Star: *pokes head out* Is it safe? *ducks fireball* Nope! *hides again*
*takes over typing* Shit, shit, shit! We need more time!
Hao: RYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEE! STTTTTTTTAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!
Both: Eek!
Opacho felt like her papa was falling in slow motion. This couldn't be happening, this wasn't real it was just a dream. But her daddy bellow like a wounded bull and charged at Mar-ko, and Opacho knew this was all too real. Mar-ko flung her daddy away from him with his power, like he was swatting an annoying fly, and continued into the temple, the girl following behind him with the two books. They didn't even glance Opacho's way as they went by.
Opacho ran to her papa, seeing blood already staining his shirt around the knife. "Papa?" She whimpered. Papa lifted his head slightly and then let it fall again.
"You're safe." He whispered. "Good." His dark eyes closed.
"Papa? Papa, please." Opacho said, shaking his shoulder.
"Yoh, honey?" Dad said, kneeling beside Papa. "I'm going to remove the knife, okay?"
"Doesn't matter either way." Papa said.
"Don't say that." Dad said harshly, pulling the blade out. Papa gasped in pain. Dad pulled off his jacket and pressed it over the wound. "We'll bring you back to Ren and Horohoro, they'll have something to help."
"Hao, it's too late." Papa said, lifting his head again. Dad gently eased Papa's head into his lap. "Take care of Opacho, okay?"
"You're not dying, alright, I won't let you." Dad growled, his voice choked.
"Opacho, take care of your daddy, he's not as tough as he likes to act." Papa said, voice barely a whisper.
"Just hang on a little longer…" Dad paused, looking down at Papa. "Yoh?" he seemed to curl up on himself, gently stroking Papa's hair. A wet gasp escaped him and Opacho whimpered when he closed Papa's eyes softly. Dad lifted his head to the sky and let out a wounded howl.
Opacho grabbed hold of her Daddy, clinging to him as they both sobbed in grief. A thump made Opacho look up, and she saw that Uncle Ryu had fallen to his knees by them, tears falling freely down his face. The four of them were silent for a long moment, the only sound their dying sobs.
Slowly though, her daddy got up. Opacho looked up at him. The angry look on his face scared her. He stared at the temple hatefully, like he was trying to burn it down with his eyes. "Ryu, take care of Opacho, I've got a score to settle." He growled out.
"Hao, Opacho just lost one parent, you can't leave her too." Ryu blurted out. "I can't raise a child, you know that!"
Daddy looked back at Opacho. Opacho met his eyes, feeling the same anger she could see in his eyes. "Kick his ass, Daddy." She said.
"I'm going to, and this time, I'm going to make sure he stays dead, and his bitch too." Daddy growled, stalking towards the temple.
Opacho went to Uncle Ryu, who was rolling Papa onto his back, hiding the ugly wound on his back. He just looked like he was sleeping, and Opacho had the urge to shake him, to shout at him to stop pretending. Except he wasn't pretending, he was really gone, just like Opacho's first daddy.
Her lip quivered and the tears began again. "hey now, hey now." Uncle Ryu said gently. "It's not all bad. You'll see her again." He tried. "It's like in the good book, you know."
His words triggered something in Opacho's mind. "What did you say?" She asked.
"Well, the good book says…"
"That's it!" Opacho shrieked. "The book!"
"What? Why are you shouting, stop that, those pygmies might still be out there." Ryu babbled.
"The lady, she's got the book of the Dead." Opacho said. "We can use it to bring back Papa!"
Normally Ryu would have tried to talk his way out of something dangerous, but then he looked down at Yoh, peaceful and still... too still. He knew how utterly destroyed Hao was feeling, Yoh was very important to them. A brother, a loving husband and doting father. digging in his pockets, he pulled out a jar of stiff oil and a comb, quickly combing his hair into his trademark pompadour, pulling the collar of his shirt up and picking up his brother's body, cradling him close as he stood up.
"Let's go..." He growled out, marching into the temple, with Opacho quickly leading them inside...
Luchist walked along, finding the discarded Scorpion bracelet, picking up and clasping it to his arm he headed into the temple. It was dark so he quickly lit a torch and wandered into the first room he came across, freezing as he heard what sounded like a bunch of rain sticks or a landslide of pebbles raining down. He looked down and nearly yelped seeing millions upon millions of Scarabs fleeing around him, away from the aura being emitted by the Scorpion King's bracelet. They cleared away enough to show a single walk way over two pits where the hoards nested. At the other side of the walk way was a large golden Statue of a scorpion and in its center a black hole.
Luchist smirked and walked over to it, lighting the torches around it to give light to the room before rolling up the sleeve of his jacket and sticking his arm with the bracelet into the hole. Feeling around blindly he could not find a lever or a switch of any kind so he made to pull his arm back. However, he did not realize the bracelet was actually a key that was slotted into place upon him putting his arm in. So when he tried to pull it out again, he got stuck, yanking twice he frowned and tried to twist his arm, rotating the bracelet as well. He stiffened hearing gears grinding and something click into place before the scorpion statue around him shifted, the legs fanning out as the tail and bulb raised into an attacking position.
Another set of gears and clicks sounded and then suddenly he was yanked into the statue, a sudden crunching noise and pain shooting up his arm had him screaming before he finally pulled his arm free to see slime covering the white bones of what use to be his arm. A moment later a deafening roar sound as the whole temple light up with a supernatural golden light...
Hao jumped as the tunnel he was stalking down lit up bright gold and the unearthly roar that followed made him bare his teeth. Turning a corner, he paused because on the wall was a large mural. He saw a man painted on it that looked startlingly like him, the same tattoo on his wrist like his own and even more haunting was the sword in his hand. Pulling his Stone Sword out he looked it over and then the wall. The painting had two gems.
"En... Mizu..." He whispered. "Alright... I'm starting to believe..."
He walked down the hall, seeing the painting of the man change every few feet, showing him fighting many fantastical creatures, defending a city, a Pharaoh and his family. Though upon closer inspection he realized that the one of the Pharaoh's children looked like Yoh.
"Yo'hi..." He whispered. He turned suddenly as the sound of a gong being rung suddenly echoed out. Baring his teeth, he stalked down the hall faster. "He will pay..."
Mar'ko and Jeanne had walked into the Temple, after dispatching the pesky librarian, walking down the halls of the temple straight to the Scorpion King's throne room where he was said to be sleeping. But as they were passing the Ante Chamber, two hooded Statues of what appeared to be women flashed with a dark light and shadows shot out of them wrapping around Mar'ko and stealing back into their respective statues.
"Mar'ko!" Jeanne gasped.
"I am alright..." He promised, even if he felt a bit off. "But I think Lord Anubis has taken my powers..."
"What!? Why!?" Jeanne demanded, the first real trickles of fear entering her heart.
"I think he wants me to fight as a mortal..." He mused, turning to a small alter that had the emblem of the Scorpion King on it and tried to summon the disk to his hands. The Alter vibrated, almost levitated a few inches from the ground, but over all it did not move. "I am to slay the King as a mortal... I will do so and with his army and my powers back we will rule the world, you will be finally free of this mortal prison and shine bright as the radiant Goddess you truly are..."
"Indeed, Mar'ko, but you are mortal, you must be careful... or better yet, do not fight him... He still sleeps, slay him while he slumbers!" She hissed.
"I cannot do that, I must defeat him in combat." Mar'ko shook his head.
Jeanne growled, slamming the books of the Dead and Life down on a side table, shouting at him to not disobey her, but he told her that he cannot gain control of Anubis' army without fighting and killing the Scorpion King in combat. She frowned, displeased, but understanding that killing the King in any other manner than Combat would banish the army.
"Then do so... but be careful..." She waved her hand over his face as he ghosted his hands over her shoulders, grasping her arms in reverence as he sighed.
"With you at my side, I shall never fail..." He promised, turning to walk into the throne room, grabbing the long summoning hammer and began to beat the Gong steadily.
After the 7th time he rang the Gong, a second earth shattering roar rang out, announcing that the King was awake and he was displeased...