Ep. 7: Jack's Beanstalk, Part 7

Transcript by Raina Harper

[Threatening music begins.]

Kyle (as Jack) 

Piper, something has taken ahold of you, and I don't know what it is, but I will stop it.

Kyle (as Piper) 

[Indignant.] “IT”?

Kyle

The wires pulling at Piper’s lips worked overtime to keep them upturned in spite of his furious sneer.

Kyle (as Piper) 

“He” is a friend, Jack. That’s right, even Piper can make friends, ones who actually understand what it’s like to have someone you thought you had a special relationship with…

Kyle

Even more strings emerge from the void, lashing at All’s back like a barbed whip.

Kyle (as Piper) 

…cast you aside at the first moment.

Kyle

Jack, who now had her hands out like she was dealing with a wild animal, tried to calm Piper down.

Kyle (as Jack) 

Piper, I didn’t know. If you just tell me—

Kyle (as Piper) 

Tell you?! Oh! Oh, now that I’m in charge…

Kyle

Another whip rang out.

Kyle (as Piper) 

…now you want to talk.

Kyle (as Jack) 

[Abrupt.] Why don’t you just sing about it then? Huh? That’s all you’re good for anyway, right?

Kyle

Even All grew hushed at Jack’s outburst, but Jack, who had dealt with her share of mind-controlling creatures, knew that, in a state like this, whatever was masquerading as Piper could not be talked down… but it could be goaded.

Piper furiously fumbled around his bag, reaching for every instrument he could find, giving each of them a minor test and then… eh, that one wasn’t the right song. As he was distracted, trying to put together his perfect piece, his perfect breakup song, Jack slowly made her way to one of the wires. She picked up a small piece of rock that had been cut off by Piper’s entrance, and before he could even start his song’s first verse, she cut.

[Music ends.]

[Rolls.] With a 19, Jack’s cut was perfect, precise. As I mentioned, she had dealt with her share of puppet masters, and she knew which strings were the ones most connected to them. With a loud twang, the string recoiled in both directions, spiraling Piper off of it and onto the ground. Without sparing a second to look at All, Jack rushed to her companion, just praying that, whatever damage she had done to the creature that had made his eyes and his smile so unfamiliar, she hadn’t hurt the companion she loved underneath.

Kyle (as Jack) 

Piper? Piper, are you alright?

Kyle

Jack looked around at the wires receding.

Kyle (as Jack) 

It’s alright now. I’ve got you.

Kyle

[Rolls.] Piper moaned, slowly getting himself up.

Kyle (as Piper) 

[Weak.] Were you…

Kyle (as Jack) 

Yes, Piper?

Kyle (as Piper) 

Were you really worried?

[Chuckles.] I thought you were talking to me, but I guess it was always about the beans, wasn’t it?

[Evil action music begins.]

Kyle

With a furious swipe, Piper swung the instrument in hand at Jack whose hand had been reaching down for the bag of beans on his holster. With a 9, Jack was barely nicked, stumbling back and dropping her prize which spread out its contents between the two of them.

Piper jumped to his feet, and Jack saw that, while he was freed, his expression had stayed the same: his eyes so furious and disregarding, his voice so callous. Was it really that Jack had never seen this side of Piper before, or was it simply that she chose to ignore it?

[Music changes to threatening ambience.]

[Rolls.] This thought only took a moment, but a moment was more than enough for Piper, who had long since buried any such reservations, to rush forward and grab the first bean he could. Jack went to shout out, but Piper interrupted her with a chilling confidence.

Kyle (as Piper) 

Don’t worry, my muse, it will all be over soon.

Kyle

With that, Jack could hear nothing but the howling winds as she stood high in the clouds at the top of the beanstalk.

Kyle (as Jack) 

Piper? Piper! Piper, get back here!

Kyle

Jack yelled into the clouds. While Jack couldn’t hear Piper’s response, she could feel it in the air around her. Each breath she took, she smelled the places she had visited. In the howling wind, she heard Piper’s fury. In the small flakes of rain, she could taste All’s pain. There was a war being fought in the air around Jack. While she could perceive it, she could not interact with it, for she was once again cast into the realm not of All or of these creatures that lived in data itself, but back in the realm of physical.

The reality of the situation Jack was facing would break most people. She was defenseless on the top of a tower that scraped the heavens with gods fighting in a realm just outside of reach and her closest companion serving as a betrayer. But Jack was not just an adventurer, she was a legend, and she was about to seal her fate with an idea so crazy it might just work.

[Music ends.]

Kyle (as Q-BO) 

[Bloop.] We are almost at the end of Jack’s climb up the beanstalk. The next episode will mark the end of this chapter. Jack is currently trapped on the physical beanstalk as All fights with Piper and this mysterious figure who is helping him. Jack knows that, in order to solve this problem, she can only do one big thing, and that’s my question for you. What is the one thing, no matter how weird or outrageous it sounds, that Jack does to stop or win the fight?