Notes: Thanks to Azalea542 and Mega M for plot help and suggestions!
Chapter Ten
Nesbitt was tense as they all walked through the meadow and into the woods. There had been no sign of the others, and no sign of foul play, either, but he wasn't willing to let down his guard. Maybe in the past he would have been impulsive enough to think nothing was wrong when it looked normal, but after all the bizarre happenings he was just completely on edge. Appearances could not be trusted.
He looked around at his dear friends. How he wished that what Makarios had told them really would be true, and that he could fully believe in it! He hadn't been able to stand it when thinking he had lost one of them. Losing all of them was a nightmare beyond what he could bear to think about. But . . . to think that they could really all be together for many years . . . it just sounded too good to be true. They were always in so much danger, it seemed very likely that one or more of them could suffer a violent death somewhere along the way. But . . . if they could stay alive . . . how amazing that would be!
He sighed to himself.
"Nesbitt?" Lector looked to him in concern. "Are you alright?"
". . . I just wonder if there's any possible chance that what Makarios said could be true for us," Nesbitt said. "I just don't feel like I can fully embrace it. If I believed with all my heart that it would happen and then it didn't, that would be worse than not believing it in the first place."
"It does sound incredible," Lector said. "Maybe too much so. But oh, how I want to believe. . . ."
"So do I," Nesbitt said. "But . . . I'm afraid. . . ."
"I know." Lector laid a hand on Nesbitt's shoulder. He could never forget how Nesbitt could not believe Lector was really alive at first in New Orleans because he was so afraid it wasn't really true. Nesbitt was deeply sensitive in a way Lector had never realized before the early part of the year. In the ensuing months, they had gradually grown closer in spite of, or perhaps in some way because of, their continuing problems getting along in the face of the heart-rending disasters they had weathered.
"The others . . . they know I want it but am just afraid we won't get it, don't they?" Nesbitt wondered.
"Of course," Lector said. "All of us want it." He looked around at the woods, which were growing more dense the deeper they went. "And we're going to get lost in here if we're not careful. . . ."
"Guys . . ." Crump backed up against them. "I'm sure the trees weren't this thick in here before. . . ."
"Well, it's not like they moved," Nesbitt retorted.
A tree quietly used its exposed roots to pull itself forward several inches.
"You were saying?!" Mokuba shrieked.
"I guess there's no hope they're peaceful Ents?!" Terror filled Crump's eyes.
"I don't think you should count on it," Nesbitt said.
"What the heck are we gonna do?!" Crump yelped. "We don't even have Duel Monsters!"
"You know, so far they haven't attacked," Lector mused. "Let's just keep walking. Maybe they won't do anything other than keep watch on us."
"That's creepy enough," Mokuba shuddered. Still, he bravely looked around at the trees as they closed in. "H-Hey! Do you know where my brother is?!"
The trees waved their branches but otherwise made no move to help.
"Let's not spend time arguing with kindling," Nesbitt grunted. "Do we even know where we're going at all?"
"Well . . . Seto said they were going into a cave," Mokuba said slowly. "That was the last thing he sent. . . ." He looked around. "And I don't see any caves. . . ."
Up ahead, Makarios yelped and crashed. ". . . I think I just found it," he mumbled. "It was hidden by this bush. . . ."
Everyone else ran over.
"Are you alright?" Jonas exclaimed.
Makarios reached for his hand and took it, getting to his feet. "Yeah," he said. "But if that bush was trying to keep us from finding the cave, it must not be friendly. . . ."
"Out of context, that sentence sounds absolutely ridiculous," Aegeus grunted.
"It sounds ridiculous in context too," Nesbitt retorted.
"Atlanteans used to be in harmony with plant life," Karpos said. "But that was a long time ago, before the Orichalcos showed up. The plants stopped listening . . . or maybe the Atlanteans did."
"Or maybe both," Mokuba said. "Maybe you could try to get it to listen to you again?"
"I've tried a lot of times," Karpos said. Still, he looked to the stubborn bush. "We need to get in that cave," he said. "A lot of lives might depend on it. Can you please move?"
The bush waved at him and stayed there.
"See what I mean?" Karpos said in frustration.
"We've all gotta go in that cave!" Mokuba exclaimed. "If Seto and everyone went in there, they might be in big trouble!"
"Or maybe the cellphone signal really isn't going through," Nesbitt said. "It probably wouldn't in a cave."
"That's true," Lector agreed, "but can we afford to take the chance?"
"No!" Mokuba hurried over to the entrance. "We can probably climb over the bush to get in. . . ." Then, remembering his promise, he looked back. "You're all coming, right?"
"Of course." Lector walked over to him.
Still reluctant, Nesbitt and Crump followed.
It wasn't easy climbing over the bush. By the time they made it, they were all scratched in some fashion. Crump glowered back at it. "Thanks for nothing," he snapped.
The bush responded by stepping out of the way and leaving the entrance completely exposed.
"Oh, now you move!" Now Crump was more aggravated than ever.
"Nesbitt was right," Lector said. "We don't have time for this. Let's just get going."
Everyone agreed and followed him.
xxxx
Mai was lost in thought as she and the others moved ever deeper into the mystical cave. Seeing an Orichalcos stone had badly shaken her, and it was also impossible to ignore that this mystery was the first time she had seen Dartz since the whole mess. She had been steadfastly trying to ignore that problem, knowing that Dartz had been a victim too, but seeing both him and Orichalcos stones were dredging up unhappy memories from the past.
Dartz looked over, catching her eye. He had definitely been aware of her presence all along, although he hadn't known what to say to her and there had never seemed to be a good time to even try.
Mai drew a shaking breath. This was no time to be standoffish, even though she really didn't want to talk to him. "It's hard seeing those Orichalcos stones, huh?" she said at last.
Dartz sighed. "It certainly isn't pleasant. But I would imagine it's a great deal harder for you to see me, Ms. Valentine."
"That's probably mutual, isn't it?" Mai returned.
". . . I'm afraid so," Dartz admitted. "You and the others . . . you're constant reminders of the atrocities I committed while under the Orichalcos's spell. But after all I did . . . I surely deserve to be reminded of it."
"I don't think you could ever forget," Mai said quietly.
"It goes without saying how absolutely sorry I am," Dartz said. "But it feels so hollow to say it. It certainly doesn't fix anything."
"No . . . but I guess it kind of helps to know it," Mai said. "I didn't see how saying I was sorry would fix anything either. But . . . saying it, and more to the point, showing I meant it, did make a difference with the people I'd hurt. It helped them feel they could trust me, if nothing else."
"I suppose," Dartz said.
"Hey!" Joey called from up ahead. "Now it splits off multiple ways! How are we gonna know which way to go?!"
Indeed, they had reached a point where three paths went off in three separate directions. None of them showed sunlight, so it was impossible to determine which path would lead outside.
"We should all split up and try each path," Critias said. "Each Knight can lead some of you."
"I don't like the idea of separating when we don't know what lies ahead," Atem said, "but it's true that it may be our best chance to see every part of this cave."
Determining who would go with each Knight was also complicated. Yugi, Atem, Solomon, Tristan, the Hawkins, and Magician's Valkyria finally decided to go with Timaeus, while Joey, Mai, Serenity, Duke, David, and the bikers opted for Hermos. Seto shrugged and went with Critias, as did the Ishtars. The Bakuras and the Tsunamis decided to join them.
Dartz and Téa were left trying to determine which group to go with. Dartz found it awkward to be with any of them, and Téa hated to pick just some of her friends to stay with.
"Either way, the groups will be slightly uneven when all is said and done, so it doesn't really matter," Yami Bakura grunted.
At last Dartz chose Timaeus's group. Téa debated one final time and selected Critias's group.
"Alright, now let's hope we'll all meet up again before too long," Yugi said. "If any of us go down a path that never seems to end, we may have to turn around and come back and try a different one."
"Works for me," Joey shrugged.
"And there's no way to communicate with each other down here," Seto scowled, holding up his phone. "No Signal. So we'll just have to stay alert for ways to see each other. For all we know, the paths may intersect down the road."
"Be careful, everyone," Téa implored.
For a while all the paths seemed to look the same—colorful and glistening stalactites and stalagmites and the occasional Orichalcos stone, which all the Knights made short work of whenever they were discovered. And the deeper everyone went, the more distinctive a strange dripping sound became.
"What the heck is that?!" Joey exclaimed.
"It's either condensation or a chamber filled with water," Hermos said. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."
"Maybe not, but it makes me think of a dripping faucet, and nobody likes a dripping faucet!" Joey ranted.
Mai looked amused. "There's a lot of worse things than that."
"Of course there is, but that's never a fun sound when you're already on edge!" Joey exclaimed, messing up his hair.
"I hope everyone else is okay," Serenity said softly.
It was Critias's path that ended up diverging first. As he led his group farther into the strange cave, he suddenly stepped on a platform that sank down under his foot. "Oh no!" he snarled.
A click above them drew their attention upward. The stalactites had shifted their position. Without warning, they descended from the ceiling.
"Get out of the way!" Critias yelled, grabbing those nearest to him and shoving them against the wall.
Seto leaped to the opposite side, bringing Téa with him and shielding her with his body in case any of the projectiles came their way. Yami Bakura harshly pulled Bakura back from the scene.
"Oh my!" Bakura yelped in horror. The stalactites were sharply crashing into the floor, right where all of them had been standing. In a moment it was over, but the sounds and the close call still echoed loudly through their minds.
"Is everyone alright?" Critias asked. Something flickered in his eyes, the still-fresh memory of when Dartz had cursed and stabbed Timaeus while he and Hermos had helplessly stood by. But then he turned and the look was gone; it wasn't something he wanted to share.
"We're fine," Marik said, only after making sure that was true of Ishizu and Rishid.
Everyone else echoed in the affirmative.
Seto turned to look at the fallen stalactites. "This was obviously a booby-trap," he growled. "There's probably more of them ahead."
"I wonder if our path is the only one that has them," Téa said, still shaken from the experience.
"The question is, what are they trying to hide from us?" Critias said. "The source of the Orichalcos stones?"
"That certainly seems likely," Ishizu acknowledged. "But that may be what they want us to think. What if in actuality it's something else?"
"It does seem strange that individual Orichalcos stones were scattered all over the cave," Marik frowned. "Maybe it's all a trap meant to draw us in and destroy us."
"As a former tomb-robber, I would say either option is possible at this point," Yami Bakura grunted. "I have certainly been in many tombs filled with booby-traps to deter thieves from the treasures."
"This isn't a tomb," Téa shuddered. "Or at least, it better not be!"
A low rumble came from somewhere up ahead.
". . . What was that?!" Téa quavered in horror.
"The Mother Grizzly Critias mentioned before?" Marik suggested.
"That wasn't a Mother Grizzly," Critias replied. "It's worse."
"What's worse?!" Téa exclaimed.
The rumble came again, louder this time. Now a large shape was looming towards them out of the shadows, its girth practically filling the passageway from side to side.
Seto snarled. Again he placed himself in front of Téa. "I know what it is now," he said.
"So do I," Akio said. "It's not something to toy with."
Critias gave a grim nod. "It's a Cave-Dwelling Dragon." He drew his sword. "All of you go back. There's no way any of you can fight it."
"How can you fight it either?!" Téa shrieked.
"At least I have a chance," Critias replied.
"I may be of some use as well," Yami Bakura pointed out. "I have a magical item."
"Yami!" Bakura exclaimed.
The Cave-Dwelling Dragon roared and slashed with a large claw. Critias only barely managed to block in time. "If you think you can do anything with it," he barked. "But the rest of you should leave. Go find the others and make sure they're not in danger as well!"
Seto clenched his teeth. ". . . I have magic too," he admitted. "But it only works if the world is in danger." Unfortunately, that's at least once a month, if not more, he said to himself.
"Well, try and see!" Critias snapped.
Seto raised the hand with the ring and concentrated. A blast shot out, hitting the beast in the shoulder. It roared but wasn't deterred. It continued to advance.
Téa stared in horror. "Kaiba!"
"I'll be fine," Seto said brusquely. "Critias is right; the rest of you will only be in the way."
Téa clenched a fist. "Yeah . . . but I can't stand to just leave you here to deal with that thing!"
"It's better than staying and causing more trouble for them by getting used as bait," Marik retorted. "Come on!"
Reluctantly, most of the group started to run back down the path. Bakura turned, his eyes filled with worry as Yami Bakura blasted past Critias at the dragon. "Yami . . ."
"Don't worry," Yami Bakura growled. "We'll catch up in a few minutes."
"You'd better!" Téa said fiercely. "You'd all better!" She was still torn between trying to find a way to help or just leaving before anything else could go wrong. Still, the logical part of her mind told her that Seto and Marik were right and she and the rest needed to leave. The last thing she wanted was to harm instead of help. Her insides twisting, and her determination not to shed tears failing, she fled the scene as her heart pounded wildly.
"Yami will be alright," Bakura was saying next to her as they ran. "He . . . he has to be alright. . . ." His voice broke. "He's used magic for centuries. The dragon won't get the best of him . . . and Critias has probably fought dragons in the past. Because of Dartz, he even was one, so he probably knows their weaknesses more than almost anyone. But . . ." He looked to Téa, his eyes filling with understanding and worry. "Kaiba . . ."
"No!" Téa cut in. "He's going to be alright too! I know he doesn't have as much experience as Critias or Yami Bakura, but he's been obsessed with dragons most of his life! He'll know how to fight this one! And . . . he has to be okay . . . for Mokuba . . . and all of us. . . ." By now her voice had mostly dropped. "He has to. . . ."
"I know," Bakura said softly as they continued to run.
xxxx
When the von Schroeders landed in Domino City, Leonhard still hadn't heard back from Mokuba and he was long past the point of panic. He soon had Siegfried heading for the Turtle Game Shop. As soon as they arrived in their rented limousine, Leonhard leaped out and ran inside.
"Hello?" he called. "Mokuba? Yugi?"
It was amazing to really be standing in Yugi's treasured home. But under the circumstances he couldn't even enjoy it.
After a moment Mrs. Muto appeared at the bottom of the stairs at the back of the shop. "Are you here for the portal too?" she said in near-resignation.
"Yes!" Leonhard said without hesitation. "Please. . . ."
"Go upstairs and turn left," Mrs. Muto sighed.
"Thank you," Siegfried nodded and followed Leonhard.
Gansley and Johnson were still in Yugi's room when the brothers rushed in. Gansley and Siegfried especially stared at each other; they hadn't really interacted since Siegfried had hurt Gansley while mind-controlled by Reshef.
"I hardly expected to see you here," Gansley said at last.
"And I hardly expected to be here," Siegfried returned, brushing a strand of hair over his shoulder. ". . . Are you well?"
"Yes," Gansley nodded.
"I'm glad," Siegfried said. "I . . . never meant for you to be hurt. . . ."
"I realize that," Gansley said. "You weren't responsible for what happened."
Leonhard held up his phone. "Mokuba was talking to me and then suddenly he wasn't replying anymore! I'm afraid something terrible happened!"
"Oh no," Johnson whispered.
Gansley frowned as he studied the conversation thread. "Yes, that's certainly possible," he admitted.
"I have to go over there and try to help if I can!" Leonhard exclaimed.
"That hardly seems wise," Johnson frowned. "We have two children missing over there already."
"Two?" Leonhard blinked.
"Rebecca Hawkins is over there as well," Gansley explained.
"Oh." Leonhard frowned in concern. "But . . . I know all about fairytales. That's why Mokuba contacted me! I really might be able to help!"
Gansley sighed and rubbed his forehead. "If your brother feels you can go, then we won't interfere," he said wearily.
"I don't really want him to go, but he is quite insistently worried," Siegfried said. "And . . . if the problem over there is truly from a fairytale, then I'm certain he can solve it."
Leonhard managed a weak, worried smile. "I'll sure try. I just feel like I have to try!"
Footsteps on the stairs caused them all to turn. Now it was Chris and Skye in the doorway.
". . . Did Mrs. Muto see you bring a wolf in here?" Johnson asked.
"No, but Skye is very gentle, unless she's going after an enemy," Chris said. "And she's not what she seems. She looks like an Earth wolf now, but she's really a Silver Fang."
Skye made a sound of agreement.
"Let me guess, you're worried about your father," Johnson said, folding his arms.
"That's right," Chris said. "I haven't been able to get him or Yugi to answer their phones in a long time. I even tried contacting the bikers."
"Well, we were just going over there," Leonhard said. "Do you want to come with us? Maybe since Skye is really a Duel Monster, she'll be able to find clues that we can't."
Chris nodded. "That's what I'm hoping."
"Okay, then let's go," Leonhard said. "By the way, I'm Leon."
"I'm Chris," said Chris.
Johnson stared as the children and Siegfried disappeared through the portal with Skye. "Should we really let them go?" he wondered.
"Who knows," Gansley sighed. "But I have the feeling they would have found a way to go over anyway even if we had told them No."
"You're probably right," Johnson acknowledged. He shifted. "And we're stuck here, just waiting to see what comes through the portal. What if we can't stop it anyway?"
"Then we're probably all in big trouble," Gansley grunted.
"And what about them?" Johnson looked to the portal. "If something's wrong with Mokuba, then Crump and Lector and Nesbitt must be in danger too. . . ."
"I know." Gansley gripped his cane. "And there's nothing we can do." Bitterness and helplessness slipped into his voice. "Absolutely nothing."
"We could pray, I suppose," Johnson said. It sounded utterly bizarre to him to suggest such a thing; in years past he would have laughed at the very idea. But . . . after all they had been through . . . it didn't seem so laughable now.
"I am," Gansley replied, as more of his utter helplessness came into his voice. "I can assure you, I am."
