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[Pancaek]

Turn 27

Nara, palace

"I will scout out the warehouse first and then move in myself. I would appreciate some of our clan to stand watch and make sure no-one escapes."

The daimyo snaps her fingers. A bunch of ceiling panels slide away and Scorpion clan shinobi drop silently from the ceiling. The daimyo only has to make a gesture, and they bow and file outside. Efficient. Hideki gathers up his belongings and bows to the daimyo as he leaves. Otsu follow closely behind, as does Ed, though he is still stuffing his face with mochi.

Nara, warehouse

Hideki stakes out the warehouse for several hours while Scorpion shinobi patrol the perimeter at the outskirts, ready to catch anyone who tries to run when Hideki goes in. So far, he has mostly seen dockworkers come in carrying crates and come out carrying crates. Just as Hideki starts to think he has the wrong warehouse, Ed pipes up. His first words are muffled by a mouthful of mochi, however.

"What?"

"I said, this is the place."

"How can you tell?"

"Well, in the time we've been watching this place 17 guys went in but only 16 came back out. Also, 2 of those 16 weren't the same guys who went in."

"How did you even notice that?"

"What? I used to have a large crew. I've gotten pretty good with faces, and you need to keep an eye on your lads so they don't go off and booze it up while they should be working. Anyway, what's the plan?"

Hideki thinks. The easiest way in would be thorugh the front doors, but they will most certainly get spotted. Windows or other avenues are also a possibility though. Then there is the question of how they will deal with the people they meet inside.

How will Hideki handle this situation?

[vishdafish]

Perhaps we can organize a distraction at the front gate and go in through the window? Like smuggling inspectors to distract the people and go in when they are distracted?

[somemildmanneredidiot]

The biggest question is how do we want to deal with these guys. We need information from them, so ideally we'll want them alive. We probably shouldn't set the building on fire and capture them as they try to escape as there will most likely be important clues and documents that would end up being destroyed. We can't just surround them and siege them out because we live in a culture that makes "honorable suicide" not a bad option if it means screwing over your enemies. Also because they might have escape routes we don't know about.

I'm thinking we can play the stumbling drunk routine to get a closer look before they encourage Hideki to leave or we can more directly attempt to stealth around and possibly inside to get more information. We could also mug three dock workers that enter and leave from there and then interrogate them to get better information about the cell here.

[vishdafish]

Yes, following a dock worker/s that leaves sounds like the best option imo.

[Pancaek]

Yes, following a dock worker/s that leaves sounds like the best option imo.

Turn 28

Nara, warehouse

"We should follow one of these dockworkers. I'd like to know where they're going."

"Are we going to beat them up for information?"

"Maybe. Keep an eye on the warehouse. Keep it surrounded, and find us if there are any big movements."

Ed and Otsu look at eachother, unsure as to who Hideki is adressing. Just then, a shinobi materializes from a dark corner nearby.

"Understook, Nagayoshi-dono. It will be done."

"Christ, can't a man get any privacy around here? Big brother is listening, indeed."

"Who?"

"Never mind, I'm just babbling."

Nara, docks district

Hideki and his two companions get out of sight and wait for some dockworkers to leave the warehouse. After about half an hour, two men exit carrying a few wooden boxes. The team follows them through the winding roads of the docks district. They don't go directly to the harbour, instead they take some detours throught the winding roads and alleys of the docks district, passing by hovels and small snack stands alike. Eventually, they exit an alley that comes out into the harbour, none the wiser that Hideki and his companions have been following them. They walk up to a large japanese bune. The boat doesn't bear any distinct markings, but Hideki keeps in mind that the darkness of the nighttime might just be obscuring them.

"That looks like a pretty big ship."

"Yeah. No offense, but your japanese ships are pretty shit. But that one looks like it might survive some abuse."

"You're right. About it being big, I mean. That's an Atakebune, one of the largest warships around. I wonder what would warrant unmarked packages from a sake warehouse being delivered to a warship not flying any clan colours?"

"Suspicious is an understatement."

The two men walk up the gangplank to the deck. There they exchange a few words with sailors and give them the boxes. The sailors go below deck and the two workers immediatly turn around and head back to the alley, probably going back to the warehouse.

[Pancaek]

((Well, no suggestions yet. Have a little update to speed things along.))

Extra turn

Instead of immediatly going after the two dockworkers, Hideki and company stay in the shadows and observe the warship a bit longer. More dockworkers come and go, brining goods to the warship. There is a busy hustle and bustle on the deck as the sailors put away all of the boxes belowdeck. This goes on for what seems like an eternity, and Hideki begins to think it might be best to go back to the warehouse.

Just then, to the surprise of everyone present, Ogino Iemochi appears from below the deck. He is flanked by a samurai in full battle armor and a monk who is carrying a staff with little bells on it. He shouts something to the sailors and gestures with his hands. Immediatly the deck explodes into action. The last boxes are hurredly put away and the sailors are doing all kinds of preparations.

"That's no good, they're casting off boss. They'll be leaving port in less than 5 minutes at this rate."

It seems like Ed has it the right way. They've already retracted the gangplank and long oars are beginning to appear from slots in the sides of the ship and dropping into the water.

"We should jump on board before they leave!"

"I don't know, lass. We'll be right in the middle of them. Maybe we should try and find another boat to follow them with. I bet I could persuade one of those Nanban traders to lend us a hand, for a price. Not even Nippon's finest can outrun or outfight a Nanban ship."

"But that means we won't get to fight, and we'll owe someone. I'm not sure I like that much."

Hideki looks around. If they run for it, they might be able to jump on boards right now, but they'll be out in the open on the deck. On the other hand, there are several small japanese fishing boats he could commandeer. They're worthless in a fight and might not even be able to catch up, but at the very least he could follow the Atakebune. A bit further an impressive Nanban ship is docked. He could let Ed try and convince the captain to lend them a hand.

What will Hideki do?

[NRDL]

I actually want a cool fight scene, so jump on board.

[vishdafish]

I actually want a cool fight scene, so jump on board.

+1

[Pancaek]

I actually want a cool fight scene, so jump on board.

+1

I actually want a cool fight scene, so jump on board.

Turn 29

"We're jumping on board.", Hideki proclaims suddenly.

"Yes!"

"We what? But there's perfectly good ships right over there!"

"There's no time, go!"

And with that, Hideki explodes into a sprint. Otsu is quick to follow him, holding on the her hat as she runs. Ed looks longingly at the Nanban ship for a second, but joins the other two before long. They race towards the edge of the dock where the atakebune is leaving. Hideki and Ed jump towards the ship, while Otsu uses her staff to polevault onto the deck. Hideki manages to land on the deck rolling forwards, while Ed doesn't quite make it all the way and needs to grab a hold of the sides of the ship. Ed pulls himself up onto the deck as Hideki stands up. Otsu is already standing there.

"My staff slipped out of my hands and fell into the water. What a drag."

"Yeah, well, I nearly fell into the water."

Feet now solidly planted onto the ship's deck, the three of them take their first good focused look at what's around them. They quickly stand back to back when they notice that they are surrounded by at least 10 sailors, each holding some kind of impliment. There's a cutlass, a stick, a harpoon, a...a mop? Looks like these guys just grabbed whatever was at hand. Everyone turns their heads towards towards the head of the ship when they hear the distinct sound of the bells of the monk's staff as he slams it into the ground. The samurai next to Ogino is removing the sheath from his naginata, while Ogino shouting to the crowd on the deck.

"You." He points at Hideki. "You were supposed to be dead! Ten gold mon for every man on this ship if the interlopers are killed! Get them!"

By now, even more sailors have come from belowdecks. By a quick estimate, Hideki reckons there must anywhere between 12 and 20 men surrounding the three of them.

Hideki grips his katana. Ed lets out an audible sigh and unsheathes his cutlass, while Otsu balls up her fists and takes up some kind of martial arts pose.

"Oh, good. I'm glad we didn't take the fishing boat. Or the one with the cannons. No, this is much better."

"Don't worry, I'm here to protect you.", Otsu says in a sarcastic tone.

Hideki is surrounded by a rabble of sailors, with Ogino and his two henchmen looking on from the smaller rasied deck above.

How will he proceed?

[NRDL]

Brutally stab the nearest sailor through the loins and leave him alive and screaming, should dissuade the others from rushing us.  After that, slash away.

[Pancaek]

Brutally stab the nearest sailor through the loins and leave him alive and screaming, should dissuade the others from rushing us.  After that, slash away.

Turn 30

Unnamed Atakebune

The fifteen sailors and our courageous (or foolhardy, depending on your viewpoint) trio are in a standoff on the lower deck of the atakebune. Hideki has his hand on his katana, his steady gaze taking in his opponents. The sailors are anxious. They're clearly used to fights, but they're not trained warriors. Meanwhile, Otsu is hopping from foot to foot and holding her fists up, and Ed is waving his cutlass around in a bid to look intimidating. It doesn't look like anyone is especially eager to make the first look.

Hideki bides his time, feeling the swaying of the ship beneath him. As they are hit by a large wave, Hideki jumps into action. The sailor in front of him needs to shift his weight to compensate for the movement of the ship, making him unable to dodge out of the way. In what seems like a single move Hideki unsheathes his katana and lunges forward, stabbing the sailor right in the loins, after which he quickly takes a few hops back to his original position. The sailor takes a beat to register what has happened, at which point he lets his weapon drop to the ground and grabs his now bleeding loins. He falls to the deck, screaming. The other sailors waver a bit, but suddenly the armoured samurai shouts in a very commanding voice.

"Fools! They have nowhere to run on this ship. Attack them, charge them all at once!"

Obeying the samurai, the sailors all charge at once. Our three companions each sally forth to defend themselves. The following happens all at the same time.

Otsu is attacked by four of the sailors. Three of them carry clubs, and one of them carries a dagger. They come in for the attack, with the one with the dagger up in front. Otsu goes into a slight crouch, tensing her body. As he approaches, she explodes forward like a snake uncoiling. She passes next to him, her left fist catching him in the stomach. The sailor is lifted up from the deck and thrown away as she turns her body into the punch. The sailor hits one of his comrades in his flight and both go down. Not giving the others any time to react, she continues the spin to attack with her right fist. The spin makes her straw hat fly off, revealing her crimson red hair and red face marking near her eyes. Her spin makes the club of one of the sailors miss her, and the guy overbalances and goes tumbling past her. Her right fist catches the fourth sailor on the side of the head and the sheer force of her blow caves in his eyesocket, sending the man tubmling to floor unconscious. The guy who went tumbling past has turned around and goes for another strike with his club, but Otsu catches his arm just below the wrist with her forarm, stopping his strike. She quickly wraps her arms around his and heaves up, making his elbow give a sickening snap. Before the guy can really cry out in pain, she delivers a one inch punch to his throat, collapsing his windpipe. She lets the guy fall to the ground and goes over to the two tangled sailors. Only one of them is still in the fight, but he's stuck beneath the guy she send flying. A swift kick to the face makes sure that he is out for the count as well.

Ed, meanwhile, is also beset by four sailors. Two of them armed with clubs, one with a kitchen knife and one with a cooking pan. Ed sidesteps the one with the pan and slaps the one with the knife on the side of the head with the flat of his blade. His sidestep unbalances Ed and he falls on his ass against the side of the ship. One of the sailors with a club takes advantage of this to strike downwards on him, but the club strikes the handrail just above Ed's head. Ed replies by stabbing up with his cutlass, spearing the guy through the stomach. The sailor falls backward, making Ed get up on his feet again to retrieve his cutlass. Before he can get it out, the sailor with the knife has gotten back up and slices Ed across the back. Ed gives a grunt of pain and spins around, repaying the favour by slashing the sailor across the chest with his cutlass. The meaty blade makes a deep gash across the sailor's chest, but in a move that surprises Ed the man grabs hold of the blade with both of his hands. The sailor is trying to create an opening for the other two who are left. In a move that surprises the sailor Ed actually lets go of his cutlass, sending the sailor falling on his ass. Ed turns around and takes his two flintlocks out of their holsters. He fires them, two gunshots one right after the other. Both the sailor with the pan and the one with the club who were approaching Ed from behind take a bullet to the chest and head respectively and go down. Ed then turns around to the fallen, wounded sailor and takes his cutlass back. He stabs down, striking the sailor in the chest.

Hideki, unlike his two companions, is beset by six sailors. All of them have some kind of metal weapon. The first two to step into Hideki's reach are armed with long metal harpoons. As they attack, Muramasa catches the light and reflects a malevolent looking purple light for a moment. Hideki take a step forward and slashes in front of him in a wide arc. Muramasa slices clean through the two harpoons without losing much momentum at all. It bites into the sailor's chests, creating deep gashes that gush blood. Unrelenting, Hideki quickly takes a few steps forward and brings down his katana on a third sailor. The man tries to put up his weapon to deflect the attack, but the blade just goes straight through and nearly completely slices the sailor's head in half vertically. On some kind of instinct, Hideki spins around and catches the blade of the fourth sailor with the flat of his katana. He pushes the man back and duck beneath the fifth sailor who attacks from his side. As he ducks he sweeps his katana, taking off the man's leg just above the knee. Coming back up, he stabs his katana upward. The tip catches the sixth sailor in the chin. The sailor is frozen for a second, his hands above his head as he was trying to bring down a heavy metal hammer on Hideki, but was stopped in his tracks by Muramasa now going in through his throat and coming back out the back of his head. Hideki retracts the blade and turns around again, facing the guy he pushed back while the sailor behind him collapses to the ground. After witnessing what Hideki has done, the final sailor panicks and just rushes straight at him. Hideki easily sidesteps the attack and counters with his katana. The sailor takes a few more uneasy step before he falls over. Or more precisely, his body falls forward and his head falls backwards.

With the deck slick with salt water and blood, our three companions come back together. They face the upper deck together.

"You allright Ed?", Otsu asks.

"Oh, sure, sure. It's just a flesh wound. I've had worse.", Ed answers, breathing heavily.

"Fools. Useless, pathetic peasants. I suppose one shouldn't leave a warriors job to such swine."

The samurai descends onto the lower deck, followed by the buddhist priest. The priest is chanting a mantra, and his staff begins the glow with and amber light. The samurai flourishes his naginata.

"This is as far as you come. I'll make sure to feed the fishes with your worthless corpses."

What will Hideki do next?

[NRDL]

Throw knife at priest, then duel the samurai. 

[vishdafish]

Throw the knife at the priest and tell Ed to fire at the samurai, if he is still alive, finish off the samurai with Otsu.

[Pancaek]

((I must have started writing this update at least three times over the last couple of days, and every time I either fell asleep or something else came up that required my attention. Guess I'm awful at keeping any semblance of an update schedule. I'm also playing with the idea of turning this into a straight up CYOA with 3/4 different possible actions per turn, so that I have more control over the flow of the game. Hmm. Chime in on this, I'd like to hear some opinions.))

Turn 31

Unnamed Atakebune

For a tense moment, Hideki and the Samurai size eachother up. Hideki changes his grip on his katana, and the samurai goes from holding his naginata off to the side toa  two handed grip in front of him. Everybody is quiet, waiting for the other to make the first move. Well, everyone except Ed, who is trying to get his pistols reloaded in time for the fight. These matchlocks take a moment to reload, unfortunately.

Taking the first attack, Hideki throws a knife hidden inside his sleeve at the priest.

"Ed, shoot!", he yells, readying his katana for his next attack.

"I'm trying! Nearly there!", Ed yells back, putting a fresh ball in the barrel and just about to stamp it in. Looks like Ed won't be able to make the first attack.

Hideki then decides to make the first move himself. He throws the knife hidden in his sleeve towards the priest and steps towards the samurai to attack, seeing that Otsu is also stepping forward from the corner of his eye. The samurai proves too fast for Hideki's plan, as he uses the full reach of his naginata to deflect the knife going for the priest. He then completes the swing towards Hideki, who deflects the blade of the naginata with his katana.

Otsu closes in on the priest, but just as she comes in range the priest finishes reciting a mantra. His staff flows with bright energy for a moment before he unleashes a blast of fire. Otsu and Ed are thrown back violently. Otsu attempts to block some of the attack by crossing her forearms in front of her. The sleeves from her tunic burn away, revealing that she has the same crimson tattoos on her arms as she does on her face. She is thrown with her back against the railing, splintering the wood. Ed did not see the attack coming as he was reloading, and also gets thrown back. He falls face first on the deck. The priest taps his staff on the ground, making the little bells jingle, and begins reciting a mantra anew.

Hideki, having just deflected the naginata, goes in for the attack. He gives three consecutive overhead slashes, but the samurai manages to get the pole of his naginata up just int ime. After the third strike, the samurai pushes Hideki backwards before he can get another swing in. Taking advantage of the sudden increase in distance between the two of them, the samurai uses some quick stabbing attacks. Hideki dodges two of these and deflects the third with his katana. Instead of going for another attack, the samurai goes with the deflection of his naginata blade and spins around, catching Hideki in the leg with the back end of the pole. Hideki becomes unbalanced and falls against the side of the ship. The samurai attempts to stab Hideki, but his naginata stops just in front of Hideki's belly. Both Hideki and the samurai look back and see Otsu, her clothes heavily burned but her skin surpisingly untouched, holding the back end of the pole. She has a fierce look on her face, a trickle of blood coming from her mouth.

This is probably the best opening Hideki will get, even though he's not in a super good position to take advantage of it. How will he take advantage of it, before the samurai reacts to Otsu's presence?

[NRDL]

Slash the pole of the naginata just below the blade, sever the stick from the pointy end.