The Black Crest Chapter 2

Voice: (Soft and distant) Wake up!

???: Huh? Who's there?

Voice: (A little louder) Wake up Chariton!

Chariton: What do you want?

Voice: (Even louder) I want you to wake up Chariton

Chariton: Why do you want me to wake up?

Voice: (Very loud and Stern) CHARITON!!! WAKE UP!!!

Chariton: Huh, wait, what?

Chariton opens his eyes, realizing that he is in class at the moment. The voice yelling at him was the teacher, Mrs. Goldbloom. The entire class was staring at Chariton.

Mrs. Goldbloom: I have heard of sleeping in class, but this is the first time I've heard of sleeptalking AND sleepwalking in class.

Chariton looks around, realizing that he had been standing, and on the other side of the room from his desk.

Mrs. Goldbloom: Now Chariton, I want you to go back to your deck.

Chariton, while being laughed at by the rest of the class, walked back to his desk.

Mrs. Goldbloom: Now, that I have everybody's attention, I am going to continue with this discussion, now where were we... oh yes, Ancient Egypt... now, In Egypt, Pharaohs would build large burial places for when they die. In this way, the God of Mummification, Anubis, would lead the Pharaoh’s soul to Duat… but the construction of these burial places, known as Pyramids, are a mystery, even today. With modern technology today, we can only barely pick up the weight of a single stone that makes up an Egyptian Pyramid. This is what came to the theory that Aliens came down to earth and created the Pyramids, which, as we all know is ridiculous.

The class laughs as the bell rings, everyone gets up and leaves the room. As the class was let out, Chariton quickly out the door. On his way out of the school, Chariton could hear voices calling his name… none of them pleasant… “Hey, Chariton, you loser”, “Chariton, why are you so lame”, “Look at that loser, can’t even play Duel Monster”…

Chariton is made fun of a lot in school, not for the fact that he does things that are weird, or the way he dresses, but for the fact that he refuses to play Duel Monsters… Everyday after school, he can see endless Duel Disks being activated, seeing cards being played and people playing for fun and for money. Even amongst the extreme exposure to the game, Chariton has never played the game.

???: Hey Chariton…

Amongst all the ridicule Chariton has faced, he always had one friend, a girl named Vronna.

Chariton: Hey, Vronna!

Even though Vronna is a duelist herself, she never forces, or even mentions, Duel Monsters to Chariton.

Vronna: Hey Char… ready to walk me home?

Chariton: Of course…

Chariton and Vronna walked home together everyday. Vronna’s house was not too far from the school, and Chariton only lived a few houses down from her. On the way there, two men jumped in front of the two of them, both wearing duel disks.

Thug A: Ah, look at we got here… looks like we got ourselves a tag duel…

Chariton: Oh great, duelist bandits…

Thug B: Hey, wait, I recognize that loser, that’s the one that doesn’t play Duel Monsters…

Thug A: Really, that’s unfortunate, we were going to duel you for all your money, but since you don’t play, I guess we’ll just have to take it from you…

Vronna: Hey! Aren’t you forgetting something, I still duel…

Thug B: Heh, the girl thinks she can beat one of us..

Vronna: Not one of you, but both of you.

Thug A: What? Are you saying that you want to have a handicap duel?

Vronna: I think I can handle myself.

Thug B: Alright then…

Vronna and both the thugs then pull out their duel disks…

Vronna, Thug A, and Thug B: Duel!

Vronna LP : 4000
Thugs LP : 4000

Vronna: Well, being a lady and outnumbered, I hope you don’t mind if I start… DRAW! I play 1 card in facedown defense position, and set 1 facedown. That ends my turn.

Vronna LP: 4000
Cards in hand: 4

Thug A: Heh, that all? I draw… I play “Abaki” in attack position…

Abaki : Monster Card Fire , Level 4 , Fiend/ Effect , ATK 1700 / DEF 1100
When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard by battle, both players take 500 damage.

Thug A: That ends my turn.

Thugs LP: 4000
Cards in hand: 5

Thug B: Well, it’s my turn, draw … hey, you mind if I tribute your monster.

Thug A: Go ahead.

Thug B: I tribute “Abaki” to summon “Granmarg the Rock Monarch”

Granmarg the Rock Monarch : Monster Card Earth , Level 6 , Rock/ Effect , ATK 2400 / DEF 1000
When this card is Tribute Summoned successfully, destroy 1 face-down card on the field.

Thug B: Now I destroy your facedown monster.

Vronna: By destroying my facedown monster, you activate its effect…



Vronna: Now by removing “Spree - Fairy of the Light Sky” instead of being sent to the grave, I can special summon “Fairy of Decay”



Thug B: Crap… that ends my turn.

Thugs LP: 4000
Cards in hand: 5

Vronna: Now I draw… I activate the equip spell card, “Cestus of Dagla”

Cestus of Dagla : Spell Card Equip
This card can only be equipped to Fairy-Type monsters. A monster equipped with this card increases its ATK by 500 points. When this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points, increase your Life Points by an equal amount.

Vronna: Now my “Fairy of Decay” gains 500 atk.

Fairy of Decay : ATK 2800

Vronna: Now, I summon “Fairy of the Snow” in attack position.



Vronna: I now gain 500 LP.

Vronna LP: 4500

Vronna: Now I attack “Granmarg the Rock Monarch” with “Fairy of Decay”.

Thugs LP: 3600

Vronna: Now “Cestus of Dagla” allows me to gain LP equal to the damage that you took.

Vronna LP: 4900

Vronna: Also, you now must discard 1 card from your hand. Now I attack directly on your life points with “Fairy of the Snow”.

Thugs LP: 2300

Vronna: I end my turn, and during my end phase, “Decaying Fairy” is sent to the grave.

Vronna LP: 4900
Cards in Hand: 4

Thug A: Now, it’s my turn… I summon “Archfiend Soldier” in attack position.

Archfiend Soldier : Monster Card Dark , Level 4 , Fiend, ATK 1900 / DEF 1500

Thug A: Now I attack your “Fairy of the Snow”

Vronna LP: 4300

Vronna: Now I can special summon “Dark Spring Fairy” in defense position.



Vronna: I use “Dark Spring Fairy”’s effect to special summon “Spree - Fairy of the Light Sky” in defense position, although, I also have to remove “Fairy of Decay”

Thug A: I end my turn.

Thugs LP: 2300
Cards in hand: 5

Thug B: Now it’s my turn…I release “Archfiend Soldier” to summon “Caius the Shadow Monarch”.

Caius the Shadow Monarch : Monster Card Dark , Level 6 , Fiend/ Effect , ATK 2400 / DEF 1000
When this card is Tribute Summoned, remove from play 1 card on the field. If it was a DARK Monster Card, inflict 1000 damage to your opponent.

Thug B: That “Spree - Fairy of the Light Sky” annoyed me last time, so I’m removing it from play… now, Caius, attack that “Dark Spring Fairy”. Your field is now cleared. I place one card face down.

Vronna: I draw… I activate “The Sanctuary in the Sky” from my hand.

The Sanctuary in the Sky : Spell Card Field
Battle Damage to the controller of a Fairy-Type monster from a battle involving that Fairy-Type monster becomes 0.

Vronna: Now I play my spell card “Smashing Ground” to destroy “Caius the Shadow Monarch”.

Smashing Ground : Spell Card
Destroy 1 monster with the highest DEF on your opponent's side of the field.

Vronna: Now I summon “The Agent of Force - Mars”

The Agent of Force - Mars : Monster Card Light , Level 3 , Fairy/ Effect , ATK 0 / DEF 0
This card is unaffected by any Spell Cards. If there is "The Sanctuary in the Sky" on your side of the field, and your Life Points are higher than your opponentís Life Points, increase the ATK and DEF of this card by the difference between your and your opponentís Life Points.

Thug A: A monster with 0 attack? What are you trying to pull here?

Vronna: Well, maybe you should check a little closer to Mars’s effect, you see, while “The Sanctuary in the Sky” is on the field, and my life points are higher than yours, then Mars will gain ATK and DEF equal to the difference.

Thugs LP: 2300
Vronna LP: 4300
The Agent of Force - Mars: ATK 2000

Thug B: Well, at least it’s not enough to finish me this turn…

Vronna: Not now it ant, I play the spell card “Sparks”

Sparks : Spell Card
Inflict 200 points of Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points.

Vronna LP: 4300
Thugs LP: 2100
The Agent of Force - Mars: ATK 2200

Vronna: Now to finish this, Mars, direct attack. Holy Lance Thrust…

Thugs LP: 0

Chariton: You did it!

Vronna: That’s the first time I’ve seen you excited by a game of Duel Monsters.

Chariton: I’m more excited that I don’t have to deal with those thugs…

Thug A: Heh, you think we will leave you alone just because we lost…

Both Thug A and Thug B run towards Chariton.

Chariton: I guess I was wrong.

As Thug A got close to Chariton, he dodged his attack and punched in right in the gut. Thug A’s card flew in the wind, an entire deck flying around in the breeze. Thug B then lunged towards Chariton, as he roundhouse kicks Thug B in the face. Both thugs were now on the ground.

Chariton: Well, Vronna, I guess we both defeated them in a fair fight.