Tuesday, September 7, 2004

   It's About Time.
(This is a duel between my friend John and I that took place a couple of days ago over AIM. The moves of the game are the same, but the dialogue is slightly different and obviously this isn't how and where we played. I hope you enjoy it, though, because I certainly enjoyed writing it. ^_^)

John logged into the system. Computer data wafted gently from away from his feet as his digital self fabricated itself. Ben was already there, absently thumbing through his cards. They were both pretty relaxed, despite what was at stake in the game they were about to play. It was the highest stake of all. This was to be a duel of pride.

For countless duels in the near past, John had beaten Ben. Always before then, Ben had been the victor, cunningly outmaneuvering John’s overt and repetitious tactics. But John had acquired many new and powerful cards, and he had built his deck in such a way that his cards played off of one another; they were alike in theme. Ben had told him that time and time again; themed decks were stronger. John’s new Spellcaster deck more than rivaled Ben’s slightly outdated Beatdown. But Ben was determined to reclaim some of his past glory.

“Yo.”

“Hey.”

“So, did you make up your mind about that trade?” John asked.

“Heh, I’m still thinking about it.”

“Bah.” John spat, disappointed. Then he leveled a finger at Ben. “LET’S DUEL!”

Ben nodded in response, a smile unconsciously coming to his lips. A stadium materialized in a bright flash of light, and the two young men positioned themselves at either end. The holographic generators, rather redundant in the digital setting, hummed to life and cast multicolored shadows over the playing field. The two duelists drew their opening hands.

“Who goes first?” John inquired.

“I’ll go.” Ben said, drawing a card.

Surveying his hand carefully, Ben chose a single card and placed it onto the countertop before him. A holographic image of a facedown card wavered and appeared. “I’ll set one monster in Defense Mode.” Ben declared. “And end my turn.”

“Fine then.” said John. “I’ll set two Spell or Trap cards (*Will be referred to as S/T from now on*) and summon Strike Ninja in attack mode!” A dark, lithe figure appears on John’s side of the field, arms crossed and daggers drawn. He is wearing tight-fitting clothing, with bronze signets on his joints and a narrow bronze mask shielding his face. Flanking him on either side are two horizontal facedown cards. John looked at Ben’s facedown monster rather suspiciously, and then ended his turn.

“Fine then. I’ll set one of my own S/T-”

“Activate facedown card!” John declared. One of his facedown S/T rose up, revealing itself. “Mystical Space Typhoon! Destroy his card!”

A sudden vortex emerges from John’s card and engulfs Ben’s, destroying it. The two catch a brief glimpse of a ring of fire before it is eliminated by the cyclone. “Well done, you’ve managed to destroy my Ring of Destruction.” Ben concedes. “But, you’ve left your other card open.....to my Mystical Space Typhoon!” Ben plays the Spell card from his hand, and it races across the field to consume John’s card.

“Damn! My Spellbinding Circle!” exclaims John, watching as the cyclone destroys his trap. Spellbinding Circle could have paralyzed one of Ben’s monsters, rendering it unable to attack, and effectively making it a sitting duck. It was a good card for Ben to be rid of.

“I’ll set another monster card.” A second horizontal card materializes on Ben’s side of the playing field. “And I’ll end my turn.”

“Ha!” laughed John. “Your defensive monsters will be useless once I use this card! Raigeki!” A great bolt of lightening streaks across the field. Ben’s two monsters are revealed. One, a purple-haired girl with a third eye in the center of her forehead, and the other, a pink-haired girl dressed in a tunic and holding a golden staff. Both were destroyed by the lightening, breaking into fragments of data. John laughs triumphantly. Then, the woman with the third eye returned to the field as a pale shade, and raised her eyes quizzically to Ben. “What card do you desire?” she asked quietly.

“Kuriboh.” he replied, after a second of thought.

“As you wish.” The Witch of the Black Forest closed her eyes, and then the center eye blazed open with an eerie green light, causing Ben’s deck to glow. A single card drifted out of the deck, and then settled into Ben’s hand. The Witch’s ghost disappeared. Ben looked down at the card in his hand. Sure enough, it was Kuriboh.

“Strike Ninja, attack his Lifepoints directly!” John commanded.

Ben hesitated. He could discard his Kuriboh to protect himself from Strike Ninja’s attack, and not take any damage. Or, he could take the attack on his Lifepoints, and save Kuriboh to use later. Thinking quickly, Ben recalled all of the times where John had summoned monsters much more powerful than the Strike Ninja. He opted not to defend himself just yet. The Strike Ninja ran across the field towards Ben, and then cast one of its daggers at him. Ben watched as it flew end over end, and then struck him smartly in the chest. Ben took a step backwards, wincing in pain as his Lifepoints went from 8000 down to 6300. John smirked, and then ended his turn.
Ben draws a card, and then sets a card face-up on the field. “I’ll summon Zombyra the Dark, in attack mode!”

Another humanoid figure, bigger and more thickly articulated than the first, appeared suddenly on the field. His skin was gray, and his features rough. A breastplate of what appeared to be bone covered the creature’s chest, and a blueish material clung to his body. A large red cape flared from around his shoulders. “Zombyra, attack his Strike Ninja!”

The demonic warrior tensed at his master’s command, and then charged across the field, striking the lesser ninja with a powerful fist in the chest. The Strike Ninja exploded into fragments of data, taking with it 400 of John’s Lifepoints. A brief flash of pain crossed John’s countenance as his Lifepoints dropped from 8000 to 7600. Ben’s Zombyra shrunk when it returned to his side of the field; its special ability deducted from its attack strength whenever it destroyed an opponent’s monster. It was weaker than before, and so Ben activated another of his cards. “Swords of Revealing Light!”

Yellow cross-like figures rained down from above the playing field and sharply took their places on John’s side of the field. John would not be able to attack through the swords for three whole turns. Ben’s monsters were safe, or at least he thought.
John’s turn was short.“I’ll set one S/T, and one monster card in defense mode.”

A single horizontal card emerged on the field, flanked by another vertical one.

“I’ll play Pot Of Greed, which allows me to draw two more cards from my deck.” Ben declared. “And now, Zombyra! Attack his facedown monster!”

“Ha! I’ll activate my facedown trap card! Magic Cylinder!” John exclaimed triumphantly.

Two gaudy-looking party cups appeared on the field in front of John’s monster. Zombyra, already charging across the field, ran into one of the cups. The two cups turned over so that their closed ends were in the air, and then shuffled themselves. One cup tipped over, and Zombyra blindly charged out, attacking Ben’s Lifepoints directly. Ben fell backwards, leaning on the guard rail behind him for support. His Lifepoints dwindled from 6300 down to 4400, only slightly more than half of his starting amount. “Fine then.” Ben rasped. “I end my turn.”

“I thought you would.” John smirked. “Now, I summon my Skilled Dark Magician!”

A black robed creature stepped onto the field. Broad shoulder guards extended down to just before his elbows, and a peculiar sort of helmet framed his sallow face. In his hands was a baton, with a golden orb affixed to the end. Energy crackled about the orb, and he swished the baton dramatically as he appeared.

“Next, I’ll play Premature Burial, and pay 800 Lifepoints to resurrect my Strike Ninja!” John’s Lifepoints fell to 6800, and the lithe form of his ninja card emerges from the ground on the palm of a great zombified hand. John’s monsters press tentatively at the swords barring their path. They cannot move them. John ends his turn.

Ben checked the status of the duel on the small screen in front of him. John was leading 6800 Lifepoints to Ben’s 4400. But, he only had one card left in his hand! If Ben could somehow get rid of the cards on his field, John’s options would be severely limited. Ben drew a card, hoping for a good card. His eyes widened in disbelief; he’d drawn just the right card!

“Raigeki!” Ben grinned, slapping the card down onto the countertop. A great bolt of lightening streaked out from his field, splaying apart around the glowing swords and then converging again to destroy John’s two monsters.

“Shit.” John swore, letting his temper get the best of him. He looked desperately to the card in his hand. It was the only thing he had in this time of need. And Ben was about to take it away from him.

“I summon Spirit Reaper!” said Ben, playing a monster card. A diminutive little zombie phased onto the field, garbed in a flowing purple cloak and armed with a large, sharp scythe. “Spirit Reaper, attack his Lifepoints directly!” Ben’s Spirit Reaper streaked across the field, slipping unaffected through the luminous blades, and brought its scythe down at an arc across John’s chest. It was a minor attack, only depleting 300 of John’s Lifepoints. But, Spirit Reaper’s effect activated. When it attacks a player’s Lifepoints directly, that player must discard a card from his or her hand. John’s last card, Sage’s Stone, fell into his Graveyard. John’s Lifepoints fell to 6500. Ben ended his turn.

“This is the last turn your Swords of Revealing Light are on the field.” John reminded Ben. “Next turn I’ll be able to attack.”

“John. You’ve got nothing except the card in your hand. Hardly what I would call an attack force.” Ben pointed out.

“Yeah, well. Whatever. I’ll set this monster in defense mode.” A horizontal card appeared on the field. “I end my turn.” The luminous Swords of Revealing Light gradually fade into nothingness.

“Very well then. I’ll summon Kuriboh to the field!” Kuriboh appears on the field, a small little brown ball of fur with purple eyes and small green limbs.

“Heh, that monster’s not going to do you much good. It’s only got 300 attack points!” said John.

“Yes, well. I’m going to power it up with this card! United We Stand!” The Spell card materializes on the field, showing an image of two diverse hands grasping each other in friendship. Kuriboh grabs the hands of Zombyra the Dark and Spirit Reaper. Its attack points are raised by 2400, up to 2700! “Now, Zombyra, attack his monster! Once its out of the way, Kuriboh can be ready for a direct attack!”

“I don’t think so.” John laughed. “Take a look!”

Zombyra the Dark was once again charging across the field. John’s monster materializes from its card. It’s an Old Vindictive Magician! Before Zombyra can complete its attack, the sinister little sorcerer in tattered clothing casts a bolt of magical energy at Kuriboh, destroying it. Then Zombyra attacks him, and he is destroyed. Zombyra shrank again slightly, his special ability once again tolling him.
Ben narrows his eyes. Attacking with Spirit Reaper wouldn’t serve much of a purpose. 300 Lifepoints wasn’t much to get excited about, and Spirit Reaper’s special ability wouldn’t work when John had no cards in his hand. Ben switched his Spirit Reaper to defense mode to prevent any damage to his Lifepoints.

John’s turn. He drew a card. “I’ll play Monster Reborn, to revive my Skilled Dark Magician!” John’s destroyed monster rose out of the playing field through a gateway of light. “Now my Skilled Dark Magician, attack Zombyra the Dark!”

At full strength, Zombyra would not have been destroyed by the Skilled Dark Magician’s attack; but he was weakened due to one of his special abilities. For having destroyed two monsters, 400 of his original 2100 attack points were gone, leaving him at 1700. The Skilled Dark Magician, with an attack power of 1900, easily destroyed him with a fierce strike of his magical baton. Ben twitched slightly as 200 of his Lifepoints were removed. He was down to 4200. With no other cards to command or use, John ended his turn.

Ben drew a card, and then placed it down on the playing field. “I summon my Giant Orc in attack mode!” Ben’s Giant Orc was a massive gray brute with muscles upon muscles. He wore green pants, with brown flaps extending over his sides, and wielded a massive bone club with two hands. “Attack his Skilled Dark Magician!” The Giant Orc roared loudly and pounded its unadorned feet across the field. With a wide swing, the Orc struck the Skilled Dark Magician in the chest, causing him to flinch back and explode into thousands of fragments of data. John’s Lifepoints drop down to 5900. Ben’s Giant Orc stumps back over to his side of the field, and then collapses onto the ground, legs crossed and head bent with exhaustion.

John’s turn. He draws a card, and then sets it down onto the tabletop in front of him. “I summon Gemini Elf!” Two distinct female elves appear, locked in a tight embrace. Intricate markings were painted on various areas of their face, giving them an almost mythical appearance. “Gemini Elf, attack his Giant Orc!” The two women separated a bit, and an orb of magical energy suddenly began to grow between them. Interlocking their hands, they struck the orb and sent it hurtling towards the Giant Orc, who was immediately destroyed by it. “I have nothing else to do.” John said.

“I’ll offer my Spirit Reaper as a Tribute to summon my Dark Driceratops!” Ben’s Spirit Reaper disappears and in its place emerges a very large, very ugly creature. It has a large reptilian body, with scales and claws and fangs; but it also possesses a bird-like beak around the teeth and a mane of feathers about its head. Short horns surmounted the top of its head, and its eyes glowed red with madness. “Attack his Gemini Elf!” The great beast let out a ear-shattering mix of a squawk and a roar, and charged at John’s sole monster, destroying it upon the violent contact. John’s Lifepoints drop to 5400.

“Okay, I’m in trouble.” John admitted sourly. “I’ve got no cards on the field, and no cards in my hand.” He draws. “Hmmm, this could be interesting. He looks across the field at Ben. “I could make a huge comeback or just totally screw myself.”

“Heh, you’re still in the lead.” Ben reminds him.

“Yeah, well. Let’s just see. I activate Pot of Greed.” John draws two more cards. “Well, I’m going to try and stay alive. I’ll set one S/T and one monster in defense mode.”

“I’ll activate my Harpie’s Feather Duster to destroy your facedown Spell or Trap card.” Ben said calmly. A huge gust of feather-filled wind emerged from Ben’s side of the field and tore through John’s trap card, Mirror Force.

“Damn, Mirror Force.” said John, obviously chagrined.

“Now I’ll activate the Nobleman of Crossout, to remove your monster from play.” A shimmering knight appeared, and struck two X-shaped slashes at John’s monster. It disappeared from the field. Once again, John’s field was empty and he had no cards in his hand. Only this time, Ben hadn’t yet attacked. “Dark Driceratops, attack John’s Lifepoints directly!” The massive beast nodded its affirmation and charged across the field, leaping up over the barrier to deliver a blow directly to John. John fell over backwards as his Lifepoints took a huge hit. They dropped down to 3000, lower even than Ben’s.

John drew a card. “I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in attack mode.” A yellow figure of interconnecting orbs appeared. In place of hands, it had magnets, and in place of hair was another magnet that stuck out of either side of its head. John didn’t play the card in defense mode because of Dark Driceratops’ special ability. Even if John’s monsters were in defense mode, Dark Driceratops could still inflict damage to John through them. And because Beta’s attack points were higher than its defense points, John hoped to take less damage to his Lifepoints by playing it in attack mode. “I end my turn.” John said sullenly.

“I’ll set one S/T, and then attack your Beta!” Dark Driceratops charged across the field, destroying John’s monster and bringing his Lifepoints down to 2300.

John’s turn. “I’ll set one monster in defense mode and end my turn.”

“I’ll set another S/T, and attack your monster with Dark Driceratops!” Ben declared. Dark Driceratops charged across the field once again. John’s monster appeared in a brief flash of light. It was a fierce-eyed young girl with a mystical green staff. She determinately set her staff in the ground, and then faced her obliteration. John’s Lifepoints dropped down to a mere 700.

But, the Apprentice Magician’s staff remained on the field! Somehow, her power lived on! Another Magician emerged from John’s deck, the Magician of Faith, and grasped the staff. Then she laid herself down onto the field, immediately transforming into a horizontal card. Ben ended his turn.

“I’ll play Graceful Charity!” John said determinately. He drew three cards, and because of the card’s text, he had to discard two of them. “I’ll discard Dark Magician of Chaos, and Buster Blader!” John let the two powerful monsters fall into his Graveyard. “Now I’ll flip up my Magician of Faith!” John’s pink-haired little Magician stood up on the field, and then zapped John’s Graveyard with her staff. He would now be able to return on Spell card to his hand. “I’ll bring back my Monster Reborn! And I’ll use it to revive my Dark Magician of Chaos!” A tall, slim figure dressed in dark, dark blue leather emerged from the floor of the playing field, holding a long, equally dark staff. He also sent a burst of magical energy at John’s Graveyard. John could now bring another Spell card back from the Graveyard. “I’ll take back my Mystical Space Typhoon, and I’ll use it to destroy one of your facedown S/T!” For the third time this duel, a cyclone flew across the field and destroyed a card.

“Ergh. My Draining Shield. I was going to use it to stop your attack.” Ben mumbled.

“Now I’ll offer my Magician of Faith as a Tribute to bring out another powerful Magician! I summon Chaos Command Magician!” Another Spellcaster appeared on the field, garbed in stiff green cloth, decorated by golden-orange lines and orbs. He too possessed a staff, with a glowing orb inset at the end. Dark Magician of Chaos had an attack power higher than Dark Driceratops, and Chaos Command Magician possessed an equal attack strength. John had single handedly turned the duel around. Now he was the one with more monsters, and stronger ones. Ben made a quick move to save his Lifepoints.

“I activate my Trap card, Waboku!” Three meditative women stepped out onto the field in front of Ben’s Dark Driceratops. They were dressed in turquoise robes, and their hoods and collars framed their face, emphasizing their sorrow of facing battle. John’s monsters would not be able to penetrate their magic protection. He regretfully ended his turn. The women disappeared.

Ben drew a card. “How many cards are in your hand?” he inquired.

“None.”

“And are those two monsters the only cards you have on the field?” Ben pressed.

“Yes.” John replied.

“I’ll play my Spell card, Dark Hole!” Ben placed the card down on the stadium tabletop. A vortex suddenly appeared over the field and sucked in all of the monsters. John’s two magicians and Ben’s Dark Driceratops.

“Crap.” said John. He knew that he was wide open, and with only 700 Lifepoints left.

“I’ll summon my Cyber Jar.” said Ben. A small metallic cylinder with teeth-shaped slits appeared on the field. Above the grinning sharp teeth rested a large green orb, somewhat like an eye. “Cyber Jar, finish him off!” The green orb began to glow, and collected in energy from all around it. With a slight movement of the teeth slits that may have been a grin, Ben’s monster blasted John with a focused beam of green energy, wiping out his Lifepoints.

“You suck.” said John. Then he disappeared in an explosion of data.

enricopalazzo24 signed off at 5:41:02 PM.

Ben grinned, and picked up his cards. “That was fun.”
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