The Fields of Dagrath Rhune - The Kingdom of Eredas
Tel. VIII - Year 18 4AOS
Like fire across the continent, the War of the Three Kings spread, consuming and destroying everything in its path. With the influx of Robotics Knights being produced in Naralia, King Forrest's war machine grew stronger. Despite the prowess of the continent's finest warriors, Termnnia continues to lose swaths of territories to King Forrest's army of robots, mercenaries, and his own group of warriors he calls the Holy Knights of Naralia, an organization of youths with incredible powers, who long to do battle with the likes of Yugi Muto, the Kingsblades, and the Princes of the Alliance. He now moves his troops south through the Akelan Pass into the great cities of Eredas.
A Naralian soldier ran up the mountain overlooking the field of beautiful red flowers and blew his horn shaped like a roaring grizzly bear to match the sigil of King Forrest's House. Within seconds, an army of robotic knights swarmed out of the pass, swords, muskets, lances, and maces at the ready. But no army awaited them in Dagrath Rhune. A young prince stood alone in the flowers as the sun was setting behind him and the faint outlines of the three moons began to form in the sky with the stars.
Michael Octavius Dalton, Crown Prince of Eredas, marched to the great red fields of Dagrath Rhune to meet with King Forrest's forces and take them head-on.
The fact that he was alone caused a small squadron of elite knights to push through the ranks of the robotic knights. They were eager to take him on themselves with their new weapons, shields, and swords made of steel infused with lighting. Having slaughtered countless soldiers, and villagers, and taken down a few heroes themselves, the knights felt Michael was no match for them. The leader raised his giant lance of iron and lighting and ordered the charge. They sprinted across the tulips, mashing them underneath their iron-clad feet and sending their delicate petals floating into the sky.
Michael raised both his arms and then thirteen swords made of metal that looked like sunlight made solid formed around him.
The swords surrounding him were each used by the kings of his House. In the Dalton Family, before a prince was born, a sword was forged in his honor, and he would keep that sword till his death, passing it down to the next heir to add to the collection. A hundred generations passed and now it was Michael's turn to wield the Hundred Blades of House Dalton.
Each blade engaged an arrogant Naralian knight in single combat. Even though they had no wielder, the swords moved with such grace and elegance, like a bodiless swordsman with a thousand years of experience and wisdom in the art of swordcraft and likewise with swordplay. Michael moved like a blur in the tulips, dodging each weapon that swung at him with backflips, jumps, and swift dodge rolls through the tulips, where he disappeared for a moment before jumping out and striking one down with his main weapon, Crixus, a jet black blade with rubies and filigree engraving forged by the Archfiend Emperor of Pandemonium as a gift.
For you see, Prince Michael was the chosen warrior of the Goddess of Darkness. One might think that would make him an evil prince, but dear reader, darkness does not always mean diabolic, evil, or bad.
Trust me when I tell you that Prince Michael is none of those things. If you're ever in a jam, he'll be there for you.
And tonight, his people needed him to keep the borders safe. In two minutes flat, Michael and his swords struck down the squad of arrogant knights, leaving their ruins piling all around him. The commander of the army, a robotic general, saw that the human knights proved to have no effect on Michael, and thus he ordered the charge.
As his mechanical troops scurried out of the Pass, the robotic general watched from atop the hill as they surrounded Michael. A new model of robotic knights took him by surprise as they jumped from behind a set of rocks not too far away from him. They had rifles colored solid white with brilliant engravings and scrollwork. Six of Michael's swords saw the robotic riflemen and formed a circle. They spun around until they created an arcane circle that blocked each bullet. Then the swords flew to the robotic soldiers and cut them down to shreds. Michael sprinted across the tulips slicing hundreds of robotic knights as though he were a farmer cutting the wheat of his field with a scythe.
Even though some had rifles, Michael was too fast, outrunning the bullets with ease. The speed he possed was from two gems inlaid into his legs. The gems were a gift from another Archfiend. Archfiend Empress, who he considered his second mother. Michael jumped over a hill. His swords dematerialized and he held out both palms to summon a rain of dark lighting from the purple gemstones inlaid into his palms to zap the robotic knights. The lighting was a gift from a beast called Skull Archfiend of Lightning. The Archfiends would even obey his call. Naralian drop ships soared over the mountains and delivered more robotic knights to do battle with Michael.
Despite how powerful he was, even Michael knew when he needed to call for help. He transformed his dark blade into a staff, which he spun around to conjure his companion for the battle. The robotic knights paused when they noticed they were surrounded by an eerie cloud of mist. Michael snickered at the robotic knights as a cloud of mist surrounded him. When it dispersed, he was gone. The robotic knights beeped nervously and activated their scanners to detect Michael's heat signature. There was nothing. He just vanished. Perhaps he retreated? The robotic general seemed to think so and gargled a robotic static laugh. His confidence in Michael's surrender died when the robotic knights began to beep and whirr in distress. Something was swimming through the mist, forcing the robotic riflemen to run forward and aim their rifles at the mist while forming a protective wall around the knights.
They fired into the mist hoping to strike something. But they failed. The mist cleared and revealed that they wasted their bullets on stones and the wreckage of their fallen robotic brethren. Suddenly, an orange and black Archfiend jumped out of the mist, snarling and hissing as it brandished its sharp golden talons.
Mist Archfiend.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! The Mist Archfiend tore through the robotic knights as though he were swimming through a sea of metal. And then, the field was shaken by a loud roar.
Michael appeared out of the mist riding atop a Pandemonium Watchbear, a blood-red fiendish bear with green eyes, a long drolling tongue, sharp teeth, and purple dorsal spikes going down its back. The giant bear smashed through the robotic troops with ease, ripping and tearing them apart as though they were made of flesh.
The robotic general could take it no more. He picked up his giant mace and jumped from the rocks to challenge Michael and his Archfiends. Micheal leaped off his bear and held his sword over his head. Normally, this would have spelled doom for his opponents but his sword merely smashed upon the general's helmet with a loud CLANG! Michael gasped in shock. He should have cut the general in half by now. But he didn't move. He continued laughing at Michael and punched him hard in the stomach, sending him flying toward the rocks. He smashed against them and fell to the ground. A machine gun that fired crystalized needles rose out of his shoulder. The robotic general laughed and fired every round he had. Michael noticed this in time and summoned his great-great-great grandfather's sword. The sword shone brightly before it spun rapidly to deflect the needles. When that failed, the robotic general raised his right arm and this time, a flamethrower came out. He raised the intensity to MAX and released a fountain of flames at Michael. The prince summoned three more ancestral swords and they formed together into a ring they spun around with so much force they dispersed the flames from five feet away. Michael then reached for a pistol holstered on the back of his pants, then blasted the flamethrower with two well-aimed shots.
"AARGH!" the general shouted and he stepped back to let his robotic knights finish Michael off. This was something he was going to enjoy. He pointed at Michael and gave the command to tear him apart piece by piece.
The robotic knights raised their swords and then ran for the prince, hoping to cut him down before he got up. But before they could get within an inch of him, a fierce hail of red-hot bullets pierced through the mist and mowed them down to junk in mere seconds.
"Hmmm!" the robotic general said in confusion.
A bright light pierced the mist. It was the headlight of a large black motorcycle infused with a Duel Disk called a Duel Runner. Riding it was Prince Michael's childhood friend, Crow.
She was wielding her signature weapon which she dearly named, Clarissa. It was a heavy rifle with ten barrels that could shoot hundreds of rounds per second. When she ran out of ammo, all she had to do was give it a sixteen-second rest as a mechanism inside 3D-printed the rifle's ammo, meaning she never had to reload.
However, seeing as how Michael was recovering from the blow and quickly being surrounded by robotic knights, she set the rifle into a holster by her seat. She pressed a button on her dashboard and two lit-up compartments near her legs opened and elevated two black longswords that doubled as machine guns with mechanisms over their own that developed 3D-printed ammo. Since they were small and could only fit ten rounds, she hardly used them. In fact, they were just for exhibition, for it was just her showing off her knowledge of both swordsmithing and gunsmithing. Still, Crow found them fun to use if she ever had the chance, and she shot a few robotic knights with the guns built into the blade before she drove her Duel Runner through the army while slicing the robotic soldiers piece by piece. She held her hand up into the air and an icy arcane circle burst over it, summoning her Eidolon, Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier.
The Tiger King jumped on the robotic general's back and held on tightly, distracting him as Crow sliced through more robotic knights to get to Michael. Clarissa beeped, signaling she was fully loaded. She stuck her swords back into their compartments and picked up her rifle, blasting the general's core to shreds and disabling him for good. She giggled and sped to the spot where Michael fell. passed by Mist Archfiend, who rose out of a thick soup of mist to grab two robotic knights and dragged them under. Seconds later, a cloud appeared over Micheal's spot and bits and pieces of the robotic knights rained down. Crow slid to a stop and got off her Duel Runner to check on her friend.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Never better," Michael said. "You and your friend came at just the right time. It felt like there was no end to these stupid things."
"Zane and the Kingsblades are coming to take care of the rest. You've done enough, Michael. Let's get you home."
"Yeah, the battle is all but won," Michael chuckled. He checked his watch. "Whoa! We better get home soon. Zorc and Pals is almost on. Let's go."
Crow pointed at the sky at three Cloud Ships that soared down from the sky. One was black and the other was white and gold, and the third was white as well but bursting with blue and neon green.
"Uh oh. Better hold off on your cartoon, my prince. A black Cloud Ship. It's that guy Yuto, the Duelist with the Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon."
"Hmm," grunted Michael. "And the other two. It's Yuma Tsukumo and Yugo, the Clear Wing Dragoon."
Michael shook his head, then laughed as he picked himself up. "The fun just never ends, huh?"
"Look!" cried Yuma, Hero of the Xyz Dimension. "There they are!"
"Coming in for a landing," said Yugo. He sped past both Yuma and Yuto. "Let's see if they need some help."
Crow covered her ears as the three ships made their landing on the wreckage of the robotic knights Michael destroyed. "What a way to travel," she said. "Truly the age of swords and shields is coming to an end with these things."
"I highly doubt swords and shields are going anywhere anytime soon," Michael said, trying to stand up, but his gut was still aching.
The canopies of the ships opened in sync and the three legendary Duelists jumped out.
"Leave us with anything?" Yugo asked.
"Just scrap," Michael replied, trying his best to sound like he wasn't in pain.
"Looks like you took a big hit," said Yuto. "You all right?"
"I'll be fine. What are you guys doing here?"
"We've got an urgent message from your father, the king," said Yuma. "You're needed north. King Forrest is preparing to send these mechanical goons to Paradise City. We could really use your help."
"That is if he's okay to go," Yuto remarked, taking a look at Michael as he winced with pain.
"Heh, don't worry about me. I'll just chug a little red potion and I'll be set to go. Come on, there's no time to lose."
Andre - St. Augustus High school/Aquarius
Tel. VIII - Year 18 4AOS
As Andre passed the halls of St. Augustus High School, he heard a lot of talk about Yuri's big win against Randall Lawson. Whispers about a new mystery monster his father made just for him.
Andre heard some kids saying they wanted to see the monster for themselves. Others bragged that they could easily beat the monster, whatever it was.
"Yuri's not so tough," he overheard Maxwell bragging to a group of girls he immediately identified as the Gems of Paradiso Prima. "If it were me against him, I would have easily won."
"Yeah, right," said one of the Gems, a golden-haired girl named Maria Friedman. "Randall Lawson is a Regional Champion from the United States. He was personally trained by Brett Martinetti, the best Duelist in Aquarius. That's no walk in the park."
"You girls really think Yuri won by skill? He got lucky. There's no way he could beat a Duelist of Randall's calibur. And what if the rumors are true? That the mystery card everybody's talking about was given to him by his father? He can't be like us so he gets his daddy to give him special cards to give him an advantage."
Another girl from the group named Taryn Conti rolled her eyes and mocked his words with a scoff. "You would like to believe that. I don't know Yuri personally but he's a nice guy who plays for the sake of friendly competition."
Her teammate, another blonde with a flower in her hair named Barbie Tyrell agreed. "Yeah, he's a good boy. And there's no way he was gifted with a powerful card. Jacob Montgomery is a very stern man. He doesn't give his kids anything. If they want something, they have to earn it."
"You girls are so naive," said Maxwell. "Yuri's a cheat. Which is why I need your help to take him out and prove what a fraud he is!"
Andre had heard enough and stepped up to confront him. He shouldered his backpack and stood in front of Maxwell to look him in the eye.
"Maybe you'd like to face him yourself!"
"Get lost asshole!" Maxwell barked. "We weren't talking to you."
"Actually, we were just leaving," said another Gem by the name of Carolina Fairfax. "This guy is writing checks with his mouth that he can't cash in."
"Hey! We're not done yet!"
A good-looking boy with jet-black hair and bright blue eyes came up from behind the Gems and smiled proudly. Andre immediately figured out he was the third Duel King, Diego Morales.
The young millionaire from Spain flashed an arrogant smile as he stood in front of the ladies, whom he hoped would be superstars in the future. Andre backed away to give them their space and let Diego confront the wannabe Duel King.
"Maxwell. Making the nuisance out of yourself again, huh? Do us all a favor and make yourself scarce. You're bothering my friends."
"Come on, Morales. We need each other right now. Aren't you afraid that cheater is going to take your throne?"
"Throne?" Diego laughed. "Don't you think you're being a little melodramatic? It's just a silly title the kids around here give to the best Duelists in school. Actually, I rather hope Yuri can become one of the school's Duel Kings before the year is over. In fact, I'm betting money on it."
"What? How could you want him to be one of you guys?"
Diego sniggered softy. "Well, he is the heir to the most powerful company in the world and this beautiful city we call home. It's only natural the other students show him the proper respect he deserves as a Duel King. And that card he used to beat that arrogant bastard Randall Lawson is going to help him gain that title I'm sure. But that doesn't mean I won't try my hand at him eventually. I'll send my Gems his way first to see if he and that mystery card are worthy of my time."
"You won't have to worry about that. I'll take down both him and his new dinosaur monster and become a Duel King myself. You'll see."
"Good luck," Barbie sing-songed with a cute giggle. She mockingly swayed her head from side to side, making her pigtails flap around. "If not even a champion from America can stand against that monster, what makes you think you can?"
"You'll see," Maxwell waved his hand and walked away.
Diego flipped Maxwell off as he sulked down the halls. "So you must be the new kid in school. Andre Martin they call you, right?"
"That's right."
"What's your interest in Yuri?"
"What do you mean?"
"What's your interest in him? Financial? Romantical? Trying to take him down and make a name for yourself? Lord knows everyone wants to, now that he's beaten an American regional champion. You must have quite the connection with him for you to just randomly stand up for him like that."
"I don't have any interests at all. I'm just curious about the guy. He seems to be a big deal around here."
Taryn couldn't help but laugh at him. "Dude you really are new around here. Of course, he's a big deal around here. Now things have gotten even more interesting with that victory he pulled last night."
"I know right!" Barbie squealed happily. "We knew Yuri was good but to have the skills to beat a Duelist like Randall. I didn't know he had it in him."
"Hmm," Carolina said. "I wonder if all that talk about him being shy was just BS and he's been holding out on us the whole time. I mean nobody just gets that good."
The bell rang. It was time to go to class.
Diego clapped his hands. "Come on, girls. Off we go. Expand your minds and soak up every bit of the knowledge you'll be blessed with today."
"Wait, Diego!" Andre called.
"Hmmm?"
"What'll it take for….uh, I dunno. A guy like me to be a Duel King?"
Diego responded with a leer. "To be the best, you've got to beat the best. You need to defeat one of the Duel Kings in school. But you can't just simply challenge them. You need to be worthy of their time."
"How do I do that?"
"Well, I became a Duel King after I won a tournament at the Ruby Dragon and acquired fifty victories. Start by doing that. You need to gain the interest of a Duel King in order to play against one. And what better way to gain their interest than winning big. But I wouldn't get any ideas. Competition is fierce. And we're all betting on Yuri."
Antilles - House Dragonheart's 5th Mountain Estate, Emboldor
Tel. VIII - Year 18 4AOS
"Will you not join me, Uncle?" Alexandra Dragonheart asked as she dipped her toe in the river. She squeaked when the briskness of the water touched her skin and stepped back.
Antilles smiled, watching her undo her robe. He sat back in his armchair admiring her gleaming white one-piece bathing suit. He lit a few candles to give his desk some light. He had an outdoor office built out here, kept safe from the elements with an awning. Inside were chests full of manifests and journals, wardrobes with extra clothes, and an icebox to keep his drinks and food.
"Go swimming in that cold water? I will do no such thing." He dipped his quill into the ink bottle and started scribbling a letter. "You go on ahead and have fun, my love. I have much to do."
Alexandra pouted like a spoiled child and looked over her shoulder at her uncle. "You never want to have any fun, Uncle Antilles." Alexandra slowly waded into the river. "Always so busy."
"I am the King of Dragonrock, my sweet. Of course, I'm busy. I have sixteen holds in my kingdom to look over and as Warden of Emboldor, I have many more places to look after. Hundreds more Holds to keep an eye on as well as dozens of petty kingdoms; ten of which are in open rebellion against High Chancellor Pegasus."
Alexandra held her arms over her head and stretched, then let out an annoying whining sound. "It's that boy-king, Hector, is it not? What's he doing that's got you so preoccupied in this matter? I thought the Gate Wars were won and done with."
"He's keeping the war alive with his lust for power. Even though he lost the Battle of the Seven Princes, he is still campaigning against the crown."
"Fool that he is," Alexandra said, bending over to douse her arms with cold water to combat the hot Emboldorian heat. "I heard from one of the palace maids that he has fifty-thousand men at his disposal and tons of gold to keep people on his side. I wonder who could be supplying him with all those resources."
"Hector no longer wants just the crown," said Antilles. "The Ironwyrm Family was captured by the High King's forces about a week ago. They were plotting to give him more gold and more soldiers, but not for an invasion of Rassay. That mission will never be achieved after the loss he suffered. Lord Karvan confessed that Hector was assembling his troops to go on an expedition. They're looking for maps."
"Maps to what?" Alexandra asked. She was now waist-deep in the water.
"A great and terrible power. Something that could possibly even kill the God Cards."
Alexandra raised an eyebrow at his words. "Oh, really? And what power is that, Uncle?"
Antilles smirked. "Go and take your bath, you cheeky girl."
His niece reared her head back and laughed before diving into the water and disappearing. Antilles shook his head and began to finish his letter. All of a sudden, something shot out of the water and hit the bottom of his desk with a wet splat. Antilles cursed and got up from his desk to see what had been thrown at him. He smiled seeing Alexandra's crumpled bathing suit lying there. He picked it up, folded it, and placed it by the fire pit to dry.
"Oh, that girl," he said, then a fierce wind blew the trees and almost knocked the awning over. "Oh, what now?"
A shadow swooped over the forest, followed by a powerful roar that sent all the birds scattering, and the animals of the forest went silent. Antilles walked out from underneath his awning and looked up to see Clear Wing Synchro Dragon flying in circles above him.
"Ah," Antilles said. Just the person he had been waiting for. His young and handsome nephew, Ser Darrien Dragonheart waved from atop his mighty mount. The dragon landed in a clearing and he got off, landing on his two feet with a loud clank. Ser Darrien's spring-green eyes flashed when the light of the sun touched them. His golden-blonde hair was cut short on the sides and the top was pointed up with gel. He had a neatly trimmed beard. He was only twenty but had the strength and wisdom of a veteran who had seen many wars. His armor was thin to show off his muscular physique and only plated on the most vital areas.
He approached Antilles and knelt. "Uncle," he said. "So good to see you."
"Rise, Ser Darrien, there is no need for the Dragonheart Ace to bow anymore. You have done me proud, I will not have you soil your honor with frivolous protocol."
"If you say so, Uncle. It's only right that I bow to the king." He saw Alexandra's bathing suit drying by the fire. "I see Cousin Alexandra is keeping you company." He looked around. "Where is she?"
"She swam to the waterfall to bathe. Come, let us take a walk. We have much to discuss."
"Yes, we do. You can imagine my surprise when my father gave me the order to not only fly to the Estates of Hellgari and defend the Kingdom of Orange Hill but to meet my bride-to-be. Uncle, what is this? You know I'm in love with Nanya."
Antilles stopped and looked at the boy sternly. "That girl is nothing more than the milkmaid. If you wish to bed her during your free time, that is fine. But she is not to be married to you."
"But Uncle —"
"—the girl is beneath you, Darrien. A milkmaid is not suitable for a Knight of Dragonrock. The King has spoken."
Darrien paused, wet his lips, and swallowed. "I understand..."
"Didn't you once promise me you would do anything for our family, Darrien? You said you would help me make this family the most powerful and feared on the continent. And that you would help me establish the grandest dynasty the world has ever seen. One that could last ten thousand years. Did you not?"
"I did."
Antilles patted his shoulder. "Don't be so downhearted now, Darrien. Princess Alianore is a very beautiful girl. She's two years younger than you and is very rich. Well, soon to be once her father's army gets a hold of your dragon."
"What did you promise him?"
"The unity of the Estates. And in return, I get a share of all the profits he gains when he plunders the riches of all his fallen foes."
"You're not still plotting against the return of Prince Yuri are you, Uncle? Because if you are, I want no part in it. The Gates Wars have failed to change anyone's mind, Yuri is going to be eighteen in a matter of weeks, and soon he will return. Every kingdom, grand and petty, is highly anticipating his return. You will get caught. And then what of our dynasty?"
"Our dynasty can only be at its best when I take the Diamond Throne, Darrien. I was this close!" He held up his thumb and index finger. "I summoned Slifer the Sky Dragon in my duel against Crowler. I was already being celebrated as the future High King of Termnnia. And then he came along and took it all away from me."
"It was the plan of the Goddesses, Uncle. There's nothing you can do about it."
"I can and I will. It's been done before. I have my ways, Darrien. I have friends in high places. While the kingdoms of Termnnia crumble in their wars in the south and in the north, we get stronger. Soon, I will have amassed an army that no one would dare challenge. These next few months will determine our stance in history, Darrien. And it begins with you. Marry the girl. Unite the Estates with your dragon. And give me the resources I need to keep that divine bastard out of Termnnia. Will you do this?"
Darrien stood still for a moment. Then he nodded and thumped his vambrace against his chestplate. "I will. For House Dragonheart."
Yami Yugi - Emerald Harbor, Emboldor
Tel. VIII - Year 18 4AOS
After walking for hours on his journey south to Lower Emboldor, Yami finally entered the port town of Emerald Harbor. It lacked the lavishness and majesty of the other harbors around the Sea of Kings but nevertheless, it was an important hub of trade for many and was guarded by a small garrison of Black Luster Soldiers from the famed Tiger Company. They marched around in their dark armor and bore shields with a roaring tiger crafted on the front and their plumes were glowing orange, making them look like flames.
Still, despite their presence, Yami kept his hood up to keep his face hidden. Lower Emboldor was enemy territory now, what with the young Prince Hector Delgado's confederacy rising in power. Many here were against Yuri's claim to the throne and followed Hector as though he were Norman the Conqueror himself. And as he passed by a very ill-looking tavern, he saw some buccaneers laughing and holding harlots wearing nothing but thin silk for clothing. One of them was being mounted by the sea warrior right there in the streets for all to see. She laughed and giggled as her client howled and slapped her thighs and rump. While that was happening, his companions were throwing axes at pictures nailed to the wall. Pictures with High King Antar's image on them, as well as Yugi's, Joey's, and Serenity's. The buccaneers were cursing at them and hailing a prosperous reign for Prince Hector, hopeful that he would uncover the 'Titans' that would secure him his seat on the throne and perhaps overthrow the God Cards.
"A pox on Prince Yuri!" shouted one of the pirates, tossing a dagger at a picture of High King Antar.
His companion raised his mug as he groped the exposed left breast of the harlot sitting on his lap. "Aye! I hope the young Hector can find those Titans and give those God Cards a run fer their money!"
"Titans?" Yugi asked as he hovered over Yami's shoulder. "What are they talking about?"
"I don't know," Yami replied. "But whatever they are, they're giving Hector the support he needs to have the entirety of Souther Emboldor at his side."
"Man..." said Yugi.
"I wouldn't worry," said Yami. "Let's go. We cannot stay at this inn."
Yami found a better place to stay near the edge of town. The accommodations weren't the best he'd ever seen and the food was being cooked by a stout and dirty man with large boils on his face leaking puss. He was hungry but not so that he would eat food cooked by the man. Yami made his way up the creaky stairs to his room, which was as small as a walk-in closet. His bedding was a dirty hammock by the window and one night table with a candle on it.
Yami sat on the hammock and took a deep breath as his leg muscles could finally relax. The wrist-mounted computer on his leather gauntlet began beeping. A call! Yami wearily held his arm up and turned on the computer to answer the video call coming in. Joey and Tristan appeared on the screen. They were camping out by a fire in the middle of the forest.
"Joey? Tristan?" said Yami. "How have you been?"
"We could ask you the same question," said Tristan. "You left without a word or anything. Do you even know about Serenity's plan to help Prince Yuri?"
"She gave me a few details before I left," said Yami. "I understand she wants to raise money for the boy and convert it into the currency used in the city he lives in."
Joey let out a victorious laugh. "Nyeh-haha! Yeah, and we're doing a good job so far. We raised about 20,000 gold so far hunting monsters," said Joey. "Tristan and I just hunted a giant red bear that was influenced by a dark spirit. He's been killing livestock and eating children for weeks. But we sure showed him. The Lord of Fairfax is gonna give us a sweet payload for him."
"But knowing Serenity, it's still not going to be enough for her. Mai and the others have gathered about 50,000 gold with all the contracts they've completed and Serenity still told them more was needed. I don't know how much is going to be enough for her."
"That does sound bad," said Yami. "Be sure to keep an eye on her, Joey. Serenity is no longer that shy, petit, young lady we once knew."
Joey looked down behooved and sighed at the ground whilst rubbing the back of his neck. "I know. All those years in the Silver Paladins really shaped her into a very tenacious warrior. She's determined, Yuge. She's really determined. As are Téa and Mai. They cared for Yuri when he was a baby so this quest really means a lot to them. I know you got your mission, Yuge, but, hopefully, you can help us out with the cash."
"I can't make any promises," Yami said shaking his head. "But I'll see what I can do. I'm about to meet with Ser Gerhalos."
"Ser Gerhalos!" gasped Joey. "You mean...her old guardian?"
"Yes. He claims he's found a very powerful weapon being transported to Naralia. He said it's something that acquires my attention. Knowing Ser Gerhalos, it must be important."
"I see," Tristan replied in a soft voice. "Well, with him by your side, you'll be able to take on some fierce monsters. We're another year without a king. The days are getting darker and the walls separating our world and the Shadow Realm are crumbling. We've been getting reports of powerful creatures being spotted in the wild day after day. It's not safe to travel the roads after dark anymore. Like there wasn't enough to worry about."
"Yeah, it's really bad," said Joey. "While we were at an inn, we heard some highwaymen saying they won't patrol the roads when the sun goes down anymore because of all the monsters showing up. You know it's bad when thieves talk about their operations out in the open, Yuge."
"I know. If Ser Gerhalos and I encounter anyone needing help with monsters, we'll do what we can and send you the funds. But for now, take great care and be wary. Like you said, Joey. The days are getting darker. No telling what we'll be going up against these days."
"Ain't dat the truth," Joey agreed. "So how's that protege of yours doing, Yuge?"
"You mean Andre? So far he tells me Yuri is safe and that there's no trouble, save with some rich nemesis that bothers him."
"Hah!" laughed Tristan. "A rich guy giving Yuri trouble. Kinda reminds me of you and Kaiba when you first met all those years ago, huh?"
"Brett Martinetti is nothing like Seto Kaiba," said Joey. "Don't get me wrong, money bags ain't no saint, but compared to that Brett kid, he might as well be. It had to take Pegasus to keep me from marching into a Gate so I could kill him. You shoulda seen what he did to Yuri."
"Do not get involved with them," said Yami. "The little they know about us the better. I wouldn't worry about Brett anymore, Joey. Ever since the incident, Yuri has been surrounded and protected by very powerful friends. And he's on constant watch by both Andre and the other informant we have down there. He'd have to be a fool to tangle with our prince anymore."
"What about his Dueling skills?" Joey asked. "Dat's the big one. Is he ready for dat big tournament Kaiba is setting up in the summer? You know he's gotta win those games if he's gonna have any hope of coming back."
Yami sighed and looked over his shoulder out the window. "They're coming along from what I hear. But I do hope he gets more help in that aspect. We're running out of time."
"Same," Joey replied blandly. He laughed. "Nyah-ha-ha, could use one of Téa's friendship speeches right about now, eh Yugi?"
"Hold on,* said Tristan. "Yugi, I have a request to make about that Andre guy you sent to keep a watch on Yuri."
"And what might that request be, Tristan?"
"It's quite simple. A Duel."
"Duel?"
"Yes, Yugi, a Duel. We want to see just how good he really is and if he truly qualifies with the responsibility of keeping a close eye on Yuri. Permission granted to Duel your protege, Yugi."
Yugi nodded his head. "Teach him then. Just don't go too hard on him."