November 4th: - 1712 Words
“Wow.”
Tobias let out a draconic chuckle as he and his human partner flew high above the lands that made up the Dark Kingdom, sensing his friend’s emotions shifting from fear, not that Tobias was worried, he was well aware of how much his Duelist hated heights, to awe as the human got to take a good look at their surroundings.
This is just Mahado’s lands. Tobias sent telepathically to Joey, as he picked a thermal and swooped into it, using the rising air current to get him greater height and make his flight easier on his rider, who had only ever ridden on his back once before, You should see the Mountains where I come from.
He let that sink in and felt his partner’s mind shift towards confusion, “Mountains? Like the field card?”
That’s correct. Tobias nodded slightly, being very careful not to dislodge the human on his back, well aware that a fall from this height would be fatal for him, Certain areas of the Monster World have become the inspiration for the field cards that boost our powers in your world. I believe, though it could just be wishful thinking, that the mountains I come from are the ones that were used as the inspiration for the ‘Mountain’ field card.
“Cool.” Joey acknowledged, not knowing where Pegasus was thinking of, or even if he was thinking of the monster world at all when he’d created the cards, but accepting Tobias’s thoughts on the matter none the less. “I have a question.”
Go on. Tobias encouraged as he swooped over the forest that covered the eastern part of the Kingdom.
“What is the deal with Medan?” Joey asked, surprising Tobias, who had expected questions about his world, or the Duel Monsters they were going to meet.
What do you mean? The Red Eyes Black Dragon asked, glancing over his shoulder.
“What’s his problem? I mean I can kinda understand him being pissed if his ruler’s got the same attack and defence but can walk all over him in a fight, hell I’d be frustrated in his shoes, but this war with the Dark Kingdom? It seems excessive.”
Tobias let out a short rumble of agreement, It is, but it’s not all about how much more powerful Mahado is than Medan.
“Then what is it about? Because everyone’s so busy paying attention to Atem that no one’s told me anything.”
Tobias could sense Joey’s frustration and felt sorry for his partner. It couldn’t have been easy for the human to have been ripped from his world, only to be completely ignored by the majority of those of the palace until Tobias had offered to take him with him to the Harpies Hunting Ground to aid him in the upcoming talks with the Harpie Queen.
How much do you know about how our world works? Tobias asked, adjusting his angle and becoming amused when Joey yelped and grabbed onto a ridge in order to keep himself upright.
“Not much. I mean Mana warned us about what staying here too long could do, but beyond that...” Joey trailed off, concern for his missing friends coursing through him at the thought of Mana’s warning.
Tobias just sent reassurance over the link, having hoped that the thought of meeting the Harpies would have kept Joey’s mind off of the fact that Yugi and Harry had been missing for almost twelve hours now, We don’t die. We don’t age and we don’t change. It’s why the hatchlings were such a shock. Mana’s daughter too. Before they were born, all the new Duel Monsters arrived via one of three ways, the Shadow Realm, via a transformation, or by being born as fully formed Duel Monsters, like Red Eyes Black Chick, to parents who were already here.
“Really?” Joey sounded surprised. Tobias just nodded slightly and carried on his explanation as he turned to follow a river that wound through the forest far below them.
We can, and often do, end up getting Resummoned though.
“Resummoned?” Joey asked, confused.
It’s like respawning in a game, or if you played Monster Reborn during a duel. Tobias informed him, If we die in battle here, we just Resummon. How did you think Kisara and Mahado have been able to fight for so long without killing each other?
“Uhh...” Joey hadn’t really thought about it, “So Medan’s pissed because even if he actually beats Mahado, Mahado won’t stay down?”
Yes. And no. There’s a reason we don’t like being sent to the graveyard. There has been times when Duel Monsters have gotten stuck there and been lost to the Reaper of the Cards. When we were pulled through to your world the summer before the Basilisk was loose at your school, Medan started studying the magic of the Reaper and his apprentice, the Dark Magician Girl whose card rests in Yugi’s deck, ratted him out to Mahado almost the moment we got back.
“And Mahado and Medan fought about it.” Joey nodded, understanding.
Medan had been causing trouble for Mahado for around five hundred years before that mind, Tobias said, But when Mahado heard that Medan had been studying the Reaper, he couldn’t let that go like he had previous transgressions. So they fought and when Mahado won he banished Medan from the Kingdom and sealed Medan’s study, locking any notes inside away so they couldn’t be used by anyone else.
What happened to Medan’s apprentice? I mean, she wasn’t punished for what her teacher did, was she?” Joey asked.
Soraya? Tobias asked, No, she wasn’t banished. She took up an apprenticeship with Subhan, one of the blue Dark Magicians.
“There’s more than one?”
Of course. Tobias was amused by Joey’s surprise, Mahado is the first Dark Magician, but there are many others, not all of whom live within the palace.
“Huh.” Tobias flew in silence for a while as Joey absorbed what he’d been told and, before Joey was ready to speak again, they passed into the mountain range where the Harpie’s Hunting Grounds rested.
Hold on tight. Tobias sent as he started spiralling slowly downwards, preparing to land. And be warned, we will probably have company the moment we touchdown. The Harpies don’t like anyone else in their territory and they will probably feel threatened by our arrival.
“You couldn’t have told me that before now?” Joey asked, peeved as he reached for his wand, wondering how effective his magic would be against the harpies on their own turf.
My apologies. Tobias sent. I didn’t think about it until now.
Before they’d even landed they had been joined by one of the Harpies Lady Sisters, who had seen Joey, had a few quick words with Tobias and left to warn her queen.
“That’s a lot of harpies.” Joey commented as the few who had been in the area were joined by others who had seen the dragon coming into land or had seen the messenger passing racing to speak with the Queen and come to find out what was going on.
Indeed. Tobias answered warily, concerned at this show of force.
It was unnecessary though, the Queen had already joined the harpies at the grounds in order to speak with them by the time Tobias landed, causing the worst behaved of the harpies to behave themselves.
“Why have you brought your Duellist here?” The Harpie Queen demanded of Tobias, who simply looked unconcerned, as if he had every right to come here with a human and he would do so again if he desired.
I come seeking an alliance between the Harpies of this Hunting Grounds and the Dark Kingdoms.
“And you bring a human as tribute for us?” One of the Sisters asked half-jokingly, only to be grabbed by another of her siblings and pulled back as Tobias flared his wings angrily.
He is no tribute. Tobias sounded mad.
“Be easy, Tobias.” The Queen reassured him, “We seek no harm to the human, but him being here poses an interesting question. I assume that he is here because of what is going on in Mahado’s lands.”
“I am.” Joey said, patting his dragon on the shoulder before dismounting. “I came to ask for your help in finding some friends of mine.”
“There are other Duellists in our world?” One of the Sisters hissed angrily.
“Medan has kidnapped my friends, Yugi and Harry. Mahado sent us hoping...”
“This Yugi you speak of.” The Queen interrupted, “You do not speak of the Pharaoh of Light, surely?”
He does, your majesty. Tobias nodded.
“Does everyone know Yuge?” Joey asked, surprised.
“We are the Harpies whose cards rest within the deck of Mai Valentine.” The Queen answered him, “Even if he was not the Pharaoh, if we did not know who Yugi was, we would be remiss, considering that he and his counterpart saved our Duellist from the Shadow Realm. We know who you are too, Joey Wheeler, it was you, after all, who opened her heart to the concept of friends and attempted to shield her from Marik.”
“Then you’ll help?” Joey asked hopefully, trying to suppress the glee that someone had, finally, recognised him.
“We owe the Pharaohs a debt.” The Queen nodded. “So yes, we will help but,” Joey’s relieved grin died slightly when the Queen said ‘but’, “We will require more information.”
“Like what?” Joey asked, worried that they might not have the information that the Harpies wanted.
The Queen turned away from Joey and looked at Tobias, “We know the Shadow Seal has been broken and that Duellists can now summon their monsters, as Mai summoned Aero while the Shadows were rampaging. Our Duellist spends too much time around others of her kind for us to want to leave her unguarded.”
What information is it that you require from me? Tobias asked.
“We want to know how to get through to the human world.”
Tobias let out a draconic chuckle as he and his human partner flew high above the lands that made up the Dark Kingdom, sensing his friend’s emotions shifting from fear, not that Tobias was worried, he was well aware of how much his Duelist hated heights, to awe as the human got to take a good look at their surroundings.
This is just Mahado’s lands. Tobias sent telepathically to Joey, as he picked a thermal and swooped into it, using the rising air current to get him greater height and make his flight easier on his rider, who had only ever ridden on his back once before, You should see the Mountains where I come from.
He let that sink in and felt his partner’s mind shift towards confusion, “Mountains? Like the field card?”
That’s correct. Tobias nodded slightly, being very careful not to dislodge the human on his back, well aware that a fall from this height would be fatal for him, Certain areas of the Monster World have become the inspiration for the field cards that boost our powers in your world. I believe, though it could just be wishful thinking, that the mountains I come from are the ones that were used as the inspiration for the ‘Mountain’ field card.
“Cool.” Joey acknowledged, not knowing where Pegasus was thinking of, or even if he was thinking of the monster world at all when he’d created the cards, but accepting Tobias’s thoughts on the matter none the less. “I have a question.”
Go on. Tobias encouraged as he swooped over the forest that covered the eastern part of the Kingdom.
“What is the deal with Medan?” Joey asked, surprising Tobias, who had expected questions about his world, or the Duel Monsters they were going to meet.
What do you mean? The Red Eyes Black Dragon asked, glancing over his shoulder.
“What’s his problem? I mean I can kinda understand him being pissed if his ruler’s got the same attack and defence but can walk all over him in a fight, hell I’d be frustrated in his shoes, but this war with the Dark Kingdom? It seems excessive.”
Tobias let out a short rumble of agreement, It is, but it’s not all about how much more powerful Mahado is than Medan.
“Then what is it about? Because everyone’s so busy paying attention to Atem that no one’s told me anything.”
Tobias could sense Joey’s frustration and felt sorry for his partner. It couldn’t have been easy for the human to have been ripped from his world, only to be completely ignored by the majority of those of the palace until Tobias had offered to take him with him to the Harpies Hunting Ground to aid him in the upcoming talks with the Harpie Queen.
How much do you know about how our world works? Tobias asked, adjusting his angle and becoming amused when Joey yelped and grabbed onto a ridge in order to keep himself upright.
“Not much. I mean Mana warned us about what staying here too long could do, but beyond that...” Joey trailed off, concern for his missing friends coursing through him at the thought of Mana’s warning.
Tobias just sent reassurance over the link, having hoped that the thought of meeting the Harpies would have kept Joey’s mind off of the fact that Yugi and Harry had been missing for almost twelve hours now, We don’t die. We don’t age and we don’t change. It’s why the hatchlings were such a shock. Mana’s daughter too. Before they were born, all the new Duel Monsters arrived via one of three ways, the Shadow Realm, via a transformation, or by being born as fully formed Duel Monsters, like Red Eyes Black Chick, to parents who were already here.
“Really?” Joey sounded surprised. Tobias just nodded slightly and carried on his explanation as he turned to follow a river that wound through the forest far below them.
We can, and often do, end up getting Resummoned though.
“Resummoned?” Joey asked, confused.
It’s like respawning in a game, or if you played Monster Reborn during a duel. Tobias informed him, If we die in battle here, we just Resummon. How did you think Kisara and Mahado have been able to fight for so long without killing each other?
“Uhh...” Joey hadn’t really thought about it, “So Medan’s pissed because even if he actually beats Mahado, Mahado won’t stay down?”
Yes. And no. There’s a reason we don’t like being sent to the graveyard. There has been times when Duel Monsters have gotten stuck there and been lost to the Reaper of the Cards. When we were pulled through to your world the summer before the Basilisk was loose at your school, Medan started studying the magic of the Reaper and his apprentice, the Dark Magician Girl whose card rests in Yugi’s deck, ratted him out to Mahado almost the moment we got back.
“And Mahado and Medan fought about it.” Joey nodded, understanding.
Medan had been causing trouble for Mahado for around five hundred years before that mind, Tobias said, But when Mahado heard that Medan had been studying the Reaper, he couldn’t let that go like he had previous transgressions. So they fought and when Mahado won he banished Medan from the Kingdom and sealed Medan’s study, locking any notes inside away so they couldn’t be used by anyone else.
What happened to Medan’s apprentice? I mean, she wasn’t punished for what her teacher did, was she?” Joey asked.
Soraya? Tobias asked, No, she wasn’t banished. She took up an apprenticeship with Subhan, one of the blue Dark Magicians.
“There’s more than one?”
Of course. Tobias was amused by Joey’s surprise, Mahado is the first Dark Magician, but there are many others, not all of whom live within the palace.
“Huh.” Tobias flew in silence for a while as Joey absorbed what he’d been told and, before Joey was ready to speak again, they passed into the mountain range where the Harpie’s Hunting Grounds rested.
Hold on tight. Tobias sent as he started spiralling slowly downwards, preparing to land. And be warned, we will probably have company the moment we touchdown. The Harpies don’t like anyone else in their territory and they will probably feel threatened by our arrival.
“You couldn’t have told me that before now?” Joey asked, peeved as he reached for his wand, wondering how effective his magic would be against the harpies on their own turf.
My apologies. Tobias sent. I didn’t think about it until now.
Before they’d even landed they had been joined by one of the Harpies Lady Sisters, who had seen Joey, had a few quick words with Tobias and left to warn her queen.
“That’s a lot of harpies.” Joey commented as the few who had been in the area were joined by others who had seen the dragon coming into land or had seen the messenger passing racing to speak with the Queen and come to find out what was going on.
Indeed. Tobias answered warily, concerned at this show of force.
It was unnecessary though, the Queen had already joined the harpies at the grounds in order to speak with them by the time Tobias landed, causing the worst behaved of the harpies to behave themselves.
“Why have you brought your Duellist here?” The Harpie Queen demanded of Tobias, who simply looked unconcerned, as if he had every right to come here with a human and he would do so again if he desired.
I come seeking an alliance between the Harpies of this Hunting Grounds and the Dark Kingdoms.
“And you bring a human as tribute for us?” One of the Sisters asked half-jokingly, only to be grabbed by another of her siblings and pulled back as Tobias flared his wings angrily.
He is no tribute. Tobias sounded mad.
“Be easy, Tobias.” The Queen reassured him, “We seek no harm to the human, but him being here poses an interesting question. I assume that he is here because of what is going on in Mahado’s lands.”
“I am.” Joey said, patting his dragon on the shoulder before dismounting. “I came to ask for your help in finding some friends of mine.”
“There are other Duellists in our world?” One of the Sisters hissed angrily.
“Medan has kidnapped my friends, Yugi and Harry. Mahado sent us hoping...”
“This Yugi you speak of.” The Queen interrupted, “You do not speak of the Pharaoh of Light, surely?”
He does, your majesty. Tobias nodded.
“Does everyone know Yuge?” Joey asked, surprised.
“We are the Harpies whose cards rest within the deck of Mai Valentine.” The Queen answered him, “Even if he was not the Pharaoh, if we did not know who Yugi was, we would be remiss, considering that he and his counterpart saved our Duellist from the Shadow Realm. We know who you are too, Joey Wheeler, it was you, after all, who opened her heart to the concept of friends and attempted to shield her from Marik.”
“Then you’ll help?” Joey asked hopefully, trying to suppress the glee that someone had, finally, recognised him.
“We owe the Pharaohs a debt.” The Queen nodded. “So yes, we will help but,” Joey’s relieved grin died slightly when the Queen said ‘but’, “We will require more information.”
“Like what?” Joey asked, worried that they might not have the information that the Harpies wanted.
The Queen turned away from Joey and looked at Tobias, “We know the Shadow Seal has been broken and that Duellists can now summon their monsters, as Mai summoned Aero while the Shadows were rampaging. Our Duellist spends too much time around others of her kind for us to want to leave her unguarded.”
What information is it that you require from me? Tobias asked.
“We want to know how to get through to the human world.”