Sakakku
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Notes: All Duel Monsters, Magic, and Trap cards mentioned here are real, although their abilities may be twisted a little to accommodate the different kind of dueling.
Also, two different people gave suggestions- hobbitfeet13(via review) and Mamono(via e-mail)- that I managed to combine into one. You won't realize what I mean 'till chapter… oh, ten or so, but thanks for the input guys. XD
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Chapter 5
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The second village Yami and Yugi had stumbled across had the same dismal appearance as the first, with one noticeable difference.
"It's huge," Yugi breathed, looking around from under his cloak. "How are we supposed to find out anything here, when we don't even know what we're looking for?"
Yami hesitated, scanning the perimeter. "Perhaps we should split up," he finally suggested, though he hated to do so. He didn't want to leave his hikari alone in this awful place, but time was growing short and more information was necessary.
"Okay," Yugi agreed quietly after a moment. "You're right. We have to." He hesitated: "We probably shouldn't have the mindlink, either."
Yami exhaled. "I'm glad you brought that up, Yugi," he said solemnly. "It was a mistake to use our mental connection before. I think Bakura and Marik may have felt it."
Yugi sniffled a little, and Yami glanced down in alarm to make sure his hikari was okay. "I'm fine," Yugi said, anticipating the question. "Can we meet back here when the sun goes down?"
"Yes," Yami assured. "Come here, and be careful, okay hikari?"
"Of course," Yugi said, turning his head to reward his yami with a beaming smile. "See ya!" With those parting words, he scampered off into the streets, leaving Yami to stare after him in mild astonishment. Yugi's uplifted spirit never failed to amaze him, and he wandered into the town with somewhat of a dreamy expression.
Unfortunately, it was this distraction that caused him to nearly walk right into a pair of Rare Hunters: a short, fat one and a taller, skinnier one. He and Yugi had seen a Rare Hunter in the first village as well: they were guards, to keep the people in line and to keep the people broke, it appeared, seeing as the Rare Hunters claimed most of the good food and water and cheated the people daily.
The Rare Hunters turned to sneer at him, and Yami's throat closed. "Umbra and Lumos!" he snarled out, before he realized what he had done. Ra-damnit! How was he supposed to save the world when he make stupid, careless errors like this? RA-DAMNIT!
"Eh?" Lumos, the fat one, asked, a bit puzzled. He peered into the shadowy depths of Yami's cloak, trying to see his face. "I don't recognize you around here. Are you from across town?"
"Y-yes," Yami said, trying to disguise his voice. He shot a wary look at Umbra. The guard had apparently caught a quick glimpse of his crimson eyes, because Umbra's face was narrowing in recognition, then widening in shock.
While Yami was trying to come up with a good lie, Umbra's arm shot out. He jerked his head back, but Umbra wasn't aiming for the hood. With an alarming speed that Yami had not predicted, he shoved the folds of the cloak aside to reveal the gleaming Millennium Puzzle. His narrow lips twisted in an evil smirk, and Lumos's pudgy jaw dropped.
"Well, well, well…" Umbra drawled, casually reaching for his deck. "How… interesting. The Pharaoh… right here." Lumos glanced up at his counterpart, then reached for his own deck.
I'm outnumbered, Yami realized, even as he whipped his deck out and reached for the first card. Heart of the Cards, guide me, he prayed, and held the card aloft.
The summoning happened incredibly swiftly, and Celtic Guardian landed on the ground with a hard thump. He planted both feet firmly on the ground and raised his sword menacingly. Yami felt a fierce joy rise in his heart- his first duel in so long, and he was spoiling for a fight.
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When Mai had left the house, she'd been wearing a dark scarf over her head, but after a while she angrily flung it off. Ra damn her if she'd let those Rare Hunters subdue her. She was still wearing her pink long-sleeved blouse, but she unbuttoned the top a bit and rolled up her black skirt to show some leg, tossing her head proudly and letting her hair settle into wild curls. Even these simple actions helped her feel like her old self again- confident, possibly arrogant, strong, brash, and ready.
Too bad there was no action to be ready for.
So she simply strolled down the streets. She often took walks to clear her head, to see what was happening in the village. On these walks, she left Serenity at home to protect her.
Mai headed down a side street and emerged into a plaza. Strangely enough, it was empty. She pursed her lips and spun in a circle. Where was everyone? A chill ran up her spine; something had apparently scared them off. She took two steps forward, then leapt back with a shriek. A broadsword came flipping through the air and fell in the dirt at her feet. She glanced up, eyes huge, when she saw the owner of the sword go sailing through the air after it. The bruised and bloody body of the Celtic Guardian crumpled into a defeated pile a few yards away. As Mai watched in horror, the Duel Monster Shining Abyss leapt on top of the Celtic Guardian and slashed at it with round, disgusting fingers. Celtic Guardian let out a moan that was horrible to hear, then dissolved quickly into the air. When she turned to look at the sword, it was gone.
Moving into sight now was a giant dragon: the Duel Monster, Curse of Dragon. It was being harassed by Grand Tiki Elder, who kept throwing dark bolts at it. Curse of Dragon was dodging easily, but Shining Abyss ran away from its beaten victim and began leaping at it, always falling to roll back on its round bottom and leaping again.
"Feral Imp!" a voice bellowed, and Mai spun around to see a hooded figure, backing away from two Rare Hunters, moving toward the battle. The hooded man lifted a card aloft, and the green figure of the Feral Imp leapt out and landed on Curse of Dragon's back. "Help out my monster!"
Feral Imp slashed at Shining Abyss the next time it leapt up, and the light monster fell back with a piteous shriek.
Feral Imp's attack is lower than Shining Abyss, Mai noted absently. I suppose Shadow Realm dueling depends on the monster itself, not some assigned stats. I think I like that… almost separate from her mind, her right hand snuck over to her left wrist. Then she hesitated: this wasn't her battle. She couldn't afford to get involved in something that might blow her cover: she had Serenity to think about!
As she watched, one of the Rare Hunters, Umbra, pulled out another card from his deck. "Doma, the Angel of Silence!" he called, and a winged beast appeared. It was a horrible sight, and Mai glanced away a moment, although she swiftly looked back. Doma flapped its wings and soared over Curse of Dragon, whapping Feral Imp across the head with its staff. Mai gritted her teeth and forced her hands to stay by her side. This stranger was losing, and badly.
The hooded man was reaching for another card when he turned his head slightly and caught sight of her. "Mai?" his voice echoed in disbelief.
Her eyes widened slightly and she took a step forward, but while the man's back had been turned Doma had knocked Feral Imp off of Curse of Dragon's back. With a shriek, Feral Imp tumbled to the ground, and Shining Abyss dove after it, landing right in front of the man and causing him to stumble backwards. The motion in turn made the hood slip off the man's face, and Mai caught sight of him for the first time in a year. "Yami!" The name slipped off her tongue and she wondered where it had come from. Wasn't this Yugi Moto? And then she remembered the story that Joey had recited to her in quick, panting breaths before he was taken away and locked up, and she escaped with Serenity. And then she remembered the dreams… This was Yugi's Other Half. "Yami!" she called again.
Yami jumped back, away from the scuffle between Feral Imp and Shining Abyss, and cast his cloak away. "Yes," he said grimly, staring at his two opponents. Umbra and Lumos smirked back, and Mai felt her blood boiling. The two Rare Hunters shifted their gaze to the battle, and Mai and Yami turned in unison.
Feral Imp had landed in an inconvenient position, and was being attacked relentlessly by Shining Abyss. Curse of Dragon appeared to be trying to fly to its rescue, but it was impossible with Doma attacking from the air and Grand Tiki Elder still firing bolts of black magic from the ground.
"Two against one," Mai said, drawing all attention to her again. She stared frostily at Umbra and Lumos, then looked pointedly at the battle. "And three against two. Kindly allow me to even the score." Deftly, she pushed back the sleeve of her blouse, revealing her dueling deck, strapped down firmly. Without looking at the cards, she drew from somewhere in the middle, trusting her deck. "Meet my Amazon Archer!" she called in triumph as the young Amazon appeared, bow and arrows in hand and shrieking a bloody battle cry. Amazon Archer immediately began to rain arrows upon Doma. At the same moment, Curse of Dragon unleashed a stream of magic that knocked Grand Tiki Elder to the side, and swooped down to bite into Shining Abyss. Curse of Dragon carried Shining Abyss high into the air, then dropped it heavily. Feral Imp had jumped up and recovered, and attacked Shining Abyss as soon as it hit the ground. With an agonizing shriek, Shining Abyss disappeared.
"Noooo!" Lumos shrieked, pudgy face twisting up angrily. "Oh, you will pay, girl. And you'll be punished as well! It's illegal for you to be carrying a dueling deck!"
"Tell that to my Amazoness Swords Woman!" Mai responded, already reaching for her next Duel Monster. Amazoness Swords Woman appeared in a battle crouch beside Amazon Archer, brandishing her weapon menacingly.
"As for me, I'll summon a monster that will take down your Amazoness with ease!" Lumos responded in a tight screech. "The Immortal of Thunder, I call upon you!"
As the angry red-eyed Monster laughed evilly, Mai felt a chill run down her back. This had less to do with the appearance of the blue-skinned The Immortal of Thunder than the way she felt the Shadow Magic hovering around Lumos and Umbra grow in intensity. She glanced at Yami for reassurance, but his face had darkened. "What is it?" she asked nervously.
"The Immortal of Thunder," he responded. "When it is Summoned, their Shadow Magic will become more powerful. It will be easier for them to summon monsters as well as intensifying their monsters attack."
"Oh…" Mai breathed, shooting a look at her ferocious Amazoness Swords Woman for reassurance.
"But on the other side," Yami continued, "when The Immortal of Thunder is destroyed, they will suffer a severe blow to their Shadow Magic, resulting in a lower level of magic than before, even. Umbra and Lumos must be counting on a swift victory if they played this Monster."
"Oh, it'll be a swift victory all right," Mai said grimly. "And it'll be ours! Attack, Amazon Archer! Fire your arrows at The Immortal of Thunder!"
Amazon Archer obeyed immediately- but the arrows stopped in mid-flight. The Immortal of Thunder had merely raised his trident. Amazon Archer stepped back a bit, as if frightened. Amazoness Swords Woman raised her sword, preparing for battle.
And then The Immortal of Thunder waved his trident once, and the arrows flew directly into Feral Imp. The Monster had no time to cry before it disappeared, and Yami was left shocked.
Lumos let out a shrill laugh, and Umbra grinned. "I'd say it's my turn, now," he said mockingly, holding his chosen card aloft. "Zombyra the Dark!" He let out a chortle: "That was easy!"
Zombyra the Dark appeared on the battlefield, and Mai's Amazonness Swords Woman immediately leapt into battle. Zombyra blocked the sword blows with dark magic easily, and their battle moved out into the deserted space of the plaza. Amazon Archer followed, but at a distance, hitting Zombyra whenever it had a chance.
"I summon Mystical Elf!" Yami roared, holding the card aloft. Mystical Elf came shimmering down from the sky, chanting softly. Mai glanced over and saw Yami placing the Book of Secret Arts underneath the Mystical Elf's Card, lending the Magic Card's power to his Monster.
"Mystical Elf!" Yami continued. "I call upon you to lend your power to my Curse of Dragon! Give it the strength to defeat its opponents!"
Curse of Dragon, locked in battle once again with Doma from the sky and Grand Tiki Elder from the land, heard the call. It gave its customary dragon screech, then swooped to one side. Mystical Elf's chanting grew to new levels, and Mai and Yami felt the sweet music wash over them; and then Mystical Elf was gone, forming a stream of golden light that went directly into Curse of Dragon. Curse of Dragon screeched again, and shot a ball of magic at Doma, the Angel of Silence. Doma fell from the sky, hit the ground, disappeared. Umbra gaped in shock.
Next, Curse of Dragon turned on Grand Tiki Elder. "Remember Mystical Elf!" Yami yelled in encouragement, and Curse of Dragon began a physical assault to counter Grand Tiki Elder's dark magic bursts.
The Amazons were still locked in battle with Zombyra the Dark. Neither side was giving in. Amazoness Swords Woman pursued with her sword blows, despite that they were being blocked by Zombyra's swift hands and strong magic. Amazon Archer kept shooting arrows, despite the fact that Zombyra easily brushed them off.
"To take on The Immortal of Thunder," Mai called, "I'll summon Amazoness Paladin! And," she added smugly, "Amazoness Paladin gains a power boost from both my Amazon Archer and Amazoness Swords Woman."
The blonde warrior was summoned, raising her arms in triumph as power flowed into her body. She leapt high in the air and landed in front of The Immortal of Thunder, hitting it once on the head with her staff before The Immortal of Thunder regained its composure and defended with its own staff.
Yami and Mai moved to stand side by side and watched the three separate battles. "Something will give," Yami muttered. "The power won't stay balanced for long."
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Notes: Oh, and as for why Summoning comes so easily to Joey, and to Mai, while Seto has to work for it: It takes a lot of Millennium Magic to summon. When Mai Summoned, it was working side-by-side with Yami. And Joey, of course, was great friends with Yugi and Yami. The fact that Seto might be trying to Summon really hasn't occurred to Yami. (and the odds of Marik and Bakura helping? ::laughs::)