Until that moment, Ben was confused as to what he was doing there. Paradox said that terrible things happened in that village, but when Ben saw the people there for the first time, he didn't find anything that could hurt or threaten the lives of those people, on the contrary, he found a community of peaceful, humble and devoted people. which they regarded as saints.
On the other hand, Ben has heard a local legend that he describes as being rather... sinister. Something like vampire witches who hunt men for food in their mother's service so they can feast on their flesh and blood.
The mother of these so-called witches being supposedly a village lord was something that was still on Ben's mind. He knew enough of Dracula's history to know why vampires have pale skin, and also the vampires in The Twilight Saga, whose movies he and his ex-girlfriend Julie Yamamoto watched together, although Ben used to nap sometimes while the movies were showing on TV and that really irritated the tennis player.
Furthermore, Ben knew that Paradox was an enigmatic man who seemed to take pleasure in showing how intelligent he was by confusing everyone he talked to, after all, traveling through space-time simply by walking was not something simple to understand at first sight, but the question the teacher asked Ben about whether or not he liked horror stories was starting to have a certain connection.
"This is starting to get intriguing. Are there more legends involving the other Lords? I'm sure there's some bedtime story about that ugly Moreau." Ben thought, wondering what the legend behind that deformed man could be.
Ben imagined that Luiza was busy with something and that's why he didn't want to bother her with questions about local legends, knowing that he had the idea of going after someone who could tell him more legends involving the Lords: the Duke. Ben saw the Roman clock reading 14:45pm and wondered if Duke could be near that altar at such an hour, that was something Ben had to go there to find out, as he had no information about the merchant's hours of service.
…..
Ben let Luiza know that he was going to the Duke before leaving through the front door of the house and through the gates. Ben thought that if he saw Gretta and Bianca again, he could ask them about the local legends, chatting with them again might be interesting.
Ben took the same path that led to the sinister altar, hoping to find the Duke there again. And there he was, in his carriage, but snoring like a pig and probably having pleasant dreams.
"He may be dreaming of Lady Dimitrescu." Ben told himself in his mind, amused as he thought up some puns with "Dimitrescu" and "Dracula". Ben cleared his throat, in an attempt to wake up the obese merchant in a subtle way, but without response, so he did it again in a slightly louder tone so that the sleeper woke up with a slight fright and recovered soon after, ready to go back to work . Duke yawned and rubbed his eyes to get a good look at his customer, who, to his surprise, was the newcomer Benjamin Tennyson.
-Oh hello, how can I help you, Mr. Tennyson? Duke asked, in his usual merchant tone.
- You can just call me Ben or Benjamin. Mr. Tennyson makes me feel like I'm something I'm not, at least not yet. Ben said, smiling as he scratched the back of his neck showing a certain humility. Ben couldn't deny that he liked being called Mr. Tennyson, but that was different when it wasn't about low-ranking Plumbers or whatever. He was not in his world and even less in a position above anyone in that world where he was.
- As you wish, Benjamin. Duke nodded.
- What will you want? Duke asked. Ben was a little wary of making Duke wait for him to go buy something and just take his time with questions about local legends, but seeing him sleeping made Ben think that maybe he didn't have that much important stuff to do.
- Actually, I was wondering if you could tell me a few more things about the Lords. Ben answered.
- Hmm I understand. Would it be something about... legends that people tell about them? Duke asked a question that surprised Ben a little.
"This guy really knows what his customers want." Ben admired the way Duke so simply and directly deduced what Ben was up to, not to mention that he guessed it.
-Uh, yes. Ben answered. Duke smiled slightly before starting to speak.
- I expected someone to tell you some stories about them. It's one of the first things outsiders notice when they arrive here. Which one did you hear? Duke asked, once again deducing what happened before Ben went to him to talk about a topic as specific as that. Ben wasn't sure whether to name Lady Dimitrescu as a villainous character in a bedtime story told to naughty children, so he decided to give a not-too-obvious but not-too-vague answer either.
-One that spoke of man-hunting witches whose mother is a different version of Dracula. Ben answered.
- I understand. Everyone who sees Lady Dimitrescu fears her because of this legend that has sprung up among the villagers about her. His daughters are also said to be ruthless killers who literally love a beautiful carnage, but avoid hunting during the winter. Duke's words caused Ben to awaken a certain revulsion within him, almost hatred. Some of your enemies committed crimes that claimed the lives of countless innocents. Vilgax conquered planets through destruction, death and bloodshed, as well as destroying the planets whose species refused to give in to his desires for pure tyranny.
The Highbreeds claimed to be the purest race in the universe, and this pride made them xenophobic enough that they took pleasure in ravaging and destroying entire species that these scoundrels considered inferior because of a ridiculous belief. Aggregor possessed such a hunger for power that he felt no compunction about taking the life of anyone who stood in his way, and sacrificing the lives of five aliens whose DNA was scanned by the Ultimatrix was part of his plan to achieve omnipotence and dominate the entire universe.
Ben didn't usually mediate for the crimes his enemies had committed in the past, but in the case of these three in particular, it was different. Ben deeply detested tyrants like Vilgax and Aggregor, and hearing about murderous and scavengers witches kind of brought those feelings to the fore.
-Yeah, I was told that part too. Ben said, not too happy to remember some of his enemies with this same fetish in widespread killing.
- But what about the others? Ben asked, as he let his thoughts of the tyrannical enemies of his adventures drift away to pay attention to Duke's words.
- In fact. Each of them has its legends that were invented by villagers over time. Wouldn't you like to sit down and listen to them more comfortably? Duke asked, making Ben look for something that would serve as a chair, and ended up seeing an empty crate next to the things that were for sale.
-Do you mind if I use this? Ben asked, pointing to the empty crate.
- No problem. Duke replied, for Ben to take the crate and use it as a seat, so that he could listen to Duke's words comfortably.
- Okay, you can start. Ben said, ready and attentive to hear about such legends. Duke smiled slightly before starting.
-Well, you've heard the legend concerning Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters. Now, this is about Donna Beneviento and… her loving little friends.
The legend has it that the region where his house is located is a place where those who dare to walk there, end up seeing things like loved ones who are gone or who are still alive farther away. It is said that these visions are like ghosts, that they induce those who see them to enter a musty old house, and which, coincidentally, is where their Donna and her friends live. Among them is her favorite creation, little Angie. That name reminded Ben of when he saw the picture of Donna carrying that weird doll in church.
- The legend also has it that all those who entered that big house hoping to find their loved ones never came back from there, and that Donna does her job to make the memory of those who entered her house into something let's say... affectionately mortal. Duke finished, making Ben connect some dots in his mind.
"So, Donna makes dolls. And the people who supposedly come into her house and never come out, have their memories represented as... murderous dolls? And was Angie's case something like that? Those 'ghosts' can be a great trick hallucination or something. Whatever it is, it's creepy." Ben interpreted Duke's words well as he told what should also be a bedtime story that the village adults told to the children.
-The legend concerning Moreau is told by the fishermen who live near the water reservoir, where the grotesque-looking man has the habit of… fishing for men. Duke began the story of the deformed man whose portrait was still fresh in Ben's mind.
- The legend has it that in that big lake of the reservoir, a ferocious predator emerges from the depths to devour those who dare to fish in that place. Some say that this monster is like a "guard dog" of the grotesque man who lives there, and others say that he is the one who transforms into this man-eating aquatic monster.
Either way, he's not the only monster that inhabits those waters. These words spoken by Duke made Ben have a memory of when he dealt with the Krakken when he was ten years old, using his Pisciss Volann form that he names as Ripjaws.
"I'm no stranger to water monsters, but that's not something to ignore when you're just a fisherman in a lake where these monsters are on the loose." Ben was analyzing the elements of each story, where they could have more clues about where they are, and what are the monsters that Paradox was talking about.
-And about Heisenberg, it's something even more frighteningly intriguing. Many out there believe that there is a mystical connection between man and machine, but in the case of this particular man, that connection can be mystical and even…intimate. Duke said something that captured Ben's attention a little more, reminding him of an old friend.
- The legend surrounding this man is something curious. They say that your ingenuity added to your fertile imagination can extrapolate the limits of what is considered normal, or even natural. Some say that he is not alone in his factory that he inherited from his family, because besides him are those who confirm his theory that flesh and metal… can be one and the same thing, and most of the time, less man and more machine. This made Ben remember a friendship he made when he fell into a world different from his own, and that there was also a guy who had this intimate connection with weapons to the point of turning parts of his body into huge metal limbs: Rex Salazar.
"I didn't see anything about man-eating monsters in this story, but from the way the Duke told it, this guy seems to be just as dangerous as the other Lords, or perhaps the most dangerous among them." Ben wondered if this Heisenberg, according to legend, had something similar to what Rex showed when he and Ben fought together against the sentient nanite Alpha.
- That last one reminds me a lot of Dr. Frankenstri… I mean, Dr. Frankenstein. Ben said, almost saying his Transylian form's name by mistake.
- There are many coincidences in their stories, isn't there? Maybe that's one of his nicknames. Duke said, before laughing at his own comment.
- I hope he doesn't mind if I call him that. Ben said, also finding the idea of Heisenberg nicknamed Dr. Frankenstein a little funny.
- I wouldn't recommend doing something like that, but if you think he'd like it, it's up to you. Duke said, warning Ben while still laughing some more.
- OK. Ben said.
- By the way, I noticed your watch the first time you came, and I must say that it is a very curious model. Where did you get it? Duke asked a question that Ben had been waiting to hear. Everyone Ben had spoken to had asked about Azmuth's legacy on his wrist, and this was the Duke's turn.
- Well, it's a gift I got from my grandfather when I was ten years old. I like to always use it as a keepsake and I kind of never go anywhere without it. Ben replied as he looked at the Omnitrix, smiling slightly. It was obvious that Ben couldn't tell the merchant what that strange watch really was, so he had to give a simple but convincing answer.
- I suppose it has great sentimental value, right? Duke asked.
- Yeah. It may sound silly, but to me, it's like this watch fell from the sky. Ben said as he scratched the back of his head with his left hand and chuckled in amusement.
- I understand. A divine gift, given from grandfather to grandson. It must be a very special watch, right? Duke asked, smiling slightly and once again correcting his deduction that the watch was indeed very special.
- Yes. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Ben said, half understanding why Duke was curious about the watch. Ben has heard everything he needs to and decided it was time to head back to the village.
- Well, that's all. I have to go back to my "five-star hotel". They are really very interesting legends. Ben said, standing up while making quoting gestures with his fingers.
- The village children love these stories, but it is worth mentioning that legends do not arise by chance. Behind each one of them, there are mysteries to be discovered... and secrets to be revealed. Duke said, giving Ben a crooked smile, as if he wanted Ben to see a hidden message in those words.
Ben thought about extending the conversation further by making a funny Sherlock Holmes reference, but he decided not to let his sense of humor get the better of him and head back to Luiza's instead.
-Well, if you'll excuse me, I'm on my way. Thank you for… telling me all this. Ben said, already walking away from the carriage where Duke was.
- It was a great conversation, Benjamin. I was really thinking of ways to kill time. Standing here waiting for customers can get a little… boring. Duke said.
- I'm glad I could help you with that. Until next time, Duke. Ben said, saying goodbye as he turned towards the gates.
- Come back often, Benjamin. Once Ben was gone, Duque told himself in his thoughts as he smoked his Montecristo Cuban cigar.
"A gift from the stars? Grandfather to grandson? Interesting."
….