Author's Note: I've been doing good with updating so far, or so I think. This chapter is quite important, just letting y'all know. Seto actually makes his entrance in the next one though, finally. You readers are probably bored to death. Haha. Warnings for this chapter: Disturbing themes, violence, death
"Uh, well, we came from the duel chamber's balcony," the white-haired boy said. "There was a short hallway and then stairs down into the dungeon. We came looking for Mokuba, but we can see that he's already been rescued, apparently." At this, I raised an eyebrow, though neither of them could probably see it, considering the poor lighting. My eyes fell to the boy I carried under my arm; perhaps this was the one they came to save.
"I assume you mean this child," I hastily remarked, shaking my free hand at the motionless body. They nodded in unison. My head was swimming with questions now, but they could wait for later. "Let's prioritize here. Show me the way out." Though both stunned, both boys wordlessly turned, and began sprinting back down along the dark corridor, towards my former area of confinement. I ran after them, following their lead as they slipped into a narrow passageway near one of the cells lining the hallway. It was a tough fit with the boy under my arm, but I managed. I could've remarked on their slow speed, but it didn't feel natural to do so at such a time. But, at long last, we reached a staircase; the brown-haired boy spread his arms, blocking our progress. "What exactly do you think you're doing?" I snapped. I watched him swallow and calm himself before speaking; was I really that intimidating? I certainly wasn't trying to be.
"This is crazy. We don't even know who you are. You could be working for Pegasus, for all we know, trying to trick us." A rational person might've called his hypothesis valid, but I had no time for being rational. I retorted appropriately.
"If I was working for Pegasus, I wouldn't have stopped after punching you the first time. Let's move!" I yelled. With that, I took the lead, darting up the stairs, taking three or four in each steady bound. By the time I reached the end of what seemed to be an infinite expanse of stairs, the two boys following me were out of breath and panting. Yet I held my head high, and did not falter in the slightest. I turned to them again, and cold feeling in my eyes. "Where is the exit of this place?" I questioned, looking along the expansive carpeted hallway before me.
"You'd have to go back through the foyer. That door there," the white-haired one answered, gesturing toward a door about halfway down on the left side of this hallway. "Down the stairs, and out through the front door, I suppose." I had no time to question the truth of his words, and darted toward the doorway. In mere seconds, I knew that I had made a large mistake: Pegasus had seen me. To my right, there was a balcony, complete with marble railing. I caught the glint of his golden eye staring up at me from above; I deduced that he and the Yugi fellow must've been finishing up their game of Duel Monsters. He whispered something to one of his guards, and… oh Gods, that was it, I was surely done for now. He'd have me locked up for good, and nothing would come of my life: nothing at all.
I couldn't let it end like this. I straightened myself, pulling the young raven-haired boy across my shoulders again, and dashed to the closed door. It opened without too much force, and I bolted down the first set of stairs I saw on the other side. There was a large door just about ten meters away! I could make it; I could escape, and then perhaps find some relative of the small boy I was carrying. Stop it. Prioritize. You must ensure your own safety first. I shook the voice of reason from my head, and quickened my pace; I would make it.
To my dismay, the large door to the outside world was locked. I struggled against it for some time, wishing more than anything for those giant brass hinges to snap; they did not. I'd realized I was strong, but now I was thinking perhaps a bit too much of my power. "The lady, she's escaping!" I heard someone yell. Now I was trapped, with nowhere to run, just more doors leading to dead ends. I set the young teen I was carrying against the closed doors, and propped him upright. I watched as men in black suits lined up as though in procession all the way across the two stairways leading up to the door I'd left open: my only two ways out of this situation. My stomach sank hopelessly.
"Tell your master to let me go!" I screamed, questioning the rationality of the statement as soon as it left my lips. They looked at one another, but appeared rather vacant in expression; perhaps Pegasus had stolen these men's souls as well, and just left them with enough to ensure they'd follow orders. I glowered at their firing squad-like formation, and readied myself for a fight. As I suspected, two of the men came down either set of stairs, leaving a single man to cover the doorway back to the dueling chamber. That might very well be my chance to escape. I winced at the first of the men in black reached me, but was even more surprised at my involuntary reaction.
I dodged the first blow rather gracefully, and slammed my hand upward into the man's throat. The other three stopped where they were as they watched their comrade fall to his knees, suddenly gasping for air. I didn't mean to harm him at all; it just clicked in my brain that at that moment, that was the right thing to do. I was horrified of my inner mentality. He clutched desperately at his own throat, sucking in precious oxygen that would never quench the thirst for the substance alive and burning in his lungs. After a long minute or so of suffering, he fell to the floor, unconscious. I knew, somehow, that he would be dead in less than two minutes. Looking up, I watched the other three men back away from me, as though I was the predator now, as though they were now the ones in danger. Well of course they are, you just slaughtered one of their fellow guards with your bare hands. The thought made me want to hurl, again; I hurriedly pushed it away, and assumed my fighting stance once more.
"Are you crazy?" one of them asked, voice trembling at every syllable. I had no idea how to answer that question. My mind sealed the answer for me, but I refused to recognize it, nor act on it, and instead darted past the three guards and up the stairs. They were too stunned to stop me. Unfortunately, the final member of this squad, whom was currently blocking my way, was armed with a gun. The sleek, black pistol reminded me of something that I could not clearly remember, but the sight of a such a weapon was oddly soothing, and not upsetting in the least. He pulled the gun on me, and I reacted so quickly, that I couldn't exactly recall what I'd done once it was finished.
He'd attempted to fire, that much I knew. But had I managed to evade a bullet; evade certain death? I'd pushed myself against a wall to the side of the man, brought my legs about his neck. He looked shocked, what with his head so dangerously close to my crotch. He would remain with that look of shock forever. Jolting to the side, my legs twisted ever so strangely, cracking the man's spine in two at the base of his neck. He too, fell to the floor, a lifeless body. I knew not who I was, and yet I'd already taken two lives today. There seemed something ironic about that.
Soon, I was joined on the upper platform by the other three men. Though intimidated, they seemed to have resolved to battle this out, even if they lost. A wicked grin swept over my maw as they strode toward me together. One man stopped suddenly, and the others followed not a second after. He brought a black phone to his ear, and murmured a few words into it, a look of panic spreading across his face at whatever reply he'd received. I wanted to fight; I was ready for action. But I was given no further opportunity to do so, as they exchanged nervous glances, and pushed their way back through the door I had come through. To say the least, this had confused me.
I tentatively followed the group back into the dueling chamber, staring down from the balcony once more to where Pegasus… he… he wasn't there anymore. My eyes scanned over the area, until locating Pegasus, on the brink of losing consciousness, trembling against the back wall. I wished to have felt some degree of sympathy for the man, but there was nothing. Instead, I ignored him greatly, and strode over to the two teens who had assisted me before, now accompanied by a brunette girl about their age. I gave a casual, two fingered wave before I could stop myself. Both of the boys went wide-eyed. It was quite plausible that I had not chosen an appropriate gesture.
"What did you do with Mokuba?" the brown-haired boy asked. The boy. Damn it all. I knew I'd forgotten something.