Annex 073: Towards the Lowest Circle
"Don't just stand there gawking. Go after her, she broke her own terms!" Iria yelled at her bodyguards and Zach, who were struggling with the people around. They were acting as if they were sleepwalking, even the museum staff. "On the double!" Zach and a few guards made their way through at least, since these people offered no active resistance. "What is wrong with them?" This had happened before in the stadium, though Uno hadn't been there for that. "Perhaps they were drugged? I do not know nor do I care." Iria had to get rid of a duelist first, she trusted Zach to find Dame Phoebe. "Iria, wait. Maybe I can talk to him. Eric; you don't have to do this, Phoebe's gone now." Uno wanted to understand Eric's devotion to the Fusion guild. "Stay out of this Uno. He is a traitor first and foremost, and he shall be dealt with as such." But Iria had her mind set on a fight. "I.. was with them to begin with! You tried to make me betray them!" Eric quickly drew five cards along with Iria. "I have to take you down!" Eric placed a trap card down and a monster card and ended his turn.
Eric's LP: 8000 Iria's LP: 8000
"You came to us, Stonewell, driven by some sort of admiration for our.. my prowess. You wanted to learn, to help. We placed you inside that guild. All of that was a ruse, I see that now." Iria went all out. Her first card was the spell; Pantheism of the Monarchs. "I must discard one Monarch card to draw two new cards." Iria discarded a Strike of the Monarchs spell card, and drew twice. One of those cards was a monster, which she special summoned from her hand by creating a defending Vassal-token(1/800/800) on Erics side of the field. That was the effect of Mithra the Thunder Vassal(2/800/1000). "Monarchs? A Vassal?" Uno had counted on seeing the Qliphorts again. "You stopped using your pendulum deck?" Mithra was a card from Iria's other deck; the monarch set. "I decided that I prefer these cards, that is all." She stated plainly. "I didn't know you had preferences.." Uno thought. He wisely kept that comment to himself. "These are the same monsters I saw you use when we first met.." Eric was surprised too, and annoyed. "Are you underestimating me?" He activated his trap card, Misschief of the Gnomes. "This trap cuts the levels of all monsters in a players hand by 1! And I can activate this trap card from my graveyard as well!" Eric banished Misschief of the Gnomes as soon as it dropped down there. With two activations, the levels of all monsters were lowered by two for the rest of the turn.
"You conspire to seal my tribute summons." Monarchs could only activate their effects if they were tribute summoned and nobody could tribute summon a level 4 Monarch. "This is not the way to do it, Stonewell." Iria had her own cards to activate from the graveyerd. "We are not talking about how you are perceived, but about the choices you have made. I banish Pantheism of the Monarchs, now you must decide." After banishing that spell, three Monarch spells were selected; Tenacity of the Monarchs, Return of the Monarchs and The Monarchs Storm Forth. Eric had to determine which one Iria could add to her hand. "Hmph." Eric pointed at the middle card. The other two cards were shuffled back into the deck. "So it is." Iria also banished the Strike of the Monarchs spell from the graveyard. "All my monsters will now possess an element of my choosing. I choose earth." Mithra's colors turned rockbrown. "Level 6 has become level 4..and level 8 has become level 6."
"Ergh.." Eric gulped. He had not taken the Mega-Monarchs into consideration. "I activate the continuous spell, Return of the Monarchs, and I tribute summon Granmarg the Mega Monarch." Mithra was sacrificed for the mega-form of the earth-emperor; Mega Granmarg(6/2800/1000). "Now three effects activate. Granmarg destroys one card that is set." Erics face-down Absolute King Back Jack(1/0/0) was crushed in between two sharp rock pillars. "As its sacrifice was of the earth element, MegaGranmarg may draw one card. And through the Return of the Monarchs, I may add a monster with 2400 or 2800 attackpoints and 1000 defense points to my hand." Iria drew one card and added Zaborg the Thunder Monarch to her hand. "Where are the cards we provided you with, Stonewell? Did you abandon them too?" Iria had Mega Granmarg destroy the Vassal token with an attack. Then she placed a trap card down and ended her turn.
"So what if they are your cards? It's not the card who makes the duelist, it's the man! And that's what I am! You said I admired you? I never did! There is only one woman I fight for and that is Dame Phoebe!" Eric pounded his chest and drew his next card. "Now you get to decide. I activate Reasoning! Name a level, Iria!" His spells outcome depended on what level Iria would call. "..One." She went as low as she could, knowing the kind of cards his Infernoid deck had. "Heh. Now I reveal cards from the top of my deck until I get a monster that I can normal summon it.." Eric pulled out two traps, one spell and four Infernoids; until he got his hands on Gren Maju Da Eiza. "Too bad, it's Level 3. I can special summon him!" Reasoning discarded the other cards and summoned the crimson demon beast(3/0/0) emerged in attack position.
"Three in the grave for food, the last shall live..and rise!" Eric banished three of his discarded Infernoids, to fulfill the summoning requirements of the fourth; Infernoid Devyaty the faceless hellworm(9/2900/2900). "Devyaty destroys all spell and trap cards on the field!" Erics monster spilled purple blood across the museum floor. Iria's trap was dragged down into a sanguine abyss. "Is this what you wanted, Iria?" There was nothing in his way now. Devyaty destroyed Granmarg with a blast of fiery sludge from its mouth. The disciple herself faced the wrath of Gren Maju Da Aize(3/1200/1200), whose effect had increased its attackpoints by 400 for each of Eric's banished cards. "Devyaty?" Throughout this turn, a question built up inside Uno's mind. "Eric.. wasn't her name Lilith?" Eric loved using the unedited names of his monsters, when did that change? "Lilith? That's what I said." Eric hadn't even caught on. He placed another trap card down and ended his turn.
Iria's LP: 6700
"Iria. Eric is not himself! He has to be brainwashed or something!" Uno pleaded with the disciple. Alas, she was unwilling to listen. "There is always 'something' with you. Whatever is in play, it does not change the fact that I must and shall win this duel!" Iria summoned a dark vassal-like monster, Eidos the Underworld Squire(2/800/1000) "Now that Eidos is summoned I may normal summon again this turn." The squire in ashgrey armor was sacrificed for a different ruler, an emperor of light(5/2400/1000). "I summon Zaborg the Thunder Monarch." With the aid of Return of the Monarchs, Iria added Mobius the Frost Monarch from her deck to her hand. "Your Infernoid will be destroyed." Zaborg clapped its hands together to release a burst of electricity. "You're wrong again, Iria!" Eric countered with his monsters effect. "Don't tell me you forgot that Devyaty can negate a monsters power by sacrificing one of my other monsters!?" The Infernoid demon devoured Gren Maju da Eiza and used its lifeforce to reflect the lightning. Zaborg was struck by his own thunderbolts and destroyed.
"I never forget." This destruction however was part of Iria's plan. "Nor do I forgive." She activated a spell, Card Advance. "I re-arrange the top 5 cards of my deck now, and afterwards, I may normal summon a third time." Iria sorted her deck. "The tribute will be yours." The woman in black activated The Monarchs Storm Forth; her spell removed Infernoid Devyaty for a tribute summon. "Damn it!" The great demon served Mobius the Frost Monarch(6/2400/1000) as its sacrifice and now Mobius would use its power to destroy Erics trap card. "Stop thinking that it's going to be easy!" Eric had no choice but to use that normal trap while he still could. "Eye of the Void! No matter what, I can now special summon one Infernoid from my hand!" The air was torn open by a wave of black acid, creating a portal. "Go, Attond.. I mean Adramelech!" The helldragon duke(8/2800/0) was the one who escaped its infernal prison. "Tsk." Mobius had no targets anymore, and it could not fight against this monster either. "I end my turn."
"That's right you do! You may know every card you ever made, but you do not know me!" Eric started his turn. He drew a card and placed it face-down in the spell/trap zone. "Kill!" Infernoid Attondel attacked once, slaughtering the Ice emperor with its claws and teeth. "What about us? What about Emily and Alice? Did they not see the real you either, after all this time you spent together?" Uno had to try; Erics true self had to be in there somewhere. "You were in my presence, but you were not with me. I.. I saw what was going on. You laughed about me behind my back! You called me weak and wanted me to go back to cry to my mother!" Eric growled. "That is not what happened!" Uno protested. "Quiet! I don't need you anymore, Uno! I have better teachers now!.. Attondel, Again!" A monster summoned by The Eye of the Void had its effects negated for one turn. Seeing as how it was Erics turn now, Attondel could unleash its full power after it destroyed Iria's monster. It made a second attack in a row, against Iria herself.
Iria's LP: 3500
"I've had enough of this." Iria's turn started after Erics battle phase, as he did nothing else. "You have to pay for your actions, Stonewell!" She activated the grave-effect of Eidos the Underworld Squire, banishing it to special summon a monster with 800 attackpoints and 1000 defense points from her graveyard. "You don't get to control my future!" So Eric activated one of his graveyard effects. "I banish Absolute King Back Jack! He will excavate one card from my deck, and activate that card if it is a trap!" The tiny demon with the jet backpack thrust itself out of the grave and snatched the card on top of Erics deck. "Fiend Comedian!" It was not the trap card that he hoped for, but it could have been worse. "I call heads!" Fiend Comedian made him toss a coin. If he called it right, Iria's entire graveyard would be banished. ".." But the virtual coin his disk tossed landed on Tails. "Goddamnit." He called it wrong; Fiend Comedian would discard a number of cards from his deck, equal to the number of cards in Iria's Graveyard. Five cards were sent, including one Infernoid.
"Why do you bother?" With that out of the way, Eidos' effect resolved and Mithra the Thunder Vassal was revived. "I special summon one of my monsters by switching the position of your monster." Landrobe, the Rock Vassal(2/800/1000) could call itself out, once Infernoid Attondel was forced into a face-down defensive position. "I tribute Thunder Vassal to summon my Shadow Monarch Caius!" The servant of thunder was vanquished to breathe life into the ruler of shadows, Caius(6/2400/1000). Upon its summon, it would banish one card on the field. "Your Infernoid is gone." Attondel was sucked into another dimension by the darkness. Of course that was not all. Return of the Monarchs added another Monarch-monster to Iria's hand. "Then.. I tribute my Rock Vassal to summon my Storm Monarch, Raiza!" The servant of rocks was broken to pieces by a green whirlwind. The Emperor of the wind(6/2400/1000) made landfall. "Your face-down monster will be your next draw." Raiza's effect pushed one card on the field back in time. Eric had to put a spell card on top of his deck. "Now, my Monarchs attack." Raiza and Caius combined the forces of the dark and the tempest and trapped their opponent in a pitchblack hurricane.
Erics LP: 3200
Eric emerged from the turbulence, disoriented and agonized. "Ngh.. Not..again." That attack had done more than hurt his lifepoints. "What are you doing?" Iria was not using solid vision, she saw no point to acting like she was. "Not you.. the other.. she is in on it too, trying to make me weak!" Eric shouted, seemingly at no-one. "She? Who are you talking about, Eric?" It couldn't be Iria, and Uno did not think it was Emily or Alice either. "The psychic woman, the one who embarrassed me in front of Dame Phoebe. You.. did.. You tricked me! But I wont fall for it!" He kept talking as if June was right there in the gallery when she clearly was not. "Is she referring to June?" Iria couldn't make sense of this. "I think so. He must've run into her again.. Oh!" Uno remembered June's words, how her powers worked better when a duelist had less lifepoints and less strength. "Eric! She was trying to help you, trying to bring back memories you forgot or lost! Whatever the Fusion Guild did to you, it 's not the truth! You have to fight it!"
"I do not..want to!" Eric sputtered as his turn approached. Iria had placed a trap down and ended her turn. "I am strong now! I.." Eric drew his spell again, Parallel Void Fusion. With that card he could fuse Infernoids together from his hand, field, or even from the banished zone.. as long as he controlled no other cards. "I have the power of fusion, you will not take that away! Gah!" Yet for all of his boasts and claims, the pain in his head only got worse. "Stop it.." He kept seeing unfamiliar images, receiving warm feelings and happy memories. None of them fit with the picture the Fusion Guild had painted for him. "I..." The visions were merging, the two faces of Phoebe haunted him. One side was laughing, the other was cursing at him to do what had to be done. "I.." Eric started to sweat. It could be so simple, his fusion Infernoid could decide the duel. "Phoebe.." He could feel her claws around his neck, choking him. "Leave me alone!" He placed a card on the field.
Parallel Void Fusion, Normal Spell
Fusion summon 1 "Infernoid" Fusion monster from your extra deck, using monsters from your hand or your side of the field as Fusion materials.
If you control no cards, you can also use banished fusion materials that are listed on the Fusion Monster, shuffle those banished materials into your Deck.
But you cannot special summon monsters except by fusion summon, if you summon a monster this way.
That card was not the spell. It was the other monster that he had in his hand, an Infernoid tuner(1/500/200). "Infernoid Decatron sends one Infernoid from my deck to the graveyard!" The tuner dismissed Infernoid Antra from the deck. That level 3 demon surrendered its level stars, name and effect to Decatron(3/500/200). "Then I will special summon Infernoid Asmodai from my graveyard!" By banishing two Infernoids, Attondel and Devyaty, the winged demon king Piaty(5/2200/0) rose from the pits of death. "I don't need the guild either!" Eric removed the tuner and Infernoid Piaty. "I synchro summon Crimson Blader!" Two fiends were synchronized to create a masked sword dancer(2/800/2600) in crimson insectoid armor. "Eric, you had a synchro monster?" Uno had never seen him with this card. "Yeah. And I bought it myself. I don't care if I win or lose. But nobody tells me what to do anymore!" The battle was set, Crimson Blade targeted Raiza the Storm Monarch. "When Crimson Blader destroys a monster, my opponent cannot summon any highlevel monsters on the next turn!"
"You want to prevent the summons of my monarchs.. no.." Iria almost launched into another verbal dissection, but she held back. "You want to duel as yourself. People seem to believe in your innocence. I do not. However putting faith in one mans trust towards another." Iria shot a quick glance at Uno. "Is what I owe to someone. I was the one who told you to infiltrate the fusion guild, and I must take responsibility for that." After everything she had seen, she could maybe believe in something like mind control. "Still, this battle.." Iria flipped her trap card, Dark Advance. ".. has run its course. I sacrifice Raiza, to tribute summon Zaborg from my graveyard." Dark Advance's effect placed one monster with 2400 attackpoints and 1000 defense points back in a players hand. Then it immediately enabled a tribute summon of a monster with those stats. ".." Eric did not protest, the resummoned Zaborg(6/2400/1000) activated its destruction effect and targeted the Crimson Blader. The synchro warriors body was pierced by the lightning.
"You won.." Even though Eric could still activate his fusion spell, he refused to. "I can still feel her, Phoebe. She's in my head, along with all the lies. End this now!" He passed the turn to her. "Very well. Consider this my aplogy." Iria clenched her hand and sent both the Monarchs of light and darkness into the battlefield. Zaborgs thunder and Caius' shadows eliminated the remainder of Erics lifepoints.
Erics LP: 0
"Nrgh.." The pain Eric felt now did not result from the attacks, but from the hold that Dame Phoebe had on him. "Eric. It's going to be okay! Phoebe is gone." Uno grabbed him gently by the shoulders to calm him. "But I.. helped her. I could not break free on my own and now you have no dragon cards." Eric felt rotten. He regained his senses too late to stop any of this. "About that." Uno was unable to prevent an ill-timed grin. "You don't have to worry, Eric. Those cards we gave them weren't the real deal. We expected a double-cross, so we had copies made." There was no dangerous data on those cards at all. "What? Oh you sneaky bastards!" That was the best news Eric heard all day, he was simultaneously astounded and relieved. "They never said which Clear Wing and Dark Rebellion cards they wanted. Liars get what they deserve." Iria scoffed.
"What!?" Suddenly the mindless masses around them crumpled in and fell into an actual sleep. "This is just like before at the stadium. Why did this happen now?" Had their purpose ended? "Dame Phoebe must have gotten away. Were these people mind controlled too, at once?" Iria grumbled. "I.. I think I know who did this." Eric started to say. "Easy Eric." Though he was clearly strained. "No, listen. Not that I remember how it happened, but I dont think it was surgery or a chip. It was some guy, Phoebe showed him to me. He called him her secret weapon; Martel."
...
Adamant waited in his white-wall prison. He moved only when food and water was delivered. At any other time, you could mistake him for a statue. He knew time was running out and there was nothing he could do, nothing he wanted. But then on this second day, he had a new visitor. Before came those people from Dreamworld or the Synchro Guild; he had nothing to say to them. But this time there was just one person, a young girl from a guild that did not belong anywhere.. "Alice.."
(To be Continued in Annex 074: As Thin as Water)
New Cards used by Eric Stonewell
Absolute King Back Jack
Infernoid Devyaty
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Crimson Blader
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Parallel Void Fusion
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Misschief of the Gnomes
Eye of the Void
New Cards used by Iria Silver
Granmarg the Mega Monarch
Eidos the Underworld Squire
Mobius the Frost Monarch
Landrobe the Rock Vassal
Raiza the Storm Monarch
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Pantheism of the Monarchs
Strike of the Monarchs
Card Advance
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Dark Advance