Yami Yugi
"You are sure?" Yami asked.
"Yes, my lord," said the Red Sparrow, leaning against a wooden beam, hidden in the shadows underneath a viewing platform. "My men and I took them to the dungeons not long after I defeated them. We've tortured them with everything we've got but they aren't talking."
"Is there any information you did get out of them? Anything at all?"
"Nothing. They just keep muttering the same thing. Prince Daveed is going to die tonight. Including everyone who stands to protect him. I believe we have assassins in our midst. Should I get High Chancellor Pegasus to cancel the events?"
"No, there is no need for that. We don't want to cause a panic. Send word to the Black Luster Soldiers of Valliant Squadron. They're the best of the best. Have two of them stand at each doorway in the viewing platform. Once the events begin, no one is allowed in or out of the platform until Daveed leaves. Have the Buster Bladers set up a perimeter around the arena, no hoods are allowed up and everyone who gets within ten feet of the boy's platform is to be searched. I sense darkness in the air as well. Something foul. Have no fear, if there is anyone out there trying to harm our little prince, we will stop them."
"The future High King will be well protected, my lord. I assure you. We're going to do the best we can to get info out of those men."
Serenity
When the ceremony was over, Yami and his friends took the prince to the main plaza of the city. The plaza was closed off days earlier and made into an arena for the twenty-day jousting tournament being held in honor of the prince. Yami and the others climbed all the way up the six floors of the central viewing tower to a shaded balcony, which was reserved for only the highest nobility in Rassay. Beneath them, the other seats were quickly filling up with lords and ladies, rich townsfolk, and scores of knights who were not participating in the first day of the games. The honor of fighting on the first day went to champions, knights of high birth and renown, or acquaintances to the prince. Across from them another row of tall viewing stands was being filled up. Having missed breakfast, Joey dashed downstairs to the kitchen to order himself a tray of fried bread, Niwatori eggs, burnt bacon, and hashed browns and a tankard of black beer to wash it down. He ate noisily right next to the prince, causing Serenity to look at him in disgust.
"Ugh, Joey! You're a knight! Set an example for Daveed, will you?"
Joey —who seemed to have lost all his senses when he ate — continued to scarf down his meal, his chin was stained with crumbs and his lips shined with grease.
Duke Devlin, another friend of theirs, could not ignore the savory aroma of Joey's meal and went downstairs to the kitchen to get one of his own.
Mai, being blessed as the godmother (A benediction given to her on the day Rose discovered she was pregnant), held onto the baby prince, never letting him go. Téa and Serenity never left his side either; for the three of them had a powerful bond of friendship with his mother, Luthia Noctiva Androsa. They called her Rose; for they first met her while studying Light monsters underneath a rose bush at Duelist Academy decades ago. Because of this bond, the three young women felt it was their duty to protect their friend's child and care for him.
Mai tickled the boy's belly to make him giggle. She was so glad to finally give the child fresh air after being stuck inside that throne room for so long. "You are most definitely your mother's son, little one," she said with a graceful laugh. The baby cooed and grabbed her diamond flower necklace hanging over her chest. Téa had one, as did Serenity. It was a symbol of their bond, one they claimed not even death could break.
"He has such a liking to you," Téa said gleefully. She wore a green gown with gold floral patterns that exposed her shoulders. Over her right breast was a silver pin, crafted in the shape of a turtledove, the sigil of her House.
"Makes sense that he would," said Mai. "I am his godmother after all." She nuzzled the baby's stomach to raise another giggle out of him. She kissed his cheeks three times and held him close.
Having finished his meal, Joey wiped his chin, got up, and marched to the boy. "Hey, there's the little guy!" called out Joey Wheeler, the newly appointed Captain of the Royal Guard. It was an honor given to him for his bravery in the Battle of Karad-Antha. He was ready for his tilt against his opponent and friend, Ser Tristan. He kept his helmet tucked under his arm, so as not to frighten the child (He accidentally greeted the baby with his helmet earlier that morning, and it gave him a fright). His black cape with red on the underside was strapped over his breastplate with a brooch in the shape of a Red-Eyes Black Dragon's head. He had on a surcoat that parted over his legs. One side had his Red-Eyes Black Dragon and the other showed a Black Skull Dragon, which was a powerful symbol of his friendship with Yugi.
"You're looking handsome, Joey," Mai said, placing a hand on the back of the baby's head as she held him close to her chest.
"And yer looking beautiful," Joey bowed. "Aw man, dey don't call ya the Delight of Termnnia fer nothin', Mai."
"You're a real charmer Joey," Mai said with a tease.
Serenity stared at her beloved brother in his armor, reminiscing her days growing up in the Kingdom of Gardenrealm. They were not pleasant memories. Seeing the baby boy being loved and cared for made her envy him. It was a love that she was denied when she was little.
Serenity and her family lived in an island community in the center of Lake Maria, the largest lake in Gardenrealm. Her father was a mercenary working for the Red Scale Company, an infamous band of sellswords known mostly for racketeering, raping, and pillaging. He was a horrid Eldori. Long greasy hair matted his face ruined with acne scars, and he reeked of rum. Serenity's mother, on the other hand, was a loving woman who made her living running a laundromat in the alley.
While she was seen as a mistake, her brother, Joey, was her father's pride and joy, and for a good reason. Joey was already making easy money winning Duel Monsters tournaments held in the town square, and he was enlisting in the Emboldorian Army to fight off Orcs sailing into Termnnia to cause their mischief. Serenity made her money selling flowers from her garden in the backyard of their shack. The people loved her for her kindness and beauty and paid her well, but her father spited her for being the weak runt of the family.
Mrs. Wheeler had a miscarriage many years after Joey's birth; the child could have been the Wheeler's second son. Mrs. Wheeler was with child again many seasons later, and out came Serenity, much to Mr. Wheeler's chagrin. He once told Serenity that he wished it would have been the other way around. That she had died, and the son had lived. But he never refused the money she brought home from selling her flowers. Some days she wouldn't make enough, and Mr. Wheeler would rip off her clothes and then smacked her back and buttocks with a wooden board, which left splinters on her flesh that got filled with gooey puss. Mrs. Wheeler would clean her after every beating, wiping her backside with the caring love only a mother could give, and she would sing her songs of knights saving princesses from giants and dragons to soothe her of the pain and, hopefully, fill her with confidence and inspire her to be stronger in this cruel world.
Those moments when her mother healed her beaten butt were the only fond and happy memories she had as a child. Most of her life had been hell. Often she would wonder if she was a spirit wandering the Shadow Realm. She never pondered this more than that terrible night when her father brought her into the tavern for her birthday. She thought that she finally going to have a birthday party the night she had turned sixteen and bloomed into adulthood. Her mother and all her friends from the tailor's district made her a beautiful pink dress with sashes of white silk. It was to be a night for her to remember. But when she entered the tavern, no celebration would be found that night.
Serenity's father took his knife and cut the dress off Serenity and showed her naked body to his mercenary companions. She could still hear herself screaming, begging for her father to save her as he sat outside, counting the money he made. The money made off her flesh and misery.
After the party, he sold her to the House of Flowers and got the infamous rose of Dalklia tattooed on her. Sold. Sold like a trinket for 10,000 Star Chips. After ten years of slavery and abuse, Serenity was rescued by the Eyar named Gabriel the Black when he saw her being beaten by her keeper. With a powerful bolt of lightning, he turned the vile man into a pile of ash.
"I know your face," the Eyar said to Serenity. "Your brother's been looking for you. Come, let me take you home."
Serenity gazed at the child for many minutes before her friends began to grow worried about her.
"Serenity, anybody home?" Téa asked, snapping her fingers in front of Serenity's face.
"Huh?" Serenity gasped.
"You looked out of it, hun," Mai said.
Serenity made a wan smile and brushed her hair back with her fingertips. "Sorry, I had a lot on my mind."
Joey picked up the boy from Mai's arms and asked if he and the baby looked identical. "Well, what do you think?" He held the baby prince up to his face so the girls could compare. They jokingly said no, of course, and Joey didn't take it kindly, but then, he was slow to catch a joke. Joey gave the baby back to Mai. "Whatever," he said. "Yer all just mad he's gonna like me more when he grows up. Just watch! I'm gonna make him da best jouster da world has ever seen. Well, not betta dan me of course. I'll even give him some tips on how to be a good Duelist like me."
"I think Yugi has that taken care of," said Mai. "We need the King of Games to teach the prince, not the king of lame."
"What! Why I oughtta!"
Téa laughed, slowly falling down in her seat. "Gonna teach him how to be mean to women now, Joey? That's not the kind of role model he needs."
"Yeah, well, at least he's not twenty-seventh in line for his throne," Joey countered.
"SHUT UP!"
Mai leaned her head to the right and said: "Joey, your tilt is about to begin. Make us proud."
Joey slammed his fist over his chest. The armor clanked and the chainmail cocooning his wrist in mithril jingled. "Yeah, you bet!" he said contemptuously. "I'm gonna kick Tristan's butt!" He looked at the prince, who was smiling at him in Mai's arms. "Dat's right, little man! Yer gonna see a real knight in action. Watch and learn, kid." He put on his helmet then marched away and disappeared into the underbelly of the arena. As the fields were being prepared, friendly duels were taking place on a stand in front of the audience. Dancer and Evelyn jumped up and down in their seats watching the matches take place. Evelyn had a big red balloon in one hand and a giant lollipop. Seeing them brought a smile to Mai's face. It was because of the boy she held in her arms that there were going to be more sights like this taking place.
Down below in the makeshift arena, Yugi was going up against the local hotshot from The Royal Embolodian Academy of Dueling. A bright student, so he boasted, with skills to take on even Yugi Muto. A brash boy, but very polite nonetheless. Sportsmanship. It was almost a rare thing to see in the world of Duel Monsters. Evelyn and Dancer cheered when the match began. All around them there were Duelists clashing against one another for fame and prizes. It goes without saying that Yugi stole the show and all eyes were focused on his Duel.
LP 4000
The boy, whose name was Tellvian of the House of Darknox bowed respectfully before the greatest player the world had ever seen. He drew his cards and said: "It is an honor to play against you, Master Yugi. And it will be an even greater honor to defeat you."
"Oh really?" said Yugi. "I heard you were really good. Show me what you've got."
"Very well. Can I start first, Yugi?"
"Of course."
T (Turn)1
"Thank you, Yugi." He held up his arm to show off a gold bracelet with an amethyst in the middle. It flashed and transformed into a Duel Disk. "I summon Minomushi Warrior! With an attack strength of 1300!" The warrior he summoned was a ten-foot-tall soldier wearing the skin of a fierce beast he killed long ago. And he wielded a sword made of stone, which he sliced through the air as he grunted before letting out a loud battle cry to try and intimidate Yugi into leaving the match. "Ha. I think those points speak for themselves, don't you think?"
T2
Yugi gave a nod while bearing a wide grin. "Uh-huh. Not bad. Not bad at all. All right. I summon Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress Number One!" A shadow darkened the arena. Everyone pointed up as they saw a large blue dragon soaring down towards them at great speed. "Fireball Attack!" Yugi shouted. The dragon opened its mouth and shot out a ball of red and orange flames at the primitive warrior. The fireball struck the ground in front of him and then incinerated him to ashes.
Evelyn gasped, almost letting go of her balloon. "Oh, that was such a novice play! Yugi doesn't play around."
"Wow! Amazing!" Dancer agreed. "I love Duel Monsters!"
A woman approached with a cart full of treats. "Anything off the trolly dears?" she asked.
"I'll take everything!" Evelyn said, pulling out her bag of gold coins. "This is a Yugi Muto match after all. I'm going to need something sweet to quell all this excitement."
T3
Tellvian -3900
Yugi- 4000
"I knew you would fall for that move, Yugi," said Tellvian. "A handicap like that is a great way to put your opponent off guard. I summon the mighty Opticlops in attack mode!" he said, slapping the card down. The magical machinations inside the machine whirred and hummed and then projected the image of a tan-skinned cyclops that stood fifteen feet tall. The creature growled and snorted, then pounded its hands on the ground like a wild ape.
ATK/1800 DEF/1700
"This is a neat trick my master taught me, Lord Yugi. A combo attack. Opticlops is strong now but when I combine him with Dark Energy, his attack and defense points will increase by 300! (ATK/2100 DEF/2000)"
"Uh oh!" Yugi said, bracing himself.
Opticlops, now infused with the power of darkness, fired a laser beam from his eye and zapped the Winged Dragon on the chest, shattering it to pieces. Yugi grunted, anchoring his feet into the ground to keep himself from getting blown away by the blast. Tellvian applauded himself. "Aha, see the devastating power of a combo attack, Master Yugi."
Evelyn couldn't believe the arrogance of the boy. Being one of Yugi's students herself, teaching her the Buster Blader archetype, it was obvious Yugi knew about something as simple as an equip-spell combo, so who was he to boast. Her face buffed and turned red like her balloon.
"Uh oh," Dancer said, clinging onto the edge of his seat. "Maybe Master Yugi isn't so tough after all."
"Silence, cur!" shouted Evelyn. "You just watch! My master is going to trounce this plebian!"
T4
Yugi- 3300 LP
Tellvian - 3900 LP
"All right, it's my turn," Yugi said. "I activate Unexpected Dai. If I control no monsters, I'm allowed to special summon a Level Four or lower monster from my deck. I call upon the Mystical Elf, who I will sacrifice to summon Berfomet! And when he's summoned I'm allowed to add Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts to my hand! Next, I activate Polymerization, fusing Berfomet, and Gazelle to become Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast!" A two-headed lion-like creature materialized in front of Yugi. His thin fur was brown and shined brightly in the sunlight. There were also patches of long black fur on his chest and behind his arms and it had a snake for a tail. It spread two white-feathered wings that spanned twenty-feet long. Each head had a long, wild, jet-black, mane waved fiercely in the breeze. One head had a single horn and the other had two curved horns.
ATK/2100 DEF/1800
"Wow, look!" Evelyn cried. "Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts! He's one of Yugi's favorite monsters!"
Dance couldn't contain his excitement anymore and left his seat to lean over the railing. "I don't know about you, but I hope he can bring out the Dark Magician! That's the one everyone wants to see!"
"Hold on!" said Tellvian. "Your Chimera is an impressive monster, Yugi, but both he and my Opticlops are evenly matched. Our monsters will destroy one another if they battle."
"You've already lost this Duel if you believe I'm some sort of novice," said Yugi. "I know that already. I didn't win Battle City and Duelist Kingdom for nothing. I have just the card I need to bring down your Opticlops. I equip Chimera with the Horn of the Unicorn, which will increase his attack by 700 points. Now Chimera's attack increases to 2800! Attack!"
Chimera sprinted across the field and then slammed into Opticlops. The creature fell backward and landed on the ground with a great crash that shook the foundation of the observation towers around the arena.
"I set a card face-down and end my turn."
T5
Yugi - 3300 LP
Tellvian - 3200 LP
"You haven't outmatched me yet, Yugi! I activate the spell, Ancient Rules! Now I can summon a high-level normal monster without tribute. Arise, Phantasm Spiral Dragon!"
Water rushed out of the ground in front of Tellvian. The spout that shot out of it then swirled around the field, forming artistic shapes made of water, which acted as a gate to allow the monster entry into the real world. The cerulean-colored dragon flew out of the water with membraneous wings and two black horns crowning its head.
ATK/2900 DEF/2900
"That's not good!" said Yugi. The Phantasm Spiral Dragon summoned powerful fountains that shot out of the ground. They swirled through the air and struck Chimera, sending him down one of the holes and drowning him. The Horn of the Unicorn was added to the top of Yugi's deck per its effect. "Chimera!" Yugi shouted.
"I end my turn," said Tellvian.
T6
Tellvian adjusted his glasses. "So much for your Mythical Beast, Yugi. My Spiral Dragon proved to be the much stronger monster. Oh, what's this?"
A light appeared in front of Yugi, which turned into Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts. "When Chimera is destroyed," said Yugi. "I am allowed to bring back either Gazelle or Berfomet to the field from the graveyard. I draw and activate Pot of Greed, gaining an additional two cards to my hand. Next, I'll summon Silver Fang in attack mode! Then, I activate my face-down card. Monster Reborn. Now, return, Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast in defense mode!" The winged monster dove out of the ground from a portal of bright light then landed in front of Yugi with his wings down, acting as a shield. "I set a card face-down and end my turn!"
T7
"So is that all you can muster, Yugi? Well, then, it appears my victory will be a quick one! I summon the mighty La Jin the Mystical Genie of the Lamp!" Emerald green smoke spiraled out of Tellvian's Duel Disk and formed into a green-bodied genie with a sinister sneer on his face. 'Hmmm-hmmm-hmmmm,' he sniggered. "Now, which one of those awful beasts should I attack first. Ah, yes, your Silver Fang will make a nice pelt for the rug, eh? La Jinn, attack his Silver Fang!"
La Jinn took a deep breath and released a stream of fire from his mouth that swirled around until it formed into a dragon's head. The animated flames could even roar and snapped its jaws. The flaming dragon head sailed toward Silver Fang but ran into a wall that caused the flames to disperse.
"No! What did you do?"
"I activated my trap card. Negate Attack. Your battle phase has ended and my monsters are safe."
Tellvian brushed a lock of hair off his face and jeered. "Ha. Keep it up, Yugi. I've got to admit, it's fun watching you squirm under the wrath of my powerful monsters. There's only so long your traps can save you from them. I end my turn."
T8
"We'll see about that. My deck is full of monsters who are more than a match for your beast." He closed his eyes and placed his fingers on the top card of his deck. "Come on, Heart of the Cards. Guide me." He drew the card and held it up high. "My faith in my deck rewards me wit this. Swords of Revealing Light!"
An arcane circle formed above Tellvian and spun around slowly. It sparked and then a rain of glowing swords fell from its core, landing all around him to form a cage.
T9
"The Swords of Revealing Light?" said Tellvian. "Yugi, you must be really desperate. What good will a three-turn delay do you, eh? Very well, if that's how you wish to play. I'll just bolster my offense. I tribute La Jinn to summon Wattaildragon!"
La Jinn was struck by lightning and was vaporized. Then, more lighting bolts colored bright blue struck the ground. They spun around, forming a vortex that turned into a blue-feathered dragon with torn wings and a tail with a tip that looked like lighting made into flesh.
ATK/2500 DEF/1000
"What did I tell you, Yugi? Just give up!"
Three of Tellvian's turns went by. On the second turn, Yugi set a card face-down. At the end of the third one, Tellvian sacrificed a monster to summon a mechanical vulture called Ally of Justice Clausolas. The flying beast raised its wings and let out a metallic screech that rang across the city. It flew in circles around the arena cawing and snapping at Yugi before it landed on his side of the field to join Wattaildragon and Phantasm Spiral Dragon.
"I end my turn," said Tellvian. The swords faded and the monsters were free to attack. The crowd gasped. Could this be the end of the King of Game's rein?"
Yugi drew and ended his turn. He still had one trick up his sleeve.
"What a shame," said Tellvian. "I activate the spell card, Stop Defense! This card will force all your monsters into attack mode."
"Oh no!" Yugi cried.
"Yugi!" Evelyn shouted from the stands.
"Your crown now belongs to me," Tellvian boasted. "Go my monsters, attack, and destroy him!"
"Just as I thought," said Yugi. "Your ego renders you blind to the back of my board."
Tellvian just noticed the trap card laying behind Chimera's back leg. "Oh no! I forgot about the trap you laid!"
"Indeed you have! Your true foe in this Duel is not me. It's your overconfidence. That is your greatest enemy, kid. You were so focused on wiping me out with brute force that you failed to see the trap. And here are the consequences of your actions. Behold my trap card, Wall of Disruption! This card will lower the attack points of your monsters by eight-hundred for each monster you have. Therefore, your monsters will lose twenty-four-hundred attack points."
Since Wattaildragon was the first one to attack, it was struck down by Chimera, who took flight and tackled the once-powerful monster in the gut. Tellvian lost 2000 Life Points for that move. He commanded his other monsters to stop and they did. Their stats, once impressive, were now pitiful.
"My turn!" said Yugi. "I will sacrifice all three of my monsters to summon the mighty Chimaera the Master of Beasts!"
Chimera absorbed the souls of Gazelle and Silver Fang. He started to grow stronger and bigger, much bigger! He grew so large he could peer over the city wall. His fur turned into a beautiful snowy-white color and the patches of hair on its body turned golden blonde. A gold-feathered wing formed on all four of the monster's legs. His claws turned purple and his white wings grew bigger and glittered radiantly in the sunlight. The snake that formed the creature's tail was longer and colored black with a purplish-white underbelly. Red gems were inlaid on each of its sides and its eyes were like molten gold.
ATK/3000 DEF/3000
"It's one of those ultra-rare prize monsters!" gasped Mai. "Wow! How did Yugi get a hold of a card that precious? Oof, that poor kid is done for."
Duke gave a shrug and put one leg over the other. "I think you're overreacting. That thing's not all that impressive to me. What in the world makes that overgrown house cat so valuable?"
Mai shot him a nasty look. "Wow, dice boy, you seriously never heard of a tournament prize card? I mean, sure, they don't offer anything except a pretty picture and strong attack power, but they're super valuable. Only winners of the grandest tournaments in Termnnia can have those. They're worth 100,000 gold."
"Really? Wow. I wonder if Yugi is up for some trades?"
"Go, Master of Beasts!" shouted Yugi. "Attack and destroy Phantasm Spiral Dragon!"
Chimaera ran across the field and took flight. It stopped right in front of the sun, darkening the city. Both Chimera's heads widened their jaws, and then a fiery arcane glyph formed in front of their snouts. The glyph started to spin as Chimaera's heads charged a fiery attack inside their mouths. Chimaera then unleased a rain of meteors that pummeled all of Tellvian's monsters and reduced his Life Points to 0.
"Nooooooooooo!"
The crowd cheered as the trumpets let out a victorious fanfare. "Ladies and gentlemen! Your winner and still your King of Games, Lord Yugi Muto of the Stormcoasts!"
Moments later, the herald of the tournament made his way back to his box. He held up his hands to shush the crowd and waited for the chitter-chatter to die down. A loud, majestic blast from the trumpets announced that it was time for the herald to speak.
"Honored guests, it is with great pride that we welcome you to these games honoring the young hero. Who not only vanquished Anubis from our world precious but will take the Diamond Throne as the new heir. Ladies and gentlemen. From this day forth, begins the days of Daveed Plantegrast the Eradicator of Anubis!"
The crowd cheered. The herald held up his hands to pacify their applause. "And now, presenting his Grace, High Chancellor Maximillion Pegasus, and his beautiful wife, Cecelia of Avonju!"
The crowd let out a round of applause for the High Chancellor— who often called the Right Hand of the King. While Daveed was the heir to the Diamond Throne, and by all rights should be High King now that Antar had passed on, he was still way too young to rule. Until he came of age, it was Pegasus's job to rule Termnnia with the help of a regency council. Cecelia blew kisses at the crowd in the stands; she was a fair-faced Eldori woman with long locks of blonde hair as bright as sunshine that went all the way down to her heels. Pegasus gave a long speech about his title and promises to keep the land in balance until Daveed was ready to grow and claim the throne for himself. And then, with a clap of his hands, he said, "May the tournament begin!"
The trumpets sounded again. The herald stood up and gave a deep breath, ready to announce the first tilt of the games. "Presenting from the east side; the Captain of the Royal Guard: Ser Joey Wheeler the Black Dragonknight! Come forth and prove your worth!"
Joey came riding into the lists on the back of a black warhorse ornamented in armor to match Joey's, which was stylized to look like a Red-Eyes Black Dragon. The people stood and clapped for him as he rode around in the sands holding up his lance topped to resemble a Black Skull Dragon's head.
"So, what's the objective to this, guys?" Serenity asked. "Joey says that this joust is going to be different than any jousting I've ever seen."
"He's right, hun," said Mai, letting the baby suck her finger. "This is Duel Joust. The rider's chestplates carry fifteen-hundred Life Points. Each hit from the opponent's lance is minus five hundred Life Points. The one who deducts their opponent's Life Points, or, knocks them off their horse is the winner."
"That's all?" Serenity asked.
"No, that's not all," said Mai. "The knights each select one monster summoned with Solid Vision Tech to join them in the tilt. The monster appears next to them as a Phantom. It forces the jousters to think on their feet because the monsters will attempt to knock the riders off as well."
"How do you defend against a monster?" Serenity asked again.
"That's up to the knight," laughed Duke, nodding to sleep on the seat behind them. It was a long night and he didn't get any sleep. Not even the excitement of Duel Jousting could keep him awake. He yawned. "There is no magic way to get them not to dehorse you. Wake me when it's time for the Nymphs to start dancing."
Serenity nodded, and in great anticipation watched the tilt unfold.