Selene frowned as she trudged through the snow that filled the mountain pass she was currently working her way through. She hadn't planned to head up through the mountains but after she'd left the forest in search of the mystery man that had been taunting her she had found herself being directed along a path upwards and realized that she was quite literally being directed. Someone, either the Big 5 or Noah, wanted her to go that way. Were pushing her upwards. So, the snowy path it was.
It wasn't cold, thankfully; while there was a bit of beauty and magic to snow and she certainly loved to dress up for chillier weather she much preferred the heat. As she had once told Endymion when it was warm out no one could complain that she stripped down naked.
'Well… they do complain but only under their breath,' she thought as she continued along.
No, her frown was because the snows were slowing her down which was annoying. She had been excited for a challenge, a chance to test herself against the Big 5. To see what her dueling skills were like with all her knowledge in tact… would it bog her down or would it aid her? She was rather curious to find out.
But first… the snow.
It was thick and heavy, coming up to near her hips in spots while other times it was just below her knees. It should have been, at that thickness, something she crawled upon but the Virtual World was going for the more dramatic and thus she was trudging through it like she was walking through a swimming pool. Able to get through but the resistance made it slow goings.
'Its like Noah never saw snow,' she thought, rolling her eyes as she continued along the path. 'Snow is the creeping killer. The one that lumbers towards you and you can see it coming but sometimes you just aren't fast enough… or you have no where else to go.'
Her mind began to drift to the past, to the beginning of her relationship with her love, and as it did so Selene couldn't help but chuckle.
'What would that witch Ishizu say if she knew just how far Endymion and I traveled…'
After all, there were other placed than Egypt filled with magic.
~MC~MC~MC~
"Where do you think they are taking us, Mr. Maxamillion?" Serenity whispered. It was clear she was nervous beyond comprehension and Maxamillion hated that he couldn't do more to help her overcome her fear. The truth was that Maxamillion wasn't well suited with dealing with young women; he always felt awkward around them, never quite sure what to say. Many people had commented that he seemed like the perfect daughter dad, the guy that would have no problem having tea parties or letting his little girl do his nails and hair or make his child feel like a princess. And, perhaps, that was true. But the problem was that Maxamillion was well aware of the problems women faced.
He knew that they faced discrimination. That they dealt with people that thought they should behave a certain way. That they could only do certain jobs or that they were only allowed to act in a certain way. That many times they never truly knew what it was like to feel safe in the world; Maxamillion could walk down a street and never considering the hundreds of different ways he might be hurt. Cecelia had gotten him to understand all of these issues and after her passing he had continued to notice them. In fact it had become far more intense for him; it was like he had taken on Cecelia's burden as well.
As such he always felt awkward about young women, never sure what to say or do, worrying that he might be doing too much or too little. He didn't want to coddle them and act like he had a right to shelter them… but he also didn't want to ignore them when they did need support. Teenagers were the worst because they were in such a state of flux.
"I don't know, Serenity," he finally said, deciding to be truthful with her; a lie would do them no good in the long run and he needed her to trust him if things went bad. "But I think it is important that we focus on keeping ourselves as safe as possible against whoever is waiting for us at the end of this journey."
They were currently walked through a small medieval village, filled with the random assortment of men and women that one would find in any fantasy setting. The blacksmith pounding away on sword that looked to already be done, looking it over before going to the grindstone to begin sharpening it; Maxamillion honestly had little doubt that it would be back on the anvil in a few minutes. The merchant who discussed details of their wares with buyers that would never actually take anything. Children that ran along a path, their days spent laughing at a game that didn't exist before going to a home that wasn't real. Guards who stood still and unmoving, spears at the ready even though it was far more likely they would never use them than they would face some sort of horrible threat.
There was someone who looked like a Robin Hood knockoff that was currently walking them through the village, making inane comments that made the figure come off like one of those tour guides at Disney World. Mildly funny, nothing offensive, but obviously scripted.
"Do you think this will be the last handoff?" she asked nervously, wringing her hands together; thankfully they hadn't been handcuffed, Maxamillion giving his word that they wouldn't try and run off. Noah at least understood that his word was law because they hadn't found themselves chained up for the march. Which was good because it had been going on for a while.
"I don't know… I hope so as I shudder at how much more the situation could degrade." They had been first handled by a police officer. Then someone in the military who had walked them through some barracks, the sounds of war going on that made Serenity jump; hell, Maxamillion had jumped many times from the explosions. Then had been a group of knights in black armor who led them through the courtyard of a rundown castle, making Maxamillion feel like they truly were dealing with some sort of amusement park. And now the village. 'It honestly feels like its been hours since we surrendered,' he thought to himself. 'Is there a reason for this? Are the Big 5 parading us about to wear me down and get on my nerves? Or is it something more sinister? Is there a clue we are missing that will tell us what is going on and how to escape it?'
He shook his head.
'Or am I grasping at straws?'
Serenity nearly stumbled into him and Maxamillion just barely managed to remain standing and right the young woman. "I just wish Joey was here…" she said softly.
'The poor child,' Maxamillion thought to himself. After Duelist Kingdom Maxamillion had found himself researching Yugi and his friends, along with Edwin and Mai Valentine, to better understand how they had defeated him. While now he was rather glad they had, as he knew that Cecelia would have never wanted him to go further down the dark path he had been on, in those early days after his failure he had been looking for a way to get revenge. 'Joseph and Serenity have led a cruel life,' he thought to himself. 'Everyone knows how their father was a drunk but what others don't realize is that their mother was just as cruel. She never struck them but she is emotionally manipulative, playing the victim even as she sets up so many to fall just to make herself feel good.'
It was a cold reminder that of all his problems… he should count his blessings.
"I don't like this…" Serenity whispered. "Where's Joey? Where's Edwin?"
"Edwin?" Maxamillion asked. It always did seem to come back to Edwin, though Maxamillion guessed he shouldn't be too surprised, as apparently their world was part of a Chaos-Focused multiverse.
"He helped me last Halloween," Serenity said. "Some kids from my school decided too… I don't…" she shuddered at that.
'I will need to ask him about that,' he thought, watching as Serenity began to spiral further. There had been glimmers during the tournament of just how strong Serenity actually was… after all, she had faced the prospect of blindness with utter bravery and had handled Marik kidnapping her and nearly getting her killed rather well. But she was still a teenager, a young one at that, and could only take so much before she become utterly overwhelmed.
And she was beginning to crash. He didn't know what that would look like.
"Have you ever thought about playing duel monsters?" Maxamillion suddenly asked. He mentally winced; not everything revolved around duel monsters yet that was the first thing he had been able to think off. A conversation to get her mind off of things.
"I mean… Tristan told me he was going to teach me but when Mai saw what he was doing she took over." She shifted a little bit but some of her earlier tension was gone. "She and Tea and Yuri have been showing me things… or they were before everything got really crazy." She grew quiet at that and Maxamillion mentally groaned; of course her mind would go to Edwin's death.
"Well, any decks catch your fancy?" he asked.
Serenity shrugged. "Not really… mostly because I don't want to copy anyone else. And I don't want to compete with them when it comes to getting cards, you know?"
"I do," Maxamillion said, impressed that the girl had more sense than most duelists. Industrial Illusions had been flooded with letters from people asking for them to rerelease cards like the Dark Magician and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon so people could make duplicate decks. He had briefly had the vision in his head of Kaiba going mad as he ran up and down the streets trying to tear up every Blue-Eyes White Dragon he could find, snow plow trucks driving by pushing away the tiny bits of paper even as Kaiba screamed to the heavens.
But it had only been a fleeting thing. Because he understood that too many people weren't making those decks because they wanted to have something of Yugi Muto's or Seto Kaiba's. No… they just wanted to leapfrog above everyone else and have a powerful deck. One they knew could win. And that would never be healthy for Duel Monsters.
'Duels are won not because of strong cards but strong minds,' he thought to himself. 'If I handed out Blue-Eyes White Dragons to every duelist along with a stick of gum the gum would keep its flavor longer than the game would be excited and daring.' He mentally shook his head. 'Maybe in a few years I'll release versions of their Duelist Kingdom Decks. They'll have vastly improved by then and the game will have leapt forward so it won't hurt things too much… but give people a chance to have a piece of the game's history.'
"Well, what deck would you like to have then?" he asked. He was honestly curious about her answer. Some might think she'd go for something cute and sweet and kind. After all, that was Serenity herself. But a deck reflected its duelist and no single person was a single attribute. 'I myself might appear just as cartoonish as my beloved toons… but I know there is also a darkness in me. Greed and possessiveness. A need to gather and hold it close. Just as little Yugi might appear kind and quiet… but there is great power behind him. Kaiba might believe that he can do things all on his own through sheer power and will… but he also needs others to be stronger. Edwin…'
He huffed.
'Edwin is so fractured it's a wonder he doesn't have a thousand decks. That man wears a million faces.'
So he wasn't surprised at all when Serenity said, "Something… tricky."
"Tricky?"
"People think it is one thing but it turns out to be another. Like… Venus Flytraps. Bugs think they are going to get a nice treat and don't realize that the leaves are going to snap around them. Or pitcher plants that drawn their victims in acid."
Maxamillion blinked at that. "So… you are interested in those types of plants."
"Mom tries but our place gets a lot of ants in the summer and I've thought that if we had plants like that they could deal with the bugs but still be pretty, you know? Not like fly paper or ant traps or the like. Something nice and green…"
She trailed off and Maxamillion smiled, his mind racing. "Well… how would that work in a deck?"
"Uh… I don't know…"
But… Maxamillion did. And as he began to talk about his ideas Serenity began to calm down, no longer focused on their capture.
~MC~MC~MC~
"Too smooth for us to climb down," Yuri said as she hung out of the door, looking at the sheer wall that plunged down to the sea below. She had been able to determine exactly where they were: one of the high towers on the aquatic fortress. She had used a mirror to finally see around the tower to spot the rest of the fortress, which had been a relief as she had been worried that her and Renard had been taken someplace else.
What wasn't a relief was how trapped they were.
The only other door that led out of the room led into a large open area filled with guns that were more than willing to shoot them. Renard had managed, thanks to her acting as a distraction at the door (which involved her waved his coat about… he had assured her that he owned plenty and could live with that one having bullet holes), to travel through the area only to return to her, bullets dancing at his heels to reveal that there was no way out of that room. It was all a disgusting trap on Noah's part to make them risk life and limb only to get nothing for their trouble.
"We don't have anything to make hand holds either," she complained as Renard slowly pulled her back in; he hadn't been happy with the idea that she would risk dangling out of the doorway but she had argued that she was lighter and she had no fear of heights. So he had been left in charge of holding onto her belt and easing her out to inspect the tower wall.
"Too far for us to make a rope out of out clothing," Renard said and he glanced out at the waters below before shaking his head and shutting the door. "And we'd never survive the fall."
"Do you think that Noah put us in this room?" Yuri asked.
"He had to of," Renard reasoned. "Not sure HOW he put us in this room but he did." He turned back to the room, looking it over. It was utterly bare and non-descript. A dull gray color with no other real features. That didn't mean that the man didn't begin to move along the wall, tapping it with his knuckles. "Why do you think we were left out of the virtual world?"
"Probably scared of you, dueling wise," Yuri reasoned as she began to work on the other side of the wall, feeling it to see if she could find any hidden buttons or switches that would cause a door to open up. "As for me… I guess I wasn't that attractive of a host body for the Big 5."
Renard considered her words carefully. "I think you're right." He glanced at her. "You're damaged goods."
"…if you ever want another blow job from me you better explain just what that means." Yuri and Renard weren't dating but they had agreed to, on occasion, hook up for some quick stress-relieving sex. When their mutual bosses were basically fuck bunnies that had no problem sneaking off to indulge in each other one couldn't help but feel a bit randy themselves and as such the two bodyguards had more than once gone for a quickie while Edwin and Mai were occupied with other things.
"You're career is shot. Other than working for Mai you really don't have any prospects thanks to your father and how you quit the force."
Yuri grimaced at that; he wasn't wrong. 'While they haven't come after us since Edwin blew a hole in the Domino mall's roof I've heard enough whispers to know that my old co-workers are trying to find any way to take me down.' They were scared to death that she would reveal all their shady dealings… and honestly were upset that she hadn't joined in. They didn't feel guilty about what they'd done but Yuri being by the book and refusing to sink to their level was a reminder that they weren't all they should have been.
She didn't drive anymore, knowing she could end up pulled over for speeding and that would lead to other things. She was careful where she left her purse, lest someone plant drugs on her. Edwin had good lawyers through CCN and the wetworks team that had worked with her to take over Duelist Kingdom was just a phone call away but that didn't mean that Yuri was going to walked around life with her eyes shut.
"Yeah… I get that," she finally said. "They want people that are blank slates. Or as close as they can be. That would make it easier for them to take over their lives." She frowned as she thought about that. "But they'd have to defeat everyone… and take us out too. Because if even one person spills the beans…"
"Who would believe us though?" Renard countered. "Honestly… if you didn't know about everything that was going on… magic and gods and the multiverse… would you believe in a quarter of what we've gone through?"
Yuri let out a sigh at that. "I suppose not. "Hey, this is Edwin Chaos. He's from a world where all of our world was an anime. He's dating Mai Valentine who is actually an ancient greek titan. He's friend with Yugi Muto who shares his body with the ghost of an Egyptian Pharaoh and they are preparing for some great evil that is eventually going to come and do… evil things." Yeah , wouldn't believe that." She crouched down and began to look at the wall where it met the floor.
"Evil things?" Renard said teasingly.
"Edwin has been rather vague about just what Zorc is going to do," she said. "For all we know he's going to be a massive bureaucrat." She frowned as she noticed a single hair on the ground; her own, as she leaned in close. Dyed blue, a few inches long. She idly reached for it only to find it stuck. "What the…"
"What's wrong?"
"There is a hair here but its… its stuck."
"So?" Renard said.
"Its stuck between the wall and the-"
Yuri froze.
"Oh my god."
"What is it?" Renard asked.
"Its stuck… in between the floor and the wall." She waved him to come over. "See?" She tugged on the hair, just lightly enough so she didn't break it. But it was clearly trapped between the floor and the wall. "So the walls had to come down at some point… that's the only way that it could have become trapped in here."
"No."
"No?"
"Not the walls. The floor." He stepped back and stared at the room and Yuri began to look at it with fresh eyes as well. "This isn't a floor… it's the roof of something."
"An elevator."
"Exactly. We're on top of an elevator." He began to stomp on the floor. "And where there is an elevator roof…"
There was a slightly different clang and he repeated his stomp, getting the same result.
"…there is an emergency hatch." He got down on the ground and held out his arm, his duel band forming into a blade. "Thank you Captain for giving us these!" Renard said with a grin as he stabbed into the floor. It took several times, getting some scrapping sounds, but finally he found the seam and the blade easily went through. Yuri did the same with her own duel band and soon the two of them were sawing away, cutting through the floor until finally they were able to turn their blades into hooks. With a grunt and a heave they lifted the square away, revealing a large industrial elevator.
"Time to find our friends," Yuri said as she hopped down into the elevator, Renard right behind her.
~MC~MC~MC~
Thousands of Years Ago…
"Now now… stop tugging at that," Selene said as she reached up to lightly tap Endymion's wrist. He kept reaching up and yanking on the collar of the jacket he was wearing, face screwing up into a scowl as he did so.
"Its too tight," he grunted as their boat continued on along the smooth cold waters. There was a light snow falling but it wasn't gathering on the deck, which was rather good because it meant that the crew could focus on getting them onto land.
"That's the style," she reminded him. "And I remember someone rather enjoying it that our clothing was tight." She gestured at her own outfit, which was a far cry from the dresses she normally wore. Pants, for one thing. A fur-lined coat with thicker pads of leather for armor (not that she needed it) lining the front. But not so bulky that it didn't show off the swell of her breasts, just as the pants allowed her to flaunt her hips and rear; far more than her dresses ever did. It was annoying she had to wear boots and she found herself once more wiggling her toes in annoyance at that but she needed to look the part.
Same with Endymion and that was why he was in such a bad mood. She had forced him to get rid of his robes, stashing them away (where only she could get to them) and wearing clothing that better fit the lands they were currently traveling towards. Tunic, pants, leather boots, a nice cloak…
Endymion tugged on the collar again and that time she gave him a harder tap.
"Woman, do NOT strike me again," he warned darkly.
"Gonna make me?" she replied with a leering grin. "I so do love it when you get bold and brave." It was one of the reasons why she was so utterly smitten with him: her Endymion looked the gods in the eye and spat in their face without fear. Not just her (not that he'd ever spat on her… there were other fluids they both preferred splashing onto her lips) but other gods (who had also gotten other fluids on them when they were willing to debase themselves with her beloved mortal). He had a determination in him, one that allowed him to face a world that should have terrified him and sneer at it.
Endymion glowered at that but didn't reach up for his collar, instead running his hands along his tunic. "You had to go with so much red?"
"I like red," she replied, bringing her fingers up to curl into his reddish blonde hair. Neither knew if word of their travels would reach the gods of the new lands they were visiting and considering how things had gone in Atlantis she didn't want to have them already working to barricade their halls from them. They should have been willing to welcome a fellow god but the two of them had been on a bit of a wild tear as of late and that got the attention of the immortals. "Maybe you should keep it like this." She touched her own hair, which was a golden color and VERY bouncy. Full of body. Not at all like her normal sleek smooth locks. "I am thinking this might be a good look for me."
"I suppose…" Endymion said, trying to sound not interested and failing.
"You're thinking about what all of this will look like as I'm pressed under you," she lightly teased, leaning in and whispering in his ear, "I keep telling you that staying in one shape for too long is utterly boring. Truly mixes things up if we… change ourselves. Different faces, different curves and… bulges." She grabbed him through his pants and squeezed, letting out a chuckle as she did so. Endymion merely stared at her before he lashed out, grabbing her ass and drawing her in closer. That made Selene giggle in delight, leaning in to nibble on his ear even as he mauled her rear.
One of the sailors let out a whistle and Endymion merely lifted one hand, firing a gut of flames that roasted the fool alive within seconds, his other hand not merely remaining on her ass cheek but kneading it even harder. Selene felt the heat behind her but couldn't bring herself to care, focusing instead on grinding her crotch against his leg even as he slowly brought his hand back down, the heat from the spell making her moan in delight.
Yes… it would be good to encounter a new land that knew nothing of them. Which had no idea all they had done. A chance… to cut loose once more.
~Present Day~
"I wondered which of you would arrive and face me!"
Selene frowned as she looked up at the small snowy hill to her right, only to tilt her head at the sight of… a penguin.
"You know, of all the things I have ever seen… a talking penguin never came up." She smirked as she took a step forward; she was oddly feeling a very 'Edwin-like' state of mind come over her in that moment. When she was just Mai she of course felt a desire to taunt and mock her opponents but Edwin made in an utter art form. She was honestly impressive with just how much her love could talk. And it was always so witty and clever… while also being at the same time so cutting. His words were like the best made sword: there was a beauty to it, especially when wielded by him, but they could also cut one to ribbons.
The penguin glanced down at her.
"Admittedly you'd have thought that I would have encountered more talking penguins," Selene said idly. "After all, so many of the gods do love to take on different animal forms. Zeus himself was constantly changing into this bird or that so he could fuck whatever stupid little girl caught his eye. But never a penguin… perhaps because they look a bit too dressed up for him? Whenever he made himself look like a swan I always thought they looked a bit too messy. Feathers sticking out in a thousand different directions, coloring all off… though that might have been because he allowed his lust to get the better of him. I honestly can't say."
She gave a shrug.
"Though I must remind myself we are in the virtual world so anything can happen. So are you the next guide to take me to whoever led me up this path? Or are you something else entirely? A clue? A warning? Feel free to tell me now if I get it right." She tilted her head to the side, tapping her finger against her lips. "Come now… you must have more to say."
The penguin let out a squawk.
"Well, I suppose I didn't tell you WHAT you needed to say…" she muttered.
"He wasn't the one actually talking," a rather distinctive voice declared, the same one she had heard earlier. Cresting up the hill a thickly built man with a large mustache looked down at her, flashing a dark smile.
Selene was used to getting all sorts of looks, both as herself and as Mai. She had been leered at. Lusted after. Faced the judging glowers of little busybodies who didn't appreciate the way their husbands leered and lusted as she made her way towards the pool in a bikini that barely managed to stay on. The disappointment that colored her family's features when she sided with the winners and allowed Zeus to imprison the losers while she, Helios, and Eos watched at, rather pleased with their decision. The rage from the Olympians when she time and again spurned them to spend time with Endymion… and their terror when they realized that the man who had started as a shepherd and become a king now not only had his sights on becoming a god but very well COULD.
But she never had been looked at quite like the man above her was staring at her. A mix of judgment and desire but none of the sexual need she was used to. It made her skin crawl, honestly.
"I was wondering which of you wicked little brats was going to be the one to wander up here and face me," the man stated, slowly making his way down the hill, the penguin following just behind. "And I am glad that it is you. While I wouldn't have minded the likes of Seto Kaiba and Tea Gardner you are probably one of the absolutely worse of a bad bunch. And I am going to enjoy defeating you and claiming your body!" His smile deepened. "Oh… there is SO MUCH I plan to do with you."
That had Selene merely raising a single eyebrow. "You think you can claim my body that easily, little creature?"
"Oh, I think it will be a battle," he replied. "One that I and my associate will be all too pleased to play. But you will still end up defeated, I promise you that. And when you are I will leave you frozen here, living but unable to even move, while I take your body and make right all the wrongs in this world. So declares me: Adrian Randolph Crump III!"
Selene merely held out her arm, her duel disc appearing on her wrist. "Is that supposed to frighten me, little man? That KaibaCorp's former accountant wants to duel me? I am one of the Top 5 duelists in the world. I have been playing this game since the very first pack. And you are trying to steal my very existence… oh, I won't be bowing to you any time soon."
She had no need to let him know that he was speaking to immortal. That she was rather sure that, if she desired, she could wipe out the entire Virtual World from ever existing and send Crump and the rest of his allies screaming into the Underworld, ending the false half life they were living. Because there was no need to… her Mai persona was more than enough for him.
"You are a brash one!" Crump said with a laugh. "And you will fall a brash one. But I should correct you on one thing… its only fair that I do so: you won't be dueling me. While I have some mild interest in the game I think it wouldn't be entertaining for any of us if you took me on. A humble man admits his weaknesses, after all." He shrugged at that before gesturing to his right.
"I'm dueling the penguin?" Selene asked, bemused. "That would be a first."
"He was referring to me," a measured voice said; it was as if the speaker wanted to carefully weigh every word that dropped from his tongue. There was a breathy quality to his voice, one that made people stop and listen to him even as he slowly spoke. And the figure that emerged from behind the hill, with his great height and width, certainly lived up to the powerful voice.
'Vencent,' Selene thought to herself as she stared at the man. She hadn't interacted with him much but did remember him from KaibaCorp. He hadn't always been there, as he tended to be in the background more often than not, but he wasn't someone she was going to suddenly forget. Edwin had told her that he basically made sure that KaibaCorp and its staff remained, well, sane. With Seto either obsessing over Yugi or over dragons ("one day some villain will turn Yugi into a dragon and we'll find Seto screaming at his penis to stop getting erect"), Pegasus unable to decide how serious he wanted the world to take him and thus spending half his time flouting about like a flamboyant Macy's Parade Float, and Edwin's own… mental issues… keeping all the staff of KaibaCorp from running off to make death rays or see if they could graft artificial intelligence onto a soft serve ice cream machine fell to the likes of Vencent.
He was cunning.
He was dangerous.
Selene smirked. "Well then… you're my opponent."
"That I am," Vencent said as he slowly moved to stand in front of Crump. "You and I will be dueling… you of course have the right to back out of the duel right now if you wish. Of course that will mean that you have no guarantees of leaving the Virtual World… only by defeating a member of the Big 5 can you assure yourself the ability to actually leave this place and return to the real world."
Selene frowned at that. 'That was… oddly polite of him. He's making it sound like there is a chance I could leave this place without having to defeat him.' She narrowed her eyes. 'I'm not for sure what he is plotting but it won't keep me from dueling him.' Out loud she declared. "Then I guess I will just need to duel you and assure that I will return to the Real World!"
"Very well then!" Crump declared rather dramatically. "Then the pact is made! This duel will decide which of us will lay claim to your body!" He let out a deep dark chuckle, resting a hand on the penguin's head. "And let me assure you… when I have taken over your life I will be doing MANY things different than you have."
"And let me assure YOU," Selene said with narrowed eyes and a determined grin, "I will be seeing to your end right here and right now!"
~MC~MC~MC~
Seto let out a sigh of relief and then at once growled at how cute it sounded. And growled all the more that his 'growl' came out sounding like a pathetic little puppy whine.
It had taken far too long but he had FINALLY managed to get Mokuba cornered in a small box canyon, unable to flee other than directly back at Seto. His brother stared at him as Seto slowly approached, trying to do his best to look non-threatening.
Reaching down with his overly cutsey paw he began to scrape at the dirt. 'This would be easier if we could talk. Its going to be slow communicating this way but there's nothing that can be done about it. Now that we're together we can work on dealing with Noah and freeing us from this nightmare.'
Finished he backed away and gestured at the words: ITS SETO, MOKUBA
Mokuba stared at the words.
Seto stared at his brother.
Mokuba… just sat there.
Seto reached out and added a period at the end of the sentence.
Mokuba… still just sat there.
'Mokuba?' Seto thought, slowly walking forward, dread filling him. He waved his paw in front of the robotic puppy… only to hear Noah's laughter fill the air before the robotic pup fell apart, crumpling into wires and strings and random bits of garbage.
Seto's blood boiled.
'Noah!' he mentally roared as he began to race back out of the canyon.
~MC~MC~MC~
"So he finally figured it out," Noah said as he looked at the monitors showing off all that was happening in the Virtual World. Tea and Tristan were still trying to deal with finding, well, anyone. Pegasus and Serenity Wheeler were being led to their next duel. Koyo and Joey were celebrating their victories but hadn't yet been released to the real world. Mai Valentine was about to duel Crump. And Edwin remained trapped in the sphere. Noah debated checking in on the blond fool but decided against it… there was no need to see how he was going mad.
He looked over his shoulder at the glowering form of his guest.
"Took your brother long enough," he told Mokuba, the boy merely glaring at him.
"You're not going to win, Noah!"
"Oh Mokuba… I am the god of this world," he said as he watched Mai and Crump prepare for their duel. "I've already won."
~MC~MC~MC~
Chaosverse Omake
By The Patient One
[Pronunciation Guide]
Hassaleh: HOSS-ah-lay
Sagi: SAH-gee (one octave lower than Yugi)
Guillo: GEE-low
Gena: JEE-nah
Yaze: YAH-zay (two octaves higher than Seto)
A carriage rested on the back of a giant blue shark, and the coachman held a massive chunk of meat at the end of a fishing pole. Wide-eyed, the fish swam after the meat, leaving behind the thorn-covered island of Hassaleh.
Only three passengers were aboard the ferry. A young man with dark, bluish-green hair stood on the side of the ship, watching the island disappear. A taller young man with purple hair stood beside him, a hand on his shoulder. And behind them both was something that, though humanoid in shape, was obviously some kind of machine. It moved autonomously and with the ease of any human, and a red hood covered its head, hiding any features.
The thing spoke up as the island faded into the distance, a bass male voice and an alto female voice sounding out in unison.
"Are you sure about this? We won't be able to return for a while."
The question was rhetorical. The fact that the ship had already set off was proof enough of that.
"Yeah," the younger boy answered anyway. "Chances like this don't come along that often. The money's good, and they don't care where I'm from. They're looking for grunts. But if I get picked for the Dark Service, I'll make even more. It's the least I can do for Mom."
"I'll say it again: you could have left it to me," said the taller boy. "I know you love her, but that doesn't mean you need to go this far."
The mood darkened among them. They didn't dare speak the true purpose of their trip, no matter how unlikely it was to be overheard; assassinations didn't succeed through carelessness.
"I didn't learn how to fight so I could stand on the sidelines and let my big brother handle everything," the younger boy answered. "And you shouldn't have to go through this alone, either. We both have things we need to do."
The older boy sighed. "I know, Sagi. But when I look at you, I still can't stop seeing the little boy who always wanted to see Gena's wings."
"Oh, like you have room to talk," Sagi scoffed, slugging him in the arm.
"He's right. If we were blind as shawras, you would still be too obvious in your peeking, Darius," the puppet contributed dryly.
"I choose to believe that it's in no way a lack of skill on my part, Guillo," Darius said innocently. "Your senses are too good to fool while Sagi and I have our own bond."
A solemn silence fell between them for a couple of minutes, all present thinking back to the event a few years ago when a spar with Guillo had nearly killed both Sagi and Darius. A pair of heart-to-hearts that had led to them growing stronger than either of them had imagined. Learning the truth of what Guillo was.
And Gena reluctantly telling them of what had happened to them. Darius's only memory of the time had been clinging desperately to the leg of the angelic woman with the baby in her arms as they ran together from that awful place.
"One more thing to take care of while we're there," Sagi said, his hand now on his brother's shoulder. "We're who we are thanks to Mom, not them."
"Yeah," Darius answered, managing to smile. "And between your sword, my whip, and Guillo's magic, we'll show everyone what we can do."
Sagi beamed while Guillo simply nodded, its eyes glowing a warm blue. Darius turned and walked away, putting some space between them. Both understood and allowed him his private conversation.
"Yaze," he said softly.
I'm here, Darius, came the answer from within his heart.
"Is it going to be possible to save the others?"
Only if they are willing. And that may require outside help. You would never have accepted me if it weren't for Gena and Sagi.
Darius's eyes closed at the accurate statement.
Remember the truth. Remember who the real monsters are. We are allies.
"I know," Darius said, turning to face the head of the ship as it continued swimming through the sky. "And both of us have unfinished business."
A hand brushed over the cards in his breast pocket, ready to call his power at a moment's notice. He spared a look between Sagi's heart-to-heart with his spirit, Yaze's own little brother, and Guillo watching them both with the loyalty it had earned.
Then, he visualized the faces waiting for them on the islands ahead. There would be at least three that they could save.
"A lot of unfinished business."
Introducing the Chaos of Earth-73604: Darius the awakened 'Spiriter.'