Samurai Jack and the Archer of Light
The house was warm; a fire was glowing in a corner. The smell of chicken soup was wafting through the lower level, and right under his nose. The wood flooring was thick and absorbed the sound of foot falls, so when Arc came from behind a screen with two steaming bowls of soup, Jack didn't hear her.
"Yee must eat, then tomorrow I will take yee to the other side." She said, setting before him a bowl, and a spoon. She sat a crossed from him in a chair, and ate her soup in silence.
"Arc, I thank you very much for your hospitality. May I ask why you fight Aku?"
She looked up from her food. " I fight him because my family has fought him for centuries. Yee need not worry; I am on your side.
"But Aku has done something terrible to this world, and I can feel it. He has unleashed something so terrible, that I can not speak it." She looked out a window that faced into the deserted woods. "The terrible thing moves this way, heading closer and closer to life. If it shall reach yee, all will be lost."
Jack bowed his head in thought. He looked up again when Arc got up from the table and went behind the screen.
"Eat your soup, Samurai, it make yee strong for the up coming battle." She said.
Jack picked up his spoon and tasted the soup. Chicken. "Arc, do you have something against chickens? Your soup tastes like it"
"Ah, I find chickens very stupid, only good for soup and nothing else. Except their eggs."
Jack frowned. And her comment about him being a chicken hit home. Was Arc truly his equal in the fight against Aku?
"Samurai Jack, yee need not worry. I see yee only as a chicken because yee cross on Richuh road, nothing more. Remember, chickens are stupid, and yee are far from stupid. Oh yes, yee still have much to learn about this future world. Yes, I know yee are from the past. Aku has told the entire world that there is a stranger among us from the past, but that announcement gave all children hope for a new world, where Aku is no longer Ruler." She came back with a steaming. "Eat, we must work to become stronger than what Aku has released."
Jack shrugged, and ate his chicken soup.
%%%%
Arc used a real bow and targeted the tree very carefully. When she released, the arrow flew, and lodged itself in the tree.
"Nice shot." Jack said, leaning lightly on his borrowed long bow.
"Thank yee." She replied, putting another arrow up. She drew it back to her ear, aimed at the shaft of the last one, and fired.
"Another shaft split." Jack commented. "My turn."
Arc stepped aside, and Jack to her place.
He took an arrow from the quiver on his belt, set it to the bow, pulled back, aimed, and fired. The arrow flew and hit the tree an inch above where it aimed. "Normally I'm a good shot, but what happened?"
"Samurai, clear your mind, and be the arrow. See its path through the tip with your eyes." Arc said quietly.
He tried again, clearing his mind. The tree stood out, the other five arrows in it. The steel tip of the arrowhead became his eye, making its own path. The arrow wanted not to hit the tree, but the one beyond it. He drew to arrow back, pointing it at the tree. He released, and the arrow flew, and split the other arrows that had once been Arcs'.
"Very good, Samurai. Now try doing that while riding Richuh, under attack, and with a thousand sounds buzzing in your ear." Arc said as Jack pulled out of his trance.
"That, that was amazing. What is it like with a light arrow?"
"Much more challenging than what yee just did. To control the light arrow is trying to control a F'tezz with no tools: it is possible, but very hard."
"What is a f-F'tezz?" he asked, aiming again.
"A F'tezz is a shell beast with many spikes on its back. It never sticks its head out, and the head in the weak point. Yee need a sharp metal stick, such as your sword, and a loop pole to pull its head out."
"If it never sticks its head out, how can you?"
"Poke it through the eye holes, the shell peals back, and it snaps its head out at your ankles. That is when to put the loop pole around its neck. Yee pull the head out, and cut it off. I know yee think it sounds gruesome, but the shell makes for a nice protection, and the meat inside is very healthy to the body."
Jack put the arrow down, his stomach growling loudly.
"I see the talk of food has made us both hungry." Arc said with a smile.
"I agree."
The two warriors headed back in side, were Arc made a F'tezz dinner.
%%%%
Nightfall brought silence to the out side world of the house. Arc had warned Jack not to go outside, nor to open any window, but he couldn't help looking through the glass to the stars above. Every now and then, one would streak through the sky, and he would make a wish on it.
"I wish to return to my own time and stop Aku before he hurts any one." The star seemed to stop in its path, and wink, before continuing on.
He left the window and went down the stairs to the lower level. Arc had said that the lower level was cold at night, and she was right. When he was able to look around from his place on the stairs, he saw an open window. Quietly he went down and closed it.
Something wasn't right about the window, why was it open?
A scream from the second level. Jack ran up the stairs, his bare feet making no sound. He pushed back the screen and saw a black beast with pealing skin clawing at Arc.
Arc had pulled away from the beast, pulling the covers over her bare body. She was screaming, her purple eyes wide with fear.
The beast was the size of a dog and had a demon face.
He didn't hesitate; he pulled his sword from its sheath and brought it down on the beast. The thing spun, lashing out at Jack with claws as sharp as his sword. Jack went from thrust to block, and parried the beasts' attack. He then came back with an upper slice, and hacked its arm off. It howled in pain, and ran from the room, screaming.
Jack was about to run after it, but Arc had stopped screaming. He tuned and looked at her, white hair falling about her face and shoulders.
"Arc, are you alright?" he asked, putting his sword away.
She was just staring at him, her eyes glittering in the candlelight.
"Arc?" he came and sat next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Open the window it came from, to let it go. If yee don't, it will come back and kill yee." She said barely above a whisper.
Jack ran from the room, heading down stairs. Black blood was everywhere, on each window, over the floor, on the walls, everywhere. The beast was clawing at the door, screeching at the top of its lungs.
He threw open a window and backed away. The beast ran from the door to the window and jumped out of it.
"We must leave here. The darkness that has been unleashed shall return to finish off the Light." Arc had descended the stairs, wrapped in a brown blanket. "I am the last of the Light, the creators of this world, and once I am gone, Aku, lord of darkness, shall reign." She sat in a chair, her shoulders shivering.
Jack stared. She was the last string that held Aku back? She was the only one who could save this world, other than him?
A/N: I started writing this with the idea of Jack meeting his equal, and it has turned out that way. I will write more, but I'm taking a break from this for a while to finish another piece in another section.
The house was warm; a fire was glowing in a corner. The smell of chicken soup was wafting through the lower level, and right under his nose. The wood flooring was thick and absorbed the sound of foot falls, so when Arc came from behind a screen with two steaming bowls of soup, Jack didn't hear her.
"Yee must eat, then tomorrow I will take yee to the other side." She said, setting before him a bowl, and a spoon. She sat a crossed from him in a chair, and ate her soup in silence.
"Arc, I thank you very much for your hospitality. May I ask why you fight Aku?"
She looked up from her food. " I fight him because my family has fought him for centuries. Yee need not worry; I am on your side.
"But Aku has done something terrible to this world, and I can feel it. He has unleashed something so terrible, that I can not speak it." She looked out a window that faced into the deserted woods. "The terrible thing moves this way, heading closer and closer to life. If it shall reach yee, all will be lost."
Jack bowed his head in thought. He looked up again when Arc got up from the table and went behind the screen.
"Eat your soup, Samurai, it make yee strong for the up coming battle." She said.
Jack picked up his spoon and tasted the soup. Chicken. "Arc, do you have something against chickens? Your soup tastes like it"
"Ah, I find chickens very stupid, only good for soup and nothing else. Except their eggs."
Jack frowned. And her comment about him being a chicken hit home. Was Arc truly his equal in the fight against Aku?
"Samurai Jack, yee need not worry. I see yee only as a chicken because yee cross on Richuh road, nothing more. Remember, chickens are stupid, and yee are far from stupid. Oh yes, yee still have much to learn about this future world. Yes, I know yee are from the past. Aku has told the entire world that there is a stranger among us from the past, but that announcement gave all children hope for a new world, where Aku is no longer Ruler." She came back with a steaming. "Eat, we must work to become stronger than what Aku has released."
Jack shrugged, and ate his chicken soup.
%%%%
Arc used a real bow and targeted the tree very carefully. When she released, the arrow flew, and lodged itself in the tree.
"Nice shot." Jack said, leaning lightly on his borrowed long bow.
"Thank yee." She replied, putting another arrow up. She drew it back to her ear, aimed at the shaft of the last one, and fired.
"Another shaft split." Jack commented. "My turn."
Arc stepped aside, and Jack to her place.
He took an arrow from the quiver on his belt, set it to the bow, pulled back, aimed, and fired. The arrow flew and hit the tree an inch above where it aimed. "Normally I'm a good shot, but what happened?"
"Samurai, clear your mind, and be the arrow. See its path through the tip with your eyes." Arc said quietly.
He tried again, clearing his mind. The tree stood out, the other five arrows in it. The steel tip of the arrowhead became his eye, making its own path. The arrow wanted not to hit the tree, but the one beyond it. He drew to arrow back, pointing it at the tree. He released, and the arrow flew, and split the other arrows that had once been Arcs'.
"Very good, Samurai. Now try doing that while riding Richuh, under attack, and with a thousand sounds buzzing in your ear." Arc said as Jack pulled out of his trance.
"That, that was amazing. What is it like with a light arrow?"
"Much more challenging than what yee just did. To control the light arrow is trying to control a F'tezz with no tools: it is possible, but very hard."
"What is a f-F'tezz?" he asked, aiming again.
"A F'tezz is a shell beast with many spikes on its back. It never sticks its head out, and the head in the weak point. Yee need a sharp metal stick, such as your sword, and a loop pole to pull its head out."
"If it never sticks its head out, how can you?"
"Poke it through the eye holes, the shell peals back, and it snaps its head out at your ankles. That is when to put the loop pole around its neck. Yee pull the head out, and cut it off. I know yee think it sounds gruesome, but the shell makes for a nice protection, and the meat inside is very healthy to the body."
Jack put the arrow down, his stomach growling loudly.
"I see the talk of food has made us both hungry." Arc said with a smile.
"I agree."
The two warriors headed back in side, were Arc made a F'tezz dinner.
%%%%
Nightfall brought silence to the out side world of the house. Arc had warned Jack not to go outside, nor to open any window, but he couldn't help looking through the glass to the stars above. Every now and then, one would streak through the sky, and he would make a wish on it.
"I wish to return to my own time and stop Aku before he hurts any one." The star seemed to stop in its path, and wink, before continuing on.
He left the window and went down the stairs to the lower level. Arc had said that the lower level was cold at night, and she was right. When he was able to look around from his place on the stairs, he saw an open window. Quietly he went down and closed it.
Something wasn't right about the window, why was it open?
A scream from the second level. Jack ran up the stairs, his bare feet making no sound. He pushed back the screen and saw a black beast with pealing skin clawing at Arc.
Arc had pulled away from the beast, pulling the covers over her bare body. She was screaming, her purple eyes wide with fear.
The beast was the size of a dog and had a demon face.
He didn't hesitate; he pulled his sword from its sheath and brought it down on the beast. The thing spun, lashing out at Jack with claws as sharp as his sword. Jack went from thrust to block, and parried the beasts' attack. He then came back with an upper slice, and hacked its arm off. It howled in pain, and ran from the room, screaming.
Jack was about to run after it, but Arc had stopped screaming. He tuned and looked at her, white hair falling about her face and shoulders.
"Arc, are you alright?" he asked, putting his sword away.
She was just staring at him, her eyes glittering in the candlelight.
"Arc?" he came and sat next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Open the window it came from, to let it go. If yee don't, it will come back and kill yee." She said barely above a whisper.
Jack ran from the room, heading down stairs. Black blood was everywhere, on each window, over the floor, on the walls, everywhere. The beast was clawing at the door, screeching at the top of its lungs.
He threw open a window and backed away. The beast ran from the door to the window and jumped out of it.
"We must leave here. The darkness that has been unleashed shall return to finish off the Light." Arc had descended the stairs, wrapped in a brown blanket. "I am the last of the Light, the creators of this world, and once I am gone, Aku, lord of darkness, shall reign." She sat in a chair, her shoulders shivering.
Jack stared. She was the last string that held Aku back? She was the only one who could save this world, other than him?
A/N: I started writing this with the idea of Jack meeting his equal, and it has turned out that way. I will write more, but I'm taking a break from this for a while to finish another piece in another section.