Queen of Games : Deep Space Duel

**Queen of Games : Deep Space Duel**is a Story Arc of the the Exteria Multiverse. It takes place in Interra and follows the perspective of game specialist Maya Krius. It is a sequel to Queen of Games : Abyssal Duelist and is followed by Queen of Games : Moloch the Duelist.

## Main Arc

### Another Strange Tournament

Maya Krius, daughter to Melysandre Yuka and Angelo Krius, and a champion in several card games including **Magic: The Gathering**, is invited to a massive tournament in an unknown location. During the transportation, the qualifications happen inside the train leading to the destination ; those who fail are forcibly removed from the train, by the orders of the Abyssal Witch who leads the tournament.

Maya defeats several weak opponents before facing the talented but unexperienced Jody Valentine in a final battle. She is qualified, but fights against the Witch's guard in order to allow Jody to stay with them. The train finally reaches its destination : **Hashima Island**, an abandoned island next to Tokyo. The Witch tells them to win matches next to the center of leylines to gain points. Maya, however, is unconvinced by the Witch's mysterious attitude and certainty that magic exists.

### Akushi and the Triad

Maya investigates alongside Jody and finds Akushi Bakura, a young man who seems to have a split personnality, that of **Apophis**, Malevolence of Loss. Apophis fights Maya in a close duel, waging her soul on the line, but loses, mainly due to a curselike bad luck. He retreats within Akushi for the moment.

She then begins to encounter several comatose challengers on the island. They seemingly have been attacked, according to bystanders, by a strange **Triad**. Maya ends up encountering the Triad, a sect-like organization composed of three beings in white cloaks. Intrigued but still disbelieving magic, she confronts them only for them to disappear at the Witch's approach. The Witch encourages Maya to find and defeat more opponents before challenging her.

### A First Loss

Maya, soon after, is ambushed by Ondine, a member of the Triad. She challenges Maya hoping to defeat her and obtain her soul, and ends up almost winning, summoning the powerful Eldrazi **Ulamog**. On the brink of death and defeat, Maya targets Ulamog with an erasure effect, causing the aftershock to knock Ondine unconscious.

Maya is deeply shocked however, as without the aftershock, she would've lost for the first time in her life ; she has however little time to be shocked as Apophis regains control of Akushi and attempts to kill Ondine. Maya refuses and defeats Apophis once again, making the entity more and more furious.

Maya, comforted by Jody and once again looking for opponents, takes down the second member of the Triad, Salamander, with ease, despite its summoning of **Kozilek**. Calming herself down, she slowly prepares for the battles to come.

### The Water Mage and the Lioness

Before she defeats the final member of the Triad, or even confronts the Witch, Maya is challenged by Ondine. The woman, who was heavily influenced by Ulamog but has broken free from its influence, decides to face Maya in a last, true and fair match. Maya ends up winning the match, although barely. As she congratulates Ondine, she realizes that Jody has disappeared.

Jody, possessed by a strange entity named Sekhmet, argues with Apophis about how to defeat Maya and take control of her ; Maya interrupts them, causing Sekhmet to clash against Maya with Jody's deck, but she is defeated. She then invites Maya to seek her within a corner of the island, which Maya does.

Maya finds a girl, Sekhmet Ishtar, waiting for her. Sekhmet attempts to enslave Maya as the result of a match, waging her own soul in the duel ; Maya's superior deckbuilding as well as advantageous gameplay allow her to easily counter Sekhmet's endeavors, but she concedes before the match ends, leaving Sekhmet with a victory. She then offers her an alliance, telling her that they have the same aims - defeating the last member of the Triad.

### The Final Battles

Maya first goes towards the Witch and challenges her. The Witch is revealed as Mia Nerro, a woman who as a child opposed Maya's parents and was saved by Melysandre's endeavors. She duels Maya in order for her to accept the true nature of magic. The match becomes more and more abstract as each duelist seeks not to defeat the other but to understand her, an almost ceremonial duel ending with a tie. Mia congratulates Maya for her victory, not against her, but against life itself.

Maya then decides to fight Apophis - which has challenged and been defeated by two other opponents - to a final battle. Apophis summons his true cards ad fights Maya, recounting his story as a thief punished by a powerful curse for attempting to steal Maya's ancestor's treasures and live a noble life. However, Apophis's curse of loss, even as the cards he owns are more powerful than Maya's, still manifests, preventing him from winning. Maya however struggles against that, helping Apophis defeat her and discover the true meaning of victory. As a shocked Apophis ends up winning, Maya hugs him then goes to fight her final opponent.

The last member of the Triad, Tsatthogua, has been using the lingering magic of the island to attempt to summon Emeria. Mia has however anticipated that and used the invitation to a tournament in order to establish her own barriers and prevent Tsatthogua from performing his ritual. Maya challenges him to a final duel, and despite Tsatthogua summoning several times Emeria's avatar **Emrakul**, she ends up erasing his mind and finally ending Tsatthogua's curselike existence. Having triumphed of the tournament, she asks for Mia's hand in marriage as a reward, which the witch obviously accepts.

## Other Arcs

### Test of Bolas

In an unknown timeline, Maya also encounters Nicol Bolas before defeating Tsatthogua. The Elder Dragon has only come to test Maya and with a close loss, rewards Maya for her talent while disappearing from the island in anger.

## Characters

* Maya Krius
* Mia Nerro
* Akushi Bakura
* Jody Valentine
* Sekhmet Ishtar
* Ondine
* Salamander
* Tsatthogua

## Trivia

* This storyline borrows elements from a **Yu-Gi-Oh!** like narrative using **Magic: The Gathering** elements instead of the traditionnal **Duel Monsters** game.