Shadowchasers: Conspiracy

by 0ccam's Razor

A fanfic of the Shadowchasers by Cyber Commander. Odd things are happening, and Shadowchasers all over the world are encountering criminals with strange and peculiar goals. Is a conspiracy afoot, or is some deeper plot in the works?

16. Always on my Mind

You may remember how I mentioned Occam's razor before, a logical principle first described in the 14th century (on your world, at least) by British philosopher and friar Wilhelm of Ockham. I doubt he ever intended to become the archenemy of every conspiracy theorist in existence on your world, but he did. Of course, his principle is known by other names on other worlds (the rilmani have their own name for it) but for sake of brevity, I'll use that term.

Some believe that the principle means that "the simplest solution is the best", although that's not truly the case. The core of Occam's razor is that "if a solution to a problem requires too many components, it's most likely untrue". In other words, "when you hear the sound of hoofs, think horses, not zebras."

Going back to the "moon landing hoax" theory, it's clear that Occam would call it ridiculous, because compared to NASA's claim, the hoax claim required too many components. In order for the hoax to be true, you'd have to believe the following: The government was willing to spend billions of dollars on a "smoke and mirrors campaign"; they were smart enough to fool more than 99% of the world population; they were too stupid not to cover their tracks and were found out by the conspiracy theorists; they had the technology and funds to actually film a fake moon landing (and in 1969, such advances in motion picture technology did not exist yet); they were able to blackmail or bribe thousands of government workers for decades into keeping quiet (when a simple burglary during the Watergate scandal failed); and the Soviets, for some reason, chose not to call them out on it.

Actually going to the moon had far less components, meaning Occam would find it more feasible.

Yet, Occam's razor does not mean "the simplest solution is best" or "the simplest solution is always right". Albert Einstein was right more often than he was wrong, and his theories were rather complicated.

In the world of Shadow, Occam's razor may be able to disprove conspiracy theories… But finding out what causes them?

Well… Some things just defy description.

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Chapter Fifteen

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Always On My Mind

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Quebec, the next morning at nine o'clock.

In the frozen foods section of a supermarket, Penelope was looking at the ice cream cabinet. Most young women her age (well, apparent age, being half-elf) just tended to eat ice cream, but she often studied it more closely.

She took one out of the case and looked at it, comparing it to the others.

"Berried Treasure…" she muttered. "Triple Caramel Chunk… New York Super Fudge Cake… Dublin Mudslide…"

She put it back, then reached way back and grabbed the last carton of one flavor.

"I see Cherry Garcia is still popular…" she said with a sigh. "This is the last one."

Nonetheless, she put that back too, and shook her head, remembering how her dad often told her how there was a time when rocky road was considered bizarre.

Her Duel Disk started to hum. She stopped, and hit the tab on it. (The Shadowchasers were getting more used to this new system with each passing day.)

"Penelope, glad I caught you," said Dolores, as her holographic face appeared. "Are you very busy right now?"

"No, no, I'm not doing anything," replied Penelope, "just trying to decide between Dulce Delish and Phish Food… Long story…"

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The ApBlanc estate had a long history in Quebec. No-one even knew just who the original owner was, because city records didn't mention any resident named ApBlanc. Some people jokingly suggested that the house had belonged to Looney Tunes voice actor Mel Blanc, although the house had that name long before his birth, and his family never lived in Canada.

Whatever the case, the bank had been trying to sell the place for a very long time, without much success, and it was easy to see why. The place was a wreck. The run down manor had dry rot over the walls, corroded plumbing, and asbestos from the 1960's in the insulation. The bank was willing to sell the place for peanuts, but it was clear that if you asked even Bob Villa to try fixing it, he would recommend building a new house, rather than spending more time, effort, and money than it would take to restore this one.

The bank had decided four months ago to throw in the towel and demolish the place if they didn't find a buyer by the first of October… And words could not express their shock when, two weeks before their deadline, some guy from Arkansas had decided to buy the place.

Even more shocking – the reason Delores had called Penelope to investigate – was that the new owner had done the impossible. Literally overnight, the old ApBlanc Manor seemed completely renovated. It was in near pristine condition.

As Penelope walked up the hill to the mansion, she could hardly believe it herself. She carefully tapped the Disk again, and a hologram of an old microfiche that Delores had sent showing a picture of the house from 1923 appeared. Comparing it to the house now was downright creepy.

She slowly walked up to the front door, checking each of her steps carefully first, and rapped with the door knocker.

The door opened with a slight creek.

"Come in!" said a pleasant female voice.

The Shadowchaser peeked inside, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. Amazingly, the inside was furnished as the home of a rich person would…

Well, maybe a very eccentric rich person.

As she walked in, she looked around and shivered at the creepy décor that had one prevalent theme – cats. Statues, murals, and paintings of them with grins and peering eyes were all over the foyer. Even worse, the walls painted an uncomfortable red, like the color of fire.

"Boo," said a voice.

Penelope jumped a little, and saw who had spoken, a maid. Well, maybe. The young woman in front of her was dressed in a sexy French maid outfit, with a plunging neckline and fishnet stockings, and a hairstyle that seemed a little too fancy for maid's work.

"Hello!" she beamed. "There a problem?"

"Yeah…" said Penelope. She looked at her oddly. "A little issue of instant mansion… Uhm… Is the owner of the house in?"

"Mr. Felkovick will be here in about thirty minutes, give or take…" replied the maid. "Can I get you some coffee?"

"Uh…" said Penelope, looking around. "I'd hate to intrude…"

Felkovick… she thought, as she followed her. Where have I heard that name before?

"No, not a problem at all?" she laughed. "This way!"

"So… Do you always dress like that…" she asked, as the maid led her inside.

"Nah…" replied the maid.

She led her into a large study with a fire burning in a fireplace, and more cat décor. It seemed a little overdone – even the fireplace pokers had ends resembling cat's claws.

"Be one minute!" chirped the maid.

Penelope watched her as she sauntered into the next room, moving very suggestively. Penelope was as professional as the Shadowchasers came when it came to avoiding fraternizing with suspects. But even she had to crane her head a bit to watch the maid saunter off, twitching her rear in a way that made it pretty clear she was looking for attention. Whether this was the homeowner's actual maid, his wife, or girlfriend, she wasn't sure. Funny thing was, she could have sworn she knew that wiggle from somewhere...

There was certainly a magical presence here… She could feel it. She stood up, and walked to a bookshelf and took down a volume.

It was a book of Japanese folklore with a bookmark in it. She opened to the page with the bookmark, to a story called "The Boy who Drew Cats".

She started reading as she sat down – the story was only about six or so pages long – and barely heard the maid come in when she was on page three.

"Quite a page turner, huh?" giggled the maid.

Penelope jumped a little as she poured hot coffee from a pot into two cups, then smiled broadly.

She looked at the coffee cautiously as she picked up her cup. Then she put it down. The maid smiled again, then sipped the coffee.

She looked at Penelope, then picked up a match, and started lighting some scented candles on the coffee table. The sweet smell of vanilla started to waif from them.

"Mr. Felkovic is caught in traffic," she purred, "but make yourself at home… We haven't had many guests since we moved in…"

Penelope watched her closely, now very suspicious. She looked at the coffee again, but decided against it.

"So, uh…" she said. She held her head

"Something wrong, with the coffee, honey?" said the maid.

Penelope decided to stop being polite now.

"Seriously?" she snapped. "You really think I'm just gonna up and drink that? How stupid do you think I...uh..." Suddenly Penelope blinked slowly a weird expression crossing over her face. "Why can't I feel my tongurghlshlrrr…"

That was about all she was able to articulate before she went face first onto the table out like a light.

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Penelope was shocked awake by smelling salts under her nose.

She sat up. She was in another room with a cat dominated theme, but the type of room was very different. It was a large room with a shag rug, blood-red curtains, and comfortable pillows… Along with chains attached to some of the cat statues, some of which were holders for tongs and whips. It was like the bedroom of either some spoiled rich girl or an expensive dominatrix – or maybe both.

"Thought the coffee was drugged, didya?" laughed the maid's voice. "Silly, silly, Shadowchaser. The coffee had an antidote for the knock-out gas being put out by those candles."

Penelope looked and saw her. The French maid outfit was the same, but obviously, she had been using some sort of cosmetic spell to disguise her face before…

"Emily?" shouted Penelope. She leapt onto her feet. "It was you?"

"Hey, nice to see you too, Penelope," replied Emily. "I've so much wanted to get in touch since the class reunion last year."

Penelope's reaction was rather unusual for someone who had been drugged and waylaid. Rather than angry, she looked rather annoyed.

"C'mon, no hug for your old friend?" asked Emily.

"Like I'm going to fall for that?" asked the Shadowchaser. She turned her back to her and crossed her arms.

"I haven't 'fueled up' today," protested Emily. "If I had, I wouldn't have needed to drink the coffee!"

"There are many other reasons to drink coffee," grumbled Penelope. "And the only reason I didn't arrest you at the reunion was because the university's traditional reputation as a 'truce zone' was so well-respected. They frown on their alumni fighting each other."

"Get serious, Lope, you'll never bring me in…" said Emily, giggling. "You love this as much as I do… You're like Inspector Zenigata, I'm like Arsene Lupin… You know…"

"Of course I know!" shouted Penelope. "In case you forgot, those manga you kept borrowing asking when we were students were mine!"

She turned around to face her.

"And you're completely different than Lupin. He was a thief, you're an ermordenung who lures men to their doom with her charms. I tolerated you when you were acting under the orders of King Gavin. But ever since they unofficially stopped that policy, you've been doing it as a free agent and become just another…"

She stopped.

"What?" asked Emily. "Assassin? Hit man? Hired gun?"

"Sorry," muttered Penelope. "Kind of hard to find a nice way to say it."

Emily shrugged and then sat down. "Hey, I never said I was a pillar of the community for doing it, but when you're going on a hundred and twenty, it's a little late to change one's wicked ways ya know?"

"You do what you have to do to get by, same as me. That's not to say I'm better or worse for it but that's just how it is. Besides, you know I've always made a point to focus on the real hardcore sleaze-bags that nobody will ever miss. Have I ever killed anyone who didn't deserve it? At least they all died happy.

"I might be a quote-unquote 'bad guy' but I never lost my standards. Heh, kinda like that show about that serial killer who hunted other serial killers in Miami, Dexter."

"Please, stop bringing that show up Emily," Penelope groaned, "I still haven't recovered from you making me sit through every last season that one weekend."

"Aww you're just mad they killed off Rita in season four."

"Damn straight I am!" Penelope barked before she flushed at the sudden outburst and looked away embarrassed. "Stupid plot twist for shock value... I couldn't look at a pair of Mickey Mouse ears for a month afterwards without feeling sick to my stomach.

"B-but that's beside the point. You know we've had... issues with your profession, that's nothing new, but when you're not killing for profit you're dressing up in skintight spandex and flaunting about for drunk hicks with only one thing on their mind."

"Uh... you're gonna need to narrow that down a little hun," Emily said scratching her cheek with an awkward chuckle.

Penelope let out a very long sigh.

"I'll give you a hint," she muttered, "it involves hitting people with folding chairs, oiled up pecs and more backstory drama then a soap opera, ringing any bells?"

"Oh, you meant the UWA stuff!" Emily said smacking a fist into her palm. "Sorry, I tend to go at the dress codes for a lot of my jobs that way. Never really seem to get in trouble for it though."

I can't imagine why, thought Penelope, rolling her eyes.

"You're just upset because when I invited you to try it, they wanted you to lose," chuckled Emily. "You just don't like losing. I've never understood that with you… You've got no problem starting a brawl with a gang of angry hill giants where the penalty for losing is being served up as stir fry, but losing a scripted fight is too much for you."

"A wrestling bout between two divas is not a 'scripted fight'!" shouted Penelope. She looked at her closely. "The minute you enter that auditorium, you aren't a warrior anymore, you're a piece of eye-candy that everyone drools over. But then, you like that for some reason."

"Guilty!" said Emily, with a shrug.

"Emily, seriously…" said Penelope, sadly, "we made a deal when we were in school, back when we were friends. I promised I'd accept your decision when you started taking personal tutelage from that alchemist and having the treatments done… But the thing is, every time we've been on opposite sides of something, I've had a harder time keeping that promise."

"Well, then, I'll stop the bullshit and get straight to the point, kay?" replied Emily. "You came to find out how this mansion just appeared, so well… It's a long story and I'm pretty sure the guy didn't tell me a lot of things… But this guy really, really hates your organization."

"Why?" asked Penelope.

"Dunno," replied Emily. "Apparently, that was one of the things he didn't tell me. I'm just temping, after all.

"He did say he wants to join the Shadow Slayers… In fact, he wants to lead them. He spent years planning to capture a Shadowchaser to prove he has what it takes to be the best, and spent months simply concentrating on the best way to do it."

Penelope's expression changed to a harsh look.

"Shadow Slayers?" she said, with an accusatory glance.

"You know?" said Emily. "I heard they were… Like, uh, the Sith to your Jedi."

Penelope' frown right now could make paint peel.

"Don't believe everything you hear," she added.

"Well, yeah," replied Emily. "I'm just telling me what he said. Like I told you, I'm just temping, and I admit, not as a maid. Who knows, maybe my target is you, maybe it's him…"

She put her hand up to Penelope's cheek as she said that, only for the Shadowchaser to grab it hard and shove her back.

"Right…" muttered Emily. She rubbed her wrist. "But he really doesn't like you guys. He emphasized it. See that?"

Penelope looked to the side. It was a very strange-looking cage. It was slightly larger than the necessary size to hold a man, and several manacles and shackles were bolted to the bars in several places, along with a lot of leather restraints.

"That was something he built as part of his plan to hold a Shadowchaser once he captured one of them. It's a complex contraption and seems escape proof… The victim is suspended upside-down with ankles cuffed together, held with a leather straightjacket which is then secured with chains that cross the chest. The neck is then chained to the floor to prevent any freedom of movement. The whole thing is adjustable, to fit a prisoner of any size close to human.

"Once you're in there, you have no leverage, and the blood rushes to your head, making you too dizzy to concentrate. Of course, for tough cases, it has a leather muzzle, mechanisms to administer sedative drugs, and… Well, one other thing that I can't tell you right now…"

"Where is this guy?" repeated Penelope.

"Like I said, he called to say he's caught up in traffic…" said Emily, with a crafty grin. "Don't know when he'll be back… Not sure if the highway he's on is even in this dimension. Though you might be interested in passing the time with a little recreation…"

She flicked her arm, and her Duel Disk appeared on it.

"A duel?" asked Penelope, for likely the fourth time.

"Well I don't mean Parcheesi," she said. "Maybe you'd like a little wager here?"

The crafty grin on her rival's face as she turned slightly towards the cage pretty much gave her intentions away… Emily wanted to put her in there. Even if this mystery man didn't exist, she just loved humiliation wagers when the two of them met… And Penelope had lost several of them.

Still… Some small part of Penelope agreed with her… Maybe she didn't want this to end.

"So how about it, old friend?" asked Emily, with a Cheshire cat grin. "Oh, in case you didn't notice, the way out of this room is hidden."

Penelope grumbled a little. Indeed, she had noticed the lack of a door already. She lifted her left arm, and her Duel Disk extended.

"I'll take that as a yes," replied the ermordenung. The D-Gazer shimmered as she adjusted it.

"Duel interface set, augmented reality vision link established."

(Penelope: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Emily: 8,000)

"I should warn you, 'old friend'," said Penelope, snidely, "this deck is very different than what you may be used to."

"By all means!" laughed Emily. "You keep using the same old stuff, it gets boring after a while… Anyway, seeing as I lured, drugged, and dragged you here… The least I can do is let you go first…"

Not going to dignify that with a response, thought Penelope, as she made a draw.

"I summon Divine Seraph Glacia: Angel of the Gale!"

As she flipped the card on her Disk, a chill followed by a wind and a driving snow blew through the room. An angel appeared – it was obvious – with flowing blue hair and beautiful feathered, blue wings and enchanting sapphire eyes, wearing a loose toga made of gossamer fabric, held in place with a fancy silver belt, wearing silver bracelets and a tiara. The outfit seemed to reveal too much and not enough at the same time.

There was another cold chill and a sound like ice cracking, and a sword of ice appeared in her hand, seemingly solidifying from the mist. (1,200 ATK)

"Kind of dramatic for someone with such low Score," said Emily. "Like her style though… Wonder where she shops…"

"I end my turn…" sighed Penelope. She looked at another monster among her five cards as she said this.

Glacia may be kind of weak, but… If Emily wants to attack, she's in for a surprise…

"Draw…" said Emily, taking a sixth card.

"I'm using One for One," she said, as a Spell rose in front of her. "So I'll send this little guy to the Graveyard to summon Stray Cat."

She slipped one of her cards into her Disk (it was a Beast called Alley Cat) and then a ragged cardboard box tumbled out in front of her. Two small eyes peaked out of the box, then a white cat with black spots on its fur crawled out, looking at Penelope with an adorable look. (100 ATK)

Penelope couldn't help but smirk a little, but Emily quickly played another Spell Card.

"Next, this one is called Where Arf Thou," she said. "I know, bad pun, but because this monster I have is Level 1, I can take a second Level 1 monster from my deck.

"Next, I'll set this card and this card…"

A set monster appeared, and a set card behind it.

"…then I'm done."

"You're done?" gasped Penelope. "Wait a minute, don't you know that if you use Where Arf Thou and don't summon the monster…"

The Spell Card appeared briefly, and a bolt of lightning arced up from it, striking Emily.

"I take 2,000 points of damage," she giggled.

(P: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 6,000)

Penelope looked at her a few seconds. Even with her hair smoldering now, her smile hadn't wavered. Penelope had seen this before, how Emily had laughed at pain, laughed at threats, tempted fate so many times… Whether she was a masochist or just plain nuts, it was hard to tell.

But then, she had once been a wrestler, and they tended to take blows to the head a lot…

She just shrugged as she drew.

"I'll summon Divine Seraph Marina: Angel of the Enchantment," she said.

A large, golden, shimmering seashell appeared, and then it turned, forming another lovely, feminine form who used it as a chair. She had deep aquamarine hair (with a hair ornament made of coral and shells) sea green eyes, and clothing made of a blue version of the same gossamer material, woven into a halter top and skirt of an exotic pattern. Strings of pearls were around her neck, wrists, and ankles, but she had no shoes. (1,400 ATK)

"Now, because Glacia is a Divine Seraph who's the same Attribute as Marina," she said, "I can also summon another one, like Divine Seraph Sraosha: Angel of Grace."

This new angel that appeared didn't show as much skin as the previous two, other than some cleavage. Her gown looked like a Grecian toga with, and she wore a Spartan helmet, with long, blonde hair falling down behind to her waist. She held a long spear and a shield with an odd symbol. (1,000 ATK)

"I can't Synchro Summon this turn because I did that," she continued. Sraosha lifted her spear. "But I don't need a Synchro to handle that cat…"

"How about two cats?" asked Emily.

Her facedown Quickplay Spell lifted up.

"With the Spell Card Witch's Familiar, I can Special Summon one Level 3 or lower Beast from my hand for every thousand points of damage I took last turn, so long as both are in Attack Mode. So I summon a second Stray Cat and Catnipped Kitty!"

First, another box appeared, and a second cute cat hopped out. (100 ATK) As the two cats eyed Penelope closely, a larger cat appeared, one that was cute to the point of sickening. It was purple – not a color found on cats in nature – with swirl designs on its fur, wearing a collar with a red bow and a golden bell. (0 ATK)

"Hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, hun, but when Stray Cat is in Attack Mode, you can't attack any monster except him, and since I have two…"

"An attack lock…" muttered Penelope. "Wonderful…"

Which means Catnipped Kitty is safe too… Even if I got rid of one Stray Cat, it's untouchable when she has another Beast.

She took another of her four cards from her hand and plugged it into the Spell Zone of her Disk, and it flashed into place behind her three Angels.

"That's my turn for now, Emily…" she said. "Is it my imagination, or are you a bit more… catty than usual today?"

"Me-yow!" purred Emily, as she drew. "See for yourself…"

Her set monster flipped up…

"GAH!" shouted Penelope, at the sight of it. It was another cat, a larger one, with black and grey fur, a red ribbon on the end of its tail. (800 ATK)

"That's right, my Dark Cat with White Tail!" laughed Emily. "I'm guessing you know how it works… I get to bounce three monsters off the field. Sadly, one of them has to be mine.

"So, given what you said about not being able to Synchro Summon, and seeing as Sraosha is the weakest of the three, I take it she's a Tuner, so I'll choose your Glacia and Marina, plus Dark Cat herself."

The two Angels turned to orbs of water and were pushed backwards, their cards forming with Penelope's other three.

Brilliant deduction… thought Penelope. A bead of sweat started to form on her forehead as she realized, just like how she did last time, how dangerous it was to underestimate this one.

"Next, I'll move Catnipped Kitty to Defense Mode, just in case," continued Emily, as the purple cat curled up in a ball. (500 DEF) Then I can discard my Dark Cat to us this Spell… Card Rotator!"

She quickly disposed of the monster card and used her last one, and Sraosha looked at Emily angrily as she was forced to kneel. (500 DEF)

"Then I'll use Catnipped Kitty's effect," she continued, as the kitten's eyes turned green. "She makes a defending monster unable to defend worth squat!"

The Kitty glared at Sraosha, and her Defense Score fell to zero. Then the two Stray Cats… Their expressions changed. Their eyes became like those of demons, and their teeth turned into fangs. One of them leapt at Sraosha, and with claws that had suddenly grown to the size of knives, ripped her in half with one swipe.

"I don't know if you're planning something else with the other one," said Penelope, as her Trap lifted, "but I want no part of it! Call of the Haunted!"

The card shimmered, and Sraosha appeared in a beam of light. (1,000 ATK)

"Well good!" replied Emily. "Not like I have anywhere to go… Your move…"

Penelope was a little edgy as she drew. She didn't really think the Shadow Slayers – special warriors who for one reason or another had dedicated to exterminating the Shadowchasers, training themselves especially to fight them in mortal combat – were as dangerous as some rumors claimed. (The ones who had been seen had scars all over themselves, supposedly self-inflicted, one for each Shadowchaser they had succeeded in killing; but a few who had been seen had hundreds of these scars, more than there were members of the organization at one time), and she assumed Emily was pulling her leg about some powerful wizard who hated Shadowchasers living here…

Still, Emily couldn't have magically restored this place so fast by herself. She had some skills in alchemy (a prerequisite for an elf who had become an ermordenung) but she wasn't an honest to goodness sorceress.

"I'm summoning Divine Seraph Aoede: Angel of Song."

Yet another lovely woman appeared, this one brunette, with shorter, straight hair with bangs (down to her shoulders) a golden beret on one side, and her top consisting of a bikini top made of red material with gold trim. Below that, her long skirt was made of flowing, gossamer gold fabric with maroon embroidery, and her heeled, gold-colored sandals had golden cords wrapped around her calves in a crossed pattern. (1,400 ATK)

She glanced at her other cards again.

"Your move…" she said, slyly.

For the first time, Emily looked a little serious. She drew slowly, then looked at the two monsters Penelope had. Then she twitched her eyebrow, and her view of the VR scene changed, letting her see it in a duel mat format.

I don't know much about these Divine Seraphs she has but… she thought as she looked closely. Yeah, Level 3 Tuner plus Level 4 non-Tuner… What's she waiting for?

She slipped the card into her Disk, setting it behind her Cats. Then…

"I move Catnipped Kitty to Attack Mode!" she exclaimed, as the Kitty leapt up into a standing position. (0 ATK)

"Go ahead…"

"Draw!" shouted Penelope. She snatched a card, and then played one. "I'm bringing out Divine Seraph Nocturna: Angel of Mystery!"

The angel that appeared this time seemed to have less modesty than the others. Her dress – or lack of it – could possibly be described as a slingshot bikini and long skirt that you could almost see though it, all light blue. Still, her jewelry and long hair – which was almost to the floor – were all stylish, as was the bright, azure flower in her hair. (1,200 ATK)

Penelope started to reach for another card, but then Emily's Trap Card lifted.

"Before this goes any further…" said the ermordenung, "I'm activating Card of Sacrifice. Because all three of my monsters are in Attack Mode, and their Attack Scores combined are less than the Score of even your weakest monster, I get two draws."

As she drew twice, Penelope smirked.

"Is one of them Effect Veiler?" she asked. "Because if not, your lock is about to crumble… Time to show you why Aoede here is called the Angel of Song."

She discarded one of her cards, and Aoede started to sing a beautiful, enchanting song, a soothing, sweet melody… Almost like…

"A lullaby?" said Emily, softy.

Then she looked down in shock. One of her two Stray Cats was fast asleep. Then it vanished, turning into wispy haze.

"HEY!" she shouted.

"Don't worry, it will be back when it wakes up in two of your turns," replied Penelope. The other Stray Cat hissed, its face turning monstrous again. "Heh, heh, looks like that little guy has his game face on again, but it won't help him…"

She discarded another card, this time Glacia's.

"By doing this, I can use Nocturna's effect, and decrease the Level of all Fairies on the field by one. Thus, Nocturna and Sraosha are both Level 2 now, while Aoede is Level 3."

She paused to look at her rival, who looked confused. "Yes, I know… I could have Synchro Summoned a Level 7 monster last turn, and by doing that, the combined Levels are the same… So why?"

Angelic wings appeared on all three Divine Seraphs, and they flew towards the ceiling.

"To combat the forces of Hell, the forces of Heaven call forth its mightiest of defenders! Throw open the Celestial Gates as the Divine Storm rains down upon the wicked!"

(*2 + *3 + *2 = *7)

"I Synchro Summon Diving Seraph Boadicia: Angel of War!"

A brilliant light consumed the room, and a woman of unearthly beauty with golden wings flew out of it. Her clothing was still scant – a halter top exposing both cleavage and midriff along with a gossamer skirt, along with a hood over her head – but all were the purest white, accented by gold. She carried a long mace made of ivory with a fancy head topped with a gold orb. (2,200 ATK)

"Uh…" said Emily.

"First thing's first…" said Penelope. "If I use Sraosha and one other monster to Synchro Summon, I get to draw once…"

"But since you used two others, you draw twice…" mumbled Emily.

"You're learning…" said Penelope, with a smirk. She drew two cards as Boadicia gripped her mace with both hands and lifted it above her head…

She brought it down on the Stray Cat with a mighty smash that shook the whole room, knocking Emily over on her behind.

(P: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 3,900)

"In case you're wondering, 'old friend'," continued Penelope, "when your other Stray Cat comes back, it won't be staying long if Boadicia has anything to say about it. She has a little trick I can use to destroy a low-Level monster when it's Special Summoned."

She fit one of the cards she had drawn into her Disk, and it appeared next to the now-inert Call of the Haunted.

"There…"

"Can't Special Summon, huh?" grunted Emily. She crawled to her feet as she drew a card. "Then I'll just have to take her down without Special Summoning…"

Catnipped Kitty disappeared.

"I'll get rid of this guy…"

Then there was a savage cry, and a humanoid feline – a woman covered with the fur of a she-tiger, a tail, a cat-like face, and blonde hair to go with it, wearing a ragged halter and loincloth – leapt into place where the smaller cat was, bearing her claws and fangs. (2,200 ATK)

"Careful, Lope, Tiger Neko Lady here likes to play rough," said Emily, with a smile, "especially because, just by summoning her, one monster on the field has its Attack Score reduced by 1,000 points!"

Boadicia made a cry of pain and held her stomach. A large claw wound had appeared there. And Emily's monster hadn't even gotten close yet… (1,200 ATK) But that was about to change. Tiger Neko Lady dropped to all fours, and licked her lips in anticipation.

"Go on!" laughed Emily. "Chow!"

As the Beast-Warrior pounced, Penelope quickly tossed another card from her hand. Rose petals started to fall from the ceiling, and Boadicia shot back up to 2,200 Attack Points. Emily looked in shock.

"By discarding Divine Seraph Amora: Angel of Love from my hand," exclaimed Penelope, "Boadicia gains 1,000 Attack Points!"

The Seraph and Tiger Lady collided, and again the room shook, as both monsters were blown to little pieces.

"Well, that was pointless…" sighed Emily, as she put her hand on her hip.

Of course, she knew it wasn't. Her Life Points were low enough as it was, and without a monster, Persephone had a good chance of finishing her off next turn.

Maybe Penelope wouldn't arrest her, maybe she would… But even if she did, that would be nothing compared to having to explain to explain to the big cheese that she had lost even before she managed to use the most important card in this deck…

She did a quick check in her head…

"Okay, Lope, seems I have just enough to use that monster I discarded on my first turn…"

Penelope thought for a minute, and then remembered the One for One card.

"It's called an Alley Cat," continued Emily. "It's in my Graveyard along with at least three other low-Level Cats, so I have to banish it, then send those Beasts back to my deck and reshuffle…"

She took the Alley Cat card from her Graveyard pile (exactly where she put it, it was hard to say) then took Stray Cat, Catnipped Kitty, and Dark Cat with White Tail, added them to her deck, and shuffled.

As she drew, she grinned in a way Penelope had never seen her grin… A smarmy, wicked grin as she looked her in the eye.

"Emily, uh, is something wrong?" asked the Shadowchaser, suspiciously.

"No, no…" said Emily. The grin disappeared as two set cards appeared in front of her. "Everything's fine… I'll end by playing Swords of Burning Light."

She played the card, and four blazing, burning swords that resembled the more famous Swords of Revealing Light crashed down around her.

"So long as I have no monsters and you have a hand of no more than four cards, I'm protected from your attacks. Move…"

Penelope couldn't help but have mixed feelings when she saw the card she drew. It was something new she recently added that she really wanted to try, but there was hardly any need now…

Oh, well…

She fit Marina's card on the Disk and the watery angel reappeared. (1,400 ATK)

"That's all for now, Emily," she said. "So got anything else?'

"Plenty…" said Emily, drawing. "You see…"

"This is your Standby Phase," interrupted Penelope, "so the Cat comes back."

Stray Cat appeared again, yawning and stretching. (100 ATK)

"Still in the same Mode it was in before, however, and this also means the Swords are gone."

The burning Swords collapsed into a pile of ashes.

"Clever…" said Emily She fit her remaining three cards into her Disk, resulting in a set card in every space in the Spell Zone. Then she nodded.

"Oh, you think that's gonna scare me again?" replied Penelope, making a draw.

She was about to reach for a Level 4 monster with 1,800 Attack Points, but then she stopped. Her hand moved to that new one she was looking at a minute ago… It was far better if used defensively.

Better safe than sorry, she thought. She set it on her Monster Zone. The only thing predictable about Emily is the fact that she's unpredictable.

"Marina, skin that Cat!" she ordered. "Divine Surge!"

The Angel thrust her arm downward, and bursts of water rushed across the wall towards the cat… But strangely, the surge of water was halted by…

"An umbrella?" said Penelope, quizzically.

Indeed, the small cat had disappeared, and now a larger – but still small – monster was using an umbrella to shield itself. It folded it quickly, revealing itself to be a small girl with a cat's face, wearing a yellow slicker raincoat.

It folded the umbrella and looked at Penelope. "Me-ouch?" it said. (800 ATK)

"I see you've met Stray Cat Girl," said Emily, with another chuckle. "I used a Spell Card called Cat Food when you attacked to swap my Stray Cat for this improved version. She can't be destroyed by battle while in Attack Mode."

"But…" said Penelope.

"I should have taken damage anyway, right?" asked Emily. She pointed to another card she had activated.

"Oh, shit…" said Penelope.

"That's right, Spirit Barrier," said Emily, with a smirk. "With this combo, I'm untouchable!"

"We'll see how long it lasts…" said Penelope with a sneer. "Move…"

Emily drew dramatically, then let out an evil laugh. Penelope really didn't know if she was faking it or not…

"If you were to look death in the face, old friend," she said, in a menacing tone, "would you laugh… or scream? Time to find out…

"I summon the dreaded Cat of Felkovic!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

At Shadowchaser Headquarters, Yolanda had finally come to. She was eating and responsive, and even better, the psychiatrist talking to her was making progress.

Yolanda was lying on a bed in the infirmary, her wrists strapped down (more to keep her from hurting herself than anyone else; an orderly was feeding her) and he was beside the bed with on a chair, on the opposite side from the orderly.

"Ms. Alva, if I may," he said, slowly. "Let's start with some background… How would you describe your relationship with your parents… Assuming you… knew both."

Yolanda sighed, then shook her head.

"No, I didn't," she replied. "Mom was a fire elementalist, and she tended to scold me whenever I asked how she and my father, well, you know. First generation genasi, some weirdness involved. And I didn't get along with her much, and neither did my sister…"

"Mmm," said the psychiatrist. "That would mean…"

"She wasn't a bad parent, she just had some… unique views on discipline. Stuff only wizards could think up."

"Curses?" said the psychiatrist, in shock.

Yolanda nodded.

"One time my sister and I stole the cookies a neighbor had made for a bake sale and ate them in the basement. Five wrapped plates… When mom found out, she called us pigs, and then turned us into real pigs to teach us a lesson. Two whole days, the whole weekend. Thank the maker our classmates never found out…"

Tears started to fall down her cheeks, and the orderly handed him a box of tissues.

"There, there…" said the doctor, wiping her eyes.

"No, no, I want to get it out…" she continued.

As the doctor listened, he started to consider what his report to Jalal would say.

It seems that this restaurant may have been looking for people with emotional dependence issues, he thought. She and the others may have considered her expendable, but that doesn't mean they didn't do research while looking.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Penelope looked at the monster Emily had summoned.

It didn't look like much. A black cat, a housecat… One with a collar, with an ankh in the front. (1,000 ATK)

"Don't you remember the old ghost story?" asked Emily. "The one we always used to tell around the bonfire at Oktoberfest? Come to think of it, it is that time of year again…"

Indeed, Persephone had. Now she remembered where the name "Felkovic" came from. It was an old story that Shadowkind told around campfires, or that parents would tell their children at night, a scary story with a potent message, and that had become an urban legend that had been a component of several Shadow-exclusive conspiracy theories.

Like many old legends, the tale varies depending on who was telling it; first off, it always depended upon a well-known and very popular magical item called a Figurine of Wondrous Power, which was a tiny statue of an animal that could turn into a real animal. In this case, an Onyx Cat, a much sought-after Figurine of Wondrous Power that could turn into a cougar or panther. Now, there is a story about a great hero who owned two Onyx Cats who were his best friends and closest companions, but well, that's a different story entirely.

Anyway, the legend of Felkovic's Cat always takes place in a dark, forsaken land ruled by a cruel tyrant. This despot committed some horrible action against a wizard named Felkovic involving the wizard's wife or daughter, or maybe both in some extreme versions (usually murder, combined with rape in some versions, even gang rape in the most extreme versions, or even enslaving the poor girl's soul and sending it to some horrid fate in the most graphic versions.)

As the tyrant turned to Felkovic himself, the wizard begged for mercy, bargaining for his life with an Onyx Cat that he claimed to have crafted himself. The murderer took the Cat, but then killed Felkovic anyway. As he turned to leave, he failed to see the wicked smile on the face of his victim.

The first time the despot tried to use the Cat, he was disappointed to see that it only turned into a house cat, albeit one with an ankh on its collar. But the next night – traditionally, all versions say that the device only worked at night – it turned into a bobcat instead.

The third night it became a lynx. The ruler quickly realized how this worked, and used it night after night, each time yielding a stronger cat, from cougar, to leopard, jaguar, tiger, and then lion…

But when he tried it on the ninth night, it the night of reckoning. The Figurine turned into a savage saber-tooth tiger, and the ankh on its collar turned into something that Shadowkind recognize as the symbol of Hell. With a roar of bloodlust, the Spirit of Vengeance created by Felkovic's dying curse leapt on the depot and tore him to pieces.

The moral of the story couldn't be more obvious, but many forget that it was meant as an allegory. Few seemed to notice that no two storytellers could ever agree on the name of the tyrant or where his kingdom was. In fact, "Felkovic" is the only proper name that remains consistent in every version.

Thus, the conspiracy theories. Many times when a murder of a politician or celebrity that a lot of Shadows had reason to hate remains unsolved, some say that Felkovic's Cat was involved – the victim fooled by a similar ruse – and that someone is covering it up.

Of course, forget the fact that the story is likely fiction, this has one big flaw. The legend is too well known among Shadows. Someone would have to downright stupid to accept an Onyx Cat from someone who had cause to hate him (much less use it for nine days if it had that collar with the ankh).

Still, logic tends to fall on deaf ears sometime.

"I… I'm not afraid of that…" stammered Penelope. "You think some old fairy tale is gonna make me panic?"

"Are you now?" replied Emily. Another Trap Card lifted up. "I use this… The Curse of Felkovic. You'll see what that does in a minute, for now… Felkovic's Cat attacks Marina!"

"Fight it off, Marina!" urged Penelope, as the cat leapt towards the Angel. Marina barely had to use effort; she simply swatted it away with a backhand, and it dissolved into black smoke.

"Again, I take no damage because of Spirit Barrier," said Emily, with the same sinister grin. "But I'll end my turn now… And you may have destroyed Felkovic's Cat, but because of the Curse, he comes back now…"

A dark, swirling portal on the ground opened up, and a black cat leapt out… Not the same one. This one was a bobcat with black fur, but still had the same ankh collar. (1,400 ATK)

Terrific… thought Penelope.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

In his office in Copek, Addams sighed. He picked up the phone while studying a paper that the "Diogenes" person had sent right when Emily left.

He's always in a rush, he thought as he dialed. First he wants two of my employees to go on a tomb raiding expedition that Lara Croft would turn down, now this. I'd ask for another assistant, but the last time I did that, we wound up with Oswald.

"Hello, is High Chamberlain Thingol available?" he asked. "Sylvester Addams. Yes, I'll hold…"

He muttered something incomprehensible as drummed his fingers on the table for a few minutes. He knew that Thingol's title was pretty absurd – as did everyone else – but given how the head of her organization selected leaders, she could pretty much call herself whatever she wanted.

"Yeah, hi, did you get the message? Okay, I know this is short notice, but… Who do you have available?"

Addams groaned as he listened.

How can a group of folks who live on the border of the Gehenna get so much business? he thought.

"Well yes it's a problem!" he shouted. "I don't need… Yeah, I did say…"

He stopped to listen again.

"All right, all right, fine, but I want her here yesterday."

He hung up.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"They say cats have nine lives," giggled Emily, "but for this one, it's a literal fact… So as long as the Curse is in play, you have to kill it seven more times! And it's harder than you may think, because every time the Curse brings it back from the dead, the Curse itself gains a Vengeance Counter, each one adding 400 to its Attack Points and making it stronger than the previous time.

"And I'm done with my move..."

"All right then, Emily," said Penelope. She drew a card, and looked at her, hard. "If you want to play rough…"

"Oh, but I do!" replied Emily.

"I'll sacrifice this monster," continued Penelope, as the reversed monster disappeared, "for Divine Seraph Alecta: Angel of Punishment!"

The room turned dark, and wings of blackness spread behind Penelope, forming into huge, feathered wings of an equally dark angel. While her clothing was just as brief as the others, consisting of a bikini top and long, gossamer skirt, her skin was the tone of a dark elf, her long, floor length hair pitch-black. He silvery eyes shimmered in the dim light… But not as much as the large scythe with a silvery blade. (2,200 ATK)

"Bring it on!" laughed Emily.

"She will," replied Penelope, as the Angel lifted her scythe, "because Alecta can destroy one Spell or Trap every time she kills a monster, and I have a sneaking suspicion that Felkovic's Cat might stay dead if I got rid of a certain Trap Card…"

Alecta flew across the field, with a look of fury on her face, lifted the scythe, and cleaved the Cat in half with one swipe.

"Destroy the Curse of Felkovic!" ordered Penelope, as Alecta lifted it again. The blade swung towards the Trap Card…

But then a hand caught it. Penelope was shocked to see the Imperial Order emperor looking sternly at her.

He pointed, and Alecta hung her head sadly, and walked back to Penelope's side of the field while her duelist looked to see just how it happened. Then she noticed the other Trap.

"Imperial Custom?" she shouted.

"What, you thought I was stupid?" asked Emily.

Penelope sighed, and Marina knelt in Defense Mode. (1,300 DEF)

"I end my turn…" she said. She watched as Felkovic's Cat leapt back onto the field again, now in lynx form. (1,800 ATK)

Okay, so I can't destroy any of her Traps but that one, she thought. That makes it difficult, but not impossible. At least Alecta is still 400 points stronger…

"Hmm…" said Emily, looking at the card she had drawn.

"Hmm?" asked Penelope. "What hmm? I don't like hmm!"

"I use Gypsy Familiar," said Emily, using the card.

As she fit the card in the Disk, the room darkened even more. Two haunting cat eyes appeared behind Emily…

Emily didn't turn around, but Penelope sure saw it. It looked like Tiger Neko Lady, but brought to mind a black panther rather than a tiger, and was even nastier. Then came the worst part… It grabbed hold of Emily around the torso with its left arm, then held its sharp claws up to her neck… Right near the jugular.

"EMILY!" shouted Penelope.

"She's just… Getting ahead of herself, Lope…" said Emily, even though she did look a little nervous.

"Emily, what…" said Penelope.

"Since this is the only card in my hand, I get to draw three times, Lope," explained her opponent, "but this represents the dark price of the Curse of Felkovic. At the end of my turn, I lose 3,000 points of damage…"

She paused with a nervous look. The creature stroked her neck with its claw anxiously.

"Hold your horses!" she snapped. "I said at the end of the turn. And it's 3,000 minus the amount of battle damage I inflict this turn."

"So… One, two, three…"

"With only three cards?" asked Penelope, as Emily made the draws.

"Actually," replied Emily, "I think I only need two. I'll start with Giant Rat…"

She threw down the card, and the large Earth-seeking rodent appeared next to Stray Cat Girl. (1,400 ATK)

"Then, by building the Overlay Network, I can bring out my favorite card… For this deck anyway…"

The spiraling vortex appeared, quickly swallowing Stray Cat Girl and Giant Rat. Two very large cat-like eyes appeared in the center of it…

Not again… thought Penelope.

However, to her surprise, the eyes weren't the monster's eyes, but were printed on a hat she wore. The female Spellcaster wore black and bright red dress, black shorts and red knee-high boots, and had black hair in a long ponytail (with cat-like eyes, regardless), but still, the hat – which had a brim about four feet wide and two peaks three feet tall apiece – was what stood out. (2,000 ATK)

Penelope almost forgot about the demonic cat-woman about to slash Emily's throat.

"Okay, I'll admit it," she said with a slight laugh. "The Cat in the Hat has nothing on her."

"You bet," said Emily. "Cat Girl Magician has a neat trick too which she'll show you in a minute. But first, I can use the Megamorph Equip Spell…"

She played a second card, and Cat Girl Magician's eyes blazed with fiery light. (4,000 ATK)

"Uhm…" said Penelope.

"Now the fun part," said Emily. Cat Girl Magician quickly whipped out a long baton, as if it had been collapsible. "By spending an Overlay Unit, she can attack you directly! So long as I cut her Attack Score in half."

Cat Magician Girl smirked, then leapt and flipped, her Score falling to 2,000 right before she smacked Penelope on the side of the head with the baton, knocking her over. She purred playfully, then back-flipped back to her spot, where her Score returned to 4,000.

Penelope groaned and sat up as Felkovic's Cat leapt toward Alecta.

"WAIT!" she shouted.

Too late. The Angel of Punishment swung her scythe, slicing the Beast in two again.

"Now that I've done that…" added Emily, "from this point on, you'll have to worry about this…"

She played a card, and soft light started to light up the darkness.

"Altar of the Sun. It grants 300 Attack Points to any monster summoned from the Graveyard.

"And I'm ending my turn now – ARGH!"

The scream came as the demon scratched across the side of her neck, leaving a scar. It laughed evilly, showing fangs, then vanished in a cloud of black smoke.

"Fortunately…" she groaned, "I nullified most of the payment… And the Cat comes back again…"

Indeed, a black cougar leapt from the Curse Trap, and the Altar card shimmered. (2,200 ATK) –) (2,500 ATK)

(P: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 2,900)

Terrific… groaned Penelope, as she stood up. So much for using Alecta's effect… I'm running out of time!

She drew a card, then played two. Both appeared in front of her, set, one in front of the other, in both Zones.

"Your move…" she said, dryly.

"Draw…" said Emily, making a draw. "Felkovic's Cat, shred Alecta!"

With a savage snarl, the leopard made a leap at the Angel…

It's now or never… thought Penelope, as her Trap lifted up. "I activate Floral Shield!" she shouted.

Rose petals flew from the card, and Felkovic's Cat tumbled backwards.

"Kept a few of your old cards, I see…" said Emily with a short laugh.

"A few," replied Penelope, "now as per that Trap's second effect, I get to draw once…"

She drew… And almost dropped it, knocked over as Cat Girl Magician slammed her in the head with her baton again.

"Forgot about her, huh?" asked Emily. "She had another Overlay Unit, you know?"

Cat Girl Magician twirled her weapon above her head, then leapt back to Emily's side.

"Okay, try this," growled Penelope, activating her other Trap. "DNA Checkup!"

Her set monster started to emit a soft light, and Emily rubbed her chin.

"You've got two chances to guess what Attribute this monster is," she started. "Guess right, you draw twice. Guess wrong, I draw twice."

Emily thought for a few tense seconds.

"I guess…" she thought. "Earth and… Fire…"

Penelope was mute. The card lifted slightly, and the symbol for Earth was clearly there. As Emily drew twice, the Shadowchaser slowly turned her head to the left and the right.

Emily burst out laughing. "What?" she laughed. "Looking for a camera? Think I'm cheating? Come on, Lope, have you ever known me to cheat?"

"Not me in particular…" muttered Penelope.

"I remembered that card from the duel we had last spring," replied Emily, "and I made those guesses because you've used Dark, Light, Wind, and Water monsters so far."

She giggled a little, and set one of her cards.

(P: 4,000) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 2,900)

"So stop being such a wimp and go."

Penelope shook her head. Being lured her, drugged, and waylaid – possibly even kidnapped – by her old rival was bad enough. She especially hated it when Emily made sense.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Sofia…" said a voice. "Sofia? Sofia!"

Sofia woke up with a start. She had fallen asleep while the computer program was running.

"I knew reading the phone book was good for insomnia, but…" said the soft, female voice.

It was Opal, of course. The truly gorgeous woman in the revealing, exotic outfit that she never seemed to change – or even take off – was looking over her shoulder at the program that was running. It was the common media perception of a harem girl, with a midriff-bearing halter, long, gossamer trousers, bare feet with bangles around the ankles, and a veil over the lower half of her face. Her blonde, waist-length ponytail was held in place by a golden band.

Opal wasn't a human, but a djinn, a type of genie of elemental wind, and she wasn't a Shadowchaser. Nor did she have any formal affiliation with Sofia or the others who lived here. (Indeed, they weren't sure how or why Opal "lived" here; she had sort of been there when the original group assigned to Raleigh had moved in, and if the townhouse was hers via some contract they didn't know about, she had no objections. They never asked her to leave; she was far more of a help than a bother.)

"Any particular reason you wanted to scan every phone book in the online New York Metropolitan Library?" asked the djinn. "Up to Brazil, I see…"

"I'm not sure how else to find this guy…" answered Sofia.

"Sofia, I wish I could help but…" said Opal's soft voice.

"I know, Opal, I know…" replied Sofia. "I have boyfriend trouble, but you would consider me lucky…"

Opal slowly nodded. She herself had once known true love, but had lost it… And it had been her fault.

No genie ever likes being kept a prisoner in a lamp. It's usually done to them either by their own kind as a punishment for a crime by a legal authority, or to a captured prisoner of war or spy by some enemy. A few are bound to them by powerful mortal wizards. Whatever the case, the genie must obey, without question, any mortal who holds the lamp, until an owner shows mercy and gives it the lamp, breaking the bond. At very least, this is humiliating, because genies are far more powerful than most mortals and look down on them. At worst, a genie might fall into the hands of a cruel master. (And finding one like Opal would be every lecherous rake's dream, a hot babe who had no choice but to submit, without being able to resist or even complain.)

Of course, if someone was a cruel master to any genie, male or female, and ever sold the lamp to someone else, he would be wise to learn how to be a light sleeper. The Shadowchaser records are full of cold murder cases where someone was brutally murdered, and all have something in common according to those who knew him: He was once abusive to a valet, manservant, maid, or lover with an odd fondness for strange clothing, and he used to own an old oil lamp. It was obvious what had happened in each case: Someone had eventually given the genie his or her freedom, and the genie gone back to kill the cruel master out of revenge. Genies have huge egos, they hate to be insulted, and a genie's memory is long, certainly longer than a mortal's lifespan.

Opal, however? The reason she had been given this curse originally was something that humans would barely consider a crime. She had told off another djinn who was high on the societal ladder. (Maybe her language was a little inappropriate.) As already said, genies are egotists, and they don't take insults well.

She had been trapped in her lamp for two millennia before anyone found it, far longer than normal. Whether the guy had intended this, she never knew, but someone had simply hidden it too well. After that long a period of isolation, she didn't care who let her out, a breath of fresh air would have been worth the cruelest taskmaster.

But she was lucky. Incredibly lucky. The man who eventually found her wasn't the type to take advantage of a woman who was bound to serve him via some curse. He let her go right away.

Most would think that Opal would have been overjoyed, and been hundreds of miles away in the next hour. But she was so starved for another person to talk to and pleaded with him to stay with her for just a while.

If it all sounds familiar, well, many people did indeed compare the situation to I Dream of Jeanie. But in this case, her new companion wasn't as reluctant as Major Tony Nelson. He was only too willing to love her… So much that after a few years, he wanted to help her gain revenge against the lout who had locked her up in the first place and left her alone for two millennia.

In retrospect, Opal realized now that the smart thing to do would have been to tell him that the guy was dead; it would have been easy to avoid trouble. But the thought of getting even did appeal to her a little. Maybe her own pride and ego were clouding her judgment…

The things you do take on a whole new light when seen in retrospect, and what Opal did was incredibly stupid: She accepted his help. As it turned out, the guy was not only still alive, he had grown much stronger in twenty centuries, and as much as genies hate being offended by other genies, when other races do it…

Long story short, it turned out badly. And by "badly", meaning Opal still mourned, and still blamed herself. She herself had barely escaped alive that day.

"Sofia, not that's it's any of my business," muttered the djinn, "but even with an uncommon name, this way could take months."

"I know…" replied Sofia.

"You'd be easier trying to find out where Philip is tomorrow…" said Opal. She turned and walked away from the desk. "Even if it's cutting it close. I mean… You know more about him than a name…"

"But…" said Sofia.

Then she stopped. Opal had disappeared, but she had made a point. She tapped her pen on the desk as she thought for a minute.

"It just might…" she thought.

She moved her mouse, and turned to her list of numbers, then highlighted one: KaibaCorp, New York City branch.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Penelope drew, and then…

Hey… she thought.

"First I move Marina to Attack Mode," she said out loud, as the sea Angel uncrossed her arms. (1,400 ATK) Then I'll Flip Summon Divine Seraph Claudia: Angel of Glory."

The card flipped up, and the Angel this time looked like sweetness personified. Her bikini top was shaped like a large, red bow, and her short-shorts had white fur trim, as did her red boots and gloves. She wore a bright red poinsettia flower in her long, blonde hair. (1,800 ATK)

"HEY!" laughed Emily. "I have an outfit like that!"

"Oh, I bet you do," replied Persephone. "I'm giving Claudia the Equip Spell, Bow of Orion!"

The Seraph held up her right arm, as three spiraling stars flew down to it, forming into a silvery longbow. Then she aimed at Cat Girl Magician, and it created an arrow of light.

"I know, your Xyz may be more than 2,000 points stronger right now," continued Penelope, "but Claudia gains 1,000 Attack Points when she attacks an enemy stronger than she is."

Claudia fired her Score rising to 2,800. Still, Cat Girl Magician just swatted the bolt away, the backlash making Claudia shout and fall backwards.

"She survived?" shouted Emily.

"She also can't be destroyed by battle during my own Battle Phase," added Penelope, "so long as I have at least one other Divine Seraph."

(P: 2,800) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 2,900)

"Yeah, well, I see you weren't as tough," said Emily, as a smile.

"Cat Girl Magician doesn't look so tough either right now," said Penelope, smiling wider.

Emily turned to the Spellcaster quickly, who was holding her chest. (1,000 ATK)

Oh… shit! she thought. She did that on purpose to make her score lower than mine! Now the Megamorph cut her Attack Score in half instead of doubling it! Which means…

She quickly turned towards Marina, just as the Angel of Enchantment's Divine Surge ripped across the floor and blasted the feline Xyz to little pieces.

"This is far from over!" continued Penelope. Alecta lifted her weapon, and flew towards the Cat of Felkovic, as a Quickplay Spell appeared in front of Penelope.

"Due to the Forbidden Scripture Quickplay, for this battle only, the effects of other cards are negated, and both our monsters use their base Attack Scores. I believe Felkovic's Cat had only 1,000 of them when this deal started."

Again, the scythe fell slashing through the dark Cat. Emily frowned.

"Unfortunately," muttered Penelope, "Alecta's effect was out of play too at the time, so I can't use it. I end my turn."

"And you know what that means," said Emily, now sounding upset. "Time for stage five…"

Felkovic's Cat leapt out of the dark portal in the floor again, now a bigger, stronger leopard (2,600 ATK) –) (2,900 ATK)

"I swear, you're making this too easy," she said as she drew. The three cards she had, including that one, were Reload, Magic Planter, and Counter Cleaner.

Let's see here… she thought. Marina has only 1,400 Attack Points, so this attack could bring her into the red… But then again… Alecta is too big a risk…

"Go on…" she said.

The Cat pounced again, and tackled Alecta, literally. The scythe fell with a clatter, and Penelope looked with horror Alecta tried to wrestle the Beast off of her, a fight that, after a minute or two, she clearly lost.

(P: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 2,900)

Felkovic's Cat turned to Penelope herself and growled a little…

"Nice kitty…" said Emily. Her set Trap opened. "I use Destruct Potion!"

The Cat shattered into black shards, and a shadowy miasma surrounded Emily.

"By destroying my own monster, I gain 2,900 Life Points. Now I end my turn, and once again…"

The Cat came through the dark portal again, now having achieved its sixth life, that of a black-furred jaguar. (3,000 ATK) –) (3,300 ATK)

And yet for some reason, Penelope didn't seem worried at all as she drew.

(P: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 5,800)

"I suppose you were wondering just what that Bow did, huh?" she asked.

Emily started to say something, but stopped. Indeed, the Equip Spell didn't seem to do anything to Claudia.

"It's my Standby Phase," said Penelope, "so now I can sacrifice the monster who has the Bow of Orion…"

Claudia vanished into sparkling, glittering starlight.

"…and in exchange, take a Quickplay Spell from my deck." As she said that, a card appeared in her hand with the same glittering starlight.

"No…" said Emily, with a look of disbelief.

"There's one catch…" continued Penelope. "I'm not allowed to activate it from my hand, I can only set it…"

A set card appeared in front of her, and then Marina moved to Defense Mode again. (1,300 ATK)

She slowly nodded.

Emily grumbled as she drew a card. She paused, and waited.

So what is it? she thought. Forbidden Chalice? Mystical Space Typhoon?

"I'm activating Magic Planter!" she shouted.

Vines entwined around the Spirit Barrier card, and tore it apart. She made two draws.

Not like I need it again, she thought. And I couldn't have asked for a better two cards…

"First of all, I'm summoning Vistani Spirit," she said, as she played a card. A ghostly-looking man in colorful gypsy clothing and a stylish moustache appeared, almost transparent and with a blank look in his eyes. (0 ATK)

"Normally, curses don't let you take shortcuts," said Emily, but by banishing this guy, "I get to cheat a little, and speed my Cat's sequence up slightly, and move it straight to its next life."

Vistani Spirit disappeared, and the Cat moaned before it shattered again… Then, there was an angry snarl as the portal opened at once, and a tiger with black fur leapt out. (3,400 ATK) –) (3,700 ATK)

"No fair…" muttered Penelope.

"So who said life was fair?" laughed Emily. She played the other card. "Take this! Psychic Cyclone! By playing this card, I get to destroy your set card, but not before I guess what kind of card it is. If I'm right, I get to draw a third time…

"I say… Spell Card!"

The tornado from the card rushed at Penelope's set card, and it lifted briefly. Emily didn't recognize the picture; it seemed like a Renaissance-style painting of a beautiful woman in a green dress holding a wheel in one hand and a sword in the other.

The important part was the border, which was purple.

"That wasn't a Quickplay!" shouted Emily. "You…"

"I never said I actually set it, Emily," said Penelope, with a smirk. "You're getting nervous, and you forget, I remember a few of your cards too.

"Now, since Catherine's Wheel is a Trap Card, you were wrong, so as per the effect of your own card, I draw once…"

As she drew, radiant light fell from the sky.

"And much like Dark Coffin and Statue of the Wicked, this sort of Trap activates when it's destroyed. First of all, one of your monsters is destroyed, but the good news is, you get to choose which one."

"Ah-huh…" said Emily, rolling her eyes as the Cat of Felkovic shattered for the seventh time.

"Next," added Penelope, "It lets me summon a Fairy from my Graveyard with 1,500 Attack Points or fewer. Thus I summon… Condemned Maiden!"

There was a sound like sobbing, and an angel – well, maybe – appeared. Actually, not only was this clearly a fallen angel, her landing when she had been thrown out of heaven had not been a very soft one. Her wings were molting, a patch covered one of her eyes, and her clothing, which was the style of peasants and included a hood, was filthy and torn. Her hands had turned into taloned claws. She gave a sad look before kneeling in Defense Mode. (2,000 DEF)

"Who…" said Emily.

"Know those Quickplay Spell Cards that have the maiden on them," asked Penelope, "like Forbidden Chalice, Forbidden Lance, and Forbidden Dress? Ever wonder why they were 'forbidden'?"

"She wasn't allowed to use them, I suppose?" sighed Emily.

"Exactly," replied Penelope, "she, like some people I know, got a little too cocky and was caught trying to take the Forbidden Scripture, and was finally punished for using them all."

"All right, you're very clever…" said Emily, who was obviously getting angry now, "but you forgot one thing…"

She set two of her cards, causing them to appear in her Spell Zone.

"As I end my turn… Guess who?"

The Cat of Felkovic appeared again, now a ferocious African lion. It let out a roar that caused the whole house to tremble. (3,800 ATK) –) (4,100 ATK)

"I'm so scared…" said Penelope, as she drew.

Actually, she was, but she wasn't going to show it.

"I summon Divine Seraph Lunaria: Angel of the Moon."

She played the card, and soft moonbeams fell from above, as another lovely lady appeared. This one was fully covered by her dress, even though it was nearly transparent, and had long, violet hair, with soft, silky skin. She carried the strangest of weapons; a blade almost as large as she was shaped like a crescent moon, made of silvery metal and covered with eldritch symbols. (1,000 ATK)

Here goes nothing… she thought. Marina stood up into Attack Mode once more (1,400 ATK) and she played a card from her hand.

"I use Enemy Controller!" she shouted.

As the video game pad appeared, the lion roared again, then sat. (800 DEF) Lunaria wasted no time, her large crescent slashing and cutting it apart.

"Eight down, one to go," laughed Emily. However, she was interrupted as Marina's watery blast hit her in the stomach.

"BITCH!" she shouted.

(P: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 4,400)

"I'm done with my Battle Phase," said Penelope, "but not my turn… I Tune together Lunaria and Marina…"

The two angels sprouted wings and flew high, higher and higher…

(*3 + *4 = *7)

"I Synchro Summon… Divine Seraph Angelina: Angel of Glory!"

The Synchro Rings shattered, and a new angel alighted on the field. This one seemed the most modest… At least she was the most covered, even though her outfit, which seemed to resemble a white waistcoat, showed a lot of cleavage and leg. She had long, velvet, white gloves, and soft slippers, and held an ornate scepter with an orb of soft light at the tip. Most remarkably, a Celtic cross (or… something like it) was under the bangs of her long, brown hair. (2,300 ATK)

"Just my summoning her, I get to summon a Level 3 Divine Seraph from my Graveyard in Defense Mode…"

Glacia appeared again, kneeling and covering herself with her wings. (500 DEF)

"And now that the coast is clear… I'll really set that card I searched for, along with one other card…"

The two set cards appeared. Penelope looked at her foe, and sweat started to run down her forehead as she said it: "End…"

From the darkness, it appeared, with a primal howl that no natural animal could ever produce. The true form of Felkovic's Cat stepped forward, twice as large as any Great Cat known to mundane humans, its giant incisors suggesting the prehistoric beast called the Smilodon or saber-toothed tiger, if not for the eyes that burned like hot coals and the dreaded symbol on its collar, no longer an ankh, but the symbol universally used by Shadowkind to represent Hell. (4,100 ATK) –) (4,400 ATK)

"Draw…" said Emily, making her draw. She stopped for a minute.

Even if one of those cards is able to make her monster stronger or mine weaker, she thought, if I activate my set Counter Cleaner at just the right second, I can reduce the Cat to its original state and start over again.

After all, I'm in no hurry…

"Devour Angelina!" she ordered. "Savage Vengeance!"

"I use my Mystical Space Typhoon!" shouted Penelope, her Quickplay lifting up, "and I'm aiming for Imperial Custom!"

Emily laughed out loud.

"THAT was your big surprise?" she laughed. "You lose, old friend!"

Her Trap Card lifted, and she discarded a card.

"I use Judgment of Anubis! Ironic that my killing stroke in a Cat Deck be delivered by a dog, but…"

The ghostly spirit of Anubis appeared, and howled, the terrible droning piercing through Angelina and smashing her into little pieces.

"Hmm…" said Emily. "Wait…"

(P: 2,100) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 4,400)

"You should have…" she said.

"Taken 2,300 points of damage, right?" asked Penelope. "Not yet, take a look…"

Emily laughed again when she saw the Trap her opponent had used, her final set card.

"Saint Shield, huh?" she asked.

"Yes," replied Penelope, "it not only shielded me from the damage, but increased Condemned Maiden's Attack Score by the amount of damage I would have taken. And by the way, Anubis is a jackal, not a dog, there's a big difference."

"Well, fine," replied Emily, with a devilish smirk, "but the thing is, you didn't avoid the damage, you only delayed it. You'll take the damage when my turn ends, which means I can just…"

"I use Emergency Provisions!" shouted Penelope, lifting up the last card in her hand. Her Call of the Haunted card, which had been standing there without purpose for several turns, disappeared.

"How…" said Emily, in a startled tone. "No fair! Since when can you use a Quickplay from your hand during my turn?"

"Oh, so now I'm the one not being fair?" replied Penelope. "Like you said, there are exceptions to every rule. Condemned Maiden might have been punished for stealing the Forbidden artifacts, but they gave her a special affinity for Quickplays letting me do use that little trick with that type of Spell Card."

"In that case…" said Emily.

The Cat leapt on Condemned Maiden, and she let out a pitiful wail right before it crushed her.

"Eh, I was doing her a favor," she muttered. "Anyway… That's it for now…"

"Which means Angelina's actual effect activates," replied Penelope. Three cards slipped out of her discard pile, and she threw all three on her Disk sideways. "I get to summon three Divine Seraphs. With their Scores reduced to zero and their effects nullified…"

Claudia appeared first, then Aoede, and finally a Seraph that Emily hadn't seen yet, one with perfume-red hair cut short with a rose in it, and a scant outfit that seemed to be made of rose petals, along with a gossamer sash. (Emily could only presume that was Amora.) (0 DEF x3)

The Saint Shield card appeared again, and a dark surge flowed from it, striking Penelope with a painful burst. She held her chest and took some deep breaths.

(P: 800) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 4,400)

"I think that means it's my move…"

She drew…

"I didn't mention…" she said, "I also can't summon any monsters this turn… So…"

The card appeared set behind the four angels in a brilliant aura.

"That's all I can do…"

Emily drew… And then she smiled… Smiled the same way she used to when she had her foe where she wanted her as a wrestler.

"Well, I guess I can't end this exactly the way I wanted to," she replied. An Equip Spell appeared on the other side of the Curse card. "But this is close enough!"

"Big Bang Shot!" gasped Penelope.

"You got it," said Emily, as the Cat's Attack Score went even higher, to 4,800.

"So, seeing as I could win by attacking any of them, it's all a question of which one," she chuckled. "Let's see… Eenie, meanie, minie…"

"MOE!" yelled Penelope. "Trap Card activate! Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan!"

"HUH?" replied Emily, her eyes turning. Unfortunately, it was only too true. As the notorious Trap started to radiate powerful magic, Glacia, Claudia, Amora, and Aoede stood up, flaming, multicolored energy surrounding them…

Then, Aoede pointed, and four powerful blasts of green fire engulfed the five cards behind Felkovic's Cat: The Curse of Felkovic, Temple of the Sun, Imperial Custom, Counter Cleaner, and Big Bang Shot. Three of them were burnt to a crisp, only Curse of Felkovic surviving…

Still, Felkovic's Cat wasn't so lucky. Its roar was cut off as it was drawn into a different portal that collapsed upon itself.

"Ah, show off…" grumbled Emily.

"Says the woman dressed in something she probably bought at Frederick's of Hollywood," replied Penelope.

Emily let out a big sigh, and then fit her last two cards into her Disk, causing them to appear reversed in her Spell Zone.

"Touché," she said. "Move…"

"Oh, I will," replied Penelope. She made a draw, and Glacia stood up. (1,200 ATK)

"Her effect works as follows," she continued, as a card was fed from her Graveyard pile. "By banishing a Tuner from the Grave, Glacia assumes its name and affects… Remember this fellow?"

Now Emily really looked scared. It was Fleur Synchron. As if she could forget.

"I discarded this one way back when I used Aoede's effect," said Penelope, casually tucking the card into her bra strap. "Next, I summon Necro Fleur…"

She flicked the card into her Disk with a smooth gait, and a dead, decaying flower popped up on one of her free spaces. (0 ATK)

"But don't worry, be happy… I have no intention of bringing out the boss lady this time. But I can Tune Necro Fleur, Glacia and Claudia together…"

The two angels turned to Penelope and nodded, then joined hands and flew towards the ceiling.

"Let the horns sound and the whistles blow! Vive la Revolution! Lead me to victory!"

(*3 + *4 + *1 = *8)

"Synchro Summon, Chevalier de Fleur!"

The stars turned into flower petals as Penelope's signature monster appeared, one that Emily had kind of hoped she hadn't kept. The cards she had just set had been bluffs… But it really didn't matter now… (2,700 ATK)

"I'm not done, Emily!" laughed Penelope. "I'm also Tuning together Amora and Aoede…"

The remaining two angels flew upwards, the Synchro Rings appearing for the second time…

(*3 + *4 = *7)

"I Synchro Summon… Divine Seraph Mikaela: Angel of Fury!"

Now, this one took Emily completely by surprise. This angel was dressed as scantily as the others, but her clothing wasn't cloth. It was like bronze… But not some metal bikini either. It was like bronze hammered into the thinness of paper and placed over her in a way to cover what was important, like slingshot bikini that had been welded to her skin. She wore gauntlets with sharp claws made with the same bronze, had fiery red hair. She was taller than the others, almost seven feet tall, with feathered wings the same fiery red color. (2,500 ATK)

"You're right, Emily, why would I want this to end?" asked Penelope. "It is fun!"

As she said that, Chevalier de Fleur's sword swiped twice, cutting across her foe's belly. Emily howled, but she wouldn't get off that easily. Mikaela lifted her hand…

Penelope heard Emily screaming as a column of fire literally tore through the ceiling, slamming onto Emily.

(P: 800) - - - - - - - - - - (E: 0)

But she didn't see any more. The next thing she knew, she was falling…

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Penelope landed with an "OOF" and rolled over a few times before she came to a stop, face-first on the grass

"Did I win?" she groaned.

She didn't seem to be hurt. She was a little bruised, but a mental check as she sat up didn't find anything broken…

She was on the grassy knoll where the ApBlanc Manor was, where she had first come… But something was definitely missing.

"Penelope!" shouted Delores' voice. "What is going on?"

Penelope stood up and tapped her Disk as she stood up and looked with incredible disbelief at the large crater where, just minutes ago, the ApBlanc Manor had been.

"Delores?" she said. "This is gonna be hard to explain…"

Several hundred feet behind her, concealed behind some bushes, a man wearing a trenchcoat with his collar turned up with a large hat and dark glasses was watching, while holding what looked like an iPad. He tapped it.

"Mr. Addams," he said, in a stoic voice.

"I'm here…" sighed the CEO of Copek.

"Calm down, your employee didn't do as well as I had hoped, but better than I had expected," said the strange man, still in a dry tone. "Is Ms. Thingol's operative here?"

"She just got here…" said Addams, sounding more annoyed.

"Then you can return to the project you were doing before," continued the man. "If I need further help from you on this one, I'll call."

In his office in Liverpool, Addams leaned his head on his hand as he hung up.

Oh, I'll bet you will, he thought.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

PSYCHIC CYCLONE (Spell Card)

Quickplay Spell

Image: A mysterious-looking man holding up two fingers; a weird swirl of wind encircles them.

Card Description: Select 1 set card in your opponent's Spell/Trap Zone, then declare Spell Card or Trap Card. Destroy the set card. If it is the type of card you declared, you draw 1 card. If it is not, your opponent draws 1 card.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

FLORAL SHIELD (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A blue fleur-de-lis on a collage background, the petals flying from the center.

Effect: Activate when your opponent declares an attack against a face-up monster you control. Negate the attack and draw 1 card.

Note: Floral Shield was first used by Sherry in the Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds episode "French Twist (Part 1)"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

STRAY CAT (Monster Card)

Beast/Earth/Effect/Effect/Lvl1/100ATK/300DEF

Effect: While this card is in Attack Position, your opponent cannot target any other Monster you control for attacks.

Note: "Stray Cat" was first used by Cathy in the Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal episode "Feline Frenzy".

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

STRAY CAT GIRL (Monster Card)

Beast/Earth/Effect/Effect/Lvl4/800ATK/300DEF

Effect: While this card is in Attack Position, it cannot be destroyed by battle.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

CAT FOOD (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: A bowl of cat food with a purple box of dry cat food behind it and three stacked cans of canned cat food to the side.

Card Description: Tribute 1 "Stray Cat" you control. Special Summon 1 "Stray Cat Girl" from your hand, deck, or Graveyard in Attack Position.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

CAT GIRL MAGICIAN (Monster Card)

Spellcaster/Dark/Xyz/Effect/Rank4/2,000ATK/1,800DEF

2 Level 4 Monsters

Effect: Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card. Until the End Phase of the turn, its ATK is halved, and it may attack directly.

Note: The preceding three cards were first used by Cathy in the Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal episode "Pets Peeved".

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

SAINT SHIELD (Trap Card)

Counter Trap

Image: A shield with a mirrored surface and winged frame, floating in the ether with lightning bolts flashing from it.

Effect: Activate when you would take effect damage. Reduce the damage to zero, and increase the ATK of 1 Fairy-Type monster you control by the amount of damage you would have taken. During the End Phase of the turn, you take damage equal to the amount of damage reduced by this card's effect.

Note: "Saint Shield" was first used by Durbe in the Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal episode 132.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

ALLEY CAT (Monster Card)

Beast/Earth/Effect/Lvl1/0ATK/0DEF

Effect: If this card is in your Graveyard with at least 3 other "Cat" and/or "Neko" monsters, you may banish this card and send 3 "Cat" and/or "Neko" monsters in your Graveyard back to your deck; reshuffle and draw 2 cards.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

TIGER NEKO LADY (Monster Card)

Beast-Warrior/Earth/Effect/Lvl6/2,200ATK/800DEF

Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned, select 1 face-up monster; reduce its ATK by 1,000 points.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

VISTANI SPIRIT (Monster Card)

Spellcaster/Dark/Effect/Lvl1/0ATK/0DEF

Effect: Cannot be Special Summoned. You may banish this card to place 1 Vengeance Counter on a "The Curse of Felkovic" you control. You may only use the effect of 1 "Vistani Spirit" per turn.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

FELKOVIC'S CAT (Monster Card)

Beast/Dark/Effect/Effect/Lvl4/1,000ATK/800DEF

Effect: You can only control 1 "Felkovic's Cat". This card gains 400 Attack Points for each Vengeance Counter on "The Curse of Felkovic". If this card is destroyed when "The Curse of Felkovic" has 8 Vengeance Counters, destroy "The Curse of Felkovick".

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

THE CURSE OF FELKOVIC (Trap Card)

Continuous Trap

Image: A man with Roma features and gypsy-style clothing, looking oddly at a small, onyx figurine of a cat. A demonic, cat-shaped shadow is lurking behind him.

Effect: You can only control 1 "The Curse of Felkovic". If a "Felkovic's Cat" you control is destroyed while this card has 7 or less Vengeance Counters, Special Summon that "Felkovic's Cat" from your Graveyard during the End Phase of the turn and place 1 Vengeance Counter on this card. If this card is removed from the field, banish it, and inflict damage to your Life Points equal to 400 times the number of Vengeance Counters it had.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

WITCH'S FAMILIAR (Spell Card)

Quickplay Spell

Image: An attractive, female gypsy walking boldly through a dark mist as two cat-like eyes watch from the shadows behind her.

Effect: If this card is activated on the turn after you take effect damage monster, you may Special Summon a Level 3 or lower Beast Type monster from your hand for every 1,000 points of effect damage lost.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

GYPSY FAMILIAR (Spell Card)

Normal Spell

Image: The same scene from "The Curse of Felkovic", but the man is visibly frightened, isn't holding the figurine, and the shadowy demon is reaching for him with claws.

Effect: Activate when you control a "Felkovic's Cat" and this is the only card in your hand. Draw 3 cards. At the End Phase of the turn, you take damage equal to 3,000 minus the amount of Battle Damage inflicted during your Battle Phase.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

DIVINE SERAPH ANGELINA: ANGEL OF GLORY (Monster Card)

Fairy/Light/Synchro/Effect/Lvl7/2,300ATK/1,500DEF

Tuner + 1 or more "Divine Seraph" monsters

Effect: This card can only be summoned via Synchro Summon. When this card is destroyed by a card effect you may Special Summon up to three "Divine Seraph" monsters as possible from your Graveyard. Their ATK and DEF are reduced to zero and their effects are negated. Until both you and your opponent have had 1 Standby Phase apiece, you may not Summon any monsters.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

DIVINE SERAPH AOEDE: ANGEL OF SONG (Monster Card)

Fairy/Wind/Effect/Lvl4/1,400ATK/300DEF

Effect: Once per turn, you may discard 1 card from your hand to banish 1 face-up opposing monster. If you use this effect, this card cannot attack during the same turn. You must control this face-up card in Attack Position to resolve this effect. During your opponent's second Standby Phase after this effect is used,

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

DIVINE SERAPH GLACIA: ANGEL OF THE GALE (Monster Card)

Fairy/Water/Tuner/Effect/Lvl3/1,200ATK/500DEF

Effect: You can only control 1 "Divine Seraph Glacia: Angel of the Gale". You may banish 1 Tuner Monster from your Graveyard; this card's name is treated as that of the banished Tuner, and it gains the banished Tuner's effect.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

DIVINE SERAPH SRAOSHA:ANGEL OF GRACE (Monster Card)

Fairy/Light/Tuner/Effect/Lvl3/1,000ATK/300DEF

Effect: If this card is used for the Synchro Summon of a Level 5 or lower Fairy-Type monster, draw 1 card. If this card is used for the Synchro Summon of a Level 6 or higher Fairy-Type monster, draw 2 cards.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

DIVINE SERAPH ALECTA: ANGEL OF PUNISHMENT (Monster Card)

Fairy/Dark/Effect/Lvl6/2,200ATK/2,400DEF

Effect: When this card attacks an opposing monster, you may destroy 1 Spell or Trap Card your opponent controls at the end of the damage step.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

DIVINE SERAPH CLAUDIA: ANGEL OF GLORY (Monster Card)

Fairy/Earth/Effect/Lvl4/1,800ATK/800DEF

Effect: If this card attacks a monster with a higher ATK than itself, it gains 1,000 Attack Points for the Damage Step only. If you control a "Divine Seraph" monster other than "Divine Seraph Claudia: Angel of Grace", this card cannot be destroyed by battle during its controller's Battle Phase.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

DIVINE SERAPH MARINA: ANGEL OF ENCHANTMENT (Monster Card)

Fairy/Water/Effect/Lvl4/1,400ATK/1,200DEF

Effect: If you Normal Summon this card while you control a "Divine Seraph" monster that is the same Attribute as this card, you may Special Summon a Level 4 or lower "Divine Seraph" monster from your hand. You may not Synchro Summon during the turn you use this effect.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

DIVINE SERAPH LUNARIA: ANGEL OF THE MOON (Monster Card)

Fairy/Dark/Tuner/Effect/Lvl3/1,000ATK/500DEF

Effect: If this card is used for the Synchro Summon a "Divine Seraph" monster, you may Special Summon a Level 3 or lower Fairy-Type monster from your Graveyard in Defense Position. The Battle Position of the Special Summoned monster cannot switch, and it cannot be used to Synchro Summon this turn.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

DIVINE SERAPH NOCTURNA: ANGEL OF MYSTERY (Monster Card)

Fairy/Dark/Effect/Lvl3/1,200ATK/500DEF

Effect: You may use the effect of this card once per turn by discarding 1 card from your hand. Decrease the Levels of all Fairy-Type monsters you control by 1.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

DIVINE SERAPH AMORA: ANGEL OF LOVE (Monster Card)

Fairy/Fire/Tuner/Effect/Lvl3/0ATK/300DEF

Effect: You can discard this card from your hand and select 1 "Divine Seraph" monster you control. Increase the ATK of the selected monster by 1,000 and its Level by 1 until the End Phase. This effect can be used during any Phase of the turn, and can be used during your opponent's turn. You can only use the effect of "Divine Seraph Amora: Angel of Love" once per turn.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

DIVINE SERAPH MIKAELA: ANGEL OF FURY (Monster Card)

Fairy/Fire/Synchro/Effect/Lvl7/2,500ATK/1,800DEF

Tuner + 1 or more "Divine Seraph" monsters

Effect: ?

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

BOW OF ORION (Spell Card)

Equip Spell

Image: Airknight Parshath holding a silvery bow above his head as the constellation Orion appears in the sky around him.

Effect: Equip only to a Fairy-Type monster. During your Standby Phase, you may Tribute the equipped monster and banish this card to add 1 Quickplay Spell from your deck to your hand. This Quickplay Spell cannot be activated from your hand.

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CATHERINE'S WHEEL (Trap Card)

Normal Trap

Image: A Renaissance-style painted image of a beautiful woman in a church (St. Catherine, most likely) holding a wheel by her side, touching a kneeling peasant's forehead gently.

Effect: Can only be activated when destroyed by a card effect controlled by your opponent. Your opponent selects 1 of his monsters and destroys it. Then, you may Special Summon a Level 4 or lower monster from your Graveyard in face-up Defense Position. The Battle Position of this monster cannot switch.

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Jemorille: Penelope had won the duel with her rival, but of all the times she and Emily had come to blows, this was the weirdest. Had the mansion been restored with powerful magic and furnished with expensive décor simply for the purpose of one duel? If so, why? Did this strange man want to study her deck? Test her? Find contestants for a reality show?

But it wouldn't end there. This strange new client of Copek Industries had started a new project with a definite goal in mind, and it wasn't the only part of a small group of plans towards a longer goal.

Philip had been foolish to think that Sofia could be kept safe from it forever. In time, it would affect her and everyone she was close to, along with everyone of importance in the Shadow commercial. And the operative Addams had hired was another step towards it.

And in just a few hours, the crisis would be renewed in another place.

"Wind Beneath My Wings" is next.

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Shadowchaser Files: Personalities

Calla, Champion of Tiamat

Almost all gods have proxies; the Shadow Queen was simply one who was more active on Earth than the typical one. After all, the gods cannot manifest themselves physically in the mortal world, each needs a powerful servant for when he or she has to make deals with mortals or fight them, depending on the situation. Many scholars claim being a proxy is a type of divine slavery; after all, the gods don't hold auditions; the way they choose them is often a spur-or-the-moment thing, and the mortal rarely has much choice. But to be honest, a mortal who has attracted the attention of an actual deity, one of the most powerful forces in all of creation, usually doesn't care about how his job is technically defined. (In other words, a god is asking you to work for him, giving you a chance that comes around once in a thousand lifetimes; what are you going to do, say no? Besides, the fringe benefits can be incredible.)

The thing is, most gods prefer to choose proxies from a species that worships them, which makes Tiamat's proxy Calla rather odd. She was never a dragon or even a half-dragon. She was once a princess, in danger of becoming a dragon's snack.

Back when even Jalal was a young man, Calla's father was a minor king. She wasn't evil then, but she was indeed selfish and more than a bit spoiled. Of course, her father was partially responsible for that, but it's too late to assign blame now. One day, while her she was on errand, a red dragon – a rather young one, nowhere near as powerful as Malys, but still potent – named Starn swooped down, slew her entourage and snatched her.

Trapped in the beast's lair, which he had apparently recently made, Calla was ready to beg and plead for her life, pride and dignity be damned. She knew what creatures like him did to young maidens, and she didn't want to die. But she lucked out, because he made her an offer. He'd let her live, at least for a while, if she simply acted as a decoy hostage. Simply yell for help to attract people so he could ambush them. She was desperate to live, so she agreed.

For a few months, the plan worked like a charm, and Calla cared little what he was doing to the people who came running to save her, only to meet their doom. As long as Starn kept his promise to let her live, she was fine with it. But after a while, as his threats to eat her became less and less, Calla actually started to enjoy herself. It was actually kind of fun after a while, far better than what she did before.

In some demented, sick way, she started to see this monster who was keeping her as a slave as the closest thing she'd ever had to a friend. There was a logical cause, of course. She didn't know that her mind was slowly being polluted by a dark magic nearby that even Starn was ignorant of; it was affecting him too, but being a dragon, he was more resistant.

Finally, the trick backfired on him. Her cries for help attracted a warrior too powerful for Starn to fight, one who was actually prepared. A powerful knight came, one capable of fighting back hard. Finally, after a terrible battle, Starn was slain.

Calla's grief was inconsolable at this point. As the knight untied her, she held out her arms as if to hug him. He couldn't defend himself from what came next, as it came completely by surprise: She grabbed a dagger in a scabbard on his belt, and then drove it between his shoulders, killing him.

She was about to stab herself with it too, but then a horrible headache struck her, and a voice she had never heard started to speak. The dedication she had shown to the source of the dark power had been noticed. She had been chosen. Her life would never be the same again…

Today, Calla is hundreds of times stronger than she was back then. Her physical features have changed, appearing as a half-dragon that suggests red heritage. She's more martial than the Shadow Queen, more like Lyrius but wearing armor made from the hide of a silver dragon (like an evil version of Jalal's, but no-one knows who the "donor" was) and the sword she uses is a powerful magical weapon with both unholy and axiomatic powers. (That means it's very effective against good and chaotic beings; Tiamat's forces tend to get involved in Blood War battles opposing the Armies of the Abyss frequently.) Calla is usually found with other evil dragons in service of Tiamat, and occasionally rides one.

Story Ideas: The exact limits of her power aren't known. She could well equal the Shadow Queen. (Or possibly even rival her, seeing as Tiamat is a true goddess, and Graz'zt is a step below that tier.) She isn't interested in ruling empires, however. In fact, she spends very little time on Earth these days, involved in projects in Tiamat's realm on Avernus, the First Hell.

Her goal, most of the time, is to oppose Bahamut's forces and kill metallic dragons at every opportunity, doing the will of her master whenever possible. (Indeed, in many ways, Calla is the opposite of the heroic dragon slaying knight who rescues a princess from an evil dragon in every way; she's an evil princess who is allied with evil dragons, who slays good ones; can't get more opposite than that. The irony delights Tiamat to no end.)

Calla rarely bothers with young dragons, only giving serious attention to old ones. She's never been known to use Duel Monsters as a medium of combat, but could probably put something like that together if she had to.

For the time being, Calla has no interest in the Shadowchasers (she's not overly fond of Jalal or Judy, but just being related to metallic dragons doesn't make her their enemy). Of course, should an alliance form between the Shadowchasers and a powerful true metallic dragon, she might have reason to oppose them.

A story involving Calla would likely involve her as the main antagonist, being supported by chromatic half-dragons and the dragon-spawn that Tiamat often "bestows" upon her children. Of course, fierce opposition is likely to come from Bahamut's forces if such overt activity is spent on Earth, so she'd clearly be ready…