Vector Nightmare Posted April 6, 2011 Report Share Posted April 6, 2011 The quotation marks make it sound like it was said by Eternia, sort of like a playful thing as in "Hey, I have something very important to tell you." "Yes?" "In one second, someone's going to knock on your door." "What the hell are you talking abou - " Knock, knock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut - Envoy of the End Posted April 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2011 The "knock knock" was Eternia saying it, not the actual noise. Was just a throw in as a display of Eternia's omnipresense, rather than comedic whimsy. I can see it could have been misread as her being interrupted. Apologies for any confusion. PS: 100 posts, yay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexadin Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Wow, Erin with Jurou, that really was unexpected. But I agree with Epic HEro Saber on that you shouldn't add another woman to his love life now. Otherwise Jurou will get himself a harem. ;) Even with that I still found it a good chapter. PS. I wouldn't eat stew early in the morning. But that just might be me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vector Nightmare Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 The "knock knock" was Eternia saying it, not the actual noise. Was just a throw in as a display of Eternia's omnipresense, rather than comedic whimsy. Which, considering what was happening before she 'appeared', and what happened shortly after, is somewhat disturbing. PS. I wouldn't eat stew early in the morning. But that just might be me. I wouldn't eat stew at all, but under these conditions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut - Envoy of the End Posted April 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Wow, Erin with Jurou, that really was unexpected. But I agree with Epic HEro Saber on that you shouldn't add another woman to his love life now. Otherwise Jurou will get himself a harem. ;) Even with that I still found it a good chapter. PS. I wouldn't eat stew early in the morning. But that just might be me. Why is everyone panicking about a 'love-square'? Why would I do that? Triangles are fine. Thank you. They had bacon and eggs for breakfast... Which, considering what was happening before she 'appeared', and what happened shortly after, is somewhat disturbing. I wouldn't eat stew at all, but under these conditions... Dirty minded Saber is dirty minded. Trying to keep Eternia's character veiled as possible at the moment, but we can assume she's a powerful supernatural being. Why would she be interested in some kid? Er, why are we all thinking they had stew for breakfast? I may have made a typo but logic people. Anywayyyyyyyyyyyyyy.... it's Friday ;) [spoiler=Chapter 26]Chapter 26 - Partners in Crime Following the Decoy Dragon’s lead, Juruo and Erin finally caught up to Sabin, and began following him through the dark streets of the city, keeping a safe distance behind so he wouldn’t see them. Not that Sabin seemed suspicious anyway, he wasn’t glancing around in that edgy manner someone up to no good might do. He was focused solely on his destination, marching towards it as if being drawn by an invisible beacon. The three made their way towards the city centre, until they reached a large marble building with columns supporting the front archway. Erin whispered one word in Juruo’s ear. “Bank.” Sabin moved straight out across the square and up the front steps, pausing at the door. A frown overcame his face; the great oak doors at the top of the steps were already open. Sabin made his way inside. Juruo and Erin glanced at each other, nodding in silent agreement. They could be walking into danger, but so could Sabin... or worse... Inside was the large entrance hall, for some reason there was no lighting on in here. This reception was a grand design with many artistic embellishments that matched those around the city, all water and plant based. There was a large painted design on the ceiling (too dark to make any detail in it though). The pair only cast their impressive surroundings a brief glance however, as the figure of Sabin was descending down some stairs at the back of the room. What was more worrying though, was that despite the darkness, several bodies could be made out across the floor. Juruo approached one of them, a security guard. There were cuts all over his face, and a large red stain on his shirt. On his shoulder, the dragon cried and shivered, and faded back into its own world. The pair made their way down the stairs, deeper and deeper into the underground vaults of the bank. At the bottom floor, they came to a large steel door. It had been blown open. Juruo cautiously stuck his head inside; this was clearly the main vault, along every wall there were shelves filled with gold bars reaching to the high ceiling. There was a large empty space at the back of the room, before a large steel door. Juruo and Erin crept trough the safe door, and towards this space. As they approached, there was a swift movement to Juruo’s left. He turned, but too slow, as Sabin appeared from nowhere and grabbed him around the neck, dragging him behind another row of bullion. Juruo opened his mouth to shout, but Sabin interrupted him. “Shut up and hide for a second.” The three crouched down into a huddle. Sabin glanced around nervously, as he finally released Juruo from the headlock. His voice was tinged with anger, and also... fear. “What the hell did you two follow me for? You being here could really screw this up.” “What are you talking about Sabin?” Erin harshly whispered back. “We caught you sneaking off alone in the night, and followed you into the scene of a bank robbery. If anyone should be answering questions it is you. And why are we whispering?” Sabin scowled in frustration. “If you had any idea of the danger you might have just put us all in. I’ve said enough times, it’s my problem and I’m going to do deal with it. If he knows you’re here... look just be quiet and stay here, alright? He exchanged a look with Juruo, waiting for his agreement. “Why is it just you two anyway?” Juruo blushed. “Erm, let’s just concentrate on you okay? We trust you. Do what you have to do.” Sabin shrugged and rose, and walked out into the open space, leaving Juruo and Erin to peer through the spaces between the stacks of gold. He stopped in the middle of this space before the door, and addressed thin air. “Alright Hirz, you got my attention. I’m here. What do you want?” The back door swung open, and from the vault emerged another teenage boy. He was tall and skeletally thin, wearing a loose black shirt and ripped jeans that just hung off him. Greasy black hair fell down to his shoulders and over his face, two dark bloodshot eyes could just be seen poking through the mess. There was a black number ‘370’ tattooed onto his left bicep, above the purple duel shield. The shield was a very small wedge shape, and its edge served as a wicked blade all the way around, that could stab or slice through flesh. The boy’s smile was insanely creepy, as was his voice. “Sabin, buddy. Glad you could make it; I hoped you would accept my invitation for a formal meeting. I had to be a little more subtle than I usually am during a break in, but now we don’t have to worry about being interrupted, at least not by any guards. I noticed you bought some moral support with you. After I specifically asked you to come alone too. I thought this would be a private reunion. Tut tut.” “I didn’t ask them to come, they followed me.” “Then you’re obviously losing your touch. Well, don’t be shy Sabin, why don’t you invite them out here?” Sabin bowed his head reluctantly, and waved for Erin and Juruo to come out from their hiding place. A sniggering fit overcame the stranger. “This is the company you keep now Sabin? What a rabble. Do you want to introduce me or shall I?” “No, I owe them the explanation. Guys, this is Prens Hirsizlar, or Hirz as he prefers. He’s been following me from the start, since we escaped from the capital. When I was roaming the streets of the capital, Hirz looked after a bit, and in return we did some... you know, theft, assault, etc.” “You sell me short Sabin. I sheltered you, I nurtured you. I made sure we had everything anyone living in the slums could ever want. So what if we had to bash a few heads together to get what we wanted? We were partners in crime. But now I find you’ve abandoned me and everything I’ve done for you, and you are gallivanting half way across the Empire, do you have no respect for me? Is this your way of thanks?” Hirz had another fit of laughter. “I own you Sabin, and you know what really pisses me off? I needed to get you back, so I followed you all the way across the Empire. I blew up Pallas’ mansion, and dropped the sacred beast card right into your lap, as a gift. Now I’ve got the other one right here.” As he was speaking, Hirz reached into a pocket, and pulled out a card, with the image of a golden dragonic beast on it. “Don’t you appreciate my efforts? All I want in exchange is a little thing. For you to come back and rejoin me, so that we can assume our rightful place as the rulers of the criminal underworld.” Juruo looked over at Sabin, who was glaring at his former ‘partner’. “Well that explains a lot. You could have told us all this before Sabin.”Sabin raised an eyebrow. “And that would have achieved what exactly? I appreciate your concern Juruo, but this is something I have to sort out. As for you,” Sabin turned his attention back to Hirz. “My past is behind me, I’m not going back to those times. As for the card you’re holding, you have no idea of what you’re getting yourself in for holding it. Hand it over and crawl back to whatever hole you came from. ” Hirz smirked as he pocketed the card. “No, I think I’ll keep hold off this for now. Could make me a pretty penny. Now then, looks like I’ll have to force you to see sense” Hirz armed his duel shield as he issued his threat. “A leopard cannot change its spots. You are mine Sabin.” “Sabin, what’s your record against this guy like?” Erin asked, as Sabin armed his own shield. “My record is irrelevant.” “Let’s duel!” “I’ll kick this off” Hirz said with a wicked grin as he drew his sixth card. “I’ll start with Genex Searcher in attack mode.” What emerged was a vaguely humanoid robot, but it was old and broken, with loose wires hanging off it and impromptu replaced parts making the thing look contorted (ATK: 1600). “Next I’ll activate my Machine Assembly Line spell card. With this card in play, all machine monsters on the field gain 200 more attack points. Then I’ll play a face-down and call it a turn. Make your move Sabin.” “With pleasure” Sabin cried at his former ally. “I start by summoning Ally of Justice Nullifier in attack mode.” A spherical machine standing on six legs emerged, two cannon producing from its back, and more laser firing mechanisms placed on the inside of its palms (ATK: 1600). Hirz blinked in surprise. “Allies of Justice? When did you get rid of your Synchro warrior deck?” “Does it matter? All that matters is this is the new look me and my new look deck. Now your Machine Assembly Line boots up my monsters as well, so our monsters are equally matched on 1800 attack. But I’m equipping Nullifier with Machine Conversion Factory, which takes it up and over your monster (ATK: 2100). Now fire!” Nullifier obliged, shooting twin lasers from its palms. “I activate my trap card, Alchemy Cycle. This reduced the attack of a monster I control to zero.” The monster in front of Hirz was visibly sapped of strength by a purple haze, just before it was destroyed. Hirz raised his shield to protect himself from the resultant explosion. (LP: 1900) “I don’t get it, why would you let make yourself take even more damage?” Juruo was bewildered. “Because when a monster that has had its attack reduced by Alchemy Cycle is destroyed, I get to draw a card.” Hirz smirked as he picked a card out of his shield. “Also, because Genex Searcher was destroyed by battle, I can summon another Genex monster from my deck. So I chose, Genex Controller.” Sabin scowled as a small square machine, resembling an oversized remote control, appeared on the field (ATK: 1600). “One of your key cards already. I end my turn with a face down.” [spoiler=Summary - End Turn 2]Hirz - Front Row: Genex Controller. Back Row: Machine Assembly Line. Hand: 4 LP: 1900Sabin - Front Row: Nullifier. Back Row: Machine Conversion Factory, face down. Hand: 3 LP: 4000 “What did you expect? You’ve seen me destroy enough people with this monster. Now I draw, and I’m summoning Genex Undine to the field.” Another strange humanoid machine with a see through body exposing all manner of tubes appeared (ATK: 1200). “As you well know, when Undine is summoned, I can send another one in my deck to the graveyard, to add another Genex Controller to my hand. But I think the one on the field is going to be more use right now. I tune it with Genex Undine to Synchro Summon Hydro Genex.” The controller emerged with the aquatic robot in a swirling blue sphere, from which emerged a monster that looked more or less and evolved version of Undine. Except it was taller, leaner figure, and was holding a trident (ATK: 2500). Hirz gave the command, and it drove its weapon through Nullifier, taking it and several of Sabin’s life points down (LP: 3600). “Now when Hydro Genex destroys a monster by battle, its attack points are transferred to my life points, bringing me back to my starting position. I place two more cards face down and end my turn.” Sabin frowned as he added another card from his deck, pausing for some time. “I place three cards face down and end my turn.” The images of the backs of three cards appeared side by side. “Sabin doesn’t have any monsters left to defend himself with” exclaimed Juruo. This would leave him open for a direct attack. “No, but he does have four face down cards” Erin observed, a look of deep concern on her face. “Hopefully he has something in mind to defend himself with.” [spoiler=Summary - End Turn 4]Hirz - Front Row: Hydro Genex. Back Row: Machine Assembly Line. Hand: 4 LP: 4000Sabin - Front Row: -. Back Row: Four face downs. Hand: 1 LP: 3600 “Whatever. It’s my turn now, and I’m summoning Genex Blastfan.” A small green fan with tiny arms and legs appeared on the field (ATK: 1800). “Now I’m activating the effect of Machine Assembly Line. You see, each time a machine type monster on the field was destroyed, two junk counters were placed on this card. Now by sending it to the graveyard, I can resurrect a machine whose level is lower than or equal to the four junk counters currently on it. So Genex Controller is re-summoned to my field.” Erin’s frown intensified as the remote machine returned beside the large water powered machine, and each monsters attack levels were restored to their default values. “Now I tune Genex Controller with Blastfan to Synchro Summon Windmill Genex.” The two monsters merged into a giant green sphere, which dissipated to reveal a large machine with an enormous turbine spinning through its torso. “Now my Windmill gets an attack boost of 300 points for every face down card on the field. Currently there are six, but by discarding one card in my hand, I can blow away one of your traps. Let’s see, obviously the card you set first turn is useless, so I’ll destroy the middle of the three you placed last turn.” A small hurricane targeted the face down card, blasting it to smithereens. “Now Hydro Genex, attack him directly.” The blue machine lunged forward, striking Sabin’s raised duel shield (LP: 1300). Grimacing, he shrugged of the mental blow. “I activate the card I placed face down first turn, Damage Condenser. By discarding a card, this lets me summon a monster from my deck with attack lower than the damage I took. So out comes, Ally of Justice Quarantine.” A small insect like machine sprung from Sabin’s deck (ATK: 1700). “Is that all your defence is going to offer? Windmill will crush it, and all your remaining life points.” The giant green machine (ATK: 3200) pulled back a large mechanical fist for a supersonic punch. ... Hikari turned over in her small bed, looking over at Melanc in the other one. He wasn’t sleeping either. Neither of them felt uncomfortable with sharing a room together, but their reasons for doing so were on both of their minds. As always during times of distress for Hikari, the cat spirit Rinyan faded into the world in her lap, purring softly and licking her hand. Mel picked up his duel shield from beside his bed, and starting flicking through his cards for his own support. “How long have you known your sister was into Juruo?” Hikari asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible. Mel blinked, not sure how exactly to reply. “I didn’t, not until she asked me if I minded swapping rooms with her.” “Oh, okay. Well, what would you think about your big sister dating? It’s not like we’ve had any girl talks before or anything, but she just seemed so blunt and independent. Has she had any boyfriends since you’ve been in the resistance?” “Nah, it’s never come up before. Erin was always focused on resistance work and looking after me rather than having a boyfriend, but I’ve never known her to be interested in boys anyway, and we always share stuff. Are you okay Hikari?”Hikari felt herself go red in the face as Mel looked at her. She shook herself out of it, she couldn’t confide in him. “Yes, I’m fine. Are you?” “Er, yeah, course. I guess so it would be cool if Erin spent more time with Juruo; he’s been a really great guy in the time I’ve known him.” He was still very uneasy as he spoke, and Hikari could guess why. “Don’t worry Mel; Erin will still be there for you, even if she and Juruo are going out.” Mel nodded, his worries seemingly assured. He placed his cards back into the duel shield and turned over, slowly drifting into sleep, leaving Hikari to brood. ... “I activate my second face down card, Power Frame. First of all, since it’s now face up, Windmills attack goes down to 2900. Not that it matters because the attack is negated.” A force field materialised between the two monsters, protecting Sabin’s Ally of Justice from harm. “Furthermore, Power Frame now equips to Quarantine, and raises its attack power to match Windmills (ATK: 2900).” Hirz’s grin broadened. “I end my turn. Nice card there, who’d you steal it from?” “It was a gift, given to me so I could protect people, not hurt them. Now it’s my turn, and I think I’ll start by having Quarantine attack Hydro Genex.” “Well whoever gave you that deck misplaced their faith. I activate Synchro Deflector. This negates an attack on a Synchro monster and destroys your monster. Which leaves you with just one card on the field and one in your hand, against two of my mighty elemental machines. It doesn’t matter what you’ve got, you can’t come back from that.” Quarantine exploded, Sabin was irritated, but not dismayed. “I thought as much, but I had to make sure. Now it makes things safe to do this. I summon Black Salvo.” A small bomb sporting a wicked grin emerged onto the field. “What was that about no comeback? When Black Salvo is summoned, it brings one level four machine from my graveyard back with it. So I’m bringing Nullifier back to the field. Next I activate Roll Out!. This equips Nullifier with a union monster in my graveyard, Oilman.” Hirz recoiled as the monsters rapidly multiplied across Sabin’s field. “Where did he come from?” “I discarded it when I activated Damage Condenser. Now by unequiping Oilman, I have nine stars worth of monster and a tuner on my field. So by tuning Black Salvo with Oilman and Ally of Justice Nullifier, I can Synchro Summon, Ally of Justice Field Marshall.” An enormous machine warrior passed through the dark portal created by the summon, silver in colour, with a thin metal body ending in gold skirting at the base, protecting its legs, and broad arms producing claws from its hands (ATK: 2900). [spoiler=Summary - End Turn 6]Hirz - Front Row: Hydro Genex, Windmill Genex. Back Row: Face down. Hand: 3 LP: 4000Sabin - Front Row: Field Marshall. Back Row: -. Hand: - LP: 1300 Hirz grimaced at the sight of this mechanical behemoth towering over him, his thin face drained of all colour and life. “An impressive looking monster, it should serve us well as we rule the dark underworld of the capital. I draw, and because of the flurry of traps activated last turn, the attack of Windmill Genex has dropped to 2300.” Hirz paused, making Sabin sweat as he waited, watching him mull over his options. With an empty hand and only Field Marshall out, Sabin was still very vulnerable. “I place one card face down and end my turn.” Windmill’s attack rose back up to 2600. I don’t like this, Sabin thought. I know Hirz; his entire game plan revolves around summoning the four element based Genex Synchro monsters; the two he has out now, Thermal Genex, and Geo Genex, and protecting them with Synchro supporting cards. His face down could well be another Synchro Deflector, but I have a feeling the one he just set is more likely to be Synchro Strike, which would bump up the attack of either of his monsters by 1000. So unless I get the right card here, he could sink me next turn. Here goes. Sabin closed his eyes as he drew his card, aware that Juruo was pushing his hands through his hair in stress, and Erin, well, for some reason he disliked Erin, and she disliked him too, so he doubted she cared. He glanced at the card, perfect as always. “I activate the Earthquake spell card, which forces all monsters on the field into defence.” The room shook, as all three monsters knelt onto one knee and moved to protect themselves. Sabin could see the look of anger on Hirz’ face, clearly he had guessed right. “Now I’m putting Field Marshall back on the offensive, and attacking Windmill Genex.” A barrage of lasers destroyed the wind generating machine. “Now when Field Marshall destroys a monster in defence mode, I can draw a card, which I’ll set face down and end my turn with.” [spoiler=Summary - End Turn 8]Hirz - Front Row: Hydro Genex. Back Row: Two face downs. Hand: 3 LP: 4000Sabin - Front Row: Field Marshall. Back Row: Face down. Hand: - LP: 1300 Hirz drew his next card, and he broke into his creepy little laugh again. Sabin scowled as his adversary flicked his long hair out of his face, confident he had just drawn a match winner. “Oh Sabin, you should have been more appreciative of all I’ve done for you. You can’t hope to survive against me, in the same way you would never have survived without me. I activate Synchro Blast Wave, which destroys your Field Marshall.” Juruo and Erin gasped as the giant robot fell from the force of the sonic pulse emitted by the card. “Hydro Genex, destroy him.” Desperately, Sabin pulled a card from his duel shield. “I activate a trap card from my graveyard.” Hirz recoiled in disbelief. “You what?” “You heard. Remember the face down Windmill Genex destroyed earlier on? Well I’m activating it right now, Revenge Return. By removing it from my graveyard, I can special summon one monster that was destroyed by a card effect this turn. So Field Marshall is back and badder than ever.” The aquatic monsters charge was halted by the re-emergence of the silver machine, but Hirz called for it to press on, his face tinged with madness. “Fine, I’ll do this the old fashioned way, and activate Synchro Strike, raising the attack of Hydro Genex to 3300.” “Keep them coming, I activate Solemn Judgement. By getting rid of half my life points, your trap is negated.” It was a small price to pay as Hirz’s card failed to activate, leaving the trident carrying warrior to lung hopelessly into the stronger Field Marshall, which countered with another laser barrage. Hirz ducked behind his shield with much swearing to dodge the resulting explosion (LP: 3400/LP:650). When he came out, his face was filled with fury. “I’m not done. You’re coming back to Sen’nenki with me, whether you like it or not. I activate the Swing of Memories spell card. This brings back a Genex Controller in my graveyard. And because I have him on my field, I can summon Genex Furnace without releasing anything. Now I tune Controller and Furnace together to Synchro Summon Thermal Genex.” ."A giant fireball engulfed the two monsters, and from the inferno came forth another towering machine, a walking dark red blast furnace, emitting steam and fire from several outlets in its body work (DEF: 1200). “It’s your move, and remember, I still have one more face down. Attack if you dare. Spit in the face of the one person who actually cares about you.” “I’m not buying that. You only want me as a pawn for your schemes. I’m done with that life. I’m also not buying your bluff. I draw, and activate the spell card Reasoning. First of all, you can pick a number, and then I pick up cards from my deck until I draw a monster that can be summoned. If its level is the number you call, I have to send it to the graveyard, but if it’s not, I can special summon it. It’s your call.” Hirz spat at him, before calling out the number four, so Sabin could start picking up cards. Passing over Fires of Doomsday and Damage Polarizer, he got what he’d hoped for. “Bad call Hirz, I drew a level six monster, and just the one I was hoping for. Come on out, Jinzo.” Jinzo was a feared monster, a humanoid cyborg with telekinetic powers increased by the horrible mask it wore over its vein throbbing skin; he stood tall with his arms folded, in his spiked green suit. “For those of you who don’t know, while Jinzo is on the field, no trap cards can be activated. So you can either activate your card in chain to its summoning now, or you can let it sit there face down and hope your next draw is a good one.” A nerve twitched across Hirz’s temple from where he had swept his hair back, a bead of sweat trickled down his cheek. “I activate the Reckless Greed trap card, giving me two more cards.” “I thought as much, you were just trying to throw me by putting that monster in defence when it’s so much stronger in attack. A desperate move. Now Field Marshall, destroy Thermal Genex, and Jinzo, attack directly!” Another volley of lasers cut down the monster, leaving Jinzo free to attack Hirz with an electromagnetic shock generated from its hand. Hirz sank in shock, as Sabin mutely added another card to his hand. [spoiler=Summary - End Turn 10]Hirz - Front Row: -. Back Row: -. Hand: 3 LP: 1000Sabin - Front Row: Field Marshall, Jinzo. Back Row: -. Hand: 1 LP: 650 The mental strain of this grudge match was starting to take its toll on Hirz; he was leaning on one knee for support and breathing heavily. His shield was not designed to take heavy hits, and his former partner was pushing him further than most did. But still, a wicked smile flashed across his face as he looked over his two remaining cards. “I summon Genex Gaia in attack mode.” The large bio-suited warrior carrying a scythe was the last thing Sabin was expecting, especially in attack mode (ATK: 900). “Now I activate Secret Passage to the Treasures. This lets one monster I control bypass your two monsters and attack you directly.” Juruo and Erin gasped in shock. “Sneaky tactic. Sabin hasn’t got any more cards left on the field to protect himself. It’s over.” The metal suited warrior charged, blade raised high as it went past Jinzo and Field Marshall and straight for the waiting Sabin. Juruo shook his head, Sabin did not lose to this sort of trash, despite the situation he knew Sabin was resourceful, and could find what he needed somewhere. “Maybe not on the field Erin, but in my hand. I summon Battle Fader to cancel your attack.” A pendulum shaped machine emerged from a small rift in space, emanating a strange shockwave that forced the oncoming attack back. Hirz gawped in horror, the final nail had been lined in his coffin, and Sabin was pulling back the hammer. “No... you can’t... you can’t beat me!” “It’s going to need something quite miraculous to stop me.” Sabin stared into the shrunken bloody eyes of the man who had roped him into a life of crime. He drew, irrelevant as it may have been, but this final card would put a real exclamation point on this duel. “I’m beating you, and doing it in style. I summon the tuner monster Ally of Justice Cycle Reader. With this, I immediately tune my level three Cycle Reader, level one Battle Fader, and level six Jinzo, to Synchro Summon Ally of Justice Decisive Cannon.” If the other Ally of Justice Synchro monsters were scary, this one was terrifying. Floating in midair, a giant black and gold monster with two cannons where its arms should be, and a third, larger gun placed on the top, all pointing at the quaking Hirz (ATK: 3300). “Decisive Cannon, blow him away.” With much whirring and grinding off gears, the two side guns charged, and fired their twin high energy blasts at the final Genex, blasting it, and Hirz’s life points, to smithereens. Hirz collapsed to the floor, panting heavily as his duel shield deactivated. Sabin did the same to his manually, watching the two mighty machines fade away back into the spirit world. He addressed the two spectators without looking at them. “I’m sorry I’ve been a bit of a jerk recently. Having him chasing me from the shadows this whole journey has really distracted me from what we set out for, and made our struggles even more stressful, daft as it sounds. That’s why I’ve been more secluded and short-tempered than usual.” Juruo approached the victor, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, forget about it mate. You don’t have to worry about him anymore; you’ve got him off your back now. We shouldn’t have doubted you. And I’m sorry about what I’ve said in the past.” Sabin paused, thinking about his response. Eventually he shrugged off the contact, his eyes never leaving the fallen Hirz, but he did laugh slightly and shook his head, as if the apology was humorous. He stretched out a hand, and Juruo shook it, differences settled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vector Nightmare Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 Why is everyone panicking about a 'love-square'? Why would I do that? Triangles are fine. I felt it had to be said, just to be on the safe side. Dirty minded Saber is dirty minded. Trying to keep Eternia's character veiled as possible at the moment, but we can assume she's a powerful supernatural being. Why would she be interested in some kid? My country's mythology (Greece) offers plenty an example of Gods and various other deities being interested in humans in various disturbing ways. Er, why are we all thinking they had stew for breakfast? I may have made a typo but logic people. I just went by that comment I read. Didn't actually remember anything about that. And I merely commented that while stew might seem bad, beggars can't be choosers, and Juruo and the rest are not in a position to exactly comfortably have what they like. Onto the new chapter, now. <3 Seriously, Sabin was epic in this. For some reason the “My record is irrelevant.” line exuded copious amounts of win. Even though I feel Hirz's character was a bit out there, I still liked the idea. But... he kinda made it look like the Empire doesn't really care about the sacred cards at all, you can argue that he's skilled and all, but with beings like Demon interested in them, you'd think there'd be some sort of supernatural security a 'common' thief would not be able to easily bypass, much less do it twice. Anyway, the duel was good, and once again we see how Battle Fader has made a lot of things easier when writing fanfics >_>. Genex vs Ally of Justice was good, must've been a kick for Hirz when Sabin was using a completely new deck. I liked how Sabin's insight into his former ally's tactics caused him to sidestep a dangerous trap, this was well thought-out. Field Marhsall only gets to draw when destroying face-down defense monsters, but I guess you changed that intentionally since there's not much chance of setting stuff in fanfics. Where'd Decisive Cannon come from? The name's Decisive Armor, or if you prefer the OCG names like me, Decisive Arms. And that move was rather eh-ish, I'd rather not have Sabin unleash the ultimate AoJ monster at that time. On other notes, the conversation between Hikari and Mel was surprising, as I wouldn't have guessed Erin had gone public (well, semi-public) just yet. Especially as you made it sound that she asked Mel to switch rooms before she even talked to Juruo which... kinda makes the whole thing confusing. I'm increasingly enjoying how you portray Hikari with Rinyan. I keep wondering if there's going to be some deeper meaning behind those particular spirits. Anyways, very nice here, though I would've liked a two-part duel for Sabin, I guess there wasn't much time, and still you did him justice. Can't wait for the next part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut - Envoy of the End Posted April 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 I felt it had to be said, just to be on the safe side. Ok My country's mythology (Greece) offers plenty an example of Gods and various other deities being interested in humans in various disturbing ways. You're Greek? :o I had no idea. Now I see your concern. Joke. Onto the new chapter, now. <3 Seriously, Sabin was epic in this. For some reason the “My record is irrelevant.” line exuded copious amounts of win. Even though I feel Hirz's character was a bit out there, I still liked the idea. But... he kinda made it look like the Empire doesn't really care about the sacred cards at all, you can argue that he's skilled and all, but with beings like Demon interested in them, you'd think there'd be some sort of supernatural security a 'common' thief would not be able to easily bypass, much less do it twice. Thought you'd like. The 'my record is irrelevant' was supposed to mean "it's not great, but since I'm using an entirely new deck from the old Synchro Warrior one now what's it matter?". Kinda the apprentice stepping up to the master kinda challenge. Yeah........ about that............ moving on B) Anyway, the duel was good, and once again we see how Battle Fader has made a lot of things easier when writing fanfics >_>. Genex vs Ally of Justice was good, must've been a kick for Hirz when Sabin was using a completely new deck. I liked how Sabin's insight into his former ally's tactics caused him to sidestep a dangerous trap, this was well thought-out. Field Marhsall only gets to draw when destroying face-down defense monsters, but I guess you changed that intentionally since there's not much chance of setting stuff in fanfics. Where'd Decisive Cannon come from? The name's Decisive Armor, or if you prefer the OCG names like me, Decisive Arms. And that move was rather eh-ish, I'd rather not have Sabin unleash the ultimate AoJ monster at that time. Thanks, this was actually the third attempt at writing this one, first two were very untidy. Glad I re-did it, discovering Power Frame and Revenge Return helped. Since I'm not setting monsters, effects involving set in defence monsters have changed to affect all defence monsters, much like Mystic Swordsman in early duels. Trying as hard as possible to keep flip effects out all together, the below mentioned Rinyan will probably trigger her effect when summoned. Naughty name change was naughty. But Cannon just sounds better doesn't it? DOESN'T IT!?! Oh alright... On other notes, the conversation between Hikari and Mel was surprising, as I wouldn't have guessed Erin had gone public (well, semi-public) just yet. Especially as you made it sound that she asked Mel to switch rooms before she even talked to Juruo which... kinda makes the whole thing confusing. I'm increasingly enjoying how you portray Hikari with Rinyan. I keep wondering if there's going to be some deeper meaning behind those particular spirits. Anyways, very nice here, though I would've liked a two-part duel for Sabin, I guess there wasn't much time, and still you did him justice. Can't wait for the next part. If your big sister asked you if you would mind swapping rooms so she'd be with a guy, you would ask wouldn't you? Thanks, there's a bit of stuff to get through in the last four chapters, so hopefully we'll answer some questions in the next week. And raise up more. Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vector Nightmare Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 The 'my record is irrelevant' was supposed to mean "it's not great, but since I'm using an entirely new deck from the old Synchro Warrior one now what's it matter?". Kinda the apprentice stepping up to the master kinda challenge. Yeah, I got it when I read it the second time, but for some reason the first time it sounded more like "b**** plz, all records are irrelevant when I step into the stage, now go make me a sandwich. It was badass. Naughty name change was naughty. But Cannon just sounds better doesn't it? DOESN'T IT!?! Oh alright... It's better than Decisive Armor, but worse than Decisive Arms. If your big sister asked you if you would mind swapping rooms so she'd be with a guy, you would ask wouldn't you? Yeah, but the conversation between them would've gone like this: Erin: Hey Mel, mind swapping rooms so I can be with Juruo? I sort of want to get a little more private there. Mel: No, not at all. So are you guys going out? Erin: Well, no... Mel: Have you asked Juruo yet? Erin: No... Mel: So... you ask me to change rooms so you can be together with Juruo, even if you have no idea whether he likes you back? Erin: ... Mel: You haven't thought this through, have you? Erin: Do you want me to bring the Ice Queen down on you? Mel: ...I'll be going now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut - Envoy of the End Posted April 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 Yeah, I got it when I read it the second time, but for some reason the first time it sounded more like "b**** plz, all records are irrelevant when I step into the stage, now go make me a sandwich. It was badass. ... Yeah, but the conversation between them would've gone like this: Erin: Hey Mel, mind swapping rooms so I can be with Juruo? I sort of want to get a little more private there. Mel: No, not at all. So are you guys going out? Erin: Well, no... Mel: Have you asked Juruo yet? Erin: No... Mel: So... you ask me to change rooms so you can be together with Juruo, even if you have no idea whether he likes you back? Erin: ... Mel: You haven't thought this through, have you? Erin: Do you want me to bring the Ice Queen down on you? Mel: ...I'll be going now. I liked this. Even though I can't imagine Erin addressing anyone with 'Hey' ever. :) Rep for make me laugh out very loud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vector Nightmare Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 It was a parody, but I'm glad you enjoyed it ^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut - Envoy of the End Posted April 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 As an aside, I'm writing the last two chapters (release next Friday) right now. Doing a nice little speech that will hopefully blow the apparently epic Aporia speech (you know, the 'this is despair' bit that is apparently a very cool speech) into the dust. Okay probably not that far but aiming for some good in-duel revelations to end this arc in fairly epic fashion, I hope. The story also seems to be getting a bit more... fantasical if that's the word, during the next three or four chapters. Not much though, as if duel monsters existing in a parallel world connected to ours wasn't fantasy enough I guess. Hopefully it'll all make sense at the end of the day. Ooh, spoilers. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vector Nightmare Posted April 8, 2011 Report Share Posted April 8, 2011 As an aside, I'm writing the last two chapters (release next Friday) right now. Doing a nice little speech that will hopefully blow the apparently epic Aporia speech (you know, the 'this is despair' bit that is apparently a very cool speech) into the dust. Okay probably not that far but aiming for some good in-duel revelations to end this arc in fairly epic fashion, I hope. Aporia's speech wasn't that epic tbh. It was basically a summary of his entire philosophy. No, actually, it was an expansion of his entire philosophy. Because his entire philosophy was basically "ZETSUBOU". The story also seems to be getting a bit more... fantasical if that's the word, during the next three or four chapters. Not much though, as if duel monsters existing in a parallel world connected to ours wasn't fantasy enough I guess. Hopefully it'll all make sense at the end of the day. Ooh, spoilers. ;) I would not mind more fantasy elements in this story. In fact, I think it would be a good idea. Just as long as it's not something ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexadin Posted April 9, 2011 Report Share Posted April 9, 2011 The new chapter was very good. I just liked it, expecially that Hirz didn't used any Zombies. That would've been so, so, well that would just be wrong. Anyway, I'll be awaiting your next chapter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut - Envoy of the End Posted April 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2011 Right, going to have to go a bit Paolini on you all here. After somethought and asking the opinion of the respected Saber, what I orginally intended to be a 50 chapter story split into 3 full arcs and a short final arc (think like FF 7 and 9 when the final disk is saved solely for the final location and battle) will now be four full arcs totaling 60 chapters. This is because as it was, some fairly major plot lines that wouldn't have been resolved satisfactorily in my eyes wouldn't get the exposure they should, you'll know what I'm referring to when the time comes. Also, it gives me more time to develop several characters that would suffer the same rotating door that has been there in the past. So some of the stuff that was going to end Arc Three will now happen half way through Arc Four. Don't worry, everything that happens will be plot relevant in some way, all killer no filler. Besides I am loving writing this thing, and I can make and fight with more decks. :) Anyway kicking off this week with Chapter 27, the last non-duel chapter of the arc, but we see a lot of characters involved in a lot of stuff. Enjoy [spoiler=Chapter 27]Chapter 27 - Doom Legion With a violent start, Yuma sat upright in her bed, panting and sweating slightly. She ran her hands through her long hair, disturbed by the visions she had just witnessed, a future shown to her by the spirits. A future that was filled with horror and despair. Trying to calm down, she decided a cold drink might settle her nerves. Exiting her bedroom, she was surprised to find her mother on the landing in front of her, wearing a long nightgown and a concerned expression. “Yuma dear, I could hear you talking in your sleep again; I was coming to check you were alright. You look awfully pale. What’s happened?” “Nothing has happened, not yet. But something is about to happen. It will soon begin. Fires shall gather in both skies, half in this world, half in the duel spirit world. When all the fires have been lit, the bond between the worlds will shatter. All will suffer as the balance collapses and both worlds fall into each other, colliding against each other, creating a hell on earth.” Yuma’s voice was did not quaver as she gave her harrowing warning. ... The trio stood around Hirz as he attempted to stagger to his feet. It seemed to take a lot of effort for him to do; perhaps his duel shield was poorly designed to relieve the mental pressure of duelling, or maybe Hirz was just not mentally strong enough to endure. Either way, he eventually got there, mutterings a stream of vile and colourful curses as he did so. A vein throbbed in his temple. Sabin interrupted the tirade. “Look Hirz, even if I - for some bizarre reason - was interested in rejoining you, I couldn’t anyway. There’s more important stuff going on that I’m involved in, and the sacred beast card you’re holding is part of it. You’re in danger by possessing it. Do yourself a favour and hand it over.” Hirz looked at Sabin wildly; as if he was asking him to part with his left hand. Just giving up something as rare and valuable as this card was something Hirz did not do, least of all give it to Sabin. “You ungrateful, ignorant, smug, worthless, son of a...” Sabin rolled his eyes as Hirz continued to bad mouth everything about him and his family. Eventually he ran out of insults. “You think I’m going to help you? I could make thousands by selling this, or better yet... I could use its power for myself, and crush all my enemies by force.” His bloodshot eyes went wild with the thought of this power. Juruo stepped up beside Sabin. “You’re a lunatic if you think that thing’s controllable. There are people chasing that card and they will kill you for it. Give it to us and get out of here while you can.” Bellowing in rage, Hirz swung his shield arm at the pair, the razor edge coming very close to where their necks were a moment ago, had they not jumped in time. Seizing the opportunity, the thief sprinted for the door, and escape. “Who asked you? I will control this card, and I will get you back for this Sabin.” Without a second’s hesitation, Erin gave chase after the villain, the two boys following closely behind. He may have been physically drained, but adrenaline was enough to keep the desperate Hirz ahead of his pursuers. As was knocking down several stands, ornaments, and other things on the stairs behind him for them to hurdle over. Juruo and Sabin raced up the stairs, and caught up with Erin at the top. She was standing in the doorway of the stairs, ducking behind her duel shield, which resonated with the sound of various metal objects being thrown at it. Juruo crouched down and peeked through a gap; Hirz was standing in the middle of the main hall, still shrouded in darkness, and through the air something whistled and glinted in the moonlight seeping through a window, until it crashed into Erin’s shield with another resounding clang. “Did I forget to mention Hirz usually has a small set of throwing knives on him?” Sabin asked sheepishly. Juruo withdrew his head and looked at him, bewildered. “Yeah, you had.” Sabin grinned at his own forgetfulness. “Well when is he going to bloody well run out of them?!” Erin shouted, seemingly the only one awake to the danger. She ducked back inside the stairwell, panting heavily. “How are we supposed to catch him when he’s armed to the teeth?” Sabin shrugged. “It’s only a small set; he probably used most of them to break in.” With that he ducked out into the entrance way. Indeed Hirz seemed to have run out, and he was now sprinting for the great oak doors. The trio started to run after him, but a loud roar from outside made them stop in their tracks. A duel runner soared up in front of them, the little light catching a bulky scarlet model with flamboyant fins and spikes as it came flying through the air, after coming charging up the steps outside. Its engine roared threateningly, but it did not entirely cover the sound of wild delirium coming from its rider. Hirz screamed as the runner came crashing down in front of him, unable to get out of the way, it rammed straight into him. The force threw him several feet into a desk, where he landed in a crumpled heap. The runner continued across the hall, zigzagging wildly as it came to a stop. There was another roar, another engine, and a second duel runner came hurtling through the door at high speed. Juruo recognised this black and bronze model, as he did the helmetless rider. Gear swerved and came to a stop by the fallen Hirz, dismounted without a look to the group, and picked the Hamon card straight out of the thief’s pocket. The other rider removed his helmet, which of course revealed a crazed face with glowing blue tattoos coming down over his wild eyes.. “What a surprise to find you here” Raesir mocked, pushing his flattened helmet hair back into his preferred upright position. “And with another sewer rat no less. You can get to the cards first all you want, but it makes no difference when it’s so easy to take them off you.” Gear rolled up alongside him, having retrieved the card and got back on his runner. He lounged casually on the handlebars as he stopped. “Alright Juruo. How’s that fine runner of yours? You get it started again?” He laughed as Juruo scowled at him, answer not required. “Alright, you’ve got the three sacred beast cards, so what happens now?” Gear chuckled as Raesir revved his engine. “The countdown begins, is what happens now.” “But not until we dispose of you three once and for all” Raesir added. The three duelists armed their duel shields as Raesir revved his engine again, preparing to charge. Gear sat upright and copied his ally, until a loud beeping interrupted him. Looking down at the screen on his runner, the delight visibly disappeared from his face as it was replaced by awkward uneasiness, as Demon’s face appeared on his screen. “You have the card?” “Erm, well yes, of course.” “Then you are still there why exactly?” “Because we’ve got the remaining resistance cornered” Raesir yelled, having got the conversation up on his runner as well. “We can dispose of them right here and now.” “You have all that we need; the resistance are of no concern now. Just get back here with the card before the entire city police force descends on the bank in the next few minutes. You do not want me to wait a second longer now, do you?” “But...” Raesir started. “Now, Raesir.” Demon’s voice was cold and menacing, the group could only imagine the face that the two riders were looking at right now. Clearly he scared the hell out of them too. With an ugly look, Raesir pulled his helmet back on and spun around, speeding out of the door through which he had first came. Gear sighed, and turned his attention back to the group. “Not that it matters either way. We have everything we need; all has been set up for us to accomplish what we set out for. You’re done. We can’t be stopped now. Maybe we'll meet again, in a more perfect reality than this cold world. But then, if it is to be truely perfect, you wouldn't make it through the gap.” With that, he turned and drove away as well, leaving the group stunned. They had failed. There was a groan from a distance away. Hirz was attempting to sit up against the desk. He was clutching his ribs, and with another groan, he coughed up a lot of blood. Sabin walked over and knelt down beside him. With little resistance, he reached inside his adversary’s jean pocket, and pulled out several cards. “You’re going to take my cards too?” Hirz coughed. “The worlds might as well get some good out of a slimy thug like you, however much you’ve taken from them. Besides, you’re not going to need them where you’re going.” Sabin stood and walked towards the door hands in his pockets, as Hirz sank back against the desk, breathing heavily. Juruo and Erin exchanged glances, then followed their ally, leaving Hirz to the police. ... Closing down the transmission on his computer, Demon stretched, grinning with anticipation. Those two could be reckless and idiotic sometimes, but now they were speeding back to him, and with them the final two pieces of the puzzle. The end was in sight, he held the world in his hands. As was his destiny. “Gear and Raesir have the cards?” a dark voice asked from the shadows. “Yes father, we are close now.” “Good. With the sacred beast cards power focused by your machine, and forced into the key card, destruction will be unleashed, and we will be freed, able to escape from this nightmare, beyond the abyss, and into utopia. But yet, the resistance, blinded by lies and self-righteous, could still prove a problem. You must be ready for combat.” Demon smirked; he knew what the voice of his father referred to, flexing and clenching his pale fists. “I was born ready. This is my destiny, which you opened my eyes to, and no-one is going to stop me.” ... “So now what?” The group had got back safely, dodging the swarming police with ease, and were now reconvened in Juruo’s room. Those who had not been present at the city bank had been filled in on how Raesir and Gear had got hold of the third and final card. Most of the group either had their head in their hands, or were staring hopelessly into nothingness. Their failure to stop Demon was crushing for them. With no-one seemingly able to answer his question, Barakus sank back into his chair, thoughts of his wife and child and the danger he had failed to protect them from weighing heavily on him. Sabin broke the silence. “Raesir and Gear are heading back to Demon now. When they get to him, he will have all three sacred beast cards, which will be used for his Armageddon; however that is going to be done. We have two duel runners, so we could give chase, if we knew where they were going.” “All I can think of is going to wherever Demon is and invading his base” Hikari said. “But we don’t have the slightest idea where that might be. It could be in any of the emperor’s residences, or somewhere out of the way, anywhere.” The group fell back into silence. Juruo was sitting on one of the beds, next to Erin and Mel. Erin was holding onto her brother tightly, so Juruo felt it might be comforting to put an arm around her. He looked at the siblings, Mel was visibly very scared at the thought of some unseen horror, and Erin was trying to stay strong for him, as always she was his protector as she reassuringly rubbed his back. Juruo may have been an only child, but he had mostly grown up around big families, and knew of the ways siblings would look after each other in the tough slums, but he still thought Erin was amazing for the way she looked out for Mel. He thought about how only a few hours ago they had been together, how he had discovered how they felt about each other, how much she meant to him. He wasn’t going to let that go without a fight. He had come too far. He wasn’t going to let down his friends, his mother, Vardus, and everyone else down without one more fight. Then an idea dawned to him. “Barakus, is there anything you can remember from Vardus, any adventure or legend or anything he may have retold to you during his visit to you six years ago.” Barakus ruffled through his hair in thought for a few moments as he struggled to think. “Well, there was a place he spoke of once, that he had visited whilst travelling. It was quite a tale, but I don’t think it would be very helpful.” “No, anything could help now, tell us.” “Well” Barakus sighed heavily. “There is a place a few hours south east of here, at the most southern point of the Empire, there is a temple built into a cliff that overlooks the sea. Inside is a gateway, that is supposed to be a direct link between this world and the duel spirit world, but can also take you to anywhere you want to go in this world. Vardus said he used it to get back from here to Sen’nenki when he received word from an endangered ally, he used it to rush back and save him in a matter of seconds, a time unachievable by normal means.” Hikari’s eyes lit up. “That’s perfect! We could drop right on Demon’s doorstep. Barakus shook his head. “No we couldn’t. It is no good to us. According to Vardus, you have to know the exact location which you want to go to, in order to get there. Without knowing where Demon is, we’re stuck.” Everyone’s head dropped as suddenly as they had lifted as their fleeting hope was dashed. All except Juruo that is. “Excuse me a second.” He stood up, letting his hand go through Erin’s soft hair, as he got up and went into the on-suite. Locking the door behind him, he sat down on the toilet, hoping his idea may work. Putting his hands into a praying position, which was completely unnecessary but made him feel better, he whispered into thin air, hoping the voice of Eternia could hear him. “Eternia, you said that I would face Demon at his stronghold, as depicted in my nightmares. This must mean you must have known he would get the cards and that I’d need to go after him at his base. I can get there, and I can stop him, but I need to know the name of his location. Please.” He waited, praying. “Glamisry Castle.” Juruo nearly bashed his head as he leapt for joy as his prayer was answered. The voice didn’t say anything else, but it had said enough. Juruo scrambled out of the on-suite, laughing slightly, much to the shock of the five he had just burst in on. “Guys, I know where Demon is. He’s in a castle in a place called Glamisry. Now if Barakus is right, we can use the gate to get there, before Raesir and Gear do.” Sabin looked at Juruo incredulously. The disbelief interrupted his speaking. “How... the hell... did you do that?” “Hey, don’t men always have their best ideas while on the toilet? It doesn’t matter how I know, but I’m certain, now let’s just go before Hirz gets the police looking for us.” Erin stood up. “I’m sorry Juruo, but this is the craziest, stupidest, most absurd idea I’ve ever heard. You can’t just go to some mythical temple, which I’m sceptical about, then pick a place out of thin air and expect this to work. It’s just too... look it’s just a fantasy if you think it will work.” “It’s better than nothing though sis. We have to try something.” Mel stood up on the bed, fists clenched with fresh, resolute excitement. “Juruo’s the best, he wouldn’t let us down. He’s right, I know he is.” Hikari also stood, and nodded her agreement. Barakus nodded. “Vardus also mentioned Glamisry, now that you mention it. Just in a long list of places he’d been to, a dark place in the centre of the Empire, but he passed over it with such little else I never gave it a second’s thought. But the gate could definitely take you there Erin. We just have to hope it’s the right place. Like Juruo said, we should leave now, before the guards, or the landlord come knocking.” With that he left the room, followed by Mel and Hikari as they went to get their stuff. Sabin expressed amusement, as he left his station in the corner and approached Juruo. “You are, without doubt, the weirdest dude I know, you know.” Juruo nodded. Sabin shook his head, amused, and left to get his own things. That left Erin and Juruo alone. She stood close against his body, putting her arms around his shoulders, and looking over him, he could still sense the doubt in her eyes. He put his hands on her own shoulders, trying to ease her concerns. “Erin, I need you to trust me. We have to do something, otherwise what happened tonight, we won’t be able to have it again. The world will end unless we stop him.” “But, what if you’re wrong? You’ve just picked a name out of nowhere. I know how much you feel you need to do this, but don’t you think this is just is just too much based on blind faith and hope?” Struggling for an answer, Juruo picked up his duel shield from the base of his bed. Flicking through his deck, he found what he was looking for, a card that had not yet made it to his hand in any of his duels, but he could easily see its use, the Dragon Heart spell card. He passed it to Erin. “I have always admired you Erin, but it wasn’t until tonight, until you approached me, that I realised how special you are, and how much you’ve done for us. I want you to have this, and know that I will never let you down.” Erin bit her lip, still unsettled. Finally she nodded. She did however refuse the card. “Better you keep it for winning a duel, rather than give it to me for sentiment.” They briefly kissed, before getting ready to leave. I said it might get more fantasy like from here, that's baiscially the next chapter. And the chaos ensuing therefrom. Double chapter on Friday, followed by bios and bonus chapter whenever the hell I feel like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexadin Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 Anyway it was a good chapter. Quite suprising that Demon and his squad eventually got the 3 cards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut - Envoy of the End Posted April 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 ... Anyway it was a good chapter. Quite suprising that Demon and his squad eventually got the 3 cards. Erm, could you please delete potential spoiler for those who haven't picked up on it yet, thank you. :) All revealed Friday anyway. Glad I'm not being predictable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexadin Posted April 11, 2011 Report Share Posted April 11, 2011 Done. I can't wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut - Envoy of the End Posted April 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2011 Yeah, I didn't get my usual two people comment... I... only got 1. :( Penultimate release, and a duel. Hope you enjoy, you might not have expected these decks to get played... :) [spoiler=Chapter 28]Chapter 28 - The Keeper of the Spirit Gate The three vehicles tore across the countryside at a blinding pace, heading for the co-ordinates Sabin had put in. On their digital maps, it showed a point sticking out to sea, the most southern tip of the Empire. According to the display, nothing was there, but Barakus was adamant that Vardus would be right. From what they knew about their late leader, they knew he was an honest and forthright man, and extremely knowledgeable. Now he was aiding their resistance against Demon and the Empire, even after death. For hours the party drove on, until the sun started to rise far away in the east, casting a fiery glow over the trees and the rocks that occasionally punctured the otherwise barren landscape. Finally they were closing in on their destination, an empty peak that looked innocuous in every possible way. They pulled their runners and bike up, and began to walk up the cliff. There was a white stone tablet producing out of the ground towards the end of the cliff edge, a simple monument acknowledging this place as the most southern part of the Empire. Other than that, nothing of note. Juruo walked up to the edge and looked down, a very steep drop into the crashing waves below. There was a sandy beach to the right, although there was no obvious access to it, and to the left, just more rocks and ocean. Continuing onwards, he saw there was a curved alcove in the cliff further along, a weird gap in the rock face. He pointed it out to the others. It was worth a look. The group got back on the bikes and rode further along the coastline, towards the general area Juruo identified. They found a road down to a beach, and went down for a better look.Sabin found what they were looking for, but only by freak chance. While the others were searching, he had disappeared into a small cave to relieve himself, and had by a complete fluke seen a small crevice in the rock that was partly hidden by a screen of shrubbery, it was just wide enough for someone to climb through. He called the party over, and parking their bikes in the cave, they clambered through the gap (Barakus made it through with a bit of a squeeze). Behind the gap was a small pathway leading upwards. Sensing he had struck gold, Sabin ran off ahead, closely followed by Juruo and Melanc. At the end of the path was unquestionably a small temple. Four pillars were carved into the grey rock, guarding an entrance lit by torches. Juruo looked back out from the entrance, you could see the sea between the gaps in the rock, but it would take a keen eye to pick the temple out from a boat. The others caught them up, Barakus was gasping from the effort. Erin froze open mouthed at the stony grandeur of this place. Hikari simply mouthed three words ‘Thank you Vardus’. Without wasting another moment, the group headed inside. The temple was symmetrical in design, a rectangular room supported by more pillars, lit by more torches. They illuminated the walls, there were carvings in the stone, which upon inspection, bore the likeness of duel monster cards throughout the history of the game. Juruo picked out a few of the beasts in his deck, as did Hikari. As they studied the carvings, a warm sensation filled Juruo’s soul. Smiling, he turned to see the Decoy Dragon sitting on the floor, staring at him with its big eyes. Next to it was Rinyan, and the small purple suited warrior who sometimes appeared by Sabin. The respective duelists approached their allied spirits, Hikari hugging the meowing cat, whereas Sabin just nodded to the warrior. Decoy Dragon leapt into Juruo’s arms, licking his hand. The contact filled Juruo with energy; the dragon felt a real connection to this strange place. Mel found all this incredibly cool, and joined in with the collection of spirits. Erin and Barakus meanwhile, made their way to the back of the temple. There stood a large ring of stone, covered in symbols or text of some unknown language. Nervously, Erin walked through the ring, passing through until she could put her hand against the stone wall behind it, on another monster carving. With shock she recoiled, she had put her hand on a stone depicting ‘Clear Vice Dragon’. With that, she and Barakus walked back over to the rest. Barakus opened his mouth to speak. “Leave now mortals. You are trespassing on forbidden hallowed ground.” The voice was harsh and unnerving. All eyes jumped to the stone ring, in front of which sat a being who had not been there before, in the position of meditation. He clearly wasn’t a human being; no human had that pale violet skin colour, that long scarlet hair that fell over his bare torso in thick braids with gold clips, the strange symbols that covered parts of his muscular arms that were also adorned by gold armbands and wristlets. The being stood, he was about as tall as Barakus, and his muscles were more toned than the big man’s bulky ironsmith physique. He wore a plain white kilt-like dress over his lower body with a gold sash belt, and was barefoot. Most unnerving however was the fact this being had his eyes closed, but there was a third eye, slightly above the other two, dark and colourless, that was staring into space. The being opened his other two eyes, which were white, and the third eye closed in unison. As he stood before the group and spoke, he never blinked once. “Did you not hear me? I will not allow you to pass through the spirit gate, as is the duty to which I am bound. Be gone now.” Juruo stepped forward and addressed the being. “We will do no such thing. We need to use the gate to get to Glamisry Castle, our need is urgent, all life could be dependent on our success. If you want us to leave, you will have to make us go. But we’ve come too far to be stopped now.” Unsmiling, the being clapped his hands together. From nowhere, a shockwave erupted through the temple, making the world vibrate. Mental pain seared through the group and the three spirits, sight blinded, a sharp noise ringing in their ears. As suddenly as the attack started, it ceased, leaving everyone panting for breath. “Foolish mortals. You cannot comprehend the power bestowed upon me, the almighty Seishin, as the protector of this holy place. This is a sanctuary for duel spirits, who have been banished from this world by pathetic humans like you. You who have scuttled across the world like insects chasing after the power of the sacred beasts, seeking them for your own gain.” Sabin staggered forward, leaning on Juruo’s shoulder. “Now look here, you jerk. We’re the good guys, we were trying to protect the sacred beasts. Sure we screwed it up real bad, but we’ll make up for it, and we need through there to do so. Or else someone’s going to use the sacred beast cards to blow us all up. If you’re so all powerful, you should be able to grasp that we’re all stuffed if that happens, humans and duel spirits alike.” “You think I will be taken in by your lies. This is your final warning.” The being, Seishin, raised his open palms, and two balls of flaming energy began to form in them. Juruo had one last desperate card. “Wait, we have to do this, we have been given a mission to defeat the darkness. Me and Sabin were told to do this, by the messenger of the fates, Inpachi.” He had hoped that Seishin would know Inpachi, but he didn’t seem to want to listen. The balls of energy grew as he unleashed them towards the pair. Sabin closed his eyes, waiting for the worst. There was a cry. It was an odd cry. When he looked again, he could see the Attack Gainer, and Juruo’s Decoy Dragon, laid out in front of them, panting heavily, as they began to change into balls of similar energy. With a flash, the two balls rose and flew into opposite walls, into their own stone representation of their cards. Now Seishin blinked, opening and shutting his two normal eyes and extra eye in tandem. “I don’t understand. Why would those spirits protect you?” “Because they’re fighting with us. We’re all fighting together, to save both worlds.” It wasn’t Juruo who said that. It wasn’t Sabin either. Bewildered, the pair turned, to see Melanc stepping forward from the others, fists clenched and eyes focused on Seishin. He marched past them, and right up to the spirit, staring up into the face of the mighty creature that was twice his size. “Now look buster, my name is Melanc Kazoku, and I dunno what your problem is, but unless you’re going to let us get to the real bad guys, the worlds going to end, and it’ll be just as much your fault as it is theirs. We might look pathetic humans to you, but together with our duel monsters we’re strong, and any one of us could whip your butt in a duel.” Seishin raised an eyebrow. “That’s pretty big talk from such a small child. You amuse me with your delirious ravings. I have not lost a duel in 500 years. You expect you can beat me at my own game, when I am one with my spirits, a master of a million strategies?” “Mel, what are you doing, let us handle it.” Sabin shouted. Juruo placed a hand on his shoulder, as Erin approached alongside him. The couple exchanged glances, silently agreeing. “No Sabin. I’m tired of being deadweight. I’m tired of holding you all back. But now it’s my turn to do something for the Resistance. I’m going to beat this guy and force our way through to Demon’s hideout. You listening to me punk? I win, we go through.” There was a long pause as Mel continued to stare up at Seishin, and he stared back, considering it. Eventually, frowning as if insulted, he nodded. The others retreated back a way to the temple entrance as the two competitors turned and paced from each other, like cowboys at dawn. After ten paces, Mel spun round, flicking the mechanics of his duel shield into activation and snatching out his opening hand. At the same time, Seishin turned, and with an effortless grace cast out an arm high above his head. Around it swarmed a glowing light, which formed a traditional gold duel disk around his arm. No shield attachment, just the blade and the hub of old. “You have no idea what you’re in for, child.” Seishin drew his hand, and the duel began. “Let’s duel.” “I’ve got the green light to go first” Mel drew his sixth card in an exuberant fashion, smiling as he did so. “And I’m activating this card right away, the spell card Toon World. I have to pay 1000 life points to activate it, but with it in play, I can cause all sorts of mayhem.” Seishin stared unmoved and unblinking at the spiky haired boy as his spell activated (LP: 3000). An oversized comic book materialised, opening to the centre to reveal a toon town within its pages. “Next, I’m going to summon Toon Masked Sorcerer in attack mode.” The book spun through its pages, and opened to release a wizard in purple robes and sporting a sly grin on his blue mask, jumping out from inside the comic (ATK: 900). “I’ll place two cards face down and end my turn.” “Then I may begin mine” Seishin said, his voice echoing around the temple. “I’ll start by summoning the spirit monster Asura in attack mode.” There was a flash of light, coming from one of the stones on the wall to the parties left, as a ball of energy hurtled to the field. From it came grey skinned being of similar strangeness to Seishin, a being with six arms and wearing flowing robes (ATK: 1700). “I see from the look of surprise on your face that you have never encountered a creature such as Asura before. He is a spirit monster, with a powerful effect, able to strike all monsters you control in the same turn. This power comes at a price, in that he has to return to my hand at the end of the turn. Now Asura, attack Toon Masked Sorcerer.” “I activate the Toon Defence trap card. Now with this in play, I can change an attack on my toon monsters into a direct attack instead.” Mel raised his shield as Masked Sorcerer slipped away from the onrushing Asura, as he struck Mel directly instead, making him yell in pain (LP: 1300). “So you have sacrificed your own life points to save your monster? Interesting. I end my turn with a face down, and with that, Asura returns to my hand.” The six handed being retook to its energy form, and returned to its stone tablet on the wall, as Seishin placed the card back in his hand. [spoiler=Summary - End Turn 2]Mel - Front Row: Toon M. Sorcerer. Back Row: Toon World, Toon Defence, face down. Hand: 2 LP: 1300Seishin - Front Row: -. Back Row: Face down. Hand: 5. LP: 4000 “Erin, he has a face down. What should I do?” Usually, there would be no doubt in a duelists mind to attack directly given the chance, regardless of any face down cards the opponent has. Clearly the odd tactics of his opponent were unsettling the young duelist as he turned to his sister for help, maybe the stakes were beginning to play on his mind, he couldn’t afford to walk into a trap he could avoid. Erin nodded to her brother, smiling reassuringly. “Just trust your instincts Mel, and take all the time you can.” Beside her, Juruo nodded his agreement. “Right. Then I draw, and I’m going to have my monster attack you directly. Go Toon Sorcerer.” The comical wizard released a magical shot at Seishin, who did not activate his face down, simply standing solemnly as the attack struck, as if it was nothing more than a gentle breeze (LP: 3100). Mel celebrated his first successful attack. “Alright it worked. Now when you take damage from my Masked Sorcerer, his ability activates, and gives me an extra card. But now I’m going to release him to summon Toon Dark Magician Girl.” The cartoon version of a cute blonde sorceress appeared from the comic book, blushing and flitting adorably (ATK: 2000) “Back to me then. Once again I summon Asura to my field.” Seishin placed his card, and once again the six handed warrior returned, this time outmatched by his opponent. “Next I activate the magic card, Creature Swap. This forces our two monsters to change sides.” Mel jumped in surprise as suddenly he was in control of Asura, and was being faced by his magician girl. And if Seishin activated its effect... “I use Toon Dark Magician Girl’s effect. Now I can attack you directly, and eliminate your life points.” “From my hand, I discard my Swift Scarecrow card, negating your attack and ending the battle phase." Seishin nodded. Juruo thought he must be seeing things, but he swore he seen a brief smile flick across the beings face. “I was wrong to underestimate you. I can see how well that card would combine with your Toon Defence. So the duel continues, and I activate my face down card Legacy of Yata. Ordinarily this lets me draw one card, but as you have a spirit monster on your field, I draw two instead. I place another card face down, and end my turn. Thus Asura takes his leave of you, and returns to my hand.” [spoiler=Summary - End Turn 4]Mel - Front Row: -. Back Row: Toon World, Toon Defence, face down. Hand: 2 LP: 1300Seishin - Front Row: Toon D.M. Girl. Back Row: Face down. Hand: 6. LP: 3100 “It’s my move.” Mel tried to strengthen his resolve as he drew his card. He was desperate to prove himself in this match, and to do that he had to win, or else the group would be stuck here and they wouldn’t be able to stop Demon. The pressure was starting to get to him, especially with this hand. But he had made the challenge, and he wouldn’t back down. “I’ll just summon Toon Mermaid in defence for now.” From the spinning comic book sprang forth a giant cartoon clam, shielding the mermaid inside. (DEF: 1500) “If that is all the defence you can muster, then I shall simply have to attack you directly. Go forth and end this Toon Dark Magician Girl.” Mel smiled at Seishin’s mistake. “Not this turn. You may want to read the small print on my cards while you’re using them. You see, when we both control a toon monster, they have to do battle with each other. So Toon Mermaid protects me.” The magical attack diverted in midair towards the giant clam, destroying it. “Very well. I shall end my turn there. And because I have seven cards in my hand now, I have to discard one of them to the graveyard.” Seishin cast one of his cards into the graveyard slot. [spoiler=Summary - End Turn 6]Mel - Front Row: -. Back Row: Toon World, Toon Defence, face down. Hand: 2 LP: 1300Seishin - Front Row: Toon D.M. Girl. Back Row: Face down. Hand: 6. LP: 3100 “Here goes... summit-or-other!” Mel looking increasingly desperate and edgy, drawing quite theatrically in hope that it would change the top card of his deck. He glanced at his card, and breathed a visible sigh of relief. “Finally got what I needed. But to summon it I need to use another card in my hand. Go Soul Exchange! Now this turn I can choose one monster you control, and use it as tribute as if it was my own. In return, I can’t conduct my Battle Phase this turn. But that’s no issue because the monster I’m summoning can’t attack this turn anyway. I release Toon Dark Magician Girl to summon Toon Summoned Skull.” The monster Seishin had taken over disappeared in sacrifice to allow the emergence of a more powerful fiend, a skeletal demon with horns and claws and wings, but comically stretched and rounded by the effect of Toon World. It leered hungrily at its waiting prey, and Seishin stared back, still unmoved and unblinking. (ATK: 2500) “A powerful attack for a monster of that level. But like all monsters it has its weakness. And the weakness of your monsters is very obvious. Their complete dependence on the Toon World spell. From my hand I activate Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying Toon World, and taking your monster with it. “I activate my face down card Emergency Provisions. By giving up Toon World and Toon Defence, I gain 2000 life points. But the best news is, since Toon World was just removed from the field instead of destroyed, my skull stays around.” In an instant, the book flipped shut and disappeared. Mel jumped for joy as the destructive spell missed its target, and his life points increased. (LP: 3300) Seishin however, looked confidently smug. “So I’ll just get you with my back up plan. To start with, I remove Gundari from my graveyard to special summon Flame Spirit Ifrit.” Another stone tablet on the opposite wall flared up, and from the released energy came a large flaming demon (ATK: 1700). “Now I release Ifrit to summon Evil Spirit of Dust.” From another tablet came forth a shuffling zombie, with long grey hair swaying in front of its dead face. Its skin was covered in strange patterns, and was punctured by several spikes (ATK: 2200). A scream emerged from the zombies mouth, sending shockwaves through the temple. To Mel’s alarm, his Summoned Skull sank, destroyed. “No way! What happened?” “The effect of Evil Spirit of Dust destroys all other monsters on the field when it is summoned. Which leaves its path clear.” The zombie slashed at Mel’s duel shield, claws clanging against his shield (LP: 1100). “It gets worse for you. I equip my spirit with the Mirror of Yata spell card. Now its effect that returns it to my hand at the end of the turn does not activate. It’s your turn. My five hundred year winning streak will continue as expected. You have duelled well little child, but simply not well enough. With only one card in hand and Toon World no longer in play, you are on your knees. You asked for this challenge, and you have failed. All your hope is gone. You have let your friends, and the worlds down.” [spoiler=Summary - End Turn 8]Mel - Front Row: -. Back Row: -. Hand: 1 LP: 1100Seishin - Front Row: Evil Spirit of Dust. Back Row: Mirror of Yata, face down. Hand: 3. LP: 3100 ‘He’s right, without Toon World and only Kaiser Sea Horse in hand, I’m stuck. No, this can’t be the end. Not here. Not after my sister has given everything for me. Not after everything Juruo has done for me. And Hikari, and Barakus, Luca and Tyrana, even Sabin. The Resistance, Vardus, Aerial, Nataka and Chetema, mother and father. It is not ending here.’ Raising his head with his eyes closed, Mel placed a hand on his deck, and drew for a card to save him. “I draw, and straight away I activate Pot of Avarice. By returning the five monsters in my graveyard to my deck, I can draw two cards. Here goes.” Mel snatched out two more cards, Toon Kingdom and... finally! “Alright. I activate the spell Toon Kingdom. This sub for Toon World requires me to remove from play the top five cards of my deck to activate, but it is well worth it for the upgrade.” Another comic book appeared, but this one housed not a town, but a castle. Seishin looked quizzical at his opponents reborn will. “Next I summon Kaiser Sea Horse. Not that you need to worry about him, cuz he isn’t sticking around. My sea horse has a special effect. When I summon a light monster, I can use Kaiser Sea Horse as two tributes. So I release Sea Horse to special summon the all powerful Blue Eyes Toon Dragon.” Juruo couldn’t help but grip Erin’s hand a little tighter as the comic version of his father’s signature card rose from the Toon Kingdom spell book. It’s size reaching to near the ceiling, the almighty pale creature with rounded claws and huge blue eyes spread its wings, and unleashed a prehistoric roar (ATK: 3000). “Nice one Mel, you can do it.” Hikari shouted. Mel smiled, giving the group the thumbs up. “If I might interject this premature celebration” Seishin interrupted as he drew. “I wouldn’t get too attached to that dragon. Blue Eyes Toon Dragon cannot attack the turn it is summoned, and since you have no cards left to play, it is now my turn. I’m summoning Otohime. When she is summoned, the position of one monster on the field is changed.” A female spirit with flowing hair and robes burst from the light, as Blue Eyes switched to defence (DEF: 2500). “Then I activate the spell card Next World, which allows me to special summon one spirit monster from my hand, as long as its level is equivalent to your monsters. So the god of hell fire, Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, I release you from your unearthly shackles and summon you to my side.” From a stone tablet exactly above centre of the round gate burst forth a fireball, exploding onto the field, and from it arose a dark skinned warrior with flame red hair (ATK: 2800). “Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, attack his dragon.” The spirit obeyed, releasing another fireball from its palm. “I activate the effect of Toon Kingdom. By removing the top card of my deck from play once a turn, a Toon monster survives battle with a stronger monster.” The dragon roared as flames licked its body, bellowing in fury. Seishin glowered in frustration. “You are very stubborn child. I end my turn, and Otohime and Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi return to my hand.” [spoiler=Summary - End Turn 10]Mel - Front Row: Blue Eyes Toon Dragon. Back Row: Toon Kingdom. Hand: - LP: 1100Seishin - Front Row: Evil Spirit of Dust. Back Row: Mirror of Yata, face down. Hand: 3 LP: 3100 “Here we go.” Mel drew; it was time to win this. “I switch Blue Eyes back into attack mode. Then I activate the spell card, Comic Hand.” A giant cartoon glove burst from the spell book and, to Seishin’s surprise, grabbed hold of the Evil Spirit of Dust. “This card seizes control of one monster, and converts it into a toon for me to control. Now attack directly, Toon Dust Spirit.” The converted monster obeyed, slashing its former, unmoved master (LP: 900) “I activate my face down card, The Golden Apple. When I take a direct attack, I regain all the life points I just lost (LP: 3100). In addition, I summon a Malus Token to my field, which gains attack and defence points equal to the life points gained by this cards effect (ATK/DEF: 2200).” “Alright, but now for the big shot. I pay 500 life points to have Toon Blue Eyes to attack you directly.” A stream of blue thunder erupted from the dragon’s maw, blasting the spirit. Even Seishin could not help but raise a hand and buckle under this attack (LP: 100). Unscathed he stood, expression unfathomable. “My. Turn. I activate the spell card Trade In. By discarding the level eight Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi from my hand, I can draw two more cards.” Seishin drew, everyone tensed as he did so. Hikari clutched tightly to Rinyan, Barakus was pulling at his grizzly hair, Sabin shuffled slightly, Juruo and Erin held hands tighter. “I summon Asura for the third and final time. Then by removing from play the discarded spirit from my graveyard, I special summon beside him Yamato-no-Kami.” A black haired warrior with bulging muscles stood beside the many handed fairy, six spikes producing from its back (ATK: 2200). “Next I activate my final card, Tailor of the Fickle to switch the target of one equip spell on the field to another. So I move Mirror of Yata from Evil Spirit of Dust to Yamato-no-Kami. “So you want to keep Yamato out past this turn?” Mel asked. “No, not that is not my intention, Melanc Kazoku. It is because Mirror of Yata has a second effect, one that has not bore relevance to this duel as of yet. You see, when a monster equipped with Mirror of Yata would be destroyed by battle, the mirror shatters, and the monster survives. But now, I can destroy your vulnerable Dust Spirit with my Malus Token.” “Ha, you want to destroy my monster, yet you forget the effect of Toon Kingdom. My removing the top card of my deck, Toon Dust Spirit survives the battle, and only your token is destroyed.” Great, I stopped him doing what he wanted. So why is he smiling? And why is Erin looking so worried? Indeed, Seishin was smiling, the confident smile of someone who was somehow sure of maintaining their streak. He threw his arm out in front of him, fist clenched in triumph. “Forgotten about your spell? No no no, I hadn’t forgotten, I was counting on it. You should have let Evil Spirit of Dust be destroyed by Malus token, but because you saved it, you have just lost this duel.” “What?!” “You can only activate the effect of Toon Kingdom once per turn. Now, Evil Spirit of Dust will be destroyed by Yamato-no-Kami instead, just as I had hoped.” The wicked warrior slugged the zombie with an incredible punch, destroying it, but surviving itself due to Mirror of Yata’s effect. “Now the effect of Yamato-no-Kami. When he destroys a monster in battle, one spell or trap card you control is destroyed as well. Your kingdom crumbles, and with it your Blue Eyes Toon Dragon.” There was a crash of thunder as a lightning bolt struck the comic book, blowing it to scraps of paper. Mel looked on as the others did, horror-struck as there was a terrible shriek above him, watching as his almighty white dragon died without its power source. “No, Blue Eyes!!!” Mel reached out to his dragon as it sank to the stone floor. A giant clear tear drop fell from its shining blue eye as it faded away. The words ‘Be strong, little one’ flashed across his brain, as its spirit spoke to him. Blue Eyes was right, there was one last thing left. Mel turned to his opponent, and the waiting Asura, steadying himself for the inevitable. It hurt, but it only did a little, as he fell to the floor (LP: 0) [spoiler=Yeah Yeah, Card Change]Had to change Toon Kingdom for the once per turn. Which stops it being heavily broken anyway. BTW: Seishin does refer to all his monsters by their original OCG names, but not his spells/traps. This is to prevent confusion with cards that have already been played (ie. MST becoming Cyclone) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexadin Posted April 13, 2011 Report Share Posted April 13, 2011 Meh, I gues losing to an almighty spirit isn't all that bad. But I really enjoyed the Spirit vs Toon duel. It was a blast from the past. Good job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aesirson Posted April 13, 2011 Report Share Posted April 13, 2011 I started reading, and I must say I REALLY like that you have this story set in a fantasy setting while actually succeeding to do so. (I had an RP with a similar concept two years ago, but no one joined) I'll keep on reading, and I hope you keep up the good work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut - Envoy of the End Posted April 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2011 Meh, I gues losing to an almighty spirit isn't all that bad. But I really enjoyed the Spirit vs Toon duel. It was a blast from the past. Good job. [spoiler=Response in spoiler due to Aesirson's being behind]When I originally planned out this arc a month ago, Mel was going to win. Then I came to writing it and I thought 'some kid beats an unearthly being who hasn't lost in 500 years, really?' Then writing the duel Seishin just kind of unintentionally got to low LP, didn't specially aim for that, so I thought a desperate holding onto streak ending would be pretty cool. The whole BEWD link between Mel and Juruo's dad was an unintended but happy coincecidence. I started reading, and I must say I REALLY like that you have this story set in a fantasy setting while actually succeeding to do so. (I had an RP with a similar concept two years ago, but no one joined) I'll keep on reading, and I hope you keep up the good work! Yaaaaaah, new reader. Glad you enjoyed it, I have had a few comments about taking too long to get the card games started, but the situation kinda dictated the delay and setting the scene I felt was more important than random throw downs at the time. The first few chapters are short so you should rattle through up, hope you continue to enjoy. I WILL read your story tomorrow, got work in an hour, then day off tomorrow to catch up. Also, I've started duel writing for Arc Three... which is proving tricky, but I think may be worth it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut - Envoy of the End Posted April 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 This is it, the double chapter release that signals the end of the second arc. Get a hot beverage, because these are the longest two chapters I've written. Hope you enjoy... [spoiler=Chapter 29]Chapter 29 - Facing your Demons Mel groaned as he got back to his feet, under his sisters support. Seishin was standing directly over him, his duel disk had disappeared, as had all the monsters that had been on the field at the end of the duel. The spiritual beings face was pretty hard to decipher any thoughts from. Quavering under his stern gaze, Mel hung his head, unable to look back at the rest of the group, sure they were furious with him. “I’m sorry guys; I should have let one of you handle it. Now I’ve screwed us all up.” “Mel, I’m surprised at you.” Erin dropped to one knee so that she could look at her brother full in the face. “Don’t beat yourself up. I think you fought magnificently; you just made one mistake at the end.” “But... now we can’t stop Demon... because of me. Demon’s going to kill us all and we can’t stop him and it’s all my fault.” Inconsolable at the consequences of his loss, Mel buried his face in Erin’s shoulder. “Now look here you.” Growling, Sabin marched over from the watching group and grabbed the sobbing Mel by the scruff of his shirt. “Quit crying. So you lost. Big deal. You came damn well close, I didn’t expect you to last three turns, let alone get him down to his last hundred life points. Besides you’re the most bloody minded optimist I’ve ever come across, if you think we’re all doomed then who else is going to pep us all up huh?” Shocked at his outburst, Mel choked back his tears. However disguised it had been, Sabin had actually just said a lot of encouraging things about him, he guessed this was as close to nice as he was going to get out of the renegade. He smiled weakly. “I’m sorry Sabin. I’m just scared I guess.” Sabin nodded. “We’re all scared mate. But you’ve fought despite it, that’s all that can be asked.” Sabin let go off Mel and turned to Seishin. “Right, me next.” The spirits white eyes were closed, the third dark eye starring into an empty distance. There was a long pause as the spirit immersed in deep thought. “That won’t be necessary” Seishin said solemnly. “Got the frights about losing your streak? I’m duelling you for passage right now. You’re going to have to go through as many of us as it takes to stop us.” “You misunderstand.” Sabin blinked as the spirit turned his back on him and raised a hand towards the great stone circle at the back of the temple. Slowly, a current of swirling red mist gathered in the gap, the odd flash of lightning streaking across the vortex. Erin stared at the portal, clutching her brother. “But why?” “I can sense energy is moving strangely around the destination you named, fluctuating in ways it should not, disappearing into some unknown, as if it was being absorbed. I can hear the screams of the tortured Raviel, echoing across the void. If Hamon and Uria are to meet him in the same state, I shudder to think of the consequences. Their power could render imbalance in this world and the duel spirit world. You probably are unaware, but the two worlds exist in such delicate equilibrium, joined by a fine thread, if you will. If the thread breaks, then chaos will ensue. Balance is what keeps existence in check, like light and darkness, one cannot exist without the other. Little child, you have closer than anyone else to defeating me. On another day, I may have missed my draw, and you would have beaten me. Not only that, but your heart and resolve you showed during our match proved that if anyone can maintain balance, then you might succeed. This portal will drop you near the entrance of Glamisery Castle. I hope for all of us you and your allies succeed.” It took a few seconds for everything Seishin had said to sink in to the group. Whether any of it was understood properly by Mel, the spirit couldn’t guess, but the boy who had been so filled with despair mere minutes ago had now broke into a broad grin, and punched the air with delight. “Awesome. I’m sorry I called you a punk and stuff, that duel was great, and you’re actually pretty cool. Now let’s go and kick that skull faced weirdo all over his castle.” Mel sprinted towards the portal, screeching to a halt and waiting impatiently for the others. Juruo laughed at him, Hikari shook her head as she smiled. “That’s the Mel we know” she said. “Thank you Seishin.” The great being acknowledged her as she walked over to join Mel. Sabin and Erin nodded their gratitude, and followed. Juruo walked up to Seishin, and looking up at his stony faced glare. “I didn’t realise what exactly would happen if the three sacred beasts were joined, I just knew they had to be kept away from Demon. You say that one of them is in pain?” Seishin nodded, making Juruo shiver inside. What power could make three of the most powerful duel monsters feel pain? “Alright Seishin, we’ll do what we can to keep the balance in check. Thanks again.” With that he joined the others at the vortex, before turning to look at the stationery Barakus. “Aren’t you coming Barakus?” he asked. Their giant companion shook his head, looking grave. “There is nothing more I can do to help you now. I don’t want to see Dravir this far descended into insanity. I will go home now, and be with my family. I will pray for your success.” Juruo nodded, he could respect that he wanted to see his wife and daughter again. The group exchanged goodbyes to the ironsmith and the spirit, before one by one (Mel first) they walked through the stone circle and in to the shrouding mist. It was a peculiar feeling, as the thick red fog engulfed them. Juruo continued walking forward, expecting to hit the stone wall behind the gate at any second. After a minute the fog faded, and blinking in the light, he and the others stepped into clear air and sunlight. ... “Demon” a voice in the darkness enquired. “What is it father?” Demon asked. “The Resistance are on their way here, traversing by the Spirit Gate.” The voice sounded full of disbelief and oddly fearful. “The Spirit Gate?” Demon sat himself on his own, personal chair, a high backed seat made from bones and embellished with spikes. Casually he rested his chin on his thin, interlocked fingers. “Well now, isn’t that interesting?” “They must not be allowed to interfere. All our hopes of reaching our destination, where we can be free from our eternal torment, and ascend to the position of gods, depend on activating the device. If they destroy it...” “Stop worrying father, the Resistance are clueless. Blinded by fear and fairytales. They couldn’t make heads or tails of my creation. Besides, as it is now, the machine is useless, as is the gate. But since we will shortly have guests, I could use them. In fact, this could save us a great deal of trouble. It could, what is the phrase... kill two birds with one stone?” Demon broke into a fit of insane chuckling. “Well at least you can find some amusement in this. The Resistance are a gravely serious threat; maybe you will see that sooner than you think. Stop playing games and dispose of them Demon. I will be waiting in my hall... and I will be watching...” The owner of the voice left the room, Demon scowling at him with much annoyance. He supposed he couldn’t blame his father, he had guided him so much up to this point and was as desperate for their success as he was, maybe more so. He guessed that he had a legitimate concern, especially about something as precarious, as delicate as this. Demon knew he was conceited, it was one of his better qualities, and it is fine to be conceited when you are following a destiny, no-one can stop destiny. Shrugging, he pulled up his cloak’s sleeve, removing his deck from the shield, and started flicking through it. ... The group were standing in a slight valley in a mountain range, different from the one they had traversed when leaving Sennen’Yama, these mountains were clearly very high up, as the air was chilled and the peaks were snow capped. Hikari shivered as the group looked around. Slightly above them, built into the rock, was a black castle. Very irregular in design, two towers stuck out of the rock to overlook the scene of battles past, the top wall being an ideal place for archers to rain down arrows upon their enemy, as were the thin windows. The path that the group were stood on looked like it lead up to some sort of entrance way, they couldn’t see a door from here. The group exchanged fretful glances, expecting the worst. “Did we get here in time?” Hikari asked. “No idea” Juruo said. There was no way to tell if they or Demon’s allies had arrived here first. “Let’s assume the worst and hurry up.” He was about to set off when Erin grabbed him around the shoulder. “And how do you propose we get into this fortress?” “We haven’t got the time to waste sneaking in if they are up there. We’ll just have to kick their front door in instead.” Throwing off her hold, Juruo stared up the long and winding path towards the castle. Sabin shrugged, well they had to do something and quickly, before bolting on after Juruo. The others set off close behind. Fifteen minutes later, the group were leaning panting against the great front doors of the castle. As part of their resistance training, or in Sabin’s case his own forest regime, they had all become physically very fit, but after using duel runners to get around for the most part the last few days, they had all lost an edge to their stamina. Doubled over and gasping heavily against the door, Sabin wheezed something like ‘bloody fine heroes entrance this is’. Soldiering on, Juruo pushed against the front door. Unsurprisingly, it did not yield. Juruo swore, and hit it in frustration, earning some bloodied knuckles for his trouble. “What now?” Mel asked. Sucking his bloody hand in irritation, Juruo activated his duel shield, pulling the card of ‘Simorgh, Bird of Divinity out of his deck. “Sod this, I’m not coming so close to be stopped by a wooden door.” He made to push Simorgh into its slot, to summon a monster to blow down the door, until Sabin grabbed his hand. “You know that is not going to work. You remember the palace in Sen’nenki; I was summoning machines to bluff the guards off. It was dynamite that got me through the walls. Duel monsters attacks only usually have a mental effect on people, not a physical one on the world around them, however much it looks otherwise. There has to be another way in.” Sabin was speaking the truth, he knew that, but there had to be something. Juruo looked around the castle, surely there had to be some way to come in from the... wait a minute. Juruo looked back at his duel shield, his monsters may not have an effect on the world around them, but they still had an effect on him. He remembered all the times he had held Decoy Dragon, and a crazy idea started to form in his head. Flicking back through his deck, he picked out what he wanted. “Dragunity Phalanx, come forth.” The bronze armoured dragon pulled itself through the resultant portal, settling itself beside its duelist, shaking in the crisp air and stretching its wings. Despite some of their low levels and battle power, the Dragunity dragons were all still quite big in comparison to a person. Juruo walked up to the dragon and put his hand on its neck, its warmth surging through his body. He turned to the others. “I think I can get us all in, as long as you’re not scared of heights.” Erin shook her head. “It will take too long. You go. Only one of us can face Demon in combat, and it seems it is your fate to do so. We’ll find another way in and join you when we can.” “Yeah, you go and show him Juruo” Mel added brightly, awestruck as he cottoned on to what was about to happen. Juruo looked to Sabin and Hikari for their thoughts. Sabin shrugged and muttered something about ‘that he had better not mess up’, Hikari just smiled at him, agreeing with the others. Decision made, Juruo reached up to Phalanx, putting a hand on one of the long spikes that extended over its back, a bit like a handlebar. Nervously placing a foot on its hind leg, he clambered up onto the dragon, sitting in a built in groove in the plate in the small of the dragons back, specifically incorporated into the armours design for the Dragunity riders. Erin walked up to him, slightly wary of the powerful beast, motioning for Juruo to duck down. Juruo did so, and she kissed him. Nobody noticed as Hikari distracted herself for the moment. Erin didn’t break until the dragon growled, a deep rumble coursing through its body. She stepped away, letting Juruo go. He reset himself in his seat, grinning, he had always wanted to try this. With a beat of wings, the dragon roared, and took flight. Turbo duelling may have been a thrilling experience but this... this was something else. Juruo was filled with a rush of joy as in an instant Phalanx gained height and speed, the cold wind blowing in his face. Gripping hard so that he wouldn’t fall, Juruo yelled out as Phalanx swerved left at an insane angle. Once upright again, Juruo surveyed the castle, spotting a balcony with an open archway. He pointed it out to Phalanx, not with words, just thinking about it was enough, such was the connection between duelist and duel monster. The dragon roared once more, and dived for the balcony. It was large enough for them to swoop through, as Phalanx turned its wings to brake just as they passed through the arch. The ceiling inside here was quite low, forcing the dragon to ground itself. Juruo dismounted, patting Phalanx on the neck in thanks. It cried its appreciation and faded away, leaving Juruo to explore this place. The room they had entered was large but quite empty, lit only by blood red candles that cast an ominous glow and contorted shadows from their fittings, skulls fixed onto the stone walls. At the back of the room was a door, it seemed to be the only exit. Not wanting to waste any more time here, Juruo returned Phalanx to his deck, but keeping his shield active, he ran towards it and through. On the other side was a long corridor, stretching out both left and right beyond vision. There was only one difference between the two paths, the candle fittings to the right were lit, the left path was in complete darkness. ‘So you want to play like that. Alright, I’ll follow the trail.’ Juruo followed the winding corridors as the lit candles directed. The light allowed him to see some of the graphics carved into the walls, depicting visions of past wars between humans that had taken place here. Some of the images depicted duel monsters, be they beasts, dragons, reptiles, spellcasters or any other kind of monster that could be used for battle. Travelling deeper and deeper into the castles heart, down several flights of stairs, Juruo finally reached a set of doors that were slightly ajar. This had to be his destination. This room was domed in shape, lit by same red glowing candles as the rest of the place. Against one wall were what looked like a work bench and lot of computer equipment, along with other technical bits and pieces. Along the other wall was some basic living accommodation that had been dragged here, such as a small bed and bureau with various strange artefacts lying on it, and a bookcase heaving with the weight of ancient looking texts. At the back of the room were some stone steps, ascending to an open passage to another room. And of course, sitting in the middle of the room, on a high backed chair made with what looked like bones, very spiky ones at that, was Demon. He was lounging on his dark throne, as if bored of waiting for something. His hood was up, hiding his skull like features, apart from his mouth. Demon stretched nonchalantly, sighing. “Finally. I was starting to think you had given up Juruo, and that you’d be missing out on all the fun.” Demon grinned as he stood up, Juruo blinked as his chair shot backwards towards the wall the moment he did so. “Sorry, that was actually very rude of me, knowing you when not having introduced myself formally. I am Demon, and this is my chamber, as well as my workshop, my office and whatever the hell else I can think to do with it. It’s a bit drafty, but it’s a home. Can I offer you a drink?” Taken aback by this incredibly hospitable question, Juruo had to think for several seconds. Demon must have taken the lack of response as a no, he shrugged and wandered over to a cabinet, selecting and pouring himself some kind of drink, not paying the boy standing before him in travel and battle worn jacket and trousers the slightest bit of attention. He downed his beverage in one, and pulled a face. Despite half of his face being hidden, it was apparent he had not enjoyed whatever it was. “Why does everything that passes my lips taste so disgusting?” he asked rhetorically. “Anyway, since you don’t seem in the mood for civil niceties, I’ll do us both a favour and get to the point. You are here to stop me from bringing this world, and as I’m sure you are already aware the duel spirit world as well, to the time of Armageddon. Correct?” Juruo nodded. “When I first received my task, I thought I was just fighting to overthrow the Emperor who was making people and spirits suffer for his own lust of power, but it was suggested there were darker forces at work. You realise what Armageddon means don’t you? The end of the world, and all life that exists. I’ve been given a gift to stop that from happening, and...” “No no no, I think I should ask you that question actually.” Demon interrupted with a wave of a hand, his voice tinged with... irritation yet... amusement too? “Do you realise what Armageddon means?” Juruo blinked. “Yes, I just said.” “Oh, that was your idea of what Armageddon means. Did your mommy tell you that? I think you might actually be quite interested to find that what you have been led to believe is a common misconception. Armageddon may indeed be the end of this world... perhaps... but it does not have to be the end of our existence. It’s very hard to say anything for definite, but you should understand I have researched this thoroughly, so that my knowledge, and therefore my quest, is perfectly crafted.” Demon picked up a book from on top of the bookcase, and flicked through it. “This world is flawed, so much pain and suffering and anger and sorrow. But a new existence, in a new world, might not be so...” Demon’s voice trailed off slightly. Juruo was getting more and more confused by Demon’s ramblings. He decided to change the subject to something more direct. “Are Raesir and Gear back yet?” “What? Oh, no, not yet. Humph, they are taking so long; I can’t wait a second longer.” Demon snapped the book shut as his voice danced at an excited pitch. “I’m so close to achieving the goals of so many. The end of this wretched world, and the beginning of a perfect existence. Tell me Juruo. Wouldn’t you want to live in a world where you can only feel emotions of happiness and fulfilment? Where you can leave behind all the toil and squalor, and loss people have to endure? Armageddon is just a means to an end, and a new beginning. The ultimate end and the ultimate beginning. The complete and total destruction of all existence, and then in the wake of all the negative energy in this death, there is positive energy, and rebirth, into a world where pain is a concept that cannot exist.” Demon’s voice became feverish, as he raised his hands into a position resembling ascension. “You pathetic humans are too blind to see what is good for you. You have been told like a child that Armageddon is a disaster, which is false, and that I am a monster, and you just accept it because it you can’t see past appearances. But in reality I am a saviour. I am a saviour in wolf’s clothing. Yes, there will be chaos, there will be devastation. Existence shall be pushed past its limit, but for those who survive Armageddon, they will be rewarded with a perfect existence... Utopia.” Demon breathed the last word, it was barely audible. “Utopia?” Juruo asked. He had heard the expression before, but it seemed to contradict the Demon he had seen before, the one he thought was so bent on destruction and ruin. “Ok, are you saying that by forcing this world to end, a new world will come into being?” “More or less. The place we will refer to as Utopia is a perfect place that is already in existence, beyond our sight, and full of endless, positive energy. Perfection is of course in the eye of the beholder, but that’s the thing. With all the free flowing energy swirling around, everything is how each person wants, their own paradise, or heaven if you prefer. We cannot simply just ‘go there’ though. That reality is sealed off, locked away by boundaries that I intend to break. Now, to get positive energy, to bridge the gap between realities, you need an equally colossal amount of negative energy. And to enter one world, you must leave this one. So by creating a reaction that takes so much energy, such as say, the shattering of two worlds together, creating absolute chaos, then reality will be breached. And what provides more energy than duelling, as it flows between our parallel worlds. The spirit world will provide a huge boost in catapulting us to Utopia, while it burns with this world. As we die in the inferno of Armageddon, we will pass through the hole in reality, and be reborn into what you might call bliss. Of course, there are no guarantees, but with great ambition must come great sacrifice. But it’s worth the risk.” “It’s worth the risk!? Are you kidding? Sure the world isn’t perfect, but as long as we can share some special moments and feelings with people we care about it, it’s worth all the hardship. Can’t you see that? You’re going to end the lives of everyone, and destroy the duel spirit world, on the off chance we might arrive somewhere that might be better? No one in their right mind would try something like that.” “You stupid child.” Demon whipped round, he was really angry now. “I do wonder sometimes if people like you deserve Utopia. But then again, those who cannot accept it may well be unable to ever get there. Whereas those who embrace it, like me, and open the door shall be welcomed with open arms, and given power and feeling beyond their wildest desires. So what if some have to be slain to reach paradise? I have been destined for greatness, and no-one can stop me.” “I knew you were deluded, but not by that much.” Juruo activated his duel shield. “There had to be a power trip in there somewhere. The world and all the people in it are not for you to just throw away.” Demon mimicked Juruo’s actions, pulling up the sleeves of his robe and activating his skull blazed black shield. A grimace of anger crossed his face. “Fine, I shall have to educate through duelling. Maybe then you can open your eyes.” “Let’s duel!” “I’ve got the green light” Juruo drew his sixth card, activating it immediately. “I play Cards of Consonance. By discarding one dragon type tuner monster, I can draw two more cards. Next I summon Dragunity Dux, and use his effect to equip him with the Dragunity Phalanx I discarded.” The masked warrior emerged from his portal atop the bronze armoured dragon, even his white robe and gold armour looked ominous and dark in the red glow. “Next I separate my two monsters using Phalanx’s effect, then I tune them together to Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight - Gae Dearg.” A dragon with thick muscular blue skin roared as it came forth, covered in thick red armour over its neck and all the way down its back and tail. The dragons helmet was curved into a vicious pronged spike over its face, fitting around the mouth for another spike under the jaw, this duel blade could cut through a defence like a can-opener. From the dragons back, a black-feathered warrior brandished his lance (ATK: 2400). “Now I activate Gae Dearg’s effect, which lets me add any level four or lower dragon or winged beast monster to my hand, as long as I discard another.” Juruo showed Masked Dragon to his opponent, before discarding Shield Wing to the graveyard slot. “I end my turn with a face down.” A sick smirk appeared on Demon’s face from under the hood. “Quite an aggressive start, to go through so many cards so quickly. First of all, I activate The Dark Door spell card. As you have seen before, with the Dark Door in play, only one monster can declare an attack each turn. Next I’ll summon Senju of the Thousand Hands.” A many handed warrior who looked carved out of stone emerged, his body glowing with a strange radiance (DEF: 1000). “When Senju is summoned, I get to add one ritual monster to my hand.” Juruo scowled. “Demise, right?” Demon laughed softly, shrugging. “Maybe. Maybe not. You’ll just have to wait and see, but if you think I only have one monster capable to destroying you, you are in for some bitter disappointment, much like people are every day. I’ll end my turn with a face down as well.” [spoiler=Summary - End Turn 2]Juruo - Front Row: Gae Dearg. Back Row: Face down. Hand: 4 LP: 4000Demon - Front Row: Senju. Back Row: Dark Door, face down. Hand: 4 LP: 4000 “Bah.” Juruo drew his next card. Demon must have added to Demise to his hand. Therefore he would be wise to make sure he couldn’t play it, or at least do enough damage to his life points to stop him from activating its devastating effect. With the Dark Door in play, he’d only have one attack, so he’d have to make it count. “I activate Gae Dearg’s effect again, dropping Totem Dragon from my hand to add Dragunity Legionnaire to it. Then I’ll summon Legionnaire straight to the field. When Legionnaire is summoned, he takes Dragunity Phalanx in my graveyard and joins forces with it. But not for long as by sending Phalanx back to the graveyard, Senju is destroyed.” The winged strongman and his steed burst forth from the feathered whirlwind, the warrior leaping clear for the dragon to slam itself into the many handed creature. “Now Gae Dearg attacks you directly.” Juruo didn’t really expect this attack to work, but the lance of the Dragunity Knight met Demons chest without resistance. Demon staggered back a few paces, clutching at his chest and laughing (LP: 1600). Juruo ended his turn without another move. “The pain amuses me. I don’t even know why I grab my chest anymore, it is all in the mind after all. But I guess that will soon change as well, in the maelstrom of chaos. My turn, and I activate my face-down card, Ominous Fortunetelling. This interesting little trap activates once during each of my standby phases. It lets me select one card in your hand, and guess whether it’s a monster, a spell, or a trap. If my guess is correct, you take 700 points of damage.” Juruo nodded that he understood, but this card struck him as an odd inclusion to his opponent’s deck. So Demon had a one in three chance of inflicting moderate damage to him at the start of each of his turns, no big deal. Demon raised a hand. “You seem unafraid, how foolish. You honestly think I’m going to guess wrong, with all my power? I’m identifying the card to the furthest right as you see it, as a monster card.” A sudden pain flashed across Juruo’s mind, blinding him, then disappeared just as quickly (LP: 3300). “That proves nothing” he grumbled. “You already knew I’d added Masked Dragon to my hand last turn.” “You don’t believe in the powers of the darkness that guide me? Well, maybe next turn, if you survive that long. I activate my drawn spell card One for One. By discarding a monster from my hand, I can summon a level one monster from my deck.” Juruo expected Ritual Raven, but it didn’t arrive. Instead what Demon summoned was a small fiend, a pot-bellied imp with purplish skin, wearing armour and carrying a massive shield (DEF: 200). “Next I activate the ritual spell Contract with the Abyss, which lets me summon a dark ritual monster by releasing monsters of equal level. So by getting rid of Djinn Disserere of Rituals, I bring forth the accursed gatherer of souls, Relinquished. A horrible creature emerged from the darkness, a black shell of a body with thick claws, a single eye producing from a stalk on its chest (ATK: 0). “Now Relinquished’ effect activates, seizing control of one of your monsters and merging it with itself.” Juruo yelled as black tendrils shot out of the fiends body, tangling up his dragon. The dragon roared and fought desperately, trying in vain to break free. Slowly its strength gave out, and it was pulled into the monster, disappearing in a purple flash. From a ring in the monsters stomach, Gae Dearg’s face pushed out from under the skin in grotesque fashion. Demon smirked, taking pleasure in Juruo’s loss. “Now he has taken your monsters soul for his own, Relinquished gains its strength (ATK: 2400). Attack his Legionnaire.” The fiend raised a clawed hand, and unleashed a wave of black energy that flew across the room, towards Juruo. Desperately, he activated his face down. “I activate Windstorm of Etaqua, forcing your monster into defence.” Demon smirked again. “Not good enough. Relinquished has another effect, one that he gained through my sacrificed monster. When Djinn Disserere is used as part of a ritual summon, the summoned monster cannot be affected by any trap cards.” Juruo gasped in horror as the dark pulse continued unperturbed, cutting through his ally monster and himself, causing him to scream in pain (LP: 2100). “I think that will do for this turn. You think that was painful, you have experienced nothing. Nothing in comparison to me, and the curse I’ve been inflicted with my whole life. You want to know what it is you are fighting; you really want to know the full extent of my goal? Maybe if I showed you in more detail, you might appreciate what I am trying to accomplish. If you still can’t, then there is no hope for you. Follow me.” With that, Demon turned with a swish of his cloak, and ascended the stone steps behind him, through the open tunnel. ...well, we've come this far... [spoiler=Chapter 30]Chapter 30 - The Allure of Armageddon Shaking off the mental pain that had passed through him, Juruo followed Demon from his chamber and down a short tunnel, into a much larger room. More of a cave than a room, a natural domed structure in the heart of the mountain that the castle had incorporated into its design, there was a hole in the roof that opened out to the elements, admitting natural light that came down like a pillar in the centre of the cave. Demon chose to skirt around this light, to a stone table, an altar maybe, that was slightly behind it. On this stone sat a strange egg shaped device. Beyond that was the cave’s only other feature, a great stone archway, reaching high above them, covered in mystic symbols. Juruo stared up at the archway, there was something ominous about it. “It reminds you of the spirit gate, doesn’t it?” Demon asked without looking at Juruo. “That is how you arrived here. You may be surprised to learn that the gate you passed through is not the only gate that allows passage between human and spirit worlds. This archway is not entirely different to them in concept, but it only goes to one destination, one far, far different.” “I thought you said Utopia was a separate reality we couldn’t travel too.” “Correct, that’s why I didn’t say this archway takes you to Utopia, did I? It takes those who can activate its power... somewhere else. Somewhere else that I would much like to visit. Maybe I could indulge you during the rest of our duel. Now where were we? Oh yes, it is your turn.” Aggression filled Demon’s voice as he whipped round, ripping off his cloak with his free hand, revealing his face and body. Under the cloak, Demon was dressed in a long black coat that fitted tightly to his skeletal body. The coat had bulky shoulder pads, and was adorned with straps, spikes and small silver chains that rattled like death with every movement. It stretched down to his knees, just at the top of his heavy black boots. The look reminded Juruo of Jinzo, who Sabin had used. With a grin, Demon flicked up the collar of the coat, his smile contorted by his sunken cheek bones, and ghostly skin was enhanced by contrast to his dark attire and spiked up hair. His misty eyes looked less dead than they had before, Juruo wondered why. [spoiler=Summary - End Turn 4]Juruo - Front Row: -. Back Row: -. Hand: 4 LP: 2100Demon - Front Row: Relinquished. Back Row: Gae Dearg, Dark Door, Ominous F. Hand: 1 LP: 1600 “Alright, you asked for it.” Juruo stood firm as he drew his card, observing the field. He didn’t have anything on him right now that could take down that dreaded Relinquished, but at least with the Dark Door in play, he could use that to his advantage. “I’ll place one card face down, and end by summoning Masked Dragon in defence mode.” The red and grey dragon appeared beside him, crouching behind its wings (DEF: 1100). “Do you really expect you can survive with only that? It’s my turn, and the effect of Ominous Fortunetelling activates once again. Now there are three cards in your hand, I think I’ll choose the centre one, and identify it as another one of your pathetic Dragunity dragons.” Juruo blinked, not only had Demon correctly guessed it was a monster, he was right, he had selected Dragunity Brandistock. His surprise did not last long, as a fresh wave of pain flooded his brain, clouding his vision. This agonising sensation was even more intense than before. Eventually it disappeared, leaving Juruo panting slightly for breath (LP: 1400). Demon smirked, and continued the onslaught. “Next I’ll summon Djinn Cursechanter of Rituals in attack mode. Blast his dragon into extinction!” Another larger imp appeared, a pot bellied devil wearing a tatty hooded cloak and an amulet around its neck, carrying a skull tipped septer (ATK: 1700). With a wave of its staff, the devil cast a magical attack that cut through the dragon and destroyed it. “When Masked Dragon is destroyed by battle, I get to special summon Dragunity Aklys from my deck.” (DEF: 800). “It’s going to take more than that little lizard to stop me. How desperate the spirit world must have been when it called upon you to save them. I place one card face down, and with my hand empty, I end my turn. Just try to fight back, amuse me with your desperate struggle.” [spoiler=Summary - End Turn 6]Juruo - Front Row: Aklys. Back Row: Face down. Hand: 3 LP: 1400Demon - Front Row: Relinquished, Cursechanter. Back Row: Gae Dearg, Dark Door, Ominous F, face down. Hand: - LP: 1600 “Yeah well, I have a connection with this ‘lizard’, and every other duel spirit in my deck. They’ve helped me come back from many tough situations where I’ve looked on the brink of defeat. They will guide me so that I can stop you and your insane destruction.” “Oh that’s so sweet; you feel a connection with your monsters, which makes them so special to you. Believe what you want to, but you are only being used by the spirit world, to save their own necks. They don’t feel anything for you, you’re just a tool to prolong their pointless existence. Duel monsters are just weapons for battle, as was proved when they were used to fight in the war. They are responsible for so much suffering, why should you save them and stop our ascension to paradise?” “Because duel spirits aren’t responsible for that, and it wouldn’t be any kind of paradise without them. Duel spirits aren’t malevolent creatures; they are just forced to do evil things, by people like you. Our two worlds have coincided for longer than we know, we depend on each other.” Both duelists blinked at Juruo’s outburst. Juruo didn’t know where it had come from, but he felt what he had said was true. Demon grimaced. “What you said is true. The existence of our world does depend on the spirit world, and theirs does on ours. But it is this balance that holds us back and binds us to this miserable place. Thus I will shatter the bonds between the two worlds, creating our Armageddon. Now move already.” ‘With pleasure’ Juruo thought as he pulled out his card. He didn’t quite understand everything Demon was divulging to him, but something told him, something he couldn’t identify, told him he needed to be stopped. The whole thing just didn’t sit right with him, all this talk of Utopia and supreme happiness. “I release Dragunity Aklys to summon Dragunity Arms Mystletainn.” Aklys disappeared in a shower of green light, and from it erupted the new ace of the Dragunity. Covered almost completely in thick golden armour, the huge dragon spread two large leathery and two more feathered wings as it craned its neck and roared venomously at its adversary. Its long tail, ending in a spike, swished along the floor, as it extended an arm, carrying a wicked broadsword (ATK: 2100).Demon raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “That‘s your big move?” “No, my big move is activating Mystletainn’s special effect. When summoned from my hand, he equips himself with one Dragunity from my graveyard. So Aklys comes straight back. Now my dragons combine their powers and strike as one, to destroy Djinn Cursechanter.” With another blood curdling roar, the dragon swung its huge sword. “Fatal mistake. I activate the trap Hate Buster. When a fiend type monster is attacked, Hate Buster destroys it and the monster attacking it. Then you take damage equal to your monsters attack.” “I counter with the trap Hallowed Life Barrier which, by discarding one card, reduces all damage I can take from your card effect to zero.” Juruo was quite happy to throw away Brandistock, if Demon did have some power that was helping him activate Fortunetelling, at least he couldn’t call the same card twice. Ahead of him, both the Djinn and his mighty dragon disappeared in a explosion of dark light. “Now the effect of Dragunity Aklys activates. By destroying Mystletainn, Aklys is also sent to the graveyard, and that’s when he becomes most dangerous, letting him take one card with him. Namely, Relinquished.” The lithe red dragon’s spirit charged, coming back for one last attack, spearing and destroying the controlling demon with its spear tip. Demon ducked as his monster disappeared, his features becoming even stranger as he looked up. “I’ll place one card face down, then I’ll activate Super Rejuvenation to draw two cards, replacing Aklys and Brandistock. Your turn.” Demon snatched a card from his deck. “Ominous Fortunetelling activates again, and for the third time I’m calling monster card. Doesn’t matter which, both cards in your hand are monsters.” Juruo couldn’t help crying in surprise, as for the third time Demon guessed right; except now there was no doubt it wasn’t just guesswork. Then followed a third bout of incredible agony, pulsing from his mind and to every part of his body, causing him to buckle (LP: 700). “How are you doing that?” Juruo gasped, as the feeling passed. “There are powers I have obtained beyond your understanding” Demon merely stated. “I have always been academically clever anyway, and skilful with computers and technology too.” His white eyes flickered slightly towards the egg shaped device on the altar, perhaps indicating it was of his design. “I could do anything I wanted to set my mind too. But nothing gave me fulfilment or satisfaction. You see Juruo; my existence is cursed. All I have ever known is misery and hatred. Everything around me seems so disgusting and wretched. The simple country bumpkins feared my superior intellect and skills, and sought to condemn me for it. But not for much longer. I place one card face down and end my turn. [spoiler=Summary - End Turn 8]Juruo - Front Row: -. Back Row: Face down. Hand: 2 LP: 700Demon - Front Row: -. Back Row: Dark Door, Ominous F, face down. Hand: - LP: 1600 Juruo observed his hand. ‘Let’s see, using the effects of Dragunity Partisan and Militum in my hand, I could Synchro summon either one of the Dragunity Knights; Gae Bulg or Vajrayana. But that would leave me with one monster against his face down, which could be risky. Militum has enough attack to, if successful, defeat him without the need for a Synchro, and if he blocks the attack, I can use the other card currently in my hand to protect my monsters.’ Plan of action decided, Juruo moved. “I summon Dragunity Partisan, and with its effect, summon Dragunity Militum out alongside him. Then I use Militum’s effect to separate them.” The purple dragon and female warrior emerged and separated (ATK: 1200 and 1700 respectively). “Militum, attack Demon directly.” Demon didn’t miss a beat in countering. “I activate the trap card, Cursed Prison. This card summons one monster from my extra deck in defence, forcing it to protect me. I summon Stygian Sergeants.” A swirling violet portal opened up in front of Demon’s feet, allowing a dreadful cage to rise from it. Trapped inside was the twin headed dragon biker, screaming in agony, suffering from behind the bars of its prison (DEF: 1800). Juggling with sparse life points as it was, Juruo called off the charging Militum to avoid taking more damage. “You really don’t care about the hurt you put people or duel spirits through do you? Can’t you see how much pain your monster is in? You said you were behind the Empire for the whole war, and all the suffering afterwards, as an advisor was it? So was that all Nero, or you? Demon looked at Juruo as if he was crazy. “No, I don’t care. It was my influence over Nero that started the war, so that I could come closer to the card held by that nation. The loss and the hatred only further proved my view of this existence. As for my deck, the monsters I use are the tools of my destructive machine, and in one case, the fuel for my ultimate machine.” Both duelists looked at the egg shaped device again, a metal contraption with clear domes at each end shielding some kind of rod, crackling with the occasional streak of blue lightning, and a band down the middle housing... “Wait, that’s the Raviel card that Raesir took from Erin? What is that thing?” Demon laughed wildly. “Well that took long enough. This is the result of years of research, planning, and building, using the Empire’s plentiful resources. This doomsday device is a creation of my own brilliant design, which will channel the energy of the three sacred beasts, forcing their fury into one key card, giving it enough power to activate, and shatter the bonds between the two worlds. It has been a long and arduous process, but now, Judgement Day is finally at hand.” “So basically it’s a bomb?” Juruo asked, clutching his temple, his head still pounding from the last assault Ominous Fortunetelling had taken on him. “Wait a minute, if that thing is harnessing Raviel’s power... is that why the damage done by the cards used in this duel has been so much more intense?” Demon nodded, sniggering. “You catch on quickly. Now imagine how much more it will hurt when Hamon and Uria are forced to meet the same fate. When this doomsday device is activated, the countdown will begin, the boundaries between realities will start to collapse as the sacred beasts power rips down the walls, and for a short time, duelling will take you to a whole new world of pain, near to what I suffer in my body every day. That is of course, before reality collapses completely, and everything goes bye bye.” There was a long pause, as the two stared into the others eyes. Juruo never felt so afraid, looking into those empty, haunting eyes. Without thinking, he lunged forward, past his monsters, towards the device, for some crazy moment he just wanted to grab it away and run from Demon. Expecting such a reaction, Demon reached behind him with his free left arm and pulled out his black sword, pointing it at Juruo’s throat as he braked to avoid it. “Now now. My toy, get your own” he whispered, daring Juruo to take another step. A bead of sweat dropped from Juruo’s head, falling onto the tip of the sword. “Why don’t you just kill me now?” “Because” Demon’s smile widened. “What fun would that be?” Edging backwards, Juruo returned to his starting position. “I place one card face down and end my turn. Now with no cards in my hand, you can’t activate Ominous Fortunetelling.” “Not unless I activate a card effect that forces you to draw right now, and correctly identify it.” Juruo blinked, desperately searching the field for a card that might do that. Demon laughed at him. “Just kidding.” He returned his sword to its sheath, and drew a card. He glanced at it, liking what he saw. “I summon the tuner monster, Dark Tinker to the field.” A small spider like fiend appeared beside the caged biker (DEF: 1300). Immediately, a pillar of swirling purple light engulfed the two, stars flying around it, indicating a Synchro summon. “Now if you thought you had suffered so far, you cannot comprehend the despair and the darkness this monster will unveil. I tune level two Dark Tinker and level five Stygian Sergeants, to summon the dark king of the black heavens, a creature more terrifying than your worst nightmare. Rise, Dark Highlander!” Juruo craned his neck upwards to the face of the colossal new monster he was faced with. Garbed in gray and black armour and a dark blue cape with a high collar, this towering demons face poked out from the battle suit, leering with hatred and malice. In its hands it carried a massive scythe. (ATK: 2800). Demon broke into wild laughter of victory. “Dark Highlander, destroy Dragunity Partisan.” “I activate my trap card Urgent Tuning, which tunes Partisan and Militum in the middle of your...” “Dark Highlander’s ability activates. While he’s on the field, neither of us can Synchro summon.” “What!? You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Those words were a death knell, as Dark Highlander raised its scythe over its shoulder. “I activate my other face down, Emergency Provisions. This sends my now redundant Urgent Tuning to the graveyard, in exchange for a thousand more life points.” “You’ll need them.” Demon cried as the dark king unleashed its battle cry, bringing the weapon down on the dragon. Another huge chunk of life points, another wave of pain. Juruo fell to one knee, breathing heavily (LP: 100). “Oh I forgot to mention. When Dark Tinker is sent to the graveyard, I get to look at the top card of my deck, then either put it back there, or move it to the bottom instead.” Demon looked at his card, grinned again, then replaced it as it was. “Your turn. Think you can stand the pain? Is it worth it, fighting on to protect your precious duel spirits, and your little friends?” [spoiler=Summary - End Turn 10]Juruo - Front Row: Militum. Back Row: -. Hand: - LP: 100Demon - Front Row: Dark Highlander. Back Row: Dark Door, Ominous F. Hand: - LP: 1600 “I... draw...” The strain this was causing beginning to really affect Juruo. Glancing at his card, he grimaced. Not much help was coming. “I switch Militum into defence, then I place one card face down.” “Pathetic” was the only comment. “Dark Highlander, destroy that worthless creature.” The demon king willingly obliged, carving through the petite female warrior. Behind Demon, the blue sparks became more and more frequent. Juruo sank to his knees, struggling to take the hit. “Accept your inevitable demise, and embrace it. Feel free as all your despair, your anger, your hatred, will be erased, purged as your body leaves this filthy world, so that it may begin anew.” [spoiler=Summary - End Turn 12]Juruo - Front Row: -. Back Row: Face down. Hand: - LP: 100Demon - Front Row: Dark Highlander. Back Row: Dark Door, Ominous F. Hand: 1 LP: 1600 “Don’t give up Juruo.” The words floated across the back of his mind. A voice that sounded familiar, yet he couldn’t identify it. Maybe he had taken too many attacks. Either way, the voice seemed reassuring, and it was right, he couldn’t give up. Juruo forced himself upright. Placing a hand to his cards, he closed his eyes, hoping that something in his deck could save him. Draw. Sneaking a glance at the card, Juruo sighed heavily. Alector had saved him before, but he couldn’t see how this time. He couldn’t special summon it, and even if he did and used its effect, he still couldn’t summon a Synchro monster that could help. He went to return the card to his deck, to concede. A roar echoed around his mind. A new, deeper, mightier roar than anything he had heard before, calling for Juruo to play the card, and to summon him. Juruo froze, trying to work out his move. Demon frowned, waiting for him. Time stood still in the grand cavern, nothing moved, except a single water droplet, born from the melting snow outside the cave, fell and hit the floor between them. “From my graveyard, I activate the effect of Totem Dragon, summoning him to the field.” The tiny round dragon rose from the opened gap in the floor, flapping frantically to keep airborne. “Then I release Totem to summon Alector, Sovereign of Birds, and activate his ability, negating the effect of one card on the field for one turn.” An eyelid flickered as Demon watched, as the heavenly king visibly withered slightly in front of him. “Next I activate my face down, Graceful Revival This special summons one level two or lower monster from my graveyard, and I’m choosing Dragunity Partisan.” The dagger tipped dragon came forth, and immediately joined with the bird in silver armour, as green light engulfed them, opening the portal for a monster crying to be unleashed. Instinct, a duelist’s heart took over. “Now I tune level two Partisan and level six Alector, to Synchro Summon the Dragunity’s most powerful force, Dragunity Knight - Barcha!” The ground shook as an almighty clawed foot stomped on the stone floor beside him, tearing up some of the rock. ‘Well that shouldn’t have happened’ Juruo thought, the damage to the floor just shouldn’t have happened. Scared yet thrilled he looked up at the monster answering his prayer. The Dragunity Knights were large, but Barcha was gigantic. A dark emerald and purple leviathan towered above him, way above Dark Highlander, its mighty head coming close to the ceiling. Its four enormous wings spread out, making him even more intimidating. The dragons face was pale underneath its helmet, a mouth full of teeth that could carve through flesh, a long spike produced from the chin that could penetrate any armour. From somewhere on top of the dragon’s neck sat its rider, dwarfed by his steed, a man dressed in fine green armour and carrying a double tipped spear. The dragon looked around the field, at the little demon opposing him, and the even tinier duelists. Lowering its almighty head to their level, it unleashed a deep bellow right in Demon’s face, a roar that shook the whole world (ATK: 2000). Behind Demon, the archway made a crackling noise, the symbols engraved on it glowing faintly. Juruo didn’t pay any attention to this. He was letting something inside him take control. “Now Barcha activates his effect, equipping himself with every Dragunity dragon in my graveyard, raising his strength as they fight together as one unstoppable force. Come back Partisan, Aklys, Brandistock, Phalanx and Arms Mystletainn. Lend Barcha your strength, and attack.” Ghostly images of the five dragons surfaced, before they transformed into orbs of green light and floated into the almighty dragon. Barcha roared in response, strength increased (ATK: 3500). Most of the Dragunity, and even the knights, would strike a foe physically. Not Barcha. The dragon tipped back its head, and unleashed a stream of intense emerald fire, torching the Dark Highlander effortlessly, Demon gasping from the attack power as he took damage (LP: 900). Behind him, the symbols on the archway glowered brighter, and the gate activated, a screen of blue light cast in the gap. Juruo continued “Now Barcha, take the ability of Dragunity Brandistock, enabling you to attack once more, directly.” “That won’t be necessary.” A sudden chill gripped Juruo as a familiar voice addressed him. Demon stood before him, taking in the sight of the open portal, and the person who had spoke, and started laughing. Juruo couldn’t understand why, but he was suddenly very afraid. Unconsciously he gulped, and turned... In the tunnel entrance behind him, standing like a statue, was Erin, staring at him. By her right side, she was supporting her brother. Mel’s eyes were closed, like he was asleep. Juruo gasped in horror as Erin withdrew her hand, letting Mel fall to the floor. As if this was a signal, more figures emerged from the tunnel. The flame haired Raesir, grinning wildly, dragging something behind him. The half mechanical Gear, face contorted with strain from carrying a weight over his shoulders. As the pair came into the light of the cave, the reasons for their expressions became apparent. Gear had Hikari draped over his shoulders, and Raesir had been dragging Sabin, who was groaning groggily, along the stone floor. They stopped either side of Erin. Juruo shook his head, refusing to believe his eyes. “No, please god no. You haven’t...” “Juruo” Erin interrupted him. Her voice was odd; it was quite sorrowful, but firm. “I tried to stop you from coming here, but you just couldn’t let it go. You wouldn’t stop fighting. But as it turns out, the duelling energy your battle has drawn out has activating Heaven’s Gate over there. Would you be so kind and leave it at that please.” “But... you were the Resistance general. You’ve spent half your life fighting the Empire and the darkness behind it.” “Which made her a perfect inside source of information for me” Demon finally added his thoughts, clearly amused by this little scene. Juruo blinked, he didn’t understand what he had said. Not until a vision, a memory swam across his mind’s eye, of the assault, and the guards who had been waiting for them... “Erin... please don’t tell me... you’ve been with them from the start.” She paused, and nodded, Juruo’s heart sank as she did so. His body began to tremble, fists clenched in fury, tears clouded his vision. The dragon beside him roared, shaking him out of it, as it appealed for his go ahead to attack. “I made my choice long ago Juruo. Now you have to accept it, and make your own. You can either strike and defeat Demon, which will close the gate you’ve opened and stop our cause, or you can hold back and let Armageddon begin, and start the path to our ascension to paradise. I think you’ll make the right choice.” Rage took over. “You bet I will. Barcha, let him have it.” “Oh for god’s sake, give me her.” Erin turned and rounded on Gear, pulling Hikari from off his shoulders. She was still conscious, just. Grabbing her round the neck, she produced a long dagger from her belt, and held it against her neck. “Don’t do it Juruo, or I will kill her. Sabin as well. You know I’ll do it.” Juruo choked as Erin pressed the blade right up against Hikari’s neck, a small trickle of blood already starting to seep from it. He became paralysed as she cried out in pain; stuck at what to do. Voices were screaming in his head. “Do not be distracted, they are lost. Finish Demon now and avert Armageddon.” Eternia yelled in his head. She was right, he had to attack, and save everyone else, even at his and his friends own expense. Its four lives for the sake of everyone else, what’s there to question? He looked at the dragon - who was beginning to fire up his second attack - across to Demon - who was finding his predicament hysterical - then back at Erin and the others, Erin’s eyes boring into him as she held Hikari hostage, while Raesir kicked Sabin over onto his back, and produced his own sword, holding it over him like a guillotine. Sabin groaned, rolling his half conscious eyes at him. Juruo swallowed. He knew he was going to regret this. Hanging his head, he cancelled his attack and turn. Demon nodded, grinning in inevitable victory. “Good boy Juruo, you’ve been most helpful. Gear. Raesir. If you would.” The two henchmen nodded and approached Demon at the stone altar. Juruo watched, unable to move for fear, as they took two cards from their pockets, the remaining sacred beasts, and placed them in the other slots in the device. Immediately a steel sheathing covered them, locking them inside, as sparks of red and yellow wove with the blue in either of the transparent ends. The device whirred threateningly. Demon waved his two allies away - they retreated, sneering at the helpless duelist as they passed. From inside his duel shield, Demon opened a single slot, reserved for one card. He showed it Juruo, whose heart stopped. It was one of the few cards he really recognised, one of very few cards of its kind; an automatic win condition card. “I force the power of the sacred beasts through this device, into the card Final Countdown. Thus the end is at hand. Enhanced by the beast’s power, by casting this bomb into the void between realities, Armageddon cannot be stopped.” Demon placed his card into the fourth slot, which also sealed off automatically, and picked the device up by a handle, walking over to the towering archway with it. Juruo took a step after him, only to stop as Erin issued him a threatening reminder. Hopelessly the group watched as Demon stuck his head through the wall of light, pausing to examine whatever was on the other side, before throwing the bomb in. He withdrew from the arch, smirking. He looked over at Juruo, as if he’d forgotten something. Oh yes, there was a duel to finish. He drew his card, blank eyes wide with excitement. “Now that’s out of the way, I’ll finish this little game. It’s been fun Juruo. You’ve been a big help kicking that thing into starting, but now to close it in fitting style. I activate the ritual spell End of the World.” Juruo gasped in horror. “How? You’ve got nothing to give as tribute to use that card.” “Not on the field or in my hand. But from my graveyard, the effects of the Djinns activate. By removing Djinn Cursechanter, Djinn Disserere, and the Djinn Releaser that I discarded for the effect of One for One, I can summon to the field Demise, King of Armageddon!” Blue flames erupted from the stone floor, reaching high, as the dreaded axe wielding fiend stepped through the fire (ATK: 2400). Demon raised a hand in victory, clenching it. “Now Demise receives additional effects from the Djinns released to summon him. Most notably the effect of Djinn Cursechanter, which negates the effects of all Synchro monsters while Demise is on the field.” Juruo knew what that meant. Barcha screamed as its power sank (ATK: 2000). Demon gave the command, and Demise struck hard with its awful axe, destroying the great dragon and taking out Juruo’s remaining life points. He collapsed, falling backwards, his duel shield deactivating. He blinked dizzily as someone caught him, holding him tight. Erin had dropped Hikari, who was now lying on the floor, and had rushed up behind him, and was holding him in her arms. Demon cracked his neck, as Demise faded away. The duel ended, the symbols on the archway faded out, causing the portal to disappear. Demon strolled towards the two, standing in the light cast by the hole in the roof. Erin pulled Juruo over to him, so they too stood in the light. Demon simply looked up, towards the sky visible through the crevice. Dread filled Juruo as he couldn’t help following his action. There, floating in the sky, was a single, unearthly, ball of fire. “Now that the Final Countdown has been started, an unstoppable doom has been unleashed on the two worlds, signalled by fires in the sky; ten in this world and ten in the spirit world. Their numbers grow each day, until the circle is completed and its power is fully activated, destroying everything in its wake. We may die here, but as the two worlds collapse, reality will falter, and our souls will pass the gap to Utopia, where we will be reborn into supreme ecstasy. Until then, we just have to wait.” Juruo broke his gaze from the fireball and looked at Erin. Her expression was unreadable. Struggling to understand, or accept what was happening, Juruo could barely croak out words, except “Why?” Erin’s eyes locked with his. There was an odd sparkle in them, and she was smiling slightly as she held him against her, kissing his cheek and whispering in his ear. “My love. You’ll understand one day.” Pain rushed through Juruo as his heart stopped. He fell as Erin released him from her embrace, her fist clenched from where she had punched him in the chest, stunning his heart. Combined with all the mental stress caused by the duel, and hitting the back of his head on the stone floor, Juruo’s vision flickered, seeing the still forms of Sabin and Hikari across the cavern, then looking up at the figures of Demon, Raesir, Gear and Erin standing over him, before darkness enveloped him. ... Meanwhile, the spirit world echoed with screams and howls of anguish, as high in the sky above, a giant fireball materialised. --END OF ARC TWO-- So that's it for Arc Two, maybe now would be a good time for comments, on these chapters or the arc as a whole. If someone could do a review that would be incredible. Taking a short break from writing, but have done some planning for Arc Three, will let you know soon. Updated bios and decklists to follow shortly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexadin Posted April 15, 2011 Report Share Posted April 15, 2011 I KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN!!! Though this was not though to a bad storyline, I just had a feeling. In respect of those who haven't gotten this far I'll refer from using details. The tricks they use, the cards. (Though I like Demon's blast from the past card). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bahamut - Envoy of the End Posted April 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2011 Of course, when do things ever go well for the good guys? Of course it's going to get much worse before it gets better. Didn't fully understand your comments, the tricks and cards they use? But I appreciate them anyway. You probably had a feeling because Saber guessed several chapters ago. I remember reading that and waving at the screen shouting 'Stop guessing accurately!!!' :lol: Over 100 views since the chapters were posted and only one comment is.. mystifying Do views by unregistered guests count? PS: Started writing Chapter 31, and doing new character design today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vector Nightmare Posted April 16, 2011 Report Share Posted April 16, 2011 I have been keeping up, but just had little time available to sit down and write something constructive. I... will say that the ending was a little iffy. I mean, they conveniently come across the information needed to reach Demon (which I can accept because of deus-ex-machina intervention). Melanc's fight with Seishin seemed a little forced, although the background was nice. I mean, Seishin is adamant about not letting them pass, but the moment he wins he suddenly has an epiphany about the world being in danger and lets them through. Again, very convenient that he came to the realization at that specific time. And I won't excuse it with 'he might have realized it earlier and just wanted to conclude the duel', because it was obviously a matter of utmost urgency. So yeah, that wasn't my favorite chapter, although the decks and strategies used were quite good, so I was very satisfied with the duel itself - it was the context that miffed me. And then... Barakus stays behind, for... no apparent reason, I mean he didn't do anything of importance whatsoever, so I was thinking he'd get a part in the actual confrontation, but he... simply chickened out at the last moment. Yeah, that was an almost entirely useless plot thread. I already know you're going to say that he's going to play a role in the future. But I, the reader, just had him tag along with the group for several chapters, and with this I was given to understand that his inclusion would have some underlying significance in the end. And instead he just... gets left behind just when things are looking like he can play a part. That was a massive misstep. Then we reach the last two chapters. Right here I only have one thing to say... anti-climax. I do not know why you felt inclined to have Juruo 'win' the duel before intervention came. You really shot down Demon's character with this. You made him look way too weak in this duel, especially relying on unfair advantages for the game, not to mention the ending. Also, the whole invasion theme was too short. Juruo just barged into Demon directly. The others basically didn't even do anything. I won't comment much on Erin being a traitor. I had seen it coming, though I was hoping you wouldn't go for that, because honestly, it was quite predictable. Not saying it wasn't a nice touch, but it was rather disappointing. And we didn't get any exposition on the subject. It was like 'lol I'm a traitor k'. But it does give the Erin / Juruo relationship a bit more of an essence. I'm not saying that I particularly disliked the part, but it was one of the things I felt was not very needed there. I was generally hoping that you'd take your time with the part. Throw in some more adventures in the journey, and certainly more exposition on the characters during the invasion, and everyone should have gotten a duel there. In my view you should have given this part much more time. Because right now we already knew from the beginning that Juruo was going to end up failing, because of complete lack of setup. If you had given sufficient background to the part where they attack the castle, and made it look more important, the outcome wouldn't have felt so forced and predictable. Generally, I feel it would have been better if you used those two chapters for something else, then handled the whole attack in the next arc. And before you say you want to finish the story some time, I will say that a lot of what you have planned for the future, because I can already work out a large part, could instead fit in this part, not really increasing the overall volume of the story, while giving it a more solid feel. I will summarize the pros and cons of the last three chapters, since they were generally along the same lines: + Really high quality duel writing+ Nice portrayal of Eternia, and generally nice characterizations, especially with Sabin and Melanc, and Erin deserves a mention+ Erin / Juruo has substance now, I will applaud you for how you handled this part - Things tended to work out with very convenient timing- Barakus just vanished anti-climactically- Juruo got all the action, and pretty much trainwrecked Demon, much unneeded downpowering there especially since Juruo was going to lose anyway- Predictable ending to the duel- Unnecessary rush of the invasion I must regretfully announce the final verdict as negative for this part. It's a particular shame because it wasn't due to bad writing, bad storytelling, or bad ideas. Just a bit of bad planning, a bit of rushing, and a bit of you wanting to fit in some tropes in the story, which isn't necessarily a bad idea, but it felt unnatural here. Don't be discouraged, though, you still did very well, and I'm sure that when you unfold things in your own way they will be as good as I was expecting. But still, it is important to keep what I said in mind, especially about rushing and giving characters their appropriate time to shine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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