Yugioh: Bottomless Nightmares

[Woloa]

This is a reposting of my fanfic with a different, more fitting, title, that is all.

 

[spoiler=Prolog: The entry exam.]A young boy named Simon Yu waited in the stadium. Today was the day of the Duel Academy entry exams, this was also the day that he was to reveal the functions of Amulet monsters. His duel disk was set to use these new cards, and all the hologram projectors had already been updated over the air to allow for their use.



"Would Simon Yu please report to duel arena 2" His heart nearly skipped a beat, it was his turn. He took a deep breath and walked to the arena, in front of him stood a tall man in a blue suit with massive sunglasses, the normal attire for aptitude testers. Simon stepped forward and turned on his duel disk, no words had to be said to begin the duel, everyone knew that the aspiring student always got the first move, so Simon drew his hand and his confidence grew when he saw what it had to offer.

Simon LP: 4000

Tester LP: 4000

"Since I've got the first move, I'll summon Toy Doll in attack mode!"

[Level 3, 500Atk/1000Def]

"She may look weak, but she doesn't travel alone. When Toy Doll is normal summoned, I can special summon two more Toy Dolls from my deck!" Simon's Duel disk dispensed the other two toy dolls and he set them down, standing before him were three dolls modeled after young girls, each wearing dresses of different colors. "And I'll end my turn by setting two cards in my trap zones, and one in my Amulet zone." The tester was taken aback

"Amulet? what is this, some kind of trickery?"
"no, just a new card type I'm beta testing, now, its your move."

"Right" the tester took a moment to compose himself "First, I activate the field spell Umi!" and with that, the arena floor became a vast ocean "and now, I summon Amphibious Bugroth MK3, in attack mode."

[1500Atl/1300Def] "thanks to my Bugroth's ability, it can attack you directly with 1300Atk points as long as Umi is face up on the field. Now go, Bugroth, attack him directly with Amphibian Missile!"

Simon smirked "I don't think so, I activate the effect of my Amulet, Yellow Gem-Eyes Doll! She negates your attack, then gives me three extra monster zones and two extra spell and trap zones. Nice try though." The spectators cheered as Simon's field grew i size and the now present doll intercepted the missile, causing it to detinate harmlessly in the center of the arena, causing nothing more that ripples in the water.

"Then I'll end my turn with two cards face down"

"that makes it my turn!" Simon smirked again as he drew. "I'll start with the ritual spell card Crazed Dollmaker's Curse, now, by tributing all three of my Toy Dolls, I can special summon Anne, Doll of the Curse from my hand!" When the card was set on the duel disk, a tall doll with four arms and a cracked face appeared before him.

[2500Atk/2500Def] "Now, Anne, blow that Bugroth to pieces with Cursed Flame Strike!" Anne's hands became englufed in black fire as she rushed forwards towards the weak machine

"Not so fast! I acitvate my trap card, Sakuretsu Armor, say goodbye to your little dolly"
"I activate my face down! Seven Tools of the Bandit. Sure, I lose 1000 life points" he said casually as his life points ticked down to 3000 "but I get to keep my 'little dolly', and you'll be taking 1200 points of damage, since your umi reduces your Bugroth's attack points by 200"
The tester cried out in pain as Anne's blow connected with the Bugroth, the machine melting in the dark flames. "and now I'll summon Maker Doll and call it a turn"

[1000Atk/1000Def]

Simon LP: 3000

Tester LP: 2800

The tester growled slightly before drawing "I activate The Cheerful Coffin, allowing me to discard Levia Dragon Daedalus from my hand, and now, I'll activate my face down Call of the Haunted to bring him strait to the field!" the large blue dragon appeared before him, letting out a mighty roar

[2600At/1500Def]

Simon laughed a little "yeah, and you just activated my trap card, Bottomless Trap hole, looks like you'll need to say bye bye to your big dragon for the rest of the duel"

"I end my turn..."

"alright, my draw, and I'll start my turn by activating the field spell card Crazed Dollmaker's Workshop!" the vast ocean was replaced with a dark workshop filled with broken dolls, parts and tools strewn all over "in here, Dolls gain 250 attack and defense points for each other doll on the field, Anne's special ability does the same thing too, so, right now that 'little dolly' you tried to take out with your trap's got 3000 attack points. Now, Anne, finish this with Final Curse!" the tester became engulfed in Anne's black fire, crying out in pain until his lifepoints ticked down and the projectors deactivated. "hey, good game, you didn't stand a chance, but, that was fun."

 

 

[spoiler=Chapter 1, First night at the dorm] Simon stepped off of the helicopter, a tad nervous about this new place. He was assigned to Obelisk Blue, the most prestigious of the three dorms. He took notice of one rather large student who he ended up sitting beside during the welcome dinner. "hey..." he said timidly

"Hi, my name's Jessie, who are you?"
"I'm Simon Yu, this place makes me... nervous..."
"Don't worry, nothing bad happens here."
"oh, good. So, your a duelist?"
"of course I am. That's why I'm here"
"so, do you want to duel once we're done with this dinner"

"but, what about the dance?"
"Dancing isn't my thing..."

The two remained silent for the remainder of the dinner after that, then, as the dancing started, Simon slinked off to his room and laid down on his bed "well, I made it in, to the biggest dorm too... I wonder if I belong here"
"There you are!" came Jessie's voice from the doorway "Come on Simon, the dance just started!"

"I told you already, dancing isn't my thing."

"Fine, then we'll do this the hard way" Jessie picked up Simon and carried him towards the dance floor

"Please, put me down, I have a fear of falling!"
"Are you going to dance?"

"Yes, yes I am, just set me down!"

"Good" Jessie gently set Simon back on the floor, Simon took a deep breath to calm himself and then reluctantly walked to the dance floor. Simon took his first opertunity to step off of the dance floor and sit off to the side, not returning to his room for fear of Jessie carrying him out again.

"Hey" Said a female voice to his side. The sudden voice causing him to jump.

"h- hello... I'm Simon Yu..." the girl giggled

"wow, did I scare you that badly? my name's Sirrus. You asked Jessie for a duel earlier, you wanna ditch this dance and duel me instead?"
"that depends, what are the stakes?"
"stakes? I don't play for stakes, I just play to have fun! let's go!" she took his hand and nearly pulled him to the outdoor arena. Simon and Sirrus both took their places

Sirrus LP:4000

Smon LP:4000

Simon turned on his duel disk, feeling a sudden surge of confidence "ladies first"

Sirrus giggled and drew her starting hand "Alright, but, you can't be mad when I beat you. I summon Cannon Soldier in attack mode!" The card caused a human sized purple machine with a large back mounted cannon to appear.

[1400Atk/1300Def] "and then I'll throw down a face down and call it a turn"

"Then its by draw!" Simon added his sixth card to his hand and looked over it carefully. "I summon Bladed Doll in attack mode" the doll that appeared before him was crude, one of its arms replaced at the elbow with a shortsword

[1600Atk/1000Def] "Now, Bladed Doll, destroy her Cannon Soldier with Dark Slash!"
"Not so fast, you've just activated my trap card, Draining Shield, your attack is negated and I gain life points equal to your attacking monster's attack points."

Sirrus LP: 5600

"I set down a card in my Amulet zone and end my turn"
"Amulet?" Sirrus asked as she drew her next card "what's that?"
"it's an experimental card type I'm testing, if you try to attack me directly you'll see how they work"
"oh, but I don't have to. I tribute Cannon Soldier to summon Cannon Soldier Mk2!"

[1900Atk/1200Def] "and now, I activate the spell card Scapegoat, giving me four sheep tokens, but, they aren't staying here. I activate Cannon Soldier MK2's special ability, by tributing 2 monsters, I can deal 1500 points of damage directly to your life points, and, I can do it as many times as I want each turn"
"What!?" Simon help up his duel disk protectively as the tiny fluffy sheep were fired at him from the back of the large cannon soldier

Simon LP: 1000
"And now" Sirrus continued "I activate the spell card Stray Lambs! It gives me two extra sheep tokens and lets me and Cannon Soldier Mk2 end this! fire!"

Simon LP: 0

Sirrus LP: 5600

Winner: Sirrus

Simon sighed as the projectors turned off "good game Sirrus" he held out his hand, she took his hand firmly and shook it

"Thanks, who knows, maybe you'll be as good as me someday"
"Hey, don't get cocky, you just got a lucky draw!"
"Please, my deck's all about cannons, no one's ever been able to survive all of them, anyway, goodnight!"

"Night." Simon walked back inside "I wonder..." he pulled Anne, Doll of the Curse from his deck "if your spirit is still out there somewhere..."

 

 

[spoiler=Chapter 2, The Hotshot of Ra Yellow.]Simon found the first day of classes rather dull, however, on his way back to his dorm he spotted a crowd of Ra Yellows and Slifer Reds. He slowly approached the crowd, feeling out of place in his blue trenchcoat.

"And that makes three strait victories!" shouted a Ra Yellow with slightly spiked blonde hair. "So, who's next?" Before Simon could step up, another Ra Yellow stepped into the makeshift arena.

"Me, someone's gotta take you down Ace, and I'll do the honors."

"Alright then Cade, but, you know my rules. You've gotta put something in the pot"
"Fine, I'll put up my Dimensional Warden: Sacera the Reaper" Cade said wile slowly placing his card on the table.

Ace smirked "And I'll put up my Turboslot Golem." Ace swiftly placed his card on the table "now, since I was challenged, I'll take the first move."

Ace LP: 4000

Cade LP: 4000

"First, I summon Dice Juggler in attack mode," An outlandish white harlequin appeared before him, dancing and juggling 3 dice.

[1000Atk/1000Def] "and now, I activate Dice Juggler's effect, I call even or odd and roll a die, if I guessed right, he gains 300 attack points, times the number rolled, until the end of your turn, then I roll again. Show me, odd!" Ace threw the dice, landing on a 5. "looks like my Juggler's got 2500 attack points this round. I'll end my turn with a facedown."

"Then its my move. First, I activate the effect of Dimensional Prisoner:Wolf the Chained from my hand, allowing me to banish her and Sloth the Inanimate from my hand."
"Wait, your already banishing your own monsters?"
"I'm only getting started. Now, I summon Dimensional Prisoner: Aria the Marionette in attack mode," A youthful woman dressed in all black with wings sprouting from her back supported by strings leading to the sky appeared before him.

[1000 Atk/1900Def] "now, since I control a Dimensional Prisoner and Wolf is banished, I can banish Aria to bring out Wolf and Sloth from my banished zone, and Aria comes back with an extra 1000 attack points, since she was banished by a dimension prisoner." Cade smirked as the blue haired wolf girl in chains and the white skinned demon girl laying on a strangely shaped tree appeared before him, both in defense mode.

Wolf: [2000Atk/2700Def] Sloth: [0Atk/2100Def] Aria: [2000Atk/1900Def]

"good work, but now its my move. and first, I activate the field spell Trick Casino!" the world around them changed into a large golden casino "Wile we're in the trick casino, I can redo one coin toss or die roll each turn. And now I sacrifice Dice Juggler to summon Slot Machine Golem in defense mode!" the juggler faded away and was replaced by a large golem with a slot machine built into its chest.

"and I activate his effect, it lets me roll three dice..." he tossed three dice, 2 sixes and a 3 "aaand now I use my Trick Casino to reroll that three..." he rolled again, a 6, giving him a total of three "Jackpot! since I rolled three 6s, I get to destroy 3 cards you control, so, say goodbye to your monsters."
"what?!" Cade stepped back as his three inmates were shattered in front of him "and now, I activate the spell card Roulette Summon! I call odd or even and roll a die, then play every monster in my hand that matches the number rolled, well, if I called it right. so, show me a five!" the die obeyed, Ace smiled wide as he set down two more golems from his hand, one holding a deck of cards, the other wearing sunglasses and a headset "say hello to Dealer Golem and Bouncer Golem in attack mode!"

Both: [2000Atk/2500Def] "Now, Golems, end this duel with Card Toss and Big Bounce!" and so, with a card to the chest and a golem to the head, Cade's lifepoints were reduced to 0 "I think I'll quit for the night, see you all here tomorrow" he took the cards off the table and walked away laughing. Simon silently swore to return the next day and take Ace down.

 

 

[spoiler=Chapter 3, House Advantage] Simon traveled again to the makeshift Ra Yellow duel arena, just as he expected, Ace was there.

"Its great to see you all again! So, who'll be my first opponent today?"
"Me" that was the only word Simon said as he stepped forward, walking to the betting table, pulling a small box from his bag. "I'll put up this box of experimental cards, but I want you to put up every card you've won dueling in this arena"

"Sounds fair to me, in fact, I'll throw in a Doll Billionaire out of the kindness in my heart" Ace smirked as he set the small pile of cards on the table along with Simon's box of Amulet monsters. "I'll get the duel started, as per usual." Ace drew his first hand "I think I'll summon Coin Juggler in attack mode"

[1000Atk/1000Def] the grey clown looked just as outlandish as the Dice Juggler Simon had seen used yesterday. "now I activate his special ability, I call heads or tails and flip six coins, he gains 300 attack points for each coin I call correctly. So, show me heads!" Ace flipped six coins with amazing speed due to all his practice, three heads "well, looks like my juggler's got 1900 attack points until the end of your turn, speaking of, it IS your turn."

"Stop being so cocky, your lucky I even took notice of you"
"Oh yes, I am honored to have the chance to beat an Obelisk"

"Well, you wont be beating me, it's my draw" Simon drew a card and smiled "exactly what I needed, I summon Toy Doll in defense mode, and when she's summoned, her friends came strait from my deck to play." the three dolls appeared before him, each in a differently colored dress [500Atk/1000Def each] "and now I activate Double Summon to summon Doll Guardna from my hand in defense mode"

[0Atk/2000Def] the doll before him now was made almost entire of metal , certainly coming off more sturdy than the toy dolls. "and now, I activate the spell card Pot of Doll Parts! it allows me to draw 1 card from my deck for each doll I control, and right now, I've got four"

"Not so fast! I activate Risky Gamble! I now flip a coin, and, if I call it right, your spell is negated. heads" the coin flip came up tails

"Looks like I'm drawing, and Pot of Doll Parts is back in my hand due to the effect of your Risky Gamble. I'll end my turn with a facedown"

"why are my coins betraying me..? whatever, its my draw, and I'll first activate my juggler's ability again." this time, 5 coins came up heads "yes! my juggler's got 2500 points! Now, Coin Juggler, attack his Gardna with Coin Toss!"
"Seems you haven't done your homework, Doll Gardna negates the effects of monsters that attack it, so, your Juggler's only got 1000 points, your about to take a hit."

"W- what?!" The coins bounced right off the Gardna and hit Ace right between the eyes for 1000 points of damage.

Ace LP: 3000

Simon LP: 4000

"whatever, now I tribute my Juggler to summon Dealer Golem! in attack mode!"

[2000Atk/2500Def] The golem with a deck of cards, just like yesterday...

"and now, I activate his ability, by calling a card type, I can draw a card, if I call it right, I get 1000 life points and I keep the card, if I call it wrong, I lose 1000 life points and have to ditch it. So, Dealer Golem, deal me up a monster" Ace drew a card and smirked, showing it to Simon "Bouncer Golem is a monster, looks like I get 1000 life points"

Ace LP: 4000

Simon LP: 4000

"I'll end my turn with a facedown, your move"

"And I'll make it count." he drew his next card and played it immediately "first, I activate the continuous spell card Ritual Dollhouse! it makes it so that all my dolls are worth twice there level in ritual summoning. And now I tribute Doll Gardna to activate Crazed Dollmaker's Curse and ritual summon Anne, Doll of the Curse in attack mode"

[2500Atk/2500Def]

"wait, what?! why didn't you get rid of the runts to summon her?"
"Simple, Anne gets 250 extra attack and defense points for each doll I control, and once I activate the field spell Crazed Dollmaker's Workshop, that bonus'll become 500. So, Anne's got an amazing 3500 attack and defense points. Now, Anne, attack his dealer golem with Cursed Flame!"

"I activate my facedown, risky maneuver. I call odd or even and roll a die, if I call it right, I negate your attack, if I call it wrong your attack becomes a direct one. I call even!" the die came up 5 "oh no..." Ace cried out in very real pain as the cursed flames engulfed him instead of his monster. "H- how did you..."
"Cause pain? I'm not sure, Anne just tends to do that, must be an error in the holograms, I'll bring it up with Industrial Illusions, anyway, its your move"
"Alright, first, I summon Card Juggler in attack mode. Now, by calling spells, traps or monsters, I can discard cards from my deck until I get one that doesn't match, and my juggler gains 300 attack points for each card I discarded. I'd like to see some spells" sure enough, 6 spells in a row, followed by a trap "that makes 3100attack points Now, Card Juggler, attack one of those toys with Trump Card"
"Hold on a moment, I activate my face down, Cursed Blowback! it negates your attack, and deals damage to you equal to 300 times the number of monsters you control"
"But, that'll leave me with..."
"0 life points. Nice try though."

Ace collapsed, devastated by his first defeat since he got here. "I- I was supposed to win..."
Simon took the cards from the table, slipping the Doll into his deck before returning the other cards to their original owners. "By the way Ace, I'd like you to have these" he handed the Ra Yellow a pair of Amulets named 'Amulet Juggler'
"What the?"
"These are some of those experimental cards I bet you, keep 'em, they'll be rolling out duel disks like mine that support them by the end of the week. Now, I'll see you around." Simon said smugly before walking back to his dorm, feeling good about himself. He went right to his room without a word

"Simon, where were you?"
"I was at Ra Yellow, had to beat down some guy who thought he was some kinda champion"

"So, you won?"
"By a landslide. and its all thanks to Anne"

"Thank you" said a small, barely audiable voice in the back of his head "what the..?"
"Something wrong simon?"
"I think someone just thanked me... I think I'll take a nap to calm my nerves..."

"Alright, I'll see you later then"

Simon laid down on his bed "yeap, later..."

 

 

 

[spoiler=Chapter 4, Deep Sleep]Simon opened his eyes to find a dark room around him, this wasn't his dorm room. Bits and pieces of dolls everywhere, tools strewn about the room, this was the Crazed Dollmaker's Workshop, but, that was impossible, the workshop is only a card. Was only a card.

"Hello Simon" came a female voice from nearby, Simon had heard it before but he couldn't remember where. He turned to see Anne, Doll of the Curse, standing just over his height, four arms, cracked face, long black strands of silk for hair, dressed in a tattered black dress.

"Anne? how is this possible?"
"Well, Simon, this is your mind. The only way to get out is to duel me, but, we can't duel here, we're wake my sisters."

"your sisters? you mean the other dolls? I'd take it they aren't as reasonable as you"
"That's right, follow me" Anne walked quietly to the door of the workshop, opening it and stepping out into a grassy field under a night sky, Simon followed carefully.

"Wow... I didn't realize my mind was this empty."
"Its only like this when you aren't dueling. That's why you need to duel me, it will create an exit for you so you can wake up from this nightmare."
"But, what about you? if you've been in this 'nightmare' for so long, can you tell me if there's any way for you to escape?"
"I may be able to follow you through the exit, but, only dueling energy can fill this field and create the exit we need, so get ready"
Simon nodded and turned on his duel disk "alright, but I wont go easy on you"

"I was about to say the same thing. Since I'm native to here, I'll give you the first move."

"Alright, in that case, I'll start by summoning Maker Doll in defense mode."
[1000Atk/1000Def] A doll dressed in a lolita style dress with a needle at the end of one arm, one of the dollmaker's more useful creations, as it helped him build his other dolls. "and I'll end my turn with two cards face down"
"Then its my draw. And I'll show you why this is a nightmare. I activate polymerization and combine the Toy Doll, Bladed Doll and Doll Gardna from my hand to summon Doll Abomination"

[?Atk/?Def] Abomination was the right word, a large creature born from the parts of many dolls haphazardly strewn together in the dollmaker's anger at his work not being taken seriously. "Abomination gains 500 attack and defense points for each doll in my graveyard, and I have three, so, Abomination, attack Maker Doll!"

"you just activated my trap card, Cursed Barrier, you should know what it does, but in case you forget, here's a refresher, I attach it to my Maker Doll, and she can't be destroyed as long as the barrier is out, and neither of us take damage from battles involving her" The abominations many fisted punch bounced off of the deep purple barrier. Anne growled a little.

"Fine, then I'll end my turn with a face down" Simon came to notice that Anne was setting the cards on her arm, which had opened up to make some kind of strange duel disk.

"My draw. First, I'll set a card face down in my amulet zone, then, I'll activate Maker Doll's effect, allowing me to discard dolls from my hand in order to summon higher leveled ones. I discard Huge Shield Doll to summon Restoration Doll in defense mode"

[1200Atk/3000Def] The restoration doll, her face very idealistic, her clothes that of a young princess, her hand baring a yellow rose painted on the back. This was the crazed dollmaker's idea of pure beauty.

"and with that, I end my turn"
Anne nodded "then its my turn. I activate the continuous spell card Crazed Dollmaker's Toolbox, you know what it does, right?"

"Of course, whenever a doll is summoned or destroyed, it gets a counter, you can tribute it to summon any number of dolls from your graveyard as long as their total levels don't exceed the counters"
"Exactly. And now I'll activate the spell card The Cheerful Coffin, allowing me to send my other two toy dolls to the grave, making my abomination more powerful 1000 points more powerful to be precise, and that'll be all"
Simon nodded "right, let's see what I can do... Aha! I summon Bladed Doll in attack mode, and, since Bladed Doll negates the effects of monsters it attacks, your monstrosity doesn't have any points against it!"

[1600Atk/1000Def] "Now, Bladed Doll, tear down that monstrosity with Cursed Blade Slash!"

"Not so fast, I activate Doble Passe, I take the attack directly" she winced as the blade hit, dealing 1600 points to her life points. "and, even though his attack is 0 for now, Abomination will be able to attack you directly next turn!"

Anne LP: 2400

Simon LP: 4000

"Alright, well, I'll finish off my turn with pot of doll parts, since I have three dolls, I get to draw three cards, oh, and its your move"
"And it'll be the last one I need, first, I summon Doll Gardna in defense mode mode."

[0Atk/2000Def] "and now, Abomination attacks you directly!"
"Not quite, you just activated my Amulet, Yellow Gem-Eyes Doll! She negates your direct attack, then gives me three extra monster zones and two extra spell or trap zones" he smirked as his duel disk extended to allow for the extra zones, Anne growled again

"Fine, then I'll end my turn with a face down"

Simon drew, then silently looked at the cards in his hand. He didn't have anything able to stand up to the abomination, well, except his Bladed Doll, but he suspected that she wasn't long for this duel. He elected to build up a defense, for now. "I summon Toy Doll in defense mode, and when she comes out, both of her friends come out with her, one of them taking up a spot created by my Gem-Eyes doll" The usual trio appeared, ready to defend their master once again. "and now, Bladed Doll, attack Abomination!"
"I activate the trap card Mirror World, so, you'll be the one taking the hit this time, and your bladed doll is mine now" Simon cried out in pain as the doll's blade tore through the abomination, tearing at his very soul in the process. It was clear now that this wasn't an ordinary duel.

Simon LP: 2400

Anne LP: 2400

"I'll end my turn with a new face down..."
"Good, that makes it my turn. And I sacrifice Bladded Doll and Doll Gardna to activate the ritual spell Tears of the Imprisoned and summon myself as Anne, the imprisoned one. Anne move to being in her monster zone, now entangled in chains, seemingly playing cards using her own dark magic.

[Level 6 0Atk/3000Def]"As the Imprisoned one, whenever I summon a doll, like, say, Maker Doll, I become a perfect copy of one of your monsters, and I chose Restoration Doll." Anne changed, now becoming a Restoration doll in attack mode, but with broken shackled present on her wrists and ankles "And now" she said in a different voice, one that was not her own. "I'll take out one of your toys, and use my special ability to bring back the Bladed Doll I used to create the abomination, and now I'll tribute toolbox with all nine of its counters to bring back all three of my toy dolls in defense mode and end my turn"

Simon looked at the current field in fear, unsure of how he could win, only that he had to, for the sake of his soul and Anne's freedom.

 

 

[spoiler=Chapter 5, Awakening] Simon LP: 2400

Anne LP: 2400

Simon's field: 2 toy doll [500Atk/1000Def], 1 Maker Doll [1000Atk/1000Def] with Cursed Barrier equipped and 1 Restoration Doll [1200Atk/3000Def] all in defense and two face downs.

Anne's field: Anne, The imprisoned one disguised as Restoration Doll [1200Atk/3000Def], 3 Toy Doll [see above] and 1 Bladed Doll [1600Atk/1000Def]

 "Well, Simon? Are you going to take your turn?"
"Give me a moment to think..." Simon looked carefully at the field and his hand "I activate the trap card Return of the Curse, its effect changes depending on who's turn it is, since its mine, I get to bring back a doll from my graveyard, and I'll bring back my Bladed Doll in attack mode"

"That wont do you much good against me, Simon" Anne smirked

"She doesn't have to. I activate the ritual spell card Crazed Dollmaker's Sermon, now, by tributing restoration doll and two of my toy dolls I can summon Shoebox, the Crazed Dollmaker!"
[?Atk/0Def] A young man, broken, dressed in torn rags, cursed with dark magics, needle in hand, laughing like a madman upon entering the field. "And as I'm sure you know, Shoebox's attack points are equal to 1000 times the number of dolls in my graveyard, I've got 3"
"So he has 3000 points..."
"Yes, but, I'm not going to need them. I activate my other face down, Ring of Destruction! now, by destroying Shoebox, we each take damage equal to his attack points"
"But, then the duel will end in a draw!"
"Anne, this is a shadow game, a draw is the only way for both of us to get out of this alive"
"And if that doesn't work?!"
"Then this is goodbye"
"goodbye..." A single tear streamed down Anne's face before the explosion went off, tossing both duelists into the air. Simon slowly got up.

"Everything hurts, but... I'm alive! Anne?" he picked up a hand off the ground, no doubt it was Anne's. "Anne!?" he ran over to where she had been standing, the blast must have blown her apart.

"Simon..?" Anne's head on the ground, away from the rest of her

"Don't worry Anne, I know how to fix dolls..."
"Simon... Why did you insist on a draw..?"
"Because it was the only way to save both of us."
Simon began his work of putting Anne back together, as he did so, some of the pieces seemed to change. All cracks were gone, the tattered black dress being replaced by a long open thigh skirt and a dark blue corset, the lines of cursed flames on her wrists covered by long tassels.

Anne opened her eyes once she was in one piece again and looked at herself. "I... I look just like I did when he made me..." she slowly stood up "I'm back to the way I used to look... Because of you" Anne swiftly hugged Simon with all four of her arms. "Thank you so much master!"
"Master..? Look, I'm not your master, I'm your friend."
"Friend..?"
"Let me guess, Shoebox used to insist you call him master?"

"Yes, he did" Anne nodded before letting go "now, where's the exit?"
"below us, we've gotta jump off this ledge."
"W- what?!"
"You always wake up right when your about to hit the bottom, this'll work, trust me!" He took one of Anne's many hands and dove off the cliff with her.

 

Simon jolted up in a cold sweat and looked around, he was in his dorm room, it was early morning.

"I- it worked!" Anne exclaimed happily "I'm finally out of the nightmare! and I look like my old self too!"
"Well, I'm glad I could help, but, I'd like to try and get a little more sleep before classes start"
"Alright, don't worry, I'll make sure you don't sleep in."

"Well, seeya in an hour Anne" Simon laid his head back down and fell back into sleep.

 

 

 

[spoiler=Chapter 6, The Nature of Nightmare]

After the day's classes, Simon and Anne traveled to the library in a search for anything relating to this 'nightmare state' that Anne was in before.

"A duel spirit can become locked in a nightmare when their owner is thought of as unworthy of them, it is unknown what being decides the worthiness of owners" Simon sighed after reading it "Well, at least we're a little closer..."
"Hey, I hear your looking into the nightmare." Came an unfamiliar voice

"Yes, I am. Haven't been able to dig up much, but, what does it matter to you?" He turned to look at the girl the voice had come from, she was dressed in grey.

"I may have some information on it, but, you will need to defeat me in a duel to get it"
"A duel? Fine by me. when and where?"
"The cliff behind the Slifer Red dorms in an hour."
"Alright, I'll be there, you'd best not show up late."
"Do not worry, I'm always on time" then, the girl walked deeper into the library without so much as a goodbye.

Anne seemed nervous "Uhm... Simon, maybe you shouldn't duel that girl."
"huh? why not?"
"There's some kind of dark energy inside of her, it could be dangerous"
"It'll be worth the risk to get some answers, besides, I can't back down from a duel."
"A- alright, just, be careful, alright Simon?"
"Alright."
"Oh, actually, I might have some advice for you"
"Save it for the duel, we always travel together, remember?"
"Oh, right, sorry."

After another hour of inconclusive research, Simon traveled to the cliff, the girl was already there.

"Please stand in the marked location" Simon looked, there was a spot marked on the ground for him to stand, as his feet reached that spot, a shackle clamped around one of his ankles.

"W- wow, what's this all about?"
"It is to ensure that you can not run away. The same precausion has been taken with me, the winner's shackle will release."
"And the loser's?"
"The chain attached to the loser's shackle will retract, pulling them down into the sea"
"Who are you, why did you set up a duel like this?!"
"I am an agent of nightmare, if you defeat me I will share with you whatever information I have been given before I sink into the sea. If I defeat you, your studies, and your life, will end."

"Well," Simon turned on his duel disk "looks like I'm going to have to fight for my life. I'll take the first move"
"Very well then, I endeavor to make this duel quickly."

"Well, I prefer to take it slow. I summon Doll Billionaire in attack mode"

[1500Atk/1200Def] The doll appeared before him, dressed in wealthy clothing and laughing. "Then, I'll end my turn with two face downs"

"Then it is my turn. I will set one monster face down, and one spell or trap face down and end my turn."
"Wow, that was a veeery productive turn. Whatever though, its my turn. First, I activate the spell card Bait Doll, I get to look at your face down and, if its a trap, it activates immediately, otherwise its set again."
"My face down card is the quickplay spell Forbidden Lance"
"Then my bait doll goes to the grave alone. Next, I tribute Doll Billionaire so summon Restoration Doll from my hand in attack mode"
[1200Atk/3000Def] "Now, restoration doll, attack her face down monster with Reverse Regeneration!"
"Not so fast, my face down Roxane's effect is activated, now, by banishing her, I can summon Roxane, Dark Child from my hand"
[2300Atk/0Def] A young girl appeared, holding a bloody knife in her hand and smiling wide with her head tilted sharply.

"Then I'll call off my attack and end my turn."

"Now, I'll start this turn by tributing my Roxane, Dark Child to special summon Roxane, Horror Form"
[2600Atk/1000Def] The little girl began to morph, large bat like wings sprouting from her back, her fingernails becoming claws as she laughed like a madman. "And now, I attack your doll with my Roxane"
"Not quite, I activate my face down, Zero Gravity, it changes the battle positions of every monster on the field, so, your attack isn't gunna happen"

"Fine, you've received a moment's reprieve, but it will not last. I'll end my turn with one card face down."
"Then its my draw"
"And as you draw, I activate my face down Final Attack Orders, every monster is forced into attack position and they can not be switched back into defense"
"right... Well, I activate Polymerization and give up the Restoration doll on my field and the toy doll and maker doll in my hand to summon Doll Abomination, then, I activate the spell card The Cheerful Coffin, allowing me to discard the toy doll and bladed doll from my hand."
[?Atk/?Def]

"And what was the point of that? you no longer hold a hand"
"I don't need one,  Abomination gains 500 attack and defense points for each doll in my graveyard, and there are six at the moment, so, she's a got a whopping 3000, I end my turn"
"I will begin my turn by sacrificing my Roxane to summon Roxane, Adult Form" The terror child grew, now taking the form of an adult female instead of a little girl.

[2900Atl/2000Def] "And now, with the help of my Forbidden Lance, Roxane will attack your abomination and use her effect to destroy your face down"
"You can't stop me from activating it. Return of the Curse, since I used it during your turn, I get to draw 1 card for each doll in my graveyard, so, I get to draw 6 cards."
"No matter, you still take the hit"
Simon grunted from the pain as the hit went through to him.

Simon LP: 3300

??? LP: 4000

"and now, it is your turn"
"Alright, first I-" he paused for a moment, two of the cards he had drawn, Tears of the Imprisoned and Anne, the Imprisoned one, the cards Anne used against him during their duel. "I activate the ritual spell card Tears of the Imprisoned and sent the Huge Shield Doll from my hand to the graveyard to summon Anne, the Imprisoned one in attack mode!"

[0Atk/3000Def] "And now, I summon Maker Doll in defense mode"

[1000Atk/1000Def] "And since I summoned a doll, Anne's effect activates, making her a copy of your Roxane"
"Wait, what?!"
"Yeah, and now I activate the equip spell card Bound Wand on my new Roxane, since she's a level 8 spellcaster type, she gains 800 attack points, bringing her up to 3700. Now, Anne, attack that real Roxy and show her who's boss!"
the real Roxane destroyed, the girl fell to her knees "N- no... now I have no hope of winning"
"Well, its your own fault that you set yourself up to die, I don't want to do it, but, the alternitive is my own death."
Simon LP: 3300

???LP: 3200

"Whatever, I end my turn, just finish me off..."
"If that's what you want... Anne, finish her"
The girl slumped over as her life points ticked down to 0

"Nightmare is a higher being, beyond any duel spirit, that is all I know..." That was the last thing the girl said before being plunged into the sea. Those words would stick with Simon, for two reasons, the first that they were this girl's last words, the second being that he now knew something about Nightmare.

 

 

[spoiler=Chapter 7, the Power of Nightmare]

Simon took great care not to talk to anyone about what happened at the cliff. He hadn't expected the chain to actually drag the girl into the ocean, he felt... Unclean, there was blood on his hands that he would never be able to wash off. That night, after waving off Jessie's attempt to cheer him up, Simon laid down to sleep.

 

The workshop. Simon awoke in the workshop, just as he had before meeting Anne.

"What's going on now? I thought I already saved Anne from the nightmare!" he growled and kicked over a box of doll parts

"Now now, there is no need for such anger"

Simon turned to face the new voice, a man dressed in grey robes, his hair as red as flame.

"Who are you and how did you bring me back here?"
"I simply used the powers granted to me by Nightmare. However, I'll try to waste as little time as possible, do you know what happens when two humans duel in Nightmare's realm?"
"Let me guess, loser bites the dust?"
"That is correct. The candle of the loser's life is put out by the black winds of Nightmare"
"Great, well, if we're going to duel in here, can we just get it over with?"
"As you wish. Nightwing!" A small phoenix, barely the size of an eagle, came to hover beside him. "Let us show them the true power of Nightmare. Nightmare Fusion, Black Fire Knight!" In a brilliant display, the small flaming bird merged with the man, his robes becoming black and covered in flames, a wing shaped duel disk appearing on his arm. "Of course, I am to give you a fighting chance, so, you may take the first move"
"Fine, but you'll regret giving it to me."

Simon LP: 4000
Black Flame Knight (BFK) LP: 4000

"Alright, well, I'll start this duel off with a favorite of mine. I summon Doll Gardna in defense mode and end my turn with a face down."

[0Atk/2000Def]

"I'll set one monster and one other card face down and pass the turn to you"
"That's the same first move the girl made..."
"Simon!" That voice, it had to belong to Anne "Simon, why would you duel that freak without me?!"
"Sorry Anne, he kinda pulled me into it, now be quiet, I've gotta think."
"Take your time, you haven't got much left" The man smirked upon the final word leaving his lips.

"Alright, first, I'll activate Bait Doll from my hand, it lets me look at your face down and then, if its a trap, you have to use it, and it can't do anything unless the timing is right."
"My face down card is, was, Call of the Haunted."
"Good, your call is sent to the grave and my bait doll returns to my deck. Next, I activate Tribute Doll and tribute Doll Gardna to summon Huge Shield Doll in defense mode!"

[2000Atk/3200Def]

"Your going to hide behind your dolls?"
"I never said I was done. I activate Double Summon to summon Maker Doll in defense mode, then, I'll end my turn."
[1000Atk/1000Def]

"Then its my draw. I'll start by flip summoning my Worshiper of the Dark Phoenix"
A crazed looking man in red robes appeared before the 'knight', clutching a chain with a black feather on it.

[1600Atk/1000Def] "He enters with 3 Spell Counters, whenever he would be destroyed, a spell counter comes off of him instead. You don't want to know what he can do once he's down to one. Of course, you wont get the chance to see. Worshiper, attack Maker Doll!"
"Not so fast, I activate the continuous trap Cursed Barrier! It makes my maker doll indestructible and prevents all damage either of us would take from battles involving her."
"Fine, you got lucky this time. I'll end my turn by setting a monster face down"
"Alright, then its my draw"

Anne looked at Simon's hand "oooooh, Simon, I know what you should do"
Simon handed the cards to Anne "then you handle this turn for me"

"Alright! I'll summon Toy Doll from my hand, and she allows me to summon two more from my deck! Come on out little sisters!" The three toys appeared before her, taking a defensive formation.

[1000Atk/500Def] "Now, I'll activate Pot of Doll Parts, it lets me draw a card for each doll I control, and that's five." Simon smiled as he grabbed the five cards and handed them to Anne. At least she was having fun. "And now, I activate the spell card Toy Formation, it changes all my toy dolls into attack mode and doubles their attack points as long as its on the field. Now, go, blue, destroy his face down monster!"
"You've just activated the effect of Idol of the Dark Phoenix, I can not set any Dark Phoenix monster I want from my hand, oh, and the idol takes your doll with it to the grave.

Anne frowned as she watched the Idol collapse on her smallest 'sister'. "Well, alright, Green, attack the new face down"
"Thanks, you've just triggered Dark Phoenix Nightwing, the true form of my duel spirit." A large black phoenix appeared before him, letting out a mighty battlecry as the field became engulfed in its flames.

[2900Atk/2500Def

"W- What's happening?" Simon said, glancing at the chaos around him.

"Nightwing destroys all of your face up cards when he becomes flipped face up."
"Not quite, you might get rid of the cursed barrier, but it'll still protect my Maker Doll on the way out, and Huge Shield Doll is immune to destruction by card effects once per turn!"
As the flames cleared, the only cards left on Simon's field were Maker Doll and Huge Shield Doll.
"Alright, Simon, you handle the duel, I'll just watch" Anne handed the remaining cards back to Simon before slumping down.

"Don't worry Anne, I can still win this. But, for now, I'll end my turn with a face down."
"I summon NIGHTMARE Armor Raven!" A large black metal raven appeared before him. "And now, I'll attach Raven to my Nightwing! His attack points will go down by 500, but he'll also be able to attack you directly."

The Raven became a layer of plating around the phoenix, blocking its flames from harm, or causing harm. "Now, Nightwing, Attack his life points directly!"
Simon cried out in pain, very real pain. This truly was a shadow duel.

Simon LP: 1700

"And with that I'll end my turn. This is your last turn, you'd do well to make it count"

"And that's exactly what I intend to do. I activate the ritual spell card Crazed Dollmaker's Cermon and tribute Maker Doll and the Anne, Doll of the Curse in my hand to ritual summon Shoebox, the Crazed Dollmaker!"
[?Atk/0Def] "Shoebox here's got 1000 attack points for each doll in my graveyard, and there are 6 right now."
"6000 attack points?!"
"Oh, and it gets better. I activate the equip spell card Bound Wand, it gives him an extra 100 attack points for each of his levels, and he's got 12 of those."
"So that means..."
"He's got 7200 attack points, so, you wont be surviving this, oh, and by the way, I'm sorry." Simon looked away as he pointed, Shoebox made quick work of the metal-coated phoenix, and the man hiding behind it. He tried to ignore the man's screams, to tell himself that its better for men like that not to live.

 

Simon jolted awake in a cold sweat, he was in the dorm. He was back in the real world, but he knew he wasn't going to get any more sleep tonight. He elected to take this time to sort his collection.

 

[Woloa]

bump

[Sleepy]

Hmm  I just read the first chapter. It could use a little work on these aspects:

 

-Umi increases ATK, not decreases.

 

-It'd be nice if in the dialog of the characters they said things like "I Summon my Level X bla bla bla " because I had no idea what their Levels were, and you were requiring them for a Ritual Summon so that is kind of crucial info.

 

-As a pilot chapter, that is more of a teaser than anything else because we don't really learn anything about the main character and since he is only talking with a stranger with the focus on the test at hand, all the talk is about the game. It needs a little more world building.

 

-I also have no idea what Amulets are after reading that chapter. Are they special cards or are they just a zone for regular cards to do something at? and how much of what happened is part of that specific card's effect and how much of it is part of the mechanic? Don't answer these questions in a reply though, the point is for them to be explained in-story (just in case)

 

-Last time I came to this section other than for lurking, there was a minimum length required for a chapter to be considered a full chapter, and even though I'm not sure of exact numbers about it, I'd more or less calculate a regular chapter to still be more lengthy than all your current chapters posted combined. 

 

I plan on continuing it to see if any of these are taken care of along the way, which the game-related ones should definitely and most definitely are going to be.

Hope the post helped in some way.

[Woloa]

I can actually adress your first point: Umi makes Bugroth weaker since it weakens Machine-Type monsters. I'll be sure to include levels and an explaination of amulets when I get around to writing more of this, however, I'm leaving the current chapters unaltered as an alter to my past failings.

[Sleepy]

I can actually adress your first point: Umi makes Bugroth weaker since it weakens Machine-Type monsters. I'll be sure to include levels and an explaination of amulets when I get around to writing more of this, however, I'm leaving the current chapters unaltered as an alter to my past failings.

 

Oh yeah... The oldest base Field Spells managed Types instead of Attributes. Sorry about that one, I had long forgotten such detail, and it didn't help that back in the day I had been using Legendary Ocean for the most part.

 

For past mistakes? Alright, I can respect that. 

I saw your previous thread and it is definitely improving.

[Woloa]

Thanks.