AN: OK, FINALLY caught up with the Wattpad version! I'm going to tackle Hollis Copperbright as soon as I can, that way everything is up to date with the Wattpad stuff. However, this story is not likely to update for a while because I need to tackle Kay and Seth's super awesome fight scene when I'm terrible at fight scenes. I hope this one turned out OK. BTW Mahaad is probably very OOC compared to his canon counterpart. This is because, 1, it's an AU, and 2, he's much younger than in canon and doesn't have the court title and Millennium Item that I think contributed to his growing up fast in canon. He's gonna become the man who almost killed the king of thieves (I mean, come on, he HAD him in that fight!), he's just not there yet.
Disclaimer again: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh! That honor belongs to the late and great Kazuki Takahashi, Konami, and probably a bunch of other people I can't remember off the top of my head. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!
The First Contest, Part One: Dragons And Wizards
Lord Aknadin cast an irritated glance back at the line of competitors.
"Although you will not be judged based on your answer, I will inform you that the few of you who gave "a team" as your answer followed the same line of reasoning as the Pharaoh. You shall be split into groups of two, and each team shall be pitted against another in a series of combat trials. My brother devised it thinking it would be wise to gauge how well you work together with another person."
We emerged in a darkened sand pit similar to the training yard, however, large stone tablets with monsters carved into them lined the walls.
"This… This is the tournament hall where diaha are held!" Maahad gasped. "I didn't think we'd be competing in a magic duel for the first contest!" At Lord Aknadin's annoyed look, he quickly bowed and backpedaled. "No offense, my lord."
"This is not a diaha. You are correct in deducing the court wouldn't throw you into such a sacred event when you wouldn't even know what you were doing. The council decided that this hall offered the space some of the more combat-oriented challenges would require."
"Oh. Yes, lord, I suppose so," Maahad said with another apologetic cringe.
I frowned. I was not used to fighting in a partnership, and depending on who I was paired with, that could make things difficult. In addition, if we were permitted to use magic, that changed who I wanted to partner with considerably.
Maahad would be the best choice if magic was allowed, or perhaps Kisara. But if magic wasn't allowed, my best option was likely Seth. The blue-eyed boy was the only person I had become acquainted with who had a good grasp of fighting without the aid of magic or his ka.
The issue was that Seth seemed driven to avoid me after our disastrous spar, and he would likely object to being paired with me.
The feeling was mutual. I respected Seth's strength and cunning. But his scheming had already jeopardized my place in the contest.
I could not trust him.
"As I was just explaining," Lord Aknadin said, "The partnerships will be assigned at random. You do not always get to choose who you fight and serve with, and sometimes this country will depend on you being able to work with a person whose fighting style clashes with yours. In addition, no magic will be used. There will also come battles where you must fight without it, after all!"
That proved my suspicions: no magic. At least I wouldn't be handicapped in this first contest by my lack of prowess in it. However…
Maahad tightened his grip on his staff and frowned, while Mana was visibly pale and shaky.
"Oh no, no, no, no! I've practiced stance and stuff but fighting with no magic at all?" she fretted.
I wasn't sure what to say in response, and was relieved when Kisara swept in and said, "I'm sure you'll do fine. I mean, none of us are combat experts, right?"
"I guess not," Mana replied with a small smile.
"If you're quite through discussing your strategies," Aknadin growled. "Come this way. The Pharaoh and the council are waiting."
As we lined up at the edge of the sand pit, I quietly approached Mana.
"You'll do fine," I whispered. Mana jumped at the sound of my voice.
"Eek! Kay! I appreciate the sentiment, but don't sneak up behind me!"
Seth rolled his eyes, while Maahad and Kisara exchanged knowing looks.
"Hurry up, all of you!" Lord Aknadin growled.
"You're holding up the line," a boy behind me said sharply.
"Sorry," Mana squeaked.
I took my place at the edge of the sand pit, anxiously aware of the other six members of the Sacred Court watching. I glared at all of them hard to hide how intimidated I felt, but none of them seemed to care. In fact, Lord Aknamkanon smiled and nodded, his blue eyes glittering.
"Settle down, all of you!" Lord Aknadin announced, quelling most of the whispering and anxious chattering from all of the competitors with a fierce glare from both his normal eye and the All-Seeing one. "Lord Pharaoh," he said deferentially. "I believe they are ready."
Lord Aknamkanon stood up, and anyone who had not been cowed by Lord Aknadin's glare fell silent.
"The partnerships for this challenge shall be as follows!" Lord Aknamkanon announced. "Rashid shall be partnered with Akila!"
A nervous-looking boy and girl stepped out of the line to stand beside each other, shooting each other awkward looks.
"Amira shall be partnered with Aya!"
Two girls, one with the calm air of an experienced fighter, the other shaking like a palm leaf, stepped out of the line. As Lord Aknamkanon began calling more names, I carefully observed each pairing, assessing how I would defeat each.
Those two don't seem to like each other. Those two seem to get along quite well, but they're not good fighters. That pair looks like they have some history together and they're both experienced - I'll have to keep an eye on them. Those two look like they've never seen a fight in their lives. That boy looks like he's trying to sneak in something magic. Oh, his partner stopped him. If he tries that again, they'll no doubt be disqualified. Maybe if I scare him into slipping up…
"Kisara, you will be partnered with Maahad!" Lord Aknamkanon announced.
Kisara jerked her head up in surprise. Maahad looked anxious as he followed her into the line of teams.
Kisara's ka is her strength, I remembered. She's good enough at hand to hand combat from training with Seth, but it isn't her strong suit. Maahad informed me he, too, isn't a strong opponent without magic, that magic comes more naturally to him than physical strength. Even working together, they won't be too dangerous of a team to face. Of course, it would be a completely different story if this was a test of magic.
I shook my head, remembering Mother's words. I couldn't think about what could be or what could have been yet. My biggest obstacle was now, and the contest that would determine my placement in the tournament going forward.
The one I'm most worried about is Seth. He pushed me to my limit during our spar in the training courtyard, and that was when there wasn't anything on the line. As an opponent, he'll be my biggest problem even if he's paired with an inexperienced fighter. But as an ally…
I had fought Seth only once, but his combat ability had been impressive. If he and I were put together, I wouldn't have to worry about being handicapped by an inexperienced partner. The only issue was if the arrogant boy would work with me.
"Seth!"
I was jolted out of my thoughts by the sound of my rival's name.
Seth looked up, scrutinizing the Pharaoh as if trying to predetermine his decision.
"You shall be partnered with Kay!"
Seth's gaze immediately shot to me, and I returned it with a determined look of my own.
"You better not get in my way, jackal cub," Seth said under his breath.
"I wouldn't dream of it."
As the Pharaoh announced more names, a guard went around with a clay vessel. I vaguely recognized him as the same guard who had introduced us to the Pharaoh's court at the beginning of this contest, which felt like lifetimes ago. The jar was clearly magical in nature, given that Mana was capable of shoving her staff - easily taller than she was - inside. She had been partnered with a girl named Teana, who didn't look like much of a fighter either.
"Put your sharpened weapons - and any magical artifacts on your person - in here. Trust me when I say that the council will know if you attempt to cheat, either by bringing magical artifacts into the ring or dangerous weapons. This is intended to be a contest of strength, not a bloodbath."
"You heard the man," Seth muttered, dropping in his sword.
I frowned as I pulled out my knife. Then I reluctantly let it slip out of my hands and into the growing pile of weapons inside the jar the guard held.
If the guard was as shocked as Seth had been upon seeing the mark of Abasi's craftsmanship on my knife's hilt, he didn't show it. Several contestants, however, did.
"I knew that blue-eyed kid had gotten an Abasi sword from Lord Aknadin, but that other guy has an Abasi blade too?" a boy in the crowd hissed in shock.
"We'll be fiiiine, it's not as if he's using it today!" his partner scolded.
"A blade, in the end, is just a blade," a third contestant said firmly. "As for the man who wields it-"
"Everyone, quiet down!" the guard said. "Lord Pharaoh is speaking!"
Lord Aknamkanon had just risen to his feet again, followed by the other six council members.
"As my guard Karim has no doubt told you, attempts to cheat will not be tolerated," Lord Aknamkanon said. "Lord Aknadin has informed me he has prepared a spell that will reveal any and all attempts to smuggle unneeded items into the arena." To Lord Aknadin, he said, "Please explain your idea, brother. It may alarm them otherwise."
I was immediately on my guard. A spell? Something that would frighten us if not explained? Even though my amethyst stone, sword, and bow were safe in my room and my knife in the pile of weapons Karim was taking back into the viewing balcony, presumably until the day's contests were done, I found myself tensing up.
"The trap spell I have placed in the arena will detect any item that violates the rules. Anyone attempting to smuggle in a sharp weapon-" He glared at me and Seth as he said this. "-or magic objects will be subject to a small shock. Not painful, and certainly not lethal, although it will be uncomfortable. You will know it when you feel it, but most importantly, we shall see your guilt on your faces."
Kisara shakily raised her hand. "What about our innate magic? Will that be affected?"
"No. This is strictly searching for outside magic and dangerous weapons. I have engineered the spell most carefully, foolish girl, unless you intend to cheat, it will not harm you."
Seth growled slightly at Lord Aknadin's callous response to Kisara's question, one I had pondered myself. I had been told my magic aura was strong, although my skill in it were subpar. If this were a magic detector, there was always a risk my aura would trigger it, bringing unwanted attention.
Not to mention, even though Lord Aknadin insisted the punishment for cheating was harmless and I had honed my tolerance for discomfort like I had honed my every other skill - from toddlerhood, strenuously, and often - being repeatedly shocked didn't sound pleasant.
"She has the most powerful ka that that old man has undoubtedly ever seen in his life. Of course she should check to see if any magic detectors would affect her," Seth grumbled.
I shot him a look; the only reason his words weren't audible was because everyone else in the arena was also whispering. "I would be wary of Lord Aknadin hearing that," I said. "He already has his eyes on us because of the-" I coughed quietly. "-incident the other day, and Lord Pharaoh took the time to warn me that his twin brother holds grudges long and deep."
"Don't worry about me," Seth hissed back. "Lord Aknadin's already just about picked me as his golden child. You should watch out for yourself."
"Thank you for the warning, but I already know. I intend not to catch his attention today."
"Silence!" Lord Aknadin said sharply, quieting everyone down. "I will now trigger the spell to go off. As I said, this will not hurt. Too much."
I barely had time to register this before a strange prickling sensation spread across my entire body almost like when I slept on my arm wrong and it went to sleep, but deeper and more intense. The hair on the back of my arms and neck stood on end. It wasn't quite painful, each prick faded just as they started to hurt, but it was still deeply uncomfortable, and only years of hiding my emotions behind a mask of indifference kept me from twitching, grimacing, or trying to restore feeling in my limbs like other contestants were doing.
Worse than the prickling sensation was the knowledge that meant I had an item that broke the rules on my person, even though I was sure I had left all of my weapons and magical items either in my room or in the holding jar the guard Karim was carrying around as he went back through, coaxing those obviously affected by the mild curse to give up their smuggled items. Without exception, they complied.
However, Karim walked right past me. I had so thoroughly suppressed my discomfort that he didn't even notice.
Then, the prickling sensation slowly subsided.
I could see others around me looking relieved it was over with, having turned over their magical items willingly.
But why had I been affected, when I had no weapons or magical items with me?
Outside magic. The lion spirit gave me a blessing. Could that be what triggered it?
Without my knife to fidget with in my nervousness, I began playing with the ruby hanging from my necklace.
"Now that that is over, the contest can properly begin. My brother, if you will?"
Lord Aknamkanon again stood up.
"The first match shall be Rashid and Akila against Amira and Aya! Participants, please take your places in the ring! All those whose names were not called, please follow Karim back to the viewing balcony to watch!"
The rest of us filed back into the large viewing balcony across from where the seven Sacred Guardians stood. I again glared at them to assert I would not be cowed by them, before I took my place next to Seth to watch.
"That Aya woman looks like she's never fought in her life. Look at her, she's shaking as if being asked to make her first kill when all Karim's doing is giving her a glorified stick," Seth hissed at me.
"I know. But her partner, Amira, is going to be a problem. Especially since Rashid and Akila look like amateurs as well," I replied.
"They just have to hope Aya's fear ends up holding Amira back," Seth agreed. "Are you rooting for a particular pair this round?"
"No. Not really. I'm not acquainted with any of them. Or, anyone besides you, Kisara, Maahad and Mana, for that matter."
Seth frowned and shook his head. "Let's just watch this match. Even if we don't know any of the participants in this round, whoever wins has an advantage over everyone else in terms of favor. They should be the ones we look out for in later games, so stay sharp, jackal pup."
"I will."
The match went just about how I was expecting it to - Amira was the best fighter out of all of them, even though Aya did little but hang back and swing her prop sword around wildly, shrieking in terror, whenever someone got within range. That method occasionally got her a hit, but more often than not she was only attacking the air.
It was Amira who carried her team, as Seth and I guessed. Within minutes she had disarmed and pinned down Rashid, and Akila only took a little longer because the younger girl was much more adept at dodging than she was at swinging a sword.
Lord Aknamkanon called the match as soon as Akila hit the dirt. "Enough. Well done, Amira and Aya."
Rashid and Akila were led from the sand pit, Akila crying quietly and Rashid hanging his head. Doing badly in a contest was one step closer to being disqualified and sent home in disappointment, and they had the misfortune of being the first losing team.
"Well, looks like you were right," Seth said. "Although the fact that we're being honored in pairs means that Aya gets half of Amira's glory even though she did essentially nothing."
"It is true that if it were Aya against either one of those two alone it would have been a more difficult match," I murmured back.
Amira didn't seem to particularly mind though, walking over to Aya and inspecting it gently when Aya presented a small bruise she had gotten by smacking herself with her sword while whipping it around fast enough to create a small cyclone. Amira appeared to be quietly congratulating her.
I carefully watched the contests afterwards with interest. Some were as short as the first. Others stretched out for far longer, especially if the teams were evenly matched and worked well together.
"The next match will be Maahad and Kisara against Ahmose and Seti!"
The two boys who took their positions across from Maahad and Kisara didn't look like hardened fighters, but they did look much more experienced than the average mage I had seen in this contest. It seemed the Pharaoh was right in testing practical skill as well as magic ability, since many of the contestants we'd seen so far had barely any combat knowledge at all.
Kisara looked nervous but determined, her normally gentle blue eyes glaring hard at Ahmose in a way that reflected Seth rather than her usual shy self.
Seth didn't look surprised. "Yeah, I might have forgotten to mention that Kisara's really competitive if the situation calls for it."
"You're not worried for her at all? She has told me herself she fights at her best when given access to her ka, and she doesn't have that. Maahad essentially told me the same. He even admitted to me that he mainly entered to practice fighting without spells."
"Well, they're both getting that today. And Kisara's far from useless with a sword. She just does better when allowed to use her ka. You saw her sparring with me yesterday, didn't you?"
"I did," I replied.
"The only problem is if that scroll-worm is as incompetent at fighting without magic as he made himself out to be, and if that's going to hinder her."
"Begin!" Lord Aknamkanon commanded.
Seti and Ahmose both moved for Kisara immediately, but she quickly parried Seti's prop sword and ducked under a swing from Ahmose.
"Maahad! Where are you!?"
Maahad tightened his grip on his prop sword, looking nervous (I couldn't tell if it was directed at the enemy team or his teammate herself - Maahad always seemed scared of the shy young woman) before rushing up and attacking Ahmose with a wallop to the head from behind.
"Thanks for the help!" Kisara called, trapped in a blade lock with Seti.
Ahmose spun around and retaliated, but Maahad narrowly managed to dodge. The blade only managed to catch a lock of Maahad's hair rather than striking him in the face as Ahmose intended. Meanwhile, Kisara and Seti's blades had broken apart, and the two were circling each other, gauging each other's next move.
"Hmph. Just about what I expected. At least the scroll-worm sort of knows what he's doing."
"They work decently together," I observed.
"Well, if it were me down there helping her, this fight would already be over. We've been fighting with each other for years." Then Seth's face pinkened, and he added, "That came out more negatively than I meant. What I meant was-"
"What are you talking about? I understand what you mean perfectly," I said. "You've perfected fighting as a team, correct?"
"Bah, never mind. Just keep watching the fight." He muttered something under his breath, of which I managed to catch, 'simple-minded jackal pup' and 'who in Sobek's name taught him social skills?'.
Seti was the first to break out of the cautious circling he and Kisara had been doing, and lunged, only to collide with Kisara's blade with a sharp clack and stagger backwards. It looked like the white-haired girl would be knocking him to the dirt any moment now.
Maahad wasn't doing as well, however. Ahmose had managed to strike him soundly in the chest, winding him, and kept beating him back with a flurry of strikes, which came so thick and fast Maahad was having a hard time parrying them.
"Kisara!" he called out in alarm.
"I'm… kind of occupied right now!" Kisara called back, shoving back against Seti's attempt at another blade lock.
"Pay attention to your opponent, demon-touched freak!" Seti snarled at her.
Maahad ducked under a strike from Ahmose. "Kisara!" He turned and ran, not even trying to parry Ahmose's attacks but rather just dodge them, just long enough to get to his teammate. With both hands he swung his sword over his head. However, he only managed to clip Seti across the ear.
To my surprise, though, that momentary distraction was all Kisara needed. The young girl pushed back against Seti's blade, twisting his blade arm, and Seti watched in alarm as his blade fell harmlessly to the dirt. He did try to retrieve his weapon, but Kisara was already upon him, striking him in the stomach, then the back, then the shoulder, then the knee.
"As you said," Kisara said with an unusual amount of venom for the normally quiet girl. "Pay attention to your opponent!"
She finished Seti with a sharp slap with the flat of the wooden blade, right in the middle of Seti's alarmed face. Dazed, Seti only tried feebly to get up before just lying there in the sand, panting in exhaustion.
That just left Ahmose, who, while alarmed at how handily his teammate had been defeated, raised his sword.
"Maahad, you go for him first."
"Wh-Why am I attacking first-?"
"Just follow my lead, okay? And remember what Kay showed you yesterday!"
Maahad took a breath. "...Alright." He shifted his grip on his sword and assumed the stance I had shown him. His foot placement was a little off, and he didn't seem to know what to do with his other arm (I guessed he was used to fighting with his staff, which was a two-handed weapon), but it was surprisingly well done for only a day or two of practice. "Ahmose, your opponent will be me!"
Ahmose grunted. "Done running away, priest's son?"
Maahad only answered by lunging at Ahmose, then pulling back - a fake-out.
"I thought you were going to stop running away!" Ahmose growled.
"Then attack me!" Maahad said, I assume trying to emulate Seth's cockiness, but the faint crack in his voice gave away how anxious he was. "I-I dare you!"
Ahmose snarled and then sprang, and Maahad was once again being met with more attacks than he knew how to parry. He somehow managed to avoid them, although Ahmose was again gaining ground on him.
Kisara sighed. "I said to keep him occupied, Maahad, not to be an idiot," she muttered.
A sharp clack echoed through the arena as Maahad and Ahmose locked blades. Maahad was shoving with as much strength as he could muster, but Ahmose was larger and stronger than him, and his strength was faltering. I found myself holding my breath, despite the fact both Kisara and Maahad were intended to be my rivals. If Kisara didn't step in with whatever plan she had soon-
Kisara was a pale blur, almost like a ghost, as she sprinted across the arena toward Ahmose. Ahmose was so focused on his relentless assault on Maahad that he didn't even realize she was there until Kisara ducked behind Ahmose and delivered a painful blow to the backs of Ahmose's knees.
Maahad jumped back in surprise, but he had the advantage that he already had backward momentum due to Ahmose shoving him back. Ahmose, who had been the one doing most of the pushing, wasn't so fortunate. The blow to his legs caused them to buckle under him, and his forward momentum meant he couldn't stop himself or dodge away like Maahad. He fell on his face in the dirt, inches from a wide-eyed, shocked Maahad.
Lord Aknamkanon stood and gestured toward Kisara and Maahad, who were different degrees of winded but the only people in the ring still on their feet. "The winners of this match are Kisara and Maahad!"
Seth was smiling slightly as he stood up from his seat. I couldn't help but be pleased as well, even though Maahad's swordsmanship was far from perfect. At the very least, I needed to warn him against taunting opponents he couldn't afford to.
"How… how did you know he would fall like that?" Maahad asked between breaths as Karim led them over to sit by Seth and me.
"I didn't," Kisara said calmly. "I just noticed that he fights like a raging bull - headfirst and relentless. Thanks for the help in deciding on a plan, though."
"You mean…hff… I was a test subject?"
"You gave me a great demonstration of his fighting style, yes, but that wasn't what I wanted. Why'd you go taunting him like that?"
"I… was emulating what you two fought like," Maahad said in embarrassment, pointing at Seth and me. "You're constantly going at each other when you spar, so I thought if I taunted him…"
"Seth and Kay can afford to be cocky and toss insults at each other, Maahad, they've been sword-fighting all their lives. You've had about a day of stance lessons," Kisara said with a sigh.
"Well, at least we won that time."
Maahad nodded. "At least."
We all watched a few more fights together. Seth and I discussed the different teams' fighting styles like before, but with Kisara sitting next to us we would get frequent interjections from her, too.
"I wonder who Mana's team is going to fight? Mana has much the same problem you do, Maahad, she's not used to fighting without magic," Kisara eventually said. Mana and Teana had been called away from the viewing balcony, meaning their fight was soon after this one. The current two teams were pushing and shoving each other all over the ring, pretty evenly matched.
"We have to hope this Teana girl is more proficient at combat than she looks."
As it turned out, she was. However, it wasn't with a sword that her ability shone, but rather, her legs. Almost like a dancer, she jumped around the arena, striking with her sword and adding a kick for good measure, before gracefully jumping away again.
Mana dodged blow after blow from her opponent but couldn't seem to land a hit in return. She did, however, manage to set him off-balance when he moved too far to the side trying to dodge one of her swings, and he crashed to the dirt.
"Not bad," Seth commented.
"Her stance has improved ever since I gave her those pointers. In the end, in a game like this, being able to keep your feet is everything."
It did help considerably that her two opponents didn't seem to get along with each other at all. Multiple times, one of them would "accidentally" attack his teammate instead of either girl they were fighting, and in the end, it was while they were arguing that Mana and Teana managed to put them both down, Teana with a kick to the back and Mana with a wild swing that managed to sweep her target off his feet.
"Our winners are Mana and Teana," Lord Aknamkanon announced. "Congratulations to both of you."
Mana jumped up and down, beaming, and threw her arms around Teana, who only looked surprised for a second before celebrating along with her teammate.
I felt a hand on my shoulder, and whirled around in alarm only to discover it was Karim.
"Are you Lord Kay and Lord Seth?" he asked.
"We are," Seth answered.
"Your fight is the one after the next. Lord Pharaoh has asked me to bring you down to enter the arena as soon as this next fight concludes. Please come with me."
"Good luck, Seth," Kisara said. Something unspoken seemed to pass between them, a moment broken when Kisara's face became more sly and she added, "And stay out of trouble without me, okay?"
"I wish you both the best of luck as well," Maahad said with a short bow.
Seth and I followed Karim out of the viewing balcony and into a dark staircase leading down into the arena.
"I'll repeat what I said earlier," Seth said. "Don't get in my way."
"I won't if you won't," I replied, before following Karim into the darkness.