The Dragon Does Not Give Quarter

A drop of vibrant red blood tumbled off the point of Ryuunosuke's Katana. It was really too easy.

He had arrived in Matamos bedraggled and bloody. It was all for show, of course. A few minor abrasions here and there to make it look convincing. No one bothered to inspect him too closely - that would have been unseemly suspicion on their part.

Throwing himself at the feet of Lord Daitokuji Ichirou he spun his tale. The great lord knew already of his quarrel with his brother Daitokuji Kiyoshi, but perhaps the lord was unaware that it had been out of envy of Kiyoshi that he had dishonored himself with gene therapy and forsaken his Allskin heritage. His envy consumed him until he challenged Kiyoshi to a duel, which Kiyoshi won. Humiliated Ryuunosuke could not return to his former patrons the Black Lotus Ring because his success as a fighter was based on his reputation of being unbeaten in single combat. His former masters now hunted him for violating his contract and his life would be forfeit in any Cheldrun city. Thus he came to Matamos to throw himself at the mercy of the brother of his enemy, to humbly forswear his former enmity and beg forgiveness and protection.

It fit perfectly into the fantasy of a just and merciful Lord that Ichirou imagined himself to be. He was only too happy to forgive Ryuunosuke and offer his protection. Protection that once given would demand to be upheld for the sake of honor.

Honor. Ryuunosuke spit every time he even thought of the word.

A week after his arrival the attacks began. Ryuunosuke paid every thug and streetfighter he could find to attack the Silver Phoenix Clan and though most were nothing more than a nuisance to Ichirou and his sister, Naomi, the rest of the household was not as fortunate. Servants, guards, messengers... they were all targets. The injuries and fatalities began to mount.

Meanwhile, Ryunnosuke began to fracture the fiber of the family from within. A young cousin of the lord, Matsuro, had an innocent love of dice games. Ryuunosuke quickly made friends with him and began to take him to all the betting houses in the city. It was less than two weeks before Matsuro was indebted to the local faction of the Black Lotus Ring and while he was trying to hide this fact from Ichirou, Ryuunosuke seduced his wife. One thing led to another, Matsuro found out and challenged Ryuunosuke to a duel. Ryuunosuke protested his innocence and charged Matsuro with fabricating lies in order to get Ryuunosuke killed as a way of paying off his debts to the Black Lotus Ring, which when it got around the city...

The gossip was delicious.

Ichirou allowed the duel and Ryuunosuke humiliated and slew Matsuro in front of his clan. Even patient and wise Lord Ichirou was incensed at that and Ryuunosuke half expected him to call for a duel of his own. When he didn't Ryuunosuke attempted to incite one by issuing the challenge himself. Ichirou refused the challenge. Instead he cast Ryuunosuke out, despite Ryuunosuke's protestations that it would be killing him since the Black Lotus Ring still had assassins hunting for him. The scene had been very public, which made it all the more satisfying when Ryuunosuke's "corpse" turned up in the river a few days later. Everyone in the city was suddenly whispering that the Silver Phoenix Clan had betrayed its promise of protection, and weren't they traitors to Washi-San Academy, could Matamos really trust them?

That was all before Goshi went mad and suddenly no one cared about promises or honor or rumors any longer. For all the fun it had been tormenting Kiyoshi's clan it failed to satisfy his insatiable lust for vengeance. Somehow it wasn't sufficient merely to humiliate them - and frankly there wasn't too much more damage that could be done to a reputation as tarnished as that of the Silver Phoenix Clan. No, Ryuunosuke needed to fall back on his strength, violence.

By this time Matamos had already fallen to Goshi and Washi-San was advertising their absurd little tournament. Daitokuji Ichirou had no intention of participating in such a fiasco and so he was making preparations to lead his clan out of the city, into a remote area unlikely to draw the attention of Goshi. Ryuunosuke suited himself in black and followed them up the trail under cover of night.

Each night just before dawn he made raids into their camp, cutting down as many people as he could before the Mecha were summoned and it was time to disappear again. He changed his patterns and his timing and some nights he left them alone knowing that the loss of sleep waiting for him to show up would be just as detrimental as another attack. Ichirou was no fool however, and frequently Ryuunosuke found himself thwarted by tricks - tents full of dogs, Riflemen posted on the hilltops, an early breakfast... Ichirou found plenty of ways to frustrate his assailant and save the lives of his people.

That was how Ryuunosuke had arrived at tonight. He'd cut down three of them, before fleeing and their blood was still running down his blade. Three random unarmed victims. It was not nearly enough. As easy as these were to kill it was unsatisfying and each night Ichirou made it harder and harder.

Thus Ryuunosuke realized he would have to kill Ichirou first to have any meaningful success. The next day at sunrise he walked openly down the road into the camp.

He was brought before Lord Daitokuji Ichirou immediately whose normally impassive face betrayed disgust when he realized who it was coming to taunt him. Ryuunosuke got straight to the point.

"Everything I have told you has been a lie, from the beginning. I have no honor and I accept that, but you think of yourself as honorable Ichirou so I challenge you to defend your honor. I told you that Kiyoshi defeated me in single combat. The truth is that I stabbed him in the back while we were fighting the Enemy together. I watched the light go out of his eyes. Since I have slain your brother, honor demands that you accept my challenge to single combat to avenge your family."

The whole clan looked on, as few as they now were. Ichirou's face was grave, but resolute. He nodded and at once a field was cleared.

The weapon master of the Silver Phoenix Clan approached Ryuunosuke offering him a choice of fine katanas, but Ryuunosuke preferred his own. The master then approached Ichirou who was removing his outer robe and stretching his muscular frame. When Ichirou was finished stretching he reached into the weapon case, but instead of withdrawing a katana he pulled out two jeweled bracers.

Ryuunosuke paled... "but... but..."

Ichirou gave him an unforgiving look. "You have your weapon, and I have mine. This way the demands of honor will be satisfied."

Looking around, Ryuunosuke realized he was completely surrounded by armed men. A dozen rifles were trained on him. There was no escape.

Silver and purple light began to flicker all around as Ichirou's mecha materialized.