|Gathering room|
The room was stuffy and crowded to the brim with women of every age and stature. Rue glanced around her from her assigned spot. Next to her was a woman who barely reached her stomach, with long white hair that shone in the candlelight. In front of her a woman of clear Siren heritage laughed, as if a thousand bells were softly jingling in a spring breeze. A group of three women, two stocky ones and one with long, willowy limbs, walked to the front of the large hall. Their skin, dark as summer night, reflected the candle light in bronzed tones. Rue did a rough count and arrived at perhaps a hundred thousand women, while their handlers, officers and caretakers stood at the sidelines.
Her gaze drew back to the front, where an empty throne waited for its occupant. Judging from their build and posture, the women in the front were from the warrior tribes, their eyes constantly flitting back and forth, checking the room for possible threats. Behind them stood women as lovely as any daydream, dressed in wispy silks or elegantly draped satin, barely opening their eyes as they languidly exchanged gossip.
Rue looked down at her ink stained hands, the dark woolen sleeves that covered her wrists. The women around her wore the same unassuming attire, their behavior indicating they didn't expect to be really needed here. Master Aku had a plan, and had commanded the presence of scores of them, of every walk of life. She wondered what he wanted.
The candles extinguished in a sudden whoosh. A few of the women in the middle yelped, as did most of the women in the back. Rue had been too caught up in examining others to react in such a way. Before anything else happened all the women who had reacted were escorted out of the room. The few who tried to resist - curiosity or misplaced pride, who knew - would find themselves heavily bruised in the morning. When they came to their senses they would be grateful that was all that had happened.
One moment there was nothing, the next one there was Aku. Rue drew a shuddering breath, but that was all she did. She'd been expecting a bigger shock this time, and she wasn't disappointed. Some of the warrior women in the front had reached for their weapons when Aku appeared, an instinct from a life of training. Aku commended that instinct. Then he commanded their death for not controlling it in regard to him. The reaction of the rows further to the back varied from frightened yelps to fainting. Rue barely managed to catch the woman in front of her before her head hit the floor. Other shocks followed, tentacles sprouting from the floor, lights flickering on and off, a robot contingent drumming into the room. Rue didn't know what managed to keep her quiet, how she kept her cool. Curiosity, probably. As one of the clerks, curiosity was a big asset. And the things she read in the reports had a way of dulling her sense of horrible. The words, the ideas, she'd read, commands from Aku she had forwarded to others, those were scary. This was merely a light show. If she could find out why though, she could inform the others. Their entire purpose was knowing why.
As the afternoon continued their numbers dwindled. It was the first time she saw blood spilled so freely. Oh, she had received a few backhands herself from her supervisors, but nothing like this. Aku seemed bored with the performance, resting his head on a hand while he observed something in the small television next to him. Whatever that was, it was important. Questions came next, and their answers determined their further fates. Soon Rue found herself as one of the last hundred in the room, gathered in front of Aku's throne. Their little square seemed even smaller in the immense space, the heat emanating from their powerful ruler almost raising blisters on their skin. Only two of the courtesans had remained, and to her surprise it was those who were most like her that formed the majority. Scholars, clerics, mechanics and practical people. In the end, the warrior women had had their instincts against them.
"So…" Aku looked at them as if only now realized they were in the same space as he was. "You are the ones most fitting for my next task."
It wasn't a question. No, he was merely stating a fact, and clearly he expected them to know it to be true as well. They dropped to the floor, kneeling with their foreheads pressed against the relieving cool of the tiles. Next to Rue's face was a coagulating puddle of blood. She ignored it as best as she could.
"Stand up. How am I supposed to make a choice if I can't see your damned faces?"
They stood up and from the one glance she managed to throw across the room it was clear nobody understood. They were never allowed to stand in the presence of the master. They stood, silently. Aku regarded them, eyes slowly moving from one woman to the other. Sometimes he would make a movement with a claw, nigh visible. The motion would cause the woman he'd currently viewed to be taken away, most of them through the same door she'd entered by. Three of them were guided through a door that lead to more private quarters.
When Aku finally came to her she stood a bit straighter, a drop of sweat beading at her temple and slowly falling down. Aku raised his eyebrows. She swallowed, but kept looking at him. Just then she realized that if she wanted to get away, perhaps she should look at the ground. All those who had done so had been sent away. In the split second before she could act on that, Aku watched the woman next to her. He did not move his claw.
Rue did not know how long they stood in the near dark. The only light in the room came from the flames flickering around Aku's throne, drawing red streaks across the floor. Her back ached, her feet cried out for relief even in her sturdy shoes. Perhaps if she moved to relieve that ache, she would be sent away? Or perhaps Aku would be displeased and order her execution. He was fickle, their Master. Grave transgressions were always met with grave punishment, but smaller ones could be dealt with in the same way. Who could say what mood he was in today?
After what felt like a century he finished his examination of the last one. From the corner of her eye, Rue judged there were perhaps twenty of them left.
"Well then… which one of you shall do me the honor of killing the Samurai?"
Her breath stocked at the name. She could have known. Master Aku was nothing if not intent on killing the Samurai once and for all. But what did he hope they could accomplish? Aku continued talking. "None of you are the best at anything. None of you are skilled fighters or remarkable beauties. In every aspect of life you are merely passable. This is what I have been looking for."
So being unremarkable was what had made them stand out?
"The fool expects a beautiful damsel in distress. He expects skilled assassins. You are neither."
Well, he did have a point there. She broke out in cold sweat when Aku laid eyes on her at last. "You."
Rue fell to the floor, knees in a pool of coagulated blood. Anything to escape that horrible gaze. Around her the women were cleared from the room, footsteps shuffling out of the way. Aku spoke to her, languid, snapping his fingers to turn on a television. The sound prompted her to look up.
The Samurai slashed his way through an army of robots, striking them down with a smooth and almost relaxed style. Rue swallowed when she realized what they were pitting her against.
"You will not face him on the battlefield."
She nodded, careful to keep her expression neutral. A private audience with their great ruler seldom ended in bliss and glory. Blisters and gore was a far more likely option. At least he didn't order her to charge the Samurai head on. In that case he might as well have slit her throat himself and save her the trouble of traveling.
"You'll be supplied with poison. You are not brave, but cautious enough to survive. Keep your nerves in check and there is a chance you will appear victoriously. If not…" Aku snapped his fingers, and her mother appeared in a cloud of flames. The woman coughed violently, but didn't cower from Aku. Instead she bowed towards the Master of all evil, hands clasped in front of her.
"My girl will do what she has to, my Master. She knows where her duty lies."
Of course Rue knew. Her mother reminded her every single day they had to pay their overlord a blood debt. Even their lives were to be sacrificed gleefully. Aku had saved her entire race ,ordering them to interbreed with the indigenous population of this planet. Little separated them from the humans now, except for a greater tolerance of physical and mental stress. But they were also more susceptible to certain illnesses, as her mother proved.
Aku looked at her, really looked, before returning to face the monitors. Rue followed, seeing the Samurai as he walked, alone, to his next destination. She saw his sword and silent determination. Her mother walked towards her, squeezed her arm. The woman knew she was to be collateral and didn't mind. Rue swallowed.
"I know. We always repay our debts."
|Ocean Village, Two months later|
She arrived at a medium-sized town, stomach upset thanks to a rough travel overseas. Aku had waged a war against certain species that dwelled underwater, much upsetting regular trade routes and forcing passenger ships to take… exotic routes. Reports had said the Samurai was headed this way, but that was before she'd left the capital. His ship could have arrived weeks before hers, or weeks after hers. Thanks to the weather she had no way of knowing. Her only hope was making contact with one of the settlements where Master Aku had men stationed who could help her find the track again.
She awkwardly picked her way through the crowd. She hadn't really ever expected to miss her job, but being around this many people was highly discomforting. With zero experience in navigating a crowd it was more pure luck than an ounce of skill that kept her from knocking over several stalls. She stopped at one stall that sold what looked like baby squid on a stick to ask for directions. "Do you know of any traders leaving for Middleport soon?"
"No, no traders going that way. That's bandit country. Pretty little thing like you is gonna get her self killed."
"It's very important that I get there," she insisted. Master Aku wasn't the most patient of instructors, and odds were he was observing her right now, if he could tear his gaze away from the Samurai for a few minutes. If he caught her not giving her best… "I can pay."
"No, nobody is going there. And if you go, you'll get killed."
"But-"
"I said no. Now are you buying squid or not?"
Rue sighed dejectedly. "No, thank you. I'm not very hungry." Anything she ate now was liable to end up splattered on the ground within minutes. She still felt like she was walking on the ship deck. Queasy didn't come close to describing her current mood.
"Excuse me, ma'am."
The gentle voice came just when Rue had turned around. A large, bulking robot was just behind her, and she teetered on the tips of her toes before turning back to the person who had spoken. Sadly the shift in balance was too much for her to counteract, leading to her tripping over her own feet. Half-turning she got snagged, arms flailing as she felt gravity take its toll.
Strong, warm hands grabbed her before she hit the dirt. The robot wandered away without ever realizing what had happened to Rue. The watery sun was blocked out by a man, who she recognized as the one who had addressed her earlier thanks to his gentle inquiry.
"Are you hurt?"
She couldn't see his face with the light coming from behind, so she just nodded, still coping with the fact she hadn't fallen down too badly. Strong arms kept her inches away from the ground. In her panic she had grabbed at one of his sleeves. She mumbled a thank you, not used to this much human contact in one day. In the archives the most human interaction expected of her was signing delivery papers or yelling at outdated robots. When he put her back on her feet she finally got a look at his face. It felt like being hit against the head with a hammer.
"You're… him. I mean… you're…" normally she could be quite eloquent, thanks to her work with letters and books. But right now the sheer dumb luck of it all perplexed her too much, along with actually having a live conversation partner. That and usually she was her own conversation partner. Dumbstruck she pointed to one of the wanted posters.
The man smiled, looking away from the posters as if he were embarrassed about them. "Yes, my reputation often precedes me. And forgive my straightforwardness, but did I hear you wanted to go to Middleport, ma'am?"
"Miss," she corrected automatically. His eyes weren't quite as malicious as the posters had made it seem, and his mouth didn't have that downward crease either. But the square jaw and haircut left no doubt about who it was. "Miss Rue Arkham, first-" she caught herself before giving her rank at Aku's fort. "First of that name,' she finished feebly, grasping for something that would be somewhat logical to say.
"Miss Arkham," the samurai bowed to her from his waist, very much unlike how she would bow for Aku. When he raised his head it was with a sad half-smile. "The people of this land have taken to calling me Jack. Samurai Jack."
"Nice to meet you," she replied, her brain falling back on social courtesies to save her from spilling out all of Aku's plans. "I… yes. I wanted to go there, but there are no trade caravans. I don't have much choice though. It's imperative I go." Because I wanted to ask where you were located, she thought. Was she dreaming? Did she bang her head against the wooden boards of the leaky sieve they'd called a boat one too many times?
Jack nodded and gestured to the side, indicating they might move away from the cart where an unhappy saleswoman watched them obstruct her business. "So I understood. But it is dangerous for a lady to travel these lands alone. Since I am going that way as well, perhaps you would kindly allow me to accompany you?"
The cogs in her brain were slowly starting to fall apart. The Samurai wanted to escort her? What kind of witchcraft was this? At her obvious grasping for a somewhat logical answer Jack continued to talk, giving her a chance to get her bearings.
"I realize my request may seem improper to you, but it is dangerous for travelers to go alone. If we were to travel together, I am certain the road would pass far quicker." His slight accent suited him, she thought. Just like the way he dressed it marked him for a man out of time. And his impeccable manners did allow her a way to get close to him. How could he suspect her, when he was the one offering they travel together?
"I… yes, of course you are right. Thank you for this kind offer. But you're sure that would be alright for you? I wouldn't want to be a burden." Mentally she kicked herself. Oh, do give the man a chance to change his mind, why don't you Rue? You're not looking a gift horse in the mouth, you're practically dragging it to the dentist at this rate. She'd gone over the technical details of her mission often enough, deciding long ago that poison was indeed the way to go for her. But now she was face to face with him and he seemed so… not technical. He had gone from a poster on the wall to an actual living being in front of her.
He assured her it was alright, as long as she permit him to buy some supplies. She nodded and they agreed to meet up at the north gates in an hour. When he was gone, Rue rushed into an alley, taking deep breaths. She was in way over her head. But she had to, there was no other option. Every single one of her race owed Master Aku a blood debt, and the only way to repay it was life long service. But if she did this… she'd be the first to ever be debtless. Her mother, her friends, everyone around her knew it was important to repay debts owed. If Master Aku wanted this, he would have it.
That didn't stop her from being all tongue-tied when she realized she would have to talk to the Samurai first. What did people talk about with someone they intended to kill? The weather? Sure was dark and cloudy again, all praise Master Aku. Politics? I heard Master Aku strung someone up by their toes because they suggested pineapple was a lousy pizza topping, they shoulda known better, huh?
She stopped dead in her tracks when she thought about something her mother had asked her once. "How long since you even talked to a man?"
Maybe that was the problem. Because there was no question that the Samurai was male. And not in the way her fellow clerics were male, tall, lanky and kind of spacey. Her co-workers felt like letters on parchment to her, soft and brittle. Those weren't words she'd tie to the Samurai any day soon. He'd seemed… not massive, but solid. Yes, solid was the word.
As she shopped, she was acutely aware of her own body. The ocean water had long scrubbed her skin clean of any ink stains, but no callus had formed on her hands. Her body wasn't in a condition to survive long treks across mountains, and if someone were to attack her now, she'd have to rely on someone else to step in. She was a lamb sent to kill a lion. Which was the reason they had selected her and the other candidates. The selection process had been long, but the main factor had been that none of them had the 'killer intent'. Nobody would ever expect her to kill someone. She fiddled with the locket around her neck, aware of the poison powder hidden in it. She had to go through with this. Had to.
I have a few extra chapters prepared for this story, so updates should be fairly regular. Next update will be on the 4th of next month, European time. Of course, if I get... 10 reviews? I might update sooner.