Disclaimer: I don't own Magic: The Gathering.
I'M BAAAACCCCCCKKKKKKKK!
Yes! The sequel to "Magic: The Gathering vs Yu-Gi-Oh!" is finally under way!
Wind swept through the cold alley. The only sounds to be heard were the occasional whine of a police siren cutting through the crisp night air, or the rumble of a car as it drove by. If one listened hard enough, they would hear the sound of fists connecting with flesh; an unpleasant sound as it was, but added to it were the cries of pain of the victim.
With a final blow, Mack sent his victim to the ground. He stood over the cowering girl, barely a woman. Standing 6'4 with tattooed biceps and a shaved head, he was the leader of a small street gang; the Angels of Death. His gang's primary activities revolved around drug dealing. The girl at his feet was a prostitute who'd failed to pay her tab.
"Listen, bitch," he told her "When I say I want my money by Thursday, I mean it! You owe me three hundred clams, so I'm gonna have to take what you owe me out of you! Hold her!"
Two of his lackeys grabbed the poor girl and held her down. As Mack was about to have his way with the girl, a low growl was heard. Mack looked up and recoiled in horror. Advancing towards him was a monstrous being. It towered above their heads. In each of its three arms it held a deadly-looking weapon.
"What the fuck is that?" yelled one of his men.
"Who cares?" said Mack "Kill it!"
A few of the thugs pulled out handguns and began shooting the creature, but the bullets seemed to have no effect, the creature kept approaching. They could now smell the fetid odor emanating from it; a sweet, sickly smell, like vomit. Finally, their morale breaking down, the gang members fled, disappearing into the night. The girl got up and fled as well, deciding a change of career was in order.
When everybody had gone, a figure stepped out of the shadows. He wore a black trenchcoat and his hand seemed to be full of black flames. With a wave of his hand, the monstrosity exploded and was no more. The figure shivered and wrapped his trenchcoat tighter around him to ward off the icy wind as he set off down the dark alley.
Wanna-be hero.
Well, I couldn't just stand around and do nothing!
You should have minded your own business.
Excuse me for trying to help people.
Arrathir sighed. He had been to a late-night Magic tournament and had taken a shortcut through the alleys to get home when he'd come across the gang. Despite his other self's protests, he had summoned his Twisted Abomination to scare off the gang.
It had been one year since the spirit of the Keeper of Black mana had awakened in his body and the spirit was as disagreeable as when they'd first met. He no longer forcefully took over Arrathir's body or beat him, but he made no effort to hide his disproval of almost everything Arrathir did. Arrathir tried to be friendly, inquiring about the spirit's well being and taking his mental abuse with a smile. He also occasionally asked the spirit for tips when playing Magic. This was the only thing the spirit appeared to enjoy. Arrathir could feel a slight spark of excitement from his other self when he faced an opponent.
When Arrathir had returned from Domino, he'd been surprised at how much had gone on in the card game. When he'd left, Darksteel was the latest set. Upon his return, the Mirrodin arc was over and the next arc, Champions of Kamigawa, had begun, so Arrathir had a lot to catch up on. The worst part was that when Champions of Kamigawa came out, the entire Onslaught block had become non-Type 2 legal. Arrathir's zombie deck was now only fit for Type 1.5 tournaments, but Arrathir always kept the deck on him. He'd grown a lot more attached to the deck since his adventure in Domino.
To him, his deck was more than just a bunch of cardboard cards; it was his soul. He'd trusted his deck with his life so many times that it was like a part of himself was in those cards. He pulled his deck out of his inner-left coat pocket and flipped through his cards: Carrion Feeder, Zombie Trailblazer, Undead Warchief, and Soulless One. The Soulless One was Arrathir's favorite card. It took a while to power it up to its maximum potential, but once it was there, it was deadly. The Soulless One had been his primary beatstick in his final duels against Yami Marik and Yami Yugi.
Ever since he'd returned, he'd gotten even more into Magic. Since his zombie deck wasn't T2-legal anymore, he'd constructed a Red/Green snake deck based around the Kamigawa expansion. It revolved around getting out the snake legends and mana acceleration through Sakura-Tribe Elder, Kodama's Reach, and Orochi Sustainer. He also had a few Glacial Ray cards that he mostly used for its splice ability. It was a fairly successful deck, but Arrathir still missed his zombie creatures.
Outside the Magic scene, Arrathir was very quiet and withdrawn. He had no friends, save his Magic buddies. The Keeper's antisocial mood had gradually worn off on him over the months. He had moved out of his mother's house and now lived in a small flat a few minutes from the restaurant where he worked part time as a dishwasher to fund his college courses. As a result, he frequently went a day or two without sleep, only staying away through the magic of caffeine and Red Bull. Despite all this, he still managed to find time to attend weekly Magic tournaments at his local where he did quite well, always finishing in the top four.
Arrathir made his way back to his apartment. He checked his mail, finding several bills, and pulled out his textbooks, a thermos of coffee, and started a long night of work. He was currently taking a programming class and the workload was fairly heavy. Arrathir yawned as he waited for his computer to boot up. He unscrewed the top of the thermos and poured himself a cup of lukewarm coffee.
Why do you drink that filth?
Because I need it to keep me awake. I need to finish this program by tomorrow or Professor Willow is giving me a zero for this assignment, seeing as it's already overdue.
You know, there are easier way of getting passing grades…
I'm not letting you terrorize my prof.
You're still hurting your, I mean, our body.
I never knew you cared so much about my health.
I care about my survival.
Arrathir rolled his eyes and brought his attention back to the computer screen. His computer pinged, telling him he had new e-mail. He opened his in-box and checked his e-mail. There were three messages: one from his prof, reminding him his project was due the next day, he deleted it. The next was from the Magic message board he posted on, telling him someone had posted in the thread he often read; he deleted that one too. The final e-mail's topic was, "Arrathir-Keeper of Black Mana."
Arrathir froze. Who knew about the keeper? He'd been extra-careful not to mention the Keeper to anyone. He scanned the window to see who had sent the e-mail. The sender's name was blank.
Don't touch that thing!
Arrathir was confused. He'd head the other Arrathir sounding mad, megalomaniac, extremely mad, sarcastic, threatening, depressed, cynical, and bored. Scared was a new one.
Why? It's just an e-mail. Plus, I'm curious. Who knows about you?
I believe you have an expression that goes, "Curiosity killed the cat." I can feel a powerful magic from that thing.
It's an e-mail! It can't be magic.
Arrathir clicked the hyperlink despite his other self's warnings. As soon as he did, there was a bright flash and he found himself standing in a white room.
"Good to see you again, Arrathir, Keeper of Black Mana."
Arrathir turned and saw Lu Chao standing behind him. The Planeswalker looked the same as when Arrathir had met him in the graveyard a year ago.
HIM! Give me control! I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch!
Arrathir had to struggle to keep the spirit from taking over his body.
"What do you want?" he said.
"First, let your other self out so he can participate in the conversation," said Lu Chao.
Arrathir released his hold slightly and the other Arrathir appeared beside him in spirit form.
"What are you doing here, Planeswalker?" he spat out as soon as he'd appeared.
"I somehow suspect you're not happy to see me," said Lu Chao "I'm hurt. I'm here because you two have made no progress whatsoever towards awakening the other Keepers of Mana. I am most displeased."
"Why would I want to awaken those idiots?" said the other Arrathir "They were nothing but trouble."
"Because it is the reason why you were reborn. You must awaken the Keepers so the flow of mana among the Multiverse is once again controlled. Mana is flowing freely from one world to another. Some worlds are dead because the mana is never renewed while others have an abundance of mana. The order must be restored."
"Why should I care?" said the other Arrathir "I'm not your plaything!"
"If you refuse to fulfill your destiny," said Lu Chao "I will have no other choice then to force you!"
"You think so?" laughed the other Arrathir "Well, there's only one way to settle this then."
"A duel."
"Hey!" said Arrathir "Don't I get a say in this?"
"Shut up, naki," said the other Arrathir. "This is between the Planeswalker and me!"
A stone table appeared out of nowhere between the two duellists. The other Arrathir waved his hand and Arrathir's zombie deck appeared on the table. Lu Chao did the same for his deck.
"I'll let you choose," said Lu Chao "You know this is a real mana duel, so you cannot leave until it is over. You also know the penalty for loosing."
"I know, and I'll play. Swamp, tap to summon Festering Goblin (1/1). Go."
"Still running zombies, eh? Well, I play Scrubland. Go."
"Draw!" said the other Arrathir "And I play Unholy Grotto." Around him, the field became a creepy cave. "I attack with Festering Goblin!"
LU CHAO: 19
OTHER ARRATHIR: 20
"End turn."
"I play one swamp and end my turn," said Lu Chao.
"This will be easier then I expected!" said the other Arrathir "I play another swamp and summon a morph (2/2)." A gray blob appeared on the field. "Now, Festering Goblin, attack!"
LU CHAO: 18
OTHER ARRATHIR: 20
"I play Tainted Field," said Lu Chao "Next, I play Chainer's Edict to force you to sacrifice a creature."
"I sack Festering Goblin."
"End turn."
"Ha! Now the fun begins!" said the other Arrathir "I summon Undead Warchief (3/2), and I attack with my morph!" The blob extended a tentacle and slapped Lu Chao.
LU CHAO: 16
OTHER ARRATHIR: 20
"Swamp, and I tap out to summon Juzám Djinn (5/5). End turn."
"Tap three swamp," said the other Arrathir "I summon Dross Prowler (4/3). End turn."
"One plains," said Lu Chao "And I cast Wrath of God!" There was a tremendous flash and all creatures in play disappeared. "End turn."
"Tap out," said Arrathir "And I play Zombify to return Undead Warchief (3/2) to play. End turn."
"Tap one swamp and one plains, then tap two extra to cast Death Grasp on your Warchief," said Lu Chao "This spell deals X damage to a creature and I gain X life."
LU CHAO: 18
OTHER ARRATHIR: 20
"I Swampcycle my Twisted Abomination," said the other Arrathir "To put another swamp into play. Now I activate Unholy Grotto's effect and put Twisted Abomination back on top of my library. End turn."
"I play a swamp and I cast Subversion. This enchantment deals one damage to you at the beginning of your upkeep and I gain that much life. End turn."
"Draw," said the other Arrathir "And I Swampcycle Twisted Abomination again and bring it back to the top of my library with Unholy Grotto! End turn."
LU CHAO: 19
OTHER ARRATHIR: 19
"Your little combo is impressive," said Lu Chao "But it ends here. I play Vindicate to destroy Unholy Grotto!" Arrathir's card exploded. "End turn."
"It served its purpose," said the other Arrathir "I tap four and play Nightmare Lash!" A cat-o-nine tails appeared on the field. The lashes seemed to be made of burning fire. "End turn."
LU CHAO: 20
OTHER ARRATHIR: 18
"I play Tainted Field and tap out to summon Serra Avatar (20/20)!"
Holy shit! That thing's huge!
"Serra Avatar's attack and defense are equal to my life total, so thanks to Subversion, it'll just keep getting more powerful! End turn!"
"I summon Balthor the Defiled (2/2). End turn."
LU CHAO: 21
OTHER ARRATHIR: 17
"I enchant Serra Avatar with Soul Link. Now, whenever it deals or is dealt damage, I gain that much life. Now, Serra Avatar, attack!"
Arrathir blocked with Balthor, the zombie being obliterated by the other creature.
"I play a swamp and summon Soulless One (5/5)!" said the other Arrathir "And I equip it with Nightmare Lash, making it an 11/11!"
LU CHAO: 23
OTHER ARRATHIR: 14
"So?" said Lu Chao "My avatar is still more powerful!"
"Yes, but I play Terror!" said the other Arrathir.
"If Serra Avatar would be put into a graveyard, it is shuffled back into my library," said Lu Chao.
"End turn."
LU CHAO: 24
OTHER ARRATHIR: 13
"I play No Mercy," said Lu Chao "If a creature deals damage to me, it is destroyed! End turn."
"As long as it deals damage, I'm fine with that," said the other Arrathir "Soulless One, attack!" The zombie charged forward and knocked Lu Chao over with a powerful punch before exploding.
LU CHAO: 13
OTHER ARRATHIR: 13
"Your creatures must really trust you if they willingly go to their death," said Lu Chao.
"Who says my creature's dead?" said the other Arrathir "I play Wail of the Nim to regenerate my Soulless One! End turn."
LU CHAO: 14
OTHER ARRATHIR: 12
"I play a swamp," said Lu Chao "You leave me no choice! Wrath of God! Next I summon Juzám Djinn (5/5). End turn."
"I summon Twisted Abomination and equip it with Nightmare Lash, making it an 11/9! End turn!"
LU CHAO: 15
OTHER ARRATHIR: 8
"I play another Chainer's Edict to force you to sack Twisted Abomination," said Lu Chao "And I attack with Juzám Djinn!"
LU CHAO: 15
OTHER ARRATHIR: 3
"I cast Consume Spirit on you directly, gaining 4 life!" said the other Arrathir "End turn."
LU CHAO: 12
OTHER ARRATHIR: 7
"Sorry, but it ends here," said Lu Chao "I tap out to cast Death Grasp, dealing six damage to you and I finish you off by attacking with Juzám Djinn."
LU CHAO: 18
OTHER ARRATHIR: 0
"Fine," said the other Arrathir "I lost, now what do you want from me?"
"I want you and Arrathir to awaken the other Keepers of Mana."
"Like I didn't guess that one," muttered the other Arrathir "All right, but I know I'm going to regret this."
"I'll be watching," said Lu Chao.
With another flash, Arrathir was back in his apartment.
So, how do we find the Keepers?
First, you need a new deck. Give me control for a few hours and I'll build one.
Arrathir hesitated before finally surrendering control of his body and retreating into his Soul Room. The Keeper was up late, building a new deck. When Arrathir's alarm went off the following day, the new deck was on the table. Arrathir flicked through it and was appalled. His entire deck structure was changed!
What the hell is this?
Look, if you're going to go after the Keepers, you're going to have to enter tournaments, not the small-league stuff you're used to. I'm talking the kind where 1-turn kill decks exist.
Well, there's a PTQ tomorrow.
A what?
Pro Tour Qualifier. It's a big tournament and the winner goes on the Pro Tour where they go to a city and play in a tournament. If they do well enough, they can even get on the Grand Prix.
Well, we must enter then.
Let's see, the PTQ is for…Brugge? We'd go to Belgium, cool!
To be continued…
Author's Note: Arrathir is back in action! Hope you liked this first chapter.