Author's Introduction:
Sorry for the delay...things have been a little odd lately. Hope everyone enjoyed the interlude, but now it's back to business. What's Shadi been up to?...
Oh yeah...
**
Chapter Twelve, Eighteenth Duel: Monster
Everyone's a rock star
Look how cool and dark you are!
Oh what's become of me now?
I want to go another round
I want to blow the monster down
I want to go another round
Cause I am coming up
I am coming back
(Monster)
(Abandoned Pools)
**
Dark Yami stood transfixed as the glowing lights moved closer and closer like underwater swimmers. Something's down there...
In the time it took Dark Yami to realize that it was in her best interests to get away, the thing had crawled its way nearly to the rooftop. Dark Yami skittered backwards on her heels, eyes wide. There's no such thing...there's no such thing as...
Like huge, razor-sharp lightning, two clawed hands burst through the concrete and seized her as if she were a rag doll. There's no such thing as a—
"—Monster!!" Yami shrieked, struggling. "Let go! Let go of me!"
Like a terrible fish, something was rising from the depths of the fissure in the rooftop. The two glowing lights became horrible yellow eyes perched atop a snout full of jagged teeth. Ribbons of saliva dripped from the jaws and pooled on the concrete before the mouth gaped over Dark Yami's head.
"She who is well-versed in the ancient scriptures will remember Ammit, the devourer of the dead?" Shadi teased, his voice far away and dulled by the rising wind. "There is only one way to escape her mighty jaws—and that is to win! Concentration or death!" he roared.
"This isn't real," Dark Yami almost sobbed as the clawed hands raised her higher and higher above the concrete rooftop. "Its teeth are sharp and its breath is bad, but it isn't real!" A hysterical chuckle escaped her.
Shadi nodded solemnly. "That is correct. The beast that holds you, Ammit, is not 'real' in the way you use the word."
Dark Yami seemed to relax slightly despite the claws that gripped her, but the feeling was not to last as Shadi continued to explain.
"But real or illusion, when you feel her teeth bite you, you will die," Shadi warned, "and Ammit will consume your soul!" The tall man snickered. "The last meal she had was the soul of the museum owner, not long ago. She must be ravenous indeed tonight!..."
Dark Yami went limp in surprised realization. "You! You killed Kanekura!!"
"And the same fate will befall you if you do not clear this stage and dispel the illusion of Ammit!" Shadi warned, not even bothering to deny it. "Allow me to explain the rules!"
The clawed hands raised Dark Yami higher, crucifying her against the night sky. This gave her a perfect view of nine stone plates that suddenly appeared on the rooftop before her, flipping over like thick stone cards. "Oh, great, now what?!"
"Do you recall the game 'Concentration'?" Shadi called from his place on the rooftop. "You spread out a deck of playing cards and attempt to turn over matching numbers, one at a time. These stone plates have matching pictures on the reverse side."
"Apparently counting isn't one of your skills!" Dark Yami spat. "There are nine plates, brain trust! You need an even number to have pairs!"
Shadi chuckled. "You're right. There is one extra plate in the middle. In this game, you don't have to match pairs. All you have to do is name the picture etched on the center plate. However...you are not allowed to turn over even one of the nine stone plates!"
"That's not fair!" Dark Yami argued, arms still stretched between heaven and hell.
"Did I mention you have five minutes to answer?" Shadi purred.
Dark Yami growled at him.
"Let me tell you the key to the puzzle. Those stone plates are a mirror of Ammit!" Shadi called. "Now shake off your fear and tell me what the picture on the center plate is! Remember, a mirror of Ammit!"
"No, thanks! One of this ugly is enough!" Dark Yami cried, but Shadi could see her brows furrow as her mind clicked into gear.
A mirror of the monster, Dark Yami thought, but it was a bad plan. Immediately the idea of that beast staring into her own face set her pulse to racing.
Tears welled up in her violet eyes. It's not fair! There aren't enough clues to solve the puzzle, and I don't know the answer! I can't even think straight! I'm too scared!!
And with that admission of weakness, no matter how silent, one of the ushebti cracked, beginning to crumble. Dark's Yami's eyes flickered wildly over to the tiny statues tied to the Key. No! No! If I show any weakness, Jii-san will fall! There are three ushebti left!
She gritted her teeth. I'll save him if I have to die!
**
Joey was getting really tired of running.
His Air Muscles skidded on the tiled floor as a dead end rushed to meet him. Wuh-oh!...
Spinning on his heel, he turned to face the zombie professor still in pursuit. Huffing and puffing, Joey held his hands up to form a "t". "Okay! Hold it! Red light! Time out!"
And just like that, the zombie stopped.
Joey blinked. Holy cow! It worked! Rubbing his hands on his jeans, he sighed. "All right, zombo! I'm a man, and I ain't gonna run anymore! Let's finish this! Follow me..." Pushing open the nearest classroom door, he headed inside, turning over his shoulder to make sure the zombie was following. Joey chuckled. "I'm gonna beat you fair and square..."
With a sudden dive and roll, he had the room's fire extinguisher in his hands and was aiming at the professor. "And in my fights, 'fair and square' means 'anything goes'! Fire extinguisher attack!" he crowed like a video-game hero.
The spray startled the professor, but he quickly surged forward and batted the extinguisher out of Joey's hands.
Looking around wildly, Joey saw a way to escape. "Going out the window, sorry I can't stay!" he called, diving through the window in a rain of glass, with only the curtains keeping him from falling three floors down.
But someone was up even higher, Joey noticed out of the corner of his eye. A man he knew...
Sugoroku Motou was balanced on a wooden plank, high above Joey's head. He was standing still as stone and would fall just like one if that plank broke—
Gramps?? Joey realized. What's he doing up there?
A groan called his attention back to the third floor window as he scrabbled for purchase on the sill. The professor was leering out at him.
"Oh, crap, ya gotta be kidding!" Joey yelled in exasperation.
**
"Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit," Dark Yami growled in exasperation, dangling from the monster's claws.
"One minute left," Shadi called almost boredly.
Pairs, pairs, Dark Yami thought quickly. So the one in the middle doesn't match. When I look in a mirror, what do I see? I see me...
A vision was pressed into her mind—a mirror of herself with two crimson eyes, staring back balefully...two crimson eyes...
"Pairs!" she gasped. "Pairs. The monster's reflection has two eyes...and ears, and hands..."
Dark Yami almost chuckled wildly. The answer was right there, gaping over her, promising death! "Mouth!" she cried. "The monster only has one mouth! That's the center piece!"
And just like before, the illusion dispelled in a swirl of wind and smoke. Dark Yami was dropped unceremoniously to the rooftop as soon as the claws lost their shape. With a small cry, she lay crumpled on the stone.
"Had enough?" Shadi asked, smirking. "You are beginning to impress me."
"I couldn't be happier," Dark Yami muttered, cheek pressed to the concrete, eyes fluttering closed. "Congratulate me, I've impressed the psycho."
"But this is the final stage!" Shadi said.
"Hurraaayyyyyy," Dark Yami muttered tiredly, not moving.
"Get up and face it if you dare—the most difficult of all challenges thus far!"
"How did I know you were going to say that?" Dark Yami groaned, hauling herself to her feet. A soldier in ripped black nylons and a dark dress, she shrugged the past exhaustion off and faced the tall man, who watched with the endless patience of one who had seen the tomb.
**
Author's Notes:
This chapter's musical reference is honorific to Abandoned Pools, who were the first opening act I ever saw that didn't suck. Rarely do I wear CDs out, but that one got a lot of play and I'm grateful it still works!
Other than that, even I don't find a whole hell of a lot that's interesting about this chapter (and I wrote it), because it's really a transition chapter to develop the story before next chapter. So basically this author's note is just me begging my readers to forgive me for how long it took to update and to please please keep reading because next chapter it's really going to get interesting again, I promise.
Really. ::smiles::