Chapter 21- Insignificant
"Follow them my hunter, we will need all of them soon." Petra heard Marik said as he left the room.
Petra lay on the couch this whole time as Marik was duelling outside of the boat. She was asleep and awake sporadically every now and then because of Marik's piercing shouts during a duel. Then she remembered she had finished her second spell with some of the amulet Marik lend her.
"It can't be how can I lose with an Egyptian God cards in my deck? You'll pay Yami! You may have defeated Slifer, but I hold another Egyptian God Card, a much more powerful one. So savour this victory while you can, for it will be your last!" Marik yelled, this worried Petra as she peeked at the window of the boat. Odion smiled at Petra.
"Miss Petra, you seem ill." Odion noticed as she began to cough.
"I'm fine thanks" she coughed again
Marik's bad mood is back and it will not be pleasant, that also goes for Odion who is out there with him too.
Odion tried to inform his brother. "Master, Bryn found a heavier anchor and Petra isn't feeling well sir."
"Does it look like I want to know now?" Marik narrowed his eyes and watched his brother walking forward. He continued talking through the Quiet One until it was done. The boat had reach Domino Pier and Marik walked over to Petra who was coughing non-stop.
"Petra you need to rest! I will allow Bryn and the others look after you. I will be back for you to analyse some Spirits." He took off his robe and folded.
"You lost the duel?" Petra said in disappointment. She continued to cough as Marik had to hurry. Marik stared at the clock and growled, "Don't mention about this duel again." He gave her water and helped her lay on the brown chair with a blanket on. He looked at a paged she wrote on his spell book, which looked like a quote by a historian. Dr Namur Paladin was a famous historian who recognised Petra for her doctorate degree.
"Destiny is always on your side, don't give up…" Petra coughed and Marik kissed her cheeks.
"Thank you…" Marik smiled but said half coldly and sighed.
Marik looked around the shelter where they have arrived. Another Rare Hunter escorted him and he began to ride his motorcycle.
Marik returned with two new people from Domino in bondage. It took quite a while but Bryn and his cousin Sylvia had been tending them and Petra. She saw the struggling teens being locked away as Sylvia and Bryn looked after the warehouse.
Then Sylvia came out where Petra stood waiting outside the warehouse. "Hi, I'm Sylvia. I'm not part of the Rare Hunters but my family run this whole pier. Whatever they are planning, this doesn't look morally sound. This kidnapping job and this whole shenanigan is creeping me out." Petra now understood why Bryn's role in the pier was important. Bryn and Odion were having a private meeting with Marik since he returned and wanted the future duel to be dangerous.
"I am Petra, can call be Pete but not a lot of people call me that anymore. Yeah, I have to agree but the person who runs the Rare Hunters… Marik Ishtar is my respectable friend. At least I think I am his friend…" Petra mumbled.
"Maybe more than just friends…? You know how many Rare Hunters are here? There are one hundred and over visitors that are operating in this Rare Hunter in this pier today and we didn't expect this. Oh yeah Bryn told me a lot about you. You're the singer from the boat that went to Ethiopia, to fight her past."
The door opened and out came Bryn, Jun Yoon and Bailey. Sylvia joined them and all four left. Then a few other Rare Hunters came out. Finally Marik and Odion stood outside still talking to one another. Marik then glared at Bryn and his group as glared back at Petra.
"You are sick Petra, go back to the boat now!" Marik shocked that she was standing there.
"W-well…" Petra tried to find excuse for walking about.
"You have pneumonia from what Bryn said to me, why are you out here?" Marik not grabbed her wrist and pulled her to another vacant warehouse.
"I don't know…" Petra mumbled again.
"Fool! You could have gotten yourself killed. Get in now!" Petra giggled for no reason. "He pushed her inside the boat on the second floor and she landed on the bed. "This is not a joke!"
"I'm sorry…" she could feel her temperature increasing following by a headache and chest pain and winced.
"Tsk, I know you should be sorry, you deliberately disobeyed me by getting out of the boat. That spell book has some healing spell but only I can conjure them. This is not influenza as it is lung infection. Don't do anything else to worsen the condition. You must have caught it when we were in Shanghai." Marik sat by her and pulled her closer. From memory without the book he walked over to get a lighter and pulled a cloth out of the cupboard. He soaked in ice water the cloth and made a gag. He tied her hands and legs together. "Open your mouth and this is part of the treatment so don't be alarmed. It is a torturous treatment and I actually wanted to see someone scream for once after being punched on the stomach earlier by my own foolish rare hunter that is…" He scowled bitterly thinking about the incident. That fool was meant to just capture him. He winced feeling the soar on his stomach. He took the lighter and lit a glass cup to contain heat. After taking of her buttoned up shirt, Petra was screaming with the gag.
Marik chanted something that took five minutes as he pinned her down. She gave up fighting and saw the Millennium Rod flashing. A lot of energy was taken from him as the spell was conjured. The traditional magic was a quick fix but not to the caster. He had seen Ishizu done it to Odion when they were younger as experiment. He placed the cup into the ice bucket and untied her. Petra just lay there limp wondering why she was here in Domino City again. " Marik, I need to go back to Ethiopia. Just the thought of my uselessness in your journey is going to hinder your duels. I don't deserve to be with you and please let me go back."
"No, I don't see you as a hindrance, if you go back you will be. Your pneumonia is cured and I also need you to tell me about this boy. Ryou Bakura is a wielder of the Millennium Ring and has a dark side whom I have joined forces with. He helped me kidnapped the Nameless Pharaoh's friends. Hold my hand and analyse my memory." Marik ordered Petra and she did so.
The quick flashback enabled Petra to realise that was the spirit that will awake Sorukhan or Zorc. She could channel the heart and saw that the void in his heart was pierced with her powers and it led her to the premonition of the very Dawn of Duels. This boy was the incarnation of Akefia. She quickly let go of Marik.
"What's wrong?" Marik asked frowning at her hand retreat.
"He- is to be trusted and not really. I thought you could read his mind?"
"I can but not his heart, you can read people's heart by channelling. That is a unique gift. Anyway I met him at an alley way as he said he is looking for Millennium Items including mine. If he fulfils his end of the bargain I will help him obtain all six Millennium Items, just not the Puzzle." Marik explained.
"Okay his heart is filled with my powers pierced with shrouded darkness. He is the Spirit incarnation of the ancient thief king my grandma says we were decedents of Akefia as he had one daughter to pass his legacy and I believe we are one of them. Also I am his ancestor by spirit so yeah, I'm that creepy girl." Marik laughed with unbelief.
" You should see the duelling trap I set up. I think you will remember when you designed this mastermind." As he looked at the time, he knew it was still early. Marik had already sent Lumis and Umbra on their mission to battle Yugi Motou and Seto Kaiba. If he could spend more time with Petra he will but for now he needed to check on his two new mind slaves.
After the duel with Yugi while controlling Joey, Marik was furious as he started tossing the furniture around the boat downstairs. Odion was mostly affected as he failed to capture a few others earlier. He was punished severely by Marik through caning.
Petra witnessed it through listening, as she did not want to confront the blonde Egyptian boy downstairs. Instead he stomped upstairs find Petra who was eavesdropping. Marik still furious at the situation called Odion to come upstairs. "How could my Millennium Rod be overpowered by feeble human emotions? Odion I'm not done with you yet so come here!" Marik walked in and growled and threw the cane on the bed where Petra was laying down and Petra screamed. "And you, don't play innocent little Petra. I want both of you bowing before me, now!"
Odion bowed first to his little brother. Petra quickly got up and bowed as well. "Master Marik, I won't fail you again." Odion pleaded.
"Sorry Master Marik, I won't fail either." Petra tried to apologise.
"Petra my dear, you haven't failed but Odion who wants to serve as an Ishtar have!" Marik kicked Odion with his boots.
"Odion, are you okay?" Petra helped him.
"Petra! I thought you are on my side? Very well, you two had better learn your place. I am not too disappointed as I have the finals to enter so I will be gladly entering as Odion did obtain more than I enquired. Perhaps it is fitting that I maintain as the alias Namu and you Odion alias as me." Marik was trying to complete a new scheme. Marik took out his six-locator cards and activated the hologram revealing the meeting place of the finals.
"Marik, before you go, please read this. I think I have done everything in the book. I have to go back to Ethiopia. Please don't be mad…" Petra said.
Marik snatched the note opened the note and smirked. "Read you say…? Sure… 'Dearest Marik, I'm nothing but a commoner and as a peon I do not have the ability to live up to your standards. May the Gods watch over your success and a few key points to fulfilling freedom in your clan and that is… love. Also casting those two spells are a reflective of how sheepish I have become in blindly following a destiny unrelated to me.' Marik paused and decided to silence his reading. 'Thus until Battle City is over, find me in Ethiopia if you are a Pharaoh or not. From observation, honesty and discretion in you nature will help you fulfil your destiny, not vengeance. The Dawn of Duels I have heard from you has no affect on my and not will I influence such destiny. I'm only a small portion of you life. The girl Tea is part of my spell, so use her. He heart is full of dual aura and can handle channelling even if you do not have you Millennium Item. Also Odion and Ishizu love you. Odion's loyalty is something I wish my family could give one another. Whatever sorrow or pain you have in the past, please look forward and open your mind with discretion. Perhaps after reading this, you hate me now. I'm sorry for hurting you and this is not betrayal. I just need you to find your destiny after Battle City. I don't know your troubles enough to help you and even if I did, I am incapable but I love you. Goodbye. PRT.'
Marik gritted his teeth holding back a growl and folded the letter and placed it in his pocket, "Leave, and thank you for your service. There is a boat just for you to Ethiopia and I will see you after the finals. Odion, we shall go to the stadium now. I have wasted enough time with an insignificant commoner." Marik walked passed her and left the boat. Odion followed him.
When Petra was outside at the pier, she saw Marik leave in a car with Odion. The boat was here and even that, Marik did not want to say goodbye to her. She boarded the boat and sat on the floor of the deck holding on to the vertical bar. She has her backpack and all the more, the book Marik lend her. She closed the bag and began to break down. "I have wasted enough time with an insignificant commoner" kept ringing inside her head and perhaps she deserved just that.
When she saw a message earlier, Abel her father said, " Petra if you are on the way back to Gambela, you need to know a prophecy of our 'Rek Kheti Mesha. This means leaving the cohort of criminals for a while and let Mister Ishtar deal with his problems until Sorukhan returns. His task as the Millennial Agent was a success but his task as a Tomb Keeper must be fulfilled. We serve the Pharaoh's servant, the Ishtar Clan but that is something you must accept. This means he will have to go through dark times but it is not your place to advocate. Your mother and I will discuss more when you return but for now... leave Domino City..."