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Chronicles of the Ascension - Arc 1 [Currently at Chapter 13: Dark Confrontation]

Vector Nightmare

By Vector Nightmare
in Creative Writing

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Saiba Aisu Newbie

Saiba Aisu

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o.o Wow. That was really creepy and suspenseful. I really do feel bad for Irene. I can't wait to see what happens next, and I'm glad we get to see more of the Grand Sorceresses-they're awesome. However, I must protest at a Lvl 4 Monster, Void Sorcerer, having 2400 ATK, and no obvious cost. Maybe it's like that for a reason, or maybe the Special Summon bypassed his cost...I don't know. Otherwise, it's impeccable! Please keep going.

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Umbra Newbie

Umbra

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@Cyber Commander: Wasn't Void Sorcerer Lvl 6 and was decreased to 4 by the Field Spell?

 

@Ixigo: A Suggester is someone that can force people into doing things, just by telling them to do so. Even though I might have been wrong on this one, the mysterious woman seems more like a Jedi.

 

Also, another issue:

 

They both launched their heads backwards so fast their knuckles cracked.

 

Their knuckles cracked because of them turning their heads? WTF?

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Guest Ixigo

Guest Ixigo

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[align=justify]RESPONSE TO FEEDBACK:

 

@Cyber Commander: You are going to feel worse for her soon enough, but yeah, all Void monsters that appeared in the previous chapter except the Emperor are Level 6, reduced to Level 4 by the effect of Sanctuary of Lost Souls and subsequently Scene of the Massacre Field spells.

 

@Umbra: Oh, lol. Well what would a fanfic be without a mean manipulative villain. I was actually considering using the "You don't need to see my identification" line in a comedy moment, but I decided not to =/. But it doesn't work exactly like that - you'll have to wait until later when more about this technique is revealed. Also, the knuckles thing... I used that word as a substitution until I could find the right word, but I forgot to edit it... I'll fix it >_>. Thanks for pointing that out - I really appreciate someone telling me what I'm doing wrong.

 

===

 

CHAPTER 13: Dark Confrontation

 

Sitting on a large rock, and seemingly amused, the black-coated man with the gentleman's hat watched Irene's unconscious form, positioned leaning on a tree nearby.

 

"Heh heeh... that was certainly unexpected." He mused to himself. "But it did turn out for the best, after all."

 

"Sleep well, dear. After all, you are going to need all the rest you can get soon enough..."

 

"But now... let's take care of some... pests." Without removing his hands from his coat pockets, he got up, and headed off, leaving the little cluster of trees he and Irene were in.

 

---

 

Diana and Logan stood on a small clifftop, overviewing the waves crushing against the cluster of sharp-edged rocks that formed the inhospitable beachhead almost a hundred feet beneath them. However, these two didn't seem to enjoy the view too much.

 

"Who would know that such a terrifying being would be on that ship..." Diana whispered in horror. "You are lucky to have gotten out of it..."

 

"Yes." Logan said. "It was a very close call, and it took all my strenght to Travel fast enough. Otherwise... who can tell what would have happened."

 

"Nothing good, that's for sure." Diana muttered. "So you reckon he is the one behind all this mess?"

 

"Who knows?" An eerie, mocking voice behind them. The two whipped their heads around, just to come face-to-face with the man with the businessman's appearance.

 

"You!" Logan yelled.

 

"Not good..." Diana muttered. "We didn't sense even a speck of his presence until just now. This is going to turn ugly..."

 

"What have you done with Irene?" Logan scowled.

 

"Irene?" The secretive man replied. "You mean the girl you instantly abandoned to my mercy after running away, frightened of the power I was wielding?"

 

"Watch your words." Diana said sharply. "It is two-on-one now, and we have the advantage."

 

"Do you?" The mocking reply came. "You've expended a lot of Power during your duel with the ta'veren" Diana gritted her teeth - she was certain she had supressed her channeling adequately enough "and you... do you honestly believe you've escaped unscathed after our last encounter?"

 

Suddenly it all became clear to Diana - why Logan's presence seemed somehow blocked by a mental barrier, why the traces of the Power in him seemed to be fading. That man, whoever he was, must have used a powerful, undetectable weave on him. Logan seemed to understand as well, since he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

 

"But sincerely - if I were to use the Power offensively, you would both be dead now. I merely came here to converse with you. And what better way to start a friendly conversation than to introduce oneself... you may call me Nexus." He touched the tip of his hat in a sarcastically polite greeting. "As for you, I already know your names, so you may skip that part."

 

"Now then, I believe you wanted to know whether I was the cause of our warp through the dimensions? Well, I'm afraid I was not. The entirety of my power would only barely suffice to achieve such a feat - yet for the one who did this, it was more or less child's play. I can tell you that the culprit is not amongst us in this world, neither was he on the ship when we began our journey."

 

"Still, that doesn't explain what you did with Irene." Logan retorted, but his mind was in despair. Another foe, and how much more powerful than this 'Nexus'? "I know you were with her when we warped into this place - it seems that the closer you were to someone in the real world, the closer the proximity you'll end up with him in in this dimension."

 

"Huh..." Nexus smirked. "Assuming that from the fact that your third partner - Aginor? - is now with the two brats he was watching before?" Diana felt despair tingling her skin. How much did he know?

 

"Well, let's just say she's in good hands, for now. If you want further information, why don't you try and force it out of me?"

 

"Funny, that's just what I planned on doing." Logan replied coldly. He and Diana stared at Nexus for a moment...

 

...then they exchanged a look of despair.

 

"Shielded..." Diana muttered. "Without us even noticing... he Shielded both of us from the Power..." Tears almost began to form in her eyes.

 

"I... impossible..." Logan exclaimed softly. Nexus smirked evilly.

 

"I already said, violence is not my style. Why don't we settle this... in a more civilized way?" He spread his left arm, and a Duel Disk appeared.

 

---

 

Mat was growing increasingly worried, as Nadia confidently put on her Duel Disk. Her eyes were transfixed on the weird priestess, who seemed to have also activated her own device - but Mat was more worried about the giant snake.

 

"You can have the first move." Nadia said calmly.

 

"Why thank you." The priestess smirked. Nadia's Life Points were set to four thousand - a weird symbol appeared on her opponent's side.

 

"Uh, can you read that?" Mat asked nervously.

 

"Yes - it's hieroglyphics." Nadia replied. "It stands for four thousand - her Life Points."

 

"My move." The priestess said. The ground shook, and the cobra hissed - Mat nearly fell over at the sound. Six stone tablets, with what appeared to be their backs facing Nadia and Mat so that they wouldn't see anything inscribed on the other side, rose from the temple floor in a semi-circle in front of Anubis' servant.

 

"By the way... if you want to call me something, call me Mafdet."

 

"Mafdet, the Egyptian Goddess of felines?" Nadia yelped, sounding unnerved. Mafdet laughed.

 

"Not a 'Goddess' - I don't know where you got that from. But I do have... useful powers."

 

"I call forth... 'Venom Cobra', in defensive position!" One of the tablets started turning around, and Mat could see the crude shape of a snake on the other side. A monster appeared on Mafdet's side, resembling the snake behind Mat - which agitated him even more. Two symbols were visible on the floor in front of the monster.

 

"What are they?" He asked Nadia.

 

"600-500, that monster's attack and defense points, apparently." Nadia explained, having regained her cool.

 

"Well that doesn't look so bad." Mat murmured, crossing his fingers to avoid jinxing it. Mafdet's smirk widened.

 

"I conceal two Spells on the field." She said, and two more tablets vanished from the priestess' 'hand' and appeared face-down on the field behind her snake. "That ends my move."

 

"Uh, two Spell cards?" Mat frowned. "Why did she say what type of card she was putting face-down?"

 

"No, that's not it." Nadia replied slowly. "The word she used was 'Spell' literally, it translates as 'magic support' in the first dynasty ancient Egyptian scripts - the period I think we are in right now. Simply put I'm guessing this includes both Spell and Trap cards."

 

"Oh well..." Mat muttered, confused.

 

"My move!" Nadia drew her sixth card. Mat looked up with interest - he had not seen Nadia's cards in the tournament.

 

"I summon 'Rogue Sphinx' in attack mode!" She said, and the monster, a dark-brown lion-headed sphinx appeared, featuring 1600 ATK and 1400 DEF points.

 

"I have to be careful." Nadia thought. "Mafdet was the protector of feline beasts like leopards and tigers - it is unlikely that her array of monsters would focus on serpents. That means, that Venom Cobra must be a monster that is useful in any type of strategy - I had best hold my best cards back until I find out what it does."

 

"Rogue Sphinx, destroy Venom Cobra!" The mythical creature jumped across the field, stomping the serpent with its paw. The snake writhed and was destroyed.

 

Mafdet smirked. "You triggered my monster's magical ability - when it is destroyed, the monster that attacked as well as all monsters of the same type you summon have their attack and defense power reduced by three hundred!" Rogue Sphinx' stats dropped accordingly.

 

"Well that wasn't too bad..." Mat murmured.

 

"It will be when I combine it with this!" Mafdet retorted, and one of the hidden tablets on the floor was revealed. "A Magic known as 'Curse of Poisonous Reign'! Now whenever you summon any monster of the same type as your Sphinx, not only does it suffer the penalty but it also adds up to it, further reducing the power of any monster of that type by another two hundred!"

 

"Okay, this is bad." Mat told Nadia, who didn't need that reminder. "I hope your deck doesn't have only Beasts, because if you summon a few more of them, they'll be worthless."

 

"Don't worry." Nadia said, but inwardly she was worried. This was a strong combo, easily able to destroy a deck focused on one monster type. Thankfully, her deck was a little more versatile than that, but who knows what else that Mafdet had in store for them...

 

"I end my turn." Mat blinked - no face-downs and a weakened monster in attack mode? That Sphinx had better have some good effect.

 

"Fine." Mafdet smirked, and another hidden tablet materialized before her. "I activate my second concealed card - 'Dark Venom Plague'. It destroys one of your infected monsters and costs you half it's original strenght."

 

Thousands of miniature insects emerged from the Sphinx' body, consuming it wholly. The monster was destroyed, and then the swarm of insectoids surrounded Nadia. The girl screamed in agony, as Mat gave a start. Sometimes direct attacks could hurt physically for a bit, if they were strong enough, but noone would scream like that from receiving 800 damage points.

 

When the swarm cleared, Nadia was kneeling on the floor, her eyes closed and clutching her chest, obviously still in pain.

 

"What is this..." She muttered. "It was too... real..."

 

"Of course it's real." The priestess said, exasperated. "You mean you didn't know that? I guess you aren't anywhere near as impressive as I thought, if you were brought to your knees by one attack."

 

"I guess you should also know by now..."

 

"...when you lose the duel of Shadows, your life is terminated."

 

Mat and Nadia could only stare in fright, as the game took a very, very twisted turn.

 

---

 

"You bastard, is this going to be a Shadow game?" Logan said angrily.

 

"A Shadow game?" Nexus replied. "Oh no, I'm not that heartless. Consider this merely... a friendly bet."

 

"What do you mean?" Diana scowled.

 

"If you win, I will hand Irene over to you. If I win...

 

"...I get your angreal."

 

Nadia gave a look of fright, and clutched her red-colored pearl necklace. "Not that..." She whispered.

 

"How much of a choice do you believe you have?" Nexus mocked. Diana probed desperately, but she could not touch the Power through Nexus' Shielding.

 

"We have to take him on." Logan said. "He could kill us both instantly, after all."

 

"Alright." Diana said, putting a determined tone in her voice. A duel disk appeared on her arm.

 

"No." Logan extended his arm. "You are still fresh from your duel with the ta'veren - it would be too dangerous for you. I'll deal with him." Diana gave a look of uncertainty, but finally she stepped back, letting Logan who now also had a disk on his arm take her place opposite to Nexus.

 

"Hmm." Nexus chuckled, amused. "Quite a brave choice. Why don't I start things off then?" The Life Point counters for both players were set, and they each drew five cards, the black-clad man drawing a sixth one.

 

"I summon 'Arcana Force II: The Trickster', in defense mode."

 

"I assume you are familiar with how Arcana Force monsters function, yes?" Nexus inquired as his monster, a twisted parody of a Lovecraftian-like horror creature with 600 ATK and DEF points, appeared on the field. Logan and Diana nodded.

 

"Very well then. Let the wheel of fate spin!" A card appeared above the Trickster's head, spinning around.

 

"Stop!" Logan said, and the card slowed down, landing in upright position. Logan grunted, while Nexus smiled.

 

"The Trickster's effect allows me to inflict 500 points of damage to either of us - since it landed upright, its target is my opponent." The Trickster launched a dagger at Logan, who gritted his teeth as he received the damage, then relaxed somewhat. It really wasn't a Shadow game after all.

 

"I think I'll let you continue - after placing a face-down card, that is."

 

"Fine. My draw." Logan said. "I activate the Continuous Spell, 'Machine Reconstruction Factory'. I then activate 'Graceful Charity' - allowing me to draw three cards at the exchange of two, that are sent to my Graveyard. And since the two cards I discarded are Machine-type monsters, namely 'Cyber Knight' and 'Cyber Guardian', the effect of Machine Reconstruction Factory activates, allowing me to Special Summon two 'Data Console' tokens." Two miniature disks looking like external hard drives materialized on Logan's side of the field, even though they only had 200-200 ATK and DEF points.

 

"Furthermore, I activate 'Short Circuit' - this doubles the number of Machine-type Tokens on my field." Two more Data Console tokens appeared.

 

"Now I can activate the Field Spell card, 'Cybernetics World'!" The area around them started transforming into a digitalized version of itself, the ground run by circuits and cables.

 

"This may require the sacrifice of three of my Tokens, but it is quite worth it, as you will soon see. Now I offer my last Token as a Tribute to summon 'Cyber Droid' in attack mode!"

 

A brown-colored robot inspired from some Star Wars movie appeared on the field, wielding a huge laser gun. With 2200 ATK and 1800 DEF points, it looked quite impressive.

 

"There is more... as long as Cybernetics World is on the field, my Droid receives an attack and defense boost of 500 points!" Cyber Droid's stats increased to 2700 and 2300 respectively.

 

"Now destroy the Trickster!" Cyber Droid fired off a compact energy blast, obliterating Nexus' monster. "And thanks to the Droid's effect, you receive 600 points of damage. And now the second effect of my Field spell kicks in, allowing me to summon a Level 4 or lower Machine type monster in defense mode - and I choose the Maintainance Droid!" Another android appeared, with 700 - 1200 ATK and DEF points.

 

"Not bad." Nexus mused. "But I have a face-down card - a Trap called 'Trickster's Game'. It stays on the field, with a total of three 'Arcana' counters on it." Three tiny spheres appeared on Nexus' card.

 

"What do you intend to do with them?" Logan frowned. Nexus just smiled enigmatically.

 

"We'll see. Now I suppose your turn is finished?" When Logan nodded, Nexus drew his card.

 

"I summon 'Arcana Force IX: The Merchant', also in attack mode. Let's see what destiny holds for him." Another monster, just as bizarre as the Trickster, with 1400 ATK and 1000 DEF points appeared on the field. A card started spinning above it.

 

"Stop!" Logan commanded, and the card paused in upside-down position. Logan smirked. "Well I guess this effect won't be helping you much, then."

 

"True... to an extent." Nexus smirked. "By removing one Arcana counter from my Trickster's Game card, I can alter the position of one of my Arcana cards - meaning it switches to right side up position." True enough, the card above the Merchant switched.

 

"Now I can select two Spell cards from my deck and add them to my hand. Should the card have its opposite effect, you would be able to do that. Such a shame."

 

"Now I activate one of the cards I drew - 'Arcanatic Spellbook'. This allows me to instantly Normal Summon an Arcana Force monster in my hand - and I will sacrifice my 'Arcana Force IX: The Merchant to Summon 'Arcana Force XII: The Hangman'."

 

Another Arcana monster, depicting a creature much like the merchant hanged on a rope, materialized on the field with 2200 ATK and DEF points.

 

"Now let the card spin..." Nexus said, and the card above the Hangman's head spun.

 

"Stop." Growled Logan. The card stopped in upright position.

 

"Guess I won't have to use up another one of my counters, then." Nexus said. "The Hangman's effect allows me to instantly destroy one of your monsters once per turn, providing I skip his attack. And also, you receive damage equal to that monster's total attack points."

 

Cyber Droid was obliterated, and Logan writhed as his Life Point counter dropped to a mere 800.

 

"Activate Maintainance Droid's effect - as long as it is on the field along with Cybernetics World, I can discard a card from my hand to bring back any Droid monster with half its original attack and defense points!" Cyber Droid reappeared in defense position, but it only had 1100 - 900 ATK and DEF points now, raised to 1600 - 1400 by the effect of Cybernetics World. "And since not only Cyber Droid but also the card I discarded were Machine-type monsters, I get two Data Console tokens!"

 

"Fine. My turn is finished." Nexus said indifferently.

 

"Then mine begins." Logan drew. "I have to give up on Machine Reconstruction Factory, since it requires a 600-point upkeep I am not willing to pay. Then I activate the other effect of my Cybernetics World - by giving up on a number of Machine monsters on my side of the field, I can draw two cards for each monster I sacrificed. And the unlucky ones are my two Data Console Tokens." The two tokens vanished, and Logan drew four cards, increasing the number of cards in his hand to six.

 

"I now activate Maintainance Droid's second effect, turning one of your monsters into Machine-type." The Hangman assumed a mettalic appearance, and its attack and defense increased to 2700 / 2700.

 

"Now, I will sacrifice both of my monsters to summon my favorite... 'Cyber Archangel'!"

 

An enormous angel with a cyber armor and wings, wielding a giant mechanical sword and an energy shield materialized on the field, with an impressive 2800 - 2600 ATK and DEF score.

 

"Now my angel may not be a Machine-type monster, meaning its attack and defense isn't increased by my Field Spell, but it has many other useful effects. First and foremost, as long as he is on the field, you can't target any other Machine-type monsters on my side of the field with effects and attacks. Second, all monsters you summon while this card as well as Cybernetics World are on the field are automatically turned into Machine-type monsters. And finally, my Archangel's attack increases by 200 for every Machine-type monster in my Graveyard - and I count five." Cyber Archangel's attack increased to 3800.

 

"I also activate the Continuous Spell card - 'Horrid Rust'. Any Machine-type monsters on your side of the field have their attack and defense decreased by 700 points." The Hangman's attack fell to 2000.

 

"And now it's time to attack your Hangman... Cyber Angel Blade!" The cybernetic celestial creature slashed through the air, releasing a compact crescent-shaped energy blast that obliterated the Arcana Force monster, reducing Nexus' Life Points to 1600 - however, Nexus didn't seem fazed from the attack at all.

 

"Oh, and as a last bonus, when Cyber Archangel destroys a Machine- type monster, I'm allowed to Special Summon any Level 4 or lower Machine from my Graveyard to my field in defense mode - and I summon Cyber Knight!" A mettalic knight appeared, wielding 1600 and 1400 ATK and DEF points, increased to 2100 and 1900 by the effect of Cybernetics World. Cyber Archangel's attack fell to 3600.

 

"Finally, I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

 

"Very well..." Nexus said, smirking. "Quite impressive, but..."

 

He drew a card.

 

"Nothing too much to handle."

 

===

 

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

 

So yeah, sorry for the horrid delay, but the new chapter is finally here. I hope you enjoyed it at least, and I promise that I'll get a new one up until Saturday night at the latest. By the way, in this chapter I officially introduced the Power and a lot of its basic functions - see Glossary below. Expect more on that subject later.

 

===

 

CARD LIST:

 

I'll make it later.

 

===

 

GLOSSARY:

 

-The Power: All beings have an amount of the Power, which is essentially the energy used to produce life. However, only few have more than what is neccessary for them to survive, and amongst these only fewer have the ability to manipulate that excess amount into various forms and uses. Ta'veren are known for having amounts of the Power - although that makes it often unstable and difficult to use and control.

 

-Channeling: The ability to use the Power to perform various tasks. In only very few cases, channeling is an inherent ability - in most cases, it must be practiced and mastered, which is a dangerous and quite often deadly procedure.

 

-Weaves: The uses one may achieve through Channeling the Power.

 

Known Weaves:

-Force of Presence: The ability to produce an external effect of the Power that applies psychological pressure to the others, according to what amount of the Power you display. It does not actually expend the Power, only materializes it. (First used by Logan in Chapter 9)

-Detection: The ability to determine the amount of Power in other people and discern whether or not they can channel. A very basic ability that comes with mastery of Channeling. (Use implied heavily in numerous chapters)

-Concealment: The ability to mask one's extra Power, making the fact that he can channel undetectable by others who can identify it. (Use implied heavily in numerous chapters)

-Mirror of Mists: The ability to change one's own form, or the form of any other object to the eyes of a specific person or group of people. A rather basic skill that becomes quite draining if used extensively and on more than one subjects. Simply called 'Illusion'. (First used by Diana in Chapter 6)

-Compulsion: A simple form of brainwash, that allows the user to direct thoughts and actions straight into the subject's mind. It is considered a dark art, because it forces people to act against their will. Either way, it is a very advanced skill. (First used by unknown channeler in Chapter 10)

-Travelling: Travelling is the art of opening a rift in space, through which one can travel a rather short distance, relative to the amount of Power used. (First used off-screen by Logan in Chapter 9)

-Shielding: The ability to temporarily seal another person's ability to channel the Power. Once Shielded, it is far more difficult to break the Shield than to resist it during the attempt. (First used by Nexus in Chapter 12)

 

-Angreal: When held by a person channeling, the strenght of his weaves is augmented by a multiplier of 2x - 3x.

 

===

 

CHARACTER PROFILES:

 

Mafdet:

-Age: unknown

-Hair Color: Black

-Hairstyle: Straight, Long

-Eye Color: Black

-Height: 1.68m

-Weight: 50kg

-Favorite/Signature Card: Unknown

-Deck: Unknown (supposedly a feline Beast deck)

-Personality: Sadistic and dark, servant of the God of Death Anubis.

-Hobbies: Undisclosed so far.

-Likes: Blood, killing, Shadow duels.

-Dislikes: Defeat, ignorance.

 

Nexus:

-Age: unknown

-Hair Color: Black

-Hairstyle: Straight, Very short

-Eye Color: unknown (wears sunglasses)

-Height: 1.82m

-Weight: 65kg

-Favorite/Signature Card: Unknown

-Deck: Arcana Force Deck

-Personality: Sadistic, evil.

-Hobbies: Undisclosed so far.

-Likes: Manipulating other people and toying with their minds.

-Dislikes: He doesn't express dislike.

 

Logan:

-Age: unknown

-Hair Color: Silver

-Hairstyle: Short, Spikey

-Eye Color: Black

-Height: 1.86m

-Weight: 60kg

-Favorite/Signature Card: Cyber Archangel

-Deck: Machine - Cyber Deck

-Personality: Impatient, but brave and valiant. Protective over his allies.

-Hobbies: Undisclosed so far.

-Likes: Quiet, machines, engineering.

-Dislikes: Dillemas, hard decisions.

 

===

 

SPOILERS:

 

The Darkness Rises.

 

A Game of Destiny.

 

A Whisper from the Gods.

 

Next Chapter: Beyond the First Trial.

 

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Guest Ixigo

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Everyone I'm really sorry for the delay... but I AM continuing this. I just had a lot of things in my mind lately and couldn't get focused on writing much. But now that everything is sorted out, I'll be continuing this as shortly as possible. I'm already halfway through chapter 14 and have everything up to chapter 20 fully planned out, I just need a little motivation to sit down and write everything down.

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