Outside of the Heirs tomb, six black clad figures streaked through the night, stopping only at the door to the tomb.
"This is it." Called the leader. "Take down the door."
The five other cloaked figures rigged the door before standing away. BOOM! As the explosives went, the door imploded soaring backwards down the tunnel. Without one word the figures entered through the empty doorway.
Once inside they paused to adjust their eyes to the artificial light inside the tomb, before proceeding further into the unknown depths of the tomb. Before the tunnels stretched on for what seemed and endless distance, but these figures knew full well, that the Heirs Guardians would not make it easy. No a person who entered this tomb without a map, or knowledge of which tunnels led where, would wander endlessly lost within the labyrinthine the tunnels formed. Fortunately this particular group had the foresight to remove a map from its keepers dead fingers before they came.
"Which way sir." The rear guard asked as the group reached a fork.
"Jocammos map indicates we go right, then left, left again then right." The figures turned to the right and continued their flight to their goal.
"Elenna, get over here now!" The senior guardian called.
"Yes sir." Replied Elenna tripping up on a loose cord in her haste.
"Take the Heir and get out of her, use your fathers secret passage. No go, don't look back, and don't wait for survivors."
"But Sir?"
"Go, no one will survive this, now GO!"
Elenna scrambled across the equipment covered desks over to where Karter sat on his bench.
"You're are the Heir right?" Elenna stuttered as came to stop before Karter.
"Yes. What of it?" Karter asked, his black mood showing through his words.
"We have to go, some people are coming. They killed my father, and they will kill us to. So please come with me, I will get you out of here." Elenna grabbed Karter by his wrist and half pulled half guided him across the room.
"Elenna! Wait." A short Guardian ran across the room holding a 20X40 cm metal box that was 12cm high.
"Karter…. Your name is Karter isn't Mr Heir sir?" The guardian stumbled to Karter.
"Yes."
"Take this, inside is a collection of Duel Monsters cards that over the last Millennium, we the Guardians have compiled for you when you arrive. Inside you will also find you old deck, and a copy of the most recent Duel Monsters Rule variations." He paused for breath. "So much has changed since you were last conscious, other than Duel Monsters I mean. So be careful, and I wish you luck."
"Th…Th..Thank you." Karter stumbled, as this simple act of kindness, suddenly broke his dark mood. As if it paid for what he had lost.
"Elenna, take care, and make sure you never leave his side. He will need your help." The short guardian turned to go. "Oh, and Elenna. Don't forget to show him all the new functions his mechanical body has." The short man dashed off leaving Karter and Elenna to their escape.
The six cloaked figures had arrived inside a large circular cavern. It was evident that masses of technological gear had recently been removed from the cavern, and there were traces of large objects having been dragged along the ground. All the paths lead to a door on the opposite side of the chamber. However even without the paths it was easy to tell where everything was happening. On the other side of the door loud noises and the sounds of a multitude of people trying to talk at once could be heard.
"They know we are here." Remarked the leader of the cloaked figures. "And they are scared."
"Well boss who wouldn't be." A short thin man behind the leader sniggered. "I mean after all, you did completely annihilate their leader."
"Well I suppose I did, didn't I." The leader agreed. "Take the door down."
Once again the five figures scrambled around their leader, rigging explosives to a door. Once they were satisfied with their work, they ran back to where their leader stood.
"Detonate it." The cloaked leader ordered.
"My pleasure
CRACKA-KA-KA-KA-BOOM!
"Ahhhh." Screamed Elenna as the floors trembled and walls shook.
"That was a bomb!" Karter exclaimed, helping Elenna to her feet.
Elenna and Karter stood still for a moment. Waiting. Listening. Hoping for a sound or a sign, that someone had survived the explosion, but nothing came.
"Elenna, we must go." Karter tugged on Elenna's arm, but she was frozen solid.
"M..m..m..m..my. My. My friends." Elenna stuttered, as the pain from the loss of her father returned tenfold.
"Elenna!" Karter screamed. "Their sacrifice must not be in vain. They saved me and are as much family to me as to you now. We are united in loss, but only you know the way out of her. You must show me. You must come, or we are both going to join the others in the next world." Karter paused as Elenna looked up. "And I don't know about you." He continued in a softer voice." But I am not ready to die yet."
Elenna slumped in defeat before rising to her feet. Relying on Karter for support, she looked around at the walls of the tunnel they were in.
"You're right, we must escape."
"Then lead on." Karter followed Elenna as she made her way down the tunnel.
Left, right, left, left, right, left, right. The tunnels wound round and round, up and down. Karter knew without a doubt, that if Elenna was not there to guide him, he would have surely become lost and died. Then there was the other fact, how long did Elenna and the guardians train to memorize these tunnels.
It's insane Karter thought to himself as he pondered this.
"We're here." Elenna pointed a set of small wooden doors, just high enough to let the two of them pass through side by side.
As the doors imploded, pieces of machinery were lifted from the floor and launched around the room. Sections of the chamber even caved in or cracked from the explosions force. Out of the original guardians, only 50 percent had survived unscathed. The rest, whether they were partially incinerated, splattered on the walls in a shower of gore by airborne machines, or just thrown around, were on the floor dying, or in great pain.
25 percent of those who were injured had died instantly, the rest were no longer able to help in any productive way.
"Salvage whatever you can, we have to move now. Elenna and the Heir should have left by now, so now we move. Take as many wounded as you can." The Senior Guardian rushed around yelling orders.
As the guardians made a scramble for everything they needed to take, the wounded crawled to anyone who could help them leave.
"BANG!"
The Senior Guardian slumped to the floor with a hole in his forehead. As his corpse hit the floor in a pool forming from his blood, the screaming began. The guardians began to panic, and those who were able dropped what they had and made a run for the nearest exits, the wounded. Well lets just say the wounded were trampled and pounded to the ground by the people rushing for an exit. The wounded that survived the stampede were left, crawling to a door as a group of six black cloaked figures walked in.
"BANG! BANG! BANG!" The wounded still crawling fell dead still as there mangled corpses felt the cold sting of bullets penetrating their flesh, ending their lives.
"Boss." A cloaked figure called, as Yugi Moto and two Guardians entered the room from an interior chamber.
"Yes. I see them you fool." The head cloaked figure looked at the cloaked man who had spoken. "Now, who are you, and why do you dare to stand between me and my prize?"
"I am Yami-Yugi, Pharaoh and King of The Games, and who are you to defile and destroy this Tomb?"
"HA! Ha ha ha." The leading cloaked figure broke into laughter. "Who am I? Well I am none other than Hannibal. But of course you wouldn't know that would you Pharaoh?" Hannibal stepped towards Yugi and stood firm.
"No, you're right I don't know you. But am I supposed to?"
"Master Yugi." One of the two guardians beside him whispered into his ear. "Hannibal is the Legacy of the Spirit of the Ring, and of Marik Ishtar. He is bent on ruling the world after he conquers it."
Hannibal suddenly raised a cocked pistol, aiming it directly at Yami-Yugi.
"BANG!"
The wall behind Yami-Yugi exploded in a shower of rubble and dust, but when it had cleared, Yami-Yugi and the two guardians were nowhere to be seen.
"Pursue them. We follow the map and intercept them before they reach the exit." Hannibal eyed of his me. "Do you understand? No one survives."
Hannibal and his cloaked men fled off down the corridor, following the map, but relying mostly on the footprints in the dust that had been shaken to the floor. However due to the injuries sustained by some of the guardians. There were trails of blood all over the walls and floors, and the occasional dead or dying body on the side of the corridor.
After a while they were able to distinguish the clamors and ruckus of a huge group hurrying through the tunnel.
"Get the heavy gear ready." Hannibal ordered one of his five henchmen.
"Yes sir." A more bulky one of the five henchman called back, as he hurried forward with what appeared to be a large metal tube.
"Fire." Whispered Hannibal, an evil grin stretching his features into a malevolent beast.
A huge forceful wind exploded backwards from the metal tube throwing Hannibal and the four cloaked figures with him backwards. The six cloaked figure carrying the metal tube laughed hysterically, as a ball of searing flame charged forth from the mouth of the tube.
"Die whelps." The large cloaked figure could be heard laughing manically as he released a continuing beam of flame from the tube.
"Run." A commanding voice called out from behind the flame. "Run if you wish to live.
The surviving guardians and their subordinates rushed towards the exit that they could see just out of reach at the end of the tunnel. Behind them, the beam of intense heat was eating its way forwards burning all who impeded its path.
"Quicker! Quicker." The same voice called out again.
"Desmond, shut up and help the people out." This time the short guardian who gave Karter the box of Duel Monsters was speaking. "Lead them out, Go!"
The beam of fire was edging closer to the majority of the crowd, consuming all in its path its eternal hunger insatiable. Meanwhile it was becoming evident that the Short Guardian and Desmond were fighting a losing battle.
"The doors open." A relieved voice shouted from the end of the tunnel.
Responding to this message of hope, the crowd doubled their speed towards the door. The crowd began to surge ever increasingly faster forward, however. The flames were getting closer ever second, advancing quicker than the crowd could move through the door way.
"Go, go, go." Shouted the short guardian and Desmond in unison, as the crowd rushed forward, the flames no only meters from them.
The flames were becoming unbearable, but there were still people trying to get out. The screams of people burning began to fill the ears of those inside and outside the tunnel.
"Go Desmond." The short Guardian said. "We can't save the rest, they're too far gone now."
As Desmond rushed off, complying with his orders. The short guardian sealed the door, trapping him, and the few unfortunate people left in the tunnel with the inferno raging within. This is it he thought as the flames closed in. five meters, four meters, three meters. The flesh on his bones began to melt under the heat, and his clothing began to singe and ignite.
"ARGH!" He screamed, as the pain became more than he could bear.
Standing there, his body burned, as the flames began to lick at his flesh. Before his eyes, his arms began peel, but no blood came forth. No, he could feel his blood boiling beneath his flesh in his veins.
A black sheen began to come over his body, as the scarce remains of his clothing fell away in a tumble of flames. By now he was fully immersed inside of the flame.
At least the Heir has escaped. He thought as he collapsed to the ground, his body ablaze, his limbs burning, and his minimal skin melting from his bones.
"For the PHARAOH!" He screamed before his life left his body leaving it to burn in the tunnels.
"Time to cull the rest." Hannibal commanded.
The big cloaked man carrying the tube flocked a switch on its side. He then launched a torrent of water over the flames, extinguishing them instantly. Once the flames were gone, the six cloaked figures fled across the burnt tunnel, taking light quick steps so as to prevent their soles from melting from their feet. As they reached the door, Hannibal threw his weight on it. Due to the heat having weakened it, the door collapsed outward emitting the cloaked figures to the outside world.
Since they had entered the tunnels, a large period of time had passed. The darkness of midnight, had been replaced by early morning. And out in the open before them, the remnants of the guardians group of escapees were fleeing down a mountains side.
"Kill as many as you can."
The cloaked figures each drew a collective assortment of mid to extreme ranged weapons.
"FIRE!" Roared Hannibal, as he pulled the trigger on his rifle, which he had switched with his pistol.
As the loud cracks if the firing fire arms shattered the scarce remaining silence of the night, multiple of the escapees fell dead to the ground. Beside Hannibal, a smaller thin figure drew a fully- automated custom rifle from within the folds of her cloak.
"Going to use your special weapon Dirael?" Hannibal asked her, clearly surprised.
"Yeah, well. I haven't tested it yet. I want to make sure it works as well as I designed it to."
Dum, dum, dum ,dum ,dum, dum. The continual pattern of sound issued forth from Diraels rifle, maintaining a deathly drum beat matched by the falling corpses of its victims. The fire continued to go, with the occasional missing beat when one of the cloaked assassins stopped to reload a weapon. By the time the bullets had run dry from the ammunition pouches of all six of the cloaked figures, only six escapees were still standing. Yami-Yugi, the two Guardians who had stood with him, two scientist and Desmond.
"Nothing we can do now." Hannibal exclaimed, ending their assault.
"But boss." The large cloaked man said. "We still haven't taken the artifact, and you still have your special weapon."
Hannibal sighed shaking his head, and was about to speak when.
"BANG!" The large man fell backwards sliding across the dirt, a large hole ripped right through his chest.
Hannibal spun on his heel instinctively drawing his special weapon. A Long Ranged Rifle appeared in his hands. Inside its chamber, a layered custom bullet ready to shred an unfortunate victim.
"BANG!" A bullet tore forth from the barrel of the rifle. After it had closed half the distance between the rifle and the target, the bullets outer shell tore free releasing a net of pellets. Then as it closed in on its target a tread on its inner shell caught the wind, beginning to rotate rapidly. Upon impact with its targets chest, the bullet ripped its way through flesh and bone. Throwing impeding flesh and blood through the air. Then came the pellets. They hit the chest of the victim, scoring dozens of holes throughout his body.
As the bullet finished working its way through his body, Desmond was thrown backwards. His body now mangled and shredded beyond recognition.
"Leave him." Hannibal ordered the four remaining cloaked figures as they went to assist the larger figure. "Our job is done, and its not worth our trouble to cart his corpse along."
"But Hanni…." Two of the cloaked figures started.
"He will die either way. So better to leave him, than have to cart his corpse around later." Hannibal broke in, before leading the way down the mountain.
Me: Thank to all have read, or are reading this story. s I mentioned previously it is my first public release. And no I have not seen all of the Yu-Gi-Oh episodes. Please review, and constructive criticism is most welcome Thank you.