Which of Yugi's Monsters other than "Dark Magician" got a Spell Card named after his attack name? If you said "Gaia the Fierce Knight" (whose attack name was "Spiral Spear Strike") you were successfully able to Name that Card!
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I've studied the career of many great duelists ever since I became one, including the career of Jaden Yuki. I know of all of his triumphs, and his tragedies.
One small footnote in his memoirs that is rarely addressed is a loose end, in which no closure was ever reached. This is odd, because most of the time, he didn't leave things unfinished. But maybe he didn't have much of a choice in the matter.
Somewhere up there, behind the clouds, I hope he's watching, because I'm about to bring closure to this problem he left unfinished a long time ago. I never expected to clean up after him, so to speak, but I guess he didn't expect my opponent right now to ever come back.
Let's duel…
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CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
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Cover the Sun
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Daala looked through her screen, which was currently showing Nexus. She rubbed her chin.
"Sheena may have stopped Doma from setting her beacon," she pondered, "but my other men set more than enough of them.
"Pretty soon, we'll be ready to start the first wave. Not having control of KaibaCorp's computer will force us to make a subversive attack rather than a frontal one, but we should be able to handle it."
She picked up her phone.
"Best tell the General to start readying his troops…"
"Milady," said Skull Knight, as he walked in.
"Yes?" replied Daala.
"Someone to see you," he said with a frown. "He claims it's important."
A short, ugly-looking Fiend in rich, yet worn clothing walked in. It was clearly the Goblin of Greed. Daala glared at him in disgust.
"Your excellence," said the Goblin, bowing.
"You have five minutes to get my attention, Goblin," sighed Daala, leaning back on her couch.
"Oh, I don't need that long," said the Goblin. "I have something that I heard you were looking for…"
He held up a Duel Monsters card. It was King Dragun.
Daala frowned again.
"And where, pray tell, did you get it?" she asked. "If you give it to me, is some infernal bounty hunter going to come to Xanadu with orders to take back some rich archdevil's stolen property and take the soul of whoever has it as compensation?"
"Please!" protested the Goblin. "Why must we make accusations? I am merely a merchant…"
"You are a merchant who freely deals with the yugoloths," snapped Daala. "They are a race known for being greedy by nature, and being mercenaries in every sense of the word.
"An army of yugoloths will hire themselves out to the Dark Eight, and fight for the side of Hell one week. Then, no sooner are they're done and are paid, they'll look for another employer, and if it's the army of demons that the Dark Eight hired them to oppose before, they don't care. They have no loyalties. So no-one trusts them, nor does anyone trust anyone who works for them."
"Well, I didn't steal it," replied the Goblin, "least of all from some archdevil. I'm not that dumb. I have many clients, and they have contacts."
"You want to sell me that card, right?" asked Daala. "Well, how much, dare I ask?"
"Actually, milady," said the Goblin, "I want to make a deal. I know about the problem you're having with five teenagers right now, whom you're opposing."
"And?" asked Daala.
"I want in!" exclaimed the Goblin. "I want to duel one of them for you. Chelsea, to be exact. I want to duel her, and set some special stakes… You might say she has something I desire."
Daala rubbed her chin.
She closed her eyes.
"Fine…" she said.
"You can go to the Frozen Wastes if you desire. If Chelsea isn't captured before she gets there, I'll let you deal with her. If she is, you can come back here, and I'll let you duel her before she's brainwashed. Who knows? It may even be fun to watch."
The Goblin of Greed chuckled. He handed the card to Daala.
"You won't regret this, milady," he laughed.
"Anything else you need?" muttered Daala, looking at the card.
"Uhm…" said the Goblin. "Come to think of it… Got anything to eat?"
Daala sighed. She motioned to one of her servants behind her.
"Show him to the commissary, will you?" she ordered.
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Near the top of the Infernal Clock, there was a large docking bay, where Machine Spirits who could fly could enter and park, often depositing passengers.
At the far end was an entrance that led inside, which was guarded by two Pendulum Machines.
One of them sighed, the boredom of its job getting to it.
"Hey, Number 14…" it said to the other one. "How come we always get stuck with guard duty?"
"Because, Number 10," replied the other one, "we're two Level Six Monsters with only 1,750 Attack Points. No sane duelists are ever going to want us for their decks any more. And when Monsters have as little use as we do, they tend to get the boring jobs, like it or not."
"Yeah…" said Number 10. "Well… It wouldn't hurt you to show some leg…"
"We don't have any legs," said Number 14.
"It was only an expression!" said Number 10. "Don't give me no lip!"
"We don't have lips either," said Number 14.
Then a robed, hooded figure, his face completely concealed behind the hood, walked out from the door behind them.
"If you two overgrown pocket knives don't like guard duty," scolded the cloaked figure, "perhaps you'd be happier collecting garbage or cleaning up sewage."
"No, no, we're good!" said Number 10.
"Yeah, well both of you go recharge your batteries now," said the figure. "The Lord is expecting guests, and I'm here to greet them."
"Whatever you say," said Number 14.
The two Machines turned and went inside.
"I hate Machines," muttered the man. "I like them a lot better when they don't talk…"
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The Big Core slowly came to a landing in the large docking bay. The walkway descended, and the six duelists started to emerge.
They weren't very happy. The Core had apparently been designed to transport Machine Spirits rather than humans. There were no seats, and the ride had been rather choppy and cramped.
And still, it hadn't been as bad as the typical subway ride in Domino City during rush hour…
"So what now?" asked Erik. "Nezbitt didn't exactly say what…"
They all saw the robed figure in front of the door.
"Uh, I don't think that guy's a Machine…" said Ren.
"No," replied the figure. "I'm the Realm Lord's chancellor, at least for now. He told me to… Brief you guys."
"And who the heck are you, may I ask?" asked Aster.
The hooded figure chuckled.
"You're an AI program, right?" he asked. "Programmed using advanced technology, possessing all of the memories of the real Aster Phoenix…
"So then… I'm pretty certain that you can remember me…"
Then the figure lowered the hood and moved the cloak aside… Aster stepped back in shock.
He was tall, about Aster's age, with a muscular build, not quite that of a bodybuilder, but still pretty built. He had spiky, brown hair, and glasses. He wore a sleeveless vest, leather gloves, designer slacks, and a necklace that appeared to be made out of black beads. He carried a Duel Disk that seemed to be custom made, but it didn't seem to fit any theme that they could identify. The tray was rectangular rather than crescent shaped, and it was bulkier.
"Adrian Gecko," said Aster with a sneer. "So are you an AI too?"
Adrian chuckled.
"Nope," he said. "Make no mistake… Unlike most of the human members of Daala's army, I'm completely human. I'm no copy…"
"But we thought you were dead," said Aster. "After everyone was rescued from Yubel's dimensional prison, neither you nor Echo came back. And you never came back."
"And no-one ever came looking for me, thank you very much!" shouted Adrian.
He took some deep breaths.
"Okay, I can't fairly make that claim," he muttered. "Maybe someone did… How was I to know?
"Here's what happened, Aster… In Dark World, at first, most people believed that everyone who lost a duel was simply gone. Gone forever. In truth, Yubel locked them up in a pocket dimension. And when Jaden merged himself with Yubel, she released most of them. That you know firsthand.
"It was her idea of mercy, because they had really done nothing to oppose her."
"But because you double-crossed her and tried to usurp her power," replied Aster, "you warranted special punishment."
"Yes," said Adrian. "She decided to teach me a lesson. I was put in solitary confinement, and I wasn't released. And she refused to release Echo as well. As added torture, she made it so that the two of us could speak to each other, but not see each other. Like inmates in adjoining cells.
"The fact that the two of us didn't go mad from the decades we spent like this was a testament to the will we had, and the determination we had to get out and get even. In the meantime, I apologized for everything, and she was more than willing to forgive.
"And as fate would have it, we got lucky. Just one year ago we were both yanked out, and deposited unceremoniously in the Burnt Paradise.
"We saw each other. We tried to run to each other…
"But then, Echo vanished. Then Daala appeared.
"Daala told me that she was the one who had sprung the two of us, so to speak, and she wanted me to work for her. The reason she gave was, she had interests in the human world, and I still would hold a great deal of influence in the incredibly powerful Gecko Industries once they found out I was alive.
"But she was more wary than Yubel. She knew about my history of betrayal, and how I much preferred to rule rather than serve.
"So, she would use Echo as her bargaining chip for now. She's a guest right now in Daala's palace at the Core. I'll get her back once I prove I can show true loyalty."
"Can you?" asked Yumi.
"YES!" exclaimed Adrian. "If I don't, Daala has threatened to downgrade Echo's status to slave, or even worse. She's suffered enough."
He placed a deck of cards in his Disk.
"I can show you to Nezbitt, but he's busy at the moment. So I think I'll prove how loyal I can be by sending one of you to Daala right now."
"Oh, I'll take you on!" answered Aster.
"Please," said Adrian. "Why would I waste time dueling a carbon copy of someone who couldn't even beat me the first time? You aren't worth my time, Aster."
Aster was clearly very angry. Ren lifted up his hand as if to hold him back.
Then Chelsea stepped forward.
"Fine, Adrian," she said. "It's been a while since I had to deal with one of Daala's goons, so I'm more than willing to take you on."
"Chelsea, be careful!" shouted Aster. "He has the original Exodius!"
Adrian chuckled.
No I don't, he thought. That card only works when I have the Spirit of Exodia supporting me, and I lost his favor after the deck was defeated. I'm sick of Exodia anyway. From now on, I use the deck that I built with my own two hands.
"Don't worry Aster," said Chelsea, "I have a strategy to use against it."
"Book of Life, right?" asked Adrian. "Well, we'll soon see if it works…"
The two Disks activated.
"Game on!" they both shouted.
(Chelsea: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Adrian: 8,000)
"I'll start this off," said Chelsea, drawing a card.
"I summon, my Blood Sucker!"
In a burst of energy, the bat-like, red-skinned Zombie appeared with a screech. (1,300/1,500)
"I'll toss this facedown, and then we'll see what you've got."
A facedown card appeared behind Blood Sucker.
"Heh," chuckled Adrian. "Not the best, but I've seen worse…"
He drew a card.
"I'll set a facedown card of my own, and then play Cloudian Squall."
A facedown card appeared, followed by a Continuous Spell. It was an odd card that had the image of white clouds being blown through a dark one.
"I'll gladly tell you what it does. This card's effect activates each time I start my turn, giving each Monster on the field something called a Fog Counter.
"Next, I summon Cloudian – Poison Cloud."
He played the card, and a blood-red cloud formed in front of him. It changed into a horrid-looking thing, with a fiendish face, clawed arms, and veins all over its surface. (0/1,000)
"Ugh!" gasped Chelsea.
"I take it you don't like my Poison Cloud," said Adrian. "You know, I don't like it much either, so I'm playing another Spell Card.
"It's called Exploder Cloud. This lets me destroy one Monster that's in Attack Mode, so long as I take damage equal to the Monster's Attack Score."
He played the card, and lightning flashed, striking the Poison Cloud and blowing it to shards.
"Since Poison Cloud had zero Attack Points," he continued, "I don't lose any Life Points. But since it's now in my Graveyard, I can remove it from play to Special Summon something better."
The card slipped out of his discard slot, and he quickly pocketed it. Then he placed another card on his Disk.
"The Cloudian – Storm Dragon."
Thunder rumbled, and another cloud appeared in front of Adrian. It slowly shaped itself, transforming into what looked like a dragon with wings and a long tail, although overall, it still resembled a cloud. (1,000/0)
"It can't hurt my Blood Sucker," said Chelsea.
"But what it can do is put a Fog Counter on any Monster on the field during every one of my turns," said Adrian. "Starting right now. And I think I'll use that effect to put one on itself."
Storm Dragon glowed with energy.
"Finally," said Adrian, "I play The Sanctuary in the Sky."
A Field Slot opened in his Disk, and he placed his last card in it. The docking bay faded away, and the whole arena turned into a cloudy realm, with the divine Sanctuary behind Adrian. But something was amiss. Storm clouds were overhead, and lightning flashed in the distance. It seemed that all was not well in paradise.
"Your move," said Adrian.
"I draw one card," said Chelsea.
She drew a card, and looked at it.
"And my Trap Card activates," said Adrian, as his facedown card lifted. "Since you have at least four cards in your hand, and I have none, I can activate Gamble."
"You're taking a big risk, pal," said Ren. "If you miss the coin toss, you'll have to skip a whole turn."
"Risk, Reginald?" asked Adrian, with a smile. "A big risk? Look… If my dad never took big risks, his company wouldn't have become the world's biggest supplier of petroleum outside of OPEC. Nor would it have become the sixth-biggest name in the chemical industry, right behind Exxon-Mobile and right ahead of DuPont.
"He told me that to get ahead in life, you can't always play it safe."
A coin appeared in his hand.
"It's heads!" he shouted, tossing it.
It fell to the floor.
It was indeed heads.
"Lucky me," he said. "That means I get to draw until I have five cards."
He quickly made five draws.
"If you're done," said Chelsea, taking a card from her hand.
"I summon Zombie Master!"
She played a card, and the ghoulish Zombie appeared in a burst of energy. (1,800/0)
"Now, I'll discard one Monster to use his effect."
She discarded Vampire Lady.
Zombie Master cackled, and lightning flashed. Vampire Lady appeared in a burst of energy. (1,550/1,550)
"Not bad…" said Adrian.
"Attack his Storm Dragon!" she commanded. "Wrath of the undead!"
Zombie Master gestured, and blasted a volley of lightning bolts at Storm Dragon. However, the bolts passed through it as if it wasn't there.
"Huh?" she mused.
"Trying to attack a cloud, Chelsea?" asked Adrian. "Do you know how silly that sounds?
"Attacking a Cloudian is like attacking air. You can't destroy them that way."
"But you still should have taken damage…" muttered Chelsea.
Adrian shook his head.
"Normally, perhaps," he said. "But most Cloudians, including this one, are also Fairies. And with my Field Spell in play, I take no damage from any battle involving them.
"In other words, Chelsea, so long as the Field Spell and at least one Cloudian are on the field, I'm untouchable."
Chelsea looked at him.
"I… end my turn…" she said, slowly.
Adrian drew a card.
"No wonder he risked using Gamble," muttered Sam. "Even if he had to skip his next turn, he'd still have been safe!"
"I draw one card," said Adrian, drawing a card.
"Now, my Cloudian Squall activates, and every Monster on the field gains a Fog Counter."
Storm Dragon, Blood Sucker, Zombie Master, and Vampire Lady glowed with misty energy.
"Next," he continued, "I use Storm Dragon's effect. Once again, I'll have it put a Fog Counter on itself."
Storm Dragon glowed again.
"Now I play Pot of Greed."
He played the card, and the sinister jar appeared. He ignored it, and drew two cards.
"Next up, I summon Cloudian – Turbulence."
A new Cloudian appeared, this one looking like a miniature tornado with arms and a face. (800/0)
"When this guy is summoned, he gains one Fog Counter for each Cloudian on the field. In other words, two."
Turbulence glowed with the same misty energy.
"Just what do these Fog Counters do?" asked Chelsea.
"That's for me to know, and you to find out," replied Adrian. "But you will, eventually."
"Well, your strategy has one major flaw," said Chelsea. "Your Monsters may be invincible, but they're weaklings. How do you intend to beat me if you can't summon a Monster that can beat mine?"
Adrian just looked at her.
"Oh, have it your way!" she shouted, drawing a card.
"I activate Zombie Master's effect again," she said, discarding it.
In a burst of energy, a second Vampire Lady appeared. (1,550/1,550)
"Next, I sacrifice Blood Sucker, for Vampire Lord!"
Blood Sucker vanished, and older, male vampire appeared. (2,000/1,500)
"Attacking would be pointless, so that's all for now…"
Adrian drew a card.
He smirked slightly when he saw what it was.
"Once again," he said, "Cloudian Squall activates."
Storm Dragon, Turbulence, both Vampire Ladies, Zombie Master, and Vampire Lord glowed with misty energy.
"Next, I activate the Spell Card, Lucky Cloud."
He played the card, and the clouds parted overhead, and a beam of light fell on him.
"If I'm lucky enough to summon two Cloudians with the same name this turn, I get to draw two cards.
"So, first, I'll summon Cloudian – Cirrostratus."
The Cloudian that appeared this time was a puffy one with a cute, catlike face. (900/0)
"Like Turbulence, this one gains one Fog Counter for each Cloudian on the field. So it gains three."
The Cirrostratus glowed with energy.
"Next, the Spell Card, Double Summon. Now I get to Normal Summon another Monster. And if you haven't caught on yet, it's another Cirrostratus."
A second of fluffy, cute Cloudians appeared. (900/0)
"This one gets four Fog Counters," he continued, as it glowed with energy. "And next, I'll use Storm Dragon's effect to give it a fifth one.
"I'll set one card facedown…"
A new facedown card appeared.
"I'm ending my turn, and due to Lucky Cloud, I get to draw twice."
He made two draws.
What she doesn't know is, he thought, I don't have to attack to beat her. On my next round, my true strategy will be revealed, and this duel will be over.
"Adrian…" said Chelsea, drawing a card. "I'm curious… You agree that Daala doesn't trust you, right?"
She played the card, and the Pot of Greed appeared. She drew two cards.
"She said so herself," replied Adrian. "She said something like, 'What did you ever do to deserve trust?' I suppose that…"
"Do you trust Daala?" asked Chelsea, interrupting him.
"Huh?" said Adrian.
"How do you know that Daala is being honest with you about poor Echo's fate?" asked Chelsea. "How do you know that she's truly being treated as a guest in her palace?
"Maybe she's already being used for slave labor… Working her fingers to the bone on some chain gang in some dark mine…"
Adrian stopped short.
He thought for a minute. Honestly, that had never occurred to him.
"That's… That's not true…" he said, slowly. "Daala wouldn't…"
"Would she?" asked Chelsea. "How do you know? She's a tyrant, Adrian. She doesn't have to keep her word. Her word is law in Xanadu. If she goes back on the deal, what would you do to stop her? What could you do? She'd just have you locked up as well."
"I… I… She wouldn't do that!" he snapped. "Make your move!"
He paused.
But… Maybe it wouldn't hurt to make sure…
"I sacrifice Vampire Lady to summon Vampire's Curse," said Chelsea.
Vampire Lady vanished into grains of light, and the armored, grey-haired vampire with wings appeared. (2,000/800)
"Next, I remove Vampire Lord from play to summon Vampire Genesis."
Vampire Lord faded away, and in a flash of lightning, the mighty vampire deity appeared. (3,000/2,100)
"I end my turn."
"My draw…" said Adrian.
He sighed as he looked at the card.
Echo is perfectly safe… he thought. Daala wouldn't lie to me…
He paused.
Come to think of it, Daala hasn't let me see or speak to her since we got here. I haven't even received any letters.
Maybe it is kind of… suspicious…
The Cloudian Squall glowed, and so did Storm Dragon, Turbulence, both Cirrostratus, Vampire's Curse, Vampire Genesis, Zombie Master, and Vampire Lady.
"I use Storm Dragon's effect again…" he muttered.
Storm Dragon glowed with misty energy again.
"Let's see…" he mumbled. "Six, five, four, where the heck is a calculator when your need one?"
"What are you talking about?" said Ren.
"Twenty-seven," said Adrian. "There are a total of twenty-seven Fog Counters on the field. So I have just enough…"
His facedown card lifted.
"I activate Updraft. This Trap Card removes all twenty-seven of them. Then we get to the good part – you lose 300 Life Points for each one.
"Multiply it."
"Uh…" muttered Erik. "That would be…"
"8,100 Life Points!" gasped Yumi.
"CHELSEA!" screamed Ren.
A blast of sheer cold shot out of the card, and Chelsea let out an earsplitting scream as it hit her…
INTERLUDE
With Jesse leading her, Sheena walked into the temple.
"Miss Arachne, you honor us with your presence," said Joan.
"I, uhm, wish I could say I had more good news," said Sheena, nervously.
She chuckled.
"Heh, I even wish I could say this was the first time I had spoken to an angel, but it isn't. Of course, the one who approached me when I was a child was much more martial. He had armor, a sword… He looked like he was looking for a fight.
"Of course, I just dueled Doma too, but I think she's an angel in name only…"
"Yeah, Sheena fought off Doma," said Jesse, "and she was clearly up to something… She had this."
He held up the odd crystal.
"A beacon…" whispered Joan.
"Huh?" asked Sheena. "A beacon? What, we don't like beacons?"
"As you know," started Joan, "the one portal between Xanadu and Earth is in Nexus. Right now, it can only be accessed from Nexus, and only transport small groups at a time.
"Daala is clearly trying to increase its power. Enable large groups to use it, and enter it from anywhere in Xanadu. If enough of these beacons are planted, she may succeed."
"But why?" asked Jesse.
Joan sat down.
"One reason I can think of," she said. "A reason why it would benefit her to shut down the power in Domino…
"Invasion."
"HUH?" shouted Sheena and Jesse at once.
"I feared this might have been Daala's goal for a long time," said Joan. "Let me tell you something about Duel Spirits. They are active on Earth. And they can interact with humans.
"Only special humans who have special powers can see them. If a Spirit wanted to, it could approach a human unseen, and do whatever it wanted… Rob, kidnap…"
She shuddered.
"Or other things too horrible to mention. And the victim wouldn't know he was in danger until the Spirit's claws were around his neck. And in these times, they might do it without fear of punishment from others, if not for one thing."
"What thing?" asked Sheena.
"Well," explained Joan, "several millennia ago, in the days of the Shadow Games, some did. Back then humans who could see Spirits were far more common, and they fought back. This threatened to start an all-out war. The wisest Duel Spirits knew that this could not happen. It would doom both the human world and theirs.
"So a treaty was drafted. One with enchanted powers. The current rulers debate just who drafted it… We Fairies like to claim that Shinato did so, but he will not confirm or deny that fact. He was, however, one of the rulers who signed it. And after it was drafted, all the rulers of each of the Twelve Dimensions signed it. Even Terrorking Archfiend, who ruled Pandemonium, preferred to sign it rather than risk his kingdom being devastated by the war that would start if it was not signed by all the rulers. Finally, the human representatives signed it as well, and it was finalized, and locked away in a secure vault, its location known only to a privileged few.
"Its powers forbade such outright attacks on humans. Duel Spirits are incapable of rebelling against this treaty without powerful assistance or complex rituals, such as the one that was used to free Jinzo before Jaden banished him again."
"So we have nothing to worry about, right?" asked Sheena.
"Yes we do," sighed Joan. "The treaty made no provisions in case a new dimension was created. It has no elastic clause. Xanadu is not one of the Twelve Dimensions, no ruler representing it ever signed the treaty, so no Duel Spirit under Daala's rule is bound by the treaty in the slightest!"
Joan sighed.
"Things have definitely taken a turn for the worse…"
END OF INTERLUDE
Chelsea was on her knees, holding herself, and shivering.
"Well…" said Adrian. "That should… Eh?"
(C: 3,200) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 8,000)
"That's impossible…" he muttered. "How did you…
"Wait… Where did your big vampire go?"
It was true. Vampire Genesis was gone.
Chelsea slowly stood up, still shivering.
"T-talk about activating a f-facedown card just in time…" she muttered.
"Facedown card?" said Adrian.
"The one I set on my first turn," said Chelsea. "It was Mystik Wok. I chained it to your Updraft, sacrificing Vampire Genesis. As a result, there were only twenty-six Fog Counters on the field, and I gained 3,000 Life Points before I lost any.
"So I'm still in this duel."
"Heh…" chuckled Adrian.
"Well, let me tell you something else my father told me about how to succeed…
"Always have a plan-B.
"Still my turn… I sacrifice all four of my Monsters…"
Storm Dragon, Turbulence, and both Cirrostratus dissolved into particles of water vapor.
"…to summon Cloudian – Nimbusman."
A new Cloudian appeared, this one vaguely humanoid, but still made of cloud-stuff. (1,000/1,000)
"Four sacrifices?" asked Chelsea.
"Technically, I only had to sacrifice one Monster, since it's Level Five," said Adrian. "But with this one, the more the better, because for each Water Monster I sacrifice, it gains a Fog Counter, and for each Fog Counter it has, it gains 500 Attack Points."
Nimbusman roared, and grew to three times its size. (3,000/1,000)
"I seem to remember you saying my Cloudians were weaklings," said Adrian. "Is this strong enough for you?"
"Uhm… Yes…" squeaked Chelsea.
"Attack her Zombie Master!" ordered Adrian. "Merciless gale blast!"
Nimbusman exhaled a ferocious wind and a raging storm blew in Chelsea's direction. She was knocked over, as Zombie Master was blown to pieces.
"And that's all for now," he said.
(C: 2,000) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 8,000)
Man… thought Chelsea, drawing a card, his strategy just did a complete one-eighty, turning from burn to beatdown!
I might be able to turn this around if I just get a recharge…
"I move both my Monsters into Defense Mode," she said.
Vampire Lady sat and crossed her arms, while Vampire's Curse knelt and folded his wings over his shoulders.
"Now, I'll throw one card facedown, and play Mirage of Nightmare."
A facedown card appeared, and the Mirage of Nightmare appeared on the field.
"Eh, the old Mirage/Provisions trick, huh?" said Adrian, drawing a card. "Old-fashioned, but reliable…
"Enjoy it while you can… Mirage of Nightmare will likely be outlawed soon. Assuming you ever escape from Xanadu…"
"We'll see!" shouted Chelsea. "For now, I get four cards!"
She made four draws.
"Now, Emergency Provisions!"
Her facedown card lifted up, and the mouth swallowed the Mirage card.
"Whatever," sighed Adrian. "In case you forgot, my Cloudian Squall is still on the field, meaning that every Monster gets a Fog Counter now.
"And with each Fog Counter, my Nimbusman gets even stronger."
Nimbusman grew even bigger. (3,500/1,000)
"That means it will get stronger with each turn…" said Sam. "Like a cloud on a hot day…"
"Exactly," replied Adrian. "Right before its power is unleashed in the form of a rain storm.
"And I'm going to play my own old-fashioned Spell Card… Stop Defense."
He played the card, and Vampire Lady glowed. She struggled, but the glowing aura made her stand up into Attack Mode.
"Stop Defense?" said Yumi. "Why play that? Enemy Controller is better."
"You'll see in a minute," said Adrian. "For now…"
Nimbusman blew its merciless gale blast at Vampire Lady, and she screamed before shattering into bits.
(C: 1,050) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 8,000)
"Now, as for why I used an antiquated card," explained Adrian, placing a card in his Disk, "this is why."
A Continuous Spell appeared on his side of the field.
"It's called Sealer Formation. If I so choose, I can get Stop Defense back next round, so long as I skip my Draw Phase. That means I've cut off every avenue of defense, Chelsea.
"It's your move."
Chelsea drew a card.
"Fine," she said with a scowl. "If my defenses are shut down, I'm moving to offense. Vampire's Curse… Stand up!"
Vampire's Curse obeyed, moving to Attack Mode.
"In case you forgot," said Adrian, "even if you made him strong enough, Cloudians can't be destroyed in battle."
"I didn't forget Adrian," said Chelsea, as a Spell Card appeared on her side of the field. "Your Cloudian isn't what he's going to attack.
"I play Overpowering Eye. This lets a Zombie that has 2,000 Attack Points or less attack directly this turn."
"Huh?" said Adrian. "Wait a minute…"
"Curse," ordered Chelsea, "attack him directly with night shade!"
Vampire's Curse fired a beam of blackness and Adrian gasped as it hit him, knocking him over.
Whoa, he thought. Okay, that was unexpected...
(C: 1,050) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 6,000)
"Yeah!" shouted Ren. "It's about time you lost some Life Points, pal!"
"So I won't win by shutout," said Adrian, getting up. "Big deal. The player who still has any at all when the duel is over wins."
Chelsea put a card in her Disk and a facedown card appeared.
"Just make your move," she said.
"I will," said Adrian. "Guess I don't have to use Sealer Formation after all."
He drew a card.
Cloudian Squall glowed, and Nimbusman grew to an Attack of 4,000.
"Attack Vampire's Curse!" he commanded.
The violent wind started to blow…
"Gotcha!" shouted Chelsea. "I activate Widespread Ruin!"
Her Trap Card shot up.
"Say what?" exclaimed Adrian, opening his eyes.
He shielded himself as Nimbusman exploded in a fiery blast. (Which was kind of odd – one would expect that a cloud was the last thing that could catch on fire.)
"Looks like your Nimbusman was a big windbag," said Chelsea. "And if you summon it from the Graveyard, it will only have 1,000 Attack Points."
"Hardy, har, har," sneered Adrian. "Just make your move, will you?"
"I will!" shouted Chelsea, drawing. "You're defenseless! Vampire's Curse, get him!"
Adrian cringed as the night shade hit him again.
He panted for breath.
(C: 1,050) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 4,000)
"You know, Adrian," said Chelsea, "it doesn't have to go down like this."
"Say what?" said Adrian.
"You may think that Daala is telling the truth, but I know better," said Chelsea. "I don't think she ever intends to give you back Echo. So long as she has Echo, you'll follow her like a lamb.
"In other words, Adrian, you're a prisoner too, in all but name. And once you outlive your usefulness…
"Well… Daala might decide to send both of you back to that extradimensional jail that she took you from. Or something even worse."
For the first time, Adrian's calm demeanor changed. He now looked incredibly angry.
"But like I said, Adrian," said Chelsea, "it doesn't have to go down like this. If Joan's forces are victorious, Daala's prisoners, including Echo, will be rescued. Joan will make sure of that. Then the two of you can finally live happily ever after.
"That is… If she still wants to after you did nothing to rescue her from Daala."
"SHUT UP!" screamed Adrian.
He drew a card.
"I set one Monster in Defense Mode, and end my turn!"
A facedown Monster appeared.
"Draw…" said Chelsea, drawing a card.
"Destroy his Monster!" she shouted.
Vampire's Curse's night shade shot towards the card. A large grizzly bear appeared on the card, and was blown to pieces.
"That was a Mother Grizzly," muttered Adrian. "And when it's destroyed, I get to Special Summon a weak Water Monster. So, since a second Mother Grizzly would fit the bill…"
Another Mother Grizzly appeared in front of him. (1,400/1,000)
"It's your move," said Chelsea.
Adrian drew a card.
Okay… he thought. Time to resort to desperate measures…
"I play Premature Burial," he said. "And I'll bring back my first Mother Grizzly."
He glowed with a red aura as the original Grizzly appeared next to the second. (1,400/1,000)
"Now… I sacrifice both Monsters…"
Both Mother Grizzlies evaporated into water vapor…
"To summon the perfect storm! Cloudian – Eye of the Typhoon!"
Lightning flashed. A Monster slowly started to appear, and it was huge. It looked like a giant storm cloud, with arms, and one glaring eye. (3,000/1,000)
"Okay…" gasped Chelsea. "That's certainly… big…"
"If you think it looks big, wait until see it attack!" shouted Adrian. "Attack Vampire's Curse! Hurricane rage!"
"Everyone hold on!" shouted Yumi.
"To what?" yelled Ren.
Eye of the Typhoon collapsed into a spinning cyclone of fury. Chelsea staggered against the storm as Vampire's Curse collapsed into Defense Mode, and then exploded into pixels.
"Fortunately for you," said Adrian, as the windstorm started to subside, "when it attacks, your Monsters change modes. So your Life Points are safe. For now."
"Uh…" gasped Chelsea, looking at the cards in her hand. "I think I won't use his effect."
"Suit yourself," said Adrian. "Make your move…"
(C: 1,050) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 3,200)
Chelsea sighed as she drew a card.
It was Monster Reborn.
She looked at the other cards in her hand again. She had Penelope, as well as Call of the Mummy, a way to summon her.
Fat lot of good she'll do me, she thought. She can't destroy that thing any more than my other Monsters can. In fact, with Widespread Ruin gone, I don't have ANY card in my whole deck right now that can destroy it. I don't…
Then something came to her…
"Penelope was resourceful, and you are too," said the Commandant. "You will find out how to use it when the need is great enough…"
She paused. She looked at Monster Reborn.
The card I got from the Gravekeeper! she thought. Now's the perfect time to use it!
She looked at Penelope.
"Ready to take the big step?" she whispered.
She swore she saw a small twinkle in the Monster's eye, which was all the proof she needed.
She took a card from her hand.
"I play Call of the Mummy!" she shouted, as it appeared. "And I'll use it to summon my ace Monster… Penelope, Lady of the Night!"
A shining light appeared on the field, and the brilliant form of Penelope, holding her staff and wearing her long gown flew out of it. (1,000/200)
The Call of the Mummy, Sealer Formation, and Cloudian Squall cards shattered into bits, and The Sanctuary in the Sky was blown to pieces, returning them to the docking bay.
"With a total of six Zombies in my Graveyard," said Chelsea, "her Attack Score gets a big boost."
Penelope glowed with energy. (3,400/200)
"Please," said Adrian, closing his eyes. "She still can't destroy my Cloudian, so I'll only lose 400 Life Points. On the other hand, her Defense Score is pathetic, so when my Cloudian attacks, it's curtains for her."
"I have other plans," said Chelsea. "I play Monster Reborn!"
The holy ankh appeared.
"And I'm going to raise a Monster from your Graveyard!"
"Huh?" said Adrian, as his discard slot glowed.
Cloudian – Nimbusman appeared on Chelsea's side of the field. (1,000/1,000)
"I seriously don't get it," muttered Adrian. "How is my Nimbusman going to hurt my Typhoon?"
"I've heard the story of Penelope so many times," sighed Chelsea. "Let me tell it to you, just to enlighten you."
Adrian chuckled.
"This should be interesting…" he said.
"She was once a holy woman…" started Chelsea. "A maiden who had little, except her faith and her desire to help others. She imagined a life devoted to charity and compassion, putting the needs of others before her own.
"But fate played a cruel trick on her. One terrible night, she was ambushed by a savage vampire, who fed on her blood and drained her dry, leaving her lifeless body where it lay. And no sooner did her grieving family lie her to rest, than she rose as one of the undead herself, with the monster's voice in her ears, calling for her to join him.
"Usually, that's how it goes… A vampire's victim becomes his slave. But Penelope was able to resist the callings. She covered her ears with her hands and ran to the nearest place of worship. Only there were the monster's calls deafened by the hallowed ground.
"How she resisted, no one is sure. Some say that her faith was so great, her soul was able to fight off the darkness that tried to infect it, unlike most vampires. But she didn't know what to do.
"She did the only thing she could do… She prayed…
"And eventually, someone answered. A beautiful form came out of the darkness and touched her. The form had bad news… It could not restore her to what she once was. The dead could not be restored to life. But it told her that the seed of evil that was planted inside her could be purged if she was willing to fight the unholy spawn with all her strength. Penelope said yes, and she had a very good reason for doing so... She truly had nothing left to lose.
"The being told her how to do it, and she left the church, and was immediately beset by the calling again. She fashioned a makeshift wooden stake and found a mallet, and followed its voice. She took the monster by surprise… and silenced the voice.
"It was only the beginning. By night, she hunted for vampires and similar creatures. At every dawn, she dug herself a makeshift grave in the earth and slept, safe from the sun which was now a danger. The common folk saw her now and again. Sometimes her quarry had valuables that had been stolen from victims. She had no use for them, so she gave them to the impoverished. The common folk regarded her as a savior, and called her by many names, among them, The Lady of the Night, seeing as that was the only time they saw her.
"It's unclear how long this went on… It might have been ten years, it might have been a hundred years. But eventually, she fell asleep, and some say a hand from Heaven took her out of her grave and lifted her into the afterlife."
"Interesting bedtime reading," chuckled Adrian.
"Yes," said Chelsea, "and that's usually where the story ends. But recently, a new chapter was added that I didn't know existed.
"It is said that Penelope's influence never left the mortal world. She watches over those who would hunt the creatures of the night. Vampire hunters and others who risk even more than their lives fighting the ultimate darkness. She watches over them as their patron, even if they do not know it. And if the need is ever great enough, if the dangers of the night ever become too powerful for mortal men to handle, she will return. But if she does, she will be quite different than what she once was…
"To unleash this great power, I require Penelope, and a Fairy-Type Monster that's at least Level Five. Your Cloudian meets the requirements. Now, I remove both Monsters from play…"
Penelope and Nimbusman vanished into grains of light. A Fusion Monster card appeared in Chelsea's hand.
She threw it on her Disk.
A blinding portal of light opened behind her…
"Come forth… Penelope, the Divine Avenger!"
The figure that stepped out of the portal was Penelope, but she had indeed changed. Her long robe had been traded in for decorated plate armor, and her staff had been swapped for an ornate two-handed sword. Her long, dark hair was now tied in a long braid.
In a dramatic sweep, two huge, feathered wings sprouted from her back.
"Whoa…" muttered Ren. "She's more beautiful than ever…"
(2,800/2,500)
"Penelope has a few special abilities as well," said Chelsea. "Her Attack Score is increased by that of the Fairy-Type Monster that I used to summon her."
(3,800/2,500)
"It's still pointless!" screamed Adrian. "My Cloudian can't be…"
Then Eye of Typhoon roared, and exploded into misty residue.
"Destroyed?" asked Chelsea. "Guess again. When the Divine Avenger is summoned, one card of my choice is obliterated.
"One thing left to do…"
"Oh no…" said Adrian.
"Time to quell this storm," said Chelsea. "Attack him directly! Avenging blade!"
Penelope the Divine Avenger flew at Adrian, and he screamed as her sword cut directly down his torso. He collapsed on his back.
(C: 1,050) - - - - - - - - - - (A: 0)
Penelope vanished. Adrian groaned and got up.
"Adrian!" shouted an angry voice.
They all looked up and saw Nezbitt's face on a large screen.
"What's going on, Adrian?" demanded Nezbitt. "Quit fooling around and show them to the antechamber."
"Yes, my Lord," sneered Adrian, in a voice that was thick with sarcasm.
He deactivated his Disk.
"This way, people," he growled. "Your host is waiting…"
He started to walk towards the door.
Let them duel Nezbitt, he thought. I really don't care who wins…
In fact, maybe if Nezbitt loses, I can take over Darkspire if I strike when these fools aren't expecting it. I know how to control these idiotic Machines.
But while they're dealing with Nezbitt, Daala and I are going to have a long talk…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
"Joan," said Sheena, "there's something you have to know."
"Yes?" asked Joan.
"The man who helped me regain control of my computer," said Sheena. "He got an e-mail from Xanadu, from someone who wants to help us.
"It might be a Duel Spirit. I have no idea. It calls itself the Testament."
"The Testament?" asked Joan.
"Yeah," said Sheena. "Who is that?"
"The Testament…" repeated Joan.
She paused.
"Miss Arachne…" she said, "I'm afraid I truly have no idea…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
EXPLODER CLOUD (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: A dark cloud with lightning flashing from it.
Card Description: Destroy one Monster on the field that is in Attack Position. Then, inflict direct damage to your Life Points equal to the destroyed Monster's ATK.
Note: "Exploder Cloud" was first used by Adrian in the "Yu-Gi-Oh GX" episode "Breaking of the Sacred Seal!". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SEALER FORMATION (Spell Card)
Continuous Spell
Image: A dark man in a robe and mask, sitting in front of a talisman marked with a kanji symbol that is on fire.
Card Description: You may choose to skip your Draw Phase to instead add to your hand from your Graveyard one "Stop Defense", one "Block Attack" or any card with "Seal" in its name.
Note: "Sealer Formation" was first used by Sorano in a fourth season episode of "Yu-Gi-Oh GX". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
PENELOPE, THE DIVINE AVENGER (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fairy/Fusion/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 9
ATK: 2,800
DEF: 2,500
Card Description: "Penelope, Lady of the Night" plus one Fairy-Type Monster that is Level Five or higher
This card can only be summoned via Fusion Summon by removing from play the above-named Fusion Material Monsters on your side of the field (you do not use "Polymerization"). Increase the base ATK of this card by the base ATK of the Fairy-Type Monster used as Fusion Material to summon this card. On the round that this card is Fusion Summoned, destroy one card on the field. At the End Phase of the turn this card is summoned, return this card to your Fusion Deck.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Coming up next:
Compared to all the other fortresses you've so far seen in Xanadu, one must think that building a giant, demonic clock might seem going a bit overboard. Why would Nezbitt waste resources on such a structure? Vanity? Or is it some deeper reason? Only the members of Joan's rebellion who have gotten this far – and met with defeat – know the true reason.
Next chapter, Sam quickly learns the reason, as the Big Five's technology expert challenges her to prove that the forces of the Underworld are no match for the power of technology. Sam learns the reason Nezbitt is "The Clock King", coming up next.
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You're probably expecting a "Name that Card" right now. Well, I've got something else instead.
You all are likely wondering, what is the deal with Vita? She's shown up several times in the course of the story, usually simply as a spectator, but sometimes to help the heroes. She rarely talks, and when she does appear, she leaves as mysteriously as she comes. Daala apparently knows who she is, and doesn't like her.
I'm not going to spill her secrets right now, but she wants to help Yumi and company even more. However, to offer the most help, Yumi will eventually have to pass a test of sorts, and she can't do it alone. One of her allies will have to help her.
Who? It's up to you!
PM me which of Yumi's four partners you want to have help her in the two-part chapter in which Vita's secret is finally revealed. I'll tally up the votes, and the one with the most votes will be the one.
Votes will be counted for two weeks from this date, up until midnight. One vote per person. Only Ren, Chelsea, Sam, and Erik are eligible choices.
Remember, the fate of Xanadu may rest in this decision, and there may be unpleasant consequences for failure. Send in your votes now.