Happy New Year everyone!
Hopefully, this will be a year we won't want to send back for a refund, like a lot of Christmas gifts. It was a hectic December, I'll tell you that. Given the severe cold weather (a week before Christmas, some kids on my street made a snowman, but the next morning it was gone; three witnesses claim they saw it boarding a bus to Miami), and stores running out of stock quickly, preparing the annual family holiday dinner was difficult. and because it seemed the whole family was sick, we couldn't have it until the 28th! (And don't worry, it was not covid, though there was a brief scare when my mother used a home test, and it came up positive. The doctor told her otherwise. Never thought I'd be relieved to "only" have the flu.) And of course, this led to me being preoccupied with the new Pokemon game!
Still, I did find time to write now and then, and again let me tell you, this duel was a killer to simply outline. With this sort of dual, the tiniest little mistake could ruin the whole thing, and I believe I had to rewrite the whole thing from scratch twice before I got it the way I wanted it.
So, here it is, read, review, and above all stay safe. Hopefully, 2023 will see an improvement over 2022.
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Shadowchasers
Blue Blood
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Chapter Five
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First Impressions
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Ugh, disgusting, thought Maddie.
The good news was that the dark ritual they had been so worried about was, in fact, a mock ritual where her friends were to be the "heels" in Duel Monsters, the reason for the demon costumes. Unfortunately, two of the "face" duelists were dirty faces, conveniently dressed as angels. (As she realized that, Maddie wished she had a way to write it down.) Annah and Cora were now pandering to the spectators while dressed as muses with absolutely no shame or dignity. She had pegged the Stormblades for attention hogs the first time she saw them, and now she was certain.
She really wished now she didn't have to sit this one out.
"How in the world did they choose the duelists?" she muttered.
"Lottery."
The answer had come from a man in a Roman emperor's costume, who was sipping dry sherry as they watched. She suspected it was Sergeant Rinaldo under the mask, but whoever it was, he seemed just as annoyed as she was.
"Yes, a lottery was held yesterday to pick the two 'muses,' but there's no rule that says the ones with the winning tickets couldn't give them to someone else, so I suspect most of the entries were folks who had an 'arrangement' with Annah and Cora. Or their parents. You didn't hear that from me, by the way."
"Of course," said Maddie, "whoever you might be." He smirked slightly so she added, "What about him?" She indicated Dorisan as she said it.
"I don't trust him much either, but I do think he has far more influence at this club than he admits."
"Settle down, folks," said Hester, who was obviously the master of ceremonies for this match. "We may be hosting a battle with the Lords of Chaos here, but it's still going to be organized. I'm sure a lot of folks here only have a loose grasp on how the standard cutthroat version of the card game works, so I'll briefly lay out the rules of the team duel."
She stopped to clear her throat and then continued. A spotlight fell upon Red Feather. "Obviously, both sides are a team of three. Turns will go as follows, one, two, three, four, five six," the spotlight moving with each number, first to Cora, then Francis, then Dorisan, and Annah, "and then back to one," as it moved to Red Feather again. "Each team will have a shared Life Point pool of 16,000 points. And yes, we considered a pool of 24,000 but we don't want this to last all night.
"Each player has his or her own Spell Zone, Monster Zone, hand, and Graveyard, and the turn player can only use cards on their own field, but when it is not your turn, you may use any card effect on your field that could be used during an opponent's turn. During the Battle Phase, attacks can also be made on any opposing monster, but a direct attack can only be made on the turn player's current opponent, which is defined as whoever took the turn immediately previous to your turn. However, such an attack can be made if that opposing player has no monsters, regardless of whether any other members of their team have any. Consequently, card effects that target monsters can be used on any appropriate monster, while a card that targets a player, such as Restructure Revolution can only be used on the current opponent."
"I've been waiting for this for months!" snarked Annah. "I'm taking you mainlanders out in five turns!"
"Yeah, too bad you can't count that high," said Sonya.
"Is such behavior really necessary?" asked Eggman, who was watching with Dollface by his side again.
Dollface replied, "They seem more well-behaved than the folks at those rugby games you used to go to."
"Touché."
"Settle down, my muses," said Dorisan (electing a dirty look from Cora, which he pretended not to notice). "All our preparation has led to this point, and now," his Duel Disk activated, "shall we?"
"Let's," replied Francis.
(Team#1 (Shadowchasers): 16,000) - - - - - - (Team#2 (Cauldron): 16,000)
As before, the spotlight shone on Red Feather as the rest of the lights dimmed. She made her first draw.
"I'll start by playing the Spell Card, Mystery Seeds," she announced.
As the Spell Card appeared, she took the three cards and then threw them to the floor where they embedded in front of her. "The 'seeds' in question being the top three cards from my deck." Three plants started to sprout from where the cards had fallen, quickly blooming into flowers the size of herself. "If none of them are Plant Monsters that are Level 5 or higher, they all go back to my deck, but if at least one of them is, I can send that card to the Graveyard, keep another, and send the last to the bottom of my deck. So, let's see what we have…"
The blossoms opened, revealing enlarged cards within, all of which were monsters. One was Level 4, another Level 3, and the last Level 8.
"Well, Lord Poison and Botanical Girl aren't Level 5 or higher, but Chirubimé, Princess of Autumn Leaves certainly is, so that card goes to the Graveyard."
After placing it there, she took one of the other two cards, placed it at the bottom of her deck, then took the other. She considered for a moment, then used Botanical Girl's card, causing a young-looking plant sprite with green, leafy skin, a pink carnation in place of hair, with a pitcher plant for a ponytail. She looked at the opposition, and then giggled. (1,300 ATK)
"What's so funny?" asked Cora.
"Isn't it obvious? I will set these cards, and then use Seasons of Death." Red used all but one of her remaining cards, setting three and playing a rather… odd Continuous Spell. The picture on it was split into four sections, in a manner like Convulsion of Nature. The picture in the upper-left section depicted a man in a sandstorm, menaced by two nasty-looking specters; the upper left was that of a broken well in front of a ruined windmill in a forest of autumn leaves, the lower left showing a man in a cloak looking up at a glacial cliff where a yeti was glaring down at him, and the final section, an idyllic forest path with blooming flowers, a pair of gentle feminine eyes peering from the trees to the side.
Interesting… thought Dorisan.
"I shall end my turn, it is your move, Clara."
"Cora," snapped her opponent. She made a draw but seemed to have already planned out her opening move. "I summon The Agent of Creation, Venus!"
As she played the card, orbs of purple, blue, and red floated out of it, forming a triangular pattern as a tall, angelic form materialized, a woman in a green dress, flaxen hair, and bronze skin. Her eyes were closed, and she stood perfectly still, with her arms crossed over her chest. The three orbs started to slowly rotate, counterclockwise (1,600 ATK)
"Those little friends of hers are called Mystical Shine Balls, and I can use them as monsters, for 500 Life Points apiece."
Venus spread her arms, and while the purple orb continued to rotate, the red and blue ones floated down, alighting to either side of her. (500 ATK x2)
"Now then… I'll Overlay my two Mystical Shine Balls!"
The three Shadowchasers watched the Overlay Network They certainly caught on fast, thought Francis.
"I Xyz Summon Sky Cavalry Centaurea!"
The monster's dramatic entrance was overshadowed by its actual appearance. A radiant centaur in royal purple plate armor, a lance, and shield, with radiant feathered wings. (2,000 ATK)
"Okay, I'll admit that's a cool monster," said Sonya.
"Cool and deadly." Cora pointed at Botanical Girl noting, "I figured that Plant monster has an effect that activates when you, heh, plant her…" There were some laughs from the spectators, plus a dirty look from Botanical Girl. "...but I'm not going to give you the chance to use it. Prune that weed! Attack!"
Sky Cavalry Centaurea spread its wings upward, and then half-swooped-half-charged lance first. As the weapon struck, Botanical Girl shrieked and was propelled backwards in a spin, before smashing to pieces. At the same time, to Red's incredible shock, the card ejected Red's Duel Disk and struck her in the forehead. She almost fell over, stumbling to catch it.
"When Sky Cavalry Centaurea wins a battle, I can use one Overlay Unit to send the destroyed monster back to your hand, so the effect doesn't operate. So now, you're mine! Attack directly, Venus!"
The Agent of Creation finally opened her eyes, holding her palms forward, drawing energy from the purple Mystical Shine Ball as she aimed at Red Feather.
Then one of Red's Trap Cards opened. "I don't think so."
"Huh? A Trap Card, what -"
"It's called Farmer's Dozen, part two of a combo you obviously didn't notice. This card can activate in response to a direct attack - I simply must check the card at the bottom of my deck, and if it's a Plant monster -" She took her deck from the holder, lifting it to show the card on the bottom. "- which it naturally is, I not only get to summon it, but I also get to draw your monster's attack to it."
Throwing the card on her Disk caused Lord Poison - an amorphous ugly thing made of slime with oversized claws and more claws jutting from its torso - to spring onto the field. (1,500 ATK) Venus continued her assault, her destructive bolt of energy slamming into Lord Poison and causing it to splatter into a large puddle of goo.
"Ugh," said Dollface, "someone get a mop."
But then, the puddle of goo started to bubble and writhe, another large blooming plant starting to grow from it.
"Because Lord Poison was 'planted,' as you say, I can summon any Plant at all from my Graveyard, and thus I now bring forth Chirubimé, Princess of Autumn Leaves!"
The giant plant bloomed into a giant maple flower, opening to reveal a goddess within, joined to the flower at the hip. She was a dark-skinned woman in a green floral dress, vines with smaller maple flowers entwining her arms, a wreath of pink flowers draped over her shoulders, and a blue headdress with a crown of fiery red maple leaves. (2,800 DEF)
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Cora messed up, thought Todd, well that's a surprise.
As much as he wanted to defy her and Annah, he wasn't going to press his luck further, so for now, he was just going to stay as much out of sight as possible, which fortuitously, was right next to the bar, and the barmaid was at least trying to be polite when she asked to take his order.
"Brandy," he said with a noticeable growl. She nodded and went quickly to get it.
"You know, if you think brandy will help you calm down, it's a little late."
Todd sighed loudly. "I don't need a babysitter, Richemont."
Richemont was Annah's older brother and among the Stormblades, the most approachable and least threatening, and as such, he was often the one to deal with any trouble caused by the other members.
His costume was both amusing and disturbing at the same time, a jester's motley, and a peaked foolscap, predominantly crimson with a green collar, gloves, and shoes. His face was concealed by a Guy Fawkes mask with a beak-like nose, a representation of the puppet Mr. Punch.
"And you should talk, by the way, is that your third martini or your fourth?" He shook his head and turned back to the duel. "So, you think Annah and Cora can pull this off?"
Richemont drained the martini and placed the glass on the bar, where the barmaid quickly retrieved it. "Well, in a contest like this it depends on a lot of things, like how well they can cooperate, how well they can concentrate, strategy, deck construction…"
"In other words, you think they're both going to get their ass handed to them."
Richemont paused as the barmaid handed him another cocktail, and then nodded. "Hmm, more than likely, yes."
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Richemont's opinion seemed to be at least partially shared by Francis. "You're off to a good start, Cora, but brute force can only take you so far."
(Team #1: 15,200) - - - - - - - - (Team #2: 15,000)
"Oh, really?" she replied. Cora fit another card in her Disk and a facedown card appeared in her Spell Zone. "Let's see you do better! It's your move."
"Oh, I will." Francis made a draw, thinking to himself, Wanted to try this out for a long time. "I summon Parlor Dragonmaid!"
Playing the card caused a flourish of green sparkles and a soft giggle, bringing out… a maid. The female monster was a meido, a young, attractive woman in a maid's outfit, with green highlights and trim. Her blonde hair was tinted green, and she came carrying a tray with a tea service and scones. Still, despite her sweet smile, there was something ominous about her… She had hooves instead of feet, odd fronds in her hair right above her forehead, golden eyes, and most notably, a long, scaly tail lurking behind her. (500 ATK)
"Is she here to fight or serve hors d'oeuvres?"
"Oh, she can do both very well. But first, via her effect, summoning her lets me take a second Dragonmaid from my deck and send it to the Graveyard."
He had a specific card in mind, so it only took a minute to do so. And I'll see you in a minute, he thought.
"Next, I'll activate a spell Card, Dragonmaid Hospitality. It summons the monster I just sent there, Kitchen Dragonmaid."
Using the card caused a bonfire to appear, along with the pleasant smells of fresh-baked bread, cinnamon, and ginger. The flames quickly vanished and another meido appeared, her uniform like Parlor's but with a large, padded apron, longer, straight, red hair, a red tail, and blue horns. She knelt in Defense Mode and nodded to Parlor. (1,700 DEF)
"When she is summoned, I can take a Dragonmaid from my deck, and then discard one."
Hope I can pull this off, he thought. He made the discard. Then, he took two more cards, both Continuous Spells.
"Then I'll drop 2,000 Life Points to use this card, Dragonmaid Generosity."
"Two-thousand?" exclaimed Eggman. "These folks don't fool around."
"Oh, it is indeed a risk," said Francis, "but in this case, the payoff can be worth it. Fortunately, this other Continuous Spell is free, Dragonmaid Welcome." As he played the other card, Parlor Dragonmaid gave a brief giggle, and her Attack Score ticked up to 700, while Kitchen Dragonmaid's Defense Score rose to 1,900. "The card increases the Scores of each Dragonmaid by 100 points for each Dragonmaid I have."
"I don't see how that's an improvement," replied Cora.
"Well, let's see if we can fix that then." Francis took Parlor's card from the Disk, but she didn't disappear as a result. Rather, she extended her arms and closed her eyes, giggling again as winds started to whip up around her and thunder flashed. A cyclone of green magical energy started to surround Parlor, which grew as it changed shape, taking on a much larger, draconic form, and then an intense burst of light that caused everyone in the room to briefly shield their eyes.
Then, they looked again at the huge, green-scaled Dragon hovering about ten feet off the ground, slowly beating its wings. The odd fronds still crowned her head, above a face that, while monstrous, still had Parlor Dragonmaid's eyes and cheerful expression.
"By sending Parlor Dragon back to my hand I can swap it for her much stronger true form, Dragonmaid Lorpar!" (2,700 ATK)
"I'm not done, by the way." Kitchen Dragonmaid stood up, her eyes glowing like hot coals and her right hand in a fist as a bonfire started to rise around her.
"Had to open your big mouth, did you?" grumbled Annah.
Unfortunately for Cora, it was too late to regret tempting Fate, as the flames seemingly consumed Kitchen Dragonmaid, and again, formed into a dragon-shape that gave way to an actual Dragon with red scales and petal shaped wings. Again, her face superficially resembled that of Kitchen Dragonmaid, her blue horns still there (larger and more pronounced) and more of them on her joints and torso. (2,700 ATK)
"And of course, both Dragonmaid Lorpar and Dragonmaid Tinkhec gain the benefits of Dragonmaid Welcome." (2,900 ATK x2) "So now they're strong enough. "Attack The Agent of Venus, Tinkhec! Hibachi Blaze!"
Cora shielded herself, and while the pleasant smell of hickory-smoked beef washed over her as Tinkhec spewed her infernal breath, it was still very a heavy blow, incinerating the Agent. "Ugh…" she grunted.
"Now Lorpar can serve up destruction with a smile! Attack Sky Cavalry Centaurea!"
Lorpar took a breath, a very deep breath, inhaling and sucking up dirt, dust, and grime; the duelists and even spectators found it hard to resist trying to brace themselves. Then she exhaled, spewing it all in a concentrated stream at the Beast-Warrior. This time, however, Centaurea lifted its shield, struggling and digging its heels in, resisting the attack.
"Not going to work on this one, mainlander! Centaurea can't be destroyed by battle so long as he has at least one Overlay Unit."
The onslaught subsided, and Centaurea had survived, its shield having gained a large crack, but still in one piece.
"Huh," said Francis. "Well then, I'll give my two Dragonmaids a breather then." He switched the cards on his Disk again, and both Lorpar and Tinkhec turned to green and red flames again, the orbs in turn changing to their human forms, who landed gracefully in front of Francis. (1,900 DEF x2) Parlor giggled slightly again.
"Next, I'll set one card, and then my turn is over, meaning the effect of Dragonmaid Generosity activates. Each time a Level 4 or lower monster is returned to the user's hand, a Spell Counter is placed on this card, and now that both those monsters are back on the field, I get one card for each."
Parlor and Kitchen turned slightly, each producing a card and handing it to him. "Thank you. And… it's your move."
(Team #1: 13,200) - - - - - - - - (Team #2: 12,800)
"Very well… Draw!" Dorisan enthusiastically made his first draw, and then decided on one right away, using a Quickplay Spell. "Magical Spring! Via this card's effect, I get to draw cards equal to the Spells and Traps my opponents' team has on the field - and then discard one for each card my team has on the field."
It was easy to see how potent this was now - Red Feather and Francis had a combined total of seven cards, and Cora only one.
"Six cards?" gasped Maddie.
"No, five."
Maddie turned to see that the comment had come from the "Honest Minstrel" (obviously Sypha, there was no doubting it now). "Huh?" she asked.
"Five cards, Magical Spring itself counts. Still, it seems he seriously prepared for a duel of this format."
Indeed, Minstrel, thought Dorisan. An axiom all must remember in a contest where chance and skill are so intermingled. He took two of his cards and discarded them. Never blatantly break the rules, but don't be afraid to bend them as far as possible.
"With no monsters on my field… I can Special Summon Lord Gaia the Fierce Knight!"
Playing the card caused banners to appear and the sound of trumpets to sound over the hall, as a crest appeared in front of Dorisan, as large as he was. Then with two swiping sounds, two lances shot down from opposite corners of the ceiling, crossing the crest in an X. Finally, the crest itself opened like a gate and an imposing Warrior dramatically stepped out. He was clad head to toe in blackened armor accented with gagged crimson lines. The two lances were strapped to his back. (2,300 ATK)
"WHOA, Gaia?" exclaimed Sonya. "This is serious nostalgia here. But shouldn't he have a horse?"
"Patience, my dear." Dorisan looked at the Dragonmaids, still smiling cheerily at him. Parlor waved. Those two aren't extraordinarily strong right now, but… the Trap Card is likely something that will switch them for the higher-Level forms when I attack - but, if I attack with Gaia, his effect will boost his Attack Score to 3,000 when he Special Summons a monster, which will make him just strong enough to win the battle.
Showing uncanny agility for a Warrior in plate armor, Lord Gaia leapt upwards, drawing both lances in mid-leap. Simultaneously, the crest-shaped gate opened again, and a small but fierce looking dragon flew out, long and serpentine with disproportionately small limbs on its thick torso. It wore a barding helmet with a sharp backward pointing blade on the crest and serrated metal neck-guard.
Gaia made a perfect landing onto the mount's saddle and the beast roared.
"Sorry I must give Parlor Dragonmaid her walking papers! Attack!"
Gaia flew higher, aiming his sharp blades at the cheerful maid, whose smile didn't waver even for a second. Unfortunately for Dorisan, as concerned he was with Francis' facedown card, it was Red who used hers.
"Trap activated!"
"Huh? Royal Pheromone? That -"
As the card lifted, Chirubimé closed her eyes and clasped her hands together. Then pink mist started to waft towards Gaia and his mount, and the Warrior paused.
"I can use this Trap Card's effect once per turn, whenever I have a Plant or Insect with the word 'Princess,' 'Queen,' or 'Empress' in its name. For a payment of 800 Life Points, your monster's attack is redirected to her."
Gaia's mount changed direction in mid-air, swooping towards the Princess of Autumn Leaves, but found her a far-more formidable target than the Dragonmaid. Two strong roots reached out from under her giant flower, catching the Lord Knight's weapons.
"You see, you are not the only one who can prepare."
Then a pair of thick vines snaked out, slamming him in the stomach and knocking him off his mount and onto his behind.
"Not exactly the most dignified showing there for the Fierce Knight," said Sonya.
Not that she was wrong; several spectators couldn't help but laugh, and Gaia certainly didn't seem happy either, straightening his helmet out as he stood up.
"Possibly," said Dorisan, "but that cost you more Life Points than it did me. I'll set one Monster and then three more cards, and then the turn is yours."
(Team #1: 12,400) - - - - - - - - (Team #2: 12,300)
"At last!" said Sonya. "Was getting tired of just watching here, DRAW!"
Her subsequent reaction was, "Oh yeah. I'll start by summoning Brron, Mad King of Dark World."
Playing the card caused a nasty, cackling laugh to sound over the field, and an inky black shadow gave way to a tall, lean, and very ugly demon. He had long, gangly arms, a mouth full of needle-sharp teeth, and tendrils on his scalp where one would expect hair. His only clothing was a long blue cloak with fur trim and a pair of shorts… made of bone. His arms were pinned to his side by iron chains, much like a straitjacket would. (1,800 ATK)
"Don't worry everyone, those chains are guaranteed to hold him."
Then the Mad King roared, throwing up his arms and snapping the chains.
"Well, not for very long, I suppose. Next, with him in play, I can Special Summon his beloved consort, Karnaysha, Wicked Queen of Dark World."
A similar shadowy mist brought forth a lady Fiend, one with the same sharp teeth and scaly skin as Brron. She wore a pink dress that may have once looked elegant and formal, though it had seen better days, being frayed, and torn. She also had waist-length, pink hair.
Surprisingly, this did seem to calm down the Mad King, as she extended her hand, and he knelt to kiss it. (1,500 ATK)
"A match made in Hell," remarked Jaroe.
"Bound in unholy matrimony," added Dollface.
"You'd better believe it," said Sonya with a smile. "Next, I'm going to use the Spell Card, Dark World Dealings. We both discard one card and then draw another."
"Very well," said Dorisan. He made his choice there fast, something that worried Sonya, but she had already decided on hers.
"Now the King is about to go medieval on that facedown monster of yours, and because the card I discarded was Ebonn, Dark Scimitar of Dark World, and by discarding that card, well, see for yourself."
The Mad King reached out with his right claw, and sparks of eldritch energy formed into a nasty-looking sword. As per its description, it was a scimitar, a single-edged sword with a curved blade, one which oddly seemed made of black glass, with odd blood-red runes etched on the surface. The basket of the hilt was shaped like a leering, horned, bearded demon from pommel to guard.
"And when a Dark World Fiend comes out swinging the Dark Scimitar he can trample when he attacks! GO!"
Again, Brron laughed maniacally as he brandished and lunged at the set card. Appearing briefly on the card was a small blue gremlin with one eye; Dorisan grunted from the attack hitting home before the Dark Scimitar sliced it in half.
"Hiro's Shadow Scout?" asked Sonya.
"Indeed. Now you draw three times, and all Spell Cards drawn are discarded."
Without saying anything, Sonya pulled the top three cards off her deck, and then turned them forward - one was a Spell, the other two were monsters.
"Okay, that could have gone better…"
Sonya discarded the Spell Card, and then chuckled a little. "More than you think. See, now that Brron managed to do damage, his effect activates, and I get to discard another card, like Vanguard of Dark World, Beiige. Which causes him to be summoned to the field."
Discarding the monster card caused a new demon to materialize, a tall, lanky, ugly fiend holding a spear, with a blindfold. His clothing - consisting of a codpiece, a breastplate with shoulder guards, boots, and a helmet - were also made of bone. (1,600 ATK)
"And it gets worse. By activating his ability, I can also activate Karnaysha's, and when I do that, it counts as an opponent's effect. To any newbies here, that's important because it unlocks an additional effect. The Fiend I'm discarding is Pyde, Court Jester of Dark World. Its first effect summons a second Pyde from my deck, so here he comes!"
Discarding the card caused another low, sinister chuckle to come out of nowhere, and then the monster showed itself, entering from behind Sonya with a dramatic flourish of tumbling, propelling itself into a handstand and then a flip in midair before landing and assuming its place beside Brron. It seemed far more human than the other Fiends, a typical harlequin wearing a bodysuit with colorful patchwork pattern, white face makeup, and black tears painted on its cheeks.
"I hate clowns…" muttered Todd, nervously.
"Uh…" replied Richemont. "I'm not sure 'clown' is the right term here…"
Todd saw what Richemont meant. Getting a good look at the harlequin - as it looked at him, no less - made it even more horrific. The eyes were pools of blackness, and the tears were actual tears, a dark and vile fluid. Even worse, the bodysuit seemed to be actual scaly skin.
"You like that?" continued Sonya. "Well, like I said, it has an additional effect, letting me summon the Pyde I discarded, double the pleasure!"
Again, her Graveyard slot glowed, and a twin of the first Pyde appeared next to the first. (1,200 DEF x2)
"Five monsters in one turn?" exclaimed Annah.
"Oh, I'm not done. Seeing as I'm done attacking for now, I'll open the Overlay Network and combine both my Jesters and my Vanguard…"
As the three Fiends turned into orbs of inky darkness, a spiraling matrix opened above, a crack in reality that absorbed the three Fiends. Then, a larger Fiend leapt out of it, shaking the ballroom, and cracking the tiled floor as it landed. This one was tall, muscular, buff, with much longer hair tendrils on its scalp. It wore a gas mask, armored gloves and boots, and leather trousers. This one also had oddly colored flesh, the skin on its well-toned torso and arms being camouflage colors. (2,050 ATK)
"Don't let his good looks fool you, Kaamo, Bounty Hunter of Dark World is serious about what he does. By getting rid of one Overlay Unit, I can name one Type of monster, and he sends all monsters of that Type packing." The Bounty Hunter lifted his right arm upright, and with a whirring and clanking noise, his glove changed shape into a blaster cannon and pointed at. "Since I'm sure we don't want to deal with that guy again, I'll name Beast-Warriors."
Kaamo fired his weapon, the bolt of energy hitting Sky Cavalry Centaurea and atomizing it. Cora clutched her torso from a small twinge of pain from the impact.
"That also causes you to lose 400 Life Points. Aaaaand… I end my turn."
"About time," grumbled Annah.
(Team #1: 12,400) - - - - - - - - (Team #2: 11,600)
Both Todd and Richemont were watching her closely as she made her first draw. To be honest, Todd didn't know yet whose side he was on here. He certainly wanted revenge against Maddie for humiliating him, and was disappointed that she wasn't in on this, but then, that made the idea of supporting her allies easier - Annah and Cora had, after all, embarrassed him dozens of times, and while his resentment towards her was hardly a secret, he had enough common sense not to show it.
"First, I will activate the Spell Card, Cost Down. I'll toss one of my cards -" she discarded a card from her hand, "and this Level 5 monster is downgraded to Level 4, meaning I can summon it straight away. Minoan Centaur!"
The monster that appeared on the field this time was indeed a centaur, with a muscular upper body wearing a brown toga, with a long, full beard and bull-like horns jutting out of its temples. It held a huge battle-ax in one hand as if it were nothing but a baton. (1,800 ATK)
"Then I can sacrifice it to summon two Beast-Warrior monsters from my deck."
Taking the one card and swapping it for two caused two more monsters to appear that Sonya had only heard references to while studying the early history of the game. One was a cute little rodent wearing a cuirass and Spartan helmet, holding a short sword and a shield. (1,500 DEF) The other was a tall cyclops with green skin, pointed ears, and a mouth full of sharp teeth in an unpleasant grin. (1,000 DEF)
"Wow, this really is a blast from the past!" she exclaimed.
Still, as interesting as these old cards were, she had no idea why Annah would use them. They were outdated and weak, though not weak enough for Human Wave Tactics or Thousand Energy.
Then Annah said, "I use the Spell Card, The Shallow Grave."
As per the effect of the card, set monsters appeared in front of both her and Sonya. Then, she followed up with another card, Book of Taiyou, and the card turned 30 degrees and flipped up…
"I Flip Summon the Immortal monster, Revenging Reaver!"
For a brief instant, it seemed the card had become a dark, rectangular portal with an ominous silhouette within. Still, the monster wasted no time exiting, blue claws on hands with a blue, chitinous exoskeleton reaching out, then ripping the door wider to make room as it stepped out.
The jagged, barbed, blue carapace covered the tall and muscular creature from head to toe, with multiple blades on its shoulders and two long, curved horns on its head each studded with four smaller horns. Its body had odd orange markings in the shape of jagged lines, placed without any obvious pattern. Worst of all, the only feature on its face was its mouth, a vertical jaw full of sharp teeth that reached from its forehead to chin. Or rather, where the forehead and chin should be, no features on this thing's head suggested either. (3,200 ATK)
"Well, there's something you don't see every day," said Eggman.
None of the four Shadowchasers had ever heard of it either or seen anything like it. As any duelist knew, the "rule of 3,000" (an unofficial rule I2 and KaibaCorp seemed to have) stated that a monster with higher than 3,000 Attack or Defense Points had to have a negative effect or a summoning condition (as in, a "Nomi"). Obviously, this monster was the card she discarded when she used Cost Down, so it seemed exempt from the second part of the rule at least.
Annah smiled broadly and seemed to address that right away. "You mainlanders will quickly see there's more to this fellow than it appears. But first, its flip effect activates. To wit, I get to draw two cards, while my opponent, that would be you -" she pointed to Sonya - draws once. Then, we both discard one card."
"Uhm…" started Sonya. "You, uh, sure you want to do that?"
"Too late now." Sonya did not like her expression, but she still made the draw.
"What the hell is Annah thinking?" whispered Todd. "Wasn't she listening a minute ago?"
"Wait…" replied Richemont.
"I discard Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World!"
As Sonya tossed the card, there was an explosion, a blast of flames and golden radiance. The monster rising out of the flames could not have been mistaken for anything but a Fiend, having all the usual features - wings, horns (pointing forward), claws for hands and hooves for feet, the whole demonic package. His golden plate armor was polished to an uncanny shine, with a matching battleax twice as large as the Minoan Centaur's. (2,300 ATK)
"When this card is discarded by my opponent's card effect, I can not only summon Goldd to the field, but he also destroys two of your cards!" She pointed with her index and middle fingers, indicating Beaver Warrior and Revenging Reaver. "Those are your targets, Goldd, Make it Rain!"
Raising his weapon, the Wu-Lord howled, and lightning crashed down upon him… Then a driving rain of golden coins cascaded from the ceiling upon Annah's monsters, like driving, shimmering, molten hail…
"Huh…"
It was a few tense seconds before everyone looked back - something was wrong. Beaver Warrior had been nuked by the impressive display, but oddly, Hitotsu-Me-Giant wasn't there either. Revenging Reaver on the other hand… Its exoskeleton was a little scratched and burned, but it was still standing, and Annah was smiling even broader.
"Confused? Maybe you didn't notice when I called this an Immortal monster."
"You mean, they can't be killed?"
"Sure, they can, but it's not easy. I'll explain briefly… As I'm sure you noticed, this is an Effect Monster, but Immortal monsters are unique in addition to their regular effects - in this case, the draw and discard Flip Effect - they have additional effects that activate should your effects or attacks be sufficient to destroy them. If that occurs, I can protect them by sacrificing a Normal Monster.
"But that's not all. When that happens, an additional effect is activated, in this case…" She snapped her fingers, and two large flowers with black blossoms sprung up on either side of Revenging Reaver. (1,500 DEF x2) "...I get to summon these Blighted Rose Tokens.
"Still my Main Phase, I believe, and I will now use…" she turned a card in her hand around, "this, which is also an Immortalmonster."
"Level 10?" gasped Sonya.
"That's right, but I won't be summoning Snatch-Hacker just yet, instead, I'm using its effect to equip it to the Bounty Hunter of Dark World!"
She threw the card at the Fiend, causing it to turn into a silvery, metallic orb that propelled itself at Kaamo. He dodged aside and it missed his head, but then the orb turned into a silvery phantom in a bulky, brutish shape, which quickly grappled the Bounty Hunter from behind. "HEY!" shouted Sonya.
"Snatch-Hacker's effect causes your monster to lose 1,200 Attack Points!" said Annah with a laugh. (850 ATK) "Now, back to Revenging Reaver…" The demonic-looking Plant held its hands in front, and a staff made of gnarled, twisted wood appeared, which sprouted a sharp scythe blade. "This monster can't attack unless one of my other monsters has been destroyed this turn, so thanks a bunch! Eviscerate that Fiend, attack!"
"I activate the effect of Royal Pheromone!"
Annah's expression changed quickly - she had been concentrating so much on Sonya, she had forgotten about Red Feather and her Trap Card, and Red had cut her off in the middle of gloating…
"I activate Trap Stun!" shouted Dorisan. His Trap lifted, causing Red Feather's Trap to freeze solid and gloss over.
Her partner had saved her plan, but the damage had been done - Annah could swear she heard Todd chuckling at her. She turned back to Reaver and snapped "WELL?"
Revenging Reaver shrugged, and slashed once with its weapon, cleaving Kaamo clean in two. The blow struck Sonya hard, but she knew there was even more of this to come.
"When the monster equipped with Snatch-Hacker is destroyed by an Immortal Monster, Snatch-Hacker itself is summoned to my side of the field in Defense Mode."
A minute ago, all four of the Shadowchasers had been anxious to see what this monster looked like, but now they wished they hadn't. It was a tall, thin, lanky creature in a black and orange striped suit, with hands and feet (wearing white gloves and spats) more than twice the size they should be, plus a bright red bow tie the size of its head. And speaking of which, its head was an ovoid sphere with no eyes, nose, or mouth. But it wasn't blank - instead of a face, it had a red Kanji symbol, hopefully applied with paint. Creepiest of all was its hat; it was an overly large stovepipe hat with three eyes stacked vertically, the irises of unusual colors, dark red, purple, and green, and given how they looked at Sonya, Francis, and Red Feather, they were real eyes. (1,400 DEF)
"Of course, he has to stay in Defense Mode, at least for now, but so long as he is, you three can't attack any monster except him."
"Nice, that would be more impressive if it had a decent Defense Score."
"It's another Immortal monster," added Francis. "And if it's anything like the other…"
Annah, nodded, then fit her last card in her Duel Disk, causing a set card to appear in her Spell Zone. "Best listen to your friend there, because these two Tokens aren't for show. My turn is done. So, tell me, Ms. Contrary, how does your garden grow?"
(Team #1: 9,250) - - - - - - - - (Team #2: 11,600)
Red Feather smiled slightly, as she had to admit, she had never heard that one before.
"I make one draw," said Red Feather, "and now, during my Standby Phase, the effect of Seasons of Death activates, and I send Chirubimé, Princess of Autumn Leaves to the Graveyard to summon her counterpart, Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms!"
Chirubimé winked to Annah and nodded, then threw her arms up as her flower folded around her, both retreating into the ground. Then, much like she had appeared before, a different flower sprouted from the spot, a giant Sakura blossom. As it opened, a chilling breeze with pink petals wafted through the hall; Talaya rose from the blossom itself, a long-haired brunette woman in a dull blue and green kimono with very wide sleeves. She looked at Dorisan and his two "muses," and then flicked her arms forward, opening two razor-sharp battle-fans. (2,800 ATK)
"Winter is coming," said Sonya with a chuckle.
"Indeed," said Red Feather. "Her effect is nullified this turn, however, but once I end it, that passes, her effect makes all Plants on the field impervious to destruction by card effects. Next, I'll get rid of my Trap Card via Magic Planter."
The Spell Card appeared, and vines shot out from it, coiling around the Continuous Trap Card, and crushing it. Red made two draws, then looked over the four cards she had now, World Carrotweight Champion, Botanical Girl, Twilight Rose Knight, and Card Destruction. She reached for the last, playing it. "Now we discard all our cards, then draw two replacements."
"I know how that one works!" Annah lifted her hands, palm forward. "And I can't discard anything, I have an empty hand."
"And an empty head!" said a female voice from somewhere in the crowd. The wisecrack elicited some laughter, and Annah quietly made a point of finding out who that was later.
Regardless, Red discarded the three cards, then made three more. She perked up, noticing one of them could at least put a dent in Annah's defense.
"I activate the Spell Card, Fragrance Storm!" The Spell Card caused exactly what it implied, creating a sweet-smelling storm of petals and pollen. "This card destroys one Plant-Type monster on the field, and it doesn't have to be mine."
"If you think that will work on Reaver -"
Red Feather interrupted. "No, I don't, I'm not aiming for that one." Then, one of the two Blighted Rose Tokens shattered. "Those, however, are far less durable. Now, due to the second effect, I get to draw one card, and should it be a Plant-Type, I can discard it and draw again."
She drew a card, then turned it forward - Revival Rose. "Lucky you," sighed Annah.
Red drew one more time, now having increased her available resources significantly. She looked over at Snatch-Hacker, a monster she knew she had to get rid of quickly.
"I discard Revival Rose to use the effect of a monster in my Graveyard, the World Carrotweight Champion!"
A new shrug sprouted from the ground, the stem, and leaves of an overly large tuber. Then, the carrot - yes, a carrot - yanked itself out. Or rather, this man-sized walking vegetable had a carrot for a head, two more oversized carrots for arms, and its torso and legs made of the carrot taproot. It wore, of all things, a boxing jersey, trucks, and a boxing championship belt with a golden, circular crest on the front. (1,900 ATK)
Annah looked curiously at the new monster, not so much because of the absurdity of its looks, but because of the Scores. Zero Defense points? she thought. Hmm…
Red Feather's last facedown card lifted, revealing Call of the Haunted. "From my Graveyard, I now summon Twilight Rose Knight!" The card turned into a tombstone, and then a casket rose from the ground in front of it. The coffin opened, and a young man in a violet tunic and helmet with a white cape sat up, yawning, and stretching. He stood up, drawing a short sword from his belt. (1,000 ATK)
"Oh, he's adorable," chuckled Cora.
"As they say, the mighty oak grows from the smallest acorn, and because Twilight Rose Knight is a Tuner monster, I can combine him and World Carrotweight Champion!"
"In the deepest depths of the Forest Primeval, a tireless guardian stands at the border of the human world and the Feywild in an unending vigil!"
The Warrior and Plant were drawn through the Synchro rings, dissolving into particles of light as the floor started to shake, and then split open.
"I Synchro summon the Circle of Faerie!"
Several of the spectators nearest to Red Feather backed up as a colossal monster rose from the crevices the Solid Vision system created. It was a bulky, hulking construct of sorts, that seemed to be made mostly of wood, but with sharp claws made of crystalline rock on both its hands and feet, and clusters of the sharp crystals on its shoulders, along with an ample amount of grass, moss, and leaves. It wore a breechcloth with an odd elven symbol printed on. Rather than a head, it had a ring of wood, even wider than its torso, and large enough for a man-sized creature to stand within. (2,200 ATK)
"I'm not done yet," she continued, "I next use the card Awakening from Beyond. At the cost of letting you make two draws, I get to recover a monster from my Graveyard."
Annah shrugged, drawing twice, and Red Feather took Carrotweight from her discard slot. "Why, you ask? Because with Circle of Faerie on the field, I can Normal Summon a second time, so long as I do so to summon a Plant or Insect."
"This duel is seriously giving me an appetite for salad," said Jaroe.
Danna looked down at his ample stomach. "Certainly couldn't hurt," she said.
Jaroe didn't seem to get the hint, and turned back to watch Red, who had used the move to cause the World Carrotweight Champion to return. (1,900 ATK)
"So, how does my garden grow, you ask? As you can see, I have far more than silver bells and cockleshells. And if your Snatch-Hacker is the only monster I can attack, well then, I will just have to force you to use those Tokens up. You first, Champion."
The carrot man made a rush at Snatch-Hacker, wielding its carrot-forearm like a lance, and stabbing into the twisted Machine's gizzard. The thrust tore the suit and punched a gaping hole in its torso, but as Red had expected, it stood firm as the second Blighted Rose shattered.
"Interesting strategy," said Annah with a chuckle, "but you forgot one thing… When an Immortal monster using this effect to stay alive, it unlocks a second effect."
"Another effect?"
"It's Level 10, after all, but even so, this final effect requires a payment of 2,500 Life Points."
"Wait, 2,500?" gasped Sonya. "That's…"
"A lot," added Francis.
"In this case, I can summon a monster from my Extra Deck, so long as it doesn't have any effect of its own." A lumbering shape started to rise behind Annah. "Ironic that your carrot helped me summon this monster - it may be an, ahem, Champion of the plant kingdom, but my champion is a full phylum higher on the scale!"
Damn, I always hated biology class, thought Maddie.
Looking up, she watched as the Beast-Type Fusion took form. It was almost twice as large as Circle of Faerie, and in basic shape, was a chubby koala standing upright. Though it had green fur, wore a purple vest, red sneakers, and red boxing gloves, plus had some odd tools in its pouch. It also had a prize belt, draped over its shoulder. (4,200 ATK)
(Team #1: 9,250) - - - - - - - - (Team #2: 9,100)
The Master of Oz, thought Maddie. Heh, makes sense, what other monster would you summon with that effect?
This is going to be harder than we thought…
To be continued…
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And we'll stop there.
Like I said, this duel was a killer to write, and should anyone spot a mistake, do not hesitate to PM me. Otherwise, please read and review!
Oh, and to anyone who wants to inquire about the Immortal monsters, there will be a detailed backstory in the next chapter, although I suspect some older fans of Yu-Gi-Oh might have gotten the gist of it already.
For now, here are the fanmade cards, and again, not included will be the ones whose full effects have not yet been revealed. Dark World fanmade cards detailed here (except Pyde) were designed by my friend MultiplePersona, so credit goes to him.
Until I post again, stay safe everyone.
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Kaamo, Bounty Hunter of Dark World (Effect Monster Card)
Fiend/Dark/Xyz/Effect/Rank4/2,050/1,000
3 Level 4 "Dark World" monsters
Effect: Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz material from this card and declare one Type of monster. Destroy all the face-up monsters your opponent controls of that Type and inflict 400 points of damage to your opponent for each card destroyed. You cannot attack with this card the turn you use this effect.
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Karnaysha, Wicked Queen of Dark World (Effect Monster Card)
Fiend/Dark/Lvl4/1,500/1,100
Effect: If you control at least 1 face-up "Brron, Mad King of Dark World", you may Special Summon this card from your hand. When the effect of a "Brron, Mad King of Dark World" you control is activated, you may discard 1 card from your hand via this card's effect. A card discarded via this card's effect is considered to have been discarded via the effect of your opponent's Spell, Trap, or Monster effect. You can only control 1 "Karnaysha, Wicked Queen of Dark World".
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Pyde, Court Jester of Dark World (Effect Monster Card)
Fiend/Dark/Lvl4/800/1,200
Effect: If this card is discarded from your hand to the GY by a card effect, Special Summon 1 "Pyde, Court Jester of Dark World" from your hand or deck; then, if this card was discarded from your hand to the GY by your opponent's card effect, you may Special Summon it from the GY.
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Revenging Reaver (Effect Monster Card)
Plant/Fire/Immortal/Lvl6/3,200/200
Effect: FLIP: Draw 2 cards; then, your opponent draws 1 card and both players discard 1 card. If you control no monsters, you may Normal Summon this card without Tribute, but its ATK becomes 1,300. This card cannot attack unless a monster you control was destroyed that turn. If this card you control would be destroyed (by battle or by card effect), you may Tribute 1 Normal monster you control instead. When you do: Special Summon 1 Blighted Rose Token (Plant/Fire/Lvl3/100/1,500)
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Snatch-Hacker (Effect Monster Card)
Machine/Dark/Immortal/Lvl10/2,000/1,400
Effect: Cannot be Special Summoned except via its own effect. If you control this card face-up in Defense Position, your opponent cannot attack any face-up monster except "Snatch-Hacker". You may select 1 monster your opponent controls and equip this card to it; the equipped monster loses 1,200 ATK and DEF. If a monster equipped with this card is destroyed by battle by an Immortal monster, Special Summon this card to your side of the field in face-up Defense Position. If this card you control would be destroyed by battle, you may Tribute 1 Normal Monster you control instead. When you do: You can pay 2,500 LP; Special Summon 1 non-Effect Monster from your Extra Deck. You can only control 1 "Snatch-Hacker".
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Dragonmaid Generosity (Continuous Spell Card)
Image: Chamber Dragonmaid, Parlor Dragonmaid, and Kitchen Dragonmaid in a large kitchen with a cake that is about 15 feet tall. Parlor is using a stepladder to decorate it and is losing her balance, Chamber rushing to catch her
Effect: Pay 2,000 Life Points to activate this card. Whenever a Level 4 or lower Monster card is returned to its owner's hand, place 1 Spell Counter on this card (max 3). During the End Phase of each turn, remove all Spell Counters from this card, and if the turn player controls a number of Level 4 or lower monsters equal to the number of Spell Counters removed, that player may draw 1 card per counter removed. Only 1 "Dragonmaid Generosity" can be face up on the field at one time.
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Farmers Dozen (Normal Trap Card)
Image: Goblin of Greed at a farmer's market; he is looking suspiciously at a stand run by The 13th Grave.
Effect: Activate if you are attacked directly. Look at the card at the bottom of your deck. If it is a Plant-Type monster, Special Summon it in Attack Position. Your opponent's attacking monster must then attack the Special Summoned monster.
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Mystery Seeds (Normal Spell Card)
Image: Goblin of Greed in a garden, scratching his head and reading the instructions on an open packet of seeds. In the background, a huge Abyss Flower is about to attack him.
Effect: Excavate the top 3 cards of your deck. If at least 1 of them is not a Level 5 or higher Plant-Type monster, return them to the deck and shuffle. If at least 1 of them is a Level 5 or higher Plant-Type monster, send it to the GY (if 2 or more are Level 5 or higher Plant-Type monsters, select 1). Then add one of the excavated cards to your hand and place the other at the bottom of your deck.