Meteor Arts Saga

Chapter 11

After successfully avoiding the Hagetaka, Shintaro just remembered about his map. He checked the map again and then followed the mark where the team needed to go. They had not passed that point yet, thus their decision to go there still stand. At dusk, they found themselves in a quiet plain where they could see a wide area of metropolitan buildings grouping together in the distance, most likely the city of Hiroshima. Shintaro was relieved and felt lucky, because it was Hiroshima he saw he did not have to deal with going with Egawa after all. But they would not go there just yet, they still had this destination point on the map they were following, and now it was so far from their whereabouts. Just a few miles away and they have arrived, but it was not what they had expected.

Their destination point was a small store, all alone in the open. A pharmacy, more like it. The samurai exchanged looks. They were confused and wondered if that was the wrong place, but then they noticed the address written in the map, next to where the mark was, and the pharmacy's address was exactly the same. Then again, Shintaro's grandmother marked everything in the map, so when in doubt they decided to just go ahead and followed her. Into the pharmacy they went.

There are few shelves at the storefront and on the walls. Quite the number of pharmaceutical products on the shelves and all of them are categorised in each column, even inside the glass compartments of the reception counter. They saw a call bell on top of the reception desk and rang it.

"Please wait! I'm coming over!" said aloud a woman's voice behind the storefront. The woman arrived behind the counter and welcomed them with a benevolent bow. She appeared to be in her early 30s and has dark, chin-length bob cut hair, wearing an outfit of a scientist. She did not take a glimpse at the Meteor Samurai before welcoming them, but then she got surprised and turned cautious when she behold them. She steadily remained calm and cautious. "May I help you?"

Shintaro had forgotten himself and bowed in apology. He showed her the map, pointing the spot of their destination. He meekly asked if they were in the right place.

She readjusted her glasses and studied the mark and written address on the map. Afterwards, she turned her eyes to Shintaro. "It is," she confirmed. "May I ask who you are?"

"We, uh, are the Meteor Samurai. We're here to find a man who can help us."

"Who sent you?"

"My grandmother, Mami Obata."

The clerk's face jerked when she heard the name. She was frozen for a moment, and then rushed to the front of the store, lowering the curtains and locking the front door. She glued herself behind the door, regaining composure and breathing deeply. "Follow me if you please," she said.

The samurai had no idea what just happened, but they rest it off and did as she said. They entered a lounge and stopped in front of a latched door of steel. The woman unlocked it and it opened. They followed her through the gate and down the stairs. Then they watched her unlocked the power board and switched on the lights. The wired, small lanterns attached to the coves of the passages have illuminated. The passageway was revealed to be a catacomb. She locked the power board and turned to the samurai.

All of the sudden, the woman faced back to the samurai with an optimistic attitude. "Now before we go any further, what are your names?"

"My name is Shintaro Takamiya, the Fire Samurai," he introduced himself. "These two here are my teammates, Koki Otomari the Dragon Samurai, and Naotaka Asayano the Earth Samurai."

Koki and Naotaka greeted her the same way.

"My name is Manako Tada, and it's nice to meet you all. We will progress throughout these catacombs, and what lies beyond is a secret laboratory operated by my colleagues. The man I believe you're looking for is the owner and in charge of the lab."