Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monster GX Fan Fiction ❯ The Darkness of Destiny ❯ Conspiracy Theory ( Chapter 13 )

The Darkness of Destiny

 

Very sorry for the late update, I had writer's block, but I'm back now!

 

Chapter 13

 

Conspiracy Theory

 

“Soul Reaper, strike him down with Dark Scythe!” Morte cried. The Reaper roared and flew across the field, blade held high.

 

“I activate the Trap card `D-Fortune'. Now by removing a Destiny Hero in my Grave from the game, your Reaper gets cut down to size,” Aster countered. The Reaper stopped in mid air as a barrier of dark energy appeared around Aster.

 

“A temporary setback, you have nothing to counter the raw darkness of the Soul Reaper,” Morte taunted. Aster scowled and drew.

 

“I play the Spell card `Pot of Greed', and draw two cards. Then I activate `D-Soul'. Now for every Destiny Hero I remove from play, I can summon a DarkSoul token,” he said. His Duel Disk lit up as Dasher and Malicious floated out, and Aster pocketed them. “DarkSoul Tokens, rise!” he commanded. Thin, wispy humanoids (0000,000) rose up in front of him from the mist. “DarkSoul Tokens can't attack or be offered as Tributes for a summon. But I have something else in mind,” Aster explained.

 

“Oh?” Morte muttered, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Yeah. It's another Spell card, called `D-Mind', and it lets me call any Destiny Hero that's level 3 or less. And I choose `Destiny Hero - Doom Lord' (600, 800),” Morte gasped as the caped hero appeared out of the mist.

 

“No!”

 

“You may control the underworld, Morte. But I control time! Doom Lord, show him what I mean!” Aster cried. Doom Lord raised his claws and fired a beam of black energy. Morte looked on and screamed as Soul Reaper vanished in a sparkle of light.

 

“My Reaper…”

 

“Just got reaped,” Aster finished. “Don't worry, he'll back in two turns. But I'll beat you long before then. I'll throw down a face down and let you have a turn,”

 

“You little wretch, show respect to the powers of darkness!” Morte commanded.

 

“Yeah right. You aren't so confident now that I'm winning it seems,” Aster replied.

 

“I will teach you respect!” Morte snarled. “I summon `Soul Bomber' (1600, 1000). Bomber, destroy him!” The newest monster, a zombie with unlit bombs ringed around its forearms, leapt up and threw one at Aster.

 

“Oh come on, you know that's not going to happen! Activate `D-Shield'!” A large rock rose up in front of Doom Lord, and the bomb bounced off and exploded. “This Trap protects my Destiny Hero from being destroyed in battle!” Morte growled.

 

“My move again. And it's time to show you real darkness! My DarkSouls can't be offered for a Tribute as a Tribute Summon, there's no rule against Special Summons! I'll sacrifice my Doom Lord and my tokens to summon `Destiny Hero Dogma' (3400, 2400)!” The gigantic winged hero appeared in a flurry of wind. “Dogma, blast him!” Aster yelled. The hero held out a hand and fired a blast of wind. Morte screamed as the blast blew away Soul Bomber…

 

and most of the mist around the graveyard.

 

“AH!” Morte cried, looking around in horror. Aster smirked and looked around. Holographic projectors were set up behind two tombstones, hidden by the mist. Said mist was spewing back to the field thanks to a smoke machine behind Morte.

 

“Figures, you're just some two-bit hack,” Aster snorted.

 

“Silence!” Morte snapped.

 

“Yeah right. So where's your Duel Disk, you gonna duel properly from now on?”

 

“You little…” Morte growled, gasping as Dogma floated down in front of him.

 

“Oh, did I forget to mention Dogma's ability?” Aster asked coyly. “During your Standby Phase, you lose half your Life Points!” Morte looked down and screamed as a wave of purple energy exploded from the ground. His cane flew into the air and landed in the grass in front of Aster. He looked down and raised a foot, bringing it down the head. The hidden circuitry inside the cane sparked as it shattered. Aster picked up the pieces and frowned. A small, blinking red light was on the tip of the cane, and several small buttons were aligned on the length.

 

“So that's how you were doing it,” he muttered, tossing the broken device away. “Enough tricks, get your Duel Disk and actually play the game now!” Morte scowled and reached behind a tombstone, pulling out a Duel Disk. A small robot was taped to the disk. Morte ripped off his earpiece and chucked it and the robot behind him, slipping his Duel Disk on.

 

“Fine! If you will not respect me as the ruler of darkness, then you will fear me as the ruler of the duel!” he roared.

 

-Aster LP: 2000, Morte LP: 1600-

 

“It has been two turns, so my Soul Reaper returns to me!” a black vortex opened up in front of him, and the cloaked skeleton floated out.

 

“Big deal, it can't hurt Dogma,” Aster said.

 

“We shall see. I place a card face-down and end my turn,” Morte said.

 

“Back to me,” Aster smirked, drawing. “Dogma, wipe out that Soul Reaper!” Dogma nodded and leapt into the air, pointing the blade at the end of its arm at Morte's monster. Swirls of energy began to gather on its tip.

 

“Reveal Trap card `Negate Attack'!” Morte said, clenching a fist. “This card negates your blow and ends your turn.”

 

“Well that's annoying,” Aster muttered, lowing his Duel Disk. “I'll place a card down and call it a turn.”

 

“I draw,” Morte said, doing so. “I play the Spell card `Magical Stone Excavation'. I send two cards to the Graveyard and return one Spell card in the Graveyard to my hand.” Morte slipped `Pyramid Turtle' and `Soul Demolition' away. “I choose to retrieve Soul Conduit, which I'll play right away to add two Soul Counters to Soul Reaper. And now, he can use his power!” Soul Reaper raised it scythe, glowing green with spectral energy. “Soul Reaper can remove your card from play!” Morte cried. The Reaper slashed and sent a beam of green energy across the field. Dogma glowed blue before melting into a puddle. “And with that, it's over,” Morte chuckled.

 

“Nah, I don't think so,” Aster smirked. “I reveal my Trap card `The Paths of Destiny'!” A wooden sign appeared behind Aster as the mist reappeared on the ground, blowing across two dirt paths stretching into the cemetery behind him.

 

“What is that?” Morte asked.

 

“Hey, you've got one two,” Aster said, pointing. Morte turned to see a similar sign and pair of paths behind him. “Here's how my trap works. We each choose a path. Down one path lies a 2000 point bonus, down the other lies a 2000 point blast.” Morte gasped. “And seeing as how we both have less than 2000 points, this entire duel can be decided now,” Aster said as Morte turned, his eyes wide. “See, if either of us picks the wrong path, we lose, but if we both pick the right path, my Life Points go up enough to survive Soul Reaper's assault. And just to make this more interesting, I'll you choose my path for me.”

 

“You little wretch, how dare you play games with me!” Morte protested.

 

“Games? Nah, this is destiny. Down one of these paths lies mine, and down one of those ones like yours. So hey, choose. You gonna win this duel, or am I?” Aster taunted. Morte clenched a fist and spun around to stare at the paths. Both looked identical…

 

“Both of us will take the paths on our right!” Morte shouted, running down the right hologram and turning. Aster shrugged and stepped back down the path Morte had chosen, keeping his eyes on the duelist. The two of them stared at each other for a moment. “Well!?” Morte demanded. Aster looked down as a blue circle lit up under his feet, and a sparkle of blue light fell around him.

 

-Aster LP: 4000-

 

“Well, I'll survive Soul Reaper's attack, assuming you survive to make it,” Aster said. Morte looked down at his feet and smiled as a blue circle appeared.

 

“It seems I will,” he crowed. Suddenly, the blue turned red, and a blast of red light shot up from the ring. Morte screamed as the light washed over him, and Soul Reaper turned red and exploded.

 

“You can't hide from destiny,” Aster said, pumping his fist. Morte groaned and collapsed in the mist as the holographic paths vanished.

 

-Morte LP: 0000-

 

“Bravo, bravo, Heir Phoenix,” a voice trilled, as the sound of clapping filled the air. Aster turned as two men in dark black suits emerged, flanking a third man. The man had shockingly bright pink hair with a dark purple suit and a red ruffle on the collar and sleeves. A small pink rose blossom was pinned to the breast of his suit.

 

“You want a piece, pretty boy?” Aster challenged, holding out his Duel Disk. The man held out his hands and smiled.

 

”Nein nein, Herr. Phoenix. I don't vant to duel you. I'm quite ze fan, as a matter of fact. Ze name is Zigfriend von Schroeder, head of ze Schroeder Corporation,” the man said. Aster raised an eyebrow.

 

“Schroeder? Isn't that some hack two-bit gaming company Kaiba Corp shut out years ago?” he asked.

 

“Your mouth is as sharp as your dueling skills, Herr Phoenix. But zere vil be time for ze explanations later. For now, I ask that you come with me. Ve have some things we need to discuss,” Zigfried replied.

 

“I'm not going anywhere, sorry,” Aster said, rolling up his sleeves.

 

“Ah vell, not everything comes easy,” Zigfried sighed, waving a hand. The two bodyguards moved forward, and Aster spun, delivering a kick to the head of the left one. The right bodyguard lunged, and Aster ducked and rolled past him. The first guard swung a fist, and Aster blocked and delivered a punch to the guard's chest. The second guard hit Aster in the back, and he collapsed. An arm wrapped around his neck while a hand clamped over his mouth. Aster kicked backwards as the bodyguard lifted him into the air, his eyes drifting shut. His feet went limp, and the bodyguard left him fall to the ground. Zigfried looked and smiled at the duelist.

 

“Auf Wiedersehen, Herr Phoenix,” he whispered. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small cell phone.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

“That's yours,” Shroud said, eyeing Alicia's pocket as they walked down the stairs out of the Kaiba Dome. Alicia nodded and pulled out her cell phone, flipping it open.

 

“Yes?” she answered.

 

“Alicia my dear, your plan verked perfectly,” Zigfried said on the other end of the line. Alicia smiled as Shroud held open the door outside for her.

 

“Ah, Zigfried darling. Of course it did. I assume you did not harm him, our champion needs to be healthy after all,” she lectured.

 

“Of course, we merely subdued him. He'll be awake and ready to listen in no time,” Zigfried said. “Be sure to inform Leon of our deal, I'm sure he'll want to know what's going on.”

 

“Of course. I must go darling, see you when I arrive,” Alicia said, hanging up before her husband could say goodbye. She scowled as Shroud held open the door of her limo. Leon von Schroeder was an unfortunate thorn in her side. The whole reason she had married Zigfried all those years ago was for money and power, and when his deal with Pegasus fell flat because of Kaiba Corp's threat to cancel the planning of the leagues, she had to work on achieving such things herself. That was how she had ended up as one of the main financiers of the Underground League.

 

Of course, once Zigfried has stuck his nose in her little schemes, he had tried to shut her down right away, but Alicia convinced him otherwise with some choice words and a choice actions in the bedroom. Sadly, though it was she who was renown throughout the Underground League, it was by Zigfried's money the league was run, and so she couldn't cut him out entirely. She convinced him to let her handle the business herself, and to keep Leon out of the whole thing. Leon, as far as Alicia was concerned, was a naïve twit that didn't know the real path to success. He was a duelist by nature, not the best in the Pro League but still quite well known, but he detested the Underground League. Would it not mean the destruction of her cash flow and possibly her marriage and all that went with it, Alicia would have loved to see the look on Leon's face when she told him his own sister-in-law pretty much owned the league.

 

“Shroud, see that Zain is brought to my husband's warehouse by tomorrow evening. I think it's time our little puppet met the woman pulling his strings,” Alicia said, climbing in the limo. Shroud smiled and tipped his hat.

 

“Yes ma'am,” he replied, shutting the door.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Ring…ring…ring…

 

“Yo, you've reached Aster Phoenix. If this is another endorsement deal, call my agent at 52-“

 

Alexis slammed the payphone receiver down and opened her purse, pulling out her last quarter with a scowl. She slipped it into the coin slot and dialed again. This time, to her surprise, the phone picked up.

 

“Hello?” the voice said. Alexis frowned. She was fairly certainly Aster had never had a German accent.

 

“Aster?” she asked, just to make certain her benefactor wasn't playing a joke.

 

“Does zis sound like Aster to you, girl?” the voice replied.

 

“Where is he, who are you?” Alexis cried.

 

“You call me, and you ask who I am? Zat is rather rude,” The voice muttered.

 

“Answer me, what have you done to him!” Alexis demanded.

 

“I'm afraid Herr Phoenix can't speak right now. You may want to try calling back later. Auf Wiedersehen.” The line went dead, and Alexis dropped the receiver.

 

“Oh no oh no oh no,” she whispered, covering her mouth. “He came to pick me up and now…it's all my fault…” Alexis groaned and pushed her way out of the phonebooth, gasping as she stumbled into someone on the sidewalk outside. “Sorry, I-.”

 

“Alexis?” Alexis looked up at the person she had hit and gulped at the imposing gray eyes of her former best friend.

 

“Zane, thank god!” she panted. “You have to help me!” Zane's eyes immediately narrowed.

 

“What's going on?” he asked. Alexis started to answer, then stopped herself. Wait a minute. Zane despised Aster, he had nearly ruined Zane's career. Would he really be willing to help find him? Would he even care? “Well?” Zane repeated. Alexis bit her lip, and Zane scowled. “Fine,” he growled, pushing past her to walk away. Alexis watched him for a moment.

 

“Aster's been kidnapped!” she blurted.

 

Zane stopped in his tracks.

 

As a note, what do you guys think of this whole Schroeder subplot? I don't want it to seem tacked on or something, I need something besides the tournament to keep the story going, and I hope the Schroeders are suitable villains for the time being.

 

D-Soul

Spell

Remove up to 3 Destiny Hero monsters in your Graveyard from play, and Special Summon a number of DarkSoul Tokens (0,0,Warrior-type, Dark Attribute, Level 1) equal to the number of monsters you removed. DarkSoul Tokens cannot attack or be offered as Tribute for a Tribute Summon.

 

Soul Bomber

4 Star DARK Zombie

ATK: 1600

DEF: 1000

By removing this face-up card from play, remove up to 2 monsters in your opponent's Graveyard from play and place a number of Soul Counters equal to the number of monsters removed on a monster.

 

Soul Reaper

8 Star DATK Zombie

ATK: 2500

DEF: 2000

This card can only be Special Summoned by Tributing 1 monster with 3 or more Soul Counters on your side of the field. When a monster is removed from play, place 1 Soul Counter on this card. Once per turn, remove 2 Soul Counters from this card toactivate one of the following effects.

- Special Summon 1 of your monsters that has been removed from play. During the End Phase, remove that monster from play. You cannot Special Summon a monster more than once by this effect.

- Remove from play one monster on the field.