Yu Gi Oh! Dark Messiah

[jkBAKURA]

Well, I can tell you it wasn't me. On to the review, I have to admit, I did like the premise of this chapter. However, it wold have been nice to see some more cards from Leon that didn't come from the anime, just to keep it unexpected. So far, I don't see Jason's deck as a hard Kaiba deck. Even though he has many of the cards, his presentation wasn't the same. This probably works for the better, seeing as he is an entirely different character.

La Jinn looked down in puzzlement. Sure enough, he was wearing them on his feet.

I nearly fell over laughing as I read this. La Jinn doesn't even have feet! On a side note, someday I want to see Leon, or a similar player actually use the La Jinn / Ancient Lamp combo, but it never happens.

[Pokemasterkatie]

On a side note, someday I want to see Leon, or a similar player actually use the La Jinn / Ancient Lamp combo, but it never happens.

That's a good thought. I have Ancient Lamp in my Nightmare Troubadour deck, and it's very useful. Though I've never used it to Special Summon La Jinn(which I also have in there)...

A Cyber Dragon/Kaiba deck is pretty cool...Personally, I was expecting Beastdown.:p

[Shuppet Master]

I was a little surprised when those slippers appeared on La Jinn too, JBakura. I was thinking that Dark Sage put feet on him for the card to work.

Anyways, I didn't mean to enter(I failed to see the announcement below it), but I would have gotten over half of the questions right, since I have some of the cards. Anyways, congrats to whoever got the perfect score! I couldn't get three of the questions because I'm not in the game as well as some as the others and don't know all the cards well enough. (I was trying with the Mighty Guard one though, I knew it had something to do with the attack of the monster...)

EDIT: Forget to add my review.

Brian, you are officially my best bud for three reasons:

(1) You bring in Leon Wilson, one of my favorite old-school characters. His deck is just unusual.

(2) Jason uses Cyber Laser Dragon. I am officially going to find a way to make a Cyber Dragon deck now. They are just so 'leet!

(3) You use VR pods, which is just nifty. The Japanese are getting a tag-team duel with Jaden and some other guy in the virtual world. I won't spoil anything else though, but go to the Janime board and check out the pic of Syrus!

[Dark Sage]

I have an announcement to make - I screwed up.

The answer to the last question was not what I thought it was. Someone answered and gave me the true answer, which was, they all can be summoned with it.

Thus, since I awarded the prize to that first guy already, and I don't want him to call me a liar, both of them are now considered winners, and will get the same prize. The one who got the answer truly right is okay with this.

For anyone who still wants to guess, question #10 is no longer valid.

- DS

[Zcade0]

Not expected deck. Not at all. I have the magic lanmp and La Gin in my deck to on the DS game. (btw, who is the trobador? that makes no sence.) Never get them both at the same time though... That stinks. Btw, I was dueling yugi once, used the lamps ability, turned his dark magician's attack on his Obnoctious Celtic Guard and won. It was kool. :biggrin

[jkBAKURA]

Well, I guess I can bail one of you out. I pulled a Google search. Gilfe came up nothing but last names, but Hex Trude (or Hexatic Rudy as it was called) apparently comes from a story by the name of "Rudy and the Prince." Since I do not own the story, and there were no summeries that I could find, I can only assume that this answer is correct.

[Blademaster]

Well, anyway, all quizzes and contests aside, I gotta say that that was a good chapter.

And I knew it was a Kaiba Deck - I just knew it! What else could it have been if Vorse Raider was there?

I especially loved this excerpt:

"Squash that squash!"

Very funny... lol...

Anyway, keep writing and I'll keep reading... Well, later!

(runs off to write more of The I Syndicate)

-Blade

[Mega Horny]

What else could it have been if Vorse Raider was there?

A Bastian deck? Vorse Raider is a staple in most decks, especially BD.

[Mystic_clown]

And I didn't even get a chance to be in the comp.

Interesting duel DS, I've just got one question.

Was Leon a real character in the series? If he was, when did he duel Yugi? I'm interested to know.

[Pokemasterkatie]

Leon was one of the characters in the Grand Prix season. He was the brother of Siegfried, but totally different from that greedy little company taker. He eventually faced Yugi in the finals of the tourney, but not before his bro slipped a certain card in his deck... I'm sure you can find the episodes(that duel was a three parter) in You Tube with a bit of luck.

[Perfect Chaos]

Very interesting chapter indeed DS

So Kaiba is a big idol for Jason, and it shows in how his deck is made-up. As we all know already, Kaiba uses a LARGE variety of cards, so hopefully, we all never get too tired of seeing Jason duel.

It was a nice surprise to see Leon make an appearance. His deck is the most original of all the other duelists that we've seen in the YGO show. Hopefully we have more of these pleasant surprises as the story progresses.

Wow, can't believe the contest had ended THAT quickly. I don't think I knew like half the questions to that question anyways, so no worries over here.

Look forward to seeing the next chapter.

-Sean

[Inferno_Dragon]

Good chapter, Dark Sage.

So Jason has a Kaiba deck with Cyber Dragons replacing the three Blue Eyes that Kaiba normally holds. I actually never saw most of the Grand Prix series. I haven't even seen the whole Yu-Gi-Oh Series to the very end but I wil eventually. But it was a good battle anyways.

So an old villian returns, huh? I can't wait to see who it is.

Anyways, I will wait for the next contest if there is one. I don't think I would got all the answers if I arrived at the exact time you posted the contest post.

Keep up the good work on this fanfic .... I bet it will just as great as your other fanfics.

[Dark Sage]

Well, here are the answers to the questions (I might as well give them):


1. “Archfiend Marmot of Nefariousness”, seen on all versions of her card.

2. “Archfiend’s Oath”

3. There are many more than five: “Bark of Dark Ruler”, “The Puppet Magic of Dark Ruler”, "Soul Demolition" “Demotion”, “A Deal With Dark Ruler”, “Skill Drain” and "Order to Smash". If anyone knows of any others, let me know.

4. “Continuous Destruction Punch”; however, that would be quite a coincidence if it happened. A couple of guys said "Mass Driver"; however, that is wrong. The tribute for Mass Driver is a cost, so it would not activate the effect.

5. “Koitsu”, “Winged Kuriboh LV 10”, and “Uria, Lord of Searing Flames”. All are Level 10, but both are searchable by Sangan because Koitsu only has 200 ATK, the Kuriboh only has 300, and Uria has zero ATK until he is actually summoned.


6. Trick question. There are actually two, and either would have been acceptable. “Machine Duplication” and "Heart of Clear Water". “Mighty Guard” is a Machine of the Earth Attribute who has four stars; no other Monsters in those categories can be affected by "Heart of Clear Water" and “Machine Duplication”, because no others exist that have low enough ATK.


7. “Piranha Army” (Everyone got this one.)


8. “Destiny Hero Dreadmaster’s” ATK when summoned is that of all other Destiny Heroes on your side of the field combined. Since “Destiny Hero Doom Lord” has a base attack of 600, “Destiny Hero Captain Tenacious” has a base ATK of 800, and “Destiny Hero Diamond Dude” has a base ATK of 1,400, the answer in this case would be 2,800.


9. 2,300. First, he loses 300 from the battle, seeing as the Field Card made “Mermaid Knight’s” ATK 1,700 and “Limiter Removal” made that of “KA-2 Des Scissors” 2,000. When “KA-2 Des Scissors” destroys a Monster, the owner of the destroyed Monster loses 500 Life Points for every level of the destroyed Monster, and despite “A Legendary Ocean’s” downgrading effect, the ruling on “KA-2 Des Scissors” means original level, and “Mermaid Knight” has an original level of four.


Good luck for everyone on the next contest; and by the way, the two winners of this one will not be eligible.

[Silencer]

Mighty guard, according to my source, is actually a fire attribute monster.

My source would be YVD a online dueling game with all cards in their database.

[Dark Sage]

My database says it's an Earth Monster, and the Earth symbol is clearly visible on the picture. See for yourself:

[Silencer]

Ok, guess that's another typo in YVD.

Anyway, weak monster for a 4 star...

[Zcade0]

well, I only got #1 #3 and #5 right (I didn't actually enter) al well. Btw, can u pm me the online dueling site? and is it free?

[Blademaster]

Uh, DS, I don't wanna screw up your contest, but I believe that anyone who said 'Heart of Clear Water' to question #6 would've been wrong - Mighty Guard is an Earth Machine with 4 stars, and it's weak enough to use Clear Water on...

But there is another Monster that fits all those criteria: Gear Golem the Moving Fortress.

You'd likely know better than me, but that's what I think. Unless I forgot something about 1 card or the other... :-/

-Blade

[Dark Sage]

Mmm, you're right.

Fortunately, both of the winners said Machine Duplication, so they're right.

- Brian

[Dark Sage]

Okay folks, listen up...

In the next chapter, three characters are introduced who will become regular characters.

Cassius and Sebastian are my own creations entirely...

However, when designing Cleo, I based her looks on that of Miranda, a character who was drawn by Master of Paradox's "apprentice", YamiUmiRyu. According to MoP, she based Miranda on herself. I don't know if Yami actually reads these stories, but anyway...

For the most part, enjoy the next chapter.

[B][I]My father didn’t get to be a two-star General by being dumb, and he didn’t do it by cutting corners or taking the easy ways out.

He once told me, “Russell, when you are confronted by two paths, always choose the harder path. It will be worth it in the end.”

Sound advice.

The trouble is…

In Duel Monsters, the harder path often seems to choose you…

[size=3][B]CHAPTER FOUR

Thursday, September 9th, 2106, 5:15PM



As Jason exited the library, Trisha and Russell were waiting.

“So how was it?” asked Russell.

“An experience,” replied Jason. “If you want to try tomorrow, ask for Leon – even if you lose, it will be entertaining…”

“Oh, students!” called a voice.

They turned and saw Chancellor Artemis running up, holing a long box.

“I’m glad I found you three,” she said. “I need some responsible students to run a little errand… I can give you each twenty-five points of extra-credit for it…”

“Responsible is my middle name,” answered Trisha. “Trisha Responsible Moise. What’s the errand?”

“Well, remember when Mayor Barna was here to open the new gymnasium on the first day of the year?” answered Artemis. “She left something behind, and I need these delivered to her office downtown before tomorrow morning.”

“Sure,” said Jason. “What are they?”

“What every opening ceremony needs,” said Artemis, opening a box. “The oversized novelty scissors. You’ve got to get them to her, because she has to open the new shopping mall tomorrow morning.”

“Don’t worry,” said Jason, taking the box. “We know the way.”

They turned to leave.

“Come on guys, we’ll stop for pizza on the way back!”

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

NYC Dueling Academy was situated in the heart of Manhattan, and was a quick subway ride from City Hall, where Mayor Barbara Barna was certain to be working.

She was a good friend of the academy, being a duelist herself who had been a national champion before going into politics. She had earned a fortune from tournaments, and though it was true that no-one ever became a politician to become rich, almost all of her salary went to charity.

She was one of a minority – a Liberal Republican, who attracted a lot of Democrats. Jason wished it was an election year – he’d have loved to vote for her a second time.

And it was quite common for students to run these errands to City Hall on a frequent basis. Anyone who knew how to operate a Duel Disk was welcome there.

As the three students walked to the subway stop, Jason tried to fit the box with the scissors in it into his knapsack, but it was too awkward – especially with his Disk in there.

“You should have left the Disk behind,” sighed Russell.

“Force of habit,” said Jason. “Maybe we can…”

And then there was the sound of a whip cracking…

Suddenly, the box was torn out of his hands!

The three students looked up, and saw three figures in front of them…

The first one (the one who had snatched the box with a whip) wore a vest that was open in the front, along with camouflage pants and an outback-style hat, complete with teeth decorating it. He looked to be about twenty…

Behind him was a young man and a woman, who looked about eighteen.

The man was dressed all in black leather, with short sleeves, revealing tattoos (strange ones that the three students could swear they had seen before somewhere…). He wore a studded belt and reflective sunglasses.

As for the woman, she was even stranger. She wore a tight leather top with no sleeves. She also wore a leather skirt and knee-high boots. The right side of her face was covered by her blonde hair that was styled in long bangs.

“G’day,” said the one with the whip. He took the scissors out of the box and threw the box aside.

“Give that back!” ordered Jason.

The three thugs chuckled.

“Tell you what,” said the girl. “You want these scissors so badly… Chase us… If you catch us, we’ll give it back!”

And then they turned and ran.

“HEY!” said Jason, starting to run. “Didn’t your parents ever tell you not to run with scissors?”

That seemed to elect a lot more laughter from them.

“You know,” said Trisha, “they’re probably leading us into something…”

“I know,” muttered Jason. “And I also know how much detention we’re all going to get if we lose those scissors…”

“So much for stopping for pizza…” moaned Russell.

The three hoods ran into the subway station. As the three students followed, they saw them leap over the turnstiles. The students were more law abiding – they scanned their subway passes, and went through.

“This way!” laughed the tattooed youth, waving from a stairway.

They followed him down a stairway, and to the track for the 6-Train, just as the train itself was pulling into the station.

The students ran into the train…

In this era, the subways of New York City had advanced greatly. The cramped, dirty cars of the old days had been replaced by spacious, clean, comfortable cars.

But as they looked around, the thieves were nowhere to be seen…

A note was on the floor.

Russell picked it up.

“Dear suckers,” he read. “Ride this train to the last stop in the Bronx, and then walk one block north to the Ah! Chips! factory. We’ll be waiting for you there.”

“We appear to have no choice…” muttered Trisha.

The train sped towards the Bronx…

[B]* * * * * * * * * *

An hour later, the three of them walked up to a large factory with the sign ”Ah! Chips!” on it.

“Okay…” muttered Jason. “It’s a potato chip factory. How dangerous can a potato chip factory be?”

They walked in… and gulped.

There were machines armed with slicers, dicers, and other sharp objects all around.

“Pretty dangerous…” muttered Trisha.

“Welcome!” said a voice above them.

They saw the three thieves on a catwalk above them.

“Welcome to our playground,” said the tattooed youth, “where you’ll soon find that your worst nightmares will come alive!”

“Cut the melodrama, Sebastian,” said the girl.

“Give me a break, Cleo, we’re supposed to talk that way!” he answered.

“Quiet, both of you!” said the one holding the scissors. “Glad you all could make it… You already met Cleo and Sebastian… You can call me Cassius, and…”

“Look pal!” shouted Russell. “I don’t care if you call yourself Henry the Eighth! Give those scissors back or I’m gonna come up there and give you all such a pounding!”

“Oh, you are, are you?” asked Cassius.

He grasped the handrail of the catwalk…

And then he bent it… with a simple flick of his wrist.

The three students gulped…

“My two associates are just as strong,” he added.

“What do you want?” asked Jason.

“To try a little test…” said Cassius.

He put his fingers in his mouth and whistled.

A figure walked out of the shadows in front of them…

It was another punk, this one with spiky blonde hair, a white tank top, torn jeans, and battered sneakers. Most remarkably, he wore a hunting knife in a sheath on his waist. (Russell had seen knives like that before – it was likely more expensive than everything else he was wearing combined.)

“Hello folks,” he said. “Fang’s the name. You want those scissors so bad? Then one of you is going to have to duel me for them. You win, you get them back…”

“And if you win?” asked Russell.

Fang gave an evil grin.

“I’ll keep that a secret for now…” he said in a sinister voice.

“I’m not afraid of you,” said Russell. “I’ll take you on!”

Jason took his Disk out of his knapsack and tossed it to him.

“Catch!” he shouted.

Russell caught it.

“Good luck,” urged Jason. “I don’t like the look of this…”

Russell slipped the Disk on his wrist, and plugged his deck in.

As Fang activated his own Disk, Russell noticed something odd. Fang’s Disk was a model he had never seen before. The metal was black, covered with… runes of some sort, and the tray was shaped like a wicked, scythe-like blade…

Russell considered this as he activated his own Disk.

“Meh,” he said, as the scores set.

Maybe it’s custom made… he thought. KaibaCorp can do that if you have enough money…

[B](Russell: 8,000) (Fang: 8,000)

“You’ll soon discover that there’s more riding on this duel than you believe,” said Fang with a smirk, as he drew five cards. “But anyway, make the first move…”

“Fine!” said Russell. “Atten… shun!”

He drew a card.

“I play the Spell Card, Reinforcement of the Army,” he said, playing a card.

He removed his deck.

“Now I can search my deck for a Warrior of four stars or less, and I think King’s Knight will fit my needs…”

He reshuffled and replaced the deck.

“Go ahead…” said Fang. “I’m not afraid of him…”

“But rather than use him right now,” said Russell, not noticing the comment, “I’ll summon a knight of a different type. I summon Familiar Knight in Defense Mode.”

He put a card on his Disk. A knight in shining armor appeared, kneeling and leaning on his sword. (1,200/1,400)

“Now just try to get past him,” dared Russell.

“I’ll do more than just try,” said Fang, drawing a card.

He placed a card down.

“Let me show you a real Monster!” he shouted. “I summon Berserk Gorilla in Attack Mode.”

A very angry gorilla appeared, and beat its chest in rage! (2,000/1,000)

“Trying to hold him back would be an exercise in futility,” said Fang, with a shrug. “So… Attack the Knight! Blazing berserk breath!”

Berserk Gorilla shot forth a stream of flame from its jaws, and Familiar Knight was blown into pixels!

“Seems I’ve taken the lead…” chuckled Fang.

“No,” answered Russell, “you’ve taken the bait. When Familiar Knight is destroyed in battle, we each can Special Summon a four-star Monster from our hands.”

“Very well…” said Fang, putting a card down. “I’ll summon Hitotsu-Me Giant, and have him defend me.”

A cyclopsed Beast-Warrior with green skin appeared, and crouched in defense. (1,200/1,000)

“Not much of a Monster…” commented Trisha.

“And I’ll summon a lady known as… Queen’s Knight,” exclaimed Russell. “In Attack Mode.”

He placed a card down, and a beautiful woman in ruby red armor with long, blond hair, carrying a sword and a triangular shield, all adorned with hearts, clubs, diamonds, and spades appeared. (1,500/1,600)

“You think she’s safe?” laughed Fang. “This guy isn’t King Kong, and she isn’t Fay Wray.”

“We’ll see…” said Russell, making a draw.

He put a card down.

“Now’s the time to summon King’s Knight,” he said.

Another knight, this one with a beard, wearing golden armor, a crown, and a circular shield appeared, also adorned with playing card symbols. He held a sword. (1,600/1,500)

“Notice anything similar about my two Monsters?” asked Russell. “It isn’t hard… One of them is Queen’s Knight, and one is King’s Knight.

“And when I summon King’s Knight when Queen’s Knight is on the field…”

“Yes, you get to summon Jack’s Knight, I know,” interrupted Fang. “Please, I’m smarter than I look…”

“True, but you’re still pretty dumb,” shouted Cleo from the catwalk.

“HEY, who’s the one dueling here?” snapped Fang.

Russell put a card down, and a handsome Warrior with blonde hair wearing sapphire-blue armor and a shield (again adorned with hearts, clubs, spades, and diamonds) and sword appeared. (1,900/1,000)

“Now I have a whole team of Warriors, and your ugly freaks are going down…” warned Russell.

“None of them can beat my Gorilla…” answered Fang with a smirk.

Russell played a Spell Card.

“I play… The A. Forces,” he exclaimed. “Now each Warrior on my side of the field gains 200 Attack Points for each Warrior present. That’s 600 for each of them!”

Queen’s Knight’s Attack Score rose to 2,100, King’s Knight to 2,200, and Jack’s Knight to 2,500.

“Hey, no fair!” shouted Fang.

“Go, my Knights!” shouted Russell. “Attack him and his freaks! Royal Flush Rush!”

Queen’s Knight brought her sword down on the Gorilla, and it howled before shattering.

King’s Knight made a swipe, cutting Hitotsu-Me Giant in two! Its remains were blasted into pixels!

Jack’s Knight made a savage slash, and Fang was thrown backwards!

[B](R: 8,000) (F: 5,400)

“OOF! Ouch, ow…” muttered Fang. “Bastard…”

“If I were you, I’d fold your cards,” said Russell.

“And to think that Dr. Peters only gave that combo a B+,” sighed Trisha. “I thought for sure that Russell deserved an A.”

“Dr. Peters is impossible to please…” answered Jason.

“Fang!” shouted Sebastian. “You’re embarrassing yourself more than you usually do.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Fang, getting up. “Keep your pants on! I don’t know why I agreed to this…”

“Because you volunteered,” answered Cassius. “Now move.”

He drew a card.

“Bunch of arrogant jerks…” he muttered, looking at it. “Think just because they’re ‘The Three’ they can boss everyone else around…”

He played the card.

“I play Pot of Greed,” he exclaimed.

He drew two more cards.

He chuckled as he saw them.

“Don’t worry people!” he laughed. “I just drew it!”

“It?” asked Russell. “What is ‘it’?”

“You’ll see in a second,” said Fang. “But first, I’ll play Mystical Space Typhoon to wipe out The A. Forces.”

He played the card, and a whirlwind shot forth, shattering the Spell Card. The three Knights lost their bonus.

“Next I’ll summon… Enraged Battle Ox, in Attack Mode.”

He put a card down, and an armored minotaur surrounded by an aura of flames appeared. (1,700/1,000)

“And now…” he said in a sinister voice. “You wanted to know what ‘it’ is?”

He held a card aloft.

“It’s a card of incredible magic… and it’s as ancient as time itself… A card of unspeakable power…”

A Field Slot opened on his strange Disk, and he slid the card in…

Thunder flashed outside…

“I play… [B]The Seal of Orichalcos!”

Only one word could describe the feeling that Russell felt next coming from Fang:

Evil.

Darkness seemed to descend on the arena, and then a glowing five-pointed star traced on the floor, and was surrounded by a circle of mystic runes!

Then Trisha and Jason screamed as something slammed into them, and they were propelled backwards!

“Guys!” gasped Russell.

He tried to run to them, but he was pushed back by the same thing!

Fang chuckled.

Russell noticed now that the same strange symbol was etched on Fang’s forehead!

“They can’t help you now, Russell, nor can you go to them,” he laughed, in a much more sinister voice. “Only the winner of this duel will leave the Seal…”

He chuckled again, his voice sounding like a madman…

“…but the loser will never leave. For now, whoever loses this duel loses his soul!”

Russell stared at him.

“Buddy…” he said, almost laughing, “I’ve seen healthier minds bouncing around padded cells! You’re delirious!”

“You’ll be a believer soon,” said Fang with a shrug. “But try to deny what’s about to happen to my Monster…”

Enraged Battle Ox’s eyes glowed with an evil light, and the symbol appeared on his forehead…

And his Attack Score rose to 2,200!

“So long as the Seal is in effect, every Monster I summon turns to a creature of darkness, and gains a 500-point bonus to its Attack Score,” laughed Fang. “And it’s still my turn…

“Enraged Battle Ox, attack his Queen’s Knight!”

The Beast-Warrior charged with his axe, and Queen’s Knight screamed as she was struck. She shattered.

[B](R: 7,300) (F: 5,400)

“All right, my move,” said Russell, drawing.

He looked at the Spell Card.

“I don’t know where you got such a broken card,” he said, “but it goes bye-bye now. I play Heavy Storm!”

He played the card.

Fang grinned and crossed his arms as a fierce wind erupted over the field…

The Storm started to quell…

“What?” gasped Russell in disbelief. “It wasn’t destroyed… That’s impossible…”

“You’re learning, cutie!” laughed Cleo. “See, the Seal is a little more durable than most Spell Cards. You can’t destroy it with Heavy Storm. In fact, you can’t destroy it with any card that you’re likely to have.”

Russell turned a card on his Disk.

“I’ll move King’s Knight to Defense Mode,” he said, as King’s Knight knelt, “and end my turn.”

“Why didn’t he move Jack’s Knight to Defense Mode?” asked Trisha.

“Because he’s smart,” answered Jason. “Fang has Enraged Battle Ox on the field, and that Monster gives all of Fang’s Beasts, Winged Beasts, and Beast-Warriors a trampling effect. Russell is going to lose Life Points if Jack’s Knight is destroyed regardless, but he’ll lose less if he’s in Attack Mode.”

“My draw…” said Fang.

He drew. He put a card down.

“I summon Vorse Raider in Attack Mode.”

The powerful Beast-Warrior appeared, holding aloft his mighty axe. The Seal appeared on his forehead as well. (1,900/1,200) –> (2,400/1,200)

“That’s a blasphemy!” shouted Jason. “A slime like you doesn’t deserve to use one of Kaiba’s signature Monsters!”

“I’d like to see you try to stop me,” laughed Fang. “Vorse Raider, take down King’s Knight.”

Vorse Raider leapt up and slashed with his axe, and King’s Knight was obliterated.

“Enraged Battle Ox, destroy Jack’s Knight!”

The minotaur made a swipe with his axe, and Jack’s Knight was no more.

[B](R: 6,200) (F: 5,400)

“Your move…” chuckled Fang.

Russell drew a card.

“I place a Monster in Defense Mode…” he stated. “And that will be all.”

A facedown Monster appeared.

Fang drew.

“I summon a second Berserk Gorilla!” he laughed.

Another Gorilla appeared! And the Seal branded to its forehead as well! (2,000/1,000) –> (2,500/1,000)

“Attack his facedown Monster…” shouted Fang.

Berserk Gorilla shot forth his berserk breath.

Obnoxious Celtic Guardian appeared on the card and fended off the attack!



Continued….

[Dark Sage]

Continued from last post:



“Clever, clever,” chuckled Fang. “But thanks to my Enraged Battle Ox, it barely makes a difference!”

“He’s right…” said Jason. “Obnoxious Celtic Guardian might survive, but Russell’s Life Points will still take a big hit…”

Enraged Battle Ox and Vorse Raider slashed at Obnoxious Celtic Guardian! He gasped.

“Ironic, huh?” chuckled Fang. “His asset is now a liability. And next round, I’ll just do that again, and you’re finished.”

[B](R: 2,700) (F: 5,400)

He’s right… thought Russell. What was I thinking? Putting him in Attack Mode would have been better…

I’d better draw something good…

If there is a Heart of the Cards, I need it now…

He drew a card.

“I play… Pot of Charity,” he said, playing a card. “In order to play this card, I must remove one Light Monster in my Graveyard from play…”

Queen’s Knight slipped out of his discard slot.

“In return for that,” he continued, “I can draw three cards…”

He drew three. He looked at them.

“I move Obnoxious Celtic Guardian into Attack Mode,” he exclaimed.

Obnoxious Celtic Guardian moved up to attack. Fang raised an eyebrow.

“And now I play a special Equip,” he stated. “Excalibur!”

Enchanting music started to play, and a boulder with a sword embedded in it appeared in the middle of the field.

The Warrior sheathed his sword, and walked up to it…

“According to legend,” stated Russell, “the noblest of Warriors can free King Arthur’s powerful enchanted sword from the stone. Let’s see if Obnoxious Celtic Guardian qualifies…”

The elf Warrior gripped the hilt with both hands and placed his foot on the stone. He pulled…

…and he pulled it free!

“Guess so,” said Russell, triumphantly. “And the Monster that holds Excalibur has its Attack Score doubled.”

(2,800/1,200)

“Go!” shouted Russell. “Smash that Enraged Battle Ox!”

Excalibur glowed, and Obnoxious Celtic Guardian leapt forth, splitting the Beast-Warrior down the middle.

[B](R: 2,700) (F: 4,800)

“Of course,” noted Russell, “Excalibur is destroyed if I draw a card from my deck for any reason. However, since I’m allowed to skip my Draw Phase when this card is on the field, that isn’t a problem.

“My turn is over. And since your Berserk Gorilla has no choice but to attack…”

“You are a feisty one,” laughed Fang, drawing a card. “I’ll avoid losing Life Points by moving it to Defense Mode, which destroys it…”

He turned the card. Berserk Gorilla knelt in Defense, and then exploded into shards.

“…and I’ll move Vorse Raider into Defense as well…”

Vorse Raider knelt in Defense.

“Your move…” he said.

“Fine,” said Russell, placing a card on his Disk. “I’ll place a Monster in Defense Mode for insurance…”

A facedown Monster appeared.

“…and then I’ll attack with Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!”

The Warrior cut down Vorse Raider.

“Seems you’re out of Monsters,” said Russell.

“Not for long,” said Fang.

He drew.

“I’ll place a card facedown,” he stated.

A facedown card appeared.

“And now I’ll summon… Nekogal, in Attack Mode!”

He placed a card down, and a cute, cat-like woman wearing a green bikini appeared. Her eyes glowed, and the Seal formed on her forehead. (1,100/900) –> (1,600/900)

“A cat?” asked Russell. “That was the best you could come up with?”

“This cat has claws!” replied Fang. “That’s my turn…”

“Then I’ll start mine,” said Russell, “skipping my Draw Phase again.”

“I activate Dust Tornado!” shouted Fang.

His Trap Card lifted, and the tornado raged towards Obnoxious Celtic Guardian. Excalibur shattered.

“Uh…” muttered Russell, looking at his remaining cards. “I’ll move my Guardian to Defense Mode…”

Obnoxious Celtic Guardian knelt in Defense.

“He’s got him on the run now,” chuckled Cleo.

“Too bad,” sighed Cassius. “I had plans to take down Russell myself. Ah, well…”

Fang drew a card.

“Nekogal, destroy his elf,” he shouted.

Nekogal swiped with her claws, and Obnoxious Celtic Guardian shattered.

“That’s all for me this turn,” he chuckled.

Russell growled and drew a card.

“I summon Command Knight in Defense Mode,” he stated.

A flame erupted on his side of the field, and Command Knight appeared, crouching in Defense. (1,200/1,900) –> (1,600/1,900)

“And I’m afraid you can’t attack her so long as I have at least one other Monster on my side of the field,” said Russell.

“Fine,” said Fang, drawing a card.

“I summon Tiger Axe, in Attack Mode.”

A large, humanoid Tiger, carrying a battle axe appeared. (1,300/1,100) –> (1,800/1,100)

“Attack his facedown Monster!” shouted Fang.

Tiger Axe lunged forward…

Big Shield Gardna appeared on the card, and the Beast-Warrior was thrown backwards! (100/2,600) –> (500/2,600)

“Looks like his defense was too strong for your Tiger,” mocked Russell, as Gardna stood up in Attack Mode.

“Maybe so,” chuckled Fang. “But now, what will protect him from Nekogal?”

Nekogal pounced, and Gardna was torn in half!

“Next, I’ll play Mystik Wok,” he said, playing a Spell Card, “and sacrifice my Tiger Axe to do so…”

Tiger Axe vanished.

[B](R: 1,600) (F: 5,800)

“I’m worried, Jason…” muttered Trisha. “You don’t suppose that what Fang said is really…”

“I’m certain that he’s just a lunatic, Trisha,” assured Jason. “And I’m also sure that Russell can come back.”

“I dunno…” said Trisha.

She pressed her hand against the invisible wall.

“This barrier sure seems real…”

Russell drew a card.

“I sacrifice Command Knight,” he exclaimed.

Command Knight vanished.

“To summon… Freed the Matchless General!”

A sound like a rallying cry was heard, and the powerful General appeared, holding aloft his mighty sword! (2,300/1,700)

“Time to declaw that cat,” shouted Russell. “Blade of the battle-scarred!”

Freed swung his blade, and Nekogal screamed! She was blown away.

[B](R: 1,600) (F: 5,100)

Freed scowled and turned towards Russell.

“Yeah, I know…” muttered Russell. “These dirty freaks are barely worth dulling a good sword on. But it seems we don’t have much of a choice here…”

“I’ll set one card facedown,” he stated, “and end my turn…”

A facedown card appeared.

“All right,” said Fang, drawing. “You’re really starting to get my goat…”

He looked at the card.

“I play Graceful Charity.”

He played the card, and the graceful angel appeared before him.

He drew three cards.

“Well, I didn’t draw the best, but they’re good enough…” he chuckled, discarding two.

“First, I’ll play Soul Release,” he stated, “and remove five Monsters in my own Graveyard from play…”

He played the card.

“Next,” he said, playing another card, “I’ll play Spell Reproduction. Now I can discard two more Spell Cards to play Soul Release again. And I’ll remove the other three Monsters in my Graveyard.”

He discarded two cards, and played the card.

“What’s the point?” asked Russell, now wondering if this guy had flipped his lid.

“Would you like to see what my last card is?” laughed Fang. “I know this is going to seem like overkill, but… too bad…”

He played a card.

“I play… Dimension Fusion! I may have to pay 2,000 Life Points, but now I can bring back all the Monsters I just removed from play. Every last one of them…”

A spiraling vortex appeared above him…

“Don’t be silly,” said Russell. “You can only bring back…”

He never finished that sentence.

Monsters started flying out of the vortex. First came both Berserk Gorillas, then a Mad Dog of Darkness, then Vorse Raider…

Then Tiger Axe, Nekogal, Enraged Battle Ox, and Hitotsu-Me-Giant emerged, and landed behind the first set.

All eight Monsters’ eyes glowed with evil fire, and the Seal branded on their foreheads, as their Attack Scores went up by 500.

“No way!” shouted Jason. “That’s eight Monsters!”

“That’s impossible!” yelled Trisha. “A duelist can’t have more than five Monsters on the field at once!”

Sebastian snickered.

“Maybe you haven’t realized this by now,” he said, “but the Seal changes the rules – a lot. It doubles the number of Monsters the user is allowed to have. Fang could have ten of them at a time if he wanted to.”

“Yes,” chuckled Fang, “and I’m afraid that you’d have to take down the ones in the front row before you could get to the ones in the back… Not that you’ll have a chance.

“Even Freed would realize that a general knows when he’s outgunned, and that’s certainly the case now…”

“You’re forgetting that I can also bring back any Monsters that I’ve removed from play!” shouted Russell.

Queen’s Knight appeared next to Freed, crouching in Defense Mode. (1,500/1,600)

“Like it will matter!” laughed Fang. “Enraged Battle Ox, destroy Queen’s Knight!”

Enraged Battle Ox leapt forward, and cut Queen’s Knight down.

“You’re through!” he shouted. “Berserk Gorilla, attack Freed!”

Flames appeared in Berserk Gorilla’s mouth.

“I activate… Reinforcements!” shouted Russell as his Trap Card lifted. “This adds 500 points to Freed’s Attack Score for the rest of the round!”

Freed rose to 2,800 Attack! The Berserk Gorilla shot its blazing breath, and the Matchless General swatted it aside with one backhand! The Gorilla fell over and burst!

“Lucky…” muttered Fang.

“UNlucky for your other Gorilla,” stated Russell, “because you summoned it in Attack Mode, and it has to attack!”

The other Gorilla attacked, and the same thing happened. It was destroyed.

“My Matchless General hasn’t met his match yet…” muttered Russell.

[B](R: 1,000) (F: 2,500)

“You bought yourself one turn, nothing more…” said Fang.

It’s only a matter of time before I draw one of my kill-cards, he thought, Behemoth the King of All Animals! Once I draw it, I’ll not only have a Monster with 3,200 Attack Points, but I’ll be able to bring those two Gorillas back to my hand!

“This Seal of Orichalcos must be the most broken card I’ve ever seen!” exclaimed Jason. “Why haven’t I ever seen it on any Forbidden List? It can’t be legal!”

Trisha was silent. She was even more worried now…

“Boy,” said Cleo, “this guy just doesn’t know when he’s outmatched!”

“Well, the boss wanted an exciting duel, and he’s certainly got one,” said Cassius, with a shrug.

Boss? thought Russell. These clowns are only hired help! But what’s the point of this?

He slowly drew a card.

“I’ll play my own Graceful Charity,” he exclaimed.

He played the card, and the angel appeared.

He drew three cards…

He grinned…

He discarded two…

“This ends now, Fang!” he said, showing him a card.

It was Monster Reborn.

“Oh, sure!” laughed Fang. “Summon a Monster from your Graveyard! I assure you, it’s gonna be a round trip!”

Russell played the card, and the holy ankh appeared…

“I summon… Hero Kid!” he shouted.

A small creature appeared with a cheer, and did a somersault!

It was a child dressed in a spacesuit with colored shades, and a dome-like glass helmet over his head. (300/600)

“HUH?” exclaimed Fang. “HE wasn’t in your Graveyard!”

“Was he?” asked Russell.

Fang paused.

“Oh yeah… Graceful Charity, right?” he asked.

“Right,” said Russell. “And when Hero Kid is Special Summoned, like right now, I can Special Summon every other one that I have in my deck. So come on out guys!”

Two more Hero Kids appeared, and they somersaulted into view too.

“Well, big deal…” muttered Fang. “They’re worthless. Even my weakest Monster can beat them without breaking a sweat…”

“True, as far as soldiers go, they’re merely cadets,” agreed Russell. “But an army would be nothing without recruits. They’ll lead the way for one of my mightiest Warriors…”

He held a card up…

Lightning flashed outside…

“I sacrifice my three Hero Kids…” he exclaimed.

The three children vanished…

“To summon… [B]Gilford the Lightning!”

Lightning struck in front of him, and a powerful Warrior in magnificent, golden armor and a helmet, with a huge sword on his back appeared. (2,800/1,400)

“YA!” shouted Fang. “Is that really the legendary Gilford the Lightning?”

“Yes!” replied Russell. “And your broken Field Card may let you have more than five Monsters, but Gilford’s effect will destroy every one of them!”

Gilford drew his sword…

A series of lightning bolts struck Fang’s side of the field, and six bloodcurdling screams went up, as the six Monsters were blasted into nothing!

“Let this be a lesson, Fang,” accused Russell. “Cheaters only cheat themselves! Gilford, attack! Lightning blade!”

Gilford the Lightning charged forward, and smote the punk with his weapon! Fang was propelled against the wall of the Seal, and fell to his knees.

“At ease…” muttered Russell.

[B](R: 1,000) (F: 0)

“Well,” said Cassius with a shrug, “it was his own fault…”

“I lost…” moaned Fang.

And then… something happened.

The strange arena glowed, and the pentagram started to shrink and glow with an uncanny light!. It passed through Russell’s body… and then started to contract around Fang!

He screamed… and then collapsed.

Russell turned to the three thieves.

“All right you guys!” he shouted. “You have some explaining to do!”

“Sorry, Russell,” said Cassius, “but you’ll just have to wait. Anyway, thank you so much for getting rid of Fang… The truth is, we never liked him much anyway… He was the most stupid duelist we had.”

He wrapped the end of his whip around the scissors.

“And for being such good sports, you can have this back,” he added.

He lashed the whip forward, and the scissors landed at Russell’s feet.

Then the three of them ran down the catwalk laughing.

“We’ll never catch them…” sighed Jason. “I don’t even know how to get up there…”

Russell turned to Fang. He was lying on the floor with his cards scattered around.

“Listen buddy,” he said, prodding him with his foot. “We want some answers now.”

Fang didn’t respond.

“Hello?” said Russell.

No response.

“Hey, come on, so you lost,” said Russell. “Don’t be so hard on yourself…”

“Guys…” said Jason, picking something up off the floor.

They looked at it and gazed in fear…

It was the Seal of Orichalcos card, but it had changed…

Now Fang’s image, with the pentagram resembling bars of some sort, was on the card.

The three friends looked at it in silence for a minute or two…

“I have a bad feeling about this…” muttered Jason.



Thursday, September 9th, 2106, 9:03PM



POT OF CHARITY (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A ceramic vase with a gentle face.

Card Description: Remove one Light-Attribute Monster in your Graveyard from play. Draw three cards from your deck.

Note: “Pot of Charity” was created by Shuppet Master for his fanfic “Yu-Gi-Oh: Sister of Anansi”. All creative credit goes to him.



EXCALIBUR (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Equip
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Image: A shining sword of pure silver.

Card Description: Double the ATK of the Monster Equipped with this card. You may skip your Draw Phase when this card is Equipped to one of your Monsters. If you draw a card via any means, this card is destroyed.

Note: “Excalibur” was used by Yami in the anime episode “Reliving the Past”. All creative credit goes to the writers of that episode.



THE SEAL OF ORICHALCOS (Spell Card)

Card Specs

Type: Spell/Field/Orichalcos
Attribute: –
Level: –
ATK: –
DEF: –

Card Description: This card harnesses the power of Leviathan to create the following effects:

- The loser of a duel in which this card is used shall forfeit his soul.

- This card prevents access and egress to and from the arena in which the duel is occurring until a winner is decided.

- The user of this card is infused with dark power, and all Monsters summoned by the one who uses this card have their Attribute changed to Dark, and have their ATK increased by 500.

- The user of this card can have a maximum of ten Monsters on the field at once, or play a maximum of ten Spell and/or Trap Cards at once, rather than the limit of five for each.

- Under most conditions, this card cannot be destroyed by any card or other force that does not also use the power of Orichalcos. However, the Seal can be negated by the Three Legendary Dragons. The Orichalcos is powerless against Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos.


Note: This is the most complete description of “The Seal of Orichalcos” that I was able to find. The card first appeared in the anime episode “A New Evil”, and was used by various villains in “Waking the Dragons”.



[B][I]There’s no denying it anymore… The unholy power of the Orichalcos has returned after a century, and unfortunately, the Three Legendary Dragons are nowhere to be seen – yet.

Coming up next, while research is done, school will resume, and the first user character will appear! It’s a chapter called “Double Coston”. Why is it called “Double Coston”? It isn’t a tag team duel! You’ll just have to see!

[Mega Horny]

Haha, great chapter! Fangs wearing a tank top? Go fang!

Cassius seems like a really cool character you can build on.

the beast deck was a nice touch, and great using Nekogal, Tiger Axe and Hitotsu Me Giant. So far fang doesnt seem very impressive, so something drastic will proabably happen next chapter....

[Pokemasterkatie]

Damn! That blasted Seal again! ...Why do I think you're picking up where Shuppet Master left off?

Major love for the Hero Kid combo--they may be classified as E-Heroes, but they're still Warriors(in fact, all the Elemental Heroes are, save for Wroughtweiler). I wouldn't be surprised to see Wildheart show up in his deck in a future chapter...

[Perfect Chaos]

So the Seal has returned to take over people's souls once again huh?

I actually liked the Orichalcos arc of YGO (except when Yugi and Kaiba dueled Dartz, it was irritating with all of the weird monsters that Dartz used)

Well, I hope we get a new twist from the regular Orichalcos saga.

Look forward to the next chapter

-Sean

[Shuppet Master]

Pokemasterkatie, I may have used the Seal in Sister of Anansi, but I promise, Dark Sage came up with the idea on his own. Besides, the Doma arc was probably the most popular of the original Yu-Gi-Oh series in the anime, even if it wasn't manga canon.

Wildheart? I dunno. But you will see E-Heroes later on. I can't say when though, that's a spoiler.

Mega Horny, Fang is gone. If you recall in the Doma arc, nobody who was trapped by the seal was ever released(except for Rex and Weevil in the first episode, but that was a special condition).

Great chapter, Brian, and I can't wait to see what else you've got up your sleeve.

EDIT: I forgot to point out an error. The Symbol of Orichalcos is not a five-point star. It is a six-point star. While you think this is an insult to Judaism's "Star of David", the Symbol's star is drawn with slightly distorted triangles with the bottoms nicked out. I'd put a proxy up, but I don't think linking to proxy images is legal.

[Dark Sage]

SM,

In the original Japanese, the Seal was indeed, a five-pointed star, a pentagram. It was changed in the dub because the editors are always afraid of pentagrams, thinking them as evil symbols. A lot of cards in the original Japanese have pentagrams (Spelbinding Circle and Dark Magician Girl's pendant, to name just two) but they are all edited.

[Blademaster]

So, the Orichalcos has returned...

But, what could it have to do with this 'Dark Messiah?' It can't be Dartz and the Leviathan - he was rescued from the Orichalcos, and it was eradicated...

...Wasn't he? Wasn't it? Weren't they?



Hmmmmm...

BTW, am I the only one annoyed by the endless dubs of text, images, and ...anatomy used by the game's makers, but you look at the first sentence of Nekogal's text, and...

...

The older people here would understand that. But let's not have this get into an R-rating...

Anyway, I love animals and Warriors, so I had fun with this chapter... I will say that the Beastdown strategy is getting a bit old, though - at least Rawk Hawk had Manticore instead of Behemoth...

But in any case, I liked the use of those Hero Kids. I should get mself some of them...

Keep up the good work!

-Blade

[Inferno_Dragon]

Not that blasted Seal again!!!!! (Also sorry for repeating what Pokemaster Katie said as the first lines in her post.)

First, Yugi Senior has to face, then Yu-Gi-Oh Junior had to face, not to mention Lina and the rest of the group at Duel Monsters Camp.

At least I got a full description of The Seal. I always wanted to know how it fully worked. Sure in fanfics, you give the description but I wanted to know how it really works.

So who is the villian behind this? I guess we will have to wait.

So the first user character shows up. Double Coston, huh? I might have to think about that one, maybe I can guess its revelance to the next chapter before you post it.

[Pokemasterkatie]

Wildheart? I dunno. But you will see E-Heroes later on. I can't say when though, that's a spoiler.

Well, the E-Heroes ARE Warriors; and out of the non-Fusions, Wildheart is the most useful. Decent attack and defense for a four star(1500/1600), and he can negate Traps when he attacks(gotta check the rulings to make sure though--his effect wasn't very specific)! Very splashable monster.

[Dark Sage]

Wildheart doesn't negate Traps. He's immune to them.

What does that mean?

Not only will he not be destroyed by Sakuretsu Armor or Mirror Force, he won't fall into a Bottomless Trap Hole, won't drown in a Torrential Tribute (yours or your opponents), can pass right through a Wall of Revealing Light, and will even remain on the field if Last Turn is triggered.

Basically, Traps have no affect on him... at all.

HOWEVER, I can safely say that Russell does not have him in his deck.

[Mystic_clown]

It's the DOMA saga all over again! Hmm, it's strange though that they'd specifically target Russel and the others.

[Shuppet Master]

Okay, thanks for that. I watch dubs so I don't know much about the original. Looks like 4-Kids struck again. But honestly, I thought the dub Seal was cooler-looking. ^_^

[jkBAKURA]

*sigh* Such a major story point, and yet such a weak duel

Positives first. Russel's character is proving to be an experienced talented duelist. I like how his combonations with the Knights, and the increcingly popular Hero Kids were set up, rather then appearing out of the blue, it makes the match seem more realistic. Gearfried and both Gilford cards huh? That's quite a few trump cards, and with Jack's Knight and Freed, that makes quite a few tribute level monsters, though as I mentioned before, with the use of combos, getting them out should be easier. On a slightly different note, the title of the chapter was supurb.

On to the negative, quite frankly, Fang was pathetic (though I assume this was probably intentional) This chapter may have been overshadowed by the fact that Paradox outdrew you with the premiere of a Beast Deck. Even with the Seal's overhanging presence, there was no tension in the slightest. Fang's lack of a trump move, and the constant use of monsters with barely over 1000 ATK didn't do much to change that opinion. In short, Fang was just a way to advance the plot, and that unimportance made his proformance sorely lacking.

I liked the three soldiers in the Orichalcos Arc, and these three replacements seem intriguing. My wheels are already turning, trying to figure out what decks they use, but I don't have near enough information to make that call.

Now that the cat is out of the bac, the hunt is officially on.

P.S. Check your sources, the original Seal was indeed the elongated six-point design, and not a pentagram as you stated earlier. Trust me on this.

[Dark Sage]

Let me address those concerns:

First of all, Russell has quite a few powerful Monsters, but he by no means has all of them in his deck at the same time. His deck changes from day to day as the mood fits him. (Something I always believed was the case for the three main characters in the original series, and likely for Jaden in GX as well.)

Second, yes, Fang was pathetic - that was intentional. You heard Cassius himself say that he was the stupidest duelist they had.

This was an intro. Much more dangerous situations will be coming up.

[Zcade0]

Gag me with a spoon. I hated the DOMA saga. Never reading this one again. Btw, is Russell gona do the whole army talk through the entire script? My God, that gets repetative. Well, I'll be taking a permanite break from this. Bye.





GET POKEMONESE DONE NOW!!!!!

[Shuppet Master]

Well, as they say, you can please all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but not all of the people all of the time. So long, Zcade.

[Dark Sage]

I seem to recall saying that I would give brownie points to anyone who could tell me what The House of Stone and Light was.

Well, that was an old name for The Grand Canyon, and the song, The House of Stone and Light was a song about that American landmark.

I've been to the Grand Canyon - it's a beautiful place which I believe the Harpie Lady Sisters would think of as their version of Heaven.

So now you know.

[Shuppet Master]

Oh, so that's what it was! I never thought of that! Interesting.

I've never been to the Grand Canyon, but I've seen pictures of it, and it's quite large. I think Yugi and his friends went there during the Doma Arc, but I could be wrong.

[Blademaster]

No, Shup, they were in Death Valley, California. A nice place, if you like a lot of... nothing... :redface:

[Master of Paradox]

I'm not sure which is more empty - Death Valley, California, or the Badlands of South Dakota. (When I die, incidentally, I want my ashes spread in the Badlands. Beautiful place.)