CHAPTER THREE
The Flannel Ronin
For millennia the West was guarded by the Neo-Samurai. Many were the first-born of criminals marked for death; most were the children of other Neo-Samurai who were given the option of death or perpetual servitude at the age of 13. The Flannel Ronin was the product of King Morten and his concubine Yamille. Knowing the king to murder most of his non-royal offspring, Yamille went to the Neo-samurai as soon as her son was born where they agreed to take the child in, as well as keep him a secret from the king. Yamille had stitched a large red and black flannel blanket for her boy, which he kept and stitched into his first kimono at the age of 10.
The boy was an anomaly amongst his peers. He never spoke, his fair skin and bright ginger hair were viewed as threatening, while his clothing deemed “silly”. Despite the rejections of the other students, he shined the brightest with all of his sensei, who were in awe of his speed, agility, quick memory and flawless sight. He started going on missions with Master Ojii and saw his first battle at the age of 11. After quelling a rebellion in San Vargas (formerly Las Vegas) the boy found a missing saber tooth tabby cub. The poor creature had been starving for days. He approached the cat slowly to pet its forehead. When he made contact her heard a voice inside of his head.
VOICE
Please…help
He cradled the cub, going off to reunite with his master. The sabre tooth tabby was the boy’s first and dearest friend, he named him George and the two were inseparable. The telepathic bond they had grew stronger, eventually they could communicate back and forth to each other, though with very few words. George grew so large that the boy would ride him into battle. By the time the boy was 15 he had gained the respect of his peers, but they were still too intimidated to speak to him.
One day on a usual lunch day, he entered the meal quarters where George was waiting beside their usual table in the corner. He nodded at George.
THE BOY AT 15
Hello George.
GEORGE
Good to see.
When he sat down any group of people closest to him migrated further away.
GEORGE
Mean people.
THE BOY AT 15
It doesn’t matter.
GEORGE
Too nice.
Before he could respond, a girl with flowing ink black hair entered the room. The boy was instantly stricken with a sense of euphoria and pain.
THE BOY AT 15
Wow.
GEORGE
You hurt?
He noticed the girl began walking towards their table, but his concentration on her was cut by George’s growling.
THE BOY AT 15
Don’t growl at her.
GEORGE
Not her. Look.
He stared at the rest of the eating quarters, to the left, Rista, the small blind neo-Samurai had his sword out at the 6 ft tall, doughy Gumble, the new transfer, who clutched his food tray with both hands shaking.
GUMBLE
I mean you no disrespect, I only wish to-
RISTA
I only wish toooooo….
The surrounding students laughed in unison, a wave of terror swept over Gumble.
RISTA
These tables are for the best belts only, you sit in the back.
GUMBLE
Apologies.
Gumble turned around only to trip over the extended foot of another student. The tray of food splattered all over the floor. Gumble stood facing Rista defiantly until Rista extended his sword towards Gumble’s stomach.
RISTA
You really want to try me fat boy?
Another blade struck Rista’s from underneath, The Boy was at the end of it with a growling George in tow.
THE BOY AT 15
Stop this.
A silence hushed over the quarters, this was the first time anyone had heard him speak out loud. Rista huffed as he withdrew his katana into his holster then waved towards Gumble.
RISTA
Take him.
The Boy, his cat and the new guy returned to the table in the back, the mysterious new female student was waiting for them. The two boys displayed separate looks of shock or confusion.
THE GIRL AT 15
Well there was no way I was going to sit up there.
The Boy slid his tray to Gumble.
GUMBLE
Are you sure?
The boy nodded
GUMBLE
A thousand thank you’s!
Gumble shoveled the rice and eggs into his mouth with wild abandon.
THE GIRL AT 15
So what’s your deal?
GUMBLE
My father was sentenced to death today, he was an animator.
THE GIRL AT 15
First born?
Gumble nodded.
GUMBLE
I was processed this morning. You?
THE GIRL AT 15
Been in and out of these places my whole life. I either escape or it gets raided by outsiders.
THE BOY AT 15
Sounds tough.
THE GIRL AT 15
You get used to it.
Both the Boy and George were dumbfounded, until this point no one else could “mind speak”.
THE BOY AT 15
You can hear me?
THE GIRL AT 15
Loud and clear.
Gumble was perplexed.
GUMBLE
Who are you talking to?
The Girl caught on to the oddness of the situation.
THE GIRL AT 15
Its nothing, sorry.
THE BOY AT 15
You’re the only other person I met who could do this.
GEORGE
Hey!
THE BOY AT 15
I said person.
THE GIRL AT 15
Yes . I heard you say person?
THE BOY AT 15
I don’t think she can hear you George.
GEORGE
Good.
THE GIRL AT 15
Who’s George?
The Boy patted his sabre-tooth Tabby on the head as he purred.
THE GIRL AT 15
You can talk to animals!? I can’t do that!
GUMBLE
Why is everyone so quiet?
THE GIRL AT 15
I get the feeling that our new friend here is naturally quiet, I’ve just been thinking. You want to see a trick?
Gumble nodded.
THE GIRL AT 15
This stays between us, agreed?
The Boy and George were now interested nodding along with Gumble as they sat up in anticipation.
The Girl looked around the mess hall before extended her hand, The Boy’s cup moved from the other side of the table into the palm of her hand. She looked into The Boy’s eyes.
THE GIRL AT 15
Teach me how to speak to animals and I’ll teach you how to do this.
THE BOY AT 15
Deal.
The Boy started the day with one true friend and now he had three.
They trained together day and night; The Boy made it his responsibility to bring Gumble up to fighting shape by teaching him stances, blocks and how to put his entire weight into a punch.
The Girl taught the boy how to strengthen his mental abilities through mind communication and how to move things by pushing and pulling his will on objects, he mastered this ability over a seven day period, but try as she might at the end of four months of attempts, The Girl could not speak to any animals. Students were allowed one pet, most had to be kept in cages during after hours, it was only The Boy’s connection with George that granted the privilege for him to roam free (to the ire of the other students).
After the hundredth failed attempt to speak to George, The Boy took The Girl to the animal pen, he had not been there in years since he got George, after he could speak to the sabre-tabby a button was pressed and he could hear the voices of every animal, whether he liked it or not. The Boy assumed that this would work in reverse for The Girl but walking through the halls she heard nothing. Not the shouts from the wolves, the bribing of the reptiles or the screams for the smaller rodents. She stayed persistent, even visiting the pen without The Boy, yet nothing emerged.
Three years had gone by, the three were now known as “The Unusuals, with a reputation of being as effective as they were strange. Gumble took it upon himself to train with the Sumo-Assassins, where he learned to use his weight as a weapon a long with the training passed on to him by The Boy.
To everyone outside the group The Girl became incredibly proficient in hand to hand combat, in truth she had advanced her abilities to read her opponents minds to foresee their attacks.
The Boy added studying the histories of the Neo-Samurai to his training, adapting moves he learned about in the before times. In secret he increased his mental ability to push and pull objects, so much so that he could open locked doors from great distances.
On the eve of their graduation the Unusuals were given a final team mission to take down SloopOrg, an illegal ring of VHS suppliers in the subterranean markets of Sea At All (the sewers of Seattle). They infiltrated the group as wealthy film junkies interested in purchasing laserdiscs, quickly gaining admittance into “the Vault” a secret room made of red brick that housed every forbidden technology in the world.
After trekking through the sewers, past the hundreds of vagrants and merchants, with the directions given to them they reached a back alley where they were greeted by Lamoy, a small man with a bulging back on toothpick thin legs, wearing a dusty tuxedo.
LAMOY
Right this way…
He took them inside the back entrance to the nearby complex, where a rickety elevator took them fifth floor, the chain doors slid and there was the concrete room, the entire top floor of this building was the Vault. The Boy lead the way, his eyes were forward, he refused to let his awe of all of these machines get in the way of his mission. The role he was playing was of a collector who saw these things all the time, not a Neo-Samurai who had never seen a monitor before in his life, let alone three stacks of them then feet high serving as pillars keeping the ceiling up, each with either static or bars of color. People were scattered across the room on switchboards, typewriters and blocking screens with either green or orange texts. George became uneasy and started to growl.
THE BOY AT 18
Take it easy, don’t blow our cover.
GEORGE
This place strange.
THE BOY AT 18
It is what it is. How are you doing back there-
THE GIRL AT 18
You can’t hear them?
THE BOY AT 18
Who?
THE GIRL AT 18
The machines, they’re in my mind, speaking to me.
Some voices were happy, some angry, many sad but they all shouted at The Girl the moment she stepped out of the elevator. This was her pen and she loved it.
THE GIRL AT 18
Can any of you machines hear me?
SURVEILANCE CAMERA
INTRUDERS! You have been recognized as four neo-Samurai and a mutant feline.
SECURITY SYSTEM
Engaging all defenses in silent sixty-second countdown.
THE BOY AT 18
What are the machines saying?
THE GIRL AT 18
Our cover is blown; we have less than a minute.
THE BOY AT 18
Perfect.
The Boy used his thumb to raise up the hilt of his katana blade from its holster, he swung around slicing Lamoy in half gaining the attention of everyone in the room.
THE BOY AT 18
NEO-SAMURAI ,THIS IS AN ARREST!
THE GIRL AT 18
BEHIND YOU!
The Boy dived to the ground a split second before the double barrel rapid round machine guns fired out of the back room. Gumble stepped in the way of four fleeing Sl00pOrgs, knocking them down like pins. The Dun-Machine bursts through the shot up steel doors, it had a rolling track under its torso, its arms were made of iron instead of fingers it had ten muzzels. The Girl attempted a line of communication.
THE GIRL AT 18
Can you hear me?
MACHINE GUN-MAN
Not that it matters, INTRUDER!
The Girl leapt out of the way of the barrage of bullets the Machine Gun-Man sprayed at her. The Machines torso spun three hundred and sixty degrees, allowing The Boy to slice up its back as the wires fell backwards on to the floor. The shooting stopped, the tech was all riddled with bullets and five Sl00pOrgs now lay lifeless on the ground.
Gumble’s decision to pile upon the remaining four Sl00pOrgs saved their lives. They burned down the Vault as ordered, returning to the Western Academy to find it too set to flames.
The students and the sensei’s were gathered in the fields that lay before the academy, surrounded by the Kings Men, other neo-Samurai and strangely enough, warriors from the East, all female with copper helmets, flat in the front covering their eyes, with a round oval shape in the back, The pen was burned in the fire set by the Kings men when they raided the Academy less than an our before the Unusuals return. George was put in a nearby wooden cage, not too far from The Boy and their friends.
At Dawn King Morten arrived, as did Queen Polar Vortex of the East. He wore his thick robe of fur; she was in her eggshell white skintight armor with glowing bright blue eyes. They strolled side by side into the center of the camp.
POLAR VORTEX
(Under her breath) Let’s make this quick shall we, I do not wish to be on this part of the country longer than I have to.
KING MORTEN
(Under his breath) By all means have the first words…(to himself) wretched bone hag.
POLAR VORTEX
Good Morning everyone! How nice is it to have both sides together at last, the Neo-Samurai of the West, the Coppertone sisters of the East for the first yet unfortunately last time.
She gestured to King Morten who stood forward.
KING MORTEN
I have decided to disband the Neo-Samurai and instead will institute the training of Bounty Hunters, The Queen is here to take all of the female students to the East. The males will either swear alliance to me by beheading a sensei; anyone clinging to the old ways is implored to fall on their sword this very moment or be hunted for the rest of their days.
First the Copper Sisters separated the girls. The Girl tugged on the boys shoulder before she was approached.
THE GIRL AT 18
Think we can take them?
THE BOY AT 18
I have a plan, but go with them for now
The Sensei’s were on their hands and knees with their heads low and arms bond behind their backs, facing the students. It was quiet enough to only hear the wind. Time passed slowly, a minute stretched into an eternity. The Boy was the first to step out of the crowd he striding to Master Ojii reading his blade. He raised his sword and swung, cutting his Masters bonds.
THE BOY AT 18
IF THE ROYALS ARE WITHOUT HONOR, MY ONLY HONOR SHALL BE TO THE CODE OF THE NEO-SAMURAI!
Master Oji looked up at his student with tears and a smile of pride.
MASTER OJII
You fool, you sweet fool.
An arrow from the King’s archer shot out hitting Master Oji in the chest he collapsed into the mud.
THE BOY AT 18
JOIN ME BROTHERS AND SISTERS!
The students charged at their captors, disarming them and taking them down while freeing their Sensei’s. The Boy freed George, slicing through the lock to his cage, they road into battle, The Boy tracked down the archer, guided George into his direction with his mind, the giant cat ran left and right evading every arrow the archer had to spare before pouncing on him allowing The Boy to sever the archers head from his body.
The Girl was the first to fight back against the Copper Sisters by throwing a punch at the Head Guard, the other female Neo-Samurai took down the other guards, a few joined in on protecting the Sensei.
The Boy, his cat and The Girl found each other at the center of the battle.
THE GIRL AT 18
That was some plan, anything beyond it or is this it?
THE BOY AT 18
We need to find Gumble.
GEORGE
Found him.
Gumble had gone over to the other side of the battle; he marched directly towards King Morten. He stopped at the two Guards blocking the way with their giant axes.
GUMBLE
I mean not to attack, I wish to pledge my loyalty to the King of the West.
King Morten’s ears perked up.
KING MORTEN
Is that true young man?
GUMBLE
Yes your majesty.
KING MORTEN
Then prove it, bring me the head of that ginger that started all of this.
The Boy, The Girl and George fought off many of the royal guards while allowing others to escape as far away as they could. The two did not hold back on their gifts, pushing and pulling while using their shared connection to anticipate and take down threats from all around them. In a moment they stopped face to face, sweaty, breathing heavily with cuts bruises and scars they both wished to attack on what had been building up between them for years, each going in for a kiss when a flash freeze of eyes ungulfed The Girl into a glacier, she was pulled back by Queen Polar Vortex.
POLAR VORTEX
You two are not the only ones with gifts! FALLOUT!
The Queen had flash frozen all of the female students and boarded them into the plane, The Boy readied himself when Gumble called out behind him.
GUMBLE
STOP!
The Boy turned to his friend.
THE BOY AT 18
They have her, I must go!
GUMBLE
Why couldn’t you leave things be.
THE BOY AT 18
What they wish is dishonorable.
GUMBLE
Its just change.
THE BOY AT 18
Not for the better.
GUMBLE
The King wants your head, I’m sorry.
THE BOY AT 18
As am I.
Gumble charged at the Boy, who in turn evaded every punch, when Gumble widened his arms the Boy pressed his palm to his attackers chest using his mind to rocket him backwards so hard he created a crater in the ground.
The Boy went to the Queens airship but it had already taken off. A storm of arrows rained down on the Boy, he leapt and George using his mind to propel them further in the air after each leap George made, it was enough to escape the King’s forces but not enough to catch up to the Queen.
They wondered the wastelands, traveling East in search of The Girl. Protecting people along the way from the Kings forces in exchange for a meal or a place to stay and building up a network of other displaced Neo-Samurai, now Ronin, who fought to stay alive during the “Purge of the Bounty Hunters”.
After en years of getting sidetracked by quests or oaths of protection from small towns lead The Flannel Ronin and George to Rista the Blind Ronin an ex-peer whose wife and daughter were abducted by Copperhead Sisters. The Blind Ronin was determined to bring his wife and daughter back and so the Flannel Ronin was honor bound to help him on his path that finally lead into his.
The Drewniverse 44 