[Character job] Chosa clan in peril, part 1: "Going back home"

Akane and Raimei had reached the island ‘Great Bear’, where her father had his fief, by ship. They had travelled on a merchant galley that had made its way from Fiore to the Islands of the Moon and Stars to trade. They were now riding on a highway through the fief of the Seta clan, an old rival of the Hishi clan. Akane herself wasn’t born yet when the Grant Civil War ended, to be exact, her father was just an infant. Akane was raised with the heroic tales of legendary warriors whom had fought and died in battle for their lords. The highest honour it was, to die for once lord. They were rather close now to the Seta’s clan main castle and Akane started to notice something.

“They are setting up camps?” Said Akane puzzled, when she saw rows of tents and cooking fires in a field. A companied by many more men. She did a rough count and saw forty fires. What did quartermaster say again? Each fire stands for 8 men? So that would mean 320 men. Raimei came to take a look as well. He snorted, he didn’t bother to reply. Akane looked stunned when she saw a kumi of marching on the road. They’re leader greeted her with a nod, she nodded back. They saw more of these camps, varying in sizes between the first came and the castle. She estimated a force of 2.000 men. She found more camps when she had passed the majestic castle of the Seta, which she had only seen two times before. That was when she travelled with her father to the imperial regent, who was the clan leader of the Chosa clan. The Hishi clan was the largest sub-clan of the Chosa.

She reached the bother of the Seta and the Hishi fiefs and then she saw a structure towering in the sky next to the road. It was a watchtower and when she got closer she saw a bamboo fence wall and a gate as well. She was already wary of the fact that the Seta where preparing for war but a bother posts haven’t been used since the Grant Civil War. She got closer and noted that there were three archers in the tower, behind their Tate’s. There was one samurai kumi leader and ten ashigaru armed with short spears. Akane and Raimei stopt and looked. Raimei looked at Akane but didn’t say anything. “Either we search for another way or try going through this. Which might mean that we have to fight our way through it or we launch a surprise attack on them.” Said Akane. Raimei snorted, he didn’t have any knowledge on this matter.

“Let’s fight.” Said Akane. ”Requip Yumi” Shouted Akane, with a low volume. She didn’t want to alert the garrison. “Common.” Raimei started to walk and throttled up. Eventually ending in a full gallop. Akane grabbed an arrow from her quiver and placed it on her bow. She raised the bow as she pulled the arrow back. “Pfffffwg.” And the arrow was launched from the bow. One of the archer’s fell out of the tower a moment later. It had pierced its throat. She pulled a second arrow from her quiver and pulled the arrow back. She aimed for a second archer who just turned around. “Pfffww” The arrow whistled to its target. Hitting the poor men just above his breast plate. He cried out from the pain. The third archer started to fire arrows back at Akane. “Pfffwwww” Whistled the arrow as it flew past’s Akane’s head. The samurai leader shouted orders and the ashigaru formed a thin wall of spears. Pointing their spears at the speeding Akane. She was now so close to them that she decided to place the bow in the designated bag on the saddle. She grabbed a card from her satchel. “Yari Requip!” Shouted Akane, fiercely. A yari appeared in her right hand. She grabbed it with two hands and pointed it to her enemies. She yelled “Shock Charge!” A yellow shine appeared around Raimei, Akane and the yari. They smashed down into the two men thick spearwall, piercing one of the ashigaru through its armour. Killing him instantly. Five others’ where thrown away by the brute force and laid wounded on the ground. Akane jumped of her horse and slashed down on a storming ashigaru. After the successful blow, she knocked him down and stabbed him. Another charged at her and she took him down in similar fashion. An arrow rained down to her. “Pfffww.” It missed again. This time two ashigaru stormed at her, they learned from the mistakes of their comrades so they decided to work together. But they were not as good trained as Akane was and so they died as well. Another ashigaru wanted to charge in on Akane but the samurai held him back. “No! She is mine” He shouted. “I’m Hyda Shido! Who are you!” Akane was in doubt for a moment, would she tell her real name? “I’m Hishi Akane, daughter of Hishi Katamori, lord of Kyato.” “Then it’s my lucky day. Hahahaha” laughed Shido. Who charged at Akane using his sword. Akane charged too. They clashed. Shido was able to deflect Akane’s spear but was unable to cut down on Akane because she managed to block it with the end of her spear. The circled around each other. She charged again. Twice to the head, twice they where blocked. The third time she aimed at his feet. He wasn’t able to manage to deflect this surprising attack and fell on the ground in agony. Akane immediately reacted by stabbing Shido through his throat. The last standing ashigaru ran desperately at Akane, shouting and in hope to scare her off. The desperate attack was met with a thrust to the upper leg and then a hit to the head. She turned around him and took his short sword. She decapitated him on the spot. She looked back at the tower and the men on the ground. The archer was climbing down and the others were still in agony on the ground. She ran at the archer who was still five meters above the ground and when she was their he was at a height of three meters. She stabbed him from under and he fell screaming on the ground. She decapitated him to end his suffering. The other’s where fairly easy decapitated, only two resisted but their attempts where in vain. She collected the upper lips and the noises from the heads because she couldn’t carry them all with her to her father. Her brothers had told about this practice, the most heroic samurai couldn’t carry all the heads. So, they took the upper lip with the moustaches and the noise. That way they could still be recognised.  Raimei and her passed through the gate. “Let’s go home.” Said Akane exhausted. Raimei snorted agreeing.

Akane kept on riding, through ravaged fields. They had been looted and burned. She noted smoke above the tree’s far away. Heavy smoke, perhaps a village in flames. The thoughts angered her. It angered her that the Seta clan broke centuries of peace and slaughter peasants. pathetic, sick bastards. Though Akane. “Common Raimei!” said Akane with a commanding voice. They travelled down the road. It was bad to see all of this disaster that had come to her father’s fief, to the people that were once her subjects in a way. Akane spotted a horseman in the distance. She took her bow from her saddle. “Let’s see who he is and what his purpose is.” Said Akane, stern. Raimei snorted.

She could now properly see how the horsemen looked like. He carried a yoroi of brown lacquered plate and carried a horo on his back. A messenger. Though Akane. Not one of ours. “I’m going to shoot him.” Whispered Akane in Raimei’s ears. “Why are you whispering” Snorted Raimei. But Akane gave no answer. She pulled out an arrow from her quiver with her right hand. She nocked it on the string and placed the arrow shaft against her left hand. She pushed the bow up and away in a slight curve and drew her arrow back to her cheek until the feathers tickled her. She aimed for the right armpit of which had a little opening, the samurai held his riding stick up. She breathed out and loosed the arrow. It flew true and straight into the poor man’s armpit, just below the sode and his arm. The momentum of the arrow and the surprise kicked the rider of his mount on to the dust of the road. The man crawled back up and snapped the arrow with his left arm. He tried to pull out his sword with his right hand but he couldn’t and screamed in agony. He grabbed the sword with his left hand instead. He looked with anger at Akane, he spoke no words and charged at Akane. She grabbed another arrow, now with more haste. She placed it on the bow and drew it back and fired. The arrow landed in his upper leg. The samurai screamed of pain again. Akane placed the bow back in the saddle and dismounted. She walked to the messenger and said. “The Hishi send their regards.” She swung her sword out and she rid him of his head in a single move. She took the nose of the head and threw it in with the others. Hope they stay good. She started to look through the possession of the samurai and found a letter. “We have laid siege on the fortress Ibami and my command centre is at the village close to the fortress. They resist fiercely and they made a night raid on the village, setting it in flames. We request back up to discourage the defenders. Commander Katsu Hide.” “They won’t get their reinforcements, we go to Ibami!” Said Akane to Raimei. The village that we saw burning is probably the Ibami.