Yes. It's been a very, very long while. I know I should have updated sooner. But, to tell the truth, I was lazy. However, now that summer has begun, things should run much more smoothly now. I would like to thank all of you who have not given up on me and are reading this, and also the people who responded positively to my other story, Angry Bob Goes Camping. I didn't expect so much applause for something I made up during my Social Studies class. Well, enough of that. Here's our feature presentation!
Chapter Seven
The Flight
Bio drew one of his knives as Jacques whipped out Deathroe, both of them pointing their weapons at the intruder.
"Hold y' feathers, wot! If I was going to attack you, I jolly well would've done it by now!" the bird said spreading his wings placatively.
"Shut up and come into the light where we can see you." Bio curtly snapped, waving his shuriken. The newcomer complied, and Jacques could see that he was a kind of bird that had a reddish plume to his feathers, dotted with yellow tips at the ends. He wore what looked a prospector's hat, with what seemed to be a veil draping off the back.
"Th' name's Birdon, old chap, wot wot! Pleasure t' meet y' two fine gentlemen, I'm sure!" Birdon held out a wing enthusiastically, but Bio and Jacques just stood there, stunned by his openness.
"Ermmm…Alright then! Not that trusting, eh? Don't blame you, wot. Blooming giant came this way a couple of years ago, wot. Gleamin' red armor, and a big ol' horn to boot! Didn't trust him at first, but he proved himself later. When he left, he jolly gave me a shinin' stick to keep safe, wot! Gave me some apples to last through the winter, though, so 'twas pretty fair! Said to hold it 'til someone special came along. Not a bird, but someone who could fly! I thought, is this man bally mad, wot! Yet here y' are an' there y' flew!" the bird babbled.
"Woah, woah, woah!" Jacques held up a hand to stop him. "You said a giant with a large horn came through?" Bio then stepped in between the two.
"Woah yourself. Who says we're going after this Heavy? Sure, he gave us shelter, but he said to stay here. He wanted you to learn something here. Not to go get yourself killed." Jacques raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"You, of all people, are trying to stop me? If there's anything I've learned about you, it's that you love a good fight."
"There's something else you need to learn, that I learned as soon as I held a shuriken. 'Every man for himself.' I have fought my way through the ranks, never letting my guard down. If I go after Heavy, that's letting it down."
"Bio, he saved our lives. You owe him. Bigtime."
"He only saved me because he had to save you. I'm expendable." Jacques saw that this argument would not work, so he tried a different tack.
"Bio, he's my only link left to my father. Are you going to stand in my way of finding out who I am?"
"…I know who you are. A kid who I can't stop. Fine. We'll go." Jacques grinned in gratitude as Birdon waved a wing in front of them.
"If you've finished your little spat, I was going t' tell you where he went, wot. Lessee here, he went, er…about that way, wot wot?" Birdon said, pointing a wing.
"So he was dragged that way?"
"What d'you mean, dragged? He walked off, same as you or me!" Bio then cut in.
"How long ago was this?" Birdon took off his hat and scratched his head in concentration.
"Lessee, lessee…so including…and today's…Tuesday, right, wot? So that makes it…I don't know…about three years ago?" A large anime-esque sweatdrop appeared by Bio's and Jacques' heads.
"Okay…if you don't know where he is, can you tell us about this shining stick?" Jacques asked exasperatedly.
"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Th' stick! I jolly had it, y' know!"
"Finally, he actually says something useful…"muttered Bio.
"So where is it?" Jacques started wriggling with excitement at the idea of seeing it.
"I don't have it." Bio slumped to the ground tiredly, mumbling through clenched teeth, "Too late…"
"I thought you said you had it." Jacques accused.
"I did!"
"Then where is it?"
"I don't know!"
"Then why did you say you had it?!" snapped Bio, suddenly straightening up. Jacques fell over in surprise, while Birdon puffed up his feathers indignantly.
"Well, my good sir, I say I had it because I had it, but I don't have it anymore! I was guardin' it, waitin' for mad flyers who weren't bally birds, and I hear an odd noise. I turn around, and what happens? I get thumped on the head, pass out, and when I wake up, do y' know what happens, wot? Y' shinin' stick is bally missing! But I got somethin' in return, so to speak. The bloomin' thief left a pretty mirror behind. Nice, eh?" Bio reached for the mirror, but Birdon pushed him aside and handed it to Jacques. The young Star Warrior turned it over and around in his hands, trying to discern a clue that would lead them to Heavy on it somewhere. His eyes fell upon the seal at the top. Jacques knew he had seen it somewhere, but he just couldn't put his forehand on where. Then, memory came to him in a flash.
"Look! The seal – it's the same as the pattern on the GIMs' yo-yos!"
"You sure?" asked Bio fervently.
"I'm not sure, but I think they're the same thing. Two hammers crossing over a mirror, embossed with metallic gears. I think so, at least."
"Wait…that rings a bloomin' bell in my mind…Let me see that, wot." Jacques handed Birdon the mirror. The bird scrutinized it with great care, and came up a short while later with an answer.
"That's it! I just didn't notice the bally seal before, wot! That's the bloomin' official seal of the Castle Mekka!"
"Where's that?" asked Jacques.
"Maybe it's that large and imposing castle conveniently placed on the horizon." Bio directed, pointing west. Jacques and Birdon looked, and, sure enough, there it was, large and imposing.
"That's a nifty bit of alliteration on the author's part." remarked Jacques. However, just as he finished saying that, the castle sprouted rockets and slowly lifted off into the sky.
"…Figures." muttered Bio, as Birdon ruffled his feathers agitatedly.
"Well, you seem to be in a bit of a flamin' dilemma, wot!"
"You think?" snapped the ninja. He was about to start a rant when Jacques cut him off.
"Can you help us get up there?"
"Why the bloomin' heck would you want to do that?" Birdon responded incredulously.
"Heavy's in there. I need to get him out."
"Woah, woah, woah!" Bio stepped in between the two, facing his friend. "Who says we're going to storm the castle like commandos to rescue some giant?"
"Bio, we just had this argument. He's the only living connection to my father, and we're going after him."
"Fine, I'll help you bust him out of a camp of robots. That's one thing. But a castleful of them? A flying castleful of them? That's a different story."
"I know a perfectly good reason why you should help."
"Yeah? What?"
"You're bored."
"What?"
"I may have only known you for a couple of days, but I've seen enough of you to know that you crave action. Excitement. That invigorating feeling of blood rushing through your veins, that feeling of aliveness! And what's more, there's nothing else left for you to do. You've betrayed your fellow ninjas, so if they see you, they'll probably hang you on the spot! Let's see you argue that." After Jacques had finished his short speech, a pregnant silence fell over the trio. Then, after a minute or two, Bio cracked into a broad grin.
"You know me so well, squirt." He nodded to Birdon. "You were saying?" The feathered forester put a wing to his chin thoughtfully.
"I could probably carry one of you up, but then y'd be surrounded by flamin' Laser Balls and Capsule Js, and I'd be too tired to help y'fight. Also, that'd leave one of you a bally sittin' duck on the ground, wot? We'll just have to find another bloomin' way."
"What, do you expect one of us to sprout wings and fly?" Bio asked scathingly.
"At the moment, I'd say that's our best hope, wot." He then turned his gaze to Jacques. "But I think we can make that flippin' hope a flamin' reality. I saw your battle with Bugzzy. I saw you fly."
"So I wasn't crazy?" Jacques asked.
"No you jolly well weren't! Nice big wings they were, wot!"
"Where'd they come from?" Bio interjected. The bird simply gestured to Jacques' cloak in reply. The young Star Warrior turned around to admire his father's heirloom. It still glimmered with the same radiant glow it had when it was given to him in his dreams. Other than that, though, nothing seemed out of the ordinary about it.
"But…it's just a cloak, isn't it? I mean, sure, it looks awesome, and it used to be my dad's, but other than that…"
"It's a sight more than, 'just a cloak', old bean! Those are certified Seraphim Wings! Basic tool of Star Warriors! Just add that and a bit of willpower."
"Cool…how does it work?"
"That's where I come in." Birdon clapped a wing to Jacques' shoulder.
"I'm going to teach you how to fly."
(MEANWHILE)
William and Ern crouched into the foliage beside the GIMs. They had been tracking them for well over an hour, patiently waiting for their chance to strike. Well, one of them was.
"Uh, Willum?"
"What now, you dolt?"
"When're we gonna get 'em?"
"When they approach a clearing where we can simply replace two of our mechanical nemeses."
"…Whuh?"
"Perhaps the opportunity to surreptitiously duplicate our adversaries is when they approach their vehicles. They surely could not have covered such a distance by plodding alone." Ern scratched his head, trying to wrap his head around what 'perhaps' meant. "Shush! They are slowing their pace." Sure enough, the mechanical pace seemed to be slowing to a near halt. The apparent leader let loose a large beacon into the sky by cleverly flicking off of what seemed to be his waist with his yo-yo.
"Now is our chance!" William whispered. "Remember, attack one in the back row, and use this (stolen) Muzzle Orb."
"Dokey Bahokey!" Ern returned. The two snuck out of the bushes, took out one GIM guard each, and used their Copy Gloves to take on their forms. They then quickly blended in with the robotic squadron. Within ten minutes, a small blotch appeared in the sky that rapidly grew closer. It looked like an airship of some sort. It suddenly gave a large boost of energy and glided over to land so the Tac/GIMs could see it better. It looked like a small green biplane, except that it wore an aviator's helmet and scarf, and had two glassy red eyes.
"GIM COMMANDER REQUESTING PERMISSION TO BOARD BOMBAR." the GIM leader intoned.
"PERMISSION GRANTED" rumbled Bombar. "QUERY: WAS THE MISSION A SUCCESS?"
"AFFIRMATIVE." the commander replied as it, its troops, Heavy Knight, and the two fakes climbed aboard. William nudged Ern and muttered, "Just do as they do."
"Roight." Just then, the GIMs slung their yo-yos expertly to the airship, using them similar to reins. William, realizing he did not have this skill, expertly knotted his yo-yo to the hole. Ern, however, had somehow gotten so tangled up that it looked like he had tied himself instead of the yo-yo. Luckily for him, none of the robots on board noticed. A loud boom was heard as Bombar took off, headed for their unknown destination.
(MEANWHILE)
"You know, it's not exactly confidence-inspiring to start me out with the tallest tree in the glade." Jacques mumbled, trying not to look down. All three of the group had gathered at the top of an unnaturally large tree nearby Birdon's nest. Birdon gave a hearty guffaw.
"Easier to start at the top and go down, wot!"
"Pretty illogical logic if you ask me."
"Nonsense! You'll do bally fine!" Birdon said, giving Jacques a friendly clap on the back. This caused him to lose his balance and, flailing his arms wildly, Jacques plummeted down to what seemed to be certain death. Luckily, Bio had lightning-quick reflexes and leaped into action just as the fall began. Using his awesome ninja agility, he quickly went into a nosedive, passing Jacques and effortlessly landing on a limb mere feet from the ground. Making some split-second calculations, he threw a shuriken knife with artistic precision, catching Jacques by his cloak on a nearby tree trunk.
"…Am I dead yet?" Jacques breathed, with his eyes shut tightly.
"Regrettably, yes. Open your eyes and look at this dump they call heaven." Jacques opened his eyes tentatively, afraid he might really be in heaven. When he opened them, though, he saw the shaded glade with his ninja companion wearing a wide smirk on his face.
"Thanks for the save." Jacques exhaled gratefully. "I owe you one."
"No problem. You got me into this mess, so I might as well see you through it."
"Though there is one thing…"
"What's that?" Jacques cheekily smiled at his friend.
"Could you have made it a little more comfortable? It felt like I was being hanged." Bio then flicked out a whip, deftly plucking the weapon from the wall. Jacques' eyes bugged out in terror as his free-fall was renewed.
"Aaaaa-oof!" The distance between the tree and the ground was three feet. The ninja gracefully touched down, smirking at Jacques with a twinkle in his eye.
"That comfortable enough for you?"
One dragging up a tree later…
"Uh-uh. No way. You are not going to push me off again." Jacques kept obstinately shaking his head.
"Th' first time was a bloomin' accident, wot! Y' won't go off 'till you're ready, I swear!"
"Look' how about I lend you my parachute. Then, if things go wrong, you'll still be safe." Bio suggested.
"Why do you conveniently have a parachute on you right now?"
"I'm a ninja."
"…Works for me." Jacques shrugged as he strapped on the parachute and got poised to jump.
"Are y' ready yet, wot!"
"As ready as I'll never be!" Jacques replied as he dove down, eager to fly. Birdon watched him intently with his eagle-like eyesight while Bio toyed with a shuriken knife in his hand.
"Shoot." The ninja mumbled as he cut himself and the knife slipped out of his hand, toppling toward the flyer-in-training. The good news was that this story was not brought to a sudden, messy end.
The bad news was that it slit the parachute in two.
(MEANWHILE)
Jacques had just felt his load lighten, and he saw the knife hurtling toward the ground beside him. This caused him to assume the worst. He desperately tried to remember what he had done before, against Bugzzy, but it was just out of his mental reach. He silently said a fond farewell to all of his friends, especially Heavy Knight, Bio Spark, and Birdon. Suddenly, a great light flashed before his eyes as time seemed to stand still. A strange voice then pierced through the brightness,, overwhelming his senses. It seemed familiar to him, but in a way that was entirely new. It spoke just one word:
Believe.
Then, just as quickly, Jacques was returned to his death-inducing dive. Quickly, he reviewed the experience and attempted to learn from it. He closed his eyes and tried to recall that feeling of flight that he had experienced once before. He tried to recall that sense of true freedom, soaring up towards Bugzzy. The memory seemed so vivid, he could practically feel the wings flapping behind him.
Jacques looked and saw that they were.
He couldn't believe it. He was actually flying! All he had to do was will the wings to flap, and they worked like any other muscle.
"I did it!" the Star Warrior shouted to the skies.
"I did it!" He bellowed at his awestruck friends below.
"I did it." He whispered to his father, who doubtlessly would have been looking upon him with pride that day.
(THE NEXT DAY)
William and Ern woke up just as the rest of the GIMs activated. A red alarm klaxon sounded as the soldiers prepared for action. William saw that there were three blips in the distance, and he recognized two of them.
"Now things will get rather interesting."
TO BE CONTINUED
Yup, our heroes have started their attack on Castle Mekka. The battle there should take up a few chapters. I promise you'll find out what happens soon! Tally Ho!
Today's Useless Fact: The average human eats 28 pounds of bananas a year.
