Demon Card Enforcer 3, Chapter 37

Chapter Thirty-Seven: What Crime Paid

            Wolfe decided to look at the Unique Infernal creature cards first. He was going to look for canine ones first, but as he scrolled down the list, he realized, with growing frustration, that it wouldn’t even come to that. There were literally only two unique creatures mentioned, and neither were canine subtype.

            The first unique creature card was imp subtyped. The card front showed a thin, sneering imp with a hand on the end of its tail—a hand with improbably long and slender fingers.

Bartrill, the Fifteen Fingers

Unique Uncommon Equivalent, Tier-7 equivalent Infernal (Imp) Creature

1 Infernal Power

Health: 9

Attack: 4

Defense: 4

Magical Attack: 4(Fire)

Magical Defense: 4

Special: Filch: When this card comes into play it steals any one equipment card that any opposing deckbearer or creature card has equipped and equips it regardless of other requirements, gaining any numerical bonuses as if it qualified with all keywords.

Special: Speedy: The first card with the speedy keyword played per 30 seconds doesn’t count against cards played.

“Envy manifests in many ways, and forms the basis of multiple Infernal lords profiles. Bartrill has worked for more than one of them, taking a cut on this theft or that.”

            Wolfe glanced at the price. Six million. Holy shit.

            “That’s… expensive,” Wolfe said.

            Lisa answered for the duo as usual. “No other card like it in existence. Plus, you’d need seven hundred and twenty-nine uncommon cards to make a tier-7 uncommon card. Even if they were a mere hundred k for each, that’s over seventy million I’d remind you. This is, dare I say it, a steal at this price.”

“Ha ha,” Wolfe said, dryly. “Why the cheap price, then?”

“A lot of reasons,” Lisa said, her face bored again. “Probably because the card is so situational, one. Also, you could make seventy-two deckbearers with those uncommon cards. Lastly, most people don’t drive to the truly absurd levels, usually settling for tier two or three, really. Tier seven is for emperor’s and world-bestriding business owners.”

Hans finally stepped in. “Except for the orphan cards. Those seem to go up in tier fairly easily.”

            Lisa brushed her blond hair from her shoulder but didn’t respond.

            “I wonder what the personality of fifteen fingers here would be like,” Shel muttered.

            Wolfe snorted. “Unpleasant six days of the week, and utterly intolerable the seventh.”

            He raised an eyebrow as Fern actually giggled from next to him at the tiny table. Didn’t expect that weak joke to land with anyone, much less her.

            Wolfe checked out the second card. The card showed a giant, legless demon, vaguely humanoid, with clouds of green gas wrapped around it and spewing from it.

Sligrethak, The Choking Land

Unique Rare-equivalent, Tier-4 equivalent Infernal Creature

4 Infernal, 4 Any Power

Health: 50

Attack: N/A

Defense: 17

Magical Attack: 17(Corruption)

Magical Defense: 17

Special: Incorporeal: This creature does not take damage from physical attacks

Special: Choke the World: This ability does 5 true damage every round to everything, except this card, corruption creatures, and the deckbearer, that is on the battlefield as Corruption damage, modified only by resistances and weaknesses, every round. All Nature, Plant, Beast, [Land], [Point of Interest], and [Civic], buildings and persistent have no effect in the aura. All Corruption creatures have their stats doubled.

Special: Corrupt the Game [20]: Every deckbearer that is slain has a 20% chance to have every card (checked per card, not as a whole) matching the types above change to either an equivalent Corruption card.

“Sligrethak is a top minion of the Infernal Lord Belial, lord of impurity. He pulls on the worst of industry to choke the life from the land and cities both.”

“Gross,” Shel muttered as she stared at the card.

“Yeah, I’m sure its personality is absolutely delightful,” Miriam muttered with a laugh.

            Wolfe wasn’t very impressed by the card either—it was hugely powerful, but it cost his entire power load to cast, couldn’t be used with his Demonic Portal cards, and hurt his allies as well.

            He glanced at the other side of the screen. The price is an insane fifty million as well. I couldn’t afford it without dipping into reserves.

            “They don’t have any really useful unique cards… what about other things?”

            Wolfe glanced at the list again. They had a bunch of cheap Angry Hellhounds, but nothing really notable from any of the other categories Wolfe had asked for.

            “What can we get in cash?” Fern suddenly asked, leaning forward.

            “What?” Wolfe interjected before anyone else could say anything. “Why would we take cash?”

            Lisa started typing furiously into her computer.

            Fern hesitated, her fingers taping out a rhythm on the table before she answered. “Well… we couldn’t sell the cards through Gavin’s because we need the cash fast, and Gavin’s auctions through. But we can go to their local store, as well as the rest of the Noimoire card exchange, and buy the stuff they already have there. If we have cash, or money in a bank account, really, that can’t be traced. You can get access to a huge variety of cards, maybe even some professional help.”

            “Professional help?” Wolfe asked, briefly intrigued.

            “Yeah, they have deck specialists, who make their living studying cards and combos and sell the expertise, not to mention keeping tabs on what’s available at the stores.”

            Lisa suddenly spoke. “My principal will give you twenty-eight million in cash for the cards.”

            That’s both highway robbery and better than I expected once again, Wolfe thought.

            He turned and stared at the women with him. “Do you think this is a good idea? I’m hardly in a good position with the police right now, given…”—Wolfe glanced at Lisa and Hans before finishing.—“everything. Shouldn’t I keep a low profile? I mean, it’ll be pretty obvious where I am.”

            Fern shook her head, a slight smile playing over her usually pensive features. “It may raise questions, since you’ll be spending a lot of money with no obvious source—if anyone pays enough attention. Gavin’s doesn’t report to any agencies in the government, thanks to longstanding deck secrecy laws, so they’d have to have someone there watching, and why would they? Plsu, you’ll be acting the opposite of suspicious—you’ll be appearing in public, openly going about your business. It’s the perfect disguise!”

            Wolfe hesitated, casting his eyes over at Shel. She smiled and nodded.

Wolfe turned to Lisa and Hans. “I saw you have another eleven Angry Hellhounds for some reason, for the price of twenty thousand each. Can I get those, and then, I guess, the rest in cash?” Wolfe asked.

            “Of course,” Lisa replied.

***

            “We should make a day of it,” Shel said from the front passenger seat.

            “What?” Wolfe asked, startled from his musings on his upcoming battles. “A day of what?”

            “I want to be a part of the day!” Miriam said from the back of the Ford 150.

            “What day?” Wolfe asked again, his hands gripping the steering wheel tight as he pulled around a silver sportscar that wasn’t using even an ounce of its get up and go.

Shel answered. “We should make a day out of going to the card exchange. We haven’t been to the Three Fires Arena, which is right next to it. We can get cards, have a nice dinner, and catch a couple matches along with doing what we need.”

“I have days at best to figure out finishing off the Renfeldt family,” Wolfe said as he pulled back into his lane, headed for the Card Exchange.

            Fern started to say something, but Wolfe held up his hand. “I know, I know, you have the time down to the minute.”

            In the rearview mirror, Wolfe saw Fern flush, and Miriam fake punched her arm, grinning.

            Shel leaned over. “C’mon, it’ll be fun! It’ll also add to your cover, because it is incongruous behavior for someone that just committed a massive hit on a crime family. But mostly, you’re not likely to go after your enemies in broad daylight, and you’re unlikely to need the whole day to get cards for your deck. Besides those cards, you’re as ready as you’re ever going to be.”

            “It seems pointless,” Wolfe muttered as he pulled around another car. “Why go have fun like nothings happening when we’re in the middle of a war?”

            “By the end of this, I think there’s a good chance we’re going to have to flee the country,” Shel said quietly. “I think that enjoying the city of our birth and casing some of its highlights might be the best thing we can do.”

Then Shel laughed. “Besides, shouldn’t we celebrate getting engaged?”

            Wolfe chuckled a bit himself. “I thought we did the other night.”

            Shel fake slapped his arm. “You.”

            “Seriously, though, let’s make the trip something to remember,” Shel said.

            Wolfe sighed, then signaled his turn. A moment later, he slowed and pulled onto a side street. “Alright, alright, I’ve never been good at saying no to you. We’ll do the whole thing, one last slice of normalcy, so to speak.”

            Shel clapped her hands.

            “Why’d you turn down this street?” Miriam asked as they passed some high-end shops. “The card exchange is the other way.”

            “You don’t know?” Wolfe asked. “This is where we can get some high-end clothing. If we’re gonna go to the card exchange and the Tree Fires Arena, I think we should dress the part.”