Chapter 24: Silent Attacks
"I would like to state for the record: I have never worn a dress," Matt declared. Quickly, a thought popped into his mind that countered that statement. "Well… Once when I was three. Ohh, and once in high school. But that was a football fundraiser and Bryan coerced me."
"I did not," Bryan argued. "Lauren Montgomery did."
Responding with a dirty grin, Matt said, "With what she had to offer, can you blame me?"
Cary groaned, "You guys wouldn't be able to focus if your noses were stapled to the subject."
"Not unless the subject were the staple in my nose," Bryan agreed. Matt joked about the piercings in Valerie's nose that looked like staples. Bryan claimed they were studs—so more nails than staples.
"I knew you'd just act like this is a joke," Linear grumbled. With a scoff, he stormed off and wondered why he let his twin sister convince him to ask Matt about that strange, white-haired duelist they met.
"Wait," Leila pleaded with her brother. "Be patient with him. He uses humor to deal with stress. Remember last year during with the Shadow Realm rumors when Darius mentioned falling for a slew of Matt's pranks?"
"He's just an idiot. There's no reason for him to feel stress from our duel."
Leila disagreed. "How would you feel if someone suddenly told you they met a girl who looked exactly like you with breasts?" He stared back at her for a moment and wondered if she realized the near-mirror image moment they had going. She cocked a half-smile. "Just tell him the story." Coupled with a sisterly arm squeeze and perhaps some psychic vibe, Linear changed his tune ever so slightly.
"Fine. We were all outside looking for the Ghost Duelist when we came across this girl who looks exactly like Matt, but smaller and with long hair."
"Who's 'all'?" Bryan asked. When he noticed Matt's glare, he said, "I mean… Was she cute?" Now Cary smacked him. "I meant: Was she…" He tried to look to Matt or Cary for clues what he was supposed to ask. "White?" he asked while shrugging and looking generally clueless.
"She did have white hair," Leila agreed.
"Are you certain she looked like Matt?" Cary asked, keeping the important topic going.
Linear answered, "Except that she was kinda cute, she looked eerily like Matt. It was frightening how much she looked like him."
"But she was a woman?" Bryan repeated.
Leila answered, "If she wasn't, then that was an amazing costume. She looked, sounded, and acted like a woman."
"Go back to the white hair," Bryan requested. "White like yours?" Leila and her brother were pretty well noted for their platinum blonde—almost white—hair. For people who never talked to them—which was anyone who was not also a pariah—the hair was the only way to identify the Locklear twins.
"Even whiter," Leila described. "It was bizarre."
Cary pushed Bryan aside and went back to the story. "And she beat you in a duel?"
Linear quickly snapped, "She didn't beat us. It was just that card…"
"I'll play Transmutation Circle – Albedo!" A white light surrounded the duel field, creating a perfect circle around the duelists and sealing them in. Matt's white-haired look-alike—Albedo—continued by explaining to Leila, "You pick up the top card on your deck and remove it from play." To Linear, she explained, "You pick up the top card from your Extra Deck and remove it from play."
"Why do we have to remove different cards?" Linear complained. "That sounds completely made up."
"Check your Duel Disk," Leila told him. Sure enough, the Duel Disk indicated a card should be removed from play from his Extra Deck.
"That's bogus."
"That's the Albedo," the opponent suggested. "It's just how the card works." She removed Solemn Judgment herself; Leila removed Honest and Linear removed Five-Headed Dragon. "And don't forget about my Final Countdown spell." She motioned toward the thirteen wisps of flame that circled the field and continued to dwindle in number while increasing in size. "In just seven more turns, the flames will consume the field, and I will win automatically."
"You won't last that long against the two of us," Linear assured her
"You might be right," Albedo suggested in a reasonable tone. "But my facedown card here," as she set a card, "is a good one."
Linear and Leila 8000: Albedo 4300.
When Linear's Duel Disk lit up, he realized it was his turn and Albedo didn't bother to summon or set a monster. All she did was set one card. She was doing an amazing job of stalling so far during this duel, even going so far as to play the often-banned Dark Hole spell to wipe the field of all monsters. And then she didn't even play one to take advantage and attack. She must have set a powerful card to protect herself for two turns without a monster. But Linear had a way around it.
"I'll summon Mirage Dragon (4/1600/600)." This dragon had a serpentine body covered by chartreuse scales, and its tail grew a large scythe. And while the dragon was on the field, Traps couldn't activate during the Battle Phase. "Attack her directly."
The Mirage Dragon became rather blurry for a moment, reappearing directly in front of Albedo as if the version sitting in front of Linear were just a mirage. When its scythe swung, it split straight through a little ball of fluff on Albedo's field.
"What was that?"
Albedo answered, "By discarding Kuriboh, damage from your attack is reduced to zero."
"That's a cheap trick," Linear suggested. He looked over to his twin, who started the duel before Albedo played her cards. "At least you're still open and Sis gets to attack now."
"That's right," Leila said with a smile. But before she even drew a card, the brown-furred Kuriboh (1/300/200) appeared on Albedo's field. "Hey. What gives?"
"It is the power of the Transmutation Circle," Albedo replied. "During the End Phase of my opponent's turn, one monster that was sent to the Graveyard during that turn gets Special Summoned to my field."
"That's tough," Leila commented.
"That's a crock," Linear grumbled. He wanted to know where to get one for his deck. Albedo claimed it was one-of-a-kind.
Leila started her turn with: "Tributing a Lightsworn monster to summon Celestia, Lightsworn Angel (5/2300/200) lets me discard four cards from my deck to destroy two of your cards." Celestia, armed with white armor and wings larger than herself, released two balls of light from her staff and targeted Albedo's two Spells.
Albedo let the first collide with Transmutation Circle. "The Transmutation Circle can't be destroyed. The only way to get rid of it is to end the duel. As for my other card…" She chained the activation of her card before it was destroyed. "Pyro Clock of Destiny moves Final Countdown forward one full turn."
Leila's move wasn't in vain, however. From her field arose a half-man, half-wolf warrior armed with a double-sided battle axe and wolverine claws from the knuckles on each hand. "When Wulf, Lightsworn Beast (4/2100/300) goes from the deck to the Graveyard, he gets summoned to the field. And both my monsters will attack." Wulf chopped straight through Kuriboh (200), and Celestia followed directly behind. But her attack stopped when a monster appeared on Albedo's field—one that looked like the hands of an Infernity monster's clock.
"When you declare a direct attack, I can summon Battle Fader (1/0/0) to end the Battle Phase."
Leila wasn't as frustrated as Linear by that move, but she was irritated that the two of them only hit Albedo's Life Points one time; the other dent was self-inflicted through Final Countdown. "I'll close with two facedowns." And Kuriboh (200) revived on Albedo's field in defense mode.
Albedo spent some time picking cards from her hand and then changing her mind… so much time that Linear became noticeably irritated. He began shifting his stance and even went as far as to squat down to the ground while he waited.
"Sorry," Albedo said. "I'm ready now. I'll set two cards and a monster."
"It took you that long to make a move like that?" Linear remarked snidely. "Geez. I'll summon Magna Drago (2/1400/600)." The holograms revealed a red dragon with thin-flesh wings and horns on its head.
A large sound wave blasted across the field. "Threatening Roar prevents you from attacking during this turn."
Linear groaned. "Aw, man. Are you kidding me?" He looked at his facedown card again and reminded himself about his Mirror Force card. He would have used it already if Albedo would just declare an attack for once… instead of relying on those Kuriboh cards.
"Don't worry," Leila told him. "I have a plan." She drew her card and said, "I'll summon Judgment Dragon (8/3000/2600)." A grand, majestic dragon with silver feathers and four, powerful legs descended onto Leila's field. "At the cost of 1000 Life Points, Judgment Dragon destroys every other card on the field." Her dragon closed its wings and charged its powerful energy, finally releasing it and evaporating anything the light touched—except Transmutation Circle – Albedo. "Now you're wide open for an attack." The Judgment Dragon stepped forward and slashed at Albedo directly with its enormous claws.
Leila looked at her last card before she set it. As soon as her turn ended, Judgment Dragon would force her to send four cards from her deck to the Graveyard. Combined with her earlier effects of Lightsworn monsters and hand destruction spells, she would have exactly thirty cards in the Graveyard. That would allow her to activate her trap Blasting the Ruins and deal another 3000 points of damage to Albedo directly.
"I'll set one card and end my turn."
Linear and Leila 8000 – 1000 = 7000: Albedo 4300 – 3000 = 1300.
Albedo put her hands down at her side. "I guess that ends the duel." As the Transmutation Circle began to shine brightly, the ring of fire from Final Countdown became a solid ring and closed into the center of the field.
"Wait!" Leila protested. "It was supposed to take one more turn. I was going to activate my trap card as soon as your turn started."
Albedo pointed out, "Pyro Clock of Doom moved everything forward one turn. The twentieth turn of Final Countdown happened at the end of your turn, and you can't activate your trap on the same turn you set it."
"The light from that Transmutation card got so bright that pretty much everything turned white. By the time we could see again, the girl was gone and so were our cards." Linear huffed. "If that cheating card didn't keep giving her monsters at the end of every turn to cover her Life Points, we would have kicked her butt."
"That's weird," Bryan commented. "So this white-haired chick who looks like Matt also has some of his skill. What are the odds of that?"
"Infinitesimal," Matt replied immediately.
Baker was no longer a policeman, but he was prone to enacting some of those old habits when something unusual happened on campus. This evening, he tucked his kids in bed and informed his wife he would be on another late night, and then he decided to check the reported location of another card theft: Groundwater Road just down the mountain from the hot springs.
"The curfew rules are there for a reason," Baker announced loudly, promptly causing Matt to jump up, lose his balance, and tumble back into the dirt. When he regained his footing, Baker added, "You've got thirty minutes to be in your dorm."
"I wasn't sleeping," Matt lied. "I was just resting my eyes."
"Right. Why are you resting them here?"
Matt rubbed his face and took a few breaths. "I heard that I might have a real sister up here. I just wanted a look."
"A blood sister?" That was news to Baker. All the background searches available didn't reveal any sisters. Even Matt's family name was a mystery. "How did you hear about a sister?"
"She dueled against Linear and Leila Locklear last night." He chuckled to himself. "They said she looked exactly like me. I guess we were quadruplets or something."
Baker's mind began to race. It was only one extra person, but the idea that Matt had yet another sibling running around campus caused the other pieces of the mystery puzzle to fall apart, like putting together a bookshelf and realizing you have a few bolts left over. Baker could believe that on an island this size, two people may be able to run around and steal a few Duel Monsters cards while eluding the police and everyone else. But with each increasing number, the probability of hiding dropped immensely. Baker tried to rotate the puzzle pieces mentally, which meant he stood there in silence for a while.
"I just want to know who they are," Matt said, breaking the silence. "With a foster father like mine, I always dreamed about my biological parents coming back for me and taking me somewhere amazing. A house with a pool, multiple TVs, my own room… I hoped maybe if I met these brothers and sisters everyone is claiming I have, they might be able to tell me something about my parents."
He chuckled again as a way of reminding himself he wasn't in some fantasy life, but sitting on a volcano path talking to a former police officer while waiting for someone who may or may not be his sister.
"Where's your partner tonight?"
"Who? Potter?" Baker wasn't a member of the police squad and so Potter wasn't actually his partner. It was just coincidence that whenever Baker participated in police work, Potter opted to escort him to pick up a few tips on detection and passing the detective exam. "He's got the night off; maybe on a date or something. Officers have variable shifts. Now get back to the dorm. Should I call the cadet escort for you?"
"I'll be fine." Matt stood and stretched his legs. "It'll be quicker if I jog back."
"Okay, but head straight back. I'm going to check the log to see what time your ID card scans to enter the building."
As Matt jogged back down the path and headed for the Blue Mansion, Baker wondered what could be happening to bring about three Matt clones, one transgendered. "More magic of some kind, I suppose…" It might take the knowledge of all the professors to figure this one out.
The Red Dorm wasn't often a big hang-out spot, but with midterms week at a close, freshmen definitely spent more time on the patio courtyard—playing on the basketball court and eating at the picnic tables—right until the very last minute before breaking curfew. Nathan Zislaw lay stretched out across the farthest picnic table, one colloquially referred to as Nathan's Napping Spot. Carter Jade sat at the same table chowing down on the food he hoarded from the dining hall after dinner. Rory and Lili played some two-on-two basketball against Clinton and Synthia, winning because Lili was a more aggressive player than Clint and Synthia combined. Jason sat at another table with Lucy, pretending to listen as she spoke and massaging her hand in hopes of getting her past her somewhat prudish resistance to physical affection.
"So then my dad decided he wanted to move to Manhattan for a change of scenery. But I think the real reason is that my mom's remarriage to that bodybuilder hit his ego pretty hard. The truth is, nothing's been the same since my brother died in that boating accident and my dad lost his arm to a shark."
"That's terrible," Jason replied, feigning concern as seriously as he could.
"That's… made up," Lucy said with a laugh. Jason quickly caught up with her and started laughing with her. She just chuckled at how transparent he could be sometimes. "I should get going. Curfew's in thirty minutes and I need to get back to my room."
Clamoring after her, Jason offered, "I'll walk you."
Lucy still couldn't shake the memory of the guy who attacked her just weeks ago. He knocked Jason out and claimed Lucy was evil before that police officer saved her. Still, she felt less secure since then, both regarding safety and her relationship with Jason.
"You don't need to. I'll call for the cadets. Kenny is driving the van tonight."
"Let me at least walk you to the rendezvous," Jason insisted. "It's still dark out, and you were attacked recently. I don't want to leave you alone."
Succumbing slightly to his sweet concern, Lucy touched the side of his face. Jason took the action as an invitation and pulled her into a kiss. It was not the first time they kissed, but it still caught Lucy a bit off guard at the moment. And she was very aware when Jason's hand crept up her right side. She pulled away and repeated her eagerness to get back to the dorm.
"Hold up," Clint called. He jogged away from the basketball court to join Jason and Lucy as they walked toward the road. When Jason asked if he was being a third wheel, he reminded, "You got knocked out last time you two went walking alone."
"We were in the woods," Jason pointed out. "I didn't see him coming."
"Still. I just want to make sure they don't try again."
"Suit yourself." He leaned in to whisper, "Stage 5 accomplished. And may I say: They feel amazing." Clint just patted him on the shoulder and congratulated him on a job well done.
"Why do all the guys fawn over her?" Lili wondered as she watched Clint jog over to Jason and Lucy. "She's pretty, but she's not that good-looking."
Synthia chuckled. "He's going to make sure Jason doesn't get jumped again."
"Jumped?" Rory repeated. "I didn't hear about that. What happened?"
That's when Synthia remembered that she wasn't supposed to say anything about that. When Jason told Clint, he swore him to secrecy, and then Clint did the same thing when he told Synthia. None seemed to know the definition of "secret." And that's exactly why she said:
"About a month ago, Jason and Lucy were taking a walk when a bunch of guys jumped out and attacked them. Jason fought off four of them, but there were ten. Eventually, they overpowered Jason and injected him with something. That's why he was acting hung-over the next day."
Rory remembered, "Oh, yeah. That day he was acting like a zombie. He barely spoke a word."
"My favorite day," Lili commented.
Synthia laughed. "Anyway, Clint is worried that someone has a grudge against Jason because they didn't do anything to Lucy. He just wants to make sure his friend stays safe."
"Did Clinton tell you that story?" Lili asked. "And Jason told him?" Putting that story with what she knew about Jason, she concluded, "I think some of the facts are a little exaggerated. You know how Jason is."
"Probably," Synthia agreed. "Clint and I joked about that. But he still thinks Jason and Lucy were attacked. Probably not ten guys, but maybe two. That's why Clint's still concerned for his roommate's wellbeing."
"How sweet," Rory replied sincerely.
Lili just laughed. She thought the whole college dating scene was a little ridiculous around here. It seemed like only a handful of people were the objects of someone's affection. In this case, Rory had a chance to be with Clint, but she decided to pass over him and focus her efforts on Matt. Clint started seeing Synthia after that, and that made Rory a little jealous. And what bugged Rory slightly more was that unlike the average college campus, guys outnumbered the girls here, and Synthia was pretty cute; she tended to flirt and receive flirts from several other guys. That made Rory think Synthia wasn't fair to Clint, and Lili just observed from the third-person view while laughing at everyone involved.
"I'm heading inside," Lili said. "Whose Line Is It Anyway is on."
Rory took the basketball and started to follow Lili… until they both heard Synthia's muffled cry. Lili turned just quickly enough to catch a glimpse of someone dressed in black pulling Synthia behind the courtyard wall and off toward the lake. She and Rory darted off in the same direction and caught up after a brief run around the building and into the darkness between the Red Dorm and their dining hall.
Lili tackled the abductor and forced him to release Synthia. But even though Lili was quite scrappy, the abductor was bigger than she was. He swung her into the wall of the dining hall hard and quickly pounced back on Synthia.
"Lili Von," he growled in a low, grim voice. "You can still walk away. I hold no grudge against you. I am only interested in these two."
"Two?" Rory asked, surprised to hear it. That suggested she was also a target. But who would have a problem with both of them? "What did I do?"
"You both have dark intentions in your hearts. I will not let you hurt these other people."
"Why don't we duel for it, then?" Lili offered confidently. "Isn't that how people solve problems around here? Let's go, tough guy."
"No," Synthia grunted. She wrestled against her abductor's grip and broke free. "You have a problem with me, right? I'll duel you." Though she carried her deck in a box on her belt, she wasn't wearing her Duel Disk. She looked over and saw that neither Lili nor Rory had theirs, either.
"We'll use that," her abductor declared. He pointed to the lakeside where one of many Kaiba Corp. duel stations sat, largely unused by anyone who owned a Duel Disk already. It was a terminal model, but it had all the same capacities as the Duel Disk minus the portability. Although it took slightly longer to activate than its smaller counterpart, setting up the duel didn't take long.
As Synthia started to draw her first card, the silent stalker quickly swiped his six cards from the deck. "A witch like you doesn't deserve the first turn," he snarled. He slapped down three cards and ended his turn. "Go ahead and try."
Synthia tried to fake a smile. "Y'all need to lighten up." Ignoring the slight nervous twitch in her fingers, she picked out a card. "Blizzard Dragon (4/1800/1000) is a good card to attack with." With blue scales and an icy around it, the Blizzard dragon was a man-sized creature with horns on the back of its head and webbed fingers that looked like wings when they curled up the forearm. The dragon pounded its hand on the ground and created a small iceberg to throw at Synthia's opponent.
"Dimensional Prison activates," he said. A black hole opened in front of him, and Synthia's monster disappeared inside the void. "Your attacking monster gets removed from play."
"Scary move," Synthia said with a grin. "I'll set a card and see what else you've got."
Her opponent made no effort to smile under his ski mask. "Card Trooper (3/400/400)." A three-piece robot with a blue, treaded base; a red, cannon-armed torso; and an astronaut-like fishbowl over its mechanical face rode onto the field. "Sending three cards from my deck to the Graveyard gives it 500 more points for each." His Card Trooper (+1900) fired three blasts from its cannons and struck Synthia directly. "Now it's your turn, you wicked creature."
Synthia 8000 – 1900 = 6100: ? 8000.
"That's a bit harsh," she replied. "But I accept your challenge. I'll summon Masked Dragon (3/1400/1100) and attack." A small, white wyvern with a red underside craned its neck back and whipped forward, snapping at the mechanical Card Trooper (-400).
The stalker activated his Trap; a pentacle symbol appeared on the floor with large, white dots at each point. "Macro Cosmos," he explained. "It remains on the field and forces all cards we send to the Graveyard to be removed from play instead. And I summon Helios – The Primordial Sun (1/+200/+200)." This monster was an almost invisible entity if her body were not covered in wraps; as suggested by her name, though, her head was a small star."
Lili flinched, but Synthia was still ready to move on. "I'll place another card facedown and let you try again."
Synthia 6100: ? 8000 – 1000 = 7000.
Her stalker sneered, obviously upset with Synthia's apparent pleasure in the face of confrontation. He whipped his next card much more wildly. "Card Destruction plus Macro Cosmos forces you to remove your hand from play and draw a new one." He did the same, but his words were focused on how detrimental the play was for Synthia. "I'll send Helios away to summon Golden Homunculus (6/+2700/+2700)." His powerful beast was a golden golem that drew 300 points of strength for each of the owner's removed-from-play cards.
"Good time for Torrential Tribute," Synthia suggested. "Whenever a monster is summoned, this trap destroys all monsters." A deluge flooded the field and wiped out her small wyvern and the mighty golem. Her stalker just sneered and ended his turn.
"Letting up on the insults already?" she asked him. "Shame. I'll summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (4/+1900/1000)." Wearing deep red armor with a matching cape and equipped with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, Breaker gained a blue spell counter on his armor. "I'll use his ability to destroy your last facedown card, and then I'll attack directly." Breaker (-1600) released a burst of energy from his armor to shatter the potential trap, and then he took a quick swipe with his sword. "Your turn now."
Synthia 6100: ? 7000 – 1600 = 5400.
"Watch it, you insolent harlot." He growled and played an armored monster with golden gauntlets and a blue mantle. "Dimensional Alchemist (4/1300/200) can gain 500 points when I remove a card from my deck." His armored alchemist used a card as an energy source and began charging Dark Core energy between his hands; he released the energy forward and used it to destroy Breaker (1600). "One card down, and it's your turn, manipulative shrew."
Synthia 6100 – 200 = 5900: ? 5400.
"Where are you coming up with these?" Rory wondered. "You can't possibly be talking about Synthia like that."
He snarled and said, "My words apply to all women."
Synthia smiled lightly. "Okay, hun. Let's just finish the game, okay? I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy that Macros Cosmos of yours." A torrential storm covered the field, and a bolt of lightning shattered the trap card. "Now I can play Graceful Charity." An angelic woman wearing a white robe appeared in front of him and offered him three cards in one hand, demanding two in return in her other. "At this point, I'll summon Debris Dragon (4/1000/2000), and his effect summons Totem Dragon (2/400/200)." The former was a small, white, bipedal dragon that resembled a baby Stardust Dragon, and the latter was a turtle-like dragon with an extraordinarily long neck and a rounded face.
"Now I'll use Premature Burial to bring out one of my favorites: Buster Blader (7/2600/2300)." Synthia's monster, famously introduced to the game by the very first King of Games, was a tall, powerful warrior wearing blue armor and armed with an enormous cleaver. "He doesn't get the same power gains if he's not fighting dragons, but he's still a force," she claimed.
"Bottomless Trap Hole." The ground opened up beneath Buster Blader and sucked him into another dimension.
"Yeah, I'd be scareda him, too, if I was you. But I still got two monsters to attack with." Buster Blader slashed powerfully across the field, Debris Dragon released a series of sound waves, and Totem Dragon lunged out and snapped.
Synthia 5900 – 800 = 5100: ? 5400 – 1000 – 400 = 4000.
The stalker didn't even have to think about his cards. "I'll summon Bazoo the Soul-Eater (4/1600/900)." The enormous, blue-haired baboon sat lazily on the field for a moment until its effect activated and it began consuming a large egg. "I remove three monsters from my Graveyard to increase his points by 900. Now attack." Bazoo (+2500) finished eating and then lumbered across the field to slam his massive forearms on top of Totem Dragon (400). "One card down, and it's your turn."
"Before we go," Synthia said, "let me Tribute Debris Dragon to activate Nightmare Archfiends." Three impish shadows appeared on the opposite side of the field next to Bazoo. "You get three Nightmare Archfiend Tokens (6/2000/2000) on your side."
Synthia 5100 – 2100 = 3000: ? 4000.
"Here we go," Synthia said excitedly. "During my Standby Phase, Totem Dragon (400) revives itself because I have no monsters. Now I can treat it as a double Tribute when I summon Gandora the Dragon of Destruction (8/0/0)."
With black scales studded by red gems, clawed wings, a mighty tail, and jaws that could bite through a tree, the legendary dragon Gandora descended on Synthia's field. Rumors circled this dragon that the first King of Games once used it to defeat one of the world's greatest threats in a duel. Gandora stood tall and roared loudly at Synthia's unmoved opponent.
"For half my Life Points, all cards on the field get removed from play." The gems studding Gandora's scales shone brightly as they released powerful energy across the field. All five of her opponent's cards disappeared from play, including the three Archfiend Tokens. "Gandora (+1500) gains 300 points for each card removed, and he'll also attack." Gandora charged the field and slashed wildly at the opponent. "And don't forget that the destruction of each Nightmare Archfiend Token deals 800 points of damage to you." She watched the Life Point counter fall and said, "I guess I miscounted a smidge. But I do have a card to protect me." She set one card, and by its own effect, Gandora destroyed itself and went to the Graveyard.
Synthia 3000 / 2 = 1500: ? 4000 – 800 – 800 – 800 – 1500 = 100.
Her opponent scowled heavily. "I'll play Nobleman of Extermination." A large, armored man appeared on the field with a bastard sword in his hands. With one swipe, he shattered Synthia's facedown card. "Now I'll summon Necroface (4/1200/1800)." The monster on the field resembled a broken head of a plastic doll, but there was some organism with tentacles growing inside. And the monster continued to grow. "All removed-from-play cards are returned to the deck, and Necroface (+3200) gains 100 points for each."
With one last scowl, he added, "This duel is over."
Synthia 1500 – 3200 = 0: ? 100.
Synthia groaned lightly about the loss. The duel station's lights shone brightly as the system shut down. The lights were just bright enough for all three girls to lose sight of the black-clothed attacker. Lili tried to pull Synthia and Rory back toward the front of the dorm, but then she herself was pulled back and thrown to the ground. Rory screamed, but before the attacker could grab either her or Synthia, everyone heard a rather high-pitched war cry. Jason came barreling over the wall with Clint not too far behind.
The attacker quickly abandoned his plan and disappeared into the trees. Jason tried to follow him, but he was unable to see well in the darkness.
"Are you okay?" Clint asked as he helped both Synthia and Rory to their feet. They both claimed to be fine. Lili refused any assistance getting back to her feet; she just had the wind knocked out of her from slamming into the ground like that.
Before the attacker got too far, he shouted from the distance, "I was just protecting you from them!"
Clint was baffled. "Protecting who?" He looked to Jason for wisdom, hoping his experience could lend to this situation. "How does attacking someone protect anyone?"
"You have to think the person is a threat to someone else," Lili suggested. "So the questions becomes… Who thinks that Synthia, Rory, and Lucy are threats to you guys?"
"Someone who's jealous," Jason immediately concluded.
Rory disagreed. "There are definitely better ways to impress a girl than to attack her. Whoever it is has a problem with women." She remembered what the attacker said and looked to her roommate. "Except you, Lili."
Jason raised an eyebrow. "He didn't attack you? What does that mean? He's okay with single women?"
No one was certain what this guy was after, and no one was especially in the mood to figure it out. They decided to head inside and call the campus police. It didn't take long for Officer Potter to show up and take statements from everyone.
Carter sat at the picnic table, still consuming leftovers. "That was bold, grabbing her with so many people around. You think he's going to screw up the Ghost's plans?"
"Who cares?" Nathan replied. He never even bothered to look up. "As long as he doesn't make me do anything, I'll be happy."
I hate that the auto-format on this site continues to delete symbols and page breaks I put into Word. That's my piece of wisdom for the week.
Sorry for the delay. Five more chapters and this arc is complete.
Credits:
Darius Mantzios...tiramisu19
Jason Maxim...Maxim and Knight
Nathan Zislaw...Mavrik Zero
Hillary Delaney...Nodqfan144
Lili Von...Happy2BMe
Carter Jade...Jaden2010
Mitsuro Itachu...Titanic X
Sean Bivins...DarkVestroia2
Naoto Kurotsuki...Kurotsuki Haru
Hayley Wilson...TeamRocketDiva
Maikeru Stone...onyxshade7
Victor Rocks & Abel Shinzou...Iron-Arm-V
Alister Kazama & Jessica Parks...ZaneKazama001
Synthia Spencer...Madly Chessur
Leila & Linear Lockhart...Windraider
Romulus Malligan...Maximus1
Logan Wilson...MercWithTheMouth13
Everyone else so far...YamiRuss