Author's note: Well, it's late October, and in a week or so, it will be time for that day of ghosts, and goblins, and things that go bump in the night.
If you have any little monsters of your own to deal with, let me take this time to wish them all a happy – and safe – Halloween.
And in the spirit of which, here goes:
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Maybe you read the old one about how someone invented a generator that could create enough electricity to power a whole city for free, but that General Electric (or someone similar) bribed or blackmailed him into keeping quiet about it so they could still make money the old way. Or how someone supposedly invented an automobile that could run on water, but how OPEC blackmailed him (or even killed him) in order to keep it under wraps. Stories about free energy and fuel (often safe and pollution-free) that people don't want you to know about due to greed turn up all the time.
Let's ignore for a minute that an internal combustion engine – like the ones most cars had in the 20th to early 21st Centuries – fueled by water is impossible. (Water, along with carbon dioxide, are products of combustion, and can't be burned any further. That's why you use them to put out fires.) Here's the reality. In most worlds and dimensions, nothing is free. (Maybe in a few places in a few of the Upper Planes some things are, but it's rare to find truly free things even there.)
Maybe you've seen car and furniture dealers who offer free financing. That's actually a very common form of deceptive marketing. If it were free, who would pay the bank? In reality, the financing fee is included in the item price. (It's not truly false advertising, but it's close.) Usually, whenever a company offers you something for free, there's a catch to it, meaning you have to buy something first.
Even if it were theoretically possible to create unlimited, cheap energy by means of some perpetual motion machine – like the Momentum generator was supposed to be – it would still cost money to maintain, service, protect, and occasionally, repair. And given the trouble Momentum caused – and what it might have caused – no expense is too great to remain vigilant.
I hate to disappoint, but the thought of a sinister government conspiracy keeping consumers paying for energy and fuel is absurd. And how can you blame the energy companies? They have to make profit to stay in business!
And often, the price of some things is more than money…
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Chapter Twenty-One
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Scarborough Fair
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While many Shadowchasers and members of the London Police wished this horrid day would end, they weren't the only ones, and to tell another side of it, we must turn the clock back from five PM to noon, and transport us to across the English Channel to another city… Paris, the City of Lights.
Where, if you'll recall, Tranello Dominare's contact, the man he called Chess, had claimed he was bringing someone who could dispel the illusion on the book.
As Tranello stepped out of the shadows in the alley, he was a little confused; it seemed a little too quiet for the Place de l'Étoile, a part of Paris usually bustling with tourists.
He and Chess had usually picked this wide-open junction of twelve of the city's main avenues, where the famous Arc de Triomphe and the junction itself was split between the 8th, 16th, and the 17th arrondissements of Paris, making it a hub of sorts, much like the arc itself was a symbolic lynchpin of the Axe Historique (historical axis) a route of landmarks that started with the Louvre and ended with La Grande Arche de la Défense. With so many tourists around, it wasn't likely anyone would cause trouble.
As he was thinking about this, he was interrupted by a strong voice.
"Whoa, whoa!" said the voice. "Pardon, monsieur, you can't go there right now."
Tranello looked up at the man in work clothes and a hardhat he had almost bumped into and saw the road had been cordoned off.
He cleared his throat and started to speak in French: "I can't go to the Arc? What's the problem?"
"Take a look," said the laborer.
He pointed to the huge monolith, where several tanker trucks were parked, and men with hoses were giving it a scrub down.
"Every now and then we like to do that to get rid of the soot and grime and pigeon dirt," he said. "Come back tomorrow morning, we should be done by then."
Lovely, thought Tranello. Chess is probably somewhere around here, but where? I'd better…
"Mr. Dominare?" said a sweet voice. The mobster turned around.
On a small plot of grass in a yard in front of an old townhouse was a young girl (calling her a "woman" didn't seem right, although if he had to guess, she looked sixteen or so) one who was adorable to the point of cloying. She had a red dress covered with a white apron (for lack of a better term), old fashioned black stockings and shoes, and most remarkably, a cloak with a hood, both red. She had curly blonde hair with ringlets.
She smiled sweetly. Tranello noticed a teapot and a few other things set out on the plot of grass, including a covered picnic basket, and a small dog beside her.
"Uh, that's me…" he said. "You…"
"You're here to see father?" she said, still smiling, her voice with an accent that was hard to place.
"Uhm, is that who Chess is bringing?" he asked.
The strange girl nodded, and started to pour the tea. "Father called… He and your friend are hung up in traffic… All this fuss-fuss over washing the Arc has made the city a mess!
"But we have time…"
She smiled again, lifting the teapot as if to offer.
"Look, young lady, I'd really…" he said. Then he stopped. "Ooh… Are those macaroons?"
She nodded, and then pushed the cookies towards him as he sat down.
Maybe I will stay a while, he thought. He picked up the teacup.
"Uh, you have any cream?" he asked,
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Back at Fanciullo's manor house, the big man himself walked into the room where Drago was still throwing darts. Nitro was there too, reading last month's issue of Soldier of Fortune on the couch.
"I'm back," said the don. He looked around. "Don't everybody jump up and celebrate at once… Where's Tranello?"
"Somewhere where he wants you to meet him," replied Drago. "He left a message."
"Uh?" said Fanciullo. He looked at the phone, picked up the receiver, and then hit play on the recorder.
But after listening, he scratched his head.
The Arc de Triomphe? he thought. Don't they give it its bi-annual washing today?
"Has anyone used this phone since Tranello did?" he asked.
"Nuh-uh," said Drago. "And I've been here the whole time."
Fanciullo hit the memory button on the phone, then highlighted the most recent call, and then hit the callback button.
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"So, uh, Bonnie was it?" asked Tranello.
The young girl nodded. At the moment her dog was barking happily as she held a doggie biscuit over him.
"Jump, Henry!" she urged. The small dog leapt, and caught the biscuit. "Good dog!"
"So, uh, if you don't mind me asking…" said Tranello. "Why… why the outfit?"
"My outfit?" asked Bonnie. "What about it?"
"Well you, uh…" said Tranello.
Ho boy, how do I put this… he thought.
"Something wrong?" she asked, looking at her clothes. "Be honest, please!"
"You look like Little Red Riding Hood!" he said, quickly. "Only… older…"
Bonnie burst out laughing.
"That all?" she beamed. "I suppose there are worse people to look like… More tea?"
"Yes, please…" sighed Tranello. He sighed a little as she poured the cup, feeling a little embarrassed. "I just wonder whether or not it's… wise. You know, I've read some very old versions of that story… It's older than you think…"
Bonnie looked serious now.
"In some very old versions, Little Red Riding Hood doesn't escape," he continued. "She gets eaten, the wolf wins…"
Bonnie slowly stirred her tea for a minute.
"It would have served her right," she said. "She was a fool…"
"I don't follow…" answered Tranello.
"I mean, a little girl going into the woods alone, at night," said Bonnie. "Bad enough she talked to strangers and said where she was going, but a talking wolf?
"Worst of all… She can't even tell her own grandmother from a wolf wearing night clothes! Talk about a lame disguise."
"Uh, maybe she couldn't see very well…" suggested Tranello.
He was about to expand on that, but he caught himself. If it was true, it made the situation in some versions of the story even worse.
Then he noticed that Bonnie had taken a deck of cards from the basket and was shuffling it.
"Goldilocks was pretty stupid too," she continued. "How else do you describe a girl who finds a mysterious house in the middle of a creepy forest that obviously belongs to someone, goes in without permission, steals food, breaks the furniture, and then decides to take a nap where the owners can just find and catch her?"
"Owners who are bears, no less," said Tranello, nodding.
"True, in the original versions of some fairy tales, people come to bad ends, but it's always because they're stupid. And it's not just children. The townsfolk of Hamlin were really dumb… This weird man in a strange suit can use a flute to hypnotize a horde of mice. Call me crazy but… I think paying him what you promised might be a good idea here."
Tranello had to admit, she had a point. He remembered all those stories, and a lot of them made sense now. Snow White had three times trusted a complete stranger (Disney's version only had one); the Little Mermaid had foolishly made a Faustian pact (the original version didn't end as happy as the Disney one).
Still, Bonnie was right; in those old stories, there's usually someone who pays the price – or nearly does so – for doing something dumb.
"Stories like that…" said Bonnie, startling him, as he was lost in thought. "A character can't see the deadliest of threats even when they're right in front of his face…"
"Eh, suspension of disbelief, I guess…" said Tranello. "Lots of old tales are like that, kind of like the story of Scarborough Fair…"
"Eh?" said Bonnie. She slowly sipped her tea. "Isn't that the old 'Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme' song?"
"It is, but the legend goes back far longer than that, young lady," replied Tranello. "It's an old folktale. In the original version, a man tells his servant to give a message to his former lover, saying he'll love her again if she can do three tasks which are, in every logical sense, impossible. Like sewing him a shirt with no seam and then washing it in a dry well. Still, she manages to do the tasks anyway, and they get back together.
"But as stories like that are told, people add things to it, and in later versions, she has her own conditions, giving him equally impossible tasks, like buying a plot of land one acre in size between the ocean and the shore.
"As you might expect, when the story became a ballet, it was often sung as a duet. But the point is, because this young couple was actually able to do these things and the story never explains how…"
"Suspension of disbelief," giggled Bonnie. "Kind of like they never explain just how these cards work or where these creatures come from… Although… Actual belief is a big part too…"
Tranello was about to say something, but then a phone rang. He stopped, thinking it might be his, but then Bonnie took one out of her basket.
He watched as she turned it on. She didn't say anything, but she listened.
"Oh, poo," she pouted. She hung up.
"What?" asked Tranello.
"Father might not be here for an hour…" he said, "and your friend is with him…"
"Well, the boss isn't here yet either," said Tranello, slowly. "I need him here to meet with your dad anyway, and I have nowhere to go…"
Neither of them said anything for a while.
"Say…" said Bonnie. "Do you duel?"
She held up the cards.
"Might pass the time, and you seem wound tight as a drum…"
Tranello smiled and stood up. He had to admit, he was a little tense.
"You know, I have been under a lot of stress lately…" he said. "I should warn you… I'm quite good…"
Bonnie smiled, her dimples more pronounced now…
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Fanciullo hung the phone up.
This is bad… he thought.
The phone number that Tranello had received the call from came from a seedy bar in a bad part of Paris, and a call to Chess had no answer.
He clapped his hands. After about a minute, Uccisore, Amare, Belsito, and Uomo rushed in. Tormento was halfway through what looked like a pastrami sandwich and Belsito clearly had been taking a nap in the easy chair in the other room (as he often did) and just woke up, but both seemed alert.
"What's up boss?" asked Amare, between chews.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," ordered Fanciullo. "We need to get to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris fast…"
"Right boss…" said Uomo.
"Everyone prepared?" asked Fanciullo.
Drago took a revolver from his holster, checked the chamber, and then nodded. The others made a quick check of their equipment and gave a nod.
He started adjusting his watch-like device again as Uccisore took a gun from a holster and cocked it.
"I think Tranello may have bitten off more than he can chew…" muttered the crime boss.
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Bonnie giggled again. She fit the rose-colored D-Gazer into place and the VR grid started to form around them.
"Duel interface set, augmented reality vision link established."
"Still want to go through with this?" asked Tranello.
(Tranello: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Bonnie: 8,000)
Indeed, Bonnie's Duel Disk seemed standard issue, and he felt like he was dueling Heidi. Still, his monsters weren't the type to scare people easily… Not that they were pushovers.
"Positive," she said. "You go ahead, I always like to see what the other guy has first…"
"Well, if you insist…" said Tranello, as he drew a card. "But… I'm afraid I have to set this monster… So you can't see it."
"Oh, poo," said Bonnie, as the reversed monster appeared in front of Tranello. Then another one appeared in his Spell Zone.
"Okay, end turn…" he said.
Just like the old days, he thought.
"GO, I draw!" she exclaimed, as she drew wildly.
"YAY! I summon Fool's Gold!"
The as she played the card, the monster that appeared was a… treasure chest. Then the lid slowly opened, turning into a fanged mouth, with two small claws appearing to the side. (1,000 ATK)
Attack Mode? he thought. That guy looks like he'd do better in Defense Mode…
"Go!" she cheered, as the chest reached out with its claws. "Sham Slammer!"
"Hold it," said Tranello, holding up his hand. "I use the Trap Card, A Feint Plan."
As his set card lifted, General Freed appeared, lifting his hand in a manner to command the chest to halt.
"For this round, you can't attack my set monsters, and because I only have a set monster, that means no attack."
"Good save," giggled Bonnie. "Think I'll just… use these…" Two set cards appeared behind the chest. "And I end…"
"All right…" said Tranello. He drew, then his set card turned forward and flipped up.
"I Flip Summon Ghostrick Stein," he said, as flashing energy rose from the surface of the card.
A tall, lumbering, hunched over monster rose out of the card, a goofy-looking caricature of Frankenstein's Monster, with blue skin, bolts on his forehead, and a red jacket. (1,600 ATK)
"You see, the reason I set this guy is because Ghostricks can't be Normal Summoned unless another Ghostrick is already in play. But now that I have one… I summon Ghostrick Mummy."
There was a groan, and a rather atypical mummy wrapped in what looked like bathroom tissue with large, round teeth, joined Stein. (1,500 ATK)
"And with him around, I'm allowed to Normal Summon another Ghostrick, this turn, like Ghostrick Jiangshi."
There was a spooky moan, and a ghostly child floated over his shoulder. This one looked a little more serious, wearing Japanese priestly garb of a Qing mandarin, like Master Kyonshee as a child. (400 ATK)
"Funny!" laughed Bonnie.
"Funny, but lethal," said Tranello, as Ghostrick Stein reached his arms forward and lumbered towards Fool's Gold.
"I use the Trap Card, Magical Hats!" shouted Bonnie. One of her set cards lifted up, and a large top hat with a question mark on it lowered over Fool's Gold. Then, two more hats appeared, one to each side, and all three hats spun around, shuffling like an oversized shell game.
"Uh…" said Tranello. "Hold up…"
That just created a replay, so he had to consider for a second, but before he could.
"I use my other Trap!" laughed Bonnie, "Sound the Retreat!"
As the other set card lifted, all three Hats disappeared, and she grabbed three cards out of the air.
Huh… thought Tranello.
He had seen this strategy mentioned online before. Spell Cards are hard to search for, but you can search for two at once with this little trick by using Magical Hats (using the Spells you wanted as the "Hats") and then Sound the Retreat to send them to your hand.
It had one downside though… You had to return the monster to your hand too.
"Attack directly, Ghostricks!" he ordered, as Stein and Mummy marched towards Bonnie. "She has nothing!"
But then what happened shocked him, completely. Ghostrick Stein was far rougher than he had ever seen him before, grabbing Bonnie and shaking her. Then he shoved her over to Ghostrick Mummy, who did the same thing.
"Guys, guys, GUYS!" he yelled, "take it easy, she's just a kid!"
Mummy shoved her to the ground, and fortunately, Jiangshi wasn't as rough (he wasn't very strong anyway) simply slapping her a little.
(T: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (B: 4,500)
Most amazing of all, her smile hadn't faltered yet, even if she did rub her head a little as she got up.
"Uh… huh…" said Tranello. "Uhm… Right. When Ghostrick Stein does battle damage, I get to take any Spell or Trap Card from my deck with the word 'Ghostrick' in its name…"
He got what he wanted and looked at Bonnie carefully.
"Uh, yeah… I use the Field Spell, Ghostrick Mansion!"
As he fit the card into his Field Zone, the spooky haunted mansion pipe organ music started to play as the outdoor setting turned to an indoor ballroom with the pipe organ in the background and all the trappings of a classic haunted house: candelabras, sheet-covered chairs, a chandelier, creepy paintings, and spider webs all over the place.
"I'll explain carefully," said Tranello. "In this haunted mansion, a monster can't be targeted for an attack if it's in set position. But… If a player only has set monsters, he – or she – can be attacked directly…"
"I'll bet there's another 'but', right?" asked Bonnie.
"Afraid so," replied Tranello. "All monsters except Ghostricks only do half damage when they attack that. And it just so happens that all Ghostricks that live in the Main Deck have something in common…"
He waved his hand, and shadows covered Stein, Mummy, and Jiangshi, causing them to turn into set cards.
"They can retreat into face-down Defense Mode once per turn! So I guess it's your move now…"
Bonnie smiled again, and drew a card. Her dog yipped a little.
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"Okay, now what do we have to do here again?" asked Emily.
In Maagardium, Emily and Ferdinand were in a room that was pitch-black. Emily fumbled for a flashlight.
"Apparently, there's something in here to help when we actually get to the vault," said Ferdinand.
Emily shone the flashlight around. There were four pillars in the rather dull room… Then she looked at the floor, which was tiled.
"Careful now, honey," said Ferdinand.
Emily stepped forward, and let out a little cry of surprise as the tile she stepped on turned blue. She pulled her foot back, then stepped on the one next to it, ready to duck if she had to. It turned red, and the blue one turned back to its original bland color.
"Ooh, I get it!" she said. "It's like a game of Memory!"
Ferdinand stepped on a third, and it turned orange. "Nope," he said. Then Emily tried again, and it turned red.
She quickly stepped on the first one that had turned red, and one of the four pillars slowly retracted into the floor.
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"What in the world?" said Fanciullo.
He sat up, rubbing his head, as he felt like he had fallen and bumped it. He suddenly heard the sounds of very heavy traffic.
He jumped to his feet and looked around. This was Paris, all right, but he was nowhere near the Arc.
"Drago?" he shouted. "Tormento?"
He looked around. They were nowhere in sight. Before he could question this, his mobile rang. His face was turning red with rage when he answered it.
"Uomo?" he screamed into it. "If this is your idea of a joke…"
"Boss, you all right?" shouted Uomo's voice. "This is the third time we tried to call!"
"What… happened?" demanded the mob boss.
"Uh… We weren't able to go with you!" he protested. "No idea why… And now this thing won't work at all!"
"Copa dosta…" cursed Fanciullo.
"Calm down, boss, it could have been worse," said Tormento. "At least you're in Paris, it could have sent you to… Guatemala."
"Or even worse," added Drago, "you could have teleported there without your clothes, or you might have turned into twins of yourself, or you might have started to age uncontrollably, or…"
"SHUT UP, Drago!" shouted Fanciullo. "You've been watching that dumb science fiction channel too much!"
"Boss, I think the problem might be…" said Uomo.
"Don't tell me about it, work on it!" interrupted Fanciullo. "I doubt this was an accident, and now I'm sure I have to find Tranello!"
He hung up and straightened his belt.
Maybe he was wrong to yell at Drago like that. He had watched the old episodes of Star Trek just as much, and knew that quite a few plots occurred because the transporters did crazy things. (The guys with red shirts may have gotten killed a lot, but they were lucky compared to what the main cast often had to go through.) In addition to what Drago had mentioned, it had done the opposite of two of those scenarios, merged two beings together once, and de-aged them into children another time. It could outright kill people, cause them to vanish without a trace, send them back in time, or send them to an alternate universe…
The ironic part? Whenever Bones or someone else was nervous about using the stupid thing, he or she was treated as being eccentric or unreasonable in having such a fear of the device. Maybe the transporters were considered to be the same as air travel, as in safe most of the time, but capable of causing a very big disaster in the very rare times an accident occurred.
"Pull yourself together," he said as he looked around. "A guy wants something done, he's gotta do it himself…"
He looked up at the signpost. Then around. He let out a very large sigh as he recognized a very large building ahead of him. The Opéra de la Bastille. He was in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, almost as far as you could get from the Arc without leaving the city.
Gotta be a way to get there fast, he thought. He started to look around again.
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"I activate the One for One Spell Card," laughed Bonnie.
The Spell appeared in front of her, and she fed Fool's Gold's card into the slot in her Duel Disk.
"I'll summon Gorgonic Ghoul!"
There was a loud gravely grumbling, and a stout, four-legged, eyeless creature about her size with a huge mouth full of blunt teeth, tromped in front of her. (100 ATK)
Gorgonic? thought Tranello. Where have I heard that before?
"And since I have one," she continued, "I can pay 300 Life Points to Special Summon another one!"
She played a card from her hand, and another of the weird Rocks stomped in front of her. (100 ATK)
"Then I'll summon Gorgonic Golem!"
A statue rose out of the ground, one which seemed to have a cobra's hooded head for a whole upper body, its actual head peering out of the mouth of the "snake's" jaws. It had short limbs and large, flipper-like hands and feet. (1,200 ATK)
"Now I'll play…" she said. "TWO copies of Solidarity!"
"Oh crap," exclaimed Tranello, "those were the Spells you searched for, weren't they?"
"Bingo!" laughed Bonnie. She plugged them into her Disk, and the Attack Scores of her monsters started to rise. "Because all the monsters in my Graveyard are the same Type, the ones on the field of that Type gain 800 points to their Score per copy of the card!"
(Gorgonic Ghouls; 1,700 x2, Gorgonic Golem: 2,800)
"WEEE! Get him!"
Three blasts of shimmering green light shot from the eyes of the three Rock monsters, hitting Tranello in the chest.
"Like I said…" he moaned, "I only take half damage…"
(T: 6,300) - - - - - - - - - - (B: 4,200)
"But thank you, because now, from my hand, I can discard Ghostrick Mary…"
He discarded a monster card, and a mirror hanging on the ballroom wall behind him started to shimmer as again, his deck glowed. A pale, phantom lady in a ragged Victorian style dress appeared in the mirror, and was also holding a card.
"By doing that, I can Special Summon another Ghostrick from my deck in face-down Defense Mode."
Mary threw the card from the mirror, and it adhered to the floor, set back-side up.
"Thank you," he repeated.
"Giggle, giggle…" Bonnie fit the last card in her hand into her Spell Zone, and it appeared flat.
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Emily stepped on the orange plate to match the other orange plate, and the fourth pillar retracted into the floor…
…along with the entire wall in front of them. Two xill were in a well-lit room in front of a book shelf, and they had certainly heard the wall moving.
"Damn it," said Ferdinand.
Emily watched as they lifted their weapons.
"Ferd, I think we may have to fight them…" she whispered. "This might be dangerous, but I have an idea that might get us around any who come for backup."
Ferd nodded, then moved his hand to the side. Emily moved to the left, Ferdinand to the right.
"MARCO!" shouted Emily. The two xill suddenly turned towards her, only to be startled as Ferd yelled "POLO!"
He pulled a long knife from his belt as he moved sideways…
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Some days, when Fanciullo was somewhat depressed, he often went over in his head his plans for when and if he were ever arrested.
He realized that an early court appearance for someone like him would consist of a prosecutor reading the list of charges, which would likely include several counts of smuggling, loansharking, owning and operating illegal establishments of many varieties, and accessory to several gangland murders.
He'd say he was pretty well prepared for it, and could probably "convince" the judge and jury to decide in his favor somehow…
But if the prosecutor ever found out about what he had just done and made it public… He'd likely plead guilty. And maybe ask for the death penalty. Having to rip off a motorbike like some common teenage hood was embarrassing. Especially this old clunker – he had a feeling its owner was a grocery clerk who used it for deliveries.
Still, with the traffic congestion as it was, it was pretty fast. He just hoped he wasn't pulled over, seeing as he wasn't wearing a helmet and was driving on the sidewalk. Not to mention that the old engine was making a lot of noise and putting out a great deal of exhaust.
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"My draw…" said Tranello. He drew a card, then put it to the left of his other three. With any luck, he could finish this now.
"I use… Book of Eclipse!" he exclaimed.
As he played the card, a fancy, leather bound tome appeared and shone with rosy, dusk-colored light. All three of Bonnie's monsters flipped face-down.
"Eep!" she said, covering her mouth with her hands. "With them upside-down like that…"
Tranello's three monsters flipped up, revealing Ghostricks Stein (1,600 ATK), Mummy (1,500 ATK), and Jiangshi. (400 ATK)
"Right, these guys can get to you," he said. "But first, because Jiangshi was flipped face-up, I can use his effect and take any Ghostrick from my deck with a Level equal to or less than the number of Ghostricks I have on the field."
Jiangshi's eyes and Tranello's deck glowed at the same time, and a card appeared in the Zombie's hand. He tossed it backwards to Tranello, who caught it.
"Next, I'll also flip that monster I got from Mary…"
The card flipped up, and a comical-looking Grim Reaper in a dark robe with a scythe appeared. (1,200 ATK)
Bonnie shrieked again as four cards flew off her deck and disappeared.
"What happened?" she gasped.
"When Ghostrick Skeleton in flipped face-up," said Tranello, "one card from your deck is banished for every Ghostrick I have… But here's the nasty part… Unlike most cards that banish opposing cards, neither player can see or confirm what those cards are, so even if you have something that might be able to Special Summon a banished monster, getting those cards back won't be easy.
"Now then… I'll bring out Ghostrick Ghoul…"
As he played the card, a claw reached out of the floor, and a caricature of a shambling, lurking, decayed corpse pulled itself up. (1,100 ATK)
"I use… Call of the Haunted!" said Bonnie, sounding more serious now. Her Trap Card lifted up, and Fool's Gold appeared again. (1,000 ATK)
"Okay, now I can't attack directly," said Tranello. "Not until I get rid of that, of course…"
"I'll let you in on the secret now," she replied. "When Fool's Gold is in Attack Mode, it's the only monster you can attack, and the damage I take is halved. It's destroyed at the end of my turn if I take damage from you attacking it even once, but none of your monsters are all that much stronger than it is, so I'll only take…"
"Only 700 points of damage," said Tranello, closing his eyes. "I am an accountant. Well, it's not that simple. See, if I use Ghostrick Ghoul's effect, I can choose one Ghostrick, then add up the Attack Points of all my Ghostricks, and apply that Score to the one I chose."
Ghostrick Stein made a bellow as steam blew from his neck-bolts with a high-pitched whistle. (5,800 ATK)
"Only half damage, huh?" he asked.
The patchwork monster aimed a punch at Fool's Gold that shook the whole manor and knocked Bonnie on her behind again.
(T: 6,300) - - - - - - - - - - (B: 1,800)
"Of course, that means Stein is the only monster that can attack this turn, but I can still use his effect…"
A card appeared in his hand in a ghostly shadow. He set it in his Disk, and then waved his hand.
"Ghostrick… vanish!" he said, as the whole gaggle of goofy ghosts flipped face-down, turning into set cards.
"And I'm done…"
"Which means two things happen…" said Bonnie. She stood up as she spoke. "First, Fool's Gold is destroyed…"
The carnivorous chest broke into small shards.
"…and because that happened, we both draw once."
Tranello shrugged, and made a draw as she did.
"And now, because of your Book of Eclipse, my monsters flip face-up again…"
The two Ghouls Gargoyles and Gorgonic Golem sprang up with a leap. (Ghouls: 100 ATK –) 1,700 ATK), (Golem: 1,200 ATK –) 2,800 ATK)
"…and I draw another card for each…"
Tranello watched nervously as she made three draws.
Okay, I'm in trouble now… he thought.
"Now I'll draw…" said Bonnie, taking her top card. "Ooh, time for Gorgonic Cerberus!"
Tranello knew who Cerberus was – the monstrous three-headed hound who guarded the Gate of the Underworld. But somehow, this monster didn't seem to do him justice. It was actually a rather small statue of a dog, its three heads on long tendrils resembling those of vicious little puppies with glowing eyes. (1,300 ATK) –) (2,900 ATK)
"Now, I use the Field Spell Card, Enigmatic Obelisk!" she shouted.
Before he could consider this, Ghostrick Mansion around him started to crumble and fall apart. Then, a column of blue light rose from between them, and a lonely, deserted canyon rose around them, spotted with dead trees with old crows perched on the branches. Then, three mysterious obelisks darted up from the ground behind her.
"What happened?" he gasped.
"I not only got rid of your home field advantage," she said, "I've taken you into mine."
Tranello squinted. "Enigmatic Obelisk? I see three obelisks, as in plural."
"Now, since my Cerberus makes all my Rock-Type monsters Level 3," said Bonnie, not noticing the comment, "I can build the Overlay Network…"
The pulsating spiral opened above her, and the two Gorgonic Gargoyles broke up into pebbles flying upwards.
"I Xyz Summon the Giant Soldier of Steel in Defense Mode!"
It landed with a crash that shook the whole manor. It looked like Yugi Mouto's Giant Soldier of Stone, but made of metal and twice as tall. (2,000 DEF)
"Good lord…" said Tranello.
"Now, you seem to be a smart guy," continued Bonnie. "Since you seem to know so much about those old stories…"
She played a card, and the Raregold Armor Equip Spell appeared, changing the steel on the golem to gold.
"In 1890, after the Grimm Brothers' version was well-known, a version of the tale of Little Red Riding Hood was written by a man named Andrew Lang called 'The True History of Little Goldenhood'. In this version, the girl escapes on her own, because the golden – not red – hood she wears is a holy object that repels evil spirits."
"But that Equip Spell will draw my monsters' attacks right to your monster," replied Tranello.
"I know…" said Bonnie, with a crafter glint in her eye. Then her sweet smile came back. "Now my Cerberus and my Golem want a word with your monsters!"
The eyes of the two Rocks flashed, sending glowing balls of light at two of the set cards. Ghostrick Skeleton and Ghostrick Ghoul appeared briefly before they were incinerated. She frowned as another card flew off her deck and vanished – Skeleton had managed one more trick.
There was a silly laugh, and something that looked like a ghost costume made from a bed sheet with a silly smile appeared.
"Who's that?" asked Bonnie.
"Ghostrick Specter," replied Tranello. The silly ghost belly-flopped onto the field, turning into a set card. "Because you destroyed a Ghostrick, I can set it in Defense Mode, and also draw once."
He drew, and Bonnie made a pouty frown. She set a card in her Spell Zone.
"Go ahead," she told him.
Tranello drew. First he flipped up Specter (600 ATK), Stein (1,600 ATK), Mummy (1,500 ATK) and finally Jiangshi. (400 ATK) Again, Jiangshi tossed him a card, clearly taking another Ghostrick from his deck. He didn't set it this time, but waved his hand again, and the four Ghostricks lay flat in set position once more. He set one of his cards behind them, then turned and nodded to Bonnie.
"Not talking much are you?" she said, as she drew.
"Actually, I'm talking more to you than I usually do," replied Tranello. "As you can probably guess, I don't get out much…."
"Yeah, you are kinda… pale," she replied. "Oh well… I use the Spell Card, Swords of Revealing Light!"
"Oh… great…" grunted Tranello as the shining cage of swords crashed down around him.
"That not only keeps your monsters at bay for three full turns," she said, "it forces them to reveal themselves."
The four monster appeared on their cards. Jiangshi was the only one who even had any points to Defend with (1,800 DEF). Stein, Mummy, and Specter all had zero Defense Points.
"You just set off Jiangshi's effect," said Tranello, as the childlike ghost tossed him another card.
"This'll be easy," giggled Bonnie. "I Overlay my Gorgonic Golem and Gorgonic Cerberus…"
The spiral opened again, and again, the two statues crumbled, the pieces flying through the vortex.
"I Xyz Summon Gorgonic Guardian!"
Tranello had never seen this monster, and he didn't like it at all. It looked like a statue of a bloated, vaguely feminine serpent with a humanoid upper torso, skeletal arms, and a head with shining gems for eyes and weird prongs (of a sort) extending from the temples. (1,600 ATK) –) (3,200 ATK)
"With this one, I can stomp two of your monsters at once. By using its effect, I can dump an Overlay Unit to reduce the Attack Score of one of your monsters to zero."
The Gorgonic Guardian stared at Stein without blinking, and the Zombie turned to stone. (0 ATK)
"But it's defending," said Tranello.
"True," replied Bonnie, as the Xyz started to glare again, "but once per turn, for no cost at all, Gorgonic Guardian can destroy a monster with zero Attack Points."
"I use… Spiritual Dark Art – Greed!" exclaimed Tranello, as one of his Traps flipped open. "I'll sacrifice Ghostrick Stein which means your monster now has no target!"
The petrified Zombie dissolved into the shadows as Gorgonic Guardian paused, confused.
"I also get to draw twice, unless you stop me by revealing a Spell Card from your hand."
Bonnie laughed softly and showed him her hands, which had no cards at all. He made two draws.
"Ah well, at least I have its normal attack," she said.
The statue lashed its tail at Ghostrick Jiangshi, smacking into it and knocking it backwards before it dissolved. But then, another Trap Card flew up.
"I use Ghostrick Break!" exclaimed Tranello. "Because you just destroyed exactly one Ghostrick, I can take two from my Graveyard and set them…"
Two more set cards appeared alongside the others.
"…so long as they have different names…"
"Ah… yeah…" said Bonnie. "I… think I'm done tempting Fate for now…"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
The bodies of the two xill lay on the ground. After making sure they hadn't taken any serious wounds, Emily bent over them and took some things out of her satchel.
"Go get what we need," she said, motioning towards the shelf. "This will take a few minutes."
Ferd rushed to the bookshelf, and looked over the titles. Like the map had said, it mostly held multiple copies of old, common books, mostly textbooks… Except for one.
He took down the small journal, one which had a golden symbol on the cover that resembled a fleur de lis. Curious, he opened it.
"Hmmm…" he murmured. "Dynasties of Light…"
He read:
The dynasty of the Great Shantari Empire is one of ten generations, from Ronan the Great to Lea the Peacemaker, and the end of the Years of Healing.
Ronan the Great, son of Arzhel and Galena of clan Darkwood, founded the empire and united the clans in the 3rd Year of the Seventh Dragon. He wed the dark haired cousin Treva of house Gryphon and they were blessed with three sons and a daughter. The first son and heir, Brian, was born in 18 YSD.
Ambar the Blessed, crowned in 35 YSD, was wed to the light haired Brietta of house Peryton in the summer of 40 YSD. Ambar received the blessing of Kord. Ambar and Brietta ruled peacefully until Ambar's death in 65 YSD. They had seven children.
Ronan II the Gifted, born to Ambar and Brietta, crowned in 65 YSD, and married Amena of house Unicorn the next year.
Sarin the Beloved was crowned in YSD 86 and married the golden haired Aude of Greyhound in YSD 90. They had seven children, the eldest Morvan died of sickness at age seven. The seventh child and second boy, Hashkar, born in 111YSD, would inherit the throne after the sighting of a falling star from the sky.
Hashkar the Wise was crowned in YSD 119. He married Tatiana of house Unicorn in YSD 123. They had five golden haired girls and a dark haired boy, Laegaire. The girls were married to five Duchies of the Holy Gryphon Empire, the boy was married to the sixth Duchy, Ingrid of Wolf in YSD 147. He remarried Vesta of Gryphon in YSD 160 three years after the death of Tatiana. She bore the empire two fiery haired daughters. As a widow, Vesta would retire from public life and found the religious order of the Vestals.
Lhar the Mad was crowned in YSD 174 at 40 years of age. He named a goat to the head of his armies. Married to Ingrid the Sad of house Wolf, they had twelve children. Alas, seven died in childhood.
Ferdinand stopped reading for a minute. "Guess that guy was the first 'black sheep' of the family," he said.
He shrugged and continued.
Terrance the Builder was crowned in YSD 199, over two decades after his wedding to Lucinda of house Minatauros. His first son Ambar, born in YSD 175, would inherit the throne upon Terrance's death while hunting in 223 YSD.
"Ferdinand!" snapped Emily, startling him. He looked up.
"Here, drink this," she said, pushing a vial of liquid in front of him.
"Uh…" he said. He took it from her.
"I warn you, it tastes pretty bad…" she added, as he started to drink it.
"YEARGH!" he shouted, after he had done so. "You weren't kidding, that tastes like the inside of an old gym sneaker!"
"It was an extract I used using the blood of one of those things and some elven herbs," she said pointing xill.
Ferdinand gave a look of disgust, but she went on.
"With any luck, they won't be able to tell our body odor from other xill, at least for an hour or two…"
"What if I throw up first?" he asked.
"Come on, nobody ever said this would be a dance around the maypole," said Emily.
"Lara Croft lived a lie…" muttered Ferdinand. He shoved the book into his satchel and followed her out.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Fanciullo was glad no-one around here was well-versed in Italian expletives right now.
The old clunky motorbike finally came to a halt and he couldn't start it again. It was either out of gas, the battery was dead, or something like that… He was no mechanic.
No good… he thought. He dismounted and pushed it over. Whoever I stole it from should be grateful, he'd never have been able to sell it, and I'm saving him the trouble of hauling it to the dump.
He looked ahead, and saw the Arc, much closer now.
Ah well, I needed some exercise anyway.
He started running towards it.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"I… draw!" shouted Tranello.
"And I play the Spell Card, Pythagorean Triple. This is a move that's hard to pull off, and if I blow it, I'm in trouble, but if I do it right, the outcome is spectacular."
He cleared his throat.
"Since I played it, I must successfully Xyz Summon three times, and only the Type, Attribute, or Rank of the three can be the same. At least two of those qualities have to be completely different for all of them."
"And if you can't?" asked Bonnie.
"I try not to think of such things," he replied. "Now for the first Xyz… I'll summon Ghostrick Jackfrost…"
A cold wind blew over the street, and a friendly-looking snowman wearing a jacket, mittens, a scarf, and a wool hat tumbled out. (800 ATK) Bonnie gave it an odd look.
"Now, I flip Frankie and Grim into Attack Mode, again," he said, as the two cards he had conjured up with Ghostrick Break flipped, revealing Ghostrick Stein (1,600 ATK) and Ghostrick Skeleton (1,200 ATK). Bonnie frowned again as Skeleton's eyes glowed, and five more cards flew off her deck.
"Then I'll Overlay Ghostrick Jackfrost and Ghostrick Specter."
The Overlay Network opened again and two Ghostricks vanished into darkness, and there was the loud whinny of a fierce horse. A spectral, armored, headless horseman on a white stallion galloped onto the field. (1,000 ATK)
"Ghostrick Dullahan here gains 200 Attack Points for every Ghostrick I have," he said. (1,800 ATK) "But enough with him… Here comes number two…
"I Overlay Ghostrick Dullahan! Ghostrick Chaos Evolution!"
Bonnie started to get excited as the Overlay Network started to spin wilder, Ghostrick Dullahan was swept up in the storm, and drawn in…
Then there was a haunting, yet girlish laugh, and a young girl in a black robe and mesh stockings with feathered wings, pink hair, and a bent halo over her head flew out of the Overlay Network. She gave a crafty grin to Bonnie before sitting on her haunches. (2,500 DEF)
"Ghostrick Dorklord is Rank 4 and a Fairy, so I'm two thirds of the way there. But before I go for three, I'm going to use this one's effect…"
He took a card from his hand, and a Monster Card depicting a large bestial creature covered with white hair appeared, and was absorbed into Dorklord.
"Every turn I can add a card with the word 'Ghostrick' from my hand to Dorklord, and it becomes an additional Overlay Unit, so now it has a total of four."
"Am I missing something here?" asked Bonnie.
"Mmm… Maybe…" replied Tranello. "Don't dwell on it too much though… Her other effect lets me detach an Overlay Unit to take a Spell or Trap with the word Ghostrick in its name from my deck."
He discarded the card he had just used (it was called Ghostrick Yeti) then Dorklord repeated the trick that Jiangshi had used, producing a card and tossing it to him over her shoulder.
"Thank you," he said. "She's done this turn, but I'm not, because now I Overlay Ghostrick Skelton and Ghostrick Mummy…"
Again, the two Ghostricks dissolved, their essence flying into the vortex, and now, once again, the creepy organ music started to play, followed by a swarm of bats flying from behind Tranello. A tall, elegant vampire in a fancy – almost effeminate – vest, suit, and trousers, with well-polished shoes and a violet cape, appeared from amid the swarm. His face was chalk-white, the same color as his hair. (1,800 ATK)
"With Ghostrick Alucard that makes three!" exclaimed Tranello, as the Pythagorean Triple card shattered. "And because the three Xyzs I summoned all have different Ranks and Types, I can take any three Trap Cards I want from my deck, then set them..."
Three cards appeared behind Ghostrick Stein and the two Xyzs.
"…but I'm not allowed to activate them so long as any of the Xyzs I summoned are here."
"All that for three Traps you can't use?" asked Bonnie. "What's the point?"
Tranello smirked and twirled a card in his hand around.
"I use… Storm!" he shouted. As he played the card, a ferocious wind erupted over the grassy knoll. "Not as good as Heavy Storm in most decks, but this card does let me destroy one of your cards for each one of mine that I destroy!"
His three Traps lifted up and were blown apart. So were Bonnie's Swords of Revealing Light and both copies of Solidarity, reducing Gorgonic Guardian to its base Attack Score of 1,600.
"And guess what? Because I just destroyed two copies of Zombie Bed, well…"
Ghostrick Jiangshi (1,800 DEF) appeared in Defense Mode, with Ghostrick Ghoul (1,100 DEF) appearing standing up in Attack Mode.
"Things sure aren't getting all-that rosier," said Bonnie.
"That Raregold Armor may be a problem," said Tranello, "but at least Alucard can attack your Giant Soldier…"
Ghostrick Alucard spread his cape, levitating as he did so.
"Once I use Ghostrick Ghoul's effect, of course, and with Ghoul, Jiangshi, Stein, Dorklord, and Alucard himself on the field…"
(6,900 ATK)
"Attack it with Moonlight Flare!"
"I use Giant Soldier of Steel's effect!" called Bonnie, reaching out with her hand. "For one Overlay Unit, his Defense Score increases by a thousand points for the rest of the turn!"
(3,000 DEF)
"Not nearly enough," said Tranello.
"Oh, but watch this," said Bonnie. "I use the effect of my Enigmatic Obelisk!"
Her Field Spell! thought Tranello. I was wondering what it did…
"Because you're attacking an Xyz Monster in Defense Mode," explained Bonnie, "I can increase the Defense of that monster by the base Defense Score of any Xyz on the field by destroying one Obelisk. I choose the Defense Score of… Ghostrick Dorklord!"
One of the standing stones crumbled, and Giant Soldier of Steel's Defense Score rose to 5,500.
"But that's not all… Because the attacking monster is also an Xyz Monster, I can destroy another Obelisk to lower that monster's Attack Score, again by that of any Xyz on the field. I think I'll choose Dorklord again."
A second Obelisk smashed apart, and Dorklord shrieked. Alucard's Attack Score fell to 4,900. His Alucard's bolt of moonlight finally hit the golem, but only bounced off, knocking the vampire to the ground with a thud that Tranello could feel.
(T: 5,700) - - - - - - - - - - (B: 1,800)
"Okay…" he said. "Maybe that… wasn't such a good idea…"
"Can I go now?" asked Bonnie.
"One minute," replied Tranello. "Okay, guys, take a breather."
Stein, Ghoul, and Jiangshi moved to set position. Then, two reversed cards appeared in front of Tranello.
"Now?" asked Bonnie.
"Now," he said, nodding.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"Come on, Tranello, where the hell are you?" muttered Fanciullo. "You're gonna owe me big on this…"
His cell phone rang again. He checked the number and then answered.
"People, I'm kinda busy…" he said, quietly. "Unless you've fixed it…"
"We haven't, but we know where Tranello is, Mr. Cattivo," said Uomo's voice.
"You're certain?" the don responded.
"Unless someone else around there is dueling and using a Ghostrick deck," said Amare, who was obviously still eating. "Looks like he's winning too."
"Boss, listen," said Uomo, "get to the metro station at Charles de Gaulle – Étoile, then go south down Avenue d'Iéna. He and his opponent are in a small yard about three-hundred meters that way."
"Who's his opponent?" asked Fanciullo, as he started to run again.
"That's the big problem," replied Uomo, "apparently, his opponent is standing in a 'blind' spot that obscures him from whatever is recording the duel, and there's no information in the database.
"Whoever this is… He does not want to be seen…"
Meaning this may be worse than I thought… thought Fanciullo, running faster.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Bonnie drew, and then smirked.
"I should mention," said Tranello, "with Alucard on the field, he's the only Ghostrick who can be attacked or targeted by an effect. And you can't touch my set monsters either."
"I see…" said Bonnie. "Easily fixed… One more time Gorgonic Guardian…"
The strange statue glared at the vampire, and again, he turned to stone, his Attack Score falling to zero. Bonnie snapped her fingers, and Guardian's eyes shined; the statue collapsed into a pile of small pebbles.
"Not bad…" said Tranello. "However… When Alucard goes to the Graveyard, I get to banish a card with the word 'Ghostrick' in its name to recover another one."
An eerie wisp floated out of his Disk, turning into a card, which he took. Bonnie made a face. Then she slipped Gorgonic Guardian from under Giant Soldier of Steel and discarded it, raising its Defense Score to 3,000 again.
Quickly, she made a motion on her Disk, and Giant Soldier of Steel stood up into Attack Mode. (1,300 ATK)
She raised its Defense then switched its position? thought Tranello. Uh… Oh…
"Gorgonic Guardian, attack Ghostrick Ghoul!" she ordered.
The statue's tail hammered into the set card, and the small Zombie appeared before it was smashed into little pieces.
"Ugh…" said Tranello.
"Now I can use Inverse Universe!" laughed Bonnie, as her Trap Card lifted. "It flip-flops the Attack and Defense Scores of all monsters on the field!"
(Giant Soldier of Steel: 3,000 ATK, Gorgonic Guardian: 1,200, Ghostrick Dorklord: 2,000 DEF)
Giant Soldier of Steel was quick, hitting Dorklord with a huge smash, blowing her into little triangles.
"Guess we won't be seeing what she can do after all," said Bonnie, with another sly smile.
"Actually, she's kind of like Exodia," replied Tranello. "She can score a player an automatic win, but to do that, she has to accumulate ten Overlay Units. Not easy, I admit… But at least she seemed to make you nervous enough…
"I activate the Trap Card, Xyz Reborn…"
The set card lifted up, and a dark coffin appeared in front of him. It opened slightly as a glowed hand reached out… Then it opened fully as Alucard stepped out from it. (1,800 ATK)
"You could have protected Dorklord if you summoned him with that…" said Bonnie. "She… She was a distraction…"
Tranello nodded. Bonnie giggled again.
"Go on, go on!" she laughed. She set her last card in her Disk's Spell Zone. "I'm okay for not. Once this is over I'm gonna have to look into these guys…"
The mobster smiled, then drew. The card was Pot of Dichotomy.
Hmm, I can certainly use this, but, he thought, I wouldn't be able to attack…
He rubbed his chin. Then he shrugged, and played it.
"Fiend, Fairy, Zombie," he said, as Ghostrick Dullahan, Ghostrick Dorklord, and Ghostrick Mummy slipped out of his Graveyard pile. He shuffled his deck and then drew twice.
Then he set both of them plus one more behind his monsters, and turned Alucard's card, causing the vampire to kneel and cover himself with his cape. (1,600 DEF)
Bonnie drew a card, then played it quickly.
"Seems I might be able to turn this around," she said, "I use my Spell Card, Mystik Wok!"
Her face-down card went up, steam started to rise under Gorgonic Guardian. Bonnie inhaled the vapors as the monster sort of… melted into the ground.
"What's going on?" asked Tranello, as it vanished completely.
"Not only do I gain Life Points equal to its current Defense Score," she answered. "It's in my Graveyard now, meaning I can use Gorgonic Ritual!"
She played the last card in her hand and the steam started to intensify as a glowing pentagram traced in the ground.
(T: 4,900) - - - - - - - - - - (B: 3,400)
Tranello coughed a little. He just remembered something… The "good old days" weren't all that pleasant!
"Now I banish Gorgonic Guardian from my Graveyard," continued Bonnie, "to use Gorgonic Ritual!"
As she played the Spell Card, Gorgonic Golem (1,200 ATK) and Gorgonic Cerberus (1,300 ATK) burst from the ground.
"Now I'll open the Overlay Network again, to…"
"Not so fast!" shouted Tranello. "I use Ghostrick Scare!"
Another Trap Card activated, and Ghostrick Stein (1,600 ATK) flipped face-up, making a loud roar towards the Rock monsters as steam shot from its neck-bolts. Gorgonic Golem made a look of fright, and then it itself flipped into face-down position.
"WHAT the…" shouted Bonnie.
"Seems Stein gave it quite a fright," said Tranello. "And since you only have one Leveled monster right side up, you can't Xyz Summon with what you have."
"Well now Stein is face-up too," said Bonnie. "And I also have this Equip Spell…"
She showed him her last card.
"The Axe of Fools."
She played it, and it appeared in Ghostrick Alucard's hand.
"It may increase his Attack Score by 1,000, but he loses his effect, making Frankie there a sitting duck!"
Giant Soldier of Steel lunged for the goofy Frankenstein…
"I activate… Ghostrick Go Round!" exclaimed Tranello.
Yet another of his Traps flipped up, and a carousel with silly-looking monster in place of horses appeared behind him, and started turning to the sound of looney music.
"Now I can flip one of my set monsters into Attack Mode, and if it's a Ghostrick, I can flip your monster into Defense Mode!"
Jiangshi's card flipped, and the small Ghost appeared in front of him (400 ATK) while Giant Soldier of Steel collapsed, falling into set Defense Mode.
"Don't forget Jiangshi's effect," he added.
Bonnie looked at him as he caught another card.
"Your turn!" she said, even sweeter than ever.
How cute… thought Tranello, looking at her. He made a draw. Think I want to throw up…
He turned Alucard's card, and the Ghostrick lord moved to Attack Mode, holding the Axe of Fools higher. (2,800 ATK)
"Time to use my most powerful move," he said. "I summon Ghostrick Nekomusume."
As he played the card, a young girl in a frilly, peach-colored dress with black hair with a… cat's face, ears, and a tail appeared. (400 ATK) Bonnie's dog barked.
"Henry! Shush!" she said.
"And because I summoned a monster…" said Tranello, as both his Traps lifted up.
"Torrential Tribute?" gasped Bonnie.
She didn't have time to see the other one. A wave of water swamped the field, knocking her on her bottom.
She looked up. Her four monsters had been washed away, but…
But Alucard was smiling at her, as were Stein and Nekomusume.
"How…" she said, standing up.
"…did they survive?" asked Tranello. "They're ghosts, they can hide in the shadows if they have to… Well, so long as I have a Trap called Ghostrick Vanish to help them."
Alucard chuckled a little and strode up to Bonnie.
"You know," continued Tranello, "The Ghostricks do have a werewolf in their club…"
Alucard simply jabbed Bonnie in the stomach with the flat of the axe. She sighed.
"But bringing him out would have been… Cruel…"
Ghostrick Stein growled a little, but Alucard looked at him sternly, and he simply slapped Bonnie on the side of the cheek.
(T: 4,900) - - - - - - - - - - (B: 0)
Bonnie giggled again. She clapped her hands.
"Funny," she said. "You're funny…"
The Solid Vision holograms disappeared.
"Say, I've got a little surprise in here…" she continued. She took her D-Gazer off, and bent over, placing it in her basket.
"A surprise?" asked Tranello. He removed his own D-Gazer as she continued to look through the container.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Elsewhere, and else-when, it was the time in Backwater where Fayte usually started her day. Seeing as she was a vampire, that meant it was the end of the day for most residents.
She yawned and held her head, unsure if the ringing sound was coming from the Duel Disk on her vanity or from inside her head. After all, she had just woken up, and was still in her pajamas.
"Coming, Jalal…" she muttered.
It took a few tries to hit the message button, but she got it.
"Sorry if I woke you up Mrs. Nyte," said the leader of the Shadowchasers. "I hope you don't have any plans this evening."
"Just my book club, and I haven't read it yet anyway…" she muttered, with another yawn. "What's the scoop?"
She listened, still half asleep, but became fully awake when he reached the part about Drumer's escape.
"You have got to be kidding me!" she said, raising her voice. "What kind of a place are you running there, Jalal?"
"Look, I'll give the guy in charge of security a very thorough tongue-lashing later," he said, sternly. "For now, we have a very dangerous criminal out there, so I suggest you shower and get dressed while I call Luther."
Fayte sighed as she set the Disk down.
"Why me?" she asked.
"Because it's your case, yours and Luther's," replied the leader of the Shadowchasers. "And it seems he's wasting no time. He got as far as Providence and he's heading for a place well-known for necromantic magic.
"But I'm sending Voltaire to back you two up this time, and he's already on his trail. Just wait for his signal, and hopefully, we'll have this done before the night is out."
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"Tranello!" shouted Fanciullo. "Tranello!"
Then he heard something. A sound he recognized only too well…
Gunfire…
He ran down the street… Then in dead shock. He hadn't expected this…
Tranello was lying face down in a pool of blood… In front of him was the girl he had just dueled…
"Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme…" hummed Bonnie.
She was holding an Uzi submachine gun, smoke still rising from the muzzle. The expression on her face as she looked at her victim had changed considerably.
She turned slightly towards Fanciullo.
Now, being a Shadowkind himself, Fanciullo Cattivo had looked many of the darkest of Shadows in the eye in his many years. Dark elf followers of Lolth, Doomdreamers, vitreous drinkers in service of Vecna, necromancer followers of Kyuss, and even a few actual demons from the dark layers of the Abyss. He had looked some of the foulest Shadows in the eye and even stared many of them down.
Now a chill ran down the Shadowkind crimelord's spine that he hadn't felt in years… All as he looked at this fully human girl – not yet a woman – with child-like eyes who hid a heart blacker than that of any demon behind them…
B.B. Hood's very unpleasant smile widened.
"Well…" she said. "What took you so long?"
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ZOMBIE BED (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A creepy looking, stone sarcophagus, with eyes peering out of a slight opening.
Card Description: When this set card is destroyed by a card effect and sent to your Graveyard, select a Level 4 or lower Zombie-Type monster from your deck and Special Summon it.
Note: "Zombie Bed" first appeared in the Yu-Gi-Oh GX episode "Field of Screams (Part 1)".
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GORGONIC RITUAL (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: Gorgonic Guardian sitting on its coils in a glowing pentagram as Gorgonic Golem and Gorgonic Gargoyle leap over it.
Card Description: Banish 1 Rock-Type Xyz monster from your Graveyard. Then, Special Summon 2 Level 4 or Lower Rock-Type in Defense Position. Monsters Special Summon in this manner cannot be used for a Tribute or Synchro Summon, and are destroyed during the End Phase of the turn.
Note: This is a version of a card that was first used in the Yu-Gi-Of Zexal episode "A Sea of Troubles (Part 2)". Some liberties have been taken to make the card balanced.
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FOOL'S GOLD (Monster Card)
Rock/Dark/Effect/Lvl4/1,000ATK/0DEF
Effect: If this card is in Attack Position and you control monsters besides "Fool's Gold", this card cannot be destroyed by battle and is the only monster your opponent may attack. Battle Damage you take from battles involving this card are halved. If you take any Battle Damage from battles involving this card, destroy it at the End Phase of the turn; then, both players draw 2 cards.
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ENIGMATIC OBELISK (Spell Card)
Field Spell
Image: A hiker wearing jeans, boots, a battered hat, and no shirt walking through a canyon floor at night towards three mysterious-looking stone obelisks.
Card Description: When activated, place 3 Obelisk Counters on this card. If a Rock-Type Xyz monster in face-up Defense Mode is targeted by an attack, you may remove 1 Obelisk Counter and select 1 other face-up Xyz Monster on the field to increase its DEF by the DEF of the selected Xyz Monster until the End Phase. Also, if the attacking monster is an Xyz Monster, you may remove 1 Obelisk Counter and select a face-up Xyz Monster on the field (other than the attacking one) to decrease the ATK of the attacking monster by the ATK of the selected Xyz Monster until the End Phase. If this card has no Obelisk Counters at the End Phase of the turn, you may banish it and 1 Xyz Monster you control to Special Summon 1 "Moignos Monolith" from your hand or deck.
PYTHAGOREAN TRIPLE (Spell Card)
Continuous Spell
Image: A grid in a void with the Duel Monster cards Slacker Magician, Abyss Dweller, and Armored Kappa with their edges meeting, forming an equilateral triangle within.
Card Description: You may not activate this card if you have already Summoned or set any monsters this turn or activated or set any Spell or Trap Cards. If you do not Xyz Summon at least three times this turn, destroy this card during the End Phase; you then take 3,000 points of damage. Each time you Xyz Summon this turn, take note of the summoned Xyz Monster's Rank, Type, and Attribute. If you summon 3 Xyz Monsters and at least 2 of the noted properties are different for all three Xyz Monsters, destroy this card and select 3 Spell or Trap Cards from your deck and set them. If at least 2 of the noted properties are not different for each Xyz Monster summoned, destroy this card; it is then the End Phase of the turn.
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Jemorille: It seemed obvious now that B.B. Hood – a cold-blooded killer who wore the face of an innocent girl – had planned to ambush both Tranello AND his employer at the same time, and had only used the duel as a way of making sure Tranello stuck around. Her patience had clearly worn thin after losing, but now, she was willing to improvise. Tranello never saw it coming; Bonnie had explained how victims in fairy tales perished because "they were too stupid to see danger even when it was right in front of them" countless times im her career. It was a sick joke she never got tired of.
Right now, Fanciullo couldn't help but think now that the girl at the train station had given him the journal because it was some cursed book of black magic. He didn't bring it with him, thank goodness, but it seemed his enemy had set the most elaborate trap he had ever seen. Drawing him to Paris on a day the traffic was tied up, and somehow causing a mishap in Uomo's teleporter to make sure he was alone.
But he had bigger problems now…
And we have to leave on that note, because a more serious problem was about to take shape. As reluctant as she was Fayte Nyte would investigate this problem with Frederick Luther again, because a very dangerous fugitive was at large, and had been seen at a place known to be dangerous…
But they'd have help this time…
"People are Strange" is coming soon.
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Shadowchaser Files: Artifacts
The Alchemist's Apparatus
The following dialogue was the only decipherable part of a journal found in the possession the Incantifer Philo Maccal, currently incarcerated in the Irrevocably and Criminally Insane wing of the prison at Shadowchaser's Headquarters, and is believed to describe the dreaded Alchemist's Apparatus being used:
The very sight of it [the Apparatus] inspired a terror within me, for its very shape spoke of the unholy researches that planned it. It filled Godefroy's great hall, overreaching even the balconies that looked upon the floor below. The main part consisted of a great glass sphere of sulfurous fumes, madly churning as the lightning danced over the steel receptors set atop it. The whole was supported in a tripod of wood and iron, beneath which were suspended two smaller globes, each still the height of a man. Pipes and wires arced from these to the sulfurous orb. Ringing these were yet smaller orbs, interwoven by tubes through which flowed streams of noxious yellow gas. To my trepidation, Godefroy already stood among the wires and pipes of the platform, priming the vile device for the coming storm. Then I saw that each contained a beast – one a quivering ewe, the other a savage wolf.
"Behold the test!" he cried to me, frantic with his madness as he gestured to the orbs. Then a bolt of lightning crashed from the heavens and struck the device, the ewe bleating with fear and the wolf howling as he produced from his robes he produced a crystal rod, no more than two feet long that throbbed with fire.
"The rod!" he shouted above the enraged storm. "With the rod I shall…"
No more of his madness could I bear, and so risking the fury of the storm, I fled the wizard's hall and into the night…
The entry wasn't dated, but the Shadowchasers investigated the manor house of Lord Antoine Godefry anyway, as even a rumored appearance of this evil device couldn't be ignored. They found it burned to the ground. Unfortunately, that only gives the story credence. As for Maccal, he remains too mad to stand trial for the murders he committed, or even be subjected to questioning.
History and Powers: The Alchemist's Apparatus was believed to have been either created or invented (it's hard to say whether it's truly a unique device or something that people just keep building) by a lich who studied the relationship between the spirit, soul, and body. While the potential may have existed to do good with whatever knowledge he uncovered, the device he constructed was one of nightmares.
Unlike most artifacts, the Alchemist's Apparatus can be destroyed easily. In fact, it has been known to blow itself up after being used (along with whatever building houses it) if the user isn't too careful. It would seem that the original Alchemist wrote the blueprints down, but how many copies have been made is unknown. If used correctly, it combines magic and technology in an unholy combination that was never meant to be.
Using the Apparatus first requires something called the Crystal Rod, which the operator uses as a focus. It then has three separate powers: Transference, Separation, and Combination. To use the second power, one living being must be in the central globe; the other two require two living beings in each smaller globe. (If the recipient(s) is unwilling, which is often the case, the wizard operating the device would be wise to keep him or her tied up and sedated.) Then, to charge the device, it must be struck by lightning thirty times. Exactly. Less than that, and the power will be insufficient. More than that, and the Apparatus is almost certain to malfunction and explode, killing whoever is inside it. Assuming it doesn't, the operator can use one of the Apparatus' three powers.
Transference is the most common power. The spirit and soul of the subject in one of the globes is transferred to the body of the other, and vice versa. Science fiction buffs think this is nothing new, giving it names like a "Freaky Friday Flip", but victims rarely find it as funny as it is in fiction. As detailed in the journal entry, a ewe and wolf were used to test this power, but using it on a human and wolf is very possible.
Separation is a rarer use for the device. The victim is split down the middle and turned into two separate beings, his positive moral and ethical qualities going into one, his negative and wicked urges going into the other.
Some believe that this power divides the victim into the classic "good and evil twin", but typically, one of the two is stronger and healthier than the other. It all depends on whether the original victim had more good or evil qualities beforehand. For example, a serial killer would produce a powerful and strong evil being and a sickly, decrepit good one, while the opposite would be true for a heroic knight in shining armor.
Much like Dr. Jekyll did, some people may see benefits of purging the evil side from themselves, and indeed, they do feel happy and invigorated after doing so. But if their evil castoff side escapes, it grows stronger… And like in the case of Dr. Jekyll, it becomes capable of murderous acts that the victim had never dreamed himself capable of doing.
The Separation can be reversed by the Apparatus' Combination power, but if it works, the victim is rarely how he was before.
Combination: The most dreaded power of the Apparatus, it has rarely been done. It literally fuses the bodies of both victims into one, placing two minds and two souls in the same body. Some believe that the owlbear and other Shadowkind beasts that resemble crazy combinations of animals were originally made by this use of the Apparatus. (If so, the madness that the Apparatus almost always causes might account for the owlbears' infamous rotten temper.)
While Duel Spirits seem able to Fuse themselves, Synch themselves, and Overlay themselves together as easily as crossing the street, it's a much more traumatic experience for humans. Assuming they and their sanity survive the shock intact, the two victims find even controlling their new body nearly impossible, because both try to struggle to dominate it. One of two things can happen. The easy way is for one of them to relinquish control and let the other make every decision, but this is not an easy feat. The one who relinquishes control becomes a prisoner, and will want control back eventually, which leads to the second part – the battle of wills. If a struggle over control occurs, the one with more willpower wins and forces the other to become an unwilling prisoner. If the two beings were ever friends or allies, that will be over if the process is ever reversed, which can be done by the Apparatus' Separation power.
Unfortunately, insanity seems to be a recognized side effect of any victim of this device, no matter what power is used, especially if the machine has to be used a second time to reverse the effect. And as already noted, accidents tend to happen that cause it to blow up. The true artifact then, may be the notes of the original Alchemist, but locating them is never easy.
Story Ideas: When using a device like this, think of the atypical cackling mad scientist in pursuit of forbidden knowledge. Villains like this are warned that there are some things man was not meant to tinker with, but he does so anyway. The Alchemist's Apparatus is the perfect tool for that type of villain.
And indeed, it should only appear in the hands of villains. No good can ever come from this device, and it is the thing of nightmares. The idea of having your mind transferred to another person – or worse, a pig – for instance isn't pleasant. Fact of the matter is, all victims of Transference and Combination are eventually driven insane, and most victims of Separation are. (If the good half of a separation victim faces and slays the evil half, then comes to terms with the fact that such his own psyche was capable of producing such a thing, he may actually become wiser from the experience. But this is rare.)
If the Apparatus is featured, parts of the story may include trying to unravel its origins. (A connection to the infamous Mister Monster isn't impossible.) Then they must figure out where the thing is being built, who is building it, and why on Earth he'd want to do so. (Finding out who the intended victim is might be good to know too.)
If unable to stop the infernal device, time is always of an essence due to the fragility of the device, and heroes may have to risk commandeering it themselves to save the victim. Of course, no story involving this sort of thing is complete without a self-destruct switch, putting the protagonists in a lethal countdown to save the day.
It's very possible that a device like this is in some way related to the even-more dreaded Machine of Lum the Mad, which will be detailed later.