Blargh! A Blog!

So the next chapter begins! Hold on to your popcorn, kiddies.

The Characters (so far)

Name: Sarah Anderson
Age: 20
Hair: Black
Eye color: Brown
Nationality: Swedish (by mother's side)/Australian (by father's side)
Outfit: Dresses conservatively, usually seen in a green T-shirt with a long-sleeved plain white shirt underneath, and blue jeans.
Signature Deck: Nordic
Signature card: Valkyrie of the Nordic Ascendant
Bio: A young girl chosen by the Valkyrie to prevent the dreaded war of Ragnarok, with the fear started by the ill omen of real Duel Monsters appearing in the halls of Valhalla. She valiantly faced and defeated a Dark World player, but the battle came with the heavy cost of her cousin Leon's Deck.

Name: Leon Nyström
Age: 14
Hair: Blond
Eye color: Blue
Nationality: Swedish
Outfit: Mostly rags, wearing a red shirt and khaki shorts.
Signature Deck: Spirit
Signature card: Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi
Bio: Sarah's younger cousin and best companion. Being somewhat familiar with the rules of Dueling, he loses his Deck when Cliff Taylor and his group of thugs tear it up. Despite this, his resolve to be a better player hasn't wavered, and plans to build another Deck when the opportunity rises up.

Name: Roger Phoenix
Age: 17
Hair: Red
Eye Color: Olive green
Nationality: American
Outfit: Red and blue t-shirt with black jeans.
Signature Deck: WIND/DARK Anti-Fragrance Deck
Signature Card: Dark Simorgh
Bio: A boy Leon and Sarah just met, and the son of a shop owner, much to the children's fortune. With the help of his father, he managed to nearly finish his lockdown Deck. The final piece, Dark Simorgh, was sold to him at a price he could afford.

Name: Shopkeeper
Age: 43
Hair: Balding gray hair.
Eye color: Brown
Nationality: American
Outfit: Usual shop clerk attire, complete with apron.
Signature Deck: Guardian
Signature Card: Guardian Eatos
Bio: Roger's father and a shop owner. Despite his age, he seems to have a passion for games, hinted by the nature of his shop. His merchandise was cheated out of him in a Duel he nearly won, but thankfully the culprit was stopped by Sarah, and to pay her with gratitude he's decided to give Sarah and Leon some rare cards. His Guardian Deck appears to be special to him, and seems to know more about the cards than he lets on.

Chapter Three: Fairy Madness, Part 1.

The group stops at a restaurant while the shopkeeper headed to his shop across the street. He decided to restock the items in it while the kids stayed at the restaurant. Just ordering shakes and chilling at the restaurant, the kids talked about the day's events. Roger had started talking about the use Dark Simorgh has for his deck, and so far it has proven to be useful as he had already won twice with it.

The strategy involved a step by step process of disabling the opponent. While it took a while to build up, Dark Simorgh's effect would wrap it up by preventing the opponent from summoning monsters face-down and setting any cards face-down. Sarah was impressed. "Wow, Roger. That is a good strategy. No wonder you wanted Dark Simorgh so much."

"Pretty cool, right?" Roger said with a smirk. His father was the only person he could talk as his friends wouldn't be into the game as much as he was, so he was pretty happy that someone actually understood him, much more his strategy. "My Deck's not the best around, but maybe I can scare some people with it."

"But if your old man owns a shop, why didn't you get it from there?" Leon said, confused.

"He just doesn't have it. He has a lot of cards, but he never had Dark Simorgh in his store."

"I just don't understand why he's never had it before. Lots of shops sell it. He's not a rare card." Sarah then went on to explain how she actually obtained the card. It was actually a birthday present from her mother, hoping it would get her interested in birds as much as she was. Sarah avoided the rest of the subject with another question. "Say, Leon. Any idea on how rare Dark Simorgh is right now?"

"Beats me." Leon said with a shrug before taking one last gulp from his milkshake.

"Aw, well. What's important now is that I have him." Roger pulled out the card from a red pouch, which contained his Deck. Although the beast itself looked evil, Roger couldn't help but get a feeling of divinity from the card. And it was then that it finally hit him. "I remembered something. This guy is supposed to be the Dark opposite of something else. Pop would always call him 'The Bird of Divinity'"

It was enough to get Leon's attention. "Bird of Divinity? It sounds so cool! I guess you should spend some time looking for the other one, huh?"

"I would, but right now Dark Simorgh is all I need." Roger said as he put the card back in his pouch. Seeing the DARK attribute on the card reminded him to ask Sarah something important. "By the way, Sarah. How did you beat that thug?"

"You should have seen her! She sent him running after she summoned Odin." Leon stood up on his seat unaware of the attention he was suddenly getting.

"Wait a sec. That didn't come from the cards that thug stole, did it?"

"It did." Sarah admitted with a saddened look. "Leon managed to nab some from him, and gave them to me before the duel."

"And you gave them back to my dad, right?"

"Yeah. It's kinda sad." Sarah had placed her elbows on the table so she let her head rest on her hands. She stares at the ceiling, thinking of the bittersweet fact that she had the Aesir for a short time. "It was the first time I Synchro Summoned, too." She said after taking a sip from her dessert.

"Hey, you'll probably get them again someday!" Leon said as he pats his cousin in the shoulder.

Roger stands up, grabbing everyone's trash and tossing it away. "He's right, you know. My dad's going to put the three Aesir for sale. They won't come cheap, but a Nordic player like you sure won't mind. Right?"

That was half-right. I'm a Nordic player who wants nothing more than to add the three Aesir to my deck. But money's kinda tight these days for me. It's a mystery why I even offered to buy these milkshakes. Maybe it was Leon.

Leon looks at the window. He spotted the shopkeeper waving at them. "Hey, Roger, look. Your dad's waving at us."

"Then that must mean he's done restocking. He's open for business, and I bet he still hasn't forgotten about your reward." The three leave the building, and head for the store. Across the street, they enter the game shop. The shelves were alphabetized. While the shop itself wasn't big, the shelves had a huge collection of cards. Common cards were placed in special card sleeves, which had a small chip in them that triggered the alarm should it leave the building. Rare cards and structure Decks were sealed tight in special plastic cases. Sarah was amazed at how Roger's family went to the extremes to protect their merchandise from theft.

The shopkeeper greeted the children and leans closer to Roger. "What do you think, Roger? The shop looks nicer, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. I can't wait to see the customers' faces when they see it tomorrow."

Pleased with his son's answer, the shopkeeper turns to Sarah and Leon. "So, children. Would you like to see some of the rare cards I plan on giving you?"

"Sure!" Leon shouted eagerly.

"Sounds good to me." Sarah said casually. She didn't hold her hopes up, as she thought the shopkeeper would probably give them a discount at best.

"Then feast your eyes on these guys!" The shopkeeper then opens up a binder which was full of cards. He had hoped the children would be impressed, but Leon was quick to turn the pages after staring at each one. Sarah was impressed at the collection, but still remained calm. "What do you think? Pretty good, eh?"

"They look pretty good." Sarah motions for Leon to stop turning the pages, and once he had stopped she took a closer look. She grabs a Spell card in particular. "Hm. Advanced Ritual Art?"

"That one's quite rare now that kids stopped buying Ritual cards."

"Ritual cards?" Leon asked, now curious what that type of card meant in the game. He was familiar with many of the rules, but some of the cards were still unknown to him.

His cousin Sarah caught on to her cousin's curiosity, prompting her to explain. "It's kinda like Synchro Summoning, Leon. You need a Ritual Spell to summon a Ritual monster, at the cost of any monsters that add up to the Ritual monster's level. Some cards require you to add up to the exact level of the monster you're trying to summon, while other cards are less strict."

Leon suddenly felt a bit dumb for not knowing before, but he was always thankful having Sarah there to explain things for him. "I see! It sounds good."

Roger then grabbed the card from Sarah. He looked at the artwork, and from the looks of it (so he thought) it looked like a massive ritual was about to take place. He decided to keep it to himself, as he was embarrassed to realize that the name of the card was a dead giveaway. "And what we're seeing here is one of the best Ritual Spells ever. This lets you send Normal monsters from the Deck to the Graveyard so you can summon a Ritual monster from your hand. That way, you use your hand and field less."

Sarah and Leon understood how that was helpful. Ritual Summons would usually remove cards from the hand or field (or both), and sometimes the cost would be high if it was the only option. With Advanced Ritual Art, not only would the player get rid of a monster of two from the Deck (and none from the hand or field), but removing a card from the Deck would thin the Deck out a little, increasing the chances of drawing something that would be needed at that time.

Mr. Phoenix put away the folder back on the shelf behind the counter. The children hadn't been interested in anything so far, so he thought long and hard on what else he could offer. It was then that Sarah decided to speak up. "So, um, sir I wanted to ask something."

There was a serious tone in Sarah's voice, and it succeeded in getting the shopkeeper's attention. The older man had noticed Sarah was mature and polite, but she was still a child to him. "You don't have to be so formal, kiddo. Just call me Mr. Phoenix."

"Okay, Mr. Phoenix." Sarah began, feeling more relaxed. "You were wondering earlier if I had a Nordic deck."

"Oh, I see now. You're wondering if you can get your hands on the three Aesir."

"W-well I wouldn't put it in those exact words, but I think you understand."

"I do!" Mr. Phoenix laughed, seeing now that Sarah was worried about something so menial. The girl couldn't help but feel even more relaxed than she was before. Even if she had been offered something, she had difficulty accepting it. It had reached the point where she felt it was something unusual to accept something that was already offered. "Not many people play the Nordic cards these days. They prefer the new things. You have to admit lots of those new cards are good, but sometimes the old is just as good as the new. And only the holder of the cards can make that happen."

Roger stands up proudly. "That's my dad's way of thinking!"

"He's right, you know. I think every card is good. It's the tactics and strategies you build that make the difference."

Sarah could definitely relate. Despite not having the Aesir, she has had several victories of her own. They were as many as there were losses for her, but at least she had lost track of how many times she had won (she saw it as a good thing). "You are right. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to beat other people with just my Nordic cards."

"And now you want the three Aesir." Mr. Phoenix added, wiping the smile from his face and instantly replacing it with a more serious one. "I CAN give them to you. But first I got to ask. Would you listen to an old man's tale?"

Leon unknowingly let out a sweat drop from the back of his head drop down just from hearing the older man's request. "Do we have a choice?"

"Leon, don't be rude." Sarah whispered in order to shush him, but it seemed obvious that the shopkeeper had heard them.

"It's alright. The boy's just tired of hearing me talk, but I promise that I have some good stuff I want to tell."

"Let's hear it, then." Sarah said as everyone takes their seats.

Leon, Sarah, and Roger take their seats around the counter. Mr. Phoenix grabs a black box from one of the shelves behind him and puts it on the counter. The box was almost entirely black, with only the image of an eagle headdress stamped on top of it. "Yes. They say that out of all the copies of Duel monster cards out there, the real spirit of each one of them rests in one card each."

"You know. If there are a lot of copies of Dark Magician out there, the real spirit would exist on just one of the copies." Roger tried to show off his own example. He inexplicably pulls three Dark Magician cards out of nowhere and puts them on the counter. As he repeated his explanation slowly, he took two of the copies away while leaving one on the counter. Sarah nods immediately once Roger was done, and Leon does the same.

"And I'm fascinated by Norse Mythology, so I have spent a lot of time and money finding the copies of the Aesir cards. Lots of them exist out there, but I have a nice collection of them already." The shopkeeper slowly opens the box he had placed on the counter. "Take a look." The children then take a look inside the box. Roger wasn't surprised, while Sarah saw many copies of each Aesir scattered inside the box. Leon was amazed to see many heavy hitters inside a box.

Sarah was dumbfounded. It was a sweet moment for her, seeing so many copies of the cards she always wanted. She could only point out the obvious. "There are so many of them."

"Legend has it that a chosen few can see where the real spirits are. If they are sealed inside a key, they would know. The key is just an example, though. Nowadays, it's very likely they'll be inside some cards." Mr. Phoenix had begun saying while Leon and Sarah inspect the cards. Each copy was the same. Some came with foiled names and/or backgrounds.

With a booming voice, the Valkyrie makes her presence known inside Sarah's mind. The girl had tried her best not to jump in fear, as she didn't want to alert everyone around her. "Worry not. The three Aesir have chosen you, and will reveal themselves to you." The Valkyrie said as her voice was heard again.

"How come?"

"The spirits of the Aesir shall rest on three of these cards, and you will then see what cards contain them. You alone will be able to wield the power of all three, but heed my advice. It would be better if you entrust two of them to two of your trusted comrades. For if you are to lose all three...Ragnarok will surely begin."

Just then, Sarah spotted three particular cards that began to glow. A Loki card began to glow in red, a Thor card began to glow in blue, while an Odin card began to glow in a golden color. Sarah knew right away this is what the Valkyrie meant, but only she could see it. "Mr. Phoenix? If it's okay with you, I'd love to take these three copies of the Aesir."

The shopkeeper scratched his head, trying to recall what he had said. "Oh, really? I did say you could have them, so be my guest."

"You mean it?!"

"Sure. Anything for the kid who saved my shop." The shopkeeper said without a worry in his eyes.

"But I didn't do it on my own. Leon helped, remember?"

Mr. Phoenix winced at hearing those words. He had forgotten that it was Leon's actions that led into saving his merchandise in the first place. "Oh, right, right. What could I give you, little man?"

"I don't think there's much you could give me. That guy tore up my Deck before he left." Leon held back on his words. He and Sarah had already gone through so much in one night, and the last thing he wanted was for Mr. Phoenix to look for the thugs to give them a piece of his mind. He was sad on the inside, sure, but Leon felt it was best if he moved on as quickly as he could.

The shopkeeper's reaction was not the same Leon expected. "I see. What monsters did it have?"

"They were all Spirits, and some of their Spell and Trap cards." Leon gave Mr. Phoenix a list of the cards he had. The boy had memorized most of them on the top of his head, allowing Mr. Phoenix to get a picture of the deck and style. Spirit cards were powerful, but the drawback was that they always returned to the card hand at the end of the turn they were summoned.

Mr. Phoenix thought long and hard until he came up with an answer. "Hm. I got it. It may take a while, but I can build you a Spirit Deck free of charge."

Leon was immediately overwhelmed with joy. "Really?! Thank you!!"

And so the Swedish duo stand back and simultaneously strike a pose. Sarah holds up her three new cards while Leon's pose was no more than a victory sign. "So now I have the three Aesir...."

"And I'll get a Spirit Deck! Eventually."

"So, Pop. You want to show them your favorite card?" Roger said as he nudged his father with an elbow.

"Good idea, Roger." Mr. Phoenix then reveals a pouch of his own. It had the same eagle headdress stamped on it like the one on the box. The shopkeeper opened the pouch eagerly and easily before he pulls out his card for the children to see. It was a woman wielding a sword and wearing the very same eagle headdress. "I've kept this card for quite a while. This is the reason I believe in the legend. Only the true Guardian spirits would be able to protect me. Until today, I haven't had anyone try to steal my cards. Call me an old loon if you want, but I believe my Guardian Eatos has always protected me from danger."

"Have you always won a duel with her?" Sarah asked. The things the Valkyrie said made more sense as Mr. Phoenix went on, so now she was curious. The monster did look mysterious to her. Besides the clothing that was obviously inspired by the Native Americans, there was hardly anything Sarah could say about Eatos.

"Oh, yes! With her ability to strengthen herself with all of the opponent's monsters in his or her Graveyard, it was a mystery how she was defeated in my last duel." The shopkeeper had said proudly. Everyone else takes a look at the effects of the monster card. Already at 2500 ATK, Eatos was also able to strengthen herself further by removing the opponent's monsters from the Graveyard and out of the game.

"And that's my dad's best card!" Roger added. Everyone looks out from the inside. A crowd had gathered and there was already a commotion.

"Huh? What's that?" Leon spoke up. Without much of a word, Roger and his father rushed outside and were soon followed by sarah and Leon. Outside the shop, a crowd gathers as someone makes their way to the restaurant across the street. Wearing a mask to conceal his identity and fake wings on his back, he was a sight to behold.

Sarah was the first to ask. "Who's that?"

"They call him Angel." Mr. Phoenix replied as he looked down, bothered by the commotion. It was apparent that he didn't want Angel to be here

"Angel?"

"That's him, alright. He's one big flirt! He always has girls following him around!" Roger began as he raised his voice so loud that even Angel looked over his shoulder to see what was up. But he was surrounded by adoring fan girls that he became distracted again. Roger was disgusted by the sight of it all. "That guy just prances around this neighborhood like he owns the place."

"You sound jealous, Roger." Mr. Phoenix said as he goes over to calm and cheer up his son. "You just need to show off your Dueling skills. At least that's how that Angel fella has been getting attention."

Sarah didn't believe what she just heard. The situation suddenly turned awkward when Mr. Phoenix stared at Sarah for a moment, as if he expected her to confirm what he just said. Not sure what to do, she simply smiled. She didn't know if that would help or make things worse, but she had hoped to get him of her back for now. "If you ask me, I don't think that was much of a "Dad" answer." It was then that Angel stares at the group outside the shop. He makes his way there, apparently much to the chagrin of Mr. Phoenix. But the shopkeeper didn't get his attention. Sarah backed away as the masked man made his way towards her. The mask only covered his eyes, and Sarah could still feel their piercing gaze. "Can I.....help you?"

Angel didn't say anything. He didn't seem rude, but it was more like there was something about the girl that he couldn't put his finger on. Dismissing it as an annoying feeling, the masked man turns to Mr. Phoenix. "Hey, old timer. I heard you almost lost your shop tonight."

"He knows you, Mr. Phoenix?" Sarah asked.

The shopkeeper sighed. He thought it would be best to explain what was bothering him. "Of course he does. I was training him to help me run the shop, 'til the day he started winning duels so much that he got full of himself."

"Now it's up to me to help Pop around the shop." Roger stepped between Angel and Sarah. He wasn't about to let someone in a fairy's garbs to prance around on his turf. "So get lost, Angel!"

But Angel did nothing but scoff before gently pushing Roger aside. "Why should I? You have a delicate flower in that tacky shop of yours. Shouldn't I at least say hello to her?"

Sarah couldn't escape Angel's embrace (actually he just put his arm around her). "You better not be talking about me."

The masked man wasn't about to let Sarah get away. As much as Sarah tried, she couldn't escape his grasp. All she could do was look away into the distance, eyes half-closed as if she was already bored. She was going to listen to Angel whether she liked it or not, and Angel spoke once she calmed down. "Tell you what. If I leave, I get to take you with me. What do you say?"

"I'd say back off. I don't have time for you."

"Touche. I just wanted to get to know you better. I heard you gave a Dark World player a run for his money."

That last sentence was repeated in Sarah's mind many more times after it was spoken. She looked at Roger and Mr. Phoenix, but their guess was as good as her. Leon, as caring as he was, didn't want to interfere. Sarah thought hard but she just couldn't wrap around her head how Angel knew about her duel with Cliff. "Just how did you know it was me, anyway?"

"News spread fast in this town. Besides, they gave me a good description of you. Ah. Just like I imagined. The beauty of a Dark Magician Girl. The body of a D.D. Warrior Lady. The grace of a Mystical Elf. And the cuteness of Eria, the Water Charmer."

She was creeped out now. The sad part was that Sarah did know what those card artworks looked like, and thus took offense that she was nothing more than something to be stared at by Angel. "Listen, you!!! If you're done checking me out-!" But just then, Sarah hears the voice of the Valkyrie once again. As it did before, the booming voice took her by surprise. Once Sarah closed her eyes, she could see the Valkyrie deep within her mind.

The angelic-looking woman was quick to address the purpose of her intrusion. "Woman, wait! I came to inform you that one of this man's cards holds a powerful spirit."

"I have a name, you know! And this isn't the best time! You don't really want me to duel him, do you?"

"You must. It may be a great help."

"He definitely wants a date if I lose!"

"You would rather wager one of the Aesir?"

"You're not giving me much of a choice here!" Sarah kept whining, and with good reason. Her history with men (and boys, when she was younger) hasn't been the best. Some had taken advantage of her financial situation while others had seen her as a convenience and thus nothing romantic emerged. She truly believed Angel was either one, so with a fire in her eyes she did the unthinkable. "Fine, I'll do it!"

Angel was very pleased to hear her answer. "Huh? You changed your mind?"

"Huh? I mean, wait! I'll go out with you, but you have to beat me in a Duel, first!"

"Sarah!" It was all a flabbergasted Leon could say.

"I can't believe you just said that! This guy's a womanizer!" Roger knew pretty well what he was talking about. He would recall his younger days where Angel would focus less on his duties at the shop and raise money with his skills instead. Nobody knew where the money went, but it did contribute to Angel's eventual termination from the shop. It took Mr. Phoenix reprimanding him for his work ethic that made Angel decide to quit and pursue the path to fame (which he obviously accomplished).

Angel could only look on very pleased. He was already wearing his Duel Disk, which had angel wings painted on it. "Oh, my! Kinda eager there, aren't we?"

"I'm not done." Sarah continued. "If I win, you'll have to give me your rarest card! Still want to risk it?"

It really didn't take Angel long to think about it. He already had his eyes set on his reward. "Hm. Meh, why not? My adoring fans just love it when I duel. Besides, I haven't much to lose, and a lot to gain from this." Sarah couldn't believe how eager the man was, but there was no turning back now. Once they shook hands on it, Angel turned to his fans. "Listen up, my friends! Looks like your Angel is dueling after all!"

At the sound of that, the many people who had followed Angel cheered on. Both Duelists shuffle each other's Decks and turn on their Duel Disks. But before they could begin, Sarah looks around nervously. She noticed that, this time, there was an audience that was actually interested in the outcome of her Duel.

Leon was the first to notice. "Oh, boy. She's got stage fright."

"Hey, Pop! Aren't you gonna stop this?" Roger turned to his father for an answer.

"Actually, I'm kinda interested in how this turns out. Who knows? I may even have a chance to look at the Aesir." Leon and Roger weren't expecting that kind of answer from an adult, and came to the conclusion that there was nothing they could do to stop the Duel from happening. Roger was worried the most because, despite how much he truly disliked Angel, the flatterer was much older than Roger and thus more experienced. He had actually faced Angel a few times, and he has yet to defeat him.

The younger Leon rushes to his cousin. In an effort to calm her down, he tries to encourage her. "I have no idea why you're doing something crazy like this. But if you're gonna go through with it, I'm right behind you."

"Really?" Sarah said, finally calming down at the sound of her cousin's words.

"Yeah. Now are you gonna make this guy pay for not leaving you alone?"

"Actually, that's not why I'm doing this."

Leon couldn't help but sigh at the sound of that. "Really?"

"It's just...I have my reasons." Sarah knew that Leon wouldn't understand. All the boy could think of was that maybe Sarah did like Angel already, despite how much often she sad otherwise.

Unaware of there being another reason, Leon just wanted to stay quiet for now. "Fine, I'll be over here." He said as he walked away.

Sarah turns to Angel. Both of them had their hands ready. "Okay, you! Let's duel!"

-The Duel!-

Sarah
LP: 8000

Angel
LP: 8000

"How rude of me. I should let my gorgeous opponent have the first turn." Angel said before giving Sarah the honor of the first turn.

But Sarah would have none of his flattery. She could only be cold towards him, and show no mercy. "Whatever. I draw!" Sarah makes her first draw of the Duel. She looks at the card she drew, which had the image of a white goat with lightning strikes on the background. "Tanngrisnir! He'll come in handy!"

The Valkyrie's spirit could be seen, much to Sarah's dismay. The warrior woman saw how much her partner freaked out, so she tried to calm her down. "I am here just to observe."

"I can see you! Am I the only one who can?"

"For the moment. But you must be careful. If people notice my presence-"

"In that case, stand there and just let me concentrate."

"Very well."

Sarah was pleased that the Valkyrie was keeping quiet. Her hand looked good enough to plan a strategy, so she didn't waste time. "I got it all planned out! One monster, face down! I end my turn." Sarah Sets down a monster card on the field in Defense Mode. She thought she was already doing pretty good, but she still had to see how Angel was gong to handle it

"What a pity." Angel said as he began his turn. "I may be a gentleman, but a pretty girl like you shouldn't take me so lightly. First, I'll play the Field Spell card, Sanctuary in the Sky!" The field is then covered with clouds, as the Sanctuary in the Sky rises up in front of both players. The settings on both Duel Disks were configured to adapt to Field Cards, so now a small portion of the sky looked blue. "Next I'll summon the Agent of Creation - Venus in Attack mode!"

The Agent of Creation - Venus
LIGHT/Fairy
Level 3
ATK 1600/DEF 0

The winged Agent then descends from the Sanctuary in the Sky, ready to battle. "Next, I'll use her special ability. I can summon as many Mystical Shine Balls, one at a time, as long as I pay 500 Life Points for each. And I'll summon two of them!" Venus then uses her power to create two Mystical Shine Balls, both apparently posing hardly a threat.

Mystical Shine Ball (x2)
LIGHT/Fairy
Level 2
ATK 500/DEF 500

Angel's LP: 8000 --> 7000

Sarah was confused why he would spend Life Points to summon a couple of weak monsters. "Why would you summon two weak monsters and pay your Life Points for them?"

"Just you wait!" Angel held his hand up. "Now that I have two Level 2 monsters, I can Overlay them, allowing me to build the Overlay Network!!!"

The field briefly changes to outer space, as the two Shine Balls Angel had summoned are sucked inside a space vortex. Sarah was surprised, as she never witnessed anything like it. "What's happening?!"

"It's an Xyz Summon! He's calling a creature from a different dimension!" The Valkyrie pointed out.

"Here we go! Come down and meet my next wife, Gachi Gachi Gantetsu!" Out of the vortex comes a giant rock-like warrior, and kneels in front of Angel as it prepares to protect him. "This guy will truly rock your world!"

Gachi Gachi Gantetsu
EARTH/Rock
Rank 2
ATK 500/DEF 1800
Overlay Units: 2

Sarah was amazed to see the new type of summon, but she was focused enough to hear Angel's remark. "Hey, don't get carried away! Whoever said anything about me becoming your wife, weirdo?!"

The Valkyrie did her best to silence her partner. "Focus, Einherjar!"

"Einherjar? But I'm not dead! And my name's Sarah!"

"You must still focus. Xyz Monsters are known for having powerful effects. Some are even the cause of sending monsters to the halls of Valhalla."

"So they're the enemy?"

"Some of them, yes. Others have taken a neutral stance. You must recruit everyone you can."

"Got it."

Angel stood waiting for Sarah to stop thinking to herself, but he only had so much patience. He raised his voice, loud enough to make her snap out of it. "By the way, my love. I should mention Gachi's continuous effect. For every Overlay unit he has, the attack and defense of his surrounding companions increases by 200. And I count two Overlay units!"

Gachi Gachi Gantetsu
EARTH/Rock
Rank 2
ATK 500 --> 900/DEF 1800 --> 2200
Overlay Units: 2

The Agent of Creation - Venus
LIGHT/Fairy
Level 3
ATK 1600 --> 2000/DEF 0 --> 400

"Venus, attack! Destroy the flower's precious face down!" Venus then fires a beam of light. As the battle commences, Sarah's monster is revealed to be Tanngrisnir of the Nordic Beasts. It gets pulverized by the blast with little effort, and is sent to the Graveyard. "And what is a delicate flower like yourself doing with a savage animal like that?"

Sarah smiled, almost unfazed that her Tanngrisnir was destroyed. "Simple! When my Tanngrisnir is destroyed by another monster, he summons two Nordic Beast tokens to take his place!" The two tokens Sarah mentioned then take the place for Tanngrisnir, laying down once they are summoned.

Nordic Beast Token (x2)
EARTH/Beast
Level 3
ATK 0/DEF 0

"Then I lay one more card face down. Your move." Angel does as he said, laying a card down in his Spell & Trap Zone. Watching in awe, Leon and Roger cheer on as Sarah was able to save herself.

"Say, Mr. Phoenix." Leon said as he grew worried. "Do you think Sarah has a chance?"

Mr. Phoenix thought about his answer. "I'm not familiar with her playing style, but I do know Angel is using a typical move seen in many Agent decks. With his Venus at 2000, there's hardly anything in a pure Nordic deck that can topple Venus on its own. She has to Synchro Summon, or make good use of her Spells and Traps. If she doesn't, she might lose the Duel!"

To be Continued!

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Guess That Card!

Lore: This elf is rumored to have lived for thousands of years. He leads an army of spirits against his enemies.

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