[center][h1][color=#af7ac5][b]Valerie Durand[/b][/color][/h1][/center]

Valerie blinked once, and then all she saw was black. The only thing that stood out in the void was the possessed Slifer girl, brandishing her Duel Disk and cards. 

[color=#af7ac5][b]"Fine, let's get it started."[/b][/color] She huffed in response, Ceruli hovering anxiously by her side. 

[b]"Take this seriously, Valerie."[/b] The Duel Spirit hissed, a bead of sweat dripping down his head. [b]"Should you lose, even I cannot fathom what consequences will befall you at the whim of these spirits."[/b]

[color=#af7ac5][b]"I hear you, I hear you. Can't exactly control what I draw though, can I?"[/b][/color] Valerie responded as Haruko started with the first turn. 

___

[color=#af7ac5][b]"Well, damn."[/b][/color] Valerie sighed ruefully, a slight grin still on her face from the thrill of the duel as the last of her life points ran dry. She'd made a bad read on Haruko's deck from her first move, and paid the price accordingly. Whereas Valerie had thought that Haruko's Scapeghost was in aid of going for link summons, instead the Slifer had decided to just go for zombie beatdown by drawing multiple Solidarities. For someone like her that didn't run too much backrow removal, it'd been a bad matchup. Her own draw luck past the first turn hadn't helped much either.

[b]"No! Valerie! I told you to not take this lightly!"[/b] Ceruli screeched in despair, eyes wide and desperate as the darkness surrounded Valerie. 

[color=#af7ac5][b]"Sorry, Ceruli."[/b][/color] Valerie gave him a weak smirk as everything seemed to start to fade. [color=#af7ac5][b]"I screwed up pretty badly. Just...if this kills me, it's been real fun. Hell, I owe you pretty much everything. This isn't your fault..."[/b][/color] Was the last thing she managed to utter before the void surrounded her. 

[b]"Damn you little wretches to the underworld!"[/b] The spirit bellowed as the darkness started to take him too. [b]"By the Lord Grapha, I will do everything in my power to ensure you [i]suffer[/i] once I break free of these confines!"[/b] The last of his yells were swallowed up by the same darkness as he joined Valerie in defeat.