Tucker and Sarah make a pretty good team. Go figure.
Chapter Thirteen
Fire and Water
“Shut up,” said Guard, un-fazed by my taunting, “and let your cards do the talking.”
“If that’s what you really want,” I said in a grand manner to hide my nerves, “then that’s what you’ll get!”
Our Life Point displays lit up, showing starting Life Points of 4000 apiece, and I drew my opening hand.
“I move first," I declared. “To begin, I summon a monster, my ‘Immortal Fire’ in defense mode.” A living flame in the shape of a bird appeared from a spark in the air at my side (DEF: 200). “Next,” I continued, “I place a card face-down and end my turn.”
“My turn then,” said Guard. “To destroy your minuscule ‘Fire’, I choose this monster. By playing ‘Armory’ and equipping it with ‘Butterfly Dagger – Elma’, I can summon ‘Guardian Elma’, and equip the ‘Dagger’ to her.”
An elegant woman wearing loose fitting green garments appeared between me and my opponent, taking a butterfly-hilted dagger from the ‘Armory’ in hand. She flipped her hair back and stood tall (ATK: 1300+300=1600).
“I finish my turn,” said Guard, “with two face-down cards. Just try to get by my defense.”
“Okay,” said Sarah defiantly, “I will. And I’ll do it with these: my ‘Cannonball Spear Shellfish’ combined with the Spell card ‘Big Wave Small Wave’. I destroy my own monster," the spear-backed clam ‘Cannonball Spear Shellfish’ was washed away in a rapid swirl of water, "to Special Summon my ‘Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness’ from my hand.”
Sarah’s monster, a massive Orca Whale with a crane and several cannons on its back, and a torpedo launcher on its stomach appeared, hanging in the air overhead (ATK: 2100) letting out a deep, piercing wail and flexing its fins.
“I place one card face-down,” Sarah concluded, “and activate ‘Elemental Surge – Water’. Once per turn I can choose a Water monster I control, and it and all monsters with the same name gain two hundred Attack until my next turn. I choose my Orca (ATK: 2100+200=2300).”
“Which makes it my turn,” War announced. Just as he had against Monty and Lawrence, he sounded more like he was sizing us up than he was actually mad at us. “I have to say," he told us thoughtfully, "so far I’m more impressed with you than with the last two, especially that dragon user, but still, I'm not that impressed. You still don’t hold a card to us. I summon ‘Marauding Captain’ in attack mode,” the steel-armored warrior appeared, swords drawn (ATK: 1200), "allowing me to summon a second monster, like my ‘Warrior Dai Grepher’.”
War’s new monster, a man wearing dragon skin hide armor and carrying a longsword appeared, his blade held at the ready (ATK: 1700). “Next,” War continued, “I equip the ‘Fusion Sword Murasame Blade’ to my ‘Warrior Dai Grepher’, increasing his Attack power to twenty-five hundred.”
‘Warrior Dai Grepher’’s longsword changed shape, growing thinner at the tip. The hilt stretched up and over his arm like a gauntlet.
“Now,” said War, “I place three cards face-down and attack the ‘Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness’.” ‘Grepher’ leapt at the whale, raising his sword, and was caught by a ring of about a dozen active grenades.
“Activate,” I declared with as much defiance as I could muster, “my Trap, ‘Ring of Destruction’.” I smiled, “it destroys your monster and deals us both damage equal to your monster’s attack.”
“Well,” said Sarah, “not exactly. You’ll be the only one to lose Life Points here, War Ruler. I discard ‘Cure Mermaid’ to activate ‘Hallowed Life Barrier’, protecting Tucker from any form of damage until the end of this turn.”
“And that’s the power of our combination,” I bragged. “We’re conflicting styles, but when Sarah and I fight together our decks eliminate each other’s’ weaknesses. That’s why I was late to this party. I was busy coming up with a perfect strategy that would be able to overcome any strategy that you might have prepared.”
As I spoke, ‘Warrior Dai Grepher’, desperately clawing at the ring around his neck, was destroyed when the ring exploded. Fire poured over both mine and War’s fields. He was damaged (4000-2500=1500), but Sarah’s barrier protected me from harm.
“You two are good,” said War, “and you do work together well. I guess we should stop messing with you and get down to business.”
“Not yet you don’t,” I said. “It’s my turn right now.”
I drew and checked over my hand. Good cards, I thought to myself, feeling my inner fire begin to burn stronger. “For my turn,” I began, “I summon my ‘Essence of Fire’ in defense mode. As long as this monster is face-up on the field, all of my Fire monsters gain six hundred Attack and Defense.”
A young woman appeared. She had dark red hair, wore a short red dress, and carried a red staff. A small orange serpentine dragon flew around her protectively (DEF: 500+600=1100/DEF of ‘Immortal Fire’: 200+600=800).
“Next,” I declared, “I place a card face-down, and I end my turn.”
“I draw,” said Guard, “and-.”
“And nothing,” I cut in, “because I have a Trap. ‘Thunder of Ruler’, activate! This card activates during your Standby Phase and prevents all attacks during the following turn.”
“Then I’ll simply set a monster,” Guard replied, “and pass.”
Sarah was next. I watched her out of the corner of my eye. I'd known Sarah as long as I'd known her brother, and despite the fact that she and I often clash, I know her better than almost anyone. She was still acting confident, but even after we'd managed to counter several of our opponent's big plays, I could tell that she was still afraid. Her hands were shaking subtly, and she was breathing funny. But I knew her. I knew she was strong, and I knew that she'd be okay, so when she hesitated to draw her next card, I knew she would only hesitate for a second.
Sure enough, after a single, calming breath, she drew and said, “I begin my turn with the Spell card ‘Mist Body’, equipped to the ‘Essence of Fire’. Now she can’t be destroyed as a result of battle. I also activate the Field Spell card ‘A Legendary Ocean’, transporting us to the waters surrounding the lost city of Atlantis!”
The scenery all around us changed, and we suddenly found ourselves hanging just below the surface of the ocean, just above a massive golden city. We seemed to be in open water, but I could feel the ground under my feet, and the water didn’t feel wet. I looked again at Sarah. Maybe I didn't feel the water, but she did. She almost looked like she was floating in it. I realized that she was allowing the serenity of the water to calm her. She understood as well as I did how high the stakes were, and she wasn't going to let anything interfere with her ability to fight, not even her own nerves.
“While ‘A Legendary Ocean’ is on the field,” Sarah explained, “all Water monsters in our hands and on the field are downgraded by one level, and all Water monsters in play gain two hundred Attack and Defense points (ATK of ‘Orca’: 2300+200=2500). I finish my turn by summoning the harpoon-wielding ‘Legendary Fisherman’,” A man appeared riding a shark, carrying a harpoon in his free hand (ATK: 1850), “and setting one card.”
“I don't quite know what to think of you two,” said War. “You both seem more concerned with building up monsters and playing it safe than you do fighting back. Is this the strategy that you spoke of, or do we just have you that scared?'
He smiled slyly, "Well, either way, it's my turn again. I start out with a Spell of my own, ‘The Warrior Returning Alive’, returning the ‘Warrior Dai Grepher’ card in my Graveyard to my hand. Next I summon ‘Obnoxious Celtic Guard’ in defense mode.”
An elf wearing green leather armor and carrying a longsword appeared, holding his blade up defensively (DEF: 1200).
“My ‘Obnoxious Celtic Guard’ may seem weak,” War explained, “but he has a very powerful ability. He is not destroyed-.”
“Yeah,” said Sarah, getting impatient, “we know. He can only be destroyed by battle by a monster with less than nineteen hundred Attack points. Get on with it why don’t ya.”
“Alright,” War conceded, “but you may not know that as long as ‘Marauding Captain’ is also on the field my, ‘Obnoxious Celtic Guard’ can’t even be selected as an attack target, making him even harder to destroy.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I replied, responding to War’s continued show of confidence, “because my partner and I can’t be beaten. She’s got the combos, and I’ve got the power. We’re the ultimate team!
“Now allow us to introduce you to a bit of my previously mentioned power,” I declared. “Since you’ve made your monster nearly untouchable, I’ll hit you personally instead! Spell cards ‘Hinotama’ and ‘Pot of Greed’! I draw two cards, and you’re hit by a barrage of fireballs and take five hundred damage.”
I drew two cards, and half a dozen fireballs appeared in the air, falling and exploding as they hit War Ruler, even beneath 'A Legendary Ocean''s magical water (1500-500=1000). I looked over my new cards and smiled. Oh yeah! War Ruler, you die this turn, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Even I can’t screw this plan up!
Card of the Day:
Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness
Played by: Sarah
Sarah has a lot of great monsters, but few are as dangerous as this one, which, with the help of Sarah's other monsters, can clear out the opponent's most dangerous cards. This is one monster that will never not be a part of Sarah's deck.
Original Cards in This Chapter:
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