Chapter 50: Ambush
"So, are your Spidey-senses tingling yet?" Joey asked Kaiba, walking briskly alongside the CEO. Because of his connection, and uncanny sense of the Sword of Wisdom's location, Kaiba took the lead. Joey was second, relying on the Sword of Renewal's vibrations, which were growing more and more frantic, to the point where his hands were feeling numb.
"Funny, Wheeler," Kaiba said scathingly. His hand was aching constantly now, throbbing with the pulse of his heart, making him irritable and agitated, a constant physical reminded of the supernatural, which he absolutely loathed. A part of him wondered if Joey's blade could heal the ailment, but to do that, he wold have to say that he needed Wheeler's assistance, another admittance he loathed. The sword was calling him, its "voice" louder now, almost as if Critias was urging him on.
"Are we even close?" Ishizu asked.
"Good question, because I doubt this is a "safe" part of the city," Aaron said, looking about. Kaiba was leading them down an alley, passing in between abandoned apartments and businesses. From what Aaron could gather, after the destruction of the hotel, was probably the main source of income for this part of Cardiff, the people, bereft of a source of cash, packed up their bags and left. The landlords and business owners thought the same thing, boarding up their buildings and attempting to sell them to the lowest bidder and eventually, this area was left to the dogs and becoming a haven for the ne'er-do-well.
Ryou glanced nervously about, watching the rooftops and balconies for anything suspicious."Especially considering that Midas is orchestrating all of this."
"This way," Kaiba suddenly blurted out, pointing to some unknown building around a corner. "It has to be this way."
"Hold your britches there," Aaron warned them, placing a hand on Kaiba's chest, stopping him. "For all we know, it's an ambush just waiting to happen" He slid his knife from its sheath, going into a crouch. "Here, let me go first. He crept ahead of them, remaining close to the wall, eyes always watching. As he neared the corner, he gestured to Joey. "Hey, kid, come with me."
"Me, what for?"
"Because you're wielding a blooming sword and two, you seem like you've seen a scrap or two in your heyday. I could always use a wingman."
Joey nodded and mimicked Aaron's actions, hugging the wall, Sword of Renewal in hand, the other clenched into a fist. Aaron peeked around the corner, keeping as low to the ground as possible. "You see, people look at eye level. Keep below it and they won't be looking for you, get me?" Taking this as a cue, Joey crouched lower to the ground. After scanning the area, Aaron turned about, nodding curtly. "Good to go." Aaron took a singular step out, then another, until he made it out to the open. The alleyway opened out to an old, one lane road that a handful of businesses faced. It looked to be abandoned, not a single piece of evidence that somebody passed this way in a long while. A handful of bigger building, like apartments or office buildings, was up ahead. Aaron gestured for them to follow behind him. "Single file," he told them. "Less to track that way." Joey stepped out first, followed by Kaiba, then Ishizu, Mai and Ryou, bringing up the rear, his back turned to them to keep an eye out for whatever Midas sent their way.
When they were in the open, Aaron remarked. "Easier than expected." He stopped. "Too easy. . .Well Kaiba, which way?"
Seto pointed to a building a little more than a hundred and fifty yards away, at what looked to be an abandoned apartment complex. "In there."
"Should be easy enough. Lead the way." Kaiba pressed past Joey and Aaron, almost smug. When he managed to walk about fifteen feet, Ishizu called out to him.
"Seto, stop."
He froze mid-step. "What for?"
"I think we just walked into a trap."
The area grew cold, something sliding over their skin, like the scales of a serpent. The faint rays of the sun grew even weaker and the buildings were now cloaked in layers of shadows. Ryou paled. "It's magic. Very dark magic."
"But it's not Shadow Magic," Marik added. "I think it's the Orichalcos magic."
The shadows slid across the roadway, congealing and solidifying to reveal the ghastly lupine creatures from before, their jaws slavering with a sickly looking saliva, eager to devour their prey. There looked to be numerous monsters. The air was shrouded with a choking fog, not so much to hinder their sight, thankfully, but to wipe away whatever rays of the sun remained, cloaking them in the darkness.
"If the Orichalcos was a living person," Joey began. "I'd kick it in the nuts right now." The Sword of Renewal was shining like the heart of the sun, acting as a beacon to light the way.
"How polite," Mai said, already pulling for her cards before realizing how useless they had been the last time. Only direct and physical force could kill them outright.
"What's the plan?" Marik said, watching the shifting forms in the fog, their bodies occasionally highlight by the Sword of Renewal. They seemed to shy away from the Sword, as if fearing it.
"We have to get Kaiba to the apartment complex to find the sword," Aaron explained. "Therefore, we'll move as a group, shielding Kaiba from them."
"I have numerous black belts in various martial arts and fighting styles," Kaiba told him, slightly boastful. "I can handle myself."
"But unlike Joey, you don't have a sword. You're the most vulnerable, they'll be after you and Wheeler. We'll form some sort of ring about them. Joey, stay near Kaiba. When we reach the apartment building, we'll guard the entrance while you two search it. On my signal, form up and move. Alright? Three, two, one. . .move!"
Almost immediately, they shifted about, forming a vague semblance of a ring, with Kaiba and Joey in the center. Aaron took the ring, moving steadfastly ahead, massive hunting knife in hand. The first monster came within moments, lunging out through the fog. Aaron lashed out, driving the knife into the beast's ribs and stopping its advance. When the monster whirled about snapping at him, Aaron struck the beast in the neck while simultaneously removing the knife and plunging it in the creature's skull. It slumped to the ground, but as it did so, three more charged and the scene broke into chaos. Whatever plan Aaron had for them just disintegrated within moments.
Frantic, Joey began to swing the sword about wildly like a flaming brand, one that the beasts tried to avoid while going after Kaiba. One of them unfortunately caught the trailing edge of the Sword of Renewal in the collarbone. It let out a horrific, unearthly scream. The only way that Joey could describe what happened next would be by "unraveling". It was as if the shadows that formed it were pulling apart, like tugging on an errant thread on a sweater and watching it fall apart. Then, it was no longer there, not even the shadows that formed it were gone, vanished.
Encouraged, he lunged at another beast, but this one managed to avoid the blade and danced past him. Joey whirled about, shouting, "Kaiba! Behind you!" Kaiba caught the movement in his peripheral vision and spun on his right foot. Just as the creature leapt into the air, Seto stepped forward, slashing with the duel disk. The edge of the device, sliced across the monster's chest and it stumbled to the earth, it momentum gone. He watched in mild shock as the shadows knitted the wound back together and the shadow monster was whole and hale.
At least, not until Kaiba slammed the edge of the duel disk into the beast's cranium like a hatchet, all while avoiding the claws and fangs of another, which was then quickly dispatched by Aaron's hunting knife. Kaiba's monster slumped to the ground, dissolving into the shadows which had birthed it. The others skittered away, clearly caring more about self preservation than destruction.
"They've managed to back off for now," Aaron called out. "Let's see if we can get somewhere before they notice."
"Little comfort," Marik said, shuddering at the creatures. He encountered and dealt with many things in his life. These shadow creatures were still quite new and disconcerting to him. They continued to creep forward, all of them on edge, eyes nervously scanning their surroundings. Aaron's formation had since disintegrated—especially when it was so easy for the creatures to slip through. They hugged the wall of the building, so that they could not be ambushed from more than one side, a tactical error Aaron had realized when the first waves of creatures swarmed. So, a quick change in plans and they were on their way.
It was eerily quiet, the only noise was the crunch of their shoes on the pavement and the far off howl of Midas' monsters. It was as if the rest of the world no longer existed at this point, the only thing existing being the alleyway and the buildings flanking.
There was an ominous growl nearby, a deep rumbling that reverberated. Ryou swallowed; it seemed closest to him. The fog parted and the creature lunged at him from the darkness and he yelped, taken completely by surprise. He managed to fend the creature off using his duel disk as a shield, unable to use his magic. When he managed to repel the beast, he pummeled it about the head and neck with said disk, until the monster sagged to the ground before dissolving.
Mai, who had been closest, came to his aid just as the monster faded away. "You okay hun?"
"Considering that I just punched one of those Orichalcos monsters to death, I'd like to think so, never mind that it will haunt my nightmares for weeks," he panted, taking a fearful glance at the device, as if expecting blood to drip from it.
"You're speaking gibberish there, take a deep breath and they'll go away soon."
"I hope so."
The monsters would attack sporadically from then on, one or two at a time, only to be fended off by the group. By a miracle, and Mai's heel impaling the skull of a beast, they made it to the apartments building Seto had pointed to. The door had been clearly boarded up, and not just by mundane means, as Aaron had discovered when he made an attempt to kick in the door. The instant his foot had touched the door, flew backwards about fifteen feet, landing on his tailbone sharply. "Forget the Orichalcos, I'm just going to kick magic in the nuts," Aaron grumbled, walking gingerly back to the door. He was hesitant to touch it again, not willing to accidentally land in the waiting jaws of whatever creatures still lurked in the fog.
Ishizu gave the door a quick look over, fingers hovering just above the door. "It appears to have a selective repellent spell latched onto it, allowing certain people in, but not us, apparently."
Aaron nodded, still a bit of a skeptic. "Can you remove the whatever spell you called it-"
"A selective repellent spell," Ishizu corrected him.
"That thingy, from the door?"
"From what I can tell, it's quite layered, with shields designed to absorb Shadow magic, the magic primarily used by myself, Marik and Ryou here, so we can't."
"But what about Joey's sword?" Mai asked. "Dartz said that they were made to destroy the Orichalcos magic, why not this?"
Aaron turned to Joey. "Wanna give it a shot?"
"I'll give it a try, I guess." He held the sword up at chest level, so that its tip would pierce the door. It looked normal enough but once he began to jab the tip into the door, it was clear that the door was clearly not normal. He could feel a faint pressure, the magic or whatever Ishizu called it, fighting the power of the blade. Eventually though, whatever invisible pressure there was faded away and the sword went through the door like a hot knife through butter, causing the young man to lose his balance.
"Well," he said at last, trying to remove the blade, "I think it worked." He managed to wriggle the sword through, taking a chunk of the door with it.
"Good." With his foot, Aaron lashed out, sending the door crashing down, the hinges, which had been somewhat rusted, now broken off. "In your face!"
"How mature," Kaiba snorted. "Just like Wheeler. You two should open a comedy club."
"I take offense to that you know," Joey huffed.
Aaron rolled his eyes. "Just shut up and get the freaking magic sword already."
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The complex was a three story affair, the windows and doors all boarded up, the stench of mildew and humidity in the air. There were no lights, for all the bulbs had long since burned out, some still dangling limply from their fixtures. The only light was his cell phones, using the fluorescent light to banish the dark. It did little though, to fend off the uneasy feeling that was prickling at the base of his neck. Seto Kaiba had refused Aaron's advice, to have Wheeler tag alongside him, just in case. He did not need the assistance to find the blade—not when his hand provided such a useful homing device—and he certainly did not need the assistance from Wheeler.
So, he trudged along through the dark, his hand sending waves of pain through his arm, to the point where it was the only thing dominating his thoughts. The creak of the staircase under his feet was nothing more than a droning buzz in the background. Find the sword, and the pain will go away, he told himself.
Just find the sword.
Seto winced as the pain spiked, forcing him to gasp and nearly drop his phone. He clenched his fist, driving his fingernails into his uninjured palm with force, in hopes that his mind can divert its attention somewhere else, rather than the burn that should have never been there in the first place. When the pain passed, slightly, he stole a glance at the palm, the burn a sickly looking color in the light of the cell phone. He furrowed his brow and continued forward, up the staircase, the rotted wood threatening to give way.
There was a harsh crack in the air, as the board under his feet splitting, splinters flying. He managed to catch himself by grabbing onto the rail of the stairs, the once lacquered wood rough on the burn. He bit his lip as he slid down, the wood chaffing horrendously. With a spurt of strength, he managed to pull himself out of the gap, taking extra care to not lose his phone, his lifeline in the dark.
Seto made it to the top of the staircase without incident, although it had drained a bit of strength and endurance from him. The hand hurt worse now, worse than ever before, like it was on fire, but he compartmentalized the pain and moved on, closer to the goal at hand.
It was a long hallway, the abandoned apartments flanking both sides like a retinue of guards flanking a funeral procession. It was quiet, somber, both of which made him feel uneasy. The hall seemed darker and colder as well, the shadows not as easily banished as before. It left him with a chill that not even the long coat could not keep out.
"A window must be open, that is all," he told himself, his voice sounding muffled in the empty hall. He drew his coat closer and continued his trek ever so solemnly, his boots scuffing along the carpet.
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". . .And just when you think it's all over, it gets worse," Aaron grumbled, knife in one hand, duel disk on the other arm and more bruises than he cared to identify at the moment. The monsters seemed to be attacking on waves at the moment and at random times, the tactics designed to catch them off guard. Thanks to Aaron's watchful eye, and the Sword of Renewal's ability to unravel magic, the monsters were kept at bay as Kaiba searched the premises, refusing any help whatsoever from them. As time passed, the monsters grew fewer in number.
"Tell me about it," Joey replied, massaging his shoulder, aching from the weight of the sword. The sword had been useful in eradicating the beasts but they were growing smarter, avoiding him whenever they were able to, forcing him to constantly move about, a shield that wields a sword. The battle field, if it could be call as such, had fallen into an unnatural lull, granting a reprieve for them.
Marik strained his eyes out into the magically induced fog. "Something doesn't seem right. It's too quiet."
"And I know we didn't get rid of them all," Mai added, keeping close to Joey. She wouldn't admit it, but she felt safer in his presence, the sword acting as a beacon. Ishizu, Ryou and Marik nodded in consent, Ishizu growing a little worried at Kaiba's prolonged absence.
Just as she spoke, the fog thinned slightly, revealing the silhouette of a monster, far worse than they expected. It reminded Aaron of the monster he, Odion and Sivya battled in Tel Aviv. It stood at least fifteen feet tall at the shoulder. It was incredibly muscular, veins protruding and shadows sliding off it like water. It had a definite canine visage, filled with wicked and jagged teeth and jutted out from underneath the beast's jowls. The eyes were small and the shade of freshly spilled blood. It lumbered forward, its foot long nails glinting faintly in the glow of the Sword of Renewal, clicking on the pavement.
Aaron peered up at the monster, awestruck.
"Well, this officially sucks six ways to Tuesday."
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He had reached near the end of the hall when an unfamiliar feeling rushed over him. He couldn't put his finger on it exactly. It was reminiscent of a tug, something pulling him, his spirit, towards something. It was like somebody had tied a rope about his waist and was pulling sharply, dragging him along like the proverbial leash. The tugging sensation overpowered the pain in his hand and he found himself at a door, although he had no idea how he had arrived there. The door was nondescript, ordinary in color, the hinges and doorknob rusted from the years of abandonment.
Was this where Midas had stashed the weapon, in a room, in a place as shabby as this, a part of him wondered. He began to reach for the door knob but stopped, sensing a trap. Maybe this was nothing more a ruse, a plan to isolate and destroy them, divide and conquer. It was certainly apparent, judging by the onslaught on whatever those beasts were outdoors. He weighed the possibilities, but none of it matter at that moment, when his hand, apparently under its own power, reached out and grasped the knob solidly, without him even registering the gesture.
He instinctively braced himself, expecting the worse to occur-
-but there was nothing.
The hinges squeaked harshly, but the door swung inwards, revealing a room completely enveloped in darkness. The windows had been boarded up, to the point where not even the faintest rays of sunlight could pierce the darkness. The place was devoid of furniture, it was a single room, bare and dark, which struck Seto as odd, considering that someone used to live here.
His feet propelled him into the deeper depths of the room, the temperature dropping rapidly, the shadows becoming darker. The room felt to go on forever; he told himself that it was only a mere trick of the mind, but how would he find the sword in such a bleak and stygian place? The cell phone, still in his hand, did little to light the way; in fact, it was useless in such a place. He placed the phone back into the pocket with his coat and reached out with his hand, part of him hoping to find an end, a wall of some sort, here.
What he felt instead was cold hard metal, smooth and unblemished, perhaps frictionless in texture. The room lit up with a bright light, the rays shooting outwards like the supernova of a star, a thousand thousand arrows of light shattering the dark. He wanted to tumble, shield his eyes from the phenomenon, but he was glued to the spot, transfixed at the occurrence that should, by logic, not even be possible.
The light faded suddenly and the room no longer had the despairing cold feeling it had before. It looked like a regular apartment, with many rooms, and the scent of mildew faintly permeating every surface. However, his attention was not on the room, but the object that banished the dark.
It was the Sword of Widsom, shimmering in its luminescent glory, his fingers still resting on the impossibly smooth surface of the blade. The blade seemed to be levitating in the air, right at face level, as if held in the air by a thousand invisible wires. He could simply not believe it. He was mystified, stupefied even, at the sight. All those years of denial, the cynical sarcastic remarks, the snide glances whenever someone mentioned destiny, magic, came crashing down like the walls of Jericho. He was witnessing a force he could not see, could not even begin to control, right at his fingertips, literally. His entranced came to a stumbling halt as Seto willed his hand to move up to the hilt, past the crossguard, to curl about the rayskin hilt. It felt somewhat rough along his palm, for better grip during combat, he surmised.
At that moment, he suddenly recalled that he could no longer feel the burning pain in his hand. He uncurled his left hand, to find the palm unblemished.
"Do you want your evidence?" He heard Critias' voice ring in his head.
"Well there it is," Kaiba muttered to no one.
He pulled the sword away from its invisible moorings and turned about, set to leave the room.
That was when he noticed something in the door.
One of Midas' creations had found him.
