Now we begin a few of the less important duels, in that they don't involve a "main" character (mains being John, Karen, Sarah, and people like that), or an important story revelation or character building event. You could say that these duels are filler, and you'd be kind of right, but I don't think that it hurts to check up on all of the characters from time to time. And besides, Kris is really fun to write for.
Next duel, Jenna vs. Kirk Dixon, will also be only one chapter long, and then we'll get another big one. Before either of those, though, we have a chapter of Reaper where there is finally some action again! Yay!
Chapter Nineteen
Kris vs. Number Twelve
Kris
Jenna and I stepped into the door numbered “six”. Standing at the opposite end of the room, with another large sliding metal door behind them, were two of the Card Professors, the goth girl, and the guy in the glasses and beanie cap.
“This should be interesting,” I said cheerily, tilting my head to the side and scrutinizing the two. I don’t have quite the skill for putting stuff together that my sister has, but I see connections pretty well.
I’m betting that the guy uses Warriors, I thought, and I was almost right, and the girl uses Zombie monsters. I’ve never dueled a Zombie deck!
“I’ll take the girl,” I told Jenna. She nodded, and we stepped closer to the odd duo, standing across from them. I looked aimlessly up at the ceiling, since I’d already seen the trapped panel on the floor near where I stood, and there was no point looking at it again.
What are all of those metal arms for? I wondered, counting the devices, losing count, and starting again. I heard our opponent’s introducing themselves and explaining the scenario that we had found ourselves in, but I didn’t really listen.
Are they for making things, or breaking things? I wondered further. If only I had my powers. I could ask them!
“Hey, spacey girl,” the goth girl demanded, “are you even listening?”
I looked across at her, down at the panel on the floor, and stepped onto it, “We step on these to tell the room that we’re here so we can duel, right?”
The goth girl looked shocked, and the guy laughed. “Kris,” Jenna said, “don’t move. They were just saying that if we step onto those things, and then step off before a duel, we’ll be stuck in here.”
“And we can’t go on unless we win,” I guessed. “Makes sense.”
Jenna sighed, and stepped onto her panel as well, muttering. I looked again at my opponent and said, “Uh, I missed your name.”
“It’s Tilla Mook,” she replied.
“Okay, Tilla Mook,” I replied, “what did you think of Twilight?”
“Don’t mock me, spacey girl,” Tilla replied annoyedly, “or you’ll anger the master living in my deck.”
I had no idea what she was talking about, but it didn’t sound like she was joking. “Alright,” I said, serious as well, meeting my opponent’s eyes for the first time, “no more mocking. You have my full attention.”
Tilla smirked, “Good. Then let’s get right to it. I summon the ‘Red Moon Baby’ in defense mode and set a card.”
“Is that all?” I asked as the vampire child ‘Red Moon Baby’ appeared at my opponent’s side. “I expected something better from a Card Professor.”
I drew a card to start my turn, “Oh well, I never complain about an easy victory. I summon ‘Machine King Prototype’,” a primitive-looking robot, connected via cables in his back to a mechanical throne, appeared facing the vampire (ATK: 1600).
“My monster attacks,” I commanded, “with Rocket Hands!”
My machine aimed both of his hands at the vampire and launched them via rocket boosters, with long cords stretching behind them, keeping them connected to their ports. They hit the ‘Red Moon Baby’ and blew it apart. The cords retracted, pulling the fists back into place.
“You destroyed my monster,” Tilla Mook said, stating the obvious. “This allows me to activate the Trap card ‘Blood Curse’, summoning another ‘Vampire’ from my deck.”
There was a flash of blood red light, and a new form rose up from nowhere. It was an adult male vampire wearing a gothic-style tuxedo, and carrying a tray bearing a wineglass filled with thick red blood. He dropped to one knee and bent his head respectfully.
“I choose to summon,” Tilla explained, “the ‘Vampire Servant’. And when ‘Vampire Servant’ is Special Summoned, I gain six hundred Life Points.”
She took the holographic glass in her hand and sipped (8000 -> 8600).
I frowned, That can’t be healthy.
“Wow,” I said, laying it on thick, “you’re good! All that I have left that I can do this turn is place these two cards face-down on the field.”
“Then it’s my turn again,” Tilla declared, sounding quite confident. She drew, “I summon ‘Vampire Lady’ and play a combo with ‘Overpowering Eyes’, allowing her to hypnotize enemy monsters, even machines, into refusing to block her attack this turn.”
A vampire woman in a black dress appeared. Her eyes glowed and she blew past my monster unopposed, slashing me with her sharp red nails (ATK: 1550/8000 -> 6450).
“And when ‘Vampire Lady’ deals damage to you,” Tilla explained, “I get to declare one card type, and you have to choose a card of that type to discard from your deck.”
She paused for a second, pondering, and then said, “I choose Spell.”
“Then I’ll discard ‘Polymerization’,” I replied. After all, I won’t be needing it to beat you.
“I end my turn,” Tilla concluded.
“Alright then,” I declared, “during your End Phase, I reveal the Trap Monster ‘Machine King 3,000 BC’. This also increases the Attack strength of my ‘Prototype’.”
An ancient version of my ‘Prototype’ appeared alongside his newer counterpart, and the ‘Prototype’’s power rose (1600 -> 1700).
“I draw,” I continued, “and summon ‘Mechanicalchaser’, to act as a tribute for my ‘Machine King 3,000 BC’’s effect.”
A multi-armed robot with a round body and a different weapon in the place of each hand appeared beside my other monsters on the field. Cables reached out from my ‘Machine King 3,000 BC’’s throne and plugged into the newest arrival, draining its energy. The ‘Chaser’ turned to rust and dissolved away, white the attack of my ‘Machine King’ increased (1000 -> 2850).
“My ‘Prototype’ destroys the ‘Vampire Servant’,” I declared, “and ‘Machine King 3,000 BC’ attacks the ‘Vampire Lady’.”
‘Prototype’ launched his fists again, smashing the ‘Servant’ beneath them, and the ancient ‘3,000 BC’ rose shakily from his equally ancient throne and rushed the ‘Lady’, striking her with all of his might (8600 -> 7300).
“You know, spacey girl,” Tilla Mook said thoughtfully, as my Trap Monster’s Attack returned to its original one thousand, “I don’t know if I should take you seriously, or if you’re just a lucky joke.”
“Oh, you should take me very seriously,” I said as seriously as I could, switching back to my playful voice a moment later, “or not! It’s all up to you.”
“Either way,” Tilla replied, her voice lyrical, almost seductive, “it’s my turn, and I think I’ve kept my master waiting long enough. I play ‘Foolish Burial’, discarding any one monster from my deck. And I play ‘Book of Life’ to remove from play your ‘Mechanicalchaser’, and Special Summon the monster that I just discarded.”
There was a golden flash of light, and it finally happened, Tilla’s so-called master finally appeared at her side. He wore suave gothic clothing, and he had a handsome face. A single bat-like wing extended from one of his shoulders, “Meet my master, ‘Vampire’s Curse’ (ATK: 2000)!”
I frowned, honestly confused, “I gotta say, I really expected something more intimidating. I mean, ‘Vampire Lord’ can at least turn into something scary like ‘Vampire Genesis’.”
“My master has more power that it appears at first glance,” Tilla assured me, as if such criticism of her monster was typical. “And even with just his base power, he’s more than strong enough to deal with the biggest threat on your field. He attacks the ‘Machine King 3,000 BC’.”
‘Vampire’s Curse’ rushed forward and crushed my ancient monster with a single thrust of his sharpened nails (6450 -> 5450).
“I’m still not impressed,” I said simply.
Tilla smiled wickedly across the field at me, “You will be.”
“Okay, sure,” I replied, drawing my next card, “well, I play ‘Autonomous Action Unit’, paying fifteen hundred Life Points to attach a control unit to a monster in your Graveyard, summoning to my side of the field under my control.”
My Life Points fell (5450 -> 3950), but it didn’t matter. Tilla’s ‘Vampire Servant’ appeared at my side, his face and eyes completely expressionless, a receiver embedded in the base of his skull (ATK: 1000).
“Of course,” I explained, “when ‘Vampire Servant’ is summoned, its controller gains six hundred Life (3950 -> 4550), and, of course, I control two monsters now that I can tribute for my most powerful monster,” both of my monsters disappeared, replaced by a huge robot with a humanoid torso, with a serpentine body and mechanical wings, carrying a staff, a shield and a sword in three of his four arms, “my ‘Emes the Infinity’ (ATK: 2500)!
“‘Emes’ kills your master,” I announced, putting air quotes around the word master, and ‘Emes’ reached forward and cut ‘Vampire’s Curse’ down with a single swing of his sword (7300 -> 6800). As the sword passed through the ‘Vampire’, it collected energy from the ‘Vampire’’s body, making the sword glow. My opponent didn’t notice, continuing to smile.
“I pay five hundred Life Points (6800 -> 6300),” Tilla announced, “to give of my own life and breath life back into my master.”
What is she talking about? I wondered to myself, but I didn’t have to wait long for an answer, because suddenly, out of nowhere, appeared a spirit form resembling ‘Vampire’s Curse’. It rose up behind Tilla Mook and bit into her neck. I must have looked pretty freaked, because Tilla laughed as her monster began to grow more solid.
“My turn,” Tilla began. “In my Standby Phase my master returns to life even stronger than before.”
‘Vampire’s Curse’ moved away from Tilla, moving to stand at her side once again. “Now,” Tilla explained, “my master is as strong as your monster (ATK: 2000 -> 2500)!”
“Uh, no it’s not,” I replied, “I guess I spaced out and forgot to mention that whenever ‘Emes the Infinity’ destroys a monster he traps some of its energy in his sword, giving him seven hundred Attack (2500 -> 3200).”
Tilla looked less than happy, but she shook it off quickly, “Yeah, okay, but your monster is armed and mine isn’t, so it’s only fair to even things up a bit. Now that my master has been powered up as much as he can be via his own effect, I equip him with ‘Sword of Dark Destruction’ and ‘Sword of Dark Rites’ from my hand to power him up even further!”
Two different, equally evil-looking swords appeared, one in each of the vampire’s outstretched hands, and he brandished them deftly, like an expert (ATK: 2500 -> 3300).
“In case you haven’t been paying attention,” Tilla mocked, “my master is now stronger than your ‘Emes the Infinity’. So he attacks!”
The ‘Vampire’ rushed forward, his swords raised. ‘Emes the Infinity’ raised his sword, shield and staff to block, but he stood no chance. Despite that, though, it was my turn to look unconcerned in the face of danger.
“In case you weren’t paying attention,” I mocked my opponent, letting go all pretenses of being the ditzy little airheaded girl that I often pretended to be, “I have another face-down card. I reveal that card, the ‘Security Orb’. This changes your attacking monster to defense mode.”
A mechanical orb appeared between the charging ‘Curse’ and my ‘Emes the Infinity’, and it raised its two mechanical arms, projecting a suppression field from them, lifting the attacking ‘Vampire’ up off of the ground, depositing him a moment later in a defensive stance (DEF: 600).
“Nice try,” Tilla countered, “but I won’t let you change my master to defense mode and attack him when he’s vulnerable. I end the Battle Phase and change him back to attack mode! I set a card and end my turn. Cherish the time that you have with your machine, because he won’t be around much longer.”
“You’re right,” I replied mischievously, “but not for the reasons you think. After all, once I beat you this turn the duel will end and my monster will disappear.”
I drew a card, “I play ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two new cards.
I drew again, and I smiled, Well well, this could come in handy.
I ignored this newest acquisition for now, however, and selected another card from my hand instead, “I play ‘Burial from the Different Dimension’ to return the removed from play ‘Mechanicalchaser’ to my Graveyard, and I play ‘Monster Reborn’ to Special Summon him back to the field.
The many-armed robot reappeared, and maybe it’s just me, but he looked like he was ready to do some damage.
“Finally,” I declared, “I play ‘Limiter Removal’, doubling the Attack of my monsters for the turn, but destroying them at the end of the turn (3200 -> 6400/1850 -> 3700)! Now ‘Chaser’ can destroy your annoying master (more air quotes), and ‘Emes the Infinity’ can finish you off.”
“You’re wrong again, spacey girl,” Tilla countered, her wicked smile returning, “because I reveal ‘Eternal Immortal’. This turn one ‘Vampire’ monster isn’t destroyed by battle. I’ll still take damage, but you won’t do enough to defeat me, and at the end of the turn your machines go boom. I’ll kill you next turn.”
I smiled and looked down at the last card in my hand, “I was right! You will come in handy.”
I placed the card on my Duel Disk, and a giant machine, like a huge revolver cannon on mechanical spider legs, appeared behind me.
“This is my ‘Mobile Destruct Cannon’,” I explained to Tilla. “Once per turn I can either walk it into an adjacent Spell or Trap zone, or fire a monster directly in front of it at a monster that is also directly in front of it, reducing the Attack of the target by the Attack of the monster I fired. And in case you can’t tell, my ‘Cannon’, my ‘Chaser’, and your ‘Vampire’s Curse’ are all in line.”
“No!” Tilla whined.
“Oh yeah!” I replied. ‘Mechanicalchaser’ loaded itself into the cannon, and was launched at the ‘Vampire’. He exploded against the ‘Vampire’, injuring him, reducing his attack instantly to zero.
“And I finish it,” I declared, “with Infinity Lightning!”
‘Emes’ raised his staff, and lightning poured into his sword. He swung it, hitting the ‘Vampire’. The ‘Vampire’ didn’t die, but energy lanced from him to Tilla Mook, dealing my monster’s entire sixty-four hundred Attack points to her Life Points. Her Life Points fell to zero, and the duel ended.
Tilla looked upset, but I ignored her and thought, Wow, even though she wasn’t very good, that was pretty fun!
Card of the Day:
Mobile Destruct Cannon
Played by: Kris
This, like the last Card of the Day, is an example of an image that made the card, rather than a card that was made and then matched with an image. I always loved the idea of cards that had to be in line with their targets to work, and Kris needed a new end game card or two that fit with her direct, escalating play style. I saw this image, and boom, this card was born. Call it situational if you want, but I like it
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