Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Seth's Magical Adventure! ❯ The Snow-ridden Hunt begins ( Chapter 5 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Kazuki Takahashi does, and he's the best because of it.

 

Atemu sat once again on his throne, his left eye twitching angrily at all that happened that night. Siamun had gone and retired to his chambers, slightly in fear of Atemu dismissing him out of anger. Ahkenaden had left for his own room as well, and most of the guards were in town, avoiding the pharaoh. Atemu was alone now, and he didn't like it one bit, even if it was his own fault.

 

“How dare they all leave me like that!” he ranted, scowling, “I didn't order any of them to leave, did I? …well, I suppose I did scream at those guards… but they were committing a crime! Those rumors! They weren't true!” Atemu continued to rant, mostly because there was nothing else he could actually do. Without his priests, he had no court. Shaddah and Isis still hadn't been found, and Seth hadn't been seen, either. Sighing, Atemu stood up.

 

“I need to calm down,” he told himself, “I've been acting out ever since Sith left. Yes, I miss her, but… but… Oh, who am I kidding?” He threw up his hands in frustration and walked out onto a balcony overlooking a large fountain in the courtyard. Candles had been lit, giving off a magical feeling as the sun shone. Atemu looked down into the fountain, looking at his frowning reflection.

 

“I want you to come back,” he said, “Just come back. Forget your orders. Just come back here…please…” Atemu leaned over the railing and closed his eyes, hoping… no, praying that Sith could hear him. He began to realize he made a huge mistake when he let her leave alone. As he prayed, Atemu didn't notice that someone was riding up to the palace quickly, and leapt off of his horse, landing silently next to the pharaoh.

 

“Speaking to yourself again?” Bakura asked, and Atemu opened his eyes, “You know that won't help, pharaoh.” Atemu turned slowly to face the would-be intruder.

 

“I'm praying for my knight,” he replied simply, “Why are you here? Come to rob in her absence?” Bakura smiled weakly, but shook his head, which surprised Atemu. Instead, he walked inside and beckoned the pharaoh to follow him. Atemu did so, and they stopped just short of the audience chamber. Bakura let Atemu sit on the throne before relaying his message.

 

“I just thought you'd like to know that we've found Sith,” Bakura stated, and added, “We being myself, Mahaado, Karim, and Seth.” Atemu's eyes widened. Seth had gone with them? But Atemu didn't remember ordering that.

 

“Seth went with them?” he asked, “Oh, never mind that… Where is she? Is she safe?” Bakura nodded, but Atemu noticed that his smile faded. In fact, he looked almost regretful. Atemu had a very bad feeling, as he looked at Bakura's expression.

 

“She's fine, but…” Bakura sighed, as this would be hard to tell Atemu, “But she's not coming back. Not yet, anyway. She went into the Lion's Gate.” He looked at Atemu, expecting some sort of response. What he got surprised him, and not in a good way. Atemu's eyes widened, and he jumped out of his throne. He was tense.

 

“W-what!?” Atemu cried, “No! NO! I didn't order her to go through it! Why would she do such a thing!?” Bakura saw tears were welling up in Atemu's eyes, and any ill feeling he had vanished for that moment. Atemu started gasping for air, his fright taking a toll on his body.

 

“Pharaoh, calm down. She isn't trying to disobey you,” Bakura reassured, as Atemu slowly sat himself down back on the throne, burying his face in his hands, “But the Espers are in trouble. When we arrived at the gate… something was draining the magic away. Sith said she had to go through.” Atemu sighed heavily. This was his fault. Sith was risking her life, and through his own stupidity, Atemu allowed it.

 

“She could die,” Atemu whispered, shaking from fear and anger, “She would risk her life for us?” Bakura shook his head.

 

“For you, pharaoh,” he corrected, smiling, “She has little feeling for most of the people of Egypt, but she knows you can't handle a war. Not just yet, anyway. She wanted me to tell you that… she's sorry. She didn't want you to be angry, though.” Atemu took his hands away from his face and stood up. He made a decision now. He was going to fix this mistake. Sith may have been from Nesce, but she didn't deserve to die. He was going to fix this. After all, Egypt and Nesce were allies.

 

“I'm going to find her,” Atemu stated firmly, “I'm going into Nesce.”

 

“What!? That's crazy!” Bakura exclaimed, as Atemu walked towards the door, “Pharaoh, you can't! Why would you!?” Atemu turned around, his frown planted deeply on his face.

 

“Because I'm the reason she's there at all. She may be doing her job, but I'm the one who placed her there,” Atemu replied sternly, “Nesce and Egypt are allies, and if Nesce is in trouble, I want them to know we'll help them, just as they sent Sith to help us. I've made up my mind.” With that, Atemu left without looking back. Bakura stood there, in complete disbelief. What was meant to be a simple message turned into another adventure. Bakura bit his lower lip, and then said the one thing he never thought he'd say.

 

“Wait for me! I'm coming with you!” Bakura then dashed out of the audience chamber, hoping to catch up to Atemu.

 

---

 

Nesce turned out to truly be a disastrous place as the three priests tried to walk through the snowy tundra that followed the long tunnel. As they left, it was almost like walking into a new world altogether. None of them had ever seen snow like this before, and they weren't sure they liked it. Seth shivered as he looked ahead. Though almost no time had passed since Sith had left, he couldn't see her anywhere.

 

“It's like she's vanished,” Seth said, trying to keep himself from shivering too much, “Did she really get that far ahead?” Mahaado, who was ahead, stopped. He sighed, rubbing one of his arms.

 

“If she didn't, then this storm is hiding her from us,” Mahaado stated, “Not that she wanted us to find her, anyway. I just hope we can find her again.” As he spoke, Mahaado's teeth chattered unnervingly. That bugged Seth, and he knew they'd have to rest soon. They had limits to how long they could stand such harsh cold. Trying to take his mind off of the cold for now, he looked over at Karim.

 

“How do the Espers stand such bitter weather?” he asked, trying to slog ahead. Though Karim was freezing, he was too busy keeping a tight grasp on his own item and a sack of supplies to keep himself warm as he heaved heavy breaths of air.

 

“I'm not sure. I believe it's in their blood, though,” Karim replied, tensing his shoulders up to brace against the cold, “Sith didn't explain much about her homeland. I suppose it wasn't anyone's business.”

 

“Well, that doesn't help us now!” Seth spat angrily, causing Karim and Mahaado to both stop right where they stood, “What!?” When he realized they weren't following him, Seth turned around and threw up his arms. Though he didn't say it out loud, everyone heard the “Why aren't we moving!?” loud and clear. Karim handed the bag to Mahaado and crossed his arms stiffly. Seth blinked, because that was never good. Karim never made himself look so serious unless someone was in trouble. Obviously, Seth just said something insulting.

 

“Sith didn't realize she'd be going back so soon,” Karim said firmly, as Mahaado just stood there, “Not like she had friends to talk to anyway. You cannot blame her, Seth.” Seth glared angrily from Karim to Mahaado. Though barely noticeable, Seth saw Mahaado falter nervously.

 

“What's wrong, Mahaado? Do you have anything you'd like to add?” Seth asked. That was his second mistake. Mahaado was normally a quiet person, even when witnessing an injustice. But now he spoke. He handed the bag back to Karim and walked right up to Seth until their faces were simply inches apart.

 

“Yes. This would never have happened this way if you had done your job,” Mahaado said sternly, and truthfully, “Sith was ambushed. That's why the gate was destroyed. She wouldn't admit it, but I saw her expression. It wasn't anger; it was defeat. If you had not been so childish, she would be safe and we wouldn't have to be here.” Seth growled, furious with Mahaado yet again. But Mahaado didn't falter this time. No, he was rigid. His face was hard, but not unkind. Like Karim, he felt strongly about what he had said. And also like Karim, he spoke the truth. And even worse, where Seth thought they'd help him escape, they were just making it impossible to forget.

 

“You owe your life to Sith, because she's risking hers over a lie,” Karim finished, his voice slowly becoming angry, “Because you didn't want to travel with her, you forced her to leave alone, vulnerable to ambush, disease, and death. And she took it without question.”

 

“The pharaoh allowed it!” Seth cried, cutting Karim off, “He told her to leave! They knew she had to get there! They both are at fault!” Mahaado's eyes widened and he slapped Seth across the face, absolutely outraged. Seth stumbled back and fell into the soft snow, shocked at Mahaado's action. Karim was also very surprised, but inside, he was glad Mahaado was standing up to Seth. Mahaado's eyes burned with an angry fire as Seth got up and dusted the snow off of his robes.

 

“How dare you accuse them of being at fault for what was ultimately your lie!” Mahaado growled, advancing forward, “How dare you! You knew this mission was of urgency as well! You used that against them and forced them to make a move neither of them had wanted! To say that it's their fault… you should be locked up and jailed, Seth!” Seth huffed angrily.

 

“If he didn't want this, he should have made someone else go with her,” Seth stated, and Mahaado lost it. Any refinement that Mahaado had learned in court vanished as he lunged at Seth, unable to control how truly angry he was with how everything had turned out. All of it came out. How angry he was that Seth would lie to Atemu and Sith, how angry he was that Seth asked him to go, how angry he was that Seth had gotten them into that dancing madness, Mahaado was ready to kill with his anger. And yet something kept him from reaching Seth as he stopped and his head fell clumsily near the snow. Mahaado looked up and saw Karim was holding his waist.

 

“Karim, let me go!” Mahaado hissed, quite unbefitting his usual manner. He struggled, but Karim's grasp didn't lessen.

 

“Mahaado, control yourself,” Karim said, sternly, but with compassion, “I know you're angry, but we must never attack anyone. We are high priests, the highest class of dignity and respect we can achieve. To soil our hands with unnecessary battle would be terrible.” Mahaado calmed down, but he looked at Karim with an anger Karim had never seen before.

 

“He doesn't deserve to be a high priest,” Mahaado whispered, which thankfully Seth didn't hear. Karim patted his shoulder and let him go before turning to Seth. Seth was confused as to what he should expect, and he had the Millennium Rod out in defense. But one wave of Karim's hand told Seth to put it away, and he did. Then Karim spoke.

 

“Seth, your lies have caused a terrible ripple in our kingdom, and through unwanted feelings, we're compelled to right them,” Karim stated, as Mahaado looked away in anger, “But do not think we'll listen to you blame our pharaoh and his knight for your atrocious behavior. Another outburst against the pharaoh and I will hold you under arrest for slander.” As if to prove he would back up the threat, Karim brought out a golden rope from his bag, which glistened despite the overcast sky. Seth twitched as he saw it. They used that for the worst offenses possible when binding a particularly difficult prisoner, and Seth knew they would find him incredibly uncooperative at best.

 

“Fine, then don't listen to me,” Seth said, though he chose his words carefully, “I didn't want this to happen to her. If I'd known, I would've taken my job. But what's done is done now. All we can do is find her and bring Sith back.” Seth walked ahead, not caring if the other two were following him. Mahaado continued to stare at the snow, his face covered by the shadows from his bangs and veil. He walked forward, but Karim stopped him. Mahaado looked up into Karim's face, his own eyes stained with silent tears.

 

“Why must we continue, Karim?” he asked, his voice weaker than it had been, “Why should we help him? Why not send him back, or go back and tell the pharaoh the truth?” Karim tried to smile reassuringly at Mahaado, but it just wasn't there. He sighed, and patted Mahaado's shoulder.

 

“Because going back will do no good, my friend,” Karim replied, “We have been dragged into this too much. Going back will do no good for anyone. Not for the pharaoh, not for Sith, and not for ourselves.” Mahaado sniffled and wiped his eyes. He knew Karim was right, and that returning to the palace empty-handed would be worse than being here. But he truly didn't want to help Seth. Finally, though, he started to walk forward.

 

“I suppose you're right,” he sighed, as Karim caught up with him, “As high priests, we are to protect everyone as best we can. Even Seth. But what if he pushes us to our limits?” He looked over to find Karim grinning, and mischievously at that. Mahaado raised an amused eyebrow as he added, “You have an idea?” Karim laughed.

 

“I don't need one,” Karim replied, and slowly pointed everywhere, “Just look around, Mahaado. This place has an odd feel about it. Seth is frightened, so all we truly need to do to rattle him into his place is to fall back a few feet so he can't see us. We'll still be within a safe distance, and he'll learn his lesson soon enough. This experience is good for him, in its own way.” Mahaado silently agreed as they continued through the swirl of snow. As Karim planned, he and Mahaado fell back a little to let Seth lead on. They simply walked what felt like a very steep path up what they could only assume to be a mountain of some sort. The path felt slanted, and every so often, a small rock would protrude from the blankets of snow. They couldn't see if the sun was out, nor could they see any footprints to prove Sith was still around. Seth began to get frustrated.

 

“How… could she… disappear like that!?” he asked, while trying to heave himself up a particularly large boulder which he intended to use as a lookout, “Even she… has to be rattled… by the snow, right?” Seth looked back, realizing no one answered him as he called, “Mahaado? Karim? Did you both fall off or something?” Karim was too busy hiding a snicker, so Mahaado answered. And that was just as well, because Karim would've given their plan away.

 

“We're here, Seth,” Mahaado replied calmly, “We're just not used to the ice and snow. Forgive us.” To keep on cue, Mahaado grabbed the boulder, and Seth helped pull him up.

 

“Whatever. I don't see how anyone could be used to this,” Seth commented, as Karim came up, “Or how they could change their climates so suddenly. Is that healthy?” Both Mahaado and Karim knew he was referring to Sith. Karim shook his head, whistling.

 

“Under normal circumstances, no,” Karim replied, “But Espers are different from humans. They might be able to handle that change. Sith was never fond of the heat. I'm sure she retained some force of cold inside her.”

 

“I'm sure it's what makes her so strong, as well,” Mahaado added, taking his veil off, “Aside from her natural abilities, being so close to her hometown must affect her abilities in some way, perhaps? Maybe that's why we can't find her.” Seth glanced over skeptically at Mahaado. The wind blew his hair in all directions, much like it did for Sith. Seth felt another pang of guilt.

 

“You think she might've used extra strength to get away?” Seth asked, “How is that possible?”

 

“Well, one of her abilities is to leap high into the sky, giving her great distance against an attack,” Karim replied, smiling, “And because she loves this sort of weather, depending on the wind, it might boost her ability to gain distance even more so. She could have already taken 3 miles within one jump.” Seth's eyes widened. That was a good distance for one little leap. Sure, he'd heard rumors that Sith jumped onto her opponents in battle, but he didn't believe them… until now.

 

“Are you saying she jumps around everywhere she goes!?” he asked, “Why can she go so high!? What type of knight is she supposed to be?” Karim shrugged.

 

“I don't know,” he replied, crossing his arms, “I don't question her abilities. She's an Esper; that might simply be a trait of hers. She is simply the Pharaoh's knight, and she prefers it that way. You shouldn't try to decipher her abilities.” Seth glared at Karim.

 

“I just thought understanding her abilities would help us find her,” he said defensively, “It's quite obvious she left using unnatural means.” Mahaado frowned.

 

“And what if she did, Seth?” he asked, putting his veil back on as the wind died down, “That is not for us to question. I highly doubt your interest in her abilities has anything to do with her.” Seth turned his icy glare to Mahaado, and Karim was sure he'd stumble backwards. Mahaado didn't.

 

“What are you implying, Mahaado?” Seth asked dangerously. Mahaado's glare matched his as he stepped closer.

 

“I'm implying that you aren't truly worried about Sith's abilities at all,” Mahaado replied, just as grim and bitter, “I know you, Seth. You aren't one to worry for someone's power unless you want it for yourself. Or at least want to harness it for some purpose.” Karim's lips tightened as he could feel the tension between the two younger priests growing, but he didn't try to stop them. Seth twitched, as Mahaado was right. He turned stiffly and walked farther up the cliff, leaving Mahaado staring angrily.

 

“You're more observant than I expected,” Seth admitted smugly, “And yet I still want to find her, so unless you really want to fight with me on this dangerous cliff, I'd recommend shutting that oversized mouth of yours and following me.” Mahaado's eyes turned to slits, and he was at a loss for words as Seth walked away. Even Karim, though usually calm, was in complete shock. He could see now why Mahaado wanted to go on without Seth. The two glanced at each other, neither of them able to speak, and then they silently followed Seth. The path led upwards at a dangerous slope, and more than once, a thin sheet of snow fell towards them, threatening to push them backwards. Still, they didn't slow down. It wasn't until Mahaado noticed something in the snow that any of them halted their pace.

 

“What on earth?” Mahaado asked, straying away from Karim. He saw an indent in the snow, a deep one. Walking over, he bent down. It was a slashing mark of some kind, made by most probably a sword. Near it was a set of two prints, boot prints. They were small, and barely noticeable amidst the falling snow.

 

“Mahaado, what did you find?” Karim's voice came, and soon Mahaado felt a strong hand grip his shoulder. Karim had come over and was now also looking at the indent. Mahaado watched curiously as Karim began to smile, nodding his head and chuckling.

 

“What is it?” Mahaado inquired, as Seth was walking toward them, confused as to why they'd stop despite the snow. Karim laughed once more before he answered.

 

“Sith has been here,” he replied proudly, “And not long ago, either. This indent was made with her sword in a quick succession. I'm sure she used one jump technique after another in rapid succession to gain speed.”

 

“That'd explain why the snow's been falling off the mountain like this,” Seth mumbled, “Her landings could impact the snow, right?” Karim nodded.

 

“Yes, but she doesn't expect us to follow her, so she probably doesn't realize she's endangering us,” Karim answered, looking over the cliff, “Judging by the angle of the indent, she jumped off the cliff toward the ridge down below.” Seth squinted his eyes and looked to where Karim pointed. The snow made everything very blurry, but he could see a dark outline of shadow where the ridge split between two very large mountains. It was a very long drop, and very steep. With ice sticking out threateningly everywhere, Seth wondered just how skilled Sith truly was.

 

“It looks like she committed suicide,” Seth commented, shrugging, “Wouldn't she simply land on the icy shards?”

 

“If she's an Esper, she can probably fly a little bit when she jumps,” Mahaado replied, trying to look past the ridge, “We should head down there. Even with jumping, she might need some time to plan her next movement.” Karim agreed, but Seth didn't see how they could get off the mountain. They were near the summit, and none of them would survive the large drop to the bottom. Even with their scriptures and magic, there was no telling of what they could do. Their magic might not even work here, in Nesce.

 

“Do we jump?” Seth asked. Karim shook his head grimly.

 

“No. We wouldn't survive,” he replied, leaning against a large rock, “These mountains are vast, but I bet the Espers forged multiple paths to travel on. We'll go to the summit and look for one of those pathways, and we'll take whatever one leads to the ridge.” Seth sighed, still skeptical about how the plan could turn out. He looked over the ridge again, taking in just how big Nesce truly was. At the palace, this mountain looked like a simple white pyramid poking out of a small forest, but now it seemed like an endless nightmare of snow.

 

“And what if there are no paths?” Seth asked, concerned, “We can't simply walk back down toward the gates, can we?” Karim closed his eyes, trying to think of an alternative. He understood why no one entered through the gates, even though they were opened. Nesce was dangerous, and nearly uninhabitable. He thought of the mountains and how Sith jumped from them. Then it hit him.

 

“We'll use magic,” he replied, “We'll propel ourselves into the air and use the force of our magic to fly toward the ridge. Our magic should work, and it should be fortified if this is a magical realm.” Seth, although frowning, thought this was a good idea. Mahaado also agreed, and with wasting no time, they rushed up ahead toward the summit. When they reached it only a small while later, the snow began to clear. They could see clouds. Thick, dark, ominous clouds that hung over the entire region, threatening more bad weather to come. And the three priests frowned. It was a depressing sight to behold.

 

“And to think that we're allies,” Seth said quietly, “Egypt and Nesce are complete opposites. How could we survive here? How could Sith survive in Egypt, when she's been used to this cold for her entire life?” Mahaado remained silent as he dug through the small sack of supplies for the scrolls Karim had mentioned. Karim crossed his arms and looked over the horizon. Though the ridge was large, he saw that it might not have been Sith's actual target. In the far distance, on a flat area of snowy land, Karim saw a large city had been built, and in the middle was a castle. Though not styled in gold, but rather crystal and ice, it looked almost as grand as their own home. It glistened in a mysterious light, and through that light, Karim saw that there were settlements down in the ridge, on the mountains surrounding the kingdom, and even beyond that.

 

“That must be where she came from,” Karim stated, pointing to the large castle, “Think she would've headed there?” Mahaado put the sack down and looked as well. Like Karim, he was taken in by the sight.

 

“Most definitely. She said the kingdom was in trouble,” Mahaado replied, “If she's the princess like we suspect, then she would go there first.”

 

“She mentioned a brother. Perhaps he's who she's going to see,” Seth concluded, “Either way, we'll need to head there and get more supplies. Mahaado, do you have the scrolls?” Mahaado blinked, and rustled through the bag again until he brought out three scrolls, each tied with a blue ribbon. The ribbon glistened in the snow. Karim took all three and looked them over carefully.

 

“These are perfect,” he said, handing Mahaado and Seth one each, “Now, listen to my plan before you open them. We must be facing the ground for this to work. When we face the ground, open up your scrolls and focus your spell onto the ground itself. The burst will knock us backwards off the cliff, but should do so in a way that we can safely fly across the ridge, toward the kingdom.” Mahaado nodded, but bit his lip nervously. Seth raised a very unbelieving eyebrow.

 

“What!? Are you serious?” he cried, “And what if we don't make it!? What if the spells don't even work?”

 

“Then we make our own way down, and at worse… we die trying to get across,” Karim said sternly. Seth narrowed his eyes.

 

“That's a comforting thought to have while we hurtle across a bottomless chasm,” he said sarcastically, but the other two ignored him. Sighing, he joined them. They turned their backs to the cliff and looked directly at the ground. Opening their scrolls in perfect succession, they all chanted the words in unison, a harmony in itself. Instantly, the scrolls glowed golden, and large fireballs appeared for a brief moment before slamming mercilessly into the ground. The resulting shockwave, as Karim had planned, threw the three backwards, off of the cliff. They rose through the air at a terrifying speed, not just toward the very sun, but across the ridge as well until they began to fall. Seth heard screaming, and because of his overexerted senses, it took him a minute to realize they were the ones screaming. They were plunging toward the ground far below, and they were nowhere near the kingdom. That somehow no longer mattered to Seth as he had only one thought in his mind as they fell closer and closer to the merciless, cold ground still very far below.

 

“Please, don't let us die just yet!”

 

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

 

Another chapter to Seth's adventure is done. Just when they thought things could get no worse, they're plunging to what could be their doom. Will they survive the plunge? And if they do, how can they find Sith again? Was that even her indent they found on the mountain summit? And, back with Atemu, will he become tangled in what could soon be a very dangerous war for both the Espers and for Egypt? Find out the answers next time, so click that Review button!