A/N: Warning, the following chapter contains scenes of disarmament (sorry, bad pun), child killing and decapitation. A bucket and a bottle of ginger ale are advised.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar
The Orichalcos Saga
Fanfic Chapter 212: Dueling Spirits Pt 3: Sacrifice
Episode Basis: Reliving the Past
Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! Dartz obtained the Avatar Armlet and used its power to construct an Orichalcos soldier, a monstrous beast empowered with the Orichalcos. The Orichalcos Soldier trapped Yami in the Stone Wilderness and set out to duel him. The Orichalcos Soldier's main monster, Orichalcos Gigas, returns whenever it's destroyed but stronger. And monster, magic, or trap cards could keep it permanently in the graveyard. Yami was down to 800 life points. His new friends, Ironheart, Chris, and Sky, along with the white orb that has been tailing him ever since he first discovered Timaeus, moved into action. Will they be able to save Yami from the Orichalcos Soldier in time?
Dartz enjoyed in seeing the Orichalcos Gigas's cat-and-mouse game against Yami. He then noticed something out of the corner of his eye. His view screen panned right and zoomed in to see Ironheart. "Is that…" He stood up. "That fool, still he defies me!" He raised his arm and revealed the Avatar Armlet. "Soldiers arise, destroy him!"
More Orichalcos Soldiers burst from the ground and ran towards Ironheart. "I must protect the Pharaoh or all is lost!" He threw two Duel Monster cards which immediately became real monsters. The monsters each pounced on an Orichalcos Soldier, hitting the symbol on their forehead and destroying them.
"Hold on, Grandpa!" Chris cried as she raced to his side on Sky. She put her hands together in a prayer-like gesture and when they parted, an orb of energy was between them. The orb of energy struck an Orichalcos Soldier which was about to jump on Ironheart. Sky also joined in, raking an Orichalcos Soldier with its claws.
"Who are they," Tea wondered out loud.
"Foolish old man, die!" Dartz cried.
"Pharaoh, take the Eye of Timaeus!" Ironheart cried. Suddenly an Orichalcos Soldier was up close in his face. "What…?" The Orichalcos Soldier swung its arm blade and sliced Ironheart's chest. Ironheart fell back.
"Grandpa!"
"Ironheart, no!" Yami cried.
Chris and Sky pulled up besides Ironheart. Chris held her Grandpa's feeble hand in both of her own. "Chris… get the card… to the Pharaoh…" Ironheart's eyes closed and his body slowly dissolved not dissimilar to what happens when a Duel Monster is destroyed.
"I will do as you command, Grandfather." She climbed onto Sky. "Go, Sky!" Now the Orichalcos Soldiers were ganging up on her. But Sky's agility enabled them to dodge it.
The white orb which had been battling Raphael's Guardian Tryce saw Ironheart's fall. It flew off and joined Chris and Sky in the race.
Chris put her hands together again. Energy swirled around her and Sky and expanded sending Orichalcos Soldiers flying.
"Chris, no stay back," Yami shouted just before barely escaping another attack by Orichalcos Gigas. "I summon Kuriboh and activate the magic card Multiply!" A wall of Kuriboh surrounded Orichalcos Gigas.
"Hurry, Sky, we're almost…" An Orichalcos Soldier was running along side them. It knocked Chris off Sky then decapitated Sky. The image didn't last long as Sky's body dissolved as well. "Oh no, Sky!"
The white orb hit the Orichalcos Symbol on the soldier that destroyed Sky. Chris was sad for Sky but knew that she had to fulfill her Grandpa's final request. She took off again.
"Chris, please come back," Tea pleaded. "It's too dangerous!"
"Despicable girl," Dartz grumbled. "Join the old man in oblivion!"
Chris was almost at the Seal of Orichalcos. "Pharaoh, I have the Eye of Timaeus," she cried. Suddenly a large shadow stepped in front of her. It was an Orichalcos Soldier. It raised its arm blade. Chris quickly slapped her palms together.
But it was pointless as one swing from the Orichalcos Soldier's blade cleaved the Eye of Timaeus from Chris's arms.
And the arms from her body.
Chris fell to her knees. She looked up to see the Soldier raised its arm blade again.
"But… why… why would you do this to me?" She muttered, tears streaming from her eyes.
The blade came down and so did Chris's body. The Orichalcos Soldier kept hacking at her body even as it started dissipating.
"No, not Chris," Yami said just before narrowly dodging an attack from Orichalcos Gigas.
"Well done, my Soldiers, now destroy the Eye of Timaeus!" Dartz commanded laughing.
The Orichalcos Soldier raised its blade. As the blade started its downward swing the card suddenly disappeared. The Soldier looked around confused then looked above.
The Eye of Timaeus was floating in mid-air, surrounded by a strange white glow. From the small white bulge at the front of the card, it wasn't hard to figure out what happened. The white orb had taken up the cause left by Ironheart, Chris, and Sky.
"What is that thing?" Raphael wondered.
Dartz was wondering the same thing. "Is everyone trying to rise against me? Soldiers of the Orichalcos, attack!"
The Orichalcos Soldiers quickly chased the white orb. But the white orb was able to evade them all.
"All right," Tea cheered. Then realized something, "Wait, how is it going to get inside the Seal of Orichalcos?"
Raphael was thinking along the same lines. "There's no way that thing can penetrate the Seal of Orichalcos."
The white orb got closer and closer to the seal. Finally it struck the edge. The shield started to push back. It was a clash of white and green energies and neither looked like it was going to emerge victorious. Then the white orb penetrated the shield and dropped the card and it into Yami's hands.
"Thank you," Yami said. "But that must've tired you out." The white orb did look tired, its glow slightly flickering. Yami placed the white orb into his jacket pocket and looked at the Eye of Timaeus. Ironheart, Chris, I promise I won't let your sacrifice be in vane. Timaeus, I hope I have redeemed myself in your eyes for my transgressions. I am truly sorry for betraying you, but for the sake of all our friends, for the sake of two worlds, I must call upon your power now.
The Eye of Timaeus started to glow and Yami heard a dragon roar.
"Joey, something's happening with your deck again!" Amara announced.
"Now what," Joey moaned taking his Duel Disk from Amara. He removed the Claw of Hermos from the top of his deck and stared at it.
The card was glowing.
"What do you think it means?" Tristan asked.
"I don't know," Joey admitted. "Perhaps it has something to do with Tea and the Pharaoh. Come on, time's a wasting." He took off followed by Amara.
"Hey wait," Tristan called. "It's one of you guys' turn to carry the body!"
The Orichalcos Soldier burned through Yami's wall of Kuriboh then Orichalcos Gigas leapt at Yami. But at the last minute, the Millennium Puzzle activated and forced Orichalcos Gigas back. "I sacrifice Obnoxious Celtic Guardian to summon Dark Magician Girl!" The female magician appeared ready for a fight. "Now, Timaeus and Dark Magician Girl, combine to form Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight!" A vortex opened up and the images of the two monsters swirled. Dark Magician Girl appeared in knight armor riding Timaeus's back. "Next I activate the magic card Excalibur which doubles Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight's attack power!"
(DMGDK: 2600-5200)
"Now, Dark Magician Girl, attack that creature and destroy it once and for all!" The sword started to glow. Dark Magician Girl swung the sword and released an explosion of energy which destroyed both Orichalcos Gigas and the Orichalcos Soldiers and covered the valley in light.
(Y: 800)
(OS: 0)
Dartz growled, "This isn't over, Pharaoh, not by a long shot!"
Despite himself, Raphael smiled. Part of him was glad the Pharaoh won, because, as he said, "That means I get to deliver his soul to Master Dartz." He turned and walked away.
Tea ran down the side of the mountain. "Pharaoh, are you all right?" She called out.
Yami turned to look at her and gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Tea."
Tea sprinted across the valley to him and threw her arms around him. "You had me so worried." For once, Yami was at a lost for words. He then saw something out of the corner of his eye.
"Tea, look."
Tea followed Yami's look and saw a gravestone. On it were the four Legendary Dragons surrounding edifices of Ironheart, who was dressed as a Viking warrior, Chris who was dressed as a princess and Sky. "What… is this for real?"
"I think it is," Yami confirmed. Long ago, Ironheart, Chris, and Sky fought in the great battle of Atlantis against the Great Leviathan."
"So what does that mean, that here they were just… ghosts?"
"I honestly don't know, Tea, but what I do know is… I now have three more reasons to hunt The Warriors of Doma down!"
Tea found some flowers and laid them by the stone. After saying a short prayer, she stood up and asked, "What do we do now?"
"Ironheart said that there was a village at the foot of the mountain. If we go there, we could get some help."
"We might also run into Joey, Tristan, and Amara too," Tea added. The two left the valley through a small canyon.
All is not entirely lost, Dartz thought as he stood up. I have the Armlet and the first of the Chosen Duelists have fallen. Now is the time to begin phase two. His view screen showed a split image of Valon and Raphael. "It is time for phase two," he told them. "Valon, take your position on the boarder. Raphael, you will return to base."
"What about Jonah and Alister, sir?" Raphael asked.
"Alister is taking care of Kaiba and Jonah has been beaten."
The two males each put on shocked looks, then Valon said, "I knew the lass didn't have what it takes "
"Master, is she…" Raphael began but trailed off.
"She is with her father," Dartz said neutrally. "Now unless you two want to join her, I suggest you get to work immediately!"
"Yes, sir," the two said and the view screen clicked off. Dartz grunted and entered a mirror. As he did, his business suit changed to his robes. He went into the shrine where Jonah's and Harold's bodies were. He took the Armlet and laid it down. I must set up the ritual. The Orichalcos Soldiers have to blanket the entire Earth and to do that I'll need to expel whatever Egyptian energy was instilled in it when the second Maiden handed it over to the member of the Pharaoh's court. He set up candles in various positions around him and started chanting.
Raphael put on his helmet and prepared to leave. He still couldn't accept the fact that Jonah was gone. It was no secret that the kid worshipped him. Everyone could see that. For a while, she hung off of his every move like a shadow. It was annoying and yet in a strange way he was flattered. Despite her young age, Jonah had been a Warrior of Doma longer than any of the guys. When he was a kid, his sister Sonya hung off of him in the same way. She had been the one who suggested they give him the Guardian Eatos card for his birthday on the night the cruise ship capsized and his life was changed forever.
Raphael looked up at the sky. He had to admit, he was going to miss her, perhaps once the Great Leviathan had purged the unworthy, they could free those like Jonah who have been loyal. He really missed her. Ever since his parents and siblings died and any other relatives were revealed to be greedy little pigs, he tried hard not to get too emotionally close to anyone ever again. But without knowing, he had become attached to Jonah. He hoped that wherever the souls of those who lost in the Seal of Orichalcos went, that they would be able to find peace, especially for Jonah, who has had a tough life ever since her father Guimo lost his job. "Rest in peace, kid."
Joey, Tristan, and Amara had just past the cliff where the train originally derailed. Jonah just happened to look over the edge and cursed. "Joey, Tristan, look!" Joey, who had been carrying Rex, and Tristan looked over.
"It's the engine," Joey realized.
"You don't think that Tea and the Pharaoh…" Tristan trailed off, not wanting to reach that conclusion.
"Here, you hold Rip Van Winkle," Joey said passing Rex off to Tristan. "Amara, let's go check it out."
"Right."
"Hey, hold on!" But Joey and Amara were already going down the hill. Tristan sighed. "Why do I always have to carry the soulless ones?" He followed them.
Yami and Tea entered into a town, the town that Ironheart must've been talking about. It seemed to be small with most of the businesses on the same street.
"Pharaoh, look." Tea pointed to a phone booth. "We should really check in with Professor Hawkins."
"Good idea."
Tea saw something out of the corner of her eye. She handed Yami some quarters. "Here, you call him I need to check something out." And she ran off.
"Uh… right," Yami said reluctantly. He went into the phone booth and dialed the phone number Professor Hawkins gave them.
"Hello?"
"Professor Hawkins, it's… it's me."
"Pharaoh, are you all right? They said on the radio that the train you were on derailed and that no survivors were found."
"Tea and I have been separated from the others. We're in a village not too far from the crash site."
"Just a minute." There was a sound of ruffling papers. "Ah, Pearsall, unfortunately we've already past the proper turn off so we won't be able to pick you up."
"I understand."
"But if you were to go to Charlotte, the next town over, I could wire you some money for a bus ticket to Florida."
"As much as I appreciate that, what about Joey, Amara, and Tristan?"
"Unfortunately until they check in we can't do anything for them."
Joey, Tristan, and Amara explored the crash sight. "Well the good news is that Tea and the Pharaoh aren't here," Amara said.
"But that's also the bad news," Tristan pointed out. "We don't know where they are."
"Maybe we do," Joey said. "Look." He pointed to a grave site that featured two people, a wolf, and four dragons. "It's the Legendary Dragons."
"Four of them?" Tristan asked.
"Yeah, I know Yugi, Kaiba, and me all have one and I did see a fourth iced dragon when I released Hermos."
"We better hurry on to Florida. With any luck, the others will be there," Amara said. They headed in the same direction as Yami and Tea.
When Yami hung up the phone and exited the phone booth, he didn't see Tea anywhere. "Tea, where are you?" He called out. "I hope nothing bad has happened to her, we already have too much to…" He turned and suddenly found Tea right in his face.
"Hi," she greeted cheerfully.
"Tea, what happened to you?"
"Check this out." She held up a book. On it in clear gold-colored letters was 'Atlantis'.
"A book on Atlantis?"
"Yup, I figured the best way to know about our enemy is through reading." The two took a seat at a bench in a nearby park.
While skimming through the book, Yami suddenly gasped, "Tea, look, this chapter talk of a great war."
"Hey, you're right. Apparently one of the kings of Atlantis turned on his people and started methodically killing them!"
Yami breathed a sigh of relief. Raphael may have accused him of being evil, but at least he wasn't responsible for the destruction of Atlantis.
Tea turned a page. "Whoa, this illustration is of what the author believed a king of Atlantis looked like."
Yami took a look at the illustration and almost keeled over in shock. The king looked like the man on the serpent from his vision, the one that attacked Timaeus, Ironheart, and Chris. Things were coming together but more mysteries were rising. Who were Ironheart and Chris? Why did they oppose the King of Atlantis? And what role, if any, did Timaeus and the other Legendary Dragons play? Yami leaned back and closed his eyes. "The past of Atlantis is as torment as my own, or what I know of it."
Tea took a risk and rested her hand on top of his. "Pharaoh, I…"
"Look, Mommy," a child playing nearby called out. "Pretty lights!"
"What in the world?" The child's mother asked out loud attracting Yami and Tea's attention. They followed the looks of the child and mother.
The sky was lit up with rainbow colors like an aurora borealis.
"Pharaoh!"
"I know, it's just like back home. The Great Leviathan is starting to rise! We have to get to Florida and solve the mystery of Atlantis before all is lost!"
Behind them, they heard the child's mother scream. They looked at her and saw what spooked her.
A giant burly dragon was landing right in the middle of the park.
"A Legendary Dragon!" Yami realized.
"But whose is it?" Tea asked. "I don't recognize it."
"When I first arrived in Gadira, there were four dragons. And when Joey and I released Hermos, there was one remaining dragon that hadn't awoke yet. Someone must have released it but whom?"
The dragon spread its wings. Light particles began falling around Yami and Tea and the two vanished. It then took off into the air again.
The End
A/N: Pearsall and Charlotte are actual towns in Texas that are about twenty miles from each other.