"Good scene everyone! Take 10! Quick, play back the footage!"
...Scene? Take 10? Footage?
To Martial Kim, the man who seemed to be in charge talked nonsense. It wasn’t the language that bothered him, it was more the vocabulary he had never heard or even touched upon before.
How should I approach this, Martial Kim whispered in his heart, Are they my enemy? They look incredibly harmless. I do not even feel a single speck of murderous intent...In fact, are they even paying attention to me?
Curious, the young master trotted up to them. He tried to get some answers, but their attention were upon this small black box with the glass lens, a light shining from its rear end that had everyone eyes glued to.
...What sorcery is this? Is that me in that black box!? Martial Kim’s eyes widen and his breathing quickened, H-how could this be possible? Did they some how capture a piece of my soul and turned it into some sort of tiny doll? I can see myself using my Dance of the Moon Sage, perfectly!? How!?
Martial Kim could not believe his eyes. The reality in front of him struck him hard enough to make him stagger on the spot, his heart louder than a blacksmith forge beating in his ear.
...Gods, I feel light headed. Is it from the liquor, or this soul sucking witchcraft? I-I need to sit down.
Meanwhile, the men crowding around this tiny black box would make ooohs, aaah, and whooooa noises. The man calling the shots would shout out:
“WOW! Look at this guy move! It’s like a dance at a concert! Never seen a sword fight like that in my entire career! Hah! And here I thought, I’d be directing another ‘milk the cash cow’ flop! This is what I need! THIS, is what the viewers want!... KEEKEE! KEEKEE! Get your ass over here, on the double!”
“Present, present!” A young lady dashed out from a corner of the crew’s camp, carrying an assortment of equipment, clothing, and other things that spilled out of her embrace. “Shall I reset the scene for a re-shoot?”
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!..........Wh-what are you serious!?” The Director flopped back in his chair as he waved around his roll of paper like a conductor’s wand, “Were you blind to that amazing choreograph? This is scene is perfect!”
“B-but sir, aren’t we shooting a Game of Crowns show? What just happened isn’t part of the script! Wouldn’t it confused the audience?”
“Nonsense! They’ll lap it right up! Hahahaha! This is what we need to get the Second Act flying off the airstrip, get people gripping their seats and wake up from playing with their phones!”
Keekee tried to be the sensible one in this group, “B-but sir.”
“No buts! Call up the writers and have them change the script, a full rewrite if they have to! I want more of this! HAH!” The Director merely had to wave a finger and his crew were rewinding the footage to see again. “You know what, call it a plot twist. This is THE sauce I need! And dirt cheap! Whatever this guy did, saved me hundreds, perhaps millions in CGI post production!... By the way where the hell did you get this guy anyway Keekee!?”
“I-I didn’t hire him, sir.”
“What?”
Keekee hefted the heavy burden in her arms as she tried to explain, “I called up staffing, casting, even the stunt coordinator. No one has ever seen this guy before. I-it’s like he popped out of thin air!”
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
“So...that was all improv? No wires? At all?”
“We didn’t know he existed until he jumped into that fight scene, sir.”
“.................................Draft up a contract! I want his signature on that paper by the end of the day! And get me my megaphone!” A few buzz and clicking, the Director would bellow, “Alright everyone, breaks over. We’re moving onto Scene 53! Get your asses into gear! Move it, move it, move it!”
Keekee was sent stumbling, pushed around by everyone as she tried to get her bearings. As much as she didn’t like the turn of events, a job was a job. So she fumbled through the crowd to look for the stranger who made a splash in the previous scene.
“Ah there you are.” She trots over with a quick bow and said, “Hey! You were awesome today! Good stuff...Wait. Are you okay?”
Martial Kim didn’t know what better to do, than to sit on a rock. His eyes wandered to everything that was fresh, new, foreign, completely beyond his reach of comprehension. He could feel a series of emotions from confusion, shock, fear, if not frustration to understand it all. It didn’t make his headache any better so he could only wince and mumble under his breath.
“Sir?” Keekee asked again, “Do you need a nurse? What’s your name?”
“M...Martial Kim.”
“Kim? N-nice to meet you sir! M-my name is Keekee! Is there anything I can get you?”
“...Water...water please.”
“Sure!” Keekee quickly dumped everything in her arms onto a nearby table and ran off. In no time she ran back with— “Here, have a drink! We have plenty of bottles!”
Martial Kim’s ‘thank you’ was choked in his throat the moment he he laid eyes what he was given.
Why is she giving me a piece of ice? Odd, it is not even cold in my hand and its soft to the touch? Is it even an icicle?
Keekee would casually continue, “No doubt your super thirsty after that intense fight scene. Like, it’s supposed to be one of the many highlights of the show – but your insert really spiced it up. The Director loves it! He wants you on the team! Do you have an agent I can call and...What’s wrong?”
The young lady stopped upon seeing Martial Kim turn the bottle of water over and upside down. She was confused as to why he was staring at it, as if it was the first time seeing it.
“...Oh! I see. You must be like super tired from all that stunt work. Your hands look like its shaking. Here, let me help you!”
Keekee graciously offered to take the bottle – and twisted the top with a clicking noise and a pop. “Here! Have some water! Drink up!”
This...is water? Martial Kim stared, watching how easy it was for Keekee to break open this ‘icicle’. Was this really water? Or poison? The little bubble that kept flopping around reminded him of a drop of mercury rolling around in the palms.
It was from tilting the bottle, with the open top, did some liquid spill out. His fingers didn’t burn, so definitely not acid. And if it was poison, his skin would change colour from the toxicity... Might as well.
Sip....Sip-Sip....GULP GULP GULP GULP GULP
“...Oh...oh WOW! Y-y-you want another?”
Keekee ran off, only to dash back with several more bottles. One by one she helped to crack the top open and handed it to Martial Kim. In minutes, at least four empty bottles littered at his feet.
“...Are you...alright Kim?” Concern grew in her voice, but the moment she saw colour and life coming back to Martial Kim’s face she relaxed. “Ah. No doubt the Director really pushed you to your limit. And you did everything with like, zero wire work so... You know what I think its safe for you to take the rest of the day off. We haven’t written up your scenes yet, so you can come back tomorrow for more work!”
Keekee gave Martial Kim one more bottle of water, just in case, before she was yelled at to get back to position. “Okay see you tomorrow! We’ll call you! Bye!”
“Wait, Miss Keekee, I...” Any more words out of Martial Kim and he’ll end up talking to thin air like a lonely mad man.
What a strange village. Was it ever in the map of the Jade Empire?
image [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/e5d49d01-e685-46aa-8d92-b07d57dc33fb/di6ht8a-6b7841a9-7268-4fab-a51a-b1367877f8d8.png/v1/fit/w_828,h_1210/moon_tavern___pavilion_arc__lightnovel_image_01__by_suimaifiles_di6ht8a-414w-2x.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTY2NyIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2U1ZDQ5ZDAxLWU2ODUtNDZhYS04ZDkyLWIwN2Q1N2RjMzNmYlwvZGk2aHQ4YS02Yjc4NDFhOS03MjY4LTRmYWItYTUxYS1iMTM2Nzg3N2Y4ZDgucG5nIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTExNDEifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.1MRXBAT-lkHjJI86BlLFW_2-DsZ2mPQmrpQnyPY-Ay8]