One Inch Terror
He was pretty sure that the shit hit the fan when Bakura pointed at them and yelled 'Mind Doll'. He didn't know what it meant obviously, but given that Mokuba's reaction was to collapse in a state not unlike his older sister's, and adding to the fact that 'mind doll' sounded a little like 'mind crush', which was apparently what Yugi had said when putting Kaiba in that state... The state of 'soullessness', the coma-like state that Bakura had said just the other day was what his friends had all entered. The state that Mokuba was in right now.
The others were shaking his body, trying to wake him up. Katsuya was just staring Bakura down with horror and rage as the albino chuckled. "You bastard... What did you DO!"
Bakura merely chuckled as the others turned to follow his gaze, smirking. "What did I do..? I'm just the DM... I just followed the rules to keep the game going..." He growled in response, gritting his teeth before continuing his verbal attack.
"BULLSHIT! WHAT DID YOU DO!" He ignored the nervous tug that Yugi was giving him, the almost frightened stares of shock the others were giving him. Instead, he continued to keep his eyes set forward, watching as Bakura continued to smirk.
The teen looked down at the board almost daring the others to follow. And for a good frew moments, Katsuya was hesitant to follow his gaze. "Well... I suppose I should tell you that this game you're playing," Bakura added, "Is the ultimate role playing game..." His grin grew, Katsuya clenching his fists as he shook. "I told you didn't I? In role-playing games, you have to become the characters! You transcend reality to become the people of an imaginary world and live the adventure that unfolds!"
Katsuya gripped the sides of the table, ignoring the gasps of the others. "TELL ME! What did you DO to Mokuba!" He should have just refused to come in, done something, anything to keep everyone from coming in the room... And instead...
Laughter filled the room from Bakura's side, and he looked back at the table. "Don't worry," he said, tone far to pleased than could be healthy. "Mokuba is alive and well! ...In Monster World..." The moment he said that, the entire group could do nothing but look down. And conveniently enough, at that exact moment, if you listened carefully, you could hear someone...
"K-Katsuya-nii..?" The blond's eyes widened as he looked to the forest area of the board, Mokuba's figurine slowly turning around. Oh god... The figurine looked around, as though confused. "What is this... Where is everyone..." The figure looked up, its eyes widening as the others stood shocked into silence. "Why..." He stumbled backwards, looking up in terror as those around the table drew back in horror. "Why is everyone so... So... ...Gn... YAAAAAAAHH!"
Anzu and Yugi leaned over the table, staring down in shock as the tiny, whispering scream sounded over the table. "I wasn't hearing things..!" Yugi nodded in agreement as the woman continued. "The rogue figurine just screamed..." Beside them, Katsuya grit his teeth, eyes caught half way between a frown and an expression of horrified worry.
"Mokuba!" Katsuya leaned past the others as the figure of the boy shouted up for help, his eyes wide with panic. "Mokuba you hang in there! I'm gonna get you out!"
As he said this, Bakura's laughter became louder. That rat... That pasty, white haired rat... "It's like I said," the albino began, grinning. "In this game, the player's fate is entirely decided by the roll of the dice... When Dark Master Zorc's attack is the super critical 00," he began, the group watching as 'Mokuba' shrank back under the Boss Monster's gaze, "Or if the player rolls a fumble of 99, the player's soul will be sealed into their figurine by the power of darkness!" More laughter, and he continued to smirk. "The only way to retrieve his soul is to defeat the Dark Master Zorc..."
The dice were snatched up, Bakura looking at Katsuya with a raised eyebrow. "You filthy, lying bastard..." His eyes narrowed as he looked towards the 'Boss', and he continued. "I'm gonna take him out now! Go!" The others were shouting... All he could hear was a dull roar as he tossed them to the ground however, thoughts clinging to getting everyone as far away as possible. As the dice clattered to the ground however, he only just realized what it was that the others were shouting at him about.
"Jonouchi! Jonouchi-kun," Yugi shouted as Bakura turned to face the blond with a wicked grin.
He found out fairly quick what the panic was about. "Now Jonouchi... It wasn't your turn to attack!," the teen began, Katsuya tensing. Not his turn? But he was supposed to go right after- His eyes widened as Bakura continued, the teen across from them continuing to grin madly. "Remember? Your last move had you out of play this turn! Let me show you what happens when you break the rules of the game!" Shit... Bakura's finger was aimed towards him. Shit... "MIND DOLL!" Shit... He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the inevitable only to frown. Nothing... Nothing happened... Instead, he heard shouts.
"ANZU!" What? Katsuya looked at Anzu's fallen body in shock, turning back to the front where Bakura was scowling. Anzu had... He watched as Yugi caught the woman shouting before turning to the board. "Anzu! ANZU!" Yugi screamed in a panic before turning to Bakura with wide eyes, Katsuya clenching his fists. "Nn..."
Bakura snorted, watching as the dice continued to spin and the magician's figurine moved to attempt to comfort Mokuba. "It seems your friend decided to take the blow for you... But all for nothing I'm afraid!" They looked down at the dice, Katsuya inwardly groaning. 99... FUCK... Of all the rolls he could get, he got a FUMBLE! "Not only is your gaming etiquette absolutely atrocious Jonouchi, your roll is the worst possible!" He grinned madly, pointing to the blond. "PREPARE YOURSELF FOR THE SAME FATE AS YOUR FRIENDS! Mind Doll!" This time, there was nothing to take the brunt of the attack for him...
For a brief moment, everything went black. He felt weak, felt himself slip away... And then, as he heard Yugi shout his name, everything abruptly came back. Trees made of plastic towered around them, Zorc's figurine standing even taller than that and suddenly, the ceiling looked a lot farther away than it had before. "W-WHAT THE!" He looked himself over, finger-less hands still gripping a sword and shield. Wide eyes, no nose (Erk.)... His 'shoes' and 'clothes' were his body and feet... He continued to stare at himself, before watching as Mokuba and Anzu turned towards him.
Anzu held her head, unable to move as Mokuba could with her legs glued in position. "Oh Jonouchi," She cried, shaking her head. "Not you too!"
"Katsuya-nii," Mokuba shouted as he ran over, the figurine's ability of flight allowing him to move around even now it seemed. The boy looked up at him, still a good 'head' shorter than the others even as a figurine. Painted eyes left little room for hidden emotions, and it looked as though the boy was doing all he could to not just break down right there. "Katsuya-nii..! What do we do!"
He winced, arms somewhat holding the boy close as Mokuba cried. Scared... This entire thing had just sprung up on him and it was probably now just as bad as the 'CapMon' prison all those months ago. The 'power of darkness'... "I don't know... I don't..." He bit his lip, only to find that the form of the figurine had no teeth. Damn it... Damn it! "I'm sorry..." If he'd said something... Anything instead of pushing those thoughts back, or wondering when it would be too late... "So sorry..." And now that it really was...
Anzu looked up at Yugi as he shouted down at them, eyes wide with fear. "Yugi... Yugi... What do we do!" If only he could answer that...
They looked up, watching as the small teen steeled himself and turned to Bakura. "Bakura..." Yugi's face was red with anger, and one could only guess where this was going to go. Bakura, however, did not seem one bit affected by this.
"Hnhnhnhnhn... Think before you act Yugi," the albino said with a smile. "If you and Honda become figurines as well, there won't be anyone left to roll the dice..." The grin grew as the others tensed, and Bakura continued. "If that happens, then the game is automatically over! And you five will be trapped in this world forever..." As Mokuba drew closer to Katsuya, the blond repressed a shudder. Not good... Not good... "Until the next time I use you in a game of course..." Like hell he wanted that!
He bit his lip again, before looking upwards. "There's no choice... We have to fight!" Anzu nodded, and he looked down at Mokuba. The boy was staring at the ground, silent. They had to do something... Anything... "C'mon kid... We gotta do this..." They had to! "You gotta make it out, even if we don', so you can see Kaiba alright?" Though they were sure as hell trying for a 'perfect score' in escaping.
Mokuba looked up at Katsuya a moment, before nodding hesitantly and drawing back to take his place on the board. "...O... Okay, Katsuya-nii..." He was still obviously scared (Hell he was scared), but nonetheless... If the past was any sign, he'd be strong. Enough to pull through this for the sake of anyone else he knew... Something that he needed to do as well.
"Yug'," the blond shouted as he looked up. Nothing else to do... Nothing but this! And they'd do it! "Roll the dice in our place!"
As the teen nodded, Bakura continued laughing. "Very good," he cheered, giving a false applause. "Continue the game! The Magic Gunman can attack Zorc this turn!" Honda gritted his teeth, taking the dice as the albino continued. "Though I should warn you... On any turn this battle, you might be frozen in fear by Zorc's powerful aura!" Wait what? They didn't have to deal with that! What was Bakura doing, pulling rules out of a hat? "For that," he continued, watching as Honda shook the dice with a scowl. "We have to check the gunman's courage score. Roll the dice; if you roll less than 70%, then you can conquer your fear and move first... But," he said with a dark grin, chuckling as he spoke. "If you fail, Zorc makes the first move... Now, roll! Let the dice fall where they will!"
Honda gripped the dice firmly, scowling. "You gotta be kidding! Me," he shouted, his shaking fist giving him away. "Afraid! I'm not afraid of you," he continued, finally dropping the dice. "My hand is shaking with anger Bakura!" Ohhh Honda... Great guy but that was not the best way to throw dice at all...
The DM merely smirked. "That's for the dice to say," he said as they spun.
"Go for it Honda," Yugi shouted as the dice clattered around on the table before coming to a stop. "You can do it!" He better, or-
Apparently however, the dice had another idea. "94!" Shit, it was a missed turn then! Honda reeled back from the table, fists clenched tight. "This is BULLSHIT! I'm not scared of a damn figurine!" They knew that, but regardless...
Bakura simply laughed, smirking as he took the dice. "Hahaha... There is no 'You', Honda," he said with a grin, "There is only your character! The Magic Gundman is frozen in fear," the teen continued with a laugh, grabbing his dice. "He curses himself for his cowardice!"
"You dirty fucking-"
"Zorc winds the initiative," Bakura continued, laughing. "Shadow Power! Attack Roll!" The dice clattered to the ground, and Yugi and Honda both stared in shock. Impossible! This was impossible!
Katsuya had a feeling he knew what those looks meant... "WHAT," Yugi shouted, turning on Bakura angrily. "TWO super criticals! Bakura," he roared, sounding just a shy bit less like his 'dark self'. "What did you do to the dice!" Probably nothing good, Katsuya thought, as the albino simply laughed. If everything else going on was any sign.
Turning his hand on Honda, they watched powerlessly as the next 'player' was killed. "The dice don't lie," Bakura said with a smirk, before Honda's body fell to the floor. "Only one left! HAHAHAHAHA!"
"Honda!" The others turned as the 'Gunman's figure jerked to life, a 'shiver' running through it a moment. Abruptly however, it began tensing with anger, Honda curling on himself as he curse himself.
"Damn it... Damn it," he shouted, shaking his head. "Believe me! I wasn't afraid! Not a bit!"
Anzu sighed, looking over from where she stood. "We know Honda... We'll get out of this somehow though, alright?" The others nodded, mostly keeping quiet as they attempted to calm down. All this crap going on... Katsuya shook slightly with anger again, attempting to ease the situation by mentally picturing him beating Bakura to a pulp when this was over. Provided Yugi let him he supposed... After all, he dealt with Kaiba rather soundly. (Enough that he wouldn't be able to stomach punching the woman right now god damn it...) Speaking of the guy...
Above in the 'real world', Yugi was livid. "HONDA," he shouted, leaning over the table before turning to Bakura again. "You..."
"Well Yugi," Bakura said as he folded his hands over. "You're the only one left... Now you must roll the dice and move the pieces all on their own..." A dark smile came over him, and he looked the boy in the eye. "And before I forget..." Yea, because Bakura forgot anything... "If the character's hit points reach 0, they WILL die! Not just in game... But in the real world!" FUCK. This was complete and utter... AUGH... Zero hitpoints and they were dead? He watched as Mokuba drew back at that, before turning to look up at their 'opponent' with a hard gaze. They had between 12 and 25 points for that right? In that case, they'd just have to fight as hard as they could! Above him, the conversation continued, and had the figurines been made with teeth he'd likely be grinding them right now. "Be careful with the lives of your friends... Hnhnhnhnhn..."
Katsuya looked up as Yugi grabbed the dice, the boy's eyes filled with worry. The lives of everyone were literally in his hands... He swallowed, facing his friend with a confident stare. "You can do it Yug," he shouted, the other three nodding as they followed his gaze. "We know you can!"
"YEA! Kill him," Honda was shouting, Anzu sending up her own encouragements as Mokuba watched silently.
They watched as Yugi's eyes widened, before he nodded. The DM in the meantime, merely continued with that same eerie smile that got them into the mess. "The battle continues," he stated, "The magic gunman gets one more chance to attack Zorc. Throw the dice Yugi!"
Katsuya looked up as Yugi nodded, before the teen said something that had everyone staring in shock. "Before that Bakura," Yugi shouted, holding his puzzle. "Transfer my soul to the miniature as well!" WHAT?
The albino as well stared, caught completely off guard by the request. "Wha... What! What did you just say," he shouted as he jerked back against his chair. "You WANT to become a miniature!" For this one time, it looked like they were having the same reaction. W... What? What was Yugi doing?
"Yugi!" Mokuba looked up with wide and confused eyes, the others mimicking the expression. Why... Why was he doing this, if they were all there... "What are you doing!"
Yugi nodded, ignoring the cries of himself and the others. "I'll fight together with my friends on the board! If they're putting their lives on the line, then so will I!" Yea, but who was going to roll the dice! Unless... Hang on, that's right, there were two... But that couldn't be it. Katsuya looked at the puzzle, frowning. He knew there were two Yugi's, but that couldn't possibly work with souls could it... If it did...
From across the table, Bakura studied his opponent's face a moment before shrugging. "Well... It would be easy to grant that wish... But if you, the last player becomes a miniature, who will throw the dice?" At the silence he got in response, he laughed. "Ah well... The DM is supposed to be of service to the players... In that case," he shouted, holding his hand out to Yugi. "I'll do as you say! And with this, it's GAME OVER!"
A gust of non-existent wind, and the group turned to watch as Yugi's figurine began looking around in confusion. Ignoring the absence of a 'thud' from Yugi's body, Katsuya turned to face his friend with a worried expression. "Aw Yug'... Yah didn' have to do that..."
Mokuba nodded, looking at the teen with wide eyes. "Yea... Who..." He choked, looking over to the slightly taller figurine and frowning. "Who'll roll the dice now..?"
Before he could answer, they found themselves looking up at Bakura with angry stares. "AHAHAHAA! All the players have been turned into lead figurines," the albino shouted, looking down at them before moving to clean up the game. "A perfect victory for the dark mast-" He froze as the sound of chuckling came from the other side, the group below turning to look at Yugi's still moving body with wide eyes.
Holy shit.. Holy fucking shit... There really were two souls... The other Yugi crossed his arms, dice held between his fingers. "We were in the middle of a battle weren't we," he said with a smirk, clearly relishing the look on Bakura's face. As he received nothing but silence in response, the smirk grew. "Well, I'm rolling... The Magic Gunman attacks Zorc!" They really were two souls but...
What the hell did that mean then? The dice clattered to the ground, Honda somehow knowing just what he rolled as he turned on Zorc with a grin. "I hit! '03'!" Drawing the gun from his holster, he shot at Zorc with a shout. "THUNDER GRENADE!" From the barrel of the gun came a solid beam of energy, burning a path forwards with no sign of stopping. The demon hissed as his left hand was blasted off, grabbing his wrist with a roar of pain as the others cheered.
"ALRIGHT! Nice shootin' tex!" The others grinned, Mokuba looking over at the fallen hand as it began to smoke into non-existence.
He laughed, shaking his head with disbelief. After all... The other Yugi never lost, so they were in the clear right? He never lost, even against his older sister, so clearly against this guy..! "You hit him dead on," the boy said with a grin, the combined events going on around them becoming almost too much to really handle properly. "You BLASTED HIS HAND CLEAN OFF!" It was like a bizarre, twisted dream... Everything was just too unreal to actually be happening, everything was just...
Katsuya turned to the 'other Yugi', the real one following his gaze in silence. 'Two masters?,' the monster Yugi had tamed was muttering, and he grinned. Yea. Two. "Hey Yugi," he shouted up, the teen looking back down in question. "Our lives are in your hands, got it? You gotta defeat Zorc!" He had to... It was all they had now!
The teen nodded, face stern as he looked them over. "I will! Now then," he said as he turned to Bakura. "Let's get on with the game!"
As the two 'real people' continued on with the game, Katsuya found himself shuddering with the reminder of 'death'. "Hihhh..." He couldn't die here! He had to get Mokuba out first at least, so that if Kaiba ended up dying she didn't hunt him down as a ghost or something... (Though he wouldn't mind seeing her again in person...) He couldn't die, and neither could the others!
Some of whom were voicing those thoughts. "I can't die looking like this," Honda was muttering, 'shirtless', caped figurine looking himself over in distaste. Yugi laughed nervously, he and Mokuba shaking their heads in response. Really, that wasn't the main problem...
Anzu as well rolled her eyes, crossing her arms at the statement. "Come on guys... We have to believe in Yugi... Other Yugi... Er..." She looked over at the 'small' Yugi, who merely laughed in response. "Oh whatever," she finished with a huff, Yugi continuing to laugh in response. They turned their attention back to the conversation above, listening as Bakura spoke with that same 'higher than thou' tone that was grating on just about everyone's nerves.
As Bakura finished speaking however, they quickly found themselves looking at Zorc's disembodied hand with shock and disgust. It seemed nothing was as easy as it should have been really... "Zorc's hand.." Mokuba drew back, kicking the hand that landed next to him away in question as it mutated and divided into piles of mush. "It's doing something!"
Katsuya swallowed as a pair of monsters appeared from the piles, shifting and changing until there was a large eyeball and some sort of dragon. He scowled, taking up a fighting stance of sorts as the monsters hissed angrily at them. "Yea it's doin' somethin' alright, it just turned inteh mosnters!"
Zorc laughed, the two monsters hissing with him. "Any piece of flesh cut from my body transforms into a monster under my command! AHAHAHAAA!"
"Shoot," Yugi said with a frown, 'Poki' floating up beside him with a worried look. "That's not fair at all..!"
The little guy appeared to cross his arms, turning to his 'team' sadly. "Pokii! Zorc is the source of all darkness," he began, soft voice barely audible behind the 'poki' noises he was making. "He'll continue to spawn them until you finish him once and for all!" Well wasn't that convenient...
As if to support this statement, the two monsters cackled and turned on them. "GWahahaa! Leave them to us Master Zorc," the dragon shouted, Katsuya grimacing in response. Talking monsters... That was... That was pretty weird given it used to be Zorc's hand. On the bright side, it was probably for the best, as the demon nodded and crossed his arms. "Very well! Kill them!" Dammmmn it...
"Running away Zorc," Yugi said with a frown, Mokuba nodding in agreement.
As Zorc turned to loom briefly over the group, the 'fairy' gulped. Zorc was closest to him... But... But he couldn't be scared, he reminded himself. Not if he was going to make it out of this! "Y-Yea! Fight us right here!"
The demon merely laughed, his toothy grin putting fear into each of their hearts. "I have a special place prepared for our fight," he said, voice scraping on their ears. "Make your way to my castle while the fires of hatred still burn in you heart! If you CAN that is... AHAHAHAHA!" With that he vanished from sight completely, as though he had never even existed.
"Ghh... ASSHOLE," Katsuya shouted, Honda joining in the cursing as Anzu made to cover a fussing Mokuba's ears. "WE'LL GET TO YAH, NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES!"
Honda nodded, scowling. "YOU'RE GOING DOWN ZORC! YOU HEAR THAT? DOWN!"
The voice of the DM came over, and Mokuba jumped as his turn arrived. Gulping again, he fingered the twin daggers his figurine was armed with, before turning to the 'Other Yugi' with semi-trusting eyes. This was the first time... The first time he'd ever been on Yugi's side of the board instead of his own. This time... He swallowed, turning back to Zorc. This time, they were on the same side... It was scary but... At the same time, he had this feeling... The dice rolled, and even without looking at the number, Mokuba found himself grinning maliciously. In an instant, his figurine vanished from sight, the others jumping at the act while 'Yugi' smirked. "SUPER CRITICAL!" A rush of energy hit him, wings taking him off into the air as the monsters looked around for their opponent. No one could see him... No one would know where he was, not until it was too late..!
"Mokuba!" Katsuya also looked around as the boy's light giggles sounded around him, eyes wide. Where was he..? He turned to look at 'Yugi', blinking as the teen explained. Of course, that wasn't the only thing he heard, and soon his attention was drawn back to their opponent.
There was a piercing scream as the first of the two monsters was cut in four, seemingly from no where. The giant eyeball seemed to comically divide almost like a watermelon before disappearing, 'Yugi' still smirking as the act was made. "As a rogue, Mokuba has the ability to vanish completely from sight to sneak up on his opponents... He attacks with both speed and stealth!" At those words, the monster vanished from sight, Mokuba appearing in his place with the two daggers still in hand. "And he defeats your monster!"
Katsuya grinned, cheering. "Alright! Another critical hit!" He watched as Mokuba shook with excitement, still grinning from the energy rush.
"T-That was amazing!" He bounced on the spot, the one remaining monster scowling as it looked at the boy. "Amazing!" Oh boy, if this was anything like giving the kid sugar and caffeine...
The group watched as Bakura seemed to stumble a bit, before Katsuya snapped him out of it. After all... If they couldn't have a break, neither could he! "Hey, get movin' jack ass!" He ignored Anzu's comment of 'Will you watch your language around the kid!', and continued. "Mokuba killed 'm right? So go on," he added with a smirk. "What happens next?"
Another pause, before Bakura began typing things into the laptop. "Tch... Seeing his companion slain by the rogue so unexpectedly, the dragon hesitates and looses his next turn!" He didn't seem too pleased about that at all, now did he? About time! "The Beast Tamer, being closest to the dragon, takes the next turn," Bakura finished, still glaring at the group.
Yugi nodded as he looked the dragon over, crossing his arms. "This monster is pretty strong," he said to himself as Anzu nodded in agreement. "It'd be great to have him on our side!" Hey, that wasn't such a bad idea...
"Poki," the monster he already had on hand said. "I'll hold him down then!"
Another nod. "Ok! I'm capturing you!" Yugi's turn then!
Above, Bakura nodded before smirking. "The Beast Tamer's hands glow with magic," he began, his grin becoming more menacing. "But until a few moments ago, the 'Zorc Arm Dragon' was a part of Zorc himself! The potential to tame him is low, only 10%!" Ok, Katsuya thought as the dice clattered to the ground. He didn't know much math, but he was pretty sure that meant that Yugi needed a roll of 10 or LESS. Shit... His annoyance increased as Bakura's smirk grew. Damn it... All these damn rules were pretty much just being created to mess with their heads, he knew it! The smirk suddenly faded... Katsuya blinked, watching as the dice clattered around the arena. Now why was... Ah!
"One of the many ways of cheating with dice," 'Yugi' stated with a smirk, the dice hitting each other as though they were battle tops. "The double hit! The same form of your 'run of criticals' Bakura!" True to his words, the dice clattered to the ground and Yugi nodded as the 'score' became 'set'. The roll had been made; and there was no way it wasn't good.
The large 'hands' appeared around the dragon, and he smiled. "Another critical," Yugi shouted, the dragon squirming as it was enveloped completely by the pair of hands. "That means I can capture him! Come forth!" The hands vanished as the dragon, now far less menacing in appearance, floated over alongside 'Poki' to start a conversation with him. Alright! That was both monsters gone then! And to top that off... "Okay," Yugi said with a grin. "Now I've got a new monster!" And all because of some handy tricks with- Wait...
Katsuya scowled, looking back up at 'Yugi'. If 'Yugi' was actually cheating, that had to mean only one thing... 'Yugi' would never cheat, unless... "Tch... So that rat Bakura was cheating!" Ignoring Mokuba as the boy rolled his eyes with a 'no duh!', he continued. "Hey Yug'! Is it true that you can control the dice rolls?" Just to make sure now... Since... 'Yugi' also had insane luck aside from just skill.
The answer was a blunt 'Yes', the teen currently glaring at Bakura across the table. He then explained however, smiling. "These ten-sided dice are shaped like five petaled flowers on both the top and bottom," he began, crossing his arms as he leaned back. "They're split into an even side and an odd side- but the important thing in a double hit technique is to spin the dice like a top, with the even side facing upwards!"
The group nodded, understanding. "Alright," Yugi said with wide eyes. "That way it can't stop on an odd number! And the chance of rolling a 0 is one in five!" Bringing a one in ten chance down by half! Haha!
The other Yugi nodded again, smirking. "Furthermore, when you throw the dice, you put a strong spin on the white one; the dice with the weaker spin will stop first, but if it stops on something other than 0, the stronger die can change the number by hitting it!" Which meant they could get the roll they wanted... Alright then... Wait...
Anzu frowned, crossing her arms. "But how do you get them to hit each other when you want them to..?" What she said.
Instead of Yugi explaining, Mokuba decided to take over. "You can control the path of the spinning by vibrating the surface," he said with a smirk, nodding his head. "Shaking the table with your knee works for example... And with that technique, you can change the number on the die as many times as you like!" Hey, should they be talking about cheating so loudly..? Sure Bakura was doing it too but... Still... And hang on! If Mokuba knew that then...
"Waaaait," Katsuya said as he turned to the boy. "So you're sayin' that las' night when we were playin' those dice games..." Thankfully, before the blond could make a response to Mokuba's fairly cheeky looking grin, the conversation 'above' continued. Thankfully for Mokuba at least...
At Bakura's glare, 'Yugi's smirk had only grown. "Too bad for you Bakura... If you can cheat, I can as well!"
"Yea! Bakura," Katsuya shouted up, scowling, "Next time you cheat you outta turn into a miniature too!"
The albino huffed, taking the dice and letting them slide off his hands in a 'demonstration'. "Fine," he said with narrowed eyes. "From now on, this is how we roll the dice! Spinning is prohibited!" Yea, he said that now that he was caught... Lousy rat...
Across the table, Yugi nodded, obviously having no qualms with that. "Now then," Bakura continued. "On with the game! After taking care of Zorc's servants, the adventurers move onwards... To the gates of Zorc Castle!" Well hey, that was some fast traveling- wasn't that castle Zorc's lair?
Katsuya gulped as they approached the gate, Yugi leading them foward with a cheery 'Let's go guys!'. Beside him, Mokuba bit his lip, sharing a glance with the older one for a brief moment. It was a silent exchange, but nonetheless put a bit of hope in their heart. They'd live through this. No matter what, they'd live through this. They had Yugi and everyone else at their sides- they could not lose. "Right... This is it," he said as he looked at the boy. The final battle... It was now or never. "You ready?"
The boy nodded, the others preparing their own weapons. Alright then... He steeled himself, nodding. If the others were ready, then so was he! Katsuya shook his arms slightly as the drawbridge to the castle was let down, turning to briefly look over at 'Yugi'. "Alright! No matter what's waitin, we've got Yugi on our side!" As Mokuba gave a weak smile in response to that, the blond turned to him again. The kid was ready... But all the same, not completely. Katsuya pulled him over, ignoring the mutters of disgruntlement as he gave him an attempted noogie... Attempted being the key word given their 'hair' was currently solid pieces of carved metal. "No worries alright?" He released the boy, smirking as Mokuba looked up at him. "He's a friend we can trust!"
"Hn..." Mokuba stared, before nodding with regained confidence. "Right! Let's go, Katsuya-nii!" With that, the two turned back to face the castle, the group holding their weapons at the ready as the bridge before them locked in place.
Bakura was talking of course... Still doing his 'duty' as a DM, narrating their entry. He ignored the teen however, instead jumping back as the castle unfolded into a board. "H- WHAT! This castle's a diorama too!"
"You've come to the last stage of your quest," Bakura said with a smirk as the group entered the main room of the castle hesitantly. "Somewhere in this castle waits Zorc! Can the group of heroes find him... And slay the demon?" They would if they had anything to say about it!
Looking around the room with a scowl, Katsuya took a few steps forwards. Nothing around so far... He narrowed his eyes, frown deepening before he turned to fact the throne up ahead. "HEY ZORC," he shouted, waving his sword. "WHERE'R YAH HIDIN?"
Honda nodded, also joining in with a scowl. "YEA, COME OUT AND FIGHT US, YOU LIMP-DICK MONSTER!"
Zorc didn't seem to be appearing... As the shouts continued, Mokuba turned to look at a tower to the side, ignoring Anzu's cries of 'WE ARE IN FRONT OF A CHILD!'. Examining it as he took a few steps over, he frowned. "Hey guys... That tower looks a little suspicious..." As the others walked in, Katsuya looked at the pedestal with a frown.
"Nhh... Some kinda weird markings on it..." Looked kinda like half 'o's, a pair of them. The pedestal itself was a little above where their legs ended in height. Hn...
Beside him, Honda shrugged. "Probably just a stupid carving," he muttered, the others following in to examine it. Yea... Stupid carving. Heck, looking up they sure didn't see anything- He quickly regretted thinking this as they turned to hear 'Yugi' shouting at them.
"WAIT," he cried, leaning over the table. "Everyone, don't go in the tower!" Wh-Wh-What? Don't go in?
Mokuba gulped, as Katsuya gave a nervous smile. "N-Nhhh... But we're already..." Awwww shit not good! There was a loud rumbling as Mokuba fled the room with a shout, the others looking up as their pieces refused to move. Mokuba didn't have to stay in one spot, he had wings that allowed him to at least gain a centimeter of ground in order to run. But for the figurines, who were glued to tiny platforms... "T-THE CEILING!" A mess of spikes fell, a pedestal in the middle as it clattered down. 'NO!', he heard the other Yugi cry. 'KATSUYA-NII!', he heard Mokuba shout. "SHIT!" There was a crunching noise, and the blond winced as the ceiling hit their heads only to stop.
Their legs quivered as Bakura smugly announced they'd fallen for a trap. Of course... Of course they had, it was just a little obvious right now. "We're gonna be smushed," Honda shouted with a wince, the others in just as much pain. "Cracked in half..!" Stop talking Honda, please. Just stop reminding him. It was an eerie feeling, the metal spikes lodged in their heads- there obviously wasn't anything in there, what with their bodies being metal now, but it was unnerving. A feeling of 'wrongness', having something stuck where it shouldn't have been.
"We can't move," Anzu cried as the spikes dug further into their heads. "Do something!"
Katsuya scowled as a few crack noises came around the room. "Accck... This thing ain't just spiked, it's fucking heavy too..!" He bit his lip, struggling for the air he didn't need as he attempted to keep from buckling under the pressure. Shit... Shit... He didn't know where these cracks were coming from, but he had a feeling that he'd find out if they didn't hurry!
Outside of the tower, they could hear the two 'real' people arguing. "BAKURA," 'Yugi' was shouting. "YOU PLAYER KILLING SCUMBAG!" Yea, real powerful Yug. He was quaking in his boots. Someone needed to remind him to teach Yugi to cuss. Or something.
Bakura merely chuckled, hands folded in front of him again. "I know the breaking point of my lead figurines," he said with an evil laugh, smirk growing. "They won't hold out much longer... Three turns Yugi! You have three rolls of the dice! And if you fail," he added menacingly, "All but one of your friends will die!" As he said this, Mokuba winced, Yugi's two monsters standing at his side as they watched helplessly. It looked as though the boy was feeling more than a little guilty about running out of there... But hey, at least he'd live if something went wrong, right? "This is a puzzle," the albino continued. "To save your friends, you must create the column to support the ceiling. However," he added, "To do that, you must roll a certain number on the dice!"
At this, Mokuba turned to look over at 'Yugi' with wide eyes. "Yugi! Roll a critical! Hurry!"
The teen nodded, dropping the dice. "Yes," he shouted, "A critical!" That sounded good!
Instead of the expected result however, the ceiling continued to shake, Mokuba looking back at the room with shock. Nothing was happening... Why wasn't anything happening! "It... It didn't work!"
"Hnhnhnhnhn... Too bad! You did roll a critical number," Bakura said with a smirk, "But I said you needed a 'certain' number. Here's a hint," he added with a grin, clearly confident in the fact that they wouldn't get the result. "You need to roll doubles!" Doubles? And they'd have to be specific too he bet...
Mokuba scowled at those words, before looking back into the room. Thanks to the others, he could easily walk in and out... The carving had to be key, it had to! He ran over, looking at the carving with narrowed eyes. 'Yugi' likely couldn't see the carving... But he could! So maybe, if he found something... "Nh- Mokuba," Katsuya said with a frown. "What'r yah doin' in here!"
Yugi nodded, the other two located to far into the room to really see the boy. "Mokuba-kun, you need to get out of here! If this falls..."
The boy scowled, shaking his head. Honestly, just because he was a kid didn't mean he was made of glass! (Technically, he was made of metal right now but really...) "Not now, I'm trying to think!" The piece of pillar attached to the roof had two inverted 'u' shapes on it, much like the bottom... Something needed to appear in the middle right... His eyes narrowed in thought, Mokuba ignoring the words of the others as they attempted to convince him to leave.
"Which reminds me," Bakura continued from outside. "It's time for a monster encounter roll to see if Zorc appears..." He chuckled darkly, 'Yugi' visibly paling at the mention. From inside, Mokuba and the others also tensed, the former turning to look outside the tower as Bakura continued speaking. "There's a 30% chance that he shows up," the albino stated, the groups eyes widening still. "JUDGMENT ROLL!" The dice clattered to the ground, and Bakura's grin grew. "28! The worst possible number for the adventurers," he continued, as the demonic figure of Zorc appeared just outside.
"A...Ahhh!" Mokuba paled, drawing back against the pillar as the demon appeared, cackling.
Yugi's monsters also turned with shock, the demon flexing his single hand threateningly. "You feel straight into my trap, foolish children!" He continued laughing, Mokuba swallowing nervously as he drew further back against the pillar. "Prepare yourselves! I'll cut you to shreds while the trap holds your corpses in place!" Ohhhhh shit...
Katsuya scowled, looking down at Mokuba a moment. They might be there... But Mokuba could escape at least. In that case..! He looked back up, before shouting at the demon. "You bastard! That's fucking low! FIGHT FAIR!" Or at least target him so that the others wouldn't take much force!
"Katsuya-nii, something tells me he's not listening..." Outside, they heard the dice roll again before crunching sounds continued through the figurines of the four tallest. "Gnn... Yugi," He shouted. "HURRY UP! They can't last much longer!" Doubles... Doubles, but what number..? He looked at the pillar again, swallowing. What number!
Another dice roll. "Zorc attacks," Bakura said as the dice clattered to the ground. "And since he has his targets cornered, his success rate is 95%!" The dice clattered to the ground, and Bakura snorted. "41," he called out, Mokuba hurriedly ducking as Zorc slashed at the group. "Not the best number, but it's a good start for a slow and painful death! Zorc strikes the immobile Warrior and Beast Tamer, while the Rogue is rendered unable to attack next turn!"
The teens tensed as the slash passed through them, feeling their health drain from the hit. Regardless of the fact that 'nothing' had technically hit them, that felt like getting a good blow to the stomach with a guys fist..! "U-Gnh..." As Mokuba looked over worriedly, Katsuya put up a small smile. Nothing... This was nothing! "S... It's fine kid, jus' a flesh wound yeh know?"
Mokuba bit his lip, screwing his face into a scowl as he attempted to keep calm. He didn't want to die... But he didn't want the others to die either... Damn it! "Gh... I'm never letting you watch Monty Python again!"
As Katsuya merely laughed weakly in response, Mokuba steeled himself and poked his head out of the tower. That pillar... Something needed to join the two sides together, he knew what Bakura meant by doubles now! He had the answer... He knew what the carving meant! "YUGI," he shouted, the teen looking at him. Not much time, there was only one turn left! "0, 3, 6, 8, 9! They're the only ones you can roll! Hurry!"
The teen jumped, before nodding. "Alright then!" He dropped the dice, watching carefully. "Dice," he called partially to himself. "Don't fail us now!" This was the last chance... Mokuba watched as Katsuya began buckling over in weakness, the last attack combined with the stress of the ceiling beginning to take their toll. Dice clattered to the ground, and everyone bit their lip as they stopped. "33," the other Yugi shouted, looking over at the pillar expectantly. 33... Doubles, and 3s at that... And now...
Was it... Was it the right one..? "I can't..." Katsuya shook, more cracking noises sounding through the air. "I can't keep it up... I can't do this any more!" Was it the right number or not? Bakura wasn't laughing, so obviously something had- Mokuba's eyes widened, and a grin came over his face. The shaking had stopped, the roof raising a few centimeters as the pillar appeared. "It... YEA!" The the numbers '33' appeared prominently on the carving, the others shocked into a relieved silence. It... It had worked... It worked!
"You found the solution, true," Bakura said with evident distaste, before dropping the dice. "But in that same instant, Zorc gets another attack! 12," he shouted, the dice clattering to the ground as he smirked. "Zorc strikes the adventurers!" As the demon cackled, slashing through the tower, 'Yugi' chuckled. Dust filled the air, and the still 'living' players looked at each other across the table.
"You forget," the teen said with a smirk, "That the player characters have much higher speed! Once the puzzle was solved," he continued, the dust from the attack clearing, "They succeeded in escaping! Which means they're alive and well, and behind your back!" As Zorc turned with shock, the 'adventurers' standing rather confidently behind him. Not a single one of them looked happy at all, at least not with Zorc. 'Yugi' grabbed the dice, still continuing. "And while Mokuba may be unable to strike this turn, the others still catch him by surprise! I roll!"
15! Katsuya grinned as he gripped his sword, charging the demon. His turn, and this time no one was there to tell him otherwise! Didn't even know how to use a sword, but as he struck it through the middle he could do nothing but laugh in response. No wonder Mokuba had been so cheery during his own turn! This was incredible! "AWRIGHT! You ready Zorc," he shouted as the others stared the demon down. "Cause there's plenty more where that came from!"
Bakura seethed as he typed in the data, staring Yugi down with a seemingly impassive stare. "Tch... Very well... On this turn, the adventurers snuck up behind Zorc," he stated with a growl. No shit Bakura- they'd done so well he'd already made his move! The albino seemed to glare through his opponent, before continuing. "Therefore, they get extra attacks. Roll the dice!" A little mad? Just a little? Katsuya smirked. Good!
Above and behind them, Yugi nodded, grabbing the dice as it came to Honda's turn. "Alright," he called, watching as the 'gunman' gripped his weapon with a scowl.
"Alright... It's pay back time," he shouted to the demon, aiming his gun carefully. "I'll put a hole through your brain Zorc!" And with Honda's aim, it wasn't likely to miss.
Yugi nodded; "Hear that Bakura? My hand channels their anger into these dice!" He tossed them to the ground, watching them clatter to as stop. "Dice roll! ... 09!"
Honda smirked, shooting the demon Zorc within a split second. The familiar beam of light blasted out of the muzzle of the gun, Zorc barely dodging the blast aimed at his head. "THUNDER GRENADE!" Idly, Katsuya wondered if this was bad or good... While Honda missed Zorc's head, there was now a very prominent hole in Zorc's left shoulder.
And that wasn't it... "In addition," Yugi continued, "The magician and Beast Tamer also get a free attack!" The dice rolled again, and Anzu pointed her staff with a frown. "13!"
A flame appeared at the end of the staff, Anzu's gaze sharpening. Gripping the weapon as she held it forward, the flare increased in intensity before blasting off to meet with Zorc's torso. "APPRENTICE DEATH BLAZE!" The demon howled with rage, midsection in flames before the dice were rolled yet again.
Clattering to the ground, Yugi confidently pointed his two monsters forwards. "And now the final blow, critical! 08!" The dragon and the 'sheep' charged forwards, blasts of fire and wind striking the demon down. The two blasts powered each other up considerably before surrounding the opponent, a large dust cloud resulting. "BEAST ATTACK!" Clouds of smoke filled the area of the table, Zorc completely hidden by the blow.
Bakura reeled back, Mokuba smirking as he looked at the albino's face. They were winning... They could do this! "Scared, Bakura," he said with a grin, feeling considerably more confident than before now that they had the upper hand. "Didn't we tell you?"
Beside him, Katsuya nodded, also grinning. "Our souls are channeled into 'Yugi's dice," the blond shouted, the others nodding behind him. "And when we get mad... The dice get even angrier!" They froze as Bakura's frown vanished, the teen chuckling as the smoke from the blast cleared. "Wait..." The monster as well was cackling darkly, the enormous form of Zorc continuing to tower before them. From what they could tell... He'd only been wounded minimally. "W-WHAT!" Now way... How..!
"After all those attacks..." Mokuba stared, eyes wide with shock. "After all those attacks, he didn't take any damage!"
The DM continued to laugh, leering down at the five figures with a grin. "Fools," he shouted with a laugh, Zorc mirroring his actions. It was almost as though they were the same person, their voices practically overlapping as both spoke at the same time. "You're all still apprentices, level one adventurers! You don't have nearly enough experience to defeat ZORC!"
Honda balked, the others looking up at the monster as he prepared his next attack. "But that's..." He shook his head in disbelief, hands shaking. "After all those critical attacks..." How...
"Then..." Yugi frowned, clenching his fists as his monsters growled in response. "Then there wasn't any way for us to win from the start!"
The laughing continued, Katsuya glaring up at Bakura's face and wishing to do nothing more than rip it from his skull. "Are you calling me unfair?" Yes, they were... "Cowardly perhaps," He continued, laughing with a mad grin. "As the Dark Master, I made everything in this Game World! I am the rules," he shouted, the players on the board shrinking back, "I am the monsters... I am the GOD!" He continued to laugh, grabbing a pair of dice from beneath the table. "Now, continue the battle," Bakura cried, the figurines below gulping audibly. "So that you can at least act out your deaths with grace!"
There was only a few words for the situation at hand, Katsuya thought to himself. In fact, he could essentially sum it up with only one.
FUCK.
AN: God damn it Bakura. GOD. DAMN IT. I swear though, he gets some of the best lines... 'I AM THE GOD!' Not 'I AM GOD' guys. He is the God. Hot damn! And all that aside... I'm putting together a 'time line' of sorts. Why? Because in a fanfic like this, even with everything going on, there are still going to be some 'original' story lines. (Think 'Jonouchi and Mokuba's Summer In Osaka')
So here's my goal. Take the Manga and Anime both, FILLER ARCS INCLUDED (So... Legendary Heroes (Which is like... 3 episodes anyways so not really an arc.), The Virtual World, Doma, and Grand Championship...), along with Yu-Gi-Oh R. Problem is, though I know that 'R' takes place after Battle City, I need to figure out where it would go in respects to Doma and the Grand Championship... What with... R involving Kaiba Corp kinda being taken over and all that. (Damn it.)
Conveniently enough, three of the filler arcs are effectively centered on... Kaiba. And if you don't consider Legendary Heroes as an arc, that still makes 2 out of three. (Virtual World for obvious reasons and Grand Championship for... More... Obvious reasons.) AHAHAHAHAAAA. Wonderful...
Suddenly I can't wait until the Grand Championship. Because that will be pure, solid gold, even after the Virtual World. SIEGFRIEEEEEEEED! Personally, I'm going to have fun with that just because of how camp the guy looks, when the Kaiba of this fanfic is legitimately female. Heheheheheeee...
Anonymous Review Responses
Well hi there Iona! And yes... Yes Joey SHOULD listen to his guts more often... But alas... Sad thing is, I think he has a fair number of moments like this in the manga too. Ohhhh Joey... (At least that makes him ignoring his paranoid brain a legitimate character trait. A bad one. But one that is 'canon' nonetheless.)
And as Fluffy goes on his rampage, I'm now wondering the same thing you are about that snake. Hnnnn... Must look into this... *I can find anything if I try! ...Most of the time...*
Hot pockets... cooking... *I should eat...*
Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner
The section so awesome it... It... Shoot, there's nothing to describe it!
As many have likely guessed, dialogue that was ripped from these chapters has been altered slightly; either the cursing is more intense (Given that... I'm fairly certain that if Joey yells 'fuck' in an earlier chapter, he's not going to be taking it lightly when his SOUL has been taken.), or Mokuba stole some of the lines. Hell, Mokuba just stole Yugi's brain for a moment! That scene with the pillar; Yami Yugi thought of that in the manga. But I was sitting here thinking... 'Mokuba isn't doing anything even though he can't get stuck by the spikes, since he's too short... So I gave him something to do.
There isn't much else to say here actually, as this chapter effectively is all... Action. Except this point here... Fun Fact: The dragon that Yugi 'tames' resembles 'Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress'... Which is also the first card he used in the duel against Kaiba during the Death-T match. On another note involving manga points, as said above, there were certain parts of dialogue that seemed 'dumbed down'... And yet Honda's fairly explicit line at Zorc's castle wasn't. And then we have Yugi... 'YOU PLAYER KILLING SCUMBAG!' Seriously Yugi? You could have done better. In fact, I know you can... Because I've seen you do better. (I'll see if I can find the line for you...)
Enough complaining from me! The title of this chapter is the same as the title for the manga 'game' that I mentioned a looooong time ago. I figured it suited this chapter however, given that everyone has been reduced to a short, though not one-inch-tall status. And they're all terrified. Whoooo!
Expect the finale of the Monster World Arc to go out with a bang guys!
Until then!