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Thread: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XXXXII 30/9)

  1. #141

    Default Re: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XVIII 16/11)

    Edit; Repost
    Last edited by Merchant of Venice; November 23, 2014 at 02:23 AM.

  2. #142

    Default Re: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XVIII 16/11)

    Chapter XIX- For the good of the clan

    1559-Spring

    Bang
    ! I let loose another shot from the metal arquebus that I held in both hands at shoulder height. In the weeks after the battle I had taken up training with the mercenary Tercio units, though they repeatedly insisted they weren't mercenaries but rather "soldiers of God'. Only the commander and a few of the men spoke any Japanese and I spoke little of their tongue so communication was limited and restricted. But in training, the only real words I needed to know were "Aim, Fire and Reload".

    The way these foreigners fought was both strange and similar. The commander and I often spoke on battle tactics and on how war is conducted back in his home country. He told me how they have thousands of men firing these metal guns but he said that they still use a long spear called a pike, alike to our nagae-yari. Like us, the elite fought on horse yet over there, they were called ‘Knights’ and he called them the deadliest fighting force in the world. How these Knights would fare against some of our hardiest samurai I’m unsure but I hold much of what the commander says with a pinch of salt.

    Training with these men was a well needed distraction from everything else that was going on. I hadn't talked to Sorin in nearly a week and took all meals in my own quarters. I had sent numerous letters to Chosokabe Kunichika, pleading for his support but in this state of war, I couldn't be sure they had even arrived, let alone that he had sent a reply. Today was going to be one of my last with the army, before I set off back to Bungo. Whether Sorin marched all the way to the gates of Yomi will have mattered little to me once I was on my way to Bungo.

    But as much as I tried to forget about Sorin and not care about whether he held back or marched deeper into Mori lands, I just couldn't. Nor could I truly hate Sorin, though I desperately tried to. I imagined him at the barrel of my tanegashima, each shot blowing another part of his face off. But could I hate the man who had been a mentor to me, who had defended me and who had extended his hospitality to me. Maybe I had been too harsh?

    Bang
    ! Another bullet flew from the barrel of my gun, burying itself somewhere in the distance. “Reload!” Yelled the commander in his native tongue and though it took me a few moments in to figure out whether he was saying reload or fire, I eventually followed suite from the soldiers around me. I shoved the karuka down the barrel, ramming a bullet down as far as it would go. When the order was given, I raised the tanegashima back up and looking down the barrel, waited for the ‘Fire’ order to be given. My fingers hovered over the hikigane, itching to press it and let the bullet fly off. If only I could do that will all the problems in my life.

    “Fire!” The commander exclaimed, the sound of gunshot and the smell of gunpowder following it like a master and his dogs. Just as I too was about to fire, I heard my name, a faint sound suppressed by the sound of a twenty or so tanegashimas being fired.

    “Yuki-san?” The deep voice yelled again, causing me to halt my fire and look. The neighing of a horse could also be heard and I lowered my weapon, lest I lose control of my fingers and fire it by accident. I turned around to see Tachibana Dōsestu struggle to contain his horse.

    “Dōsetsu-sama, what do you want to talk to me about?” I asked as I strolled over to him, slowly making my way through the Tercio men who were less than happy at having their training interrupted.

    “I had heard you trained with these gaijin but I needed to see it with my own eyes.” He replied with a slight sense of disgust. Tolerance was not one of Tachibana Dōsetsu’s strong points.
    “Your eyes do not deceive you. I train with them and learn their ways of war, for while a tanegashima can kill a men at distance without training, a group of well trained, disciplined men can wreak much more havoc than you could ever imagine.” I said, hoping to convince him.

    “Have they taught you of their false religion as well?” Resentfulness ran rampant in his question and burnt brightly in his eyes. Tolerance is a rare thing in times likes these. The commander seemed unfazed by the insult or must simply not have heard it and continued the training as per normal. A smart move when he was surrounded by an army that consisted of many like-minded persons.

    “No they have not.” I answered simply. “The tanegashima is-”

    “A deadly weapon. I know this Yuki-san. It is the wielders I dislike.” Still the commander ignored Dōsetsu. “I am sorry, Yuki-san.” He began in an apologetic tone. “These past few weeks have not been kind to me, nor do I think the close future will be any nicer. We stand at a breaking point.” He was right, the actions taken by Otomo Sorin, by Tachibana Dōsetsu, by Tawara Chikakata and the like would change the clan course. But I wanted no part in it.
    “Will you walk with me?” He dismounted from his horse with ease, though I expected nothing less from a man who almost lived in the saddle. A page rushed over and took the reins, walking the horse off towards the stables. Carefully laying my weapon down on a nearby wooden rack, I rushed over to join him, wiping the sweat off my brow on the way and attempting to look half presentable. “You leave for Bungo soon, do you not?” He asked, though I assume he already knew.

    “Yes, I see no reason for my to stay with the army. My post as ambassador does not require it.” I replied, repeating the same thing I had said to anyone who had asked about it.

    “Yes, but your position as advisor to our lord, Otomo Sorin, does.” Why did he have to bring that up? Most people just accepted my word and changed the conversation. “And you know how important your advice to him is.” Not important enough for him to listen to me, apparently. “Furthermore, you know that this is your one route to power. Only through Sorin do you have any hope of even surviving. I bear you no ill but others do, more powerful others.” He knew he was right, I knew he was right. My silence only confirmed it.

    “Chosokabe Kunichika, my daimyo, will protect me.” I replied, thinking little of what I was saying.

    “You and I both know that sending letters to him doesn't ensure his favour. And when the time comes, will he choose you or his son?” Dammit, he was right. Even if all the evidence pointed to his son, even if there were a thousand witnesses to one, he would pick his son. I didn't expect him to do otherwise. And I knew there would be a time when a choice was required.

    “Well it is clear Sorin-sama doesn't want my advice nor does it seem he needs it.” I said, attempting to divert the course of the conversation.

    “You stupid, young fool.” He exclaimed, chuckling because of, I assume, my apparent stupidity. “Him stalling his decision whether to march or not, is because of you. This way, he can please the bloodthirsty such as Tawara Chikakata while still trying to keep you onside.” While I had never thought of that before, I was still unsure why he kept me out of the loop of it. This could just be a desperate attempt from Dōsetsu to paint Sorin in a better picture. But why?

    “Why do you want us to so reconcile so badly?”

    “Because the clan needs you, you fool.” He replied, seeming frustrated, like a parent chastising their children. “Thirteen years ago, the Ouchi sacked Bungo. They burnt the buildings, ripped up the crops, raped the women. You know why? Because the people around Sorin were weak and selfish, schemers who plotted only for themselves and they made Sorin weak. The clan was tearing itself apart so much so that the Ouchi simply strolled in and captured our lands with ease. I will not let that happen again!” He stopped dead in his tracks and looked me in the eyes, with those oak coloured eyes. “I will not let that happen again!” He violently shook me by the shoulders as if he was trying to shake a kami out of me. “Promise, you will make amends with Sorin-sama.” I stayed silent, reluctant to answer. “Promise me!” He yelled, shaking more violently. “Promise me!”

    “Fine!” I yelled back and he stopped, returning to normal within an instant. “I will reconcile with Sorin-sama.” With his job appearing to be done, Dōsetsu began walking off, leaving me quite taken back by his sudden fit of rage. Straightening myself up, I decided to chase up after him to ask something I had wanted to know for ages. “How did Sorin-sama survive the fall if it was so horrible.” I asked, immediately garnering his attention.

    “It is none of your business, Yuki-san.” He replied succinctly, turning around before continuing to walk off.

    “With all due respect Dōsetsu-sama, I think it.” I said as politely as I could. It must have been something really bad for him to avoid it in a manner like he was.

    “We did horrible things to escape horrible people.” He stared at me again, as if telling me to leave it but I wanted, I needed answers.

    “Tell me.” I demanded.

    “It is a tale for another day. But beware, it is a dark tale, Yuki-san. A dark tale of dark times.”

    “We live in dark times and I have heard plenty of dark stories.” It was true, these were dark times and I had heard, and seen, horrible things. What had happened at Bungo all those years ago that was so horrible?

    “It’s not my place to tell you. Ask Sorin-sama. Goodbye Yuki-san.” Bowing, Dōsetsu left, not saying another word about the fall of Bungo or of anything else. Perhaps I should leave the past to the past? It must have been truly
    horrible to silence both Otomo Sorin and Tachibana Dōsetsu. But I needed to know what happened.

    I rushed back to my quarters with haste and when there, found an unused piece of paper. I began quickly scribbling a letter addressed to the court chronicler at Tosa.

    To the court chronicler, whoever that may be,

    I have need of whatever details or records you have of the fall of Bungo (1545?). Even the smallest passage is acceptable. Copy it if you must to a new piece of paper and send to the Master of the Guards at Bungo.
    Yuki, Ambassador to the Otomo

    Was this betrayal? I delayed on sealing it, unsure whether it was right of me to go behind Otomo Sorin’s back like this. But I needed to know, my curiosity like a hungry animal, knowledge the only way to satiate it. I sealed it and had my servant send it off. Whether it got to Bungo was now up to fate.
    ****************

    The ‘war council’, as Sorin liked to call it, met in a hastily assembled tent, encircled by what seemed like a whole regiment of men. After my victory at Shimoneski, I was well known enough to be let through without uttering a word. I cautiously walked into the tent, unaware of what I was fearful of, but fearful nonetheless. I hadn’t seen Sorin for over a week, though neither had many people apart from his servants. The tales were worrying, though, and it was said he spent nearly all his time in darkness, regardless whether it was night or day, or him awake or asleep. He spent hours on end staring at maps, feasting himself on strategies and tactics rather than food.

    Maybe that is what I was fearful of- finding a different Sorin, one who was alien, who didn’t consider me a friend. What if Sorin had changed? What would I do then? Did Tachibana Dōsetsu even know this new Sorin? Did anyone?

    “Greetings, Yuki-san.” A familiar, deep voice bellowed upon my entrance. He hadn’t changed, I could see that as soon as I entered. He smiled at me, a warm, comforting smile, as if he consciously trying laying my fears to rest.

    “Greetings, my fellow councillors, tono.” I bowed before taking my seat. A servant brought over some tea, a refreshing jasmine taste the perfect cure for a week’s misery. Another servant offered me sake but I refused, my refusal befuddling the servant, who walked away offended.

    “The future of this clan depends heavily on our actions in the next week.” Sorin began, his smile dissipating like mist under the sun. “War wearies all of us,” murmurs of agreement rippled throughout the council, “and so, we need to end this.” The murmurs were becoming louder and louder, I could almost feel the support growing to return home. But I knew it too could disappear like a shadow in the night. I studied Tawara Chikakata, a man I wished not to call an enemy but who I knew called me one. Before the meeting, Dōsetsu had approached me, detailing who was for and against what. Chikakata was the loudest voice for war, a man who had made it clear he wanted the war to continue.

    “That is why we must attack, to finish off the Mori!” Chikakata declared, not without the approval of a few other of the council members. “This war can only end with one winner and I hope all of you wish us to be the winner.” He grinned as he heard the wave of support shift to him. I had to say something

    “We won’t win if we stubbornly attack for the sake of attacking.” I rebuked, trying to stay as calm as possible.

    “Neither will we win if we sit on our asses.” He glared at me but I just smiled back.

    “As we speak, our lord, Chosokabe Kunichika, leads a 20,000 strong army to the heart of the Mori lands, to take their seat of power at Aki. Why should we commit more men to their deaths when victory is so close.”

    “The Mori won’t just collapse once Koriyama falls.” He attempted to argue but I could hear him falter.

    “But they will be weakened, significantly.” The other councillors quietly whispered between each other and now I wasn’t sure who supported who. What I was sure about, though, is that it would be won in the next few minutes.

    “There is a large Mori army stationed in northern Kyushu, getting larger by the minute. We must attack now!” He said, attempting to change the subject. He was definitely faltering.

    “And who told you this?”

    “My scouts have reported.” Reaching into his kimono, he pulled out a small pile of torn and tattered papers, which I could only presume were his ‘scout reports’. They were snapped up by the councillors quicker than vultures with a dead carcass.

    “Your scouts?” I asked, dismayed. “And what were your scouts doing all the way up in northern Kyushu?”

    “Scouting.” I laughed openly at his reply, surely I couldn't be the only one who didn't believe a word he said?

    “Removing any suspicions from why Chikakata’s scouts were miles away from the main army, why did Tadayoshi-san’s spies not uncover this ‘massive’ army? There are no reports from his spies about this.” I had him, nothing he could say could possibly change it. The only thing he could do was a dig a bigger grave for himself.

    “The reports must be wrong.”

    “Wrong?” Asked Kutama Tadayoshi, jumping from his seat, his fingers caressing the handle of his katana.

    “Yes wrong.”

    “I beg you, Tadayoshi-san, be seated.” Hesitantly he obeyed but not without muttering a whole array of curse words. “I can assure you, Chikakata-san, that Tadayoshi-san’s spy reports are not wrong.” Turning to Sorin, I took full advantage of the opportunity. “Tono, I request Tawara Chikakata be removed from his position as head of the army’s scouts. They are to scout ahead of the army, not half away across Kyushu.” Gasps erupted from every councillor, yet Chikakata stayed unnaturally composed. I needed him to snap. Sorin stayed quiet, waiting for the rest of the council calm down.

    “I was doing what my position required of me.” Chikakata said, sounding like he was trying to play the victim.

    “Your position did not require that and you know it.”

    “And your position doesn't require your presence here.”

    “Silence!” Bellowed Sorin and we both immediately stopped, like children afraid of their father. “I will not have this bickering take control of our council.” He paused for a breath but looked no less amused at the situation. “Chikakata-san will keep his position,” Chikakata almost laughed at that and I wondered how he controlled himself, “ but consider this a warning. You will not use your scouts for other purposes than that of which they were intended for. Do I make myself understood?”

    “Yes, tono.” Chikakata said, still grinning.

    “And you, Yuki-san, will refrain from requesting such action be made against your fellow, respectable councillors. Am I clear?”

    “Yes, tono.” I said, gulping down the anger and frustration, though it was a hard drink to swallow. A grin still lay upon Chikakata’s face, only adding fuel to the fire which raged inside of me.

    “I have made my decision.” Sorin announced, the whole counselling listening intently, eyes all focused on him. “We will march to Buzen.” The whole council seemed to have something to say about it, councillors furiously arguing with each other but Chikakata just knelt peacefully, silent and smiling. In time though, the uproar waned, those angry at the decision still fuming, but quietly. Sorin waited for everything to completely quiet down before continuing. “It will be a quick march and what my spies report is that the castle at Kokura is lightly held and should be stormed easily. We should have control of the majority of the province of Buzen before the end of summer.” This seemed to quell some people’s anger and it did indeed lessen mine own but it was an unnecessary waste of life. “With the end of summer, marks the beginning of autumn and with that, the harvest starts. Many of the lower class men will have the choice to return home to complete the harvest and the ones who stay will be compensated. We will hopefully bolster our ranks with new recruits and with before the winter sets in, I hope to have taken Fukuoka for that too is under garrisoned.” Sorin paused for a second and had the whole council feasting from his hand. “Kyushu is ours for the taking! So let us take it!” The whole council burst into a cacophony of yells and shouts, though they all appeared to be of agreement. “Are there any objections to this plan?” Yes, I wanted to shout but restraint would be a far better friend than recklessness.

    “No.” Echoed the whole council, including myself, simultaneously.

    “One last thing.” Sorin said, forcing some of the impatient councillors to kneel back down after they had almost jumped up in order to escape the prison that was the tent. “Due to his performance in the last battle, Yuki-san will be given the position of Ashigaru no Ippantikena permanently and will therefore, have a permanent seat at every war council to follow.” Sorin gave me an approving smile, at least some satisfaction could be taken from tonight. “You are dismissed.” I stayed behind, waiting until every last councillor had exited.

    “Thank you, tono.” I said, genuinely grateful.

    “I need allies and I need good generals. You were the perfect fit.” He smiled again, the perfect remedy for the anger which had burned inside of me previously. It was gone now, replaced by the friendship I had once held dearly.

  3. #143

    Default Re: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XIX 23/11)

    Hello, first comment in your AAR which I readed during the two days and I want you to know that I enjoyed it a lot, the only problem is that for some reason I can't take Motochika seriously (it also happened when I played the game myself), Spanish being my first language I can't overlook the fact that a "moto" in Spanish is a motorcycle, so whenever I see Motochika I imagine a Samurai covered in goldy shiny things riding an old Vespa , poor guy, he can be as atrocious as he wants but I can't take him seriously, I just can't.

  4. #144

    Default Re: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XIX 23/11)

    Quote Originally Posted by Asdrubaal View Post
    Hello, first comment in your AAR which I readed during the two days and I want you to know that I enjoyed it a lot, the only problem is that for some reason I can't take Motochika seriously (it also happened when I played the game myself), Spanish being my first language I can't overlook the fact that a "moto" in Spanish is a motorcycle, so whenever I see Motochika I imagine a Samurai covered in goldy shiny things riding an old Vespa , poor guy, he can be as atrocious as he wants but I can't take him seriously, I just can't.
    Hahahahahaha, I would pay to see someone dressed as a samurai on a vespa

  5. #145

    Default Re: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XIX 23/11)

    Just an update, the next chapter will be out later this week. I was a bit strained for time this week and this chapter will be a bit longer than usual as well. I thank you all for your patience. School's coming to an end and so I'll have a lot more time to write each day, so I can't wait to pump out some more chapters.

  6. #146

    Default Re: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XIX 23/11)

    Another update, chapter will be out today or tomorrow, I do promise. This chapter is about twice as long as the last one so I do hope that makes up for it as well. Plus there are some screenshots to go with it.

  7. #147
    Hitai de Bodemloze's Avatar 避世絕俗
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    Default Re: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XIX 23/11)

    Sorry for the late reply, I should've read this a long time ago! Another good installment. I'm intrigued by these scouting reports and the scheming I'm sure is going on in the background. You might want to update the character list at the beginning of the story though, as I'm getting a tad confused with some of these folks. Maybe my memory is just bad, but I'm not 100% sure who Dosetsu and Chikakata and Tadayoshi are

  8. #148

    Default Re: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XIX 23/11)

    Chapter XX- Delays on the path to revenge

    1559-Spring


    Chosokabe Motochika

    Chosokabe Motochika woke abruptly, covered in sweat and breathing heavily. His wife, Emura Akara, lay naked next to him, an arm and a leg draped across him. Her soft breathing brought him calm and he watched her breasts rise and fall with each breath. Golden light flooded through a slit in the wall, meant to be a ‘window’, providing some light to a room otherwise clothed in darkness. The ship rocked gently, so gently in fact, that one could mistake it for land. But the peace and serenity was soon to be broken.

    “Tono!” A servant shouted from outside the rice paper door. For a moment, Motochika was reluctant to answer him but duty called. If he was lucky, it might be something exciting.

    “Yes?” His wife murmured something inaudible, changing position before falling silent again.

    “Enemy ships approach, they intend for battle.” Why else would they approach, you fool, Motochika muttered. It seemed he was lucky.

    “Send my page in.” Motochika ordered, the faint scuffling of sandals the only reply. His page entered moments later, stumbling from wall to wall as the waves picked up in intensity.

    “You ordered me, tono.” The page shouted, nearly waking Akara.

    “Shush, you fool.” Motochika yelled back as quietly as he could. His wife stayed fast asleep, though he was no less annoyed at his idiot of a page. Tsuno Monomonoi was no genius and while obedient, he had to be ordered more than Motochika liked.

    “Sorry, tono.” Monomonoi whispered back as he tiptoed over to where his master’s armour lay. Motochika reluctantly lumbered out of bed, and over to where his undergarments were. His page tried not to look, blushing at the site of his master naked, despite it being far from the first.

    “By the grace of the gods, have you not seen a naked man before. Do you not have a mirror?” The page only shook his head. He was a young man, barely past fifteen years, and was small and scrawny, the opposite to what his brave father would have wanted. Motochika knew he had been sent to serve to make a samurai out of him but he also knew that no samurai could be made out of that boy. “Well get on with it.” The page rushed over to his master, laboriously suiting him up, fussing over every minor detail. Motochika grew increasingly frustrated by the minute. He wanted to fight and at this rate, he would miss out on all of it.

    Clothed in his finest armour, Motochika walked eagerly up the stairs onto the deck. A cacophony of shouting, yelling and horn-blowing broke the tranquility of the ocean as men rushed up and down the deck.

    The Mori fleet lay straight ahead of them and at a much closer distance than Motochika first anticipated. It was undoubtedly bigger than the Chosokabe fleet but that didn’t dampen Motochika’s confidence.

    “Did you leave waking me to the last minute?” He screamed to the captain, competing against the barrage of other noises.

    “Your page was unsure whether to wake your or not. He’s not the bravest of men, tono.” The captain replied, his deep, commanding voice easily audible. Bloody coward, Motochika remarked to himself about his page, at least he fears me, that is good.

    His thoughts were broken by the whistling of arrows. Some buried themselves into the wooden planks of the ship while others struck the unlucky down. The Chosokabe archers retaliated and within no time, the battle was underway. The Mori fleet were noticeably shifting to the Chosokabe right and it wasn’t before long that smoked filled the sky- one of the Chosokabe bow koboyas having been set on fire. The enemy medium bunes continued sailing straight for the Chosokabe centre, hoping to take the flagship quickly and easily. Well they can try…….

    “Order the fire bomb koboya on our left to advance, we’re going to give these Mori bastards a nice surprise.” The captain obeyed and had his flaggers signal for the fire bomb koboya to advance. Motochika laughed as the sound of the bombs going off completely shattered any sense of peace and tranquility. Men splashed into the cool water, some forced to from the sheer force of the explosion, others just cowardly abandoning ship. Motochika continued to laugh as he saw men struggle to stay afloat, the lucky ones managing to clutch onto some floating debris, the unlucky fighting a losing battle to stay above water as their armour pulled them down.



    But as Motochika amused himself at the sight of men flying like birds, it only strengthened the Mori resolve. Another one of their bunes was flying towards the Chosokabe flagship, crashing through wave after wave, their rowers determined to avenge their drowning comrades.

    “Come and get us!” Motochika shouted, the spray of the sea dowsing him in water. An arrow whizzed past him but he paid little notice to it, staying focused on the quickly approaching enemy ship. The Mori gradually came to a halt beside them, throwing ropes with hooks on them at the Chosokabe ship. Slowly, they pulled together the two ships as men poured out from below the Mori deck, liking demons out of hell. “Come on men, let us return these Mori scum to where they belong!” He yelled again, though the support from him was very small or either those who did support him weren't being vocal about it. Archers on both ships opened fire, such was the proximity that the bowmen could see the men they were shooting down. The first Mori soldiers jumped the gap, latching onto whatever foot or handhold they could get. Some didn't make it, screaming as they fell into the abyss between the two ships.

    They were the lucky ones, though. The men who made it were butchered before they even completely made it onto the Chosokabe deck. Some had their hands cut off, a simple gust of wind enough to send them falling. But even they were luckier than their comrades still waiting to board. In their haste to board the enemy, the Mori had ignored the small bomb kobaya, which had come to a halt alongside the open side of the Mori ship. The Mori men who did happen to notice them were powerless to do anything and could only watch as their death was hurled at them. Motochika jumped with glee as he saw the boarders expelled from their own ship. The ropes were cut instantly, and the rowers below retreated almost as fast as they had attacked.

    “That is some quality entertainment.” Motochika said, his men cheering as the Mori turned tail and fled. “Watch as they run, men. Run from the fury that is the Chosokabe.”

    Enthused with new optimism and hope, the Chosokabe flagship re-entered the middle of the battle, a welcome sight to the rest of the Chosokabe fleet. Beleaguered and losing hope, two ships had already been routed and a third was on fire. But the bomb kobayas were wreaking havoc amongst the Mori fleet, sending enemy soldier after soldier to a watery grave.

    Dingdingdingding! “Fire, Fire!” A volley of fire arrows had claimed its next victim and the Chosokabe flagship was sent again into turmoil and confusion. Buckets from below deck were passed along by a chain of men but with every bucket that managed to reach the end, one man died, picked off by enemy archers. Frustrated at the constant obstacles to an actual fight, Motochika stormed off back into his cabin. His wife stood at the room, gazing through the small slit in the wall.

    “Hello, shujin.” She said politely without turning around. Motochika didn’t respond, heading straight for the cup of sake on the table. Gulping it down, he wiped his mouth and collapsed onto the bed. “Does my husband wish me to pleasure him?” Akara asked instinctively, not waiting for a response before shrugging off her kimono.

    “Not now.” Motochika jumped off the bed after only a moment’s rest but stopped at the door, pausing for thought. He was tempted to, really tempted. He turned to look at his darling wife, naked and making no attempt to cover herself up, the sunlight bathing her in golden light. She was biting her finger, knowingly tempting him but he resisted. Deciding to take the middle course, he ran over to her, shoved his tongue down her throat for a few moments, then rushed back out, brandishing his sword in the air, his sexual lust transforming into blood lust.

    As Motochika emerged again from below deck, the fire was still raging like a hungry beast, consuming more and more of the boat every second it stayed alight. A haze of smoke enveloped the boat, making it near impossible to either breathe or see. A couple of men walked into Motochika by accident, quickly apologising and then disappearing into the smoke, fearful of their leader’s wrath. They had cause to, for Motochika’s temper had reached boiling point, small trivial things like the sound of men coughing sending him insane. On the boat their were two dangerous beasts, the fire and the Motochika’s fury. And at least the fire could be dowsed with water.

    A sane man would have gladly exchanged the chaos of above deck for the peacefulness of their own cabin but not Motochika. He thrived on it. Adrenaline flowed through his veins and his anger stemmed not from the situation he had been put in but his inability to do anything at all. He strode restlessly through the fire and smoke but did so with a certain confidence, not flinching as the flames licked the metal of his breastplate. He displayed no pain, nor any discomfort as the heat threatened to cook him inside his armour.

    The incessant ringing of the bells continued, providing, if there wasn’t already, a sense of urgency, the sound galvanising the men into working quicker. If only they’d bloody stop, thought Motochika as he stood in the middle of the boat, a statue standing resilient against the sea of chaos around him. Waves of men emerged from beneath deck, carrying buckets which not just held water, but hope that the fire would be tamed and the battle won. They returned below deck this buckets empty.

    This fire is an unruly animal but no animal can continue fighting forever, he thought, his confidence itself almost enough to put out the fire. In the distant, the encouraging sound of bombs exploding gave himself some sort of idea about the battle, even if that idea was just that it had not been lost yet. The Mori were born on the sea and they lived and died on the waves. And die they will. All of them. Sailors will sing songs of the Mori. And they will sing of how they fell to the Chosokabe.

    Finally, the bells stopped and for a second, silence fell on the Chosokabe flagship. The crackling of the fire ceased and peace reigned. But only for a moment. They were out of the fire but now they were being dumped head first into the frying pan.

    Another Mori ship emerged from the smoke, ramming into the Chosokabe ship. Men were sent straight to the floor and some overboard but Motochika stood firm, swaying a little bit but nothing more. The smoke made it hard it for any of the bowmen to aim but that did not stop them firing. This only added to the fear among both crews and one couldn’t walk one step without fear of a stray arrow taking one’s life. Already decimated by archer fire, the Mori crew gave in first. Their rowing crew dead, they could do naught but drift away, laying themselves, as the Mori had done for centuries, at the mercy of the currents.

    When will I get my fight! Motochika’s fingers danced on the hilt of his katana. He wanted to fight, to kill something. “Captain, board one of those ships!” He said, surprising the captain. “Well, are you going to do anything about it?” He asked angrily.

    “Tono, we have no need the battle is nearly won.” The captain replied, confused at the need to board a ship. Clearly he did not know Chosokabe Motochika.

    “The Chosokabe clan needs whatever ship it can get its hands on. That’s why we need to board it.” Despite the captain being right, Motochika would not be denied his blood.

    “But tono-”

    “But nothing.” Motochika tightened the grip on his katana. “You will board the remaining enemy medium bune.” He unsheathed a bit of his katana, the metal gleaming in the morning light.

    “Yes, tono.” The captain replied obediently and then repeating the command to his subordinates. Within no time, they had caught up to the last remaining enemy medium bune and began to make preparations to board. Swordsmen were rushed out from below deck, also eager for their own taste of blood and glory. But it was not meant to be. The enemy captain surrendered before the Chosokabe could even attack.

    I will have my fight, Motochika raged inside. Unsheathing his katana, he jumped over to the enemy bune. The captain, unsuspecting, was not armed, except for a rusty tanto. Landing softly on the enemy ship, Motochika swung his katana around his neck and cleanly sliced the man’s head off. The Mori men stood still in shock, the Chosokabe men also unsure of what to do.

    “We accept your surrender.” Motochika declared, grinning, his blood lust satiated for now.




    ****************

    “Who owns this gods forsaken land anyway?” Motochika excalimed, matching the disapproving tone in his voice with equally disapproving looks. The castle was not in its finest state, sections of the wall were crumbling and one part had already given way and collapsed. He noticed that the walls, well the ones still standing, were manned by too few men. But it was’t just the castle which Motochhika disapproved of, it was the people as well. He was met by glares everywhere he went, some particularly insolent peasants spitting on the ground as he rode by them, high and mighty on his horse. The disrespect, he thought angrily, they should be put in their place.

    “Saionji Kinnobu-sama, tono.” Emura Toshimasa answered his question.

    “Who?” The name didn't ring any sort of bells for Motochika.

    “Kinnobu of the Saionji clan, one of your fathers smaller vassals. He was third son of Saionji Sanemitsu and was given the land in return for his bravery in battle. He’s the founder of his clan.” Third son! No wonder I haven’t heard of him. “Perhaps my tono might be wise to read up on his father’s vassals.”

    “Is that an order?”

    “Might be.” Assured Toshimasa. He was Motochika’s elder, more powerful than him and with an order from his daimyo, from Motochika’s father to keep him in line. But Toshimasa was wise enough to avoid angering him. His poor daughter was the man’s wife after all.

    “How long do we have to stay here?” Motocvka asked impatiently, only disliking where he was the longer he stayed.

    “At least a week, tono. The men need to rest and we need supplies.”

    “We’ll stay here three days, no more.” Motochika declared, unsatisfied with Toshimasa’s answer. “We’re already delayed.” The Mori had sent another fleet of theirs towards them, hellbent on sending the Chosokabe heir to a watery grave. It was only because of a group of fleeing fishermen, that they caught wind of the Mori fleet. Bruised, bloody and battered from the previous confrontation, even Motochika accepted that to fight them was pointless. They had unloaded the men and supplies at a small fishing village. The villages, probably never having been outside their small town, were shocked beyond belief as an army of Chosokabe men seemed to emerge from the sea. Three thousand soldiers poured into the village and within a few hours, no trace of them was left except for the befuddled expressions on the villagers’ faces.

    The tenshu was no different to the rest of the castle and it cast no sort of formidable presence on the surrounding countryside like the one in Tosa did. A short, stubby, fat man greeted Motochika, his armour almost bursting at its seems. Battle prowess? Motochika scoffed silently, unable t imagine such a fat man ever being a warrior. His moustached was like a bush growing above his mouth and it was littered with crumbs.

    “Greetings, Chosokabe Motochika-tono.” The fat man said, so loudly he must have been deaf. “What brings you to my humble land.” Humble is one word for it.

    “Food, supplies, rest.” Motochika replied succinctly. “Do you have those things?”

    “Errr…errr…..may we speak inside, tono.” The fat man said, stumbling almost as much as he did when he walked, nervously shifting his gaze from person to person. Motochika rolled his eyes in annoyance, he didn’t have the time for these type of delays, or people.

    “Yes, I guess so.” He dismounted, his page rushing to take his horse from him. After fumbling with the reigns, the page finally led the horse away and Motochika followed his fat host.

    The inside walls of the tens were covered with faded, second-grade paintings, some of individuals, others of battles or waves or landscapes. He could only presume the other fat men, this time hanging from the walls and not waddling around, were his ancestors. Servants shuffled around with tea pots and plates of food. Motochika sincerely hoped they were for him; he was starving. Finally, he snatched a small slice of fish from one of the servant’s plates, swallowing it whole. The fish was salty, too salty and Motochika’s throat dried up like a desert. He yelled out for sake and the same servant who’d served him the fish, dutifully gave him what he wanted.

    “Your fish is too salty.” He scolded between mouthfuls of sake.

    “I am sorry, tono.” She replied, bowing. “It was what the cooks gave to me.”

    “Well,” Motochika said, turning to his fat host. “you tell the cooks to prepare better fish or do they not have any taste?”

    “Yes, tono.” The servant bowed again, then walked briskly off, something Motochika was unsure his host could do.

    “I am sorry, Motochika-sama. I was unaware of what the cook’s were serving.” The fat man said.

    “Maybe you should have been.”

    “Here we can talk.” The fat man said as he slid open a rice paper door to reveal a small chashitsu. “Can we talk…. in private?” He looked awkwardly at the rest of Motochika’s retinue.

    “You heard him, leave!” Motochika shouted to his retainers, reserving a special glare for Toshimasa.

    “Yes, tono.” Emura Toshimasa bowed and left, not saying anything else, a blank expression concealing any emotion or opinion on the matter.

    Once inside the chashitsu, the fat man took a seat, sighing in relief as he almost collapsed into his seat. Much more gracefully, Motochika sat down as well.

    “Well, what is it?” Motochika asked after too much silence.

    “Errrr….errr…. I am every grateful of your father for granting me this land but ….. but the people here are rowdy and self-entitled and there have been…..well…..whispers of rebellion.” The word ‘rebellion’ caught Motochika’s attention. Finally, some people to kill, he thought.

    “Why?”

    “They demand that the soldiers sent off to fight be returned and the war taxes dropped.” The fat man explained, though without empathy.

    “Then suppress the troublemakers and kill those who speak out.” Motochika replied without thinking, not considering the option that the rebels might be right.

    “How?”

    “With military force you fool!” Motochika said, loosing patience with the fat man.

    “But errrr… all of my men are off fighting in the war.” The fat man said, timidly, like a mouse speaking to a lion. A very fat mouse.

    “I have soldiers.” Remarked Motochika, accompanied by a sly grin. Beg me, beg me.

    I beg you, tono, please aid me in vanquishing these filthy rebels.” The fat samurai pleased. That’s like it.

    “All you had to do was ask. I would be happy to, my men need a fight. Where are these rebels?”

    “A day’s march south of here”. A day! He sure left it late. A rogue wind would have delivered them to a rebel held castle.

    “Then we march tomorrow afternoon, attack them in the night. I want no one in or out of this castle, our presence must be kept secret. If we’re lucky we’ll catch them by surprise.” The samurai nodded enthusiastically as Motochika continued to elaborate on the finer points of the plan. “Is there anything else?” Motochika asked after nearly half an hour’s worth of battle planning.

    “No but may we talk tomorrow, tono, if it pleases you.”

    “Yes.” It did not please Motochika. “Goodbye, Kinnobu-sama. Rest for we won’t rest tomorrow night, not until the battle is done.” Motochika left without bowing, too tired to conform to niceties he viewed as below him. He was all too glad to escape the company of Kinnobu. He slept well that night, eager for battle but not as ready as he thought.

    ****************

    Motochika’s army marched with pace, clothed in darkness. The moon was but a sliver and the stars hid behind the clouds. Each regiment was given one lantern, enough to ensure order and still keep them concealed. Motochika rode proudly up and down the columns, shouting at the men to move faster. The men merely grumbled back. I don’t need their support, only their weapons, Motochika thought, as he took his pace at the head of the column. There, Emura Toshimasa also rode, the white of his horse somehow glowing just a little bit in the dark. As Motochika rode up next to him, Toshimasa took one small look at him then continued staring off into the dark distance.

    “Tono.” He said, half awake, half asleep.

    “Toshimasa-san.” Motochika replied, courteously, only because he had to. The rest of the journey was made in silence, neither man speaking to the other. I’m not complaining. Emura Toshimasa was far from Motochika’s favourite person. He was too honourable, always preaching the ‘right’ option, constantly going on about what Motochika should do. Motochika would have gladly silenced him on multiple occasions but he knew the agreement between Toshimasa and his father. And of course Toshimasa’s daughter was his wife, and his wife was good after a long day. Now that he came to think of it, if he wasn’t his father’s spy and his wife’s father, Motochika would have left him on some miserable island to starve death. But unfortunately his wife liked her father, for some mistaken reason.

    Motochika raised his hand, his subordinates understanding the command and promptly orders to halt echoed down the length of the column. In the distance, torches glowed, the rebel camp couldn't be far at all. Motochika hesitated, unsure of how to go about things. He had some five thousand men at his disposal and the enemy couldn't muster more than a thousand. A thousand poorly trained, undisciplined farmers, interspersed with a couple of low-ranked samurai. Hi men were eager for battle and apart from the tiredness which infected the ranks, were high in morale.

    So why did he hesitate? This was his first battle, and he couldn't mess it up. He couldn’t. His throat swelled up as he tried to issue commands and suddenly he codling breathe. He clutched at his throat, trying to force it open but to no avail. The rasping sound of his breathing was the last thing before darkness, real darkness began to envelope him. He tried to reach for the light in the distance, letting go of his throat, clawing at thin air. This is how I’m going to die, he thought, terrified, murdered by my own fear. The beast within. Then his whole world shook and the darkness slowly dissipated. He looked up and he could the black underbelly of his beautiful stallion, trying to be calmed. Fools, only I can calm him. Emura Toshimasa knelt next to him.

    “Tono? Tono?” He said, shaking him, unaware he was already awake.

    “I am fine.” Motochika replied, proudly, shrugging Toshimasa off him. “Bad sake.” He declared.

    “Rest, tono. Let me command the battle.” Wouldn't you like that? No, I will not let you.

    “I am fine, I said.” Motochika tred to push himself up but his arms gave way and he collapsed. Useless things, he cursed. He tried again but to no avail. Toshimasa offered his hand but Motochika swatted it away, too proud for help. On the third attempt he managed to reach a siting position and from there, folding his legs inwards, he launched himself upwards. It took a moment to shake away the dizziness and when it finally came to a stop, it seemed as if the whole army was watching. “Men, formation.” He shouted, in an attempt to get rid of them. “Formation!” He yelled again after no one moved. Finally, they awkwardly dispersed, Motochika sure the mumblings and mutterings were about him.

    “Tono, rest. I will take command.” Toshimasa said, with genuine concern. “No one will think less of you.”

    “I will command the battle.” He declared. “I am fine, Toshimasa-san.” He said, in a much less stern and confident manner. “Take charge of the infantry, if you must.”

    “Yes, tono.” Emura Toshimasa bowed and then walked away, though he only made it a couple of meters before officers and soldiers flocked to him. Motochika mounted his horse and surveyed his army again. Take two.

    “Bodyguard, with me!” Motochika ordered, galloping off before any of his bodyguard had the time to react. In the black of night, he looked to ride on thin air, such as was the sheer darkness of his horse’s hair. His retainers struggled to keep up with the pace he set, his speed doubled by his enthusiasm and bloodlust. He rode not only to kill but to prove himself, to break free of the shackles that his father had made him bear and which had only been tightened by the events earlier in the evening. This is my destiny.

    The battle had been raging on for over an hour, the rebel’s stubborn resolve making up for their indiscipline. But Motochika’s numerical superiority allowed him to recycle his troops, withdrawing the tired to rest and sending in fresh soldiers as replacements. So while the rebels tired, Motochika’s troops stayed energetic.

    As Motochika and and his bodyguard rode towards the rebel left flank, the rebels began to fall back into the village, using the houses as cover to escape archer fire and creating chokepoints in the streets, stagnating the Chosokabe advance. Slowly piles of dead bodies from both sides began to further slow down the battle. However, this gave Motocvka time to ride to the enemy rear. Yet again, not giving his bodyguard time to react, Motochika began to charge, bolting towards the enemy rear. He laughed maniacally as he saw the fear sweep onto the rebel’s faces. They turned too late however, Motochika’s katana cutting down three men in one swing. His horse sent another two flying. A peasant stabbed at him reluctantly with his yari, Motochika swatted it away easily, breaking his opponent’s guard and unmercifully, stabbing his opponent in the face. The peasant collapsed instantly as blood poured from what once was his face.

    Motochika rode deeper into enemy lines, cutting and slashing as he went. A samurai charged at him, atana raised high above his head, drunk on the glory that would come from the Chosokabe heir. Motochika parried the first strike just in time, then swung his katana, missing as his opponent dogged to the right. The samurai moved dangerously closer and began to try and stab the horse. But he had come too close and Motochika cut through half his neck as he tried to deliver a fatal blow to Motochika’s stallion. Motochika violently yanked his sword from the man’s neck and continued on killing. He slaughtered man after man as if it were a game, mindlessly and thoughtlessly butchering the enemy. He killed the young, he killed the old, he killed the most helpless and he killed the most brave.

    By the time the battle had finished, his armour had been painted a new colour. The blood of the enemy dripped down his face, almost like tears. He licked his lips like a lizard might, savouring the bitter taste of the blood but which was so sweet to him. Victory is the sweetest taste. He walked amongst the fallen, not out of respect but to ensure that the job had been done properly, killing those who still clutched onto life and kicking those who had already given in. He approached a group of you samurai, each boasting of their various kills and feats. They all fell to ther knees as they noticed their general, the boasting coming to an instant stop.

    “As you were.” Motochika said, he rather liked the boastings of young samurai. Motochika was still only 20, but he considered himself a veteran.

    Soon enough, pages and attendants and bodyguards clocked to him, asking what he wanted, where they were heading next, if he was ok. Useless rabble, he thought.

    He had nearly escaped them all before the fat samurai waddled up to him, not a drop of blood or single scratch on his armour, yet still sweating.

    “Kinnobu-san. The battle is won, why do you seek me?” Motochika asked, hoping not to prolong any conversation with Saionji Kinnobu more than he had to.
    “Thank you for your help, tono, I couldn’t have done this without your help.” I know that you stupid fool. “But the rebels are not completely broken. I ask you tono, I beg you, to lend me some troops to storm their base and restore proper order in the province.” His words sounded well rehearsed and he said it as if he was performing it in a play.

    “Who are the rebel leaders?”

    “We believe them to be the Ito clan. They held this province before the Shoni.” I know that as well you stupid fool.

    “I’ll give you two hundred men.” Kinnobu’s face lit up, probably like it did when he sat down at a feast. “Siege or storm the base, they can’t have many more men.” Kinnobu listened intently, waiting on every one of Motochika’s words with an extraordinary eagerness. “Take the castle or town or pathetic village whatever it may be. And then execute every one of the Ito clan. The children, the women, the pregnant women. All of them.” The light vanished from Kinnobu’s face, the words even shocking him. He looked at Motochika with a befuddled look, unsure if he was serious. “All of them!” Motochika shouted. He was serious.

    “Yes, tono.” Saionji Kinnobu said obediently, gradually backing away from Motochika.

    ******************

    She was a predator. A hunter. Crouched, arrow notched and ready to fire, she was still as a rock. Her ears perked up at even the faintest sound. She took a small step forward, flinching as leaves rustled beneath her foot. Silently cursing, she turned her gaze back towards her prey, an oblivious young stag, antlers not yet fully developed. But the younger ones were the more lively ones, so much testosterone pumping through their blood you could smell it. These were the ones that would gladly fight, that would charge without thinking twice.

    Motochika glanced down at his wife, slowly inching her way forward as gracefully as she could, though he could not shake off the resemblance between how she moved and how a bloated duck might. He wriggled against the trunk he hid behind, trying to find a position where something sharp wouldn't bury into his back. The tall, thick pine was all that stood between him and the stag and it was not as thick as he would have liked. He peeked from behind the tree, trying to get a general idea where the stag was. Beside him, his yari rested against the tree, but he still kept one hand on it regardless, lest he want to let it fall and crash into the undergrowth. It also gave him a sense of protection. Not even a fully grown stag could take me on if I was armed with my yari, he silently boasted. And this is just a fawn.

    A twang from his wife’s bow pierced the silence. The stag let out an almighty bellow, a flock of birds erupting from the canopy above. The stag staggered then collapsed, grunting in agony. As swift as the wind, Akara raced towards her dying prey, her husband clumsily crashing through the undergrowth behind her, desperately trying to keep up. Crouching beside the stag, she lay one hand on its chest, soothing her prey. Motochika readied his yari, but his wife pushed it away. Before he could say anything, she unsheathed her tanto, so sharp it could slice a man’s eyelash without harming him and slit its throat, the grunting slowly coming to a stop as its life escaped it. She quietly murmured something as crimson blood poured from its neck, staining the sort grass it lay on.

    “The hunter must deal the final blow.” Akara remarked, sombrely, as she pulled a saw from her bag. She stuck the saw into the base of the stag’s antlers and began moving it back and forth until it lopped it off. Then she moved to the next one.

    “Leave it.” Motochika said, impatiently, annoyed he hadn't been able to kill something. “We have no need of these.” He gave a disapproving look at the two antlers.

    “We can sell them.” She said, ignoring her husband and continuing to saw through the remaining antler.

    “I’m the heir to the Chosokabe, I don’t need to be selling stag antlers at the markets.” He scoffed.

    “Then we can give them to a soldier, so he can sell them.”

    “And why would we give them to a soldier?” He arrogantly replied.

    “Kindness is much appreciated by the lower classes. It makes them fight better.”

    “Fear makes them fight harder.”

    “Too much fear and they’ll run rather than fight.”

    “Too much kindness and they won’t remember how to.” Akara sighed, conceding defeat.

    “I’ll give them to one of the soldiers.” She declared, refusing to fully give in to her husband. “You don’t have to have anything to do with it.

    Against anyone else, Motochika would have been glad to win the argument but against his wife, it was a hollow victory.

    “Who taught you to hunt like that?” He asked, changing the subject. Motochika was against women hunting, it was a man’s job. But seeing her hunt was attractive and he couldn’t stop getting hard down there as she stood there, sweating and breathless, her kimono loose on her shoulders.

    “My father did. We went hunting when I was younger. He taught me how to fire a bow and how to carve up an animal.” She smiled at the thought of her childhood, though as she stood with bloodstained hands, grinning, she did bear a slight resemblance to a psychopath. But she had cause to smile. Hunting had been a blissful escape for her and for her father, only them two and the wilderness. It wasn’t the same hunting with Motochika, she couldn’t help think. “Whatever I caught I could keep. I took the antlers to sell, to buy toys and treats.

    “Your father was rich enough to afford gifts for his daughter.” Motochika said, confused, the idea of earning money from work as alien as flight to a turtle. “Your father was one of my father’s most important and powerful vassals.

    “It wasn’t about a lack of money,” she replied humbly,“it was about me earning money. I didn't break many of my toys.” She remarked before beginning to walk off.

    “Where are you going?”

    “Camp. The hunt is over.” She declared, smiling, holding her antlers with pride.

    “Not yet, you aren’t. He grabbed her spare arm, yanking her pack to him. He pushed her against a nearby tree and began to bite at her neck. She reluctantly sighed in pleasure.

    “Not here.” She said, truing to push him away, though to no avail. It did little to stop him, as he began working his way down her body. She giggled, trying to yell out ‘no’ but he didn’t stop. “The animals have eyes and the trees have hears.” She tried to tell him but it didn’t put an end to his advances nor her giggling. The latter was only stopped when they locked mouths, their tongues dancing together in their mouths. As he went inside of her, he couldn’t care less whether the trees could hear. Let them watch and let them listen, he thought before his lust took over.
    ****************

    The sun peaked out from behind the horizon, the day’s first light escaping into the world. The city of Bungo, bustling with merchants despite the early hour, basked in the early light. Motochika sat tired and exhausted in his saddle, swaying in and out of consciousness. He had marched his army non stop from Imabari castle to make up for all the delays they had come across. His eyes were soft with sleep and they fluttered between opened and closed. His stallion carried him dutifully, not needing directions, thought it too was beginning to feel the toll of endless marching. His officers and generals, even his wife, had beseeched him to rest at multiple points along the journey and apart from occasionally giving in, he met each request with a solid “no”, then more often than not, drifted back into the realm between consciousness and sleep.

    He dreamt a lot whenever sleep finally managed to take hold of him. At first, he resisted it, trying to escape sleep whenever the dreams began. But as the journey went on and he grew more tired, his resistance began to fail and soon he had no energy to oppose them and submitted himself to the dream world.

    The first few dreams hadn’t felt real at all like a poorly constructed lie. During these dreams, he was aware they were only figments of his imagination and treated them such, behaving recklessly and doing whatever he wanted. He bent the world to his will, changing things in an instant, as if he was a god. He could kill people instantly and events turned out as he wanted them. He got what he wanted, when he wanted it. A perfect world.

    But soon he began to lose control, the dreams gradually becoming more and more life like. He began to feel fear, experience loss, suffer pain and endure hurt. He would wake up in his saddle, startled and sweating, only to be met with the warmth of the summer sun and talk of his men. It was only then that he would perceive it as a dream, the flaws in it, little minor details, unravelling like a string of wool. Relieved, he would delve back into the world of sleep yet every time he did, he would forget that it was indeed the dream world that he lived in and he would go through the whole thing all over again. A viscous cycle he couldn’t manage to break free of him.

    What gave him these dreams and visions he could tell. He had drunk sake along the journey, that was true, but for once, he had not over indulged in it and kept its consumption to a minimal. Nor did he suffer the same dream twice, changing every time, new faces, new places, new events and new loss. Familiar faces joined him in the dream world, from Emura Toshimasa to his father to his beloved wife to the upstart. In some dreams they died, others they lived and others they were the ones doing the killing as he watched other people he knew die.

    The sweetest visions were those surrounding the upstart, the peasant general. Motochika had dreamt sticking a tanto right through his heart, watching crimson blood flow from the hole in his chest. In others, he toyed with him like a predator with its prey, shooting at him with a tanegashima as he tried to escape, running from him like a scared rabbit. He wasn’t fast enough to escape Motochika though, as he shot him down from distance with ease, continuing to shoot at him as he dragged his legs, still trying to escape. He laughed as he unleashed shot after shot, until his body was covered in tiny little holes. In some, he ran him down on horseback, ploughing into him on his great black stallion. Sometimes he drowned him, sometimes he set fire to him and watched in an evil glee as he burnt alive.

    But there weren't just good visions. In some, he was powerless to stop Yuki as he killed him, slowly hacking off each of Motochika’s limbs, ending with his head. He died a thousand times in his dreams, nine hundred ninety times to the upstart. The upstart, the peasant general, the real enemy. But death wasn’t the worse. Death in the dream world wasn’t permanent and only sent him bursting into the real world. He couldn’t remember dying but he couldn’t forget the other things he saw. False things, lies, tricks of the mind.

    He didn’t sleep for a whole day after one particular dream, too afraid to relieve it again. The great Motochika fearful of a dream, he thought bitterly in retrospect, almost mockingly at himself, but I wasn’t afraid, I just didn't want to. Still, he shuddered thinking about it. It could never happen, she’d never do that.

    “Shujin1, we need to rest.” Emura Akara said in a tired, desperate tone as she rode up beside her husband. “We can continue the march tomorrow, what does a day matter?”

    “We need to reach Bungo as quickly as we can.” Motochika said, repeating the same words he had used to reply to every other request to rest, but the weariness in his own voice betrayed him.

    “Shujin, please. I am not a strong man like you, I can’t stay in the saddle for much longer.” She looked at him pleadingly, dark bags hanging from her eyes.

    “I can have a palanquin set up to transport if you wish.” Akara seemed unpleased by his suggestion. “You can sleep inside of it and there will be pillows and everything.”

    “I will not ride on the shoulders of other men.” She simply said.

    “Then don’t.” Motochika replied. “While you’re being all humble and everything, you’re riding on that horse’s shoulders. Maybe you should walk instead.” He japed, though he didn't have the energy to laugh.

    “Make me walk and I won’t share a bed with you for another year.” She replied, serious, her stare deadlier enough to kill.

    “Bungo is not far away.” He said, pointing into the distance. “The war requires all of us to sacrifice a little. You didn’t have to come along.”

    “You commanded me to.”

    “Oh yeah, I did.” He said, too tired to remember if he had or not. It was most probably the case, Motochika thought no whore could ever stand up to her in bed. And I wasn’t going to war without some way to pleasure myself. “I need to get there, kā-san2, I need to.”

    “Why?”

    “Revenge.” He replied the words rolling off his tongue and leaving a sweet after taste. He mouthed the word again. Revenge. For the rest of the journey his dreams would be good ones, of the revenge he so desperately wanted.



    ________________________
    1Japanese term for husband
    2
    Japanese term for wife
    Last edited by Merchant of Venice; December 19, 2014 at 02:32 AM.

  9. #149

    Default Re: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XIX 23/11)

    Yay the chapters finally up! As you can see it's quite a long chapter and I liked to know whether you want longer or shorter chapter updates. Sorry for the delays but hopefully the next one will be done by either Christmas eve or Boxing day. Any criticism or comments are more than welcome.

    Best wishes,

    Merchant of Venice

  10. #150
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
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    Default Re: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XX 19/12)

    Wow! A feast of brilliant writing. I love the action, the shifts (and contrasts) between what the characters are saying and what they are thinking and the descriptive writing ('She was a predator. A hunter. Crouched, arrow notched and ready to fire, she was still as a rock.' - nicely done).

    You asked if shorter or longer updates are better. I see the benefits of both. I like the long chapter because I felt fully immersed in the world that you're creating. On the other hand, if someone is reading your AAR in short bursts, then chapter headings would make it easier to keep track of where they have got to.

  11. #151

    Default Re: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XX 19/12)

    Quote Originally Posted by Alwyn View Post
    Wow! A feast of brilliant writing. I love the action, the shifts (and contrasts) between what the characters are saying and what they are thinking and the descriptive writing ('She was a predator. A hunter. Crouched, arrow notched and ready to fire, she was still as a rock.' - nicely done).

    You asked if shorter or longer updates are better. I see the benefits of both. I like the long chapter because I felt fully immersed in the world that you're creating. On the other hand, if someone is reading your AAR in short bursts, then chapter headings would make it easier to keep track of where they have got to.
    Thank you for your kind words. I too see the benefits of long and short chapters. I usually just end my chapters where I see fit and where they end or where I picture them to end. I was just enquiring whether my readers favoured short or long.

  12. #152

    Default Re: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XX 19/12)

    vespa samurai is eveeeeel, someone should hit him with a fish and see if he regains sanity, he is soo obsesed with sex and killing, I think he should get a hobby.

  13. #153

    Default Re: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XX 19/12)

    Quote Originally Posted by Asdrubaal View Post
    vespa samurai is eveeeeel, someone should hit him with a fish and see if he regains sanity, he is soo obsesed with sex and killing, I think he should get a hobby.
    Oh he is evil but then again I don't think there was much more than killing, sex and scheming in Sengoku Jidai Japan

    Quote Originally Posted by Hitai de Bodemloze View Post
    Sorry for the late reply, I should've read this a long time ago! Another good installment. I'm intrigued by these scouting reports and the scheming I'm sure is going on in the background. You might want to update the character list at the beginning of the story though, as I'm getting a tad confused with some of these folks. Maybe my memory is just bad, but I'm not 100% sure who Dosetsu and Chikakata and Tadayoshi are
    I was going to do a whole clean up of sort of the "universe" behind the story. While it's not a created world I've only just realised how much work I need to put into creating vassals and advisor and the whole lot. Sadly there aren't many records of even the clans around at that period, so I've taken to using the Sengoku game and Nova Monumenta Iaponiae Historica which is a Japanese mod for CK2 to kind of base the characters and clans off. That's what my holidays will be about
    Last edited by Merchant of Venice; December 19, 2014 at 03:32 PM.

  14. #154
    Scottish King's Avatar Campidoctor
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    Default Re: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XX 19/12)

    Lol! Your hard work is paying off in a well rounded AAR and characters with depth to them! Can't wait to read the next chapter!
    The White Horse: Hanover AAR (On going ETW AAR)
    Tales of Acamar: Legends WS Yearly Award Best Plot Winner (On-going CW Piece)
    The Song of Asnurn: An Epic Poem MCWC VI Winner (On-hold CW Piece)
    Tales of Acamar: Outbreak (Finished)
    To Conquer the World for Islam A Moor AAR (Finished)

  15. #155

    Default Re: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XX 19/12)

    Chapter XXI- Good medicine tastes bitter.

    1559-The beginning of summer


    “I’m staying.” I declared, in a rather pompous tone.

    “Where were you going?” Aki asked, confused as he sipped on his cup of sake. Two wooden stumps were our seats, most likely trees felled for firewood. Around us, similar stumps dotted the ground, some evenly cut, others jagged, as if the men who had cut them down had never used a saw before. We weren’t far from the main camp, but far enough to escape attention, the shouting and singing which more often than not accompanied dinner, only a murmur in the distance.

    “I was preparing to leave for Bungo.” I said. Aki looked dejected, saddened that I hadn’t told him of my plans.

    “You never told me.” He said before loudly gulping down the last of his sake. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He demanded. “After the battle you didn't talk to me for weeks.” Unhappiness hung from each word, only making harder to respond while keeping my composure.

    “I didn't talk to many people for a couple of weeks.” I replied, trying to manage a smile and lighten the mood. His look didn't change though. “I was in a bad state.”

    “So you chose not to talk to me at all?” Sorrow and anger swirled around his voice and I couldn't work out which one truly represented his mood. Was he angry at me or was it just his sadness speaking?

    “I was having troubles with Sorin.” I simply said, hoping he wouldn’t ask too many questions. But Aki had never been content with answers such as that and he pressed harder for more answers.

    “What troubles?”

    “A disagreement, that is all.” I said.

    “Why can’t you tell me?”

    “I can, I just chose not to, for your sake.” I said, hoping that would end it.

    “Why?” He asked. “How is it better for me?”

    “To keep you out of all the rotten politics that goes on.” I said at last. Aki was three years my senior but now, he seemed younger than me, dare I say less experienced. He had fought in more battles than me, seen more death but only I had argued with the men who caused that death. The more stayed out of it, the better for him. It would be foolish to not think I had enemies and those enemies would destroy me one day, for I was the smallest fish in the pond, and the smallest fish are always the first meals for the bigger fish.

    “I am your ‘advisor’, it is my job to be in all this ‘rotten politics’.” He said, much more understandingly.

    “And maybe that was a mistake.” I said. “You don’t want to be a part, they’ll rip you apart.”

    “Who are they?” Aki asked. “The Mori?”

    “No, Tawara Chikakata and the like.”

    “They don’t scare me.” Aki pretended to be tough but I knew it was an act. He could be a tough soldier and he could stand up for himself, but not against these people.

    “They should. And if they don’t, Chosokabe Motochika will.” Chosokabe Motochika was idiot, a madman, a bloodthirsty lunatic. But he was the heir to the Chosokabe clan, with unrivalled power and might. He might not scare you, but his father would. Aki still seemed to struggle to understand what I was saying, he didn’t know Motochika the way I did. “See these stumps Aki.” He nodded, looking around just to be sure. “The only remnants of trees which stood too tall. I am one of those trees, standing too tall, with too much power and too many enemies. This is my fate.”

    “Why not leave then, go back to your home with Suzume. Run, run away.” He said naively, reminding me of myself. It was almost humorous to see the tables turned like this, me the one lecturing Aki.

    “Because you can’t run away. I’m not a lord, I don’t hold any land but I hold secrets. I could run away, for a bit, but they would find me. Then I would have to run away again and keep running. And what is life worth if it is a life lived running?”

    “A life.” Aki answered succinctly.

    “That is true.”

    “Yuki, you seem to overestimate your power and position. They will not care where you have gone or why but only that you have and you are no longer bothering them.”

    “Perhaps I am thinking myself too big. And maybe the truth is I don’t want to run, that I want to gain power, be granted land, lead armies.” It was true, I could try and play the innocent card as long as I wanted but it didn't make me any more innocent. They say anyone who touches, feels power, if only for a second, craves it for that instant on. I wanted it. “It is funny. When I was young, living on our farm with my family, I didn't care or even know of the battles that were being fought or the schemes being weaved. But now I do, I want to be a part of it all. Maybe it was always inside of me and it was simply the taste of the wider world which brought that want to life.”

    “Then I resign from post as your ‘advisor’.” He said, shocking me. “I am no longer good enough to play the game you play.” I could almost see disgust at me creeping onto his face. I couldn’t lose Aki, not this way.

    “That is not what I meant. Aki, listen-”

    “I’ve heard enough.” He interjected before I could finish. He turned away from me, hiding his face. I thought he would storm off but he just stood there, silent and unmoving.

    “Aki, I just don’t want you to die.” I said, pleadingly. A small wind picked up, a cool breeze to relieve us of the burden of the summer heat. It rustled Aki’s hair and only then did I notice it had grown quite long, something I had never paid attention to.

    “So you send me off to the front lines, to die and see others die. Is that a blessing or a curse?” He asked, not expecting an answer, but I gave him one anyway.

    “A blessing if you knew what I had to do.”

    “And what do you have to do? Sign papers and argue with lords. Oh how horrible your life must be, Yuki-sama.” Bitterness and resentment, two ugly monsters, reared their heads and now I knew Aki’s true feelings.

    “Don’t call me that.” I said, though it sounded a lot more like an order.

    “What?” He asked mockingly.

    That.

    “I don’t what you mean, Yuki-sama.”

    “I said don’t call me that.” And for a moment I sounded like Motochika.

    “Yes, tono.” I could sense him smiling, is that why he hid his face? So he could laugh at me and I could not see it?

    “What have I done to deserve this?”

    “You deserted me.” That was enough. I wasn't going to sit there while he lectured me and accused me of things I hadn't done.

    “Goodbye, Aki-san.” I said as strode past him, not giving him another glance. I dared not look backwards, it would be a show of weakness, of regret. Was that how I thought of Aki already? As someone I couldn't show weakness to, someone I had to pretend for? And as I walked away from the only true friend I had ever known, something my mother once said came back to me after I had a fight with my father.

    “Good medicine tastes bitter,” she had said, her soothing voice still clear to me despite how long it had been since we had last talked.

    Maybe neither Aki nor I wanted to take the medicine we needed to.

  16. #156
    McScottish's Avatar The Scribbling Scotsman
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    Default Re: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XXI 31/12)

    Powerful stuff there, Merchant. Although I'm sure I could feel some homosexual undertones going on there... Never a bad thing, really.

    Rep for you, no doubt about it!

  17. #157
    Hitai de Bodemloze's Avatar 避世絕俗
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    Default Re: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XXI 31/12)

    Good stuff! Really enjoyed reading about Motochika again. I really like the retinue he's building up around himself with Akara, Monomonoi, Toshimasa and Kinnobu; a very colourful cast of 'villains'. McScottish's observation is an interesting one as well, considering the story is very sexual as it is.

    On the subject of small vs long chapters, I prefer shorter ones, just because it's more manageable for me. However, it is a treat to read longer updates when I do finally get the time.

  18. #158

    Default Re: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XXI 31/12)

    Quote Originally Posted by McScottish View Post
    Powerful stuff there, Merchant. Although I'm sure I could feel some homosexual undertones going on there... Never a bad thing, really.

    Rep for you, no doubt about it!
    Glad you liked it. How far Aki's feelings went I won't delve into......yet.

    Quote Originally Posted by Hitai de Bodemloze View Post
    Good stuff! Really enjoyed reading about Motochika again. I really like the retinue he's building up around himself with Akara, Monomonoi, Toshimasa and Kinnobu; a very colourful cast of 'villains'. McScottish's observation is an interesting one as well, considering the story is very sexual as it is.

    On the subject of small vs long chapters, I prefer shorter ones, just because it's more manageable for me. However, it is a treat to read longer updates when I do finally get the time.
    Well I don't necessarily intend for Toshimasa to be a villain so to speak, he is around Motochika more to control him. And Akara, well Akara you'll have to wait and see. Also do you think the story has become too sexual or not? Im weary not to cross any lines so I'd like some reader's opinions.

  19. #159
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
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    Default Re: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XXI 31/12)

    An excellent chapter! The dialogue conveys the powerful emotions brilliantly. I like the use of the tree stumps to illustrate the dangers of standing too tall in a world of 'rotten politics'. (My only question is whether, in the opening sentence, a point of view character would describe his own tone as pompous - perhaps he would, if he was reflecting on the conversation afterwards). You asked whether readers think your story has become too sexual - for what it's worth, I don't think it has.

  20. #160
    Hitai de Bodemloze's Avatar 避世絕俗
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    Default Re: Way of the Bow:A Chosokabe AAR-(Updated Chapter XXI 31/12)

    Quote Originally Posted by Merchant of Venice View Post
    Well I don't necessarily intend for Toshimasa to be a villain so to speak, he is around Motochika more to control him. And Akara, well Akara you'll have to wait and see. Also do you think the story has become too sexual or not? Im weary not to cross any lines so I'd like some reader's opinions.
    I know he's not a bad guy, but he's in Motochika's camp, which puts him at odds with Yuki (at least for the moment). I just think it's really cool

    Hmm, that's a tough one. Depends on how you want to define 'too sexual'. It's definitely one of the most striking and unique features of the story, and has been for quite a long time. It's not too sexual inasmuch that it's off-putting, but it is coming to be one of the defining aspects of the story, at least in my eyes. I don't consider it a bad thing (on the contrary, I feel it pushes boundaries in the context of AARtistry here), I've just come to expect it as normal.

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