Episode 42. - The Warming Heart Of A Volcano

Harriet Torren had been thoroughly enjoying herself lately in the new KirriCorp League. A combination of good luck, natural skill, and an unexpected array of tricks, made her a force to be reckoned with for many. Little did she know that she was about to meet her match, and it would probably turn out to be one of the most interesting experiences of her week.

She now scanned the room with her Kaijudo, looking for newcomers that had entered whilst she was caught up in her last game. Her attention was caught by one particular young man whose own Kaijudo was unlike any she had ever felt before. Soft and yet somehow unyielding at the same time. Her mind had quite a bit of trouble processing the sense of it, altogether. Of course, to a girl like Harriet, this instantly signaled that this was someone she should duel.

"You there? Kettou da."

Davis Kayos looked around at her, a bit startled by her looks, and the level of Kaijudo she seemed to be freely displaying. He seemed to have a momentary thought, then nodded, and moved to one of the nearby tables.

"I'm Harriet Torren. What's your name?" she asked as she deployed her shields.

"Davis Kayos. But... please just call me Shadow. Everyone else does."

"Ah, you're new around here, eh? Well, Shadow, you can go first, then. I have a pretty good idea what your deck is going to be like already," Harriet smirked, her voice carrying into his mind with the soft sweetness many had come to know her for. She drew her cards, and Shadow drew his, beginning the game by charging a Corile to his manazone.

"Hm... not many people use that card in this league anymore..." Harriet noted, charging a Burst Shot to her own mana zone. Shadow did the same on his own turn. Harriet tilted her head in slight confusion. Her Kaijudo reached out, to brush against that of her opponent again. It seemed like the Kaijudo of a duelist that would be playing a late-game deck. Burst Shot did not exactly fit into her initial impressions of him.

"Come on, let's move," came the impatient insistence of her fiery avatar. Harriet chuckled to herself. Less thinking, more fighting. The Bombersaur was always like that. She charged light mana now, and ended her turn. Her deck was not exactly a quick starter either, but with Cranium Clamp now requiring an enemy creature to attack, she could pick and choose how to deal with situations like this one. Her Kaijudo pressed against Shadow's one last time, to make sure that she had not been mistaken in her impression. Satisfied that this was indeed a late-game duelist, she sat back and prepared herself for the long haul.

Shadow charged darkness mana, a Bloody Squito... and summoned one of the buzzing Brainjackers as well.
"End turn."

Harriet looked confused. Blocker summon with nothing to block was not a move people often made against her. Their hand was seldom in danger, and currently, neither were his shields.
"Mana Nexus to mana, summon... Kanesill, the Explorer."

The appearance of the Berserker finally created the zone. Harriet's mountain. Shadow's realm did not seem like much yet, merely the ocean near this mountain. He charged mana. A Crimson Hammer, then ended his turn.

Harriet frowned. Unyielding Kaijudo. Yet unlike most other duelists, Harriet Torren could actually do something about this sort of opponent without targeting either their shields or the cards in their hand.
"All right dear. Mana Crisis. Let's drain some of that water away..."

Though the ocean itself did not vanish, the tide definitely went out, the water's edge receding considerably as Shadow lost his single water mana card. He drew his card and replenished it immediately, but did nothing else. Harriet made a face. The return of water mana was not a problem, but he had not actually done anything.

"Time to party!" came the gravelly, laughing declaration. Shadow looked up, apparently he had been privy to that bit of exclamation as well. Harriet charged fire mana. A Rumble Gate. Then, from her mountainous realm, a small eruption occurred. Bombersaur.

Shadow looked down at the card. Though he was in the zone, his level of rapture was not near that of Harriet yet, possibly because his only creature was the Bloody Squito. He charged more water mana.
"Hm."

Harriet looked at him, thinking to herself.
"Hm? 'Hm' what? Did he see something? Did we move too fast? What's going on?"

"I don't think it was anything like that..." Harriet reassured her avatar, "He's just a little... slower than us, that's all."
Harriet continued now, charging no further mana, but her summon created another minor eruption, from the same spot. A bit less intense than the first. Magmarex.

"Bombersaur, break his shield. Ikei!"
She pointed out her target, and the shield shattered uneventfully, ending her turn. Now the usual crowd was around them. They were interested in the newcomer, but since Harriet tended to overwhelm most newcomers, they were mostly taking the 'vulture' approach, watching to see what weaknesses he had that could be exploited, if they were to have to duel him. Harriet could feel their intentions, and let out a small scoff. This was not what she had intended to do, by dueling him, but it was too late now.

"I send... my Rumbling Terahorn to mana..." Shadow said now, "And cast Mana Nexus."
The effect generated a shield, and of course, Harriet could see that behind this 'shield' an Aqua Surfer lay in wait. She pressed her Kaijudo against that of her opponent gently, trying to prompt him further into the zone, but got no serious response. He ended his turn.

"Come on, kiddo..." she muttered to herself as she drew her card, "You can do it..."
Again, she played no mana of her own. What she did, was send a Crisis Boulder sailing into the ocean of Shadow's mindspace, destroying the Burst Shot card, as his choice. His Kaijudo still seemed to run a little low. Harriet decided to spike it a bit. She would have to face the Surfer at some point anyway, so it might as well, more or less, be right then.

"You sure? I can always smack a different shield..."

"I'm sure..." she mentally directed her avatar, even as her honeyed voice made the actual declaration; "Bombersaur, set shield. Ikei!"

The Aqua Surfer's wave did not remove the Magmarex, but sent the Bombersaur itself away. Harriet seemed a bit surprised at this, but realized that Shadow had, quite possibly, recognized which of the Rock Beasts on the field she identified with. No matter how long she dueled or how much she trained herself, there was always a dip in her psychic energy when the Bombersaur left the battle zone. Now, she ended her turn. Her opponent's Kaijudo had not gone up much, but hers had at least fallen to his level somewhat.

"Scarlet Skyterror to mana... Cast Eureka Charger."
Shadow now drew one more card, and the energy of the spell dispersed through his ocean as well. Harriet drew her card, and somehow, felt it best to continue further without charging any more mana, even now.

"I summon Meteosaur! To scorch your Aqua Surfer! End turn."
Her Kaijudo burst upward like a volcano in itself, but it was all pyrotechnics, really, meant to impress the growing crowd and draw some attention from them, and hopefully some response from Shadow. His Kaijudo still did not grow. Harriet relaxed again.

"Maybe he doesn't actually have more than that?" her avatar suggested. Harriet considered it, whilst Shadow made his move, replenishing his Fire mana in the form of a Burst Shot.

"I cast Energy Stream..." he said, drawing two cards, "And Dark Reversal, to bring back my Corile."

Harriet raised an eyebrow. She did not remember destroying a Corile. The only creature Shadow had actually put on the field himself so far had been the Bloody Squito. Clearly, though, it had been a Corile that he retrieved. She nodded to herself as she remembered. Her early Mana Crisis attack.

"Is this really all he's got?" she thought, trying to see if she could get a better grasp on his side of the battle zone, "I can't really sense too much."

"Let's go over there and see," came her avatar's suggestion, in an almost gleeful manner. Harriet complied. She still did not bother to charge any more mana. It did not seem necessary.

"Rumble Gate! Kanesill, destroy the Squito! Ikei!"
Her energy swept over Shadow now as the Berserker obliterated the blocker. Harriet was never one to do things halfway, though...

"Magmarex, break his shield. Ikei!"
The shield broke with no trigger. Harriet was not too worried about them, since two Burst Shot were already gone, and her Meteosaur currently had three thousand power thanks to the spell and would not be destroyed anyway. If she triggered another Surfer, it would return the Meteosaur and give her a means to dispose of it. The shield did not trigger. Her energy surged forward again...

"Meteosaur, break shield. Ikei!"
She was willing to take that risk now. Yet the lack of Kaijudo response from her opponent seemed a bit odd. She was wearing him down a bit, but he did not seem to quite know how to do what she was doing, himself. On the other hand, his deck had not exactly done very much yet either. The shield broke with no trigger. She ended her turn.

"Hmm."
Shadow drew his card, and charged another of his Burst Shot to his mana zone. As expected, he summoned his Corile. Harriet nodded when he pointed out her Magmarex. Being Coriled no longer bothered her. Before, it would have brought her Kaijudo crashing down, even with an opponent who did not use their own much.

"And I cast Crimson Hammer on your Meteosaur as well."
The impact, moreso than anything else, dealt the finishing blow to the Meteosaur, reducing her forces to just her Berserker. On the other hand, Shadow now had only his Corile. He ended his turn. His Kaijudo still had not swelled forward. Harriet pressed hers against his yet again. Was this calm? Or inexperience? She could not tell.

"I'll send Magmarex to mana--"

This got a 'Finally' mutter out of someone in the crowd. She sent a flare of Kaijudo at the 'offender'. She would charge her mana when she pleased. Her Kaijudo in general now, surged powerfully again, even before she actually said the words.
"Summon Bombersaur."

Now her turn ended, and Shadow continued, charging water mana and summoning a Bronze-Arm Tribe, which in turn added fire mana to the mix. His Magmadragon Jagalzor.

"Oh. Hm... he has that same card that I heard the champion's started using..." she noted.

"I can take him," Bombersaur remarked, with a confident 'nod'.

"Summon Aqua Surfer, to return your Bombersaur," Shadow declared now.

"Or not... " her avatar corrected, "But... you know... whatever..."
Harriet laughed. No one knew why. Shadow looked at her oddly. He did not see what was funny about his move, but he figured she was about to show him. He ended his turn.

"Why do they hate to move so much? I could never stand it," she thought to herself with a chuckle, drawing a Magmarex, which she summoned. The explosive lava flow caught the Bronze-Arm Tribe, destroying it. Harriet was not particularly concerned about which Rock Beast specifically was on the field, as long as there was one. Just in case.

Shadow drew his card, his Kaijudo rising a bit now, but nothing like what Harriet was used to. "I summon Illusionary Merfolk!" he declared, drawing his three cards, his Kaijudo rising more quickly now as the ocean seemed to swell to life around him.

"So that's why. He uses the champion's draw engine as well. Interesting..."

"Summon Bloody Squito, and Aqua Hulcus."

The blip of Kaijudo registered to Harriet as that similar to herself summoning the Bombersaur, but since she had not felt it the first time, it could not be the Squito.

"Hulcus?" Bombersaur queried her, seeming confused. Harriet mentally shrugged.

"You're one to talk... you're not exactly normal in this role either, from what we've seen..."
She referred to more 'popular' entities she had found other duelists identifying with. Huge dragons like Bazagazeal and Bolmeteus.

"Meh. I can take 'em..." Bombersaur repeated confidently, conveniently neglecting to 'mention' that he would have to evolve in order to do so. Shadow ended his turn. Harriet drew her card, and noted that the number of creatures on her opponent's field was expanding a bit more than she was comfortable with...

"I probably shouldn't have played around with you so much..." she said softly, "Now I have to turn around..."

Shadow made a slightly displeased face, something akin to a pout. He would see how serious she was a moment later, after she charged mana with her Bombersaur.
"Lightning Charger! On your Bloody Squito!"

The electric force shot out, zapping not only the Brainjacker, but leaving residual sparkles of light from that part of her mountain, enough energy to continue with the next part of her plan, one which caused another seismic jolt of powerful Harriet brand Kaijudo.
"Rumble Gate! Kanesill, attack Illusionary Merfolk! Magmarex, destroy Corile! Ikei!"

Shadow's eyes opened wide, and he seemed to momentarily tremble, but soon it was over, and his two creatures were gone. He drew his card.
"Hm."

"What now?" Harriet wondered to herself, watching him charge Nature mana. He summoned a Thrash Crawler, and picked up a Rumbling Terahorn, then took her by surprise, rather than summoning the Terahorn, he cast Lost Soul, forcing her to discard her Bombersaur, and a Tornado Flame.

"Awww..." her avatar complained as she placed the card in the graveyard pile. She had been playing to suit what she thought would happen, but Shadow's movements, though mostly predictable, were not exactly crushing. So, rather, Harriet had been dueling looking for threats that had not really come.

"Oh well. I'm sure something wickedly fun will turn up soon..." she thought to herself, but even as she drew her card, her Kaijudo dipped a bit. Just a Mana Crisis. She cast it to remove a Jagalzor from her opponent's manazone. She was far more willing to risk a revival card summon of the beast, than a Thrash Crawler assisted appearance. Now, Harriet ended her turn, leaving the crowd anxious. It was not that the sight of Harriet Torren with no cards in hand was in any way strange, but moreso that she actually seemed to be forced to stop, for once.

"Lost Soul to mana... I summon Aqua Hulcus, and Rumbling Terahorn."
The thunderous hooves brought a Corile with them. Harriet pouted. Not as bad as it used to be, but still annoying. Even so, she felt confident. Something would turn up, out of her deck, it always did. She drew her card, and frowned.

"Summon Engineer Kipo. End turn."

Shadow drew his card.
"Hm."

Harriet's expression became a cold pout now. The sound Shadow occasionally made was not accompanied by any Kaijudo surges. She wondered if he was mocking her, or simply considered her beneath his notice altogether. She had met some late-game duelists that seemed to consider her to be nothing more than an annoying obstacle on their way to their 'true opponents'... even if she stopped them.

"I summon Corile. I... guess..."

"You 'guess'?"

"Um... I'm taking that back," he laughed nervously, "Is that okay?"

Harriet shrugged. It was only a friendly duel anyway. It would be unlucky, on his part, to have to lose because of something like that, and her philosophy was always that bad luck made for highly unsatisfying duel experiences.
"Be my guest."

"Thank you."
It was actually a bit odd for her to feel. Few Kaijudo users ever took back their moves, so to watch it happen was a bit unnerving... rather like hitting a rewind button on the odd dreamscape reality that their minds projected. She could tell that some of the others around were equally confused by the 'de-summon', but all returned to normal a moment later when Shadow used the new energy to cast a Terror Pit.

"Hm. Magmarex."

Instantly, Harriet regretted it. Things could only go downhill from here. At least in her hand she would have a bit more of a choice, but she had committed to it, and the effect completed now as she drew her card, hoping that it would be something she could use, even without the Magmarex there, threatening to evolve into something greater. As it was, it turned out to just be another Kanesill.

"Ugh... End turn..."

Shadow drew his card, and, again...
"Hm."

"He's drivin' me crazy. Want me to go over there and have a talk with Hulcus?" Bombersaur offered sincerely. Harriet shushed him, unsure of whether or not Shadow's Kaijudo could pick up on conversations she had with her avatar. She had met a few duelists that could.

Shadow now placed another Mana Nexus in his manazone, and cast another Terror Pit, this time, on her Engineer Kipo. The juncture of their manazones was disrupted by the explosive way that Kipos tend to take their deaths, obliterating fire mana cards on both sides. Shadow followed this up with a Corile summon. Harriet groaned inwardly. Had she made him keep the first Corile play, this one could have been avoided. As it was, her Explorer was swirled back to her hand by the wave of a purple appendage, and Shadow ended his turn.

She drew her card. A Tornado Flame. For a moment, her irritation made her want to torch the Corile with it, but she instantly calmed herself.
"Whoa there, girl... you're letting it get to you... let's just..."

She now simply summoned her Explorer, rather than frying the Cyber Lord in her frustration. Her Kaijudo returned to a peaceful shimmer with both of the Berserkers there. Mentally, she communicated to her opponent now at last, as she stood atop her mountain, an Explorer floating on either side of her. No one else could hear her mental admonition.
"I'm being lenient, don't--"

"Apocalypse Vise!" Shadow declared a moment later, causing her to shield herself as the two Explorers were crunched out of existence above her head in a fiery display.

"-- disappoint me..." her thought finished, clearly already taking on exactly that emotion.

Externally, she sighed. Shadow chuckled slightly, and made a strange smirk.

"Lemme at 'im!" Bombersaur raged, "I'll show 'im! Oooh, that's good too, go with that."

Her avatar referred now to the Meteosaur she had drawn. She summoned it, and a jet of flaming lava scorched the Corile out of existence. One turn late. Shadow made another strange displeased face. Harriet ended her turn.

"I cast Lost--" he stopped midway, the dark wispy energy just about to invade Harriet's mind and rob her of her remaining resource, then he picked up the card and untapped his mana. She shook her head to clear it. Disconcerting. Shadow made yet another displeased face.

"Why was I doing that?"

"At this point, dear, I don't really know why you are doing anything in particular..." Harriet sighed, as he began his assault. His two Hulcus, Surfer, and Terahorn, shattered four of her shields, and it was only on the fourth attack, the Terahorn's charge, that anything triggered. A Tornado Flame. Harriet hesitated for a moment, the earth beneath her rumbling in itself as she tried to decide which to finish. If she could get a Burst Shot now...

"Hm?"

"Terahorn," she said, her normally melodic voice now sounding slightly irritated. The Horned Beast was consumed in erupting flame, and Shadow's turn ended.

"Come on now... something..." she mentally complained. What she drew, was a Mana Nexus. She looked at her field, then at that of her opponent, and grinned. Good enough.

"I cast Mana Nexus, to generate another Mana Nexus as my shield. End turn."

Shadow drew his card and charged fire mana.
"Lost Soul."

Harriet winced again, dropping her two Engineer Kipo into the grave. She then sighed, pouted slightly, and looked around at those watching. They seemed to be far more into it, at this point, than even she was. Shadow ended his turn. She drew yet another Kipo, and summoned it. Shadow drew his card.

Harreit stretched and yawned. She was bored now. Her opponent's Kaijudo had not moved, and she was fairly sure by now that it was not because he disregarded her, but merely that there was not that much of it in the first place. He cast a Crimson Hammer on her Kipo, and ended turn. She drew her card, her Kaijudo receding into herself, mental imagery dimming.

"Summon Kulus, Soulshine Enforcer."
Her mental imagery and Kaijudo now raised slightly again, as the first Kulus' effect placed a second one into her mana zone. With no more cards in her hand, this was no help. Her turn ended there. She blinked noncommittally.

"Finally," Shadow remarked, noting the card he had drawn. Instantly, Harriet's Kaijudo rose again, expecting something spectacular to crash down upon her. Perhaps he even had another Jagalzor. In the end, Shadow played an Emeral, followed by an Illusionary Merfolk, then another Aqua Hulcus. Harriet slumped back in her seat a little.

"Oh... just the drawing again."

Shadow ended his turn. She drew her Bombersaur.
"We've got 'im! Let's do this!" her avatar celebrated as she summoned it. Harriet did not seem in the mood. She was fairly sure of what would be next to come. She was right.

"Energy Stream to mana. Summon Corile, on your Kanesill."

"How utterly ridiculous," she finally intoned, no longer bothering to hide her displeasure at the duel. She was a girl used to explosive battle and volcanic eruptions, and would often find some way to engineer this even in duels against this type of deck, but today, there was no such luck. Her Explorer vanished with a wave of a Corile's hand.

"Terror Pit, on your Bombersaur."

"Told you..." she smirked knowingly at her avatar as the darkness swallowed it up. Bombersaur scoffed, and, as he was wont to do in these situations... exploded. This took light and fire mana from Harriet's side, and evaporated two mana from Shadow's Ocean.

"Aqua Hulcus, ikei!"
The Mana Nexus triggered, generating a new shield. The Burst Shot. Shadow hesitated for a moment, but he had clearly won. He just had to lose quite a bit himself, in order to actually do it.

"Aqua Surfer, ikei!"
As much as Harriet wished, deep down, that the other shield was also destructive, maybe a Tornado Flame to stop the Illusionary Merfolk, it was merely another of her Kulus. The duel was over.

"Hm."

"Oh, for f-"

"Hulcus, ikei!"

The triggered shield resulted in an eruption that sent a hail of fiery rocks and ash down into Shadow's forces, wiping out all that could attack her, save the Illusionary Merfolk.

"Illusionary Merfolk, todomeda!" his declaration was accompanied by a wave of Kaijudo, that washed over Harriet Torren with no apparent effect. She blinked at him. He made a displeased face yet again.

"Sorry..." he muttered, "I've been learning so much in this KirriCorp league though! My deck can do things I never even thought of before... but I had a bit more trouble with yours than I thought I would... do you have any suggestions? To make it better?"

Harriet looked him up and down and smiled slightly. He really was quite the 'Aqua Hulcus'.
"It's fine as it is. Good luck with it."

"Thanks, I'm hoping to make it to the North American Championship if I can qualify."

"Maybe I'll see you there, then. I've met the requirements already, myself," she told him, getting up from the seat. Another duelist eagerly slid into it, to take her place. She sighed... vultures...