the treasures of amaterasu

8/13/2019 The Treasures of Amaterasu

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-treasures-of-amaterasu 1/12

Written by Andrew Roberts

These stories are based oncharacters and settings by

Pinnacle Entertainment andGreat White Games.



Buck was led outside by the pirates and directed to sit in one of the seaplanes. As the pilotstarted the engine and took off, Buck sat back and watched the Clipper fade away into thedistance. After a short flight, the seaplanes touched down near a tramp steamer. Buckimagined that they were somewhere in the vicinity of Cuba, but he wasn’t sure. H e washauled out of the seaplane by one of the pirates and herded up a gangplank. On the deck,

he was grabbed by two rough-looking sailors as a man in a white suit limped over, awalking stick clutched in his hand.

“I thought we decided against hostages.” He reminded his crew.

“This one’s supposed to be a treasure hunter.” The spokesman reported, “I figured hemight interpret those papers we found if…properly motivated.”

The man in the suit paused for a moment.

“I recognise that attire.” He pondered, “You must be Buck Savage.”

“So, you’ve heard of me.”

“My name is Jacques Cunningham.” The man introduced, “And like you, I am a thief. Theonly difference is that I choose to rob the living. However, there is something in mypossession which should interest you, which I…obtained from a student at the School ofOriental and African Studies.”

“Just tell me where they are.” Buck replied.

“As you wish.” Jacques answered. The sailors holding Buck prepared to lead him away

when Jacques gestured them to halt.

“Just don’t try anything.” He warned, pulling the head off his cane to reveal a concealedblade. “I do not take kindly to double crossing.”

Buck was led into one cabin, where he was presented with a set of scroll cases. Jacquesstood across from him, while the two sailors kept him seated.

“What do you know about them?” Jacques asked, “What do the scrolls speak of?”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Buck answered, “But I don’t know. The writing looks like a form ofancient Japanese, but I have no idea what it says.”

“Well, I guess you’re of little use to me.” Jacques replied, “Kill him.”

As Buck was hauled to his feet, Jacques picked up the scrolls and limped out of the cabin. Almost immediately, Buck wrenched free of the first sailor while throwing the other oneover his shoulder. Jacques turned to see the commotion. As he tried to leave, Bucktackled him to the ground while trying to grab the scrolls. Jacques attempted to retaliate by

pulling the blade from his cane, only for Buck to subdue him with a well-placed jab.



Grabbing the scrolls, Buck ran towards the door, only for the other sailor to block his path.Before he could react, the sailor knocked him back with a heavy right hook, sending thescrolls flying out of his hand. As Buck tried to stand up, the sailor drew a pistol, but hequickly grabbed the sailor’s arm and put him out of action with a rabbit punch.

More pirates ran to the commotion with their weapons drawn. Buck grabbed a crowbar andhid behind one of the crates on the deck. The first pirate to run past was struck in thetorso, allowing Buck to grab his gun, along with his satchel. Stuffing the scrolls inside, hebegan to climb one of the tarpaulins holding the crates in place. The pirate with the Tommygun prepared to open fire, only for Jacques to run out and grab the barrel, wrenching thegun downwards.

“What are you doing?” he screamed, “You could kill us all!”

Hearing the shouts, Buck tried to peer under the tarpaulin and see the label on the crates.

‘Danger – Explosives’ He continued to climb, as another pirate scrambled up after him with a dagger. Buckstamped down, his boot connecting sharply with the pirate’s face. The pirate tumbled downfrom the stack while Buck undid the straps holding the tarpaulin. Climbing to the top of thestack, he spotted more pirates climbing after him. Thinking quickly, he punched the firstone out before leaping towards a hanging crane and swinging away to where theseaplanes were moored. Landing in the ocean close to one of them, he quickly knockedthe pilot out with a wild haymaker before climbing into his seat and starting the engine,flying away as the pirates on the steamer opened fire.

“Get after him!” Jacques screamed, as the other aviators jumped into their seaplanes.Buck quickly primed the Lewis gun mounted on his plane and circled around to strafe thepirates. With a sustained burst, he destroyed the other seaplanes and detonated theexplosives stored on the deck. The explosion promptly tore a large hole in the ship’s hull.

As he flew off into the distance, Buck could see the ship sinking.

“It’s Davy Jones’ Locker for you, Jacques.” He muttered to himself.



“These are some very interesting finds.”

A day had passed. After sinking the pirate vessel, Buck had travelled to Miami. After theadrenaline had worn off, he was paying a visit to Dr Matthew Whitman, an old friend withan interest in Japanese history.

“What do the scrolls mean?” Buck asked.

“Well, it’s an older form of the language, so it will take a longer to translate.” Whitmanreplied as he ran his magnifying gla ss over the writing on the scrolls, “Hold on. I can makeout something in the title – Amaterasu.”

“That sounds familiar.” Buck commented, “Wasn’t that the name of a deity ?”

“Yes. She was the Shinto pantheon’s Sun Goddess. According to legend, she sent hergrandson to settle in Japan, and presented him with three treasures: A sword whichrepresents valour; a mirror, representing wisdom; and a jewel which was supposed torepresent benevolence. Supposedly, Amaterasu had been living secluded in a cave tohide from her brother, the Storm God Susanoo, an action which plunged the Earth into astate of perpetual darkness. Another deity hung the jewel outside to lure her out, whereshe promptly glanced at the mirror and was shocked. ”

“What about the sword?” Buck asked, “Where did that fit in?”

Dr Whitman studied the scrolls further. He had been making a hurried translation as heread through it.

“I believe that the sword was presented by Susanoo as a token of apology.” He explained,“They say he recovered from an eight -headed serpent known as Orochi .”

“That sounds like the Hydra of Greek mythology.” Buck observed, “Does it say anything ofwhere the treasures are kept?”

“No. The exact whereabouts of the treasure is a closely guarded se cret. In fact, nobodyhas seen the treasures, except for the Emperors and certain priests, those who partake inthe enthronement ceremony. Buck, I don’t like where this going. Are you planning onstealing the Imperial Regalia? You’re liable to create an un fortunate international incident. ”

“Well, the very least I can do is have a look at them.” Buck retorted with a smirk. He shookWhitman’s hand before making his way to the door.

A day later, Buck was once again making travel preparations. He had been kicking back inMiami while dismissing news stories about his abduction. Whitman had accompanied himas he prepared to leave, bringing with him a diary with the scroll translations.

“Buck, I’ve said it many times and I’ll say it again. If you try and steal the Sacred

Treasures, you’re likely to be executed for treason.” He warned, “I’ve heard that JapaneseNationalism is a scary thing to behold.”



“Well, Japan buys a lot of oil from some burly Texans.” Buck argued, “I doubt that relationwill change any time soon, treasure hunts aside. Then again, I never agreed with theindustrialist types. Crooked bunch, the lot of them. ”

Days passed. Eventually, Buck was wandering the streets of Tokyo. He had studiedWhitman’s translation carefully, and was ready to set ou t the following morning. The nightwas young, and he was strolling to a bar close to his hotel. Soon enough, he was hunchedup in a quiet corner with a beer, watching the world go by.

“Is this seat taken?” A woman’s voice asked in English. Buck raised his head to see hislong-time rival, Virginia Dare standing at his table.

“Be my guest.” Buck replied warmly, “Free country or not. What are you doing in Japan?”

“Well, I’m just on vacation.” Virginia answered, “What about you?”

“That’s convenient. I’m on vacation too.”

“I read about you in the papers. That you’d been kidnapped by pirates .”

“Well, I made a lasting impression.” Buck replied.



By midnight, Buck was strolling back to the hotel. The dark corridors were empty as hetrudged through them towards his room. He raised the key to unlock the door, only for it toopen on its own. Feeling nervous, Buck slowly peered through, only to be grabbed andhauled through.

Two figures were loitering in the room, their faces concealed by dark fedoras andbandanas. Buck swung at one of them, catching him across the face. The other, wearing along coat, drew a concealed knife and attempted to flank. Buck was too quick and deftlysidestepped the thrust, catching the assailant’s arm and twisting it. As the knife fell out of the thug’s hand and embedded in the floor, Buck span rapidly while letting go of the arm,hurling the thug into his accomplice. As they both tumbled into a nearby desk, Buck madea grab for his suitcase. His revolver was still in the holster. Before he could withdraw it andaim, he felt a sting in the side of his neck. His hand impulsively went to where he felt it.Just as he feared, he could make out what he perceived to be a dart. A feeling ofnumbness immediately overcame him. Lurching forwards, he was promptly greeted with a

sharp punch by one of the thugs, followed by darkness.

Some time had passed. Buck was being roused from his blackout by something dabbinghis face. He winced at the mild stinging pain as he tried to move.

“Hold still.” A familiar voice said with an almost jovial tone.

Buck opened his eyes to Virginia pressing a wet cloth to his forehead.

“That’s convenient.” He remarked, “I get mugged in my own hotel room and now you’rehere.”

“What’s been taken?” Virginia asked, “Anything that looks valuable is still here.”

Buck had a grim sense of foreboding. He ran where the contents of his suitcase had beenstrewn around the floor. There was no sign of Whitman’s journal or the ancient texts he had acquired.

“I’d picked up a souvenir from those pirates who abducted me.” He explained to his rival. “It was a set of ancient Japanese texts telling the story of the Sacred Treasures of Japan.

A friend of mine translated it. Those people have obviously taken both the scrolls and the journal with the t ranslation.”

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Virginia asked, “Let’s get them back! Nobody stealstreasures from Buck Savage except for me!”

Buck grabbed Virginia’s hand and shook it before following her out of the door.

“That dart I pulled from your neck uses a very rare sedative.” Virginia explai ned as they jumped into her car, “I believe that there is only one known garden where it came from.”



Virginia led Buck out of Tokyo. After what seemed like hours of driving across emptyroads, they arrived at a large castle deep in a forested area.

“We might have a lead here.” Virginia suggested.

Buck nodded in agreement, having changed into his rugged attire. While the castle

seemed like a place to hold a formal occasion, he was likely to be getting his hands dirty.

“Buck, do you have a plan, or are you making this up as you go along?” Virginia asked.

“That was my plan.” Buck replied. He lurched over to the gate, clutching his chest andgroaning loudly as he knocked on the doors. Virginia watched him and immediately caughton to what he was planning.

A man in a dark suit opened the door and looked the pair over.

“You’ve got to help us!” Virginia cried hysterically, “ We got a flat tyre and my friend is in

pain!”

“What are you doing way out here?” The servant asked .

“We missed a turning somewhere. I’m afraid we’re lost.” Virginia replied.

“You’d better get inside.” The servant advised. Virginia led Buck inside as he continued togroan, while the servant closed the door behind them. Once he was convinced that theywe ren’t looking, he produced a blade and crept silently behind them. In a flash, Virginiaquickly turned and delivered a haymaker which knocked the servant off his feet.

“Nice work,” Buck commented, throwing his façade aside now they had gained entry.Virginia patted down the unconscious servant, picking up his knife, along with a snub-nosed revolver. She stashed them in her belt next to her Colt automatic.

Minutes later, the pair had separated to cover more ground. Buck was cautiously movingthrough the dimly lit halls of the castle, revolver in hand. After searching several emptyrooms, he noticed a pair of shadows cast on a paper screen door by a desk lamp.

“We got the scrolls back.” A voice reported in English, but with a slight accent. “Excellent.” Another replied, “Perhaps this adventurer would be discouraged from hissearch.”

“He did not strike me as one who would be swayed. I’m worried that we may havesomehow led him here.”

“You shouldn’t worry too much…” The other man said, only to pause. He opened t he deskand reached for a pistol. Buck dived out of the way as two shots penetrated the doorpanels. He fired back, hearing the sound of running further down the hall. Without asecond thought, he dived into the room, seeing one of the thugs slumped in his chair. Theother thug raised his own pistol, but Buck was able to fire off another shot to take him



The pair quickly ran back through the castle ’s maze-like halls, hoping to avoid any moreguards. Upon reaching the entrance, they found the doors to be barred.

“Great, we ’re trapped. ” Buck lamented. Before Virginia could reply, more shots rang out.Two more guards were firing on them from down the hallway. Buck returned fire withanother burst from his Tommy gun. The guards scattered and ran as Buck slowlyadvanced, keeping the suppressed with a burst. Another guard ran at him with a blade.Buck attempted to stop him, only for the gun to jam. He hurriedly tried to clear themechanism as the guard closed the distance, screaming loudly. As soon as he got close,Buck swung the gun forwards, sending the stock into the guard ’s face.

More guards were from the opposite hallway. Virginia quickly took cover behind a largegong as the bullets started flying again. Seeing an opportunity, she drew her knife and cutthe ropes the gong was hanging from. The guards scattered as the gong rolled towardsthem, allowing Virginia to grab Buck and run down another hall.

“I think we ’ve lost them. ” Buck panted as they hid in an empty room.

“I still don ’t understand who these people are. ” Virginia reminded him.

“They are the Guardians of the Sacred Treasures. ” A familiar voice explained. Buck turnedaround to see Dr Whitman sat in the room.

“Whitman? ” He asked in bewilderment, “What are you doing here? Did you get yourselfabducted or something? ”

“I’m sorry, Buck. ” Whitman replied, “I tried to warn you, but you didn ’t listen. ”

“What? ” Buck asked in disbelief. He turned to see the guards converging on their position.

Later, Buck and Virginia were being led through a series of caverns beneath the castle.They had been disarmed and their hands were bound behind them. Whitman washurriedly walking alongside them.

“I read about the Guardians of the Sacred Treasures in those scrolls you found. ” Heexplained nervously, “They found me before I could reach you. I had to talk. ”

“So, you saved your own skin? ” Buck snarled.

“Silence! ” One of their guards demanded, “Save your breath! ”

Buck immediately complied, noticing as Virginia was able to steal the guard ’s switchbladeand palm it without anybody noticing.

At the end of the cavern lay a magnificent shrine. Standing at the centre was a robedfigure with a serious look. He was clean shaven, but his eyes always carried a look ofanger. In the centre of the room was large pit which emitted smoke.



“Who might you be then? ” Buck asked defiantly.

“You will be silent! ” The figure yelled, “You may only know me as The Monk. ”

“ Are you the leader of this wacky outfit then? ”

“I am a loyal servant of the emperors. The Sacred Treasures have been a secret since thebeginning, and we have kept that secret safe for all that time. We protected the regaliafrom thieves like you. ”

“Right …” Buck muttered, not understanding or even caring about The Monk ’s words.

“The theft of the Sacred Treasures is an act of treason. You and your friend will be put todeath. ” The Monk continued, “However, I will not deny you the privilege to cast your eyesupon the treasures. ”

Buck and Virginia ’s eyes lit up. While they were in mortal danger, they were almost gleeful

at the prospect of seeing the almost mythical regalia of Japan. It felt like the last request ofthe condemned. The treasures were set out in the centre of the shrine: A straight-edged,gilded sword; a disc of polished silver, resembling a small buckler shield; and a shiningemerald, the size of a tennis ball.

“So these treasures were presented to Hirohito back in ‘26? ” Buck asked.

“That is correct. ” The Monk replied, “Enjoy them well. You will not live to tell of them. ”

“ About that …” Virginia interrupted, “By what means are you planning on executing us? ”

“You will be cast into that pit before you. ” The Monk told them, “That happens to be avolcanic vent in there. ”

“That explains the heat. ” Buck commented, “So if the fall doesn ’t kill us, we get deep friedby the lava. ”

“That ’s correct. ” The Monk growled, “Do you have last words? ”

“Well …” Buck answered, “I think my bail ’s arrived. ”

Immediately, Virginia had managed to cut herself free with the knife she ’d pickpocketed.She elbowed the guard standing behind her while tossing the knife to Buck. He cut himselffree and punched out the other guard.

“Get them! ” The Monk screamed.

Another guard lunged at Virginia, clutching a spear. She sidestepped his thrust andgrabbed at the shaft. Pulling hard, she was able to wrench the spear out of his hands anddeliver a sweeping blow to his legs, sending him tumbling down the pit.

At the same time, Whitman had drawn a knife and was attacking Buck, slashing his arm.



“Traitor! ” Buck shouted, delivering an uppercut that hit the scholar square in the jaw.Whitman reeled backwards towards the pit.

“Buck! ” He shouted as he lost his footing. Virginia raced forward to grab his hand, only tomiss him by a whisker. He screamed as he fell down the pit.

“We ’ll leave the treasures. ” Buck said as he helped Virginia to her feet, “Let ’s save our ownskins. ”

As they left, they were confronted by the Monk, wielding a staff. Behind them, more guardswere approaching. Virginia raced to hold them off while Buck advanced on The Monk. Hewas a fast opponent, deftly evading Buck ’s punches. Buck tried to grab his staff, only forthe Monk to deliver a roundhouse kick which sent him flying. Panting, Buck peered downto look at the Monk ’s feet, only to have to roll to avoid another swing. As he rolled, hekicked at the Monk ’s leg to knock him off balance. He grabbed the staff and ran to aidVirginia with the other guards. As the pair fought them off, the Monk leapt for Buck,knocking him off his feet.

“Go! ” Buck shouted to Virginia. As she ran, The Monk attempted to pursue her. Seeing animmediate opportunity, Buck grabbed the Monk ’s ankle to send him falling forwards. As hetried to stand, Buck held the staff tightly against his neck, slowly choking him. The Monkattempted to grab Buck, but to no avail. His arms continued to flail until he finally wentlimp. Buck set the body down and ran to join Virginia. He ran through the caverns andback up to the castle when he heard a loud explosion. In the courtyard, Virginia waved athim from the balcony before throwing down a rope. Buck nodded as he used the rope toscale the wall, the guards following close behind.

“Come on, I ’ve made a way out. ” Virginia told him. They ran to a gaping hole in the outerwall of the castle and jumped through, landing outside. Virginia ’s car was waiting for them,untouched by anybody.

Within moments, they were back on the main road to Tokyo, the castle far behind them.

“You surprised me this time Buck. ” Virginia remarked, “I thought you ’d be stealing the

regalia. ” “Well, as tempting as it was, I can ’t imagine being able to get them out of Japan. ” Buckreplied, “We ’d never get them through Tokyo if those people have such a wide reach. ”

“That is true. ”

“Besides, we still saw them didn ’t we? I guess that counts for something. ”

the treasures of amaterasu

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