Hello, all! Here is the next chapter, and the next Duel!
This chapter took me much longer than I thought to write, mainly because my schedule isn't very stable at the moment. I hope you all enjoy what you see here, all the same. It's been a long time since I wrote a Duel, and I hope it is worth the wait.
Like last chapter, this one will have a custom character (and Deck) developed by the user "Myyddraal". Please give them your appreciation, as I think the Deck they designed here is pretty good!
Here are the Japanese - English names:
Aki Izayoi = Akiza Izinski
Rua = Leo
DISCLAIMER: 'Yugioh! 5d's' is owned by Konami. 'Android Netrunner' is owned by Fantasy Flight Games. The author owns their OC, Deck, and any elements from this story and its prequel.
Onward to the Chapter.
['DUEL OF DARKNESS' BEGINS]
[ROUND 1] [?: 4000 LP/Samuel: 4000 LP] [CARDS IN HAND: 5 (Both Players)]
"First turn!" the woman calls out as she snaps the top card from her Deck into her starting hand. She looks over her cards for a few seconds, and then makes her move.
[TURN 1: ?] [HAND SIZE: 5-6]
"I activate the Field Spell, World of Creation," she states as a slot extends from the side of her Duel Disk. "This will show you the hope we Dark Signers bring to this place."
The slot slides back into place, and the Spell transforms our surroundings into a strange landscape. A distant volcano pokes out from a huge forest canopy to my right. The mountain belches out black smoke into a cloudy sky, which in turn dispenses lightning bolts down on a large ocean. The ocean's waves splash onto a sandy shore that's to my left. Strong gusts of wind blow wisps of multicolored smoke around the field.
Even with this change, though, the purple fire remains. The sand beneath it doesn't seem affected, and the smoky wisps don't get anywhere near it. The woman takes her Deck out of her Disk's card holder as my metal eye gives me an update: [HAND SIZE (?): 6-5].
"I activate my Field Spell's effect," she states as she takes a specific card. "Once during my turn, this card lets me Special Summon a Level 5 or lower Monster from my Deck." She places the chosen card on her Disk with the words, "I Special Summon Element Stone in Attack Mode!"
A rainbow-colored light rises from beneath the sand, and shapes itself into a sphere about the size of my Duel Disk. The sphere has a horizontal slash through the middle that splits it clean through. Its two halves, made of gray and dark-green stone, spin opposite each other in midair. Both halves are covered in glyphs I don't recognize, and my implant doesn't give me any definition along with the Monster's statistics: [LIGHT, Rock/Psychic, 2000 ATK/500 DEF, LVL 5].
"When Element Stone is Summoned," Elizabeth says as she places her Deck back in its holder. "I declare one of the four natural elements for it to take: Fire, Water, Earth, or Wind. Its printed Attribute will become the element I declare. I choose the element of Earth."
Some of the wisps fly around the stone as its dark-green changes into a tan color. The glyphs glow a similar tan as the wisps turn into floating rocks of various shapes. The rocks orbit the halves without falling away, and the stone accepts their presence without a problem. It all looks amazing, even if just in Solid Vision.
"I end my turn." I blink at those words. Why is she not doing more during her first turn? Does she have any more Spells or Traps to use, or is she waiting for me to make my move first? Whatever the case, I should pay more attention to what she does.
"It's my turn!" I call out as I draw my card. I smirk when I see the familiar image of Rielle "Kit" Peddler. She always seems to be the first to respond to my situation.
[TURN 2: Samuel] [HAND SIZE: 5-6]
I look over the rest of my hand, and find several old cards along with a single new one. A plan comes to mind when I see a familiar Spell, and I choose to put it into action. It'll be a long-term plan, and it will hopefully pay off.
"I activate the Continuous Spell Personal Workshop," I state. "This banishes a Machine-Type Monster from my Deck when activated, and then it gains Power Counters equal to that Monster's Level."
The old workbench appears on my right before the forest. The high-tech machinery looks out of place against this natural environment, but that's a minor concern to me. I look through my own Deck and pick out a Monster worth the effort of constructing over time. My eyes settle on a new Monster with a high Level, but a very powerful ability.
"I banish the Level 7 Femme Fatale from my Deck," I explain as I place the Deck back into its holder for the Disk to shuffle. The Workshop quickly constructs a base digital frame shaped like a giant square, and lasers start to carve something out from the square. My implant quickly gives me new information: [WORKSHOP: 7 PC] [HAND SIZE: 6-5].
"Now," I continue as I place another familiar card on my Disk, "I Normal Summon Gordian Blade!" The digital sword rises from the sand as if drawn by an invisible hand. It parries twice in the air before hovering close by me [Machine, 2000 ATK, LVL 4] [HAND SIZE: 5-4].
Now that Blade is on my field, I could attack that Element Stone on my opponent's field. Both Monsters will be destroyed, but her field will be left open for a future attack. She would probably Special Summon another Monster with her Field Spell, though, which would put me at a disadvantage since I've used my Normal Summon or Set this turn.
My implant pops in with a recommendation, with lower-case letters instead of all-caps: [Avoid combat unless you can gain an advantage. Judge your opponent before you execute a plan.] That makes sense, in the long run. Besides, I've got other things I can do on my turn.
"I'll skip attacking, and go right to Main Phase 2. I'll now activate the Continuous Spell Professional Contacts!"
This Spell shows a middle-aged man with blond hair wearing a formal green suit coat and a large pair of glasses talking with some business executives. He warmly shakes the hand of one such executive as another looks on through a visor. The man has the full attention of these two people, and his calm demeanor shows he knows it [HAND SIZE: 4-3].
"During my Standby Phase," I explain as the Spell glows with a thin white aura, "this card lets me gain 400 Life Points and draw a card. I'll next use Personal Workshop's activated ability; I can remove one of its Power Counters manually by paying 400 Life Points once during either of our turns. In addition, one Power Counter is automatically removed during each of my Standby Phases. Once all Power Counters are removed, the banished Monster is Special Summoned, ignoring all conditions!"
The machines have carved out part of a frame by now, and I feel a twinge of pain in my chest as they continue their work [SAMUEL LP: 4000-3600] [WORKSHOP: 7-6 PC].
"You won't live long enough to see your plans come about," the woman taunts. "The Crimson Dragon needs to be eliminated, now!"
"You'll have to deal with me, first," I reply. "I Set one card in my backrow, and end my turn." [HAND SIZE: 3-2]
[ROUND 2] [?: 4000 LP/Samuel: 3600 LP]
The woman silently draws her card, and doesn't even take a second to start her turn.
[TURN 3: ?] [HAND SIZE: 5-6]
"During my Standby Phase, World of Creation's second effect activates. I declare FIRE, WATER, EARTH, or WIND, and the printed Attribute of all Monsters that are on the field will become that Attribute until my next turn. I choose the element of Fire."
Both Monsters change their appearance as I feel the air around me get a lot hotter. The volcano in the distance spits out some lava from its top. Element Stone's color turns to a red and gray mix, the glyphs shine a brighter shade of red, and the ring of stones becomes a ring of fire. Gordian Blade's digital surface sprouts a coat of green flames that flicker and shine on their own.
"I now use World of Creation's main ability," the woman continues as she looks through her Deck again. She eventually makes her selection: "I Special Summon Stone Assaulter in Attack Mode."
This Monster is a four-legged cannon, each leg made of hardened stone to support a bulky stone barrel. Iron bands support the barrel as it slowly walks along the sand, the legs sinking slightly into the ground. A tan crystal glows on the barrel's left side, probably an 'eye' of sorts for targeting. More of those strange glyphs, also glowing tan, cover the barrel and add to its imposing appearance. That's all before the glyphs pulse with a red light to signify the Monster's Attribute change [LIGHT/FIRE, Rock/Machine, 1400 ATK/300 DEF, LVL 3] [HAND SIZE: 6-5].
"Battle!" the woman quickly calls out. "Element Stone attacks Gordian Blade. Element Stone's effect activates: any Monster that battles it, and has the same Attribute as it, has its ATK and DEF halved until the end of the Damage Step."
I let out a surprised, "What?" at this. I knew she probably had a trick up her sleeve, but that Monster having an effect was not what I had planned for.
The woman calls out, "Destructive Burst!" as the fiery ring breaks away from the stone and flies at Gordian Blade. The weapon withers under the burning touch as its own flames are snuffed out: cracks quickly sprout along the front end [Gordian Blade ATK: 2000-1000]. The Stone's halves then crash together with a loud clong that sends out a coned blast of energy at the weapon.
The impact shatters the Blade entirely, and then slams into my body. I barely stand my ground against it, but I feel like I was just punched in the gut [SAMUEL LP: 3600-2600]. The shock of the impact surprises me; Solid Vision isn't supposed to hurt this much.
Flashes of my 'Psychic Riding Duel' with Aki Izayoi come back as the ring of fire returns to float around Element Stone's halves. I remember how damaging that Duel was to everyone involved, and even to the people viewing it in apparent safety. Is this 'Duel of Darkness' the same, or even worse, than that?
"Stone Assaulter attacks directly," the woman commands. "This activates its effect. Each time it attacks, it gains a Power Counter before damage is dealt. Go, Boulder Blast!"
The glowing crystal flashes once [Assaulter: 0-1 Counters] before it fires a beam of light at me. The beam doesn't hurt, but the cannon fires a giant rock where the beam is a moment later. I try to jump out of the way, but I just get knocked back to the ring of purple fire. The ring actually holds against my impact: I feel some kind of invisible wall hold me within the flames [SAMUEL LP: 2600-1200].
"Guh…" I let out as I feel a metallic taste on my tongue. "That actually hurt. Why is this actually hurting?"
"We are bound to the darkness," the woman replies as I slowly get back to my feet. "Pain is one way it draws power from its users, especially pain inflicted on others. As a wielder of the cursed Crimson Dragon's power, you deserve to suffer a great deal for the pains of this world.
"For now, though," she continues as she looks over the rest of her hand, "my turn is over."
"Not just yet," I immediately reply. "I activate Personal Workshop's ability during your End Phase!"
I hiss out a breath as the Spell takes effect [SAMUEL LP: 1200-800] [WORKSHOP: 6-5 PC]. The machines have now fully carved a humanoid from within the large digital square. What details this form will have remains to be seen.
"Now," I state as I draw my card, "it's my turn."
[TURN 4: Samuel] [HAND SIZE: 2-3]
"During my Standby Phase, both my Spells activate their effects. I'll activate Personal Workshop first." Both my Spells glow with white auras as they activate. Workshop's lasers begin to remove excess bits from the humanoid form [WORKSHOP: 5-4 PC], and my fingers tingle slightly as I draw an extra card thanks to Professional Contacts [SAMUEL LP: 800-1200] [HAND SIZE: 3-4].
"In my Main Phase One," I continue as I take another card from my hand, "I Normal Summon Rielle "Kitt" Peddler! She'll attack Stone Assaulter right away!"
The cyborg telepath materializes from thin air, the gem on her forehead lit up with energy. Her fingers suddenly catch fire as 'World of Creation' takes effect (FIRE (currently), Warrior/Machine, 1800 ATK, LVL 4). She stares at her ignited digits for a second, and then twirls them as if she's casting a magic spell. Considering she has her own psychic powers, that analogy may not be too far from the truth [HAND SIZE: 4-3].
I call out, "Transcended Termination!" as Rielle summons a digital spear. The weapon crackles with a few bolts of lightning, different from her usual creations. She launches it right at the cannon's barrel, and it flies straight inside. A second later, the barrel explodes into stone shards and small sparks, several of which impact the woman's body. She pats herself all over as she tries to put them out, but she stops after a moment when the flames go away without any burn marks.
"Rielle's effect activates when she inflicts Battle Damage to you," I explain as the cyborg's hands glow with green fire. "I can instead Special Summon one Level 4 or lower Machine-Type Monster from my hand, or gain Life Points equal to the Attack of the lowest-Attack Point value of my field's Monsters. I'll choose the latter effect, and gain 1800 Life Points since Rielle is the only Monster on my field."
I look at Rielle as I say, "Rielle, I could use an Enlightenment." She nods back and focuses for a second. Her body glows green as I feel refreshing vitality flow into me [SAMUEL LP: 1200-3000]. With my Life Points now much closer to my starting total, I feel more confident about the Duel at large. But, I can still prepare myself more for what is to come.
"I'll move to Main Phase 2. I set one more card in my backrow, and activate Personal Workshop's activated ability. That will finish my turn." The enlarged card back appears as the humanoid form gets slimmed down to a curved figure, obviously feminine [SAMUEL LP: 3000-2600] [WORKSHOP: 4-3 PC] [HAND SIZE: 3-2].
My opponent silently draws her card. She lets out a laugh that almost shatters my earlier hopes of getting out of this Duel relatively safe.
[ROUND 3] [?: 4000 LP/Samuel: 2600 LP]
[TURN 5: ?] [HAND SIZE: 6-7]
"It's time you saw the truth, Netrunner. World of Creation's effect activates during my Standby Phase. I declare the element of Earth, once again."
Element Stone regains its green and gray appearance, and the ring of stones returns around the two halves. Rielle's hands lose their fire, and she hunches over slightly as her arms and legs suddenly turn a bit more muscular. Her new form looks… odd to me, but I dismiss it in place of whatever is going to happen next.
"In my Main Phase 1," she continues, "I use World of Creation to Special Summon Stone Assaulter from the Graveyard. I can do so by paying 500 Life Points, because Stone Assaulter is Level 5 or below, and that it has the same printed Attribute as the one I chose for this turn. Return to me, my Monster!"
The ground shakes, and I stumble as the sand by the woman breaks apart for something to rise out of. The walking stone cannon quickly comes up from the ground, no worse for wear than when it first appeared [ATK: 1400] [? LP: 4000-3500].
"Now, I will bring out the emblem of your demise. Since you control at least 3 Spell or Trap Cards in your backrow, and I have none in my backrow, I Special Summon Dark Tuner Heretic Stone Carver!"
A black portal causes the sands around it to fall into its dark clutches. Then, a man with ashen-white skin leaps out of the hole as it closes. The man's body is extremely thin, his bones as thin as sticks. The only piece of clothing he wears is a pair of gray breeches that cover his waist and legs. A hieroglyph I can't recognize is carved onto his face, and two similar hieroglyphs are on the back of his hands.
The man holds a hammer in one hand, and a chisel in the other, both colored gray with black dots. The most disturbing feature about this man is his face: besides the hieroglyph masking his features, he has no eyes to speak of. Even so, he looks right at me as he raises his items up to a fighting position. My implant quickly gives me its statistics [DARK, Dark Tuner/Spellcaster, 1500 ATK/1500 DEF, LVL 8] [HAND SIZE: 7-6].
"A Dark Tuner?" I ask in shock. "Since when did that kind of Monster exist?"
"It exists within the Underworld, Netrunner. These Monsters represent the darkness moving to balance the light, Tuner to Dark Tuner. The Crimson Dragon is the enemy of the Underworld, just as the light opposes the darkness. But, there is more than this in store for you!"
"I'll make sure that won't happen!" I shout back as I press a button on my Disk. "I activate the Counter Trap, Cyber Threat!"
The familiar blare of alarms rings across the field as Heretic Stone Carver is covered in red targeting dots. The Monster flinches under this act, and a male soldier with a digital tablet runs up to my position. The soldier looks over the tablet, and looks to me for a command. I turn to my opponent to explain what my Trap does.
"Here's how this works: you need to pay 400 Life Points for each Level your Dark Tuner has, right now. If you don't, your Monster's Summon is negated, and it is destroyed. If you do, I then lose Life Points equal to half the amount you paid. Your Monster is Level 8, so you need to pay 3200 Life Points!"
I smirk as I finish my explanation. There's no way this woman is crazy enough to pay this many Life Points for a single Monster, no matter how important it is. The woman looks at the soldier, then her Monster, and finally at me. I feel my smirk fall as she laughs, long and loud.
"You fool!" she shouts once she starts to speak normally again. "Do you really think a cost like that is going to weaken my resolve? Dark Signers do not yield to anything, or anyone, that tries to stop us. I will pay your cost with open arms, in service to the Underworld!"
She raises her arms up at that moment, and a black aura surrounds her body. She continues to laugh even as her Life Points plummet [? LP: 3500-300]. A black aura glows around me a second later, and I moan as my right arm burns along with my chest from a wave of pain [SAMUEL LP: 2600-1000].
'She's crazy!' I think as I see the soldier leave the field without a word. 'Why would she willingly give up that many Life Points?'
"Now that your diversions are gone," she states as the lasers surrounding Heretic Stone Carver vanish from view, "I can continue with my turn. First, Heretic Stone Carver's attack and Defense are changed to 0 because it was Special Summoned by its own effect."
The man wobbles on his feet as his emaciated body grows even thinner [ATK/DEF: 1500-0]. The woman doesn't seem to care as she then gestures to Stone Assaulter and Carver and says, "I now execute a Dark Tuning!"
"'Dark Tuning'?" I repeat back. "What's that going to do?"
"You're about to see! I Dark Tune my Level 8 Heretic Stone Carver with my Level 3 Stone Assaulter!"
The eyeless man turns to the cannon and throws its hammer and chisel at the large construct. The items break through the shell to reveal glowing light inside. At the same time, the man's body dissipates into eight white stars that surround Assaulter's form. The stars then fly into Assaulter's body and cause it to turn into three more white stars.
Assaulter's stars crash into three of Carver's stars, and disappear from the field. The remaining stars turn black as they spin in a circle in front of the woman. She recites a chant as the stars merge into a column of darkness…
"Yami to yami kasanarishi toki, meifu no tobira wa hirakareru… Hikarinaki sekai e! Daaku Shinkuro! Ide, kodai no houfukuno hashira!
(When dark overlaps with dark, the doors of underworld will be opened… to the world without light! Dark Synchro! Come forth, Ancient Vengeful Pillar!)
The column fades to reveal a towering pillar shrouded in a black fog. The fog comes from the gaps between the numerous spinning sections that make up the structure, glyphs throbbing with red light etched onto each section. The sections, in turn, are held in place by a black crystal above them, and a gray crystal below them. These crystals are then held inside the rusted bars of a crumbling stone cage.
Everything about this 'pillar' says it is in disrepair. The cage's rock looks barely able to stay together. The crystals have no glow inside them, and don't reflect the outside light on their surfaces. The spinning sections move in unstable patterns, as if they all want to break apart from each other. The light from the glyphs looks dark and threatening, the symbols just as unrecognizable as the 'Dark Tuner' that made it appear.
My implant takes a few additional moments to bring up the statistics for this Monster: [DARK/WIND/WATER, Rock/Dark-Synchro, 0 ATK/3000 DEF, LVL -5]. The fact it has negative levels surprises me the most. A closer glance at the pillar shows it has a slight blue tinge, which tells me it is in Defense Mode. Of course it is.
"Ancient Vengeful Pillar's effect!" the woman loudly declares. "Since my Life Points are lower than yours, I gain Life Points equal to the difference. Then, you take damage equal to what I gained. This is Darkness's Revenge: taste it, and perish!"
The pillar's glyphs flash once, and then twice. The black fog spreads over the field to swamp the sky, land, and sea from sight. When it spreads over my body, I feel an icy-cold touch on my skin. Despite the fear this sensation makes me feel, I see a message from my implant: [This Monster's effect works in two separate steps. A chain to the first step is possible with Personal Workshop].
"I chain Personal Workshop's ability," I state as the fog's caress flows into my nostrils and mouth. The pain from the Spell's effect is much less concerning [Samuel LP: 1000-600] [Workshop: 3-2 PC]. I don't want to turn my focus away from the strange substance now inside my body, so I don't see what new step the Workshop's machines have accomplished. My eyes water as the woman's body glows as red as the glyphs [? LP: 300-1000].
The next moment, the fog inside me expands out. I instantly feel bloated, and it doesn't stop there. It grows and grows and grows in my guts till I feel like I'll burst into pieces from the force. I can barely move my fingers to my Disk, and it takes me two tries to press the button I want. I can't breathe, can barely see, and am about to blow up from the inside out…
Until I land, gasping for air, on my side. The sand's countless particles press against my skin as it cushions my fall, and I look up at another me who stands where I just was. This me lets out choked gasps as its body balloons out into a disgusting state. I watch, petrified, as he explodes into black dust with violent force. I then see the white glow of my revealed Trap, Sacrificial Clone, as well as a notification from my implant: [Samuel LP: 600-100].
"Humph," the woman huffs as I push myself upright with my hands, "you're still alive."
"That's right," I grunt as I sway for a moment. "Sacrificial Clone reduces all damage I take this turn to 0, and prevents any of my cards from being destroyed. However, my Life Points instantly become 100."
"Your 'clone' didn't seem to like how it was treated. Of course, the same thing is going to happen to you regardless." The woman's smirk returns as she idly remarks, "It's like you're trying desperately to not accept your fate."
Rielle glances at me with a raised eyebrow and a doubting expression. I give her a glare that tries to say, "Don't talk about this right now," and then say to the woman, "Just take your turn."
"Suit yourself. Since attacking you will cause no damage, or destroy any of your Monsters, I'll skip my Battle Phase. During Main Phase 2, I'll Set two cards in my backrow. During my End Phase, Ancient Vengeful Pillar bestows me with a Vengeful Boon: I gain 300 Life Points for every card on my field. I control 5 cards, so that's 1500 points!"
I resist the urge to groan as another red aura glows around the woman's body after two more holographic card backs appear on her field [HAND SIZE: 6-4] [? LP: 1000-2500]. At this rate, she'll be back up to her starting total in no time. Meanwhile, I'm on my last 100 Life Points and facing down a 'Dark Synchro' that I know nothing about. This is not the situation I want to be in!
"Stay focused, Netrunner," Rielle speaks in my head. "Remember our agreement: your peace for our power."
Her words clear away a bit of my stress, and I silently draw my card for the turn. The black fog doesn't try to enter my body again, and its shadows don't block out the glow from the purple fire that still surrounds our Duel.
[TURN 6: Samuel] [HS: 2-3] [LP: 100]
"Standby Phase!" I declare with a slight crack in my voice. "Personal Workshop and Professional Contacts both trigger. I'll resolve Workshop first."
The machines have created a white skin for the humanoid female by now, the color shrouded slightly by Pillar's fog. The lasers now begin to inscribe facial features, as well as any last details on her body [WORKSHOP: 2-1 PC]. My other Spell flashes white, and I draw a new card as a brief tingle passes through my right arm [SAMUEL LP: 100-500] [HAND SIZE: 3-4].
I look over my options one more time. There aren't many, but these new cards at least give me a chance to last another turn. I don't want to rely on what I draw each turn, but if that's how I'm going stay in this Duel… then I have no choice.
"I Tribute Rielle to Advance Summon Magnum Opus!" [HAND SIZE: 4-3]
The cyborg psychic bows her head as her body dissolves into green particles. These particles then reshape themselves into the famous alchemical symbol I remember from prior Duels. The program shifts through its three shapes once as it appears, and particles of sand rise up to cover each line in a protective shield of earth [ATK: 2100, Machine, EARTH].
"I now use Personal Workshop's activated effect, and chain Magnum Opus's The Great Work ability. Now, the 400 Life Point cost turns into a 400-Point increase, and the last Power Counter is removed. I Special Summon Femme Fatale in Attack Mode!"
The legendary program shines brightly as another refreshing tingle races across my skin [SAMUEL LP: 500-900] [WORKSHOP: 1-0 PC]. The lasers complete the finishing touches, and the completed Monster wiggles its curved fingers with a slow breath through icy-blue lips. She steps off the workshop's bench by her own power, and walks onto the field to my right. The Workshop disappears, and the activated Spell destroys itself as the final part of its effect.
Wavy purple hair covers the right side of her face. Her eyebrows are large and thick, probably enhanced with makeup. The tattoo of a black widow spider rests on her cheek. An otherworldly aura around her body warps the fog as it tries to shroud her in itself. She opens her eyes, gray irises to a pitch-black pupil, and smiles when she sees for the first time. In the next moment, her arms and legs grow more muscular as her Attribute changes [DARK (originally)/EARTH (currently), Machine, 2000 ATK/2000 DEF, LVL 7].
"Femme Fatale's effect," I explain as the spider tattoo on her cheek flashes a sickly red. "When she's Summoned, she places a 'mark' on one Monster you control. I'll choose Element Stone as the target."
The spinning halves freeze as they glow the same red. The silhouette of a large spider appears around the Monster, but the stone resumes its motions without any further problems. Luckily for me, this 'mark' is worth the effort. My long-term plan is going to pay off.
"As long as this mark is in place," I explain with a slowly-growing smile, "Femme Fatale can attack your Life Points directly!" The woman takes a surprised step back, which fuels my satisfaction as I call out, "Bypassed Strike!"
Fatale gives a sinister chuckle as her tattoo glows on her cheek. The silhouette around Element Stone glows in kind as Fatale runs towards it. When she gets within melee range, her body phases right through the Monster, only to solidify again in front of the 'Dark Signer'. She draws a fist back to make a focused punch, but the woman first presses a button on her Disk.
"Open Trap Card," she announces as a Set card on her field flips up, "Forgotten Snare! When I would take damage from a Direct Attack, this card reduces the attacking Monster's ATK and DEF to 0 until the End Phase."
The card shows ghostly chains bursting from the ground to wrap around the arms of a curious man as he reaches for a shiny pile of gold. Femme Fatale echoes the man's shock as the same chains bind her in place in front of the 'Dark Signer'. She then slumps as the chains burn with a white light that causes her digital flesh to smoke [Femme Fatale ATK/DEF: 2000-0]. The chains hold her body up, and I bite my lower lip in frustration that my plan was so easily dealt with.
No matter, I can roll with this. I shouldn't attack with Magnum Opus, since it's currently the same Attribute as Element Stone. My Monster wouldn't survive the battle. But, I can still prepare a defense for next turn.
"Main Phase 2," I announce. I then take a card from my hand and say, "I Set one card in my backrow, and activate the Continuous Spell, The Source." [HAND SIZE: 3-1]
The Spell shines with a white glint, not shrouded by the Pillar's dark fog. It doesn't manifest a couple entwined in love, like when I played this Spell against Rua and his "Morphtronics". Instead, it casts an aura of weight on the battlefield. I feel it press on my shoulders, and I'm sure my opponent feels the same way.
"This Spell has 3 effects," I explain. "First, all Monsters in our field and hands has their LVL decrease by 1 star. Second, we both have to pay 400 Life Points times our Monster's original, unchanged LVL , in order to make an attack. Finally, this card will destroy itself when either of us take Battle Damage."
"This protection won't save you, Signer," the woman growls out as the Monsters on our field have their LVL's drop [Opus: 6-5] [Pillar: -5 to -6] [Fatale: 7-6] [Stone: 5-4]. "The Crimson Dragon will be cleansed from the world, one way or another."
"We'll see. For now, it's your turn." As I finish my sentence, the ghostly chains of Forgotten Snare evaporate. Femme Fatale teleports back to my field, looking pretty pissed off at what happened [Femme Fatale ATK/DEF: 0-2000].
[ROUND 4] [?: 2500 LP/Samuel: 900 LP]
[TURN 7: ?] [HAND SIZE: 4-5]
My opponent silently draws her card, and states, "World of Creation activates," as she looks at it. "I choose the element of fire."
I barely see the distant volcano fire some globules of lava into the air through the Pillar's fog. The air turns hot once again, and I feel sweat run down my skin. Element Stone's halves take on the same colors as last time. Magnum Opus's symbols ignite with a coat of green-white flame. Femme Fatale's hair rises up on a current of air as her eyes shine with a white spark. Ancient Vengeful Pillar's crystals shimmer as tongues of flame appear inside them.
"Main Phase 1," my opponent announces as she pulls her Deck out to look through. "I use World of Creation's main ability. I Special Summon Storm Spire from my Deck."
The new Monster arrives with a rush of air, and a rumble of thunder. I first see a green crystal, held in a stone ring. A small tornado forms around the ring, the black fog giving the cyclone a sinister appearance. Then, two long pieces of grey and dark green stone with jagged edges appear around the ring, one above and one below. The edges look symmetrical, as do the glowing green glyphs that pulse all over the finished 'spire' [LIGHT/WATER (originally), FIRE/WATER (currently), Rock/Machine, 2000 ATK/800 DEF, LVL 4 (LVL 3 under The Source)].
"Storm Spire's effect; when it is Summoned, I target two cards on my opponent's field. I choose one of these cards to destroy, and the other to shuffle back into the opponent's Deck. I target The Source, and Magnum Opus. The latter will be destroyed, and you will shuffle the former into your Deck."
I instantly shield my face with my arms as the woman shouts, "Storm's Purge!" A second later, an earsplitting crack mixes with a flash of bright green light. I don't lower my hands until my head stops spinning from the effects. The weight that the Source put on the field is gone, and Magnum Opus is completely erased from the field. I hear the riffle of cards as my Deck automatically shuffles itself, the Spell put there without my ever touching it.
With The Source gone, the Levels of all Monsters on the field return to normal [Opus: 5-6] [Pillar: -6 to -5] [Stone: 4-5] [Fatale: 6-7] [Spire: 3-4]. That doesn't give me any comfort against the fact I'm facing down two 2000-ATK Monsters. My defenses didn't last as long as I'd hoped they would. If one of these Monsters gets a hit on me directly, I'm finished.
The woman's next move surprises me: "I Tribute Storm Spire to Advance Summon Sea Caller."
The smaller pillar breaks into pieces, and those pieces form into something new. The green crystal turns blue, but doesn't lose its glow. The tornado picks up several pieces of the spire to form a large blue-gray sphere of marble and stone. Smaller pieces form an iron ring around the crystal, which anchors to a depression on the top of the sphere. Six thin stone legs harden from thin air around the sphere, which let it stand on the shrouded sand.
The finished construct stands as tall as I do, and the Field Spell's effects make the crystal spark with red lightning. Against Ancient Vengeful Pillar's height, though, it doesn't seem very strong [LIGHT/WATER (normally), FIRE (currently), Rock/Machine, 2000 ATK/2100 DEF, LVL 5] [HAND SIZE (?): 5-4].
"Sea Caller's effect." I brace as the woman explains her new Monster's ability: "When it is Summoned, I select one Monster you control. You then have four options: send it to the Graveyard, pay 800 Life Points to shuffle it into your Deck, pay 1200 Life Points to return it to your hand, or pay 1600 Life Points to keep it on your field. Your Femme Fatale is in Troubled Waters!"
Sea Caller's crystal flashes twice, and the construct's legs pound the sand in quick sequence. Fatale looks to her feet just before the sand beneath her spreads open like a massive mouth. She jumps up, and slows down in midair as the hole tries to draw her in. This must be the effect in action: I have to make a decision between the four possible options. Considering I don't have many Life Points left, the best choice is somewhat obvious.
I begrudgingly say, "I'll send Fatale to the Graveyard." At that moment, Fatale falls into the hole without a sound. The hole closes up as quickly as it opened. I have no more Monsters in play to protect my Life Points. I take quick breaths as I try to keep calm. I have a final defense set up, but it could just as easily be destroyed…
"You're finished, Netrunner!" the woman declares with wide eyes. "Sea Caller attacks you directly: Crashing Wave!"
The blue crystal draws several lightning bolts from a darkening sky into itself. The stone glows red alongside the blue, and then shoots a blue-and-red bolt into the sand. The surface warps around the bolt, and then rises up several feet in seconds. It quickly towers over me, the crest ready to crush my body beneath overwhelming force.
I look at this woman, this 'Dark Signer', and execute my final defense: "Open Trap Card, Singularity!"
The wave freezes in place, and the center of the Dueling field rips open for a digitized black hole. The sand wave is one of the first things the hole consumes, and most of the air's heat is next. Every card on the field, Set or face-up, slide or bend towards the hole as it tries to draw them in. The hole lets out a garbled mix of screams, cries, curses, and rants in return for what it takes.
"For every 500 points of damage I would have taken from this attack," I try to shout over the noise, "this Trap destroys one card on your field that I choose. I pick Sea Caller, Element Stone, Ancient Vengeful Pillar, and World of Creation!"
The three Monsters try to keep their footing, but the sand beneath them now works against them. They tumble and roll beneath a second wave towards the hole, save the 'Dark Synchro'. Its glyphs burst out red energy, and it stays in place.
"Ancient Vengeful Pillar will not be destroyed!" the woman shouts at me. "It cannot be targeted by card effects, and is not affected by any effects that have no general target. This is the power of a 'Dark Synchro': Dark Manifestation!"
The hole absorbs the other two Monsters, and grows a bit larger from their mass. A second later, all the natural surroundings the Field Spell provides fly into the hole. The hole then shrinks into itself, its own energies working against it. My Professional Contacts, and the last card in my hand, fly into the void as yellow streaks of light. The only things that remain in play are Ancient Vengeful Pillar, and the woman's Set card in her backrow.
"When Singularity is used," I explain as I see the playground come back into view around us, "I set aside all cards in my hand and field. You then banish three of them at random. Since I had two cards in total in my field and hand, both of them were banished."
"This means nothing, Signer." Despite the woman's accusation, I don't see her former confidence in her eyes. "So long as my Dark Synchro remains in play, my Life Points will only grow higher. Vengeance lasts forever, while faith turns to dust.
"I move to my End Phase, which activates Ancient Vengeful Pillar gives me another Vengeful Boon." Another red aura surrounds her as her Life Points jump up again, and I take a moment to breathe as I draw my card [? LP: 2500-3100]
[TURN 8: Samuel] [HAND SIZE: 0-1]
Before I look at the card, I take a look beyond the ring of purple fire. Several people are around the ring, pointing at it and talking among themselves. One person has a cell phone out, which I suspect is recording the Duel. I instantly feel embarrassed to be caught on video: how much of the Duel did they see? How many other people have they told about what's going on? Has Sector Security been notified?
[You are losing focus.] my implant tells me. [Finish the Duel, and then analyze the outside situation.]
I look at the one card in my hand. It's Cerberus H1, aka "Lady". Not the worst thing I could have drawn, but it won't help me alone. At least it can give me some plan to win.
"I Set a Monster," I state. "That's it." [HAND SIZE: 1-0]
"My turn," the woman answers as she draws her card. "I intend to show the people here the real enemy."
[ROUND 5] [?: 3100 LP/Samuel: 900 LP]
[TURN 9: ?] [HAND SIZE: 3-4]
"Since you aren't taking the effort to stop me," she taunts as she takes three cards from her hand, "I'll take advantage of it. I Set one Monster, and two cards in my backrow. I then move to my End Phase, and gain another Vengeful Boon."
Once again, my opponent creates a defense for herself [HAND SIZE: 4-1]. Once again, her Life Points jump up [? LP: 3100-4600]. Once again, she seems impossible to defeat.
[Nothing is impossible.] my implant instantly states. [The difficulty is finding a solution to overcome it.]
Right. I draw my card with the hopes it can give me a solution.
[TURN 10: Samuel] [HS: 0-1]
Huh. This is one of my new cards. Again, it's better than nothing, but it relies a bit on chance. Then again, I think I need a bit of good luck right now. I've been on the back end of my opponent's cards, her Deck the more aggressive one. This card might, might level things out.
"I activate the Spell, Inject." The card shows a woman who looks very much like Quetzal sitting in a futuristic metal chair while a laser ingrains a red bar code tattoo onto her left arm [HAND SIZE: 1-0].
"This card," I explain to my opponent, with the outside crowd also noticing the card, "reveals the top 4 cards of my Deck. Any Monsters revealed are sent to the Graveyard, and I gain 400 Life Points for each. Any other cards are put into my hand."
A slot on my Duel Disk opens up, and a long laser pointer extends up to my Deck. It shines a red laser onto the cards, and the top 4 ones fly out. Their images are enlarged, and superimposed, beside me. The revealed cards are Gabriel Santiago, Cerberus H2, Inside Job, and Dinosauraus. Two Monsters, one Trap, and one Spell. Not the worst set of cards to reveal. Actually, it's pretty good!
Gabriel and Cerberus H2 go to the Graveyard, and the other cards come to my empty hand. The laser pointer retracts back into my Disk, and a brief line of code flickers in my eyes. My Life Points jump up a bit [SAMUEL LP: 900-1700] [HAND SIZE: 0-2], and I quickly think up a good way to use my new cards.
"I activate the Equip Spell, Dinosauraus. This Special Summons a Machine-Type Monster from my Deck, and equips itself to that Monster. That Monster gains 1000 Attack Points as long as it's equipped."
The plushy T-Rex console appears with some green sparks [HAND SIZE: 2-1], and I quickly take out my Deck to find my selection. I state what it is a second later: "I Special Summon Snowball in Attack Mode."
A series of green lines come together from all sides of the field. They quickly form a hollow circle about the size of a beach ball that floats in midair [WATER, Machine, 2200 ATK/1500 DEF, LVL 5]. A green line stretches from it to the dinosaur-computer, and a connection is quickly established [Snowball ATK: 2200-3200].
"What's this?" The woman's tone shows her surprise at my powered-up Monster. "You managed to make your Monster that strong, with so few resources left?"
"That's right," I answer. "What, you didn't expect me to fight for as long as I could? That's not who I am, or who I choose to be. You 'Dark Signers' won't destroy the light as easy as that, you know."
The woman laughs at this. "And you 'Signers' should know that the darkness always finds a way to regain its strength." She gives me a 'come hither' gesture as she says, "Show me what power you really have, then! Prove to me you are worth the God's time to eliminate!"
"Suit yourself," I answer. "I first Flip Summon my Set Tuner, Cerberus H1, aka "Lady"." The green Cocker Spaniel barks once as it rolls up from the ground, ready to fight [Machine/Tuner, 1600 ATK, LVL 4].
"Battle!" I call out with a wave of my hand. "If your Pillar can't be destroyed by card effects, let's see how it fares in combat! Snowball attacks Ancient Vengeful Pillar: Roiling Rampage!"
The digital sphere lands on the ground, and starts to roll towards the towering structure. It quickly gains speed, and size, as it absorbs the black fog around itself. The dark mist gives it more energy to fuel its growth: in seconds, it's become as large as the pillar itself. It slams into the outer cage's bars, and it breaks almost instantly. The spinning sections of Pillar's main body shift to the front to protect the entire structure.
Sparks fly as Snowball's overwhelming force clashes with Pillar's unyielding defense. Pillar's glyphs pulse and flash rapidly as it channels energy into its sections. But, the sections start to break apart one at a time. With each broken piece, Snowball gains ground. Several pulse-pounding seconds go by as the 'Dark Synchro' tries its hardest to not be destroyed.
Then, Pillar's remaining sections shatter all at once. The black and gray crystals are next in line, and they are crushed in moments. Any remaining pieces don't last a second as Snowball rolls on forward. The cloaked woman leaps to one side as Snowball passes her by, and it then bounces off the ring of fire to roll back onto my field. By the time it returns, it's at its normal size again. The black mist that the Pillar covered the field with is gone, as well.
A scream snaps my focus to my opponent. Smoke rises from her body as bolts of gray and black lightning slam into her again and again. She falls to her knees under the attack, and her Life Points drop hard [? LP: 4600-2800]. I don't know why this happened, but I guess it's a good thing for me.
My implant provides a suggestion: [It is possible that this loss of Life Points is a feedback reaction to 'Ancient Vengeful Pillar' being destroyed]. That makes sense, I guess. I'm not sure I want to find out, and it's good enough that the 'Dark Synchro' is gone.
The attacks eventually stop, and my opponent slowly stands back up. Her cap has fallen off, revealing her long platinum hair as it waves across her face. She forcefully brushes it away and glares at Snowball. If looks could kill a digital creation, Snowball would have died two times from that one expression.
"Lady attacks your Set Monster," I state to try and move the Duel along. "Quick Bite!"
The dog races across the field, and my opponent's Set Monster flips up. It shows a small, tanned old man wearing a gray 'mundu' robe and 'melmundu' upper garment. He kneels in place, a hammer and chisel in his hands to protect him from harm. 'Lady' bites his arm with a loud growl, and he barely puts up a fight before shattering into golden pixels [DEF: 200].
"Main Phase 2," I state as 'Lady' comes back to my field. "I Set one card face-down. After that, my turn's done." I look to the not-so-confident 'Dark Signer' as I say, "Show me what you've got." [HAND SIZE: 1-0]
[ROUND 6] [?: 2800 LP/Samuel: 1700 LP]
"You should know better than to tempt fate," the woman warns me as she draws her card. "It might just come to hurt you."
[TURN 11: ?] [HAND SIZE: 1-2]
"Unfortunately," she then says with a disappointed sigh, "it looks like that won't be the case this time. I pass my turn."
This stuns me, and I hear a surprised, "Wait, what!?" from someone in the crowd. I don't look to see who said that. I don't know whether to be ecstatic that she isn't doing anything new, or worried that she's baiting me into making a bad move. She still has one card in her backrow – is that card her last resort to win?
"My turn," I state as I draw my card. I mutter a few angry words when I see its The Source, come back from being shuffled into my Deck. It won't help me too much now, but I only need to make one more attack to win.
[TURN 12: Samuel] [HAND SIZE: 0-1]
"Battle Phase," I quickly declare. "Snowball attacks you directly: Roiling Rampage!"
The digital sphere begins its motions anew, quickly reaching my opponent's size as it barrels towards her. She raises her Disk and presses a button. Her last Set card flips face-up, its picture showing a group of small wisps shielding a wounded 'Shining Angel' from the two-handed sword of 'Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World'.
"I activate my Trap," the woman announces, "Spirit Sacrifice! If I would take 3000 or more points of damage in a single turn, this card reduces the last instance of damage to 0. Then, I Special Summon two 'Wisp Tokens' in Defense Mode."
Snowball's momentum is halted by a stream of these 'wisps'. They wrap around its form, rather than try to force it back. My Monster quickly stops, and two 'wisps' settle onto the field as they turn blue [DEF: 100].
"That won't be enough," I confidently say as I realize how the situation's changed. "Since you Summoned a new Monster, a replay is triggered. I'll have Snowball attack one of your Wisp tokens instead of you."
The Wisp doesn't put up any sort of fight as Snowball rolls over it. It turns into little motes of light that vanish after a moment's notice.
"Lady attacks the other Wisp," I continue. "Quick Bite!" Her bite is indeed quick, and the Wisp breaks apart as she shakes it in her teeth. She comes back to my field with a glint in her eyes I assume is satisfaction.
I look at The Source in my hand. If I activate it, it'll make it harder for my opponent to attack. But, it'll also reduce the Levels of any Monsters in her hand. If she didn't bring out a Level 4 or lower Monster last turn, she must not have any in her current hand. So, if she doesn't draw anything good this turn, I'll win for sure on mine.
I just hope I'm right about this.
"I end my turn."
[ROUND 7] [?: 2800 LP/Samuel: 1700 LP]
The 'Dark Signer' quickly draws her card. She looks at it, the rest of her hand, and then at my field, with the same angry glare.
[TURN 13: ?] [HAND SIZE: 2-3]
"Even if I lose here," she then states with a bold tone, "the Dark Signers will complete their plans. You may be worth the Crimson Dragon's time, but you are not a true Signer. I see it in your eyes, and your mark: both ring false to me, and the Gods I serve."
"Signer or not," I reply with a raised voice, so that the crowd can hear my words, "the fact you are harming innocent lives will not stand with me. I am the Netrunner, but I am not an uncaring machine. I have human emotions like the rest of us, and I want to help them. If that means saving the world, so be it."
"Shut up, fool." I bristle at the woman's harsh comment. "These common folk, these sheep, won't listen to you. Convincing them to change their minds is useless. Even if you defeat me, nothing will change."
"I will be the judge of that. Are you doing anything on your turn?"
"No."
"Then, I'll take mine." I draw my card, noting it is one of my new Spells. I won't get a chance to use it this Duel, though.
[TURN 14: Samuel] [HS: 1-2]
"Battle! Snowball attacks you directly, and ends this Duel. Roiling Rampage!"
The empowered sphere thunders along the field, and slams into my opponent. She flies back into the ring of fire, and bounces off it onto the ground. She doesn't get back up [? LP: 2800-0] [SAMUEL WINS].
The ring of fire that kept us in this Duel for so long vanishes. The ground around us is still broken up, which keeps the crowd back as I race over to my opponent's form. My hands move quickly as I raise her upper body off the ground. Her head lolls back as she takes slow breaths: she's unconscious, but not hurt.
My right arm throbs, and I see her arm and Deck glow bright purple. I blink, and the mark is gone. I look at my arm to see the Crimson Dragon's mark is gone, also. I hesitate for a second, and then pull my opponent's Deck from her Disk. A quick look through it shows the 'Dark Tuner' and 'Dark Synchro' she used aren't among the cards. Where did they go?
Hands grab my arms and jerk me away. The Deck falls from my hands as I try, and fail, to break free. I see several Sector Security officers rush onto the scene, some with megaphones that shout for the crowd to disperse. Other officers, and white-coated emergency workers, surround the woman's body. The officers holding me don't give me the chance to look around any further as they toss me into the back end of a cruiser. They shut the thick metal doors before I can get out, the only source of light a small window on each door with wire mesh between two panes of thick glass.
The cruiser's engine roars to life, and it jerks forward to take me to an unknown destination. I have so many new questions, and no more chances to ask them.
Alright, that's all for now. What will Samuel encounter in the grips of Sector Security? We'll have to see.
In the meantime, as usual, any comments/feedback/reviews/constructive criticism is well appreciated. Once again, I hope this Duel has been worth the wait. The next chapter will take some time (of course) to write, so please be patient with me.
Draconos is taking off.