The Death Master Chronicles: Book Three, the Supremacy (First Edition)

By R.C. Beale

In this, the third book of The Death Master Chronicles, The Supremacy, the focus is on H. E. Rasskes grandson, Hermi. Henri Eduard Rasske Madariaga; schooled and drilled in the expertise of the Death Master regimen since he was eight years of age by his doting grandmother, makes the decision to become an evangelist. Called on at a young age, he tells his grandmother, Sophia Madariaga he will never use the training for its intended purpose. At the urging of his grandmother, he devotes summer school vacation time activity to the study of this expertise, because she feels it will better prepare him for life in the modern world whether he becomes a Death Master or not. Hermi devotes the remainder of his free time to visiting Horse Ranch Mountain. He finds great peace there and forms a tremendous spiritual bond with his grandfather. As he grows to a young adult, he discovers the surprise of his life on one of his visits to the mountain which houses Rasskes cave. After this moving experience, he is confronted with a choice and must make several concessions regarding his schooling and ministerial training.Upon entering the world stage as a minister, he is eventually confronted with another choice. He has grown to a formidable status in the evangelical community at a very young age and discovers he has enemies in that community because of his views and the manner in which he brings the word to his people. In order to protect himself and the love of his life, he finds the Death Master expertise a natural thing to use

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Mar 26, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491873687

R.C. Beale

The author first became acquainted with the Death Master regimen in the US Marine Corps. In boot camp one day, while playing hand games with a fellow recruit, an observant drill instructor asked the author to accompany him to see the company commander. The D.I. told the Colonel, “This kid from Idaho has the fastest hands I think I’ve ever seen.” The commander asked the author to perform a few tests and then asked, “How would you like to train to be a Death Master?” The author had never heard the term and asked, “What in the world is that?” The commander replied, “The Marine Corps takes promising candidates and train them to kill people with their bare hands, which is nothing new. But in this instance, you would be trained to end a life and the victim would die a silent death. No noise. It would be exercised in very secret operations where a weapon cannot be used. The author consented to the training, but never had the privilege of finishing it. The Marine Corps decided they did not need the expertise any longer since the Korean War was now over. Some time later the author was medically discharged from the Marines because of a service aggravated disability. He has always been fascinated with the idea of this expertise and has devoted the better part of forty five years researching it. Research has shown it is a concept almost 8,000 years old and comes from the Assamese culture, not the Shaolin Temple. The concept has been incorporated into these works of historical fiction to tell a story of what possibly, “could have been”. The author has been asked on several occasions about whether any of the content of these books refers to him in particular. The only thing the author can truthfully say is that there is a large part of him and the way he grew up in these pages. Enough said. R.C. Beale

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© 2014 R.C. Beale. All rights reserved.

The characters in this book are fictitious and not intended to bear any resemblance to anyone living or dead. It is hoped the residents of certain localities in the state of Utah will forgive the author for changing some names and not others. Please remember this is a work of fiction and the author pretty much did as he pleased.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 03/19/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4918-7367-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-7368-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014905080

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CONTENTS

Foreword

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Acknowledgements

About The Author

FOREWORD

T his is the third book of the DEATH MASTER CHRONICLES series. It follows, The Ultimatum and The Legacy. The Supremacy centers on H. E. Rasske’s grandson, Henri Eduard Rasske Madariaga. The Death Master regimen; thought to be dead with no one to carry it on, is re‐born and lives again in this story. However, the knowledge and expertise is put to a different use than one might expect. Hermi is called on by the Lord at a young age to be a minister like his adopted Uncle, Sanji Izzy Yoshida. To become an evangelist, he decides to never use his knowledge and ability of the Death Master regimen. He devotes school summer vacations to Death Master training activities on his grandmother’s ranch in Utah. He visits Horse Ranch Mountain where Rasske’s cave is located on a regular basis and feels a tremendous bond with his grandfather. He also finds the surprise of his life there after he has become a young man about to enter the world stage. A strange turn of events takes place after embarking on his chosen field as a young evangelist, and it confronts him with a choice. In order to protect himself from those who are trying to kill him, he finds the Death Master regimen a natural thing to use… .

This story is dedicated to grandson Bryan and grand‐daughter Camille. May your search for direction and enlightenment include the ability to learn from mistakes made in following your quest. Learn from silence. Disregard the noise. In a silent world you will best learn to know yourself. After I am gone; whenever you have occasion to lift a glass of wine to your lips, think of me. My life has been so much better for knowing you. You are exemplary individuals. To also have you as family is more than any one person is entitled to. It doesn’t get any better than this. Do not worry or fear, for we will meet again. I will build a large campfire so you can find me. Love, Grandpa.

Five Years Later… . .

CHAPTER ONE

A NEW DEATH MASTER

The PENDARI

A New Apprenticeship Begins

H ermi, could you come here for a moment? Sophia called across the living room of the large ranch house. Grandma has something for you. She addressed him with the nickname which had been condensed into a shortened version of Henri Eduard Rasske Madariaga.

The boy moved quickly toward his grandmother, having learned from experience and at a very young age; when she called she expected to see him… , now. This particular morning he was dressed as usual in running shoes and jogging togs. As he reached her, she bowed down and he wrapped his arms around her neck and murmured, I love you, Grandma. He buried his face in her hair for a moment, relishing the smell of her perfume. It was one of the two things he remembered all his life about his grandmother. She always smelled good and always wore the same intricate pearl and diamond necklace about her neck.

Mmmm, I love you too, dear boy. We do have a lot of love to give one another don’t we? She murmured in his ear and tickled his ribs. She held him tight so he couldn’t escape until she stopped digging into his ribcage. She paused after a few moments to allow his giggling to subside. Her long dark tresses had now turned silver and she wore it coiled and carefully fastened to the back of her head with stick pins again adorned with pearls and diamonds. There were perhaps a few more wrinkles present on her still lovely features, but she continued to exercise the innate ability of looking as though she’d just prepped for a picture on the cover of a fashion magazine. The combination of Spanish and Oriental ancestry suited her olive skinned beauty well. The ability to turn heads whenever she desired to dress appropriately for any purpose continued to be an always viable option, depending on who she needed a favor from. It was summer, 1971, and Sophia was entertaining her grandson once more for the entire summer school vacation period as she had for the past two years.

What is it you want to show me now, Grandma? The boy asked, as he’d finally recovered from the tickling, impatience showing on his face as it would with any youngster.

I have a new game for you. It’s sort of a memory game and will improve your mind, if you like to play, OK? It’ll probably do wonders for me too, just teaching you, She replied, moving toward a large mahogany table with a cloth covered tray resting on its top. This table in particular, was a smaller duplication of the one Egan Rasske had in the dining room at Sky Harbor Ranch that she liked so much. The table would seat twenty around its circumference and the inner part of the structure was a carousel also, enabling diners to partake of any of the portions of the meal placed on its surface without leaving their seats and without the added labor of passing food laden trays to their neighbors. Guests enjoyed the added convenience of addressing other diners without having to turn their head sharply to view the speaker.

Sure Grandma, tell me what it is, Hermi answered, curiosity overcoming the impatience in his voice.

Sophia removed the cloth covering, revealing the contents, thinking quietly one of the very first things he must learn is patience. Why do these youngsters want everything right now, she wondered?

I want you to look at this quickly for a moment before I conceal it again with the cloth. Then, I want you to describe all the things on the tray from memory. Can you do that? The first thing we have to decide is whether we like this game or not. Understand?

You shall have it, Grandma‐ma, The boy answered; speaking Japanese, folding his hands in front of his dark and partially slanted eyes, bowing to her the required three times. He continued gazing at his grandmother with obvious adoration and then focused attention on the tray.

Sophia studied her grandson carefully as he looked over the contents for a few seconds and then covered them again. This kid is almost too sharp. Why is it you keep getting the impression he’s just playing around? Your work will be cut out for you, Grandma, if he should like this exercise and wish to continue to study it, she considered quietly.

Tell me what you saw, my love. She directed, also answering in his native tongue.

Hermi’s eyes flew open wide, surprise evident on his young face. This was the first time he’d ever heard her speak Japanese. He had no idea she knew the language. He opened his mouth to say something and then changed his mind, going directly to the task at hand.

I saw a lot of marbles; about twelve, I think. Several were multi‐colored and a few were solid colored. I like marbles, but Mom won’t let me have any. I left a bunch laying on the living room carpet once and she stepped on them and measured herself on the floor. Ever since then, marbles are a bad word at home. Sorry, he paused at her direct questioning look and then continued, There were pieces of blue cloth, red cloth, and yellow cloth. I also saw bolts and caps which are fastened on the ends to hold things tight and quite a number of Chinese and Japanese figurines. There were three monkey statues of the classic ‘see, hear, speak, no evil’ variety. I’ve always liked them. They are part of the collection of military figurines I’ve seen in your curio cabinet, Grandma, the boy voiced with pride. His clear, clipped diction and correct word usage was a direct result of the private schools and the demanding instructors at the Banzon‐Zai Temple Academy he attended in Kyoto.

Well, aren’t you a fountain of information, she exclaimed, amazed at the sharpness and attentiveness of this young grandson’s mind. Her heart skipped a beat and then surged with pride as she watched. Is this how Henri began with his father? I confess I felt the same way when I began studying the journal. Does it happen to everyone this way? My God, how easy it is to become motivated in this. If everyone feels the same bonding and excitement when they begin this endeavor, it’s no wonder they got hooked and don’t want to quit. Be very careful, Sophia. You don’t want to be guilty of starting something addictive, even if it is just a simple beginning. I’ve got to teach this kid to say more ain’ts and utter a few less correct examples of word usage. This talking like an English teacher is sooo… distracting even though he doesn’t do it all the time. I think he does it just to aggravate whoever he’s talking to.

You did well, dear boy, for the first time. Now, let’s see if your grandmother can do anything with this project, she continued.

Sophia removed the cover and counted to three, then replaced the cloth over the contents of the tray. She turned her back and instructed; Remove the cloth and look to see if I can remember as much as you did.

Hermi complied with alacrity and then turned his body to hide the tray from Sofia should she choose to peek and said, All is ready, Grandma. Let’s see what you can do.

As Sophia described the contents of the tray in detail, Hermi’s eyes flew open wide in amazement. She recounted tiny variations on each marble and bit of cloth, indicating she was either very good at this game or had cheated and memorized the contents of the tray.

How do you do that, Grandma? The boy asked, excitement surfacing in his voice, as he lapsed back into English with thinking. You didn’t look at it any longer than I did. I don’t understand how you can do this from just a short look at something like that.

It requires a lot of practice and doing it over and over and over. The most difficult part to learn is to never devote too much time looking at a single object. I discovered first impressions are best and most thorough, when I first began to study this. It sufficed for me, at least. I would recommend, if you choose to proceed with this game, to think about it for a while and consider what it can and cannot do for you. Your grandfather began when he was about your age and continued with it for the rest of his life. The subjects I propose to teach you will encompass many things. You must understand your grandpa was trained to be a spy, and I doubt you will ever become one. Sophia remarked thoughtfully. But there are many advantages to be taken from this which can help you immensely in different studies. This particular exercise will condition your mind to remember things exactly, no matter how great the number and or how diverse the subjects might be. Regard the very first look of any object as a photograph and pretend your eyes are the camera lens. When you close your eyes, your mind will recall the camera shot and you will be able to remember everything in the picture. It is much more accurate than several observations from different angles. It isn’t fool proof, but far ahead of whatever is in second place, I think. After you have mastered total recall, you will learn to speak and read and write several different languages. I will also tutor you in many other subjects. There is an exercise which will enable you to learn and refine the ability to sense objects in total darkness and absolute silence. You will learn to see and hear and feel movement when it is as black as night and no one else can see or hear anything. It’s difficult to describe, but it’s kind of like blowing up a balloon and visualizing you are inside it. Sophia continued, lapsing back into English also. Then imagine what it feels like when someone pokes the balloon with their finger and you can feel a change in the air pressure inside. I know this might sound crazy and it’s a crude way of putting it, but that’s pretty much the essence of the matter. You will learn to feel the change of air pressure in a room whenever an object moves. All these things will mold your mind into what we refer to as ‘well rounded’. Lastly, when you are a bit older, I will teach you how to defend yourself against any adversary. No matter how many there are or how well trained they may be, you will be able to overcome them. Do you think you would like to do that? Sophia asked as her grandson’s eyes opened wide in anticipation.

I do believe I would, Grandma. Sounds neat, Hermie exclaimed. I’d like very much to learn to write more concise and readable Japanese. I always have problems making the proper brush strokes. Mom’s seems to be too busy to teach me and Dad says I don’t need it anymore, anyway. But then, I don’t think he ever learned to speak it or write it, either. I guess it’s because I’m half Japanese, so who cares? I still want to learn how though. If it’s part of my heritage, I think it’s worth the effort. When did you learn to speak Japanese? I didn’t know you could speak my language. He asked, now watching her even more closely.

Well, the word neat shows some promise of his loosening up a bit, she considered as she replied, "I’ve known how to speak Japanese for many years, but I never told anyone about it. It’s been one of the deep dark secrets your grandmother likes to keep from people. So, now you must learn to treat your grandmother as honorable sengai, huh?" She asked pointedly as she bowed to him three times.

Well… , your are my honorable grandmother. I’ve never ran across or had occasion to use the word you just mentioned, though, he replied

That is understandable, grandson. I would bet you haven’t had the need or the opportunity to be counseled by anyone who would be considered aged. We will chat with your Mom and Dad regarding all this, of course. I can tutor you in Spanish, French, German and several other languages with no problem. Your father was never taught Japanese but he can speak and read and write Chinese, I know for sure. I’ll have to bone up on my brush technique for writing Japanese, though. It’s kind of like Chinese. I have trouble with the strokes, too, and then I can’t read what I was trying to say. Sophia laughed and poked him in the ribs with her finger. Think about these other things for a bit. Don’t do this because you think it’s neat or because I think it will be good for you. You should only want to study these things because you feel it will add some sense of purpose and direction to your life as you grow older. Broaden your horizons, so to speak, She counseled further. As I mentioned, I’ll discuss this with your mother and father, of course, since they are still responsible until you reach the ripe old age of twenty one or discretion, whichever comes first. You are very young and we don’t want to take time away from other things you might like to do. We certainly don’t want to have them angry with us. Everyone needs to understand this is a decision which will determine much of the rest of your life and not to be taken lightly. We will talk about this many times, before and after we begin. If you choose to do this, we want to make sure you are comfortable with what you are doing. Once we do begin; if you ever grow tired of the studying and decide you just don’t want to do it anymore, you can stop anytime. I’m of the opinion all work and no play will make Hermi a dull boy. Stopping at any time you wish will always be an option. Your grandfather was not allowed to quit. His father was adamant. He told Henri once he committed to the service of his country, there was no turning back and I think that kind of dominance was a mistake. If he had been allowed to quit, we would have been able to have a life together, perhaps. Sophia finished thoughtfully. But, that’s another story which I will tell you sometime as we progress into this new adventure.

I’ve often wondered how come you and Grandpa were never able to live together. I would like to know the story behind that, but I want to wait until I’m ready to understand it all, too. When will the lessons begin, Grandma? The lad wanted to know, impatience coming to the surface, again. I’d like to start right now. By the way, what does adamant mean?

It means; stubborn, unbending, obstinate, set in your ways… , that sort of thing. We will begin the ‘Game’ tomorrow, I think. It’s something you can practice no matter what you decide about the other studies. I’ll call your mother and father this evening after you’ve gone to bed and explain the situation and leave it up to them. You must understand, if they refuse to allow you to take part in this; that will be the end of it. We’ll see what they say. They will be here for the summer, very soon, I imagine. As soon as your mom can tie up a few loose ends at the Geisha University in Kyoto. She is quite busy you know and your father doesn’t lack for anything to do, either. She smiled and patted his arm.

OK, Grandma, Hermi replied. When you call Mom and Dad, tell them I want to do this very much. Tell my Mom, too, when she’s packing to come here, to bring my portable radio with the headphones. I forgot both of them, he grinned sheepishly. Will we get to go to Zion and Bryce and all those other neat places this summer? I want to see all of them again. I missed them real bad all the time I was home in Kyoto when I went back to school after last summer.

I will tell them, my love, Sophia replied. You betcha’ we will go see all those places again. They will become like old friends to you, one day, and you will want to visit them often just to keep in touch. They are special aren’t they? Now off to bed with you. We’ve talked too long and it’s well past your bed time. Remember, we need lots of sleep to keep our mind sharp.

Yes, Grandma, he replied, returning her goodnight hug and scampering off to his bedroom. He knew better than argue with her about what time to go to bed. He’d tried before and lost on every occasion.

Sophia picked up the telephone and pushed the button for operator and then requested an overseas number. As soon as the connection was made she greeted, My dear Aki, how are you and my son this afternoon? Are you both still working hard? She remembered it was several hours earlier in Japan and their work day probably wasn’t over yet. She listened as her daughter‐in‐law launched into a brief update on their activities.

Sounds marvelous. I’m so happy your geisha school is doing well. I know how much of your heart and soul you’ve put into it. My word, I don’t see how you do it. You need to take more time off. You don’t have to work that hard, you know. Get RI on another phone. I have something to discuss with you. We will go into this in detail as soon as you come to Utah, but I wanted to brief you on the matter before I commenced anything. Sophia began, leaning back in the recliner.

"RI? How are you darling? Hermi asks that you to pack his little portable radio and headphones when you come. He seems to have forgotten both. On another note, I have something I want to discuss with you. I’ve never broached this subject with anyone except uncle Egan when he was alive and that was a few years ago, as you might remember. During my night in the cave in Horse Ranch Mountain, which you also recall, I found a journal and shipped it home to Kyoto with the rest of Henri’s library. It’s my guess he probably wrote it after he made the cave his home. It documents and describes in minute detail, the structure, philosophy and teachings of the Death Master regimen. It includes everything you can imagine and much more. It is akin to reading a book on chemical analysis or something of that nature, because It is very thorough. I had no idea of any of this, of course. Your grandfather and I discussed a few of the basics of these matters when we were together in Macau, but he certainly didn’t go into detail on anything. There was so much more we did not cover because there were only the few weeks we had together. There are a couple of things I have studied diligently, and for a very long time, on my own and have perfected, if I do say so myself. I had a long discussion with Uncle Egan about this and he suggested I explore the process further. I have known and have had the ability