MASTERMACHINE'S PROFILE

Been gone for about a week and I've only got a day or two until I have to move into a new dorm room for my Sophomore year of college. Summer's ending quickly and I still haven't completed anything I wanted to finish. So, to end the summer with a bang, I figured that I might as well show you all some of my writing talent and post the first chapter for a possible novel I've been working on. The name of it, of course, is Red Ghost. The basic idea behind this story is that in a post-modern/cyberpunk setting, one of the top ninjas in his clan sets out to take revenge on a samurai clan, more like a terrorist cell actually, after the kidnapping of his sister and a devastating attack upon his village. The main themes revolve around revenge, betrayal, and duty, which all become apparent further in the tale. Even though I've gotten down about ninety pages, I've still got a long ways to go. I did have a prologue, but due to the fact that it's only two pages long and that it really didn't do much to introduce any of the characters, I've been trying to rewrite a new one. Feel free to provide any constructive criticism on what I've got so far, for the more hints and recommendations, the better.

Chapter 1
Imminent Threat

Another day passes quickly as I lie down in the empty plain and watch over the sky above my head. I ponder at myself on what my next actions will be and what will happen with my life next. I stare at the formations of the clouds and make pictures in my head at the numerous representations in which I notice in the sky. I hear a slight pitter-patter in the grass, but I have already familiarized myself with these footsteps and realize that I am safe. The pitter-pattering stops right next to me, to my right.

“Hey, Shizuko.” I greet the presence. “What's up?”

I then hear her soft hereditarily quiet voice. “Not much…” I then notice as the presence lies down next to me in the grass. “Father wants to talk with you a little.”

“About what?”

“Oh, just things about the clan. Don't know what, but he does want your attention.”

I move my head right and stare at the girl that sits next to me in the grass. Just a young kid, has about six months until her tenth birthday. She is clothed in a red kimono with a black obi and yellow rope tie. Her silky black hair falls down between her chin and shoulders. She doesn't usually come outside due to personal fears, though I guess that today is an exception.

“It feels strange staring at the sky,” Shizuko shivers, “kind of scary when you think about it…”

“What's scary?”

“Just the kinds of stuff that I think about when I look up at the sky. I sometimes wonder if someone else somewhere else is staring at this same sky, maybe even a different sky, maybe with the same thoughts, no, different thoughts…” With another shiver, Shizuko closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She then turns her head over to her left and stares at me with her slanted amber eyes. “I can't look at the sky. There's too much to think about. I'm afraid to grow up.”

“Trust me,” I tell her, “you will get used to things rather quickly. I sometimes doubt if there are differences between thinking like a kid and thinking like an adult. The only differences in which I'm seeing are the choices I'm making.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You'll see, especially if you ever get a job.”

“Oh,” Shizuko blinks before she looks back up, “I guess I understand.” With a sigh, she then asks, “So, what's the world like outside of this island?”

“It's a big place.” I look back up at the sky. “I don't know if it is any better than here. There are a rather lot of huge buildings out there. So huge, they make our village's pagoda look tiny in comparison.”

“What's everybody like?”

“It's a mixed bag.” I admit. “There are all sorts of different people out there.”

“I'd love to go outside sometime when I get older. Not now though. I love this small village.” She then looks at me and admits, “Sometimes I wish that I could become just like you when I grow up.”

I stare back into her amber irises as I admit, “You probably wouldn't like my job. Your life's always on the line and you'll have to kill people.”

“But I want to be a ninja. I want to help out this village.”

“You're better off as the village princess. Trust me, with every life you take, you'll wonder if the action you took was worth it in the long run.”

“But life as a princess is boring.”

“You don't even leave the house very often due to your shyness. How would you stand having to kill other people for a living if you usually have anxiety upon leaving the house?”

“I guess you have a point…” Shizuko then stands up. “I'm starting to get a few chills. I'll go back home right about now…”

“Later, sister.”

“Good bye, Akai.” Shizuko says as she walks, then jogs, and then runs back towards our home.

I stare back at the sky and continue to waste my time. Time passes by before I get antsy. I then stand up and begin to walk back over to my father's castle. On my way back, I happen to notice another young girl, as old as Shizuko, almost a mirror image, clothed in the same clothes as her sister, and with black hair in two short pigtails, as she carries water back home in two buckets tied to the ends of a bamboo stick.

“Hey, little brother.” The girl speaks in a squeaky voice as I catch up to her.

“Kyoko,” I respond, “how's it going?”

“I'm doing well.” The girl, Kyoko, responds. “I've just got to carry these buckets full of water back home, but it won't take long. If you're looking for sister, she ran back home. The sky was beginning to scare her.”

“I'm glad to see that her anxiety is beginning to subside in a ways even though she still has her moments.”

“Yeah…I don't see how she fears the sky.”

“Mother says that her fear is hereditary. It became noticeable after a machine flew above our home at one point. The noise that it made frightened her greatly.”

“What kind of machine?” Kyoko looks in confusion.

“Oh, it's some big tube with two wings. It's called a plane. It transports things by flying through the sky.”

“Wow, sounds amazing!” Kyoko, a kid who knows nothing of modern technology, gasps surprisingly. “I'd love to see one of those!”

“It's nothing big.” I shrug. “You've seen one plane, you've seen them all.”

“And there are multiple planes?”

“There are hundreds of planes out there. It's just like that with the cars I've been telling you about.”

“So, they're like flying cars?”

“To an extent.”

As I escort Kyoko and continue to babble with her about all of the numerous kinds of technology, we soon reach our father's castle. I then help her in and guide her towards the kitchen. As she drops her buckets down, I decide to walk upstairs and towards my father's quarters. I then reach the room and open the door. As I look at the man in a decorative red kimono, I get down on one knee and take a bow in honor.

“Greetings, my son.” My father turns around and bows. As my father sits down on the floor behind the table near the futon, he then beckons me over, “Come and feel free to have a seat.”

I walk over to the table and sit down on the floor in front of him.

“I have quite a lot to talk about.” My father admits. “Our Yurei clan is in great peril as it is.”

“What do you mean by that?” I ask.

“We're constantly in trouble with the rising Akuma clan. Their leader, Orenji, is constantly on our tail. We've been getting all sorts of threats, they've been attacking opposition all the way in Seoul, and they are rising in power rather quickly. The bombing of one briefcase was not enough, son. The amount of money that you destroyed was just a penny to them.”

“Long story short, we're dealing with a bigger nemesis than we've realized, am I right?”

“Precisely. I have ill feelings about our relationship with the clan.”

“But isn't the Akuma clan a samurai clan? What do they need with us professional assassins?”

“They view us as a deep threat to their growing dynasty. We're like a lethal wasp to them, just asking to be swat. We're not sure if these attacks are related to the disappearance of your older brother, but we have our suspicions…”

I look down in irritancy as I recall the last conversation with my brother.

“We're still trying our best to locate him.” My father admits. “Nothing of importance has come up yet, but we're getting there.”

“I see…”

“My son, it's best that you eat your supper and get some good rest tonight. I don't know what tomorrow holds, but one thing's for certain. The Akuma clan will do anything to make sure that they'll stay as the dominant power. It happened a long time ago and it could happen again.”

“I understand your concerns.” I stare back into his slanted brown eyes. “I'll do everything in my power to make sure that our clan will prevail.”

“Excellent, son. You may leave now.”

I get up and head outside of the room. On my way downstairs, I pass by Shizuko's room. As I take a quick peek inside, I notice that Shizuko silently stares outside as she calmly sits down, her calves brought close to her thighs and her arms around her knees. I then begin to head downstairs as I pass by Kyoko. After I head downstairs, I then head for the table as I watch my mother finish making our supper. My longhaired mother, who is clothed in a long red kimono with a vast decoration sprawled across it, looks at me and begins to speak.

“Hey, Akai!” My mother announces with a smile.

“Hey, mom!” I answer back.

“How was your day today?”

“It was pretty uneventful. Mostly hung around at the grassy hill nearby…also talked a little with both of my sisters. What about you?”

“I've been busy tending to the household like usual.” With a sigh, she then reminds me, “Dinner's ready in a few seconds. Can you please remind your father and sisters while I finish stirring this stew?”

“Certainly,” I stand up and begin to head upstairs. At once, I head outside of Shizuko's room. At once, Shizuko turns around and looks up at my eyes.

“Hey, Shizuko,” I remind her, “Dinner's just about ready.”

“Okay.” Shizuko stands up and begins to walk outside of the room.

I then head outside of Kyoko's room. As Kyoko stares into a mirror and adjusts her right pigtail, she then looks up and jumps back a little.

“Hey, Kyoko,” I tell her, “Dinner's almost ready.

Kyoko insists as she brushes back her bangs. “I'll be there in a minute.”

As I begin to head over to our parents' room, I take notice that our father begins to leave the room and head downstairs. At once, I follow him down the stairs and towards the table set down on the floor. I then sit down on the floor at the table in front of Shizuko. After Kyoko runs downstairs and sits down next to Shizuko, mother then pours the stew into each individual bowl and sits down in front of the short end to my left, across from our father. At once, we begin to eat our supper.

As I lower my chopsticks and fidget around at the meat and vegetables in my bowl, I look up at Shizuko and Kyoko as they politely eat together and occasionally chatter. I then look to my left at mother, then to my right at father, all while I listen in to their conversations regarding politics and our village. Occasionally, they will look up at me and chatter. Father and Kyoko often ramble on about politics, exercise, and combat while Shizuko and Mother often talk to themselves about housekeeping, maturity, and other feminine subjects. Occasionally, either Shizuko or Kyoko would look at me and ask topics of their own, as well as certain discussions regarding some of their interests. I'd also ask questions and join in conversations that interest me. We go on for minutes at a time about our lives and by the time our dinner is finished, we go back to our simple duties. The one thing I like about our clan is that even though we're not as technologically advanced as most countries of this time, we cherish and respect our roots and each other. Some families in these times prefer to sit in front of their high-end televisions and ignore each other while they wolf up their meals. The thing most honored in this society is the need to stick to ancient tradition. Because our family has the time and incentive to speak to one another, we easily get along with each other. It is things like these that make me wish that I were born ages back. After dinner, I head back up to my room and meditate for a while. I then lie down on the floor and wish for another good day with the family together.

It is a quiet night tonight. The wind howls outside. The crickets chirp out loud. The wood flooring in the house occasionally creaks. I lie down on the floor of my room as my last conversation with my brother replays in my head, despite my wishes.

“I don't know how to say this, Akai.” My brother repeats, “but I don't know if I want to hang around in this village any longer.”

“How come, Shun?” I ask.

“It's just that things are so boring around here. There's nothing exciting to do. Even life as a ninja is occasionally boring. The only fun that I get out of being a ninja is killing people and watching them get killed.”

“If killing is the only thing that interests you, then why don't you become a soldier for the Japanese army?”

“You've got to be kidding me…do you honestly think that soldiers get much jobs? No, they don't, especially within the Japanese army. Almost all of the wars are finished. We're nearing world peace. The only place where war is still going on is in Africa, but even officials there are losing interest in the killing. I've had enough with this village. Even though I love you and our sisters dearly, I cannot stand this place any longer. Please leave me alone, I need time to think…” With that, he ran.

“Wait, Shun, I'm not finished. Come back, I'd like to speak further. No, don't leave me, Shun! I'm begging you! Come back!”

I hold onto my head as I remember those last moments with him. He never said anything to our father about wishing to leave. He only spoke to me, but why? Out of insomnia, I stand up over my sheets. I then walk over to the door. I open the door and walk down the hallway. I check up on Kyoko and find her sleeping rather soundly on the floor. I then check up on Shizuko and notice a lack of her presence. I check up on my parents and find not only mother and father lying in their futon, but Shizuko lying next to mother as well. At that point, I decide to move outside.

Outside of the castle, I notice the well ahead of me. I then walk over to the well, take a handful of water, and splash my face with it. I then stand still as I am deep in thought. Just then, I notice someone's presence. I look towards the gate and notice an armored ninja standing on top of the gate.

“Who are you?” I ask as I reach for my holstered katana.

The ninja stays silent.

“Answer me. What do you want?”

I hear a distorted hiss. The ninja then jumps down behind the gate.

I try to follow him, but as I open the gate, I see nothing else. “Was that real?” I ask myself after I shut the gate and lock it behind me. “No, it must have been a hallucination. I really need to catch up on my sleep.” With that, I head back into the castle. I make my way back to my room. I then lay down between my sheets and close my eyes as I try to think about good things.

“Brother! Brother, wake up!” I suddenly hear a loud squeak.

I open my eyes and see the girl with pigtails and slanted brown eyes.

“Brother, get up! I have bad news!”

“What!” I shout out loud groggily.

“Our sister…she…”

“What is it about sister?” I ask as I stretch my legs.

“Well, it's that she…” Kyoko begins to sob. “Somebody took sister.”

“What do you mean?” I suddenly gain alertness. “Wait a minute, is sister in danger?”

Kyoko nods. “Some strange man went off with her. I don't know where she is. I'm sorry.” Kyoko apologizes as she cries.

“Kyoko…” I sit up and give her a pat on the back. “It's okay. It's not your fault.” I then jump onto my feet and grab for my trusty katana, a weapon in which I call Tetsukuchikukan. “I'll be back in a while.” I sneer, “I've got business to take care of.”

I then run out of the room, down the hallways, out of the castle, and then jump over the gate. I run into the rather busy village as people rummage about and tend to their everyday lives.

My father and allies have recognized my astounding agility, recognizing me as their most athletic warrior. I hold onto the handle of my katana as I jump across the rooftops in search of the suspect. I notice someone down below on the ground that seems rather suspicious, clothed in dark red armor. I jump down and run towards the armored man as he turns around. After he leaps into the air and makes a back flip, he lands on his feet before he runs away. “Get back over here, you coward!” I shout as I follow him. I chase him through the village, the plains, the forest, the caves, and, eventually, the mountain. On top of a mountain overlooking the city, I square off face to face with the armored man with a demonic face embedded within the helmet.

“Where is the girl?” I ask him angrily.

The man stays silent.

“Answer my question. Where is the girl?”

The man lets out a chilling hiss. He then orders me in a distorted voice, “Go away. You've got bigger problems.”

“I won't leave until I have my sister back.”

“Your sister's perfectly safe. Now, go back to your village or your friends and family will be in great danger.”

“How dare you threaten my people,” I snarl as I grope for the protruding handle of my katana. “No one will die anytime soon!”

He then points me into the direction of the village.

I look back at the village before I notice a tower of smoke.

“Innocent lives are at stake. Just forget about your sister. You'll see her eventually.”

“You…bastard!” I shout out loud as I draw out my katana. The metallic blade shines from the reflection of the light. I swing the highly durable blade into a horizontal ark at his direction. With a chilling hiss, he leaps off of the edge of the mountain, barely dodging the blade, only to rise back up as he holds onto the railing of a helicopter. I look into the helicopter and notice someone inside.

“Brother!” Shizuko, whose body is tied up in a rope, shouts. “Help me!”

“Shizuko!” I shout as the helicopter flies off. In anger, I begin to head back to the village. As I begin to head down the ramp that leads within the mountain cave, two armored samurai block my way. “Get the hell out of my way.” I sneer viciously.

The Japanese suits of armor draw out their katana.

“You just asked for it…” I draw out the Tetsukuchikukan.

They both run towards me at once. I leap into the air. With one vertical swing from my katana, I take out the first one. With one horizontal swing of my katana, I knock out the second one for good. Both of the samurai lie down beside my feet. I holster my weapon and continue to run down the path.

Inside of the caves, I run down the ramps and speed past the underground lakes, stalagmites, and stalactites. I see a group of armored samurai ahead of me. As they draw out their katana, I charge into the group. I behead the first samurai who moves towards me. The second samurai is cut diagonally. The third samurai is disconnected horizontally. The fourth samurai is slashed up vertically. The fifth samurai slashes at me from above. I block the attack from above. The katana flies out of his hands from the impact against such a strong blade. I then kick him in the stomach and send him flying towards the walling of the cave. I then continue to run and soon find my way out of the cave.

Outside, in the forest, I find myself running through the trees. Ahead of me, I spot a group of armored samurai moving towards my direction. As a samurai runs up towards me, I slash diagonally with the blade of my sword. As another samurai runs towards me, I slash him by the hip with my blade. I perform a back flip and leap on the tree branches as I try to avoid the rest of my assailants. They then turn around and run towards me as they draw their blades. I fondle for my right hip before I recognize the pouch that lies beside my leg. I reach into the pouch and pull out a handful of shuriken. I leap up onto another tree branch before I desperately defend myself. With one shuriken thrown, I stab a samurai in the eye. I then throw another shuriken at another approaching target, which stabs him in the thigh. I throw another shuriken at another samurai's shoulder. As another samurai approaches me, I drop the remaining shuriken back into my pouch, tighten the pouch up, and draw out my katana. As he rushes in for the kill, I leap off of the branch, run towards him, and slash him by the waist as I continue to run. I then holster the Tetsukuchikukan and make my way back to the village.

As I reach the village, I immediately notice the burning buildings. As frightened civilians run out of their burning homes, samurai attack everybody, men, women, and even children alike. Anger boils inside of me as I witness the atrocities that these monsters commit. I hold onto the hilt of my Tetsukuchikukan and approach a samurai who is holding up and choking the living daylights out of a woman. I ask the cowardly bastard, “Why don't you pick on someone your own size?”

The samurai notices my presence, drops the woman, and walks towards me as he draws his blade.

I immediately draw the Tetsukuchikukan and not only slash his weapon out of his hands, but slice him diagonally by the chest and shoulders as well. As he falls down, I holster my weapon and begin to walk ahead.

The woman runs up to me and gently hugs me. “Thank you!”

“You're welcome.” I say back before she lets go of me. I then continue onwards as most of the rest of the samurai notice my presence. I draw out my blade and run towards the mess. Samurai approach me, not knowing that they are only doing this to themselves. I grow into frenzy as I approach the group of armed and armored men. I slash everywhere. Up, down, left, right, up-left, down-left, up-right, down-right, forwards… I lose track of my progress against the fifteen or so men. I draw out the occasional shuriken and make a distraction before I go in for the kill. I stand before the bodies of the dead. After I holster the Tetsukuchikukan, I run away from the chaos, as the fellow villagers that still live pick up from the mess that was made. I follow the path that leads to the castle, hoping not to expect anything bad.

I run up the hillside, down the stone pathway. I reach the gate and notice that it has already been opened rather forcefully. I run into the already opened front door of the castle and notice my mother lying on the ground.

“Mom!” I shout before I approach her.

“Akai, my son…” She barely makes out her words. “Beware…the iron devil…your father and little sister…save them…” With a moan, I recognize the signs of death.

I slowly drop my mother in anger. I walk past the other dead bodies that line along the floor. I reach my father's throne room, just as a rather powerful suit of armor lifts up my father.

“No! Let go of my father!” I can hear Kyoko's voice.

“Just kill me now…” Father groans. “Kill me and spare my youngest daughter's life…just let her have a bright future!”

The helmet of the armor shakes its head.

“Stop!” I shout out loud.

The armor drops my father and turns around.

I reach for Tetsukuchikukan and wrap my fingers around the hilt. “I will not allow anymore innocent casualties!”

As it stares into my general direction, it draws a blade against its left hip. Upon drawing the blade with its right hand, it wraps its left hand around the hilt and presses a button on the hilt. Electricity sprouts out from the top of the hilt to the tip of the blade. With a deep, stale breath, it walks towards me.

Out of desperation and anger, I draw out Tetsukuchikukan. The powered armor approaches me quickly. I dodge a vertical swing from its sword. With a slight cut to its belly area, I make a light scratch along the surface. I then recall from previous fights how attacking the powered armor head on with an average metallic sword will not do much good in a fight against it. I have to aim at the joints, the weak and unprotected areas of the armor that utilize the most articulation within the system. I bend down from a horizontal swing that is made against me as I sheath my katana and reach within my pouch. I pull out a shuriken. I perform a back flip as the suit of armor kicks at me. I throw the shuriken at the left upper arm-to-forearm joint. In pain, the suit of powered armor releases the left grip around the powered sword, releasing the electrical current that used to surround the blade. The suit of armor then violently swings at me with the katana still in its right hand. I shut the pouch, unsheathe Tetsukuchikukan, parry the swing, and run towards the powered armor like a mad dog with rabies hungry for some flesh and blood for dinner. I duck low from a swat from its left hand, slash low at the waist, leap up from a kick from its right leg, slash at the right shoulder, circle strafe around the target, slash at a couple of spots on the back that are away from the power supply, leap above, slash at the chest armor and neck, back flip a couple of times, and then hold out my blade to the side as I crouch down on one knee. The suit of powered armor trembles, then sprays blood everywhere before it falls down onto the ground. Certain spots on the armor open up, revealing the occupant of the armor, an ordinary Asian man. As I realize that the deed is finished, I sheathe Tetsukuchikukan and slowly stand up without any injuries from the long and heavy fight.

Powered armor, the most vicious enemy a ninja could ever face. The suit acts like a second skin to its occupants, but, in the long run, gives them extra strength so that they can use heavy equipment as if it were a simple pistol or knife. They can also destroy the strongest human opponents with the extra strength alone. They have the strength of ten men, can move as fast as a single man, and think like an average man. The source of its absolute power is a miniature engine on their back that is powered by carbon emissions, which explode upon anything hitting it with enough force. Their armor is so strong; no one knows what materials were put into the compound of the armor, the same kind of armor that covers the tanks. The only spots that are exposed are the joints, but if one were to cover up these joints, the mobility of the suit would be limited, therefore bringing a special type of weakness to the armored suit. They are piloted by specialists and are rather expensive pieces of equipment. It takes a rather lot of money just to build one suit, but the result is always worth it in the long run.

Kyoko suddenly runs up to me with her arms held out. As she wraps her arms around me, I give her a big hug in return. I look over at father and notice that he is still doing okay. He stands up on both legs and dusts off his kimono.

“Thank you for your help, son.” Father announces sadly. “Even with the loss of not only your mother, but your sister as well, you should be glad that we still have each other.”

“I was so scared,” little Kyoko cries. “I thought that I was going to die! Thank you for everything, big brother!”

Kyoko and I let go of each other. Suddenly, I hear something from the corpse.

A monotonous, almost robotic voice speaks up. “If you are reading this message, I congratulate whoever had the balls to fight back against us. We, the samurai of the Akuma clan, have a proposition we wish to give to you, the puny Yurei ninja clan. We have captured one of your kindred. She has identified herself as Princess Shizuko. She is just a little girl, but we can always do all sorts of unspeakable things to her at any given time. However, just for now, we will keep her safe from any harm. If you want to have her back, then send me your best man. Until this man arrives, we will hold her safe in our arms. Do not worry; we do not want to hurt anyone else. We just want your clan to realize how dangerous this world is in these current times. Your man can come over at any time, but if you take more than three months to come, than we will have no choice but to give your princess over to our more…gentler men. I hope that you have read this message by now, for if we were to receive this message back, then Princess Shizuko is already…a slave for life…” The message suddenly ends at that point.

The message leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

Kyoko stands silent, unsure how to respond.

My father searches the suit of powered armor for the origin of the message. He then stands up and tells me, “This recording device, which was grafted into the voice box of the pilot, was rigged to set off after his death.”

I look over into my father's eyes, “So, what you are telling me is that…”

“You triggered the message to go off after this man died.”

“Those jerks will pay. I'll do anything to rescue my sister.”

“We'll talk more about this tomorrow, but first, we've got to clean up this mess.”

“Do I have to help out?” Kyoko asks.

“We've all got to pitch in.” I say. “Too many corpses littered about.”

Kyoko walks over to a corpse and bends down on her knees. As she begins to pull a corpse back by its arm, she groans painfully while gritting her teeth and whines. “It's too heavy! And I've got blood all over my hands!”

“Get used to it. Stuff like this happens all of the time.” I then curse and spit out, “I'll be right back with some help. Some of the villagers survived the attack. There are just too many bodies for us to get rid of by ourselves.”

“Certainly.” With a sigh, father then tells me, “We'll need all of the help we can get.”

“I'll do whatever I can to help, father.” As I look at my father, I get down on one knee and bow in honor.
Father bows back.

After we both get up, we begin to tend to the bodies.

Father then looks at sister as he orders. “Kyoko, get back to your room and get a good rest. It's been a rough day for us all, you especially.”

“Okay.” Kyoko sadly admits with a tear in her eye. “I'll see you later, papa.” Kyoko then looks at me and says, “Akai, take care.”

“I'll do my best.” I salute back.

After sister leaves the room, I decide to head outside and bring some more help over here.

Later that day, as I stand over my mother's grave behind the castle, I get down on one knee and give a prayer for her safety. I let Kyoko give a prayer after I am finished. Father then gives a final prayer and says his last goodbyes. We then bury the grave and leave her behind.

After we head back inside, I notice a smell coming from the kitchen. As we head into the kitchen, I notice someone familiar in our kitchen as she is cooking our dinner. The woman looks over in my general direction. As she stares into my eyes, the woman speaks in her thick Japanese accent. “Out of appreciation for everything you did, I've decided to make a quick supper for you and your family.”

“Oh, that sure was more than nice of you to think of us.” I thank her.

“I'm sorry if I forgot to introduce myself earlier, but my name's Eriko.” With a smile, she admits, “I'm more than pleased to serve you.”

We have a quick dinner that the woman, whom I saved earlier, has made for us out of her thanks. After dinner, I then head up to my room, lie down for a while, and rest from this hell of a day. I hope that tomorrow brings a better day for us all…

Hello again, this is MasterMachine, requesting more help. This time, I'm trying to find some battle animations I'm having trouble looking for. In another game I'm working on that's using RPG Maker 2000, I've got this science fiction/cyberpunk theme going, but the only thing that's missing is some weaponry in the first-person perspective. I just need something out of Doom or Wolfenstein 3D or anything like that. I've tried the only two matches I could find on charas-project.net, but neither of them work at all. Tried looking everywhere else for what I'm looking for, but I'm not finding anything at all. Thanks a bunch for any and all help.

Sorry if it seems like I'm asking for too much here, but last night, I tried to join the forums on www.charas-project.net and after I registered for the site, I was supposed to get an e-mail back validating my account, but I still haven't received my e-mail. Of course, I cannot make another account on the site, even though my account isn't even up and running yet. I'm starting to think that I might have sent the wrong e-mail address, for I'm pretty darn sure that I should have gotten the e-mail by now. Since I'm pretty sure that the site has relations with this site, if anyone from the forums can help me out on this, can you please see if either a.) the admin can erase my old account and give me another chance to form an account or b.) at least confirm the e-mail address posted on my account to make sure that I posted it correctly. Thanks a bunch for any and all help.

I got the problem with the title screens fixed, but now I have a couple more stuff I need help with.

First of all, where's a good site for some sound effects? At the very least, I need gunshots and lasers. Enough said.

Second, I need a good battle animation for lasers. Found a couple of effects on charas-project.net, but I'm not satisfied.

Last, but not least, if I submit information on a game, can I change the title of it at any time? My project has a working title at the moment, but I don't know if I like the title well enough.

I hope I'm not asking for too much. I just need to get this project on the road and a bit of help is most appreciated.

As a question to the veterans and fellow amateurs of the RPG Maker community, what do you all consider to be the most important aspect of a game you are working on? Right now, as it stands, I've spend these last couple of weeks messing around with RPG Maker 2003 and I'm beginning to get a hang of the code. I have to admit that my current project is a bit amateurish, for most of the sprites and music that I am using are either RTP stuff from RPG Maker 2000/2003 or were downloaded from http://www.vgmusic.com/ or http://charas-project.net/, depending on the content of either site. However, on the other hand, my main focus on my project is on storytelling and objectives. Since I am a bit of a writer, I'm sort of writing a novel alongside my project and basing much of the content in my game around it. I understand the basic principles behind novelization (i.e. genre, setting, themes, etc.) and even though I'm not a perfect programmer, the functions behind the program that I am using are simple enough to understand and put together. Right now, my main priority relies on the storytelling aspect above everything else. Without an engine, how can you build the frame around it to make a car?