Avi
The vast green countryside rolled by the window of her carriage stealing any thoughts of going back to sleep. All her life, Avi had been confined to Dragon Tooth. She never set foot outside the town walls.
The farthest she's ever gone was to Old Douglas's farm to get milk for her breakfast; he lived a short walk from the walls of the town. His comfortable cottage surrounded by healthy, happy cows grazing in the fields near the waterfall of Cameron which she was going to miss terribly. Every night for as long as she could remember, she would stare at the towering waterfall and make believe she was on the back of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon chasing down Orcs who were raiding the village.
She thought perhaps the town would change their views about her. That she was not just some stupid girl after all. Or Nandíel, meaning little mouse, which was their favorite insult towards her. But she smiled, knowing that she was no longer going to be called that. No, the people who humiliated her and abused her all her life were either homeless or blowing in the wind as ash.
Thanks to the dragons that attacked the town she had lived in for years, they had gotten what was coming to them for many, many years. The way the townsfolk of Dragon's Tooth screamed and yelled and screeched and begged for mercy from the dragons was like music to her ears. And the flames kissing her skin gave her more relief than agony. But as pleased as she was of the town's destruction, Avi was going to miss the more beautiful aspects of the town.
"I'm going to miss Cameron Falls," Avi said, resting her chin on her palm. Her elbow resting on the sill of the window.
She smiled, admiring the fields of infinite green being dashed with pastels of blazing red and heavenly blue from the flowers of the Normandian spring which came in full force. Its warm embrace knocking away the last grasps of winter's chill.
Outlining the fields were vast forests of tall pine, standing hundreds of feet high, almost blocking out the snowcapped mountains of Armen. A horsetail waterfall fell down a mountain of the bluest rocks Avi had ever seen. The water thundered into a pool surrounded by flowers of red, yellow, and blue, and royal purple. Even in the early light of dawn, Avi could see butterflies, who looked like tiny specks of color over the flowers.
"All this beauty," the girl said with a heavy sigh. "Denied from me after all these years. Now, I will never see it again. I am witnessing all that my land has to offer for the first and last time."
"You will see things far greater in comparison," Ser Gerhalos said, sharpening his claymore with a whetstone on the seat in front of her. "The land of Termnnia is not called the Heart of the World for nothing. Why are you not sleeping? Did you get any rest during the night, young one?"
"I can't," Avi replied. "Not after all that's happened. And not now that I've learned I'll be going to Termnnia. Have you ever been there before, Ser Gerhalos?" she asked, wrapping her arms around her knees, barely covered by her nightgown.
"I have," the warrior answered, tilting his blade back and forth to see if it was sharp enough to decide if his work was done. He saw his eyes on the reflection of the polished steel. Still, he saw a few tiny serrations along the blade and continued working before he continued to tell Avi of his business in Termnnia. "I was a veteran of the Wallcroft Rebellion," said Ser Gerhalos. "The war that signaled the last days of House Dragonheart."
Avi laid back down on the seat and pulled a blanket over herself, hoping to find sleep before they reached the city. She rested her head on purple pillows outlined in threaded gold. Ser Gerhalos spared no expense purchasing them a luxury ride to Bluesummer. It was no ordinary coach. It was a wheelhouse with a second floor where Ser Gerhalos slept. Avi thought it was a bit much, but it was a long ride from Dragon Tooth to the harbor town. They had been riding for days now, stopping only when Avi wanted to take a walk or relieve herself.
"Can we stop for a while, Ser Gerhalos?" Avi asked, pressing her hands against the window. She could contain her curiosity no more. She just had to see the falls, and she wanted to pick some of the flowers to bring along for the journey.
"Whatever for?" Ser Gerhalos asked, his ear twitched. His snout shivered, revealing his golden fangs and the white of the rest of his sharp teeth.
"I would like to wash myself in the falls if you please. I haven't had a decent bath since we left Dragon's Tooth."
Ser Gerhalos let out a low, but a very stern growl from his throat. "There will be plenty of time to groom yourself in Bluesummer," he said. "Besides, we cannot stop, My Lady. It's too dangerous. There are men scouring the countryside on the lookout for you.
And there are many who have survived the assault on Dragon's Tooth. They have no doubts in their mind that you had something to do with the dragons attacking the town. They blame you for their misery, and they will be looking for justice. Not to mention Ser Godfrey was said to have survived the attack. He and his men have the fastest steeds in Normandia. They could be close."
But Avi was growing impatient. She had been confined in this coach for far too long. She wanted to go out and run across the fields of tempting green. She wanted to smell the flowers and cool herself with a long bath in the falls rushing down from the blue mountain. And she was quite comfortable with how far they have gone since leaving the last town on their way to Bluesummer. They had been on the road for days now, and no doubt the ruins of Dragon's Tooth - and the ones hunting her - were many leagues behind them.
She felt confident that no one had followed them this far. "Oh, just for a little while? Please? Please? I promise I won't take long."
"We cannot stop," Ser Gerhalos insisted.
"But I-"
"I SAID-" he shouted but stopped when he saw Avi gasp and hide behind her blanket. He could see tears of hurt glistening in her eyes, making them look like actual diamonds. "Ahem," he said, calming down. "We cannot stop. But I promise you, when we get to Termnnia, there will be waterfalls ten times as majestic as the one over there."
Avi lowered the blanket, revealing a smile that relieved Ser Gerhalos of his guilt. He smiled back at her and continued sharpening his blade.
"Could I trouble you for some milk?" Avi asked.
"Of course, My Lady," Ser Gerhalos responded politely. He got up from his seat and went to the kitchen area of the coach, which was concealed behind a red velvet curtain. He opened the ice box, chilled with snow and ice collected from the top of a mountain, and took out a glass bottle of milk, which he tossed to Avi. She caught it with ease and unscrewed the cap. She gulped half the bottle down with one helping.
"Your thirst is great," Ser Gerhalos said, sitting back down on the ottoman and picking up his sword.
"It's been a while since my last meal," Avi said, popping the cap back on. "Not to mention it feels good to be drinking something other than beer, ale, and river water for once."
"I've seen you milking cows behind the tavern," said Ser Gerhalos. "Your family, for lack of a better word, did not let you have some?"
Avi shook her head, grasping the milk bottle even tighter. The chill of the glassy surface cooled her palms, and the drops of moisture seeped between her fingers, giving her a brisk sensation. She wiped the wetness on her nightgown and said: "No. They would not let me have any. Milk was to great a gift to waste of a stupid girl like me."
Ser Gerhalos bellowed in his throat. "You no longer have worry about them, My Lady. A whole new life awaits you in Termnnia."
Avi rocked herself back and forth, arms around her knees again. "Termnnia," she whispered. "Oh, what's it like traveling through that land?"
"You will like it. There are mountains that can touch the sky. White shores that meet with an ocean so blue you can't tell where the sky begins and ends if it wasn't for the clouds. Ancient ruins telling tales of the days of old from a forgotten age. An age when the Goddesses once fought for our very existence. The castles that dot the lands are so vast and so grand, they are almost cities. Ah, that brings me to the great city of Domino. There, people live in large towers of glass and steel with signs made of colorful light."
Avi looked at Ser Gerhalos with a twinkle in her eye and a divine smile. Her breathing grew heavy with excitement.
"And when the sun goes down, little Avi, the city lights up. The towers looking like the stars in the sky. And beyond that, lands with even more beauty. They won't know who you are when you land, my sweet. But when all is said and done. When you discover your destiny. They will sing about you. Your name will go down in the annals of history."
"You really think so?" the girl asked. Her cheeks blushing bright red with amazement, giving them the appearance of two little strawberries.
Ser Gerhalos chuckled and ruffled her hair. "I do," he answered.
Avi beamed for a moment and fell back in her seat. She played with the braid she formed earlier when she retired for the night. Or tried to. "Us Normans aren't too keen on the Termnnians," she replied. "We speak little of them because of what Tiberius the Uniter did to our ancestors long ago. Feeding the cruel kings to Obelisk before the eyes of their wives, sons, and daughters."
"You know its history well," said Ser Gerhalos.
Avi shrugged. "I only know about it because of my books."
Ser Gerhalos sheathed his claymore back into it's belted scabbard and looked at Avi with a surprised look on his face. "I've never met a tavern wench who could read."
Avi took offense to that. Her darling face creasing in annoyance. "I'll have you know, I've been reading since I was a little girl."
"With a father like yours, that baffles me," said Ser Gerhalos.
"I had a father before him!" Avi replied spitefully. "He was a baker, as was his wife. They are the ones who taught me how to read first."
"What happened to them?"
"They died when I was just a little girl," Avi answered somberly. She looked back out the window.
"The baker worked for the Dragon King?" Ser Gerhalos asked.
"Oh yes," said Avi. "He was the best baker in Normandia. A few coins more, and he would have had what he needed to make his family into a House. But, life has been very cruel to me. One thing led to another, and the next thing I knew, I was living with Roland in the tavern." She stretched and gave a whiny groan of boredom. "How long till we reach the city?" she asked.
"Nine more hours. Tops." The Leogai answered sharply, for he had grown tired of Avi asking that question.
"I'm sorry," Avi said shrinking timorously in her seat.
Ser Gerhalos snarled in disapproval. The girl was so timid, so petite, so sweet, and innocent. It was sickening.
"Enough!" he said rather loudly. "You have to be strong now! You have been chosen by Safaani. Act like it. If you keep acting like a frightened little child all your days, the people will always walk all over you."
"What does it mean to be chosen by Safaani?" Avi asked. "None of this makes any sense. What does she want with me?"
"Even I do not know," said Ser Gerhalos. "My only job was to come seek you out when the time came."
Avi looked at him. She wrapped her blanket over her shoulders. "So all that time you were begging in the streets. You were just looking after me? You knew who I was the whole time. Even without knowing about my dreams. How?"
"Master Yu-Gi-Oh is one of great power, Avi. A power very few understand."
Avi's eyes widened. She put a hand over her open mouth, covering her shock. "M-m-master Y-Yu-Gi-Oh? He knows about me?"
Ser Gerhalos crossed his arms. "He has a powerful connection to the goddesses. No doubt in my mind, someone in the Void told him about you. Otherwise, I would have never made it to Dragon Tooth. Yugi told me to be on the lookout for someone…out of the ordinary.
Believe me, there I figured there was something special about you the moment I saw you. I overheard you talking to your father about your dreams as I was passing by. That made me curious. Then, the day I saw you Dueling against those boys, I noticed you were drawn to that dragon deck in the window. I felt a connection, so to speak, when you looked at it. As if the cards themselves called out to you."
"The Heart of the Cards?" Avi said with a gasp. "Just like Master Yugi says! Do you think that's what it was, Ser Gerhalos?"
"I know that's what it was, Little Avi," Ser Gerhalos replied. "So, I took the liberty of buying the deck for you. And you exceeded all expectations when you first used it. Those dragons had something. knows far more about you than even you do, my child. If there's anyone out there who can aid you in uncovering the mysteries of your destiny and your dreams, it is him."
"O' Méyava Saffani," Avi whispered. "What am I?"
"We will know soon," said Ser Gerhalos. "Look, Bluesummer draws near."
"How do you know?" Avi asked.
"Look to the skies," he answered.
Avi looked out the window, spotting flocks of seagulls.
"We grow near to the sea," said Ser Gerhalos. "I will find us lodging as we wait for Grandmaster Solomon to arrive."
"You mean he hasn't come yet?"
Ser Gerhalos's ear twitched and he shook his head. "No, my dear. Termnnia is still a long way from here. And you must tabulate the journey the poor man must make getting to the harbor. It is the largest continent in the world."
"Oh, I cannot wait to see it," said Avi. "How long do you think it will take for him to arrive?"
"I cannot say, dearheart," said Ser Gerhalos. "I have used the gold Master Yu-Gi-Oh sent me to buy us a room in the luxury palace by the sea. It's well fortified and has all that you need to be comfortable until Solomon arrives for your training."
"Training? What training?"
"Your training in Duel Monsters, of course," said Ser Gerhalos. "Avi, Master Yu-Gi-Oh has found a deck for you to use. A deck of dragons, unseen since the last days of the High Queens of Termnnia. They were calling out for you in the tomb of their former master, Evangelia Pendragon. The Queen of the Stars. Now, these monsters were here long before the game was even created, so Pegasus made them into cards just for you. Whether or not you are worthy to use them, remains to be seen. That is why I implore you to please mature and stand up for yourself. I don't want anyone taking advantage of you, Avi. It is my sworn duty to protect you."
"Protect me you say?" Avi grinned, rubbing her chin. "Well, I've never thought I'd live to see the day I would be so important as to have my own knight."
Again, Ser Gerhalos ruffled her hair with his massive hand. "Avi, if you are who I think you are, then one day, you're going to have armies follow you into battle."
Those words excited Avi, but they also confused her. "Just who do you think I am, Ser Gerhalos?"
"That will be revealed in time, Avi." He stood up from his seat and stood over her bed. He grasped the ends of two curtains hanging over her sleeping area. "You must dress yourself. We are going to meet the High Priest of the Bluesummer Temple of Safaani. He will inform you of your duties until Grandmaster Solomon arrives."
He closed the curtains shut.
By the time the coach had stopped, Avi had dressed into a velvet gown decorated with stylized ornamentation. The fabric felt soft and smooth against her skin, making her feel quite content; for the fabric was a relief from the itchy cotton and rough leather she once wore when serving the tavern. It felt expensive. The gold threading that made the ornamentation cost more than what her father made in the tavern in two years. The boots she wore underneath had comfortable padding of had a clever enchantment that could cool her feet and relieve them of discomfort.
She looked at herself in the mirror, admiring her new look before Ser Gerhalos called her from the doorway to the coach.
"Avi, come! The High Priest awaits us."
"Coming!" she called back and she hurried to her knight.
"You look radiant in that dress," Ser Gerhalos complimented her. "I must fix my attire if I am to guard one with so much beauty."
Avi hunched her shoulders and blushed. Nobody had ever complimented her that way before. The door flung open. Rays of sunlight rushed right in, almost blinding the poor girl. She shrieked and held her forearm over her eyes until her eyes adjusted to the light.
"Come on," she heard Ser Gerhalos say urgently. "The High Priest is eager to make your acquaintance."
Avi squinted and blinked rapidly before she finally made for the doorway and walked down metal steps with a red velvet rope railing. She heard waves crashing against the stone walls of the pier and the rocky shores. Seagulls called out in the morning light. A sweet, salty scent filled Avi's nostrils.
"The ocean!" she gasped. "I've never seen it before, Ser Gerhalos."
"I promise you will see a great deal many things here, My Lady," said a chubby High Priest in blue robes with a layer of armor plating of silvery steel. The pauldrons were crafted to look like the upper half of a Felgrand Dragon's head. His cape of gold and thin black fabric resembled the dragon's wings. His mitre was made of gold silk and studded with aquamarines, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds.
Avi felt timid in his presence, and behind him was a platoon of temple guards in incredibly stylish black armor with the helms crafted to look like dragons sticking out their forked tongues. They held up halberds that doubled as flagpoles bearing the insignia of the Temple of Safaani.
"Avellana Lofnmagni Ethelfleda!" the High Priest called. "I am Albrecht Rohrig. High Priest of the Temple of Safaani. Welcome to Bluesummer. We have been expecting you for quite some time."
"Thank you," said Avi.
Ser Gerhalos finally stepped out. His hair looking like beaten gold in the bright sunlight.
"Ser Gerhalos," said the High Priest. "Good to see you again. I trust your journey was a safe one."
"It was anything but, I assure you," the Leogai said, walking down the steps. "Avi has endured many hardships before learning of my mission to find her."
"Yes, yes, I read your report with the raven you sent me. My dear, is it true? The town mobbed you? Stripped you and humiliated you?"
"They…they did," Avi grimaced, ashamed to reveal that unfortunate truth. "I'd rather not talk about it."
The High Priest bowed and blessed her with a warm smile. "Now, now, my dear. No need to worry about them anymore. You're safe now. And I am to understand that a horde of dragons flew down from the mountains and burned the town, did they not?"
"You are correct," Avi said with a nod. "Ser Gerhalos claims that it has something to do with my dreams."
"Of course," said the High Priest. "Come, come. We have much to discuss with you concerning this… 'Destiny' with the Mother of Dragons. Ser Gerhalos, there is new armor awaiting you in your quarters inside the temple. Courtesy of Lady Mai Valentine."
"Mai Valentine!?" Avi cried, clasping her hands together. "THE Mai Valentine?"
"Why yes," said the High Priest. "Ser Gerhalos is a warrior who is honor-bound to Master Yu-Gi-Oh and his companions. He was the one guarding the future High King that fateful night when Anubis killed his family."
Avi slid her hands over her mouth to cover her shock. She turned to look at Ser Gerhalos who seemed rather said. "Is it true?" Avi asked. "Is what he says true? You were once a guardian to Prince Daveed?"
"I am," Ser Gerhalos said with a sorrowful bellow in his throat. "I was to be one of his knights in the Royal Termnnian Table, but that is no longer a title I can hold. I could have done more to save his family, Lady Avi, but I failed. I will no longer speak of that night; for it is my greatest dishonor."
"There is no need to feel such shame, Ser Gerhalos," said the High Priest, holding up his hand as if to soothe his sorrow. "No hero, no matter how great his strength, would have ever stood against a chance against the fell powers of the Lord of the Dead. None except Daveed, of course. But enough about that. This is a day for you, Lady Avi. Come with me." He bowed his head at the Leogai. "Ser Gerhalos," he said.
"Your Reverence," Ser Gerhalos said, lumbering to the temple.
When he was gone, Albrecht led Avi for a walk through the town. "You must be famished from your journey," he said. "Would you care for something to eat?"
"I would, thank you," said Avi.
"I know just the place," said Albrecht. "Tell me about these dreams of yours."
Avi bit her bottom lip. "I cannot say for certain what they are or what they mean," Avi said, squinting as some of her golden hair brushed against her face in the salty sea wind.
Albrecht stopped, and brushed it off her face, tucking the hair behind her ear. "Please continue," he said.
"I see them circling above me. They sing in a language I've never heard of before."
"No surprise, it's dragonic," said Albrecht. "The dragon tongues. The oldest language in all the world. I'll tell you what it was they were singing about. You've heard of the Great Dragon Purge of the Second Age?"
"Dreadful," said Avi. "I hate the Church of Yeyu for doing such a thing."
"As do many," said Albrecht. "Well, during the last day of that horrible genocide of the True Dragons, Safaani made a vow against the Church. That one day her children would sing of a great hero that will lead them in a bloody and catastrophic war against the Church. She tells us: The foundations of your greatest buildings will crumble! The flaming eye of the false one will be doused by True Fire from the mouths of beasts you slay so gleefully. The smiles you bear for this treachery will melt from your faces like ice bubbling in the summer spring. And the flames of a thousand wyrms will bring ruin to all that you know. The death of five kings and a song of divinity will mark the return of my children."
"And what does that have to do with me?" Avi asked. "Where do I come in all of this? I'm sorry Your Reverence but none of this makes any sense."
"I do not blame you for thinking that way, my dear. I imagine all of this must be quite difficult to fathom. In truth, all of us here in the temple were confused when Ser Gerhalos walked in and spoke of visions Master Yu-Gi-Oh had of a girl he claims is the Herald of Safaani. A Harbinger of the True Dragons. A Summoner of Dragons."
"I don't possess anything like that," Avi said humbly. "I admit, I have some skill using dragons in Duel Monsters, but I don't I can summon them the way people did long ago."
"I don't think you can either, my dear. Truthfully, I was rather skeptical of this claim that a Summoner of Dragons was in our midst. Had this news came from someone other than Master Yu-Gi-Oh, I would have dismissed it as rubbish. But I've known Master Yu-Gi-Oh for quite some time now, and he does not strike me as a liar. I have no word but to take his word. The visions, he said, showed him images of a large waterfall, and a dragon with wings of dull gray."
"Gray Wings," Avi said. "And the waterfall in his vision must have been Cameron Falls."
"Indubitably," said the High Priest. "But as for determining who in that town of thousands the girl from his dreams was, well, that was Ser Gerhalos' task. I thought it would take a lot of time, but surprisingly, it took but two short months to find you."
"Luckily I'm not one who keeps my dreams to myself," Avi said with a chuckle. "He said he overheard me talking about my dreams to my…well 'father' for lack of a better word. Then he bought a dragon deck for me to test my 'connection' with the dragons."
"Ah yes," Albrecht said with a nod. "Tell me how that went, my dear."
"It was an experience I will never forget. When Duelists play, they use devices to create the images of monsters called Phantoms; a combination of magic and technology from Eastern Termnnia. The Phantoms act very synthetically and lifeless, but the dragons I summoned…I don't know. I felt they obeyed me more out of love than of duty. They punished my opponents as if they knew about all the things they have done for me."
Albrecht rubbed his chin. He pointed toward a restaurant overlooking the sea. "Interesting," he said. "And you don't think this 'affection' the dragons displayed for you had anything to do with the attack on the town?"
"No," said Avi. "I feel that they attacked the town in retaliation for a hunting party led by a knight named Ser Godfrey. He boasted a dinner one night that he smashed dozens and dozens of their eggs to show the beasts not to mess with the town. But I've learned that anytime you try to pull a fast one on dragons, you're going to lose."
"Indeed," said Albrecht. "Well, we're just going to see for ourselves if that dragon attack was an act of divinity from the Goddesses or sheer dumb luck. While you're here, we're going to test your faith to the Goddess Safaani, with my help of course. Master Solomon will teach you how to improve your skills in Duel Monsters to use this 'special deck' I've heard so much about. And my people here at the temple are going to make you a Priestess of Safaani."
Avi stopped in her tracks. She bowed respectfully. "I am honored."
"It will not be easy, my dear. The road to becoming a priestess of the dragon goddess will be a long and arduous task."
"I am ready," said Avi.
"I am happy to hear you say that," Albrecht said, stopping outside the restaurant. His temple guard opened the door for them. Albrecht gestured for Avi to go in first. "Now, My Lady, I do hope you're hungry."
Joey
"There it is at last," Joey said, leaning against a pole of the tavern's front porch as a caravan carrying precious cargo approached them from the Silver Road, which cut through the Milkwalk Forest. He started counting them. "Ya gotta be kidding me," he said. "Nine wagons? Nine wagons full of gold just for Prince Yuri?"
"Must have been one rich dragon horde," said Tristan, sitting on a rock as he polished the rust off his chainmail. "Your sister and Mai scare he crap out of me by the way."
"It was no dragon," Joey said with a scoff. "It was just a horny, young wyvern looking for a mate.
Tristan did his best to conceal his chortle. "Is that jealousy I detect in your voice, Joey?"
Joey saw through Tristan, knowing full well that he was right, and that he was trying to get under his skin. "Anybody can take down a wyvern," he said. "They ain't True Dragons."
"True Dragons," Ser Damien said as he sat in front of a piano. "Have any of you heard of the Star Queen?"
Joey rolled his eyes. "Only about a hundred or so times."
Ser Damien didn't care for his words, and he started to play the piano, drawing in more concubines who were infatuated by the music he was creating.
The moons rose high. The ocean gleamed,
With light of stars so bright and fair,
'Top lonely hill, a beauty unseen
In radiant moonlight gleaming.
Dear Evangelia was dancing there
Under the light of radiant stars,
Which shined so brightly in her hair,
And in her dragon, smiling.
Her smile fair caused flowers to bloom.
Like radiant sun on golden spring,
A wave red cast 'way the gloom
Her voice rang across the fields and trees,
Like a summer wind through mountain flowing.
Her dragon-friend kept her close to heart,
As brother strong and loving.
She danced alone under the stars,
And leaves so old and withering.
Her mantle sparkled in the moon
As frosty sky above her, twinkling,
A song of life flowed from her darling lips
Like winds of changes blowing
A queen she was of radiant star,
and dragons of power from the void.
Who sang to her from the endless dark,
Within the infinite starling glistening.
A maiden of beauty and heart so pure,
With a voice like rivers flowing.
A knight appeared from lands untold,
And weak he was with death's embrace.
Past Elven-rivers and ruins old,
He walked and saw light shimmering.
He sighed and saw the maiden's face,
Under the glow of dragon bold,
And in the radiance of her face,
With endless starlight glimmering.
'Twas love that healed his aching heart,
His life relieved of stolen throne,
He came to her with song of lark,
And took her soft hand shivering.
Her beast spread wings and then she fled,
Leaving him there all alone,
In the lone and tall hill, sorrowing.
He sought for her for years and years
Longing for her to dance and sing,
To heal his heart and dry his tears.
He walked the hills tortured and weeping
And he called for her to no reply,
Save for the songbirds singing.
Many of the girls started to cry for the broken-hearted knight. Tears rolled down their cheeks, their eyes reddened, and their lips trembled. "We would never do that to you!" one of them said. "We are better than Evangelia!"
"I highly doubt that," said Ser Damien. "Evangelia was a creation of the Goddess of the Stars. That was how she was able to acquire her dragons of Galaxy-Eyes."
"Blah, blah, blah," said Joey. "Come on, Tristan. Our time here is over. Yuri's money is here."
"It's about time," said Tristan, getting up from the rock. "I'll go get Duke."
Joey cringed. "Take my word for it, man. You don't want to disturb him. He's...indisposed at the moment." He heard a woman screech with pleasure from a room three floors above him.
"Thanks for the heads up," said Tristan, sitting back down with a face of disgust creasing his face. "So, think Yuri will be set with all this gold?"
"He's set up for life with this fortune," said Joey, walking to one of the wagons. He opened the door to look upon the treasures Mai and his sister discovered in the cave of the wyvern they slew. Chests of gold with precious gems, and jewelry. And sacks upon sacks of gold coins of all shapes and sizes with barrels of Star Chips. "Yuri," Joey whispered. "I sure hope this gold brings us one step closer to bringing you home, man. We need you now more than ever."
Avi
The rooster crowed outside her window, followed by the bells in the clock tower on the town square.
Avi immediately jumped out of bed and stripped out of her nightgown, quickly dressing into a bodice and brown leather breeches to make use of her free time before being called into the chantry for her temple duties. She looped a heavy brown belt around her waist. The embroidery shimmered when it touched the morning light. She then walked to the mirror to preen herself afterward tying a black ribbon in her hair which resembled gold silk.
Avi put her new cards in a deck box and attached it to her belt before she put on her laced boots and ran out of the temple towards the pier was Grandmaster Solomon was said to be arriving. Word around the temple was that he was holding tryouts for a scholarship at Duelist Academy. Avi had read much about the school. It's been often called The School of Kings, for only the youths of royalty and nobility could enter.
"Morning, Avi!" said the town guard.
"Morning, Jason," said Avi, bowing her head while running by. She smelled the enticing scent of sausages being cooked by the stone bridge that arched over the bay to the market district of Bluesummer. She paid ten copper pennies for it and a silver sword for a bottle of water.
Avi sat under the shade of a willow tree on a cliff overlooking the ocean so she could cool herself from the hot sun. Avi gave a heavy sigh while she ate her meal. Some of the local children on a nearby beach stripped naked and jumped into the water for a morning swim.
From her spot, Avi could hear vendors calling out for customers and shouting their goods. As the hour went by, the quiet of the morning was polluted by the sound of constant chatter. When she was done with her meal, Avi brushed the juices on the grass and tossed her empty water bottle in the nearest trash bin.
Just as she was about to make a corner towards the castle, she was stopped by Ser Godfrey and his gang of hedge knights.
She gasped in disbelief. "No," she whispered.
"Goin' somewhere, Avi?" Ser Godfrey asked.
"I don't have time for this, Ser Godfrey," Avi responded sharply. "There is much I have to do."
Ser Godfrey's squire smirked and scoffed. "By the looks of that pouch on her belt, I say she's going to be doing a bit of Dueling."
"And what of it?" said Avi.
"Watch it girl!" snapped the squire. "Or my master might put you over his knee again."
"Let me by," Avi said softly.
"Let you by?" laughed Ser Godfrey, finding her courage humorous. "Child, you are my wife. And not only that, you have some explaining to do. There is word going 'round that you have an affinity for dragons. I thought it was just in Duel Monsters, but that attack on the town. All those people; dead and homeless." He stood over her. Avi whimpered like a frightened dog, much to Ser Godfrey's glee. "So how did you do it? Huh? How did you manage to call those dragons to save you?"
Avi said nothing. Ser Godfrey did not care. Not one bit.
"Never mind that, then. You're coming back with me, and you will answer for your crimes, witch! Ser Gerhalos isn't here to protect you. I heard he went into the mountains on a contract to kill a monster hiding in the caves."
"What do you want?" Avi shivered, as the horrid knight approached her and began undoing the laces of her bodice. "Ser, no. Please stop."
"I want you back, Avi. That's all I want. Come back with me, and we will forget all about this. I will make sure no one knows you even exist."
"Please, no," Avi sobbed.
"Are you hard of hearing?" Solomon Muto shouted. "Or do you need me to knock your senses back?" He pulled back his cloak to reveal a sword. The handle was wrapped in black leather and the ringed pommel had an orange gem in the center.
"You think you can take us?" the squire said, drawing his blade. "Come on then, old man, we can take you!"
"Put your sword down you stupid boy!" said Ser Godfrey. "He's a powerful mage. After the battle's done, they'll be sweeping your ashes off the ground."
"I can take him!" shouted the squire.
Solomon stared at the squire's sword until it started to burn white hot. The squire yelped and let go of the blade mourning for his seared hand.
"Fool," Solomon sneered. "You'd best watch yourself, Ser Godfrey. Many in my company have not yet forgiven you for your role in hunting down Lady Luthia."
"A fine piece of ass she was," said Ser Godfrey. "If it wasn't for that damn Diabound that Bakura summoned, she would have satisfied me."
"Speak ill of Lady Luthia again, and you're going to wind up in worse shape than your squire," said Solomon. "And if I catch you bothering this girl again, it's the chopping block for you!"
"As you say, Master Solomon," said Ser Godfrey. He and his group walked away, two of them aiding the squire and his hand which was blistering and bleeding.
"Are you okay?" Solomon asked.
"I'm fine, thank you," Avi said as she tied her bodice back up.
"That is no way for a knight to be acting," said Solomon. "It angers me to know that anyone can be a knight these days."
"I wish the knights I met were like the heroes of old," said Avi. "Ser Titus the Strong, Ser Maxwell Gardner the Knight of Roses, and Ser Tybalt the Dragonknight are among my favorites."
"Ah, you sure know your history, Miss…."
"Avellana Lofnmagni Ethelfleda," Avi said with a bow. "My friends call me Avi, at least they would if I had any friends."
"Avi!" Master Solomon said with a joyful look widening his face. "So you're the one everyone is talking about. My, my, my, what a lovely young thing you are. I had a feeling there was something special about you the moment I saw you. The Goddesses must have led me to this spot, no doubt." He took her hand and kissed it. "Hmm, Avellana Lofnmagni Ethelfleda. That's an unusual name. It's Old Norman if I'm not mistaken. How did you come about that name?"
"Many people I know say they saw the name inscribed on the trunk of a burned tree, destroyed by the fire I was said to emerge from. The people of the town I grew up in just assumed that was my name. But I know that it's my true name. I heard it muttered by the woman in my dreams."
"Dreams?" Solomon asked. "Hmm, just like Yugi said. I think there might be more to your destiny than I thought." He looked at the deck box on her belt. "What kind of deck is that, my dear?" he asked.
"A dragon deck, Master. One of the best from what the other priestesses in the temple have told me."
"Is it?" said Solomon. "Let's find out."
"You wish to Duel me, Master? I-I can't. I'm only a beginner."
"I have some cards which were recently forged by Maximillion Pegasus. Something tells me they belong to you. If you can prove to me in my training camp that you are who I think you are, then they'll be yours. I'll give you more information after that."
For many hours, Avi trained hard under the strict lessons of Solomon Muto. She had to learn to use combos with her new cards. As the sun began to set, Solomon boosted Avi's deck with more cards from various booster packs and forced her to come up with more combos and strategies. Then came time to put her deck to the test in a Duel against another pupil, one of the few remaining in Solomon's Duelist training camp.
Before she began her duel in the courtyard, Solomon took the special cards from his vest pocket and put it in Avi's deck.
"I think you're ready, Avi," said Solomon. "Show him what you've got."
The friendly opponent was named Albert, son of Darrion of House Julius. He adjusted his glasses and bowed.
"My Lady," he said. "I expect a good match."
Avi bowed, too. She raised her wrist and morphed her silver bracelet into a Duel Pad, a smaller, more compact version of the Duel Disk. The monster card zone was located on an arm blade made of energy. Avi's had a golden hue to it. "I expect a good match as well, Albert. You may go first."
"Thank you, Avi," Albert drew the first card of the game.
LP-8000
He examined his deck and smiled. He had a good hand.
"For my first move! I summon Denkou-Sekka in attack mode (ATK/1700 DEF/1000 LV 4). Then I pay 2000 of my Life Points to activate Ties of the Brethren. I summon Hirajin (ATK/1800 DEF/100 LV 4) and Electrifying Mastagun! (ATK/1600 DEF/1500 LV 4). And that shall end my turn, Avi."
Avi drew. "I summon Paladin of Felgrand! (ATK/1700 DEF/300 LV 4). Now to activate his effect. When my paladin is summoned to the field, I can equip him with one level seven or eight dragon-type monsters. After eons of slumber, an ancient creature from the heavens rises to unleash his fury. Former guardian to a queen from a time long forgotten, answer my call: Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!"
Albert took a few steps backward upon seeing the monster come to the field. A colossal dragon with a glowing turquoise body and armored in purple plating.
Solomon nodded his head, watching the duel from the balcony overlooking the courtyard.
I went through a lot trying to convince Pegasus to give me those cards. This girl says she has dreams of a woman being surrounded by dragons. I think she's referring to the dragon goddess, Safaani.
Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon
ATK/3000 DEF/2500
"So it's true what they said," Albert said in shock. "The dragons used by the last daughter of Tiberius Pendragon has been revived. But how do you have it?"
"Master Yu-Gi-Oh said they were bound for me," said Avi, "but we shall see. I will attack your Denkou-Sekka!"
"But they'll destroy each other!" shouted Albert.
The monsters battled and then shattered. Galaxy-Eyes withered away.
"I set a card face down, and end my turn."
"This is a huge honor," said Albert. "The Galaxy-Eyes Dragons have not been seen since the passing of High Queen Evangelia in the Second Age. And the honor of taking it down will be me! My turn!"
He drew eagerly.
"Your standby phase begins!" said Avi. "Activate my trap, Call of the Haunted, which allows me to revive a monster from my grave. Return Galaxy-Eyes…"
"I don't think so, Avi. I activate the Spell-Card, Twin Twisters. So say goodbye to your Call of the Haunted."
"Damnation!" said Avi. "Now I'm wide open!"
"Indeed," Albert said, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "I summon another Denkou-Sekka! Prepare for a direct assault, Avi!"
Avi braced herself for the oncoming attacks from Denkou-Sekka and Hirajin. Both monsters walloped her violently, sending her flying through the air and landing hard on her back with a thud.
Avi-4500 LP
Albert-6000 LP
"You okay, Avi?" Albert asked.
Avi got up from the ground and massaged her sore tailbone. "Fine. Just fine."
"It's your turn."
"Yeah, I know." Avi drew her card and examined her options. I summon Galaxy-Eyes Cloud Dragon (ATK/300 DEF/250 LV 1)."
Avi summoned an infant version of the Galaxy-Eyes Dragon. Albert laughed at it, but he was foolish to think one so small was very weak. She attacked his electric horse, Mastagun and lost 1200 Life Points. Albert was confused, but the infant dragon transformed into its adult form. The Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon was back.
Avi ended her turn.
Albert drew his card nervously. He switched his monster to defense mode and ended his turn. To begin her move, Avi summoned a Galaxy Wizard (ATK/0 DEF/1800 LV 4). Avi activated its effect, increasing its level by 4. Then, she attacked Denkou-Sekka with Galaxy-Eyes Dragon followed by a strike to Hirajin with her Galaxy Wizard taking 100 damage, which was what she wanted.
From her hand, she activated a Spell-Card called Galaxy Expedition allowing her to summon, Galaxy Knight (ATK/2800 DEF/2600 LV 8).
"And now for an Xyz Summon!" Avi declared.
"Xyz!" cried Albert. "But those cards can only be used by high-ranking duelists from Duelist Academy! How can she control them so easily?"
He prepared for the worst, as Galaxy Wizard and Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon vanished. Taking their place was a new beast. Number : Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon."
"A Number Monster!" Solomon cried. "Yugi gave her a Number Monster!" He grinned, rubbing his gray beard.
It was destiny that brought Avi and those dragons together. I was expecting her to make use of her Felgrand Dragon, but…that girl was able to control the legendary Galaxy-Eyes Dragons on her first Duel.
Not wanting to continue, Albert placed his hand on his deck and surrendered.
"You win! You win!" he shouted. "I give up! Uncle! Uncle! Uncle!"
The monsters vanished. The damage they caused during the duel faded away and everything was restored.
Solomon clapped slowly from the balcony.
"Well done, Avi. Well done."
Avi and Albert waited for him to come down to the courtyard to speak with them.
"So, does this mean I'm going to Duelist Academy, Master Yu-Gi-Oh?" Avi asked.
"No, my dear, that honor goes to Albert."
"Huh?" said Avi.
"What?" said Albert.
Solomon handed him his letter of approval and sent him away. Though he was confused, Albert was still very joyful and ran out of the castle to find his steed and ride home to tell his lord father the good news.
"But, I won the match, master," said Avi. "What happened? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, my dear," said Solomon. "You did beautifully. You performed beyond my expectation. Xyz monsters are normally used by high-ranking students from the most elite schools in Termnnia. Yet you managed to use them so well and you didn't know a thing about them. Avi, the prophecy has come true."
"What prophesy?"
"The return of the True Dragons," said Solomon. "Avi, this day you must embark on a quest to Termnnia and find the ancient temples of Safaani and wake the dragons who sleep there."
"Master…" Avi began to protest.
"I know this is a lot to sink in, Avi," said Solomon, placing his hands on her shoulders. "But you are the one Yugi has been searching for. Go forth on this quest and you might find the answers to your past."
"I don't have any gold. And I can't go on this adventure alone. I've never been to Termnnia."
"Let me take care of finances," said Solomon.
"And you will not go on this quest alone," Ser Gerhalos said, stomping into the courtyard. "My Lady, allow me to be your guardian as you quest for the True Dragons."
"True Dragons? What are you talking about? Look, gentlemen, this is all very mystic, but I have not the slightest clue what this is all about."
"Your dreams, Avi," said Ser Gerhalos. "Don't you think they mean something?"
"Yes, but, Safaani? Summoning True Dragons? True Dragons haven't been seen since they departed our world at the peak of the Inquisition."
"And now it's their time to come back," said Solomon. "They require a harbinger, and that means you."
"I can't!" said Avi. "This is all too sudden, I can't."
"Then I have wasted my time!" Solomon shouted while turning away. "I expect those Galaxy-Eyes cards in my quarters before you leave. Mayhaps they'll go to someone worthier than you."
"And I shall be gone as well," said Ser Gerhalos. "I will not come back here anymore, Avi. Meaning you're going to spending the rest of your days in the inn at the mercy of Ser Godfrey."
Avi grimaced and rubbed her bottom, already feeling herself getting spanked by Ser Godfrey's thick and wide hand.
"Wait, master!"
Solomon turned.
"I'll do this, but don't expect any miracles."
"So be it," said Solomon. "But, having skills with cards proves nothing to us yet. There are many duties you have to take care of here at the temple. And there is still much I have to teach you about your Galaxy-Eyes Dragons. But you must cast aside your doubt, Avi. If you are to learn these lessons, you must be willing to do so with an open heart."
"Yes, master," Avi bowed.
"Good girl," said Ser Gerhalos. "Grandmaster Muto, the High Priest wishes to speak with you, and Avi, in his chambers at once."
"Then let us be on our way," said Solomon. "This is going to be a very long three weeks, and this girl has a lot to learn."
