The Return

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! bes tos to Kazuki Takahashi.

I really, really want the subtitled version of YGO so I can find out what Yami Bakura is saying to Honda on the steps in the tower. With the sound off, it looks like he's propositioning him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

He had been awake most of the evening hunting down Pegasus and he was still hiding his presence from the boy, so he paid only the minimal amount of attention to each duel--though watching Seth-Peribsen take down his best friend had provided a moment of entertainment. He continued to drift in pseudo-sleep while Bakura followed his friends to speak with Yutunituning out the noise as they chatted amongst themselves. It was only a particularly contemptible comment of Bakura's that drew his attention.

"Guess there's nothing we can do but wait for the duel to play out. Pegasus holds all the cards right now," the boy said. "As long as he holds us prisoners we're going to be at his mercy no matter what the outcome!"

He sneered to himself at the words. Pegasus could amuse himself with the others, but he'd be leaving.

"Right." Tristan turned and began to jog down the hallway.

The boy turned. "Tristan, where are you going?!"

Tristan stopped and looked at Bakura over his shoulder. "I'm gonna see if I can find Kaiba or Mokuba anywhere. Because if I can get them back, even without their souls, Pegasus won't hold all the cards!" He ran off.

A search for their empty vessels, he smirked. Not a bad idea.

He took over. It was far easier this time than last night, because the boy seemed to be thrown into shock at the sound of his voice and was incapable of erecting the barriers he had used before.

[No....It can't be....] The horrified voice was enough to tell him that Bakura had still imagined himself free.

Did you think you were dreaming last night, host? he asked.

The reply was jumbled and not truly an answer, but he made out somet abo about Bakura's threat to smash the Ring against the wall.

Yes, I heard that. You forget I have patience, Bakura. He allowed himself a brief moment of physical vulnerability and entered the mindcorrider.

The boy was sitting with his legs pulled up to his chest and his arms curled around his knees, slumped against the wall next to his soul door. He had taken the boy in there as well, twice, just to prove to his other that he would never have anywhere to escape from him. He never allowed Bakura in his own room, however. He didn't want anything of his own to be tainted by the boy.

"You're really back, then," Bakura said dully, staring down at the scraped knuckles of his hand.

He bent a knee and gripped his other's chin, forcing Bakura to look at him. "Yes," he said coldly, staring at the annoyance who had caused him so much grief. "But you needn't worry--you won't be with me much longer."

He could tell that his words had confused the boy. He gripped the front of Bakura's sweater and yanked him onto his feet. Then he opened the door to the room, threw his other inside and slammed it shut again, putting a mental lock on the outside. There was a banging against the door, but soon the hallway fell silent.

He re-emerged in the outside world and glanced around to make sure no one was nearby. When he saw nothing, he began to walk toward the upper gallery to put in a token appearance and dispel any suspicions. He would wait a few minutes, then claim he was going to look for Tristan.

Both the Kaiba brothers are soulless...how useful. But which one will be better for my goal? Seto had the advantage of age and fame...but he would have to control a major corporation. He was a good actor, but there were limits. No, Seto would not work.

That left Mokuba. The child was young enough that he would most likely not be allowed to run KaibaCorp for another few years--enough time for him to learn. The age would be a disadvantage, but it would give him more time to search in the long run, and he would still have all the advantages of the wealth and power of the Kaiba name.

Hmm...in fact, after this duel he would force Pegasus to restore the elder Kaiba's soul. Then he would not only be spared from having to learn the nuances of managing a business, but on the chance that another Item bearer learned about him, they would have to get through the ruthless Seto Kaiba before they could harm 'his little brother.'

The odds were once again in his favor. With the power of the Millennium Eye, Pegasus would get the Puzzle, and then he would take them both. And he would be free of the weakness of his other half, as well.

As he reached the top of the stairs to the upper gallery, a voice drifted to his ears. "...for this entire island, or demand Mr. Pegasus' Millennium Eye as your prize," said one of the guards, whom he recognized as Croquet.

Indeed, he thought, raising an eyebrow. He quickly schooled his features into the boy's harmless look as he approached the others.

"This is crazy!" Joey exclaimed.

The girl gave him an odd look as he walked up. "Uh, where's Tristan?"

He blinked and looked at her. "Oh. Tristan wandered off somewhere by himself. I'm not sure where," he answered quickly.

The blond leaned back and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Probably just went to the john. Forget 'im. This is just gettin' interestin'." Joey turned his attention to the game, and he followed suit.

A quick glance at the floor below told him that Peribsen had taken over Yugi again, and, as he expected, the man demanded that the souls Pegasus had captured be freed if he won. Pegasus' reply was more interesting.

"Ye-es," the man drawled in a disbelieving voice. "But if I am the one who defeats you instead, you have to fulfill your end of the bargain as well. Take a close at at the card you hold in your hand, Yugi-boy. There's a reason that it's blank, you know. For if I win, I claim your soul as well--forever!" Pegasus pointed at the other man. "So you see you have much to gain, but much to risk as well."

Well. Damn. It seemed that he wouldn't be able to take the easy way and simply gather the two Millennium Items from Pegasus--Peribsen would never dare a loss like that. He knew the man.

Peribsen replied, "It's a risk I'm willing to take to free the soul of my Grandpa and the others."

Or perhaps he didn't. He frowned. Had Seth-Peribsen gone mad inside the Puzzle? This was inconceivable...but it would make things simpler for him. With the spirit of the king removed, little Yugi wouldn't stand a chance against him.

His attention was drawn to the girl as she said, "Did you hear that? If Yugi loses, Pegasus will steal his soul too!"

"What a creep," Joey muttered. Then he said, "But even knowing what's on the line, Yugi still isn't gonna back down!"

That explained it. Seth-Peribsen was still being controlled by his other half. How perfect and pathetic. "True, he bet his own soul on the outcome!" Hmm...could it be....

The blond looked at him. "That's our Yugi. He'd do anything for anybody."

"Yes," he replied, "but this is the biggest gamble I've ever seen anybody take on Duel Monsters!" Even when Seth-Peribsen had decided to seal the Shadow Realm forever, he had planned to do so by sacrificing others. Yugi's control over the king was impressive, to say the least.

The idea brought him back to his earlier thought, as he watched Peribsen and Pegasus begin to cut and shuffle each others' decks. It was possible that Seth-Peribsen was playing these stakes in order to gain full control of the body. After all, Pegasus had said he would be taking Yugi's soul. It was a useful loophole; either way, Peribsen would win.

However...no. That action was all that he would expect from the king, but....Seth-Peribsen had held genuine concern in his voice for his other during his last battle. Perhaps--since it appeared that the binding curse had been warped due to the king's lack of strength when he recited it--Yugi had managed not only to control Peribsen, but to actually alter his personality as well.

Or perhaps during the centuries inside the Puzzle, the king had changed.

That was unlikely. He watched as the game began and Peribsen laid down two hidden cards. Then he was distracted by a crash within the mindcorridor.

He diverted as much attention to the place as he could without losing touch with reality. The boy was attempting to break down the door. Slipping fully into his mind for a second, he placed another lock on the soul door. His other paused for a moment, then smashed against the door again.

Had Bakura really grown this much of a backbone in the few days he'd been gone? Interesting. He can be amazingly determined when it comes to his friends.

Pity the boy was of little use to him anymore. He placed a third lock on the door and listened. The noise stopped, and a second later came the clang of whatever Bakura had been wielding falling to the ground as the boy gave up.

Satisfied, he returned to the outside as Tea began to speak again. "Did you see that? Yugi had the upper hand, but Pegasus knew exactly how to counter!" She was leaning over the banister, glaring at the man. He caught the faint glimmer of the Millennium Eye when he looked as well. Of course Pegasus had known. He couldn't tell what had occurred, but Peribsen had lost two hundred life points and all his cards already. And this to a mere human...he restrained himself from smirking.

"But how could he?...Maybe Pegasus can read minds," Joey said, as it weren't a fact obvious to all but the blindest of idiots. The boy was willing to die for these fools? he thought.

Joey looked back and forth, muttering. "And why the heck hasn't Tristan come back yet?" he demanded. "We should all be here supporting Yugi!"

He looked up at the blond briefly. "Beats me. Maybe he got lost."

Joey sighed loudly. "Good grief. Don't he realize he's missin' the match of the century?!"

On the dueling stage below, Pegasus was ridiculing Peribsen for only finally realizing that he could read minds. The man laughed that Peribsen feared him because he knew that the Eye gave him an unbeatable advantage. Personally, he was amused by the angry, cornered look on Seth-Peribsen's face. It was even better than when the king had begun crying as he defeated Joey.

"This is a nightmare!" Joey burst out. "We all know Yugi can beat anybody in a fair duel, but if Pegasus is able to read his mind...!"

"It's what makes his Eye one of the most powerful Millennium Items," he answered, tired of these children asking stupid questions. "He can read anyone's mind he chooses. Anyone who tries to oppose him must use extreme caution," he said, looking over at Pegasus again.

Joey and Tea stared at him. "I guess so," the blond mused. "You seem to know an awful lot about that Eye, Bakura."

Paranoia had saved his life many times--there was the slightest hint of suspicion in the teenager's voice. He blinked and looked back at Peribsen. "Just a little. One thing I don't know, is if any mere mortal can stand against it." The way Seth-Peribsen had been playing of late, he found it hard to believe that anyone had ever considered him to be a god upon the earth.

Joey looked down again as well, his attention sufficiently distracted. "If not, there's no one else who can save Grampa and the udders!"

On the stage, Peribsen was speaking. "No matter what the odds, I will never surrender to you, Pegasus. I play one monster in defense mode and end my turn. Now, do your worst." He straightened and folded his arms.

A movement beyond the dueling stage caught his attention. The guard was speaking agitatedly into his cell phone.

Now what could that be about? he wondered, using the Ring to focus on the conversation.

The words came to him faint but clear: "Then what are your orders, sir?"

Croquet turned away from Pegasus slightly. "Listen. Secure all the exits. The boy must not be freed."

"Yes sir," answered the voice on the phone.

The boy...that could only be Mokuba. Apparently Tristan had succeeded. How useful. He and his plans were surely smiled upon. "Hunh," he smirked.

The cheering next to him covered the noise. "Yugi! You can do it!" Tea called.

"Nobody's won this yet, buddy!" Joey echoed.

"Could it be? My turn?" Pegasus laughed.

Joey glared. "What's that sleazeball gonna pull this time?"

"It's the moment you've all been waiting for," Pegasus announced. For a moment, he wondered if the acoustics of the balcony were so good that the three of them could be heard down there, or if Pegasus were merely showing off. He suspected the latter, since he doubted Seth-Peribsen would have allowed a comment such as 'mere mortal' to pass without some acknowledgement.

It was something he found curious, this mixture of old and new in the King. At times, Seth-Peribsen seemed to be the same as the man he had been in Egypt ages ago, and at others his personality was so different as to be warped. He would be intrigued if the man's presence were not a detriment to his plans.

Tea informed them that Pegasus had been using his eye to list all of Peribsen's cards. The king again had that angered, cornered look upon his face.

"Don't let him psyche ya out, buddy!" Joey called.

"That's right. You can still beat him!" Tea's words were belied by the fact that she had clasped her hands near her throat.

He remained silent. It was only a matter of time before the king fell to the power of the Millennium Eye--why should he waste his time with this pointless cheering that the two next to him were still engaging in?

He glanced away from the stage to Croquet again. The man was on his phone once more, and looked even more agitated. Let's see what Croquet's up to, shall we? he thought, before recalling that the boy couldn't hear him. He focused the Ring again.

"What?! What do you mean Mokuba's missing?" the man demanded angrily. "He is instrumental in the plan to take over KaibaCorp! Find him immediately, idiot." He smirked as Croquet went on: "How hard can it be to recapture a soulless body? Do not make me come down there!"

He narrowed his eyes. Interesting. As much as he would enjoy watching Peribsen's eventual defeat, if he didn't leave now he would run the risk of losing his chance to take over Mokuba. He began to walk away.

Joey's voice came from behind him. "Hm? You got somewhere ta go, Bakura?"

He took two more steps, then paused without bothering to turn around. "Yes. I thought I'd go and check on Tristan." His voice was slightly too cold to properly resemble Bakura's, but once more the minor discrepancy went unnoticed.

"He has been gone a long time," Tea said.

Joey's suddenly sounded annoyed. "Too long, if ya ask me! I mean, what could be more important than this match?
\
"Hn," he said, starting to walk away again. "I'll be sure to ask him."

~~~
He had been running through the castle's lower corridors for the past ten minutes, fast enough that he was now panting. It was practically a catacomb down here. He loathed it intensely.

Where are you, little Mokuba? he thought, moments before he came to a dead end in the hallway. There were two branching corridors, one to the left and one to the right. He gave the left a glance, eyed the right, then looked left again. He narrowed his eyes. Both hallways trailed off into darkness, and neither held any clues of Mokuba's location.

The Ring sensed his wish and began to glow. Two of the pointers straightened and pointed to the left, indicating the presence of the two he was looking for. Good. He began running again.

The first sign that he had reached his goal was the noise of the guards. "Look, he's got Mokuba!" one yelled.

"Stop him!" called a second. Both voices were converging on the point he was racing towards--how fortunate.

"Hold it right there!" yelled the same guard as earlier. The voice was coming directly from the hallway before him. A brief glance revealed Tristan, trapped and growling at two guards. Best of all, the brunette had Mokuba with him.

This will require a bit of assistance, he noted. He removed his deck and flipped through quickly before coming upon the Chain Energy card.

"No place left to run, punk. You're surrounded." The first guard stepped forward, and Tristan slid around to face him, then glanced back at the second one. Tristan had his back to him. "Now hand over the kid, tough guy," the guard finished.

Tristan faced the first man again. "No. Come and get him," he glared.

He couldn't help but chuckle at the teenager's bravado in the face of a hopeless disadvantage. He tucked his deck back in his pocket and took a step forward, using the Ring to bring forth the Shadow Realm. Tendrils of grayness began to curl around the area. "Lay one hand on the boy and you will rue the day you imbeciles were ever born."

The three in the hallway were thrown into confusion at the sound of his voice, looking everywhere but at him. "Huh? Hey! Who's there?!"

He stepped out into the hallway, amused at the gaping looks on their faces. The shadows followed him.

His laughter attracted their attention. "You just walked into a world of trouble, kid," the first guard warned.

"Bakura, get outta here!" Tristan called.

"C'mere, punk," said the second guard, the one closest to him.

"You heard him," the first added. "Now step out of those shadows right now!"

"Run for it, Bakura!" Tristan took a step forward. "Go on, save yourself!"

"Step outta those shadows!" demanded the second guard again, and he couldn't help but chuckle again at his stupidity. "Or else."

Perhaps he would have been something resembling concerned if they were armed. But two human guards were far less than a match for him. "Or else you'll do what, you pathetic little drones?"

"Huh. We warned ya," the second guard muttered, but he was more interested in Tristan. The teenager had shut his mouth and was now staring at him with narrowed eyes. Granted, he was no longer attempting to act like Bakura. Nice to see at least one of Peribsen's court had eyes.

He held up the card. "Yes, and now I am warning you. Don't trifle with me."

The second guard pointed at him. "What's that?"

He lifted the card higher, concentrating on the two guards. "Chain Energy!" The Shadow Realm thickened around him as it worked the magic, and the card glowed brightly.

"What on earth--I'm stuck!" the second guard yelled as the light dimmed, revealing opaque bonds around his chest and waist.

"Me too. But how?" answered the first.

Tristan glanced at the pair, then turned to him again. "Bakura! What'd you do?!"

He lowered the card. "Come. Now is our chance to escape." He turned and began running. Tristan would not be so foolish as to remain behind. His Ring was powering the Shadow Realm, and he was only barely mingling it with reality. Once he was a few feet from the guards, the Realm would slip away from them and the chains would come off.

"Uh, okay," the brunet said quietly. Then there was the sound of feet behind him. "Hey, wait up!"

The guards yelled for them to stop as he turned and raced down the corridor, Tristan following. "Hey, those brats are getting away!"

"I can see that, moron!"

He knew the Chains had come off when he felt the strength he'd been using to power them return. Since there was no point in wasting his energy, he stopped using the Ring to maintain the Shadow Realm and turned his mind to leading Tristan back the way he'd come.

He listened for the sound of feet pounding behind them over Tristan's panting. The brunet was breathing too heavily--he was going to give them away. But he held his tongue. Tristan had looked suspicious in the hallway...there was no need to give the teen more cause to be so until Mokuba was in his hands.

He was aware of the two guards behind him, but now there was noise coming from the hallway in front of them as well. To his credit, Tristan noticed the new threat almost as soon as he did. The teenager reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him through a doorway to the right. "Bakura! This way!"

Several feet later, they came out of the dark, torch-lit hallway into what looked like a tower. Tristan sprinted for the stairs, and he stayed fast on his heels. He tried the door at the first landing, but it was locked. Tristan kicked it and raced for the next flight of stairs. He followed, keeping an eye on Mokuba. The child showed no signs of stirring.

Once they reached the second landing, the sounds of the shouting echoed through the tower. "There they are!"

He glanced down as they raced up another set of stairs. He didn't bother checking this door, more concerned with putting distance between himself and the soldiers.

...Guards. This was a different era.

"Hey Bakura!" Tristan panted, drawing his attention. "What was it...you did back there? Using that magic card...only for real!"

Why is he wasting his breath? "Not now. Those guards are still behind us!" he answered as they came to another landing and new door. Tristan stopped to check this one, balancing Mokuba with one hand as he rattled the lock.

"Okay. But something's up with you and you're going to tell me !" !" he said, almost threateningly. So he'd been right--Tristan was suspicious. The teen grunted and rattlhe khe knob again. "It's a no-go. This door's locked." He turned and began running again.

He watched for a second. The stairs had no railings...if he could grab a hold of Mokuba's leg, he could simply push the teen off with no risk to his new host.

"C'mon!" Tristan yelled, throwing a glance down at the guards, who had passed the first landing. He took off after the brunet, struggling to get close enough to grab Mokuba without coming too close and possibly stepping on Tristan's heel, thus causing the teenager to trip and knock them all over.

He stopped counting the landings once they were more than halfway up the tower. They were running out of doors.

Then he saw a rectangle of light at the top of the stairs. "Look! A way out!" Tristan called, running out.

He blinked in the harsh light. As soon as his sight returned, he found Tristan waving his arms and yelling, about to faff tff the short ledge the door had lead out to.

He couldn't reach Mokuba; Tristan was bent over too far. He reached out and grabbed a fistful of the brunet's trench coat and braced his feet on the stone. He'd be damned if he lost this chance at pure freedom.

He managed to haul Tristan back, and the teenager landed with a thud on the ledge. Tristan was panting even harder than before, and a second later he leaned over and looked down at the forest below. "Whoo!" he breathed. "I owe you one, Bakura."

A second later, Tristan sat back. "Well, seeing as how jumping's outta the question, I'd say we're as good as caught."

He frowned. Do all people of this age give up so easily? Pathetic! Behind them, the noise was louder. The five guards had reached the landing at the bottom of their flight of stairs, and he glared down at them, clenching his fists out of habit.

Tristan stood up and turned around. "Well, we tried."

He turned to face the brunet. "What do you mean, 'we tried?' We are not captured just yet!"

Tristan looked at him as if he were crazy. "What're ya talking about? We're totally out-manned."

Suspicions or not, he would be leaving this place. He glared down at the guards again before grinning. "We won't be after I enlist some help from the Shadow Realm." He reached for the deck in his pocket.

"Huh?! The Shadow Realm? This can't be good," Tristan stuttered, causing him to laugh.

"It's all over," one of the guards called. "Give us back our prisoner now and we might still let'cha leave in one piece!" He lifted the deck. "Face it, you've got nowhere else to run!" the man added.

"Bakura, he's right," Tristan said behind him.

A man he recognized as the second guard from the hallway said, "So punk, what's it gonna be?"

"You ignorant mortals!" he laughed. "It's far from over; we have barely even begun to play." He glanced at the deck. "And I'll show you the cards Fate has dealt you."

"Stop talkin' nonsense. Give up!"

"Right now!" another guard echoed.

He sneered and dealt a hand, removing the best card. "Now I'll teach you the true meaning of fear, as I summon the Man-eater Bug with the power of my Millennium Ring!" He lifted the card and pulled the staircase partway into the Shadow Realm, allowing the Bug to leave.

Tristan winced. "What's going on?" Below them, the guards had thrown up their arms against the light, which was far more blinding on their side.

The bald guard in fronspedsped. "Oh no! He brought the monster on the card to life! And he's going to sic it on us!"

He narrowed his eyes as the Bug began to stomp down the stairs. "Now you mortal fools, prepare to meet your doom."

The Bug's roar nearly eclipsed the guards' frightened shouts.* "Run! Let's get outta here!" the bald one yelled. His Man-eater Bug roared again, then leapt off the stairs and crashed onto the fleeing men.

He watched with a smirk. "Present-day humans are so fun to terrorize, don't you think?" he said casually to Tristan, who had fallen silent. He was curious as to how the teenager would react.

"No, I don't," Tristan answered. "But then again, I am a present-day human. What the heck are you?"

Very well, then. He cast a side-long glance at the brunette before drawing a Jar. "Hmph. Me? Someone with great power. Soon to be even greater. But I can't spend the day having fun, I have things to do." He threw out the card. "So I'll summon the Morphing Jar to this plane and put an to tto their pathetic whining!"

The Jar tilted on its side and lunged for the five, cackling. "What is that?!" one of the guards shouted over the noise.

"The Jar's magic will send these ridiculous thugs to the Graveyard," he informed Tristan as the five men disappeared in the murk.

After a pause, the teenager walked slowly down the steps to the spot where the guards had been moments before, stopping before a single pair of broken glasses.

He folded his arms. "As you can see, there's not a single particle of those pathetic fools left in this dimension. I have no patience for obstacles that get in my way--remember that."

Tristan jerked around and glared at him as he strolled down the stairs, pausing when he was still a head above the teen. "I don't know how you did that, and I probably don't wanna know. Just tell me who you are. What you want," Tristan gritted out. "I know you're not really our friend Bakura. You're the one Yugi beat." He narrowed his eyes at the brunette.

"He banished you to the graveyard," Tristan continued. "And in the process he freed Bakura from your mind control.

I recall, fool. I was there. "Yes," he agreed, "but that wouldn't have happened if Bakura hadn't betrayed me." Binessness colored his voice despite his control over his emotions, and he covered the slip by walking down the last three steps. "I've decided I need a new host."

Tristan glared at him. "You won't take me without a fight."

He gave the teenager a side glance. "Not yours. I want a vessel without a mind or soul of its own." He accented the word 'soul' slightly and watched as realization dawned in Tristan's eyes.

"You want Mokuba!" he said quietly.

He slipped his hands in his pockets, casually turning to face down Tristan. "Now turn him over, or face the same fate as those guards." To emphasize his point, he pulled the area further into the Shadow Realm, engulfing the entirety of the tower rather than just the section of the stairs as he did so. He laughed as Tristan glanced warily at the thickening shadows.

The teenager sunk his shoulders slightly, then shifted so he was holding Mokuba in his arms instead of over his back. Tristan had been running longer than he had, he noted, and carrying the child as well, so he would be far more worn out if force was required. He raised an eyebrow. "So what will it be, mortal? Are you going to hand over Mokuba willingly, or do I have to conjure something to consume your soul?"

Tristan took a step back, glaring at him through the shadows. "Forget it. No way."

His chuckle was laced with the slightest hint of approval as he drew the area of the stairs behind him fully into the Shadow Realm. "You know I have the power to back up my threats," he said calmly, tilting his chin down slightly and giving Tristan a hard stare, knowing that memories of being sent to the Graveyard would still be fresh in the teenager's mind. "Hand him over this instant, or I'll dispatch you to the Graveyard too."

Tristan narrowed his eyes and glanced down at his Ring. "Yeah, I remember. Your evil power comes from that, the Millennium Ring."

"That's right. The Ring not only allows me to control your friend Bakura," he slurred the word 'friend' as Tristan looked back up, "it gives me many other magical abilities as well."

He held out a hand to the teenager. "So unless you want a more personal demonstration of my power, you'll stop resisting me. Since you know any attempt will be pointless...why sacrifice yourself when you know I'll still wind up in possession of him in the end?" The words would have worked easily on Bakura, and though Tristan appeared to be not nearly so spineless, the encroachment of the Shadow Realm would make up for it.

Tristan glanced at his Ring again and growled under his breath. Then he closed his eyes and bowed his head. "All right, I give up. You can have him. Mokuba's yours."

The hint of a smile crossed his face and he took a step forward to claim the child.

"Here, think fast!" Tristan yelled, throwing Mokuba at him.

The idiot! he shouted to himself, darting forward and catching the younger Kaiba. What purpose was that to serve?!

Tristan bolted forward while he was distracted. There was a sharp pain on the back of his neck, and he was thrown back into the Ring as his host fell unconscious.


*One of the guards here yells "Gollies!" I kid you not.