Yu-Gi-Oh: Twisted Fates R [IC/Started/Accepting]

[0PxPz0]

A New Start

At a table set for twenty two sat four, each silently contemplating each other. At the head in an ornate wooden throne decorated with carvings of animals of all sorts sat Zaddicus, Emperor of Predraelia and host of the evening, on the enormous table before him sat a large cup with an odd dark red liquid and a name plate signifying him as "The Devil." The dark haired man stared with disappointment across the dining hall, listening to the sounds of the kitchen staff prepare the meal he and his guests would enjoy while they spoke of the end of the world. Directly to his right was a now loyal Summoner named Pendragon, dressed in shining armor with auburn hair that fell to the small  of his back. He was labeled "Temperance" which Zaddicus found humorous considering how ruthless and brash he had been before his defeat. Further down the Emperors crimson eyes shifted to someone considerably younger, a talented Summoner who had earned the seat of "The Hermit." He was somewhat formally dressed, a white silk shirt under an open brown vest, nothing to elegant but not quite an everyday outfit either. finally, on the other side of the table near opposite the youngest among them, sat Samantha of "Judgement" her left eye covered by a black patch. she was busy drinking down whatever was put in front of her, almost faster than the attendants could refill her goblet. After what felt like an eternity the doors to the kitchen opened and the servers placed a bowl of steaming broth before each Summoner, a generous piece of pork and beef marinating in the juices. "Finally." Zaddicus had become bored of waiting but refused to speak to his guests until the first dish had been served. "Now then, I believe you each know why you're here?" his tone was empty while he eyed his first course, using his spoon to drizzle the broth onto the meat. "Let's start with a little introduction shall we?"

[Libracor]

The Northern King stood, eyes casting a silent judgement upon the paltry conpany of two that his lord had invited to the table. Could these children be enough to maintain the constant tide of war? Would they be enough to end it? He spoke in a gruff voice, “I am Felgrand, the Northern King. Felled in battle and spared by his majesty, The Emporer, I now serve at his side. This is the sum total knowledge the two of you require.” He sat back down, taking a moment to look back upon his past. Had it truly been only a few months since that day?

 

Felgrand’s mind wandered his memory of the day he lay defeated. A proud Tribal King looking to start an empire foolishly knocked on the door of Emporer Zaddicus. His Illusory Dragons had done nothing against his foe, and in the end he was laid low before the true king. He thought to himself, “My lord spared my life, and so shall I serve him in fury and compassion. Could these youths be the same as I?”

[Tinkerer]

As soon as the food hit the table, Achen reached forward to grab a nearby slab of meat, but then held himself back.  'You're in the presence of the Emperor. Control yourself' he thought to himself, and took a deep breath as the large man who sat near him stood and made his introduction.  He seemed to be a man who definitely had a sense of purpose.  His look of scorn told him that much.  Glancing over at the girl who was burying herself in another goblet of ..whatever, Achen thought it best that he make a quick introduction before grabbing food.

 

"Uh," Achen said, standing up, "Good evening.  I am Achen.  I hail from a town to the South of here.  I... uh, well, I don't.. it, it is a real honor to sit at your table Emperor Zaddicus."  Not wanting to get on the large man's bad side, he turned to him, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well, King Felgrand."  He also nodded to the girl, not sure if she saw him or not, before reaching and deftly grabbing a choice slab of meat and tossing it onto his plate.  'Hopefully, that was enough for now' Achen thought as he grabbed his utensils.

[The Frost King]

Today is my lucky day, Samantha thought as she downed another goblet full of whatever alcoholic drink she was drinking. She hadn’t even bothered to ask what the name of it was. Whatever it was, it was really good. By the time the food finally came out, Samantha had already had 6 goblets worth of the stuff. Up until this point, she had ignored the 3 other people at the large table. That was until Zaddicus spoke that she paid close attention. After all, Zaddicus was kind enough to invite her to dinner all because she had found some special summoning tablet. The best thing she could do in return is show some respect.

 

"Now then, I believe you each know why you're here?" Zaddicus asked. Because I have a special tablet, Samantha thought as she slightly glanced at the food that was on the table. "Let's start with a little introduction shall we?" First to start their introduction was a guy with long hair and shiny armor. Apparently, his name was Felgrand and he was a king who had been defeated by Zaddicus but had been spared. He seemed like one of those “super loyal to Zaddicus” people. As Samantha decided to take another drink from her goblet, the black haired kid introduced himself. He seemed both nervous and excited, like he was meeting his role model face to face for the first time. The role model was no doubt Zaddicus, as he was the only one in the room whose name was known and feared across the entire kingdom. Another super loyal person to Zaddicus, thought Samantha as she finished her 7^th goblet of drink. Not like she really cared who was loyal to Zaddicus and who wasn’t. To be honest, she didn’t really care about how bad Zaddicus was. All she cared about was two things: Gambling and drinking.

 

Seeing as it was her time to speak, Samantha put down her goblet and looked at the other people sitting at the mostly empty table. “The name’s Samantha and I’m gonna be honest. I’m not as loyal to Zaddicus as you two are, mostly because I don’t really care who rules this kingdom. All I really care about is drinking, money, and the chance to gamble. So as long I can have those things, I’ll do whatever Zaddicus asks me to do.” Reaching over to grab a piece of meat, Samantha looked at the empty chairs. “Oh, and a question. What’s with the seating arrangement and the empty chairs?”

[0PxPz0]

"Oh, and a question. What’s with the seating arrangement and the empty chairs?" Zaddicus turned to look Samantha dead in the eyes "Finally someone willing to question things!" he thought it was odd no one else ever questioned the empty seats or name plaques. "Very observant of you." He rung the small silver bell next to his glass causing one of the servants to replace it with the next course, a strange mixture of fruits and bread. "To put it simply you're not the first group I've hosted, if you've looked around I'm sure each of you has noticed each others name plates and those corresponding to the remaining chairs." Zaddicus clasped his hands together and gave a devilish grin "I am Zaddicus, Tarot holder fifteen 'The Devil'. Each of you are here to join your fellow Tarot holders, or at least those I have been able to gather, and crush the remaining rebellion against me." The emperor paused, allowing the significance of their titles to sink in, then continued before the confusion took hold. "After we've achieved that goal? You three as well as the others will be heavily rewarded, as you will be after each and every task I ask of you." his inflections made it clear, this was an order not a request, he intended to make everyone that controlled one of these Tarot spirits into his personal attack force. "I'm sure of course you each knew that to some degree though? How else would you have found yourselves here?" with that he quickly wolfed down the second course and stood, clearly not intent on waiting for the next dish. "If these terms aren't agreeable, or if any of you intended on using your Tarot against me to get a better deal so to speak, I invite your challenge but would like to get it over with rather quickly so to move on to the debriefing." he circled the table as he spoke, ending with his hands firm on Samantha's chair to signal he knew exactly where everyone's loyalties lie

[Libracor]

The fallen King watched silently as his master spoke his piece. Fortunately and obviously he had already been given most of this information, one of the many perks of being the Emporer’s enforcing officer. Although he doubted their abilities, Samantha’s confessions caught him off guard. He had expected incompetence, but never the germinating seeds of dissent.

“How dare you so brazenly, and in his own court no less, show or Sovereign such blatant disrespect?” He slammed his fist upon the table before turning his gaze to Zaddicus. “My Lord, you know I would never dream to question your judgement, but I fail to see the benefit in granting the Tarot to one as insolent and transitory as this!”

[0PxPz0]

"Ah yes, thank you Felgrand, my loyal friend, you've brought up something rather important." Zaddicus calmly returned to his seat, clearly enjoying this particular gathering. "While in some cases I personally handed summoners their Tarot, such as your Temperance, I am not the one to decide who receives one and which Tarot that is." Zaddicus showed his own tablet, The Demonic Tarot, which was glowing in the presence of three others, to explain "Otherwise I wouldn't be paired with one that caries such negative connotations as The Devil. It is in fact the spirits themselves that choose the summoner." he paused, returning the piece of stone to the pouch at his waist "I do thank you for your concern however."

[Tinkerer]

Listening with interest, Achen finally put the words together and asked the question that had been burning in his mind, "Is there anyone with- any Tarot holders who are among the rebel groups?"  he looked at the other two, not sure if he was speaking out of turn.  "I don't want to be presumptuous, but if these," Achen pulled out his Tarot stone which glowed dimly in his hand, "are really powerful, only people who could control the Spirits inside them would a real threat, right?" He quickly glanced at Zaddicus, trying to gauge if he was angry at the question.

[0PxPz0]

"Is there anyone with- any Tarot holders who are among the rebel groups?" Zaddicus next turned his attention to Achen, the younger of the three, excited to get a group so willing and forward with their curiosity. "I don't want to be presumptuous, but if these are really powerful, only people who could control the Spirits inside them would a real threat, right?" "That's some what true." he responded calmly, as if he'd planned for everything long ago, which to some degree he had. "These Spirits aren't quite like any other, I'm sure you've noticed that despite being spirits they take the form of magic, specifically spells" Zaddicus was sure he had them where he wanted them, while their loyalty was welcome it was their intrigue that he knew would give him control. "And not overly powerful spells at that. What makes them so special is their abilities outside of combat duels, each of the Tarot spirits controls an aspect of fate, be it luck, emotion, passivity, or any other contributing factor. So in a sense whoever controls them controls the future to a degree, but that wasn't really your question was it? I tend to ramble on when explaining things it seems." The emperor stood silent, trying to remember what he'd been asked originally. "Oh yes! Our enemies wasn't it?" He grinned at the idea of unknown Tarot users working against him "There's a nifty little trick that can help with that." Once again he revealed his Tarot, this time raising it above himself to draw out the spirit "Materialism and darkness, hate and fear, fifteen, The Demonic Tarot!" with that a black smoke emerged from the stone, trailing down Zaddicus' arm in a winding snake like manner only to condense on the floor beside him and take a solid shape. it appeared to be a second Zaddicus himself, although this one's armor was a much darker shade, it's skin deathly pale and eyes a smooth and unsettling onyx. from atop his head sat a crown of small horns protruding from his skull. "Isn't that interesting? I'm sure, if you haven't already seen your own, each of you will notice yourTarot will adjust to your own personalities as well." he cleared his throat and spoke to the spirit. "Devil, locate The Emperor." Zaddicus' evil mirror image smirked, then, without opening it's mouth, spoke in a strange echoing voice. "The Emperor is in Redwater." Zaddicus gave the spirit a hand signal to return to it's tablet while he explained. "All the Tarot are friends so to speak, they always know where each other are. Unfortunately some are less cooperative than others and, in my Devils case, only tell you the location of Tarot holders you've already met." he shrugged and looked directly at Achen "of course if I wanted to know who they align with I'd have to ask Justice unfortunately he's not here at the moment." Zaddicus rung his bell again signaling the servants to bring out dessert, a sweet honey cake not native to Predraelia. "Samantha my dear, have you any questions or shall I assign your groups first task?"

[Libracor]

Felgrand stared thoughtfully at his own Tarot. While Zaddicus had been more than forthcoming in information, this bit was never divulged. He wondered what other secrets or powers might be hidden within these unassuming rocks.

 

“I am more than ready to undertake my assignment, Your Majesty... though I am curious of one thing...” The Northern King trailed off for a moment, as if afraid of the answer Zaddicus mght give, if he should give one at all. But something inside urged him to ask. “How did you ever come across such curious a fancy as these tablets and their dark secrets?”

[0PxPz0]

Zaddicus simply stared at Felgrand, a stare he should remember from when they dueled, icy and cruel, a show that there would be no mercy should even the smallest mistake be made. It was a warning "That . . . is a story for another time." His voice was stern, the message clear, Felgrand should not ask about that again. "As for your task it should be fairly simple." he paused and took a bite of the pastry before him "There is a Tarot holder here in Erast, The Stars, that I'd like you to retrieve, it is possible he'll put up a fight, immediately after he's joined you, you'll head to Redwater to rendezvous with the first group,  The Emperor, The Wheel of Fortune, and Strength. They are doing recon on a group of rebels using it's lax enforcement and the criminal guild controlling it to their advantage by making it a major communication hub." another bite of the soft sweet cake. "I'd like you to find whoever's in charge of the Blood River guild and 'convince' them to aid you in eliminating the rebel presence in the town." Zaddicus absentmindedly pulled a small satchel from his side and tossed it on the table. "Your funds for the expedition, use them as you see fit. Equipment, bribery, travel fare whatever you need to accomplish the goal. It should be enough until you make it to Redwater" he paused, looking at each Summoner. "And I do suggest you decide on a team leader to handle it to avoid argument, I don't really care who it is or how you decide. You may leave whenever ready, and do enjoy your time in my city while you're searching for The Stars, think of it like a day trip." He returned focus to his dessert intent on enjoying the final portions silently.

[Tinkerer]

That was all Achen needed to know.  Abandoning the sickeningly sweet cake, he stood up, bowed to Zaddicus and quickly made his way from the dining room.  As he stepped out into the hallway, he opened his fist and examined his small stone again.  Zaddicus was certainly something.  Though he had been too young and his town too isolated to really hear much about the goings on, when Zaddicus had spoken, it seemed... off.  He had managed to claw his way up to become Emperor, yet he did not seem all that ruthless.  The fact that he had someone like Felgrand under him spoke quite a bit more about his character than what he'd displayed during the dinner.

 

Then there was the Tarots.  He had only just got his within the week and he had not had much time to really study it.  He had expected it to be a normal gift like the spirits the church had given him, yet they had the power to shape fate.  Achen stopped under a candelabra and recalled the order of the table for a moment.  "Number Nine, the Hermit's Tarot, I call to you."  He whispered to the stone.  Glaring at the stone, Achen didn't notice his shadow, thrown onto the floor by the candlelight behind him began to move and take its own shape.  It wasn't until his shadow made a motion like striking a match that Achen noticed.  He stepped back, surprised but not afraid.  He had encountered all kinds of spirits whose appearances were truly terrifying, this one just happened to be... really creepy.  "Are you the Hermit?"  Achen asked.

 

The shadow nodded slowly.

 

"We, we are supposed to find The Stars.  Do you know where it is?"  Achen was surprised as how quickly he got used to talking to his own shadow.  Must have been easy when he spent so much time in his own head.

 

The shadow lifted the shadowy match.  Suddenly, out of the Hermit's shadow a pale hand appeared.  It was completely physical looking and clutching onto a nearly burnt out match in between its forefinger and thumb.  The hand rose, revealing an arm that stretched up a little past the elbow before pausing.  Then it dropped the match.

 

A quick flash of light, a series of images that were both familiar and strange, a circular fountain, then Achen opened his eyes and his shadow was his own.

[Libracor]

Felgrand took his time savoring his pastry in silent penance for his outburst. He wanted to know more about this power, even if begrudgingly he had no choice but to admit that it was not his place to know. The boy, Achen, left several minutes before, and the King decided not to tally any longer in the room, lest he lose the Emporer’s favor.

He remembered that stare all too well.

That stare that saw through his strategies, that crushed Arkbrave and even the might Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand beneath the weight of his eyes.

Felgrand excused himself with a bow, gravbed the sack of coins and followed Achen out the door.

 

Despite having left earlier, the boy was still near the entrance, preturbed by something, clearly. It was no business of the King’s. “We’ll be off soon to our mission. Are you certain you can handle it, boy?” He demanded. Without so much as a pause, he continued, “Can our Emporer count on your loyalty?”

[The Frost King]

Samantha wasn’t exactly surprised by Felgrand’s angry reaction to her introduction. She had hit the nail on the hammer when she suspected that he was super loyal to Zaddicus. However, she was surprised by how calmly Zaddicus’ answered her question, circling the table as he did so. When he stopped at her chair, she felt a chill go up her spine. The feeling quickly faded when Zaddicus moved back to his seat, but Samantha had got the message. It would be in her best interests to not betray him. From then on, Samantha just drank and ate while listening to Zaddicus answer Achen's question, as well as showing how the tarots worked. As he summoned his tarot, which looked like a more evil version of himself if that was even possible, he said something interesting. "Isn't that interesting? I'm sure, if you haven't already seen your own, each of you will notice your Tarot will adjust to your own personalities as well."

 

'Well isn't that dandy,' she thought sarcastically, 'So basically my tarot will be like another version of me? That sounds like a bad dream. I wonder if it will try to spend all my money on gambling and drinks.'

 

When Zaddicus finished explaining, he rang the bell for desert and looked at Samantha. "Samantha my dear, have you any questions or shall I assign your groups first task?"

 

"As long as I'm getting paid, I don't have any questions," Samantha stated, grabbing a piece of honey cake of the table and taking a bite of it, slightly surprised at how sweet it was. After that, Zaddicus explained their mission to them, saying they were to find the holder of the Stars tarot and then go to Redwater to meet up with other Tarot holders. The mention of Redwater brought memories to Samantha. A not-in-it's-best-shape town with decent beer, lots of gambling, and crooks everywhere you looked. Truth be told, she owed money to a few people there, including at least one or two in the Blood River guild. Could be a problem when they got there, but it was something she could worry about later.

 

When Zaddicus finished explaining, he placed a small satchel on the table, explaining that it was their funds for the mission. Samantha thought about snatching it up quickly, but knew that in doing so she would probably spark an argument with Felgrand. So she just sat there, watching as Achen left before Felgrand grabbed the money and quickly followed suit. Realizing it was time to leave, Samantha stood and headed for the door. Out in the hallway she spotted Felgrand and Achen standing there, possibly waiting for her? Deciding to be a little cocky, Samantha lightly bumped Felgrand's left arm with her elbow. "Ready to go, partners?" She said, doing a playful wink with her right eye.

[Tinkerer]

Still dazed from the flash of vision - for that's what he assumed it was - Achen started when Felgrand spoke.  He hadn't noticed the large man step up near him.  Before he could muster up a quick response, the girl Samantha appeared next to Felgrand and lightly jabbed him in the side.  "Ready to go, partners?" she asked.  Quickly nodding to Felgrand to try to communicate that he believed he was ready, Achen said "I am ready to go now if neither of you have other business at the present time."

 

He paused.  Zaddicus had put him on the same group with these two.  He hadn't expressly assigned a leadership role among them.  Though Felgrand had the imposing figure and knew Zaddicus personally for presumably a while, among the three, Achen didn't feel inferior or subservient.  He might not have a direction, but he still had his ability, certainly, and Zaddicus must have chosen him for a reason!  He could speak to these two without having to force himself to be formal.  "Listen," he continued, his tone changing from the high speech he used for dignitaries to the lower speech he used among his townsfolk, "I summoned my tarot and asked him where the Stars was.  Either of ya know of any fountains near here?"

[Libracor]

“Fountains eh?” Felgrand thought for a long moment, choosing to ignore the shoulder of his compatriot. “You could’ve been a little less vague... but there is a large fountain in the center of The Capital square. It’s seen better days but the fountain is well maintained, not even the crooks there would dare do anything to harm the only nearby source of clean water...”

 

Felgrand turned to fac the both of his fellow enforcers, having made up his mind already what he thought of them. “We are setting out immediately. I’ll not have Milord wait idly as we dawdle.” Turning to face Samantha to make his position very clear to her, “you will stay in line, there will be no thoughts of desertion if the road is too tough for a lowly drunkard.”

At that, the once-King began to make his way down the long hall.

[Tinkerer]

Achen watched Felgrand sweep away.  He glanced at his shadow for a second before trotting to catch up with the immense man.

 

The evening air was cool but refreshing.  Achen stretched and cracked his neck a bit, glad to be out of the palace.  He might have been raised in one of the nicer buildings in his home town, but the Capitol's palace completely dwarfed it.  Yet, despite its sheer size, it made him feel too enclosed for his liking.  The sounds of night life were just picking up, and as they walked, they passed a few large fellows jovially walking toward a nearby tavern.  The sight made him glance over at Samantha.

 

"Uh, Samantha.  You never said where you're from."  Achen said, hoping to open up some conversation.  Felgrand seemed to wear his expression plainly on his face, but the girl had held a bit of a poker face during her explanation.  Must've come in tandem with her gambling habits.

[0PxPz0]

Near the center of Erast late in the night there was a large building. Although it's appearance was closer to the type of ware house used to store grain during winter it was, in fact, an orphanage, jokingly said to serve the same purpose except for homeless youths. The lights were slowly being dimmed, whether they be candles who's flames were snuffed, or small glowing spirits being unsummoned and spells being reversed. As the final light in the windows was extinguished the sound of a lock could be heard had anyone be passing by, not being locked for the night but unlocked by a young Culchethian boy, as night was near the only time safe for him to be out. He had learned that lesson well his first day wandering around the capital. The way the citizens stared with such hatred. Only the occasional soldier, who shared the same dark hair and red eyes, looked at him with anything beyond contempt and even they turned a blind eye to the beating he'd received when he walked down the wrong ally. Yes, the cover of darkness was safest for him. The door to what was now his home creaked as he slowly closed it behind him in an attempt to avoid waking the Mistress, she was kind enough to him when she'd found him at her doorstep but breaking curfew the first few times had earned him plenty of punishment in the three or so weeks he'd stayed there, and as the other "red eye" children, as he called his fellow displaced Culchethians, had warned, his punishment was far worse than it was for the native Predraeilian charges. Carefully he made his way to the market where the fountain, his fountain, was sat center for all to see. It's mystical waters eternally flowing as he drank his fill before lying down beside it, wiping his now damp mouth with a tattered purple scarf. In his pocket his "friend stone" began glowing before a cluster of seven distinct orbs of white light appeared before him. "Astra, what did you want us to see?" on of the balls of light asked, pulsating as it whispered "Ya, what's so special about this place?" another continued. The young summoner pointed up at the night sky, the moon directly overhead and stars shining bright around it. "I just thought you'd like to see Moon." Astra grinned, proud he could do even a small favor for his friends who had helped him so much. "That's nice Astra but it's not Moon." "It's the moon." two more of them explained. he furrowed his brow in confusion "I didn't know they were different, you talk about them and the others so much . . ." he trailed off as he pulled a blank tablet from his pocket, he'd over heard the Mistress talking about these things, tablets, how they "captured" things. "I thought maybe I could make Moon like you and you all wouldn't be so lonely anymore." he rubbed his thumb over the smooth rectangular stone while he thought about loneliness, about his friends The Stars and their "family" they'd been separated from, about his own and his brother who he'd all but forgotten. "I-it was still really nice of you!" one of them said, quick to reassure their young master "We know you miss Addy, even if you can't remember much." another added. Astra didn't reply. They sat in silence for the rest of the night with only the occasional tear running down the boys cheek to be absorbed by the soft fabric around his neck, waiting for the sun to creep up from the corner of his eye signaling his time was up. he stood and took a last gulp from the fountain to get him through the morning and returned to what was his home, maybe forever. As he closed the door he took one last peek at the fading moon and raised the tablet he'd taken from the Mistress' desk, expecting nothing but hoping for everything, he was more than surprised as it glowed a soft calming light and changed to a pinkish-purple hue, the image of a full moon with some text underneath appearing. Astra quickly closed the door and snuck to his bed, diving under the covers he examined the tablet by the light of his friends, his own personal night sky, "Bathed in Moonlight . . . huh." The child grinned ear to ear and pulled the small pouch out from beneath his mattress to add his first creation to the other strange rock tablets in his possession, along with his friends "You have to hide now, if anyone finds you they'll tell the  Mistress." he shuddered as he thought about what she would do to his friends. The orbs of light simply blinked out of existence as Astra feigned sleep and waited for the morning wake up.

[The Frost King]

Samantha was kind of surprised that she didn’t get a reaction out of Felgrand, as his main attention seemed to be on Achen.  "Listen, I summoned my tarot and asked him where the Stars was.  Either of ya know of any fountains near here?"

 

Fountains? Samantha did know where a few were, but how the heck were they gonna find out which one to go to? The kid needed to give more detailed information. Before Samantha could speak her mind, Felgrand mentioned that there was a fountain in the middle of the capital.  “We are setting out immediately. I’ll not have Milord wait idly as we dawdle.” He added, turning to face Samantha. “you will stay in line, there will be no thoughts of desertion if the road is too tough for a lowly drunkard.” As Felgrand walked away, Samantha just stood there for a second before following after. “Hold on for just a minute, mister,” She said as soon as she had caught up, “I will have you know I am NOT a lowly drunk. A lowly drunk wouldn’t be able to use these.” Reaching into her jacket, she pulled out a summoning tablet and showed it to him. “And a lowly drunk wouldn’t have this!” Reaching into her jacket with her other hand, she pulled out the Judgement Tarot. Making sure that Felgrand got a good look, Samantha smiled smugly as she put both tablets back into her jacket and crossed her arms. “And besides, I don’t plan on deserting anytime soon. Zaddicus promised a big reward and I plan on getting it.”

 

Once outside of the castle, Samantha took in a deep breath of the night air. It was something she was used to. After all, nighttime felt like the safest time for her to travel. It was easy to avoid soldier patrols or bandits as long as you kept to the shadows and took the right turns. But she didn’t have to worry about any soldiers since she was technically working for Zaddicus. And she didn’t have to worry about bandits as they barely dared to go to the capital. As they walked through the city, Samantha enjoyed the feel of not needing to always watch her back. She watched as a few happy guys headed for a nearby tavern. They seemed like rich folk, probably wanting to spend some of their money on drinks.

 

"Uh, Samantha.  You never said where you're from." Achen said out of the blue, probably wanting to start a conversation. Looking over at the boy, Samantha smiled slightly. “To be honest, I’ve been a wanderer for most of my life, so there isn’t really a place where I live at. Now if you want to know where I was born, I won’t say exactly, but in a town eastward.” As they continued to walk, Samantha remembered something. “Hey kid. Now that you asked a question, let me ask one. You haven’t had a drop of alcohol in your life, have you?” She asked with a sly smile, paying close attention to his reaction. “I saw how you looked at me when I drank back at the castle.”

[Tinkerer]

Achen hadn't truly expected the woman to fully reveal herself.  Her intentions were pretty plain and he simply figured from her answer that she had a past that she didn't want to dwell on.  Her question threw him off though.  You haven’t had a drop of alcohol in your life, have you?  I saw how you looked at me when I drank back at the castle.”

 

He glanced over at her, seeing her lips curl upward, but ended up looking away first. "My hometown has celebrations," he said, determined not to look at her as his ears reddened, "even the kids get to drink a bit.  The craziest one is a Spirit's Eve festival where duel spirits and, uh, spirit spirits run aplenty."  He realized he was beginning to ramble and shut himself down.  He needed to remember what they were doing.  Raising his voice so that Felgrand could hear, Achen asked, "do either of ya think that the tarot holder will be out by the time we get there?"  He followed it up quickly, "If the Stars owner is a Summoner, they might come out if they see some other Summoners dueling."

[Libracor]

Felgrand stopped in his steps. While he never dueled for ifle sport, Achen’s proposal was intriguing. And the once-King’s desire to flex his dragons’ powers did weigh heavily on him. There could be no refusing such a proposition.

 

“Dear boy, are you suggesting that I duel you?” He jested, shaking his head before he continued. “We are almost there.” He pointed an armored finger toward the long horizon, and the dirt road that led to the center of town “If you need practice, I would be happy to oblige you...”

[Tinkerer]

Felgrand had stopped in his tracks and Achen almost bumped into him. “Dear boy, are you suggesting that I duel you?” He shook his head and his gruff face seemed to soften at the proposal as his eyes sparkled in amusement, “If you need practice, I would be happy to oblige you...”

Achen hadn't expected such a change in the man, but his enthusiasm was infectious.  "I haven't been out of practice, but a duel should get me ready for any tougher Summoners we're gonna face." Achen subconsciously touched the bag containing the duel spirits given to him. "When we get to the fountain, we will duel." he said with conviction.

 

'At the very least,' he thought, 'I'll get a true understanding of the strength it takes to be trusted by the emperor'.

[Libracor]

Felgrand halted before a grand fountain. In the center of a massive square the once-king spun around to face his young charge. “Well it seems we’ve arrived, child.” The man rested his hand upon his sword, whereindwelt his ancient dragon spirits. “Shall we begin?”

 

There was a glint of enjoyment in his eyes, a fire he had not shown in decades, not since the day he became conqueror, nor the day he was conquered himself. His hand rested loosely against the hilt of the blade, ready to draw at any moment, but calmly waiting for his opponent to honor the challenge.

 

This duel would be friendly, and hopefully it would draw out the Star...

[Tinkerer]

Achen stared at the fountain.  It looked exactly like the one he'd seen in the flash of images.  He nodded to Samantha, "This is the place.  Hopefully the Stars are here."

 

He turned to face Felgrand who already seemed primed for a challenge.  'The man wastes no time.' Achen thought.  Better not keep him waiting.  Drawing forth the small sack of ancient metal coins from his side, Achen dipped his hand into the sack and drew out several different coins.  "I will go first."  Achen said, taking a final glance around the plaza before letting himself embrace the duel. "What better spirit to face a king, than a kingly spirit?  I summon the bondservant of the kings, Blindly Loyal Servant, William!" A pale, albino figure appeared before Achen, holding onto what appeared a covered silver dinner tray.  "I can use the power of the servant to call upon the master.  William, I call your lord!" The pale figure placed the tray on the ground before vanishing.  Suddenly, the tray shook and its lid burst open: "I Special Summon Blind King Richard!" A giant red-bearded man appeared from the light, standing impressively tall, though his eyes seemed darkened.  "Unfortunately, as I said, the King is blind.  He cannot make any attacks, and his true abilities cannot be revealed unless he's given a special item."  Achen explained, "I will weave some hidden magic, and I will end my turn."

 

[spoiler=Duel Field]Achen - 8000 LP
Hand: 2 cards

 

Field:

Blind King Richard

WATER 6*
Warrior/Effect
This card cannot attack and the following effect is negated unless equipped with "The Sceptre of Richard": Once per turn, during your opponent's turn, when your opponent activates a Spell/Trap card you can either negate or destroy that Spell/Trap card. Once per turn, you can return 1 other face-up card you control to the bottom of your Deck; look at the top 3 cards of your Deck. You can reveal 1 of those cards to your opponent: regardless, return the cards to the bottom of your Deck in any order.
2500/1400

+ 1 Set Spell/Trap.

 

GY:

Blindly Loyal Servant William

LIGHT *
Warrior/Tuner/Effect
You can tribute this card; Special Summon 1 "Blind King" monster from your hand or Graveyard. While this card is in the Graveyard, you can target 1 "Blind King" monster you control; discard a card; equip this card to that target. You can only activate each effect of "Blindly Loyal Servant William" once per turn.
0/1000

 

Bottom of Deck:

None

 

[0PxPz0]

Astra was cleaning the bathroom, one of his chores for the day, when "The Starry Tarot" began glowing from the pocket he'd roughly stitched onto the inside of his shirt to keep it hidden. "Astra, Astra!" "Hermit's nearby!" "And Temperance too Astra!" "They said their users are looking for us by your fountain!" "Hermit and Temperance aren't very friendly, why'da think they decided to come together?" "Judgement came to, they must've been convinced by Devil." The Stars kept chattering to each other while Astra tried to get them to at least not glow so brightly "You can't shine like that now!" Astra rushed to close the door just as another child was walking by. "What are you all talking about?" The glowing stopped for about a second before becoming only slightly dimmer than before, The Stars voices buzzing in his mind all at once so that all he made out was "We should go, it'll be fun!" and "I wonder if Temperance is still cute." "Their user probably ruined their looks.", the young summoner looked at the bucket of water and the brush he'd been using to scrub the ceramic washing bowl and large tub. "They came to take Stars? And the one named Devil told them to?" He thought, shoulders slumping down at the troubling, albeit inaccurate, thought of losing his friends. "If it's really what you want we can go once I finish if I'm able to sneak away." Astra's hands shook as he returned to his chore. He dreaded the thought of not only losing his friends The Stars but of what might happen to him going out in Erast during the day again, not to mention the punishment for being caught. The boy gripped his scarf tightly at the thought of it before forcing it out of his mind and returning to his task.