THE ARCHAEOLOGIST

They rounded the corner. They were expecting to see someone from the Cultura Mortis waiting for them. What they weren't expecting was a middle aged balding man in khakis, surrounded by notepads, cameras, and photographs.

"Whoa!" he yelped in shock. "Don't you kids know not to sneak up on a guy?"

"Don't you know not to mutter suspiciously in a cave?" Shelly snarked.

"I wasn't muttering suspiciously, I was talking to myself," the man retorted.

"Okay, okay, let's all just calm down," Hugo said. "Let's all just agree we've startled each other and move on. Old guy, who are you?"

"Old guy? My name isn't 'Old Guy', young man; it's Ellis Harlan, and I'm an archaeologist." He started gathering up his papers. "I've been in this cave studying the region's history of Duel Monsters."

Yuka started gathering up notes and photographs. "Wouldn't you want to be in Egypt to do that?" she asked. She handed the bundles to Ellis. "I mean, that's where the idea came from, isn't it?"

"You're part right," Ellis answered. "Before I go on, who are you kids?"

"I'm Yuka Rumiko."

"Hugo Akiba."

"Shelly Cavanaugh."

Ellis sorted his papers and pictures together before slipping them into his nearby bag. "Well, to answer your question, Yuka, it's true that Maximillian Pegasus got the idea for Duel Monsters during his trips to Egypt, based on the stories told in the ancient heiroglyphs. But other cultures around the world seem to have their own version of Duel Monsters." He pulled some photographs out of his bag. "Peru's Nazca Lines, for example, became the basis for some cards in the game."

"They do kind of look like the Earthbound Immortal cards," Hugo mused as they looked at the photographs, each one depicting a large image drawn into the desert sand.

"Those were the cards the Lines were the basis for," Ellis said. "And though it hasn't been proven, there are theories that the legendary Atlantis had its own myths and led to the creation of the Legendary Dragons cards."

"Isn't Atlantis just a fairy tale?" Yuka asked.

"Until proven true, at least," Ellis answered. He put his picures away. "And I've been in this cave looking for anything that might be related to Duel Monsters for the last day and a half. I haven't found anything yet, and I'm led to believe that there isn't any connection, but there are thoughts and theories that the region's native people had their own stories tied to Duel Monsters." He packed away his cameras. "What about you kids? Just exploring? I see your duel pads, so I assume you're duelists as well."

"We are," Shelly answered. "We're on our way to Avis City right now so Yuka can earn a gym badge."

"I don't mean to brag," Yuka said with a humble shrug, "but I've already got three and when we're done there I'll have four."

"Sounds like you kids are on a roll," Ellis said.

"Yuka's on a roll," Hugo corrected him. "We're just along for the ride. Like Shelly said, Avis City's our next stop."

"What a coincidence, I just so happen to be heading that way," Ellis said. "If only to catch a plane back home. I suppose we all might as well make the hike together...?"

Yuka looked to her friends. Ellis seemed like a nice enough old man, but she couldn't help but feel like they'd already told him too much. He might have presented himself as an archaeologist, but how could they be sure that he wasn't with the death cult? If he was, they just told him where they were going and why.

"He seems nice enough to me," Shelly said, almost as if she knew what Yuka was thinking. Hugo nodded in agreement.

"I guess we're all going to Avis City together," Yuka said, and they started walking down the cavern path.

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The first person Haschel Bessho saw when they arrived at the cavern entrance was her colleague, Arkhan Fizban. From the look of things, he wasn't alone; there were signs that other cultists were nearby, given all the equipment around him. They noticed several crates nearby, some labled as explosive; Arkhan was going through one of these crates, unaware of Haschel's approach until he heard their bike.

"I didn't know you were coming, Haschel."

"Serafino sent me," Haschel said. They shut off their bike and climbd off. "And what are you up to, Arkhan? Leaving some gifts for our little friends?"

"I've got some agents inside setting up explosives at certain locations in the cave," Arkhan said. He reached into the crate and pulled out a small, rectangular block of clay with an electronic device attached to it. "Once the word is give, the C4 will detonate. Sure, our agents will go up with it - they knew that when they took this job - but the explosion will cause the cave to collapse, burying those little interlopers alive. Or crushing them under hundreds of tons of dirt and stone, if they're lucky."

"Tell your men to hold off on the booms," Haschel said. "I want to go in there first."

Arkhan rolled his eyes. "I'd ask why, but I think I know. Fine, go ahead. Just whatever you do, don't let your personal feelings get in the way."

"I don't intend do," Haschel replied. "I'm just going to have a little bit of fun." She patted at the duel pad strapped to her arm. "That and it'll give your boys time to finish setting up the bombs. Just give me a shout when it's time to blow."

They didn't wait for an answer before stepping into the cavern.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Apologies for the late update. Things have been gotten busy in my personal life, and there are other factors as well. Let me just say that the updates are probably going to continue to be infrequent. The reason? I've decided to pursue becoming a full-time author. Now don't misunderstand, I do intend to finish this story, and it'll be done when it gets done, but after that, this will be my final story on the site.