Wild cards
Chapter 23
…
"Soaring Roc attack!"
The giant raptor screamed a cry like thunder and smashed its victim between its mighty wings. The monster was rendered to motes of light and the life points fell to zero.
"And that's game" said Harry.
"But… but you can't. My granny's disease. I was the plucky underdog" his defeated opponent protested.
"Whatever you say" said Harry all nonchalant, "you still lost."
The 'plucky underdog' fell to the floor weeping pathetically. Harry tried not to look, something he noticed everyone else nearby doing as well.
"All duels have concluded. Check the board for your next duels" the announcer spoke.
Harry quickly searched the board and headed for his next duel, leaving the plucky underdog behind. This had been Harry's fourth duel since Jaspreet and it had also been the shortest. Harry knew he had a lot to learn yet and eagerly soaked up anything and everything he could.
His last opponent seemed to think having a tragic backstory and a positive go get'em attitude was all it took to win. Harry wondered why he thought this.
Putting it out of his mind he stepped into duel ring six where his opponent was already waiting. The two looked each other over, recognition dawning simultaneously. It was one of the men who'd attacked him at the card shop. The bald headed one with the scars.
"Well, well. Small world ain't it?"
Harry was speechless. He'd suspected they were here but to be within a few feet of one of the men who'd kicked off his 2-day road trip was… was…
Harry paused, considered the man before him. It was true this shave headed thug was an adult and a fully trained wizard. It was true he wouldn't think twice about gutting him like a trout in some dark alley if given the chance. It was true he was grinning at him like Uncle Vernon when he was in a temper and one too many drinks in.
But, he wasn't Uncle Vernon, they weren't in a dark alley, and if he tried anything, there was a room full of people to see. Three people had already been thrown out for fighting and one more for summoning. If ever there was a place to face any of the men who'd attacked him it was here.
"Wassa matter boy, cat got yur tongue?"
Harry stared hard at the man, choosing his words carefully, "I was just wondering, how mad was your boss when you didn't come back with the D jack?"
The man's jovial expression instantly soured, "And what do you know about the boss?"
"Nothing" said Harry, "I didn't even know you had one" till now.
He'd been fishing, and it only took the thug a moment to realize it, "Think yur so clever boy? You may be the boy-who-lived but I ain't scared o you."
I really don't see why you would be, Harry thought.
"You shoulda just given us the D jack. You shouldn't have gotten involved."
"Too late now" said Harry activating his duel board.
"Too late for you" the man said cruelly, activating his own.
The placard came up and the duel began.
Thug 1000 Harry 1000
"I'll start by summoning Drunken Vagrant in defense mode."
Harry had seen some unusual things since he'd started playing this game but summoning a stumbled down drunk had to be getting up there. The man summoned took one look at him, pointed an accusing finger, then crossed his eyes and plopped over backwards.
A 500 D 400
"Wow" said Harry, wholly unimpressed.
The hairless thug ignored his sarcasm, "I'll lay one card face down and end my turn."
"My draw" said Harry, "I summon Obsidian Gargoyle in attack mode."
His faithful stone dog trotted onto the field and snarled at the passed out drunk.
A 800 D 800
"Obsidian Gargoyle, attack Drunken Vagrant!"
The black rock dog charged the insensate inebriate and shattered him before he'd even registered the attack. The drunks bottle flying at him came as a surprise. Then it exploded.
"You activated my trap" the thug explained, "That's my bottle does 200 points of direct damage after my monster is destroyed."
Harry looked at the scoreboard to see the man's words mirrored in the numbers.
"You know you shouldn't throw alcohol at minors" Harry said and ended his turn.
The man just shrugged and drew, "this ain't no kiddie game" he said, "you're playing with the big boys, like this fella, Brute dog."
Dog seemed a bit of a misnomer, Harry thought. It had a dog's head, but the rest was all man, a very big muscular man.
A 1000 D 800
"And, because I can, I activate Muscle flex, increasing his attack by 200 for one turn."
The man dog brute flexed his magnificent muscles which very nearly exploded.
"Now Brute dog, attack Obsidian Gargoyle!"
The brutish dog man picked up his poor whimpering gargoyle and smashed it on the ground. The man's chuckling made Harry glare. He was just like Dudley but bigger. He'd never been allowed to do anything to his cousin. This guy was gonna get smashed.
Thug 1000 Harry 400
"I summon Dwarven advisor in defense mode."
The old white-haired dwarf carried a big round shield which he knelt behind.
A 600 D 1100
"I'll also lay one card face down then end my turn."
"Scared boy?"
"You wish" Harry shot back.
The man sneered at Harry's bravado, "I activate Belligerent drunk, increasing Brute dog's attack by 300."
A suspicious looking bottle appeared in the monster's hand and after a cursory sniff he slugged the whole thing down in one go. His body began to steam, and a stupid expression spread across his face, tongue lolling.
"Brute dog, attack Dwarven advisor!"
The monster beat his chest like a wild ape and charged.
"Activate, Binding Chains!"
The chains latched onto the charging brute who kept trudging forward till he was face to face with his target and fully bound in thick heavy metal. The Dwarven advisor grinned and flicked it on the nose.
"Stalling won't save you" the thug said with a frown.
"Maybe not" but he'd just see, "I summon Dwarven lancer!"
The young dwarf with a hint of beard stepped up next to the aged one. He held a single lance in his hand and two more on his back.
A 700 D 600
"And I'll activate the magic card Flying lance. So long as my Dwarven lancer is in attack mode I do half his attack as direct damage to your life points."
The young dwarf took the shining lance and hurled it past the chained 'Brute dog' into the chest of the thug. It may have been just a phantom, but the lance looked to have caused the man genuine pain. Good, Harry thought.
"You'll pay for that brat!"
"Just playing the game" Harry replied with a cocksure grin, "I lay one card face down. That's it."
"Punk" the thug growled, "I summon Bloated orc in defense. That's it."
A 600 D 900
Harry drew then summoned, "Dwarven shield in defense."
A 400 D 1300
This was getting them nowhere.
The bald man drew, "I sacrifice Brute dog and Bloated orc, and I summon Titanic Rager!"
This new monster was massive and bulging with muscles like the Brute dog only wished it could. It had the face of a pig with vicious looking tusks jutting from its jaw.
A 2200 D 2000
"Attack Dwarven lancer!"
The great beast warrior towered over the foreshortened man and raised its enormous fists. At the last second the old dwarf shoved the young one out of the way and took the hit.
"Dwarven advisor's effect lets him take the hit for one of my other monsters" said Harry, "but that's not all. I activate Noble sacrifice, allowing me to special summon two level 4 or lower monsters from my deck to the field."
In a flash Dwarven axer and Dwarven rogue had taken the field.
"And while I'm at it, Dwarven rogue's effect lets me select one magic card from my deck and add it to my hand."
The thug was fuming. Not only had he stayed in the game but he'd bolstered his forces at the same time.
"It's gonna take more than them dwarves to win this duel" he said ending his turn.
"Just one more" Harry said, "I summon Dwarven prince!"
The other four dwarves bowed reverently as their leader took the field.
A 1500 D 700
"And thanks to his effect he gains 100 attack for every other dwarf on the field."
"Still not good enough" the thug retorted.
"Which is why I'll equip him with the King's Axe, increasing his attack another 300."
Now he was the rager's equal.
"He might not be able to defeat your rager, but he can get it out of the way. Dwarven prince, attack Titanic Rager."
The two collided and shattered leaving the bald man defenseless.
"Dwarven axer and Dwarven rogue, attack him directly."
The two little men surged forward with surprising speed and before the man knew it they were done. The duel was over.
He stared in disbelief. Harry grinned.
"Say hi to your boss for me" Harry taunted stupidly.
The man's lip curled into a vicious grin, his final words making Harry's blood run cold, "Do it yourself."