Chapter 23- A Trip to the Soul Bank
"Would you explain why we need to get to the Vault?" Drake asked.
"So I can set Helen down." Matt said. "She's put on a few pounds and I don't want to have to drop her every time we run into some fiends. And I'm not in the best shape of my life."
"What are you talking about? You're stronger, faster, and tougher than anyone I've ever known." Drake said. "How aren't you in great shape?"
"Because, if you haven't noticed, my body is falling apart. I'm only in decent shape, by ninja standards-"
"That's still better than all of us combined." Flynn muttered.
"-and I have so many injuries it's ridiculous." Matt finished. "My muscles are rotting, and my bones are weak. I have about a quarter of the energy I used to have. My memory is failing; I used to know over 1000 ninja techniques and skills, now I can remember about 2. I have several diseases. I'm just a shadow of what I once was."
"Really? How good were you?" Keith said.
"Let's see… in my heyday, there wasn't a single ninja that could best me in single combat, and most squads couldn't either, even with their leaders. Like I said, I'm just a shadow of what I once was, though some say I still have it. I can't even use my true fighting form because I don't have the energy to do it anymore. That's why I learned Drunken Fist in the first place. That and because it was funny."
"Really? That's too bad." Flynn said. "It would have been cool to see you at the top of your game, rather than the bottom of it."
"I suppose. But I'm not totally at rock bottom. I've still got a little left, and I'm still pretty good at dueling. Who knows, you might yet see me back at my top if I find something…"
"What? What are you looking for?" Keith said.
"I'm not looking for anything. I said that if I found something I might come back a little. But I'm not looking for it. It's just a myth, I'm not going to hope." Matt said. They continued to press him, but he wouldn't speak anymore about it. For a while they walked in silence. Then Julie stirred and woke up.
"What happened?" She said weakly. "I feel… well, actually I don't. My entire body is numb."
"You were shocked with approximately fifty volts, at a current rate of 9 milliamps, across the chest, head, and body. You have reason to feel numb. It's almost miraculous that you survived. I'm sure they didn't want to kill you, for one reason or another, but they caused the electricity to pass across and through your heart." Matt said. "In addition, they bound you so hard that it cut into your flesh. Do you remember anything?"
"Only a little… I remember that something hit me hard on the head… and I remember seeing this huge pile of dead bodies… oh…" Julie broke into tears.
"What?" Drake said. "What's wrong?"
"It's just that…oh…" She sniffled, wiped her eyes, and continued crying. "The fiends… they… have a pile of the dead in a room. It's horrible. Mutilated bodies, men, women, even babies… it made me sick…" Julie continued to sob.
Matt lay a gentle hand on Julie's shoulder. "It's okay. Just forget it."
"I…I don't think I can."
Matt sighed. "Can you move?"
"A…a little…I think."
"Set her down, Drake."
Drake slowly lowered Julie to the ground. Her feet hit the ground and Drake let go. For a moment it looked like her legs wouldn't hold, but after bracing herself against a wall and taking some time to steady herself, she was able to walk normally.
"Okay, that's good." Matt said. "Let's get going again." They proceeded down the passage, hung a left, and walked down another passageway, slowing down for Julie. It didn't take too long to reach the Vault of Souls. "See? Piece of cake."
"Uh, Matt? One thing- we don't have the key." Keith said.
Matt smiled wryly. "See what I meant when I said that my memory was failing? I can't even remember that the vault needs a key!"
"AHA! You fools!!!" A fiend dropped from the ceiling.
"Or did I?" Matt whispered.
"Now I will destroy you all!" said the fiend. "One by one!"
"Okay then, let's go." Drake said, and activated his duel disk.
"Who said I was challenging you?" the fiend growled. "No, I'm challenging her!" He pointed at Julie.
What a surprise! Drake thought. Going after Julie when she's weakest! Where have we seen this before? Oh, yeah, every other fiend does this!
"Who, me?" Julie said. "Uh, okay…"
"Ha! I knew I picked the perfect person to warm up on." The fiend taunted. "Now, let's go!"
"Let's duel!"
Julie: 4000Fiend: 4000
"Do you think she'll be okay?" Drake said. "She still looks bad."
"She'll do fine." Matt said. "I've seen people in a lot worse condition than her, and they were fighting like heroes."
"Yes, but those were your ninja friends! We don't have that kind of training or resistance to pain!" Drake said.
"That wasn't during my ninja days. That was from my days in the army. I saw one man get shot three times in the same shoulder, and he acted like he wasn't hurt at all. He kept his rifle to that shoulder and kept firing."
"You were in the army?"
"Yes, but we'll talk about that later."
"I'll go first!" said the fiend. He drew a card. "You'll never win! I set a monster in defense mode and add a facedown card! Your turn."
"Is that all you've got?" Julie said, and drew a card. "Hm…not exactly what I wanted, but I can roll with it. I'll summon Dark Blade (Dark/Warrior, 1800/1600) in attack mode!" Julie's Dark Blade appeared, surrounded in an eerie pinkish glow. "Wait, that's not normal…"
"So? Make your move already so I can annihilate you!" said the fiend.
"Fine then! Dark Blade, attack his monster!"
"Ha! That was my Giant Rat! When he's destroyed in battle, I get to special summon an Earth attribute monster with 1500 attack points in attack mode. So, I'll bring out my Crioshpinx (Earth/Rock/Effect, 1200/2400)."
"So? He can't match Dark Blade."
"Not yet he can't, but later he shall. Are you finished?"
"Yes, I am."
"Good! Now let the torture begin!" The fiend drew a card. "I switch my Sphinx to defense mode, then I'll set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."
"Wow, you're no fun to play with." Julie said. She drew a card. "Yeah. Not good. I guess… hmm…I'll set this card and end my turn."
"Ha! You fool!" The fiend drew a card. "Now I'll reveal my facedown monster! Golem Sentry (Earth/Rock/Effect, 800/1800)! When he's flip summoned, I get to return one monster on the field to the owner's hand! So, your Dark Blade is now bounced back to your hand! And because of Criosphinx's special ability, I now get to discard a card from your hand!"
"Oh no!" Julie said.
"And now, the card that's farthest left in your hand is gone!"
"Ha! You fool! That was Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World! When he's sent from my hand to the graveyard, I get to special summon him! (Dark/Fiend/Effect, 2300/1400)" Goldd appeared on the field, shrouded in the same pinkish aura that had surrounded Dark Blade. "And because you are the one who discarded him, I get to choose two cards on your side of the field and destroy them! So, I'll get rid of your Sentry and your facedown card!"
"Ha! My facedown card was the Dark Coffin! When it's destroyed while facedown, I get to destroy any monster on your side of the field! And that means that Goldd is gone!"
"No! But I just summoned him!"
"And now the Shadow Game shall kick in! You see, in this game, every one of your monsters represents the memory of a person you care about! So, when the monster is destroyed, so is the memory, and your knowledge of the person!"
"No!"
"Oh, dear." Matt said. "This isn't good. I remember when this happened the first time."
" 'The first time'? When was that?" Drake asked.
"Do you ever pay attention in Dueling History Class?" Keith said.
"Not this year." Drake said. "I kept falling asleep, remember?"
"Oh, yes. I remember now." Keith frowned. "That was an interesting lesson, though. We were discussing Battle City, you see, and the duel between one Mai Valentine and another Marik Ishtar came up. We were discussing whether or not there actually was a Shadow Game in that instance or not. The Shadow Game that Marik used was the same damn game as this one is- memory deletion. Mai was a world-hardened person, and the game broke her. I don't want to think about what it will do to Julie, she's much more sensitive than Mai was."
"An unfortunately accurate summary. This is going to be harder than anything she's ever been through. She's been through physical torture, yes, but oftentimes this psychological torture is much worse…" Matt said.
"And now, let's find out who you'll forget!" The fiend said. Julie looked stunned for a moment, then cried out.
"Flynn! No! Wait! Come back…" Julie reached out as if trying to grab something just out of her reach. Her hand fell down and she began to sob.
"Julie!" Matt said. "Stand up! You need to win this!"
"But…Flynn is gone…" She said, and looked right at him. "I'll never see him again…"
"But I'm right here!" Flynn said.
"Don't bother." Matt whispered. "She can't see or hear you unless you get to her in a very intense way that I don't think you can."
"Oh…" Flynn said, and looked helpless. "What should I do?"
"Well, don't talk to us so we don't look weird to her."
"Yeah, that would look strange."
"And just watch the match."
"Okay."
"Now then, it's still my turn, is it not?" said the fiend. "Hmm…what to do? Let's see…I'll just set a monster and end my turn."
"Okay…uh…I can do this…I think…" Julie drew a card. "Uh, I'll summon Zure, Knight of Dark World (Dark/Fiend, 1800/1500) in attack mode! Now, I'll attack your facedown monster!"
"Ha! That was my Moai Interceptor Cannons (Earth/Rock/Effect, 1100/2000), and since he has more defense than your attack, you lose life points!"
Julie: 3800Fiend: 4000
"Unfortunately for me, your monster was not destroyed, so you retain your precious memories."
"Okay…I'll end my turn, I guess…"
"Ha!" The fiend drew a card. "Playing like that, you won't last long! I sacrifice my Cannons to summon Hieracosphinx (Earth/Rock/Effect, 2400/1200) in attack mode! Now, my Sphinx, destroy her Knight!"
Julie: 3200Fiend: 4000
"And because another of your monsters is destroyed, you lose the memory of another person! Let's find out who!"
Julie looked stunned again, then screamed. "NO! Matt! Please! Don't leave me now! I need you…I can't go on like this! Come back…" She broke into tears. The fiend smiled evilly.
"Hehe…I knew I chose well. Let's see her do something after this!"
"Julie! You have to keep dueling!" Drake said.
"Yes! If you don't, we'll all be doomed!" Keith said.
"But…they've left already…first Flynn and then Matt…it hurts…" She continued to cry. "If I keep dueling, I'll lose you all!" And she continued to sob into her hands.