So it was her. Felicia thinks to herself as they enter the room, and found the nun she spotted when they arrived at the mansion earlier. "If you're the leader here, why didn't you alert the rest of your cult?" She asked in a curious tone, just as Michio charged, followed by the room going dark. Wha- right, Umbramancy or some crap. Felicia mumbles in her mind, trying to get her eyes to adjust to the dark. Until, "Ah!" She groaned, having to cover her eyes as a spotlight suddenly shines on her. "Khh." Felicia growled as Carley's comment, but as the head nun mentions her soul, and cheating. "What the hell are you talking about!?" The red-head asked in a fierce tone. "I haven't cheated on anyone, so shut your mouth!" Felicia hissed, blushing a little bit.
(I think so.) Julia was starting to feel exhausted, but as she spotted the source of all of this, Julia was at least a bit happy about reaching her goal. Though, she was still left to look at the sight of the dungeon. This all seemed....odd. Far older than the decor upstairs. Julia could take a guess. Was this actually part of any kind of architecture blueprint while designing this place or...? "You built a house over a prison. Little tacky." Julia kept her face confident despite the fact she was wearing down, but reached for her deck. She could take a guess that there would be no stupid tricks to get out of this one. At least, not any that she could see coming. "And you worked so hard on getting all the torture gear set up too. Where we should start?"
"You were without attention for nary a day and you've found a new soul to whisper to you! How else would you define cheating?" The laughter dies down. "A strong one, too. Not yet, but it'll become powerful." Spoiler: Reaction Roll 52+20(Perceptive)+10(Hand-to-hand Combat)-20(Darkness)=62 success Felicia hears Carley step right behind her, barely spinning out of the way of a thrust knife which gleams in the bright light. "Give back my card, you bitch!" Michio yells, growing closer as well. Carley retreats into the darkness again. "You want your card, Squire?" Her grin is practically audible. "Beat me in a duel. You won't win, of course, but this way I can guarantee your loyalty once you fail." "Bring it, whore!" The eyepatched girl blusters. A different feeling kind of darkness begins to encroach. Spoiler: Commune Roll Tyrant 61+10=71 good Earthbound 93= very good I can...grant you...vision...at a...price... A reedy whisper bargains.
Angelica remains seated, though she turns herself around on the stool to face the intruder. "This place used to be a castle. This was the only part whole enough to keep." Recognition dawns on her face. "Thank you for finally joining us, professor. I take it you aren't here to surrender yourself as a prisoner? We'll have to duel, I suppose." Shadows begin to spread throughout the room. "Come take a seat across from me. We might as well be civilized about this."
"Wha-!" The sudden knife thrust catches her by surprise, "Bitch!" Felicia hissed, trying to grab Carley in return. "I don't know what you're talking about! I didn't look for him, he's the one that came to me!" She grumbled, as Michio and the nun were about to duel Felicia heard another whisper. Price, what price? She asked, though seeing in the dark would help, she didn't want to interrupt Michio's duel knowing how prideful her companion was.
Spoiler: Grab Roll 52+10(Hand-to-hand Combat)-20(Darkness)=42 weak fail Felicia narrowly misses Carley as she retreats. ----- This one...An image of Carley flashes in Felicia's mind. ...must become...your broodmother...before the next...sunrise...The voice doesn't wait for an answer. Felicia's eyes glow an eerie red color. She can suddenly see similarly red outlines of Michio and Carley as they stand meters apart from each other. "Duel!" Both of them shout as the more ominous, oppressive form of darkness envelopes all of them. [I assume you would prefer for this duel to be compressed?]
"I already have most of these at home." Julia made another almost sarcastic comment, but Angelica could tell from her face that wasn't as much of a joke as it sounds. Julia glanced at some of the chains and handcuffs, but advanced to sit down. "But I can't say I'm up for trying it out with you. You people aren't attractive. You're just pointless sadists. Hard pass." Julia kept up her casual attitude as she sat down and already began to shuffle her deck. Though Julia had the sense that it seemed like Angelica was confident enough that she would be able to win in a direct shadow game, but if Angelica had spent most of the time avoiding trying to fight herself and was only confident now, she was clearly up to something. As she shuffled, she let her mind resonate with Valkyrus as she prepared, looking Angelica in the eyes, watching her carefully in case she tried something. So, we're really doing this. What's Ice Sorcerer for "Let's kick ass!"?
(Yeah, I'm fine with compressing it if it's easier for you. I doubt Felicia can do much to disturb the shadow duel anyway.) Huh, hey, wait how am I- Felicia stuttered as she replied to the spirit, just as her vision takes a strange turn as it adjusts to the darkness. Though she doesn't realize her eyes are glowing, "What the- I-is this infrared or something?" Felicia mumbles out loud, taking a bit to adjust to the change in her vision. Wait, what happens if I fail to make her a broodmother? Then it hit her, she just made a deal and she doesn't even know what the terms were.
As she enters the room, Julia sees that two of the cells are occupied. One hosts a barely clothed woman with black hair who seems terrified, and the other holds a young man lying down on the mattress-less bunk in a loosely fitting, white and blue jacket. Spoiler: Prisoners In a matter of seconds, her view of the pair is cut off by the swirling darkness. Spoiler: Perception Roll 58+10(Cold Reading)=68 success Angelica doesn't seem to be trying anything. Nothing yet, at least. Spoiler: Commune Roll 90+10(Spirit Taming)=100 crit. success Vér líða aptan. I can teach you more another time. Focus. The serene cultist also shuffles, examining Julia in turn. "Do you prefer to go first or second?"
That's norse, isn't? Interesting. "Vér líða aptan." Repeating the phrase verbatim to Angelica, it didn't sound quite as right when Julia said it due to her lack of natural proficiency speaking it, but she said it with confidence. As Angelica offered her to choose on her own accord, Julia weighed on it. She already knew Angelica was using a Makayshi deck and the conventional strategy relied on getting out as many synchro summons as fast you can. More specifically, Makayshi decks relied on special summoning through the graveyard.....if Julia could lock her out of using it early on, then she's in trouble. Ritual monsters also being harder to get out than most usually enjoyed having the first turn to set up board presence. She didn't know how much Angelica knew about Julia's deck, but she couldn't rule out she at least heard of what the teachers favored. Feeling the deck, Julia was feeling more glad about mixing in that one cultist's cards. If for no reason other than they may get a lot of use, simply because Angelica would never expect that a Nekroz deck would ever ever use them. "I'll take the first turn then, if you don't mind."
If you fail...you will serve...as broodmother...in her stead... Spoiler: Duel Section 1 Carley 91=91 very good Michio 25-10(Darkness)=15 poor Carley starts far stronger than Felicia's companion. After the first turn for each of the duelists, the cult leader already has a decently strong monster on the field, Thunder Dragonduo, and a couple face down cards, presumably to protect it. Michio, cursing at her luck, is forced to play defensively. "I can barely fucking see my own cards. Cheating cunt." The eyepatched girl mutters. Electricity rolls off of the dragon, but not enough to overcome the oppressive night the arrogant cultist has summoned. Thankfully, Felicia can see the creature's outline just as she can the two duelists. Spoiler: Thunder Dragonduo
Norse...? No, not the time. "Not at all." Angelica smiles. Spoiler: Perception Roll 41+10=51 weak success It isn't genuine. Spoiler: T1 Roll Julia 8=8 very poor Angelica 75=75 good [Probably want to go turn by turn for this one, but it's up to you.]
E-eh? Felicia was shocked to hear the price of failure, Wait, wait, aaaah, damn it. She exclaimed, sadly she knew it was already too late to take back the deal. Not that she agreed to it anyway. Is there a way to pass this sight over to Michio then? She asked, wanting to help her companion. Though on the off chance it failed, Felicia moves next to Michio to at least help her by whispering what cards she has in her hands.
(I can do turn by turn. Does that roll mean she'd at least have one useful card in her hand? Does this seem about right?) Julia have drawn her opening hand, was notably not too impressed with what she had found. Most of her hand however while all her cards might have use, it was left with the problem that none of them really worked for a good opening. She could spot one that still looked viable. It was too high level to get on the first turn and most of her spells and traps were a bit too situational to help her with her opening move. First, she set the one card that looked like it could help her here. The Black Horn Of Heaven. That wouldn't stop anything she normal summons, but at least waste her time if she tried to get a boss monster out. Though that would send her monster into the graveyard which she would actually enjoy to activate her effects, so it had to be used carefully. "I set two cards face down." She had laid her trap, trying to disguise the fact her hand was mostly bricked by bluffing by placing one of her ritual cards face down. It would be useful later, but she had no way of getting any of her ritual monsters out just yet. The most she could do is force Angelica to hesitate in attacking directly for now. Spoiler Spoiler
I am...too weak... The voice trails off. Wait...She has...a spirit...It hums. She can...provide her own...light... As Felicia nears Michio, Carley intervenes. "Now, now~ You'll have your turn to lose, impatient Bug." An unseen force pushes the redhead away, preventing her from assisting. Spoiler: Section 2 Roll Carley 22+10(Building Charge)=32 poor Michio 20-10(Darkness)=10 very poor Carley Special Summons a Thunder Dragondark from the Graveyard, attacking with both to deal 1600 damage to Michio. Spoiler: Thunder Dragondark Yellow electricity arcs into and through the swordswoman's body, causing her to seize, but she stays on her feet. Michio is still unable to put up much resistance. She squints at her hand before growling in frustration and Setting another monster. "I don't even know what I'm putting on the God damn field! Too scared to fight fair, fuckface?"
"Aargh!" Felicia's eyes widen as she's pushed back, Damn it, I thought as much. She grumbles, struggling to stay on her feet. "Michio! Call out to your spirit!" The red-head exclaims, though she figured her companion will ask how. "Just, aaah, close your eyes and think! Even if the card isn't with you, you can still talk to each other!" She adds, hoping it would help since that's how it mostly worked for her.
@AnonYMooseBoG "Merde, Julia, wait!" Adam shouts as Julia makes her move, correctly anticipating that he'd try to stop her. Yumi watches as he desperately and fruitlessly tries to follow. After letting out a torrent of French invectives, the young man sighs and looks back to Yumi. "...She's right. We should find an escape route in case Julia needs to bolt."
[Yeah, that seems fine.] Angelica nods then draws, quietly confident. "I'll begin by summoning Tsukahagi, the Poisonous Mayakashi." A lasso-wielding apparition fades into existence beside the simple, wooden table. Spoiler: Tsukahagi "Then, Yuki-Musume, the Ice Mayakashi Special Summons herself through her effect, sending Mezuki to his end. How sad." An unnerving child's spirit joins the man, staring with dead eyes at Julia. Spoiler: Yuki-Musume Spoiler: Mezuki [Does Julia want to use Black Horn, or save it?]
(Not yet) Julia's finger twitched to activate her card to break the combo, but the ice spirit would just be able to special summon itself from the graveyard anyway and special summon itself, wasting the negate. Julia figured it would be better to lead her to believe, she had nothing to disrupt her plays for now for when she used Mezuki to get out one of her other monsters, and determined it was better to just let the effect resolve. Her opening hand was weak, but Julia still had her experience to go off of.
Spoiler: Section 3 Roll Carley 36+15(Building Charge)=51 average Michio 48-10(Darkness)=38 poor "Call out...?" Michio closes her eyes--probably, it's hard for Felicia to tell--as Carley draws. The cult leader tributes Thunder Dragondark for a Thunder Dragon, using the black wyrm's effect to call a spell to her hand. She grins. "I'll use Thunder Dragon Fusion! With it, I'll shuffle a couple banished dragons back into my deck and summon Thunder Dragon Colossus!" Spoiler: Thunder Dragon Fusion Spoiler: Thunder Dragon Colossus The assembled monsters attack, piercing through Michio's defenses and leaving her with only 2200 LP left. For her part, Michio, still blind, can only set cards and continue trying to communicate with her missing Squiresaga.
