That's a bit more like the Tucker that we get in later books, but he's still kind of a dick, isn't he. Oh, and the guy John duels here is a character from the Yu-Gi-Oh! canon, Odion Istar (Rishid Istar in the Japanese). John could theoretically beat him, but it would be unlikely. But you'll see next chapter.
Chapter Eighteen
The Search for a Guide
I was awoken shortly by a very concerned co-pilot. She was in her forties with short gray-brown hair and wore the logo for the chartered plane’s airline on her uniform. After checking myself to make sure I really was alive, and checking that my friends were also more or less okay, if shaken up, I assured her that we were okay, and she led us to the plane.
We boarded up a set of moving stairs and took our seats. It was one of the smaller passenger liners, but it was still too big for only the four of us.
It wasn’t for nearly an hour that we finally spoke to each other. “So,” Jen asked, “has anyone managed to figure out why they let us live?”
“Because they’re so strong they know we can’t do anything to stop them?” Tucker suggested, grumbling.
“Maybe they really were just trying to scare us off,” I said, though I’m sure I didn’t sound any more convinced than I felt. “But if I were in their place, and if I’d had the chance to kill off my only competition, I would have taken it.”
“I’m with you,” said Sarah, sounding between exasperated and angry.
“I mean,” I continued, “they don’t know how much I want to beat them and show them what it feels like.” I was shaking. Sarah put her had on my shoulder. For the first time in years, since I'd learned to control my anger better, she was the calmer one.
I saw Jen’s eyes light up, “What did you say?”
“They just swept us aside like so much trash!” said Tucker, punching his palm. “I can’t believe they won! How are we supposed to stop them? They aren’t just gonna let us get the Souls! Not after that.”
“You wanna go home?” I asked him.
“Hell no! Win or lose, I want another shot at that dragon guy!”
“They had so many rare cards,” said Sarah. “And their strategies were so ruthless. They played only to win. But…”
“But what?” I pried.
“Well, deep down, I don’t think they were all too bad, you know? At least mine wasn't.”
“Are you kidding?” Tucker laughed disbelievingly. “You should be vowing to rip them apart, or cussin’ up a storm, or some other Sarah-like thing. They tried to kill us!”
“No,” said Jen, “I don’t think they did. If they really wanted to kill us, we would be dead. You felt what that Shadow Game did to us. I think they had other motives.”
“Like what?” I asked her, unconvinced.
“Well," she answered, "now, at least as far as they’re concerned, they know they can defeat us. I think their real objective was to psyche us up, to inspire us to move forward and avenge our loss. To make sure we actually went through with this whole crazy journey. That we actually did go all the way to the Burial of the Soul, and open it. Guys, I think that, even if the Order did get to the Burial first, they wouldn’t be able to open it. I think that they need us to do it for them.”
“So you’re saying that we could be walking into a trap?” Sarah asked.
“Exactly.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I replied. “We know that this whole thing is for real now. Maybe these guys let us go because they aren’t too bad, or because they think we’re no threat. Maybe they’re setting a trap for us, trying to use us. But either way, they are our enemies. Given enough time, they might find another way into the Burial, and Tucker’s right, they’ll be back for us eventually, and next time the stakes will be much higher. We have to be prepared.”
I looked out the window, my thoughts drifting, and said, “You know, I don’t get something. ‘Dark Magician’ and even ‘Blue-Eyes’, as rare as they are, are easy enough to get your hands on if you have the right resources, but where did my opponent get a Toon deck? I thought Pegasus was the only one with a Toon deck in the entire world. Where did she get such powerful cards?”
“There are a lot of questions,” said Jen.
“Yeah,” I said, “and something tells me it’ll be hell finding the answers.”
It was a few hours before we arrived in Egypt. The sun, though still in the sky above us, was nearer to setting than not. My team and I stepped out of the jet carrying our bags, which contained clothes and our Duel Disks, and were met by a slender Egyptian man of about twenty-five wearing mostly white.
“I am Kalar," he introduced himself, though his tone gave the sense that this was not his real name. “Mr. Pegasus, a good friend of mine, asked me to meet you here and to give you this,” he handed me an envelope full of cash. “He told me that you would know what it was for. He also asked me to help you as much as possible to find someone who knows the location of a particular ruin. I have other concerns that need my attention, so we must move quickly.”
“You know,” said Tucker, “I figured this was gonna suck, but between the cash and this guy, finding a guide should be a cinch!”
“Why is finding a guide so hard?!” Tucker cried, drawing the attention of everyone on the ragged street. It had been two hours, and we had already been to six guides, all well known for their knowledge of off-the-map places, and for their willingness to seek danger, but none would even go so far as to tell us the location of the Burial, let alone take us there. It was strange. They had all seemed eager to help, until they discovered where it was that we intended to go.
“Kalar,” I asked, “what am I missing? Why does it seem like nobody wants to go to the Burial?”
“The Burial of the Soul is an unusual site," the young man answered. "Very few even believe in its existence, and out of those who do, very few would ever go there. Most of those who seek it out in the hopes of launching a research expedition get lost, unable to find the Burial, or the way back. Rescue teams usually find them before they die, but that has not stopped the rumor from being spread that even the name Burial of the Soul bestows upon you a curse of bad luck.”
“Great,” Jen said sarcastically, “we’ll never be able to get anyone to take us there!”
“Oh yes we will,” said Tucker, “all we have to do is show everyone that there’s no bad luck curse.”
“And how are we going to do that?” Sarah asked.
“Heh heh, watch and learn. HEY, WHO KNOWS HOW TO GET TO THE BURIAL OF THE SOUL!?! COME ON, LOOK, I SAID IT AND NOTHING BAD HAPPENED! BURIAL OF THE - OOF!”
It was at that moment that Tucker was hit in the head by a stray ball thrown by some kids in a nearby alley, and was knocked over. “Wow, great job moron,” Sarah said, standing over him with her arms crossed.
But, to my surprise, Tuck’s antics seemed to have worked. As soon as he was done with all of his screaming, a tall man with dark skin walked toward us. He had a stern face that was partially hidden by a combination of a cloth face mask and the shadow from the hood of his cloak. He approached me and asked, “Are you four looking for the Burial of the Soul?”
After parting ways with Kalar, who had to take care of some mysterious “important matters”, we followed the tall man back to a run-down restaurant where we sat at a table near one of the many open windows and discussed the situation. I almost didn’t tell him the whole story, but then he asked me why four kids wanted to find an ancient ruin. What could I say to that? So I told him everything.
“So will you help us?” I concluded. “We can pay you. We have plenty of money.”
The man seemed to ponder this. His gaze drifted to my bag. It had fallen partially open, revealing the Duel Disk it carried. When he saw my Duel Disk, his eyes widened.
“You four are Duelists?” He asked.
“Yeah,” I answered.
“I thought you were them,” he said, “but I couldn’t be sure until now, since I saw no sign that you were Duelists. I had a dream that I believe to be prophetic, which told me that I would lead four Duelists to the Burial of the Soul. I now know that you are the four from my dream, but I must test the integrity of the ones I would lead. If the Burial of the Soul really contains the kind of power that you claim it does, I must make sure that you are honorable before delivering that power to you. You understand?”
“Of course,” I said, smiling, “and I think I know where this is going.” I took the Duel Disk from my bag and strapped it to my arm. “If it’s a duel you want, it’s a duel you’ll get!”
We stepped out of the restaurant and made our way to an open lot down the street. The man pulled a Duel Disk out of a holster around his waist, under his cloak, and strapped it to his arm, preparing to duel.
“You may have the first move if you wish,” said the man. “I am eager to see what you are capable of. After all, just as a martial artist can read another martial artist through his movements, so can a Duelist read his opponent through his cards.”
“No,” I said, just as eager to see my opponent’s cards as he was mine, “I think I’ll let you go first. I’m pretty curious about you, too.”
“As you wish,” said the man, “I draw, and place five cards face-down. End turn.”
“No monsters?” I said, surprised by my opponent’s unusual play.
What kind of deck could he be using if he didn’t summon any monsters in his first turn? I wondered, but when no answer came immediately to mind, I put the question out of mind and continued.
“Alright,” I said, “then let’s see what you’ve got. I summon the ‘Whiptail Crow’ in attack mode.”
My monster appeared, an orange-skinned creature with bird-like legs, wings, and beak, and a long, whip-like tail (ATK: 1650).
“To the summoning of your monster,” my opponent countered, “I chain the Trap card ‘Jar of Greed’ and the Continuous card ‘Solemn Wishes’. I draw one card, and then I gain five hundred Life Points, as I will from now on every time I draw any cards (LP: 8000+500=8500).”
“It won’t matter,” I said, “because I get to attack directly. Tail-whip Attack!”
“Reveal ‘Ordeal of a Traveler’,” my opponent declared. His newest Trap, another Continuous Trap, revealed itself and became wreathed in a red light. My ‘Crow’ became wreathed in the same light. “Each time you attack, you select a card from my hand and guess whether it is a Spell, Trap, or Monster card. If you guess right, your attack continues as usual, but if not, your monster returns to your hand.”
“That’s fine,” I said, “I’m good at guessing games. Besides, based on your strategy so far, I’m gonna say that the card on the right is a Trap.”
“Incorrect,” my opponent said, showing me a Spell card. I had never seen it before, but I could read the title; ‘Temple of Kings’. My ‘Whiptail Crow’ disappeared, and I returned its card to my hand.
“I place a card face-down,” I said, “and end my turn.” I can tell, this is going to be one interesting duel!
Card of the Day:
Whiptail Crow
Played by: John
This monster really isn't anything special, but it used to be one of John's go to monsters, and it was his favorite in the original version of DF, so I feel like it deserves a spot here in honor of that.
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