Chapter 2
Gilded Captor
Yugi awoke slowly, fighting the dizziness that engulfed him and the sinking feeling in his stomach. He kept his eyes closed, letting the discomfort subside and running through the recent events in his head. Last thing I remember, someone, or maybe something, was talking to us. He didn't really make a lot of sense, just kept talking about some trade. I didn't get a good look at him, did you, Pharaoh?
Silence came in response. Pharaoh? Are you all right? Only the incessant noise of animals answered. Confusion and worry swept over him at this odd revelation. He sat up slowly and opened his eyes, their striated purple taking in the strange scene. It had been his assumption that he and Yami were still on the roof of the school, but this place was certainly nowhere near there anymore. Animals of all types and kinds softly spoke their mind to the large room, not one of them a creature of any sort he knew. Fish of vibrant and unusual colors swam in tanks bigger than his bedroom wall. Feline- and canine-like creatures prowled restlessly at the end of delicate-looking golden chains affixed to collars around their necks. It was a veritable zoo of otherworldly nature, and he hadn't a clue why he was there.
A bird of bright purple plumage squawked in his ear, dropping a deep blue feather in his lap and startling him. A soft clink of chain, sounded during his sudden movement, caught his attention. He looked down at the sound, eyeing the gracefully curved feather upon his legs and let out a yell of surprise. That sound hadn't been the familiar tones of the chain holding his puzzle. In fact, the puzzle was gone, its familiar weight suddenly conspicuously absent around his neck. In its place hung a finely wrought gold chain, so elegant as to seem to be the chain of a fine necklace. But a similar chain was strung between the two bracelets now on his hands, their silver-chased gold surface tight enough to not come off, but loose enough not be uncomfortable. He ran his hands up the dangling chain, following its length down to an anchor in the floor, then up to his neck. There it met with a leather band, much like the one he typically wore, but this one was supple and soft, and also lacking any obvious means of removal.
At least that explains why the Pharaoh won't answer. The puzzle's gone. Alone except for the collection of beasts, Yugi studied the rest of himself with dismay. On his chest was a loose-fitting shirt of a soft ivory colored material, cut in an old peasant style and simply but elegant embroidered with thread of deep jade and a regal violet the color of his eyes. Slightly baggy breeches the shade of sun-baked skin hung from his waist, reaching just below his knees. His feet were covered in padded slippers of a matching hue, covered with gold and silver scroll work and studded with jade and amethyst that accented his top, and no sound came from beneath him as he stood. Bangles adorned his wrist, etched with intricate designs and chinking a tone with his movements. A single necklace of twined gold and silver hung beneath his lavish leash, a garnet the size of a robin's egg suspended on his breast, its hidden color released by glints of light reminiscent of the sheen upon his hair.
Well, whoever has me, he's not lacking in money. But why give all this to me? Yugi pondered, gently stroking the head of the bird while it rubbed against his hand. A metallic click sounded in the room, followed by a low whiff of air. He turned towards the noise. A panel was sliding back in the gilt wall where previously there had been no visible exit. In its shadowy portal stood a man, his corpulence disturbing and revolting, yet somehow allowing him a regal and haughty air. Yugi knew that this must be the man who owned it all, the proprietor of this place, the possessor of these riches. How someone could decorate, accessorize, and display his wealth in such an impressive and elegant way, and yet still possess no fashion sense for his own self, eluded him. He lumbered ponderously into the gold-tinged light, his garish outfit swaying with each heaving step. A black shirt stretched tightly across a rotund middle that jiggled with every movement, the bright, jarring dragons appliquéd across it seeming to writhe with distress. Bluish gray pants with a silver shine bulged with flabby legs that seemed too stubby to possibly support his weight. Over it all hung a draping golden robe brushing his ankles, precious stones of every sort, familiar and new alike, decorated the cloth, a rainbow of threads sewn in innumerable pictorials throughout its length. Jewelry draped from every appendage, neck, arms, wrists, hands, ears, ankles, in a superfluous display of opulence. In all, it reminded Yugi of the exaggerated dress of the men in Las Vegas, dressed as supposed pharaohs to bring tourism to the new Egypt-themed hotels.
"Ahhhh, so you're awake. I trust you've found your new attire suitable." The reubenesque man's jowls wobbled as he spoke, his tone and expression displaying incongruous solicitousness.
"Who are you, and why am I here? Where is here anyway?" Yugi took a step back as he approached him, and his back met the wall behind him, the chain on his neck pulling nearly taut, that of the linked bracelets on his wrists dangling around his mid-thighs.
"Good questions, yes, all good questions," the man's swollen lips split in a good-humored grin. "I am known throughout this galaxy as the Collector. You are now in my home, amidst my greatest collections and most valuable possessions." The Collector's face lit up as he spoke.
"You said 'galaxy,' right? Like stars and space and suns kind of galaxy?" Yugi asked querulously.
"Yes, yes," said the Collector, his tone patient as if he were explaining common knowledge to a young child. "I had forgotten. Your planet knows only of the worlds inside their own system. Yes, there is an entire galactic civilization out here. It makes the struggles of your Earth seem rather pitiful when they could easily be solved by the most simple of apparatus available only a few thousand light-years away." The statement about his home rankled slightly, but he didn't want to upset his captor, so he let it pass.
"You still haven't answered all of my questions. Why am I here?" The other man leaned forward, placing his face near Yugi's, who recoiled the last bit the leash would allow.
"Now that is as interesting question. I shall do my best to answer. You see, each person in this life must make a name for themselves to truly survive the harsh cruelties of this universe. I needed something to do with all my money, as just being rich is too, shall I say, commonplace? I had always been an avid collector as a child: coins, bugs, that sort of thing. So I decided to expand my gatherings. Today I own the greatest compilation of completed sets and unique items the galaxy over. You can see around you now the work of many years, my own private stock of the rarest creatures, many of which don't exist anymore outside this room." Yugi glanced at the assembled animals, realizing for the first time that many were caged or leashed in pairs. "But what's all this got to do with me?" he asked.
"Well, I recently acquired a rather interesting item of priceless value. Quite a terrifying piece, but rather beautiful in its grotesqueness. It was the mounted head of the creature commonly acknowledged as the darkest being in existence." A horrible chuckle gurgled low in his throat. "Not only did I gain a valuable collectable when he perished, but a handsome reward from the government as thanks for removing his danger from the galaxy. Now it is unique, for only one creature may be the darkest evil ever to inhabit these worlds, yet it seems to have obvious partner. After all, where there is shadow, there must also be a light that casts it. And that, my dear boy, is where you come in. I believe you understand my meaning." Yugi shifted uneasily, more than a little worried. "Oh, don't worry, my pet, I won't harm you. Isn't any creature more interesting and appealing alive? The other of the set was only killed for my safety. Can't trust evil, you know?"
A shadowy figure appeared behind the Collector, an exact replica of the one on top of the school. It slowly approached Yugi, reaching with dark pseudopods. The fatty fingers of the man gently grasped the base of the chain linking him to the ground. The soft click of a lock releasing came from beneath his hand, leaving the golden line grasped in his sweaty palm. He handed it to the shadow, the end disappearing into its murky depths. Yugi pulled softly at the chain, experimentally testing the creature's grip. It didn't give even slightly, though it also didn't seem to notice his move.
"I have some important guests to meet. You needn't worry about accommodations. My shadow creatures shall escort you to my main treasure room. It contains all my most impressive pieces." The great girth of the Collector turned slowly and waddled back toward the concealed exit. "Do try to make yourself comfortable once you arrive." The golden wall slid back to allow him through, then shut with a soft whiff. The shadow closed the remaining distance between them, enclosing him once more in its embrace. He cried out, first in fear, then in shock as the creature then dissolved into the floor, rematerializing in another gilded room. The shadow released its cold hold on him, and the chain was once more reattached, this time to an elegant pole beside a luxurious silver silk cushion. With a shimmer, the shadow dissipated, leaving him alone in the room he guessed to be the Collector's treasure room. Yugi let loose a sigh, then did his best to get comfortable before settling down for the night, trying to make sense of all that had just transpired. Back in the bestiary, the purple bird stared at the deep blue feather upon the floor, where it had fallen during his hasty departure.