Yu-Gi-Oh! DF, Special #3 Begins!!! Second Chapter is Up!!!!!

[Stigma_Horrizone]

very impressive

[legendhiro]

thank you.

[Nexev]

sara needs this

[legendhiro]

thanks for the ideas. she uses angler, and i think i gave her star boy, but i don't really like the other two, sorry. also, i don't wanna sound like a jerk, but if anyone has ideas for cards could you pm them to me and leave the thread for questions/comments/discussion on the fanfic? we need more of that. thanks.

[legendhiro]

here is chapter seventeen, in which each member of the duel force is put into a corner in only a few turns! how will they recover?

 

 

[spoiler=Chapter Seventeen]

 

Duel Force vs. The Order; Round Two

 

 

“This is your last warning,” said Karen. “We have a limited amount of magical energy, and we don’t know how much will be needed to open the doors. I’d rather not waste any on you. Leave now, and we’ll let you be. But if you stay, we won’t hold back. You four will die.”

 

“There is no way I’m letting your group get their hands on the Souls, and I know my friends are with me. We’re in this until the end.”

 

I hardened my features and clenched my fists. I could feel the shadows around me deepen and shift toward me. I looked Karen in the eyes, “Let’s get this started.”

 

“Alright,” said Karen, annoyance apparent in her voice, “If that’s how you want to play. Just remember, you were warned.”

 

“This time I’ll make the first move,” I said. I drew.

 

“I start out with ‘Cannon Soldier’ in attack mode (ATK: 1400). Next I place one card face-own and end my turn.”

 

“Then it's my turn,” said Karen. “ begin with the Spell card ‘Graceful Charity’, drawing three cards and then discarding two. Next I play the Spell, ‘Vengeful Bog Spirit’. As long as this card remains face-up on the field, no monster can attack on the turn that it is summoned. I also activate ‘Toon World’, paying 1000 Life Points (8000-1000=7000) to activate, and allowing me to summon my Toons.”

 

The green book appeared, and spewed pink smoke. “Activate ‘Monster Reborn’ to summon a monster from the Graveyard, my ‘Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon’!”

 

The smoke cleared, and there it was, Karen’s strongest Toon, already, in only the second turn (ATK: 3000).

 

“Finally I summon 'Toon Mermaid’ in attack mode, play a card face-down, and activate ‘Mirage of Nightmare’ to end my turn.”

 

I drew, and Karen drew for the effect of ‘Mirage of Nightmare’. My hand was pretty good, but I was already seriously outgunned. If things didn’t go just right, the next couple turns could go very badly.

 

“For my turn I reveal ‘Limiter Removal’,” I said, “doubling the Attack of my ‘Cannon Soldier’ until the end of the turn (1400x2=2800). Next I reveal ‘Heavy Storm’, destroying all Spell and Trap cards on the field, including ‘Toon World’ and all the Toons along with it!”

 

Around Karen and I a huge gale force wind rose. Karen’s cards shuttered.

 

“It won’t work,” Karen said. “Reveal ‘Emergency Provisions’, sending ‘Toon World’, ‘Mirage of Nightmare’, and ‘Vengeful Bog Spirit’ to the Graveyard to gain 3000 Life Points (7000+3000=10,000). And because my ‘Toon World’ was sent to the Graveyard, not destroyed, my Toons already on the field remain.”

 

“But I can still attack,” I said. “‘Cannon Soldier’, attack the mermaid with Cannon Barrel.”

 

Energy built in the barrel of my ‘Soldier’’s cannon and fired, overtaking the mermaid and blowing her away (10,000+1400-2800=8600).

 

“Now,” I said, “because ‘Limiter Removal’ destroys the monsters it effects at the end of the turn, I activate ‘Dimensionhole’, removing my ‘Cannon Soldier’ from play until my next Standby Phase. I place one card face-down, and summon ‘Gemini Elf’ in attack mode,” two beautiful elven women appeared (ATK: 1900), “and end my turn.”

 

“My turn again,” said Karen, her face twisting into a wicked smile. “One face-down card, and I attack ‘Gemini Elf’ (8600-500=8100), Burst Stream attack!”

 

 

Sarah

 

 

“I’ll start things off,” said Monty. “Begin with a set monster in defense mode, and two cards face-down.”

 

“Then here goes,” I said forcefully. “I start out with this, my ‘Graceful Charity’.” I drew my three cards and then sent ‘Lekunga’ and ‘Sinister Serpent’ to the Graveyard.

 

“Remove ‘Lekunga’ from play to Special Summon my ‘Aqua Spirit’!”

 

Bubbles began to rise from the ground in front of me. Tons of bubbles appeared, and popped, revealing my favorite monster, a blue-skinned water sprite with delicate blue hair, wearing a pale blue dress (ATK: 1600).

 

“Next I place ‘Rod of Silence’ on the field, letting me Normal Summon ‘Guardian Kay’este’ and equip it to her.” A mermaid with a long, elegant tail and long green hair appeared, holding a blue rod.

 

“A monster equipped with ‘Rod of Silence’ is immune to Spells, and thanks to ‘Kay’este’’s ability she disappears like a mirage whenever an attack targets her. She is the ultimate immortal monster. Now, ‘Aqua Spirit’ attack the face-down monster, Magical Wave!”

 

‘Aqua Spirit’ raised her hands, and a jet of water burst forth. It was seconds from hitting the face-down card when the monster revealed itself, a large golden oil lamp.

 

“You attacked ‘Ancient Lamp’,” Monty said, “while it was face-down in defense mode (DEF: 1200). This activates my ‘Lamp’’s effect, redirecting your attack at another of your monsters.” A barrier came up around the ‘Lamp’. The water hit and bounced off, flying strait at ‘Kay’este’.

 

“I already told you,” I said, “my ‘Kay’este’ is immune to attacks.” ‘Kay’este’ disappeared, and the water hit the sand where she had just been. Once the attack had ended, she reappeared, completely unharmed.

 

“Since I couldn’t hit you with my attack this turn,” I said, “I’ll have to settle for setting a card. Go.”

 

Monty drew. His expression was impossible to read. “I begin my turn by activating the second effect of my ‘Lamp’, summoning ‘La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp’.” From the lamp emerged a green genie, his arms crossed over his chest (ATK: 1800).

 

“Next I sacrifice ‘La Jinn’ and ‘Ancient Lamp’ to summon the ultimate wizard, ‘Dark Magician’.” The purple wizard made his first appearance of the duel in only the third turn, brandishing his staff (ATK: 2500). Good thing this time I was prepared for him.

 

“Next,” said Monty, “I play a familiar Spell card, my ‘Dark Magic Attack’, destroying ‘Rod of Silence’ and the face-down card.”

 

“No!” I cried as my cards were destroyed by the magician‘s attack.

 

“Now,” Monty continued, “attack ‘Aqua Spirit’ with Dark Magic Attack!” The magician summoned a sphere of energy to the tip of his staff and fired at my monster. She knew she was no match and didn‘t even try to resist. The sphere exploded, and smoked billowed outward from the impact point. When it cleared, my monster was still there, completely unharmed.

 

“How?” Monty asked, the smallest hint of shock leaking into his expression.

 

“With my face-down ‘Woboku’. I activated it when you activated your Spell card, protecting me and my monsters from battle damage until the end of the turn, making your attack meaningless.”

 

Monty smiled, “Wow, pretty good. I haven’t faced an opponent as strong as you in a while. But remember, girl, I’m not one to be stopped by one impressive move. The only way for you to win this duel is for you to defeat me, a task that is still beyond you.”

 

“We’ll see,” I said. But I wasn’t nearly as confident as I sounded. In fact, I was scared for my life.

 

 

Jen

 

 

“I move,” said Lawrence, staring Tucker and I down with a stern gaze. “I begin with the Spell card ‘Super Rejuvenation’. At the end of the turn, I draw a number of card equal to the number of dragons that I discarded or sacrificed this turn. Next I activate ‘Graceful Charity’, drawing three cards and discarding two, both of which are dragons. Two of three specific dragons, actually. Next I summon ‘The Light - Hex-Sealed Fusion’, and activate ‘Dragon’s Mirror’, removing two ‘Blue-Eyes’ and ‘The Light’ from play to Fusion Summon ‘Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon’!”

 

‘The Light’ appeared, a seemingly random jumble of metal and flesh. A burst of light flashed from it, taking on the faded a flickering form of the ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’. Two more dragon’s appeared at it’s sides, and the three monsters merged into the three headed dragon that had already defeated me once before. I wouldn’t lose to it again.

 

The dragon glared at us. It was eager to attack at the first chance(ATK: 4500).

 

“Next,” said Lawrence, “I play ‘White Dragon Ritual’, sacrificing the level four ‘Cave Dragon’ in my hand to summon ‘Paladin of White Dragon’.”

 

On Lawrence’s field, alongside the ‘Ultimate Dragon’ appeared a man in gleaming white armor, carrying a sword, riding on the back of a small white dragon (ATK: 1900). “Now,” said Lawrence, “I sacrifice my ‘Paladin’ to summon from my deck the final ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’!”

 

‘Paladin’ disappeared in a burst of light, and was replaced by the gleaming white dragon. It looked over at it’s three headed counterpart and roared, and the ‘Ultimate Dragon’ roared back. Then the dragons turned toward Tucker and I and roared as one.

 

“I set a card,” said Lawrence, “and end my turn. And because I either discarded or sacrificed four dragons this turn, I draw four cards.”

 

I looked over a Tucker. He seemed afraid. He was shaking as he began his turn. He drew and said, “I summon ‘UFO Turtle’ in defense mode.” A green turtle with a flying saucer for a shell appeared (DEF: 1200). “End turn.”

 

And that’s when I saw it. Tucker smiled. He wasn’t afraid. He hadn’t been shaking out of fear, he’d been shaking out of anticipation. Tucker had been looking forward to this. He wanted to fight the dragon!

 

As I drew for my turn, I couldn’t help but feel the same way.

 

“Let’s start this off strong,” I said. “I summon my ‘Larvae Moth’,

defense mode, and equip it with ‘Cocoon of Evolution’.” The green, spiked worm appeared, and was encased in a thick cocoon, strongly mounted to the ground (DEF: 2000).

 

“Finally I equip the ‘Cocoon’ with ‘Heart of Clear Water’, making it immune to Battle Damage and the effects of Spell cards.”

 

It was all I could do. It was a lot, and I wasn’t worried about myself as much as I was Tucker. His monster had a pretty powerful effect, but would it be enough to protect him from the attack of Lawrence’s dragons?

 

[Stigma_Horrizone]

yay, a new chapter

[legendhiro]

yep, and another will be up tonight as well, or early tomorrow.

[Nexev]

sweetness

[Brittle Ice]

I'm not here for 3 days,...

And 3 new chapters!!!

Great job!

;)

[legendhiro]

here is the next chapter. only one more to go in book one!

 

 

[spoiler=Chapter Eighteen]

 

Duel Force vs. The Order; Hopes Declining

 

 

John

 

 

The ‘Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon’ inhaled, preparing to attack. I had to act fast for my plan to work. “Reveal,” I said, activating a card, “the Trap card ‘Shadow Spell', ensnaring your ‘Toon Dragon’ in magical chains, sapping him of his strength.” The shadow beneath the dragon reached up and took form, becoming a multitude of chains that captured the dragon, it squirmed desperately, but could not move, let alone attack (3000-700=2300).

 

“Now,” I said, “I begin my turn. Sacrifice the ‘Gemini Elf’ to summon the demon lord,” the elves were replaced by the brown fiend, “‘Great Maju Garzett’! His attack power becomes twice the attack of sacrificed monster, making him more than a match for your card (ATK: 3800). ‘Great Maju Garzett’, I command you, destroy the ‘Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon’, Vile Energy!”

 

‘Great Maju’ thrust his palm, releasing his beam. It washed over the dragon, ripping it apart (8600+2300-3800=7100).

 

“Also, since its been a turn,” I said, a hole opening in the sky above me, “my ‘Cannon Soldier’ returns.” The ‘Soldier’ fell from the hole, his cannon ready (ATK: 1400). “‘Cannon Soldier’ attacks, Cannon Barrel.” The robot fired (7100-1400=5700).

 

“Next I sacrifice my ‘Cannon Soldier’ to deal you even more damage,” I said. ‘Cannon Soldier’ converted to energy and launched itself at Karen, hitting her and exploding (5700-500=5200).

 

“Not too tough without your ‘Toon World’ card, are you?” I asked smugly, my arms crossed, my victory seemingly assured. Little did I know that Karen was far from through.

 

“Haven’t you been wondering where I got my Toons?” Karen asked, calmly.

 

“It had crossed my mind.”

 

“I got them from the same man who sent you here to stop me. From Pegasus himself. I trained under him for awhile, and now many of my cards and strategies come from him,” she selected a card, “including this one. Its time I showed you the most powerful combo my deck has to offer; Sacrifice Style. This is where the real battle begins!”

 

 

Sarah

 

 

“To end my turn,” said Monty, “I set a card face-down.”

 

“Good,” I said, and drew. “and I activate the effect of ‘Aqua Spirit’. Once per turn I can change the battle position of a monster on the field. I switch your ‘Dark Magician’ to defense mode (DEF: 2100). Next I sacrifice my ‘Aqua Spirit’,” I commanded, “to summon the ‘Legendary Fisherman’.”

 

A spiky-haired, bare-chested man appeared, carrying a harpoon and riding on the back of a large fish, like a shark (ATK: 1850).

 

“I also equip my ‘Fisherman’ with the Spell card ‘Steel Shell’, raising his Attack by 400.” The shell appeared, strapped to his back (1850+400=2250).

 

“Now attack,” I said, “and kill the ‘Magician’.” My monster prepared to throw his harpoon.

 

“Reveal,” Monty declared, “the Trap card ‘Magical Hats’,”

 

A large black top hat marked with a question mark appeared over the crouching ‘Dark Magician’, and then split into four hats. There was no way of knowing which one the ‘Magician’ was hiding in. “You must now choose a hat to attack,” said Monty. “If you choose wrong, my ‘Magician’ remains unharmed.”

 

I chose randomly, “My ‘Fisherman’ attacks the hat on the middle left!” My ‘Fisherman’ let loose his harpoon, piercing the hat through. The hat disappeared, but revealed only empty space.

 

Crap, I missed! “I place one card face-down and end my turn.”

 

 

Jen

 

 

“I draw,” said Lawrence, picking up his card, “and activate the Spell card ‘Cost Down’, discarding ‘Polymerization’ to reduce the levels of all monsters in my hand by two until the end of the turn. Now I summon ‘Different Dimension Dragon’, reveal ‘Ultimate Offering’, and pay 500 Life Points (8000-500=7500) to summon ‘Luster Dragon #2’.”

 

The familiar emerald-skinned dragon appeared (ATK: 2400). At its side appeared a strange legless dragon with four undulating triangular wings and an arrow-shaped head (ATK: 1200).

 

“Now,” said Lawrence, “I attack 'UFO Turtle' with ‘Luster Dragon’, Emerald Flame!” The dragon spewed fire over the turtle, and it was burned to a crisp.

 

“Thank you,” said Tucker, “because thanks to my ‘Turtle’’s ability, I can Special Summon any Fire monster from my deck in attack mode.” As he spoke, a solid black humanoid figure with glowing red eyes appeared. “I summon, ‘Thing from the Crater’ (ATK: 1000).”

 

“Go,” Lawrence commanded, “attack the ‘Thing’ with ‘Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon’, Ultimate Burst!” The attack struck Tucker’s ‘Thing in the Crater’, which lasted less than a second under such force (8000+1000-4500=4500).

 

“Again,” said Tucker, even as his Life Points fell, “thank you. When ‘Thing’ is destroyed, I can Special Summon any Pyro monster from my hand. I Special Summon, ‘The Immortal Flame’!”

 

Between Tucker and the dragons appeared a spark that blossomed into a flame in the shape of a bird (DEF:200).

 

“Are you trying to piss my dragons off?” Lawrence demanded, clearly enraged. “My dragons are gods compared to these weaklings that you keep bringing before them! ‘Different Dimension Dragon’, destroy it!” The dragon breathed light over the living flame, and it was snuffed out.

 

“Now,” Lawrence said, “I’ll hit you directly with the ‘Blue-Eyes’, Burst Stream!”

 

‘Blue-Eyes’ released his deadly beam, but Tucker placed his hands in his pocket, completely unconcerned. Just before the attack hit, a stray spark erupted out, blossoming into ‘The Immortal Flame’. It flew into the path of ‘Blue-Eyes’’ attack, absorbing it..

 

“What?” Lawrence said. “Where did that monster come from?”

 

“Oh,” said Tucker, “did I forget to tell you about my monster’s ability? My ‘Immortal Flame’ is a monster that cannot be destroyed by battle. Every time its killed, it returns!

 

 

“The only downside,” Tucker continued as the flame returned yet again, “is that he can’t be used as a tribute for a tribute summon and it can’t attack. Also, in case you didn’t notice, I activated the Trap card ‘Backfire’. As long as it remains on the field, you take 500 damage each time a Fire monster is destroyed (7500-(500x4)=5500). Now, if I counted right, your dragons have all attacked. Its my move.”

 

 

John

 

 

“I activate,” Karen said, “the Spell card ‘Black Illusion Ritual’. I send ‘Thousand-Eyes Idol’ to the Graveyard as a sacrifice to summon my ‘Relinquished’, attack mode!”

 

Karen’s monster appeared, floating in the air. It was unlike anything I’d ever faced. It looked like a sphere resting on a disk, two spikes protruding from the disk, with strong arms. In the center of its chest was a small sphere bearing the millennium eye symbol. The creature was blue and gray in color (ATK: 0).

 

“I activate ‘Relinquished’’s special ability,” Karen declared, "Assimilation Spell.” A crack appeared down the front of the creature’s body, and it’s entire body swung up, like two massive flaps, revealing a gaping hole underneath, and a stalk to which the single millennium eye was attached, like a tiny little head.

 

The creature raised his eye and looked at my ‘Great Maju Garzett’. He was wreathed in a red light and was pulled inside ‘Relinquished’ through the mysterious hole in it’s chest.

 

“Since your monster is a part of my ‘Relinquished’ now,” said Karen, “‘Relinquished’ gains your monster’s original Attack and Defense.”

 

I chuckled, “Well, joke’s on you then, because the original attack power of my ‘Great Maju Garzett’ is zero! So say goodbye to your ‘Relinquished’!”

 

I drew, “I summon ‘Giant Orc’, and I attack ‘Relinquished’, Club Slam (ATK: 2200)!”

 

The giant goblin raised his club and ran at the monster.

 

Karen smiled. “Do you really think I’m stupid enough not to know about the weakness of your card?” She asked. I wanted you to attack.” The flaps closed over ‘Relinquished’, and ‘Great Maju’ half emerged from the monster’s flesh, taking the attack, and was destroyed. “’Relinquished’ can used an assimilated monster as a shield, and then we both take the battle damage.”

 

“But won’t that combo hurt you more, since you have fewer Life points than me?”

 

“Not when I have this,” she said, “the Trap card ‘Sacrifice Shield‘.

Every time I would take damage from a battle involving my ‘Relinquished’, I gain the same amount of Life Points first (8000-2200=5800/5200+2200-2200=5200).”

 

As my Life Points fell, I realized that, even though I’d defeated the Toons, I was even worse off than before.

 

 

Sarah

 

 

“For my move,” said Monty, “I destroy my hats to reveal ‘Dark Magician’, attack mode. Now I attack ‘Legendary Fisherman’ with Dark Magic!”

 

“I won’t let you,” I said. “Reveal ‘Ultimate Offering’, paying 500 Life Points to summon ‘Maiden of the Aqua’ in defense mode (LP: 8000-500=7500).”

 

A beautiful maiden appeared, blue-haired, wearing a cape (DEF: 200). “While ’Maiden of the Aqua’ is on the field, her special ability allows her to create the illusion of water on the field. And while there is water on the field, my ’Legendary Fisherman’ cannot be the target of my opponent’s attacks.” As I spoke, an expanse of water appeared, and the ’Fisherman’ dove beneath, out of sight.

 

“Then I’ll make the only logical move,” Monty said, “and attack your ’Maiden of the Aqua’.” And in a flash of green light, my ’Maiden’ was gone, her oceanic illusion along with her. Defeated as quickly as they had come.

 

Alright, I thought, I’ve used up every move I had prepared. Everything rests on my next draw.

 

 

Jen

 

 

“I draw,” said Tucker, “and I set three cards face-down. With that, I end my turn.”

 

I looked over at Tucker. It was amazing. I’d never seen him duel this way before. He was taking his time and thinking his moves through. Relying on more than just force, and in doing so, he was making use of cards more suited to a prolonged strategy, like 'UFO Turtle'. He'd even made the decision to rely on a card like 'The Immortal Fire' (a card I'd never seen, that I assumed that he'd gotten from Pegasus at the same time as 'Tyrant Dragon'), a card that I never would have expected Tucker to summon in a million years. I was truly impressed. I'd never suspected that there could be such a formidable mind under all of his hotheadedness.

 

“My move then,” I said, and my feelings of admiration increased as my move was interrupted.

 

“Reveal during your Draw Phase,” said Tucker, “the Trap card ‘Accelerated Evolution’.

I've had this card for a long time, but I never really thought much about what it could be used for until today. It allows one monster to age one full turn. If I’m not mistaken, that makes the ‘Cocoon of Evolution’ ready to hatch.”

 

At first I was confused. My ‘Great Moth’ was a strong monster, but it wouldn’t be strong enough to match the power of the ‘Blue-Eyes’ monsters. But then I looked over at Tucker. He looked over out of the corner of his eye, and smiled confidently, and I couldn’t help but feel that he knew what he was doing.

 

Alright, I thought, I don‘t know what you have planned, but I‘ll play along. I don‘t have anything better in mind.

 

I drew my card. “I begin my turn,” I said, “by hatching my monster. I sacrifice my ‘Larvae Moth’ and my ‘Cocoon of Evolution’. Arise, ‘Great Moth’!”

 

The cocoon split open, and a giant spiked head emerged. A large worm-like creature wriggled it’s way out of the cocoon and unrolled it’s huge wings. It flapped, and rose swiftly into the air (ATK: 2600).

 

“Next,” I said, laying another card on the Duel Disk, “I summon ‘Milus Radiant’, defense mode (DEF: 250).” A tiger-like beast appeared, wearing a blue scarf and earrings. “While ‘Radiant’ is on the field, all of my Earth attribute monsters gain 500 Attack (‘Great Moth’’s ATK: 2600+500=3100), and all enemy Wind attribute monsters lose 400 Attack (‘Luster Dragon #2’’s ATK: 2400-400=2000).

 

“Now, ‘Great Moth’, attack the ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’, Great Whirlwind!”

 

‘Great Moth’ flapped it’s wings, releasing a large tornado-like wind funnel. It slammed into the dragon and tore him apart (5500+3000-3100=5400). I glanced over at Tucker. His expression, directed toward Lawrence, was fiercer than anything I’d ever seen on a person, and I understood.

 

I’m with you now, Tuck. I know what you’re going to do. You’re letting it go. All of the frustration, all of the anger that built up after all of this time. You’re letting it all go, aiming it all at him. I’m really glad I’m not Lawrence right now!

 

[Stigma_Horrizone]

hurray! Another new one

[legendhiro]

alright, i know i said that this chapter would be the last one, but i realized as i was typing it that it was about twice as long as my other chapters, so i split in half. besides, twenty chapters is way better than nineteen. anyway, without further ado, here is the long awaited nineteenth chapter!

 

 

 

[spoiler=Chapter Nineteen]

 

Souls Awaken; Destiny Draw!

 

 

John

 

 

At that moment, something happened within the Burial of the Soul. Something in the hearts of my team and I, inspired by our battles, and the Souls had reacted, coming to life.

 

 

“Not much I want to do in my turn,” said Karen, “except absorb you ‘Orc’ into my monster.” As she spoke, my monster disappeared, drawn into the monster’s body.

 

“Alright,” I said, “I draw,” Come on John, reach deep. You’ve gotta believe that you’ll pull what you need, or you never will!

 

Suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt empowered, as if I were filling up with strength. The aches and pains from the Shadow Game disappeared. A beam of purple light, like the light from a blacklight light bulb, shot from within the Burial, throwing the doors open wide, and was absorbed into me. My body was wreathed in a dark light and, in a brilliant flash a spherical crystal twice the size of a marble appeared, hanging around my neck by a chain. The crystal had the symbol of darkness, the sun overpowered by the moon, within it.

 

This is the Soul of Darkness! I realized. My Soul has found me! I looked up at Karen, surprise giving way to confidence. I’m not tired anymore, and the pain is gone! My strength is back. There’s nothing I can’t do!

 

I drew, and very slowly, I looked at the card and smiled. “It's over.”

 

 

Sarah

 

 

Everything rests on this card. I moved to draw, but I couldn’t. I was afraid. Come on Sarah, just pull the card. You can make a combo out of anything! This card has to help somehow!

 

I smiled, and a blue beam shot from within the Burial. It his me, and I was surrounded by a blue light, and there was a flash. A blue spherical crystal appeared, hanging from around my neck, bearing the water droplet, the symbol of water. I felt my fear completely melt away, and I drew my card.

 

I looked down at my new card, and then back up at Monty, a devious look in my eyes. Oh yeah, this will work fine!

 

 

Tucker

 

 

“My move,” said Lawrence, “and don’t think that just because you two killed one of my ‘Blue-Eyes’ that you’re strong enough to defeat me. I still have the most feared dragon in the game, ‘Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon’!”

 

“Oh,” I said, “you do? Then I’d better activate this, my ‘Thunder of Ruler’ Trap. In the turn that it is activated, you cannot declare an attack.”

 

“Doesn’t matter,” said Lawrence. “Nothing can defeat my ‘Ultimate Dragon’!”

 

I smiled, You don’t know how wrong you are!

 

 

Jen

 

 

This is it, Tuck. I‘ve made all of the preparations I could. Our futures are intertwined. Our decks are as good as one!

 

 

Tucker

 

 

At that moment, as I prepared to pull my card, there was a flash of red-orange light. I felt my spirit begin to burn, and a red crystal appeared on a chain around my neck.

 

Beside me I saw a flash of green. I looked over at Jen. The ground beneath her shook, and a green crystal appeared, hanging around her neck.

 

I smiled wide and turned my attention back on the duel. Our powers have found us, and just in time! I drew my card, and played it without hesitation. “I activate the Ritual Spell,” I said, “’Incandescent Ordeal’. I sacrifice ‘Twin-Headed Fire Dragon’ in my hand and ‘The Immortal Flame’ on the field to summon my Soul, ‘Legendary Flame Lord‘!”

 

The two headed dragon appeared beside the living flame, and both monsters burned up in a massive flame. The flames sparked and sputtered before finally dying down, revealing the form of a man.

 

My new monster stood six feet tall. He had red hair and wore a leather tunic and pants. Over the tunic he wore a coat and cape made of flames. On his head he wore a blue armor crown, and he wore armor over his lower legs. In his left hand he carried a jagged dagger with a blue hilt. In his right hand he carried a metal staff with a glass sphere on the end. His eyes glowed with an intense fire, brighter than anything I’d ever seen before (ATK: 2400).

 

“This monster represents my repressed fighting spirit. All of my hidden anger and frustration. For years my dad treated my mom like crap, until she finally left us. Once she was gone, he never lifted a finger to help me do anything!” By now the aura around me was burning stronger and brighter. It glowed even brighter than the flames around my monster. “It got worse and worse, and I got worse and worse, until I started making mistakes that had the potential to ruin my life. If not for John, I might not even be here right now. He helped me become the person that I am today, but all the frustration that built up, it's all still there, more intense than ever!

 

“And now, after so long,” I said, taking note of the look of mild fear on my opponent’s face, “I finally have an outlet for it all; YOU!”

 

I pointed at my opponent. “Prepare to face defeat at the hand of my eternal flame!”

 

Lawrence steeled up his expression and said, “Right, like you could ever defeat me, even with help!” He glanced over at Jen. “You can’t defeat all of my powerful dragons just by ‘releasing your anger’. Give me your best shot!”

 

I smiled, “Okay, but only because you insist! Activate, ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards. Next, the Continuous Spell card ‘Dark Room of Nightmare’, a card that deals you an extra 300 effect damage every time you take effect damage from another effect. And finally I activate the Spell card ‘Salamandra’, summoning the spirit of the fire dragon into my ‘Flame Lord’’s staff and blade, raising his power (ATK: 2400+700=3100).”

 

“It doesn’t matter,” said Lawrence. “Your monster’s puny power is nothing compared to the awesome strength of the ‘Ultimate Dragon’.”

 

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. I looked into Lawrence’s eyes, “You could not be more wrong!

 

“You see, my monster has a special power. For each Spell card that resolves after he is summoned, he absorbs Spell Energy in the form of a Spell Counter. Once he has three Spell Counters, he can unleash the energy he built up in the form of his ultimate attack, Incinerating Shockwave!”

 

‘Legendary Flame Lord’ raised his staff up over his head. The stone glowed, and a pillar of heat came up around his body, ready to erupt outward. “Are you crazy?” Lawrence asked, desperation in his voice. “An ability like that would destroy the ‘Great Moth’ as well!”

 

“True,” I said, “but I’m ready for that. Reveal ‘Interdimensional Matter Transporter’.”

 

A strange machine with a lens in the front appeared. A beam from the lens swept the entirety of the ‘Great Moth’, and it disappeared in a silvery ripple of the air.

 

“My Trap card can move one allied monster through space and time until the end of my turn, after my monster’s effect has been completed. That way the ‘Great Moth’ will survive the attack.”

 

And with that, the pillar spread out like an expanding dome, spread out, and became a swirling ring of fire. It swept over the dragons in a flash of heat and light. The flash faded, and the only figure that remained on the field was the ‘Flame Lord’, his eyes closed, his head down, and his weapons held at his side, smoke rising from his entire body.

 

“As I’m sure you’ve guessed,” I said ,”I’m not done. Since you no longer have any monsters left, I can launch a direct attack, Dragon Firestorm Stream!”

 

‘Legendary Flame Lord’ took aim with his staff, and a serpentine stream of flames, the point of which took the form of a dragon’s head, erupted from the staff and hit Lawrence dead on (5400-3100=2300).

 

 

Jen

 

 

“Now,” said Tucker, “I end my turn, and the ‘Great Moth’ returns.” My monster reappeared in a ripple of the air.

 

“And I,” I said, “direct attack with ‘Great Moth’ to end this duel. Giant Whirlwind.”

 

The monster flapped its wings, unleashing its devastating wind attack. The cyclone picked Lawrence up and tossed him onto his back, where he passed out in the sand (2300-2600=0).

 

 

Sarah

 

 

“I’ll turn the duel around with just this next move,” I declared, staring my opponent down. “I play the Spell card ‘A Legendary Ocean’, changing the field into the magical waters around the sunken city of Atlantis.” All around us appeared a calm ocean surface. In the water, far beneath me, was the immense golden palace from which my Spell’s magic emanated.

 

“Now,” I said, “thanks to my Field Spell card, my Water monsters on hand lose one summoning level, making my newest trump card a level six monster. I sacrifice ‘Guardian Kay’este’ to summon my ‘Levia Dragon - Daedalus’!”

 

‘Kay’este’ disappeared, and ‘Daedalus’, a huge blue and silver scaled serpent with pink fins and an armored head, appeared from beneath the surface with a splash and a spray, and a roar (ATK: 2600). The water began to swirl, closer and closer to my dragon, until it was like a liquid wall surrounding him on all sides.

 

“Next I sacrifice the ocean itself to destroy every card on the field, besides my dragon of course.” The water erupted away from my monster like a huge tidal wave that washed the rest of the field clean. “Now attack, Tidal Blast!”

 

‘Daedalus’ opened his mouth and fired a blue beam, hitting Monty directly (8000-2600=5400).

 

 

John

 

 

“My last stand against your ‘Relinquished’,” I declared, “is this, my ‘Strike Ninja’.” My monster, a black-clad ninja wearing a red scarf around his neck and carrying a kunai in each hand appeared in the air, flipped, and landed gracefully at my side (ATK: 1700).

 

“I’ll begin by destroying your ‘Shield’ first,” I said, “with the Spell card ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’.” A powerful burst of wind tore through the card hologram.

 

“Next I equip ‘Strike Ninja’ with the ‘Fusion Sword Murasame Blade’,” a blade grew out from his arm, above his wrist, and down over his right hand (1700+800=2500), “and attack, Ninjitsu Slash!”

 

‘Strike Ninja’ leapt up into the air, flipped, and sprung toward ‘Relinquished’ slashing with his sword. ‘Relinquished’ lowered his flaps, and the ‘Giant Orc’ emerged, absorbing the attack (5800+2200-2500=5500/5200+2200-2500=4900).

 

“I end my turn. Bring it on.”

 

Karen drew, and said, “Apparently you aren’t nearly as good as I thought. Did you forget that any monster you summon is vulnerable to my ‘Relinquished’’s effect? ‘Relinquished’, assimilate the ninja now!”

 

‘Relinquished’ activated its effect, pulling on the ninja. It pulled the sword away from him, destroying it.

 

“Sorry,” I said, “but your ability won’t work this time, because my ninja has an ability of his own. I remove two Dark monsters in my Graveyard from the game to take my ‘Ninja’ out of play until the end of the turn.” Moments before the ninja would have been absorbed, he crossed his arms, jumped into the air, and disappeared.

 

“That’s not possible,” Karen said. “Nothing escapes ‘Relinquished’’s grasp! It must have been absorbed. ‘Relinquished’, attack!” But at Karen’s command, nothing happened.

 

“Looks like you were wrong,” I said, “and it looks like your move is over, meaning that my ninja returns.” My ninja appeared, flipping backward, and landed with his arms crossed at my side.

 

“Now it's my turn,” I said. “I start out with ‘Graceful Charity’, letting me draw three cards.” I picked up three cards and looked them over. Perfect!

 

I discarded two cards, “Activate the Spell card ‘Polymerization’, fusing two monsters from my hand.” A skeletal demon with broad wings and a fierce black dragon with red eyes appeared and merged into a strong-looking dragon demon. It looked directly at Karen and roared.

 

“With the power of ‘Polymerization’ I fuse ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’ and ‘Summoned Skull’ into the ‘Black Skull Dragon’ (ATK: 3200)!

 

“Now, attack with ‘Strike Ninja’, Ninjitsu Shuriken!” ‘Strike Ninja’ threw his kunai through the hole in ‘Relinquished’, killing it (4900+0-1700=3200).

 

“And I attack with ‘Black Skull’, Black Fire Meteor!”

 

The dragon inhaled, and breathed a barrage of fireballs over Karen’s field. She was hit, thrown through the air, and landed sprawled face-down in the sand.

 

 

Sarah

 

 

Monty drew a card to begin his turn. “I summon,” he said, “my ‘Apprentice Magician’.” The familiar monster appeared, his staff raised (DEF: 600).

 

“I know about your monster’s power to summon a new Spellcaster in its place when it dies, and let me say, it won’t be enough. My next monster is the powerful ‘Tribe-Infecting Virus’.” A strange orange cloud appeared, swarming around my head (ATK: 1600). “Next I play 'Double Summon', to summon my ‘Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness’.” A humanoid fish warrior appeared. His skin was blue, and strong like armor, and he carried a spear (ATK: 1800).

 

“Now, I discard one card to activate the effect of my ‘Virus’, destroying your monster.” The cloud flew into his monster’s mouth and nose, and the magician died.

 

“Now I attack with the ‘Virus’,” I commanded, and the virus swirled around Monty’s head (5800-1600=4200)

 

“Now,” I said, “I finish it.” ‘Levia Dragon’ attacked, firing his beam, and the ‘Sea Serpent Warrior’ lunged, slashing Monty with his spear. Monty fell to his knees (4200-2600-1800=0).

 

I walked over to Monty, who stared at the ground, a shocked look on his face. “I let you remain conscious,” I said, “so that I could give you and your friends a message. You’ve lost. Go home.”

 

And with that, I turned and joined my brother and our friends at the entrance to the last stop on our journey, the Burial of the Soul.

 

[legendhiro]

and here it is, chapter twenty, the conclusion to book one. a lot of thinking and talking and wrapping up, and a new character that will be important from now on. almost as important as john. no profile for him yet, since i want him to remain a mystery for now.

 

 

comment!!!

 

 

[spoiler=Chapter Twenty]

 

Guardian of the Souls; Souls Released!

 

 

John

 

 

With the defeat of the Order, my team and I made our way toward the entrance to the Burial. We weren’t sure what to do from here, but we each felt like something was drawing us inside. We stepped through the threshold, entering a large stone inner chamber.

 

My team and I stepped slowly across the wide, open floor. As we passed them, several torches along the inner walls lit up on their own. With our path now illuminated, we were able to see the contents of the chamber; a stone pedestal with twelve round indentations, each as large as one of the Soul crystals, eight of them with darkened crystals still resting within them.

 

“This must be where the Forgotten Duelist sealed the twelve Souls,” I said, running my fingers over the surface. But as I did, I began to feel as if we were being watched. I would not have given the feeling any thought, except that it was coming from the Soul of Darkness. “Everyone, stop,” I said. “We’re not alone in here.”

 

“Do you think the Order followed us in?” Sarah asked.

 

“No,” I said, concentrating hard on the feelings emanating from my Soul. “Whoever it is, they feel different. Almost familiar.”

 

We spread out, and I concentrated even harder until I could feel where the presence was located. “They’re near the pedestal.”

 

I walked back over to the pedestal, and out of the darkness in the back of the room, stepped a young man in white with brown hair with blond bangs, wearing a golden shoulder dress, a golden cape, golden bands on his un-sleeved arms, and wooden sandals on his feet, his hair obscuring his face. He was maybe two, three years older than me. But as weird as all of this was, he was transparent, and I was the only one reacting to his presence. In fact, I thought, my friends aren’t even moving!

 

“What did you do to my friends?” I asked the young man.

 

“Don’t worry,” he replied. His voice was similar to mine, only a bit deeper and carrying more experience. “I am the Guardian of the Souls. I draw my life force from the energy of your Soul of Darkness, so I thought it best to speak to you alone. I need your help.

 

“You see, I am all that is left of the legacy of the bearer of the original Soul. My job is to see to it that the Souls survive until the Forgotten Duelist’s return. You see, I am not the Duelist, but I am the last remnant of his immortal soul. I am bound to the Duelist, and until Blackheart is defeated and the Duelist finally finds rest, I cannot move on from this world.”

 

“Okay,” I said, “makes sense, but what can I do?”

 

“I need your permission,” the young man said, “to retain my dwelling within your Soul of Darkness. But that is not all. I cannot leave this ruin, unless I have a body, so I would like to ask that I be allowed to use yours. I will remain in the back of your mind, never interfering, and in exchange I will offer you assistance whenever I can.”

 

I thought for a second, but my Soul had already made my decision for me. The Soul trusted the young man, and I, in turn, trusted him as well.

 

“Alright,” I told the young man, “but if we’re going to be roommates, I’m gonna need to know what to call you.”

 

The young man looked up, his face revealed. He didn't just sound like me, he looked a lot like me too. He thought for a moment, and then said, “I’ve never even known if I had a name, but I’ve always been partial to…Hiro.”

 

 

For whatever reason, the others had not been aware of Hiro’s presence, so he and I decided to keep his existence a secret for now. He returned to the Soul, and my team started moving again as if nothing had happened.

 

“I don’t think anyone else is here,” Tucker said. “You’re paranoid dude.”

 

“Yeah,” I agreed. “I must have been mistaken. Come on, let’s go.”

 

My team stepped up close to the pedestal again. I reached up and placed my hand on the surface of the pedestal, and the darkened crystals lit up, each a different color. They shot through the open doorway, into the world outside.

 

“Did we do it?” Jen asked.

 

“Yeah,” I said, “we did it. We released the Souls. But I get the feeling that our fight isn’t over yet.”

 

 

After we released the eight remaining Souls out into the world to find their bearers, my team and I left the Burial. We noticed that the Order was already gone, leaving little reminder of our battle. I scanned the landscape, and I noticed that the sand where Tucker had been standing during his duel had been turned to glass by an intense heat. I thought of asking him what had happened, but since I already knew about his past, I had a good idea what his answer would be, and I let it drop, signaling to Odion that it was time to go. He didn’t once ask any of us what had happened.

 

I sat in the back of the truck this time, leaning my head back and closing my eyes.

 

Soul of Darkness, I asked silently, I need to speak with Hiro.

 

I’m here, I heard Hiro think back, and suddenly I saw him in my mind’s eye.

 

I have some questions for you if you don’t mind. I was respectful, but it wasn’t a question. He wanted to use my body as a condo, then the least he could do was answer my questions.

 

You say that you are the last remnant of the Duelist. Does that mean that you are the Duelist?

 

Yes and no, Hiro answered. Over the millennia I developed into an almost entirely new being, In fact, I hardly remember anything from my life in the ancient past.

 

Alright. And here‘s another one. Were you the one that caused to excavations to lose their way when coming here?

 

Yes.

 

Even the ones that never returned?

 

In a way. I could not let them find the Burial, but they were stubborn, unwilling to return home. Eventually it was their own foolish desire for treasure or adventure that caused them to perish.

 

This would have bothered me a week ago, but now I found that I understood.

 

Only one more question, I said. Are you good at games?

 

Very.

 

Good. Then we should get along just fine.

 

 

That night, my team and I caught a jet home. I sat in the plane and watched the sun set through the window, wondering about my future. I remembered Pegasus telling me that I would eventually encounter everyone who was meant to have a Soul, and that I would help to bring them together. But in spite of all of that, the only thing I could think about was what Christopher had said so long ago:

 

 

“John, forget this, I’m gonna make you my rival. Promise me that you’ll get as strong as you can, and next time we meet, we’ll show everyone which one of us is stronger, once and for all.”

 

 

Even with all of the things going on in my life, the question that kept running through my mind was, would my quest to protect the Souls help me keep my promise to Christopher?

 

I put those things aside, and I began to wonder, if I had no choice but to protect the Souls, what would I learn in the process? What kind of person would I become?

 

But most importantly of all, as the jet flew us toward home, reflecting the glint of the sun, I steeled myself against the fact that, despite all of the uncertainty and all of the unanswered questions, my battle had still only just begun.

 

[Brittle Ice]

This is great!

John becomes like Yugi now. He has a spirit inside him.!

And I think that Christopher got one Soul!

^__^

[legendhiro]

actually, christopher doesn't get a Soul, but we see in special number one, which is not quite written yet and will be out as soon as it is, that he doesn't need a Soul or shadow item because he, like jaden, has a lot of "duel energy" that connects his to the monster spirits around him, giving him power all his own.

 

and john isn't quite like yugi. hiro has a very different role than yami did, as you will see ^_^

 

but i don't want to give any more away. keep reading!

[Nexev]

awesome, thats all i say, and that is all i need to say

[Stigma_Horrizone]

Great as always!!!!!!

---

Cant wait for book 2!!!!

[Nexev]

ypu should have someone use your formchanger cards

[Stigma_Horrizone]

and ur starynight structure deck?

[legendhiro]

starry night deck will appear in special #1, and my formchangers will likely appear in a short story later on.

 

EDIT: changed my mind. i made proxies of my starry night cards, and they suck, so i'll come up with something else to use in their place.

[legendhiro]

here it is, Yu-Gi-Oh! DF Book Two: Rein of the Reaper, Chapter One: The Mysterious Arrival

 

plus a new profile; Amanda

 

comments always welcome!

 

 

[spoiler=Chapter One]

 

Mysterious Arrival

 

 

It had been a few weeks since my team, the Duel Force, and I had returned home from our quest to Egypt and begun searching for the recipients of the remaining eight Duelist’s Souls. We were surprised when another of my family, mine, Sarah’s, and Jen’s youngest cousin Amanda, was already in possession of the green crystal, the Soul of Wind.

 

As soon as we found out about Amanda’s Soul, I sat down with her and explained the situation She was very young, but also smart for her age, so I figured that she would be able to understand.

 

As we sat, she pushed her dark brown hair out of her dark eyes, and I said, “That crystal is something called a Duelist’s Soul, a piece of a more powerful crystal that belonged to a man who lived 3000 years ago, who we only know of as the Forgotten Duelist. The Souls are magic, and their powers will one day be used to bring the Duelist back in modern times so he can save us from a coming evil, his own dark half. We, as Soul wielders, have to keep the Souls away from an evil group called the Order until it's time for the Duelist’s return. It will be dangerous, but me, Jen, and Sarah will be there to protect you. But you need to keep close to us. If you don’t-.”

 

“Yeah,” she’d said, “I get it. These bad guys will be able to get to me and they’ll be a step closer to having everything they want, right?”

 

“I knew you’d understand kid.”

 

So that’s how Amanda became the fifth member of the Duel Force.

 

Amanda, Sarah, and I were all sitting together at the game center at the mall. Jen and Tucker were up on the duel arena. They had been dominating the Duelists in the game center in two-on-two duels all day. While they played, I spoke with Sarah about ways to discover potential wielders of the remaining Souls.

 

“So far the Souls seem to represent different attributes, like wind, water, and fire,” I said. “Pegasus told us that we would meet up with all of the Soul Wielders eventually, so we should search for the best Duelists in the area with those kinds of decks.”

 

“If there is a Soul of Darkness,” Said Sarah, “there will be a Soul of Light too.”

 

“And,” Amanda said, “I have the Soul of Wind, so there should be a Soul of Earth.”

 

“Then those are the ones we’ll look for first,” I said. “The best Earth and Light Duelists in the area, and as quickly as possible.”

 

As I finished speaking, Jen and Tucker finished thrashing another pair of Duelists.

 

“Oh yeah!” Tucker cried. “Two more down! Anyone else want to take on the dream team?”

 

Everyone in the audience began to murmur and turn away. None of them wanted to face the Duel Force.

 

Then suddenly the Soul spirit Hiro appeared. John, he said, someone…strange has just arrived, with more power than anyone you or your team have faced before.

 

As Hiro finished speaking, someone in the back of the crowd spoke up. “I’ll take you on. Both of you, at once.”

 

The crowd fell silent, turning toward the source of the voice. I looked, as the crowd parted to let the challenger through. He was about my height, wearing blue jeans and a large, almost black hooded sweatshirt, the hood of which obscured his face.

 

“I’ll take you both on,” the hooded kid repeated. He stepped up to the opposite end of the arena, his hands in the pouch on the front of his shirt. He was, of course, wearing a Duel Disk on his left arm.

 

“Before we start,” he said, “let’s make things interesting.” He held up seven cards, ‘Masked Beast Des Gardius’, ‘The Masked Beast’, ‘Curse of the Masked Beast’, ‘Melkid the Four-Faced Beast’, ‘Grand Tiki Elder’, ‘Mask of Brutality’, and ‘Mask of Remnants’. Seven rare cards that made a near perfect combo.

 

“If you win,” the kid said, “I’ll give you these seven rare cards. But if I win, I get the two strongest monsters from each of your decks.”

 

“We can’t lose,” said Tucker, “and those cards will be worth a mint in trade value!”

 

“You’ve got a deal,” said Jen.

 

Jen and Tucker re-shuffled and re-placed their decks. Jen, Tucker, and the hooded kid activated their Duel Disks.

 

“I’ll move first,” said Tucker (LP: 4000), drawing his card. “And I’ll begin with one monster in defense mode and a face-down card.”

 

“My move,” said Jen (LP: 4000). “I’ll do the same.”

 

“Then it's my turn,” the hooded kid declared (LP: 8000). He picked up his opening hand. “I begin the slaughter with the Spell card ‘Call of the Mummy’. Now, if I control no monsters, I can Special Summon any zombie from my hand. So I Special Summon ‘Ryu-Kokki’,” a creature with the body of a snake and the torso of a man, all made of skulls and bones, appeared (ATK: 2400), “and then I normal summon the deadly shadow, ‘Fear from the Dark’.” A man-sized creature made of shadows appeared alongside the first monster (ATK: 1700).

 

“Now,” said the hooded kid, “I’ll place three cards face-down and attack both of your monsters!”

 

The shadow, ‘Fear from the Dark’, reached forward and slashed through Tucker’s monster, a large green turtle with a UFO for a shell. ‘Ryu-Kokki’ slashed Jen’s monster, a large gray rat with piercing red eyes, with his long bony claws.

 

“You destroyed my ‘UFO Turtle’,” said Tucker. “That means that I can summon any Fire monster with low attack from my deck. I summon ‘Flame Ruler’.” A bare-chested man in an aura of fire appeared (ATK: 1500).

 

“Also,” said Jen, “because you destroyed my ‘Giant Rat’ I can summon a low attack monster of my own. I choose ‘Pinch Hopper’.” A large dog sized green grasshopper appeared at Jen’s feet (ATK: 1000).

 

“And then,” Tucker said, “I reveal ‘Backfire’. You take 500 Life Points worth of burn damage whenever a Fire monster is destroyed.” A pocket of air near the hooded kid’s chest exploded (8000-500=7500).

 

“And now, since it's my turn again,” said Tucker, “I draw, and then I sacrifice my ‘Flame Ruler’ to summon the mighty ‘Tyrant Dragon’!” Tucker’s secret weapon, a huge copper-scaled dragon, appeared behind him (ATK: 2900).

 

“The jewel in my monster’s forehead makes him immune to targeting Trap cards,” Tucker declared, “so don’t even bother trying to counter this. ‘Tyrant Dragon’ attacks and destroys your ‘Ryu-Kokki’, and then, using his ability, destroys your ‘Fear from the Dark’, Tyrant Burst!”

 

Flames burst from the dragon’s mouth, incinerating the kid’s monsters (7500+2400-2900+1700-2900=6300).

 

“Now for my turn,” said Jen. “I reveal my Spell card ‘Multiplication of Insects’.

This split’s the one ‘Hopper’ into two, and activates its ability, letting me summon any Insect from my hand.” The one grasshopper became two, and behind Jen appeared an insect with a massive thorax, a humanoid torso, and multiple long legs. “Meet the rarest insect in my deck,” said Jen, “the ‘Insect Queen’ (ATK: 2200+(200x3)=2800)!

 

“I sacrifice my ‘Hopper Token’ (2800-200=2600),” Jen said, “to attack you directly.” the token monster disappeared, and the ‘Queen’ spit venom at the kid (6300-2600=3700).

 

“So, Hoody,” Tucker taunted, “how was that? One more round, and you’ll be dead.”

 

“Wrong,” said the kid, chuckling. “You can’t kill me. I am Death. Death cannot be overcome, outrun, or destroyed. Death is coming for you!

 

“I draw, and I activate the Spell card ‘Card of Demise’,

letting me draw until I hold five cards, as long as I give up my hand in five turns.” the hooded kid drew, and grinned. “Next I summon ‘Spirit Reaper’ and his companion, ‘Nightmare Horse’.”

 

“You’ll summon what and what?” Tucker asked.

 

On the kid’s field appeared a floating ghost-like creature wearing a long dark cloak and carrying a scythe. Beside him appeared a blue ghost horse wrapped in tattered bandages.

 

“These are companion monsters,” the hooded kid said, “able to merge into the instrument of death. I play ‘Polymerization’ to fuse my two monsters into ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’!”

 

‘Spirit Reaper’ flew over and settled onto the ‘Horse’’s back. The ‘Nightmare Horse’ neighed, and the ‘Reaper’ raised his scythe high (ATK: 800).

 

“Now, ‘Reaper’,” the hooded kid commanded, “attack the Fire Duelist directly.” The ‘Reaper’ flew right past Tucker’s monster and slashed him with his scythe (4000-800=3200).

 

“Next, because of my ‘Reaper’’s effect, you discard one card randomly from your hand.”

 

Tucker shuffled his hand and picked a card without looking, his ‘Legendary Flame Lord’. He placed it into his Graveyard.

 

“Interesting move,” said Tucker, “but you made a big mistake. By leaving your monster in attack mode, you made yourself vulnerable. I draw, and I attack your ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’ with ‘Tyrant Dragon’, Tyrant Burst‘!”

 

Behind Tucker, the mighty dragon inhaled and exhaled, spewing flames across the field, engulfing the ‘Reaper’ in a torrent of fire.

 

Something feels strange about this, I thought.

 

I agree.

 

Hiro? You’re still watching?

 

Yeah, said Hiro from within the back of my mind, I am. And you’re right. There’s something strange about that ‘Spirit Reaper’ card. it’s a lot more powerful than it looks.

 

I watched as ‘Tyrant Dragon’’s flames faded. At first it seemed like there was nothing there, but then I noticed a cloud of black smoke. Something began to form from the smoke. “What?” Tucker said, as, before his eyes, the ‘Reaper on the Nightmare reappeared, completely unharmed.

 

“I told you, you can’t overcome death. In keeping with this rule, the ‘Spirit Reaper’ cannot be destroyed by battle.”

 

“Yeah,” said Jen, “but wouldn’t you still take battle damage?”

 

“Not thanks to this,” the hooded kid said as his card revealed itself. “My ‘Spirit Barrier’ Trap protects me from all battle damage that I would receive while I control at least one monster.”

 

“Then how are we supposed to win?” Tucker asked.

 

The hooded kid smiled wickedly, “You’re not!”

 

“Calm down Tuck,” said Jen. “His combination is good, but just because his monster is invincible in battle, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be destroyed using Spell and Trap card effects. I activate the Spell card ‘Offerings to the Doomed’. By giving up my next Draw Phase, I can destroy any monster on the field.”

 

Mummy wraps burst up out of the ground beneath the ‘Reaper’, reaching toward him, but as they were about to ensnare the target, a strange mask appeared over the ‘Reaper’’s face. A red light emanated from the mask, and the wraps were disintegrated.

 

“Reveal,” the kid said, “the handy Trap card ‘Mask of the Undead’,

negating the effect of a card that targets a Zombie.”

 

“You mean you have rare cards like that at your disposal too?” Jen asked.

 

“Your deck doesn’t have many openings,” Tucker asked, “does it?”

 

“My deck,” the hooded kid replied, his voice full of pride, “is unbeatable. And now to further establish why.”

 

The hooded kid drew a card, giving him three. “My only move this turn will be to attack again with the ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’.” The ‘Reaper’ flew strait at the ‘Insect Queen’. She slashed, but the ‘Reaper’ slid to the side like smoke and carried on past her, slashing Jen (4000-800=3200). She discarded one card without looking.

 

“Your turn’s over now though,” said Tucker. “That means I have another chance to defeat your combo.” He drew, and he smiled at his newest card. He looked up at the kid and said, “And it looks like I drew into just the way to do it! I play ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’.” A wind picked up, threatening to tear the ‘Spirit Barrier’ card hologram to shreds.

 

“Nice try,” said the hooded kid. “But I have another Trap card protecting me, the Counter Trap ‘Magic Drain’. You must discard a Spell, or the Spell you played is negated.”

 

“Crap! I don’t have another Spell,” said Tucker, and the whirlwind died out. Once again my team and the kid had skirmished, and once again the mysterious hooded kid had come out on top. From where I was standing, it didn’t look like there was much that Jen and Tucker could do.

 

Jen and Tucker took turn after turn, but they could do nothing. The hooded kid continued to alternate attacking Jen, then Tucker, then Jen again, turn after turn, destroying their hands, until it came down to one final move.

 

Tucker had just been defeated, and his and Jen’s last chance was for her, her hand empty, to top deck a powerful card. “I draw,” she said, “and I activate the Spell card ‘Smashing Ground’!”

 

An invisible force came down from above and smashed the ‘Reaper’ to smoke. He did not return.

 

“Now I attack with my ‘Insect Queen’, sacrificing ‘Hopper Token’ to do so.” The ‘Hopper’ disappeared, and ‘Queen’ struck (2600-200=2400), hitting the hooded kid with her venom (3700-2400=1300). The kid was completely unconcerned.

 

“Activate ‘Book of Life’. I remove a monster in your Graveyard, your ‘Giant Rat’, from play, to breath life back into my symbol of death, ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’!”

 

The black smoke reappeared, coming back together to form the ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’.

 

“Oh come on!” said Jen, fear in her eyes. “Just stay dead!”

 

The hooded kid laughed, “I told you, you can’t destroy death! But death can destroy you! ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’, end it, Deadly Slash!”.

 

The ‘Reaper’ flew strait past the ‘Insect Queen’ and slashed Jen across the chest. She fell to her knees (800-800=0).

 

In only about twenty minutes, two of my team were defeated. Reluctantly they handed over their cards. Tucker lost ‘Tyrant Dragon’ and ‘Legendary Flame Lord’. Jen lost ‘Insect Queen’ and ‘Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth’.

 

As soon as the kid had their cards, he stepped down and headed toward the exit. He stopped a few feet from my table and said, “If you want to find me, your Soul will show you the way.” He continued outside.

 

He knows about the Souls! I thought.

 

He is likely an agent of the Duelists of the Order, Hiro said. We should pursue.

 

I stood up and looked up at a confused Sarah and said, “I’m going after him.” I concentrated and flared up my Soul reaching out for the kid’s location. He was still moving, making it difficult. I stood there silently for several minutes before I finally found him. I intended to run to meet him, but before I could, the darkness reached out to me, pulling me through the shadows and out behind the mall, where the kid waited at the edge of a small patch of woods, his hands in his pouch. He had been waiting for me.

 

“Glad you could make it, John,” said the hooded kid. “My name is Max, and I’m here for your Soul.”

 

 

 

[spoiler=Character Profile #8]

 

Name: Amanda Byers

 

Deck Type: Infinite Gale (known to her enemies as "One-Turn Wind")

 

Shadow Item: Soul of Wind

 

Favorite Card: Harpie Girl

 

Soul Card: Simorgh, Bird of Divinity/Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry

 

Description: Almost black hair and brown eyes. John's, Sarah's, and Jen's cousin. Amanda is the youngest member of the Duel Force. She is very skilled, though she doesn't realize it. She only ever bothered to learn the abilities of her own cards, so she built her deck around removing obstacles from her path. She figures that if her opponent doesn't have any cards left, then she doesn't need to know what her opponent's cards do. Amanda is very smart for her age, but is not always very mature.

 

[Stigma_Horrizone]

wow, this villan is one tough opponent! but his deck kinda reminds me of Lumis and Umbra from the Battle City Arc of the yugioh series

[legendhiro]

this is only a taste of his deck. as far as character decks go, his is the weirdest i've ever made. its theme is death, and maybe discard, but only partly. he focuses on his favorite monsters, which are any monsters that resemble reapers, his favorite monster skull knight, and his Soul card, berserk dragon. i think you will all like it.

[Nexev]

it's a risky strategy since you can eqiup him to death,

good chapter

[legendhiro]

thanks