Chapter 13: A Deal.

"Aarrghh!"

Shark was sent flying from the force of Drakes Neo Ultimate Dragon's attack and was knocked not only into a wall, but unconscious as well.

With the duel over Drake wasn't going to forgot his prize, after all from what that broker had said before it seems like he had given Shark a lot of information about Number Card holders before this. Drake knelt down next to the boy and checked him over, finding him physically fine, if out cold, Drake moved to his deck. It was his right as the winner of a Numbers Duel.

Twelve! Shark had collected twelve Numbers, that was three times what Drake currently had. Numbers 32, 78, 6, 5, 47, 21 and more. But now he had a decision to make, to take or not to take that was the question. Shark was obviously a strong duellist and in the media Drake knew of could become a powerful ally. But that didn't mean it would happen here.

So should he leave him with the Number Cards?

Possibilities and probabilities played in his head. Cold logic and emotional instinct fought in his heart. In the end Drake decided to have a little faith and leave Shark with his Numbers. Some of them at least.

What the worse that could happen? But he refused to go back completely empty handed, so he would take all the Numbers that he didn't think fit well with Sharks deck and even the ones Drake decided to leave he would be sure to first drain some of their power for Critias.

So Drake ended up taking seven of Sharks Numbers, leaving him with five, before carrying him out of the neighbourhood. Once they reached a more respectable and safer area, he would drop the boy off and head home for the night.

---

Reginald Castle, Aka Shark, awoke with a headache to find himself on a park bench. His last memory was of the defeat he was just dealt by that guy Drake. Of being blasted away by what may be the strongest monster he had ever seen.

"Blast."

To think that he had been so confident in his strength, that he had thought that he was almost ready to avenge his sister. But he had just had his butt headed to him in a duel by a guy who didn't even use a Number.

"Oh no!"

He suddenly thought about his own Numbers and quickly checked his deck…

Shark was torn. On one hand he was happily surprised to discover that that guy hadn't taken all his Numbers. On the other hand he was angry because he had taken more than half of them, and after all the work he had put in tracking them down and collecting them. And lastly, he was confused.

Why hadn't he taken all of them? It made no sense. Drake… He would remember that name.

"You look like something the cat brought in."

Who?!

Shark looked around to find who had spoken, and slowly from across the street a stranger walked out of the shadows. He was wrapped in a large white hooded cloak, his face hidden by shadows.

"And you are?" Shark asked.

"An admirer."

"Right…." Nothing wrong with that, a standard opening for a stalker or worse to say when two people are alone in empty park.

"Such a pity." the cloaked man sighed.

"What is?" Shark snapped as he back a few paces back, this guy was giving him the creeps. He felt like he was a mouse being eyed by a bored cat.

"Your defeat, your weakness."

Shark was getting angry, he preferred being angry over fearful any day. He gave the guy his best glare.

"Don't look at me like that boy, I am here to help you." The man said unimpressed.

"Well I don't need your help." Shark snapped.

"Of course you do, don't you want your revenge?"

Shark froze, what did this guy know?

"And for that you need power, the power to crush your enemies, to rip apart the lies they cloak themselves in. Power to save your sister."

!!!!

"And I am offering you that power, the power that you want so badly."

"Yeah… so what's the catch?" Shark was tempted, just like when he had taken his Number Shark Drake that night. But he was also no fool, no one just gives power away for no reason. No price. This guy was up to no good.

"Clever boy, naturally as with all things power comes at a price. But I don't think it is something you would be unwilling to pay." The man said almost seductively as he slowly walked closer to Shark and the illumination of the street lights, revealing his old wrinkled face and short white beard.

The guy had to be pushing 70 or 80 at least, but he didn't give the feeling of being frail.

"This smell fishy to me."

"Ah Reginald, so suspicious. Alright to put it plainly I belong to a… organisation that is interest in recruiting you to work for us."

"As what? A paper pusher? Male model?" Did this guy really think that he interested in a job offer? All he wanted was revenge.

"Ha ha ha. No as a duellist. Among other things we are also interesting collecting the power of the Numbers and you have already proven quite capable in that, recent event aside. We will give you a new power, power greater than that of the Numbers and will help you take your revenge. We have access to source of information beyond your imagination and you are like a blind man stumbling in the dark. We are a torch that can light your path."

"Power greater than that of the Numbers? If you have such power then why are you interested in the Numbers at all." The man was slowly coming closer but Shark didn't back away this time.

"Dear boy, you can never have too much power."

"And I should take your word that you can help me get my revenge?"

"Yes and more, I suppose a sign of good faith would help?"

"What sign…" Shark couldn't help himself. He was tempted, if this old man could produce what said he could that is. His loss to Drake had proved one thing, he didn't have enough strength yet.

"You are after the duellist responsible for your sisters condition, a duellist called Dextra."

The man had almost reached Sharks side by now.

Shark stayed silent but his gaze grew more intense, Dextra was the name he had been given before but so far he had been unable to locate her in spite of his best efforts. It was like looking for a ghost.

"She is a duellist in the employ of a Dr Faker, and if you continue along the WDC you will surely get closer to him, because like us he is also collecting the Numbers. In fact he is the hidden puppet master behind this whole duel carnival. Just so he can gather the Numbers in one place. And then take them for himself."

This was information he didn't have before, a name, a lead that he could follow.

"Is this Dr Faker responsible for my sisters' condition?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself? Or don't you have the power to do so?" the man mocked. To reel in a duellist like Shark required more than the right bait it needed the right technique. The carrot and the stick, temptation and provocation.

"And just what is this power you are offering?"

"It is known as the Seal of Orichalcos, a great power hidden from the world. Only members of our organisation can wield this secret power, power to change the world, power to change fate itself, powe-"

"So is that guy Drake one of your members then?" Shark step back to put some distance between them again. He was getting angry thinking about Drake.

Was that what this was about? Humiliate him in a duel so that he would be willing to work for them? Did they really think he would fall for it?

"Who?" The old man was at a loss. He was known by the name Tempest, he was one of the Four Generals under the Orichalcos King and he knew every member of the Organisation. His presence here showed how important the organisation was taking the recruitment of Shark.

But Drake was not a name he was familiar with.

"The guy I just lost to, you sent him didn't you?! To put me in my place?!" Shark shouted.

"Why would to think this person has anything to do with us?"

"Because he mentioned this Seal of Ori whatever it was." Shark remembered him asking that useless informer before the duel. If it wasn't such a strange name he might not have remembered it.

Tempest was shocked at this news, if this was true then it was a problem.

Outside of the members of the organisation only its victims should have heard of the Seal, and they weren't talking to anyone anymore. Who was this… Drake. And what other secrets might he know? Tempest hadn't watched the duel between the two of them himself but had heard about it from one of their operatives who was tasked to keep an eye on Shark.

How else could he have appeared here at such a good time, this had been the opportunity they had been waiting for. Convincing someone required not only the right pitch but the right timing as well. But nothing in the report mentioned what Shark had just told him.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes." Now Shark was uncertain, what was going on here. Just who was Drake?

"I promise you that this… Drake… is not one of us, but soon I will be sure to know everything there is to know about him if you are interested in some more… revenge."

Tempest held out his hand to Shark, between his fingers he held a spell card with powers beyond any mere card game. An invitation to a new future.

"Join us, join the New Order."

---

Drake was happily whistling along as he made his way back to the house the next day for dinner, with so much energy drained from the Numbers he got from Shark last night Critias was now on the verge of awakening. It was only a matter of a little time now.

No wonder Drake was in such a good mood.

He was on his own today. Duel Carnival or not it was still a school day so Yuma and his friends had classes to attend, leaving Drake with some free time on his hands. He was in such a good mood he had spent the morning sight seeing around the city, occasionally accepting a challenger here and there and having fun.

For a time, he managed to just forget about the threat of the Orichalcos, forget about his mission. He just felt like a regular person, it had been a long time. He wasn't like the Titan Atlas that he took his name from. He couldn't spend all his time holding up the heavens on his shoulders, no human could, he was a man, not a god.

That's what made moments such as now so important. To remember what he was fighting for when times got tough. But unfortunately what made such moments so precious also made them fleeting. A familiar and unsightly figure soon stood in Drakes path.

What was his name again?

"Long time no see Atlas."

"Didn't I already squash you Dobert?"

"Its Hopkirk! The insect master Hopkirk!"

Ah, that was his name. it was the cheating insect user Drake had fought his first prelim duel against. The only reason Drake remembered him was because he had left such a bad impression. But since he had already lost what was he doing here now? Even if he wanted to duel again it wouldn't count. During the prelims only the first duel between two duellists would count in order to prevent people from farming a weaker duellist over and over again.

Drake had no interest in whatever Hopkirk wanted now, he had already spoilt Drakes mood but he simply wasn't worth Drakes time to squash again.

But where did he get the name Atlas from? Drake didn't remember even giving him his first name let alone his surname. In fact why did he seem to be waiting here for Drake so close to the house?

Weren't registered duellists personal details supposed to be confidential in this tournament?

Well whatever, Drake couldn't take the bug in front of him seriously at all. He was just so weak that Drake decided to just go around him and ignore whatever he had to say.

"Hold up Atlas! I challenge you to a rematch!"

…

"Didn't you hear me!" Hopkirk screamed as he blocked Drakes path again.

…

"Your not going anywhere till you duel me!"

"Why should I? There's nothing in it for me." Drake finally replied.

"Heh, are you so sure?" Hopkirk said in his most conspiratorial voice.

"…Go on." Drake asked.

"I have some information you want, win and I will tell you." Hopkirk said confidently.

"What information?" Drake was curious.

"About how I found out you name and address, about the people who want me to target you, about the New Order."

"New Order?" Drake had no idea what Hopkirk was talking about, he had never heard of this New Order.

"They are the ones that gave me this…"

!!!!!!

Hopkirk showed Drake a card he was holding, a card showing a green rune circle with a six pointed star. The Seal of Orichalcos!!!

Drake suddenly got serious, had they found him out already? New Order…

"And what exactly do they want with me?"

"They hear you have been asking questions, they want to know what you know and how you know. If I beat you in a duel then they offered me a big position in the world that is to come."

"So you want a duel here?" Drake asked.

They were on public street after all, anyone could pass by at any time. Outwardly he was calm, but inside his thoughts were racing.

"The park over there has a nice secluded part we can use." Hopkirk said as he led the way and Drake followed.

Ironically it was the same park that Yuma and Astral had found him in when he first entered this world. But was there any hidden meaning behind this choice or was it just a coincidence? After all, there weren't too many out of the way places around here without some form of monitoring equipment.

"So how did you find me, and how did this New Order find you?" Drake asked.

"Simple, New Order has members in some surprising places, it has even infiltrated the cities security forces. You have somehow been making waves, even the cities top brass seemed to have some interest in watching you and have compiled a file on you and your duels. New Order just had to get their hands on that file but it wasn't enough to answer their questions."

It made sense, after duelling Kite the other night Drake was prepared for something like that. This city and the entire duel carnival was controlled by Mr Heartland who worked for Dr Faker, Kites father. But this meant the Orichalcos had already infiltrated Fakers organisation, possible to a high level.

At least it didn't sound like Faker himself was in league with them. This New Order.

"So why you?"

"They are cautious, perhaps they suspect a trap. They looked at all your previous opponents and decided I would be the most likely to do what they wanted so they wouldn't have to. With what they are offering I jumped at the deal, I don't care about being used so long as I get what I want. Including my revenge."

"So apart from a name what other info do you have for me?" Drake asked as he readied his duel disk and Dragons Eye.

"Duel first, answers second. If you win that is." He replied as they passed through a tree line and reached a secluded clearing hidden in the park.

"If I win you won't be in a position to answer me." Drake countered as he took his position.

"Looks like you do know some things after all." Hopkirk said as he activated several small remote camera drones, letting them hover over the duel field. He was under orders to transmit the whole duel back to the New Order.

The two of them took one last look around the clearing, neither of them wanting any interruptions to their duel.

"Lets Duel!"

---

"My king, we have had a report the duel is soon about to begin."

A video projection was activated before the gilded throne in the deep hidden chamber of the leader of New Order, the Orichalcos King.

"This should be amusing, call in the Generals."

"Sire?" the shadowy figure asked in confusion, he didn't even know why his king had taken a interest in this small matter, let alone to call in the Generals as well.

"This is either nothing, in which case it will be some light entertainment. Or it is something that they may have to deal with later. For some reason I have a feeling this will require special attention."

"Yes my king, but the Black General is currently on a mission. Should I call her back?"

"Of course not, just call those who are free."

A few minutes later three figures entered the chamber.

"Presenting the Golden General: Proteus, the White General: Tempest and the Blue General. All hail the Orichalcos King!"

"All Hail!" the three replied as they bowed to the throne.

"You're just in time, the show is about to begin." The king said as he turned to screen that now showed the direct feed from the park.