Chapter 27: Tag Team Trouble, Part 1

Heartland is nervous about reporting to Emperor Shade that Roget lost his duel to Varis. He approached the door to his throne room. He hesitantly knocks on the door.

"Enter." He hears Shade's voice from the other side. He walks up to him with a worried look on his face.

"M-My lord… I bring troubling news regarding Roget." Mr. Heartland spoke.

"Let me guess. You sent him to duel Varis and he lost." Shade deduced.

"The blame falls on me for sending him unprepared." Mr. Heartland apologized. "I accept any punishment you have for me." Shade sighs with disappointment towards Heartland, but his upset frown turns into a confident chuckle.

"Good." Shade smirked, earning a look of surprise from Heartland. "The tournament is proceeding as I planned. Send the Masks of Light and Darkness to battle the one called Axel Brodie."

"Oh, yes! Yes, sir! Right away, my emperor!" Mr. Heartland laughs as he left.

Somewhere in the freezing peaks of the Mountain Region, Axel Brodie is doing some training as the third and final day begins.

"I must get stronger. I must win this tournament!" Axel's thoughts ring in his head. While the snow is falling, a chilling laugh fills the air. "Who's there?!" He turns and sees two robed duelists.

"I assume you're the one called Axel Brodie, correct?" The shorter duelist asked.

"Who wants to know?" Axel asked.

The two robed duelists raised their heads, revealing the half-masks they wear. The shorter duelist wears a white smiling mask on the right side of his face. The taller duelist wears a black and red fiendish mask on the left side of his face.

"You may call me Lumis." The shorter duelist, Lumis introduced himself.

"And I am called Umbra." The taller duelist, Umbra, gave Axel his name.

"I heard of you two. You battled Yugi and Kaiba in Battle City." Axel deduced.

"That's right. We're known as the greatest tag team among the Rare Hunters." Umbra said.

"There was no strategy in the world that we can't beat." Lumis added.

"Well, there's a first for everything." Axel glared.

"You've got quite the tongue, Axel." Umbra glared. "You get that learning under Viper?"

"Don't ever mention my past!" Axel barked. "It's about time I put you in your place."

"That's why we're here." Lumis said.

"We've been tasked to take you on in a duel." Umbra said.

Axel's Duel Disk powers on. "From here on, this is war."

"I like your resolve. It'll be even more pleasing when we defeat you." The robed duelists' Duel Disks power on. But before they could get started…

"Hey!"

Axel, Lumis and Umbra look up and see Soulburner fly in on his D-Board. "Soulburner!" Axel exclaimed. Soulburner dismounts from the board.

"Just what do you think you're doing here?!" Umbra asked.

"I couldn't help but notice that you are about to duel. 2-on-1 isn't very fair, so I thought, why not even the odds?" Soulburner asked as his Duel Disk powered on.

"We don't take kindly to interlopers!" Umbra barked.

"Hold on a sec, Umbra!" Lumis spoke to his partner. "Think about it. We were ordered to take down Axel, and Soulburner could be a bonus."

"I like the way you think, Lumis. Let's get to it." Umbra agreed.

"Okay, for this Tag Duel, both teams will start off with 4000 Life Points. Any card on our field and in our Graveyard can be used by our partner." Lumis explained.

"Fine by us." Soulburner agreed.

"Confident, but our skills will bring you to your knees." Lumis said. "But before we begin, it's time to wager Link Crystals."

"I'll wager 2." Axel wagered 2 crystals.

"I'll add in 4, for a total of 6." Soulburner wagered 4 of his crystals.

"Fair enough. Umbra and I have 3 each." Lumis told them as he and his partner's stars are put on the line. "Our Tag Dueling skills are second to no one."

"We'll see about that." Axel said as the next words began the match.

"Time to Duel!"

Axel Brodie/Soulburner: 4000 LP

Lumis/Umbra: 4000 LP

"I'll start things off." Lumis said.

Turn 1: Lumis (4000 LP)

"I place two cards face-down and summon Grand Tiki Elder." Two face-down cards materialize before a fiendish shaman appears.

Grand Tiki Elder: Level 4/1500/800

"So, he's using Mask monsters, huh?" Soulburner asked.

"Be careful. You'll never know what kind of tricks Mask cards can bring." Axel warned him.

"He's right to warn you. Our decks can be overwhelming if you're not careful." Lumis warned him, signaling the end of his turn.

"Alright, then." Axel said before turning to Soulburner. "Soulburner, can I start us off?"

"Be my guest." Soulburner asked

Turn 2: Axel (4000)

"Thanks." Axel said before his turn begins. "I draw!" He sees a lot of familiar cards along with a couple of new ones.

"I activate Blaze Accelerator!" Axel plays his Continuous Spell card. A sentry cannon appears on their field. "Now, by not attacking, I can discard a Pyro with 500 or fewer Attack Points to destroy your monster."

"That means he can get rid of our Tiki Elder." Umbra gasped.

"I can, but before I can load it up, I summon Volcanic Furnace!" Axel summons a new Volcanic monster, a humanoid flame creature in red armor with its chest resembling a furnace.

Volcanic Furnace: Level 5/2000/2200

"Hold on! That monster is Level 5! You can't summon a monster that powerful!" Umbra called him out to Axel's recent move.

"I can if I have a Blaze Accelerator in play." Axel countered, to which the masked duelists gasp. "Speaking of Blaze Accelerator, it's time to activate its effect. I discard my Volcanic Shell to destroy your Grand Tiki Elder." Axel discards his Volcanic Shell. A small fire creature enters Blaze Accelerator's chamber.

"Blaze Accelerator, take aim at Grand Tiki Elder. Fire!" Axel shouts as Blaze Accelerator fires the monster at Grand Tiki Elder, destroying it instantly.

"We may have lost our monster, but on the upside, he can't attack this turn." Lumis said.

"Now that Volcanic Shell is in my Graveyard, its ability lets me give up 500 of our Life Points." Axel said before glowing red for a second.

Axel/Soulburner: 4000→3500

"In exchange, I can add another Volcanic Shell in my deck to my hand." A card slips out of Axel's deck and he puts it in his hand.

"Next, I activate Volcanic Armory." Axel plays another Spell, depicting a warehouse full of Blaze Accelerators.

"Now I place this face-down and end my turn. And since I didn't attack, the effects of Armory and Furnace activate!" Axel declares after placing a card. "Armory allows me to draw one card and Furnace lets me retrieve a Pyro-Type monster with 500 or less Attack Points from my Graveyard and add it to my hand. I recover Volcanic Shell." Axel draws one card and takes Volcanic Shell from the Graveyard.

"Impressive. With those cards, you can easily retrieve cards you discard and get new ones from the deck." Soulburner smirked.

"You may have brought out some good cards, but our monsters are more powerful than any paltry monster you bring out." Umbra glared as his turn begins.

Turn 3: Umbra (4000)

"I draw!" Umbra draws a card. "I activate Silent Doom! This lets me bring a Normal Monster back from the Grave in Defense Mode. Rise again, Grand Tiki Elder!" Lumis' fiendish shaman returns in a defensive stance.

Grand Tiki Elder: Level 4/1500/800

"Next, I activate the Ritual Spell Curse of the Masked Beast!" Umbra plays a Ritual Spell. With this, I can offer monsters from my hand or field as a sacrifice to Ritual Summon. From my hand, I tribute this Ritual Raven in my hand." A fiendish altar appears and a masked raven materializes above them.

"Wait! Masked Beast is Level 8 and Ritual Raven is Level 1! It's not enough!" Soulburner argued.

"True, but Ritual Raven's special ability allows it to be used as the entire offering when Ritual Summoning a Dark monster." Axel explains.

"That's right! See for yourself! Anger and hatred synergize to awaken the creature of ultimate power!" Umbra chants as the flames explode into a mighty pillar. "I Ritual Summon! Here comes The Masked Beast!" A fiendish monster with masks forming most of its body and the head of its staff appears.

The Masked Beast: Level 8/3200/1800

"Nothing can stop its wrath!" Umbra smirked.

"3200 Attack Points?!" Axel gasped.

"And they're about to put them to use. Masked Beast, attack his Volcanic Furnace!" The Masked Beast charges at Axel's monster.

"I activate the Spell card Flaming Barbed Wire!" Axel reveals his hidden Spell. A wall of burning barbed wire blocks the Masked Beast's path. "For every card in my hand, I can switch up to that many monsters on your field to Defense Mode. And until the end of the turn, those monsters' Defense Points drop to 0." The Masked Beast switches to a defensive stance.

The Masked Beast: DEF: 1800→0

"Not bad. I'll just place these face-down and end my turn." Umbra said before two face-down cards materialize. The flames around The Masked Beast dissipate, restoring its strength.

The Masked Beast: DEF: 0→1800

"Nice defense, but even that might not be enough." Lumis taunted.

"That's right. Just wait until our next turn." Umbra said.

"We'll see. Alright, Soulburner, time to give these guys the hot foot." Axel ushers the start of his partner's turn.

Turn 4: Soulburner (3500)

"Gladly. I draw!" Soulburner draws his card. He analyzes his hand and sees four monsters and a couple of spells.

"I'll start by activating this Field Spell…"

"Not so fast! I activate a Trap! Go, Anti-Spell Fragrance!" Umbra reveals his Trap Card, depicting a fiendish-looking cauldron with a weird mist emanating from it. The cauldron in question appears and the mist fills the field around them. Axel smells the mist and gags slightly in disgust.

"That reeks!" Axel groaned.

"It sure does, doesn't it?" Lumis grinned.

"As long as we're inside this murky mist, Spell cards must wait one turn before they can activate." Umbra explains.

Soulburner looks at the Field Spell in his hand: Salamangreat Springs. "That means with this mist out there, I can't use my Field Spell right away. But that doesn't mean I can't get rid of it. I summon Salamangreat Fennec!" A white and yellow fennec fox with a flaming tail appears.

Salamangreat Fennec: Level 3/1600/200

"And I'll use Fennec to blaze my circuit!" He opens the eight-arrow portal. "The summoning condition is 1 Cyberse monster that's Level 4 or lower. I set Fennec in the Link Arrow." The flame-tailed fox enters the portal, illuminating the down arrow. "I Link Summon! Link 1 Salamangreat Balelynx!" The fennec fox disappears and in its place is an armored lynx cub with a flaming tail.

Salamangreat Balelynx: 500/Link 1/↓

"So that's a Link Monster." Umbra said.

"I can't wait to take it down." Lumis said.

"We shall see about that. For now, I activate Balelynx's ability!" Soulburner declared. "It allows me to add the Field Spell Salamangreat Sanctuary from my deck to my hand." A card slips out of his deck and he shows it to his opponents.

"A nice move. Too bad this mist prevents you from playing it right away." Umbra reminded him.

"That's not a problem. Since my monster went to the Graveyard, I can summon Salamangreat Gazelle!" A gazelle with flaming jets on its back appears.

Salamangreat Gazelle: Level 3/1500/1000

"And thanks to Gazelle's ability, I can send a Salamangreat card from my deck to the Graveyard. I'll get rid of Salamangreat Rebirth for now." Soulburner's Trap, depicting Pyro Phoenix emerging from a magma river, falls into the Graveyard.

"Next, since Balelynx is a Link Monster, I can summon this little guy next to its Link: Salamangreat Mole!" Emerging from the snowy ground is an armored mole with flaming claws.

Salamangreat Mole: Level 1/0/0

"I once again blaze my circuit!" Soulburner declared as the eight-arrow portal opens again. "The summoning condition is 2 Fire Effect monsters. I set Gazelle and Mole in the Link Arrows." Gazelle and Mole enter the portal through the up and down arrows.

"I Link Summon! Link 2 Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf!" A green and gray mechanical wolf appeared behind Balelynx.

Salamangreat Sunlight Wolf: 1800/Link 2/↑↓

Soulburner raised his hand again. "But why stop at two when I can blaze the circuit for a third time?" The portal opens again. "The summoning conditions require at least 2 Fire Effect monsters. I set Balelynx and Sunlight Wolf in the Link Arrows!" Both of Soulburner's monsters enter the up, down-left, and down-right arrows.

"I Link Summon! Link 3 Salamangreat Heatleo!" A stream of fire emerged from the portal. An anthropomorphic lion in orange and red armor emerged from the flames. The gauntlets that covered its hands had mouths and it had two larges wings on its back. Heatleo roared as it landed in the Right Extra Monster Zone.

Salamangreat Heatleo: 2300/Link 3/↙↑↘

"So, that's Soulburner's best monster." Umbra noted.

"No doubt about it." Lumis agreed. "I wonder what kind of tricks it has."

"I activate Heatleo's special ability! When it's successfully Link Summoned, one of your Spell or Trap cards is sent back into your deck. So, Umbra, say goodbye to Anti-Spell Fragrance." Umbra's Trap disappears in a burst of red pixels and gathers in Umbra's deck. The mist seeping from the cauldron dissipates.

"Nice one, Soulburner!" Axel complimented. "Now we can use our Spells again."

"That's right. And here's one of them: Salamangreat Claw!" Soulburner plays his Equip Spell. Heatleo gains a bladed claw weapon enveloped in flames. "Not only is Heatleo protected from being destroyed in battle or by any card effects, but it also lets it deal piercing damage."

"It can!?" Umbra gasps.

"That's right. And what better way to demonstrate than attacking your Masked Beast." Soulburner said before Heatleo roars, preparing to strike.

"You won't get by us that easily! I activate Threatening Roar!" Lumis reveals his Trap. A loud roar reverberates from the card, paralyzing Heatleo and Volcanic Furnace.

"What's going on?!" Soulburner asked the masked tag team.

"With the power of Threatening Roar, your monsters aren't allowed to attack this turn." Lumis explained.

Soulburner glared. "Don't worry, we'll get him on our next turn."

"I hope so." Soulburner said. "I place one card face-down and end my turn. And since I have, Volcanic Armory's effect activates, allowing me to draw one card since I didn't attack." A face-down card materializes before disappearing. Soulburner draws one card from his deck, thanks to Axel's card.

Turn 5: Lumis (4000)

"Then it's my turn. I draw!" Lumis draws his card. He sees Masked Beast Des Gardius.

"I switch The Masked Beast to Attack mode." Their Ritual monster switches to an offensive position.

"Then, I summon Mask of Darkness!" Lumis summons a fiendish stone mask.

Mask of Darkness: Level 2/900/400

"Next, I sacrifice my Mask of Darkness and Grand Tiki Elder!" Both monsters disappear in a burst of yellow pixels. "The end is near! I now Special Summon our greatest monster: Masked Beast Des Gardius!" A fiendish monster with three different masks on its body appears before them.

Masked Beast Des Gardius: Level 8/3300/2500

"That thing's massive!" Axel yelped.

"Our tag team strength is unmatched! You'll never win!" Lumis laughed.

To be continued…

Fan-Made Cards

Salamangreat Springs

Field Spell

If you Link Summon a "Salamangreat" Link Monster, you can use 1 "Salamangreat" Link Monster you control with its same name as the entire material. Once per turn, during your Standby Phases: Gain 500 LP for each "Salamangreat" monster you control. If a "Salamangreat" Link Monster(s) you control is destroyed and sent to the GY: You can send this face-up card you control to the GY; add 1 "Salamangreat" Field Spell from your Deck to your hand, except "Salamangreat Springs".

Volcanic Armory

Continuous Spell

This card cannot be activated unless you control a "Blaze Accelerator" card. During the End Phase of a turn in which you did not declare an attack: Draw 1 card. You can only control 1 face-up "Volcanic Armory".

Volcanic Furnace

Level 5

Pyro/Effect

If you control a face-up "Blaze Accelerator" card, you can Normal Summon this monster without Tribute. During the End Phase of a turn in which you did not attack: You can target 1 Pyro-Type monster in your Graveyard with 500 or less ATK; Add the target to your hand.