Volume 1 - Death In A Black Arm
Track 1 - [The
Youth and Death In A Black Arm]
The story starts with Akutabai arriving at John's town.
He announces his search for zombie powder at the local pub and is
attacked by similar hunters seeking the rings of the dead. During
the fiasco, his wallet is picked by John. John and his sister
Sheryl have just lost their family restaurant (hints it is no
thanks to the local gangster Kingro). This aggravates Sheryl's
already weak heart. Partially desperate to earn money to recover
the restaurant, and partially because he has been conscripted
into Kingro's gang, John is forced to work as a pickpocket for
Kingro's gang. Although John is really quite skillful at this, he
is caught by Akutabai and forced to treat him to dinner at his
home as "compensation". Unfortunately, this is seen by
one of Kingro's gang and this leads to the gang attacking John's
house shortly after to demand that he hands over Akutabai for the
prize money. Taunting John, they reveal to his sister his
association with them. In an attempt to protect John, his sister
Sheryl is killed. Just as Kingro is about to kill John too,
Akutabai returns and eradicates the gang.
Swearing to revive his sister over her grave, John begs Akutabai to take him along in the search for zombie powder. Although initially reluctant, Akutabai is touched by John's love for his sister and agrees.
Track 2 - Baptism
of Fire
John follows Akutabai to the next town. John asks
Akutabai his reasons for searching the zombie powder and asks if
Akutabai has also lost someone close to him. Akutabai answers
cryptically that he has his own reasons for searching the zombie
powder and explains to John that the Zombie powder not only
revives the dead, it will make the living immortal and
invunerable.
Reaching town, they walk into a music store where Akutabai picks out a CD entitled "Gamma, conducted by CT". He then asks the music store owner if he can test it and is led to a secret room at the back … apparently, there is some top secret message left for him in the CD.
John after squabbling with Akutabai is bored and wanders into town against Akutabai's instructions. He comes across man and his injured friend and tries to help but is ambushed. It turns out that the man was only pretending to be injured and he and his accomplice are actually enemies of Akutabai. They are about to kill John as part of their revenge against Akutabai when Akutabai rescues John. Akutabai then admonishes John and warns him that as long as John follows Akutabai, he will be a target for Akutabai's enemies. John however tells him that he will trek out the journey with Akutabai to find the zombie powder and promises not to be so petulant again.
Just then, Akutabai realises that he has been pickpocketed by John and chases the boy for his wallet.