(Entry #77)
I have found a new way to pass the time. I have officially started ... to cook! Oh yes, future me, you better not have stopped practising that skill. Although I guess forgetting is hard for me now. I mostly do it, since it keeps my mind busy and doesn't make me go down the rabbit hole that is my mind.
I began to cook at Master Matsuda when I helped his wife with cooking. I wanted to study her at the time, but now I think that it is a good skill to have. I will see the local dishes and try to learn them. After that, I will create my own recipes and become a renowned chef ... ok, maybe not that, but I will surely teach it to Sebas when I go back.
There are a lot of rice dishes around here, as well as soup. Wonton Soup already exists, as well as what was known as Kung Pao Chicken. That might seem stereotypical, but it's what I find all around.
EDIT: I haven't stopped practising, past me.
.
(Entry #78)
I had an interesting call with Sebas today. He said that he found a stage magician called Giovanni Zatara who had a magic show in Las Vegas. He told me a few other things that piqued my interest in visiting the man. Maybe I can learn from him, too. I see potential in the art of illusions, sleight of hand and escape artistry. You never know when you might use it, and combined with the stealth technique I mastered from H'sien-Tan, this has immense uses.
Another man I will visit is Don Miguel in Brazil to learn how to drive, and Luka Jungo, A.K.A. the Swiss Mark. I'll see where my journey takes me after Master Kirigi.
.
(Entry #80)
Short entry today. I think I found a way to get into North Korea unnoticed ... Who am I kidding, I am certain. The solution is simple. You offer the officials something they can't refuse ... money.
It's good to be wealthy.
.
(Entry #86)
What a drag this was. Let me write down what I experienced.
So I managed to make my way into North Korea by bribing the right person. I got through the border control and then went to find the nearest black market to buy information. That's what the last entry was all about.
So I get the info, make my way up the cold, snowy mountain... once again. Finally, I made it and found a monk standing before the entrance, wearing very little clothing. I approached the man and addressed him in Korean.
"Greetings. I have come from far away to meet Master--"
However, the man interrupted me and struck at one of my pressure points. However, he faced someone who had already mastered several martial arts. This was not a master and so compared to that... I looked at the man, and the monk looked back at me, seemingly surprised that I did not fall to the ground groaning in pain. Before he could react, I tapped the man in various places, using the skills I learned about acupuncture from Chu Chin li, knocking him out cold.
Not knowing what to do now, I waited. I was aware that this was supposed to be a test, but what should I do now that I had broken it? I waited for a moment, and as I thought, nothing happened. So, to avoid being invasive, I simply waited for them to do something else and sat down next to the man who had fallen to the ground.
Time passed, and after a few hours, a woman exited the temple and walked forward. I stood up and waited for her to either say something or attack. And as I suspected, she attacked me. She attacked with a fast cross, which I dodged quite easily, recognising her technique to be the same, if not better than the previous monk. I pulled her closer by grabbing her arm and then retaliated with an uppercut.
She also fell to the ground next to her colleague.
Not having been invited yet, I simply shrugged and sat back down again. The cold night passed by, and using what I had already learned, I managed to keep my body warm and even melt the ice.
Right before sunrise, another monk walked out. I was glad and thought it was finally over and that I would be invited. But I thought wrong. A roundhouse kick approached the side of my face, surprising me. I managed to duck under and take the guard's position. He tried to create distance, but I wouldn't let him and followed right away. He punched out with his right hand, but was blocked. I followed it up with a left hook, high-knee combination.
...
I thought that this would get problematic at this rate, since the fights might have looked seamless and easy for me, they werent. The stress was weighing on me. Instead of having to wait long, another student arrived right away. This time, the attack came faster.
Cross, right hook, front kick, uppercut. Knock-out. I took a hit this time, just as I suspected; I was getting slower.
And the next one. They weren't even giving me time anymore.
Left elbow, face into the knee. A punch to my gut and a front kick. After a hard exchange, I managed to win, but this one hurt a lot.
They gave me no pause anymore. One after the other arrived and dealt more and more damage to me. I landed in the snow after the 10th student. After that, it got worse, but I refused to stay down, no matter how much I was punched, kicked or felt my bones crack.
Finally, at the end of the second day, no further attacks arrived, and I was invited in without a word. I forced myself inside, walking through the wooden halls, and arrived in front of an elderly man. He addressed me in Korean.
"Master Kirigi, I have travelled far to train under you. I wish to save others. To fight inj--"
"Stop. None of that matters. There is one focus in my Dojang, and only one: the work. The beauty of the work. You will be shown your room and given your list of duties. Training starts tomorrow."
"Yes, Master Kirigi," I said.
.
(Entry #87)
Wow, it's been a while since my last entry. The longest break yet. Thinking back, it does make sense.
The work was rather boring and mostly manual labour. Cleaning the rooms, finding and cutting wood, climbing the mountains while carrying weights and of course, carrying water up the mountain. Thankfully, not in a sieve, but still. I was not taught anything in the first week, since 'the work' was training. But I didn't mind. The world will only become more chaotic in the future, so taking this time to enjoy himself is not wasted.
After another week of doing that, I was finally told to attend the different training. I was not shown the basics and was instead thrown into sparring sessions against older students. The only requirement was not to use any martial arts other than those taught here.
And then, after one month, another newcomer arrived. It was the first time I met Anton, and I hadn't realised that we would become rather close.
"I'm Jack, by the way. I'm assuming we're at least allowed to use names..." I said.
"If you're talking about fake names, then the answer is... probably."
"It's not fake," I tried to convince him.
"No? Come now. I'm not saying anything, just that using Jack as your name is not quite the best thing to do. You're from America, and judging from your accent, I'd say Gotham. So what brings a young, rich man like you to Mount Paektu in North Korea?" he asked.
"..."
"You don't need to answer if you don't want to. I won't judge you. A man's past is his own. I myself was in a street fight with a man named the Jade Brawler in Singapore. When I lost, he took pity and told me about his old master, Takibi Kirigi.
I swore that was the last time someone would ever take pity on me. I hid on board a freighter travelling through the South China Sea to get here."
"..."
"What? You can talk freely. Our teacher isn't running a monastery. We don't need to adhere to his dogmatic outlook on 'the work.' None of us is looking for enlightenment. Least of all, Master Kirigi. I mean, there's a reason the Japanese Master of martial arts and ninjutsu is on a mountaintop bordering North Korea and China," Anton said.
"There is. He fled his home when a student of his killed Japan's Minister of Justice. The authorities blamed him for it, among other crimes linked to his school's... graduates."
"Impressive detective work," Antoon said.
"I just spent the last three months being mentored by a detective. A manhunter named Henri Ducard. He has spent a lifetime acquiring the names of those who are the best in the world at what they do. In case he needed them. Or needed to take them in. And now I've got that list. To learn from." I said.
"I see. Do you want to learn from the best and become the very best you can be? Or are you simply learning as much as you can, for what you need to do? You have grand aspirations to do... what? Crime fighting? Or becoming a crime-perpetrator?"
"The former. And you?"
"Same, I guess. It's good to meet you, Jack. I'm Anton."
.
Training continued.
Lucie, Ducard and the others taught me a lot, but I felt like Kirigi was the key to something. The key to a new step, in a way. If I continued to turn my body into a weapon, something unassailable, something undetectable... in the shadows... that's what I wanted.
Kirigi had mastered all manner of fighting styles from across the globe. At least that's what he claimed, and it felt that way at times. That knowledge was in his outstretched hand; I just had to grab it.
We both did.
I thought travelling alone would be fine. That I'd held tight to loneliness for so long that untethering from Gotham would be no different. But it was different.
When you lose your home, you lose yourself. It has been almost a year on top of Paektu Mountain. I'm not sure if I would have made it without Anton. We have a shared drive to be the best. Though in a school like this... drive isn't in short supply.
After 11 months, new students arrived. And quite early on, it was obvious that they were different.
"Master Kirigi, the new students have arrived."
Five people, two women and three men, all from different parts of the world, had come and presented themselves before Master Kirigi.
"Our Master sends his regards," one of the women said.
"Ara here will show you your lodgings. We will begin at dawn," Kirigi said.
Anton and I have seen the strange interaction.
"What was that?" I asked. "They just walked right in here, while I..."
"You mean while you got your ass handed to you for days," Anton said.
"Oh, come now. You did too, I'm sure of it."
"While words may cut worse than blades in some cases, I'm here to teach you swordplay, not word-play. Please focus." Master Kirigi interrupted our talk.
It was obvious that something was different, and I was especially curious and wary of the newcomers. Anton wasn't bothered at all. But it was becoming obvious to me that something wasn't right with the newcomers or Master Kirigi.
.
(Entry #98)
"Today, we will be moving to the next level of Nitojutsu. Pair off," Master Kirigi said.
I paired up with one of the newcomers, a large, taciturn man.
"I don't think we've met yet. My name is Jack."
But instead of answering, the man attacked me, swiping his swords horizontally at me. I used my full strength, as did he. But I reacted fast and jumped over the man, dodging his attacks and taking this as a challenge. The newcomer was good, but it became obvious that I was better. After a few moments, I slammed the handle of my wooden katana into the large man's side.
"Okay, friend, first point to me. Let's start agai--" I wanted to say, but was interrupted.
"Urgh."
Instead of seeing it my way, the man attacked and sliced his wooden sword into my hand, making me drop both of my wooden katanas. But that wasn't all. The man swiped his sword at my face, hitting me in the back and making me fall to the ground. Before anything else could happen, Master Kirigi stepped in and stopped the fight. Thank fuck for that.
"Enough. Here in my Dojang, you will control yourself. Go to your quarters."
"Master... who are these new students? They're welcomed with open arms, they're aggressive, they're--" I asked.
"Enough. To your quarters." Master Kirigi interrupted me and didn't answer his question.
.
(Entry #99)
The next morning arrived, and the students stood outside before Master Kirigi.
"Today, we will be skipping ahead somewhat, to the Chinese technique known as Dim Mak. Or, more specifically, the lost and forbidden move of Dim Mak - the Lethal Vibrating Palm Technique," Master Kirigi started the lesson.
At that moment, my mind stopped working well. The young boy of Gotham, who saw his parents get murdered, hadn't recovered yet; on the contrary.
"The strike, when applied perfectly, activates several pressure points, causing cardiac arrest. First, we must focus on our own Qi. Remember our meditation practice from two weeks ago..." Master Kirigi continued.
But I simply walked away. I made my way to his room and started to pack my belongings. As I did so, Anton appeared at the door and smiled.
"You are going to leave after coming this far? Quite a waste, no? I thought you were going to learn everything and be the best there is?"
"Master Kirigi was driven from Japan because his students committed murder. And here he is teaching students a method only used for killing. There's nothing more he can teach me without giving up a piece of my soul," I said, rather heatedly.
"Well, I agree that Dim Mak has lethal purposes, but simply ignoring it and not learning it seems stupid to me. Knowledge doesn't make you a killer, Jack. If you know how the technique works, you won't lose a piece of your soul. You don't have to use it. Besides, there are far more useful ways to use pressure points than that," Anton argued.
"There is no need for me to know this. If you know something, you would want to try it out, and I will never do that." I said.
"I see. Then take me with you. Take me to those top mentors you have collected. Let's leave together," Anton proposed.
"...No. I'm sorry, Anton. I... this is my path. I have to do it alone. This is not a game to me," I told him.
"Well, good luck with that, 'Jack'," Anton said and left.
I can't afford distractions. Even the distractions of friendship... can I?
.
(Entry #100)
So, my life really seems to attract trouble, because I couldn't even leave the Dojang in peace. I almost died, and to process it and go over the fight again, I'll write it down here, so that I can come back to this later and find out how I could have done better. So, here we go:
As the day passed, I had packed all of my things and left the temple, walking through the snow at night.
"And where will you go now, Bruce Wayne? You may very well be my best student, Mr Wayne. See this through, and you will be unstoppable."
Master Kirigi appeared behind me. Of course, he knows who I really am.
"Tell me, Master. I need to know who those new students are?" I asked.
"They are the price I pay to teach without worry. Assassins-in-training sent to me by a benefactor. I shepherd them, I am left alone to do what I do best."
"But they kill people! How can you let that happen?" I asked.
"I am not here to judge anything but the techniques. This is my art. You will leave here better with my knowledge. What you do with that... is up to you." Kirigi said.
"Maybe... maybe what I'll do with it is stop you," I said and looked at the old man.
After hearing me, Master Kirigi turned around, leaving me to my journey. I made my way down the mountain, where, not that long a distance away, I was suddenly attacked by the five assassin-in-training.
I was handling myself swimmingly and held off the five of them rather well at first. I told myself: stay centred, stay focused, stay sharp.
I used all of my training and kicked the others, while dodging their weapons. I don't kill. Otherwise, this would have been over very quickly. I followed my own advice, staying centred and focused, blocking their fists and retaliating in kind.
Ox-push kick, nukite strike of sorrow, serpent wind strike...
I managed to keep them at bay rather well, thanks to all the training I did before coming here to Paektu Mountain. And yet, I am barely 18 years old and not as experienced as I will be in the future. And on top of that, I am fighting five grown-up would-be assassins. One of them grabbed me from behind and exposed his front to an attack.
"Impossible to test the lethal techniques... without a human test subject," one of them said and pulled back her fist, about to strike and kill me with the lethal technique.
However, before she could strike and kill me, Anton arrived. He kicked the woman who was about to perform the lethal technique in the face and entered the fight.
He blocked her strike with his forearm and punched her face and then her stomach. He and I covered our respective backs while facing the assassins. Our teamwork was already almost flawless at this stage. Anton kicked one of the men and rolled over my exposed back, as I delivered a back kick towards another one.
I started to realise that maybe I don't have to be alone. We worked together in orchestra. The two best students Master Kirigi ever trained. There was no denying that I am one of the most talented students in practically any field. I'm a genius and can learn anything I set my mind to. The drive I possess and the memories that fuel my actions make me master things that others would take years or decades to learn.
Finally, after having knocked out all of them, we looked at each other.
"I guess I'm not going back to the Dojang. Sorry, Jack, but it seems you're stuck with me," Anton said.
"I think I'm okay with that," I told him. "Kirigi may come after us for this. Or worse, his 'assassin benefactor' might."
"Assassin benefactor? Seems like I was right then."
"It seems that way. I'll tell you all about it later. And if you move quickly, you might catch up to him," I said. "We should move quickly; the world won't wait."
_______________
Wait until the last stage of training has arrived. All of the 'inconsistencies' and strange behaviour will be explained then.