I don't own Yugioh.
I woke up to Mana shaking me.
"What do you want?"
"The first bell just rung. Didn't you hear it?"
"No. I was asleep."
"Well come on! You don't want them to whip you, do you?"
"Why would they whip me?"
"If they suspect anything's out of line, they'll whip you."
"Why?"
"They just do."
I grudgingly began to stand up. I was surprised that my legs didn't pain me at all.
"My legs don't hurt."
"Why would they?" Mana asked.
"When they first captured me, my legs were killing me with pain. I could barely stand for a minute, and it hurt me really badly to walk."
"What had you been doing all day?"
"Lots of dancing and running. I've never been much of an athlete."
"Well, you'll get to do lots of walking around here."
"Why?"
"We're slaves. We do all the work," her voice still sounded too happy for the statement she had just made.
"You make it sound like it's a good thing when it isn't."
"Amen," I heard a voice next to me. I saw a girl with slightly tanned skin, intense brown eyes, and curly auburn hair. (She looks like Cissnei from Final Fantasy.)
"Who are you?"
"I'm Ayari. You're new, right?"
"Uh, yeah. I'm Kisara."
"You've met Mana, I see."
"Yep."
"Just watching her makes me feel tired."
"I know, right?"
"Why?" Mana asked.
"Because you have so much energy!" Ayari said.
"When's breakfast?" I asked.
"Pretty quick," Ayari replied.
"Let's go!" Mana said.
"Wait up," I complained.
"Mana, slow down," Ayari added.
"Okay, okay. Slowpokes," she said.
"So, where is breakfast?" I asked.
"In the Great Hall if you're a member of nobility. Slaves and servants eat in the kitchens," Ayari said.
"Where?"
"They'll take you on a tour of the castle after your master is decided."
"But I'm not a slave!"
Mana, for once, looked sad, and her voice reflected it. "Once you get here, you're pretty much stuck here forever. You might get promoted, but you'll never truly escape. Few ever make it out of the castle walls, and those that do either get lost in the mountains and die or are captured by the Kaiser Dragons and brought back."
"Is that what those gold dragons are called?"
"Yep."
"I've never even heard of them."
"Supposedly they're some hybrid of Fairy Dragons and Winged Dragons," Ayari said. "I overheard it when I was cleaning the dragons' cages."
"Winged Dragons?"
"The ones also called Guardians of the Fortress."
"Really? How did they manage that?"
"They probably used a really powerful spell. I couldn't picture a half-breed from those parents. Fairy Dragons are just so tiny."
"Do they have any weaknesses?"
"None that we've noticed."
"Hmmm…" I pondered it for a while as we walked. Then I remembered that Ayari had talked about cleaning the dragons' cages. "Wait, we have to clean the dragons' cages?"
"Yeah, and let me tell you, it's not easy."
"While the dragons are still in them?"
"Nah, they let them out beforehand. But when they see you in there, they put on a show since they consider their cages their territory."
"So, do they just have Kaiser Dragons?"
"Oh, no. They've got lots of species."
"What species?"
"Besides the Kaiser Dragons and their… well… parents isn't quite the right word… they have a few Blackland Fire Dragons, Koumori Dragons, Thunder Dragons, Luster Dragons, Thousand Dragons, a couple Pitch Dark Dragons, some Alexandrite Dragons, and even a Serpent Night Dragon. Oh yeah, they have some Magna Dragos, too."
"Magna Dragos?"
"Yeah. The ones I just listed are the ones slaves and servants take care of. The Dragon Master takes care of the really dangerous ones."
"What species does he take care of?"
"They try to keep it a secret from us, but they have some really high-class dragons that only the Dragon Master is allowed to mingle with."
"Like…"
"They have Infernal Dragons, Red Dragon Archfiends, Stardust Dragons, a Black Rose Dragon, a Chaos Emperor Dragon, a Victory Dragon, a Tyrant Dragon, some Red-Eyes Black Dragons, and even a Blue-Eyes White Dragon."
I blanched. Those species were beyond dangerous. They were all very deadly, especially the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
Ayari continued. "I also overheard that they're trying experimental breedings, but they always reject each other. Apparently they're also trying to tamper with their DNA to create a superdragon."
"That's cause for alarm," I said.
"No kidding."
"Why are they doing this?"
Mana spoke up for the first time in a long time. Honestly, I had been surprised she could remain quiet for that length of time. "Gozaburo Kaiba is trying to take over the world. He's planning on taking over small villages to build his own nation before taking on the larger cities with better defenses."
"Apparently the last siege was a bust because there were a bunch of temple clerics there for some village event," Ayari added. "They captured some, but most of the villagers are still there with the temple clerics for protection."
"I can vouch for the captured villagers. Look at me."
"I can't believe I didn't realize you were one of them!" Ayari facepalmed. "I'm sorry if I sounded inconsiderate."
"It's fine. Yeah, there was a village festival. The temple clerics were visiting on business, but they stayed for the festival. Mr. Hawkins told the story of how our village was founded, which involved a Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon. I don't know how, but some guy named Bakura found the dragon's corpse that night and brought him back to life. The zombie dragon attacked our village, and I was captured, along with my friends, Joey and Alukan. Bakura used a spell to make Alukan's muscles start to die, and my legs were too sore to carry me very far, so that's how I ended up here."
"Yeah, Bakura's the Thief King. He's also a necromancer," Mana said.
"I noticed."
"Was Alukan that unconscious blonde guy that looked like he had full-body bruising?" Mana asked.
"Yeah. If Bakura hadn't resorted to necromancy, we might have escaped."
"Bakura's a hudrik," Ayari said.
"A what?"
"It's slave slang for someone who needs to die."
"I'm adopting that word."
"Good. Just don't mention it in front of the nobles. They'll know it's an insult, even if they don't know the actual definition."
"What else do I need to know for slave slang?"
"Guryah is another common word. It's a word for those pompous old ladies who always get their way. It's pretty much a swear word. You'll also need to know okeirr, zubera, tripk, farneer, and manturei. Meanings respectively are lowlife, fatso, prostitute, eunuch, and imbecile. Got it?" Ayari asked.
"I think so. Manturei kind of sounds like manta ray."
Mana giggled. "It does."
"Yeah, kind of…" Ayari drifted off.
"We're here!" Mana said. She turned right into an archway.
"We need three breakfasts over here," Ayari waved.
"Coming right up," a chef said. I assumed he was a slave. We were given two slices of bread each.
"This looks delicious!" she complimented.
I gingerly took a bite. I didn't trust the food here. To my surprise, it was very sweet.
"This is really good!" I said.
"Is this the noble's bread?" Mana asked.
"It is. I figured the newbies' first meal here should be at least decent," the chef replied modestly.
"Thanks," I said.
"Oh, you're one of the new ones?"
"Yeah. I was caught two days ago."
"It can't be. The last raid was three weeks ago. You must have been under a sleep spell."
"Maybe."
"Well, you'll be taken on a tour of the castle today after your master is decided."
"So I hear. Who are the best masters?"
"The Lady Aksira is probably the best one. She used to be a slave, but she managed to climb up the ranks to second-in-command, a rank she shares with Lord Seto," the chef replied.
"She seemed pretty pissed off at him yesterday," I commented.
"Oh, those two are always at each other's throats," Ayari said. "They argue like a married couple. But don't say that around them. Even Lady Aksira would kill you."
"I'll keep that in mind. When do they choose our masters?"
"In fifteen minutes. You cut breakfast a little close. Here are some eggs."
I took several bites before asking, "So, who are your masters?"
"We both have Lady Aksira. I really hope you don't get ghetto," Ayari said.
"What?"
"Yeah, it's what we all call Lord Seto behind his back. Even Lady Aksira calls him that."
"Who are the other masters?"
"There's Lord Zigfried, Lord Braebon, Lord Terias, Lady Tremaine, Lady Xulu, and Lady Aeria. Oh, and Gozaburo. He's even worse than Ghetto."
"What's he like?"
"Well, all his female slaves become concubines at some point or another."
I gasped.
"And then he treats all his male slaves worse than dirt. Then again, he treats everyone worse than dirt, even Ghetto and Lady Aksira."
"Most of the people that escape are his slaves that would rather die than serve him another day," Mana said.
"How likely am I to get Gozaburo?"
"Not very. He rarely shows himself to anyone, even with new shipments of slaves," Mana said.
"That's a relief," I said.
"No kidding."
"Hurry up and eat. They'll pick your master in about ten minutes," the cook said.
"Okay," I wolfed down some eggs and bacon before following Ayari and Mana to a large room.
"Where are we?" I asked.
"This is one of the ballrooms," Mana said.
"They have balls?"
"Don't get excited. Slaves aren't allowed to attend. We serve everyone else. If someone of a higher rank asks a servant, then they can attend, or rather, they have to," Ayari said.
"No, I really don't like dancing. I was hoping I wouldn't have to attend."
"Trust me, it's better to have to attend a dance than be stuck as a slave and serve those snobs for an entire night."
Ayari looked at a clock. "They're about to assign you to a master. My fingers are crossed that you'll get Lady Aksira."
"Thanks," I smiled.
"Well, we've gotta stand in the crowd. Wish you luck!"
"Hope you'll get Aksira," Mana said cheerfully.
I looked around and saw more slaves filing in. Evidently, our village hadn't been the only one that was raided. To my horror, I saw Alukan on a stretcher. If any progress had been made with his healing, it didn't show. He was still unconscious; his breathing was still shallow.
I saw a fat soldier wearing sunglasses walk into the room, followed by several guards and then some nobles, Aksira and Ghetto among them.
"Atten-TION!" he yelled. Everyone in the room filed into place, even the slaves. I looked to my right and saw the new slaves line up. I followed suit.
"Your masters will now be decided for you. You will serve only them and their higher-ups. Understood?"
There were a few mumbles.
"I said, UNDERSTOOD?"
"Yes," came more replies, slightly louder.
"Yes, SIR," he corrected.
"Oh, do shut up," an old lady ordered. "You're giving me a headache."
"Yes, Lady Tremaine," he backed off.
"And I'm taking first pick of slaves."
"No, you're not. As second in command, Lady Aksira and I will go first," Lord Seto said.
"Well then, have it your way, you petulant child," she backed off.
Ghetto smirked. "I'll choose you," he pointed to Joey.
My heart sunk. Joey might never be happy again. Heck, I probably wouldn't either knowing that Joey would have to put up with him.
Lady Aksira stepped forward and eyed the crowd. Finally she pointed to me. "I'll choose her."
In the back of the crowd, I saw Mana and Ayari doing a victory dance. I walked towards them, crestfallen that Joey couldn't join me.
"Yes, you're with us!" Mana whispered.
Ayari was more perceptive and saw how my smile didn't reach my eyes.
"What's wrong?" she asked quietly.
"One of my best friends is stuck with Ghetto."
"I'm so sorry," she said sympathetically.
I vaguely paid attention to who else had which slaves until I heard Ghetto grumble, "Since I'm stuck with him, I'll take the guy in the stretcher."
This was the straw that broke the camel's back. Tears started to form in my eyes.
"Was he another friend?" Ayari asked.
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.
I saw the pity on her face. Mana finally picked up on my sadness. Surprisingly, she had the tact not to say anything and just hugged me. Ayari joined in.
"Alright, let's get moving!" Lady Aksira said. Then she saw the group hug. "What's wrong?"
"Everything," I said.
To my surprise, she joined the hug.
"It'll be okay," she said. Her voice seemed unusually soothing, even for someone trying to comfort someone else. It was almost like I was forced to calm down. Vaguely, I wondered if she used magic. Whether she did or not, my tears almost immediately stopped.
"See, it'll be alright."
I nodded.
"What are you doing? Consorting with your slaves?" Seto taunted.
I was greeted with a spectacular sight: Lady Aksira had finally snapped. Her crimson eyes had slits. She walked slowly up to his face, not bothering to avoid his personal bubble. She slowly raised her arm and backslapped him in the face. Then she kneed him in the crotch before stomping on his greaves with her heels. I don't know what they were made of, but her heels were strong enough to dent the metal without breaking. Then she picked him up by the collar of his shirt and said, "Would you care to repeat that to my face?"
He didn't reply.
"I said, would you care to repeat that to my face?"
Still no answer.
"What? Have you gone mute? I can't believe it. This is a novel experience, novel meaning a work of fiction."
The crowd laughed. I joined in.
In a low voice that I could barely hear, Seto said, "You had better be grateful that your rank isn't lower than mine. When Gozaburo makes me leader, it'll be straight to the dungeons for a slow death of starvation."
She smirked. "If the prison walls can hold me in the first place. You seem to forget that I'm the more deadly opponent of the two of us."
Seto gave a death glare like none I had ever seen.
"Put me down or I'll use Duos to cut off those filthy hands of yours. I guess your manicure would be for nothing."
"Where's your room to talk? I don't see any dirt under those fingernails of yours."
Seto finally snapped, too. He curled his fist for a point-blank punch, but the instant he moved his arm, Aksira let go of him and he hit the floor, grunting. He got up, massaging his shoulder and elbow and motioning for his (unfortunate) servants to follow him.
"Let's go," Lady Aksira said. "I need to wash my hands because I might catch some exotic disease that has no cure from him if I don't."
Her servants laughed and followed her, myself included. She took us on a tour of the castle, although she told us to avoid some places, including Gozaburo's chambers.
Our duties included, but were not limited to kitchen duty, polishing floors and walls, dusting, gardening, and once every two weeks, cleaning the dragons' cages.
Unfortunately for me, dragon duties were on certain Fridays, and the next day was one of those Fridays. I talked to Lady Aksira about it.
"Why do you think you need an exception from dragon duties?" she asked.
I told her about my childhood and fear of dragons.
"Hmmm. I see. Well, unfortunately, all my servants have to help with the massive amount of dragons we have. However, I'll let you stick with the Fairy Dragons and Petit Dragons. They tend to be pretty docile."
"Thank you so much!"
"However, I want to see them absolutely spotless. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good. I'm sorry about your mother."
"Eh, it's not your fault. By the way, what are your heels made of?"
"Huh?"
"When you stomped on Seto's greaves, you left a dent in them."
She laughed, a rich sound with her slight accent. "Serves him right. They're made of lead and are diamond coated in case I would stomp hard enough to break the lead."
"How do you walk in them?"
"Practice. Lots of practice. Every now and then, I still stumble in them."
"Really?"
"Yes. Now get to work. I'm late for sparring practice as it is."
"Okay."
I (grudgingly) started to get to work. I had no idea what was coming my way the next day.
So, yeah… this is a much later update than it should be. I was originally going to make Seto Kisara's master, but I decided I couldn't be too cruel to all of my characters. I put Joey under Seto so they could develop the rivalry they are so famous for in the series. I got almost no reviews. Reviews motivate writers more than you realize.
If you want faster updates, it'll mean I need more reviews.
