An: This may be a bit confusing cos I have to write it as Alkia/Thomas (Not relationship! Her taking over his body for a bit)for awhile. But it'll be over by the end of the chapter

Chapter 3: Because the Price Was Just Too High

They moved to take positions at the opposite ends of the chamber, but Yugi found himself wrapped in magic and pushed aside.

The others gasped before turning to the woman, who was now standing still as the Forbidden item hovered above the chamber in a distinct golden glow. Her eyes narrowed dangerously before the woman disappeared and the teen looked up again, a slightly different look to his features as he blinked his cold, red eyes.

'It is not for you to chose who you must face. It is, and always was, going to be me that you faced.'

Duke's eyes widened as he saw who the teen actually was.

'Wow! That's the American champion, Thomas Johnston. He is rumoured to not have lost since he began to fight in the tournaments...'

The group of friends looked worriedly at the spirit/man now staring down the Pharaoh with unfeeling eyes. Before the two yelled in synchronisation, 'Duel!'

Their duel disks activated with a whirring of gears as their life points rose to 8000.

Thomas/Alkia smirked before initiating his draw phase. 'I play 'The Musician of Favour'!'

Pixels flashed as a woman with long blonde hair rose from the ground. She was dressed in a cream coloured dress with a veil that covered her face, leaving only her blue eyes uncovered. She held a beautifully crafted wooden violin in her hands and raised it to her chin, preparing to play.

1200ATK 2000DEF

The group frowned at the card. Yugi screwed his face up in confusion, 'That makes no sense. That card would be so much better in defence unless...'

'Unless it had an effect?' Finished Thomas/Alkia, 'Surprise, Surprise. It does. Once a turn, my 'Musician of Favour' plays a tune of chance. If it goes in my favour, I get to choose, 1000LPs, a level 2-3 monster or a magic card. It's the same thing for you really.'

Atemu frowned, 'How do we know whose favour it goes in?'

Thomas laughed darkly, 'Oh, you'll know. Go 'Musician of Favour'! Song of Chance!'

The woman flexed her bow string before her fingers began to move faster than possible across the strings. The tune shouldn't have come from a violin either, it sounded like Techno music, with a girl singing.

'Oh, oh, thats me,' he/she blushed slightly while grinning, 'Unlucky. For you that is. Well, I choose to bring one magic card to my hand...' Thomas/Alkia paused as the card he/she must have selected ejected from the duel disk, 'Then I play two cards face down and end my turn. I should probably warn you now though, my Musician of Favour can only be destroyed via card effect.'

Atemu frowned before drawing and initiating his draw phase. This was going to be a puzzling duel. He certainly didn't know this vengeance-bent woman's strategy, but he had a feeling she knew his, and that was going to make this battle for literal death much more interesting.

HI!!BYE!

The two duellist's face sweated with exertion. Thomas/Alkia's effect musician themed deck was countering his own powerful deck at every turn. But now, he finally had gotten the three Egyptian God cards into play, their sheer size imposing in the now small room.

But still the teen/young woman showed no emotion but hate and the need for those that had done her wrong to repent.

'Next turn, my Gods will destroy the last of your life points...and I will win,' he said somewhat sadly as their LPs flashed.

Atemu: 600LP

Thomas/Alkia: 400LP

Alkia finally emerged out of her hikari, smiling resentfully. 'Unfortunately, I cannot concede that to be the case. It is time to play by far my most powerful card, certainly more powerful then your gods.'

Everyone in attendance gasped as the more solid, but still spectral woman raised the Ancient Egyptian version of a duel disk.

'Wait,' called Atemu, his face rueful, 'At least tell me, before the last turns of the duel, why you hate me so much for something I did not do.'

Alkia's normally emotionless face exploded. 'You did not do anything! That alone is why I despise you so Pharaoh' she spat the word out, dragging it through the muck and feeding to the crows. Figuratively speaking, 'You and your father did nothing. When your father gave the priest permission to create them, (everybody knew what the spiteful woman meant) he asked not the price, he asked not if he planned for anything else. He said 'do what you will'. The sick man got free reign in creating items that should not exist, let alone an extra. He slaughtered innocents that had not a tint of evil in their souls with the same mercilessness he murdered the criminals in Kul Ena!'

'Surely you do not hold me responsible for the actions of my father!' Atemu cried, his younger face distraught as he looked up at the older woman across from him.

'You too did nothing, child!' she spat, making even Thomas flinch at her fury, 'You did not attempt to find out what had happened any more than your father did. You simply took the Puzzle and used it blindly. Ra forbid it could unleash something dangerous!' She teased mockingly.

'So you would hold me responsible for errors that anyone could make!' yelled Atemu in anger.

'You are not anyone,' she whispered, her voice filled with barely restrained rage, 'Your very title the 'lower classes' are forced to call you proclaims you greater than all. The fact you did nothing while others slaved to bring food to your table, shows you believed yourself better than others. If you wished to proclaim yourself a god, then you should know,' she whispered drawing her last card, 'God's don't make mistakes,' she whispered so quietly that as the comment reached Atemu he all but stumbled back, eyes pricking with tears of anger and injustice.

'I activate the magic I've had ready since the first turn of the game. Song of the Innocent's Revenge!'

The room flashed red as a bloodied woman appeared, kneeling, gasping on the ground grasping a mortal wound on the ground. The watcher's all gasped as they realised that it was Alkia in a card form.

Alkia, smiled sadly at the card appearance, 'Tis funny, is it not? That my final moments would be portrayed immortally on a card in what people believe a game,' she shook her head, as if to clear it.

'This card allows me to tribute two musicians that's combined level equals 8...' she did so, an unearthly shriek entering everyone's ears as two tablets on the wall seemed to glow before darkening abruptly, The Snake Charmer and Gypsy Girl, 'To call upon Elynna! The Vengeance Mage!'

The symbol flashed as it was called onto the Ancient Egyptian version of a Duel Disk, a dark shape flying in from one of the walls in the temple and taking shape of the field. Her short multicoloured garb looked out of place in the dark recesses of the room, but her emotionless face and pain-filled eyes made her look so like Alkia it made everyone cringe slightly.

'I never wanted a part of these shadow games, now I live as one,' spat out Alkia as her monster's stats flashed.

Elynna the Vengeance Mage 2000ATK 0DEF

Alkia smirked as Atem's face creased, he didn't know why she'd played such a mediocre card in attack mode against his Egyptian gods.

'Firstly, no your Slifer's effect does not activate. For Elynna is not affected by them, nor spells. She can only be destroyed in battle. As for a quick history check, ask Maadho who Elynna was, I'm sure he'll tell you(Or you can read my story, Dark Power, when I finally put it up =P). Now for her other effect! For every card, no matter the kind, in my graveyard. She gains 500ATK points so she can extract vengeance for those that came, and went, before her!'

The area behind Alkia glowed with the faces of monsters, traps and magic cards, each a sinister, spectral beast. She had started with a 50 card deck. She had 20 cards left in it.

Atemu's eyes widened as she mage's ATK points shot up to 17000ATK, his eyes already beginning to accept defeat.

'Elynna, show them your power and attack each of his so-called gods!' Alkia cried.

Her mage slowly raised her twisted staff towards the sky as she rose off the floor. The staff began to glow brightly, blindingly before slamming down the staff and setting Elynna alight with the swirling magic. She sent a glare towards the roaring gods and flung forward her staff and raw power flew out of her, slamming into the great gods.

The resulting explosion shook the very earth.