Hello everyone, and welcome to the next in-between! Now I shall warn you now: this is part one of a two-part mindscrew. Which means please properly secure yourselves for the ride and try to hang onto your brains XP. If you don't understand parts of this, that's okay, but feel free to try to figure them out. And you might want to check some of the tinier details as well...
Disclaimer: I do not own King of Bandit Jing, otherwise I'd have to put up with Kir all the time. And as cute as he is, I imagine it'd be very hard to write with a black albatross trying to hit on you all the time.
Now off to the adventure.
30th Shot: Whisper of the Lake
"So this is that brilliant shortcut to Zaza that you've heard of?" questioned Kir, covered with burrs and pine needles as he and Jing made their way through the woods.
"Yep," the Bandit King replied nonchalantly, cutting away some opposing brush. "Once we get through here, we'll practically be right on top of it."
Originally the thieving duo planned to take the train from Bacc and see what place looked like the best place to look for the Necklace of Harmonia, but then the train broke down only an hour into the trip. Then, as Jing and Kir stayed in a shabby hotel, they heard that something big was going on at Zaza, and it apparently involved a treasure other than the Vintage Smile he had stolen from there long ago. Since Zaza wasn't that far off from where they currently were, save for this forest and a brief stretch of desert, they decided to take their chances and check out what was going on in the city of masks.
As they stumbled into a rare clearing in the tangled vegetation, Jing noticed a small cave embedded into a sheer cliff-side. But the more the Bandit King studied the mouth of the cave, the more it seemed that there was something unusual about it, something uniquely alluring, as if some mystical treasure lurked just beyond its darkness…
"Hey Kir, want to do a little spelunking?" the black-haired boy asked his avian partner.
"As long as that cave doesn't have any more thorns or mosquitoes or burrs in it," grumbled Kir, picking out the excess debris from his feathers. "I mean, what if some cute dame caught me looking like this?"
"Well, let's go then," responded the gray-eyed thief, strolling into the blackness without a moment's hesitation.
IIIIIIIIII
Upon entering the first thing they realized was that this little cave wasn't so little. It was at least twenty feet high, with gray-blue stone walls that were covered in an odd glassy sheen.
The second thing they realized was that they weren't alone.
Waiting for them was a small, wrinkled old lady, sitting cross-legged on the ground with her eyes closed. Long, flowing, silver hair draped well past the middle of her back, and she was wrapped in a purple and silver robe with traces of swirling gold designs.
Opening her eyes, which were a sharp emerald green, she studied the boy and bird for a bit.
"Who are you, boy?"
"My name is Jing," the gray-eyed boy answered without another thought. "And this is Kir."
The silver-haired one rose to her feet.
"My, what a cute little pet you have there," she replied sweetly.
"Hey, I'm no pet lady. I'm the boss around here!" Kir protested.
"Oh, he's so darling…" the old lady answered, ignoring his words.
She began to walk toward the deeper part of the cave.
"Come."
"Might as well," stated Jing, shrugging and following her lead.
"Do we have to?" whined Kir. "Old hags creep me out…"
But he followed nonetheless.
IIIIIII
They had been traveling sightless in the darkness of the cave. The old woman had brought no light with her, so her whereabouts soon became unknown.
"Stupid old lady," Kir muttered. "She forgot about us, didn't she?"
Jing shrugged as he noticed a new light source up ahead slowly come into being. As he walked toward that light, he began to hear the sound of rushing water. For some reason his heart sped up slightly.
The light was being emitted from a new section of the cave, as the black-haired boy and the dark albatross soon realized. But that light came neither from a natural or artificial source, but from ghastly power residing in everything there. From the brown flood that thrashed about the cave, to the ruins beaten by the liquid, to the shattered clocks thrown about; everything possessed an otherworldly glow. A fine white mist curled across the water in thick wisps.
"Looks like this place got flooded out recently," pointed out Kir, flying over the wreckage and examining it for stability. "But how'd all this water get in here? Oh well, c'mon Jing, let' hurry up and get across."
But his partner didn't move. Instead, he stared at the waters with what almost seemed like fear in his eyes.
"C'mon Jing! It's just a little water," the black avian called to him, slightly annoyed. They had dived deep into the ocean before, so it wasn't like Jing was hydrophobic or couldn't swim. So why should he worry about this?
"These building tops are pretty stable, so you should be able to hop across them to get to the other side," Kir added, landing on one to prove his point. "Or should I just go into flight fusion and carry you across because you're scared?"
The gray-eyed boy shot him an annoyed glare, and then leapt onto the nearest rooftop.
The so-called stable platform groaned as it began to shift slightly, threatening to dump him into the mud-choked flood that was nipping at his heels. Hastily he leapt onto another rooftop, only to have that rooftop fall apart beneath his feet. Quickly abandoning the deteriorating building top, he hopped across a series of broken clocks floating aimlessly in the water, their glass faces smashed in by his footsteps.
He finally arrived on a giant rock that was midnight black in hue. The white mist seemed to close in on him from all sides, obscuring everything beyond them from view. The muddy water was just a voracious, though, and a large wave crashed into and nearly pushed him off the huge stone.
As he lay belly-down across the rock, he couldn't help but notice the reflections in the liquid. But…these reflections weren't mimicking his face, or the rock right below him. Instead, there were images of people fleeing, screaming, carrying their children with them as far as possible from….what? Was this a flood too? Images of cottages being swept away soon rippled onto the surface of the brown muck as well, confirming his suspicions. Houses being swept away, trees being swept away, people being swept away…
Suddenly he squeezed his eyes tight and shook his head, and the images floating on the surface were dispelled. Sitting up and rubbing his temple, his dust-colored eyes searched for his avian partner.
"Kir?" he called out in the whiteness encasing him and the rock, but with no answer, not even an echo of his own voice. "Kir?"
After a second reply of silence, Jing closed his eyes.
I'm making too big of a deal out of this. Just relax…You are Jing. Fear does not exist. You are Jing. Weakness does not exist..
The boy in the blazing coat began to chant this to himself in his native tongue.
"Dae uso Jing
Ista nu motimo
Dae uso Jing
Ikas nu motimo"
The sound of rushing water filled his ears
"Dae uso Jing
Ista nu motimo
Dae uso Jing
Ikas nu motimo"
The sound grew louder.
"Dae uso Jing
Ista nu… motimo
Dae uso Jing
Ikas nu… motimo"
It seemed to envelope all his senses.
"D-Dae uso Jing…
Ista… nu motimo…
Dae uso… Jing…
Ikas… nu motimo…"
The images from before flashed through his mind
"D-Dae uso Jing…
Ista…"
And the images cycled through his head, faster and faster, clearer and clearer.
"Ista…Ista…Ista…"
"Hey Jing!"
The black-haired boy suddenly snapped out his spiraling trance as the dark avian flew over to his side.
"I've been looking everywhere for you! Couldn't see a thing with all this fog around," Kir explained. "I was beginning to think the flood ate you up."
"Kir…" Jing began.
"Yeah?"
"…Just lend me your wings."
"Well, you are kinda stranded out here, huh?" responded the black albatross, looking around. Within a few moments he transformed into his flight form and attached himself to Jing's back.
Being in either gun mode or flight mode allowed Kir's heartbeat to synchronize with Jing's, which more or less gave the black bird some idea of what Jing was feeling at the moment. And at that particular moment, Kir could tell that Jing's feelings were quite shaky and stressed indeed by his own somewhat hurried heartbeat.
Geez, was it that bad for him getting stranded on the rock like that?
I can hear you, you know.
Well, then was it?
…
Hey! Don't you just clam up on me like that! Hey!
The dark avian had to chance to mentally probe further, however, as the two of them soon diffused on the other side of the cave. Quietly the Bandit King walked towards the exit of the cave chamber.
"Hey Jing! Jing! Did I miss something? Jing!" Kir pestered, following along hurriedly after him.
31st Shot: Whisper of the Reflection
With some of the white mist still clinging to them, the thieving duo began to move forward when they noticed the old woman from before only a few feet away.
"Who are you, boy?"
"Huh?" Jing asked. "I…I'm Jing, of course."
"And I'm Kir," the black bird repeated. "Try to remember this time, you senile old bat!"
"My, my," the emerald-eyed one chuckled, giving Kir a few rough pats. "This little muffin has quite a mouth on him, doesn't he?"
"M-Muffin?! Now listen - "
But the old woman ignored the albatross, instead turning around and starting to walk into another part of the cave.
"Come," she spoke, before slipping around a corner.
Jing once again began to follow their lead with Kir in tow, if more to escape the previous area than anything else. There was no way he was going back in that direction if he didn't have to.
But once they were around the corner, the lady was nowhere to be seen.
"…She's doing this on purpose, isn't she?" growled Kir, flying slightly ahead of the Bandit King. "Well fine then! We don't need her help anyway! We didn't last time. And we won't this time either!"
The gray-eyed boy stayed silent.
This part of the cave was as dry as a desert, not even a drop of condensation to be seen. The walls, however, gave off a faint blue glow, and the surfaces of the cave were glossy enough to serve as spotless mirrors.
"You know, I think we've should've stuck with the forest," grumbled the dark avian as he eyed his myriad reflections in the tunnel. "At least then we knew where we were going…"
The more Jing studied his surroundings, the more uneasy he became. Something wasn't right here. He couldn't place what it was, but something…something about this place was off, distorted…
He stroked the glass-like walls with his hand, currently showing nothing but its clear blue color.
"…Can't see how anyone could live in this place without getting lost all the time," Kir continued to rant, a double of him residing in the highly polished rock and ranting with him. "And how'd that old lady get past that first part, anyway? She a gymnast or something?"
"Who knows?" replied the black-haired boy, shrugging absent-mindedly as he closely examined the matching ground. What was it? What was it? It seemed like it should've been obvious…
"Stupid old woman. I bet she's laughing at us now, isn't she?" the black albatross asked his reflection, who only asked the question back. "Yeah, I bet she does this to every stranger that comes in. Probably doesn't anything better to do, the senile old bat…"
The boy with the blazing coat watched as Kir took advantage of the reflective surface to groom the feathers on top of his head by running over them with his wing.
Reflection…
Wait
Jing spun around to look onto the glossy surface of the cave wall next to him. All he saw was the polished stone. He placed one hand on the wall to confirm his suspicion.
"Kir," he questioned. "Where's my reflection?"
The dark bird floated over to investigate. Stopping right next to the gray-eyed boy, only his image showed up on the cave wall.
"I dunno. Maybe it got lost."
"Kir…" Jing growled.
"What? Can't you take a joke?" the black avian replied in a huffed manner. "Besides, it's just a reflection. I'm sure you'll get it back sooner or later."
The gray-eyed boy turned back to where his likeness was supposed to be and glared at the blank surface. Somehow he doubted that it was nearly as simple as that.
Why don't I have a reflection?
Why would you?
His blood froze. Where did that come from?
"Jing, you coming or what?"
"Yeah…" the Bandit King answered, continuing on his way while watching the wall as if he expected it to attack him.
It's just a reflection…
A reflection of what though?
That other voice again.
Of…myself…
"Hurry up!" barked Kir, now far ahead of the boy in the blazing coat. "Geez, an old geezer could move faster than you right now."
Jing briefly snapped out of his thoughts and realized how slow he was going. He hastened up the pace.
I can't see to keep my thoughts straights in this place…I keep zoning out and thinking things that don't make sense…
He was beginning to agree with the dark albatross that they should've never entered this cave.
Mamado!
Jing shook his head.
How long had it been, since they was separated from his mother? Five years, wasn't it? The mists swirling in his mind made it hard to think. And then there was a raid, and she and he were split apart during the chaos…
…Wait, no, that wasn't it.
What made him think it had been a raid? He couldn't quite remember what happened that day, but he was sure it wasn't a raid. But wasn't that what he thought it had been all this time?
And if it wasn't a raid though, what was it? What was it? What was it...?
"Hey Jing! The exit's just up ahead! C'mon!"
"Ku?" the Bandit King muttered in a daze. "Oh, right…"
32nd Shot: The Whisper of the Lost
Upon reaching the mouth of the exit, Jing and Kir once again found the old woman awaiting them patiently.
"Hey! Where have you been?!" the dark avian snapped, flying right up into the silver-haired one's face.
"Why, I've been waiting for you two of course, Mr. Birdie," she replied cheerfully, tapping his wide beak.
"Well, you could try sticking around for at least a minute or two!" the black albatross barked, rubbing his beak. "And don't call me Mr. Birdie!"
Choosing not to hear the dark bird, she maneuvered around him and set his emerald eyes back on Jing.
"Who are you, boy?"
"Ku? I-I'm…"
"He's Jing, you scatterbrained old hag!" Kir yelled. "Can't you remember anything?!"
"…yeah," the gray-eyed boy finished in a somewhat quiet voice.
The old woman walked toward what looked like the darkest part of the cave.
"Come," her voice echoed from the blackness.
"Why should we follow her any-" the black avian began when the Bandit King began to amble on after her. "Hey Jing, where're you going?!"
"Following her," he stated dully.
"But why?"
"…Just because," came the hushed reply, as the Bandit King melted into the obscuring shadows.
The dark albatross grumbled as he flew after his partner into the darkness.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
It was as black as an eclipse at first.
"The old lady forgot about us again, didn't she?" Kir griped. "Figures. And I'm night-blind too…"
"…Yep."
"Just how big is this place anyway?" the dark albatross asked, groping through the absolute black.
"…Who knows…"
"Don't you find this all rather strange?" questioned the black bird . "I mean, the old lady tells us to come, disappears, and then we have to wander through all this weird stuff on our own. You know, I bet she's setting this up for us."
"…I guess…"
Kir stopped.
"What's with you Jing? Even I'm starting to see something fishy here, and all you have to say is 'I guess'? This isn't like you at all."
Before the Bandit King could reply, the inside of the cave suddenly lit up with a brilliant light and forced the two of them to shield their eyes. When their sight readjusted, they saw that the cave walls here were a flawless white with a bit of a glow to them.
"Now what's going on?" muttered the black avian.
The gray-eyed boy remained quiet.
Just then they noticed an animal approaching them from the other end of the tunnel, a small cat with purple and white stripes. It was wearing a purple mask, also shaped like a cat face, but with spiral eyes and an all-too-wide smile.
"Hey, look! That cat has a mask just like yours!" Kir exclaimed.
"Yeah…"
The cat slowly came closer to tem. A few muffled meows escaped from behind the mask.
"Hello there…" greeted the black-haired boy, kneeling down. "You lost too?"
The purple-and-white-striped animal paused and slowly lifted its head too look up at Jing.
Then the mouth of the mask itself began to open, letting out a warped, prolonged meow.
Suddenly a miniature waterfall of liquid poured from the widening mouth, the fluid containing almost every bright color imaginable. It spilled all over the ground, with some splashing near the gray-eyed boy's feet.
The Bandit King leapt back in alarm.
"W-What is that thing?!" Kir stammered, also quickly distancing himself from the creature. "I-It's a monster or something!"
Slowly the mouth was closed, and the creature lowered its head for a bit, looking down at the bright substance that was pooled at its feet. As it raised its head again, the mouth once more and a confused mrow echoed from it. More of the rainbow-hued liquid poured out.
Suddenly the cat pounced straight for Jing, claws fully extended and screeching.
The black-haired boy hastily sidestepped the assault. As it flew by, he summoned his blade and slashed the monster's side. The creature landed roughly on the ground, its wound bleeding the same substance as before.
And yet it got up again, with seemingly little effort. It sluggishly turned around, meowing loudly.
"Kir!"
"I gotcha!"
The dark avian morphed into gun form and attacked to Jing's arm.
The gray-eyed boy aimed at the mutated monster.
"Give me a Kir Royale!"
A huge green blast shot out of Kir's mouth, hit the creature dead on, and exploded.
The creature was slammed against the cave wall, its body torn by the attack. The liquid was splattered everywhere. The mutant landed on the cave floor, where it lay motionless.
Jing and Kir breathed a sigh of relief.
Until the body began to get up. Again.
"Is this thing immortal or something?!" the dark bird yelled.
The boy in the blazing coat just stared at the creature.
Now it was rising up into the air, the vivid essence oozing from the supposedly fatal wounds. The mask opened its mouth and let out an extended, distorted meow.
Some of the rainbow-hued substance that was lying in large pools on the ground suddenly lifted itself up in a tendril-like form, and shot towards Jing and Kir.
"Jing! Look out!"
"Give me a Kir Royale!"
The energy blast vaporized the approaching liquid, changing it into fine black mist that rose toward the ceiling of the cave.
The creature seemed undaunted by the show of power. More of the vivid fluid came to life and targeted the Bandit King and his albatross.
"Give me a Kir Royale!"
More of the highly colored substance was transformed into dark fog.
The body of the monster had all but deteriorated at this point, with its purple-and-white-striped fur hanging limply off its body like a worn rug while the colorful essence dripped down from the bottom of its belly. It hovered just above the ground.
It rose up a few feet into the air, and willed some of the vivid ooze still in its body to lash out at its opponents like whips. Jing and Kir hastily swiftly dodged the attack. Where the whips of ooze had struck, the ground became infected with the bright-hued substance and caused the colorful essence to start rapidly reproduce itself there. Soon several splotches of myriad colors began to spread over the cave walls at an alarming rate.
"Kir, how many more Kir Royales do you think you can dish out?" Jing questioned.
"One more, maybe, that's it," the black albatross croaked, throat searing from the backlash of all the energy blasts he'd generated.
"Better make it count, then," the Bandit King stated, pointing Kir at the mutant feline.
"Give me a Kir Royale!"
The green blast shot out, but a huge wall of the rainbow fluid quickly rose up and took the attack instead. The whole wall was vaporized, but Kir Royale had been neutralized in the process.
Jing let out a grunt.
"No good…"
A cliffhanger, I know. But I could've chosen a much nastier cliffie if I wanted to XP. So, whacha think? Interesting? Confusing? Just plain annoying? Feel free to tell me.
NEXT CHAPTER: The battles continues to rage as the situation goes from bad to worse. Is this one foe Jing can't defeat? Or perhaps the most powerful enemy is yet to come, ready to strike with a very different tactic? That is, if it's an enemy at all.
Cya!
