it was a flaming, demonic rooster with draconic features, its feathers made of fire and consisting of all ranges of the spectrum; the dull red of a campfire, through the bright orange of a bonfire, to the blinding blue of the hottest of suns. (2,500 ATK)
"It's only going to get worse for you and your beast, my friend," said Ezekiel. "Because I used Hyudra to summon it, Hazy Flame Basiltrice gains a fifth monster as an Overlay Unit from my Graveyard.
"When it has three or more Overlay Units, its Attack Points increase by 200 for each one it has…"
(3,500 ATK)
"But there's more… When it has four or more Overlay Units, it can't be targeted by your card effects, and with five, it can't be destroyed by card effects whether they target or not!"
Well, looks like I've finally seen this special Hazy Flame I've heard about, though Hank. Lucky me…
"Aarakocra, move to Defense Mode," he said.
The bird-woman knelt, covering herself with her wings. (1,200 DEF)
"Your move…" he said slowly.
Ezekiel started to giggle uncontrollably as he drew.
"Perfect!" he laughed. "I just drew the Equip Spell Xyz Unit!"
As he used it, Hazy Flame Basiltrice burned even brighter. (4,700 ATK)
"This grants it Attack Points equal to its Rank times 200, and should the need arise, I can use the Equip Spell itself as an extra Overlay Unit.
"Now cleanse this place of that abomination! Crimson Prominence!"
For a brief second, the whole world turned red. Hank felt heat… Incredible heat… He barely saw the attack that blew Battle Titan into a million pieces…
Barely. He did see it…
(H: 200) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 5,000)
When he could see clearly, Aarakocra was shivering in fright, and Hank couldn't blame her. She was next unless he thought of something…
"That's it…" said Ezekiel. "Tremble!
"And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire."
Hank's hand clenched into a fist.
"Bull… shit!" he shouted.
"What?" said Ezekiel. "I…"
"Shut up, you psychopath!" shouted Hank. "I've had enough of this… My move!"
He drew a card. Then he calmed down a little, and cleared his throat.
"Since you're so fond of Biblical verse, I'll quote one for you…
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
He threw a card onto the Monster Zone of his Disk, and a second Gilasaurus appeared. (1,400 ATK)
"You fool…" chuckled Ezekiel. "This time, I can benefit from that monster's effect too… I summon Inferno in Defense Mode."
As he said so, the pyre appeared once again. (1,900 DEF)
"I was hoping you'd do that…" said Hank.
"Eh?" said Ezekiel.
"I use the Spell Card Fossil Fusion!" he shouted.
The ground cracked, both on his side of the field and Ezekiel's, and Fossil Tusker rose of the ground on his side, while Pyrorex emerged from his foe's.
"By fusing together a Rock-Type monster from my Graveyard and a Level 8 Dinosaur from yours," he said, as the two monsters faded away, "I can Fusion Summon my Paleozoic Fossil Dragon – Skullgeoth!"
The ground ripped open again, and a larger, meaner, stronger-looking dinosaur skeleton, a larger version of Skelesaurus, rose out. (3,500 ATK)
"Big deal!" said Ezekiel. "Strong as it may be, it's just another pile of bones."
"Remember my Birthright Trap Card?" asked Hank. "Did you honestly think I'd have that in my deck if I had only one monster to use it with? Aarakocra is a Gemini Monster too, and I'm Gemini Summoning her now!"
The female monster stood up, her gossamer robes shimmering.
"By doing so, she becomes a Tuner, and I get to choose one monster on the field, then change its Level to that of another monster on the field. So I choose to make Gilasaurus the same Level as Paleozoic Fossil Dragon – Skullgeoth, which means it's now Level 8."
"Don't tell me you're going to summon a Level 12 Synchro with just two monsters," replied Ezekiel.
"Oh, I'm not," replied Hank. "In fact, Gilasaurus isn't the monster that Aarakocra will be Tuning with."
His Trap Card tipped up, and turned.
"Using Release from Stone, I can summon Fossil Tusker to the field."
There was a brilliant orb, and a grim-looking, skull and ribcage with tusks lumbered out. (1,800 ATK)
"So I'll Tune together Aarakocra and Fossil Tusker…"
The bird-woman spread her wings and flew upwards, and glowing, golden rings appeared in the sky. The Rock monster followed as she flew through and they both dissolved.
"Heir to a legacy of a lord of Shadows! Prince and founder with a great destiny! Come to lead your troops into battle once again!"
(*4 + *4 = *8)
"Synchro Summon... Dragonprince Jalal!"
Landing dramatically was the avatar of the leader of the Shadowchasers, wearing full dragon-hide armor with sword in hand. (2,500 ATK)
"You see, Ezekiel, unlike you, I don't have to fight this battle alone… And numbers can boost courage. Even when you're being attacked by fire by someone spouting stories of damnation and dooms."
"I'm still not impressed!" shouted Ezekiel.
"Maybe this will impress you," said Hank. "Because I used two monsters to summon him, his sword gains two Fortune Counters, and I can expend them to draw once…"
The blade shimmered as Hank drew.
"And now it's time for a theory that is as frightening as anything you could have thought up, and ironically, this would have been very likely had doom not caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. I already told you what might have happened if they had survived and humans had been able to domesticate and train them…
"But what if dinosaurs had continued to evolve as humans do? They'd have had a million-year head start… They might have become the dominant species of this world…"
"Preposterous!" shouted Ezekiel, even thought he was clearly nervous.
"Is it?" asked Hank. "Think of it, my friend, a human's intelligence in the body of something as strong as a dinosaur… Humans would have been their slaves… Or perhaps even their cattle. Possibly even hunted for sport. They'd have been the masters of this world, and we would have only lived if they allowed it…
"I play the Equip Spell, Unstable Evolution, and Equip it to Gilasaurus."
The small Dinosaur stood upright, assumed a more humanoid form, and grew to about twice its size. (2,400 ATK)
"The attack boost is because my Life Points are lower than yours," continued Hank, "but when a Dinosaur is at least Level 6 and Equipped with that Spell, I can sacrifice it…"
Gilasaurus and its Equip Spell vanished.
"Behold what might have been… The true tyrant lizard, Tyranno Octavius!"
The ground shook again, and a monster appeared that, while not as large as the Battle Titan, was just as fierce. While possessing the same general features as the Tyrannosaurus Rex, it was a nine-foot-tall full humanoid, dressed in bronze plate mail in the style of a Roman Centurion, complete with a crested helmet, sword, and a shield with a dinosaur's head painted on it. (2,500 ATK)
"And now what?" asked Ezekiel, crossing his arms.
"Simple, you lose," replied Hank. "Paleozoic Fossil Dragon – Skullgeoth, destroy Inferno!"
The skeleton started to lumber towards the fire monster.
"Oh, and by the way…" said Hank, "not only can my monster inflict damage by attacking a monster that's defending, but when it attacks, I can switch the Attack Score of your monster with its Defense Score."
"You mean…" said Ezekiel.
Before he could take this in, Hank snapped his fingers, and Inferno slumped a little. (1,100 DEF) Ezekiel screamed as the huge Fossil stomped it flat.
(H: 200) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 2,600)
"Now I can use Tyranno Octavius' effect," said Hank. "You lost 2,400 Life Points, so that's exactly how much is added to his Attack Score for this next strike."
"This can't be!" screamed Ezekiel.
The Dinosaur general lifted his weapon, his Attack Score rising to 4,900. With one solid blow, he smote Hazy Flame Basiltrice, cleaving it down the middle."
"How…" gasped Ezekiel.
He fell on one knee.
"How could I lose? What I saw… Could it all have been wrong?"
"You're a false prophet, Zeke," replied Hank. "You were always a loser, and you were never saving anyone. From primitive times, man knew that fire is a tool that can provide light and warmth… It can cook food and keep the dangerous beasts at bay…
"But they knew, as the dinosaurs – probably – found out the hard way, that using it the way you do can only destroy."
With that, Jalal's sword cut across the phoelarch's chest, and he collapsed like a rag doll.
(H: 200) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 0)
Hank looked around. It seemed that the fires he had started had all turned to wet ash, the vegetation too soaked by the rain for it to have gone far. Even so, a lot of trees had been scorched, and underbrush had been burned.
He tapped his Duel Disk and spoke into it.
"Felix, you there?" he asked.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Moscow. It was about nine PM, local time.
In a gentleman's club, a middle-aged, portly, well-dressed man was sipping a whiskey sour, his fourth one that evening. He was one of only three people in the club right now (and one of them was the bartender) and he was very, very nervous. Not only because he dreaded what his wife and doctor would do to him if they found out he was drinking again, but because of some other issues that had caused him to need the drink.
"VALENTIN!" shouted a voice that, while in Russian, had a clear British accent.
The heavy set man nearly fell out of his chair as he turned towards the door. A much younger man in a suit with chestnut hair and glasses was there, and he looked very angry.
"Hello, Valentin," he growled, walking up to the man's table.
"Oh, uh, Felix," gasped the man. "I, uh… Take it… it was a dead end? Your operative found… nothing?"
"Well, he didn't find the 'suspicious yikaria' you told me about…" replied Felix, "but he did find a guy preaching Biblical verse about fire and brimstone…"
"Uh… Sounds downright… flamboyant…" gulped Valentin.
"Now, there are no laws I can think of against making sermons like that," said Felix, "however, using actual fire as a visual aid and almost starting a wildfire while doing so is a very different story!"
He grabbed the man by the collar.
"I don't believe for a minute that some looney just decided for no reason at all to choose the middle of the forest to make a doomsday sermon and cause trouble," he snarled. "I just checked your bank account, and noticed you just gained a windfall of about fifteen million rubles. About six-hundred thousand British pounds, I believe, and I think that's the amount you need to pay off those gambling debts of yours. Fancy that."
"Okay, okay!" pleaded Valentin. "The tip I gave you was from someone else who gave it to me the money as… encouragement. I've been down on my luck, Felix, I can barely pay the dues for this club these days!"
"You're going to need even more for a lawyer if the Federal Forest Agency of Russia finds out about this," replied Felix. "Now, unless you want me to drag your ass down to the Ministry offices so we can discuss it with them, I suggest you tell me who your tipster is."
Valentin gulped, and nervously reached into his jacket pocket.
"Uh, will a phone number do or just an e-mail?" he stammered.
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LIVING FOSSIL (Spell Card)
Equip Spell
Image: A cartoonish dinosaur dressed up in a tuxedo and top hat, holding a cane.
Card Description: Select 1 monster from your Graveyard. Special Summon the selected Monster and Equip it with this card. Reduce the Equipped Monster's ATK by 1,000 and negate its effect. If this card leaves the field, destroy the Equipped Monster.
Note: "Living Fossil" was first used by Misawa in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "The Duel Off (Part 1)".
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
FOSSIL FUSION (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: Similar to "Polymerization", with dinosaur skeletons replacing the two dragons.
Card Description: Select 1 Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck that includes the word "Fossil" in its name. Banish the listed Fusion Material Monsters on the card from the appropriate players' Graveyards; summon the Fusion Monster. (This is considered a Fusion Summon.)
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
PALEOZOIC FOSSIL DRAGON – SKULLGEOTH (Monster Card)
Rock/Earth/Fusion/Effect/Lvl8/3,500/0
1 Rock-Type monster from your Graveyard + 1 Level 8 or higher Dinosaur-Type monster from your opponent's Graveyard.
Effect:This card cannot be Special Summoned except by the effect of "Fossil Fusion" When this card attacks, you can switch the ATK and DEF of the attack-target monster during the Damage Step only. This card inflicts trampling damage.
Note: "Paleozoic Fossil Dragon – Skullgeoth" was first used by Jim in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Primal Instinct".
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
VOLCANO GOD'S RETRIBUTION (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: Hazy Flame Sphynx and Hazy Flame Mantikor fleeing from a raging Pyrorex the Elemental Lord in the background as volcanos erupt to either side of it, under a smoky sky.
Card Description: Activate when you take damage from a direct attack; for every 1,000 points of damage you take, Special Summon 1 non-Xyz "Hazy Flame" monster from your Graveyard in Attack Position and place a "Dark Haze Counter" on it. A monster with a "Dark Haze Counter" cannot use its effect and is banished if it leaves the field, and if destroyed by your opponent (via battle or via card effect) you take damage equal to its base ATK).
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
RUNE LORD (Monster Card)
Warrior/Fire/Effect/Lvl4/1,400/1,800
Effect: If this card is sent from your hand or the field to the Graveyard, banish it; then, if you Summon two or more Level 5 or higher monsters during the same turn, return it to your hand during the End Phase. You cannot use this effect if you Special Summon from the Extra Deck that turn; if you use this effect, you cannot Special Summon from the Extra Deck on your next turn.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
EMERGENCY OVERLAY (Spell Card)
Quickplay Spell
Image: Ambulanceroid and Gyroid rushing down a highway with Geargiagear XG looming behind them.
Effect: Activate only during your opponent's turn when your opponent declares an attack. Discard 1 card in your hand and banish all cards in your Spell Zone except this card; Select 1 Xyz Monster in your Extra Deck and monsters you control that are eligible for the Xyz Summon of that monster. Xyz Summon the selected monster, using the selected monsters you control.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
AARAKOCRA (Monster Card)
Winged Beast/Wind/Gemini/Effect/Lvl4/1,400/1,200
Effect: This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it become an Effect Monster with these effects:
* This card becomes a Tuner Monster.
* Select 2 face-up monsters (not including this one) and change the Level of one of the selected monsters to that of the other. You can only use this effect once. A monster whose Level is changed this way cannot be used for an Xyz Summon.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
STEEL SHELLED ANKLOSAUR (Monster Card)
Dinosaur/Earth/Effect/Lvl7/2,000/1,600
Effect: You may Special Summon this card (from your hand) if your opponent controls at least 2 monsters more than you do; if summoned this way, this card cannot attack in the same turn. If this card would be destroyed by battle while in Attack Position, you may reduce its ATK and DEF by 500 apiece to prevent it from being destroyed.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
UNSTOPPABLE RAGE (Spell Card)
Quickplay Spell
Image: An angry Megazowler plowing through Goblin Attack Force and throwing them aside.
Effect: Activate during your Main Phase 2 if you took battle damage 2 or more times from attacks on the same Dinosaur-Type monster, and that monster was not destroyed. Draw 2 cards; then, select 1 of the drawn cards and discard it.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
HYPER METABOLIZE (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A Black Tyranno standing over the corpse of a Baggy Pants Lavasaurus, its flame smoldering and diming, and a Pompadour Blizzardon, its scales melting quickly.
Effect: Activate during your Main Phase 2. You may make a second Normal Summon for the turn. This second Normal Summon must be of a Dinosaur-Type monster summoned by Tribute Summon, and the Tribute(s) must be Level 5 or higher. Until your next Standby Phase, the monster summoned via this second Normal Summon cannot be destroyed by attacks or card effects.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
TYRANNO OCTAVIUS (Monster Card)
Dinosaur/Earth/Effect/Lvl10/2,500/2,500
Effect: Cannot be Normal Summoned or set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except via its own effect, and cannot be Summoned any other ways. This card can be Special Summoned from your hand or from your Graveyard by Tributing a Level 5 or higher Dinosaur-Type monster you control Equipped with "Unstable Evolution". Once per turn, during your turn, if Battle Damage is inflicted upon either player, increase the ATK of this card by the amount of damage taken until the End Phase.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Jemorille: Odd things were afoot for the Shadowchasers on two continents. A member's former loved one had returned acting like some crazed conspiracy theorist, and three Shadowkind of questionable sanity – all three with powers born of fire – had been apprehended in or near focal points of famous conspiracy theories, their actions echoing those old rumors.
But this last one, which seemed more like an assault on the Shadowchaser himself, had brought a possible lead. Felix had long suspected Valentin's connections to Russian smuggling rings, and was pretty sure the threat of prison had made him too scared to lie.
Still… What they would find next would come as a shock… But before that, more trouble was brewing…
"Smooth Criminal" is coming soon.
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Shadowchaser Files: Personalities
Benjamin St. Croix, Pursuer of an Impossible Task
Here's the situation: You have to find someone. Unfortunately, you don't know his name. Or what he looks like. He (or she, to be completely fair) can be anyone, or any age, any ethnic group, any social class, and could be anywhere in the world. You don't know who this person is working for, if anyone, or anyone this person might know. Your one clue is a small scrap of yellow cloth.
Certainly, your odds of success could not be slimmer. Why do you search for this person? Because your life has no other purpose.
Benjamin St. Croix never considered himself special. He was, to all considered, an average guy who had a steady job. Of course, the fact that his job was a high-paid hired gun the infamous League of Assassins may have set him apart a little, but other than that, he was much like anyone else, so long as you weren't his mark.
Of course, Ben never denied that he was a murderer, so he made it a point never to look deeply into who his mark was. More than one member of the League had done so, and having hesitation could get an assassin killed… Or even worse, make him love his job too much.
And he knew there was a risk that a grief-stricken friend or loved one of a victim might find out who he was, and come after him. Or send someone else to do it. So he was careful. He always sat with his back to a wall in restaurants, and tried to sleep light, always with an alarm on or a watchman nearby. And he never stayed in one place more than one night.
But one night, all his precautions proved for naught. While asleep in a hotel in Florence, someone snuck into his room. He woke up in time to face the attacker, but it was too late. A gun fired, and he was dead.
He only saw one thing before the cold darkness overtook him… A scrap of yellow cloth, maybe a scarf or bandana worn by the assailant. That was all. It was too dark to see anything else.
But he was too stubborn to die. Sometimes, rarely, a murder victim with an incredibly strong iron will can defy the grave in an attempt to wreck vengeance upon his murderer, coming back as an undead being called a reverent. Benjamin managed to do so, and now wished nothing more than to find his killer and drag that person to the grave with him.
But unlike most revenants, he had no idea who his target was. That was fifteen years ago, and since then, Benjamin St. Croix has pursued this goal, the one thing that defines his existence. Unable to truly die and rest in his grave until he completes this task, the yellow cloth is his only clue.
One can imagine how hopeless his task seems. He's broken into the forensic lab in Florence, only to find that his death is a cold case. Ice cold. They found no fingerprints or fibers at the scene, and no-one in the hotel that night saw anyone who didn't belong there, even though many heard the gunshot. Even the make and model of the gun is a mystery; the bullet went through him, and was presumably taken by the killer.
He has precious few allies, knowing that he can't do research on anyone who might have wanted him dead to question them. Nor can he ask his former fellows in the League for help. Even if there were any who would aid a zombie bent on revenge, the League has a strict policy: members who get in trouble as a result of their marks are on their own.
Benjamin has said that he will know his victim when he sees him. Or her. Of course, it is possible that the yellow cloth was discarded by the victim a long time ago. One can only imagine what might happen if the victim dies of old age before Benjamin finds him… He may be forced to search forever.
Story Ideas: Benjamin is not used to trusting people, and now is no different. He realizes that few people would ever agree to help him once they knew of his former profession. Of course, he isn't above using anyone as unwitting pawns. While he bears no malice to anyone except his murderer, he will stop at nothing to reach his goal. After all, it's not like he has anything left to lose.
As a living human, Benjamin was the kind of assassin who would use a disguise to get close to a victim, then use a small, easily concealable weapon. Revenants rarely use any sort of weapons, however, typically using their bare hands. Still, some of his old skills come in handy even in this form. He always surveys an area before entering it, always makes sure he has a clear path to an escape route, and usually attacks by stealth.
Should it come to Duel Monsters, he would try to use something powerful and reliable, not being too proud to use any loophole he could find to make a Power Deck. He's also not too proud to simply run if a duel turns against him; he has one goal, and if something doesn't help him towards it, he doesn't consider it important
As for who his killer is, that is completely open-ended. The obvious theory is that it was a friend or loved one of a victim, but there are other possibilities; maybe he saw something he shouldn't have on a job, or maybe he was double-crossed by his own organization for reasons only they know. An author who wishes to use this plot device should certainly prepare a worthy for, but whether he is good or evil is a variable that would be hard to determine.