Return of the Dragon

Year 905 of the Sixth Age…
“Looking back, I’d have to say my only regret was not running faster.”
In Year 899 of the Sixth Age…

“Hmm,” Robert mumbled as his hand hovered over the board, finally he moved his king safely out of reach of the knight, and gestured back to Hunter.

“I still can’t understand why we don’t just join the chess club,” Hunter said as he moved a pawn into position to take Robert’s castle. “For that matter, why don’t we just sit at the lunch tables or use the meal vouchers?”

They were sitting on a brick planter at the extreme edge of the school’s outdoor lunch area. In the middle were rows of cement benches where most of the students sat, and up at the front was the outdoor stage where second hand speakers blasted bad music.

The whole yard was a kind of slope, with the school’s cafeteria and outdoor lunch tables at the top. Inside the cafeteria was a war zone as students threw food back and forth and jockeyed for position. The outside area was originally meant for assemblies, but now students sat wherever they found room. There were to many students and everywhere was crowded, except for the planters along the edges where Hunter and his friend sat, and the walled in patio beside the cafeteria.

“Because then we’d be even lamer than we already are. It’s just the way things work,” Robert explained. “Are you even listening?”

Hunter was at that moment following the path of Angela Summerstall as she crossed the schoolyard towards the patio where the rich kids ate. She walked past them about this time every day, and every day Hunter stopped and starred openly at her, but she never looked back.

Her beauty was enchanting. Everything about her drew Hunter’s attention. Her walk was a perfect stride; grace and feeling flowed with every step. Few things broke Hunter’s calm demeanor, but one look at her always made his heart race.

Her head turned, but she looked right past him, as if examining the lockers far behind them. The look in her eyes told Hunter he had never meant less to anyone in his whole life.

“I’m going to talk to her,” Hunter said with definitive resolve.

“No, you’re not,” Robert replied with equal decisiveness.

Hunter stopped and looked back. “Excuse me?”

“You can’t talk to her, she’s not on your tier,” Robert explained. “Trust me, your better off if she doesn’t even notice you.”

“I don’t understand,” Hunter said. “Why can’t I just talk to her? You never know, she might go out with me.”

“Oh trust me, she wouldn’t go out with you,” Robert laughed. “It’s like this.”

Robert picked up the queen from his side of the board and held it before Hunter.

“Angela is the mayor’s daughter, she’s like a queen. All the kids who eat over on the patio come from money, they’re rich jerks who basically rule the school. Money equals power, so even the faculty stay out of their way.”

He put the queen down and picked up a rook. “Their cronies are the rooks, the smart devious kids who aren’t actually rich but are good at manipulating people. They do all the work that really keeps the kings and queens in power.”

Next Robert picked up a knight and showed it to Hunter. “Now we get to the muscle, the jocks, the athletes, the cheerleaders, hell even the marching band. They’re the strong arms, defenders of the kings and queens, but they to answer to the rooks, who in turn serve the kings and queens. Below them are the pawns, the lowest common denominator. The nerds, the stoners, the skaters, the average kids; everyone just falls into the lowest ranks, but even the pawns have there own pecking order.”

“And what about us?” Hunter asked. “Where are we on the board?”

Robert picked up a castle. “We’re the castles, the lucky ones. We just sit back on the sidelines and nobody notices us. We’re here, but not here, transparent.

“We just sit back, do our thing, and nobody pays any attention to us. We show up, go to class, but don’t interact with anyone. Technically we’re the lowest of the low, but nobody picks on us because nobody notices us. That’s the system, those are the rules. But if you do something to break those rules, like say; go talk to a queen or throw a dirt clod at a knight, you draw attention to yourself. Then you become a pawn, the lowest pawn, and all the other pawns and the knights and the rooks and the kings and queens start treating you like less than dirt.”

Hunter frowned as he looked across the crowded lunch yard to the gate of the patio. The sign above it said “Senior Patio”, but everyone knew who was allowed in there: the rich kids and a few of their cronies.

He picked up his own castle and moved it forward several spaces.

“Checkmate.”

* * *

Hunter dodged a punch that splintered the tree next to his right ear; he could hear every fiber in the wood shatter. He brought his right arm up to parry the backhand, then counter attacked with his left.

His assailant dodged the attack with fearful speed and sent another jackhammer punch sailing his way.

It was like a locomotive passing with such velocity. He could feel the wind tearing and snagging at every hair on his face.

Hunter used his right fist to punch at his silent enemies arm, knocking it away before a backhand could catch him.

He spun around, exposing his back for an instant, but still keeping his enemy open.

A knee flew up and caught him hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of his chest.

Hunter bent double and tried to gasp in air.

And elbow came down hard on his shoulder. Hunter would have screamed if he had had the breath.

A fist came from the side and struck his head, sending him sprawling.

Hunter lay on the ground rubbing the side of his face.

“Ouch,” he remarked.

Amuro slumped down in front of him with his back to the fire.

“That was good,” he said. “You were doing great up until you got hit.”

“Yeah,” Hunter mumbled. “That part hurt.”

“You left yourself open,” Amuro shrugged.

“It was a calculated risk, I was hopping to get to you slightly before you got to me.”

“That is never a risk worth taking,” Amuro scolded sternly. “Never leave yourself open, not for any reason. You must be balanced, you must find balance in your attack, so you may live to find balance in life. Why am I repeating myself? I’ve told you that before! I’d smack you, but theirs really no need…”

“Yeah,” Hunter grumbled.

“Something bothering you?” Amuro asked. “You seem a little out of it today. I’ll wager it’s a girl.”

“What makes you say that?” Hunter replied cautiously.

“Because the last time you were out of it, it was a girl,” Amuro smirked.

Hunter climbed up into a sitting position and sighed heavily. His frequent training sessions with Amuro had made him very good at catching his breath.

“What is it this time?” Amuro asked. “Have you tried talking to her?”

“That’s the thing,” Hunter grumbled. “I can’t talk to her.”

“Why not?” Amuro asked, taken aback. “You better not be shy.”

“It’s not that,” Hunter sighed. “Its that she’s a queen and I’m a castle and its some weird chess analogy I don’t really get.”

“Ahhh,” Amuro laughed. “I know how that is, you would talk to her but she’s not in your social class, your tier. Don’cha hate pecking orders?”

“Yeah,” Hunter grunted. “I didn’t ask to be anywhere, but apparently if I try to change my tier I risk getting demoted to pawn.”

“Chess is good,” Amuro nodded. “The whole game is a metaphor for life, the social class system you’re complaining about is a perfect example.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like my class,” Hunter grumbled.

“You wanna hear another good chess analogy?” Amuro asked.

“Shoot,” Hunter shrugged.

“You talked about how this girl is a queen, and if you try to talk to her, you risk becoming a pawn,” Amuro said. “But remember: at the end of the game, the pawn and the queen go back in the same box.”

* * *

It was a brilliant sunny day and Hunter felt ready. It hadn’t taken much to get himself prepared for this, but he had at least taken a moment to find the best clothes he could.

Nothing he owned was in very good shape. His entire wardrobe was second hand, some of it third, but that had never bothered him before. Clothes were clothes, he wasn’t going to waste his time worrying about them.

Until now.

Angela always dressed in designer outfits of the latest fashion. By contrast Hunter’s clothes never actually managed to fit right. Even at his best he still looked suspiciously like a bum, but like anything else Hunter wasn’t about to let that stand in his way.

“I’m telling you man,” Robert said. “You need to not try this, it’s a bad idea.”

“Shut up,” Hunter snapped. “I’m just going to talk to her, if she says no that’ll be the end of it.”

“Your funeral,” Robert mumbled as he pulled the game board out of his backpack. “I’m just afraid she’ll like you and then I won’t have anyone to play chess with.”

“Very funny,” Hunter said as he stood next to the path Angela always took. “Join the chess club.”

Angela came around the corner just like she always did, and Hunter stood waiting. After some thought he had opted to not try anything tacky like flowers or candy, he would just try to talk with her.

He stood and looked resolutely at her, but as usual she didn’t meet his gaze.

“Angela!” Hunter said and waved at her. “Hi!”

She looked at him then, or at least in his direction. Her eyes looked right through him, as if the brick wall behind him were more important and deserved her attention.

Hunter’s breath froze in his throat. He had spent a long time carefully laying out what he would say, but in the face of those hollow eyes none of it would come out.

“I…” he stammered. “I was wondering if you’d like to eat lunch with me today.”

There was a long uncomfortable pause as she looked at him. From the look on her face one might have thought Hunter had suggested they feast on a half decomposed dear carcass.

When Angela finally opened her mouth, she didn’t speak.

She laughed.

Hunter couldn’t believe it. He had expected her to say no, he had expected her to say anything. He had never expected her to laugh.

Still giggling hysterically, she turned and continued on her way, leaving Hunter where he stood.

Hunter walked back to the edge of the planter and sat down next to Robert. When he’d looked into Angela’s eyes he hadn’t seen anything at all, nothing.

“Ouch,” Robert said as he set up the board. “Didn’t see that coming.”

Hunter picked up a pawn and hung his head.

* * *

Six years later…

Hunter lifted his head up and smiled.

“Come on you guys, is that the best you’ve got?”

The Warriors of Komodo screamed curses and battle cries as they charged him.

Hunter’s nagi-nata flashed through the air, making cut after cut after cut. Slash, swipe, uppercut, reverse-thrust…

Hunter leaped back and drove the tip into the ground, breaking open a long chasm.

He leapt again and turned and cut down three more armored men.

“Seriously guys,” Hunter shouted. “Don’t tell me this is—”

There was a violent impact in the air all around Hunter, like thunder with no sound. The static tickle of Shinto magic made his hair stand on end. He shut his eyes tightly in the preparation for what came next.

All around the frightened screams of men dieing filed the now still air. These weren’t just ordinary screams; these were deep, primal cries of terror and pain coming from battle-hardened soldiers.

The sounds ended abruptly and Hunter opened his eyes again, turning to Lina as he spun his weapon expertly.

“I had everything under control!” he shouted.

Lina hopped down off the castle wall and glared at him. “I was getting impatient,” she said. “You could have finished them off faster.”

“But I was having fun,” Hunter whimpered. “Ok, you’re right, time to be serious.”

“Your hopeless Hunter,” Lina shook her head. “You wouldn’t visit anyone down in the city, but you run right up here and want to spend forever slaughtering this guys minions!”

“Hey, I just happened to live down there for a while when I was in high school,” Hunter scoffed. “This place isn’t ‘home’ to me, my home is…” Hunter trailed off as he thought for a moment. “Forget it, let’s just get in there and take this Komodo guy out.”

“Right,” Lina said as she dropped down into the chasm Hunter had opened up. “Lets go.”

* * *