AN: Hello, I have the next chapter here. This one was a lot of fun to write for its character moments. As I get to reference one favorite GX episodes, one of my favorite characters from the original Yu-Gi-Oh and use an archetype that I wanted to implement here in some way. While this chapter did take a bit of rewriting, I like how it turned out. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.
See Datasheet Chapter for cover art details.
Chapter 36 – The Dragonmaid
At the academy indoor arena, an assembly was taking place with Glynda addressing the students, "As we head to the close of the Duel Spirits Festival, our main event will be held in front of the Slifer Red dorm." She said while monitors above showed a flashy title card, "A Tag Team Duel Monster Costume Contest." The headteacher of Ra Yellow spoke before clearing her throat, "Allow me to explain the rules. Working in pairs, students will dress in their chosen duel monster theme. The stronger the connection between the pair's cards, the more likely they are to be chosen for a special duel." Glynda then adjusted her glasses, "All classes will not be held so you may work on your plan with your partner. That is all for today. Good luck." She said before turning around to walk off stage.
As the students dispersed and broke off into pairs, Blair ran through the crowd. She was looking for the only person she wanted to pair with, "Jaden!" she called out with a smile, "Let's partner up for this contest." The maiden Slifer Red asked with him turning around, "I have a perfect idea, I can be the Maiden in Love and you can-"
"Uh, sorry Blair." Jaden interrupted, "I already have a partner for this."
"What!?" Blair responded before looking past the spirited Slifer Red, seeing her childhood friend standing with a smile, "Ruby?"
"Yeah, when Glynda started talking about the contest, I had this cool idea." Ruby responded, "So, I rushed over to Jaiden to asked him if he wanted to be partners to pull it for."
"And it sounds fun, so I agreed." Jaden added, "I'm sorry Blair, but there are still other people making pairs."
"Y-yeah, you'ra right." Blair responded, putting on a fake smile, "I glad you two could come up with something together." The maiden Slifer Red said while backing up, "I can find someone else, but I hope you two win the prize."
"Uh, thanks," Jaiden said while Blair walked away. However, Ruby had a look of worry on her face before seeing the spirited Slifer Red look back at her, "Come on, let's see how we can make these wings."
"Okay," Ruby said while Jaiden led the way. The hooded Slifer Red was about to follow but looked back to the way Blair went first.
As Blair walked through the crowd, she searched for someone to pair with. She caught a glimpse at Tyranno, but he and Yang were already locking arms. The maiden Slifer Red then noticed Nora, but she was talking with a slightly concerned Bastion. In turning around, Blair saw Blake and Alexis politely chatting. While Chazz and Weiss seemed to already have disagreements about their ideas after associating. She then saw Atticus, who was suddenly swarmed by a group of girls. In seeing nobody else she knew, the Maiden Slifer Red stood alone in the crowd. She looked down in desolation, a slight tear forming in her right eye.
Hours later.
In the Slifer Red cafeteria, Blair laid her head on the table. Her eyes were half-open as she heard footsteps approaching. In looking up, she discovered it was her dorm's headteacher, "What are you still doing here?" Sienna asked, "Did you not eat dinner?"
"I wasn't hungry." Blair responded as Sienna sat down, "And everyone else is off making costumes for the contest."
"Why aren't you with your friends?" Sienna said.
"They all paired up," the maiden Slifer Red responded, "I was the odd one out."
"So, you can still be with then as opposed to sitting here by yourself." Sienna said before having a slight look of anger, "It's not like you can help me make a costume. Apparently, that Goodwitch doesn't want the teachers to dress up." She said with a sigh, "And I had something cool planned for this year." Sienna said with Blair having a look of confusion, not assuming this was one of her headteacher's hobbies. However, in looking up at the cat ears she always wore, Blair saw the connection.
"I'm sorry," Blair spoke before lowering her head.
Sienna had a look of worry before sighing again, "If you need some time to reflect, I get that. However, this is not the right place." She said with Blair looking back up to her, "Why don't we go to the natural hot springs, I guaranty nobody else is there at this time." The headteacher of Slifer Red said before standing up, a smile on her face, "It's not as luxurious as the Obelisk Blue's, but it gets the job done."
"Haha, okay," Blair said with a smile, "That does sound nice." The two then exited the dorm and began walking through the woods. While night had fallen over the island, Sienna led the way without hesitation, "Wow, can she see in the dark?" Blair through before almost tripping over a rock. While stumbling forward, she bumped into Sienna, who had stopped walking. In trying to see what was in front of them, Blair saw another student approach.
"Oh, what a surprise." Yuri spoke, "I didn't expect to run into anyone at this time."
"Students shouldn't be out in the woods this late unless escorted by a teacher." Sienna commented, "What are you doing?"
"It was just a nighttime stroll. No harm is done." Yuri said before looking up at the black sky, "A night with no moon only comes so often."
"Why aren't you working with someone on the contest?" Blair asked.
Yuri then looked down from his gaze on the sky, a look of annoyance on his face, "Do you expect me to play dress up for this silly showcase?" He spoke before a slight smile emerged, "Hold on, you're Ruby's friend." The sadistic Obelisk Blue said before chuckling, "Did she not want to partner with you?" he asked with her remaining quiet while looking down in sorrow, "You should count yourself lucky, Ruby can be quite the troublemaker."
"What do you mean?" Blair responded, "That's not who Ruby is."
"Oh, are you sure?" Yuri asked with his hands behind his back, "How much do you know about her?" He said with Blair remaining quiet, "A lot of people can change in a short amount of time. Some for the better, some for the worst."
"I'm going to ask you to stop badmouthing my students," Sienna spoke with a glare "You should head back to your dorm."
"As you wish, you are a Headteacher." Yuri said with a slight bow, but looked back with a slight smirk forming, "Even if it's only for Slifer Reds."
Sienna gritted her teeth while Yuri walked past. However, she spoke to him one last, "I once knew a student that acted the way you did. One full of arrogance." The Headteacher of Slifer Red spoke with Yuri stopping, "It did not end well for them."
"Hehehe, I'm not the fool he was," Yuri chuckled before looking back, a purple glint in his eyes on a moonless night, "I'm a dueling genius." The sadistic Obelisk Blue said before resuming his leave, "Enjoy your relaxation." Sienna maintained her glare for a few more seconds before continuing her walk. Blair had a look of worry but followed her headteacher.
"Don't let what he said get to you." Sienna spoke, "I will have a talk with Dr. Crowler about that kid."
"I know, but…" Blair spoke, "Ruby…she seems different than last I saw her." She said while looking down, "We never kept secrets from each other, but I feel like she is hiding something from me." She then looked back towards her headteacher, "What happened to her last year here?"
"Blair…" Sienna responded, then signed, "Ruby should be the one to tell you, not I." She said before looking up at the night sky, "All I can say is, what happened is in the past. All we can do now is keep moving forward." She then looked back to Blair with a confident smile, "And you have nothing to worry about. I will protect my students from anything dangerous."
Blair looked back with a smile forming, but it quickly faded as she looked down again, "…Do you think I'm weak?" the maiden Slifer Red spoke with Sienna having a look of worry, "I'm a Slifer Red, like Ruby and Jaden. Yet, they feel like they're on a completely different level than me."
"They just have more experience right now. You'll get their level soon." Sienna responded a smile reforming on her face, "And with hard work, you'll even surpass them."
"I don't know about that," Blair said before having a look of focus in her eyes, "But I need to ask Ruby what really happened to her last year."
"Do what you think is best." Sienna commented, "But remember, Ruby is your friend." She said before stretching her arms over her head, "I do need this bath-" Suddenly, an explosion was heard as a stream of water shot up into the night sky, "What in the world?"
"Was that a geyser?" Blair spoke in worry, causing Sienna to grit her teeth.
"Blair, head back to the dorm and-" Sienna tried to order, but the maiden Slifer Red was already running towards the direction of the explosion, "Blair! Damn it!" Sienna said before rushing after her student.
"If there was someone in the water during that, they could be hurt," Blair spoke as she ran.
Upon making it to the hot spring, the two quickly examined the area. The hot water had showered all over the bathhouse, leaving barely anywhere it once was. However, in a small pool of water, Blair gasped at the sight of a young woman. She floated barely conscious atop the water, her pale skin almost matching her long white hair. Her eyes slightly open, showing the blue irises that gazed back up at Blair.
An hour later.
In the academy infirmary, Sienna just finished talking to a nurse outside of a room. She turned to see Ruby and Weiss approach, "We came as soon as we got your message." The hooded Slifer Red spoke, "What happened?"
"There was an unexpected pressure release at the hot spring in the woods." Sienna answered, "Nobody was there, except that woman." She said before pointing into the room. Weiss and Ruby looked inside to see the blue-eyed maiden laying unconscious on a bed, Blair sitting beside her, "She not a student nor a staff member. And there is nothing on her for us to identify her with." The Headteacher of Slifer Red said before looking back to Weiss, "I wanted to ask if this was a relative of yours. Seeing as how you share the same hair and eye color."
"You two do look similar," Ruby commented, "Didn't you say you have a big sister too?"
"I do, but that's not Winter." Weiss answered, "She's on the other side of the world participating in the Kaiba World Tournament." The heiress Obelisk Blue then looked back to Sienna, "I'm sorry, but I have no idea who this woman is."
"It was a long shot but thank you for confirming." Sienna responded, "Don't worry, we'll have this situation under control. You may leave." She said with Weiss nodding back before walking away.
"What about me?" Ruby asked, "Why did you call me here?"
"Because you need to talk with Blair." Sienna spoke with the crossing of her arms, "When we first meet, I gave you a moment to talk with at your own rate. Yet you did not." She said with Ruby slightly gasping, then averting her eyes. However, Sienna leaned in with a glare, causing Ruby to look back into her eyes, "I understand you don't want to worry her, but you have to consider what doing this is putting Blair through."
Ruby looked back in shock, then nodded. "Okay, you're right." She said before looking into the room, "I'll talk with her right now." The hooded Slifer Red said before opening the door to the room while Sienna watched from the outside.
"Ruby," Blair said upon standing up.
"Hey," Ruby responded with an awkward wave, "I think we both need to have a chat."
"Yeah, we do." Blair responded, "So, tell me. What happened last year?"
"Well," Ruby said before sighing, sitting down in a chair, "It started normal, but then my friends and I were picked to guard something important locked away at this school. We had to duel to safeguard the keys. But in these duels, the damage was real." The hooded Slifer Red spoke before putting her left hand on her chest, "I had some of the closest calls of my life, we all did." She said while remembering her heart attack, Yang losing her arm, and Jaden's descent into darkness. However, she looked back to Blair with a smile, "In the end, we won. And everything went back to normal again."
"Is that so?" Blair asked with Ruby nodding. Suddenly, the maiden Slifer Red had a chuckle, "Why didn't you tell me soon, that sounds like an adventure out of books we used to read as kids."
"I mean, I had the same thought when it all started." Ruby responded with a smile, but it quickly faded, "Then it got real very fast." She said while looking down, "I'm sorry for trying to hide it from you. I just wanted you to have a normal experience at Duel Academy as everyone else should."
"It's okay Ruby, I forgive you." Blair responded, then had a smirk on her face, "But I am still not over you stealing My Jaden from me."
"I told you, it's not like that between us," Ruby said with a giggle, then heard a slight groan. She and Blair looked back at the bed, seeing the white-haired maiden's eyes twitch, "She's waking up." Ruby said before the maiden's eyes fully opened, "Wow, she does look like she is related to Weiss."
"Where am I?" the blue-eyed maiden spoke.
"It's okay, you're in the Duel Academy infirmary." Blair answered, "Do you remember your name."
"I…" the blue-eyed maiden spoke, then closed her eyes, "I need to go back."
"Back where?" Ruby asked, but when they eyed opened again, a white light encompassed the individuals in the room. Sienna saw the flash from the outside. However, upon opening the door and entering, she was the only one inside the room now.
A New World.
"Uh…." Ruby's eyes twitched before opening. In looking around, she discovered herself inside a white stone cave, "Huh?" she said before seeing the maiden Slifer Red to her right, "Blair, are you okay?"
"I think so." Blair responded, then looked around, "But, how did we get here?" She said before noticing someone else was missing, "And where is that girl-" Suddenly, Blair saw someone approaching.
Ruby looked over as well, seeing the blue-eyed maiden. However, her white hair was now sleek and braided with a brown band over on her forehead. The light brown dress she wore matched the style of the hooded Slifer Red's ace monster, but with blue dragon emblems on her hips. While she had a silver bracelet with a blue gem on the back of the wrist, she walked barefoot towards the two Slifer Reds. "I wanted to thank you for saving me in your world." The blue-eyed maiden said before bowing her head, "I am the Maiden with Eyes of Blue."
"That's a … long name." Ruby responded, still mystified at the situation, "Do you have something shorter. Like a Nickname?"
"Well, some call me Kis-" Maiden with Eyes of Blue said before stopping herself, "Actually, you can call me Calypso. I like that name as well."
"C-cool," Blair responded, "But, where are we?"
"You are in the Duel Spirits World." Calypso responded, turning to Ruby, "From what I heard, this is not your first time here."
Blair then turned to her friend with a glare, "Ruby, why didn't you tell me this?" she asked, "We literally just had this conversation." She said with Ruby having an uneasy laugh, but then sighed before turning back to Maiden with Eyes of Blue, "What happened at the hot spring?"
"Are they like portals between the worlds?" Ruby asked with Blair looking back to her with half-open eyes, "I promise, I will explain later."
"It was my last move," Calypso responded, looking over to another section of the cave. Blair and Ruby turned as well, seeing multiple scorch marks in the rocks. Their eyes widened in horror as the outline of different creatures was at the center of the marks, "A madwoman attacked them, showing no mercy to her victims."
"Why?" Ruby asked, "Who was she?"
"I did not ask her name, nor did I need her sick justification." Calypso responded, "I only knew I needed to defeat her. Yet, I was only able to force her out of my world and back to her own." She said before looking back to Blair, "In doing so, I was pulled in as well. Which resulted in me emerging from the hot spring the way I did."
"So, does that mean she is at Duel Academy?" Blair asked with the Maiden with Eyes of Blue nodding, causing the Slifer Reds to gasp.
In response, Ruby clenched her fists, "Don't worry," the hooded Slifer Red said to Calypso, a look of determination in her sliver eyes, "I'll stop her from causing more harm."
"You mean we'll stop her." Blair added on with a smile, "I'm here now, so you can't leave me out of your adventures."
Ruby looked back to her friend, a smile forming on her face as well, "Okay, you got it."
"I will need to stay in my world for its protection." Calypso said with a smile, "So I admire your bravery, and will be grateful for your help." She said before bowing, "Now, I have one request before returning you to your world." Maiden with Eyes of Blue before to them with a confident grin, "Duel me and win. If one of you can do that, I can return you with a rested conscious."
"Really?" Ruby said before smiling, reaching behind her back for her duel disk, "Okay, I-"
"I'll duel you." Blair stepped up, then turned back to Ruby, "Please, let me do this one." Ruby had a looked of shock for a second, but then smiled before nodding back. The maiden Slifer Red then equipped her duel disk, loading her deck inside.
"Very well," Calypso responded before pressing the blue gem on her right bracelet, causing it to glow in a white light. In its place was a duel disk shaped like a dragon's wing, "For you, I will use a special set of cards." The Maiden with Eyes of Blue said before loading the deck into the duel disk.
"Duel!" Both maidens declared as the match in the spirit world had begun.
Blair: 4000 Life Points
Calypso: 4000 Life Points
"I'll go first," Blair said as she drew, summon the monster instantly, "I summon Jain, Lightsworn Paladin in attack mode." She said as a white-armor knight stood with his shield and sword in hand, (1800 ATK / 1200 DEF). "I then end with two cards face down." The maiden Slifer Red said before setting them, "But due to my Lightsworn monster's effect, I have to mill two cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard. Your turn."
"I draw." Calypso said before doing so, smiling that result, "I summon Laundry Dragonmaid in attack mode." Suddenly, a young girl stumbling while carrying a massive stack of bedding was seen. However, she dropped it as she stepped on a rock. Blair and Ruby saw the girl was around their age. She wore blue attire with a white apron, as well as had small horns on her head and a furry blue tail. The blue maid had a look of panic dirty fabrics she now had to rewash, (500 ATK / 1600 DEF). "Like your monster, mine can send cards from the deck to the graveyard. Three to be exact." The Maiden with Eyes of Blue said before milling the said cards, seeing a couple monsters in the pile, "Now, I enter the battle phase, which lets me use Laundry's second ability." She said as the blue maid started to glow in a white light, "I can return her to the hand to summon Dragonmaid Nudyarl from the graveyard." As the light faded, the blue maid was replaced by a mystic blue dragon, the fail horns and tail were seen on this creature, (2600 ATK / 1600 DEF). "Now go, attack her paladin," Calypso ordered as the blue dragon unleashed a beam of energy from its mouth.
"I don't think so," Blair responded, "I activate my continuous trap card, Lightsworn Barrier." She said as Jain was shield by a sphere of light, blocking the beam. "When a Lightsworn monster is attacked, I can negate it by sending two cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard." She said before doing so, smiling at one of the cards, "And it looks like you're not the only one who can set up the graveyard. Since I sent Lightsworn Sabre, I can equip it to my Jain." She said as the Lightsworn Paladin's blade turned into one made of light, (1800 + 700 = 2500 ATK).
"Nice one!" Ruby cheered on with Blair smiling.
"Very well," Calypso said before taking two cards out of her hand, "I'll set these and end my turn."
"My move," Blair said as she drew, putting it in the hand before summoning a monster, "I summon Lyra, Lightsworn Sorceress in attack mode." She said as a white mage with long black hair was standing next to Jain, (1700 ATK / 200 DEF). "And with her ability, I can destroy one of your face downs by switching her to defense mode." The maiden Slifer Red said while pointing to the rightmost facedown card. As Lyra knelt, a beam of light fired from her staff, obliterating the set trap card. "Now Jain, you're up. Attack Nudyarl." Blair said as her Paladin charged into battle, "And with his effect, he gains 300 more attack points." She as he gained a white aura around his body, (2500 + 300 = 2800 ATK).
"Not bad, you attacked after destroying my Dragonmaid Downtime trap." Calypso said before grinning, "But you failed to stop my Dragonmaid Tidying trap." She said as Blair gasped as the other trap card was revealed, "With it, I can send both our monsters back to the hand." The Maiden with Eyes of Blue said before Nudyarl and Jain vanished.
While both players added the cards to their hands, Blair sent her equip spell to the graveyard, "I set one card and end my turn." She said before taking the top three cards of her deck, sending them to the graveyard, "Now, I have to mill for Lyra's effect."
"My turn," Calypso said before drawing, then examining her hand, "First, I'll use Dragonmaid Nudyarl's effect to discard itself to add a monster from my graveyard back to the deck." The Maiden with Eyes of Blue said while taking one of the cards she milled before, putting it back in her deck, "Next, I summon Parlor Dragonmaid in attack mode." She said as a maid with short green hair that matched her tail and stockings appeared. She held a metal plate with tea in her right hand and a white towel in her left, yet also had a smug look on her face, (500 ATK / 1700 DEF). "With her effect, I can send Kitchen Dragonmaid from my deck to the graveyard. Then, by removing Dragonmaid Tidying, I can special summon Kitchen to the field." She said before a red maid appeared, this one with long crimson hair with teal horns. She was wearing a cooking apron while mixing dough in a bowl, (500 ATK / 1700 DEF).
Ruby sniffed at the air, "Oh, she is making cookies!" the hooded Slifer Red said in glee.
"More than that," Calypso said before a card ejected from her deck, "She allows me to add a Dragonmaid from my deck to hand in exchange for discarding another from my hand." The Maiden with Eyes of Blue said before sending Laundry to the graveyard. "And now, I enter the battle phase, which means my Maids will take their true form." She said as the green and red maids glowed in their respective lights, "Meet Dragonmaid Lorpar." She said as a green dragon emerged with a confident smile, (2700 ATK / 1700 DEF). "And Dragonmaid Tinkhec." Calypso said before the red dragon emerged, the wings a bright crimson color, (2700 ATK / 1700 DEF). "Now, both will attack you." She said as the two dragons combined their powers, breathing a stream of energy from their mouths.
"I'll use barriers effect twice." Blair countered, causing the Lightsworn sorceress to be encased in the sphere, shielding herself from the beams. However, the top four cards from the Maiden Slifer Red's deck were sent to the graveyard.
"That strategy will not save you forever." Calypso said before taking one card out of her hand, "I'll set this facedown and end my turn."
"My turn," Blair said as she drew, smiling at the result, "I tribute Lyra to summon Celestia, Lightsworn Angel." She said as the Sorceress faded, now replaced with long light blue-haired angel in white armor, wielding a holy staff, (2300 ATK / 200 DEF). "And when summoned by tributing a Lightsworn, I can send four cards from the top of my deck to the grave. And afterward, I can destroy two of your cards. So, say goodbye to both of your monsters!" The maiden Slifer Red said before the Lightsworn Angel unleashed a beam of holy light onto Calypso's field. The beams created a massive explosion, causing Blair to smile at overcoming two powerful monsters.
However, as the smoke cleared, Blair gasped. While the dragons were gone, the red maid reappeared in a knelt stance, "When you activated your effect, I revealed my face down." Calypso said while looking at the upturned quickplay spell, "Dragonmaid Send-Off lets me return Tinkhec to the hand to summon Kitchen in defense mode."
"Tsk, well I can still destroy it with a normal attack," Blair said with a point, casting her angel to unleash another beam of holy light. However, the attack did not affect the red maid.
"Send-Off also make my monster invincible for the turn." Calypso responded, "Meaning your attack did nothing."
Ruby watched as Blair gritted her teeth, "This isn't good." She thought before looking at the maiden Slifer Red's, "She's already lost half her cards from her own effects."
"My turn then," Calypso said as she drew, "I play Pot of Greed, giving me two more cards." She then added the cards to her hand, smiling at one of them, "I play Dragonmaid Changeover, allowing me to fusion summon." The Maiden with Eyes of Blue said with Blair and Ruby gasping, "I fuse my Kitchen Dragonmaid on the field with my Dragonmaid Ernus from the hand." She said as the red maid merged with the pink dragon, "To form Dragonmaid Sheou!" a purple flash filled the cave. Emerging from the center of the flash was a purple and white dragon. While it descends with a powerful wingbeat, it landed on its back legs to stand like a refined person, (3500 ATK / 2000 DEF).
"3500 attack points!?" Blair responded.
"I know," Calypso said with a girl, "Now feel her wrath! Go Sheou, attack with Elegant Stream of Suppression!" she said as the purple dragon charged a sparkling beam of pink energy in its mouth.
"I can still block it with Lightsworn Barrier," Blair said before sending two more cards from her deck to the graveyard, causing the sphere to form around Celestia.
However, Calypso smiled, "I was expecting that, which means I use Sheou's effect to negate and destroy your trap card." She said before Blair gasped. The purple dragon then unleashed its beam, but the target was now the continuous trap card itself. With it being obliterated, the sphere faded from the Lightsworn Angel. However, the purple dragon then flashed in matching light. Her body shrunk before reforming into an elegant maid with long black hair. She wore the same attire as the other Dragonmaid but wore a set of glasses over her eyes and a set of black and white gauntlets. "And when she does this, Sheou switches places with House Dragonmaid from the extra deck." The Maiden with Eyes of Blue said with her new fusion bowing, (3000 ATK / 2000 DEF).
"But that means," Blair said in worry.
"My attack is not over yet." Calypso said before pointing, "House attacks your Lightsworn Angel." She said with the elegant maid dashing in, landing a gut punch to the Lightsworn Angel before uppercutting her opponent in the chin. House Dragonmaid then unleashed a devasting barrage of punches before sending Celestial into the opposite wall of the cave. Blair and Ruby were speechless as they watched the beaten monster fade away, while the elegant maid simply adjusted her glasses.
Blair: 4000 – 700 = 3300 Life Points
"That is my way of fusion summoning," Calypso responded as House Dragonmaid returned to her side, "I end my turn."
Blair gritted her teeth, "I draw," she said before playing the card instantly, "I play Solar Recharge. By discarding Jain, I can draw two cards, then mill two from the top of my deck." The maiden Slifer Red said before doing so, but a light formed from the cards sent to the graveyard, "It looks like I sent Wulf, Lightsworn Beast. That means I can summon him to the field." She said as the white wolfman was seen kneeling at her side, (2100 ATK / 300 DEF).
"You intend to stall now?" Calypso asked.
"I intend to win," Blair responded, "I tribute Wulf for Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon!" she said as her monster was replaced with a yellow and white dragon, one whose feathered wings were clade in armor, (2000 ATK / 1600 DEF). "See, you're not the only one with dragons."
"Yet yours cannot compare to mine," Calypso said as House Dragonmaid cracked her knuckles.
"You sure? Because of my dragon as a special effect." Blair said before showing her graveyard, "For every different Lightsworn in my graveyard, it gains 300 more attack points. And with all that has been sent there now, I have nine."
"That means your monster's attack points over double!" Ruby commented as the Lightsworn Dragon gained a vibrant yellow aura, (2000 + 300 X 9 = 4700 ATK).
"That's right, now attack," Blair ordered as her dragon changed at the elegant maid, its maw open to devoir its opponent.
"An impressing increase," Calypso responded, but smirked, "Here's mine, I discard Dragonmaid Tinkhec from the hand, giving House 2000 more attack points until the end of the turn." She said as the elegant Dragonmaid gained a crimson aura, (3000 + 2000 = 5000 ATK). As Gragonith's head was within range, House grabbed it with both arms. With her boots digging into the ground, she began to lift and spin the Lightsworn Dragon at high speed. The elegant Dragonmaid then let go of her target sending it into the opposite wall with a crash that shook the whole cave. As the monster faded, the house smile bowed with her eyes closed.
Blair: 3300 – 300 = 3000 Life Points
"That's insane." Blair said in panic while looking at her opponent, "How am I supposed to beat that?"
"Don't worry," Ruby spoke up, "It may be strong, but it's not invincible."
"Easy for you to say," Blair responded, but then looked down in depression, "Who am I kidding, it is easy for you to say. You would probably be winning at this point." She said as Ruby had a look of worry, "You, Jaden, and everyone else is so talented. But I'm just…weak." a silence fell over the area.
"Blair, you're talented too." Ruby said with a smile, causing Blair to look at her friend, "You just have to believe in yourself."
"She's right," Calypso said with Blair looking back at her, "If you consider yourself weak, you will remain weak. If you consider yourself strong, you will only become strong once prove yourself." The Maiden with Eyes of Blue said with a focused gaze, "Now, what will you prove?"
"I…" Blair said before clenching her fists, then responded with her focused gaze, "I will not give up!" she said before looking at her hand, "I set two cards and end by revealing my other trap card, Pikeru's Second Sight. With this, you have to reveal all cards you draw for the next two turns." With that final move, the aura faded from House's body, (5000 – 2000 = 3000 ATK).
"I see, very well then," Calypso said before drawing, then revealing it to her opponent. Blair saw another maid, causing her hand to flinch towards one of her facedown cards. However, she stopped as the Maiden with Eyes of Blue entered her main phase, "I summon Chamber Dragonmaid in attack mode." She said before playing the only card in her hand, causing a maid in more stylish attire compared to others. Her long white hair was accentuated by the black horns on her head. In her right hand was a simple feather duster, (500 ATK / 1800 DEF). "Thanks to her, I can add a Dragonmaid spell or trap to my hand. So, I'll pick Dragonmaid Hospitality." She said before the card ejected from the deck allowing her to play it, "With it, I can special summon Dragonmaid Ernus in defense mode." She said a pink dragon formed onto the field, laying on the ground with what looked like a nurse's hat on its head between the coiled horns, (2600 ATK / 1600 DEF). "However, I have to send a matching attribute maid from my deck to the graveyard. And I pick Dragonmaid Nurse." She said before sending the chosen card to the grave. "But now, House attacks you directly!" she said as the elegant Dragonmaid dashed in with her fist up.
"I reveal my face down card, Spiritual Sword of Revealing Light," Blair said with Ruby smiling, seeing the yellow sabers appear and stopping House's assault. "For 1000 life points, I can block your attack."
Blair: 3000 – 1000 = 2000 Life Points
"I see, in that case." Calypso responded, "I attack you directly with Chamber Dragonmaid." She said as the stylish Dragonmaid walked past House, making her way past the sabers of light. As stood before Blair, Chamber quickly raised her feather duster before smacking the maiden Slifer Red upside the head with it.
"Ouch!" Blair responded, not out of pain, but annoyance. While Chamber simply smiled and bowed before returning to her side of the field.
Blair: 2000 – 500 = 1500 Life Points
"I end my turn," Calypso said before crossing her arms.
"My turn then." Blair said before drawing, her eyes slightly widening at the result, "Okay, I can do this." Blair said while looking at the one card in her hand and the card she just drew, "I set one card, then summon Ehren, Lightsworn Monk in attack mode." She said as a tan-skinned fighter with a golden polearm was summon to the field, (1600 ATK / 1000 DEF). "Now, attack Dragonmaid Ernus!" She said as the Lightsworn Monk dashed with a weapon at the ready.
"That attack will do nothing," Calypso spoke, "You should know, this form of Dragonmaid is immune to effect destruction while a fusion is on the field."
"I'm not destroying it," Blair said with a grinning, "Before damage calculation, Ehren can send your defense position monster back to the deck." She said as the Lightsworn Monk bashed the polearm over Ernus's head, causing the pink dragon to vanish into the Maiden with Eyes of Blue's deck.
"And with that, I end my turn." Blair said before sighing, "Now, I must mill three more cards per Ehren's effect." After doing so, she noted she now had less than ten cards remaining in her deck.
"My draw then," Calypso said before doing so, her blue eyes slightly widening at the result, "Would you look at that, the other copy I have in my deck." She said before revealing per Blair's trap card.
Ruby gasped at the sight of it, "Another Dragonmaid Changeover!?" she said before looking at the two maids standing at the ready, "She's going to fusion summon Sheou again."
"Yes, that is my int-" Calypso was saying. However, the card was launched out of her hand, "Eh?" she spoke in confusion before seeing a sword has squired the spell.
"I was waiting for something like that." Blair spoke, "I revealed my trap card, Lightforce Sword. I can pick a card in your hand to banish for four turns." She said with Calypso gritting her teeth, causing House to rush in to attack Ehren. However, the Spiritual Swords of Revealing Light had blocked her path again, "I can stop this one, and your other monster cannot attack over mine."
Blair: 1500 – 1000 = 500 Life Points
"Way to go Blair!" Ruby cheered.
"Tsk," The Maiden with Eyes of Blue said, "I end my turn."
"Then while your ending, I'll reveal my trap card. Graceful Revival, which lets me resurrect a level two or lower monster in attack mode. And I pick White Mage Pikeru!" she said as a small girl in a white cloak and glowing staff was seen. Her pink hair was held in place by a yellow scapegoat cape, (1200 ATK / 0 DEF).
At the start of her turn, Blair looked down at her deck, "I can only win if I draw the right card now." She said before putting her hand on the deck, "I know the others can do this with worse drawing odd than I have." She said before closing her eyes, "But I can be just as good as them!" she said before drawing. While Ruby and Calypso waited as Blair opened her eyes, then saw a smile form on the maiden Slifer Red's face, "During my standby phase, thanks to Pikeru, I gain 400 life points for each monster I control. And with two light monsters, I reveal my last facedown. Solar Rays, which burns you for 600 life points each." She said as the Lightsworn Monk and White Mage each unleashed a beam of light from their weapons.
Blair: 500 + 800 = 1300 Life Points
Calypso: 4000 – 1200 = 2800 Life Points
"Wait, are you-" Ruby said with Blair nodding back.
"With so many Lightsworn monsters in my graveyard, I easily can special summon Judgment Dragon!" Blair said before slamming her ace monster onto the field. A massive pillar of light formed inside the cave, causing the Ultimate Lightsworn to emerge with a prideful roar, (3000 ATK / 2600 DEF). Calypso gasped, as did her two Dragonmaids at the sight of this creature, "Now, for 1000 life points, I can destroy all other cards. Go, Absolute Light Force!" Blair said as Judgement Dragon roared again, this time releasing an expanding wave of light throughout the cave. At that the light touched faded away; the trap cards, Blair's other monsters, and both Dragonmaids. Only Judgement Dragon remained as it glared down at the Maiden with Eyes of Blue, "Now, attack her directly with Pure Illumination Beam!" Blair declared as the Ultimate Lightsworn gathered energy in its maw, then unleashed as a condensed blast of light towards Calypso. The maiden with Eyes of Blue remained unflinching as she saw the attack incoming, creating an explosion on impact.
Blair:1300 – 1000 = 300 Life Points
Calypso: 2800 – 3000 = 0 Life Points
Blair looked up at Judgment Dragon, seeing it look back down at her before it faded away. A small smile formed on the maiden Slifer Red's face. Suddenly, Ruby ran up and hugged her friend, "You did it!" the hooded Slifer Red cheered, "I knew you could from the start!"
"Thanks, Ruby," Blair said as she hugged her friend back. The two then looked to see the smoke had settled and Calypso walking towards them.
"You proved yourself," Calypso said before bowing, "And I wish you two the best of luck in your world."
"Thank you." Ruby responded, "We promise, we'll take down the person that did this."
"Yeah, you can count on-" Blair was saying until seeing something in the corner of her eye, "What in the world!?" she said in shock as Ruby and Calypso turned, gasping at what was approaching.
A massive black dragon with bone-like armor and red eyes was focused on the trio, "RRRRRAAAA!" the monster roared as started to rush towards them.
"Is that Grimm Dragon!?" Ruby thought.
"Tsk, no more time to talk," Calypso said before turning back to Ruby and Blair, "I'll send you back right now." She said before a white glyph appeared under
"But what about you?" Blair said as she and Ruby were slowly getting enveloped in the light.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine." The Maiden with Eyes of Blue said before winking, "My Dragonmaids aren't the only ones who have that ability." She said with Ruby and Blair having a look of confusion. Suddenly, Calypso closed her eyes as she was encompassed in a white aura. Before the duo of Slifer Reds vanished from this world, they saw a glimpse of a white dragon with blue eyes, one that was charging a beam of lightning in its maw at the approaching Grimm monster.
In the Duel Academy infirmary, Sienna still searched the room for her missing students. Suddenly, she was blinded by a white flash of light. In opening her eyes, the headteacher of Slifer Red discovered Blair and Ruby where they once were, "What? How did you two? Where is that white-haired girl?"
"She…went back home," Ruby answered.
"Yeah, all is good." Blair said, "I think you need to relax a bit; you seem stressed."
"I…" Sienna said with a dumbfounded expression, then signed, "I need to talk with Chancellor." She said before turning around, "The two of you should head back to the dorm."
"Understood, thank you." Ruby said with a nod as Sienna left, then turned to Blair, "We should tell her and the others about what we heard."
"Yeah, we should." Blair responded, "But, I doubt whoever this is will attack during the Duel Spirits Festival again, especially after Calypso fought her." The maiden Slifer Red said as a smile formed on her face, "You know, to give everyone a little more time to enjoy themselves and be normal." She said with hooded Slifer Red smiling back, causing the two friends to hug before exiting the room.
In the Duel Spirits world.
Inside the cave, the disintegrating carcass of the Grimm Dragon was next to a slightly out of breath Calypso. The Maiden with Eyes of Blue sighed before hearing another voice speak to her from behind, "You went a little easy on her." A male voice spoke. In turning, she saw a man in a large white coat over a red shirt. This sleeves and pants were black, but his long hair was brown. Around his neck was a card-shaped pendent. The helmet he wore was in the shape of a familiar dragon to the Maiden with Eyes of Blue.
"You've always been a lot harder on the kids that need help." The Maiden with Eyes of Blue responded, "I didn't need to beat her, I needed to teach her to believe in herself."
"And you did well," the dragon-man spoke with a smirk, "Calypso."
"Hey, I thought it was clever." The Maiden with Eyes of Blue said with her arms crossed, "And it's better than Kaibaman." She said with him grinning back, causing her to pout., then sigh, "In any case, I wanted to make sure they would be okay."
"They will be," Kaibaman responded before he started to walk away, "Come on, let's get going." He said with The Maiden with Eyes of Blue smiling, letting out a slight giggle before she followed him.
AN: There you go, Blair pulls out a win here. She not only has the talk with Ruby but managed to believe in herself with pull out a victory against the Maiden with Eyes of Blue. Since her namesake cards are more synchro focused, I thought I would give her Dragonmaids since …well…she almost counts as one herself. And to answer why she went by Calypso, there are two reasons. One is that the name references Greek mythology with a maiden as well. The other, Calypso is an anagram for cosplay, which works for this section of the story and her archetype. She also revealed a dark moment in the Duel Spirits world, one setting up a villain to be named later. Ruby and Blair know of a looming threat now but will have just a bit more time to enjoy themselves before getting back to work as heroes. I still need to conclude this Duel Sprits Festival, which means bring in the Girl everyone has been waiting for, but with a small twist at the end. That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.
Now to answer some questions. Regarding the new Ursarctic monsters, I like them. They look cool and they basically have the closest thing we have gotten to dark synchro summon. And we even have a level one synchro monster now, which is neat. Regarding alternative Ace monsters for Ruby, there were a few. Black Rose always comes to mind, but I am still not budging on my no synchro rule here. Another one was Windrose the Elemental Lord, with Ruby's deck being reworked to a wind attribute focused one. However, the card is a pain to write because the graveyard setup, which I already deal with for Yang and Pyrorex. And…it looks so bad with that tiny face and purple rose feet. In the end, Eatos fits for Ruby as her go-to ace for this series, and I do not regret that choice (But please Konami, give it a retain/upgrade before I finish this series to make the final duel super epic). Regarding Yuri vs Jinzo, it was about as one sides as you would imagen it would be based on how it ended. As for why I like Serena's character; she is cool, confident, and compelling. My only complaint is that she was not in the series more and was given better writing near the end. This is basically the same thing I say about Neo, who everyone should know is one of my all-time favorite characters. Like I said too, Lunalight cards are great. And if I like the deck, I usually like the person that played it in the anime. If Yu-Gi-Oh were to have a main female protagonist, I would be okay if it were someone with Serena's character in mind. With that, I will answer anymore question that come up in the next chapter.
