Two more cards need explaining, it seems. Poison Fang is a permanent magic card that inflicts 500 Life Point damage whenever an Animal Sub-Type does battle damage. Cleanse Magic is a trap that destroys all face-up permanent magic cards on the field, at the cost of discarding a card.
Chapter Thirteen: Submerged
"I spy, with my little eye, something red," Rue said.
"Not again!" Draken complained. "EVERYTHING in this room is red!"
"I know. Better start guessing," Rue grinned.
Draken sighed. "The walls, floor, or ceiling."
"Nope."
"Oh wow, you tried for something obscure for once. All right, let's see…"
It was a few minutes after Miles had left, and many of them were bored. Rue had especially been in a bad mood, since his worry for Claire was consuming his thoughts. So Draken had started up the game. Although he was regretting it somewhat, Rue had been successfully distracted, and Draken thought that made it worthwhile.
"They're having fun," Neo commented.
"I'm sure," Will replied, his attention on his book. He was sitting in a chair that was a pretty good distance from everyone else. The only ones nearby were Neo, Kazel, and Kisara, who was petting Kazel's head.
"Considering what we have been told, you seem as calm as ever," Kazel commented as her tail swished over the floor lightly, showing her pleasure as Kisara scratched her behind a horn.
"I already knew about Chasity," Will explained. "I had two visions before the one of Angela. The first was Hope and Max embracing each other. The second was of Chasity in the hospital."
"Have you had any others recently?" Kisara asked.
Will nodded. "One. It was of a girl typing at a computer. She wore a necklace with a silver cross."
Kazel thought over that. "You did not recognize her?"
"No, but I would if I saw her again." He returned to his reading.
Max seemed to have his mind elsewhere. Wondering what he was concentrating on, Hope said, "What are you thinking about?"
He gave her a startled look. "Oh... nothing really… I'll tell you later, all right?"
"Sure." Hope suppressed her curiosity and examined her deck while waiting.
Larka was watching Angela, who stood nearby. "Angela, what are you doing?"
"Watching for enemies. My orders are to keep the substitute safe," Angela answered.
Larka hesitated, but said, "Would you mind calling me Larka? Every time you refer to me as the substitute… well… it makes me uneasy."
"As you wish, Larka," Angela replied.
"You seem worried about something," Zack said to Larka.
"Well… I am just hoping that I can eventually get used to Angela," Larka confessed. "It feels like we are separated due to her lack of emotions, but… I would like to overcome that somehow."
Zack was not sure on how to respond to that, so he merely said, "Only time will tell."
Larka nodded. It was obvious that her mind was still on it though. Malon gave her an annoyed look and licked her across the face, telling her to pay attention to him. That caused her to laugh, breaking her out of her concerned state of mind.
"This is so boring," Mana complained.
Brandi shrugged. "Not much we can do about it." She indicated to where Will was. "You could go participate in the 'pet the dragon' activity over there."
"Very funny," Mana muttered.
Brandi's gesture had caught Draken's attention. He stared at her hand for so long that Rue impatiently said, "Your next guess?"
His mind on what he had just seen, Draken said absentmindedly, "Kazel's eyes."
Rue blinked. "Wow, you're pretty darn good! Your turn."
"Um… give me a minute, will you?" Draken got up and walked over to Brandi.
"You need something?" Brandi asked when she noticed him.
"Your ring… did Matt propose to you?" Draken asked. "You didn't have it on yesterday."
"Yes, he did," Brandi answered.
"Oh… congratulations..." Draken trailed off, thinking.
Brandi could guess what his mind was on. "Don't worry. You will know when the time is right to ask her."
"Huh?" Draken went slightly red. "What do you mean?"
"You know full-well who I am talking about." Brandi turned back to Mana to avoid embarrassing Draken further.
Everyone's individual conversations halted when Angela spoke up. "Danger detected."
"Danger?" Larka asked.
Before Angela could answer, a sudden rush of water slammed into everyone.
"What the heck?" Hope exclaimed.
Will stored his book away; it had been saved from a drenching thanks to Kazel's huge body. "A support card of some sort, I assume."
"Um, guys? We have a problem," Mana pointed out. "The water level is increasing."
Indeed it was. The water now reached their ankles and was steadily rising. It was a mere annoyance for most, but Neo looked pained by it. He leaned against his staff for support as the water got higher. Zack also seemed to be wary of the water, but was not suffering from the current amount.
"There's no outlet for the water," Max realized. "We'll be flooded if this keeps up."
"Mana, could you float over to the door and open it?" Brandi requested.
Mana sped over to the door, skimming the surface of the water, and tried to open it to no avail. "Locked!"
"How did that happen?" Rue said.
"Probably the work of a Judge," Gaston assumed.
"Angela, could you break down the door?" Larka asked.
"Yes." Angela sent forward a spear of hair, punching a hole in the door.
"That works…" Draken started to say before he noticed something. "Wait… what the…"
The door was reforming before their eyes. The hole was covered in less than a second and looked as though it had never been broken.
"A support card known as Physical Duplication was used," Angela stated. "The building will be repaired when damaged."
"So much for that idea," Rue said.
"We could teleport out if necessary," Darche suggested. "Then we could return and find Miles."
"But if this is a Judge, we might be able to finish him or her off now!" Max said.
"He has a point," Draken remarked. "We won't get very far in our fight against the Judges if we keep running from them."
"We have a problem though. Where would this Judge be?" Kazel asked.
"Probably on a higher floor," Larka said as she lifted Malon, who had been doggy-paddling to keep his head above the water.
"Then let's go up!" Rue said impatiently.
"I don't think I'll be going much of anywhere…" Neo groaned.
"The halls are too small for us," Kazel said, nodding to Tenma. "We should return to our Soul Cards until you find the Judge."
"That's fine." Max took out his card and recalled Tenma. Kisara followed his lead.
"In fact, I think we all should," Gaston said.
Malon barked in protest.
"Except for Malon," Gaston added. "It would make this quicker, especially for Neo. And most of us are wearing armor, so…"
"Good call," Hope said. The others were in agreement. Several bursts of white light occurred, leaving only Malon.
The water was now up to their knees, which made it a bit difficult to walk. They soon made it to the staircase though and went up it. The second floor was much easier to navigate, but nobody was there.
"There are five floors in all," Rue said as they ran down the hall. "I'm willing to bet that the fifth floor is what we'll need to reach."
He turned out to be correct. They passed the third and floor without incident. It was the fifth floor, the roof level, where they found their opponent.
When they emerged from the stairs, the first thing they saw was a girl in her early teens standing there. She wore a purple and orange striped, sleeveless shirt with purple shorts. Her blonde hair, tied back in a ponytail, went to her shoulder blades. Her sea-green eyes watched them eagerly as they entered.
Her Soul Monster was quite intimidating. It looked like a blue sea-serpent with a white stomach that was at least twice as tall as any of them. Upon seeing them, it hissed warningly, revealing huge, sharp, red teeth.
Everyone instantly called up their Soul Monsters as Draken said, "Are you a Judge?"
"Oooh, you catch on quick!" the girl teased. "I'm Brook, and this is my Soul Monster, a Leviathan."
"You're trying to drown us!" Neo accused.
"And you like saying things that are obvious! What's your point?" Brook asked.
"Enemy detected. Will commence attack," Angela stated as her hair rose.
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Brook exclaimed, waving her hands quickly. "Hold your fire! If you don't, you'll all die too!"
"Angela, wait," Larka said. "Don't attack yet."
"Affirmative." Angela returned to her usual stance.
Brook wiped her brow with the back of her right hand. "Whew, that was close… Anyway, if we do not do this properly, the water will kill all of you. That's the way my support cards, Water World and Physical Duplication, are set."
"We could just teleport out," Rue pointed out.
"Not if I activate a card to stop you from doing that!" Brook retorted. "Still, that means I'd die too, so I'm not particularly interested in that. Instead, I'd like to have a duel."
"A death duel?" Gaston assumed.
"Yep. The loser gets killed due to having shields off," Brook said. "If your member loses, the rest of the group dies too, because by then, the water will have reached this room. If I lose, the water stops automatically. I'll even let you choose who duels me. Sound good?"
"I vote Brandi," Rue said at once.
"What? Why me?" Brandi asked.
"Yeah, I do too," Max said with a grin.
"As do I," Will concurred.
"Me too," Hope agreed.
"Why Brandi?" Mana inquired.
"Well, she… um… hasn't dueled one yet. Yeah, that's it," Rue said quickly.
Brandi frowned. "All right then. Not sure why you all would think I'm best for this, but okay." She and Mana went in front of Brook.
Brandi: 8000
Brook: 8000
"Just because I can, I think I'll go first!" Brook said brightly. "And my first move is to play The Legendary City Atlantis!"
There were three reactions to this play. The first was with Mana. She only had enough time to furiously yell, "NOT AGAIN… AGAIN!" before being submerged by the water.
Then there was the group. They did not have enough time to react either. The wave crashed into them, sending most reeling from the force. Although they all seemed annoyed by the blow, Neo was the worst off. He leaned against a wall for support while being in the water.
Brandi's response was the most notable though. For exactly ten seconds she stood there, blinking. Several times. Too many times.
"Cover your ears," Max advised. The group took note to his suggestion and did so.
They were just in time, for Brandi exploded. "WHY? WHY DO I ALWAYS GET THE IDIOTS WITH ATLANTIS? WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY! I AM SICK AND TIRED AND DISGUSTED WITH ATLANTIS! GIVE ME SOMETHING NEW TO FACE! QUIT THROWING ATLANTIS HIPPIES AT ME BECAUSE THEY ARE TOO FREAKING ANNOYING AND STUPID! ATLANTIS AND ALL THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH IT CAN GO JUMP OFF A CLIFF AND GET IMPALED BEFORE BEING BURIED IN THE SEA THEY LOVE SO MUCH!" Brandi broke off, breathing harshly.
Mana popped her head out of the water. "Is she done?"
"No," Max answered, covering his ears once more. Mana followed his example.
Brandi began to yell again. "I LIKE THE OCEAN! I LOVE THE OCEAN! YET THIS REJECT OF A CARD HATES ME! THIS IS THE THIRD FREAKING TIME I HAVE HAD TO FREAKING DUEL FREAKING ATLANTIS! WHOEVER INVENTED THAT CARD OUGHT TO BE SHOT! SEVERAL TIMES FOR THAT MATTER! AND BE DROPPED OFF THE FACE OF THE PLANET! LET'S SEE HIM REACH HIS PRECIOUS OCEAN THEN! THAT STUPID OCEAN AND ITS STUPID RUINS WITH ITS STUPID LOST CIVILIZATION! IT WAS LOST FOR A REASON-SO IT WOULDN'T BE USED BY IDIOTS LIKE YOU!"
"Um…" Brook looked like she wanted to say something, but Brandi would have none of it.
"YOU JUST MADE THE WORST MISTAKE OF YOUR SHORTENED LIFE BY PLAYING THAT CARD! I SWEAR THAT I'LL RIP YOU AND YOUR BELOVED ATLANTIS TO SHREDS AND LEAVE YOUR REMAINS FOR SEAGULLS TO PICK AT! THAT OUGHT TO MAKE YOU HAPPY, HUH! TO BE BURIED AT THE SEA AND LOST FOREVER LIKE YOUR RETARDED CARD! AND I WILL LAUGH! LAUGH FOR A VERY VERY LONG TIME! AND FEEL NO GUILT ABOUT IT! BECAUSE YOU DESERVE TO BE DROPKICKED SO HARD THAT YOU GO STRAIGHT THROUGH HELL TO EMERGE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD SO YOU CAN DROWN!"
Brandi finally cut off, panting. Everyone stared at her.
"I think it is safe now," Max said, removing his hands.
"Oh. That is good." Larka did the same cautiously. Brandi's shouts had especially hurt her sensitive ears.
"…I do not understand," Kisara said timidly. "Why does she hate Atlantis?"
"She had to duel two duelists she disliked that used it," Will explained. "That was why I thought it would be good for her to face it again. She is more used to it than us."
"I just wanted to see her rant," Rue said, his eyes wide. "But geez! I didn't think she'd get like that!"
"That's my sister," Max said dryly.
"At least she's motivated enough to kill Brook," Draken commented.
"…Wow… I really don't know… how to respond to that…" Brook said, blinking. Even Leviathan looked stunned.
Brandi coughed a few times, and then said in a hoarse voice, "Finish your stupid turn."
"…Uh… right. I summon Death Gremlin (1600/1800) and end my turn." Brook looked relieved that Brandi had apparently gotten over her hatred for the moment.
"Time to tear you apart," Brandi growled. "I summon Kaiser Seahorse (1700/1650) and attack your Death Gremlin!"
The blast of light made Brook stagger back, her hands covering her eyes. But the damage was minimal.
Brandi: 8000
Brook: 7900
"I lay a card down. Take your turn," Brandi concluded.
Brook gazed at her hand and then hesitated before saying, "Judging by your reaction… you know what Atlantis does?"
"Damn right I do," Brandi snapped. "All of your Water Main-Types go down a level and get a stat increase of 200."
"Good, you do know. In that case, I summon Hydrogeddon!" Brook said. (1800/1200)
"Hydrogeddon? What is this, chemistry class?" Draken remarked.
Hope shuddered. "I HATED chemistry."
"Amen," Rue said, wincing.
Brook ignored them. "Hydrogeddon attacks Kaiser Seahorse!"
A strong blast of water cut through Brandi's monster, drenching her.
Brandi: 7900
Brook: 7900
"Since Hydrogeddon destroyed your monster in battle, his effect activates," Brook said. "I can special summon one Hydrogeddon from my deck. I'll bring him out in attack mode. I lay one card down and end my turn."
Brandi looked a bit uneasy at this effect. "I lay a monster down. That's it."
Brook smiled at her next card. "Perfect! I summon Oxygeddon! (1800/800) Then I play a magic card, Bonding-H2O! By sacrificing two Hydrogeddons and an Oxygeddon from my field, I can special summon Water Dragon from my hand, deck, or Cemetery! I will summon him from my hand!" (3000/2800)
Everyone stared in awe as a huge serpent emerged. Every part of its body was made from water, from its tail to its fierce jaws. Only its red eyes seemed to be an exception.
"…That has got to be the worst pun in this game. Period," Rue said.
Brook looked annoyed at his comment. "You shut up. Water Dragon is my strongest monster, and he can easily tear any opponent I face apart! This is especially helped by Leviathan's Deck Master ability. He stops all Sea Dragon Sub-Types from being destroyed in any method except battle." Brook slid a card into her Duel Disk. "Now I equip him with Meteor Strike! This causes him to do damage to your monsters in defense! He attacks!"
The Water Dragon let loose a colossal blast of water from its mouth, which obliterated the monster Brandi had.
Brandi grimaced. "My Starving Girl…" (0/100)
Brandi: 5000
Brook: 7900
"That foiled Brandi's strategy," Will observed.
"How do you figure?" Rue asked.
"She was probably assuming that Brook would try to rush her with several monsters," Will explained. "Starving Girl instantly ends a battle phase when she is destroyed in battle, so Brandi was relying on her effect to save her Life Points. But since Brook only had Water Dragon…"
"Ouch," Draken said. "That has to hurt."
Brandi did seem hurt from the attack, but she was more than ready to go on. "I summon Volt Girl (1900/800) and lay a card down. Nothing else I can do."
"I summon Gagagigo! (2050/1200) He attacks Volt Girl!" Brook declared.
"I activate my trap card, Itaqua's Gale!" Brandi retorted. "All of your monsters change battle positions. That causes both of your monsters to go into defense mode."
Brook shrugged. "Oh well. I switch my Water Dragon back to attack mode and end my turn."
"My turn to go on the offense!" Brandi said. "I'll flip over my trap card, Cry of the Living Dead, to revive my Kaiser Seahorse! His effect is that he can serve as two sacrifices when it is for a Light Main-Type monster. So I sacrifice him for Emesu the Infinity!" (2500/2000)
Brook was unimpressed by the huge machine. "That doesn't have enough power to destroy my Water Dragon."
"He is about to have enough," Brandi replied. "I attack Gagagigo with Emesu!"
"I might as well activate this now," Brook said. "It's my Tornado Wall. As long as Atlantis is on the field, your attacks will not do damage to my Life Points."
"Doesn't matter." The Emesu hacked through the water barrier and cut through Gagagigo with its sword. The sword glowed and grew larger. "My Emesu's effect still activates. When he kills a monster, his attack rises by 700." (3200/2000)
"Oh drat," Brook said, although she did not seem as concerned as one would think. "Is it my turn?"
"After I lay down a card," Brandi answered.
Brook looked at her drawn card and shook her head. "I attack Volt Girl with Water Dragon!"
"I'll stop you with Emissary of Harmony," Brandi said. "It causes your attacks to do no damage this turn."
"In that case, I have to end…" Brook sighed.
"Then I am going to launch a full-force attack," Brandi announced. "I summon Asura. (1700/1200) Next I play Cyclone, destroying Atlantis! (2800/2600) Your Tornado Wall should also be gone from that, right?"
"Yes…"
Brandi was happier now that the room was not filled with water anymore. "Good. Emesu attacks your Water Dragon!" The mighty sword cleaved the Water Dragon in two, and grew even larger. (3900/2000)
"Since you destroyed my Water Dragon, his effect activates," Brook stated. "I get to special summon two Hydrogeddons and an Oxygeddon from my Cemetery." (1600/1000) (1800/800)
"Not a problem," Brandi said. "Volt Girl attacks Oxygeddon, and Asura attacks both your Hydrogeddons!"
"What? You can't do that!" Brook protested. Yet the Asura threw swords at her Hydrogeddons, cutting them apart effortlessly.
"Asura can attack all monsters on your side of the field," Brandi informed her. "I end my turn, and Asura returns to my hand. That is because he is a Spirit monster."
Brandi: 5000
Brook: 7200
"Looks like she took a few ideas from her mother," Gaston remarked.
"Oh yeah… Abby does use Spirits," Hope recalled. "It's been so long since we saw her play."
Brook seemed satisfied with her draw. "I play a magic card, Jar of Covetousness. It causes me to take five monster cards from my Cemetery and shuffle them into my deck. Then I draw two cards." Once she had done that, she said, "I lay a monster in defense mode and end my turn."
"I summon Asura again," Brandi said. "She attacks your defense monster."
"My Saint Magician. (300/400) I retrieve Bonding-H2O from my Cemetery with her effect," Brook decided.
"Volt Girl and Emesu attack directly!"
The two attacks hit Brook severely. She had to lean against Leviathan before she could stand up straight again.
Brandi: 5000
Brook: 1400
"That may have hurt… but I'm not done yet!" Brook declared. "I'm going to win this, to make sure Teknisk Wereld is wiped away completely!"
"Why do you want Teknisk Wereld to be destroyed?" Larka asked.
Brook looked away. "My sister… she died in it. It was when the world first came into existence. They promised it was safe, that death couldn't occur, yet she drowned in the lake…"
"The lake is one of the most unstable areas in Teknisk Wereld, from what I can tell," Will stated. "I can see why that might occur."
"That is why I use this deck," Brook said. "To remember how she died, and why Teknisk Wereld has to be destroyed! So that there are no other victims like her! I summon Oxygeddon and lay a card down!"
"I'm sorry that you lost your sister, but that is not a good enough reason to delete this world!" Brandi said. "I attack Oxygeddon with Emesu!"
"I activate Holy Barrier-Mirror Force!" Brook countered. "It negates your attack and destroys both of your attack mode monsters."
"I was worried it might be something like that, hence why I did not summon yet. I place a monster down and end my turn," Brandi concluded.
"Oxygeddon will attack the monster you set," Brook said.
"It is my Compassionate Nun." (850/2000)
Brandi: 5000
Brook: 1200
Brook shrugged again. "No big deal. I set my own monster. Go ahead."
"All I'm going to do is lay another monster," Brandi said.
"You're all but finished!" Brook declared. "I summon Hydrogeddon and flip over my other one! Then I play Bonding-H2O to special summon Water Dragon from my deck!"
"Unless you have another Meteor Strike, you can't hurt me this turn," Brandi said.
"Next turn will be different," Brook promised. "I attack your face-down monster."
"My Asura is destroyed."
"Then that's all for me."
Brandi grimaced at her hand. "I lay a monster and end my turn."
"I've got you now!" Brook announced. "I sacrifice both of your monsters to special summon Lava Golem!" (3000/2500)
Brandi found herself trapped in the fiery cage the Lava Golem held. "Now I know how Max felt. But why do that? Lava Golem is strong enough to destroy Water Dragon."
"Actually, he is nowhere near strong enough to destroy Water Dragon," Brook corrected her. "Water Dragon's effect causes all Fire Main-Types and Fire Sub-Types to have an attack power of zero. (0/2500) Water Dragon attacks Lava Golem!"
The blast of water effortlessly destroyed the Lava Golem, causing Brandi to fall to the floor. She managed to land on her feet, although it was close; the attack had weakened her greatly.
Brandi: 2200
Brook: 1200
"Not a bad combo," Brandi said as she drew. "But I'm still going to win. I play Early Burial on Emesu. It costs me 800 Life Points…" Brandi winced as she felt her energy being sapped. "But it also special summons a monster from the Cemetery in attack mode." (2500/2000)
Brand: 1400
Brook: 1200
"He can't power up in time to destroy Water Dragon," Brook said.
"You're right," Brandi confirmed. "That's why I'm going to sacrifice him for Kaiser Glider!" (2400/2200)
"That's even weaker!" Brook pointed out.
"Yep. I lay a card down and end my turn."
Brook eyed her suspiciously, but apparently decided that the potential gain outweighed the dangers. "I equip Scroll of Illusions on Kaiser Glider! It allows me to choose a Main-Type, and the equipped monster changes to that Main-Type! Obviously, I'm going to pick Fire! (0/2200) Water Dragon attacks!"
"I'll activate my trap card, Spirit Barrier!" Brandi retorted. "I take no damage when I have a monster on the field!"
"Big deal. Your monster is still destroyed!" The Water Dragon's attack slaughtered the Kaiser Glider, while the Spirit Barrier stopped the attack from reaching Brandi.
"And that's exactly what I wanted," Brandi said with a grin. "My Kaiser Glider's effect activates. If he is destroyed and sent to the Cemetery, a monster on the field is returned to its owner's hand! So your Water Dragon is gone!"
"But that means that I don't even get to special summon my Hydrogeddons or my Oxygeddon!" Brook realized.
"That's right. Going to do anything else?" Brandi inquired.
"I… I can't…" Brook said. For the first time in the whole duel, she seemed truly worried about her position.
Brandi drew and glared at her hand. "I'm so close to winning… but I have no monsters…"
"Wait!" Mana exclaimed. "We don't have to rely on a draw. I can use my Deck Master ability!"
"Did it change?" Brandi asked.
"Yep! You remove any amount of monsters from the game to draw cards equal to the number you removed," Mana explained. "You have to skip Draw Phases equal to half the amount removed, but that shouldn't matter in this case. Up for it?"
"You bet! I'm going to remove Kaiser Seahorse, Starving Girl, Volt Girl, Asura, Compassionate Nun, Emesu, and Kaiser Glider to draw seven cards! I'll definitely get a monster in that!" Brandi drew the seven cards and smiled. "That was more than enough! I summon Otohime!" (0/100)
"Are you kidding me?" Brook said in disbelief.
"Nope. I equip her with Power of Magicians, raising her stats by 500 for every magic or trap card on my field," Brandi said. "I lay three more cards down, filling up my slots. Then I play Shine Spark, raising all of my Light Main-Type monsters' attack power by 500 and lowering their defense by 400. (3500/3200) She attacks, finishing you!"
The Otohime leapt forward, spinning in the air before planting a solid kick into Brook's chest. A sharp crack sounded, and Brook fell to the ground, dead. Leviathan vanished at once.
Brandi: 1400
Brook: 0
"Good job," Hope said to Brandi.
Brandi glared at her, Rue, Max, and Will. "You all knew she would use Atlantis, I assume."
"Yeah, pretty much," Max replied.
"I hate you all," she grumbled.
Kisara gazed at Brook's corpse sadly. "She only did what she thought was best…"
"But she was going about it the wrong way," Draken said. "We can't do anything to change that."
Kisara only gave a small nod in response.
Zack had been looking down the stairs. "I see no traces of water. She was most likely telling the truth when she said her support cards would go out of effect if she was defeated."
"Let's go back down then," Hope said. "Maybe the door will be unlocked."
To be continued…