Return of the Orichalcos (Finishing/PG-13/IC)

[Yugiman64]

Yuuto stated up his duel disk and drew five cards. "I'm down to duel anyone, and since it's your first time, I'll go easy on you [b]and [/b]let you go first. Draw your cards." Yuuto looked at his hand and smiled. [i]I have fantastic cards. [/i]He thought. Kuriboh popped out of his duel disk and was looking at Yuuto's hand with him. "Yep, that's right little buddy. Fantastic cards." Kuriboh was bouncing up and down excitedly, thinking Yuuto would definitely win with the starting hand. Watapon came out and looked at the hand, but was very disappointed in it. "What's wrong girl? Don't you like my hand?" Watapon shook her head. Yuuto shrugged and stared Natsu in the eye. "It's time to duel."

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

Natsu seriously didn't look impressed as the red D-Pad on her arm activated, folding out to give the clone what she needed to duel. "So you claimed to have defeated the alleged leader of the Orichalcos cult. Do you have any proof that this happened? Can you go and get Archetype Earth, then get her to verify that the events you stated were true had, indeed, occurred? Or do you have documentation that you triumphed over this fearsome foe? I personally believe you did not. That you fabricated this tall tale to impress us, because your silly little Duel Monsters could not allow for us to take your seriously on their own. And for that, I challenge you to go first, instead of me. After all, you're the great Yuuto, are you not?"

[galesonic]

Kori walked his way through the tunnel heading towards the end of the line. I had collapsed due to the earthquake and gave him a hard time to think of a way to get to the castle. Some refugees were sitting in the open part of the tracks huddled together in fear and pain. they were talking about rumors of a dropship being sighted miles away before the earthquake hit. it seems odd that a dropship would be here of all place, let alone in-country.

Maybe they are going after Archetype. Or part of the cult that she hasn't told anyone about. Maybe they could help Kori get the retribution he needed to save the world from this curse made over ten thousand years ago and counting. But wher to look for this ship is the million dollar question.

[Yugiman64]

Yuuto looked at Natsu. "I never said I beat her. I just said I survived a duel with her. There's a huge difference. Well, then. My turn, draw!" Yuuto drew a card and looked at his hand. "I set one monster face down." A card back appeared in the middle of the floor. "Then I set three cards face down." Three card backs appeared on the floor for a split second, then the disappeared into the ground. "Now, it's your turn." Yuuto thrust his hand toward Natsu. "Make it count." He stared at her as if he knew there was no way she could beat him. After all he had a fantastic combo in his hand. He just needed one more card, the Dark Magician. Then this duel was basically his for the winning.

[Love of Ghibli]

Lucas was happy that he had helped out the robot but it seemed as if company had arrived. The card glowed brighter as Viktor's plane landed but Lucas not knowing this stranger can only hear the sounds of the plane landing near the headquarters.

[color=#ff8c00]Oh my it looks like we have company. Would you happen to know anything about this Madame Syria? [/color]

Assuming she doesn't know about this new arrival, because why would she Lucas decides that it is best to sit and wait to see if this new arrival will make it here in time. Mainly a test of sorts. If this mystery person can find their way to this inner sanctum then they are hopefully meant to be here, if not then clearly this is the only clear piece of land available for any aircraft to land on and since its bright and early everything should be going well. The only whole in this theory that Lucas also knew was that it could be someone from the opposition. If they had someone powerful enough to make their way here AND distract Arche then this could get messy. But all of that would be revealed in time.

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

Natsu drew, and something just...clicked...she realized the cards she had in her hand could do amazing things together, and what she needed to do for each card to complete the combos. She then started her turn by placing down a Spell Card. "First, I will activate Tuning, which gives me any 'Synchron' Tuner monster, such as Quickdraw Synchron, from my Deck at the cost of sending the top card of my Deck to the Graveyard!" She added a card to her hand, then sent the new top card of her deck once she shuffled, wincing upon seeing that it was Solemn Judgment. "Second, I play Reinforcement of the Army, adding Doppelwarrior, a Warrior-Type monster, to my hand from my Deck!" A rally cry could be heard behind her, and she added a second Monster Card to her hand. "Third, I discard Doppelwarrior to Special Summon Quickdraw Synchron from my hand!" A gunshot echoed through the assembly area they were dueling in, and a strange robot wearing a cowboy hat, a poncho, and a plate with a stoplight on it appeared. (700 ATK|LV5|Tuner) "Next, I Normal Summon Junk Synchron from my hand!" Another robotic creature, this time in orange metal and a scarf, plus an engine block on his back, took the field. (1300 ATK|LV3|Tuner) "Junk Synchron's ability then activates! When Normal Summoned, he can Special Summon a Level 2 or lower monster from my Graveyard with its effects negated, and I choose Doppelwarrior!" A third monster, a black-clad trooper with an odd assault rifle, stormed up to Junk Synchron and took a defensive posture next to the cyborg. (800 DEF|LV2) "Getting all of this so far, Yuuto, because I will now Synchro Summon!"
Junk Synchron and Doppelwarrior suddenly started to float up into the air, Junk Synchron reaching around to pull a cord to rev up his engine. The engine roared to life, and the Synchron exploded into a trio of green energy rings. Doppelwarrior entered the three rings, which caused him to become a pair of stars, though the stars shimmered briefly. "Machines crank away across space and time! Start a new revolution and assemble a new force! Synchro Summon, shift! Gadget Warrior!" The array of rings and stars fired off, creating a powerful beam of white energy, and a figure descended to the ground. He possessed angular ash-gray and gunmetal armor with a black bodysuit beneath, and a strange hat with bronze gears behind it, and a pair of goggles underneath that had blue lenses. On his back was a strange backpack possessing a pair of mechanical limbs, which he used as opposed to his normal arms: Those were crossed in front of his chest, over a trio of gears clicking away on his torso. (2300 ATK|LV5) "Need a breather, or may I continue?"

[spoiler=Cardex]
Tuning
Quickdraw Synchron
Solemn Judgment
Reinforcement of the Army
Doppelwarrior
Junk Synchron
Gadget Warrior
[/spoiler]

[Yugiman64]

Yuuto thought of his facedown cards. Then he looked at the field. Feeling satisfied he replied. "Go ahead and continue defending yourself for when my turn comes around. I can tell you know that I have something planned" [i]Gadget Warrior will be destroyed in no time.[/i] Yuuto thought. Kuriboh growled at Natsu. "Easy boy. It's ok. Everything's under control." Yuuto looks at the monster on the field in disbelief. [i]Maybe Natsu will be a tougher opponent than I anticipated. [/i]Yuuto thought. Watapon looked up at Yuuto with an 'I told you so' look, then she looked at the field. Yuuto looked down at the face down cards. Waiting for Natsu to trigger one. It would only take one simple command to counter a simple trap. One of Yugi's most famous traps. One that was impossible to beat at the time of his ancestor.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

[color=#000000]Yuri never followed the others as they exited the Pelican. Instead, she once again left while none of the group were looking, searching for other cultists to capture for Protheus. She didn't trust this Cynthia, so she had to find someone else. Someone who was reluctant to join the cult in the first place. Or maybe, someone who knew where Atsuko was being held. Yuri had [i]clearly[/i] remembered that Itsu was fighting Archtype Earth because of her daughter, so if Yuri could find that daughter, then perhaps the cultists that were still loyal to Archtype would lose all form of leverage. Perhaps that was exactly what she needed.

As such, Yuri had started to look all over the quake-torn city for possible captives... until a specific car had caught her attention. A black GTO, inside of which was Jared, who just happened to be casually smoking a cigarette. Yuri approached the GTO from the other side, and opened the door to get in. [i]That[/i] she knew how to do from opening doors to the actual [i]buildings[/i], which Itsu had taught her while she was showing her around town.[/color]

[color=#4B0082]"Where [i]is [/i]she?"[/color] [color=#000000]Yuri asked in a demanding tone.[/color]

[color=#FF8C00]"Wearsoo, eesatlee?"[/color][color=#000000] Jared asked in return, before Yuri filled in the details of Atsuko's appearance, [/color][color=#FF8C00]"Oaryee, [i]her[/i]... Look, Oarwoi noawees dashees weeth wunova udder culteests. Dunno weardat [i]speeseefeec[/i] one's buggered oarff toowor wearees taykener..."[/color]

[color=#4B0082]"You [i]must[/i] find her,"[/color][color=#000000] Yuri intervened, [/color][color=#4B0082]"I'm not leaving this contraption until I have her location."[/color]

[color=#FF8C00]"Oi proarbiblee [i]could[/i] foinda..."[/color][color=#000000] Jared pondered, [/color][color=#FF8C00]"...bawarts eeneet famee?"[/color]

[color=#4B0082]"That depends... what do you [i]want[/i] from me?"[/color] [color=#000000]Yuri asked daringly.[/color]

[color=#000000][spoiler=Translations forye]"Where's who, exactly?"[/color]
[color=#000000]"Oh yeah, her... Look, all I know is that she's with one of the other cultists. Dunno where that specific one's buggered off to or where he's taken her..."[/color]
[color=#000000]"I probably could find her..."[/color]
[color=#000000]"...but what's in it for me?"[/spoiler][/color]

[Merci]

Protheus Maximus, after being explained the essential things by the Ringmistress, headed off straightaway. After all, Yuri had gone off [i]once again[/i], and it was only natural that he had to follow her and save her butt all over again. It appeared as though the vision he had showed to her taught her nothing about her own reckless actions. It somewhat eerily reminded him of-

[i]Pener.[/i]

A word, a specific arrange of letters that had not been spoken in over nine thousand years. A word he had long thought he had forgotten and abandoned. Why was he remembering it now...? A headache began to cross his mind, and before he knew it, he had lost track of Yuri. Very well. It was her own choice if this was the fate that she had chosen for herself. He will hold no responsibility for such irresponsibility. If anything, the fish out of time called Yuri was unsuited for leadership. The Tarot card had shown it all, her personality matched that of a [i]Moon.[/i]

He faltered for a moment, nearly tripping. This was the first time she had tripped ever since she had been re-pieced back together from a Prothean. Headache. Ugh. Must. Keep. Going. [i]Yuri Idris Prothean Pener Moon Pandora Kurai Shadows Shadows Tarot Judgement Izumi Yuki Fusion Warning Warning Must Destroy the Result Burn The Egg Burn The Egg Maxima Maxima Conquer Maxima Technology is Scary Afraid Afraid Die Die Repeat Repeat I Want To Live Darkness Chaos Man Why Is This All So You Win Familiar?[/i]

Before he knew it, he was standing far above a collapsed hole, one that was deeper than the usual ones. Perhaps there had been a cavern built there before the earthquake had struck. In any case, he could sense life coming from within. (Russel and Gabriel)

[color=gray]"Do you want to defeat the Orichalcos cult?"[/color] He called out below.

Why was he being so stupid? Protheus Maximus is a powerful being, able to find answers all by himself. He was a wise man. So why was he acting so...human....right now....?!

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

Natsu continued her turn. "Before I activate Gadget Warrior's effect, Doppelwarrior allows me to Special Summon 2 Doppel Tokens when he is used as a Synchro Material Monster." To either side of Quickdraw Synchron, a ghostly, translucent image of Doppel Warrior materialized. ((400 ATK|LV1|Token)x2) "Now, for Gadget Warrior. Once per turn, by shuffling 2 Warrior-Type monsters into my Deck, he can destroy 1 card on the field." Gadget Warrior reached into his chest, and withdrew the three gears, two smaller than the middle one. The three gears were dropped onto the ground, which they partially sunk into. Natsu reached to shuffle her monsters into her Deck, and the two smaller gears connected to the larger one, causing the middle gear to whirr and spin faster. A column of light appeared where one of Yuuto's facedown cards used to be, and then, the card was gone. "And now, I will Synchro Summon again using Quickdraw Synchron and my Doppel Tokens!" Like before, the cowboy rose up into the air, pulled out his six-shooters, and squeezed off two shots before turning into five rings. The two apparitions followed, each one transforming into a single star. "Gathering anger becomes an entranced warrior born from a brutal god! Rage for the legacy of your old master! Synchro Summon! Howl, Junk Berserker!" The array fired off, and an enormous, hulking knight with red and gold armor that had plenty of edges and spikes landed in front of Natsu with an earth-shattering THUD!, the warrior creating a slight impact crater where he landed. He grabbed the weapon that landed with him, a massive battleaxe as big as he was, and hoisted it over his shoulder. (2700 ATK|LV7) "And I will Special Summon Accel Synchron from my hand, since I Special Summoned a monster!" A slender silver-armored figure with a black bodysuit underneath sped onto the field with roller skate-like boots and stopped near Junk Berserker, though this gas masked figure had a feminine physique. (900 ATK|LV2|Tuner)

[spoiler=Cardex]
Junk Berserker
Accel Synchron
[/spoiler]

[TotalObelisk]

Idris managed to find her way to what looked like a lobby, at the very least it had a large sofa and a table so it was as good as any. She practically collapsed onto the sofa heaving a long sigh as she did so, finally glad to get some peace and quiet. She spent a moment or two staring up at the cieling not thinking about anything in particular. She didn't know how long she was sat there for but she eventually sat up and took out her deck of cards, her actual duel monsters deck this time, and began shuffling through them until she reached the High Priestess of Prophecy, the card that matched the Tarot that apparently represented her.

She stared at the card for a moment her brow furrowed in thought, when she'd picked up the High Priestess card she'd been both surprised and confused by it, she was not exactly a keen player of duel monsters and only had a deck due to family traditions but if she had to choose a favourite card then High Priestess was probably the card she'd choose.

****

Syria blinked once, a look of confusion crossing her face.

[b]"I was unaware of this,"[/b] she replied simply [b]"Is anyone, expected here?"[/b]

Taking a quick look round Syria suddenly realized how empty the place seemed, aside from all the drones milling about waiting to be given orders, she'd assumed the head-quarters for an organized cult would be a lot busier.

[b]"Perhaps it is someone else wishing to join,"[/b] she suggested out loud [b]"Or someone planning an attack. In either scenario it would be best to meet them outside to ascertain their objective and respond accordingly."[/b]

[werewolfjedi]

The plane trip had been horrible.
Brian stepped into his missing father's workshop, his geological studies all over, the place was in shambles.
"[b]damn, this place got sacked...i hope my dad's okay...[/b]"
he looked around for evidence, seeing a card on the floor. one of his Dad's. '[i]OOpart's crystal skull.[/i]'
"[b]one of his cards, why would this be here, was he trying to duel his way out? weird...how would that help him against robbers...but then, where is my dad...[/b]"
he started looking around again, when the room started shaking. " [b]h-hey, what the, earthq-quake![/b]"
Brian, not being the most nimble person, fell right on his ass, taking cover under his dad's desk. as everything fell around him off the shelves, a glowing stone fell off the examination desk and thudded in front of Brian. "[b] whats this?[/b]" he grabbed it, stuffing it into his pocket as the earthquake raged on for seven minutes of evidence destroying hell. "[b]this is just wonderful...*sigh* I'm gonna need to hire someone to clean this place while I look for dad.[/b]"

when the earthquake ended. Brian got up from underneath the desk, seeing the place in even more shambles than before. "[b]well, there goes most of my evidence.[/b]"
he took a good look at the examination desk for any papers, reading through them, finding out interesting things, about that stone he picked up.
when he came to his research on a cult. thats when Brian got worried.
"[b]dammit, the occult? explains the card at least, must have been one of those ritual duels or something...I gotta find him fast.[/b]"
brian picked up the other half of the stone his father had, putting it in his chest pocket. "[b] it said you got a few odd traits, I hope it helps me, now lets go find my father[/b]."
Brian went out to his duel rider, being a duelist, he enjoyed the game, trading in his normal motorcycle for one.
"[b]lets go find out about these culists, time to hit the dueling rings[/b]."
Brian reved his engine, programing the GPS before leaving.

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

Castle was not pleased as he ascended the elevator up to Itsu's flat. The mech, Exocet, according to records, was scrap metal, along with the rest of the Duel Arcadia's defenders. The AI controlling them corrupted her own files with countless trojans and rootkits, then sicked several very powerful antivirus applications on herself to ensure she couldn't be recovered. And the Ener-D reactor Archetype Earth had overloaded was offline, leaving the most of the greater Detroit metropolitan area without power. News reports were pouring in of the Razing of Detroit, and a few extremist groups who still remembered that Detroit used to be one of the worst cities in the country were proclaiming Detroit was the Sodom and Gomorrah of their time, and the end was nigh.
However, the Siege of Duel Arcadia had its benefits. Castle now had advanced technology that could make America into the most powerful country on the planet once more, especially when combined with the power of the Orichalcos. And while people were already questioning the very loud and noticeable battle on the island, Castle already fabricated a cover story further slandering Itsu Fudo. And, thanks to a lot of favors being called, he had managed to get Detroit declared a disaster area, and himself as the military governor of the Detroit Emergency Management Zone. With the power of the various military units under his command, in conjunction with fellow followrs of Archetype Earth in FEMA, he had control over the city, just as Archetype Earth wanted.
He walked out of the elevator and around the bend at the end of the hall to a room some technicians had just unlocked. Within was a cylindrical room filled with Duel Monsters cards: Itsu's collection. The soldiers guarding the room saluted him, which he responded to before dismissing them. He then went up to a holographic display that stated "Select Deck" and grinned sinisterly...

[Yugiman64]

Yuuto stared at the field. "How could you summon so many monsters in one turn?" He asked bewildered. The most he could summon in a turn was three. Yuuto grabbed a single card from his hand, as if waiting to use it. "No matter how many monsters you summon though, I will defeat you." Watapon jumped up onto Yuuto's shoulder and looked fierce. "Now that I have my Watapon and my Kuriboh backing me up, I can't lose. No matter what you do I will defeat you and Archetype Earth someday." Yuuto made sure everything on the field was as it should be, except for his missing trap card. "Continue with your turn, because you'll need as many monsters as you can to survive my next turn."

[Kingdom Xathers]

[color=#b22222]"... Russell... what are you doing?"[/color] Gabriel asked as he watched the Irish-Latino approach one side of the hole.

Russell craned his neck up to look at the opening above. [color=#000080]"I wonder if I can climb all the way up...."[/color]

[color=#b22222]"But, aren't you hurt anywhere? It wouldn't be a good idea to attempt this with an injury."[/color]

[color=#000080]"Relax, okay?"[/color] Russell said confidently, walking over and crouching down next to Gabriel. [color=#000080]"I feel fine. I don't even feel a thing!"[/color]

[color=#b22222]"Maybe we should get your head checked, then,"[/color] Gabe replied, turning on his "Snark Mode". [color=#b22222]"You might have hit your head on the way down and damaged your ability to feel any pain."[/color]

[color=#000080]"Yeah, yeah, ya' smartass,"[/color] Russell mumbled, reaching for the luchador.

[color=#b22222]"Wait, wh-what're you--?!"[/color]

[color=#000080]"C'mon, you know I can't just leave you here,"[/color] Russell said as he attempted to carry Gabriel on his back. [color=#000080]"I'll just have to carry you up with me--AAAARGH!!!"[/color] As soon as Gabriel's weight was added to his frame, Russell could immediately feel pain shoot throughout his left leg and spine. He tumbled down, Gabriel being unfortunate enough to fall right with him... but at least he had Russell to break his fall. [color=#000080]"GAH!! Gabby, get the f*ck off!!!"[/color] Russell cried out as he shoved Gabriel off of his back.

In spite of the pain that he (and Russell) were feeling, and the situation they were currently in, Gabriel couldn't help but to let loose a loud laugh. [color=#b22222]"Russell... you're a f*cking idiot. HA-HA-HA!!"[/color] Russell, too, began to join Gabriel in the laughter, stopping a few times whenever he felt a sharp pain in his torso.

[color=#000080]"Ow. Hurts when I laugh... hah...!"[/color]


-----


Meanwhile, on the surface, Shannon McKowen let out a horrified scream as she saw an arm wearing a pinstriped suit poking out from under the debris. "NOOOOOO!! DADDY!!!" The commotion attracted the attention of the rescued audience members (and Carla) and the other wrestlers, who all approached as Shannon clutched onto the lifeless arm. "Daddy, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry!!" The DWF heiress began to sob profusely as she proceeded to confess everything that she had done since the age of 2: "I'm sorry I broke your favorite golf club, and for letting our dog out into the street, and for crashing your favorite Lamborgini and blaming it on Stephan, and for giving you that stomach virus, and--"

"Um... yeah, that's great, princess, but uhh...."

Almost simultaneously, the whole group slowly turned their heads to the speaker, who happened to be Enzo McKowen himself, somewhat bruised and shaken but still very much alive.

Now it was everyone else's turn to scream out in fright (except for Carla, whose only thought was, [i][color=#ff0000]"Damn, they sure don't make old people like they used to."[/color][/i])

Overjoyed, Shannon ran up and caught her father in a tight hug. "God, Dad, I thought I'd lost you!" Shannon's happy face then turned into a look of aggravation as she turned her hug into a vicegrip, intent on breaking her father in half. "YOU DO THAT AGAIN AND I WILL F*CKING BURY YOU MYSELF!!"

"GAH!" Enzo gasped as he tried to pry himself from his enraged daughter's grasp. "Seriously, you must get your mood swings from your mother...!"

"But, wait," CJ Brat spoke up, pointing at Enzo, "if the boss is over there, then...," he paused to slowly point toward the lifeless arm. "... who is this...?"

As if on cue, the audience members (minus Carla) rushed toward the mound and began to dig out the body, trying to see if the deceased was anyone that any of them knew. What they found was... ... um... am I allowed to describe it?

"... um... now what?" Grand Event said as he looked at the censored area that was once the deceased's face. Martino Versella, unable to look any further, turned around and proceeded to throw up whatever he had eaten for breakfast. "At least (BARF!!) it actually tastes (HURL!!!) better (RAALFF!!) coming up... (BARF!!!)"

"Maybe he has a wallet?" asked Tom Seda rhetorically, as he slowly inched his hand toward the deceased's back pocket, trying not to gag. Eventually, he managed to pull out the wallet, which he then rummaged through, looking for a driver's license. He found it, then read the name: "Hmm... "Walter P. Sherman"... ... ..., anyone recognize that name?"

"Holy crap, that's my dentist!!" blurted out a shocked hipster-looking guy in his 20s. "But otherwise, not someone that important to me," he added flatly.

Seda blinked at the hipster, not amused. "Anyone else recognize him that actually [i]cares[/i] about him?" The rest of the audience members shook their heads, as did the other wrestlers. "C'mon, people! At least be a bit more respectful! The guy's dead, for Savage's sake!"

"Whatever, man," said Da Zim, "I'm already over Mr. Dentist-Guy-Whose-Name-I've-Already-Forgotten...."

"May he rest in peace," said the whole group all at once.

"Huh...? You guys hear that?" CJ said, hearing noises coming from the nearby hole. Tom Seda and Slade Thorton joined CJ in investigating the noise.

"... sounds like... laughing?" Thorton muttered, pointing his ear downward toward the hole.

"Not just anyone's laugh," CJ said, realization hitting him. "This hole... Russ and Gabe fell down this one, I remember!"

"Russell! Gabriel! Are you guys okay?!!" Tom Seda shouted down the hole.

Gabriel and Russell stopped laughing once they heard a familiar voice call out to them. [color=#000080]"Was that Seda...?"[/color] Russell mused to himself and Gabriel, then turned his head up toward the opening. [color=#000080]"Seda!! Is that you?!"[/color]

"Yeah, it's me! CJ's hear, too!!" Seda replied, starting to get overjoyed.

"And what am I, Martino's burrito barf?" said Thorton bluntly. He then turned to the hole and shouted down, "Gabriel, Russell, this is Thorton. We're going to get you some help, okay?"

[color=#000080]"Sure thing, Sladey!"[/color] Russell called back.

"C'mon, let's go," said Thorton urgently as he ran toward the tour buses, Seda and CJ following close-by. "We can grab the rope ladder from the bus, then...."

After the three of them had left, unbeknownst to anyone else there, a new figure had approached the hole, peering down into it.

[color=gray]"Do you want to defeat the Orichalcos cult?"[/color]

Gabriel and Russell looked at each other, confused as to who this strange voice belonged to.

[color=#b22222]"That depends,"[/color] Gabriel called out in response. [color=#b22222]"Who are you?"[/color]

[Merci]

[color=gray]"I am Protheus Maximus." [/color] He introduced himself, bowing for a moment to the people beneath the hole. "[color=gray]If I must be blatantly honest, I do not recall how I got here... Stupid headaches lately... In any case, I am searching for due lists capable of opposing the cult of Orichalcos. You could say that I'm recruiting. I have a small group of duelists, about less than ten, and we're planning something that may be able to defeat them."[/color]

He shook his head a bit, completely ignoring the fact that the two he was talking to were within a hole.

[color=gray]"Normally I do this through more conventional means, however this temporary erratic mess should fade away shortly. There's probably a reason why I'm standing here so I repeat my question, do you want to defeat the Orichalcos and save the world?"[/color]

[Kingdom Xathers]

Again, Gabriel and Russell looked at each other, unsure of what to make of this "Protheus Maximus" person.

[color=#000080]"I don't know about this guy, Gabe,"[/color] Russell said to the luchador in a hushed voice. [color=#000080]"Coming up to a hole, trying to recruit us? For all we know, it might be a trick by those cultists. Either that, or some random crack-fiend."[/color]

[color=#b22222]"Maybe...,"[/color] Gabriel muttered, thinking to himself. First his vision, the conversation he had with Hermos, and now this man who came out of nowhere and began requesting that they join him and his group... could the two be connected somehow...?

[i][color=#ff3333]"No doubts... remember, Brave One...."[/color][/i]

[color=#000080]"Gabe? What's wrong?"[/color] Russell asked, confused as to why Gabriel's face had gone blank all of a sudden.

The lion-masked luchador shook himself out of his trance. [color=#b22222]"N-n-nothing, I'm... fine. I'm fine,"[/color] he replied reassuringly. He then looked back up toward the opening, at the man standing at the edge. [color=#b22222]"... sir, if it is all the same to you, we can discuss this further, after our friends get us out of this hole! Does that seem reasonable?"[/color]

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

Natsu did continue her turn. "I will go to my Battle Phase, and have Junk Berserker attack your facedown monster! Rage Smasher!" The giant soldier stomps forward, each step giving off a slight tremor, before stopping in front of the facedown. He grips the handle of his axe with both clawed hands, then yells furiously as he brings the serrated blade down on the monster.

Pandora, now that everyone was out of the docking tower and in the factory itself, had started exploring. Most of the building they were in was filled with workstations, where custom jobs of Duel Runners and Duel Disks were worked on, some of the customized motorcycles and gauntlets completed, but sitting in their workstations. On the other side of the building was a two-story office that had a break room in the back, which was conveniently equipped with beds. Pandora went back to go report her discovery to the others.

[Merci]

[color=gray]"That is reasonable enough. I can sense the Seal of Orichalcos ridiculously nearby for some reason, so I shall stay here just in case. You may want to note that one of your friends may be among them."[/color] He warned ominously to the duo, before sitting down near the hole and awaiting them to be rescued. Of course, with his powers, he could've rescued them himself, but at the moment he was trying his best not to break the balance of the role play- er, thread-, er, world.

Until then, he merely awaited the others to arrive. If there was a cultist among them, he would probably have to act as the hero and save them all. Also, he hoped that he might be able to recruit them all, which will largely bolster the force of the team currently, and allowing them a greater fighting force capable of reusurping the Duel Arcadia Tower and opposing the cult.

[Thranduil]

Arta was watching the duel going on between Yuuto and Natsu. It was interesting but so far not much had happened. For some reason, as he was looking at Cynthia sleeping on his lap he began to zone out and started to sing a song that his mother has sung to him while he was a child. He sung in a low and melodic voice as the lyrics flowed freely from his tongue.
[color=#008000]"Hush, child, the darkness will rise from the deep, [/color]
[color=#008000]And carry you down into sleep,[/color]
[color=#008000]Child, the darkness will rise from the deep, [/color]
[color=#008000]And carry you down into sleep,[/color]
[color=#008000]Guileless son, i'll shape your belief, [/color]
[color=#008000]And you'll always know your fathers a thief,[/color]
[color=#008000]And you won't understand the cause of your grief,[/color]
[color=#008000]But you'll always follow the voices beneeeeeath,[/color]
[color=#008000]Loyalty, Loyalty, Loyalty, Loyalty,[/color]
[color=#008000]Loyalty, Loyalty, Loyalty only to me,[/color]
[color=#008000]Guileless son, your spirit will hate her,[/color]
[color=#008000]The flower who married my brother, the traitor,[/color]
[color=#008000]And you will expose his puppeteer behavior,[/color]
[color=#008000]For you are the proof of how he betrayed her loyaltyyyyyyy,[/color]
[color=#008000]Loyalty, Loyalty, Loyalty, Loyalty,[/color]
[color=#008000]Loyalty, Loyalty, Loyalty only to me,[/color]
[color=#008000]Hush, child, the darkness will rise from the deep,[/color]
[color=#008000]And carry you down into sleep,[/color]
[color=#008000]Child, the darkness will rise from the deep,[/color]
[color=#008000]And carry you down into sleeeeeeep,[/color]
[color=#008000]Loyalty, Loyalty, Loyalty, Loyalty,[/color]
[color=#008000]Loyalty, Loyalty, Loyalty only to me,[/color]
[color=#008000]Guileless son, each day you'll grow older,[/color]
[color=#008000]Each moment I'm watching my vengeance unfold,[/color]
[color=#008000]Child of my body, the flesh of my soul,[/color]
[color=#008000]Will die returning the birthright he stooooooole,[/color]
[color=#008000]Loyalty, Loyalty, Loyalty, Loyalty,[/color]
[color=#008000]Loyalty, Loyalty, Loyalty only to me,[/color]
[color=#008000]Hush, child, the darkness will rise from the deep,[/color]
[color=#008000]And carry you down into sleep,[/color]
[color=#008000]Child, the darkness will rise from the deep,[/color]
[color=#008000]And carry you down into sleeeeeeep"[/color]
Arta finished the song with a melodic hum as he remembered it being sung by his mother when he was scared of something.

He remembered once asking his mother what the song meant when he was older and she told him it was by a woman named Heather Dale, and it was called Mordred's Lullaby. He remembered her telling him that it was about the half sister of King Arthur and how she felt betrayed by him so she raised her son to kill him. Arta laughed softly at this.
[color=#008000]"And to think that it is such a beautiful tune, and I never knew what it meant."[/color] Arta whispered to himself as he smiled sadly at the ground.

[Kingdom Xathers]

"Seriously, though, if Mr. McKowen can survive a car bomb [b][i]and[/i][/b] this earthquake, what can possibly kill him?" CJ Brat said as he, Tom Seda and Slade Thorton all ran back to the hole, each one carrying two bundles of rope ladders. As they approached the hole, they ran past Protheus Maximus; they stopped briefly to look at him, their running actually freezing mid-stride. "Who the heck's this dew-schtick?"

"Who cares?" Thorton said flatly. "Let's hurry." With that, their running un-froze as they made it to the edge of the whole. "Here, let's start by connecting three of these ladders together. If it's too short, they should let us know."


Meanwhile, down in the hole, Gabriel and Russell resorted to [s]playing patty cake[/s] doing a staring contest... not really a good idea when there wasn't much light to tell if the other really did blink.

[color=#b22222]"... well, this is stupid,"[/color] Gabriel admitted. The sound of the ladder being unraveled caught his attention; both he and Russell looked up to see the rope ladder unfurling toward them, stopping about halfway down the hole.

"Guys, how's that?" CJ Brat called out to them.

[color=#000080]"It's only half-way down!"[/color] Russell replied back. [color=#000080]"D'you have any more?"[/color]

"Hang on a sec!" Seda shouted. He had already connected the other three rope ladders together, which he then connected to their end of the ladder. "Here, how's this?" he called out, throwing out more of the ladder. Now it was able to reach close enough to the bottom.

[color=#000080]"Awesome! Great job, you guys!"[/color] Russell called out, getting up from the ground. [color=#000080]"C'mon, Gabby, let's get out of here,"[/color] he said, pulling his friend up off the ground, supporting him as they hobbled over to the ladder.

"Each of these ladders are about 30 feet in length," Slade Thorton explained to Seda and CJ. "If about five-and-a-half of these ladders was all it took to reach the bottom, then they both fell--"

"--over sixteen stories down?!" CJ blurted. "What the crap?!! They must have some really thick skin...."

"Or it could be by the grace of God," Seda said, pointing upward.

" (-__-) ... nah, my money's on them having thick skin," CJ said bluntly.

[color=#b22222]"Okay,"[/color] Gabriel shouted out,[color=#b22222] "we're on the ladder now. Problem is, it feels like I twisted my ankle earlier, so I don't know if I can climb this by myself."[/color]

"Don't worry about it, we'll pull you both up, then," Thorton replied, then he turned to the group of wrestlers and audience members wondering about. "Hey, if any of you can give us a hand here, now would be a good time as any!" He then turned to Protheus. "You, too, whoever you are. If you're going to stand there, I'm at least putting you to work."

[Merci]

Protheus chuckled for a bit. [color=gray]”I do realize I’m supposed to stay down for the balance of the world, but this offer is way too intriguing…”[/color] He mused, an amused smile on his face, before rising from his feet. He took a split second to dust himself off.

[color=gray]”Stand back.”[/color] He told the others, and then he took hold of the ladder. With one hand.

Actually, you couldn’t even call it one hand since he was only using his index finger and thumb. And then he pulled. For him the pull with merely two fingers was a little difficult, as the ladder stayed still for a short moment, although the power put in it was quite obvious as the ladder shook violently. Finally, it gave way, and the 120-foot ladder came flying up as if being pulled up by a crane. The machine kind, not the bird king.

[color=gray]”That...was a little heavier than I expected.”[/color] He remarked, releasing his finger and thumb from the ladder. Then he looked at the large audience all around him, probably in shock at his feet. There were wrestlers, remains of a lost audience, and passerby.

[color=gray]”People gathered here, you should probably know... The cult of Orichalcos is responsible for this earthquake, having earlier messed with an Ener-D reactor. And be honest, do you honestly expect anyone to forgive this cult after all the destruction and [i]death[/i] they caused?”[/color]

He quietened for a moment, letting his surroundings show, all the destruction and rubble and dentist’s arm…

[color=gray]"If you can’t play card games, that’s fine, and if you don’t have brute strength, that’s fine too. However, anyone can make a difference. Allow me to introduce myself. [b]My name is Protheus Maximus, and I’m forming a team to oppose and put an end to this cult of mass destruction.[/b] Now then, who wants to join?”[/color]

He crossed his arms, waiting for an answer from his large gathered audience.

[werewolfjedi]

[b]"did the cult use these stones?"[/b] a man in a helmet came up from the back of the crowd, letting his duel runner roll forward, as he pulled out a good palm sized chunk of the green space rock from one of his pockets.
Brian looked at the man, and his absurd strength, but he had a strength too, his mind, and no one could beat him when he put his mind to it, and if this was the cult that got his father, then he wanted to track them down.
[b]"if so, then count me in."[/b]

[Love of Ghibli]

Lucas was slightly disturbed by the robots suggestion. She probably had defense measures, with space lasers, and some form of rocket boosters to get away. However she did have a point Arche doesn't really give specific instruction in anything she does and if any decent plane was flying over Detriot...it would just not land in Detroit.

[color=#ff8c00]"Well you have a point there, lets go see who it is."[/color] Lucas followed Syria to the exit where the plane neared. Lucas can see the man (Viktor) but wasn't exactly sure what to say. His Orichalcos stopped glowing which means it just wanted to be in this mans presence not take his soul. Meaning yay its a new teammate. Thought the contingency of this being an ally could have been interesting based on the way this society currently is Lucas could have found himself in a two on one duel, instead of Syria just shooting the mans head off with her heat beam eye blast. The logic of card games, objectively it sounds like the most time consuming way to solve a problem then again it is probably the safest way...in normal circumstances.

[Merci]

Protheus hesitated for a moment when the guy in a helmet approached him on a Duel Runner. [color=gray]”But that’s Orichalcum-“[/color] Then he shook his head, scolding himself. [color=gray]”Interesting... Yes, in fact the cult revolves around these stones. They’re unrefined, but apparently powerful , able to work as ridiculous fuel sources.”[/color] After that, he did a bow to the newcomer. [color=gray]”Welcome to the team. What’s your name?”[/color]

Then he turned to the crowd once more as the guy, Brian, joined his side. [color=gray]”Anyone else?”[/color]