Once she saw his face turning beet red, Crystal took a few steps back to let him unleash his frustration.
"What do mean I have to go find them myself!" Ren almost shouted at Melody at the port of Heraklion, the busiest port in all of Crete.
"Uh oh," Patty said, walking away awkwardly. "He's gonna pop."
Crystal chuckled to hide the feeling of nervousness and inelegance in her gut. She felt like any moment now Ren was going to foam at the mouth and glow a gasket by how red his face went. It wasn't the task that upset him, but by the nasty grin on Melody's face. She noticed Jeannie chasing seagulls away. She gained a lot of distance from the group as she skipped and laughed with the joy of a five-year-old.
"Jeannie!" Crystal called. "Baby, don't you wander too far."
Melody crossed her arms, still giving Ren a snarky look. "You said you needed me, right? Well, this is how you're going to achieve my services."
"Services!" Ren bellowed. "You may be one of the best Duelists in all of Greece but that doesn't make you High Queen of Termnnia, does it!"
Nick took a few steps to stand between them. He held out his arms. "Hold it, hold it!" he said. "Obviously there's been a little bad blood between you two, but that doesn't mean tempers should flare. Come on, I thought we were a team here. And you," he said looking at Melody. "Coming down here was your idea, wasn't it? A lot of time and money went into making this trip possible, so do us all a favor and play nice. Otherwise, I'm out."
"Like anybody needs your help," Patty scoffed.
"What did you say?" Nick growled, looking back at her. "Just whose side are you on?"
Patty walked next to Melody and leaned next to her. "Hers," she answered briskly.
"As am I," said Crystal, taking a firm place to Melody's left.
"Now you're all going up against me?" Ren barked.
"What the hell did you do?" Amistad asked, reading a map to hide from the confrontation going on before him. "And can we make this quick? I want to see the fortress."
A seagull's call broke the silence.
"Explain, Ren," Tyson urged him. Wondering what could have happened between the two.
"Well if he won't, I will," said Melody. "You left me."
"Wow!" Patty exclaimed, trying to cover her mouth agape in surprise. "You two had a thing going?"
"I told you before!" Ren cried. "I had to take care of Yuri! He was coming home."
"And does that justify leaving without a phone call? A letter? Nothing?" Melody asked. "You could have told me there was nothing more you wanted to do me, and I would have shrugged you off. All this time and not a word? That's despicable."
"That should have told you a lot," said Ren.
"Fuck you, Ren!" said Patty. "You need to start telling people where you are from now on. What makes all this worse is you didn't just do it to Melody, but to poor Crystal."
"You have a knack for leaving girls in the wind, don't you Ren?" said Crystal.
"Marone," said Mario. "You one slick-ass creep, pretty boy."
"This doesn't concern you!" said Ren. "So, shut the hell up!"
Mario lifted his hands and backed away.
Melody brushed off his seething fury with a chuckle. "Ren, you said you'd do anything to help you, right? Well, you're in luck. Somewhere in that 'old quarry' as you called it, are the three meal tickets you need to make your team unbeatable."
"Hold on a minute," said Mario. "You're talking about monsters, right? Duel Monsters? Cause if you are, you're crazier than I thought. I mean the Minoans didn't play Duel Monsters back then, did they?"
"You'd be surprised how much our little game has affected the culture of this world," Melody replied. "A little birdie told me Allied soldiers used dragons and giants to fight off the Nazis in World War Two."
"I didn't hear anything about Patton using dragons to fight off the Axis," Patty said in confusion.
"No surprise there," said Ren. "It was done so illegally by some Termnnians who were fighting in the war. Our government sure had its hands tied with that little fiasco."
Melody nodded. "Uh-huh. Word almost got out of our involvement when someone snapped a photo of a Hitotsu-Me Giant in the forests of Norway. Luckily the people think it's a mountain troll." She shrugged. "Even better. They dub it a fake. That's what I enjoy, and hate, about the people of this boring world. You're too plain, and you'll deny magic and wonder even if it's standing right in front of you."
"I used to have that mindset," said Crystal. "Believe me. So, Ren, I believe you have some work to do."
"You're not going?" Amistad asked.
"No," said Crystal. "In the name of all girls everywhere, we're sitting that little quest out."
"So, it looks like I am going on this quest alone," Ren almost hissed, but thought better of it. He hated to admit it, but he deserved this treatment. Hell, indeed, hath no fury like a woman scorned."
"I'm going with you," said Amistad.
"I'm going," said Tyson. "Carter?" he looked around for Carter. He saw him biting down on his fourth Gyro. "Carter!" he called again.
"Mmm!" Carter said with a mouthful of his newfound favorite snack.
"Are you in?"
Carter, without even knowing what he was getting himself into nodded his head. "Ugh-huh," he nodded. "Yessir, mmm-hmm."
Nick let out a heavy breath and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I can't leave my brothers behind. I guess I'm going with you guys. Hey, it sounds like fun, don't you think? Us guys traveling into a dark and forbidding labyrinth? It sounds like an adventure to me."
"That's the spirit," said Amistad. "It can be…a guy's night out sort of."
"Well," said Mario. "While you fellas delve into the ass of the earth," he turned and looked at Patty, Crystal, and Melody. "I'll stay here and guard the girls. Ey, ladies, I can be your security, right?"
Sssssss! Rinyan, the Lightsworn Rogue hissed, coming out of Melody's backpack.
"Dio mío!" he cried.
"Uh, I don't think my kitty likes you very much," Melody said as her friends laughed.
Amistad rolled his eyes. "Right, and as we delve into the ass of the earth, you delve into the ass of our girls? Nice try, Mario."
He grabbed Mario by the scruff of his black buttoned shirt and hauled him with Nick and the others.
"Aw, come on!" he groaned. "Someone needs to keep an eye on them."
"Were he going to be that lucky," scoffed Crystal.
"And what, pray tell, are you angels going to be doing as we look for whatever it is you want us to be looking for?" Amistad asked.
"We need to find a hotel and stat," said Crystal. "I set up a stern meeting with those goons on the Board of Directors. They made a deal with another company."
"The nerve," said Patty. "They still don't trust you?"
"They will after this conference. I'm going to give them a piece of my mind for making decisions behind my back."
"That's good," said Ren. "It's a start to show you're in control. You don't act like a leader, they won't treat you like one. You may be young, naïve, and in some cases wild, Crystal, but you're still CEO of the company. Their jobs are in your hands. Make them realize that so they won't cross you again."
Mario shook himself from Amistad's grip and fixed his shirt. "That still doesn't explain what it is you want us to find."
"You'll know for sure when you get there," said Melody. "Look for a lad named Abeiron. He's been my friend for years and has the tools you need to help you find my items. Just tell him Lady Melody of Freydon sent you, and you're golden. Good luck. Be safe."
"You, too," said Ren. "Though it's been a while since we've seen them, those assassins are still out there."
"I'm more concerned about that PaniK creep," said Patty. "Something tells me this saga between him and I is not yet finished."
"Either way, splitting up is a stupid decision," said Ren. "There are too many enemies after us. But something tells me we no longer have any say in the matter. Looks like you three spoiled brats are the ones in charge now. Perhaps after this venture, I'll go find the other Duelists alone because I don't want to have to deal with this aggravation again."
"Disappear from my life again?" Crystal retorted crisply. "How rich."
"That's not what I meant!" Ren blasted. He held his arms up, clawing his fingers from the knot growing tighter in his chest. "GOD! You are so selfish! I told you a million times over what I had to do. What Yuri had to do. He was a High King! What part of that don't you understand!?"
"I understand it completely, Ren!" Crystal yelled stomping her foot on the ground. "Was I any different? I was called the Billion Dollar Princess! Queen of Dragons! Duel Monsters Champion! Blah, blah, blah! I became a Star. I traveled the globe. I met hundreds of people throughout my ventures. But not once did I ever forget who my real friends were."
Ren gulped and rubbed the back of his head.
Crystal calmed down, seeing him grow humble. "Sure, thanks to my career, I was never around to hang out as much anymore, but it didn't justify me to leave anyone I loved behind. Every now and then, I'd say hello to Yuri and you. I wished you both a happy birthday. I checked up on you when you were sick. Sure, being some lowly pop music sensation is not the same as being High King of some different dimension fantasy world, but they're both careers that take their toll on the time we have together."
"Ren, she has a point," Amistad confided to him. "If Melody has the means to travel to and from Greece, I'm sure a letter or something to know you still cared would have done some good. Especially after all this time."
"I was worried you would think we were crazy," said Ren.
"Bullshit!" said Crystal. "Then lie to me! Tell me you were someplace you weren't. There a million places on this little marble you fellas can claim you're at. It would have been better than not knowing if you two were alive or dead or worse, just flat out stopped caring about me."
Her voice gave way to her emotions. Her lips trembled and a tear or two rolled down her cheek.
Melody cooed and hugged her. "It's okay," she said. She looked at Ren. "You know what, forget it, Ren. Just go find the other Duelists. And while you're at it, find another member to replace me because I want no part in this matter if this is how you treat your friends. I'll find the Gods of Greece myself."
"Gods of Greece?" Patty asked.
"Don't worry about it," Melody said letting Crystal go. "It's something I have to deal with on my own now. It was a pleasure meeting you all, but I think we must part ways. I don't like being led by pleasant company."
"Wait!" Ren said. "Wait! Crystal."
She looked at him, drying her eyes.
"You're right. All these long months without a word is far too long. Melody, I'm sorry, too."
"Humph!" Melody crossed her arms, turned and stuck her nose in the air.
Ren turned to look at the others. Mainly Nick, Tyson, and Carter. "Guys. I know how much Yuri meant to you. He was family to you."
"The brother I never had," said Patty, reminding Ren of the importance Yuri was in her life. She noticed Jeannie alongside her, no doubt concerned with all the yelling going on. Patty put her arm around her, drawing her closer. "And this poor thing lost him before she even got to know him. Lest you forget it was Yuri who won the Millennium Tournament, earning the prize money that was able to change our lives and add this beautiful blessing to our little family." She kissed the top of Jeannie's head.
"I know, I know," Ren said, sliding his hand down his hair. "I'm sorry guys. I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for taking him the way I did. Don't be angry with him, too. Please know that he did not adjust to his life in Termnnia very quickly. During the first few days, he cried himself to sleep every night because all he wanted was to go home and be back with you." He looked back at Crystal. "I think he missed you most of all."
Crystal buried her face in her hands and wept when she heard this.
"But it was his duty," Ren implored them. "Our world needed him. There are a thousand things about High King Daveed 'Yuri' Wollcroft Delgado of the House Plantegrast that none of you can comprehend." He sighed. "He died doing his duty. He died as High King. But it was no accident. Yuri was murdered."
A ring of gasps erupted from everyone when he said this.
"He was killed by the same organization that pursues Crystal. However, there is a way we can bring him back."
"No kidding?" said Mario.
"But the European games," Crystal gasped.
Patty shook her head. "Baby, I think we have more important things to worry about. The games are history for me. I want to find Yuri."
"No, but, they need me. How can I run the games and look for Yuri at the same time?"
Tyson gave a wave of his hand. "Come on, girl. Lots of people manage their businesses and do other things at the same time."
"But I'm not one of them," Crystal whined. "I can't do this. It's so hard."
Mario shrugged. "Then why not just cancel the European Grand Prix and look for Yuri?"
"No, no, no," said Amistad. "That would be a bad call on her part. The games are already set up and Duelists around the world are getting that hyped for this tournament. Think of all the sponsors that have put all the money and resources into them. Not the mention the other expenses paid for by the company. It would be like Crystal shooting herself in the foot. She would fall from trillionaire to a regular millionaire in just one night."
Nick was not moved. "Who cares?" he said. "You're still making more than the average joe."
Crystal shook her head. "But I would have destroyed the legacy of Mr. Montgomery. And think about Aquarius! That city wouldn't be made possible without Phobos Corp. What will happen to it if we lose all our sponsors and countless investors who aid us in keeping it afloat? All those people and their homes? Those businesses? They could be all lost. To say nothing of the angry mob of Duelists that will come after me. I talked with Autumn, my secretary, last night. She informed me that Duelists have already started booking hotels in Dubai where the games are set to take place. That's an expensive trip."
"A lot of money wasted," said Tyson. "They'll be pissed and quick to turn their back on you in an instant and boycott your products."
"And the companies working to get things set up," said Patty. "That's a lot of sponsorship money going down the drain if she pulled the plug on these games. Phobos canceled the Regional Championships four years ago due to some issues with the Duel Disk, and it almost cost them everything; it took them a long time to recover from that one. I can't imagine what an event of this caliber will do to you, babe."
"It'll kill me that's what it'll do," said Crystal. "If it weren't for the Synchro, Pendulum, and Xyz, and now those new Link Summons Termnnia so graciously gave us, Duel Monsters would have been replaced by other games a long time ago. Phobos will die. Duel Monsters will die, and I'll forever go down in history as the fool who dragged Jacob Montgomery's dream through the mud."
"So, you see, there's no other way through it," said Ren. "You're just going to have to be a boss and manage the tournament on the go. Lots of people do it."
Crystal nodded. Ren looked at Melody and said: "Melody, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. I still want you in my group. It's important. The fate of the world is at stake."
"I know," Melody said with a nod.
"I'll find the Grecian Gods for you if you desire."
Melody smiled at him. "Very well," she said. "I'll still consider being on your team. But you have to stop promising to blow your fuse from now on. And just so you know, you can't come back after disappearing all these years and expect us to owe you any favors. You're the one who owes us for all the things you've done. To myself and to Yuri's friends."
"I understand," said Ren. "I'm sorry everyone."
"Apology accepted," said Amistad.
"You had nothing to do with this," said Nick. "You didn't know Yuri."
"No," Amistad replied with an agitated look towards Nick. "But Crystal has told me so much about him that I felt like I practically did. She would always tell me stories of how he stood up against this Brett character you guys talked about once. How he had this faith in his deck and his monsters. Like they weren't just pieces of cardboard. Like they were something alive. How he was a guy who always followed his heart and fought for what was right. He didn't enter the tournament for fame, honor, and glory. He entered it for you, Nick. To give your sister a home in Aquarius. That sounded like a man I wanted to shake hands with."
"Apology accepted anyway," said Tyson. "Wow. Yuri had a far greater effect on all of us than I thought."
"Well," said Melody. "Apologies have been accepted. I will let bygones be bygones. All that's left is you, Crystal. Do you accept Ren's apology?"
Crystal shut her eyes. "It's still going to take me some time to forgive lying to me about Yuri. But nevertheless, I'm still glad you're back, Ren."
"Thanks, Crystal," Ren said with a shaky grin.
Crystal held up her hand. "Save your thanks for when it's deserved," she said. "I said I'm glad you're back. But that doesn't mean I'm letting you slide for this outrage."
"You've still got a long way to go before you earn her trust," said Amistad. "But I am glad we're all on the same page here. We should celebrate before splitting off don't you think."
"Indeed," said Melody. "If we play our cards right, Termnnia will have a High King again, and you lot will have a friend back. What reason is there not to celebrate?" she clapped her hands. "To High King Yuri. Opa!"
"Opa!" everyone repeated after her, finally relieved they could put their problems behind them.
Ren
They flocked to the nearest bar and had a few drinks before finally splitting off. Melody was quick to start looking for a place to stay while Amistad went to a nearby 'contact' to rent some transportation for the drive to the Messara Plains. An old, but quite reliable jeep was their means of traversing the zigzagging roads of Crete.
It took some time, but they finally made it to the opening of the cave. Even though they stood no more than two yards from it, it looked rather menacing. They just stared at it, dressed in the proper attire needed to explore the labyrinth.
"Man," said Carter. "What if Melody is right and the Minotaur is in there?"
"Don't be silly," said Amistad. "I've been here before and so have hundreds of others. There is no Minotaur in there."
"Crap," said Mario. "But it's probably infested with who knows what. Uh-uh, there's no way I'm going in there!"
"Well, you are," said Amistad. "Unless you want to stand out here and watch for those assassin chicks."
"I knew it," groaned Mario. "I knew it! These are the final days of my life." He slapped his chubby, greasy cheek with his hand. "And in a party of such cute girls too. Any one of them would do. Patty, Melody, Crystal, little Jeannie. God, I wanted to get laid before I died."
"I wouldn't say that out loud if I were you," said Amistad.
"No indeed," said Ren, happy that Nick, Tyson, and Carter were not within ear's distance of his crude, insensitive comment. "Crystal is his girlfriend. And Patty and Jeannie are both close to his heart."
"Hey, hold on," Tyson said stopping their advance. "Didn't Miss Melody tell us there was some guy out here who had the 'tech' to find these Grecian Gods?"
"Hey, you're right," Amistad said getting out his phone. He dialed Melody's number. She answered, and he walked back and forth listening to her instructions. But it was hard with all that noise muffling her voice. "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" he shouted. Is that music I hear in the background? Where the hell are you guys? Who's laughing? Is that Crystal laughing?"
Now a dragon roared in the background as well. Something all too familiar.
"Is that Chaos Emperor Dragon?" he demanded.
"Isn't that swell?" Carter replied. "They're on a little vacation, and we have to spelunk into this place."
Just then, a desert buggy rolled down from the hills. There was an odd-looking fellow driving it. Spelunking tools, ropes, lanterns, a pick-ax, and a hand-made radio hung from his orange suit. His hardhat's light was already turned on. Though a young man of twenty-three, he had a face crusted with age and a long beard giving him a hermit-like look. He honked the horn and approached the group.
"Hello, hello!" he said. "Are you by chance the fellows Melody sent to find the Gods? I am here to help you with this matter, for I am a member of the famous Industrial Illusions."
"Maximillion Pegasus' company," Ren said with a bob of his head. "So, you're a Termnnian?"
"Indeed, I am." The fellow removed his hardhat out of respect and bowed. "Aberion Tslepis at your service."
"Shit, another one," Mario groaned as he turned and walked away. "Why can't I meet some normal people for a change?"
Amistad shook his hand. "Thank goodness," he said. "So, did Melody call and tell you we're here, sir?"
"Oh no," he said. "I just followed the gut instincts of my companion Mr. Bombodil."
"Who?" Amistad asked.
Aberion pointed at his right index finger. Amistad and the others gave him confused looks. "Oh, sorry," he said. "Mr. Bombodil is a genius who lives in my finger. He's very smart and is well known throughout Termnnia. He's been to the Spire of the Kings." He put the finger close to his ear. "Thank you," he said to it. "Twice."
"Retard alert," Nick whispered into Carter's ear.
Amistad cringed from the awkwardness of what he had witnessed. "Assassins. Cartoons. Greek God Cards. And now a guy who lives in a dude's finger?"
Ren wanted no more madness anymore either; he had quite enough of that. "Let's just find those monsters Melody desires and get this little adventure underway."
"Oh indeed," Abeiron said, getting out of the buggy. He put on an oversized backpack and marched to the labyrinth.
Before going on, Amistad removed a ball a yarn from his pocket and anchored it to the entrance out of tradition. It was said in the myth that Theseus used a ball of yarn gifted to him by the daughter of King Minos to navigate the labyrinth where the Minotaur roamed.
"It's pitch black in here," Carter said, stating the obvious out of nerves. If it wasn't a Minotaur he had to worry about, then it was a cave-in. Then again, being on the lookout for something magical sought after by Termnnians was also nerve-wracking. Considering all he saw the past few days, he knew he had to expect everything from them.
They had traversed through the darkness for hours. Fear turned to boredom. Boredom turned to impatience. "What the hell are we the Goonies or something?" Tyson asked pretentiously.
Nick, tired of Tyson's rambling, looked back at him as he followed Abeiron through the darkness. "Yeah, Tyson. We're the Goonies. Why don't you pretend that you're the fat kid?"
"Eh!"
"Quiet!" said Abeiron. He took out some sort of hi-tech sensory device. A blue light radiated from the machine. The walls and ceiling of the labyrinth were highlighted in grids as the scanner's light slithered through their surfaces searching about for large quantities of Mana.
"Ah, Mr. Bombodil," Abeiron said to his index finger. "This contraption of yours is a lifesaver. We might find those Greek monsters yet."
"Ugh!" Amistad and the others cringed and groaned behind him.
Ren, trying to soothe everyone from the anger building in their hearts said: "Thanks for coming along, guys. It means a lot."
"Yeah, well, I didn't do this for you," Amistad replied in a dark, scratchy voice that sharpened his Spanish accent. He maintained his balance after almost tripping on a stone. "I'm doing it, so Crystal can be reunited with her friend, Yuri. Believe me, Mr. Kakihara, when this is all over, remind me to thank you for a lovely weekend."
"I shall," said Ren. "If you live long enough to give me your thanks. I worked with an unnamed branch of the High King's special security forces. I can handle myself fairly well in a fight. I know you're angry at me, but don't fucking test me."
"Mr. Bombodil says to watch your profanity," said Abeiron. "We are getting close chappies. Stick with me."
"He said that thirty minutes ago," said Nick. "I'm getting awfully tired of this."
"Wait!" Abeiron cried out. "Here it is!"
He stopped in front of a wall they passed more than a dozen times.
"Are you joking!" shouted Mario. "We've been here on more than one occasion. And you're telling me this is it? You Termnnians sure are screwy."
Abeiron chuckled nefariously as he placed his hands on the wall and rested his right cheek on it. He giggled as though he were fondling a woman. "No, no, no. This is it, fellas. This is it."
He took a step back, keeping his palm on the wall. "Minos-Chín Úren! Lateyo et Khae-ma'at!"
Some runes began to shine on the top of the wall. The rocks faded away and turned into a door unseen since the days of King Minos.
Amistad turned, pointing to Mario, Tyson, and Carter. He called them all by name. "You guys stand watch and make sure nobody sees this."
"You don't have to tell me," said Mario. "No way I'm going in there."
He, Tyson and Carter sped off into the labyrinth to secure the way towards the newfound door.
"That didn't sound Greek to me," Amistad said walking next to Abeiron. His boots crunching the dirt and pebbles beneath his feet. "What was that you said?"
"I merely recited the password in an old form of Termnnian," Abeiron replied. "Mr. Bombodil taught it to me."
"I'm sure he did," said Amistad. "So, I take it King Minos was a Termnnian as well?"
"Oh, no, no, no!" said Abeiron. "First of all, Termnnians settled in Crete long before King Minos ever came into power. And secondly, we kept our involvement very secretive. We never put one of our own into power. We just gave the ancients a little push to make them into the superpowers you know today."
"I take it Greece isn't the only place you helped evolve right?" Nick asked.
Abeiron laughed, pleased with their curiosity. "Oh yes, my friend. My people helped jumpstart civilizations all over the world. Take Peru for example. You really think a tribe of jungle natives would have gotten those oversized boulders up the mountains and build Machu Picchu? It was dragons that helped them in that aspect."
"No kidding?" Amistad replied. "But why ancient times? Why did you stop using monsters to help us?"
Abeiron sighed. "Because the ancient days of civilization were a more magical time than they are now. They were days when the world was filled with enchantment and great power. Heroes and myths. And monsters lurked in every corner, which they did. But, as the world became more complex and intellectuals started to come to pass, the world got more and more plain. They started to believe that only science was the way to see how life is. To say nothing of how primitive these people are, even when modernized."
"Of that, we can agree on," said Ren. "Now, how do we get through this?"
"You got me," said Abeiron.
"You mean you don't know?" Amistad asked in astonishment. "I thought that…"
"I can only find the door and convert the monster tablets into cards. But Melody didn't give me the know-how to open it."
Amistad took off his hard hat and wiped sweat from his brow. "Well, thankfully I studied runology as a hobby back in college." He put the hat back on and shined the light on the carving on the door frame. He ran his finger through them, pondering what it was his professor told him to do when examining ancient writing. "Hmm, the writing carved on the frame of the door. It's Ancient Greek no doubt. It must be some sort of code. It's going to take a while to decipher it."
Nick walked to the door and knocked on it. There was a loud THUMP! The door lowered itself and slid open, revealing a dark stairwell leading deep into the earth.
Amistad was baffled. "Or of course we could just uh…go down, down, down, the uh, uh, stairs."
So, they did. They delved downward more than fifty feet before coming to a cliff overlooking a marvel unseen by humans since the Bronze Age.
"Well I'll be," Ren whispered.
Somehow, someway, there was an oculus above the structure which was a labyrinth of complicated design. White, warm sunlight peered through the hole, no doubt covered up my magic. Waterfalls more than a hundred feet wide thundered down the walls of the cave housing the labyrinth, which on its own was an island of stone.
"This…" stuttered Amistad. "This is fantastic!"
"Magnificent is what it is," Ren commented as well. "This architecture. The columns lining in front of the waterfalls. It looks Emboldorian mixed with Minoan design. No doubt Termnnians had a hand building this place."
"What are we waiting for?" said Nick. "Melody's cards are down there."
"Technically they're tablets," Abeiron corrected him. "My little machine is going to turn them into cards."
"Who cares!" Mario said running down the stairs. His voice echoed across the cave, startling Nick, Amistad, Ren, and Abeiron. "Wow, this place is neat. Anyway, we have to hurry. I heard there's a party of explorers from Discovery Channel coming to do a story about this place, so we've got to hurry."
"So be it," Abeiron said while looking at his index finger. "Oh, you know the way through the labyrinth, Mr. Bombodil? Why, by all means, lead me through."
"Uh, hold on," Mario said forming a T with his hands. "Timeout. Yes, while this place is something worthy of National Geographic, may I remind you that this is no doubt, the honest-to-truth Labyrinth of King Minos. It's real, we discovered that. Doesn't that mean…"
Amistad scoffed to silence him. "Mario, don't tell me you're afraid of the big, bad Minotaur."
"Can you blame me?" Mario responded with his teeth chattering. "I mean this is supposed to be his home!"
Amistad brushed his statement off with a wave of his hand. "Even if the legend is true, he's dead. Theseus killed him thousands of years ago."
"That doesn't make me feel any better," Nick said, also shaking at the thought of the Minotaur.
"Come on," Amistad said following Abeiron down another set of stairs. Just in case Abeiron was off his rocker, he tied the string from a secondary ball of yarn around the neck of an ancient statue of a woman. He kept the yarn in hand and followed Abeiron down the twisting halls of the labyrinth.
"Oy vey," said Mario, lighting up a rather graphic carving on one of the walls. "Is that woman getting laid by a bull?"
Amistad laughed when he saw it. Ren couldn't help but let out a chuckle as well. "You haven't heard the story of Pasiphae and the great white bull of King Minos?"
"No, but I get the feeling I'm about to find out."
"I'll keep it short. Occasionally King Minos was to offer his best bull as a sacrifice to Poseidon the sea god. He did so for many years until one day he got a divine white bull. It was so perfect, so beautiful, that Minos did not want to part with it. He thought Poseidon wouldn't mind and offered a lesser bull in its stead."
Amistad joined in on the story by walking to Mario's left laughing. "And so, as punishment for his betrayal, Poseidon made Pasiphae, the King's wife, fall madly in love with the white bull. One night, she orders a wooden cow to be built. And she crawls inside waiting for her beastly lover to arrive. Sure enough, the bull saw the cow with Pasiphae inside. Fueled by lust, the bull charged in and made love to her. And then, nine months later, you got yourself a Minotaur."
"That's sick!" Mario groaned.
"Yeah, that's really gross," said Nick.
"You think this is bad," Amistad laughed. "You should see Pompeii. I went there with Crystal last summer. It was the debauchery capital of the world during its prime. Everywhere you walked there were penises drawn everywhere. You can imagine it was pretty hard for me having to hear Crystal constantly laughing the entire time."
"This way fellas!" Abeiron called from down one of the halls. "It's easy to get lost in here, so it's best to stay close to me and Mr. Bombodil."
Mario bellowed angrily. "If he says his imaginary friend's name one more time…"
"Leave him be," said Amistad. "Clearly he doesn't get out much."
They traversed the winding passages until they found some sort of mausoleum at the center of the labyrinth. Standing atop a five-stepped pedestal were three rectangular-shaped tablets with three great warriors carved onto them.
"Ah!" Abeiron gasped. "At last!" He rushed up the steps of the pedestal and touched the ancient one of the carvings on the right. "Ares the God of War!" he breathed. He dashed to the second on the left. "Hades the God of the Underworld." He laughed and ran for the tablet in the center. "And this one must be Zeus, the King of the Gods himself! The Gallery of the Gods my friends."
Amistad shook his head. "This is no gallery. It's a tomb."
The sight of the tablets was so magnificent, that none of them noticed what lay at their feet. Bones. Thousands of them, scattered all over the place.
"OH NO!" cried Mario. "NO! NO! NO! NO!"
"Look at this!" Ren said, pointing at the armor many of the skeletons wore. "Roman Legionnaires. Hey, the stiffs here are from Napoleon's army!"
"A red cross!" said Nick noticing bones with an all-too-familiar tunic. "These guys are Templars!"
"Ottoman warriors right here," said Mario. "I can tell by the design of their armor. That style. Looks like they came to sack the last bit of Greece's history."
"How do you know about their rule over Greece?" Amistad asked, feeling rather impressed with his knowledge.
"I read from time to time, my friend," Mario replied.
"Read?" Amistad paused for a moment. "I didn't know you could read."
"I'll be," said Nick. "Check this out over here. That curved sword, isn't that from Egypt?"
"You're right," Amistad said examining the blade. "That symbol. These must be the Medjay warriors of the Pharaoh. These men were some of the best fighters in the ancient times. And they were all slaughtered like nothing."
"OH GOD!" Nick cried. "LOOK!"
There were bones, fresh bones, clad in tactical gear; torn and bloody, and bearing a familiar symbol on their shoulder patches.
Amistad grew worried. "Dios mío," he breathed making the sign of the cross. "SEAL Team Six, too! Not even they could survive the horrors of this place. What? What could have done this?"
They all looked at the statue of a man with a bull's head looming in the darkness behind the tablets. "You don't think…" said Ren.
"Abeiron, forget it. We need to tell Melody this can't be done. This place is cursed. We never should have come here!"
"No! No! I've waited far too long!" Abeiron took off his backpack. His spine crunched, finally being relieved of the heavy weight. He stretched for a minute or two to limber up before removing the orange sheet of a machine that was thousands of years ahead of the technology from Earth.
"What's all this?" Ren asked.
"Don't bother me while I work," Abeiron replied harshly as he put on a visor and equipped what looked like a Duel Disk with a color pallet instead of a mat. It was a high-tech portable card maker. Wires attached to the device were glowing in pink and blue. "For you, Ares, a dash of red here. Some gold there."
"Is he actually designing the card?" Mario asked.
"Seems so," Ren replied. "He may be a bit screwy, but he's got some skill. I heard Pegasus had strict requirements for Industrial Illusions field agents."
Suddenly, an arcane circle burst in front of them, creating a nasty wind. Someone walked out of it. A cloaked figure with a black-visored helmet. He sniggered approaching some sort of construct. He took a red crystal out of his pocket and inserted it into a slot. It started to glow bright red and opened a gate. "Yes," the masked figure said.
"HEY!" shouted Ren.
The figure turned and cackled. "Ren?" he said in a low scratchy voice. "Well, well, well. You're still alive. I thought Loxley and the Winged Dragon of Ra fried your ass back in Dark City."
"Stop what you're doing!" Ren yelled. "You must! You have no idea what it is you're about to unleash."
"Oh, I know perfectly well what manner of beast I'm going to unlock. I've studied and searched for countless years. And now I have discovered the way to unlocking the power of Reshef the Dark Being."
Ren gritted his teeth.
"What the hell's he talking about, Ren?" Tyson asked. "What's the Dark Being?"
"A demon from the ancient world," Ren answered. "A destroyer of worlds. Long ago, a great hero had to seal him away for all eternity. And now this psychopath wants to bring him back."
"I must," the masked figure said with a laugh. "It's the only way to bring your friend back."
"So you know about Yuri, too?" said Amistad. "You want to bring him back?"
"I do."
"Then what's the big deal?" said Mario. "He's on our side, right?"
"No, he's not!" shouted Ren. "Reshef the Dark Being is going to be used to destroy the sanctuary Yuri's soul is being kept. He's being guarded by thirteen powerful creatures called Titans."
"You mean like the card we gave Loxley?" Carter asked.
"Yes. Alone, one can topple mountains and destroy cities. All thirteen can form a power equal to the Divine Beasts. So long as they guard and protect Yuri from these vermin, his soul can be at peace. But they don't want his soul to bring him back. They want it for darker purposes. They need it to resurrect Anubis."
"Oh d-d-dear," squeaked Alberion. "This is even worse than I thought."
Amistad gulped. "So that's what he needs Reshef for? To destroy this sanctuary world Yuri's spirit is being kept?"
"Yes," said the masked figure. "Not even the Titans can match the destructive power of Reshef the Dark Being. None of them can. The only creatures who can are the Divine Beasts, but they've been scattered after Yuri died. No one knows where they are." He cackled. "But who cares? They're out of the picture, and now Termnnia is left without defenders. The Shadow Realm can finally claim its prize. The world of Keya and all that dwell in it. One gate has been opened. That leaves six more."
"Don't count on it!" shouted Ren. "We're going to stop you!"
"I don't think you can. Now, enjoy your time with the Guardian of Minos." He snapped his fingers, calling another portal. He flicked off the group and walked in, disappearing.
"Woo," said Tyson. "There're some straight-up freaks up in this place."
Amistad wiped beads of sweat off his face. "What do we do?"
"I don't know," said Ren. "The gate's been opened and there's no way to close it. I need Duelists with strong monsters. Which reminds me. Alberion. How goes your progress with the Grecian Gods?"
"In a minute," Alberion answered.
Two hours later, he was done with the Ares the God of War. Next, he moved on to Hades.
"And for Hades!" Abeiron cried out in joy. "Black! Black everywhere!"
Finally, he was done designing the art for Melody's cards. With the press of a button, he transferred his work to the machine. It started to glow and shake, then in no time at all three cards were printed out. Abeiron rushed to the machine, gently taking out the cards from the slot they came out. He slid them in hard plastic cases and wrapped them in clear tape.
"That's that," he said. "What do you think, fellas?"
"Synchros, huh?" Amistad asked. "Not bad. Not bad. Can't wait to see them in action when Melody uses them."
"I bet you would," Abeiron said. He held out a pistol. He wagged it about violently, signaling Nick, Ren, Amistad, and Mario to line up in front of him.
"What is this?" Ren shouted.
"The adventure ends here, fellas," said Abeiron. "I'm sorry it had to end like this. I was getting awfully fond of you guys."
"Who put you up to this?" Amistad said calmly.
"That's for me to know, and for you never to find out," Abeiron replied.
They heard marching behind them. The four betrayed friends turned their heads and saw soldiers in black tactical gear. Their heads shielded in Crye Precision helmets and their faces concealed by black balaclavas with goggles over their eyes glowing in red iridium lenses. Judging by their custom gear and the strange emblem on the patches sewn on their right shoulders, they were mercenaries. But who were they working for?
"Do you have the cards?" the leader asked stepping forward. He wore a hi-tech gas mask concealing his face. His voice transmitted through a speaker on the helmet.
"I do," said Abeiron. "Now where's my money? I did my job. I upheld my end of the bargain."
"You want your reward that badly?" the squad leader replied. "You sure? In here? In this dank place?"
"I've waited this long!" Abeiron replied sharply. "I'd pick it up in hell if I had to."
"Wish granted," the leader replied holding up his HK 416 rifle. He peppered Abeiron's chest. The traitor waved his arms in the air taking a few steps back until he was launched in the air. "ARRUUGGHH!" he cried one last time as he landed on the ground lifeless.
"Oh, shit!" Tyson shouted, eyeballs bulging at the horror he just witnessed.
The soldier with the gas mask moved towards the others. Using his rifle, he forced them to their knees and ordered them to put their hands on their heads. His green laser sight almost blinded them as it flashed over their eyes.
Click! Clock! Click! The rifle went as he scanned them all one by one. Suddenly, he stopped.
"Ren?" said the soldier. "No way! Is that you?"
Ren looked at the soldier. The voice, even distorted by the radio was recognizable. But he needed the mask off to be certain the person in front of him was who he thought he was. Even the soldier knew of this. He let his rifle dangle from the tactical sling over his shoulder and placed both his glove-clad hands on the sides of his helmet, lifting it up.
"Santiago," Ren said briskly seeing Brett Martinetti's right-hand-man for the first time in so many years. "Well, I'll be. I thought you were out of work after Yuri beat your boy, Brett, at the Millennium Tournament."
Santiago grinned. "Sorry to disappoint you, Ren. But just because Brett lost some stupid tournament doesn't mean he's out for the count. You'd be surprised what my boy can do in so little time." He looked at Nick, flashing his pearly-white teeth gleaming through his stubble beard. "Well, well, well. Mr. Red-Eyes."
Nick scoffed. "Yeah, I remember you, tough guy. You punched me in the stomach, so Brett could take my sister's Red-Eyes Black Dragon from me. Not that it all surprises me. He was too much of a bitch to do it himself. And you, you're a bitch for taking orders from him. You two are a match made in heaven."
"Glad to see you haven't changed. Sorry fellas, but those Grecian Gods are going back with us. Brett needs them to win the European Grand Prix."
"He can't just take them!" said Ren. "They won't work for him."
"Work for him?" Santiago scoffed. The other soldiers laughed. "They're just pieces of cardboard, dumbass! The way you make it sound, you'd make someone think they're real."
"Regardless of what you believe, those cards belong to our friend Melody!"
"Oh, so you do know her?" said Santiago. "Good. Then you shouldn't worry about a thing. Brett is going to take good care of her."
"No!" Ren gasped. "You leave them alone."
Santiago shrugged. "And I don't know about you, but I'm getting pretty tired of all this talk about real monsters and magic. Everything went nutsy-coo-coo ever since I got word that you were back. Talk about God Cards. Cartoons walking amongst us; you know Roger Rabbit stuff. And Yuri being the ruler of some world." He laughed, bending forward, hands on his knees. "It must be one pathetic country if the people want a wimp like him as ruler."
"Ask them about the dinosaur, boss!" said a soldier.
"Oh yeah," Santiago rubbed his beard. "Word on the street is, Black Tyranno had some fun down in Athens two days ago. Tore the place up a bit and stuff. Not that I can tell anyway; that city's such a shithole."
"How can that be?" said Amistad. "I thought those…"
Nick kicked him to shut him up. Santiago pointed a pistol at him, for that meant he knew they did have information about Black Tyranno's recent rampage.
"You guys do know something, do you?"
"We're not telling you," said Amistad.
Santiago pressed the muzzle to his forehead. "And why's that pretty boy?"
"Like you said," Ren scoffed. "You're tired of monsters and magic, so I'll spare you the details."
"Something must be going on out there," Santiago said, sliding the pistol back in its holster around his thigh. "I guess Brett isn't going crazy after all." He snapped his fingers. Three soldiers stood in line behind the Ren and the others. The boys felt the cold touch of the muzzles caressing the backs of their heads.
"Hope you had fun in Greece fellas," said Santiago. "Because this is the last stop."
A growl made an objection to that statement.
"What the hell?" Santiago said, wondering what on earth made that noise. His soldiers started to back away in fear.
Santiago groaned. "Aw, there's something bad behind me, isn't there?"
WHACK! A large beast swatted him away. Santiago landed with a loud thud on the wall. He rolled to the ground, landing on his stomach. The blow knocked the wind out of him. He gasped for air as dust sprinkled over him, dashing his black gear into a cloudy gray.
Mario wanted to faint. His worst nightmare had come true when the creature stomped into the light. The Minotaur!
"That's no Minotaur!" shouted Nick. "That's a freaking Battle-Ox!"
Battle-Ox
ATK/1700 DEF/1000
LV 4
"SHOOT! SHOOT!" shouted one of the soldiers, and they all opened fire on the beast. Their bullets having no effect on his hard red/gold armor or his rock-hard flesh.
Battle Ox bellowed, thumping his chest with his fist. He made a terrific leap from the pedestal and landed on two soldiers, flattening them like ants underneath his heavy iron boots. He slashed two soldiers away with his ax, cutting one of them in half.
Nick and the others found this as the opportune moment to leave. Too busy and too frightened to care that they were getting away, most of the soldiers continued battling the Battle Ox, many of them getting slaughtered by his ancient power. Ren picked compact carbine from one of the dead soldiers and took the rear.
While some in the squad fought against Battle Ox, a team of five men went after Ren and the others. Ren took cover behind a wall and covered the escape of his friends.
"GO! GO!" he shouted over the thunderous bang of the rifle's bursts. "I'LL CATCH-UP!"
"FOLLOW THE BLUE STRING!" Amistad shouted. He pushed his friends forward. "Come on! Go! Go! Go!"
A soldier screamed as Battle Ox slashed him across the torso, cutting his upper body clean off. Meanwhile, someone tossed a grenade at Ren. He saw it just in time to read a hastily written message.
If you're reading this, it's too late!
Ren proved them wrong and dashed out of the way to escape the explosion. He dashed down the halls. He could hear his friends hollering and squealing up ahead. Just like Amistad instructed, Ren followed the blue string.
Santiago
Back in the gallery, a soldier fired his UST-15 shotgun at the Battle Ox. The slugs only made him madder and he charged towards him, head down and finally impaling him on one of his horns. Santiago recovered from the blow and noticed the remains of the fallen Special Forces operatives. One of them, laying against the wall clutched a grenade launcher of all things. Santiago ripped the weapon from the bony fingers of the soldier and checked to see the rounds that remained inside.
Surprisingly, he didn't fire a shot. Poor fellow, he thought. Happened so fast he couldn't even shoot.
"Spoils more, man," Santiago said to the dead soldier.
POOF! The grenade launcher still worked and launched the exploding projectile at Battle Ox. The monster reeled and coughed, not expecting such a thing from them. He humped his chest and charged for Santiago. He fired again, hitting Battle Ox on the chest.
Battle Ox whined and fell back, smashing the tablets into pieces as he laid down in eternal rest.
"Report!" Santiago shouted.
"I'm okay!"
"I'm good, sir!"
"I'm fucked up, but I'm okay!"
There were so few of them now. "Sir, Ren and the others got away!"
"Who cares?" Santiago replied, removing his canteen from his belt. He unscrewed the top and drank eagerly. "We've got the Grecian Gods. We've got men patrolling the entrance, and we blew up their ride. Them fools aren't going anywhere."
Santiago called for backup to help them retrieve the injured and the dead. He then walked to Abeiron's corpse and took the Grecian Gods from his corpse. A soldier brought a metal briefcase and Santiago put the cards into slots inlaid on the black foam inside. He closed the lid and clasped it shut before leaving the labyrinth. Santiago gave one final order to set charges and blow the cave.
It was a long walk out of the Labyrinth of Messara, but knowing his objective was in hand, Santiago was rather pleased with himself. He almost had a skip to his step. A Pave Low helicopter waited for him outside, rotors already spinning. More soldiers in black walked about the plains making sure to keep anyone from coming in.
"Payday boys!" he hollered over the rotors and held up the briefcase. "Let's go home."
Phobos Corp. Board of Directors
"The seven of you have a lot of nerve pulling this stunt without telling me!" Crystal shouted at the webcam on her laptop so that the board members could see her anger in all its fury, and in high definition, too!
The seven men were lined up in front of the camera, talking to Crystal through a large screen that could conceal itself behind a portrait of Mr. Montgomery and his family when not in use. The window behind them showed off the tall building of Aquarius. A plane with a banner flew by in the distance.
"Miss Anderson," said Robert Muldoon, "please, understand. It was never our intention to make you angry."
"Excuse me! You made a deal with a rival company without my knowledge. You let them take a boat-load of our shares. Seriously, Mr. Muldoon, did you think I was stupid? That I wouldn't notice all those missing shares?"
"No!"
"Did you think that I wouldn't figure it out?" Crystal continued shouting.
"You're right, you're right," said Alberto Escobar, another member of the board. "It was unwise of us to do such a thing, but you must understand this deal with made with Atlas Corp is worth quite a lot. You have no idea of the benefits we could get from this. How much it will boost the potency of your charities. We can make it up to you, My Lady. There is no need to get upset about all this."
Crystal wrinkled her nose. "You'll find Miss Autumn Williams; my secretary has informed me you've been pulling large amounts of cash from our accounts to further bloat your pockets."
"If you could let us explain…" said Mr. George Doros, the official accountant of the company.
Autumn, who joined the meeting via her own webcam back at the Montgomery Mansion raised a pile of papers in the air. Somehow, her thick black-rimmed glasses made her look even more menacing. "I have the receipts right here," she said. "There's no getting out of this, you disgusting worms. How dare you try to run this poor girl through the mud."
"You're all fired!" Crystal shouted. "You've got till tonight to empty your desks. Get out! And if I ever see you again, you're going to regret the days you were born. I may be young, but I'm not a girl to be messed with! Out!"
"Please, please, Miss Anderson," Robert said getting up from his seat. "It would be unwise to fire the entire board of directors before a major event like the European Grand Prix. There is much that has been set in motion, and only we have the means to keep things going smoothly. There won't be time for you find the right replacements and teach them the network set up for this tournament."
Mr. Douglas Ford, a very large, wide, and beefy fellow stood up and adjusted his blazer. "He is right, Miss Anderson. If these games fall apart, your company will go down with it. I am sure you are aware of the dangers should an event this big collapse."
"I do," said Crystal.
"So please, let us stay until the games are complete. Perhaps we could redeem ourselves to you. Every ounce of money made by these games will be given to you and the company. The board of directors will get no share of the profits. This we promise. All in favor of this notion."
"Aye!" said Robert.
"Aye!" said George.
"Aye!" said Mr. Alexander Murphy. "A thousand apologies."
"Aye!" said Donald McDonald. "I am sorry about this, too."
"Aye!" said Mr. Woo.
"Aye!" said Mr. Douglas.
"Aye," said Seamus Moore.
"Aye," said Ben Waters. "Forgive me for this, My Lady. It was wrong for all of us to make these decisions behind your back."
"Damn right it was," Crystal said narrowing her eyes.
"Don't worry, honey, I'll keep my eye on them," said Autumn.
Crystal grinned at the camera. "It would be wise not to test Autumn's resolve. She's ex-CIA. She knows how to get dirt on those who don't want to be found, and she has friends in high places. Ask the hundreds of terrorists killed thanks to her. I'm only going to say this one last time. Don't fuck with me!"
Autumn grinned and nodded her head at the board.
"Of course, My Lady," said Alexander. "We look forward to your return. Enjoy your time in Greece."
"I may be gone a little longer than that," said Crystal. "Something important has come up, so we'll be having our board meetings like this for some time. Any objection to that?"
"None," said Robert. "That's perfectly fine with us."
"Good. If you need me or have an important matter that requires my attention, please contact me as soon as possible."
"Of course," said Mr. Woo. "Whatever you like."
Mr. Seamus leaned forward, crossing his fingers. "And uh…what has you so occupied, young lady?"
"That's none of your business," Crystal responded sharply. Mr. Sheamus sat back up, grinning to show it didn't bother him, but it did. "This meeting is adjourned," Crystal said. She disappeared.
"Bye," Autumn said before her transmission was lost too.
Mr. Douglas slammed his fist on the table, he growled like a beast. "To think we're taking orders from that spoiled brat!"
"Don't worry, Doug," Robert said, taking a cigar from his blazer. He took a silver engraved lighter from his pocket, flicked it open and lit it. He bit off the end and spit it out. He took a few puffs and smiled. "The plan is in its final stages. Pretty soon her fortune and this company will be ours. And who knows, Little Miss Princess will make for a lovely secretary herself wouldn't she."
Crystal
She turned her laptop off and closed it. "Assholes!" she said.
"Well, you let 'em have it," Melody said fixing her hair in front of the mirror. "I think they'll know better than to mess with you again."
"Oh, I let them have it all right," Crystal answered. "Nice place you got us by the way."
"The Ambassador's Residence," said Melody. "I told you I have friends in high places."
"So where are we going?" Jeannie asked, sitting beside her wrapped in a towel, still damp from her shower. "What are we going to do tonight?"
Melody grinned and patted her head. "The question isn't what are we doing tonight? The question is what aren't we doing tonight? As for where we are going, you needn't worry, miss. There are lots of places for us to go."
"Are cards optional?" Patty asked from the bathroom.
"They are," Melody answered. "But it would be best to bring them along anyway. There are some nice arenas around here, all of them filled with Duelists eager for some action. Both on and off the field if you catch my meaning."
Patty laughed. "Well, I don't know about you, but those days for me are over."
"Well, what Nick doesn't know can't hurt him," Melody replied, to which they all laughed. "Speaking of which, it's been like six hours. You think we would have heard from those bozos by now."
"Yeah, we should have," Crystal replied anxiously. Some ocean birds started calling out from the darkness outside. "They don't even know we've come this way, and they're not responding. I called Amistad five times. I'm worried."
"Have you called anyone else besides your Prince Charming?" Patty said coming out of the bathroom, partially dressed. "Did you try Carter or Tyson? What about Mario?"
Crystal cringed. "I didn't ask him for his number. Ew!"
"I don't blame her," said Melody, putting on a denim jacket. "Truth be told, I think none of us desired to share our contact information with him."
"Well, we'll hear from them soon," Patty said trying to calm them. "Let's not start to worry now. I mean, there's no way those assassins can find us all the way out here." There was a pause. "Right?"
"Hmm," Melody said placing her finger under her lip. "Maybe splitting up was a bad idea."
"And you decide this now?" Crystal cried out. "Good, god, what are we doing? Our friends are out there!" Ding! Went her phone. "Huh? Oh. It's Amistad. He says they found the cards you were looking for!"
"Oh, goodie!" Jeannie clapped. "Hurray!"
Melody patted Jeannie's head again. "See ladies, I told you they'd be all right. Well, it's going to be quite some time before they find us here. So, who's up for a drink?"
"I'm up for a drink, a Duel, and a burger," Patty replied, shaking into a pair of dark denim jeans.
"And you'll get all three, my friend. This I promise you."
Meow! Rinyan said, stepping onto the counter. Melody smiled and picked him up. "Sorry, Rinyan, but you can't come with us. You have to stay here."
Rinyan meowed sadly.
"Aww," Crystal cooed. She pet his head to which he started to purr. "Let him come with us. He can stay in my backpack."
"Backpack?"
"Yeah, I don't intend on dressing too fancy. Besides, Amistad and I are close, and I don't want to attract any unwanted attention tonight."
"Ha, no guarantees of that," said Patty. "You have a knack of attracting unwanted attention no matter what you do."
Once they were all dressed, the went downstairs to the lobby, but before they could step out the door, Melody stopped.
"Hold on," she said. "What did Amistad say to you?"
"He said he found the cards you were looking for," said Crystal. "Why, what's wrong?"
"Crystal, I never told him they were looking for cards."
A little boy, probably ten years-of-age stepped inside the hotel. He looked at the ladies with a smile only a mother could love and placed his hands behind his back. His brown hair was slicked back with gel. A pin-stipe gray suit gave off the wealth he no doubt had, as did the golden Rolex watch on his wrist. His noise was obnoxiously pointy and his eyes a gray as the mist at sea.
A soldier in black tactical gear walked inside after him and stopped behind him. Crystal and the others noticed a convoy of black SUVs outside, not surprisingly harboring more soldiers.
The soldier smiled. "Good evening, ladies. My employer humbly asks for you to join him in his private yacht for a celebration tonight."
The little boy repeated what he said in Greek. No doubt he was translating for Melody. The fact he obnoxiously assumed she didn't speak English revealed much about his character.
"Who is your employer exactly?" Crystal asked.
"You'll know him when you meet him," the soldier replied. "And if I were you, it would be best not to decline his invitation. Or something could happen to your friends."
"Huh?" Patty said taking a step forward. "What do you mean by that? Where are they?"
A cruel chuckle escaped the lips of the soldier. "If you want to see them unharmed, it would be wise to come with me."
The boy translated again but made a mistake.
"He said come with me, stupid!" Melody said.
"Oh," the boy said with a loathsome grin. "Then I guess you won't be needing my services."
"Never needed them in the first place," said Melody.
"Well, then," said the boy. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Franco Saint-Peters the Fourth. You four are as radiant as my cousin says you are."
"And just who is your cousin?" said Patty.
Crystal lost her breath seeing the next person walk into the lobby of the hotel. She looked as though she just saw a ghost from her past, rising from the abyss to haunt her again.
All she could do was stand motionless as Brett James Martinetti stepped inside and stood over Franco.
"No," she gasped.
Brett smiled, flashing his devious white teeth. "Hey, babe. Miss me?"
Black Tyranno
What is this cursed place? He wondered to himself, stomping through the darkness of whatever nightmare world the man in the shiny armor led him to. His thermal vision picked up no sign of life. He flicked his tongue between his teeth to pick up scents of anything living, or even the scent of the one he was looking for. Nothing. But his tongue was assaulted by the foul taste of mortification. It was as though a billion putrid corpses were festering all around him. He coughed and shook his head viciously. Soon, his anger turned to worry. Perhaps he shouldn't have been stubborn and stayed with the knight instead of running off into this abyss. Or perhaps, he should have stayed with the girl whom his former master considered a dear friend from a time of calm and sense.
The girl was her. The Crystal Girl! Black Tyranno thought. Odd. She didn't look like a Crystal to me.
Nevertheless, her scent was familiar. Her looks as well. Tunak's grace! She even wore the musical pendant he once wore around her neck.
No! No! It was a mistake following the man in shining armor. He never should have come here. The girl was his only lead to finding his master, but the shining man told him to stay away from her and brought him here. The man must have lied to him then. He purposely led him into this prison world to keep him from stomping around that strange city.
The bastard. When I find him, I will rip him apart limb from limb!
Black Tyranno stopped and shut his eyes of molten gold. How did I do it last time? He wondered. How did I make that rip in the world into being?
He remembered Yuri playing him in a battle some time ago. In the audience, there she was. Cheering and clapping her hands in excitement as he took down the opponent's Meteor Black Dragon. The pendant around her neck glimmered with a fiery aura. The song began to play in his brain.
Passionate Duelist!
That was it. He opened his eyes and saw a tear beginning to form in the dimension. He created it. He did not know how, nor did he care to trouble himself with the why or how. All he knew was that he could create rips in the world with a thought. No! A memory. A powerful memory. One of love, friendship, honor, and loyalty. That's what his master and his companions had. Black Tyranno stepped inside and returned to the world of light.