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Post by Jame Grant on Nov 8, 2009 20:39:20 GMT -5
Well this wasn't good. Broken ribs, and one of the shortest comas in record. The first was actually less bad than the first. The reason: doctors were confounded and wanted to do tests on him. Yeah that hadn't been fun. They ran MRIs, Cat Scans, and other tests.
And then there were other things to not look forward to. Visits of people who were going to go through so many emotions, anger probably among them. He knew of a few that would have anger among them.
He had bandages on his chest and one of those backless patients jackets on. Not only had Jame lost the duel, but the doctors seemed hellbent on breaking his pride. Fortunately in the bed he was made to stay in, he had a blanket.
In the corner was a chair and a camera in front of it. He'd still be able to go to class, even if he was here in the hospital. Good news, even if it wasn't for his students. On the table beside his bed there was a laptop open with connections to his computer at the academy. He could still get his work done.
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Post by Ilythyia Venetianer on Nov 8, 2009 21:26:16 GMT -5
A hero’s welcome. What a grand and pathetic thing.
She didn’t know him, but she knew that he worked for her, and that made it her obligation to protect him. And when he was hurt in the line of duty, she hurt doubly. One, for seeing a fellow human being take such an incredible fall, and two, a corporate failure. He had been a holdover from the old regime, since before Ilythyia came in and assumed command of Industrial Illusions, but he was no less a figure that she should have aided. The guilt that he had nearly died because of Industrial Illusions’ failure to protect him was nothing short of a pox against her.
They had sealed off the entire waiting room. Bodyguards stood outside the door, ensuring that none of the others—especially not the media—were allowed entrance into the room. Inside, the corporate president, the young lady of twenty-three, paced back and forth, as they announced that she could only see him after they had run the next battery of tests. She wondered exactly what happened, and exactly how he had managed to survive a fall so terrifying that it would have likely been fatal to almost anyone that underwent it. Her fists balled together and released repeatedly, and she had bitten her lip in thinking of just what to say. When they gave her the job as the president of Industrial Illusions, they had never mentioned that she would have to face situations such as this one.
The nurse finally called to her, ushering her down the hall with a gesture. Ilythyia followed without a word, hesitating as she waited for the nurse to lead her towards the patient room. She entered, seeing the figure lying on the bed. Words did not really form. As much as she may have wanted to say anything, she doubted her common vernacular would have been appropriate; no one really wanted to answer, ‘So how are you feeling?’ after they had just survived such a terrifying drop.
After a moment’s hesitation after the nurse had exited the room, she finally managed to speak a few words. Words that came, perhaps, a little too sternly and professionally for the situation, “Mr. Grant. I see that you are still alive.”
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Post by Jame Grant on Nov 8, 2009 21:45:58 GMT -5
Well who other to grave him with a visit, other than the President of Industrial Illusions. "Ms. Venetianer, as I live and breath. How bright you have just made my day," he said pleasantly after her comment. Whether he was being charming or joking it was always hard to find out with him. He had some of the eccentricities that Ilythyia's predecessor was known for and some that weren't.
"To what do I owe this visit? And what will the media think?" He seemed joking as he spoke. He flipped down his gradebook tab on his computer down. His desktop image of Tom chasing Jerry in a classic scene. He couldn't have her see the grades, as his obligation as a teacher.
Well it was a pleasant, and to Jame who specialized in information, an expected one.
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Post by Ilythyia Venetianer on Nov 8, 2009 21:54:31 GMT -5
“The media is only aware that an Industrial Illusions employee is in the hospital,” Ilythyia replied calmly. In actuality, she had another employee take up a hospital bed with migraines, if only to throw off the scent. As much as it may have been morally objectionable that they waste the time of certain doctors and nurses, Ilythyia found it more important to guard the secret that his company—and her predecessor—had tried so hard to maintain for so long. Even Ilythyia, the new president, did not learn about the presence of Mr. Grant until it was her ‘time’ to know.
Ilythyia took a few more steps into the room, pulling up a chair before sitting back into it. She leaned against the chairback, crossing her legs and presenting every bit the image of the elegant businesswoman of one of the largest multinational corporations in the world. Her fingers locked in her lap, and she returned her attention towards the joke-cracking gentleman in the hospital bed.
“So, I would also like to hear a formal account of what happened,” she requested. Even though her words were professional and her status powerful, she still lacked that finality that so many business executives seemed to have developed after years on the job.
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Post by Jame Grant on Nov 8, 2009 22:15:49 GMT -5
"Well, there was a shadow duelist at the academy, and he was attacking students. Ras seemed to be his primary victims." Jame folded his hands over his lap as well as he sat up in the bed. He kept his eyes on the attractive businesswoman across from him. He didn't know her personality that well, but he did know her history; it was his job to know It was his job to know many things. He had his sources to things in most corners of the world.
"That shadow duelist left me a note telling me to meet him at the light house, and I thought I could handle him." Jame smiled. "Heh. And I lost. This is why I am supposed to gather information and stay in the sidelines I guess." His brief chuckle had been mirthless.
"Shadow duels aren't fun. Got punched by one of those accursed Black Feathers and thrown off the lighthouse." Jame then shook his head again. "Well at least I didn't feel the fall. Shadows had taken my souls by that time I landed."
Jame then clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Now down to something really interesting. Have you heard of those two thefts and that vandalism at the museum? Well one of the items stolen was held by that shadow duelist that I dueled. A little birdie told me of how that place reeked of magic. Interesting isn't it?"
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Post by Ilythyia Venetianer on Nov 8, 2009 22:21:32 GMT -5
She knew, from her understanding of Industrial Illusion’s secrets, that Pegasus had delved deep in the field of magic. He himself had been consumed by darkness before, and the very cards that he created were themselves steeped in the power of the shadows. Duel Monsters had a long and bloody history, dating back thousands of years before any of them were born. It did not surprise Ilythyia that there were lurking great terrors throughout the world of Duel Monsters, but the presence of them at the academy and the museum felt a little too close for comfort.
Her head tilted when she mentioned the incident at the lighthouse. It was unfortunate, but also entirely avoidable. Her eyes narrowed ever so minutely when he accounted the incident, wondering exactly why he had chosen to take him up on the offer. Just what did he hope to accomplish by rushing out and pretending to be the hero? “You went,” she asked, in between sighs, “Alone?”
Did he really decide to face a shadow duelist by himself, without any support or help? The least he could have done was ask for more information regarding shadow duelists, especially from someone who was generally so good at keeping up to date on all his tips. “I’m disappointed in you,” the chief executive said, her gaze drifting away from him, “You should have at least contacted someone for backup. You don’t need to play the hero.”
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Post by Jame Grant on Nov 8, 2009 22:39:43 GMT -5
"It was requested I go alone," he told her. "Besides as a teacher, it is my obligation, legally and morally to protect my students. I deemed it a necessary risk. I may not be the best duelist, but I thought I could save my students. But I was saved, don't know by whom though. I'll have that information in time and thank my savior."
Jame then folded his hands again on his lap and rested them there. "Now how about the museum, that seems to be more relevant at the moment. Not to mention it has a very interesting story to it as well."
Jame took out a sheet of paper from under his laptop. It was warm but it contained the symbols found on the tablet and a translation beneath it.
And the seven battled, taking many lives, They killed, rampaged and ransacked, All in their quest to be the best, They did not realize,
One day they would be locked away, Seven heroic souls who became gods in their own right, If they should escape again, Doom plague us all.
"Sounds scary."
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Post by Ilythyia Venetianer on Nov 9, 2009 7:33:37 GMT -5
Of course it requested that he go alone; it seemed so obvious that Ilythyia hadn’t even felt the need to point it out to him. Even a shadow duelist, however insane, did not usually want to face a battalion that rose up to combat the regime that he had created. Ilythyia couldn’t help but feel that Jame did not use his better judgment. He had gotten emotionally involved, and it very nearly cost him much more than just his life. Ilythyia couldn’t help but wonder if he was truly the man for the job. Why would she bother to use an intelligence agent who got so easily sidetracked from his primary objective?
As much as the young executive wanted to sympathize with his plight, she couldn’t help but feel how reckless and a waste his hero complex played. He could have easily cost the entire objective, and she really could not risk that happening on a regular basis. Ultimately, if she felt he was simply too involved to be rational, she would have to make the decision to disengage. He was too involved with the affairs of the company for them to just drop him. There was something disappointing about the whole situation, like a parent disappointed with the judgment and choices of a child. She wanted to discipline him; she wanted him to understand; she wanted to say—
Again the museum. As much as she had not even finished discussing the former topic, Jame brought up the topic regarding the museum. She sighed, listening to the extent of the incantation. Of course it ‘sounded scary.’ Those doom and gloom type of verses always sounded scary. She had seen them before on old Egyptian texts from the archeological sites for the Duel Monsters. Industrial Illusions was actively evolved in excavation from these ‘magic’ locations, and she knew fully that the game used to be played with the shadows and with much more than pride at stake. Jame did not need to remind her of that.
“And what else do you know of this incident?” she inquired, finding the recitation thoroughly uninspiring.
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Post by Jame Grant on Nov 9, 2009 17:15:03 GMT -5
"Not much as of yet. Assuming that the legends are true, whatever spirits were inside that tablet are now out on the prowl. They haven't revealed themselves as far as I or my sources no," he stated, sounding very business-like now. He could be serious, or he could be playful, and was in many ways like the famous creator of duel monsters.
Jame was his own person as well, and he did learn from his mistakes. He was going to stay by the sidelines unless he was personally targeted by whatever it was that did go after him. If it was by a note, he wouldn't fall for it again. "Perhaps they are being cautious? Or maybe my sources may be wrong about the reek of magic from that area of the museum. No way to find out just now.
"Then there is that other theft from the museum. The gold brick with an Eye of Wdjat on it. My Granduncle knew of a man that hunted that treasure. Perhaps another Shadow Duelist is still on the run as well. I'll look into it, however the security cameras and guards from that day had all been disabled, so not much I know about that theft yet. So many things like that so close together? My gut tells me to worry."
Jame had seemed serious compared to the joking way he had been not long ago. He could tell his newest employer was disappointed with his choice of action, however there were always risks in what he did. He could have given the information to her and Pegasus, and waited to see if they would do something about it and watch a few more of his students be harmed, or he could have taken his chances with the shadow duelist himself.
Jame had made the wrong choice, but he had no regrets about it. Well except for the broken ribs and other injuries he suffered. Yeah Jame would stay out of the actions for a while. "So with that we can decide if we'll assume they turn out like the stolen Jaw, or wait and see. I'll stay on the sidelines and observe for this one. I've learned my lesson."
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Post by Ilythyia Venetianer on Nov 10, 2009 4:16:17 GMT -5
The subject material was solemn. More solemn than the usually capricious Ilythyia liked. She noticed the change in the patient’s demeanor immediately, and he too seemed to lose that humorous edge that he possessed before. She glanced in his direction, wondering silently how he had managed to ascertain this kind of information from his post in Duel Academy. Last she checked, she had other operatives working Domino, and they would surely have information regarding the museum; but she did not expect those employees to have information regarding Duel Academy, nor would she expect her Duel Academy agent to have information regarding the museum.
For the moment, Ilythyia remained quiet on that front and listened to what Jame had to say. So they had stolen a few artifacts, one of which had already surfaced as a shadow item. She had heard of stories of shadow games and dark magic, but she had not been one to witness it firsthand. Though she had a sense of foreboding about the event, she couldn’t help but get a tinge of excitement over the thought of the occult. Demons, however, were not something that she rushed to face—even if she wasn’t sure she believed the story in its entirety at the moment.
She nodded sagely when presented with the information regarding the items and shadow duelists. She had gathered from intelligence that there seemed to be several shadow duelists at the Duel Academy, and she wondered exactly why there were so many. From what she saw, there was genuine surveillance footage of two shadow duelists dueling on the academy arena; the two were identified as Leon DeHay and Mesmere. She wondered if there were other shadow duelists on the island that had yet to surface, and she also wondered if they had any relation to these demons that were unleashed from the museum.
“I’m glad you learned your lesson,” she answered monotonously. Ilythyia was not sure if she believed him though. She knew from experience that people didn’t just ‘learn their lesson’ after one or two occurrences. The complex of his that desired to be a hero still existed, waiting dormant for the next opportunity for him to play the savior. For now, though, she would forgive him.
“What more can you tell me about this brick?”
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Post by Jame Grant on Nov 10, 2009 17:06:37 GMT -5
"Only what my Granduncle told me. Some dangerous man had been searching for it. The man knew of shadow magic and had more knowledge than he should have. Apparently it is an older shadow charm, but not much else is known about it sadly."
Jame shrugged when a beep came from his laptop. "Hmm?" He reached towards it. "Oh it seems a security button was pushed. Let's see what is going on, shall we?" He pressed a series of keys on his laptop and the feed from the security camera in the Shadow Sciences room flashed an image onto the screen. "Now why would she trigger the alarm?"
He turned up the volume so Ilythyia could hear it better. After a few minutes Jame said, "funny, the names of many of them are the same as those of the demons mentioned in the legend on that tablet."
On the other side of the screen Jame opened up files on the students that were possessed. "Six students, not particularly boding well, but it makes information easier to sort out."
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Post by Ilythyia Venetianer on Nov 10, 2009 18:43:17 GMT -5
Shadow magic? She had heard the term so many times in recent years that it ceased to have any ominous effect over her. Still, she considered it potentially dangerous, and it was always something worth investigation whenever she got a report. Jame had done a decent job with what he had, but she couldn’t help but let her mind wander towards other subjects. Why would the shadow magic have anything to do with the demons? What relationship did the shadow duelists and the demons have with each other?
Before she could ask any questions, though, Jame had opened her laptop to receive a feed from the academy. Apparently someone had sounded an alarm, and the professor could see the feed from the laptop. Ilythyia readjusted her position to lean into the monitor, and Jame had thankfully turned up the sound so she could hear what was going on in the classroom.
The situation seemed direr than she had anticipated. The classroom looked like it was going up in flames, and several ‘students’ were terrorizing over the entire lecture hall. They didn’t have any names that she recognized though, instead referring themselves to various names that simply sounded odd. Jame filled in the rest, asserting that they were, in fact, the name of the aforementioned demons on the tablets.
“Can the demons really take over human hosts?”
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Post by Jame Grant on Nov 10, 2009 20:15:49 GMT -5
"I am not entirely sure, however it is not unheard of. Possession isn't uncommon with spirits. If you recall, they Eye of Pegasus was taken by a possessed student of a high school." Jame then shrugged. "Or maybe you don't his eye wasn't entirely common knowledge."
Suddenly the screen started to move slowly frame by frame. "Shoot," Jame muttered. "My computer is slowing down. Too much working on it." Jame closed the gradebook and things related to his class, and the picture became clearer. "Fixed." Problems were bound to arise on the technological end every once in a while. That was one reason Jame preferred pencil and paper for his jobs.
"Now what do you make of all this? Obviously this is being recorded so we can go over it later. Right now its just a big jumble. I can have some people filter out some of the sounds and voices to make it clearer. But I think this is something to worry about. There are five," then the one claiming to be Divine walked into the line of the camera, "...six possessed people there. One is missing. One is famous." Obviously Jame was referring to the pro duelist.
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Post by Ilythyia Venetianer on Nov 11, 2009 6:03:18 GMT -5
She watched the monitor as scenes from the classroom continued to trickle in, their images stilted and fractured as Jame’s computer failed to keep up. After a few adjustments, where Ilythyia saw a few spreadsheets flash before her eyes—likely the grades of the students—the feed picked up, and the two of them got a much clearer view of the unfurling events. His eyes were glued to the screen as he continued to offer a brief narrative, but Ilythyia already began to wonder about the possible repercussions. Clearly Kaiba Corporation would get involved, it was only natural that they would care about the events happening at their school.
From the feed and Jame’s commentary, she could tell that they were supposed to be seven of them. From what she could see, there were six there currently, each of them representing a different cardinal attribute in duel monsters, with one of them being Divine, a rarely supported archetype that only encompassed the Egyptian God cards. From her knowledge of Duel Monsters and her experience with Industrial Illusions, she knew that they were extremely powerful cards, and if they saw the field, they were practically unbeatable. Their weakness, of course, was that they were fundamentally slow cards that clustered hands and reduced outs until they were actually summoned. Of course, there was no saying if this ‘divine’ demon would use those cards, but she wondered exactly what was up his sleeve.
“And how would you defeat these demons?” she asked the informant. Could it be done? Could it be done without destroying the host body? As much as Ilythyia would prefer a peaceful, easy resolution, she was—as any good executive would be—prepared for more drastic and potentially damaging methods.
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Post by Jame Grant on Nov 11, 2009 23:12:14 GMT -5
"Well there are several ways. The easiest way I don't even wish to think of." It was obvious what that unsaid method was; take out the students with deadly force. And it wasn't even guaranteed if that would work. The spirits might just move over to another host if that happened anyway. And for Jame who was put in the hospital for trying to defend his students, simply assassinating them was out of the question. He had a feeling Ilythyia wouldn't go down that road as well, and for that he was grateful.
"Dueling seems to be the main method. You see here," he said pointing to the water demon thing, "he has created a duel disk on his arm. And isn't dueling the way to solve all problems when magic is involved?"
Jame had kept an eye on the rest as they demons and people seemed to be arguing. "This seems relatively simple so far. Just arguing amongst themselves and the teacher. I don't have any informants there that can help them," Jame said remorsefully.
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