DEMONS REVISITED (2)
As always, review responses are at the bottom.
Mai's skin crawled as she gazed with trepidation at the demonic presence on her opponent's field.
"Dra-… Dracula?"
"Why yes, little Mai," cackled Yami Marik. "It is the Count Nosferatu himself. What better vehicle to literally make you relive your worst nightmares?"
As he spoke, Dracula spread his arms out wide ominously as if to display his strength. Deep within his eyes was a look of sickly glee as he surveyed the quartet of monsters on Mai's field as if they were his prey, to be finished off at leisure.
She pursed her lips and mentally tried to shake out of the shock of what had just happened, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at both her opponent and his monster. Still, a singular image kept replaying in her mind.
It was of her being tied to a slab of sandstone, with the gigantic form of the Winged Dragon of Ra hovering in front of her; its gargantuan maw ready to spew forth crimson fire in her direction. Joey and then Yugi had come up to defend her but the feeling of terror and the utter helplessness of the moment was resonating within her now probably more than it had since that night itself.
"Your calm exterior betrays you," hissed the demonic man gleefully. "You're terrified. I can sense it. Is the triumphant arrival of my greatest creature bringing back unpleasant memories for you?"
Mai flinched involuntarily at this rather perceptive statement but then shook her head and snarled at him, which only drew another laugh.
"If that is the case, perhaps Dracula can help assuage those painful memories of fear… by replacing them with new ones! Dracula, attack her Harpie's Pet Dragon with Symphony of Sorrow!"
Mai began to hear some notes of haunting music echoing in the darkness. At the moment, it was the only thing that broke the silence. She began to feel beads of sweat running down his face, and clutched her knuckles tightly, willing himself to block out the music. Try as she might, the music began to grow in volume as did the feeling of dread within her.
Meanwhile, even the Harpie's Pet Dragon seemed to be getting more frustrated. It shook its head from side to side, groaning in pain. Dracula lifted his hand, and then squeezed it into a fist. The Armed Dragon was lifted into the air by a magical force, and its breathing seemed almost none existent.
The music grew louder and louder, and simultaneously, the dragon's groans increased in volume too. Dracula suddenly pounced forward and landed on the dragon's body, his powerful arms securing him by the neck. His jaws snapped open to reveal a flash of razor-like canines before they were buried in the dragons' neck. At that instant, the music stopped, and so did his victim's heart.
Mai gagged at this instance, feeling like an invisible punch had connected with her gut.
"That wasn't even a direct attack…" she managed, as her dragon exploded, showering both fields with ash.
(Yami Marik: 3000, Mai: 6100)
"When Dracula destroys one of your monsters, he will then deal you an additional four hundred points of damage."
Dracula raised a hand, and a small sphere of black energy appeared on the tip of his finger. With another sickly smile, he fired it off towards Mai. It hit her in the stomach, almost knocking him off her feet. She felt another wave of searing pain through his middle.
(Yami Marik: 3000, Mai: 5700)
Mai was still gasping for air as her opponent's hellish laughter filled the room.
"Now, are you starting to realize the reality of your predicament, little Mai? I told you I would enjoy slowly disassembling your world this time. During our last duel, things ended rather… suddenly, did they not? It wasn't to my taste; I prefer playing with my food… and Dracula represents the perfect tool to bring that vision to life."
"You're talking tough for a guy with a distinct resource disadvantage," spat Mai in response, having somewhat collected herself. "So you summoned a beatstick that can do a little burn damage, so what? My Harpies have strength in numbers and we're going to take it down just like we did your Dark Armed Dragon."
"Oh, is that all you think Dracula is?" probed Yami Marik with a smirk.
As the words left his master's mouth, Dracula raised his hand once more, and a patch on Panik's field began to glow. There was a shrieking sound, and a titanic form erupted out of the soil. For a second, Mai didn't recognize it.
To her horror, however, she soon saw that it was a monster almost identical to Harpie's Pet Dragon. However, its scales had taken on a pale black shade, and its eyes were a deep crimson. It looked almost like a puppet, dancing on strings controlled by Dracula (2500/0).
"What have you done?!" she growled.
"Think of it as a touch of déjà vu to our last adventure together," came the cruel response. "Back then, you lost all memories of your so-called friends until you were left alone and helpless against the might of the Winged Dragon of Ra. This time, Dracula will take your monsters from you instead. Every time he destroys a monster in battle I can then summon a Zombie Slave Token to my field that has the same attack points as the destroyed monster but without its effect."
Mai felt an involuntary shiver go down her spine as her former dragon's piercing eyes locked with hers. Was history really replaying itself in a twisted way?
"Mai, stay focused," called Marik. "It's a powerful monster, yes, but his words are just mind games!"
"Are you trying to convince her, or yourself?" chuckled his former dark half. "She is already recognizing these patterns and would have even if I hadn't said a word."
"Are you done?" snapped Mai fiercely. "Or are you just going to stand there talking us to death?"
"Oh, you'll wish for the sweet embrace of death soon enough," he replied darkly. "The Slave Token cannot attack on the turn it is summoned, so I will indeed end my turn. This is only the beginning of your nightmare, though."
Mai felt involuntary jitters through her arms. She took a couple of deliberate breaths to try and calm them, before drawing.
She looked at the card and then her field, assessing the options she had.
They weren't great. She hadn't drawn into anything that would allow her to take out Dracula via an effect, and with her Harpie's Pet Dragon gone none of her monsters were strong enough to destroy it head to head.
"I'll switch all four of my Harpies to defense mode and place one card facedown. That'll end my turn," she said through gritted teeth.
A vertical brown-backed card materialized behind her quartet of monsters, all of whom took one knee and crossed their wings over their torsos.
"Where is all your bluster now, little Mai?" boomed Yami Marik. "Such passive play: surely you're not going to make this too easy for me… DRAW!"
He glanced at his newest card and grinned wickedly.
"Oh, things just got even more out of hand for you. It's time for Dracula to entertain you on his HOME TURF!"
He swiftly tapped a button on his Duel Disk, causing the field spell zone to slide out.
"I activate the field spell Bran Castlevania!"
As he spoke, Mai felt a thud rumble through the ground beneath their feet. The rocky terrain that was her Harpie's Hunting Ground suddenly shattered, and a dark mist began wafting through the air around them, making it impossible to see for a minute.
During all this, she was distinctly aware of more shaking and upheaval, all of which almost knocked her off her feet again.
When the mist finally cleared, their surroundings had changed rather drastically. It seemed they were now on the top of a hill, with an inky black sky visible above them. Behind Marik was a dark, shadowy castle, with an endless forest stretching out below them. If it was in a lower stakes situation, Mai would probably muse about the fact that the realism of Kaiba Corp's holographic technology had reached a new level to be able to create such an illusion of elevation and distance in an indoor setting.
Dracula smiled sadistically, seeming right at home here.
Meanwhile, with Harpie's Hunting Ground now gone, all of Mai's Cyber Harpie Lady (2100/1300), Harpie Queen (2200/1200), Harpie Lady 1 (1600/1400) and Harpie Oracle (1600/1400) had their attack points drop by two hundred each.
"A much more fitting décor for what is going to happen next here, wouldn't you say?" taunted Yami Marik.
"Just finish your turn," she hissed in response.
"Your wish is my command. Bran Castlevania has multiple effects, but only one can be activated per turn. For this one, I'll choose to increase the attack points of one monster with "Dracula" in its name by five hundred."
The pale man smiled thinly again, bearing some fangs as he glowed a dark crimson (3500/3000).
"Dracula will soon cause you some more exquisite agony, but not before I give the Zombie Slave Token its turn first… It just so happens to have the rather useful ability to attack you directly!"
"What?!" gasped Mai, as the abomination that used to be her Harpie's Pet Dragon snarled and spread its jaws.
Wisps of black flames coalesced from both sides before forming a frothing hot fireball which it spat out in her direction. It passed directly through her field full of Harpies and collided with her torso.
Mai screamed in pain and fell down to one knee. That was the most painful attack she had experienced yet, both in a physical as well as a psychological sense.
(Yami Marik: 3000, Mai: 3200)
Scarcely had Mai regained her footing did her opponent lazily thrust his index finger at her Cyber Harpie Lady.
"I believe that is the monster you consider closest to your heart, is it not? I think turning her against you will be especially delicious. Dracula… Symphony of Sorrow!"
"No, not my Cyber Harpie Lady!" cried out Mai.
As she spoke, Dracula smirked and the haunting music from earlier returned. It took its time to reach a crescendo again, by which time the armored Harpie was writhing in pain. It was then that the vampire pounced, landing on the opposite side of the field and sinking his teeth into his target's neck. Her eyes, which had been screwed tight in anguish, suddenly flared open in shock before drooping shut again. The music stopped, just as quickly as it started.
The corpse then exploded into dust, leaving Dracula standing on Mai's side of the field with just his teeth bared. He raised a hand and fired off another black orb at Mai, causing another scream of pain.
(Yami Marik: 3000, Mai: 2800)
"You're making this too easy for me, little Mai!" thundered Yami Marik. "This will end very soon if you don't shape up quickly, and that is NOT what I signed up for. Like I said, I want a chance to play with my food."
As he spoke, Dracula returned to his side of the field. To his right, a hunched over form appeared. It slowly stood up to reveal itself as a twisted looking version of the Cyber Harpie Lady it just destroyed. Its hair was still red and its armor blue but its skin was a dull gray and its eyes looked dead (2100/0).
"Yes, being a Slave Token suits her, doesn't it?"
Perhaps a few turns ago, Mai would have exploded angrily at him again, but right now she seemed like she was barely holding herself together and almost on the verge of tears.
At this, the zombified Harpie's Pet Dragon exploded.
"Once it attacks, a Slave Token is destroyed at the end of my turn," explained Yami Marik grudgingly, before throwing his hand back in a grand flourish.
"Take your turn, little Mai. Sooner or later I will clear your field and you will face Dracula alone, bereft of the skirts of your Harpies to hide behind!"
Mai continued to try to block his words out and slid the top card off her deck.
As she looked at it, she blinked and suddenly her surroundings changed. Instead of being in a cavernous room in Kaiba Corp's HQ, standing on the top of a holographic hill, she was now on a strangely familiar blimp. Clouds were all around her, and instead of just Marik spectating she could see Joey, Yugi and a few others standing on the sidelines a few feet from her.
What remained the same, however, was her opponent. Yami Marik was still present about twenty or so feet away, his twisted features still fixed with the same mangled, frightening grin.
She took a step back, her lip quivering.
"What's the matter, little Mai? Is this getting too much for you to continue?" he taunted cruelly.
Then, she blinked again, and all of a sudden things around her warped back to the Kaiba Corp room. Complete with a concerned looking Marik watching and his nightmarish darker half leering at her.
She shook her head. Had she just hallucinated?
"Maybe I gave you too much credit. One such as you is unlikely to last long enough against Dracula to give me the fun I'm after," mused Yami Marik. "If this continues, I'll just aim to finish things off sooner rather than later and put you out of your misery."
Once again, a few turns ago Mai would have retorted fiercely but right now she was too focused on just making it to the next minute.
She concentrated on her breathing again, trying to slow it down, but it did nothing to help the fact that her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.
"I…"
Her vision went bleary again, and she had to concentrate to bring it back.
"I… put a card facedown and end my turn."
A second vertical brown-backed card appeared behind her Harpie Lady 1, Harpie Oracle and Harpie Queen, all of whom remained kneeling.
Yami Marik snapped the top card off his deck.
"Perhaps I am beginning to tire of this charade, girl, as you seem to have been sapped of your spirit far too early for my taste. That's why I am going to forgo using Bran Castlevania to increase Dracula's attack points and instead use a different effect, one that will enable me to end this quicker," he remarked, before tapping a button on his Duel Disk.
"First, I'll activate this facedown card you've conveniently left on my field for multiple turns now: Limit Reverse. This continuous trap card allows me to special summon a monster from my graveyard with one thousand or less attack points. I choose Vampire Bat (800/800)."
The undead creature reappeared on his field next to Dracula with a high pitched howl.
"Now I will show you the true power of Bran Castlevania!" Yami Marik declared with another grand flourish. "By sending both Dracula as well as Vampire Bat to the graveyard, I can merge them together to summon another stronger, even more powerful version of Dracula!"
The bat shrieked and exploded in a puff of purple smoke, which began to wash over Dracula himself. His fangs suddenly became a little more pronounced, and horrible cracking noises were eerily audible as he keeled over, twitching and groaning. His eyes flared an extra deep shade of crimson momentarily before he suddenly gasped and went rigid.
A pair of furry ears had grown out on either side of his head, while his fangs were now protruding out on either side of his mouth. His hands were still boney but had some hair on them now. However, most frightening was the sound of cloth ripping as a pair of gigantic wings burst out of his back. Black blood dripped to the ground as he finally straightened out, spreading his black, bat-like wings completely and casting a giant shadow over the field.
"I have called upon Dracula, Horror from Above (3000/2500)," announced Yami Marik with a sickly smile.
"This creature can evolve further?!" cursed Marik to himself.
"Dracula's base attack score may be lower now but rest assured, his new abilities more than make up for it. Like I said, little Mai, your lack of spirit is making this entirely too easy for me, so I am ready to bring this game to a close. Dracula, attack her Harpie Lady 1 now!"
At his command, the vampire beat his giant wings and took off toward Mai's weakest monster at a torrid pace. She tried to scramble away, but couldn't escape in time to avoid the clutches of the bony talons that were now protruding from his feet, having ripped through his footwear. She let out a screech of pain as Dracula continued ascending, climbing higher and higher before finally stopping and then just dropping the Harpie Lady from a height.
Her own wings damaged by Dracula's claws and therefore unable to arrest her downward momentum, she hit the ground with a painful crunch, which caused Mai to look away. Dracula remained floating above her before raising a hand and firing off another black orb to incinerate the remains.
"Now, here is where the fun begins. Dracula, Horror from Above deals Piercing damage!"
Mai felt another painful sensation in her gut, causing her to gag.
(Yami Marik: 3000, Mai: 1200)
"No!" panicked Marik. "If he attacks directly with the Cyber Harpie Lady Slave Token it's all over…"
"It's all over now, little Mai. Your journey ends here: forever consumed by your nightmares of betrayal and loneliness!"
He pointed in her direction and declared, "Slave Token, attack her life-points directly!"
The dark and deformed version of Cyber Harpie Lady screeched and began to cross the fields, its talons glinting in the darkness.
"Activate Dark Wall of Air…"
Just as Yami Marik's token was almost upon Mai, black gusts of wind materialized and slammed into it, stopping it in its tracks.
"It reduces all damage from direct attacks this turn to zero," she mumbled.
Her opponent frowned.
"You're delaying the inevitable here, girl. You can barely speak, let alone duel. You should have let me put you out of your misery right then."
To this, Mai didn't respond, and simply continued staring blankly at a spot on the field.
"I will end my turn here: make your final move now."
As he finished speaking, the Cyber Harpie Lady Slave Token exploded.
Mai slowly pulled a card off her deck, but before she could even look at it, she screamed in pain and fell down to one knee.
(Yami Marik: 3000, Mai: 1100)
"In this form, Dracula gains one Terror counter whenever he destroys a monster in battle. During your standby phase, he will deal you one hundred points of damage for every Terror counter on him. So the longer you last in the duel, the longer you are prolonging your own torture," explained her opponent, his voice dripping with a mixture of pity and disgust.
Mai inhaled deeply again, but this time found herself unable to catch her breath.
She slid down onto her knees again, with her vision once again clouding over.
"Accept that this is your end," Yami Marik shouted, but it sounded almost distant.
She kept trying to breath, and oxygen seemed to keep evading her.
"MAI!" came the concerned shout from Marik, which she barely heard, let alone allowed to register as the panic overtook her and she seemed to black out completely.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Apep-Mokuba's eyes remained glued to the screen depicting the camera footage of the duel between Mai Valentine and the apparition of Yami Marik.
Even if he couldn't watch, he'd have known what direction the duel had taken anyway. The sheer dread Mai Valentine was experiencing was so overpowering he could have sensed it even from multiple buildings away.
He practically bathed in her fear. It enriched his senses, giving him a sense of strength and vitality that harkened back to those nights in Egypt all those years ago, when terrified peasants would pray for the Sun to show itself again and save them from the dark terrors of the night.
"Isn't this déjà vu?" he could hear Yami Marik taunt his aibou. "This is the same situation I faced that pathetic child Wheeler in. If she doesn't get up soon, the duel will be forfeit.
Marik seemed to shout back something angrily but Apep-Mokuba's attention had already been drawn away. He closed his eyes momentarily and smiled. This was exactly what he needed for the next step of this plan. One down, and three more to go…
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
When Mai opened her eyes, she was immediately forced to shut them again with a cry after being assaulted by a blinding source of light.
She pressed her palms against the shut eyelids, trying to soothe the stinging associated with a sudden exposure to harsh lighting. As she waited for the irritation to subside, she tried to use her other senses to try and figure out where she was.
She started with hearing. The only sound she could make out was a distant and soft sounding hiss of air. Was she in the cargo hold of a plane? That was what it sounded like.
Smell was useless, as her nose couldn't seem to make out anything at all. Ditto for taste.
That left touch. Her hands were still on her eyes, but her legs seemed to be in contact with something coarse and rough. It actually felt kind of irritating, and no matter where she shifted, she still experienced the same sensation. Whatever it was, it seemed to be everywhere.
None of this helped. She'd need to open her eyes again to figure out what was going on.
She hesitantly lifted her hands and then slowly cracked both eyelids open. The light was still fierce, though not as much as before. She allowed herself to get accustomed to it slowly before finally opening them up all the way and turning to take in her surroundings.
Of course. She should have figured it out right away.
She was in a giant hourglass. Specifically in the lower bulb of said hourglass, which was slowly filling up with sand from the higher one. That was undoubtedly where the soft hiss of air was coming from.
So far, it was about a quarter full, so she had been unconscious for a while obviously.
She looked through the glass, and saw that the hourglass was suspended in mid-air above a pristine looking beach, which was flanked by a tree line on one side and rich cerulean water on the other.
She knew where she was. It was the same hourglass the dark Marik had trapped her mind in years ago after their duel in Battle City. The hourglass she had remained stranded in until Yugi had somehow defeated that monster…
This. This had been her worst fear all along. Trapped, helpless, forgotten, waiting to be buried alive. This was what had haunted her dreams for the months and years to come and had driven her to join Paradias in a desperate bid to feel like she was in control of her destiny again.
Despite the fact these facts, now that she was here again, she felt strangely calm and almost at peace. It was almost like all the dread, fear and dreams had prepared her for this moment. She had fought and lost, and now she could just accept destiny.
It felt almost as if all the struggle of the last two years had been because she was on borrowed time, and now she was going back to the path she was almost supposed to be on. Maybe if she had just peacefully submitted to this fate the first time she'd have spared herself all this trauma.
She supposed that the one good thing that had come out of the last two years was that she had actually found people who did indeed care. It hadn't made a difference in the end, but it was nice to know there were people out there who believed she was worth fighting for.
Pegasus was someone she held a great deal of appreciation for. He had clearly seen some of his own struggles and regrets in her and had taken the time to reach out and bring her into his fold, doing his best to help her put the pieces of her life back together.
Ishizu was another. She had held deep regret for how her family's issues had affected Mai and had tried to make amends after Battle City. Even if Mai hadn't responded, it counted for something.
Then there was Marik. The good one. Clearly he harbored enormous guilt over what had been done to her in his name and was trying to be as supportive as he could. She didn't even blame him for her current predicament. If she had come to the Kaiba Corp tower alone she'd still have faced the same opponent and likely would've succumbed to her fear even quicker without him there. She hoped he wouldn't be too harsh on himself after..
She leaned against the glass wall and closed her eyes. Yes, it was time…
But one more name couldn't escape her mind.
Joey.
It was undeniable. He probably cared more than anyone else. He had interrupted her duel at Battle City to try and save her then dueled the evil Marik himself to try and free her. After she threw in with Paradias he had still believed in her, going so far as willingly succumbing to the Seal of Orichalcos in a successful attempt to bring her back.
How would he deal with it if this was her time? Not too poorly, she expected. He cared, but when she disappeared after they got their souls back he clearly had been able to live with it. He had the practice, so it wouldn't be too rough on him if it happened again…
Yes, that was her comfort. Joey would probably be sad but he'd get over it.
Except…
It wasn't about him.
She knew he'd probably find a way to live with losing her again but that wasn't what was giving her pause.
It was about her.
She knew deep down she still had things she wanted to say to him. Even he probably knew that.
It was ok, one part of her wanted to say. No one ever got exactly what they wanted out of life. So, she wouldn't be able to say these things to Joey, big deal. Those were the hard knocks of life. God knows she had already had many of those.
Did she deserve them, though? No, she knew she didn't. As she had told Yami Marik, she knew she was a flawed but fundamentally good person who hadn't deserved having her life ripped apart in the way it had been since that duel.
That fact had caused her enormous frustration. The unfairness of it all was aggravating. But there hadn't been anything she could do…
There was something she could do here, though.
She stayed leaning against the glass, her hand sinking into the sand and forming a fist.
Was it worth it? Wasn't it better to just let destiny take its course after all this time she'd spent struggling against it?
Yes, she decidedly told herself. She had literally joined an evil organization bent on world domination in an attempt to take control of her destiny. Resisting right here would be much easier than that.
Just let it go, the defeatist part of her insisted. Just give in…
No, she decided firmly.
She steeled herself and turned around, lifting her fist out of the sand.
No, she wasn't going to do that.
She punched the glass wall of the hourglass. At first nothing happened. Her hand simply stung.
She punched the wall again, a third time. A crack began to appear.
No.
She punched again. The crack grew.
No, no, NOOOOOOOO.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"NOOOOOOOO!"
Mai had slumped forward while unconscious, and had come to with a start, screaming the singular syllable that had been dominating her consciousness while it had been residing in that floating hourglass.
She realized the position she was in by the feeling of the cold floor pressed against her cheek, and pushed off it with both hands, coming back into a kneeling position. She still remained hunched over though, panting hard and trying to regain her bearings.
"So, you found it in yourself to resist me for a little longer?" snarled Yami Marik. "I know I said I wanted to prolong my fun but honestly after your pitiful display I am sad to say I'm not buying it. This is just pathetic. You're going to crumble again very soon and this extra charade will have simply been a waste of time."
Mai didn't reply right away, and continued to focus on her breathing, willing the panting to slow while she slowly levered herself up.
Her opponent's eyes flared in anger. "Ignore me, will you?!"
Mai continued to ignore him, nonchalantly dusting her hands and knees off while Marik watched in amazement.
Finally, she bent again to pick up her cards and fixed Yami Marik with a piercing stare.
"You're wrong about that. I learned some things now, specifically, things that are going to help me win this duel."
"Oh, and pray tell, what is this secret knowledge you now possess that will spell my doom?" he snapped back, voice dripping with venomous sarcasm.
She closed her eyes and allowed herself a small smile.
"You know, you were correct at the beginning of the duel. I was terrified. I've been terrified since I woke up at Battle City after Yugi beat you. For the first year I literally didn't sleep through a single night without nightmares. It was so bad that I went completely into self-destruct mode and joined an evil gang bent on world domination to try and find myself again."
She took a short breath and continued.
"After that whole ordeal, it felt like I was starting to get better… until tonight. Until I saw you again, and it brought all the horrific memories rushing back."
"I tend to have that effect on people, yes," scoffed her opponent. "But how long are you going to prattle on for-…"
"No, that's where you're wrong. Honestly, I was wrong about it too for the longest time, and I only just realized it. It wasn't you I was afraid of. It was being alone."
"Very impressive play-acting, little Mai," he replied snidely, voice again heavy with sarcasm. "Perhaps you are actually deluded enough to convince yourself of that, but before this duel ends I will remind you of the truth: that I am the Devil himself-…"
"No, it's the truth," she stated plainly, cutting him off. "Why should I, or anyone, fear you really? For all intents and purposes, I beat you when we dueled. You literally only won because I can't read ancient Egyptian text. Then, from what I was told later, Joey basically beat you too. If you were playing a table top game without your magic, he'd have won. Then obviously you lost to Yugi in the final. So you've never really won a duel fair and square. Why exactly should I be afraid of you in a duel again?"
"I will be sure to remind you of the reasons when my next turn comes around," he hissed angrily.
Mai took his words in her stride and continued briskly. "Even Marik here realized the truth about you. It wasn't you he feared, it was his past: you were simply a manifestation of that. That's why he was able to control you so easily after he came to terms with what he had been through.
'It's the same thing for me: after our duel I was stuck in a world where I was completely alone and no one remembered me. That was what terrified me, and it still did up until today… That's the second thing I realized. I don't have to be scared of being alone, because I'm not… and honestly, I never was."
She glanced at Marik, who was staring at her in awe, and gave him an appreciative smile, before turning back to look at the seething Yami Marik.
"Right, so let's get on with this then."
She elegantly plucked a card out of her hand and placed it in her monster card zone.
"I summon Harpie Perfumer (1400/1300) in attack mode."
A petite woman clad in a pink and purple bodysuit appeared on her field. She had long green wings fixed to her thin arms with lightly purple hair similar to her clothing.
"When Harpie Perfumer is summoned I can add one spell card that mentions "Harpie Lady Sisters" in its text from my deck or graveyard to my hand… I'll choose Elegant Egotist."
She found the card and then immediately slid it into her spell and trap card zone.
"Since Harpie Perfumer is also treated as having the name "Harpie Lady" I'll immediately activate it to summon Harpie Lady Sisters (1950/2150) from my deck again!"
Appearing on her field again was the trio of Harpies all clad in golden armor. They all had light purple skin and green wings, but one with very short and crimson hair, one with long and blue, and the third was shoulder-length and maroon.
"That pitiful creature again?" snapped Yami Marik. "Perhaps Dracula can pick his teeth with it after he's finished snacking on your other wenches."
This might have drawn a snap from Mai earlier but now she just ignored the jibe and treated it as exactly that.
"Finally, I'll equip the Harpie Lady Sisters with Harpie Unity!"
The Harpie Oracle, Queen and Perfumer all glowed with bright red energy which was then flowed in a stream to the newly arrived trio, who collectively screeched as their comrades' power flowed to them (3450/3650).
"What's this?!" growled her opponent.
"Harpie Unity can only be equipped to a level six or higher Harpie monster, and gives her five hundred extra attack and defense points for every other Harpie monster in play. In other words… you're through! I'll switch Harpie Queen to attack mode before moving into my battle phase!"
The skimpily dressed creature stood from a kneeling position, flashing her claws at Yami Marik and hissing.
"It's over! Harpie Lady Sisters, attack Dracula now!"
The three siblings leapt into action, hissing with anger and the long whips that each of them grasped in their hands lashing out. When they were inches from Dracula, Yami Marik reacted in panic.
"You will not defeat me so easily! I activate the effect of Bran Castlevania, which once per duel allows me to remove Vampire Bat in my graveyard from play and sacrifice Dracula, Horror from Above to resummon the original form of Dracula and end your battle phase!"
The winged vampire vanished as the whip that was about to strike him hit the floor instead. The Harpie Lady Sisters paused, unsure of what to do with their target now gone, and then finally retreated back to their side of the field. As they departed, once again, silky strands of darkness began to swirl together to form the gaunt, tall and horrifying visage of the original Lord of the Dead, who was wearing a sick smile (3000/3000).
His master, however, looked rather harrowed in comparison.
"That was too close…! Where did she find this kind of fight from?!"
Mai shrugged. "Ok, that's not a problem. I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."
Yami Marik gnashed his teeth. "I don't know where you got these airs from but you will pay for taking me so lightly…! Lest you need reminding, you were literally on your knees from fear five minutes ago…!"
Mai raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you listen to a word I just said? It just clicked for me: I was literally never afraid of you. What's there to fear? You're a bully who was never able to back up his bark with bite. Sure, you're big and scary on the face of it but you only won duels by technicalities."
"I WILL show you why you should fear me again soon, girl!" he roared in response. "ACTIVATE, Premature Burial… to summon Zombie Werewolf (1200/1200) from my graveyard!"
Materializing on his field again was the bipedal man-wolf hybrid he had used earlier in the duel.
(Yami Marik: 2200, Mai: 1100)
"He's not going to be around for long because I will I use the effect of Bran Castlevania to sacrifice Dracula and Zombie Werewolf to call out his most powerful form: arise, Dracula, the Lycan Emperor (3000/2500)!"
As he spoke, Dracula and the Zombie Werewolf were pulled into a purple vortex together, which spun around momentarily before a figure began to emerge from it. Said figure was a taller, hairier Dracula. His jaws were longer and more snout-like, while his hands were more like paws now, with long, razor sharp claws jutting out, looking like terrible knives. He snarled out at the array of Harpies on Mai's field, saliva dripping from his jaws as his hulking body stretched his black robe to the limits, and even tore it in some places.
"The Lycan Emperor gains five hundred attack points for every monster with Werewolf in its name in my graveyard!" announced Yami Marik. "I have three, meaning it gains fifteen hundred attack points!"
Unlike the previous iterations, Mai was fairly calm as this newest form (4500/2500) as it snarl at her.
"All your false bravado is meaningless: there is nowhere to hide now! Dracula, attack her pathetic Harpie Queen and send her to HELL!"
With another loud snarl, the wolf-vampire dropped down onto all fours and bound across the field. When he was about three-quarters of the way to its target, he tensed its hind limbs and exploded into a powerful jump, crossing the remaining distance in the air, front claws extended and maw wide open.
Just as he was about to close in on the teal-haired woman, the Harpie Lady Sisters intercepted the attack with a cry. Dracula's claws sank into their armor, drawing a cry of pain. He snarled and then threw them hard across the field. They hit a rock and exploded into pixels.
Mai doubled over with pain in her gut but kept a look of confidence on her face.
(Yami Marik: 2200, Mai: 50)
"What was that?!" growled Yami Marik.
"Just the other effect of Harpie Unity," replied Mai with a small smirk. "Any attack you declare has its target changed to the monster equipped with it. In other words, my Harpies look out for each other."
"You're awfully cavalier for someone with fifty life-points left!" he spat. "Your façade will end sooner or later, little Mai, once the reality of your situation sets in!"
"Neither of those things is going to happen… especially not if you stand there wasting both of our time with your talking," came the sardonic response.
He spat again and glared at her, almost as if he could disintegrate her into ashes by the power of his focused vision alone.
"Fine. I will place one card facedown and conclude my move. This will be your final turn, one way or another."
As a vertical card appeared behind Dracula, Mai drew and something flashed in her eyes.
"For once, you're right: it will. I sacrifice Harpie Perfumer to summon Swift Birdman Joe (2300/1400)!"
The pink-clothed woman vanished, only to be replaced by a visibly muscular man wearing black pants. He had yellowish-green wings affixed to his arms and similar colored feathers framing his head. Both his hands and feet were in the form of the traditional clawed Harpie appendages.
"Since I summoned him by tributing a wind attribute monster, I can return all spell and trap cards on the field back to our hands!"
Yami Marik swore as Mai's newest monster let out a cry and took to the air. Drawing his wings back, he brought them forward in dramatic fashion, which generated a powerful gust of wind and a shockwave that followed.
The wave slammed into the castle behind Dracula, shattering it, as well as the rest of the scenery and Yami Marik's newest facedown card. All of a sudden, they were back in the same Kaiba Corp HQ room they hadn't seen since prior to field spell cards had been played.
"What are you playing at, girl?" he hissed, unable to mask the growing worry in his voice with anger.
Mai ignored him and slid another card into her Duel Disk.
"Then I'll play Monster Reborn, to revive the Harpie Perfumer (1400/1300) I just sent to the graveyard!"
The petite woman reappeared, spreading her green wings out with a smile. It was almost as if she had never left.
"And since Perfumer just got summoned again, I can add another spell or trap card from my deck to my hand that lists "Harpie Lady Sisters" in its text… The card I'm going to pick is the one that will end this duel once and for all."
"Well, get on with it and do your worst then. I still have Dracula and you can't touch him," shot out Yami Marik, clearly getting more and more agitated.
"Your funeral," shrugged Mai. "I'll add Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation… and play it immediately!"
As she spoke, the Harpie Perfumer, Oracle and Queen all began to glow with blue energy. Tendrils of that energy filtered upward and coalesced into a large form, one that slowly began to take the shape of a bird-like creature.
"What is this?!" gasped Yami Marik.
"It's quite simple: Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation can only be activated if I have three or more Harpies in play… and for every one that I do, I can destroy one monster on your field."
"What-… NO!"
"Conveniently, you're also dealt damage equal to the attack points of your strongest monster. Since you only have Dracula, well…"
The mass of energy above her field continued to refine in shape, sprouting a head, a beak and wings.
"No, no, NO!" panicked Yami Marik. "This can't be happening!"
"Sadly, for you, it is," she replied briskly, thrusting her hand out. "It's over!"
Her Harpies all screeched simultaneously and then, along with the phoenix above them, emitted a lance of lightning, which arced across the field and struck Dracula. The monstrous hybrid let out a haunting screech before exploding, raining down ash all across the field.
His master, meanwhile, was bent forward and had his hands in his air, unable to stop hyperventilating as his life-points began to plummet.
It looked for all the world as if he was going to scream, but then he stood up straight, dropped his hands to his side, and spoke in a deathly quiet tone.
"You have won this duel, but you know it means nothing right? I am literally your own thoughts and fears given material form. I am a part of you, and always will be. Nothing will ever ease your pain."
As he spoke, his body began to vanish, starting from the feet up.
Mai closed her eyes and gave a small smile. She then looked up and met her opponent's gaze. His entire lower body was gone now and his torso was following.
"You don't ease pain. You overcome it."
(Yami Marik: 0, Mai: 50)
As the last word left her mouth, he had disappeared in entirety.
Mai stood staring at the empty space in front of her as her own monsters began to dematerialize, before suddenly groaning and staggering forward.
Marik bolted forward and caught her before she collapsed, allowing her to rest almost her entire weight on his shoulder.
"I don't know if that duel was one of those things you call Shadow Games… but it certainly hurts like one," she groaned, turning to look at him as she spoke.
The expression she saw was one of utter admiration and reverence.
"Mai… you did it."
"I did, didn't I?" she smiled, before groaning again. Even that hurt.
"I knew you could, but still… that was… that was amazing."
"Thanks," she mumbled.
Marik helped her slowly walk to a chair in the corner of the room, and she collapsed into it.
"I… I want to find Joey… and the others," she added hastily at the end.
"We will, but you need to rest for now. When you're doing better we'll start searching."
Mai simply nodded, and leaned back in the chair and sighed.
"Mai: I did have a question. Why didn't you use Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation the first time you summoned your Harpie Perfumer instead of Elegant Egotist?"
Mai looked up and smiled. She began to speak but then began coughed lightly. It took a second for her to calm down, before she continued.
"It's simple, really. I've played Duel Monsters for a long time, long enough to know how cards are designed. When he fused the original Dracula with Vampire Bat, I figured there was also a fusion with Zombie Werewolf lurking in the wings. It made sense that since the field spell was what allowed him to perform the fusion, it was also likely the card that would allow him to split them back up and re-summon the original Dracula, so that he could later access the second fusion.
"If I used Phoenix Formation right away and he took away the fusion to bring back the original, it'd resolve without having a target and I'd lose it for nothing, and then I'd be wide open to an attack. That's why I decided to save it until I could summon Swift Birdman Joe to take away his field spell as well as any other potential defenses he had. That way, I had not one but two potential shots at finishing him off, and had Harpie Unity to keep me in the duel in the meantime."
Marik simply blinked.
"Wow. I knew you were good but didn't realize just how good. You were in total control of the duel the whole time once you woke back up."
"Yeah, that little moment I took did help with clearing my head," chuckled Mai, before breaking into another coughing fit and groaning.
"Sorry I asked," apologized Marik hurriedly. "Please, just rest now."
"Don't mind if I do," mumbled Mai, before tilting her head back and closing her eyes.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Kaiba and Pegasus' elevator had opened on the twentieth floor.
They too had been greeted by a dimly lit corridor with neon arrows on the walls telling them where to go.
"Oh, just look at us now, Kaiba-boy," mused the older man. "After everything we've been through, who would've thought it would come to this?"
"You mean after you stole my brother from me and trapped me in a Duel Monster card?" growled Kaiba.
"Indeed, that's exactly what I mean, Kaiba-boy," came the reply. "I fully admit I committed grievous crimes against you and yours, and I'm here today to repay those debts."
"You can stick it, old man, because I didn't ask you to come," snapped the CEO. "I needed your help maneuvering on the outside but now that it's about dueling I am perfectly capable of handling that for myself."
"I'm sure you are, but I have a feeling these duels won't be the most pleasant experiences, so I think it'd be best you save your vigor for the end: when I expect it will be most crucial in helping you get little Mokuba back."
Kaiba half snorted, half snarled, and remained silent.
They continued to walk until they arrived at a large oak door. Kaiba knew this room: it was a conference room for the sales division.
Pegasus was the one walking a bit further ahead, so he stopped a few inches short and breathed out.
"What are you waiting for?" grunted Kaiba.
Pegasus half-smiled.
"Oh, you know me, Kaiba-boy. I'm a homebody. Just a bit of nerves being out in the muck for the first time in so long, adventuring with the rest of you."
"Well, get over it," Kaiba replied, getting more annoyed.
"As you wish, my good sir."
Pegasus raised a hand and pressed the door open before stepping into the room. Kaiba followed.
The conference room had been vacated of all furniture, and was quite dark. Only a single bulb was lit, hanging in the middle of the room and shining down on a solitary figure standing alone in the center of the room.
The figure turned, to reveal herself as a woman. She had long, blonde hair that came down to her waist, and piercing blue eyes. She was wearing a simple blue dress that matched her eyes, fixed with a pink frill around the neck and a bow beneath it.
"Maximillion?"
Pegasus stopped short, his eyes dilating.
"Cecelia?" he managed to choke out.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Well, I think this was my favorite chapter of the story so far.
One thing I decided from the outset was that even if the duels in this story were not on the same scale as Nightrise, they'd be much more personal and harder hitting from an emotional standpoint. The Joey-Kozaky duel wasn't like that obviously but I think this one certainly was, as will every subsequent one as you can guess from the end of the chapter.
But yeah, it was great to write Mai's triumph: both over her own trauma as well as in the card game. She was truly a character I believe that the original series did wrong by and I wanted to rectify that in this story: I hope I have managed that.
One thing I want to make clear: if Mai's victory seemed kind of sudden to you… well, that was the point. I tried to emphasize this in the story itself but I'll explain again here: Mai is MUCH better as a duelist. She effectively beat Yami Marik the first time they dueled and has only had more experience since then and has acquired better cards.
I know I wrote Yami Marik as the ultimate evil and basically the Devil of the YuGiOh world in my earlier stories but in the context of this one, I wanted to depict him more as an overrated bully, and frankly I think it's more accurate. The fact that he didn't win a single duel fairly is reflective of his lack of ability at the game. I definitely think there's a place for him in certain
The only reason Mai struggled initially was because her emotions were holding her back. Once she resolved that the skill gap was really massive. This is also why I included the explanation she gave Marik afterwards about why she held off on using Phoenix Formation: just to show that she really does think of everything and that once she got past her trauma, Yami Marik really never had any chance.
I'm sorry to the Yami Marik fans, I definitely think there's a place for him in certain stories as an overwhelming Machiavellian figure, but in this one he had a specific role and I wrote him this way to fit it: and like I said, I think it fits with the facts from the show too.
Anyway, I hope this was enjoyed by all. I have a good flow going with the story right now and hope I can churn out another chapter this month.
Metal Overlord 2.0: I am so very glad you enjoyed this so much my friend! I hope I did justice to Dracula again after so long. I think the card was perfect for Yami Marik to use in this context: once the Sun comes up and Mai got out of the darkness that has haunted her, all the dark theatrics vanish and he's left helpless. Honestly, I expected you to be the only one who'd recognize all these throwbacks so I'm glad they're landing with you. There's another one on the way so stay tuned!
ChroniclerDL: If you enjoyed Mai's redemption then I really hope this chapter landed as well for you! There will be more stuff like that coming with other characters too, don't you worry!
Reaver72: Ah, it's no problem my friend! I had an issue too, I think the alerts only work with gmail now. Glad to see you back on board! I appreciate the vote of confidence on my ability to write duels: as I said earlier, the scale is not the same as Nightrise BUT I think each move has more weight now and overall they're just landing better from a storytelling standpoint.
Anyone reading: if you enjoyed this chapter, please do review! It's super motivating to receive feedback, good or bad!