Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Spheres of Osiris ❯ Opportunity ( Chapter 1 )

Yu-Gi-Oh!

Spheres of the Osiris

Chapter 1: Opportunity

"Why am I doing this?" A question I've been asking myself my whole life.

"It's my job." I would answer. I mean sure it's my job but wouldn't it have been better if I had worked in some kind of office, it probably would have paid more and it certainly would have been whole lot safer! Hell! Working the night shift in a convenience store would have been safer! But still I do it, everyday. Risking my life just to make some old man happy. Collecting this, salvaging that. Of course we have our rivals, that makes things difficult. But still I do it anyway. You know why? Because It's my job!

The rain hammered down on my already water-logged body as I walked up the slippery stone steps, worn away by the many generations of people who had trampled them beneath their feet, not once taking time to admire the craftwork of each step. Upon each was the image of an ancient Egyptian monster, guardian to some great forgotten pharaoh. Of course we have now come to realise that each image represents a creature from the game Duel Monsters, but still they are worthy of our admiration. Too bad that most of them have been worn beyond recognition, but I guess that's life!

I slouched against the tall glass doors, sheltered from the downpour by the huge stone arch above me. Behind the door was a seemingly endless void of darkness. The building was closed for the evening. I looked at the metal plaque beside the entrance, it read:

'Natural History Museum opening hours:

09.00 - 22.00 - Mon - Fri

10.00 - 20.00 - Saturday

Closed - Sunday'

I looked down at my watch,

"11.23 pm, no wonder it's so dark." Mumbled too myself. A low growl of thunder sounded in the distance, but it was drowned out by the roar of the rain sweeping the ground. I turned and looked at my reflection in the glass. My mousey coloured hair, now considerably darker from the rain was almost glued to my skull, the front, weighed down by wetness, almost covered my eyes. I flicked it away so that my icy-blue orbs came into view.

'I look like a drowned rat! Not the best appearance for meeting my contractor but I guess you get what you pay for!' I thought to myself, turning to face the steps again. 'He should be here by now with my $900! A meagre sum considering this thing's rarity.'

At that precise moment two distinct figures emerged from a rather flashy black limo parked in the museum's bus bay, one tall with a large build and the other considerably shorter and hunched over, he looked like an old man. As they grew closer there was no mistaking their identities. It was Mr. Ivor Bentley and his colossal bodyguard, Turk. Mr. Bentley was a collector of many rare artifacts of various origins. The kind of man with a lot of power who has taken it upon himself to collect items which could be potentially dangerous if they fell into the wrong hands. Anything which held a hidden ancient power would probably have Ivor Bentley questing for its capture. Of course he has his enemies, which is why he always has a protector with him at all times. Turk being the brain-dead thug who has got through life using brute force alone. The type of man who follows orders without question. With his cliched bodyguard goatee, gigantic frame and slick sunglasses which are never removed, even at night, Turk is clearly a man not to be messed with!

Turk sheltered Bentley's balding scalp from the weather with a large black umbrella. They were both wearing extremely expencive looking black suits. I looked down at my soggy blue jacket and battered black jeans and instantly felt a little intimidated. Another rumble of thunder in the distance caused the street lamps to flicker as the two men joined me in the archway. Bentley cleared his throat and spoke in a harsh, raspy voice.

"Do you have it?" He held out his hand, waiting for his prize. I was also eager for mine too so I wasted no time in retrieving the small brown envelope from my inside jacket pocket and handing it over. He reached into the paper parcel and pulled out a small rectangular card. A wrinkly smile formed across his cracked, aged face.

"The winged dragon of Ra! Finally you're mine!" He chuckled, gleefully. "I thank you Mr. Spencer."

"You can stow your 'pleases' and 'thanks' till after I get my cash!" I grunted. The miserable April weather was starting to get to me and I really didn't feel like catching a cold from being in this storm for any longer than what was absolutley neccessary.

"Of course, of course." The withering man tapped the side of Turk's muscular legs with his cane. Turk raised a silver metal briefcase and faced it towards Bentley. He input a series of digits into the locking mechanisim and the catches sprang open. Turk then turned toward me and I began to lift the case's lid open carefully. I was surprised with what I found inside.

"What is this some kind of joke?" I grunted, half confused and half angry with my reward. It appeared to be some kind of arm-wear. A round bracer to fit my arm through that adjusts to the right size to grip firmly. Attached to it was a long flat surface for laying down cards and several slots, also to slot cards into. A small screen along the top that was used to display a maximum of four digits was also attached. I looked at it puzzled for a moment.

"It's a duel disk system." Bentley finally interupted. I glaced harshly at him.

"Yeah I know that! But why are you giving it to me?"

"I happen to know you are a closet duel monsters fan, I thought you would like it."

I reached into the case, pulled out the object and fastened it to my arm. I looked back at Bentley, a wave of curiosity interupted my anger towards his method of payment.

"Where did you get this from?" I asked, examining my new arm-wear. I was oddly light for it's size considering the mechanics behind such a device. "How did you get this? Only those duelists who participated in the Battle City Tournament were issued one of these."

"Let's just say I have my sources." The old man smiled again, but it soon faded to a face of dread. "Unfortunately so does our enemy."

"Enemy? What are you talking about, old man?" I grabbed Bentley's shoulders and began to lift him from the ground, there was something he wasn't telling me and I needed to find out. The tremendous bulk of Turk forced me backwards. Losing my footing to a large puddle beneath my feet, I toppled over and hit the ground with a splash. Soaked through to my skin, I quickly jumped to my feet again.

"Tyler, my dear boy, you should learn to control your temper." Bentley removed his glasses from his face, wiped them with his hankerchief and replaced them. "Have you ever heard of the six spheres of Osiris?" He asked, turning his back and gazing off into the rain-drenched streets beyond the museum steps. "Egyptian of course, like most things in my collection. Each separate sphere is about the size of an average tennis ball and contains a different element. Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Light and finally Dark. Sound familiar?"

I paused for a moment and thought to myself. I knew that series of elements from somewhere, but where exactly I wasn't sure. Then it hit me. The duel disk. Duel Monsters!

"They're the element catagories for Duel Monsters!" I announced. Bentley nodded and continued.

"Long ago, shortly after the creation of the Millenium Items, several evil sorcerers created six spheres. They knew that the secret of the Pharaoh's power lied in those items and they also knew that they would be heavily guarded so they created the Spheres of Osiris."

"Osiris, King of the Dead, right?" I interupted.

"Yes. Obviously you would think that the spheres had some link with death, actually it was quite the opposite, once gathered, the six spheres will grant their barer with the power of immortality. The sorcerers knew that they would face heavy resistance if they went after the Millenium Items so they planned to make themselves immortal to defeat the guardians and harness the items' powers for themselves. Fortunately their plan was discovered and the sorcerers were hunted down and executed, but not before they were able to use the last of their magics to hide the spheres in different locations around the world, where they have remained for over 2000 years, until now. A sinister organisation who call themselves the 'Daevas' know about the existence of the spheres and are planning to gather them and attain immortality. Just think, if they cannot be harmed they could pretty much do whatever they want. They could even rule the world! We know the location of the first sphere, the sphere of the Earth. Unfortunately so do the Daevas. It's a race against time."

"And I suppose you want me to collect them, right? I knew there was a catch! I'd rather just collect my $900 and leave but I guess I have no choice. Why not just destroy one of the spheres, you said you need all of them to obtain immortality. With one of them gone then the others should be useless."

"This is where the sorcerer's inginuity shines through. The spheres cannot be destroyed individually, only once you have gathered all six can they be destroyed."

"Damn! Should've known it wasn't gonna be that easy! Then what's the deal with the duel disk?"

"Yes, well, once you have one sphere it will point you in the direction of the next one, but only if you have proven yourself worthy in the eyes of the ancient Egyptian spirits. Back then they called it the Shadow Games, now after their resurection by Pegasus, the only way you can prove yourself is by showing your skills as a duelist. I hope you have a strong deck my friend."

"Why not give me back that Egyptain God card and I may stand more of a chance against the Divas."

"What and risk it being stolen? Not likely, it'd be safer with me. And they are called Daevas." Bentley corrected.

"Yeah, what did I say?"

Bentley turned and signalled to the limo driver. The loud 'vroom' of the engine signified that my meeting with Mr. Bentley was almost over. He looked back at me and continued speaking.

"The first sphere is located in a small canyon near an isolated village in South America, I've organised a train to take you to there. You'll have to get off at North Prospect Station. There you'll need to secure some means of transport to take you the rest of the way. I'll be in touch if I find out any more information. Speaking of information, your partner on this quest has the exact coordinates of the Earth sphere. Her name is Rikku Darlington. A pleasent young lass, I'm sure you'll get along fine. She'll be traveling on the same train as you. Your first priority is to find her, she's also quite a talented duelist, you may have some competition. Time is of the essence, your train leaves in six hours. Make sure you're on it! The enemy may know of your presence on that train. Sadly, not every piece of information I collect is kept as water-tight as we would like to hope. Be prepared, there maybe confrontation during your journey. The Daeva's house many people from all over the world. Many look like everyday civillians, trust no one!" Bentley nodded his head and he and Turk began to make their way back to the car. He stopped and turned around.

"Oh and Tyler, one more thing about the Duel Disks. I don't know if you've heard but nearly every high profile tournament held recently has been issuing them. So don't be surprised if you encounter a larger number of Duel Disk owners than you originally thought. Remember, not everyone is your enemy, but not everyone is your friend either. Good luck!." And with those words both he and Turk disappeared into the black limo and vanished into the dark, stormy night. That's when I too headed off into the darkness. A new mission. My target: the Spheres of Osiris. My reward: saving the world.