Chapter 4: The Skilled Thief
The next day came, and Arden sped off on the Stormrider to the Riding Duel Arena. It didn't take long for her to arrive, but what she found wasn't right. Instead of an Arena preparing for a tournament, she saw a scene of pure chaos. She walked over to the police officers.
"What's going on here? What's with all of the chaos?" She asked, concern in her voice. One of the officers turned to face her.
"Well, Miss Thracia, the tournament's sponsors went to check on the prize room to make sure that everything was still there… and they discovered that someone had stolen the first place trophy!" He explained. She sighed.
"That's not entirely surprising… That trophy had 24-carat gold and countless precious and semiprecious gemstones in it. The gemstones or gold alone would be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Selling it to the right buyer would make the thief richer than half the rappers in this city!" Arden reasoned.
"That's most certainly true, but the worst part for us is that the thief left behind no forensic evidence! We can't figure out how he or she did it, let alone who they are!" The officer added. Arden's eyes widened.
"That's a big problem… If the trophy isn't recovered by the tournament's starting day, everyone will panic and get angry with the city's officials and the sponsors. I'm not an investigator, but I'll ride around and see if I can get anything." Arden told the officer, mounting the Stormrider and revving the engine. He nodded.
"Good luck, Miss Thracia. Anything at this point would be helpful." He said, as she waved at him and sped off.
"Hmm… So, the Emerald is a thief… A master of deception, trickery, and lies. Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. Catching her off-guard will be nigh-impossible… She'll be too good at being hyper-aware of her surroundings. I'll just pose as a rival and get her to Duel me that way. All three of the Jewels must be awakened…"
The figure from before, the very same one that had Dueled Arden, leapt from his rooftop perch, and mounted his repaired D-Wheel. He sped off.
Said thief was smiling, kneeling down on a rooftop. She chuckled to herself.
"That trophy was too easy to get. For something made of pure gold and ridden with priceless gemstones, it was poorly guarded… not like it would've mattered. No amount of security or guards can protect anything from me! And now, I'm going to get that D-Wheel I wanted… I've waited long enough!" She quietly laughed, leaping from rooftop to rooftop until she arrived at a D-Wheel shop. She leapt down into a back alley on the side, and took off her black hooded cloak, hiding it underneath a dumpster.
This revealed her tanned skin, slim figure, emerald green eyes, and long, midnight black, wavy hair. Inbetween her nose and right eye was a small diagonal scar. She wore a dark green (almost black, really) bodysuit, with wrist-length darker green gloves that had slightly-lighter green borders. Dark green combat boots graced her feet, and around her neck was a black cape with a hood, fastened together by a dull silver clasp. Around her waist was a dark brown leather belt, which holstered her dark green Deck Case, a few throwing knives, her combat knife, and her black satchel.
She walked into the D-Wheel shop, smirking. The shop owner noticed her. He sighed when she raised the bag of money.
"I'm not going to ask what you did to get that money, Erika. But, here, like I promised. A customized D-Wheel, with silencers and stealth tech installed." He said with a stoic tone.
Resting there was a black D-Wheel that arguably could resemble a Lightcycle from TRON: Legacy if said Lightcycles had no lights in them at all. It was simple in appearance, having no fancy details on the outside. The helmet that came with it was black as well, with a matching dark visor to conceal her face. Inside, there were silencers installed to eliminate the noise of it running, and stealth technology to allow her to disappear into the shadows, so to speak.
Erika smirked, and mounted it. She tested it, first for noise, which there was none of. Then, she tested the stealth tech, and was satisfied to see that it worked flawlessly. She tossed over the right amount of money.
"Good job, and goodbye." She said, speeding off. The shop owner sighed heavily.
"That poor kid… Never having a true family, growing up on the streets… It's a miracle that she hasn't committed any other crimes than thievery. I hope she'll decide to join the tournament. She's a good enough Duelist to at least get into the finals, and maybe then, she can find a way out of this life of crime she's currently in…" He mused to himself.
Erika smiled as she continued to drive along, eventually stopping along a side path and looking out at the heart of Miami.
"Now that I have the Nightrunner, I'm unstoppable. This day has just been perfect-another day of success!" She said to herself, leaning against the newly-Christened Nightrunner. She soon saw a man pull up close to her, but she could tell it wasn't a police officer, or any really famous Riding Duelist.
"Who are you, and what do you want with me?" Erika asked.
"I am just another Riding Duelist, and I'd like to challenge you." He replied. Erika couldn't resist a chuckle to herself.
"Sorry, but there's not many Riding Duelists who would want to get involved with me. I'm not registered, and because of who I am, I likely never will be. I'm someone in the underground. There's a tournament coming up-I'm sure you can have a fun time there, mister." She told him harshly, waving her hand as if to send him off and turning her nose at him.
"I want to Duel with you specifically… Erika Thompson." He said with a bit more force. Her head snapped to look at him with shock.
"How-What-?!" She stuttered, confused. He chuckled.
"If you want answers, Duel me." He offered. Erika narrowed her gaze at him.
"Tch… Fine then, but don't blame me if you're labelled a criminal because you got involved with me!" She replied with a warning tone.
"Fate does not care whether you are a saint or a demon." He said calmly. She looked at him as if he were insane.
Fate? What, is this guy high on something, or he just not right in the head? She wondered to herself as she mounted the Nightrunner. He pulled up alongside her.
"At your ready." He said. She rolled her eyes.
"Let's go!" She exclaimed.
"RIDING DUEL, ACCELERATION!" They exclaimed in tandem, taking off under the moonlight.