Chapter 2: The First Assault
Yami made his way to a wizarding village just outside of his territory. These humans had been some of the first to implement the anti-Shade spells which now kept him out of many areas.
That would be changing.
Voldemort, as the tainted human called himself, had sent him a message requesting that Yami make his way to this village and when the spells around it fell, to feast to his heart's content. The message had come via one of the other humans who worked for Voldemort. This particular human had been terrified, but strangely his fear of Yami was less that his fear of failing in the task that had been set him.
Yami had seen very little of Voldemort since he had agreed to this alliance. However he was a little interested to know more about a human who could draw greater fear than a Shade.
Yami was a little edgy about having to be outside of his own territory. After all when he was outside of his own boundary spells there was no way to tell if another Shade crossed them. The only comfort in this was the fact that the area around his territory was unclaimed by any other Shade. For two reasons, the first being the lack of accessible humans outside of Yami's territory and the second being that Shades never shared boundaries. It caused too many fights.
The anti-Shade spells around this village were still in place, so Yami settled down within the bounds of his territory to wait. He would be able to sense the disappearance of the spells from there.
Yami wasn't sure of how long he waited, time was so relative and when you were immortal its passing was unimportant. Soon Yami felt a flicker of power and then the spells were just gone, he didn't even pause to consider how the spells had been undone instead he flexed his form in pleasure and surged forwards.
Yami passed into the town unchallenged, and spread out his shadows; it had been so long since he had been able to draw fear from a whole village of wizards all at once. The magic that was an intrinsic part of his very essence attacked the humans around him, tugging and waring with their magic, confusing and weakening their defences while the magic under his conscious control wove illusions and fear-senses.
Screams began to rise from the village. Yami drew in the energy revelling in it.
Then things began to go wrong. The humans who worked for Voldemort began to arrive, that was alright as Yami had been expecting them and had already prepared to alter the spells he was weaving to roll off of them. As well as this the humans appeared to have spells on them which protected them to a degree from the unconscious magic of a Shade.
However Yami had not realised just what the humans would be doing while he terrorised the wizards. As they ran in terror from him, the other humans made their way through the village, killing the fleeing villagers.
Yami wasn't sure of how he should react to this. The words of the primitive killing spell seemed to induce a great deal of terror and yet the humans were dead, which meant that they were of no use to Yami anymore. He growled and lunged downwards focussing in on one of the humans he was supposed to be working with.
His shadows wrapped around the human. Yami twined ropes of magical energy around the robed human and squeezed. The human gave one agonised shriek which trailed away to a gurgle before his life flickered and died.
The other humans turned to him; raising their wands. Yami drew his shadows together and met the eyes of the leader. Yami's present human-form was several inches shorter than this human, not that it mattered. He began to growl, lips drawing back from his teeth. A few of the humans threw some spells in his direction, a few he caught on a quick shield, the others he allowed past to strike him, they spilled over as he drew the energy from them and allowed what remained to fade.
After the first volley of magic, the leader raised his hand. Yami turned his head to face this human; he lifted his head and met the man's eyes again. The human could only hold Yami's bloodied gaze for a few moments before he glanced aside. "The Dark Lord wishes to speak with you." He said, hands toying with his wand absently.
Yami smirked, "Fine, I need to speak with him also." His voice purred low and dangerous. Every human present flinched all of them fingering their wands. Yami gave a low rumbling laugh and released the illusion which gave him a physical form.
His shadows began to follow smoothly after the humans. The humans looked at him uneasily and one of them spoke up. "We are apparating to the Dark Lord, how are you going to get there?" His voice wavered and he wasn't looking at Yami.
The Shade gave another rumbling laugh and drew his shadows into a very tight ribbon; he then wrapped himself around the human who had spoken. "You may go." He commented pleasantly, the close proximity allowed Yami even greater access to the human's life energies. He would most probably feel miserable for several weeks after this.
Then the village around him rolled, Yami was surrounded by human magic, and it was crushing him. It jerked and tugged in the opposite direction to Yami's own magic. Then as suddenly as it had begun it was gone.
Yami released his human transport who immediately collapsed. Yami moved into a conveniently placed shadow filled corner. This allowed him to observe the room. Some of the humans were now carrying the collapsed one out, and Yami was allowed a view of a large chair, in it was the tainted human Voldemort.
His dead red eyes were glancing around the room. "I assume that you are here." Voldemort's high voice rung through the room each one of the humans present flinched and bowed, fear flickered. Yami replied without leaving his corner. "I am here." In this form his voice came from everywhere and nowhere, it was impressive and caused a second, stronger flicker of fear.
"Come out, we are all friends here." Voldemort said motioning with one hand. The Death Eater's shuffled uncertainly.
Yami allowed them to wait while he considered, humans and Shades were not friends. They never would be friends. Besides which Yami trusted Voldemort about as far as he could see him. Still, just as Voldemort was about to say something more Yami drew his shadows together again and stepped out of the shadows.
Yami could sense Voldemort examining him. His human form wasn't very tall, but it was lithe and fast. He had mimicked it originally from an Egyptian human. His skin was dark over regal features; his hair jet black and wild, falling into his clear gleaming ruby red eyes.
Voldemort tilted his head slightly, "I find your choice of inferior Muggle clothing...interesting."
Yami snarled, letting his fear spells coil around the nearby Death Eaters. "I have little choice when wizards chose to cower behind their spells." He sneered. Several of the Death Eaters straightened anger replacing their fear. Yami smirked, anger was just as nice as fear, it had more of a tang to it.
Voldemort's lips twitched into a mirroring smirk. "Perhaps you would prefer a change?"
Yami tilted his head, trying to see where this was going. Then he lunged for one of the Death Eaters and caught a fistful of his robe. He rapidly wove his shadows through the fabric, allowing himself to learn its appearance.
It was a similar process to how he had gained his human form, though much simpler. The robe was a single, simple structure rather than the complex workings that made up a human body. Also making the copy of the robe didn't kill it as it had done to the human.
According to the Death Eater it still was not a pleasant experience because he opened his mouth to scream silently.
When Yami was done his shadows twitched, adjusting his usual fitted leather clothing to the long flowing robe, identical in every way to the one worn by the human standing next to him, excluding the dirt stain on the sleeve. He looked around, the Death Eater who's robe he had mimic was curled on the ground shaking and muttering to himself. The other Death Eaters had pulled as far from him as they could. Yami licked his lips as he turned to look at Voldemort.
The tainted human waited a few moments before speaking. "Impressive." He noted.
Yami sneered, he had been expecting something a little more original, "You will learn human, there is very little a Shade cannot do."
Voldemort looked interested, "That is all well and good, but I have more pressing matters to discuss with you."
"Then discuss human, I am far from my territory and must return soon." Yami seated himself in the only spare chair in the room. He crossed his legs and lounged backwards, examining Voldemort from under his fringe.
"You killed one of my Death Eaters."
"You did not say that you would be killing all the humans." Yami replied lazily gazing around the room. He examined the other humans, all silent and waiting for instructions. Each of them was trying not to appear too interested in the conversation going on in front of them.
"I do not see why you should care, were they not fearful as they died." Voldemort flicked his wand and a pair of cups floated over.
Yami ignored his as he replied. "I do not care if they die, but if they all do then there will be nothing for me to feed on. I would appreciate that your people do not kill too many." Yami let the suggestion of revenge hang unspoken in the air.
Voldemort seemed to consider this, before he nodded. "Very well. Now onto more pressing business. Would you be willing to leave your territory to work outside the area in places which are more densely populated?"
Yami frowned faintly, "I do not leave my territory, or another Shade will take it from me. You do not understand our politics human."
"You are away from your territory now?"
"An exception, in any case I do not intend to remain here for long." Yami rose, suggesting that he may well leave now. However he could see that Voldemort was thinking very hard and very fast.
"What if I set some of my Death Eaters to guarding your territory?"
Yami's frown deepened, was this human so desperate for his help that he would protect Yami's territory while Yami assisted him in terrorising other humans. It was very strange, but suggestive.
"Very well. On one other condition, these other places must not be in the territory of any other Shade and in getting there I will not need to cross the territories of another Shade." After a moment's thought he added, "And I will not travel the same way as I did to arrive here again. It was decidedly unpleasant and your people will suffer for carrying me." That didn't really bother him, but Yami had no wish to become stuck in the whirling crushing non-space should his transport collapse half way there.
Voldemort's face flickered, to a human that would have meant nothing, but Yami could sense the anger beginning to build, he decided to ignore it. It took the wizard a few minutes to control himself. "As you wish, I will send another messenger should I need your assistance again. Will you travel to your home alone, or do you wish to be taken there this once."
Yami reached out to the limits of his senses and picked up on the familiar ring of his boundary spells nearby. "I will return to my territory alone." He dissolved and flowed out of the room, leaving behind a couple of his darkings. They were instructed to keep close to Voldemort and report to him about the humans actions.
When Yami had reached his territory again and he had patrolled around the edge checking the boundary spells. He settled down to think. This was becoming interesting, but the tainted humans was hiding something. The darkings would pick up on it, whatever it was.
Yes Yami looks different. As I have said in Light in the Shadow's Yami only looks like Yugi because of the bond between them, and at this point Yugi hasn't even been born yet, so I had to give Yami some kind of appearance.