Chapter 20--Diplomats and Dragons

Joey and Tristan hurried along after their captors, anxious not to disobey the Clanners lest their reward be a knife to the throat. After trudging through endless patches of swamp, which was a filthy gray-green- brown sludge for as far as the eye could see, they reached a group of dwellings made from swamp grasses and a thick clay, probably made from dried swamp mud. As they were hurried toward the largest dwelling, they caught a glimpse of Clanners, with facial tattoos like those of the scouts, peering at them from their doorways. Before they could take a closer look, however, they were shoved through the mud and weed door.

Inside, the dark hall was lit with lanterns, and at one end was a dais made of thick, solid wood. A more observant traveler might have realized that the presence of this type of wood in a swamp signaled importance and authority. Joey and Tristan, however, just thought it was strange. On the dais was a throne-like chair, also made of the precious wood. A figure arose from this chair. He bore a short staff of office, and wore a long, gray cloak. His hair was shaded with silver, but his face was young--he could be no more than thirty. Anger and suspicion were etched into every line of his face.

"So! You have intruded in my domain, humans. What is your purpose here? What is this new magic that you bring? Strange things are happening throughout the World, events which may yet drag the Shiirai Clann into war. You are strangers, and my Clann have long remained isolated, killing any who dare to come within our territory without permission. We have remained separate so long...shall I change the ways of my people now? I do not wish to break our tradition. I do not wish for my people to be harmed. I do not wish it, but trouble has come to seek us out. Strangers, state your purpose within my lands. Do not fear to speak freely. I am willing to listen to you, strangers. New times mean new ways."

Joey and Tristan looked at each other nervously. "Uh....we came.....we came to get....to get the....uh....the Seal of Shadow....we need to get the Key of Aramas, and we....uh....we thought.....that maybe you would....would....give us the Seal," Tristan said halting, barely able to get the words out. He was half in awe of and half terrified of this impressive figure, and wasn't quite sure what to say.

The Chieftenn stared at them imperiously. "You wish me, Shin-ka, Chieftenn of the Shiirai Clann, to simply give you the Seal? I cannot allow you to have it without prove of your worthiness. You must prove that your intentions are honorable. I will not except words alone; I need proof! I need to know that you are worthy of the Key. What use have you for it? It can be used only by one of pure heart....your hearts have not the purity required..."

"What? What purity? We just want da Key, dat's all. We don' have ta use it yet," Joey said, feeling nervous but putting on a brave front. He wasn't afraid of a fight with these people, and he wanted them to know it.

"Why find the Key if not to use it? But you do not know...you still think of the Key as an ordinary key...you think it unlocks a door? Well...you are almost right, but...the Key does unlock something, but we don't know what it is. The Key is special. It is not an ordinary key, but a Key which unlocks...many things. It can only be used by one of pure heart, and so no one has ever discovered its true use. However, my Clann has done much research into the matter of the Key, and we believe that it will obey the needs of its master to a certain extent. It will open the doors which are closed to its master, it will unlock....possibilities. It will open new ways...you seek the Key, but your hearts are impure...you have been tainted in the manner of your kind...you are only human...what use have you for the Key?" Shin-ka said softly, looking pensive. He desired to do what was right for his people, but he also knew that the Overlord must not go unopposed. His was a difficult position to be in.

"Look, it doesn't matter what our hearts are like, we're going to get the Key no matter what it takes to help our friend!" Tristan said, pulling himself together. Vice needed help, and he wasn't about to let the Darkling warrior down.

Shin-ka smiled at them, his face softening. "Ah, but your hearts are brave. You cannot understand...you cannot remember, you are too young...I am one of the few who has knowledge of the old days. We came so close to death...war stains so many hearts...hate and suspicion broke the Key. Only love and trust can repair it. Only one whose heart holds no hate can use the Key. My Clann would give the Seal to this one. We believe that the one who may use the Key will be pure of heart in that they will be innocent. Their hands will not be stained with the blood of our wars...they will not bear hatred or mistrust...you would not understand, your kind looks down upon those who trust too easily, but this one will come. Neither of you is the one.
Prove to me that you have some knowledge of the one, and I will grant you the Seal for that one's sake."

Joey and Tristan held a hasty whispered conference. "Do we know anyone whose heart is pure and all dat otha stuff?" Joey muttered to his friend, looking confused. "We might know someone without realizing it! What if we do know someone like that, but we forget about them?" Tristan whispered back, sounding panicked. They had to get the Seal or let everyone down--if they didn't think of something fast, the plan would fall apart!

Shin-ka was growing impatient. "Well? Do you know the one or not? I can see the uncertainty in your eyes...I will do this for you, if you permit me. Allow me to enter your memories. If you have met the one, even briefly, I will know. Only one of you need allow me access to your mind," he said kindly, seeing the terrified looks on the two boys' faces. He meant no ill will toward them, but he had to do what was best for his people.

Joey and Tristan looked at each other nervously. This guy was going to go through their minds? But if it helped Vice... Joey stood up, trying to keep his voice from shaking. The idea of someone going through his mind was much more frightening than any fight could be, but.... "All right, I'll do it. We need da Key, so dere's no otha way."

Shin-ka nodded, looking faintly impressed. "An admirable sentiment. Give me your hand--it is required for my magic...I must enter your mind..."

Tristan watched Shin-ka use his magical mind-reading (that was how he thought of it) on Joey, and was surprised that it took only a few seconds. Shin-ka gaped at them, clearly impressed by something. "I did not know," he said, his voice filled with awe. "We had always thought that the one would be a Clanner, but I see now that this is not the case. When you speak to the one again, tell him that the Shiirai Clann also fights. Now...there is one last difficulty. The Seal cannot be given for nothing. You must retrieve it alone..."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Tea, Kaiba, Frith, and Windpaw all woke up very tired (it was still dark out), very cold, and very miserable. Searching for a demon in the middle of a blizzard on a mountain populated by Clanners who want to kill you can have this effect. The incredibly bizarre Lona, however, was unfazed.

"Now you's waked up, tella Lona where you's going, me knowa way dere, me 'elp, yeh?" the half-cat said energetically. Apparently, traveling with Tea and Kaiba was the highlight of her life so far.

They stared for a second before remembering who Lona was and that she was terminally insane. Tea sighed deeply. "Sure, Lona...we're going to find a demon..."

Lona, however, completely ignored her. Tea might have been inaudible and invisible for all the attention the half-cat paid her. She put away her lamp in a small and otherwise empty bag she wore on her back--it was hard to see because her clothes were in such disrepair. Hopping on top of a rocky outcropping, stared at the horizon. "Yup yup, gotta 'urry, night- dark come an' you not wanna fight a shadow-monsta inna dark, all strong then, betta find 'im quick quick, fight 'im while itsa day! Wherea you's going, kin-sign?"

More stares. Then--"Are you talking to me?" Kaiba asked incredulously.

Lona nodded. "Yup yup! Lona talkin' ta you, you gotta kin-sign, lotsa light, Lona sees."

A long period of silence followed this statement. Lona's curious baby-talk made it difficult to understand what she was trying to say, and the two travelers spent several minutes decoding it.

Tea waved a hand in front of the half-cat's eyes. "Uh...Lona? What's a kin-sign?" Silence. Tea turned, very exasperated to Kaiba. "Oh, you ask her!"

"Why me?" Kaiba replied coldly, not wanting to try to understand Lona. Taking the time to understand people meant you cared about them, and you couldn't care about anyone because that made you weak. Kaiba knew he couldn't afford to be weak.

"Because she won't listen to me!" Tea snapped back, not aware of Kaiba's internal reasoning system.

"...fine...Lona, what's a kin-sign?" Kaiba said, finally giving in. In truth, he too wished to know what Lona was talking about; it did concern him, after all.

Lona looked up innocently "Kin-sign? You shoulda know that, you 'as one! Itsa sign, lotta lotta light, 'urts ta getta kin-sign, bigga big tie, somebody else gotta one, links yous tagever. 'Ow you not knowa that, you gotta one in yer 'and!"

Tea stared at Lona, completely nonplussed. Kaiba however, nodded. "Oh...I know what she's talking about."

He opened his left hand. On the palm was a thin-lined scar with a curious shape. For those who could read the Star Tongue, it meant "brother." For the uninitiated, it looked like a cult scar. It was, however, a powerful magical link, just as Lona had said.

She nodded. "Yup yup, you gotta kin-sign, lotta light. But you," she said , turning to Tea, "You gotta moon-dark light, Lona sees it, me not know 'bout that, you gotta lotta light!"

Tea had no idea what "moon-dark light" was supposed to mean, but let the issue rest for now. "Fine...you tell her where we're going."

Kaiba, as confused as Tea (but more reluctant to admit it), stood up. "We're looking for a demon. How can you help us?"

"Lona 'elp, me 'elp, Lona knowa 'bout shadow-monsta!"

"I think it's a mistake to trust her..." Kaiba said with a glare so practiced it should have been trademarked.

"You were the one who said she could come with us in the first place!" Tea protested; Kaiba was extremely good at aggravating people, as she was rapidly discovering.

"I was tired," the young CEO replied flatly, not meeting Tea's eyes. Why had he said Lona could come with them? He hated to admit it, but...he had simply had a feeling that he should.

Lona watched the two humans argue for a while, then interrupted. "You's commin'? Gotta 'urry, night-time comma soon, can't fight a shadow- monsta inna night! C'mon, Lona 'elp, me 'elp, me show ya!"

The two travelers Desummoned the freezing hares and marched resolutely after their speedy, if more than slightly crazy, guide. Tea had deep misgivings about anyone who would trust Kaiba, but followed Lona anyway. They had to find the Key...Vice had asked them to.

They paused at midday, or rather what they thought was midday--it was still overcast and cold. Lona curled up on a rock to watch her new companions sit tiredly. She was only mildly surprised that they did not argue; they looked too tired to talk much.

Tea looked at Lona. "Where are we, Lona? How much farther do we have to go?"

Silence. Tea sighed. Lona had been steadfastly refusing to speak to her all day; if anything, Lona seemed to be afraid of her. She would take questions or directions only from Kaiba, which both of the humans thought was bizarre.

Tea sat up. "Ask her where we are."

"Why don't you ask her for once?" Kaiba said in annoyance. He had been playing interpreter all day, and was growing tired of it.

"Because she's still pretending I don't exist, that's why!" Tea snapped at him. Usually, she was a cheerful, energetic person. But between the miserable weather, Lona's bizarre behavior, and Kaiba, her good disposition was beyond wearing thin; if it got any thinner it would be nonexistent.

"She's not pretending you don't exist; she's ignoring you," Kaiba replied, oddly confident in this assessment. He was not usually a good judge of people, but he could see that Lona, although she was trying very hard to pay no attention to Tea, definetly acknowledged her existence--she stayed as far away from her as possible.

"How come she trusts you?" Tea said, voicing a question she had been puzzled by since they met Lona; Kaiba wasn't exactly a nuturing, welcoming person.

"Because she's afraid of you," Kaiba replied flatly, blue eyes unreadable. Lona flinched visibly and shied away whenever Tea went near her--the cat-girl was clearly afraid that Tea would hurt her.

"That doesn't make any sense at all!" Tea said in despair. She couldn't understand why Lona seemed to dislike her, and it was bothering her--rejection was hard on anyone.

"How do you know? You haven't asked her why she won't talk to you," Kaiba replied coldly, knowing full well that Lona was afraid of Tea and that since the girl hadn't done anything to cause such a reaction, it must have to do with Tea's magic, which Lona had spoken of suspiciously earlier. He refused to mention this, though--it would make him look like he actually cared, and of course he didn't.

"Oh, just ask her where we are already," Tea finally said, giving in to Kaiba's refusal to be even remotely friendly or helpful.

Kaiba whistled, like someone calling a cat. "Lona, where are we?" he asked as the cat-girl scampered over to him, almost bizarrely eager to help.

Lona grinned, her pointed, mismatched teeth sticking out. "Onna mounting, don't shout so loud, we's real real close to da dead-risers, gotta be hush-hush!" she said, happy to be helping her new "friend." Lona had the mind of a child; she had an instinctive and previously denied need for comfort and affection from someone--anyone. She had never truly had a family, but she knew that having a kin-sign meant Kaiba did. Surely, if he cared about someone enough to experience the pain of getting the sign for them, he must be a good family member.

"Okay, go tell Tea that," Kaiba said with surprising patience. He ordinarily had no tolerance for other people; seeing Lona beg desperatley to go with them, however, had made him wonder...what if Mokuba was alone like that? Thinking of this had made him feel sympathetic toward Lona, although he would never have admitted that.

Lona frowned, the effect magnified by her fang-like incisors. "Me not talka to 'er, Lona fraida 'er, she gotta moon-dark light, Lona not like 'er, me 'fraid!" she whined, crouching pitifully at Kaiba's feet.

"What exactly is a moon-dark light?" Kaiba said, feeling frustrated but not losing his temper.

"Itsa inside-fire, lotta people gotta some, do a lotta fings, if ya knows 'ow it works! Dead-risers, steel-masters, lotsa lotsa inside-fire, somma moon-dark light, they's use it onna me, Lona not like it, stay 'way fromma moon-dark light!"

Kaiba sighed, realizing that Lona was afraid of Tea because the girl's magic was similar to that of the people who had tried to kill Lona. He knew that Lona's fear was understandable, but it was still hard to deal with. "Look...Tea isn't a Clanner...she can't use her magic...you don't have to be afraid of her..."

"Lona not trust 'er!" the cat-girl said stubbornly, glancing fearfully at Tea.

Kaiba could be very stubborn himself, but he gave in, knowing that Lona's obstinancy came from reasonable fear. "Fine, I'll go tell her," he muttered, getting up and walking over to where Tea was sitting.

Tea looked up. "What? Did she say where we are?"

"Near the Necro Clann, I think," Kaiba replied, being civil for once. Even the CEO of Kaiba Corp. couldn't act cold and superior all the time.

"Fine," Tea said shortly, hoping to keep up the lack of hostility as long as possible.

At that moment, Lona bounced over, looking frightened. "Shhh! Gotta be hush-hush, somebody commin, 'ide now!"

She whisked out of sight, then popped up again. "You's commin? C'mon, we's gotta go 'ide!" she said in an urgent, hissing whisper.

They followed Lona, who knew her area of the mountain by heart, underneath a small overhang. It was cramped, and the two humans had to sit hunched over to avoid brushing uncomfortably against the ceiling. Lona squeezed in next to Kaiba, making herself as small as possible.

"'Kay, now we's waitin' 'ere 'till da dead-risers and de ov'ers go 'way, Lona not lika dead-risers, bad-dangerous, very very bad, lotta light, tryta make Lona deaded, me still breavin', but theys not know dat! Shhh!"

She seemed to be petrified with fear of the Necro Clanner, as well as the "others" traveling with them, whoever they were. Her fears were not unfounded; booted feet tramped past their hiding place, accompanied by voices speaking in the Clanner language.

Lona, who understood some Clann Common, whispered, "They's lookin' for yous, spreadin' out, gonna stand there 'till dey finds yous, den make you deaded. We's trapped! What we do, kin-sign?"

Lona's human allies, however, were also at a loss. "What do we do? The Clanners will find us before long, we can't just sit here until they do..." Tea whispered uncertainly, not sure what the best move was. Fighting the Clanners in their own homes didn't seem like a good idea.

"We have to fight them. There's no other way," Kaiba said softly, feeling just as frightened and uncertain as his companions but covering it by scowling even more than usual.

"But--that's so dangerous! We'll be way outnumbered!" Tea whispered back, knowing that the Clanners had a clear advantage. If everyone had been there, she would have felt safe, but with Kaiba...

"You think hiding like rats in a trap until they find us and kill us is a better idea?" Kaiba snapped, feeling very nervous himself. He knew that the Clanners, with greater numbers and a home-field advantage, would be near-impossible to beat.

Lona looked up, petrified with fear of the people who had nearly killed her and probably caused her mental instability. "Better 'urry, dey's commin' closa..."

Tea and Kaiba resolutely slid out from under the overhang and stood up; if they had to fight the Clanners, they would at least do it face-to- face and not hiding in terror. The Clanners, alert to the slightest sound, immediately spotted them and surrounded them. There were five, all with tattoos they could not identify--their markings were almost reptilian. A sixth Clanner, with Necro Clann tattoos, came to stand behind them.

Lona scurried out, hiding behind her new-found friends. "Yeek! They's drakky-masters, bad-dangerous!"

The leader of the Clanners looked at her grimly. "Indeed, you Darkling rat, we are of the Dracon Clann--Clann of the Masters of the Dragons. I am a Dragon Master, and I have come with orders to kill you. Prepare to die, human scum," he said coldly, hatred clear in his voice.

Kaiba reached into his pocket, pulling out a single card.. "Oh yeah? Just wait..." he muttered, matching the Clanners glare for glare.

The Clanners' laughter echoed around the deserted mountain. "You fool!" the leader said, seeming amused. "We have been watching you--we know that you are a dragon user. Do you really think it is an accident that the Dragon Masters have been sent to kill you? We have the ability to control dragons! Your mightiest creatures are useless! Face it, humans-- you are helpless."

"Wrong!" Tea stepped forward, also pulling out a Summon card. "We'll never give in to you!" she said bravely. If there was one thing she had learned from her friends, it was to keep fighting no matter how hopeless things seemed.

The Clanners stared at her in disbelief. A slender, graceful female Clanner stepped forward. "Surely you jest! You cannot mean to fight us, little child. We know that you are no warrior! Ah, but I see from your face that you are quite serious. Very well, then. Thunder and I shall face you in a one-on-one battle."

From behind her arose a large, scaly form. Thunder was a powerful, vividly blue dragon. Yawning slightly, as if to show his feelings about the challenger, he flapped his wings, preparing himself for a fight. Tea swallowed hard. Behind her, Kaiba and Lona were temporarily rendered speechless.

"I Summon--Luna, the moon fox!"

Luna was indeed a beautiful, creamy-colored fox with a unusually long ears and a delicate, wise face. The sight of this seemingly defenseless animal facing a gigantic dragon was too much for Kaiba.

"Are you crazy!? Do you really think that fox has any chance of defeating a dragon!?"

Tea glared at him. "Just shut up," she said angrily. Turning back to the battle, she said, "Luna, attack!"
The battle was certainly an odd one. Thunder, as a blue dragon, had the ability to emit lightning, but its attacks were rendered useless by Luna's incredibly powerful Lunar Shield. Finally, the frustrated dragon blasted the shield with all its might, causing the attack to rebound upon itself and knock it unconscious.

Thunder's master quickly recalled it, shocked and appalled. "How? HOW? How did you defeat my dragon, you human? How could a filthy, murdering human like you defeat my dragon!? HOW!?" she shouted in disbelief.

Tea sniffed disapprovingly. "Humans aren't all murderers, you know!"

The Clanner spat on the ground. "You are a human, like all humans. You have no true battle discipline," she said flatly.

Tea was about to make an angry reply, but Kaiba beat her to it. "You're the one who's pathetic. You misuse your dragon to the extent that you can't even beat a weak fox. You have no concept of its true power. You refer to yourself as a dragon master, but you fail to see that a dragon is only truly powerful when it is an equal, not a slave," he said, sounding furious himself, although much calmer than the Clanner.

Tea was so surprised to hear Kaiba, of all people, advocate teamwork in any form that she didn't even complain about his slight on Luna. The Clanner, on the other hand, was incoherent with anger. She was on the verge of attacking them in a frenzy, but the small amount of reason left to her in her rage made her instead decide to throw her lance at Kaiba instead. This probably would have achieved their goal--kill the humans-- but Lona intercepted it, snatching it her teeth in midair.

Dropping it on the ground, she said, "Shoopid drakky-masters, not got no honor, always talkin' 'bout honor, yous not 'ave it, go 'way, you's not 'urt me's frens. Go 'way!"

The Clanners, although furious at being insulted by a Darkling half- breed like Lona, did indeed leave, but not before shouting after them, "You will not survive, humans! You will be defeated!"

With that, they were gone. Tea sighed with relief. "I can't believe we survived! This is bad, you guys--more Clanns are joining the Overlord. And they're right..we won't be able to fight them off much longer..."

Lona grinned cheerfully, happy to see the Clanners leave and feeling much better about Tea. "Don't worry, a'most there, justa little more, den yous be atta shadow-monsta place. C'mon dark-moon light, c'mon kin-sign, we's go now, yeh?"

Tea grimaced. "I wish she would stop calling me that..."

Kaiba, equally frustrated, stopped. "Lona, listen to me. My name is Seto Kaiba, her name is Tea Gardner. Got it?"

Lona smiled benignly. "Se-to Kai, Tay Gar'na, dat right?"

"I suppose that will have to do," he said wearily.

With this technicality worked out, the group marched stoically on, ever nearer to their goal.