【24 - Exchanging the Hostages! The Knife-Gang and Axe-Gang Trade Deal Commences!】
She would've escaped by now if it weren't for the fact her kidnapper was a lieutenant. It was a simple trick but something that'd helped her get out of similar situations and chases. Amira would never risk doing it while people could see her, because if people knew she had this skill she'd be unable to dumbfound them with it and escape. Unfortunately she was being kept inside a cage in a warehouse where she was under supervision at all times. The white lighting was stark against the blackness, the bars were too close for Amira to get her head through and the floor was concrete. It was a big cage but with nothing in it but her she could only sit cross-legged and contemplate how screwed she was.
The man who'd taken her was leaning against the far wall, bored. He had unusual yellow eyes, but they weren't lieutenant eyes. They were the colour of dry autumn leaves, enough texture to them that it was plain he was quite human. Unshaven and wearing a trench-coat. She'd learnt his name was Larkin. In a corner of the room a group of Knife gang members were playing cards on a table. They wore white or black suits, some had bowler hats and were twirling their trademark blades absent-mindedly. The flash of steel reflected the bright overhead lights every now and again. The ones with arms exposed had their gang tattoos visible on their shoulders or biceps, two knives crossed in an X-shape inside a circle.
It'd been four days and tomorrow night she was to be taken to another warehouse, traded for a different hostage. Once Magris had her he would kill her, there'd be no escape. She released another sigh and heard a murmur spreading through the gang-members: the boss is back.
Pello Junior slid open the heavy entry-way door, wiping sweat from the tan skin of his forehead. He was as ruthless as any gangster, vaguely handsome but also distinctly unimpressive. He was young, not quite thirty, and seemed slightly out of his depth being the new acting leader of the Knife gang. He was trying to hide it but Amira could tell by the way he was always fussing over the recently bedridden Pello Senior – taking over the mantle of gang-leader was more about pleasing his father and not what he actually wanted to do. He tried to be authoritative but quickly deferred to the opinion of his more experienced subordinates. In earlier years Pello Senior had been an infamous and brilliant mob boss, it was a legacy Pello Junior could never hope to live up to.
Following behind the suited man, Destirio crouched as he entered through the door. He was massive, bigger than anyone else here. Amira's pale eyes flicked up, though she kept her face in her palm. She noticed his left forearm was bandaged. Destirio approached the cage, sitting on his shoulder was a bizarrely-dressed young girl. Once close he leaned down and Kurushi Glimmer hopped off and with bounding steps that were almost a skip, she approached the bars of Amira's cage with a smile.
"Enjoying your last night alive?" the thirteen-year-old teased, her cold eyes were an inhumanly monochromatic pink.
"Not really."
"Bet you're wishing you accepted the General's offer when you had the chance, instead of running away like you did?"
"Hmph."
"How about now, Amira?" she leaned in with a wicked grin. "Want to help us take over your planet in the name of the Outer Path?"
Pello Junior called out from the edge of the room "We have a deal! She's to be exchanged tomorrow so we can get our member back."
Kurushi rolled her eyes before whipping around "I know that, dummy! Besides…" she turned back to her prisoner "Amira couldn't really be trusted to help us. She'd wait until it was safe and then she'd run away again. Am I right?" The girl let go of the bars and twirled away.
Amira couldn't help herself, she was bored out of her mind. She called out "Why the hell do you dress like that?"
Kurushi spun back around, the curls of her dark-brown hair were tightly looped. She was dressed in black and red clothes: a corset, choker and frills at the end of her skirt. She had long canine teeth that had to be fake. Kurushi responded with a coy "what do you mean? I'm a cute, Goth, Lolita, vampire girl."
"All of you lieutenants are fucking crazy," Amira shot back.
"Hm." The younger girl tilted her head with a smile and said nothing.
All of the gangsters looked quite uncomfortable and Amira couldn't blame them. They'd lost a great boss who they'd been fiercely loyal to, only to end up with his vastly inferior son leading them. And now he was working hand-in-hand with a mouthy, extra-terrestrial young girl in a costume. Little Kurushi had proven herself to be bloodthirsty but it didn't help them to accept her as a leader any easier. A portion of the gangsters were older and traditional, clearly they were in disbelief over what the great Knife gang was being reduced to. The good old days for those gangsters were over, these were new and confusing times indeed.
The yellow-eyed Larkin pushed off the wall and stepped closer "Since I successfully kidnapped the darkness duellist for you, what happens now?"
"Don't you worry, Larkin." Kurushi told him "I didn't get you and Destirio out of prison just for this. There's a lot more for us to do here. You'll get another job soon. After all you're the second-most dangerous Kaijudo duellist we've brought out of confinement."
"Second-most?" The bored man raised an eyebrow but Kurushi turned her attention back to Pello Junior.
"Speaking of which, those cargo ships will be arriving at the port city any day now, right?"
"Tomorrow, and then we can begin distribution." Pello answered.
"Excellent." Kurushi's murderous grin returned.
It wasn't any easier for them to take her seriously when she insisted on being carried around on Destirio's shoulder like that. The big man was no longer being ordered to scout out extra talent at the Duel Masters underground circuit now that their plan was advancing to its end stage. Whatever that meant, whatever their plan was Amira had no idea. They were fine talking about all this stuff around her cause she was very likely doomed. Perhaps if she'd made an effort to have friends there would've been people willing to rescue her. As it was the only person who might know she was being held prisoner was Simon, and there was no way he was going to try and help her. Amira thought again about a kind elderly couple she'd briefly known. She thought again about her family, parents and brothers. This really was the end of the line for her.
"Don't look so sad, Amira." Kurushi's eyes were back on her "I know something that will cheer you up. A challenge. Kettou da!"
"Are you serious?" The teenager blinked in surprise.
"You're probably going to be dead soon. I want to know what it'll be like to duel the chosen darkness duellist." The younger girl explained.
"Alright." With all these armed men around her Amira had no chance of escaping even if she won, even if Supernova Pluto Deathbringer threw some kind of tantrum. She'd been cooped up for too long and this could be her last ever chance to duel. "Yoshi."
Kurushi giggled and started walking across the sparse room, her bossy voice echoed in the empty space "Everyone clear to the edges of the room! That means the lot of you, up you get! What are you, deaf?" The gangsters were slow to obey orders from a child but they recognized their boss's expectant stare. Soon everyone was on their feet. Kurushi looked back "Destirio, let her out!"
As the big man pulled out a keyring and went to unlock the cage, Amira could feel her chosen phoenix in her pocket getting colder already. The door was opened for her. Destirio stepped back and they all watched their prisoner as Amira walked tentatively out, took steps over to the waiting Kurushi. This warehouse had once belonged to a luxury boat-building company so it was certainly gigantic enough to contain their duel.
"Now won't you really be a failure if you lose your last game, chosen duellist?" the lieutenant spoke sadistically, her hand brightened with that nightmare-purple of the darkness civilization.
The lighting flickered and the temperature dropped. The witnesses fidgeted, spooked at how their breaths were suddenly misting. Violet vapours trailed off Amira before she was entirely shrouded in energy.
When she next spoke her voice was tinged with whispers "Death is my civilization and so I am its mistress."
"Heh." Kurushi kept her eyes forward while several of the witnesses twitched their hands to their holstered weapons. "Don't fear her men, all of these signs are just her phoenix's power channelled through her. Amira's only real skill is in her duelling."
Their tables appeared and Amira shook off the semi-possession, stepping forward and both girls shuffled their decks.
They projected their shields and started, after three turns in which Kurushi added three different mana colours she summoned "Tigermite, Bomb Devil!" a dynamite-wielding tiger plushie appeared, a 1000 slayer.
"I fortify my shield with Rose Castle," Amira countered. Her newest card emerged, dark thorns surrounding a black tower with twisted spires. "All your creatures get -1000 power so Tigermite's destroyed." Little vines spread up the plushie's legs, he was poisoned and died.
"I may not have any castle cards but this here is a pure God link deck," Kurushi warned "I summon Charmilia, the Enticer!" The 3000 snow faerie was peacefully cross-legged atop a glowing snowflake pattern, its staff held aloft.
Amira drew and added her fourth mana "I summon Sealed Devil Ravaal the Reaper. I also summon Sealed Devil Ronovel." The mutant bird emerged with leaking acid-tears and a crustacean joined alongside it. The gangsters unfamiliar with the game were intimidated at the sight of real-life horrors, all twitching limbs and dripping teeth.
"I summon Paloro, God of the Cycle!" A huge gold ornament with snaking green limbs appeared, it was a darkness-nature creature with 5000 power. Even without its name this being had the presence of the God race, on top of being a grand devil and beast folk as well. "I use Charmilia's tap effect to add a creature from my deck to my hand. I choose Aloro, War God." Kurushi showed her the other piece of her soon-to-be God Link before ending her turn with a smile. Her creatures were still being weakened by Rose Castle's poisoned vines.
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Amira's fully-body aura of darkness returned "I vortex evolution my two grand devils into Asteroid Gellum, Dark Comet!" Her monsters were sucked together and evolution spheres brightened, a 9000 phoenix emerged. Gellum had a pointed head with a dead human face atop it, the eyes peacefully closed. A pair of skulls were attached to its clawed hands and its purple body ended in a long tail. "Thanks to Ravaal the Reaper it only cost five mana. It automatically destroys a creature when summoned so I choose Paloro, God of the Cycle!" Its twin skulls opened their mouths, green light shining from within before plasma pelted out and burned through her opponent's God. "Ike, attack Charmilia!" Its long body rose to an impressive height before Gellum dove down, swishing like a shark before tearing its target apart.
Kurushi lost both her creatures, pink eyes darkening "A phoenix duellist, huh…?"
"You still haven't faced Deathbringer yet. Turn end." She swished her hand.
Kurushi used Aloro for mana and summoned a different God "Garyou, Suzaku God!" The flaming bird divine pointed its trident, armoured in gleaming red. Small vines snaked up its taloned feet and its power decreased to 4000. "Turn end!"
Amira touched ice and drew her Supernova Pluto Deathbringer. She might not need it, but added mana just in case and played nothing "Asteroid Gellum, double break! Ike!" A feral roar erupted as the phoenix abomination surged forth and shattered two panels.
Kurushi swept her arm, brown curls looking wilder as she barred fangs. Then she noticed the floating green trigger "Excellent. I use Dimension Gate to bring Tensei Byakko God to my hand. My turn." She drew with a look of cruel anticipation. "I summon Tensei and God Link!" A white jaguar connected to a muscular rider with four limbs stalked forth. A show of blue lightning flew around the room crazily, hitting Amira's cage and making the witnesses cringe. The linked God became a 10,000 double-breaker. Thankfully Rose Castle was still able to weaken its power to 9000.
"Suicide with Asteroid Gellum, ike! My God-link separates and Tensei Byakko God remains in play." The clash between their mighty fighters was loud. Both were pierced and clawed but Kurushi's God split back into two before only one faded. The jaguar and its sword-wielding rider was crouched, tapped. "Your move."
Amira drew and didn't add mana "I summon Vorg, Ogre Puppet and end." The purple toy swung its electric mace with a wicked grin. Her 1000-power slayer.
Kurushi added her eighth mana card "I summon Turtle Horn, the Imposing!" Her groaning horned beast was reduced in power to 1000. "Then I summon Lear, King of the Gods!" Her latest God was a nature creature, a white avian-being in gold armour with green electricity racing along its wings "Lear can't be attacked or blocked by darkness cards, so once I link with it this game's as good as done! Time to get rid of that obnoxious Rose Castle already, Tensei break her shield! Ike!" With a jaguar-cry the divine swordsmen leapt up and slashed her thorny fortress in two. The shield behind it was also destroyed.
"Shield trigger: Marquis Alexey, Demonic Eye Gunman!" Another of Amira's shield-trigger dark lords landed in play, this one a knight with two energy swords "I return a samurai creature or cross gear to the bottom of its owner's deck, I choose Tensei Byakko God!"
Kurushi laughed and removed her God from play "You dummy. My Turtle Horn lets me bring a creature from my deck to my hand every time you use a shield trigger! I choose Macbeth, King of the Gods!"
"How many God Link combos do you have?" Amira demanded desperately.
"I told you, stupid! My deck's full of them. Now make your move!"
She drew then played her remaining cards safe for Pluto "I summon Jenny, the Suicide Doll and Zamaru, Treasure of Darkness!" Another death puppet landed in play with its scalpel-sword alongside Amira's prized pandora's box. "Marquey break her shield!" The dark lord slid forward with an upper-swing of its energy blade, splitting a panel into long shards. Kurushi turned sideways and the glass barely missed her. Destirio took a concerned step forward before restraining himself.
"I summon Macbeth, King of the Gods and God Link!" This second divine was also nature, a green avian-being with six arms and four wings. The electric humming raised in frequency alongside another terrifying lightshow. Cement cracked and one of the cage-bars was burnt through and warped backwards. When the light dimmed a new God Link was in play. Kurushi continued "Now I get to add extra mana from my deck, allowing me to also summon Othello, King of the Gods."
"You don't mean…"
"Triple God Link!" Kurushi shouted before cackling madly. A flaming hydra electrically fused in the most dangerous lightning-display yet. Support beams were struck and a rusted turbine fell from the roof and bounced. The gangsters stooped and cowered. Kurushi was still laughing as her 12,000 triple-breaker that couldn't be blocked or attacked by darkness creatures emerged. It floated as invisible power rippled outward. No such thing could exist in nature, this oddly-conjoined but symmetrical being was something divine. If Amira didn't win this game soon that God might kill her. She was supposed to be kept alive so she could be traded to Magris tomorrow at dusk. Amira didn't trust the lunacy of the opposing vampire-Goth Lolita-girl.
"Bloody hell…"
Kurushi stopped laughing to order her attack "Triple-break!"
An undulating mass of wings, weapons and snakes descended in a holy onslaught. Glass flew at blinding speeds in an enormous boom, Amira was thrown through the air with shallow cuts all over her skin. Her back hit the ground and she gasped. Kurushi continued "Turtle Horn, break her last shield! Ike!"
The final panel broke in a far less dramatic fashion. Everyone watched as Amira struggled to pull herself up and drag her feet back to the table, drops of blood ran down her neck and sleeves. No triggers among the four cards she added to her hand, but that one little death puppet was all she needed.
"Didn't nick anything important, did I?" Kurushi asked with mock innocence.
Amira ignored her "Graveyard-evolution! I summon Death March, Reaper Puppeteer!" The blue hooded swordsman landed and reached back for the weapon strapped to its back "Evolution GV: with him, Vorg and Jenny I summon Supernova Pluto Deathbringer!" The three puppets were gravitationally drawn together, fusing in darkness before a rising giant stole much of the light from the room. Where the triple-linked God had failed to be the last straw, this phoenix's ability to steal all hope and joy finally had several gangsters pulling out their guns with cries of fear. A multitude of bullets were shot into the mass of darkness before Pello Junior's shouting finally made his men calm down and lower their weapons. Some remained shaking in place.
When Pluto completed its emergence it flecked black-feathered wings, bullets dropped harmlessly onto the cement after being absorbed by its quicksand-shadows. It snapped its beak at Kurushi, glowing circles as its hollow eyes. Skeletal limbs slowly curling.
"I see…" the pink-eyed lieutenant murmured, a bead of sweat felt ice-cold as it ran down her cheek. Breath misting.
"Let's finish this." With the power of darkness flowing through her Amira's fear was gone, she'd become the master of fear. "Break her last shields and meteorburn on your God!" A pulse of death seized Kurushi's beat-stick.
"I choose for Othello to be destroyed…" her triple-linked creature shrunk and returned to an ordinary God-link.
Pluto's low howl became a screech, blackness ripped from its beak and the girl's final shields were decimated.
The young Kurushi spied her shield trigger amidst the barrage and caught it. "Terror Pit…" All she could do now was try to avoid life-threatening injury "I choose Zamaru, Treasure of Darkness…"
The multi-coloured treasure chest was dragged by pale hands into a pit. Amira was relieved the game was hers, an attack from a linked God would have killed her. She'd live another day – probably just one other day. "Marquis Alexey, todomeda."
After she twisted the card her 1000-power dark lord slid forward, elbowing the small opponent and she was sent tumbling into a roll.
The darkness duellist gathered her cards and as the tables vanished, Destirio was already at his boss's side. Supernova Pluto Deathbringer was the last thing to disappear, and the warehouse immediately brightened back to normal. It was warmer with that terrible presence vanquished. Destirio helped the younger teen stand on shaky legs.
"Congratulations. My curiosity can now be put to rest." Kurushi winced "Lock her back up. I hope you gunman learnt a greater appreciation for our game!" She was picked up and seated back onto the brute's shoulder, she held onto his neck to keep herself upright. They certainly made for an odd-looking duo.
At Pello's orders suited gangsters came forward to herd Amira back into her cage. The trench-coated Larkin stepped up with a frown, pulling at the broken bars that'd been warped under the lightning barrages. The metal had cooled and didn't bend under his strength, when satisfied she wouldn't be able to get out he turned and left again. The door was locked up, Amira clutched at the bars and as her enemies started to leave her she didn't feel any better after the win. Her stomach dropped into a pit of anxiety. No chance of escape had presented itself, nothing had changed.
。
The guards stuck to their preferred kind of card games – poker, blackjack, go-fish. The kind of games where monsters weren't summoned from another dimension with the potential to kill you. Amira was afforded no such kindnesses as a blanket or pillow. Her cuts stung against the cement, but she'd removed her black hoodie and bunched it up into a pillow. She didn't sleep well, but when she noticed it was suddenly daylight she must have dozed off without realising.
The following day they tossed her a snack-bar and an apple. Otherwise she was ignored. Amira tried meditating on Pluto, but without sufficient darkness in her cell she couldn't do anything. The dangling dish-bulbs were too bright. Instead she reflected on her many life regrets as her despair only grew. She had always been the first to run when things got scary, but that had kept her safe until recently. There'd been little chance of getting recognized here, but for some reason three lieutenants took up residence in the area. Why here of all places? When Magris's psychotic grin flashed in her mind Amira finally started to cry.
As dusk came the Knife gang leaders returned once more. Pello Junior looked anxious in his white suit, holding a nice hat. Kurushi seemed too lazy to walk, happy to be carried on Destirio's shoulder. Larkin was holding a pair of handcuffs.
"Time to go. Cuff her." Kurushi lazily kicked her legs as Larkin got the door open.
Fear was beating in Amira's chest. She lowered her head and presented her wrists. Larkin cuffed them.
"Mr Pello Senior isn't doing too well at all." The Knife boss stated "He's been delirious and calling out for her. We really need our member back." It was surprising how all the surrounding gangsters seemed genuinely concerned for their old boss. Pello Junior's hands clenched the brim of his hat.
"You'll get your member back," Kurushi spoke dismissively "Magris would do anything to get his hands on Amira here. They're not going to double-cross us, at least not until we've finished the trade. Now let's get going already."
Amira raised her cuffed hands so she could pull the hood over her head. Then she marched after them, gangsters surrounded her on all sides and Pello Junior put his hat on, personally grabbing an arm and guiding her along. Larkin walked with hands buried in his coat pockets, looking as bored as always despite the nervous anticipation of the upcoming event. Outside the warehouse there were four vans parked and waiting – it was go time.
They drove forty minutes to the storm pipeline. When it rained a lot there was flash-flooding and water roiled beneath the bridge. Now it was only half-full, funnelling water from the various rivers that winded from the northern ocean. Near the bridge was a collection of abandoned warehouse buildings. Empty storage crates; dry weeds left to strangle all life from the surrounding dirt until even it was almost gone. The sunset burned everything with an angry orange as they parked and exited the vans. The warehouse they were walking to was too small for a duel. Sheets of metal were rusted and missing from the roof and there were wide windows at the upper level. The gangsters seemed relieved that with the extra visibility a double-cross was that much less likely.
It seemed like the Axe gang was already inside. While Amira was tugged along, her cuffed wrists getting sore, she wondered if this was at all safe. The Knife gang had literally stormed a safe-house and gunned down a heap of their members in that apartment complex the previous week. A few of them were probably out for revenge. Amira had a feeling that the members squirming as they adjusted their ties were thinking the same thing.
Upon entering the ramshackle building the Knife members poured inside. Sure enough the other gang was already waiting, a few members had angry scowls as they spun axes impatiently. Knives and axes were visible but neither side underestimated the pure practicality of firearms. The suited crooks had plenty of handguns and sub-machine guns. There was the Axe gang leader, a sleazy older man with fingers as fat as the cigar in his mouth. By now he had arthritis in his wrists, but was still hanging onto his leadership position unlike Pello Senior who was much worse for wear. Beside him was Magris Slade, orange spiky hair and orange eyes. He had a broken arm in a plaster-cast and bandages were visible beneath his necktie, there were bright purple splotches along his jaw. He stepped over immediately after spotting Amira but the tensing of the gunmen made him stop.
"Ah, I'm ever-so-grateful that you helped reunite us, Kurushi." Magris bowed to express his gratitude.
"Whatever, business is business. Got to keep our associates happy." The smaller girl let herself be lowered to the ground by Destirio, where she'd be less of a target if people started shooting. "Genjin and I haven't seen you in a while," she added and seemed to be implying something with that remark.
"You got one too?" The leering Axe gang leader ashed his cigar and stepped forward. He had a portly belly "a freak. We got a guy here with that spiky – what-do-ya-call-it, anime hair. And you got yourself a little girl. Lieutenants, aliens…" He puffed smoke while shaking his head at the craziness of it all "What did she offer you guys I wonder?"
"All in due time, I'm sure." Pello Junior fired back and his rival scoffed.
"I remember when you were as tall as my knee, pipsqueak. You think you can take over for your old man? What a joke. You don't have what it takes."
The young Pello furiously blushed and the older man chuckled while dragging a breath through his cigar.
"Enough" Magris was starting to get twitchy and manic "with the insults. Let's just be civil and do the trade already."
"Then bring out Lisa!" Pello ordered. Magris snapped his fingers and a pair of gangsters emerged with a struggling girl who clearly wasn't happy with the man-handling. She looked resilient and like she had fight in her, but they were keeping her cuffed arms behind her back.
Amira had spent too much time worrying about her own situation to wonder about the other hostage she was being exchanged for. Lisa had pale skin and blue eyes, so Amira doubted she was related to the Pellos. She was definitely pretty, but only a year or so older than Amira herself so it was doubtful she was the Knife leader's girlfriend either. Lisa had generically dyed hair, dark with tints of red in a simple ponytail hanging over her shoulder. The only distinguishable thing about her was the white coat. Whoever she was, she must have some kind of importance if they were willing to organize this risky trade deal. Amira found her eyes shifting between all the guns in the room. She wondered if she could make it safely to the Axes before everyone started shooting.
"Okay, on three we let them go." Magris reasoned. "They walk over and then we all leave, no harm done."
The two sides were agreeable. Amira and Lisa were pushed to the front of their respective gangs. Magris did his count and with a shove the two girls were made to walk by themselves. Time seemed to slow as Amira took heavy steps, hood still up. After three steps walkie-talkies from both sides started buzzing. After seven steps Amira felt her eyes being pulled back and then her head was turning. Supernova Pluto Deathbringer suddenly reared awake in her pocket, but this was different to the eagerness it got around death. This time it was reacting to another chosen phoenix.
Amira was locked into a stare with a short girl who had black hair and eyes. They both instantly recognized each other and understood they were both chosen duellists. Since it was someone Amira had never seen, a girl, it had to be the chosen fire duellist. There was an immediate sense of kinship. Despite the unlikeliness of two chosens being in the same city, the same room and being held hostage by the same people… Amira couldn't deny that it was true. But… it didn't matter if that girl was another chosen. There was no hope for Aurellia and this was probably the end for both of them.
After eleven steps Amira turned her head forward again, past Lisa who had now met her in the middle, and now forward to Magris who looked so eager it was all he could do not to rush up to pull her the rest of the way. But then something happened-
"-you double-crossing-!"
"-gutless traitors-!"
Both gangs had been informed by watchmen that armed reinforcements had arrived on the scene. Both gangs thought they were being betrayed by the other. But as the windows shattered and gunmen started firing from above, Amira and Lisa both whipped around and noticed swords gleaming in the arms of the attackers.
The third gang of the triads had arrived on the scene.
『AN: Fckin mafia gangs always double-crossing each other! Anyway what did we have here? A fateful look between the heroes of fire and darkness? Was that all? I guess that after many chapters and over a hundred-thousand words we can finally have a proper interaction between two chosens. Unless they get shot and killed. Or find themselves kidnapped again, or KOed, or any such inconvenient thing. I have a bad feeling that I info-dumped with too many characters in this chapter. I hope not. Anyways don't feel pressured to remember people, the relevant ones will make themselves known in time! Big thanks again to Acuma and Azure!』
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