The Young Master of the Dragonmaids

by The Imperator 2 you

Joseph Takara is a young man who has come into the ownership of the Dragonmaid cards, a rare set of cards that seem to only appear to a single duelist and whom only 'they' call master. With dreams of becoming a professional duelist, he attends Duel Academy, and with the help of his family of girls, and the help of the rare and beautiful Dragonmaids, his dream might come true.

3. Chapter 3

"Young Master, you treat us like family, you treat us like we are kin and show us the same love and devotion that we show you without question. We are but humble servants to you, and yet to you we are so much more."

"You protect us without knowing our true abilities, or our true capabilities, and yet you have no idea just how much we truly depend on 'you' for our protection."

=Chapter 3 Prologue=

"Gyaaa… okay, okay you win… just take whatever you want and leave me alone!" A bald but tough looking man cried as his life points dropped down to 0, while around him, a thick blanket of fog and mist surrounded him and his opponent.

Across from him stood a tall heavily clothed man, with an extremely high-tech Duel Disk, a strange technical contraption strapped to his chest, with a heavy black trench coat and matching black fedora. Covering his face was a grey mask that concealed his eyes, cheeks and even nose, leaving him unrecognizable, yet it wasn't his appearance that was terrifying his opponent and causing him to scream and beg for mercy, it was the golden reverse pyramid object that was emitting a bright golden light that he was holding by an equally golden looking chain.

"What I want you fool… is your 'soul'." He said coldly as the light grew brighter.

"No please… please just take my money and cards, have mercy please!" He begged as he clutched his heart, feeling pain as he felt his soul was pulled from him.

"Mercy?" He chuckled as the light intensified. "What is that word, and what does it mean?"

"Huaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Moments later they collapsed from sheer terror and fear, dropping their cards as they lay on the ground unconscious.

"Rest in peace, in the Shadow Realm, hehehehe." He chuckled as he stood over his opponent, before turning to look at someone behind him, watching from the corner of an alleyway and concealed in shadows. "So, was that good enough for you? I don't normally do jobs for 'free', but since you intrigued me with your request to 'demonstrate' my skills, this was an exception."

"Indeed, so here's the job I'd like you to do." The man said. "I want you to steal a set of cards from a young man going to Duel Academy. According to the Kaiba Corp database, a duelist there is using a specific set of cards, and I want 'you' to take them, especially a particular one."

"Hmmm, that's a highly specific job, and while I'm not against scaring children, stealing cards right under the nose of Duel Academy's security is not going to be 'easy', if you want me to do the job, I'm going to have to charge 'extra'."

In response a small briefcase was flung at him, and he caught it expertly, opening to see the 'advance payment' that he was expecting, causing him to smile.

"Very well, you've hired yourself a Shadow Duelist… I won't bother asking your name, I think we 'both' prefer it that way… I'll just deliver the cards here and call you back to tell you when to pick them up."

"Fine, just make sure you have the specific one I talked about."

"Naturally, and this card's name is?"

"The House Dragonmaid Card."

"And the name of the duelist that carries that card?"

"A young man by the name, of Joseph Takara…"

=Chapter 3, Duel in the Shadows of the Abandoned Dorm=

=Test of the Dragonmaid Master, A Father's Scheme=

"And so, class, that concludes today's lesson, now hopefully you all have a better appreciation for dueling history, and especially how difficult a history dueling has, especially when you go further back into the origins of duel monsters." Professor Banner said as he concluded his lesson for that day. "Please remember that not 'all' stories are true, but myths and legends have a basis of truth the further back you go. The Shadow Games as they were called are merely myth and legend, but Duel Monsters is in fact a game based 'on' these myths and legends."

He sighed as he tried to focus on the lesson, history was never his favorite topic, it always bored him so much, but he learned as best he could and took notes whenever something important was said so that he wouldn't forget it.

"Now then, since the lesson is over, I'd like to remind you all that the grand opening of the new café is scheduled for today. I know many of you are very excited for the opening of this new facility, but I must remind you, that the café's serving hours for dinner food and drinks will be 'after' 8 pm and will only run until 11. Furthermore, in order to 'purchase' any of the items they offer you will need to spend Dragon Coins, which you've been earning for the past two weeks based on homework assignment scores and attendance, so the better you are and the more 'on time' you are… I'm looking at you Slipher Red students, the more coins you receive. Also, in order to enter you will need to spend a few Dragonmaid Coins, I believe the minimum is 5 to enter."

He sighed as he looked at his collection of coins, he'd only earned fifteen total. Despite his enthusiasm for his lessons, he was not the best at many things. He also spent a lot of his nights just trying to keep up with homework, and he kept on flunking many of the 'test duel scenarios' they kept throwing at him and other students, such as 'one' in particular from Doctor Crowler who was teaching them about Chain Links. No matter how hard he tried, he just could not make a Chain Healing trap card reach chain link '4', and it was driving him nuts because that alone could have given him twenty dragon coins.

After the end of the class and Professor Banner dismissed them, everyone began to leave, and he headed out with Sheou tagging behind. Ever since the school found out that he had a personal maid, his school social life took a massive hit, as expected. Instead of making more friends, people, especially those in Obelisk Blue, thought he was a rich person disguising himself as a slifer red 'slacker'. Even fellow slifers were jealous of him, though because while Joseph never saw Sheou as anything more than his adopted mother, most of the slifer males saw Sheou as a 'beautiful mature maid' and found her attractive. The fact that she seemed to 'live' inside the Slifer Dorms but never was seen going to sleep was what drove some crazy as they figured she was sleeping with him in 'his' room.

Still, Sheou just walked behind him, smiling politely and following diligently as he went about his business.

"Ugh, man I have so much homework to do… there's no way I'll get it all done before the opening of the café." He muttered.

"Before you return to your dorm, you should head on down to the pier to welcome the others who will be arriving shortly." Sheou said politely.

"Oh right, Lora, Luna, Kite, Amber and Sun are coming tonight as well, well yea let's go say hi to them!" He said excitedly. "It will be great seeing them again!"

"Those are your older sisters, right?" Syrus asked.

"Older sisters in name only, we're not related at all except for the fact that we lived under the same roof for five years." He explained to which Sheou nodded in agreement.

"Why did you live at a café for five years?"

"Uh, well, after my grandfather died, I had to go somewhere to live, and Sheou offered me a home at the café where she and her coworkers worked at. It was either that or the orphanage."

"I promised his grandfather I would take care of him if anything happened to him, I'm just happy to have provided a home for him in his hour of need." She said warmly as they walked out of the building and down to the pier.

At the pier a crowd of students were already waiting as the passenger ship rolled into port and docked to drop off its passengers. Most were just there to see who the 'all female staff' of the new café were and to have their hopes and dreams either crushed or confirmed. As the ramp extended and they waited with baited breaths, the first passengers to leave began disembarking, and first to walk off was a young lady with long flaming red hair, orange tank top and short shorts, with a straw hat to cover her head and sunglasses.

"Wooow, look at all of the students!" She said excitedly as she got off.

Then came another young lady with short pink hair, a gentle aura about her, with light pink dress and matching slippers.

"This is quite the reception…" She muttered happily.

After her came a younger light blue haired girl with a nervous look on her face, while wearing a polo shirt and light skirt.

"Uhm, hi everyone, nice to meet you!" She said with a smile.

After her came a curly green haired girl with a smirk on her face as well as baseball cap, a simple light green blouse and yellow tank top.

"So, this is what Duel Academy looks like, sweet!"

And last to disembark was a girl with long blonde hair, wearing a black tank top and long black skirt that cut halfway down her legs.

"Nice uniforms." She said simply with a smirk.

"Oh, they're all so cute!"

"Look at how hot they are!"

"Oh man we are so lucky they are so cute!"

"They're so hot, you think they're 'all' single!?"

"Sexy, hot, and working as 'cosplaying maids' for us, pinch me I'm dreaming!"

As Joseph reached the pier to meet his fellow co-workers at the café before he arrived at the school, he saw the crowd of students, mostly all male, talking animatedly as he saw the girls saying hello to various students, chuckling as a few asked questions and just generally being friendly.

"Oh sweet, we arrived just in time!" He said excitedly.

"Wow, that one with the blue hair is kinda cute…" Syrus said with a light blush. "She looks even more timid than 'me'."

"Yea she gets nervous in front of crowds, but she's actually very nice!" He told him as he waved at them. "Hey, welcome to Duel Academy!"

The moment his voice rang out they all snapped to him, and as one squealed in delight and ran forward, leaving their bags behind as they rushed over to him. He grimaced as he expected this reaction but braced himself as Kite pulled him into a crushing hug against her bust, Lora pushed him away so she could hug him next, Luna cheered and hugged him next, Sun chuckled and asked him how he was doing health wise and Amber chuckled as she rubbed his hair rather affectionately, and Sheou just shook her head in amusement as she let them have their moment with him.

"Joseph, we missed you so much!"

"How is it going boy!"

"Joseph!"

"We were so lonely without you to tackle!"

"Ara Ara, been keeping well without us to watch over you?"

The mostly male students who arrived to see the new arrivals however, reacted as expected when they noticed how much more 'affectionate' the girls were when they saw Joseph. 'Rejected Already!' They all thought internally as they knew they weren't interested in dating anyone while Joseph was around.

After a few minutes of affection Sheou coughed to try and get their attention, but they were still all cuddling and hugging him affectionately. Then she pretended to clear her throat but 'still' got no reaction from the girls, as they continued to rotate who was hugging him happily and saying how they missed him. Finally, she growled in frustration and faster than the eye could track, whipped out a 'smacking stick' from her sleeve and smacked all five girls over the head to get them to separate from him.

"How many times do I have to say that it is inappropriate for a maid to show such affection in public for her master?" She asked 'politely', but her dangerous draconic-like aura was slowly making itself known.

"We're sorry, we just missed him so much…" Kite explained as they all cowered in fear of the slapping stick and her angry aura.

That did not save them from her angry aura as she glared at them now. "We have just a few hours to prepare the café for its opening, if you have time to slack off and cuddle, you have time to GET TO WORK!" She yelled as she pointed in the direction of the Slifer dorm, and within 'seconds' all five of the girls were off and running. "Those five… what will I ever do with them?"

She glanced at the males who were all watching her and simply smiled warmly and waved at them, causing them to reconsider their stance over how 'lucky' Joseph really was.

She turned to Joseph and said warmly, "Master, I'm going to head off to the café to help the other girls finish preparing it for the grand opening, I trust you can take care of yourself until then?"

"I think I can handle doing my homework if that's what you mean." He chuckled.

With that she bowed and walked off to head to the café, while he and Syrus headed back to their dorm.

At the dorm, he, Syrus and Chumley were working on their homework to try and finish it 'before' the grand opening. "Okay so a counter trap can be used to 'counter' certain monster summons attacks and effects, magic effects, trap effects and even 'counter' counter trap cards… in the duel scenario above activate Solemn Judgement's effect in response to one of the three effects to minimize the amount of life point damage you take…" Joseph said as he looked at the scenario. "Do I negate the summon of the Dark Magician Girl by stopping Pot of Greed from activating, thus stopping Watapon… or do I let the opponent summon it to bait out the magician and 'then' activate my trap card… no but then he can just use monster reborn…"

"Your best bet is to stop the pot of greed in that case Joseph, even 'if' you stop the Dark Magician Girl from summoning, the opponent in the scenario can still summon Celtic Guardian to deal 1400 points of damage from his hand." Syrus said.

"Oh right… I forgot about that card… man I would have lost all my life points in that situation." He said. "I have never used or seen so many cards during my few years of dueling, at most my cards included were essentially 'trash tier' cards… cards you guys would never even think of using."

"Why do you have those cards, I mean you can get new cards now that you're here, so why do you keep them?" Syrus asked as they took a break.

"Until I took my exam Syrus, most of my deck consisted of cards based on the Dragonmaids, and the rest whatever I could scrounge and get from kids who didn't need or want their cards." He explained as he took out his collection of 'useless junk cards' and showed them. "I did find a 'few' good ones, like Pot of Greed, Monster Reborn, Mirror Force, Graceful Charity and Trap Hole, but otherwise I just used whatever I could. Truth is most of my deck's power is 'in' the Dragonmaids. As for why I keep them, well they're just what I've used for years while I learned more about Duel Monsters and learned more about how to duel. I made a ton of mistakes learning…"

"You're telling me, I'm surprised I got a higher score when it came to 'quickplay effect priorities' than you, considering that one duel against Chazz." Syrus said.

"Hey, I only ever had 'two' quick effect cards in my life, both of them Dragonmaids! So, sue me!" He replied indignantly.

"Hey guys, can we hurry up, there's not much time left before the Café's grand opening!" Chumley said.

"Yea I know, I can 'hear' the crowd talking outside, why did they have to build the café so close to the Slifer Dorm?" Joseph said as he returned to his homework.

It was true, outside as the time ticked closer to the grand opening of the new café building, students were gathering and talking in their own groups, blues, reds and yellows. The café was two stories tall, consisting of a single building that was almost as large, if not larger than the Slifer Dorm was, and it just so happened to be sitting directly next door to the dorm. The café was modeled on an old-fashioned European mansion, with elegant flowing architecture and shaded stain glass windows in beautiful and intricate designs. Some looked like beautiful flowing flowers and others featured geometrical shapes. On two windows adorning the front entrance to the café, however, were six stylized feminine dragons, all looking to the center of the door and smiling in their own unique ways.

Each of the dragons had a different color assigned to them, one red, one blue, one pink, one green, one black, and finally one black/white/red. Adorning the door was a special plaque written in various dialects, but above was the sign which read 'Maid of the Dragon's Café'.

They waited and waited until at long last, a grandfather clock chimed, and the doors to the Café 'finally' opened. Out walked the five beautiful young ladies that arrived at the dock, with Sheou the maid leading them as they bowed to the crowd of students. Each of them was in special maid themed outfits, with each of them being based on the Dragonmaid Cards that Joseph used. Luna's was based on Laundry, Lora being based on Parlor, Kite's being Kitchen, Sun's being Nurse, Amber's was Chamber, and finally Sheou smiled as she presented herself as the House Dragonmaid. Each had a fake dragon tail sprouting from their outfits, wings and fake horns to match, and each smiled warmly and affectionately as they said in unison, "Welcome to the Maid of the Dragon's Café, we hope you enjoy our 'hospitality'!"

'They're so CUUUUUUUUTE!' All the male students thought as they parted and welcomed the students into the Café.

As one they all welcomed the students into the café and the inside was just as articulate and welcoming as the outside had been, there were several tables and chairs with numbers to help the staff serve patrons. In the center of the room was a massively long table piled high with designer plates displaying various fruits, cakes, pies and sandwiches. On one side of the room was a quartered off 'relaxation area' where patrons could sit in comfortable bean bag chairs and either enjoy a light snack or even have casual playmat duels, all to the tune of an old school record player which was currently playing various violin tunes. Within minutes every table had students sitting and checking out the available orders.

"Whoa they have so many cake and desert varieties…" Alexis said as she stared at the menu.

"Hmmm." Zane replied, agreeing with her.

"Wait they serve 'meals' as well?" She said as she turned and saw the dinner options in the menu.

As they were deciding one of the maids walked over with a warm smile and a small notebook with pen, if Alexis remembered Joseph's cards, she seemed to be cosplaying the 'Chamber' Dragonmaid card.

"Are you ready to place your orders master and mistress?" She asked politely.

"Yea… I have one question really quick… I thought this was a 'café' not a 'restaurant'?" Alexis said as she pointed at the menu.

"Oh yes, it is a café but, since we are catering to the student body and staff of Duel Academy, the Housekeeper Maid decided to 'expand' our food offerings here during the three hour period before 11 pm." She replied. "During the three-hour period we'll offer full course meals to those students who have the Dragon Coins to afford them, otherwise our traditional menu of deserts, teas, cakes, yogurts and various drinks are all we'll offer."

"Indeed, a single meal here costs almost as many Dragon Coins as I've earned last week." Zane muttered as he read the menu. "I'll have the Southern Steak medium rare with a side order of steamed vegetables, and an Orange Soda."

"Then I'll have the Central European Peninsular Turkey Salad with a side of Steamed Vegetables too, and a Grape Juice."

"Alright, your order will be ready shortly. If you need anything don't hesitate to call upon us." She said politely, jotting down their request and walking away.

Over at a table with a group of Slifer Red students, they were lamenting over what they could order, seeing as most of them barely had more than ten Dragon Coins each for the super fancy meals offered.

"Well, we can order some cakes at least, maybe a pie each." One of them muttered.

"Hey if we pool our coins, we can share a meal!"

Lora walked over and asked warmly if they were ready to make a request.

"Is it alright if we share our coins and order a meal for all of us to share?"

"Why don't you each order a meal?" She replied warmly.

"But we don't have enough coins."

"Oh masters, didn't you read the signs we put up?" She chuckled as she pointed over at the buffet table, causing them to look and gasp in surprise.

[Slifer Students get 50% off all food and beverages]

"Whoa, we get a discount?!"

"Of course, to help 'inspire' you to do better in school, we offer slifers a discount."

"AWESOME!" They all yelled together.

Chazz glared as he watched everyone enjoying the atmosphere of the new café, he'd only come here to see what the hype about it was. Sure, the girls were kind of cute, but as far as cafés go, it wasn't all 'that' special. Heck, he's seen better cafés in his sleep.

"Dang Chazz, those girls sure are cute." His friends said.

"Eh whatever, they're not all that special." He muttered as he waited on the most expensive drink and slice of cake that he could order to be served to him.

If it wasn't as good as how much it costs, he'd complain and get his coins back, they weren't going to cheapskate him.

About ten minutes passed since he ordered before the Blue haired girl came around with their drinks and cakes. "Here you go masters…" She said politely, handing them their plates.

"Hmpf." He muttered as he took his drink and sipped.

He was 'just' about to complain how badly it was made… when he noticed that it was the best tasting cup of iced tea he'd ever had in his life, and he'd tasted from some of the best places that money could afford. He was looking at the cup to see if there was 'ANYTHING' he could complain about but found nothing wrong with it. There wasn't any liquid spilling from it, the cup perfectly fit his hand, heck it was even his favorite color.

He took a small piece of the cake and ate it, and found that it had been cooked to perfection, had the exact level of chocolate and vanilla that he'd requested, and even the precise amount of chocolate chips sprinkled among the top. Even the frosting was perfectly done, not too much and not too little.

"Is something wrong Master Chazz?" The blue haired maid asked warmly, leaning closer to him.

"Grrr…" He growled under his breath as he was about to tell her off and say she was too close to him, when he noticed the 'evil dragon-like aura' behind her, and the almost 'deathly glare' she was giving him.

"You know Master Chazz, the Housekeeper told us what you tried to do to our boy Joseph… how you tried to take his cards from him, and how you tried to take Sheou from 'him'… and just so you know, despite our 'hospitality' we offer, we aren't obligated to let 'you' stay…" She whispered dangerously into his ears. "My job is to do the student laundry… so if you don't want to do it yourself… and if you'd like to enjoy our café's continued hospitality… I'd suggest you choose your words 'carefully'… Master Chazz."

He silently glanced over her shoulder and saw all the other girls giving him the same deathly glare, even as they helped other patrons. Each one of them had this dangerous dragon-like aura surrounding them, and they looked at him like they were just 'daring' him to complain about how they were treating him or how they had served him his drink and desert.

"Uh… it's all wonderful… thank you very much for your hard work ladies!" He stammered.

"Oh, how polite of you, thank you for your kind words!" She said cheerfully, the aura and evil glare vanishing in a wave of happiness and smiles as she bounded away to help another table.

"Those girls scare me…" He muttered as he quietly drank his tea.

Sheou stood by the door and opened it as a few teachers walked in, welcoming them in place of the Parlor Maid Lora who was busy delivering some orders to students.

"Welcome to the Maids of the Dragon's Café, please enjoy our hospitality." She said, bowing them in.

"Well now, this is certainly an upgrade to the Obelisk Blue Dorm's cafeteria dining hall." Doctor Crowler said as she led them to their seats. "So, this is the new café that was built here at Duel Academy, I still wonder why it was built right next to the Slifer Dorm of all places."

Sheou being the ever-vigilant maid, smiled and offered Crowler a menu and stood by his table, being the teacher's dedicated 'maid' while Joseph wasn't there, as she was the Housekeeper Maid and thus in charge of everything in the café. After receiving their orders, she sent them down to Kite, and after about ten minutes she sent them up to be taken to the teachers.

"Here you go Master Crowler, enjoy your meal." She told him politely.

"Hmm thank you very much." He said as he started cutting into his cherry pie. "Mhmmm, very nice, I have to compliment your cook on the wonderful pie, I haven't had a desert this good in ages."

Sheou smiled as she bowed and thanked him for the kind words. Seconds later a loud laughing sounded, and they glanced over at a nearby table. Three Slifer Red students were laughing loudly at a fourth because apparently, he had tried to ask Sun, the 'Nurse Maid' of the staff out on a date, and she politely refused saying that she couldn't date him.

"Hmpf, bunch of Slifer Slackers, why do they get special treatment here when they are all a bunch of flunkies?" Crowler muttered under his breath.

"Forgive me for saying this Master Crowler, as I am but a humble Maid and it is not my place to judge or offer advice in areas that are not mine to understand, but a teacher should not degrade their students, even in private." Sheou said politely.

"Hmmm, and why should I tolerate those failures?" Crowler asked her. "Slifers never arrive on time to their classes, most of them can barely 'pass' their tests, let alone duel, and don't even get me started on their homework. As far as I'm concerned every slifer should be kicked out of this illustrious academy."

"Even young Joseph whom you placed in Slifer Red and defeated you?" She asked quietly.

At that Crowler paused as he remembered putting that student in Slifer specifically because he 'lacked' experience and skill. He had the talent, he had the potential, but he lacked experience, skill and more importantly discipline. His first few lessons with the young lad showed him that he was extremely ignorant of many cards and effects outside of his Dragonmaids, and even then, he never used them to their fullest potential. After learning about the cards and their various effects, he could see he wasn't utilizing them to their fullest, and he just wished he wouldn't waste his potential. It was 'rare' that a student ever impressed him, even if they were in Slifer Red.

During his deal with the young lad, he'd showed courage and creativity in the face of adversity, thinking on the fly against his fears. If he could tap that potential and bring it out, he could become a fine duelist, perhaps even the next King of Games.

"Well, you raise a point… but Joseph isn't exactly a 'slacker', well as much of a slacker as the rest are." He replied. "His grades so far are subpar, and his dueling skills need sharpening."

"As a teacher, you should inspire him to improve, you are their compass after all, and as a compass your task as a teacher is to guide them along the path to success, letting them walk it on their own." Sheou said warmly. "As a humble maid, I can only offer Slifer Red students a discount here, in the hopes that it will improve their drive to learn. But you as a teacher, can do so much more than I, a mere maid, can ever hope to do."

"For a 'humble maid', you sure seem to offer a lot of advice." Crowler said.

"I am but a humble servant, a personal maid to Joseph Takara, and I have raised him to the best of my abilities for the past five years." She replied warmly. "I stand in his shadow, but I light his way… I can only guide him along the path he wishes to walk… nothing more and nothing less."

With that she walked away, leaving Crowler to think about her words.

After an hour since the Café opened up, Sheou looked out of the window before she walked over to the door and pulled a string which rang a series of bells throughout the café. Everyone looked questioningly as all of the maids suddenly became more active, quickly finishing whatever duty they were performing before joining her, even Kite somehow appeared from a door reading 'Kitchen' to join them.

They straightened their outfits, took up formation with each of them standing to one side of the door before Sheou opened it up and together they bowed, saying "Welcome Young Masters!"

Joseph finally walked into the café that he lived at and worked at for the past five years, looking exactly as he'd last seen it, with exception to the 'chill zone' with its duel playmat and chairs. Syrus and Chumley joined him as they had finished their work faster, and he decided to go ahead despite not finishing his work.

"Whoa, now 'this' is something I can get used to!" Chumley said as they walked in.

"Are we too late for the buffet?" Syrus asked.

"Nah, we're just in time, although I don't see any open seats." Joseph muttered as the girls started separating to go back to their jobs.

"Right this way Master Joseph." Sheou said with a smile, beckoning him to follow her.

"Uh wait, don't we have to pay first to enter?" Syrus asked, pointing at the collection box next to the front door which asked all patrons to deposit '2' Dragon Coins upon entering.

Sheou smiled again as she held out her hand asking for all of their coins, took all of said coins, before finally depositing them into the box. "Young Master Joseph does not have to pay for anything in this Café, and as his maids we extend this offer to his personal friends as well." She said with a smile. "You may come and go as you please for free, and our entire menu is free to you as well. You may order whatever it is you like."

"Licious, all you can eat for free!" Chumley said as they followed Sheou over to a table near a window that was completely empty with a small sign reading 'reserved' on it.

Joseph chuckled as he looked over the menu and saw the usual items but looked surprised as he saw the more 'exotic' items that were added. He guessed that they had decided to open up a new branch of the menu to cater to the student body and academy staff. He looked at the various meals they were now offering and settled on getting a bowl of central American rice, a slice of chocolate cake and a grape flavored soda. Syrus ordered an Italian Turkey Caesar salad and an orange soda, and Chumley ordered…

"An extra-large triple decker grilled cheese with four different types of cheeses!"

"Where is 'that' on the menu?" Syrus asked.

"It's not, but I saw this 'order whatever you want' on the menu, and figured I'd ask if it's possible to get it."

"Uh, Sheou, can you handle that?"

Sheou smiled and nodded, before politely walking away with their order to give to Kite in the kitchen.

"So, Joseph I've got to ask, who does all of the cooking here... do your sisters all take turns helping out Kite?" Syrus asked as he watched Lora and Sun walk through with various plates piled with food and delivering them.

"Actually no, Kite handles all of the cooking… sometimes I helped her by getting certain ingredients when she asked for them, but no she did all of the cooking."

"Are you serious, one girl does 'all' of this?" Chumley asked in amazement. "Man, that's like a dream girl for me."

"You're telling me Chumley, she's got to have like eight arms to be able to cook that fast!" Syrus said, as over his head an imagination bubble appeared and he suddenly pictured the pretty red-haired Kite sitting in the middle of a kitchen with eight arms, each doing various tasks like stirring a pot, chopping vegetables, another flipping meat, a fourth seasoning…

"On second thought, I don't want to know how she does it…"

He laughed as they imagined how Kite cooked so much so fast, and especially to perfection, as not one complaint about the food could be heard from around the café. While he looked around, he smiled as he saw so many students talking and laughing among themselves, sometimes talking to his adopted sisters as they passed by, asking questions and the like. It reminded him that this was his home essentially, rebuilt on Duel Academy grounds, as other than the relaxing zone that was currently empty it was just like home not a few weeks ago. Not a single table was out of place, the benches were the same, the lighting was exactly like it was, heck he could even see the staircase that led upstairs in the corner.

He noticed off by the teachers was Doctor Crowler and seeing one of his teachers at the café he got an idea to ask about his homework, as he was 'still' having difficulty with that Chain Healing card assignment, and it was due the next day.

"Guys I'll be right back, call me when our food comes up!" He said as he got up to walk over to Doctor Crowler's table. "Hey Doctor Crowler, sorry if I'm bothering you, but can I ask you for your help really quick?"

Crowler looked up from his cherry pie and nodded, inviting him to sit down across from him.

"You see Doctor Crowler, I'm trying to finish up my last homework I have, the Chain Link stuff, and I just can't seem to figure out how they work so I can get Chain Healing to link 4." He said as he sat down.

"You still can't figure out how chain links work, but you do it all the time Joseph." Crowler said.

"Wait, I do?" He asked in surprise.

"Yes, your Dragonmaid Cards do it 'all' the time, practically every turn your doing Chain Links Joseph." Crowler said as he took one last bite before putting his plate to the side. "Here, let me see your cards really quick…"

He nodded and handed over his deck of Dragonmaids to Crowler, and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a Chain Healing card before extracting several of his Dragonmaid cards.

"Alright, let me demonstrate… every time your Dragonmaids go from their human forms to their dragon forms, you start a link, especially when you activate them in sequence. So, when you have 'three' Dragonmaids on the field and they go into their dragon forms, that's essentially 'three' Chain Links right there."

"So, I need to activate my three Dragonmaids effects to send them to their hands, and 'then' I can activate Chain Healing?"

"Yes, but you can't special summon the dragon forms or else that 'ends' the chain, and all the effects resolve in the order of which one was activated last to first. So if you were to activate Chain Healing after special summoning your dragons, it would only be a chain one, sending it to the graveyard, you need to activate it 'after' your Dragonmaids activate their effects to send them to the hand, and if you have three on the field, Chain Healing becomes a Chain Link 4, sending it back to your hand and then your Dragonmaids go into their dragon forms. Does that clear things up now?"

"Yea, so all this time I've been doing chain links without even knowing!"

"It happens so often that most duelists don't take Chain Links into account, its not often that a chain link 3 is created, let alone a 4, so its no wonder you didn't know how it worked or even pay attention to it happening." Crowler said as he replaced the cards into his deck and handed them back. "Now I hope you finish that assignment; I'm expecting it tomorrow first thing you enter my class."

"I will Doctor Crowler, thanks!" Joseph said as he got up and ran back over to his table, where Sheou had brought their orders.

Crowler smiled a tad as he returned to his cake, at least 'one' Slifer was taking their studies seriously, even if he wasn't exactly the star pupil of the dorm. 'Perhaps I could 'try' to inspire them to be better students… but first I need to get them to arrive on time to class.'

"Alright guys 'dig in'!" Joseph said as he sat down and started eating his rice, Syrus his salad, and Chumley his enormous grilled cheese.

"Oh, this is like a dream come true, I've never had a triple decker grilled cheese with four kinds of cheeses in my whole life… ooooh I can feel it melting in cheesy goodness in my mouth…" Chumley muttered as he ate his food.

"Chumley, do you think you could slow down; we are right next to you and eating after all…" Syrus said.

"Hey Syrus, can you pass me the parmesan cheese?" Joseph asked as he ate some rice.

While they ate Sheou stood by their table the entire time, hands clasped and resting in front of her, diligently waiting to see if she was needed for anything, or to take their dishes away upon finishing. She never showed anything but warm content for the situation, even as Chumley joked if he could get another, she just replied that if they wanted more, she would be more than happy to take their requests to the kitchen.

Chumley asked for another grilled cheese, and Syrus wanted a slice of the same cake that Joseph had, but Joseph himself had to excuse himself about an hour after they arrived so he could return to his dorm and finish his homework, as well get to sleep as fast as possible so he could get to his classes on time.

Acknowledging that he was going to leave, Sheou once more walked to the door, rang the bell to summon all of the maids in the café, and as one they all gave him a proper maid sendoff, hoping he returns tomorrow again.

"FINALLY!" He yelled in exhaustion as he finished his last assignment, thanks to Crowlers instructions about how to establish chain links. "It took me long enough…"

'You really need some sleep master; else your pretty little face will get all wrinkly!' Nudyarl said as she appeared next to him.

'Sleep doesn't just help his face; it helps his daily attitude as well!' Ernus said as she now appeared next to him, smiling in agreement.

"Can't you girls let me go one night not telling me stuff I already know?" He muttered quietly as he began changing, stripping from his Duel Academy uniform and into his pajamas.

For pajamas he wore a special set of hand-knitted light pants and shirt, light blue in overall color with cartoony pictures of his Dragonmaid card's dragon forms in various poses and smiling at him while they wore cute little sleeping attires, mostly night caps and resting on pillows. Syrus and Chumley thought they looked kind of 'cute', a little too cute for a boy, but he didn't mind and liked them because it was Lora who spent an entire week on them for him. She always made new ones whenever he said his pajamas were getting too small for him, and he really appreciated how diligent she was in making them for him.

'Oh master, we just want to help you stay healthy and young and awesome looking!' Tinkech said as she floated above him while he climbed into his bunk.

"I can sleep on time girls without you telling me." He chuckled.

Lorpar now appeared next to him and just lay next to him while the others chose to settle in their respective positions. 'Good night young master, pleasant dreams…' She muttered lovingly, nuzzling his cheek as he yawned and went off to dream land.

As the night went on and he was most definitely asleep, Lorpar, Tinkech, Nudyarl and Ernus each took peaks at him before giving him a goodnight kiss on his cheeks.

'Alright you three, back to the café, I'll stay and watch his dreams!' Lorpar said to them.

'How come 'you' get the night off while the rest of us have to work our scales off is beyond me…' Tinkech muttered.

'House said to do it, so we do it…' Nudyarl said. 'You know how she gets when we don't get to work…'

'Come on girls, we need to get back before she finds out… Chamber can't cover for all of us forever!' Ernus said as she vanished, followed by the other two.

'Why doesn't 'she' show up in her Dragon form is beyond me…' Tinkech muttered.

'You know how she is… she likes how her 'hands' have thumbs over her dragon form's claws!' Nudyarl complained.

Lorpar chuckled as they left before she settled into her night job of watching over Joseph's dreams, ensuring he slept peacefully and without fear of anything disrupting it. She'd been waiting all week for her turn to watch over his dreams, and she was going to make the most of it. 'A nice night of fun filled dreams, that's what you deserve young master…' She thought happily, snuggling next to him and sending her draconic energy to fill his dreams.

It was quiet for a while until Chumley and Syrus returned to their dorm as well to sleep, changing into their own pajamas and hopping into bed, but Joseph slept on and Lorpar just giggled to herself as she remained hidden from them, seen only by Joseph.

All was quiet afterwards, the Maid of the Dragon's Café had started closing, sending off its guests and welcoming them to come back tomorrow. Students made their way back to their dorms, some saying how they couldn't wait to come back and others wishing the night had lasted longer.

Alexis however wasn't heading for the Obelisk Blue girl dorms, she was heading toward another location, a place where students weren't allowed to trespass, a location known as the Abandoned Dorms. She walked down the pathway with only a flashlight and her deck of cards, as well as a small disposable cup of grape soda she'd asked from the café's staff. She was going to pay her respects to her brother's disappearance and hope as always that some day he would be found.

She would have brought a rose, but in the fun and warm atmosphere of the café, she had forgotten to get a rose and so asked for a cup of grape soda, her brother's favorite drink when they were kids.

At the abandoned dorm she looked at the downtrodden building, ramshackle wood, broken windows and cobweb filled corners, and sighed sadly as she put the cup of soda on the ground. "Oh Atticus… where did you go?" She asked sadly. "I'm sure you would have loved to visit the café brother… it's a really nice place… and Joseph's sisters are extremely friendly."

Over at the Slifer Red dorm however, the peace and quiet was about to end, as a tall mysterious figure appeared outside of the Slifer Dorms, cloaked in fog and with strong broad shoulders. He slowly walked up the staircase and stood just outside of the room of his target.

"So, this is the dorm room of Joseph Takara?" Titan asked himself as he smiled. "After slipping into Duel Academy, I suppose I 'could' just take the card my client wanted and slip out without anyone knowing. But after going to all the effort just to get onto the island, and bribing quite a few people to look the other way… why not have just a 'little' bit of fun… shall we?"

Inside the room Joseph and his friends slept, unaware of the door being picked and a strange smoke beginning to fill it. But Lorpar who was watching over his dreams noticed instantly and became alert as the door slowly slid open.

'What the… who's opening the door, can't you see we're all sleeping here?'

Titan slowly walked into the room, the fog covering his lower body to make it appear as if he were floating as he headed over to the desk where Joseph had left his Dragonmaid Cards.

'H-hey, what are you doing in here… you're not supposed to be in here!'

Titan ignored her as to the rest of the world she didn't exist, only heard and seen by Joseph, and she could not stop this stranger from reaching down and picking up the topmost card from the deck and looking at it.

[Dragonmaid Lorpar]

'M-my card… MASTER WAKE UUUUUP!' She tried to scream, but before she could be heard, she vanished as he walked to the door.

Joseph stirred as he felt something was off, that something was 'wrong', and he began waking up to see what was going on and found the room was filled with a strange fog.

"H-hey, who let the fog in…" He muttered tiredly, as Tinkech, Nudyarl and Ernus appeared.

'Forget the fog master, look!' Ernus yelled in fear as she pointed at the door.

He looked at the door and his eyes were suddenly wide and alert, as he saw a strange man standing there wearing some kind of heavy coat and duel disk contraption, a mask and more importantly holding his Dragonmaid Lorpar card in between two fingers while smiling.

"Hey, who are you and what are you doing with my Dragonmaid card!?" He yelled, getting up as fast as possible, waking up Syrus and Chumley in the process.

"Hmhmhmhmmm… why don't you follow me and find out for yourself… into the 'shadows' that is." He said as he vanished, leaving through the door and out into the night.

"COME BACK HERE!" He yelled, grabbing his Duel Disk and his deck, slipping on his slippers and jacket before running as fast as he could after the thief.

"Joseph what's going on?" Syrus asked as he ran out as well.

"A THIEF STOLE MY CARD!"

"Oh man… not running…" Chumley complained as he and Syrus ran after him.

Alexis was just walking away from the abandoned dorm as she heard the sound of someone screaming and yelling, and moments later she saw a tall man with an enormous coat and mask seemingly appear from the shadows near her.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here? This area is off limits!" She demanded, before she noticed in his hand was a duel card, a one of a kind card that she instantly recognized as Joseph's Dragonmaid Lorpar. "What are you doing with that card, answer me!"

"Oh, you know this card do you… then you also must happen to know the 'owner' of this card?" He asked cruelly.

"I'm his friend, and if you know what's good for you, you'll hand that card over to me and leave!" She said, balling her fists and getting ready to sprint at him.

"Mhmmhmmhmm, I don't think I'll be handing this over just yet… but since you're the owner's friend… I think you'll make excellent prey for me to use in a Shadow Game." He said, and before she could react, he rushed her, she screamed, and all was suddenly black.

With Joseph he followed the guidance of his Dragonmaid spirits, Tinkech and Nudyarl with Ernus following behind him along with Syrus and Chumley. Nudyarl and Tinkech were leading the way, following Lorpar's spirit as it called out to them.

'Why does that man want Lorpar, what could he possibly do with her card?'

"I don't know, but I will 'not' let him keep her for one more second if I can help it!" He yelled.

"Joseph, do you have any idea where we're going?" Syrus asked.

"Yea, I've never been here before…" Chumley muttered.

"I don't know, and I don't care, Lorpar is this way and I'm going to rescue her!"

"AAAAAAAH!"

They paused in their running as they heard the scream, a feminine scream that sounded like someone they knew. "Hey… that sounded like Alexis…" Joseph muttered.

'This way!' Nudyarl said as she flew on, leading them through a series of bushes and out into an open area.

What they saw was this large building, reminiscent of the Obelisk Blue dorms and the Ra Yellow dorms combined. It was extremely run down, broken glass and boarded up windows, cobwebs and dust littered the area as they walked in, seeing a spilled disposable cup tipped over on the ground nearby. His dragons flew onward, leading them into the building where the interior wasn't any better. The floors, walls and ceiling were coated in layers of dust and dirt so thick it looked like paint. The paint was peeling, overturned tables and chairs, broken bits of furniture and a host of other things that just screamed this place hasn't seen a human in years.

"Guys, something tells me that this is a place we shouldn't be in." Chumley muttered.

"Yea… this place is creepy…" Syrus said fearfully.

"Maybe but Lorpar is here, and if that thief hurt Alexis, then she's here too!" He said as he walked forward, his friends and Dragons following behind.

As they walked down a flight of stairs, they saw on the walls what looked like pictures of ancient Egyptian inscriptions, prominent among them were hieroglyphs and seven particular items. "Guys… do either of you recognize these things? Because they look familiar and I'm praying I'm wrong about what I'm seeing…"

"Joseph… those are the same symbols representing the seven millennium items… the same ones Professor Banner said were linked to the Shadow Games!" Syrus muttered.

"I was hoping I was wrong… probably this is all just coincidence… but where's Lorpar and Alexis?"

As if to answer their question, a wooden door opened up revealing a hidden passage, and he could just hear the faint cry of Lorpar screaming for help in the distance.

"I hate when stuff like that happens." Chumley said as they entered the passageway, Joseph leading the way.

Down they headed, walking down dirty, creaky stairs, the very earth barely held up by wooden boards the deeper they went. After a while they walked out of the tunnel and into a massive underground chamber of rock and symbols carved into the floor. Opposite them were two special cages, each covered by a blanket with a rope hanging over one of them and surrounding them all was fog that seemed to shift and roll around them.

"What's going on here, where are you thief?!" Joseph called out.

"Hahahha… I'll tell you what's going on…" A cold voice said as the same man who broke into their dorm room appeared from the fog, almost materializing from the very shadows. "A shadow game… if you wish to save your friend's soul that is…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Mhmhmhm… take a look!" He cackled as he waved at the cage to his left and flung off the blanket to reveal a bony coffin halfway open, and inside was a bound and gagged Alexis, her legs chained to the coffin and her arms tied in chains, hanging over her head was a key that try as she might she could not reach. "Your friend is my prisoner… and unless you agree to duel me in a Shadow Duel, her soul will be sealed away, trapped forever in the Shadow Realm!"

"Oh no…"

"Alexis…"

"What about Lorpar, what have you done with my Dragonmaid?"

"Oh… you mean 'this'?" He laughed as he grabbed the other blanket, to reveal suspended by the rope via a paper clip of all things, Dragonmaid Lorpar's card, hanging dangerously above a lit candle.

He gasped in shock and fear as he saw her card over the candle, and more so when Lorpar herself appeared in spirit form next to her card, 'Master save me!' she called out fearfully.

"Lorpar!" He yelled out in fear, before glaring at the thief. "What do you want?"

"I told you… a Shadow Duel…" He said as he lifted a golden upside-down pyramid which glowed brilliantly in the dark room. "Duel by my terms… and you can save your friend or your card, refuse and you lose 'both'… so what will it be?"

"You want a duel, fine, I'll duel you…" He snarled as he hit the on button and his duel disk readied itself, but beeped informing him that he had insufficient cards to start the duel. "Oh man, I'm one card short…"

"Here Joseph, take this one!" Chumley said as he handed him a card from his pocket. "It's the only one I carry around in my sleep…"

He looked at the card and grimaced, Ring of Destruction. Not exactly a card he wanted to use considering how it works, but better than nothing and not being able to duel. He slipped it in, the cards were shuffled, and his Life Points were set. "Alright whoever you are, let's get our game on…"

"Mhmhmmmhmm, our 'Shadow Game' you mean, and you may call me Titan!" He said as he activated a duel disk similar to what Doctor Crowler had with his Duel Vest, and several bat-like wings sprouted from the duel disk on his wrist. "Before we begin, here is how the Shadow Game works… the fate of your friend and now you and pajama buddies are tied to your life points. The lower they go, the more the shadows close on your souls… if you lose then you all will be doomed, trapped forever in the Shadow Realm!"

"Did he say, 'shadow realm'?" Chumley asked in fear.

"I think so, but didn't Professor Banner say that stuff was just myth and legend?" Syrus muttered.

"I assure you, they're very much real… as is my Millennium Item." Titan said with a grin.

"What about Lorpar, how do I save her?"

"Heheheh, her fate is tied to 'my' life points… the lower they go, the lower 'she' goes, and her fate will be sealed by the flame!" Titan said as he tapped a button on his wrist, and lowered Lorpar's card by a single centimeter.

'Aaaaaahhh!' Lorpar screamed in panic as her card inched closer to the flame below her.

"NO WAY, I WON'T DUEL IF I CAN'T SAVE LORPAR AND ALEXIS!"

"You don't have a choice, either duel by my terms, or you lose both your friend and your card… either way the shadows will be sated. A shadow game is 'never' fair for the victim, because the shadows don't care about the terms, so long as something is given to them!" He said with a smile. "So boy, will you duel or will you run, and lose both your friend and your card? What's more important a soul or a piece of cardboard with ink slapped on it?"

He grimaced in fear as he looked between Alexis who looked at him with determined eyes, shaking her head furiously as much as possible, and Lorpar who cried helplessly at him, begging him to save her.

"I accept the terms… let's duel!"

"As you wish…"

[Titan – 4000 / Joseph Takara – 4000]

"I'll start this duel off…" Titan said as he drew his first card. "First, I play the magic card, Graceful Charity… this lets me draw three cards so long as I discard two!"

He drew three cards and then instantly sent two of the cards he drew to the graveyard.

"Next, I summon to the field, Infernalqueen Archfiend in attack mode!"

A fiendish looking monster with skeletal wings, red armor adorning her purple dress, bony 'claws' in place of hands and a skeleton skull with blue hair and a red crown appeared on the field in a blaze of fire and fiendish energy.

[Infernalqueen Archfiend, LVL 4, Fire Attribute, Fiend Type, Effect Monster, 900 Atk / 1500 Def]

"And as long as the queen is in play, all face up Archfiend monsters gain an idditional one thousand attack points to make them even 'deadlier'!" Titan called out.

[Infernalqueen Archfiend 900 Atk / 1500 Def – 1900 Atk / 1500 Def]

"Archfiend cards… those cards are scary but hard to use, I read about them, heck a kid I once dueled back at the café tried to use them against me, he ended up nearly doing himself in because of how many life points they kept draining from him just to keep them."

"Indeed, every turn I need to pay life points, the queen herself demands a hefty price of five hundred. But as they say… rules are made to be 'broken'." He said as he played a card. "I play the Pandemonium Field Spell!"

Around them the field changed, instead of the underground cave they were all surrounded by an arena of bones, skulls and eerie blood red floor, where in the center was a glowing hole of yellow magma.

"Now I don't have to pay 'any' life points to keep my Archfiends on the field, and if ever one of them is destroyed and sent to the graveyard outside of a battle, I can add an archfiend monster from my deck to my hand to replace it, as long as its 'weaker' in levels!" He declared. "Now I play one card face down and end my turn!"

He glared at Titan as he drew his first card, before looking at his other cards that he drew for his starting hand.

[Dragonmaid Nudyarl, United we Stand, Numinous Healer, Dragonmaid Hospitality, Dragonmaid Changeover, Trap Hole (added).]

"This is a horrible hand… not good at all." He muttered as he looked at his options. "Well, I need to start somewhere, so I play the magic card, Dragonmaid Hospitality!"

He played the magic card and it appeared on the field.

"With this I can special summon the Dragonmaid Nudyarl in my hand in defense mode, next due to the effects of Hospitality, I send Laundry to the graveyard."

[Dragonmaid Nudyarl, Lvl 7, Water Attribute, Dragon Type, Effect Monster, 2600 Atk / 1600 Def]

Nudyarl appeared on the field, crouching in a defensive posture while snarling, her purple furry tail wrapping protectively around Joseph as they faced off against the Archfiend.

"Next, I play the magic card, United we Stand and equip it to Nudyarl!" He said, playing the magic card and equipping it to his monster.

[When the magic card, United we Stand, is equipped to a monster, the equipped monster gains 800 attack and defense points for each face up monster you control.]

"With this, Nudyarl's points go up, and that's more than enough to protect against your queen! Next I play two cards face down and end my turn."

[Dragonmaid Nudyarl, 2600 Atk / 1600 def – 3400 Atk / 2400 Def]

"Mhmhmhmhm… already on the defense, and supposedly you're here to save your friend and precious card." Titan declared as he drew his next card. "I activate the face down trap card, Call of the Haunted… this powerful trap lets me special summon any monster from my graveyard, and I choose to summon, the Vilepawn Archfiend I discarded my last turn!"

From the ground a skeletal monster with bone like armor, a sword and shield with glowing red eyes and red muscles along his arms legs and chest appeared, growling venomously as he brandished his sword against Nudyarl, who growled in defiance.

[Vilepawn Archfiend, Lvl 4, Dark Attribute, Fiend Type, Effect Monster, 1200 Atk / 200 Def]

"And this monster comes with a unique ability, as long as he's on the field, the only monster you can attack is the Vilepawn Archfiend!"

'I'm not afraid of you, I'll protect my master to the bitter end!' Nudyarl called out.

"Next, I summon, the mighty Terrorking Archfiend!" He said as he played his next monster. "I can only summon this mighty beast so long as an Archfiend is on my side, and as you see I have 'two'."

From the field another skeletal beast wearing an even larger crown appeared, bat like wings, bone-like armor and blood red muscles adorning his body as he rose from the field, a mighty sword clenched in his fist as he stood between the Infernalqueen and Vilepawn.

[Terrorking Archfiend, Lvl 4, Dark Attribute, Fiend Type, Effect Monster, 2000 Atk / 1500 Def]

"And, because the Queen is still on the field, all their attack points go up by 1000!"

[Terrorking Archfiend, 2000 Atk / 1500 Def – 3000 Atk / 1500 Def]

[Vilepawn Archfiend, 1200 Atk / 200 Def – 2200 Atk / 200 Def]

"Just what I was waiting on, I activate my Trap Hole trap card!" He shouted as he flipped over his face down. "If you normal summon a monster with more than 1000 attack points, this card destroys it! Nice try, but you're not going to break through my maid's defense!"

As the card activated a hole began to appear around the Terrorking but was stopped midway.

"Hey, what happened… my trap card should have sent it to the grave."

"Hmhmhmhm… did you really think you could set a trap for me, who's the one trapped here?" He declared as from the center a series of numbers rose from the molten flame. "Behold the power of my Archfiends, if ever they are targeted by effects belonging to my opponent's cards, then my Archfiend's effects give me a gambling chance to stop them before they begin!"

Titan smiled as the six numbers took up a circular formation, and a flame appeared around one of them.

"Now let's see what fate has in store for us for your Trap Hole card… Terrorking Archfiend's effect lets me spin the wheel, and if the result is a 2 or a 5, then your card's effect is negated, and the card is destroyed and sent to the graveyard! Now Terrorking, spin the wheel of fate and determine the fate of this turn!"

As he watched the flame began to spin, going from 1 to 6, going at a set pace.

"It's alright Joseph, the odds are in your favor!"

"Chumley, you slept through math…" Syrus muttered.

He ignored them as the flame began to slow down, until it landed finally on '5'.

"Hahahha… the result is a 5, which means your Trap Hole is negated and destroyed, leaving the Terrorking safe on my side of the field!" Titan said as the trap hole vanished, and his card was sent to the graveyard.

"This is bad…" Joseph muttered as Nudyarl growled defiantly, her tail coiling tighter around him.

"Oh, it's not bad… it's worse than that… Terrorking Archfiend, attack his Dragonmaid Nudyarl with locust storm barrage!"

The Terrorking roared in furry as its chest burst open and a swarm of locusts flew out, descending upon Nudyarl as she screamed in pain, until eventually she was destroyed.

"Next, Infernalqueen Archfiend attack his life points directly!"

The queen roared in maniacal fury as she sent a crimson red flame of fiendish energy at him, striking his life points directly and sending them plummeting.

[Titan – 4000 / Joseph Takara – 2100]

"Not so fast, I activate my face down card, Numinous Healer, if I lose life points then I gain a thousand life point back!"

[Titan – 4000 / Joseph Takara – 3100]

"So, you gained some life points… but your in for worse… as now you shall enjoy a 'taste' of what's to come… FROM A SHADOW GAME!" Titan declared as he raised his millennium item and it glowed, shining a light on him.

"Grrrrra…" He growled as he looked at Titan when the light ended.

"Joseph!"

"Look at yourself!"

He did and looked down at his body, only to find that a portion of his torso, his left leg, and right arm were 'missing'. "Wha… my body!"

"That's right… when you duel in a Shadow Game, you risk more than just life points… your soul is at stake… with each point you lose, more of you will vanish as your soul is consumed by the shadows!" Titan declared. "Do you feel the fog as it flows around you, to you feel the grip of the shadows tugging at you, at your soul… do you 'feel' how it's pulling you deeper into the darkness?"

Even as he breathed, he felt his breathing becoming heavier and heavier, his heart beating harder from the fear he was feeling, it truly was as he said, it was like his soul was being ripped out of his body.

"I can't… I can't move my feet… it's getting harder to breathe…" Joseph muttered.

"You're telling me… it's getting harder to breathe as well for us." Chumley complained as he coughed.

"Yea, the air is getting really thick all of a sudden!" Syrus muttered in agreement.

"That is the way of the shadows, transcending the game and bringing out the true power one commands in a duel. Feel as your very life is now on the line, you hold the fate of not only your soul but also your friends, and I suggest you 'up your game' because if you don't, then ALL of your friend's souls will be sacrificed to the shadows." Titan said as he smiled. "Or don't because you won't have another say, as if you've noticed, is till have another monster that can attack… Vilepawn Archfiend attack, Fiendish Sword Slash!"

With no cards on the field to activate in response, he could only watch as the Vilepawn Archfiend ran forward and slashed at his body, causing 2200 points of damage to his life points.

[Titan – 4000 / Joseph Takara – 900]

"And as you lose more points… your soul gets closer to being sucked into the shadow realm…" Titan said as his mystical item glowed, and Joseph watched as his left leg all but vanished, his right leg only went down to his knee, his left arm was split into two, his right arm was barely there, and he could see through his torso. "And don't forget with each point you lose, your friend's fate is sealed, as her coffin closes and locks her in place to be taken to the Shadow Realm."

He looked on as Alexis watched her coffin close tighter and tighter, her eyes panicking as she tried to escape but was unable to free herself.

"Alexis!" He hollered in fear, but his voice was strained, as he gasped for air.

'MASTER!'

He looked and saw Lorpar crying in fear as she watched him being consumed by the shadows.

"I'm not giving up… not yet…" He growled as he took his next card. "I DRAW!"

"Go ahead but make your next move count… it may be your last!"

He looked at his next card, [Dragonmaid Sendoff]

"I put one card face down, and end my turn…" He said tiredly.

"That's it… that's it?" Syrus screamed in fear.

'I'm sorry Syrus, but that's all I can do… it's so hard to breathe, I can't think straight…' He thought sadly.

"Hahahahahah, all that bluster and that is your best move… if you want a one-way trip to the shadow realm, then I'm happy to oblige!" Titan said as he drew his next card. "Terrorking Archfiend 'end this'! Locust Storm Barrage!"

As the monter's attack flew at him, all he could do was cough painfully before he activated his face down card. "I… activate… Dragonmaid Sendoff!" He said. "If this card is activated, I can summon one Dragonmaid monster from my hand or graveyard in defense mode… and I choose Laundry Dragonmaid!"

From his deck Laundry Dragonmaid appeared and flung herself in the way of the locusts to be his shield, protecting his life points and keeping him safe.

'Gyaaaaaaaaarg!' She cried in pain, before she wearily collapsed as the attack ended, her maid outfit in tatters.

"Hmmm, what's this, why wasn't your monster destroyed? My Terrorking's attack more than outnumbers her defense points."

"Sendoff's secondary effect, the monster summoned… cannot be destroyed in battle, or by card effect… and since… she was summon... ed, I can now send the top 3 cards of my deck to the graveyard." He held up his duel disk and Laundry blasted it with a weak beam of blueish draconic energy, causing the 3 cards in question be picked. "Come on Laundry… help me out girl… I need help!"

[Dragonmaid Tidying, Mirror Force, Nurse Dragonmaid]

"I'll take that…" He muttered.

"So, your monster can't be destroyed in battle huh?" Titan said with an evil grin. "Then that means I can cause her as much pain as I want… you seem to care a great deal for these Dragonmaid cards… you treat them like family and would do anything to keep them safe. So, if I cause that card more pain, you'll slip even 'further' into the shadows in a desire to keep them safe… Vilepawn Archfiend ATTACK!"

He could only watch helplessly as Laundry rose and spread her arms wide as the Vilepawn Archfiend ran forward and slashed at her.

'Yaaaaaaaaagh…' Laundry screamed in pain as she collapsed again, not being destroyed thanks to the effects of Dragonmaid Sendoff.

"Stop it… you don't need to hurt her anymore!" He pleaded as Laundry wearily rose again.

"Stop, are you asking me to show mercy?" Titan cackled. "I'm afraid I don't know what that word means… does it mean 'ATTACK HIS MAID INFERNALQUEEN ARCHFIEND'?"

The Infernalqueen Archfiend roared and launched a crimson red flame at Laundry, who spread her arms wide and cried in pain yet again, as she was burned by the flame and she fell once more, before wearily standing up to shield him again.

'I'm… alright… don't worry about me master…' Laundry muttered painfully. 'Just don't give up… we won't let the shadows take you from us!'

He thanked her for enduring the pain she did, even as Titan smiled and ended his turn, causing Laundry to vanish as she returned to his hand.

"My turn… and you're going to 'pay' for hurting Laundry the way you did!" Joseph muttered as he drew his card. [Pot of Greed]

"I play the magic card Pot of Greed… which lets me draw two cards…" He muttered painfully.

[Dragonmaid Welcome, Spring of Rebirth]

"I play two magic cards, Dragonmaid Welcome… and Spring of Rebirth!" He said, playing the two cards down. "With these on the field, not only will my Dragonmaids gain 100 attack and defense points for each Dragonmaid I have on the field, but I also can gain 500 life points for each monster that returns to my hand from the field! Next I play Laundry in attack mode…"

From the field Laundry appeared, looking angry and showing her fangs as she looked ready to tear into Titan's monsters.

"Now I go into the battle phase… so Laundry goes back to my hand and Nudyarl comes out from the graveyard into attack mode!"

Laundry vanished as Nudyarl took her place, growling ferociously as blue flame licked from her mouth, even as her stats rose.

[Nudyarl, 2600 Atk / 1600 Def – 2700 Atk / 1700 Def]

"And my life points go up… by five hundred!"

The Spring of Rebirth card glowed and lapis lazuli water flowed from it onto him, raising his life points.

[Titan – 4000 / Joseph Takara – 1400]

"And since your life points go up, I guess that means your friend's coffin opens up just a little bit… giving her a better view of your desperate struggle." Titan said with a smile.

As he watched Alexis' coffin did indeed open up just a little bit, allowing him, Syrus and Chumley to see her worried expression.

"I'm not done yet… I attack your Infernalqueen Archfiend with Dragonmaid Nudyarl, go Azure Dragon Flame!" He ordered, and Nudyarl obeyed, sending a jet of azure flame to strike at the queen.

"Have we forgotten?" Titan cackled. "The Vilepawn Archfiend prevents you from targeting any other Archfiend monster when he is on the field! Sorry, but the queen will not be departing us this round!"

Nudyarl's attack was intercepted as the Vilepawn jumped in front of the queen, who mercilessly watched without care as the Vilepawn vanished in the flame of Nudyarl's wrath, causing Titan's life points to take a hit.

[Titan – 3500 / Joseph Takara – 1400]

"How we forget… the lower my life points go… the closer your precious 'Lorpar' gets to the flame!"

'Eyaaaaaar!' Lorpar screamed in fear as her card lowered closer to the candle below her. 'Master it's getting hot over here!'

"Guh… no… I can't risk Lorpar getting burned!" He said in fear. "I end the battle phase, and that means I send Nudyarl back to the hand to bring out Laundry in defense mode, which causes Spring of Rebirth to activate."

Laundry returned to the field and change his life points.

[Titan – 3500 / Joseph Takara – 1900]

"Inching your way from the shadows won't help… not when I still have the advantage!" Titan said. "Hmmm, I think I'll play one card face down, and have Terrorking Archfiend attack your precious Dragonmaid!"

"Not yet, I activate Laundry's effect… this sends her back to the hand and Nudyarl comes out in her stead! Which activates Spring of Rebirth's effect!"

Nudyarl appeared on the field as he took Laundry back into his hand, only he played her in attack mode.

[Titan – 3500 / Joseph Takara – 2400]

"Joseph, you need more than just Nudyarl, she can't handle these Archfiends on her own!" Chumley yelled.

"Come on Joseph, do something or else you're going to get creamed!"

'I know, but there's nothing more I can do… it's taking everything my deck has right now just to stay alive… playing her in attack mode is all I can do to buy me more time! All I've got left is my Dragonmaid Changeover, and I can't use it until I get a second Dragonmaid in my hand or on the field.' He muttered.

"So be it, Terrorking continue your assault, LOCUST STORM BARRAGE!"

Terrorking nodded and unleashed another torrent of locusts, sending them buzzing and attacking Nudyarl who cried in pain as she was destroyed 'yet again' by the king.

[Titan – 3500 / Joseph Takara – 2100]

"Don't forget the Infernalqueen is still on the field, so queen if you would be so kind as to DESTROY HIM!"

She obliged as she unleashed a torrential flame against him, incinerating his life points and dropping them to danger levels once more.

[Titan – 3500 / Joseph Takara – 200]

"And with each point you lose… you draw closer to the shadow realm…" Titan said as he raised his item once again, and blinded Joseph with its light. "And your precious friend gets closer to being locked away forever in the shadows to join you!"

When he could see again, he was barely feet, hands, a leg and a head with a portion of torso to rest on.

He panted heavily as he knelt, feeling like his soul was barely clinging to reality, he could feel the world swirling around him as the shadows tucked and tugged at him. "I can't… keep this up…" He whispered wearily. "Can't… give up… won't give up… mustn't give up… Lorpar is counting on me… Alexis is counting on me…"

Alexis in her coffin bound and gagged could only watch helplessly as Joseph looked like he was about to faint from exhaustion, and try as she might, she couldn't shove the gag that was keeping her silent out of the way long enough for her to shout that it was all fake. Joseph 'wasn't' in a shadow game, it wasn't real, it was all smoke and holographic illusion mixed with his own imagination. She could clearly see the smoke machine from her angle on Titan's Coat, and she recognized the millennium item he was carrying, it was the Millennium Puzzle, but it was a mere 'fake'.

She knew because Yugi was pictured with the puzzle frequently, no way this guy could have it. But all she could do was hope he could win, and not believe he was losing his soul.

'Come on Joseph, dig deep… you can win this duel, your maids can win this duel.'

Joseph stood up and drew another card, and looked to see he had drawn [Dragonmaid Ernus]

"Finally… I activate the Dragonmaid Changeover Card in my hand!" He declared, and on the field Dragonmaid Changeover appeared. "With this… I send one Dragonmaid monster, and one Dragon type monster to fusion summon… House Dragonmaid."

He sent Dragonmaid Ernus and Laundry Dragonmaid to the grave, and with the requirements met he special summoned his deck's strongest monster, House Dragonmaid who appeared on the field in a blaze of black, white and crimson draconic flame, with her draconic aura emitting before she appeared physically on the field. She looked up at scowled at the monsters she was facing.

[House Dragonmaid, Lvl 8, Light Attribute, Dragon Type, Effect Fusion Monster, 3000 Atk / 2000 Def]

'Hmmm, so that's the card he hired me to steal, I have to say its quite a card, I can see why he would want it… now to finish this duel so I can walk out of here with my prize.'

Joseph looked at the field and then focused on his possible moves, he still had Tidying in the graveyard, he could summon any of his Dragonmaids now that they were in the grave, but the one that mattered most was Nurse. When she came back, she could bring Laundry back and then he'd have '3' maids.

"Not only that… but with three maids, House can crush his king with ease… alright let's do it… I activate the Dragonmaid Tidying Trap Card in my grave… by removing this card from play, I can special summon 'any' Dragonmaid monster from my hand or graveyard into defense mode, but at the end of the turn it goes back to my hand!" He declared, and as he said, it happened.

Nurse appeared on the field as her card was extracted and Tidying was removed from play. She knelt with her arms crossed and looking forward determinately. 'Master, you're very wounded… you need rest!'

[Nurse Dragonmaid, Lvl 2, Earth Attribute, Dragon Type, Effect Monster, 500 Atk / 1600 Def]

"I still have a deck and life points Nurse… so activate your ability and bring Laundry back!"

She nodded nervously but pointed at his graveyard and sent a beam of pink draconic energy at it, extracting Laundry from it and bringing her onto the field, also in defense mode.

"Now I activate laundry's effect… so do your stuff girl!"

Laundry nodded and fired off a beam of her draconic energy, and the top 3 cards were sent to the grave.

[Numinous Healer, Dragonmaid Tidying, Kitchen Dragonmaid]

"I activate my Dragonmaid Welcome magic card, since I have two or more Dragonmaids on the field, I can bring back a Dragonmaid card from my graveyard back to my hand… so girls… do your stuff and bring back Kitchen!"

House nodded at them and as one they all pointed at his deck and unleashed a combined stream of draconic energy to bring House back to his hand.

"I now 'summon' Kitchen to the field, since I never officially normal summoned a monster, and I summon her in attack mode!"

In a cascade of light and draconic energy Kitchen Dragonmaid appeared now on the field, standing at attention and glaring at Titan.

'Master, it's time we took him down!'

[Kitchen Dragonmaid, Lvl 3, Fire Attribute, Dragon Type, Effect Monster, 500 Atk / 1700 Def]

"First, I activate your ability, and bring Dragonmaid Tinkech to my hand, now I enter the battle phase…" He muttered tiredly as he took Dragonmaid Tinkech from his deck. "Dragonmaids change to your dragon forms!"

As one they glowed and transformed into their stronger Dragon Forms, and with exception to House, there were now 'three' dragons on his field, all snarling and roaring in fury at their opponent who still did not look scared in the least.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Chumley cheered before he started coughing again.

In terms of attack points, House had the strongest attack with 3400, followed by Tinckech at 3100 and then Ernus and Nudyarl with 3000, but that didn't matter since he had some effects to trigger.

"Since three Dragonmaids returned to my hand from the field… I gain 1500 life points thanks to Spring of Rebirth!"

[Titan – 3500 / Joseph Takara – 1700]

"Now its time my House Dragonmaid showed off her full power… thanks to her effect if any dragon monsters return to my hand from the field outside of the damage step… she can destroy your monsters equal to the number of dragons… and since there were '3' I can destroy 3, too bad you only have '2'! House burn them down!"

She nodded and launched a stream of draconic fire at the two Archfiends, but just before they could connect, they were stopped by the 6 numbers that had saved the Terrorking before. Only now there were 'two' flames glowing.

"Have you forgotten that my Archfiends can protect themselves from your effects, guess when the shadows are gripping your soul you tend to skim over details in your desperate bid to survive… now let's spin the wheel of fate and see who she favors this turn… just so you know if the flame lands on a 2 or a 5, then my Terrorking is saved, and if the result is a 2 or a 5 for the second flame, then my Infernalqueen is spared… and should either succeed your House Dragonmaid is destroyed!"

And with that the flames began to rotate, going from number to number, and he and his Dragonmaids watched with Chumley and Syrus to see what they were. Seconds later… they got their answer, as 'both' landed on a 2 and a 5.

"Hahahaha… it seems fate 'still' favors me, which means not only are my monsters spared but YOURS is destroyed… too bad she has to leave us soooo soon."

The flames she sent were sent back to House Dragonmaid, who grimaced and tried to shield herself, but was destroyed in the end.

"And since she's gone your other maids 'lose' their power!"

With that Ernus and Nudyarl dropped to 2900 attack and Tinkech was sitting at 3000.

He grimaced but didn't let that deter him. "Tinkech attack his Infernal queen!"

She unleashed a torrent of crimson flame, but Titan smirked as he said, "I activate my face down card, Archfiend's Roar, when this card is activated I can pay 500 life points to special summon from my graveyard '1' Archfiend monster, and I choose to special summon Vilepawn Archfiend into defense mode!"

[Titan – 3000 / Joseph Takara – 1700]

"And since Vilepawn Archfiend is on the field, your attack gets redirected to him due to his ability… nice try!"

Vilepawn archfiend rose in front of the queen and spread his arms wide, resulting in him taking the hit from Tinkech and leaving the queen unharmed.

"And don't forget, when my life points go down… your card goes too…"

Lorpar's card was lowered again, inching closer and closer to the flame, Lorpar herself was panicking as she tried to blow out the flame but had no effect on it.

"So, care to try again? Of course, if you attack again, you'll deal even 'more' damage… and who knows how long your card will be safe from the flame before it catches it…"

He panted as he shook his head, refusing to attack again out of fear of hurting him and losing Lorpar, but he had to get House back to the field, so he had an idea.

"I end my turn, and I choose to only send Nudyarl and Ernus back to my hand… giving me 1000 life points due to the effects of spring of rebirth."

[Titan – 3000 / Joseph Takara – 2700]

"My turn then… and you are starting to get on my nerves…" He growled as he drew his next card. 'What is it going to take to bring this kid down, I hit and hit but he 'still' endures.'

"Hmmm, I think I'll summon another Vilepawn Archfiend in attack mode… and I'll leave it at that."

"My turn…" Joseph said as he drew his next card, [Soul of the Pure]

"This could help me… but what do I do… if I try to attack, I'll just bring Lorpar closer to being burned… but if I lose my soul, Alexis' soul, and Syrus and Chumley's souls will be taken by the Shadow Realm… what do I do?" He thought fearfully.

After a few seconds he heard Lorpar calling out to him, 'Master…' making him look up to see her scared and sad face. 'Please master, just win the duel… please!'

"But... Lorpar… I can't just lose you! I have to try and save you…" He muttered.

'Master… please don't worry about me!' She said with a sad smile. 'I'm so happy that you came to rescue me… but we're your maids, we're here to serve and care for you… if you lose your soul while trying to save me… I can't live with myself to see that happen! Please, just save yourself and Alexis, and Syrus and Chumley… just win and get out of here… I'm just a card you can live without me!'

"NO WAY!" He shouted defiantly as he stood straight and played his magic card. "I activate the magic card, Soul of the Pure!"

In the middle of the field an angelic spirit with wings floated before them, holding a small orb of light in her hands.

"What's this card?"

"It's a magic card… and it gives me an 800 life points!" He said suddenly feeling more strength flowing into him, and the angel nodded and released the small light, sending it to Joseph, raising his points by 800.

[Titan – 3000 / Joseph Takara – 3500]

"Next… I activate Dragonmaid Welcome's effect, and I choose to send House Dragonmaid to my hand, but since she's a fusion she goes back to my extra deck! Next I activate the effect of Dragonmaid Changeover, since its in the graveyard I can bring it back to my hand by sending one Dragonmaid monster from my field to the hand! So, for now, Tinkech back to the hand, and since another monster returned to my hand from the field I gain another 500 life points!"

Tinkech nodded as she vanished, and both she and Dragonmaid Changeover were added, while House was sent to his extra deck again and his life points went up.

[Titan – 3000 / Joseph Takara – 4000]

"Now I summon Kitchen Dragonmaid in attack mode, and I activate the Dragonmaid Changeover card… sending Nudyarl and Ernus to the grave to bring out House Dragonmaid one more time!"

Again, in a wave of light and colors, House and Kitchen returned to the field, both of them glaring at the opponent.

"I 'will' find a way to win this duel, save my friend's souls AND save my Dragonmaid card… do you hear me Titan, I will not lose this duel, I will not give up… as long as there's a card left for me to play and a few life points to work with… I'll fight to the last! I end my turn!"

Suddenly around them a series of lights began to appear, catching him and everyone off guard, including Titan. "What the…" He muttered in confusion, as the Millennium symbol began to glow on the ground.

House glanced at the floor, and while everyone was distracted, her eyes glowed and she released a burst of draconic energy, causing all of the lights to suddenly blink out of existence… and the symbol to slowly vanish and fade away. But as it faded, she looked 'angry' as she stared at Titan.

"Huh… that was weird… whatever it was, I better win this duel and get out of here… the longer this goes the more likely it is I'll be caught." He muttered. "So, you think you can win and save your little card 'and' your friends souls? Let's see how that goes as I begin my turn!"

He drew his next card and 'smiled', "Well what do you know, I've drawn a very powerful magic card from my deck… I play the magic card, CHECKMATE!" He said as he played it. "Now for the low price of one of my Archfiends, the Terrorking on my side of the field can attack you directly! So, I sacrifice my Vilepawn Archfiend…"

The Vilepawn Archfiend faded as it was wrapped in flames.

"And now I attack your life points directly! Terrorking Archfiend, Fiendish Flame Attack!"

The Terrorking roared as he swung his hand forward and launched a burst of energy against Joseph.

"I activate my Dragonmaids abilities, and switch from maid to dragon form…"

As one all of his maids transformed, just in time as his life points took a hit, choosing not to activate House's ability for fear of losing her again by activating the Terrorking and Queen's abilities. But as his life points took a nosedive, they received some buffer thanks to the Spring of Rebirth.

[Titan – 3000 / Joseph Takara – 1000]

[Titan – 3000 / Joseph Takara – 2500]

"Grrr, what is it going to take to finish you off?" Titan yelled angrily.

Joseph gasped as he knew his deck was frustrating Titan, but as tired as he was, he was not letting these shadows take his soul or tire him out anymore. He just had to keep stalling until he found a way to end the duel without losing or winning. "But that's impossible to do… how can I 'win' and 'lose' at the same time… or not win and not lose… the only way a duel ends is if a duelist loses their life points…"

That was when he had an idea, 'Wait, a duel CAN end without one person losing or winning… a draw… if I can force a draw, then the duel ends and both of us won't lose or win. Then I can run and grab Lorpar before her card hits the flame… I just need to find that Ring of Destruction Chumley gave me!'

"I end my turn… but this isn't over yet!"

Joseph nodded as he looked to his deck. "Come on deck… I need you to help me out here… I just need that one card… give me that one card…" He muttered as he held his breath and took the next card.

Glancing at it he cheered as he saw it was none other than, [Ring of Destruction]

"Thanks, Chumley… I play one card face down and end my turn."

He played the card face down without changing the forms of his maids while they continued to glare at Titan.

"So be it… my draw…" He growled as he smirked at his next card. "I summon Desrook Archfiend in attack mode… and play yet ANOTHER Checkmate magic card!"

The next monster he summoned vanished as soon as it was played as the Checkmate card was played, followed by the Terrorking glowing in power.

"Since you failed to change your maids back, you can't block this attack… which means I WIN! Terrorking Archfiend attack his life points directly!"

Terrorking nodded and launched yet another beam of energy, but not before Joseph defiantly shouted, "I activate my Ring of Destruction!"

The trap card flipped over, and a ring floated over the monsters.

"That card?" Titan asked with a smirk. "Oh, I see, you want to end this duel on your own terms… well go ahead and try, my Terrorking's ability will give you a sporting chance…"

"You're right about one thing, I'm ending this duel on my terms, and while your Terrorking would definitely end this, I don't plan to risk losing it on a spin… instead I'll choose the only monster on my field that's safe to destroy and fits the bill for attack points… House Dragonmaid!"

House nodded as the ring wrapped around her neck, and smiled as it exploded, destroying her and causing 3400 points of damage to both player's life points.

As soon as their life points started dropping, Joseph ran through the smoke before the holograms ended, free of the shadow's grip as he ran over to where Lorpar's card was dangling and quickly pulled her free.

"I've got you girl!" He muttered happily as he slipped her back into the deck, safe and sound.

'Master…' Lorpar muttered happily, nuzzling his cheek happily as she was safe once again in his deck. 'I never lost faith in you… never… I knew you'd come and save me…'

[Titan – 0 / Joseph Takara – 0]

With the duel over, Alexis' coffin was opened up and she could finally reach the key for her freedom, she began opening her cage and was about to ungag herself, Chumley and Syrus ran over to help her when a bright light filled the room.

"What the…" Syrus tried to say.

"Sorry, but the shadows aren't leaving empty handed…" Titan called out.

Before Joseph could say another word, he and the others blacked out, collapsing where they were.

Titan sighed as he managed to knock them out at long last, he was actually glad the young man ended the duel himself, else it would have gone on for far longer, he was running out of ideas to end it, those dragons just would not stay in the graveyard.

"Well, time to collect what I was sent to collect." He said as he walked over to Joseph and reached down to pick up his deck.

Suddenly a bright light appeared, causing him to back up in surprise.

"What is going on?"

As it faded, he looked up to see a woman standing before him, a woman looking exactly like the House Dragonmaid card he was sent to take from Joseph. She was glaring angrily at him as she snapped her fingers, and in a flash of light all of the students he'd knocked out vanished, and on her arm was the same Duel Disk Joseph was using, deck and all.

"If you want any of these cards, you're going to have to duel 'me' for them, I will not permit any but the Young Master to touch them without his permission." She spoke in an elegant but vengeful tone.

"Who are you?" He demanded in confusion.

"My real name is forbidden to be uttered by the likes of you, just call me 'House Dragonmaid'." She said as she activated her duel disk, and her deck was shuffled.

"I don't have time for this… but if it's a duel you want, it's a shadow duel you'll get!" He snarled, hating how long this job was going.

She glared furiously at those words, as she held her finger out and pointed it at his pendant, and it instantly began melting.

"W… what the?" He stammered as he quickly snapped it off and tossed it, not wanting to be harmed by the melting metal. "What did you do, how did you do that?"

"You want a Shadow Duel… fine… but we won't be doing your 'pathetic imitation' of a Shadow Duel… you charlatan." She calmly but 'angrily' said with a snap of her fingers.

Around them the snake-like statues that had went ignored by Joseph and the others began glowing, they then cast a beam of light and created a Millennium Eye symbol on the ground. Seconds later they were enveloped in a ball of dark electrical energy, preventing them from escaping. Yet while Titan was panicking as he had no idea what was going on, Sheou was simply glaring at him.

"What… what is this?" He begged as he watched these strange grey mucus looking things clawing and surrounding them, but with a snap of her fingers they backed away and stood by, waiting at the edges of the sphere, snapping and clawing at them.

"This is what you 'pretended' to be doing, 'this' is a TRUE Shadow Game. You 'almost' awoke them just earlier during the duel… as you pushed Joseph to the limit of what he believed he could endure. The heat of the duel beckoned the dormant shadows here, and almost turned the false 'pretend' game you were playing into a true Shadow Duel… but 'I' stopped it before it could take hold… now I've summoned them, and the terms are thus… win and you may 'take' the cards and walk free… lose and your fate is 'mine' to decide. Duel now because you won't be leaving otherwise… as is the way of the Shadow Game!" She declared as her cards were shuffled as she drew her first hand.

"Fine…" He muttered fearfully as he shuffled his deck and drew his hand.

[Titan – 4000 / Sheou – 4000]

"I'll start this duel off; I draw and summon the Infernalqueen Archfiend to the field in attack mode!" He said. "Next I play one card face down and end my turn!"

Infernalqueen appeared on his field and Mirror Force was face down.

'It may not be ideal, but at least I have a 1900 attack point monster on the field, and even if she summons a monster that can attack me, Mirror Force will buy me time. Once I get Pandemonium on the field, I can summon out my Archfiend of Lightning next round! I just need to last a few turns!'

Sheou glared as she drew her first card. "I play Pot of Greed… this lets me draw 2 cards." She said, playing the magic card and following the effects. "Next I activate 'Graceful Charity… letting me send 2 cards to the grave after I draw 3."

She did as she said and sent Dragonmaid Tidying and Tinkech to the grave.

"Now I activate Dragonmaid Ernus' effect, by sending her to the grave I special summon one level four in my hand or lower onto the field… and I choose Parlor Dragonmaid."

On the field Parlor appeared, looking stone cold at him, with no color in her eyes as she awaited her orders.

"Parlor, activate your effect and send Laundry to the grave."

She nodded and sent a blast of Emerald energy at the deck, sending Laundry to the grave.

"Now that Laundry is there, I play the magic card Dragonmaid Welcome, and then play Nurse Dragonmaid in attack mode…"

Nurse Dragonmaid appeared, looking just as dead and out of it as Parlor.

"Nurse, activate your ability and bring Laundry to the field in attack mode."

Nurse activated her ability with a nod, lazily pointing at the graveyard and sending a beam of pink energy, calling Laundry to the field who sighed in distaste at her surroundings.

"Laundry, activate your ability and send the top 3 cards to my grave."

Laundry nodded and did as instructed, sending a beam of blue energy at the deck and sending 3 cards to the grave. [Dragonmaid Changeover, Soul of the Pure, Dragonmaid Tidying.]

"I activate the effect of Dragonmaid Welcome and call back Dragonmaid Ernus to my hand."

All three maids nodded and sent beams of energy, extracting Ernus and calling her back to the hand.

"Next, I play the effects of Dragonmaid Changeover, by calling upon the powers of Parlor to return to the hand I bring this card back to my hand… then I play Ernus' effect and special summon Parlor back and activate her effect to send Nudyarl to the grave. Next, I play the effect of Dragonmaid Tidying, removing 'it' from play and special summoning Kitchen from my hand to the field."

After this series of moves, the field now had all four maids, with Kitchen sighing sadly as she looked around in despair and sadness.

"Kitchen, activate your ability and bring Dragonmaid Sendoff to the hand."

Kitchen nodded and sent a beam of red energy at the deck, calling upon Dragonmaid Sendoff to appear.

"Next, I play Dragonmaid Sendoff, and bring back the Dragonmaid Tinkech to the field in defense mode… and even though it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effect… I can still use it to tribute summon via the magic of Dragonmaid Changeover… 'House Dragonmaid'."

She sent Tinkech and Lorpar from the field and her hand to the grave and summoned to the field 'House Dragonmaid'.

"I-impossible… 'all five' on the field at the same time?" Titan asked in shock and fear as he stared at all five of the Dragonmaid cards on the field at the same time.

"You've learned to count… good… then you know what happens next!" Sheou said with a snarl. "I enter the battle phase, and transform all of my maids into their dragon forms…"

As one they all vanished, transforming into their dragon forms, brimming with power and strength.

"How… how is this possible… who are you… how did you possible set up your entire field in one turn?" Titan asked in fear.

"The young master is still inexperienced, he has yet to unleash our true power or unlock our full potential… but I however… who and what 'I' am is not of your concern… I am but a humble maid to Joseph…" Sheou said quietly. "Now I activate the effects of House Dragonmaid, I destroy your one monster thanks to the four dragons that returned to my hand…"

"Hold on… my Infernalqueen Archfiend still has an effect, if she's ever targeted by an effect of yours, I can roll a number between 1 and 6, and if it's a 2 or a 5 then my monster is spared and yours is destroyed!" Titan said, and the wheel appeared, a flame spawned, and it began to spin, choosing the number.

After a few seconds it landed… on a '6'.

"No!" Titan screamed as House Dragonmaid's effect went through, and his queen was destroyed.

"So much for fate being on your side… attack my monsters, starting with House Dragonmaid!"

House Dragonmaid unleashed a stream of draconic energy and flame, attacking Titan directly.

"No, you don't, I activate Mirror force… too bad for you but thanks to this card all your monsters in attack mode are destroyed!" He said confidently as the flame was reversed and sent directly at the Dragonmaids.

But a shield erupted to protect them, cast by none other than House Dragonmaid as she shielded the Dragonmaids from her own attack, drawing the attack toward her with one hand while the other protected them.

"What the… why is my trap's effect not working?!"

"My Dragonmaid's second ability… each one of them is protected from being destroyed by card effects, including those of trap cards… provided a dragon type fusion monster is on the field… and as you can see, House Dragonmaid is on the field. So, she will protect the others and be the only one to be harmed by your card."

In an explosion of draconic flame, House Dragonmaid vanished, but Lorpar, Tinkech, Nudyarl and Ernus still remained.

"N-No, this can't be!"

"End the duel… attack…" Sheou said without hesitation.

As one all of her Dragonmaids launched their attack, first destroying the Infernalqueen Archfiend and then striking him for a combined assault. Titan's life points went straight to 0 in mere moments.

[Titan – 0 / Sheou – 4000]

Titan collapsed from sheer exhaustion as he tried to recover from the attack, and the dark sphere evaporated… but the creatures that clawed and snapped earlier began racing and tearing into him.

"W… what is happening!? HELP MEEEEEE!"

"This is the way of the shadows… you lose so your fate is 'mine' to decide… as per the agreement." Sheous said coldly. "This is the fate you forced upon others, and had your powers been real, Joseph would have suffered this fate with his friends."

"But… I wasn't being serious… I wasn't going to hurt him really!" He pleaded as they began dragging him down. "I SWEAR, I WAS JUST GOING TO STEAL A CARD… I WOULDN'T HAVE HURT HIM!"

"Sure, you say that 'now' that your fate is mine… but I'm sure to those who you terrified with the mere 'myth' of the Shadow Games… those threats were real." She muttered. "Enjoy your taste of the Shadow Realm… from one who knows the 'real' horrors and terrors of those horrible games."

"Noooo… nooooooooooo!" He begged as he was pulled under, his hand grasping for anything to help save himself.

He was just about to completely submerge before Sheou reached down, grabbed his hand, and then yanked him out, throwing him effortlessly to the end of the room. The Shadows clawed and tried to reclaim their prize, but she glared and opened her mouth to let a sliver of draconic flame to push them back and send them back to the shadows from whence they came.

She walked over to Titan whose mask had fallen off and was staring in fear at her, speechless as he breathed ever so lightly.

"Your fate was mine to decide, as per the agreement of the Shadow Duel… the shadows wanted to take you completely, but I only wanted you to endure a 'taste'. So… tell me, did you enjoy a taste of the 'real' Shadow Games?" Titan just shivered in fear as he looked at her, even as she held out her hand and whispered, "Your phone please?"

He shakily reached into his pocket… and handed over his phone to her, and she dialed the number of the man who she 'knew' sent this individual to steal from Joseph.

Moments later the phone answered. [Hello, have you accomplished your job?]

"Hello there, my 'Former Master'." She said politely.

[You!? What are you doing on that number, where is that man?]

"Forgive me for interrupting you before your midweek 'checkup' of your secretary… but I am just calling to once again remind you the terms of our pact…" She said warmly. "The only ones who may attempt to lay claim to the Dragonmaid cards from their rightful owners, are those who have previously been declared 'masters' to the Dragonmaids. If you want any of these cards, you will have to earn them yourself. Sending a carnival showman attempting to use the myths of the Shadow Realm to frighten unwitting duelists for a paycheck, will not suffice, and any further attempts will not be tolerated."

"Please remember former master, to wear a rubber and make sure no 'holes' are in it, we wouldn't want to have any 'accidents' like last time… right?" She said sweetly before hanging up the phone and then returning it to Titan. "The name you address yourself by is Titan correct?"

He nodded nervously as she smiled at him.

"Please consider a new line of work… this Shadow Realm business is rather, 'distasteful'… nobody likes to lose their souls… you are good with special effects, you should put that to better use!"

With that she began walking out with a graceful step.

"Wait… who are you?"

She stopped and looked back at him, her wings, horns and tail vanishing as she smiled warmly behind her glasses. "I am nothing more than a humble maid… to young Master Joseph. Please remember my advice Titan…"

He did as she said, he left Duel Academy that very night, and went into hiding, not taking the calls of his past client. Eventually he found himself a new name, working at the carnival as a dueling clown, performing special effects for the entertainment of adults and children, making them laugh in his duels with them so that nobody left the duel sad. He also never wore black or grey ever again…

Meanwhile at the Slifer Dorm, Joseph was lying in his bed in the Café. He woke with a start as he tried to look for his friends but found Sheou his maid gently holding him down with a calming smile.

"Shhhh its alright young master… it's alright... your safe."

"But my friends… the duel… Lorpar!"

"They are safe… your friends are back at their dorms… security found you, and your friends were taken back to their dorms… I brought you here into your old room to watch over you."

"Then… my soul… it's still…"

She chuckled and leaned closer to him, pulling him into a warm hug, hushing his fears. "It wasn't real… rest easy… you are fine… you dueled well… I saw the record of your duel on the duel disk."

He calmed down after a while as he knew Sheou wouldn't lie to him, if she said his friends were safe, then he believed her. He looked at the time and saw it was nearly four in the morning, he was dead tired. "Thank you Sheou… I was so scared… I was afraid of losing Lorpar… and Alexis and… Syrus and Chumley… I didn't know what to do, I was trying to save everyone but… if that had been a real Shadow Game then I would have lost everyone just to save Lorpar…"

She nodded as she tightened her grip. "Young master… those cards are your family, as much as I and my coworkers are your family." She whispered lovingly. "The day you choose 'not' to treasure them, is the day I fear the most… so long as you love them like family, nobody will 'ever' blame you for wanting to save them along with your friends."

He sighed as he nodded in understanding. "Goodnight Sheou…" He whispered quietly.

She softly scratched his head as he fell back asleep, staying by his side even as the other Dragonmaids appeared around him, comforting him in his sleep so that he would not suffer a nightmare. He slept surrounded by love and companionship, with none of the girls leaving his side for a moment until morning came. It was a good thing he had no classes that day, because he was going to sleep in very late.

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=Next Time, Alexis versus Joseph, Then Queen of the Obelisk Blue's Friendship Challenge=

"Our masters learn to use our gifts and our strengths as one learns how to ride a bike, only by learning one's limit does one learn how to surpass them, and thus we learn how to grow stronger 'together'. Thus, it is, the eternal the bond between our Masters… and we the Dragonmaids…"

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I'm writing the other chapters in tiny bursts, three or four paragraphs a chapter for each story, but this one got the most attention from me because I finished up my own Dragonmaid deck XD

The other chapters are on the way… until then review away!

And to answer you… yes I realize that the Infernalqueen's ability in the anime is not the same as in the 'real' world… I found that out too late… by the time I did I would have had to either scrap the entire duel plus more, or keep going… mind you the duel alone is about '7k' words…

And also, for those of you wondering how Sheou pulled out her 'summon a bunch of monsters in 1 turn' maneuver, there's a difference between Joseph, someone who's trying to learn how to improve as a duelist and even in this situation makes mistakes, and literally the 'boss' of the Dragonmaids. She also has a certain affinity with the Shadow Realm/Games, but why that is I won't tell yet.

Till next time~!

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p.s I got a job yay~!