Hey everyone!
Anyone who has hung onto this fic up to now likely recalls how last time I said I would "tell you later" why the last chapter took so long. Well, now is later. It was because of a continuity snarl I had inadvertently created.
I had intended from the start to have the SCs get the stele from the pawn shop where Gregory had left it, but at nearly the last minute I realized it was unlikely they could get it for free, and no real way to pay the pawnbroker. So, seeing as Nichole had something she could conceivably wager for it, and I had one deck type I was just dying to try, I decided to leave this to Sonya.
I will say this duel was challenging, I had to look up the effects of multiple cards several times, even ask folks on Reddit once or twice. Hopefully, I didn't make any mistakes that can't be corrected.
Anyway, this got me to thinking that the Shackled City spin-off was a large project, and it was hard for even me - much less readers - to keep track of the entire plot. Thus, a new "accessory" fic will be starting soon, a synopsis of sorts for easy reference for anyone who needs it.
This was not as easy as it sounds; who'd have ever thought reading and summarizing your own fics was so difficult? But I digress, the first "chapter" of this summary should be up soon.
For now, we all can read the latest chapter of The Demonskar Legacy. Enjoy!
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Shadowchasers
The Demonskar Legacy
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Chapter Seven
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Wild at Heart
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As Sonya and Goeb prepared to start their duel, the strange man in the hooded cloak was a block away. He was on a tight schedule, but figured he would get to his destination with time to spare. However, when he passed close to Tygot's Things, one of his dogs started backing again.
"Eh?" he said. "You don't say." He took his watch from his coat pocket and looked for it.
"Hmm, one o' clock. Well, I suppose we have time…"
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"So, what did Sonya bust this guy for?"
"Well, the first time it was all the usual stuff," said Maddie. "Price gouging, fencing, money laundering, bookmaking…"
"You make it all sound… juvenile," growled Goeb.
"When he got out, he expanded. Do you know what taxi medallions are?"
Nichole nodded with a slight, "Uh-huh." A taxi medallion (or a CPNC, a Certificate of Public Necessity and Convenience) was a type of permit that let the owner operate a taxicab in certain cities, it was a small metal crest that the owner was supposed to display in the cab itself. Unlike most permits, it was transferable, so it could be sold to another user or be distributed by a dispatcher, and whoever owned it could legally operate a cab. This system was done to purposely limit the number of taxicabs in a city, and governments tended to produce them at a much lower rate than the demand for taxicabs. As a result, the price for a second-hand taxi medallion could be very expensive.
"There was this would-be crime boss in San Francisco who was leasing the Medallions, but then he figured he could make more profit if took the leaseholders' money and then had them killed. It made it easy to repossess the medallions."
"Yeah, yeah, and I was his… fixer." Goeb made his first draw. "As I told the judge when I took the plea deal, I had been told he was only leasing them. Maybe for more than they were worth, but who doesn't?"
"Of course," said Sonya.
(Sonya: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Goab: 8,000)
"I'm not a violent person, Clarkson, and I would have been the first to object to something so… petty. It wouldn't have been good for him or me when word got out, and it would have, sooner or later. I came here to get away from you folks, but it seems I couldn't do that even if I set up shop in the deepest bowels of Hell."
"Hmm, not sure about Hell, but I did have a vacation home in the Grey Wastes once. Seemed like a place to get away from it all when you needed peace and quiet, but you know what they say: when you go on vacation, you pack yourself. The Homeowner's Association wasn't happy when the place suddenly turned Technicolor."
Even with bandages covering his face and no eyes underneath it, it was easy to tell he was giving her a funny look. He set one card on his Duel Disk, causing a set monster to appear in front of him.
"But enough talk, I've always found this game of yours unorthodox, but it can be… Satisfying at times. So, let's see what you have, it is your movie."
Sonya made her first draw, and it seems what she had was pretty good - hopefully she could end this fast. She went for a monster card and discarded it.
"First thing I'm doing is sending Genta, Gateman of Dark World to the Graveyard. By doing so, I can conjure up The Gates of Dark World! Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here!"
Using the Field Spell first caused eerie, ominous mist to cover the street. With a loud rumbling, a set of giant stone double doors covered with infernal runes rose up behind Sonya.
"Very pretty," snarked Goeb.
"It's decorative and useful, Goeb, because once per turn, I can banish a Fiend from my Graveyard, so I'll do that with Genta." She took the Monster Card from her discard slot but didn't dispose of it the way she usually would. "When Genta is banished, I can summon him to the field."
Placing the card in Defense Mode caused a dark, cold aura to rise on her side, and a Fiend with scaly skin, long tendrils in place of hair, bone-like armor, no mouth, and a long, ragged black cloak appeared from it. It had no weapon, but it had a very large oval-shaped shield covered by the same runes as the ones on the door. It knelt and crouched behind the shield. (1,800 DEF)
"The Field Spell also increases the Scores of Fiend monsters by 300 points." (2,100 DEF) "And banishing Genta was the cost for the true effect, which lets me discard one Fiend and then make one draw." She did just that, discarding another card. "But since I'm discarding Broww, Huntsman of Dark World, I get to draw once for his effect too!"
She drew twice, now again having a hand of six to work with, and used one of them, causing a nasty, cackling laugh to echo through the street. The card produced a tall, lean, gangly Fiend, again with gray, scaly skin and tendril-like hair. He was wearing, of all things, a straitjacket.
"Brron, Mad King of Dark World!" (1,800 ATK - (2,100 ATK)
"Ah yes, I do believe we've met."
"Well, let me introduce him to your monster then. Brron, would you kindly…"
The Mad King of Dark World cackled even louder, tearing free of the restraints and then lunging at the set monster. Oddly, as it flipped up, there was a different sort of cackling (lower and throatier), as a golden vase studded with sparkling jewels appeared in its place. Inside the jar was a strange, one-eyed creature with green skin and big mouth with bright red lips and big, blunt teeth. Undeterred, Brron slashed at the odd jar with his claws and the odd jaw shattered.
"What was that?" exclaimed Maddie.
"Looked… sort of like the Morphing Jar," said Nichole. "With the Pot of Greed inside it…"
"It was the Greed Jar," said Goeb, "a little bit of both. As it was flipped, I get to look at one card off the top of my deck for each card Sonya has on the field." He picked up three cards from his deck and looked at them. "Of those, I get to keep one and then discard the others."
This seemed a little concerning to Sonya, especially since he made the decision very fast. Sonya set one card in her Spell Zone, and then said, "It's your move then."
"Well then…," said Goeb. He made a draw, then threw a card on his Disk, causing a shape to form out of digitized pixels. "Time to bring out the big guns, I will summon… Labyrinth Heavy Tank!"
As the monster fully materialized, there was the sound of a very loud engine and the smell of diesel fuel. The Machine (obviously) was indeed a tank made of dull blue metal, vaguely shaped like a squat dragon with a huge mouth, its claws covering the treads. What made it stand out was the drill bit in the mouth, with four smaller bits on the main bit's sides and four more surrounding the whole. It had two headlights above and to the sides of the drill, resembling glowing eyes. (2,400 ATK)
Of course, all four of the Shadowchasers recognized the very iconic Duel Monster. "Labyrinth Tank?" exclaimed Nichole. "Isn't that a Fusion?"
"The regular Labyrinth Tank is. This is the Labyrinth Heavy Tank, an upgraded model with many significant improvements."
"Such as?"
"Well as you can see, I can summon it with no sacrifice. Of course, it can't attack this turn as a result, but I can get one of three… specific monsters from my deck. And I believe I will use it to gain… This one!"
The card appeared in his hand, and he flipped it around to show everyone.
"Sanga of the Thunder?" exclaimed Sonya.
"Surprised?"
"Actually… No. Seems a natural choice for a showoff like you, though I have no idea how you intend to make it work."
"You'll see soon enough, my dear, the important thing is, I have part one of the strategy, but Labyrinth Heavy Tank's effect doesn't summon it, or even add it to my hand…" Sonya raised an eyebrow as Goeb snapped his fingers and there was an odd, otherworldly sound. A large rectangular box, about the size of a coffin, the lid tied shut with thick ropes, appeared behind Labyrinth Heavy Tank. On the lid was the Sanji symbol for "thunder".
"I'll set one more card facedown, and then it's your move."
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Meanwhile, the duel had attracted a few spectators (this odd new pastime had piqued the interest of the citizens of Cauldron greatly since the Shadowchasers had arrived) one of them being the strange man with the two dogs.
Indeed, quite peculiar, he thought.
Sanga of the Thunder was certainly an iconic card. It was one of three components used to summon the even more iconic Gate Guardian, used by the Paradox Brothers, a team of… eccentric duelist mercenaries. However, while a pro duelist could certainly bring down the house by summoning it, winning while using it was a different story. Most players considered it a poor reward for a lot of effort.
Even Para and Dox couldn't perfect such a strategy, he thought, Goeb has dueled Sonya before, as smug as he is, he doesn't seem stupid enough to underestimate her. He casually checked his watch again. Even if he has the patience to attempt some grandiose move, I doubt Sonya does.
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"Brron, move to Defense Mode!" ordered Sonya.
The Mad King nodded and complied, kneeling and crossing his arms. (700 DEF)
"On the retreat already?" asked Goeb.
"Not even close!" replied Sonya. "First, I'm using the effect of Gates again to banish Brrow and then discard Oosse Vengeful Spirit of Dark World. As you might expect, this causes Oosse to be summoned."
There was a chilling, haunting laugh as a ghostly demon floated up through the ground. It resembled a Dark World Fiend, but more like a phantom, wearing a cloak with a hood that covered his face. (0 ATK)
"Next, I'll Union Equip Oosse to Brron." The ghostly shape pounced at Brron, and the cloak enveloped the Mad King, tightly wrapping around him. Within the cloak, Brron started to grow, straining against the binding. "Then by sacrificing both of them, I can Fusion Summon…. Tutoan, True Sovereign of Dark World!"
The Mad King burst free of the cloak, and roared in bloodlust, but he was not the Mad King now. He had assumed his true form - a hulking, muscular demon holding a steel kanabō and iron armor with a blood-red tabard. (2,600 ATK - 2,900)
"Then, the Spell Card, Charge into Dark World. By using this, I can Special Summon a low-Level Fiend from the Graveyard." She used the card, and Brron appeared again, calmer now, but still with a wicked-looking grin. Tutoan looked down at him, and he nodded. (2,100 ATK)
"See, I'm not the only one around here with a dark side - well, darker."
"How existential can you get?" asked Goeb.
"Let's see, I knew this boggart who took my form, then there was that stalker who tried to replace me, that recording of me that came to life and crawled out of my phone, the one that came from the future and warned me not to eat that yogurt, the one that grew out of that zit in my ear…"
"You are crazy Clarkson."
"Hey, come to my family reunion one of these days. Last time, we got a couple of Valkyries there - they got tipped off that Ragnarok was starting early. Ahem, anyway… via the second effect of Charge into Dark World, I can discard another card, and again, doing so with this monster summons it. Lucent, Netherlord of Dark World!"
In a surge of shining, metallic energy, a Fiend appeared that seemed to be of the same extended family as Goldd and Sillva. He looked very much like a typical demon, being muscular with bony spurs on its torso, had huge, bat-like wings, claws, horns on its skull-like head, a barbed tail, and feet with cloven hooves. What set him apart, though, was that he didn't seem to be completely… there. His scaly skin was pale and didn't seem completely solid. (2,400 ATK - 2,700 ATK)
"And now… I attack! Tutoan, destroy that Tank! Contrast Smasher!"
Howling a feral battle cry, the True Sovereign of Dark World lifted his weapon over his head with both hands and charged towards the Machine, his gait causing the ground to tremble with each step. Until, that is, Goeb used his Trap Card.
"I activate Omega Judgment! This card destroys three monsters! So long as one of them is in my Spell Zone."
The strange coffin burst open, and Sanga of the Thunder rose over the Tank, lightning flashing overhead. Then, bolts from above struck Tutoan and Lucent, atomizing them. Then, Sanga itself dissolved into sparks that dissipated away.
"I learned that trick from someone who used Artifacts, and I thought it made a nice touch."
"Well, sure, with Artifacts you're supposed to trash your own monsters." Her own Trap Card flipped up. "Not sure what good it does with them. I use Back to the Front to summon Lucent back in Defense Mode." Again, Lucent appeared, reassuming his position in front of Sonya, this time kneeling and covering himself with his wings like a cloak. (0 DEF) "And it's your move."
Goeb drew a card, and while his poker face was impossible to determine (as he did not have a face) it seemed he was pleased with it. He used the card immediately, placing it in his Duel Disk's Field Slot. Results were immediate, a cold wind blowing across the field, blowing away the mist and then eroding the Gates of Dark World into sand. Then, stone walls started to rise around the arena, along with odd stone columns. After about a minute, the backdrop had changed to a room in a subterranean dungeon with corridors on every wall.
"Where is this?" asked Maddie.
"I… think this is what the inside of the Labyrinth Wall is like," replied Nichole.
"Labyrinth Wall Shadow, to be exact," said Goeb. "First of all, while this Field Spell is active, monsters of Level 4 or lower cannot attack the turn they are summoned. Also, it gives the monsters I'm using a variety of extra abilities, one of them being, well…"
Labyrinth Tank's "eyes" flashed, and bolts of plasma fired at Lucent, blowing the Fiend to particles.
"...that. Next, I'll use the Spell Card… Fusion Deployment!"
"Never heard of that one," said Maddie.
As Goeb played the Spell, the large image of a card - with its back towards Sonya - appeared next to him. "I get to show you a monster from my Fusion Deck, and then Special Summon one of its components. So… I guess it's time to finally come clean."
The card spun around, showing the face side to Sonya. Oh… great… she thought.
"Gate Guardians Combined?"
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One of the odd man's dogs barked twice.
"No, Penelope, I did not, but it makes sense. Gate Guardian is supposed to be a combination of three monsters, so a Fusion version is a natural upgrade.
"Which is bad news for Sonya, as a Fusion Summon is much easier to do than sacrificing three Level 7 monsters, and this seems to have an Effect that improves on the original Gate Guardian." He rubbed his chin and added, "Then again, any new effect would be an improvement there." He looked at his watch again. "We may have to reschedule, but this is one duel I do not wish to miss the end of."
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"Now that I've done that," continued Goeb, "I'll put it away for now, and as I said, I can now summon… Suijin!"
As he used the card, a gusting stream of water poured from it, turning into a pulsating blob of fluid, which then changed shape into an… odd sort of demon. This was the lower part of Gate Guardian's body, and as such had a body composed of two muscular legs with taloned feet on a muscular waist, about six feet wide. The Kanji symbol for "water" was where a belt buckle might be, and below that was a demon's head with a very large jaw with fangs. (2,500 ATK)
"I just thought of about four jokes I could make right now," said Sonya.
"Inappropriate for a public venue, no doubt," said Goeb. "I don't like it much easier, so I won't be keeping it around long, just enough to use… The Sacred Sword of Seven Stars!"
Using the Spell Card caused a long, elegant-looking katana blade to appear floating in the air next to Goeb. It had a fancy golden hilt and an obsidian blade with seven blue gems. The ethereal grabbed hold of the hilt and swung it downward, making a diagonal cut that cleaved Suijan clean in half, the remains dissolving into motes.
The sword disappeared, and Goab straightened his collar before continuing. "By banishing my Level 7 monster, I get to draw twice." He made the two draws, nodded slightly, and then set one of them in his Spell Zone. "And now… Attack the Gatekeeper of Dark World, Labyrinth Heavy Tank!"
The monster's method of attack made perfect sense when you consider that it was a giant drilling machine. It accelerated with its huge but spinning, making a beeline for the defending Gatekeeper. Genta attempted to shield itself, but the shield shattered, the impact causing him to tumble backwards and shatter.
"So much for him. Now, you may remember how my Tank can move one of Gate Guardian's three components from my deck to my Spell Zone - but it also works on components that I have banished and those in my Graveyard. In addition, my Field Spell has the same effect. Thus, I'll use the Tank's effect to do so with Suijin, and the latter to bring back Sanga again."
This time he snapped his fingers twice, and two of the bound coffins appeared, the kanji symbols indicating that they held the sealed forms of those two elementals.
"I'll set one card facedown and then it's your move, Clarkson."
"Well, look at the bright side," said Maddie, "at least Sonya still has all her Life Points."
"I know," said Nichole, "and that worries me."
"Say what?"
"Look there, This Field Spell lets Labyrinth Heavy Tank destroy a monster via Effect, and that Effect doesn't prevent it from attacking. Bronn is in Attack Mode, but both of Sonya's other monsters were defending. Come to think of it, there was nothing keeping Suijin from attacking either, he could have attacked Bronn with that and then made a direct attack with the Tank!"
"That… wouldn't have been pleasant…"
Nichole wasn't the only one who noticed it. He made only one attack when he could have made three, she thought. Why?
Not only would she have lost Life Points had he made an attack on Bronn, she would have lost Bronn, and he was the only monster on the field then with an effect that could still be used.
And that wasn't the only reason that was a mistake, she thought. She took the card she had drawn. Looks like I finally have a chance to use this fella.
"First of all, I'll use the Continuous Spell Card, Dark World Bounty. With this in play, I can draw one card every time I Special Summon a Dark World monster. Which I will, once I normal summon… Vir, Gambler of Dark World!"
Playing the card caused a sly, suave-looking Fiend to appear. He wore an expensive-looking waistcoat and slacks made of black material, a white shirt, a red tie, black shoes, and dark glasses. If not for the common Dark World traits of gray, scaly skin and hair tendrils (tied in a ponytail) he might have been considered youthful, or even handsome. (200 ATK)
Hmm, looks like the fate of the Sand Gambler's soul, thought the odd man. Not much of a surprise if it were.
"Only 200 Attack Points?" said Goeb. "I'd put even money on that monster being a Tuner."
"You got it, so now Vir can ante up and give the Mad King a Tune up!"
Vir lowered his glasses, producing two cards - a Two of Diamonds and Four of Hearts - from his waistcoat pocket, throwing them into the air where they formed into Synchro rings, the two Dark World monsters flying upward and through them.
"The primal energies contained within these creatures combine to spawn an abomination blacker than the darkest Shadow…"
(*2 + *4 = *6)
"I Synchro Summon, Maruu, High Bishop of Dark World!"
As she had in the exhibition duel at the Demonskarr Ball, Sonya's cards brought forth a demonic satire of a clergyman, a Dark World Fiend in maroon vestments, a golden sash, and a bishop's miter, holding a long scepter topped with a skull. (2,100 ATK)
"As I said, I make one draw. Then, as per Maruu's effect, I can Special Summon Lucent from the Graveyard."
Maruu's eyes glowed green, as did the ones on the skull of his staff, and a surge of burning lightning arced from it, striking the ground and pulling the Exarch of Dark World back to life. (2,400 ATK)
"In addition, for every three Levels a monster summoned by Maruu has, I get to discard a card. Lucent is Level 6, so I'll discard Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World and Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World. The first one, when discarded, is simply summoned to the field."
Much like the other Dark World demons summoned by discard, the Wu-Lord - a Fiend slightly smaller than Lucent with golden armor, wings, and a battle-axe - appeared in a shadowy aura. (2,300 ATK)
"Grapha, well… Grapha does something very different."
Behind Sonya, a huge shadowy shape appeared, like a dragon sculpted out of pure darkness. Glowing eyes fixated on Labyrinth Heavy Tank, and then a wave of rot and decay blasted from what passed for a mouth, quickly causing the Tank to rust and corrode until it collapsed into inert scrap.
"This is trouble…," said Goeb.
"You don't know the half of it. Sadly, discarding alone won't bring Grapha himself to the battle, but -" Goldd disappeared as she took the Wu-Lord's card from her Disk "- I can do that by sending a Dark World Fiend back to my hand."
The dark shadow solidified, and Grapha's actual form revealed itself. It was an unholy combination of a demon and a dragon, with an armored hide that seemed to be made of equal parts bone and metal, with sharp horns, blades, and spurs all over its body. (2,700 ATK)
"Can't say you weren't asking for this, Goeb. Maruu, Lucent! You two are up first! Let him have it!"
Maruu cast his dark spell a second time, but not arched this time, a spiraling stream of multicolored lightning from the eyes of the skull on his staff striking Goeb in the chest. Lucent had to use more conventional methods, darting forward and raking the ethereal across the chest with both claws. Seeing as Goeb had no face - or no physical body - it was hard to tell whether the direct attacks hurt him or not, but he still doubled over and held his chest, likely more annoyed than hurt.
(S: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 3,500)
"Your turn, Grapha! Attack directly with Darkfire Hellstorm!"
The Dragon Lord of Dark Lord took a deep breath, its eyes fixated on the ethereal. But Goeb wasn't going to let himself be a target a third time. "Afraid that's all you get!" shouted Goeb. "I activate both my Trap Cards. First, Call of the Haunted!"
Playing the card caused the floor to rumble, and then Labyrinth Heavy Tank appeared again, burrowing out of the ground drill-first. (2,400 ATK)
"Well fine, I'll attack that instead! Grapha…"
The Dragon Lord started to power up for another attack, but this time, there was an even louder rumbling, and a huge, lamprey-like, eyeless worm burrowed from out of the stone floor.
"What the? Dungeon Worm?"
The strange creature had taken Grapha - and Sonya - completely by surprise. Its jaws sank into the Fiend's neck, and both crashed to the floor where they both shattered into bits.
"What the hell was that?"
"My second Trap Card," answered Goeb, "Lair of the Worm. When I control a Field Spell and a monster that's Level 5 or higher, I can use it to destroy a monster that attempts to attack. And it also increases my Life Points by that of the Attack Score of the monster it destroys."
(S: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 6,200)
So then, it's Draining Shield plus Sakuretsu Armor, thought Sonya. Not sure those conditions make it an even trade off, though.
"Okay, nice trick, but I can summon Grapha more than once that way." She took Lucent's card from her Disk and Grapha - though more subdued this time - appeared once again. (2,700 ATK) "I'll set one more card and then it's your move."
"Well then," said Goeb making his draw, "it's time to close this deal. First, I'll use my Field Spell to place the third deity in my Spell Zone."
A third coffin appeared behind the Tank, this time with the kanji symbol for Wind. Here it comes, thought Sonya. She kept her eyes fixed on the coffins as they started to shake and the ropes snapping. The component demon-gods burst from the caskets and menacingly hovered over the field. Goeb started to chant:
Elements of Thunder, Water, and Wind,
Sanga, Suijin… Kazejin!
Meld the powers of Eternal Light,
Show this fool your unstoppable might!
The three deities positioned themselves with eldritch primal energy flashing. "Here it comes," muttered Sonya.
He is pain beyond description!
He'll mark the graves with your inscription!
Gate Guardian!
Suijin touched down with a loud crash, then Kazejin bonded to its top, then Sanga of the Thunder above that, and its arms extending and the hands forming claws the size of swords. Finally, the hulking, imposing form of the Gate Guardians Combined looked over Sonya, looking down with a malevolent gaze that needed no eyes. (3,750 ATK)
"Haha, I'm sorry," said Goeb, "rather corny, I know, but – got to put a little drama into it, right?"
"Uh-huh, yeah." Sonya was barely listening, finding it hard to take her eyes away from the huge… thing in front of her. "So, I assume this is more than just 3,750 Attack Points?"
"Oh, much more. Gate Guardians Combined can negate any Spell, Trap, or Monster effect aimed at it or any other monster I control, and it can do so three times per turn. Plus, if you somehow manage to defeat it - well, we'll cross that bridge if we come to it, which I doubt."
"So, the most feasible way to defeat it would be by battle? Difficult, but not impossible."
"Good point." Goeb took a Spell Card from his hand and used it. "You know what they say, accessories make the man - or the monster."
Ask anyone who had ever worked with Sonya Clarkson, and they know that she has always been something of a font for the most bizarre and unusual stories that the world of Shadow had to offer. However, one story in her past that she rarely shared with anyone - for a variety of reasons - was her confrontation with an avolakia, one of several evil creations that a dark abomination called Kyuss is known for. Resembling an unholy cross between a lamprey, insect, and squid, avolakia are, without exception, powerful necromancers, and this particular one was rather adept with a spell called Enervation. This offensive magic leeches the very life from the target and subsequently nourishes the caster. Being subjected to it is not something one is quick to forget, despite how much Sonya wanted to forget it.
The Riryoku Guardian Spell Card was a harsh reminder as to why. She screamed, falling to her knees and holding her chest.
(S: 4,000) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 6,200)
"Damn!" shouted Maddie. "That card just wiped out half her life points!"
"Uhm, I don't think 'wiped out' is the right term here." Nichole pointed up at Gate guardians Combined", where its Attack Score had…significantly increased. (7,750 ATK)
It now became obvious just why Goeb had refrained from trying to reduce her Life Points until now.
"It only works with Gate Guardian," he said, "when my opponents' Life Points are higher than mine. As you can see, the card's effect changes that situation fast. Now, I… Hmm, I suppose this might be overkill, but just in case… I'll also summon… Principug."
The monster that appeared this time could not have been more of a contrast to the hulking behemoth that dominated the field. It was a small, cute pug dog, wearing an oversized toy crown and a red cloak. (0 ATK)
"Huh, that's… adorable."
"Adorable indeed, yet deadly," replied Goeb. "This little fella can, once per turn, enable a monster with the word 'Guardian' in its name to attack twice."
"You have got to be kidding…"
"Oh, I never 'kid'. But… all this seems to have made Labyrinth Heavy Tank feel left out, so…"
The Tank's "eyes" flashed again, and its powerful blasters slammed into Grapha, blowing him to shards again.
"One down, and now it can attack! Run the High Priest of Dark World down!"
Everyone watching - which by now, was quite a few - made themselves look away as the Tank charged towards Maruu, its drilling spinning. Sonya, unfortunately, couldn't do so - she had a plan, but to pull it off, she had to concentrate.
(S: 3,700) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 6,200)
"All right, now you really asked for it!" she shouted. "Call of the Haunted!" Her facedown card lifted up, a rather familiar Trap. "Yeah, I have one too." A stone casket rose out of the ground in front of her, and the lid slowly opened. Vir, Gambler of Dark World stepped out, dusting off his coat as he stood up. He took a coin from his waistcoat pocket and casually flipped it. (200 ATK)
"Him again?"
"You got it. First, I'll draw once due to Dark World Bounty, and then I can show you what Vir here can do. His effect works a little differently than most Dark World monsters. Because he's the only monster I have on the field, I can sacrifice him and pay 1,000 Life Points."
Vir flipped the coin again and lowered his glasses. He put the coin back in his coat, and then vanished into dark mist.
"Then, I get to take cards from the top of my deck until I get a monster, and once I do, I get to discard it."
One of the odd man's dogs barked, the tone sounding slightly confused. "Your guess is as good as mine, Isabelle. There's no Dark World monster I know of that could stand up to attack power like that."
"Let's see, Spell, Trap, Spell," said Sonya. Then she picked up the fourth card and looked at the ethereal with a crafty grin. "Bad news, Goeb. The card I'm discarding is… Cela, Nurse Corp of Dark World!" She threw the card into her Graveyard slot, and almost immediately, a swirling portal of blackness appeared on the floor in front of her. She took the three other cards she had picked up, switched the one on top, and then placed the three on the top of her deck as the humanoid Fiend silently floated up through the portal…
"Ugh…," said Goeb.
The monster that appeared was female, and seemed to, at first glance, be the typical "naughty nurse" outfit. Everyone knew the style (especially actual nurses, who hated the concept) a fetish-oriented version of a nurse's uniform, with a short skirt, a plunging V-neck revealing a lot of cleavage, high heels, garter belts, and a cap with a cross on the front. But that was where the similarity ended.
This Dark World Fiend did have hair, something the others lacked (long, straight, black, waist-length hair) but still had the same gray, scaly skin, and her fingernails seemed unusually long and sharp, colored with red polish. The most unsettling was her face, or rather, lack of it. She had no eyes, nose, nor mouth, it was like the flesh on her face had melted and then resolidified. (0 ATK)
"Sonya, now you're starting to scare me."
"I'll take that as a compliment, Nichole!" replied Sonya with a laugh.
"Yeah, yeah, real scary," sighed Goeb. "Now where was I… Right, attack that nurse with Cataclysm Tempest Storm!"
The Gate Guardians Combined lifted its arms, and all three of its components' Kanji symbols glowed with pure power. What happened next fit the name of the attack completely; bolts of lightning struck from above, gale winds howled through the Labyrinth Field, and a column of water blasted from the monster's chest towards the Nurse Corp of Dark World. At first, it seemed to have the expected effect, blasting her to vapor… But when the storm subsided…
"What?"
(S: 10,450) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 6,200)
"Surprised?" Sonya giggled a little. "Because I summoned her Dark World style, all damage I would have taken from a battle with her is converted to Life Point gain. I mean, why did you think I summoned her in Attack Mode?"
As might be expected, Goeb was very angry. "Going to wipe that smile off your face, Clarkson… Gate Guardians Combined! Second attack! Attack directly!"
What happened next was very hard to watch. Sonya had nothing to defend herself this time, and the Cataclysm Tempest Storm seemed to increase in severity, brutally slamming into her without any sense of mercy or quarter…
Still, when it finally subsided, Sonya was miraculously still standing. Her clothes were soaked, her hair was a mess, but she was still on her feet, and despite Goeb's angry threat, still smiling.
(S: 2,700) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 6,200)
"Uh, remind me, Nichole," said Maddie, "Sonya is human, right?"
Sonya closed her eyes and smiled even wider. "Heh, that's the big joke, Maddie… When all is said and done, I'm only too human."
Goeb was about to play another card, and as he did so, his hand trembled. He had been a merchant most of his life, and as an ethereal, he had dealt with some of the darker sides of Shadow - illithids, neogi, slaad, even emissaries of the Unseelie Court, something he (and the other ethereals he had been with) hadn't looked forward too. Sonya's resilience was something he had never seen before. He placed his hand on the left side of his torso where the pocket was where he had stashed the stele, the item that this whole duel had started over. He had no idea what it was or what it was for, but he knew one thing now…
…they want this pretty badly…
"Remember my Lair of the Worm Trap Card? Well, since I have a monster on the field with the word 'Guardian' in its name, I can pay 1,000 Life Points to take it from my Graveyard and set it on the field." For the third time, he snapped his fingers, and the set card appeared in his Spell Zone. "So then… make your move."
(S: 2,700) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 5,200)
Sonya wasn't quite as steadfast as she let on. She felt like a locked door that had been kicked three times and would give way on a fourth kick.
She made a draw. Hmm, Conundrum Contradiction… Putting it aside, she looked up at Gate Guardians Combined. Okay, let's look at the options… One, find a way to attack that thing… Mmm…. Not an option. She looked at Principug. Two, attacking that one - better option, assuming I can attack it with that Trap Card ready to trigger.
She looked at the Spell she had drawn again and then… then it hit her. This would work, but the timing would have to be perfect.
"First of all, I'm using the Spell Card, Conundrum Contradiction. By using this card, I can take one of my banished monsters and summon it to your side of the field."
"Wait, what are you -" To Goeb's surprise, Broww, Huntsman of Dark World appeared next to Principug, crouching in Defense Mode. (800 DEF)
"Then, I get to take one of your banished monsters and summon it to my side of the field. I think I'll choose… Suijin!"
Seeing his own monster appear on Sonya's side only made Goeb more confused. "Okay, this makes no sense at all."
"Sense? You're the one who said I was crazy, Goeb!"
"I didn't mean it literally, it was -" He was cut short by Sonya using another Spell Card. "- uh, what's that? Dark World Ascension?"
"It's like Dragon's Mirror but for Fiends, but it has an additional bonus for Dark World Fusion monsters. I can not only banish the materials from my Graveyard, I can discard them from my hand."
"So then, I'll banish Grapha and discard Goldd."
The two monsters appeared behind her, then turned into splotches of gold and gray that combined into a dark, shadowy mass, which enlarged into a portal. There was a low growl, and two evil eyes opened within the portal… Then, a giant claw stepped out, slamming onto the ground.
The rest of the beast quickly followed, pulling its immense body through and then standing upright. This creature was… Hard to describe. It was just as big as Gate Guardians Combined and could possibly be described as a humanoid version of Grapha, but only in the loosest sense of the word "humanoid". It had four enormous wings, muscular, clawed arms, a thick tail, and while its head was similar to Grapha's, it had a second head - with neither eyes nor mouth - on a serpentine neck sprouting from its torso. While it stood on two legs it had a third leg on its right hip. The entire thing was hulking, muscular, covered with metal plates, blades, and barbs.
The anatomy of this Fiend made no sense and wasn't supposed to - it was Chaos. (3,200 ATK)
Sonya again drew via the effect of her Continuous Spell. That's the one, she thought.
Mmm, quite an impressive bit of summoning, thought the odd man with the dogs. But hardly sufficient. It isn't nearly strong enough to defeat Gate Guardians Combined. He looked at Principug and then at Labyrinth Heavy Tank. And even if she could manage to avoid the Trap Card, the most damage she could inflict upon Goeb would be… He did a quick calculation in his head. 4,000 Life Points, not enough to reduce him to zero, and he would still win on his next turn… Unless…
Meanwhile, due to being discarded, Goldd appeared as well, casually resting his axe over his shoulder as he looked smugly at Goeb and his monsters. (2,300 ATK)
"Well fine, attack then!" dared Goeb.
"Mmm, okay! Suijin, attack Principug!"
"What, you… I don't know what your game is, Clarkson, but it's not going to work. I activate Lair of the Worm!"
Sonya's smile widened as the Trap lifted. "That's exactly what I wanted you to do, Goeb. Grapha! Dimensional Reality Revision!"
"Eh, what… You…"
"Like your monster, Grapha has an effect that reacts to card effects, but in this case, it changes the effect. So, rather than destroying Suijin and increasing your Life Points, Lair of the Worm instead discards a card at random from my hand." She held up her hand of two cards, and a thin beam of energy bolted from the Trap Card, hitting one of them and causing it to shatter. As a result, Lucent, Netherlord of Dark World appeared again. (2,400 ATK)
"Ah heh, you know, you had me worried a minute there, I thought you were going to summon…"
"This?" She turned the last card in her hand around, revealing it to be Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World. "Actually, he'll be coming in a minute. For now, because that was technically your card's effect that summoned Lucent, he gets to use an additional effect, and summon another monster to your side. This time, I'm going to summon Ceruli, Guru of Dark World!"
This new monster that appeared in the last space of Goeb's Monster Zone was a small, nasty-looking imp, with three small, forward-pointing horns on its brow and two larger ones on the sides of its head. It wore a blue cloak with a fur collar and held a spear. (200 ATK)
"His effect, when Special Summoned, is to force the opponent to discard a card from their hand, and that is me, from his point of view. So, I discard Reign-Beaux, and…"
The monster appeared in a flourish of multicolored light. He was a tall, muscular Fiend with all the typical features - curved horns, cloven hooves, and a military fork with barbed, golden prongs. (2,500 ATK)
"Oh… crap…," said Goeb.
What happened next was like a kaleidoscope of multicolored lasers flashing upwards. Principug and Ceruli were nuked immediately, then Brrow shattered. The Labyrinth Heavy Tank withstood the assault for a few seconds, flames and smoke coming from multiple rents in its hull before the engine exploded. Finally, Gate Guardians Combined let out a low, hollow groan, fell on one knee, and finally, shattered.
"Whoa…," said Maddie.
"Oh, you think you're so smart?" shouted Goeb. "Guess again! Gate Guardians Combined has one other effect - when it's destroyed, I get to Special Summon another Gate Guardian… So long as it's a lower Level than that one."
Sonya went dead cold inside. For a few brief seconds, she was looking defeat - and humiliation - in the face, and the consequences of all her boastful confidence were about to come crashing down on her…
Then, a new monster appeared, and the spark of life came back. What Goeb had summoned this time was like the Gate Guardian, but… without Suijin. In effect, it was Sanga of the Thunder on top of Kazejin, hovering in the air. (2,500 ATK)
"I see… Well then… Where was I? Oh yes, Suijin was about to attack. Suijin, Tidal Surge!"
Suijin roared and blasted a torrent of water from the Kanji symbol on the front. This elected a dual roar from the incomplete Gate Guardian, who retaliated with bursts of lightning and wind, and both duelists shielded themselves as the powerful elemental blasts obliterated both monsters.
"Looks like that one just didn't have a leg to stand on."
"Very funny. I'm still not finished! When Gate Guardian of Thunder and Wind is destroyed, I can summon… Sanga of the Thunder!"
Sonya rolled her eyes as the deity appeared again, hovering in the air. (2,600 ATK) She quickly checked the Score on her Duel Disk, and then said, "Well… Fine. Grapha! Attack Sanga of the Thunder! Chaos Elemental Storm!"
"SONYA! DON'T!" screamed Maddie.
Too late. The Dragon Overlord wrath seemed to rend reality apart for a few brief moments, the assault more than enough to take down Sanga of the Thunder. Unfortunately, Goeb quickly intervened.
"Sanga!" he shouted, "Lightning Blockade!"
As the storm intensified, a cage of lightning bolts sprung up around Sanga, and Grapha howled, its Attack Points falling to zero. The elemental shot bolts of burning lighting in a counterattack, and Grapha, Dragon Overlord of Dark World shattered to bits.
There was dead silence. Sonya lowered her head…
(S: 100) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 5,200)
…and then, there was an angry bellow that seemed familiar.
"Nice trick, Goeb, and it almost worked, but I had one more surprise too."
Grapha - the original Grapha - was looming over her now, its eyes on Goeb, and it was furious. (2,700 ATK)
"You… that… what…"
"That's right, Goeb, much like your monster, mine can summon a weaker version of itself. And because Sanga of the Thunder can only use its effect once… I do believe your storm is about to blow over."
Grapha's foul breath homed in on the thunder deity, blowing it to minute shards. Sonya barely took time to stop, Goldd and Lucent striking Goeb directly with blades and claws. Finally, Reign-Beaux blasted a spiraling vortex of multicolored beams from his weapon, finally breaking the ethereal's stance and knocking him on his back.
(S: 100) - - - - - - - - - - (G: 0)
"Ow…" groaned the pawnbroker.
He looked up and saw Sonya standing over him - offering her hand. He shook his head and took it.
"I have to admit, Goeb," she said, "that was the best duel I've had in a long time." She helped him to his feet. "I mean, if you had used that effect to summon the regular Gate Guardian, I'd have really been screwed."
"I know, I know… I don't have one. That's pretty much the only use for that card in a deck like this, but it's rare, and everyone who has one isn't about to sell it." He reached into his jacket and took out the stele, looking at the odd sigils written on it that he couldn't read. "That's an irony I've seen so many times in this business, Clarkson. The rarest and most valuable things never have much practical use. People want to own them for the sake of having them."
"It's one of the big mysteries in life," said Nichole. She didn't mean sarcasm there - that wasn't far off. "Just give us the stele, we have a train to catch."
"Just tell me one thing - why is this old piece of metal so important?"
"To be completely honest, I have no idea." Nichole took the stele as he handed it to her. "Hopefully, Gregory can tell us when we find him."
"Let's get going everyone," said Maddie, "the train leaves in," she looked at her watch. "Oh, dammit."
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After twenty minutes of running, the trio arrived at the depot outside of town, the clock reading 3:10 - ten minutes late. They had assumed they would miss the train and would have to make up some excuse to Francis, Red Feather, and Hank.
To their surprise, the train was still parked at the depot, and did not seem even close to being ready to depart. There were about three dozen or so passengers on the platform waiting to board. They quickly noticed, about half of them were Alleybashers.
"Uh, excuse me?" Nichole tugged on the shoulder of one of the half-orc mercenaries. What's going on here?"
He shrugged. "No idea," he replied in a surly voice, "I was hoping someone else here knew. We got here an hour ago because they wanted us to board early."
"What for?"
"No clue. All I know is, the guy who signs the paycheck told us to. Must be something big happening in Redgorge."
"And whatever that is," said another voice, "it seems a lot of supplies are being moved there too."
The speaker was the strange man with the dogs, whom the Shadowchasers had yet to meet - or so they assumed.
"I've been asking around myself, apparently there are far more trains running today, but many of them are only for cargo. The passenger trains seem to be using far more of its luggage space for that purpose than usual."
Nichole looked at him suspiciously. Obviously, he was a Shadow, but with his cloak and hood she was unable to tell just what sort. He seemed familiar, though. "Uh, thank you Mr -"
"Courland," he replied, "Moldon Courland. And as for you, Ms. Belvins, the reputation of you and your companions precedes you. Oh look, it seems Isabelle has taken a liking to you, Ms. Fulton."
One of the two dogs seems to take a liking to Maddie, wagging its tail as it rubbed its head against her up to her. She smiled and petted it on the head.
"Oh, isn't that the rest of your group?" He nodded to the far end of the platform, where the other Red Feather, Francis, and Malakar had seen them.
"Perhaps our paths might cross again in the future. Until then, I have other business to address. Good day."
Francis gave the strange man the same odd look that Nichole had given him.
"Who was that? He looked familiar."
"I know, I thought so too. Do we know anyone named Moldon Courland?"
Francis was about to say "no", but then a loud voice sounded over some sort of magical loudspeaker: "Attention, the shuttle making stops to Redgorge, Hollowski, Kingfisher Hollow, and then returning to Cauldron will depart in ten minutes. Please form two lines and have your tickets ready. We apologize for any inconvenience."
As the passengers began to board, Nichole took the item that Sonya had managed to win, the odd rectangular stele that seemed to have some connection to the disk-shaped stele, the one Goeb claimed was made by spellweavers, whatever those were.
Still, she figured, much like Gregory did, that it was a code stone. So then, she now had a map with no names that started at an unknown location and led to an unknown destination, which she now assumed had a code that needed to be deciphered to reveal… something important. Whoever had left it for whatever reason.
I could be looking at a map to some ancient vault that holds the Codex of the Infinite Planes… Or Zao Shen's failed recipe for sweet and sour chicken.
Of course, she really had no idea whether or not Zo Shen had ever developed a failed recipe for sweet and sour chicken, but it seemed all this had as much chance of leading to something important as it had to leading to something worthless.
Much like Gregory had reacted upon seeing this stele for the first time, she asked herself, Why is it that every solution you find leads to more questions?
"Uhm, Sonya," said Maddie, "if you don't mind me asking… Why did that you from the future tell you not to eat the yogurt?"
"Heh, actually, to tell the truth," said Sonya, "she never told me."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"He called himself 'Moldon Courland'?" said Rivaldi. "Terrific."
"Uhm, am I not getting the joke here?" asked Jil.
"It was a message – to us. He knows we are stalking him."
"So, uh, then, do you want me to keep stalking him? I mean, that place gives me claustrophobia as it is, and -"
"Yes, but don't go on that train, Jil. Wait until tomorrow morning, and be sure to stock up on funds, you might need to be there longer than we assumed. Helensla will be accompanying you."
Jil made a face, and Rivaldi could sense her disapproval. "Fear not, child, you have proven yourself resourceful and your efforts have been commendable thus far. Many members of the council - myself included - will be requiring apprentices soon, and you are still welcome to apply."
"Haha, uh, sure," said Jil nervously, "Wouldn't miss that for the world. I'll be here tomorrow."
The connection broke off, and Jil shoved the amulet under her cloak, a weight lifted off her shoulders again.
While Rivaldi's compliments and offer were likely genuine, she really wasn't sure officially joining this little club of hers was the best idea - for a group with a limit of only twenty-six members who all had lifetime appointments, the rate of which openings became available was surprisingly high…
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Contradiction Conundrum (Normal Spell Card)
Image: Warrior Lady of the Wasteland and D.D. Warrior Lady standing back-to-back on a stony bridge in the Different Dimension. Both are in fighting stances - D.D. Trainer, Ojama King, and Gren Maju da Eiza are advancing on them from one side, while Blindly Loyal Goblin, Dark Grepher, and Golden Homunculus are advancing from the other,
Effect: Select 1 of your banished monsters and Special Summon it to your opponent's side of the field (your opponent chooses the battle position); then, select 1 of your opponent's monsters and Special Summon it to your side of the field. Monsters summoned to your side of the field via this effect cannot be Tributed or used for a Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, or Link Summon. At the End Phase of the turn, banish the monster summoned to your side of the field, and then you take damage equal to that monster's base ATK.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Lair of the Worm (Normal Trap Card)
Image: Celtic Guardian and Flame Swordsman seen from behind, within a stone labyrinth, readying against Dungeon Worm who is burrowing out of the wall in front of them.
Effect: If you control a card with "Labyrinth Wall" in its name and a Level 5 or higher monster, you may activate this effect when your opponent declares an attack: Destroy the attacking monster, and if you do, increase your LP by an amount equal to the destroyed monster's base ATK. If this card is in your GY and was not sent there during the current turn, you may activate 1 of the following effects per round:
During your End Phase, you may pay 1,000 LP to take this card from your GY and set it on your side of the field.
If a card with "Labyrinth Wall" in its name is destroyed, you may banish this card; return the destroyed card to your hand.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Vir, Gambler of Dark World (Tuner Effect Monster)
Fiend/Dark/Lvl2/200ATK/1,000DEF
Effect: If you only control 1 monster and that is "Vir, Gambler of Dark World", you can use the following effect (Quick Effect): Tribute this card and pay 1,000 LP; excavate cards from your deck until you excavate a Monster Card; discard that Monster Card, and then place the other excavated cards on the top of your deck in any order. A card discarded via this effect is considered discarded by your opponent's card effect. You may not summon or set any monsters the turn this card is used except "Dark World" monsters.
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Cela, Nurse Corp of Dark World (Effect Monster Card)
Fiend/Dark/Lvl4/0ATK/1,800DEF
Effect: If this card is discarded from the hand to the Graveyard by a card effect, Special Summon this card to your side of the field in Attack Position; if this card is Special Summoned in this manner, then once per turn, reduce battle damage in a battle involving this card to zero and increase your LP by an amount equal to the damage you would have taken. If this card is discarded from the hand to the Graveyard by your opponent's card effect, then… (?)
As usual, the effect of Cela is only partially given, in case I have Sonya use the card again. If anyone wishes to use it in their own fic and must know, PM me. Oh, and before anyone asks, yes, I based this design on the Nurses from Silent Hill 2.
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Next chapter will be a lot of exhibition as our clueless (for now) heroes move to the town of Redgorge. Why does Jil claim the place gives her claustrophobia? Well, there's a good reason, and it will be revealed then.
In the meantime, look for the first part of the synopsis, and a new chapter of "BLOCKBUSTER! Yu-Gi-Oh!" to appear soon.