The Priestess Legacy
And with this, we reach roughly the half-way mark. Sorry about the late update, but I simply was lazy, and had a bit of a block on what to write here. But here it is!
Chapter 11
A New Breed of Darkness
"I'm done, I'm finished. The deal is off."
Barakhan was silent as Roslyn blurted out her resignation. The thief was once again stowed away in a storage room, and met with Roslyn the afternoon after Mana's death. She had so far refused to give him the Millennium Ring.
"But you've come so far." Barakhan said, smirking. "I'm afraid it's already too late to back out now."
"No, it's not. I'm going to confess to what I did and return the Ring." Roslyn declared. Barakhan couldn't help but grin. She really thought it was that easy?
"Oh yes, go right ahead, admit to conspiring against the Pharaoh with me, admit to killing one of the Priestesses. And see if you have time to blink afterwards before your head lands on the chopping block." He laughed. Roslyn gulped. It was true, a confession would put a price on her head fast.
"Then I'll tell them you did it." She snapped. "It was the Ring you once had that was stolen, and your dagger that was found. They'll believe me."
"You forget about the other Priests and Items, like say, the Millennium Eye." Barakhan snorted, tapping the side of his head. "All I'd have to do is advise Peimune to read your mind, and you'll be in shackles right along side me."
"You tricked me." Roslyn gasped, realizing the truth in his words.
"I beg to differ, you went along with my plans by your own free will. You made your grave, now either pull yourself out of it and fight or let them push you into it." Barakhan snapped. "Now, give the Ring to me." Barakhan held out his hand, and after a moment, Roslyn removed the Item from her neck and gave it to him. "Good. Now with the Millennium Ring in my possession, I have all I need to complete my plans."
"And what about me, how do I fit into it?" Roslyn asked. Barakhan smiled.
"My Millennium Ring has the power to fragment and split souls, and it is this power that is critical to my plan. That, my Diabound." Roslyn's eyes widened. "You see, during the reign of King Yami, my Diabound was able to combat and defeat all three of his Egyptian God monsters. And due to his ability, Diabound was able to absorb and duplicate their power."
"You're going to create them again." Roslyn realized.
"You're catching on." Barakhan sneered. "Now that the Millennium Ring is mine again, I can use it to fracture Diabound into three new creatures of darkness, each with the power of an Egyptian God. I'll be giving up my Ka for this plan, but it will be worth it."
"And as for you, you will be the one entrusted with these new…Demons." Barakhan explained. "As I am a hunted man I would never be able to get near the Priests and Priestesses. And that is your task, to bring the Demons into the palace and let loose their might."
"It won't work." Roslyn said, shaking her head. "Even if I did get them inside, they would lose."
"You need to have more faith in the power of the Gods." Barakhan growled. "These new beings will have all the power of the Egyptian God monsters, augmented with the dark energies of both Diabound and the Millennium Items. There will be nothing to stand in their way. The only creature I have ever encountered with the power to match one of the Gods is the legendary White Dragon, and with Seth taking a little nap, not to mention losing his Puzzle, there is no one with the ability to summon the beast."
"And what do I do once I bring the Demons inside?" Roslyn asked.
"Simple. You will collect the remaining Millennium Items and kill their masters. Then you will bring the Items to me." Barakhan replied. "And that is the end of our deal. I will have the Items I desire, and you will have the power you desire." Roslyn bit her lip.
"Alright." She breathed. "I'll do it." Barakhan grinned.
"Then follow me. We have a ritual to perform." He said, pulling open the door of the storage room.
- - - - - - - - - -
"Full Moon Trident!" Lady Panther Warrior leapt forward and aimed its weapon at Makyura the Executioner.
"Triple Claw!" Mariku countered. Twin claws came up, one blocking the weapon and the other reaching forward to slash at Lady Panther Warrior.
"Very good, both of you." Darek called, walking towards Mariku and Shizuka. "Perhaps one day you'll enter the Sacred Court." Mariku nodded and Shizuka nodded. Above, Téa watched them silently.
"I can't take this anymore." She muttered, shaking her head. "I know something terrible is going to happen and I can't stop it because I don't even know what it is!" She sighed and slapped her hands against the stone balcony. "Why did this happen to me? Yugi has all the experience dealing with these guys!" She groaned.
"Yugi?" Téa gasped and spun around. Peimune stood in her doorway, giving her an odd look. "Lady Teana, are you feeling alright?" Téa quickly nodded.
"Yes, I'm fine." She said. Peimune narrowed his eyes.
"This golden eyeball in my skull isn't just for show." He joked, stepping up beside Téa. "I could easily take a peak inside your mind and find out for myself what's wrong."
"And you call yourself a Priest." Téa laughed bitterly, looking away. Peimune didn't join in.
"I don't know what is bothering you, and you are right, I won't be so bold as to spy on your thoughts. But I feel much the same way as you do now. These are troubled times, and I'm sure there are other things we'd rather be doing and places we'd rather be than here fighting." Téa's eyes went wide. "But I am afraid that's not the case. We didn't choose the circumstances, but we have to make due with them and do our best to see their trials through. We may not like it, but that's life and we don't have any other choice." Téa smiled and chuckled slightly.
"You're right." She laughed. "You're absolutely right." She turned around and grabbed Peimune's hand. "Come on, we're going down to the courtyards." She said.
"Why?" Peimune asked. Téa smiled at him.
"Like you said, we may not like the situation but we have to deal with it. Barakhan's going to be back sooner or later, and when he does, we're going to be ready for him." Téa pumped her fist down and smirked. "Rally the Priests and Apprentices Peimune. We've got an evil psycho to take down." Téa ran out of the room, and Peimune watched her go with a bemused smile.
"You're his wife alright." He laughed, following her.
- - - - - - - - - -
The sun had just set when a lone horse galloped into Kul Elna, rearing up and settling down into a trot. Roslyn shivered as Barakhan's horse carried them deeper into the village.
"What a creepy place." She whispered, staring at a white skull half-buried in the sand. Barakhan glared at her over his shoulder.
"This is my home." He sneered. "It was once a thriving village of families, slaughtered to create the Millennium Items. How's that for the might of the noble Pharaohs?" He reared the horse to a stop, and slid off to walk deeper into the village, Roslyn following. Barakhan held up his diadianhk as they walked, ad with a flash Diabound appeared above them. Roslyn eyed the large creature cautiously as Barakhan walked into a hut and descended a staircase there.
The dark chamber was dimly lit with a few torches. Barakhan walked to the end of the chamber and removed the Millennium Ring from his neck. Roslyn stepped closer and watched as he placed the ring in a large stone sarcophagus with 7 settings. Barakhan stepped back and held his diadianhk over the Millennium Ring.
"Now Millennium Ring, the time has come to give birth to a new breed of darkness." He cried. "Seize the power of Diabound and use it to create an entire new race of beasts! Let the power of the Egyptian Gods be shrouded in darkness, and give rise to the Legendary Demons! And let this girl command their power to destroy the Pharaoh!"
The Millennium Ring glowed, and a ray of yellow light shot up from it to Barakhan's diadianhk. Barakhan let out a gasp and fell to his hands and knees as the camber began to shake. Roslyn screamed and grabbed a pillar for balance as the yellow glow spread all around Barakhan. The Ring glowed brighter, and specks of stone began to fall from the ceiling. Barakhan leapt to his feet and threw back his head, letting out a scream of agony. He held his hand up, and a blast of blue light cracked down from the ceiling and hit his diadianhk. The ancient relic glowed blue and shattered. Barakhan crumpled to the ground, the Millennium Ring losing its glow. The glowing pieces of his diadianhk swirled in the air before zooming towards Roslyn.
Roslyn stepped back in horror as the metal swarmed around her. She stared down at her wrist as her golden diadianhk cracked in two and fell to the ground. The metal swirling down her arm to her wrist crackled and fused together. Roslyn grabbed her wrist with her other hand and let out a cry as light flashed about the cavern. There was a clash of metal, and sparks flew from underneath her hand. Roslyn moved her arm and stared at her wrist. Glowing on her arm was a black diadianhk, sparking a light blue. The item flashed and unfurled itself, losing its glow.
"It…has worked…" Barakhan gasped, getting up. Roslyn looked at him in horror as he turned to her. "Diabound…I don't feel him anymore. He's gone."
"And…the Demons?" Roslyn whispered. Barakhan smiled as a loud roar pierces the silence from outside. Roslyn spun around at the sound.
"I'd say that's them now." He replied. The roof of the chamber cracked, and dust began to fall. Roslyn and Barakhan looked up as the roof ripped itself from the ground and into the night sky. Barakhan's grin grew wider as Roslyn stared in awe, a smile slowly sliding across her face. Another roar pieced the night, shaking the village to its roots and causing a brown-haired priestess miles away to sit up in bed.