[Closed Log]

[obeytherod]

Found them. They're separated. [Bakura held the ring in his hands, the charms that hung at its sides now pointing in the direction of their targets.]

[Nearby, Malik smirks at the news, his face mostly concealed beneath hood of his purple cloak.]
Good. You take Eleanor, and I'll get Harriet then. You know what to do from there.

[Bakura leers in the direction of his target, smirking.] Understood. It should be easy.

[The Egyptian, in return, turns towards his own target and lets out a small laugh.] Hehe...I'll meet you back at the cave then. We'll lure in Henry and Rosenkreuz once we've got the girls.

((ooc: GENERAL WARNING: there will be violence throughout the threads in this post.))

Comments

[helpusduelist]

[Henry grits his teeth -- damn you, Malik. He plays a card to the side, then begins retreating some with the Dark Magician and his other cards. He needs to build up his side a bit more.]

Perhaps you're right, that only you can save her. Even when we were on opposing sides, the power and control you had in your duels always fascinated me, in a way.

[Tap to the seal.]

[whiterosefoes]

Because you were desperately losing to it.

[Harriet needs to be careful about where she sends her Hoshiningen now. On neutral terrain, it's powerful enough to destroy his Dark Magician, but they're retreating into the dark where fairies become weaker. She shifts it off to the side, thinking to head them off in future turns.]

But let's change the subject. Your majesty, how does it feel to know that you'll die alone, thousands of years in the future from any of your friends, family and subjects? You don't even have Christopher or the Archbishop here. I hope you confessed all your sins before coming, or you may have the same look Cade had on his face when the shadows dragged him to hell~

[Harriet would never talk this casually about her shadow duel with Cade. This jab at his religion is scathing - it's meant to shut him up. She still needs to recover her force, so she'll play another facedown card and keep it close before ending her turn.]

[helpusduelist]

[Henry visibly twitches at that, but keeps his voice calm.]

Was it? No, I don't think so. You've always interested me, even just hearing your tales. Perhaps it was foolish to be so invested in an enemy, but once we were finished, I found that desire to want to know you more; more than just a simple soldier we sent to fight our battle for us.

As for hell... well, in the end, we'll see who it is the shadows target. I have my sins to bear that I could not confess, but there are others who carry far more than me.

[And suddenly, there's a change, as if some dark shadow has passed over him. His voice is deep, almost threatening, and it's clear he isn't talking to Harriet.]

And if I am to be dragged to hell, then I will not be going alone. Consider that your warning.

[He glances over his hand, playing a card from it.]

But if we speak of shadows, then perhaps it would be best to use them. Come forth!

[The Dark Magician closes his eyes as a wave of magic sweeps him and the other two face-down monsters up, the ritual draining them of their energy to summon its creature.

Another Magician... but one that looks through Harriet with as hateful a glare as Henry must feel.]

I have no more patience for the games of manipulators. [And suddenly...

Yeah, he's marchin' on you, Harriet. The hell is he doing?]

[whiterosefoes]

[Ugh, he never shuts up. Looks like she pissed him off and now he's coming at her with the Magician of Black Chaos... Its glare sends a shiver down even her spine. She'll have to watch out for that. As long as it stays close to Henry, it's currently more powerful than Hoshiningen, especially as long as he's creating more darkness for it to traverse. Looks like she won't be able to attack him yet... she'll just move the card she played the previous turn back, and then fuse two monsters from her hand into the Mystical Elf to sit in defense. This powers up all of her monsters again, and she resumes the pursuit with Hoshiningen now that Henry's changed direction.]

[helpusduelist]

[Henry isn't talking anymore, though. He checks his hand, then places another card down as he continues to advance.

Not quite directly, but it's enough, and now that one facedown is going for her Hoshi.]

[whiterosefoes]

[She's not dumb enough to engage that card. She'll just sidestep it, eyes still intent on taking out the Magician of Chaos. Shifting the first Mystical Elf out of the way, she plays and flips a second one in its place, also in Defense. Her monsters power up yet again, and she and the mysterious face-down monster take a step away. Soon she'll be ready to go at him full force once more, and make him kneel before her powered up fairies.]

[helpusduelist]

[Henry only plays another card in front of him, still advancing indirectly at her. The first mystery card keeps close as the Magician follows him, daring the fairies to follow him onto his terrain.]

[whiterosefoes]

[Henry's darkness is starting to encroach on her mountains, so she'll have to if she wants to keep the upper hand. Her face down monster moves toward his little army, and she follows after to keep herself safe from their movement bonus. Next to her, though, she lays another card and sends it out next to the Mystical Elves, then moves the first Elf into the darkness. She's a spellcaster, so it'll only make her stronger. And if Henry moves closer, he'll spring her trap...]

[helpusduelist]

[Henry is carefully watching, moving his monster methodically closer to Harriet.

Unfortunately, the Magician steps a bit too close, giving a surprised noise as he's suddenly rooted in place and weakened. The king glances to him, but otherwise makes no show of helping, simply ending his turn.]

[whiterosefoes]

You fool! That misstep just cost you everything...

[Harriet smirks and takes a step forward so that her Mystical Elf is diagonally ahead of her, but still in her summoning zone. One of the wisps in her hand flies toward the Elf, whose body glows, equipped with a Cyber Shield that raises her power enough to destroy the trapped and bound magician. She then holds out her hand as though reaching into the darkness.]

Go, Mystical Elf! Destroy the Magician of Black Chaos!

[The Elf is a spellcaster, strengthened by darkness. Unlike the Hoshiningen, it can move toward the Magician at a fast pace in this field. Hands folded together in prayer, the Elf begins chanting furiously as she swoops forward, and magical runes of light begin to fly out and pummel the Magician until it's absolved into light by the eye below. Harriet cackles]

That was the strongest monster you have. I've just taken your last means of stopping me... from now on, it doesn't matter what you do - you're finished!

[She flips over her face down card to reveal a Gyakutenno Megami that's been powering up alongside the elves, and has it fly around her to be on the side facing Henry - placing it next to her, but that's just extra cover in case he gets any funny ideas about directly attacking her. She moves her Hoshiningen up where the Magician was, poised to strike on the next turn. Meanwhile, Harriet's starting to cough. She looks at her hand - it's now covered in blood. The venom's almost reached her respiratory system, but she got here just in time.]

Now if you want to save Elly and I... sit there and die!

[For a moment, he can hear the desperation in her voice. Henry could kill her if he ran away and bought time. But he could never win... this truly is the only way, in her mind.]

[helpusduelist]

[There is no emotion when the Magician is taken down, the King still staring at her with a steely, unshakable gaze.]

Harriet... just because one soldier is gone, does that mean the war is lost?

[Henry's face-down card -- the one he's leading with -- moves forward towards the Gyakutenno. But as the two come to the same space, it's immediately clear that it's not a monster, but another spell.

That, his good friend, is a Brain Control. The hands grip ahold of Gyakutenno briefly, before her eyes flash and she turns an angry glare to her once mistress.]

You were right, Harriet... it is finished... But it isn't I who pays the cost. You're strong enough to endure this.

[Gyakutenno raises her staff up, focusing as dark energy balls begin to swirl around her. She swings it down after a moment, the balls crashing into Harriet with all the force of the power that the White Rose Duelist had intended for the King himself.]

This duel is over.

[whiterosefoes]

What?!

[There was no way he could win. Until he did that. Terror seizes her as her own monster turns on her. She cries out to her,]

No... stop! [and then raises the shield on her arm to cower behind it as she takes the attack. Another spray of blood flies out of her mouth as she screams in anger and pain. Her body crumples to the ground. And yet, suddenly, the rage disappears from her face to make way for a look of shock - Malik's influence has suddenly disappeared, and her mind is free for a moment before she loses consciousness. She hoarsely whimpers]

I'm so sorry...

[Before she finally passes out, broken and unbreathing.]

[helpusduelist]

Harriet!

[With the duel finished, all of Henry's cold composure disappears and he rushes over, bending down. The field returns to its normal state as he reaches over, trying to rouse her.]

Wake up! It's too dangerous to sleep!

[Damn...! He can feel the mental "slots" in his mind and reaches out, snagging a Soul of the Pure from them. It's immediately activated, battle or not, as he focuses its power into her body to purge the venom. The drain on his own body tells him it works, but it's not enough -- the attack was vicious, and the wounds might be trouble.

So, he takes her deck, drawing out another copy of it and using it once more to close her wounds as best he can.]

Harriet... you...

[The exhaustion that hits him is too much to bear, and he sinks down on top of her.]

Have to... wake up...