CH.125 Sonic Bird and Relinquished
<span style="font-weight:400">“Can we head back to town now?” Lua asked. “I still need to drop off the boar meat.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, I did have some experiments in mind, but I can run them at a different time.” I answered.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I’m fine with going back as well.” Alice added.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Experiments? What kind?” Lua asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You know, just trying out a few cards.” I told her.
<span style="font-weight:400">Mainly some of the ritual support, test fly Gradius, test if A Hero Emerges can be used to summon me and perhaps even perform a few fusion summons.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Then let’s do that first.” Lua said. “I want to see.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“They might take some time, so I think we should take the meat into town first. I don’t want it spoiling or something.” I told her.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, I suppose that’s true. If it goes bad, I won’t get much money for it. Not that it will go bad that quickly. So a quick stop to Moon’s ce and then we can get right back here.” Lua said.
<span style="font-weight:400">Oh. We are heading to the moon? Better get Gradius out here. Well, not really. I know it’s probably just someone named Moon.
<hr>
<span style="font-weight:400">We followed Lua back to town and entered a specific shop. It had a small circr sign out front that looked like a moon with a boar drawn on it. A real Moon shop. Well, perhaps not, but it does sound fun. A moon shop. We can sell you the moon. Or perhaps a ticket to the moon.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Mrs. Moon. Are you here?” Lua called after we walked in and didn’t see anyone.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes, yes. I’ll be there in a minute.” We heard a woman’s voice call from somewhere.
<span style="font-weight:400">“So is this the shop you usually sell your meat to?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">This was clearly a butcher shop. There were different storage containers that kind of looked like fridges all over the room. Some of them even had a ss door so I could see the meat inside. They also had an ice department at the top, so I guess they used ice to stay cool.
<span style="font-weight:400">Actually, that one doesn’t have any ice. So perhaps only some of them use ice and others use magic of some kind. Perhaps they are another product that originates from a dungeon, and the ones with ice are man-made knockoffs.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes. Mrs. Moon has a great eye for quality meat and she became our first regr customer. She is actually the one that began calling us Prime Rib.” Lua exined.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, so you have a long history with her.” I deduced. “I hope she can manage after you leave town.” I added.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, I’m sure she can…” Lua began to say, but stopped when an elderdy walked into the room.
<span style="font-weight:400">I think I recognize her. I’m decently sure she was at the guild when we had the funeral fire. So I failed saving someone important to her as well.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, it’s little Lua. Here to deliver today’s meat?” Thedy asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, that does tend to be my reason foring here these days.” Lua answered. “Well, I suppose I coulde and enjoy a cup of tea before I leave if that is fine.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh. You drink tea? I thought you only enjoyed the contents of your sk.” Mrs. Moon said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, I went through a growth spurt, so I do enjoy other things nowadays.” Lua said.
<span style="font-weight:400">Oh. So she is already getting used to foods other than blood. That’s great to hear. I was afraid it would take her a long time.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I see. I see. Well, I’m happy that my little student is growing up.” She said to Lua.
<span style="font-weight:400">Student? As in, Lua studied under Mrs. Moon?
<span style="font-weight:400">… but then again, all that ice was likely made with magic. And Lua uses water magic. Perhaps she really could be Lua’s teacher. Now I just want to know why she is running a butcher shop instead of a magic school. If she can make someone like Lua into a recognized witch, she could likely teach anyone. Well, then again, I’m not sure how good of a student Lua is.
<span style="font-weight:400">And perhaps this butcher’s shop was a way to get blood for Lua, before she could hunt monsters on her own. Yeah. That sounds correct. Lock that in until I hear the truth.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I would love to stay and chat for longer, but I do have ns, so can we get this transaction over with?” Lua asked. She didn’t say it in a malicious or aggravated tone, so I assume she said it on our behalf, as she doesn’t want to waste our time.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes. Yes. I shouldn’t waste the time of a noble or a hero.” Mrs. Moon said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hero?” I asked. “I don’t think I ssify as one.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, but you do my boy. You do. No one ever epts it at first, but you will see. You are a hero.” She said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“If I really was a hero, you wouldn’t have had to go through the pain of losing someone. I’m sorry.” I said to her as I walked out of the store, leaving Alice and Lua behind.
<hr>
<span style="font-weight:400">“FUCK!” I let out as I punched a wall of the building next to the butcher’s shop.
<span style="font-weight:400">It didn’t hurt my fist at all, but I did leave a small dent in the wall.
<span style="font-weight:400">This fucking sucks. Another one I couldn’t help. Who was she there for? Not Rico, most likely. She wasn’t standing next to Mario, after all. One of the Bak personnel? Well, one of them was in his mid-tote twenties, so that would fit. The other one was an older man, so if it was him, that would be her husband. And having a husband working in a tradingpany would be advantageous for a butcher.
<span style="font-weight:400">… Next time, I’ll have all the copies of Monster Reborn I can use. Even if I have to open up just Legend of Blue-Eyes for the next year, I will get enough copies to save everyone.
<hr>
<span style="font-weight:400">“Brian. Are you feeling alright?” Lua asked. I didn’t even notice that she came out of the store.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Who was it?” I asked Lua. If thatdy really is her teacher, she should know.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Who was what?” She asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Who did she lose? She was at the funeral fire, wasn’t she? That means one of the people was rted to her. Who was it?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“... do you really want to know?” Lua confirmed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t, would I?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“His name was Mesk. He was one of the guards that came with us when we founded the dungeon.” Lua answered in a way I could understand.
<span style="font-weight:400">… so that’s who she lost.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Come on. We should go. Miss Alice is waiting for us.” Lua said as she pulled me by my arm.
<span style="font-weight:400">Before she did, I left arge silver coin in the dent I made in the wall. I hope the owner of that building can forgive me for denting his wall.
<hr>
<span style="font-weight:400">Lua dragged me all the way back to the fields outside of the walls. Alice also came with us, but she did look a bit jealous that Lua got to hold my hand on the way.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Okay Brian. Let’s do the experiments now. That is how you prevent that from happening in the future, right?” Lua’sment got my head back on straight.
<span style="font-weight:400">Yeah. She is correct. If I don’t do anything, nothing will change. Better just to try, try, try again.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes. Let’s just do it. It’s not like I’ll lose anything if I try.” I decided.
<span style="font-weight:400">Let’s start with the thing Mrs. Moon brought up. A Hero Emerges.
<hr>
<span style="font-weight:400">I ended up tossing some LoBY cards that I had for the toploader for A Hero Emerges. As well as some other stuff.
<span style="font-weight:400">4x Dragon Treasure, 4x Uraby, 4x People Running About, 2x Armaill, 2x Lesser Dragon, 3x Yami, 3x Fireyarou, 3x Power of Kaishin.
<span style="font-weight:400">I’ll get all the LoBY things back anyway while trying to pull extra copies of Monster Reborns anyway.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Here. Hold onto this and activate it after I take some distance.” I told Lua as I handed the card over to her. I wanted to take a bit of distance between us, so I would see if it actually worked.
<span style="font-weight:400">She read the card, before she said: “Brian, just because she called you a hero, won’t mean this card will work.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I know. But that’s not why. The real reason is the water spirit. Remember what she called me?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh. I almost forgot about that.” Lua said. “I suppose so. But then again, it did say ‘heroes’, so.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well perhaps I should have Alice use the card instead.” I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“No. I’ll use it.” Lua said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Thanks.” I said as I walked about 100 meters away from Lua and Alice.
<hr>
<span style="font-weight:400">“A Hero Emerges.” I barely heard Lua as she activated the card.
<span style="font-weight:400">I was expecting teleportation to happen and waited. And waited. But nothing. The card didn’t react at all.
<span style="font-weight:400">I then looked as Lua and Alice talked for a second, before Lua handed the card over to Alice and Alice tried to activate it as well.
<span style="font-weight:400">But again, nothing happened. I guess I really am no hero.
<span style="font-weight:400">I walked back up to the girls.
<span style="font-weight:400">“It didn’t work.” Alice said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes. It didn’t react at all.” Lua added.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I almost expected that. I’m no hero after all.” I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I’m not sure that’s it. This card does say something about being in danger, so perhaps it can only be activated in times of great peril.” Lua reasoned.
<span style="font-weight:400">“... Well, I still doubt if it would even activate. And even if it did, it wouldn’t summon me.” I said. “Well, at least the next thing should work.”
<hr>
<span style="font-weight:400">“Sonic Bird.” I summoned a monster. I didn’t bother putting a sleeve or toploader on it, as I have 4 copies (well now 3) of it, so I can just put a sleeve on a remaining copy if its effect is really worth it.
<span style="font-weight:400">A card appeared in the air and arge bird flew out of it. It wasn’t huge like The Roc was, but still over one meter in length.
<span style="font-weight:400">The birdnded in front of me and let out a “caw”.
<span style="font-weight:400">(Master. Show it a ritual monster and it will bring out the ritual spell for it.) Laura instructed.
<span style="font-weight:400">Ah. Sure. I opened my collection and checked my ritual monsters. Crab Turtle, Hungry Burger, Performance of Sword and Relinquished. The only one I don’t have the ritual spell for is Relinquished, so I pulled it out and showed it to Sonic Bird. I guess I could use Contract with the Abyss to summon it, but might as well get the proper ritual spell when I have the chance. And with contract, I need to tribute monsters that exactly equal the level of the monster summoned, whereas with ck Illusion Ritual I can tribute any monster with a level of 1 or higher.
<span style="font-weight:400">After taking a good look at the ritual monster in my hand, Sonic Bird flew into the sky before elerating quickly, almost like it was trying to enter light speed or something.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Um, Brian.” Alice got my attention. “Where did you send that monster? And how did it disappear like that?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I’m actually not sure. I think it went somewhere to get a card for me, but I’m not sure where it went.” I responded.
<span style="font-weight:400">Just after that, Sonic Bird returned. Again, it looked like it slowed down from a speed that exceeds my ability to see. Or perhaps it came from a different dimension.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh. It came back.” Alice said when she saw the bird.
<span style="font-weight:400">Then Sonic Bird once againnded before me. Opening its beak, I saw the card it held in its mouth. I pulled it out and looked at the pristine copy of ck Illusion Ritual. So it really brought me one. Nice.
Spoiler
[Yes. The picture has a different set code. Just ignore that. It’s a good quality scan so I used it for the picture.]
[copse]
<span style="font-weight:400">The card number for it seems to be SDP-038. I’m not positive on that as I don’t remember all of the set codes, but I think this would be from Starter Deck: Pegasus. Probably. <span style="font-weight:400">
<span style="font-weight:400">“It really brought you a card. I didn’t know your monsters could do that.” Alice said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, I wasn’tpletely sure it would work either. But apparently it did.” Imented.
<span style="font-weight:400">“It’s an impressive monster.” Lua added. “It can fly at such high speeds that you can’t even follow it with your eyes. It could easily do a surprise attack on someone and they couldn’t counter it at all.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah, but it would most likely die in the attack. Kamikaze attacks aren’t that great for the person, or monster, performing them.” I added.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, what about the card it brought you? What can you do with it?” Alice asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“How about I just show you?” I should probably use Sonic Bird better anyway, as I didn’t put a sleeve on it, so I’ll lose the card anyway after its time is up. So I can just use it as a sacrifice for the ritual.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes. Please do.” Alice said.
<span style="font-weight:400">I already had both the ritual spell and the ritual monster in my hands, so nothing left to it but to perform the ritual.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I activate ck Illusion Ritual. I tribute my Sonic Bird so that I can ritual summon Relinquished.” I said to perform the ritual summoning.
<span style="font-weight:400">The blue card of Relinquished appeared on the ground under Sonic Bird. Then Sonic Bird burst into blue mes, filling the card with more blue looking energy.
<span style="font-weight:400">After the card seemed to almost overflow with energy, Relinquished finally rose out of it. Perhaps using an overleveled sacrifice for the ritual caused the overflow. I should probably not do that in the future, even though it seemed to work this time.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Iik.” I heard Alice scream a little.
<span style="font-weight:400">I can’t me her too much. Relinquished is not the most pleasing monster to look at.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hey Brian. Are you sure this thing is safe to summon? Like at all? It looks like it came straight out of nightmares.” Luamented.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I think it is. I think.” I responded.
<span style="font-weight:400">The blue base color skin, covered in white, or perhaps more so a beige color veins was not the only terrifying thing about Relinquished. It also had a giant gaping maw in its lower body and its eye was at the end of a …appendage. I think the ‘it looks like it came from a nightmare’ analogy is correct.
<span style="font-weight:400">… yeah. I’ll just unsummon you now, thank you very much. I don’t want to look at you if I don’t have to.
<span style="font-weight:400">I then took the now sleeved card of Relinquished and hid him in the depths of my collection. I hope I never have to pull it out again. Well, if I ever get Thousand-Eyes Restrict I’ll have to pull him out again.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Thanks for getting rid of it.” Alice said after she collected herself.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah. No problem. Let’s summon some more family friendly ritual and fusion monsters next.” I decided.