Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Lady of Dragons ❯ Hasker, King of the Sewers ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: jkBAKURA
Peter's sister is taken captive by an Ammitite gone rouge. What will he do to get his sister back, and how much will it affect him?

Chapter written by Man Called True.

Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): / Adventure / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 03.06.2004 | Updated On: 01.02.2006 | Pages: 5 | Words: 8.0K | Visits: 469 | Status: Completed

Editor's note: This chapter was written in its entirety by Man Called True (the editor... me). And buckle in, friends, this one's a lot darker than the other chapters to this point.
“I understand with love comes pain, but why did I have to love so much?”
- Anonymous
Chapter 5: Hasker
King of the Sewers
It was the second day of the Battle City Tournament, and Peter felt the rush. He had two locator cards already, and now he was looking for the next one. With twelve being the key number to hit the Finals, Peter knew he had to work fast.
As he crossed Domino Park, however, a man in a purple overcoat walked into his path. For some reason, Peter noted, the man was carrying a small bundle in his arms.
Looking at Peter, the man sighed. Peter could see a strange, silver pin shaped like an eye on the man's collar. “Are you Peter Wheeler?”
“Yeah,” Peter replied. “Is there some sort of problem with that?”
Looking around, the man shifted the bundle in his arms. A small face appeared, and suddenly Peter realized that the man was holding a baby.
A baby the boy recognized all too well.
“Wait… That's my sister! What are you…?” Before Peter could finish that sentence, the man took a step back and then turned to flee.
“Follow me if you want to see her alive again!” the man shouted as he ran. Peter gave chase.
0000000
They stopped in an alleyway, some distance from the park. The man sank into the ground as Peter watched. Before he could gape, the elevator platform returned, and he took it down as well.
The platform came to rest in a dank tunnel, which Peter recognized as the Domino City sewers. He expected it to stink, but there wasn't any sort of odor. Then he heard the blowing of a ventilation system. Whoever lived here apparently intended to do so on a semi-permanent basis.
The man in the purple coat was walking away at a fast clip. Peter resumed following the man, vowing to get his sister back and then pummel her kidnapper.
Although Peter had no way of telling time (he couldn't see his watch), the pair had walked for some distance before they reached a ragged curtain. The man in the coat looked through one of the holes, then nodded and pulled the curtain aside, walking past it. Steeling his nerves, Peter followed.
0000000
Past the curtain, the tunnel was significantly brighter, as several lamps were bolted to the walls. Only now did Peter realize that they were on a narrow walkway; the filthy water of the sewers flowed past on either side.
The tunnel came to a rounded stop a short ways from where the man in the purple overcoat now stood, and just in front of the tunnel's end was a wooden chair, with a cot next to it. Attached to one arm of the chair, a thin rope stretched out and over a pulley, suspending a small basket (baby-sized, Peter realized with a sinking feeling in his gut) over the stagnant water.
Reclining against the chair back was a man with a Duel Disk strapped to his arm. This man's skin was immensely pale; if he had gotten any sunlight in the last month, it was definitely with a powerful sunscreen on. He wore a grimy black long-sleeved shirt, with frayed collar and sleeves, and long pants with similarly frayed cuffs; sandals adorned his feet. A pin identical to the one on the other man's coat was pinned to his shirt. The man's hair seemed to consist of one sharp, silver bolt, shooting backwards from his scalp. His eyes were all but sunken back into his head, and it looked like his eyelids were on the verge of falling back into his sockets.
Turning his gaze to the man in the purple coat, the man in the chair hissed, “Put her into the basket.” As commanded, the man set Peter's sister into the basket over the water, then walked off towards the exit.
Right after the man left, Peter turned towards the basket, only to see the man in the chair hold a knife to the rope. “Move any closer and she's dead,” the man hissed.
“Why did you kidnap Isabelle?” Peter shouted, moving away from the basket. “Who are you?”
Both hands went to the chair arms as the man got up. To Peter's surprise, the man was barely taller than he was. “First answer - there's no other way I would have gotten you down here. Second answer…” The man took a dramatic pose, Duel Disk arm held out on his left. “I am Hasker, king of the sewers and master of direct damage, one of the great duelists of the Order of Ammit!”
“Order of what?” Peter scratched his head, completely in the dark.
One of Hasker's hands lifted, and then dropped as he shook his head. “Order of Ammit! Our plans for this city require that I bring you down here and duel you. So… here you are.”
This Peter could understand. However, as long as his baby sister was in danger, he couldn't dare duel! “You have me - now let my sister go!”
“Let's make a deal…” Hasker gently stroked the rope holding up the basket. “If you win, you will, of course, get my locator cards - three, at last count - and one of the cards in my deck. In addition, defeat me, and I let you take your sister home. Lose…” Instead of finishing that thought, he twirled the knife in his fingers.
Peter had to think about it. This would be an official Battle City duel, which meant losing would bar him from the Finals. But he couldn't risk Isabelle's life… “I accept.” He activated his Duel Disk, taking a step back as his Life Point counter spun.
Taking his own step back, Hasker reached into his pocket and held up a glowing crystal. “I'm going to up the ante even more! Activate, Claw of Typhonis, and take us to the Shadow Realm!”
The air around Peter began to shimmer, and he turned to Hasker, yelling, “What's going on? I never agreed to this!”
Hasker replied, as the air turned a dark purple, “I've simply made this a Shadow Game. All the pain your monsters feel, all the damage you take, all of that is now real. The winner gets to leave. The loser…” He grinned once more, and hissed, “The loser dies.”
To Peter, it felt like a blow to the stomach. Whimpering, he asked, “Dies?”
The Ammitite nodded. “In strange and interesting fashions.” Putting the crystal back into his pocket, he drew five cards. “It's too late to back out, child. The Shadow Game has begun; the penalties for defeat are set. Oh, and if you forfeit… the other stakes still apply.” He twirled the knife once more in his fingers, before setting it into a sheath on his hip.
The mention of other stakes caused Peter to glance at the basket, where his baby sister was laying. His spirit thus regained, Peter drew his opening hand and glared down the tunnel at Hasker. “I won't forfeit. You'll never win this duel.”
Hasker tilted his head and snickered, replying, “We'll have to see, won't we? You may make the opening move.”
H-8000 P-8000
Drawing his first card, Peter set it facedown, and said, “I set this facedown and set one monster in Defense mode. Your turn.”
Those pale fingers scrabbled over the deck as Hasker drew his opening card, and he then laughed madly as he played it. “I play the card that will lead to your death - Dark Snake Syndrome!”
A hologram of the card flashed into being, and then… nothing happened. Glancing down the tunnel, Peter wondered what Hasker was up to, and then realized that the Ammitite now had mysterious black marks on his face and hands.
“You have the same marks,” Hasker explained, and as Peter looked into the water, he realized the truth of that statement. “They're the signs of infection with Dark Snake Syndrome. Each turn, we both lose an ever-increasing amount of Life Points - 200 the first turn, 400 after that, 800 after that… In due time, the Syndrome will drain the last bit of life out of you.” He then grinned. “You'll make an interesting-looking corpse, if nothing else.”
A sense of doom fell across Peter, until he realized something else about the card. “Wait… don't you take the same amount of damage each turn? How can you win if the Syndrome kills you?”
This fact didn't seem to frighten Hasker, as he replied, “I have ways to `dodge the bullet', so to speak. I set two cards facedown…” The accompanying holograms glimmered into play. “And summon the Servant of Catabolism, in Attack Mode!” (700/500)
A strange, snail-like creature lurched out of the waters of the sewer, crawling in front of Hasker.
“My Servant has a special power,” Hasker went on. “He can dodge your monsters and attack your Life Points directly! Strike, my Servant!”
The Servant of Catabolism leapt into the air, and launched itself at Peter. The boy couldn't move away, and those tentacles burned into his skin.
H-8000 P-7300
Before he could speak the defiant statements on his mind, Peter felt a sudden shock of agony along the black marks. Sinking to his knees, he barely heard Hasker's comment: “Did I forget to mention that each blow you take aggravates the syndrome?”
Getting back up, the boy shook his head, and then drew his next card, making his hand five cards. Looking at his hand, Peter spotted a likely prospect. Playing it, he announced, “I summon Gray Wing in Attack Mode!”
But just as the dragon flew from its card and settled on Peter's side of the field, a massive hole broke in the ground under it. A steel cone sprang up and skewered the dragon alive in front of Peter's young face. Peter knew immediately what the facedown card has been, as he saw his Grey Wing grotesquely laid out at the bottom of the pitfall, the Dreaded Chasm of Spikes.
H-8000, P-6975
The Ammitite smiled again, and said, “Because I can chain traps to the destruction of monsters, I'll take this chance to activate Solemn Wishes!” The card spun to reveal its face.
Out of options, Peter concluded, “I'll set another card facedown and end my turn.”
As Hasker drew his next card, making his hand three cards, he was covered in a rain composed of pinpoints of light. “I gain 500 Life Points from my Solemn Wishes, but…” There was a hissing noise, as the black marks of the Dark Snake Syndrome came to life and grew on both players. Hasker took it in stride. “…Of course, we both lose 200 Life Points to my Dark Snake Syndrome.”
H-8300 P-6775
Looking at his cards, Hasker chose two. “I set one monster in Defense mode, and place one card facedown. Now, you remember my Servant of Catabolism, don't you? Get him!”
The Servant launched into the air, threw itself at Peter, and struck him again with those tentacles.
H-8300 P-6075
As Hasker brought his turn to a conclusion, Peter realized he was shuddering. The pain of the Dark Snake Syndrome was at a fever pitch, and the marks themselves felt like fire. But that didn't stop him from drawing his next card, raising his hand to four.
As the next card entered his hand, he smiled, and announced, “I summon Spear Dragon in Attack Mode!” (1900/0)
The powerful dragon swept onto the field, stirring the fetid sewer/Shadow Realm air and making Hasker wince. His expression didn't really change when Peter shouted, “Spear Dragon, take out the Servant of Catabolism!”
Opening its mouth, the Spear Dragon drew in the air, and then fired a sonic blast at the Servant. The snail-like monster couldn't take the hit, and proceeded to splatter over Hasker's shirt.
H-7100 P-6075
The dragon, exhausted from the effort, switched itself into defense at that point.
As Peter's turn ended, Hasker gave a slight hiss as he drew another card. The rain of light from Solemn Wishes engulfed him, but then the Dark Snake Syndrome activated, prying at both of their bodies.
H-7200 P-5675
Studying his hand, Hasker snorted. “You've destroyed one of my tools, but there are other ways to bring you to Death's door. I summon Inaba White Rabbit, in Attack Mode!” (700/500)
As the rabbit appeared, it seemed almost transparent. Hasker, smirking, went on, “It too can attack your Life Points directly… but unlike my Servant, it's a Spirit monster, and returns to my hand at the end of the turn. Get him!”
The Inaba White Rabbit leapt out and slammed into Peter, causing the boy to gasp. Once it hit, however, the rabbit scattered into white dust, which swept up and into Hasker's hand. “Your turn, boy.”
H-7200 P-4975
Knees wobbling from the pain, Peter drew this next card, giving him four cards again. Examining his options, he looked at his two facedown cards and decided that now was the time. “I activate my facedown card, Dragon's Rage, which gives all of my monsters the same ability as my Spear Dragon!”
Hasker tilted his head and asked, “And that is?”
“You'll see,” Peter said, as he chose a card from his hand. “I summon Luster Dragon #1, in Attack Mode!” (1900/500)
The second dragon swooped out of the card and landed next to the Spear Dragon. “Now you'll see the power of the dragons! Luster Dragon #1, attack his facedown monster!”
A wave of green energy swept across the field and washed over Hasker's monster. The Amazon Archer appeared briefly, but then shattered.
Hasker thought nothing of it, until he felt the pain strike him. “What… You mean all your dragons ignore Defense mode now?” Hasker asked. When Peter nodded, Hasker began to panic.
H-6300 P-4795
Peter smiled, and nodded to the Spear Dragon. His second monster inhaled, and fired its sonic blast at Hasker.
Unable to so as much as twitch, Hasker took the blast full on. He screamed as the Dark Snake Syndrome went wild from the aggravation.
H-4400 P-4275
But to Peter's dismay, as Hasker recovered from the blast, the Ammitite was smiling. “Activate trap, Attack and Receive!”
Hasker's facedown card spun to face Peter, and a warrior leapt from it, hurling itself at Peter and sinking a sword into the boy's arm.
“Attack and Receive lets me deal 700 points of damage to you if I take damage to my Life Points,” Hasker then explained.
H-4400 P-3475
Peter ended his turn, and Hasker drew a card. “If I'm not mistaken,” he added as the rain of sparkles hit, “we both take 800 points of damage from the Syndrome this turn.” He ignored Peter's sudden scream, biting his lip as he actually felt the damage this time. Solemn Wishes couldn't save him anymore.
H-4100 P-3475
Having no choice, Hasker played the card he had just drawn. “I play Graceful Charity, and now I draw and discard…” Drawing his three cards, Hasker compared them to the two in his hand. He immediately set aside Scapegoats to be discarded - with Dragon's Rage on the field, playing it was tantamount to slitting his own throat. Staring at the other cards he had, he chose to be rid of the Inaba White Rabbit.
“And don't forget, because Graceful Charity allows me to draw cards, I gain 500 life points from Solemn Wishes.”
H-4600 P-3475
Studying the three cards left in his hand, Hasker suddenly broke into insane laughter, laughter that echoed around the sewer tunnel.
Peter stared at him and then asked, “What are you laughing at?”
Taking two cards, Hasker slammed both of them into his Magic and Trap zones. “I've just drawn the cards that will mark your end, boy! Behold, the Wave-Motion Cannon!”
An almost-futuristic cannon seemed to grow from the floor, glowing slightly as it resolved. From the other card Hasker had played, a strange, spidery device crawled out and attached itself to the cannon.
Hasker explained, “The Wave-Motion Cannon gains 1000 points of power at the start of each of my turns, and once I fire it, all of that power will burn a hole clear through you! The other card is the Magic Reflector, which will prevent my cannon from being destroyed one time.”
Peter almost dropped his cards. “You mean… it can't be stopped?” He couldn't help it as his heart rate spiked.
Hasker merely smiled, and then added, “Of course, I can only fire it once, and then it's destroyed. You have some time yet… I'll set my last card, a monster, in Defense mode.” The hologram appeared. “And now I end my turn.”
Time was running out. Peter was running low on hope, and his head lowered. His hand wavered over his deck; maybe if he forfeited, Hasker would spare his life, the boy reasoned.
And then Isabelle, still in the basket over the waters, woke up and started crying.
Suddenly Peter remembered what he was doing. His hand snapped away from his deck, and he drew his next card, shouting at Hasker, “That cannon isn't going to save you. It's my move now! And…” He pressed the right button on his Duel Disk. “I activate Emergency Provisions, restoring my life points by one thousand by sacrificing my Dragon's Rage card.”
H-4600 P-4475
The card slowly changed into a square of hardtack before dissolving and covering Peter with the remaining crumbs. As he felt the pain begin to recede, he breathed a sigh of relief, now convinced he could last a few more turns.
Noticing that the Ammitite was distinctly unimpressed, Peter switched his Spear Dragon into attack mode.
“Luster Dragon #1, attack his facedown monster!”
The dragon inhaled, and then fired his destructive breath across the field. It engulfed Hasker's part of the field…
…And when the wind stopped, the Humanoid Slime was completely unscathed. (800/2000)
Hasker put it best: “Would have made your Dragon's Rage kind of pointless anyway wouldn't it??”
Peter could only watch as his Life Points took a hit. It made him wonder why he hadn't strengthened his monster when he had the chance.
H-4600 P-4375
“Figures you would use a monster as slimy as you are,” Peter glared, as he was forced to end his turn, only to remember what was about to happen.
Hasker drew one card into his hand, and then grimaced. “It seems we'll be about even now…”
And then the Dark Snake Syndrome flared.
Both duelists collapsed, as the Shadow Realm amplified their pain even worse than before. Blood seemed to gather around the edges of the marks, making nightmarish bruises. In time, Hasker got back to his feet, and then Peter did, far more slowly.
Shaking his head, the Ammitite noted, “My Wave-Motion Cannon is at 1000. I can't do anything, so it's your move.”
H-3000 P-2275
The duel had reached the point all duels reach: one card would save Peter's life, and any other would kill him. He drew… and smiled. The card struck his Duel Disk, as Peter called out, “I play Heavy Storm!”
A hurricane struck. A huge gust of wind, smelling of the Shadow Realm (a faint metallic smell) erupted on all sides of the duelists, never touching them (otherwise, their cards would go flying). The Dark Snake Syndrome shuddered briefly, and then exploded into fragments, as did the Solemn Wishes. The Magic Reflector, however, let go of the Wave-Motion Cannon and was sucked up instead, exploding into shards. Hasker cursed under his breath.
Looking into the water, Peter smiled briefly as the Dark Snake Syndrome's marks pulled back and faded away. That smile vanished when he noticed two large, red curving marks on his cheeks. He turned and saw that Hasker had the same marks.
“They'll never truly fade away,” Hasker said in answer to the unasked questions. “The Shadow Realm leaves its marks.”
Shaking his head in regret, Peter set one card facedown and waved for Hasker to take his turn.
As Hasker drew his card, the Wave-Motion Cannon shuddered, charging up to 2000 points. Playing the card he had drawn, Hasker announced, “I play the Magic card, Heart of Clear Water, on my Humanoid Slime! Now it cannot be destroyed in battle!” A clear crystal sprouted in the Humanoid Slime's chest. “I end my turn.”
Steeling himself, Peter drew his card and smiled
“I play Pot of Greed.” Peter drew his new cards and prepared to give his opponent a serious wake up call.
“It's time to show you the strongest monster I posses, I sacrifice my Dragon Dwelling in the Cave, and Luster Dragon, to summon the mighty diamond dragon, Hyozonryu.”
The new dragon flapped its wings for a moment; glistening in the faint light of the sewer before letting a menacing growl escape it's lips. (2100/2800)
“I also use the power of the Mountain magic card to increase the attack power of all of my dragons by two hundred points.”
Hasker could see that perfectly well as the holographic peaks invaded his sewer home, but it made no difference. His monster was untouchable. Hasker's sigh of relief was cut short however by the next card Peter played.
“I also have a Fairy Meteor Crush giving my monster the ability to deal damage to your defense monster. Hyozonryu, attack the Humanoid Slime with your crystal flame.”
Instead of an enchanted fire, a solid asteroid blasted from the creature's mouth, speckled with bright shards of pure diamond. The target monster was unharmed, but Hasker's life points could mot say the same as the duelist himself doubled over in pain.
(H-2700 P-2775)
The Wave-Motion Cannon charged to 3000, and Hasker broke into one last bout of insane laughter.
“It's over!” Hasker screamed into the empty air of the tunnel, Isabelle's startled cries punctuating his statements. “The Wave-Motion Cannon is charged, and your death has come! Fire, Cannon!”
An iris in the back of the cannon's barrel opened, and a pure white beam fired from the Cannon, consuming it in the process. The beam came closer to Peter, aiming for center of mass…
There was a flash, and another futuristic-Egyptian cannon appeared, capturing the beam.
“Barrel Behind the Door,” Peter whispered. “You're dead.”
Hasker didn't even have time to scream. The beam flashed through him…
Silence ruled for a brief second. Then Hasker looked into Peter's eyes, and three fingers probed the perfect circle burned through his stomach, before he collapsed.
It was over.
H-0000 P-2775
Peter stood there, not moving or even blinking. He didn't even notice that the air had turned normal, returning the boy, his sister, and the corpse to the Mortal Realm.
The Ammitite was dead… and he had done it. No matter how many times he tried to think of it as Hasker's fault (the Ammitite, after all, had started this duel, and had even brought them to the Shadow Realm himself), Peter had flipped the Barrel, had fired the killing shot.
With legs that were wobbling badly under him, Peter crossed the space between them, kneeling down to take the three locator cards Hasker had bet on their battle. Searching through the dead duelist's cards, Peter also retrieved the Wave-Motion Cannon, slipping it into his deck. Finally, with a bit of guilt throbbing in his head, the boy lifted the collar of Hasker's shirt and took the silver eye pin, thinking that maybe someone would be able to explain what it meant.
Having taken that part of the wager, Peter then walked to the basket, reaching in and retrieving Isabelle. His sister stopped crying as the boy picked her up, and fell asleep in his arms. Kissing the baby on her forehead, he put her back in the basket, untied the knot holding it up (while holding the basket up himself), and took it with him as he walked away from the water.
Turning to the tunnel's exit, Peter heard footsteps. Suddenly, a man in a black, hooded robe passed through the curtain, looking around as if looking for something in particular.
Seeing the discarded Claw of Typhonis, the man picked it up, and then spoke in a thick Egyptian accent: “Peter Wheeler?”
Startled, Peter turned to face the man. His eyes flashed on the man's silver eye pin, and he realized it was the insignia of the Order of Ammit Hasker had spoken of. “Y-Yeah?” Peter replied.
“Do not think that by defeating Hasker you have rid yourself of the Order,” the man said. Throwing his hood back, the man revealed his face, which was covered on one side with a ritualistic pattern of scars; they looked familiar to Peter. “This time, you have brought down one of us… but in the future, the Order of Ammit will defeat you. No child can stand against us…” Having said his piece, the man picked up Hasker's body, undid the straps on his Duel Disk, and threw the corpse into the water before he turned to leave, taking the Claw of Typhonis and Hasker's Duel Disk with him.
One of Peter's fingers ran along his red scars as he tried to remember when he had seen that face before. Then it hit him: his father had once shown him a picture of a family friend with a pattern like that… What was his name again?
“Odion?”
The man said nothing, but Peter could hear a sob as the Ammitite left. Picking up Isabelle's basket, Peter left the sewer himself.
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Later that day, in a shrine elsewhere in Domino City, Seskera finished the ritual phrases he had repeated a hundred times over. The Skull Mariner on the altar before him raised into the air, then proceeded to tear itself to shreds. A young girl who loved sailing flashed into view briefly, and then the image faded into smoke. “Too weak,” Seskera mused to himself. “Most of the duelists in this city are hardly worth the effort.”
Odion, Seskera's favorite servant, knelt before the altar. “Sir,” he said, “Hasker is dead. He was killed in a Shadow Game against Peter Wheeler, son of Joey Wheeler.”
For the first time in days, Seskera was interested in the reports. Turning around, he rose to his feet. “Really, now… Thank you, Odion. You may return to your chambers now.”
As the former Tomb-Keeper left, Seskera looked again at the altar. The touch of the Shadow Realm is a dangerous thing, he thought. It touched me and nearly killed me... Have you survived, Peter Wheeler? Or will the shadows eat your soul in the end? He made a note to keep an eye on the boy.
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Meanwhile, in the deserts, a very long walk from Cairo…
“Marik, in the name of Horus, how much further from the city are we?”
“I can't tell in this sandstorm, Bakura! Just stay behind that rock until the wind settles!”
“Why couldn't we have taken the half-track?”
“We don't have any gas, remember? Somebody spent the last of the tomb funds on hair gel!”
“Yeah, and it wasn't me, bishounen!”
“Who on Earth are you calling a bishounen, you… What in Ra's name…”
“What's going on, Marik?”
“I think there's somebody out there… And he's got a camel!”
“I see him now… It looks like the storm's clearing up. Wait… Shadi?”
“Climb on, both of you. Things are getting worse in Domino, and we don't have time to miss the flight.”
Coming next chapter: It's Derik's turn again, but unknown to him, the Order of Ammit is watching this one. His next opponent is a girl who takes the concept of “girl power” one or two steps too far… Keep watching for the next chapter, “Amai, Dangerous Sweet”!