Here's a question to ponder - why is it that February is the shortest month, yet it always seems like the longest? I remember an old Peanuts comic strip where Charlie Brown said that winter days may be shorter, but they seem a lot wider. He had something there, hard to believe it took Einstein to figure out that time was relative.
February is just so… dreary. And it reminds me of all the things I promised to do once the "weather got nice". Lol.
So, let's continue, shall we?
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Shadowchasers
Blue Blood
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Chapter Seven
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Weighing the Options
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Red Feather - and indeed her whole team - was in something of a pinch.
(Team #1, Shadowchasers: 5,950) - - - - - - - (Team #2, Cauldron: 4,700)
As it stood, she had Chirubimé, Princess of Autumn Leaves (2,800 DEF) and the Fusion Monster, Fallen Princess Rosalia (0 ATK) in play; Francis had Dragonmaid Lorpar (2,700 ATK) plus Nurse and Chamber Dragonmaid (500 ATK x2) with all three of their Scores boosted by 300 points from Dragonmaid Welcome. Sonya had Tutoan, True Sovereign of Dark World. (2,600 ATK) with its Attack Score boosted 300 points due to her Field Spell, the Gates of Dark World.
On the opposition side, Cora had Trias Hierarchia (1,900 ATK), Dorisan (who ironically, hadn't been doing very well despite being the team's de facto leader) had Lord Gaia the Fierce Knight (2,300 ATK). The elephant in the room, of course, was Annah's monster, Souleater the Sole Sapient Singularity; while it wasn't the most hideous monstrosity the four Shadowchasers here had ever experienced, it came awfully close. (2,400 ATK) She also had Millennium Shield in Defense Mode, obviously intended as Tribute-bait for Souleater's effect should it be in danger of being destroyed. (3,000 DEF)
Red had counted on Chirubimé's effect to protect Fallen Plant Princess Rosalia, but Cora had been savvier than she had assumed, using Forbidden Chalice to nullify Chirubimé's effect, leaving Rosalia (who had zero Attack Points) a sitting duck for Trias Hierarchia's assault.
"Attack! Crush it!" shouted Cora. "Burning Lights of Orion!"
The violet triangle on Hierarchia's platform materialized three orbs of blazing, violet celestial fire, all three combining and forming a triangle of energy which spun at high speed as it was launched towards Rosalia. The giant flower plummeted and crashed, the dryad topping from her perch. The remains of the flower shattered, and the dryad pulled herself up long enough to give a dirty look towards Cora before she dissolved into rose petals and dissipated.
(Team #1: 4,050) - - - - - - - - (Team #2: 4,700)
Ironically, Red made almost no reaction at all, closing her eyes with a bead of sweat falling down the side of her face, but little more, while Cora, on the other hand, seemed winded, sweating far more. She went to reach for a handkerchief, before realizing her skimpy costume obviously had no pockets. She took two more of her cards, placing them in her Spell Zone. "I'll, I'll set these two cards, and my turn is done."
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Nichole was dreaming.
Dreaming she was ten years older, of a much higher rank in St. Cuthbert's House, infiltrating a psychiatric ward that, unbeknownst to all but Donny and herself, was not the benevolent institution it claimed to be. In her dream, her memories recounted many times she had rescued a prisoner from a place like this, an unfortunate soul trapped in a place where malice and cruelty hold sway, their hopes of rescue and release nearly gone. This seemed the same.
But the name on the clipboard outside the prisoner's door… Roxanne LaRue?
No, she thought, impossible! This had to be a trap or a cruel trick. She wouldn't put it past Roxy to try it.
Her hand trembled as she carefully tapped in the door code she'd been given. With a heavy clunk, the magnetic locks disengaged, and she then used the provided keycard to open the deadbolt. Trembling, she eased the door open.
Inside the cell was a slender figure lying on the floor in a fetal position in a grimy, dirty padded cell. Her features were hidden by an excruciatingly tight leather hood, and she was bound in a heavy straitjacket that would not have seemed out of place on Hannibal Lector himself. Her bare legs were manacled with a taunt leather sheath with straps held by padlocks.
It wasn't a trap or a trick. Not a coincidence. The woman she had come to save was Roxy LaRue… Her hated enemy.
It could have been anyone, but the pink-dyed hair confirmed for her that it was Roxy. Not that she needed that - Nichole knew. Nichole was familiar with every part of Roxy's body, because the cruel woman had held her prisoner so many times, making sure Nichole learned every aspect of her appearance as she tortured her. Every curve, every imperfection had been burned into Nichole's mind each time she struggled to escape with her sanity intact. She even recognized Roxy's odor. Maybe her fondness for Insect monsters had given her some sort of pheromone, but even here, where the air was thick with the acrid smell of harsh disinfectants and antiseptics that barely masked the stench of decay and human filth, all she could smell was Roxy.
She glanced again at the clipboard and saw the grim fate that awaited the imprisoned slaver. Shock therapy? Good lord… Nichole knew from personal experience how agonizing that was. Roxy had used it on her. And she already wasn't in very good shape, her legs were covered with bruises and scars. She had been beaten, likely flogged. Some of the marks were faint, indicating they had been inflicted months ago.
How did this happen? How long had she been here? And why? What the devil did the ones running this madhouse have in store for her?
And most importantly… Was there any way she could thank them?
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Back in the waking world, Ferid was watching through his wizard eye, focusing on Francis as he drew a card. Under his mask, he smiled broadly as he saw what it was. Then he looked up at Annah, savoring the thought of the spoiled brat having to fork over a thousand Sovereigns once this was over.
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Francis looked briefly at the card he had drawn, then turned to his Dragonmaid Welcome card. Magic energy surrounded it, and Kitchen Dragonmaid's card reformed in his hand. Then, he played it, causing her to again join the others, as well and causing Lorpar's Attack Score to increase to 3,100 and the other three to increase to 900 apiece.
"Time for the Maid Corp to serve up destruction with a smile." He took Kitchen and Chamber's cards from the Disk, and they both powered up with auras of fire and water, the auras expanding and consuming their human forms as full sized Dragons emerged. "I need Chamber to fill in for Laundry this time, but Tinkhec and Nudyarl are back on duty." (2,600 ATK, 2,700 ATK)
"Now it's time for Nurse Dragonmaid to do the same." Taking her card caused the fourth Dragonmaid to clasp her hands in front of her with her eyes closed, and then stone and gravel flew towards her, encasing her in a shell of rock. Then, the shell burst into pebbles, releasing her true form, a Dragon with soft, pink scales, a gentle face, feet that resembled large paws rather than claws, and ram-like horns on her temples. (2,600 ATK)
Again, each gained 400 Attack Points from the Continuous Spell. (3,000 ATK x2, 3,100 ATK x2)
Meanwhile, Todd had gone from tipsy to stone drunk, but he was still attentive enough to pay attention to the duel - barely.
"So, urm, this is bad, right?"
"Well, let's see," said Richemont, "all four of Francis' monsters have at least 1,000 more Attack Points than Cora's one monster, and should her one monster be defeated, she'd be facing over 9,000 points worth of dragonfire in a direct attack… Yes, I'd say pretty bad. For her."
Francis would not argue that point. "Dragonmaid Tinkhec is coming for Trias Hierarchia, ready or not! Attack!"
"Actually, mainlander, this time I am ready! Traps activate!" Both her set cards, lifted up. "First, Dust Tornado!" A whirlwind blasted from the card, striking the Dragonmaid Welcome card and blowing it to pieces. "Without that, your Dragonmaids return to their original Scores." (2,600 ATK x2, 2,700 ATK x2) "My second one is… Desert Sunlight! Trias Hierarchia moves to Defense Mode."
The giant angel knelt, leaning on its staff. (2,900 ATK) Tinkhec's spout of spice-enhanced fire glanced off its metallic frame.
Francis stopped for a moment, then turned and looked at Soul Sapient Singularity, with the much smaller Millennium Shield beside it. Attacking the Shield wasn't an option now, but he remembered how Red Feather defeated Snatch-Hacker by attacking it repeatedly and forcing Annah to sacrifice her own monsters to protect it.
If that monster is anything like her other Immortal monsters, I'm just going to have to use the same strategy here.
He nodded, and then pointed at the giant Immortal. "Destroy that giant eyesore, Dragonmaid Ernus! Harmonic Wave!"
Ernus closed her eyes, chanting a lovely melody, which ascended into a high-pitched cacophony of sound, then a code of musical sonic energy launched at the giant abomination… "UGH!" Grunted Annah. "Souleater's effect activates!"
Millennium Shield cracked and shattered into bits, and Ernus halted her assault… There was dead silence for a few seconds…
"It's all fun until someone loses an eye," said Dorisan, gravely.
"That's right," said Annah, "by using the Sole Sapient Singularity's effect, it survives, and I get to banish up to four monsters." Four cards, Dark Merrow, Master of Oz, Hiro's Shadow Scout, and Darkfire Dragon. All four cards were broken into minute pieces, and were drawn into the Immortal's single enormous eye. (4,400 ATK)
"Yikes," said Sonya.
"That's right, 500 Attack Points per banished monster, until the end of my next turn."
(Team #1: 3,850) - - - - - - - - (Team #2: 4,500)
"In… that case…," said Francis. His hand moved to his cards.
What the devil are you doing? thought Ferid. The Shadowchaser's choice was clear to him, but Francis did not take it.
Instead, he set two cards in his Spell Zone the only card he did not use being the one Ferid had noticed. "Think I'll leave the Dragonmaids here in dragon form for now." He nodded to Dorisan. "It's your move."
After drawing, Dorisan turned Lord Gaia's card on his Disk, moving the monster to Defense Mode. (2,100 DEF) Then, he turned his drawn card forward. "Pay attention everyone, this is the key to summoning the most lethal creature my deck can produce!"
"Is that a Ritual Spell?" asked Sypha.
Maddie nodded. She and Francis had not gone into much detail with Rituals when showing her and Barclay how the game worked, but if they had, they likely wouldn't have started with this one. Maddie recognized this Ritual Spell and knew of the Ritual Monster (or rather, Monsters, plural) it was associated with, they were very dangerous.
Dorisan used the card, causing an altar to appear in front of him, with a violet, shield-shaped crest in the center, with four spikes protruding from each edge and a diamond-shaped jewel in the center. To each side of the crest was flaming incense brazier.
"This Ritual Spell draws energy from the primal forces of Chaos itself, and as such, requires a very specific sacrifice, of exactly two monsters, equaling exactly eight Levels. Too few would be a pittance judged unworthy, while too many risk tearing the fabric of reality wide open!"
"Think he's getting a little carried away," whispered Dollface to Eggman.
"One must be Dark, one must be Light, and one must come from my hand, another from my deck. I choose to sacrifice Beginning Knight and Evening Twilight Knight!" Holding the cards aloft caused two Knights in plate armor to form next to each of the braziers. One was a child wearing fancy black armor with gold trim, the second was older, with a matching set of plate armor that was pure white.
Then, both nights were consumed, the younger one by radiant flames, the other by shadowy darkfire. Both sets of fires were drawn into the braziers, and they started to burn with purple flames. Two razor-sharp scimitars darted down from above, crossing each other in front of the crest.
Then, the crest started to crack…
The crest was smashed, outwardly, like a door would be if broken open from the other side, the two scimitars propelled upward from the impact. A huge man in plate armor leapt from what remained of the crest. The violet armor was covered with sharp edges, runes, and large gemstones, the shoulder blades resembling demonic wings, with smaller downward-pointing wings on his hips. His helmet had two plumes, and from what little of the man underneath could be seen, he wasn't quite human, having dark blue skin, red hair, and a cold, emotionless expression.
The Super Soldier lifted his hand, catching a sword that fell from above - it was a larger, nastier version of the two that had been on the crest, evident as he brandished it, producing a shield in his left hand that looked exactly like the one on the altar. (3,000 ATK)
Francis could see where this was going and didn't need to be told it was bad news, but he could at least prevent his side from losing right here. "Gift of the Mystical Elf!" he shouted, one of his Trap Cards activating in response. The Mystical Elf loomed over them, her soft chant causing everyone in the room to feel a gentle, invigorating embrace. "Using this card grants my side 300 Life Points for each monster on the field."
Naturally, this caused almost all of the spectators to do a quick count - there were eleven monsters total, 3,300 Life Points gained.
"That was clever," stated Eggman.
"Well then," continued Dorisan, "you're going to need them, because not only does Super Soldier have some formidable powers of his own, the two monsters I sacrificed for the Ritual grant him additional powers. In fact, each of them grants two powers, though each only grants one of them.
"First, I'll use Evening Twilight Knight's power, and banish one of your monsters!"
He chose the target quickly; Super Soldier's eyes locked onto those of Dragonmaid Lorpar, staring without blinking…
But then, Francis used his other Trap Card. "Destruct Potion!" he shouted. Lorpar closed her eyes, and then shattered. Francis sighed. "Sure, it destroys my monster, but at least my team gains an additional 2,700 Life Points."
(Team #1: 9,950) - - - - - - - - (Team #2: 4,500)
"Well then, now my Super Soldier attacks, and due to the power granted to him by Beginning Knight, he can do it twice! Attack with Luster Blade!"
With a roar, the Knight leapt at the Dragonmaids sword first, a blizzard of sharp knives flashing from the blade, piercing and stabbing into Tinkhec and Nudyarl.
As the two Dragonmaids shattered, however, Francis felt like he had been kicked by a mule, twice, once in the chin and a second time in the gut.
"I see your feeling it, Super Soldier's own effect deals damage equal to your defeated monsters' Attack Points."
(Team #1: 3,950) - - - - - - - - (Team #2: 4,500)
"That was 6,000 points of damage in one attack!" gasped Dollface. "And he's still standing?"
"Oh, it's excruciating," groaned Francis. Sweat was pouring down his forehead as he looked up. "Trust me, I've gotten hit worse than that… You get used to it after a while. So, anything else."
Dorisan was just as dumbfounded - and more than a little impressed - by the Shadowchaser's resilience as anyone else, and Cora seemed barely able to believe it either - she was perspiring more than ever. Dorisan simply set one of his remaining cards in his Duel Disk's Spell Zone, turned to Sonya, and then nodded.
Sonya drew a card, her face brightening up quickly. "Yes!" she beamed, "yes, yes, yes!" She put that card aside for the moment, then used another. "The Beginning of the End! I'll get rid of both my Jesters, Brron, Karnaysha, and Beiige -" she took the five cards from her Disk's Graveyard, depositing them in her waist-pouch - "and then I can draw three times!" She drew, then smirked, and chuckled evilly, and then used the Spell she had initially drawn.
"Dark World Ascension! This is a Fiend's version of Polymerization, but with a slight difference - when I fuse the monsters in my hand, I don't send them to the Graveyard, I discard them."
"So, uh, what's the difference there?" asked Sypha.
"Think of it this way," replied Maddie, "one person goes to a church and puts five Sovereigns in the donation bin; another person goes to the church bake sale and spends five Sovereigns on a muffin. Both gave the same amount to the same church for the same general reason, but it's a different type of transaction."
"And, with a very different result!" said Sonya. "But first of all, I'm fusing together Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World, and Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World, to summon - what else? - Grapha, Dragon Overlord of Dark World!"
Again, the whole dance floor shook as Sonya's card produced a monster just as big and just as terrifying as Souleater. Describing this Fiend would not be easy even if you could do so while standing in front of it, its very appearance seeming to reject attempts to describe it. In general shape, it could be called a giant Dark World Fiend with a centaurian body, but it balanced itself on hind legs, using a long, thick tail for balance, the front legs bearing talons even longer and sharper than the ones on its hands. It had two sets of wings, one set sprouting from its shoulder blades and the other set from the base of its spine. Its face was more like a skull, a demon skull with vague draconic features, with two sets of curved, forward-pointing horns, one set on its temples and another on its mandibles. Plus, it had a small set of wings above the upper horns. Its entire body was armored with iron scales, covered with spikes, blades, and spurs.
In general, there was one word to describe this monstrosity - Chaos. (3,200 ATK - (3,500 ATK)
"So, which of these things is the actual ruler of Dark World?" asked Jaroe.
"These are demons," replied Danna, "they tend to follow a 'might makes right' sort of hierarchy."
"Maybe," said Sonya, "but now we get to that added effect I mentioned. Since I discarded the regular Grapha, well, see for yourself." She snapped her fingers, and a huge, murky mist started bellowing out from the floor in front of her. Gradually, the mist reshaped into a dark shadow that vaguely looked like a dragon, with red, fiery eyes.
"Due to its effect, I get to destroy one monster! Give you all one guess which monster!"
Of course, she pointed to Souleater again, Grapha's demonic eyes growling as it prepared to unleash unholy fire upon the Sole Sapient Singularity. Annah was frightened now - she knew she had nothing left to protect it…
Dorisan, however, did. "I activate Divine Wrath!" he shouted.
"WHAT?" shouted Annah. "Oh…"
The Trap lifted, and Dorisan discarded a card. The room went dark and lightning flash, hitting the dark cloud and causing it to dissipate into smoky wisps.
Her monster was safe, but Annah didn't seem happy, holding her face that was red with embarrassment. "A 'thank you' would be nice," said Dorisan.
Sonya seemed to agree with Dorisan, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "Kind of sorry about this," she said. She took another card and used it, causing a short reptilian Fiend hunched over in an ape-like posture - Scarr, Scout of Dark World - to materialize. (500 ATK - 800 ATK)
Annah laughed a little. "Oh, and what is he going to do, bite Souleater's ankles?"
"No, I'm not going to use him at all. He may not be very strong, but seeing as he's a Dark World monster, I can return him to my hand to use Grapha's other effect."
Scarr disappeared, and in a dramatic flourish of shadows erupting from below, another huge monster appeared, the actual Grapha. Not as big and horrific as the Fusion Monster and looking more like an actual Dragon (though it was a Fiend), its looks did suggest a less… corrupted version of the Dragon Overlord. (3,000 ATK - (3,300 ATK)
"I can't use its effect, so your monster is safe, but right now -" Maruu clutched his staff in front of him and started to chant a dark spell. "- my High Bishop is going to dole out some divine wrath on Lord Gaia."
The unholy clergyman's eyes glowed and blue lightning flashed from above, crashing down on Lord Gaia the Fierce Knight and blowing him to atoms.
"Now, the Grapha, Dragon Overlord of Dark World attacks your Super Soldier! Destroy him! Malevolent Marengo Maelstrom!"
Such a colorful description begat a… rather unremarkable attack. Dragon Overlord seemed to vomit a gout of foul-smelling sludge with the color and texture of asphalt at Super Soldier, hitting him and dissolving him and his armor into a foul puddle of goo.
"Eeww," grunted Cora, "nasty!"
"Super Soldier has one last effect," declared Dorisan, "his death brings forth another aspect of Gaia, and this time, I summon Ascended Gaia the Fierce Knight!"
Of all the variants of Gaia they had seen so far, this seemed the most like the original Gaia the Fierce Knight, though the steed's purple coat and the Knight's matching armor and lances seemed to be glowing, almost like violet neon. (2,100 DEF)
Not that this mattered much to Sonya, as she still had Grapha. The Dragon Lord of Dark World breathed a foul plague of filth that quickly engulfed the Fierce Knight. His corroded and rotted armor fell with a clatter.
"Clean up on aisle 7," said Sonya. "Tutoan attacks directly, Inverted Spectrum!"
Bellowing, the True Sovereign of Dark World swung his cudgel in the air like a batter taking a warm-up swing, then swung it forward, sending burning orbs of magenta, cyan, and yellow towards Dorisan, and for a brief moment, everything in the arena turned black and white, the duelists and their monsters becoming like a photo-negative version of the scene. Then when the attack actually hit, all of it seemed to shatter like glass. While Dorisan tried to remain standing, he didn't succeed, falling backwards on his back.
(Team #1: 3,950) - - - - - - - - (Team #2: 1,100)
"Chief, you -" started Cora.
"Fine, fine," he groaned, "never better. Starting to see why this is so popular."
"Yes, we've always found it very… What's the word… Cathartic. So… I'll next play Raregold Armor and equip it to Grapha."
Playing the card caused a misty film to cover the giant Fiend, coating its scales with a golden, metallic hue. "This new paint job makes all our monsters except him untouchable. And I'll turn it over to you."
"Lovely," muttered the Stormblade. "Before I take my turn, I'll use this. Premature Return." Her Trap lifted, and a monster appeared in front of her, in set position. "For the cost of one card from my hand, I can summon a monster from the Graveyard, and before you presume, no, it is not Millennium Shield." She made her draw. "I've got something very special in mind."
"Better be something extra special, because -"
"I know! If my monster attacks Grapha, you'll be able to revive it again, and when this turn ends, Souleater will be reduced to its base Score of 2,400. However -" The facedown monster flipped into Attack Mode. "Who needs to battle any of your monsters?"
The monster that appeared was nearly as big and nearly as terrifying as Souleater. Basically, it could be called a giant crocodile, but it had five heads, one huge, central head, and four smaller heads on long, snaky necks. While each head had a long jaw with toothy mouths and lolling tongues, the long necks had additional mouths, lengthwise along them! None of the four heads seemed to have eyes - and then the main mouth opened its gaping maw, showing that it did have eyes; they were on the back of its throat! The rest of its scaly body had large, thick, sharp scales.
Still, as fearsome as this beast was… (400 ATK)
"Wait, that -"
"Yes, the Juggernaut of Dark Demise is a lamb in lion's clothing. Physically, at least. But when this monster is flip-summoned - like I just did - it enables one Immortal, for this turn only, to attack directly."
Sonya looked up - Souleater the Sole Sapient Singularity seemed to grow even bigger as it loomed down on her, with her reflection in its huge, demonic eye…
"Let's see you dodge this, mainlander!" she heard Annah say.
Of course, she wasn't going to, seeing as she couldn't. Still… She couldn't help but feel something of a thrill, feeling that if she couldn't win a duel, this was the best way to lose…
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Nichole hadn't been Roxy's only victim - she was among the lucky ones. Many poor souls had been killed or mutilated after falling into this woman's clutches. Many were lost to fates far worse than death. Roxy was the worst person Nichole knew. However, this had happened and whatever reason for it… Such a fate was well-deserved.
Right now, Roxy had no idea Nichole was there. There was no way she could see or hear anything due to that hood. But Nichole heard something. She heard a faint sound coming from the prisoner.
Roxy was sobbing.
Well, so what? thought Nichole. Good. Let the bitch know what it feels like.
Why was she still standing here? She could leave now and tell Donnie that it was too late, that the prisoner had been killed. Or that she had become hopelessly insane and delirious from her ordeal. Both were likely to happen anyway.
Roxy was truly a monster.
The problem was, Nichole was not.
Nichole stood there for a long time wondering what to do. In the back of her mind, the true reason for this bizarre scenario was starting to dawn on her…
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Sonya gripped her forehead as she sat up. "Ugh," she muttered, "did somebody get the number of that Duel Monster…"
(Team #1: 0) - - - - - - - - (Team #2: 1,100)
As the ringing in her ears started to fade, she heard a very different sort of sound.
Everyone was applauding.
"Need a hand?"
Dorisan was the one offering the hand, and she nodded, as she truly needed it.
"How about that, everyone!" shouted Hester. "Once again, the Scions of Spellmason have vanquished the Soldiers of the Demonskarr, and in the most thrilling and explosive battle we could have conceived. Let's all have an applause for our brave volunteers."
The three Shadowchasers were exhausted, Red Feather giving Sonya a hug as she got to her feet. "Easy, Red, easy! Wait… Where's Annah?"
Before anyone could answer, she heard Annah say, "Duel over, we won, you can open your eyes now."
Annah's sarcastic comment was directed at Cora who was curled up on the floor, shivering.
Unbelievable, thought Sonya, that last attack freaked her out more than it did me!
"You won, Annah," said Francis, dryly. "What do you want, blood?"
Annah finally threw up her arms and said "Excuse me," before turning to leave. She passed by a cigarette girl (who had cleverly positioned herself by the door that led to the smoking lounge) nonchalantly throwing a 10 Sovereign bill on her tray and taking a pack of cigarettes in return.
"You are excused," said Red Feather. "Spoiled brat."
"Attention everyone!" called Hester again. "The judging for the costume contest will begin in half an hour. Until then, eleventh hour cocktails are free. One per guest, please."
"Eleventh hour cocktails?" asked Sonya. That was a new term for her.
Dorisan smirked. "A special type of Oloroso Sherry I've been importing from Spain, made especially for consumption at 10PM or later at events such as this."
"Is that wise?" asked Maddie. "I think everyone here has had enough."
Dorisan's voice sank to a whisper. "They have, that's the beauty of it. It's completely alcohol free but in an inebriated state, even an elvish wine connoisseur wouldn't notice."
Sonya giggled. "You are quite the opportunist, Dorisan."
"I will take that as a compliment, Ms. Clarkson. Now, shall we?"
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Ferid had made it a point to leave right before the winner of the contest was announced. He didn't want to be around for the grand unmasking that came afterwards. Besides, he had someone he had to meet at midnight - he was secretly tempted to waste time on purpose in case this was due to some curse she had to prevent, but it wasn't wise to tempt fate. And as soon as he could leave this accursed party, the better.
Unfortunately for him, as he left via the front door, he heard, "HEY! Pay up, hose-nose."
Under his mask, he cringed. It seemed Annah hadn't decided to go to the Smoking Lounge simply to smoke. Unlike Todd, however, he was prepared.
"Here." Without turning around, he shoved the stack of bills into her outstretched hand. "I would watch yourself out here Ms. Taskerhill, a woman outside at this hour wearing something like that might give some folks the wrong idea."
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Sonya was sitting down on one of the couches in the adjoining library, as Sypha and her troupe played soft music. That had been a difficult duel, and an experience she did not want to repeat, but it seemed everyone here would leave with some renewed respect for "mainlanders" like herself.
She hoped. "Mainlander?" said a familiar voice.
Sonya turned and looked suspiciously at Cora, but the Stormblade held both her hands up and said, "I just have a question."
"Go on."
"This game of yours is very… Unique. Do you do this sort of thing often?"
"Pretty often. Why do you ask?"
"Heh, you're going to laugh but…" Cora sat down, looking nervous, as if she expected what she said next to be regarded as sounding crazy.
Someone told me these cards could be used to channel magic. Real magic. Summon actual monsters from the nether regions. I know it sounds silly, but he called them-"
"Shadow Games?" asked Sonya. Cora didn't answer, her expression indicating Sonya had answered her question right there.
"May I ask who this person is who told you about it."
"Classmate at Colfer," said Cora, very softly.
Sonya gave a short cry of surprise. "You're in -"
"Shush, shush!" urged Cora. "Even the other Stormwings don't know, yet. Signed up last semester, been taking classes in Conjuration magic. When I was building a deck for this party, another student saw me, and well -"
Sonya said dryly, "Cora, my best advice to you about anyone who talks about that is, avoid him like the plague. Pretty sure Colfer doesn't offer classes in demon summoning, or infernal pacts. I'll be honest, yes, those duels are real. I've fought quite a few, so have they." She motioned over to where Red, Francis, and Maddie were. "Many of them are in prison now, but many are dead."
"What, you… You killed them?"
"No, Cora, standard Shadowchaser procedure is to try to save them. We don't always succeed." She stood up and looked her in the face. "This friend of yours -"
"Hey, hey! Pretty sure she was just kidding."
Sonya nodded and stood up. "If you think otherwise, let us know, okay?"
"Well, looks like that's Maddie cue," said Sonya.
"Good luck. Oh, and thanks for the fun duel. Trias Hierarchia was an impressive card." As the Shadowchaser left to join the others, Cora shivered again.
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It was near midnight, and Ferid Momoe stood near a gaslight street lamp, waiting for his contact. He had a notebook, with magically written script inside.
As he had been observing the duel, the notebook had been recording it, noting the cards the duelists had used, with brief descriptions of each.
He was proofreading it, making sure all of it was legible and coherent - magical writing did not fully guarantee perfect spelling and grammar - when his eyes fell on the record of Francis' last turn and the card he had drawn during his Draw Phase.
Dragon Mirror.
Bah! he thought. With a wave of his hand, his cantrip erased the card's name. He took an ordinary pen from his pocket, and wrote "Dragon Rage" in its place.
No sense in having her ask questions, he thought.
Then he turned the page, where the details of Sonya's next turn were detailed. Wait, what the - Something was off about here. He was about to turn back to the page where she had made her previous move. Something's not right here…
Then he closed the book; he felt that cold feeling he always got on the back of his neck when Khama was near. Speak of the devil…
"Glad you made it on time for a change," the assassin said. She didn't come fully into the light, but it was obviously her. "So, how was the party?"
"Terrible. But I got what you wanted." He held up the notebook, and through some odd means of darkness manipulation magic on Khama's part, a tendril of shadow reached out and grabbed it. Ferid had no idea how she did that, but she was a shadar-kai, and Ferid had yet to meet one of them who was not a show off.
"For the record, I renew my formal objection to promoting this silly parlor game. Spellmason would be rolling over in his grave if he knew what the Demonskarr Ball had devolved into."
"He was a dwarf, I do think he would be impressed by such advancement. In any case, you did a good job. Take the rest of the day off, you've earned it."
In the next second, she was gone. Ferid looked up at the clock tower, which read 11:55 - she had pulled that "joke" before.
For someone who made a living by killing, she certainly had an odd sense of humor…
Eight hours later.
It was ironic, at least to Nichole. She had gone to bed early, while four of her friends had gone to a party and didn't come back until (she had been told) two in the morning, and from Nichole's point of view, they'd had a good time. There was a huge trophy in the corner of the commissary right now, a depiction of a… weird creature that looked like an upside-down face, four dragon heads from each angle, and large wings on its back. It was gilded and set on a wooden pedestal. There was writing on the pedestal, but Nichole hadn't tried to read it yet - even if she could understand Latin, she had a hard time seeing straight right now. Maddie had put it there until they could figure out what to do with the thing, and Nichole couldn't blame her for not wanting it in her bedroom.
Despite all that, Nichole was the one who felt like she had been up all night. In fact, she couldn't remember a morning where she had felt this bad since she had crammed for finals in high school. She had gotten what she had asked for, a dream other than the one she'd been having for months, but while it seemed the purpose had been obvious, she had no idea what she was supposed to learn from it - except maybe not to drink brandy that magically appears on her bedside table. She was now in the commissary, her breakfast untouched, trying to make some sense of it all through a splitting headache.
"Sister Nichole?"
That was Jenya's "compassionate" voice, but Nichole had figured out by now it was very easy for her to switch from that to her stern voice, so while she wasn't worried yet, the High Priestesses sitting down beside her q did little to set her at ease. Jenya quickly turned her attention towards Nichole's uneaten bowl of porridge.
"While I would be the first to admit this stuff was not made with taste in mind," she said, "I would assume it tastes much worse cold."
"Not hungry," sighted Nicole. She wasn't exactly lying, but it was hard to hide anything from Jenya.
"If something is bothering you, listening is the biggest reason I'm here. Bad dream last night?"
"You-" started Nicole.
"Havan was up late, she passed by your room and said you were talking in your sleep, something about someone named Roxy? She also mentioned you saying some inappropriate words I won't repeat here, and something about a bride and a copper snake?"
"Copperhead snake, it's an old movie. Jenya, uhm, you see…"
There was no way she could sugarcoat it, so she started relating the whole thing, describing the dream as well as she could remember, which was more of it than most any other dream she'd had. After ten minutes of nonstop description, leaving off at the part where she had heard Roxy sobbing.
Jenya, who had listened silently the whole time, finally said (in the stern voice), "This Roxy, is she truly the monster you claim?"
No, I…" started Nichole. "I kind of… wrote this story of sorts. Thought I might post it as some sort of fanfiction." She stopped to make sure Jenny was taking this in right, but the High Priestess simply said, "Go on."
"No, no, I guess I just made Roxy the villain of the story. I… embellished a little. Maybe my subconscious was… using that for the dream. Truthfully, Roxy was just a thief who hung around some really bad people. She kind of made it all personal."
"So then, you were the hero of the story, Roxy was the villain. That is a unique way to blow off steam, I must say. I would actually be interested in reading it someday."
"It wasn't exactly Chaucer," said Nicole with a laugh. "Pretty sure I never wrote anything like what I saw last night."
"So then, you saw this… embellished version of Roxy suffering a fate you felt was horrible but deserved. May I ask, did you save her?"
"Of course, I did! I've heard the whole 'if you kill them you will be just like them' thing since before I was ten. They had those nicey-nicey morals in children's cartoons and -"
"You wouldn't have been killing her," said Jenya, coldly. "But technicalities aside, do you feel better as a result?"
"No, I feel rotten, thank you very much."
"Are you certain it was the right choice?"
The last comment sounded colder than ever. What was she saying? Did she disapprove?
Jenya went on. "What would have happened afterwards, if say, the story had another chapter? Did you assume the criminal you rescued would have gone quietly to jail, and never been a threat to innocents again? Given your description, I doubt it. Would her life truly have been worth those of any future victims?"
Nichole didn't like what Jenya was implying now. Would she actually approve of her leaving Roxy to die?
"Well, what if it wasn't only Roxy?" she blurted out. "I mean if I had left her behind…"
"Go on." Jenya's voice was still stern now, but more persuasive. "Why did you save her?"
It started to make sense now. In the scenario she had seen, Roxy was a lesser evil. If there was one prisoner in that hospital, there were likely others, and had she left her behind, whoever had done it to her would probably do it to more.
"Nichole, I honestly have no idea how you received this dream, but if I had to guess, it was indeed a message, showing that things are not always black and white, and the choice is not always so clear-cut. When one is confronted with a choice, both choices are bound to have repercussions, and you always have to weigh them against the benefits." She pushed the bowl of porridge in front of her, switching to the compassionate voice again. "Now eat up, I hear you have a big night tonight."
Oh, CRAP! She had completely forgotten about that! The Lord Governor had invited Francis, Hank, and herself, a "condolence" for not being able to invite Hank and herself to the Demonskarr Ball. It was tonight, and she still fully intended to go.
Her appetite had been renewed, and as she reached for her breakfast, she realized something quickly - it was piping hot. Through some sort of minor divine magic, Jenya had reheated it.
Note to self, Nichole thought, get Jenya something very nice for her birthday.
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One hour later.
It was a good thing Nichole had risen early and was in the washroom when Francis woke up. When someone wakes up cranky with a headache, nothing annoys them more than someone who wakes up cheerful and chipper.
Francis could hardly believe it himself; as he sat up and yawned, his head never felt clearer. Maybe I should go to events like that more often, he thought, but then added, Nah.
Then he noticed something on his lap - a letter.
How do they DO that? he thought. These magical postal deliveries were starting to creep him out. Still, by now he figured they were usually important, so he rubbed the sleep dust out of his eyes and opened it.
As he opened it, he caught the odor of a distinctive perfume - obviously, it was from Hester. Inside was a game card - one he had never seen before, but with a very familiar creature in the picture - and a note:
Dear Mr. Mills,
I cannot thank you enough for coming last night. A good time was had by all and the performance by you and your associates was spectacular. You will always be welcome at the Cabaret Arcana.
I sincerely hope you managed to get that gods-awful abomination back safely, and apologize for its gaudy appearance. I have to have a word with whichever of my employees selected it. Inform Ms. Fulton that the true award will arrive in a few days.
I know you were not naive enough to assume I had simply invited you to duel. I also know that you have suspicions regarding some individuals in positions of authority in Cauldron. I can tell you right now that those views are shared by many and say with near certainty that such views are justified. The reputation of the Shadowchasers is not as unknown in Cauldron as you might have assumed, and I had hoped to improve it further.
My reasons for writing right now, however, are to implore you, for the time being, to be cautious. DO NOT cross or challenge any of the ruling nobles of Cauldron, at least not in any way that might draw attention.
You will probably not be able to contact me for the foreseeable future. If you still plan to keep the Lord Governor's invitation this evening, DO NOT EAT THE CAKE.
Regards,
Hester Maroth, Knight of the actual Gold Moon Coalition
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And, with that ominous note, we end this chapter, and by association, the Flood Festival. But "Shadowchasers: Blue Bloods" is far from over.
Next chapter, both Nichole and Hank officially come off their "break", and while it seems they have been invited to a dinner party where the Cake is a Lie, there seems far more deceit at foot.
"Negotiating the Terms", comes next.
Souleater the Sole Sentient Singularity (Effect Monster)
Fish/Earth/Immortal/Lvl8/2,400ATK/0DEF
Effect: When Tribute Summoning this card, monsters controlled by your opponent with 0 DEF can be used as Tribute. If this card you control would be destroyed by your opponent (by battle or by card effect), you may Tribute 1 Normal monster you control instead. When you do, banish up to 4 monsters from either GY (except Immortal monsters) this card gains ATK equal to 500x the number of monsters banished via this effect; at your 2nd Standby Phase after activation return all banished monsters to their respective owners' GY.
Juggernaut of Dark Demise (Effect Monster)
Fiend/Water/Lvl4/400ATK/200DEF
Effect: FLIP: Target 1 face-up monster on the field; that monster can attack directly this turn. When this card leaves the field, banish it. If this card you control would be destroyed by your opponent (by battle or by card effect), you may Tribute 1 Normal monster you control instead. When you do, you may… ?