On The Prowl

I strolled down the street calmly. Our target was on the move, but I wasn't too worried about it. Either I'd reach him, or one of the others would get him first. No need to fuss. My phone buzzed and I checked it. Rictor had sent us all a text saying the target had changed route and was heading East down Cobolt ave. I turned slightly and began walking in that general direction. I got a text from Etra a few seconds later saying she had spotted him going down an alleyway on 8th. A few blocks away.  I found it a little odd that he was moving so quickly, but I just shrugged it off. I spotted him a few seconds later. He just kind of melted into existence down the street and ran down another alley. Of course. Teleportation. That's how he was getting around. I pulled one of my decks from my pocket and searched through it until I found the card I needed. Then I followed him into the alleyway. He was sitting against the wall of a house, panting. Guess moving like that is hard. As soon as he noticed me, he started moving again, attempting to melt into darkness and fade away. I used my card.
“Dimension Frost,” I said.
Glowing ice coated the ground, rushing at him. It froze over his feet, and he stopped melting instantly, bound in place now.
“Sorry,” I said. “No escape.”
I quickly punched “got him cornered” into my phone and sent it to everyone.
His body began melting into shadow again, but stopped.
“What is this!?” he demanded.
“That ice binds things here,” I said. “Not just to the ground, but this plane of existence. If your teleportation involves slipping into another world, like it appears too, then there's no escaping it.”
“Damn it!” he said. “So only one way out then.”
My phone buzzed, and I saw I had a PM from Vocallass, saying several rude things about always hogging the targets all to myself. Not my fault it keeps turning out that way...
“Yeah,” I said. “You and I are gonna have a little duel.”
“Fine!” the man snarled.
We both got our duel disks ready. I wasn't using my main deck. I only do that with big fish. This guy? Small fish. No main deck for him. I was using one of my two other decks for him.

“I'm going first!” the target said. “I summon Speed Lance in attack mode!”
A level 4 monster, resembling some kind of weird fish person with a spear, appeared on his field. It was a water attribute and had 1500 attack.
“Then, by tributing Speed Lance, I can add a level 1 water monster to my hand!” he said.
His monster vanished and he added a card from his deck to his hand. Seemed like an unfair trade, but I kept my mouth shut. Not cool to judge people's moves until you know for sure what they're planning.
“Now, I overlay the two level 1 Overlances in my hand!” the target said, grinning.
“Hold up,” I said. “Don't monsters have to be on your field to xyz summon with them?”
“Not in the case of Overlance,” the guy said. “This card card be overlayed straight from my hand. And in doing so, I xyz summon Aqualance!”
A warrior in scaly, marine colored armor appeared, wielding a large spear. He was rank one with 1000 attack.
“Then I'll use his effect!” the man said. “By detaching an overlay unit, you take 500 points of damage!”
His monster rushed at me, stabbing his lance at my body. I moved a bit, so it only grazed me slightly, and my life dropped to 7500. Something I should mention about my duels. Not only do I use reals dueldisks that summon real monsters and spell, but the damage is very real as well. So not dying during a duel can be a bit of a challenge sometimes.
“Now, I activate the continuous spell card Spear Gun,” the target said. “As long as I control a rank 1 xyz monster, you take 500 damage during each of my end phases!”
“Good for you,” I said, grinning. I think that pissed him off, 'cause he growled at me.
“I end my turn!” the guy said, and his Spear Gun fired a lance at me. Again, it grazed me and brought me down another 500 points. So that was this guy's game. Effect damage.

“I draw,” I said. “And I activate Upstart Goblin. With it, I draw one card and you gain 1000 life points.”
That's how I generally start off. Give them a slight advantage. Because to survive against me, they usually need it.
“Then I set one monster in face-down defense position, and one other card in my spell and trap card zone, I said. “And I end my turn.”

“My turn!” the target said. “I normal summon Crevasse Lancer!”
Another spear wielding fish thing appeared, but it was much smaller than his other ones. It was level 1, with 500 attack.
“Crevasse Lancer can attack directly!” the target said. “So that's exactly what I'll have him do!”
His Crevasse Lancer charged right up to me, past my face-down monster, and struck with its spear. I went down to 6500.
“Next, by detaching an overlay unit from Aqualance to deal you 500 points of damage!” he said.
His monster came at me, scratching with the tip of its lance. I was reduced to 6000.
“I end my turn,” he said.
And with that, his Spear gun hit me for another 500.

“My move, then,” I said. “I flip summon Ice Elf.”
A young, pale blue lady emitting a frigid chill appeared. She was level 4 with 800 attack and 2000 defense.
“Next, I normal summon Frigid Knight!” I said.
My elf was joined by a soldier wearing frost coated armor. He was also level 4, with 1800 attack and 500 defense.
“I attack your Crevasse Lancer with Ice Elf!” I said.
My elf unleashed a wave of coldness that froze his monster, which shattered instantly. The target's life points dropped to 8700.
“Then I'll have Frigid Knight attack Aqualance!” I said.
My knight swung his sword, which cut through his monster, freezing it solid in the process, and shattered it to pieces. His life dropped to 7900.
“I activate Aqualance's effect,” the target said. “When this card is destroyed, I can add a level1 water monster from my deck to my hand!”
“I end my turn,” I said.

“I draw,” the target said. “Then I play the spell card Salvage. Allowing me to return two water monsters with 1500 or less attack from my graveyard to my hand! I choose my two Overlances!”
Uh-oh...
“Now, I build the overlay network with 3 level 1 Overlances from my hand!” he said. “And with them I xyz summon Warp Lancer!”
A somewhat more sinister looking fish-man-lancer thing appeared on his field. Most of its body body was dark blue, and it had pitch black scales serving as armor. It wore a helmet formed from what appeared to be carved black and violet coral, and its lance lance was crafted from coral and fish bones, with three harpoons bound together at the tip. It was rank 1, with 800 attack.
“Next, I equip Warp Lancer with the spell card Proudlance!” he said.
A giant black lance appeared, replacing Warp Lancer's previous lance.
“This card can increase the attack power of a rank 1 monster by 1000,” the target said. “Then, by detaching one of Warp Lancer's overlay units, you take damage equal to his attack power!”
His monster vanished, reappearing in front of me. It drove its lance forward, and I caught it with my hands before it could impale me. The tip of it pierced into my ab muscles and drew blood. His monster vanished and returned to his side, as my life dropped from 5500 to 3700.
“Damn  it!” I exclaimed.
“Finally starting to lose your cool, are you?” the target chuckled. “Is my damage finally starting to take its toll?”
“No,” I said. “I'm just mad that you stopped dealing it in even 500 amounts. This 3700 is really gonna mess with my OCD.”
The target snarled something under his breath.
“I set a card and end my turn,” he said. “And do to Spear Gun's effect, you lose yet another 500!”

My turn again. I drew.
“I summon Frost Goblin in attack mode,” I said.
A goblin creature with pale blue skin appeared on my field. It carried a large chunk of ice like a club. It was level 4 with 1400 attack and 1300 defense. Now, I could attack his Warp Lancer with my Frigid Knight, destroying it and leaving the target open for direct attacks from my other two monsters, but that didn't strike me as the best idea. Not only would I be sacrificing the strongest monster I had out, but I was getting some pretty strong ace-monster vibes from Warp Lancer, and I was betting his card had a few more tricks up its sleeve. So I decided on a different course of action.
“I build the overlay network with my three level 4 monsters!” I said. “I xyz summon White North, The Polar Champion!”
A man in white armor, wearing a flowing scarf, appeared on my field. He had platinum colored hair, and his eyes appeared to be blank orbs of frost. He had 2500 attack and 1800 defense.
“I detach one overlay unit from my monster to increase his attack power by 500 until the end phase,” I said. “Then I'll have him attack your Warp Lancer!”
My monster drew his sword and charged. The target smiled.
“I activate Warp Lancer's effect!” he said. “When he's attack, I can change the attack target to my own life points!”
His monster vanished, and my Polar Champion continued charging.
“Additionally, the damage I take will be cut in half,” he said. “Furthermore, I activate the continuous trap card Rain Of Lances!”
A bunch of spears appeared in the sky, hanging over me. My monster slashed at the target, whose body briefly shifted into semi-corporeal shadows. The blade passed through him, leaving no mark, and his life dropped to 6400.
“Now, Rain Of Lances takes effect,” he said. “Since I took damage from a direct attack, you take 500 damage as well!”
The spears began raining down, and though most of them missed, one impaled me through my right forearm and stuck into the ground below me, another pierced me through my right lunge, bending me backwards awkwardly as it also embedded itself into the ground, and a third one stuck into my left quadricep. My life dropped to 2700. Ouch. It occurred to me a second later that I had missed a chance to use my set cards, which I'd placed at the beginning of the duel. Stupid OCD, distracting me from game-changing counter-moves.

At that moment, Vocallass arrived at the end of the alley behind me.
“Damn it, Veis, why did- What the hell is going on here!?” she said, seeing me with several pointy objects stuck in my body.
“Admit it,” I said. “You like seeing me like this.”
Vocallass is the new girl on the team. Like me and Etra, she is a Shoggoth made to resemble a human. Unlike me and Etra, Vocallass was human once. Then she was a clusterfluck of sentient data who floated in cyberspace and controlled all the world's Vocaloids. Then our old (and by old I mean diseased but still important to us) boss Gordon took her and made her into one of us.
As for Etra abd I, we're what you call Words. A long time ago, and old (again, diseased but still important) being called the Marchen created us. We and most other Words were model after beings of folklore. Etra is a Ljósálfar, which, if you're stupid, is basically a Norse light elf. I was created as a Half human half Jhotun hybrid. Technically, I have no parents, so I can't really be half anything, but that's what the Marchen decided I am, so that's what I am. And though Etra and I both died and were revived by Gordon as Shoggoths, some of our old powers as Words still linger. For instance, I can take a lot.
“Geez,” Vocallass groaned. “That looks painful.
I gave her an awkward upside down smile from my current position and said “Oh, unbelievable so.” Then I looked back up and stared the Target, who was taking the chance to try and break the ice around his feet, in the eyes and added “I'm going to kill you so hard for that.”
I straightened up, pulling the spear tips from the ground as I did. I broke off the ends of them and pulled them all out. I used my Jhotun abilities to freeze my wounds shut so I wouldn't bleed out and turn my attention back to the duel.
“I set a card and end my turn,” I said.

The target gave up trying to break free and drew a card.
“I activate the spell card Blustering Winds!” he said. “With this card, Warp Lancer gains 1000 attack until my next turn!”
That put his monster up to 2800. Shit...
“By detaching one overlay unit from Warp Lancer, you take damage equal to his attack!” he said, smiling wickedly. “It's over!”
His monster disappeared and reappeared right in front of me. I was ready this time.
“I activate Xyz Block!” I said. “By detaching one overlay unit from my Polar Champion, I can negate your monster's effect and destroy it!”
One of my monster's overlay units disappeared, and my Polar Champion turned around, raising its sword at the Warp Lancer. His monster vanished, leaving behind nothing but its spear, which was shattered by my monster's blade. Warp Lancer reappeared on his field, holding its original lance and completely unscathed.
“So what just happened?” I asked.
“Proudlance,” the target said. “By destroying it, I can prevent my monster's destruction.”

Then Etra showed up, taking a spot right beside Vocallass.
“What's happening?” she asked.
“Dumbass here is gonna get himself killed,” Vocallass replied.
“She's right,” I said. “This dumbass is sooooooo close to getting his ass kicked.”
“Not the dumbass I was referring to,” Vocallass said.
“What exactly are you implying?” I asked.
“Shut up!” the target snapped. “All of you! I end my turn, and you take 500 more damage!”
His spear gun went off again, and I was reduced to 2200.

“My move,” I said. I drew my card. “I activate the spell card Poison Of the Old Man, increasing my life points by 1200. Then, I activate the effect of Polar Flower from my hand.”
I discarded a level 4 monster, resembling a rose made from ice.
“By discarding this card, one water monster I control can make an additional attack this turn. I also use Polar Champion's effect, so by detaching an xyz material, he gains 500 attack until the end phase.”
I removed my monster's last overlay unit, and his power increased to 3000 again.
“Now I'll attack your Warp Lancer!” I said.
“I use Warp Lancer's effect!” the target said. “Your attack becomes a direct one and I only take half the damage!”
His monster vanished, and my attack hit him for 1500, bringing him down to 4900. Then his Rain Of Lances activated again, and spears fell upon me. This time I was ready, and I dodge them all, getting scratched by only a few of them. My life dropped to 2900.
“I attack again!” I said.
My Polar Champion attacked again, and he used his monster's effect a second time. His life dropped to 3400, and his Rain Of Lances fell at me again, bringing me down to 2400.
“I end my turn,” I said.

“My turn,” the target said.
He drew, and as he did, I felt a feeling of dread. A feeling I've felt a few times before. Every time I face off against a target, I end up feeling it at some point, and now I was feeling it from him. I new exactly what was coming next. And I was so not looking forward to it.
“I activate a new spell card!” the target said. “Rank-Up Magic All Force!”
Called it! This was it. This was why he was a target. Before Gordon died, he left us with very specific instructions. You see, the existence of these special Yu-Gi-Oh cards is do to the intervention of a being called the Jack Of All. He created them. He created the duel disks used to conjure their power. He made so many special cards that I don't even know half of them. But this one, Rank-Up Magic All Force, was special. None of us are sure what Jack's planning with this card, but Gordon ordered us to find any person who was in possession of that card.
And kill them.
“With this card, I rank up my Warp Lancer!” the target said. “I re-build the overlay network!”
As he spoke, his face contorted in pain, and his right hand began glowing with a blood-red, sinister light. A portal opened beneath his feet, and his monster was pulled into it.
“Melt into the darkness!” he chanted. “Seep through into the next world and bring with you the end of all order and reason! Come forth!”
He reached his hand into the portal, and let out a scream of pain. He pulled himself together and drew a card from the portal, placing it on his duel disk.
“I xyz summon my Red Hand monster!” he declared. “Different Dimension Dreadlance!”
A monster emerged from the portal, sealing it shut behind itself. It looked much like Warp Lancer, only larger. Its armor was pitch black, and the scaly flesh beneath it was red as fresh blood. A pair of membranous, fin-like wings sprouted from its back, and in its right hand, coated in a scaly red gauntlet, it held a massive spear, formed from bits of the ocean floor. Moldy ship planks and rope, bound with coral, seashell and fish bones, all dyed black and red, and at its very end was a giant, rusty anchor. It was rank 2, with 1500 attack points, and two glowing red stars, its overlay units, orbited its body.
The Red Hand cards. The result of enhancing an xyz monster's power using All Force. Abominations. I had seen one of my own monsters deformed by its power once. It was terrifying. Beautiful, awesome, powerful, and oh so very terrifying. No matter how many times I face one of these, it never ceases to amaze me.
“I activate my monster's effect!” the target said, grinning madly. “By detaching an overlay unit, it can attack directly!”
His monster melted into shadow and vanished. It occurred to me that he must have been using this card's power to teleport from place to place. I stayed on guard, expecting it to attack from the front. But then I felt its power behind me, and then its giant anchor slammed into my back. I felt my spine break. I cried out in alarm and pain and fell over onto my front. My back was throbbing in pain as that bastard laughed his fucking ass off. My life dropped to 900.
“looks like its over!” he chuckled.
I heard voiced behind me. Vocalass and Etra. I couldn't quite make them out. Etra sounded concerned. Vocallass sounded... I dunno... like herself, I guess.
“It's... not over,” I grumbled.
I rose to my feet shakily. My back protested. I tapped into my power. A make-shift back brace formed of ice grew around my waist and torso, locking my back in place. It hurt like hell, but at least I could stand. Sort of...
“I still have some life points left,” I said.
“In that case, I end my turn,” the target-fucker said. “Let's see what you've got left.”

I drew. Maybe what I drew could help me. Then I remembered what I had in play. My Polar Champion, and the set card that had been there the whole time. I had what I needed. I could do this.
“I attack with my Polar Champion!” I said.
“Bad move,” Fuckface said. “When Different Dimension Dreadlance is attacked, I can banish him!”
His monster faded into darkness.
“Then, I can permanently cut your monster's attack power in half,” he said. “And force it to continue its attack!”
My Polar Champion's attack power was reduced to 1250, and it attacked him directly. His life points were reduced to 2150. Then his Rain Of Spears came down, pelting me for another 500 points. I managed to protect myself for the most part from the physical damage, but just barely. Damn it...
“I set a card,” I said. “Then I end my turn.”
“And now I can return Different Dimension Dreadlance to play,” Knot-fuck said.
“Yeah,” I replied. “Figured. But now he won't have overlay units.”
“That's what you think,” Twatshit said. “I activate Spear Gun's other effect. When an xyz monster is summoned, except by xyz summon, I can attach this card to it, but it loses 300 attack points.”
Great. So his monster was slightly weaker, but gained another direct attack. Not good. I'd have to try not to forget to do the thing.

“I draw!” he said. “And now I'll end this! I detach an xyz material from Dreadlance to have him attack directly!”
Now for the thing.
“I activate my face-down card!” I said. “Word Of Truth!”
I flipped up the card I had set at the beginning. It's artwork depicted a man, standing in the middle of a storm, or maybe a hurricane made of words and letters, as if they had jumped straight off a page. The man was small, so I couldn't make him out too well, but he wore a red outfit, similar in design to a jester, or perhaps some kind of bard or storyteller from Renaissance times. His hair was bright orange, and very long, divided into numerous locks, almost like tentacles. I liked his hair, actually. How freely it hangs. I don't like when people tie up their hair. It doesn't feel right to me. Vocallass wears her hair in three long braids, and it's always bugged me. I hate topknots and cornrows and all that jazz. Free, loose hair is the natural order, and it should stay that way.
Oh, right the duel. Silly me, getting sidetracked.
As I activatred the card, I saw a flash of insight in his eyes. He had realized something. It always happens. Anyone I use that card against sees something. A truth. It kind of ticks me off. My card shows so much to my enemies, but it won't show me a damn thing.
“Using this card, I can activate one of five effects!” I said. “I choose to banish my monster to draw one card!”
“What!?”Assgum gasped.
“At this time, White North the Polar night's effect activates,” I said. “When he's removed from play, I can destroy one card on the field! I choose your Red Hand, Different Dimension Dreadlance!”
Before fading away, my Polar Knight cut down his Dreadlance, destroying it. It was over. Or so I thought.
“Too bad for you,” Taintball hissed. “I use the effect of my Rain Of Lances! When an xyz monster I control is destroyed by a card effect, I can revive it and attach this card to it as an xyz material!”
His monster reappeared, and it gained a new overlay unit.
“Now, attack him directly!” Fartcock yelled. “You're finished!”
“I activate the trap card Defense Igloo!” I said. “I banish Polar Flower from my graveyard to negate one direct attack!”
A dome of ice bricks popped up around me, shielding me from attack.
“I end my turn,” the guy-I'm-out-of-insults-for said.

I became aware of another person watching the duel. I looked up at the roof of the house we were playing next to and saw Rictor standing there, looking down at us.
He's our current leader, and the only human among our group. You may think that being human means he has no powers. Sometimes I wonder...
He looked at me, peering through the eyeholes of his mask (which looks neat by the way, being black with a red scar shape over one eye) and gave me a slight nod.
I turned back to the target. Time to finish him off.

“I draw!” I said, beginning my turn. “And by banishing three water monsters with different types from my graveyard, I can special summon Cryo Ankh! I banish the warrior-type Frigid Knight, the spellcaster-type Ice Elf, and the fiend-type Frost Goblin to bring it out!”
A giant Egyptian Ankh, made of pure ice, appeared on my field. It was level 8, with a question mark where its attack points should have been.
“This monster's attack becomes equal to half the total attack of the monsters used to summon it,” I said.
Cryo Ankh question mark attack points became 2000.
“Next, I normal summon Cryo Totem!” I said.
This was a single ice statue of a polar bear. It was level 1 with 100 attack points.
“I can now make Cryo Totem's level equal to the level of a special summoned water monster I control!” I said. “So I'll raise him to 8, like my Cryo Ankh!”
7 more arctic animal ice sculptures appeared on top of the Totem.
“Now, I built the overlay network with these two level 8 monsters!” I said. “I don't feel much like chanting, so I'll just introduce this guy casually! Say hello to Cryo Cross!”
A large figure in samurai-esque armor, coated in frost appeared. He carried with him a cross, as big as he was, made from pure ice crystal. He had 2800 attack points. The target stepped back in alarm.
“I detach an overlay unit from my monster,” I said. “Now, Dreadlance loses half of its attack points.”
His monster dropped to 750 attack.
“Now, I attack!”
“I activate my monster's effect!” he said. “I remove him from play!”
“No,” I said. “You don't.”
“Wh-what” he stammered.
“I play the quickplay spell Dimension Frost,” I said. “This turn, if I control a water monster, cars on the filed can't be banished.”
Frost coated his monster, sealing it in place. My monster lifted his giant cross, smashing it down into Dreadlance like a hammer, crushing it to pieces. The target's life was reduced to 100.
“At this time, since Cryo Cross destroyed your monster in battle, you lose 1000 life points,” I said. “Now, it's over.”
"No," the target said, trying to get away, but the ice around his feet continued to hold him in place. "I can't lose here!"
"Losing is your only option here," I said. "You can't win. You're small fish. An small fish die!"
My monster swung his cross again, hitting the man. I heard bones shatter as he was thrown back, hitting the ground behind him with a sickening crunch. I approached and checked his pulse. He was dead. That had finished it. I began pulling the cards from his duel disk and pocketing them.

“Are you seriously jacking this guys cards?” Vocallass asked, stepping in front of me.
“He ran a water deck, like me,” I said, finishing up. “I might be able to make use of some of his cards.”
“Veis is right,” Rictor said, jumping from the roof and landing beside me. “Keeping some of these could prove useful.”
“Except this one,” I said, straightening up and shredding the All Force card.
“Seriously?” Vocallass said. “That could have been useful!”
“That card is evil,” I said. “I'm not keeping it. Any copies we find should be destroyed.”
“Really?” Vocallass asked, leaning in to look me in the eyes. “Aren't you even the least bit curious what Cryostriker could-”
“No!” I snapped, and immediately regretted it as my back and lung started aching again. I managed to choke out “And that's final.”
“Are you okay?” Etra asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“I'll be fine,” I lied, starting to feel woozy, and tilting forward toward Vocallass a little. “I just need some sleep and-”

I think I passed out after that, because I woke up an hour later with a bruise on my face in the size and shape of a woman's hand. Wonder where that came from...


Anyway, Rictor started this blog a bit ago, and said we should start recording things on it. So.. yeah, that's a thing that happened a week or so ago.

And for those wondering, I'm fine now. Shoggoth. Heal fast. Yada-yada-yada. Bye and stuff!

-Veis out.