Shadow Skill
TV Anime Series
Episode 3 – Synopsis

Cast of Characters:
Elle Ragu  - 59th sevalle of Kuruda
Gau Ban – her adoptive brother
Folli Brazmetizer – Sui Reme
Kyo Ruu – Septia

Teaser:

	Themoon shines redly over a desolate landscape littered with dead bodies over which the wind howls.  We see a shocked Kyo kneeling beside the Septia Master, who is also her grandfather. He is dead.  She wonders where the demon beast went, and still in denial, asks her grandfather to wake up.  The roar of a beast is heard in the night.

(Opening Credits)

Act 1

	Gau’s voice is heard narrating Elle’s dominance over the fighting festival, writing a new chapter in Kuruda’s fighting history.  However, her sevalle statue is still incomplete, since she has postponed modelling for the day.  We hear Elle call of a fresh pitcher of wine as Gau’s voice explains that the tournament prize money went to pay Elle’s outstanding debts, and that the remainder is a pathetic sum indeed.
	The scene shows Folli frowning over Elle with a paper in hand.  Elle complains somewhat defensively, “What’s wrong with drinking in a bar?”  Folli explains that it’s all right if the person can afford to pay, and slams the paper in Elle’s face.  When questioned, Folli replies that it is Elle’s next job – the capture of a demon beast – and if Elle wants to keep on drinking, she should finish this job.  Elle considers the job beneath her (“boring”) and declares that she will pass.  Folli angrily declares that she spent all morning at the Center to get a job for Elle, while the latter demands that the former shut up.  Folli adds that even an idiot could spend money more wisely than Elle.  In return, Elle retorts that how she spends the money she has earned is her own business.  Gau gently tries to remind Elle that Folli went through all the trouble, and is told to shut up for his pains.  Elle declares the job of capturing Demon Beasts should be left to Septia, and whatever they may think of her, she is “proud sevalle after all”.  Gau opens his mouth to remonstrate, but subsides until Elle stops for breath and says he really doesn’t mind doing it.  Elle taunts him, “Then why don’t you do it?” Folli says that it is impossible because the Septia are all gone.  Gau and Elle are surprised, and ask Folli to explain.  
The explanation is forestalled by a commotion on the second floor of the tavern.  It is Kyo, confronted by a bunch of burly men, who seem offended that they should prove their strength to her.  Kyo says that the money she carries is precious and before she can pay them in advance, she must have proof in advance of their ability to defeat the monster.   Folli and Elle watch the scene from the ground floor as the thugs snatch Kyo’s money bags from her and back her into a corner.  The three men surround her and ask her if they really want to see her strength.  The look in their eyes means no good for Kyo as they approach, making her back into a table and upset its contents.  She stares with frightened eyes as one of the men licks his lips, and she cries out, having a mental flashback to a demon beast breaking free.
The intentions of the men are forestalled as Gau leaps up onto the second floor and places himself between Kyo and her would-be molesters.  Calmly, he announces that he won’t allow that kind of violence.  The leader of the thugs tells him it’s none of his business, and Gau demands that they give Kyo’s money back to her.  The one holding the money bag laughs as he tosses it in the air, only to find it snatched away from him by Elle, who retreats to a corner to count the money.  She declares it to be a small amount as the thug accuses her of being a thief.  Elle decides that the money will do, and asks Kyo: “Young lady, you’ll give us this bag of money if we can show our strength, right?”  Kyo has a flashback to the night when she saw Elle defeat the demon beast (from episode 1); and as she makes a small sound, Elle calls it a deal and asks the tavern-keeper to bring an additional round of drinks and three extra coffins.  
Tossing the money bag to the poor tavern-keeper, Elle begins the fighting as Kyo has another flashback to the last time she saw her grandfather and all her septia team alive.  She recalls how the beast destroyed a house, how she threw her ring weapons, how her grandfather rode out at the head of the others, turning for one last look at her.  The dust settles and as Elle smiles at her, Kyo comes out of the flashback, declaring: “You are the 59th sevalle, Elle Lag of Shadow Skill!”  Much to the dismay of the three thugs, the last of whom is standing before a new hole in the wall of the tavern.  Mischievously Elle teases the thug by saying she’ll leave him to Gau to finish off – “teach them the true spirit of Kuruda style annihilation technique – throw him the Harkin or the Sword, whichever you like.”  As she chuckles, the thug decides to dive out the hole on his own, calling out to mates to wait for him.
Which should be good news, even as Elle goes, “Oh, my,” while watching her opponents flee.  A furious Folli declares that Elle has just managed to destroy another property and demands to know if it is Elle’s hobby to make a debt wherever she goes.
“She thinks she’s so smart, but she isn’t,” mutters Elle rebelliously, but remains quiet as Folli demands to know what has just been said.

Act 2

	Elle, Kyo, Folli and Gau are gathered in the room that the brother and sister are renting (not sure if Folli is boarding with them).  When Elle discovers that the mission being offered to them by Kyo is to go after the Moon King demon beast, Elle emphatically turns down the offer.  “We can’t accept and out-of-date-save-the-village septia type of jobs.”
	Folli remonstrates that that is a terrible way of putting things.  Gau agrees, saying that because of Kyo’s money, they were able to pay compensation to that tavern.  Elle justifies her refusal by saying that she helped Kyo out after all, and it was such a small amount after all.  Kyo says if it’s a matter of more money, then she’ll work it off just to pay them.  Elle sounds doubtful and says, “It’s not like they need the money.”
	A knock on the door is answered by Gau, and we hear an exchange between him and their landlord, who wants their rent.  Gau explains that they will come up with the money and that they are currently quite occupied at the moment.  The landlord sounds patient enough, but remarks that even if the state provides free boarding for every resident, they still have to pay, otherwise he will evict them.  Gau promises that they will pay the man “the day after tomorrow” and the landlord tells him to make sure of it, since he is relying on Gau’s word.
	Gau returns talking about a “quaint and unusual fish vendor” and Elle calls him an idiot since they heard the entire conversation.  She adds that even if they need the money, it’s not a job that sevalles do.  Sevalles destroy, and it’s just not in their nature to do things like capturing – it’s either maim or kill.  Kyo declares she doesn’t want the demon beast captured, but destroyed.  At Elle’s exclamation of surprise, Kyo pleads with the other girl to avenge the dead septias.  “You’re the only one strong enough!”  Kyo admits that she saw Elle defeat the demon beast from the previous occasion.
	Kyo describes how she was part of the beast-capturing team called Phantom. After the martial arts competition, they went out into the countryside on a regular patrol for demon beasts.  There is a flashback sequence where we see Kyo happily riding in one of the wagons, looking adoringly at her grandfather and playing about in the meadows to pick up flowers.  She admires the view from the top of a hill down into the villiage they are going to visit, is admonished by the old man to be focused – that even in such a peaceful village, a demon beast is lurking.  We see a repeat of the flashback sequence that Kyo had at the tavern; the beast destroying a house, her weapons thrown, her grandfather riding out at the head of the team.  Only now we hear his last conversation to Kyo as he tells her to stay behind and wait.  She declares that she is a member of the team, and can help.  Kyo’s grandfather says their prey is the Moon King, and she cannot do much there.  In answer to her cry of protest as he rides away, he wheels his horse around and says: “Come by later.  By the morning, the fight will be over.”  It is her last sight of them alive.

Act 3

	The scene of Kyo by her grandfather’s body in the opening teaser is repeated, and then we cut to the present time.  Gau asks what Kyo is going to do, when Elle says abruptly, “I can’t trust someone whose name I don’t know.  If you want me to finish the job, then name yourself, quickly.”  Kyo finally gives her name out loud for the first time.
	The quartet who will be constant companions for the remainder of the series return to the village where the Moon King wreaked such havoc.  They walk in silence, and the scenes show an empty, desolate town, and the graves of the Phantom squad.  Each grave has its owner’s sword driven into it, and around Kyo’s grandfather is a circlet like the ones she wears on her hips.  Elle is watchful, Folli grim – Gau looks sad and Kyo hangs her head as the memories come back to haunt her.
	They stop at the town’s fortress and gather information from a family with whom they are sharing the evening meal.    They are told that the Moon King is very cunning, and far too smart – no one has been known to defeat it.  An woman says that it is probably aware of the traps set about the fortress and that those who become the Moon King’s victims do so because they are careless and wander around at night.  It is the night of the full moon, and they are told to stay quietly inside.
	Distracted by something, Elle moves to the door of the house and sees several little children hanging about hesitantly.  She declares that this means the beast must take easily to bait that is outside.  In a rare gesture, she moves to the door with a plate of food and beckons the children over to get it.  Gau voices her name in mild surprise and questioning, and as the kids scamper away with the food, Elle declares that they’re going to treat themselves by viewing the moon in the forest.  The village headman declares it’s too dangerous, and Gau is of the opinion that maybe they should listen to the man.  But Elle apologizes but it is not her way to stay in such a depressing place.  She wants to finish the job quickly and return soon.
	The full moon shines on the little encampment the quartet have made in the forest.  As usual, Elle is making great inroads into the food, with Folli sourly observing that “this isn’t a picnic”, and if there’s no food smells to lure it, the Moon King won’t even come.  Elle points out that traps have been set out all over the country, positively declaring that they’ll soon have Moon King’s meat as a souvenir and the kids would be happy.  Gau looks rather tense, and looks over the cooking fire to a distracted Kyo. As she becomes aware of his scrutiny, she starts and blushes and suddenly shows a very great interest in stirring the cooking pot.
	As Elle invites Kyo to come over and eat something, the former asks their new companion what the rings she wears on her hips are for.  Kyo explains that they are cherings, tools handed down through a septia family to capture demon beasts.  Kyo received hers from her grandfather, but admits she has not yet learned to use them very well.  Gau asks a well-meant but tactless question, if Kyo is the last of the septias, and Elle rounds fiercely on him, calling him an idiot.  Gau apologizes, and Elle sighs she can’t stand someone who has no “deficacy”, which prompts Folli to say dryly, “are you sure you don’t mean ‘delicacy’?”  Elle sweatdrops and mumbles, “you can also say that…” making Kyo giggle, announcing that she’ll go and get some water.  As she starts to move off, Gau stares after her until Elle throws a chicken bone at his head and hisses, “Gau, you IDIOT, don’t let her go by herself!”  which wakes him out of his trance and gets him moving after Kyo.
	The next sequence shows Gau accompanying Kyo to the place where they will draw the water.  From her next remarks, we discover that Kyo finds out that Gau is younger than her, and that she intends to call him just plain “Gau” and not “Mr. Gau.”  Both of them are unaware of a creature slinking through the trees alongside of them, keeping pace with their walk.  Kyo declares that she envies Gau because he has such a wonderful sister; she was an only child.  She also remarks that he and Elle don’t look alike at all.  Gau explains that they are not really brother and sister – that he was adopted by Elle a long time ago.  
Flashback sequence as Gau narrates how his village was overrun when he was ten years old.  His family were killed by the bandits.  The scenes show Gau making his stand against the bandits, using nothing more than a slingshot, and the rage and pain in his eyes.  Cut to the present, and the pair are at the spring.  Kyo says that she gets the picture, and that Gau is an only child, just like her.  Gau dips the bucket into the water, and as he draws it up, he freezes in shock as a huge paw comes out of the trees towards a totally unsuspecting Kyo.  The camera pans upward over a huge form and stop at a pair of gleaming red eyes.
As Kyo’s scream splits the stillness, we see the screen split to show three of the village men and Folli as they register the sound.  Then cut to Elle rising to her feet and Gau being slammed into a tree by the beast.  Elle and Folli rush to the scene and have their first real look at the monster.   As he lifts his paw, they see Kyo captured in his hand, and as Elle prepares to meet the beast, she calls out to Folli to cover her.  Folli retorts, “I know that, there’s no need to scream.”  And as the sevalle dodges falling trees, and jumps upwards for a vantage point, the Sui Reme raises her hand and calls out to the talisman: “I, Follinkmeyer Brauzmetizer, will question the talisman – answer me! What are thee!”   The talisman answers that it is a flash of light, a flash of red light, “one who destroys your enemies with Fire!”  As the talisman’s flame erupts towards the beast, Elle calls out the Shadow Skill Sword technique and rides the fire towards the very face of the beast, kicking its paw in order to loosen its hold on Kyo.
She cries out to Gau to move, and he draws himself together.  The beast recaptures the falling Kyo, however, and Elle is dismayed.  Gau calls on Scarface to give him strength and faces off against the monster.  Great still scene here with Gau standing bravely against this huge giant with little Kyo in his hand.  Gau begins his own set of Kuruda martial words: “I am invincible! Nothing can stand against my strike!  My powerful strike is invincible!”  With a powerful jump, he launches into the air and calls out the Shadow Skill Harkin technique against the beast, and manages to bring the Moon King down.  The village men exclaim that he’s done it…

Act 4

	However, Gau’s blow has only stunned the beast, which draws its power from the full moon.  The village headman declares that it has incredible regenerative powers.  Elle rushes up to Gau to admonish him that his finishing was much too soft; the monster rises once again, Kyo still captive in his hand. She calls out frantically for everyone to run, and let her be the only victim.
	Folli calls out to Elle to lure the Moon King to the trap.  As Elle makes herself bait for the beast, Kyo frantically calls out, “Stop it!  Please don’t! It doesn’t matter if I die…there’s nobody left to grieve for me, even if I’m gone!  Please!”
	Angrily Elle takes a stand and calls out to a stunned Kyo while dodging the blows of the Moon King, “Stop joking around!  Are you really the survivor of the once-proud Septia?  What is that thing on your hip?  Is it just a toy?  The one who only whines has no right to grieve over her compatriots!”
	The stunned Kyo has a sudden vision of her grandfather and the septia team and realizes that if she gives up now, everything will have been in vain.  She calls on the spirits of her dead team to lend her their strength and to watch over her as she takes the cherings in her hands and casts them in the practised throw that completes the bindings for the trap set for the Moon King.  Still trapped in the embrace of the beast, she calls to Elle, “Now is the time!”  And Elle proudly replies, “See, I knew you could do it.”
	Watching, Gau has a flashback of that day of the raid.  The bandits had overpowered him, their leader crushing his face under his boot.  As Gau faces certain death at knife-point, a childish girl’s voice calls out for the bandit to stop.  We see a very young Elle standing against the setting sun, taunting the bandits by saying that they are utterly pitiful for tormenting a little brat.  At this point, the flashback intercuts with the present (NOTE: I loved this sequence, wish I could edit like that…), like this:
	Present Elle: I am invincible!
	Past Elle: No one can defeat my Shadow Skill!
	Bandit Leader: She’s just bluffing.
	Present Elle: My powerful strike is invincible! (we see the power flow into her hand)
	As Elle in the present launches herself into the air, she calls out the Shadow Skill Chainsaw technique and drives into the very heart of the beast, destroying it completely.   In the flashback, little Gau rises up from the ground to see young Elle surrounded by the bodies of four grown bandits.  She addresses him as “brat” which has him immediately spoiling for a fight, and then she asks him if he wants to be strong, which takes him by surprise.  Young Elle smiles, which softens her face.  She turns away and leaves young Gau bemused and staring after her for a moment before he runs to follow.  The scene freezes on Elle with her pack on her shoulder, and dissolves into the present, with the voices of happy children inviting Elle to come back, and she cheerfully waving and stating that she has absolutely no intention of returning, ever.  Folli snorts in disbelief, “Really, Elle, you aren’t honest with your feelings.” Gau turns from the children towards us with a satisfied smile on his face.
	Folli’s eyes then fall on Kyo, standing somewhat forlorn at the side of the road, and she calls out to Elle, “What are you going to do with that girl?”  Elle and Gau look back, and Elle sighs, “Come to think of it, you said you would pay us an extra fee or something, right?”  This catches Kyo’s attention.  Elle continues, “May I have it now?”  Kyo stammers, and Elle declares in a strangely calm voice, “You don’t have it? Then you have to work, to pay your debt.”  In a reflection of the flashback, when Elle smiled at Gau, she smiles the same way at Kyo: “Come with us.”  Then turns away and starts walking down the road.
	Joy breaks over Kyo’s face as she cries out, “Yes! I’ll do anything you want!  I’ll work really hard for you!”  And like Gau in the past, she sets off at a run to follow Elle.  As she passes the graves of the Septia squad, she addresses them in her mind, “Everyone!  I have new comrades now!  Grandfather…I will surely become a full-fledged septia, very soon!  Therefore, please watch over me…”
	
(Closing Credits)