Baking up a New Adventure! (A Cookie Run: Kingdom Story)

Part 16: Masked Bandit

I thought back to all the cookies we'd seen today, and if any of them had been acting strange. None of them had acted strange, but... there was that hair tie I saw Ninja wearing. I wasn't even sure if he had hair under his ninja mask, so why would he need a hair tie? Unless... yes! It was the perfect disguise for Rougefort cookie, because they wouldn't have to talk or interact with others much, thereby minimizing the risk that they'd be discovered!

"Rougefort Cookie is disguised as none other than... Ninja Cookie!" I declared.

All eyes turned towards Ninja Cookie as I spoke.

"That's quite a serious accusation," Wizard pointed out. "Do you have anything to say about this, Ninja Cookie?"

"That's not true," Ninja Cookie insisted, but something sounded off about his voice. "My ninja senses would never allow other cookies to sneak up behind me and replace me as you're insinuating this Rougefort Cookie would do."

"Your voice sounds a little raspy, are you feeling okay?" Gingerbrave asked him.

"Yes, I'm fine," Ninja nodded. "I just have something in my throat."

"Would you like a glass of water, then?" Gingerbrave wondered.

"I can get a glass of water after this is over," Ninja decided. "Let's not impede these proceedings--"

"If you're really Ninja Cookie, could you take off your mask to prove it?" I asked him.

"I could never--!" Ninja seemed insulted by even the suggestion of doing such a thing. "That would violate the ninja code of honor!"

"Then perhaps you could jump for us?" Gingerbrave pressed, putting his hands on his hips and grinning.

"J-Jump?!" Ninja Cookie pressed. "What am I to you, some sort of circus act?"

"Ninja Cookie is known for his jumping prowess," I explained. "So, if you're really Ninja Cookie, you wouldn't mind showing us your jumping ability, would you?"

"Alright, here goes," Ninja Cookie relented. "But I'm only going to do it once so pay attention."

Ninja Cookie jumped incredibly high, reaching halfway between the roof and the ground.

"Well, that is some incredible jumping," Wizard commented.

"But hold on a moment, your honor," Gingerbrave urged him. "Ninja Cookie has a specific form when jumping that he always follows. I know because I saw it when we were practicing for the Healtathalon. And that wasn't the correct form at all!"

"It... wasn't?" Ninja Cookie gasped.

"And if you really were Ninja Cookie, you'd know that!" I exclaimed.

"Well, it seems I've been found out," Ninja Cookie grinned, and in a quick twirl thier disguise vanished, revealing that they were indeed Rougefort Cookie. ***

"Rougefort Cookie!" Another voice from the gallery gasped. "I knew it! I've got you now!"

Walnut Cookie stood up and rounded on Rougefort Cookie.

"You two were formidable indeed," Rougefort Cookie continued, ignoring her. "You solved all of my clues. I'll have to make things more difficult when next we meet."

"You're not going anywhere!" I warned, blocking the exit with a wall of ice spikes.

"Oh... is that so?" Rougefort Cookie pressed. "Well, I must thank your friend for providing me with another means of escape."

"Huh?" I gasped.

With a flourish of their cape Rougefort vanished and reappeared on the roof, peering down through one of the holes Rye had created.

"Ack! How'd they get up there?" Gingerbrave gasped.

"We can't let them get away!" I exclaimed. "they're the only one that knows where all the treasure is!"

I formed a pillar of ice under my feet to lift myself onto the roof, but by the time I got there, they were long gone.

"Where'd they go?" I wondered.

"That Rougefort Cookie!" Walnut shouted. "I'll get you one day!"

"Oh no... how will we find all the supplies from the royal treasury now?" I wondered.

"Hey! You guys! You'll never guess what I found!" A voice cried out from down below, and I lowered myself back down into the courtroom to see that it was Adventurer Cookie.

"Adventurer Cookie!" Blackberry Cookie scolded him. "I've been looking for you all day. Where have you been?"

"I was on an expedition," He explained. "And you'll never guess what I found in the forest. It was a huge treasure hoard, maybe from an ancient forest dwelling cookie civilization! It was way too much for me to carry back on my own, but I brought some samples. Look!"

He held out a coin, a gem, some sugar cubes, a candy saw, and a birdy toy.

"Hang on... I think those are from the royal treasury!" Gingerbrave gasped.

"They... are?" Adventurer pressed. "So... I didn't make a new discovery?"

"I'm afraid not," Almond Cookie told him. "Could you show us where you found this?"

"Certainly! Follow me!" Adventurer assured him with a smile.

"Don't worry," Almond told Gingerbrave and me. "Muscle Cookie and Blackberry Cookie will come with us. We'll bring the treasure back."

"Okay," I nodded. "Hopefully you don't run into any cake hounds."

Almond, Muscle, and Blackberry followed Adventurer, and slowly but surely, the rest of us filed out of the dining room back into the hallway.

"Wait!" Wizard Cookie cried out. "What about the verdict?"

"What is your verdict, then?" I asked him, stopping just before the door.

"Well, based on all the evidence and witness testimonies, I must declare that Chili Pepper is... not guilty!" Wizard declared.