Masaka: Just so you all know I hate this particular part of the story…I hate, hate, hate, hate, HATE it!
Yami Masaka: Unfortunately this challenge is by far one of the most important scenes in the story so there is no way to bypass it
Masaka: sulking hate it!
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The vortex tugged at Yugi's mind and body in a way that was, sadly, almost second-nature to him.
The pressure built higher and higher until Yugi felt he wouldn't be able to take a second more of it then diminished to almost nothing.
He and Yami stumbled at their feet hit the cement flooring on the other side, catching each other's arms in a bid for balance. Luckily it worked otherwise Yugi was sure that he would lose all his serious gamer credit.
Slowly turning his eyes from his other-half to the room at large Yugi couldn't help but gasp. If he hadn't been so familiar with the area of town they were in he would have never guessed that this place had once been an abandoned metal-works factory.
The entire center of the room had been transformed into a seemingly bottomless pit whose walls glowed neon green. Vapors rose up from the depths, bringing a strong smell of sulfur up with them and almost invisible beings –Yugi could only assume they were ghosts—drifted through the gases moaning so slightly their voices were almost inaudible.
On the far side of the room the supervisor's platform, a giant metal grate fastened to the high wall and accessible by a single rusty fire-ladder, stood almost larger than life. The two demons had made the perch their own. The pink-haired demon in particular had set up a rather over-done golden throne seemingly made of human bones cast forever in a layer of precious metal. The affect made Yugi think of Kul Elna.
It was also up on this high perch that the demons kept Ryou. The boy looked even emptier today than he had yesterday, his eyes empty and his body limp, held up only by a cocoon of ropes.
The 'game-board' of the room had to be the five-space wide (twenty-space) width plank that hovered seemingly unsuspended over the bottomless pit.
"Wow," Yugi could only gasp in awe. Luckily Yami had a much cooler reaction than his, reclaiming some of those pride point that Yugi seemed to be losing so quickly.
"We are here, demons!" the ex-pharaoh called. "Set up the stakes for this challenge and let us begin!"
Bakura and Joey seemed as impressed by the formality as Yugi was and –slightly—their chests swelled with confidence and their grips on their duel-disk, which they had brought along by habit alone, relaxed.
On the other side of the room Trika threw back her petite head and let out an inhuman laugh. She then threw her legs over one side of her throne and motioned Darrin forward.
In less than a second Darrin disappeared from his perch…and reappeared at Yugi's back with a set of ropes identically to the ones around Ryou.
"Hey you bastard! What the hell are you-" Bakura stormed forward, nearly causing a bloody confrontation before Yami caught the taller man's shoulder.
"They can't TAKE anything, Bakura. You have to remember that. They can only tempt and torment us," Yami hissed into the man's ear even as his own eyes watched Darrin with vehement loathing.
"As the opponent's wager you are required to be restrained. You cannot be allowed to join the challenge…in anything but spirit," Darrin said, the last four words coming out of his mouth in a slight whisper.
"B-But why-" Yugi shuddered, looking at the coil in the demon's hands as if it were a snake.
"It is part of the challenge…for every misstep your companions take the coil around you will tighten…and for every step towards victory the ropes around Ryou will loosen. Do you accept this?" Darrin said in a voice that held none of the charm it had even fifteen minutes ago.
It seemed as though the incubus wasn't really all that fond of the 'soul-stealing' part of his job…but Yugi might have just been hoping that as it WAS his life about to be put on the line.
"I accept," Yugi nodded his head formally. No sooner had he spoken Yugi suddenly found himself wound up in a rope cocoon of his own that was so tight it made breathing a chore.
"Yug'!" Joey yelped, catching the look of pain on Yugi's face.
"As you are the furthest from the board that you will ever be at this time the ropes are just about at their tightest grip," Darrin explained courteously. "The ropes will tighten even more if any of you choose to leave the challenge…though it won't kill him so long as at least there is one player on the board."
Darrin nodded formally at the three teenagers then did his little vanishing act again and appeared at the other-side of the room.
"The challengers will choose a duel-monster from their deck to roll the die," the incubus said as he motioned his hand towards a crate-sized formal die sitting pretty on a square of concrete floating alone in the chasm. "The number corresponds to forward movement only. The opponents may move sideways to avoid certain spaces without sacrificing a space."
"OH! Will you get ON with it jugete!" Trika wailed in a teeth-grating fashion. "I want to see these pathetic mortals suffer as soon as possible."
"Very well mistress," Darrin bowed slightly at the demoness. "The object of this game is to reach the platform. The game-board and the ladder up to the platform are littered with spiritual challenges in the form of illusion casting imps or suggestion planting infrits. May you prove yourself strong for the sake of your companion…BEGIN!"
For a moment the teenagers just looked at each other, as if expecting some over the top action to announce the true start. Once that expectation ebbed there was a small torrent of unspoken conversation between them about who would make the initial move.
As it turned out Bakura voluntarily went first. He summoned his Dark Necrophadius to roll the die and when it landed on three he charged across the first three board squares like he really meant to be there. In itself that action probably wouldn't have been impressive but tack on the fact that the board was stretched over a bottomless chasm where restless souls erupted into the air like volcanic snakes then you got a truly impressive sight.
"The first-player has moved without difficulty," Darrin intoned blandly from the balcony. "Second player to move."
Aside from being a lot creeped-out by the ghost Joey Wheeler found himself staring at the shadow game spread out before him in vague disappointment.
"Eh, I guess its GOOD this ain't more complicated but…I mean Come On I thought demons could do better than this," Joey sighed to himself.
"HURRY THE HELL UP, IWIW!" Bakura howled over his shoulder. THAT caused Joey to actually shudder and he flicked on his duel-disk then…hmm…okay guess I just hold up the card I want rollin' for me then…hmm…okay I guess Red Eyes can do the honors!"
Almost as soon as the words were off Joey's tongue the black dragon itself appeared. It flapped over to the small islet hovering over the chasm and took the die from Bakura's monster with its teeth. The dragon then flung back its head and rolled a six.
"Awh right! Highest roll!" Joey cheered. He stepped onto the board…which wobbled under his weight and sank further down into the chasm below. "Hey! What the hell?"
"The board sinks every time more weight is added dim-bulb or didn't you notice that?" Bakura rolled his eyes.
"If the board sinks with every additional player how will any of us reach the ladder at the end?" Yami yelped while Joey continued to side-scuttle across the board.
"We knock the spirits odd," Bakura humphed.
"S-spirits," Joey shuddered.
"Yes…the ones the demons are disguising as the snake-spaces," Bakura said his eyes glowing oddly red.
"Oooh! Jugete he can see our ghosties! Awh! No fair!" Trika pouted as she watched Joey reach his space on hands and knees. "He's gonna beat the first challenge right away."
"Don't be so sure, my mistress," Darrin smirked mysteriously. "True he can see them…but can a man so haunted by the world of ghosts truly overcome the spirits?"
Trika hummed thoughtfully at that and behind her the blank-eyed hikari raised his head in curiosity.
Yami stared at the five-square wide board critically trying to calculate the advantages and disadvantages of each path. At his side Yugi rattled his chains dismally.
"I can't…help this time…can I?" the hikari asked.
"Yugi," Yami frowned at his bound-partner. He then smiled warmly and shook his head. "Just giving me your faith will be enough."
"You have that, unconditionally," Yugi smiled. Yami nodded understandingly then took a card out of his holster.
"Dark Magician!" the former duel-king called. The purple-haired magician appeared and bowed. "I need you to try and roll some number less than five, my friend. Otherwise I will be the first to fall to those demon snake illusions."
The magician nodded gravely and went to the islet.
"Why less than a five?" Yugi asked, though he had an idea of why.
"I've looked at the board carefully, aibou. There is only one path I can take that won't put me in the way of Joey and Bakura. If I take another path I will lock in our allies and limit their forward advancements."
"Ah! You want to walk AROUND each snake and ladder and just get to the stairs," Yugi realized.
"Yes, I can use my monster to carry me up the steps. Darrin did say the players could use their monsters as they wished."
"All right!" Yugi cheered. "We've got a strategy now."
Yami nodded and turned his head just in time to see Dark Magician roll a four.
Yami stepped onto the board and awkwardly stumbled to his space as the board sank another foot towards the void below.
"All three players are on the board," Darrin intoned. "New rollers will be selected for next turn."
As he said that a rush of vapor-like spirits from far-below rushed up and attacked Red Eyes, Dark Necrophadios and Dark Magician causing them to shatter as they would in a virtual duel.
"Your monsters have been sent to the graveyard. Select new rollers."
"What the fuck? What does destroying our monsters achieve?" Bakura grumbled as he summoned Mayuka the Headless Samurai to roll.
"It limits our moves…and makes us measure each of those moves we do have more carefully," Yami snarled. "Damn, I can't fly out if I use up all my monsters getting off the board. I'll have to aim for a ladder-space when I get the chance."
Bakura moved forward another three spaces, his toes just skimming along a snake illusion square. The spirit within stirred restlessly and tugged at the former thief's ankle, nearly causing the white-haired spirit to stumble off the game-board all together.
"Stupid freakin' pretty-boys and their stupid freakin' games," Joey mumbled to himself as he looked through his cards. "Alright! Roll em high Panther Warrior!"
The great animal swordsman sprung to life and rolled the die.
"Okay! Four spaces ! That takes me to a ladder-space!" Joey started his trek directly forward, both Bakura and Yami jolted.
"Joey! No! You should step around-"
"Damn it, don't cross over the top of a snake-space!" Bakura yelled quicker than his companion player.
Joey paused to curiously look at the former spirits and in his moment of hesitation the space activated.
"Second player's advancement cut short by opponent. Engage or fall back four spaces," Darrin explained.
"I AIN'T MOVIN' NOWHERE FREAK, SO YOU CAN JUST…uh-oh," Joey mumbled as an enormous snake-head lunged up at him from the ground.
The blonde only had a moment to flinch before suddenly everything went dark and the snake's mouth closed over him.
"JOEY! Damn it! Baphomet, Rescue Joey from that-" Yami called out with his card already raised.
"MORON! The bridge can't take excess weight!" Bakura jumped in before Yami could finish the order. Yami instantly lost his words. "Besides, you putz, this is a shadow-game. It's a challenge to the soul not the body. The snake is just an illusion!"
"Incorrect. Each snake-space is a combatant. A spirit that the challenger must face. Joey has fallen to the spirit of Uo Mitani, a woman who soul her soul after she was betrayed by her female lover. Jounouchi MUST face Uo's illusion or the snake will devous him bones and all. He refused the alternative," Darrin explained over the top of Trika's evil cackling.
"OOOOH! Spirit challenges! Finally something interesting! " Trika squealed as she summoned one of her wall-eyes to send down to watch Joey's soul despoil.
Darrin reached out and grabbed the creature before it could even leave the scaffolding. "Mistress, the show is not a public one. If you try to interfere the entire challenge will be voided."
"Oh phooey," Trika pouted. She turned her anger on Ryou, kicking the boy's binds, showing their tautness matched the grip on Yugi's ropes. Perhaps only movement backwards or forward loosen the rope…because right now Yugi couldn't feel any pain from Joey's subduing only a deep pain in his heart.
"JOEY!! NO!!" Yugi screamed, his body wrenching against his bindings aimlessly.
"…See? Told ya it was about the illusions," Bakura said simply.
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Outside Joey's agony echoed in the two waiting angel's minds.
"THE FIRST STRIKE!!" Nizuki screamed, instinctually running to the door with her sword in hand.
"NIZUKI-NEE, THE BARRIER!" Nero yelped making the older angel regain her senses just in time to halt a mere centimeter from the dark miasma.
"S-silver c-clouds," Nizuki huffed. Nero sighed in relief then turned his attention back to his prayer for success, though not without a mournful glance at the door.
'If only I had Nee-chan's power…"
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Joey couldn't remember what he was doing or where he was. He couldn't remember anything, only that he had an important job to do…a really important job…or was it? …what…was it?
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"Take your turn pharaoh no baka! The iwiw will break out and finish his turn later!" Bakura yelled.
"I-I…can't…Joey is," Yami trembled.
"FUCKING MORON! WHAT DO YOU THINK WE'RE DOING HERE? THINK OF YUGI FOR RA'S SAKE!!" Bakura spat.
Yami just shook his head. He had to wait until Joey was free. If he moved and got swallowed himself Joey wouldn't have any hope at all.
"Player three has bypassed his turn. Player one select a new roller," Darrin intoned.
"FINE! MORON! I DON'T NEED HELP ANYWAY! I'LL GET RYOU BACK ON MY OWN!!" Bakura roared.
As he turned toward the distant goal again the ex-thief could feel unhealed wounds in his soul ache and his still adamant supply of shadows bristle. He didn't want to have to use any dirty trick in this game…but right now he was nearly the point of breaking all former vows he'd made with the blonde-angel outside and with himself about power.
'Ryou doesn't even know you anymore,' Nizuki's voice seemed to ring in his head even as his hand ached to release a ball of shadows, 'when I saw him…last…he told me that all he knew of you was shadows and that…now that he had Darrin…he didn't feel like he should settle for a work-in-progress shadow-addict bastard…when he could have all his heart desires.'
'No shadows,' Bakura gritted his teeth. 'Not now. I have to PROVE to Ryou that I'm not some pathetic bastard…'
Yet even as he said these words some part of his mind was disagreeing. Some darker, unaddressed part of his blackened soul was laughing at him…telling him that he needed shadows more than he needed some pathetic boy's trust.
"I'll save Ryou…and then I'll beat his ass red for putting me through all this," Bakura growled softly, trying to find a balance between his two impulses.
He didn't notice how Yami looked up at him and how the ex-pharaoh seemed to frown in disapproval.
Fallen Maria was Bakura's next pick for roller and with a single flex of its undead arm's it gave Bakura a straight path to a ladder-space, without any snakes in the way.
"First player's advancement boosted by three spaces," Darrin intoned.
Yami watched Bakura zoom closer to the end of the board then he turned his gaze back to Yugi who was watching Joey's space with worry.
'Bakura, you don't understand. Shadow games are the most important place for showing loyalty. You're never going to get Ryou back if you keep yourself so closed,' Yami thought sadly. He then took a deep breath and called out 'PASS!'
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This trend continued for another two turns when suddenly something inside Bakura's head just switched on, like it had that night he'd attacked Ryou. More slowly but definitely in the same fashion Bakura could feel his eyesight start to gray and his shadow-count to spike.
"W-what the hell?" Bakura choked. It was only then that he noticed the swirling vapors and specters were curling around him like kittens around their masters' ankles.
"Having trouble, quita ladrón?" Trika's voice suddenly flooded into his head.
"Y-You!" Bakura choked as his feet stumbled for purchase. He could barely feel anything let alone the floor below him.
"Not me, ladrón, rather it is the infrits…as we did warn you," Trika giggled as she stroked her nails through Darrin's hair, regardless of the man's flinches.
"Bakura? What's wrong with you?" Yami called from his position on the far side of the board.
"I-I can…I can barely…see," Bakura managed to answer despite himself. He wasn't sure why he even bothered to answer the other's question. It wasn't like it would help him any. And revealing weakness to an enemy was always a bad thing in his book.
"Bakura!" Yugi called. "You only have six more steps until you reach the ladder! Just walk straight forward!"
Bakura shook his head and took out his next roller. The monster, whoever it was Bakura couldn't sense, rolled out its number and Darrin called out the move as did for every move.
"Opponent advances three spaces!"
'Damn,' Bakura thought as he stumbled blindly forward. 'I guess I don't get a break even with demons.'
The shadows had boiled up until he could feel them tickling his eardrums. Because of this he couldn't hear Yugi crying or Yami swearing…and as the shadows boiled one more time…he couldn't see the snake that lunged up and swallowed him whole.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Yugi screamed. Up above them all Ryou raised his head from the floor and looked curiously over at the now engorged snake with interest.
Darrin raised an eyebrow at the motion, knowing fully well that Ryou was beyond emotional-capability right now, but didn't say anything to his now victorious singing mistress.
"Player one has fallen to the spirit Eion Culmacky, a British youth who died in the grips of hatred as his scam partner turning on him. Player one must either subdue the spirit…or die."
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Masaka: Oh don't worry all you little readers. Our boys are FINE! They just have to crack a crummy demonic illusion and their back in the game
Yami Masaka: Though I'm sure it would do their egos good to hear your loving words.
Nero: SPECIAL NOTICE!! Everyone pays attention to how Zubarro is acting. He giving every opportunity for the opponents and he doesn't say anything insulting! Is proof of some good-guy inside!