Author's Note: Sorry for the slowness of the update. Our phone-lines were down for a couple of days, so we couldn't get on-line to research the cards we needed to use. But anyway, everything's going good again and here's the newest installment! And even better news - we'll be getting DSL in a few weeks, so we should never have internet problems again! Sweet, no?? Anyway, onward to the new chapter!
Chapter 36
"Final Duel, Part 2: Reign of the Jackal – Jetsu's Ultimate Beast!"
Pushing another card into his Duel Disk, Yami's voice echoed across the large chamber, "I'm going to end this duel before you get that chance, starting now: Swords of Revealing Light!" Nearly one hundred different light beams swooped down from the heavens and locked Jetsu's two monsters in place.
"This will give me three turns before you can attack, so your plan to eliminate my hand will fail!"
"Wrong!" Jetsu's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he pressed one of the buttons on his Duel Disk 2, "My destiny cannot wait, especially for your pitiful attempts to delay the inevitable, so I activate this trap: The Pyro Clock of Destiny!" A large, round, brown stone appeared out of Jetsu's trap, the numbers 1, 2, and 3 all engraved on it in the shape of a triangle and a hand like that of a clock was pointing at the 3. Without warning, the 3 erupted in violent, dancing reddish-orange flames. Both men shielded themselves from the enormous heat wave that was sent across the room and Yami turned his head away, unable to look at the brightness any more.
When the last flickers of flame had died, Yugi's panicked voice filled Yami's head, 'Yami, look at the clock!' The hand had gotten the top burned off of it and where there should have been a 3 there was just scorched stone. The damaged hand fell downward, seeming to move with great difficulty. It stopped pointing at the two, jagged, burnt edges leaving an etched 1/3 circle from the 3 to the 2.
"What? Jetsu, what is the meaning of this?"
The other duelist folded his arms, "What does it look like? Your Swords of Revealing Light aren't going to protect you from me for long, and I doubt those two turns will be enough to save you. My move now!" He pulled a card out of the Duel Disk (Spirit Reaper). Hmmm, that's one… "I move my Mysterious Guard into defense mode and end my turn."
Yami closed his eyes and drew his card. He knew that what it was even without looking, "I place one monster in defense mode (Big Shield Gardna (100/2600)) and end my turn."
"It's about the only thing that you can do." The descendant of one of Egypt's high priests selected the next card from the top of his deck (Polymerization) Two… "I end my turn, but your Swords will end with it!" The Swords disappeared weakly, and Jetsu's Mysterious Guard relaxed, while the Winged Sage Falcos continued to struggle against his bindings.
"Now, I draw!" Yami picked up the top card (Graceful Charity), "I use the magic card Graceful Charity, to draw three cards to my hand and discard two!" The Duel Disk allowed for three more cards to be taken out (Dark Magician, Monster Reborn, and Brain Control) and Yami placed his two into the graveyard (De-Spell, Dark Magician), "Next, another magic card: Monster Reborn! This card allows for me to take one monster from my graveyard and place it on the field in face-up attack or defense mode!"
Jetsu pressed one final button on his dueling machine, "It would, if not for this trap card: The Royal Oppression!" Jetsu's last face-down card flipped up, and two knights holding long, jagged spears jumped out of the card and slashed the Monster Reborn card in four uneven pieces, which shattered simultaneously.
Yami had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming in frustration! Every move he made was being countered by Jetsu! Yami! Please calm down! Yugi's voice echoed through his mind, This is exactly what Jetsu wants you to do – lose your focus! Yami sighed. Yugi was right – if he was going to defeat Jetsu, it would be more than a battle of Duel Monsters. It would be a battle of wills.
Jetsu's life points slowly decreased down to 6200, "What's the matter Pharaoh? It only took 800 life points to stop that miserable little plan of yours. Is our game really going to be this boring? Shall I end it now?"
Yami spoke loudly, masking his irritation with courage, "This duel is far from over! Now, I set one card (De-Fusion) and end my turn."
Maeda looked down at his newest pull (Nightmare Horse), "Perfect! I activate Polymerization, to fuse the Spirit Reaper and Nightmare Horse in my hand to reveal the Reaper on the Nightmare (800/600)! This is a monster so powerful that it can go through other monsters to get to your life points!" There was a rush of wind and a swelling of red flames rising out from the cracks in the stone floor. Yami pulled his cape around himself, something jogging in his memory that it had been sealed with a spell to make it flame-retardant. As the flames licked the walls and retreated into the cracks again, Yami swung his cloak back behind him once again and found himself staring up at a frightening sight.
A skeleton dressed in a purple robe was clutching a scythe in one hand and the reins of a horse in the other. The horse itself seemed to be made of pure blue energy wrapped loosely in stained linen bindings. It snorted and pawed at the floor restlessly before Jetsu snapped his fingers, ordering its attack, and it charged at Yami.
"Not so fast!" the Pharaoh cried, "I activate my magic card De-Fusion, dismantling your monster!" From the DD2 shot a jolt of lightning, striking the horse in the chest. Instantly, the monster split back into its original forms. The Spirit Reaper fell back but the Horse continued on, running straight through Yami, nearly knocking him over and lowering his life points. Yami: 6700 – Jetsu: 6200.
"A fair move, at best. My deck has much more than that to offer me than that." Jetsu move done card on his Duel Disk and Spirit Reaper switched into defense mode, "Your move."
Yami selected his next card (Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1), "I summon the Winged Dragon in attack mode (1400/1200)! Now, you have nothing to protect your pitiful Nightmare Horse from my attack: Go my dragon!" The little blue reptile spat a tremendous fireball that smashed the strange horse, burning it to a crisp. The intense heat seemed to not affect Jetsu at all, because his Millennium Shield was glowing again. Yami: 6700 – Jetsu: 5300.
The king of Egypt smirked, "For all of your talk and bragging, I'm the one who's winning this duel!"
Jetsu snorted, "Believe what you want," He picked up his next card and placed it on the field, "Pot of Greed…" Without waiting to see the Pharaoh's reaction, his Duel Disk pushed out another two cards to him (Mystical Knight of Jackal and Offerings to the Doomed), "First, my magic card Offerings to the Doomed, to eliminate your Big Shield Gardna."
A table appeared in front of Jetsu, many different bottles and other objects all placed around a book in the center. The book opened and Yami's monster was sucked inside the pages, now merely a memory. Jetsu picked up another card from his hand, "Now I sacrifice my useless Winged Sage Falcos and my worthless Mysterious Guard to summon the almighty Mystical Knight of Jackal (2700/1200)! Your end is at hand!"
The room shook and down from the ceiling dropped a creature that looked to Yami like Anubis in true physical form. The creature had the head of a jackal and the body of a well-built man. Short brown fur covered him and he was dressed in silver Egyptian armor and headdress, with a deep blue cape draped over his shoulders. His eyes were small and black as beetles and he surveyed the Pharaoh silently after he touched down on the ground.
"What kind of monstrosity have you created?" Yami demanded of Jetsu, who was smiling savagely.
"This is the monster that will be your downfall Yami. I guarantee it! Nothing can defeat my all-powerful Jackal!" Jetsu took a step forward, standing only about a foot from the creature, "For you see, this monster exploits a weakness that exists in every deck, even yours!"
Yami's eyes narrowed slightly, "I don't believe you; No monster could be that powerful!"
"You'll see what I mean." Jetsu thrust his Sword forward quickly, its red glow making the Mystical Knight of Jackal seem menacing and dangerous, "Jackal, attack!" The beast disappeared in the blink of an eye. And was nowhere to be seen.
Yami glanced around the arena as a touch of panic shot through him. 'Where'd it go??' Yugi voiced what was racing through both their minds. There was a rush of air beside Yami and an instant later a horrible burning pain burst in his right shoulder!
The Jackal had appeared beside them, thrusting its spear-like weapon towards the Winged Dragon. The blow had severed the blue beast's head completely, while also putting a fairly good sized graze across Yami's right shoulder in the process. The Pharaoh stumbled to one side, clutching his wound and panting with pain. Jetsu's cold laugh filled the chamber.
"That was but a sample, Pharaoh. Unfortunately, my monster does not have the power to kill you right here and now. Trust me though, you will die." The Jackal leaped into the air and landed in front of his master, kneeling.
Yami stumbled several steps backward, bumping into the chilly stone wall behind him, taking in sharp, ragged breaths.
"How fitting," Jetsu spoke up, mockingly, "But perhaps you should see for yourself why." He twisted his wrist quickly and snapped his fingers. The chamber flooded with light, causing Yami to blink several times in surprise.
The now-illuminated walls were full of the ancient scriptures. He gazed around at them, blinking back tears of pain as he tried to read them. He caught his own name several times as well as many others he didn't know. He pushed himself off of the wall, and turned around, wondering numbly why Jetsu thought it had been fitting that he had stopped to lean against that particular part of the wall.
The blood from his open shoulder had smeared where he had been leaning and he realized at once what Jetsu found so amusing. The hieroglyphics dripping with his blood told the story of his death in his first life.
Before Yami could begin to read the long story, he heard the dark voice again, "Now is not the time to dwell on the past, King Yami. I believe that you should be more concerned with your new death. Two for the price of one isn't too bad now is it? Only fourteen years old; My, so young. He never even had a chance, did he?"
Yami whipped back around, tearing a strip of cloth off of his cape and quickly wrapping his shoulder. Jetsu was right – Yugi was the one who was going to end up worst for all of this, it was his body. He just had to come up with something, for the boy's sake if not for the world's. He inhaled deeply, trying to slow his heart rate and the rate of blood flowing from his wound. "I know your tricks now, Maeda," he said slowly, "And they won't work on me again. My host and I are going to be the ones who walk from this tomb alive, I can assure you of that."
"I tell you again, I assure the opposite. Just look at your Duel Disk."
Yami's eyes darted down to his Duel Disk, where the points were counting down. Yami: 5400 – Jetsu: 5300. "So? My life points are still higher!"
The descendant of the High Priest of Egypt shook his finger, reprimanding the Pharaoh sardonically, "But what about your monster? Looks like he didn't survive the blast. Don't worry though, you'll be seeing him again soon enough."
Puzzled, Yami drew his card as his turn began and was surprised to find the Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress as his newest card. "What the –??" he stammered.
"Confused?" Jetsu said, "I'm not surprised. When a monster is destroyed by the Mystical Knight of Jackal it is instantly placed at the top of its deck. You can play it again if you like, but it will only be a repeat of last turn. Or you can choose to play nothing at all, and risk a head-on attack by my monster…"
'Yugi, I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do. He's got me in a lock!'
The voice in his head sounded terrified, but Yugi had obviously tired to put on a brave face, 'I understand. Let's hope that next turn we get something worth using, or we're done for!'
Yami turned to face Jetsu, "I choose to end my turn without playing any cards."
The man raised an eyebrow, "So, you choose to face my monster, even knowing now what awaits you? Your false act of bravery can't fool me. I see the fear in your eyes: you know that this next hit brings your little friend one step closer to the tomb. And there's nothing you can do about it."
Jetsu snapped his fingers again and the Jackal vanished, only to reappear seconds later in front of Yami. With one quick movement, he let his elbow collide with the Pharaoh's skull, sending him sprawling onto the ground. Yami sat up slowly, his head feeling like it had split in two. Yami: 2700 – Jetsu: 5300.
"Did you like that my lord? Knowing that you're letting down everyone? While you sit there on your ass and feel sorry for yourself, those you call 'friends' are down below us," he pointed his finger downward, grinning insanely, "bleeding to death. When their bodies go, so will their spirits. Of course, some spirits will have the pleasure of dieing before that happens."
He waved a hand and out of the floor behind him rose a large stone cross, and Yami gasped, choking a bit on the blood in his mouth. Chained to the cross, in a torn and dirty white dress, head hung, ebony hair covering her face, was…
"Dedi!!!" Yami cried, feeling the anger and fear rise that he had worked so hard to suppress rise to the surface once again as he watched his wife's motionless spirit hang by gold chains on the stone cross.
At his voice, she raise her head slightly, brown eyes bleary. "…Yami…?" she said softly, "…is that you…?"
"What has he done to you?!" the Pharaoh demanded.
"I have done nothing," Jetsu hissed menacingly, "Yet. Perhaps that should change!" He snapped his fingers and the Mystical Knight of Jackal turned around, slowly starting towards the battered-looking Queen.
"NOOOO!!!!!!!!" Yami cried, his Millennium Puzzle bursting with light and sending a surge of brilliant golden energy flying towards the beast.
Jetsu side-stepped quickly, and held up the Millennium Shield and allowing the blast from the Puzzle to impale it. He dropped the Sword down to his feet in concentration, sweat now forming tiny beads on his bald scalp, "Your Puzzle may be your most powerful creation Yami, but this Item holds the power of 4 Items, the souls of your friends, and the magic of your grandson!" The man shouted over the deafening clash of the two Millennium Items. He snapped his fingers again and the monster stopped several inches away from its target.
Yami's Puzzle faded back to its normal color and he stood, panting and staring at Jetsu in confusion. "The magic of my…grandson…?" he repeated, remembering vaguely the writings on the door outside the chamber.
Dedi had moved her eyes away from the Jackal, that was still staring at her hungrily. "What is he talking about, Yami…?" she asked, "What grandson…?"
"It seems there are things in our past that were hidden even from you, Dedi…" Yami called to her, "If Jetsu is telling the truth, which I have no reason to doubt at the moment…the Pharaoh responsible for the new Millennium Items was a…descendent of ours…"
"But…that would mean…" Dedi's voiced trailed off.
"It does," Interrupted Jetsu abruptly, "On my door are the carvings of his last writings. He died at the age of seventeen, a stupid, wide-eyed boy. He never even saw it coming. My ancestor, Jetsu the first, saw to that."
He raised the Shield and the room misted over once again as now all three of them were allowed to view the ancient history as spectators…
* * *
Alone up in the high sanctuary atop the palace of the kings, 17 year-old King Yami III was on his knees, beseeching the gods to grant him strength. But the voices of the venerable guardians of Egypt did not reach his ears. All he could hear was the crackle of the torches that lit the chamber and the muffled sounds of the siege ravaging the city around him. The young Pharaoh raised his piercing blue eyes to the shrine on the wall in front of him, gazing longingly at the painting of his grandfather, the great King Yami II, most powerful man to ever rule his country.
Staring up at his ancestor, Yami III felt despair well up within him and turned his eyes to the floor, too ashamed of the disaster to which he had led his people to face his grandfather any longer. Instead he let his gaze fall upon the seven pieces of gold lying on the floor before him.
The mirror, once belonging to his mother, still shone brightly despite the crack in the glass.
Beside that were the earrings that his 18 year-old wife, Gehazi, had given to him to use. Her beauty and kindness seemed to radiate off of the tiny gold orbs with a hypnotic effect.
Next in line was the staff, thin but durable, that had been crafted for his father when he had come to the throne through marriage.
The sword and shield his chief priests had had fashioned for him to use to help his people rise up against the ever-increasing threat of the Greeks were lying directly in front of the young king. It seemed almost a mockery to use them, but this decision had been so short notice that there wasn't time to fashion all new objects like they had done in the past.
A few inches over was the golden cat statue that had been crafted to join him in his tomb as a guide to the underworld. Its jade eyes seemed almost lifelike as he stared at it.
Finally was the hourglass that had stood in the main chamber, used to time duels and other events of competition. Inscribed with ancient legends of time travel, the white grains of sand within the glass swirled to a fro of its own accord.
These would be his legacy, his last stand, his final chance to live up to the name of his grandfather – his new Millennium Items. Yami III bowed so low his crowned forehead touched the floor, as he felt the desolation overwhelm him. 'Grandfather, please…don't let me be a failure…' he begged silently, 'I don't know what to do anymore…I don't want to let our people down…Help me protect them…'
The door to the chamber opened, the sound filling the virtually silent chamber only for a second before it swung closed again. The King of Egypt didn't break his concentration on the prayer until a hand came down and rested on his shoulder softly, a kindly voice following suit, "My Lord, don't despair. You are making a wise decision. I'm sure that your grandfather would be proud."
Yami III raised his head. His trusted servant, his highest priest Jetsu Maeda was smiling at him. "Thank you," he said, sitting up, "I'm ready to begin. Just tell me what to do."
"Well, first you have to stand up, my lord." Jetsu offered him his hand, using the other to straighten the teen's crown again.
Yami III took his hand and stood up, feeling comforted being in the presence of his old friend. He swallowed hard, "And now what?"
Jetsu closed his eyes for a moment, touching Yami III with two fingers on his left hand to the young man's forehead, "Focus on your energy, sir. Draw it to the surface. Then leave the rest to me."
Yami III nodded, and closed his eyes. Slowly, as his face contorted with the effort, the ancient Egyptian eye began to glow on his forehead.
The Millennium Eye also began to glow on Jetsu's head, though his eyes were once again open and the color of his symbol was a deep, blood red. A golden aura began to emit from around the Pharaoh, taking the revealed ancient magics that were a part of his heritage and beginning to places them within the assorted Items.
Yami III could feel the sweat beading on his face as he felt his strength begin to leave him. "Jetsu…" he said, "How near are we to being finished?"
"Close now. Close…" the voice was colder, harsher sounding. Not the voice that Yami III had come to know from his childhood, "I believe that only the Shield has yet to take its share of the magic."
The young king nodded, but he felt his knees begin to buckle underneath him. Fatigue was enveloping him, and he began to wonder if this would not be happening if only he were stronger…like Yami II… "Jetsu…" he panted, "I feel…so weak…is this supposed to happen…?"
"Yes, but probably not from your perspective. This was supposed to happen for seventeen years ago. But your dear, fool of a mother managed to prolong what is most definitely the inevitable." The Millennium Eye began to burn black on Jetsu's forehead, and the magic removal spell increased vastly in strength.
A burning pain tore through Yami III's forehead and his stunning blue eyes snapped open, tearing. "Jetsu!" his cried, seeing for the first time the maddening glint in the man's eyes and the black aura that surrounded them both, "What are you doing?!?"
"What I was meant to do!!" Jetsu said cruelly, "Your family was never worthy to hold the royal title of Egypt." He raised his right hand, the Millennium Shield now glowing fiercely behind them as it gained power, "And I will prove it for the final time now," his hand glowed the same black as the aura around them, "Goodbye, stupid boy!"
The surge of black magical energy that Jetsu fired at poor Yami III blew the wall behind the boy clear off, letting in a rush of the smoggy night air. What remained of the body couldn't really be called that anymore, as there were merely bits and tatters of cloth surrounded by a pool of blood on the floor in front of the high priest.
The man sighed and wiped the sweat off of his forehead, slowly walking over to the Items and retrieving the Millennium Shield. 'It is quite a nice fit, actually,' the man mused to himself, as he slid it onto his arm. Then the slightest sound reached his ears – the muted grinding of a stone door and hurried soft-soled footsteps beyond the door.
"Gehazi," he said and, grabbing the Sword as well, tore out of the room. He caught a glimpse of the young woman's long blonde hair as she disappeared around the corner, "Gehazi!" He roared and began to run, but after only one step two other white-robed men had blocked his path.
"Jetsu? What's going on? What's happened?" the first asked, the voice firm and commanding.
"And why do you have that Shield?" followed the second, this one nervous and with a voice slightly high for a middle-aged man.
*
Shouts echoed down the corridor as Gehazi's slippers pounded along the floor, but she ignored them. Her mind was ablaze and tears were streaming out of her purple eyes. Her beloved husband was gone and on top of that the palace was under siege. An explosion erupted that shook the whole corridor and she didn't have time to stop and wonder where it had come from. She heard voices crying out in what she could only guess was Greek and saw the shadows of a storm of men rise up along the wall around the next corner.
She turned and fled down a different path, realizing too late that she was too upset to remember where she was or how to get out. She kept running blindly until a hand shot out from nowhere and grabbed her. She tried to scream, but a second hand clamped down over her mouth. She glanced at her captor and nearly fainted with relief.
A woman about her age with wild white hair and blue eyes was smiling grimly at her. It was Delilah, a servant girl who had worked in the palace since she was small. "I'm glad I found you, your majesty," she whispered, "Come, quickly, we have to get out. The invaders have already stormed the main hall." Releasing the Queen's arm and taking her by the hand instead, Delilah lead Gehazi down to the servant's exits. After a few minutes of stumbling in the dark, with the young Queen's stifled sobs as the only sound, they emerged into the fire lit streets of the city.
Delilah moved to keep going, but Gehazi held back. The servant turned to see the Queen fall to her knees, becoming violently ill on the dirt ground. "M'lady, please," the white-haired girl said, kneeling down beside her, "I know all this running isn't good for the baby, but we must leave before the invaders realize they haven't captured you yet."
Gehazi looked up, bleary eyed and bewildered, "B-baby…??" she coughed, "How do you…? What makes you think…?"
"You've been showing the signs for a few weeks now," Delilah said, "But we must hurry now. We can discuss more once we're safely away from the city." With that, the two women disappeared into the madness of the city, making their way towards the Nile, and safety.
* * *
The images faded away and Yami found himself standing on the stone floor of the dueling arena again, fists clenched, seething with anger. The young Pharaoh…his grandson had reminded him too much of his young counterpart. Having to watch the boy's murder was almost like watching Yugi being destroyed, and it brought on the realization of how unable to forgive himself he would be if something like that were to repeat itself.
"I have always admired my ancestors flare for style. Did you like my little presentation? However, he made one mistake," Jetsu bent down and picked up the Sword again, leaning against it casually, "He let the boy's wife escape, which led all the way down the line to our situation here. You have a body, one with the blood of a Pharaoh that runs through its veins. I'm going to finish the job here and now Yami!" Jetsu was yelling now, pointing angrily now, "Once my jackal destroys the rest of your life points, he's going to finish off the last dirty drops of blood left in your line!"