The Soul Cages
Copyright 2010 Q Illespont
All characters trademarked by their appropriate owners.
Chapter 11
Gosalyn snarled, and part of her smiled as the shade with the appearance of her father was riddled with bullets. Only a moment, though; it looked like a Waffen SS squad was after her. With a quick roll, she lunged forward, skewering the lead private. She glared into his shocked eyes as she wrested his submachine gun from his hands, and without looking sprayed its magazine into the rest of his mates, finally shoving him off the blade with her foot.
A few more slices, and she was again alone in the arena. Another glance showed she'd just finished number 852. She smiled to herself as she imagined what the arena would look like were the corpses to stay instead of disappear. A pile of slain foes, probably high enough that she could climb out and bring down the King of the Sea! She smiled as she shifted her grip on the hilt of her sword. Indeed, once she was done here, she'd take his offer and show him what she thought of it with swift strokes of her slaying sword.
A thought echoed in her mind. She remembered that two demons appeared, looking like her father. Maybe one was really him? She didn't directly kill either; one killed the other, and then was cut down by the Nazis she had recently downed. Both were claiming they were real; one was screaming that she should take it easy, the other that the first was a fraud.
Why should she listen to either? As another wave appeared, she didn't even hesitate; charging in, her weapon carved through the group before they could draw their own weapons. She laughed louder as, now even bloodier, she stepped back out of the alcove. 872 now.
She wasn't even feeling tired! A spin of her sword around and over her even brought cheers from the damned spectators, and she acknowledged it with a bloodthirsty roar of her own.
Her next enemy was a single knight. With ease she grabbed his upraised wrist, yanked him off-balance while sending his mace thudding uselessly into the ground, brought her sword up in one hand, and hacked his torso in two.
That brought back the reminder of how the discussion with the doubles ended. The first one who imitated Darkwing had attacked her, and landed the powerful Web Kick; if it weren't for her determination to win, she'd probably have been defeated by now after the blow.
Come to think of it, the fiend had performed a very good kick. She sagged, panting as she considered the paradox.
A growl brought her out of her thoughts. Another half-dozen mooks, although apparently these were more expert. Parries, dodges, even occasional kicks helped fend her off, and consideration of the debate was replaced with red fury. This was soon sated in red blood, and number 879 went down in pieces.
'I'll tear you apart!' she yelled as the door opened again, and dove into the crowd behind it. With glee, she saw them shrink back, whimpering. That didn't stop her from painting the cavern with their blood, glaring as the last fell off the end of her sword.
Panting again, she turned, staying in the alcove. Another door opened, and she smiled, wanting this massacre to be in the open. There were about ten more demons, and they hesitated as well.
As she waited, she thought about the kick. It was her father's special manoeuvre, and no-one else had really perfected it. Perhaps Goose Lee would have, except he had his own preferred attack and was proud of it. Maybe that's what was going on.
But why would he actually tell her to be careful? She was winning easily! She could almost see the end, standing over the King, sword at his throat, forcing him to give up ... give up ...
Give up her father, right? That's what this was about, a voice in her head reminded her.
Right, another answered. Across a river of blood, atop a mountain of skulls, she will win.
Win her family back, of course.
Right, the other voice said. And then on from there. She was mighty. She can remake the world. FOWL, the Fiendish Five, everyone. The power was in her, and she can seize it and bend it to her will. All would fear her.
Whoa, the first voice echoed. You sound like Dad did in the future.
As she thought of Dark Warrior Duck, her sword faltered in her grip. She stepped out of her alcove, and shook her head, then looked over the newest set of enemies.
They cringed back, and now she could hear faintly words. She couldn't make out what they were, but she could see that some were trying to push others in front of them. Others were pulling odd things from their pockets.
All were cowards, begging and pleading and scheming against each other to avoid her.
The voice in her mind all but shouted for her to bring them down. Bring justice! Show them no mercy! They deserve none! No-one does! Destroy!
Wait. Why would they send THESE guys? she thought to herself in response. They're no threat to me!
Look at them, the first voice in her head echoed. Cowering bureaucrats, plutocrats, and other things that end in -crats. These guys are just as evil as a marauding barbarian, just behind a desk. These guys wield the pens that are supposed to be mightier than the sword. Show them! Tear them limb from limb!
She blinked at the phrase. Did I just think that? she wondered.
She turned her eyes up to the rim, the audience. They were even holding up signs and posters of her, but not how she usually thought of herself. Even when she'd fantasise about being a bold barbarian hero, she never looked that savage, that bloodthirsty.
Whoa, she thought to herself. What am I doing here?
Killing everything that moves, the other voice answered.
Why?
To ... to save Dad.
She then looked back up, and gulped. A chill echoed through her arms as the final pieces of the puzzle fell in place in her mind. The first one was Dad, she thought to herself.
And then the King sent his guy to confuse you.
But why'd Dad attack me?
Duh! The King owns his soul, stupid!
Then why'd he tell me to stop fighting? He should know that I can do this! I can do this without his help!
Hold on there, the other voice echoed. He's been next to the villain all this time. He had to cheat to get to me, and give me that message. We have to stop killing everything.
But I can do this, she thought. I can be the hero!
Like Dark Warrior?
She felt as if weeks of fatigue had hit her as she remembered the sight. 'Oh my God,' she whispered aloud. The demons around the pit gasped, a few dropping their props. For several minutes, nothing happened.
'Show her the path!' the King roared from above, and another door slid open. This one was full of other demons. Gosalyn gulped, and readied her blade. 'How do I do this without killing them, then?'
As long as you have spirit, she heard in her mind, from two voices. One was her grandfather; the other was Darkwing. She gritted her teeth. 'I'm ready,' she said, and threw her sword down.
The horde dove at her.
---
Darkwing was back in his cage, The King pounded the roof, rattling his prison. 'Make her beg for death!' he roared. 'Make her suffer for a thousand lives!'
Darkwing himself held onto the mesh door. He hated to see this, but a part of him rejoiced as Gosalyn gave up her sword. His message had gotten through! Now all she had to do was ... take hours of violence. There were quite a few left. Still, at least her soul had held up. So far.
As the true ordeal started, he watched Gosalyn dodge, evade, parry, block quickly. The numbers started overwhelming her, though, and soon she disappeared in the melee.
The King hauled his cage up, leering at him. 'Her will cannot stand up. Either she will falter enough for one to kill her, or she will give in. There is much darkness in her, Darkwing, and she will be my immortal weapon, with your soul powering her. All you did was make sure she sufferred before the end. Remember that!'
Darkwing cringed, but the back of his mind registered the fine details again. This time, despite his fear, he remembered that the key was that Gosalyn can't die as long as his soul was the King's. He prayed to himself that she knew well enough.
---
Without thinking, Gosalyn felt her hands shoot out. One demon fell, clutching his smashed windpipe. Her other hand felt a crunch, and a second dropped with a shattered beak.
She gasped to herself, and turned back to the rest. It looked like the King had sent everything at her now, the remaining demons. Over a hundred had been left, and this was turning into a savage mauling. And she had to somehow stand up to it. She'd learned enough skill to defend, but all the while she'd been aching to strike during her lessons; now she had to almost fight her limbs to stop herself from getting closer to killing the last of the damned.
She then remembered the crowd of cowards. If they were still in the back, she could dispatch this bunch and leave them. That'd win it for her!
That train ended as a shrill shriek erupted behind her. She was barely able to get her hand up to stop a garotte from wrapping around her throat; a shift of her hips and a quick lever brought one of the bureaucrats down onto the arena floor. They'd found their courage, apparently; she couldn't rely on them staying back now.
She winced, and gritted her teeth, steeling herself.
---
Darkwing's eyes scanned the screaming horde in the pit. 'That's everyone. No-one left behind,' he whispered to himself.
'Indeed,' the King growled. 'She'll give in to her true nature soon enough.' At Darkwing's silence, he chuckled. 'Oh, have you ever wondered about what truly is in your daughter's soul?'
'No, I've pretty much figured that out. Rough around the edges, but good at heart.' Darkwing smiled. 'Of course, without my help she would've been one of yours. No wonder you don't like me that much. And you missed out on Morgana, too. Hmm, who else can I get a hold of?'
The King of the Sea snarled. Darkwing smiled as he saw his face start to twist in rage. 'Aww, is the poor King of the Sea too weak to even tempt an impressionable little girl? Face it, redboy, you're as beguiling as a bureaucrat, as tempting as talcum powder, and as soft and subtle as a sandpaper massage!'
'And what do you hope to gain from taunting, Darkwing?' the King growled.
'The fact that you're no king. You're not menacing at all! You'd get booed out of a Halloween children's special! You'd be better off wearing a sheet with eyes cut out. In fact, you'd probably be improved if you looked like a potato!'
'And what of the father who neglects his daughter? You try to be the perfect parent, yet there she is, abandoned to my hordes. And all thanks to you, Darkwing,' the King snarled. 'You dragged her soul to Hell, just as I wanted, and she WILL succumb!'
'Hardly,' Darkwing said, tugging his lapels. 'It runs in the family. In fact, I bet you that she comes out of there not only still good, but also with an understanding of the rights of the accused, AND the patience to not fly off the handle! This isn't a hellish test, this is a character building exercise!'
Darkwing smiled as the King fumed. The more he could keep him distracted, the less he could interfere with what was in the arena. The demons might even have problems assaulting Gosalyn if he keeps the King angry enough. 'It's the classic trap evil falls in. You try to seduce the good guy and all you do is teach them how to be the ultimate crimefighter.'
'Then perhaps I'll do something else,' the King yelled. He raised his arm up, then brought it down. With a roar, a huge pillar of water smashed down into the pit. Darkwing gasped as the torrent quickly filled the fighting area to the edges.
'I am the King of the Sea!' he roared. 'And as she is dying oh so slowly in a watery grave, her soul is now consigned to ME!' While Darkwing stared in shock, the King then smoothed his features and sat back in his throne. 'I hope you two enjoy each other's company here.'
Oh, you don't think it's over yet, do you?