Chapter Eight: The elf who learned to wield a sword
16 August
In just about any other situation those words would have been a polite inanity, a forerunner to real conversation. Considering the circumstances, however, "good morning" was not at all appropriate. Ailill glared at him, not replying.
The guards nearly tripped over each other- wait a minute, several actually did- in their rush for the doors. More than several cast anxious glances in Ailill's general direction; he had to fight a smile. He guessed they didn't like how hard he had kicked them.
He had realized that there was no way he could use his original plan; there were just too many. But his new one definitely involved keys. Though it was going to be a different kind of key this time.
A living key.
"Oh my, where are my manners? I neglected to introduce myself. They all call me…."
Ailill half-listened, then focused on the options of what could be done with his wrists chained together and his feet secured in a similar fashion. A thought occurred to him, and he had to fight yet another wide grin, which disintegrated as he felt again the emptiness that felt like it was going to consume him if he didn't do something. Not to mention his face still smarted whenever he touched a particular spot.
Pegasus, as he called himself, had a deck on the table in front of him. He accidentally on purpose flipped the top card over, revealing a Blue Eyes White Dragon. Ailill's eyes widened despite himself.
(Chihiro)
"Don't worry, I didn't steal Kaiba-boy's deck. I won it."
"With the help of a Dragon Piper, no doubt," Ailill snapped.
He looked surprised for a moment, then laughed. It was not at all the kind of laugh people like to hear. "Exactly. You are an observant little elf, aren't you? I see you've decided to cooperate. Now, would you mind telling me exactly how you wound up in my castle?"
Ailill chose his words carefully. "I'll tell you," he said, "after you give back my sword."
"Trying to bargain, are you not?"
(well I hadn't expected it to work anyway)
He let himself smile this time. "Yes, I tried."
***
"Yo, Raptor."
"Hey, Stark. Shouldn'tcha be watching those stupid
screens right now?"
"No, that's your job. The boss gave it to
ya after that Golf guy-"
"Croquet."
"Whatever. That Croquet guy got the sack, so you
get to do it, remember?"
"Nah, it's your job. He gave it to you. You're
just tryin' to pin it on me 'cause you don't feel like spending the day
watching the boss read those stupid comics."
"Don't you try and dodge outa your obligations,
Raptor. At least deranged bunnies haven't got brains the size of walnuts
like the ones that run in your family. Explains why you've got such a thing
for dead giant lizards."
Raptor reached for his gun. "You quit mixing me
up with my idiot kid cousin right this minute, Stark, or I'll be convincing
you why it's best not to!"
"Oh, I'm so scared, the big bad dino-brain's after
me…" Before the two of them could graduate to an all-out gunfight, they
both sighed in exasperation and walked off in the direction of the employee
cafeteria. "Anyhow, nothing ever happens anyway. Let's see if the ickatorium's
got any burgers left, Raptor, the boss'll never know the difference."
At the sound of the shout they turned and looked
back at the door, then Raptor sighed and headed back down the hall. "C'mon,
Stark, he probably just thinks the comic's really funny or something."
***
Before Pegasus could react to the words a blur moved
across the table and hands had clasped around his throat. He was tipping
backward, his arms like twin windmills, and then the back of his chair
struck the floor. The impact traveled into his back and he shouted. The
shout was cut short by a brief tightening of the hands.
"I ought to break your damn neck for what you did
to Chihiro and the others."
"Umm. Such an action is a little bit permanent…"
"I know it's permanent."
No, no, no, no, no. This was not how it was supposed
to work out. He'd never imagined a Duel Monster turning on him like this.
He'd anticipated some reluctance, yes, but nothing of this type. He'd never
expected any one of them to actually threaten his life, let alone be in
a position to carry out that threat.
Then again, he was thinking all Duel Monsters were
like his beloved Toons, happy to obey. He had never foreseen what it would
be like to have to deal with such a recalcitrant sort as this Celtic Guardian.
That oversight had gotten him in severe trouble,
and with the Millennium Eye in its current state, it didn't seem he would
be getting out of it anytime soon.
"First, return my sword."
"C-certainly," Pegasus managed to squeak out. "C-could
you please get off of me?"
He did, then proceeded to yank Pegasus up by the
throat. "Now, where did you put it?"
***
Seto smashed the bowl against the stone, sending
rice and bits of bowl everywhere. "That'll teach them to try and poison
me," he muttered, picking up one of the shards and idly scraping it against
one of the shackles. After all, drops of water could wear away stone, so
why couldn't ceramic wear away iron?
"Seto Kaiba?"
His hand opened, letting go of the shard. His head
jerked up and looked through the bars of the cell, and he was extremely
grateful he hadn't touched the rice. If he had, he would have thrown it
all up in sheer surprise.
Pegasus was standing there, but it hadn't been his
voice. Seto wasn't sure if Pegasus even had the capacity for speech at
the moment. He was sputtering like a car engine warming up, probably because
of the hand gripping the front of his fancy jacket. Seto's eyes followed
the hand to the wrist, which had a cuff and a ragged bit of chain about
it, then the arm, enclosed in first an off-white fabric, then a green-studded
silver band, and a brown fabric so tight the contours of the arm showed
through. The rest of the arm vanished under a piece of green and silver
armor, which connected to more sections of the same, and then his eye traveled
up the neck to the face…
This was physically impossible. No way. It couldn't
be.
But it was.
The Celtic Guardian was currently standing outside
with an apparently terrified Maximilian Pegasus in tow. "Well?" he said.
"Are you Seto Kaiba?"
A briefest moment of hesitation. "Yes."
He proceeded to fling Pegasus to the floor, then
keep him pinned with one foot as he took his time about picking the lock.
When at last it swung open, he strode in with no sign of fear, dragging
Pegasus along. Another long pause as he fiddled with the chains, and then
they fell away. Celtic Guardian then motioned Seto away and proceeded to
shut Pegasus into the vacant chains. He headed back outside, only turning
back at the door to beckon Seto to come. Seto followed, having not the
slightest idea what was going on but getting a definitely mixed feeling
from it.
***
They had left the dungeon area and were heading down
the hallway, Seto still slightly dazed from the speed with which events
were progressing, when Celtic Guardian abruptly turned and slammed him
into the nearest wall.
His voice was calm on the outside, but any idiot
could sense the anger raging beneath. "Why'd you do that to Jewel?"
Seto blinked, his mind sent scrambling in all directions by these abrupt
turns of events. "Jewel? Who's Jewel?"
"Oh, nothing, he was just my loyal friend, that's
all. And you did that to him."
At such a close proximity Seto could see the tears
forming quite clearly. "I don't know who this friend of yours is, but I
have never been accused of murder."
"I'm accusing you. You don't really care about Chihiro,
do you?"
"Who?"
That was most definitely the wrong question to ask.
Celtic Guardian proceeded to grab Seto's shoulders
and thrust him back into the wall with the strength that comes from fury.
"You wouldn't know how much she cares about you, how much her brothers
care about you. Did you think they wanted to be used against you?"
He blinked and it clicked into place. "They have
names?"
Celtic Guardian gave him a look that made it clear
that was another wrong question. "Well, if they were all just called 'Blue
Eyes White Dragon' it would get a little bit confusing."
"Does that mean this 'Jewel' of yours was…"
"He is not mine. You wouldn't know how much he wanted
to be someone's and now he isn't anyone's, no thanks to you."
Suspicions confirmed. Seto's worry had been growing
by the second, and after the confirmation of this knowledge it tripled.
He opted for silence.
***
(Chihiro?)
They had kythed back and forth between the two decks
only on special occasions- she supposed the animosity of the Masters had
leaked through to the decks- but still she recognized that voice. She began
to call the others.
(Sapphire!)
(What is it, older sister? Has Master come back?)
Chihiro smiled along the kything line, glad Sapphire
still retained some of that little-brother-ness, glad he hadn't become
completely like Haku. She paused as the newcomer gave her an information
dump, then-
(Yes. Master is back, Sapphire, and he has a question
for us)
(Well, older sister, what's the question?)
(He wants to know what we think he should do to
Pegasus)
(Oh, wow!)
(And since when could Master speak to us?)
Chihiro groaned inside as she recognized Haku's
characteristics infused in the kythe-
(He can't)
(Then how did you know he wants us to answer this
question, little sister?)
Her exasperation was growing by the moment. Hadn't
he got it through his skull yet that Chihiro was every bit as old as he
was, and maybe a bit older? (He's using an intermediary, little brother)
(And who might this intermediary be?)
(Ailill. The Celtic Guardian)
(You're joking. That damned excuse for a warrior?
The likes of him are but bothersome trash to our Master)
Chihiro snapped out her retort without thinking-
(And if our Master had had more of that "bothersome trash" in the deck,
then he could have defeated the real trash)
(You blame Master for the loss? You really had me
fooled, little sister. I thought you were loyal-)
(I am loyal!)
The shout disturbed everyone in the deck, as well
as Ailill. Chihiro cut off all kything lines for a moment while she recovered
from her outburst- (There is not exactly a very wide selection of intermediaries,
little brother. Besides, if he's good enough for Jewel he's good enough
for us. Go ahead, Ailill, tell him what Master said)
Ailill repeated the query, and Sapphire was the
first to respond- (Put him in a card like he did Master's brother, and
put him on the field, and let me blast him! And then use Reborn the Monster
so I can blast him again!)
Haowande, the only one in the deck who could qualify
as Haku's "bothersome trash," spoke then- (Lock him in a closet with me!)
Sapphire responded immediately- (You're that annoying,
Haowande? Clowns are supposed to be funny)
Haku even made his own contribution- (Transform
him into something with numbers over fifteen hundred, and then use Crush
on him like he did us!)
After the echoes of Haku's kythe died away, Ailill
kythed again- (Chihiro, what do you think?)
And Chihiro could feel the mental smiles all around
as she spoke- (Stuff him in a big jar, and then pipe very annoying music
into the jar!)