Chapter 12: ACT 2 – Confrontation (Part 1)

Jackie’s tengu feet carried Luna’s body swiftly in the direction of Noh’s second party. Several residents of Old King looked on with confusion or horror as they noticed the demon in their hamlet.

“Oi, demon!” a voice called out.

Jackie turned to see Vladimir and Marissa staring at her angrily with their arms folded.

“What’re y’all doin’ in Old King Hamlet, demon?!” Marissa demanded.

“I-I’m not a demon,” Jackie protested, “I’m a human, right, Mr. Chekhov?”

Vladimir stared Jackie in Luna’s eyes and lowered his baton, “Jackie,” he asked, “Is that you?”

Marissa turned to the cop. “Y’all know this chick, Vladimir?”

“It’s fine,” Vladimir reassured his partner, “she’s staying with Kabuki.”

“I s’pose it’s a’ight, if she ain’t harmin’ no-one…” Marissa smiled. “C’mon, pardner, let’s get back t’ patrollin’!”

Vladimir gave Jackie a nod, before walking off with Marissa to find and apprehend any lawbreakers they may come across.

Jackie turned back in the direction of the forest and ran as fast as Luna’s legs would carry her, which was much faster than her usual human legs. As she neared the forest, thoughts about what she’d say to Noh and Kabuki flooded her mind. Although Sumire had told her not to tell anyone about being a kinkind warrior, Jackie just HAD to clear things up with them! She wouldn’t be able to live with herself, if she accidentally ended up breaking Noh’s heart!

Jackie stopped in her tracks as she reached the forest entrance. She stared into the opening between the trees, seeing Noh and Kabuki happily dancing together. Jackie took a deep breath and slowly stepped into the forest. Luna’s wolf tengu ears pricked up as Jackie heard a twig snapping behind her. Jackie turned around to find a familiar partygoer. Rusalka Dvořák. The water sprite was heading in her direction.

“Hey, Luna,” she whispered, “do you have a second? I didn’t get to say ‘thanks’ last night.”

“Yeah, you’re welcome,” Jackie smiled, “I’m kinda busy right now though.”

Rusalka chuckled, “Oho, no…” she shook her head, “I’m not the one who wanted to thank you…”

Jackie squinted at Rusalka with intrigue. Rusalka smiled as the sky darkened above the forest. The sprite outstretched her arms as heavy rainfall poured down from the sky. Jackie shivered as she quickly found her kinkind’s clothes had been waterlogged by the raindrops.

“Really, Luna…” Rusalka smiled, “you’ve made things SO easy for Lady Kuro, and for that she sends her regards!”

Rusalka looked down at the forest’s floor which was now littered with puddles. Jackie followed the sprite’s gaze as chains of water shot out from the puddles and shackled Luna’s ankles.

“W-What gives?!” Jackie growled, “Is this your doing?!”

“Of course it is,” Rusalka winked as two more watery chains descended for the sky and wrapped themselves around Jackie’s kinkind’s wrists. “That’s a good look for you, y’know?” she leered, as Jackie was suspended helplessly in the air, Luna’s pink bra now visible through her damp dress. “I love a girl in chains…”

Jackie glanced over her shoulder at the other partygoers, as she saw Noh and Kabuki taking shelter under an umbrella. She opened her mouth to call out to them for help, as Rusalka reached out her hand and shot a torrent of water from her palm down into the tengu’s throat. Jackie violently gagged and wriggled around, letting out many muffled screams as the water sprite tried to drown her.

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“Look at you,” Rusalka jeered, “you’re so helpless, it’s almost cute!”

Jackie felt her vision getting blurrier and her thoughts growing blank. “Is this it,” she thought, “is this how I die?” She shut her eyes in resignation as her head and hands dropped lifelessly. Jackie was sure she was going to pass away.

Suddenly her kinkind’s entire tengu body jolted with a burst of energy, as if shocked with a defibrillator. Jackie heard a voice in her head telling her “I’ll take it from here.” The same voice as she had heard the previous night. Luna Wolfe’s voice. The demon’s thoughts flooded Jackie’s mind as Luna’s body once again flickered like a faulty bulb as before. A red sword made of pure energy materialized in the tengu’s left hand, as she effortlessly used it to cut one of the chains and free her left wrist, before using it on the three remaining chains. Rusalka’s eyes widened in surprise, as the rain subsided.

“Is that all you’ve got?!” Luna cockily bellowed, drawing the attention of the other party guests.

Rusalka scoffed. “We’re just getting started,” she whispered.

“Luna,” Noh called out, running over while taking off his shirt, “you’re soaked!” he said, throwing his open shirt over the tengu’s shoulders.

Rusalka stared the werewolf’s body down and scowled at his now-exposed fur thong straps as well as his even-more-exposed-than-usual abs.

“Do you mind?!” the water sprite growled. “We’re in the middle of something!”

“Hmm?” Noh interjected, pulling off his pants and handing them to Luna. “Put these on too, you might catch a cold,” he smiled.

“Ahem,” Rusalka interrupted, “you’re in the way. Get out of here, or I’ll have to kill you too.”

Noh glanced over at Luna’s sword before staring at Rusalka as she materialized large water bubbles around both of her hands.

“Is this…” he shrugged, “is this another ‘saving Phantasia’ thing?”

Luna nodded, “It’s what I do,” she smiled. “Thank me later, ok, Hot-stuff?” she winked.

“What the Hell is going on?!” Kabuki demanded, running over to Luna, Noh and Rusalka.

“I don’t have time for this,” Rusalka sighed, blasting the two men away with a high-pressure blast of water from her right palm, causing the other partygoers to flee in terror. “Now then, where were we…?” she leered, once again holding out her arms and summoning a powerful downpour.

 

Jackie opened her eyes. Her body appeared to be back to normal. She rubbed her eyes under her glasses and looked around. Where was she? Jackie seemed to be floating within a black dimension. The only other things she could see were occasional flashes of color illuminating the darkness from out of nowhere.

“Hello,” the Londoner called out, “is anybody here?”

“Ah,” a voice called out from behind Jackie, “you must be that tengu’s summoner?”

Jackie turned around in the same motion that an underwater relay swimmer would use after reaching one end of the swimming pool. Floating in front of her was another woman. Another human. Someone who Jackie thought looked somehow… familiar.

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