A lot has changed in the recent years. Since the retirement of the King of Games, and the disappearance of the long-time CEO of Kaiba Corp the world has become a different place. Duel Monsters remains the dominant pastime of society. Taught, televised, and engrossed, it reigns supreme.
Despite being a game that has brought joy to many worldwide, that doesn't mean that there isn't a darker side to the world. From the ashes of what remained of Doma, an organization with the goal of destroying the world, a new one has risen. Wielding strange magic under the monster of Genesis, their reach has started to stretch to all corners of the world.
It's the dead of night, when the nightlife of the city is in full swing, and many street residents are merry and vibrant. In the downtown area of the city, a young man steps out of a bar. A normal sight, if not for how they are still steady on their feet. He didn't come for a drink, but rather answers.
Troy West. College graduate, part-time odd jobs worker, and current aspiring duelist. He's dressed in casual attire, baggy jeans with more pockets than needed, a long-sleeve t-shirt, and a body warmer vest with a hood. His belt has his deck box attached to one side, while his duel disk hangs from the other.
Stepping out of the bar, he shakes his head disappointed, "Another dead-end," he says under his breath. He looks up dramatically at the night sky and ponders life, "I don't know where you are. But I will find you."
He walks away, intending to go home. Coming into the main street, he finds himself unnaturally alone. No sound, no music, or even any hit to any other people. Before he can notice the absence of life, he spots a figure dawned in a black cloak in front of him. Reaching their hand out, Troy tries to wave them off.
"Sorry mate, I haven't got any spare change," he tries to move on until the figure reveals an odd-looking duel disk, pulling back on his robes, he reveals the mark of the orichalcos, the symbol that Genesis has taken as their own marker.
"Troy West. We are told you are searching for your mentor," the cultist's voice comes out as vile and inhuman.
Troy stops in place. His thoughts race a mile a minute at the first sign of information about his lost mentor, "You know where she is?"
"They couldn't be allowed to continue, so we had to put a stop to them," the cultist's tone walks the line of being indifferent and pleased. "We also can't afford someone asking questions, regardless of how insignificant they are." The cultist activates their duel disk, it too has the mark of the seal.
"If that's how it's gonna be," Troy grabs his duel disk and attaches it to his arm before springing it open, activating it before pulling his deck from the box and inserting it into the device. "After this duel, you're going to tell me where she is. Got it?"
The cultist laughs. "When this duel is through, you won't be in any state to hear the answer."
Cultist 4000LP
VS
Troy 4000LP
"I will start with this card. The monster, Gearfried the Iron Knight, in attack mode." [Level 4/Earth/Warrior/ATK 1800] The cultist summons their first monster. A fairly strong card with an immunity from equipping effects. "And then I will set this card facedown. And end my turn." The cultist's turn is short and sweet, remaining basic.
"It's my move, draw!" Troy draws from his deck and smiles upon seeing it to be a monster. "I summon the High Elf Swordsman. And I'll also summon them in attack mode." [Level 4/Light/Warrior/ATK 1700] Troy's monster is a restraint of the original Elf Swordsman, one in holier armor. "Next, I equip them with the magic card, Elf's Light! The Light monster equipped with this magic card gains 400 attack points, making Swordsman stronger than your Iron Knight." [1700 - 2100] Troy's monster channels the light of the equipped card into their sword. "Battle! I attack Iron Knight with High Elf Swordsman!"
Troy's monster pulls its sword to their side and brandishes it before charging for the cultist's monster.
"You fool! I activate my trap card, Chaos Burst!" The cultist springs their facedown trap up.
"What?!"
"Because you declared an attack, I can tribute my Iron Knight. In return, I can target and destroy your monster." Iron Knight explodes, the shockwaves crash into Troy's Swordsman, destroying it. "And that's not all. You also take 1000 points of damage."
[Troy 4000 - 3000]
"I'll set these two cards facedown, and end my turn." Troy ends his turn in a worse state than how he started it. If he's not careful, he'll lose.
"How pathetic. I expected more from you. Your mentor put up a better fight than you. From what I'm told that is," the cultist mocks Troy, while also throwing in a dig at his mentor.
Troy swallows his pride, and focuses on the reason he's dueling now, "What do you know about my mentor, anyway?"
"I know plenty. Especially how we tried to recruit them to our cause, and join our ranks. With their elite skills, he could have been one of our best. But sadly, he rejected our offer and instead chose to stand against us. We most many good members trying to defeat them. It took one of our best to finally put them down."
"What are you saying? Where are they?!" Troy's emotions get the better of him. His voice breaks with his anger, wanting to know where his mentor is.
"They are now a part of something greater than you could ever dream. You'll know soon enough, when you join them," The cultist finally starts their turn, drawing their top card. "This is the card that will seal your fate. Behold!" The cultist flashes the card in their hand, presenting it to the world. "I activate The Seal of Orichalcos!"
An emerald-green circle descends from the sky. Along the ring are symbols, and markings of an ancient language lost to time. The cultist and Troy are caught in the middle of it. Suddenly a hexagonal pentagram is created on the ground, completing the seal. A smaller version of the seal appears on the cultist's forehead, while their eyes become an unnatural red.
"Now I will exact my finishing move. I summon Hayabusa Knight to the field in attack mode." [Level 3/Earth/Warrior/ATK 1000] The cultist's monster is that of a knight with a bird's head and a curved sword. "While I control The Seal of Orichalcos, all my monsters gain 500 attack points." [1000 - 1500] The same seal appears on the monster's forehead too, matching its owner. "My knight has a special ability. During each battle phase, my monster is permitted to attack my opponent twice."
Troy's heart sinks, realizing that the cultist's monster would have the exact amount of attack points needed to defeat him.
"Now then, prepare to join your mentor as part of an offering to the seal! I attack you directly with Hayabusa Knight!"
"Not so fast! I activate the magic card, Shrink! Targeting your Knight, I can cut their original attack points in half. While your monster is still able to damage my life points, I won't lose this duel because of it." [1500 - 1000] Troy takes the first like a champ, however, the knight's sword attack feels real as it slashes across his chest. As the second comes in, he blocks it with his duel disk, pushing the knight back after losing his life points.
[Troy 3000 - 1000]
Troy drops to his knees. He can feel his life being stripped away from the attacks. As if he was a gladiator, and this was his coliseum, "I...haven't lost yet."
"So it may seem. You've survived this long, I'll give you credit for that. But rest assured, next turn, you will meet your fate. I end my turn." The cultist's monster returns to normal, leaving it exposed to Troy.
"It's all or nothing, I draw!" Turning over his top card, he smiles, satisfied with what he's drawn. "You've come." He adds the card to his hand before taking another. "I activate Premature Burial. By paying 800 life points, I can revive a monster from my grave, and I'll use it on High Elf Swordsman." [Troy 1000 - 200] Troy's monster returns to the field. "Next I activate the magic card, Sacrifice of Grave Goods. This turn I can treat monsters equipped with a magic card as two tributes for a monster."
"But you don't have any monsters equipped with anything!"
"Wrong. Premature Burial doesn't just revive a monster, it equips itself to it, meaning I can use my Swordsman as two tributes. I sacrifice High Elf Swordsman to summon this." High Elf Swordsman turns into a ball of light before ascending to the sky. There the light takes shape into a large, mystical dragon with pink scales. "I summon Seiyaryu in attack mode!" [Level 7/Light/Dragon/ATK 2500]
Summoning his ace monster brings a smile to Troy's face. His fingers caress the card as he thinks about how much the card means to him. "I know you're watching over me, mentor. Thank you."
Returning to the duel, Troy is ready to end it this turn. "Seiyaryu, attack Hayabusa Knight!" With its mystic flames, Troy's dragon burns away the cultist's monster, turning it to dust on the battlefield.
[Cultist 4000 - 3000]
"That's not all! I activate the trap, Elf's Inspiration! When a Light monster destroys a monster in battle, that same monster gains 500 attack points and can attack again. It's all over for you!" [2500 - 3000] Seiyaryu attacks the cultist directly, the seal makes the dragon's flame feel real. The cultist cries out in pain before falling to their knees in defeat.
[Cultist 3000 - 0]
The seal starts to close around the duelists but lets Troy pass through as it shrinks around the cultist. In a large beam of light, the cultist has their soul ripped from them. They drop down to the floor.
"Hey," Troy calls out to them, but no response. "Hey!" He rushes over grabs them by the soul and shakes them. "Wake up! You still owe me some answers." Shaking them, he notices something old about them.
He checks their pulse to find it steady and regular, yet opening their eyes he finds nothing. With their soul taken by the seal, the cultist has been left in a state between life and death. He takes his phone out, and calls for an ambulance, "I need to learn more about this cult, and what's really going on here. Until then, I best be careful. Something tells me this fight has just begun."
