“Ya know, sometimes the best offense is a solid defense. Monsters that have trap effects are worth their weight in gold. However, these cards are difficult to come by and are only seen in the hands of high-level duelists. I knew a lad who mortgaged his house to buy one. Sadly, he was stabbed to death in the parking lot during the transaction.”
- Friedrich Fischer Chancellor of the Duelist Academy
Cyrus stared at the clock waiting for the bell to ring. He felt trapped in a humid classroom that smelled of body odor, the kind that can only be produced by elder teens. Cyrus had a few weeks of classes left before he graduated, and he was still waiting for his acceptance letter to the Dueling Academy.
“Yo Cy, you know staring at the clock isn’t going to make time go faster,” Harlow said in a whispered tone.
“Well, it’s worth a try,” Cyrus said.
“Cyrus and Harlow pay attention! I know we are almost done but we still need to focus these next few weeks,” Mrs.Thatcher said. The classroom snickered at the idea of anyone taking the last few weeks seriously.
“Sorry Mrs. T,” Cyrus said. He looked out the window of the stuffy classroom and dreamed of learning the best strategies at the Duelist Academy. Even if his dad didn’t approve, Cyrus loved the game of Emblem Duel. Though his father ran a game shop they couldn’t afford the best cards. Cyrus always blamed his father for their lot in life since his father hated technology. His father wouldn’t even let him log into The Grid. Everyone used it for business, games, and even visiting friends halfway across the world.
The Grid was a virtual reality society used for almost everything. Developed by the eccentric billionaire Seth Anderson of S.A Technologies. People went to work, played MMO games, and most importantly The Grid was home to the Dueling Championship. Cyrus was told dueling in The Grid was like watching real monsters battle it out in a very realistic way. Of course, one could watch any championship duel outside of The Grid but that was like watching a duel unfold on a boring screen. Unfortunately, that was the only way for Cyrus to watch any high-level duel. His best friend Harlow said that you could feel the fire and ice affects the monsters produced during their attacks.
It was not only a tool but a resource as well. One simply logged in by putting an immersive VR headset on along with haptic feedback gloves. Unfortunately, since Cyrus was seventeen, he needed his dad’s authorization to make an account, something his dad never granted him. Most kids Cyrus’s age transferred their cards from the real world into The Grid by scanning the cards in and never played the game outside of The Grid. Cyrus was appreciative that Harlow would humor him to play a game now and again at his dad’s game shop.
Then again Harlow was weird and among the very few seventeen-year-olds who loved playing tactile tabletop games. Emblem Duel wasn’t even his favorite game, that spot was reserved for Dicey Warriors, a strategic game involving cards and dice. It wasn’t very popular, but Cyrus thought it was fun the few times he played it.
As Cyrus was lost in his thoughts, the bell finally rang. Most of the students leaped out of their chairs glad for class to be over.
“Hey, Harlow, why don’t you just attend school in The Grid? Cyrus said.
“ha-ha, I thought about it a few times but you wouldn’t survive without me,” Harlow said jokingly.
Cyrus looked at his taller brown-haired best friend. Harlow’s hair was very curly, and his olive-skinned face had dark features. He came from a well-off family that could afford the best, unlike Cyrus. He was glad Harlow never rubbed it in his face nor did he talk about his adventures in The Grid to Cyrus. It was like an unspoken rule among true friends.
“I have a few things I need to do before I head over to the shop. The new Dicey Warriors set finally came in, I’ve been waiting for months” Harlow said.
“I have a dueling lesson anyways,” Cyrus said.
“Oh, I forgot, there are still people willing to pay some good money to get an Emblem Duel coaching session from the son of a five-time world champion duelist,” Harlow said laughing.
“Well, it helps pay the bills,” Cyrus said. He took all the beginner duelists teaching them the rules of the game while his father taught more advanced dueling strategies. Without that Cyrus wouldn’t know how he and his father would survive financially. His father always told him never to worry but Cyrus always did.
“I’ll catch you later my dude,” Harlow said.
----------------------------------------
Cyrus sat at a booth in his father’s game shop shuffling a deck of cards while doing a few card tricks in between shuffles. The shop had a large amount of common and uncommon cards. While the rare cards were stored behind glass, and the few epic cards they had were stored in a vault in the back room. One of the epic cards would pay rent for half a year if sold at a fair price. However, buyers for physical cards were hard to come by. As for legendary cards, Cyrus never saw any. He only heard about them from others but even world-champion duelists couldn’t get a hold of these cards. Like a deity most didn’t believe they existed, but the ones that believed truly did. Cyrus was more agnostic about whether these legendary cards existed.
Cyrus’s father Bowie organized various games and merchandise on the shelves of the barely surviving store, while Cyrus waited for the dueling student to come through the game shop’s door.
“Late customer again? Remember they are on your time right now” Bowie said in a gruff voice.
“I guess. You know we have room in the shop to set up a few VR booths to get more customers in here.” Cyrus said. VR booths were a cheap option for people who traveled a lot and wanted access to good internet and privacy for Grid activities. Every business had them, except for Bowies Game Shop.
Bowie sighed ignoring his son’s comment and continued to meticulously organize cards by rarity and alphabetical order. Cyrus never understood his father’s resistance to VR technology, after all his father was a five-time world champion duelist. He thought his dad was a hypocrite because his father dueled in VR when he was his age.
Cyrus never got his father to talk about it, but he saw the live feeds from all the old championships. Watching his father win his first championship when he was his age made Cyrus both proud and pissed off. Proud of his father’s talent and angry because Cyrus knew he was in The Grid. Cyrus was in a perpetual state always posing what-if questions to himself. Questions like what if his father ended up letting him duel in The Grid? And how far up the dueling ladder could he truly climb? These questions drove him mad.
To Cyrus, the only answer was the dueling academy. He needed to get accepted into the school. It was his dream. Harlow got accepted, and he didn’t even play the game nearly as much as Cyrus. He thought it was unfair and the world was cruel, at least it would be if he wasn’t accepted into the academy.
Cyrus looked at his reflection in the window. A young scruffy kid with bright red spiky medium-length hair, passed down from his mother. He stared back at himself. Some days he didn’t even recognize the person that looked back at him. He had bright amber eyes and was scrawny for a seventeen-year-old. Cyrus always wore his trusty jacket that he thought made him look like a rock star from the 1980s. It was the same jacket his father won his first championship with.
The doorbell made a ringing noise as the door flew open chaotically.
“Welcome to Bowies, we have all the cards and more,” Bowie said instinctively.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” A panicked voice said.
“It’s alright, you’re Tera, right?” Cyrus said.
“Yup, that’s me!” she said as she held her deck up proudly in excitement at Cyrus.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
“We can begin if you are ready. Have you ever played?” Cyrus questioned.
“Nope, but my brothers have. I am here to learn,” Tera said. Cyrus thought it was crazy that someone who looked his age had never played Emblem Duel before. He stared back at the beautiful blonde girl who had emerald eyes. Cyrus thought he could get lost in them forever.
“Hey, you alright?” Tera questioned.
“Oh yeah ha-ha, right the dueling lesson,” Cyrus said nervously. Tera smiled back at him cheerfully.
“So, let’s look at a card first,” Cyrus said.
[Baratoss the Infinite Time Lord]
[Class: Time Mage]
[Level 8 Epic Guardian]
[Power Rating: 0]
[Defense Rating: 2500]
[Intellect: 8]
[When Baratoss is summoned into any battle zone flip a coin. If heads all monsters on the field of play reduce their power and defense rating to 0. If tails the user is forced to give their opponent an emblem from the lane of their choice.]
“This is my guardian his name is Baratoss the Infinite Time Lord. And his class is time mage. Every deck has a unique guardian. They are powerful cards that, when summoned at the right time, can change the course of a duel. You following me?” Cyrus asked.
“Um, I think so. I will just let you talk and ask any questions if I have them.” Tera said.
“The level of the monster is the cost it takes to get a monster summoned on the battle zone. Level one monsters do not have a cost but two and above do. It also tells you the rarity and card type. Next, we have the power rating, this is the power of an attack a monster can inflict on another monster. The defense rating is how tough the monster is. Now, the intellect does a few things. It represents how smart the monster is. It determines your hand size if the card is a guardian, and determines how many equipment cards can be played on that particular monster card. My Time Mage gives me eight cards in my hand, and it can have eight different equipment cards played onto it.
“Woah that’s a lot,” Tera said in awe. She looked to be processing all the information presented to her.
“The last thing is the card effect. Some monsters have them while others don’t. Always read them because they affect the game in various ways. My time mage forces me to flip a coin. The effect is powerful but also risky.” Cyrus said.
“Monster levels two and above have a cost to summon, what is it? Tera asked.
“Oh, sorry about that. Yes, the cost is levels from other monsters out on the field. For example, you have a level-four monster in your hand you want to summon. But you have two level-two monsters on the field. You can pay the level cost of both monsters to summon in the level four monsters, and both monsters you sacrificed go back to the bottom of your main deck.” Cyrus said almost out of breath.
"But what if I don't have any level-one monsters in my hand? Does that mean I couldn't play anything?" Tera questioned.
"That's a great question. At the beginning of your turn, you can exile your entire hand to summon two level-one monsters from your deck."
“Ok, I think I am ready to set the game up,” Tera said.
Cyrus took his Time mage and placed it on the game mat in front of him to the far left.
“You see that?” Cyrus asked.
“So that’s called the protectorate zone,” Tera said. She was grateful that the game mat had everything labeled along with turn phases. To her left, she saw her own protectorate zone. She placed her guardian into it. She also saw battle zone one, two, and three, in the middle of the mat. Tera also saw the words Emblem on the bottom of the mat behind the battle zones.
Cyrus handed her three small cubes. “Yes, you are correct. These are your emblems. The object of the game is to take two of them from your opponent.” Cyrus said.
“How do I do that?” Tera asked.
“The main way is to attack a lane uncontested, meaning without any other monster in that particular lane, or having a monster that has double the attack power to the opposing monster's defense.”
“Well, that’s easy there are three lanes so if I go first, I can just attack. Or If I go second, I can pick a different lane and attack that one.” Tera exclaimed.
“Slow down, slow down. Let me explain the basic rules first.” Cyrus said.
“Alright.” Said the excited girl.
“If you go first, you cannot attack or use equipment cards on monsters. Furthermore, if you have a guardian in your protectorate zone you can use cards in your hand to block monsters of any power essentially for free. However, those cards go into your shield pile to never be used except for shield summons, which is a special monster ability. Still with me?” Cyrus asked.
“I think I am getting it. So, there are three different lanes that I must protect from my opponent. I play one monster in one of three lanes. While my guardian is in the protectorate zone, I can use cards in my hand to shield myself from an attack. But if I can do that then why would I ever want my guardian on the battlefield?” Tera asked.
“Good question. You wouldn’t do that because if you run out of cards in your main deck you forfeit two of your emblems to your opponent automatically. Thus, losing the duel” Cyrus said.
“That’s not fair I only have twenty cards,” Tera said.
“Yup, twenty cards and one guardian are the max for beginner duelists. Of course, that changes when you level up as a duelist.”
“Level up? Like in a video game.” Tera questioned.
“Mhm, different dueling levels have more cards and more ways to summon monsters to the field. I am only explaining level-one dueling rules to you for now.” Cyrus said.
“So, are monsters summoned based on their level? How can a level eight monster take place in a level one duel.” Tera asked.
“Are you sure you haven’t played before?” Cyrus asked.
“I haven’t!” She said with a smile.
“Technically, my time mage is too powerful for a level-one duel. Monsters cannot be higher than level five to take place in a level one duel. Also, in a level one duel, you cannot create a deck with a monster level higher than twenty-five in total. This makes equipment cards very valuable.” Cyrus said.
“And I can only play one monster and one equipment card per turn,” Tera said.
“Not unless another card states otherwise, which many do.” Cyrus chuckled.
“How do I get into a level two duel?” Tera asked.
“You’re a quick learner but you aren’t ready for that,” Cyrus stated.
“So? I still want to know.” Tera teased.
“Having a clear understanding of all the basic rules for one. In the real world, you technically can duel up to the highest level if you understand all the rules and have the level of cards needed to construct a deck of that value. But only rich people and professional duelists do that.” Cyrus said.
“I’m listening. Carry on.” Tera said with interest.
“So, in The Grid, everyone has a duelist level, even if you don’t duel.” Cyrus knew this from his best friend Harlow. “You compete in ranked duels to get experience and for every ten levels you get from winning matches unlocks another duel level.”
“I bet you’re a high-level duelist,” Tera said.
“Oh, yes Cyrus is a level fiftieth duelist,” Harlow said sarcastically.
Cyrus jumped a little, not realizing how long his friend had been there watching. The truth of it was that Cyrus was a level zero duelist as far as The Grid was concerned. Making this situation comical for Harlow and a little hurtful to Cyrus. Though Tera was oblivious to the whole charade.
“Hey Harlow, we just got in the new Dicey Warriors set” Bowie said. Knowing Harlow couldn’t refuse the offer. Cyrus was happy for his father to redirect Harlow so he could focus.
“Sorry about that,” Cyrus said.
“He your friend?” Tera asked.
“Yeah, we’ve known each other forever. Our dads dueled together.”
“That’s so cool,” Tera exclaimed.
“So anyways, when a monster attacks you, look at the monster’s attack rating versus the defense rating of the defending monster. Whoever has the higher value wins, and if the attack rating is double the defense rating you take an emblem from your opponent in the battle lane you attacked in.”
“I think I am ready to play,” Tera said.
“We’ll do that in our next session,” Cyrus said.
“Did we already go past our time?”
“Mhm, we did,” Cyrus said. Though he would gladly teach her the game for free but knew that his father would never approve. Knowledge is power, his father would always say.
“Ow, alright. Can we play tomorrow?” Tera said in disappointment.
“Yeah, we can go over opening strategies tomorrow if you want,” Cyrus said.
“Don’t forget to schedule the appointment,” Bowie said in a deep voice.
“Yeah duh, I got so excited I forgot,” Tera said. Cyrus’s face started to turn red in embarrassment. He got so caught up in the moment he forgot he was making money for the game shop.
“I can get the appointment set up for you,” Bowie said.
“Sure thing,” Tera said. She made her way to the counter handing Bowie a money card. He swiped the card and handed it back to her.
“Alright, so pick your preferred time on the tablet,” Bowie said. Tera tapped on the tablet a few times with a smile.
“All set,” the girl said.
“Thank you for choosing Bowies for all your dueling needs,” Bowie said in a robotic tone. As Tera turned to walk out of the shop, she looked back at Cyrus.
“What’s your name?” She said to Cyrus.
“You never told me your name. Is it like a top secret or something?” Tera said.
“Oh, I’m Cyrus.” He said in embarrassment.
“Bye Cyrus,” Tera said with a playful smile. She walked out of the old dusty shop that smelled of old playing cards and cardboard.
“Cyrus has a girlfriend,” Harlow repeated in a silly tone as he held multiple packs of the game he loved from across the shop. Bowie shook his head at the silly boys from behind the counter.
The door to the shop opened with purpose. Bowie’s face changed from the cantankerous shop owner to that of a concerned father ready to fight. Old memories invaded Bowie’s mind. The same memories Bowie spent years trying to forget.
“Cyrus, Harlow leave through the back entrance of the shop now,” Bowie said. Cyrus never heard his father speak in a tone like that. Cyrus always had difficulty communicating with his father, but this felt different.
The familiar face of an adversary from a lifetime ago stared back at Bowie with a cocky smile. That crooked smile, Bowie thought to himself. Cyrus and Harlow looked at the figure in awe as the man sauntered to the counter looking around at the shop in utter contempt.
Harlow dropped all the dice packs he was holding in his hands, and they crashed to the floor with a loud thud. Cyrus looked at the figure in disbelief and amazement. The feet of the boys were rooted to the ground. Not in rebellion against the shop owner, but in total amazement for the figure that stood before them.
“Seth Anderson get the fuck out of my store, now,” Bowie growled.