Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh. I do own Temarocia though.

Song of Temarocia

Chapter 6: Across the Country

The beautiful holy city of magic, Mudeia, surrounded on one side by the Lake of the Five Kings, and on the other side are the beautiful meadows which grow some of the most fragrant and delightful flowers in all of Temarocia. As I sit here on my rock, listening to the howls of the wild monsters and animals of the far-off forest, I wonder just what kind of worlds beyond this one there are. What about the future? If technology continues to improve at the amazing rate it has been moving towards, will we still be able to keep this amazing feel of nature?

The writer gently lowered his quill pen and looked up, eyes going towards the forest in the not-too-far away distance. "Oh, it seems that we have a traveler arriving."

"I was wondering what someone would be doing outside of the city walls," The speaker was a man wearing a heavy cloak to hide his face from the bright light of the sun. "And now I see that it someone trying to skip out on their work. Well then, perhaps you can tell me how to get inside Mudeia, good sir?"

"How to get inside?" Slipping the quill pen behind one ear, the writer straightened his glasses on his nose and tried to peer under the man's cloak with his chocolate-brown eyes. "You're just supposed to use the main gate and check in like everyone else is supposed to."

"As much as I wish I could do something like that," The man's hand reached up and pulled his hood away to reveal the flowing waves of his blond hair…and his blood-red eyes. "My master has informed me that if I cannot find my way in without being detected that I am to start a ruckus and bring out the guardians of Mudeia."

His faded red hair messily flattened to his head, the writer's already disheveled look turned to one of complete surprise and fear as he realized who this was. "You're one of the wanted criminal Adventurers following Kyris the Hell, Riju the Lord of Explosive Dragons!"

"That's very kind of you to know my name." The man bowed slightly, sneering at the fearful look on the other man's face. "It's a shame though that I'll have to kill you. Might I know your name before I follow through with this rather unpleasant action, good sir?" The dragon master lifted up one hand, blue lightning crackling along the arcs of his fingers.

Eyes still trembling, the disheveled writer slid off of the rock he had been using as a seat in the middle of the flower-filled meadow and closed the book he had been writing in. "My name is Kaigen, but that doesn't matter! I'll go call the guards right now and…" His eyes widened as a bolt of lightning shot past his face and crashed into the ground nearby, sending a fountain of dirt up into the air.

"That would be very troublesome for me, so I cannot let you do that." Riju's hands crackled with more of the destructive element he had just hurled. "By Kyris' order you must die because you are enough of a fool to think that being outside this gate is something that any book-worm can do."

"So that's how it's going to be, is it?" Kaigen frowned and a beaten-up bronze-plated Carrier appeared around his arm. "Then I have no choice but to challenge you to a duel, Riju the Lord of Explosive Dragons!"

"A duel?" A low chuckle came from the fair-skinned man and a Carrier appeared around his arm. "Very well then, I shall take this challenge from you because it seems that you've got at least a little bit of magical power that can be used in one form or another."

"If you get to those gates then people may die, so I'll do the best I can to stop you despite whatever purpose you may have for being here!" Kaigen had no Life Deck in his Carrier, indicating that he wasn't an Adventurer.

Riju brushed back the long locks of his flowing golden hair, his red eyes showing that he was amused by this turn of events. "We came to Mudeia expecting to cause a bit of destruction and remind the citizens of this country that Kyris the Hell owns their lives, but it seems that I'll also get to crush a little nuisance while I'm at it."

Kaigen readjusted his glasses nervously, hands trembling and barely hanging onto the cards he had drawn from the dueling deck in his beaten old Carrier. "I…I won't back down! I said I would stop you from reaching those gates and that's what I will do!"

"That's why you're a fool!" The servant of The Hell drew five cards from his Duel Deck. "You don't even have a Life Deck, which means that you're not even an Adventurer, yet you would oppose us? Very well, let me show why you commoners should not oppose Kyris! I'll even be kind enough not to crush you under my heel with my Life Deck, despite the fact that I'm rather agitated by your mere prescense."

Riju- 8000/11000

Kaigen- 8000/500

"Prepare yourself for death!" Riju drew one card from his deck and added it to his hand before grabbing a card and throwing it in front of him. "I summon Troop Dragon in defense mode!" A humanoid dragon wearing patchwork armor appeared in front of him, kneeling on a card. (700/800) "Also I set one card face-down and end my turn." A card appeared behind his creature. "Well then, soon-to-be-dead commoner, it's your turn."

"R…right…" Hands still trembling, Kaigen pulled one card off of his deck and gasped in surprise at what he had pulled. "Wow, I got this good of a card so quickly…" Another card was thrown from his hand up into the air, and from it emerged a blast of gray light. "I'll summon Future Hero Hoverman in attack mode!" A metal-covered warrior armored from head to toe in powerful cybernetic plating appeared on his field, floating in the air by the jetpack it had attached.. (1000/1000)

"Future Hero?" Riju lifted an eyebrow at the summoned monster. "What kind of strange creature is that?"

Kaigen ignored him and, hands still shaking, pointed at the Troop Dragon. "Hoverman, attack his monster now!" The superhero monster dove downwards and kicked through the dragon, shattering it with one hit.

"Your efforts are useless!" Riju's Duel Deck started to glow and another Troop Dragon appeared on his field in defense mode. (700/800) "The power of my dragon special summons another of itself when it is defeated!"

"It does?" Kaigen, his glasses slipping to the tip of his nose, blinked at the creature a couple of times. "Oh man, I messed up…end turn." Then he looked at his hand and his jaw dropped. "Ah, I forgot to set this card!" Sweating profusely, he clasped his hands together pleadingly at the red-eyed dragon-master. "Please let me set it?"

"Not a chance, you ended your turn already." Drawing from his Duel Deck, Riju sneered and held up a magic card. "I activate the magic card Silent Prayer, allowing me to revive one effect monster from my graveyard to the field in defense mode." His first Troop Dragon appeared in play alongside the first. (700/800)

"And then from my hand I activate the magic card Draw Bomb." A glint of light came from one of his teeth as he smiled. "This card destroys one monster on my field, after which I draw a card and deal you 500 points of damage." One of his two Troop Dragons exploded. "And don't forget the effect of my monster!" A new Troop Dragon appeared in play in defense mode. (700/800)

Kaigen screamed as he was engulfed by a burning blast of fire, his baggy clothing billowing slightly in the dry heat.

Riju- 8000/11000

Kaigen- 7500/500

"You're rather weak." Riju motioned to his set card. "I activate Call of the Haunted, reviving my Troop Dragon in attack mode!" The third of the three warrior dragons appeared on his field. (700/800) "If something like my Draw Bomb card actually hurt you, then this duel will be over very quickly!"

"Regardless…" Kaigen struggled to regain his breath. "I can't back down…"

"I wouldn't let you even if you wanted to!" The dragon master held up another magic card and his three Troop Dragons exploded. "I activate the magic card Ultimate Sacrifice Summon, which lets me tribute three monsters on my field to special summon a monster from my deck regardless of summoning requirements!" A pillar of fire erupted from the meadow at his feet, the flames searing away the grass there and burning the ground bare.

A pair of molten-red wings emerged from the dirt, a giant skeletal dragon head dripping lava appearing on the field and quickly being followed by the rest of the dragon. (1900/1900) "This is my Magma Explosion Dragon, a ritual monster that normally costs ten levels worth of monster sacrifices to summon. Thanks to Ultimate Sacrifice Summon though, I've been able to call it out without any problem."

"That's huge…" Kaigen could only stare at the towering monster in fear, his legs shaking. "I don't think I can beat something that powerful…"

"Magma Explosion Dragon, crush his monster now!" Riju's monster unleashed a powerful jet of lava from its jaws that enveloped Hoverman and burned it to ash instantly.

Riju- 8000/11000

Kaigen- 6700/500

Kaigen screamed as the flames from the monster's explosive attack hit him, swallowing him up within a tornado of heat.

"This is pitiful, we've just started and you're already screaming for mercy." Riju snapped his hand up and his dragon started to charge up another attack. "I set one card face-down and end my turn, at which time the effect of my Magma Explosion Dragon deals you 2000 points of damage thanks to its effect!"

Kaigen's screams grew louder as the tornado turned into a pillar, and then into a fountain as the dragon added to the already incredible amount of heat it had created.

Riju- 8000/11000

Kaigen- 4700/500

"What now?" The dragon master crossed his arms across his chest. "The power of my dragon seems to already have you beaten. I didn't even have to involve myself in this battle."

"It's my turn, draw." The fire died down to reveal a blackened Kaigen, his brown eyes trembling behind his ash-layered glasses. In his hand was a card he had drawn from his Duel Deck. "Despite your awesome power, I can't run from this duel. If I do then lots of people will die. Therefore I have to fight!"

"That's fine with me, as it seems that you are a bit more determined to win now." Riju ran a hand through the locks of his hair. "Do your best I suppose, trash."

Kaigen threw a card in front of him and it exploded into the shape of a crouching humanoid holding a heavy golden shield in front of it. "I summon Mudeia Gardna in defense mode and set one card face-down. End turn." (700/1900)

"Draw!" Riju drew another card from his Duel Deck and added it to his hand. "You're trying my patience with these pitiful attempts at defense. It seems I have no choice but to crush you beneath my heel quickly!" He held up a magic card. "I activate the magic card Graceful Charity, which lets me draw three cards and then discard two." Three cards left his Life Deck and he added them to his hand before discarding two of his Duel Deck cards to the graveyard slot.

Kaigen gulped loudly. "You're drawing from your Life Deck?"

"That's right." Still sneering deeply, Riju discarded two cards. "I discard two cards from my hand to summon myself to this battle!" (800/800) "While I am in play with a dragon type monster you cannot attack me, and all magic cards that target dragon type monsters on my field are negated." He lifted up his hand and a powerful lightning erupted to life along his fingers. "And now I'll clear away your defense with this spell, Wind Arts; Enveloping Storm!" A powerful twirl of wind hit the Mudeia Gardna and it was forced to its feet. "This spell switches the mode of a monster on your field at the cost of 200 magic points! Now take this, Magma Explosion!"

Kaigen's eyes widened from behind his glasses as he was slammed into by another roaring torrent of fire that came from the Magma Explosion Dragon, the same blast also doing away with his monster.

Riju- 8000/10800

Kaigen- 3500/500

"And now for my direct attack!" The dragon master hurled a crackling blast of lightning that slammed into the other man's chest and dropped him to his knees.

Riju- 8000/10800

Kaigen- 2700/500

"One last thing…" Riju turned his back to the smoldering man. "I end my turn." Another scream pierced the air as Kaigen was enveloped by the destructive power of the Magma Explosion Dragon's effect.

Riju- 8000/10800

Kaigen- 700/500

"This sad little skirmish is over." Riju glanced behind him at the blazing inferno where Kaigen had been. "You can't possibly still be alive, so I'll just assume that's the end of you. It was a good battle, and you did rather well to have lasted so long, but that's all. In the end you cannot compare to one such as myself, who is amongst the lieutenants of Kyris the Hell."

"I see…" The smoke cleared to reveal Kaigen, uninjured. His brown eyes shimmered past the low-hanging lenses of his glasses, which rested at the tip of his nose. "So there is no way to end this battle without bloodshed?"

"What are you talking about?" The dragon master sneered coldly. "I was quite open with my intentions since the very start!"

"That you were." Kaigen drew from his deck, the burn patches on his ragged clothing already extinguished. "Then I suppose I have no choice but to make sure that the only blood shed in this battle with yours." He added the card to his hand, the waver of his voice completely gone. "From my hand I play the magic card Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and then discarding two!" His hands were moving quicker now, his eyes barely looking at the cards he was drawing before he discarded two. "This is where the real duel begins, Riju of the Explosive Dragons."

("What's with this guy?") The dragon master suddenly could see the determination burning in the eyes of Kaigen. ("Where is all of this sudden strength coming from?")

"From my hand I activate the magic card Revitalization of Babylon, which allows me to select up to two monsters from my graveyard that have been destroyed as a result of battle and add them to my hand!" Two cards left his graveyard and he shuffled them together with the rest of his hand cards. "After the cards enter my hand one card I'm holding is discarded at random!" A single card disappeared from his grasp.

"Whatever you do won't change the result of this battle!" Riju motioned to his Magma Explosion Dragon. "This creature can easily defeat you during the next turn!"

"Then I'll have to clear it away before I can defeat you!" Kaigen held up a card and it disappeared in a flash of light. "I activate the magic card Calling Horn of Mudeia, letting me add one Mudeia named beast, warrior, or spellcaster type monster from my deck to my hand!" A card left his deck and he threw it out in front of him. "Come out now, Mudeia Royal Guard!" A towering golden knight appeared on his field, its massive sword and shield held in front of it defensively. (1800/1800)

"Another Mudeian card?" Riju scoffed. "Do they just casually hand out such cards to their citizens?"

"Don't speak badly of this place." Kaigen pointed at his monster. "The effect of Royal Guard, when it is summoned, lets me discard any number of warrior monsters from my hand to the graveyard. For every one discarded it gains 500 attack points." Three cards faded from his hand. (3300/1800) "Attack the dragon now!"

Riju grunted as his dragon was suddenly cut in half. "I pay 400 magic points to negate the physical damage to myself!"

Riju- 6600/10400

Kaigen- 700/500

"That's fine." A card appeared alongside his other set card. "I set one more card face-down and end my turn."

"Draw!" The dragon master drew from his Duel Deck and slid the card into his graveyard after drawing it. "I activate Pot of Greed, drawing two cards from my Life Deck."

Kaigen's serious composure suddenly broke as he winced at his opponent's draw. "Ow, you actually managed to pull that card when your hand was completely gone? Wow, what a guy…" Rubbing the top of his head, he looked absolutely bewildered.

"Why are you so surprised by my drawing of such a common card?" Riju grabbed one of the two cards he had drawn.

"I'm surprised because I can't believe you're this serious…" Sighing quietly and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the man started ruffling up his own hair. He wasn't even paying attention to his opponent. "Oh well, you may as well discard one of those two."

"What was that you murmured?" The dragon master gasped in surprise at one of the two cards that activated on his opponent's field. "Balance Draw…you had that card set face-down?"

"That's right. When you would draw cards from an effect I can cut that number in half and draw the half number if I have no cards in hand." Kaigen had yet to draw though, his hands still ruffling up his hand and covering his face.

"Now you're not even paying attention to me, huh?" Riju returned one of the two cards in his hand to the top of his Life Deck and held up the other one. "I activate Wind Arts; Obliterating Lightning Bolt! At the cost of 400 magic points I can destroy one attack mode monster on your field!" A lightning bolt fell from the sky and destroyed the Royal Guard. "This is where your life ends!"

Riju- 6600/10000

Kaigen- 700/500

"Not quite." Kaigen's other set card flipped up. "I activate the trap card Squall of Feathers. If Elemental Hero Featherman is in my graveyard I may remove it to prevent you from attacking during this turn."

"Damn it, you're only delaying the inevitable." Riju dropped his hands to his sides. "I end my turn for now then. During the next turn though I will crush you fully."

"There isn't going to be a next turn." The red-haired man gently lowered his hands, having removed his glasses in the process and allowing his eyes to fully shine in the light of the bright sun above. "Or have you not realized yet the difference in our power?"

"The difference…in our…" Right eye twitching in fury, the dragon master lifted one hand and started to charge up a lightning bolt. "I'll kill you right this instant, you insolent commoner!"

"Commoner?" Kaigen drew from his deck, his hair now standing in a slightly pointed position atop his head. In a way, he seemed to be an almost completely different person than just moments before. He looked composed, calm, and fearless. "Mudeia will not fall."

"What will you do to stop us?" Riju pointed at the towering pillars of the pure white city behind Kaigen. "That place is not a place fit for warriors, and it will be torn down when Kyris finally decides he has grown weary of the hope it gives the people of this country!"

"Is that so?" A voice called out, revealing that there had been two other men standing on the rock directly behind Kaigen this whole time. "Sorry to inform you of this but if the best Kyris has to offer is the likes of you then the chances of you conquering Mudeia are zero."

"And just who are you?" The dragon master glared at the two behind his opponent.

From next to the first speaker the other one tapped the butt of his staff against the slab of rock beneath him. "We are the heroes of this country's people, and Kyris the Hell cannot change that no matter how hard he tries to frighten them." The sun-created shadows covering him faded to reveal long crimson-red robes and deep-dark skin. The crystal atop his staff, a red ruby shaped perfectly like a bird in flight, started to glow.

"You red-eyed bastards," The other speaker was revealed to have a long headful of black hair braided behind his back, the tight bodysuit he was wearing giving him perfect freedom of movement. "Don't seem to understand that though, and just keep coming one after another to challenge this city we have sworn to protect."

"You two, you can't possibly be…" Riju felt sweat already dripping down his forehead, the mere sight of these two enough to strike terror into his heart. "You…you aren't supposed to be here! Weren't you out of the city in search of someone?"

"You think we'd be stupid enough to leave all together?" The crimson-dressed mage smiled at Kaigen's back. "Shouldn't you stop playing around with this guy?"

"Yeah, I know." Throwing the ragged cloak that had been covering him, the red-haired man revealed his grey and white robes. "Well, Riju of the Explosive Dragons, do you understand now?"

"You three…you three are…"

The long-haired and dark-skinned man coldly crossed his arms across his chest. "The top anti-magic Assassin in all of Mudeia, the Cross of Shadows, Deondre Anderson."

The mage tapped his staff against the rock below him once more, the bird-shaped crystal starting to glow brighter and brighter. "The high Archmage of Mudeia, the Sage Phoenix, Janeam Hawkins."

Kaigen bowed slightly, the sword hanging at his side slapping against his thigh gently. "I'm sure I need no introduction, at least if you were smart and researched your potential opponents a little bit."

Eyes trembling and sweat pouring down his face, Riju couldn't stop the trembling of his hands. "The Hero Genius of Mudeia, the Divining Sword, Daniel Pilkington….you…"

"Hurry up Daniel." Deondre suddenly broke his dramatic stance and stretched his neck out a little bit. "It seems Kyris just wants to make us miss lunch now. Hurry up and clear this piece of trash out of the way."

"You're far too uncultured, Deondre," Janeam rested against his staff and turned to look at his friend. "Not all of us rely on killing in one hit, like you do. Some of us have more class than that."

"It's not a matter of killing in one hit; I just don't see the point in dragging out a fight that we know is pointless." Tugging down the stretched portion of his suit that had been covering the lower half of his face, Deondre pointed at the magician. "Unlike you I don't like toying with guys who are obviously not our equals. Where's the class in completely treating an enemy as if they are nothing?"

"Um, isn't that what you two are doing right now?" Sweatdropping, Daniel turned to face the dragon master. "Sorry about that, but they are right. You're better off just running away while you can."

("I can't run away, or else Kyris will kill me for it.") Hand clenching into a tight fist, Riju pointed at the white and grey-robed man. "Despite your deception I will still win. Because of the stupid mistake you made by not coming at me with your full power now you only have one more card to draw before I can start tearing away what little remains of your life points!"

"…" Janeam and Deondre glanced at each other questioningly, and then started laughing.

"What's so funny about that?" Riju shouted.

Janeam finally managed to compose himself enough to start speaking. "You…you don't even realize just how futile this is, do you? Don't you know who your opponent is?"

Deondre let out a loud sigh as he finally calmed down enough to speak clearly as well. "There's a reason they call him the Hero Genius of Mudeia. It's not just because of those strange Elemental Hero monsters he runs, but it's because of one other thing too."

"That's enough, Deondre." Daniel held up a card. "He'll see soon enough, there's no need to tease him about it. I activate the magic card Reveal the True Warrior, allowing me to place my Life Deck down and gain 1000 life points." A red deck of cards appeared in the other slot of his Carrier. "And then I play Research on the Pot of Greed, drawing one card from my Life Deck."

Riju- 6600/10000

Kaigen- 1700/500

The card he had drawn suddenly disappeared in a burst of silver light. "I activate the spell card Release of Power, awakening my full magical power with the cost negated by the effect of Reveal the True Warrior, which negates Magic Point costs during this turn." An explosion of energy came from the aura awakening around him.

"Release of Power…" Riju could feel his fear intensifying.

"My full power is released and I draw three cards from my Life Deck." Daniel snapped three cards off of his deck and discarded two. "I place myself in this battle!" (1500/1300) "Also I activate the spell card Divine Fate, letting me guess the top three cards of my deck! If I guess their types correctly I may add them all to my hand! I guess item, technique and spell, in that order." Then he drew three cards from his Life Deck and held them up, revealing an item, a technique, and then a spell.

"How did you possibly…" Riju's eyes widened in sudden realization. ("The Divining Sword…the only known Seer ever to pick up a sword…") "You read the future?"

"Exactly," Pulling out a pair of wire-frame glasses with grey-tinted lenses, the Seer slid them onto his face calmly. "It's not something I do often, so consider it a sign of my respect that you would follow the orders of your master this far…" His closed eyes opened, appearing perfectly gray through the lenses of his new glasses. "…though I cannot show you any mercy. Prepare to die."

One of the three cards in his hand was flipped over and started to glow before it suddenly faded. "I activate the item card Future Edge, my sword." He slowly pulled the sheathed weapon free, its clear edge standing out against the black metal of its body. "This increases my attack strength by 1400 points!" (2900/1300)

"You can't possibly beat me this turn…you can't…" Riju felt the building energy around Daniel's body increase. ("How powerful can the leader of the Five Guardians of Mudeia be? Is this why Kyris had yet to try and conquer Mudeia with his full force?")

"I pay 1000 life points and 1000 magic points to activate the technique card Future Vision Slash." Daniel, with two of the fingers from the hand holding his sword, drew the top card of his deck. "I discard the top card of my deck and guess the type beforehand. If I'm correct I do so again, discarding the card and increasing my attack points by 700 for the turn. I guess magic card." He revealed that it was a magic card and then he discarded it to the graveyard. (3600/1300)

Riju- 6600/10000

Kaigen- 700/29500

"Trap," Daniel held the trap he had drawn before discarding it and continuing. (4300/1300)

Deondre whistled in mock astonishment. "Look at him go."

Daniel discarded another card, having been correct again. (8000/1300) "I'll stop here." Grabbing the hilt of his sword with both of his hands, he locked his eyes onto Riju. "Prepare yourself, Riju of the Explosive Dragons!" Then he exploded across the meadow, leaping high into the air above his opponent.

Riju gasped and tried to stumble back, but he found himself unable to move. ("Why can't I move…what magic is holding me here?") Then his panicked thoughts disappeared and turned into a scream of pain as he was slashed right down the middle by Daniel's Future Edge. "A Seer…a measly Seer…beat me…"

"A measly Seer?" Daniel stood up and turned away from Riju, sheathing his sword. Immediately after that the dragon master exploded in a blast of gray energy. "I suppose you're right, I'm just a measly Seer. Of course if you had been a measly Seer then you would have been able to see your death coming, wouldn't you?" He turned his head and childishly stuck his tongue out at the gray smoke behind him.

"Why didn't you just beat him full-force before, since you knew he was coming?" Janeam turned and started walking towards the main gates of Mudeia, not really all that impressed by this victory.

"Shut up, I'm not omnipotent." Stomping after his two friends, Daniel picked up his book from the ground. "If I was then I would have found the princess easily by now."

"Well once Allon and Carime return we can send your future-viewing ass out there and you can locate her." Deondre walked alongside the Seer, looking rather angrily at Janeam's back.

My name is Daniel Pilkington, Hero Genius of Mudeia. I was a Seer that one day picked up a blade and, for my own reasons, trained myself in the arts of a swordsman. In the name of the holy city and its people I will defend this place and this country with my life. I cannot see very far into the future, but I can see what appears to be a rather unusual set of circumstances fast approaching. I guess I should prepare…

Deondre sighed as Daniel suddenly fell forward and face-planted to the grass. "That's why I keep telling you not to write while you're walking."

To be continued…