Don’t you dare die on me, plotbunny!
Chapter 9
“I thought Pandora defeated him.” Malik spat. “Well?”
“He’s gone insane, Master Malik.” Rishid said respectfully. Malik tsked. One pawn reduced to a mindless wreck, and oddly enough, with the shadow magic.
But it didn’t seem … in fact, that magic of insanity seemed almost familiar, certainly not the Pharaoh’s Punishment Games. Oh, he’d observed the remnants of humanity, done his research. He knew his enemy’s touch.
This was not it. Some new player had entered the game?
Who? He knew that there was a Spirit of the Millennium Ring, and of course his sister had the Tauk, some other clan carried the Scales and Ankh…
The Eye, now about Pegasus… if the rumors were true the man had died after Duelist Kingdom. That left… nothing.
Who else was calling the shadows, then? And was this new force enemy or ally?
“Never you mind. I’ll deal with it myself.” Malik said. Soon, Pharaoh… I will make you suffer as I have suffered…
Millennium Rod in hand, although carefully concealed, Malik took off. The paths of fate had already changed…
Yami wasn’t supposed to lose to Pandora after all.
Mahaado watched his Pharaoh, sighing. Danger… well, he would help in which way he could, but sometimes, he felt like he was watching from inside of a mirror. Still…
I will never fail you, Pharaoh, never… and if he challenges you to a Shadow Game, so much the better!
He could feel the spells stirring… but first, he had to make a visit…
“Mahaado.” The voice that greeted his was courteous enough, he supposed, although the monster did not look overly happy. “What brings you to our realm?”
“Are you three planning on interfering in the current developments?”
Ra sniffed. “The boy has my card. He will not let me go easily, that I assure you. And I am powerless to stop him in duels.”
Obelisk also shrugged. “Kaiba owns me. Until the Pharaoh wins, I cannot go against him.”
Osiris stretched out. “I’m free as the wind, or at least relatively free for now, but I’ll be facing you in battle very soon, I sense…”
Mahaado inclined his head. “You are loyal to the Pharaoh as well.”
“Only because I’m his favorite monster, Magician. Not counting you, of course… he cares for you more. But what of it, and what care I? Not all of us were human once.”
“Indeed.”
“You are powerful, but your heart blinds you to his failings too often.” Ra sighed. “Does he deserve your love?”
“He is changing for the better.”
“We respect that, and until this metamorphosis is complete, he will not truly deserve us. We know his history, and we know how he may fall, but all that is changed now. Fate has spun a different skein for us.”
“We should thank you for that. We will not have to endure thievery in this life.”
“But until then, we will be vigilant in this realm, never fear.”
Mahaado nodded and took his leave. The three God Cards watched.
“Are you jealous?”
“Me? Jealous?” Ra asked. “Well, perhaps I am. I know Malik loves me, if such can be called love, but I am truly just a pawn.”
“It’s not like our Masters can sleep with us.”
“Obelisk!”
“Well, it’s true! Not that I’m sure I’d want him to…”
“That was a mental image I did not need.” Osiris huffed, than curled up to go to sleep. He’d be summoned soon, but until then. Zzz….
It was a Shadow Game. He knew as he watched the wisps of shadow curl about his form, watched as the possessed doll drew his cards, and no, it was more than just cards, for…
It was Ka, pure and simple, fueled by one’s Ba gauge, and when one’s Ba ran out, one died… but it mattered not now.
In the Shadow Realm, some rules didn’t count any more. That was evident as soon as the doll summoned Osiris straight out.
No formalities needed, he focused and felt the flash of his Magician’s smile, saw the form coalesce into sharp contrast, staff at the ready, brilliant green magic flickering around his form, purple heka of darkness and the green of illusions…
Magician of Illusion, Dark Magician, Black Magician… in the end, names did not matter as much as…
“Mahaado! Attack!”
Osiris was not surprised. However, the doll commanded Thunder Force, and so he responded, since his card was still in the hand of that… thing, and he watched as Hades Time-Space Portal – or Magic Cylinder, formed… absorbing his attack and firing it back, as Spell-Binding Circle locked around his waist and Thousand Knives appeared in the Magician’s hands.
The doll looked shocked, or perhaps Malik? Marik? Did, but it was no matter. He had no magic and trap cards in his hand, nothing but the life he was burning to keep this monster alive…
“How?!” The doll demanded, but it wasn’t his voice.
Yami’s smile was as brilliant as his Magician’s. “It looks like you never researched your ancestors thoroughly, Tomb-Keeper…”
Pity.
Oh, it wasn’t completely easy, a god card was still a god, and though the doll dropped down dead, life-force burned to a crisp, Yami knew that Malik must have sacrificed some other poor soul, for the battle continued on for a long time. But in the end, as the smoke and flames peeled away and he leant on his Magician for support, arms locked around the Mage’s waist, he was content.
In his hand, the card glittered. No, it wasn’t the same as the tablets they’d had, but did it matter the medium?
The best don’t need a card to summon a monster, need no Duel Disk or fancy accessories… and this he knew.
One down.
“What – how did he do that?” Malik fumed. The doll was worthless now, and so were several of his Ghouls, clearly dead. He’d been harnessing their power to continue Osiris’s attacks, and yet…
Somehow, that Dark Magician… there was something not normal about it.
Hadn’t the Pharaoh called it a name? Hmm…
Perhaps naming one’s monsters was the key?
No, there was more than that… but now Pandora was gone, so… what next? And then, the solution presented itself.
Perhaps that had been a fluke.
The Rod glowed in his hand, as he began searching for his next target. Seto Kaiba… yes, this would be interesting.
End Chapter
Completed 10/15/05
I’m lazy. No duel. Besides, not that it isn’t cool in the anime, but I don’t want to just copy it, y’know? I have some pride!
Mahaado: …
Phantomness: I’m a pathetic duelist, according to the GBA game.
Yami: *Sighs*