Howdy folks!
Not going to beat around the bush, as I'm rather anxious to get this chapter up, and I've spent a lot of time proofreading it, making sure it was good. I did spend a lot of time on one particular fanmade card, a Synchro Monster which I've quickly become fond of.
So, enjoy, and stick around for a message at the end.
(NO, I'm not quitting the fic, sorry to disappoint a certain two stalkers.)
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Shadowchasers
The Demonskar Legacy
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Chapter Nine
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Intervention
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"Home sweet home," grumbled Helensla.
The shadar-kai was making her way through the maze-like streets of Redgorge, using a long cloak with a hood to conceal herself. It wasn't difficult for her to find the route to the town square - in fact, she could have done so blindfolded if she had to. She had been born here, and whenever the Last Laugh's benefactors needed something done in Redgorge, she was the one who "got volunteered."
Coming here never failed to remind her why she left.
As the Cagewrights' representative to the Last Laugh (meaning de facto leader of the group) and an assassin with a near impeccable record, she commanded respect among the underworld of Cauldron. She had a policy that had moved her to the top of the guild quickly, in that any slight or insult against her would be forgiven - once. It didn't matter how serious it was, the first time anyone offended, insulted, or even assaulted her, she would forgive. Second time, however, no mercy would be shown, and she never forgot a face or a slight. New members of the Last Laugh would find this out quickly, and as a result, challenges to her authority were rare.
But that meant nothing when she was in Redgorge. The Chisel were the hidden rulers of the town, and they regarded the Last Laugh as a bunch of delinquents (and in most cases, they weren't far off). Not that she didn't like them - she'd love to join their ranks, but membership was by invitation only and they had never sent her one.
As she entered the central town square, she quickly took notice of the crowd. After all, everyone else had, and like them, she was curious.
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The King of Games had once said, "Never trust a masked man." Sound advice that most of his admirers (such as Maddie) would take to heart. Of course, Arcana - for all his faults - was rather open about who he was, who he worked for, and what his motives were.
This duelist? Maddie knew absolutely nothing about what his game was, only that he called himself the Town Crier, had a cat-like mask, and was likely a friend of the Wandering Minstrel, the equally strange woman in the restaurant, who had a fox mask.
Of course, putting the pieces together seemed easy… Dorisan had given her an Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu card, telling her to find him in Redgorge, saying she could do so by giving the card to his messenger. Jenya would then tell them that Dorisan was a member of a secretive group called the Chisel, which at very least seemed to share a common enemy with the Shadowchasers. The Wandering Minstrel was expecting the card and had told her to wait for someone, whom she assured her would be "hard to miss."
Well, the Town Crier did seem like the sort who would be hard to miss, and he seemed to mean business. Duel Monsters she could manage, but it was only his second turn, and he had already summoned this huge Sentai wolf battle-mecha or… Something. (2,150 ATK)
Meanwhile, Sonya was making use of a feature of her Disk - one of the most useful features the newest model had was a card database that could be viewed via the Solid Vision screen.
"Oh, here we go… the Gizmek Makami, the Ferocious Fanged Fortress. Yep, it's legit… Kind of a weird effect here…"
"Unorthodox, maybe," said the Town Crier, "but if used correctly, incredibly powerful. By discarding a monster, I can take any monster from my deck whose Attack Score equals its Defense Score."
Maddie was about to ask - it did indeed seem an odd effect - but then she realized there were a lot of monsters that qualified. Just off the top of her head she thought of Ancient Gears and Arcana Force.
However, whatever card he searched for, it seemed he wasn't going to use it yet - he had a different reason for using the effect.
"The card I just discarded was Gizmek Orochi, the Serpentron Sky Slasher, and because it is now in my Graveyard, I can banish eight cards from my deck to summon it from there."
Eight cards? thought Maddie. This has to be some monster!
There was a loud roar and an explosion of gold and blue flames, and a Machine rose that was twice as large as Gizmek Makami. Like the first one, this had a bestial shape but was like that of a three-headed dragon made of gold and steel. In addition to its four legs, it had five extra mechanical limbs on its back, three with cannons, and two (flanking the cannon arms) with hooked sword blades. (2,450 ATK)
Hate it when I'm right.
The Two Crier held up three more cards, Herald of Arc Light, Panzer Dragon, and Mach Mega Falcon. "By banishing three more Monsters from my Extra Deck, Orochi can destroy one of your monsters!"
"Wait, you -"
It didn't wait. As the Town Crier placed the three cards in his coat pocket, the mecha's cannon arms fired guided missiles, homing in on Panther Warrior and blowing him to bits.
Of course, Maddie quickly figured out this was the least of her troubles…
Makami led the assault, belching green flames from its maw. Orochi followed, its three heads joining with streams of violet fire. The impact hit Maddie hard, knocking her backwards, sending her tumbling a full twenty feet.
"Maddie, you -" started Francis.
"DON'T!" she shouted. Grunting, she sat up. "I'm fine…"
She was lying of course, she felt like she had just been hit by a truck. Holding her chest, she slowly tried to get up.
"At least you're resilient," said the Town Crier. He threw a card into his Disk, and a huge, scaly beast holding a scepter and Egyptian headdress formed behind him. "Because the more you are able to resist, the more Sebek's Blessing fuels me, transferring the Life Points you lost into mine."
(Maddie: 3,400) - - - - - - - - - - (Town Crier: 10,450)
"Ugh," grunted Maddie. "Well then, good thing I've got my Backup Squad."
The Continuous Spell shimmered, and then two goblins, each wearing dirty tank tops, jeans, and hardhats - members of the Goblin Pothole Squad - materialized to either side of Maddie, taking her by the shoulders and helping her stand. One of them handed her a sports bottle of water, which she quickly imbibed. The other took a handkerchief and mopped her brow.
"Ah! Thank you!" The two Goblins nodded and disappeared. "This card activates whenever I take more than a thousand points of damage from one attack, giving me one card for every thousand points of damage. Both those attacks round down to 2,000 so -" She held up four new cards. "You know what they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
"But what does kill you only makes you dead. I'll set one more card, and then you go. Try to make this at least slightly more challenging, I'm getting bored."
The nerve, she thought. She drew another card, bringing what she had up to eight, and then fit two in her Spell Zone.
"I'll discard one card to Special Summon… The Tricky!"
Goofy, throaty laughter echoed over the square and a pentagram appeared on the ground in front of Maddie. A tall Spellcaster dressed in a yellow and black patchwork suit with a blue cape rose out of it with a spin - stumbling in the process. His expression, however, was sort of blank… In fact, it was completely blank, as there was a red question mark where his face would be. (2,000 ATK)
"I'll set two of my cards facedown, and then it's your move."
"A critical mistake, mainlander!" His Trap Card lifted. "I'm using Royal Degree!"
There was a brief pause, though a drop of sweat trickled down Maddie's face.
The Town Crier began his turn proper, making his draw. "Not so smug anymore, are you? So long as I have this Trap Card, your Traps are out of order. So, it's time to finish you off."
He played another Spell Card, causing another Greed jar to appear, this one with the standard Pot on one side and the Pot of Avarice on the other.
"By banishing ten cards from my deck, I can then draw two."
Huh? thought Maddie. Wait… a minute… Getting a sudden sense of déjà vu here…
Hank, however, was focused on something far more obvious. "If he keeps banishing all his cards, he's not going to have many left!"
"Yeah," added Francis, "he must have gotten rid of more than half his deck by now."
"Three-quarters, actually," said the Town Crier, "but what remains is more than enough." He activated a new Spell Card. "I'm paying 1,000 Life Points to use the Spell Card Instant Fusion and summon Barox."
Grunting a little as his Life Points were drained, the card created a large ramen noodle cup to appear over the field. The top ripped open, pouring the contents out, and the noodles and liquid solidified, shaping into a squat, hulking, ape-like fiend with tusks. (1,380 ATK)
(M: 3,400) - - - - - - - - - - (TC: 9,450)
He looked at his Duel Disk. "Huh, an intriguing device here… Ahem, but much like you, he won't be staying, because I'm going to sacrifice him."
Barox disappeared, and an odd, cold chill came over the evening air. A cloud of dust started to rise, shimmering, sparkling… golden dust. Maddie realized what was happening as the dust got thicker and a huge, hulking form started to rise up, drawing the dust towards it, as it grew larger… Finally, the summoned monster consumed all of it, revealing itself as a huge, golem-like rock monster. Or rather, not golem-like, but a true golem, made of gold. (1,500 ATK)
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Damn, these mainlanders are everywhere, thought Helensla.
Of course, while the shadar-kai found these interlopers annoying, she had no grudge against them, and seeing as she didn't have much else to do right now, she welcomed the entertainment. Unfortunately, it seemed she might have come in right at the end.
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"Golden Homunculus," said the Town Crier. "A monster representing the ultimate goal of the true Alchemist, combined with that of every would-be pretender who attempted the craft out of greed - a creation that is magnificent and pathetic at the same time."
"You sound disappointed."
"Not really. This monster represents what the Chisel opposes, a power that was once renowned and respected, now squandered for the sake of avarice and materialism. Still, as a weapon, its might is considerable, gaining 300 Attack and Defense Points for each of my banished cards, and right now, I have 27 banished cards!"
(9,600 ATK)
"Considerable?" exclaimed Sonya. "Yeah, against anyone packing an F.G.D. in his deck!"
"That's… Uh…" said Maddie, "...a lot."
"Attack! Destroy the Tricky! Golden Harvest!"
Winding up its fist, the huge golem started powering up a mighty smash, with eldritch runes appearing all over its rocky hide…
However, the Tricky seemed unimpressed. To the shock of all, as Golden Homunculus lunged for the Spellcaster, he dodged aside, pulling four playing cards from out of nowhere. As Golden Homunculus turned, he hurled them like knives, stabbing into the larger monster and blowing it to shards.
(M: 3,400) - - - - - - - - - - (TC: 9,350)
"What… how?"
Maddie - now looking smugger and snarkier than ever - pointed to the set card she had just activated, the Quickplay Spell, Forbidden Chalice. "Never said these were Traps. This one nullified your monster's effect, meaning it lost the boost to its Scores. Then it gained 400, so the Tricky was just strong enough to defeat it. Oh, and now that he has, my other card is a Quickplay too - Tricky's Spell 4!"
The Tricky bowed his head and a spiral of multicolored lights spun from his torso, causing him to blur, and then form into two copies of himself, which both knelt in Defense Mode. (1,200 DEF x2)
"I know all about Quickplay Spells, mainlander. I have one myself..." He used another of his cards, and both his Gizmek monsters started to glow with otherworldly energy. "Dimension Edge. With at least six of my cards. Banished, this quick play spell grants my monsters a trampoline effect for the remainder of the turn, as your two tokens are about to find out firsthand."
The two bestial machines exhaled their powerful breath weapons again, burning the tricky tokens to senders. "Ow…" groaned Maddie, clutching her chest.
(M: 1,200) - - - - - - - - - - (TC: 9,350)
"You activated Backup Squad again," she said, "meaning I get to make one draw. So, anything else?"
"Actually, yes. Because at least ten of my cards have been banished, I can Special Summon the D.D. Automaton in Defense Mode."
Playing the card caused some beeping and whirring, and a strange robot (much smaller than the Gizmeks) to roll onto his field. It was a large, blocky machine, like a metal cube with tank treads in place of legs and large, thick arms. It had a small head shaped like an inverted triangle, with the only features being two green optic sensors. (1,900 ATK)
"Plus, because at least six of my banished cards are banished face down, you can only attack him. So, by all means, try. Finally, because I destroyed at least two of your monsters using Dimension Edge, I can now make one draw.
"So then… Make your move."
"Oh, I most certainly will." Maddie made a draw to start her turn, bringing her total up to five. "And now… I'm going to put you in your place."
"What do you…"
"One thing you should learn, Mr. Crier, is that it doesn't pay to be overconfident in this line of work. You got so upset when I was able to take down that homunculus, you focused entirely on the Tricky, and completely forgot about THAT." She nodded to the set monster. "So now, it's time to use it! Reveal… Scapeghost!"
Flipping the card face up caused a low, eerie moan, and a small phantom sheep with ram-like horns with gray wool rose out of the card. (0 ATK)
Is that supposed to scare me? Heh… it's almost cute…
Then four more of the ghostly sheep, colored blue, orange, yellow and red, appeared, two to each side of the Scapeghost.
"More Tokens? You can't… Wait… That one is a Tuner…"
"You got it! The problem is, the Synchro monster I want to summon is level 6, so I'm one level short right now. However -" She took another spell card from her hand and flipped it forward. "- I can actually reduce the number of materials I need by using level mirroring. With this, I can choose one of your monsters and make one of mine the same level. So, I'm choosing D.D Automaton, and changing the level of Scapeghost from 1 to 4. Which means I can summon one of the most dreaded, sinister, darkest abominations ever to claw its way out of the bloody bowels of Hell… THE OVERGOAT!"
"The… who? Uh, never heard of it."
"OVERGOAT!"
While the Synchro Rings seemed much the same as any other summoning, Maddie's chanting as Scapeghost and one of the Tokens used them to Tune themselves seemed anything but.
"Spawn of an unholy union between the Raven Queen and the sea devil Dagon! Guardian of R'lyeh's deepest cellars! It consumes smoke and excretes flames! It was tamed by She Who Must Be Obeyed, ruler of the Land That Knows No Name! Its roar is the voice of the Elder Titans, and its heart burns with the very Flames of Chaos!"
(*1 *5 = *6)
Her voice returned to normal for the final part: "And so on and so on… Grains of truth sprinkled within a mountain of conjecture and innuendo… I summon THE OVERGOAT!"
The appearance of the monster was preceded by a loud… bleating. Innuendo or otherwise, the Overgoat seemed to at least be trying to look intimidating. A tall humanoid Beast with white fur, it had a goat's head with eyes like burning coal, bat-like wings on its back, and muscular legs with cloven hooves. It wore a hauberk and carried a kanabō, an iron, studded club the shape and length of a baseball bat, and it had a shield, an odd rectangular-shaped shield made of wood. It was a creature that straddled a line between terrifying and absurd. (2,600 ATK)
Francis Nichole and Hank looked over at Sonya. "What?" she said. "Were you expecting me to say that was my ex-boyfriend or something? I'm not acquainted with every unspeakable cosmic horror from beyond."
It was easy to tell - even with his mask - that the Town Crier was bemused at this. "Is this a duel or a poetry slam?"
"Okay, okay," said Maddie, "back to dueling. I sacrifice my other three Ghost Tokens…"
The three small Zombies disappeared into red, blue, and orange orbs, and there was a bellowing roar as another Beast-Warrior leapt onto Maddie's side, almost twice as large as Overgoat. This was a centaur but had the lower body of a huge lion rather than a horse, and the head of the upper human body had a lion's mane. He held a long spear in one hand and a shield in the other. (3,000 ATK)
"Beast King Barbaros!" gasped the Crier.
"Oh nice, you recognize him. Well, guess I don't have to explain what happens when he's summoned with three sacrifices."
Barbaros roared again, louder this time. D.D. Automaton and the Royal Decree cards were blown to pieces first, and then Gizmek Makami was bowled over, landing on its back with its underbelly exploding. Gizmek Orochi shrieked from all three mouths as it tried to push against the onslaught, but then its extra arms burst, then all three heads, and the rest of it collapsed with a conflagration of flames.
Of course, that was the least of his troubles. "Oh… crap…" Then he cleared his throat and said, "when D.D. Automaton is destroyed by a card effect, I get to make one draw." He grabbed the top card from his deck. "So long as I then banish one from my hand." He took another, placing it in his coat pocket.
Maddie waited a few seconds in case there was anything else, and when she was sure there wasn't, pointed at him. Beast King Barbaros charged at the Town Crier at full gallop, a powerful strike from the spear knocking him prone. Overgoat didn't even wait for him to rise, leaping to the attack and stomping him on the stomach.
(M: 1,200) - - - - - - - - - - (TC: 3,750)
For a brief moment, she was afraid her monster may have actually hurt him. "Town Crier! Are you -"
"Ugh, uh, I've… I've been through worse."
Maddie flinched a little to see him spring up easily, the blow having hurt him far less than it looked. Clearly this Town Crier was a Shadowkind under that mask - of a type more durable than human.
"I'll, uh, I'll end my turn," she said. Something screwy about this whole duel, she thought. Who is this guy?
"I draw," he continued, "and then… Monster Reborn!"
It was rare to find a duelist who wasn't overly dramatic when they used that card, but it seemed he was trying a little too hard. Regardless, the golden ankh shone over the square and Serpentron Sky Slasher appeared again. (2,450 ATK)
"Why did you -" started Maddie. Then she shielded herself as the mecha's cannons blasted, obliterating Barbaros.
Maddie looked up at the Beast King's burned and smoldering shield and spear; the Town Crier was holding three more Fusion Monsters, which he placed with the other banished cards.
"Oh… right."
He wasn't done either. The Town Crier casually played another card, and a raging flume of white-hot flames spouted upward from in front of him. Two glowing, evil eyes appeared in the flames.
Well, that's a surprise, thought Helensla.
Gren Maju Da Eiza certainly knew how to make an appearance - a monstrous non-humanoid abomination that seemed to combine the features of a bat and scorpion with a horrific demon yet made no sound and barely moved as its eyes fixated on Maddie. Still, despite how horrific it was, this only confirmed it for her - this was not the first time she had dueled this opponent, and she was almost sure as to who he was.
"Those three Extra Deck Monsters I just banished bring the total number of banished cards to 31, and the Red Lotus Beast has 400 Attack and Defense Points for each." (12,400 ATK)
Maddie was trying with much difficulty to stay calm and sound tough while staring down a monster with enough raw power to stand up to Armityle the Chaos Phantasm. "Not much other than a huge beatstick."
"Crude, maybe, but effective. Destroy the Overgoat!"
Gren's eyes turned to the goat demon, staring without blinking… Then it opened its mouth far wider than it should have been able too, baring a maw with rows of horrid teeth. It let out a roar - a shrilling wail that seemed to be sound within flames, within madness…
The Overgoat, however, stood fast, covering itself with its shield, the surface of which changed to resemble the art on Forbidden Chalice. The Chaos Phage assault blew the shield to pieces, but Overgoat wasn't harmed, and neither, it seemed, was Maddie.
"Of course," she said, "Overgoat has more to him than that. Once per turn while he's in Attack Mode, I can protect him - and my Life Points - from one attack, so long as I banish a Quickplay from my Graveyard."
"Hmph," he said. "Turn end."
Huh, kind of expected more of a reaction than that. She made a draw, and looked over at Gren, which naturally, wasn't easy nor pleasant to look at. Obviously, dealing with a monster that strong was going to take some ingenuity. Then, she looked over at Gizmek Orochi. By her count, Town Crier had two cards left in his Extra Deck, meaning he couldn't use that thing's effect again (which was lucky, seeing as Overgoat's effect could not protect itself from), but there were ways to un-banish those cards. (Well, she assumed such.) Given what he said two of his turns ago, he had seven cards left in his main deck, so without such a way, he wouldn't be able to summon it from the Graveyard again. Still, while this would be risky, it was safer than leaving it there.
"Overgoat, attack Gizmek Orochi! Burning Inferno!"
Unlike Gren, Overgoat's attack was more straightforward, spreading its wings, flying upward, and breathing a gout of hellfire at the larger Machine, causing it to melt for a few seconds until it shattered.
She then set one monster, and two cards in her Spell Zone, and then nodded to the Town Crier. Hope this works, she thought.
"Again, I draw," he said, "and I'll Summon… the D.D. Buccaneer!"
There was a sinister laugh, and a Warrior leapt over his head from behind, somersaulting and landing in front of him. It was a tall, muscular man, bald, with an eyepatch, and a ragged pair of trousers. He was bare-chested, and his skin seemed metallic. (1,000 ATK)
"D.D. Buccaneer? That's Flash Assailant."
"True, but the name D.D. Assailant was taken. Now, onto what he can do. Because I have at least ten banished cards, his weak base Attack Score is doubled." (2,000 ATK) "Much like D.D. Automaton, he gains an additional effect. But before I use it… Attack the set monster!"
Drawing two long daggers, the odd Flash Assailant moved, well, in a flash, running forward in a blur. A woman in a pink robe with a crooked staff appeared on the card; the Warrior made a quick slash, and she shattered.
NOW! thought Maddie. "I activate Pink Shepherd's flip effect! I can take a Scapegoat or Stray Lambs from my deck and activate it right now!"
She grabbed the card from her deck and threw it into her Disk, causing the blue, orange, red, and yellow sheep to appear once again, but this time, far less… dead.
"More Tokens? Ugh, you think you can use those things as a shield forever?"
"Who said I was using them to defend? Spell Card, activate! Enemy Controller!"
Her Quickplay activated, and a giant video game console controller appeared in mid-air in front of her. "Combo-activate! Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, and… Start!"
She noticed the odd looks from everyone watching - Sonya spoke up, saying, "It's an old joke where we come from."
"Right, and I can sacrifice one of my Sheep Tokens to grab hold of one of your monsters! So c'mere, Gren!"
Everyone - most notably the Crier seemed surprised and confused by this bold move, the Spell Card creating a pair of energy lariats that snagged Gren Maju Da Eiza and dragged it over to Maddie's side of the field. Because only one of her cards had been banished, its score quickly plummeted all the way to 400.
That doesn't make sense, thought Helensla, even if the Crier doesn't attack it, the effect of that card only lasts until the end of his turn. Unless…
"I activate the Trap Card, Nightmare Archfiends!" Maddie's last set card revealed itself, and the Red Lotus Beast was blown into particles and drawn into it. "Normally, I sacrifice a Token to use this card, but now I can kill two birds with one stone - and make three." A trio of shadowy, ghostly wisps flew out of the card, towards the Town Crier's field. "It summons three Nightmare Archfiend Tokens - to your field!"
The wispy ghosts cackled, then turned into tall, gaunt, shadow Fiends with long claws, sharp teeth, beady eyes, and pale white hair standing upright. (2,000 ATK)
"What the - I don't want them!"
"Don't worry, I don't intend to let you keep them. Because I just summoned Tokens, I can summon Token Collector from my Graveyard."
There was a throaty laugh as a summoning portal opened on the floor, and a goblin leapt out of it, this one wearing overalls and hiking boots, carrying of all things, a butterfly net. (2,000 DEF)
Then he swung his net once, nabbing the three remaining Scapegoats; he swung again, netting the three Nightmare Archfiends.
"Then why did you… AUGH!" He clutched his chest, three shocks of energy hitting him.
"When Nightmare Archfiend Tokens are destroyed, the controller - that's you - takes 800 points of damage each." The goblin smirked, casually resting the net over his shoulder.
(M: 1,200) - - - - - - - - - - (TC: 2,350)
"Clever," said the Town Crier. "But…" He turned to D.D. Buccaneer. "...remember him? Like I said, he gains another effect because at least ten of my banished cards are banished face-down. Specifically, he gets a second attack, and his Attack Score becomes 3,000."
The Buccaneer lifted his weapon - that was now a sharp, glowing scimitar - and again, rushed forward in a lightning-fast blur, slashing through Token Collector and cutting him in twain.
"Ouch…," said Maddie. She was lucky she had summoned it in Defense Mode.
"Also, that boost to his Attack Score lasts until the start of my next turn. So then… It's your move, mainlander, so go on… Actually, I can hardly wait to see what comes next."
Of course, she couldn't promise something big on this next turn. The only card in her hand right now was Stray Lambs, one of her favorite Spells, but not the most useful right now. She drew a card… and then her face lit up.
"First, I'm using Stray Lambs to summon two Lamb Tokens!" Playing the card caused two cute, smiling lambs, much like the Scapegoats, to appear on either side of Overgoat. "Then… The Big March of Animals! Again, this is a Quickplay, which boosts the ability of all Beasts I control by 200 per Beast." She played the card, and steam shot from Overgoat's snout. (3,200 ATK)
Like before, Overgoat belched fire, squarely hitting D.D. Buccaneer and burning him to ashes.
(M: 1,200) - - - - - - - - - - (TC: 2,150)
"And… I end my turn."
She really hoped that would do the job, because as of now, that was all she had. No cards left to play, just Overgoat and two Tokens. At the very least, his deck was down to six cards - she could do this if he didn't have any more nasty surprises.
Then, to her absolute surprise, he laughed.
Not a laugh made with the intent to gloat or mock her, it was the laugh of a young man genuinely finding something amusing. What he next said was in a totally different voice, with a positive mood shift as he made his draw.
"I gotta admit, Maddie, this game of yours… Kinda fun, actually. But… It's almost seven-thirty, so we gotta wrap this up fast. I activate… The Spell Card, Chaos End."
"WHAT?" shouted Maddie. She certainly knew what that card did, it needed at least seven of the user's cards to be banished, and when used, it destroyed all monsters on the field. Which it certainly did - her two Stray Lambs and Overgoat turning to stone. Cracks covered all three, and then they shattered into dust.
"I… that… you…" she started.
Then, he played a monster… a dark, wicked-looking thing, like the head of a baby doll, horribly deformed, with fiendish tentacles and a bloated, half-exposed brain. (1,200 ATK)
"Necroface…" she said with a shudder.
"That's right, and its arrival sends every banished card - including facedown cards - back to our decks, gaining 100 Attack Points for each." (4,300 ATK) "I guess this is overkill, but hey, when in Rome…"
Then the Zombie laughed in a way that was not pleasant in the least. Its tendrils lashed towards Maddie, snaring her with its tentacles and squeezing…
(M: 0) - - - - - - - - - - (TC: 2,150)
"Maddie? Maddie!"
Hearing Sonya's urging voice caused Maddie to sit up. Her eyes were opened as wide as possible, and she was shivering.
"Are you okay? You…"
Maddie screamed. Loudly.
"Oh good, she's okay," said Sonay.
"I'm fine!" She shouted. "Fine! I just…" She held her stomach - the brutal attack had knocked the wind out of her - and scared her half to death - but nothing serious.
She saw her opponent turn and run back towards the restaurant. "Wait!" she shouted. "Come back here!"
"Maddie? What?" Francis had no idea what she was doing, or why the Town Crier had suddenly decided to leave, but it seemed Maddie was intent on following him.
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Well, that was pointless, thought Helensla.
For a minute or so, she thought of following them - she was curious about who was behind that mask and knew a lot of people who would – probably - pay money for that information.
But the Town Crier had reminded her that it was nearly seven-thirty, and she had an appointment at eight. Rivaldi wasn't the sort who liked to be kept waiting.
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Despite having taken quite the beating, Maddie managed to outrun her allies, getting to the rear of the Maw of the King in only a minute or so, and saw the Town Crier casually leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
"Maddie, wait!" shouted Nichole.
The Town Crier chuckled. "So, did I do it right that time, teach?"
"Haha, Barclay…" said Maddie. "You sure did."
"What? Barclay?"
The Crier took hold of his mask and took it off; and it was him all right, the fenrir with the same unmistakable boyish face and messy hair. Maddie's "protege," one of two Cauldronites (the other being Sypha) to first express interest in their card game.
"Small world…" said Nichole.
"One thing I have to ask, Barclay - you had to have had at least one of those last two cards in hand the turn you summoned D.D. Buccaneer, and you could have won right there."
"Mmm… yeah… Your point?"
"So why? Was this your idea of a… 'test of character' or something?"
"We prefer to look at it as a hazing ritual," said another voice.
Turning around, they saw the Wandering Minstrel, or rather, now that she too had removed her mask, Sypha.
"Friends…" she said, "It is my honor and my privilege to welcome you to the Chisel."
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Ten minutes later, the Shadowchasers were nervously being led down a long, winding staircase, into a sub-basement below the Maw of the King. They had known Sypha and Barclay too long to outright suspect them, but this didn't exactly help towards trusting them either.
Nichole asked the obvious question first. "So, why did you never tell us you were with the Chisel?"
"You never asked," replied Barclay.
"Touche…" she said, rolling her eyes.
"It's not that we don't appreciate the invitation," thought Francis, "but we kind of prefer it more in advance."
"How much advance notice did the Shadowchasers give you?" asked Barclay.
"Touche again," sighed Nichole. Human members of the Shadowchasers were usually, for lack of a better term, conscripted when it was discovered they had gained Awareness. They saw it as a humanitarian effort, as many of those who suddenly had the truth of the world thrust upon them didn't last long. Many went insane due to inability to cope or would be killed by some malicious Shadow eventually.
"Usually," said Sypha, "when someone comes to Redgorge showing so much interest in the Chisel, we grab them in the middle of the night and drag them here."
"And then it's a 'join or die' offer?" asked Sophia. "Lovely, we're about to join the Court of Owls."
"If that's some sort of cult, you aren't entirely wrong, but secrecy is important, that's the reason for the masks. Even if you trust someone enough to be sure he would never willingly betray you, our enemies have… methods of getting information from prisoners who are unwilling to talk."
Malakar – who had been quiet for a while now – finally spoke up. "How exactly does the mayor of Redgorge feel about all this?"
"Eh, you can ask her yourself, she should be here tonight."
Obviously, that was his way of saying, "She's a member, she's fine with it," which meant this was much bigger than they had assumed.
"Lamour is that dangerous?" asked Hank.
Eventually, they reached the bottom of the stairs, which terminated in a solid oak door banded with iron.
"Yes, but it isn't just him. We aren't sure just how much power he has in Cauldron's government, but he's not the one at the top. He's one of many nobles in some sort of cabal, and they are a far more dangerous cult. Although I personally don't believe they worship anything except power and wealth. As I told you when I summoned Golden Homunculus, Cauldron's nobility has degenerated into a corrupt mockery of what Spellmason had once created."
"You haven't seen all of them," added Sypha, "In fact, we have yet to compile a complete list of the inner cabal who rules the city, nor do we know which is the leader. But even the more public members like Princess Shanafa have cruel sides that few live to see more than once. In any case, the Honest Merchant insisted we treat you folks with more civility."
"Honest Merchant?" asked Red Feather. "That would be Dorisan, I assume?"
Sypha didn't answer. Even with the mask still on, she seemed uncomfortable at being asked to confirm another member's identity, for obvious reasons.
But then, Dorisan himself said, "That's right, Red Feather, he sure is."
All of them were startled by his sudden appearance. Even Sypha and Barclay were a little uneasy. It was like he had suddenly appeared. Had he been invisible?
"So glad you managed to get here so soon," he said, "oh and speaking of which, Barclay, you owe me a pretzel." He waved his hand, and the door started to open.
Hank sighed. Wizards… he thought.
Dorisan produced a mask of his own, of the same design as Barclay and Sypha's, but shaped like the face of a wolf.
He nodded and put it on. "Ladies, gentlemen honored guests… We are expected inside."
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And again, we will end there.
Before I post the fanmade cards, I have a message for American voters here. Tomorrow is Election Day, so please, VOTE. It's one of the few times we have any say in who runs this crummy country, and IMOHO, if you don't vote, you aren't allowed to complain.
Now that I've spoken my mind, ahem, the fanmade cards. Smell ya later!
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Dimension Edge (Quickplay Spell Card)
Image: The scene on "Different Dimension Ground" seen from Dark Lucious' point of view, with an angry D.D. Warrior Lady about to strike. Behind her, D.D. Assailant is lurking on the roof of the building, about to strike.
Effect: Activate only if you have 10 or more banished cards. All monsters you control inflict piercing damage this turn but cannot attack directly. At the End Phase of the turn this card is activated and at least 2 of your opponent's monsters are destroyed by battle, draw 1 card.
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D.D. Automation (Effect Monster)
Machine/Effect/Lvl4/0ATK/1,800DEF
Effect: Cannot be Normal Summoned or set; can be Special Summoned from your hand if you have 10 or more cards banished facedown. Your opponent can only attack "D.D. Automation", and if this card would be destroyed by battle, send 5 of your banished cards to the bottom of your deck; if so, this card is not destroyed. If this card is destroyed by a card effect, draw 1 card, then banish 1 card from your hand.
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D.D. Buccaneer (Effect Monster)
Warrior/Earth/Lvl4/1,000ATK/2,000DEF
Effect: Cannot be Normal Summoned or Special Summoned except when 10 or more of your cards are banished facedown. If you have less cards currently in your main deck than you have banished cards, the ATK of this card becomes 2,000 and it gains the following effect.
If this card destroys an opposing monster by battle, it can attack one more time in a row; this second attack cannot be used to attack directly, and if you do, the ATK of this card becomes 3,000 until your next Standby Phase.
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The Overgoat (Effect Synchro Monster)
Beast/Dark/Lvl6/2,600ATK/800/DEF
Tuner 1 or more Token monsters
Effect: When this card is Synchro Summoned, you may add 1 "Sheep" or "Shepherd" card from your deck to your hand. Once per turn, when this card battles, you may banish 1 Quickplay Spell from your GY.