Episode IV
A day after facing Demongo Ashi has come out of the forest and entered the countryside. It was very scenic, green fields everywhere, but something stood out. She saw smoke in the distance and rode her horse to it at a fast pace. While she was on her way to the smoke something was going on in that area. The smoke was coming from a destroyed town, none of the townspeople survived but two samurai who helped defend it. A man wearing blue shitagi and hakama, and possessed a scar over his right eye. The other samurai was a onna-bugeisha and she wore a black shitagi and hakama. They were on their knees in front of five warriors in samurai armor, the ones who destroyed the village.
"You failed to defend this town and your lord is now dead. Now you are ronin," said the leader.
The man with the scar clenches his fist at what the leader said.
"But since we follow the way of the samurai we will allow the two of you to regain your honor," she said.
The two ronin look up to her wondering what she had meant. The leader then grabs two sheathed tantos (Short blades) from behind her and throws them in front of the ronin.
"Pick up those blades and commit seppuku," she said, "If not then we kill you, robbing you of your chance to regain your honor."
The two ronin unsheathe the blades the blades and stand up in a fighting stance. This surprises the leaders soldiers.
Calmly she tells the ronin, "Then you will die without hon-"
An arrow hits her in the head killing her, the point of the arrow sticking out of her mask. Her dead body falls onto the ground and the six look to see who the attacker was. They see Ashi charging at them on her horse with a bow in hand and another arrow ready to be fired.
One of the soldiers pulls out a pistol and fires it. The bullet hit the horse in the chest causing it to fall with Ashi on it. The soldier throws the gun away as reloading it would take to long and pulls out his sword.
"The princess takes priority forget the ronin," he said encouraging the three other to kill Ashi.
"Now's our chance to run Hamato," said the onna-bugeisha.
The man with the scar, now known as Hamato, looks to the warriors charging to the fallen Ashi and said, "No we need to help her Mei."
"Why," asked Mei.
"She saved our lives and for that we owe her our lives," said Hamato.
Ashi was struggling to get out from underneath her dead horse and sees the four warriors charging for her. But then she sees two of them get impaled by spears. She sees that the throwers were Hamato and Mei. The two then engaged the remaining two warriors with their tanto blades in a fight. The two had to hold the blades backwards so they could use them more effectively. The two were faster then the warriors since they didn't have any armor on. Hamato dodged several of sword swings his opponent made and then makes s side step from his opponents next swing and then stabs the hand the warrior has holding his katana in. The blade went right through the warriors hand causing him to drop his sword and cringing in pain. Hamato uses this distraction and slices the man's throat killing him. Mei was on the offensive with the warrior she was fighting. She and the warrior then lock blades. Mei sees the warrior's pistol, grabs it without him seeing, and shoots him in the stomach. The warrior the falls over in pain and profusely bleeding to death. Mei and Hamato turn to see Ashi kneeling over her dead horse closing it's eyes and then gets up to face them.
Mei says, "How long were you free?"
"Long enough to see you two defeat those soldiers," said Ashi, "I had a feeling that the two of you would win."
The three introduce themselves while at the same time Ashi had buried her horse and the ronin got back the green armor they had early.
"I have a long journey to Edo, and with my horse dead it'll be even longer," said Ashi.
"Crowned Princess, if it's any trouble we wish to serve you," asked Mei.
"Why," asked Ashi.
"Our lord died defending this town alongside his other warriors," said Hamato, "My wife and I are now ronin as such we have no master to serve now."
Ashi closes her eyes and thinks about it for a while. Traveling in a group will allow more supplies and be able to fight off attackers at a faster pace. On the other she doesn't know much about this warrior couple, but even though they failed they fought to defend this town from Takeshi's men. She then had an idea to see if she should take them in as her own warriors.
Ashi draws out the sacred point and says, "Move your finger alongside the edge of this blade. If your are an innocent the sword will not harm you and then I will be master."
Hamato and Mei look at each other confused but nonetheless they comply and do what they were told. They were not harmed and were therefore innocents.
"You are both deemed innocent. I will now be your master and you will serve me in the fight against Shogun Takeshi," said Ashi.
The three then continue on the road to Edo to put an end to Takeshi's Shogunate.
Inner sanctum of Shogun Takeshi, Capital City.
Takeshi's shadow birds had delivered word of Demongo's death and Ashi's new companions. The Shogun looks to the red circle wondering what to summon now to kill Ashi or delay her.
"If I can't have her killed the best I can do is delay her until the planetary alignment to complete my grand design," said Takeshi.
He then uses his magic to create an image that displayed many of the demons within in the Pit of Hate.
"One of these demons must be able to hold her off long enough for time to work with me," said Takeshi.
He looks through them all and comes across one that might be able to do the job and smiles.
"Yes this one has destroyed many lives on both this world and many others," said the Shogun.
He raises his hands and begins a chant to summon this demon.
"From the dark recesses of the Pit of Hate I summon forth..."
To be continued.
