The Cliffs of Insanity were no joke.  Simply imagine the tallest skyscraper you have ever seen, covered in jagged rocks sharp to the touch, and you have them.  That’s what the three bumbling kidnappers and Princess Jae were looking up at.  This a most imposing force of nature to be reckoned with.

            “We have to climb that!?!” asks a bewildered Jongkook.

            “No you have to climb that carrying me, Joongki, and the Princess.  And you must do it quickly before the man on the other ship gains on us anymore,” Jaesuk tells him while shaking his finger at his dongsaengs.

            “Inconceivable!” shouted Joongki.

            “Don’t use my own word against me!  It’s my catch phrase!” sputtered Jaesuk loudly.

            Jaejoong was watching this quietly.  All he could think is ‘I was caught by these idiots.  What has become of me?  How low have I sunk?  I hope the other ship…’

            The crooked teethed leader and the maknae were putting a strapped device on Jongkook so that he would be able to easily carry the other three up the Cliffs in one go.  And after a few tries an unimpressed Jae was put on Jongkook’s back while sitting on the strap.  Joongki was on the side and Jaesuk was awkwardly put to Jongkook’s front while facing him.  They began their ascent to reaching the top with Jongkook using a rope to pull himself up.

            Not long after when the four were half-way to the top the man in black stepped off his own ship onto the rock dock at the bottom of the Cliffs.  He immediately began climbing after them with a determined glint in his eye.  And he was quickly making his way to his goal.

            “You need to hurry up the man in black is gaining on us!  If you keep up this pace we’re going to lose!” Jaesuk shouted at Jongkook.

            “Yah!  I’m going as fast as I can.  I have three people to carry and he has only himself.  Why don’t you try getting up the Cliff with so much dead weight on you!?!” exclaimed an upset Jongkook.

            “No, no this is fine.  No need to get mad,” Jaesuk apologized while awkwardly trying to bow while still in the harness around Jongkook.

            “Aish stop moving!  I get it, I get it,” he told them.  Jaejoong and Joongki simply shared a look over the muscle man’s shoulders as they had finally reached the top of the cliff.  After getting everyone safely to the top Jaesuk immediately went to where the rope was tied and began to saw through it with a hidden dagger engraved with a ‘R’.

            They hurriedly went to look over the side of the cliff to see what happened to the man in black.  Despite having no rope he was still climbing!  Very determinedly at that.

            “Inconceivable!  How is such a man that athletic?” shouted Jaesuk.

            “You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means,” calmly replied Joongki.

            “Aish!  What cruel dongsaengs I have!” Jaesuk exclaimed.  The other two of the trio simply gave each other a look and shook their heads.  “Joongki you will stay here for when the man in black reaches the top.  Use your fencing skills to beat him, and then meet back up with us.  We will be going on ahead,” Jaesuk told his accomplices.  They left with Princess Jae in tow, only for maknae Joongki to wait ever so patiently.  He got bored very quickly.

            Looking over the cliffs side again he sees the mystery man still climbing.  Only he felt the other was going to slow.  “Hey can’t you hurry it up a bit!” he shouted to the man.

            “This is as fast as it’s going to get.  Now, if I had a rope I would have been up there faster.  So you will just have to wait,” the man told him.

            “There’s some leftover rope up here.  I think it’s enough that I could lower it down and you have enough to climb up here the rest of the way,” Joongki tells him.

            “I’m sorry but I just don’t trust you enough.  I doubt there is anything you could promise me that would make me changes my mind,” the exasperated man told the other.

            Suddenly Joongki’s face became solemn and serious as he told the other “I swear to you on the soul of my father Sukjin you will make it to the top safely and alive.”

            The man in black thought the words over.  “Throw me the rope,” he sighed.

            The younger man’s face lit up ever so brightly.  He briskly proceeded to toss the rope to the other for him to climb.  With the help of the rope the dark clothed man made it to the top rather quickly.  After looking at the other he began to reach for his sword tiredly ready to begin fencing.

            Joongki waved his hand.  “Sit and rest.  It wouldn’t be much of a fight if you were tired.”

            Surprised he replied with a bow and a simple “Thank you” before sitting down to rest.

            “I don’t mean to pry but do you happen to have a subtle scar on the side of your face,” asks the younger.  The mystery man turns his head, but no scar.  Joongki looks crestfallen.

            “May I ask why you’re looking for a man with a scar on the side of his face?”

            “It’s fine.  You’re not prying.  When I was younger he killed my father.”  He pulls out his sword.  A beautiful piece of craftsmanship, an ornate gold and jeweled handle, a thin blade made of quality steel.  A fencing sword that shined brightly in the sunlight from its superb love and care.  “He killed him for this.  The scared man commissioned my father Sukjin to make this sword.  When he came to retrieve it he wanted to pay half the commission price.  My father refused.  The scared man killed my father.  I grabbed the sword so he wouldn’t take it and gave him his scar.  Afterwards I barely escaped with my life.  I have been searching for him ever since.”

            “I have never seen its equal,” seriously said the masked man.  He began to stand from the rock he was sitting on.  He unsheathed his sword.  “You’ve given me more than enough time to rest up.  Let’s have a good fight.”

            On the rocky terrain they began their sword fight, both left handed.  With much running around.  There was a block, another block, a jab, and so on.  While it doesn’t sound so impressive it actually was.  If any had seen it in person they could on describe it as a fast and beautiful deadly dance.  Suddenly the pirate had Joongki cornered.  The younger simply smirked.

            “What are you smirking about?”

            “Just that I’m not really left handed,” the maknae replied as he switched sword hands.  Then he became on the offense.  He had finally backed the other into a corner as well.

            “I have something to tell you as well.  I’m not left handed either,” the pirate said as he tossed his sword in the air and caught it effortlessly.  Then he was on the offensive and chasing the younger around the rocky terrain.  Suddenly Joongki’s sword flew from his hand, he escaped from a corner through the pirates defense, in a run succeed in grabbing a tree limb, and used it to propel himself to his fallen blade.  The other threw his to a spot near his opponent and used the same tree limb but used it to do two acrobatic flips.  He then landed at his sword.  The fight restarted from its pause.  Very quickly after that the pirate had Joongki defeated and on his knees.

            “Kill me quickly,” begged Joongki.

            “I would rather destroy a stain glass window than a master such as yourself.  But seeing as I can’t have you following me…” replied the pirate as he knocked down the avenger with the handle of his sword.  He quickly ran to catch up to his goal.

*YUNJAE*

            “How is he catching up so quickly?” asks Jaesuk.

            “He must have beaten Joongki in a sword fight.  What do we do now?” asks Jongkook.

            “I will take the princess on ahead.  You stay here and beat him your way,” directed Jaesuk.

            “Oh good, my way.  Wait what’s my way?”

            “Pick up that rock, and smash his head with it.  And please do not break the rock when you pick it up.  I know you’re strong but it’s no reason to take out your anger on the defenseless rock,” teased Jaesuk.

            “Yah!  Hurry up unless you want to meet the man in black so soon.  I’ll catch up after I beat him.”  The strongman hid behind a large boulder as he watched his leader take off with the princess.  He leisurely tossed a rock into the air and then his hand.  He couldn’t help thinking about his young friend skilled in the sword.  For someone to beat his maknae had to be amazing since Joongki was a child protégé with steel, thanks to his sword smith father Sukjin.  He looked up to see his opponent nearing.

            He let all of his anger flow through the rock as he threw it at the pirate and purposely missed.  The other was unsheathing his sword as he stepped out from behind the boulder.  “I did that on purpose.  I didn’t have to miss you know,” he told the other.

            “I believe you.  But why did you?” asked the masked man.

            “Two reasons.  One: is Joongki alive?  Two: I wish to fight you as God intended.  No weapons.  Your strength against mine in hand-to-hand combat,” said the largely muscular man.

            “For your first reason your friend is simply unconscious.  And your second you want me to put down my sword and you your rock?  And we fight like civilized people?” clarified the smaller of the two muscle men.

            “Yes,” Jongkook said as he sighed out in relief for his friend.  The two immediately dropped their weapons and began circling each other looking for an opening.  Just as Jongkook was about to tackle the man in black the pirate rushed to the side, turned back around, and lunged for the strongman’s back.  He landed on the others back, and knowing if he didn’t end this quickly he would be in big trouble.  The pirate began cutting of the air of his opponent who he had in a chokehold.  Due to lack of oxygen Jongkook dropped to one knee than the other as he quickly passed out.  Though no words were spoken between the two none were needed.  The two understood each other through their actions.  The man in black took off to further complete his goal.

*YUNJAE*

            “He’s near, inconceivable!” shouted Jaesuk.  “That must mean he not only defeated Joongki but Jongkook as well.  Who is that man?”

            ‘That’s what I would like to know.  And I really wish this foolish man would stop saying the word inconceivable.  It’s beginning to grate on my nerves,’ thought a blindfolded Jaejoong who had been quiet since the eel situation.

            “Why can’t you tell?  I thought you were supposed to be the brains of the operation.  Or are you only here for comic relief?” the man in black told the two startling them both.

            “I am the brains!  Aish why doesn’t anyone ever believe me?” the disgruntled man asked the other who simply gave him a look.  All the while Jae rolled his eyes behind his blindfold.  “I’ll prove it in a battle of wits!”

            “How do you propose we do that?  How about we both drink from a glass of wine, I’ll pour poison into a glass, we switch them around, and whoever drinks from the poisoned glass loses,” proposed the pirate who was busily sneaking peeks at the blindfolded beauty.

            “Fine.  What poison are you going to use?” asked the self-proclaimed brains of the trio.

            “Iocaine powder.  It is tasteless, odorless, and dissolves instantly in liquids.  Do you still accept?”

            “Yes!  I will prove I’m smarter,” a prideful Jaesuk replied.

            The pirate took two conveniently placed glasses full of wine and turned his back.  He took the cylinder with the poison out and poured it.  He turned back around and placed one in front of his opponent and one in front of him.  Then he exclaimed “the battle of wits has begun.”

            Jaesuk looked at the two glasses.  He sputtered a great deal of nonsense on why he couldn’t choose the glass in front of him or the glass in front of his advisory.  Finally as he was about to make his choice he pointed off into the distance and asked “what is that?”  The pirate turns to look.  As his back is turned Jaesuk switches glasses.  He immediately starts giggling.

            “I didn’t see anything,” replied the pirate as he turned around.

            “Oh,”  *GIGGLE* “ it must have been my imagination.  Now, let’s drink.”  Both reached for the glass in front them.  After they drank Jaesuk couldn’t keep his laughter contained any longer.

            “What’s so funny?” asked the masked man.

            “It’s just that I switched our glasses when your back was turned.  I’m clearly smarter and have won.”  Jaesuk laughed and giggled maniacally until he slumped over dead.

            The pirate took the blindfold off of the princess.  “To think the poison was in your glass after all,” Jae said while the man helped him to stand.

            “Actually princess the poison was in both glasses.  I’ve spent the last five years building an immunity to Iocaine Powder.  Now hurry we need to leave quickly so to reach my ship,” the pirate said as he grabbed Jae’s hand and began running.

*YUNJAE*

            All the while Prince Changmin and Count Kyuhyun, along with mounted soldiers, had been following the kidnappers trail.  They had discovered the scene at the rocks were the sword fight had took place. Then at the boulders where the strongman was defeated.  At both places there were no bodies.  Eventually they made their way to where the battle of wits had occurred.

            “I will be very cross if harm has befallen the princess.  If he is dead there will be hell to pay in Guilder,” the prince told his best friend.  They took off after the tracks of the princess and the mystery person.

*YUNJAE*

            “Wait Aunt Heechul who the hell is Prince Changmin?  And who’s the pirate guy?  Why does he want Princess Jae?” questioned Henry.

            “If you’re patient you will quickly find out.  Now shut up.”

*YUNJAE*

            Jaejoong and the man in black had made it to the top of a hill far away from where the last confrontation took place.  “Sit down your highness and rest,” said the pirate.

            “You’re the Dread Pirate Roberts aren’t you?” sadly asked Jae while he looked off into the distance.

            The pirate mock bowed, “at your service.  But why does that matter?”

            “Because you killed my love!” angrily shouted Jae.

            “You say I killed your love.  But what of your fiancé?”  he asked the smaller male.

            “He knows I do not love him.  I simply could not refuse the prince, he made it impossible.  He should be on his way right now.  He is very intelligent and resourceful.  Also a great hunter who can track a falcon on a cloudy day.  If he can do that he can find us.  When he does you will be no more.”  How true those words would prove to be.

            “What of your true love.  Was he some kind of cold noble like your fiancé?”

            “No!  He was a farm boy.  Poor and absolutely perfect.  With eyes warmer than ever seen before,” his thoughts wandered to images of his beloved.  “And you killed him!”

            “I remember this farm boy.  This would have been what five years ago.  He died well, you must know.  No cowardice.  He simply said ‘please.  Please I need to live.’  It was the please that caught my attention.  I asked ‘what’s so important that you have to live for?’  He said ‘true love.’  I can only assume he meant you.  How do you think he would feel knowing you’ve moved on so quickly?”

            “I never moved on!  I died that day!  And you could die too for all I care,” exclaimed Jae as he pushed the pirate onto the hill.

            “Aaassss! yyoooouuuuuu! wwiiiiiissh!” shouted the pirate.