Legacy - A Ducktales Fanfic.

24. Tricks and Trap-Doors.

There was a mechanical whirling noise, like gears churning, then suddenly the chair leaned forward, the floor beneath his feat fell away and Louie was hurtling down a dark shoot, hoping he had chosen correctly.

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Italy, 1999...

   The Città di collina is a town built near the base of the Alps in the Piemonte Region of North-West Italy. Having been founded prior to the forming of the Romans, it was a city, rich with history and culture. In the present, it currently acted as an oversized tourist attraction, consisting of shops and inns dedicated to travellers who wanted to ski or climb the nearby mountains.

The Cloud Slayer had landed in a airfield, which belonged to an old friend of Scrooge, around an hour ago and then he, alongside his teenage wards, Della, and Donald, had packed their climbing gear into the boot of a rental-car and drove over to the town.

After finding a space in a large car lot near the centre of city, Scrooge stepped outside and took a deep breath of the chilly air. - "Ya smell that kids?" - He questioned, hands on his hips, staring up into the mountains.

"Sure do, Uncle Scrooge!" - Della answered confidently, as she also stared up at the mountain range, which rose above the cloud line. - "Smells like adventure!"

Their goal today was to find and explore a temple which had been alluded to in an ancient book that Scrooge had recently bought in an auction. It had cost him five-million dollars and was choked full of information which could fuel a years worth of adventures.

As they begun to walk through the town, the adventuring party noticed that they were down a member.

"Donald, come on Lad!" - Cried Scrooge, as the teenager exited the car in a massive dark-blue parka that was zipped up to his chin and waddled over to the others. - "I hate the cold." - He complained, shivering.

Scrooge laughed. - "Ya think this is cold? Wait until we reach the top!"

Muttering a few things under his breath, Donald pushed ahead of the group and into the town.

Following her twin-brother into the town, Della watched as he quickly disappeared into the large crowds of bustling tourists browsing the various stores and food-stalls.

"Wait up Donnie!" - She shouted, sprinting into the crowds herself.

The further she walked, the more lost she got. Having existed for millennium, Città di collina had experienced much urban sprawl as the population grew, time passed and the town expanded, so the cobblestone pathed streets of the town had little regulation or coordination, and she soon found herself in the seedier side of town.

Now in a large courtyard, surrounded by large stone buildings, Della found herself in an environment where she was surrounded by suspicious individuals. Large black tarps were strung between the buildings, giving the courtyard some cover from the elements, and wooden tables and chairs were scattered around, but everyone seemed to be gathered around the one in the corner; cheering and screaming at one another.

Knowing she should be looking for her Brother, but nonetheless intrigued, Della found herself approaching the table.

Pushing to the front of the crowd, the seventeen year old found herself standing behind a large brown bear, who was hunched over the table, which was covered in various loose paper currencies, most likely stolen from tourists.

Behind the table, was another young white-feathered duck, in a old-fashioned leather and fur mountain jacket. He was shuffling three playing cards, which were backed by the a painted picture of the mountainside and bent in the middle, back and forth while taunting the crowd.