What Monster used by Joey has appeared in the artwork of one of Kaiba's cards? If you said "Axe Raider", you were successfully able to Name that Card!
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I'll admit it. When I was a kid, I was a little spoiled. My mom is the CEO of KaibaCorp after all, one of the richest women in our part of the world. She has more money than the mint.
I had a chauffer to drive me to school. I had a chef to make my lunch. I had a personal trainer when I needed to use the gym. And when I picked up a Duel Disk for the first time, getting almost any card I wanted was rather easy. I never wanted for much, and I certainly never knew what it was like to go to bed hungry or have to sleep in a place with no warmth.
Still, my mom always reminded me how lucky I was, and I listened. She told me how she once lived in near-poverty, working demeaning jobs just to put bread on the table for herself and my aunt.
Until my dad found her, she wanted much… And I have to remember, so do many.
I never imagined that poverty had a face. But the embodiment of this concept has appeared, and he's challenged me. It seems Daala has more clout than I give her credit for.
What will happen now? Will this duel end with me richer for the experience?
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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
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The Blight
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It wasn't long before the Kaiser Sea Horse arrived in his modest vessel, one that was smaller and more cramped than The Sea Angel. The five duelists were eager to get back, as the shadows were already lengthening.
The trip back across the Sea was rather quiet. The Kaiser Sea Horse didn't talk much – in fact, it didn't talk at all. The duelists figured it wasn't able to speak, at least not in a way that humans could understand.
Krump's defeat had given the Realm much better weather and favorable winds, and no hostile creatures threatened them either. The Sea Serpent's ship got back to Rye right at five o'clock. It nodded to them as they got off the boat, and they disembarked.
"Come on guys," said Yumi, as she led them across the rickety docks. "We should be back at Nexus soon."
As they passed by a building, a dirty-looking beggar was sitting against it. He certainly had seen better days. He was wearing only a tattered shirt – which was open to show a gaunt form covered with sores, with ribs showing right through his skin – and a pair of trousers with a tied cord for a belt.
"Excuse me, kind sirs," he said. "Can you spare some change for a fellow traveler who's down on his luck?"
"Oh, gee buddy, I'm sorry," said Yumi. "Our wallets were all left on Earth, and…"
"Yumi!" shouted Sam.
"What?" said Yumi.
"Uh, I seem to remember Gansley saying that money doesn't exist in Xanadu," said Sam. "Why would anybody be asking for handouts?"
Yumi turned and glared at the vagrant.
A grin appeared on the bum's dirty face, one that showed yellowing, broken teeth with gaps between them, and he stood up.
"Darn…" he said with a chuckle. "That routine is so much easier on worlds where humans are the masters… Nothing like a pathetic-looking beggar asking for handouts to draw a victim close…"
His eyes glowed with green light.
"Stand back everyone!" shouted Yumi. "This is no ordinary panhandler…"
She turned to face the vagrant.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
"Who am I?" asked the vagrant. "Where countries are stricken with hunger, I walk the countryside. Where drought causes farms to fail to produce food, I stalk the fields. Where inflation causes the economy of a country to collapse, I walk the streets.
"Every creature suffering from starvation, every being shivering in the cold, every real vagrant begging passersby for loose change, only to be yelled at… They know my name…
"I am Want… The Demon of Poverty…"
The sky darkened, and lightning flashed.
"That's terrible!" shouted Sam. "You're the one who causes poverty?"
"That's right," said Want. "From small cases, to large ones…"
"North Korea…" whispered Sam.
"One of my best works," said Want.
"Ireland…" she said. "The Great Hunger…"
"Oh, I had a wonderful time with that," chuckled Want.
"You disgust me…" said Sam.
"Why do you care, Sam?" he said. "I never bothered you. I like rich people, in fact. If it weren't for rich people, there wouldn't be any poor people. The richer folks like you get, the more is taken from the poor, and the more my power grows. In fact…"
"That's a filthy lie!" shouted Sam. "My mother gives to charity every chance she gets!"
Want chuckled.
"Charity…" he said. "Such things only make me laugh. As if the Salvation Army or the United Way can actually end world hunger by depending on donations. Like trying to kill an elephant with a squirtgun."
"That's it!" shouted Sam. "You wanna fight? I'll take you on…"
Want raised his arm, and a Duel Disk appeared on it. It was made of gunmetal grey steel, and had a very plain shape.
"Why not?" he said. "I guess you'll do. After all, beggars can't be choosers… Unless they're begging for a fight!
"You hate me so much? I accept your challenge… And by the time this duel is over, you'll know what it feels like to suffer from want."
"Sam, baby," said Erik. "Be careful… This is not your typical duelist…"
"Don't worry, Erik," she said. "I can handle him…"
Erik sighed.
This is clearly what that vision meant, he thought. I saw a famine… And now I'm seeing the embodiment of famine…
And I have a bad feeling about this…
Sam shuffled her own deck.
I think I know what sort of deck he'll use, she thought, and I've faced it before… A direct damage deck full of nasty things like Giant Germs and Acid Slimes. Well, if I can just draw the Dark Ruler quickly, all that will be worthless.
She paused.
Then again… she thought, poverty is NOT the same thing as disease… Related, maybe, but different…
She activated her Disk. Want activated his.
"Game on!" they both shouted.
(Sam: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - - - (Want: 8,000)
Sam drew a card, and looked at her hand.
"I summon Archfiend Soldier," she said. "You like that?"
A plume of black smoke rose over the field, and the infernal soldier appeared. (1,900/1,500)
"I'll leave it at that."
Want drew a card. He looked at his hand.
"Not a bad Monster. I think I'll summon my Return Zombie."
The wooden floor in front of him burst open, and a badly decayed corpse swathed in bandages rose out of it. It let out a low moan. (1,000/1,600)
"Scared yet?" he asked.
"I'm not scared of Zombies, pal," said Sam. "Especially not ones with such low Attack Points."
"Then maybe you'll be scared of this," he said, playing a Spell Card. "Because its Attack Points are so low, I can now play Secret Pass to the Treasures, which lets it attack directly."
"Say WHAT?" shouted Sam.
"Attack her directly!" shouted Want. "Bandage wrap snap!"
Return Zombie flicked its arms forward, and its bandages lashed at Sam. She shrieked in pain, not having expected that at all.
"How do you like that, doll face?" asked Want.
"Want, I don't care who you are," said Erik. "I'll have you know that the last guy to call her 'doll face' didn't last to the end of the duel."
"I remember that guy!" said Ren.
"What happened to him, anyway?" asked Chelsea.
"Oh, make your move," grumbled Want. "Humph… Just because I'm the Demon of Poverty, doesn't mean I can't enjoy myself…"
(S: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - - - (W: 8,000)
Sam drew a card and quickly chose one.
"I summon Opticlops!" she shouted.
In a burst of darkness, the fiendish ogre with one eye appeared. (1,800/1,700)
"Destroy his Zombie!" she shouted. "Raging charge!"
Opticlops charged horn-first, and Return Zombie burst into an explosion of bandage wrappings and dust.
"Archfiend Soldier, attack him directly! Dark sword of perdition!"
Archfiend Soldier slashed with his blade, striking the gaunt demon. He cringed.
"Having fun, Samantha?" asked Want.
"Naw," said Sam, sarcastically. "I'm having a terrible time kicking your scrawny ass!
"I throw a card facedown, and end my turn."
A facedown card appeared in a flash of light.
Whatever he's preparing to use, she thought, my Bark of Dark Ruler is ready.
(S: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - - - (W: 5,200)
Want drew a card.
A sinister smile crossed his lips as he added it to his hand. He chose another card.
"I think I'll summon my Starving Artist," he said.
In an aura of dark energy, a new Zombie appeared on the field. This one was a skeleton, wearing an artist's smock and a beret, holding an artist's palette with several brushes and paint. Its smock was filthy, stained with paint and other unidentifiable substances. (1,700/1,500)
"You know how hard it is to make money working as an artist?" asked Want. "Very, very hard. Van Gogh only sold one painting when he was alive. This individual was so unsuccessful, he died in poverty before his work was recognized."
"And just what does your Artist do?" asked Sam.
"You'll find out next turn," said Want. "In the meantime, I'll set these, and let you go."
Two facedown cards appeared.
Sam looked hard at the field as she drew a card.
My Monsters both have more Attack Points than that guy, she thought. Clearly, those facedown cards are something to protect it…
But I have to at least try to get rid of that thing… Something tells me I won't like its effect…
"I summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp," she said.
In a burst of green smoke, the impressive genie appeared. He didn't seem to be nearly as jovial as he usually was right now. (1,800/1,000)
Sam coughed.
"Man, I wish genies would use smokeless magic," she said. "But anyway… attack his Starving Artist!"
La Jinn raised his hands, and prepared to cast a mighty spell…
"I activate… No Entry!!" shouted Want, as his facedown card lifted. "Now, all Monsters on the field move into Defense Mode!"
La Jinn crouched down, and crossed his arms over its chest, while Opticlops did the same, and Archfiend Soldier knelt and sheathed his blade. Starving Artist knelt too, holding its palette by its side.
"Ergh…" said Sam. "I end my turn…"
"Then I draw!" shouted Want.
He drew a card and added it to his hand.
"And now it's time for my Artist to create a masterpiece. During my Standby Phase, I can pay 500 Life Points for him to paint something called a Canvas Token."
Starving Artist dabbed its brush on his palette, and then waved the brush in the air. In a shower of colored motes, a featureless, seamless, multicolored, man-sized creature appeared next to it. (1,000/1,000)
"Aw, heck…" said Want. "While I'm at it, I think I'll use that effect two more times."
His Life Points went down, and Starving Artist waved his brush, creating two more of the strange Tokens. (1,000/1,000 x2)
"Of course, these Tokens can't attack," said Want. "Nor can I move them to Defense Mode."
"Then what's the point?" asked Sam.
"I'll show you," said Want. "As soon as I move Starving Artist to Attack Mode…"
Starving Artist stood up.
"And now… I sacrifice my three Canvas Tokens…"
The three Tokens vanished, and lightning started to flash again. A terrible sound screamed over the rickety town…
Ren remembered the sound well. It was the neighing of that demonic horse that had heralded the arrival of War, the Red Horseman.
Want threw a card on his Disk.
"I summon… Famine, the Black Horseman!"
Lightning struck, and a hideous demon appeared in front of Want. It was an incredibly gaunt ghoul, hairless, with coal black skin pulled tight over its bones. It had pointed, rotting teeth, long, broken fingernails that resembled claws, and a very long, raspy tongue that drooled foul saliva. (2,500/2,500)
"No…"said Yumi. "It's the second Horseman!"
"Yes…"said Want. "Who better to command this Apocalyptic being than me?"
Sam prepared to spring her Trap…
"By the way, since I'm such a nice guy, I'll tell you about one of Famine's effects," said Want. "He radiates a curse of incredible hunger, that makes all Monsters start to starve. At the end of my turn, all Monsters on the field except himself are weakened, losing 500 Attack Points."
"Same goes for your Monsters, pal!" shouted Chelsea.
"Normally, that would indeed be the case," said Want. "But I have this…"
He played a card, and he glowed with a red aura as a Continuous Spell Card appeared. It showed the image of a very large, old-fashioned ship sailing under clear skies.
"I pay 1,000 Life Points to activate Steady Course. When this card is on the field, the Attack and Defense Scores of my Monsters cannot be raised or lowered past their base scores."
Sam's eyes opened wide.
Then my Trap Card is worthless! she thought.
"Famine," ordered Want, "attack Opticlops! Blighted claws!"
The ghoul lunged forward, and slashed at Opticlops. The ogre burst into black shards.
"Starving Artist, destroy La Jinn."
Starving Artist pointed, and a blast of colors shot at the genie, blowing him into an explosion of green smoke.
"You were lucky they were in Defense Mode," said Want. "I end my turn, and Famine's effect activates."
Archfiend Soldier groaned, and his Attack Score fell to 1,400.
(S: 7,000) - - - - - - - - - - - - (W: 3,700)
"All right… My move…" said Sam.
She drew a card.
I have nothing that can beat Famine… she thought. But I can defend…
"While you're thinking about it," said Want, "I'll activate this."
His other facedown card lifted.
"It's called Life Absorbing Machine. I paid a lot of Life Points last turn… But now, thanks to this, I'll get half of them back next turn."
Sam frowned at him.
"I set a Monster in Defense Mode, and then play Silent Doom," she said.
A facedown Monster appeared, and then Opticlops appeared again, crouching in Defense Mode. (1,800/1,700)
"I throw a card facedown, and end my turn."
A new card appeared facedown.
And then she clutched her stomach.
"What's going on?" she shouted. "I feel so… hungry… starving…"
"Famine's curse affects my opponent too," said Want. "You'll feel incredible hunger at the end of each of your turns, causing you 800 points of damage.
"There are lots of ways to die in a duel Samantha, as you no doubt know… Did you ever think you could die… Of starvation?"
He laughed out loud.
(S: 6,200) - - - - - - - - - - - - (W: 3,700)
"It's my move!" he shouted, drawing a card. "And like I said, I gain 1,250 Life Points from Life Absorbing Machine."
He glowed with energy.
"And I activate Pot of Greed!"
He made two draws.
Perfect, he thought, looking at the two cards. Just the combination I needed.
"I set two cards facedown," he said, "and then summon Reborn Zombie."
Two facedown cards appeared in flashes of light. Then, a new Monster rose out of the ground. It looked similar to Return Zombie, but wasn't swathed in bandages. (1,000/1,600)
"You… Attack her facedown Monster."
Reborn Zombie rushed at the facedown Monster, slashing at it with its claws. Winged Minion appeared on the card, and was smashed to pieces.
"Starving Artist, destroy Archfiend Soldier."
The burst of colors shot at the Archfiend, and it exploded into pixels.
"And then there's Famine!"
The Black Horseman slashed at Opticlops with its claw, and Sam's last defense was destroyed.
"I activate Call of the Haunted!" shouted Sam, as her facedown card lifted. "I'll bring Opticlops back again!"
A stone coffin appeared on her side of the field. It opened, and Opticlops stepped out. (1,800/1,700)
What do I do? she thought. I can't defend forever… I'm running out of options here…
"My turn is over," chuckled Want.
(S: 6,200) - - - - - - - - - - - - (W: 4,950)
Opticlops groaned and clutched his stomach. His Attack Score fell to 1,300.
"Stay strong Sam!" shouted Ren. "I beat one of these things! You can do the same!"
Sam looked at Ren. She gave a slight smile. She drew a card.
"I activate my Trap combo," said Want. "First, Ojama Trio."
One of his facedown cards lifted, and the three Ojamas materialized in front of Sam. (0/1,000 x3)
"Oh, perfect," said Sam.
"Don't worry," said Want, as his other facedown card lifted, "I don't intend to let you keep them. I activate Token Feastevil. This activates when Token Monsters are summoned, and destroys them, and deals you 300 points of damage for each."
The three Ojama Tokens burst, and Sam cringed in pain.
"In addition," said Want, "since those were Ojama Tokens, you lose an additional 300 Life Points for each."
Sam cringed again.
"Yeah?" she said. "I play MY Pot of Greed!"
She played the card, and quickly made two draws.
"I set one card facedown," she said, as a card appeared in a flash of light. "Then, I move Opticlops to Defense Mode, and set a new Monster in Defense Mode."
A new facedown Monster appeared. Then, Opticlops knelt and shielded itself.
"You're only delaying the inevitable," said Want.
"We'll see," said Sam. "I end my turn."
"And you'll lose 800 more Life Points again," said Want.
Sam clutched her stomach again as her Life Points went down.
(S: 3,600) - - - - - - - - - - - - (W: 4,950)
"I draw!" shouted Want.
He drew a card.
"Well," he said. "This isn't the best Monster, but I guess he'll do. I bring out Nubian Guard!"
A new creature rose out of the ground. It was a semi-decayed figure, with tattered rags for clothing, with glowing, red eyes. It carried a spear and shield. (500/500)
"More Zombies?" moaned Ren.
"Uh, actually," said Yumi, "that one's a Warrior. Well, technically…"
"Reborn Zombie, attack her facedown Monster!"
The Fiend slashed at the facedown card. Sam's Morphing Jar appeared on the card, and was slashed to pieces.
"You know what that means," said Sam.
Want grinned. It was actually a benefit for each of them. Sam discarded the one card in her hand and drew five, while Want simply drew five cards.
Want gave them a quick look.
"Famine, attack her Opticlops!"
Famine lunged at the Fiend…
"Not so fast!" shouted Sam, as one of her facedown cards lifted.
"What?" shouted Want. "A Trap?"
"Draining Shield!" shouted Sam.
A dome of energy surrounded Sam and her Monster, and the Black Horseman crashed into it. Sam grinned as energy flowed into her. Want growled.
"Okay, Samantha…" he said with a sneer. "I'll place two cards facedown, and that will end my turn."
He threw two cards into his Disk, and they appeared behind his Monsters. Opticlops groaned again, and his Attack Score fell to 800.
I have Destruction Jammer set in case she tries anything, he thought.
(S: 6,100) - - - - - - - - - - - - (W: 4,950)
Sam drew a card.
Time to turn this around… she thought.
"I activate Pot of Avarice," she said, playing a card.
Archfiend Soldier, La Jinn, Winged Minion, Morphing Jar, and Gaap, the Divine Soldier, which she had lost with Morphing Jar, slipped out of her discard slot. She shuffled her deck, and then she drew twice.
Her eyes narrowed…
"I pass for this turn," she muttered.
"Man, Sam can't do anything!" shouted Erik.
"Don't worry," said Yumi. "If this is the Sam I know, she's planning something."
Sam clutched her stomach, as her Life Points went down again.
(S: 5,300) - - - - - - - - - - - - (W: 4,950)
Want drew.
"My patience is wearing thin…" he said. "Activate… Micro Ray!"
One of his facedown cards lifted, and a large, high-tech blaster appeared behind him. It fired a laser at Opticlops, and he shrank to half his size, his Defense Score falling to zero.
"Nubian Guard, attack Opticlops!"
Moving incredibly fast for a corpse, Nubian Guard rushed at Opticlops with its spear…
"I activate Bark of Dark Ruler!" shouted Sam, as the facedown card she had set a while back lifted. "Now, I'll pay 100 Life Points to decrease the Attack Score of your Guard by the same amount."
"HUH?" shouted Want.
Nubian Guard apparently didn't care. Its spear stabbed into Opticlops, and the Fiend shattered.
Want laughed out loud.
"That was the stupidest move I've ever seen!" he shouted. "Did you forget about my Steady Course?
"And even if it hadn't been there, I think 400 Attack Points would have been greater than zero!"
Sam just stared at him.
"I gotta agree with him," said Chelsea. "That was a pretty stupid move."
"Yeah…" said Yumi. "Unless…"
"Whatever," he said. "Starving Artist, attack her directly!"
The undead painter launched its colorful blight at Sam, and she winced in pain as it struck her.
"Famine, you too! Direct attack! Blighted claws!"
Sam screamed as the ghoul's long fingernails raked across her stomach. She fell to her knees.
But then she gave a weak smile…
She threw a card on her Disk.
"Since you attacked me when I had no cards on the field," she said, "I get to Special Summon THIS! Messenger of Hades – Gors!"
In an explosion of dark energy, the demonic warrior appeared, holding his zanbatô menacingly. (2,700/2,500)
"NOW do you see why I used my Bark of Dark Ruler?" she said. "And now I activate his effect… I can summon Messenger of Hades – Kaien!"
In a flash of light, a tall, sinister-looking woman wearing a black battle dress and a Spartan helmet, holding two long blades appeared.
"Kaien's Attack and Defense are equal to the amount of damage I took to summon Gors."
(2,500/2,500)
"It doesn't matter!" shouted Want. "I end my turn, and Famine's effect activates!"
Gors fell to an Attack of 2,200, and Kaien fell to 2,000.
"No creature is immune to my Monster's curse!" he laughed. "It has conquered whole nations! You cannot defeat it!"
(S: 1,000) - - - - - - - - - - - - (W: 4,950)
"We'll see about that!" shouted Sam, as she drew a card.
Perfect, she thought, looking at it. This was just what I needed to teach this guy a lesson he'll remember the next time he wants to start a blight.
"Guess what, Want?" she said. "I'm gonna knock your Horseman off of his Black Horse… And this is the card I'm gonna use to do it!"
She flipped a card in her hand around.
"A Ritual Card?" shouted Want.
"That's right!" exclaimed Sam, as she played it. "I play Curse of the Masked Beast!"
A sinister altar rose behind her, with a blue flame on top, flanked by two blue torches.
"To complete this ceremony, I'll sacrifice Kaien on the field, and Skull Knight #2 in my hand."
A Fiend in armor with a bare skull for a face, holding a scimitar appeared on the field. He and Kaien leapt onto the torches, and they dissolved into dark particles.
The altar burst, and a huge creature emerged. It was centaurian in shape, its lower body being a thick truck with two huge legs and a long, prehensile tail, and its upper body being composed of exposed, knotted muscle, with a steel mask over its face, holding a cudgel in its right hand. (3,200/1,800)
"Thirty-two hundred Attack Points?" shouted Want.
"But wait, there's more!" said Sam, taking a card from her hand. "I play Premature Burial to bring Skull Knight #2 back to the field."
She played the card, and Skull Knight #2 rose out of the ground. (1,000/1,200)
"Now, I'll sacrifice him…" she said. "To summon Dark Ruler Ha Des!"
Skull Knight vanished, and the ruler of Fiends appeared in a black bonfire. He frowned at Want and his Monsters. (2,450/1,600)
"I'm still not done!" said Sam. "When Skull Knight #2 is sacrificed to summon a Fiend-Type Monster, I get a bonus… I get to summon another one from my deck."
A second Skull Knight rose onto the field. (1,000/1,200)
"I'm sick of defending," said Sam. "Time to go on offense! Skull Knight, attack his Reborn Zombie!"
Skull Knight lifted his scimitar. Reborn Zombie scowled. The two Monsters rushed at each other, and in an explosion, both of them were blown to pieces.
"Gors, destroy his Starving Artist! Demonblade slash!"
The Messenger of Hades made a savage swipe with his zanbatô, and the Starving Artist was cut in two. The pieces burst into an explosion of colors.
"Guess he wasn't a fan of art," said Sam. "Ha Des, attack Nubian Guard with Stygian blast!"
Dark Ruler Ha Des fired a blast of dark flames, and the mummified Warrior exploded into a cloud of ash.
"ERGH!" shouted Want.
"Now for the big guy…" said Sam. "Masked Beast, attack Famine the Black Horseman with cursed cudgel attack!"
The Masked Beast rushed at the ghoul, and with one smash from its cudgel, crushed its skull in. The Black Horseman exploded into black shards.
"Ergh!" shouted Want. "I activate a Spell Card!"
One of his two facedown cards lifted, showing the image of Magician's Valkyria casting a spell that was knocking over the Gate Guardian.
"It's called Great Fall. Since a Monster that was at least Level Ten was destroyed, I get to draw two cards."
He made two draws.
"As if they'll do you any good," said Sam, taking the last card in her hand. "I play a facedown, and end my turn."
She placed one of her last two cards in her Disk, and a facedown card appeared behind her Monsters.
(S: 200) - - - - - - - - - - - - (W: 1,800)
Want drew a card.
He grinned as he looked at it.
I may have lost Famine, he thought, but Sam's almost out of Life Points… And with this combo, I'll take her out once and for all…
"Time to even the playing field, Samantha!" he shouted.
"I play Lightning Vortex! So I toss one card…"
He discarded one of his cards.
"And… Boom…"
Thunder flashed, and lightning struck Sam's side of the field, vaporizing her three Monsters.
"Now I play Monster Reborn!" shouted Want. "And I think I'll take someone from your Graveyard…"
The holy ankh appeared, and The Masked Beast appeared on his side of the field. (3,200/1,800)
"Oh boy…" said Sam. "You are gonna pay for that, buster…"
"Not likely," said Want. "Your side is clear, so I win!
"Masked Beast, attack your former master!"
The Masked Beast lifted its cudgel.
"Sorry about this, big guy," said Sam, as her facedown card lifted. "But you'll thank me later… Go, Shadow Spell!"
Want gasped as a mass of chains shot out of the ground, trying up The Masked Beast and dropping its Attack Score to 2,500.
"Well fine…" said Want. "I have to end my turn. But unless you can somehow summon a Monster with more than 2,500 Attack Points right now, you can't beat me."
Sam drew a card.
She chuckled when she saw what it was. She turned it forward.
Want turned white.
"I play my own Monster Reborn!" shouted Sam.
The ankh appeared on her own side of the field, and Messenger of Hades – Gors appeared in front of her. (2,700/2,500)
"You still haven't won!" screamed Want. "I'll still have Life Points left!"
"No you won't," said Sam. "Now's when it gets kinda ironic."
"Ironic?" asked Want.
"You're the demon of poverty Want," said Sam, taking the last card in her hand. "Ironic that I should finish you off using a guy whose job it is to prepare food.
"I summon The Bistro Butcher!"
She played the card, and the fiendish chef appeared, holding his cleaver. (1,800/1,000)
"Gors, attack The Masked Beast!" shouted Sam.
The Messenger of Hades made a slash with his zanbatô, cutting The Masked Beast in twain. The pieces shattered.
"Butcher, finish him off…"
The Bistro Butcher made a slash with his cleaver, and Want fell over.
(S: 200) - - - - - - - - - - - - (W: 0)
"Well, fine…" said Want, as he started to vanish. "Go back to Joan… Eat, drink, and be merry…
"Because tomorrow… you die…"
His laughter echoed over Rye as he disappeared into grains of light.
Sam took some deep breaths.
She looked where her foe had fallen. Like with Ares, his Duel Disk had been left behind.
"Careful, baby," said Erik, as she walked up to it.
Sam took the Famine card from the Disk and looked at it. Even she could feel the incredible evil coming from it.
"Let's…" she said. "Let's get this to Joan…"
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Daala had been watching the whole duel, with Skull Knight standing over her. Strangely, she didn't seem very upset right now, even though Want had been beaten and her enemies had taken the card.
"Milady," said Skull Knight. "Permission to ask a question?"
"Go ahead," she said.
"The four Apocalyptic Monsters are incredibly powerful, if I'm not mistaken, right?" he said.
"Correct," said Daala.
"Then, wouldn't it have made more sense to give all four of them to one duelist?" he asked. "His deck would have been unstoppable!
"Or even better, why not use them yourself?"
Daala gave him a funny look.
"Are you kidding?" she said. "I had a hard enough time finding four duelists who were brave enough to even use one. And I'm certainly not dumb enough to."
Skull Knight looked dumbstruck.
"Uh…" he said. "They're, uh, that dangerous?"
"Indeed," said Daala. "What was the first thing that Yugi Mouto Sr. said after he won Slifer the Sky Dragon from Strings?
"He said, 'I must be very careful with this.'
"The same applies to any item of great power. He knew that well, and so do I.
"And all is going according to plan…"
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Yumi and her friends entered the temple's main room to find Joan in the middle of what seemed to be a conversation. Two attractive and scantily-clad females were speaking to her. One of them wore a white bikini top, breechcloth, cloak, and cowl, and wore a longsword by her side. The other one wore a blue bikini, headband, and boots, wore her red hair loose, and wore a very large scimitar on her back. Both of them wore jewelry that was apparently made of claws and teeth, and they also wore Duel Disks with trays that seemed to be shaped like swords.
The five humans recognized them. They were Duel Spirits, the one in white being an Amazoness Paladin, and the one in blue being an Amazoness Swords Woman.
"You have our word, Joan," said the Paladin, "our tribe will do their best to support your cause from now on."
Joan took the Paladin's hand.
"It's good to hear," she said. "Consider your offer accepted. My blessings will be with you and your tribe so long as you are with us."
The two Amazons nodded, and then turned to leave. They smiled towards Yumi's group as they passed by.
"Who were they?" asked Ren.
"Representatives," said Joan. "Diplomats from the Amazoness tribe that resides in the Tzimisce.
"Our plan is working, children. Ever since I got back at noon, Earth Monsters, most of them Warriors, have come to the temple, wishing to abandon Daala and swear allegiance to the resistance. I have no doubt that the groups of Water Monsters will soon follow.
"But anyway, I saw your battle with Want…"
"Yeah," said Sam, handing her the Famine card. "You can lock this up with War. I don't ever want to see it again."
Joan looked at the card. She shook her head with worry.
"You must be famished after that battle, Sam," she said. "Come… Dinner will be ready soon, and we'll discuss tomorrow's plans in more detail."
"What's the next move?" said Chelsea.
"The Burnt Paradise," said Joan. "The Realm of Light. It's a desert realm, and a dangerous place. But fear not… I'll have a guide for you this time too. He's on an important mission right now, but I expect him to be back by sunrise.
"And I can see you off this time… I'll have a nice repast ready in the morning."
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Back in Domino City, Nicholas and Olga were eating pizza at a fast food place that was popular with students.
Nicholas's cell phone rang.
"Sheena?" he said.
"Okay, I traced all those numbers," said Sheena. "Most of them seemed harmless enough… Her hairdresser, a Chinese takeout place, basic stuff that people put on their cell phones.
"Some other numbers were for other cell phones…
"And one was incredibly suspicious. It was hard to trace, but I managed it. It's the number for an office at the Domino Sun building."
"What's that?" asked Nicholas.
"A small newspaper that went out of business five years ago. I looked up some info, and the name on the lease now is apparently a front for Yakuza."
"You got the address?" asked Nicholas.
"All right, I'll give it to you," said Sheena, "but please, be careful."
Nicholas wrote down the address and then hung up.
"A newspaper building…" he muttered. "A place with printing presses… Just the place where a counterfeiting operation could be set up…"
"Nicholas, this is heavy," said Olga. "This building may be the lion's den."
"I know…" said Nicholas, picking up his soda. "But we need to go there to help Yumi…
"But this time… We're going prepared…"
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Ren didn't go to sleep until late that night. For a while, he sat up, looking at his cards.
He came to one in his deck that caught his eye.
Total Defense Shogun.
After Duelatopia, he had reworked his deck, and had taken the Dark Blade Union Dragons out. With Kiryu gone, it left room for another one-Tribute Monster. He had added this guy… But for some reason, he hadn't drawn him yet.
He looked at the card. There was something special about this card… He could feel it…
He sighed.
He shuffled the deck, and put it away. He was feeling very sleepy now…
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FAMINE, THE BLACK HORSEMAN (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 10
ATK: 2,500
DEF: 2,500
Card Description: This card cannot be Special Summoned. This card can only be Normal Summoned by offering three Monsters as a Tribute. During each of your End Phases that this card is face-up on the field, all face-up Monsters except this one lose 500 Attack Points. During each of your opponent's End Phases that this card is face-up on the field, inflict 800 points of direct damage to your opponent's Life Points.
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STARVING ARTIST (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Zombie/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 4
ATK: 1,700
DEF: 1,500
Card Description: During your Standby Phase, you may pay 500 Life Points to Special Summon a "Canvas Token" (Zombie/Dark/Level Three/ATK 1,000/DEF 1,000) in Attack Position. "Canvas Tokens" cannot attack and cannot be switched to Defense Position. This effect can be used multiple times in the same Standby Phase.
Note: "Starving Artist" was created by writer charizardag for his fic, "Yu-Gi-Oh Team World". Creative credit goes to him.
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STEADY COURSE (Trap Card)
Continuous Trap
Image: An old-fashioned boat sailing under partially cloudy skies in fair water.
Card Description: Pay 1,000 Life Points to activate this card. The ATKs of all face-up Monsters on your side of the field becomes their base ATKs, and cannot be increased or decreased while this card remains on the field.
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GREAT FALL (Spell Card)
Quickplay Spell
Image: Magician's Valkyria knocking over the Gate Guardian with a mighty blast of magic.
Card Description: You may activate this card when a Level Ten or greater Monster that you control is destroyed. Draw two cards from your deck.
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Coming up next:
Nicholas and Olga go right back to the underworld, but this time, to the top. The godfather of the Usagi Family is none too pleased with two teenagers poking around his business, and he gives the two of them an offer that they can't refuse – because they have no choice. Olga must duel for her life against a creature darker than any Spellcaster in Yumi's deck. It's not gonna be pretty.
It's a chapter called "Devil in the Dark" coming next.
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Name that Card!
"Vampire Lady" is a Level Four Zombie who possesses one of "Vampire Lord's" two effects. Another Level Four Zombie exists that possesses his other effect. Can you name it?