And this concludes the third Special, Sarah's first story as the main character. I don't know if I will write a full book that focuses on her as the primary narrator/protagonist, but there will be at least another special or two. I wanted this special to be a showcase for Sarah and her team mates' powers in and out of duels, and to show that Sarah is a character on par with her brother, and I think it did pretty well while being pretty funny and entertaining, too.
As for this chapter, Tucker's crazy plan actually succeeds, and now he has a maybe girlfriend, Sarah now knows that Wilson has some connection to the Shadow Games and seems to not really care much, and my characters are finally introduced to the concept of rooms in peoples' souls, a concept which was very prevalent in the original Yu-Gi-Oh! manga.
The Grand Finale!
I opened my eyes to darkness. Very slowly an environment began to form around me. Where I had not been standing on anything, suddenly there was a floor beneath my feet, frosted over completely, except for the spot where I stood. The area around me was too dark to see, so I summoned up a fireball and allowed it to rise up into the air, lighting what appeared to be a large room.
What is this, I wondered, a room in Frost’s soul?
I looked around. There was furniture in the room, in the shadows where my fire didn’t quite reach, but it was too frozen over by thick layers of ice for me to make out any details. The room felt empty, but I could sense a presence.
“Whoever you are," I said, "come out here and show yourself!”
Out of the ice itself stepped a figure. She looked exactly like the girl that I knew only as Frost.
“Frost?” I wondered.
“Not exactly,” she answered, even her voice alone sounding more alive than her real-world counterpart. “You could say that I'm the inner Frost, but even that wouldn't be completely correct. At the moment, I'm just as much him as I am her.”
“Him?” I asked. “You mean Mask?”
“You saw the Shadow Sword he carries,” the girl explained. “It doesn't just cut objects and allow Mask to blend into the shadows around him. It also allows him to cut his way into the hearts and minds of troubled people, imposing his will on the personality of the room within their soul. Normally that personality is just the collective sense of self created by the personal effects throughout the room, but in the case of strong minds, there is also an inner self like me.”
She laughed happily.
“If you're what's keeping this girl under Mask's control,” I declared, “then I'm gonna beat you and drive his influence away for good!”
I held up my left arm, and in a burst of flames my Duel Disk appeared, “There's a Shadow Duel going on. Let's finish where we left off!”
My opponent summoned her own Duel Disk, a standard Duel Disk carved from ice, to her arm as well, her wolf appearing at her side (ATK: 1400), “Gladly! But unlike my real-world counterpart, I do want to kill you.”
“It’s still my turn,” I said, ignoring her. “I remove ‘Thing in the Crater’ from play to summon ‘Spirit of Flames’, and because my ‘Soul of Fire’ card prevents me from attacking in the turn it was used, set a card and pass.”
“You went through so much trouble to get into this girl's heart and fight me,” my foe taunted, “that you left yourself unable to attack! I draw, and -.”
“Slow down,” I cut in. “I don't need to attack. Reveal ‘Battle Mania’! Any face-up monster you control must battle this turn!”
My opponent scowled as ‘Fenrir’ lunged at my monster, a red-skinned fire demon (ATK: 1700). The demon raised his hand, and the attacking wolf was incinerated in a blast of heat that carried through and hit the foe (6550+1400-1700=6250). The flames burned high, spreading across the battlefield.
“My monsters are angry, Spirit Snatcher,” I declared, “and so am I. Your time is up!”
My foe scowled again, “I set a monster and end my turn.”
Sarah
I drew, and I was surrounded by an aura that burned my skin as it stripped away five hundred of my Life (8000-500=7500).
“Just because you found a way to hurt me,” I explained, “it doesn't mean that you stand a chance against me. I play ‘Monster Reborn’,” there was a bright red flash beneath the surface of the water, and the goldfish warrior reappeared, “to revive my ‘Ocean's Keeper’. And I tribute him for ‘Cranium Fish’!”
Water rose up from the ocean below and swirled around the ‘Ocean’s Keeper’. When it fell away, the goldfish was gone, replaced by a much larger fish with a similar color, with huge, sweeping blue fins, and a massive brain protruding from its head. It had a multitude of smaller fish docked along its body (ATK: 2400).
“My monster's Attack power goes up,” I explained (2400+200=2600). “Next I summon ‘Deep Diver’,” another monster, a short humanoid form in a diving suite, appeared at my side (ATK: 1000+200-1200).
“My ‘Cranium Fish’ destroys your monster,” I declared, “and the ‘Diver’ attacks directly.”
‘Cranium Fish’ released four of the fish docked along its body like torpedoes into the water. The tore along, bursting from the water and exploding against the masked monster, destroying it (8000+2500-2600=7900). The ‘Deep Diver’ dropped under the water as well, shooting forward and disappearing beneath the surface. He erupted from the water behind Mask, a hammer in his hand, and struck Mask in the back (7900- 1200=6700).
“I finish my turn with a face-down card.”
“You think you’ve turned this duel around?” Mask asked. “Well you’re wrong! I'm about to summon my ultimate card, and once I do, you won’t stand a chance! I play ‘Premature Burial’ (6700-800=5900) to revive ‘Melchid the Four-Faced Beast’!”
The four-masked monster reappeared (ATK: 1500), and my opponent continued. “I summon ‘Djin Presider of Rituals’, and I tribute both monsters to Special Summon the most powerful monster in my deck, the ‘Masked Beast Des Gardius’!”
The bulbous, scantily-armored demon swordsman ‘Presider’ appeared, and both monsters disappeared, replaced by a massive demon with a long neck leading up to a masked head. It had two more masked fixed to its chest, huge forearms, and massive, beastly claws (ATK: 3300).
“But I’m not finished,” said Mask. “I play ‘Card of Sanctity’! We each draw until we hold six cards.”
Mask drew his cards all at once. I took my time. I watched Mask’s face light up, filling with a wicked grin. “Yes!” he exclaimed. “I just drew everything I needed to double your trouble!”
Lame.
“I play ‘Curse of the Masked Beast’,” he continued, “removing ‘Presider’ in my Graveyard from play and tributing ‘Grand Tiki Elder’ in my hand to Ritual Summon a new monster to the field!”
A black fire flared up on Mask's field, burning strong. The two sacrifices appeared, engulfed by fire, and the fire grew bigger. From it emerged a second massive demon. It had a humanoid torso with an empty face, and a beastly, lizard-like lower body and legs and long tail. There were deformed masks fused into various parts of the demon's body, a living mask, the creature's real face, attached to its abdomen, and a staff in its hand.
“Meet ‘The Masked Beast’!”
The demon roared (ATK: 3200).
“Yawn,” I said casually. “Is that all you have?”
“You won’t be so calm once my monsters are through with you!” Mask declared. “My monsters attack together, Dark Flash!”
The two monsters unleashed a wave of darkness that destroyed both of my monsters (Total ATK: 6500). The attacks carried through, toward me, but they were deflected by the ‘Tornado Wall’, and my Life Points remained unharmed. I stood there with my arms crossed, trying not to be bored. Really.
“When ‘Deep Diver’ is destroyed,” I explained, “I get to move any card in my deck to the top of my deck.”
A card ejected from my deck. I added it right to my hand, drawing to begin my turn, and I lost more Life (7500-500=7000), but I didn’t let it discourage me.
“I summon the card added to my hand," I declared, a deadly-looking skeletal shark rising from the ocean to face the dual demons (ATK: 1700).
“When a monster is summoned,” I explained, “I can activate ‘Torrential Tribute’ to destroy every monster on the field. The ‘Abyssal Kingshark’ has a killer instinct so strong that it can avoid one effect per turn that doesn't designate a specific target.”
A giant tidal wave spread across the field, wiping out the demons. It passed, and the shark rose out of the water unharmed.
“I'm going to attack directly this turn,” I declared.
“Not likely,” Mask countered. “When ‘Des Gardius’ is destroyed, he leaves behind the ‘Mask of Remnants’, capable of attaching to and controlling one monster in play.”
The two masks from the chest of the demon rose up out of the water and merged into a devil mask, split along the center, the image of a demonic creature trying to force its way out carved into the split. It attached to the shark's face.
“Your only monster is mine!”
“Duh,” I said. “Did you think I didn't know your monster’s effect? I guess it makes sense that you'd think that, since I coulda just activated my Trap during your turn when I had no monster for your mask to target,” I smiled, “but where's the fun in that! Chain, ‘Quick Summon’, tributing the ‘Kingshark’, your mask along with it, and summoning the ‘Levia Dragon – Daedalus’!”
The ‘Kingshark’ was caught in a violent wave. From that wave emerged a huge sea serpent with a powerful jaw, silvery armory scales, and gorgeous pink fins (ATK: 2600 +200=2800).
“I said I was going to attack directly,” I declared, “and I meant it. ‘Daedalus’ attack!”
The sea dragon fired an ocean-blue beam from its mouth. It hit my opponent, nearly lifting him off of his feet (5900-2800=3100).
“I'm not out of this duel yet,” said Mask. He drew, obviously looking for a way to re-summon one of his beasts. At least that's what I would have been doing. “I summon the ‘Masked Sorcerer’ in defense mode, equip your sea monster with ‘Mask of the Accursed’, and set a card!”
A new mask appeared on the face of my monster. It had pins in the cheeks and the eye holes. Those pins pushed through the mask, into my dragon's flesh. He cried out. At the same time Mask's monster, a masked torso with a wispy tail attached to a golden disk, appeared, facing off against my monster (DEF: 1400).
“My mask prevents your dragon attacking or defending,” Mask explained, “and deals you five hundred more damage each turn.”
“Maybe,” I said, “but even when my monster can’t attack, he can still evolve."
I drew, ignoring the cursed aura that stole away one thousand of my Life (7000- 1000=6000).
“I tribute ‘Levia Dragon – Daedalus’,” I declared, “to evolve him into the ultimate sea dragon!”
My dragon grew larger, its fins growing out into large pink, almost fan-like appendages. Its head split off a second head, smaller and more lightly armored, shattering the mask it wore. The two heads roared (ATK: 2900+200=3100).
“My monster can use the water around him,” I explained, “to create a tidal wave capable of washing away every other card on the field and in our hands!”
The water of the ‘Legendary Ocean’ drew up around my monster and expanded outward, forming a massive tidal wave that washed away the 'Masked Sorcerer' and the face-down ‘Mirror Force’. The 'Field Barrier' went with the Field Spell, taking the ‘Mask of Dispel’ and my monster’s extra Attack with them (ATK: 3100-200=2900).
“And just ’cause I’m sick of listening to you,” I concluded, “I remove the Spell cards ‘Terraforming’ and ‘Terrain Change’ in the Graveyard from play to reactivate ‘A Legendary Ocean’!”
Light rippled across the field, and the water reappeared. My monster's power climbed (2900+200=3100).
“I finish it,” I commanded, “with the attack of ‘Ocean Dragon Lord - Neo Daedalus’! Go, Ocean Burst!”
“No!” Mask protested. The dragon's two heads unleashed a combined attack. Mask threw up his arms defensively, but the blast still sent him flying through the air, his Life Points dropping exactly to zero.
This isn't over yet, I told myself, making my way toward my opponent, prepared to strike the final blow.
Tucker
“Alright,” I said, “since I don’t have any more Fire monsters in my Graveyard, I’ll let ‘Firewall’ be destroyed,” my Trap card faded from the field. “Next, I attack your facedown monster with ‘Spirit of Flames’, who gains three hundred attack during my turn (ATK: 2000)!”
The red-skinned demon released a stream of flames at the hidden card, but that stream was intercepted by a wall of crystal that reflected my monster’s image.
“Reveal,” the Spirit Snatcher declared, “the Trap card ‘Mirror Wall’. This card forces your monster to attack its own reflection, cutting its attack (2000/2=1000).”
“The attack still gets through,” I insisted. The crystals made way for the diminished attack, which closed in on the hidden monster. It was revealed as a simple snowman, complete with twig arms and silly hat.
This will be easy, I thought, but I found myself shocked when a driving, snowy wind surrounded the snowman, blowing my flames away. I lost nine hundred Life (7500-900=6600).
Nineteen hundred defense? “That’s one tough snowman!”
“Not a snowman,” the Spirit Snatcher explained. “My monster is the man-eating lizard with the power to control snow, which disguises itself as a snowman, the ‘Snowman Eater’!”
And that’s when I saw it, a pair of yellow eyes beneath the snowman. The creature that belonged to those eyes lunged at my monster, the entire snowman still sitting on its back, and swallowed my demon whole.
No way!
The lizard with the snowman on its back hobbled back over to the Spirit Snatcher’s side of the field, its sharp-toothed grin similar to the one worn by its master.
“Okay,” I said, “that was weird, but I’m not done with you yet! I remove ‘Spirit of Flames’ from play to summon my own defender,” a living face made of flames appeared in the air beside me, “the ‘Inferno’ (ATK: 1900)!”
“Your monster is nothing,” the Spirit Snatcher explained. “In fact because you Special Summoned, I can Special Summon the exact monster I need, the mighty ‘Dragon Ice’!”
A humanoid dragon with a body made of ice, wide, black wings, and a metallic arm and helm appeared at Spirit Snatcher’s side (DEF: 2200).
I scowled, This isn’t looking good for me. This Spirit Snatcher is using this girl’s deck, but her strategy is already much more aggressive. When she said she really wanted me dead, she really wasn’t kidding.
“Now I draw,” the Spirit Snatcher began, “and I tribute both of my monsters for the most powerful monster in this girl’s deck, and in fact one of the most powerful monsters in this game, the ‘White Night Dragon’!”
The two icy monsters merged into a block of us which took form, becoming a mighty-looking dragon, like a ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’ chiseled from ice (ATK: 3000).
“My monster destroys your ‘Inferno’!” the Spirit Snatcher commanded. “Ice Burst!”
The ‘White Night Dragon’ breathed a freezing blast from its icy maw, snuffing out my monster like a candle.
“My monster is immune to monster effects that designate a target,” the Spirit Snatcher explained, “and at three thousand Attack, nothing you summon will be able to stand against it!”
My opponent’s Shadow Soul of Ice began to glow, and she was surrounded by an icy breeze, “I also have access to this girl’s magic! When I defeat you, I’ll use it to spread like ice the infection that has made me what I am, a servant of Mask, adding you to his ranks as well!”
The Spirit Snatcher was sure of herself, but I wasn’t worried.
“You don’t understand,” I told the Spirit Snatcher. “I will not allow anything of Mask to remain in the Soul of this girl. I will destroy you, and nothing you do can stop me!”
Heat began to roll off of my body, and I drew my card. I’d been saving up cards, and now I’d finally drawn what I needed.
“I set two cards,” I declared, “and activate ‘Card of Sanctity’ to draw six cards, combining it with the face-down ‘Pot of Greed’, giving me an eight-card hand!”
I drew a total of eight cards, “Your time’s up. I reveal ‘Incandescent Ordeal’. I tribute ‘Sacrificial Fire’, a monster with the power to act as the entire sacrifice for a Fire Ritual monster, to summon my Soul, ‘Legendary Flame Lord’!”
A man in blue armor, a blue crown, and a coat of fire appeared, carrying a staff in one hand and a dagger in the other, hanging in the air above me (ATK: 2400).
“I activate four Spell cards from my hand,” I continued, “‘Dark Room of Nightmare’, two copies of ‘Meteor of Destruction’, and ‘Tremendous Fire’!”
Two fireballs fell from the sky at the command of my monster. They struck my opponent and their flames spread across the field (Me: 6600 -> 6100/Spirit Snatcher: 3650 -> 2350). Flames lingered on the field, drawn toward my monster, swirling in the air around him.
“My monster releases the magical energy of my Spells to form his ultimate attack, the Annihilating Inferno!” I explained. ‘Legendary Flame Lord’ summoned the flames around him into the tip of his staff and released them, melting the ice dragon away.
“But my monster-,” my opponent began.
“Is immune to effects that declare a target,” I agreed, “but my monster’s power is over the entire field!”
As I spoke, the flames spread out, smoldering all around us both.
“My monster attacks,” I finished, “with Final Flame!”
‘Legendary Flame Lord’ blasted the girl, and the ghostly form of Mask appeared and separated from her. Her eyes grew softer, and she began to fall. I dispersed the heat around me and ran to catch her, as her spirit room faded away. A second later, I was back in my own body, on my knees, with the sleeping Frost in my arms.
Sarah
I stood over Mask. It must have been about then that his influence over Frost was broken, because he suddenly looked over at her, a shocked look on his face. He saw her there, defeated. He looked around and saw the various members of his group strewn about the room, unconscious.
“No...”
“You lose, Mask,” I told him. My Soul flashed, and he joined his fellows in dreamland. Max drug the members of the Dark Elite, save Frost, out front and tied them up, dumping the various items that they’d stolen at their feet, and called the cops using a nearby payphone. He disappeared shortly after. The rest of us made our ways home, including Frost, who went home with Jenna, and who had grown almost instantly attached to Tucker. I knew that I’d have to deal with what to do with her soon, but for the time being I was content to let it go.
The next day at closing time, I went down to Wilson’s Games. Tucker had told me how well Wilson had handled himself in the presence of Shadow Items, so I walked in and turned over my book bag, dumping the Shadow Items gathered from the Dark Elite on his counter.
“What is this?” Wilson asked, but I could tell that he understood.
“I figured you of all people could keep these safe,” I told him, and he nodded. He pulled a trunk out from beneath the counter and opened it, pushing the various Items into it. I glanced inside the trunk as he was closing it and saw dozens of Shadow Items of various shapes and sizes.
“You did well,” said Wilson. “From what I understand you got these items away from some dangerous people, and saved a life, even if she doesn’t remember much about herself yet. There are people around who are very proud of you, including me.”
“Thanks,” I told him, pondering his words.
“But remember to be careful,” Wilson continued. “You defeated one enemy, but there could very well be an even stronger one right around the corner.”
With those final words, the elderly man turned and disappeared into the back room of his store, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
Card of the Day:
Ocean Dragon Lord - Neo Daedalus
Played by: Sarah
Poor Tucker, he didn't get a single Card of the Day this time around. Of course he really didn't do anything new all duel, while Sarah summoned this beast of a card. This monster is basically the "Chaos Emperor Dragon" of Water monsters. Mask was tough, but he didn't stand a chance against it in the end.
Original Cards in This Chapter:
Continue to Yu-Gi-Oh! DA >>
No comments:
Post a Comment