Yu-Gi-Oh!: Realms of Myth
Chapter 2
I Didn't Choose the Thug Life
Of all the things to wake up to, the point-blank smell of rotting garbage had to be one of the worst. Upon regaining consciousness, Winda made the mistake of inhaling deeply, and absorbing everything. Previously, the worst thing she had the misfortune to smell was a Mud Dragon of the Swamp. However, this, was like that, but at least a thousand times worse. Decay, rot, waste, ooze. It was overpowering, and Winda nearly fell back into unconsciousness. Unfortunately, she avoided that by inhaling again. She gagged, and immediately exhaled with as much force as she could muster. She was blasted into the air.
Again, unfortunately, she slammed into some sort of metallic overhang, and face-planted back into the pile of garbage. Now fearing for her own life, she pushed herself up, holding her breath (and unfortunately, holding on to the scent) and flailed about, eventually, managing to get a hold of some sort of solid.
She realized she was lying in sort of metal box. She quickly vaulted over the side and was blessed with solid ground. She breathed a sigh of relief. The smell here was still foul, but significantly less worse than the all-out assault on her nostrils that whatever that box had been. She turned and kicked it. Why would someone waste good metal to hold some refuse?
Winda was cleaning herself off as best she could when she heard moaning behind her, and immediately dropped into a fighting stance, only to realize it was just her sister. Her arrival had been more fortunate, avoiding the box of refuse, though she had still landed in a puddle of what Winda hoped was just water.
"Ugh..." Wynn moaned.
"Are you okay."
"Yeah, I'm fine." Wynn said, drying herself off.
She heard a chirp from above her, and looked to see Gulldo and Peti sitting on top of some sort of metal pole. At least they were safe.
Gulldo flew down to land on Winda's shoulder, though he seemed hesitant to do so after he smelled her.
"Well, I'm sorry! I didn't pick where I landed!" Winda complained.
"Which brings up the question. Where are we?"
Winda looked around. "Looks like some sort of hallway."
Wherever they were, it was almost pitch dark. She couldn't see the sky, and the only source of light came from what must have been the exit. The sisters began walking towards it.
"We were supposed to be transported close to the Dark Magician, right?" Wynn asked.
"Yeah." Winda noticed that the ground was also metal. She drew her staff, and lit it up. The metal was horribly worn, rusted, and corroded, and the entire hallway was littered with garbage. "But what would he be doing in a dump like this?"
Wynn drew her staff and tapped it against the ground, making a clinking sound. "All this metal. What is this place?"
Winda shrugged. She had heard old stories about the lairs where the Allies of Justice were created. Maybe this was one of those forges?
Upon reaching the end of the hallway, the sisters came to a large open area. In the light they could see that whatever structure they were in had clearly seen better days, it was crumbling badly. Directly in front of them was a railing, and stepping up to it they could see it was a wrap around balcony overlooking some sort of large central area. Dotting the side opposite the balcony were various rooms, almost like caves, though they didn't go far inside. Half torn banners and posters, and dilapidated and broken stalls seemed to indicate that this place was some sort of marketplace, though one that had seen much better days.
The ceiling above it was made of glass, though whatever sky was above the place was pitch dark. Winda realized that not to far above the glass ceiling was another one made of more metal.
She then heard voices. Looking down to the bottom floor she saw several figures gathered next to what appeared to be a crumbled fountain. Whatever the statue had been of was now unrecognizable.
She couldn't make out what they were saying, but judging from their appearances, they weren't human.
"They might know where we are."
"They look like Fiends." Wynn warned. "I don't think we should mess with them."
It was too late however. Winda leaped over the railing, letting the winds carry her down to the bottom floor.
As she approached she overheard their conversation.
"-really it?"
"100% legit."
"Are you sure you got away?"
"Naw, they never knew I was there! Now let's talk price."
"I'll give you five-hundred."
"Five-hundred? Are you for real? Is this a joke? Worth way way more than that!"
"A thousand?"
"Hell no!"
"Twelve-hundred!"
"Okay, now I know y'all insulting me! This shit here is both quality and quantity. This ain't going for less than twenty-thousand."
"Twenty-thousand?! Are you nuts?"
"Do you know what I went through to get this shit?! Take it or leave it asshole!"
"Hello!" Winda interjected.
The Fiends jumped. Some drew weapons, while others bared their claws. One green-skinned Fiend stepped protectively in front of a crate.
"A Human! You idiot, you were followed!" Hissed red-skinned Fiend.
"I've never seen her before!"
"What's going on?" Winda asked, confused. Ah, didn't matter, they must know where she was supposed to go. "Where's the Dark Magician? I need to speak with him."
"What."
"Bitch is probably some trippin' junkie."
"What's a-"
"Sis, don't run ahead like that!" Wynn caught up.
"Oh, hey Wynn! These guys must know where the Dark Magician is."
"Again, what?" The red-skinned Fiend in a fancy looking suit stepped forwards.
"I don't think they do..." Wynn said.
"Who are you working for!" The red-skinned fiend asked.
"Of course they do! Why else would Uncle Musto send us here?"
"Musto, who's Musto? Is that who sent you?"
"So you do know him!" Winda said.
"Boss, I ain't never heard of no Musto." Said an oddly colored horned Fiend.
"I SAY WE CUT THEM UP AND ROAST THEIR REMAINS!" A strangely dressed blue-skinned Fiend holding a knife in one hand while the other was replaced with a hook suddenly screamed. He brandished his very rusty yet disturbingly sharp implements. "TONIGHT WE FEAST!"
"The Three damn it all, I knew we shouldn't have brought Romero."
"I dunno, I am pretty hungry. We didn't get anything to eat today." A fat green skinned Fiend spoke up.
"Not you to?" Said the well dressed Fiend who was clearly the boss.
"So can any of you tell me where the Dark Magician is?"
"What, is that some kind of code?"
"What do you mean, 'code'." Winda asked, growing frustrated.
"Er sis..." Wynn spoke up.
"What?"
"I think somethings gone wrong."
"What do you mean."
"Winda, I don't think we're supposed to be here." Wynn explained.
"Why would you say that?" Winda asked. "We're here to find the Dark Magician!"
"I think something must have gone wrong with the spell."
"Of course not!" Winda protested, growing frustrated. "Uncle Musto's divinations are never wrong!"
"What about that time with the Nekogals?"
"I keep telling you that tattoo was-"
Before anything else could be said, everything was drowned out by a noise that seemed like an unholy fusion between an elephants trumpet and a wailing child.
"What the hell?" Winda looked about. "What's that?"
The Fiends however were terrified. "Shit! Shit! Shit!"
"What's going on?" Winda asked.
"It's the fuzz!"
"Boss what do we do?
"Hello?" Winda asked.
"WE GOTTA BOOK IT!" Shouted the blue skinned fiend.
"What about the evidence!"
"Calm down everyone! I'll think of a way out." Said the well dressed Fiend.
"Hey! Anyone want to answer my questions?"
"What about the evidence boss!" Repeated one of the Fiends.
"We gotta scrap it!"
"Shove it in Terra!" One suggested. "That worked last time!"
"What? No! Fuck you I'm not doing that again!" Said a fat green Fiend.
"We don't have a choice!"
"That was horrible to pass last time. It still hurts down there!"
"Shut up and eat it, or we're all screwed!"
"Calm down everyone!" The well dressed Fiend insisted.
Winda was being ignored. Winda hated being ignored.
"Will someone answer my questions!" She shouted, releasing a blast of wind at the same time. Not enough to hurt, but knocking them off balance and getting their attention.
Unfortunately, before anyone else could say anything, the glass ceiling shattered. The Fiends screamed as glass shards came raining down on them. Winda and Wynn held out their hands, and gusts of wind blasted the shards away from themselves.
They then looked up to see numerous strange black suited figures descending. Metal wing like appendages attached to their suits slowed their descent. Each figure carried some sort of metal device in their hands.
"Forget the loot, just run!"
"The building is surrounded!" One of the newcomers spoke. "There's no escape! Surrender!"
"I AIN'T GOIN' TO THE PIT! YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!" Screamed the one named Romero. He threw his knife at one of them, hitting directly on. However, the blade merely bounced off the armor harmlessly.
"Dammit Romero!"
"Targets are hostile! Deploy Smoke Grenade!"
Several of the black armored figures held up their devices. From an opening on one end, something was shot out. When the projectiles hit the ground, a massive cloud of smoke almost instantly emerged, obscuring everything.
Winda's couldn't see, and she began coughing heavily. Gulldo panicked, and took off into the air. It was then that she heard the sounds of fighting. Screams and bright flashes all around her!
She ducked down, lucky enough to narrowly dodge one of the flashes. She heard another scream nearby.
"Wynn? Wynn?! Where are you?!" She managed to choke out, wandering about. What the hell was happening?
The sounds of fighting continued. Realizing that she couldn't do anything if she couldn't see, she let loose another blast of wind, clearing the smoke in a small area around her.
There, she saw one of the black armored figures turn towards her, weapon ready. Before it could attack, Winda held out her hand. A blast of wind send the figure flying away. It faded into the smoke cloud, though she could hear the sound of a crash.
Before she could continue her search, she suddenly felt something strike her in the back. Instantly, immense pain shot through her, as if all her nerves were on fire. She couldn't even scream, as all her muscles seized up, as if her body had a mind of it's own. She collapsed to the ground, writhing feebly.
Through the pain, she heard one of the armored figures speak. "All hostiles neutralized."
"Clearing air." There was a flash, and the smoke cloud quickly dispersed. Winda realized she was lying next to the box the Fiends had been arguing over.
One of the armored figures stepped over to it and removed the cover. It picked up one of the contents. A strange vial of some sort of purple fluid.
"Nutrient Z." It said. "At least 100 vials of contraband. Just as suspected."
"I-I've never seen that before. I swear, I didn't know that was in the crate!" Winda recognized the voice of the well dressed red-skinned Fiend.
"Take them all in."
Take us where? Winda wondered. She managed to move her head. Enough that she could see Wynn lying in a heap as one of the armored figures approached her. She gasped, and anger bubbled up in her.
"Don't you dare touch her!" Winda cried. Energy surged through her, and she managed to regain control of her body. She pushed herself up, leaning on her staff. The gem in the staff glowed.
Every one of the armored figures immediately opened fire on her, and again, pain surged through her. Her body jerked and spasmed, even as the bright bursts nearly blinded her. She collapsed to the ground.
Winda saw one of the armored figures move to stand over her. Even through all the pain and lack of control, she scowled at them and attempted to speak. "Don't-t-t-t-t you d-d-dare huuuuurt h-h-her, or I'll-"
Winda never got to finish her sentence, as the armored figure aimed it's weapon at her head. There was a bright flash, and then silence.
~Dragonexx