Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Seth's Magical Adventure! ❯ Deception and Destruction ( Chapter 13 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Takahashi does, and he doesn't remember Bakura ever using a bracelet to summon Diabound.

 

“So, what do you think is down at the Nile?” Sceppiro asked, when Atemu didn't speak for a while. Siamun and Cydandilus had left for the map room to scope out the best places to send squadrons for battle, leaving the two monarchs to simply stand at the balcony. Atemu had been deep in thought, though none of them could even reach Sith despite his attempts and prayers. He glanced at Sceppiro.

 

“I'm not sure, but my guess is it's something inhuman,” Atemu stated, though he knew that part was obvious, “I'm worried it could be a beast of the water, in which we won't stand much chance. The Nile isn't big enough to stage an all-out assault.” Sceppiro nodded. The Nile was big, but if the monster was too large, they wouldn't be able to attack unless they relied on magic. Atemu asked, “Do you have any ideas?”

 

“Unfortunately, no,” Sceppiro said, sighing, “It would depend on what's happening down there.” Atemu sighed. He didn't like the idea of having to wait before he could defend anyone. It made him feel useless.

 

“I wonder if Sith would see it,” he said absently, and Sceppiro let out a long sigh.

 

“If she did, she'd probably fight it,” he stated sternly, “I just hope she doesn't. We need her here.” Atemu sighed, wishing that Sceppiro hadn't said that. It was true, but it made his heart ache with guilt. He had allowed most of their misfortune thus far unfold simply because he had no true idea of what was actually happening. As he looked out once more across the desert, he saw something in the distance, like a large cloud of dust. Immediately, he tugged on Sceppiro's shoulder, and the other man looked out as well, raising a confused brow at the sight as it began to draw closer to them.

 

“What is that?” Atemu asked, alarmed as he realized that the cloud was aiming right for the palace. Sceppiro blinked, squinting his eyes. He felt magic, but it was jumbled to him. His ears lowered.

 

“I can't say, but it's magical in nature,” Sceppiro replied calmly, and then glanced at Atemu, “Think it's another attack?” Atemu bit his lip. He had no way to answer, but if it was, he was sourly unprepared. Something leapt away from the cloud, heading even faster toward them, and a loud, long whistle was heard as that object came whizzing toward them. Atemu ducked as Sceppiro shut his eyes, and whatever was coming landing next to them with a thud. Atemu smelled the familiar scent of flowers and opened his eyes. Sith stood there, looking down at him with amusement.

 

“Did I scare you, sir?” she asked calmly, smiling slyly. Atemu laughed, nodding as he stepped back. Sceppiro simply looked at Sith with wide eyes.

 

“Of course not, Sith. Welcome back,” Atemu replied, and for a second, the two of them hugged, “Did you find Diabound?” Sith nodded as she let go of him, and turned around to watch as the cloud of dust continued advancing toward the palace.

 

“Yes, sir. That's him,” she replied, pointing to the dust cloud, “He prefers to move quickly, probably some influence from Bakura, but that cloud is him. Sorry to have taken so long. I was… attacked.” Atemu frowned when he looked at her, remembering what Sceppiro had relayed to them.

 

“I know. Your brother told me of that,” Atemu said sadly, “Are you hurt?”

 

“No. At least, not badly,” Sith replied, smiling weakly, “They pulled my hair, but nothing else. Did I miss anything while I was gone?” Atemu blinked, not appreciating the change in subject, but he allowed it. After all, there was a battle not far from there, and he had a feeling that Sith would want to be informed with as much as he could give her. Sighing, he nodded.

 

“Something appears to be attacking the area around the Nile,” Atemu stated seriously, and Sith frowned, “No one dares get close enough to see what it is, but it could be another attack. Did you happen to see it?” Sith looked down and shook her head. Kul Elna wasn't close to the river, and even if it was, she headed back a completely different way. The only way she could've seen anything was if she had jumped, which she didn't.

 

“No, sir. I came back a different route,” Sith said simply, “I didn't think it was safe to go the normal path.” She didn't add that she was afraid of her attackers, but Atemu seemed to understand that the statement was implied. He smiled weakly, not blaming her for being cautious. Sceppiro glanced at her, his lips thinning. He wanted to know just what happened.

 

“How did you escape them?” he asked quietly, and Sith looked at him for a minute. Then she looked away. She had no way to explain that, as she hadn't see much of it herself. All she knew was that she heard Bakura, and that she saw the muggers' bodies being sliced to pieces. She had seen Bakura, but she was sure it was just an illusion.

 

“Bakura… he did something to help me,” Sith replied slowly, “I don't know what it was… but somehow, he killed them all. I found Diabound because one of the doors opened up immediately after. I think… I think he helped me with that as well.” Sceppiro nodded, but didn't know if he actually believed that. He hadn't felt much magic in Bakura other than a slight trace of spiritual ability, so how did Bakura communicate with his sister? At any rate, he was still missing, and they still had to try and find him.

 

“Well, at least you have Diabound,” Sceppiro stated quietly, frowning, “I just hope he'll be able to help.” Sith agreed, and issued a command once she saw just how close Diabound had come. He screeched to a stop and sat down in the sand, causing a small tremor as he did so. He looked at Sith for another command, but none was given except to simply wait. Grumbling with displeasure, Diabound crossed his arms and looked around the expansive desert. Sith then turned to Atemu, confident that Diabound would stay put.

 

“Have you come up with any plans, sir?” she asked calmly, and Atemu blinked. In his worry, he hadn't prepared much of anything at all. The only thing he had was sending Seth, Mahaado, and Karim out to the Nile to investigate the attack. When he told this to Sith, she sighed and said, “Well, let's hope they live through it.”

 

“You don't trust them?” Atemu inquired. Sith laughed.

 

“I trust Mahaado and Karim,” she replied kindly, and then smirked, “As for Seth, I trust him as far as I could kick him. And despite my strength, I wouldn't waste the time kicking him.” Atemu sighed with disapproval at the joke, but he didn't scold Sith for it. Instead, he simply looked out at the desert for another minute, and then led Sith into the audience chamber, with Sceppiro close behind. They had better start planning, he knew, or Rath would catch them unaware. And he didn't want that. No one did.

 

---

 

With Mahaado and Karim by his side, all three of them seated on top of very fast stallions, Seth rode through the desert with great speed, despite the small sandstorms that were kicking up. They had already dashed through a small outpost for travelers, stopping only to let their horses drink, and they were well on their way to the large, snaking river known as the Nile. So far, nothing unusual was seen, but Seth knew that was simply because the monster hadn't been spotted within their current location.

 

“What do you think could be causing such a hassle?” Karim asked, as they rode down a steep dune. Mahaado let his horse slow near the bottom, and shrugged, gripping the reins with one hand.

 

“I don't know. I doubt it's a shark or an alligator, though,” Mahaado replied grimly, “It sounds like a very big creature, though. Do you think it could be connected to Rath?”

 

“Under normal circumstances, I'd say no, but with these Espers, you never truly know what they're planning,” Seth said bitterly, scowling at the sand, “If Rath is trying to confuse us, she'd put it there as a ruse. She's done this before, but we can't ignore this one. People are in danger.” Mahaado nodded as his horse sped up.

 

“As long as we lay low, we'll stay safe,” Karim said firmly, “Remember: our mission is to simply see what's going on. The pharaoh said nothing about attacking anything.” Mahaado nodded, glad that they wouldn't need to initiate a fight, but Seth snorted. Obviously, he felt the pharaoh had other plans to deal with the beast. Karim and Mahaado looked over at him, both raising perplexed brows. He laughed and gave a smug smile.

 

“Chances are, he'll send Sith down here to attack once we give them a report,” Seth mused, his smile widening, “Not that I'm not looking forward to that. If Sith can beat it, all the more power to her. But what do you think we should do if whatever it is comes after us? You think he'll expect us to just run away?” Mahaado bit his lip. He had his guesses, and though he didn't enjoy fighting, he knew that the pharaoh would make exceptions to their orders if the situation called for it. If anything, Sith would support that.

 

“I think he'll expect us to think and act accordingly,” Mahaado replied calmly, “We have our orders, but he knows the danger we're heading to. He wouldn't expect us to not defend ourselves if we needed to in order to survive. The only problem would be if it's an other-worldly monster. Those might be invulnerable to the weapons of man.” Seth's eyes widened, remembering their last encounter with an “other-worldly” creature. Only Diabound seemed able to hold them off bay, and even that didn't stop them completely. He shivered.

 

“I'm going to pray that we don't face something like that,” Seth grumbled, shivering, “We're dead if we do. And if we die, how will I ever see Sith get demoted?” Karim gave him a disapproving glare, but said nothing. He was never able to stop the feud between priest and knight, and he doubted he'd be successful now. Mahaado chuckled with amusement, and then clicked his tongue to get his horse's attention. When its ears pricked, he glanced at Seth.

 

“Whatever we face, it does us no good to wait around and talk about it,” Mahaado stated, “How far away is the Nile? Do either of you know?” Seth shook his head, raising a questioning brow. Karim closed his eyes, focusing his magic to sense the area around him with his mind. He felt only a mile of sand stretching in their current direction, and then he felt a large body of water snaking around, which he guessed was the Nile. He opened an eye.

 

“No more than a mile at the most,” Karim replied, “We should be there within minutes.” Mahaado smiled encouragingly. They were making excellent time, even by the Pharaoh's standards. They continued riding, debating only in short sentences about what they would possibly face. Seth guessed it was something titanic, able to wipe them out with one blow, but Mahaado wondered if it was simply a smaller animal like a jackal that accidentally fell into the river, creating a huge splash. Karim thought it might have been a prank pulled by older children. Each one felt confident of their conclusion until Seth's horse screeched and threw the priest off, landing ungracefully into the sand.

 

“Seth, are you all right!?” Mahaado asked, jumping off of his horse and rushing to Seth's aid. Seth himself spat out sand and stood up, eye twitching with anger. His horse whinnied in terror again, and not even a sharp whistle calmed the beast down.

 

“What is wrong with that thing!?” Seth exclaimed, crossing his arms, “Do you think that whatever's in the Nile is reappearing?” Karim looked ahead. The Nile was in view, its length reaching across the desert floor for miles and miles on end, seeming to continue on forever. But nothing was in its watery depths, not even the shadows of fish. Whatever scared the horse was no longer there.

 

“There's nothing in the river,” Karim replied flatly, “Perhaps the horse heard something farther away?”

 

“I don't buy it,” Seth said sharply, walking toward the water's edge, “Something terrified my horse. I'm going to find out what it is!” Karim dismounted his horse as well, and tied all three to a nearby post used for travelers. Mahaado followed Seth slowly, glancing around for any signs of movement. None existed.

 

“Be careful, Seth,” Mahaado warned sternly, “We were sent to merely investigate. If something appears, we must flee and warn the Pharaoh.” Seth scoffed and looked behind him to face Mahaado, a smirk spreading across his face.

 

“I know my orders, Mahaado,” Seth said smugly, “I don't intend to make the same mistake twice.” Mahaado frowned with distaste at Seth's tone, severely doubting the younger priest's ability to actually follow an order, but he remained silent. Seth edged closer, looking into the murky depths. He could see nothing except the tips of the biggest rocks, and it disappointed him. The water was calm, as though nothing had ever disrupted its surface. Seth blinked, and waited. Their wait dragged on for minutes, and finally, Seth became frustrated as he exclaimed, “Where on earth is this monster!?”

 

“We need to be patient, Seth,” Karim reminded him, “The monster may have fled when the guards saw it.”

 

“Patient!? I'm tired of being patient, Karim!” Seth spat, kicking a pebble, “If you haven't noticed, my patience is wearing very thin!” Mahaado raised an amused eyebrow as the pebble shattered the surface of the river with a loud crash, causing large ripples in the river.

 

“You actually had patience at one time?” Mahaado joked, “You could've fooled me.” Seth gritted his teeth, obviously not enjoying the fun being poked at him. Karim snickered, and Seth glared at him.

 

“Both of you can go to Hell at this point,” he mumbled unhappily, “As a matter of fact, I'm very patient. The fact that you all are still alive should be indicative of that!” Karim stopped laughing and looked at Seth very sternly.

 

“I think the fact that you haven't yet been dismissed is indicative of the Pharaoh's Mercy,” Karim stated bitterly, “Hold your tongue, Seth.” Seth rolled his eyes, but he obeyed nonetheless. The last thing he needed was to be scolded by his peers… or thrown into the river depending on who decided to punish him. Both priests simply stared, until Mahaado gasped, breaking their eye contact. Both looked at him, and his face had paled. Concerned, Karim asked, “Mahaado, what's wrong?”

 

“Stay quiet, and look over there,” Mahaado whispered, pointing. Seth turned around and saw what had made Mahaado so nervous, and what might've scared the horses. A large group of soldiers were marching toward the river, about 300 feet away. But what had made Mahaado nervous was that they weren't human. They were Espers, and they weren't riding horses. They appeared to be riding small behemoths, drool issuing from the beasts' mouths. Quickly, the three priests hid behind a small stand set up for traveling salesmen. They popped their heads up just enough to see what was happening.

 

“What are Espers doing in Egypt!?” Karim hissed, tensing up, “Are they here for king Sceppiro?”

 

“It doesn't appear to be so,” Mahaado whispered back, “I smell something suspicious.” They decided to keep quiet and to listen to whatever was happening. One soldier, a large man with horns protruding from his head and drooping cat ears, walked over to the river.

 

“Those bastards of the Pharaoh have already reported the Kraken as a threat!” he called to the other guards, “It's retreated already!” One of the mounts looked over, and Karim barely saw a long tail sweeping the ground. He adjusted his spear.

 

“Can you call it back, Ruon?” he asked, his wings ruffling. Ruon, who Seth guessed was the guard at the river, shook his head, letting his large sword drop to the sand.

 

“No. It either retreated back to Hell or it's seeking different waters,” Ruon said bitterly, “All of that magic wasted for nothing! Rath won't be happy with this.” All three priests' eyes widened at the mention of Rath. Whoever these men were, they were working for her! Another Esper grunted.

 

“Neither will Commander Leone,” he grumbled, crossing his large arms, “We'll be lucky if one of us doesn't get demoted for this. Should we simply head to the palace and capture king Sceppiro? Or his sister?”

 

“No. The Pharaoh no doubt has protection on them,” Ruon replied, “There's little use going after either of those traitors, and recalling the Kraken will do no good if the Pharaoh is alerted to it. Our best bet is to go back to Aeroglyph and tell Rath that the Pharaoh knows we're coming. At the very least, that little rat she imprisoned can be used as a shield until they attack.” Seth bit his tongue to keep himself from attacking. This was even worse than he had thought, though he couldn't begin to imagine just what a Kraken was.

 

“Sir Ruon, what if we're demoted!?” another Esper asked, and Seth could tell that this soldier was considerably younger, “What will happen to the Leone Mattoun brigade?” Ruon sighed, and then shook his head.

 

“That is for Rath and Commander Leone to decide,” he said grimly, “Leone Mattoun brigade, move out!” Shouts of the command were repeated, and slowly, the group of Espers left the river, leaving the three priests behind to watch them leave until they vanished in the distance. All three glanced at each other, not one knowing just how to put their new concerns into words. Seth stood up and walked out of the stand.

 

“What exactly does this mean?” he asked, heading toward the frightened horses, “Is Nesce waging a war on us?” Mahaado stood up as well, and shook his head as he dusted the sand off of his robes.

 

“No. Rath is issuing an attack,” Mahaado replied grimly, “I'm not surprised she's using Aeroglyph as a base. Everyone living there either fled or was killed in battle.” Seth sighed, looking down. He had no idea what to say about that.

 

“Should we tell Sith what we heard?” Karim asked, crossing his arms as Seth unhooked the horses, “It's no doubt that she would want to know.” Mahaado looked down, unable to answer. It was true; Sith would eventually need to know what was happening, but could they risk her heading out to stop Rath? She would probably end up doing so, regardless of Atemu's wishes.

 

“I think we need to,” Seth said, stroking his horse to settle it down. When both Mahaado and Karim looked at him in shock, he continued, “Think about this for a minute. As much as I don't like her, Aeroglyph is her home, and she is the pharaoh's closest friend. She deserves to know. At the very least, she and her family can give us some more information. They might know what a Kraken is, and why Rath sent one out. That man, Ruon, seemed really upset that it retreated even though it didn't attack. I doubt that this was meant as another attack.” Karim blinked, realizing that Seth had a point. He walked over and climbed onto his horse, Seth doing the same.

 

“Mahaado, I think Seth is right,” he stated, much to Seth's surprise, “I don't think Rath was going to strike us with the Kraken. At any rate, we have what we need. We might as well head back.” Mahaado sighed and climbed onto his horse as well. Their decision was made; they had to warn Atemu and talk to Sith, Sceppiro, and Cyd about what was happening. If Aeroglyph was taken over, Egypt was going to be next very soon, and a counterattack had to be made quickly. Wasting no time, the three sped off toward the palace, pushing their horses as far as they felt safe to do so. What had been a decently long trek to the river seemed like nothing on the returning trip to the palace, but Seth simply guessed that was more because of their fear and adrenaline jumbling their mind. Within what seemed as minutes, they were rushing through the city gates, through the streets, and up to the palace courtyard. Mahaado and Karim jumped off their horses, who dashed toward the stable, glad to be somewhere safe. Seth, however, didn't even bother. He simply rode his horse directly into the palace, despite protests from guards, servants, and Malik himself, who had come to get a scroll for Isis. Seth ignored them all, or at least tried to.

 

“I'll have you arrested for interfering with official matters, peasant!” he snapped at one servant, who loudly told him to get off his horse before seeing the pharaoh. The servant grumbled and reluctantly left, and Seth continued speeding toward the audience chamber, well ahead of Mahaado and Karim, both of whom were trying to calm down the rattled guards. He burst through to the audience chamber to find Sith, Atemu, and Sceppiro talking about something. Cyd was near the back, arms crossed and waiting for something. Atemu looked up, raising an interested brow when he saw Seth riding a steed into his palace.

 

“Priest Seth? Did you see what was the matter?” he asked, and then chuckled, “And… why are you riding a horse through my halls? Are you trying to entertain me, or do you think yourself a knight?” Seth's eyes narrowed at the question, and he finally climbed off his horse. Sith glanced at him quizzically, wondering what exactly he was doing.

 

“You seem worried, Seth,” she stated calmly, “Were you attacked?” Seth shook his head.

 

“No, but you're not going to like what we've found,” Seth replied grimly, “That monster, it was a ruse to try and distract us from Rath. I heard men talking about it, but what's most troubling was that they were all Espers.” Sith's eyes widened, and Atemu's mouth dropped open. Espers! What were they doing in Egypt?

 

“Espers are attacking Egypt!?” Atemu demanded as Sith asked, “What did they say?” Seth looked down, unable to take the fury from Atemu or the concern in Sith's voice. He knew there would be trouble, but he hadn't expected such an extreme reaction from the pharaoh.

 

“I… I don't know, pharaoh,” Seth replied slowly, “As for what they said… they called the monster a Kraken. I don't know what it is, but they said they can't recall it. Sith, what is a Kraken?” Sith blinked as she slowly processed what Seth was saying. At that moment, Karim and Mahaado both ran in, both looking as though they had just finished a marathon. Her ears lowering, Sith opened her mouth to speak.

 

“A Kraken… is a terrible monster that lives in the sea,” Sith began hesitantly, her voice unusually soft, “They're at least five times as big as an octopus, and have ten times the tentacles as well. They are… incredibly dangerous and can easily wipe out a city in less than an hour. But what troubles me is that they aren't known to be spotted near any piece of land.”

 

“Where does it come from?” Mahaado asked. Sith sighed, and this time, Sceppiro decided to answer, feeling that his sister was still floored from being told that they had encountered a Kraken.

 

“Normally, it lives in the upper northeastern seas, but where it originated from isn't know,” Sceppiro replied calmly, crossing his arms and frowning, “Some say they were born in Atlantis itself, but none have ever been able to confirm that. But… to have one here… someone had to have sent it. Who were the men you saw? Did they have names?” Seth nodded, and looked at Sith critically. She blinked, wondering why he was looking at her so intently.

 

“One of them was named Ruon. They said they were the Leone Mattoun brigade,” Seth told them, “Knight Sith, does that name mean anything? They were Espers.” Sith's eyes widened, and she nodded. Her skin paled, and Seth guessed that whatever he had just said, it was a very painful memory for her. She glanced at Sceppiro, and he had the same expression as she. Even Cyd seemed startled with the name.

 

“Who are they?” Atemu asked, when he too saw the drastic expressions on the three Espers. Sith turned to him, and she looked troubled.

 

“The… The Leone Mattoun brigade… that is one of the finest squadrons of soldiers that defended Nesce,” Sith replied shakily, “…Sceppiro was part of them… and I almost joined them as well.”

 

“They mentioned Rath,” Seth told her, and she looked at him, shocked, “I think they work for her now.” Sith's frown worsened, and Sceppiro growled angrily. Cyd glared at the floor, gripping his spear until it threatened to snap under his strength.

 

“Then they are traitors,” Sceppiro said sharply, and Sith glanced at him, “How dare they double-cross us! If they're planning to attack, we must…”

 

“Sceppiro, stop!” Sith commanded sternly, and Sceppiro ceased his words at once, “We don't know the entire story. I do not believe that they would simply betray us like this. They… they know what Rath did.” At this, she turned to Seth and asked, “Did they mention anything more?” Seth nodded, sighing grimly. Whatever he was about to say, Sith knew it was going to be very distressing. She braced herself.

 

“Yes… Apparently, Rath has seized Aeroglyph and is using it as her base of operations,” Seth said, and the reaction of the three Espers was instantaneous and overwhelming.

 

“What!? How dare she!”

 

“I knew that little rat wasn't no good!”

 

“No, this cannot be so!” Atemu held Sith as she screamed furiously at nothing in particular, and then burst into uncontrollable crying. Sceppiro's eyes narrowed, his fists clenching. Seth couldn't sense his actual feelings, but he guessed that Sceppiro was deep in hatred for his cousin. Seth didn't blame him one bit. Cyd, however, sighed. He had no idea how to actually react. Seth looked at Sith and Sceppiro sympathetically, and then turned to Atemu, who seemed unable to comfort or control Sith at all.

 

“What do we do, my pharaoh?” he asked. Atemu looked down. He had no ideas, no ways of knowing when and how to strike, or when to defend. And he knew Sith had no ideas, either. She was too distraught. Sceppiro himself was too busy thinking of how he should kill Rath himself. Cyd, however, was the only one who remained calm enough to think clearly. He cleared his throat, and everyone looked over at him.

 

“You have a plan, Cydandilus?” Saimun asked, tilting his head. Cyd nodded, his lips thinning.

 

“It's a stretch, but at least I got one,” Cyd said grimly, “Rath infiltrated the kingdom, so I say we take it back. We can sneak inside and figure out how to take her down from the inside!” Sith stopped sobbing and looked up at her uncle, her face stained with tears. She blinked, her breathing heavy from crying.

 

“Uncle… are you suggesting that one of us goes in and… and destroys her?” Sith asked, and when Cyd nodded, she exclaimed, “We can't! It's too dangerous!” Cyd chuckled, amused with how exasperated the idea made his niece, but he shook his head, grinning. Sith stopped yelling and panted for breath, getting very worn out from her emotions.

 

“Well, what do you and your brother suggest?” Cyd asked slyly, and when Sith produced no answer, he said, “Look, Sithy, I know you don' want your friends to get hurt, but that's inevitable at this point. Rath's gone and taken our homeland. Your friends are all we got to stop her.” Sith frowned, her shoulders slumping as Cyd spoke. He was right; Atemu and his court were the only allies she had that were fit for battle. But she couldn't throw them in danger.

 

“I'll go in then,” Sith said sternly, “At least, let me go in first.”

 

“Are you insane!? You can't go!” Sceppiro cried, causing everyone to look at him from his outburst, “Sith, Rath knows who we are. Neither of us can go in without being murdered on sight. That's even worse than sending anyone else.”

 

“Then who can we send?” Sith argued, crossing her arms stiffly, “Surely, not one of the priests. None of them can even wield a sword let alone pass off as an Esper. And Rath spotted Atemu as well. Tell me, if not I, then who can go?” No one spoke as they considered their options. Atemu couldn't let Sith or Sceppiro go. The danger was self-explanatory. He also guessed it was unsafe for Cyd as well. Sighing, he fell into his throne.

 

“We're very limited in our options,” he said grimly, “Times like this, I wish Bakura were here. He would go.”

 

“Technically, he's already there,” Seth replied, “Well, I'm assuming so. They mentioned that Rath has a prisoner, but they didn't give details.” Sith's eyes narrowed.

 

“Someone has to help him, then,” she said firmly. Seth looked back at Mahaado and Karim, and all three nodded, somehow understanding the question in Seth's mind. He would volunteer to go. After all, he did have a little battle experience, and he was good at running away. Sighing, he turned back to Atemu.

 

“I'll go and sneak in,” Seth decided, and when Sith snapped up to him, he said, “Look, I'm good at deception. They have no idea who I am, and we need someone skilled in battle.” Sith snorted with amusement, and Seth glared at her, wondering just what part of his volunteer was so funny to her.

 

“And you think you qualify for that?” Sith asked, and when Seth growled, she said, “Priest Seth, I respect you, but be realistic. Rath is an Esper. She can kill you in hundreds of ways without even drawing breath. If you're caught… at least take Mahaado and…”

 

“No. I'm going alone,” Seth cut Sith out, and this time, Mahaado protested as he stepped forward.

 

“Seth, you can't!” Mahaado cried, throwing his arms up, “Not alone! It's not safe!”

 

“But we barely have defenses here. The more priests here, the better,” Seth reminded them all, and then smirked, “Besides, the less people I have with me, the less I need to worry.” Mahaado backed down, unable to argue that. And judging from Atemu's silence, he agreed, either reluctantly or not. Sith stepped up to him and handed Seth a large key. He took it. It was silver, with a lion insignia on its end.

 

“No one can control your choice, but be very careful, Priest Seth. Once you leave, not even our Pharaoh will protect you,” she said sternly, though not unkindly, “As for that key, it will unlock the gates of the castle. I have a feeling that Rath locked the kingdom up in cowardice. Do not lose it.” Seth nodded, and pocketed the key, surprised by how heavy it truly was. Sith smiled kindly, and then walked back to take her place next to the throne. Seth looked to Sceppiro.

 

“If I'm to do this, I'll need a disguise. Can you make me look like an Esper?” Seth asked. Sceppiro blinked, and when he glanced at Sith, she nodded. He smiled, and then looked at Seth.

 

“Yes. I can temporarily change your features to that of our race,” Sceppiro replied, “But I'll need a large amount of energy and mystical traces.” Atemu looked over at them, and pointed to a door behind him.

 

“The Ceremonial chamber should be perfect for you, then,” Atemu replied, “There are a number of crystals that we use to bless those chosen for the Priesthood. That should be potent enough.” Sceppiro nodded, and with Seth, walked toward the room behind Atemu. Slowly, the door opened, and as it did so, Seth had a nervous sensation in his stomach. Sighing, he walked in when it fully opened itself.

 

“Well, now I'll see just how potent the Espers are…”

 

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

 

And so, with a serious report from their reconnaissance mission, Seth must now leave the castle for a solo mission into enemy territory. With Sith and Cyd unable to help, Seth tells Atemu that he needs Mahaado and Karim in order to defend, and Seth's only ally appears to be Sceppiro. Will Sceppiro's power of illusion be enough to help him fool Rath and her army? Is Bakura indeed the prisoner in Rath's new kingdom? Can Seth even succeed in getting into the gate at all? Find out next chapter, so click that Review button!