Yu-Gi-Oh! Codex of Shadows [IC / PG-13 / AC /Co-Host: Zaiduck]

[👀 REP 👀]

 

 

"Can it not wait until after the gala?" Hotaru turned to who she could only assume was Jin's friend. She was slightly annoyed by what he was saying, although it was hard to say that he was wrong. "I can understand if there's not plenty to do for you at the moment, but we came for the experience here." He gestured around himself at the many Millennium Items. "If you're that determined to duel him, surely you'd like his heart to be in it?"

 

"I guess you have a point..." Hotaru twirled her hair a bit, before sighing. "I guess we can duel after the gala..."

 

"Besides, I told you. Those antiquated boxes are nothing special. It would just be boring." He raised a hand dismissively. "Take a number. I've got more important duels on my docket," Her cheeks puffed up again, but before she could respond, the sound of explosions roared around her and echoed through the rest of the building. 

 

"W-W-What!?" Hotaru stammered, turning around to see the chaos around her. "W-What should we do!? Where should we- what are you doing!?" She turned to Jin, who was now wearing tinted glasses and, more importantly, had just attempted to cracked open one of the cases for the Millennium Items . She grit her teeth as she made walked towards the boy, grabbing onto his arm. "You can't just take that because of what happened! That's stealing!"

[Dova]

"Let's get this over with."

Hiyaki didn’t bother responding, dashing towards one of the surrounding cases. Despite the sudden explosions and the turmoil surrounding him, he was, perhaps for the first time tonight, completely focused. This was what he had to do.

His obscuring shades in place and eyes locked on the prize, the Rare Hunter flicked out a concealed metallic object on his person. He stepped towards the Millennium Key, barely taking in its shape before lunging forwards with the glass breaker, shattering its glass containment and leaving it open for him- the Rare Hunters to take. Or it would have done, if the glass had actually fractured. Hiyaki sighed briefly; of course the rest of the gang was outfitted with tools, but they hadn't seen fit to assign proficient tools on their infiltrators. They'd probably suspected them of doing what he had planned- considered doing, or at least simply worked around it.

Hiyaki glanced around, looking to catch sight of some of the newcomer members of the gang in order to get in on the action. However, his attention was diverted briefly. Not for long, but enough for a nearby girl’s harsh cries to grab his attention.

“That's stealing!"

Hiyaki grimaced, then turned towards the sound. He already knew what it would be; that annoying green-haired interferer had yet to leave Jin alone. He had had his own back at his partner already, but now the young girl was actually getting in their way. Even if he had to stave off the hunger a little longer, he knew the potential repercussions could be serious, not just for him but the whole operation.

“That’s enough,” he said coldly, walking over and grabbing hold of her other arm, “Stay out of this if you don’t want to get yourself killed.” And with that, he tried to tug her off.

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

The Marina Bay Sands Casino & Resort in Singapore was, until Seto Kaiba shocked the world with his space elevator, one of the most audacious construction projects ever conceived. Three towers rising up from a base complex, topped with a massive promenade connecting all three together, complete with an infinity pool suspended from that platform. And tonight, that promenade was about to get some impromptu entertainment.

"So, let's just go over this to make sure we're on the same page." A woman in a beautiful black and red gown stated, standing on a platform in the middle of the pool, her long red hair down as her pale skin glistened against the lights of the pool and the nearby light of the bustling city-state. "If you win, I wipe away the gambling debt you accumulated from my colleagues downstairs-"

"And comp our vacation expenses for a month!" The man across from her on a matching platform several meters away answered with a hoarse, rough tone. He was dressed in a button-up shirt and the bottom half of a dinner suit, a loose tie around his neck and a worn-out knit hat over his brown and purple hair.

"And pay for the vacation expenses of both you and your colleague for a month. But if I win, you now owe me what you owe Xuiying, and we both will be charging interest that will make a Mafiya loan shark think it's too extreme. I just wanted to make sure you knew what you were getting into, Rex."

"It's only 40,000 dollars!" A scratchy voice from near the hoarse voice retorted, belonging to a man with glasses, aquamarine hair in a bowl cut, and a Hawaiian shirt with flip-flops and a pair of swim trunks, holding a fruity drink in one hand. "We can take it!"

"40,000 Singapore Dollars, which is just a bit under 30,000 US Dollars. This isn't like the yen. This is starting to become a troubling amount of money. Luckily, you happened to run into a fellow high roller. Now, are you ready to begin, Rex?"

"Sure as hell, I am!"

"DUEL!!!" The devices on their arms sprung to life as they created holographic projections extending from the gauntlet-shaped pieces of equipment, and each of their headbands sprung to life.

 

Rex Raptor: 8000 LP

???: 8000 LP

 

"I figure I can start us off by Normal Summoning Lilith, Lady of Lament, in Attack Mode!" Spawning out of crimson motes of light came a fiendish-looking female figure, glowing, pulsating scarlet veins criss-crossing her blackened, armored form as she gave a half-hearted cackle before looking forlorn. (2000 ATK|LV3) "Sadly, since she was Normal Summoned, she loses 1000 ATK." Lilith dejectedly rubbed her arm sheepishly as she hunched over a bit in her own despair. (2000 ATK -> 1000 ATK) "Next, I will Special Summon Caligo Claw Crow, since I control a DARK monster." Joining the demonic woman is a fat, purple-feathered bird with oversized talons, who gives a mournful caw. (900 ATK|LV2) "Now, I will activate Lilith's effect. By Tributing my Crow, I can search out 3 Traps, let you choose one randomly, and then it is Set to my field." Lilith waves her clawed hand, causing the Crow to be consumed by a sudden rush of flames, and three Traps are placed in front of Rex, face-down.

"Wait a second!" Rex's friend Weevil shouted, reading up on the card she just used. "Lilith's rulings let him see what the cards are! What gives?"

"Mmm...yes, normally, it does, but I've made a slight modification to how her effect works. Not only are the Traps chosen from my Deck at random, I won't know what card she Set until the turn after I use the effect." The woman begins to fidget, correcting her dress as she bites her lip. "Doesn't that just seem so...exhilarating?"

"Umm...alright..." Rex looked a bit freaked out, but he conceded and pointed to the rightmost card. "There! That one!"

"We shall see what your choice ended up being." Lilith maneuvers the card from where it is set into the slot behind her, the other two bursting into flames to reveal Back to the Front and Grinning Grave Virus. "Still, excellent options there. I will set another card, and end my turn."

 

???: 8000 LP

Hand: 2

Field: Lilith, Lady of Lament (1000 ATK), 2 Set S/T

GY: Caligo Claw Crow

 

"My turn!" Rex proclaimed, drawing his first card. <Oh, just you wait.> He thought with a slight smirk. <I've had my deck overhauled with new cards, including a new ace monster. I'm going to crush you and your dinky little succubus.> "I will send Destroyersaurus to my Graveyard to add Jurassic World to my hand, which I will now activate!" All around them, foliage burst out to transform the rooftop pool into a pond within a primordial jungle. "This gives all of my Dinosaurs 300 Attack and Defense points. Now, I activate Unexpected Dai, letting me Special Summon Sabersaurus from my Deck since I control no monsters!" Rushing out of a mass of purple pixels came a huge crimson dinosaur, roaring in rage as it brandished its sharpened horns and spikes. (1900 ATK|LV4) (1900 ATK -> 2200 ATK) "Next, I will Normal Summon Babycerasaurus, in Attack Mode!" Joining the larger beast was a tiny green dinosaur wearing an eggshell like a diaper. (500 ATK|LV2) (500 ATK -> 800 ATK) "I'll then play Double Summon, which gives me an extra Normal Summon, so come on out, Souleating Oviraptor!" A wicked-looking creature stalked out of the underbrush, wisps of ghostly energy radiating from its snout. (1800 ATK|LV4) (1800 ATK -> 2100 ATK) "Since I just Normal Summoned him, I will add Ultimate Conductor Tyranno from my Deck to my hand, then, I activate his special ability! By destroying another Dinosaur I control, I get to Special Summon a Dinosaur from my Graveyard, so Babycersaurus will be traded for Destroyersaurus in Defense Mode!" The smaller dinosaur was approached by the larger one, and dissolved into wisps of blue energy, which reformed into the shape of a bipedal dinosaur covered in axe-like blades. (1100 DEF|LV4) (1100 DEF -> 1400 DEF) "But that's not all! Since Babycerasaurus was destroyed by a card effect, I get to Special Summon another Dinosaur, so come forth, Megalosmasher X!" Bursting from the water was what looked like a shark after it had been given a cybernetic makeover, roaring and baring its fangs. (2000 ATK|LV4) (2000 ATK -> 2300 ATK)

 

People around the promenade were amazed at the speed and ferocity that Rex had filled the board. While his opponent had only gotten out 2 monsters, Rex now had 4 on the field, all with over 2000 ATK each. "I'll ensure my Dinos are safe against your Trap by sending Miscellaneousaurus from my hand to my Graveyard! This will make all Dinos I control unaffected by your card effects!" The spectral image of a mismatched dinosaur skeleton briefly appeared before vanishing. "And since I have 2 Dinosaurs in my Graveyard, I will banish both of them to call forth my strongest monster!" Lightning cracked around Rex as a huge shape began to build up out of his data. "Say hello to the most powerful Dinosaur in all of Duel Monsters! A creature to surpass even the mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon, no, ALL Dragons! This is...ULTIMATE CONDUCTOR TYRANNO!!!" In a flash of light, looming above Rex and the virtual canopy around him, was a huge armored tyrannosaur, covered in glowing spheres and discs running down its spiny, spiky form. It glared down at Rex's foe with glowing yellow eyes, electricity crackling across its crimson hide as it gave a roar powerful enough to cause the glass of the casino to quake. (3500 ATK|LV10) (3500 ATK -> 3800 ATK) "Now to render your Lilith useless! Ultimate Conductor Tyranno, zap Destroyersaurus to turn her monster face-down!"

 

"Not so fast! I will Chain Lilith's effect, sacrificing herself to set another Trap at random." Now Lilith was the one consumed by flames, creating three facedown cards before Rex as lightning surged across the field.

"Let's try the left one this time!" Rex indicated, that card placing itself down. "Not that it will matter. You don't have a single monster to protect you! Ultimate Conductor Tyranno! Attack her directly!" As more lightning poured out from the huge dinosaur, it was concentrated into a single blast, but suddenly, it stopped inches from his red-haired opponent. "What?!?" The Trap Card that had been Set by Lilith's effect the previous turn was now up, depicting a robed woman holding a strange amulet.

"Waboku. I don't take any damage this turn." She replied confidently, smiling sweetly back to him. "Guess I got lucky."

Rex growled, glancing at his completely empty hand and inability to continue attacking, and declared. "Ugh...I end my turn!"

 

Rex Raptor: 8000 LP

Hand: 0

Field: Jurassic World, Sabersaurus (2200 ATK|LV4), Megalosmasher X (2300 ATK|LV4), Souleating Oviraptor (2100 ATK|LV4), Ultimate Conductor Tyranno (3800 ATK|LV10)

GY: Unexpected Dai, Double Summon, Destroyersaurus

Banished: Babycerasaurus, Miscellaneousaurus

 

"Oh, what an amazing game this is! I'm dueling purely off of chance! It all comes down to what I can get out of this next card!" Contrary to the massive array of monsters before her, Rex's opponent seemed elated to be in such a predicament. "So, let me first activate my Fires of Doomsday on your End Phase!" Two black flames floated out, coalescing into figures with cyclopean eyes. ((0 DEF|LV1)x2) "Now, let's see what Lady Luck can give me! Draw!" She glanced at her card, then displayed it to her opponent. "Terraforming! I'm going to add Lair of Darkness from my Deck to my hand, then activate it!" Now, the field changed even more, shadows forming around the jungle, thickening the trees and bushes with a smoky substance. "I will Normal Summon Ahrima, the Wicked Warden in Attack Mode!" A powerful-looking lupine hellhound leapt out of the darkness to land in front of his Mistress, giving an unearthly howl. (1700 ATK|LV4) "I will use his effect to Tribute one of my Doomsday Tokens to add a DARK monster with 2000 or more DEF from my Deck to my hand, so let's go with this card..." However, as Ahrima chomped down on the fiery effigy, the darkness started to swirl around and transform into a powerful-looking draconic form, red lines etching across its body as the darkness dissipated to reveal an armored dragon with chains coming from its body. "You see, whenever a DARK monster is Tributed, I can Special Summon MY ace monster from my hand or Graveyard, so here it is! Darkest Diabolos, Lord of the Lair!" (3000 ATK|LV8).

 

"So what?" Rex chided, crossing his arms. "Your dragon doesn't have anywhere near enough power to take on my Ultimate Conductor Tyranno! And even if it did, I still have a field full of monsters!"

"True...you do have a pretty big field...but you made a mistake, Rex. You overextended. You have monsters, and nothing else. Which means I have won this duel. I activate...Full Force Virus!" Her Trap Card flipped up to reveal an image of strange bat-like viral forms. "By Tributing a DARK monster with 2000 or more Defense Points, I can destroy all monsters you control with 1500 or less Defense Points for the next 3 turns, not that the next 3 turns part matters."

"But that doesn't get rid of my-" Rex was stopped as, suddenly, his Tyranno stopped generating electricity, and instead began to melt down into a black sludge, spreading to wash over his other monsters. As his three other Dinosaurs made contact with the sludge, they dissolved as well, Rex's entire field now completely vacant. "MY...MY FIELD!!! WHAT THE HELL?!? WHERE DID THEY ALL GO?!?"

 

"You see, my Lair of Darkness Field Spell has a few lovely effects. First, it turns all monsters on the field into DARK monsters. Next, everytime a monster is Tributed, the turn player gets a Token at the end of the turn. But the effect I just used allows for me, once per turn, to use YOUR monsters to pay for the cost of MY effects, as long as they are DARK. And since your Tyranno had 3200 Defense Points, while all of your other monsters had less than 1500 Defense Points...well..." The woman grins evilly as she reveals the next card in her hand. "Time to finish this! Monster Reborn! Come back, Ultimate Conductor Tyranno!" Rejoining the field, but now opposed to its owner, is the huge electrical tyrannosaurus, roaring again as it prepares to take on its former master. (3500 ATK|LV10) (3500 ATK -> 3800 ATK) "Ahrima! Tyranno! Diabolos! Finish him off!" The three monsters rushed forwards, slamming into Rex's platform to cause him to crash down into the pool. (Rex Raptor: 8000 LP -> 6300 LP -> 2500 LP -> 0 LP)

 

As the fields faded, the onlookers clapped for the redheaded woman stepping back onto solid ground. Some of the observers had gotten splashed about when Rex's platform capsized, including Weevil, who had slipped and fallen into the pool with his friend. She was approached by an attendant of the resort, a phone on a platter. "Yuriko here." She answered, listening to what was on the other end. "Interesting...so it turns out I didn't have the only idea of ruining the Tenmas' fun...I can't wait to see how things end up now."

 

Meanwhile, in the pool, Rex looked up at the stars as he floated in a ruined suit.

"Weevil?"

"Yeah, Rex?"

"Next time you persuade me to challenge a duelist we know little about...I swear, I will fossilize you."

[Arkars]

Nereo

 

"Ugh..." Nereo grumbled while laying on the floor. He attempted to turn around in order to get up, and was met with a twinge of pain on the forehead. It wasn't a great pain, but the unexpectedness it came with almost made him lose his balance while trying to bring himself to his knees. He took a couple of deep breaths, searching for other sources of pain in his body and distractedly bringing his left hand to his head. Meanwhile he looked around, getting a not so nice view of the chaos that unfolded after the explosion, from the guests still fleeing to the people that, like him, had been knocked out by the shock wave and the debris.

 

While it didn't seem that he suffered any other injures, the moment his hand touched his head he felt a liquid sensation under his glove, and a look revealed his gloved fingers being spotted by blood. Nereo felt a strange mix of fear and perplexity at the sight. He had apparently been hit, but he was pretty sure that a wound to the head should have been bleeding more than this. Had he been just grazed? He wasn't going to complain about that.

 

Nereo finally managed to get back on his feet, taking off the glove and pressing it on the injured side of his forehead with is left hand. Then he proceeded to take a look around, trying to decide what to do.

 

 

 

Some minutes before arriving at the gala

 

Nereo was sitting in the limousine, his father beside him, rehearsing mentally the list of people he intended to talk with. Pro duelists, managers and talent scouts that would give him a clearer understanding of the environment of competitive dueling, hopefully clear enough that he could come out with a decision. "Don't be so nervous, It'll be all right. Even if half of those people end up not coming, there will sill be plenty to talk with. Also I'm sure that they will be eager to talk about their job to a curious, young man." told him his father with a smile.

 

"Yeah, sure dad, as long as one of those pro duelist who did drink too much don't decide to challenge me. And then after he loses he starts to complain like a little girl, prompting me to respond adequately" Nereo replied in a deadpan tone, as if he was half joking and half announcing his actual planning for the party. His father responded with a reassuring smile "Oh, you don't need to worry, this is a formal party, you should be able to maintain your cool. And after all, what do you have to prove? we already know who is the best guest of all, don't we? Oh, we have arrived."

 

True, Nereo could see the lights of the gala, while the limousine was slowing down his pacing. "Well, obviously Seto Kaiba... oh, right, I forgot he won't come. Then I'd say it is me, but I'd rather not end up fighting all the ones that instead came here for the Millennium Items over it, not yet." He answered returning the smile while putting on his white gloves.

 

The pair stepped out of the car on the red carpet, and was submerged by the flashes of the photographers. Nereo took a moment to check that his clothing was in order, a matching pair of gray trousers, jacket and necktie, only interrupted by the white shirt he was wearing under the tuxedo. He then followed the father towards the entrance.

 

"Well, we're in, son" told him his his father after they finished the security check and were finally allowed to enter the gala. "Don't worry, I'm not going to be the embarrassing tag-along parent. I'll just take the time to say hi to a couple of friends and pass by the buffet, then I'll go back by my own. I have some work to do tomorrow, but you just started you holidays and you're a grown man. Okay?" Nereo nodded in response and the two parted ways.

 

 

 

A few minutes before the attack

 

"Well, that has been exhaustive as it has been exhausting." Thought Nereo after leaving the last person he just talked with. "That was the last one on the list, but it seems that Mokuba Kaiba has yet to arrive." That was strange, alongside the Millennium Item the new CEO of the Kaiba Corp would have been the main attraction of the gala. But even after the party already started by some time, the honor guest had yet to show up, not even a rumor. It was also disappointing, and Nereo knew that he wasn't the only one that came to this gala with the hope of getting an idea of the younger of the Kaiba brothers, and possibly become closer to the new boss.

 

From his part he was quite supportive of the young Mokuba, unusual to Netero, since he never met him and he had an hard time empathizing with others in general. But he could well relate to the struggle to live up to one's family, while trying to step out of the shadow of your respected and successful relatives. And Seto Kaiba's shadow was big enough to obscure his entire company.

 

Nereo walked around, searching something to do while passing regularly at the buffet. Then he suddenly turned towards the holoboxes. A duel would have been a great way to kill time, and with a bit of luck he could've managed to go up against a true pro duelist.

 

That was his thinking while searching for an opponent, his attention temporarily caught by a white haired girl he was sure to have recognized, that was dueling a guy he didn't know of. For what he knew she was basically the duelist equivalent of the boogeyman in the environment of the talent scouts and the ones who searched around for young promises. Anyway, while he was at it, he happened to overhear a near conversation.

 

"They're FOSSILS, the current model of Duel Disk is merely superior, I don't know why they even dug these up. They already have far more fascinating items behind those doors."

 

Nereo frowned, was he talking about the holoboxes? what did he have against them? He turned around to see who had just spoken, a blue dressed guy who was apparently being harassed by a green haired girl. Said girl was seemingly determined to drag him to one of the holoboxes, and the boy seemed all but happy about it.

 

He was tempted of jumping in and give him a piece of his mind. Nereo did understand the thrill, coolness and convenience brought by a duel disk, but the VR system they used was originally developed for duel boxes, and it worked perfectly fine. He never used a duel disk, but not for this he was going to scoff the idea, and he always found it perfectly comfortable when he got to duel in a holobox! What was it, wasn't this guy able to shuffle manually his deck?

 

Luckly, his train of increasingly angry and irrational thoughts was suddenly interrupted by the announcement of the opening of the visits at the Millennium Items. "This keeps getting stranger, they brought out the Items but Mokuba still hasn't arrived. Is he not coming?" Nereo hoped not. He still hadn't managed to find out any clue on the reason for Seto's sudden retirement, and the possible presence of the younger brother was one of the main reasons he decided to came to the gala in the first place.

 

Still, there was nothing he could do at regard, and since he was at it, he might as well go to take a look at The Millennium Items. After all, it wasn't likely he would get another chance like this so easily. And with this in mind, he joined the guests that were heading to the ballroom.

 

 

 

Present time

 

Nereo looked around, while checking for all of his personal belongings to be still in his pockets. "What was that? An incident? No, that's too improbable." And he got confirm that it hadn't been, indeed, an incident when he spotted the three Harley Davidson whose arrival had probably been the cause of the commotion. He managed to get an even better understanding of the situation after spotting another pair of guys, standing beside the displays containing the Millennium Items, and seemingly trying to crack them open with a broken window frame and a metal bar, without success. One of them was the anti-holobox guy from before, now sporting a pair of colored glasses, and the green haired girl was with them too, apparently. "A robbery" he concluded "And this is their diversion."

 

Nereo advanced towards the slightly notched displays, passing between the panicked people. "Is this why Mokuba didn't came? It's not possible, why not suspending the party for safety reasons? Had the security been too overconfident?"

 

“Stay out of this if you don’t want to get yourself killed."

 

Suddenly, Nereo's advancing came to a halt. To speak had been the second guy in front of the displays, the one he didn't knew, speaking to the girl. Almost in contrast with the body, his thought process started to run wild. "Did he just threaten homicide? With all these witnesses? Well, fleeing witnesses, but still witnesses nonetheless. No, he's probably trying to scare out the girl. It's the most probable explanation." He did his best to ignore the growing sense of worry that was building up inside him. He finished to check that his duel box was still fixed inside his internal pocket, and with one hand finally free he restarted to heading towards the Millennium Items.

[BatMed]

Allured by the buffets on the sides, Bunder couldn't help but to grab a shrimp plate before he followed a hastened Sachi "I will be right with ya!" he notified her, waving. It was clear to him that she didn't hear him but he kept swallowing shrimp after another, with a guilty conscience " *gulp* - I guess I have to-"

“Csssshhhh!”

Suddenly the glamorous aristocratic evening became a chaotic rock party, not the fun kind. "What's goi- HEY" Bunder confusingly tried to make his way out of the running freaked out crowd. "What's going on?!" He tried to scan the situation in midst of the chaotic crowded atmosphere, looking for any trace for Sachi as well. Luckily, he found her right away, she was just right next to Marik. "SACHI" Bunder run to the direction of the scared girl, but unfortunately he slipped when he run over a puddle of ... vodka. He end up falling on small pieces of glasses which caused his hands and forehead to bleed. "Dammit" he firmly closed his hands and then tried to stand, when he saw someone cracked open one of the cases for the Millennium Items "What ... A robbery? but OF COURSE". He immediately lied on the floor and then grabbed his phone, trying to unlock it but in vain, because his hands were a bloody mess, literally. He then grabbed a tissue from his jacket's pocket and dialed the emergency number after unlocking his phone successfully. Bunder then crawled his way to Sachi and Marik while contacting the emergency service.

"We are under attack!"

[◇ Void ◇]

 

“Ugh...” Tomoya moaned in a mixture of frustration and head pain, slowly rising from under the table. “Okay everyone, this is a Code 7. Alert the authorities."

“All our communications are knackered, sir.” replied back one of the monitor staff. “Keep trying, and use your mobiles to get the emergency services here now!”

Tomoya sprung into action, proceeding straight to the corner of the room, where a secure lockbox was discreetly tucked away. Swiping his thumb along the fingerprint scanner, it gave a satisfying clunk and buzz as the lock disengaged upon confirming his identity. Opening the case revealed a stash of neatly-shelved batons, finished in fashionable KabiaCorp matte blue. Ripples of dread started to flush through Tomoya as he picked one up; he had never thought this kind of scenario would actually happen, even after all the training he went through for the job.
 

 

Jin’s attempt to pierce the security glass with the broken window frame was futile, splintering apart with little more than a chip on the actual display case. One of the smaller assailants approached Jin, giving a blank stare of disapproval through the tinted visor. Besides his accomplice, the figure reached for his back belt-pouch and drew out a densely-packed piece of cloth, which with a quick russell fanned out into a convenient bag for Jin to carry the loot in.

“Hold this, before you hurt yourself.”

“Get away from the items! You don’t know what you're dealing with.” Marik cried out, charging forth at their imposing leader in a fit of tombkeeper spirit, and was quickly shattered when his intended target countered with an imposing fist into Marik’s belly before he could even strike. The pristine white suit Marik wore was tarnished as he slid across the polished floor in pain.

“Wrong. We both know far too well what they are capable of, traitor.”

“Traitor...?” Marik paused as their identity struck him, then the revelation sparked in his head. “Rare Hunters. Or whatever greedy husk of them I left behind.”

 

“That's enough out of you. Go wimper in the corner until we're done here.” The leader then turned to his subordinate besides Jin, who had managed to remove the security panel for the case, with a miniature drill he also had attached in his toolbelt of many criminal things. “How long until it's cracked open? Response times here are not as terrible as the rest of Domino.”

“Three, maybe six tops. Cracking the security code takes too long, so I'm manipulating the latches.” With those words, he began to probe the opening with a series of stiff wires and elongated probes, clicking and crunching as they toyed around with the mechanics of the security latches.
 

[👀 REP 👀]

 

 

“That’s enough,” His accomplice came up to her, a grimace on his face. It was the guy from earlier that tried to get her to stop bugging her. Hotaru's eyes glared at the man, her grip on Jin tightening. “Stay out of this if you don’t want to get yourself killed." 

 

"So now you're th- HEY! Let go of me!" Hiyaki would find the girl surprisingly strong as she did her best to shrug off the man, although she did eventually let go of Jin as she tried to free herself from the hold she found herself in. A scene was starting to form around them as more thieves entered the room. 

 

“Get away from the items! You don’t know what you're dealing with.” Hotaru watched as who she assumed was the leader of the thieves gut punch Marik as he charge towards him, sending the tombkeeper flying. She turned around to look at what was happening around her, the thieves now starting to break into the cases.

Thinking quickly, she send an elbow aimed towards Hiyaki's stomach with as much force as she could muster, hoping that it would free her from his grasp. Her attention was now on Marik, wanting to make sure if the man was ok.

 

If she were to break free, she'd run up to Marik. "H-Hey! Are you ok?" She asked, before turning to the others that were nearby. They were the ones that she had met earlier. She was glad to see them, before noting that the big guy's hand was bleeding. He was also calling for help it seemed - was he a police officer? Either way her attention return to Marik, before turning back to the thieves. "We... We have to do something!" She said, getting up. She seemed like she was about to run right at the rare hunters.

[Arkars]

Nereo

 

“Get away from the items! You don’t know what you're dealing with.” Nereo slid towards the Millennium Items, while keeping an eye on the confrontation that was unfolding between a blonde guy he recognized as Marik Ishtar, and the one he assumed to be the leader of the thieves. He initially intended to go straight for the displays, but the other three criminals had gotten there before him, and now he was trying to get as close as possible before making his move.

 

He observed the rather painful conclusion of the exchange between the two while trying to blend in the chaos.  "They really seem to have come here for the Items."  He noted, putting away the gloves to his pockets. Returning his focus on his surroundings, he noticed that the girl had managed to free herself, and was now going to help the aching gravekeeper. "Now" he thought, and dashed towards the thug near the blue-dressed guy, the one that was trying to force the display. Nereo grabbed his shoulder, the other hand clasping at the hand thief was using to meddle with the security latches and pulling it away, trying and failing to make the thief drop his tools.

 

"Dammit"  he thought. "You should surrender and not aggravate your position, the security and the police will arrive soon." he said instead. "Whoever you are, you just bit more than you can chew, guys. Not only you antagonized every one of the influential guests of this party, you made the Industrial Illusions, and more importantly the Kaiba Corp your enemies. Do you really think you can get away with this?" Nereo asked staring at the group of thieves, while struggling to not lose his grasp on the one he was holding. "Even in the off chance that you manage to escape, it doesn't matter in which hole you will hide in. You'll be hunted down like dogs and arrested."

 

That said Nereo moved slightly to position himself in front of the display. He waited for the response, his eyes darting around, checking the situation and hoping to spot the security.

[Arkars]

Nereo

 

Just after Nereo finished his speech, the leader of the criminals, who up until that moment had simply stood silent, gave him a final look before turning on himself, seemingly unbothered by the man's words.

 

His disinterest dumbfounded and irritated Nereo, who wasn't expecting a similar passive reaction, and didn't understand how the gang leader couldn't possibly be concerned by the situation. The answer arrived in the form of a elbow in the stomach, courtesy of his not so restrained hostage. Despite his best efforts to immobilize the burglar, the guy managed to free his arm enough to fight back. And now, without the element of surprise, there wasn't much Nereo could do to stop him.

 

Reeling from the hit, Nereo lost his grip on the thief. He was then hit by a powerful kick that took the air out of his lungs, and sent him rolling on the floor.

 

With Nereo still aching on the floor and unable to stand up, the burglar could resume his work undisturbed.