The Eye of Horus
Neferi: Hello everyone! Sorry for the late update, I was very busy during Christmas and now I'm stuck with homework and projects. Please be patient.
Tara: That's right, now here's the disclaimer: NeferNeferi doesn't own YGO but she does own the Horus Items and myself.
Chapter nineteen: The Test of Battle
"What are those things?" a Rare Hunter asked, blinking furiously and focusing his gaze across from him.
He thought his eyes were deceiving him, he couldn't believe such a thing could exist. Only in tails developed in Egypt and Arabia those creatures were found. They were animal warriors, serpents bearing shiny armor, sharp swords and shields to protect themselves from enemy attacks. They gazed at the intruders with piercing yellow eyes and hissed.
"But I thought they were just creatures created by the ancient Egyptians in myths!" the same Rare Hunter said, his face full of panic.
"Apparently they're real" Odion said, remembering that they looked exactly like some of the monsters he had used against Joey in Battle City.
Yami Marik gazed at the creatures, silently studying them before smirking.
"I bet they're illusions just like the lions we left behind in the chamber we were in" he stated, giving a few steps towards the creatures without hesitation, showing he was not afraid.
However, that proved the creatures were very real. The moment Yami Marik was close enough one of the serpents attacked with its sword, slashing part of the cape he was wearing. He quickly stepped back, unnerved by the experience with such odd creatures.
"Do you honestly believe that illusions can attack you when you're not afraid?" a female voice commented, coming from the other end of the chamber.
The attention of the group was drifted to the figure standing far behind the serpents. It was a woman dressed in a white linen dress, just like the ancient Egyptian women used to wear. Now how could she be wearing such a piece of clothing if it should have gotten old by the passing time? Unless…
"She's a spirit!" the same Rare Hunter yelled, pointing at her, frightened.
The other Rare Hunters noticed they could see clearly right through her. Yes, she was indeed a spirit.
"It took you long enough to figure that out" she said, leaning against the wall just below the torch at the right side of the doors "I'm only here for one purpose".
"And that might be?" Yami Marik questioned, gazing at her.
"All in due time, now let's not forget our manners, I am Sinathor, the spirit that dwells within the four walls of this chamber" she said, introducing herself "And the creatures standing before you are the serpent warriors of this Temple, they -"
"- Enough of your foolish talking woman! Tell us what is your purpose!" Yami Marik interrupted her, anger rising in his voice.
"If you wish to know then you will have to hear me" Sinathor stated, her cold gaze falling upon him "So you better be patient. Now, this is the second of the tests in the Temple of the Horus Items. Its name is the Test of Battle. Here you will battle the warriors of the Temple to death. If you win then entrance shall be granted to the next chamber, if you lose then your fate was already sealed in your death".
"So the test is beating these creatures?" Yami Marik said "That's an easy task, I'll use my Rod on them".
"I wasn't finished with the explanation" Sinathor stated, crossing her arms "No use of magic is allowed in any of the tests, which means your Millenium Rod is useless against anything presented in the chambers".
"Then what weapons do you expect us to use against these creatures?" Yami Marik questioned, frowning at her.
"The weapons placed on the wall at your right" Sinathor motioned with her left hand "Only those are the ones suited for this test, you cannot carry them to the next test, they will vanish from your grasp".
The Rare Hunters all gazed at their right to find various weapons hanging from the wall such as shields, spears, swords, bows and arrows.
"Pick any that you like but make sure it's the correct one, if you pick it up and you can't use it, you can't change it for another, the weapons cannot be returned once they are chosen" Sinathor stated, her eyes following the Rare Hunters as they approached the wall.
Carefully thinking it thoroughly, the Rare Hunters finally picked up their weapons. As they returned to the same spot they were previously standing on, they took notice that the weapons on the wall were disappearing.
"Now that this is settled" Sinathor said, stepping forward "Let the Test begin!".
She thrust her left hand forward and the serpent warriors instantly attacked.
-o-
"Mind you telling me what's the second test? I'm curious" Yugi said as he and Tara walked down a corridor silently.
"The Test of Battle" the young priestess answered, noticing that the torches on the walls lit up as they walked further into the corridor "You have to battle serpent creatures, ones that are truly skilled in battle".
"Serpents? Whoa, that sounds kind of freaky" Yugi commented, not too fond of the darkness in front of him.
Tara chuckled "They're kind of intimidating when you gaze at them".
"And they use weapons?" Yugi quizzed, following Tara.
Tara nodded "Yes, they usually use swords but they can use any other weapon that ancient Egyptians used, be it daggers or a bow and arrows. They wear armors to protect themselves from enemy blows and bear shields to serve the same purpose. It's a hard task defeating one of these warriors".
"I can only imagine" Yugi stated as Tara stopped before a huge wall with hieroglyphics of the people who helped to build the Temple.
Yugi noticed that Yami and Mera were there together as well as Kaiba and some other unknown priests. They were sitting in what he supposed was the Main Hall of the Temple, all having a meal.
"Where are you there?" he asked, his violet eyes scanning the writings on the wall in search of his friend.
Tara pointed just above Yugi with her right index finger at someone who was sitting at Kaiba's left side "Over there, next to Kaiba".
Yugi looked up and his eyes fell upon the carving of the priestess, who was holding a goblet in her hands and looking at Kaiba, who was returning her the gaze. He guessed they had been carved talking.
"I didn't expect to find you both talking" Yugi commented as Tara carefully read the hieroglyphics below.
"We had to converse a lot, especially during the construction of this Temple, seeing as we were designing some of the traps like I told you before" Tara replied, her left hand resting on the writings and tracing them with her left index finger "Hm…"
Yugi looked over at her, wondering where they were going now. There was no door around to which they could proceed in order to get out of the chamber.
"Ah, I see…" Tara said, her lips curving upwards in a smile. She turned to Yugi and told him "Touch the Millenium Puzzle around Yami's neck in the carvings".
Yugi nodded and walked over to Tara who, in turn, stepped aside to let him reach out to the Pharaoh. Yugi reached out his right hand and touched the Millenium Puzzle with his hand, waiting for something to happen. He saw the carving of the Item glimmer and heard something open at his right. He looked that way to find a door had opened next to him on the wall.
"Thank you for finding the door" Tara told him, walking past him over to the way out of the chamber.
Yugi lowered his hand and quickly followed her through the door as soon as she walked through. Then the door closed and disappeared behind him.
-o-
The battle to get to the next chamber and test was still taking place between the serpent warriors and the Rare Hunters. So far, the serpent warriors were winning, having taken out one fourth of the Rare Hunters who came with Yami Marik. None of the warriors had been able to take Yami Marik down yet.
"Master, they're too powerful to defeat them!" one of the Rare Hunters said, barely avoiding a direct thrust of a sword to the heart.
"Don't be such a coward and keep on fighting them, they're nothing but animals who don't have half the knowledge we have" Yami Marik replied, pushing back a warrior with his sword.
"Are you sure? Because from what I see, it looks like it's the other way around" Sinathor stated, leaning against the doors to the next chamber "You're losing badly".
"Shut up woman!" Yami Marik ordered while he defeated one of the warriors "No one asked for your opinion".
"I can give my opinion if I wish, I am not the one in trouble, I am simply observing" Sinathor replied, looking at her nails nonchalantly "On the contrary, you should be paying attention to your battle and not me".
Yami Marik decided to ignore her for the time being and concentrate on his battle first.
'I'll get her for that when this battle is over' he thought, the sound of his sword clashing against one of the warrior's echoing in the chamber.
He pushed the warrior back over to Odion who, in turn, finished him. Then he kept on fighting with the next warrior that came his way.
Sinathor watched silently as the tide of the battle began to shift. Soon, the warriors started to be eliminated one by one and more Rare Hunters started to remain. If everything kept on going as it seemed, she would have to grant passage to the intruders.
'But I know for sure that at least if they do pass this Test, they will not pass the one awaiting them' she thought, feeling that the outcome of the battle was arriving.
She soon took notice that only two warriors remained and that two fourths of the Rare Hunters were still standing, some slightly injured. Yami Marik was still on his feet.
"Well Sinathor, are you still thinking we're losing?" he asked, smirking darkly at her.
Sinathor smiled, a little and knowing smile.
'You will lose eventually' she thought, observing the outcome of the battle 'The priestess shall obtain the Items and prevent you from tainting this world'.
And so, the end of the Test came. Yami Marik and his Hunters had prevailed and defeated the serpent warriors.
"Congratulations, you have just passed the Test of Battle" Sinathor stated moving away from the doors.
The weapons the Rare Hunters were holding disappeared from their grasps as well as the serpent warriors, leaving the floor as clean as it had been when they had entered the chamber.
"Grant us passage Sinathor, it is your duty as the spirit that resides within these four walls" Yami Marik stated, taking his Millenium Rod from his belt and pointing at her with it.
Sinathor didn't seem intimidated and simply stepped aside and motioned to the doors at the end of the chamber. Yami Marik, Odion and the rest of the Rare Hunters that remained walked over to them. When they stood before the closed doors, they turned to look at Sinathor with expectation.
"Well? Open up the doors, I don't have all day" Yami Marik demanded, looking at her.
Sinathor looked over at the doors and clapped. Her clap resonated throughout the chamber and when it faded, the doors started to open up slowly. Dust came out as they moved, giving signs that they had not been opened for hundreds of years. When the doors were open, Yami Marik and the others proceeded into the darkness of the next chamber, leaving Sinathor behind. After the last one had gone through, Sinathor ordered the doors to close. As slowly as they had opened, they closed.
'Pray to the gods to give you sight in the next Test, for your downfall shall be found in it' Sinathor thought, gazing at the closed doors.
Then, she slowly vanished into thin air, leaving the chamber empty.
-o-
Yami Marik and his Rare Hunters stood completely in darkness again.
"Well this seems to be a repetitive thing" Yami Marik stated, trying to find something in the darkness.
He only saw darkness. Suddenly he heard a faint sound and felt the ground beneath tremble lightly. He heard some of his Rare Hunters take in a sharp breath as the trembling grew stronger. Then the trembling faded, as suddenly as it had happened. The Rare Hunters breathed a sigh of relief.
"Master Marik, do you know why the ground trembled?" one of the Rare Hunters whispered.
"If I knew I wouldn't be standing here, would I?" Yami Marik replied "Now be quiet and lets listen".
The same sound and trembling happened again and then faded.
'I wonder…' Yami Marik thought.
He reached out a hand to his side and grabbed one of his Rare Hunters by the wrist, pulling him forward.
"You, walk forward" he ordered him.
"B-But…" the Rare Hunter stuttered.
"Do it or I shall make you my mind slave" Yami Marik threatened.
The Rare Hunter didn't hesitate and started walking forward. Yami Marik and the rest of the Hunters paid attention to the footsteps of their comrade. They could be clearly heard in the darkness. Suddenly the footsteps died and the Rare Hunter screamed. Then, they heard nothing else of him. Yami Marik called out to him but no reply came.
"What is this?" he wondered, looking around to see nothing.
Neferi: End of chappie, I hope you liked it! Please review and keep reading!