Yu-Gi-Oh! Capsule Monsters

Game Ten: The Voice of the Desert

I'm not sure if we're ever going to make it out of here, so I'm writing this message in case anyone else happens to stumble upon it. My name is Yugi Mutou. My friends and I were on a vacation to India – the same place my grandfather was on an expedition with a friend of his – when our plane crashed in the middle of the forest. We met my grandfather's colleague, a man named Alex Brisbane, whom led us through a pyramid full of traps to show us where my grandfather disappeared. Eventually we were drawn into some other world where we're being forced to play a game to escape.

Now we have to face five trials…at least that's what the riddle says. It said something about "what you seek," and I'm pretty sure it was referring to something other than the way back home. At any rate, I'm sure we'll be able to head back safely if we pass these things, but we're already in bad shape. Some of us are still sore from our last battle, and Grandpa doesn't have a single monster left. I keep telling myself that this is a game, there's always a solution, but even so I've got a bad feeling that something isn't right here…

Yugi was glad that he had gone through the door with his eyes closed. When he opened them up again, he noticed that the area around him was not only less crowded, but a lot less dark. Desert sands stretched as far as he could see, with no oasis in sight.

"What now?" Joey mumbled. "Looks like our first 'test' starts in the middle of nowhere."

"We don't have much of a choice," Tristan pointed out. "We have to press on if we're going to go home. The question is, where do we start?"

"How about over there?"

All heads swiveled to Tea, whom pointed to the horizon nearby. She grinned in triumph. "There's a village over there. Maybe we can get some help."

The group wasted no time in heading toward the village. Once there, they glanced around the white tends strewn about the area. A few people peered out of them, but they all seemed nervous and unfriendly, thus the group ended up with a cold reception. Joey hung his head slightly. "Maybe we took the wrong turn?" He said. "These people don't seem to be too outgoing…"

"We've been waiting for you."

The group looked to the side to see a mysterious young girl standing before them. Her creamy-white robes and black pigtails blew softly in the wind, and as enchanting as she might have seemed, her eyes were dark and mysterious. An even stranger pendant was laced around her neck, decorated with five triangular amethysts arranged in a circle. Noticing that she had caught the group's attention, she turned and begun walking toward a nearby tent – one that was larger than the others. "Please come this way."

Joey eyed the back of the girl's head. "I don't know if we can trust her…"

"I don't see any other options," Tristan replied. "Let's just be careful."

The tent soon revealed itself to belong to the village elder. An old man sat inside on a cushion placed on a violet rug. A small red altar-like structure sat behind him. Once everyone was inside, the girl approached the man silently and whispered into his ear. Yugi and his friends exchanged glances. As the girl finished speaking, the man nodded and lifted his hands into the air, producing a mysterious blue flame.

Joey's eyes widened. "I recognize that," he said quietly.

His suspicions were confirmed when the flames vanished, and in its place a papyrus scroll appeared. The girl gingerly took it and handed it to Yugi, whom opened it. Solomon glanced over his shoulder and read it aloud quietly. "The first trial," he said. "Silence the whisper that rides the desert wind."

Yugi barely had time to ask for an explanation when a strong gust tore through the village.

Turn back!

"Is that the whisper that rides the desert wind?" Yugi asked anxiously.

The girl nodded. "Yes."

"Any last words of advice before we head out there?" Tea asked, shooting a nervous glance at the door.

"As we learned from our last visitor," the girl began, "The answer lies within the eye of the storm."

Last visitor, Yugi echoed mentally. Someone was here before us?

I believe so, Yami replied. And I don't like the sound of it, either.

As the two closed their short conversation, the girl removed the pendant from around her neck and handed it to Tea. "This is for you. It will assist you on your journey."

"What does it do?" Tea asked.

The girl's blank gaze did not change. "It will become clear when the time comes," she responded.

The voice cackled.

The group headed into the desert almost aimlessly. While everyone remained on the lookout for anything suspicious, Yugi's mind still pondered. Silence the voice that rides the desert wind…

Leave this place!

"There it is!" Tea cried. "It's getting closer!"

"And it's already too close," Yugi replied when the cackling drew closer. "It's coming from down there!"

Joey leapt out of the way just in time for an enormous sandworm to erupt from the ground. Sensing the danger, Yami took control and immediately took a battle stance. "Be careful everyone! That's a Medusa Worm!"

Within moments, the group (sans Solomon) had summoned their monsters: Dark Magician, Flame Swordsman, Thunder Kid and Dark Witch. Before any of them could attack, however, the worm slunk back underground, only to reappear behind them. With a swift command, Dark Magician and Yami spun around. A lightning-fast attack from the wizard shattered the worm from existence.

"Way to go, Yugi!" Joey cried. "We cleared the first test!"

The blonde's victorious mood, however, was quickly erased when Yami's eyes narrowed. The voice was still there, cackling manically. "We're far from finished," the spirit said sternly.

On cue, the sandstorm picked up, blinding the five duelists. Four more worms appeared, and they did not delay in sending their own attacks at them. It wasn't long before they could see the worms, let alone their own capsule monsters or even their own hands.

Give up, Pharaoh! The sand shall swallow you all!

Yami clenched his teeth. "Everyone hold your fire!" He cried. "We can't risk attacking or we'll destroy each other!" That voice is getting closer…any ideas, Yugi?

Remember the riddle, Yugi responded. We have to silence the voice that rides the desert wind. Those worms are just diversions.

With a nod, Yami turned to his friends (or at least where he hoped they were). "The sand worms are just a distraction! We have to focus on that voice!"

Give up! Fighting is futile!

Another worm shot up out of the ground before Yami. Just as it was about to strike, Yami began to run, only to find himself being lifted off of the ground and straight up into the air. After shutting his eyes tightly to avoid the flying sand, Yami felt a fresh breath of air within moments, as well as another voice.

Behold the source of the storm.

Yami immediately recognized the voice as the Dark Magician's. Cracking his eyes open, he saw himself being carried above the clouds of the sandstorm, and before him was an enormous tornado.

Remember what the girl said? Yugi stated. "The answer lies within the eye of the storm." The eye of any storm is always peaceful; we just have to get there first!

With that, the Dark Magician plunged into the fray once more, and Yami landed nimbly on the ground. Quickly ordering the Dark Magician to retreat and return to capsule form, Yami began to press forward. Without any monsters to protect us, it will be difficult to get to the eye of the storm unharmed.

We don't have any other choice, Yugi replied. If we're going to pass this test and go home then we have to do whatever we can. I know it's a gamble, but we just have to have faith!

Yami gave a simple nod in return and charged forward. As expected, the voice laughed at their advances and numerous worms shot up from the ground, impeding on their progress. Globs of sludge shot from their gaping maws, slamming into the ground around the sprinting duelist. One hit dangerously close, causing Yami to stumble, but he stood and took off again just in time for another attack to miss. They were almost there.

Pharaoh, turn back!

The wind was suddenly incredibly strong, and Yami sunk to his knees, gasping for breath. Yugi appeared next to him. We're almost there! Don't give up!

It's too strong…I can barely stand…

You can do this! I know you can!

With a reluctant nod from Yami, the trek continued. Up ahead, Yami barely made out a figure floating in the tornado, taunting him as he continued forward. The sand now rose half-way up his calves, and even walking became tiring. With a final cry of despair, Yami collapsed into the sand, losing consciousness.

To be continued…

I'm sorry for the slow update! But here you go, chapter 10! Enjoy!