Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Seth's Magical Adventure! ❯ The new Court of the Pharaoh! ( Chapter 7 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does. I tried to ask if he wants to borrow Sith, but he hasn't responded. So, I still own Sith, Sceppiro, and Cydandilus.

 

Getting to Nesce took very little time for Atemu and Bakura, as the air currents carried them quickly across the northern expanse. The snow fell even faster, and as they rode, Atemu could see that the ground was quickly becoming covered in the white substance. His horse was unhappy to have to be trotting through, but it didn't slow down.

 

“We must be close,” Atemu commented, “It's freezing.” Bakura nodded as they kept riding, until his horse whinnied and threw him off. Atemu's horse did the same, and both men slammed into the cold, hard ground. Grumbling, Bakura got up and looked forward. He saw what frightened the horses, and it frightened him as well. The Lion Gate, which had been opened before, was now closed. Electricity buzzed through the cracks in the gates. Atemu got up, and gasped.

 

“How did it close!?” Bakura asked, exasperated, “It was opened when we spoke to her! Pharaoh, I swear!” Atemu hung his head in defeat. He didn't know what to believe now, but all he knew was that he couldn't reach Sith this way.

 

“The Esper king must've ordered it closed,” Atemu sighed, and then he screamed, “WHY!?” He pounded on the gates, until one of the electric currents shocked him. Quickly, he pulled back, shivering.

 

“Pharaoh, stop,” Bakura said, “Killing yourself won't help Sith or the other Espers. We need to find another way inside.” Atemu growled angrily, as he placed his left hand on his right shoulder, which was burned by the current. Bakura looked at the gates critically. They were made of Esper materials. Nothing human would destroy them.

 

“Why would he do this to us all!?” Atemu growled, narrowing his eyes as he glared at the gates. Bakura had no idea who Atemu was talking about.

 

“Who is he?” Bakura asked, tilting his head and unreigning the horses. They wouldn't use them once inside, and the horses were happy to be freed. They sped away back toward the palace. Atemu didn't notice or object, as he kept his eyes on the daunting black gate.

 

“Sceppiro Winchester. Sith's older brother,” Atemu replied grimly, “As soon as her father died, he took over and shut down any way to contact the Espers. Sith… stayed with me. She didn't want to agree to his terms.” Bakura's frown deepened as Atemu explained, and he could hear the anger still seeping through the pharaoh's voice. There had to be something up between the two of them.

 

“Why would he do that? And couldn't Sith do anything?” he asked. Atemu shook his head, tears starting to form in his eyes as he spoke.

 

“No. He refused to listen to her after she took my side,” Atemu replied bitterly, “I told her she had to stay with the Espers, but she refused. As for why he'd do this… I don't know. But I must make him see.” Atemu let his hand drop from his shoulder. Bakura simply watched, wondering what Atemu would try. And yet, Atemu didn't move. He closed his eyes, trying to see if he could contact Sith. Espers had telekinetic abilities, so maybe if he concentrated…

 

“Pharaoh, look!” Bakura shouted suddenly, breaking Atemu's concentration. Atemu swore, and then looked at the gate. The electricity was shut off! And, now that it was gone, Atemu could see just a crack in the gate, big enough for them to squeeze through. Smiling, he glanced back at Bakura, who seemed to understand, as he ran to the crack and went through. Atemu waited for a second, until Bakura poked his hand through the crack and said, “Come on! It's all clear!”

 

“Hold on,” Atemu said, and then went through himself.

 

---

 

Inside the crystal castle, in the dark throne room, Sceppiro Winchester sat. His cloak hid his body, and in his hand was a large orb depicting Atemu and Bakura as they made their way down the path. His eyes were hidden in the shadow, but his smile was in full view.

 

“It seems the pharaoh is heading right into our war, sir,” the Chancellor stated, shifting uncomfortably. Sceppiro nodded.

 

“No doubt to find my sister. This can be worked to our advantage,” Sceppiro said darkly, “We can make him work for us in exchange for my sister's safety, and then we can give him to them in exchange for the glass mythril sphere.” The Chancellor's eyes widened, obviously the mention of the sphere striking him.

 

“The ultimate weapon created by your father!? But… but sir, that will wipe out the continents of Egypt, Nesce, and the entire ocean!” he exclaimed, “You cannot allow this!” Sceppiro frowned, looking down.

 

“My father created that sphere to ensure that we guard the final spell that can destroy the earth until one worthy of its power can use it,” Sceppiro replied softly, “I've no intention of using it, but I want it back. It belongs to us.” The Chancellor glanced at the doorway.

 

“And what of the princess?” he asked, “What if she interferes?” Sceppiro was silent for a minute, thinking of his sister. She would definitely interfere if he put Atemu in danger. Chances are, she would be coming very soon. He felt her presence in the slums.

 

“…Kill her,” he stated, “Kill her and any allies she brings with her. And if the pharaoh resists, show him what happens to those who go against me.”

 

---

 

Atemu and Bakura continued down the path quickly, yet they were cautious. The ground was slick with snow, and the wind was cold and biting. They could barely see the bottoms of the cliffs that surrounded them, but they knew the capital was close.

 

“No wonder Sith didn't return here!” Bakura yelled over the wind, “There's three ways to die just from entering the gate!” Atemu laughed, as Bakura did have a point. Hypothermia, hazardous conditions, and the rocks far below were good causes of death in Nesce. Still, though, he had a feeling Nesce would've been beautiful… if it weren't in the middle of a monstrous storm.

 

“My father never mentioned snowstorms when he went here,” Atemu replied, and Bakura strained trying to hear him, “If only it'd clear up, we could see the capital.” If Atemu expected his wish to alter the weather, he was surely disappointed when the snow continued on in vigor. Nearly twice since they entered, he slipped and nearly fell to the cliffs, gripping the edge with all his might. Bakura had helped him, but he knew their truce was only temporary.

 

“I hope to hell that Sith just comes back with us. There's nothing to see here except snow,” Bakura said, keeping a grip on Atemu's arm in case the pharaoh fell again. But to his misfortune, Bakura lost his footing and fell, and because he was stronger than Atemu by far, he dragged the poor king with him, and they tumbled down the steep slope. Off the cliff they fell, into a snow bank thirty feet below, and still they kept on rolling. Bakura kept praying to whatever god that'd listen to him to keep at least himself alive. Atemu couldn't remember what he was thinking, but he was sure it was about Sith, about his palace, and something to do with a ceremony. Finally, they crashed into a rock, and both slid the rest of the way, Bakura's hand still clasped to Atemu's arm, until they fell yet again. And then they crashed into the snow again.

 

“What was that!?” came a voice in the near distance. It was Mahaado. Both men heard footsteps, but were too tired to move. Seth came shortly after.

 

“Avalanche!?” Seth asked, as Karim came, wheezing. Seth turned to Sith, “Do you have these often?” Sith arched an eyebrow, and shook her head.

 

“Not unless someone's stupid enough to get too close to the cliffs,” she replied, half amused, “The snow's packed pretty heavily. There'd have to be a lot of weight involved for that.” Atemu blinked when he heard Sith speaking. He opened his eyes, shocked to see Bakura was hugging him in sheer terror. Even worse, he was hugging the thief back, though he was sure his last thought was of Sith.

 

“Either way, it looks like something's buried under the snow mound,” Mahaado said, and with Karim, they brushed the snow off, revealing both the pharaoh and Bakura. Seth's eyes bulged, Mahaado and Karim gasped, and Sith looked both very shocked and very amused. Atemu realized what they saw and pushed Bakura away.

 

“Pharaoh!?” the three priests exclaimed in unison.

 

“Atemu!? And… Bakura!?” Sith asked, laughing, “What the hell were you two doing!?”

 

“Praying to the gods,” Bakura mumbled, wiping the rest of the snow off of his cloak, “Mostly to Zork, too.” Sith looked directly at Atemu. His face was red as he saw her.

 

“I don't know…” he said, looking away, “I thought of you, though. I kept wishing I never let you leave on your own for this… this wasteland.” Sith's grin faded and she walked over to Atemu, letting her sword fall in the snow again.

 

“Sir, I'm all right,” she said quietly, “But when Seth said you were coming, I wanted to stop you. You shouldn't be here.” She tilted her head, trying to read his expression, identify his response. Tears fell down his face, and before she could react, he turned and hugged her.

 

“Sith, I'm sorry. I made a foolish choice, letting you get yourself into this war alone. I should've forced Priest Seth to join you,” he said quickly, as Sith blinked, trying to figure out what she should do, “I should've joined you.” Sith bit her lip and decided it best to try and at least comfort him. He genuinely felt horrible. She gave him a pat on the back and he let go, though he kept a grip on her arms. They looked at each other. She looked calm, understanding. And he looked absolutely devastated.

 

“It's all right, sir. This was my choice. I knew what I was doing,” Sith stated, and looked at Seth, “As well as what he was doing. This war was going to happen no matter what you decided.” Atemu closed his eyes and wiped the tears away. He still felt terrible, but hearing Sith made him feel a bit better.

 

“I hope my decision to join you doesn't put a damper on whatever you have planned,” he said, “If there's a war, we're helping you. Egypt and Nesce have been allies for a while. Why end it now?”

 

“Even though Sith's brother is completely insane?” Seth asked, raising an amused brow. Sith glared at him icily, but he was right. Atemu nodded grimly, feeling this particular choice was very well his best one thus far.

 

“Even if it means I die,” Atemu replied, smiling, “My father made a promise to yours, Sith. I'm keeping that promise to you now. Do not tell me to leave.” Sith looked at him for a minute, and he could see a bit of anger, but then she laughed. And she laughed hysterically. She laughed until tears formed in her eyes, and smiled when her laugh finally faded.

 

“You'll always be the stubborn little whiner who promised me I'd never have to worry about anything once we were older,” she said lightly, “If you really insist, who am I to stop you?”

 

“And you'll always be the stubborn brat who never believed what I said,” Atemu added, “And you can't stop me because what I say goes.” Seth glanced between them, wondering just how long they'd take to either insulting or patronizing each other. Their grins didn't fade. Finally, Bakura intervened.

 

“Sorry, children, but there's no time to play… or flirt, whichever one you two are trying to pull,” he said, stepping between the two, “Sith, what's the next step? You're officially the leader in this little rebellion we have going.” Sith frowned, upset that Bakura managed to mock her and still be truthful in one shot. She looked at Atemu and he nodded agreeingly. Clearing her throat, she picked up her sword again.

 

“The front of the castle is no doubt on high alert of my arrival, so we're sneaking in through the sewers,” she stated, “But to get there, we need to get behind the richer part of the capital, and that means going through the small crest we're on, and then sliding down when I say to do so. From there, there are several gates into the sewers we can choose from. The normal ones run throughout the city. They're secretive, there won't be security in them, but they're also confusing.”

 

“So then what about the second set?” Mahaado asked innocently. Sith bit her lip again, hesitant.

 

“The royal sewers go directly into either the palace, the guard post, the royal courtyard, or the plaza. They're straightforward… but most definitely heavily guarded. Thieves and what my brother calls commoners alike use them to sneak into the royal chambers, conducting illegal business,” Sith explained, “If he's expecting me, though, he might lessen security in them to man the front of the palace.” She seemed distant as she explained, and Atemu laid a hand on her shoulder with worry. Mahaado looked worried for her as well. Seth, however, grunted.

 

“Your brother is missing a few buttons to me,” he commented, “I mean, I understand him being angry that you sided with the pharaoh, but this borders on paranoia. What happened between you? Was it really about Atemu?” Atemu looked at Sith, silently asking her if what Seth said was true, and she nodded to him, her ears lowering.

 

“It started after my father died, but it definitely escalated when I told him I was remaining in Egypt,” Sith said, “I think he's afraid I've abandoned him… and now I'm not so sure he's wrong.” Sith looked down the steep slope toward the capital. The snow subsided considerably down here, and everyone could see the large palace in the center of what appeared to be everything. Aside from a small section of city near the palace, everything else was utterly destroyed.

 

“You did what you had to,” Bakura said finally, moving up to stand next to Sith and Atemu, “Your father told you to stay with us! You couldn't disobey him, and your brother knew that! If he wanted you to stay around, he shouldn't have cut down every form of communication you could've used. It's his own fault.” Sith looked at Bakura with shock, and even the priests looked slightly taken with Bakura's truthfulness. Sith smiled weakly.

 

“I suppose you're right… but I certainly haven't fulfilled my duties here,” she said, waving her arm towards the ruined city, “Look at it. Aeroglyph isn't the royal city it used to be, and I've done nothing to help it.” Atemu and Bakura looked at each other regretfully, and Bakura nodded.

 

“So what? It's not like you could simply walk in. Your brother sounds like he wanted a bounty on you,” Bakura replied, “And as far as I'm concerned, you should be here as much as we should be. Your father wanted you with us, and I still say it's your brother's fault if he regrets his stupidity now.” Though Sith didn't like hearing something, especially Bakura, speaking about her brother that way, it made her feel very comforted that someone was willing to tell him how much his ruling had damaged everyone. Atemu blinked, silently glaring at Bakura, but neither Bakura nor Sith noticed.

 

“Thank you,” she said, smiling weakly once more before looking at the palace again, “Now we need to go down there. It's a very long walk, and any time wasted here will turn to suffering down there. I can't let my brother go any further with whatever he's trying to do.” She took one step forward, until the ground shook furiously. Sith lost her footing, and fell. She was about to slide off the cliff until both Atemu and Bakura grabbed her, pulling her up between both of them. Karim grabbed Mahaado, who'd begun to fall a bit as well, and Seth held onto a large tree root poking out of the ground. All of them stood, some hugging others to keep them from slipping, staring out at the horizon. A large brown ship was emerging from the cliffs, and the mere velocity of its engine caused the entire mountain to quake.

 

“So much for going in quietly,” Seth mumbled, as the ship continued until it was level with them all. Everyone simply stared, unable to make sense of how the ship got there. That is, until the door popped open, and out stepped Cydandilus, taking off his broken goggles.

 

“I knew my ship would come in handy some day!” he exclaimed in that gruff voice of his, grinning, “So now, what do we have here!?” Sith blinked, looking at her uncle. Neither Atemu nor Bakura knew who this man was until she spoke.

 

“Uncle!? What are you doing here!?” she asked angrily, placing her hands on her hips, which was difficult as neither Atemu nor Bakura had let go of her. And both men looked terrified of Cyd.

 

“I came to see that boy `o yours, Sithy,” Cyd replied, and looked at Bakura, “You're Atemu, right? Well, boy, I got some words for ya, so you'd better listen well, boy.” Bakura glanced at Atemu, and there was a smirk that threatened to burst out laughing. Atemu's lips tightened, and he looked at his clothing. He hated to admit it, but right now, Bakura looked even more extravagant than he did.

 

“Actually, old man, this is Atemu,” Bakura said, snickering as he pointed to the flustered boy, “I'm just a dashingly handsome thief come to rescue your beautifully elegant niece from the dire peril that…”

 

“Bakura, shut your mouth and don't open it until we all die,” Sith grumbled, as Atemu smiled a truly triumphant smile. Cyd raised a stern eyebrow, and then glared at Atemu.

 

“Don't matter. Look, you. You've been charged with protecting my little niece, and you damn well better be doing a good job of it, too,” Cyd growled, frightening Atemu, “I'm gonna watch you like a hawk, and if you do anything funny to my niece, I'm gonna hunt you down and skin you like you was an oversized Rhobite.” Though Atemu had no idea what a Rhobite was, he knew that either way, Cyd would probably kill him. He also noticed he was shaking. Cydandilus was possibly the most terrifying man Atemu had ever met.

 

“Y-yes sir,” Atemu stammered, and Sith rolled her eyes.

 

“This is what you wanted to talk to Atemu about!?” Sith asked impatiently, tapping her boot against the snow, “You wanted to threaten him? Uncle, where is your dignity!?” Cyd looked over at Sith, and his expression softened.

 

“Just lookin' out for the one member of my family I got left,” Cyd replied, winking, “Anyway, I thought y'all could use my help, so I brought along the Imperial from the palace itself! Snuck it into the slums and all.” Cyd pointed to the large ship he'd come out of, and everyone except for Sith gasped in complete awe. They'd never seen anything like that before. It was very big, towering over 100 feet and longer than the palace itself. It was of sleek design, made for traveling quickly, and it was made nearly completely of metal. Seth could see that veins of crystal seemed to be reinforcing it, or pumping some sort of power into it. The vastness of such a machine took his very breath away.

 

“You took this from my brother!?” Sith asked, both angry and exasperated, “Uncle, were you planning on a rebellion?” Cyd's face hardened and he nodded grimly. Sith bit her lower lip and looked at the familiar airship as Cyd spoke.

 

“Now, Sithy, let me explain here,” Cyd said calmly, “I ain't trying to make things worse for ya, but your brother's completely outta control. He's been sending us all into the Lightning Valley to hold off our enemies, but it don't do a damn, and he's sittin' up there while we all suffer down here!” Sith closed her eyes, trying very hard not to want to murder her own brother for allowing this. Bakura glared at the palace, hoping he could kill Sceppiro from up where he was.

 

“Then it's a good thing their princess returned. If anyone can put an end to this, it's Sith,” Bakura stated firmly, but Sith didn't respond. She didn't want to do this anymore. She didn't want to actually have to face her brother, but she now knew she didn't have a choice. If someone didn't do something, the Espers would all die, and she knew that.

 

“Then let's do this before I turn tail and leave,” Sith finished reluctantly, “I'm not sure I have it in me to actually fight my brother over this, but there's no one else brave enough to test him. So let's get to the palace before I lose whatever courage I have left.” Cyd smiled at his niece, and practically jumped onto the large ship.

 

“Then get your sorry asses up here and let's move!” he called far below, and Sith jumped up next to him, carrying Atemu with her. Bakura twitched angrily, and climbed the wall, praying he wouldn't fall down. Cyd lowered a ladder for the other three. Seth blinked.

 

“Wait, we're actually going to ride that thing!?” Seth asked, as Karim helped Mahaado get onto the ladder. Karim then turned back to Seth and raised an eyebrow.

 

“Well, how else would we get there? By walking?” Karim asked, and when Seth nodded, he simply laughed, “Do you realize how long that would take?” Leaving Seth to feeling very annoyed, Karim also climbed up. Seth cursed him for a thousand years under his breath, and then followed suit. Once everyone was on board, Cyd ran to the wheel and pushed the Imperial into the air again. Though the palace was in sight, he told everyone it'd take a little time to actually get there, so as he steered, Sith led everyone into the comfortably large cabin that served as both a living space and a dining hall. They all sat down, Seth and the other two priests on one couch, Sith and Atemu on the other. Bakura sat on the floor next to Sith.

 

“So, you really don't want to do this?” Seth asked Sith, when no one spoke, “You seemed so sure of yourself a while ago.” Sith sighed and looked down as Atemu laid a hand on her shoulder. She spoke quietly.

 

“That was before Atemu and my uncle became involved. It was before any of you became involved,” Sith replied, not meeting anyone's eyes, “Before, all I had to worry about was myself. But now, I need to look after not just three, but six other people who insist on coming with me. That puts a lot of pressure on me, both as a friend and as an officer of the pharaoh. What if one of you… especially you, Atemu… were to die?” Finally, she looked up at each and every person in that room with her. Tears had welled up, but they didn't fall. Everyone saw the quelled sadness inside of her, and it pained them.

 

“Then we died of a worthy cause,” Atemu replied, but he knew he sounded unsure, “Sith, you may be my knight, but you can't dictate my decisions. I decided to come here. I didn't have to, but I decided it. I couldn't sit and let this war happen.”

 

“And even though I'm a wanted criminal, you're my favorite officer!” Bakura added proudly, grinning, “Who am I to pass up the chance to help such a beautiful… er… beauty?” Seth snickered at Bakura's poor attempt to impress Sith, and Atemu glared furiously at him. Sith smiled, holding in a laugh of her own. Bakura sounded ridiculous, but he was sincere.

 

“The pharaoh's right, though. You can't stop us from deciding to help you,” Mahaado said gently, smiling at Sith, “Even if we didn't know about any of this war until we found you at the gate, we still wanted to make sure you were safe. And we still want that.” Sith nodded, though she still felt very nervous about meeting with her brother. She didn't think it would be this way, with so many people from Egypt actually storming in with her. Her brother would definitely attack them all.

 

“We all love you very much, Sith. We didn't mean to make you second-guess your decision,” Karim said, in a very fatherly way before adding, “Well… most of us love you, anyway.” He looked directly at Seth as he said the last part, and as everyone expected, Seth lost his temper again. He slammed his fists on the table and stood up.

 

“I made a mistake! Are you people going to blame me for this for the rest of my life!?” he demanded, only managing to make everyone laugh, “What's next!? I suppose I'm the one who created dysentery!? What about cholera? Is that my fault too!? Oh, here's a good one! The plague! I know that's my fault, isn't it!?” Bakura was so amused that he was practically rolling on the floor with laughter. Sith was also laughing hysterically, while Atemu tried to be polite, but ultimately ended up failing. Even Mahaado and Karim, though polite to a tee, were laughing at Seth's ridiculous outburst. When he finally calmed down enough to answer, Mahaado's voice somehow silenced everyone else.

 

“Well, Seth, you were the one who had Sith sent out here alone,” Mahaado replied truthfully, “If you'd just done your job, which was to only scout the area with her and then return with information, we wouldn't be here and Sceppiro wouldn't have made a red alert about our arrival.” Atemu nodded wisely, agreeing with Mahaado. Seth twitched, angry that once again, his fellow priests managed to point out his mistakes in front of someone more important than he was. And in this case, both Sith and Atemu were there, both of whom he lied to.

 

“DID I ASK YOU FOR A SUMMARY!?” Seth screamed, until Atemu stood up, looking regal and furious even though his clothing was a bit tattered.

 

“Sit down now, Priest Seth,” Atemu commanded sternly, “And do not ever let me hear you address anyone in my courtroom with such insolence again, or you will be dismissed from the priesthood.” Seth's lips tightened furiously and he slumped into his seat. Sith cheered for Atemu silently. Even Bakura smirked at seeing Seth silenced so quickly. Atemu sat back down just as the ship lurched forward, and then seemed to stop moving. Everyone looked around, trying to figure out what happened, but it was Sith who ran out onto the deck. Cyd was cursing angrily.

 

“Uncle, what's going on?” Sith asked, worried that Cydandilus may have been hurt. Everyone had run to follow Sith, and Cyd looked at his niece incredulously.

 

“The ship's engine blew!” Cyd boomed angrily, kicking the wheel until it finally snapped off, “We came within a mile and the ship decides to undergo complete engine failure! I can't believe this piece of crap is supposed to be military-grade! What was your brother thinking!” Cyd continued to rant about the ship, and different variations of the words “damn” and “shit” were used nearly repeatedly. Mahaado crept up to Sith nervously as she simply watched Cyd like she half-expected this to happen.

 

“What's going on?” he whispered, as most of them were too terrified to have paid much attention. Sith raised an amused eyebrow, smirked, and laughed.

 

“Apparently the engine's failed,” she replied simply, “And we crash landed.” Atemu whistled, but Seth's eyes bulged angrily.

 

“WHAT!?” he screamed, “Does this mean we're stuck here!? Sith, we can't be stuck! Tell me we're not stuck! And if we are, tell me it's his fault!” Seth pointed accusingly at Cyd as he yelled, who immediately flipped the young priest off. The two began screaming at each other, one in Egyptian, the other in Esper's Tongue, until Sith screeched a sound so blood-curdling that it drowned out everyone else.

 

“Oh Ra, who knew she could do that!?” Bakura yelled, covering his ears. Atemu twitched, trying to survive the echoing onslaught, and eventually it wound down. Cyd blinked and looked at his niece indifferently.

 

“First of all, everyone, be silenced!” Sith scolded angrily, unsheathing her sword, “We're not stuck here. In fact, uncle, we're closer to the palace than you think. Remember our original plan to go through the sewers?” Cyd nodded as Sith continued, pointing to a large grate that was still visible through the snow, “Well, we're near the sewer entrance, and thankfully, it's one of the royal ones. We can still use it to find our way to the palace!” Cyd stroked his chin, nodding with approval and calling Bakura over. Together, they lifted the grate and threw it across the courtyard, where it slammed loudly onto a patch of cobblestone and echoed dangerously. Atemu and Sith glared at both of them.

 

“Are you trying to get us caught!?” Sith hissed, crossing her arms angrily. Cyd raised a skeptical eyebrow and shook his head.

 

“Sorry, Sith,” he replied, and then laughed heartily, “Well, you better get on down there!” He looked at Atemu, as he directed his instructions at him specifically. Atemu blinked, confused, and looked down the large hole. It wasn't dark. In fact, he could see the bottom, and it was gold! He tilted his head, thoroughly perplexed.

 

“Wait… you want me to go down there!?” he asked, “First!?” Cyd grinned and nodded.

 

“Well, of course! You're my little niece's knight in shining linen, so get your ass down there and prove your worth, boy!” Cyd barked, making Atemu jump. He decided he now hated Sith's uncle. Feeling very sick, he turned to Sith, trying his best to smile confidently and almost arrogantly.

 

“I'll make sure the way is clear for you,” he said, and she smiled, “Just don't let any unnecessarily needed rogues bother you while I'm gone.” Bakura twitched, as he knew full-well that Atemu meant to insult him. Atemu grabbed the first rung of the ladder leading downward, and winked at Sith. She chuckled, but did nothing else. Bakura lost it.

 

“I HOPE YOU BREAK YOUR NECK DOWN THERE!” he screeched, as Atemu disappeared. Seth, Mahaado, and Karim watched in silence. Sith simply stood, praying that nothing was down there.

 

“God Bahamut, please let there be nothing down there.”

 

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

 

And so, with everyone in one group, they head off toward the palace! But, what awaits in the sewers under Aeroglyph? And does Sceppiro already know where they're heading? Can Cyd be trusted? And how is Saimon taking to Atemu's absence? Find out in the next chapter, so click that Review button!