Hrm, so far at least one person doesn't think it's boring. Hey, it's a start ;B

Right, getting more comfortable in writing this I'm going to try and throw some more stuff in. Picks up right where the other chapter left off.

And just to cover my bum, Yu-Gi-Oh! characters and everything related is (c) Kazuki Takahashi
Legacy of Kain characters, setting and everything related is (c) Crystal Dynamics and Silicon Knights.




Carefully and quickly the two made their way to the door. Beyond it was a hall curving around the room they had just left. Not seeing any doors on either side, they simply went to the left. A short walk left them staring down a gate.
"Aw, just great. Go the other way, then?" Joey asked as he kicked the gate.
"Looks that way," Yugi said as he turned.
Again, about the same distance from the room with the pillars stood another gate.
"You know, wonder if Mister Scary closed them on us."
"I think we can fit through, here near where the center is. These rectangles look to be big enough. Would be a tight fit, but I think we can make it," Yami mused.
"I'm beginning to really be glad I'm so thin and not all big like I wanted to be."
"Sometimes the smaller opponent has the advantage," Yami gave a small smile before un-shouldering his bag and putting it through the gate. It took a bit of effort, but both boys made it through. Another gate greeted them later on. Joey cursed as he dusted his jacket off.
"This rust ain't commin off. Looks like I was wet enough for it to stick," he scowled.
"Worry about the rust later," Yami reminded him. Before long they found a door, it lead into another room. A quick look up reveled no ceiling, but the rain had stopped by then at least. Two pools of stagnant water lay on either side of the solid bridge. They deemed the water unfit for drinking, even if they were getting parched. Beyond the room lay a door, hopefully the door out.

"The door's rusted shut," Joey growled as he pounded on the large metal structure. This was a door and not a gate, leaving no possible way around it. They knew nothing lay behind them and were a bit discouraged.
"If there was door to the right, it's sealed off. I see no way around the rubble," Yami stated as he poked around a pile of rocks and building bits that reached the ceiling.
"Alright!" Joey exclaimed, Yami couldn't see him and had to call before the blonde stepped around a corner on the left. "Found a gate, and we can fit through it like the others!" he said with a mixture of happiness and pride.
"Joey, wait," Yami warned as the other boy stuck his head through the gate.
"Huh?" he pulled back out.
"Pick up that spear there in the corner, I saw one in the other room I'm going to get," Yami said as he turned back into the pool room.
"Whatever you say," Joey shrugged before picking up the long decorative item. It wasn't as sharp on the end as it could have been, but could still be used as a weapon. Yami returned with one identical to Joey's.
"Now we can go. Remember what... Mister Scary told us?" Yami felt silly using the name Joey had given the stranger. "If we run into anything like that thing we saw, I think we'll need these."
"I'd almost forgotten about that. Hate to be caught without nothing," he replied as he tested the weight of the spear.

Once out the boys took a moment to study the large building. It was in ruins partially, but still better than the first building they had seen. Wind howled over the tall cliffs, enough got down to rustle the flags like the ones inside. The stone the building was carved from didn't look as green or worn, it was decidedly younger than the first set of ruins. Above the huge rusted doors was another symbol, it was like the ones on the drapes and flags, but different than any of them.
"Why do I get the feeling that symbol was on Mister Scary's cape thing?" Joey asked.
"It may very well have been, Joey. I think I saw parts of that on it. Hard to tell, it was somewhat folded," Yami relayed what Yugi had told him.
"I don't want to go through that door," Joey said. Yami had to turn around, he was still studying the building.
"Why not?" Yami asked.
"Too close to where we just came out, what if it leads to the area that was blocked by the rubble? Be pointless anyway." Yami nodded in reply, somehow he doubted it was one and the same but he didn't want to try the door either.
"So, the pass ahead, then?"
"It goes away from here, why not?" Joey trotted up ahead, forcing Yugi to follow.

The thick air made it hard to see through the pass, the shadows always had a greenish tint to them, both teens froze in their tracks when two red orbs suddenly appeared ahead. Through the haze they could make out a hulking form. It was fairly large, but not as tall as their watcher had been. It let out a growl, feral and inhuman before charging at the two. It was like the body they had seen, one hand was a club and the other only had three fingers, just like the watcher had. The beast skid to a stop and gurgled for a moment, looking between the two teens. It's whole upper body had to shift to allow it to look around, not having a neck forced it to do things oddly. It growled again and lashed out at Yami, Joey had moved back some and it went for the closet thing. Out of reflex, Yami hopped to the side as a clawed hand sailed by him. He countered with a jab from the staff. The creature roared and swung it's club hand. Yami blocked with the staff, holding the club against it and above him. The beast was too stupid to try and slash with it's free hand or pull the club one back to try again. With it snarling in Yami's face, Joey took the opportunity to stab it in the shoulder. He pulled the spear head out and stabbed repeatedly, becoming frantic when he realized the wounds would heal almost instantly. Eventually the creature pulled back and turned to Joey, both teens attacked it mercilessly. They pushed it backwards and against the stone walls of the pass. Wounds healed almost as fast as they were inflicted, but the two boys managed to get it dazed.
"Impale it! Like the other body was!" Yami hissed as he rammed his spear through where he hoped the heart was. The creature screamed and clawed at it's chest. Joey took the chance to run his spear through the side. He met less resistance than Yami had, the armor plating was thin and yielded easier. Yami twisted his spear and almost slammed into the beast when it went all the way through and out the other side. He released his hold on it and stepped backwards as the beast lurched forward and snarled. It gurgled and swayed before falling on it's side. All movement stopped and the two boys took a breather.
"That was definitely new," Joey said between breaths.
"Foul breath it had. Smelled of death and decay." Yami made a face, the smell of the creature itself wasn't all that wonderful.
"I'm really glad you thought of the spears, Yuug." Joey grunted as he got to his feet. Yami was essentially Yugi, so being called by the same name wasn't a problem.
"I hope we don't need to use them again."
"Best get em back in case," Joey shrugged as he grabbed his. He yanked it out and stood back to allow Yami to get his back. It took a little effort, but he was able to reclaim his spear. Both were covered in gore, but cleaning them seemed silly if everything around them was dead anyway.
"Think I hear water again. Let's see if it's the thing we saw earlier, hey Yuug?"
"Agreed, now more than ever do I need a drink." He wiped his brow with a sleeve from his blue jacket before catching up to Joey.

A grunt and garbled growl followed by scraping of pebbles on stone caused both boys to turn around. They stared in utter confusion and surprise as the creature they thought they had slayed got back on it's feet. It was mad now, it let out a roar and once again charged. This time the boys fled. It made for awkward movement carrying the long spears, but they dared not to drop them.
"This why you told me not to touch the spear in the other one?" Joey panted as he and Yami rounded a corner, they past a door but not knowing if it would be as hard to open as the other one, they just ignored it.
"No, it was because of the negative energy I was feeling from the area. I honestly had no idea it would do that," Yami yelled back over the sounds of the beast behind them.
Before you pulled the spear out, did you notice the shoulder? It had the N symbol on it from the flag. The other body had it too. Yugi called to Yami. The latter returned a "no" to his Light and kept moving, at the moment it wasn't all that important.
"Yuug, I think we're in trouble," Joey hissed once they rounded the final corner of the mountain pass. In the haze they saw it, a set of cliffs with enormous waterfalls rushing down them. A rickety bridge lay before them, boards broken and missing. It swayed slightly and creaked. The teens had no choice, they had to go over it. Half way up Joey lost his footing and slipped through.
"This kinda stuff is only supposed ta happen in movies!" he shrieked and struggled to pull himself up. Yami stopped to help him and turned to look behind them, the creature remained on the cliff. It paced back and forth and snarled, occasionally it would slash at the air.
"What's his problem?" Joey asked, more than relieved the monster wouldn't pursue them.
"It's a dead end. He has us trapped and knows it," Yami muttered sourly.
"What!?" Joey exclaimed as he stalked over to the slightly shorter boy. There was no rope bridge here, the rocks were formed in such a way that maybe they had been connected at one time, but not anymore.
"Would you look at that," Joey said with a sharp inhale of breath. He dropped to his knees and clutched the edge of the rock structure before leaning over to look down. "Never seen anything like it, have you?" he asked as he watched the rapidly swirling vortex below them. Joey had been right, he did see a glow earlier and this is what was causing it.
Yami kept his eyes on the creature on the cliff side they had just left. "No, I haven't. But listen, don't you hear that? Besides the rushing water. What else do you hear?"
Joey sat back and frowned as he listened, after a moment he shivered as a chill went down his spine.
"I hear screaming, howling, moans and wailing. What is this place...?" he trailed off slowly.
"A lake of souls," Yami said dryly.
"YE-AHHH!" Joey cried as he scrambled away from the edge, he was clutching his spear so tightly his knuckles had gone white. "A lake of souls? That don't sound good," he trembled.
"We might yet be able to use it to our advantage. Get up Joey, our 'friend' has decided to chance the rope bridge..."

Snarling the beast slowly approached them, it was being more cautious as the terrain was treacherous. It paused for a moment and went for Yami again, must have been the hunter instinct steering it towards the smaller and supposedly easier prey. Yami stood his ground, with the spear lightly balanced between his hands and his feet set apart. He had the creature's attention, allowing Joey to move around to the back. Yami kept backing up, moving towards the ledge that lead to the whirlpool. He stopped when he had less than six feet of cliff behind him, the creature chose to charge finally. Yami ducked and moved behind it, putting the beast near the edge. He pummeled it without mercy, driving it further back. Just when he though he had the beast, it charged and rammed him. The wind was knocked out of Yami as he was picked up and slung over a shoulder. The beast hissed and body slammed Yami into the ground, already gasping for breath he found it even harder to breath. Joey raced up and stabbed the creature in the back, causing it to flail in attempts to reach the annoyance. Before it could turn, Yami got his breath back and rammed his spear into the soft gut of the creature.
"Push it forward, Joey. And lift it when I tell you!" Yami cried. Joey nodded and shoved the beast further onto Yami's spear. With a grunt, Yami put the decorative butt of the spear against the ground and placed his feet just under where the other end had impaled the monster. He hefted the beast up as best he could, yelling for Joey to help lift. With the combined effort the two managed to flip the beast, it bounced off the edge of the rock and slipped off Yami's spear as it plummeted to the rushing waters below. It roared and screamed the whole way down, the sounds eventually becoming muffled by the roar of the water.
"And stay dead this time!" Joey yelled after it.

This time the boys really could rest, after a few moments Yugi took his bag off and pulled the water container out.
"Whoa, after what you told me, you sure that's a good idea? I mean, if this is soul soup and all..." Joey protested.
"That below us is, the falls above have real water. They'll be fine," Yami assured. Joey didn't know how he knew it, but trusted him anyway.
"We can test the water first if you like. There's a ledge that will allow us to get in and out fairly easy. Right by the cliff," Yami pointed.
"Yeah, test. Taste test, man I'm so thirsty," Joey agreed as he carefully started back across the rope bridge. Carefully both boys tasted the water once they were on the ledge above it. Yami let it flow around and through his fingers for a bit before cupping his hand to catch some. Most dribbled out between his fingers, but he got enough to his lips to deem it drinkable. He filled the water bottle, Joey had been so excited he was trying to drink from his hands rather than waiting for the bottle. Yami took the moment to let Yugi take over once more, he figured that for now the boys would be fine without his help.

Yugi chuckled as he watched Joey try to lap up water like an animal, he must have been thirstier than he let on.
"Joey, you're going to fall in. Here," Yugi laughed as he handed the bottle to his friend. Joey eagerly drank deeply of the cool water.
"Kinda funny that a land so dead would have such clean water," Yugi mused.
"I heard rock can help filter it. Think this stuff has been through enough by this point to be clean?" Joey asked once he had his fill of water.
"Could be. Think we should chance a quick dip to get clean? I don't know about you but the dust and grime around is starting to get to me. Might as well while we have the chance."
"Not a bad idea Yuug, we'll take turns. You wanna go first? Seems quiet enough, might as well take advantage of it."
"Alright, where will you be?" Yugi asked as he took his jacket off.
"Staying right here, ain't letting anything come offa that cliff into our water," he stated as he stood and leaned against the rock, his back to Yugi.
"Works for me, I'll do the same for you, then."
Once the two were clean they decided to remain on the rock structure near the vortex, night was setting in and neither was sure they wanted to be roaming then.

"Eh, if we're staying here I don't see how I'm gonna get any sleep," Joey muttered as he tried to block out the sounds of lost souls. "That glow ain't helpin either."
"At least it allows us to see anything coming," Yugi replied.
If you wish I could stand guard for the night. Being nothing but a spirit, I don't need sleep. You could retreat into the Soul Room for rest while I remain awake. Yami offered.
"Give me a moment Joey, need to speak with Yami," Yugi warned before his eyes went blank.
"Man, I hate it when he does that," Joey shuddered as he turned away. He didn't like seeing Yugi as a zombie, really bugged him.

"Spirit or not, you'd be in control of a body. It will need rest," Yugi said once he had appeared in the room representing his mind.
"And it can rest when I'm not using it," Yami replied.
"But we share the same body. It may change to accommodate whoever is in control but it's still the same," Yugi shook his head.
"That may be so, but what about situations such as this? Technically the body is at rest, neither of us are using it at the moment. I can let it remain idle while I stay alert, taking over should the situation call for it."
"But, is it good to leave it 'idle' for so long?" Yugi questioned. Frankly, the thought scared him. He likened the idle state to just above death and that wasn't too pleasant of an idea.
"You know if you fall asleep you won't be willing to give up control for a while. And I can't just take over if you aren't willing. I could remain in the Puzzle and alert, but it doesn't do much good if I can't jump at the first sign of danger." Yami ignored Yugi's question. He knew it wasn't good to let the body remain idle for too long, but he knew he could jump start things if it became a problem.
"I don't know, Yami. I really don't like the idea. You could always wake me, a slow warning is better than none at all. If we didn't have you we'd still be in this problem. One of us stays awake for a while the other sleeps then trade off later. Only, it can't be you and I trading otherwise we'll both feel it physically when we're in control."
"I hate arguing with you, little Light. If the idea is that much of a bother perhaps we can ask Joey to help. But I will let you take the Soul Room so you can get the extra rest mentally," Yami replied.
"Then it's settled? No pushing to the limit tonight when we have no idea what tomorrow holds?"
"It's settled, little Light."

"Joey, would you mind trading off watchman duty with me tonight?" Yami said suddenly. Joey couldn't help but jump. It had been so quiet for a while and he wasn't expecting Yami to be the one to return.
"Yeah, sure Yuug. I'll take first watch, don't think I'm getting any sleep anyway," he mumbled, "Might make me sleepy if I'm up first."

Joey had agreed to wake Yami when he felt he was drifting off, so as not to actually fall asleep without a watchman.
Aw man, this has been one whacked out day. At least we found water, but man am I starving! Don't have a clue as to where we'd get somethin to eat. Not like they have fast food joints in this backwater place. Where ever here is. Haven't found a real settlement yet, just lots of mountains. And water running into a bowl of soul soup. Eugh, I think the sounds are going to drive me nuts. It's either them or that thing Mr. Scary called a vampire. But wait, it had three fingers and was warped into a monster and he has three fingers and is warped into a monster. Could he be one of them? And Yuug did mention something about the N symbol being on that thing we fought. Wonder if those symbols have anything to do with anything. The must have, I think I saw a flag with the N thing across this soul soup lake. I kinda wanna see what's over there but we can't get there. And then there was another pass, this one is closer. Hmm, I think I saw a way to get to it through the water. Have ta check it out in the morning. Wonder how long night is in this weird place, hope it doesn't last longer than I'm use to otherwise we're screwed. Yeah, if my mind keeps going like this I never will get any sleep. Joey tried to slow his thoughts, but being in a strange place with not much supplies wouldn't allow him to curb his thoughts. He had that nagging feeling that maybe they never would get out. He didn't dare say anything to Yugi about it, he wasn't like that. He sat against a support for the rope bridge and drew his knees up to his chest, allowing him to rest his head on arms folded over them. He stared out across the expanse of the whirlpool, watching the waterfalls that fed it from all sides. If only the soul sounds would stop, it would be relaxing. He tried his best to ignore them, forcing himself to hear them as musical. It worked almost too well, after a while he began to have to fight to keep his eyelids open. With a yawn the teen nudged Yami's sleeping form. He felt bad waking him up, but knew he'd catch hell if someone awoke to find him asleep.

It didn't take Yami long to fully rouse himself and get comfortable. He watched Joey from the corner of his eye for a while. Once the other teen was asleep, Yami got to his feet. Yugi was sound asleep in the Soul Room, and as long as Yami was careful about what he let slip through their mental bond, he would remain that way. Wrapping slim fingers around a spear, Yami walked back over the rope bridge. His senses were already attuned to the night. He raised his head a bit, tilting his nose to the air. He smelled wood burning, probably from the fires burning on the opening of the pass they couldn't reach. He wondered who kept them burning and how they would remain burning so long. Probably magic, the Watcher had questioned him if his Puzzle was tied to Glyph magic, whatever that was. Yami took extra care to not make a sound as he walked back down the twisting hall he and Joey had run through the previous day. He decided to check out the door they had ran past when they were fleeing from the vampire. A circular rune was embedded on it, the rune emit a soft greenish blue glow. The glow was soft enough he might have missed it if not for the torches on either side of the door. He hesitated for a moment then decided to walk a little further through the pass. He wanted to make sure nothing else was around so he could explore where the door lead in peace. Once satisfied nothing was around, he returned to the rune door. Now, if only the inside of the room was as quiet as outside, he'd be set. The large wooden door was heavy, he figured there must be some point for such heavy doors. Maybe it was to keep the vampires out, the beast ones they had seen didn't look too intelligent. So a thick door might appear to them as just an odd part of the wall. The Watcher was a different story, Yami could feel his soul and likened it to the beast they had fought. Naturally, the Watcher was more intelligent and refined. But the likenesses were still there, maybe he was just a higher ranking vampire. Yami didn't understand it and wasn't sure he wanted to. He let his thoughts drift back to his current situation, on the other side of the door. As it closed behind him, he took note that the rune symbol was also on this side. The rock walls were smoother here, but still not like a building. He walked through the short twisting hall and paused when it opened into a higher domed room. The room had no other exit, so he made it as nothing more than a dead end. Yet, the room itself was intriguing. It was neatly carved here, walls looked to have been polished once as well. In the center of the room on a barely raised platform stood an arch way. It reminded him of a gate. What was the purpose? Yami stayed away from it for the time being, he instead looked at one of the symbols on the wall. The most notable feature about the image was the swirl in the center. He likened it to the whirlpool nearby. With a frown Yami turned back to the arch. A rune sat on the bottom on each side of it's opening, a crystal pyramid sat atop the squared off arch. It lined the insides as well. Curious, Yami stepped onto the rune. The gate came alive, emitting a soft glow. Other than that, nothing happened. Yami moved off the rune and walked through the gate, nothing that he could see happened. When he stepped onto the rune on the other side, the gate hummed and whirred. Yami spun around to see a foggy image shimmering in the gate. The room it showed looked much like the one he was in. Except for the image on the wall. It showed the angular question mark symbol he had seen on flags in the pillar building. Yami put his hand forward, it stopped as if he had touched glass. With a frown he pulled it back, wondering what else the gate showed. As if it had heard him, it began to cycle slowly through different images. All seemed gray and fuzzy, when he tried to put his hand out he met with the invisible force again. He cycled through several times, noting that each of the symbols he had seen on flags were present in this gate mirror. If only he could figure out how to work it, maybe it would be of some use to them. Thinking he wouldn't get anything out of the strange device, he stepped off the rune. The images vanished but the gate still glowed and hummed softly. He got to thinking maybe the other places all had gates like this one that were not yet activated. Once they found a way to activate them, it might make exploration a little easier. With his curiosity satisfied, Yami returned to his post. Joey muttered something as he approached, he mentally scolded himself thinking the other teen had awoken. He hadn't, was just dreaming. Yami sighed as he lowered himself to the ground. For now he could just mull over his find as he waited for morning to come.




Have more written than this, but I'm not sure I like it so I'm holding off for a while to retool it some. It gets a bit more involved in LoK elements and may very well be a confusing mess.