Bait and switch time! I make it seem like this chapter is just world-building, and then I bring the sad. I'm really proud of myself here.
Chapter Six
First Mission
Prof's team, which means Prof, Rachel, James and I, were sent on a mission for the Elite the very next day. We were flown from the Elite headquarters to New York City via one of three special VTOL-engine-equipped jets located in a hidden hanger, far back in the depths of the mountain. Our landing clearance was handled by one of the Elite’s powerful anonymous contributors. Once we arrived, we used our various magical tools to find our way to the Museum of Natural History. In the middle of the Night. Yes, boys and girls, we, the heroes, were breaking into a museum.
Greg had been tracking a shipment of Egyptian artifacts to the museum. Among the artifacts was a Shadow Item with immense magical energy. Enough, Greg believed, that in the wrong hands it could potentially be used to revive the Order. We were to retrieve the item and bring it to him personally. He was being careful. Of course, the chances of the Order knowing about the item were slim. Prof and James both assured me that the mission was completely routine.
We were standing outside the museum, peeking through the front doors, watching the night guard reading a newspaper and zoning out.
“So,” I asked, “how do we do this? Do we sneak around back or something?”
“Just watch,” said Prof, “and learn.” He stepped out in front of the still-closed doors and stepped forward, his Shadow Pendant glowing. He passed right through the door! Walking silently, he approached the guard. Prof touched the guard’s forehead, his Pendant glowing again, and I saw him mouth the word “sleep”. The guard slumped forward, unconscious. Prof pressed a button on the guard’s console, and the doors clicked, unlocking. The rest of us were able to walk right in.
“Neat trick, Prof,” I said once we’d reached him.
“Basic magic,” said Prof. “Anyone with a magic item can do it, just like teleportation or telekinesis. I’ll show you how when we get back.” Prof clapped his hands together and addressed all of us, “now let’s go!”
Just then we heard a crash further back in the depths of the museum. Prof’s face grew serious, “Looks like we’re too late. Someone else is already here. Come on my friends, follow me.”
Prof took off running, the four of us at his heels. In minutes, we had reached the Egyptian exhibit. Four figures were already in the room. They’d already torn the gate from the doorway and broken into one of the glass cases. One of them was busy lifting a metal rod from the case. I looked around. I saw a concrete pedestal. Concrete, being mostly rock, is well within the domain of my Soul’s powers. I was about to use my Soul to slide the podium toward the intruders, pinning them in the corner of the room when Rachel, acting hastily called out, “Drop the rod!”
All four of the figures turned to face us.
“Oh crap,” one of them cried, “it’s the Elite!”
“I got it,” said a second figure with a stronger, infinitely more confident voice. I realized that he was the one holding the rod. He brandished it, and the roof above us collapsed. I threw up my arms instinctively, and the falling debris was repelled instantly. I looked at my arm where my Duel Disk should have been and I saw something that I’d never seen before. My Duel Disk had changed. Instead of a normal Duel Disk, I was wearing a Duel Disk shaped like a small shield, colored golden brown like my Soul monster, Exxod. I couldn’t help but smile -.
- Until I was thrown aside by the four fleeing Order members who were running for the exit. They were turning toward the entrance to the museum, and their freedom, when there was a flash and a transparent wall appeared blocking the way. I saw Prof standing beside me, his pendant glowing and his face full of strain.
“Not so simple magic,” Prof said. “I’ve blocked the ways out. You four follow them and get that Shadow Rod back. Retrieve it at all costs! And if you can, get them to fight you in a Shadow Duel, beat them, and use a Penalty Game to make them forget about the Items and the Order.”
I nodded and ran after the Order members. Rachel was already running, ever reckless, her brother right behind her. James ran at my side. He and I turned a corner and nearly ran over Rachel and Charlie.
“They split up,” said Rachel. “Lock onto one with your Item and go after him.”
She started running, ducking into one of the exhibits. Charlie ran toward another.
“At least our lives are never boring,” said James. “Ya got one?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “My Soul’s picking up a Shadow Item up ahead.”
“I’ve got one around the next bend. Let’s go.” James smiled, “See ya in a flash!”
He sprung forward with all of the power of an experienced athlete and disappeared around the corner. I stepped into the exhibit ahead of me, and I found myself surrounded by a false, dense forest, littered with fake jungle animals. It was like I’d stepped into another world, but, of course, I hadn’t left the museum.
Alright pal, I thought silently to my hidden opponent, excited for my first battle as a full member of the Elite, get ready, because here I come!
James
I rounded the corner and stepped into one of the exhibit rooms. It was empty. The museum staff must have been in the process of changing the exhibits around. I was a little disappointed. I’m a fan of museums. But, of course, lack of an exhibit made it all the easier to find my would-be opponent. He was standing directly in front of me, the Shadow Rod in his right hand. He wore a flat, triangular pendant bearing an Egyptian Wdjat Eye.
“Hand over the Shadow Items,” I demanded, “and I won’ hurt you.”
“I don’t think so,” the young man replied, raising his duel disk as he glared confidently through long, dark hair. He smiled and raised the Rod, energy pouring from it, calling up a wall of shadows to surround us both.
I smile, “Oh, this should be fun. I love me a good challenge. But I’ll warn ya, I’m good. My deck is as graceful as I am on the soccer field, and it works twice as hard.”
I drew six cards and began the duel. “Prepare yourself,” I said, “to be crushed by my Supreme Grace. I place three cards face-down, set a monster, and end my turn.”
“Really? That’s all?” my opponent asked. “I expected more from an Elite dog. I summon ‘Machine King Prototype’ and activate the Continuous Spell card ‘Machine Assembly Line’.” A simple-looking red and chrome robot appeared, sitting in and plugged into an alcove that resembled a throne (ATK: 1600+200=1800).
“‘Prototype’ attacks,” my opponent commanded. The robot raised its hand, discharging a strong energy wave that revealed my monster, a muscular man carrying a hammer, before striking him down.
“The monster that was just revealed by your attack was my ‘Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu’,” I explained. “Attacking him activated his effect, letting me add an Equip Spell from my deck to my hand.”
I fanned out my deck, chose a card, shuffled my deck, and added the selected card to my hand.
“Face-down card,” said my opponent, still confident.
“I draw,” I declared, “and I summon one of the most graceful monsters in the game, my ‘Woodland Sprite’!”
My monster, a humanoid fairy-like creature made of wood and leaves and wearing an amber pendant appeared floating in the air near my shoulder (ATK: 900).
“I reveal my face-down ‘Zero Sprite’ Trap card,” I declared, “lowering the original Attack of my monster to zero, but giving him the power to attack twice per turn. Next I activate ‘Card of Sanctity’.”
I drew five cards from my deck. My opponent drew three.
“Next,” I said, “I reveal my face-down ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’ to destroy your face-down card.”
My opponent’s face-down card was sliced in half by a burst of wind. I watched him discard ‘Mirror Force’.
“Finally,” I announced, “I equip my ‘Woodland Sprite’ with the Equip Spell cards ‘Black Pendant’, ‘Butterfly Dagger – Elma’, and ‘Mage Power’, increasing the Attack of my monster to thirty-three hundred. Also, I reveal ‘Ultimate Offering’ and pay five hundred Life Points (8000-500=7500) to summon ‘Dancin’ Elf’.”
A young woman with white wings, wearing a green dress appeared at my opposite side (ATK: 300). My ‘Woodland Sprite’ now carried a short blade with a hand guard shaped like a butterfly. His amber pendant had transformed into a pitch black one. A magical ring glowed on the ground beneath him (ATK: 3300).
“I attack with both of my monsters,” I commanded. ‘Woodland Sprite’ slashed twice with his dagger, sending two blades of wind at the opponent. The first hit his ‘Prototype’, slashing it in half (8000+1800-3300=6500), and the second hit him (6500-3300=3200). ‘Dancing Elf’ unleashed a burst of fragrant wing that struck my opponent in the chest, blowing him back several feet (3200-300=2900).
“I send my three Equip cards to the Graveyard,” I declared, “to activate my ‘Woodland Sprite’’s effect, dealing you five hundred damage per card.”
‘Woodland Sprite’’s dagger and spell ring faded, and his pendant returned to normal. He summoned three more bursts of wind (2900-1500=1400).
“Plus, when ‘Black Pendant’ goes to the Graveyard,” I explained, “you take five hundred damage.”
A black fire burned around my opponent, and his Life Points fell (1400-500=900).
“I activate ‘Fairy of the Spring’,” I said, “to return an Equip card from my Graveyard to my hand. Of course I can’t activate it this turn, so I pass. But, come next turn, I’ll equip my ‘Sprite’ with ‘Black Pendant’ again, and you’ll lose. Sure you don’t want to hand over the Items?”
My opponent smiled, “Your ‘Woodland Sprite’ won’t be around next turn. I’ll see to that.”
I looked at my hand where I held the Spell card ‘Monster Reborn’, “We’ll see, won’ we?”
Rocky
I walked slowly through the exhibit, searching for the enemy that I knew waited for me, but before I could find my enemy, I found myself surrounded by a ring of shadows, preventing my escape. A slender, attractive woman stepped out in front of me. She was in her early twenties, had long white hair and wore no makeup. She carried a combat knife in a holster at her waist.
“Let me guess,” I said. “You want to face me in a Shadow Duel for my spirit or my Soul or some similar thing, right?”
“Not at all,” she replied, holding up a button trigger, pressing it. The exhibits to either side of me exploded. I threw up my Shield Disk, and chunks of the concrete below the floor at my feet rose up through the tile floor, protecting me from the blast. When I realized that I wasn’t in any danger, I smiled. I lowered my Shield Disk, and the floor pieces fell back into place.
“Something like that won’t work on me,” I announced.
The young woman sighed, “Fine. I guess I’ll have to duel you after all.” She switched on her Duel Disk. I drew my opening hand and placed two cards on my new Duel Disk, and a multi-colored statue of a face and two hands, like a living wall of brick, appeared ahead of me.
“I summon,” I announced, “my ‘Stone Statue of the Aztecs’ (ATK: 300) and place one card face-down. Go.”
“Fine,” my opponent said, her voice filling with anticipation. “I summon ‘Exploder Dragon’ and attack your weak statue.”
A gray-black dragon gripping an egg in its talons, holding it close to its stomach appeared, rising into the air, ready to strike (ATK: 1000).
“Reveal,” I announced, “the Trap card ‘Reversal World’, exchanging my monster’s Attack with his Defense (300 --> 2000).”
“I knew you would,” my opponent replied. “Why else would you summon such a weak monster in attack mode? That’s why I’m attacking with ‘Exploder Dragon’. Any monster that destroys him is destroyed as well.”
‘Stone Statue’ fired beams from his eyes, vaporizing the dragon, just as the dragon dropped its egg. The egg exploded against ‘Stone Statue’, blasting him to rubble.
“I finish my turn by setting two cards,” my opponent declared. “You can’t get past my defenses. I’m always prepared for anything.”
That got my attention, There might be something to this girl. She obviously likes explosives. She’s good with them too. Her deck is likely an Explosives Deck. She says she’s always prepared, so let’s see how prepared she really is, and let’s see what it’ll take to use that against her.
“I summon ‘Beta the Magnet Warrior’,” I declared, and a humanoid monster made of stone, with U-shaped magnets for hands and half of a U-shaped magnet coming from each side of his head, like horns, appeared (ATK: 1700). “Attack,” I commanded, and my monster moved to do just that, but before he’d moved even an inch, he exploded, like he’d had a bomb attached to his chest.
“Your monster just walked right into my ‘Widespread Ruin’ Trap,” my opponent announced. “I have plenty more, so don’t think you can attack me directly.”
I couldn’t help but smile. Alright, now I’m sure what kind of Duelist this girl is. She might feel prepared, but her cards are only designed to protect against frontal assaults long enough for her to counterattack. I know what move she’s going to use next, and I know exactly how I’m going to beat her.
“I play ‘Double Summon’,” I said, “letting me set a monster. That’s all.”
“Then this duel is as good as over,” my opponent taunted. “I play ‘Pot of Greed’.” She drew two cards. “Next,” she continued, “I play ‘Graceful Charity’, drawing three cards, and discarding ‘Mine Golem’ and ‘Blast Juggler’. I play ‘Monster Reborn’ and combine it with ‘Inferno Reckless Summon’ to summon three ‘Mine Golems’, one from my graveyard and two from my deck. You can also summon any additional copies of your monster that you have in your deck.”
I had none, so I was forced to watch passively as three large stone humanoids appeared on my opponent’s field. Each of them had a mine for a head and more explosives embedded in its chest (ATK: 1000 (each)).
“I equip my lead ‘Mine Golem’ with ‘Plastic Explosive’,” my opponent declared. “Now any monster that it attacks is destroyed immediately. I attack now!”
The lead ‘Mine Golem’ tossed an explosive attached to a cord at my monster. It stuck to my monster’s chest, ‘Mine Golem’ pushed a button on the detonator, and my monster was blown apart. I discarded it, my ‘Great Spirit’, leaving me wide open. The other two ‘Mine Golems’ swung their fists at me. I raised my Shield Disk to keep from being knocked over, but that didn’t do anything for my Life Points (8000-1000=6000).
“Reveal,” my opponent declared, “the face-down card ‘Minefield Eruption’. I destroy all three of my own ‘Mine Golems’ to deal you three thousand damage.”
The three golems exploded in my face. I threw my shield up again, protecting myself from the blast which, thanks to the shadows around us, could have really hurt me. Still, my Life Points took a hit (6000-3000=3000).
I lowered my shield, but just as I did, another blast threw me onto my back (3000-1000=2000). My opponent laughed a wicked laugh. “I’m sorry,” she said, “I guess I forgot to mention that when ‘Plastic Explosive’ is destroyed, my opponent takes one thousand damage.”
She kept laughing as I picked myself up, brushing myself off, not much worse for wear. “You done?” I asked.
“No,” she said, her voice tinted with arrogance. “I set a monster and end my turn. Attack if you dare.”
I smiled, drawing my next card, “Let me guess. You’re anticipating that I’ll retaliate with a powerful monster. One with more Attack Points than my remaining Life Points. So you set ‘Blast Sphere’ so that when I attack it, I’ll lose automatically.”
My opponent’s eyes filled with shock, “How did you know?”
“You really have to ask? You aren’t exactly hard to predict. I knew that you would expect a direct assault and set the best explosive monster for turning an opponent’s frontal assault into a weapon. That’s why I plan to beat you with a different kind of direct assault.
“I place one card face-down,” I declared, “and play ‘Card of Sanctity’ to draw five cards. Next I play ‘Miracle Rupture’, sending ‘Stone Dragon’ in my deck to the Graveyard to draw another card.”
I looked at my hand and breathed a sigh of relief. I got what I needed. Good. I was worried for a second.
“I’ll also play ‘Painful Choice’,” I continued, “choosing five cards from my deck. You choose one to add to my hand, and I discard the rest.”
I flipped through my deck and chose five cards: ‘Alpha the Magnet Warrior’, ‘Gamma the Magnet Warrior’, ‘Red Gadget’, ‘Guardian Sphinx’, and ‘Exxod, Master of the Guard’.
“No way you can summon ‘Exxod’ this turn,” my opponent mused, completely sure of herself. “Add that to your hand.”
I did, discarding the others.
“I remove eight Rock monsters in my Graveyard from play,” I said, “to summon my ‘Megarock Dragon’.”
Pieces of my fallen monsters rose up and formed together into the massive stone beast (ATK: 5600). My monster roared.
“You know what my face-down monster is,” my opponent insisted. “A monster that strong can only hurt you.”
“That would be true,” I replied, “if I were planning on attacking your monster. I play ‘Megamorph’, doubling my monster’s size and strength.”
My monster grew larger (ATK: 5600x2=11,200).
“I also play ‘Double Attack’, discarding ‘Exxod’ to allow my monster to attack twice this turn. And I finish up my summoning ‘Magic Hole Golem’.”
A huge monster with a body like a massive metal ring appeared, floating in front of my giant dragon. “Once per turn while I control ‘Magic Hole Golem’,” I said, “I can halve the Attack of one of my monsters.”
‘Megarock Dragon’ shrunk back to his original, but still menacing, smaller size (ATK 5600).
“In exchange,” I explained, “that monster is able to attack directly this turn.”
My opponent’s eyes grew wide, “No way!”
“Sorry,” I said, “but it looks like you lose.”
‘Megarock Dragon’ roared and two large stones rose up from the ground. A portal sparked to life in the center of ‘Magic Hole Golem’’s ring-like body. The levitating stones passed through the portal and reappeared above my opponent, bypassing her monster. They hit her, and she fell to her knees in pain (8000-(5600x2)=0). Our monsters faded away.
I walked toward my opponent and stood over her. “I don’t know if you are a willing member of the Order, or if you were coerced, but either way, you’ll be better off if you forget.” I placed my hand on her forehead and my Soul flashed, and I called out, “Penalty Game, Mind Wipe!”
She fell onto her side, unconscious. When she woke up, she wouldn’t remember her time in the Order, or her Shadow Item. She wouldn’t even remember that either of them existed. I almost felt bad for her.
I reached down and removed her Shadow Item, a black necklace, from around her neck, turned, and left her alone, lying amongst the ruins of the exhibit.
I decided to meet up with James and see how he was doing, Out of all of my new team mates, James was the only one that I really felt was my friend. Rachel was too harsh, Charlie too distant, and Prof too, well, weird. I knew where James was. I’d seen where he’d gone. I rounded the corner, beaming with pride from my latest victory, my fallen foe’s Shadow Item in hand. That’s when I saw it. James was slumped on the floor in an empty room. I ran full speed and dropped to my knees at his side, but I already knew it was too late. I could already tell that my friend was dead.
Card of the Day:
Woodland Sprite
Played by: James
In honor of James.
Original Cards in This Chapter:
Original Cards in This Chapter:
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