15 Years. It had been 15 long years of hardship and perseverance. 15 years since Tamako and her younger sister, Yui, had witnessed their Mother be murdered by the savages from across the sea. 15 years since Tamako said goodbye to her sister and began training with her Father, Levi, to become a proud Nobushi, and after 15 long, painful years, she had earned the right to call herself one. There had been many trials along the way. The longing she would feel for her sister and her mother and their days spent farming but now she had the means to defend herself and the rest of her family. Tamako was now a Nobushi.
Tamako found herself staring out of the window of her quarters in the garrison and into the training yards below where she sacrificed blood, sweat and tears in order to become the person she was today. She had still never seen a real battle but that would change soon enough. Whether it be from the ever increasing presence of the Blackstone Legion to the west, or the frozen savages to the North, the war would once again find its way to her, just as it once had 10 years ago.
She mused on this as her door slid open. She snapped out of her thoughts and turned around to see her Father standing in the door way. Tamako immediately stood and bowed to him. "Captain." She said, delivering all the respect that was due of his ranking in the military. Levi smiled at his daughter.
"It is alright, Tamako. No need for such formalities in private." He said. Tamako eased at his words and stood up. He walked further into Tamako's room and looked around. On the table in the corner of the room, lay Tamako's Nobushi mask, still in the process of being painted and leaning against the wall was her Naginata, a Nobushi's weapon of choice. And at the head of Tamako's bedding was a small shrine with her sisters and her mother's name written on it, burning with incense. Levi gave a weak smile before remembering the task at hand. "I have received new orders from the generals. Now that the next generation of warriors have been trained, we are to move to Fort Shimada to help boost its defenses."
Tamako nodded and bowed. "Understood, Father. When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow, come the rising of the sun." He said back.
"I shall make my preparations."
"Good, good." He said turning to leave but stopping short. "Tamako, I am so proud of you and seeing the warrior you have become, your mother would be as well. And though I have been unable to hear from the Shinobi, I know Yui is proud of you." Tamako's expression grew softer as she approached her Father and hugged him.
"Thank you, Father. I am so proud of her as well." She said in the embrace. After a few moments, the two had separated and Levi left. Tamako knelt down at the shrine and offered a final prayer before putting out the incense.
True to the plan, the garrison had left for Fort Shimada at dawn the next day, arriving within the day. They passed many rice fields and farms along the way, giving Tamako a nostalgic feeling. They arrived at the fort within the next day. The Fort served as a bridge over a wide valley in the Mire and was a key point in traversing from the beaches to the Imperial City. It had recently endured a raid by Viking Invaders and was left vulnerable and Levi's forces were there to fix that. Tamako settled in quickly and continued to train as a Nobushi.
Months had gone by without so much as knock on the door, peace and complacency becoming the norm. Amidst her duties and her training, Tamako had made new friends, a man named Ryu, an Orochi, A Shugoki named Yomo and a girl called Hana, who was in training to become a Kensei, a Sword Saint. Together they would practice and study as well as eat and laugh together.
One day, when Tamako was heading to the hall to eat dinner, the bells had sounded. This signaled an oncoming attack at the Fortress. She Immediately turned around and ran to her room to find her effects. She grabbed her Naginata, tied on her helm and looked down at her mask, now fully painted and finished. This wouldn't be like last time, this time she wouldn't be helpless. She put on her mask and ran out, awaiting orders. She bumped into Hana as she ran and together they met up with Ryu and Yomo in the main courtyard where they awaited orders from Levi. They assumed defensive positions at the gate as the Vikings, with their sheer brute force, smashed it open. Tamako swore that they would make it no further. With a cry, she and her friends ran out to face the invaders, cutting them down with her Naginata. The fighting had grown all around them as the Vikings continued to try and take the Fortress but the Samurai, proud and stubborn, would give them no quarter. After what seemed like hours of fighting, the Samurai had pushed the Vikings back towards the gate and out of it. Now few in numbers and seeing their own defeat, the Vikings retreated back into the swamp. Levi, at the front of his forces ordered for none to be left alive as the Samurai charged out of the fortress and into the swamp.
The Samurai were arrogant in this maneuver. Thinking they had won, they had mindlessly charged into the swamp and to their surprise, there was much larger force, larger than the ones they had just fended off waiting for them. Taken by surprise, the Samurai were cut down in number but bravely fought on. Tamako was in a fight with a woman wielding two axes when a fierce blow landed in her face, destroying her mask and knocking her to the ground. When she thought she was done for, Yomo charged in, picking up the woman and breaking her spine. He looked down at Tamako and before he knew it, an axe head had split Yomo's skull in half. "No!" Tamako screamed as her friend fell to the ground and the raider behind him laughed at his kill. "You have no honor, savage!" She roared as she broke the Raider's guard and kicked him to the ground before plunging the blade of her Naginata into his throat, bringing him a slow and painful death for murdering her friend, but not just for that, for her mother as well. "Sonata ni shi wo (I give you death)." She whispered as the light left the raiders eyes.
Her victory was short lived, however. She looked up and saw her allies being slaughtered as her own forces dwindled and the Vikings seemed to grow larger. She looked around her as the presence of death grew stronger but her resolve did not weaken. Her grip on her Naginata tightened as she raised it to meet the oncoming forces. As one jumped at her she screamed as she thrust her blade towards him but she never felt it cut into his flesh. At that moment, all the torches that lit up the night had been put out almost simultaneously so that all anyone could see was darkness. "Am I dead?" Tamako thought to herself but was soon brought back to the land of the living at the cries of someone who was leaving it. She heard the wind whip past her and saw the sparks that came from steel against steel as her only light. There was panic amongst the enemy as they were being slaughtered by the demons in the darkness. Tamako felt blood splatter against her and felt an object roll against her feet but stayed still knowing that if she moved, she would die. Amongst the foreign words of the savages and the sound of corpses hitting the earth, the torches were reignited and the first thing she saw were the Vikings running away. She had no idea what had just happened but thanked the gods for this victory. But suddenly an axe sliced her arm. It didn't become embedded but it made her bleed profusely. She clutched her arm and saw one last Viking charging her with its axe raised ready to strike and all Tamako could do was watch. But suddenly, the berserkers arm was caught, wrapped up in a chain with a sickle attached to the end. The berserker was pulled back to who the weapon belonged to, a figure covered in clothing that only revealed their eyes. It buried its two sickles into the Vikings shoulders and slashed at its throat with accuracy that Tamako had never seen the likes of. The Berserker stood ready to fight again but the figure kept slashing at its throat. One strike, two strikes, three strikes, as fast as lightning and as accurate as a surgeon hit the Berserker's neck and then suddenly its head came clean off. Tamako watched as the head rolled towards her and the figure was standing with its back faced to her. After a few moments in awe, the figure walked over to Tamako.
"Are you alright?" It asked, extending a hand to Tamako. Tamako took it as she was hoisted to her feet. The figure was strong. Tamako looked around and saw her brothers and sisters in arms regrouping and recovering with the help of these concealed soldiers. Tamako looked back to the one in front of her and looked into its eyes and in them she saw something familiar, something that reminded her of home. "No, it couldn't be." She mumbled as the figure stepped back. The figure removed its helm and Tamako gasped.
"It's good to see you again, Older Sister." Yui said, revealing herself to be the Shinobi that had saved her sister's life and part of the surprise force that saved their entire operation. Tamako felt the tears welling up inside her eyes and immediately ran into Yui, giving her a bone crushing hug to which the younger girl tensed up at. She wasn't as fragile and squishy as she remembered but she knew it was her. They drew away from each other and looked at each other once again when they noticed Levi, watching them, not being able to believe what he was seeing. Yui and Tamako both stood smiling at their Father. "See, Dad?" Yui said. "I'm a Shinobi now." Levi's lip quivered as he marched towards them, pulling them both into his embrace. They remained like that for a long while. The Samurai around them went about their business, as the family did so. They were whole once again, but now they were all warriors. All Samurai.