Fury of the Empire, Part III
SC: Yay, another chapter peoples! This is really exciting me. I'm working as fast as I can to get this thing going… I have really cool ideas for several chapters, but they're so far away… like the "Crucial Battle" chapter, and then the ones with Scott and such… Oh man, you'll love what I have planned for the encounter with Scott. I do, at least… heh heh.
By the way, in case no one caught it, the "unexpected turn" from the last chapter was the one-sided Fizdis/Yugi-ness. I just wanted to do something with Fizdis's character, since no one ever uses her… Poor Fizdis. Let's see how she handles fighting off this ambush, eh? Read on.
Recapitulation: Uraby's window, lined with five stars, glowed with yellow light. "All right, Uraby! Let's fight!" Uraby roared and leapt forward, serrated teeth and dagger claws aiming for the enemy.
The attack was intended for Kryuel, the monster opposite Uraby. The tiger-striped dinosaur planted rows of fangs into the fiend's arm. Dark blood seeped from the wound and around Uraby's teeth. Kryuel let loose a pained roar and Uraby fell back into its place in front of Fizdis. Yugi watched the fiend's HP meter drop by two hundred and eighty points.
"Wow…" he commented with awe. "Uraby's pretty strong." Seiyaryu nodded. Yugi eyed the windows for Fizdis's monsters. All of them had formidable HP: Uraby, 1538; Megazowler, 1903; and King Rex with a whopping 2368. These monsters were well above a simple Bone Mouse, and their high HP hinted that they had high attack strength as well.
Fizdis didn't show the same admiration for Uraby's attack. It seemed the sight of blood at this range made her a little unsteady on her feet. She wobbled a bit, but kept her balance after a swallow.
Come on, she snapped at herself. Yugi's right behind you. Don't be afraid, don't be…
"Kryuel!" yelled the Imperial guard. "Let's show these rebels we mean business! Attack…" he raised a finger and pointed, "… her King Rex!" Once again the lightsaber in Kryuel's claws flickered to life. The fiend swooped down on King Rex and slashed one of its necks. King Rex roared, smoke and the scent of charred flesh rising into the night.
The Imperial guard wasn't finished yet. "Now, Apophis! Attack King Rex with Guardian Blade!" With an angry hiss the giant snake slithered forward. Silver flashed in the moonlight as the blade struck King Rex's right arm. The attack left a scar but didn't pierce its thick hide.
Yugi unconsciously balled his hands into fists. Because of the way they're positioned, Fizdis can only attack one monster with one of her own, he thought. But the enemy can attack whomever they choose! It's not an even fight if they gang up on one monster… Even if all three enemy monsters went after King Rex, though, it would still be awhile before they killed it: its HP had only just dropped below two thousand. This dinosaur would be around for a few more turns before being defeated.
The yellow highlight moved to King Rex's window. It had five stars to attack with, just like Uraby. Fizdis didn't even look at the window and called out, "King Rex! Attack his Apophis Serpent!" King Rex lowered both its heads and opened its mouths wide. Twin jets of vermilion fire shot from its mouths toward the giant serpent. Apophis Serpent raised its shield to block some of the damage, but the fire sprayed around it and scorched already black scales. When the attack ended both the shield and the arm that held it were charred. Yugi's jaw dropped as he watched Apophis's HP drop by close to three hundred points. No wonder the enemy was so intent on killing King Rex – it was the strongest monster Fizdis had, only a few tens of points weaker than Seiyaryu itself.
Next up was Megazowler. It scuffed its foot into the dirt and uttered a loud snort, like a bull ready for the charge. The Zarigun standing opposite it recoiled slightly. Megazowler snorted again, lowering its proud horns into view. "Okay, Megazowler!" cried Fizdis. "Attack Zarigun! Dino Impact!" Megazowler charged forward. A ton of dinosaur muscle and horn crashed into the much smaller Zarigun, sending it skidding back several feet. The attack was just as strong as Uraby's had been: nearing the three hundred-point mark.
"Grrr… A lucky shot!" snapped the Imperial guard. "You won't get me with that one again! Attack, my Zarigun!" Crimson pincers clicked mercilessly. Zarigun leapt back at Megazowler and pounded at its head, using its arms as clubs. Megazowler didn't seem to feel the attack and shook it off as soon as the monster had backed away.
Fizdis grinned. This isn't so hard! she thought to herself proudly. Maybe I can show Yugi that I'm worth it as a resistance member. "Attack, Uraby!"
"Counter it, Kryuel!"
The battle continued, one turn after another. Neither player did anything but attack. Yugi was amazed at the sight; they both seemed to know it would be their turn before the window showed it. The attacks raged:
"Guardian Blade!"
"Dino Flame!"
"Savage Shadow Slash!"
"Wild Bite!"
"How do they do that?" wondered Yugi aloud. Seiyaryu made a shrugging motion with its wings.
"All right!" cheered Fizdis as Uraby's attack landed a critical. Kryuel's HP was one attack away from hitting zero. "Good job, Uraby!"
"Not so fast!" roared the Imperial guard. He turned to his Zarigun. "Zarigun, you know what to do!" Zarigun nodded and raised one of its claws. It tapped on the fiery gem hanging from its neck. Moments later, filaments of blue were radiating from it. The blue light wafted lazily through the air until it reached Kryuel. It formed a glowing circle around the weakened monster, identical to the green one surrounding Yugi and Seiyaryu. Light shot upward from the outline in gleaming waves. Slowly Kryuel's HP rose by several hundred points.
"No!" Fizdis cried. "We were so close, too…" Uraby growled fiercely. It wouldn't be too hard for him to weaken the enemy again.
"So, the Empire has items, too," said Yugi. That made things a bit more difficult. If the enemy could heal after an attack, it would be much harder to defeat them in battle. Yugi still wasn't too sure about this "Action Points" system of battle, either. What would happen if all the stars ran out, yet no one had completely wiped out the other? Would it be a draw? "I guess we'll find out," he said to himself. Already, the Imperial guard was running low on stars.
"Megazowler, attack!" called Fizdis. Once again Megazowler slammed into Zarigun. The smaller monster barely clung to life, with only a handful of HP and one action point left.
"Heal yourself, Zarigun!" A tap to its jewel, and blue light sparkled. Megazowler's last attack was completely erased as Zarigun's HP climbed back up. However, using a Blue Medicine had used up its last action point.
Now the enemy can't heal itself, thought Yugi. But if the Zarigun is left alive, they'd still have access to their medicine. Zarigun can't attack, and the enemy has only a few stars left, so…
"Fizdis!" he cried. Yugi remembered his battle with Etos, and the different battle commands that had appeared. At the time, he hadn't understood what many of them meant, but just now he had thought of something that could help defeat the enemy. She turned from the battle to face him. "Instead of just attacking, have Uraby wait on its next turn!"
"… 'Wait?'" she repeated, as though it was something she had never heard of. That's when Yugi noticed that there wasn't a command menu beside Fizdis, as there had been for himself. He looked all around her, just to be sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, but there truly wasn't one.
Fizdis was still staring at him as if he were crazy. There was something fishy going on here. Could only she see it? Or maybe… A sinking realization flooded Yugi's heart. Fizdis was a part of this game's programming… controlled by the computer. She didn't need to have a menu. She would just… keep attacking, regardless of any strategy there could be. "She's just a program…" murmured Yugi to himself.
"Yugi, what do you mean 'wait?'" asked Fizdis again.
Yugi swallowed. Game program or not, he had to get her to listen. "Just… don't attack! Don't do anything!"
"What? Why?"
"Just trust me on this!" he snapped more harshly than was normal for him.
"Enough stalling!" yelled the Imperial guard. "If you won't do anything then I'll take my turn. Apophis, attack King Rex with Guardian Blade!" Apophis Serpent gave a triumphant screech as it landed another successful hit on King Rex. By now, the dragon-like dinosaur had taken a considerable amount of damage. Both its heads were panting, and one of them was bleeding from its mouth. Yet the attack had used up Apophis's last action point. Now, only Kryuel could attack.
Fizdis looked at her monster worriedly. "Don't worry!" she told it. "We won't let them get away with an attack like that! We can scorch them right back–"
"No!" Yugi cried again. "Keep waiting!"
She rounded on him. "But Yugi…" Her monsters were getting worn out from taking the enemy's attacks. She didn't like seeing them so hurt. "What are we even waiting for?" she demanded.
Yugi hesitated to answer. He decided on saying, "The right window of opportunity." (1)
"…Okay," Fizdis said reluctantly. "King Rex, hold your ground." She wasn't sure what Yugi's plan was. How could they defeat the enemy if they didn't even attack? Waiting instead of attacking conserved action points, but if the enemy defeated her before she could use them…
The Imperial guard laughed. "Ha! I actually thought you were going to be trouble, but if you're just going to stand there and take a beating, then so be it! Attack her lead dinosaur, Kryuel!" Kryuel flicked on its lightsaber with a flash. The burning blade slashed across Uraby's shoulder, leaving a char that crossed several of his stripes. Uraby staggered, almost falling onto King Rex for support.
"Uraby–!"
Yugi cut in, "Keep waiting!"
"That's it, my Kryuel! Hit it again!" The blade landed squarely on Uraby's head. Blood red light flashed and Uraby fell to his knees. The attack had been a critical. Uraby's agonized hiss drowned out the sizzling of his own skin.
Fizdis ran to her dinosaur's side. "Uraby! Are you okay?" A few tears lined her eyes. "Please get up! Please be okay…!"
With a groan and much effort, Uraby managed to push himself back up. He had survived, but another hit like that would result in his demise. Fizdis hugged his neck tightly, but let go when he hissed at her. She rubbed away some of her tears with the back of her hand. Uraby had pulled through, for her sake. A pang of emotion filled her heart. Fizdis wasn't going to let his suffering be in vain, no matter what Yugi said.
"Yugi!" Fizdis spun around, her ivory skirt billowing, and faced him with a determined glare. "I… I can't keep doing this! I can't keep watching my monsters get hurt! Can't you see that we have to fight back? I don't know what sort of idea you had, but it's obviously not working!"
To her surprise, Yugi chuckled. "But Fizdis," he said with a grin, "it already has."
"Uh…" She blinked several times. "What are you talking about?" The idea of the resistance leader going crazy crossed her mind again. "We haven't done hardly a thing to the enemy!"
"True," Yugi allowed, "but take a look at what the enemy has done to itself."
What is he talking about? Fizdis let her eyes wander over to the enemy. They were still standing in their line, a bit worn around the edges but not suffering from any real injury. What does he mean "done to itself?" They aren't attacking each other… "Wait a second…" she said slowly, realization dawning on her. "They aren't attacking… They aren't attacking at all!"
"They can't attack," Yugi corrected her. "They've used up all their action points. By waiting and shouldering their blows, you've removed the limit of your monsters only hitting one target." A smirk lifted his lips. "Now, you gain the advantage of being able to gang up on one monster."
"No!" cried the Imperial guard, but he could do nothing otherwise.
Fizdis grinned. Now she could win! "Yugi, you're brilliant!"
Seiyaryu nudged his master's shoulder in agreement. "Nah," he replied. "Now, take 'em down!"
"Right!" She eyed all three enemy monsters. "I guess the one we should take out first is… that one!" She pointed to the Zarigun on the far right.
Yugi nodded. "Yes. That one carries the medicine for their whole team – and only has four hundred HP left. Easy enough to kill."
"Go, King Rex! Attack it with Dino Flame!" King Rex, invigorated by their sudden advantage, roared with pride as it released twin streams of flame at the Zarigun. Flames burned high into the night, and Zarigun screeched as it lost over three hundred HP.
"Finish it, Megazowler!" Megazowler's beak lined with a smirk. It thundered forward faster than before and dealt Zarigun its final blow. Zarigun was actually thrown into the air from the force of the attack, and before it could meet the ground it had been swallowed into its gem.
"We… we did it," said Fizdis numbly. She had just defeated a monster!
"Good job, Fizdis!" cheered Yugi. "Now, which is his next weakest monster?"
"Um… Apophis! So I should take that one out!" She glanced at Uraby. Though it was his turn, he still looked on the verge of collapsing. "But first… I'll have Uraby heal himself with some Blue Medicine!" Uraby gave a grateful sigh and touched his amber gem with his claws. Cerulean light danced around him and on his wounds, healing the worst of the damage. The char marks faded and blended in with his normal stripes.
Fizdis had two attacks left, one each from King Rex and Uraby. "Okay! You know what to do! Attack his Apophis Serpent!" Dagger teeth and crimson flames ravaged the enemy monster. Apophis Serpent's HP dwindled to zero; the monster vanished within a blaze of navy light. Every action point on both sides had been used, and the enemy had lost two monsters.
"What happens now?" asked Yugi to no one in particular. "Do we just… let the enemy go?"
"Far from it," muttered the Imperial guard. Suddenly a blinding light flashed from nowhere. It stunned Yugi's eyes and he couldn't see for a few moments. When his eyesight returned his eyes jumped back to the status windows. All of remaining monsters' action points had been refilled. Fizdis had five, five, and four. The Imperial guard had five.
Yugi mused over this fondly. "So it resets itself… It keeps going until a winner is decided." He was starting to appreciate the technology of this game. It seemed like the programmers had thought of everything when designing the battle systems.
Though he doubted they had anticipated live people being captured within the game.
"Grrr… You rebels! You'll pay for defying the Empire!" screamed the Imperial guard. Uraby rolled its eyes.
"Sure," said Fizdis sarcastically. "Your monster's going down! Uraby, attack!" Uraby leapt forward and caught Kryuel's blade in his mouth. The tiger-striped dinosaur pulled back and crunched the weapon in half in his jaws.
"No!" cried the Imperial guard.
"Megazowler, attack!" Megazowler rammed Kryuel so hard, Yugi swore he heard one of its arms snap in half.
"King Rex, attack!" The dragon-like dinosaur blasted the enemy with its best flame attack yet. Kryuel howled in pain. Heat waves shimmered around it, and the fiend seemed to dissolve among them. When the fires died, there was nothing left of the enemy monster.
The Imperial guard sank to his knees. "I don't believe it…" he mumbled. "I was defeated… by a pesky rebel… girl!"
"YAY!" Fizdis leapt onto Uraby's back and hugged him from behind. "We did it! We did it!" she cheered. King Rex lowered its heads to her level and gave her two celebratory licks to the face. She returned the affection with twin pats to the neck. Uraby was no doubt feeling strangled by now but he pretended not to notice. He was, for once, feeling happy.
The Imperial guard wasn't feeling the same.
"BLAST YOU REBELS!" he roared. "You may have beaten me, but not the Empire!" The Imperial guard jumped back onto his feet. He lifted one of the crates behind him and heaved it at Fizdis.
"AAAH!" she shrieked. Megazowler put itself between its master and the flying crate. The crate shattered harmlessly against the dinosaur's mighty horns.
Yugi ran over to her side; the barrier separating them had faded when the battle had ended. "Fizdis! Are you all right?"
She nodded feebly. "Y-Yes…" Her eyes suddenly widened. "Yugi! He's going for the tower!"
"What?" Yugi whirled around. The Imperial guard was halfway up the watchtower ladder, and climbing fast. Anger boiled in his chest. "Seiyaryu! Don't let him get away!" With a fierce roar Seiyaryu was up, but the Imperial guard was already at the top. He fiddled with something out of sight; Seiyaryu had just reached the top of the tower…
FLASH!
Red light flashed from the tower with the intensity of a bolt of lightning. Seiyaryu roared and fell back several yards in its flight path. The light lit the tower and bathed the surrounding walls with its blood-red glow. Crimson pierced the navy veils of night. The light of the tower could be seen for miles across the flat land.
"HA HA HA! Fools!" the Imperial guard called down to them. "This isn't just a watchtower: it's a signal tower! Within minutes, every base from here to Sebeckal's own castle will know of your presence! Imperial marshals will flock here! There's no way you can withstand such an assault!"
Fizdis gave a squeak and clung to Yugi's jacket. "Oh no…" she whispered.
Dread cascaded over Yugi's heart. If what this guard said was true, and every marshal came... Three rebels, one of them already weakened, against an army of the enemy… the resistance's chances of winning dropped to almost nil. Violet eyes narrowed. "Seiyaryu! Shining plasma!" Seiyaryu fired a mass of flames directly at the Imperial guard. It struck him full in the stomach, shoving him against the tower's edge. He lost his balance, flailed his arms, and fell backwards over the railing. Fortunately, there were several crates to break his fall on the way down.
CRASH! SMASH! "Owww…" He groaned and passed out on the spot. Seiyaryu swooped down to his master's side.
Fizdis was stunned into silence. "Y-Yugi, don't you think you… overdid it?" she stammered after a moment.
"No. Come on," he offered her his hand, "let's go get Shimon and fill him in." (2)
Yugi and Fizdis told Shimon the details of what had happened. However, the resistance was running out of time, and they still didn't have a plan for facing the enemy. Yugi had taken to pacing along the rows of crates.
Fizdis watched him go back and forth anxiously. "Isn't there anything we can do?" she asked for the umpteenth time. Yugi didn't answer her, seemingly too caught up with his thoughts to hear her question.
Shimon took the liberty of answering her. "What we can do is not much. It won't be long before the enemy arrives and tries to retake the fort. General Sebeckal's unit is powerful. Even in a well-fortified position, against their numbers we would only go down fighting…"
Those last few words managed to reach Yugi's ears. Fortified… He finally stopped pacing and stared at the endless rows of crates, then turned to look at the wall. His mind swirled with calculations. After a few moments a smirk crossed his face.
"Guys!" he said. Fizdis and Shimon looked up from their general states of worry. "I have an idea."
A few minutes of explaining later, the resistance set to work.
"Ready?" asked Yugi. When he received a nod, he said, "Okay, heave!" The crate scraped along the dirt floor as he and Shimon pushed it towards the wall. They stopped pushing when they felt it hit the wall. "Okay, only a few more left now. Fizdis! How are those boxes coming?"
"Almost done, Yugi!" she called back. "Most of them are already empty." Her job was to open the crates and remove anything inside them, so they'd be easier to push.
"I think we're ready for the second level," said Shimon.
Yugi nodded. "Okay." He lifted the lime green gem from around his neck. "But I think we're going to need some more help. Celtic Guardian!" In a flash of light the elven warrior appeared. "Help me lift these boxes, will you?"
Soon many monsters could be seen lifting crates and stacking them against the wall. Shimon worked with his Zombie Warrior while Yugi continued working with Celtic Guardian. Kaiser Dragon could lift one all by himself, and didn't need a partner. Even Fizdis's dinosaurs were helping by pushing the crates she emptied closer to the others.
Fizdis opened another crate and peered inside. "Yugi!" she cried. "I found something!" Yugi and Celtic Guardian handed off the crate they had been holding to Kaiser Dragon and came over to her.
"What is it?"
"Look!" She pointed at the crate. Inside were six glimmering bottles of Blue Medicine, almost glowing in the moonlight.
Yugi's jaw dropped. "Wow… I guess the Empire forgot about these." He picked up one of the bottles and examined it. After a moment he said, "Take two of these for yourself. I'll give two of them to Shimon." Fizdis nodded just as Kaiser Dragon placed the last crate neatly on top of the stack.
"Lord Yugi! We've finished stacking the crates!" called Shimon.
"Good!" Yugi jogged back over to him. He stared up at the finished product. The entire thing was six crates wide, and three levels high. Extra crates had been placed on the bottom two levels, like a staircase. In all, they had used up almost all of the available crates in their "creation."
"Now to test it." Yugi clambered up the tiers of crates. When he reached the top he walked around a bit. "It seems solid enough." But will it hold a dinosaur? "Okay, Fizdis! Send him up!"
"Right! Go on up there, King Rex." King Rex lumbered up to the wall of crates. Carefully it climbed up the same way Yugi had. The crates creaked and groaned beneath its weight, yet they agreed to hold him. King Rex reached the top and looked behind. None of the boxes had broken.
Yugi grinned. "All right!"
Suddenly Seiyaryu gave an urgent roar from its post atop the watchtower. It spied enemies on the horizon, quickly approaching the reddened tower. Yugi cupped his hands around his mouth and called down to Fizdis and Shimon, "They're coming! Everybody get ready!" Fizdis climbed to the top of the crates beside her monster. Kaiser Dragon and Seiyaryu landed shortly after.
"All set down here, Lord Yugi!" said Shimon.
"Right." Yugi raised a violet gem and summoned Magician of Faith to stand next to him. "Be ready for the signal," he told the row of standing monsters and Fizdis. They nodded and crouched low, so that they couldn't be seen behind the top of the outside wall. As an afterthought Yugi threw the bottle of Blue Medicine he had been holding over the wall. It shattered on the ground outside.
"Yugi, why…?" asked Fizdis.
"Just trust me," he said back, before ducking behind the wall.
Three Imperial soldiers approached the guard tower, along with three monsters: Midnight Fiend, Dark King of the Abyss, and a Tiger Axe. They walked toward the lit building with skeptical looks on their faces.
"Are you sure the rebels are here?" asked one of them. "The place looks deserted."
"It could be a trap," another suggested. "I heard these rebels outsmarted Etos."
"Etos was a fool," the leader snapped. "A corpse could outsmart him. And I know the rebels are here; there's nowhere they could run to otherwise. They probably want to go out in a 'blaze of glory.'" The three crept closer.
Crunch, crunch.
"What?" The lead soldier looked down. He had stepped on a mess of broken glass. The shards splintered under his boots.
"Broken glass?"
"Must've raided the supplies… All the more reason to teach them a lesson. Come on." They had taken only one step forward when a voice cried out into the night:
"NOW!"
Suddenly a row of monsters appeared along the top of the wall. The Imperial soldiers didn't have time to respond as a string of attacks were declared.
"Dino Flame!"
"Photon Stampede!"
"Shining Plasma and Rainbow Blast!"
Fire and light rained down on the enemy. But the resistance wasn't aiming for the Imperial soldiers…
They were aiming for their monsters.
"GRROOAAR!" Tiger Axe roared as Kaiser Dragon's fireball struck its shoulder. Midnight Fiend was knocked out of the air from the force of Magician of Faith's attack.
"It's an ambush!" The lead soldier raised the gems of his other two monsters. "Summon your monsters!" he yelled to the others. "Fight them off!" The other soldiers nodded and followed suit amidst the deluge of attacks.
Yugi watched from the wall as the enemy summoned their monsters. "They fell for it!" he called down to Shimon. "They're all yours!"
Beside Shimon were all of the close-range combat monsters: Celtic Guardian, Uraby, Megazowler, Zombie Warrior, and Beaver Warrior. Megazowler lowered its head and growled, waiting for Shimon's command. "All right, go!" The giant dinosaur charged straight for the wall. The posts fell like blades of grass to a lawnmower. Once the way was clear the rest of the monsters ran through the opening onto the battlefield.
The enemy monsters met the resistance monsters head-on, yet the long-range assault seemed to be doing a number on them. The general state of chaos that reigned over the battlefield seemed only to confuse the Imperial monsters as the resistance kept up its offense both above and on ground level. Even the Imperial soldiers looked shocked; this wasn't anything like the even face-offs they were used to having.
Back up on the wall, Yugi continued to command his monsters' attacks. He noticed that the enemy's fiend-type monsters seemed to feel extra agony from Magician of Faith's attacks. The holy light from her staff burned deeply into them, so that often they would cease what they were doing and clutch at their wounds. "Magician of Faith, target their fiend monsters!" he told her. "Your attack does more damage to them." She nodded and fired another deadly blow, striking the Three-Headed Geedo's middle head.
Steel and colored light flashed as Celtic Guardian felled another monster. Fierce gaze sweeping across the field, he came to lock eyes with Tiger Axe. A frown crossed his face and he gripped his sword tighter. He had longed to cross blades with another warrior since defeating Etos's Foreign Swordsman not long ago. He charged at his target, his warrior's blood churning. Sword held high, he moved to bring it down across his foe.
Brilliant flames got there first. Tiger Axe roared and vanished back into its jewel. Celtic Guardian skidded to a halt. He whirled around to face the tower, where he could have sworn he saw Seiyaryu wink. With a scowl he kicked at the dirt before chasing after another enemy. (3)
Soon lights danced like fireflies across the field as more and more of the enemy fell; however, the resistance wasn't without its own casualties. Beaver Warrior had long since fallen, and Uraby's reckless fighting had earned him a great deal of injury. The tiger-striped dinosaur fell with a blow from the Midnight Fiend, which was then defeated by Zombie Warrior. Eventually the enemy's last monster, a Larvae Moth that had been completely ignored during the main fight, crumpled under Megazowler's horns.
Yugi stared down at the enemy with intense violet eyes. The Imperial soldiers, now defenseless, paled under his gaze. They turned and scrambled past each other to get as far away as they could from the resistance and their monsters. "The Empire will get you for this!" one of them dared to yell over their shoulder before they disappeared behind the horizon.
With a sigh Yugi slumped to his knees. His guerrilla tactics had actually pulled them through! Several of the monsters below cheered for their victory. Fizdis jumped for joy and threw herself on Yugi in a hug.
"You did it! You did it!" her giddy voice chanted. "We won!"
"GACK! Fizdis, you're choking me!"
Once she had let out enough of her excitement, the pair climbed down the rows of crates. Shimon handed Fizdis Uraby's gem. Her expression dimmed and grew solemn. "Oh, Uraby…"
Yugi put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, he'll be okay." He smiled when he saw Celtic Guardian trudge through the hole in the wall. "Glad to see you're all right," he said with a thumbs-up sign. "You put up a great fight out there."
Celtic Guardian grumbled darkly. He glared at Seiyaryu, whom purred innocently. He rolled his eyes and re-sheathed his sword. Yugi couldn't help but laugh at his monster's antics. Still grinning, he turned back to his troops. "How much damage did we suffer from that battle, Shimon?"
"We lost only two monsters, a remarkably more fortunate outcome than I would have predicted," Shimon replied. Yugi nodded and glanced at Seiyaryu.
"Then I guess I'll be going to face Sebeckal alone," he said.
"What? Yugi, you can't be serious!" Fizdis cried. She ran up to him and gripped his shoulder. "We just finished fighting! You can't mean to go out immediately–"
"I can," he declared, "and I am. My monsters didn't take as much damage as yours did, since they were in the upper ranks. You two need to recuperate before you'll be ready to fight again."
"But can't you just wait?"
"No. I can't risk giving the enemy time to recover, too. Besides," he added, "they planned that they'd defeat us here. I need to strike while Sebeckal thinks he has the upper hand." Seiyaryu fluttered over to Yugi, reins clamped in its beak. Yugi started fastening them, letting his words hang heavily in the silent air.
"Yugi…" Fizdis murmured sadly.
"Lord Yugi," Shimon said carefully as Yugi clambered onto Seiyaryu's back, "is there anything you want us to take care of…?"
Magician of Faith hopped down from the rows of crates. She smiled warmly at Yugi before vanishing into her jewel. Celtic Guardian gave a flustered sigh before doing the same. Seiyaryu scooped up the gems in its beak and passed them to Yugi. He slipped them around his neck before answering Shimon's question. "Actually, yes. I have an errand I need you to run…"
Seiyaryu swooped through the night air at full speed. Not knowing exactly how far away Sebeckal's castle was, Yugi could only head in its direction and travel as fast as he could. He followed the trail of watchtowers that snaked to the north. Soon a lumbering shadow could be seen against the navy-gray horizon.
"There it is. Full speed ahead, Seiyaryu." The wind raced alongside the pair as they zoomed closer to their target.
This castle didn't have an open roof like the previous one had, so Yugi was forced to land on the balcony of a room on the second floor. He left Seiyaryu's reins on this time. He figured they wouldn't make much difference… Sebeckal must know he was coming by now. Yugi glanced at Seiyaryu before pushing on the door to the balcony.
With a creak it opened away from him. He was actually stunned a bit by this – he hadn't expected it to be unlocked. Yugi tiptoed forward into the room, Seiyaryu right behind. A few embers danced in the bed of a long dead fire in the wide stone fireplace. Across from it was a king-sized bed, complete with drapes to shield it from view. "We're in someone's room…" Yugi whispered.
"Correction: you're in my room." Something stirred within the drapes, and suddenly they were pushed aside. A man was sitting cross-legged on the bed, wearing a bemused expression. He wore a helmet cast of green steel with gold trimmings, yet the rest of his outfit was just a plain, bland robe – his bedclothes. "By landing here, you managed to avoid all the guards I have posted throughout my castle… A pity for me. Now I, the great Sebeckal, have to deal with you myself."
"Sebeckal?" Yugi couldn't believe it. By sheer dumb luck, he had managed to walk right into Sebeckal's bedroom. That was a feat more suited to someone like Joey.
"You've done well for a bunch of misfit rebels!" Sebeckal went on. "It's been a long time since an enemy got me this excited. But playtime is over!" He leapt off the bed and raised three amulets high. "It won't be long before you beg Sebeckal for mercy!" Light filled the room as he summoned his monsters: Mountain Warrior, Armored Lizard, and an Axe Raider.
"We'll see who's begging whom for mercy," countered Yugi. His other two monsters summoned themselves to the field. Yugi removed Seiyaryu's reins so they wouldn't be a hindrance in battle.
I can't believe we're actually going to fight in this little room! he thought. The gap between his row of monsters and Sebeckal's wasn't much, maybe three feet at best. To make matters worse, all of Sebeckal's monsters were warriors. The tightness of the battle would only give them the advantage with their attacks. The air swirled in its familiar way and created status windows for the conflicting monsters. Yugi scanned the data on Sebeckal's monsters.
He almost choked on a laugh.
His monsters had barely any action points – four, four, and three. Their HP ratings were lower than average, too; Mountain Warrior didn't even have over a thousand! Even if their attacks were bolstered by the situation, they wouldn't be around long enough for it to make a difference. Sebeckal seemed occupied with staring at Yugi's monsters' windows.
"Fifteen action points?" he said in disbelief. "That's, that's… insane!"
Yugi grinned. "Who knows, maybe I'm insane," he said playfully. "We'll find out shortly. Celtic Guardian, attack his Mountain Warrior!" The elven warrior complied and slashed at the foe with his sword. At close range the attack was almost fifty points stronger. The Mountain Warrior grunted, its HP falling by close to half. Yugi cheered. "All right! Nice one!"
"Grr… Armored Lizard, slice his Magician!" With an angry screech the reptile leapt forward. It dug its claws into Magician of Faith's arm and clung there like a burr. She screamed in pain, blood visible where claws had pierced her flesh. Armored Lizard released her by ripping its claws out of her forcibly. It returned to its spot in line, hissing with confidence. Magician of Faith clutched at her wound.
"Are you okay?" Yugi asked her anxiously. Though no doubt feeling a great deal of pain from the attack, she managed a nod. She let go of her arm and gripped her staff in both hands. The status window above her signaled that it was her turn to attack. "All right. Attack his Mountain Warrior!" Rainbow lights circled the end of her staff and rushed forward at the Mountain Warrior. The attack hit it dead in the face and almost toppled it over.
"Finish it, Seiyaryu!" Heavenly flames collected in Seiyaryu's open beak. It shot the fireball at the weakened monster, which could do nothing to resist the attack. In a blaze of creamy flames, Mountain Warrior disappeared from the battlefield. It had been defeated before it could even have a chance to attack.
Sebeckal was furious. "What? I won't let you get away with a stunt like that! Axe Raider, teach that retched dragon a lesson!" Axe Raider yelled a battle cry, brandishing his gleaming axe high. He charged full-force at Seiyaryu and swiped his blade across its neck. Seiyaryu fell beneath the blade with a pained roar. The axe had carved a canyon of blood in its wake. Red light pulsed in Seiyaryu's status window as its HP dropped by over seven hundred points.
"No! Seiyaryu!" The rose-colored dragon growled feebly and got back on its feet. Blood dripped from its wound and splattered on the stone floor below. Yugi was impressed with his monster's endurance – it had recovered from a critical blow in almost no time at all. But endurance wouldn't win the battle alone… and Yugi wanted to make Sebeckal pay for hurting his trusted partner. "Get back at Axe Raider, Celtic Guardian! Faerie Blade Slash!" The attack was a solid one that certainly damaged Axe Raider; however, it couldn't compare to the enemy's critical hit.
"How pathetic," said Sebeckal with a chuckle. "For defeating one of my monsters, you aren't that much trouble after all. Go, Armored Lizard! Strike his beloved Magician again!" With confidence to match its master's, Armored Lizard raised its claws and prepared to strike. Magician of Faith lifted her staff and braced herself for another horrible meeting with those claws…
The meeting never occurred. Armored Lizard pounced, yet in its confidence it had misjudged the jump. It ended up falling short of Yugi's Magician and landing flat on its face. Magician of Faith giggled as the enemy monster pushed itself back up irritably. "You stupid lizard!" Sebeckal hollered, spit flying from his mouth. "How could you miss at this range? Get up and attack her again!"
"Uh-uh-uh!" said Yugi, wagging his finger innocently. "That counted as your attack, even if it missed. Going twice in a row just wouldn't be fair, would it?" Magician of Faith giggled harder as Sebeckal's face lit with a bright red color. She smiled at Axe Raider, who for some reason recoiled from her cheery face. "Magician of Faith, go on and attack," said Yugi nonchalantly. She nodded and launched another Rainbow Blast. The attack hit his right hand, making him drop his weapon with a clatter. Axe Raider growled and picked it up again.
Yugi did his best to feign concern. "Aw, poor little Axe Raider dropped his axe." A sly grin crossed his face. "Maybe we should show him what it's like to have a melted one. Attack, Seiyaryu!" Following Yugi's lead, Seiyaryu launched its attack at the Axe Raider's weapon. Flames consumed the steel and filled it with intense heat. Axe Raider let go of the axe and clutched at his hand, where the metal had scalded him. The fire died down and revealed a misshapen lump of steel bubbling on the floor. Both Sebeckal and Axe Raider were stunned with such a move.
The yellow highlight shifted back to Magician of Faith. Because she had so many more action points than anyone else, the computer had allowed her to attack again, to even out the turn count. Magician of Faith wore a bubbly grin as she faced Axe Raider. Yugi raised his hand and waved at the condemned monster. "Bye-bye," he said in a voice that was reminiscent of Pegasus. "Rainbow Blast!"
Light showered over the Axe Raider. He cried out in agony and fell to his knees. Particles of light were slowly drifting up from the gem around the warrior's neck. "No!" cried Sebeckal. "Don't die yet!" It was too late for him, however, and in a flash he vanished into his jewel. The stone fell to the ground with a clink beside the melted axe. Sebeckal stood frozen with disbelief for a moment.
"Y-You rebel!" he stammered.
Yugi grinned. (4) "Yes, that's me. What of it?"
"You'll pay for this!"
"Oh," he said with fake sadness, "that's a pity. Although," he perked up a bit, "lots of people have told me that recently, and I'm not out one cent of gold. Maybe I'll slide by on this for free as well." Sebeckal gave an extremely frustrated growl.
"Kill his dragon, Armored Lizard! Battle Arts Claw!" Armored Lizard slashed at Seiyaryu's wing, jarring loose several pink feathers. The attack did damage, but not enough to shed a tear over.
"My, my, that was your last attack, wasn't it?" asked Yugi. Sebeckal opened his mouth to yell at him, but found no words would come out. Indeed, he was out of action points, and Yugi still had eight to do as he pleased with. "That's your defeat, then. Celtic Guardian, attack!" The elven warrior raked his sword across Armored Lizard's chest. Its HP fell by close to four hundred points.
"Magician of Faith, attack!" Her attack struck its left leg for a critical amount of damage. Eight hundred more points disappeared.
"Seiyaryu, attack!" Another heavenly fireball flew toward the enemy. It hit Armored Lizard in the face, flipping it over into the stone floor. Blue light bubbled up from its jewel and swallowed its form whole.
"And that is the end to a perfect day," Yugi said brightly.
Sebeckal's left eye twitched several times. "He's crazy…" he said in a sing-songy voice. "That rebel is crazy…"
"Good to know I'll be remembered." Yugi turned to his monsters. Aside from Seiyaryu's critical they hadn't received much damage. He smiled at them. "Good job, you guys. That was over pretty quickly, huh?" Magician of Faith nodded happily, proud that she had got in the last attack on a monster. Celtic Guardian looked bored with the situation. He could've won that battle in his sleep. Seiyaryu looked valiant as ever, yet the bloody laceration on its neck still worried Yugi.
"I think you guys should get some rest," he told them. "You've earned the right to take a break." Celtic Guardian and Magician of Faith nodded and disappeared into their gems. Seiyaryu remained outside, looking at Yugi expectantly. "You too, Seiyaryu," Yugi said sternly. "You need to recover." Reluctantly Seiyaryu allowed pale pink light to waft upward from the amulet around its neck. Slowly its form faded within the light and returned into the gem. Yugi caught the gem in midair just as it was about to fall to the ground. He had just placed it around his neck with the others when a harsh roar split through the air.
"GUUAARGH! You'll pay for that!" Sebeckal crossed the room and stood face to face with Yugi. "I was going to let you live, but not now!" With one huge hand he seized Yugi's neck.
"Gargh!" Yugi raised both his hands and tried to pry himself free, but he didn't even hold a candle to Sebeckal's physical strength. The defeated general shoved Yugi against the wall. A sinister grin shone in the moonlight coming from the window. He moved his thumb and pressed it into Yugi's throat. "Let… argh… me go…!" Yugi managed to choke out.
"Oh no, I'm afraid I can't do that," Sebeckal said darkly. "I can't decline myself the fun of suffocating you to death." His grip on Yugi's throat tightened.
"Uhn…!" Yugi kept trying to pull Sebeckal's hand off of his neck. His breathing came in erratic gasps, some of which squeaked as they fought through the restricted air space to reach his lungs. The world was starting to spin around him. His brain screamed for air but less and less of it was getting in. If only he hadn't dismissed his monsters so quickly, maybe they could have helped him…
Sebeckal squeezed tighter still; Yugi's arms lost the will to fight back and fell limply at his sides. His half-lidded eyes dimmed to a flat, decaying purple. He was barely conscious now, fighting to hold on to the last bit of air that he had.
Scritch, scratch.
A faint noise reached his ears through the worlds of fog. His vague attention was drawn to the ceiling behind Sebeckal's head. One of the stones twitched, a few pebbles falling from around its edges. The image flashed on and off between pitch black, and as Yugi watched the stone lifted itself away from the ceiling. Then the one next to it lifted, and another, and another.
"Die, rebel scum," Sebeckal hissed.
With one last breath, Yugi sacrificed the air to mumble, "Behind you…"
Sebeckal laughed darkly. "You seriously can't think that I'd fall for that, can you?"
Yugi didn't have the consciousness or the air to answer that question. Sebeckal laughed harder still. That is, until he felt a sudden gust of warm air against the nape of his neck. Sebeckal froze, turning his head ever so slightly to look behind him. He found he had to turn his head up to look the being in the eyes. A Duel Monster stood behind him, its wild yellow eyes mixed with a thick black mane. Both claws and teeth were bared at him.
"Uh-oh…"
The monster grabbed Sebeckal's shoulders and yanked him back. Sebeckal let go of Yugi's throat and screamed as the monster's claws burrowed into his flesh. Yugi collapsed to the ground, chest heaving as he drew in huge breaths. For almost a full minute he did nothing but focus on returning the air to his body. His eyes were half-open and dull but did not truly register what was occurring. Dark shapes jostled in front of him, and he was vaguely aware of a growling noise in the distant background. Something warm splashed onto his face and dripped across his cheek. One of the shadows stopped moving, and the growling ceased. The larger shadow tossed the motionless one aside carelessly.
A new shadow jumped down from the hole in the ceiling. It patted the large shadow's side before noticing that Yugi was there on the floor. It hurried over and knelt beside him. A warm hand settled on his shoulder. "Yugi… Yugi! It's you!"
Though Yugi had recovered almost all of his air, his brain worked hard to recognize the person in front of him. Cropped brown hair, brown eyes, a blue gem hanging from his neck… Yugi forced himself to sit up. He rubbed his throat gingerly. "Uhhhn… Ow…" His eyes opened fully and stared into those of the person in front of him. "… Oh! Tristan!" A smile brightened his pale face. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought I was going to defeat Sebeckal, but I guess you beat me to that." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. The large shadow turned out to be Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts. Behind him lay an unidentifiable bloody mess, which was, presumably, the remains of Sebeckal. Yugi flinched and wiped away the liquid on his cheek, which turned out to be blood. "Otherwise, trapped in the game, just like you, I guess."
Tristan held out his hand. Yugi took it and the taller youth pulled him to his feet. "Joey and the others are here too," Tristan continued. "I was just with them a little while ago." He looked sternly at Yugi. "Kaiba is working for the Empire. After losing to him, we felt it was safer to split up." (5)
Yugi did a double take at this. "Kaiba?" he repeated.
"Yep. I'm not sure why he's here, but he is. Anyway, I came to the island to organize my own resistance army." Tristan slapped a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "I should have known that you'd be leading the resistance."
Yugi shrugged. "It's the role I was given. Where is everyone else?"
"I don't know," replied Tristan. "We all separated and went underground to gather followers for the resistance. My guess is that they're still on the mainland trying to gather support and form new units." He scratched Gazelle absently behind the ears. Gazelle made an odd purring sound like a kitten. "If we keep fighting against the Empire, we're sure to run into them again," he suggested.
"Good point. I don't think we have any other options anyway."
Tristan stopped scratching Gazelle and faced Yugi. "Since I'm already here, I'm yours to command, Mister Resistance Leader!" He snapped his heels together and saluted.
Yugi laughed. "At ease, soldier. It's good to have a familiar face on my team." He looked uneasily at the bloody mess on the floor. "But for now, I think we should get out of here before reinforcements arrive."
"Right," Tristan agreed. "Here, follow me. I know a way to the outside." He pointed to the hole in the ceiling. Gazelle lifted him up into the hole, where he grabbed the edges and hoisted himself inside. Gazelle then picked up Yugi (which he wasn't exactly prepared for) and held him up for Tristan to pull inside. Tristan grabbed Yugi's hands and managed to get him inside.
"Hey!" he said when Yugi moved clear of the hole, so Gazelle could get through.
"Hey what?" asked Yugi.
"No, not hey, hay." Tristan reached forward and plucked something from behind Yugi's ear. "You've got hay all in your hair."
After finally getting out of the castle, Yugi led Tristan back to the tower where he had left Fizdis and Shimon. They reached it just as the first rays of the sun touched the sky.
"We're back!" he called as he entered through the gap in the wall. The melee that was fought there seemed to have taken place years ago.
Shimon looked up from where he sat atop a crate. "Ah, Lord Yugi. You made it. I'm glad to see you have returned unharmed." He spotted Tristan, standing just behind. "And it looks as though you've brought a friend."
"'Lord?'" Tristan repeated with a snicker. Yugi elbowed him in the ribs.
"Where is Fizdis?" he asked.
"She's sound asleep, up in the watchtower. She insisted on staying up there to watch for your return." Shimon stood from his crate and stretched his arms above his head. "I do say I'm ready to join her, though. Oh, and Lord Yugi," he added, a glint in his eye, "I took care of your 'errand.'"
Yugi crossed his arms bemusedly. "Oh? And how did it go?"
"I can assure you, that farmer is regretting turning us in to the Empire. Apparently, he never told his wife that he did so. She was absolutely furious with him. She'll give him more to worry about than any of us ever could."
"And the gold?"
"I left what we gave them originally for the wife, and confiscated what the Empire gave him as our bounty. Right now though, I bet he would trade it all for a very good rope."
"Why's that?" asked Tristan.
Shimon beamed. "I'm sure it would prove useful for escaping from the bottom of a well."
Notes:
(One) – The first time I wrote that line, I accidentally put, "The opportune moment." Anyone recognize that? Heh heh. Hooray for pirates!
(Two) – Leads one to wonder what the heck Shimon was doing out there the whole time.
(Three) – Those of you who were hoping for a really cool Celtic Guardian fight scene, I'm sorry. I'm not very good at fight scenes (as is apparent), plus I thought Seiyaryu killing it first was just funnier.
(Four) – Toying with your enemies is fun.
(Five) – Has anyone else wondered how Joey and the Black Dragon Squad manage to do all that stuff in the time it takes Yugi to do two missions?
SC: … Holy cheesewheels. That is… a long chapter. Not even kidding guys. It took me five days of straight work to get this thing done. It's the longest chapter I've ever written! It's over twenty pages! AHHH! (dies) I'm sorry. I won't make the chapter that long ever again (unless, of course, you want me to…)
Now for review responses!
Dragon Boy 178 – Thank you so much for reading the story! I'm honored that you have me on your Favorites/Alert lists. I am unworthy! I hope you enjoy this new chapter.
Please review! If you love it… if you hate it… if you're mad at me for making the chapter too long… I don't care! Reviews make the world go 'round! (grin)