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?

59. Friends in Low Places

Hello everyone! I'd like to make a promise right here, ahem. I, Occam's Razor, solemnly swear on the grave of Gary Gygax, NEVER to attempt to write a chapter like THIS again! Seriously, it would be better to so more realistic goals, like obtaining a perfect no-death run on Battletoads.

Ahem.

Now, I'd like to thank 7th Librarian, not only for his editing, but for his donated cards, and Metal Overlord for authoring the cutscenes with Jalal. You guys were a BIG help, and I'd likely still be writing this in July if you hadn't.

There's someone else I want to thank, and he's the reason I chose a certain song as the chapter name, but I'll give him credit later.

On with the show!

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In your world, and others, some works of fiction intended to be satirical, whimsical, or comical will have a character regarded as planner. This planner will find himself in a situation where his carefully-planned strategy fails. Fortunately, he has a backup plan ("plan-B", it is often called) only for that to fail too. Fortunately - again - he has a "plan-C" as well. This will continue for as long as the author's creativity holds, until one of the plans succeeds, or the character runs out of ideas.

A platonic would look at such a work and wonder why this would be considered funny.

You see, at risk of playing Devil's advocate, one admirable quality of platonics is how advanced their plans can be. All of them, leaders or otherwise, always have several backup plans, and each of those plans have backup plans. Like most planar beings, they plan centuries ahead, and care little if a project requires several mortal lifetimes to complete.

I should mention, by the way, this is also a recognized talent of devils...

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Chapter 58

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Friends in Low Places

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"Well, it's locked by magic, Jalal," said Hank, who had tried for about a minute or two - with Philip's help - to open the door again. "Not exactly a surprise."

Philip started to look at the gate as he backed away from it. "Can you cast There/Not There on it?" asked Sofia.

"He's probably expecting that," said Jalal.

Philp cracked his knuckles and started to gesture at the steel door. "Yup, so I got something better," Slowly, a discolored spot formed on the surface, and started to grow.

"A bit of self-projected alchemy," explained Prospero. "Forty years ago, we were able to use this to escape from a veerbek tribe by turning part of their enclosure walls into tissue paper."

"Then I'll go in after them myself," added Jalal. "Dram, you take Emily, Red Feather, and Penelope back, Everyone else here back me up."

Red and Penelope were a little disappointed, looking forward to pounding Diogenes into scrap, but Jalal had a point. Emily especially was only too willing to go quietly to jail now.

Philip made one final gesture and the discolored spot had covered the entire door. "After you," he said, with a polite bow to the leader.

Jalal gave the door a kick and it collapsed into a dusty heap of rust. He drew his firearm from the bandoleer and adjusted the setting with a loud, "CHK-CHK!"

"Let's go…"

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"Wells, you there? You copy?"

Karl had no idea where he was himself right now, or how he got there. He did know that Jennifer and Francis were with him. Wells, however, was not. They also knew that wherever here was, they wanted to be somewhere else.

"What the hell happened to this place?" asked Francis.

They seemed to be in the middle of a city. An abandoned city that had only barely survived a brutal conflict that had left it deserted. The building they were standing on, a three-story one that seemed to be a store, was intact, but most buildings were in ruins, and some buildings were still smoldering from whatever had happened. Even worse, the sky above them was blood red with a cracked moon. Their "host" had at least the decency to send their D-Wheels, which were parked on the street below them.

I know what it looks like, thought Karl, but that's impossible.

"Not exactly the place for a picnic," remarked Jennifer.

Then they heard Wells' voice come in response. "I'm here," he answered, "or rather, I can hear you. I think I'm some three-hundred miles down the road ahead of you. Give or take."

"No problem, we can get there in an hour or two," said Francis. "Don't think there's a speed limit here."

They started to walk towards the fire escape. "I doubt that will be a problem. Diogenes has something new in mind this time. He's changed since I dueled him."

"You told me once that change isn't always a terrible thing," said Jennifer. "That it was a key to creativity."

"The word 'change' denotes neither bad nor good in a person or situation. It can denote either, but it most certainly means 'not the same'."

It was Diogenes' voice that had made the comment, but deeper and commanding, and coming from above. As they looked upward hoping to see the platonic, it continued. "If you truly want to find your mentor - not to mention any hope of a way back - I suggest you start."

"I think I know what he has in mind," added SAL. "It sounds crazy, but -"

"Incoming!" shouted Jennifer.

Via instinct, they looked up, just in time to see a fiery meteor crashing towards them. The three Shadowchasers fled onto the fire escape, leaping down the stairs to the street, down towards the D-Wheels, as it crashed into the building next to the one they were on, flattening it

"Tell us on the way, SAL!" shouted Karl.

As if to persuade them, more and more of the fireballs started to fall, smashing the building they had leapt from. More fell again and again as they kept running, until they reached the D-Wheels. Jennifer let a slight scream of shock as an especially big one hit, and both Karl and Francis seemed to disappear.

"Where did -" she started.

"You'll see them again once this riding duel is over, one way or another," replied Diogenes.

As the strikes got closer, Jenn was able to hop on the D-Wheel she assumed was hers and start it. She only made it a few dozen yards before she saw another coming in the opposite direction - fast.

The D-Wheeler skidded to a stop in front of her, and then lifted the visor of his helmet. "Domino," she said. "Does Diogenes have some sort of assembly line to build you guys, or did he just buy you in bulk like a twelve pack of beer?"

"Cute, I'll be sure to remember that when I'm grinding your face against the ground." said Domino, "but for now, I'm your first opponent."

"First?"

"We will use the rules of the World Riding Grand Prix," said Diogenes' voice.

Jennifer looked up again, but Domino seemed a lot more eager to start, shifting his bike and speeding down the road, towards a bridge leading out of the city. Jennifer duly followed him, wondering what she'd gotten into.

"Each player of each team will have 8,000 Life Points. When a duelist is reduced to zero, the second duelist on his - or her - team takes over, taking the Speed Counters, Graveyard, and field cards of the previous player. Hand cards are also transferred and added to the five drawn initially, while the deck and extra deck is changed."

Jenn swerved and accelerated as one final meteor struck, leaving a burning crater where the road behind her had been...

"BEGIN."

(Jennifer: 8,000, 0SPC) - - - - - - - - - - (Domino: 8,000 0SPC)

Well, since you asked so politely… thought Jennifer.

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It had been Jalal's opinion, a pretty good dramatic entrance. Kicking the door down with one well placed strike and rushing in gun drawn and ready to fire, he hadn't hesitated to pull the trigger once he caught sight of Baby Bonnie Hood.

Unfortunately, it had taken nearly half a clip before he realized she was standing behind magically reinforced plexiglass, a tactic her ally had used against Fanciullo. By the time he had realized it was a trap, she was pushing a button waving goodbye with her best shit eating grin.

There had been a flash of light, and now he was, well, honestly, he wasn't sure where he was. After hearing Diogenes ramble on about trying to pull them into another dimension using that thing, Jalal had been forced to consider any likely number of scenarios.

Would they leave him on the surface of the Xenomorph infested moon LV-426, seconds before it exploded in a nuclear fireball? Or perhaps he'd find himself face to face with Cell or Frieza or Majin Buu, any number of beings who could destroy a planet as easily as swatting a fly?

Where he found himself was the interior of an enormous cathedral made of polished marble, the light of a setting sun illuminating everything in a lovely golden glow through the windows set high above. In fact everything was sculpted with an exquisite amount of care, right down to the statues of an imposing giant of a man with an ornate crown and lush beard and a woman of equal stature and an eye catching bust size dressed in lavish finery, each perched atop a pedestal at the far side of the room.

Which made the garish monstrosity standing a few feet away all the more jarring. It looked like some manner of golem whose armor was meant to resemble the rotund curves of a depiction of Buddha, wielding the most ridiculously large hammer Jalal had ever seen.

Slowly the giant suit of armor issued a distorted unsettling chuckle and raised the hammer as though it weighed no more than a feather as it took a few lumbering steps forward.

At the same time, a noise from above caught Jalal's attention, as he lifted his head to see another figure peering down at him from a balcony overlooking the chamber. Another figure clad in lustrous golden armor leapt down and landed on it's feet with the grace of a cat, appropriate considering his helm depicted a roaring lion a long red ponytail hanging down its back.

The newcomer seemed to regard Jalal before brandishing a large spear, walking side by side with it's bulkier counterpart, and while nowhere near as hefty, it still surprised Jalal to find himself looking up at anyone given his own height.

His Google Glass suddenly beeped, but what was even more surprising than seeing it somehow still functioning was the information it was now displaying. Two health bars were showing near the bottom of the lens, each accompanied by an equally ominous title.

As soon as he read the names, a memory surfaced of hearing Judy curse those exact names out loud (several times) in remarkably colorful language. Which was all he needed to realize how thoroughly this was going to suck.

As one, Dragonslayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough went on the attack.

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Jenn noticed it quickly. As her D-Wheel started to pick up speed, the very highway changed as they passed over it, the pavement going from rough asphalt to something that looked semi-metallic (as she called it).

"I don't suppose you have any idea what SAL was saying?" she asked.

"It's almost as if," started Wells.

Then yet another burning meteor crashed from above, and she shrieked as she swerved to avoid it.

"Since you want it that bad," she said. She drew a card. "I'm as game as you are. I summon Speed Fusionist!"

As she fit the monster card on her console, there was a diabolic cackle as a new D-Wheeler sped from behind both duelists. It was clearly Magical Scientist, the helmet being the only change in his attire. His D-Wheel was a junky old model that seemed tinkered together from discarded car parts, kitchen appliances, and an old lawn mower, belching smoke from twin exhaust pipes. (300 ATK)

"Not exactly state-of-the-art, is it?" asked Domino.

"Yeah, well, for this sort of duel, you must take shortcuts to summon some monsters, and this guy is the expert on that. Here's a demo, I'll pay 1,000 Life Points to use his effect, and fuse together these two guys…"

Two large Effect Monster Cards, depicting Fluffal Penguin and Edge Imp Saw appeared to either side of her bike; Speed Fusionist waved his hand, and they dissolved into particles as the Fusion spiral absorbed both.

"Don't try serving this guy with ketchup, he prefers the taste of blood! One all-beef patty on a roll with a side of bloodlust to go, I Fusion Summon, Frightfur Burger!"

The Fusion Monster that emerged from it was bizarre even by Frightfur standards. It looked like a ragged old doll with disproportionately large head, the head being a hamburger. A hamburger with a face, that is, with a button for an eye (and a frayed thread indicating that the other eye had been lost) and part of a slice of cheese protruding from the center, giving the impression of a lolling tongue dangling from a mouth. Like all Frightfurs, it was unsettling and grotesque. Worse, its weapon was a huge steak knife that it held like a pole-axe. (1,800 ATK)

"That's… not right," said Domino, looking at it over his shoulder.

"Yeah, not quite something you'd put in a Happy Meal. Anyway, because I used Fluffal Penguin, I can use its effect." She made two draws, placed them with the other three on her wrist, then took another, and discarded it. "Now let's give it another go, Speed Fusionist!"

Her Life Points dipped to 6,000, and the Spellcaster used his potent whammy again as Jenn discarded Fluffal Rabbit and Edge Imp Chain. The ominous, menacing Frightfur Sheep floated up from behind her bike. (2,000 ATK)

"Next I can use Rabbit to get Penguin back." Jenn took the recovered card and switched it with another on her glove, using the other one and causing it to appear set in front of the bike before it faded. "Over to you, chum."

"I'm no 'chum', human," said Domino. He drew, and both bikes sped up slightly as the Speed Counters rose. "I Special Summon Cyber Dragon!"

In a flash, Ryu Kaiser's trademark monster appeared, levitating and undulating alongside his D-Wheel. (2,100 ATK)

"Ugh, Wells had a deck with those once. Never cared for them myself."

"You won't like these at all," said Domino with a nod, "especially since Summoning a Cyber Dragon lets me also Special Summon a Cyber Dragon Vier."

There was another flash, and a smaller version of the Cyber Dragon materialized next to the large one. It was also slightly longer, slimmer, and leaner. (1,600 DEF)

"This monster boosts the Attack Scores of all my Cyber Dragons by 500 points, and because Vier IS a Cyber Dragon while on the field, that bonus applies to itself."

"Too bad you had to summon it in Defense Mode," added Jenn.

"That one, perhaps, but I can also Normal Summon another Cyber Dragon Vier to double that bonus."

He activated another card, producing another Cyber Dragon Vier. Both it and the other Vier rose to Attack Scores of 2,100 apiece, while the "adult" Cyber Dragon went up to 3,100.

"Deep fry that thing with Strident Blast!" he commanded.

"Sorry, fellah, but this order is up!" laughed Jenn. "I activate Fusion Trench!"

As the projectile of blue flames shot towards Frightfur Burger, her Trap opened, forming an energy dome that the flames fell short on. "This Trap keeps all monsters except Fusions from attacking, and look at that, it's Continuous!"

"I'll set these three cards, and end my turn," he replied, as if nothing had happened.

Jenn drew, the Counters edging up to 2. She opened the chamber on her dashboard holding the Extra Deck and withdrew a card.

"This Big Mac seems a little bland, so I'd better season it a little... See, by sending another Frightfur Fusion Monster to the Graveyard, Frightfur Burger can gain that monster's Scores and effects for a turn. So Frightfur Kraken can make it a Filet of Fish special!"

As she discarded the card, squid-like tentacles sprouted from its back, making it even more unsettling and grotesque. (2,200 ATK)

"That sandwich is not made of squid meat," said Domino.

"Well it sure ain't made of lake trout either these days, if you know what I mean. Now I'll use Fusion Trench's other effect, so Frightfur Sheep can attack you directly!"

The demonic stuffed animal's teeth ground, and twin barbed, hooked chains shot down, slamming around Domino's bike as he swerved to try to avoid them.

(J: 6,000, 2 SPC) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 6,000 2 SPC)

"I activate Trauma Rush!" exclaimed Domino. His Trap Card lifted, and his D-Wheel started to speed up even more. "Your attack gives me two Speed Counters and one draw!"

As he did so, however, the Kraken-in-Burger's-clothing started spinning its knife like a deadly, bladed pinwheel. It flew through the defending Vier, dicing it into bits. Consequently, the other Vier fell to 1,600 points, the larger Cyber Dragon to 2,600.

"And since it has Kraken's effect, Frightfur Burger can attack twice! Get it!"

However, as Frightfur Burger flew towards the second Vier, Domino used another of his set cards. "Cyber Network!" he exclaimed. "With Cyber Dragon on the field, this Trap allows me to banish one Light-Attribute Machine-Type monster a turn!" He held a card so his foe could see it. "Cyber Dragon Drei, and by doing so, my Vier is indestructible this turn."

"Yeah, but you aren't," added Jenn.

The Frightfur's knife slammed into the second Vier; Domino's D-Wheel to tremble a little, but the monster was intact.

"I'll use Kraken's other effect, which moves it to Defense Mode." The demonic cheeseburger crouched, holding its weapon defensively. (3,000 DEF) "And while I'm at it, Speed Fusionist defends too." (300 DEF)

"I'll set these two cards face-down, and I end my turn."

(J: 6,000, 2 SPC) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 5,400 4 SPC)

He made his draw, then Cyber Network appeared again, as another card - Proto Cyber Dragon - was drawn into the grid. Then he used a Speed Spell.

"Aw, crap," said Jennifer.

"If I can only attack with Fusion Monsters, so be it," said Domino.

As Speed Spell - Speed Fusion started to pulsate with light, Domino took another card - a standard Cyber Dragon - from his hand, and it and the two Machines were absorbed into the Fusion vortex. Jenn skidded to a halt as Cyber End Dragon loomed over and in front of her bike.

"Super Strident Flames!" ordered the android, as the three heads honed on Speed Fusionist.

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"OUCH!" yelled Drago.

The loud "CRUNCH" had indicated he had stepped on broken glass as he entered the ruined and burned out showroom where, just hours before, the shootout had occurred.

"Thank you, Drago," muttered Fanciullo, who clearly was not thankful. "Now we know not to step there. Now be quiet before someone hears us."

"So, uh, I meant to ask," said Uomo. "Just why are we here and not in, say, Switzerland?"

He hadn't been the first to ask. The boss had told all of them to button it at least once since he had told Tormento to turn the car around.

"No sense in leaving before we can make some sort of profit from this whole mess," said the mobster. "Anyone who doesn't want to come can turn around right now."

He stopped for a minute to see if that "offer" had any takers. They knew the real reason he'd come, and he knew they knew. It was a genuine offer, and even if they did leave, he fully intended to go alone. But they seemed to share that motive.

He nodded to Tormento, and the bodyguard slammed the lever down on the robot's chest like Karl had. Again, it started to open...

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That last attack had hit hard, and Jenn struggled to recover. She hit the console on her dashboard, causing a display of three cards to appear. "Speed Fusionist has one other effect, creep. I get to take another Fusion card from my deck."

She groaned a little, her mind still full of haze at the powerful hit. She touched the image of her own Speed Fusion, but Domino simply scoffed. His third Trap opened.

"I activate Relentless Assault!" he said. "My Dragon can attack all of your monsters!"

Jenn screamed as the thing exhaled again, incinerating Frightfur Sheep.

(J: 300, 3 SPC) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 5,400 5 SPC)

Finally, it turned its attack on Frightfur Burger, but Jenn was fully awake now, and her Trap Card opened. "Penelope taught me this move, Fleur Shield!"

A blizzard of rose petals swarmed from the card, and the blast dissipated. Thunder started to rumble overhead in the clouds, and Domino stepped on the gas, driving off as Jenn drew once.

"My turn is over, so I lose the two Speed Counters I gained," he grumbled. "Just move!"

"I'm not gonna chase you.". She drew a card, then used a new Speed Spell. "Time for Dick Dastardly's Driving Lesson! In exchange for ALL my Speed Counters, I can use a Trap from my hand this turn."

"Suit yourself," said Domino, soaring past the now stationary Shadowchaser.

"You can run," said Jenn. She placed Call of the Haunted on her console, face up, "but ya can't hide!"

Domino nearly swerved to a stop as Frightfur Sheep appeared again to block him. (1,800 ATK)

"Move it!" he shouted. "Unless you want to deal with this!"

Cyber End Dragon growled, but then, Frightfur Burger appeared to back Sheep up, as Jenn discarded another Fusion Monster, Frightfur Leo. The Burger threw its knife into the ground, point first, and then produced two disk-like objects. (2,400 ATK)

"Don't cry, they're just onions," laughed Jenn, as her monster hurled them.

Clearly these onions weren't garden variety, as they ripped through Cyber End Dragon, tearing it apart and causing jagged, hot metal to rain on Domino. "You little brat!" he shouted. "GAH!"

The shout came as Frightfur Leo's full effect hit him, Cyber End Dragon's total Score slamming into him as damage.

(J: 300, 0 SPC) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 1,400 4 SPC)

Then he realized, as Frightfur Sheep started to close in, that this was the least of his troubles.

"I can still activate the effect of Cyber Network!" he yelled, the Trap Card springing to life, and the Network absorbing his third one, right before the barbed chains lashed into him and his D-Wheel.

(J: 300, 0 SPC) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 0 4 SPC)

"Pathetic,"said a deep, ominous voice.

Jennifer looked up. The sky looked rather angry now…

Especially, seeing as Diogenes, or rather, a sort of spiritual representation of the platonic, seemed to practically fill the entire sky. His titanic form loomed over the mountains.

"This was amusing at first, Domino, but your performance against this upstart is sorely lacking."

Domino raised his hand to protest, but three of the flaming meteors crashed from the sky, obliterating him.

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In the cell block where Karen had been detained after that nightmarish duel with Freddy Krueger, the remaining inmates still languished.

"Is this a real person?" asked Fezz.

"No," replied Berger.

"Is this a mythological figure?"

"Yes."

Playing "20 Questions" was one of the few ways the two could pass the time. Even so, it was getting old.

"Is it from Greek mythology?"

"No. Twelve left."

Fezz looked over at the patchwork troll, who seemed awfully calm right now. It had been a while since the vivisection team had come in; he hoped whoever was behind the project had cancelled it.

"African mythology?"

"No."

"East Asian mythology?"

"No."

Fezz stopped to think for a minute.

"Gilgamesh."

Both were startled to hear it had come from Damned Magician Girl, as she stormed in.

"How rude," said Fezz.

"Meh, she's right," sighed Berger.

"Stuff it," said the sorceress. "You still have the schematics for those inscriptions?"

"The one for those cards?" asked Fezz. "The ones the tin can said were 'unconventional' and 'unorthodox'?"

"I had to agree with him on that," said Berger. "They looked like something from a bad R-rated cartoon."

"Well, I need them now," demanded Beatrice.

"Sorry, he burned the copies I scribed for him," answered Fezz. "And the notes too."

"You bragged about having a photographic memory."

"What, you want me to do it again?" asked Fezz. He leaned back on his cot. "Maybe I can, but why would I do it if I could?"

He looked at Beatrice, and she was pissed.

"Maybe offer some quid pro quo?" he asked. "I mean, this place is so dull, you know? I could -"

Beatrice pointed at the troll and flung fireballs from her palm. The chained beast let out a roar, then tried to struggle as it was burned alive.

"How's that for excitement?" she asked.

Fezz didn't answer, he was cowering as best he could. Indeed, it seemed the experiment regarding the troll had been cancelled…

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"Whoa," said Jenn. She strained to see through the flames. "How existential can you get?"

There was no answer from the being looking down at her, but she heard a new noise, as a second D-Wheel approached from ahead, one with a larger, bulkier rider in a trenchcoat.

"Well, if it isn't tall, dark, and gruesome," she said with another smirk. Even with the trench coat on, Baroq's distinct form combining mechanical and reptilian components was hard to forget. "If the coat's supposed to make you inconspicuous I've got bad news, it didn't work for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and it sure as hell doesn't work for you."

(Jennifer: 300, 0 SPC) - - - - - - - - - - (Baroq: 8,000 4 SPC)

"You'd be wise to watch what you say," said Baroq. "With so sharp a tongue, you could cut your own throat. It's still your move."

"In that case-" Her last Trap opened, "I use Bootleg Frightfur."

She discarded Fluffal Penguin, and to a loud sound of stitching and snipping, a new monster started to form behind her. "By sending that monster to the Graveyard and banishing Edge Imp Chain from it, I can build the most super-nightmarish Frightfur of them all! Frightfur Daredevil!"

Even Jennifer tended to get chills when she summoned this one, but not this time. The monster had the general theme of a kewpie doll, but little else. It had dark red skin and impish devil wings, and an outfit that seemed like a gimp suit with a diaper. Its weapon seemed to be a devil's pitchfork. (3,000 ATK)

"Still my turn, and still the Battle Phase. Attack directly!"

The demon spread its wings and soared over Baroq as he started his D-Wheel again in the other direction, swerving as the Frightfur dove and stabbed directly down with its weapon.

"How's that?" she giggled. She set three more cards. "Your move."

"As I said," replied Baroq, "making a draw, "you're about to feel the repercussions of this frivolous attitude of yours."

(Jennifer: 300, 0 SPC) - - - - - - - - - - (Baroq: 5,000 5 SPC)

He looked at the card he had drawn, Speed Spell - Angel Baton.

I could finish this brat with this, he thought, but those Fusion Monsters of hers are still troubling.

He activated the card, causing his own Speed Counters to fall to 1. He made two draws, then chose another from his hand and discarded it.

"First, I'll banish another monster via Cyber Network's effect, and then banish the Cyber Dragon Core I just discarded, to summon Proto Cyber Dragon."

This time it was a bit more familiar, a smaller, older looking model of the familiar Machine. (1,100 ATK)

"Then I use…. Dust Tornado!"

Uh-oh, thought Jenn, clearly figuring out what his Trap's target was. Sure enough, it blew through the Fusion Trench card, blowing it away.

"Then I'll summon Cyber Dragon Drei," he continued, playing another monster. This new one looked like Vier, but slimmer and with pronounced fangs. (1,800 ATK) "And by summoning it, both my Cyber Dragons become Level 5."

"That means," said Jenn.

"I build the Overlay Network!"

As the vortex opened, they sped across the bridge, and Jenn chanced to look to the side; the channel it spanned may have once held water within, but was now a wide river of lava, the stench of sulfur and brimstone wafting from below.

She forced herself to turn her attention to the Xyz Monster he had summoned, but that did little to calm her. This Machine was as big as Cyber End Dragon but seemed to be a conglomerate of the most powerful cards of the Cyber-Heads Style. It had Zwei's head, Cyber Barrier Dragon's neck-brace, Chimeratech Overdragon's torso and core, and Cyber Laser Dragon's Tail. Its wings were those of Cyber End Dragon, but sharper, and with vents resembling those of Chimeratech Fortress Dragon. (2,100 ATK)

"It gets worse, Jennifer," said Baroq, "by banishing a regular Cyber Dragon," he flipped the card around before it disappeared, "I can increase this one's Score by 2,100!"

(4,400 ATK)

"I said you had potential, last time, apprentice, but you're just as headstrong as before." The Xyz started to charge a powerful attack. "Consider this therapy."

Jennifer screamed as the attack focused on Frightfur Burger, and more of the flaming meteors plummeted from the sky around her…

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Beatrice looked at the pile of charred bones and ashes that had once been the troll. Then she turned towards Fezz.

"Well?" she said.

"Lady, you are insane."

"I can live with that," she answered. "Now, unless you want to be next -"

"Okay, okay, I can scribe those cards. But, uh, I'm going to need the equipment to do so, quills, ink and all that, and I can't exactly do it without my hands."

"Easily done," she said. She took a small device, the general size and shape of a TV remote from a pouch on her belt, causing the door to the cell block to slide open. Fezz looked at the device closely as a pair of droids sauntered in.

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"Jennifer?" said Karl. "Jennifer?"

(Jennifer: 0, 0 SPC) - - - - - - - - - - (Baroq: 5,000 1 SPC)

Exactly how he had gotten there as that last attack had hit, Karl had no idea. He vaguely remembered trailing them through the whole duel. Still, it was clear now he was on the opposite side of the bridge, about half of the bridge itself having been sundered and destroyed. With Jennifer still on it.

He strained while looking down hoping to see a trace of her but saw little.

"What happened?" he demanded, turning to Baroq.

"I suggest you keep driving, Mr. Hudson, unless you want to find out firsthand."

Another meteor started to slowly form overhead as Diogenes' colossal form - now clearer and easier to see - looked down on them. Karl said something under his breath as he slammed on the gas, following Baroq even further down the highway, which now seemed to span through a rocky desert.

(Karl: 8,000, 0 SPC) - - - - - - - - - - (Baroq: 5,000 1 SPC)

"I doubt I need to tell you, Karl," said SAL, "he's an android, he could hear that as easy as I could. And we'll have to worry about Jennifer later, we have other problems."

"Oh, you think?" answered Karl, looking up at the huge Xyz between him and Baroq.

"More than this!" replied Baroq. "Still my turn, and now that it's my second Main Phase, I can Overlay this monster to summon something stronger! Xyz Evolution!"

The change seemed minute at first, Cyber Dragon Nova's shiny metal surface becoming smoother, and the edges becoming more flexible, taking a shape and texture that seemed to be a transition between steel and flesh, while becoming bigger and more menacing. The result was almost a cross between the mechanized dragon it was, and an actual, living Dragon. (2,100 ATK)

"Cyber Dragon Infinity gains 200 Attack Points for each of its Overlay Units. It has three right now." (2,700 ATK) "However -"

The Machine twisted its long tail into a semblance of - appropriately - an infinity symbol, and a small black hole was projected from its core, drawing Frightfur Daredevil in with a powerful spiral vortex. (2,900 ATK)

He set a reversed card in his Spell Zone, and then said, "And it's your move."

Karl made his first draw, falling behind his foe due to the stagnant speedometer caused by Jenn's Speed Spell.

"We'd better step up our game, Karl," said SAL, "lest Jennifer's play turn out the same as most of Dick Dastardly's schemes."

"Don't worry, this should correct it," added Karl. "Speed Spell - Pace Car!"

He activated the odd Speed Spell, the burst of speed causing him to pull up alongside Baroq, both of their Counters hitting 5.

"Now I can activate Jenn's copy of Speed Fusion, and Fuse together Cosmo Queen and Cracking Dragon..."

This was a Fusion Summon different than most, and every time he did it, Karl got chills. The two monsters appeared in holographic form, but there was no Fusion vortex. Cracking Dragon seemed to be ripped apart, with its pieces welded to Cosmo Queen's flesh, piece by piece in what was clearly a painful process, the life being leached from her flesh as she was forcibly mechanized.

The result was vaguely recognizable as Cosmo Queen, her clothing upgraded in style to that of science-fiction proper, her arms and legs cybernetic with claws on the former and gripping mechanical talons on the latter. An eyepiece covered the right side of her face with one red optic lens. What remained of her flesh was gaunt, sallow, and emaciated. (3,000 ATK)

"By sending one monster from my hand to the Graveyard, Qunari Locutus can use her effect to coral one of your monsters." The Fusion Monster's red eye glowed as she fixated both on Cyber Dragon Infinity without blinking….

"Fool," said Baroq, "this monster can use an Overlay Unit to protect itself and obliterate your monster."

"Actually, it can't!" replied Karl, even as the Machine absorbed the one unit. "Locutus' effect can't be negated."

Infinity let out a roar as a lash of red energy encircled it, puling it behind Karl's bike. "Course, I can't attack with it or use its effect, but I can do a little Xyz Evolution of my own."

Cyber Dragon Infinity crumbled into particles that were quickly absorbed by the Network, and Gaia Dragon dove from it, twin lances aimed at Baroq. (2,600 ATK)

If this works, our side will have the two-count, he thought, as Gaia, Frightfur Sheep, and Qunari Locutus flew towards their foe…

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

"I have my eye on you," warned Beatrice.

She was, and so were the two medic droids. She had taken the shackle off and had the droids bring in the equipment he needed along with a desk. She had made it quite clear that they would tear him apart if he spoke even one word that might be part of one of his illusionist incantations.

"Yeah, yeah, just don't rush me, okay?"

Her voice turned less demanding and more persuasive. "Do good and I might be able to arrange a small reward anyway. Maybe some of that Greek pasta you love so much."

Fezz fidgeted a little.

"Pastitsio, you mean?" he said with a long sigh. "Truthfully, I'd prefer some ouzo."

Berger smirked, then leaned back against the wall. "I know one place in Athens that makes good pastitsio. But the daktyla is always stale."

"YOU be quiet," said Beatrice,

"Eh, daktyla is no good with pastitsio anyway," sighed Fezz.

"Good with ouzo, though."

"In a minute, I'm going to tell the chef to cook you, buster!" threatened Damned Magician Girl, turning to his cell.

As she did, Fezz saw the opportunity. An opportunity to finally use the plan he and Berger had made after Karen had escaped, the act that had given both prisoners hope that escape was possible.

He had never liked any Greek food, the discussion he'd had with Berger days ago about pastitsio being something he intended her to hear for just such an opportunity.

With his hands free, and the programmed key words - "ouzo", "daktyla", and "pastitsio" - spoken by both of them, he was able to use the final somatic gesture on Beatrice.

Or rather, the pouch on her belt…

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

"You've had it, Baroq!"

"I beg to differ!" replied the android. "I'll use Cyber Network to banish another Monster, and then use," a set Trap activating, "Born from Draconis!"

This Trap was completely new to Karl, but he didn't need to be told it was potent, especially when the sky turned to night and the stars of Draco the Dragon spread across the sky.

"To use this card, I must banish every Machine in my Graveyard with the word 'Cyber' in it," said Baroq, as four cards - Cyber Dragon, the two Cyber Dragon Vier and Cyber Dragon Nova - appeared, only to disappear in four flashes of light.

"...and summon Cyber Eltanin!"

Karl slammed on the breaks and his bike skidded to a halt as the new monster, a giant, metallic, skull-like, dragon's head, with seven smaller heads protruding from the surface.

"It's Attack Score is 700 per monster banished." (2,800 ATK)

"Uh yeah…" said Karl, nervously. "Guess it's a good thing I used your monster to summon Gaia…"

"I admit, you are resourceful, more so than your friend was."

The seven heads roared as more meteors fell, annihilating Karl's three monsters.

"Damn." He moved the shift again, setting two facedown cards as he sped further down the highway.

"And now, the countdown to your demise begins anew."

Karl wasn't sure whether Baroq or Diogenes made the comment, it had echoed a little. Whatever the case, Baroq made a draw, and the Cyber Network Trap appeared, then cracked before shattering into pieces, its power spent.

"This is something of a double-edged sword, as the final effect of this card allows for this…"

Portals from the other dimension opened, and four Cyber Dragons that he and Domino had banished, swarmed out, forming a solid line of offense. (2,100 ATK x4)

"Don't despair, Karl," urged Sal, "he can't attack with them this turn."

"So, I'll have to improvise," added Baroq, as the Network started to appear again, "I form the…"

"I activate 2D Space!" shouted Karl. His Trap appeared, and cracks appeared in the very network itself, which fell to pieces with a clatter. An annoyed grunt came from above.

"Sorry, but the Z-axis is not available, so no Xyz summoning."

The android grunted, set two cards behind his monsters, then stabbed his thumb down.

"Baroq, this is getting tiresome," said Diogenes' voice. "Finish these upstarts NOW."

"He's gonna have to wait on that, big guy," said Karl, making a draw.

"Karl, before this goes any further," added SAL, "I should mention Baroq is banishing his cards like there was no tomorrow. He's clearly planning to do something with them."

Karl didn't answer. He saw the card he had drawn, and his hand was trembling.

Not because he was afraid or nervous, but because he was excited.

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

Jalal was beginning to understand why Judy had struggled for months to defeat the guardians of Anor Londo. Hell, he wasn't sure whether he'd want to shake the hand of the developers of Dark Souls or back over them with his D-wheel a few times himself.

The vastly different fighting styles Ornstein and Smough displayed as they came after Jalal were deceptively complimentary. Smough was a brute with the grace and precision of a rhino on cocaine, bulldozing through everything in his path to get at his quarry, uncaring of collateral damage. Meanwhile Ornstein blurred in and out of Jalal's sight, striking when he was in the middle of trying to evade his companion's rampage with the ferocity and precision of the predator whose image he bore.

Whereas if he tried to shift his focus on Ornstein, parrying his thrusts and buying a few precious seconds to press the offensive, he'd be lucky to land more than a few blows from his sword before he'd have to dive for cover to avoid being pulverized by Smough performing what could only be described as a gravity defying butt slam.

Despite not drawing blood whenever he managed to land a hit on either foe, their health was dropping bit by bit on the display in his Google Glass. Right now, he had to prioritize someone or else at the rate things were going he'd be in no position to help anyone even if he did make it out of here alive.

Looking around Jalal noticed how badly several columns were listing from the damage the room was taking from the fight. As Smough approached, Jalal braced himself against the nearest one and shoved as hard as he could. It didn't take long for it to give, and with it a sizeable chunk of the cathedral's roof came down on top of Smough.

Even as he watched the hulking fiend was already trying to dislodge the rubble pinning him down but for the moment he was incapacitated. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ornstein preparing to lunge, and it took Jalal about a second to realize what he needed to do, or rather what he needed not to do.

Clearly the title of Dragonslayer was not hyperbole, as Jalal's armor, forged from the hide of Malys the Wicked, was punctured like a tin can, the point of Ornstein's spear grinding against one of his ribs as he was slammed against a wall hard enough to crack it.

Jalal's teeth clacked shut as blood spurted out of the corners of his mouth, but he seized Ornstein by the neck, conjuring his rifle with his free hand and squeezing the trigger. It all unfolded in a matter of seconds, but that was all Jalal needed.

The sound of each round in the magazine clip being fired was like a long rolling thunderclap, magically infused bullets tearing out from Ornstein's back until the gun clicked on empty. Ornstein was still standing, but only because he was leaning on his spear, the point still digging into his chest through the armor. His health bar was utterly spent.

Managing to shove him off, Jalal pulled the spear out and tossed it aside as he swore under his breath at the pain. Times like this he envied the likes of Wolverine and Deadpool, as unlike them his ability to heal via immortality was not instantaneous.

Despite this being a fight to the death, he felt a small pang of regret over having to resort to such tactics to slay such a worthy foe, he couldn't remember the last time someone had dealt him such a wound, let alone skewer his armor. Looking down at Ornstein's bullet riddled form, he was startled to see him still feebly curl his hand into a fist as he tried to get up... only to be utterly squashed beneath a familiar hammer.

Smough gave a deep booming chortle as Ornstein's body coalesced into arcs of lightning that coursed over his body, his health bar now completely refilled. Looking up at the grotesque smiling helm, it's leer seemed even more menacing as Smough's entire body seemed to be channeling the power of a thunderstorm.

"Well shit..."

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

"Ahem," said Karl. "As I was saying, Baroq will have to wait until his next turn…" He discarded one of his cards. "Assuming he gets one. The card I discarded was Thunder Dragon, which gains two others from my deck."

Two more cards appeared with his other five, and he realized that, even with all seven of these cards, this next move would only have been possible with Jenn's help…

"I summon Kinkya-Byo!"

There was a shifting, creeping shadow in front of his D-Wheel, which coalesced itself into a sinister-looking cat made of pure darkness. (400 ATK)

"This Spirit Monster can summon a Level 1 monster from the afterlife, and the one I choose… Speed Fusionist!"

Kinkya-Byo made a ghastly screech as a portal to the nether realms opened, and the cackling D-Wheeler sped from it. (300 ATK)

"Him again?" cursed Baroq,

"And as I'm sure your better half remembers, this card allows me to Fusion Summon by paying a thousand Life Points, and I'll do so, fusing Thunder Dragon and Kinkya-Byo -" The fusion vortex opened, consuming the small Spirit and the larger Thunder monster. "To summon Lashing Sky-Roar Thunder Dragon!"

Lightning flashed overhead, and the sky darkened, a long, serpentine oriental Dragon appearing, nearly ethereal in appearance, with a cloud for a mane and brilliant emerald scales. (2,000 ATK)

"Then I'll do it again and pay another 1,000 points to fuse a second Thunder Dragon with Greed Quasar to summon Corrupt-Fang Thunder Dragon!"

As he discarded both cards, lightning forked from the sky again, creating a second Dragon, darker and more foreboding than the first, with curving, devilish horns and sword-like claws. (2,500 ATK)

"I'm about to shove some of Jenn's 'potential' up your ass, Baroq."

"I don't have an ass, you insolent human!" he snapped.

"If that was your attempt at humor, it was lame. Oh, and Lashing Dragon can attack you directly, by the way. Attack with Blazing Boomshine!"

The dark night was lit up as powerful radiance flashed from the Dragon's jaws. The sheer pain from the assault, a sensation never felt by the android before, stuck by complete surprise, almost causing him to crash.

But he remained upright even as Karl went on. "Whenever Lash Dragon deals out damage, he destroys one card." He pointed to one of the Cyber Dragons, and a second Boomshine struck, blowing it apart.

"Now my Corrupt-Fang attacks another of your Machines. Attack with Miasmic Wave!"

The second Dragon produced a cloud of black, sickly mist that meandered towards the targeted Cyber Dragon, causing it to rust, rot, and fall apart.

(Karl: 6,000, 7 SPC) - - - - - - - - - - (Baroq: 2,600 7 SPC)

"Gah," grunted Baroq.

"Not done! When Corrupted Fang crushes a monster, I get to summon this."

A green, serpentine dragon, its hide crackling with static energy, appeared between the two Fusions. (1,600 ATK)

"Another Thunder Dragon?" grumbled Baroq.

"This time, it's neither Thunder nor Dragon. I can choose its Type, and I choose Fairy this time. Having done so, I can use Speed Fusionist one more time, and Fuse this Token and Corrupt Fang Dragon into Guiding Light-Soul Thunder Dragon!"

As the two monsters vanished, thunder again rumbled, and a light, brisk wind with a spring rain announced the arrival of another celestial dragon descending from the sky, one with prismatic scales and brilliant eyes that mirrored near-infinite wisdom. (2,600 DEF)

"Very pretty," replied Baroq.

Ignoring him, Karl continued, as another Thunder Dragon appeared, coiling itself into Defense Mode. (1,600 DEF) "This guy comes back because I sent Corrupted Fang to the Graveyard. Next, Guiding Light effect sends three of your banished monsters back to your deck."

Three cards - Cyber Dragon, Cyber Dragon Vier, and Cyber Dragon Nova - hovered in front of Baroq. He frowned slightly and took the three cards, placing them in his deck and then shuffling.

"Next, we each draw once," said Karl, doing so. "Then I'll use MY Angel Baton." Using the Speed Spell, he discarded one of his three remaining cards, then drew again. "Now for more of that 'potential'."

"NOW WHAT?" shouted Baroq.

Karl activated a Trap Card, the one from Jenn's final turn. "Limit Reverse! I summon Unknown Synchron!"

The vaguely spherical satellite drone appeared, beeping softly as it floated in front of his D-Wheel. (0 ATK)

"Then I Tune together Unknown Synchron, Speed Fusionist, and Lashing Sky-Roar Thunder Dragon!"

The three monsters soared upward, the Synchro rings forming and surrounding them."

"Skin of platinum, a heart of diamond, quicksilver running through its veins! The mightiest weapon of the Healing Darkness built to battle the Light of Ruin! Clustering stars build a Machine of great power…"

(*1 + *1 + *8 = *10)

"I Synchro Summon… Ally of Justice Decisive Arms!"

With a loud rumble, a massive, hulking construct rose behind Karl and his D-Wheel, a huge laser cannon turret with two smaller lasers for arms, with odd circuitry covering its shiny plating. (3,300 ATK)

The look on Baroq's face made it clear he knew this monster's effects. "You can't!" he screamed

"Can, would, and will," said SAL.

"First, I'll use Lashing Dragon's effect to summon a Thunder Dragon from my Graveyard," continued Karl, his second one appearing and defending. (1,600 DEF) "Now, onto Decisive Armor. By sending my whole hand to the Graveyard -" He discarded the last two cards, "I can look at your hand, and if you happen to have any monsters that happen to be Light Attribute, they're destroyed, and you get nailed for damage equal to their Attack Scores."

"Never gonna get away with this you son of a…" started Baroq. He never finished. His full hand - Toon Cyber Dragon, Cyber Dragon Core, Cyber Valley, Cyber Dragon Herz, and Cyber Phoenix - appeared in front of Karl, and four burning bolts of plasma fired, eradicating all but the last, followed by a mighty fifth blast from the central canon….

(Karl: 5,000, 3 SPC) - - - - - - - - - - (Baroq: 0 7 SPC)

Karl skidded to a halt. "Two down," said SAL.

He nodded in reply, then added, "And here comes the third, right on cue."

Another D-Wheel approached, the rider lifting his visor. "My turn," said Horatio.

As he turned and accelerated, Diogenes spoke again. "My patience is wearing thin, Horatio. This will be the final chance."

"I've got this!" he said in what passed for a tone of assurance. He drew a card, placing it with his starting hand and the Cyber Phoenix. "You Shadowchasers think you're so smug, but we're just as capable of using each other's cards.

One of the set cards left by Baroq lifted. "Combat Evolution Unit!" he exclaimed. "To which, I'll chain Repeater Trap!"

Cyber Eltanin faded away into grains of light. "He's sacrificing that one?" said SAL. "He's up to something…"

"That was the sacrifice for my second Trap, which now duplicates the first one. Because I'm thus using two copies of Combat Evolution Unit, I can sacrifice two Cyber Dragons -" The other two Machines burst into pixels, "to create Cyber Photon Dragon and Cyber Salvo Dragon!"

The first monster he had mentioned looked like a Cyber Dragon, but smoother and more streamlined, with circuity on its armor. The second had sleek wings and a tail with a laser cannon mounted on it. (2,100 ATK)

"Simply by summoning Cyber Photon Dragon using that Trap Card, I can destroy one of your cards."

The Machine hissed loudly, with panels unfolding from the sides of its head, and laser beams shot from its jaws, blowing rents in the Ally of Justice until the whole thing collapsed and exploded.

"Aw, crap," said Karl.

"Then there's its regular effect," continued Horatio. The creature resumed firing, this time hitting the 2-D Space Trap Card and smashing it.

"THEN we get to Salvo Dragon's effect!" continued Horatio. "Or rather, effects. Seeing as I summoned it with the Trap, I have two effects to choose from, and this time, I'm choosing the one that grants it 400 Attack Points and the ability to attack all your monsters!"

"Hold up, hold up," said Karl. "I'm using Guiding Soul's effect to send three more of your monsters back to your deck."

This time, the cards were Cyber Dragon, Cyber Dragon Core, and Cyber Dragon Drei. Horatio just said "Whatever!" as he made a draw, then aimed Cyber Salvo Dragon at the defending Dragon. However, as it fired, a shiny, metallic turtle of all things appeared to block it, causing the bolt to deflect off its shell.

"Electromagnetic Turtle? How quaint. I Overlay my two Cyber Dragons into Cyber Dragon Nova!" he shouted.

"Here we go again," sighed SAL, watching the huge Xyz rise onto the field in front of her again.

"Not quite," replied Horatio. "This time, I'm not going to waste time with Nova's effect. I'm bringing the next phase out now."

This is seriously getting old, thought Karl, as he watched the thing turn into Cyber Dragon Infinity again.

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

"Boss, not that I wanna jinx it," said Tormento, "but doesn't this place seem kinda empty?"

He had been itching for a fight, but after taking a stairway down, they had entered part of the TARDIS that was lacking any form of life and no visible use. The pipes and wires on the walls seemed to do nothing but supply power to the dim lights. While they heard the sound of motors and machinery, they always seemed distant, as if just behind the next turn in the corridor. And as for the corridor itself, if seemed dimly lit, and unused, and seemed to slope downward.

"Something's down here," said Fanciullo. "Something important. I can almost smell it. Break out the flashlight Uomo."

The assassin nodded, taking the light from his shoulder-bag and flicking it on, illuminating their path as they continued downward.

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

"Bo-ring," said Karl at the sight of the infamous Xyz. (2,700 ATK)

(Karl: 5,000, 4 SPC) - - - - - - - - - - (Horatio: 8,000 8 SPC)

Horatio threw two set cards on his Disk, then waved his hand at Karl. "You humans are so annoying."

"Yeah, I could say the same thing about a certain overconfident narcissist," replied Karl, as he made a draw. "I activate Guiding Soul Dragon's effect again, and -"

"Not this time," interrupted Horatio. He gestured again, and Cyber Dragon Infinity let out a mighty roar as it absorbed an Overlay Unit, blowing the defending Dragon to little pieces. "I'm not taking chances with that uncanny luck of yours."

"No luck involved, Horatio, this Dragon has the same effect of the other two."

"Wait, you meant," said Horatio.

He clearly did, as a third Thunder Dragon appeared like the others had. (1,600 ATK)

"Now I'll Overlay all three!" he exclaimed, as the Thunder Dragons turned into orbs of radiance. "I Xyz Summon XJ-25 Stardust Streaker!"

The monster that appeared hardly looked impressive. It was a small fighter pilot ship, only about twice as big - at most - as Karl's D-Wheel, slightly battered and dented, flying above him. (2,400 ATK)

"Know how it is in a lot of science fiction movies where the Evil Empire's humongous battle-fortress of doom is challenged - and defeated - by a sole craft driven by one plucky pilot?"

"I don't put much stock in those stories," replied Horatio.

"David Versus Goliath, and it's about to happen now. I'll use Speed Spell - Tailgater. Because you have more Speed Counters than I do, this evens the odds."

His odometer moved up 900% as his engine roared and caught up to Horatio, alongside and slightly ahead, all while using another Speed Spell. "Heaven's Road!" he exclaimed. "I'll banish my Unknown Synchron and my Ally of Justice Decisive Armor…" The two cards appeared behind him, then spun into the void as the Synchro Rings formed, this time with a golden road of light guiding through it.

"The roar of dying stars is your voice, the explosion your banner! Devour and plunge the world into darkness! Synchro Summon!Descend, Star Eater!"

The earth-shattering roar as the behemoth of Dragons shook the whole desert. Horatio said something that was drowned out, shifting gears and driving forward at full throttle. (3,200 ATK)

It wasn't enough, as his D-Wheel was nearly swamped as the potent cosmic blast from Star Eater vaporized Cyber Dragon Infinity….

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

Fezz waved his hand once over the two cards, and the scribed inscriptions took hold. "There you go, you're in business," he said, 'Have fun."

The Damned Magician Girl eagerly snatched up the four cards.

"Oh, I will," she replied.

She stepped away from the cell door as one of the droids activated the controls to secure it again; Fezz noticed, of course, she wasn't bothering with the shackle this time, but he wasn't about to remind her. It seemed Beatrice was preoccupied and in somewhat of a rush. Both he and Berger watched her leave, the door again closing via the droid's actions.

"What do think she's gonna do with them?" asked the reeve.

"Don't know, don't care." Fezz reached under his cot, where the lock control device he had picked from her pouch using that spell had been placed.

"Never realized you could cast spells that way," said Berger.

"Folks in the Thieves Guild tend to use magic that can be cast in silence." He hit the button of the device with his thumb, and the cell and cell-block doors started to open.

"You know the way out, right?" asked Berger.

"I have photographic memory, remember?" said Fezz with a smirk. "Stay close, and with a great amount of luck, we'll be in Athens before happy hour! The ouzo is on me!"

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

"These upgraded versions are kinda defective, Diogenes," said SAL. "Did you program them yourself?"

They had left the desert road behind and were now entering what looked like an oasis. Karl saw something on the horizon.

Can it be? he thought. Ugh, I'll worry about it later. For now…

XJ-25 Stardust Streaker opened fire on the retreating android, missiles exploding around his bike.

"I'll set one card and end my turn," said Karl, and because I used that Speed Spell, my Counters drop back to 4. It's your move."

(Karl: 5,000, 4 SPC) - - - - - - - - - - (Horatio: 4,800 9 SPC)

"Why don't you just stop this already and give Jennifer back?"

Horatio didn't reply right away, doing nothing but drawing a card...

"Assuming there is something to give back!" he shouted, now clearly angry.

"Your monster is powerful," he finally said, "possessing the raw might of a star. But… The monster I'm about to summon combines the power of several of them."

"What are you talking about?"

"I banish all the Cyber Machines in my Graveyard!" he exclaimed, as he palmed a card. A whole mob of monsters - Infinity, Nova, Photon, Salvo, Eltanin, Core, Herz, Toon Cyber Dragon, and four regular Cyber Dragons were all absorbed into the card he was holding, which he then slammed hard on his dashboard. "I summon Cyber Draconis!"

The monster that appeared was, like Cyber Dragon Infinity, a monster that seemed to straddle the border between metal and flesh. This time, however, it seemed like the "flesh" side was the same Eastern clan that the three thunder Dragons had come from. Exactly how a Machine could ever obtain a spiritual form, Karl didn't know, and did not want to find out. (4,000 ATK)

"Summoning this beast sends all facedown cards to the Graveyard."

Karl realized that he meant his set card, so he slammed his fist on the console to activate it. "I use Soul Fusion!" he exclaimed. Two monsters, Cosmo Queen and Versago the Destroyer, appeared flying behind his D-Wheel. "I'll pay a thousand Life Points, then banish these two monsters to summon this one!"

The Fusion spiral again consumed the two Material monsters, and Captain Blackjammer flew out, defending. (2,900 DEF) Then, she concentrated, calling upon her own mystical powers, and Guiding Light-Soul Thunder Dragon also appeared, defending. (2,400 DEF)

"You humans can be SO predictable," said Diogenes powerful voice.

"You fell right into the Trap, literally and figuratively," added Horatio, as his set card opened. "Ebon Arrow! Wiring this card to my monster causes it to take a small hit offensively, but when it does attack, it tramples you through your defenders. And Draconis itself can attack three of them."

"Karl, do it now!" shouted SAL. "That's not ALL that Trap can do!"

Karl got the message and took all three of Stardust Striker's Overlay Units to discard them. "For every Overlay Unit I get rid of, I can banish another monster until my End Phase!" The three Fusion Monsters disappeared, fading into vapor. "So, they're safe until then. And as for Stardust Striker itself, not having any Overlay Units causes it to self-destruct."

Karl gave a smug smirk as the fighter craft shattered into pixels. Still, his confidence dropped considerably when Cyber Draconis' powerful attack plowed into him.

(Karl: 500, 5 SPC) - - - - - - - - - - (Horatio: 4,800 10 SPC)

His bike screeched to a halt as he held his chest, breathing very hard.

"Karl, say something!" pleaded SAL.

"It kinda… hurts to talk…" he answered.

Horatio pulled to a stop and spun his D-Wheel around to face him. "Well then, I'll just have to put you out of your misery…"

He flipped a card in his hand around - Speed Fusion - and his Counters fell to six.

Damn, thought Karl. He looked up, as more flaming meteors started to plummet. Can only pray now that this isn't too much for Francis to handle…

"Burn…" said Horatio.

(Karl: 0, 5 SPC) - - - - - - - - - - (Horatio: 4,800 6 SPC)

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

"So, uh," said Drago. "Doesn't look very friendly…"

It certainly did not. The corridor had terminated in a door. More than just a door, it was a door-and-a-half. It looked like a huge metal vault, eight meters tall and half that wide, made of reinforced steel. Still, despite being ominous, it had a lock mechanism that seemed old-fashioned, yet secure.. There was a very, very large winch in the center, along with four combination lock dials, the apparent means of opening it.

"What is it, a bank vault?" asked Tormento.

"Sort of," said Nitro. He ran his fingers over the odd vault. "Lead lined. There's probably a computer inside, this old design is supposed to keep out any cybernetic intrusion by a Shadowjack."

"Uh, ain't that bad?" asked Tormento.

"Maybe, maybe not," replied Nitro. He set his briefcase on the floor. "Tranelli and I used to be able to -"

He stopped, and sighed a little. "I think I can crack this myself, I hope."

Of course, as good as he was at safecracking, this wouldn't be easy. He took a glove from the inside jacket of his pocket - a special one that made his fingers more sensitive to tumblers moving - and set his briefcase on the floor.

This is gonna be one tough nut to crack, he thought, but I never turn a challenge down.

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"Well, it's down to you and it's now to me," said Horatio.

Francis was clearly trying very hard to hold back the incredible rage he felt now. The flames around him that had seemingly incinerated his closest ally were only fueling it.

(Francis: 8,000, 5 SPC) - - - - - - - - - - (Horatio: 4,800 6 SPC)

"Okay, seems you guys have a swelled head now. Well, here's the hard facts, Jenn and Karl learned the game by doing it the old way. Me?"

He started his D-Wheel, and sped through the fires, pulling his bike into a wheelie and soaring past the startled droid. "I was born for speed! So just try to catch up!"

"Tempting fate, are we?" answered Horatio, following him as he set two more of his cards. "Go on then, this duel is dragging anyway."

He stabbed his thumb down, and with the end of his turn, Karl's three monsters reappeared, soaring out of a portal behind Francis. He nodded to them, and as his foe pulled ahead, he drew, then grabbed two of his cards. "You know, for folks who claim to be so big on efficiency, you sure have a lot of flaws." He discarded the two cards, Blaster and Magna Drago, causing Cyber Draconis to erupt from within as Blaster's effect tore it apart.

As he expected, this only caused the three-headed Fusion version of Cyber Dragon to rise again. (4,000 ATK) "You're the one getting predictable now, fellah. I banish Magna Drago and Frightfur Burger to summon Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders!"

The Fusion and Tuner faded away, causing a rumbling yawing crevice to open in the road ahead of them, and Redox to rise out from below. (3,000 DEF) It lowered its tail, and the Shadowchaser's D-Wheel drove up its back, over its neck, and back on the other side.

Horatio watched with a stern look through his rearview mirror as the Overlay Network opened again, then absorbing Redox and Guiding Light-Soul Dragon. Still, even he was a little surprised by what came out of it.

"I summon Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack!"

A loud, soaring sound of an aircraft engine caused Horatio to crane his neck to see the enormous machine overhead, a gigantic military cargo plane with a second, smaller plane riding on top of it. Of course, unlike the actual Cossack, this one had a draconic head in place of a cockpit and a long, winding tail in place of an aircraft tail. (2,600 ATK)

That's it, come on, thought the android.

"I'll detach one Overlay Unit, and use its effect to create two, count em, two Mecha Phantom Beast Tokens!"

An underside hatch of the huge craft opened, and two miniature versions of itself flew out, flying to either side. (0 DEF x2)

"And you call me predictable," said Horatio. "I activate the Trap Card, Mamemaki!" He discarded his hand of three cards. "This Trap bounces one of your monsters, so long as I discard one card for each level it has. Fortunately, the Tokens are just the right Level."

One of the drones disappeared, and Horatio made three replacement draws. "I still have one left, fellah," said Francis.

"Not for long," replied Horatio. "First, I get one regular Cyber Dragon back, as I discarded Cyber Dragon Herz. His other set card opened. "But I'm just going to banish it, along with three others in my Graveyard, to use the incredibly potent Cybernetic Overflow!" Four cards appeared behind him, Cyber Dragon Herz, Proto Cyber Dragon, and the previously alluded-to Cyber Dragon. "Because all these monsters are differing levels, well, see for yourself."

The four cards turned into blazing balls of blue fire, which streaked across the sky, slamming into Captain Blackjammer, Star Eater, and the Token, all three of them shattering. The fourth one hit Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack, and it started to plummet, its engines on fire…

Francis pulled his D-Wheel to a stop, watching for a minute as the craft crashed and the explosion turned the whole sky fiery red. "Well," he muttered, "guess when you gotta go…"

He took a card from his hand, and threw it on his Monster Zone sideways, causing Keeper of the Shrine to appear in Defense Mode. (2,100 DEF) Good thing Star Eater is still a Dragon, he thought. He set one card behind it, then started up again, following Horatio.

He saw it now, the same structure Karl had seen, now much closer. The road was leading them to a huge ziggurat pyramid in the middle of this oasis.

Being this close - despite still being miles away - Francis could feel a great power within…

Must be, he thought. It's what they've been looking for the whole time!

"You feel it, human?" asked Diogenes. "The vault holds a repository of laws and edicts, recorded by the ancient artificers who designed the Pan Dimensional Homing Device. The stronghold has the blueprints that define reality, that dictate how the universe itself functions. It holds the axioms of the cosmos defined by the first to harness the Power Primordial. It holds Truth itself."

"And I suppose they're all written on books with a pen and eraser included?" replied Francis. "A way to change Reality to fit your own needs, simply by rewriting it."

"Possibly. While the Pan Dimensional Homing Device could only use existing works as a focus, the full potential of its creators could surpass such limits, even granting the power to create whole worlds by writing them down, worlds with entire sentient races and civilizations, worlds that a writer could travel to."

"Where he'd be practically a god," replied Francis.

"Not quite that simple, I'm afraid, but your interference has actually benefit our cause. We altered the plan considerably when you Shadowchasers started to interfere, and it has eliminated DECADES of work from the original schedule, as we now have the means to locate and enter the sanctum. Once that is done, accessing the TRUE power to rewrite reality will be easy to gain."

"Over my dead body," said Francis.

"THAT is part of the plan already. Horatio, if you will..."

Looks like he's done talking, thought Francis, turning his attention towards Horatio again. To his shock, the first move his foe made caused Cyber End Dragon to disappear.

In its place came a very different Cyber Dragon. It was streamlined, made of blue-grey metal, and in a coiled, upright position. Its chest had a hexagonal cavity, with the constellation Draco etched within. (2,100 ATK)

"I know, you're wondering why I sacrificed that monster for this weaker one, right?"

"I'd just as soon not know," replied Francis.

"Well tough, I'm telling you anyway!" replied Horatio. The machine roared as a card appeared, and started to revolve around it, then a second, and then a third. "I can send Cyber Dragon Starsteel back to my deck along with every one of my banished Light-Attribute Machines to Fusion Summon the ultimate Cyber Dragon!"

The cards encircling the Machine turned into a swarm, and it absorbed them through its chest cavity, one by one. Then, they all just dissolved.

"Cyber Starsteel Draconis+!"

"Peachy," said Francis.

This new Machine looked like Draconis, but made with that same grey-blue metal, except its wings; those weren't metal at all, or even solid. They looked like planes of light, with carefully drawn depictions of cosmic phenomenon printed on them. (3,000 ATK)

"Yes, I know, it still has less points than Cyber End did, but it makes up for that in sheer effects, especially given the number of cards I used to summon it. The first effect lets it trample your monsters, so that statue of yours isn't much of a defense. Another effect lets me look at the top five cards of my deck, and if any are Light Machines, they go to the Graveyard, and Draconis+ can make an attack for each one!"

He grabbed a handful of cards, then turned them forward, Cyber Dragon, Cyber Dragon Drei, Full Throttle, Call of the Haunted and Proto-Cyber Dragon.

"Three! Attack Keeper of the Shrine with Infinite Evolution Burst!"

"I activate Miniaturize!" shouted Francis, hitting the command for his Trap. "It reduces your monster by 1,000 points."

"Or rather, it would, if not for its fifth effect," replied Horatio. "Guardian Star!"

A halo of flashing, shining stars encircled Draconis+, and the Trap shattered, its breath incinerating Keeper.

"I'm not done, it has three attacks, remember?"

This is gonna smart, said Francis, looking up at the huge Machine as it powered up another attack.

"Cyber Star Charge!"

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Sweat started to pour down Nitro's brow, as he slowly moved the leftmost dial, inch by inch. He faintly felt the last "click" sound, indicating the last tumbler for that dial had fallen.

One down, he thought. He wiped his hand on his pants and moved to the next one…

He stopped.

Something seemed to punch him hard in the gut, and he fell on his behind as the other three dials moved.

"Nitro?" said his boss.

Then, the large central winch started to spin.

"Congrats, Nitro!" said Uomo.

"That wasn't me!" He scrambled to his feet. "I have no idea why, but it's opening by itself…"

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Francis remembered one day, about three months after getting his license, where he tried to drive all the way from Chicago to Texas; right now, he couldn't even remember why. He decided not to stop at one motel somewhere in Oklahoma, thinking he could stay awake until the next exit.

It was a bad misjudgment of his own stamina and the distance between exits. He wasn't sure whether he had fallen asleep for a brief few seconds or just came close to doing so but striking a rumble strip brought him to awareness before he truly crashed.

(Francis: 1,100, 7 SPC) - - - - - - - - - - (Horatio: 4,900 8 SPC)

Right now, was like experiencing that frightening event while wide awake. His whole body felt numb from those two mighty blasts, and he felt himself struggling simply to get himself to move to control his bike.

C'mon, muscles, work! he thought, WORK!

Finally, with one painful burst of energy, he forced the bike to swerve and stop.

"Careful, Mr. Mills," said Horatio. "You know what they say, a distracted driver is as bad as a drunk driver."

Francis looked up and at him and he was smiling. Not in a way Horatio liked.

"Distracted?" he asked. "Perish the thought. In fact, … He took a deep breath and spit on the ground. "I'm more alert than you are…"

"What?" asked Horatio. "What do you -"

Then he saw it.

"You might say," growled Francis, "my hour is up…"

With a laugh, he tore down the highway, ripping his shirt off and throwing it away as his muscles started to expand. His berserk had kicked in. Horatio cursed a little as he followed.

"What, you forgot?" laughed Francis. "Maybe you need your system debugged, Horatio!"

"Curse you, Baroq, I told you he should have gone first!"

"YOU were the one who said you could handle the apprentice!"

NOW I've seen everything, thought Francis. Sounds like Diogenes' three selves are arguing with each other. We've got a seriously troubled android here."

He made a draw, his Speed Counters inching up to 8 then, falling to 4 as, for the third time this duel, an Angel Baton appeared. He drew the replacement, then hit a tab on the dashboard, indicating a card in the Graveyard.

"Because that card was Absolute King Black Jack I can look at the top three cards in my deck, and then rearrange them as I choose."

The three cards appeared on the dashboard, and he turned back slightly, giving Horatio a smug look before making the switch.

"WHAT?" demanded Horatio.

Francis didn't answer, placing a card on his back row, then grabbing two monster cards. "I summon Mythic Tree Dragon and use its effect to Special Summon Mythic Water Dragon."

First the smaller, wooden Dragon formed (100 ATK) followed by the much larger elemental one, defending. (2,000 DEF)

"I'm done."

Horatio stopped. Once he saw that combo, he had expected more. No Xyz Summon? he thought. What does he plan to -?

"Horatio, stop fooling around and finish him now!" boomed Diogenes, his voice sounding irked and impatient.

"Fine, fine, I draw," said Horatio, "then let's see how I fare this time."

He grabbed the top five cards in his deck, which were Cyber Dragon, Cyber Dragon Herz, Cyber Larva, Satellite Cannon, and Cyber Dragon Core.

"Well, overkill perhaps, but - HEY!" All five of those cards vanished into vapor.

"Surprised?" asked Francis. "I used the Trap Card, Different Dimension Ground, meaning that this turn, any monster you try to send to the Graveyard is banished instead."

"Damn you, that means Draconis+ can't attack at all!"

"Yeah, I was kinda hoping that would be the case."

Horatio scowled, and then set the card he had actually drawn. Whatever his plan is," he thought,Grisaille Prison will prevent any more Xyz or Synchro summons.

"I end my turn!" yelled Horatio.

Francis chuckled, then drew. He simply set one more card. Then Mythic Tree Dragon crossed its arms defensively. (1,400 DEF)

Still grinning, he nodded to the puzzled Horatio. He drew, then grabbed the five cards again. This time, they were Speed Spell - Explosion, Return Soul, Heavy Mech Support Platform, Healing Wave Generator, and Cyber Kirin. He discarded the three cards as Draconis+ decided to attack again.

"Never learn, do you?" laughed Francis.

"Another Trap Card?" exclaimed Horatio.

"Oh, this one is special," replied Francis. "I banish Tree Dragon and Water Dragon to use Dimension Reflector, and it's a Trap AND a Monster!"

"WHAT?" shouted Diogenes. The expression and tone of his voice made it clear he recognized the name, and that his memory of it was not a pleasant one.

The monster that the Trap had created was downright weird. It looked like a mirror with a dark glass surface and a fancy, silver frame. A staring, unblinking eye was on the top, and two sharp, wing-like vanes were on the bottom.

As Cyber Starsteel Draconis+ flew towards it, it saw its reflection in the surface and made a hoarse, painful attempt at a roar.

"This monster gains an Attack Score equal to your monsters' score and nails you for that much damage!"

Horatio threw his arms up and tried to shield himself as the Dragon in the mirror breathed a shimmering stream of astral ether.

(Francis: 1,100, 10 SPC) - - - - - - - - - - (Horatio: 1,800 10 SPC)

"I'm also banishing Absolute King Black Jack, which means I can flip the top card on my deck, and if it's a Trap," he drew, then flipped it forward to confirm it was, "I can set it now."

"Bah, big deal," growled Horatio. He set one more card in his Monster Zone. "Rather than kill both our monsters, I'm ending my turn now."

If he's stupid enough to make a suicide attack with that monster, I can use Absorbing Jar to destroy every Trap Card on the field, including Trap Monsters. This human is grating my nerves, but he's going down next turn.

"Thank you, I just had to make sure it could be destroyed by battle."

He's going to attack? thought Horatio.

"Oh, I'm going to attack," said Francis, as if the droid had said it out loud. He drew, then used the Trap. "But it's not going to end the way you assume. The card is called Soul Baton."

The mirror changed, with the image of Draconis+ fading, and two other monsters - Star Eater and Frightfur Daredevil - replacing it.

"By banishing these two monsters, I can multiply their combined Levels by 200, and then add the total to Dimension Reflector."

(6,800 ATK)

"Oh, come on!" shouted Horatio. "A card like that has to have some sort... of... catch…"

His voice slowed when he noticed something was happening to Cyber Starsteel Draconis+. It seemed to be straining and sweating - if it were possible for a Machine to sweat - as if some binding had been put on it that it was trying to shake off.

Then, as those stars started to appear around it again, he saw what the binding - and the condition of Francis' card - was.

"That's right, Soul Baton's effect applies to your monster too," said Francis. "Or rather, it would, but that effect it has that was so useful before prevents it."

"Wait, what…" started Horatio.

Then phantasmal images of Frightfur Daredevil and Star Eater flew from the card, towards Cyber Starsteel Draconis+.

"Here's a message to give to Antisthenes. You mess with one Shadowchaser, you mess with all of us! Attack with Refractive Burn!"

As the attack blasted towards Horatio and his monster, the light around Francis and his bike got brighter, and brighter….

(Francis: 1,100, 9 SPC) - - - - - - - - - - (Horatio: 0 0 SPC)

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"Francis?" said Jenn's voice. "Are you here?"

Francis didn't answer. He was spellstruck by the giant monolith.

"Francis, stay right there," said Karl's voice. "We found the way back, but - is Wells with you?"

The Pyramid.

It had taken so long to find it, and Francis did not like the look of it at all…

He felt woozy and tired. His berserk was wearing off. How long did that duel last? He started to fall over…

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

"Hold on! We're there!"

Jenn and Karl emerged into the control room, supporting Francis as they did. The place had become a little more occupied while they were gone. Dunstan seemed to have been subdued, as Hank and Philip were holding him down. Sofia and Prospero were trying to figure out how the consoles worked.

"You guys know what happened to Wells?" asked Karl.

"Probably the same place as Jalal," replied Prospero.

"What happened to Jalal?" asked Jenn.

"What happened to you guys?" asked Sofia.

"Long story short," answered Francis, "I think we cleared a path for him and his boss."

"Exactly," said Diogenes voice. "I could give you the specifics, but such an effort would be wasted."

The numbers "10:00" appeared in big, green letters.

"Farewell."

"Uh, is that what I think it is?" said Sofia, as it started to count down.

"Worse," groaned Dunstan. "It's an implosion device, this place exists in an extra-dimensional pocket, remember?"

Then, cracks started to appear on the walls, red, glowing cracks, slowly spreading along the walls and floors.

"What does he mean?" asked Jenn.

"It's like a bomb, but worse," said Philip. "Did Rebecca ever tell you what happens when a bag of holding is thrown into a portable hole?"

"And we're inside the second one.," said Dunstan. "An entire legion of nanomachines are infecting the system, and will blow the whole structure into 'no-space'... in ten minutes…"

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Jemorille: As I said before in my attempt to play Devil's advocate, Diogenes was, like most platonics, an efficient planner. He still had one last task to finish before abandoning the TARDIS, and the ten minutes gave him more than enough time. But given what he knew of the Shadowchasers, it was not nearly enough time for them to follow him or escape. It seemed foolproof…

But all plans have flaws….

To be continued….

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For sake of space, only fanmade cards will be listed this time:

Trauma Rush (Normal Trap Card)

Image: The D-Wheeler on the "Death Accel" card in fuller view, skidding past an opposing D-Wheeler.

Effect: Activate when you take Battle Damage and have less than 3 Speed Counters. Increase your Speed Counters by 2 until the End Phase of the turn. If you take 2,000 or more points of damage, you may also draw 1 card.

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

Bootleg Frightfur (Normal Trap Card)

Image: Goblin of Greed at the assembly line of the Dark Factory of Mass Production, which is producing Frightfurs. Several behind him are in a bin titled "rejects".

Effect: Banish 1 monster from your Graveyard and discard another 1 monster from your hand; then select 1 "Frightfur" monster in your Extra Deck that can be Fusion Summoned using those 2 monsters and Special Summon it. This is considered a Fusion Summon.

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

Speed Spell - Heaven's Road (Normal Speed Spell)

Image: A D-Wheel soaring through space towards a dark vortex on a golden pathway, with a translucent draconic shape flying behind.

Effect: Activate only when you have 7 or more Speed Counters. Banish 2 monsters from your Graveyard that are required for the Synchro Summon of a Synchro Monster in your Extra Deck and summon it. If the summoned monster is destroyed by battle, you take damage equal to its base ATK. At the End Phase of the turn, reduce your Speed Counters by half.

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The following 14 cards were designed by 7th Librarian; credit goes to him:

Qunan Locutus (Effect Fusion Monster)

Spellcaster/Dark/Lvl8/3,000ATK/0DEF

"Cosmo Queen" + 1 DARK Machine-Type monster

Effect: This card's effect cannot be negated. Once per turn, you can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. Take control of that monster until the End Phase. The monster targeted by this effect cannot activate its effects and your opponent takes no Battle Damage via its attacks.

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

Speed Fusionist (Effect Monster)

Spellcaster/Dark/Lvl1/300ATK/300DEF

Effect: May only be Summoned if 'Speed World' is in play. You can pay 1000 Life Points, to Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck using monsters in your hand or field as Fusion Material. When this face-up card is destroyed, you add one "Fusion" Normal Spell or Trap from your Deck to your Hand.

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

Lashing Sky-Roar Thunder Dragon (Effect Fusion Spirit Monster)

Dragon/Light/Lvl8/2,000/2,000

'Thunder Dragon' + 1 Spirit monster

Effect: This card may attack your opponent directly. When this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent destroy 1 card on the field. When this card is removed from the field, Special Summon 1 "Thunder Dragon" from your hand, deck, or GY or that has been banished.

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

Guiding Light-Soul Thunder Dragon (Effect Fusion Monster)

Dragon/Light/Lvl8/0/2,400

'Thunder Dragon' + 1 Fairy-type monster

Effect: Once per turn, during either player's turn, select up to 3 monsters in either player's graveyard or banished pile, shuffle them into their owner's decks. Then both players draw 1 card. Special Summon 1 "Thunder Dragon" from your hand, deck, or GY or that has been banished.

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

Rending Corrupt-Fang Thunder Dragon (Effect Fusion Monster)

Dragon/Light/Lvl8/2,500/1,600

"Thunder Dragon" + 1 Fiend-type monster

Effect: When this card destroys a monster as a result of battle, Special Summon one 'Thunder Dragon' Token. (DARK/?/Lvl4/1600/1600) The owner of this card selects the Type of the token Summoned by this effect. 'Thunder Dragon Tokens' you control cannot be targeted by your opponent's card effects or attacks while this card is face-up on the field. Special Summon 1 "Thunder Dragon" from your hand, deck, or GY or that has been banished.

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

Speed Spell- Dick Dastardly's Driving Lesson (Normal Speed Spell)

Image: A cartoonish picture of a D-Wheeler with a curly, oversized, moustache, digging a pit in a road; unbeknownst to him, another D-Wheeler is around the corner about to run into him.

Effect: Reduce your Speed Counters to 0 and until the end of your third turn after you activate this card, you do not gain Speed Counters via the effect of 'Speed World'. This turn, you may activate 1 Trap Card from your Hand.

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

Speed Spell- Pace Car (Normal Speed Spell)

Image: Two Turbo Duelists stuck behind a Pace Car, a crowd of Duel Monsters looking put out at how slow they're going.

Effect: Activate only when both player's Speed Counters are less than 5. Both player's Speed Counters become 5.

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

Speed Spell- Tailgating (Normal Speed Spell)

Image: A split image, first half showing two Turbo Duelists cornering with one right behind the other, then the second image shows the trailing Turbo Duelist shoot past the lead one.

Effect: If your opponent's Speed Counters are higher than your own, gain Speed Counters equal to the difference until the End Phase.

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

Soul Baton (Normal Trap Card)

Image: Dark Magician Girl launching an attack against Blue-Eyes with Dark Magician, Arkana's Dark Magician and Magician of Black Chaos all visible as phantasms behind her.

Effect: Select 2 monsters in your Graveyard that have Levels and banish them; add their Levels together and multiply the sum by 200. Then, both players may select 1 of their face-up monsters and increase its attack by that amount.

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

Cyber Salvo Dragon (Effect Monster)

Machine/Light/Lvl5/2,100ATK/1,600DEF

Effect: You can discard 1 "Cyber Dragon" monster from your hand; Special Summon this card from your hand. This card's name is considered "Cyber Dragon" while it is face-up on the field or in your Graveyard. If this card is summoned via the effect of "Combat Evolution Unit", it can use 1 of the following effects once per turn:

This card gains 900 ATK and inflicts piercing damage

Only this card may attack this turn. This card gains 400 ATK and can attack all monsters your opponent controls once.

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

Cyber Photon Dragon (Effect Monster)

Machine/Light/Lvl5/2,100ATK/1,600DEF

Effect: You can discard 1 "Cyber Dragon" monster from your hand; Special Summon this card from your hand. This card's name is considered "Cyber Dragon" while it is face-up on the field or in your Graveyard. If this card is summoned via the effect of "Combat Evolution Unit", apply the following effect: When this card is Special Summoned, you can destroy one card on the field. Once per turn, you can destroy one face-up card on the field. You can use each effect of 'Cyber Photon Dragon' once per turn.

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

XJ-25 The Stardust Streaker (Effect Xyz Monster)

Machine/Light/Rank5/2,400ATK/2,000DEF

3 Level 5 Monsters

Effect: Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; this card can attack all monsters your opponent controls once. If a face-up monster on your side of the field is targeted an attack or effect, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card- banish the targeted monster until the End Phase. If this card has no Xyz Material, destroy it.

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

Cyber Draconis (Effect Monster)

Machine/Light/Lvl10/4,000ATK/0DEF

Effect: Cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. Must first be Special Summoned from your Hand by banishing all LIGHT Machine-type monsters on the field and in your Graveyard. When this card is Summoned, send all face-down cards on the field to the Graveyard. This card can make up to 3 attacks on monsters during the Battle Phase. If this card is destroyed as a result of battle or card effect controlled by your opponent, Special Summon one 'Cyber End Dragon' from your Extra Deck. (This is treated as Fusion Summon)