Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Beyond The Darkness ❯ a new plan ( Chapter 4 )

Oni: MWHAHAHAHAHHA!!!! *insane, Pegasus like cackle* I'M BACK AND OFF PROBATION!!!!!! FEEL MY WRATH!!!!!!

Yami: *rolls eyes and slaps Oni* stop it, onna no baka! You're scaring the readers.

Oni: Itai! *glares at Yami* anyway, this would have been up the same day as chappie 3, but, b/c of some stupid mofo, my account has been frozen, so i couldn't post it. grrrr....... The chappies here may vary in length; I'm restarting the engine here, so to speak

Yami; just pray it doesn't run out of fuel like it did last time

Oni; grrr….uresei, yami! You do want to appear in here, don't you?

Yami: ………………

Oni: yeah, I thought as much! Anyways, enough with my lil rant!

Yami: about time! *tackles Oni and ties her up * ok, folks, on to the show!

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Pegasus was growing impatient. Well, he never had much patience to begin with, almost child like in his insistency at times. Mazou should have been back by now. What was so hard about grabbing a screaming brat and dragging him back to the Shadow Box? Nothing that he could see. Hell, even the fool Nafu could have handled that with ease. Speaking of Nafu………growling, Pegasus reached out his hand and pulled on one of the numerous, unseen chains floating around him in the darkness. There was a startled, pain filled yelp then silence once he released the chain.

The chains floating and surrounding him were his boundaries; they kept him imprisoned in the Shadow Box. They weren't attached to him; they just swarmed around him, keeping his power low. If he broke these chains, then he broke the Shadow Box he was in. He could not, however, break those chains until he had a certain sweet, innocent little hikari in his clutches. He had learned, over the eons, to somewhat manipulate and bend the powers of the chains to his disposal; he used them to hold minor demons prisoner and make them his slaves. As he was bound to the Shadow Box, they were bound to serve him.

He tried calling out mentally once more to Mazou, but his pet failed yet again to respond. He had no link with the scaly, slimy rat like creature. He frowned. Something wasn't right. Grabbing hold of an empty chain, he reached out with its magic to encircle and snare Mazou. The chain fell flat and returned empty to its place in the darkness. Something was blocking him from Mazou's essence. Curses! Who could have done this? Mulling over the past, he realized who was meddling in affairs that didn't concern them. The wretched, meddlesome Mai and her harpies! They would pay for this! She had interfered last time, and had cost him the battle! Well, he wouldn't allow her to muck things up more than she already had this time.

Pegasus grabbed Nafu's chain and yanked hard, bringing the demon in a heap at his feet. /Nafu! I am feeling generous, and will give you another chance./.

/O-oh, t-thank-k-y-you, m-mast-ter! You are m-most gracious and g-generous-/

/Enough groveling!/ Pegasus reached down and grabbed the trembling demon by the scruff of his hairy neck and held him up to his eye level. Nafu squeaked and shut his eyes in terror. /You will go and visit an old friend of mine. I'm sure the Shadow Ghoul will be most delighted to receive some company; he hardly ever gets any visitors./ Pegasus chuckled darkly. /I have a small………favor to ask him/. He chuckled again and bent to set Nafu down only to straighten up abruptly.

/Oh, I almost forgot the most important thing!/ With his free hand, he reached out to yank another chain towards him. The creature on the end of it was merely a small black shadow with glowing fiery eyes. It squealed and struggled against Pegasus's unrelenting grip. /Nafu, you'll be taking a passenger with you. I do hope you both enjoy each other's company./

/NO! Master! Please! Have mercy! Mercy, master, mercy!/ Nafu cried in horror. Cackling madly, Pegasus held the squirming shadow in one hand and the shaking, terrified furry demon in the other as he shoved the shadow into the back of Nafu. He dropped the wiggling, writhing body onto the ground and watched with contentment as the other demon's soul settled not so nicely into Nafu's. This wasn't a soul fusion; this was the implanting of a soul-leech, which would eventually drain away Nafu's weak existence. That was what one got for failing Master Pegasus. When the body stilled and the possession was complete, Pegasus kicked it sharply in the stomach, drawing a pain filled screech. /Now, quit wasting time and get going! You are to send the Shadow Ghoul after that meddlesome witch and the little brat. Tell him he can do as he pleases with the harpies and their bitch, but he is NOT to harm the boy! If he does, he will answer to me. And so will you. I need the child alive./ Another well aimed kick sent the fused creature scurrying out of the Shadow Box in search of one of the oldest and most vile Shadow Ghouls.

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Nafu scurried along the darkest parts of the Shadow Realm. This was where the darker, stronger, and more sinister Shadow Realm residents resided, but he didn't fear them. Well, not entirely. Even though he was a minor demon that would have provided a light snack for the creatures, he was an agent of Master Pegasus. Touch one of the Master's creatures, and you were punished severely. Nafu kept his body cramped and creeped hurriedly along. Although none of the horrifying monsters were fool enough to snatch him, quite a few were brave enough to make several swats at him.

He rushed along until he came to a swampy, marshy bog filled with quicksand, moss covered, decaying trees, mossy boulders, fallen logs, and thick, gooey, muddy swamp water. He stopped on the edge of a particularly slick boulder that was near the water's edge and almost sent him plummeting into it. /Niza! Neza! Master Pegasus has sent me!/

The water started bubbling. Nafu squeaked and tried to creep backwards, but his claws slipped and he went forwards. He was falling off of the mossy rock when two slimy, gigantic green Shadow Ghouls popped out of the water, sending the thick, gushy brown slime spraying all over the place. Nafu cried out and jumped backwards onto the boulder, clinging to its edge. Terrified, he glanced up into the 8 pairs of bright red, pupil less eyes of the Shadow Ghouls.

Their booger green skin was covered with hard, flaky brown patches and barnacles. Their limbs were atrophied, giving testimony to their longliveity, age, rank amongst Shadow Ghouls, and power. One of the crept closer and shook it's elongated head, pincers snapping menacingly. /What does the Master want of us? /

Nafu nearly had a heart attack. The soul leech, which had been quiet once it embedded itself into him, greedily gobbled up this energy. Nafu almost fainted. /M-master P-peg-gasus w-wants you to-to-/

/Stop stuttering! We grow impatient! / Snapped the Shadow Ghoul.

Nafu's heart almost burst. / Master wants you to go and attack Mai the Harpy Lady. He says you can do anything you like to her and her birds, but you are to retrieve the small boy with her. He is not to be harmed in anyway, or you answer to the Master himself. If you please the Master, he will reward you handsomely when he is freed from his imprisonment. /

One Shadow Ghoul looked at the other, antennae quivering and pincers snapping. Finally, they looked at Nafu. The second Shadow Ghoul didn't come forward, but spoke from her place in the water. /My husband, Niza, and I have talked it over, and we agree to this. However, you will inform the Master that our price for this task shall prove to be high. We will require even greater power than we had during his last take over. We are not content to linger and rot in our swamp anymore. The prey here is rather.........unappeasing./

Neza eyed Nafu hungrily, and he squeaked in terror. /I shall inform the Master of this. / He turned to go when Niza's voice stopped him.

/Mmm....you smell stronger, Nafu. Why is that? / Nafu said nothing, and made to keep moving.

/Mmmmmm......yes, darling, you are right. But what is that smell? I know you could not have grown stronger.......yet you smell so good, so mouth wateringly delicious........../ Neza's pincers dripped with drool.

Neza suddenly bent forward, pincers open, and snapped at Nafu. The small demon jumped out of the way, but the Shadow Ghoul still managed to nip off part of his fur. Neza spit it out in disgust. /Gross! You're infested with a Soul Leech! Be gone before we decide to crush you entirely!/

Hoping they really wouldn't have that audacity to do that to Pegasus' servant, but knowing that Shadow Ghouls didn't have much in the way of brains or common sense, Nafu quickly made himself scarce.

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