Yu-Gi-Oh: The Link of Destinies

[mario72486]

Right on the heels of Dark Sage’s latest chapter of “Power Primordial” is my latest project. I was inspired to write it after a combination of positive feedback and the desire to continue a story I thought was finished.

For those who need a refresher, check out “Yu-Gi-Oh, the Pit of 100 Trials.”

For those who remember the major characters involved, I hope you enjoy…

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Yu-Gi-Oh: The Link of Destinies

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Prologue: Return of the Doomed

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He could not believe it had been a few years ago.

Back then, his life had been in a rut. Having lost his parents, he had gone down a suicidal path in an attempt to bring them back. It wasn’t until he faced a near-death experience - in a competition against the most despicable of opponents with the most horrendous of stakes - that he realized that his goal was unattainable. He needed to forge a path to the future on his own, not with a legendary treasure. He came to his senses just in time to prevent a great cataclysm from happening. Not only did he save the world, he was able to obtain a sense of closure.

In the end, he did gain treasure: not just of monetary value – which supported him on his way to achieving a baccalaureate in medicine - but also in knowledge of the fact that he could face anything that came his way.

Uriel had graduated from grad school a few months before. Wanting to continue the legacy left by his parents, he had chosen to become a doctor, aiming towards working closely with medical facilities associated with the army. He knew he could apply whenever he wanted, so there plenty of free time for his other love: Duel Monsters.

He had only recently arrived in Neo Domino city. He had heard about the new tournament coming soon, the World Grand Prix. He came not just for information on how to enter, but also due to the events that had transpired months earlier. The world had been saved in a matter far greater than the way he had saved it. The tournament would mean not just aiming to win, but also to meet the Signers - if possible.

He had earned a license for using a D-Wheel the year before, and he was comfortable with driving the D-Wheel he owned, but somehow the dueling style still didn’t seem to click with him. He was too used to dueling on solid ground, not to mention the fact he had to build a secondary deck to accommodate for the rules of Turbo Dueling. If he wanted to be a threat during the Grand Prix, he needed to obtain new cards and learn some new tricks first.

The former wasn’t a problem, since there was more than enough in his trust fund to pay for cards that could be integrated into both of his decks. As for the latter, he found there were certain individuals within Neo-Domino willing to pass on the tricks of the trade.

It was getting late. He had enjoyed taking in the sights and sounds of the city. These were things he wasn’t used to, but was glad to experience. But even those looking for some excitement needed to get some rest. He was walking through a dark alley away from a Pro shop, having obtained an appointment with a renowned D-Wheel user for first thing the next morning, so sleep was a necessity right now.

He was just about to return to the city street, where his D-Wheel was currently parked, and head back to his hotel. Suddenly, a strange feeling hit him. The air became cooler, and a brisk wind blew in his face. He could clearly feel something coming from behind…something really bad.

He turned around, expecting a common thug preparing to jump him. Instead, he saw a cloaked figure about fifty feet away, slowly but surely walking towards him. It wasn’t until the range became closer that he noticed a foul stench hanging in the air.

“Hello there…we meet again…fleshling…”

The voice was deep, but with a certain level of rasp to it. And it had been a while since someone had used that term to refer to him.

Not since…

“Who are you?” Uriel yelled, taking a defensive stance.

“You disappoint me,” the figure said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “I thought for sure you would have recognized me by now.”

“Answer my question, damn it!” The Israeli snapped. “I want to see if you’re who I think you are!”

“As you wish,” the figure replied, removing his cloak.

Uriel nearly threw up in his mouth when he saw what was before him. He couldn’t tell if he was once human, considering how decomposed the body was. The clothes he wore, something that resembled what was once an expensive business suit, looked like they were part of the man’s funeral.

What really struck him was the fact that the head was replaced with the skull of an alligator-like creature. There was still red and black muscle hanging from it, and the eyes were still in place, staring out like blank saucers. The jaw hung open in what could have been considered a grin. A custom-made duel-disk hung loosely on his arm.

“My god…it can’t be…”

“Oh, but it is,” the corpse responded. “Bonetail is back with a vengeance, baby!”

“But…that’s impossible! I beat you down in the Pit of 100 Trials! I saw you combust into a pile of ash! You were banished into whatever form of Hell you dragon-things have!”

“Wrong on all counts,” Bonetail replied. He held up a bony finger. “First, the only reason you’re still alive is because I wasn’t able to reach you and suck out your soul, something I needed to complete my set of 1000!

“Second, I didn’t spontaneously combust. What you did see was my body disintegrating as a result of me losing my focus and powers. Third, there is no Hell for ‘Dragon-things.’

“…Well, then again I’m not quite sure if there is one just yet, since I ended up in my own form of Limbo. My soul circled this dimension for years. I had no idea where I was going to end up, nor did I know how long I’d remain in that state. At first I tried to fight it, but eventually I chose to accept it until a way out presented itself.”

“Looks like that happened to be the case,” Uriel said bluntly.

“More or less,” the demon replied. “I have the Dark Signers to thank for that. During one of their duels against the original Signers, a certain monster was brought forth. I believe it was called One-Hundred Eyes Dragon. Of course it was a Dragon, but its power was pure evil, something that I found most appetizing when I felt it. Its summoning created a backlash of dark power, and it allowed me and other tainted souls to regain their energy and footing.”

“Congratulations,” the Israeli said sarcastically. “But…what’s with the corpse?”

Bonetail looked down at the body he was occupying. “Oh, you mean this? Well, I didn’t have much choice. The ashes that remained from my body had long since been banished to another plain thanks to the Shadow Spawn, so there was no way I’d be able to return to solid form by myself. My only alternative was to find a body that didn’t have a soul of its own.

“Luckily I had regained my energy near an old cemetery, and thankfully it was one that doesn’t use concrete while burying caskets. This was actually the best body out of the lot. You wouldn’t believe how old and decayed the rest of them were.”

“And…where did you get that new head of yours?” This was asked with discretion, as this was the part of the revived demon he found the most revolting.

“Do you actually expect me to walk around using a corpse for a body, much less a human’s? I had to add my own touch, so an alligator had to do. Sure, the local zoo is still investigating how one of their prized attractions could have been decapitated, but it certainly suits me just fine. Besides, this form is only temporary.”

Uriel did not like the sound of that. “Why? You’re going to die, anyway……again?”

“Oh, you are a comedian,” Bonetail laughed, nearly losing one of his eyeballs. “No, it’s because, while my powers are severely limited thanks to what transpired years ago, I still have some magic left in me. And I’ve been learning some new tricks, like how to transfer one’s essence from one thing to another – or should I say, from one body to another.

“Let me tell you, the results I’ve had with some of my test subjects have been hilarious. But now I’m confident that I’ll be able to use it on myself and my intended target.

“Guess who I plan on taking over – and your first two guesses don’t count!”

The Israeli at first shuddered at the thought of such atrocities, but his anger quickly overpowered this.

The demon didn’t seem to care. “But that’s enough with the humor. It’s time to get serious.”

“No…it’s time for you to pay for your crimes,” Uriel snapped.

“I’m not paying a cent,” Bonetail responded. “If anyone’s going to be paying out of their pocket for things they’ve done, it’s you. You’re the one who cost me everything I had worked so hard to obtain! You’re the one who banished me from this plain of reality! You’re going to pay the ultimate price, courtesy of a Shadow Duel!”

He raised his left arm, and the duel disk on it activated. Lightning struck all around as the darkness began to surround them.

“You’re out of your mind!” the Israeli said. “I’m not going to duel you! There’s no point, especially considering how I beat you last time.”

“But there is a point, fleshling. If I win, you’ll die, your soul whisked away to the same form of purgatory I had to suffer through. Your body will be well taken care of, though. I’ll finally be able to wipe my slate clean and get a fresh start in whatever life I see fit.”

Uriel’s eyes narrowed. “And if I refuse?”

“There is no refusal. I won’t allow it. I’ve been waiting for you to come all this time, and I’m not about to let you slip out of my cold dead fingers. I’ll hunt you down until you’re forced to duel me.”

“What happens if I win?”

“My power is running low as it is. I have enough spiritual energy to conjure up this Shadow Duel while leaving a fraction around to complete the soul transfer. If you somehow pull out a win, which I seriously doubt, well…we’ll let the fates decide what happens to me. No matter how you look at it, our fates are intertwined, our confrontation inevitable!”

The barrier of dark energy finally surrounded both combatants as the Shadow Duel commenced.

“This is it, fleshling! Only one of us is going to leave this place alive!”

“It sure as hell isn’t going to be you!” Uriel yelled, activating his duel disk.

“Let’s duel!”

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Next time:

Uriel: The last time my life was on the line in a simple game, it was against a demon who did not want to die quietly. I don’t know if this story or his is true or not, but one thing’s for sure: I can’t allow it to happen again.

Bonetail: Don’t be so sure…what you saw before only scratched the surface of my real power. I have far more tricks up my sleeve, and I’ll be using every single one to put you away for good!

“Berserk Dragon” is on the way…