Jgal: (drags in huge shopping bags) Hey guys!
Celtic Guardian: Eh, what's with the bags?
Jgal: I had to go out and get more plushies. (looks through one of the bags) Let's see, a Yugi and Yami doll for Nijinka Renamon, a Dark Magician on for YamiTai…
Dark Magicin: Did you get the one I asked for?
Jgal: Yep! (tosses hima Magician of Black Chaos plushie)
Dark Magician: (laughs evilly) (starts
poking needles in the doll)
Celtic Guardian: (rolls his eyes) Read
and Review and you know the drill.
By
Jgal
CHAPTER THIRTY SIXBATTLE IN THE DESERT MYSTICAL ELF
Slowly and drowsily Mystic opened her eyes to the bouncing swaying motion Des Lacooda camel. She felt a strong arm tighten around her as she looked turned her head to see. "Egh! Let go of me!" she screamed.
"Be quiet elf! If you want to live." Said a cold voice beside her. Mystic gazed to her right where on another Des Lacooda the Dark Magician Girl ride beside her wearing a rough cloth robe against the desert sun.
She struggled against her holder, "Where am I!"
"We're nearing our home base. The Shadow realm is much easier to access on foot in these lands." Astro answered in a cold heartless tone.
"Shadow Realm? Wait! Does that mean you're…."
"The Black Rage? Yes. And your lover and his friend have proven themselves to be quite a thorn in our sides."
Mystical Elf pondered for a moment trying to comprehend what she was hearing, "I don't get it. I could have sworn that you and Dark were-"
"An item? Hah! Don't make me laugh. I've hated the Dark Magician for as long as I could remember." Astro exclaimed turning away from the elf. She gazed back to the horizon angered but hurt, "I can never forget how that fiend ruthlessly killed my mother, my brother and sister. Before my very eyes, he murdered my father's soul."
DARK MAGICIAN"I'm sorry gentlemen, but I'm afraid that I've rented out all my Des Lacooda camels." Said the Monster Tamer near the outskirts of Maze City.
"But we have to get across that desert!" Celtic shouted slamming his fist down at the front desk.
Dark Magician then calmly shoved the elf to the side and confronted the Arabic monster, "Surely you must have some other means of transportation?"
The Monster Tamer scratched his bushy beard in thought, "Well, you could use a couple of those Niwatori birds to cross the desert. They're just as good as camels but not as popular." He said pointing to one of the pens where a dozen or so four-foot high biash chickens with green tail feathers were peaking around the ground.
Dark and Celtic just starred at the pen for an odd moment and turned to the owner.
"Don't you have a Nightmare Horse of a dragon of some kind?" Dark said narrowing his eyes at the tamer.
"Sorry but I'm out. There's always that." The Tamer pointed his thumb over his right shoulder to a back pen.
The boys looked to their left to see an over perspiring 3 Humped Lacooda wearing a bandanna and sunglasses with it's tongue hanging loosely out of it's mouth.
The Warrior and Spellcaster took a short pause to stare at the unusual creature. They glanced at each other and nodded, "We'll take the chickens."
The Niwatori squawked and squealed against their specially made leather bridles as their masters prepared to set off on the desert.
"Okay. Off to the Forbidden Realm of Death and Shadows. Wherever that is." Celtic said facing the treacherous sands ahead, "By the way any idea what that is?"
Dark Magician starred crossly at the road ahead. He gripped on the reigns even tighter just by the thought of his brother, "There is only on place I can think of that fits with that description. It lays far beyond those sand dunes, passed the mountainous canyon and into the depths of Yami."
The elf's long pointed earshot up in surprise, "Yami? That's where you're fron aren't you?"
"Yes. Just as Sogan is your place of birth Yami is mine. However it is the one place I do not wish to be."
The desert wind began to blow across the sands. Celtic Guardian rubbed the top of his Niwatori's head to calm it down, "Is it just me or has is gotten colder here?"
CELTIC GUARDIANAboard the flightless birds the two fighters journeyed across the endless desert. The hot desolate winds blew fiercely against them with the golden sands blinding the horizon.
The elf shielded his eyes against the harsh sands with one arm as the Spellcaster proceeded ahead. Celtic was starring his eyes trying to the mage who was almost out of sight. "Hey wait up!"
He saw the mage stop not a hundred yards or so away. Celtic kicked the riding bird to hurry up. The elf slowed down till he was right next to Dark, "We have to find some cover. If this storm picks up anymore we're going to be buried."
"Something approaches."
"What?" Quickly he glanced around passed his hand shielding his eyes. His ears perked up and alert for the slightest abnormality. Soon enough he detected the crystal-like chime of elemental magic at work. "This storm is not the desert's. Something else is manipulating it."
Dark narrowed his eyes to the horizon, "Just ahead; nearly three hundred yards."
Both mage and elf stood firm, hands steady on the reigns. Sensing their master focus and alertness the Newatori held their ground, gazing forward to what was to come.
The blistering winds and airborne sands quickly died down and clear. The curtain of the desert sun resumed its duty and covered the landscape with its blinding light and scorching heat.
The Warrior elf moved his hand from his eyes, "There."
Across the sands, at the top of the tallest dune, a pantaloon of Dragons and Wasteland monsters waited aggressively.
"Who are they?" Celtic asked coldly.
"No doubt a small portion of the Black Rage Army. Chaos probably doesn't want us to make our appointment."
Another blond haired elf like Celtic stepped forward from the group. Unlike our swordsman this one had narrow scaly ears that grew high above his face. His face was sharper and more stern, and upon his forehead a twisted horn had grown forward and up. His faded red cloaks hid most of his figure.
"Who are you!" Celtic Guardian shouted, moving his chicken ahead of the mage's.
The other Warrior brushed away one side of his cloak and drew out a spiral sword forged from the fang of a dragon, "I am the Dragon Warrior. LtCol. Of the Black Rage Army."
The wizard unstrapped his strobe from the side of his saddle.
Celtic took a step back, "He's right. We've been fighting against their cause all this time yet we've never really encountered the army itself. Considering the damage it has done I don't know how we can beat them face to face."
The D. Warrior pointed his sword at the two, "Hand over the pieces of the Forbidden One and your lives 'might' be spared."
Before the mage could answer Celtic stepped forward, "You can have them, but only if you can pry them out of our cold dead fingers!"
"Celtic! What are you thinking!"
The elf turned back to him, "Mystic's in danger. I have no time for playing around."
The D Warrior raised his sword high and swung it their direction, "Attack!"
The army charged down the sandy dune, claws clicking, fangs grinding, spears shining and swords gleaming in the sun.
The Newatori birds grew scared and tried to bolt back to city. The two travelers forces their chickens around in a sharp circle arc and faced them back at the offensive fleet.
"Any bright ideas!" Celtic inquired realizing what he had done.
Dark Magician starred out at the battalion with cold fire in his eyes. If one were to set fire to the whole world they would turn into solid ice before the flames could reach him. He narrowed his eyes and briefly glanced at a card he summoned from his parch.
The cards glowed in black and pink light, reflecting his rage as it flew from his hand. It landed nearly a hundred yards in front of the herd. As soon as the fleet was upon it a giant dark crater over a three hundred yard diameter appeared, swallowing the armed forces without a moment's warning.
Celtic and the Newatori blinked in surprise.
Just as if peace had finally settled the D Warrior flew out of the ditch riding on top of a One Eye Shield Dragon, "You might've destroyed my unit but you won't survive me!" He charged down toward the two in a mad dive bomb attack.
Insult to injury the Newatori in which the elf road upon jumped up nearly ten feet off the ground, it opened its mouth and gale force winds blew inward to the Winged Beast's beak.
The Shield Dragon tried desperately to fly away but it was no use.
SLLLLUUUUUURRRP!
The feathered monster flapped back down and landed on the sands to rest. Satisfied.
Celtic just sat there with his eyes bugged out and pale from shock. Slowly he reached for the ID tag on his bird's collar:
"My name if Nugget
I'm loyal, obedient,
but
I have an outrageous appetite.
I sometimes bite the hand that feeds
me,
so be careful."
They walked through endless miles across the burning desert and into the treacherous rocky valleys. Time went by in its terrible dance of minutes lasting hours, and days as brief as a moment. The sunlight hours were pledged with merciless heat and the nights were chilled as ice.
By the end of the sixth day the mage and knight had reached the border between the Mountain and Wasteland realms.
Ever since the event of betrayal Dark Magician had resumed his cold heartless exterior. He neither spoke or even glanced at his newfound friend. There was too much bitterness against their enemies to think or talk to each other. Every small insignificant creature they passed trembled and hid with fear.
However their negative energies had also attracted another force belonging to neither them, nor Chaos's.
Halfway through they stopped immediately when they saw something blocking the path.
"What in the world!"
A giant green book was floating above the ground.
"What is it?" Dark heard the elf said annoyed as he slid off his Newatori.
"I do not know." He answered sensing great danger from within the obstacle in the way. Dark glanced around to the cliffs along each side of the pass; searching for an alternative wrought. The rocks and footholds appeared sturdy enough and reached as far as he could see, "We'll have to use those rocks to go around it. There isn't enough room to walk around."
"We'll have to leave the Niwatori behind." Celtic replied unhooking the saddle and bridle off his steed.
In no time at all Nugget and Kentucky were running back to Maze Country and the two partners were climbing the cliff face. Carefully and quickly they reached the desired height and preceded across.
Unfortunately their attentions weren't on the situation at hand. Each were focused on a different goal. Celtic for rescuing Mystical Elf from her captures, and Dark for getting back at his brother for toying with his emotions.
"That baka!" he thought, "That backstabbing baka! I can understand why she would hate me but why did she need to swear alliance with him!"
With a slight shift of his foot a couple of small pebbles fell and landed on the pages of the oversize textbook.
Click!
Tap.
Crumble.
The book quivered and the hardback cover started to move apart opening.
Too te too te too te too te too te too te!
Strange music suddenly began to play. The kind usually played at most circuses or carnivals.
"You hear that?" Celtic asked curiously glancing over each shoulder.
Dark twisted his head around to find the source of the sound. It wasn't from the canyon ahead. Nor did it sound like it was coming from behind. Above?
"Un Dark? I think you should take a look at this!" Celtic exclaimed from behind.
The two of them looked down.
The pages within the giant magical book were flying wildly the music grew louder and louder.
Dark Magician and Celtic Guardian looked at each other.
"This can't be good."
"Let's move it!"
But before they could take even one more step the book stopped and hazy pink smoke started to fill the canyon.
The two quickly covered their mouths to avoid breathing the smoke in but it proved useless. The fog shifted course and swarmed around them.
Dark Magician felt himself being pulled away from the rocky wall and held on tightly.
"Arg what's going on!" Celtic shouted desperately as the winds picked up.
"I don't know!"
The pink cloud turned into cyclone sucking in everything into the book.
The Spellcaster and Warrior soon felt the stones feel larger and harder to grip on.
They were shrinking!
With a snap they were blown off.
"AAAAAaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh….!"
Both them, the smoke and a layer of the cliff side disappeared within the mystic pages and the hardcover book slammed shut. The book spun around and started shrinking itself. At the size of a regular notebook it fell with a thud and laid lifeless, with its captives inside.