A New Objective (Guntz)
"You're sure he was Janga?" I asked Klonoa. "I didn't see any claws coming out of his sleeves…"
It's been a few minutes since we left the factory. Having driven through Volk's labyrinthine streets once again, we were now parked in front of the local bank – a pristine-looking building compared to its neighbors. Though, given the city's general state of decay, that really isn't saying much.
My plan was to deposit my half of our bounty here, then get Klonoa set up with his own account using his half. I figured since this bank had multiple branches worldwide (including one back in Breezegale), he shouldn't have much trouble withdrawing his funds anywhere.
After we saw that shadowy figure, however…
"Of course!" Klonoa answered. "Just imagine what I'll do once we catch up to him again… have him at our mercy…!"
He started grinning mischievously. "I won't kill him right away… no, perhaps I'll rough him up a little… take my wind sword to his arms, render his claws useless… maybe chop off his legs for good measure…"
Christ… I thought to myself. He's turning into me…
"Then…" he continued, "I'll stick it in his chest for a bit… twist it… make him suffer slowly… painfully… let him feel what he put Butz and Lolo through… before I put him ou-"
"H-hold up!" I cut in nervously. "E-even if I had that same mindset – which I don't – Janga's already dead! I made sure of it…"
"Did you?" he asked, his grin weakening a bit. "Pango said he fell into a magma crater after he poisoned me, but the moon's gravity isn't very strong… what if he grabbed the crater's wall, used his claws to climb back up?"
"Okay, but I unloaded two magazine's worth of bullets on him beforehand… if the magma didn't kill him, that should've done the job."
His grin continued to fade. "Perhaps, b-but still…" he stammered slightly, a hint of desperation lining his voice. "M-maybe he patched himself up? If the base's medical ward h-had something for bullet wounds…"
"Alright…" I cut in, "but it took Pango and me… I think half an hour to get you there, and get you an antidote. So do you think Janga would've made it in time?"
Klonoa didn't respond. His grin had completely faded, giving way to a somber look once again. He dangled his legs over the edge of my bike, a few tears landing on them.
"Look…" I said hesitantly, resting my hand on his shoulder. "I-I'm sorry you have to hear this, but… well, as much as I wanna hunt down Janga again too, I…" I sighed. "I highly doubt that shadow was him.
"In fact, I don't even think he's the kind of guy who'd conceal his identity like that… if he really survived, I'm pretty sure he'd tell us outright… maybe show up in person and taunt us…"
He still didn't respond… he just sat there, that vacant look returning to his face…
"K-Klonoa?"
"What was it you said?" he asked pensively, his look unwavering. "When we talked over the radio… you said I needed to keep going forward, no matter what, right? Like I've been saying back at the Lunar Base?"
"R-right… you said you were gonna work on cementing Lolo's legacy… make sure Breezegale didn't forget how she saved them…"
"And I already achieved that, if her tombstone's any indication." He hesitated. "So now what? If not that figure, then… what should I go forward towards?"
I remained silent. Come to think of it, what else was there for him?
It's true I had several more jobs lined up for us, but… if I'm being honest, they aren't anything particularly exciting, like fighting dangerous criminals or vanquishing large beasts like Nahatomb. Really, it was all more of what we just did: clearing out stray phantom beasts from areas nobody uses anyway.
They weren't gonna pay as much as our last gig, either, but this was what Klonoa said he wanted.
Then again, during the few moments I could look at him, he… I mean, it looked like he was fighting pretty hard, but his face… it was just as vacant as it was now. He did say it felt too easy – probably a result of his newfound strength, I told him.
With that in mind… would our next several jobs turn out the same way? 'Cause I don't think it'd be good for his mood if they felt like a chore to him…
And that was before we saw that shadow, too. If that was gonna keep running through his mind… if he continued to believe it was Janga, then…
"Y-you really wanna go after him, huh?" I asked, my hand still on Klonoa's shoulder.
"Please." he responded, still pensive. "You said you couldn't rest, even in death, until you avenged your father, right?"
"Right…"
"W-well," he continued, his voice shaking, "r-right now, I… I'm pretty sure I feel that same way… if Janga's still alive after… after what he and his allies did to Lolo, t-then…"
He didn't finish his statement – a few more tears crept from his eyes, but it didn't seem like he was gonna sob outright.
"…Very well…" I relented gently. "If this is truly what you want, then… then I'll support you to the end."
He seemed to let up a bit. "Thanks, Guntz."
I thought I could see a slight grin form on his face. "And hey," he continued, "if we find out you're right, and that figure isn't Janga… or at least a sworn ally of his, then…"
He hesitated again. "…Then I can probably rest easy, knowing Lolo's death wasn't in vain…"
"Good to hear…" I remarked, my voice still gentle. "So, how 'bout we get our bounty deposited, then we can ask around about that shadow. If he knew about the beasts here, chances are someone saw him lingering around…"
"Sounds good."
