The Ring of Otherworldly, Occult Powers
Youko Kurama and Kuronue slid noiselessly over the wall surrounding the warlord's compound. Actually, this is not true. There was the slight rustle of fabric, the tap of feet against stone, a noise that can only be described as "tomph" as they hit the ground, various other sounds caused by minor molecular collisions, but in any case quiet enough to be considered noiseless to all but the most sensitive of scientific equipment which had not technically been invented yet.
In any case, they entered the compound in what must be called by narrative convention silence, stood about awkwardly, and gave each other sheepish looks.
"What are we looking for anyway?" Kuronue whispered to his companion finally.
"I don't know, it was your idea to come here in the first place," Kurama muttered back.
"All I said was that we hadn't robbed this place yet..."
Kurama shrugged in the gloom. "Well, there's got to be something here..."
The two set off, glancing at each other surreptitiously the entire way, until they reached a door that looked sufficiently well-guarded.
Half a dozen guards stood in front of it and glared at anyone who passed. When there was no one else to glare at, they glared at each other. The door behind them was thick and made of some sort of metal. Not that they could tell that it was thick, but it looked like it should be. Several different kinds of locks adorned the door, including one that seemed to involve a small duck.
"That looks promising," Kurama muttered cheerfully from behind a convenient tree. Yes, the guards didn't hear him. Shut up.
Kuronue looked at his friend from a shadow atop a nearby roof. "The usual?" he murmured, and Kurama nodded.
The two slipped off their own separate ways. For a few minutes, everything was peaceful, save the duck quietly quacking to itself. Then suddenly a winged shape swooped over the compound. The guards looked fearfully up to the cloud-streaked sky. Suddenly somewhere off to their left they heard an evil laugh rise up out of the darkness. The guards with more presence of mind drew their weapons, while several just stood there and gibbered. An ominous figure arose from a thick fog that had not been there a moment earlier. At that distance they could not make out the details, but he seemed to be holding a pretty young maid by the throat.
At this latter sight, all fear left them and testosterone took over. "Come on!" one of them shouted, and they all ran off. The fog swallowed them.
Behind them, Kurama dropped from the roof and set to work on the locks. A few minutes later Kuronue appeared beside him.
"We've got about ten minutes until they find a way out of the fog," he said, patting the duck absentmindedly. Then he stared at it as if noticing it for the first time. "Uh..."
"Yes, I don't understand it either," said Kurama, reading his thoughts. He was still fiddling with one of the last locks, while one of his vines was doing something that looked unsavory to another.
Kuronue stared at the duck some more. The duck stared at him. As if in a trance he pulled out a cracker from who-knows-where and fed it to the duck, which ate it with a satisfied "waak" noise. At that moment a seemingly incongruous bit of the door twisted around and fell off. The door creaked open.
Kuronue and Kurama stared at one another, then pretended that hadn't just happened.
Kuronue eased the door open further. A golden light spilled out of the room ahead. Apparently it was coming from a small object on a pedestal...
"A ring," said Kurama flatly, looking around the otherwise empty room.
"Maybe somebody got here before us," mused Kuronue, tapping a wall suspiciously. Them suspicious walls.
Behind him, Kurama shrugged. "Well, we might as well take it, while we're here." With that, he slipped the ring on his finger.
And by the time Kuronue turned around, he was gone.
"Oi, Kurama, must you always dash off ahead of me?" he muttered, running out the door.
"I'm still here, moron," said Kurama's voice behind him.
Kuronue turned around. There was still no one there. "Stop throwing your voice around!"
"You're looking right at me, fool!"
Kuronue blinked. He rubbed imaginary sand out of his eyes. He squinted into the light. Then he proceeded to walk cautiously forward, waving his arms about in front of him like a confused somnambulist.
"Where are you, you - oof..." He tripped over an invisible body and fell to the ground, Youko Kurama suddenly beneath him. The ring rolled away from Kurama's hand.
They stared at it. Cautiously Kuronue picked it up and put it on.
Kurama blinked, and poked the air in front of him.
"Ow! That's my eye!"
"Sorry." Kurama walked around the spot he believed Kuronue to be, fascinated. "A ring that turns you invisible..."
There was a small girlish shriek, and Kuronue reappeared, his hands held up in front of him. "Very disturbing, not being able to see yourself," he explained sheepishly, pocketing the ring.
Suddenly they heard angry shouts off to their left. Bulky figures appeared in the rapidly dissipating fog. Kurama shook his head. "Um, I think it's time to make good our escape."
Later, when they were safely out of earshot, Kuronue repeated, "'Make good our escape'?"
"Oh, that's just something they say."
"Who says that?"
"Well, you know... they do!"
"...You've been reading books again, haven't you?"
"...Maybe..."
---
"Once we were back in town," Kurama concluded, "we sold the thing to some strange little man ranting about his birthday. After all, if you're invisible, where's the fun in avoiding the guards?"
Youko Kurama and Kuronue slid noiselessly over the wall surrounding the warlord's compound. Actually, this is not true. There was the slight rustle of fabric, the tap of feet against stone, a noise that can only be described as "tomph" as they hit the ground, various other sounds caused by minor molecular collisions, but in any case quiet enough to be considered noiseless to all but the most sensitive of scientific equipment which had not technically been invented yet.
In any case, they entered the compound in what must be called by narrative convention silence, stood about awkwardly, and gave each other sheepish looks.
"What are we looking for anyway?" Kuronue whispered to his companion finally.
"I don't know, it was your idea to come here in the first place," Kurama muttered back.
"All I said was that we hadn't robbed this place yet..."
Kurama shrugged in the gloom. "Well, there's got to be something here..."
The two set off, glancing at each other surreptitiously the entire way, until they reached a door that looked sufficiently well-guarded.
Half a dozen guards stood in front of it and glared at anyone who passed. When there was no one else to glare at, they glared at each other. The door behind them was thick and made of some sort of metal. Not that they could tell that it was thick, but it looked like it should be. Several different kinds of locks adorned the door, including one that seemed to involve a small duck.
"That looks promising," Kurama muttered cheerfully from behind a convenient tree. Yes, the guards didn't hear him. Shut up.
Kuronue looked at his friend from a shadow atop a nearby roof. "The usual?" he murmured, and Kurama nodded.
The two slipped off their own separate ways. For a few minutes, everything was peaceful, save the duck quietly quacking to itself. Then suddenly a winged shape swooped over the compound. The guards looked fearfully up to the cloud-streaked sky. Suddenly somewhere off to their left they heard an evil laugh rise up out of the darkness. The guards with more presence of mind drew their weapons, while several just stood there and gibbered. An ominous figure arose from a thick fog that had not been there a moment earlier. At that distance they could not make out the details, but he seemed to be holding a pretty young maid by the throat.
At this latter sight, all fear left them and testosterone took over. "Come on!" one of them shouted, and they all ran off. The fog swallowed them.
Behind them, Kurama dropped from the roof and set to work on the locks. A few minutes later Kuronue appeared beside him.
"We've got about ten minutes until they find a way out of the fog," he said, patting the duck absentmindedly. Then he stared at it as if noticing it for the first time. "Uh..."
"Yes, I don't understand it either," said Kurama, reading his thoughts. He was still fiddling with one of the last locks, while one of his vines was doing something that looked unsavory to another.
Kuronue stared at the duck some more. The duck stared at him. As if in a trance he pulled out a cracker from who-knows-where and fed it to the duck, which ate it with a satisfied "waak" noise. At that moment a seemingly incongruous bit of the door twisted around and fell off. The door creaked open.
Kuronue and Kurama stared at one another, then pretended that hadn't just happened.
Kuronue eased the door open further. A golden light spilled out of the room ahead. Apparently it was coming from a small object on a pedestal...
"A ring," said Kurama flatly, looking around the otherwise empty room.
"Maybe somebody got here before us," mused Kuronue, tapping a wall suspiciously. Them suspicious walls.
Behind him, Kurama shrugged. "Well, we might as well take it, while we're here." With that, he slipped the ring on his finger.
And by the time Kuronue turned around, he was gone.
"Oi, Kurama, must you always dash off ahead of me?" he muttered, running out the door.
"I'm still here, moron," said Kurama's voice behind him.
Kuronue turned around. There was still no one there. "Stop throwing your voice around!"
"You're looking right at me, fool!"
Kuronue blinked. He rubbed imaginary sand out of his eyes. He squinted into the light. Then he proceeded to walk cautiously forward, waving his arms about in front of him like a confused somnambulist.
"Where are you, you - oof..." He tripped over an invisible body and fell to the ground, Youko Kurama suddenly beneath him. The ring rolled away from Kurama's hand.
They stared at it. Cautiously Kuronue picked it up and put it on.
Kurama blinked, and poked the air in front of him.
"Ow! That's my eye!"
"Sorry." Kurama walked around the spot he believed Kuronue to be, fascinated. "A ring that turns you invisible..."
There was a small girlish shriek, and Kuronue reappeared, his hands held up in front of him. "Very disturbing, not being able to see yourself," he explained sheepishly, pocketing the ring.
Suddenly they heard angry shouts off to their left. Bulky figures appeared in the rapidly dissipating fog. Kurama shook his head. "Um, I think it's time to make good our escape."
Later, when they were safely out of earshot, Kuronue repeated, "'Make good our escape'?"
"Oh, that's just something they say."
"Who says that?"
"Well, you know... they do!"
"...You've been reading books again, haven't you?"
"...Maybe..."
---
"Once we were back in town," Kurama concluded, "we sold the thing to some strange little man ranting about his birthday. After all, if you're invisible, where's the fun in avoiding the guards?"
