The professor agrees, distraught. "She should have allowed me to accompany her." Yumi sighs. "Nun, what is the fastest exit from this mansion?" Adam's bound servant looks to him, asking a quiet question. "I can't answer her unless you give me permission. I think it's a safeguard to make sure I don't reveal anything you don't want people to know. So...can I tell her?"
"I shall have Tsukahagi and Yuki-Musume tune to Synchro Summon Oboro-Guruma, the Wheeled Makayashi in Defense Position." A flaming carriage, seemingly possessed by a spirit, manifests beside the table as the previous pair of ghosts vanish. Spoiler: Oboro-Guruma "I'll set two cards face down and end my turn. On to you, professor." Angelica bows her head politely. Spoiler: Turn 2 Roll Julia 25=25 poor Angelica 91=91 very good [I'll redo the end of her turn if Julia wants to negate that summon. Otherwise, go ahead with Julia's turn. Rough luck so far. ]
“Won’t be that easy.” Julia flipped the trap card over, a mist rising as the sound of the horn, the lion like creature letting out a pained roar as the ear splitting sound came. “The black horn of heaven calls Oboro back to the spirit realm. Your summon fails, which means since he was never played, you can’t activate it’s effects to it’s destruction.” The horn’s sound continued to echo through the mist as the lion like creature calmed itself and slowly walked deeper into the mist until becoming invisible. “What’s more, I’m sure you know that extra deck monsters must first be summoned through their normal means before they can be special summoned, meaning since he was never summoned, he will not return from the graveyard.” Julia looked at Angelica as she held her smile. “You'd know that, if you studied.” Julia mocked her opponent. From the way Angelica had played, she was on the cautious side and not prone to aggressive plays without feeling confident, so Julia did what she did best, at trying to get under her skin and think her moves through less. Slowly, but deliberately, Julia hovered her finger over her face down spell, before stopping as if it was a nervous twitch, trying to bait Angelica into destroying it, that way Julia could use it for her own graveyard effects to help get out of the hand she started out with being bricked. (I’ll take my turn after this check, if that’s all fine.)
Spoiler: Perception Roll 41+10=51 weak success The corner of Angelica's mouth twitches, but she otherwise displays no reaction to the loss of her chariot. Spoiler: Taunt Roll 46+10(Charisma)-20(Serenity)=36 fail Not even Julia's insult, or her faked habit, seem to break her opponent's mask of placidity. Ignoring the professor's words, Angelica calmly continues her turn. "I cast Mayakashi Return, calling Dakki, the Graceful Mayakashi to my hand." Spoiler: Mayakashi Return Then, she sets two cards face down before ending her turn. [Alright, that's the only change to Angelica's turn as a result of Black Horn. Go right ahead.]
Her key card. Julia already knew about it. Spoiler It wasn't a strong card by itself, but allowed for the Makyashi set to make some powerful combo plays into high level synchro monsters. Though, for Makayshi synchro monsters to use their effects, they still needed to special summoned from the graveyard. Otherwise, they were just relatively high stat block beaters with no protection. Even with Julia's bad hand, it would still take Angelica a little more time for proper set up, though she gave her thoughts internally to her partner. We can't form a good counter like this, but complicated combos or not, they're still useless if we can stop her from actually doing anything. In the mean time, Julia eyed one of the monsters in her hand. She still couldn't play it, but she kept a tight grip on it. He'll be important later on, but we still need something we can summon now. Spoiler Julia drew her new card to join the three remaining in her hand. She frowned a bit. Not much help. It was one of the cards she pulled from that cultists deck. Not exactly a big help here but... "I play Cauldron Of The Old Man." Spoiler As the metallic pot emerged behind Julia, she could feel the heat of very real flame as the purple and green fumes poured in the room. "Now I place a counter and- "Hold your horses, girlie. This is an art, you know." Behind the cauldron the elderly decrepit figured stirred the pot at a leisurely pace, not at all concerned about the duel or wager of people's souls. "Please, may I have a drink?" Julia did her best to keep her manners with the old man who let out a begrudging "hmm" before offering her the green liquid. A little cautiously, she took it and placed it against her lips, swallowing. Despite her hesitation, her discovery came with the feeling of the bubbles in her mouth that rather than anything magical, this tasted more like a cheap carbonated drink. Still, she could feel her body feeling a little more energized. Setting the glass she took down, she took a look at Angelica to resume her turn. "I gain 500 life points for each counter on this card, and it climbs each turn." It wouldn't do much to actually do something against Angelica yet, but it would force her to waste more resources either needing to get rid of it, or drag out the duel for longer if she let Julia's lifepoints inflate too much. Julia took a look at the other options in her hand. The other cards....well....still not time for them, just yet. She still hadn't managed to play an actual monster yet, but even with Angelica's better luck, Julia was still confident that she would be fine in outplaying her as long as she played this and choose her moves carefully. "I'll end my turn for now."
"Try not to think about it too much. Just... try and have a conversation with your spirit." Felicia called out, realizing how dangerously low Michio's life points are.
Adam ignores the rush he feels at the revelation of just how much power he has over the nun, looking at her impatiently. "Yeah, yeah, you can tell her. Until this fight with your nun friends is over, just treat any question from Yumi or Julia, when we catch up to her, like it came from me, okay?"
[I just realized I forgot to give you a roll for Turn 3. My bad. I'll give Angelica a useless card for her turn. I don't want to waste all your great writing.] Angelica smiles pleasantly and draws. "I will activate one of my face down cards--Haunted Shrine." Spoiler: Haunted Shrine "I call the spirit of poison, Tsukahagi, to rejoin us." The ghostly rope bearer returns to his place beside the table in a defensive posture, flying out of the small shrine which arose from behind Angelica. "The spirit of ice also shall make herself known since her companion stands with us." Yuki-Musume reappears, hiding behind the man. "However, Yuki demands a sacrifice. I offer her Gozuki from my deck." The childlike apparition takes the card, inspects it, and then tears it in half. It reappears in the Graveyard. Spoiler: Gozuki "Gozuki, banish Oboro, so I can use it's essence elsewhere." The flaming chariot disappears from it's grave and is cast into the endless void swirling around the duelists. "Thank you. Now, I Special Summon the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower in Defense Position with that power." An impossibly tall cylindrical stack of thousands upon thousands of bones stretches from the stone floor to the ceiling. Spoiler: Soul-Absorbing "Now, I must end my turn. Prepare yourself, professor. I do not expect you will find the next one pleasant." Spoiler: Turn 4 Roll Julia 61=61 average Angelica 56=56 average
Charred from the electricity which has been sent coursing through her body, Michio mumbles something inaudible. After a few moments, Felicia sees the girl's lone eye change. Instead of it's normal indigo, the color instantly shifts to a brilliant, bright blue. Licks of blue flame swirl around the sword-bearing sheath at her hip. "Fucking finally!" Spoiler: Section 4 Roll Carley 78+20(Building Charge)=98 very good Michio 5+10(Destiny)=15 poor However, the connection is too little, too late for Michio. Carley doesn't even need to summon anything further. Her Thunder Dragons simply breath lightning at the blue-haired student until she is a crumpled heap writhing in pain on the floor. "It's always a rush to enslave a whole soul." The nun proclaims, cutting off the voice echoing from the shadows. The cultist's arrogant expression lands upon Felicia. "Your turn to become my loyal servant, bug~"
As Julia drew again, things were looking up as she saw her luck starting to even out. She was going to attempt to use bone zombie tower to mill out her deck. And with the mayakshi's able to special summon themselves it would be risky....but....was it really time to remove the bone tower? It might actually help for Angelica to mill out her deck so Julia could start using her own graveyard effects. She was still setting up for synchro summoning. Her tuners were annoying but would be hard to remove easily. However, Julia smiled more as she drew a new card. As her next standby phase began, the fumes from the old man's cauldron got more intense, and Julia refilled her drink before consuming it again, feeling more revitalized. (Counter added. Julia's current life would now be 9500. 8000+500(first use) +1000(This turn's use). It would help sponge more of her attacks but that wouldn't be enough on it's own. Julia then played the card she drew. "Well, let's see about that. Shurit, Strategist of the Nekroz!" The young man came to life, a fair bit shorter than the monsters he was facing. Somewhat frail, but still looking confident as Julia flipped up the card she had saved. "Now, I use the mirror of Nekroz to ritual summon. Instead of paying the full cost, Shurit's effect allows him to be used as the entire tribute. Now-" As Shurit smiled while fading away into a magical glow, the creation in his place was a geyser of flame that both players could fell the heat rising off of, the smoke and fumes of the cauldron also filling the air, completely obscuring the new figure until it settled, revealing a man in dragon like armor who looked like an older version of the strategist just tributed. "Nekroz of Arreadbhair!" Julia smiled. "But that's not all. Shurit's other ability activates once tributed allowing me to add a Nekroz warrior ritual monster to my hand, and I choose-" Julia knew which one she would need later on. And if Angelica knew the effect it would force her to hesitate trying to think of how to properly deal with it. "Nekroz of Brionac!" She didn't know how prepared Angelica was or familiar with these cards, but if she knew what it did, it would delay her plans to bother with attempting any synchro summons for now. It would also provide her fuel for tributes for Arbedhair's effect. She only had two monsters to really use for now...so she'd have to choose carefully what she wanted to negate, but it would put a stop to her ability to keep getting them back out of the graveyard. "Arbedhair, attack and destroy Tsukasghi putting him back into the graveyard where he belongs." There were reasons for her target. While the ice ghost could bring itself back up, the poison one required very specific conditions and without her tuner, she wouldn't be able to complete the synchro summon, and as long as Arbedihar was one the field, she wouldn't have anyway to bring it back out, killing her ability to get her extra deck monsters out.
The woman nods. "Follow me. I'll show you how to dodge the teleportation spell at the front door." She leads the other two back upstairs to the ground floor, and to the grand main entrance from there. "You just need to say 'I submit myself to the will of the creator. I submit myself to the will of the skies. I submit myself to the will of my betters.' while you walk through the entryway." She demonstrates, chanting the phrase while she exits and then reenters the mansion. Adam's connection to the girl reveals no hint of deception or attempted trickery from his new servant. Yumi is less than willing to believe her. "You must be joking." The professor looks at Adam. "You can't trust this. It can't be this easy."
"It seems sketchy, but I trust her. Something is binding her to me since I won the duel. I don't believe she'll hurt me." Adam says. Despite his earlier irritation at Julia doe going off on her own, he does the same thing, swallowing his natural reluctance to say something so submissive as he goes through the door.
"Ah!" Felicia lets out an excited voice as Michio seemed to have connected with her spirit. But as Carley attacked, ending the game. "No!" Her eyes go wide, seeing her companion get enslaved. "Khh!" The red-head growls, "Fine, but don't think things will go your way! I'll save Michio." Felicia declared, Her cards are thunder dragons. But since she keeps taunting me about bugs. She growls, taking out both of her decks, Felicia makes some last minute adjustments, aiming for Red Dragon's ability to synchro while keeping the Inzektor Dragonfly, Centipede, and Hornet for swarming, and destruction. Along with Uru, and her field spell cards. The red-head grits her teeth as she looks at Michio, Hang in there. I'll save you. She thinks to herself, before glaring at Carley, "Alright, let's duel!"
[Is that the end of Julia's turn? Just want to make sure.] Angelica's eyes widen in realization at Julia's choice of monsters. She doesn't take any action to prevent the loss of Tsukahagi, the spirit disappearing as Areadbhair's spear passing through him.
The chant works as intended. He passes through the wide entryway without issue. Yumi follows suit, her ego similarly bruised. While outside, they see a woman passing through the metal gate at the far end of the property. She walks towards the mansion. Spoiler: Woman Spoiler: Perception Roll 51=51 weak success She doesn't seem to have noticed them yet. The fountain and pillars must be hiding the trio from view.
Spoiler: Magical Resonance Roll 8=8 strong fail While assembling the combined deck, Felicia sees Carley making hand gestures, probably using some kind of spell. Moments later, Michio stands up, the fire gone from her eye and her blade. "Go find clothes which better suit your new status, Squire." Carley orders. The student wordlessly obeys, walking into another room. "You can go first, bug." The cultist sneers in the pitch blackness as the field resets. "I want to see what it's like to have two souls." Spoiler: Turn 1 Roll Felicia 50=50 average Carley 22=22 poor
Adam signals to his companions to get ready, hiding behind the pillars. "When she comes near, we jump her from three directions." He whispers. "Pin her down, take her deck if she has one, and gag her - I don't want tricks if I can help it."
"Hmph, I'll make you regret that, Draw!" Felicia starts her turn, smiling as she saw her hand. Not because it was a great one, but because she's manage to reunite with her partner. She takes a deep breath to calm herself, I have Dragonfly and Hornet already, but since she doesn't have anything on the field yet. Let's go with this first. She thinks to herself as she makes her move. "I summon Force Resonator, followed by activating Red Warg's effect to special summon him from my hand! I then tune them both to summon Hot Red Dragon Archfiend!" She said in an intense tone, sticking to the Hot variant as she knew the regular Red Dragon's effect would destroy itself since it didn't attack this turn. Spoiler: Force Resonator Spoiler: Red Warg Spoiler: Hot Red Dragon Archfiend "Ahh." As her dragon appears, Felicia lets out an awed voice, though it was still dark, she could see its outline, and the way it moved felt too realistic as well. "I place one card face down, and end my turn!" Felicia sets a card, staring right into Carley even though it was pitch black. Spoiler: Face down (Red Cocoon)
Angelica draws. "I shall Normal Summon Dakki, the Graceful Mayakashi." The kitsune spirit Spoiler: Dakki "Dakki and the skeletal tower will intertwine their souls, Synchro Summoning Tsuchigumo, the Poisonous Mayakashi." The girl joins the other spirits floating around the impossible structure, eventually merging. A massive, armored drider crashes through the wall of bones. Spoiler: Tsuchigumo "Notice how no monster effects have yet been used. Dakki shall remain in the grave to rest..." She plays Zombie Necronize from her hand. "...for now." A rush of souls infiltrate Nekroz of Areadbhair. Spoiler: Zombie Necronize "The dead shall posses your Nekroz of Areadbhair, usurping control of his corporeal form." Angelica smiles faintly. "With his support, I have little to fear. Mezuki, I must ask you to throw yourself into the void to return Tsukahagi to me." The spirit appears beside the cultist for the third time. "Tsukahagi, you and your arachnid brother will Synchronize, conjoining to call Tengu, the Winged Mayakashi" A red, vaguely bird-like demon lands beside the other Mayakashi. Spoiler: Tengu "Now, the spirit of grace may safely rejoin us." Dakki rematerializes. "Her and Tengu will Synchronize to coax out Dakki's sister, ever-playful Yoko, the Graceful Mayakashi." An enchanting, masked fox spirit sneaks up behind Yuki-Musume, frightening the poor girl for it's own amusement. Spoiler: Yoko "Dakki once again returns, Synchronizing with her sibling to bring forth Gashadokuro, the Skeletal Mayakashi." A black skeleton wreathed in violet flame crawls into the room, too large to stand in the confining space. Spoiler: Gashadokuro "Of course, Dakki finds the afterlife too dull to remain there for long. Are you ready to feast, Gashadokuro?" The monster opens it's maw. "Attack her. You too Areadbhair and Dakki." The spear and skeletal claws wound Julia grievously, her stomach pierced by the Nekroz and arm savaged by the Mayakashi. Julia's Life Points fall to 1900 from the assault. "Alas, your monster is returned to you at the end of my turn. Be free, possessing souls. You have served well." Nekroz of Areadbhair returns to Julia's control as initiative passes to her. Spoiler: Turn 5 Roll Julia 84=84 good Angelica 47=47 average [I hope Necronize doesn't feel unfair. That's the last thing I want. Stronger ways for her to deal with Areadbhair are in her deck, but would be too powerful for her to use with an "average" roll. Necronize at least gives the monster back.]
