How long has it been since I thrived in the mountains? Most likely my early days as an ambitious youth in the great martial arts world. The sensation is refreshing but... these mountains are just too foreign for me.
Martial Kim wandered, up and down the hill in any direction he could find. Only half a moon in the sky was his only light through the darkness. Every now and then he would glance up, weaving in and out of the clouds above. He could search every nook and cranny, even through the smallest of ditches and caves – but using his flying skills to travel across the forest canopy was faster.
The cool wind is helping. My head is becoming clearer, my mind more alert and less dulled. Still, how in the world did I end up this far from the main road. Was I not supposed to be on the way to the Capital? So many questions, but no time to search the answer. Homeward bound, that is what I need to look for. I should search for those strange twin moon and the nameless pavilion.
The young master floated in the air chasing the distant moon. The only companion he had was the brown paper bag Keekee gave her.
Keekee. A strange name. Definitely not one naturally found amongst the common folk of the Jade Empire. Where is this district, this region? What magistrate rules this prefecture or land? Their vocabulary is so strange, yet they word it as natural as breathing. So peculiar.
No matter how far Martial Kim flew, he knew he could never reach halfway to touch the halfmoon.
I am finally sober, yet why do I feel like I am still stumbling. Is this some lucid dream? It feels too surreal for me to accept... Ow! The pinch should have woke me up by now!... No good, I feel like I am going around in circles.
Martial Kim eventually paused his wandering and glided down to perch on top of a high branch of a tree. He made sure to give himself a good vantage point, so he could spot any torches or caravan lanterns glowing across the roads; a chance to ask for direction was the hope.
So far, not even a fire fly came out to play.
Hungry already? Shameful, most shameful. It has not been more than an hour. Come to think of it, I cannot seem to use my full power. I wonder, if the rice wine I drank the night before could be the cause of all these changes in me... I guess, it would not hurt to have dinner. Fortunately, I still have one more of Keekee’s burgers!
Unable to resist, Martial Kim would rummage into the bag. A smile on his lips when he found the last bun in the wrappers. It has been a while since his fingers shook with eagerness and excitement. Can’t blame him, the burger was simply delightful!
Delicious, most delicious! I wish I could have more. Two taste testing is not enough for me to reverse engineer the recipe... I wonder if Miss Keekee knows the secret? The ingredients and methods made? Hmmm. By taste alone, I do not recognize any regular cooking or steaming patterns used in this burger. Perhaps, I could return to Keekee’s camp and ask...
Martial Kim’s face fell and he almost forgot to eat.
No, I should not bother the poor girl with such trifles. I given her enough trouble already. Besides, I must return to Moon Tavern... That being said, I wonder if Old Seven can figure out this burger? The old cook has eaten more grains of salted experience than I have consumed bowls of rice worth of knowledge... Mmmm. Even now, my mouth cannot stop watering! What is this piece of meat made of? What did they use for this sweet sauce? And what is this slice of yellow that is melted with everything? Such an oddly pleasing flavour. Mmmmm!
The night went on. The stars came out to play amongst themselves, the clouds hiding them every now and then. Only the half-moon remained vigilant, keeping a close eye on the young master. Before he realized it, he woke up to the rays of the sun poking at his heavy eyelids like a bratty child.
That, was the most content sleep since I came here. The hangover is completely gone. Truly Keekee’s gift has cured me of confusion, for now. Still, I have to wonder: what the hell was that liquor I had from the roadside teahouse? I never had problems like this before – and I study wine as a hobby!
With no one greeting him good morning, he would spent the waking hour stretching and getting used to the growing warmth of the sun. The young master folded and tucked the empty bag into his sleeve, for safe keeping, and hopped up to balance on the hanging branch with the weight of a dove.
He thought to himself, Let us try again. Finding that confounding path. This time with the daylight out, surely I--
"MMM-H-HHEELP!"
A sound tickled his ear and instinct took over and Martial Kim. The young master fluttered down from his crow's nest and glided through the forest to track down the source of the noise. He glided down with his flying skills to search for the faint cry of help! He reached another tree top half way down the mountain before he saw what was happening.
A rape!? In broad daylight!?
Martial Kim laid eyes on a large man having his way with a woman on another hill across from him. The man pulled and tore at her leopard clothing while clapping one heavy hand shut over her mouth as she kicked and screamed.
How dare! I will not let this villainy stand!
The young master drew on his sword-stick and flew into--
Wait...is this another one of those illusions, back in Keekee’s camp?
The word ‘CUT’ still haunted the young master. Memories of what happened in the previous day froze him in place, making him sink deep into his mind like an abyss.
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Another misunderstanding? Will the director shout ‘CUT’ once more? Am I repeating my mistake? This land is too confusing! Why is everything turned upside down? Why am I the only one questioning what is happening around...Wait...Why is he choking her with his sash?... Th-this is too realistic to be a playacting...Oh no.
“STOP!” Clicking his tongue, Martial Kim dove in! He flew from his side of the hill, across a deep chasm, to make his way to where the trouble was happening! With a spin he launched his sword-stick like an arrow!
TOK! It pierced right through a tree above the attacker's head, startling him to drop everything and run! By the time Martial Kim landed to recover the sword-stick, he was gliding right at his heels! The attacker was making a run for what appeared to be a horse wagon hiding in the bushes up ahead. Martial Kim was about to catch him, his fingers about to touch the skull and snake tattoo on his back--
“Aagh! H-hel-helppp! Aauuugh!!”
The woman’s choking noises reminded Martial Kim why he was here, and he quickly turned around to tend to her first! "Miss! Miss, stay with me!"
The woman was clawing at a leather belt that cut into her neck, a hangman’s noose. Martial Kim knew what to do: untie the belt of course! However...
H-how do you undo this? This is not a knot at all! H-how does this metal and hook clasp work!?! H-how can I remove it from her, without tightening the leather noose! Damn! If only I had my sword...ah wait!
Martial Kim reached for under his sleeve, revealing a leather bracelet. They carried a series of acupuncture needles that were about half the length of a finger. Among them was a hidden pocket where he kept a surgical razor, usually applied to cutting wounds to arrows or foreign objects in the body.
A slice to the leather and the victim made a big gasp of freedom.
No good, her pulse is fading. She suffered too many internal damage. I was too slow to act! Curse it all!
The young master drew out a dragon-headed acupuncture needle from his bracelet and inserted it into the woman’s neck. The moment it bit into her meridian, the choking and sputtering soon eased to painless moans and groans.
Then, he applied his inner energy into her body through the needles to stabilize her--
E-even my Spiritual Healing Arts is not working!? Not a drop of energy is coming out of my hands!? Impossible, I used this exact art to save Fae Fae from the brink of death! How could this happen? I need to get her to a physician fast, or not even my Dragon Tooth Needles can save her with a miracle!
VRRRRRRRRRRM!
Martial Kim shuddered at the sudden and vicious roar that pierced the air. A flurry of birds burst from the trees tops, their wild caws and frantic flapping shattering the calm. By the time Martial Kim whipped his head around, the horse-drawn wagon the attacker had fled to was already racing away from the woods. It screeched through the dirt, kicking up a spray of mud, as it galloped off.
N-no horses!? H-how can the wagon move without horses to pull it!? I-impossible!
The horror overwhelmed the young master, as if a ghost appeared before him. It was only when the ‘horse-wagon’ was far away, out of sight, and the rumbling faded off, did he regain his wits.
Wh-what is happening? What is this world, where wagons need not horses to flee? Ah, focus! I must get the victim to safety! She is my only priority right now!
Martial Kim snapped himself out of his stupor, sheathed his sword stick into the back of his belt, and scooped up the wounded woman into his arms. She stirred with pained groans, as if having a nightmare, but she still leaked blood from the corner of her lips. He quickly ran off to the local town...which was...where?
"It is going to be alright Miss. We will get through this. Just hang on a little longer!"
Even while carrying a burden in his arms, his flying skill was unfettered by the combined weight. He would take off with the victim to find any road that lead to a settlement. Even a house in the wood would do wonders right now, anything to save this poor woman!
Trees. Boulders. Rivers. No way in or out!
Martial Kim cursed at the situation, but he pressed on. Even as he started to work up a sweat, he dared not give up while a fragile life was hanging in the balance!
"...W...wa...wa...t...er....Wa....er." The woman would utter in between leaps, in and out of consciousness.
"Water?" wondered Martial Kim. “...Keekee?”
Strange. Why am I thinking of Keekee right now? Water...water...water bottle...OH! OF COURSE!
“Miss, hold on! I know someone who can offer you water – and find help for you!”
With newfound hope, Martial Kim spurred himself to gallop through the air on his feet and jumps to cross the twisting hills. All the while crying out, “KEEKEE! KEEKEEEEEE! KEEEEKEEEEEEEEEEE! WHERE ARE YOU!?”
Surely his voice carried across the winding mountains, far and wide. However even as the sands of time continued to drip near empty, he had yet to hear a familiar voice call back to him.
“KEEKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”
By the time Martial Kim realized his voice was hoarse, a sinking feeling settled in his stomach. No one answered—only the empty echoes of the mountains. Even when he reached the spot where he'd last seen everyone, he was still searching nonstop.
This is their camp, I am sure of it! So why can I not find Keekee? Where is everyone? The wagons, the people… even the Director. Why is this familiar place all empty?
Martial Kim was on the verge of collapse. Ridiculous, he thought. This wasn’t the first time he had pushed his body, far beyond that of an average sportsman in the Jade Empire. But he couldn't deny it—his knees started to buckle and his shoulders throbbed with pain. It was like the physical training he had cultivated all these years was draining like water through his fingers.
Keekee is here. I know it! She said we would meet again. Did they leave already? I cannot give up, not after what this woman has been through. I have to save her… but how—wait… is that a pit of trash?
After descending the hill, he stumbled upon a large ditch, filled with discarded debris—leftovers from travelers, campers, or even the people Keekee had worked with. There was all manner of trash, but among it he spotted something familiar: bottles, just like the one Keekee had given him.
"W-wait here, miss, I will be right back, I promise!" Martial Kim gently set the victim down before diving into the garbage without a second thought.
Sploosh! He waded through the pit, his footsteps rattling the piles of trash as he shoved aside empty bottles one by one. He sank deeper—shin-deep, then knee-deep, then waist-deep.
The worst place in the world or not, there’s hope in there.
“Yes!” Martial Kim finally snatched up a half-crushed bottle, a small pinky-worth of water still filling the bottom. “This should do! Miss, I have water. Here, take—Miss?......Miss?....”
His bottle of hope slipped from his fingers, the water spilling onto the cold ground.
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