2. Summoned Lightening
The closer she traveled towards the storm, the more _ worried. She could see it becoming more violent with each passing mile, could feel angry winds and hot flashes of lightening, and worst of all, the storm was still heading at breakneck speeds toward the temple of stone tablets. There was no rain. As they neared the edge of the storm, her dragon fought for control as strong wings buffeted the beast on all sides.
_ directed it to land, knowing she would find no advantages in the sky. Whatever this shadow being was, it would easily overpower her if she continued to search through the air. The wind, strangely, did not reach the ground, and left the sands relatively calm. She was perplexed, but grateful for this, the last thing she needed was the poor visibility afforded by a sandstorm.
But, how to find the creature? She mused as she dismissed her Burst dragon. It could be anywhere within the boundaries of the storm, on the ground or in the sky.
Finally coming to a decision, _ raised her DiaDhak, "I call forth Whirlwind Prodigy!" She cried, "I call forth Goggle Golem!"
Both minor monsters, her Ba would not be severely depleted. She looked at both the shadow creatures as they appeared before her, "Find the monster responsible for this storm and report back to me," she said, "Whirlwind Prodigy, take to the sky. Golem, search the ground. Do not engage in combat if you find the creature, I will summon a higher being to defeat it."
The two monsters nodded and sped off. _ watched Goggle Golem disappear behind a sand dune and Whirlwind Prodigy likewise disappear into the storm clouds. She stood completely still. Her body did not move but her mind raced through the inventory of hundreds of monsters that were encased in stone tablets. Hundreds at her disposal, and she carefully considered the advantages of each. She has an idea of the kind of creature she would be facing, still, it would be nice to actually see it before she chose which monster to summon.
_ started as an ear splitting screech pierced the sky. So, she thought, it seems to be a bird beast.
Seconds later, Whirlwind Prodigy came speeding towards her direction, looking quite distressed. _ expected it to stop in front of her, but it sped past her, making fanatic motions as it flew by. _'s eyes narrowed as she looked passed the tiny fairy to the creature that it had lured to her.
The weight of the air shifted, and she saw a bright white mass swoop down towards her, winds picked up and she felt hot gritty sand blast across her skin. She raised her arm to protect her eyes and struggled to remain upright as the winds and sand continued to buffet her. She felt the air charge with electricity as lightening flashed across the sky.
She felt static raise her hair in a ghostly halo around her face, she grimaced, the most sensible way to fight an electrical monster such as this would be to use an Earth creature. She thought of a monster the Priest Seto had recently imprisoned with his rod, a bird beast made of rock, it would be able to fly abreast with the electrical monster, and also presumably be immune to any electrical attacks, but she wasn't certain if it was strong enough. _ jumped as flash of lightening nearby struck her Whirlwind prodigy, destroying the creature.
Enough thinking, I have to act now! And with something powerful!
"You are not the only master of Thunder here, creature! Summoned Skull, to my aide!"
A new wind swirled from the clouds as she summoned her shadow monster, it lifted her hair and obscured her face in snaking tendrils. Obsidian clouds fractured by lightening boiled and twisted in the sky, opening a vortex from which the Summoned Skull drifted down. The bird beast shrieked its defiance at its newest opponent, flapping its wings until the two monsters faced off.
The wind increased, bearing down on her in a shrieking tempest as the bird suddenly launched itself at the Summoned Skull. Dust blew upwards in a gritty fog, shrouding _ and obstructing her view. She screamed through the choking cloud of dust, "Defend yourself Summoned Skull! Lightning strike!"
The ground rumbled, echoing the thunder, _ gasped as the air around her compressed with a sudden punishing silence. She gripped her head in her hands as she felt an immense pressure build up around her. Through the dust she saw lightening hurtle from the Summoned Skull towards the bird beast, and her eyes burned from the brightness of the attack. _ felt herself fall to her knees, she felt overwhelmed, she was an insect, a minuscule bystander caught among two creatures who battled with the forces of nature.
_ suddenly felt the dust assaulting her on all sides stop. She stood up from where she crouched and saw that her Goggle Golem was looming over her, shielding her from the worst of the dust and wind. _ nodded her thanks, her throat too raw with dust to work. She looked up at the sky as she watched the colossal battle between the two thunder creatures continue.
The two creatures were locked in combat, high in the air. The bird had locked its talons around the rib cage of the Summoned Skull and the archfiend was keeping its wicked beak at bay with his long claws.
Come on! Come on! _ though desperately, knowing her words would never reach her creature, but that her thoughts might. Use another lightning strike! Finish it!
The Summoned Skull obeyed her silent command, unleashing another blast of lightening at the same moment as the bird beast. _ saw the clouds collapse in on themselves, supplicants before the terrible power of the two creatures, lightening stuck all around her in white and golden spears, thunder cracked as clouds spun and rotated. The wind keened louder in ever increasing protest. _ witnessed a final burst of lightening and then she saw the body of the bird beast hurtle towards the ground as the Summoned Skull screamed in furious victory.
_ grabbed at her golem as the ground shook as the shadow monster crashed to the ground. She stared at the beast's body, relief flooding over her as she realized it would not rise again. She approached the monster. She did not have the Millennium Rod, and thus would not be able to seal this creature into a stone tablet. What she did have at her disposal was the power of the Millennium Puzzle. Her coupling with Atem had given her access to part of his magic, allowing her to channel the ancient magic through him.
"Now!" she cried, her voice hoarse from the dust but proud and commanding still, "I call upon the Power of the Pharaohs of Egypt! Exile this creature to the Shadow Realm! Be gone Beast, I banish you from this land!"
The Eye of Wdjat appeared on the center of her forehead, and the residual power of the storm shimmered around her, casting her in pale radiance. The creature gave one final shriek as the light consumed it, and it was banished to the shadow realm.
_ slumped to the ground as exhaustion slammed into her body. It seemed to be getting harder each time, banishing monsters to the shadow realm. She smelled of brimstone and stands of her hair floated in the air, as though part of the storm was inside her.
Her Summoned Skull watched her from afar and she felt a twinge of fear at her helplessness before such a mighty creature. She shook her head, I am its master! She thought savagely, we may have imprisoned it in stone, but it is loyal to us!
As if sensing her thoughts, Summoned Skull approached her and knelt, bowing its head. _ sighed, feeling the weight of fatigue like a ponderous and weighty cloak enveloping her entire body. She could not let the stray thought escape her that had she been imprisoned in stone, she would never serve her captors the way the shadow monsters did.
I wonder if they serve out of free will or if the millennium rod somehow binds them to our will.
"I am sorry for doubting you, you did well to destroy such a powerful creature Summoned Skull," _ finally spoke, "Please… take me home."
Summoned Skull unfolded his arms and _ stood, fighting a wave of nausea at even this minimal exertion. She carefully climbed into the fiends arms and took ahold of one of its thick ribs, clasping it tightly as the skeletal beast launched itself into the air.
Summoned Skull made quick progress returning to the Sun temple but it seemed to _ an eternity's passing. When she finally directed the winged fiend to the balcony, her vision was slipping in and out of darkness.
She woke when she felt strong, familiar arms encircle her.
Atem
As he carried her to their bed she had just enough awareness to look over his shoulder and say "Thank you, you are dismissed" to the Summoned Skull before slipping into an exhausted slumber.
She woke in the middle of the night, trembling with fear from an already fading nightmare. She sat up, scanning the room, her eyes unable to penetrate the darkness. The scent of brimstone filled her nostrils and she struggled against a nameless, rising panic. She felt Atem's arm come around her then, moving her close against his body. He mumbled something incoherent in her ear that sounded like poetry, it soothed her, and she molded herself against his body, her senses drowning in the heat of his closeness and the feel of his arms. She felt her panic recede as she she sighed and finally slipped into a more restful sleep.