Chapter 8

5 “Don’t move.” Feeling a chill at the back of his neck, Bisco froze. “Drop the hostage and put your hands up.” Someone was pointing a gun at him. Bisco could sense their skill from where he stood, and his face stiffened. Having bought enough time from his fight with Pawoo, Bisco was running through the labyrinthine streets of Imihama, making his way back to the sewer where he left Jabi before the rest of the Vigilante Corps showed up. He had taken Pawoo’s sleeping body to use as a bargaining chip, but somehow, he could tell that such cheap tactics weren’t going to work for him here. He did as the voice asked, dropping her body to the ground and raising his hands in the air… Then he sprang, swiftly drawing his lizard-claw knife and spinning toward the figure’s throat in a flash of steel. But the fatal blow was blocked…by another identical blade. When Bisco saw the pair of beady eyes beneath his foe’s disguise, he had to keep himself from crying out. “…Unh… Ah…!” “Hyo-ho-ho! Is there no mercy in your heart for a recently recovered old man?” said the figure, tearing back his disguise and smiling. “Jabi!” shouted Bisco. His mouth flapped open and closed as he tried to decide what to say to his master first. “Sh…should you be up already? How are your wounds?” “Well, see for yourself, my boy. Six bullets they got me with.” As he said this, he rolled up his shirt, revealing the stitches on his belly. “You old fart! You really had me goin’ there. I thought you were gonna die!” “Well, so did I! That panda kid just about saved my life, I tell ya. But don’t go givin’ him all the credit, hmm? These ol’ bones can take quite a beating, don’cha think?” “You senile old coot… You were talking about what to do after you died… I thought…” Bisco’s fierce look fell apart as he struggled to fight back tears. Then, at last, Milo appeared, having been slow to keep up with the energetic old man as the latter sprang across the rooftops like a monkey. When he saw Bisco’s face, he stopped in his tracks. The fierce terrorist, the Man-Eating Redcap, looked like nothing more than a sweet young child crying for his grandpa. Milo couldn’t help but smile fondly at the sight. “…Milo. You did this?” “Oh, no! I just did what I could! It was your medicine that saved him, Mr. Akaboshi!” “A Mushroom Keeper always repays his debts. Whatever you want, if it’s within my power…” “Oh, no, please! I couldn’t possibly…!” protested Milo, averting his gaze, when his eyes fell upon the collapsed woman on the floor at Bisco’s side. “…Ah! Pawoo!” “So you two do know each other. Figures,” said Bisco, lifting the woman up and leaning her against the wall. “Don’t worry; she’s just asleep. She’s a rowdy one, so I gave her some sleeping powder.” “She’s my sister,” said Milo. “Wait, sleeping powder? Mr. Akaboshi, don’t tell me you actually beat her?! In a fight?!” “Her Rust is still treatable. Give her the same medicine you gave Jabi.” Before he could finish, Jabi sauntered up to the sleeping woman and injected the rest of the medicine into her arm. Pawoo gave a slight frown as the purple liquid flowed into her body near the top of her shoulder, and soon her breathing became slow and peaceful. “A…amazing…!” Milo was astonished at the efficacy of the Mushroom Keeper’s medicine, the likes of which even his best efforts had never matched. His sister had always slept restlessly, but seeing her sleeping face now, he was overcome with newfound courage. “Bisco, my boy, now’s not the time to play catch-up. The vigilantes’ iguana cavalry will be here in two shakes. We might not be lucky enough to escape next time.” “Got it. We’re close to the north gate. Let’s hustle.” “Yup, I’ll hold ’em off, so you skedaddle now!” “Right, we’ll… What?!” Bisco began to run, before stopping at his master’s unexpected reply. “Whaddaya mean, skedaddle?! You’re the one we need, remember?!” “Think for a second, laddie. I’m just a poor old man who’s had six bullets taken out of him. I’m in no condition to hit the road just yet.” “You’re the one who needs to think, Gramps! How are we supposed to make the medicine without you? What good is finding the Rust-Eater when you’re the only one who knows what to do with it?!” Jabi stroked his white beard and shot a playful glance toward Bisco’s side. Bisco followed his master’s eyes to where the baby-faced doctor stood, petrified with fear. When he noticed Bisco staring at him, he gulped but didn’t break his gaze. “Have you finally lost it, you old coot?!” said Bisco. “Mr. Akaboshi! Take me with you! Please!” At Milo’s insistence, Bisco couldn’t even summon the strength to shake him off. He simply protested in shock. “Let… Let go of me, kid! What’s that crazy old man been saying to you?” “He told me about the Rust-Eater! I can help! I can make medicines and heal your wounds!” “Get lost! You’re only gonna slow me down! I can’t keep babysitting you out in the wilderness, you know!” “You just said I could ask you for anything I wanted!” “I ain’t a genie, pal!” Bisco roared, bringing his full fury down on Milo. “The world outside those walls eats city slickers like you for breakfast! We ain’t just talking about losing one or two of those pasty arms of yours!” “So what?!” Milo shouted back, summoning up all his courage and staring Bisco down. “We’re talking about the possibility of saving my sister, the only family I have left in the whole world! I’d gladly lose an arm for that! I’ll give up my life, too, if that’s what it takes!” The pure, unadulterated passion in Milo’s voice ran a crack right through Bisco’s heart of stone. With his lips pursed in a line, he grabbed Milo by the collar and glared at him. No one but Jabi had ever filled the role of Bisco’s companion before. He was like a wild horse that even the bravest of the Mushroom Keepers had failed to tame. And the boy before him was so weak it looked like one strong gust from the Rust Wind could blow him away. He couldn’t use a bow. He couldn’t ride a crab. He was nothing more than a city kid who would die if he took one step outside the walls. But his eyes. His blue eyes, clear like water. Even now, they trembled. And yet…they sparkled with a flaming will that rivaled Bisco’s own, like a blazing star! “Squads two and three, deploy! Circle around to the northern gate!” “Bisco, my boy, it’s the vigilantes! Time’s a-wastin’; get outta here!” Bisco took a long, deep breath and thought. Three seconds passed, and when he opened his eyes once more, the anger within them had turned to resolve. He was the Mushroom Keepers’ brightest star. He looked back at Milo, who had said all he had to say and now stared with unwavering eyes even as his body shook with fear. “If you want to stay alive, then do as I say. To travel with a Mushroom Keeper is to hold their life in your hands. If one of us dies, so does the other.” “Mr. Akaboshi!” “And… Stop fucking calling me that! We’re partners now—equals. I’m Bisco, and you’re Milo. Got it?” “Yes, Mr. Ak—” But at Bisco’s piercing glare, Milo stopped and corrected himself with a smile. “Yes, Bisco!” “Hyo-ho-ho!” Jabi cackled from the rooftops. “I feel like I’m witnessing the birth of something magical! Now go; get moving!” One after another, Jabi’s mushroom arrows blossomed, blocking the paths of the approaching iguana cavalry with a Gaboom! Gaboom! and once again throwing the night into turmoil. Bisco looked as if he wanted to say something to him, but he stopped himself and watched the old man bound away across the rooftops. “Hey, kid. What about your sister? Just gonna leave her here on the floor?” “It’s okay! The Vigilante Corps will take care of her, and I left the rest of your medicine with her as well! Ah, but…” “You might never see her again, you know. This might be the last moment you have with her. You should make it count.” Milo nodded and approached his sister, who was sound asleep. Then he removed the leather bracelet he wore on his wrist and slipped it onto hers. “You’ve always looked out for me, Pawoo. You were my shield. Now I have to return the favor. I want to look out for you, and sacrifice myself for your sake. Just once; that’s okay, isn’t it?” Milo brought his face close to hers and pressed their foreheads together, closing his eyes. “I’m going to save you. I swear I will. Wait for me, Pawoo. My wonderful sister…” After embracing her for a moment, he suddenly remembered himself and sprang to his feet. With agitation in his eyes, Milo’s new partner was checking his wristwatch and looking around restlessly. “I-i-it’s okay, Bisco! I’m done, I’m done!” But Bisco had already grabbed Milo by the arm and was dragging him off in the direction of the towering north gate. “You’re so goddamn slow! You want us to get killed before we even start?!” Suddenly, he turned his head back and asked, “Your name, Milo. Is that supposed to be, like, that chocolatey stuff you put in milk?” “Yeah! Milo helps kids grow up big and strong! That’s what my mom always used to say…” “Heh. Big and strong, huh?” Bisco nocked a purple arrow as he ran, firing it just before the wall. The mycelium spread across the ground instantly, turning the earth a deep violet. “…Not a bad name, if you ask me.” Wrapping his arms around Milo’s body, Bisco leaped onto the area his arrow had struck, and with a Gaboom! the enormous King Trumpet blossomed beneath his feet, catapulting him and Milo through the air and over the Imihama walls to lands unknown.