"Who's there?!"
Don Zaloog shouted the moment he saw someone rush out.
"How dare you trespass on the Dark Scorpion Burglars' turf!"
But at this moment, Chick whispered, "Boss, this is Duel Academy. Strictly speaking, we're the ones trespassing here."
Don Zaloog didn't reply but shot him a fierce glare. Chick immediately shrank back, lowering his head and saying nothing more.
Turning back to the newcomer, Don Zaloog spoke in a deep voice, "Kid, what's your deal? Sounds like you know quite a bit about the Seven Spirit Keys?"
"I wouldn't say I know a lot," Kira said with a smile. "But this matter should be common knowledge. Didn't your boss mention it when giving you your mission? There are indeed seven keys to the seal of the Sacred Beast, but just inserting the keys into the locks isn't enough to break the seal.
Only a Duelist can break the seal."
Don Zaloog was stunned and looked at his minions in confusion. The minions were equally baffled, shrugging to show they didn't know either.
"Come to think of it, I vaguely remember the client mentioning something about the keys' significance," Don Zaloog muttered. "But I was too busy counting the money at the time. None of you heard it?"
The others shook their heads like rattles.
"I was busy thinking how to spend the money," Meanae said.
Chick: "I thought you were listening, boss."
Cliff sighed, "I wasn't even there that day."
The last one, Gorg, was a burly man built like a small giant, but with his shiny bald head, he didn't look too bright. He scratched his head, clearly not even understanding the question.
Don Zaloog sighed deeply.
Our burglar gang really is lacking in quality, huh.
Kira laughed, "It doesn't matter if you don't remember. It's simple: you have to win it through a duel."
He gestured at the Duel Disk on his arm.
"The Seven Spirit Keys are wagers in Shadow Duels. If you don't win them in a duel, they're meaningless. Even if you steal them, you can't break the seal.
Here, my key is right here."
He pulled out the key hanging around his neck and waved it in front of them. The Dark Scorpions' eyes widened.
"Boss, that's worth a fortune!"
"Don't need you to tell me that."
Don Zaloog's eyes burned with greed; he couldn't help rubbing his hands together.
"Alright, but let me make this clear: my cards don't show mercy," he grumbled. "If you get hurt, I'm not responsible."
"Fair enough."
Kira chuckled.
"But if the key is with me, and if I lose, I hand over the key, but if I win, we let things go, then wouldn't I be dueling for nothing?"
Chick thought for a moment and whispered, "Boss, he makes sense. Wouldn't we be getting too good a deal?"
Don Zaloog glared at him again.
"Why do you always say such nonsense?" he growled. "If you're always worried about the other guy getting the short end, how are we supposed to be burglars!?"
"R-right," Chick shrank back, not daring to say more.
"Hmph. Still, you do have a point. We Dark Scorpions have a code; before we're burglars, we're duelists. If it's a duel, it should be fair.
So what do you want to wager?"
Kira smiled and drew a few cards, spreading them out.
The burglars were shocked.
"Boss, isn't that us?!"
"It looks like he stole us!"
Don Zaloog slapped Gorg on the forehead. "What do you mean he stole us? Those are just our Duel Monster cards, idiot."
He turned to Kira, frowning.
"You actually use our burglar cards in your deck? What a coincidence."
"Yeah, but I only have the cards, not the spirits. Isn't that a shame?"
Chick's eyes lit up. "Ha! What luck! We happen to have five spirits right here."
Don Zaloog smacked him again. "Idiot! He means if we lose, the wager is us!"
"Oh, oh."
Chick clutched his head, sulking in silence.
"Exactly," Kira smiled. "So, what do you say?"
Don Zaloog glanced at his companions. "What do you guys think?"
"We'll do whatever you say, Boss!"
No one objected.
"We Dark Scorpions live and die together!"
"Alright."
Don Zaloog stepped forward, ripped off his coat, revealing the Duel Disk already activated underneath.
"We, the Dark Scorpion Burglars, accept this duel. Bring it on!"
"Duel!" x2
[Kira, LP 4000]
[Don Zaloog, LP 4000]
"I'll go first. Draw!"
Don Zaloog drew his card, then smirked.
"Not bad, this card in my opening hand is a good omen. I summon myself! Summon 'Don Zaloog'!"
He slapped the card on his Duel Disk, but oddly, nothing materialized.
"Ahem, since we're all here in person, I'll just go in myself."
So Don Zaloog, wearing his Duel Disk, literally ran from the duelist's zone to the monster zone, personally taking the field.
His subordinates even cheered him on from behind.
"Go, Boss!"
Kira: "..."
To be fair, he'd seen spirits summon themselves before, but usually it was like Jinzo splitting off a clone from his body. He'd never seen a duelist literally run onto the field.
"I set one card. End my turn!"
"My turn, draw."
Kira calmly drew two cards.
"I set two cards. End my turn."
Don Zaloog: "?"
Dark Scorpion Burglars: "?"
What kind of play was that?
Don Zaloog felt uneasy. From the sidelines, Gorg called, "He's bricked! You're awesome, Boss!"
Real or fake?
Still, the duel had to go on. Don Zaloog suppressed his doubts.
"My turn, draw!" Don Zaloog said. "Activate spell card 'Mustering of the Dark Scorpions'!"
At this, his companions eagerly prepared themselves.
"Our turn!"
"Quick, you're standing in the wrong spot—no, Gorg, over here! The pose lineup has to be right..."
Don Zaloog explained, "This card can only be activated if 'Don Zaloog' is face-up on my field. I can special summon all 'Dark Scorpion' monsters from my hand!
I special summon three burglar members:
Dark Scorpion - Meanae the Thorn!
Dark Scorpion - Powerful Gorg!
Dark Scorpion - Chick the Yellow!"
[Dark Scorpion - Meanae the Thorn, ATK 1000]
Dark Scorpion - Gorg the Strong, ATK 1800]
[Dark Scorpion - Chick the Yellow, ATK 1000]
The three rushed onto the field. Only Cliff was left behind, frozen in place as his four teammates took the field.
"I haven't gotten on board yet!"