Synthetic Seraph
The ground outside the castle was, despite the heavy wash from the rain, considerably dry by the time they were walking out on it. Flat and expansive it spread about the back side of the castle before dropping off at a cliff far to the end. The ground was actually crusted under their feet, audible crunching coming through the air as the walked, and in a few moments after passing the few trees around the plain they could see for what felt like miles. There was nothing but an enormous stretch of soil... And as they stood at the edge of it, the Queen behind them took their attention by simply halting her step it was so quiet.
"This is as far as I go," Meyari said somewhat sadly, bowing her head as the others turned to look at her. "Eri-san will guide you to the marker," the girl continued, gesturing to the maid as she stepped forward with a bow. "But I must stay here."
Er... Why? Katsuya stared, frowning somewhat before pushing the thought back. Why was the maid allowed to come while everyone else had to stay? In all honesty, he probably shouldn't ask... Probably something programmed or... Something. Hell, things always seemed to work out like that in video games. Anyways. The maid nodded at her employer's request, walking ahead of the others before turning to the Queen briefly. "...Good bye, your majesty," she said somewhat morosely, the others merely listening in slight confusion. "...I hope to serve you well," she added, before turning back to guide the group forward.
The queen nodded, smiling somewhat as they left. "Indeed," she said quietly, a mist appearing to coat them after they were out of sight. "Indeed..."
With those words in the back of their minds the group walked off, moving toward the edge of where the 'head' of the bird was located. Ruins of age old temples and homes littered the sides, crumbled stone long since mixed in with the dirt ground. Approaching the white faded outline on the ground, Eri turned to them to adjust her glasses, face held somewhat blank. "...This is it," she said calmly, standing at the head of the outline. "Whatever it is you hope to do," she began, light obscuring any view of the woman's glasses as she turned to them, "I hope that it works."
Yugi nodded, Katsuya merely holding out his hand. Time Wizard... Lucky how he'd pulled that card in the last battle really, he told himself. Ok... How did this hand-menu thing work he wondered, did he just think of the card and- The card materialized in his hands from the bottom up, and as he gripped it in his hand he blinked. Oh. Hey... Uh... That worked. He looked over the card, before handing it to Yugi with a nervous laugh. "Ehhh... I think you outta do this," he said with a shrug, coughing somewhat. "Since I can't act'lly play any spell cards..." Which kinda sucked really, but hey, whatever...
The boy blinked, before taking the card with a steady nod. "Right..." He looked toward the large bird-like outline, swallowing before he held the card out while Eri stepped back behind them. "Here goes... TIME WIZARD!" The card glowed brilliantly, slowly fading from Yugi's hand in a stream of dust. The sparks flew upward, vanishing into the sky as the four looked upward and watched it vanish completely into the sky. The wizard of the card however, did not appear much to their surprise. Instead, the clouds began to darken into odd and almost red wisps, slowly curving into a spiral above the ground as the sky around it darkened as well. Closer and closer the clouds came, spinning about as their edges met in the center to funnel toward the ground in a twister. The spinning increased... Faster... Faster...
Rumbling filled the air, the others looking around as a wall of light appeared to build around them amid the darkened sky. From the ground, old ruins began to repair, dust flying from the ground and swirling to reform buildings of old while wind whipped past their faces. Pillars that once had been reduced to complete stumps stood proud and tall, roofs that held no sign of existing shadowed them completely... It was a courtyard that they stood in, from what he could tell in a few moments. An immense field surrounded by temples and shops of varying sizes, the one directly behind them forming into a building comparable to an elaborate palace, a fact that he knew even without turning around for some reason. And finally...
It stopped. Silence filled the air as the skies cleared, the geoglyph on the ground fully repaired in a single outline of white. The clouds vanished from the sky, allowing a blinding hot sun to burn down on the now fully restored city of a thousand years prior. But there was nothing else. "...That's it," Katsuya finally said, looking around with a frown. Just buildings and a giant bird outline. Clear skies, somewhat more fertile ground... He took a few steps forward, frowning as a light breeze passed them by. "That's... That's all..?" That was all that happened..? But it couldn't...
Yugi stared, taking a step forward and looking around as the wind slowly blew across the field. "I guess... We're too late," he said as he paled, shaking his head in disbelief. Mai as well frowned, mostly silent beside the two as she walked forward to look over the silent and empty plain. "...Eri-san," the boy asked, turning around with a swallow. "Is there any other way you can-" The boy fell quiet, staring as even the sound of the wind died off.
Quiet... Why was he suddenly... "Nh? Yug'," he asked, turning to look at the boy before staring with wide eyes. "H-Holy shit..." Mai also turned, quickly giving a silent gasp as they stared. The maid that stood before them had her eyes closed, glasses having fallen to the ground in a non-existent gale, possibly having been tossed to the side even... Though as far as he could tell, there was no such sign of them on the ground either. The book she held from before was clutched tightly against her chest and almost appeared to even be a part of the woman's body as she stood, hair blowing back behind her in an intense wind that only seemed to affect her. The weird thing though, weirder than all that..?
She was glowing. A bright, brilliant white blue that was so intense he couldn't tell if her eyes were open or closed any more. What was going on... Katsuya tensed as Eri's book vanished completely, arms moving calmly to the side. As the woman did this however, feet obscured by her long apron-wrapped dress, a sudden crack came through the air to distract the three from whatever else was happening. They jumped back from the ground as it began to split, dirt flying through the air as they pulled further back. From the boundaries of the outlined 'beast' a fissure began to develop, Katsuya standing at the side and watching as the earth moved aside for an immense metal device to rise from the ground. The 'head' was first it seemed, metallic 'fins' spreading wide from the side of its face, mouth opening wide to shake free the dust that was literally pouring from the cracks in the ground. Enormous diamond encrusted wings broke free of the surface, stones flying through the air and over their heads to slam violently into nearby architecture without a care. Slowly it pulled itself free, taking shaking steps out of the ground as the dust continued to fly past them. An enormous metal dragon, a creature that none could begin to compare to a 'bird' rose before them, the sunlight gleaming off both the white steel and the blue-white diamonds embedded along its joints. A tail that was as long as the monster's body itself swished briefly, blasting back the final remains of debris before taking a steady stance among the rubble with a final stomp. And finally it was over... Enormous wings were spread wide along what used to be a mere outline, the dragon's head lowering to the ground mechanically with dead grey eyes.
And then... Silence. Was it... Dead? Mai slowly walked forward, shaking her head in confusion as she placed a hand along the monster. "It's not showing any signs of life at all," she said quietly, turning toward the others with worried eyes as she attempted to ignore the still 'glowing' maid to the side. "It simply... 'Died'," she finished confusedly, frowning and shaking her head. "It..."
"It is ready," Eri said calmly, the others turning to her in silent confusion. The maid no longer looked like a maid to say the least, despite what the uniform said. Narrowed gold eyes had softened in an odd way, the stance and posture she held speaking of anything but servitude. What was ready, Katsuya thought with a frown, staring at the 'spirit'. The dragon? The thing just died, it wasn't going anywhere! Even so the woman stepped forward, audience stepping back with wide eyes as she moved toward the motionless beast's head. "I must explain," she said with a small smile, turning to the others as the unseen wind continued to blow against the woman to cause the dress and hair to billow around her in quiet waves. "I am sure after all, that you have wondered why we as a people did not fight sooner... Why we did not attempt to summon the aid of the monsters of this land..." They stared, watching as Eri appeared to 'flame' in the same figurative wind, colours vanishing from her body and leaving her as little more than a blue spectre of sorts as she stared at the dragon before her. "It is not that we are unable," she explained, hands held to her sides as she stared at the magnificent creature. "It is that we are the beasts of this land..."
Hang on... What? 'Eri' turned, seemingly sightless eyes looking over the three before she bowed her head. "It has been a long time," she stated with subtle gratitude in her voice, "Since I could reclaim my true form... The dark magics of the castle to the north are strong, so much that it was all I could do to keep these people from dying... These lands were sealed a thousand years before for this very reason, this area remaining as the place that would break that seal... And the time has come," she continued calmly, voice seeming to echo through the air as the others listened in slight awe. "And you have proven yourselves more than worthy of my aid... Please," she continued, stepping back to 'merge' with the head of the dragon behind her in a smooth motion. "I would be honoured to fight along your side as the Dragon of Light, the Shining One, once more... Allow me to aid you in your battle!"
The three didn't even skip a beat with their answer, each of them nodding in response. Weird as this was, hey. It was a game, wasn't it? "'F course," Katsuya said with a nod, the others walking closer toward the dragon and Eri both.
"Why would we say no," Yugi asked, the spirit staring in response before smiling calmly.
A blinding light came from the diamond it was sinking into at the brow of the dragon, the spirit giving a steady nod before disappearing completely. Blinding light shimmered through the monster and with an echoing shudder the monster came to life, blue eyes sparking with a cold flame before blinking a few times. The monster's mouth slowly clicked open and shut, head rising from the ground and shaking free any remaining piles of dirt from its scales. The monster continued to shake, taking a shaky step forward as it rose to its full height above the three, blocking out the sun and giving low, stuttering growls. One second passed... Two... And in an instant it was gone, Katsuya jumping somewhat as the beast soared through the air with a loud and cheerful cry. "GNNNAAAAAOOOOOOOOO," the monster chorused through the air, the 'roar' passing through the air clearly despite the distance it had already put between the ground and itself. "NAAAAAOOOOOOOOO!"
They watched, eyes wide as it flew through the air, flipping and twirling through the air without any reason save to simply do so. Loop-the-loops, somersaults, and barrel rolls skipping across the sky. "Hnhnhnhnhn! She seems to be enjoying herself," Mai said with a smile, arms crossed somewhat as the dragon began to make its way back. "I don't think most birds or planes could make those moves..."
"A thousand years is a long time," Yugi said with a small smile, shrugging as they watched the dragon circle around them briefly. "I guess it's only natural..."
Yea, probably... A wave of dust blew past them as the dragon landed, the trio shielding their eyes as it gave another loud roar. The dirt settled to the ground, the three looking up as the dragon quickly lowered its wings and head to meet them. 'You'll have to forgive me,' a voice sang out, the dragon's mouth moving with it as the others stared. Er... Hey! She could um... She could talk. Ok... 'It has been a long time... But I am ready,' it continued lowering the wing further until it touched the ground to create a 'stepladder' of sorts. 'Please... Hop on!'
The skies above them were dark and storming, the lack of rain only being due to the trek taking them far above the layer of cloud that would release such things. Clouds thundered both above and below, and had it not been for the constant pressing knowledge of the time it would have likely been a surprising fact that it was only 'mid-day' by the video game's standards. It was slow going, steering the Blue-Eyes White Dragon with only one arm of course; only half the notes of control were accessible to the Dragon Piper, and already the beast had demonstrated twice its rebellion as a result. The woman that they had locked in the castle had a good arm, he would give her that... Cutting off his own before the dragon released its flames had allowed the beast enough control to hold back on the attack. To hold back enough that only the cloth armor surrounding her had been disintegrated, the rest of the damage dealt merely by the force of being thrown back against the castle walls. There was no doubt however, that Blue-Eyes had held back in its attack that time...
And again, the piper told himself angrily, against the blond on the roof... It had just barely missed in its attack, as though fighting against what it wanted to do despite having already fired a blast of flames at only half the usual strength. "But you're still mine, aren't you," the piper muttered with his second mouth, grinning wickedly as the beast merely flew on in a controlled silence. "Yes," he hissed, chuckling somewhat. "You know who your master is... Unlike certain three-eyed mages," he called out with a raised tone, rolling his eye as he thought of the 'Sanwitch' he'd been paired with for the task. "Honestly," he shouted with a scowl, "How do you get anything done being mute," he asked in the same tone, shaking his head. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to tell when you're ready to go when you can't say anything? ...I don't even know why I'm asking you anything," the piper grumbled angrily, "I mean, it isn't like you're going to say anything back! Ahhh... But I kid," he said somewhat dismissively, again shaking his head as he focused on continuing the eerie and almost funeral worthy tune. "For a mute, you're alright... I don't suppose you could use sign language, or some kind of special magic though, tell me what you're thinking," the piper rambled on, shrugging despite the lack of his arm on one side. "Maybe tell me what it's like, having three eyes instead of two... Gh-! Hk..."
The notes of the flute faltered somewhat, the Piper choking as a pair of blades dug deep into his second mouth. The lips spread wide as he gagged on the blades, single eye looking down while he managed to continue playing the controlling melody of the pipe. "Gkch... Glacgk... Alchk..." Blood poured from his wounds, the monster slowly turning his 'first head' to see large blue eyes in the place of his partner's slit gold ones, the witch's robes all but hiding his killer's face. They were his only sign... But it was enough for him to falter again, eye widening in fear as he continued to choke on his own blood.
"I wouldn't know about having three eyes actually," the boy behind him said calmly, pulling the blade free of the piper as it continued to choke. "I only have two." The monster stumbled forward, notes faltering even more as the dragon slowly shook his head with a growl. It was amazing that he was still playing really... Still holding at least a fragment of control over the beast... But with a single swift kick the monster was tossed off the side of the dragon, Mokuba hurriedly sheathing his blades in his sleeves and watching the beast fall. The notes began to fade... Without missing a beat the boy turned, running forward to grab the horned 'fins' on either side of the monster's head as the dragon regained complete control of itself.
"Grrr..." The monster shook itself, before thrashing violently as it reclaimed its senses and realized just where it was. "GRAAAAOOO! RAAAAAOOOO!"
"Shhh!" Mokuba held tightly as the dragon flailed, flapping its wings angrily as it broke free of the piper's magic completely. He winced as the monster gave a particularly violent 'jump', the boy briefly becoming airborne as he tightened his grip on the fins he held. "Shhh! Calm down," he whispered, briefly pondering on how vividly different this was from his child-hood dream of riding on a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The dragon continued to hiss and roar, teeth snapping as it attempted to shake the boy from its head. "Calm down," he repeated, stroking the side of the dragon's head as though it were his horse, the monster appearing to settle at his touch. Alright... Alright, he could do this... It was just like riding Yuki after all, wasn't it? Just keep calm, don't show any fear... "It's alright... It's alright," he said with nervous and quiet swallows, breathing deeply in an attempt to calm himself. "They aren't controlling you any more... Just calm down..." The dragon continued to growl, halting its thrashes as though in thought. The boy in the meantime looked up, narrowing his eyes as the 'Black Castle' came into view. Not much time left... Alright. "Listen," he whispered, eyes not moving from the castle ahead. "You need to stay calm," he muttered with a swallow, dark and demonic beasts of all shapes and sizes passing him by as he kept his voice low. "We're going to get my nee-sama, your 'master' out," he explained quietly, the dragon still holding only partially still as it seemed to ponder the words, "But you need to stay calm and follow my lead, understand?" Please let this work...
The dragon gave a low growl, turning its head slightly as though to look up at the boy riding on his neck. Silence... It couldn't look directly at the boy of course, given that Mokuba in question was technically sitting at the very top of its neck. Even so, it appeared to nod, swooping into a steady path toward the castle before them rather than continuing on its unsteady and hesitant flight path. The dragon's passenger sighed, loosening his grip slightly on the fins now that he was confident he wouldn't be tossed overboard. Alright... Mokuba silently nodded to himself in relief as the dragon fell silent once more, flying in toward the castle grounds and passing through the barrier with no problems. The castle was still somewhat far off of course, given how far the ring sat from the building itself, but even so. Now then... It was pure luck that he'd been snatched off by a mute monster really, not that he'd be complaining. The boy looked back at where the still unconscious 'sanwitch' sat, wrapped tightly in the sacrificial robes as it curled in on itself. He had to admit, it had been just slightly satisfying when he pulled the monster into the electric charged net... Though it helped to avoid being shocked simply because of the copious amounts of fabric he'd been wrapped in. The fact that he could fit through the holes near the top of the net were always handy as well he decided, steering Blue-Eyes down toward the ground as the castle came closer. The dragon landed before the entrance, Mokuba clambering off the monster before moving to untie the rope holding the net to its leg. "Remember," he whispered quietly, looking around nervously in case someone appeared as he pulled the net forward. "Follow my lead..."
It nodded, Mokuba making sure to hold his head low as he grabbed the net. There was obviously a notable difference in skin tone... But if he kept hidden, he could avoid being spotted. Now then... "You've returned," a somewhat suave voice stated, Mokuba jumping slightly as a monster he recognized as the 'Witty Phantom' appeared. "And I see you've returned with the sacrifice," he said with a toothy grin, the boy merely bowing his head to keep with his facade. Yea... The 'sacrifice'... The phantom came close, looking over the robed, somewhat 'hidden' figure before snapping his fingers with a smirk. Shadows wrapped around the net, reaching from the ground almost hungrily before pulling it into the ground as the demon looked back at Mokuba. "Your actions will most certainly be rewarded," 'Majin' stated with a grin, arms held behind his back as Mokuba turned to look through the cloth on his face. "Same with your loyalty... I could use a partner for the sacrificial ceremony," the demon continued, "Someone to oversee the actions with me... It's an amazing sight," he said almost with awe, turning away from the boy as he spoke. "To see the flames erupt from the lava below, encompassing the soles of the sacrifices feet... Sending their bodies into an endless blaze of fire to herald the God's return, screams chorusing our master's reign..!" Mokuba held silent, going somewhat green in the face at the thought of his sister going up in flames. Even so, he had to go along with this... It wouldn't happen even if it cost his life after all! He bowed his head somewhat as the phantom turned back, still grinning. "A truly amazing sight," he repeated quietly. "You'll join me," he asked, the boy across from him nodding somewhat hesitantly. He would certainly follow the monster to his sister's cell, that was for sure... "Good... Wonderful! Follow me Sanwitch," he said with a grin, walking forward as Mokuba came behind him in response to the monster's name. "What you are about to see... Will change your life completely..."
Following behind the monster, it was only the knowledge that he would soon leave with his older sister that kept him from taking down the demon right there.
Thundering pounds struck against the door, Honda's head slamming back against one of the boxes he was pushing with a groan. Despite having rearranged a number of the boxes in lieu of not being completely crushed by the things, it was still fairly easy to be nailed in the face if they weren't careful. "Awwwww damn it," he muttered, slamming one of the boxes hard against the door as it threatened to slide back against his face. "There has to be another way to do this," he said with a grunt, gritting his teeth as Anzu continued pushing against the barricade as well. "Maybe an automatic lock, or even just another door..." Mokuba said that the doors had those right?
Anzu shook her head, pushing against the boxes as the thuds continued from the other side. "If you can think of a way to make them stop," she grunted as she grit her teeth, "Then you're welcome to check that book for an idea. But until then-"
-briii briiiiii-
Honda paled, looking down at his pocket as Anzu followed his gaze. The pocket was visibly vibrating somewhat as the phone rang, a dull light from the screen coming through the cloth. The teen looked back up, before staring at the phone as it continued. "No," Anzu said with wide eyes, shaking her head. "Ooooh no, no you are not answering that now..." The teen swallowed, looking from Anzu back to his pocket before pulling out the phone. "Honda..." He flipped the phone open, wincing as a particularly solid thump against the barricade rammed the back of his head. "Honda do not answer that phone," the woman said with a frown, her friend looking at the caller I.D. as it continued to ring. "Honda..." The teen paled even more, looking at Anzu with a swallow.
"It's my sister," he hissed, eyes wide as he fingered the 'answer' button. "I can't ignore that!"
She shook her head, jerking it toward the door with an incredulous expression on her face. "Yes, you can," she protested, a particularly loud bang coming through the air as the boxes were pushed back somewhat. "And you will," she growled, pushing the boxes back against the wall, "Or else we're likely to get crushed by all these boxes before everyone else is killed as well!" Honda looked back at his phone, the ringing stopping for a moment only to come back with a loud and seemingly angered tone. He looked at the phone, biting his lip and giving a defeated look toward Anzu. "...Honda," she said somewhat incredulously, moving closer with a frown. "Don't do it! Ho-"
-click- Agggggggh... "E-Ehhh... M-Moshi moshi, ane-san..." Anzu smacked her head against the boxes, audible shouts coming from the other end of the phone.
'Hiroto,' Honda's sister shouted, the teen in question wincing and holding the phone back from his ear as the woman's voice echoed over the room. 'You were supposed to be home over two hours ago to look after Jouji,' she shouted angrily. 'Where are you?'
The teen coughed, shifting his weight against the boxes in an attempt to hold his position as he faltered against the 'new' attack. "Er... I... I'm kinda busy right now ane-san..." He coughed again as the thundering continued, looking at the phone with somewhat fear filled eyes as Anzu continued to groan. "Do... Do you think you could call back later," he continued with a cough, nervously looking back at the barricade behind him. "I mean... I'm sorry I didn't call or anything... Er..."
-SLAM!-
The teen was again bumped forward by the force from the wall, nonetheless holding the fort against the physical attacks. 'What the hell do you mean, 'call back later,'' the woman screeched, Honda continuing to wince at the volume. 'You told me you would be there! I had work Hiroto! Jouji was alone for a full hour before I found out! What kind of thing could possibly be so important that you didn't even bother to call me!' Erm... Um... About that...
-SLAM!-
Honda winced again as the boxes shifted, Anzu hurriedly pushing them back into position against the pounds in an attempt to keep them from falling off. Dust continued to fall from the ceiling, the teen's eyes drifting around the room in an attempt to find an excuse. "Er..." He looked back at the piles before glancing at Anzu, only to receive a rather incredulous 'you're asking me' expression in response. He continued to give a pleading look, before hurriedly giving his answer to the impatiently waiting woman on the other end of the phone. "Er... N-Nothing," he shouted nervously, "Nothing at all!"
-SLAM!-
Alright, that was probably not the best thing to say he thought soon after that. 'NOTHING,' his sister roared, Honda barely keeping his hands on the boxes as opposed to on his ears. The pounding continued, a particularly sharp corner of a pod-fragment digging into his shoulder. 'Then you obviously aren't as busy as you want me to believe Hiroto! Get back here NOW,' she continued, brother biting his lip in response. Well, um, about that...
-SLAM!-
"Aaaaahhhh, I can't do that... I really am busy," he protested as the slamming continued while he winced. "I really am..! Goh!" He choked as the boxes pounded rather roughly into his back, the teen resisting the urge to rub the spot in question as he slammed back against the boxes to set them into place once more.
-SLAM!-
'Then what are you doing,' the woman on the other end demanded with a snarl, her brother coughing rather nervously in response. 'Please,' she spat, 'Tell me just what is so important that you have to lie about it!'
The teen swallowed again, looking back toward Anzu as the woman at his side rolled her eyes. "Ahhh..."
-SLAM!-
'And what the hell is that noise,' his sister continued with a questioning growl, Honda in question let just as clueless in response.
"A-Ahhhhhhh..." He tensed, Anzu finally grabbing the phone with a growl and bringing it to her end as the pounding continued. "O-Oi, Anz-"
"Ahh," she said with a fairly 'erotic' tone, the one on the other end struck completely silent. "Honda-kun," she shouted into the phone, "Stop that!~" The phone was clicked over in an instant after those words, the rather unimpressed looking woman tossing the phone back to a dumbstruck Honda with a glare. "Problem solved," she said with narrowed eyes, pushing back against the barricade with renewed force.
The teen stared, dropping the phone in his pocket and almost falling to the ground against the force of the pounding before shaking his head and staring. "Holy shit," he muttered, Anzu pointing at him with a wide eyed scowl.
"Not a word about that," she warned, before narrowing her eyes and returning to the barricade. "Understand?"
Honda nodded hurriedly, swallowing audibly as they continued to hold the fort. "C... Crystal..."
The heat in the room was quickly becoming unbearable, she thought as she took constant and audible ragged breaths. A thick wave that despite only gradually increasing had the nasty advantage of being simply too hot to ignore. What was hot before, when she first woke up, was something she would gladly have considered 'lukewarm' by this point the woman decided with a weak swallow. Perhaps even just a calm spring day she thought as she closed her eyes and hung limp on the stone cross. It was taking all she had not to simply pass out right there really, and as it was her head was hanging back against the stone as opposed to down as she attempted to stay away. Tired... So tired damn it... She grit her teeth and swallowed again, before allowing her head to hang forward once more with a ragged breath. "G-Ghn... Aha... aha... aha..." This couldn't be the end, she thought bitterly, clenching her fists. She didn't lose, she wouldn't lose... This couldn't be the end... "Ahha... hah... ha..."
"Greetings, Seto-sama," a voice called from the front. Seto slowly re-gathered the strength to look up, glaring at the suit-wearing demon as he walked in. Hn... Looking sharp for someone who ought to be dead. "Feeling tired," the monster asked mockingly, spinning his cap on his fingers as he looked toward the woman. Dark chuckling filled the air as he stepped forward somewhat, remaining around the arch of the bridge behind him. "Oh don't worry," he said calmly, "It'll all be over in an instant," the monster continued with a wide and viscous grin. Seto merely clenched and unclenched her fists, glaring at the monster before her in silence. "You see," he said with a cruel laugh, "We have both sacrifices now..." The grin on the monster's face darkened, and he continued on. "A heartwarming reunion you could say... Your dear brother's attempt to 'save' you has only led to your very downfalls!"
What... Her brother..! But he wasn't playing this game, he wasn't here..! The woman's eyes widened with horror at the thought, watching as the demon snapped his fingers. No... He wasn't here, he wasn't..! She pulled herself up somewhat against the chains before following the demon's gaze to the side, watching as shadows appeared from the ground in an almost regurgitating fashion. A black-coated 'lump' appeared from within, before revealing itself to be a net bound, white robed figure. W-What..? She stared, before narrowing her eyes somewhat as the robed figure moved somewhat with a quiet groan. Not her brother's voice... The cloth shifted, a golden eye turning upward with narrowed confusion as Seto drew back. Not her brother's eyes. And the skin... Green... This wasn't her brother, not by a long shot, this was-
"Ghk! Gnnaah... Ahhhh..." Seto turned with a jolt, eyes widening as she looked at the witty phantom's frozen and wide eyes. The demon stood, gasping for breath only to lose it in his decompressing lungs and looking down at the two large blades piercing through his chest. Slowly looking forward as blood began to pour from his mouth at the corners, escaping with what little air he could force out from them as a small bit of blood dripped from the blades. "G... Aahh... Ahhhhhhh..." The blades were ripped out violently, as the demon fell forward into convulsions, the figure behind him ripping off simple white robes and tossing them into the lava pit at the side. In a swift, smooth motion the two blades were sheathed, black and blue armor meeting the woman's eyes before the figure before her walked forward and pulled down his mask.
It was... Impossible... Seto stared, swallowing as the boy continued to walk forward. It was... "Heh... Seto-neesama," Mokuba said with a grin, walking closer before forming a card from his 'hand'. He gripped the card lightly as he stared at the woman, brushing some hair back from under his helmet. "Don't talk," he said as the woman stood there, staring with somewhat wide eyes as her brother calmly grabbed the edges of the net on the ground and tossed 'Sanwitch' into the lava pit at the side. "I'm getting you out of here alright," the boy continued, holding the card toward the cross with a slight nod. "Just hang on... De-Spell," he called with a slight echo, the card vanishing into dust in an instant. The shackles that held Seto in place followed with it, vanishing from around her wrists along with the cross itself.
The woman fell to her feet, stumbling slightly before pulling herself up using the stone wall behind her. "Gh... Mokuba," she rasped, her brother grabbing her wrist and pulling the deck holder from his own. She frowned, watching as it flashed somewhat in the boy's grip. A deck holder... But he didn't have any cards, unless... "What are you doing..."
The boy frowned, clacking the wrist into place on his sister's own before holding up another card. "Gift of the Holy Elf," he stated, the woman before him taking a sudden breath as energy filled her body. She coughed somewhat, eyes widening briefly as she shook her head and looked back at her brother. Her deck? He'd been using... ...Huh... "Come on," the boy said with a slight frown, pulling the woman toward the exit by her good arm as she rubbed her head with the other. "Blue-Eyes is just outside, if we hurry, we can escape without problems..."
Blue-Eyes was..? What? Seto looked down at the boy, following him down the drawbridge and through the door. "Blue-Eyes," she repeated somewhat hoarsely, frowning. "Since when did Blue-Eyes fit in-" The woman froze as they stopped outside the exit, finding herself greeted by a smaller, dog-sized version of her dragon sitting patiently in the hall. The monster gave a cheerful croon, looking up at its 'master' and nuzzling against the woman's side. "Gh... What..?"
Mokuba shrugged, merely shaking his head at the sight. "I don't know how it's that small either," he said with a frown, turning to his sister. "We came into the castle, and suddenly he shrank down..." The boy sighed, scratching his head beneath the helmet he wore before replacing it and crossing his arms. "I'm just as confused as you are nee-sama! But nee-sama," he continued with a frown, looking up at the woman with a swallow. "That isn't the point right now, I-"
"You're right," she muttered, shaking her head and absently patting the dragon's head. "That's not the point... Mokuba," she asked, Blue-Eyes nuzzling against the woman some more before looking down the hall. Seto followed its gaze briefly, narrowing her eyes as a shadow flickered across the far off hall. "How..." No, not even that... "Why did you come," she corrected with a frown, looking at her brother as the boy merely stared back.
He smiled somewhat wryly, biting his lip and giving a half-hearted shrug as he shook his head. "...You're my big sister," he said with a smile, formerly severe gaze softening completely. "I'm not going to leave you behind," the boy shouted somewhat, shaking his head. "And it's not just me," he added with a somewhat hesitant grin, crossing his arms. "The others are all fighting for you as well! The other beta-tester turned out to be Kujaku Mai, she's here," he said with a slight nod, Seto tensing for a moment. Alright, keep the cloak closed the- "Along with Katsuya-nii, and Yu-" What.
"You brought the Mutt," Seto asked with distaste, narrowing her eyes with a growl. Oh great... As if dealing with him at the house was bad enough... "...Hold on," she corrected, shaking her head. Back up a moment. 'Yuu'? She'd cut Mokuba off as he said... ...Oh hell. "...Please tell me that Mutou Yugi did not come as well," she said with grit teeth, the boy beside her coughing awkwardly. "PLEASE," she repeated darkly, fists clenching.
"I..." The boy coughed a few more times, looking to the side awkwardly. In the end he shook his head, sighing as he walked forward and stared at the ground. "Hahhhh...I..." He bit his lip, looking up at his sister briefly before resuming his fairly nervous gaze at the ground. "I know you don't like him," he said with a swallow, giving an awkward shrug. "But I didn't know who else to turn to," the boy protested loudly, looking up at his sister with wide eyes. "I needed help, and if anyone could do it it was Katsuya-nii and Yugi..!"
That wasn't the point! He was good at games, she would admit that... Damn good, there was a reason why she wanted to face him again when she had the chance. But this. Was. Not good. This was not good, this was going to be hell, god damn it if he of all people saw her in these clothes..! She could only hold the cloak shut so long, and if she was going to draw her blade... "Anyone," she finally muttered, rubbing her head with a growl. "The 'dog' would even be a better choice," the woman continued as Blue-Eyes looked over the two confusedly, "At least then I wouldn't have to deal with this!"
The boy beside her froze somewhat, as though considering asking about 'this' before his eyes widened in apparent realization. "Oh..." The boy paled, swallowing as he realized what his sister was getting at. "Ohhhh!" He coughed, turning away with a nervous laugh. "A-Actually nee-sama," he began, rubbing his head nervously. "Yugi already knows about you being a girl... He-"
"What..." Seto stopped, slowly turning to look at her brother with wide eyes. She stood frozen for a moment, expression caught largely between shock and anger. Impossible. It had to be! The only way that could have happened was if the Mutt had opened his mouth, and she'd made it perfectly clear to that moron that if he said a word he would be digging an early grave... And even without that, she thought bitterly. "He knows," she repeated, fists clenching tightly as she turned to look down the hall. The woman took off at a steady and brisk walk, glowering as her nails dug into her palms. That. Was. IT. The day was already shaping up to be one of the worst, but now? HAH. "Alright," she said with a growl, Blue-Eyes following behind almost confusedly as she stormed down the hall. "I don't care how much you care about that insignificant weakling," she spat furiously, "He's as good as dead to me now!"
Mokuba yelped somewhat with those words, running behind her with a start. "A-Ahh! Nee-sama," he protested nervously, "Katsuya-nii didn't tell him!" Like hell she'd believe that. Nonetheless the boy continued, racing after the woman as Blue-Eyes skirted to the side to make room in the hall. "I'm telling the truth," he continued with a panicked shout, "Yugi found out on his own, Katsuya-nii has nothing to do with it!"
She snorted, continuing on her way without looking back. "I'll believe that when the moron graduates at the top of his class," she growled, left palm stinging slightly as her grip tightened. "As it is, I don't think this needs explanation."
"But it's true," he said with a shout, shaking his head and picking up his speed. "D-During the time that Yugi found out," he began, coughing somewhat as he came to a stop. "During that time..." Seto as well stopped moving, turning back to the boy as he looked down awkwardly. During that time what? Why did he suddenly stop..? "...When Yugi found out about your secret," the boy explained quietly, "He was in a dueling arena, with no one else but his opponent... And," he continued hesitantly, the Blue-Eyes at the side appearing to attempt at comforting the boy, "Katsuya-nii was..." He swallowed, shaking his head in an attempt to steel himself. "Katsuya-nii was trying to save me at that time... So... So there was no chance for him to do something like that," Mokuba insisted, biting his lip. "And even if there was," he continued with a shout, narrowing his eyes with a glare that briefly threw the woman before him off, "I trust him! With my life even! He's a good person nee-sama... He wouldn't sell us out, and neither would Yugi and the others!" The boy took deep breaths, clenched fists loosening their grip as he calmed himself down. "...Nee-sama," he said with a slight smile Blue-Eyes looking between the two with a low and curious growl. "I'm sorry but... They're my friends," the boy said, shaking his head as the smile on his face seemed to break under the quivering tone. "I didn't know who else to turn to but them..."
His friends? The woman's gaze softened somewhat, frown still in place. The one who wanted a normal life and he ended up making friends with her rival and rival's friends... Rather than someone his age. She shifted somewhat, expression largely unreadable as her brother stood there. Fine... She could accept this defense this time... Mokuba didn't lie. Not to her at least... And not about things like this, that was for sure. Never for things like this... He wasn't lying... But to come here, into this place... "...You needn't have," she finally said quietly, looking down at her brother as the boy wiped his eyes. She walked over, coming to her knees by the boy and placing a hand lightly on his shoulder. Don't cry... Please...
"What else was there to do," her brother said with a sad shrug, shaking his head and looking at the woman as he sniffed. "You were trapped," he protested, swallowing again. "And I needed hel-"
No. The boy tensed as he was pulled over, Seto shaking her head again as she gave her brother a light hug. That wasn't the reason. That was never the reason, not really... "You needn't have come here," she said calmly, Mokuba staring past the woman's shoulder with wide eyes as the last few words were added. To this place, to this game... "It's too dangerous here," she continued with a whisper, tightening her hold on the boy. A miracle he'd survived to get here really... Anyone, to say the least. It was just too... "For you... For anyone in this death trap," she spat, pulling out of the hug and standing to look to the side with a worried frown. "Far too dangerous," she repeated, voice barely audible. "You didn't need to come..."
The boy stared, before shaking his head with a smirk and moving past the woman into the main hall of the castle with Blue-Eyes behind him. "Yea," he said with a smile, looking back and waiting for his sister to come along. "I did have to come, nee-sama..."
Seto blinked, expression for the most part impassive as stared before shaking her head. Hn... She couldn't win against her brother in the end... She really couldn't... It was just her luck they had the same stubborn streak after all. She sighed, moving forward to join her brother before tensing, a chilled feeling coming up her spine as she moved her hand toward her deck. A shadow blurred past, the woman picking up her pace to move beside her brother as she grit her teeth. "Gh... Mokuba," she called, the boy nodding and pulling back behind her as he drew his two swords. "...Blue-Eyes," she continued, drawing a card from her deck and glancing at it. A swirling vortex met her eyes, before the polymerization card vanished from her hand. Someone was definitely here, if she had been 'allowed' to draw a card she thought bitterly, hands moving for her sword. The small dragon moved to circle the pair as she did this, looking around the room with narrowed eyes and giving off a low growl.
Someone was there... Seto slowly drew her sword, walking forward alongside Mokuba as they looked around. Watching them, like before... But where... Silence filled the air as Blue-Eyes cut its growls, Seto continuing forward with narrowed eyes. "...Nee-sama," the boy asked quietly, the woman not moving her gaze from the room. "...Do you hear that?"
-fffpt!-
A card flew through the air, Seto's eyes widening as the familiar violet rimmed trap card flew toward them. It never landed on the ground however, the slip of paper dissolving through the air to form dust as it flew, clay pot of the Dragon capture jar appearing before them. "Tch... Not this time," she growled, charging forward as the pot slowly quivered in a move to activate its magic. Gleaming glass eyes stared forward, Seto pushing the panicked cries of the dragon behind her from mind as the pot in front of her began to pull the beast in. "Lets see how long you stand after going under a second firing," she snarled, blade gripped tightly in her hand as she pulled it back. "FIRE," she roared, the sword instantly blazing in her hands as she pulled it around and into the Dragon Capture Jar.
A series of cracks developed along the side on contact, the heat seeping into the pot from the flames and serving to crack the pot even further. What started as a quiet crumbling noise turned into a chorus of splintering sounds, the magic of the pot cutting completely as her Blue-Eyes shook itself off. Within mere seconds it was rendered nothing but dust on the ground before them, Seto holding an arm in front of her face as a blast of light blew the scraps through the room. The woman lowered it in only a moment as the dust fell, turning to look forward despite the blinding light still filling the room. The light cleared... Seto smirked, watching as the Armed Ninja stood before them in a nervous attack pose. That war scythe would do him no good now... "Hn!" She snorted as she drew a card, looking over it before narrowing her eyes in mirth. Oh... Now this would work... "Trying to capture my Blue-Eyes again," she 'asked', holding the card forward as the smirk grew into a dark grin. Seto brought her blade to her side, the dragon behind her growling menacingly as the card began to glow. "Lets see how you handle two! Blue-Eyes White Dragon," she shouted, the card vanishing into a trail of dust and swirling into a blinding light at her side as the second dragon joined them. The monster slowly stretched its neck, managing to hold its menacing appearance even while holding the size of a large dog. The two dragons looked around their master's side, awaiting the woman's command as she continued. "Attack with BURST STREAM!"
In a blast of light the two dragons fired, twin streams of blue-white flames coming down on the monster before them. Not a spec of the monster was left in its wake, the flames taking mere seconds to die down as Seto stared at the now blackened tiles. The menu of course appeared, lifepoints adding to the deck holder at the side. Thanks to her initial move, she'd just gained another level 'apparently'. Who cared about experience right now though; the main focus was getting the hell out of here, not on 'leveling up' after all. The two dragons turned back from where they were inspecting the 'rubble' on the ground, Mokuba and Seto both following their gaze before exchanging a look. The dragons seemed awfully... Cat-like. To say the least. "...Lets get out of here," the boy finally said, his sister nodding in response after a brief moment.
"Good idea..."
When dark clouds suddenly started appearing from nowhere, Katsuya had a feeling they were getting close. It might not have been raining per-say, but given that there were clouds beneath the clouds beneath them... He would say that rain wasn't something to base the distance on. The blond looked up from where he was sitting behind Eri's 'head diamond', The others standing behind him in silence as they flew through the air. As the castle began to appear in the distance however, a mere 'smudge' of black against the dark clouds, so did it's monsters, a swarm of pin-prick dots appearing around the air. Katsuya swallowed, Yugi and Mai following his gaze toward the monsters in uneasy silence. "Eri-san," the boy behind him began somewhat nervously, their ride taking a sudden turn to 'circle' the castle. "Will you be alright on our way in," he asked, looking over the enormous swarm in the distance.
There was a low rumble, the dragon 'nodding' in response as the others looked down at the slightly glowing diamond. 'There is only one way into the castle, so we will need to fight to reach the entrance' she explained calmly, soaring above the developing swarm of monsters. The trio looked below as the 'pinpricks' remained as such, even while the castle itself appeared closer than it had long before. 'It is not, however, a matter of my own condition.' The three blinked, looking back at the dragon as it began to circle the castle. 'I will be fine,' she insisted calmly, wings barely flapping to keep the beast alight. 'For now however, you must focus on keeping yourselves alive, for our path takes us through that swarm you see now.'
Err... Katsuya swallowed, looking past Eri's head and paling. The one that they were heading for right now? With the pinpricks that were more ore less... Not... Pricks anymore..? Mai nodded, gripping her staff tightly and stepping back somewhat as the boys looked over the edge. "Alright," she said, holding out her hand as a number of cards appeared in her fingers. One, two, three, f- How many cards was she going to summon? The woman winked, fanning the cards out and taking a stance of sorts on the dragon's head. "Let's go all out, right, boys?"
The other two nodded, Yugi drawing his card for the battle as Katsuya did the same. Ah damn it. Bad draw. Again. "Err... Copycat," Katsuya said with a nervous laugh, handing it to Yugi as the boy blinked. He started at it for a moment, before it vanished into dust to join the other cards in his hand. "Well," his friend said with a shrug, "Mind as well save it f'r later righ'?"
"Right," Yugi said with a nod, before looking over his own card. The boy held a somewhat neutral smile on his face as he held it forward, facing the swarm below as Eri dove toward the crowd of monsters at an increased pace. "Dark Magician," he cried, the card vanishing into a cloud of dust. In an instant the violet robed figure appeared at the boy's side, staff held tight in his grip as he looked toward his master. Yugi pulled out his boomerang, looking to the others with a determined nod as the weapon un-folded. "I'll take the left side," he said somewhat confidently, the others also nodding in response. "Lets go," he continued as he looked at his monster, the Magician beside him nodding as they took off.
Mai in the meantime tossed the number of cards in the air, her lifepoints plummeting to a few hundred from the fairly impressive amount she'd held before as Katsuya watched. "Mass Summon," she declared, each card developing into a sphere of sorts, feathers, flames and shadows all filling the air before them. "Harpies' Pet Dragon," she shouted loudly, the flaming orb bursting into a mass of red scales that hovered just above the dragon they were on now. "Harpy Ladies!" In a flurry of feathers the monsters appeared, flexing their wings threateningly as they gave a loud and fearsome battle cry. Mai merely gave them a strong and supporting glance, before drawing a card from her deck and tossing that one forward as well. "Valkyrie!" In a trail of dust the card was gone, a black winged and horned 'angel' appearing with a staff at her side. A small army within seconds...
Though that was nothing to say what they were about to fight against. The sky darkened completely as a feral series of battle cries filled the air, the trio of newly summoned harpies following after the winged witch into the fray. With a run and a leap Mai grabbed hold of the chain hanging from the dragon above her, flipping onto its back and looking back at Yugi and Katsuya as Eri dove down to avoid the first wave. Already her monsters were preoccupied with holding others off, the woman herself standing between her dragon's shoulders with the chain in one hand and the staff in the other. "Good luck," she shouted loudly, bowing her head before turning to face the swarm. "I'll do what I can to clear a path, understand?"
W-Wait what? But what was wrong with fighting on the dragon right here? "M-Mai," Katsuya started, Yugi following his gaze with wide eyes.
The woman cut them off, sending the whips from her staff toward a close flying monster and ripping it to shreds as her harpies took hold of the ones following it. "I told you," she cried loudly, turning back briefly as her Valkyrie skewered a particularly unlucky trio of monsters through with her staff. "We're friends..! Just focus on getting there, I'll be fine! Only one of us needs to make it right," she shouted loudly, the dragon she was riding on sending another wave of monsters out in a blaze. "Only one of us needs to win! So let me act as a distraction," the woman insisted, nailing her staff backward as a monster came too close. "Besides," she added with a wink. "It's just a game... I'll be fine!" Just a game...
Hah... But that was the thing, this wasn't... He bit his lip, watching as the woman turned around to face the rest of the swarm. Mai... Without another word the dragon that Katsuya and Yugi were on dived down, avoiding a blast of white flames from a long and snakelike dragon before the beast was dealt with by Mai's monsters. Katsuya pulled himself up from where he'd ducked down against Eri's head, looking up as Mai and the first wave slowly disappeared into the distance. "Gh... Alright," he growled, pulling out his axe and looking around. They could all jump what... Twenty plus feet now? These monsters were probably swarming the field with nothing but ten or so to separate them! Alright... "My turn then," he decided with a nod, twirling the axe in his hands before narrowing his eyes. "Yugi," he shouted back, the boy turning from where he was waiting for his boomerang to return. "See you in a bit," he called, the boy tensing and running forward with wide eyes.
"W-What? ...Jonouchi-kun!"
Without waiting for anything more of the answer the blond took off, charging off the tail end of the dragon at a running jump. He was falling... But as his axe shifted in his grip, he couldn't allow himself to be afraid of that, the blond instead grabbing hold of a nearby monster and ramming his axe blade deep into the beast's flesh. "Haaaaaah!" Blood spattered across his front as the monster gave a keening groan, Katsuya pulling himself off to kick its rider off the side before jumping off to grab another close flying monster. "Hah!" Alright... Next ones! Wide green wings met his face from the Emerald Dragon and Katsuya grabbed the edge of the wing even as the monster struggled and growled. With out giving much more thought to the matter he pulled himself over the edge of the wing, running down the side with his axe as a 'ground rope' before doing to the dragon what he'd done to the enormous 'devil Zoa' before it. There was no rider on this beast, not now that it was spiraling up and down and left and... Oh god he was going to be sick, he thought grimly, slamming his blade into the monster in an attempt to keep from falling. The dragon flailed as an axe made its way into its spine, the owner gripping the handle tight as he was pulled around by the beast. "Hwoah..." Oh shit this was even worse than... "WOAHH! Fuck!" A sudden crack came through the air, axe coming free as one of Mai's harpies passed by. Gripping the blond by the arm, the harpy pulled away from the doomed beast, taking its cargo high and giving a seemingly incredulous snort as Katsuya looked up. "Heh... I could've handled it..." The bird again snorted, giving the blond a look of sorts before violently tossing the teen toward a passing swarm of beasts. "W-W-W-WAIT THAT AIN'T WHAT I MEANT!"
AAAAWWWWW Shit shit shit shit- Reflexes! Reflexes! The blond swung his axe forward, catching the next monster in the throat and launching himself off it's face before meeting with the toes of the next beast. "Hah! HAHAHA," he shouted with a grin, flipping up onto the winged demon's beast and sabotaging its wings before charging off its good one toward the next monster. How were the others doing, he thought idly, slowly making his way toward the castle by means of the improvised 'stepping stones' he was making. They were getting closer and closer to the barrier of the castle... Launching himself off the pterosaur he'd paralyzed, the blond grabbed at the horn of a passing black dragon, riders quickly finding themselves in shreds to match the dragon's own already tattered condition. The blond looked up, gripping the dragon's horn as it seemingly ignored his presence. Everyeone... Mai was doing fine it looked like, having just cut through another series of monsters with the bladed whips and the aid of her dragon... So was Yugi, he told himself as the boy sent his boomerang toward another trail before pulling out a card from his deck and summoning a series of blinding golden blades. And 'Eri', he noted with a nod. He looked back at the black dragon as Mai's harpies began to come back, hacking down at the beast's neck before looking back to the birds.
"Come..." Wwwwaaaait... ...Talking? He tilted his head, before quickly catching on as the monster below began to fall to pieces. Alright, whatever; there was no time to jump off that monster it looked like, so really, he'd live with the programmed talking monsters! Grabbing the Harpy's leg, he looked down at the disappearing corpse with wide eyes, axe dangling from his free hand as he stared. Now why had they... He blinked, watching as they headed toward the giant stone ring around the castle. Oh hey...
They were there. "Jonouchi," Mai shouted from below, the harpy carrying him slowly bringing him down to meet the level of both the woman's dragon and the ring itself. "Get ready!"
He nodded, looking forward as they came closer to the ring. Right... This was the moment they'd been going after, the barrier that surrounded the castle. Closer now... Closer... They came in from the top, heading toward the ring only to shout as the barrier stung back against their forms. "G-Gh... NHAAAA!" He tightened his grip on the harpy's leg, coughing against the shock sustained. "What's goin' on," he shouted as the harpy carrying him screeched, dropping him only for the blond to land on another monster. Even with the drop however he remained momentarily unphased, merely taking hold of the beast's horns for balance and turning upward again. "What th' hell was that!"
"It's the ring," Yugi's voice sounded from the side, the white dragon he was on growling angrily at it before coming in beside the blond. "It's the castle's ability, it creates a barrier..."
Tch... He growled, before paling as a blast of flames shot forth from the ring. The dragon he was on didn't appear to notice, if it was noticing much of anything but... "Oh hell," he muttered, before jumping from the monster he was on toward another as the last burst into flames. The blond quickly punted the white dragon's rider off, grabbing the reigns it held and turning to the others. "Any ideas," he called out, the others merely biting their lips at the question. Er... That didn't seem good.
'Forgive me,' Eri called out with a low cry, left wing singed from the ring's attack, 'But my power is not as it used to be... I will try and destroy it,' she continued as the others looked toward her. 'But it won't be easy... Brace yourselves,' she shouted, before charging a blast of light toward the ring as Kastuya was again picked up by one of Mai's harpies without warning. H-Hey, he was fine with the dragon, what was wrong with- 'This is all I can do for you now,' the dragon called sadly, Yugi's Dark Magician quickly pulling the boy back and ducking behind the dragon's more 'raised' scales despite clear discomfort. 'SHINING BURST STREAM!'
With a resounding explosion the ring burst and cracked, blinding white light blasting clean through the dark circle within. For a moment there was no reaction... The device seemed to have merely absorbed the attack, still holding firm. And then a loud crumbling noise came through the air, the far edge of the ring cracking and falling to the side. The rest of it was quick to follow... Towers of stone fell to the ground, spearing monsters in its wake as the others pulled back somewhat to watch. Katsuya stared, axe hanging from his hand as the castle began to sink against the now restored law of gravity in place. "H-Hah! Yea!" They'd done it..! "Th' barrier's-" A rumbling filled the air, cutting the blond off as an odd feeling caused his hair to stand on end. Hang on, he thought with a swallow, eyes widening as he looked toward the ring. What was that..? From the still intact shadow and disk that once held the ring together came a viscous wind, before a wave of shadows swamped the sky. An enormous twister, a hurricane even, made of nothing but fire and shadows given form. Black flames filled his vision, shouts coming through the air as the harpy carrying him was destroyed in the blast instantly. 'Jonouchi-kun,' Yugi was shouting, nothing but darkness meeting his vision as gravity took hold. 'Mai!'
In the distance he could hear Mai's dragon giving a pained roar, growls still filling the air to prove it was still alive. The dying shouts of a thousand other monsters were meeting his ears, each one cut off by the same darkness. Mai was shouting as well, but her voice seemed closer... 'J-Jonouchi!' Were his eyes open? The blond didn't know, but he knew that... He was falling... 'JONOUCHI!' He knew at least that much from the feeling, but he couldn't see anything, not even his own hands... Not the axe he was holding... Falling... Sailing through the air, and suddenly... "Ghn!" With a soft thump the blond's body hit the ground, his eyes closing over only for no difference in the scenery to come. Dark... Just...
Dark...
"Kgh! Gah!" What happened..? "Kh-knh, kah! Aha... Hah... hah..." Yugi coughed as he pulled himself out from the rubble on the ground, pushing a large rock past his face and weakly pulling himself out from the debris. "G-G-Gn..." Choking on his breath he opened his eyes, blinking a number of times in an attempt to clear his vision. Where... Darkness sat over the sky like a thick blanket, making it impossible to tell if this was a cloudless sky or a completely covered one. Flames of varying hues caught along either the corpses of monsters or trees around him, bathing the ground in an eerie and almost ethereal light. In the distance, the castle was falling to the ground... For the most part as he pulled himself up, all he could see was the enormous structure vanishing past the treeline far ahead of him, listening as a distant crash filled the air. The boy winced, turning away as a wave of dirt and wind blew past his face, giving another bought of coughs before turning despite the blast of wind flying at his face. "Gh..." The others... He blinked the dust from his eyes, arm coming back down as the air cleared. Where were the others.. "J... Jonouchi-kun," he shouted, looking around as he received no answer. Where... He stumbled forward, rubbing his arm as he looked around. Felt broken... How was he moving it though? He shook it off, taking a few steps forward and swallowing. "...Mai," he shouted on, eyes wide as a breeze passed. "Anyone?"
Where was everyone... The boy grew pale, arms falling to his sides as silence continued to preside over the air. Did... Did the explosion... Did they... 'G...Gk...' Yugi's eyes widened as a small grunt came through the air, the boy turning as a massive pile of rubble at the side began to shift. He rushed forward, watching as Eri slowly un-curled beneath the pile with a low and miserable keen.
"E-Eri-san," he shouted, running over to the dragon as it moved its head weakly. "Eri-san..!" The dragon turned its head weakly, mouth opening soundlessly as its eyes began to flicker. He tripped over the stone rubble, pushing a few blocks to the side in an attempt to reach the monster's head. "Eri-san..."
Dying... He didn't know how, but... 'Aibou,' his other self whispered, the link having held strong for the entire game. Yugi swallowed as a wash of worry from his other self came over him, sliding down the small crater created by the dragon's impact. '...She's dying...' Another sad keen came through the air, Yugi staring with wide eyes as he knelt by the monster's massive head.
The monster gave a weak cough, somehow managing to pull her head up. 'Gh... F-f-forgive me,great hero,' she rasped, almost as though it had heard the boy's darker half speak. The low moan continued to hang in the air as it spoke, mouth hanging just slightly open as it looked down at the boy before it. 'It would appear... I can go no further...'
"N-No..." This couldn't... This couldn't be happening, it couldn't... He shook his head, swallowing as he attempted to find something to say. "E-Eri-san..."
Another cough came through the air, the dragon shaking her head. 'I've done my duty...' Eri continued to attempt to hold her head above the ground, staring into the boy's eyes despite the evident pain she was in. 'But please... You must listen,' she forced out, head landing softly on the ground with a small thump. Yugi swallowed, looking at the dragon's eyes as it looked forward from the ground, enormous size still leaving them at eye level with the other. 'The prophecy,' she whispered quietly, rasping for breath. 'It's... Incomplete,' she hissed, giving a racking cough.
"E-Eri-san," Yugi said with wide eyes, reaching out only for the dragon to pull back somewhat. He swallowed, pulling his hand back somewhat hesitantly before looking to his deck. "Don't talk... I... There should be a spell card I can use," he said almost frantically, reaching for the deck only for his hand to go through it. He paled, before thinking back to the cards he'd drawn during his fight earlier. "Just hang on... I... I have to have something..!"
She shook her head, giving a low growl before moving the boy's hand from his deck lightly with her muzzle. 'There is no card... That can fix this,' she rasped, eyes closing somewhat as they continued to dim. The boy stared, shaking somewhat as the dragon again shifted from beneath the wreckage surrounding them. 'My time is over... But you can still fight...' But so could she couldn't she..? She... She couldn't die, she couldn't- 'Listen carefully,' the dragon begged, mouth hanging open as she took ragged breaths. 'When the third power of dragons unites with that of the third power of warriors,' it choked, the boy before her standing in silent horror, 'The strongest of unions will be formed... By the third power they will stand, and by the third power they will fight... By the third power,' she continued on, 'They will face the face of darkness and they will succeed...' Eri took a long, rasping breath, coughing again as she slumped to the ground completely, rubble on top of her shifting and falling to the ground in her wake. 'Young hero... I have complete faith in you,' she whispered, voice fading to the wind along with the light in her eyes. 'I believe that you and those with you will survive through this... And that our lands will be saved... So I say to you, good luck,' she whispered quietly, turning her head to the side and closing her mouth as her eyes finally lost the blue light completely. 'Great warrior...'
No... "N-Nnn... Eri-san," he whispered, staring at the head as fires cracked around them. He moved forward, 'shaking' the metal head in desperation. "Eri-san!" No answer... He swallowed, shaking his head and pulling back with wide eyes. No... This was a giant metal dragon, likely built with Kaiba's own dragon in mind! The monster who destroyed the ring around the Castle of Illusions, causing it to plummet to the ground in an instant, after wreaking havoc on countless monsters..! If she didn't make it... If even she was dead, then what did that mean for the others..? "...Jonouchi-kun," he whispered, tears running down his face at the thought. "Mai... Both of them..."
An equally fearful feeling came from the connection of minds he held, his darker half almost seeming to place a nervous hand on his shoulder. '...Aibou...' They... They could be dead... Yugi swallowed, looking down at the white dragon's corpse and falling to his knees. Dead, completely... The other Yugi seemed to tense with those thoughts, his presence growing just as nervous and fearful as the boy himself in the back of his mind. '...Aibou,' he repeated, Yugi staring at the ground in silence as tears continued to fall. '...' Did they have the same thoughts on this..? On this so called 'game'? What kind of people made a game where 'game over' was really 'game over'..? Where each strike of the blade could clearly reap a bleeding wound that was detailed with all the work of an actual corpse? Where the player's injuries were as well detailed with equal precision? As dark clouds continued to swirl around him, the boy hung his head, arms held limp at his sides in the again silent and burning wood. What...
What kind of game was this..?
Someone was calling him... 'Jonouchi...' The blond however didn't respond, unable to find the strength to move. Nggggghhhh... God his head hurt... '...Jonouchi...' Who the hell was talking, his head felt like it was on fire damn it... Though he had to say, that voice sounded familiar... 'Jonouchi, wake up...'
"G... Ngh..." Katsuya groaned, slowly opening his eyes to look up as his vision slowly clearing. The sky was completely black and coated with clouds... Hell, it could have been a clear night sky for all he knew. But the fires surrounding the area more than lit up the area, and in that light he could slowly make out Mai's face before his vision faded once again.
"Damn it Jonouchi," the woman above said with a frown, lightly shaking his shoulder and forcing the blond awake again. "Wake up! Come on!"
Ow, alright... He groaned again, sitting up and rubbing his head where the helm still sat somehow. "Gh..." God, felt like he'd broken every bone in his body... A glance at his lifepoint counter said he probably had as well. "Nggh... Sheesh, what hit me..."
Mai sighed, shaking her head and pulling back to stand up. She seemed rather tense, if not in shock about everything... Not really something he should be surprised about he guessed, rubbing his shoulder absently. "The Harpie's Pet Dragon would be one thing," she said somewhat wryly, looking over at where a visible outline in the ground amid the rubble could be seen. It looked as though a small crater had turned up in the dragon's wake when it landed... And as to what else happened, it was left to his imagination really. Mai helped Katsuya to his feet, looking around the thick piles of rubble that scattered the forest clearing with a frown. Bones could be seen in some piles... Rocks in another... "Pretty much every other monster in the sky would be the other things..." Yea... That was one way of putting it. Mai bit her lip, looking at the younger blond as her friend steadied himself and pulled himself to his feet. "I was getting worried... When we crashed," she said quietly, "I had the dragon break most of the fall... But you still hit the ground hard, and for a while you weren't breathing..."
He swallowed, looking at the woman. The dragon broke the f- Wait... Wasn't... He wasn't breathing? Katsuya brought a hand to his throat for a moment, shaking his head. Holy shit... That was close... Wait... "Wait... If that's what happened t' me," he said nervously, before looking around them with wide eyes as the fires around them continued to burn. "What about Yugi..?"
The woman paled, looking around the area as well with those words. That's right... What happened to him..? "I... I don't know," she said somewhat quietly, stepping forward and continuing to look around as her staff hung limply in her hands. "I lost sight of Eri in the explosion... And when we crashed, I was more concerned with trying to make sure you hadn't been crushed... Or worse," she added with a nervous swallow, turning away and biting her lip.
"Well then we gotta find 'm," he said somewhat nervously frowning as he looked at the woman beside him. "I mean, 'f I was passed out that bad, what could happen t' him?" He walked forward, almost running as he clambered over a nearby pile of rocks and continued looking around. They had to be able to find him right? Maybe from up there... "There's no way t' tell what happened," he muttered with a swallow, pulling himself up to the top of the rubble pile and continuing. "If... If he's gone then..."
Mai followed behind, still biting her lip as she shook her head. "I'm... I'm sure that Eri-san wouldn't let that happen," she said with an almost equally nervous tone, climbing up the stones behind Katsuya. "He can't be far... I'm sure he-" The woman froze, looking to the side as Katsuya followed her gaze. "He's not..." Over there, was that... "...Far..."
The two hurried over without another word, half running half walking lest they end up falling flat on their face amid the piles of rocks. "Yugi," Katsuya shouted, running over to where the boy was sitting on his knees. He was alright! He was... Erm... "Y-Yugi," he continued, before stopping a few feet behind the boy, Mai stopping as well. He wasn't moving... Just staring down at what looked to be the motionless body of the Shining Dragon, hands held limp at his side. The bladed boomerang was still strapped to the boy's back, and as a breeze passed the woods fell silent once more. "...Yugi," he said quietly, Mai as well looking on in silence.
Something felt... Different about the air around them at the moment. Tenser, more severe... Like before a match, or a game. "...Jonouchi," the boy finally said, Katsuya standing stiff as he recognized the confident and possibly cold tone of the 'other Yugi'. "...Mai," he continued, slowly turning around from the dragon's corpse to look at them with a narrowed stare. "...Let's finish this game."
AN: Things just got serious guys. Seriously. Expect a 'real' boss battle by the way, concerning the 'Five-God-Dragon'... And I mean a real boss battle, I'm going all out on this. In any case! Depending on how things go, the 'end' might take two chapters- the dragon will definitely be faced in the next one, but if the battle takes too long I'll be putting in the 'wrap up' scenes in a separate one. Basically it'll either be two slightly shorter than the norm chapters... Or one longer than the norm one. (I just don't want to make it 'REALLY longer than the norm', since that would be a little overwhelming...)
Now then! Some art below, though it's something else... It's a bit of a 'tradition' among my friends to be complete morons with ideas and just plain go nuts on the paper when we can. Mostly, this leads to something we call a 'doodle war'; I draw one panel of a sketch comic, friend draws the next, and so on. Sometimes, it goes into a full blown internet RP, which in one case ended up home to a semi-crack semi-serious fanfic over on BlackRockTaffy's page; though I haven't touched it for... A loooooong time since I got more serious about keeping things in character. (At the the time that fanfic started up, it was largely based on the dub... And upon insanity) That fanfic is basically home to any weird and bizarre idea that never made sense in my head... Along with crack and yaoi pairings... (Fangirl heaven really.)
Anyways, that part has nothing to do with the something else, but rather the fact that I have a bit of a self-made doodle war concerning little things that either will show up in the fanfic in a more serious conversation, or simply little things that are just too hilarious to stick in within safe limits. Or even just 'behind the scenes' amusement. For now, we have one such thing; 'The Secret to Long Hair In School', which could probably use a better name.
Poll Results are being re-posted here as a reminder... Come on guys, lets decide on Seto's past incarnation!
Female Crossdressing Set - 12 (Three Anonymous)
Obviously Female Priestess Set - 7 (Three Anonymous)
Canon (Male) Set - 2
And next we have...
Anonymous Review Responses
He had to do it Iona… Because… It led to the scenes of AWESOME that we see above. It really does actually… Though I have to say, I hope to work a bit of magic on Rebecca as well… While keeping in mind that at twelve and thirteen, you tend to see girls at their cattiest… (I was not immune…)
I do hope you enjoyed Mokuba's moments of EPIC though. And as for Mai's backstory… Yaaaaay~ I'm actually having a lot of fun delving into people's backstories for this fanfic… I had a particularly large amount of fun with Honda's actually, which you can probably tell from below…
In any case, enjoy the chapter~
I won't I sweaaaaaaaar… I won't do it Cynical Gamer...
And yesssss very. I don't know if it's bad or good that I can put a voice to each one of those lines… Even so. On the one hand, it would be 'WTF GO AWAY'… And on the other it would be 'You realize I'm a girl right..?'
Noa: …Either way, I win!
Me: *coughnotreallycough*
Noa: What? D:
Somehow, I feel like in the end I'll have to flip a coin. (Or just go with what's creepier. BWAHAHAAA~) You can't wait and neither can I~!
Pfffff, you can NEVER be prepared! *mad cackle* …Or something.
Anyways, hah! You're right, she would be getting crap loads of bad lines… Least until she glared at them, but whatever… And hoh… Now I want to read that fanfic. They probably could come up with a lot of devious things together those two. Oh well.
And hahaha! Who knows how everything worked really… Who knows…
Not my fault Noa took so long to set up pods for everyone! (..How the hell did he do that..) And so… I'm evil in a good way? Or… Something?
Oddly enough, I think Jou's weirder dreams will put a block on the nightmares. Oh well… And yes! So close..! She'll certainly be kicking all kinds of ass now though, most definitely. And it does… And in a way, it kinda sets up the attitudes that the big five held for the Noa arc… Otaki was fairly paranoid during duelling; before the Legendary Heroes came to an end, he was possibly the one whose recklessness got everyone stuck in the first place. (Being the guy who was like 'well then we'll just have to be careful…') And then of course, I now get to activate a particular dislike for Jou using the Oka VS Jonouchi duel…
And heheheheheeee…. You'll just have to see! *mad cackling once more* Ahhh foreshadowing is fun…
Fun times indeed! And oddly enough, no… There won't be. The Big Five get their info directly from the computer; the moment they looked in and accessed everyone's profiles, they realized fairly quickly why the code that locked around males matching Kaiba's body type didn't work. Heheheeee… And of course, Noa knows these kinds of things as soon as he signs in anywhere, so there's no questioning his knowledge…
And yay! The costume gets love~
Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner
The section that wishes it had as many moments of crazy awesome as Mokuba and Kaiba... And everyone else in this fanfic.
Today's title is brought to you by the an archetype of Yu-Gi-Oh cards called the 'Synthetic Seraphim'; a series of fairy type, mechanized monsters with angelic themes. Given that every one of the Blue-Eyes 'supposedly' have the same names as angels of some kind, I figured it suited our shining dragon up there. ...Even though I personally don't really see the three blue eyes with those names due to the Millennium World...
Anyways, another reason why I picked 'Seraph' is because they were said to be six winged angels that were known as the 'Burning Ones', the hebrew word for which was normally reserved for serpents and the like. Which was normally a bad thing, but since 'seraph' wasn't tacked on with other snake-reserved words, you would generally be able to tell the two apart. In any case, early on in tales they weren't explicitly said to be six winged, just 'flamy'. So it was really ones best guess as to what they looked like...
Either way, 'serpents' in ancient times also tended to refer to 'wyrm' type dragons, ones that either had no legs, or were simply long and snake-like despite their limbs. Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon isn't snake-like persay, but it's certainly rather long in comparison to otherwise short legs (it only has two, as it's a wyvern. Wvyern. I can't spell damn it...)
Oh hey! Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon- WAIT WHAT. WHAT USAGI, WHAT? Well, since the shining dragon would otherwise never appear here(since I'm not including the movie in this)… And… Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon is pretty damn kickass, I decided to use it as a bad-ass replacement for the wooden 'air ship'.
Particularly since the 'ship' in the prophecy was white in the anime… And the ship itself turned out to be completely wooden, and brown damn it. Fffffff. And yesssss, as a matter of fact, I did do this as a silly reference to the Millennium World arc…
However, it also holds heavy ties in my more original series I'm working on; the initial antagonist (Or… The one who is technically being controlled by the main antagonist) is a witch who carries about a large grimoire… And by fusing with the book turns into a giant fucking dragon. Looks nothing like Blue-Eyes mind (It's actually eastern in appearance), but still held a bit of an inspiration here. (I should probably work on my original series for once... Eh, oh well.)
Something tells me that in the whole 'medieval speech' and 'RPG lore', Eri wouldn't be calling herself 'Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon'. Oh well. On another note, concerning the whole 'the people of these lands are duel monsters', it stems from the final episode of this arc. Queen Meyari turns into the Mystical (...Holy?) Elf to bring everyone who died back to life...
I was just sitting there going 'wait, why didn't she just help them then!'. Annyways. In a nutshell! 'Eri' fell from the castle, sacrificed most of her power to keep the Five-God Dragon from destroying everything in sight... While giving everyone human forms. The area with that 'bird' would be turned back 1000 years though, around the time she did this... So no one else could really come with lest they be subject to certain 'blocks' that the Dragon put in place. Remember guys, in the anime, Meyari said it was impossible to summon monsters there. (Despite the glaring fact that not even two minutes later THEY DID. AAAAAAGH.)
And if it still doesn't make sense, then it's probably just me. (Sorry.)
Picture the piper with a Scottish accent. I know I did. And it was beautiful. Also, if you didn't guess from the last chapter, that's right; Kaiba didn't go down without dealing a bit of damage to the thing controlling her dragon!
Why was Mokuba not electrocuted to shit by the net? Partially because he's wrapped rather tightly in plant based clothing... But also because all his armor is made of wood.
That scene with Honda and Anzu was brought to you by boredom, amusement, and overall hilarity. Enjoy. *cough* Anyways.
'Hiroto', if you haven't guessed, is Honda's first name. It's spelt in Hiragana, and has no real meaning. A somewhat common name actually. Anyways... As for Johji, the 'oh' is technically spelt 'ou' in Japanese… So I spelled it as such.
'Ane-san' is actually a somewhat humerous nod at Honda's own habit of not using honorifics. The 'san' is tacked on because of an intense fear of his older sister... But 'ane' is pretty much the most laid-back and informal way of referring to an older sister, and isn't even supposed to have an honorific there!
Is Honda's sister being unreasonable? Hell no! Jouji's three, and she literally has no one else to look after him. For Honda to say nothing when the time comes to look after the boy is about the worst thing you can do when it comes to pissing off a mom. Granted, Honda had no idea he'd be in the situation he's in, and it's easy to forget that you need to make a phone call when you're more worried about keeping the others alive. Even so...
Yes, Anzu just did that. Believe it or not, given her more tom-boyish traits (Which are obviously dumbed down as we go along in the anime… A lot.) it's quite likely she'd do that. Keep in mind that she said her dream was to dance in New York... But no one ever asked what kind of dancing she was going for; if she's going after certain strains, she's probably going to be a fairly good actress as well! Anyways... You have to admit; it's a damn good way to shut Honda's sister up for a moment, keep the phone lines dead for a while, and even better, get Honda into shit later on.
Though that last one has to be unintentional right? Anzu's not that mean... ...Right...
How did Mokuba get hold of another 'Gift of the Magical Elf'? Well, the cards essentially 're-set' when Mokuba took the deck out. It was a glitch; Kaiba had one copy, as it was logged into her 'hand'. But since the cards never actually move from inside the deck, Mokuba had the opportunity to draw the same card.
The conversation between these two draws from both the dub and the subbed version; in the dub, after Mokuba says he asked Yugi for help, Kaiba says 'you know how I feel about him (Yugi)', to which Mokuba responds that he didn't know who else to turn to. Kaiba responds with 'anyone' (Which had me going 'Even Jou?'), and they move on.
In the subbed version it's somewhat different, likely because in the Japanese, Kaiba seems to have a bit more of a grudging respect for Yugi than an intense wall-banging rivalry when it comes to things outside of the card game. (It looks that way at least.) He simply says 'you needn't have' after Mokuba admits to getting help, before the two move on.
When Kaiba calls Jonouchi an 'insignificant weakling', it's in reference to another common insult that her canon-counterpart calls Jonouchi a number of times. 'Zako', which ordinarily means 'small fish' and comes from the kanji 'miscellaneous' (which is read as 'za' in Chinese) and 'fish' (Which... Doesn't have any readings that remotely resemble 'ko' oddly enough.), also tends to mean 'insignificant person' or 'weakling' in the world of Japanese insults.
Kaiba seems to cave fairly quickly when Mokuba comes into matters doesn't she? In addition to being fairly canon on this (So long as it's not serious, Mokuba tends to know what buttons to push. Certain things however... Don't fly. At all. (But that's expected) The pause up there, along with the caving, isn't the result of Mokuba merely being her brother however. It's more the really loud statement concerning Jonouchi. All those 'he was there, I was not' paranoia issues are just coming and coming... (Though these all fly right out the window when the mutt does something stupid of course.)
You have to admit; Mokuba's 'I'd like to be normal' thing from before is pretty much a lost cause by this point. I'm pretty sure he's just embracing it by this point though, like everyone else.
A war scythe is basically a curved blade on a stick, differing from an actual scythe in that it's not a short, hand-held one, meant for cutting plants down. It's the weapon that you see the Armed Ninja holding, and is considered an improvised weapon to say the least.
Interesting thing, those conversations originally take place after they defeat the ninja and the capture jar, despite the fact that one would think Kaiba would ask how Mokuba got there before all of this. As it is… Kaiba doesn't seem to have quite realized that there is still one person unaccounted for in terms of the 'secret'. She will soon though... Very... Soon...
Cat-Like dragons? What? Usagi, what are you talking about... *goes back to watching 'How to Train Your Dragon'*
'Valkyrie' is a card that is known as 'Dark Witch' in the English version, due to the fact that as religion overtook the country the formerly angelic (in appearance) (if not highly war-like) women known as 'valkyrie' were reinterpreted as 'witches'. They were originally nordic deities who served Odin... Before that religion was absolutely pounded on by a certain cross-wielding one. This tends to happen a lot when Catholicism and Christianity hit things in ancient times really. It has nothing to do with Siegfried's cards though...
I used to wonder how it was that the death of an NPC character was so shocking that it triggered a 'switch' between Yugi and Yami Yugi... Then I realized that it's really about the same as when I cry over a character's death in a series... Or about things like Kaiba and Mokuba reuniting, or Kisara dying, etc etc... So yea, it's kinda like that.
Believe it or not, but there was actually another nod to the manga in making the 'ride' a Blue-Eyes of sorts. Interesting fact; for the manga, Takahashi had originally planned on making Blue-Eyes Yugi's key monster. It was decided that Kaiba would get it as a somewhat last minute thing though…
Imagine what it would have been, Blue-Eyes as Yugi's signature monster…
The 'third power' of dragons of course is Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon… Which comes from the absolutely hilarious first appearance it had in the manga, where you had three words describing how incredible it was… With the exponent '3' beside it.
Interesting thing about the exponent 3 however, is that technically 'to the power of 3' means 'number x number x number'… Even more technical is that this makes it '1 to the power of three' since it's… Supposed to reference tripling the power of blue eyes.
But that's 1 x 1 x 1. Which is 1. BAWWWWWWW. Oh well, have fun making your guesses at the 'third power' of warriors.
And the other Yugi arises… As to why it didn't quite hit Yugi that the others could possibly be dead until after the dragon passed on, he was kind of… Caught by the fact that the dragon was talking before it died. And then after death settled in… Yeaaaa…
It was probably about then that the other Yugi stepped in and said '…I think I'll take it from here.'
So… For a guide on waking up from that 'explosion' of sorts (They landed in a forest by the way), Mai was mostly conscious the entire time, as the pet dragon took most of the force. She nodded off a little bit, but was otherwise fine… After… She recalled the dragon to her deck to free her leg at least. While she was doing that, Yugi woke up and had a bit of a 'blue screen' moment concerning the death of Eri… Interestingly enough, but Iru was originally still going to accompany these guys, and was actually the reason why he had a 'big' form.
But at the last minute, I decided 'Isn't… Killing one person enough? Really?'
In any case, Jonouchi was the last to wake up, which happened around when Eri gave her last breath. Everything else just put the three in shock… Which, as you can tell, is dealt with in varying ways. 'Light' Yugi has a bit of a mind-blank, Yami taking control to sort of calm things down… Not to mention go on a bit of a vengeance stampede… Jonouchi addresses friends first and otherwise acts fairly normal… And Mai is just in shock, plain and simple. Which really isn't surprising, given that this is probably the most extreme form of anything she has ever experienced…
So far. (Key words being 'Battle City' with that in mind…)
FanArt and My Art Section
As a reminder, remove the spaces to get your link!
DoodleComic: The Secret To Long Hair In School - http: / / i5. photobucket. com/ albums/ y153/ natasha_unos_1/ YGO% 20Fanfic% 20-% 20Skin/ copyimage. png - WARNING. Dramatic change in art style, since it's it's... Well, a doodle comic. In any case. It's an actual fact that in highschool and middle school (I can't well say for elementary) that if your hair is too long and you're a guy... You are at risk of ending up with your head shaved on that one day that the staff decides to 'enforce the rules'. (They really will go over with a shaver and cut it all off. You'd have Honda hair!). In any case, notice how after Bakura 'offers' to help (With his soul-snatching ways), Mokuba has the same expression right until the end panel. Ahahahahaaaa... Also, Blue-Eyes laptop. (Yes~)
