Ch.9 Getting things in order

POV Shawn Valon

Location: Valon mansion

(3 days later)

"So any idea when she's going to wake up," I asked Helperbot as she handed out plates of food to me and X-23 the broken window back covered from both sides by cardboard and duck tape.

[From all my scans she is perfectly healthy but from what you have told me about that ring around your neck having your soul ripped out of you then put back can't possibly be healthy]

I nodded at the statement looking down at my Millennium item and felt a little ashamed of myself sure it was the black cat's fault for touching a cursed object but still, I found myself feeling a little guilty.

*Grrrr*

'Oh you don't get to say anything after what you did,' I thought shouting back only to feel the equivalent of a shrug from said dragon.

*Grrrrrr*

'I get that she owes us for saving her from death and eternity in the shadow realm but making her a slave to us feels wrong,' I thought out but once again the dragon shrugged.

*Grrrr*

'No calling her a servant doesn't make it any better!' I shouted out at the dragon but was brought back to reality by Helperbot.

[So what are you going to do with the ring?]

"Study it make sure I know how to use it and keep it and people around it safe," I said but I also wanted to make sure there wasn't any dark spirit inside of it.

Once I finished my food I left to go upstairs to my grandfather's study.

'I guess it's my study now,' I thought as I opened the door and there sitting on the desk surrounded by books and my duel disk to the side was the Millennium Ring.

As I sat down at the desk ready for a long day of study and practice I noticed that I had a notification from the system.

[Mission:Search for the pharaoh's treasures]

•Find all the millennium items

(1/7)

[Reward]

• 3× Blank cards

• 1× Blank Deck

-100,000 Gems-

(Notice)

[As you have claimed the millennium ring is now soul bound to you it can only be claimed by another in a shadow game]

"What the heck are blank cards and a deck of them?" I said and accepting my reward all four items appeared on the desk.

The blank cards were as they were described Yugioh cards but no monster or description.

[Item]

•Blank Card

-A card not connected to a monster spirit or has yet to have a spell sealed inside it can be used to create, connect, or bind monsters and seal new spells.

-Some use blank cards to discover what their duel spirit is.

"Ok now this is useful heck I could create entirely new cards for Red-Eyed, especially with a deck of them," I said to myself picking up one of the cards and a popup appeared.

[How would you like to use your blank card?]

•Create a spell

•Create a Trap

•Create a monster

•Discover a Duel spirit

•Bind a monster

Just as I was about to use it to create a monster I heard a loud crashing noise downstairs quickly placed my duel disk on my arm and the Ring around my neck touching it under my shirt I made my way downstairs.

Just as I made it to the second floor I saw Black Cat in a stand-off with X-23 claws extended from both.

"Hey what's go-," I began only to have Black Cat suddenly yell out interrupting me.

Black Cat: "YOU what did you do to me!" she yelled tugging at the collar around her neck.

"You mean how I saved your life," I said crossing my arms "Don't kill her," I said looking at X-23 she didn't say anything or indicated all if she listened to me but I swear I saw her relax a little.

Black Cat: "Saved me from what a price of jewelry," she fakes laughed and tugged on her collar "And what putting a collar on me just so happen to part of-," she began to rant at me but I had enough.

"Will you shut up and listen!" I shouted and the chain on my arm glowed and glyphs appeared on her collar and her mouth shut itself tight.

She stood straight like a statue and looked at me her eyes wide and full of confusion, anger, and a growing amount of fear.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry," I said immediately releasing the command I had given her and she immediately backed up away from me only to be yanked forward the broken chain on her collar glowing.

Black Cat: "What is happening?" she said more to herself as she got up I looked at her and gestured for her to come into the kitchen.

"I will explain everything just please sit down and relax," I said and she looked at me expecting the chain or collar to glow but nothing happened.

Black Cat: "Fine," she said and she enters the kitchen getting a glare from X-23 the entire time as she watched her every move as we sat down on opposite sides of the table.

"So to explain what happened to you I need to know what you know about this," I said pulling out the Ring Black Cats' eyes sparkled when she saw it, and shrugged.

Black Cat: "Nice piece of Jewelry that would fetch a good price," she said a smile on her face and I frowned.

"So I can correctly assume you didn't know that it's a cursed artifact that kills anyone unworthy of it or trying to steal it from those who it recognizes as its master," I said dryly but all I got was a raised eyebrow from the thief.

Black Cat: "Really a curse," she said with a chuckle but I just stared at her with a 'Are you serious right now,' look.

"Yes a curse and thankfully I was able to put your soul back into your body but to do so I needed to anchor your soul to your body," I said motioning to the collar around her neck.

Black Cat: "You really expect me to believe that whatever this fetish wear is holding my soul to my body," she said this time almost laughing.

"I don't care if you believe me but I assume you want to get the collar off without literally pulling out your soul from your body with your own hands," I said while she played with the collar.

Black Cat didn't say anything but looked at me trying to read my intentions but she didn't find what she was looking for and stopped playing with her collar.

"So because you tried to steal the object from me and I saved your life the item cursed the collar and now you're under my servitude," I said and Black Cat looked at me like I was an idiot and was about to say as much but then remembered what happened in the hallway.

Black Cat: "So I have to do whatever you tell me to do for the rest of my life!" she said and I could feel her emotions her anger, disgust, confusion, fear, and more and I saw the Collar glow ever so softly.

"Yes at least until the curse is broken and before you ask to do that your life debt to me must be repaid by you helping me find and claim the other Millennium items," I said touching the ring.

Black Cat: "There are more of these things?" she asked and I nodded as I explained what a little bit of the Millennium items were what they looked like.

Black Cat asked some questions about the Millennium items no longer questioning me just ready to get started and find these things as soon as possible.

But as I explained how the Millennium item had long since been lost to history and could be anywhere I could feel her getting quite depressed so I decided to throw her a bone.

"But thankfully the first Millennium item found was the ring with it we can find the rest far more easily," I said taking a drink of water while Black Cat looked at me with anger and hope.

Black Cat: "We'll what do you need me for if you have a tracking device to find the other magical items," she said but I looked at her like she was an idiot.

"I barely successfully stole the ring from a museum so having a professional thief steal the rest from where ever they are seems like a good idea," I said and Black Cat reluctantly nodded her head at my words seeing my reasoning.

Black Cat: "So where are the other items since you have that tracker," she said but I shook my head.

"These things don't come with instructions and I've only had it for less than a week," I said looking down at the golden ring.

Black Cat: "So what now I can't go around with a collar around my neck," she said and I nodded and as I looked at the collar wondering what could be done it glowed.

'Are you serious right now?' I thought as the glow died down and I saw that the thick black color changed to a black leather choker with a golden cat and a small chain on it.

Black Cat: "You really do have a fetish don't you," she said looking at a mirror before looking back at me with a small smile making me blush "Not that it isn't cute," she said.

"Can we please change the subject," I said and Black Cat nodded as we got back to discuss how our new partnership would work.

After a bit of talking, we agreed that she would go back to doing whatever she was doing, but I would keep her updated on my progress with my search and would help when I found a Millennium Item.

I also explained the rules of the collar and how she couldn't betray me in any way or the collar would punish her and if she did it would break and she would die.

I also explained that I could use my chain to call her to me and she could do the same after some tests and cursing she just nodded her head and quickly left.

I was a little bit surprised that she didn't ask many questions about me personally, X-23, or Helperbot in fact after she left and things slowed down and I went back to the study I brought it up and Red-Eye's answer caught me by surprise.

"A servant doesn't question their master only ask how it can be useful to them and what it is their master wants of them and how it is to do it,"

Not in so many words but I wasn't thick in the head Black Cat was under my complete control and influence I could make her do anything I wanted her to even change the way she thinks and sees the world even subconsciously.

Meaning she had some of her personality and free will suppressed to serve me and be loyal to me as my servant

"Ok I need to find those items and fast," I said taking the Millennium Ring and after a few tests I grabbed a globe off a shelf and made my demand clear as I put my energy into the ring.

"Where are the Millennium items," I said and the Ring glowed gold I felt my eyes grow heavy and as I closed them I could still see as I saw where the other six were.

The Millennium Rode was being held in what looked like a vault as my vision changed I saw that it was in San Francisco.

The Millennium Eye looked back at me on top of a fireplace with other archaeological artifacts inside what looked like a study and the vision changed to show me a mansion.

The Millennium Key sat collecting dust inside a wooden box inside an old castle overlooking the ocean.

The Millennium scale sat in a pile of gold coins and shining jewels surrounded by many more treasures the vision changed to show a castle but this one was gigantic and surrounded by a modern city.

The Millennium Neckless sat on a pillow in a glass case that was inside a long dark room surrounded by other items as creatures in the darkness walked past clearly guarding the room.

The Millennium Puzzle was inside an ornate wooden box still unsolved but before the vision could show me more it ended abruptly.

As I opened my eyes I saw the Ring glow dimly and the globe now had 5 burn marks on it looking at the marks I got a notification from the system and upon opening it the mission had been updated.

[Mission: Search for the pharaoh's treasures]

•Find all the millennium items

(1/7)

-Neckless, Transylvania

-Puzzle, ???

-Rode, San Francisco

-Scale, Latvaria

-Eye, New York

-Key, England

Looking at the new information the next millennium item I was going to get next was the Eye it was the closest to me besides the Rode.

"I wonder where the Puzzle is though the vision didn't give me much to work with and even the system recognizes that," I said to myself walking down the stairs to see Helperbot waiting for me.

[So what happens now?]

"Now I prepare to find the other millennium items before anyone else discovers their power," I said then I look to X-23 who looks up at me with her usual neutral expression "But to do that I think we need to understand one another better if you're ok with helping me," I said sitting down in front of her.

Seriously it's been a week now and I have yet to learn her name I don't want to assume it's Laura Kinney, but she still had yet to even call herself X-23.

But to my surprise, the silent girl nodded her head then pointed at herself then pointed at my duel disk for a second I was confused before I got it.

"You'll tell me your name in exchange you want to learn how to duel?" I asked and she nodded her head.

'Well that's going to change some things in the future if mutants learn how to play Yugioh,' I thought but after some internal discussion with my partner, we both agreed it was a good idea.

If she became loyal to me I could have one of the best fighters in the Marvel universe as a bodyguard who can summon monsters plus having a duel spirit could help her out.

"Fine ill teach you if you give me your name and help me claim the other millennium item deal?" I asked and she nodded and extended one of her claws.

She took a plate and began scratching into the clean porcelain after a long time covering my ears she showed me the plate and what she had carved into it.

'X-23'

"Alright X-23 tomorrow ill start teaching you how to duel," I said feeling a lot more excited about what is to come than I expect to be.