(I did not own Yu-gi-oh, or anything else in this story that belongs to someone else. I do own my OC's though, but they're going to enter the story very slowly and gradually)
Jounouchi stood upon one of the many balconies of Averon, watching the skies as a gentle breeze flowed through his delicate golden hair. He could not help but wonder what events were taking place in the great distances, in Khurkvan, where Seto, Yami, and Bakura had gone; and the Far West, where Honda and Malik headed.
The golden-haired boy looked behind him into the infirmary, where the sickened Ryou lied, his pure white skin growing paler after each passing day. His fever also was getting worse, and Jounouchi knew he did not have much time.
Footsteps sounded next to him, and the startled Jounouchi drew his blade; but he soon sheathed as he realized it was a friend, a young captain by the name of Sivril, whom he had befriended during his stay at Averon. A skilled military commander and the only doctor in the entire city, he had helped Jounouchi treat Ryou and delay his sickness.
"Mind if I stand here, Jou?" asked the doctor.
"Not at all."
As Sivril stood beside Jounouchi, he let a tremendous sigh. "Do you know what odds we are going against Jou? Marik is sending his entire freaking army against us, and we can't muster even half the soldiers we nee to mount a suitable defense. He might even muster those rebel bands in the east to attack us."
"How much men do we have," asked Jounouchi.
"A few thousands, no more. Also, our scouts have reported hundreds of riverboats containing armed men sailing towards us from the south. Mediterranean pirates I think they are."
"Then why not we transport our entire garrison somewhere else, didn't you say you have two brothers guarding another bastion somewhere west of here, let's move everybody there."
"Listen to me," Sivril grabbed Jounouchi's shoulder and pulled him face-to-face with him. The doctor's dark green eyes bore into the hazel ones of the other. "We have six thousand women and children in this place; try moving those people more then a snail's pace across the valleys. We would all be cut down before we reach halfway to my brothers' garrison."
Jounouchi closed his eyes and lowered his head. "Then what are we supposed to do?"
"The best I can do for now is send a messenger to the northern capitol asking for reinforcement. Hopefully then..."
A great lightning bolt suddenly struck nearby, interrupting Sivril. As both boys looked towards the southeast, they could make out a storm of fire and lightning in the vicinity of Khurkvan. However, the mountains blocked most of their view so they could not make out what was causing the storm, though it was pretty evident to both that the sight that they beheld was not natural. For the dark ominous clouds only gathered above that specific place, and beyond that region reigned sunshine.
"I wonder what is happening within that valley," commented Sivril.
All Jounouchi could do was give a nod and wonder, "Seto..."
And the fire and lightning continued to dance upon the distant valley.
Marik smirked smugly at the three fleeing figures in the distance. Who were these lowly scum; that they thought they could escape the wrath of Marik so easily as running away from him? His arm was long, and he wielded many mystic and great powers. None of his enemies were going to see the sunrise if he had anything to say about it. However, a mere thousand skeletons wasn't enough to ensure those three ancient vampires' destruction, Marik needed insurance.
A creature apparated besides the blond vampire, "What is your bidding my lord?"
Marik replied, "Otogi, I want you and three legions of my vampires to lead an direct attack upon Yami. I sense he will split up from the other two nuisances to try and rescue the human. Yugi is currently heading north, and I expect he will do the same. Follow him and eliminate that annoyance; kill the human boy as well."
"What if they manage to reach the northern mountains? Our territory does not extend to those places."
Marik gave a snarl, "I don't give a damn if those mountaintops are filled with human scum, pursue them to the Lucifer's gates if you have to. Those rebel bands aren't affiliated with the Averon government and they hate trespassers, so they may even do the job for us. So however they die bring me their carcasses when you return, and if you don't, severe consequences will result."
"What about the two others? Bakura and Kaiba? How will you deal with that duo?"
"I will relegate our entire garrison of skeletons in this cemetery to attack those two and finish them off. I will also send another legion of werewolves to ensure their demise, that should easily be enough force to eliminate them."
Ryuuji gave a quick nod, and vanished.
Marik then focused upon his other commander whom he would rely upon to destroy Bakura and Seto. With a quick mental thought, he relayed his message to the mind of his servant. "Two of my enemies seek to flee west to Averon for safety, cut them down before they reach that city. Retrieve the piece of the Millennium Puzzle and return it to me. The vampire with white hair is the one who possesses the piece so focus exclusive attention upon him. Get this job done!"
The creature gave grunt, and then broke the surface of the ground with a huge roar. The being sensed his targets were fleeing westward, so that direction he and his army would follow. He had met these two in battle before, so he knew how to prepare his army divisions. There was no way those puny vampires could escape his clutches reasoned the creature, for a skeleton army of thousands, plus a forty-foot tall skeleton as its leader is mighty hard to defeat.
Yami sprinted across the gravestones, desperately trying to find Yugi among the vast cemetery's grounds. He hoped Seto and Bakura could hold their own against the creatures Marik threw at them; but then, Yami reasoned, he should be more worried what was going to attack him. Many skeletons and zombies had arisen from their earthly graves, but none were moving to assault him. Only a few had even gotten in his way, of which he easily disposed of them. Instead the main force of undead was hastening westward, while Yami kept running north.
"Guess Marik valuing that puzzle piece more than me, but why would he let me escape without any obstacles? Man, where are you Yugi? We need to get out of this place."
Suddenly Yami sensed something, and crimson eyes looked toward the night skies. Several black objects flew among the clouds, and they were heading for the tri-colored haired vampire. Yami quickly counted them, "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Eight. That shouldn't be too difficult. Pretty small reception if you ask me."
As the vampires swooped closer, Yami picked up a jagged rock as he ran, and threw the stone at the coming formation. It was thrown accurately, and the sharp rock lodged itself into the leading vampire's throat, slaying it instantly. It fell to the ground, enormous quantities of blood squirting out of its neck wound. One of the vampires fired a green beam at Yami, but he easily deflected it. Three vampires attacked Yami headlong, while two each attacked Yami's sides. The first vampire drew a broadsword and attempted to impale Yami upon its razor edge, but he spun to the side and gave a devastating snap-kick to the vampire's fragile neck, effectively immobilizing it.
Yami retrieved the vampire's sword and parried the other six vampires' thrusts and swipes. One particularly hard swing from a vampire took off half of Yami's blade, but it left the vampire's body unguarded and Yami took the opportunity to stab the vampire's neck with the remaining sword blade.
Yami, seeing his sword destroyed, began to run backwards, the vampires giving quick chase. However, Yami then wrested a gravestone from the earth and hurled it directly at the coming creatures. It scored a direct hit upon a vampire's skull, crushing the hardened bone easily and driving many fragments of stone into the vampire's brain.
Another vampire swooped in from the side with a crystal spear and thrusted it in Yami's side. The ancient vampire's face contorted in pain, but then his surprise turned to anger, and the spear, and as well as the vampire, lit up on fire like a Molotov cocktail. While the vampire danced about, his body sheathed in burning flames, screaming obscenities, the remaining three gave a moment of hesitation brought out by fear, which was just what Yami needed.
Yami quickly materialized a sword made of pure flame, and ran the nearest vampire through with it. While one of the last surviving vampires attempted to attack Yami with a drawn dagger, the other lost heart and tried to flee. Yami easily avoided the thrust of the weapon, and gave a quick snap of the hand against his opponent's wrist. It effectively crushed the wrist bone, making the vampire drop the dagger. The tri-colored haired warrior then grabbed the fallen dagger and threw it right through the closer vampire's head. Still covered with the dead vampire's brain and blood, the dagger continued to fly through the air, until it struck the fleeing vampire right in the back of the head. The creature instantly crumpled.
Yami regained his breath, retrieved all the weapons he could carry, and began to still chase after Yugi. He hadn't gone a hundred yards before more black shapes filled the sky. Yami realized that Marik wasn't about to let him escape after all. "Just great."
Drawing a dagger pouch retrieved from the previous battle, Yami drew all five daggers and threw them all at once into the incoming battalion. The blades whirled dangerously about the air, immediately killing seven and wounding four of the opposing vampires. Looking quickly at his weaponry, Yami hurriedly selected a pair of long knives to combat the approaching vampires.
Wielding the two swords Yami began to fend off the coming creatures, parrying all blades that came at him. At first all was well, and Yami managed to slay quite a large number of his enemies. However the other vampires had the strength and odds of numbers on their side, and then gradually began to force their enemy backwards. When a huge axe swipe sheared off both his blades and nearly neck as well, Yami began to grow desperate.
With a mighty flap of his wings he took off into the air, scores of vampires following in his wake. Twin orbs of light shone from each of Yami's fists, as he began to power up a massive attack. But before he could unleash the twin beams, a shrill scream sounded that disturbed his thoughts and distracted him, combusting his attack. A scream that sounded mighty familiar. Seeing Yami distracted, Ryuuji thundered out of his hiding place and struck Yami down to the ground with his mighty claws.
(If you haven't realized by now, Otogi Ryuuji is a werewolf.)
Though stunned, Yami scrambled back up, dodging several attacks and crushing two vampires' skulls with his bare hands. Hearing a noise behind him, he quickly turned to combat the new threat, but not quickly enough. As quick as lightning five of the hardiest vampires drew back their swords and impaled them... right into Yami's chest. Crimson eyes lit up in immense pain, and blood flowed indiscreetly from his lips. Yami's body instinctively made a sudden powerful jerk, and all five blades broke off at their masters' hilts. All five vampires were taken aback and fell to the ground, though they recovered quickly. With all the strength he could muster, Yami grabbed all five blades with his hands and tore them right from his bleeding body. The crimson-eyed vampire then collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. A steady stream of red blood began to flow downhill from Yami's position, tainting the green grass with a crimson hue.
As the blades hit the ground with a twang, Ryuuji apparated in front of the wounded vampire. "What's this? Yami, one of the greatest vampires on earth can't handle a few minor wounds?"
The werewolf let out a howling laugh, and then continued. "Guess you did hear that cry didn't you. That actually is your lover screaming if you want to make sure, guess that inferior human can't handle ten vampires all by himself. I estimate, five minutes at most before he is history."
Yami's heart gave a sudden jolt, and his blood pressure began to rise. His crimson eyes grew even redder, until like a blood-red sun foretelling a gruesome battle. Ryuuji was unfazed however, and sneered at his wounded enemy. "Do you think you can frighten me with a facial expression? Your doom is sealed here in this cemetery, attack him!"
The vampires assaulted Yami with new vigor, and while Yami defended himself expertly, three more spear thrusts brought him down yet again. The crimson-eyed vampire gasped upon the ground, blood pouring out of many wounds upon his body.
"Heh, I thought you would be more of a challenge to me than this Yami," Otogi muttered softly, yet loud enough for the hurt vampire to hear. "Yet compared to me now you are a mere dog, just like your little human pet. You are going to die and your little friend as well. And now this time there are no more other chances, no Millenium Puzzle for you to get another try at it."
Yami's eyes widened in rage, "Shut up".
"What? Are you mad? That you now, like last time, are too weak to defend your stupid love from certain death?"
"I said shut up!" His teeth gritted and his fists clenched so tightly that blood flowed from it.
"That you shall die knowing that your lover hates you, and will be forever separated in the Underwor..."
"I SAID SHUT UP!" The sky suddenly paled, and the clouds grew dark and foreboding. Fire and lightning suddenly appeared and raged in torrents about the Khurkvan cemetery. A scent of death began to descend upon the region's inhabitants. Ryuuji and his vampires were taken aback, none understanding what was happening. "What the hell is going on," muttered Ryuuji under his breath.
A bright light shone about Yami's body, which soon grew and entrapped all inside its fiery light. The werewolf barely had time to create a shield barrier before he was engulfed as well.
A full minute passed before the bright light slowly began to fade. After clearing his eyes, Ryuuji immediately looked around to access his situation. To his shock, barely any of his vampire army still remained, the rest had vanished! As he shifted his gaze before him, he still saw Yami there... but he had changed.
His skin tone had transformed from pure white to now a sharp shade of dark brown. Also, his clothing had changed. Instead of sporting those stupid Western clothes, the vampire now wore a priestly robe, and also a golden tiara with an eye in its middle graced the top of Yami's head. His wounds had completely healed, and there was an aura of royalty around him. The light continued to shine from the tiara's eye, but Yami never moved a muscle. His eyes were closed, and he seemed to be in state of meditation.
"What kind of attack was that?" Ryuuji fumed. "He nearly destroyed my entire army of three hundreds in mere seconds... but not all of them..." Ryuuji thought, "If he is as powerful as he looks, he should have been able to wipe out everybody, including me. This is a bluff, and even if it isn't, I still have ten remaining soldiers to work with. Okay, let's find out what he can do."
Nodding to the nearest vampire, Ryuuji spoke, "Attack him."
The vampire hesitated, but the cruel werewolf's fierce glare silenced his protest. With a deep breath, the creature drew his blade and ran towards light-emitting creature. Suddenly, a ghost-like dagger left Yami's body and flew towards the approaching vampire. The creature took a swing at it to deflect it away, but the weapon suddenly curved and struck the vampire's throat, killing it instantaneously.
Two other vampires began to slowly advance towards Yami, shields ready and weapons drawn. Another blade emitted from the tri-colored haired vampire's body and sped towards one of the approaching creatures. One of the vampires, seeing the blade was not directed towards him, took off in a full sprint towards his enemy; the other wielded his shield in front of him to take the blow.
The ethereal blade suddenly swerved to the side, only to swerve back between the vampire and his shield to slice the vampire's gullet in half. Meanwhile, the other vampire, seeing that he was close enough for combat, drew an iron-head spear and attempted to attack his opponent with it. Easily, Yami parried the thrusts and stabs with his hand, and quickly then wrested the weapon away from the creature, slaying him with it.
Immediately, the eight remaining jumped in a formation surrounding Yami, creating a perfect octagon around the crimson-eyed vampire; each pointed their weapon directly at him. Blood-red crimson eyes opened, and focused their direct attention onto the werewolf before him. For the first time since his transformation Yami spoke, "Otogi Ryuuji, as much as I would like to kill you, you are not my primary concern right now. I have more pressing matters to attend to." Momentarily he gave a brief thought of Yugi, and his condition.
"Kindly get out of my way or I will be forced to kill you."
A maniacal gleam suddenly erupted into the werewolf's eyes, and he let out a laugh. "Are you kidding me? You want me to back out of this fight? You shouldn't be so arrogant, not when you are facing Otogi Ryuuji. Also, I have both time and numbers on my side. I shouldn't be to one who is supposed to be afraid at this moment."
With his claws Ryuuji tore down an oak right next to him, and suddenly the tree burst into flame. Grasping the edge of the burning tree with his claws, he twirled the fiery object around dangerously about the air. "I wasn't kidding when I said I would kill both of you. I guarantee, before this hour is done, that both you and your little friend's blood will flow among the gravestones of this cemetery."
As usual, PLZ review. I don't know how much my writing skills have faded since the last chapter. And sorry for the very, very, very long update