//------------------------------//
// I: Gotta Get Back 
// Story: The Samurai Called Jack 
// by MetalJrock 
//------------------------------//

The blazing sun shone brightly on one of planet earth’s deserts. The wind blowing hard with sand and dust flying with it. On the sandy floor, a lizard was scurrying on top of a rock, before it quickly went down a hole to protect itself from the sandstorm.

But the lizard wasn’t the only sign of life this sandy terrain held. For coming up on the hill which the rock sat on, a lone, tall, white man, wearing a white kimono, white scarf, and a straw hat wandered the desert. 

His destination...unknown.

The wind blew on his face so hard, that the man had to adjust the scarf wrapped around his neck to protect his face. Another hand reached up to the straw hat that covered his jet-black hair, and a Japanese chonmage underneath, making sure that it stays atop his head in the small sandstorm he found himself in.

A sigh escaped the white-robed man's mouth, clearly tired after yet another lengthy passage of time, wandering the planet. He had one goal in mind, one he hoped to reach one day. But for now, it was an endless quest around the world. He adjusted strap of the bag given to him for this seemingly long walk.

The sand-filled winds clearing a little, his journey found himself near a temple in the distance from the hill. He had heard from some villagers in a town he visited days earlier about an ancient artifact. One that lay within a temple found in the desert. 

The people repaid him by giving him what he needed to survive out here alone. Though, he asked for no reward for his actions, he was nontheless grateful for the charity offered for aiding the people.

Thinking about that reminded him of why he was searching for this artifact in the first place. He was a samurai prince that was banished into the far future by the very foe that rules the very time he found himself in. A dark evil that went by many names, but one the best known to all even since he was a child: Aku.

The name alone earned another sigh from the samurai. This evil was the very bane of his existence. For years now, the demon had ruined the samurai's attempts to find a way back to his time and end Aku's reign before it could even begin.

It had been tiring in this world. He faced Aku's minions, had to adjust to this future, had met new allies in his quest, and met foes that sought to end his quest, like the many bounty hunters Aku sent to kill him so that his reign of tyranny would be eternal.
Seeing the stone temple in the distance, a smile formed on the man's lips. He pushed on, his sandals digging deep into the sand, but that did nothing to slow him down. Not now. Not when he was so close.

After a few more minutes, the samurai finally reached the temple. It was old in design as seen by the sand-covered stone architecture. But what got his attention were the sounds of something he was all too familiar with, something robotic and technological. 

Quickly hiding by jumping high on the temple, he sees two beetle bots with red lights patrolling around the sides of the temple, with one even passing by where he was.

The beetle scanned the ground to see if anyone was in sight. Detecting nothing, it moved on to keep patrolling, leaving the samurai above to come to a realization on why they must be here.

‘Aku! He must've known about this temple,’ the man thought, ‘He must not know I was here or he will ruin my chance to leave once again.’

Seeing that the sandy winds were dying down at last, he removed the scarf and straw hat he had on. A stoic scowl was seen on his features and he placed his arms to his sides.

The man reached to a sheathe, his hand gripping around a hilt and he swfitly moved his arm, revealing his sword. His other hand gripped it as well. The samurai knew there were very few places to hide other than up top, which annoyed him because he needed a way to take out the robots without being discovered by any of them, or bringing awareness to this location and getting Aku's attention.
And with determination, the samurai quietly stepped forward on the temple’s surface, making sure he doesn't make a sound loud enough for the robots to notice. 

He hopped off one of the stone stairs, seeing one of the robots turn around and investigate the side. The man gritted his teeth, jumping into the air and swiping his sword downwards.

SLASH!

The samurai landed on one knee, the robot pausing. The beetle bot then fell in half as oil splattered everywhere. With little time to plan, the samurai rolled to the corner and leaped again and cut apart the second robot, oil splattering everywhere with each slash before finally exploding.

Seeing that there was no more risk of being caught, the man held his sword high and had it swipe the top of his sheath before swiftly placing it back to his side. The man looked to the open entrance and walked inside.





The temple was dark, which the samurai expected. He reached into his bag and opened a bottle of water, which he chugged half of in mere seconds. His large thirst showed that he was clearly worn out. He was lucky that Aku only sent two robots to this location and didn't have to put up much of a fight against an army of them.

As he wiped the water and oil off his face, the man forgot to check his surroundings and accidentally stepped on a tile which lowered under the pressure of his foot. He looked to his side, seeing small holes on the wall and grabbed his sword once more.

Suddenly, a barrage of arrows came in his direction. With his swift reflexes, the samurai ducked, swerved his body and slashed any arrows that neared him. The assault lasted for about thirty seconds and he narrowly missed a few in the process, one of them missing his chin as it flew past. Then, the barrage ended. A sigh of relief came from the man, relieved that there weren’t anymore arrows.

He continued on, walking down a dimly-lit staircase. He looked to his side and grabbed a torch, using it to guide the way. Once he reached the bottom, the samurai saw a suit of armor. It was as still as a statue. But, he knew what the armor held was a trap and so placed the torch on the wall, revealing his sword once more in case of battle.

With each step, the samurai grew more alert. But then, the armor's eyes began to glow and raised the sword it wielded in its metal grip. The samurai's eyes widened and he held up his own blade toward the other, blocking the attack, creating a small spark of light from the direct collision of metal.

'State your business, intruder!' the armor roared, moving its blade in another direction, swiping horizontally.

The samurai rolled to the side, slashing the armor a little in the shoulders, denting them slightly. He landed on one knee, "They call me Jack. I wish to use the treasure hidden in here for one goal."

Swinging the blade upwards, the armored ghoul nearly struck Jack again, but the samurai blocked it once more. 'And what is that goal? State it or you will die!'

"To return to my time. And end Aku's reign." Jack declared. "He has sent me away from my original time to this time period, and I wish to return with the purpose of stopping him for good!"

Then, the armor ceased its next attack. 'Of course... You're the chosen one. The one to end the darkness that plagues our world.'

Jack had no idea how to respond, so he chose to remain silent. The guardian threw his giant sword onto the ground and planted it there.
‘Follow me, samurai.' he instructed.

Doing as told, Jack walked behind the guardian. 

As they walked down another hallway, Jack noticed several hieroglyphs, one of which had a crude drawing of what appeared to be him fighting Aku. They came to a stop when they approached a door that appeared to have the biggest room in the temple.

‘For centuries, there was a prophecy. One where a samurai would come here, not to use the treasure for his own purpose, but to end the dark evil that has ruled us for eternity.'

"I see..." Jack nodded.

The guardian continued, 'You were destined to come here, Samurai Jack. That is why I must aid you.' he opened a door with the raise of his armored palm. Jack continued on silently, allowing the temple guardian to continue.

When they entered the room, Jack saw what appeared to be a small pedestal, containing a strange crystal-like orb that was shown by the sunlight coming from the ceiling.
'You were correct in finding something here. But there is a catch.' the guardian revealed, lifting the strange crystal-like orb, 'This orb cannot travel back to the point in time you seek.'

"Then what can it do?" Jack asked.

The temple guardian turned to face Jack as he held the orb, not surprised by the question he would likely ask.
'It can travel to another world. A world full of magic that can lead you back to the past. Should you run out of options, you can return here to the very moment you left and continue your quest here. A fair warning though, the locals there are quite different than what you would expect, but they are friendly and should they learn of your goodness can perhaps aid you. It is your choice, chosen samurai.'

Jack looked at the orb before him, deciding his options. His chance to return to the past could be found in this other world, yet he'd be leaving the planet in the hands of Aku. He closed his eyes, making his choice. Should he go, he has a chance to end this endless battle of good and evil. 

But it could all be for nothing, like every other instance. He knew that there was a risk, and if there was even a slim chance, he knew what must be done.

For years, he had been close to ending his journey, but either Aku ruined the opportunity for him, or he had to give up the chance for the sake of another life. No doubt, in those situations, he would always give up the chance to protect the innocent, and he would still do. But he is given a second chance, and this time, he had a decision.

The samurai opened his eyes and finally decided, "I will go."

Though it couldn’t be shown, the armor gave off a feeling like it was smiling. As if he was happy that Jack made this choice.

'Very well, Young Warrior.' the guardian agreed.

The armored being handed Jack the artifact, which began to glow a bright blue. The samurai was blinded by the light and shielded his eyes, feeling himself warp away. Then, the samurai disappeared from his spot.

The temple warrior gazed at where the one called Jack was standing, knowing that Jack was going to be in for one big adventure.

'Good luck, Samurai Jack.'