Chapter 30--High Treason

A dense, white fog concealed the flash of light as Yuugi, with the Key of Aramas, Gated in outside the Chaos fortress. Hidden beside the path, he watched as the vast, steel gates clanged open and an army, some chaotic beings, some Clanners, some other peoples from other Worlds, marched out. They Gated out, and as the fortress gates slowly began to close, Yuugi slipped in just before they shut tight. The guards on the walls had seen nothing; they were assigned to watch for approaching danger, not suicidal children who decided to enter the Overlord's main base.

They knew that no single person could attack the base and come out alive.

Inside the gates was a large entrance hall. There was only one door leading out from it; this door opened onto a corridor. Doors and stairwells were placed at intervals along it. The moment he entered this corridor, Yuugi knew that he was completely lost. He had no idea where any of these doors might lead, and no idea how to find Vice; he had ever entered the base from the front gate before. Before he actually had to make a decision, however, someone exited one of the doors. Once again, it was a Clanner, a member of Skull Clann from her tattoos. She was holding a metal stave with bladed ends. Her eyes were sad as she turned to Yuugi. "Go back, Summoner. You must not pass."

Yuugi stared at her in complete disbelief. It was like the final insult--after getting all those badges, and fighting all those Clanners, and finally getting the Key, the Clanners were still here, still trying to stop them.

We have to fight her. There's no other way to get past her.

"There must be another way. One more death isn't going to help anyone."

The Clanner spoke again. "Summoner, you must leave this place. Go back--before it is too late." At that moment, a high, shrill whistle pierced the still atmosphere of the base. The Clanner looked around wildly. "The alarm!"

She ran out a different door, which struck Yuugi as odd--why would she be running away from her own alarm? However, he had no time to think about it. Not knowing where the doors led, Yuugi knelt and pried the grate off an air duct close to the ground. Slipping inside it, he quickly shoved the panel back in place and sat still, listening. Booted feet clattered down the hall, shouting in a strange language. Peering out of the grate, it became evident that the Chaos troops had captured an intruder. Philosophically thinking that the enemy of the enemy is a friend, Yuugi hurried through the complex ventilation system, following the troops.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Meanwhile, in another part of the base, the other four searchers had just Gated in, barely escaping the Clanners. Inside an unknown part of the Chaos fortress, they stood very, very quietly, trying to figure out where they should go next. At that moment, however, three other figures Gated in nearby. The four allies, not knowing that these were three dark travelers very similar to the ones Yuugi and his friends had fought, broke down completely.

"They must be Chaos troops--run!"

They ran off through the base, finally stopping in an alcove in the wall. Listening, they wondered if they had lost their pursuers. At that moment, however, the dark travelers had run into trouble. The Lieutenant, receiving a report from the Oracle, had bumped right into them. He immediately pulled out his Chaos blade, slashed the stout man to pieces, stabbed the skeleton man, and wiped off his sword as the Oracle crept behind the tall man, pulled out his soul, and ate it.

The Lieutenant looked coldly at the three bodies. "Take those two to the Recyclers. The tall one should be given to Research."

With that, they walked on. The four hiding heroes stared in shock and fear, silently grateful that they had not run into the Lieutenant. After a few moments, the continued on through the base.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Following the retreating guards, Yuugi eventually came to a large chamber. Unfortunately, this room sported grates in the ceiling, meaning that he was about twenty feet off the ground. The room itself appeared to be some kind of audience chamber. At one end was a wide, flat dais with encircling steps leading up to it. At the back of the dais was a large alcove shrouded in darkness. A sense of great evil emanated from it. Sitting on the steps was a girl dressed in tattered black robes adorned with strange symbols. Her long hair was a mess, and her eyes were oddly blank. Guards trooped into the hall, shoving three bound prisoners before them.

It was the three Skull Clanners who had remained after their last battle!

The girl sitting on the steps sat up, but the motion looked unnatural and slightly exaggerated. When she spoke, her voice was harsh and grating. "You are accused of high treason to your master, the Overlord. I find you guilty. Your sentence is death."

Inside the wall, Yuugi gasped. 'We have to help them!" He quietly removed the grate from the wall.

Please don't tell me you're going to jump.

"Okay--I won't tell you."

Not exactly what I meant...

-o-o-o-o-o-

Meanwhile, Joey, Tristan, Tea, and Kaiba had just been spotted by the Lieutenant and were running for their lives for the second time in less than five minutes. Glancing back to see if he was gaining on them, they crashed through a door and landed on the floor of the same chamber Yuugi had just jumped from the ceiling of, which was incredibly lucky timing, since instead of breaking his neck he fell on top of them.

"Ouch..."

"Oh, hey guys! I guess you got your half of the Key too!"

"Yeah, we did. Now could you please get off of me?"

"Huh? Oh...sorry..."

The Lieutenant charged into the room after them at this point and tripped over his intended targets. Getting up quickly, he was about to kill them when a knife flew through the air and knocked his blade out of his hand. Vice dropped down from the ceiling above the door behind them.

"Ah, there you are. What took you so long?" the Darkling warrior said calmly.

There was a moment of shocked silence. Then... "VICE? But--the Key--"

"Huh? Oh, I didn't need the Key to escape. I just thought it might be useful. Good thing to have around, you know," Vice said, shrugging mildly.

"But--but--"

"Questions later. Come on--we shouldn't hang around too long..."

While Vice was fending off questions, Yuugi was cutting the captive Clanners' bonds. They rubbed their wrists to regain circulation, then drew two weapons each--luckily, the Chaos Army had not yet searched them.

Skull Clanners are known as weapons masters; they are trained from birth to be proficient in most simple weapons and several exotic ones. These particular three Clanners were, respectively, a blade fighter (long sword, short sword, dagger, rapier, broad sword, falchion, etc.), a staff/thrown weapons expert (quarter staff, throwing knife, throwing axe, shuriken, boomerang, sling, etc.), and a hafted weapon proficient (mace, battle axe, double axe, war hammer, maul, etc.).

The battle stood thus: Vice, three Clanners, and six almost-warriors versus the Lieutenant and any troops the Chaos army saw fit to call. Only Yuugi and Vice also knew the true identity of the possessed Seer sitting on the stairs.

The Chaos army is always on the lookout for Seers, especially children; children tend to survive a few days longer than adults, as their bodies, not yet finished growing, have more regenerative power. The Overlord needs his Seers to survive as long as possible, and he is constantly in need of new ones. Why the great need for Seers?

The Overlord is not a possessor-class demon. Only the magic of a Seer can allow him (or perhaps it?) to speak through another being.

Vice ran to the door and bolted it shut to stop the Lieutenant from calling any more troops; they were already outnumbered. The Lieutenant was a highly intelligent battler; he had summoned several Chaos infantry troops to help him.

These infantry troops were Chaos elementals.

An elemental is a being comprised entirely of energy. Some can be found naturally, while others can be created. The Chaos army frequently used elemental troops fashioned by the Overlord for bulk attacks; they could always make more, and organic troops were needed for battles requiring the one thing the machine-like Chaos elementals lacked: a conscious, thinking mind. In this case, the elementals' orders were simple: kill everyone but the Summoner.

The Clanners frowned. They knew that killing elementals of any type is difficult, due to their energy composition. Atsuko, the staff fighter, removed a shiny throwing-star (shuriken) from her belt. It glittered for a moment in the light. Hiroji, a blade fighter and a bereaved parent, selected a rapier with runic signs on the blood channel. The final warrior (and also Hiroji's brother), Kaneshige, drew his enormous battle axe. They were ready to sacrifice their very lives if necessary.

In another corner of the room, four highly inexperienced children from another World drew the few weapons they possessed, all of which had been given to them by Vice: a dagger, a short sword, and a pistol that resembled a ray gun from a science fiction movie. They too were ready to fight, but they were very much hoping that their lives would remain safe.

Yuugi also drew a dagger, but was absolutely not ready to fight; he was much more likely to chop off his hand by mistake than actually accomplish something. He had really been hoping it wouldn't come to a battle, but unlike his friends, he was ready to die if he had to.

Lastly, Vice unsheathed not one but two knives; he was an expert blade fighter. Knife fighters are very rare in the Multiverse because of the skill required to survive when fighting a ranged weapon like a lance or a sword, and many die at an early age. Vice, however, wasn't just any knife fighter--he was a master. Despite this, he too had been hoping that the situation would not require outright battle. He knew that if any of them were to get out alive, he would have to face the truth.

The Lieutenant drew his Chaos sword. Whether or not he wanted to battle, even he could not say; he would obey the Overlord's commands regardless. He was ready to die, if it was the will of his master.

The infantry awaited instructions from the Overlord; the Seer on the steps sat up. Blood dripped from her mouth as she spoke strange words in that same harsh voice; the Overlord's possession was draining her life-force, but he did not care what happened to his sentient tools.

Without any warning or preamble, the infantry charged, and Vice and the Clanners met their attacks with their own. The battle had begun!

Vice flipped backwards, landing on his feet with feline grace. Light flashed out of his hand, dissipating one enemy, while he back slashed another. He was surrounded, but he could cut his way through; he was a child of Dark World, and his whole life had been a battle to survive.

The Clanners were equally beset, but they too were warriors to the core. Atsuko parried blows with her staff, whipping out knives, shuriken, and her lucky boomerang at opportune moments. Nearby, Hiroji was slashing the infantry to rapidly fading clouds of energy, while his brother carved a wide path, wielding his axe. They were unconcerned for their lives, their safety, or their people any longer; their eyes held neither compassion nor fear. They were truly the Makers of the Dead.

At the other end of the room, our four would-be heroes were in grave danger. They had rapidly discovered that fighting is nothing like the movies; no heroic speeches, no last-minute rescues, and no easy victories. Having lost their weapons, they were backed into a corner. Their situation looked grim, but luckily for them, the Clanners saw their danger and fought their way toward them to protect our now very abashed heroes. Unfortunately, this gave the Lieutenant an opportunity to attack the Overlord's main target--Yuugi.

Yuugi was not a warrior; this was immediately obvious to anyone watching him try to battle. He was barely able to parry the attacks of the Chaos infantry, let alone the Lieutenant. The Lieutenant was not, in fact, trying to kill him. He was trying to either immobilize or knock him out, thereby capturing him, as the Overlord wished. In this, he nearly succeeded--he sent Yuugi's dagger flying across the room with a sweep of his sword, causing Yuugi to fall backwards, completely open to an attack. Yuugi would certainly have been captured if he had been unaided; Vice and the Clanners were all too far away to help him.

Unfortunately for the Lieutenant, however, another warrior was watching. A blade wreathed in white fire flashed past him, burying itself in the wall. While he turned to glance at it, Yami kicked him in the shins, pulled his knife out of the wall, and put it to the Lieutenant's throat. It was not a very honorable tactic, but it was certainly effective. Lieutenant Gash was unable to move. The entire battle stopped as every combatant turned to watch the standoff, knowing that the Lieutenant was doomed.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you," the spirit said, voice full of hatred.

The Lieutenant said nothing; he had ceased to fear death long ago. Suddenly, however, an unexpected voice spoke.

"Wait--don't kill him!"

Yuugi got up slowly. He hadn't been injured by his fall, luckily. Whispering so that only Yami and the Lieutenant (and possibly Vice, with his Darkling senses) could hear him, he said, "Please don't kill him."

Yami glanced back at Yuugi, frowning. Yami could see no reason to spare the Lieutenant; he was the enemy, he had hurt them before and would do it again. Killing him would weaken the Overlord's forces. Killing him would be a good thing; so why spare his life? That was why he wanted to kill the Lieutenant. Because it would be a good thing. Yes, that was why. It had nothing to do with the intense desire for revenge, the desire to hurt the Lieutenant, make him suffer as he had made them suffer, that Yami felt deep in his soul.

"Why? He would have killed you. If we let him go, he'll try to kill you again. He deserves to die!"

"No, Yami. No one has the right to decide who should live and who should die. The Lieutenant's life is precious as all life is precious. And somehow, I just have the feeling that somewhere, in some way...he's needed."

Yami clenched his fist, debating internally. Finally, however, mercy (or at least loyalty to Yuugi) won out over vengeance. Yami stepped back.

The Lieutenant sheathed his own weapon. "...you win, Summoner. You and your allies have fairly defeated us. You may leave here unharmed." With that, he strode out of the room.

Vice shrugged. "Well, that's that."

Yuugi pulled half of the Key out of his pocket. "Wait--what about the Key? It can't be any good split in half, can it?"

Vice nodded. "Yes, but...I can't just put it together. We would need a powerful Joining to fix the Key of Aramas, and I don't have one--only the Clanners ever had the power to affect the Key."

Yuugi suddenly remembered something. Reaching into his pocket again, he pulled out a small, silvery disk the Skull Clanners had given him just before he faced the Champion. On it were strange characters, written in Clanner language.

Vice looked at in surprise. "Wow--a Clanner Joining! Here--give me both halves of the Key and your Joining, and I'll put it together."

Holding the three objects, Vice activated the Joining fashioned by the Clanners. It emitted a bright, white light, then crumbled to dust. The Key glowed dully for a moment, then melded together as though it had been heated in a forge.

Vice held it out. "I think you'd better hang on to this, Yuugi."

"...me? But why?" Yuugi asked innocently.

Vice smiled. "Just trust me."

Shrugging, Yuugi put the newly repaired Key back in his pocket. Turning around, he and his friends saw that the Seer had finally collapsed; there was blood everywhere, and the Overlord had evidently departed and returned to the Wilds. Atsuko shook her gently. The Seer sat up slowly, still coughing blood. She was in bad shape; if she didn't receive medical attention soon, she would certainly die.

Vice knelt beside her, holding out his hand. There was a faint, silver light, and the Seer's wounds began to close. Vice had the gift of a natural healer; he could fix almost anyone. The Seer looked tiredly at them.

Atsuko smiled at Yuugi and his friends, who were looking slightly nonplussed. "We will take the Seer; she will be safe with us. Farewell, Summoner. We have helped you even as you have aided us. Whatever you do next, the Ana-srin are with you. Go well, kara-kachi." Hiroji and Kaneshige raised their hands in farewell as all four Gated out.

Vice nodded. "So it has begun...now. You should all go home--people will think you've been abducted if you're not careful."

"But we haven' even beaten de Overlord yet! It can't be ovah...can it?" Joey asked, uncertain.

Vice sighed. "I'm afraid it isn't over, and it won't be over for a long time. But for now, you have time to rest. Take a break--you'll need it. Don't worry...there are still those who fight on in other Worlds. The War may not be over, but we've won a battle. Goodbye for now--I have a feeling we'll be meeting again soon."

They all returned home, some to rest, others to finish all of their homework over spring break in a few days. They were exhausted, but they had survived; that was the main thing.

Yuugi put the Key of Aramas in a drawer in his desk and forgot about it--he didn't think he would be able to use it anyway. The quest for the Key of Aramas was over, and he thought they would all be able to rest for a while. But would they? Far away, other eyes were watching. The battle had only just begun...

Author's note: if you thought the war was over already, guess again! Here ends the first section. Thank you to everyone who read, and especially to anyone who read the whole thing. Special thanks to:Kath, my first reader (if not my first reviewer). I can't thank you enough times...

Serafinamoon, you read the entire story so far, and you reviewed every single chapter. Thank you so much.

Chace--yep, you read the whole story too, and you practically had to jump through hoops to do so. Thanks.

Matt--you are my own personal beta reader and spell checker, the creator and owner of Mike, the Sentinels, and anything Apocalypse, and when you finally put something up on I will be your number one fan.

Thanks to everyone, I couldn't have done it without you! On another note: the Lieutenant's name is pronounced with an "a" like in "father," not like the gash on your arm. Just so you know. If anyone was confused by the number of people, places, and events in section one, I think section two may be a little less confusing. Thank you for reading this far.

Subieko