This is the first set of custom cards I write here, as I can't draw artistically to save my life, and will probably be a lengthy one. I find the theme of Digital Bugs fascinating, so the fact that they're pretty much a non-entity in current yugioh kind of stings, so I tried to come up with a number of Extra Deck monsters and accompanying Spell/Traps to get them to actually do something actually threatening instead of having to rely on very specific hands to do something more than Cicada King pass. The monsters: Digital Bug Jumper Spider LIGHT Arrows: Left Insect / Link / Effect 1 level 3 or lower Insect Monster If this card is Special Summoned; you can add a level 3 or lower Insect monster from the Deck to your Hand, then, if you added a LIGHT Monster, you can add a second Insect Monster from your Deck with the same Attribute. You can only use this effect of "Digital Bug Jumper Spider" once per turn, also, for the rest of this turn, you cannot Special Summon Monsters, except Insect Monsters. You can Normal Summon an Insect Monster in addition to your Normal Summon for the turn. ATK/300 LINK-1 Digital Bug Antdiode LIGHT Arrows: Down, Down-Right Insect / Link / Effect 2 Insect Monsters, including a LIGHT Monster If this Card is Link Summoned: You can Special Summon up to 2 Level 4 or lower Insect Monsters from your GY or Banishment in Defense Position but their effects are negated, then, if you Special Summoned at least 1 LIGHT Monster, Special Summon an Insect Monster to your Opponent's field from your Hand or GY if you Summoned 1 LIGHT Monster, or also from your deck if you Summoned 2 LIGHT Monsters, in Defense Position but its effects are negated. When your opponent would Special Summon a monster(s) while this card is in the GY (Quick Effect): You can Banish this card; negate the Summon, and if you do, banish that monster(s). You can only use each effect of "Digital Bug Antdiode" once per turn. ATK/1800 LINK-2 Digital Bug Coillipede LIGHT Arrows: Down-Left, Down, Down-Right Insect / Link / Effect 2+ Insect Monsters, including a LIGHT Monster If this card is Link Summoned: you can add "Bug" Spell/Trap Cards from your deck or GY to your hand up to the number of LIGHT Monsters used to Link Summon this card. If your opponent activates a Card or Effect: you can change the Battle Possition of a Face-up Monster on the field, then, if the Monster was controlled by your opponent, neither player can activate that Monster's effects until the End Phase. You can only use each effect of "Digital Bug Coillipede" once per turn. While this card is face-up on the field, your opponent cannot target Level/Rank 7 or lower monsters for attacks.  ATK/2400 LINK-3 Digital Bug AMPeror Scorpion LIGHT Arrows: Left, Right, Down, Down-Right Insect / Link / Effect 2+ Insect Monsters, including a LIGHT Monster If this card is Link Summoned using only LIGHT Monsters; you can Special Summon a LIGHT Insect Monster from your GY to a Zone this card points to. (Quick effect) When your opponent activates a card or effect; you can make that effect become "Change the Battle Position of a Monster your opponent controls. Otherwise, take Effect Damage equal to half the ATK of the monster with the highest ATK on your opponent's field, or 3000 Effect Damage if the highest ATK on their field is 0". You can only use each effect of "Digital Bug Amperor Scorpion" once per turn.  ATK/3000 LINK-4 Digital Bug 128bit Rhinosebus LIGHT Rank 9 Insect / Xyz / Effect 2 or more Level 9 LIGHT Insect Monsters You can also Xyz Summon this card using a Rank 7 or 8 Insect Xyz Monster you control that has activated an effect that requires detaching Xyz Material, then using that Xyz Monster as the Xyz Material (transfer its materials to this card). If Xyz Summoned this way, this card gains any additional effects the previous Xyz Monster had. This card is unaffected by your opponent's Monster effects, except those of Insect Monsters. If this card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent. (Quick Effect) When your opponent activates a card or effect: you can detach an Xyz Material from this card; Negate that effect, and if you do, attach that card to this Monster as Xyz Material. You can only use this effect of "Digital Bug 128bit Rhinosebus" once per turn.  ATK/3400 DEF/3200 The Spells/Traps Bug CPU Field Spell Card All Insect monsters you control gain 600 ATK and DEF. While you control a LIGHT Insect Xyz Monster, the first time a card you control would be destroyed by your opponent's card, it is not destroyed. You can only use the following effects of "Bug CPU" once per turn. You can target 1 Xyz Monster you control; attach 1 card from your hand, GY or Banishment to that monster as Xyz Material. If this card leaves the field by an opponent's card; you can add an Insect Monster from your deck to your Hand. Bug Induction Normal Spell Card Active 1 of the following effects: ● Draw 1 card ● If you control a LIGHT Insect Xyz Monster: detach an Xyz Material from an Xyz Monster you control; add a Level 3 or higher Insect Monster and a "Bug" Spell/Trap card from your deck or GY to your Hand. You can only activate "Bug Induction" once per turn. Bug Soldering Normal Spell Card Special Summon 2 "Digital Bug Tokens" (Insect / LIGHT / Level 3 / ATK 300 / DEF 300), then, you can change the Battle Position of a Monster on the field. These Tokens cannot attack. You cannot Special Summon monsters for the rest of the turn, except Insect monsters. If an Insect Monster(s) you control would be destroyed by battle or card effect while this card is in your GY, you can Banish this card instead. You can only activate "Bug Soldering" once per turn. Bug Resonance Normal Trap Card Return cards your opponent controls to their respective decks up to the number of Fusion, Synchro, Xyz and/or Link Insect monsters you control. If no cards leave the field by the effect of "Bug Resonance"; draw 2 cards. During your opponent's Battle Phase, you can banish this card from your GY; end the Battle Phase. Bug Shorting Counter Trap Card When your opponent activates a card or effect: destroy an Insect Monster you control; negate that card's effect, and if you do, you can attach it to an Xyz Monster you control as Xyz material or banish it.

The false ghost of Caesar was certainly a surprise. Up until then Thessa had been assuming this thing copied from people that went into the steam. Yet clearly that couldn't be the case. She would have been more interested in their little conversation if not for something that caught her attention early. "You said you put powers into it, what do you mean by that?" She didn't like the sound of that. If it meant what she thought it did then she was going to need some answers immediately.  "A masterwork of Tinker engineering," Tidebinder said. "It started when we'd figured out how to emulate powers at, well, perhaps not at scale, but well enough to develop follow-on ideas. I mentioned mine already for the steam, but Legion's power was necessary to turn the whole system of pipes into a computer. And then anything else we figured we could emulate, we put in there as well. Gibbons is the largest organization in the city, so we could pick through a lot just by membership, plus people who had been exposed to Legion's surveillance... I wouldn't say we managed every power in the city, but there was a lot." Thessa felt her pulse quicken at the implication. "And those 'ghosts' all of them are from people you took powers from?" Tidebinder nodded. "Caesar, of course, got fixated on the giant laser, but that was the element I was most impressed by. It's rare for me to see something I can't make water do myself." She barely heard the sentence. The nod alone was all she needed.  Thessa stepped out in front of Tidebinder to force her to stop. "I saw me." She said slowly. "Does that mean you took mine too?" The look of confusion on Tidebinder's face was the only thing keeping her from grabbing on and shaking an answer out quicker. "No, I don't think we quite managed to figure out yours. I think we tried cocktails of strength and durability but you're not strong all the time, are you? And after one too many near miss accidents, we started to focus on only what we knew for certain. Are you sure it was you?" "I wouldn't mistake myself for anyone else." "Well, if this is true, somebody knows," Tidebinder said. "And while you certainly don't have to believe me, if a Gibbons Gang Thinker knew, I would have just said so. I wouldn't put you through the ringaround if this is a sample of how you'd act if you do find out." She also took a step backwards. "Fortunately for you, that accounts for the majority of Thinkers. G3 has the next most, but hopefully you'll forgive me if I don't say everything I know about other organizations, especially that one in particular. My advice would be to find the Thinkers who you've talked to, especially recently. The more information a Thinker has, the more accurate their power's output is going to be." Thessa relaxed slightly. It wasn't good news but it at least meant that it wasn't as widespread as it could have been. She began to think of those she was in contact with recently. The one with the suit was too honest to not have let something slip. Lex was too recent to have figured out anything. There were three names that sprung to mind. Roy, Lachesis, and Bard. Both of the former two in particular she had plenty of time spent talking with and both of them seemed to be the type to relish in controlling things. And then there was Bard. At first she was willing to brush it off but then she remembered that she had actually seen him right before dealing with Caesar on the day all this went down. There was certainly something suspicious about him as well. Thessa took a deep breath and glanced at Tidebinder. Rare annoyance on her face. "Let's get this done with. I have some people to talk to."

The nightwalker swept its gaze across the three of them. Its eyes seemed to flash as it looked at each of them. The creature braced its foot hard on the ground and started to slowly lift itself up. As it did it brought an arm up and raised its hand over the pathway. They could see smoky, inky black, things start to emerge from its hand and arm as several more shadow creatures began to emerge from its appendage. While this happened the three that had already been active all went for Chris at the same time. They didn't seem to be aware of each other as they clambered towards him with a single-minded purpose.