"I think I lost them," Aster said, leaning against a brick wall. A few helicopters rumbled in the distance, but he had a feeling he was going to be okay. For now.
Destiny HERO Dangerous chuckled as he watched Aster from the edge of the building's roof. His cape flew wildly behind him as though it had a mind of its own. Aster heard a deep rumbling in his head.
"Rough night?" Aster took out a flask with a glowing energy drink from his pocket and gulped it down. "That's putting it mildly, dude. This is going to be a very, very, long night indeed. I have to go back to the apartment and get my gear."
Another rumbling shook Aster's head. "I know they're probably there! But I can't let you guys do all the work. Just summoning you and the others tired me out. I feel like I just ran a mile. Maybe two." He tried to catch his breath. He looked at his arm and yanked the sleeve back. What he saw distressed him. His flesh was starting to become translucent blue and his veins were turning a deep shade of purple.
"Mmmm," Dangerous went, stroking his chin with a clawed hand.
"Damn it," Aster groaned, slamming the back of his head against the wall. "This isn't going to help me any. If I keep summoning you guys, it's going to wind up killing me. My dad was right. Having the power to call you guys was both a gift and a curse."
Aster dug into another one of his pockets to find a silver case with syringes filled with a blackish-red liquid. Aster yanked the cap off the needle and braced himself. He jabbed the needle over his breast and clamped his teeth shut as the fiery substance coursed through his body. For a brief moment, he felt fiery pain, then his body relaxed. He looked at his arm. The bluish color of his flesh seemed to return to normal and his veins were less swollen, but not by much. There were still big patches of blue mapped with purple veins.
"Shit," Aster heaved. The liquid was given to him by one of his Destiny HEROES, who went by the name of Double Dude.
"Shit indeed," said Double Dude, appearing before Aster. He peered at the boy from behind round spectacles. His face concealed by a long, lavender muffler. He was elegantly dressed in a black swallowtail coat and top hat. He clutched a cane in his hand, which was used both to help him walk and bash the skulls of his foes. "Hello, Aster."
Aster rubbed his chest. "What's happening to me?"
"I told you those were just for temporary relief of the side effects caused by summoning me and my brethren into the world, Aster. Heroes we may be, but heroes who serve very close to the darkness of the Shadow Realm. You cannot toy with Shadow Magic and not face any consequences. I told you that. And yet there you go making a big HERO of yourself fighting crime like a comic book hero. I digress. You're dying, boy. I fear my elixir is only slowing down the process."
"No fair!" shouted Aster. "You told me you'd help me find my dad's killers! Well, I've had you guys for years and so far I've gotten nowhere!"
"Nowhere?" Double Dude tsked. "You made a name for yourself out here, Aster. The criminal scum of this city are afraid to go out at night because of you. Yes, when we first made the pact with you all those years ago, we said we would help you find the ones who murdered your father. But, I never said it was going to be instantaneous. Did you honestly believe you could just call us and then lead you to the perps like common hound dogs? We need clues, Aster. And I fear beating up crime lords and stopping bank robbers isn't good detective work."
"I was hoping one of them would lead me to my father. The scumbags of this city are all part of one big ecosystem. They work together. They know each other."
"That maybe so, but this ecosystem as you call it is almost infinite. You're just following the trail of a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy. I've been telling you that for years, but you'd rather listen to your arrogance and your lust for revenge. Those feelings have led you on nothing more than a wild goose chase. And you have no one but yourself to blame for that."
"Or maybe you are just useless," Aster countered.
"Useless?" Double Dude said. In a flash, he transformed into his alter ego. A tall, muscular brute of a monster with long, wild, gray hair and burning red eyes. His fingers wrapped around Aster's throat. Double Dude lifted Aster up from the ground swung him to the other wall, and slammed his back against it. "USELESS!" the monster shouted. "WHO WAS IT WHO HELPED YOU SURVIVE ALL THESE YEARS SINCE YOUR FATHER DIED BOY!"
Aster grunted for air. His legs kicked up and down. His hands struggled to try to pull just one of Double Dude's fingers off.
"YOU WOULD BE NOTHING WITHOUT US!" Double Dude continued to shout. Mist came out of his mouth like smoke. "YOU WOULD BE STUCK IN THAT ORPHANAGE HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR US! IF YOU FAILED TO LOCATE YOUR FATHER'S KILLER THAT'S ON YOU!"
"Okay, okay! I get it! I get it!"
Double Dude let Aster go, dropping him unceremoniously on the ground. Double Dude returned to his more gentlemanly form. "Forgive me," he said.
"Whatever," Aster coughed, gasping for air. He was suddenly assaulted with flashlights. He then heard voices and heavy footsteps running towards him. Was it more mercs from DracoTEK? As the light got closer, he noticed they were just ordinary folks in heavy winter clothing. They were balaclavas to hide their faces. Aster was nervous, but deep down he couldn't help but wonder how people could be so stupid and so obvious. Wearing those kinds of things in the dead of night was a testament of how bad a person was. It was like a beacon shouting out: "Hey! I'm a bad guy!"
The men pulled out knives, baseball bats wrapped in chains, brass knuckles, anything they could find in their homes to break Aster's bones.
"That's him all right," said one of the men. "He's the kid the Gremlin wants."
"He's so young. You sure you want to do this?"
"Are you kidding? There's a bounty of forty-five million Star Chips out for this kid. Capturing him could set us up for life."
"Stay back!" Aster shouted.
"Yeah? Or you'll do what?"
Aster stood up. "Watch this," he tried to summon Dystopia, but he was too weak. He collapsed on the ground, much to the amusement of the men.
"Ooooh, yeah, that's really scary!" teased the one with the bat wrapped in chains. "What in the world makes you so damn special? Who cares. If they're willing to pay that much to have you dead, we're more than happy to oblige."
Aster stood up and tried to punch the guy, but he dodged and smashed his bat against' Aster's gut. Aster groaned and heaved in agony, collapsing on the ground. Someone kicked him on the right side of his torso, knocking the wind out of him. He heard the men laughing and mocking him. They danced around him and took turns kicking him. One of them found a wooden crate and smashed Aster's head against it. The man with the bat was ready to smash his skull open.
"You fellas are a bunch of cowards!"
The men quieted down until only the rain splashing against the city could be heard. Someone was strutting down the alley like a supermodel. The loud clip-clop of stiletto boots echoed in the night. The men cackled when they saw a clearer picture of the lady approaching them. She was swinging her cane around. She wore a black leotard that glittered every time she moved, fishnet stockings, and a white dress shirt with a bow tie, and a sleek black swallowtail jacket. A magician's top hat fit snuggly over her long, wavy, jet-black hair. Her irises were glowing bluish-green arcane circles, causing one of the thugs to feel uncomfortable.
The man with the baseball bat, however, was pleased that she had come along. He shouldered his weapon, cocking his head to the side as he admired the young woman's curvaceous figure. "Well, hello there, gorgeous. This is kind of a bad time for a strip show. And it ain't even my birthday. Aren't you cold in that getup?"
"The fabric is enchanted with heat. So it keeps me warm," said the magician. She took her hat off as she bowed. "Now, loves. If you would be so kind as to back away from the boy."
"Can't do, sweetheart. This guy is our ticket to the big time. Maybe you'd like to come along and..."
"I'm sorry, my love, but that wasn't a request. It was an order. Back away from him now and you may live. Choose to fight and I fear things will get nasty."
"Oh, with you, I'd love for things to get nasty, baby. What have you got underneath that hat? Bunnies? Flowers? Come on. Surprise me."
"Bro, come on," said one of the thugs. "Her getup is raunchy, but she ain't someone I wanna mess with. She's a mage."
"A mage? Ha! No way. Emerald Fire is in control of the Senate here in Domino. Their kind is being hunted down like the dogs they are. This chick here. She ain't no mage. Just some stripper who thinks she can mess with the big boys."
The magician wrinkled her nose. "You sure about that, love?"
"I am. Now be a good little girl and stand aside as we beat this slimeball to a pulp. Maybe I'll consider you coming along with me to the King's District. I plan to buy an entire building with the money I'm gonna make turning this kid in."
"Exposition, exposition," the magician sang. "Goodness gracious. Why must you mask and jacket types always narrate what you're about to do? It's pathetic actually."
"Making fun of me now, doll? Too bad. I actually kind of liked you. Well, now you're about to get the spanking you deserve. Get 'er boys!"
"Oh, I don't think so," said the magician. "This is goodbye, loves."
She took off her hat and sprinkled a blue, shimmering, powder on the palm of her white-gloved hand. She blew on it, scattering the powder into the air. The powder then formed into a mist. From the mist erupted a loud roar. The magician puckered her lips, making affectionate kissing sounds to call the beast out of the mist. The men stepped back when they heard growling coming out of the blue mist.
The magician strutted beside the mist, still making kissing sounds with her lips. The mist dispersed revealing a Duel Monster known as The All-Seeing White Tiger.
The magician had her beast outfitted with a black leather collar etched with beautiful scrollwork and a star-shaped diamond hanging from it. The magician siked her Eidolon at the thugs. It jumped on the one with the baseball bat and ripped out his throat. The magician turned her cane into a wand and launched a devastating spell that caused them to explode, leaving behind cinders and their clothing, fluttering through the wind like ghosts. The All-Seeing White Tiger charged after another thug and pounced on him, ripping away at his back until it was nothing more than a glob of meat.
When the thugs were eliminated, the magician walked towards Aster. She bent down and held out her hand to help him up. Aster, shocked at what he just witnessed backed away from her until he was against the wall.
"It's okay," she said softly. "Come on."
Aster took her hand and with her help, he got back up on his feet.
"So you're the famous Aster Phoenix. The Knight of Destiny. The Hero of Domino City. Or are they calling that Cyber Knight guy the Hero? I dunno. Lots of you brief and cape folks have been popping up lately."
"Who are you?" Aster asked.
The magician took off her hat and bowed. "Francesca Popelina Jourdenette of House Orléans, at your service."
Aster grunted from the pain in his gut. "What do you want? Are you here for the bounty?"
"Pfft, darling, I make fifty million a year with my magic and good looks. That bounty means nothing to me."
"So what are you doing out here fighting crime if you have it so well?" Aster asked.
"It's my city as much as it is yours, Aster. You think I do magic and dress like this for show?"
Aster examined her from head to toe. "Yes."
Francesca giggled. Her tiger returned and laid down behind so Francesca could sit down in its back. "Fair enough. Well, it turns out my magic act draws out some bad eggs in town. Some guys this city can do without. Ever here of the Gemini Brothers?"
"Organ harvesters," said Aster. "I saved a few people from their farm last year. They're slippery bastards."
"Oh, close. Very close. You see they WERE organ harvesters and the USED to be slippery bastards."
Aster paused. "You killed them?"
"Actually..." she jerked her thumb at her tiger, which burped.
"I see. Nice work. They even gave my buddy the Cyber Knight a hard time. But you still haven't answered my question. What do you want with me?"
"Someone very close you personally sent me into town to find you."
"Another person out to find me," Aster groaned. "Who are you working for?"
Francesca plopped a gummy bear into her mouth. "Have you heard of Kyle Jables?"
Aster nodded. "Yeah. I do. You mean he's here? Why didn't you say so? Let's go!"
Francesca bobbed her hand up and down. "Patience, love. We have to do so with great discretion. DracoTEK, for some reason, have started closing off all ways into the Azure and Dragon Gardens districts. I have to steer clear from them because their boss is a big hater of magic users. But why in the hell did they close off these districts? What are they up to?"
"Yeah, they're doing it because they're after me."
Francesca laughed. "Oh, baby, it is just not your night, is it? The Gremlin has everyone in the city out looking for you with that bounty AND there are DracoTEK mercenaries searching for you as well? Man, it must suck to be you." She smiled. "Hmm. Somehow I never thought your life would be this exciting."
Aster scoffed. "Believe me, it only gets worse."