(Author's note: This is my newest project- it's intended as a companion piece to Burning Red, though you can read one without necessarily having read the other. They share the same alternate universe setting, and while the majority of the early events in this fanfic occur slightly before the events of Burning Red, they will eventually synch up. THIS FANFIC DOES NOT MEAN BURNING RED IS ON HIATUS. I'm working on chapter nine at the moment, and I should have it shortly up afterward- this fanfic is a chance for me to tell a story and write some duels that I couldn't have used in Burning. I shall now offer the usual disclaimers: Yu-Gi-Oh! is not affiliated with Scarlet Weather Inc. It is instead the property of Kazuki Takahashi, Konami Digital Entertainment, NAS, and all other applicable copyright-holders and people who enjoy taking my money. Given that 5Ds has had a positive overflow of awkward and painful writing in its later episodes, I do not feel any regret admitting this, except perhaps that I wasn't the one who wrote the GX manga. All original characters, fake trading cards, original settings, or other material not-copyrighted by any of the aforementioned parties is public domain, but if you take it from this fanfic without giving credit or asking in advance and I find out, I shall not refrain from calling you a pootyhead. As usual, credit to Comedy of Circumstances for beta-reading and providing advice/creative input, this chapter wouldn't have been half as good without it. All original cards used shall be cataloged at the end of each chapter for your convenience, any other cards can be found with a quick search on the Yu-Gi-Oh Wikia. Without further ado, I present...)

Yu-Gi-Oh: Devil's Debt

Chapter One: The Pale Moonlight

When one knows a place well enough, it can become a second home- or an extension of home. The quirks and ins and outs of it become as familiar as those of their own bedroom. When a change is made without prior knowledge or consent, it is as if someone has rearranged furniture without the homeowner's permission. Lynn felt that way about the El Dorado- her occupation all but required that she visit the bar at least three times a week in the months before a major event, and while she would never outright admit it, any changes she wasn't informed of in advance would occasionally ruin her mood. A small change in décor had once set her teeth on edge for a whole evening. Fortunately, on this particular evening, there had been no such changes. As she stepped into the door, collapsing the black umbrella she carried with her that was now slick with evening rain and placing it in a basket provided near the entrance, she felt a sense of returning after an absence, as if she had just been away from home for a few days and had only just made it back.

Barry sat in the corner, reading his newspaper. Lynn smiled as she noticed him- the informant was dressed entirely in black, from the turtleneck he wore down to his loafers, and try as he might to disguise it the bald patch in the middle of his head had grown in size since the last time she had seen him. She crossed the room and slipped into the chair across the small table from his, staring directly ahead as if interested in something else entirely. Without making a fuss of it, she inched her hand along the table and tapped the newspaper.

The informant turned to Lynn and rolled his eyes. "…Taylor, people have seen the two of us talking for months now. You don't need to do the whole secret agent thing."

Lynn grinned, brushing a stray strand of her long, blonde hair back into place. "But you have to admit, you do enjoy it. Plus, I like watching you jump when I come in without you noticing." She was rewarded by an angry "Hmmph!" that forced her to restrain giggles.

Barry lowered his paper a moment later and sighed. "So you want the latest predictions on the deck spread for the Games?" Lynn's response to his question was an angelic smile and an inquisitive tilt of her head. The informant sighed again, setting his newspaper aside and producing a manila envelope from a briefcase near his feet. "So, brought anything as compensation? I can't just hand this stuff out, you know. I have a-"

"Wife and three kids. Except you don't," Lynn interrupted, giggling slightly. "I've known you long enough to know that you have two cats and that's about it. But I understand." She reached into the pocket of the grey trench coat she had worn to keep off the rain, producing a small wallet, and counted out several bills. "How much will this cover?"

Barry accepted the money discretely, counting it behind his newspaper before slipping it into his own pocket. "Not bad," he admitted. "Who did you mug for that?"

"Nobody you know," Lynn deadpanned. "Am I going to get my info now?"

Without another word, the informant slid the envelope across the table to Lynn, who accepted it gratefully. "Thanks, Barry," she said as she quickly perused the contents. "This is juicy stuff. I'll buy you a drink sometime."

"Buy me something I don't have enough of already," Barry laughed mirthlessly. "Go on, Taylor, get out of here. Don't you have better things to do than clog up my negotiating table?"

"Didn't realize you'd bought this table, Barry," Lynn replied as she straightened up, returning both her wallet and the manila envelope to the confines of her trench coat.

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Barry rolled his eyes. "That joke wasn't funny the first eighteen times."

"So it was funny the next twelve times I told it then?"

"GO."

Lynn could barely contain her giggles as she moved away from the table and towards the main bar. The wager she had made last night had paid off with large dividends and even with Barry's somewhat-considerable fee, she wouldn't have to worry about money for a few days at least. It was time to sit back and relax with a nice mixer.

That was when she bumped into a tall man with brilliant red hair dressed in an immaculate white suit. With no way to stop her own momentum, Lynn felt herself plow into the six-foot giant ahead of her. While not quite as tall as the man, Lynn was certainly heavy enough to knock the unsuspecting patron over and send the two of them crashing to the ground. She recovered quickly and sat up, rubbing at the back of her head. "Owowowowowow…"

"Haha… what a coincidence!" The man Lynn bumped into had recovered almost instantly, leaping back to his feet. "Such a beauty as yourself colliding with the Invincible Fortress… it's destiny!"

Lynn stared at the man in front of her. "…That's seriously your best pick-up line?"

The 'Invincible Fortress' genuinely looked hurt for a moment. "You have no right to defame the Invincible Fortress in this way!" he shot back. "I am the rising star of the dueling world, and when I-"

"Rising Star of the dueling world, eh?" Lynn interrupted. "Fine then. Meet me downstairs, we'll play by Peacock official rules."

The man only stood and stared, confused by her statement.

"…That's what I thought," Lynn said as she edged past the man smoothly, taking a seat at the bar between two women. Ignoring his protests, she turned to the bartender instead. "One margarita please. And use the best tequila you've got."

The bartender shook his head slightly. "Out of the good stuff tonight. That guy who was hitting on you just drank down the last few glasses."

Lynn forced herself to keep smiling and restrained her urge to walk back to the still-protesting man in white and kick him in his most vulnerable area. "Fine then. Bloody Caesar, please," she replied calmly. "…And please. Make the vodka… a little on the strong side?"

"It's always strong," the bartender deadpanned as he mixed the drink, finishing it in a matter of minutes. He presented the tomato-red mixer to his customer without flourish, pausing only to garnish it with the traditional celery stalk. "Enjoy."

Lynn laid her money on the table, relaxed, and threw back her first sip of the drink. The bitter taste of vodka combined with the flavors of pepper, horseradish, celery and tomato in her mouth, and she smiled inadvertently. "Daaaaaamn. Good stuff." She grinned as she sipped at the drink again, savoring its taste.

Her respite lasted only for a moment. After all, she hadn't come to the bar just to pick up information and get a drink. There was one other item of business to take care of. Lynn leaned back casually and dipped into the trench coat pocket opposite of where she stored her wallet. She rifled through the contents, producing a deck box, which she removed and opened. Slowly she fanned out the contents, scanning each individual card in her deck. To most patrons, maintenance on a deck of trading cards would go unnoticed, but at this time of the day there were almost certainly a few who would catch the signal she was sending- the subtle way she was going through the cards, fanning them out, moving one to the back, and fanning them out again.

Twenty minutes later, Lynn began to lose her patience. The highball glass her drink had been served in sat beside her, completely emptied. She hadn't bought a replacement drink- she couldn't afford to let alcohol cloud her head. Still, she continued shuffling her deck. She couldn't believe that with only two weeks until the Games, nobody who knew what the signal meant would be at the bar. It wasn't-

"Damn it!" Lynn swore as she fumbled her cards, spilling them on the ground. She dived to pick them up, scooping up the majority of them before any of the other patrons had a chance to lend her assistance. Before she could snatch her last card, however, another hand beat her to it. Lynn got to her feet in time to stare into the eyes of a large man with bulging muscles, dressed in what qualified as one of the tackiest outfits she had ever seen- a business suit combined with cowboy boots and a ten-gallon-hat. "Um… hello, sir. If I could just take my card back…"

"…This card's yours?" the man answered, his voice tinged with a definite southern drawl.

Lynn forced herself not to laugh at what she was sure qualified as the corniest southern accent of all time, and instead nodded mutely. "Yes. I just dropped it a minute ago. If you could just hand it back…?"

"Back?" the man seemed surprised by the question. "Er, yes, back! Take it on back. Sorry 'bout that little mix-up there." He passed the card to Lynn, smiling. "Er… say, that's a pretty rare card there, ain't it?"

"So it is," Lynn smiled slightly, accepting the trading card, and slipped it back into her deck. "Um, mister… if you were any more excited about it, you'd be drooling."

The man laughed nervously. "Well, I was just gettin' to thinkin'… since you're in the Dorado already, and we're both carryin' a deck… wouldn't you be willing to wager that card in a duel? Peacock rules?"

Lynn paused in the act of returning her deck to its container. "…Peacock rules, you say? And just what would my compensation be?"

"Just a tic." The man reached into his coat pocket, rummaged around for a moment, and removed a card. Glancing furtively to either side, he showed it to Lynn. "…This good enough for stakes?"

Lynn did her level best to avoid letting the surprise she was feeling show on her face. It was bad for negotiations of this type to look too impressed. Still, one look at that card was enough to nearly send her into a skeleton dance. This card hadn't even been mass produced yet, as far as she knew, meaning this guy had somehow managed to get a preview or 'sneak peek' special edition release. Lynn licked her lips thoughtfully, imagining how her employer would react to such a valuable haul. "…I'll take that bet," she said after a moment's notice. "Just a sec, I'll set us up with a private arena."

"Much obliged, ma'am," the duelist continued, his southern drawl still dominating his voice. "See ya there."

Lynn could barely contain her feelings of relief. Twenty minutes had passed without an opponent catching her signal, and out of nowhere a fat, juicy chance at profit had landed in her lap. All she had to do was win this duel, and that Yamasato character she was working with wouldn't have any complaints about her output for a few weeks, at least.

"Hey, bartender," she called over her shoulder. "I'd like a private room so my friend and I can talk about old times and play a hand of blackjack."

"I'll let the boys downstairs know," the bartender replied, not taking his eyes off the glass he was cleaning.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

By the time Lynn and the man in the cowboy hat had made their way to the small, downstairs dueling arena the bartender had cleared out most of the casual players, ushering them into the adjoining duel area. Lynn smiled as she walked towards the center of the battlefield- little more than a stage raised a few steps off the ground, with just enough space for two duelists to summon their monsters without worrying about cramped solid vision. In the center, two duel disks had been provided, both of them standard models even if their make was at least a year old. Lynn selected one and moved to her corner of the stage, popping her deck into it. She paused for a moment and unbuttoned the top button of her coat, smiling sweetly at her opponent. "D'you mind?"

"Not at all, ma'am," the man in the cowboy hat replied as he picked up his own duel disk. "Wouldn't want you to overheat."

"Thanks a bunch," Lynn replied airily as she finished unbuttoning the coat and slipped it off, carefully laying it on the ground next to her. Beneath it, she wore a black shirt with long sleeves- not so tight that it was uncomfortable to wear, but not so loose that it hung around her body. She winked slightly at the other player as she slipped on her duel disk. "Ready to play?"

"You bet," the opponent smiled and extended his right hand. "Pleasure meetin' you ma'am, I'm James Smith."

"Lynn Taylor," Lynn replied as she accepted the handshake before walking back to her edge of the stage. "Right then, let's get started!"

The life point counters on both duel disks lit up, ticking up to the standard four thousand. In unison, both players pressed a button near the counter, causing the total on both disks to double to a full eight thousand points. Both duelists raised their disks and two voices rang out at the same time. "DUEL!"

"Ladies first," Lynn declared, drawing. She mused over the contents of her hand before selecting a card. "I'll set this, I think, and end my turn." A single, horizontal card shimmered into existence on her field, the monster's identity hidden from her opponent. (?/?)

"I'll draw!" the large man countered as he grabbed the top card of his deck. He glanced at its identity momentarily before placing it on the field. "I'll be summonin' Rescue Cat, in attack position!" With a cry that could only be described as 'simply adorable', a small grey-and-white striped kitten wearing a hard hat with small red circle on it and a whistle around its neck toddled onto the field, staring up at Lynn with sparkling blue eyes. "Cutie, ain't he?" (300/100)

Lynn fought back a serious urge to coo at the solid vision, instead forcing a grin. "…I'm guessing you're not keeping him around for long, though?"

"Damn straight," Smith laughed as he pointed to the small monster. "I'll tribute it for its own effect, special summonin' two level three or lower beasts from my deck! Go, Herdin' Cat!"

Before Lynn could even roll her eyes at the awful pun, the cat had raced off, eagerly blowing at its tiny whistle. In its place, two new beasts leaped onto Smith's field. The first was a lithe, powerful black panther clad in a black and red superhero's cape, who stood regally; apparently unaware of how ridiculous the accessory looked. Beside it sat a small, adorable red puppy, unusual save for the fact that three heads poked through its spiked collar, each crowned with a golden head-plate. (1000/500) (1000/400)

"Neo-Spacian Dark Panther and The Fabled Cerburrel," Smith grinned as he indicated each monster on his field. "Now who says cats and dogs don't get along?"

Lynn barely managed to keep from wincing at the joke. "…You got something you're tuning for?"

"Well, hell yeah," her opponent grinned, "Why else would I have these two out here? Level two, Cerburrel and level three Dark Panther, let's get this drive moving! Tuning!"

The three heads of the pup began barking in unison as it chased its own tail before exploding into two green rings of light. The panther leaped into the center, striking a heroic pose as its body disappeared and transformed into three glowing orbs of light. As the rings and orbs aligned with each other, Smith launched into a chant. "Breakin' the point where earth and space come together, show us what justice looks like! Synchro summon! Shoot 'em down, Ally of Justice-Catastor!"

The creature that emerged from the column of light formed by the synchro summon was a large, heavy machine with a design that seemed completely alien. While it hovered in the air, the creature did have four long, spindly limbs each tipped with a curving, golden claw, and at its tail end two golden-plated gun turrets pointed themselves at Lynn's set monster. At its front a single optical sensor whirred and clicked. (2200/1200)

Lynn bit back a smile. "Just showing off with a synchro summon that early? Catastor can't touch face-down monsters."

"Hardly, ma'am." Smith's face lit up as his jovial grin became predatory. "I'll remove Cerburrel and Dark Panther in my graveyard from play in order to special summon…"

As Smith removed the cards, a purple-tinged orb filled with writhing shadows and a second orb of pale, shimmering light rose from the ground in front of him. The two melded together, whirling and competing for a moment before they stretched out and took solid form. A tall man with blue-tinged skin stood beside Catastor, clad in strange black garments tinted with red. A series of metal straps ran along his waist up to his neck, making a cross-like shape. The strange creature grinned as it floated into the air. "…My ace in the hole, Chaos Sorcerer!" (2300/2000)

With a flourish, Smith pointed to Lynn's set monster. "Ally of Justice- Catastor, toast that thing! Sure Shot!" The large machine's tail-cannons powered up, firing a blast of concentrated energy at the set monster.

As the blast headed towards her lone defense, Lynn shielded her face as the set card was revealed- a small, ladybug-like creature with a bright yellow star splashed across its wing cases. "My Level Eater," she explained as she slipped the monster into her graveyard slot.

"Fixin' to summon it later, eh?" Smith asked as he pointed to his second monster. "Well, I ain't done with you yet! Chaos Sorcerer, attack her directly with Inversion Impulse!"

As a corkscrew burst of light and dark energy slammed into her duel disk, Lynn stumbled back, disoriented. (8000-2300= 5700)

Smith smirked again. "I'll be settin' a card and passin' play over to you, partner."

Lynn drew, and smiled slightly at her result. "…Well, Mr. Smith, I think it's safe to say that this is going to hurt you a hell of a lot more than it's going to hurt me. I activate the effect of my Quickdraw Synchron, sending one card from my hand to the graveyard in order to special summon it!" A gust of wind sent a cloud of dust scurrying along the field. When it cleared, Lynn was flanked by a small robot dressed in stereotypical cowboy's attire and carrying a pair of toy-like pistols. (700/1400)

Before Smith could respond to the new monster, the ground beside it cracked and the same small insect that Lynn had set the turn before burst out, crawling next to the cowboy-like monster and waving its antennae. "Level Eater lets me reduce a level five or higher monster's level by one to special summon it from the graveyard," Lynn explained. (600/0)

Smith leered at the two monsters. "So, whatcha gonna do with those two?"

"…Oh… I was thinking something along the lines of… this." Lynn flashed a third card in her hand to the opponent. "I activate the effect of Gallis the Star Beast, sending the top card of my deck to the graveyard. If that card's a monster, you take two hundred damage times that monster's level, and Gallis is special summoned! Go, Descending Lost Star!"

Lynn slipped the top card of her deck into the graveyard, briefly revealing a level four monster. A white hot bolt of energy shot from the air, slamming into Smith's duel disk and rebounding to Lynn's field. The white hot energy cooled, revealing a red-furred griffin-like creature with iron armor covering its upper body and head. (800/800)

Smith chuckled slightly. "So, watcha trying to build up to here? Junk Warrior ain't gonna be much help…" (8000-800= 7200)

Lynn giggled slightly. "…If I was planning on summoning Junk Warrior, I'd be worried. Quickdraw Synchron, level four, tunes to my level one Level Eater and my level three Gallis!" Without hesitation, the tuner monster fired its toy-like pistols into the air, creating four rings of light as it dissolved into nothingness. Gallis and the small insect leapt into the column the rings formed as Lynn chanted. "When the souls of the crushed meet, a revolution begins! Synchro summon! Rain fire, Junk Destroyer!"

The synchro display faded as a gigantic monster crashed onto the field, standing tall behind Lynn. The creature resembled something from a classical giant robot anime, complete with four massive arms and armored boot-like legs. A crown-like helmet stood atop its metal face, and four gigantic blade-like structures jutted from its back, creating an 'X' shape. A little bit of color drained from Smith's face. "Heh-heh… impressive…"(2600/2500)

"I activate Junk Destroyer's monster effect," Lynn declared as she pointed at her opponent's monsters. "I get to destroy one card you control for each non-tuner monster I used in its summon. I used two, so I'll destroy your Chaos Sorcerer and your Ally of Justice. Go, Junk Destroyer! Broken Barrage!" In response to Lynn's command, the synchro monster struck a pose, energy gathering around the metal cross on its back. Two bolts of white-hot energy leapt from its hands, annihilating both monsters on Smith's field and leaving him exposed.

"I'm not done yet!" Lynn pointed to the ground, which cracked open, allowing two Level Eaters to climb out. "My Junk Destroyer is level eight, so I can reduce its level to six to special summon the Level Eater that I sent to the graveyard with my Quickdraw Synchron's effect, as well as the one I set on my first turn! But I won't stop there! I'll tribute summon now!"

Smith's jaw dropped as both Level Eaters dissolved into multicolored light, which soared into the air before reshaping itself. Lynn pointed skyward as a new creature took shape above her head, a dragon with a body neatly divided in two- one half midnight black, the other blinding white. The creature roared, spreading its wings. "I summon the arbiter of darkness and light, Light and Darkness Dragon!" (2800/2400)

"…L-Light and Darkness Dragon?" Smith stared at the gigantic monster. "…That and Gorz… how many of the devil's cards did you take?"

"Devil's cards?" Lynn stared at Smith, furrowing her brow. "…Um… Mister Smith, I have no clue what you're talking about, but I hope you aren't trying to back out of the wager just because I'm winning. Junk Destroyer, attack directly! Kaiser Knuckles!"

Smith was forced to jump back as the four massive fists of Junk Destroyer pulverized the ground in front of him, leaving a holographic crater in the stage. Lynn didn't hesitate, pointing at her second monster. "Light and Darkness Dragon, you attack directly too! Shining Darkness!" With a roar, the dragon unleashed a powerful burst of energy that knocked Smith to the ground, the solid vision's shockwaves briefly unleashing enough force to knock his hat off. (7200- 2600-2800= 1800)

"That's all for me," Lynn grinned as she watched her opponent pull himself to his feet and dust himself off. "You still want to play, or have I got game already?"

"…Heh… ma'am, you know the stakes as well as me. I can't back down just yet," Smith panted as he drew. For the first time, Eliza noticed her opponent had begun to break out in a cold sweat, and he seemed rather apprehensive as he selected his next card, as if he was genuinely nervous and doing his level best to hide it. "I'll begin my turn by activatin' my set Call of the Haunted, targetin' the Rescue Cat I tributed durin' my first turn…"

Lynn gritted her teeth. "Light and Darkness Dragon's monster effect activates!" she announced. "When either player activates the effect of a monster, spell, or trap card, Light and Darkness Dragon decreases its attack and defense points by five hundred and negates it! Judgment of Light and Darkness!" The dragon roared and flapped its wings furiously, sending a barrage of power across the field. (2300/1900)

"And that's what I was waitin' for!" Smith held up a single card as a river of water rained down on Lynn's dragon from a massive golden goblet. "I'll activate the effect of my Prohibited Chalice, negatin' your monster's effect and increasing its attack points by four hundred until the end phase!"

Lynn blinked in surprise as the barrage of power dissipated, even as Light and Darkness Dragon flexed its muscles, returning to full strength. "…And now the effect of your trap card…" (3200/2400)

"Goes off without a hitch!" Smith confirmed as his kitten reappeared on the field, mewing. (300/100)

Lynn slowly began to realize what her opponent was going for. Without its effect, her Light and Darkness Dragon was nothing more than a fancy meat shield, and with only two cards in play, she could see her options decreasing. "…Daaaaaamn…"

"I'll activate the effect of my Rescue Cat again, tributin' it to summon another Cerburrel and Dark Panther from my deck," Smith confirmed as the cat again rushed off, blowing its whistle. "Herdin' Cat!" Instantly, carbon copies of the two animals Smith had summoned earlier in the game appeared, crouching and baring their fangs. (1000/500), (1000/400)

"Now I summon my level four D.D. Warrior Lady, in attack position!" Smith's two beasts were immediately flanked by a blonde-haired female warrior dressed in black leather, carrying a beam katana in one mechanical arm. (1500/1600)

"…Nine levels…" Lynn muttered. "Damn."

"I'm tunin' all three of my monsters together!" Smith roared as Cerburrel began to chase its tail once again, splitting into the two floating rings. D.D. Warrior Lady and Dark Panther leaped between them, creating a column of seven stars. Smith began a new chant. "Freezin' boundary that chills men to the soul, unleash your deadliest force! Synchro summon! Freeze hell, Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!"

The column of light, rather than exploding and revealing the monster's shape as was usual, instead froze into a pillar of ice. Within, something stirred, cracking the edges of the pillar. In a matter of moments the ice shattered, revealing the true shape of the creature- a massive dragon, with wings that looked as if they had been sculpted from ice. Instead of forearms, the creature had three massive, snakelike heads which roared in unison. Lynn smiled wanly. "…There's my mark…" she muttered under her breath. (2700/2000)

"When Trishula's synchro summoned, I get t'take three cards of yours and remove 'em from play- one on your field, one at random in your hand, and one from your grave," Smith explained. "I'll be takin' that Level Eater in your graveyard and that Junk Destroyer out of the game! Perfect Freeze!"

At Smith's command, the three heads of Trishula sprang into action, each firing a blast of mist. Lynn winced as her Junk Destroyer, the Gorz in her hand, and the Level Eater in her graveyard appeared in front of her, freezing into ice sculptures and shattering. Smith pumped his fist in triumph. "Ha! Got rid of your defense… now I'm free to charge in! I have exactly three dark monsters in my graveyard, so I'm gonna special summon my Dark Armed Dragon!"

Lynn's heart skipped a beat. Dark Armed Dragon? Then Smith's Trishula wasn't the only rare he'd had his hands on. Somehow he'd tracked down a copy of arguably what was the most sought-after dark attribute monster in the entire game. The creature towered even above Trishula- a muscular dragon with pale blue skin, covered in silver spikes and blades and black armor. The monster roared, flexing its powerful claws. (2800/1000)

In her head, Lynn knew that without a Gallis of his own to close the gap, there was no way Smith could place enough muscle on the field to wipe her out, even if he activated his dragon's effect. In her head, she knew that even with the cards in her hand, she could still recover even from a completely wiped field. That was the rational part of her mind. The not-so-objective part was screaming something along the lines of 'RUN AWAY, IDIOT, RUN AWAY'.

Smith seemed to relax a bit as he sensed his opponent's nervousness. "Heh… Got you now! Dark Armed Dragon's effect- I'll remove a dark-attribute monster in my graveyard from play, like my Chaos Sorcerer, to destroy a card you control! Shrapnel Break!" At his command, the dragon roared. Several drill-like spikes and blades launched from its body, replaced only moments later by new ones, and tore through Light and Darkness Dragon, leaving Lynn's field empty.

Lynn gestured to her graveyard. "When Light and Darkness Dragon is destroyed, I destroy all cards on my field and special summon a monster from my graveyard. I'll summon the Armageddon Knight I sent there with the effect of Gallis earlier!" With a cry, the Knight rose up, a black-haired warrior clad in cobbled-together armor, a pair of goggles, and a flowing red scarf which obscured the lower half of his face. "Furthermore," Lynn continued as the knight brandished his rusty blade, "I can send any dark-attribute monster in my deck to the graveyard when he's summoned… so I'll get rid of Plaguespreader Zombie. Megiddo's Call!"(1400/1000)

Smith chuckled slightly. "Pardon my French, ma'am, but I've still got two shots primed and ready with my dragon, so a fat lot of good that'll do ya. Dark Armed Dragon, fire again! Shrapnel Break!" A second volley of bladed objects pierced through Lynn's knight, sending him to the floor, scraps of his scarf flowing apart in the wind. Smith pointed at his opponent. "Heh… ma'am, I'm afraid this is the end. Trishua, direct attack! Cold Snap!"

The dragon's three heads hissed in unison, leaning back and firing a stream of concentrated frigid air. Lynn closed her eyes and fumbled back, just as the holographic fist of Dark Armed Dragon slammed into her. "Follow it up, Dark Armed Dragon! Dark Genocide!"

Lynn coughed and shivered. The impact from the dark dragon's attack had barely fazed her, but Trishula's breath had chilled her to the bone. As the feeling finally subsided, she briefly wondered when the solid vision effects had become so realistic. (5700-2700-2800= 200 LP)

Smith frowned slightly. "Ma'am, you okay? You want to keep going?"

Lynn shook her head. "…No… it's fine… I've got this." She breathed in and out as she surveyed the identity of the two cards remaining in her hand. "In fact… I'm sure I do. You done yet?"

Smith nodded mutely. "…Listen, don't push yourself, ma'am. I know the card you just bet is real important, but you've got two already. You don't have to worry about losing everything on this match. Just give it up and you won't hurt."

"I said…" Lynn gritted her teeth. Despite the obvious concern in his voice, she began to feel slightly offended by the condescending nature of Smith's remarks. "I said, are you done yet?"

"…I end my turn…" Smith said softly, taken aback by Lynn's fierce gaze.

"Then, DRAW!" Lynn shouted as she swung the top card from her deck outward, imitating the dramatic slashing movement used in the pro leagues to make duels seem more dynamic. She glanced at the card's identity and smirked slightly. "…I activate the effect of Plaguespreader Zombie, returning one card from my hand to the top of my deck in order to special summon it from the graveyard!" The ground below her feet cracked, and a bloated, undead creature crawled from it, its bloated and stitched-together body vaguely resembling a large ape with some spare parts attached. (400/200)

Smith shook his head slightly. "…Ma'am, are you okay? There's no level five or six synchro that's gonna-"

"Who said anything about synchro summoning?" Lynn asked as she waved her hand. "I'll give up my Plaguespreader Zombie in order to tribute summon Caius the Shadow Monarch!" With an imperious wave, she dismissed the zombie, who faded into nothingness. In its place, a new figure appeared- a demonic, regal figure, clothed in dark armor and the tattered remains of a once-impressive cape. The figure raised his red-clawed hand, clenching it into a fist, barely conscious of the fact that it could not match up to either monster that stood in front of it in battle. (2400/1000)

Smith shook his head. "…Ma'am, you won't wipe me out even if you can get rid of my-"

"Caius's effect activates," Lynn declared as she pointed at the spike-covered dragon on her opponent's field. "I remove any card on the field from the game, and if that card is a dark-attribute monster, you take a thousand points of damage. Dark Edict!" The demonic emperor gestured and the floor beneath the Dark Armed Dragon transmuted into a pool of black liquid. The Dragon roared furiously, thrashing as it sank beneath the surface, but could do nothing to prevent its own demise. The moment the creature's head vanished; a pentagram traced itself below Smith and released a wave of dark energy, causing the man to stumble back in surprise. (1800- 1000= 800)

"I'm telling you ma'am," Smith said, recovering, "It's still no use. If you can't do that last eight hundred, I'll-"

"Who says I can't?" Lynn grinned sweetly, the ferocious determination finally fading away as she returned to her usual, cheerful self. "See, there's one card left in my hand… and I happen to know that I just put a level five monster on top of my deck. So now… let's end this! I activate the effect of my second Gallis! Descending Lost Star!"

Smith stared in complete, open-mouthed surprise as a second bolt of white-hot energy slammed into his duel disk and rebounded onto Lynn's field, transmuting into a second armored griffin-like creature. Lynn smiled sweetly as she slipped her second copy of Quickdraw Synchron into the graveyard slot. "And that," she remarked sweetly, "is my win." (800-1000= 0)

The color drained from Smith's face and he began shaking in his boots. "…P-please, ma'am, I get that you an' I are in the same boat here but there's no need to take my card. You've got two already and I'm a decent guy, there are plenty of folks out there who made the deal, you can take it from them, I'm just-"

"…Deal? Two of what?" Lynn stared at the babbling duelist, unsure of whether the safer course of action would be to back away slowly or to slap him. "I don't get it. Are you talking about my dragon? These are all just rares I was loaned out by a collector so I could pick up stuff for him. What are you talking about?"

"…T-Then you never… they aren't…" Smith's glazed over. "…Aaaaaw, hell."

Before Lynn could stop him, the man had plowed past her towards the stairway. "Hey!" she shouted in protest. "Get back here! You have to pay your stakes!"

Smith continued moving, oblivious. He had made it halfway up the stairs when he tripped, sliding to the ground with an audible thud. Lynn dashed to his side, turning him over. "Alright, that's enough! Explain what you were doing, or I'll…"

Lynn felt the rant she had been about to launch into trail off as she stared at Smith's prostrate body. The man's eyes were wide open and he was breathing, but there was no light behind them. She snapped her fingers directly in front of his face, but there was no reaction. She gently propped up the other duelist against the wall and then walked back to her trench coat, quickly retrieving a cell phone from one of the pockets.

"911? Yes, this is an emergency. I think this guy just had a stroke…"

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Lynn willed herself to keep calm as she exited from the arena back into the main bar of El Dorado. If she gave into her urge to just start shouting at the bar's customers to get out of her way, she would do nobody any good, least of all Smith. "Can I have your attention, please?" she called, attempting to keep any edge of panic out of her voice. "Everyone, please, excuse me? Somebody just collapsed downstairs. I just called for paramedics and they'll be here in a minute, but I need you all to clear a path once they come, and I could use some help getting him back upstairs…."

The bar fell into a state of hushed silence. Two or three people slammed their drinks onto the counter suspiciously quickly. One man spoke up. "…Just how did this guy collapse?"

Lynn felt her stomach jump up into her throat. "Well, er, that is to say…" she coughed and cleared her throat. "He was dueling me and then he started babbling something about devil's cards and got hysterical and tried to run away and then he collapsed. I think it was a str-…" she paused and smiled nervously as the entire population of the bar stared at her, their eyes cold and merciless. "…Um… why are you all looking at me like that?"

Before Lynn could speculate any further about the death-glares she was receiving, a pair of strong hands grabbed her shoulders and ushered her out of the bar and into the street. Barry sighed, half in relief and half in annoyance, as he released her. "Taylor… we've known each other now long enough that I feel obligated to give you a piece of free advice. Get the heck out of here, kid, and don't come back until this devil card thing blows over."

Lynn balked in surprise. "Devil cards thing? What are you talking about? I just wanted to be on a match, that's all… what's going on around here?"

Barry groaned again. "Look, I can't just go around handing out information for free. All you need to know is that the devil's cards are bad news. This isn't the first time someone in the Games has collapsed because of them." With that, the informant disappeared back into the doors of the bar, leaving Lynn alone on the street.

"Barry? Barry, wait!" Lynn protested, before leaning back against the building and sighing. It was clear there would be no more answers tonight. The only thing she could do was to sit and wait for the paramedics.

She was just glad it wasn't raining anymore.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Lynn left the El Dorado close to eleven P.M.- near closing-time. The paramedics had arrived promptly, and Smith had been transported out. She was assured she could visit him the following morning. That left only one major question.

"Devil cards," Lynn mumbled under her breath as she stared at the white-bordered card in her hand- Smith's Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier. "What the hell did he mean?"

The moment Lynn plowed into the pedestrian; her only thought was that perhaps she had been contemplating Trishula a tad too hard. She collapsed on her rear, pulling herself to her feet only moments later. "Owowowowowowowowowow…" she muttered.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Lynn… Taylor?"

Lynn stared at the man she had bumped into, who was pulling himself to his feet. He looked quite young- barely in his twenties- and was dressed immaculately in a pressed business suit. His blonde hair was combed back, and his pale blue eyes sparked with energy. "Miss Taylor?"

"…Y-yes, that's me," Lynn replied after a moment, staring at the man. "And you are?"

"Just a friend," the man replied as he reached down to a briefcase he carried and opened it. "I'm interested in opening a prospective business arrangement with you."

"…Meaning?" Lynn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A mutually beneficial arrangement for both parties, I assure you," the businessman said as he produced a sealed envelope from the briefcase, handing it to Lynn. "Here, a free sample of our merchandise, as well as my business card."

Lynn accepted the envelope and card suspiciously. She opened it up and emptied the contents into her hand. To her surprise, it contained a single Duel Monsters card and directions to a specific location, with a time stamp on it. She turned the card over and nearly gasped. "How the hell did you-…"

Lynn stared at the space in front of her where the businessman had been standing moments before and a chill ran down her spine. Reaching for her cell phone, she dialed a number. "…Hello, Mr. Yamasato? Yes, I realize it's late but I really need your help... I've got a rare that I need you to appraise, and it's an out-of-print…"