Duelist's Point
Chapter 12: A Rescue Mission
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This island was very strange, Mokuba decided as he trudged through a swamp in the middle of the forest. It was covered in a random array of biomes, but there were no animals in sight. He sighed as he steadied himself after slipping on some mud. His body was aching for rest, but his mind refused to allow him any.

On the way to Pegasus's castle, the strange winged creature had said some strange words and then seemed to literally suck the life force out of Jounouchi's sister with his fingers. He had licked his lips and moved to do the same to Mokuba, but he had been too fast for him, biting his hand, pinching his underarm, kicking his stomach, and jumping off into what looked like a large bed of grass. Praying that his brother's skill of leaping and landing from helicopters was genetic, he had whizzed through the air, eyes wide open. He landed perfectly on his feet for a second before stumbling and hurting his ankle, which was now swollen painfully.

As he rested and munched on a granola bar he had put his backpack—from the rations from the airplane—he had debated whether to attempt to find his way back to the campsite or to continue going to Pegasus's castle to see what he could do to help rescue Shizuka. He felt horribly guilty for having escaped while the girl remained in the winged creature's captivity. Soon, she would probably be delivered to Pegasus, who might take her soul, like he had Mokuba and Kaiba's before. He wished that he had been able to escape with Shizuka, but she had been unconscious, and he had been so intent on getting away that he hadn't thought of her.

While he yearned to help her, he also worried about his brother, who was doubtless worrying himself sick. Mokuba sighed. Although he was tempted to return to the campsite, he wasn't even sure if the group would still be there. They had most likely already started their trek to Pegasus's castle and were probably heading his way. It would be stupid for him to travel backwards; the smartest thing to do would be to rescue Shizuka and then reunite with his brother and Yuugi, who would most likely be at the castle by then.

Nodding, he had gotten to his feet, cringing, and had begun his journey.

And here he was, slowly trudging through mud and grime. Supporting himself with a large, sturdy branch, he sighed at his slow progress. He hoped that Shizuka was okay.

An hour passed before he stumbled upon a slumbering girl in the midst of trees. Startled by the first sign of life he had seen since escaping from the winged creature, he knelt at her side and peered at her curiously.

She looked vaguely familiar, and he suddenly remembered her as one of Yuugi's friends. Upon closer inspection, he saw that she wore a thick gold band around her wrist that bore the same emblem that was carved into his Signet Ring.

"Hey… Hey, wake up!" he shook her shoulder, but she didn't move. He frowned and shook her harder—still no response. How strange…

He was pondering whether or not he should just leave her and continue on his mission when her eyes opened blearily, green shot with gold.

"Ugh," she groaned, "what happened? Damn, my head hurts." Rubbing her temples, she blinked and looked at Mokuba, who was crouched next to her. "Who are you?"

"Mokuba," he said, holding his hand out for her to shake. "You're Yuugi's friend, right?"

She blinked in bemusement at his extended hand. "Yuugi? Oh, the Pharaoh's reincarnation. Er, my reincarnation is his friend. I'm Lei."

He laughed at her confusion. "You shake it. It's what you do when you meet people."

"Weird," she muttered before taking his hand and letting him shake it up and down. "Oh," she said, looking at him more closely, "you're the kid who was kidnapped, yeah?"

He nodded but scowled. "I'm not a kid."

Lei ignored him. "What happened to the other girl that was with you?"

Mokuba scuffed the ground with his toe, biting his lip and looking down guiltily. "I fought and escaped, but the creature had already knocked her out. I'm afraid that Pegasus is going to take her soul. I want to save her."

"Take her soul?" Lei repeated. "The things that attacked us—more of these flying things—told us that they wanted our souls. Do you know something about that?"

Shaking his head, Mokuba said, "We've encountered Pegasus before, and he took my soul and my brother's soul. I'm just afraid that he'll do the same to Shizuka. Nobody deserves that."

Lei shuddered, rubbing her forehead. "It certainly doesn't sound pleasant."

"Hey, where did the rest of them go?" Mokuba wondered.

Lei grimaced. "Like I said, we were attacked. They shot me with some kind of magical dart that knocked me out. And now everything hurts like hell," she muttered. "I don't know what happened after that, but I hope that everyone escaped. Somehow, I doubt it, though; I don't think Mazaki could have maintained the shield without me."

His eyes wide, Mokuba said, "You mean, Yuugi and everyone could be in trouble right now?"

"Very possibly, yes," Lei replied dejectedly.

"Oh no, I hope Nii-sama is okay…" Mokuba murmured, suddenly ten times more worried than he was before. "Do you want to come with me? I could use your help."

"Where are you going?"

"On a rescue mission," he said matter-of-factly. "I have to save Shizuka, and then I want to talk to Pegasus and ask him what he's planning so that we can stop him. I won't let him use us like little pawns in his sick game."

Lei's lips turned the slightest bit upward. "I like your spirit, kid. I think I will accompany you. I want…" She hesitated. "I want to save my Renn," she said quietly, remembering the sturdy grip of her host's hand in hers as she cheered her on.

"All right!" Mokuba grinned, wincing as he accidentally put weight on his injured ankle. "But first, let's take a break," he sighed. Then, he pulled up the left leg of his pants, scowling at the swollen ankle. At the sight of the injury, Lei made a soft sound of sympathy and leaned closer to look at it.

"Too bad Mazaki isn't here," she murmured. "You could really use the Amulet…"

"The Amulet?" Mokuba repeated. "Is that the Regalia item that Anzu has?"

Lei nodded. "It has healing properties. It would come in handy right now."

"So you know about the Regalia?" Mokuba questioned. He thrust his Signet Ring at her. "What does this do?"

"The Signet Ring of Promise," Lei said, peering at it. "It binds promises and oaths so that they cannot be broken."

"Neat," Mokuba said, pulling it back and grinning at it.

"All pieces of the Regalia also have the power to produce a shield that will protect you from physical and magical assault, to some degree. It is possible to shield others as well, but I wouldn't advise that you do so until after you have more practice with magic."

Mokuba nodded. "That makes sense. How do I make the shield?"

"Just concentrate on protecting yourself and will the magic out of your system, through your fingertips. Like so." She took a deep breath and a weak magical shield fizzled to life around her. She frowned. "Never mind that; that was weak. I'm low on my magical reserves from that battle."

He squeezed his eyes shut, fists clenched. There was a surge of magic in the air, and then nothing. He opened his eyes and frowned, disappointed.

"It didn't work."

"It did, you just didn't release the energy. You felt that magic rising within you, right?" He nodded. "You have to hold onto it and then release it after it builds up. Will the shield into existence around you. If it helps any, say 'Shield' as a command to help you focus your energy."

Clenching his eyes shut again, he sat in silence for two seconds before shouting "Shield!" A shield appeared around him, faint but still visible. His eyes shot open, and he grinned at the shield, causing him to lose his concentration. The magical barrier faded away.

"Focus is the main secret of mastering magic," Lei explained. "Once you lose it, you lose your connection with your magical reserves."

He nodded again. "I'm going to perfect it," he said firmly. Lei chuckled, closing her eyes again.

"Good. But don't tire yourself out, or you won't have the energy to do anything when the time comes. I'm going to go to sleep, if you don't mind. My body feels like it was stabbed by a thousand pins. We can set off for your friend soon, but you look like you need some rest as well."

"Yeah," he agreed, laying down a few feet away from her. Although he twisted and turned for a while, unaccustomed to sleeping on such a hard and unforgiving surface, he eventually drifted off to a tumultuous sleep, filled with shields and his brother and Shizuka and angels.