Disclaimer: This is getting idiotic. I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING!
If you read my last chapter, you'll know that via a demon spirit, Yami has gained significant information as to his relation to Kikyo, while Hiei is planning the downfall of his enemies. Kaiba, meanwhile, has gained new data on Hiei and his dreaded kingdom, while at the same time dealing with an otherwise new emotion.
Next chapter will introduce the first of three cards known as the Messengers of Chaos, while in this one, Hiei continues to plot against Yami. Yusuke, meanwhile, will have his first duel, while Kaiba grapples with his new feelings for Botan.
Here are 6 new cards from The Helldragon, the Ultima series:
Holy Ultima(Warrior/LIGHT/8/ATK 2200/DEF 2900): When Holy Ultima is Normal Summoned, increase your Life Points by 1000.
Shadow Ultima(Warrior/DARK/8/ATK 2900/DEF 2100): When Dark Ultima is Normal Summoned, destroy two monsters on the field.
Frost Ultima(Warrior/WATER/8/ATK 2500/DEF 2400): When Frost Ultima is Normal Summoned, draw four cards and discard two.
Thunder Ultima(Warrior/WIND/8/ATK 2700/DEF 2200): When Thunder Ultima is Normal Summoned, increase the ATK points of all monsters on your side of the field by 200 points.
Fire Ultima(Warrior/FIRE/8/ATK 2800/DEF 2300): When Fire Ultima is Normal Summoned, inflict 800 points of Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points.
Steel Ultima(Warrior/EARTH/8/ATK 2600/DEF 2500): When Steel Ultima is Normal Summoned, increase the DEF points of all monsters on your side of the field by 200 points.
Let the madness commence!
Chap. 17: Silent Destruction
Rosewater Tower, New Paradigm Commerce District
For the people of New Paradigm, the Rosewater Tower, named after the cities prestigious founder, Gordon Rosewater, was considered a metaphorical symbol of it's unprecedented triumph over the evils of their predecessor, Paradigm City. Carven out of pure white marble with a golden statue of Alex Rosewater, pointing to the horizon with confidence and enthusiasm, the colossal edifice served as a beacon of progress to the formerly downfallen population of the hovering metropolis. It was in this tower that the deals of trade were struck, the law was upheld to the utmost extent, and the city officials ruled over the people, who had no idea that they were living a fool's dream.
It is ironic, therefore, that within the shadows of this gargantuan skyscraper, a deal with the devil was about to be ratified.
Hidden from the view of most human eyes, a lean-looking businessman in his early thirties was talking into a small radio link. With a head of thinning salt-and pepper hair and a pale complexion befitting his gaunt face and sunken eyes, the executive looked better suited to the part of a vagabond. Despite this outer appearance, this man was in fact, one of the board members of the New Paradigm Council, which controlled every action of it's people. Yet this human also had a darker side: he was under the employment of the Dark Lord Hiei himself.
Smiling with a grim, detached determination, the proverbial snake stepped out into the sunlight.
"It's show time, Yugi Mouto."
Outside the Rosewater Tower
About an hour had passed since the tournament began, and apart from Yami's recent duel with Beck and Kaiba's crushing victory, very little action had taken place in the city-wide war. Indeed, many of the Paradigm natives seemed not to notice it; they simply moved on with their simplistic lives, with the exception of the few who had the talents to enter. However, this didn't change the very large fact that no other progress had been made by anyone besides Yami and Kaiba.
"That's it! I can't take this anymore!" Yusuke pulled out his dueling deck in a fervor of rage. "I'll see you later, Yugi. If I don't see any action soon, I think I'll go insane! It's been over an hour, and I haven't even started my first duel!"
Yugi, after reconfiguring his deck with several new cards, among which was Beck's Vampire Lord, stood also, but in this case, it was to stop the taller compatriot from rushing head-long into a dangerous situation. "Yusuke, we have to take it easy for now. I've been studying the Hellfire Tournament pamphlet; we won't have to worry about time since the tournament finals will only commence with a total of twelve competitors. Besides, I don't think that Hiei would want us to not get to the finals. You know as well as I do that he needs to beat all of us in order to gain his desires. But as long as he still operates every aspect, we'll have to be cautious."
Unseen by anyone save Yugi and Yusuke, the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle appeared in a ghost-like form. "Both of you are right. While we can't simply stay in any one position, we do have to be mindful of Hiei's tricks. His abilities may not be fully functional, but he still poses a powerful threat to everyone involved here.
"I suggest we fan out and gain as many keys as possible, since Roger and Inuyasha just left to do the same. However, we must remain on our guard at all times; we don't know where he'll strike next." With that, Yami returned to his confinement.
Yusuke stepped out onto the sidewalk, a look of fighting spirit in his eyes, one which was nearly a match for Yami. "Alright, it won't be easy, but I'm going to the finals. We'll meet the others in about five hours, and if we're lucky, Hiei won't attempt an assault." With that, the Spirit duelist strode off to challenge an opponent. Left to his own devices, Yugi was about to turn towards the tournament himself, when a raspy voice called to him from the shadows.
"Yugi... the dark one requires your presence. It is in your best interest to follow."
The voice's owner, a hideous looking man outfitted in a black three-piece suit, began to beckon to the young duelist, while he slowly stepped back into the darkened portion of the alley.
Yugi hesitated, a trickle of sweat working it's way down his forehead as he weighed the situation carefully. That's strange; I'm absolutely certain that I've never seen that guy before, so how does he know my name? I doubt that many people here know about my adventures, since New Paradigm is a chiefly isolated city. So is it possible that he's on Hiei's payroll? This query, although based purely on conjecture, was rooted in a level of reason. For the most part, very few even had knowledge as to Hiei's existence, so it was impossible to determine who was working for the demon.
And despite these reasonable inclinations, Yugi also began to think of the advantages of following the mysterious character into whatever trap he had laid beforehand. If this lunatic is working for Hiei, than maybe I should follow him. After all, maybe that scumbag wants to face me again, so he might have his lackeys drag me into a meeting with the demon. Besides, if his operations are under Hiei's jurisdiction, than there is the possibility that he's holding Grandpa and Kagome. Bearing these positive but naive thoughts within him, the wielder of the Millennium Puzzle strode forward into the alleyway; although unsure of the speaker's exact position.
What Yugi did not realize was that he was heading into the jaws of a deadly trap... Coffee House, Uptown New Paradigm
"I'll have a large cinnamon black mocha, small amount of sugar."
Kaiba was not very big on coffee himself; it was his personal opinion that the black, invigorating drink was a waste of humanity's time and efforts. However, it was also not beyond him to partake of a strong drink of the roast when a situation was becoming stressful or tiresome. In this case, the circumstances were extremely stressing and exhausting; he now had to deal with not only the demon Hiei and his empire, but also the leader of their small resistance.
The teenage CEO of Kaiba Corporation could not help but feel that his role in this game was about to take a turn for the worst, especially because of his harboring of a dangerous rebel. Yet he was also certain of one, dominating fact: as long as Botan was within his reach, there would be no way that Hiei would take him by surprise.
And yet...
I don't understand! It's like every time I think of this girl, my heart lifts ever so slightly, like she's healing my very soul! It doesn't even make sense that I'm helping this girl; how do I know she's not one of Hiei's operatives in disguise trying to get into my head? Or worse: what if she's like Gozaburo, trying to extract my abilities for her own twisted goals? I can't take that risk, not now, or ever. If it came down to me or that girl, the answer is all too clear; I can't afford love now, not when everything is on the line like this!
Kaiba sipped the drink he had ordered, and felt a sense of tranquility as the scalding liquid moved down his throat. The past two hours had been especially tiresome, considering the events of a few moments after Botan had left. Several minutes after her departure, Kaiba received a call.
^Flashback^
"I must say I am impressed, Kaiba. I will not say I'm pleased that you defeated two of my servants, but I must commend you on your impressive dueling skills."
As he listened to the stoic yet twisted voice on the other end, Kaiba felt a small chill run down his spine as he realized who it was.
"I see. So tell me, exactly why are you calling me? I know for a fact that Yugi and the others have what you truly desire, so why are you after me?"
"Kaiba, you poor, senseless fool; haven't you realized by now that what you have is not of any importance to me whatsoever, although Obelisk the Tormentor and the Sennen Rod would certainly be a powerful enhancement to my already incomprehensible powers. You see, Kaiba, I never wanted your Item for it's powers; I plan to use it to gain the other devices of power I need. Despite this, however, your role has just changed drastically..."
"What do you mean?"
The voice on the other end of the line chuckled with an air of cruelty. "Come now, my friend, even you aren't that simple. You know as well as I do that my target is the very person you are trying so hard to get out of your mind..."
^End Flashback^
How could Hiei possibly know that I've been thinking about Botan constantly for the past two hours? More importantly, how did he figure out where we were at the time? Unless...
If Kaiba had come to a realization, he did not have the time to recognize the significance of his knowledge, for at that exact moment, a huge explosion that spread throughout the entire building blew him out of his chair...
Slums of New Paradigm
Talk about hypocrisy. I make a huge deal about getting this tournament underway, and here I am doing nothing in this sleaze trap of a city.
For the most part, Yusuke had accomplished extremely little within the time he had stormed off to challenge other duelists. His original plan had been to seek out these duelists one by one, yet thanks to the size of the city and the lack of spine in these circles, he had not been able to find anyone willing to challenge him. And given the stakes of this tournament, he needed to help Yugi in any way he could.
What he did not know was that the entire city had been commanded not to duel against him...save one on Hiei's payroll.
Of course, even if he could find anyone that would duel him, the odds were that this was not the place to do it. Much like the alley that Seto Kaiba had found himself in earlier, the people here were lowly and cheating; they would sooner steal your key than duel for it. Yet he was so desperate for a little action that he would likely have gone into the city's bowels for a match. Despite his determination, however, Yusuke could not find anyone willing to fight.
Someone was willing to duel, however, but it wasn't who he thought. For hidden behind the piles of garbage was Yusuke's opponent.
The younger duelist kept moving forward, deep into the intestines of the dump that was downtown Paradigm. This was the area that the New Fathers, as the city officials were now called, had spent the least money renovating. It was here that the few impoverished people of New Paradigm lived and worked in their crumbling fields of work, while they still groped for the memories of the tragic Event that shattered their memories. They had been left behind by the city and it's inevitable growth.
"Nice place, isn't it? It doesn't surprise me that you would like it, considering your...shall we call it a family?"
Yusuke, infuriated by the words of an unknown man, whirled around to land a solid fist into his face. What he hadn't counted on was a counter-strike. He was therefore surprised when the person who insulted him slammed Yusuke into the ground with an equally powerful assault, this time with a blackjack.
The attacker appeared to have spent many years in the tougher parts of life, as his face was covered with multiple scars and a severe burn. One of his eyes, barely visible behind the dark sunglasses that ornamented his face, was dilated, as though many drinks had frozen it into such a position. "You're a little tougher than I imagined. To say the least, I really expected you to be a hell of a lot weaker, from what my boss said. But it doesn't matter, since I'll probably kick your ass regardless."
"Well, you may talk big, but let's see if you can back that up. After all, talk without action means as much as a bad check." Yusuke, despite his close examination, could not for the life of him determine who the guy was, or even whether he was working for someone like Hiei. "If you can beat me in a duel, I might just let you walk away without any damage. But who are you? I make it a point of pride to know my opposition before I beat them."
"Alright, punk. If you call me anything, call me...Bandit Keith."
Rosewater Tower Alleyway
"Continue to follow me, Mouto, and all shall be well."
Yugi, as though in a trance, followed the grating voice of this enigmatic messenger deep into the alleyway, unknowing of the danger therein. It's like someone is drawing me into a trap, but I can't escape it. What I can't understand is why someone would go to this trouble just to trap me. Even Hiei wouldn't try to set up something this elaborate, unless...
UNLESS THIS ISN'T HIEI'S WORK!
Yami instantly took over, knowing full well that if Yugi was killed, he would have no chance of stopping the great evil bearing down on him. Whoever concocted this plan was either desperate or cunning, because I feel that Yugi wasn't brought here voluntarily. If the demon lord has any hand in this, then this is more serious than I could have possibly imagined! Yet as Yami began to look about for the mastermind, his eyes caught something, or someone, lurking in the shadows. But before he could address this hidden character, the entire area was filled with cruel and maniacal laughter.
"Who's there? Show yourself!"
"What's the matter, Pharaoh? Afraid of an old acquaintance?"
Without warning, a black-robed figure burst out of the doorway nearest to Yami, and landed onto the floor beneath him. "I see that you haven't figured it out yet. But it doesn't matter, because I will show you!" The enigmatic figure dropped the robes hiding him, to reveal...
"Yami no Bakura! What are you doing here!?"
The ancient tomb desecrator grinned with a psychotic air. "It's quite simple, really. You and I are going to duel for our very lives!" As soon as he said this, about twenty electrical cables burst out of boxes lining the walls, and connected to both duelists. "These cables have been linked into our Duel Gauntlets so that they will only activate when one loses. And believe me, you don't want to lose. Care for a demonstration?"
One of these cables shot forward out of the system and attached to the shady character whom had led them here. Unable to do anything but scream in horror, the man was suddenly taking the brunt of an electrical assault; blood was pooling in his eyes as the screams reached a new decibel level before he died. A vile liquid was pouring out of his mouth.
"I see; the winner takes the loser's cards and key, while the other is liquefied from the inside out."
"Very perceptive. So let's begin this duel!" (4000/4000)
To Be Continued
A little sparse, but it's pretty good.
Next chapter, Yami Bakura and Yami Yugi begin the duel for their lives. We also figure out who the mystery figure is. There is also the matter of the explosion that nearly kills Kaiba; what does it have to do with Botan?
I'm also considering doing a sequel when this fic is done. Any ideas/comments as to this would be greatly appreciated.
Remember to leave a review!