Rioichi wasn't planning to navigate this maze by the rules. Even as he approached he saw the blue auras floating lazily around the tops of the maze walls.
Smiling, Rioichi vaulted off of the wall opposite to him and grabbed shakily onto the top of the maze wall. Groaning slightly, he heaved himself onto the top and balanced with his arms held outward on both sides. His masked eyes scanned slowly across the length of the room as he edged closer to the other side.
As soon as he reached the end of this wall he would have to stay as still as possible. One guard was coming from the left quickly with a search light in his hand. Rioichi sped up his movement and was at the end of the wall just as the guard passed.
Rioichi didn't even dare to breathe. He crouched down as low as he could. The guard passed him with out so much as looking at him. Sighing deeply, the raccoon leapt nimbly across the expanse to the next wall. It was becoming risky. One small slip-up and he would fall and give himself away for sure. Of all the techniques he couldn't master in the Thievius Raccoonus, it had to be the invisibility technique by his ancient Egyptian ancestor Slytenkamen Cooper.
If he possessed the invisibility technique, he would be able to walk through here without even worrying about guards.
Clear thy mind and imagine thyself disappearing, becoming one with the air.
Only in this way will thou be invisible to the eyes of thy enemy.
That is what Slytenkamen had written in the Thievius Raccoonus. Rioichi had tried. Oh how he tried, but all he had managed to do was become transparent, only semi-visible. Surely he would be able to avoid the gaze of a half-asleep or dim-witted guard, but a fully awake and aware guard or enemy would notice a shadowy figure dart past. The alarm would be raised, and Rioichi would most definitely be caught over time.
Rioichi had reached the end of this wall. "A few more jumps," he thought, "and I will reach the stairway to the next level." However, Rioichi did not notice the guard sneaking up from behind him, that had been slowly stalking him the moment he had made the first jump, and that had turned out it's light.
Rioichi vaulted across the way, his attention focused solely on the next wall top. His eyes widened suddenly, his momentum shifted and his body twirled in midair as the katana grazed his arm.
Time seemed to slow as Rioichi spun in midair. He saw the shining polished blade of the katana flying past him, the very tip of it glistening with his own fresh blood. He hit the ground hard and lay there stunned for ten seconds before regaining consciousness. He shook his head as he shakily rose to his feet. He heard the whistles blaring throughout the entire room, heavy footsteps of the guards moving steadily toward him. Rioichi's trained ninja skills gave way to instinct for one minute.
Panic broke through the barrier erected by training, and he began to run. His breath came in short, quick gasps. He turned blindly in any direction. The guards were trying to trap him, he knew that. Slowly he regained control, forced himself to stop running. He found himself facing a brawny guard with both katanas drawn. Rioichi growled and vaulted over the guard, skillfully dodging the deadly swings of the dual blades.
He drew his canes in midair and bashed the guard over the head with both of them. The guard howled and fell where he stood. This did nothing for Rioichi, however. He was facing a dead end. The whistles were close, much too close. There was no way for him to escape, and there was no point in going to the top of the maze walls again. They would know where to look.
Rioichi knelt and, with no other alternative, began chanting the instructions of the invisibility technique over and over in his mind. Become one with the air, he told himself desperately, disappear!
The guards stopped in front of him. He drew his canes, ready to fight to the last drop of blood leaked from his body. He looked up fearlessly at the hulking guards before him. They had stopped, were looking right at him, but their expressions were confused, muddled somehow.
Amazed, Rioichi looked down at his hand, only to find himself staring at nothing. He had done it. He had mastered the invisibility technique. Cautiously he crept around the guards and made his way to the exit, yet even as he did this he couldn't help but feel that his injured arm would provide a handicap, even if he was invisible...
Ekobean: I know, another shorter one. I couldn't help but feel that the quality of this one slipped a little. Tell me what you think.
