Sengoku - Swords, Scrolls, and Sake! - Part II Itoh and Yabu were over near the entrance to the kitchen, not so much looking for the serving girl so much as getting away from the two Samurai who'd just walked in the front door. Bizenbo Ota, wandering swordsman was seeing what he could do about the tax problem in Kumachi, hoping to hone his fighting skills on some bandits. His companion, Toshiro stayed near the door watchful for more bandits, and sealing Ginju's only means of escape. "Are you Ginju?" Ota put his hand to the scabbard of his sword, and looked squarely at the man seated before him. "I am, I killed a dozen men yesterday with my bare hands, and four more with my trusty axe" Ginju gestured in the direction of the sitting Ono. Ota pushed at the guard of his katana, breaking the seal with a resounding 'chink' everyone in the Inn was deathly quiet and still. "I want you to leave" Ota put his right hand on the handle of his sword. Ginju's right hand brought his barrel to his lips, the body of it blocked his face from Ota's view, he gulped audibly ignoring the existence of the samurai completely. Ota's sword flashed from its sheath, slicing a straight arc away from its owner, and cutting the barrel of sake in two. Ginju looked at Ota through the mouth of the barrel, seeing the bottom was now gone, he finished the last mouthful, and threw the empty shell at the samurai. The pottery flew, but Ota deflected it easily, Ginju's left hand was on the handle of his axe... peasants began to run for the exits, and flung themselves over the low walls into the street. No one wanted to be anywhere near this fight, but enexpectedly, Ginju grabbed his friend Toshi, and threw him over his shoulder, and started to walk towards the door. "They said no trouble" he muttered under his breath. Ota gave ground, and sheathed his sword, Toshiro let the enourmous bandit pass him. Ota followed him, out of the Inn, and down the main street of the town to the gate, where the terrified guard stood motionless. Toshiro followed Ota to the gate, where their two horses, and their servant Shiro still waited. Ginju walked out into the night, padding down the road into the darkness. Ota looked at the guard... "He is gone, now we should meet the headman" about that time a young boy had returned from the Headman's house and he guided Ota, Shiro and Toshiro to the modest home of Kumachi's headman. The Headman greeted them at the door, he said "My servants are attending the wounded, but what comfort I have is yours Samurai" with that he ushered the men into his home, and told him of his tax problem. "Every time I sent out men, they'd get beaten" "So I'd send out more men, and they'd get beaten" "By the end I sent out more than a dozen men, and now they all lay broken in my servants quarters, some are unable to move. "I'd like to see these men with my own eyes" Ota said defiantly. "They are a miserable lot, unfit for the eyes of a mighty warrior such as yourself" "But I will take you to them" The headman took Ota and Toshiro to the servant's quarters, the walls had been pulled back to make more room for the dozen memn that lay there, some sleeping, others moaning pitifully... they'd all been beaten mercilessly, but not killed, by the bandits. "These men really are pathetic" Ota said, Toshiro went on "The people have nothing left to pay their taxes with, but if we find the bandits, and the taxes, then all will be right again, let us retire to more pleasant quarters, and we'll talk of taxes and bandits in the morning." Ota thought abvout it a minute "Agreed, tonight we drink, tomorrow we fight" Toshiro shook his head for a moment, and told Shiro to put the horses away, and make them a place at the Inn... Shiro went to leave... and then there was a knock outside the headman's door... Shiro the poor old Ahirgaru opened the door, and an out of breath messenger slumped there on the doorstep. "I have a message... from Osaka castle... for the headman" The headman went to the messenger at once, he opened the scroll, and read it to himself "But this can't be, my men are all beaten" The headman looked at Ota, and Toshiro "The letter says to send all able-bodied men to look for the pirates who just siezed a trade ship from China... Ota took the scroll, it has the Daimyo's seal, it looks authentic... Toshiro a more learned man scryed the letter as well... it also seemed authentic to him. "What should we do Toshiro?" Ota was just really a wandering swordsman, the Bizenbo clan were warriors first and foremost. Even if Toshiro did spend too much time on poetry, and wall scribblings he was one of Toyotomi's retainers, and Ota was not. Thus Toshiro had a more official role in their mission. Um.. ok I know that Ota really took charge here, and then conscripted Itoh, and Yabu... Itoh mentioned that Ginju had said something about water or boats... in his story about the men he killed... but can anyone think of anything wrong with the first story, or the story so far? and I'm probably extrapolating too much on Toshiro... must be the times he "said something better" anyways... the closer we get to more recent episodes, the easier it'll all be to remember. Yabu was sitting in the inn, talking with Itoh and counting his coins, the evening had proved to be very profitable, he and Itoh were polishing off the last of the barley noodles, and miso soup when the great samurai came back to the inn. Yabu didn't like this at all. "You there" Yabu and Itoh looked at each other for a second, and Yabu spoke "why do you not answer this great lord, he obviously needs you for something" Itoh looked back at him as if to say something but... "No, both of you are coming with me, I'm conscripting you" Yabu thought for a moment, and saw some beet juice the bottom of a bowl... he splashed in on the arm of his robe, and screamed in pain... "But my lord I'll be no good to you my arm is... terribly injured" Ota saw the purple wound, and punched Yabu in the 'wounded' arm. "OOOOOOOOOwwwwwww ooooowwww oh ok" Yabu gave up with a shrug of his shoulders, he was conscripted at least for now. Ota dragged them out into the street, Toshiro and Shiro were waiting with the horses, and some armor they borrowed from the headman's injured men. "You men will accompany Toshiro and myself, we are looking for pirates that attacked a ship yesterday" at that Itoh bit hard and muttered something under his breath... "... my lord" Itoh spoke, though his voice was eloquent, he looked ridiculous in his court kimono, an ashigaru's helmet, and carried another's spear "Ginju mentioned something about the men he killed yesterday being Chinese sailors" Itoh went on "and he got paid more gold than he thought the job was worth" Itoh remembered the incident at the inn "I can't be certain, but I thought he even had gold Ryo" "Nani?" Ota was intrigued the lout Ginju could lead them all to the pirates... except he just marched him out of town, and he's got to be miles away by now... "We leave at once!" Ota started to march out of town... determined by the righteousness of his cause and anticipating real action ahead... "My lord would cover more ground on a horse" Shiro ventured... Toshiro the cavalryman was already in the saddle, and carried his lance at the ready. "Yes, yes I would.... assist me..." Shiro helped Ota into the saddle, and off the two Samurai sped on their horses, the now there were three ashigaru trying to keep up. Shiro in the lead carried a paper lantern on a pole for them to see by. The travelled for several minutes before they came to the fork in the road where the roads to Kobe, and Himeji met... there was a sign pointing to each one... Toshiro and Ota tried to figure which way the bandits would have gone, Shiro looked for footprints in the dirt, and Itoh walked over to bushes where he heard snoring... "Over here my lords, I think I've found him" Yabu huried over... and checked the bodies, both men were asleep, and Ota joined them in the bushes... "We'll take them back on the horses" Ota looked at Ginju, his enoumous frame even bigger than Ota's considerable size "Help me lift him...." Yabu went immediately to Ginju's side... started to lift him with Ota... while Shiro steadied the horse. "Ahem..." Ota looked at Yabu accusingly "That looked like Ginju's pouch" Yabu looked at him, then down to the not so well hidden pouch he'd stuck in his robe when lifting the body... "I wanted to make sure it didn't get lost my lord" "Good thinking, now why don't I carry it for a while" Yabu handed him the pouch, it was not so heavy anyhow, there would be more gold when they found the pirates. No one had seen the tiny pouch Ginju's accomplice had... and that was just as well... Ota considered what Itoh had said about the gold, indeed it seemed heavy for one so lowly as Ginju. On the way back to town he checked it, but nefver found any gold Ryo, the poet must have been wrong, or he'd already spent it. The group made their way back to town, locked the two men in a bamboo cell, and headed for the Inn, it was late, but not so late that Ota could not drink sake, and talk with women in the inn, nor was it too late for Yabu to toast the greatness of his new lord Ota, and to raise many cups to his name. Itoh went out to write a poem, Toshiro collected his thoughts before sleeping, something about the raid on the ship didn't sit well with him, Shiro as usual took care of the horses. Unbeknownst to the others Itoh's poem involved getting some words from Ginju, and his partner... And after the village girls had all returned to their homes, another kind of interogation started at the Inn "Innkeeper, where is the gold Ryo?" "What" the Innkeeper was stunned, he'd never seen a Ryo in his life... Ota walked over to the old man "Ginju was here earlier drinking sake, and he had a gold Ryo with him..." Yabu was looking around the kitchens, and decided he had an idea... Yabu started overturning pots, and kettles, and woodpiles looking for the Ryo... "Its not here my lord, maybe this cur has hidden it upstairs" the innkeeper looked at his inn in disbelief "You've done more damage than Ginju did you scum" Ota looked at the destroyed kitchen... "No Yabu I have a different idea, innkeeper attend to your kitchens... Yabu come with me" Ota lead Yabu out and down an alleyway away from prying eyes... "You are a shifty one Yabu... I don't know what happened to that Ryo" Ota sized Yabu up "but if I turn my back right now, and the Ryo is there when I look back, then no more will be said on the matter" With that Ota turned his massive bulk away from the bandit... he waited, counted out loud, and turned back to see Yabu running-away he was halfway down the street, and almost out of the town... Ok this part still needs punching up, a little, and I don't remember which scenes happened this game session, or the next one... so I think everyting after this will be session 3 when we got ready to work in the Shukenja That's it so far...