Here's chapter eighteen of my Yu-Gi-Oh GX fanfic. I apologize for those of you who almost fell in love with Tao and then delivering that kind of news. No one needs to commit suicide, don't take Amun's example. Please try to sit back and enjoy this chapter.
DISCLAIMER: ALL THE CREDIT FOR YU-GI-OH GOES TO KAZUKI TAKAHASHI AND SHONEN JUMP. I OWN ONLY SOME OF THE OCs AND THE DECKS USED BY THEM.
Duel XVIII: Logic Against Belief; "?" v. Sci-Fi, Part 1
"Tao…is…dead," the figure said widening his eyes to angry hysteria. "And I, his murderer!"
"And you might be?" Lance asked. "You never did answer that question."
The figure kept his head down with the coat rustling in the wind of the storm, "Call me Crypt, the true soul for this vessel," he replied holding out his hands. "And the only soul that should have been for this vessel."
Lance stood in the rain and began to burst out laughing with the figure showing no emotion, "You can't be serious," he said through his laughter. "You expect me, a science major and the most logical thinking person in this institution, and I have proof to back that up, to believe that you're a reincarnation?"
"It's what I am," Crypt stated with the lightning flashing around him. "And if you doubt that, then let me prove it to you."
"How, pray tell?" Lance asked.
"In battle," Crypt said raising his arm activating a duel disk attached to his arm with a blade attached to the end.
"Why not?" Lance said activating his duel disk attached to his right arm as opposed to his left. "That's almost what I was expecting anyway so let's duel."
Crypt looked down at Lance and looked back up to his see his face, "Left handed aren't you?"
"You catch on fast," Lance said affirming Crypt's assumption. "Kaiba Corp. never serialized the duel disk for people who are left handed so we were stuck with the kind you throw like a yo-yo. So I began helping people who are left handed to have professional duel disks like anyone else. I found the mechanisms and found out a way to shift the positioning to make it face outward even when placing it on one's right hand."
"Inventive," crypt congratulated. "But now's not the time for that, duel!" he shouted as his life points meter stopped at 4000 along with Lance's. "You have the first move."
"Fine, I'll take it gladly," Lance said drawing his card. "Hmm, I've been gathering Intel on the four Slifer Reds since this year began and Tao and Destiny are the ones I have the least on. I do know when he was twelve he underwent a legal name change to Tao but there was no record on his given name. Furthermore, he named himself Tao, more than likely after his deck style. If he's changed his name, or reverted it back to the name Crypt that can mean several things. If he was to use the same naming scheme he used when he was Tao then that means his new name means something as well in terms of his deck. Crypt is another term for the grave meaning that his deck is probably based on the styling of Black Magic, specifically Necromancy, or the magic property of reincarnation. If that's the case then I have to block as many passageways to the graveyard as possible," Lance though while looking at his cards.
"Hmm, I summon Robot Warrior (1500/1200) in attack mode," he declared summon a cylindrical robot with short arms and legs with a cannon attached its left arm. "This monster falls into a subset of monsters called 'Space' making this what I like to call a Space-Warrior. Next I'll set a card face-down and end my turn. Go ahead, Crypt," he finished saying his name in a mocking tone of voice.
"You doubt my existence, don't you?" Crypt asked placing a gloved hand on his deck. "Well that stops now," he said lowering his voice register drawing his card from the deck. "So Lance, you don't believe in real monsters, do you? Well how about now, I summon Cryptid-Species Chupacabra (?/?) in attack mode," he said nonchalantly summoning a long legged creature with a coyote's face and a large, sharp row of teeth clouded in shadows covering his arm, leg and part of its face with a small claw charm hanging from its neck. "This is a card based on a creature found in Mexico and the lower part of the United States known as the Chupacabra. It's a ferocious beasts with a taste for livestock, some reports say that it sucks up its victim's blood and leaves them as dead heaps, mysteriously with nothing left inside."
"What's more interesting to me is the fact that it has no set amount of attack points," Lance said contemplating. "So how do these cards work?"
"The Cryptid-Species are a special breed of monsters," Crypt explained as the rain continued to pelt the ground. "The attack of any Cryptid-Species is based solely on the number of turns it remains on the field starting from the first end phase in which it was summoned. I'll play three cards face–down and end my turn."
The shadows surrounding the creature on Crypt's field reacted violently with the creature's eyes glowing red. The creature let out a mighty roar as its attack and defense rose from 0-500.
"Chupacabra's rate of growth is 500 per turn," Lance said to himself. "Well, that should be manageable, draw!" he declared looking at the cards in his hand. "I summon the Astro Warrior (1400/1200) in attack mode!" he declared summoning a man in a large helmet and a skin tight, gray suit. "Next, I'll attack with my Astro Warrior."
The human ran up to the creature and punched through it destroying it as the particles coming from it travelled past Crypt who clicked his fingers from within the gloves.
"I activate the trap card Cryptic Shield," he declared barely raising his voice. "So long as this card remains active I take no damage on a turn when a monster with less than 1000 attack is destroyed."
A large spherical shield appeared around him as the human's punch struck it leaving no dent or mark. Lance shrugged his shoulder and smiled setting down another card and ended his turn.
"My draw," Crypt said as a bolt of lightning struck down. "I summon Cryptid-Species Mongolian Death Worm (?/?) in attack mode," he said setting the card on his duel disk summoning a monster that burst out of the ground with a low pitch screech. The monster was a red worm with a large filled with a spiral of teeth with dripping drool that was yellow-green in color with parts of its long body covered in shadows and a similar claw charm around it's "neck". "His attack and defense rises by 700 with each passing turn, but right now it's to have some fun. When summoned the worm can destroy one warrior, or beast-warrior monster on the field."
The worm raised its mouth and shot out its drool that landed on the Astro Warrior destroying it in acid.
"Where'd the inspiration for that come from?" Lance asked.
"The Mongolian Death Worm," Crypt recited from memory keeping his eyes closed. "A large worm approximately 2 to 5 feet long found in the Gobi Desert. Said to be able to kill at a distance using a corrosive acid or through use of an electric discharge."
"Neat," Lance said sarcastically.
"But now, I attack with Mongolian Death Worm," Crypt declared with an unenthusiastic attitude. "Discharge Destroyer!"
The worm began shaking violent and then released a large discharge of electricity that traveled towards the robot sitting in wait on Lance's field.
"And the point for this is?" Lance asked. "Robot Warrior, deflect with Techno Blaster!"
A straight shot from the cannon on its arm as the Robot looked with no emotion at the disintegrating figure of the worm. Lance sighed with relief when he saw his robot began shaking violently in seemingly pain which was revealed to be the work of an all too familiar face. Lance looked with shock and awe as he saw the Chupacabra from before biting down on the neck of the robot destroying it and then disappearing.
"All right," Lance said disdainfully accepting the resulting. "What gives?"
"You should've known that the Chupacabra didn't come without a perk or two. I can remove another of my Cryptid-Species and it to destroy any one monster on the field, and thanks to Cryptic Shield I take no damage," Crypt explained as his life points remained stable at 4000. "I end my turn."
"Then it's my turn!" Lance declared pulling out another card from the deck. "I summon ET Warrior (1300/1300) in attack mode," he declared summoning an extra-terrestrial with two tentacles on each side of its body for arms, six underneath for legs, and a large eye for a head holding a ray gun. "Attack, with ET Ray!"
Firing the gun Crypt placed his hands over his face and took the brunt of the blow as his life points dropped from 4000-2700. Crypt then looked up from the ray and began chuckling and then allowed it to grow in volume and went into a full laughter with mad hysteria in his eyes. Lance looked at him and then at his monster who did the same.
"Did we forget to take our meds today?" Lance asked with a sarcastic smile.
"You don't understand, how could you?" Crypt asked as his voice turned hoarse. "I lived with no feeling of my own and after killing Tao I finally got it back, and it feels good."
"Okay, now you're scaring me," Lance said with wider eyes.
"Good," Crypt said. "My turn. I summon Cryptid-Species Sasquatch (?/?) in attack mode!" he declared summoning a large humanoid creature with hair all over its body, shadows covering its arms and legs, and a claw charm around its neck. "Unlike my other Cryptid-Species Sasquatch gains its attack and defense points during the main phase in 800 point increments. So be careful," he said as the large creature lifted up its arms as its attack and defense rose from 0-800. "Now I activate my face-down card, Stonehenge Transfixion!" he declared as a large stone appeared in front of Sasquatch. "With this I can make it so that Sasquatch gains an extra amount of attack and defense points equal to his growth rate."
The large beast punched through the stone as his attack and defense rose again from 800-1600.
"Now, attack with Pummel Fist!" Crypt declared with a hysteric look on his face.
The creature began running towards and then jumped up aiming for the alien who looked up with a surprised look on its eye.
"I activate the trap card Alien Slime!" Lance intercepted. "With this I can reduce your monster's attack by 1000 since its attack is over 1500."
A pile of acidic green slime flung towards Sasquatch attacking its eyes blinding him. Lance pumped his arm in victory but then looked back over at the monster who still was able punched through to his monster and destroyed it dropping his life points from 4000-3700. Looking with disbelief at Crypt's monster who simply wiped off the slime from its eyes and then cracked its neck and knuckles.
"The Sasquatch is a monster known by almost everyone as 'Bigfoot'," Crypt explained. "Being sighted in almost 48 of the 50 states in America and almost 300 times a year in California and Washington Bigfoot has been the subject of many media hypes, but none more so then when a gold miner, Albert Ostman, was supposedly kidnapped by a family and was taken to their cave where he stayed for several weeks in British Columbia in 1924. He could've been seen as their prisoner, but they never actually caused him any harm. He didn't escape until the creatures made the mistake of ingesting his snuff. This card is based on the idea that the Sasquatch has learned how to become to immune to traps such as that so no traps can affect my monster."
"Have you ever questioned these things?" Lance asked.
"No," Crypt replied. "It's my belief, one that I will take to my grave."
"Then let me make your trip shorter," Lance said drawing his card. "I activate the spell card Monster Reincarnation; with this I can discard one card to bring a monster card back from the graveyard into my hand, so I'll choose my Astro Warrior."
Discarding the card from his Lance pulled out his Astro Warrior from his hand and then snickered.
"Now I'll summon my Astro Warrior in attack mode!" Lance declared summoning the human again. "Now I activate my other face-down card, Radioactive Ooze! With this I can sacrifice my Astro Warrior to summon, Mutated Astro Warrior (2100/1800) in attack mode," he declared as a canister floated above and then broke in two and then poured a giant amount of slime onto the human which began to change his physiology enlarging his hands and popping veins in those areas of the body. "Now attack, Cosmic Fist!"
Swinging his fist the human barely moved his legs as the fist made the arm long enough to reach Sasquatch overpowering it and destroying it reducing Crypt's life points from 2700-2200. Reacting as thought nothing had happened Crypt turned his hysteric to face to Lance who cringed at the sight of it.
"Are you like some deranged psycho-killer?" Lance asked.
"Only to those who deserve it," Crypt said chuckling as Lance placed another card face-down and then conceding the turn to him. "My draw! Now it's time to begin your end," he said with his voice turning hoarser than before.
"How do you mean?" Lance asked.
"Do you know the story from an old churchyard in the small area of England of Mawnan? Two girls were walking throughout the woods when they saw a figure flying overhead with wings like a bird. Frightened by the sight they ran to their father who cut their vacation short, but managed to catch a glimpse of the creature from a picture his twelve-year old daughter drew. Another young girl claimed to have seen a similar creature hissing at her and a friend while camping in the area. This creature was said to have glowing red eyes, black pincer-like claws, and a face that would make anyone go white in fright. Have you ever heard of this?" Crypt asked.
"Sure," Lance replied. "I was there when I saw Tao duel Kazuya about a month into the semester and he talked about the same thing since it attacked him and gave him his second scar."
"What if I told you that the creature was talking about has two names?" Crypt asked leading Lance.
"From what Tao said it was called the…" Lance thought placing his hand on his chin.
"Death Raptor, or Owlman." Crypt finished.
"Yeah that's it," Lance widening his eyes in realization.
"A more lesser-known Cryptid the Death Raptor has only been sighted a couple times, but each time is described as a territorial, vicious, and pure evil beast. And yet I can control it, with a simple movement of the hand. I summon Cryptid-Species Death Raptor in attack mode!" Crypt called out placing his hand with a card in it above his head as a bolt of lightning flashed and struck the center of the battlefield.
Chapter eighteen complete. Sorry, for leaving it another cliffhanger, but I think you'll find I do this a lot. For the record, because some of you have asked, I will be adding another arc after I have finished this one, but let me know your feedback on Crypt if you could, and all the other character; I'm always trying to get better.
Next time: The duel between Lance Nye and Tao's murderer, Crypt kicks into high gear as Crypt summons the monster that supposedly attacked Tao when he was younger, but this time it is very real. Next time: Logic Against Belief; Cryptid-Species v. Sci-Fi, Part2