Limited Release
Genres: Adventure, Humor
Summary: Yugi wishes he could tell Mokuba he knows what it's like to stand in the shadow of someone taller, to be so used to saying 'we' that he forgets it is not only possible to be just 'I' but acceptable. / Post-Canon AU, Chibishipping Yugi x Mokuba
A/N: Written for the YGO Fanfiction Contest Season 10, Round Eight, with the pairing of Chibishipping (Yugi x Mokuba). This is a post-canon AU, and takes inspiration from various RPG games and tropes in reimagining the Legendary Heroes virtual reality game. I hope you enjoy!
Limited Release
"Where were you yesterday?" Jonouchi asks between bites of food, raising his voice to be heard over the lunchtime din. "I stopped by the game shop, but your Gramps said you weren't available."
"Yeah. Sorry about that." Yugi's own lunch is partially untouched; the vegetables are too soggy, and he pushes them around his plate absently. "Legendary Heroes went into beta-test a week ago, and I've been spending most of my free time on that."
Jonouchi looks at him sharply, and Yugi is quick to add, "It won't be like last time! There's no danger involved…at least I hope so…it's a lot of fun!" He runs through each excuse he can think of, holding out his hands in an attempt to calm his friend down. "They opened up test slots to local students and I thought it would be fun, you know? To just escape into another world and do something totally different, be someone totally different for a change."
"You don't need to justify something like that to us," Anzu says. Beside her, Honda tries to steal a potato chip, and she bats his hand away.
Jonouchi's expression turns sullen. "I didn't hear about it."
"—There was a poster, but it was blocking a fire safety sign so it was taken down—"
"Stupid Kaiba Corp. Like I would be interested in a new game of theirs anyway." He pauses. "Is it any good?"
Yugi smiles. "We didn't get to enjoy ourselves last time, did we? If you've played any game like it you'll know how it goes. It's familiar in the best way, but there's enough about it that's new to keep you surprised. It's really well done."
Jonouchi chews on the end of his plastic fork. "…Don't tell me you got the game for free, too?"
"I won't tell you, then."
"…Stupid Kaiba Corp."
As Yugi eats, he keeps his eyes on the clock high up on the far wall, watching the sweeping second hand and counting alongside it, waiting for time to put him back in the game again. His mind is already all but there, remembering the way the wind blew over a valley filled with wildflowers and the clank of shifting metal echoed in his ears.
He glances down. It is still strange to him to not have the weight of the Puzzle hanging from his neck. Without it, his shoulders feel lighter, but it is not an adequate trade for the comfort it had always provided. The weight was steady, dependable. It is not an easy thing to replace or to overcome, but Yugi cannot do anything but try.
"Look alive, peasants!" the raid leader barks, his eyes shifting over the ragtag line of newbie players before him. "That goblin isn't going to defeat itself. Ha, if only. There was a glitch earlier that caused an electric mouse to die instantly when it was hit with a stun attack, but we fixed that. No more lucky breaks. Unless you want to purchase a luck amulet at one of the shops, and that'll run you a few thousand silver."
Renju can't help but notice that none of the others seem to be paying the slightest bit of attention, and the leader appears to be speaking more to himself than to the others. Instead of a helmet to cover his blond hair, the leader wears a cowl that stretches from his nose to his throat, but it doesn't do a thing to impede his volume.
He points his thumb towards his chest. "You can call me Moku. Or boss, if you prefer."
The short redhead on Renju's left lets out a giggle.
"You! Quit reading global chat and pay attention!" Moku shouts. Renju quickly blinks twice with his left eye, pulling up the scrolling chat in the bottom of his line of vision, muffling a snort at what he reads.
"You can test out those pick-up lines later, right now we've got to take down these goblins. Everybody got your weapons?"
The group shuffles to retrieve what little they could scrounge from their intro weapon allotment or the cast-offs from other players. Spears, short hooked blades, and spiked gauntlets seem to be the standard, belted at the waist or hidden away in a player's inventory until they needed to call on them. Renju hefts a frying pan, testing the weight of the base. It is smooth, undented—from that, he knows that it should be strong enough to bash in a few goblin skulls.
"Alright, I'm transporting us to the dungeon. Close your eyes or you'll get a little dizzy."
Renju keeps his open, watching the swirl of light grow blindingly bright around them before clearing away to reveal a dark corridor made of stone darkened by age and water damage. The ground is slick beneath his boots, and the momentary dizziness only makes him smile. The feeling is very real; his body's reaction to it is familiar, and he likes the fact that he can connect one more thing from this world to the real one he has just left.
"Form a V-shape. Yes, like that." Moku directs them as he unsheaths his own weapons, a stiletto in his left hand and a larger, curved blade in his right. He motions towards the spear-wielder with an elbow. "You'll be on my left, and I'm in front. Anything that gets past us will be yours to deal with. Got it?"
Renju nods his assent, tightening his grip on the frying pan. The section of stone they stand on is intricately carved, the receival pad for transported players, and once they step off it they will be instantly under attack.
"We will clear the dungeon by defeating one hundred goblins. We'll get more treasure if we can do it fast. Let's go." Moku takes the first step, and three goblins emerge from the shadows. Moku starts running, and Renju trips over his feet trying to match his speed. His boots are ill-fitting and clumsy, but he swings the frying pan to trip over a stout goblin that ducks Moku's attack, trusting that one of the players behind him can handle it.
Renju finds himself watching Moku more and more as they make their way through the dungeon. His movements are quick and efficient, the kind made from experience and practice, whereas the other players are largely unfamiliar with the weapons they carry and the procedures of the game. Renju tries to copy him, turning his body into every bit as much of a weapon as the one he carries. Blinking with his right eye, he pulls up the stats of their dungeon encounter, finding them twenty percent of the way through. Satisfied, he blinks again to clear it, finding a goblin in the blind spot created by the marquee, knife poised to attack.
Moku's stiletto finds its way in the goblin's throat, and it disappears in a wisp of smoke and light. He reaches back to grab it before it can clatter to the ground, already turning to attack the next opponent.
On his next goblin, the spear-wielder's weapon breaks in half, the wooden handle broken in the impact. Reduced to splinters, he takes the goblin's attack head-on.
His shout is more one of surprise; there is no pain from injury or attack in the game, but the reduction in his health meter affects his speed and Moku pushes him back, shouting at the redhead to protect him. The goblin rears to attack again, and Renju throws his frying pan, sending it flying to scatter into light and data. He catches it on the rebound.
"You! Take his place!"
Renju finds himself at the front, now, ducking attacks and striking out with his frying pan, losing count of their enemies. The dungeon is dark enough that they cannot see their opponents until they are almost on top of them and the slippery floor makes evasion difficult, but that makes the thrill even greater.
It is Moku who defeats the last goblin, and the group exits the corridor, finding a larger, well-lit room with a dais at its center. While Renju studies the room, Moku moves towards the treasure chest atop the dais, opening it and shouting in delight.
"Would you look at that! It's payday, team! Come get your loot." Moku tosses out small bags of gold; Renju catches his in his left hand. It disappears into light, and he blinks again with his right eye to pull up his menu, finding himself grinning at the number. It wasn't much, but it was more than he expected, and more than he'd ever had before.
"I'll take us back to town. On three…two…"
Renju lingers behind the rest, unsure where to go. Most of the others had already parted ways, either to spend their money or take on new quests.
"Hey." It was Moku. "You weren't too bad in there. I'm always looking for people to help out in higher-level raids—want to exchange friend codes?"
"Sure." They exchange numbers; Renju's list grows from zero to one.
"A word of advice," Moku says, "I'd use that gold to buy better gear. I know the stuff you start out with isn't any good. Have you picked your specialization yet?"
"Not yet." The choices were too much, from spellcasters to dual blade wielders to axemen and everything in-between. "Thank you, though. I'll do that."
"Great. I look forward to working with you again."
"Same to you," he says. Moku turns to walk into town, and Renju follows him at a distance, wandering among the shops, trying to remember which one sold weapons.
A large crowd gathers outside of one of the market stalls, and Renju stops a man to ask what they're waiting for.
"It's the daily lottery," he answers. "Buy a ticket for five gold—the reward is a hundred if your number's picked!" He waves a slip of paper in Renju's face; he notices that each of the players gathered there hold the same pieces of paper.
He makes his way to the front of the crowd and buys a ticket from the merchant. He still has plenty of gold left, and figures even if he doesn't win playing the odds is still fun.
In an alleyway off the market square, Moku leans against the wall, watching. Renju walks up to him, giving a slight wave. "You're not going to buy a ticket?" he asks.
"It's not my thing," he says. "The odds are so low. It's barely a one percent chance of winning, if that. All the lottery mini-games are that way—"
"And the winner is, number 4927!"
Renju glances down at his slip of paper. "That's me!" He can barely believe it himself, but Moku's face is even more astonished, gaping as Renju runs back up to the merchant to accept his prize.
He watches the numbers of his tally rise in the character menu, grinning as he looks past it to the armory, tucked away on a side street.
"Tell me your secret." Moku is beside him again, keeping pace with him as he walks, looking up at Renju. "I don't believe it, and I saw it."
"There's no secret." He shrugs, opening the door to the armory. "I've just always been good at games."
Yugi's hands still smell of lemon-scented cleaner after the school day's soji no jikan. As he prepares to walk home, he spots a familiar face lounging outside on one of the benches, tapping away on a handheld game.
"Hey, Mokuba," he says. "What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for Seto," is his prompt answer. "He's tutoring some girl in math. He's a few minutes late." His mouth pulls itself into a deep frown.
"Would you like me to wait with you? You shouldn't be alone."
"I'm not alone. The limo's just over there." He points towards it, obnoxiously huge and obtrusive; several other students gather around the limousine, pressing fingertips to the shiny black paint and whispering to themselves about its owner.
"Are you in a hurry?" he asks, seating himself in the empty space beside Mokuba. Yugi would say he is in a hurry himself—most of his free time is spent in the game, and the number of friend codes he has obtained has grown past two digits now—but while Mokuba may say he is not alone, the look on his face makes Yugi believe he could use some company.
"I've been helping to moderate KC's newest game. It's so much fun—way more fun than Duel Monsters, if you'd believe me. We reworked Legendary Heroes from the ground up—new character designs, new quest lines, and new social components."
Yugi tilts his head. From the way Mokuba talks about it, he cannot help but be drawn in.
"Are you a beta-tester? Do you play it?" Mokuba asks, adding at Yugi's nod, "Of course you do. You're probably the top player."
"Oh no. Not anywhere close," he answers. "I can understand why you're in such a hurry to get back to it, though."
"No, you don't." Mokuba pauses, his thumbs stalling over the handheld. "Well, maybe you do. I dunno. Hey," he adds suddenly, "I'll let you in on a secret! We're doing some sweet promotions for when the game finally launches. The first players to destroy the final raid boss will get some amazing prizes. We're really excited about it."
"We?"
"Seto and I," Mokuba clarifies.
"Somehow I can't imagine Seto being excited about—"
He stops talking as he notices Seto walking up the path towards them. "Your brother's here." He waves and stands, gathering his things. Seto is as taciturn as ever, giving Yugi the slightest of nods as acknowledgement before turning to his brother.
"Let's go, Mokuba," he says.
They part ways. Yugi wishes he could say more—tell Mokuba he knows what it's like to stand in the shadow of someone taller, to be so used to saying we that he forgets it is not only possible to be just I but acceptable. His own identity had walked away from him, changed him; who he was before he had solved the Puzzle seems like a stranger to him now, but he knows that the man he will be years from now will be that much different from who he is today. He wants to tell Mokuba that it is okay to change. He should not be afraid of it.
And then he wishes he could take his own advice.
He keeps one eye on the global chat, watching for notices of raids or requests for mercenary assistance. Renju had participated in a few more since his first, using his rewards to buy better gear and waiting for a call from Moku.
He knows with the game still in beta-test there can't be more than a thousand players in total, but when he looks at the leaderboard he finds a familiar face in the top ten. Moku is just in another league from most of the other players; he must not need to bother with new players anymore to fill out the quota for entering a dungeon.
He isn't expecting the message when it finally comes. Hey, Moku's whisper chat writes, if you're not too busy, we're raiding the level-five Chimera in an hour. We're meeting in the market square. Hope to see you there.
He leans against the same alleyway he last saw Moku. When the blond dual-blade wielder approaches him, he raises an eyebrow in surprise.
"Well, that's new."
"I decided to become a heavy-blade user," he says. The colossal sword is perched on one shoulder, the hilt held loosely in his right hand. He tries to play it cool, but cannot keep the grin from his face. "The very best money could buy."
Moku gives the sword an appreciative once-over. "Now I feel shabby."
He introduces the two with him as Kayles and Halma, a spellcaster and a knight. Together, they are strong enough to challenge the Chimera, and emerge victorious.
Afterwards, the others log out, and Moku asks Renju if he wants to work on a quest together.
"Sure thing, boss," Renju says.
The look on Moku's face changes into something pensive and distraught, the expression lasting only a second. "On second thought, don't call me boss."
"Alright, Moku."
They decide on an upper-mid-tier quest—an NPC in the city will give them each a hundred gold if they can bring her a specific item, according to the quest description. The NPC is the owner of a market stall that sells small ornamental trinkets of brass, shiny and altogether useless. When they approach her, she smiles up at them warmly.
"Please, look around my shop and let me know if there is anything you like."
Renju gapes at the prices, but Moku's approach is straightforward and businesslike. "Actually, we'd like to know if we can help you."
"You'd like to earn some money?" She taps a finger against her chin, thinking. "Ah, I know. It's a hot day, and I'm thirsty. Get me a pint of milk."
Renju sets down the hand mirror he had been holding. "Well, okay. Where can we get that?"
"Come on," Moku says, "there's a farm just outside of town. We can get it there."
The farmer shakes his head when they ask him, folding his arms over his chest. "If you want some milk, you'll have to give me something in return. Bring me the Jewel of Wisdom."
Moku's sigh is incredulous. "Expensive milk. Where can we find that Jewel?"
"It will be located behind the Door of Stars, which can only be opened with the Flute of Sweet Melody."
"…Of course. And how do I get that?" he asks.
"By defeating the frost dungeon troll."
"Is that all?" Renju pauses. "What need does a troll have for a flute?"
"What need does a digital construct have for milk?" Moku scoffs. "I know what I need gold for. I hate these chain quests. And we're being let off easy."
"Chain quest? What's a chain quest?" The farmer glances between them as Moku turns to leave, pulling his cowl down from over his nose to pool around his chin.
"Don't bother, they're NPCs. They're programmed that way," Moku calls, interrupting Renju's explanation. "Come on, let's get started. Gosh, I hope the Tri-Headed Dragon quest isn't this bad."
"—Tri-Headed Dragon? What's a Tri-Headed Dragon?—"
"Beats me," Renju mumbles. "Hey, wait up!" He races to join Moku, already out the door.
He is glad for the practice with his heavy blade, and the chance to improve his teamwork. Moku is a natural at it, finding ways to give him openings in enemy defenses and shield him from damaging attacks. For his part, Renju's attacks are slower but do stronger damage, and it is his attack that finally destroys the frost troll.
Moku's flute playing is atrocious, but it opens the door, and after the chain is complete—the jewel to the farmer, and the milk to the merchant—they walk away with gold in their pockets.
The two fall into step once more; Renju consults the time with a quick double-blink to glance at his character menu. He still has a few hours to spend.
"Another quest?" he asks.
Moku shrugs his slouched shoulders, stuffing both hands in his pockets. "Sure."
The next one takes them to a castle built high into the surrounding mountain, where they gain an audience with the kingdom's princess. Renju finds himself face-to-face with Adina, the princess from the original Legendary Heroes, and can only stare, lost for words, as she asks for their aid. It is eerie seeing her again, not only because it brings back memories of the time spent in the game before, fighting for their lives, but for her clear resemblance to Mokuba Kaiba. The tortured look in her eyes is one he never hopes to see replicated in Mokuba's, but he knows Adina at least is not real and never will be; Moku would remind him again that he shouldn't concern himself with the stories of NPCs, and at the moment he could use that reminder.
"A jewel was recently stolen from our kingdom!" she cries. "Please, adventurers, help us recover it!"
Inside, Renju cringes. "A jewel? This wouldn't happen to be the wisdom one, right?"
"Oh no," she says. "It is the Jewel of Tranquility, only obtainable by playing the Trumpet of Deafening in the Hall of Mirrors."
"Right. That one."
"The thief would have retreated down the mountain—there are several caves and lakes there that would make for good hiding places. They will likely try to ambush anyone coming after them."
"That means there'll definitely be an ambush," Moku says. "We'll get that gem back for you, Adina, don't you worry."
They walk across the castle grounds, making their way towards the mountain pass. Renju likes the fact that his shoulder does not tire from hefting the heavy blade, although he does have to contend with its bulk; turning around suddenly in crowds, he had learned, was not a good thing, but Moku was quick enough on his feet to avoid the swinging blade.
"You know," Renju finds himself saying, "I know someone who looks just like Adina."
Moku stumbles a bit. "Really?"
"Yeah, we're friends. I wonder if any of the other characters here were based on real-life people?" he wonders out-loud, thinking of the shopkeepers and other characters he'd interacted with over the course of the game.
"Well, the monster designs are based off of duel monsters cards. Or so I've heard," Moku says. "The character designs are all original—since it's just a headset, people can design their character however they like, but I suppose people could use their own likenesses. Was that what you meant?"
"I admit, I'm more interested in the storyline than the mechanics behind the game," Renju says with a smile. "You really know a lot about it! I suppose that's why you're doing so well."
"That, and I hacked my weapons."
Renju gapes at him as Moku continues walking, taking his hands out of his pockets to recall his dual blades from his digital inventory.
"You what-?" He staggers after him, taking a good look at the pair of blades. "That's not-! You shouldn't!" he splutters, still dumbfounded. "How?"
"Secret." Moku sounds proud of it, and he twirls the stiletto in his left hand before balancing it in turn on each of his fingers.
Renju still cannot believe that anyone could hack a game developed in part by Seto Kaiba, but he has more important things to think about when they stumble upon the jewel-thieves.
"I've never fought a spellcaster before," Renju says, slightly worried. Their first attack is a fire spell, and the heat of it warms his face, costing him a few precious health points when it hits his arm directly.
"Use distance, get out of range if necessary," Moku instructs, falling back into the leader persona Renju remembered from their earliest raid. "They're elemental mages. Start worrying if they use a lightning attack—your sword will act as a lightning rod. It'll be nearly unavoidable."
"That's good to hear." His hands tighten around the hilt; he remembers looking at gloves in the shop when he bought the sword, and seeing the higher-level models that had rubber in them to prevent such an outcome. Now he wishes he would have bought them.
"Watch out!" The lightning attack sizzles through the air, and Renju is glad it does not hurt—instead, his entire body feels tight as a spring, and the hair on is arms stands on end. He cannot move, and wonders why, until he sees his health meter in the red.
"Here!" Moku had taken the opportunity while the mage was attacking to cut him down, and now he threw a healing potion at Renju. "Use this!" He turned to the remaining mage, scoring them with his curved blade. They staggered to their knees, their health steadily declining.
"My blades are poisoned," he says. "All we have to do is stay alive until they die."
A second lightning attack comes, but he anticipates it and jumps backwards, moving out of range. The attack dashes harmlessly against the ground, and Moku uses the chance again to attack, finishing off the second mage.
The mage's satchels are left behind after their opponents have disappeared into light, and Moku rifles through them, pulling out the jewel.
"And look!" he says, "Some added compensation for our troubles."
They split the loot—although Moku insists that Renju take custody of the Trumpet of Deafening—and after completing the quest agree to meet up again to raid the following day. When he logs out, Moku disappears in the same flash of light.
Renju hesitates in his character menu, watching the marquee lines scroll past him. Character data, weapons, level…it is not his own face that stares back at him, but it is also one that cannot be attributed to anyone other than him. When he returns, he returns to a world alone, one that still requires adjustment after all these months.
When he comes to this world, he is suddenly not alone. He logs out, returning home. His eyes see nothing but darkness until he slides the visor from his face; the comfortable weight of it curves against his nose and forehead, and his fingers clench around the plastic frame.
Plastic does not weigh as much as metal does, and on some level he knows it pales in every comparison. Still, it feels good to have something like the Puzzle once more. Yugi does not think he would have found its replacement so quickly.
The lights and sounds of the arcade surround his senses the moment he enters the door, and Jonouchi and Honda' enthusiasm is contagious enough to make him go along with the racing and sports games, and he enjoys watching his friends rack up high scores.
Jonouchi is louder still than the game noises, cheering whenever he gains a level or makes a lucky move. The video games are his choice, and the three lean over the console, waiting for the moment on the fifth level when Jonouchi tends to lose on a particularly hard jump.
"Aw, not this time." The beeping falls in pitch, managing to make the electronic noises sound sorrowful, but Jonouchi pops in more money, grasping the controls once more. "Let's try it again. There's got to be a time I get it right."
"If you just let me take over, I can clear that level," Honda says.
"But it'll be my initials on that high score, not yours. I want to earn it myself. It'll mean more to me that way."
"Jou, it's a video game." Honda's deadpan response nets a scowl from Jonouchi. "Fine, fine. Hey Yugi, want to play pinball?"
"Sure." The machines are in shouting distance, as Honda and Jonouchi test out, and as Yugi plays the game he settles into a rhythm, watching the ball bounce off of the different bumpers. It's very predictable, but then the game shakes and different sections open or close, and it becomes totally new again.
When Yugi loses—the ball slips past the paddles, and he blames their slow response time and the age of the machine—Honda takes over. His style is more brash and chaotic than either Jonouchi's or Yugi's, punctuated by shouts and curses; at one point he shakes his fist at the game, before realizing he needs that hand to operate the paddles.
When Jonouchi rejoins them, the younger Kaiba brother is by his side.
"Look who I found!" Jonouchi says. Honda offers an invitation to join them for pizza and more games, but Mokuba declines.
"I'm sorry, but I can't stay and chat," he says. "I have…an appointment."
"Hey, that's just what Yugi said—"
"I'm out of money!" He'd only brought a handful of coins on purpose, knowing that he wouldn't have the time to spend either.
Honda checks the meager allotment of coins and crumpled bills in his pockets and despairs. "But Yugi, you were going to buy the pizza!"
"I'm sorry, but I have to get going," Mokuba says.
"Wait, before you go," Yugi calls, following him as he walks towards the arcade's entrance. "I thought you should know, since you're involved in Legendary Heroes. There's a player who hacked their weapons."
"What?" Mokuba's response is justifiable, but Yugi didn't expect the degree of his anger. "That…hack! Probably some basement-dweller…"
He pauses, his posture straightening. He turns to Yugi. "What's the name of that character?"
Yugi has the same dawning realization. "Moku."
"Oh. Nothing to worry about, then. That's me." He points a thumb at his chest, the gesture familiar.
"I'm Renju," Yugi offers slowly, watching the way Mokuba's grin expands.
"That's excellent." At Yugi's confused expression, he continues, "We can work together from now on. We've got that challenge in the bag. The Tri-Headed Dragon won't know what hit it! Except it probably will…three heads and all, it can see in every direction."
The warmth that spreads through him at Mokuba's excitement is not unlike the warmth from being hit with a fire or lightning attack, but he finds that this one originates from within and lasts much longer.
"Just one thing, though," Mokuba says with a frown. "Your character looks nothing like you! Seriously, the guy must be seven feet tall! What's up with that? No wonder I didn't suspect you!"
Yugi offers to let Mokuba test out his heavy blade, but the other declines.
"I mean, it's got heavy in the name. Can you throw it? I didn't think so."
"I managed to throw a frying pan just fine," Yugi says; the cast-iron hadn't been light. "I think I could manage this."
"Well, exchanging weapons right before our biggest dungeon sounds like the worst idea ever, anyway." Mokuba tugs his cowl higher up on his nose. "So many eligible people wanted to try and challenge the Tri-Headed Dragon. We're lucky you drew the right number in the lottery."
"We only enter the maze first," Yugi cautions. "That's no guarantee. We've got to find the dragon first, and then defeat it."
"And then spend our gold!"
"Sure, spend away." They still have a few minutes to mill around before the dungeon opens and the teleporter pad will become active, but Yugi finds it hard to concentrate on that at the moment, even with all the training the two had done to prepare.
"How are you feeling?" Mokuba asks.
"Better than I have in months, actually." He smiles as if to prove it, but they both know such a gesture isn't necessary. This feeling of weightlessness hasn't left him for days, and he hopes it never will.
"…I meant about the raid. But that works, too."
Mokuba's competitiveness matches well with his practicality; Yugi knows that no matter what, Mokuba will not let him down. Likewise, Mokuba knows that if it is within his power, Yugi would do the same…but should he fall short, he has enough healing potions to make up the difference.
The instant they are able, the two teleport to the start of the dungeon. Unlike the others, there is tightly-packed dirt beneath their feet and open sky above their heads, but the air is cool and the sky is dark; it had been daytime when they left, but here it is night.
They take off without another word, running straight ahead. The walls around them are tall and perfectly level, made of some composite material that Yugi doesn't want to spend the time analyzing.
They reach a fork in the path. One juts right, the other left. Before them, a small impression in the wall details a circle, large enough that it cannot be by chance.
"Left," Mokuba decides, and they continue running. After a while the path curves again, and they are presented with two new directions. "Left again," he says. At the next divergence they go right, and follow the twisting corridors until they come to the next split.
"Wait." Yugi stops him with a hand on his shoulder before leaning closer to the wall before them. "It's a game. We've got to solve it before we can pass on—that's why we've been moving in circles."
"Oh," Mokuba says. "Well, that makes sense. What do we do?"
"The opposite of a circle is a straight line. It's like we're playing a game of Quoridor, or Blockade. We've got to get to the other side—where the dragon is—around all of the obstacles in our way. So first, we go left." They keep running, and stop when the path splits again. This time they go right, and continue alternating directions with each new option, hoping that this ensures they go in as straight a line as possible.
If anything, the sky gets darker the further into the maze they travel, but they take it as a sign of progress.
"We're close," Mokuba says. The words are not fully out of his mouth before they turn a corner and find themselves out of the maze and at the edge of a large, open stone courtyard. In the middle of it stands a dragon, its three heads staring out in every direction.
The middle set of eyes is staring directly at them.
"This is a lot bigger than it looked in the programming." Mokuba swallows, his hands tightening around each blade. "Eyes on the prize."
"Actually, I'd keep them on the dragon," Yugi whispers back.
"Sound advice." The dragon continues to do nothing more than watch them and wait. "Let's do this."
The second they spring into action the dragon reacts, extending its wings and screeching as it rears back. The middle head lets out a blast of fire, easily dodge-able until they realize they've still got two more heads to deal with, each attacking at anything that comes close to them.
"They don't move their heads!" Mokuba shouts, diving out of the way of the middle neck and making a slash down the side of the scales. Claw-tipped wings slam into him, knocking him away as the dragon hisses and screams in protest.
"They don't have a blind spot." His breathing is heavier and while the claws didn't do too much damage, he can still feel the effects. "How can we attack something with no blind spot? There's no opportunities at all—even if we attack together, that only takes care of two heads."
"Distance attacks?" Yugi suggests, and they try throwing every rune in their inventory at the dragon, hurling bits of broken stone for a distraction, but none of it is effective.
"Attack from behind?" They try that next, but the third head breathes fire whenever they get too close, and dodging the blast leaves them the spiked tail to deal with. A particularly strong blow from the tail sends Mokuba reeling, and he uses a potion to restore his dwindling health.
"I've got it," Yugi says suddenly. "It does have a blind spot—two of them, in fact. It can't see us if we attack from above or from below. If I can get above it, or we can get it to take flight, we stand a chance of defeating it."
"The former's better strategy, but the latter's more likely," Mokuba tells him. "You can't jump that high. Neither can I."
"I could throw you?" Yugi offers. "My character is strong."
"Shame none of us thought to train in the boomerang class." The dragon's three head snap at them, smoke rushing out between the fangs, but it hangs back, waiting for their move.
"A blast from the dragon would be enough force to propel one of us into the air…"
"You're joking." Mokuba stares at the dragon and Yugi in turn, blinking. The menu flashes in and out of his eyes. "Tell me you're joking."
"I won't tell you, then." Yugi grasps the hilt of his heavy sword, hoping he wouldn't lose it in the impact. "You went flying when that thing hit you with its tail. If it hits me upward, I should be able to attack one of the heads from above."
"And how will you get to the tail?" Mokuba points with his stiletto at one of the snapping heads, who hissed in response. "Have you forgotten about that?"
"I need you to distract it for me. We've got to try."
"A plan that involves us purposefully getting hurt. Sure you don't want to exchange weapons while we're at it?" At Yugi's expression, he concedes. "Fine, fine. I'll get your distraction. Make it count."
They take off running, circling the dragon, Streams of fire warm their heels, and Mokuba reaches the third head first. He leaps into the air, drawing the fire away from Yugi, and twists to avoid the worst of the flames. As the dragon opens its mouth to bite him, Yugi jumps onto the tail, using the spikes to hold on.
It flicks to try and toss him off, and when Yugi proves too resilient it prepares for a stronger attack, launching him upwards with a stronger shake. Mokuba, realizing his chance, attacks again, ducking the next blast of fire but getting hit with the tail.
Above the dragon, Yugi grasps the hilt of his sword, poised for attack. As he falls, he slices clean through the neck of the third head, severing it in one stroke with the heavy blade.
The severed head dissolves into light, leaving the two remaining. The dragon teeters to face them, its movements sharper and more aggressive from its new, vulnerable state.
"And now it's got another blind spot," Yugi says, hefting the sword.
"I'll take the one on the right." They charge, and in two more strikes, the dragon has been defeated.
The entire creature disappears in a swirl of light, and in its place rests a large wooden chest. Mokuba insists that they open it together, and when they do they find it filled with gold.
"What's the first thing you're going to buy?" Yugi asks him.
"Not sure. Maybe something for us to celebrate." He rakes a hand through the coins, watching them disappear and add to his individual tally.
"How about a luck amulet?" he suggests. "Or a few hundred, more like. You could definitely afford it."
"I don't need one," Mokuba says. "I'll just keep you around instead."
End.
Notes:
1) The various games I used for inspiration were .hack's The World, HxH's Greed Island, and iPhone's Book of Heroes. The Tri-Headed Dragon is a reference to the Twilight Dragon in .hack and the Five-Headed Dragon of the original Legendary Heroes.
2) Each of the player names were drawn from different games. Renju is a variant on the game Gomoku (played on a Go board, where the winner is the first to get an unbroken chain of 5 stones in their color). Moku is the word for the pieces used in Go.
3) Soji no jikan refers to the practice of students assisting in cleaning their schools at the close of the school day.
4) Thank you for reading! I would appreciate and value your reviews.
~Jess