A Deal with the Devil You Know
"I gotta say, those guys were a little easier to deal with thanks to you two showing up," Duncan said as he watched the White Riders back away from him and the two Kamen Riders that came to his aid.
"Of course, they were easy," Kurokage said as he rested his Kagematsu over his right shoulder. "A bunch of white mooks can't beat real Kamen Riders!" he boasted.
"Don't get ahead of yourself Gaki," Skull scolded Kurokage. "They pulled out because they had an adjective to complete," he explained. "All we did was delayed them," he added.
"Which means what exactly?" Duncan asked the Skull themed Kamen Rider.
"Which means, that things are going to be a lot more difficult for all of us," Skull told Duncan as he looked over the damaged area before turning his attention back to Kurokage. "Hase, we should return to the Ghost Zone for now," he told the Armored Rider. "We'll return soon," he told Duncan before leaving the spider themed Kamen Rider alone.
Duncan watched as the two ghost Kamen Riders vanished from his sights. He was grateful that he received help from other Kamen Riders, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that things were about to get a lot worse in Amity Park.
"I should head over to Danny's place to tell everyone what happened here," Duncan said to himself as he rushed towards where his bike was parked, not bothering to change back into his normal self.
As Duncan sped off to the Fenton house, a former flame of his watched with her family from within their car. Gwen's eyes were wide from the fight that took place right before her eyes.
"M-m-more ghosts," Gwen stuttered in horror as she started to hyperventilate.
"Gwen, sweetie," Gwen's mother called out to her. "You need to calm down," she told her daughter.
"Yeah, sis," Gwen little brother agreed. "The ghosts are gone, and your Ex totally whooped their butts," he tried to cheer her up.
However, Gwen didn't listen to her brother's words. She was still trying to block out the images of a certain monstrous spider ghost that continued to haunt her dreams. The sight of Duncan's new spider-based Rider form was not helping her fragile psyche in the slightest.
Fenton House
In the living room, Vince was looking over a map of Amity Park that he had laid across the coffee table. On the map were black circles on several different locations such as city hall, the high school, Axiom Lab, the frequently attacked mall, and even the observatory outside of the city. The oldest of the Fenton family was trying to pinpoint the most likely area that the Ghost King would choose as his new domain in the human world.
"Now, if I was a ridiculously old emperor from a realm of ectoplasmic creatures, possibly based off a dead king from medieval times, where would I set up my domain?" Vince asked himself.
"We have trouble!" Desiree shouted as she phased through the front door while still carrying Kristen in her arms.
"Does this trouble have unnatural skin color and doesn't believe in front doors?" Vince retorted as he turned around to see Desiree and Kristen. "Is there something going on between the two of you?" he asked once he saw Kristen was still being held by Desiree.
"No!" Kristen yelled in annoyance before turning her attention to Desiree. "Put me down already!" she shouted.
"So, you wish it, so shall it be," Desiree replied with a coy smile on her face before dropping Kristen onto the hard floor.
"Ow!" Kristen cried out after landing on her butt. "I swear I will find a way to kill you some day," she told the ghost woman as she got back on her feet.
"Oh, you know you love me," Desiree teased the human woman. "I make your life more interesting," she added.
"YOU SLEEP IN MY SON'S ROOM, YOU TRAMP!" Kristen yelled in anger.
"Is it too much to ask for a moment's peace in this house?" Vince wondered as he looked up to see the Box Ghost dusting the ceiling.
"I think so boss," Box Ghost replied as he continued his dusting.
"WE GOT MORE GHOSTS IN TOWN!" Duncan shouted as he entered the house.
"So what else is new?" Vince and the Box Ghost remarked.
"These ghosts are on our side," Duncan replied before noticing his mother and Desiree in the house as well. "Ma, what are you and Desiree doing here?" he asked.
"Pariah attacked the apartment and took the gems that you had in your room," Desiree answered, leaving out the part of the Ghost King holding the young man's mother hostage.
"That's not good," Duncan said. "Hopefully none of the gems given to me were the real ones," he added.
"He was able to get the Gem of Life thanks to it resonating with the Reality Gauntlet," Desiree told everyone.
"WHAT!?" Vince's outburst caused everyone in the living room to jump in shock. "The gauntlet can tell which gems are real," he growled, not pleased with this new piece of information.
"So, what do we do now boss?" Box Ghost asked Vince.
"Maybe we can get more help from those Kamen Rider ghosts that helped me," Duncan suggested.
"What Kamen Rider ghosts?" Danny asked as he and Sam descended from the stairs.
"I see that Sam's feeling a lot better now," Vince commented as he went back to thinking about what they all could do about keeping the last two gems away from the Ghost King.
"Well, one of them had this awesome skull mask and gun and the other guy was some sort of pinecone warrior," Duncan told Danny.
Danny's eyes widened for a moment before smiling.
"You met Kamen Rider Skull and Hase," Danny said, happy to know that his friend was in the human world. "That's great!" he added excitedly.
"You know them?" Duncan asked his friend.
"Yeah, Hase helped Fred and me bust out of Walker's prison and Skull took Hase with him to learn all there was to be a Kamen Rider," Danny answered. "Where are they now?" he asked.
"That Skull guy said they needed to head back to the Ghost Zone for a while," Duncan answered, which caused Danny to feel upset about his new friends not seeing him. "But he said they'll be back, probably gathering more Kamen Riders to help us," he added.
"That's sounds awesome," Sam said. "We need all the help we can get," she added.
"Yeah…we do…" Vince muttered to himself as he thought to himself before heading toward the kitchen. 'I just wish I knew of someone else that could help us,' he mentally added with dread as he picked up his cell phone and dialed it.
Vlad's mansion
Vlad was looking over the video recording of Valerie going up against Pariah Dark. The recording system was located within the girl's visor, so Vlad had a first-person perspective of Valerie's final moments. The recording continued even after the teenage girl was turned into glass and stopped when she came in contact with the ground. It wasn't hard for Vlad to guess what happened to his temperamental pawn.
"So that is the King of all Ghosts," Vlad said to himself before turning his attention to an old book on his desk. "But what is that gauntlet he is wearing?" he wondered, opening the book. "I'm sure I have seen that gauntlet somewhere before," he added as he flipped through the pages to look for a hint of what the gauntlet was.
As he continued his research, the intercom at Vlad's desk went off.
"Mr. Masters, you have a call on line three," Vlad's secretary told him.
"Put the call on hold," Vlad told his secretary.
"I would sir, but the caller said that he has something important to discuss," the secretary replied.
"What could this person possibly have that is so impor…" Vlad complained but was cut off.
"He said that he is a relative of a Mr. Jack Fenton," the secretary said.
Vlad stopped as his mind registered that name and connected it to a very large man who wore an orange jumpsuit.
"Put him through," Vlad told his secretary as he reached for his phone.
Vlad waited for a few seconds before picking up the phone.
"This is Vlad Masters," Vlad said to the caller.
"Been a long time Packer-boy," A male voice cut his off.
Vlad's eyes narrowed when he heard that nickname, immediately recognizing the voice.
"Vincent…" Vlad said in a low tone. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" he asked in faux pleased tone. "Surely, you didn't call me just to catch up on old times," he added.
"I'm calling because there is a problem going on in town, and you're the only person I know that has means to help," Vince told Vlad.
"I can't say I have the faintest idea of what you are talking about," Vlad replied, playing the role of the ignorant recipient.
"Really?" Vince said in a snarky tone. "Because I'm pretty sure the brace that turns the Manson's daughter into a ghost powered masked superheroine was from your humble abode," he told Vlad. "And said brace also bears a striking resemblance to a small army of white ghost powered soldiers that bare a passing resemblance to a certain motorcycle riding town superhero," he continued.
Vlad was lucky that Vince couldn't see his face as Vlad resisted the urge to grind his teeth at what Vince said. In a way, he should have seen this coming as the Manson girl was indeed close to Jack's son. However, this also meant that Vince was aware of the new model belt he gave to Duncan, and there was no doubt in Vlad's mind that Vince could tell that the brace was based off the prototype belt that he helped create with Jack and Maddie back in college.
"What do you want from me then Vincent?" Vlad asked.
"I'll tell you when we meet face to face," Vince told Vlad. "Just the two of us, no security, no traps, and no weapons," he continued.
"Vincent, do you honestly take me as someone who would do something so underhanded?" Vlad asked in a mock hurt tone.
"Yes," Vince answered with no hesitation in his voice. "No tricks or backstabbing Vlad," he reaffirmed his conditions.
"I understand Vincent," Vlad agreed. "How about we meet at my mansion tonight at six thirty?" he suggested.
"That's good enough for me," Vince agreed before hanging up.
Vlad hung up his phone before letting out a sigh of frustration.
"That man never ceases to irritate me," Vlad muttered to himself before looking at his clock. "I still have some time before meeting up with that insufferable man," he returned to his research, hoping to find out what that gauntlet the Ghost King was wearing.
Fenton House
Vince set his phone down on the kitchen table while sighing after finishing his talk with Vlad. He turned to look at the living room to see everyone looking at him.
"Who were you talking to Uncle Vince?" Danny asked his uncle.
"The one man I really don't want to make a deal with," Vince told his nephew. "But circumstances are forcing me to make this deal," he added as he pulled up a chair to sit down.
"Who?" Kristen asked.
"Vlad Masters," Vince answered solemnly.
"The same guy that gave me my belts?" Duncan mentioned remembering how he got the Edge Driver and recently his Evolution Driver.
"Who also had the Lila Brace lying around in his mansion," Sam pointed out while showing her brace that she named.
"Lila Brace?" Danny wondered.
"Just roll with it," Sam told Danny.
"Which also means that Vlad has ties with the White Riders," Vince mentioned. "But as much as I hate to say it, and I really do," he added. "He might be our best bet at keeping the last two gems away from Danielle's father," he told them.
"I'm sensing a but coming up," Desiree said aloud.
"But that also means we have to tell him about the gems and the Reality Gauntlet," Vince confirmed the ghost woman's statement. "And knowing Vlad, he'll do everything he can to get a hold of the gauntlet and the gems for himself," he added.
"We can't tell him!" Danielle yelled out as she entered the kitchen from the ceiling.
"I was wondering when you were going to show up," Vince commented on Danielle's arrival. "Anyway, as much as I don't want to tell him about the gauntlet and the gems, Vlad will find out about them, even if I don't tell him," he added.
"How can you be so sure?" Kristen asked.
"Because despite appearing as a highly successful multi-billionaire, and he is, Vlad has been interested in the paranormal ever since he and my brother met," Vince answered. "The power of money may seem impressive to normal people, but that pales in comparison to the power all of the ghosts that appeared in Amity Park can do," he pointed out.
"He's right about that," Desiree agreed with a smug look on her face.
"Oh yeah," Box Ghost agreed, nodding his head.
"Ditto," Danielle joined in.
"Quit bragging you three," Vince told the three ghosts.
"Yes sir," all three humanoid ghosts said in unison.
"And even that pales in comparison to your uncle's authority," Duncan whispered to Danny in a joking manner.
"Yeah, respect my Uncle's authoritah," Danny joined in, trying to keep his chuckling in check.
"And you two better respect it or I will beat you both with a tonfa," Vince told the chuckling boys, causing Danny and Duncan to stop laughing. "Now, I arranged a meeting with Vlad at six thirty tonight," he told everyone. "If everything works out, we might have a chance at keeping the gems away from the Ghost King," he added as he stood up.
"And if not?" Kristen asked.
Vince didn't say anything as he exited the kitchen and made his way outside the house, leaving everyone behind watching him leave.
"That's…not encouraging," Sam said aloud.
"No, that is not," Danny agreed as he pulled out his phone and started texting a message to his sister. "Better let Jazz know what's going on," he added.
"You should also tell her to get home as quickly as possible," Kristen told Danny.
"Really?" Danny replied. "Why can't I just make a wish for her to appear her since Desiree happens to be here?" he asked after sending his text to his sister.
"I'm surprised that you remembered my name, young Kamen Rider," Desiree said. "And what my main power is," she added.
"It's kind of hard to forget when our first meeting involved you turning a friend of mine into a ghost, then visiting the paranormal researcher who took up residence in my basement," Danny pointed out in matter of fact tone. "Besides, I kind of get the feeling that you would have been the kind of foe that I would have to know in order to avoid long drawn out fights that could be resolved very easily if not for some strange form of short termed memory loss when dealing with you," he added.
"That's…strangely meta," Sam commented, feeling like that has happened to her and Danny in another life or something to that extent.
6:30 PM
Vlad Masters' Mansion
Vince sat in one of the chairs in Vlad's lobby as he waited for Vlad to show himself. He knew he had to keep a calm appearance and choose his words carefully if he was to get the help he needed from Vlad. However, the younger brother of Jack Fenton also knew that when it came to making a deal with Vlad Masters, there was always a chance of Vlad finding a way to make it work to his advantage and you ending up with nothing in return.
'Remember Vince, there is a good chance that Vlad has figured out about the Reality Gauntlet, so only give him the information that he needs to know,' Vince mentally told himself, though he felt that there would be a good chance that Vlad may find a way of getting the information he wants to know.
"Ah Vincent, right on time I see," Vlad said as he entered his lobby.
"Vlad Masters," Vince simply said in return as Vlad took a seat.
"So, what do I own the pleasure of you requesting an audience with me?" Vlad asked.
"You're not a king Vlad, so stop trying to sound impressive," Vince told the man in front of him.
"I see you are as blunt as ever," Vlad retorted. "So, what do you need my help with?" he asked.
"I need help with dealing with a potential ghost invasion," Vince answered. "And you happen to have an army at your disposal," he continued.
"I'm afraid I do not understand," Vlad said, not even pretending to sound surprised by what Vince said.
"You're not even trying Vlad," Vince called him out on his lack of trying to sound clueless.
"Fine then," Vlad said, his face serious. "You want my army, and I want to know why you need it," he told Vince.
"All you need to know is that if you don't help us out, there will be more trouble for all of us," Vince said.
"I would assume that this problem would have something to do with that gauntlet the Ghost King had on his arm," Vlad mentioned as he watched Vince's reaction.
If he was surprised, Vince didn't show it as he did expect Vlad to pick up on Pariah Dark being the king of all ghosts. Internally, he wasn't happy that Vlad noticed the Reality Gauntlet on Pariah's arm.
"That's a good guess," Vince finally replied.
"Well now, if I had to guess, I would suspect that gauntlet would be the fabled Reality Gauntlet," Vlad started to tell Vince, hoping to see if Jack's brother would confirm his suspicion. "An artifact capable of altering the world to the wielder's will," he added.
"Maybe," Vince said, not wanting to give out any information to Vlad.
"Well if that is the case, then surely there is a reason why the Ghost King would come to the human world with such a powerful artifact," Vlad reasoned.
"Yeah, there would, wouldn't there?" Vince retorted.
"So, Vincent…" Vlad started as he leaned forward a bit to Vince. "What are you hiding from the Ghost King that is so important?" he asked.
Vince was silent for a moment, his face holding no expressions to give the man before him any idea of what was going through his mind. After what felt like an eternity to Vlad, Vince finally gave his reply.
"You know he has the Reality Gauntlet…" Vince began. "Then you should be able to figure out what it needs," he added before waiting for Vlad to connect the dots.
Vlad glared at Vince, annoyed that Jack's little brother was toying with him. He knew that Vince had given him a clue, but he wished that the younger Fenton man was more trusting like Jack and simply gave him what he wanted to know. However, the clue wasn't too hard as the book Vlad had read before Vince arrived mentioned the Reality Gauntlet was powered by four items.
Items… that had the power to warp reality to the users will even on their own.
Vlad's eyes widened when he finally realized it.
"You have what he is looking for," Vlad said.
"Maybe I do," Vince replied. "But here's my question," he added as he leaned forward to look Vlad in the eyes. "Are you willing the let someone else get a hold of power that you could use to grant your deepest desire?" he asked Vlad.
Vlad didn't say anything right away, instead he leaned back as he considered Vince's words. The chance to have what he truly wanted, to have what he saw as his but had lost to the one who considered him a friend.
The chance to finally have his beloved Maddie as his wife instead of Jack Fenton's.
Vlad had many nights filled with dreams of Maddie as his wife while Jack was the bitterly single man instead of the way things were. He had hoped that during the time she was married to Jack, Maddie would see that she had made a mistake and left Jack for him. But that had never happened and instead she and Jack had gone missing so many years after that incident. He had believed that fate had conspired against him, to keep him from his beloved.
But now, he was given a chance to turn all of that around. All he had to do was get a hold of the Reality Gauntlet and the four items, and he could do so just by helping the younger brother of the man he had grown to despise with a fiery passion.
However, Vlad knew there had to be a catch. There was no way that Vincent was willing to give him the Reality Gauntlet just because he helped the man by giving him an army. Vincent wasn't as trusting as Jack; the younger brother was more cautious, but he was also more cunning and very pragmatic. The latter two traits Vlad can respect as it was those very traits as well as a few others that got him to where he is today.
"So, what is your answer Vlad?" Vince asked. "Will you help us or not?" he added.
"That depends Vincent," Vlad replied. "Are you willing to give me the Reality Gauntlet and the items that power it in exchange for my army?" he asked.
It was Vince's turn to choose his words carefully because if he agreed to Vlad's terms, it could mean more trouble for everyone if this man got a hold of the Reality Gauntlet and its power. However, he also knew that his nephew and friends couldn't win this battle alone. Regardless of the powers the three teens had and their growing pride as Kamen Riders, Vince knew that they alone don't have the power to defeat Pariah Dark and his legion of ghosts despite how he had been informed by Danny that the Kamen Riders that came before them had faced such odds and won and those that will come afterwards will do the same.
As much as he liked to believe in his nephew's words, Vince knew that in certain situations quantity beats quality.
After thinking it all over, Vince finally came to a decision. He just hoped that he made the right one.
If he made the wrong choice, then Vincent Fenton may have doomed the entire population of Amity Park.
"I…"
Author's note: That's the end of this chapter and it didn't go exactly the way I had it in my head, but I don't hate it. Kind of wished I could have made it a bit longer but trying to make this negotiation between Vince and Vlad was proving more difficult than I had originally thought.
Still it does help lead to the final battle coming up. Though once again I have to cut out some things that I originally wanted to put in the story just to reach the end. Seriously, this story is becoming more and more of a choir to write. Then again, with things going on at home somewhat becoming more manageable, I might be able to give it a proper ending, but I make no promises that it will satisfy my readers that are still reading this.
Regardless, I will try my best to finish this story as it will also be the last Danny Phantom story I will be writing.