I will give extra brownie points to anyone who can tell me where I got the name of the duelist in this chapter from.
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CHAPTER FORTY
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Dream Demon
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Ren versus the High Priestess
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It was ten PM.
Olga lay on her bed, looking at the ceiling.
She sat up, and picked up a deck. She picked up the top three cards.
They were her three stars: Benten, Idaten, and Dakini.
She looked at them sadly…
She remembered a duel that had happened just four months ago…
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Olga was in a London pub, in the middle of a very serious duel. When this duel had started, everyone in the pub had placed bets against her, thinking it would be easy money…
Now, they were upset, because they were going to lose what they had wagered. The only happy people in this pub were the bartender (who had taken the wagers) and Olga.
Who would have bet against Olga's opponents? She was opposing three duelists at once!
But now, she clearly had the advantage. All three of the Cyber Angel sisters were on her side of the field, and her opponents, three thugs in cheap, off-the-rack suits, had nothing.
"So…" said Olga, crossing her arms. "You three goons were having so much fun a while ago when I said I'd duel you all at once… Taunting me, mocking me, laughing at me… Well, it's funny… I don't see any of you laughing NOW!"
"Lady, please!" begged one of the thugs.
"Eddington doesn't pay us enough for this!" pleaded another one.
"He's not gonna pay us at all once he finds out we screwed this up…" said the third. "Can we just say we're sorry?"
"No!" shouted Olga, drawing a card. "Now, here's a message to give that greedy magistrate from Rasputin. When he reads the will tomorrow, it had better be the actual, true will, and not the one he forged. Otherwise, Rasputin will be coming after him personally…
"And he is not as merciful as I am.
"Ladies… Attack them directly!"
The three Cyber Angels charged…
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Olga looked at the three cards. She could swear that their usual fierce expressions had been replaced by sad ones…
They knew…
"I'm… I'm sorry…" she whispered. "It's been great, really it has… All the duels… But I have to move on…
"Hey, it isn't the end… If anyone wants to duel me for fun, I'll bring you out again…
"But I can't use you for any serious duels any more… I have to grow stronger…
"It's hard for me too, I know…"
She shuffled them into the deck. Then she placed it in a deck case, and placed it in her duffle bag.
She lay on her bed, and a tear fell down her face…
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Rasputin had to hand it to Sheena. The VIP suites at the Coliseum were something else. They even had a small kitchen, with a refrigerator and a range.
As Louis snored loudly in the bedroom (Rasputin had no need for a bed, since he didn't sleep) Rasputin stirred something in a saucepan over the range.
He hadn't been telling the whole truth when he had told Yumi that alchemic formulas couldn't be cooked up over the kitchen stove. Sure, the most powerful ones couldn't, but if you were good at it, you could do so with some formulas… And he had centuries to become good at it.
He carefully added a few powders and liquids to it, as it came to a full boil.
Being CEO of a chemical company helped him a good deal, but a lot of these chemicals were rather easy to get. In an age and time where the supernatural wasn't usually believed, an alchemist could often find powerful – and dangerous – stuff as close as the corner grocery store.
He heard a sound and turned around. Nicholas wandered into the room.
"What are you doing here?" asked Rasputin.
"Eh, I came to get back my Tylenol," said Nicholas. "You really should start bringing your own… Why are you up?"
He paused.
"Oh, right, you're always up… I keep forgetting."
He looked at the stove.
"Ho boy…" he muttered, turning to the suitcase where the pills were. "The old double, double, toil and trouble stuff, huh?"
"Make yourself useful and bring me the deck of cards that's in the green case," replied Rasputin.
Nicholas shrugged, and did so.
Rasputin took the cards out and looked at the deck.
"I used this deck in one duel…" he muttered. "Even though I won, I never will again… These cards even scared me…
"Pegasus's brat of a daughter may never have lost a duel until Yumi's father faced her in mortal combat… But she clearly never faced a duelist with this deck. If she had, she'd have done one of two things…
"Fallen on her knees and pleaded for mercy…
"Or had a heart attack and died on the spot."
"What are you up to?" asked Nicholas. "Now you're scaring me!"
Rasputin placed the deck by the concoction that was boiling. He took a vial of liquid, and added it.
A cloud of purple smoke rose out of the pan…
Two eyes appeared in the smoke. Then it formed claws. It glared at Rasputin.
"You know what to do," said Rasputin to the thing.
The smoke creature turned to the deck of cards, and it vanished. Then the smoke creature vanished.
"What was that?" shouted Nicholas.
"A feyr," replied Rasputin. "A type of urban demon. It feeds on negative emotions.
"While it can feed on emotions like hate, sadness, anger, and doubt, it can't create those emotions in humans…
"But it is very good at creating fear, given help.
"And with the help I gave it, dear Ren will not be sleeping too well in a few minutes."
Nicholas started to chuckle.
"What's so funny?" asked Rasputin, annoyed.
"Not gonna work, pal," replied Nicholas.
"Why not?" said Rasputin, more annoyed.
"Don't you ever watch movies?" asked Nicholas. "This happens all the time… The villain uses a plot to assault the hero, preying on his fears… But the plot always backfires and has the opposite result. The hero overcomes his fear, and escapes the situation stronger for the experience."
Rasputin frowned.
"This isn't a movie, Nicholas," he said. "And it won't be just a nightmare…
"This will be an actual duel, with lethal stakes. Ren will die if he loses this challenge…
"When he wakes up, he'll be a quivering, cowering shell of the duelist he once was… We won't have to win the Horn of Chance from him… He won't want it any more."
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At the moment, Ren was sleeping soundly.
The atmosphere in the room changed. He frowned.
The feyr silently crept behind him, and its spectral claws reached forward, clasping around his neck.
Ren squirmed a little…
His eyes shot open.
He looked around.
"What?" he said out loud. "Where the heck am I?"
He looked around.
He was in some dungeon corridor. Torches dimly lit the pathway ahead, into darkness.
He looked at himself. He was wearing his street clothes, and his Duel Disk was on his arm.
The Horn of Chance was around his shoulder too.
"What is this…" he muttered. "I'll bet this is some Rasputin trick…
"Real sporting of you, Rasputin… Kidnapping me in my sleep…"
He took his deck from his Disk and quickly looked through it.
All his cards were there, fortunately, including the new additions he had made to the deck.
"I'll be worried later…" he muttered. "Right now, I'm really mad…"
He trudged forward.
He didn't have far to go. The corridor ended at a stone door. He merely touched it, and it opened.
"My spider-sense tells me that I'm walking into something…" he muttered.
He looked at the doorway…
"Well, it would… If I had a spider-sense, which I don't…"
He walked through, and the door slammed shut behind him, as he expected it to.
He looked around.
He was in a large chamber that looked like a temple of some sort. On the far end…
He gulped. On the far end was what looked like a throne carved in the shape of a cobra.
There was a large pit in the floor between him and the throne, and a narrow bridge leading across it.
Ren approached the pit and looked down. Something was moving down there…
He took a torch of the wall, and tossed it down into the pit.
He leapt back as he saw what the things were, and heard angry hissing noises.
"Snakes…" he muttered. "Why did it have to be snakes…"
He slowly looked into the pit again.
"Asps…" he said with a shudder. "Very dangerous…"
He paused. He looked at the bridge.
"Right…" he said. "Like I'm gonna fall for that."
He wasn't about to cross that bridge. He was certain that it was a booby trap that would unhinge it and dump him into that snake pit…
"Welcome," said a woman's voice.
Ren looked up.
Sitting on that throne (and clearly not there before) was a woman who looked evil and sexy at the same time. Her dress consisted of a bikini top made of metal, a long skirt, a headdress shaped like a cobra's hood, and a green cape.
She looked at Ren in the same way a boa constrictor looked at a bird.
"Who are you?" asked Ren. "Where am I? How did I get here?"
"So many questions…" said the strange woman. "I am Nagaina, high priestess of Vennominaga. This is the Shrine of Vennominaga. And I brought you here."
"Who's Vennominaga?" asked Ren.
"She's the goddess you will be sacrificed to," was the reply.
Ren gulped and took a step back.
"Look, I'll just…" he said.
"Quiet!" shouted Nagaina.
She stood up.
"Begin the ceremony…"
She raised her arm, and a Duel Disk appeared on her arm. It was a nasty-looking thing with spokes in its tray, and the deck holder was shaped like a serpent's mouth.
"You want to duel me?" asked Ren.
She nodded.
"Only in such a battle can Vennominaga be summoned to this place," she replied.
"What if I win?" asked Ren.
Nagaina grinned.
"Well…" she chuckled. "If that should happen, you're free to go… But trust me… It won't."
How do I get into these messes? thought Ren.
"Suppose I just refuse?" he asked.
Nagaina frowned.
"You were absolutely right in assuming that the bridge could be unhinged if you walked on it," she replied, "and that isn't the only lethal trap in this room. For all you know, you could be standing on one right now…"
"All right, all right!" shouted Ren. "I'll duel you…"
How hard could it be? he thought. I made the finals, after all…
The two Disks activated.
"Begin…" said Nagaina.
(Ren: 8,000) -------------------- (Nagaina: 8,000)
"I'm all about this!" shouted Ren. "Draw!"
He drew a card.
"Getsu Fuhma, go!"
He played a card, and in a burst of darkness, the redheaded ronin appeared, brandishing her sword. (1,700/1,200)
"End turn…" he said.
Nagaina drew a card.
"I play Venom Swamp," she said.
A Field Slot on her Disk flicked open, and she placed a card in it.
Haze started to rise from the floor of the temple, and it got darker. Ren stepped back nervously, as stagnant water formed up to his knees, and trees full of creepers and vines rose around him. Getsu Fuhma looked just as nervous.
Ren held his throat for a second… There was something in the air… Something bad…
"What does your Field Spell do?" he asked.
"It causes misery and pain," said Nagaina, with a chuckle. "This foreboding cypress swamp is so choked with poisons, that merely entering can be deadly for most forms of life.
"At every End Phase of every turn, yours and mine, all Monsters on the field gain something called a Venom Counter, which deducts 500 from their Attack Scores. Naturally, the native creatures of this swamp, which is any Monster with the word 'Venom' in its name, is immune to this effect.
"So… I'll summon Venom Snake in Attack Mode."
The swamp water in front of her bubbled, and a large snake, resembling a type of coral snake or copperhead, emerged from below. (1,200/600)
Ren took a step back, nearly falling over.
He took some deep breaths.
Get a grip, Ren! he thought. That's a weak Monster… It can't beat Getsu…
"Now I activate Venom Snake's effect," said Nagaina. "If I don't attack with it this round, I can put a Venom Counter on one of your Monsters now."
Venom Snake spit at Getsu Fuhma, and she screamed as a small snake made of dark liquid coiled around her arm. Then she screamed again as it sank its fangs into her arm. She groaned, as her Attack Score fell to 1,200.
"I place three of my cards facedown on the field," said Nagaina, as three facedown cards appeared behind Venom Snake. "And I end my turn, which means my Field Spell's effect activates."
Getsu Fuhma gasped as another snake coiled around her leg. She hollered again as it bit her too. She clutched her stomach, and looked truly sick. Her Attack Score fell again, this time to 700.
This is crazy… thought Ren. So long as this Field is in play, my Monsters will just get weaker.
He drew a card.
His eyes opened. It was a Trap Card, one of the new additions to his deck.
He placed it in his Disk.
"One card facedown," he said, as it appeared on the field. "Then, I sacrifice Getsu Fuhma…"
Getsu vanished in a blur of darkness…
"To summon Penumbral Soldier Lady!"
Penumbral Soldier Lady rose up onto the field, holding her longsword aloft. (2,100/1,400)
Those facedown cards worry me, he thought, but that… Snake worries me even more…
I'm gonna go for it…
"Penumbral Soldier Lady… Attack the Venom Snake with sword of shadows!"
The Warrior lifted her blade.
"I activate… Rush Recklessly!" shouted Nagaina, as one of her facedown cards lifted.
"HA!" laughed Ren. "Sorry… That won't make your Snake strong enough to beat my Monster."
"Whoever said I was using it on my Monster?" asked Nagaina. "I'm using it on yours."
Penumbral Soldier Lady's Attack Score rose to 2,800. She continued her attack, and cleaved the Venom Snake in two. Nagaina cringed.
(R: 8,000) -------------------- (N: 6,400)
"What in the name of…" gasped Ren. "Why did you…"
Then he noticed that another of Nagaina's facedown cards had been activated.
"Huh?" he said. "Damage Reptile? What the heck is that?"
"I can use the effect of this Trap whenever I take damage from a battle involving a Reptile-Type Monster," said Nagaina. "When that happens, I get to summon a new one from my deck, so long as its Attack Score is equal to or less than the amount of damage I receive."
So that's why she purposely increased my Monster's Attack Score… thought Ren. So she could summon something more powerful…
"Since I lost 1,600 Life Points, I can now summon Venom Boa," said Nagaina.
Another snake burst out of the swamp. This one was larger and thicker than Venom Snake, had grey scales, and three eyes. (1,600/1,200)
"And now I activate my other Trap," continued Nagaina, as her last facedown card lifted. "Snake Whistle. Since one of my Reptile Monsters was destroyed, I can summon another one from my deck, so long as it's Level Four or less.
"And I choose to summon Venom Serpent."
Yet another snake emerged from the murky water, this one with green scales and two heads. (1,000/800)
Ren shivered at the sight of the two snakes…
"By the way, Ren…" said Nagaina, "Damage Reptile is a Continuous Trap. I can use its effect once per round, so long as I take battle damage."
Ren nervously looked at the cards remaining in his hand.
"I… have to end my turn…" he muttered.
"And that means my Swamp's effect activates," said Nagaina.
Penumbral Soldier Lady gasped as another snake appeared on her arm. It bit her, and her Attack Score fell to 1,600.
Nagaina grinned, and drew a card.
"I activate the effect of Venom Serpent," she said, "which like Venom Snake, lets me put a Venom Counter on your Monster…"
The two-headed Serpent spit at Penumbral Soldier Lady, and she shrieked. This time a snake appeared on her neck, and sank its fangs into her flesh. Her Attack Score fell further, to 1,100.
"Now I activate Venom Boa's effect," she continued. "It can put two Venom Counters on your Monster."
Venom Boa spit a cloud of green gas, and Soldier Lady truly screamed. Two more snakes, one on each leg, appeared and savagely bit her. She fell to her knees, and her Attack Score fell to only 100.
"Now the ceremony truly starts…" said Nagaina. "I sacrifice both my Monsters…"
Venom Boa and Venom Serpent turned into globs of vile water, and then evaporated.
A double sacrifice? thought Ren, in horror. Something tells me I'm not gonna like this…
"And I summon… Vennominon, the King of Poisonous Snakes!"
Ren stood back, as a huge, intimidating form rose out of the Venom Swamp. It combined the worst aspects of snake and man, with swarming snakes for arms, and a snaky trunk in place of legs. It wore a long, flowing cape, and its serpentine head was crowned by a golden hood shaped like a cobra. (0/0)
I was right… thought Ren. I don't like it at all…
He looked at it nervously… Then he noticed that it had zero Attack Points.
"Uh…" he muttered.
"I know what you're thinking," said Nagaina. "Vennominon gains 500 Attack Points for every Reptile in my Graveyard. And I have three of them there right now…"
(1,500/0)
"Soon to be more. I play Venom Shot."
She played a Spell Card.
"To play this card, I have to discard from my deck one Reptile-Type Monster," she said, looking at the cards in her deck. "So I'll get rid of one Gagagigo."
She discarded the card.
"This, of course, makes Vennominon even stronger…"
Vennominon glowed… (2,000/0)
"And Venom Shot also lets me put two more Venom Counters on your Monster."
Vennominon spit a stream of poison at Penumbral Soldier Lady with the force of a hose, drenching her. Two more snakes appeared on her shoulders, and she couldn't resist any more as their fangs stabbed into her skin. She bowed her head limply, as her Attack Score slowly fell to nothing…
"And I forgot to mention…" continued Nagaina. "If a Monster's Attack Score falls to zero due to Venom Counters, it dies."
Penumbral Soldier Lady collapsed face-first, and then burst into pixels.
"No…" muttered Ren.
He looked at Nagaina with anger.
"You sadistic…" he snarled. "What sort of person are you to kill using poison?"
"You're about to see firsthand," replied Nagaina. "Vennominon… Attack him directly with fang venom!"
Ren gasped…
Then he remembered his Trap Card…
Blasts of black venom shot from the snakes forming Vennominon's arms, and Ren screamed…
He panted for breath…
(R: 10,000) -------------------- (N: 6,400)
"WHAT?" shouted Nagaina. "Your Life Points went UP?"
Then she noticed Ren's activated Trap Card.
"Nutrient Z?" she shouted.
"Good for what ails ya…" said Ren, still sweating. "Including snakebite, apparently. Since your attack was just enough to do 2,000 points of damage, I gained 4,000 right before it hit."
"Humph," said Nagaina. "Seems you're better than I thought… It's your move…"
Ren drew a card.
"I place a Monster in Defense Mode," he said, as a facedown Monster appeared. "And I'm guessing your Swamp can't do anything to facedown Monsters."
"You'd be right…" muttered Nagaina. "Is that all?"
"Mmm…" muttered Ren.
Nagaina drew.
"Well, I have no choice…" she said. "I play Card of Sanctity."
She played the card, and a bright light flashed over Venom Swamp, and coins fell into the murky water.
She drew five cards, and Ren drew three. She looked over her hand.
"Vennominon, attack!" she shouted. "Fang venom!"
The cloud of poison shot at Ren's facedown Monster. Familiar Knight appeared on the card, and he was eroded into dust.
"I activate Familiar Knight's ability!" shouted Ren. "We can each Special Summon a Level Four Monster."
"I don't have one!" growled Nagaina.
"Well I have one…" replied Ren. "Go, Zombyra the Dark!"
In a burst of darkness, Zombyra flew out onto the field. (2,100/500)
"I end my turn," said Nagaina. "And Zombyra becomes the next victim of my Swamp."
A snake coiled around Zombyra's arm and bit him on the wrist. He groaned, and fell to an Attack of 1,600.
Ren drew a card.
"But not for long," he replied.
"First, I play Graceful Charity…"
Trying to hide how nervous he was, he played the card. The angel appeared in front of him…
The angel looked at him with a look of concern. To his surprise, she gently embraced him.
He closed his eyes. His courage slowly started to return…
As she vanished, he drew three cards. He looked them over and then discarded two.
"Time to dry up your Swamp," he said. "I play Mystic Plasma Zone!"
He placed a card in his Field Slot, and the swamp waters receded, the trees crumbling to dust. The uncanny darkness of the Zone hung over the arena, and Zombyra rose back to his base stats of (2,100/500), then changed to (2,600/400)
"HA, HA, HA!" laughed Nagaina. "You took away one of my advantages just to give me another! Vennominon is also a Dark Monster!"
Vennominon rose to (2,500/0)
"We'll soon see…" said Ren. "Next… I play Premature Burial, to bring back Penumbral Soldier Lady…"
Penumbral Soldier Lady appeared on the field, now looking as healthy as she ever was, maybe even more so, now that the nourishing darkness was overhead. (2,100/1,400) –) (2,600/900)
"And next…" continued Ren. "I sacrifice Zombyra, to summon The Fiend Megacyber."
Zombyra vanished, and the armored, cybernetic Warrior arose, sparking with energy. (2,200/1,200) –) (2,700/800)
"Time to stomp your snake!" he shouted. "Penumbral Soldier Lady, attack Vennominon with sword of shadows!"
Penumbral Soldier Lady needed no encouragement. She angrily charged at the snake monarch, slamming her sword into it, and blasting it into pixels.
(R: 9,200) -------------------- (N: 6,300)
"Very clever…" said Nagaina. "Unfortunately, that was pointless…
"First, I'll activate the effect of Damage Reptile."
"What?" said Ren. "But… You only lost 100 Life Points…"
"Well then…" replied Nagaina. "I'll just have to summon a Reptile with only 100 Attack Points. Venom Cobra, in Defense Mode."
In a burst of energy, a large, stony cobra appeared, curling up in its coils. (100/2,000)
"Next…" she said, "I activate Vennominon's second effect. You see, for a small sacrifice, he can survive any battle.
"I merely need to remove from play one of his loyal subjects in my Graveyard, and his majesty makes a full recovery."
She held up the Gagagigo card, and it melted like glowing acid. In a burst of dark energy, Vennominon reappeared, crouching in Defense Mode. (1,500/0) –) (2,000/0)
"I still have one more attack!" shouted Ren. "And in case you didn't notice, your King has zero Defense Points. Fiend Megacyber… Attack Vennominon again!"
The Fiend Megacyber leapt at the royal serpent, and with one slash, tore it in half.
The Venom Snake slipped out of Nagaina's discard slot, and Vennominon reappeared again. (1,000/0) –) (1,500/0)
"It's pointless, Ren…" she said. "So long as my Graveyard has Reptiles in it, Vennominon will never be defeated."
"Yeah, but it gets weaker each time, you notice," said Ren. "Right now, it isn't strong enough to defeat either of my Warriors."
He placed a card in his Disk.
"I'll set a card facedown and end my turn."
A facedown card appeared.
Nagaina drew a card.
"I move Vennominon back to Attack Mode…" she said.
The King of Poisonous Snakes stood up.
"Now…" she said, "I cast Snake Rain!"
"Snake Rain?" gasped Ren. "I don't like the sound of that…"
"It's powerful Spell…" said Nagaina, playing the card. "I toss one card from my hand…"
She discarded Sebek's Blessing.
"And then I get to discard four Reptiles from my deck."
She took four cards from her deck, and held them up: one Venom Boa, two Venom Snakes, and one Gagagigo. A black fire surrounded them and consumed them.
Vennominon glowed with dark energy, and rose to an Attack of 3,500.
"Vennominon… Kill the Penumbral Soldier Lady again!"
Vennominon shot its fang venom at the Warrior, and she screamed again. She was blown into pixilated remains. Ren shielded himself.
(R: 8,300) -------------------- (N: 6,300)
Ren took some deep, gasping breaths…
He drew a card…
"I play… Monster Reborn!" he shouted.
In a fiery flash, the golden ankh appeared on the field.
"Crescent Moon Queen, arise!"
The sliver of a crescent moon cast its glow in the darkness of the Mystic Plasma Zone, and the mighty Queen stepped out, brandishing her powerful scimitars. (2,600/1,700) –) (3,100/1,300)
"She was never in your Graveyard…" muttered Nagaina.
"I played Graceful Charity, remember?" said Ren.
"So you did…" replied Nagaina. "But she still falls short of being strong enough to defeat Vennominon…"
Ren gestured, and his facedown card lifted.
"I activate my own Rush Recklessly!" he shouted.
Crescent Moon Queen glowed, and her attack rose to 3,800.
"Queen, attack Vennominon! Crescent sword slash!"
The dark queen lunged at the King of Poisonous Snakes, splitting it down the middle. The two pieces burst into shards.
"I use the effect of Damage Reptile!" shouted Nagaina. "I'll summon a second Venom Cobra in Defense Mode!"
Another Venom Cobra appeared, right next to the first. (100/2,000)
"Then I'll remove one Venom Boa from play, to raise Vennominon from the grave…"
Vennominon appeared again, crouching in Defense Mode. (3,000/0)
"But my Queen has another attack," said Ren. "Queen, destroy it again!"
Crescent Moon Queen slashed with her other sword, smashing Vennominon to pieces again.
"I remove a second Venom Snake from play," said Nagaina, "and once again…"
Vennominon returned, in Defense Mode again. (2,500/0)
Man, I never thought I'd envy Sam's Deck… thought Ren, but Ha Des is someone who'd be very useful right about now…
Crescent Moon Queen crouched in Defense Mode.
"Fiend Megacyber, your turn," said Ren. "Mega slash!"
The Megacyber made a slash at the creature, and it was blasted to bits for a third time.
Nagaina smirked, and the second Gagagigo slipped out of her discard slot. Vennominon rose up again. (2,000/0)
"You don't know when to quit, do you?" asked Ren. "Fine… I end my turn…"
The sooner this is over with the better… he thought. Man… I hate snakes!
(R: 8,300) -------------------- (N: 6,000)
Nagaina drew a card.
"I play my… Pot of Greed," she said, playing the card.
The image of the Pot of Greed was never pleasant to look at… But somehow, it looked even more sinister this time…
Nagaina drew two cards.
Vennominon stepped up, moving to Attack Mode…
"I play The Cheerful Coffin," said Nagaina, playing a card.
An ominous form rose behind her. It was an undertaker in a formal suit and a stovepipe hat, hefting a large coffin.
"Now I can discard up to three Monsters from my hand," she said. "But I only have two…"
She held up a Cobra Jar, and a Cobraman Sazuky and they vanished in a burst of black flames.
Vennominon glowed again… (3,000/0)
Man… thought Ren. If she keeps pitching her Monsters into her Graveyard, she's not going to have any left in her deck!
"Vennominon…" she ordered. "Attack his Fiend Megacyber."
Ren gave a look of shock…
Vennominon blasted its venom, and The Fiend Megacyber groaned before it shattered into bits.
(R: 8,000) -------------------- (N: 6,000)
Why the heck did she do THAT? thought Ren. She could clearly see that my Queen was in Defense Mode, and her Defense Points were much lower than her Attack Points! So why didn't she attack her? She was more dangerous than my Megacyber…
Nagaina fit a card into her Disk, and a facedown card appeared.
"I end my turn…" she said.
Ren drew. He nervously looked at the facedown card.
It's probably some Monster-destroying Trap… he thought.
He looked at the card he had just drawn.
He grinned. It was his own Monster-destroying Trap, Sakuretsu Armor.
Even if her Trap Card does destroy my Queen, I can take out Vennominon for good with this… he thought. She said it can only come back if destroyed in battle…
"I move my Queen to Attack Mode…" he said.
Crescent Moon Queen stood up…
"Attack!" he shouted.
The Queen lunged at the evil King, and with one slash of her sword, it was cut down.
She survived? thought Ren.
"Well, Nagaina…" said Ren, "by all means, bring him back… I'd love to kill him again…"
"No…" said Nagaina with an evil smile.
Ren stopped short.
"No?" he asked. "You… can't?"
"I could," replied Nagaina. "But this time I choose not to. It is time to truly start the ceremony of sacrifice. It is time for Vennominaga to arrive."
"WAIT!" shouted Ren. "But… You haven't beaten me yet! This duel isn't over!"
"The duel doesn't have to end, Ren," said Nagaina. "She comes during the duel, not after it. And she is the one who will defeat you, personally."
Her facedown card lifted.
"I activate the Trap Card, Rise of the Snake Deity. I can only activate this if Vennominon is destroyed.
"Now… Arise great Lady of Poison…"
The air turned thick and hot, and the dark Field got even darker. A shadowy form started to rise on Nagaina's side of the field…
Ren could feel it… An aura of great evil was approaching…
Two eyes flashed in the darkness, and finally, the whole creature slithered out…
Ren could see her, all twelve feet tall and thirty feet long of her. It resembled a woman only in basic outline, with a woman's torso and head – with a mass of swarming snakes for hair… But her arms were two huge, think venomous serpents, and in place of legs, she had a long, snaky tail that was curled up in coils.
She grinned at Ren, showing fangs, and her reptilian eyes glowed… (0/0)
Ren shivered. He couldn't believe it…
It was the snake goddess from his nightmare…
"Like Vennominon before her," said Nagaina, "Vennominaga's Attack Score becomes 500 for each Reptile in my Graveyard. And with the recent addition of Vennominon, I have seven right now…"
(3,500/0)
Ren's hand trembled as he placed the Sakuretsu Armor card in his Disk, and it appeared on the field.
"I… I end my turn…" he stuttered.
"I draw one card…" said Nagaina, drawing.
She looked at it.
"Vennominaga…" she ordered, "show his Warrior who the true Queen is!"
The snake goddess lunged at the Warrior, with a serpent-arm thrust forward…
"GO! Sakuretsu Armor!" shouted Ren, as his Trap Card flipped up.
Unfortunately, Vennominaga wasn't impressed in the least. The fangs from her arm clasped around Crescent Moon Queen's waist, and the Queen let out a scream of agony as the jaws squeezed.
Vennominaga grinned as her foe burst into triangles.
(R: 7,600) -------------------- (N: 6,000)
"No…" said Ren, almost crying.
"Your Trap Card was worthless," interrupted Nagaina. "Did you really think such a primitive device could kill the goddess of snakes?"
Actually, thought Ren, I wasn't counting on it… But it was worth a shot…
"Vennominon is immune to all Spells, Traps, and Monster effects except her own," said Nagaina. "Didn't you get the idea when your Field Spell didn't affect her, even though she was just as Dark as your Queen?"
Ren didn't answer. Truthfully, he simply hadn't noticed it.
"And there's more," continued Nagaina. "She shares both of Vennominon's effects. If she's destroyed in battle, I just have to remove one Reptile in my grave from play to resurrect her. In short, she's truly immortal.
"And now… You will taste her most powerful effect…"
Vennominaga's eyes glowed with an evil light, and she stared into Ren's eyes without blinking. Ren shuddered, and felt his muscles stiffen.
This is it… he thought. She's gonna turn me to stone… Sorry, Chelsea, I…
He stopped. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shadowy, snake-like form slithering around him…
Then he screamed as it seemed like something impaled him through the chest.
He clutched his chest, as his heart started to pound out of control. Sweat poured down his face. It was like he had been poisoned now…
"What's going on?" he gasped, not truly wanting to know. "What have you done?"
"Vennominaga has the deadliest poison in existence," replied Nagaina. "But she delivers it in three doses. You just got the first.
"Each time you lose Life Points from her attack, you get one dose. When you get all three…
"…you die. It's all over."
Ren started to sweat even more. He looked at the huge demon.
It's some sort of automatic win condition… he thought. What do I do? How do I beat this thing? I don't have Soul Release in this deck… I don't have anything that could clear seven Monsters out of her Graveyard…
"I end my turn…" said Nagaina. "Either move, or surrender yourself to Vennominaga."
Ren looked at Vennominaga again and trembled.
He slowly drew a card.
It was Rising Energy.
He looked at the other three cards in his hand. They were The Warrior Returning Alive, Dark Blade, and Double Spell.
Rising Energy would increase Dark Blade's Attack Score to 3,300… That wouldn't be enough…
He fit it into his Disk, and it appeared facedown. Then he slowly placed Dark Blade on his Disk, and a facedown Monster appeared.
He sighed, and nodded.
"I see you have decided to fight on," said Nagaina, drawing a card. "So be it… Vennominaga likes her meat tenderized…
"I summon another Venom Serpent in Attack Mode," she said.
She played the card, and another of the two-headed snakes appeared.
"And since it's a Dark Monster, it benefits from your Field Spell."
(1,000/800) –) (1,500/400)
"Next," she said, "I play Monster Reborn, to bring back my Venom Boa."
In a flash of light, the three-eyed snake slithered onto the field. (1,600/1,200)
Vennominaga fell to an Attack of 3,000.
"Venom Serpent, attack his facedown Monster."
Venom Serpent spit twin streams of poison. Dark Blade appeared on the card, and was melted into goo.
"Venom Boa, attack him directly!"
Ren tried hard to shield himself as the snake breathed a cloud of toxic smoke at him. He coughed and choked as the poison seeped into his pores.
"Vennominaga…" said Nagaina.
"NO!" shouted Ren. "PLEASE!"
Vennominaga ignored him. The next second, she had him. Vennominaga's serpent-arm clasped around his waist. Ren screamed louder than he ever had, as the demon gave a sadistic laugh.
It finally released him, and he fell to his knees, shivering in pain.
(R: 3,000) -------------------- (N: 6,000)
"That's two…" said Nagaina, with a grin.
"It seems your own Field Spell is your undoing… All your Monsters are Dark… Whatever you put in Defense Mode from this point on will have a weak Defense. My two lesser Monsters will have no problem destroying them to clear the way for Vennominaga to get to you.
"I end my turn… Final chance to give yourself up peacefully. Vennominaga can grant a merciful death… At times…"
Ren sweat even harder, and this time it was a cold sweat. He looked at Vennominaga again.
She stared at him, and a forked tongue darted out of her mouth, as if licking her lips in anticipation.
He closed his eyes. Slowly, he raised his right hand.
His hand hovered over his deck for a few seconds…
He hesitated.
"Come on, come on…" said Nagaina. "I want to finish you and get the second sacrifice done with before the night is over."
Ren opened his eyes.
"Second sacrifice?" he asked.
"Yes…" replied Nagaina. "Normally, Vennominaga only chooses one, but tonight she wanted both you and Chelsea. I don't know why… It isn't my place to ask. But if she wants two, she gets two, and…"
"LIKE BLOODY HELL SHE WILL!" screamed Ren.
He stood up. All the fear he had a second ago had been replaced by incredible anger at the thought of Chelsea being put through something like this. It was not going to happen.
He pointed to the huge demon.
"Listen, snake," he said, "if you want Chelsea, you're gonna have to get her over my broken, bleeding body!"
He reached for his deck.
"It's my move, and I'm putting everything I've got into this draw!"
He snatched a card off his deck.
"Heh, heh, heh…" he said, looking at it. "You know, ladies… It's funny… I almost didn't add this to my deck when I was reworking it… You see, it has a nasty side effect… But that side effect hardly matters now…
"I play Card of Demise."
He played the card, and five candles lit in front of him.
"Now I get to draw until I have five cards," he said. "See, the nasty side effect is, I'd have to discard my whole hand after five rounds. But that's okay, because this is gonna be the last round of the duel one way or another…"
He drew three cards, and added them to his hand.
"Oh, and look at that!" he said, lifting up one of them. "One of them is Pot of Greed."
He played the card.
"Looks like I get two more…"
He drew two cards.
He looked over his six cards. He smirked.
"All right!" he shouted. "I play… The Warrior Returning Alive. Now, Crescent Moon Queen comes back to my hand."
The card slipped out of his discard slot, and he took it.
"Pointless…" replied Nagaina. "How will you summon her? You have no Monsters to sacrifice."
"I'll show you…" replied Ren. "I summon New Moon Princess."
In a dark aura, the Queen's kid sister appeared, holding aloft her practice sword. She shuddered at the site of Vennominaga. (1,300/1,200) –) (1,800/800)
"Now I can sacrifice her right away…" continued Ren, "to Special Summon her big sis."
The Princess vanished in a burst of darkness, and Crescent Moon Queen leapt out of the gloom. (2,600/1,700) –) (3,100/1,300)
"Next…" said Ren, "I Equip her with Fusion Sword Murasame Blade."
He threw the card into his Disk, and the Queen sheathed her scimitars. The long, sharp katana appeared in her hand. (3,900/1,300)
"Wait a minute…" said Nagaina.
"I'm not done…" continued Ren. "Now I activate my facedown card, Rising Energy."
His facedown card lifted, and he discarded Kiryu from his hand. Crescent Moon Queen rose to (5,400/1,300)
"WAIT a minute!" shouted Nagaina.
"I'm STILL not done!" snarled Ren, playing another card. "Now I play Double Spell. I'll discard this…"
He discarded his last card, Frontline Base.
"…and I can use any Spell Card in your Graveyard. And I seem to recall that you had a Rush Recklessly."
Crescent Moon Queen rose to (6,100/1,300). Nagaina slunk back on her throne, and fear appeared in the snake goddess's eyes for the first time…
"Crescent Moon Queen…" shouted Ren, "attack the Venom Serpent!"
The Queen grit her teeth in rage. She leapt forward, and Nagaina screamed as Venom Serpent was smashed to bits and pain ripped through her.
(R: 3,000) -------------------- (N: 1,600)
Vennominaga rose to an Attack of 3,500, but she still backed away from Crescent Moon Queen in fright.
"It isn't over!" cursed Nagaina. "I still have Life Points left!"
"Not for long," said Ren. "My Queen has two attacks, remember? And the second one has the boss-lady's name on it.
"Crescent Moon Queen… Attack the Deity of Poisonous Snakes!"
The Queen leapt at the much larger creature…
Vennominaga screamed as the sword was driven through her heart. Nagaina screamed too, and the whole evil temple started to warp and crumble…
As the evil goddess of snakes fell to the ground with a thunderous crash, Ren felt himself falling asleep again…
(R: 3,000) -------------------- (N: 0)
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
In Rasputin's room, Nicholas has insisted on staying up a few minutes to see the results. Although the duel had seemed to take a long time from Ren's point of view, a typical dream might seem to last hours, but in reality, a period of REM sleep (where a dream occurs) only lasts about five to ten minutes.
Rasputin and Nicholas were playing chess while they were waiting. Rasputin studied the board for a minute before reaching for his knight…
Then they were interrupted by a loud howl.
The feyr flew into the room, clearly looking like it was in a state of panic. It flew about like a mindless creature for a few seconds, and then finally, flew through the ceiling.
Rasputin slumped in his chair and held his head.
"Well, Freddy Krueger," said Nicholas. "Guess now I get to say I told you so. So, where did it go?"
"Ren defeated it," grumbled Rasputin. "It lost all its energy, and if it doesn't gain it back, it will die. So it went to find the nearest large source of negative emotions. Most likely, it went to find a large funeral full of mourners."
"Well, I wish I could stay up," said Nicholas with a sigh. "But I have to duel in the morning, and some of us have to sleep… Good night…"
He left the room.
Rasputin sighed.
He picked up a large, very old book on the coffee table.
He nervously opened to a page. He started to read.
"Formula for the preparation and use of thrall powder…" he read. "Before using this formula, prepare the following safety procedures…
"Procedure one…"
Then he slammed the book closed.
"NO!" he shouted. "I won't do it! I won't subject those children to that horrible formula!"
He took some deep, gasping breaths…
"At least…" he muttered. "I won't until I've exhausted all my other options… And I still have a few left…
"Tomorrow… We'll get their Charms the old-fashioned way…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ren was sleeping more soundly than he ever had before, with a smile on his face.
He dreamt he was in that Garden of Eden again, the one he saw while on the Siege Perilous…
But in this Garden, he would not touch the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, because no Serpent would ever invade to tempt him and his partner…
In his dream, he dreamt he held Chelsea in his arms, and they were embracing, and kissing deeply…
They would have to duel each other tomorrow, but once it was over, no matter who won, he would tell her, and then they could truly be together…
Triumphing over the demon that invaded his dreams, Ren gets to sleep soundly, as well he should, for he'll have a big day tomorrow. Everyone will, and Rasputin is not out of tricks yet. The tournament finals will soon be underway… Who will claim the crown?
0
0
0
Ren: The finals are finally here!
Chelsea: And that means we're dueling, buster!
Sam: Hold your horses, you two. The Consort of Ha Des has the limelight first. The first duel of the day is mine.
Yumi: Be careful, Sam. Olga has been trained by Rasputin, and she's ready to truly bear her claws.
Sam: I'm ready, Yumi… At least, I think I am…
Olga: Are you truly ready, Sam? If you want to duel Yumi for the crown, you'll have to fight for it… I want the crown too…
Yumi: Coming up next: "Fiery Perdition of Gehenna; Sam versus Olga."
Olga: I'll make you remember this duel, Sam…