Blargh! A Blog!

Time to make a stretch! Two consecutive chapters to end the Prelude! Here we go!

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. Her love for dueling is surpassed only by her love for her family.

Name: Leon Nyström
Age: 14
Hair: Blond
Eye color: Blue
Nationality: Swedish
Outfit: White and blue Nehru jacket 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 waits patiently while Mr. Phoenix prepares a Deck for him.

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-Spell 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: Riddel Mirai
Age: 16
Hair: Blond with brown at the tips
Eye Color: Blue
Nationality: Japanese
Outfit: All-green attire of a blouse and skirt, topped with a beret.
Signature Deck: Naturia
Signature card: Naturia Beast
Bio: The daughter of a rich couple, who have left her in their butler's care. She seems to have taken a liking to Leon, and her feelings have been augmented drastically to the point of insanity thanks to a Number card that found its way into her Deck.

Name: Mr. Phoenix
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 Seven: Raise the Magical Hammer of the Champion of Asgard! Is Leon Worthy of Its Power?!

The Duel continues, and now it was Riddel's Main Phase 1.

Leon
LP: 8000
Cards in hand: 4

Battle Fader
DARK/Fiend
Level 1
ATK 0/DEF 0

1 Set Monster

Riddel
LP: 7500
Cards in hand: 4

Naturia Beast
EARTH/Beast
Level 5 Synchro
ATK 2100/DEF 1800

Number 50: Black Corn
DARK/Plant
Rank 4 Xyz
ATK 2100/DEF 1500
Overlay units: 2

-----

While Sarah watched in awe, Riddel's driver, John, approaches with a glass of water.

John: Here. Drink up.

Sarah: And why should I? The last time I trusted someone with food, I was poisoned. I still am. -sighs- Why don't either one of you take a stand for a change?

James: Because the lady has never acted like this. In fact, she was acting normally a few days ago. Until then, she behaved like an innocent soul!!

Sarah: So...she never did anything this crazy?

John: Not really. I really don't know what we should do. Riddel is the one who writes our checks.

Sarah: What about her parents? Didn't she mention her parents earlier?

James: She did? As a matter of fact....her parents have passed on.

Sarah: You mean-

James: Yes. Riddel is an orphan. She lost her parents in a terrible shipwreck one year ago. But despite it all, Lady Riddel has grown into a marvelous young woman. But she would never open up. She is too timid to reveal how she really feels. Especially about a boy.

Sarah: Leon....

John: My theory is that stupid ship card she has. Ever since she grabbed a hold of it, she hasn't been the same.

Sarah: That must be it! Black Corn must have something to do with this crazy act! -turns to the Valkyrie- The Valkyrie must have known, too.

-----

Riddel: Ready to give up yet, Leon? I don't think you can win....

Leon: No way! I may have before, but Sarah would never give up, no matter how tough it gets!

Riddel: There goes that name again. Do I have to remind you that you may not even have her 30 minutes from now?!

Leon: Riddel, why do you hate me?! What did I do to you?

Riddel: Leon, you misunderstand. I don't hate you....

Leon: Then why are you doing this to me?!

Riddel: Oh, Leon. It sounds to me you don't even understand why I'm doing all this. Why don't I just show you after I win this duel! -Pointing at Leon's face-down monster- Black Corn! Do me a favor and blast away his face-down monster!!

The black ship the opens fire with its cannons, blasting away Leon's monster: Otohime.

Leon: You fell for it! Because you flipped my Otohime by attacking her, I can choose one monster on the field and change its battle position!

Riddel: That means-!

Leon: You got it! Here's a little gift from Otohime before she leaves!

Otohime then puts Naturia Beast under temporary hypnosis before vanishing, changing it to Defense position.

-----

Sarah: Way to go, Leon! You're able to survive another turn!

Valkyrie: This is an opening. If your cousin is able to destroy Naturia Beast, it will become much easier to destroy the Number card.

Sarah: Can Leon destroy it?

Valkyrie: Yes, but it will require the aid of the Champion of Asgard. The only problem is that his Deck of choice is not designed to bring him out, at least not fast enough.

Sarah: I did all I could. I gave him Guldfaxe and Thor. I just hope he draws him on time.

-----

Riddel: My Naturia Beast...he's helpless!

Leon: And my Battle Fader's still on the field! You thought you could get me!

Riddel: I'll end my turn for now. But this isn't the end!

Leon: -draws a card- It's my move!

Leon's hand: 4 --> 5

Leon: -thinking- Mirror of Yata? Oh, yeah! Alright, Riddel!! I'm going to summon Susa Soldier again!!

Susa Soldier
EARTH/Thunder
Level 4 Spirit
ATK 2000/DEF 1600

Leon: Next I'll equip him with the Mirror of Yata! -plays the Spell card- This card prevents my Susa Soldier from going back to the hand, but on the plus side, he can take a punch from a couple of stronger monsters!

Leon's hand: 5 --> 3

-----

Sarah: Mirror of Yata? Leon never had that card before. That shopkeeper is sure something else.

Valkyrie: Basically, the Mirror of Yata will absorb one attack from the owner's opponent. Your cousin is going to need it to survive.

Sarah: It'll stop the attack?

Valkyrie: It will make the monster impervious to destruction, but it only has one use. Leon will still take damage from the attack, but Susa Soldier would survive.

Sarah: That seems pretty useful.

Valkyrie: What I'm worried about is Black Corn's special ability. She hasn't revealed it yet.

-----

Leon: Now, Susa Soldier, attack her Naturia Beast with your Lightning Blade!!

Susa Soldier then releases electricity through his sword. With only 1800 DEF, Naturia Beast stood no chance against the attack and was destroyed as a result.

Leon: One down!!

Riddel: Naturia Beast!!

Leon: I will end my turn now, but thanks to my Mirror of Yata my Susa Soldier will stick around this time!

Riddel: It's not over yet! My turn!! -makes her draw-

Riddel's hand: 4 --> 5

The field, at this time, looked even for Leon and Riddel. With Riddel having only one monster on the field while Leon had two, things started to look up for the Spirit Duelist.

Riddel: Leon, you're forgetting that my Black Corn is stronger than either one of your monsters! -pointing at Battle Fader- I'll start with your Battle Fader! Black Corn, open fire!!!

The giant ship then fires from its cannons again, this time destroying Battle Fader. While it protected Leon in a previous turn, the diminutive monster could not protect itself as the difference between the power of both monsters was too great.

Riddel: As you may know, Battle Fader is removed from the game whenever he's sent outside of the field.

Leon: -Puts Battle Fader on his Removed from Play/Banished Zone- Yeah, I know. But I wonder why she didn't go for my Susa Soldier? Does she really think she can beat me?

Riddel: I'm going to end my turn after laying this card face-down. -as she does so- Your move.

Leon: Gladly! -makes his draw-

Leon's hand: 3 --> 4

Leon: -looking at his new card- Different Dimension Reincarnation? This can bring Battle Fader back. I have to save it for later. Alright, Riddel! All I'm gonna do is put Susa Soldier into Defense mode. -as he does so- Your move!

Riddel: -making her draw- Oh, now your Soldier can survive two attacks without you getting hurt...

Riddel's hand: 5 --> 6

-----

Valkyrie: Now she has six cards in her possession.

Sarah: This could be bad!

-----

Riddel: -giggling- Leon, guess what I'm about to do?

Leon: You're gonna forfeit?

Riddel: No! I'm going to summon my adorable Naturia Cherries!

A tree then sprouts on the field, and one of the branches contained two small cherries.

Naturia Cherries
EARTH/Plant
Level 1 Tuner
ATK 200/DEF 200

Riddel's hand: 6 --> 5

Riddel: Now I'm going to reveal Black Corn's special ability!

Leon: So he does have one!

Riddel: Leon, have you noticed the little orbs floating around Black Corn?

Leon: Yeah...

Riddel: Well, those are the monsters I Overlayed to summon it. They stick around to help their new friend out. And since I'm activating Black Corn's effect, I'll have to send one of them to the card Graveyard.

One of the orbs around Black Corn disappears from the battlefield. Riddel had just placed her Naturia Beetle from earlier to the Graveyard.

Riddel: Since you didn't do anything to stop it, there's nothing stopping Black Corn now. Go, my monster! Absorb his Susa Soldier!!

Leon: Say what?!

The Number monster then proceeds to drag Susa Soldier inside its cannon, not unlike a vacuum cleaner.

Riddel: Black Corn then uses your monster as a cannon ball, and guess where he's aiming?

Leon: He's aiming at me!

Riddel: Black Corn, open fire!

The great black ship then opens fire on Leon, shooting Susa Soldier - now in the form of a ball of energy - on its former master.

Leon's Life Points: 8000 --> 7000

Riddel: But I'm not done yet! I play the Spell Card "Leodrake's Mane!" It negates the effect of my Cherries, but...

Riddel's hand: 5 --> 4

Leon: -recovering from the attack- But what?!

Riddel: It increases their ATK power to 3000. Isn't that amazing?

A giant leaf then falls on the Naturia Cherries. Absorbing its power, the Cherries grow big in size as their ATK power increases to 3000.

Riddel: Time to attack, my lovely Cherries!

Using teamwork, the Cherries bounce to Leon's direction. They both body slam him, reducing his Life Points even more.

Leon's Life Points: 7000 --> 4000

Riddel: Lucky for you, Black Corn can't attack if he already used his special ability, so I end my turn now.

-----

Sarah: How horrible! Leon lost half of his Life Points in just one turn!

-----

Leon: -now panting a little- My....draw!

Leon's hand: 4 --> 5

Leon: Ah, finally! A sight for sore eyes! But first, I'm activating the Field Spell card, Mausoleum of the Emperor!

Placing his Field Spell on the field, Leon witnesses a massive building erecting in the middle of the duel platform.

Leon's hand: 5 --> 4

Riddel: What is that?!

Leon: You're about to find out! Now I summon my Great Long Nose in Attack mode!

Great Long Nose
DARK/Beast-Warrior
Level 5 Spirit
ATK 1900/DEF 1700

Riddel: What gives, Leon? Last time I checked, Level 5 monsters and above need a sacrifice. And by the way, I know Spirit monsters can't be Special Summoned at all!

Leon: And that's why I played Mausoleum of the Emperor. Normally, yeah, high Level monsters need Tributes, or sacrifices. But Mausoleum of the Emperor lets me summon them by paying in Life Points instead!

Leon's Life Points: 4000 --> 3000

Riddel: Eek! My Cherries! They're still in Attack mode!!

Leon: And that's why I'm not wasting time! Great Long Nose, attack her Naturia Cherries!

Stretching his arm and pointing at the Cherries, Leon commands his monster to attack, and it obeyed. Using telekinesis as it grabbed a string of beads, Great Long Nose smashes Naturia Cherries to the ground, destroying them.

Riddel: You're going to pay for that.

Riddel's Life Points: 7500 --> 5800

Riddel: I'll be activating my Naturia Cherries' special ability! When they are destroyed in any way, they split in two. That allows me to summon two more from my Deck, face-down!

Revealing her two Naturia Cherries from her Deck, Riddel then proceeds to slot them face down.

Leon: There's not much I can do, so now that I end my turn, Great Long Nose returns to my hand.

Riddel's hand: 4 --> 5

Riddel: Leon, I hope you understand that you left yourself wide open. -revealing her draw- I summon Naturia Spiderfang to the field, in Attack mode!

A spider web mysteriously weaves itself on the field, before an adorable-looking spider lands on it from above.

Naturia Spiderfang
EARTH/Insect
Level 4
ATK 2100/DEF 400

Riddel: Normally, my Spiderfang can't attack if my opponent hasn't activated an Effect, Spell, or Trap card. But you failed to notice one thing, Leon.

Leon: What is it?

Riddel: My Naturia Cherries are Tuner monsters!

Riddel then proceeds to Flip Summon her Naturia Cherries, as Leon looked on in disbelief.

Riddel: Naturia Spiderfang, tune with one of my Naturia Cherries! Guess who's back, Leon? I Synchro Summon my second Naturia Beast!

A second Naturia Beast appears on the field, taking the place of Naturia Spiderfang.

Riddel: But it doesn't end there! Now I tune my own Naturia Beast with the second Naturia Cherries!

Leon: A Level 6 Synchro Monster?!

Riddel: Yep! I know I said I was handing you the win if you beat Black Corn and Naturia Beast, but I got impatient! Meet the strongest member of my Naturia family. I Synchro Summon, Naturia Barkion!!

A dragon descends to take the place of Naturia Beast and Naturia Cherries, ending the successful Synchro Summon

Naturia Barkion
EARTH/Dragon
Level 6 Synchro
ATK 2500/DEF 1800

Riddel: Isn't that impressive, Leon? He comes with a little twist, too.

Leon: A twist?

Riddel: Yeppers! While Naturia Beast sends the top two cards of my Deck straight to the Graveyard to negate your Spell cards, Barkion can remove two cards from my Graveyard from the game to negate your Trap cards!

Leon: So much for my plan!

-----

Sarah: He's wide open to an attack! This can't be the end!

Valkyrie: It isn't. He may have been long gone, but Great Long Nose has a special ability Leon can use to save himself.

-----

Leon: Riddel, I'm impressed that your monsters are strong enough to finish me off. But my Great Long Nose comes with a twist, too!

Riddel: But how? He's gone, isn't he?

Leon: Yeah. But every time he inflicts damage to my opponent, they have to skip their next Battle Phase!

Riddel: So I can't attack this turn?!

Leon: Yep! You coulda finished me off if you simply Set your first set of Cherries face-down, and used Spiderfang to tune into your second Naturia Beast.

Riddel: It's not like it matters, Leon! Your Great Long Nose is weaker than my monsters! It doesn't matter what you do next, because I'm going to win now! I end my turn!

-----

Sarah: So it all comes to this.

Valkyrie: His next draw will be his last. Even if he summons the strongest Spirit monster, it will not be enough to reduce Riddel's Life Points.

-----

Leon had made his final draw of the Duel. He slowly flips his card, and sees that it was, in fact, a monster card.

Leon's hand: 4 --> 5

Leon: Riddel, I got here the ultimate plan to destroy your Black Corn!

Riddel: -scoffs- Oh, really? This I would like to see.

Leon: You got it! By the effect of my next monster, I can Special Summon him to the field if you have a Synchro monster on the field while I got none. Here comes Guldfaxe of the Nordic Beasts!

Once Leon places the card down, a horse with a golden mane materializes in front of him.

Guldfaxe of the Nordic Beasts
LIGHT/Beast
Level 4 Tuner
ATK 1600/DEF 1000

-----

Valkyrie: he has done it. He has drawn Guldfaxe just in time.

Sarah: Yay! Now comes Thor!

Valkyrie: I'm not so sure about that.

Sarah: Huh? Why?

Valkyrie: Out of the three Aesir, Thor is the only one who cannot be summoned the turn Guldfaxe is summoned, unless Leon has the right cards on any of his Zones or his hand.

-----

Riddel: A Tuner monster?! You're planning to Synchro Summon!!

Leon: Next I'll use up my Normal Summon, and 1000 of my Life Points, to summon Great Long Nose again!

Great Long Nose
DARK/Beast-Warrior
Level 5 Spirit
ATK 1900/DEF 1700

Leon's Life Points: 3000 --> 2000

Leon: Finally, by discarding one card from my hand, I can activate my Different Dimension Reincarnation! For the cost, I'm discarding my Inaba White Rabbit!

Riddel: That card lets you summon one of the monsters that was removed from the game!

Leon: You got it! With it, I'm bringing back my Battle Fader!

Battle Fader
DARK/Fiend
Level 1
ATK 0/DEF 0

The entire combo had used four cards in Leon's hand, but now he had three monsters on the field.

Leon's hand: 5 --> 1

Leon: And I'm not done yet! Battle Fader, tune with Great Long Nose and Guldfaxe of the Nordic Beasts! -once all three leap into the air, beginning the Synchro Summon- Time to combine all of your powers into one! I Synchro Summon.....Thor, Lord of the Aesir!

Riddel could only look in awe, as a giant hammer is dropped on the field. And just then, the Nordic god of legend appears and lifts it with ease, ready for battle.

Thor, Lord of the Aesir
DIVINE/Divine-Beast
Level 10 Synchro
ATK 3500/DEF 2800

-----

Valkyrie: He has done it. The second most powerful Nordic god is now ready for battle. Your cousin may stand a chance now.

Sarah could only look on, amazed as her sweet little Leon had summoned one of the most powerful monsters in the game.

-----

Riddel: A DIVINE monster! How did you get that?!

Leon: Let's just say a couple of friends had this card, and they let me borrow it! Now, Thor! Attack her Naturia Barkion!!

The massive warrior then swings his hammer down on the dragon, but-

Riddel: Don't forget about my face-down card! --revealing her card- Mirror Force!

Leon: Mirror Force? What does it do?!

Riddel: It's one of the most famous cards in the game. When you attack, Mirror Force can stop your attack and destroy all your monsters that are in Attack Mode!

Leon: But that's-

Riddel: Too bad? Oh, I know.

Leon could only watch as Thor tried to crack the mirror, only the power to push him back and destroy him.

Riddel: That was a good move, wasn't it?

Leon: You're right. A lesser guy could give up at this point. And if I did, I'd be letting my cousin down.

Riddel: But if you go on, I can just attack you directly.

Leon: That could be true. But I'm using a Nordic god here.

Riddel: What do you mean?

Leon: Nordic gods wouldn't give up, and neither should I!

Riddel: Unless you have Monster Reborn, I'd say you're finished. But if you want to keep going, then just end your turn already.

Leon: I will. But before I do, I will activate Thor's special effect from the Graveyard!

Riddel: From the Graveyard? Did I hear that right?!

Leon: Yeah, so watch closely! I'm going to the End Phase of my turn, and that means I can activate Thor's rebirth ability! By Banishing Guldfaxe from my Graveyard, I can bring Thor back to the field!

Leon then proceeds to send Guldfaxe from his Graveyard to the Banished Zone, allowing Thor to come back to the field.

Leon: Now that Thor has been brought back successfully, he shreds 800 of your Life Points away!

Thor then proceeds to fire lightning from his shoulder plates at Riddel, who loses 800 LP.

Riddel's LP: 5800 --> 5000

Leon: And that's where I end my turn!

-----

Valkyrie: Your cousin sure has a keen eye and a good memory. He hasn't forgotten about your comeback against the loon they call "Angel."

Sarah: It's incredible. Leon will win this!

John: Hey, look! Something's happening to Riddel!

-----

Riddel could be seen twitching uncontrollably once she shook off Thor's effect damage. The number 50 on her beret was flashing, as if it was going to disappear at any given moment.

Useless! She couldn't stop the summon of a Nordic god! Useless brat! The Number has no hold over you, but your health will remain the same as before. You will be frail until you expire!

Leon: Hey, Riddel! What's wrong? Are we going to play or what?

Only Sarah and the Valkyrie could see what happened next. A malignant spirit had emerged from Riddel's head, prompting the Valkyrie to take action. The warrior pulled out her blade and cleaved the evil spirit in two.

Riddel had collapsed, and as she did she tripped among the wires that kept the power of the platform on and fell. She had blacked out, but when she woke up she found herself on James's arms.

Riddel: James.....what happened?

James: My lady, what has happened to you? You know your well being is your number one priority.

Riddel: I'm sorry. There was something inside of me that I couldn't control. I....guess it's gone now. I'm sorry, James. Everyone's had a bad day because of me.

Leon had been declared the victor as soon as Riddel fell down. Once he saw she was okay, he commands the elevated stand he was on to lower, and jumps off once he was low enough.

Leon: Looks like I won, Riddel.

And just then, Sarah rushes out of the doors as Leon looks on dumbfounded. Once he realized time was almost up, he tried to go after Sarah but a scream from Riddel stops him.

Leon: I can't leave her alone!

Riddel: Wait! I-I have to say something. The secret ingredient I added to the bread....wasn't poison like I led you all to believe.

Leon: Say...what?

The group could only hear Sarah in the distance, screaming in agony. Moments later, although faint, they confirmed that she had slammed a door shut.

Riddel: Actually, um.....it was a strong laxative. The bread had a plain taste, so I added that to give it the sweeter taste that it needed.

Leon: So Sarah's actually...

Riddel: Yeah. I'm afraid we won't see her for a while. Oh, um....James? You can let me down now. I'll be okay.

James lets Riddel down and takes his leave with John. With Sarah doing business elsewhere, only the Valkyrie remained. Of course, Leon and Riddel weren't aware of her presence.

Riddel: I don't believe it. This is truly my first time talking to you....as myself. I wanted to talk to you. I always did.

Leon: You had so many chances. James showed me the pictures.

Riddel: I'm very sorry about that. I just don't know how to do this.

Leon: What about that psychotic act you pulled back there? I really thought my cousin was going to die.

Riddel: It was that card I found, Black Corn. Ever since I did, James would tell me I wasn't being myself. But I felt healthier the longer I kept it. But....once I realized there was something wrong, an evil voice took over.

Valkyrie: -thinking- I see.

Leon: I wouldn't call it "evil" if we go by what you did. You were just crazy.

Riddel: That voice gave me the courage I needed to talk to you. Part of me just sat there and watched when your cousin was poisoned. That part of me could have fought back. I'm....sorry. I know it's crazy, but.....but....

At this point, the tears were coming out. If there was anything Leon was sharp at, it was detecting honesty. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Riddel wasn't shedding crocodile tears. Her guilt had overwhelmed her, and she couldn't take it anymore. Even though it wasn't entirely her fault, she truly felt she was responsible for everything that has transpired during the day.

Leon: Don't worry, Riddel. I believe you.

Riddel: You....do?

Leon: Yeah. Sarah and I were talking about it, and we believe that Duel Monsters really do exist. It sure would explain why you were behaving like that. I believe some monsters may be evil as well.

Riddel: -sniffling- You really believe me? J-just like that?

Leon: Like you said, it's crazy. But there's so many things I don't understand about the world. So I really can't blame ya.

Riddel: Oh, Leon!!

The girl rushed to Leon to give him a big tackle hug. Confused, Leon could have said something. But it was Riddel's hand that shushed him. He was glad that he made a new friend. However, it has been obvious since the beginning that Riddel was already infatuated with the boy, and his words made her love him even more. Sadly, Leon was oblivious to her feelings, and shrugged it off as something friends would do.

Valkyrie: I understand. The Number cards may be evil, but all they do is intensify their owner's desire. In the case of the girl, it intensified her love to the point of insanity and fear of losing him. It is quite a shame that the male species is oblivious to true love, or the feelings of the female species in general.

-----

Guess That Card!

Effect: At the start of your Main Phase 1, if you control no Spell/Trap Cards: You can Special Summon this card from your Graveyard. You cannot Special Summon another monster(s) the turn you activate this effect. While this card is face-up on the field, it cannot be Tributed, except for the Tribute Summon of a "Steelswarm" monster, and cannot be used as a Synchro Material Monster.