Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Seth's Magical Adventure! ❯ The trio of Priestly... dancers? ( Chapter 3 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Kazuki Takahashi does. I tried to buy Mahaado, but Takahashi said $5 wasn't enough.

 

At the palace, the three remaining priests, along with the pharaoh, had gathered in the audience chamber to begin a nightly court that was forced to take place. As Atemu sat, he looked around and saw that not only was Mahaado and Karim gone, but Seth was also missing. He blinked. He remembered telling Mahaado to leave and find Sith, but why was Seth gone? Atemu leaned towards Siamun.

 

“Siamun, where is Priest Seth?” Atemu whispered, as Shaddah and Isis nervously shuffled around. Akunadin was also glancing around to see where Seth was, and he had a cross look on his face. Obviously, he wanted to yell at whoever had neglected a direct order from the pharaoh. Siamun tilted his head, and then snapped his fingers.

 

“I don't know, great king,” Siamun replied in his usual cheery tone, “He did look worried at dinner, and then he rushed right to his room. I don't think he's feeling well.” Atemu closed his eyes and nodded as a guard walked in.

 

“Pharaoh, shall I open the court?” he asked, setting his spear upright. Atemu opened one eye and shook his head.

 

“No, not until Priest Seth is here,” Atemu replied, “Priests Mahaado and Karim won't be joining us. Please go and make sure Seth is all right.” The guard nodded, picked up his spear, and ran out of the room quickly. Atemu looked around again, and felt very empty as he looked through the audience chamber. With two priests missing, along with Seth's absence and Sith's journey, everything felt that much emptier. By now, he'd be asking Sith to put her weapon away, and he started to miss that a bit. But the sound of many guards running in snapped Atemu from his thoughts.

 

“Pharaoh!” they yelled, all crowding into the room, “Priest Seth isn't in his room! He isn't in the palace at all!” Atemu gasped and stood up, his cape ruffling from the speed at which he moved.

 

“What!? What do you mean, `he's not in the palace!?” Atemu demanded, “Where is he?” Shaddah and Isis started to inch away, as they knew exactly where Seth had gone to. Or at least they had an inkling.

 

“We're not sure, sir! We're asking the guards in the city to look for him, but nothing's shown up yet,” one of the guards replied dutifully, “But we'll find him, even if it takes all night.” Atemu sighed and sat down. As the guards continued to talk to him, both Isis and Shaddah decided to just walk through the door, hoping no one would see them. Unfortunately, they forgot all about Akunadin, and he spotted them immediately.

 

“Where are you two going!?” he called, causing Shaddah to jump. Isis turned slowly, hoping she could pull off a lie.

 

“We're going to find Priest Seth for you,” she answered nervously. At the same time, Shaddah had gotten up and yelled, “It's too late! They know! Just run, Isis!” With that, he grabbed Isis by the wrist and pulled the poor priestess out of the audience chamber and down the stairs, not caring if he scared the servants, guards, or anyone else who happened to get in the way. Along the way, they happened to pass a young blonde boy who was practicing a healing spell. He snapped around as he saw Isis.

 

“Sister, where are you going!?” he called, but got no response as guards came out of the audience chamber and were rushing towards the two. The boy screamed and jumped off the banister, landing on a small crowd of people below.

 

“Come back here!” the guards kept saying, but it slowed neither priest down as they continued to run out. Even Atemu's voice carried through the entire palace as he ordered Shaddah back, but it was to no avail. Finally, though, one loud screech echoed throughout the palace, and everyone felt the pharaoh's fury with that one scream.

 

“HOW DARE YOU TWO LEAVE MY CHAMBERS LIKE THAT!”

 

---

 

Meanwhile, Seth, Mahaado, and Karim were riding through the desert, leaving the lights of the city gates and not caring to turn back. So far, they managed to just get out of the city, but now was the hard part. They had to find Sith, and she could be anywhere. But aside from the swirling sands near the gate, the desert was relatively calm, and very quiet. Karim slowed down a little, as he pulled alongside Mahaado.

 

“The desert seems calmer than usual,” Karim observed, glancing toward the side, “Should that make us worry?” Mahaado bit his lip and hesitated to answer.

 

“I'm not sure. The sand looked sure to kick off, but it died down only a minute ago,” Mahaado replied, and shivered, “Also, I feel as though some mighty force is digging my grave. As though we've angered someone very important by being here.” Karim arched a concerned eyebrow, but Seth snorted with disapproval.

 

“Oh please. It's just nerves, you two,” Seth stated, rolling his eyes as they continued through the sand, “As for the sandstorm, I say we just count our blessings. It'll be so much easier to see landmarks without all that swirling sand to block our view.” Mahaado and Karim looked at one another again, then seemed to think it best not to argue with Seth. At least not for now. So, for a short while, they trotted on with little distraction. That is, until Seth reached into one of the saddlebags, cursed, and then reached into another. Obviously, he was looking for something. When he didn't find it, he turned to Mahaado.

 

“I'm thirsty,” Seth said, frowning, “Give me some of your water.” Mahaado blinked, and stopped abruptly.

 

“What do you mean, my water?” Mahaado asked slowly, “I don't have any water either. I didn't pack the food.” Seth turned sharply to Karim.

 

“Please tell me you have some form of liquid,” he said, but Karim shook his head with an amused fashion.

 

“No. I thought you were packing the food, Seth,” Karim replied, almost chuckling. Seth clenched his teeth and twitched, also stopping his horse, who whinnied in protest. Mahaado almost backed away in fear, but Karim had no intention of letting Seth scare him.

 

“If I have no food, and neither of you packed any food,” Seth began, and then threw his head up to the sky and screamed, “WE DON'T HAVE ANY FOOD!?” A very long series of curses and screams followed, and this time Mahaado did back away. When Seth had taken to taking off his hat and letting his horse trample it, that's when Karim decided to step in. Since Seth had gotten off of his horse to scream, Karim hopped off his own horse and walked over to Seth, slapping him right across the face. That shocked the angered priest, who shot Karim an icy glare.

 

“Priest Seth, snap out of it!” Karim demanded, gently taking Seth's shoulders and shaking him back to his senses, “It'll be fine. There is no need for foul language.” Seth calmed down a little bit, but he tugged at Karim's robes all the same.

 

“But we have no food! We can't get back into the city, and we have nothing to eat or drink!” Seth cried, and Karim saw that for once, he genuinely looked very scared, “We're going to die out here!” Personally, Mahaado felt that Seth was blowing this way out of proportion, but he didn't mention his opinion. Karim patted Seth's shoulder and brought out a small pouch from the inside of his robe.

 

“Seth, it's all right,” Karim spoke calmly, walking Seth back to his horse, “I have money. I'll buy us some food at the next town.” Seth climbed onto his horse, and Karim handed him his trampled, dirty helmet, which he dusted off and put on his head.

 

“But what about water?” Seth asked, still uncharacteristically worried, “And what about getting some sleep?” Mahaado trotted next to Seth as Karim climbed onto his horse as well.

 

“We're high priests. Karim and I can go for days without sleep,” Mahaado replied, leading the way, “Water might be a problem, but we should be fine until we reach the next town.” With that, Mahaado trotted off again, with the other two close behind. Despite their reassurance, Seth still was worried about water, but he knew better than to complain, at least with Karim around. Besides, he had to save his energy. The northern expanse was the hugest part of the desert, and he still hadn't forgotten about the monsters that were supposedly roaming through. For a while, all was peaceful. They had gone a good twenty miles before Seth decided to ruin the peace by another complaint.

 

“Can we stop? I'm getting tired,” Seth said, pulling his horse's reigns. It gave a mighty grunt and kicked the ground angrily. Mahaado and Karim slowed, and looked at each other, trying to decide what to do. Rest would've been appreciated, but they both wanted to find Sith and leave as soon as possible. Finally, though, a decision was made. Karim hopped off his horse once again, and unloaded a saddlebag. It had a few blankets in it, which he set down.

 

“We'll rest for a while,” Mahaado said, as he got off and went to help Karim, “But we leave first thing when the sky begins to brighten a bit. I don't want to be here for long.” Seth nodded and dismounted his horse, too, but unlike Mahaado, he had no intention of helping to set up their small camp. Instead, he sat on a large rock and watched as Mahaado began to look for some form of food, whether it was an animal or a veggie of some kind. But in the end, they ended up eating nothing. After that, Karim had decided that Seth would take the first watch shift, since he didn't do anything to help them. Mahaado had already fallen asleep, and it didn't take long for Karim to nod off, either. Seth sat on his rock and looked at them grumpily, as his horse snorted with what appeared to be mock humor.

 

“We can live for days without sleep!” Seth spat sarcastically, mocking Karim, “Yeah right. You two are sleeping like logs. Well, at least I can complain and you both won't start lecturing me about my duties or anything. I get enough of that from Siamon.” Seth laid back a bit and looked at the inky black sky. The stars dotted them in a pattern that looked like a cat with a spiked tail. He once saw a monster like that. It was pure black, with red eyes and a long tail. It belonged to Sith…

 

“Gah! Get out of my mind, you stupid knight!” Seth yelled, bolting up again and shaking his fist at the cat constellation, “I know I did a stupid thing! Just shut up and let me find you!” As Seth yelled, one of the horses whinnied angrily. Seth stopped ranting and heard rustling nearby, along with a chuckle. Seth blinked, fearing the worst. He edged closer.

 

“Mahaado? Karim? What the hell are you two doing?” he called, but when he went to look, neither Mahaado nor Karim were even up. The chuckle came from the man standing over them, gripping a small pouch. When he saw Seth, he grinned and vanished quickly, leaving only a flash of red in his wake. Seth's eyes widened as he saw, and he blinked again in disbelief. Then he screamed and shook Mahaado.

 

“WAKE UP! Wake up, wake up!” Seth yelled, and Mahaado slowly opened his eyes as Seth began to do the same with Karim. Mahaado rubbed his head and put his veil back on, still unable to figure out what Seth could've been yelling about.

 

“What's going on?” Mahaado asked, as Karim tried to readjust his circlet. Seth twitched in paranoia and pointed to where the man once stood.

 

“WE'VE BEEN ROBBED!” Seth screamed, frenzying the horses even more, “Some stupid thief in a red cloak took your money, Karim!” Mahaado was sure the horses would die if Seth didn't stop yelling, but when Karim checked his own robe and his saddlebag and couldn't find the money, he too screamed a bit. Mahaado sighed, wondering how he managed to live with them and their constant screaming.

 

“Who robbed me!?” Karim demanded, looking around frantically. But all he could see was sand and a pyramid in the distance. Seth managed to calm down enough to speak in normal decibels.

 

“It was some man in a red cloak. I'm pretty sure it might've been Bakura, but I couldn't see his face at all,” Seth explained through gasps for air. Mahaado and Karim looked at each other, both of them arching an eyebrow.

 

“I don't see Bakura anywhere, though,” Mahaado stated, tilting his head, “Did he use Diabound to escape?” Karim nodded his head slowly.

 

“Most probably. If Seth saw him, he'd have to in order to get away fast enough,” Karim concluded. Mahaado nodded in agreement, but Seth began to flip out again.

 

“Who cares how he got away! We have to find him NOW! He stole our money!” Seth cried, rolling up the blankets and stuffing them in whatever bag could fit them, “Without money, we can't eat, and I'm not going to eat sand again.” As soon as the blankets were put away, Seth hopped onto his horse and dashed off towards the direction Bakura had disappeared in. Mahaado and Karim were speechless as they looked at their frightened horses. Finally, Karim managed to speak as he mounted his horse.

 

“Let's follow him before he gets lost,” Karim commanded. Mahaado sighed, but got onto his horse and followed Karim anyway. Once again, nothing was said as they dashed through the desert, although the horses whinnied when the sand began to pick up and swirl through the air again. Thankfully, it was still clear enough to see, but there was no sign of Bakura, or of Sith ever having gone through. Finally, Seth stopped, and took a good look around. Mahaado pulled up next to him, and Karim stopped a little farther behind.

 

“What is it, Seth?” Mahaado asked, when Seth dismounted his horse.

 

“We're near a town,” Seth replied, “I bet we can get some supplies there. And maybe someone saw Bakura run through here.” Mahaado looked at Karim, who shrugged and got off his horse to follow Seth.

 

“How can we get supplies? We don't have any money,” Mahaado stated plainly, climbing down and tying the horses to an old post. Seth stopped to think about that for a minute, and then simply shrugged it off as a minor setback.

 

“I'm sure someone has odd jobs they need us to do,” Seth replied casually, continuing on towards a small, dirty town. Despite it being midnight, all of the houses were lit, and people were bustling through the streets, though most of them looked like drunk men. Seth barely heard Mahaado call out as a rambling drunk walked past.

 

“What kind of town is this!?” Karim asked, pulling Mahaado away from a drunk who was making a grab for his hair. Mahaado, out of pure fear, clutched Karim's arm and didn't let go until they were inside of a small inn.

 

“I want to leave. Now,” Mahaado said firmly, crossing his arms across his chest. Karim patted his back sympathetically, but Seth merely looked around. The inn was nearly empty, save for the innkeeper.

 

“Relax. I'm going to have a chat with that man,” Seth said, and walked over to the bar, “I demand that you tell me if there's any jobs that need to be done.” Obviously, Seth thought that force was the best way to go. The innkeeper looked up at him and sneered.

 

“Yeah, and who wants to know?” he asked mockingly, washing a dirty cup and setting it down. Seth narrowed his eyes and brought out his Millennium Rod.

 

“A high priest from the pharaoh's court,” Seth replied icily, “Now tell me what you know and I won't have to kill you.” Mahaado's eyes widened, and both he and Karim grabbed Seth's arms and pried the rod away from him. The innkeeper perked an amused brow.

 

“Oh really? Well, then, I suppose you'll never work here then,” the innkeeper said, polishing another rather dirty cup, “Now get out, scum.” Seth twitched angrily, so Mahaado decided to try and reason with the innkeeper peacefully.

 

“Please, good sir,” Mahaado began politely, “We were recently robbed in the desert and we're desperate for money. If there is anything available… we'll do anything.” The innkeeper seemed to be considering Mahaado's story, as he set the second glass down. He sighed, and then pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it to Mahaado. It was a flyer for a dancing job.

 

“It ain't much, but it's what we got here,” the innkeeper said, “I'm holding a show in an hour for the locals, but our dancing girls backed out. We need someone or there'll be a riot.” Mahaado's eyes nearly bugged out of his head in pure disgust, and even Karim flinched at the idea. But Seth grinned.

 

“We'll take it,” he said, and both Mahaado and Karim screamed. Mahaado grabbed Seth's shoulders and shook him.

 

“Are you crazy!? We can't accept this job!” Mahaado cried, exasperated, “It's… it's… It's indecent!”

 

“Not to mention that I just don't want to do this!” Karim added, throwing his hands up, “Can't we just clean dishes or something?” Seth narrowed his eyes as Karim and Mahaado continued to show their displeasure. Finally, he snapped and just screamed at them.

 

“DO YOU TWO WANT MONEY OR NOT!?” Seth shrieked, causing Mahaado to cower slightly before composing himself, “Look, I don't want to dance for a bunch of commoners, either, but it's all we have. Do you want to go without food until we reach another, possibly worse town than this?” The other two priests looked at each other, and then shook their heads like scared children. Seth grinned again and handed the innkeeper the flyer.

 

“We're taking the job, old man,” Seth said, as Karim sighed in defeat, “Just show us where we get ready.” The innkeeper nodded and led the three into a back room where a rack full of costumes hung, along with some mirrors, and smaller rooms, perhaps dressing chambers. As Mahaado followed Karim and Seth in, the innkeeper closed the door and told them what to do, as he walked back to the bar.

 

“As soon as you three are dressed, knock on the door and I'll let you out,” the innkeeper instructed. It took close to forty minutes, but everyone managed to pick out something. Seth looked about as close as a male gypsy could, and he sat very crossly, waiting for the other two. Karim came out next, looking basically the same except that he was wearing some sort of pants. Mahaado, however, refused to come out.

 

“I'm sure it's not that bad!” Karim tried to encourage, “Look, I'm going out and Seth looks like a fool! Can't you just show us?” Seth scowled even more at the remark, and Mahaado again refused.

 

“No! I'm not going!” Mahaado hissed, “I'm not performing for anyone, especially men! And especially not in my present costume!” Karim looked down, trying to think of anything he could say to help Mahaado, but his mind remained blank. It was finally Seth who once again broke the peace.

 

“Just get out here!” he yelled, busting the door down and grabbing Mahaado's wrist, pulling the poor priest from his dressing room. And Karim saw why Mahaado wasn't going to let himself go out there. Mahaado, despite all of his pride, was in a dancer suit. And, it was specifically for a woman. Mahaado looked like a woman, and Seth could only laugh.

 

“Mahaado!? You… YOU'RE DRESSED AS A WOMAN!” Seth roared with laughter, “Do you know how ridiculous you look?! Why on earth did you choose that!?” Mahaado looked away, his face stained with red from humiliation. Thankfully his long hair hid the tears that were starting to fall down his face.

 

“Because everything else looked worse,” Mahaado said dryly, his voice cracking with anger, “I… I didn't think I could look this bad…” Seth snorted and was about to laugh again when Karim punched him in the jaw, sending the younger priest flying across the room.

 

“Would you be silent for once, Seth?” Karim asked, though he meant it much more as a demand, “Mahaado is doing his best. I think he actually looks really nice. No one will recognize him anyway.” Mahaado blinked, and looked at Karim, very surprised. He didn't actually expect anyone to stand up for him.

 

“T-thank you, Karim,” Mahaado said, and nodded, “Shall we go?” Karim perked a confused eyebrow.

 

“You're actually going to head out there?” he asked, “I didn't think you wanted to do this.” Mahaado slumped a bit and shook his head as Seth managed to get up from being hit.

 

“I don't, but we don't have much choice now,” Mahaado stated, “Let's just go and do this. The sooner we finish, the sooner we leave.” Karim nodded in agreement, and Seth opened the door slightly, peeking through. Although it hadn't been an hour, the inn was slowly packing up with people. And, true to what the innkeeper had said, most of them were men. Very big, drunk men, most probably thugs in Seth's mind. He shivered and turned back to the other two.

 

“Everyone's already out there, I think,” Seth whispered, “Are we truly ready?” Karim nodded, for both him and Mahaado. Mahaado's skin paled noticeably, but he didn't say another word as Karim led him towards the door to the outside. Seth walked out and made his way to the small stage-like area, climbing the steps and ignoring the remarks the spectators were giving him. Karim followed, with less attention, which he was grateful for. But unfortunately for Mahaado, being dressed as a woman was a curse as he made his unhappy way to the stage. Men all over roared with delight, and all Mahaado could do was shiver and try to keep calm. Unfortunately, any calm he felt instantly disappeared when he was pushed to the middle of the stage. Someone started playing a drum-like instrument, and Mahaado felt like throwing up. Seth, of course, started dancing, and Karim just didn't do anything. He was looking at Mahaado with worry.

 

“Come on, what's the problem!?” someone from the crowd asked, throwing a coin on stage. Mahaado backed away, petrified at this point. This was definitely something he didn't want to do. He took a horrified look at the crowd, and his eyes locked with those he had seen before. He saw Bakura in the crowd, right in front, and screamed. Bakura, however, took it the wrong way and smiled, waving at him.

 

“Hello there, cutie,” Bakura said, obviously not knowing who he was actually speaking to. Mahaado twitched, grabbed Karim's arm, and did something he didn't think he had the guts to do.

 

“I'm not taking this anymore. We're out of here!” Mahaado snapped, pulling Karim with him as he jumped off the stage, past a large group of men at a table, and landed gracefully near the door. He threw it open and ran out with Karim. Seth saw, smirked, and grabbed every piece of money he could before following suit, leaving an angry, confused, and dazzled crowd behind.

 

“Where are they going!? They're not done yet!” someone shouted, and soon everyone was pushing themselves toward the door, trying to get out. Only Bakura managed to escape, realizing who he was trying to flirt with. The innkeeper shook his head as he watched his inn be ripped apart by an angry mob of drunken men.

 

“I told them an angry riot would start…” he said, washing a third glass as the door frame gave way and snapped.

 

Meanwhile, Mahaado, Karim, and Seth were running as fast as they could to where they'd left their horses. Seth had stuffed the money they made into his costume's pocket, and thankfully Karim had their regular clothes somewhere. But when they got to the post, they realized another problem. Their horses were gone.

 

“Where the hell are our horses!?” Seth yelled, looking around. Karim and Mahaado glanced at each other frantically, until someone whistled. Mahaado reeled around, and saw someone wave at them.

 

“Looking for these, priests?” that voice belonged to none other than Bakura, as he came riding up on his black horse, the other three horses trotting behind him, “I thought I recognized two of you.”

 

“Bakura!” Mahaado and Karim both exclaimed in unison, “What are you doing here!?” Bakura grinned, obviously amused with something.

 

“I'll answer that as soon as I know why you're in a dress,” Bakura said to Mahaado, arching an interested eyebrow. Mahaado hung his head and sighed miserably. He would never, ever live this experience down.

 

“We had to find a job to make some money,” Mahaado said quietly, “We were robbed…” Bakura blinked, and suddenly felt a little guilty. It was technically his fault, since he was the one who stole from them and blew their cash on alcohol and food. No one said any more on the matter, as they all had an idea of what happened. So, Karim asked their question again.

 

“What are you doing here?” he asked. Bakura snapped out of his thoughts and smiled.

 

“Me? I was just getting some food, and a little entertainment,” he replied, grinning all the while, “As a thief, I'm not welcome in the city near the palace, so I decided to make do here. Especially when I saw that lovely lady, Knight Sith, passing through here.” Seth's eyes widened at hearing Sith's name. He spun Bakura around to face him.

 

“What!? Sith was here!?” he asked. Bakura's grin grew, and he nodded evilly.

 

“Yes. Actually, she was here for nearly the whole afternoon. She left around dusk,” Bakura said, and then began to drift off, “I think she liked me. All she did was threaten to cut my head off when I hit on her…” Karim frowned, and Seth took the Millennium Rod and hit Bakura on the head with it, snapping the thief out of his daydream and erupting a curse from him.

 

“Bakura, where exactly did she go?” Mahaado asked, and Bakura heard the seriousness in his voice, “Did she say?” Bakura thought about it, recalling their small encounter, and nodded.

 

“Yes. She said she was heading northwestward, towards the Central Spire in the middle of the northern expanse,” Bakura replied, and looked a bit worried, “Though I can't think of what business such a beauty has there. It's swarming with monsters near there, and it's hot as hell. I offered to… escort her and she said no.” No one except Bakura was particularly surprised by this, as they all rolled their eyes, Karim taking out their clothes and throwing them to the respectful owner. Mahaado and Seth dashed toward a secluded spot to change as Karim simply tied his sash over his chest.

 

“Bakura, do you know where the Central Spire is?” Karim asked, as Seth reappeared, “We need to find Sith immediately.” Bakura nodded, but snapped his fingers.

 

“I'll take you there myself,” he stated, “I know my way through here, and I promise I won't kill you yet. Besides, I might see Knight Sith again. Maybe I can convince her to…” Seth decided to break in, as he climbed his horse again.

 

“Wonderful, great, swell, and dandy. Can we get moving?” Seth asked, as Mahaado came out and got onto his horse, with Karim following. Bakura sighed, and nodded.

 

“Fine. It's right this way,” Bakura said, “Just stay close. There will be monsters running around…” With that, all four of them trotted off towards where Bakura indicated the Central Spire to be.

 

“Thankfully, I have Diabound with me.”

 

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

 

Well, another crazy experience in Seth's miserable life is done! With Bakura now on their side, can Seth and pals find Sith? Will she still be at the Central Spire? Is Bakura truly trustworthy? And what about the pharaoh, and his court? Find out the answers to these questions next chapter, so click that Review button!