A Quick Author Note: Okay, to "BeRzErKeR" - The "little brother" thing is because Barak is filled with distain, and is still incredibly jealous of Yami, so he wants to point out as often as he can that he's the elder of the two. It's an inferiority-complex deal. And Yami just goes along with it, because he doesn't want to cause more problems.
Chapter 19
"The Third Duel: Rise of a Prince"
Barak stepped inside the Domino Museum, looking around slowly to take in all of his surroundings. The place was completely silent, and much of this level of the museum was dark, obviously shut down for the night. Many years ago, back in his real life, these conditions would have been superb for gathering rare and valuable artifacts from places such as this, but now these things shouted cautionary messages to the Egyptian. The moonlight crept through the glass doors, shining almost perfectly on a Duel Disk 2 that lay mere yards in front of him.
'I'm expected? Good…' He picked up the dueling machine on his way into the darkness of the main auditorium, his footsteps echoing all around him. The stairway at the back of the atrium would be surely the fastest way to get to the Seline woman, so he started towards it, grinning at the prospect of victory so tantalizingly close.
But before he'd reached the first step, flames shot up suddenly from the floor, encircling him at a rapid rate. As he glanced at it, annoyed, a booming laugh came drifting down from the top of the stairs. Illuminated by the flames, Barak could just make out the figure of a tall, slender dark-haired man standing in the ring of fire in front of him. It was a face that one who had spent his life watching the Palace could never have forgotten. "It can't be…Shem…?" he muttered, recognizing the Pharaoh's bodyguard immediately, "What the hell is he doing here…?"
The laugh had not come from the man inside the fire, and Barak saw another figure, this one much more bulky, approaching them both from the top of the stairs. "I'm afraid this is the end of the line, Pharaoh," the newcomer said, "You'll never make it past Level One of The Gauntlet!!"
The Spirit of the Millennium Ring chuckled softly, "Well, thank you for addressing me with my proper title. It is, after all, the right of the first born son to rule. However," He took a step forward, looking up at the large, burly man. The light of the flames made his face more clearly visible, and he watched as the man's expression turned from haughtiness to shock, "I may not be the Pharaoh that you're thinking of. You may call me Barak, Prince of Egypt!"
The shock on the man's face melted into a frown and he replied, "And you may call me Basil, the very disappointed servant of Mistress Seline. You see I was hoping for a real challenge, but the Pharaoh sends his lackeys to do his work for him, or so it seems…"
Barak clenched his fists together angrily, "I do not do my brother's bidding; I am here on my own accord! Your Mistress attempted to resurrect Lord Jetsu Maeda, a move that made no one happy, I can assure you. That man once stole the soul of my host, and for allying herself with him, Seline will meet his same fate at my hands!"
Basil's countenance darkened, "Your business with the Mistress will have to wait," he growled, "You're not going anywhere unless you can get past my slave, here." He gestured at Shem, who remained expressionless, "And with me controlling him, that task will prove quite impossible."
Barak's eyes flared dangerously, and he pushed his dueling deck into the slot, causing the life point counter to begin climbing up to 4000, "I don't care how powerful you say you are. You have absolutely no chance of defeating me in this duel! When this is over, you and your slave will both be begging me for mercy!
Basil snorted, shifting the Staff from one hand to the other, "My mistress has no business with a filthy criminal like you. And when you are defeated your mind will be added to the Gauntlet!" he pointed the Millennium Item at Shem, who's Duel Disk 2 began to power up as well, "Shem, destroy him!"
The wild-haired spirit pulled his six cards out of his duel disk (Spirit Message "H", Dark Spirit of the Silent, Spirit Reaper, Dark Door, Earthbound Spirit, Sangan), "The Millennium Mirror cannot match the powerful of my Item, especially with the spirit of such a pathetic man within it. I'll start this duel by placing one card face-down (Dark Spirit of the Silent) and one monster card in defense mode (Sangan (1000/600))."
The mind-controlled yami did not answer, but merely selected his own hand from his Duel Disk (Bottomless Shifting Sand, Pyramid Turtle, Guardian Sphinx, Pyramid Energy, Dust Tornado, Royal Keeper), "First, I'll place two cards face-down (Dust Tornado/Bottomless Shifting Sand) and summon Royal Keeper (1600/1700) in attack mode," Shem's voice was darkened by the echo that seemed to latch on to each and every word his said, displaying even more clearly than his vacant eyes and expression that his mind was obviously somewhere else for the time being. His monster appeared on the field, a decrepit zombie with tattered clothing and a long, guard's spear.
"Now, I will direct my monster's attack at your face-down card." The undead creature threw its spear forward and then leaped after it. Barak's little Sangan shattered, and the zombie retrieved its weapon.
"Thank you for activating my monster's special ability," The Spirit of the Ring told his opponent as he began to search through his deck, "It allows me to search my deck for a monster with no more than 1500 attack power." The man quickly added (Headless Knight) to his hand.
Shem did not react to this turn of event, but merely placed his hand over the Royal Keeper card and changed its position, "Before I end my turn, I will activate the first of two special abilities my creature possesses: I may flip my monster face-down into defense mode once per turn."
Barak cocked his head amused, "Interesting, but irrelevant," he said, cracking his neck in a bored manner, "No matter how you try to defend you life points you cannot defeat me." Barak picked up the next card on his deck (Death Board) and added it to his growing hand, "Now I'll set one monster face-down (Earthbound Spirit (500/2000)) and end my turn."
"Are you afraid, Thief?" basil called, from the spot where he had not moved from since the beginning of the Shadow Duel, "For all your talk you've done nothing but hide behind your monsters for this entire duel!"
The Dark Prince of Egypt growled low in his throat, but ignored the man for mow. He'd be the first to suffer after Shem was dealt with. Mind-controlled or not, Shem was just an obstacle to the Yami Spirit, "Just make your move, bodyguard."
The Millennium Mirror that had hung limply around the man's neck glowed brightly for a split second, but the glow faded just as quickly as it had come, "I draw one card (Guardian of the Throne Room)," Shem looked down at his new draw, then proceeded to place it on the playing field, "Now, I summon Guardian of the Throne Room (1650/1600) in attack mode!" A short, yellow machine with threads for its legs and small, rickety arms appeared on the field. It didn't look very threatening, until one noticed the large supply of missile strapped to the droid's back.
"Next," Shem stated, taking no time in making his moves one after the other, a bit like a machine himself, "I will flip summon my Royal Keeper back into attack position," The zombie appeared again, standing tall next to the short robot on its left. Suddenly, its stats began to climb upwards. Barak took a surprised step backwards, which made the heat around him intensify.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"When his position is changed in this manner, my Royal Keeper gains 300 extra attack and defense points, which will raise his stats to 1900/2000," Shem picked a card form his hand and placed it on the field, clicking a button on the back of the Duel Disk as he did so, "Next I activate my Dust Tornado trap card, to blow away your magical defense." He paused, letting the purple trap reveal its cyclone of wind that destroyed Barak's Dark Spirit of the Silent, "Finally, I activate Pyramid Energy, to raise my Royal Keeper's attack strength by an additional 200 points."
Basil thrust his Staff towards the slave, causing the Egyptian Eye symbol to glow even more brightly, "Royal Keeper, attack and destroy his monster," Royal Keeper repeated its last attack, crushing yet another one of Barak's monsters," Now, Guardian of the Throne Room, attack my opponent's life points directly."
The parasite of Bakura's body was slammed repeatedly with the deadly barrage of projectiles, bringing the deadly Shadow flames slowly closer, making a tighter space for Barak to work with. Barak: 2350 – Shem: 4000.
Enraged, the Thief watched as Shem switched his Royal Keeper once again, then pulled his next card violently from his deck (Pot of Greed), "I'll activate the magic card Pot of Greed!" The Egyptian tomb robber pulled an additional two cards away from the top of his deck, but stopped before he added them to his hand. His left hand had gone ice cold and his stared at his draw in honest disbelief (Slifer the Sky Dragon/Shallow Grave). Barak threw back his head and laughed, the sound filling the room.
From where he stood on the stairs, Basil snorted indignantly, "What, pray tell, is so funny? Incase you haven't noticed, you have no cards on the field. On his next turn, Shem will attack your life points again, and you will lose this duel!"
"On the contrary, I have plenty of options to insure that that little scenario your tiny brain has come up with will never occur. I hold not one, but two unstoppable forces in my hand at this very moment!" He began to place cards down on the field, one at a time, "I play the magic card Shallow Grave!" A large, pure black coffin with a cross on the top appeared on the field, it opened up to reveal a brown-backed card in face-down defense mode (Earthbound Spirit (500/2000)), "Obviously, this revives one of my monsters already lost from the graveyard. Next, I'll set one card face-down (Death Board) and another monster in defense mode (Spirit Reaper (300/200))"
"These same tactics will get you nowhere!" Basil called, "Hurry and finish this duel, Shem. We have more important people to worry about than this low-life!"
Shem did not respond, but slipped the next slick-backed card from his deck (Magic Jammer), "I set one card face-down (Magic Jammer) and set one monster in defense mode as well (Pyramid Turtle (1200/1400)). Now I'll flip my Royal Keeper up once more," Shem pointed his finger at the first of Barak's face-down cards, "Royal Keeper, attack that monster."
"You've attacked right into my Earthbound Spirit! It has 2000 defense power, so without your pathetic Pyramid Energy to power your monster, Earthbound Spirit can ward off an attack by Royal Keeper!" Barak's card revealed itself, and the two arms that seemed to be clinging to a hole in the ground caught the spear attack in midair, the thrust it right back through the zombie creature. It grunted unexpectedly, then pulled the weapon back out of its chest. Barak: 2350 – Shem: 3900.
Shem's face remained bland, and he pointed at the other face-down card. Guardian of the Throne Room released its powerful attack once more. A cloud of smoke surrounded Barak's side of the field, but when the dust and smoke cleared, a small, evil-looking undead creature clinging to a scythe remained sitting atop its card.
"How is that possible?" Basil shouted in confusion, "That monster is clearly weaker than Shem's machine!
"You're even dumber than you look, you oversized buffoon! Spirit Reaper, under no circumstances, can be destroyed as a result of battle." Barak folded his arms and began to tap his finger irritably. He was wasting time here; this duel had to end soon!
Shem flipped Royal Keeper face-down again, and gestured for Barak to take his turn.
The white-haired male smiled broadly as he clicked a button on his Duel Disk, "By ending your turn, you've triggered my trap card: Death Board!" A large Ouiji Board-type game appeared above Barak's head, the armored hand moving about to find the letter "D".
The Thief smiled at Basil's vacant gaze, "Let me explain this in a way that you might be able to understand: Each time my opponent ends his turn, I am able to add one letter to my deadly message. Once all five letters are on the field, I am granted an automatic win. Now, as Shem ends his turn, I am allowed to search for the second letter from my deck and add it to my playing field!" The hand moved again, this time locating the letter "E". Two floating messenger spirits hovered over their master, displaying plainly the beginning of the word.
"I am activating my trap card: Magic Jammer." Shem said, pressing down on a button behind his trap card. The purple trap revealed itself as a circle with magical text spinning all around it. It absorbed the little demon spirit that was displaying that letter, shrinking it down to nothingness. His duel voice was completely void of any emotion, "By discarding one card from my hand, I am able to negate the activation of your Spirit Message "E" and send it to the Graveyard." He discarded (Guardian Sphinx) from his hand, which left him devoid of cards except for those he had already placed on the dueling field.
"A good move, yes. However, that will only delay your inevitable defeat. I carry three copies of each letter needed for my message in my deck. Now, for my move," Barak looked at the card his had pulled (Change of Heart), "Perfect! I told you I have two unstoppable forces to display. My 'Death' Board is the first one, but I have yet to reveal the second to you!" He snapped the magic card into its slot, "I activate Change of Heart, to take control of your Royal Keeper!" Bakura's favorite card appeared on the field, a half-angel, half-demon creature coming forth from it.
Instantly, the Royal Keeper card disappeared and reappeared a split second later, now on Barak's side of the field. Barak's placed his two monsters in the graveyard and brought his mighty God card down on the Duel Disk, "I sacrifice all three of my monsters to summon one of the most powerful beasts in Duel Monsters. By the right of the Prince of Egypt, I call you forth Slifer the Sky Dragon (3000/3000)!" The instant he slapped the card down on its slot, the Duel Disk exploded in light and out from the card flew none other than the fierce red beast itself, snapping at the air with both mouths and roaring at the top of its lungs.
Barak raised a hand towards it triumphantly, cackling madly. On the other side of the field, Shem's Mirror was glowing once again, and his right eye was twitching. But Barak took no notice because Slifer, in finding itself not summoned be its regular master, had taken to lashing about the arena, angry and confused. "Calm down, you foolish creature!!" Barak yelled at it, "I command you to recognize your new master at once!"
Slifer turned towards him, eyes flashing dangerously, and then lowered its head quickly to his level. Barak stood completely still as the dragon circled him curiously. "The blood of the Pharaoh runs in my veins also," he told it, "I am just as worthy as he to triumph with your aid." At last, Slifer appeared satisfied and settled itself into attack position, waiting for the word to unleash its fury. "Excellent," Barak said, smirking, "Now, where was I?" He turned back towards the field and his expression changed dramatically. Across from him, Shem was writhing and moaning, clutching his head while the Egyptian Eye symbol flickered on and off of his forehead. Above them both on the stairs, Basil was looking furious, still pointing the Staff at the Pharaoh's loyal bodyguard. "Well, well, well…" Barak chuckled, "Seems the ape isn't as skilled of a mind controller as I mistook him for. Slifer, finish this duel."
The serpentine dragon opened its first mouth wide, releasing a huge white energy blast that soared across the field first blasting Guardian of the Throne Room to bits, then knocking the still struggling Shem to the floor, and finally hitting Basil square in the chest, sending him flying backwards up the stairs. As the smoke cleared, Barak watched as Shem picked himself up off the ground, looking dazed. The Eye was no longer on his forehead and his eyes were clear. He turned towards Barak and spoke his name.
"Shem?" the Spirit of the Ring inquired curiously, "I suppose it was this creature that helped bring you to your senses?" He jerked a finger upwards at where Slifer was hovering, still twisting and snarling at Shem.
"Yes…" the dark-haired man nodded, "I never thought I would be indebted to the notorious Temple Raider, yet here I am, and I must thank you for resurrecting my memories."
"I did wonder why you would be working for this Seline woman, when a bodyguard's place is normally at his master's side," Barak folded his arms once more, thoughtful now, "Before I tell you where the Pharaoh is currently located, there's still the matter of this duel." The Thief raised an eyebrow, waiting to see what Shem's decision would be.
"Yes…it does seem rather pointless now," Shem agreed, placing his hand over his deck, bringing the duel to an end. The fires that surrounded both of them flared upwards then died out, no longer fueled by the power of the Millennium Staff. He glanced up at where Basil lay, still unconscious. "We should leave now, before he wakes up."
Barak walked over to Shem slowly, placing his cards back in his dueling deck from the Duel Disk, "What do you mean, 'we'? There is no 'we', I'm afraid. This is where we part ways; I will go on to Level Two, and you are going to go out the front entrance. I expect the Pharaoh might want someone to tell him that this Seline character was taken care of."
Shem frowned, "You have not told me where I may find him."
The Prince of Egypt began to climb the stairs, moving on to the next level, "He resides in the Kame Game Shop," Barak called over his shoulder, "His host is a young boy named Yugi Moto."
The Pharaoh's bodyguard nodded and headed for the door, pausing only for a split second to glance back inside, then shook his head and continued out into the night. His loyalties were first and foremost to the Pharaoh, no matter how well the Thief could control the Gods.