YuGiOh 5D's: Konami/Kazuki Takahashi
Beta Reader: Mewstar0013
Jason breath was caught in his throat. After two rigorous matches with the Princess' top fighter, and her personal adviser. He was now standing in front of the second-to-first person he had met(the first was the Amazon warrior who tried to take his head) ever since he woke up on this island, the one who nursed him back to health, and the one who took care of him before the princess came and took him away. In his third and final trial for his freedom was none other than the girl Chakra. He didn't know he could be those shocked in his life, his hands shaking the slightest and his jaw threatening to fall.
"By that expression you have been making I take it that you are surprised!" Princess Alina called to him, a vicious smirk on her face. "Well regardless, this girl will represent your Trial of Freedom! You may have defeated my other warriors, but my last duelist will ensure you will never run free on my island! But before we get started, Guards! Hurry and prepare the chains!" She snapped.
A few minutes later, both Jason and Chakra had shackles attached to their wrists and necks. A long set of chains were connected to them, reaching past the arena floor and down into the moat.
"So, what are these chains all about?" Jason wondered aloud.
The Princess ignored him, "The preparations are complete! Now let the last trial begin!" the multitude of female citizens roared in excitement as they were about to witness more entertainment.
High above, Alina seated herself back on her throne, looking to her servant, "Take note, Michalangelo; no male has ever try to controvert my kingdom and got away with it. And this one will be no different." She swore. The boy could only gulp and nod, scared out of his mind.
"So, uh, I guess it's too late to try to talk this out?" Jason pleaded.
"All I have to say to you is that you have better brace yourself," Chakra stated coldly, "So expect no mercy from me."
Jason sighed and reshuffled Michelangelo's deck, his faith hoping the cards would pull him through "Alright then, let's go."
Jason: 8000
Chakra: 8000
"I will make the first move!" Chakra declared and drew her sixth card, "And to start, I summon (1) Man Beast of Ares(3/ATK: 500/DEF: 500) in ATK mode!" the monster summoned was a large brown minotaur-like creature in dirty blue robes. It growled as it smashed its fists against each other (ATK: 500), "Next, I set five cards," five reverse-cards appeared, filling Chakra's spell/trap zone to capacity, "I end my turn."
"Then it's my turn!" Jason drew his sixth card, "And I summon Silver Fang(3/ATK: 1200/DEF: 800)!" a wolf with pure-white fur appeared, sharp fangs seeping with foam (ATK: 1200), "Attack Man Beast of Ares with Fang of Ferocity!" the wolf sprung forth with its fangs ready to pierce the minotaur.
"You walked right into my trap!" Chakra announced as she activate her cards, all five of them. Each one launched a chain rope and wrapped themselves around Jason's wrists, ankles and waist, with a yellow x-shaped crest attached to his chest by small golden chains.
"What the heck is this?!" Jason demanded, trying to break the chains.
"When you attacked, you triggered my series of face-downs: Scrap-Iron Scarecrow, Chain Detonation, (5D's) Silver Pot of Chains, Accumulated Fortune, and Chain Strike!"
"Yeah, but why play them all at once? What do they do?"
"Nothing much by themselves, but when they're used at the same time, they create the game's Chain technic, which then triggers their effects in the reversed order they were played. First the effect of Chain Strike resolves, dealing you 400 points of damage depending on the number it's given as a Chain-Link."
"Chain-Link?" Questioned the warrior duelist.
"It's a way of ordering multiple card-effects in a Chain, each card given a number depending on the order." His once master explained, "And since Chain Strike is the fifth card to be activated, you lose 2000 life-points." the chains were then surged with electricity and made their way towards their captor. Jason cringed from its damaging effect.
Jason: 6000
Chakra: 8000
"Next after Chain Strike is Accumulated Fortune, which lets me draw two cards from my deck," Chakra drew two extra cards, "My next card, Silver Pot of Chains, has the same effect, except the number of cards it lets me draw depends on the chain-link number it marks; and I draw three card since its third on the Chain," she drew three more times, "Then the effect of Chain Detonation, which deals 500 more points of damage to you," the red gem on the yellow ornament glowed before it exploded in Jason's face. The force of the blast separated him from the chains as he was knocked to the floor.
Jason: 5500
Chakra: 8000
"And finally, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow negates your monster's attack," a makeshift scarecrow appeared and intercepted the wolf, forcing it to retreat, "Now that my Chain is complete, I can now trigger the second effects of Chain Detonation and Silver Pot of Chain activate, which both are returned to my deck," Chakra shuffled her two cards with her deck. "And lastly, my Man Beast of Ares gain 500 ATK points since I activated a chain this turn (ATK: 1000). Is there anything else you'd like to try?" She asked venomously.
Jason stood up, shaking off the aftershocks of the damage he received, "I end my turn with a face-down." a reverse-card appeared. Suddenly, he felt something pull his bindings from behind. And before he could think of anything else, he was suddenly pulled on by the neck and wrists. He was dragged a fair ways before he stopped. He coughed from the sudden pressure when his collar pulled his throat, his breath almost yanked right out of his lungs.
"I think now you know the comes with failing this trial. These chains we are attached to are connected to a reel under this arena. At the end of each turn, every time we take life-point damage they pull us closer to the edge. And once our life-points hit zero, the loser will be pulled into the pit."
"What?!" Jason exclaimed, eyes trailing to the edge of the pit, where the wild cats of the kingdom bellowed and roared.
"This is the Trial of Freedom, Jason Hutchins. And as such, the part must be played. To earn your freedom, you must prove that you deserve it. But in the end only her Highness decides whether or not you're worthy enough to live" Chakra almost gave him a pitied look, before it hardened into its serious composure.
"My move," Chakra drew her next card, "And due to the effect of my Silver Pot of Chains, since I drew more than two cards from its effect, I have to discard the same amount of cards from my deck as the number of cards I currently have in my hand," she removed six cards from the top of her deck, "Next, I summon (2) Blast Asmodian(3/ATK: 1000/DEF: 300) in DEF mode!" a small red imp with a bulbous head appeared, wearing tight black pants and an open, green wool vest (DEF: 300), "Then, I end my turn with four face-downs." once again, her spell/trap zone was filled to capacity.
"Then it's my turn!" Jason drew his next card, nodding at the result, "And I summon Giga-Tech Wolf(4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1400) in ATK mode!" a black and silver wolf with metal implants appeared with red eyes and a long and steeled tail (ATK:1200), "Next, I activate the spell Mystical Moon, to give Silver Fang 300 extra points!" a large yellow moon materialized in the sky and Silver Fang howled towards it by its effect, white fur illuminated and turning into a mesmerizing silver (ATK: 1500/DEF: 1100), "Giga-Tech Wolf, attack Man Beast of Ares!" the mechanical wolf advanced, calwed pas pouncing upon the earth.
"I activate my trap Scrap-Iron Scarecrow, and Chain it with another trap Chain Healing, giving me 500 life-points!" as the scarecrow intercepted Giga-Tech Wolf, Chakra was surrounded by a blue aura. The wolf pulled back with a snarl, galloping back to Jason's side of the field.
Jason: 5500
Chakra: 8500
"And as I have told you before, Ares gains another 500 ATK points since another Chain has been made (ATK: 1500). And that's not all, Blast Asmodian goes by the same requirements, only this monster takes 500 out of your life-points!" Shouted the Amazon.
"You mean I take more damage?!" Jason argued.
"That's right!" Chakra confirmed. "But that's not all you'll be taking; I'm also chaining together Just Desserts, Ceasefire and Jar of Greed! With this combo, you take another 2000 points of damage!" both Ceasefire and Just Desserts attacked Jason with a fireball, the latter pushed back with his heels digging into the floor.
Jason: 3500
Chakra: 8500
"And with another Chain activated, you get dealt another 500 points of damage from Blast Asmodian! That's another 1000 taken out of your life-points!" Blast Asmodian jumped up and launched a pair of fusing bombs. Jason shielded himself with his duel-disk to avoid most of the damage from the discharge.
Jason: 2500
Chakra: 8500
"And finally, my Man Beast of Ares gains another 500 points after another chain (ATK: 2000). That will be all." Jason was once again yanked away by the chains, until he stopped closer towards the edge. He looked back and exhaled sharply when a panther falsely jumped at him, its claws missing by a good ten feet.
"Alright then," Jason turned back, "I couldn't destroy your man-beast, but your Blast Asmodian is another story! Go, Silver Fang!" the snow-wolf ripped through the demon bomber with its sharp claws, howling in triumph. "I'll end my turn there."
"It's my turn," Chakra drew her next card, "First, I place a card face-down. Next I activate Card of Sanctity, which allows both players to draw until we each hold six cards," Chakra drew six cards while Jason drew three, "Then, I activate the card I just placed face-down: Card Destruction!" both duelists renewed their hand after discarding their old ones, "Next, I activate the Poisons of the Old Man, chaining it with another Chain Strike, and finally, Chain Summoning."
"Chain Summoning?" Jason wondered.
"Chain Summoning is a spell that I can only activate as a third chain-link;" as she spoke, a dark rift suddenly tore open in the sky closely over the stadium, held open by three glowing chains, "and as its effect suggests, it allows me to summon up to three monsters by normal means. As with my other two cards, you take 800 points of damage from each one."
Jason then felt a dark aura burning over him, hissing in his ears and making his skin crawl.
Jason: 900
Chakra: 8500
"Finally, my Man Beast earns another 500 ATK points (ATK: 2500). Now my Ares is strong enough to destroy your monster and the rest of your life-points; attack!" the minotaur charged in with muscles taunt, ready to smack Jason into the moat.
"I activate my trap card, Negate Attack!" Jason summoned a barrier and held back the minotaur's attack.
Michelangelo sighed in relief; Jason may be able to survive this. Alina, however, caught her servant's reaction and shot a piercing glare at him, forcing him to recompose himself with a light flush on his cheeks, before turning back to the fight. 'This girl had better not ruin this for me...'
"I see that you're able to prolong this battle a little longer," Chakra said, her patience thin on her tongue, "But how long will you able to fend off my attacks?"
"How about we find out," Jason suggested with a small shrug.
"Of course. As I've said before, Chain Summoning allows me to summon up to a limit of three monsters this turn. So first I summon Emperor Sem(4/ATK: 1300/DEF: 2200) in DEF mode," a fiendish winged jackal with a ghastly ghost lower-half appeared (DEF: 2200), "And then I'll sacrifice my Man Beast of Ares to advance-summon (3) Iris, the Earth Mother(6/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1200)," the huge minotaur vanished and was replaced by a lovely blond-haired woman , the white sleeves and collar dressed as large violet petals and a series of large grass blades draped behind her from her collar (ATK: 2400), "And since I tribute-summoned this turn, Emperor Sem's special-ability activates, allowing both of us to add a card to our hand from our graveyard," Jason retrieved Negate Attack from his graveyard while Chakra obtained Card of Sanctity, "Now I activate the card I just added to my hand, Card of Sanctity," Chakra was the only one to replenish her hand since Jason's was already full, "And since Chain Summoning is still active, I'll use my third summon to call out my (4) Combo Fighter(4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 800) in ATK mode," next to Iris and Sem appeared a pink-haired fighter with a green-and-white bandana tied around his head, pressure-bandages on his hands, and brown pants with green and yellow stripes down the sides (ATK: 1600), "Finally, I place four cards face-down and end my turn."
"It's my turn," Jason said, drawing his next card, "First, I activate Dian Keto, the Cure Master. This card gives me 1000 extra life-points!" A green dust blew over his duel disk.
Jason: 1900
Chakra: 8500
"Next I summon (5) Hyena (3/ATK: 1000/DEF: 300) in DEF mode," an actual hyena had appeared on Jason's field (DEF: 300), "Next, I activate the Forest field-spell card, giving all my beasts an extra 200-point boost!" the arena floor was then covered in a lush mass of long grass and tall trees.
Silver Fang: (ATK:1700/DEF: 1000)
Hyena: (ATK: 1200/DEF: 500)
"Next, I activate the continuous-spell, Spiritual Forest! With this, you'll have to attack my beasts a second time before they can be destroyed! Now I place 3 cards face-down, switch Giga-Tech Wolf and end my turn!" a reverse-card appeared and Giga-Tech Wolf kneeled to the ground, mechanical tail raised in the air..
"It's my turn," Chakra drew her next card, "First off, I switch Emperor Sem to ATK mode (ATK: 1300. Next, I sacrifice Combo Fighter in order to summon (6) Combo Master(5/ATK: 2200/DEF: 1500)!" the Combo Fighter was replaced by an older, muscular version of himself, with a headband holding back his dreadlocks (ATK: 2200), "An with another monster tribute-summoned, Emperor Sem's ability activate," Chakra retrieved Silver Pot of Chains while Jason his Dian Keto, "Now I activate my face-downs: Chain Healing, Gift of the Mystical Elf, Mystical Wind Typhoon and Miraculous Rebirth!" Chakra triggered all four of those cards into another Chain, "As Miraculous Rebirth activates as a forth chain-link, I can resurrect one monster from my graveyard, like my (7) Lightning Punisher(7/ATK: 2600/DEF: 1600)!" arcs of electricity began to course around a single spot, scorching the grass around it, until a glowing orb began to grow into appearance and then dissipated. What rose underneath was a man in a sleeveless black jumpsuit with silver tesula-like bands sparking around his upper thighs and waist, and a sapphire gem on his chest. His short and spiky silver hair has a golden mask disguising his face. And on his hands he wore golden gloves that stopped just above his knuckles (ATK: 2600), "Next, my Mystical Wind Typhoon destroys one spell/trap card on your field. I choose the card on your right," Chakra's next card fired a huge tornado and slammed into Jason's Negate Attack card, ripping it to shreds, "Next, my Gift of the Mystical Elf trap card increases my life-points by 300 for each monster on the field; and since there's already 6, I get 1800 life-points!" Chakra summoned a Mystical Elf from her card, who chanted a mantra and surrounded her master in a white aura before disappearing.
Jason: 1900
Chakra: 10300
"And finally, Chain Healing gives me 500 more."
Jason: 1900
Chakra: 10800
"That's an interesting set of monster you have there, Chakra," Jason admitted, "but you'll have to do a lot better than that to get pass my monsters."
"And I intend to; because after my Chain is completed, I can draw another card through Iris' ability," Chakra drew one more card, "And that's not all; it allows my Combo Master to attack a second time this turn. And I'll use him to attack your Hyena!" Combo Master charged in to strike the beast.
"Aren't you forgetting? Spiritual Forest protects Hyena from being destroyed!" Jason said as a barrier appeared around Hyena against Combo Master's fist.
"That's why Combo Master can attack twice this turn. Now for Round 2!" Chakra's monster attacked once again.
"And that's why I have my Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! So both of your attacks are negated!" Jason summon his scarecrow from his reverse-card and formed a barrier against the warrior's second attack, before retreating back into its card and returned to its previous position.
"And with that, you used up all the protection you could give this turn. So now, you monsters are fair game. And I'll start by using Emperor Sem to attack Hyena!" the ghastly jackal loomed over the Hyena and smashed its jaws into its neck, forcing it to shatter into pixels.
"When you destroy a Hyena on my field, I can activate its special-ability, letting me summon 2 more from my deck!" two more Hyenas appeared (DEF: 300-500x2), "And that's not all; I activate my second face-down! You're not the only one who's got a Gift of the Mystical Elf!" Jason activated his own version of the card, "And with 7 cards on the field, I get 2100 points! It's a gift that keeps on giving!"
Jason: 4000 (15)
Chakra: 10800 (2)
"Very well, I'll just have Iris and Lightning Punisher destroy your last two Hyenas," Iris crushed the second Hyena with a series of constricting vines while Lightning Punisher destroyed the third with a surge of electricity from his hands, "Now I activate the spell card Magical Excavation Stones, sending 2 cards from my hand to the graveyard to add a spell card to my hand. And the card I will choose is the card we're both familiar with: Card of Sanctity!" Chakra then activated the same card; both hands replenished to six cards, "Then, I activate a field-spell of my side of the field from my hand: (5D's) Silver Dungeon!" the green of the Forest then withered and died to nothing, resetting the field to marble before the floor transmuted into shiny, reflective metal, spreading throughout the arena like a rapid disease. The diameter of the floor was then surrounded by silver columns erected from the ground as if it were liquid.
Jason looked around at his new surroundings, "This might turn out to be a problem..." He said to himself.
"Finally I place four cards face-down and end my turn." four reverse-cards appeared.
Jason: 4000 (15)
Chakra: 10800 (3)
"Okay, then it's my turn," Jason drew his next card, "I activate the Synthesis Spell ritual card! Now I can release Silver Fang from my field, and M-Warrior #2 from my hand in order to summon the Lycanthrope ritual-monster!" the silver wolf twitched and flinched as it body mass grew in size and its fur darkened, until it to the form of a grey bipedal wolf (ATK: 2400), "Next I summon Gene-Warped Warwolf in ATK mode!" the four-armed werewolf appeared (ATK: 2000), "Gene-Warped Warwolf, attack Emperor Sem!"
"I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow, followed by Exchange of the Spirit, Reckless Greed and Pharaoh's Treasure," Chakra activated another Chain before a gem-encrusted chest appeared in front of Chakra's feet.
"What's that box for?" Jason wondered.
"After Pharaoh's Treasure is activated, it's shuffled face-up back into my deck. In the meantime, I can keep this treasure-chest until I can draw Pharaoh's Treasure again. When that happens, I can add a card in my graveyard to my hand. But for now, I'll play the effect of Reckless Greed, which allows me to draw two more cards from my deck," Chakra drew two more cards, the second being Pharaoh's Treasure, before the card was shown to Jason, "It looks like I drew Pharaoh's Treasure quicker than you'd expect. Now I get to add a card from my graveyard to my hand. And the card I choose will be Card of Sanctity," she added said card to her hand, "Next comes the trap card Exchange of the Spirit. When I have 10-or-less cards in my deck, I pay 1000 life-points, then we both must exchange our decks with our respective graveyard," both players did as instructed: Chakra now had 27 cards in her deck and 2 in her graveyard, while Jason had 20 card in his deck with 14 in his graveyard, "Finally, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow scares off your warwolf." Gene-Warped Warwolf's attack was blocked by a barrier made the scarecrow before it retreated back to its face-down position.
"Something tells me you're not finished," Jason said.
"You're right; after my Chain's been passed, I can activate Iris' effect, letting me draw another card from my deck. It also triggers Lightning Punisher's special-ability. And since I activated a Chain of more than three links, I can destroy one card on your field, like your Spiritual Forest spell card!" electricity ran into his hands before Lightning Punisher zapped Jason's spell and destroyed it.
"Not my Forest spell!" Jason groaned, 'That's the best defense I had!'
"Next, Iris' effect activates and lets me draw one more card," Chakra drew another card, "And lastly, the effect of my new field-spell activates..."
Suddenly, a pair of silver columns erected near Lycanthrope on either side, soon after a pair of chains shot out from each on and restrained the monster by each of its limbs, "What did you do to my werewolf?!"
"After a Chain passes, the effect of my Silver Dungeon field-spell activates, giving a monster on the field a Chain Counter for each link that Chain has. Not only that, it also prevents the monster from attacking or being sacrificed; plus it drains that monster's ATK and DEF points by 100 for each counter (CTR: 4/ATK: 2000).
Meanwhile, Valentine and Mabelle were watching the duel were sat at the lowest and front row of the stands.
Valentine scoffed, "I was wondering what was taking her so long to beat this person. She was setting him up for her field-spell this entire time."
"Well, what would you expect from a skilled duelist like Chakra," Maybelle replied, "Of all the students in the academy she is the best in her class. All because of her ability to overwhelm her opponent just by countering their cards."
"With a unique deck like hers, Chakra can take advantage of Chaining one's own cards, making her untouchable."
"Now the only question to be answered, how much time will she give our prisoner until she deals the final blow; and how...?"
"There's something else that's bothering me, Mayabelle," Valentine narrowed her eyes at Jason, grinding her teeth slightly. "It's already pass the destined time for the poison in the prisoner's bloodstream to take effect. Why hasn't he fallen yet?"
"Yes," Her companion, however, had her gaze on Akina's personal servant, noticing the concerned look he possessed. "I wonder that as well …"
"Well then, I guess I'll place a card face-down and end my turn." a reverse-card appeared on Jason's field.
"Then it's my move," Chakra said, "But due to the effect of Reckless Greed, I can't conduct my draw-phase a card until the end of my next turn. But in the meantime, I'll activate Card of Sanctity to make up for that," Chakra drew six cards, while Jason drew four, "Next, I'll activate Magical Excavation Stones. And just like before, I send two cards from my hand to the graveyard to add one spell card from there." she used that card's effect to retrieve Card of Sanctity, "Now my Lightning Punisher will attack your Lycanthrope!"
"I activate my trap card, Gravity Bind!" Jason played his reverse-card and a large barrier was formed around Chakra's field, "And that means none of your high-leveled monster can attack!"
"Fine, I'll place two cards face-down. It's your move."
"Alright," Jason drew his next card, "I summon Giga-Tech Wolf in DEF mode and end my turn with a face-down." The mutated beast appeared, its large form making up for its small fangs.
"It's my turn; and just like before I can't draw a card because of Reckless Greed. But I can sacrifice Combo Fighter and Lightning Punisher to summon (8) Flame Ogre(7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1700)!" two of Chakra's monsters disappeared and were replaced by a muscular, beastly giant with dull red skin, wearing a pair of ragged trousers while being surrounded by an aura of flames.
"Why summon a monster with less ATK points?" Jason asked.
"Because, when Flame Ogre's summoned to the field, I can draw one card from my deck. And it gets much better; its effect can also Chain itself to Emperor Sem's effect, as well as two of my face-down cards, Silver Pot of Chains and Miraculous Rebirth!" two of Chakra's cards flipped up, "As you have already known, Miraculous Rebirth activates as a forth chain-link, and allows me to resurrect Lightning Punisher from the graveyard," Lightning Punisher returned to the field, "And since Silver Pot of Chains is activated as a third chain-link, I can draw three cards from my deck," after drawing three more cards, both players added a card from the graveyard with Emperor Sem's effect. After that, Chakra drew another card, "And now the effect of Silver Dungeon activates. And that means I can add four more Chain Counters to another monster on your field, like your Giga-Tech Wolf!" the metallic wolf found itself confined by four sets of chains from a separate pair of columns (CTR: 4/ATK: 800), "And before we forget, Iris' effect activates," she draws one last card, "Finally, I place two cards face-down, and end my turn!"
"It's my turn," Jason drew his next card, a small smile appearing on his face when he looked at it, ''This should work! I activate the Dark Hole spell card!" after the spell was played, a cloudy black vortex appeared over the arena, "And by playing this, every monster on the field is automatically destroyed!"
"I'm afraid that won't happen, because I activate Solemn Judgment!" Chakra played her trap card, and the black hole dissipated, "By paying half of my life-points, Solemn Judgment negates your Dark Hole, making it worthless!"
Jason: 4000
Chakra: 4900
"Then I'll set a monster and 2 more cards face-down," two reverses appeared, "That ends my turn!"
"Then it's my draw," Chakra started her next turn, "I activate the spell Emergency Provisions. And my sending another card in my spell/trap zone to the graveyard, I gain 1000 life-points!" her face-down Scrap-Iron Scarecrow disappeared and Chakra was surrounded in a golden aura.
Jason: 4000
Chakra: 5900
"Next, I place three cards face-down," three reverses appeared, "That ends my turn."
"My turn," Jason drew his next card, "I'll set another monster face-down. That ends my turn."
"It's my turn," Chakra drew her next card, "And by activating Card of Sanity, we both draw until we each had six cards in our hand," she drew three card while Jason drew four, "Next, I'll activate one of my face-downs: the trap, Ultimate Offering!" Chakra flipped up her continuous-trap, "With this, I can summon an extra monster by paying 500 points for each. And what's more, I can activate its effect multiple times, Chaining then to each other!"
"You can really do that?!" Jason gasped.
"Watch and see; first I pay 2000 points for Ultimate Offering..."
Jason: 4000
Chakra: 3900
"Then I'll Chain Ultimate Offering with Chain Detonator, Poison of the Old Man..." Chakra then activated a spell card from her hand, "And Chain Strike!"
"Not again!" Jason groaned; and then found himself caught in the same trap as the beginning of the match: his upper body wrapped tight in chains with the detonator attached to his chest. His ribs began to ache and sore, his throat turning raw from the pain.
"Yes, and since Chain Strike's Chain-Link number is seven, in additional damage from Chain Detonation, the rest of your life-points will be wiped out..."
"Not on my watch!" Jason struggled to reach his duel-disk until he was able to press a button, "I activate my spell card...!" a quick-play reverse-card flipped up, "When I'm about to take damage from an effect, I can use Spell of Pain's effect to send that damage back to you!" the silver chains loosened from Jason and reapplied themselves to Chakra, "And like you said, since Chain Strike's Chain-Link is 7, you lose 2800 points!"
As in on cue, volts of electricity ran into the chains and quickly reached Chakra. Strangely, she expressed no pain, "I activate my trap..." a trap card revealed itself; lines of black runes slithered out of the illustrations, "Vanity's Call!"
"Vanity's Call...?"
"It's a powerful counter-trap, as it can only be activated as a Chain-Link Number 4-or-more. It has the ability to cancel out every card activated before it!" the runes then gathered together and pierced through every card one by one, from Spell of Pain, to Chain Strike, and so on until every card in the Chain was infected and withered away. The chains that held Chakra rusted and evaporated. "You managed to somehow delay your defeat. But you will still be judged regardless. You should know by now that you never stood a chance. Just surrender, and perhaps her Highness will be merciful."
"How could you say that?" Jason heaved, gritting his teeth to the point of pain, "Chakra, you know I didn't do anything to deserve this!"
"What's to say you didn't?" Chakra asked. "For all we know, you really are a conspirator."
"Listen, I have nothing to do with any conspiracy. You were the first person who showed me kindness on this island! I thought you wouldn't judge me as quickly as the others do! Is this what you want these people to be famous for, a tribe of erratic back-biters who are too scared of the opposite sex to give them a fair trial?!" He demanded, the fierce opponent shaking her head at his words.
"I'm sure the Princess is acting like she is for the safety of her people! She wouldn't do this without having a good reason! She won't admit it, but I think she's frightened about something..."
"I know she's frightened! I also know the way she approached her servants, or other men, is dangerous! She's going to end up hurting someone for something they didn't even do!" He threw his hand at the princess balcony. "She's already done that to Michelangelo, and the guy's a pacifist, for crying out loud! I want to show Alina not all men are dangerous or plotting against her!"
Chakra gazed at him silently, her eyes locking into his darkly-colored orbs, before she threw a skeptical look.
"...And what could you do to change that, may I ask?" She asked hesitantly.
"I don't know. But I do know that if someone doesn't do anything, I don't think this so-called way of life can last for long. I have to show Alina that she shouldn't hate a man just for the sake of being a man! There are many good men out there as there are bad ones!"
"...I know exactly what you're talking about. I never told you this, but I used to be an outlander, just like you."
"Really?" Jason asked, getting a nod in return.
"My full name is Chakra Silvers. I'm not sure if you'd know but my parents are very powerful people; my father being a genius in the Stock Market, while my mother's one of the best lawyers money could buy. And as with any family tradition they expect me to follow in their footsteps. When I first played Duel Monsters, I was really good at it; and I was able to win the local championship in my hometown. That gave my parents the perfect excuse to send me off to Duel Academy, where I studied to be a Pro-Duelist."
"I'd say that's a good thing, isn't it?"
"Is it?" Chakra gave a bitter smile. "Those are the kind of parents who take it hard against you when to bring home just a couple of B's or even an A-, Jason!" She shook her head in scorn. "Along the line I came to figure that the care more about what a success their daughter could bring than their own daughter in particular! So in the middle of my third year, I left the island on a boat. I didn't have anywhere particular in mind, I just went wherever the waves took me."
"And that's how you ended up here?" Jason inquired.
Chakra nodded, "It was because of a large storm that my new life started. It was nine days since I left the school, I've long exhausted my provisions and was growing weak. The waves went wild under me and I was soon flipped overboard and crashed into the sea. I've long lost my strength and, considering what I had been through, I gladly invited death."
"The Amazons saved you, didn't they?" Chakra nodded, the bitterness in her smile turning grateful.
"They found me washed up on the beach, and then took me to the Princess. I told her my story and I was lucky she managed to take pity on me. She taught me to take care of myself, gave me a place to stay. I'd be nothing without her! So you see, I can't turn my back on the Princess! Not after all she's done for me!" He proclaimed, loyalty laced in her words.
"...Look, I never said that I'd want you to turn on your savior. But I'll tell you this: I'm winning this duel," Jason declared as he drew his next card, "And after this duel's done, we're gonna have to have a little talk with the princess."
"But we're both chained off! How can you unshackle both of us?"
"Just watch me! I just drew the combo that'll do the job! I summon People Running About and Oppressed People!" two of Jason's cards flipped up, "And from my hand I summon United Resistance!" a third monster card appeared beside the other two. "Finally I activate this last trap card, Huge Revolution!" the reversed card activated depicted a group of people uniting for a raid, "I can play this card if I have People Running About, Oppressed People and United Resistance face-up on the field! And once activated, I can use it to destroy every card on the field and in your hand!" the three cards overlapped a gathered a huge amount of energy which was then released in a giant ball. The impact on the opposite field created a giant explosion and decimated everything it touched. Both Chakra and Jason had to hold onto the ground to keep from falling over. When everything settled down, Chakra was left with nothing. "And since your field-spell's destroyed, both Lycanthrope and Gene-Warped Warwolf's ATK points return to how they were before!"
Lycanthrope: (ATK: 2400)
Gene-Warped Warwolf: (ATK: 2000)
"This duel is over!" Jason said as both of his monsters dashed in and punched Chakra, sending her flying over the edge and into the pit.
Chakra held back her breath, her eyes barely catching the gleam of a tiger's fangs and the swipe of a furred paw, before her she was grabbed around the waist and pulled up. Looking over her shoulder, she gasped when she saw it was Gene-Warped Warwolf, lifting her back to the marble plateau. She stood on her feet uneasily, looking around.
"You ok?" She turned and saw Jason with a concerned look, her breath finally coming back to her lungs.
"I'm-" She suddenly hissed and held her arm, noticing the four gashes that drew across her arm. Apparently, that tiger didn't miss her. She held her bleeding arm and threw a tough smile. "I'll be fine. Barely a scratch."
In spite of her tough act, Jason was failing to hold back a smile.
The crowds were silent. Too surprised to make an exclaim while other waiting for their princess's decision. Above, the aqua-blue royal could only gape at what had just happened, her lips slightly parted.
"M'lady?" Michelangelo asked quietly. "Your highness…?" He jumped back when Alina suddenly stood, striding herself to the railing of the balcony and holding her hands up to draw her court to attention.
"The prisoner has won the Three Trails. As I am royal, I shall determine his fate," Alina gazed down at Jason, eyes burning so much that they could almost engulf him in flames. Everyone waited in baited breath, watching, wondering, until Alina gave a rough snarl, with a harsh breath let out. "He has not won he's freedom..."
Everyone was letting out mixed reactions, Jason looking ready to bolt.
"He has won a meeting in my presence," Alina declared, everyone struck silent once more. "In this meeting, I shall bestow to him the eternal chance to be free. If he takes this chance and succeeds, he shall be released. If he refuses or fails his chance, he shall be kept under lock and key for the rest of his life." She held her hands up once more, a deafening gong ringing behind her. "So it shall be. The prisoner has one hour to make his final decision," She turned and sharply muttered to Michelangelo, "Se to it that Chakra is taken to a healer." Not waiting for a nod, the princess and Nila walked out with the curtains at the doorway swooping behind them.
On the arena, Jason groaned and rubbed his temples.
"What's this nagging feeling that's telling me I'm not gonna like the chance she's given me?"
Ten minutes after the Trials, Michelangelo had lead Jason and Chakra to a lone room with stone cots lined with animal-skinned blankets and bird feather-filled pillows, herbs of all sorts and pots filled with water waiting for them. He told the both of them to wait while he went to fetch a healer and he left in a hurry.
An awkward silence was met between Jason and Chakra, both seated on different cots with their backs to each other. Finally, Chakra let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry."
Jason lifted his head, coking an eyebrow.
"For what-?" He stopped himself and shook his head, smiling at the realization he had. "Chakra, it's nothing. You were only acting like that because you owed it to the princess. It's ok." He assured.
"But I acted that way to you-"
"We're cool," Jason waved a hand, his smile widening. "And hey, at least neither of us are wild cat lunch! So we're good!"
Chakra gave a look of disbelief, shaking her head with a light laugh and a smile of her own.
"You are just some other type of man, Jason Hutchins."
"-I was busy!"
"Dem, come on! You said you wanted to meet him, anyway!"
The both of them whipped their heads to the side to see Michelangelo walk in with Demetrius, the younger male dragging the older in by the arm (It was a wonder how the small and lanky servant could do that).
"Here we are," Michelangelo gave a quick bow to Chakra. "Lady Chakra, this is-"
"Valentine's servant, Demetrius," The warrior nodded. "I've heard of him. But why did you bring him here?"
"He asked me to come here look at your wound. Granted, this would get my head decapitated for illegal medical studies, thank you, Michelangelo," He added gruffly, the redhead looking away with a cough. "Lady Chakra, please allow me to look at your wound, in case for infection."
Brightly-colored eyes stared at the tall slave, before she turned her arm to him. Pulling her arm to an appropriate length with gentle care, he inspected the wound and nodded to himself, fingers kneading close to the shallow gash.
"Fortunately, the wound hasn't been infected and with the provided herbs here, it can be healed in two weeks, Lady Chakra," Demetrius picked out a selection of the medical powders and liquids nearby, the blacked-haired male began to clean and treat to Chakra's wound with eased precision.
"You seem to know what you're doing," Commented his patient, her lip curling slightly when Demetrius began to stitch-up the gash. "Males of the kingdom are forbidden to study healing, though. Who taught you?"
"This means you will not alert the queen of my studies, m'lady?"
"You have my word."
"Very well. I've learned from the shaman of the Gargarean tribe when I was young, and I decided to take my studies here to this tribe in order to provide help for the injured and sick males of the Amazons." Informed Demetrius, trying up her would with a special gauze.
"So that's why Michelangelo bought you here in the first place." Said Jason.
"Right," Demetrius looked up and cracked a wicked grin. "And may I say, congratulations on winning the duel. No man has ever done that since . . . ever." The healer praised. "And now, you are allowed to have an audience with the queen and receive another chance for your freedom."
"What will my chance be, anyway?" Jason asked.
"Our best guess is finding the oracle," Michelangelo answered, "Right, Dem?" He asked his old friend.
"Most likely."
"Oracle?" Jason was confused.
"The oracle who lives deep within the forest of our land, their cavern struck between the border points of the Amazons and the Gargareans. It is said that they can see what has occurred in the past and future, serving for both tribes." Explained Demetrius.
"'They? 'their?'"
"No one knows the oracle's true gender," Stated Chakra, "However, knowing her highness, she will send you to find the oracle, crossing the wild forest, and try to convince the oracle to give you their trust."
"Why would she want that?" Jason asked.
"The queen holds a high respect for the oracle, being one of the wisest of the two tribes. With the oracle's trust, Alina is sure to trust you."
"But," Michelangelo looked troubled, tugging on his hair slightly. "Her highness already looked like she trusted Jason after the duel. I know she despises him, but why would she have Jason go to such length?"
"Michelangelo, maybe this is the queen's way of showing that she is close to trusting Jason," Said Demetrius. "Think about it; no male has ever passed the Three Trials. And Jason right here holds a will unlike any of us have ever seen. And with this meeting she is allowing to have with him, it just proves that she sees that there might be something that's telling her that she can trust him. Remember, our queen has never acted kindly to men," He winced slightly at the scars across the younger servant's eyes, his proof bought forth. "Jason could be the one to turn her whole opinion around," He turned to the modern duelist. "Jason, you could be the one to free our queen."
"Well, when you put it like that, I'm in," Jason nodded and stood. "Alright, I still got a while until I meet with Alina. Tell me everything about the forest and the quickest way to meet this 'oracle'."
DUEL-MON DATABASE
(1) ManBeast of Ares
Stats: [Beast-Warrior/Effect] Level 3 ATK/500 DEF/500
Attribute: EARTH
Description:
(2) Blast Asmodian
Stats: [Fiend/Effect] Level 3 ATK/1000 DEF/300
Attribute: FIRE
Description: If any Spell or Trap Card(s) are Chained, inflict 500 damage to your opponent.
(3) Iris, the Earth Mother
Stats: [Fairy/Effect] Level 6 ATK/2400 DEF/1200
Attribute: LIGHT
Description: After a Chain with 3 or more Links resolves, draw 1 card. This effect cannot activate if multiple cards/effects with the same name were activated in that Chain.
(4) Combo Fighter
Stats: [Warrior/Effect] Level 4 ATK/1600 DEF/800
Attribute: WIND
Description: If a Chain (of 2 or more Links) occurred in your Main Phase 1, this card can attack twice during the Battle Phase this turn.
(5) Hyena
Stats: [Beast/Effect] Level 3 ATK/1000 DEF/300
Attribute: EARTH
Description: When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard: You can Special Summon any number of "Hyenas" from your Deck.
(6) Combo Master
Stats: [Warrior/Effect] Level 6 ATK/2200 DEF/1500
Attribute: WIND
Description: If a Chain (of 2 or more Links) occurred in your Main Phase 1, this card can attack twice during the Battle Phase this turn.
(7) Lightning Punisher
Stats: [Thunder/Effect] Level 7 ATK/2600 DEF/1600
Attribute: DARK
Description: After a Chain with 3 or more Links resolves, destroy 1 card on your opponent's side of the field. This effect cannot activate if multiple cards/effects with the same name were activated in that Chain.
(8) Flame Ogre
Stats: [Fiend/Effect] Level 7 ATK/2400 DEF/1700
Attribute: FIRE
Description: This card cannot be Special Summoned. When this card is Normal Summoned, draw 1 card.
DUEL-MON TRIVIA-
Hey duelists! Did you know:
"This monster's appearance bears a striking resemblance to the evil monster form taken by Gozaburo Kaiba during his duel with his step-son Seto in the Virtual World arc.
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