Writing Duel Monster: Quest for Exodia

[DeathBug]

I've never written or read fantasy before. Heck, I haven't even read or seen LotR. So don't blame me if this sucks.

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Within the realms of fantasy, there was the great mythical land of Konami. Konami was surrounded on three sides; first, by the great Mirage Planes, a huge expanse of desert that continued for infinity. The Dragon Mountains were towards the north of Konami; as the name implied, they were home to the most vicious and powerful dragons in existence. Finally, the great ocean of Suijin lay to the east.
Konami is divided into five great kingdoms, each with their own specialties and inhabitants. For many years, they were locked in a constant power struggle that often resulted in war and bloodshed; now, however, the Pact of Exodia bound all five. Each kingdom held a piece of the Exodia Seal. When all five pieces of the Seal were brought together, the Forbidden One was summoned to the corporeal plane, and his tremendous power would be unleashed upon the world. Though not a dark god, Exodia realized the destructive effect his might would have upon the world, intentional or no. He had allowed himself to be sealed into a higher plane of existence almost a millennia ago. There had been peace between the kingdoms ever since.
Now, however, there was a crisis, one so great that it required the meeting of the nobility of all five kingdoms. One of the pieces of the Seal was missing.
In the great Goldfine Palace, designated neutral meeting grounds for the five kingdoms, the meeting hall was unusually silent. At the great table in the center of the hall, each ruler of their kingdom was quiet, conversing in hushed tones with their most trusted aides. Finally, the Cosmo Queen, elected chairperson of this particular gathering, called the meeting to order.
?I shall not insult any of you by wasting time,? she said, her elderly yet strong voice echoing softly through the hall. ?The Third Piece of the Seal of Exodia is missing. This piece, as you are all aware, is that which was entrusted to Hades of the Demon Realm. Lord Hades, would you care to elaborate??
There was a scoff heard behind the Queen, as her youngest advisor, the Chaos Command Mage, stared disdainfully at the demon king. Behind the Mage, the Queen?s two children, the Black Magician and Black Magician Girl waited patiently. While the Black magician Girl, intimidated by this high-profile gathering of political figures, watched attentively, her older brother seemed bored by the whole affair. His dark blue outfit was covered with odd leather straps, and his shook his long black hair with a detached indifference.
The old demon king stood to address the assembly. Though cruel and a bit vicious, Hades had proven to be a strong ruler, and was well mannered when it came to the other kingdoms. In a kingdom as chaotic as the Demon Realm, a king didn?t have time to deal with both his own subjects and hostile neighbors.
?Well,? he began in his raspy voice. ?We became aware that the Seal was missing two days ago. We discovered upon investigation that it had been stolen. We believe it was the work of the Demon Soldier-?
?Based on what data?? the robotic Machine King asked suddenly.
Hades glared. ?I wasn?t finished!?
?Our apologies,? the robot?s cyborg advisor, Jinzo, said quickly. ?Please, continue.?
Hades regained his composure. ?You all know that the Demon Soldier is the most proficient mercenary in Konami; we have warrants for his capture in each of our kingdoms. For his sake, he had best not get captured in the Demon Realm. Anyway, during some of the recent?events within the Realm, we had lost focus to the point where he was able to pierce our defenses.?
?Excuse me, Lord Hades,? Freed, general of the Kingdom of Man interrupted. ?Are you referring to the insurrection of the Genocide King??
Hades nodded. ?I?m accustomed to a rebellion every third Tuesday, but the Genocide King has divided my kingdom. I am confident that my forces can eliminate him, but it will take a bit more time.?
?And while you?re taking your time, Sir,? the Chaos Command Mage snapped. ?One of the most powerful artifacts in the known world is missing!?
?Watch your tone when addressing Lord Hades!? Dark Baltar said sharply. Baltar was one of Hades? most valued Dukes. Behind him, General Zorc nodded slowly, sneering at the arrogant Mage.
?Gentlemen, please,? King Shinto, ruler of the Realm of Angels said in his usual calming manner. ?We are not here to squabble. What is important is finding the missing piece of the Seal, and ensuring the safety of the others. There are so many possible ways that its power can cause harm that we must act quickly and decisively.? Behind him, Saint Joan, his wife, nodded her assent.
?I agree,? General Freed said. ?This is what I propose: each of us shall send one warrior from each of our kingdoms to form a small expedition force to track down the missing Seal. I already know which of my men I would select as leader of the expedition.?
There was a small murmur as each ruler spoke with his or her various aides. Finally, the Cosmo Queen called for attention.
?Very well,? she said. ?We shall each go around the table and give our decision on this proposal. I, as queen of the Spell caster Realm, shall begin. We accept the proposal set down by the Kingdom of Man. I offer one of my most trusted advisors, he Chaos Command Mage...?
The green-clothed spell caster swelled with pride.
??Under the command of General Freed?s selected team leader.?
The Mage practically fell over. ?My Queen!? he whispered fiercely to her. ?I?why?you don?t mean??
?You could do well to learn some humility,? she whispered back smugly. ?I have every confidence in you.?
Hades was next. ?We of the Demon Realm agree to General Freed?s proposal. We submit Dark Baltar as our warrior.?
The young demon bowed. ?I am honored to take such a valuable task.?
King Shinto nodded his approval. He turned to his Queen and waited for her decision. Saint Joan examined the small group she had assembled. The Airknight, Marie the Fallen One, Thunder Nyan Nyan?
She turned and whispered to Shinto, who turned back to the table. ?We agree to the terms, and select Thunder Nyan Nyan as our warrior.?
The young girl almost fainted. ?Me?!? she cried, eyes wide. ?Mi? lady, you can?t be serious! I?m not up to?.?
?King Shinto has spoken,? Joan replied sweetly.
?Very well; Machine King, does the Machine Realm agree to these terms?? Freed asked.
?Negative.?
?You do not??
?The Machine Realm will not allocate a warrior. However, we shall grant the use of a Cyber Pod,? Jinzo explained.
Those assembled nodded; a Cyber Pod contained almost unlimited technological weapons; they were very powerful, and very rare. If the Machine King was willing to allocate one to this cause, then he must have been committed.
?Who have you selected to lead this expedition, General Freed?? the Cosmo Queen asked.
?One of my most outstanding and competent men,? the General replied. ?A man named Dai Grephor.?
?I assume that this man will know the stakes of the mission?? Hades asked.
?He will. The team will set out tomorrow, and retrieve the Seal by whatever means they deem necessary.?
With the business at hand concluded, the assembly began to disband.


The Demon Soldier passed the Gate?s Guardian without fear, hefting the large chest to the door. He knocked a single time, and then waited for a response.
He did not have to wait long. The Dark Eyes Illusionist quickly unlocked and opened the heavy door.
?You?ve got it, then?? the hypnotist asked eagerly.
?I don?t deal with cronies,? the Soldier replied curtly. ?Take me to Sacrifice.?
Huffing, the strange spell caster lead the mercenary to the inner chamber of the cave. From the darkness within, a single golden orb emerged.
?Ahhh?? Sacrifice hissed as his full, hideous form came into the light. ?You have done well.?
?Yeah, here?s your Seal,? the Demon Soldier unceremoniously dropped the chest on the ground. ?Remember our deal.?
?Of course,? Sacrifice said. ?You shall be paid promptly. Illusionist, show our friend to one fifth of the agreed upon price.?
The Soldier snarled. ?I?ve been thinking of increasing my price?this wasn?t the cake walk I thought it would be.?
?Now, now, my friend,? Sacrifice chuckled. ?Don?t be too hasty. In exchange for your continued cooperation, I can give you something more voluble that mere gold.?
?Like what??
?Power, under my rule.?
?I?m listenin???
Sacrifice laughed. ?Boy, once I have all five pieces of the Seal, I will rule Konami! And, for your loyalty, can have an entire province to your name.?
The Demon Soldier grinned. ?Sounds good.?
?However, you must get me the other pieces of the Seal!?
?Consider it done.?

[Bandit Joeykuba]

^^ I like it. Except it's lacking a Comic Relief. Oo; Majorly lacking.

[DeathBug]

While there is no character I had in mind as specific "Comic relief person", there would have been comidic bits into the second chapter. This was just exposition, where I had to set up the story and its players, and get out as much information as possible. There was'nt any room for comic relief this time around, I'm afraid. ^^;