Cutlass Volume 1 Part 2 Translated by Tae-chan --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 2 – Open the door to the other world --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 56 In an underground chamber, a dark haired man approaches a woman who is held captive in a glass chamber – Akashia. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 57 He touches the glass. “----- Akashia.. Akashia” The woman slowly opens her eyes. “What is it, Diamadoushi-san?” He smiles a little. “I thought that I’d bring him to you and so I called your son, but ---- due to some sort of accident, his whereabouts have become unknown. I thought that you’d might know something.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 58 Akashia just smirks. “Being restrained like this, what do you think I could do?” Deddoai returns the smile. “You are the female soldier called “Able Intelligent Eyes” and you are also the “Holy Key.” And when I scorn you, the one who sees painful eyes is I. Akashia “You give me too much credit. It’s unfortunate, but I don’t know anything. What do you mean to do by kidnapping Tsubasa? This has nothing to do with the child.” Deddoi’s eyes close. “That is a matter I will have to pursue. And his utlization value is sufficient, I think. Akashia yells back at him, “What do you intend to do with Tsubasa, Deddoai!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 59 Deddoi turns back with another smirk. “Who knows? That’s up to you, “Holy Key”.” Akashia glares at him through the glass, and then when he’s gone she turns her head and says, “Frau, it’s okay. You can come out now.” The fish comes out of hiding. Frau wipes his brow. “Thank god he didn’t notice me...” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 60 Akashia asks happily, “Deddoai didn’t manage to capture or hurt him did he? You prevented it, didn’t you. Frau, well done! So, where is Tsubasa?” Frau replies nervously, “Well, that is...” Akashia’s scream blasts the poor fish. “What was that? You LOST him!?” Frau (This isn’t fun...) A cutely SD crestfallen Akashia continues, “What’s with that? With a simple extra weight your eye-judgement slipped!? ---- Oh god.” Frau explains, “That child Tokimaru got coiled in too. (I was amazed!)” (We see Tokimaru and Tsubasa lying unconscious somewhere, and a little arrow pointing to Tokimaru which says “The extra heaviness.”) Akashia sighs. “It’s okay. Frau?” Frau looks a bit resigned as Akashia continues, “Your duty is to absolutely find them, and protect Tsubasa and Tokimaru. That’s your duty!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 61 Frau has transformed himself into human form, he replies hesitantly, “----- Yes... Akashia-sama.” Bright light shines down upon the ground and the tide washes over Tsubasa’s legs. He puts a hand over his eyes, murmuring something. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 62 He suddenly sits up with a gasp and turns to look at Tokimaru who doesn’t move. “---- Tokimaru...!” He stares at Tokimaru in shock. “Toki...maru... no, you can’t be dead----...” Tokimaru suddenly does a big SD snore. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 63 Tsubasa whacks him one. “Get up, you!” Tokimaru winces. “That hurt. Can’t you wake me up a little more gently?” Tsubasa turns. “Tokimaru, take a look.” Tokimaru stares in absolute astonishment at the scenery around him. “Waa! It really sorta feels like a fantastic other world.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 64 Tokimaru turns to look at Tsubasa, who is thinking, “Somewhere in this world, mother is----!” We see a brief picture of Akashia while he thinks, “I have to hurry and save her --- but, how? I don’t have any sort of power.” Tokimaru puts a hand on Tsubasa’s shoulder and smiles at him. “We’ll do it somehow, Tsubasa. I’m with you.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 65 Tsubasa looks up “--- Tokimaru.” Then he gives him a big smile in return. “Mm, thanks.” Tokimaru is in a daze, thinking “(It’s one of his rare innocent smiles) It’s so cute...” Tsubasa stares at him questioningly. “Tokimaru?” Tokimaru suddenly starts and Tsubasa looks at him. “What is it.” Tokimaru looks around. “Maybe just me. Was there some sort of strange sound just then?” Something lands at their feet. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 66 The two young men fall back in surprise at the arrow in front of them. Tokimaru gasps out, “Why did something like that just fall there....!!” Tsubasa looks up behind him. “I think there are people firing arrows from the cliff above.” Tokimaru grabs his hand. “The consideration is good, so for now let us run, Tsubasa-kun.” One of the men from the cliff above sneers down at them. “Interesting --- hey look. They’re wearing strange clothes.” Another man replies, “A good way to relieve boredom. Let’s get ‘em.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 67 The men ride their horses down the cliff with a battle yell. Tokimaru “Who the hell are these guys? Tsubasa, are the cliffs climbable?” Tsubasa calls back, “No, it’s useless. It’s way too fragile. If you claw at it, it all crumbles away.” The men smirk at them. “Don’t worry, we won’t kill you right away. We’ll kill ya bit by bit with deliberation.” “We like you.” “Ah, no no, that’s crazy.” The archer on the horse says, “So, which one shall I remove!?” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 68 The archer draws his bow. “First that smaller one.” Tsubasa shields himself while Tokimaru runs in front of him to shield him with his body. “Get down Tsubasa!” Tokimaru glares at the men. “Don’t underestimate people from another world.” He deflects the arrow away with his arm. The archer is mildly surprised. “Hoo, that was pretty good, boy. You did get injured though.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 69 Tsubasa looks at Tokimaru in alarm. “Tokimaru, your arm!” Tokimaru grits his teeth, there’s a cut along his forearm. “This isn’t anything.” The archer readies his arrow and laughs. All of a sudden, the ground beneath Tsubasa and Tokimaru rises and takes flight... they get carries away by a giant reptile-bird thingy ^^;; The one on the horse says, “Damn, a sand Ei was hidden under them?” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 70 Tokimaru nearly falls off with a yelp, and Tsubasa calls his name and reaches down to grab hold of his hand. He yells down to him, “Now you owe me." Tokimaru sighs in relief. “Thankyou.” The guy on the horse just complains “Shiiiit.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 71 The two look around them as the sand Ei flies away. Tsubasa sighs, “Whew. For now we’re saved.” Tokimaru points down a path. “If we go down here, there seems to be a way. Let’s try it.” Suddenly a young woman bursts out through the bushes, screaming “Save me!” She screams even more as a man appears behind her. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 72 All Tsubasa and Tokimaru can do is stand there dumbstruck as the man brutally slashes the girl across the back with a sword. We see scenes of chaos and pillaging “What the hell is happening in this world --- People running helter-skelter, a fire of screams of people being plundered. Here certainly... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- page 73 More scenes of poeple being driven out of their homes. “,,, is an unlawful area. All the common sense was ruined.” “Authoritarians, peace, order, the public, morals... all the things we had learned didn’t help us here at all.” “This time --- was the first time we really felt – that this was another world.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 74 A hand suddenly reaches out and clamps over Tsubasa’s mouth. A mustached man laughs. “This guy’s a good find. He’s a jewel doncha reckon? He’ll sell for a high price, he’s such a cute child.” Tsubasa struggles, trying to speak under the hand. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 75 Tokimaru rushes at him screaming “Let go of Tsubasa you bastard!” An older, bearded man elbows him on the back of his neck. “We didn’t call for you.” Tokimaru “What the hell did you do...” He gets kneed in the stomach by the bearded guy. “Just like this!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 76 He punches Tokimaru again while the mustached guy grins and Tsubasa look on, upset. Tokimaru rubs his cheeck. “You sandback’ed me? You’re sorta misunderstanding, old man. He gears up for a punch. “Right back atcha!” The bearded guy goes flying. A guy with a scar on his cheek grabs his sword, and bearded guy does too. “We underestimated this brat.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 77 Scar-chin holds Tokimary down while bearded guy grins maliciously and slashes down at Tokimaru. Tsubasa tries to scream under the hand. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pgage 78 The scar-chin guy smirks. “Missed huh? Your wrist was wandering old man. Tokimaru is cut across the chest, but the wound isn’t severe. Bearded guy mutters, “Shuttup. That guy moving is wrong.” Tokimaru glares up at him, panting. Then he sees a man sitting nonchalantly up on the cliffs, whistling as he holds out his arm for a bird to land on. He thinks, “What’s with that guy, even though I’m about to die he’s just sitting there! Jerk.” The man smiles at the parrot on his arm, murmuring to it, “Good girl.” Tokimaru, thoroughly pissed, kicks bearded guy away and tries to dodge the men, thinking “That’s right, that’s what this world is.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 79 Tokimaru gets tripped up and falls to the ground. “Whether people get killed or whatever, nobody cares, that’s common sense...!” Tsubasa mentally cries, “Tokimaru!” The man on the cliffs stands up. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 80 He gives a small sword to the parrot who flies over and drops it right next to Tokimaru. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 81 Tokimaru reaches for the sword, grabs it and stabs upwards just as scar-chinned is about to kill him. “But I don’t wanna die in a place like this...!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 82 Tokimaru and scar-chinned are both surprised when the sword stabs right through. Tokimaru stares in shock at the guy he’s just killed. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 83 Tokimaru sits in shock as bearded guy says “Who is it who helped the brat!” Another man leans in to bearded guy “Hey,” he whispers nervously, “Isn’t that...” The bearded guy replies, “No, there’s no mistake, it’s him...!” Tsubasa gets some leeway and bites into the hand gagging him. The man on the cliffs stands there, smirking. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 84 We get a close up of the smirking pirate captain. Mustached man does a sort of gasping-scream. Tsubasa stares in puzzlement as the men all run away. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 85 Tsubasa thinks, “All the bad guys turned on their tails and ran ---- who is this guy...!?” He leans in to Tokimaru. “Tokimaru.” Tokimaru is just sitting there, still in shock. The pirate captain speaks to him. “Boy. This is the first time you’ve killed?” Tokimaru’s eyes fly open. The pirate captain smiles. “You’ve got pretty good muscle. With a trainer, you could gradually get a fine strong hand. I like you.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 86 The pirate captain jumps down from the cliff and yanks the sword from the dead man’s body, which he brings over to Tokimaru. “How’s about you come to my place and learn to use the cutlass?” Tokimaru ignores him. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 87 The pirate captain smiles. “So that’s it. Well, I won’t force you to.” He tilts the blade under Tokimaru’s chin. “I’ll just give you one bit of advice. If you want to live, kill before you’re killed. After you’ve been killed, then you can’t complain.” Tokimaru glares up at him. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 88 The pirate captain turns and leaves the cutlass with him, with a wave. “I’ll give that cutlass to you. Keep it with you and remember.” Tokimaru stares down at the blood in his hands. Tsubasa says his name, worried. Tokimaru then clenches his fists, eyes squeezed shut. “I’m a murderer...!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 89 Tsubasa stands behind him, concerned, then starts to touch his shoulder, but pulls his hand away at the last minute. Instead, he sits down behind him, back to back. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 90 Tsubasa stares into the sky for a moment, then closes his eyes and says, “Don’t cry, stupid.” Tomikaru’s eyes open. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 91 “Tsubasa. Thankyou.” “You’re shoulders are trembling a little --- Tsubasa, it told your kindness... Tokimaru smiles, while behind him Tsubasa makes a disgusted noise, serruptitiously wiping tears away. This is another world, and it’s lawless. Page 92 --- a new wheel of fate was now trying to turn---- Tokimaru stands up and begins to walk away. Tsubasa hesitates, looks at the cutlass, then picks it up and runs after Tokimaru yelling, “Wait up Tokimaru!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to the Cutlass Translations [1]