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DRAW SEVEN
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Revelation
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Jalal was rushing down a hallway in a place that now seemed to match the outside of the cathedral a lot more. The place was made of a strange, black crystal, with black marble pillars.
At least they have style, he thought.
He rushed through a doorway, and into a very large chamber. It seemed to be more than two-hundred feet to each side, and the ceiling was just as high overhead.
In the very center was a dais where he saw his goal.
An iron cage had been set up on it, and there was a prisoner inside it that he recognized only too well. It was Hebi-Na; it couldn't be anyone else. The soul.
Her wrists were bound by shackles that were attached to the floor of the cage, and she was gagged, but she seemed otherwise unharmed.
"When I catch the one who's in charge," he muttered, as he ran up to her.
Hebi-Na at first looked excited when she saw him… But then a look of absolute terror came across her face. She tried to scream something, but she was gagged and only muffled cries came out.
"I know, I know," said Jalal. "A guard, right? Where there's a prisoner, there's usually a guard.
"Well, I'll just…"
He turned around…
And then he dodged and hit the floor just in time to avoid a large, scaly tail that swung towards him.
As he looked up, he realized he was wrong… This was no guard. If this cathedral was the soul's prison, then he was looking at the warden.
He recognized the face immediately. It was none other than Taramanda, the cruel ophidia anathema who had employed Hebi-Na as an assassin during her alliance to Sonja. The same face, the same hair, the same serpentine lower body in place of legs…
But she was even bigger, and had six arms. She was no longer an ophidia… This memory of the ophidia empress was now a marilith.
Marilith were beings of infinite cruelty, and were among the most powerful of demons. If demonic armies could even be said to have generals, the marilith filled this role. They were the only demons with the desire and the ability to lead the chaotic hordes, a job that they did surprisingly well. And despite being the commanders of armies, they were more than capable of fighting on their own, able to use a weapon in each of their six hands. Few warriors could survive a fight with one of these creatures, a fight that quickly turned into a storm of deadly flashing blades.
"Taramanda…" said Jalal.
"The name's Maramanda," said the demon, with a sly smile. "I was hoping you'd make it up here… Now she can personally watch her champion fail…"
Jalal glanced at Hebi-Na, who was trembling like a leaf.
"I'm going to take a blind stab here…" said Jalal. "You're not just her memories of Taramanda… You just look like her because she was so afraid of her.
"What you really are… You're Fear itself, at least to her. You're exactly what causes that emotion in her mind.
"Franklin Roosevelt was right when he made that famous speech. Fear itself is something that we should be truly afraid of."
"You've got that right," said Maramanda.
Jalal drew his sword. Maramanda laughed. Her six hands glowed, and six scimitars appeared in them.
"Do you really think you'll have any more luck against me than you did against those bulezai?" she asked.
Maybe I will… thought Jalal.
He had a theory… And there was one way to test it…
He glanced back at Hebi-Na once more, and then leapt at the demon.
Swords flew. Maramanda tried to slash at Jalal with her six scimitars, but Jalal met each one with a blow from his blade, making sparks fly.
In the next instant, the marilith's six swords fell to the ground in twelve pieces.
She looked dumbfounded, but then Jalal struck. She screamed as he stabbed her in the belly.
She grunted and held the wound.
"How…" she said.
"I may not know much about fighting in the Soulscape," said Jalal with a grin, "but I'm a fast learner!"
Maramanda hissed.
"You still can't kill me…" she said.
"Maybe not yet…" said Jalal. "But you demons have been losing your grip slowly, ever since I got here…
"You're Fear… You're a demon created out of fear… Let me ask you something… What are demons afraid of?"
"Nothing!" cursed Maramanda.
"Oh, there's one thing that they're afraid of…" replied Jalal. "It's all about the nature of the curse of the Bells of Baphomet. Why does it let the victim suffer for days or even weeks before the assassin strikes?
"Because demons are creatures that feed off despair. Unlike most predators, prey that fights back doesn't satisfy them. They prefer victims that are terrified and begging for mercy, ones that are scared, destitute, and that have given up. Just like Hebi-Na was when she wanted to kill herself. Such victims add a flavor to the kill that beasts like you relish…
"What are demons afraid of? What is their worst enemy?
"Hope… Hope is the enemy of fear and despair. Hope is the light at the end of the darkest tunnel, what guides a lost soul back from the abyss…
"It's what you demons try to crush, because when there's hope, your power fades…
"As soon as she knew I was here, a spark of hope came to light in Hebi-Na's mind. When I defeated Brittlebeak, the spark became a flame. And with my victories over Norg and that thing in the cave below, it grew brighter and hotter."
Maramanda glared at him, but he went on.
"Want proof?" he asked. "The soul's power is growing… I'm certain of it…
"I had twenty-seven cards left in my deck… The only card among them that could have helped at that moment was A Wingbeat of Giant Dragon. The chance that I would have drawn it at that exact moment was rather slim.
"You can use the old 'Heart of the Cards' theory if you want… But I know that Hebi-Na helped me draw that card, just like the power she's steadily gaining is helping me to fight you nightmares!"
"Are you sure?" asked Maramanda.
"Why else would you want her to see her champion fail?" asked Jalal.
Maramanda glared at him.
"Touché…" she said. "Well, I have news for you… You can wound me, but you still can't kill me… And seeing as she lost a wager when she was brought up here, only I can let her out of that cage. She lost a duel, so there's no escape.
"If you'll look closely, you'll see that it doesn't even have any way to open it. Neither do the shackles. No locks, no door, nothing. She doesn't leave unless I say so.
"But… I could be inclined to let her go if you made a similar wager…"
Jalal sighed. Making a deal with a demon was something to avoid. They were very different than their foes, the devils. Devils were liars, but when they actually gave their word, they were bound to it. Demons only kept their word when it benefitted them to do so.
He looked at Hebi-Na. He had another theory, and if it was right, dueling might work…
"Hang tight…" he said, as she looked at him. "I'll do my best…"
He sheathed his sword, and held up his Duel Disk.
"I should warn you," said Maramanda, "I may look like Taramanda, but she was not the thing that Hebi-Na was most afraid of…"
A Duel Disk appeared on her upper-left hand.
"And what was she most afraid of?" asked Jalal. "Me?"
"Not by a long shot," replied Maramanda. "Her greatest fear was something that many ophidia trembled at the thought of… It even gave Taramanda pause…
"And when I built my deck, I took that into consideration…
"Duel…"
(Jalal: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Maramanda: 8,000)
"All right, draw!" shouted Jalal, making a draw.
He looked at the card.
Hmm, Dread Dragon, he thought.
He set it on his Disk, and it appeared facedown in Defense Mode.
"I'll end my turn there," he said.
"My move…" said Maramanda.
She drew a card.
"I summon Giant Rat," she said.
The large Earth-recruiter appeared with a loud squeak. (1,400 ATK)
"That slimy wastrilith may have been defensive," said Maramanda. "Me? I've always thought that the best defense is an aggressive offense!"
Giant Rat rushed at the set Monster. A small Dragon with, of all things, dreadlocks, appeared on the card and was crushed.
"I use Dread Dragon's effect," said Jalal. "When it's destroyed by battle, I get to take another Dragon that's Level 3 or lower from my deck."
He took another card from his deck, a second Dread Dragon.
Maramanda chuckled and fit a card into her Disk. A set card appeared behind Giant Rat.
"Your move…" she said.
Jalal quickly made a draw.
"I summon Lava Dragon!" he shouted.
There was a spout of magma, and the wingless, six-legged Dragon appeared. (1,600 ATK)
"Toast that Rat!" he shouted. "Magma Blaze!"
Lava Dragon shot a blast of burning embers from its jaws, and Giant Rat squealed before it shattered.
"I use Giant Rat's effect!" shouted Maramanda. "Arise, Hardened Armed Dragon!"
Jalal stepped back in shock as a Monster appeared that he knew meant only one thing: trouble. It was a small Dragon with a bony exoskeleton. (1,500 ATK)
"And now, Miracle's Wake!" continued Maramanda, as her facedown card lifted up.
Giant Rat appeared once again. (1,400 ATK)
"Your strategy can't be more obvious…" said Jalal. "You plan to make a double sacrifice… And the resulting Monster will be immune to destruction by card effects, due to Hardened Armed Dragon's effect…
"Well, that won't stop me for long…"
"Wait until you see the Monster!" laughed Maramanda.
Jalal looked at her hard.
"I end my turn…" he said.
(J: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 7,800)
Just what sort of horror is she planning to summon? he thought, as she made a draw. Unless it's immune to ALL card effects…
"I sacrifice my two Monsters…" said Maramanda.
As Giant Rat and Hardened Armed Dragon vanished, Jalal was shocked as a glowing, violet outline was drawn on the floor of the large chamber…
An outline with a distinctive shape…
The Sign of the Lizard… he thought. It can't be…
To Jalal's unbelieving eyes, the impossible started to take shape in front of him. It now made sense why this chamber was so large. The Monster that appeared was almost as tall as the ceiling was high, and had the basic shape of a Gila monster standing on its hind legs, its black skin covered with green sigils and designs.
Jalal felt an overwhelming aura of pure Evil as Earthbound God Ccarayhua looked down on him… (2,800 ATK)
"HOW?" he shouted. "Defendguy is one thing, but this…"
"My power is far greater than Norg's…" said Maramanda. "And I have to admit, it wasn't easy… But if there's one thing that haunts Hebi-Na's darkest nightmares, it's Ccarayhua.
"The ophidia are divided in their views on it. Some, like those who watched Aki's final duel with Misty from a safe distance, regarded it as some crazy celebrity that they had to watch…
"But others, like Hebi-Na, were downright terrified of it. After all, ophidia mythology speaks of a great reptilian titan who will come and end the world. And when the Dark Signers unleashed their Earthbound Gods, many of them were certain that its appearance meant that the apocalypse had come!"
She chuckled.
"And if it weren't for the Signers, it may well have come!"
She laughed out loud.
"You should have seen Hebi-Na when I summoned this thing! She was so terrified she was barely able to draw a card!"
Jalal looked at Hebi-Na. She hung her head, as if too ashamed to look at him.
"I'm not afraid of it…" said Jalal, nervously.
"Yeah?" asked Maramanda, sounding a little more serious. "Well, let me spell it out for you… Because of Hardened Armed Dragon, it can't be destroyed by card effects. You'll notice there's no Field Spell in play. Even that little problem is taken care of.
"And because of its own effect, you can't attack it. Or me."
Ccarayhua lifted its giant claw.
"In other words," said the marilith, "it's indestructible… But it can attack you… In fact, it can attack directly!"
Ccarayhua's claw slammed down, throwing Jalal towards Hebi-Na. She tried to scream something, but was still gagged.
(J: 5,200) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 7,800)
Jalal slowly got up. He cricked his neck, and turned to Hebi-Na.
"I'll be fine…" he said.
"Thinking positive is only going to get you so far…" said Maramanda. "I end my turn…"
Jalal drew a card.
"I set a Monster," he said, "and then move Lava Dragon to Defense Mode."
A set Monster appeared, and then Lava Dragon curled up in a defensive position. (1,200 DEF)
"Then I'll toss this facedown, and end my turn."
A set card appeared in his Spell Zone.
Maramanda drew a card.
She pointed, and Ccarayhua lifted its claw again.
Come on… thought Jalal. Come and get me, you ugly son of a bitch…
Then he braced himself, as the huge claw crashed down again, throwing him on his back.
(J: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 7,800)
He slowly got up.
Then his Trap Card lifted up.
"I activate Damage Condenser…" he said.
He discarded a card from his hand.
"By doing that, I get to Special Summon a Monster from my deck with an Attack Score equal to or less than the amount of damage I just took…"
White-Horned Dragon appeared in front of him. (2,200 ATK)
"Big deal," said Maramanda. "It can't hurt my Monster. And one more blow, and you'll be trapped here forever…
"Sadly, that means that Dr. Gelinas's chance at winning the Nobel Prize will be ruined, along with the rest of his career… Once word gets out that someone subjected to the Bridge failed to wake up…"
"Watch…" said Jalal. "Your giant is about to fall…"
He drew a card.
"I move Lava Dragon back to Attack Mode…"
Lava Dragon stood up. (1,600 ATK)
"Then, I Flip-Summon Dread Dragon…"
The set Monster flipped up, and Dread Dragon appeared. (1,100 ATK)
"Now, I Tune together Dread Dragon and White-Horned Dragon…"
Dread Dragon soared to the ceiling, and turned into a set of glowing rings. White-Horned Dragon followed, turning into a set of glowing starts.
"From the blackest caverns under the world where the sun never shows, a creature of pure darkness lairs. Rise to the surface to challenge the abomination of nature!"
(*2 + *6 = *8)
"Synchro Summon… Dark End Dragon!"
In an explosion of dark energy, a Dragon appeared that looked like the polar opposite of Light End Dragon. With black scales, its head looked like a cross between a Dragon's and Fiend's. It had a second fiendish face on its torso, and it had sharp claws and ragged wings. (2,600 ATK)
"Still trying to scare me?" asked Maramanda, shaking her head. "Your Synchro still can't defeat my Earthbound God."
"Want a bet?" asked Jalal. "By shaving 500 points off both of its Scores, Dark End Dragon can send your Monster to the Graveyard."
"You obviously don't listen!" laughed the marilith. "My Monster can't be destroyed!"
"I said 'send to the Graveyard'," replied Jalal. "I didn't say 'destroy'. There's a difference…
"Dark End Dragon, obliterate Earthbound God Ccarayhua! Dark Evaporation!"
Dark End Dragon's Attack Score fell to 2,100, and Ccarayhua howled as a wave of shadows mobbed it. Then it screamed, and vanished into black smoke.
"Impossible…" said Maramanda.
"Oh, it's possible…" said Jalal. "Even better, since I got rid of it without destroying it, it can't use its effect. And I still have its normal attack…
"Attack her directly!"
Hebi-Na's eyes opened, this time with excitement, as Dark End Dragon fired a blast of dark flames, hitting the wicked marilith in the torso.
"I'm not done with you yet…" said Jalal.
Maramanda screamed again as the flames from Lava Dragon scorched her.
(J: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 4,100)
"Okay…" she said with a snarl. "So you got lucky…"
"Yeah, well, what are you going to do now?" asked Jalal. "I defeated your Earthbound God! I crushed Hebi-Na's greatest fear! You might as well give up."
He set two cards in his Disk, and two facedown cards appeared.
"If you insist, make your move."
Maramanda laughed out loud.
"Give up?" she asked. "Why give up when there's still a chance I could summon a second Earthbound God Ccarayhua?"
Jalal looked shocked.
"You have two copies?" he asked.
"Nope," said the marilith. "Three… Sure, you're probably going to say that there's only one Ccarayhua…"
She drew a card.
"But if I can make copies, do you really think I was going to stop at one?"
"No bloody fair…" said Jalal.
"If you can show me where Ccarayhua is on the Limited List, I'll forfeit the duel," said Maramanda with a smile. "Until then, I'll set two cards facedown, and end my turn."
Two set cards appeared in her Spell Zone.
Jalal made a draw.
Two facedown cards, and no Monsters… he thought. I'm gonna regret this, but…
"I summon Luster Dragon!" he shouted.
In a sparkle of light, the gemstone Dragon appeared. (1,900 ATK)
"Lava Dragon, direct attack!" he shouted.
Lava Dragon launched its fire, and Jalal was surprised when it hit her with no opposition.
The cards are just bluffs… he thought. I can defeat her…
"Luster Dragon, you next!" he shouted.
Luster Dragon fired a beam of blue energy.
"Not this time!" shouted Maramanda.
One of her Trap Cards lifted up.
"I activate Sacrifice of Honor!" she shouted. "I let your first attack hit me because I could only use this card if my Life Points were 3,000 or less… Since they are, your attack is negated…"
Luster Dragon's beam fizzled.
"…I get two Ceremonial Tokens…"
Two strange-looking statues appeared in front of her. (0 ATK x2)
"AND, I get to take an Earthbound God from my deck!"
A second Earthbound God Ccarayhua slipped out of her deck.
"I'm not done attacking!" shouted Jalal.
Dark End Dragon launched its bolt of dark fire…
Maramanda grinned evilly as her second facedown card lifted up. It was Mirror Force. Jalal gasped as all three of his Monsters were blown to shards.
He took a card from his hand.
"I activate Monster Reborn!" he shouted.
With a roar, Dark End Dragon appeared again. (2,600 ATK)
"And in case you're wondering, its effect does work on Tokens."
Its Attack Score fell to 2,100 again, and one of the Ceremonial Tokens vanished.
"That was a puny effort…" said Maramanda.
Jalal set one more card in his Spell Zone, giving him a total of three.
"Move…" he said.
(J: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 2,500)
Maramanda drew a card.
"Seems I'm going to need a Field Spell after all…" she said. "And I've got a good one…"
She fit a card into her Field Slot.
"The dreaded… Alpha-Wave Emission…"
There was a low hum, but otherwise, Jalal didn't see any change of scenery.
"What?" he said.
Then Dark End Dragon roared. (1,800 ATK)
"Dark End Dragon?" he gasped. "What's wrong?"
"Alpha-Wave Emission is a unique Field Spell," explained Maramanda. "It doesn't benefit any Monster. It poisons the air with a disease that makes all Monsters sick.
"It causes them to lose 300 Attack Points, and makes them unable to attack.
"And now, I play Fiend's Sanctuary…"
She played the Spell Card, and the small metal stickman appeared. (0 ATK)
"Now, I'll sacrifice my Ceremonial Token and my Metal Fiend Token…"
The two Tokens burst into shards…
With a roar, Earthbound God Ccarayhua rose onto the field again. (2,800 ATK)
Then it groaned and held its chest. (2,500 ATK)
"It doesn't seem to be any more immune to the effect of your Field Spell than my Monster," said Jalal.
"It will be in a minute…" said the marilith, as she played a Spell Card.
With a twinkle of light, Mystical Elf appeared, holding what appeared to be Injection Fairy Lily's syringe. She flew up the huge titan's left arm.
"It's a Spell called Vaccination," said Maramanda. "It renders a Monster of my choice immune to Alpha-Wave Emission… And, as a bonus, to any card with the word 'Virus' in its name."
Mystical Elf gave the large shot to the Earthbound God, frowning as she did. She vanished, and its Attack Score went back up to 2,800.
"Now I'm gonna finish you off!" she shouted. "Attack…"
"Go, Spell Card!" shouted Jalal, as one of his cards shot up. "Enemy Controller!"
The Quickplay Spell activated, and Ccarayhua roared as it stumbled and was forced back into Defense Mode. (1,800 DEF)
"Very clever, Stormbringer…" growled Maramanda. "I suppose you're going to use that Dragon's effect on it again during your turn, huh?"
She took another card from her hand, and an Equip Spell appeared behind Ccarayhua.
"It's called True Immortal," she said. "This is one card I didn't get from Hebi-Na's memories… The man upstairs gave it to me… He told me that it was one of Rudger's cards that he never managed to play…
"Anyway… It renders my Earthbound God immune to all card effects, until such time as I choose to attack with it."
"The man upstairs…" said Jalal. "Who…"
"None of your business," said the marilith. "I end my turn."
Jalal drew a card.
Hope this works… he thought, as he looked at it.
He set it, and it appeared in his Spell Zone.
"End!" he said.
Maramanda grinned, and made a draw. The huge Earthbound God stood up into Attack Mode. (2,800 ATK)
"Let's try this again!" she shouted.
Ccarayhua reached out to flatten Jalal…
"I activate… Staunch Defender!" shouted Jalal, as his first facedown card lifted up. "Now, your Earthbound God must attack my Dark End Dragon!"
"My pleasure!" laughed Maramanda, as it paused, and then started to lunge towards the Dragon.
"But I'm not done…" said Jalal. "Because you attacked, I can activate… Magical Trick Mirror!"
Another facedown card lifted up, and a weird device that looked like a wizard made of mirrors flew out of the card.
"The effect of this Trap becomes the same as a Normal Spell Card in your Graveyard. And I choose… Vaccination!
"Thus, my Dragon now shakes off the effects of your Field Spell."
Dark End Dragon roared. (2,100 ATK)
"Big deal!" shouted Maramanda.
"One more card to play…" said Jalal.
His last facedown card lifted up.
"Forbidden Chalice! Now, Dark End Dragon gains 400 Attack Points, AND loses its effect.
"Meaning it gains back the 500 Attack Points it spent…"
Taramanda turned white as Dark End Dragon shot up to 3,000 Attack Points. It roared loudly, and blasted a super-intense bolt of black fire that tore right through the giant Reptile.
Earthbound God Ccarayhua crashed to the floor, and exploded in a blast that shook the whole cathedral…
(J: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 2,300)
Jalal looked at the marilith though the flames as they started to die.
"I think I've proven my point…" he said. "I defeated Ccarayhua not once, but twice… That thing may have been Hebi-Na's greatest fear… But it certainly wasn't mine…"
"So tell me…" said Maramanda, her voice thick with anger. "What in the Abyss are you afraid of?"
Jalal sighed as he drew a card.
"Well, as I've said many times…" he said. "Only a foolish man truly fears nothing…
"But what one fears… that's something best left in the dark.
"Attack her directly!"
Dark Armed Dragon roared again, and the wicked demon screamed as its dark flames hit her, nearly knocking her over.
(J: 2,400) - - - - - - - - - - (M: 0)
All right… thought Jalal. Time to see if my theory was correct.
Maramanda hissed with rage. Her six arms glowed again, and six new scimitars appeared in them.
"I figured you were a liar…" said Jalal.
The marilith responded with an obscenity, and rushed at him, clearly with murder on her mind…
With one swift stroke, Jalal drew his sword, and stabbed deep, this time impaling the demon through the belly. Maramanda screamed, dropped her swords, and collapsed, writhing in pain, the sword still through her.
Jalal rushed up to the cage.
"The first part of my theory was right…" he said. "Let's see if the rest of it was…"
He grabbed hold of the bars, and as he'd hoped, was able to bend them like taffy.
"Yep," he said. "I was right."
He quickly removed the gag.
"What theory?" asked Hebi-Na.
"I figured she'd get even weaker if I defeated her," said Jalal.
He pried one of the shackles off her arm.
"Weak enough to tear this cage apart. Seems I was right."
He ripped the other shackle off.
"Jalal…" said Hebi-Na.
She sighed, with an embarrassed look on her face. Tears started to form in her eyes.
"There's so much I have to…"
"You can say all that later," said Jalal. "The Soulscape is your property, and you're gonna have to help me take it back…
"The man upstairs she was talking about… I assume that he's the one who's really in charge… Who is he?"
"I'm not sure…" said Hebi-Na. "That's the one place in the Soulscape I can't see. She goes up there from time to time, but he never goes down here…"
As she said this, a spiral stairway appeared, leading up and into the ceiling.
"Looks like he wants to talk to us…" said Jalal, ominously.
He looked at Hebi-Na.
"Think you have enough strength to help me?"
Hebi-Na concentrated.
Then a Duel Disk appeared on her arm.
"I think so…" she said. "You were right about helping me get some of my strength back, by the way…
"But there was something else…"
She looked at the deck in the Duel Disk.
"I've been building this deck ever since I lost to her the first time… Card by card, using memories I got from a book that Taramanda would have had me executed for if she had known I had it… No-one in the Soulscape knew about this deck… And it's the one thing that kept me from completely giving in to them."
Jalal lifted an eyebrow.
"We can only hope it's enough…" he said.
He went over to the marilith, who was still writhing in pain. He grabbed the hilt of his sword, and with a kick, pulled it from her torso. Then he and Hebi-Na rushed to the spiral staircase.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jalal and Hebi-Na heard thunder as they ascended the long staircase. Jalal had quickly decided that carrying her was the better option, as climbing a long stairway was not easy for an ophidia who didn't have legs.
"We should be getting there soon…" said Jalal.
"You know, Jalal…" she replied. "We've been fighting each other for so long… I never realized how handsome you were…"
"Hebi-Na, this is hardly the time…" said Jalal.
"I know…" sighed Hebi-Na, "but I can dream, can't I?
"And dreaming was all I could do… I almost wish you didn't have to wake me up after we took care of this problem…
"I mean, when I do wake up, I'm going to have to go back to jail, after all…"
Jalal stopped short. Then he realized that she didn't know…
"Actually, no," he said.
Hebi-Na looked at him in surprise.
"A lot has happened since then, Hebi-Na," he said, "and God-willing, when we take care of this problem, I'll explain it all to you…"
He walked up the last steps, into another chamber, and set her down.
They seemed to be in the belfry itself. The dark bells were overhead, still silent, and thick chains, apparently meant to be pulled by the bell-ringer, hung down.
In the middle of this chamber, a long figure stood…
He turned and looked at them. He was like something out of a nightmare…
He was humanoid, and man-sized, and covered almost completely in chains. They seemed to form a strange type of clothing. Chains dangled off of his arms, and ended in sharp blades and barbs. They covered his face too, the only parts uncovered being his mouth and left eye…
But that left eye was enough to convey a sense of incredible evil and dark power…
"Wait a minute…" said Hebi-Na. "Isn't that… a kyton?"
"Kytons aren't demons…" said Jalal. "They're devils…"
The creature made an annoyed grunt.
"People always think I'm a kyton…" he said with a sneer. "The fact of the matter is, they stole the look from me."
He glared at them.
"I'm older than the kytons…" he said. "I am Vucarik of the Chains, and unlike anyone else you have met here, Stormbringer, nothing in Hebi-Na's mind created me…
"I am the son of Pale Night, half-brother of Graz'zt the Dark Prince, former ruler of Nethuria…
"…and the one whom many mortals call the Demon of the Bells…"
"You're the assassin who kills the ones who are afflicted with the curse?" gasped Jalal.
"Yes," replied Vucarik. "And you should be commended for getting this far…
"But now it ends…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MAGICAL TRICK MIRROR (Trap Card)
Normal Trap
Image: A weird device, vaguely shaped like a wizard, covered with mirrors.
Card Description: Activate when your opponent declares an attack. Select 1 Normal Spell Card in your opponent's Graveyard. This card's effect becomes the same as the selected Spell Card.
Note: "Magical Trick Mirror" was used by Kaiba several times in the original anime, originally in "Clash in the Coliseum (Part 4)". Creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
ALPHA-WAVE EMISSION (Spell Card)
Field Spell
Image: Similar to "Crush Card Virus" but with the Greek symbol for "Alpha" on the viruses.
Card Description: All face-up Monsters cannot attack, and lose 300 Attack Points.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
VACCINATION (Spell Card)
Normal Spell
Image: Mystical Elf riding Injection Fairy Lily's syringe.
Card Description: Select 1 Monster on the field, and put 1 "Vaccination Counter" on it. If that Monster is Tributed for a Tribute Summon or used for a Fusion Summon, the Tribute Summoned or Fusion Summoned Monster receives 1 "Vaccination Counter". A Monster with a "Vaccination Counter" is not affected by the effects of "Virus" cards or by "Alpha-Wave Emission".
Note: "Alpha-Wave Emission" and "Vaccination" were first used by Kaiba in "Yu-Gi-Oh R" manga. Creative credit goes to the writers.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TRUE IMMORTAL (Spell Card)
Equip Spell
Image: Earthbound God Ccapac Apu glowing with radiant light.
Card Description: Equip only to an "Earthbound God" Monster. The Equipped Monster is not affected by card effects. Destroy this card if you declare an attack with the Equipped Monster or use the Equipped Monster's effect. After your third End Phase after activating this card, destroy this card.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Next:
Hebi-Na: There exists among the ophidia a legend that leaders like Taramanda would have us punished severely for even talking about. The legend says that long ago, there was a whole cabal of ophidia who not only rebuked Seghulerak and pledged allegiance to a more benign god, but started to recruit other ophidia to their fold, promising greater glories to those who rejected evil and followed a path of light.
Is the legend true? Seghulerak's followers seemed pretty intent on quashing it. They burned whatever tracts on it they could find, and tortured or even killed any ophidia who openly spoke of it. Did they consider it blasphemy… Or were they scared of the competition if this sect might return?
With all my heart, I believed that the legend was true. I smuggled a book on the subject into Taramanda's palace, and read it when I was sure I wouldn't be caught… And over the past year, I've created a deck in the images of these legendary heroes, one card at a time…
I just wish I had time to test it before having to bet my life on it… But at least I have Jalal helping me. It's him and me against this thing in front of us.
"Final Mix" is coming soon.