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DUEL THIRTY-SEVEN
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The Beacon
A Dark Alarm
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Ben ran into the large square where Buckingham Fountain stood. He looked around.
"Well, I'm here!" he shouted.
"Good," said a voice. "So am I."
Ben spun around, and saw the hulking khimera watching him, smoking a slim cigarette.
"Drago Uccisore?" he gasped.
"Heh…" said Drago. "I'm guessing that you know who I am because you read the newspapers…
"Well, Mr. Paper Reader… I have no idea who you are…
"But if Lorelei wants me to duel you, then that's what I'm gonna do…"
He threw the cigarette aside, and took a Duel Disk out of his coat.
"Duel me?" asked Ben. "Wait… Who the heck is Lorelei?"
"None of your business," said Drago.
"And what if I were to refuse?" asked Ben.
Drago looked at him. Then he opened his coat slightly, revealing a handgun in a holster.
"Your serious, aren't you?" asked Ben.
"Normally, I work as a Mr. Fanciullo's bodyguard," said Drago. "That means I'm usually a defensive fighter… But it doesn't mean I can't deliver a lethal strike when I have to.
"And don't try yelling for help, either. Lorelei said she'd do her best to keep the cops away, and even if they got by whatever she's using to do so, I guarantee that you'd be dead and I'd be gone long before any help came.
"So, either duel me, or try to run… Although I have to warn you, my leg muscles were enhanced by those of a puma's…"
Lovely… thought Ben. One of the most notorious mobsters in the Fanciullo Family, and I don't even have that mace with me…
Guess I have no choice…
He activated his Duel Disk, and the deck was shuffled.
"I see you've decided to accept my offer," said Drago.
He chuckled.
"Personally, if it had been me, I would have tried to run…"
"Duel!" they both shouted.
(Ben: 8,000) - - - - - - - - - - (Drago: 8,000)
"Seniority rules here," said Drago, as he made his first draw.
"I'm goin' first."
He looked over his hand.
"I'll set two cards," he said. "One's a Monster and the other… uh, isn't…"
The two set cards materialized in front of him.
"And then I'll turn it over to you."
"I'm drawing!" said Ben.
He lifted an eyebrow when he saw what he had. He quickly fit a card into his Disk.
"I play the Continuous Spell Card, Black Whirlwind!" he exclaimed, as the Spell appeared on his side of the field.
"This card's effect comes into play whenever I Normal Summon a Blackwing Monster. I can then take another Blackwing from my deck that has less Attack Points than the one I summoned."
"Blackwings, huh?" chuckled Drago. "Who would have guessed…"
"Don't laugh, because the Blackwing I'm summoning is…" replied Ben.
He played a card.
"Blackwing – Bora the Spear!"
With a loud cry, one of Crow Hogan's signature Winged Beasts, a humanoid black bird holding a large lance, flew onto the field. (1,700 ATK)
"And like I said, I can take a Blackwing from my deck now," he said, as he took a card from his deck.
"And due to its effect, I can Special Summon it. Meet Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind!"
He played the card, and a smaller Blackwing with violet feathers and a green plumage flew onto the field. (1,300 ATK)
"I suppose you're going to make a Synchro Summon?" asked Drago.
"Not yet…" replied Ben. "Because when Bora the Spear attacks a Monster in Defense Mode with more Attack Points, you take the difference in damage."
Bora dive-bombed the set Monster. A Giant Germ appeared on the card; the Blackwing impaled it with its lance, and it burst.
"Ergh!" grunted Drago.
"Right… That cost me, but you lose 500 Life Points, and I get two more Giant Germs…"
Two more of the huge bacteria appeared where the first had been. (1,000 ATK x2)
"You think I'm afraid to attack another one?" asked Ben. "Gale, get the second Germ! Black Scratch!"
Gale the Whirlwind flew at the Fiend, claws-first…
"I activate… Negate Attack!" shouted Drago, as his facedown card lifted up.
Gale bounced off an invisible shield.
"All right…" said Ben. "I end my turn…"
(B: 7,500) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 6,400)
Drago smiled, and drew a card.
"You really should have summoned Armor Master when you had the chance…" he said. "Because it could have stood up to what I'm summoning next…
"I sacrifice both my Germs…"
The two ugly spheres turned into a dark orb of energy.
"…for Darkness Destroyer!"
With a roar, a huge, hideous creature loomed above Ben and his two Winged Beasts. Ben had never seen this Monster before, and just looking at it, he figured that had been a good thing. It combined the worst aspects of a Dragon, Fiend, and Zombie, standing ten feet tall, with claws a foot long, and sharp, bony horns all over its body. (2,300 ATK)
"Good lord…" he said, looking at it.
Darkness Destroyer looked at him. Vile saliva dripped from its maw…
"Attack Bora the Spear!" shouted Drago. "Blasphemous Rage!"
Darkness Destroyer let out a roar, and a mob of demons spewed from its jaws. Bora screamed in agony, and then literally imploded. Only drops of blood were left…
"You made a big mistake!" shouted Ben. "Next round, Gale the Whirlwind will…"
"…not be around," interrupted Drago. "Because Darkness Destroyer gets to attack twice per round."
You gotta be kidding… thought Ben.
Apparently, he was not, because Darkness Destroyer let loose its Blasphemous Rage again, obliterating Gale and knocking Ben on his back.
(B: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 6,400)
"I set one card facedown, and end my turn…" said Drago, as a set card appeared in his Spell Zone. "And just a warning… If you're thinking of putting a Monster in Defense Mode, this big guy also has a trampling effect, just like your Bora the Spear."
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In the room where they had spoken to the Triad, Tiberius, Lorelei, and Hape were watching the duel on a holographic viewing screen (Lareth had left to work on the project he had mentioned) while Graves stood in the background. Tiberius and Lorelei were wearing riding outfits.
"Okay, I'll bite…" said Tiberius. "Where did you get this deck, Lorelei?"
"A while back, some guy who was working with the Sons of Tyranny was forging counterfeit cards," replied Lorelei. "He managed to make a few of Darkness' cards, but couldn't find anyone brave enough to use them."
"Brave enough?" asked Hape, with a suspicious glance.
"Fine…" said Lorelei. "He couldn't find anyone stupid enough to use them. So he was willing to sell them at a discount price.
"Still, as foul-tasting as those fruits are, eating one for the first time can make someone drunk with the power held within, so Drago became the perfect pawn. I almost feel sorry for him…"
"You sure this will work?" asked Tiberius.
"You wanted me to get the Shadowchasers' attention, right?" replied Lorelei. "When Drago summons the ace Monster of that deck, all the monitors at their central command are going to light up like pinball machines."
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"My move…" said Ben.
He drew a card.
"I summon Blackwing – Shura the Blue Flame!"
He played the card, and a new Blackwing, this one taller and slimmer than Bora, with blue plumage, appeared on the field. (1,800 ATK)
"And just how's he going to defeat my Monster?" asked Drago.
Darkness Destroyer glared hungrily at the Winged Beast.
"He's not going to do it alone," said Ben. "That's the thing about Blackwings… They always work as a group to bring big enemies down.
"I use the effect of Black Whirlwind to get my second Bora the Spear…"
He took a card from his deck.
"And due to his effect, because I already have one Blackwing, I can Special summon him."
He played the card, and a twin of the first Bora materialized. (1,700 ATK)
"I'm not done!" he said, as he played a Spell Card. "Next I play… Dark Eruption! Now I can recover a Dark Monster from my Graveyard, so long as it has 1,500 Attack Points or less."
He took Gale the Whirlwind from his discard slot.
"You remember how Gale works, right? I think I'll Special Summon him too."
Gale reappeared, none the worse off for wear. (1,300 ATK)
"Then I'll use Gale's effect, to cut the Attack Score of your Monster in half."
Truly living up to his name, Gale the Whirlwind beat his wings furiously, causing a ferocious windstorm. Darkness destroyer groaned… (1,150 ATK)
"Now that Gale has done his job, Darkness Destroyer is easy prey for Shura."
Shura the Blue Flame flew at Darkness Destroyer like a dart, smashing the huge Fiend to pieces like it was made of black glass.
"This activates Shura's effect, by the way," continued Ben. "When he clobbers a Monster, I get to Special Summon a Blackwing from my deck with 1,500 Attack Points or less, so long as I negate its effect.
"So, I'll bring out Blackwing – Vayu the Emblem of Honor."
A very strange Blackwing appeared. It was a small Winged Beast with white wings and red plumage, covering himself with a black coat and wearing Japanese-style sandals. (800 ATK)
"I'm not done with you," said Ben. "Gale, Bora… Attack that thug directly!"
The two Blackwings flew at the henchmen. Drago grunted as Gale's claws sank into him, and he grunted again as Bora stabbed him with the lance.
"I activate… Damage Gate!" he shouted, as his facedown card lifted up. "I'll use it to summon a Giant Germ from my Graveyard!"
One of the filthy orbs appeared again. (1,000 ATK)
Ben thought for a minute.
"Why don't you bring Armor Master out?" asked Drago. "I'd love to see him…"
"Oh, you just want me to do that, huh?" asked Ben. "I'm not falling for it, Drago. I end my turn…"
(B: 6,000) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 2,750)
Drago drew a card.
"I sacrifice my Germ…" he said.
The Germ vanished again.
"…to summon the Lord of the Underworld…"
A cloud of vile, black smoke started to appear in front of him.
"I call forth Dark Ruler Ha Des!"
It was indeed Dark Ruler Ha Des. Standing in front of Ben and his four Blackwings was the ruler of Fiends, in all his glory. (2,450 ATK)
Okay… thought Ben. That guy is trouble… But at least I know what it is…
"Destroy Gale the Whirlwind!" ordered Drago. "Stygian blast!"
Dark Ruler Ha Des pointed, and an aura of shadow surrounded his arm. Then, a blast of dark energy shot at Gale the Whirlwind, and the Blackwing burst into an explosion of feathers.
"It's your move…" said Drago.
(B: 4,850) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 2,750)
Ben made a draw.
"All right Drago," he said. "I'm going to play my Pot of Duality."
He played the Spell Card.
"In exchange for giving up my right to Special Summon this turn, I get to reveal the top three cards from my deck, and then pick one."
Three cards appeared in front of him: The Beginning of the End, Blackwing – Fane the Steel Chain, and Blackwing – Breeze the Zephyr.
He pointed at Blackwing – Breeze the Zephyr, and the card appeared in his hand. The other two cards vanished, and the deck was reshuffled.
I may not have any choice but to summon Armor Master now… he thought. This card can do that… But since I can't Special Summon this turn…
"I move all three of my Monsters to Defense Mode," he said.
Shura the Blue Flame knelt and shielded himself. (1,200 DEF) Bora knelt and held his spear in his lap. (800 DEF) There was little change in Vayu's appearance, but he defended too. (0 DEF)
"That will be all," he said.
Drago drew a card.
His eyes lit up when he saw what it was.
This beast will win the duel for me! he thought.
He looked at his hand.
Unfortunately, I can't summon it right now… But I will soon…
"Dark Ruler, attack his Bora the Spear!"
The Fiend ruler cast his Stygian blast, and Bora was blown to pieces.
"You know, it's too bad that these birds of prey that I'm wiping out are only holographic images," said Drago. "If they were real, I'd have a good chance of being able to use my khimera abilities to grow functional wings! You can count on one hand the number of khimera who've actually managed to do that."
"It isn't easy, I assume?" asked Ben, who was more than a little irked.
"Hell no," said Drago. "You need more than the actual wings… You need to change your skeletal system, so that your bones are hollow but strong, like a bird's… You need to change your shoulder muscles too, alter your metabolism… So much has to be done before a khimera can truly fly…
"Shadowkind like harpies who were born with the ability… They lucked out…"
"Right…" said Ben.
He drew a card.
"Harpies also smell bad and have no manners," he said. "But if they can fly, I guess they're lucky…
"I summon the Tuner Monster, Blackwing – Breeze the Zephyr!"
The Blackwing that appeared next was not black at all. He was orange, with yellow wings, and had a childish expression. (1,100 ATK)
"Now, I Tune together Breeze the Zephyr and Shura the Blue Flame!"
The two Blackwings spread their wings and soared into the sky, where they faded into a cluster of stars.
"Let these graceful creatures take flight and combine into a form that will fly to unfathomable heights!"
(*3 + *4 = *7)
"Synchro Summon… Blackwing Armor Master!"
A powerful Winged Beast clad head to toe in black armor flew down from above, Crow Hogan's ace Monster before Black-Winged Dragon came along. (2,500 ATK)
"You wanted it, Drago, and now you're getting it!" he said. "Attack his Dark Ruler! Black Hurricane!"
A savage storm of wind struck the dueling field, and Armor Master flew, making a beeline for Ha Des. The Dark Ruler grunted as the Winged Beast rammed both of his fists into him, and the Fiend lord shattered into pixels.
(B: 4,850) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 2,700)
"End turn…" said Ben, as Armor Master alighted back on his side of the field.
Drago drew a card. Then, without saying a word, he played it – Pot of Avarice.
He took all three Giant Germs, Darkness Destroyer, and Dark Ruler Ha Des from his discard slot, and reshuffled them into his deck. He drew two cards.
Then again, without saying a word, he played three cards. Two cards appeared in his Spell Zone, and then Giant Orc appeared in front of him. (2,200 ATK)
He glared at Ben.
"I take it that means you want me to move…" said Ben, making a draw.
He drew a card.
It was my Body as a Shield.
Ben was excited, but he didn't show it.
I have him! he thought. Unless one of those Traps is Dimensional Prison, I have him cold!
"Armor Master, destroy his Orc!" he shouted.
The armored Blackwing flew at Giant Orc…
"You took the bait just like I planned!" laughed Drago.
He held a card forward.
"Uh, that's Archfiend Soldier…" said Ben. "How is that going to…"
"In response to your attack," said Drago, "I send one Fiend on the field and one in my hand to the Graveyard…"
Giant Orc and the Archfiend Soldier in Drago's hand vanished.
"In order to summon my ultimate creature!"
The streets around Buckingham Fountain erupted in flames, and the smell of brimstone filled the air. A hideous form rose out of the fires. It was a hideous Fiend with scaly, black skin, twisted claws, and two wings on its back, the right one feathered, and the left one bat-like. It had long, red hair on its head, where its eyes were closed, but it also had two open eyes on its chest, horrible red eyes covered with a disgusting film, that glared at Ben with expressions of pure Evil. (4,000 ATK)
"So…" said Drago. "What do you think about Darkness Neosphere?"
Ben didn't know what to say at first… It was like he remembered this thing from one of his previous lives… One that had ended very violently.
Then he calmed down a little.
Okay, it's big and hideous, and it has 4,000 Attack Points… he thought. But I can still use Armor Master's effect to bring it down…
"Armor Master, continue your attack!" he shouted.
Armor Master flew towards the vile thing…
"Not so fast!" shouted Drago. "I activate Gravity Bind!"
His facedown card lifted up, and Armor Master was stopped dead in its tracks.
"WHAT?" shouted Ben. "But… That Monster of yours is Level 10! Don't you know that it can't attack in a Gravity Bind either?"
He paused.
"Uh… It can't, right?"
Drago chuckled.
"No, it cannot," said the mobster. "Darkness Neosphere can definitely NOT attack in a Gravity Bind."
"You're up to something, Drago…" said Ben. "For now… I end my turn…"
Drago drew a card.
"First thing I'm going to do," he said, "is play this…."
He played a Spell Card.
"Forbidden Chalice! You see, I know that your Armor Master can't be destroyed by battle… But, by using this card, he loses his effects for the turn. Sure he gains a few Attack Points…"
(2,900 ATK)
"…but that's not going to matter in a minute, because I'm using the effect of Darkness Neosphere to return all my face-up Trap Cards to my hand."
Gravity Bind vanished, and reappeared in Drago's hand. Ben's eyes opened wide.
It's the perfect strategy… he thought. With that thing's effect, he can deactivate Gravity Bind any time he wants to, and then set it again immediately afterwards!
"Attack!" shouted Drago. "Hellfire tempest!"
Darkness Neosphere simply pointed, and a bolt of flames shot along the ground towards Armor Master. The Blackwing howled as he was roasted alive inside his armor…
Then, the armor fell to the ground in smoldering pieces.
(B: 3,750) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 2,700)
Drago chuckled, and set a card in his Disk, which appeared in his Spell Zone. Ben didn't doubt for an instant that it was Gravity Bind.
"Your move…" he said.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
As Lorelei has predicted, sirens were flashing in every important building in Shadowchaser Headquarters.
Jalal rushed into the nerve center of the base, where global activities were monitored.
"What the Hell is going on?" he shouted. "I didn't order a code red!"
"It came on automatically sir!" replied a technician. "Take a look…"
Jalal looked at a screen.
"Good lord…" he said.
"Jabels! Get me through to the Shadowchasers in Chicago and be ready to send an emergency squad there!
"And cancel all my other appointments today…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ben was likely oblivious to the actual nature of the Fiend he was facing, but he was determined to fight on. He drew a card.
Hmm… he thought.
"Because I already have one Blackwing on the field," he said. "I can Normal Summon this guy with no sacrifice.
"Meet Blackwing – Elfin the Raven."
A new Blackwing appeared, one that looked much older than the others, with greying feathers. His wings and plume were thicker and fuller. (2,200 ATK)
"I get to take a Blackwing from my deck due to Black Whirlwind…" he said.
He took a card from his deck.
"And due to Elfin's effect, I can move one of your Monsters to Defense Mode."
Darkness Neosphere knelt and crossed its arms over its chest. (4,000 DEF)
"I don't know what your game is," said Drago, but it won't work.
His facedown card lifted up, and Gravity Bind activated again.
"Then maybe these will work better," said Ben, as he threw two cards into his Disk.
The two cards appeared in his Spell Zone.
"I end my turn…"
"My move!" said Drago, making a draw.
"And my Trap Card activates!" shouted Ben, as one of his facedown cards lifted up.
"Icarus Attack! I'll sacrifice Vayu, and blow both Darkness Neosphere and Gravity Bind to pieces!"
Vayu the Emblem of Honor became shrouded in flames. He flew towards the hideous Fiend…
"Not so fast!" shouted Drago. "I activate… Destruction Jammer!"
His other facedown card lifted up, and he discarded Soul Demolition from his hand. Vayu shattered into pixels.
"You didn't really think I wasn't prepared for that, did you?" he asked.
Ben didn't respond.
"No matter…" said Drago. "I switch Neosphere to Attack Mode…"
Neosphere stood up. (4,000 ATK)
"…and then I use its effect to return Gravity Bind to my hand…"
Gravity Bind vanished again.
"You did just what I wanted you to do," said Ben with a smirk. "Now my real trap is sprung!"
His other facedown card shot up.
"Hand Destruction! Now, both players must ditch two cards in their hands and draw two replacements."
"WHAT?" shouted Drago. "But…"
"You only have two cards in your hand," said Ben. "Gravity Bind won't be used again."
Drago scowled, and discarded Gravity Bind along with Monster Reincarnation. Ben discarded two cards, and then they both drew two.
"Big deal!" shouted Drago. "I can still finish you this turn! I summon Slate Warrior!"
He played the card and the weird-looking Fiend in golden armor and ruffled sleeves and pants appeared on the field. (1,900 ATK)
"Darkness Neosphere…"
The dark abomination pointed.
"…obliterate Elfin the Raven!"
Elfin screamed in agony as he erupted in flames.
"Hmm…" said Drago.
(B: 3,350) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 2,700)
"HUH?" said Drago. "You only lost 400 Life Points?"
"That's right," said Ben. "All thanks to a little guy named Blackwing – Kalut the Moon Shadow. By discarding him from my hand, Elfin gained 1,400 Attack Points just before your attack hit."
Drago frowned. He pointed, and Slate Warrior fired a bolt of green energy from its staff, hitting Ben directly in the gut. Ben grunted and clutched his stomach.
"So you manage to survive another turn, so you got rid of my Gravity Bind…" said Drago. "So you tricked me into using my Destruction Jammer…
"But I'll let you in on another of Neosphere's abilities… Like your Armor Master, he can't be destroyed in battle. So just try to take him down."
(B: 1,450) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 2,700)
Ben took some deep breaths.
"That's a challenge I'm all too willing to accept," he said, as he drew a card.
"First, I'm going to use the effect of Vayu the Emblem of Honor.
"You see, when he's in my Graveyard, I can use his effect to Special Summon any Synchro Monster from my Extra Deck with the word 'Blackwing' in its name. All I have to do is remove him and other Blackwings in my Graveyard from play, their Levels totaling the Level of the Monster I want to summon."
Vayu and Armor Master appeared behind him, and faded into nothing.
"So, by removing those two from play, I can Special Summon Blackwing – Silverwind the Ascendant!"
With a loud screech, the most majestic Blackwing yet flew onto the field. It had the largest plume, huge white wings, and held a large katana sword. (2,800 ATK)
"Such a dramatic entrance for such a dismal failure," said Drago. "Since you summoned it with Vayu's effect, it can't use its own effect… Not that it would even work on Neosphere if it could."
"Who needs to use his effect?" asked Ben. "Silverwind, attack Darkness Neosphere!"
Silverwind flew at the demon, his katana poised to strike…
He must be mad… thought Drago.
Silverwind struck Neosphere hard, and the Fiend took a step backwards…
"I don't know how you or your Monster managed to survive…" said Drago, "but… Huh?"
To his utter disbelief, Silverwind had dealt Neosphere a terrible wound. It was bleeding black blood from a gash across its chest.
Neosphere clutched the wound, and the eyes on its face finally opened… Then they rolled back into its head… It teetered for a few seconds…
Then, in an explosion that could be seen for blocks, Darkness Neosphere was vanquished.
"HOW?" screamed Drago.
Ben held up a card.
"I simply removed this guy from play before I made the attack," said Ben. "I discarded him when I used Hand Destruction… Blackwing – Boreas the Sharp. Due to his effect, I took no Battle Damage, and Silverwind wasn't destroyed."
He pocketed the card.
"However, Neosphere wasn't so lucky. And good riddance."
The flames died down, and the smell of brimstone vanished.
"I set one card facedown, and end my turn…"
A set card appeared in his Spell Zone.
Drago clenched his fist in pure rage. He drew a card.
Hmm… he thought. I can still win this…
"I sacrifice Slate Warrior…" he said.
Slate Warrior vanished.
"…to summon the Master of Hate!"
He called it the Master of Hate, but it looked like Dark King of the Abyss to Ben. It had the same skull-like face, same black robes, and the same long claws. (1,800 ATK)
"I end my turn…"
Ben eyed the Monster suspiciously as he made a draw.
He sacrificed a Monster to summon a weaker one? he thought. Something bad is gonna happen when I destroy that Monster…
He looked at the card he had drawn.
So I gotta end this duel right now…
His facedown card lifted up.
"I activate Call of the Haunted!" he shouted.
Gale the Whirlwind reappeared, in a blast of wind. (1,300 ATK)
"Gale, do your thing!"
Master of Hate staggered under Gale's buffeting winds. (900 ATK)
"Hold on…" said Drago.
"Now, I sacrifice Gale…" said Ben.
Gale vanished into an orb of darkness.
"…for Blackwing – Sirocco the Dawn!"
In a flash, a larger Blackwing with perhaps the most basic shape for the whole team appeared in Gale's place. (2,000 ATK)
"Next, I use Sirocco's effect," said Ben. "For this round, he gains the Attack Points of all other Blackwings on the field."
(4,800 ATK)
"Of course, he's the only one who can attack… But it will be enough…
"Destroy the Master of Hate! Dark Wing Slash!"
Drago grit his teeth as the Blackwing swooped upon the Fiend…
But as the attack hit home, there was an explosion that threw both duelists backwards…
(B: 0) - - - - - - - - - - (D: 0)
Huh? thought Ben, as he rubbed his head. Why did both our Life Points fall to zero?
He got up. Drago was gone. He had dropped his Duel Disk, and the cards were scattered on the ground.
Ben got up, and saw the Master of Hate card. He picked it up and looked at it.
That sneaky… he thought. Just like Chthonian Solider, with Newdoria's effect added in. He clearly didn't expect me to hit him so hard.
Ah, well… Guess it was a draw… Still, I wonder why he didn't stick around…
Then he was shocked as six D-Wheels sped into the plaza. Dugan, Nichole, and Karl were on three of them, but Ben didn't recognize the others.
"Step away from those cards!" ordered one of the others.
"Ben!" shouted Dugan, dismounting his D-Wheel. "You were dueling that guy?"
"Uh, yes…" said Ben, in surprise. "What…"
Nichole rushed over to the cards, and started looking through them.
"They're all here, chief," she said. "He had Neosphere, Destroyer, and Outsider."
"Ben…" said Dugan. "Did you get this guy's name?"
"Yeah, yeah…" said Ben. "It was Drago Uccisore."
"Good lord," said Karl. "I knew he was acting weird, but he didn't strike me as crazy."
Dugan hit a button on his mobile.
"We've secured the deck, boss," he said, "and the guy's opponent is unharmed. This appears to be the work of a copycat.
"No, the perpetrator fled, but we know who he is… We'll start searching the city…
"Yes, okay…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Meanwhile, Drago was in an alley five blocks away catching his breath. The final blow from the duel had knocked some sense into his head.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid! Stupid of me!" he cursed. "What did your mother tell you about taking candy from strangers, Drago? Abyssal fruit? It was likely raised by demons…"
"I could have told you that…" said a voice.
The voice was not in English, but in Drago's native language, Italian. And he recognized the voice only too well. Fear crept into him as he slowly turned around…
"Mr. Fanciullo!" he gasped.
It was indeed the European crimelord Cattivo Fanciullo, and despite his childlike appearance, he looked more intimidating than ever. To either side of him were two other members of his inner circle. To his right was Tormento Amare, his interrogator. Tormento was a big man who looked obese, but was actually all muscle. He had long, black hair, a long nose, and sharp teeth. To Fanciullo's left was Picchiare Uomo, his top assassin. Wearing a trenchcoat, fedora, gloves, bandages over his face, and dark glasses, he looked like the Invisible Man. Some rumors said that he actually was invisible under those wrappings, but they were not taken seriously.
Drago knew both Tormento and Picchiare as colleges and partners most days… He had a feeling that today would not be one of those days…
"Yes, you remember me…" said Fanciullo, who was clearly very angry. "The guy who signs your paycheck? So, you want to live forever, do you? Well, you're gonna wish you were never born…"
"Mr. Fanciullo, I can explain…" said Drago, as he fell to his knees.
"Using cards that the Shadowchasers' public enemy number one used?" shouted Fanciullo. "Why not just go up to their front door and ask to be arrested? It would have been easier…"
"Well, you see…" stammered Drago.
"Zip your lip, Drago," said Fanciullo. "They're scouring the city looking for you… But we'll discuss this very thoroughly when we get back to my office. Tormento, Picchiare… Bring him."
"You heard the boss, Drago," said Picchiare, as he and Tormento grabbed hold of him. "On your feet."
Fanciullo waved his hand, and a portal opened. He walked through, and his henchmen followed, Tormento and Picchiare half-dragging Drago who was right now seriously starting to doubt his future standing…
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Tiberius and Lorelei watched as the Shadowchasers sped away from Buckingham Fountain to begin their manhunt.
"My dear…" said Tiberius, turning to Lorelei. "That's our cue…"
The two of them walked out of the room.
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MASTER OF HATE (Monster Card)
Card Specs
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
Level: 6
ATK: 1,800
DEF: 1,500
Card Description: When this card is destroyed by battle by your opponent's attacking Monster and sent to the Graveyard, inflict Battle Damage upon both players, and destroy one Monster your opponent controls.
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Next:
Karl: Our manhunt for Drago takes a dangerous turn, as I meet up with the sinister cambion Lorelei and get roped into a Turbo Duel. With Monsters that aren't subtle in the least, she wields one of the most powerful of the Dark Forge cards yet, and it's all I can do to defend myself.
Have I finally met something that can break through the Ice Barrier?
"Hell's Highway; The Infernal Machines" is coming soon.