Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Legacy of Tarot
Chapter 3: The Tarot Beasts
Before Nick had even had a chance to get the facts of this little endeavour into his head, a team of men and women dressed in white lab coats burst onto the scene. They spread out and covered the ruined stadium like a swarm of bees on a field of daisies, turning over rocks, looking under chairs, examining the battlefield, and leaving no nook or cranny of the arena unchecked. An older man who wasn't dressed like the rest of the scientists came up to Nick, not seeming to care much for his current state of grief and wonder. In fact, the old tycoon looked quite carefree. Wealth must do that to a person.
"Excuse me, are you Nick Maximus, one of the finalists in the Tare Invitational?" The man asked, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his black velvet suit. A golden monocle was placed firmly in his right eye as he looked down on Nick, and his nearly bald head showed only the slightest signs of bleach-white hair. He wasn't particularly wrinkled, but it was obvious that he was getting on in age. Nick simply said nothing, looking upwards and glaring at the man as if both saying "What's it to you?" and "What happened, dammit?" The man chuckled and rocked back and forth on his feet a couple of times, pressing on. "I am Lord Bertram Philps, headmaster of Muto City University. The science department – the Duel Monsters branch, in particular – has been studying the Tarot Beasts in great deal, and we beli—"
"Nick! Nick!!" A female voice interrupted, causing the man to whirl around impatiently and see what the cause of all this commotion was. He saw a boy and a girl, both about Nick's age, running down the corridor to their vicinity. The girl was even pushing a few scientists out of the way who stood in her path, especially those that had been designated to stop bystanders from entering the examination area. She was dressed in a pair of tight blue jeans and a pretty red shirt with a midriff. Her blonde hair danced behind her as she ran alongside a boy with short black hair, dressed in rather mediocre black jeans and a white t-shirt.
"Excuse me, miss, but you are—"
"Who the hell is this guy?" She asked, finally reaching his podium and pointing at Bertram. "Did he cause all this, Nick? If he did, I'll…" She threatened, stepping forward offensively. Bertram took a step back, waving his hands to show that he meant no harm.
"I assure you, miss, I had no part in the catastrophe that rocked this stadium just a short while ago! In fact, I—" Bertram began, only to be interrupted by Mark.
"Well what DID cause the catastrophe, then?" He inquired of Bertram, assuming that the older man was the one to ask about this topic, since he apparently knew the most about it.
"Please, follow me. I shall make all known to you in time."
------------------
Minutes later, Alyssa, Mark, Nick, and Bertram were sitting in a luxuriously fashioned limousine. This thing had the works – a television, a VHS/DVD player, a mini bar, leather couches lining the walls, and even a miniature fridge full of expensive foods like caviar and shrimp. Our three heroes were quite impressed by the spectacular vehicle, but Bertram was apparently quite used to the star treatment. When their excitement finally died down, the group redoubled their questioning.
"So what the hell caused that explosion?" Alyssa fumed.
"And… what was that thing… that took Rebecca?" Nick asked, still a hint of a tear in his eye. The entire ordeal had apparently been too much for the poor boy, and such a thing was to be expected, considering he was a part of it.
"Rebecca? Who is Rebecca, my dear boy?" Bertram asked in his thick British accent, assuming that Nick has simply gone a bit mad from the incident.
"Rebecca, the other finalist!" He growled, not in the mood for being questioned.
"You mean he… oh no! This is worse than I thought. There is very little time." Bertram told them, knocking on the tinted window that stood between him and the driver. "Take us to the airport, quickly." The driver nodded and turned the key, stepping on the gas to take them towards the airport.
"So what happened? I want details, and you have them!" Alyssa ordered, staring the old tycoon right in the eyes and making him feel rather uncomfortable. Chuckling nervously, Bertram began to regale them with his story.
"Alright, alright. I shall tell you what I know. The creature you saw, or so we speculate, was Xel'Zerpi, a strange magician that once lived ages and ages ago, in the times when Duel Monsters were not used as a sport, but in war. He—"
"Woah, wait up, wait up – you're telling us that the weirdo Nick saw was a 2,000 year old wizard that's back from the dead?" Mark asked, seriously not believing Bertram's story. Alyssa was positively steaming, thinking that this old coot was holding back information and mocking them at that.
"Not entirely, no. Xel'Zerpi never actually died – he was granted immortality by the power of the Tarot Beasts."
"The Tarot Beasts? This Xel'Zerpi guy mentioned them in our duel… he said 'Now you'll feel the true power of the Tarot Beasts', and then he played an absurdly strong card." Nick said quietly, staring off into space. His eyes were distant and worrisome, filled with wonder and disbelief at the words he was hearing.
"The Sorcerer of Serpents, yes. He actually used it in your duel? Then it does exist… as I feared…"
"What? What did you fear?" Alyssa asked, calming down a bit now. She still seemed absolutely unimpressed by this fairy tale that she was being fed, but she was apparently also willing to put up with it.
"A week ago, a team of scientists on a field trip in the Nevada Desert dug up a card. Even the students could tell that it was very old, and the teachers confirmed that it was from the ancient time period I told you about. This card was called the King of Fools, an extremely powerful card that was used in war. The teachers took it and immediately quarantined it in our science facility, making sure that no one could touch it until it was properly tested and examined."
"You mean… it was a Tarot Beast, too?" Mark asked, growing much more interested in the story. He leaned forward and rested his chin in his hands, watching Bertram wide-eyed.
"Yes. The King of Fools is a Tarot Beast as well, but it has no master – err, that is, it has no host. You see, all Tarot Beasts require a host to rise to their full potential. Their host, often called their master, sometimes takes on the properties of their card – as you saw with Xel'Zerpi. We had the professors quarantine King of Fools immediately to ensure that it did not find its way into the hand of any Duelist, of which there are many in the school, and thus grow to its full power."
"So what has this got to do with us?" Alyssa inquired. It appeared as though these recent facts had drawn her in, and she was believing Bertram's story more and more each minute.
"Well… nothing. We simply need to take you to Muto city for an interview and a physical examination." Bertram said very matter-of-factly, rustling around in his pocket and pulling out a stopwatch attached to a chain.
"A physical examination? Why?" Mark asked.
"You won't need one; Nick, however, will." The headmaster began, looking in the young finalist's direction. "Sorcerer of Serpents attacked you, did it not?" He asked. Nick nodded slowly, his eyes narrowed deep in thought. "Then we must ensure that the attack has not had any sort of negative side effect on you. You see, the Tar—errr… ah, here we are!"
"What? What sort of negative side effects?" Nick demanded to know, his voice booming louder than it had been in a while.
"Nothing, nothing. Nothing to be concerned about. It is just a precaution. Once we've finished, we'll send you on your way. Our department will take it from there."
"No! That thing took Rebecca! I'm not leaving her in his clutches, no matter what you or your school says!" The finalist roared, only refrained from standing up by the somewhat low roof.
"Oh, I had forgotten about Rebecca…" Bertram began with a look of worry on his face. He scratched his chin, deep in thought before continuing. "No matter. We will take care of that matter. It is nothing for you to trouble yourselves over. Come, let us go. My jet is waiting for us."
Slipping quietly out of the limousine, Nick shook his head slowly. He didn't fully trust this Bertram Philps, and he wasn't at all prepared to let him go after Rebecca without involving Nick at all. Things just didn't seem to add together, and Nick intended to make them add together, with the University's help or not. "I don't like this, not one bit…
