Yu-Gi-Oh LUCKS

Chapter 11: The Burning Chain

Inspector Fey was speaking, though he thought nothing of it. Ever since he was a boy, he could engage in conversations while separating his internal monologue like two staticked layers of cloth. It was hardly difficult at this particular moment, since he was doing all of the talking. Ori and Otaro Yamatano stood in front of him, the sister a shed skin of her cold-blooded brother. Their dingy room in the Apogee District was empty, the windows drawn, a fluorescent bar light buzzing above the door. In ten minutes, Clavis would arrive, and they would be on their way like a spark strolling down the fuse.

The twins listened as he drilled them about the truth of their mission, its utmost secrecy, and his need to report to his superiors, both of our superiors, he reminded Otaro. Being beneath the boy in their hierarchy was only made manageable by his ability to appeal to something greater than them both. The leadup to the Atrium Royale had made clear that duradine stood above them all.

"To be clear," he heard himself say, "Clavis Barnes is not to know. Not until he has won the day can his prize be made clear."

Three cards moved between his gloved hands, as he manipulated them end over end, cycling them past each other in near contact like a three-body system. The cohesive abilities of duradine had amazed him as a child, when he would, like every San Domino youth, put a card on either side of his fingers and watch them struggle to close the gap. Then, once they were joined, the crystals could only be separated randomly into their constituent cards. Practically testing the true random chance of duradine would take thousands of years, but Fey was already assured of its divine properties. Someone more devout than him would surely unlock its secrets, spill forth God from stone. As for Davis Fey, all that mattered to him was the people, their toils and emotions.

Otaro Yamatano, the King of Games, and his bleeding heart sister with her ancient petdeck. Though the Mist Fang always made his public appearances alone, it was clear that he and his sister were close. Close enough to where the boy was willing to pull rank so that his sister could cosplay a professional duelist when there was work to be done.

Fey's annoyance had turned to fascination when the earthquake struck. The Yamatanos lived and breathed Duel Monsters, but he was beginning to sense some obligate function in doing so. What was their relation to the high-grades?

He spoke quick and low, offering a card to each of them. The three identical high-grades let off a stinging ultraviolet light when held individually; when two were joined, they became clear crystal again, amplifying the glare of their remaining neighbor. As he stuck them together and pulled them apart, his rotating fingers cast wormlike shadows on the ceiling and floor. And now, he was speaking of the powers of this purposefully-designed card, and the trust signified from their superiors by placing such weapons in his possession. How proper, Davis Fey, how unlike you. How necessary to spite Otaro.

Otaro sneered and pointed out that you rely on this artificial card because you are weak, or some other machismatic dogma so common among boys his age. Fey already knew he would turn down the opportunity, foolishly, for Otaro knew the extent of the chaos that would soon befall the Atrium.

Ori, meanwhile, looked doubtful. Fey's offer had really been aimed at her. The "Dust Lord" was the greatest liability among them, both for her subpar dueling strategies and attachment to the people of the Atrium. But Fey had always been skilled in leveraging liabilities: Yuu Tokari, in particular, had seemed to cause a reaction in both Yamatanos, something that had revealed a latent vulnerability in Otaro. Fey wouldn't pursue it to the point where he could be accused of dereliction of duty, but if he found out the secret behind Heart's golden boy, then that could only secure his position.

It went beyond just the supply of cards, to be sure. The high-grades that were so cherished in the professional circuits had a sinister significance down in the mines. By rumor and eyewitness, he had managed to identify five of these rogue, undocumented cards: