Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: The Millennium Priests

[AceSorcerer]

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[fieldbox=Alec Kerrigan, red, solid, 12, book antiqua]
Long ago, the ancient Egyptians called upon monsters- spirits of great and terrible power often born from the sheut (which is the shadow) of a man's soul- for a great many things ranging from combat to construction. There were three, the Egyptian God Monsters, that reigned above them all. However, there was one invincible force that reigned above even them: Exodia, the Forbidden One. Exodia himself was among the Egyptian God Monsters, but he was so much more. Eventually, Exodia agreed to be sealed by Millennium Key into five stone tablets, one of the seven Millennium Items that administered judgment and primarily controlled the magic of the shadows. In our time, these monster spirits have been reborn as duel spirits in the card game Duel Monsters.

In recent years, the Millennium Items revealed themselves when Yugi Muto and the spirit of the Millenniums Puzzle, Pharaoh Atem, conquered the world of duel monsters and became the King of Games. In time, they were all returned to the Stone Slab of Kul-Elna to rest, with the Millennium Puzzle once again shattered into pieces. However, the Millennium Items have wills of their own, and soon sought new wielders. With the Millennium Puzzle empty with no spirit remaining inside, only the Millennium Ring possessed the power to fragment one's soul.

And so they rested, guarded by Shadi, Anubis' Disciple (which is a bearer of the Millennium Key and Millennium Scale who can judge the living hearts, minds, and souls of people in and out of Shadow Games), an ancient spirit and the one hundred and twenty-fifth Disciple.

Soon enough, the Millennium Items were rediscovered by an archaeological team from the United States. Doctor James Ezekiel Murdoch, a field professor of archaeology at from England who lived in Egypt during the dig seasons. In this case, the university was funding the digging expedition in search of the tomb of the mysterious pharaoh Akhenamkhanen, the father of the Nameless Pharaoh, who was rumored to be buried with an ancient and mysterious tome known as only the Millennium Spellbook. According to fate, whomsoever could decipher the tome would gain power even greater than that of the gods.

Roughly two decades ago, during the third digging season of his planning, Murdoch discovered the tomb of Akhenamkhanen after five years of digging. Had this season not been fruitful, his tenure would have been suspended and he would not longer be able to lead his own excavations. Walking through the find, the tomb itself seemed to be smaller than anticipated, as there were no signs of the Millennium Spellbook nor the subterranean temple of legend that housed it.

Akhenamkhanen's tomb opened with a great corridor that descended into the rock, the walls engraved with the protective spells and wards given to the pharaoh to aid him in death, restored after a great thief used dark spirits to ruin them. This corridor opened to a level room with seven great pillars that formed the points of a seven-pointed star, each pillar containing texts regarding a Millennium Item while walls told the Egyptologists of the pharaoh's time in the land of the living. Past this chamber was two corridors, one leading to the offertory room, where visitors would leave gifts and food offerings to the dead pharaoh. The offertory room held great carvings of the ancient Egyptian religion and of the journey to the afterlife, a veritable guide for the pharaoh's soul.

However, it is in the rooms after this one that the team began to discover traps and curses.

Going down the other corridor, which descended to a lower level, the team encountered a chamber with three pillars that were intricately carved. Here the room was connected to two others, which led to a lesser treasury as well as a chamber filled with carvings of great monsters. Going down the corridor within the chamber of monsters, the team descended into the third and final level.

After a series of traps and puzzles, the team approached what was, undoubtedly, the burial chamber of Akhenamkhanen. There were six chambers branching off of the burial chamber, but only the professor went forward as the team fell unconscious behind him. On the well behind the sarcophagus was a carving of the then-Millenium Pendant, surrounded by three carvings of massive monsters. But even more curious was the man standing before it, praying in the lost language that covered the tomb. But soon enough, the man in his turban turned around, raising a pair of scales as the room went dark.

Visions filled the professor's head, and he soon awoke from the tomb with his team, the group heading out of the tomb, ancient word humming through the man's head as the Millennium Spellbook remained in the tomb, hidden beneath him.

Regardless, the dig remained fortuitous as the professor also discovered his future bride, a Tomb Keeper named Amira Nejeb. Originally tasked by Shadi to ensure that James never discovered the resting place of the Millennium Spellbook, Amira and her charge eventually fell in love with another and were wed, and some time in their relationship she revealed her past as a Tomb Keeper, or Medjai.

The Medjai were, at one time, the servants and bodyguards of the pharaoh and the Millennium Priests. However, they eventually became the guardians of the resting Millennium Items themselves after the Millennium Items' powers wrought forth great destruction upon both Egypt and its enemies. Taking these Items to Kul-Elna, with the exception of the Millennium Puzzle for it was buried with Atem, the son and successor of Akhenamkhanen.

And the Medjai protected the Items during their sleep for three thousand years, until fate came into play.

And it was at the end of this fate that the Items were scattered once again, once the soul of Atem departed this world, the world of the good doctor, his wife the Medjai, and his son, Rashad, and Rashad's children and grandchildren..

As the generations passed, Rashad and his daughter, Isa, who eventually married an American by the name of Issac Kerrigan, acted as extensions of the Tomb Keepers in England (and later the United States), with Rashad being given the Millennium Key after Yugi Muto returned the Millennium Items to Egypt after the death of the protector spirit Shadi. So, for a short time, it was Rashad's duty to judge the souls of people who had desecrated the tombs of the ancient and those who would abuse the power of the shadows. For twenty years, Rashad used his profession as a photographic journalist for National Geographic to perform his duties as a Tomb Keeper as he travelled across the world.

However, it was around the time that, when his grandson, Alec, was born, the masters of the Medjai called their members from abroad to return to Egypt for a great conclave. First they discussed the history of the Medjai- their order originally a scouting group in the pharaoh's army before becoming his bodyguards (as well as those of the millennium priests) and even later the protectors of the tombs and secrets of ancient Egypt, especially regarding the forbidden magic of the Millennium Items and of the Shadow Realm, leaving them the secrets of summoning Duel Spirits from the ancient tablets as the world evolved around them.

But they were called for no small reason; the remains of the Millennium Puzzle- as well as some of the Sacred Cards- had been stolen from their resting place, a complex of heavily-guarded ruins using some ancient and forgotten magic. However, as if the combat this evil, their oracles spoke of the reincarnation of six millennium priests from the bloodlines of their ancestors, which had mingled with the blood of the Medjai, destined to defeat the oncoming evil. As such, the masters of the order decided that the six remaining Millennium Items were to be passed into the hands of the reincarnated priests. The ancient magic in the Millennium Items would lead their current wielders to their destined masters- the remainder would be left up to fate for other Millennium Items to reach their reborn wielders.

In the case of the Millennium Key, it would lead Rashad to his grandson, Alec, when he was thirteen years old. By this time Alec was the eldest of three, with two younger twin sisters named Beatrice and Charlotte, both of whom were three years younger than him. By this point, traces of his powers as reincarnated Millennium Priest began to show, as he had begun to see and speak with duel spirits. When this was present, the Tomb Keeper gave the Millennium Key to his grandson, although the power of the Millennium Item would not show itself for some time, although there would be some… incidents as the years went by.

He lacked the training that he would've had, which he would've received were he raised like a proper Medjai, and as such- despite being able to speak and communicate with duel spirits, knew little about how to control the magic of the Shadow Games, let alone the Millennium Items. He seldom knew little of magic, although he did become a dedicated student of world history and archaeology, as well as computer engineering and programming, which was sparked from his love of Duel Monsters that he received from his father, who taught the game to Alec and his younger sisters- notably giving Alec his first Duel Monsters card, a copy of "Dark Magician." Buying a Kaiba Corp Duel Disk with money had saved up at age twelve, by then one of the more skilled duelists amongst his circle of friends, and he began to become curious as to how the Duel Disk worked, sparking his interest in engineering and programming.

In time, Alec and his family moved to Japan as his father- an architect working for an electronics company- was tasked with designing and building of a new regional headquarters after his innovations in his design for some of their more recently built factories. They lived in Osaka where the current headquarters were located, although it was unsure if the new headquarters would be in Osaka or Tokyo.

In the end, before he turned seventeen that August, Alec- fueled by his love for Duel Monsters and the prospect of an amazing education- applied to attend Duel Academy. By this point, Rashad had taught Alec about some of his legacy as a member of the Medjai families, pointing out that he, in actuality, possessed the Millennium Key. Rashad instructed his grandson in some basic ways that he may be able to control the Millennium Key's power when the time was right.

The first step in the admissions process for Duel Academy was a written entrance exam, on which Alec scored a 92%, and any grade of 90% guaranteed admission to Duel Academy if the examinee lived in Japan, regardless of the outcome of the duel exam. As such, when it came time for the duel exam, Alec packed all his belongings he would be allowed to take- which was one backpack, one trunk, and duffel bag's worth- and made his way to the examination center, where his parents and younger sisters would wish him the best of luck.

At this time, seventeen years old, Alec stood five feet and eight inches tall, a lean individual who had kept fit by running track for athletic credit in middle school and part of high school. It was the only sport he was decently good at- not that he especially tried at any other sport. He'd much rather keep to himself- a fairly introverted character- and spend time tinkering with his computer and Duel Disk than playing baseball. His skin was a rather pale olive, a remaining trait of his Egyptian heritage- while his hair was a light brown and his eyes were a pale blue, traits that caused him to largely resemble his father. He was a somewhat devout Anglican, believing that even if the ancient Egyptian god existed like his grandfather suggested, that Judeo-Christian god was all the more powerful- the Exodus was proof of that.

He wore a grey jacket, a light blue shirt, a black belt, tennis shoes, and blue jeans- the Millennium Key hanging around his deck all the while. Slipping his Duel Disk onto his forearm, Alec took his trunk to the appropriate desk, showing the letter that he was guaranteed admission. He then filled out some paperwork, and the workers took his trunk to store on the ferry after they marked it. After that, he pulled out his deck from his backpack, pulling out one of his copies of "Dark Magician," and smiling.

Don't you worry, Alec. You're going to do just fine. A wise voice in the back of his head spoke out, belonging to the monster spirit inside the card. After a silent conversation, he slipped the card into his deck, which he then put in a container he clipped onto his belt.

After about half an hour, his name was called for his examination duel. Heading onto the third dueling platform, he set down his backpack and his duffel, putting his deck into his Duel Disk to begin the challenge.

The duel itself was a nail-biter, the duel examiner utilizing a "Dark World" deck, forcing Alec to mill and discard some of the cards he needed to win. However, in the end, Alec managed to pull through by ritual summoning "Magician of Black Chaos," allowing him to destroy his opponent's "Silva- Warlord of Dark World" and snatch victory from the clutches of defeat after using his Trap Cards to stall the enemy.

His work in that duel, while admirable, wasn't his absolute best. As such, Alec was placed in Slifer Red, although Alec didn't complain. He would have the amenities of the average college dorm with a single bed, microwave, mini-fridge, and a decent amount of room with which he could continue his personal projects. Receiving his first uniform, his Duel Academy PDA, and his Academy Duel Disk, he quickly changed clothes, leaving his jacket undone so that the Millennium Key's attached cord didn't get caught on anything. He would keep his Kaiba Corp Duel Disk, as he believed it would be a bad idea to do experiments with his Academy Disk.

Grabbing his backpack and duffel after moving his old Duel Disk to his trunk and placing his new one in his duffel bag, Alec boarded the ferry. Since his testing center was the first one the ferry stopped at, they would have to travel to a few more locations to pick up other students. Filled with excitement, Alec stored his belongings in his cabin, taking a seat as he pulled out his new PDA. From what he had been told, every student was given a PDA that would connect with their phones and would used for various in-class functions, as well as use for connecting with other students through messaging and video chat. While their phones would be used from the dorm and the main being, cellular signal on Academy Island wasn't the best. As such, students were encouraged to have both their personal phones and their PDAs on them at all times.

After about half of an hour, Alec began to wander around the boat for a short time in order to make some new friends and see what there was to see.
[/fieldbox]

 

[Craftsdwarf]

An Arduous Exam

Little feet scraping against the smooth ground of the duel hall, short legs waving about, a long white shirt trailing above them, a hand reached into the pocket of the lightweight black jacket shrouding a pale green blouse, before pulling out a smartphone in a dark pink case. Turning her body, mid length blue hair flowing out as she tilted her head, some of the locks braid, she held up her fingers in a V shape, duelists and holograms framed behind her as she snapped a selfie, mouth not even bothering to curl into a forced smile. Yulice Gilliard slipped back onto her bench in the stands before leaning back on thin air, sending a quick message to her older brother.

Still waiting on my duel! she added alongside the fresh photo. But, to little surprise, and only a mild disappointment, thirty seconds after she sent it there was no reply. If that seems unreasonable, dear big brother Xavier could hardly go 15 seconds on a normal day without taking the opportunity to respond, yet for the past couple of weeks, even shortly before the end of his second school year, he'd been...out of it, frankly. Yulice was worried, of course, but she couldn't waste all her time on him. She had other concerns. For instance, as an announcement rang out, indicating where her duel was supposed to take place.

Hopping up, arms stretched out at her sides, she stepped forward with a confident gait. Her brother, a student in Obelisk Blue, dueled her regularly, so she was getting an idea of what to expect from the Duel Academy. As she glanced over at the holograms from the other duels, or those waiting nervously in the stands, she felt a swelling of pride in her chest. Taking the testing duel disk and slipping her oh so colorful deck into the receiver, she stood at her designated spot, white lines of the field separating her from her opponent, a middle-aged man with a stern face and black vest over his long sleeved shirt. His bulk seemed more fit for that of a gym instructor than a duel instructor, Yulice considered to herself with a mental laugh, her somber face showing none of her amusement.

As she raised her duel disk, she stood still, waiting...waiting...

"Miss, please activate your disk."

Yulice paused, eyes shooting wide as she looked over the device, completely unfamiliar with it. Daring to glance up at her opponent, he gestured to a button on the bottom, which she pressed, her disk fanning open with a satisfying click. Once they were ready, he began, "My name is Tarly and I'll be your examiner today. We'll be dueling with standard rules. As you'll be rated by your performance, winning is not necessary to pass, but depending on your written test scores it is recommended." Yulice nodded, before her opponent declared, "I'll be starting." As the decks were shuffled, Tarly drew his hand of five, glancing them over, before playing surehandedly, set a monster in defense and slipping two face down cards on the field, before activating, "Necrovalley!" As the floor seemed to cave away, field lines now carved over the massive gorge engulfing the field between them, the floor under Yulice resembling a cliff's edge, she steadied her breath. Never before had she dealt with these holograms, but she kept her cool, she felt. "And with that, I end my turn."

Fanning out her own cards, Yulice made the first draw of the duel. Drowning in Spells and Traps, she slipped down a face down, before slapping a monster onto the field. "I summon: Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat [1200/400]." The pink wildcat burst into the air, floating above the gorge. Yulice couldn't help but be taken in by its majesty, seeing her creature like this up close for the first time, but she had to start the momentum. "And I'll activate her ability, halving the damage to strike you directly." Claws bared, the Cat slipped over the set monster, neither of the face downs budging an inch as she slashed the air, dropping Tarly down some life points [7400]. No longer worried by his face down cards, she couldn't help but flash a brief, smug smile.

Unfettered, Tarly drew, placing down his new card without hesitation. "I summon Gravekeeper's Commandant!" The Anubis hatted warrior appeared in the air, as Tarly continued, "And with Necrovalley on the field, Gravekeeper monsters gain an additional 500 attack and defense points." [2100/2000] Yulice didn't let her expression fade as the Commandant made short work of her Cat, allowing her to place it as a Spell, the Cat shifting into a purple Amethyst while her life dropped [7100]. Drawing, she smiled as she saw the so very adorable Rainbow Kuriboh join her. Feeling protected, she placed down another trap, before ceding her turn.

Tarly had little to do but strike. "Commandant, attack directly!"

"I activate Rainbow Path." Yulice countered, her Amethyst being sent to the Grave. "Your attack is negated, and..." Flipping through her deck, she added, "...Rainbow Dragon comes to my hand."

Tarly allowed it, before ending his turn. Making a draw, Yulice didn't have a lot of options, ending right away. Tarly furrowed his brow for a moment, setting a face down monster before declaring yet another attack. But as the Commandant made a move for Yulice, a horned monster appear on his shoulder. "Rainbow Kuriboh keeps your monster from attacking as long as he's equipped."

Tarly nodded, before ending his turn. As Yulice drew her next card, once again dissapointed, she heard more over-dramatic cries from the next field over. It was kind of hard not to get caught up in the atmosphere, sure, but the lucky lady of the cards wasn't blessing dear Yulice at the moment. Confident in her Kuriboh, she ended her turn. Sure enough, Tarley wordlessly placed a face down before returning the phase to her. Yes, this was nice, no need for yelling dramatically.

Making a draw, she finally had a monster, setting the Emerald Tortoise in its hard shelled glory face down, as if taunting the still stuck Commandant, before giving up the turn, though getting it right back as Tarly passed without action.

Drawing again, Yulice felt her eyes glisten as she found yet another of her Beasts, instantly summoning, "Topaz Tiger." The white, black, and sharp toothed, horned cat appeared, Yulice eagerly watching as it took-

"I'll put a stop to that with Bottomless Trap Hole."

Yulice choked on her spit. Helpless, the pit stretched out underneath her tiger, its expression shocked as it plummeted from the field, Banished beyond the grave. She glanced at the Rainbow Dragon in her hand, now further from summoning it than she'd have liked. Helpless, she ended her turn.

Drawing, Tarly was starting to get a bit amped up, beginning, "I play Allure of Darkness! This allows me to draw two cards..." he said as he did so. Before looking them over, he added, "I also need to discard a Dark monster, and if I can't, then I need to discard my entire hand."

Yulice noted the Commandant's attribute, expecting the worst, as Tarly looked over his cards...before discarding his entire hand: five cards in total, all spells and traps, before crossing his arms and stating plainly, "I end my turn." Yulice was stunned, blankly staring, processing the short sighed move as he cost himself so dearly! Though, glancing at his field, with three monsters and two potential traps, he wasn't exactly hurting, but still, Yulice was having difficulty in processing the act.

Drawing her card, she once again played it right away. "I'll activate Ancient City – Rainbow Ruins." Letting out a sigh of relief as the gorge in front of her faded away, filled with dirt, stony architecture sprouting up at her flanks, a rainbow streaking overhead. The two fields met in the center, where dirt and stone fell off into the valley. Yet it could shine so much more brightly if charged with the Crystals of her Beasts...

Tarly's next turn beginning, he drew, before waving a hand, "I'll sacrifice my Commandant..." Yulice felt her heart sink, "For Gravekeeper's Chief! [2400/1700]" Commandant fading away, another keeper, this one in white garb, appeared, as Kuriboh faded away after him. "And, after summoning him successfully, I can bring a Gravekeeper back." The Chief slammed the butt of his staff into the ground, and the Commandant returned, freed from the burden of Kuriboh. Yulice grimaced as she looked at her helpless, face down Tortoise [600/2000], doomed not to last as the Commandant smashed it, the pieces reforming into an Emerald Spell, before the Chief moved to attack her directly. Glancing at her grave, she responded, "I'll activate the second ability of my Rainbow Kuriboh, which allows me to Special Summon it from the grave in def-"

"Too bad!" Tarly suddenly yelled. Yulice's widened in surprise at the interruption, before he stated, "Necrovalley is a land where the dead are sacred: only the Gravekeepers have the rites to revive them. Your Kuriboh's effect is no good here!" Yulice looked as though she'd been slapped in the face, just before the Chief reached her, the hologram smacking the area in front of her across the face. Despite herself, she flinched, as her life dropped [4700].

Turn changed to her, she took a steadying breath as she drew. Things were looking pretty dour, but it could easily get worse. Flipping her set Crystal Promise, she explained, "I Special Summon my Emerald Tortoise from the Spell Zone." Reforming, the monster slipped into its hard shell, but it wasn't going to last very long. Still, it would at least prevent more major life point loss.

Ceding control of the turn, Tarly drew, setting the card, before ordering, "Gravekeeper's Chief, attack the Tortoise!" Staff smashing into the Crystal Beast, Yulice kept it from the Spell/Trap Zone, letting it fall into the grave. Eyes hardening, she began, "I activate Crystal Pair!" Searching through her deck, she placed a Topaz Tiger in the S/T zone, the Crystal forming out of the air, before adding, "You can attack, but I won't be taking any damage." Tarly nodded, ending his turn.

Drawing, she felt a bit of relief as she saw her burly Amber Mammoth, yet another of the set coming to her. She knew it wouldn't last long in defense, but the wall of facedown monsters building up was starting to impress upon her. She had to start whittling away if she was going to have a chance, right? And reminding herself of her remaining facedown, she wasn't helpless to attack, so she summoned, "Crystal Beast, Amber Mammoth [1700/1600]. Attack...the middle face down monster." Forming, the Mammoth dug its feet into the group before charging, charge seemingly unstoppable...until it was stopped by the Gravekeeper's Spy, defense already above the Mammoth without Necrovalley's boost [1700/2500], Yulice taking a nasty hit to her life points [3900].

Before Yulice could even curse her recklessness, and the surprising power of these Gravekeepers, Tarly began, "Since the Spy was flipped, I can now summon a Gravekeeper monster from my Deck." Flipping through, he slapped down in defense mode, "Gravekeeper's Priestess! And thanks to her ability, all of my Gravekeepers get a further 200 Attack and Defense. [1700/2200]" Yulice was starting to feel overwhelmed. And simple chard would do her in, and she wasn't sure how much her trap could truly help her, but it was out of her hands for now. She had no choice but to end her turn. Head lowering with her spirits.

Tarly drew, before sending his Spy and other facedown to the Grave in Tribute. "I'll summon, Gravekeeper's Visionary!" A towering throne formed, big, bigger than the Chief that already imposed on her. As he stared down at her field, the robe, staff wielding Visionary was found wanting [3100/2500].

Running some mental math through her had, she still had a slight chance, she just had to wait. Tarly declared his attack. "Visionary, defeat the Mammoth."

"No." Yulice activated her lone facedown. "I'll activate Crystal Raigeki." Her Topaz shifting into lightning, it arced in the air, down upon the Visionary, "And destroy your monster."

"Not so fast," Tarly said, activating a trap of his own. "Compulsory Evacuation Device allows me to send one monster on the field to the owners hand, so I'll pull my Visionary to safety." Metal machinery forming under the throne, the Visionary was launched upward, vanishing as Tarley retrieved his card, the Raigeki harmlessly striking the ground. Yulice let out a sigh: the threat was gone either way.

Duel continuing, the Commandant smashed her Mammoth, turning it to Amber [3300]. She braced herself for the attack of the Chief, but it never came, as Tarly moved to his second phase. "I'll activate Magical Dimension. With this, I can tribute one Spellcaster..." the Commandant was locked into magical sarcophagus, "...to summon another from my hand!" With only one card in his hand, Yulice had no surprise, only dread, as the Visionary returned to the field. He continued, "I can also destroy one monster if I choose, and I'll destroy my Chief." Yulice furrowed her brow, before Tarly answered, "The more Gravekeeper's I have in my Grave, the stronger the Visionary becomes. [3500/2500] And with that, I'll end my turn."

Yulice gritted her teeth a bit, expression soured. Now she knew what was happening: he was toying with her. Unprofessional! If he'd played more aggressively, he might have been able to win, but Yulice was going to make him regret that. Drawing her card, she studied the adorable Ruby Carbuncle before setting it face down. As long as she had one monster to block his Visionary, she could last. Sure enough, Tarly drew, setting down a monster, before attacking, Yulice's Amber being joined by a Ruby.

Her turn again. She drew. It was but a Terraforming, which she quickly played, getting a rather useless Rainbow City from her deck, before looking over her hand full of cards again. Eyes laying on one that had been useless for far too long, her heart started to race. This...this is it! Looking at her two Crystals, the normally reserved girl was having trouble containing herself. "I'll activate Crystal Blessing to summon a Crystal Beast from my deck!" Shifting through, she was greeted with Majesty as the winged Sapphire Pegasus appeared, shrouding itself as it rested in defense mode [1800/1200]. "And with its ability, I can get another Beast from my deck and place it as a Crystal." Yulice slid a Colbalt Eagle into her Spell/Trap Zone, before continuing, "And with Rare Value, you get to choose one of my Crystal Beasts in the Spell/Trap Zones and send it to the Graveyard; but in exchange, I get to draw two cards."

Presented with the choice, Tarly scanned the three options, before sending the Ruby to the Grave. Drawing her two cards, Yulice smiled inwardly as she activated another Rare Value, Tarly choosing her Amber. As she drew another two cards, she finally did her Normal Summon. "I bring out another Crystal Pegasus!" As this one bore down in attack mode, she said, "And with it's ability, I'll get another Ruby Carbuncle from my deck and put it down... Before Special Summoning Rainbow Dragon!" With the required monsters on her field and grave, she sent out her trump card. Spiraling out from the ground, the white gold dragon, simmering gems in its side, towered over the Visionary, glistening in the Rainbow Ruins, the simple rock looking so very plain [4000/0].

Heart pounding, she couldn't help but crack a slight smile, aiming a finger as she finally got into the atmosphere of the duel disk battle, ordering proudly, "Rainbow Dragon! Destroy Gravekeeper's Vi-"

"I activate Mirror Force."

Yulice's words caught in her throat like gum in the works. She looked at her facedown Crystal Raigeki, helpless to the unfolding outcome. Her hand continued to hang there as the Mirror appeared, the rainbow beam from her Dragon smacking against it, rebounding to destroy her prized monster and the attack mode Pegasus. Her precious heart became clad in stone, sinking through her stomach as her spirits plummeted. She felt her eyes and face start to burn with embarrassment and frustration, cheeks puffed up in an effort to contain herself. Placing her cards in the Grave, she repeated in silence, Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry... Her Pegasus returned to its Sapphire form as she tried to steady herself. She had another Dragon somewhere in her deck, but would she be able to last that long? Seeing Tarly's pitying expression, she wanted so badly to rub a victory in his face...

Returning control to him, he laid a face down before targeting her remaining Pegasus with her Visionary. This time, her Crystal Raigeki went encountered, the Visionary being destroyed, and hopefully for good, but how long would it last?

Drawing a card, she saw more opportunity. "I-I a-activate..." she stammered, before feigning a cough so that she might sniffle up the mucus that had been stirred up by her little tearburst. A bit more forcefully, she reiterated, "I activate Crystal Blessing to take two Crystal Beasts from my grave and-"

"Necrovalley," Tarly said plainly, cutting her off. Yulice let out a brief, strangled hissing, the spell shattering as it failed. Huffing, she set down her Tortoise, before switching her Pegasus to the offensive, not even stopping to think of how strong the Defense might be. "Sapphire Pegasus, attack the facedown monster!" As Tarly flipped up his facedown Dimensional Prison, Yulice only felt her eyes narrow in defiance as the Pegasus was Banished.

Beginning his turn, Tarly started off with: "I summon Gravekeeper's Descendant [2200/1900]." Flipping up his facedown Gravekeeper's Assailant, he explained, "By Tributing a Gravekeeper, I can destroy one card you control, so I'll take out your Rainbow Ruins!" Assailant being sent to the grave, the Descendant waved his hands to the side, glow fading, and...nothing happened.

Yulice blinked, before stating, "No."

Tarly's eye twitched, before he said, "I see what's happening. One more time! This time I'll Tribute Gravekeeper's Priestess to destroy Rainbow Ruins!" The weakened [2000/1700] Descendant posturing again, his glow once more faded, Rainbow Ruins standing tall.

As Tarly's brow furrowed in confusion, Yulice wondered, "What did you think was going to happen?"

"Er, once per turn it won't be destroyed, right?"

"No. If I have at least one Crystal," (Yulice gestured to her Ruby and Sapphire), "it can't be destroyed at all."

"Oh," Tarly said, deflating a bit. Yulice couldn't even take pleasure in it: she wanted to beat him by her hand, not his wrongdoing. With that out of the way, the Descendant charged, equally matching the defense of her Tortoise, battle inconclusive.

The next few turns grew rather stale, the two drawing and setting cards, while the monsters were stuck in stalemate. Finally, Yulice was able to act, another Crystal Blessing allowing her to summon a Topaz Tiger from her deck. But as she was starting to get a foot in, Tarly countered, "I'll activate Rite of Spirit! This card allows me to revive one Gravekeeper card!"

Yulice paled as the Gravekeeper's Visionary returned to the field, now more powerful than ever before [3700/2300]. Hitting her panic button, she stammered, "T-Torrential Tribute!" Tarly frowned as a gush of water ripped through the Valley and Ruins, tearing apart both fields. The Tortoise was salvaged, turning to Emerald, but her Tiger was not so lucky, as there wasn't enough room on the field, though now both Descendant and Visionary were gone, and Tarly's hand was slim. But she couldn't act, allowing Tarly to set a monster on his next turn, which she matched when she drew yet another Emerald Tortoise. The stalemate resumed...

Yulice would later make a risky play, dropping Crystal Horde face down, filling her S/T Zones, activating it as Tarly acted. "I'll use Burden of the Mighty! This card weakens your monsters by 100 points for each of their levels." Her Crystal Horde wasn't useful against it, but having it face up was preferred, so that she could activate it's abilities at a later time. And so she did, as she drew her Amber Mammoth, she flipped her Emerald Tortoise into attack mode. "Now, I'll use Crystal Horde. I have to send a Beast I control to my hand, but I can send any other card too, so I'll choose...that facedown!" Tarly taking one of his monsters, Yulice had to go on the offensive, once again wanting to strike no matter what. "Amber Mammoth! Attack his remaining facedown!"

But the Mammoth was rebuked. The Gravekeeper's Guard [1500/2400] pushed against the weakened Mammoth [1300/1600], Yulice taking yet another hefty hit, but with three Crystals, she was able to halve the damage, taking 550 instead of 1100, [2750]. If that weren't enough, the Guard had a flip effect, Tarly proclaiming, "I'll return the Mammoth to your hand." Almost wishing it had been destroyed and made a Crystal, she picked up her Mammoth reluctantly.

Tarly's turn. Bringing forth a Descendant, he tributed his Guard, destroying her Ruby, weakening her Ruins, before...not attacking. Yulice felt her fingernails dig into her palm: what was he implying? That...he didn't need to attack to win? As she went to draw, she realized he wasn't wrong: all her searches had left her deck on the short side. As she drew an Amethyst Cat, she only had five cards remaining. Her heart spasmed as she dreaded the increasingly likely possibility of Rainbow Dragon being on the bottom. Could she possibly win on her last turn? It wasn't impossible, just implausible. To lose by deck out simply because her opponent didn't bother to deliver the killing blow...she'd never be able to live with the embarrassment. Setting her Tortoise, she confirmed her suspicions, as Tarly used another Magical Dimension, tributing his Descendant for a Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier [2000/1500], then destroying her Tortoise, which was sent to the Gravyard on account of not being face-up upon its destruction. And despite her being wide open, the Spear Soldier did not attack, Tarly ending his turn. Even when she set an Amber Mammoth, Tarly only set a monster of his own, not bothering with her hiding Mammoth. She wanted to show up up so badly...

Then, it happened. She drew, beaming upon the sight of her Rainbow Dragon. Three turns left? She didn't hesitate. "I summon Rainbow Dragon!" As the massive beast appeared, it was Burdened, but still Mighty [3000/0]. Flipping her Mammoth up and bringing out her Colbalt Eagle, she went on the offensive. Rainbow Dragon cut through the Spear Solider, finally dealing some more damage to Tarly after so long [6400]. And though she knew the risks, she had her Mammoth charge the facedown, expecting a Guard. The damage would hurt, but if he sent Rainbow Dragon to her hand, she could simply Summon it again. But she was off her mark: it was a Spy [1700/2500], her Mammoth [1300/1600] not being able to overtake it, causing her yet another hit, which she was able to halve [2150].

Through his Spy, Tarly brought forth a Gravekeeper's Guard [1500/2400], which was more than capable of rebuking her Eagle. She had no choice but to end her turn.

Then... "I'll tribute my two monsters...to set one card face down!" Yulice grimaced: what could it be? She had to find out. Drawing her card, she said, "I'll activate Rainbow Dragon's ability! By sending my Crystal Beasts to the Graveyard..." Her Eagle and Mammoth turned to light, beaming into the corresponding gems on the Dragon's side, making them glow all the brighter. "...I can raise its attack by 1000 points each!" [5000/0] "Now, attack the facedown!"

Rainbow Dragon struck, beam tearing through the air as the throned Visionary was defeated. Yulice frowned: why hadn't it been in attack mode? It would have been far stronger than Rainbow Dragon if not for the boost. Did he know about it? Then why sacrifice his monsters? He...he wasn't even trying! Even on his turn, even with the potential means to attempt to crush her Rainbow Dragon, he refused to act.

Drawing, Yulice had but one card left in her deck. Summoning Amethyst Cat [900/400], she attacked, dropping him low, but not low enough for Rainbow Dragon to finish the job [5500]. That was, until Yulice proclaimed, "I'll activate Rainbow Dragon's ability again!" Amethyst Cat beaming into Rainbow Dragon, she watched it hang there in all its majesty [6000/0], but the brief twinge of elation quickly fell flat. She concluded, voice hollow, "Attack." Rainbow Dragon opened it's mouth, sides glowing in color, before the beam enveloped Tarly, the man already packing up his disk as his life points fell to 0. As the holograms fade, so did the idea of her getting any satisfaction from her victory, letting her head fall, hands gripping the hem of her coat as Tarly came over.

"Well, what happened there?"

Fidgeting awkwardly, Yulice answered, "You went easy on me..."

"Yes, and no. Where did you first notice it."

Thinking back, Yulice recalled, "It was when...you used Magical Dimension to destroy your own monster.

"It was earlier than that." Tarly's comment made Yulice feel even weaker. "I knowingly took a huge risk with Allure of Darkness because at no point did I feel threatened by your cards or your presence. The only time you had any life to you was when you were able to use Crystal Blessing and the Rare Values, leading up to Rainbow Dragon. Even the second time you summoned Rainbow Dragon you'd somehow given up despite fighting on."

Yulice had no room to argue, merely muttering, "You'd given up on me too..."

Tarly's eyes widened briefly at the comment, before likewise realizing, "I suppose I did."

Yulice continued bitterly, "If you'd put your Visionary in attack mode, I still could have stopped it..."

"Keep going. Anything you think is worth mentioning."

"I...attacked your face down monsters even though they were all really strong. Strong enough that if you'd attacked with all of them I couldn't have stopped you. And..." She trailed off, not having much more that came to mind.

Noting this, Tarly began, "Right. You were fighting unfamiliar monsters recklessly, and even though your deck works fast, your head doesn't: you almost decked out. I thought if you lost that way, it'd teach you a valuable lesson, but you actually got a win there, and it was a good...decent play." That thought brought Yulice no comfort. At her silence, he finally asked, "What are you doing here?"

A bit taken aback, Yulice wasn't sure how to respond. The Duel Academy was one of the best sporting institutions in the world: why was anyone here? That seemed obvious, yet Yulice didn't have a straightforward answer. At her silence, Tarly turned off, saying, "Well, I'm out of time. I'm not at liberty to tell you about your rating, so hang around until the results are posted."

Out of the corner of her eye, another examiner and potential student finished their round, separating without much fanfare. Realizing that this was a bit unusual, she asked, "Why are you helping me?"

Tarly stopped, scratching his head, admitting, "Well, just because you haven't been admitted to the school yet doesn't mean I can't give you a lesson or two. The Academy is a place of learning: just keep in mind that you have a lot of it coming your way, if you make it."

Duel concluded, Yulice retrieved her deck, slipping it into the holster in her coat and returning to the stands. To compare her prideful walk down to her sluggish shamble upward, it would be difficult to tell at a glance that she'd won her duel. Plopping back down in her seat, plopping her fist against her forehead as she leaned on her arm, elbow on her leg, unknowingly brooding. However, though she didn't know it, she was not quite alone. Appearing by her side was the sleek, round, purple form of the colorful horned Rainbow Kuriboh. It floated by her, but she could not see it, yet it could see her, a worried expression on its face as it closed its eyes, trying to comfort her by nestling up to her side, unable to do anything with its intangible form. But Yulice was all too consumed by her thoughts, questioning if the Academy was even what she really wanted.

Fingers drumming on her trunk of possessions, Yulice flopped back, propping herself up on her arms as she looked around the cabin of the ferry. Big brother Xavier helped her here before bouncing off, probably to go see his friends in Obelisk Blue, but while Yulice had said she wasn't interested in meeting anyone, well, here she was, already bored out of her mind. Taking out her PDA, she tried to distract herself through it, but it didn't look like that was happening.

...This boat trip was going to be how long?

Relenting, Yulice hopped up, brushing herself off, before daring to the outdoors. While lounging around was one of her favorite things to do, she did personally lying in the window filtered sun, and her inward cabin had no windows to speak of. Under the excuse of trying to find her brother, she took to the ship.

Wandering about for a few minutes, she found herself being rather...dodgy. It was almost unconscious: hearing voices coming from one end of the hall would have her ducking around a corner or into a nearby bathroom. Part of her just...they'd all gone through the same test as her, but who could have possibly done worse? Yulice wanted to meet them out of avid fascination, but it was statistically unlikely.

Getting over herself, Yulice moved out onto the deck, some students bending over the rails as they struggled against seasickness, while others were already engaged in fun little duels, clearly excited. Feeling none of it. Yulice moved to the sidelines, finding the spot with the fewest people around and nestling up to the low wall sealing in the deck, legs foled on their side and hands on her cheeks as she absentmindedly watching things, letting her body soak up sun and sea.

 

[Zero The Grimm]

Hikari.

The test to enter Duel Academy was simple enough. She had passed the written part of the exam with flying colors. The dueling part just as so. Though the realistic dueling simulation was always a nice sight to behold. She had seen them many times on tv and the web but seeing it in person? It was enough to make her smile. The only real difficulty she had faced thus far was trying to once again find a combination that supported a certain.

Hikari...

The same card that kept insisting she socialized. Her gaze followed to the newly manifested dueling spirit that she had had around for as long as she could remember. And she could remember quite a bit back.

You know, there's probably something to be said about a girl who doesn't socialize. Hikari hummed, eyes moving back to the assortment of cards she had laid out before There's also probably something to be said about a girl who likes socializing even less then a creature of the dark.

"You're not a creature." Hikari quickly added. "You're Yubel." That got a small smile out of Yubel, her stance softening ever so slightly. Some might have been off put by Yubel's appearance. People tended to judge fairly quickly. Hikari on the other hand found the form unique and appealing. Someone around her age would probably say something like 'awesome' or 'wicked'. Which wouldn't be inaccurate. A more accurate word however would be... beautiful. It had its own elegance. Perhaps it was just her and having spent so much time around Yubel. She supposed it didn't really matter. She thought what she thought.

Yubel knelt down so she was sitting with her. The two staring at one another till Yubel finally poked at her forehead with her talon like claws. It didn't touch her so she didn't really feel anything but she got the message. Nice try but you should still talk to others.

"I don't know anyone."

Do I even need to explain how poor an excuse that is? She didn't but it was true. No one around her town came to Duel Academy. Not that it would have made much of a difference. She didn't know anybody from her town. Not really. Come on. She watched her long time friend and partner motion for her to get up as she pointed to some general direction. Why not talk to a few people? How about that boy? Look, he's even staring at you. He must be shy.

"I don't think he's staring at me."

What are you... Yubel looked back to the boy and calculated exactly where he was looking. Yubel took a step to the right and then left. Then right again. The boy's gaze was focused on Yubel. She moved a clawed finger and the boy followed it. Oh... I think he can see me.

"I think you're right..."

 

[AceSorcerer]

[fieldbox=Alec Kerrigan, red, solid, 12, book antiqua]
I sense a powerful Duel Spirit nearby. And there's something else, too. Maybe... a Millennium Item? It's there but... it's sleeping?

As he leaned against the railing of the ship, Alec's mind was visited by the whispers of the Dark Magician, who still decided to hide his corporeal form until he was satisfied with appearing. Like Alec, the Dark Magician (or simply just Dark as Alec would address him on occassion, a chill running up his spine as some hidden part of him sensed the same occurrence as the Dark Magician did. The air of the ocean culminated into a stronge breeze, dancing through the clothes and hair of everyone on the outer decks of the large ferry carrying the roughly two hundred students that had passed the exam to enter Duel Academy (usualy the Academy had a maximum of seven hundred students) on its primary campus, although it had about five thousand students on all five campuses- but oddly enough the original campus was the smallest one. Either way, Alec shook his head, sighing and speaking up.

"Sleeping?"

Yes... like you, the user has yet to truly access the Millennium Item's power. So, therefore, the Item "sleeps," while yours, having been used by accident before, is more along the lines of "half-awake." But even then, I know very little. My spirit has existed for a very long time, so I know very much yet know very little. Wait... look to your left. I think the spirit is... pointing at you?

"Well... I guess it's time to make some friends."

The Dark Magician then appeared behind hims as the Duel Spirit did some moving around, Alec's eyes following her movements before approaching the pair, the spellcaster approaching the fiend while Alec approached the girl- who seemed to have quite a lovely charm that almost made Alec blush. If she had a Millennium Item then, unlike Alec did with his Millennium Key, it was hidden. He'd probably get some guff from people he'd meet later on- he was a Slifer Red trying to talk with an Obelisk Blue, after all- and offer her a polite handshake and a smile before spoke up in a curious baritone.

"Hello! My name Is Alec, Alec Kerrigan. My friend," Alec then motioned to the Dark Magician, confirming that he could see both of the Duel Spirits, "would like to invite you to our cabin to talk, if you don't mind. A place where we could have a bit of privacy."

After they accepted and Alec lead them into his cabin- closing the door behind them as he sat down, the Dark Magician appearing to do so himself although he couldn't in all reality. After a visit from the refreshment cart, grabbing some drinks, Alec opened a Gatorade and took a drink, setting it on the table before speaking up, the open window allowing in some of the salty sea breeze.

"Well, as I said before, my name is Alec. My friend here is the Dark Magician- you can call him 'Dark' if you want. I don't believe I've ever seen a Duel Spirit- or a card, resembling the one next to you. She must be an extremely rare card, perhaps even rarer than Dark Magician, to say the least."
[/fieldbox]

 

[Zero The Grimm]

Hikari couldn't say she ever met another person that could see Yubel before. It was surprising. Perhaps that meant there were others like her? In Duel Academy? The thought was interesting. Perhaps that's why she accepted his invitation to talk somewhere else. The man was... well mannered enough. Though odd to her. She didn't pay it much attention as her gaze focused on the new spirit. He was tall. Maybe taller then Yubel. Speaking of which, she had gone surprisingly quiet. It was her idea that she socialize. This was a start. She felt it though. Yubel was on guard. Perhaps because he had a spirit or perhaps because of his ability to see her.

"Hikari Rhodes." Introducing herself couldn't hurt. "And no. Yubel's special." As far as she knew, Yubel was one of a kind. "...Your magician looks odd." She felt Yubel inwardly send a small tug in her mind, the spirit having retreated from sight. What? It did. She imagined a Dark Magician slightly different.

 

[AceSorcerer]

[fieldbox=Alec Kerrigan, red, solid, 12, book antiqua]

Alec then removed his Deck from the small deck box that attached to his belt, shuffling through the cards until he pulled out one of his copies of the Dark Magician cards he had, putting it on the table to show to Hikari.

"My dad and grandad travel a lot for their work- my dad's an architect while my grandfather's a photographic journalist. On year when they were both in England, they found three of these alternate artwork cards that Pegasus had done to be auctioned off for charity. It was a lucky find and they bought them for way cheaper then they could have been charged, and they gave me the copies when I saw them next as a gift. It was actually the first Duel Monsters card I ever owned. So- at the very least- the artwork is unique. I'm not sure where duel spirits come from, but he seems to have existed since a long time ago, and he's my close friend. I trust him as much as I'm sure you trust Yubel."

The magician then bowed his head, a sign of respect to the woman and her companion, speaking in their minds as Duel Spirit could, offering a kind expression.

Miss Hikari, Lady Yubel- it is a pleasure to meet you both. I promise that I wish neither of you any harm, and I hope to be your friend in the days to come.

Then, slightly curious, he spoke up with a small smile before drinking more.

"May I ask how you met Yubel?"
[/fieldbox]

 

[Zero The Grimm]

Hikari looked over the cards, seeing the difference from the one she has seen with the king of games. It was different. Though purple did seem to suit the magician best. She looked back up to him when he asked his question.

"How we met?" Hikari thought for a moment, then inwardly looked toward Yubel. "Well... we've always been together. For as long as I can recall." She just always had been. For as far back as she recalled, Yubel was the first thing she could remember. Probably why she got so into dueling. "..." She glanced around the room, uncertain of what else to add to the conversation. She didn't usually talk with people all that often. Even less one on one. If was something she wasn't accustom to. "Well..." She took a sip of her water. "Thanks for the chat. Never knew anyone else who could talk to spirits." Was interesting.

 

[AceSorcerer]

[fieldbox=Alec Kerrigan, red, solid, 12, book antiqua]
Alec was somewhat surprised internally- he'd never made it this far into a conversation before without someon asking about the Millennium Item that hung around his neck. As he saw her uncertainty and her discomfort- something he knew all too well since was a bit of an introvert himself- he thought of something, smiling. He took out a piece of paper and a pen, jotting down his name and mobile phone number, taking another draught of Gatorade before speaking up again.

"If you'd oblige me, I'd like you to have number as well as to have a friendly duel when we arrive at the Academy. I find that one of the best ways to get to know someone is to see how the they duel, how their mind works. Other than that, I don't it's fair to ask all the questions... after all, I'm a bit of an introvert, too. I can't stand crowds for too long. Although, if you don't mind, my dad taught me a game to help me get to know new people. If you don't mind, I'd like to play around with you. We use our decks and flip over the top card, kind of like rock-paper-scissors. Monsters beat spells, spells beat traps, traps beat monsters. The winner gets to ask the loser any question they like. I suppose this would include Yubel and Dark as well. What do you think? You don't have to if you don't want to."
[/fieldbox]

 

[Zero The Grimm]

Hikari looked towards the piece of paper Alec wrote one before taking it. He glanced it over and placed it in her pocket. Well, it couldn't hurt. He might know some more about spirits. As he explained the small game he mentioned she grew a bit interested. It was like rock, paper, scissors. Only with cards as suppose to ones hands. "Yubel's not much for games with other people." She had never been able to play with others nor had she shown interest on the occasions Hikari did herself. Apart of her, or perhaps Yubel, did say to leave for the time at least. "But I'll... call you maybe. When I've settled down. Maybe duel." With the holographic projections she tried for her entrance exam, regular dueling with only cards had lost it's appeal.

 

[AceSorcerer]

[fieldbox=Alec Kerrigan, red, solid, 12, book antiqua]
"Well that's the cool thing about these Duel Disks- dueling with holograms everywhere we go. Either way, you take care."

He politely opened the door for her, then closing behind him before laying down on the cushioned cabin seat, echaling sharply. That had already used up a great deal of his social battery. Perhaps when he met whoever he met the other person in his cabin (as the people who shared cabins on the way over were either roommates or neighbors in their respective dorms), he could strike up some polite conversation. For now he just half-napped, yawning as he rested with his eyes closed. Dark Magician rested as well after he put his cards back in the container in his belt, popping his neck as he Millennium Key rose up and fell down with every breath that Alec took.
[/fieldbox]

 

[Craftsdwarf]

Awkwardly shifting her position, Yulice was starting to get bothered by the sun. It was relatively peaceful, but everywhere she turned she saw something she didn't care to engage in. Taking out her PDA, the glare from the sun made it awkward to see the screen, and as she growled, the parching of her throat caused her patience to run the end of its course.

Standing up, she headed back down below decks, skin feeling relief as it got out of the beating sun. Taking a drink from a water fountain, she headed back to her cabin, passing a white haired girl about a minute before reaching her door. Heading inside thoughtlessly, she froze halfway in, step stopping abruptly as she realized that someone else was in the room with her. Turning her head roughly, she saw the relatively nondescript boy, with the exception of the scar on his cheek and the gaudy gold object hanging on his neck.

Blinking vapidly, she turned away, stooping down and reaching for her trunk of possessions, pretending to busy herself before suddenly becoming aware of her rudeness. Turning her head back to him, she said plainly, "Hello." Her eyes couldn't help but be drawn to the item around his neck, something about it starting to irritate her.

 

[Cush Almighty]

VIRGIL BOWMEN
​

Virgil never wanted to attend duel academy, he would rather stay home close to him friends. He was actually being forced to attend Duel Academy by his parents. They made him study every day for his written exam, hammering in all the information her would need. When it came time to take it, Virgil was able to get a high enough score to be accepted. He wasn't stressing it and didn't care if he passed in the first place. His next challenge was at the duel exam and that actually peaked his interest. He rather enjoyed dueling and the stronger his opponent, the better the thrill of the duel.

He was going to be attending the first Duel Academy and needed to go to Japan to catch the ferry that would take him to the Island Duel Acadamy was on. He arrived in Japan the day before his Examination Duel with his parents. They knew he would pass so they took him out to dinner that. Virgil had all his belongings packed into a duffle bag, along with his lucky Gold Eye. He was dropped off at the place where his exam duel would be taking place and waited to be called. When it was his turn walked towards the first dueling platform and it began.

Virgil opponent was apparently was using a "Cyber Dragon" Deck of some sorts. Virgil himself used a "Monarch" deck and was very confident in its power. The duel was rather easy as he summoned Caius The Shadow Monarch on his second turn. He destroyed ever monster in his way, but his opponent Cyber Larva was able to negate damage and special summon another to replace it. Virgil kept destroying monster until his opponent changed things the direction of the battle by summoning Cyber Eltanin by removing all light machine monsters and gaining 500 attack and defense for each one. This monster had another effect which destroyed all monster beside itself on the field. Virgil would have been in trouble if he didn't have the trap card Escalation Of The Monarchs which allowed him to tribute Caius and summon Raiza The Strom Monarch. His effect is to Target one card and place it on the top of the deck and Virgil choose Cyber Eltanin. Cyber Eltanin effect still activated and Raiza was destroyed, but at least Cyber Eltanin was out the way. On his next turn, Virgil was able to summon Lucius The Shadow Vassal and deal 800 points of direct damage to win the duel.

After the duel, Virgil was told he would be placed in Ra Yellow and was sent to the ferry where he waited to be shipped off to Duel Academy. He was also given some equipment from Duel Academy such as Duel Disk and a PDA. He didn't care for the Duel Disk since had had a cooler one already, but the PDA seemed pretty interesting. He first decided to unpack and take a nap in his cabin. He was then awoken by his duel spirit Lucius.

"Virgil! Wake up!" The little pesky fiend was pulling on mouth and nose now attempting to get him.

Virgil slapped him of his face and sent him into head first into a wall. Virgil then laid up in his bed and turned his head to Lucius with a vexing look on his face. "No matter how hard I try Lucius, you are the only spirit that I can't block out."

"That's because you love me! You should be a little nicer to the guy who saved your bacon in that duel against the Examiner." He responded pointing at Virgil.

Virgil cracked his neck and yawned. "For once you were useful, even if Raiza did the heavy lifting. Anyway, why the hell did you wake me? I was having a good dream."

"I notice a strange presence on this ferry, a couple of them."

"Cool, what does that have to do with us?" Virgil responded unintrigued.

"I'm saying that there might be more to do on this boat then watch you sleep! Come on, let go see what this place has to offer. I want to explore! Come on, please!" Lucius pleaded. "Please, Please, Please, Please..." He continued to beg until Virgil gave in.

"Fine, Just shut up you annoying imp!" Virgil got out of his bed and through on his tan orange vest jacket back on over his brown collar shirt. He tied up his black colored dreadlocks and let them hang from the back, covering his neck. He went to sleep with most of his clothes on, even his shoes. He wore black jeans with some simple sneakers. Know that he was ready he begrudgingly stepped outside his cabin and searched the ferry for what Lucius was telling him about. After some time he spotted a short girl with snow white hair and his senses went haywire. Virgil wasn't that attune with his spiritual senses and didn't try to be, but this girl was different.

"Okay Lucius, Let's go see what this is all about." Virgil started to approach the white haired girl as his duel spirit concealed himself. "Yo, What up? I saw you walking alone and I thought you could use a friend to talk to." He said putting on a smile. He hoped he didn't come off a little too odd. He only was talking to her because he senses something off about her and it just drew him in. "My names Virgil by the way?" he said reaching his hand out for a handshake.

@Zero The Grimm

 

[AceSorcerer]

[fieldbox=Alec Kerrigan, red, solid, 12, book antiqua]
With a yawn, Alec stretched and sat upright. Rubbing the back of his neck, popping it a little before speaking up, the Millennium Key now plainly visible. He wondered if she could identify the item for what it was or just some form of enduring family heirloom. After all, despite the paleness of his skin it could be surmised he had some Egyptian ancestry from the ankh that was hanging around his neck. Something about this girl felt... familiar. She had an aura to her similar to what he felt from Hikari, that distant-yet-close connection that confused him so. And with no response from the Dark Magician, he just decided to be kind and friendly. As he noticed that she had stared at one of his features, and after he was sitting upright, he pointed to his scar, chuckling as he spoke up.

"Middle school shop class- had an accident while working on the show trailer. But, odd scars aside, my name is Alec, Alec Kerrigan. Like you, a Slifer Red. I'm gussing we're going to be neighbors since being together here probably meants that we've both got single bedrooms in the dorm. It's a pleasure to mee you. Might I have the pleasure of your name?"
[/fieldbox]

 

[Craftsdwarf]

"Ah," Yulice murmured plainly at Alec's explanations. "Is that how it is?" she responded, nodding in conformation at the newfound knowledge. She moved to go back to her things, before her gaze moved back up, Yulice stating, "I'm Yulice Gilliard." She looked at Alec for a moment, as if she was going to continue, before going back to her own business. Of which she had no business to speak of, opening her trunk and pretending to look around inside, raising the lid to keep Alec's eyes away from her possessions. Though, as she considered the note of the two of them getting single dorms, Yulice realized the likelihood of her being the only girl in Slifer Red. Or maybe not the only girl, but at least the odd one out. That thought was a bit more comforting, though either way, having her own room was nice. Being next to Alec? She was...indifferent.

Trunk trawling hand coming across something unexpectedly hard, Yulice gasped. "Ah. Wah!" Hands grasping an unwanted metal, she pulled out the golden Millennium Ring, grumbling, "I didn't pack this!" Glancing aside, she muttered with a hint of bitterness, "Xavier." It had to be him, right? "Messing with my things..." she grumbled, slumping back, one arm propping her up as the other held on to the Ring, the spikes clinking against each other as she stared into the eye, quickly becoming uneasy, eyes moving away to land on Alec's vaguely similar overly large gold object, Yulice's eyebrows furrowing as she was beginning to lean on the realization of some strange link.

 

[Zero The Grimm]

"You were awfully quiet." Hikair sounded to Yubel, though to others it might have been her talking to herself. "You usually encourage me to go out and talk." So, what gives?

It just felt off. Yubel sounded. Not use to humans seeing me.

"Hm..." Hikari just nodded. Well, maybe she could get some time to herself then...or another stranger could come walking up to her. She looked over the new person who just introduced himself. What was it with people and handshakes? She looked from the hand extended out to her and then to the face of the young man. "Hikari Rhodes and I'm fine." She really was.

 

[Cush Almighty]

Virgi saw she wasn't the type to shake hands. This didn't bother him one bit and place his hand down. It was out of character for him anyway, he was just trying to polite.

Hikari Rhodes and I'm fine." She replied. The way she said it made Virgil think she didn't want to be bothered. This is when Lucius had made his way behind Hikari and float up to her, landing his metal boots on his head. Virgil could only watch as Lucius did this. He was a misbehaving duel spirit and liked to play with humans who couldn't see him.

Lucius then began to speak. "Well, I don't think this little girl is anyone special. She quite rude actually, and short too. The rude part could be because you're just plain ugly. Who likes talking to ugly people. Not me." Lucius had broken chuckle knowing if Virgil was to respond to the imp and look like a wacko. He didn't want to be known as the crazy weirdo on campus.

"I'm sorry If bothering you...." Lucius might be right. This was just a waste of time and know he's feeling like some creep. "I'll be taking my leave Hikari. If I see you around campus I'll say what's up."

@Zero The Grimm

 

[AceSorcerer]

[fieldbox=Alec Kerrigan, red, solid, 12, book antiqua]
His eyes opened wide as he saw the Millennium Item before him. His grandfather had told him a little bit about the power of the various Millennium Items. The Millennium Ring, a Millennium Item that gave its user the power to seek anything they wished at the cost of their soul being split in half- the normal self, which Alec assumed that was before him, and the dark self, which resided within the Millennium Ring until some kind of stigma brought it out. He reached out to attempt to touch the other golden item, only for small arc of black sparks to arc into his figure, causing him to wave his hand to waft away the pain, somewhat. With a sigh, there was no doubt in his mind- her Millennium Item was the real deal. However, was it reacting because the "dark" side inside was protective, or because he wasn't the rightful owner. Shaking his head, he spoke up.

"How did you get the Millennium Ring? And even then, it seems to be reactng to my Millennium Key... I didn't think that I would see anyone else with a Millennium Item here! I'm warning you, even though it seems to have, well, chosen you, it can be dangerous. It can show you the way to anything you want, but after the first time someone wears it it splits their soul in half- so there's some 'Dark Yulice' in that Ring, hiding until something forces her out. But... I guess I might sound a bit crazy. Why don't we duel or something to pass the time?"
[/fieldbox]

 

[Craftsdwarf]

Hair standing on end from the slight crinkle of sparks that kept Alec at bay, Yulice held the Ring out at arms length, as though it might bite back on her.

Grimacing at Alec's explanation, Yulice now wanted less to do with this thing than ever. Chucking it back with the rest of her things, she muttered, somehow in disbelief at her own suggestion, "Oh, so it's merchandise from some old anime." Closing her trunk rather roughly, she lingered, knowing it was going to be there when she opened it again. Soul splitting? As ridiculous as it sounded, Yulice didn't even want to entertain the idea. And when a distraction presented itself...

"A duel? ...Okay."

Yulice was rather unenthusiastic: she hadn't touched her cards since the exam, though she knew she needed to restructure the entire deck. But even so, anything to keep her mind off things. Reaching into the holster at the belt of her uniform. She slid her deck out, looking through it before shuffling, letting out a tired sigh well before they'd even begun.

 

[Zero The Grimm]

"Hm..." Hikari's gaze fell just above Virgi's face to where the little imp was. Her gaze held for a moment and seemed like she was about to speak. The little thing was annoying and if she had to guess, the guy could see and hear him too. Another person who could see spirits? How many were there? "Not so much you..." She shook her head. "Never mind. I'll see you." She was not getting involved right now. She wanted to just get off this boat. It was too confining which lead to people having to talk to one another. Maybe later she would confront the little gremlin. Just not right now.

 

[AceSorcerer]

[fieldbox=Alec Kerrigan, red, solid, 12, book antiqua]

After a few turns, the spellcaster-specialized duelist used Eye of Timaeus to Special Summon Dark Paladin. Commanding an initial lead, the Millennium Key-wielding duelist found himself defenseless and destroyed after a few more rounds. He put all his card back in his deck, chuckling.

"That was an awesome Duel! You should've been in Ra Yellow- I haven't had such good fun in a duel for a while! Here, I want to give you something, I think it'll work good with your deck."

The Slifer Red then stood up, zipping open his duffel bag, opening his card trunk, pulling out a card before closing it once more and sitting down, handing it to her after he zipped and closed everything back up.

"Here- it's an Equip Spell Card known as 'Mage Power.' For every card in your Spell/Trap Zones- including Field Spells- the equipped monster gains 500 Attack and Defense Points. Since your Crystal Beasts have that effect to go into the Spell/Trap Zone, I figure you could use it to power up your monsters on the field. Consider it a gift, and the beginning of a new friendship! If you'd like, we could duel together to try and do better on the exams- or just for fun. Either is fine with me."

He then chuckled, smiriking at his new friend.
[/fieldbox]