~Thousands of Years Ago~
The long house roared with dozens of different conversations, though that wasn't actually correct. The words being passed about weren't the spirited debates that one found in the open gardens or city squares of Athens or the like. No… people were bellowing out jokes, telling stories of grand battles, complaining about their wives (sometimes when said wife was right there beside them), or just screaming out random things because they were so deep into their mugs they had no idea they weren't making the grand statements that they thought they were.
Selene looked about the long house, a smirk playing on her face before she moved towards ale master and his counter. Behind him were many different casks and he moved amongst them with great skill, pouring out ale, mead, and beer. She spotted several wines as well but she wasn't interested in that at all. No… wine had been the drink of choice in Greece and Selene wanted to try something different.
"What can I get ya?" the ale master asked. He was a tall, stout man, with several deep scars upon his face and brown hair that had been tied bask so it didn't fall into his eyes. His hands were as thick as a seal's flipper but far more nimble, as he was able to snag mugs even as he looked at her without fumbling in the slightest.
"Something strong but sweet," Selene said with a smile. "I want you to send me off my feet, if you can." She doubted the ale master would be able to do that, thanks to her godly constitution, but sometimes one got lucky when it came to such things.
"Careful saying that in here," the man said with a grin, "as there are plenty of men here that would take that as an invitation."
Selene decided at once she liked this mortal. He wasn't being patronizing with his comments… just telling her information. Even if it were based on faulty information.
"Oh, they wouldn't survive me," she said and she wasn't merely being coy. For every tale of Zeus sleeping with some maiden in the form of a goose or a beam of light or the like and "blessing" them with one of his bastards there were thirty mortals who had been reduced to ashes thanks to the energies within the King of the Gods or been pounded so hard that their bodies had fallen apart, leaving them a gooey mess that mingled with Zeus' spilled seed.
Only certain mortals were strong enough to handle being with an immortal. Some could only handle being with a god or goddess once, the experience something they would never forget… and the memories were the only thing that they could have, as to attempt a second time with an immortal would kill them. Others could manage multiple times but found it draining, so that their entire existence became about gathering the energy to be able to continue on with the experience.
And then… there were those rare ones who were gods and goddesses waiting to be born. Whose bodies seemed ready to take the next step, shedding their mortal forms to join with the immortals. These were always the mortals that were most alluring to the gods, for they allowed them to taste the exotic fruit that was humanity but… better. They were stronger, faster, smarter, more attractive. Only a step below Demi Gods and, in many gods' opinion, far better for they were completely different and new from what they were used to.
'Such as my dear Endymion,' Selene thought to herself. "Now then, what do you have to drink for a woman looking to relax after a long voyager?"
"Got something really sweet for you, since I can tell you are all fire," the ale master said, pouring her a mug of a honey wine. "5 hacksilver."
With a nod Selene reached into the pouch on her belt and pulled out the coin needed, pressing it onto the counter and sliding it to the ale master. Endymion had warned her that if she truly wanted to live like a mortal she needed to actually pay for her food and drink. Couldn't just demand it for free and smite those that did not give into her desires.
She thought back to when she'd come to that decision…
"Have you allowed Dionysus to slip you something?" Endymion asked as they lay together in the King of Thebes' bed. It had been rather easy to slip in and defile the King's bedchamber, neither caring honestly what would happen to the servants when the King and Queen returned from their travels to Miletus to find the sheets stained with their fluids and stinking of their sweat. They had come to Thebes seeking the oracle and after Endymion had drained the old man of his magic, leaving him rather startled that he hadn't seen the attack coming, they had snuck into the palace and defiled the royal marital bed.
"No, I have not," she said with a roll of her eyes.
"We are trying to make me an immortal… why would you want to be mortal?" He paused, considering what he had just said. "Is this a role reversal thing? Like that time where you wanted me to wear the dress and you-"
She smacked his arm at that before resting her head on chest, running a long sharp nail along his nipple, delighting in how it hardened under her touch. "I don't want to be a mortal. I want to pretend to be a mortal."
"You've done that plenty of times. It is how we met."
She smiled at that, remembering how he had taken her game and turned it right back on her. Now had been such a fun delight…
Shaking her head to dismiss the memories, she said, "Soon my love you will be a god. And then we will be able to travel the universe together, exploring worlds and realms that even I have never encountered. Seeking out greater power for the both of us." She slowly began to suck on the flesh just below his neck, occasionally grabbing onto it with her teeth and pulling on it. "But that means that your mortal existence will be gone. And as much as you are loathed to admit it… that is what made you… you. I merely want to have a taste of that. To see what it is like to be one of you fragile little things."
"And it certainly isn't because you are bored," Endymion replied.
'The fact of the matter is… I am bored,' she admitted to herself as she wandered over to a table and sat down on a long bench, making sure to give herself a touch of space from the rowdy mortals around her but not so much that it would cause them to pay attention to her; she had learned in the last year or so that even doing all she could to avoid the gazes of the mortals that they naturally found themselves drawn to things that wished to be left alone. 'One could walk through a crowded city and not have a soul talk to you… but find a little quiet glen in the middle of a forest and suddenly everyone wanted to speak with you,' she thought to herself in amusement. 'If I were to sit in some dark corner all by myself then I would get a thousand glances and half of the men in this place would come wishing to speak to me. But sit down with only a few feet separating us and suddenly I am invisible.' She watched as one of the women actually made a point of not meeting her eyes. 'Or become a threat to their own wish to be invisible.'
She took a long drink from her mug and nodded in approval. It wasn't as strong as she would have liked but she knew that it was near impossible to find powerful wine and ales amongst the mortals. They simply lacked the ability. But the mead was very sweat and flowed down her throat in a wonderful fashion.
Selene had just been ready to rise up and get some more when Endymion sat down next to her, no mug in his hand.
"You succeeded?" she asked.
"I did," he said and she could hear the disappointment in his tone.
"Ah," she said. "Her strength was exaggerated?"
"Greatly," Endymion complained. "I had hoped for a fight… she threw water at me that wasn't even at boiling and mumbled some pathetic spells that had no hope of piercing my defenses." Out of any other mortal's mouth Selene would have found the arrogance of such a statement staggering. But coming from her Endymion the words were tinged with disappointment. He longed for a challenge… a fight… and more importantly POWER. "And when I claimed her magic she squealed the entire time, like a piglet trying to escape a farmer. Pathetic."
"You should have seen this coming," she chided him. "People of her ilk are always embellishing how strong they are. And besides… did you really think some grand mage was going to be found in a hut along some random shore? Or in a long house drinking some beer?" She nudged him with her elbow.
Endymion merely scoffed. "Seeing as I am currently not drinking anything your attempt at an insult has failed."
"But you knew it was about you and that is the entire point," she teased just as a man ran into the long house, panting hard.
"Aina!" the man screamed. "Someone has nearly done her in!"
"The woodwitch?" someone muttered to Selene's right while others began to talk as one.
"Come on lads! Lets go find the bastard that did this!" another shouted, hefting up a large club. That caused many of the men to raise and draw their weapons, and much to Selene's delight many of the women as well. She so did grow tired of people believing that just because they were the fairer sex that meant they were the weaker one as well.
"So," Selene said, standing up herself and draining the last few drops from her mug, "shall we join them in finding the monster that did this?"
"Would only be nice, considering that we are strangers here. Would be rather neighborly of us to do so." Endymion smiled, making no move to summon his staff and instead conjured a blade to appear at his side. The two Greeks rose up and blended in with the mob, shouting for vengeance for the wood witch that Endymion had tortured and maimed.
~Present day~
"Are you aware of the rules?" Crump asked. "I wouldn't want to be accused of cheating by preventing you from understand exactly what is going on here?"
"I have some idea," Selene stated, remembering how Noah had explained the Deck Master rules. She looked through her deck, as well as her side deck, to figure out what card would be her deck master. 'I've been using my Amazoness Deck during all of Battle City,' she thought, 'but there is a possibility that Noah has watched more of that then we realize. So he would know the strategies I have at play. I think returning to my Harpie Deck would be the better fit. I just… oh.'
A smile tugged on her lips as she noticed a card in her side deck. She remembered, as Mai, noticing the card and being half tempted to destroy it (and it still amused her to no end how annoyed her Mai half got with, well, herself). But in the end she hadn't and now Selene was rather glad that her human persona hadn't been able to bring herself to do the deed. Because the card was just… fitting.
"I will start," Crump's champion declared in his low, carefully measured voice. "I select Lightray Madoor as my deck master." It was a masked sorcerer, bare-chested and holding out his hands for a moment, forming a wall of crystals behind him before the entire thing shattered apart. The newly summoned deck master dropped his arms to his sides, bowing regally to Vencent, before moving to stand just behind him, ready to do as he commanded.
'That was a bit over the top and unneeded,' Selene thought only for her eyes to widen when she realized just how much like Edwin that comment had sounded. 'By Gaia he's rubbing off on me!' the goddess thought in bemusement. 'I can't wait to tell him!'
She knew many of her fellow immortals simply didn't understand her relationship with the mortal. They thought that the two of them were just a fling that was happening because of boredom and eventually they would break it off, Selene moving on to some new thing to hold her attention. But that was never going to be the case for her… Endymion was different. He stole the boredom that eternal life brought and returned it as adventure and excitement. And while Edwin was different from her love… he did the same thing too. Oh, he had this pesky fear of power, something that his past life would have scoffed at, and he was far too obsessed with Mai and not all of her… but that didn't matter to Selene.
He was HERS.
"And I will select the Maiden of the Moonlight as my Deck master!" Selene declared, thrusting out her hand. The figure looked at first to simply be an angel, but as one stared at her for a while they noticed things like the sharp fangs, the long nails on her hands, and her pointed ears. This was no sweet and soft angel that flittered about on clouds. "It is said that this was once a Harpie who pleased the goddess of the moon so greatly that she allowed her to ascend to the heavens to forever serve her. It is said… and known to me."
"Interesting," Vencent said.
"Still playing up this whole, 'I'm a goddess' thing, aren't you?" Crump stated.
"I am not, 'playing', mortal. I am… what I am. And you will learn very quickly that it was a grave mistake to challenge me."
"That is what your kind always says," Crump stated with a scoff. "But they fail before me and others like me all the time."
Vencent drew his cards, holding one up before Selene could counter Crump's comment. "I will start by sending one White Sardine from my hand to the graveyard in order to special summon one to the field." The tiny little white fish appeared on the field, wiggling its tail back and forth. "Next I will target that White Sardine with my White Sunfish, allowing me first to summon the White Sunfish to the field…" The new monster was a large, a flat thing, with a single sharp tooth in is tiny, almost goofy looking mouth. "And then I can summon my discarded White Sardine to the field in defense mode and turn it into a tuner." The first White Sardine appeared on the field along with its brother, all three fish swimming through the air. "And I will set this card… and end my turn."
Selene considered her options. 'Already loading up the field and with that tuner he must be preparing for a syncro summon. I'll need to keep an eye on that. But I should still be able to disrupt some of his plans soon enough. The way he was able to get three monsters out, all special summons too, it's interesting.' She tapped a finger against her chin as she considered all the possible strategies that Vencent might be considering. 'I don't know much about the White archtype but its clear that it uses small monsters to set up summoning big ones. Is it just syncro summons or will he perform some other summons, like tribute or fusion?'
She looked at Lightray Madoor.
'But his Deck Master is what truly worries me. I have no idea what that thing can do… and I don't like that its just sitting there, clearly waiting for something to happen. Until I know its affect I have to play this entire duel under the assumption that he is getting ready to unleash something nasty.'
Of course… Selene was able to duel just as nasty as the rest of them.
"I'll start by discarding my Harpie's Queen from my hand to the graveyard in order to add one Harpie's Hunting Ground from my deck to my hand, which I will then activate!" She slapped the card down onto the field and the frigid mountains with their deep snows and dark cloudy skies disappeared. At once she, Vencent, and Crump found themselves on a flat dusty plain, high steep mountains on either side of them forming a box canyon. In the shadows of the cliffs Selene spotted the harpies ducking in and out of their carved out roosts, watching the newcomers and wondering if they would make a delightful snack. She merely narrowed her eyes and then smirked when one of the harpies that had been a bit too slow in darting out of view stiffened before hurrying off, understanding that it wouldn't end well for any of them if they dared to try and harm the Titan.
Vencent though was unimpressed. "I have… heard of this field spell before. There are risks to me, yes… but also risks to you. It is a gamble."
"It is," Selene admitted. "But one I can more than easily manage. Next I'll summon my Harpie Channeler!"
She could almost hear Edwin chuckling as the Harpie appeared on the field. Hear him saying "That is a self insert if I ever saw one. At the minimum it's a OC. A red-haired, black winged harpie who just so happens to be connected directly with the Harpie's Pet Dragon and who can wield magic? All she needs, Selene, is for her to have two different colored eyes and the entire thing would be complete!"
Selene let out a soft chuckle before focusing on the duel at hand. "Now then, when a Harpie is summoned… well, you said you knew of the Harpie's Hunting Ground so you should know what is about to happen."
The Harpie Channeler suddenly leapt into the air, giving out a shriek that caused several more harpies to descend onto the field, tearing Vencent's downface card, which was revealed to be White Arbitration, into pieces.
"Next I will discard Harpies Lady 1 from my hand in order to special summon Harpie Perfumer." This harpie, which looked like a brilliant bird of paradise with her bright green wings that faded into a deco blue, and head was topped with pinkish purple hair, appearing in a swirl of aroma fumes. Selene was pretty sure that Perfumer was Pegasus' way of mocking her for her actions during Duelist Kingdom but honestly she couldn't bring herself to care too much as the card was a rather decent one.
"But," Vencent stated, "now we see the danger of your Harpie Hunting Ground. Because, of course," he chuckled softly, "a spell or trap card must be destroyed and you only have one on the field."
Selene merely nodded as the card shattered into a thousand pieces. "That's true. But it served its purpose. And a Harpie is not restrained in where it hunts by a single box canyon. Now then… when Perfumer is summoned I am able to select one Spell or Trap card from my deck and add it to my hand, so long as it is connected to the Harpie Lady Sisters." She took out her deck and, after a moment, selected a card. "And they do say that no girl can go about without her trusty mirror."
Suddenly a great wall made of mirror glass rocketed up right behind her but was truly interesting was that the only reflections within its surface were the Harpies. Not Vencent's White Monsters nor her, Crump, or her opponent. Just the Harpies, the reflections shifting in time with their physical counterparts.
"And now… I think I will take a page out of your book!" Selene declared.
"My… what?" Vencent said in surprise as Perfumer suddenly transformed into a ring of light, rocketing up into the air.
"How… how can you do that?" Crump demanded. "Neither of your monsters is a tuner!"
"That might be the case… except when I Syncro Summon this particular monster it automatically turns one of my Harpies into a Tuner. A handy little trick, I must admit." Her Harpie Channeler launched herself skyward, turning into a beam of light that entered into the ring. "And now I Syncro Summon my Cyber Slash Harpie Lady!" The new harpie, with pink hair and purple wings, was an upgrade from the Cyber Harpie Lady she had summoned during Duelist Kingdom, which was easy to see right away what with the golden armor she wore to signify her higher ranking in the flock of Harpies. She lifted up her hand, showing off the golden talons that adorned her fingers, a smirk playing on her lips.
"I see that you are continuing your normal strategy of summoning whatever scantily clad creature you can in order to distract us" Crump stated with a shake of his head. "But it won't work on either of us. Vencent is utterly committed to helping me and I have no interest in such things."
'So I've heard,' Selene thought with a bit of disgust. 'Edwin has also mentioned the rumors concerning you, Crump.' She shook her head though, refusing to focus on trivial matters such as that when she had far more important work to do… namely defeating Vencent and ensuring the disgusting plump man never had a chance to claim her body. "Now then, Cyber Slash Harpie Lady, destroy his White Sunfish!"
The Harpie merely nodded before rushing forward, easily spearing the fish on her talons before she ripped her hand out of its blubbery form, causing the fish to shatter into a billion pieces. Selene would have preferred it if it had been in attack mode but it still allowed her to eliminate a threat.
"And finally, as I end my turn, I gain 200 life points thanks to my Maiden of Moonlight's Deck Master ability!" (Selene-4200)
The goddess was pleased with how her turn had gone. She had managed to bring out a powerful monster, destroy one of Vencent's monsters, and get her Alluring Mirror Split on the field; that in particular was going to cause Vencent a lot of problems soon enough.
'Things are looking good… but this was only the first turn. I'm not going to assume for a second that I already have this won!'
~MC~MC~MC~
Rex was used to being overlooked.
On his 8th birthday his father, Steg, had discovered one of the largest maiasaur skeletons ever on record, at once becoming the toast of the archeology world. It had been all his family had been able to talk about, even as his father had tried desperately to get everyone to focus on his son.
Him receiving the top academic ranking at his school had been overshadowed by his sister Ptera receiving her letter from Harvard in the States, informing her that she had been accepted.
The day he had qualified for the Intercontinental Championship had nearly been his and his alone… until the call had come in that his cousin Tyranno had been injured in a rockslide during a dig there; he had been 'helping' to uncover a fossil, which had mostly involved the young boy brushing away dirt from sections that were of no risk of damage, only for the stone he was working on to give way in a freak accident. It was why none of his family had been able to attend the Championship match… and while he would NEVER look for an excuse to wave away a loss, his mind hadn't been fully on the match, worried about his baby cousin.
'And that jerk Noah doesn't even see fit to put me in his Virtual World Trap!' Rex thought in annoyance, looking about the room he was in.
When he had awoken he had expected, based on Chaos' comments, that he'd be in a jungle or a medieval village, or something like that. A place where he would have to be on the ready to fight against whatever dangers Noah threw at him in order to soften him up before the Big 5 attempted to steal his body.
But instead he'd found himself in a cell.
Literally a cell.
Like in a cop show. With bars and the bench you also slept on and the little toilet off to the side. A cement and steel cell.
To say that Rex was disappointed was an understatement.
He'd spent some time trying to get Noah to answer him and explain what was going on but the little brat had utterly ignored him. Then he'd tried to figure out a way to escape but not found much when it came to that. He knew how to pick locks, sure, but he wasn't sure he'd be able to do it backwards.
'I can't help but feeling a bit annoyed that he doesn't see me as worthy of taking over,' he thought bitterly as he took out his deck for the tenth time and decided to browse through the cards. At the very least he'd been allowed to hold onto his duel disc, so he didn't have to worry about Noah or the Big 5 stealing his cards. That would have been a major annoyance and-
Rex froze.
"My duel disc," he whispered, looking at the device… and focusing his thoughts on it becoming a simple bracelet. After a moment the thing shrank down, twisting into a plain silver ring. "Memory metal!" he exclaimed with a laugh. "Thank you Edwin you beautiful bastard!" He couldn't believe he had forgotten Edwin giving all of them Duel Bands during the time they had been on the Broken Symmetry (and he found it odd that despite knowing they had been on that ship for a VERY long time his mind kept slipping past all that and returning to the tournament; even at that moment he felt the urge not to focus on it, seeing it as not anything he really needed to care about). But the fact was that he had remembered… and focusing on it he turned the entire thing into a wrist-mounted chainsaw.
Slipping on some gloves he kept in his pocket and tugging his stocking cap over his face (to protect himself from any sparks) he press the saw against the bars before activating it with a thought, the air feeling with the screech of metal being chewed up.
It took roughly 10 minutes but he was able to remove enough bars to allow him to easily slip out of the cell. He looked back and huffed before making his way to the door…
…only to blink when it opened and Brom Bones stepped inside.
"Ah, another escapee," the large duelist said with a smile. "I have been looking for the others… I managed to get the keys to the cells but you were able to escape pretty easily."
Rex bit down on the annoyance that the last 10 minutes had ended up being for nothing and instead focused on Brom. "So, the Big 5 didn't take an interest in you either?"
"Don't sound too upset over that," Brom stated.
"Yeah yeah," Rex muttered. "Be glad that the bastards aren't tryin' to steal my body, right? Can't help but feel a bit insulted however that they aren't interested in me. See you and me as small potatoes when they got Pegasus, Kaiba, Chaos, and Yugi."
"I don't think that is the reason why we were not selected," Brom stated.
"What do you mean?"
"I have gotten the sense that they have taken into the virtual world two different types of duelists; those that stood against them when last entering the virtual world, and those they see as weaklings."
"Wait, really?" Rex said surprised.
"I came upon a monitoring station and was able to see some of the people in this fortress who have not been placed in the virtual world pods. They include Yuri and Renard… as well as Yugi Muto."
"They didn't take Yugi?" Rex said, surprised.
"But they did take Serenity Wheeler, for example," he pointed out. "I have the feeling that they are more interested in getting their revenge and seeking out easier prey. And we are neither."
"Huh." Rex mulled that over.
And then he smirked.
"Feel like making life hell on them for leaving us out?"
Brom grinned sharply.
~MC~MC~MC~
Mokuba glowered at Noah. "You aren't going to get away with this, you know."
His captor continued to watch the different screens, keeping an eye on all that was happening in the virtual world. Mokuba, his small cell in the back of Noah's control room lair, could see that Joey and Koyo had managed to find one another and were currently moving through a city. Tea and Tristan had been captured, as had Pegasus and Serenity; both twosomes, at the very least, didn't look injured so Mokuba was counting that as a plus. His brother was still trapped as a toy dog and was hurrying to get back to him but Mokuba could also tell that Seto was terribly lost; the run after the toy puppy dog that he'd thought had been Mokuba had been such a weaving mess that Seto clearly had become utterly confused. He didn't see Edwin and he hoped that meant the man was working on some daring escape attempt, and currently Mai was dueling against Vencent with Crump watching on.
"I think I already have," Noah pointed out. "Your friends are now trapped in this world, Mokuba. Same as you."
"And Joey and Koyo have already defeated Neizbit and Gangsley!" Mokuba declared. "And I don't think the rest of the Big 5 are going to be able to take out the others!"
"Perhaps… but I still have not dueled, Mokuba… and let me assure you that I aim to win."
"And then what?" Mokuba charged. "Try and live our lives? People will notice… you aren't that good of an actor, Noah."
"How could you ever know though?" Noah taunted. "I could be acting right now."
Mokuba though rolled his eyes. "My brother and I had to hide what we were doing right under your father's nose. I spend a third of my week with Edwin who never met a lie he didn't enjoy. Sometimes I swear he does it just to see if anyone will call him out on it!"
~Three Weeks Earlier~
"Are you sure you two didn't eat the donuts in the breakroom?" Caesar asked.
Mokuba and Edwin, their mouths covered in chocolate, shook their heads. "Frankly I am offended you think that! Its because I'm French, isn't it?"
"What?"
"You think I stole those donuts because I'm a quarter French!" Edwin stuck his nose up in the air. "Well, I don't have to take this bigotry!"
"I'm… I'm sorry!" Caesar exclaimed, horrified. "Really, I am. Shouldn't have thought that about you."
"Apology accepted. Though I don't know if my heart will ever get over this betrayal. Come along, Mokuba." He pressed a hand to his forehead and began to walk away.
"He's German, English, and Dutch, by the way!" Cassie called out.
Caesar slowly turned to glare at Edwin.
Edwin… grabbed a bottle of creamer and threw it to the ground, causing it to explode. "SCATTER!" he screamed, Mokuba laughing as Edwin picked him up and ran out of the room.
~MC~MC~MC~
"So I've gotten pretty good at reading people and you Noah? You are a shit actor."
Noah clicked his tongue at that. "Such language!"
"Again, I spend a ton of time with Edwin. I love him but every other word out of his mouth is 'fuck' some days."
Noah scoffed at that. "I got that sense… still, it doesn't matter. I will be able to manage just fine. I am still undecided on which one of you I will be claiming as my new body… though I should warn you that you are in the running and annoying me will only make you a more desirable choice."
Mokuba merely glared at Noah though. "You'd have to beat me in a duel, Noah, and I won't let you win easily."
"Bold words! I see you take after your brother in at least one way."
"In another as well: you are going to pay for all of this, Noah."
"Now now, don't make threats you can't keep." Noah looked back to the monitors, leaving Mokbua to stew over his situation.
'I can't do anything in this cage,' he thought darkly. The entire structure was barely 2 feet wide, meaning he could just turn in a circle or sit down with his knees pressed to his chest. That was about it. 'I'm not going to get out of this by breaking out on my own. I'm going to have to find some way to trick Noah into do that. Of course… how I get him to do that is the question…' Mokuba looked around the room but didn't see much to work with. 'Just us, the screens and… oh.'
Mokuba smirked.
'Noah himself,' he thought as a plan began to form in his head. It would be one that would make Edwin proud: turning an enemy against themselves.
Carefully making sure he didn't overplay it, as he knew that if he put too much slyness or mockery into his words that it would cause Noah to smell a rat, Mokuba pressed his face against his knees and muttered in an angered tone, "So, I guess you'll be trying to take my body then."
"I have considered it," Noah stated. "You are younger than Seto's when he stole KaibaCorp from me. It would be the perfect twisting of the knife for me to do FAR more than he ever did at a younger age."
Mokuba though huffed at that. "More likely you just need that time to get caught up."
"And what does that mean?" Noah said slowly, turning in his floating chair so he could stare at Mokuba.
The boy did his hardest not to smile; while sometimes being arrogant and cocky and mocking your foe worked to put self doubt in them he'd learned from Edwin that just as often coating a lie with a shell of disinterest worked just as well. If someone thought you were trying to engage them then they would be looking for the trick. But make them believe that they were the one doing the prying? Then they fell right into your trap without you needing to do much at all.
"Exactly what I said," Mokuba said bitterly. "You need me because I'm the youngest and people won't question you not knowing anything."
Noah let out a scoff at that. "I know plenty. I was born to run KaibaCorp."
"And my big brother had to spend all his time, from before the sun rose to well after it set studying just to be given an impossible task by our stepfather!" Mokuba snapped, letting some of his natural pride in all Seto had done for that leak into his voice. "I did a fraction of what he did and it was torture… that is how he became the success he is! The only way you are going to be able to even come close to matching him is by taking my body; then no one will notice your lack of knowledge."
"I think you are gravely over estimating just how much Seto knows," Noah taunted. "And underestimating how much knowledge I hold."
"I think that people that shout they know everything are the biggest idiots in the world."
That made Noah grit his teeth together. "I know far more-" He caught himself, realizing what he was doing, and for a moment Mokuba worried he'd pushed too far. But then Noah narrowed his eyes and continued on. "I have been preparing to take over KaibaCorp for hundreds of years in this Virtual World, Mokuba. In here I have been able to study every move that Seto made, as well as my father's actions. Seen how they affected the company… affected the world. I have run simulations on them, seeing how variations could have affected the stock prices and the like." He wagged his finger. "I assure you, I would never have blundered like Seto did and allow KaibaCorp to nearly be taken over by Pegasus… or that fool Edwin Chaos."
Noah was clearly feeling like he was on more stable ground. His smile had returned and his body had become less rigid. But he had no idea that he'd walked out of one trap, his lack of knowledge when it came to the technical side, and right into another.
Mokuba merely looked up at Noah let out a huff. "You would have fallen into the exact same trap."
"Now you're just being petulant."
"And you're blind if you think you can control the Big 5 out there like you do in here!" Mokuba snapped. "They will use that you are a child against you… they won't make the mistake Gozaburo did and think just because you're young and in my body that you aren't a threat. They will cage you up and use you as a puppet because that is EXACTLY what they did to me!"
"And you were captured because you are, quite frankly, very stupid." Noah tittered at that.
But Mokuba pressed on. "Alright then, maybe you do manage to avoid being held by the Big 5. But people are going to notice I am suddenly different, Noah. And they aren't going to like how you handle things. When you can't explain what happened to Edwin or Yugi they are going to realize that something is wrong."
"I'll give them a good enough excuse and they'll be on their merry way."
"People aren't NPCs, Noah. They are irrational beings who act in ways no one can predict. And you are going to be wearing a face they know and acting different… and you won't be able to yell and scream them into obeying. They will realize something is wrong and they will tear you apart."
"Then perhaps I'll take Seto's body then," Noah snapped.
"And then you'll reveal you don't know a third of what he does."
"I know-"
"You know how to run a business, sure. But you have no idea how to manage it. Seto knows he isn't great with interpersonal stuff but he works to learn and know who he can trust to help him out. You will have half the staff quit in a week because you can't just shove them in a cage like you have me." Mokuba lifted his head defiantly. "Its not going to work. You try and steal one of our lives and you will only hold onto KaibaCorp for a few months at most because it all comes crashing down."
Noah… turned away from him.
"I don't have time to indulge you in your blathering, Mokuba. I have other important matters to see too.
'In other words,' Mokuba thought as he once more sunk down, careful not to smile, as he knew Noah had cameras everywhere, 'you don't have a good answer. I managed to leave you with a puzzle you don't know how to solve… and that is now the weakness in your armor. I am going to break you down Noah and eventually you'll make a mistake. And when you do… I'll be there to make you pay for what you've done to me, my friends, and my brother!'
~MC~MC~MC~
Omake 1
(Based on an idea I had for the ending of Chaos Effect… but would never go with)
Tea could only watch as Edwin walked along the deserted street, his steps never wavering as he moved towards the looming monster that towered far above him. But for as much as he tried to make himself look confident she knew… she knew he was terrified. She knew her brother well and knew that he wanted to run away. He had always wanted to run away. From Pegasus. From Marik. From Dartz. And now especially Zorc. He wanted to avoid that fight, to flee that fight, to make it so that he was so far away he didn't ever have to worry about it again.
But… he also knew… that if he did that someone else would have to fight. And that was something that Edwin could never live with.
So he walked towards Zorc, even if it meant not just his death but his complete eradication from all of existence. To die and be forgotten-
'No,' she thought to herself, standing up despite her own terror. 'He… will never be forgotten. And even if I can't stand with him… I'll make sure he isn't alone.' She squeezed Edwin's phone, the one he had tossed to her before he had moved towards Zorc, to be the distraction that might buy the Pharaoh a chance…
…and she heard the music begin to play, Tea knowing at once what she needed to do.
"Rest now… my warrior. Rest now, your hardship is over…"
"Live," Mai began to sing, standing up next to Tea, joining in, "Wake up. Wake up."
And then… everyone began to sing.
"And let the cloak of life cling to your bones. Cling to your bones."
Every person that had followed them into the Memory World. Every person that they found there. From the most simple peasant to the last remaining members of the Pharaoh's court… all of them began to sing as one. Even if they had no idea who Edwin was, or only knew him as Endymion, the terror of Greece… they sang for him at that moment. The Man… facing a God.
"Can you hear them?" Edwin asked, tilting his head even as he looked up at Zorc. "All these people who lived in terror of you and your… judgment." He said the word with such mockery, such derision… he crammed every pound and ounce of belittlement he could into that single word. "All these people whose ancestors devoted themselves-" he shook his head, correcting himself, "-sacrificed themselves… to you…" And now he began to smile. "Can you hear them singing?"
"Live. Wake up."
"Oh… you like to think you're a god. But… you're not a god." Edwin began to slowly pace back and forth, shaking his head as Zorc continued to stare down at him. "You're just a parasite. Eaten out with jealous, envy, and longing for the lives of others. You feed on them." He sneered, glaring at Zorc as if he were some foolish child that had suddenly shouted out to a master that he knew better. "On the memory of love, and loss, and birth, and death, and joy, and sorrow…so…"
Edwin paused.
Zorc growled.
"So…come on then. Take mine." Zorc blinked at that, clearing not having expected that response, but Edwin's glower never faltered. "Take. My. Memories. But I hope you've got a big appetite. Because I have-"
Zorc thrust out his hand and a tendril of Shadow Realm magic impaled Edwin right through the chest, causing him to go rigid.
"-lived," he managed to get out, "a LONG life, and I have seen… a few things."
Zorc willed Edwin up into the air, the American's body hovering as he began to draw upon his memories.
Edwin gave him the full meal.
"I walked away from the last Multiverse War. I marked the passing of Atlantis. I saw the birth of the universe and I watched as time ran out." He swallowed at that, gathering himself. "Moment by moment, until NOTHING remained — no time. No space. Just… me." He shook his head. "I walked in universes where the laws of physics were devised by the mind of a mad man.
"And I've watched universes freeze, and creation burn. I have seen things you wouldn't believe. And I have l-lost-" A tear rolled down his cheek, "things you… will never understand." He squeezed his eyes shut, gathering himself before, just as suddenly, his confidence exploded again, his face twisting into mockery. "And I know things. Secrets that must never be told. Knowledge that must NEVER be spoken."
Zorc stared down at him, clearly trying to drain the hidden wisdom he held, only for Edwin to thunder out so loudly and so forcefully the god of evil took a step back.
"Knowledge that will make parasite gods BLAZE!" He threw his arms out wide, daring Zorc to continue. "SO *COME* ON, THEN! TAKE IT! TAKE IT ALL, BABY! HAVE IT! YOU HAVE IT ALL!"
OMAKE 2
Chaosverse
Written By GarnettFox
"I'm sure your all wondering why I brought you here." The sole unmasked man said sat at the head of the table where almost a dozen others, each wearing animal masks, were sat.
"...I'm more wondering why your making us wear these things if you wanted us all to meet." Snarked the woman in the fox mask having a faint British accent, the girl with the dragon mask next to her raised her hand.
"Especially when I'm pretty sure me and fox mask here know each other"
"I have my reasons." The man sighed, leaning back in his chair, "Do any of you know about Miraculous and the situation in Paris?"
The man in the rabbit mask slowly nodded his head, "Yes, the situation in Paris has caused….quite a commotion." He picked his words carefully, "France has been doing all it can to keep the city afloat while it bleeds money without tourists and the populace are emotionally tormented by a….." The man sighed "Magic, emotion terrorist. I'm afraid, I do not know what a 'Miraculous' is if you don't mean it as an adjective Ceil."
Ceil smiled "A Miraculous is the object of power that grants Ladybug, Cat Noir and others their powers, a Miraculous can take the form of ….Any jewelery that can be worn by a person….A ring, A necklace, a brooch….a pair of cuff links." He smirked adjusting his sleeve, letting the two circular cufflinks, sliver and inlaid with onyx crescent moons, catch everyone's eyes.
"...I'm assuming you didn't call us here to brag." The snake masked man with an Australian accent guessed Ceil chuckling.
"Nope, I wanted to introduce you to….a little friend connected to my Miraculous. Howwl. Come greet our friends."
Ceil leaned back and from the Breast pocket of his suit-a little creature emerged. It was roughly humanoid, with an overly large head and eyes that gave it an innocent, almost child like appearance. The body was brown and grey and appeared to be furred with small pointed ears and a dog like tail. "Uhrm….Hello. I'm Howwl." The creature said shyly "I'm a Kwami, the Wolf Kwami of Companionship. I'm the one that gives the Miraculous it's power….Are….Are you really….Friends?"
At the first nod he got the Kwami let out a howl zipping through the air person to person nuzzling against them barking happily.
"I found Howwl by accident, sealed in a puzzle box that was meant to be impossible. Thankfully, over the years parts of the mechanics had deteriorated and allowed me to crack it open. And give Howwl his freedom." Ceil explained, "Howwl being the Kwami of 'Companionship' grants the power 'Pack Tactics' allowing me to create a copy of a Miraculous and deputize someone with it's power for 24 hours."
"Holy shit that's strong." an older man with a turtle mask noted as Howwl nuzzled against the mask. "...And that's why the little guy was locked up wasn't it?"
Howwl whimpered, his ears going flat and tail tucking. "It was Tikki and Plagg. Creation and destruction….they thought my power was to easily abused. They whispered in the ears of the Order of Guardians. They were meant to protect us, protect me…..But they took me, ordered me to stay in the box with my Miraculous and sealed me away." The Kwami sobbed "I….I-I am the god of Companionship, of friends and family….a-and they threw me away…..My fellow Kwami….my family….they sealed me away in the dark all alone because they were scared….."
"Aww, come here little guy." Dragon mask cooed opening her arms and letting Howwl cuddle into her chest. "We're your family now Howwl, we'll never let that happen again."
"Funny that they feared Howwl being able to copy their powers, when Tikki and Plagg are the keys to this universe's destruction." Ceil noted. "The situation in Paris is solely because of them, because when the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous's are put together, they give one the ability to erase this universe, and create a new one conforming to their wishes, with only active Miraculous users spared and aware that the change even happened." Ceil smirked.
"...You brought us here, because you have plans to take that power for yourself." Rabbit mask noticed Ceil nodded.
"Quite astute Rabbit. Yes. I plan on granting mine, and the wishes of every other person in this room. I understand if you have, moral objections to it, if you wish to walk out of the room. Do so now, and there will be no ill will. Turn on me after this point, and you will *wish* that I would be kind and grant a swift death."
No one moved.
"Fox, the first stage of the plan is yours."
"Mine?" The girl seemed surprised.
"Ladybug has allowed three Miraculous's to be used other then hers and Cats. The Bee, Turtle and Fox. The Bee is already off the board, as the girl revealed her identity and was told she'd never be trusted with it again. The Turtle, it would be nice to have, but the success of the plan relies on the Fox. Howwl, Full Moon." Ceil stood as Howwl was pulled into the cufflinks glowing as he transformed. A full face wolf mask and a wolf pelt over his shoulder giving him a savage appearance, while the suit that still remained…tamed his a little. A civilized man giving into savage desire, or a savage beast adapting to civilized society, hard to say.
"Oh that is cool." Snake mask said a little in awe as Ceil bowed his head.
"Like this, you may call me, Fenrir. Pack Tactics." He cupped his hand as the cufflinks glowed, and from the claw tipped gloves a fox tailed necklace dropped "This, is a replica of the Fox Miraculous granting the power of illusions. I have booked you a room in Paris at a hotel that has been a hotspot for Akumas. You will go, watch and wait till Rena Rouge the Fox hero is called on. Then, use your fake miraculous's power to watch and observe her, find out her identity, where she lives, everything you can."
Fox delicately took the necklace. "To steal the Miraculous?"
"Oh no, to kidnap her." Fenrir said bluntly. "Then spill all her secrets and habits, and you'll use more copys of the Fox Miraculous to be her, to be the perfect hero till Ladybug calls on you again and gives you the real Miraculous. From there we'll reassess our position to determine the best course of action for phase two. Howwl New Moon." Ceil appeared again as normal, Howwl making grabby paws at him till he pulled out a cookie for the Kwami to munch on.
"And you'll keep your promise, right?" The little god asked with a mouth full of chocolate chip "That once you made the wish and your happy, that we'll do to Tikki and Plagg what they did to me right?"
Ceil smiled allowing Howwl to sit in his hand as he ate "Oh Howwl, I promise their punishment, will be a thousand times worse."
Introducing, Ceil LeLoupe AKA Fenrir the Wolf Antivillain Chaos of Earth 1915