Chapter Four: Flight from Chaos
Northwest of Keikoku Army Main Camp
The forests will be host to vengeance tonight. The trees will be painted in the blood of his enemies and the canopy will echoed the cries of the damned. Death was coming to these woods and Lord Keikoku vowed upon the heavens themselves that he would have retribution for the humiliation that accursed ninja had dealt to him that night. For hours, Keikoku and his five accompanying cavalrymen had been tracking the fleeing ninja and the rescued Andero princess through the forests and foothills. The sun was beginning to creep over the horizon, which meant that the fleeing pair would no longer be able to use the cover of night to mask their trail. It did not matter how far or how long they ran, they could not flee forever and when they stopped they would find Keikoku and his men waiting for them.
The little bird had grown to become quite the dangerous hawk. It was due time to put this bird down.
The six horses advanced in two vanguard formations with Keikoku in the center of the rear line. Keikoku wagered that the young Komadori would use the path that keeps a safe distance from the villages loyal to Keikoku and use the non-loyal villages as cover. With this knowledge in mind, along the knowledge of the landscape, it was easy for him to figure out the route most likely to be chosen. If the two abandoned their horses and tried to take refuge in the mountains, it would be easy for Keikoku to surround with his forces and capture the pair. Their only hope was to escape the Owari province and find refuge in the one of the neighboring province that wasn't under Keikoku's control. Komadori and Sutaakaki hoped that Keikoku wasn't after them bad enough to invade any province they entered.
The one thing that Keikoku hadn't counted, however, was Komadori's resolve to see Keikoku dead or dying. Isolated and on the run, all reasoning pointed to the pair fleeing to a safe hiding place. The last thing anyone would expect is the retreating enemy to turn about and attack a pursuer of unknown strength. That, however, was exactly what Komadori and Sutaakaki did. The young lady was not willing at first to attempt such a risky tactic but when the ninja began to make preparations for the counter-attack, Sutaakaki had no choice but to help or continue on alone. She realized Komadori's chances for success would be better if she helped and her chances of survival depended on that success.
Outnumbered three-to-one, an ambush would be their only chance of success of escaping the pursuers. If they struck fast enough, they might be able to lessen those odds to two-to-one and if the heavens truly favored them, they could possibly even the odds before the enemy even knew what happened. All Komadori needed was the right setup.
The thickening forest proved most advantageous to the pair as the dense flora forced their pursuers to slow down and provided an ideal ambush point. The last thing they needed was for the pair to come to a halt.
"My Lord, over there!" One of the cavaliers shouted as he directed the group's attention to a peculiar sight in the distance. Though masked by the dense foliage, there was no mistaking the pair of horses they saw. What was unusual, though, was that the horses appeared to have been abandoned with no sign of their riders.
"Now why would a bird clip his own wings?" Keikoku pondered as the six riders came to a halt around the abandoned horses.
Two of the guards dismounted from their steeds to take a closer look at the pair of horses, discovering that they had been tied to the nearby tree. It struck the daimyo as peculiar that two people on the run would take the time and effort to properly tie up their horses in a spot that would inevitably be found by the pursuers. One possibility did come to mind but would the young ninja really be that daring? Keikoku took a quick look over the troops accompanying him – they were confident but complacent. The recent victories had given his army a bit of an ego and six people did not make an army. A trained opponent would be able to take advantage of such an army.
"One of you return to camp immediately. Alert Lord Chinou and tell him to send a detachment of troops to join us in the search," he ordered, directing it to one of the nearby soldiers who was still on horseback. The addressed soldier simply nodded and hurried off in the direction of the main camp, leaving the other four soldiers puzzled as to their master's orders.
"My Lord, why do you call for reinforcements now?"
Despite all his expertise in warfare, Keikoku fell to one of his most critical flaws – hubris. "Because we've already walked into an ambush…"
From their Lord's words, the soldiers immediately went on guard but as one of the mounted warriors took a look to their surroundings, he came face-to-face with Sutaakaki, who hung from a tree branch by her legs. With one swing of her sword at head level, the soldier was struck down before he could even gasp in surprise. With attention drawn to her, the warrior princess flipped down from the tree branch to land upon the back of the unoccupied horse. Her next target was the second horseback soldier, which she easily struck down by leaping from the horse she stood upon and cutting him down in mid-flight.
Though the two remaining guards were concerned about the threat Sutaakaki now posed, Lord Keikoku was actually more concerned about the unseen threat of the young ninja, whom he did not doubt was looming nearby. The daimyo looked from the princess to his two remaining guards, only to find that they were already dead: one with a throwing knife through his chest and the other still with Komadori's sword protruding through his chest. The body collapsed to reveal the ninja still standing behind him, his brow furrowed in anger.
"Well, it would appear that the wolf has now become the prey," Keikoku remarked as he held his position without even so much as a flinch in response. "Care to dance with the wolf, little bird?"
"You are going to pay for all the lives you've taken!"
"You play the righteous hero so well child…but you have a naïve understanding of the world. You have no idea what I'm doing."
"You are plunging this world into chaos," Sutaakaki snapped back.
"Oh really?" Keikoku replied slyly. "You flatter me. I wish I could take credit for this wonderful situation but even my pride has its limits. If you really believe that, then kill me and see what happens."
"Then prepare to die!" Komadori shouted as he hurled a throwing dagger at the daimyo. The warlord simply swung his double-bladed staff and batted the projectile aside with little effort.
"I hope that was not your best effort," he taunted before the ninja leapt forth. Keikoku kept his distance simply by jumping back and off his horse. This move put him closer to Sutaakaki though, so she charged the daimyo from behind. An attack from behind proved fruitless though as he appeared to be completely aware of her intents, blocking her strike without even turning to face her. He knocked her blade aside as he spun to face her and then knocked both legs out from under her with one low swing from his staff. He didn't forget about Komadori, though, and turned about once more to slam the blunt side of his blade right into the charging ninja's chest. In only a few seconds, the daimyo had already toppled over both warriors and it didn't even look like he was making an effort.
"And to think, I was actually worried for a second," Keikoku taunted once more as he casually stepped back a few feet to ready for the second attack.
"Perhaps a strategy is required," Sutaakaki suggested with a groan as she got back to her feet.
"He's just one man!"
"But so are…you," Sutaakaki said as she tried to stop the overzealous ninja. By the time she had finished her sentence, though, Komadori was already face-first in the dirt once again thanks to Keikoku. Of course, now Sutaakaki had to go and save her comrade and rushed in to divert the daimyo's attention. As usual, though, Keikoku was more than ready for her interference. The expert movements of the veteran warrior parried her blade's strikes. Keikoku played with her blade as if it were completely under his control. Her advantage of speed and agility were off-set by the fact that the few strikes that got passed Keikoku's weapon, which she suspected he allowed, clashed harmlessly off his black body armour.
"You are going to have to try harder than that," the daimyo taunted once more as he sidestepped her downward strike. With a quick, simple swipe, his blade sliced through several inches of flesh across Sutaakaki's bicep. The sharp pain and severed muscles forced her to drop her sword while her free hand clenched tightly over the bloody wound. Sutaakaki panted heavily as she stared at her opponent and into the face of oblivion.
"Feel free to scream whenever you want," Keikoku remarked as he held his staff casually by his side. Toying with her even further, he delivered a powerful kick from the hip straight into her wounded bicep. She cried in pain and collapsed to her knees, unable to move through the burning pain radiating through her body. As she cringed in agony, Keikoku walked to her side and gave her a light kick to her arm again.
"Had enough already? Now where's that warrior's fire that your family is famous for?" he mused as he watched her writhing, doubled-over, on her knees. Giving no answer to him, Sutaakaki was given a swift punt to the face, knocking her almost completely upright.
Keikoku quickly brought his weapon around her, pulling back such that the shaft pressed tightly against her neck. The princess struggled and gasped for even a bit of air as Keikoku pulled up on the staff to lift the girl off the ground. If it weren't for the fact that a certain ninja would likely try to take advantage of the predisposed daimyo, he wouldn't wrung the life out of the girl. Instead, turning to the side and with a quick release, the girl was thrown to the ground – she wouldn't be getting back up for a little while.
"Such potential…wasted on foolish ideals," Keikoku muttered to himself as he focused his attention back to Komadori. The ninja, still high on his yearning for vengeance, charged the daimyo without hesitation. He threw a trio of daggers to distract his opponent while he somersaulted overhead. Once Komadori landed, he thrust his sword backhand in attempt to impale the daimyo. He only heard metal grinding against more metal though with the warlord holding his weapon behind his back once more. Komadori's blade was wedged between the staff's blade and Keikoku's armoured body, keeping it locked in place.
"Tell me ninja, why do you resist me?"
"Because you slaughter innocent people all in the name of your insane ambition," Komadori replied as he kept his sword in place, making sure Keikoku kept his weapon still as well.
"Innocent?" Keikoku remarked rhetorically. "Who's to say who's innocent and who isn't?"
"You burned down a temple with monks and priests still inside."
"Armed monks and priests and they attacked me first. Apparently they share the same misguided sentiment that you and your people do."
"Funny how so many people seem intent on resisting you. Maybe there's some truth to it."
"A million people saying a foolish thing still makes it a foolish thing."
"How foolish can it be to want to stop a madman like you?"
"Because this land needs me. You might be too young to recall but this chaos you think I'm causing came long before I did. It made me who I am and it is the flames of war that will purge this land and allow it to grow anew. You, who resist, only make it worse."
"I'm sure that's what every conqueror thinks," Komadori snapped back as he managed to twist his blade ninety degrees, loosening it enough for him to slide it out with the high-pitched scraping of metal on metal.
Keikoku quickly moved to press the attack, turning about with a wide swing of his blade. Komadori was at a major disadvantage due to Keikoku's superior range; he was forced back from Keikoku by his repeated attacks and though Komadori had dodged each attack, it was impossible for him to retaliate. Komadori managed to deflect a thrust downward, impaling the blade into the earth between his legs and for a brief moment he thought he had an opening to counter-attack. Keikoku, as always, was one step-ahead of the fight and swiftly brought his staff upwards, striking Komadori's inner thigh with the shaft and flipping the young ninja off his feet. Had he been a few inches further down the shaft, Komadori probably would've lost most of his leg by that attack, though his sense of fortune was lost in the fact that he was still staring down his opponent's blade.
"Die with regret little bird," Keikoku remarked grimly as he lifted the blade up.
A short distance away, Sutaakaki was just regaining her senses after nearly having the life squeezed out of her. Her breathing was still labored but she still had some fight left in. With her fighting arm hanging limp by her side, streaked with blood, she knew she'd be next to useless if she picked her sword back up. Looking to her downed comrade and Keikoku standing overtop of him, Sutaakaki felt a burning rage rise through her. Memories of Nagashino immediately rushed through her mind, focusing her fury on the enemy that stood in the distance. A subtle green aura began to surround her clenched fist – a glow identical to the one that engulfed her eyes.
As she realized what was happening, Sutaakaki focused all her violent thoughts into the welling energy in her fist. The aura grew larger and more vibrant with each passing moment until the green glow caught the attention of the daimyo.
"Looks like she's got some heat after all…" Keikoku muttered surprisingly stoically despite Sutaakaki hurling the bolt of energy she had just created. It wasn't very powerful and the bright flash of its explosion looked far more impressive than the attack actually was. However, the bolt slamming into the daimyo's chest sent him staggering back and disorientating him long enough for Komadori to take advantage of the situation. Once more the high-pitch grind of steel on steel echoed through the woods but this time it was the blade of the young ninja piercing through the armour plating of the daimyo.
"I hope you rot in hell," Komadori growled, pressing the hilt of his blade as hard as he could against Keikoku's back.
"Hell holds no surprises for me," the warlord muttered calmly before the withdrawn blade allowed him to collapse to his knees. "Go ahead…claim your vengeance and grant a quick death ninja," he said as he looked up to Komadori, keeping one hand over the bleeding wound in his abdomen.
Taking a slight sense of satisfaction in his victory, Komadori was still unable to remove the angered frown across his face. "After all the suffering you have caused, why should I let you escape from life so easily?" With that, Komadori promptly sheathed his blade and walked away. A deep, penetrating wound to the abdomen was almost guaranteed to be a mortal injury. If the blood loss didn't claim Keikoku's life, then the resultant infections from his injuries would. The question was not about survival, only how long and how painful would his death be. That, in Komadori's mind, was a far better end to the warlord than anything else he could imagine.
Keikoku's last words before he finally collapsed were, "And here I thought…that we had nothing in common…"
The young ninja did not even look back as he walked over to check on his companion, who had saved his life for the second time that day. Though wounded, she was still able to travel. "We should keep moving," Komadori recommended. Sutaakaki simply nodded in agreement and the pair hurried to their steeds to continue fleeing northwest.
"I guess that's two I owe you now," Komadori sighed lightly as he tightened the makeshift bandage around Sutaakaki's arm. Having spent the past few hours fleeing northward with no sign of pursuit, the two decided that it was due time for them to take a short rest and tend to their injuries. Though they were both very tired, only a short rest could be taken.
"Perhaps if you had taken my advice and not charged in like you had I would not have needed to save you again," she replied, wincing only slightly when the bandage was tightened. Once her injury was treated, Komadori took a seat next under a large tree to the right of his companion.
"You're right," Komadori spoke up after a short silence. It was tough for him to swallow his pride as he just had but looking back on his performance, she was right. "I got ahead of myself and I'm…thankful for your help."
"At least we have succeeded in our escape," Sutaakaki sighed with relief. "I…could not have done it without your help. Let us say that we are even." The tension between the two began to settle as they took some time to just enjoy their freedom. Komadori wasn't certain what his next move should be but he knew he should return home to Nagashima just in case Keikoku's army advanced on it even without their leader. Unfortunately, he was heading in the wrong direction for that to work and there was a massive army standing between him and home.
"So…what exactly was that you did back there? Was that some kind of sorcery?"
"Hm? Oh…the green fireball," she replied, feeling a bit embarrassed. "It's a concentration of emotions and body energies into a bolt of energy. All members of my family are taught the technique."
"Why didn't you do that earlier?"
The young girl's face flushed a bright red as her eyes shied away from him. "That…was actually the first time I have actually gotten it to work. My sister is far more impressive with hers."
"You have a sister?"
"Yes…and a brother. I do not know if they are still alive though," she answered grimly. She proceeded to explain the battle of Nagashino and the events leading up to her capture and her chance encounter with the young ninja. She knew that the Andero clan lost the battle but she didn't know if her family and friends made it out safely. "I need to find a way back to Kai. I need to know if my family is safe."
"All I've heard of Nagashino was that there wasn't much left of the Andero's army afterwards. Maybe…I could help you get back to Kai."
The suggestion brought a weak smile to the tired princess, "I would like that very much."
"It's a long way to Kai. There's a shrine not too far north of here; we can rest and gather some supplies there," Komadori replied, wanting to smile in return but the scarf he wore hid it. Somehow, though, he had a feeling that she could tell he was smiling.
"You never told me your name."
"Everyone just calls me Komadori. And you?"
"Sutaakaki."
"You think you could teach me that fireball trick?"
"I'm not allowed to teach anyone outside my family."
"Can't make an exception?"
"Not unless you marry me."
"Heh…I'll have to think about it then."
Several retainers had been waiting outside Keikoku's new tent back at the main camp for nearly half the evening. The top surgeon in the army had been alone with the daimyo ever since he was recovered from the woods. He was alive but the outlook was grim and while most of the retainers were concerned about Keikoku's health, they were more worried about what would happen if their lord were to suddenly disappear. A power vacuum or, even worse, a power struggle in the middle of a military campaign could postpone their operations for years.
Finally, the surgeon emerged from the tent, his hands still stained with their lord's blood. "I have managed to get the bleeding under control but considering the location of his injury, it will likely be infected within a few days," the surgeon reported. "I suggest you send runners to Ketsueki and Ru-Batten to inform them of these events."
"Did he leave any instructions for our forces?" Oni-kun, who stood at the head of the group, asked.
"Just that the army was to continue with the march tomorrow as planned," answered the surgeon before he turned to face three cloaked individuals in the group. "He also wished to speak with you three."
The three men simply, all of who wore long, ornate robes, nodded before they headed into the tent. The interior of tent was empty save for a bed, a small table, and a few candles for light and the daimyo lay in the bed with bloodied bandages scattered all around him. The three cloaked figures stood at the bed's side, waiting for their lord to address them. The man on the left was an aged individual with a thin white moustache and beard and wore a teal-coloured robe. In the center was a younger individual with a small black goatee and wore a black robe beneath his white cloak. The last man was slightly older than the previous but his face was clean-shaven beneath the hood of his white cloak.
"Chang…Jumon…Kei," Keikoku finally spoke up weakly. "Your intellect and skills have served me well ever since I first raised an army. Now I ask you…find the Andero child and that ninja and kill them both."
"We will carry out your orders until our dying breath," the center man, Kei, acknowledge with a deep bow.
"Good…now leave me. I would prefer to be alone when death seeks my company."
"As you wish my lord," Kei answered as all three men bowed once more before departing on their mission.
The tent fell silent once more, leaving Keikoku alone with his thoughts. He watched his shadows against the wall dance with the flickering of the candles' flames. "Is this how my legacy is to end? Not on the field of battle but huddled in a tent…too weak to even end his own life. Who did I wrong in a past life to end up with this fate?"
"Fate, great daimyo, is in your control more than you realize," a deep, commanding, but unfamiliar, voice spoke up. A robe-like shadow rose up along the wall but when Keikoku turned to see who cast it, he discovered that he was still alone in the tent.
"And who are you to speak to me as such? Show yourself," Keikoku demanded. "Has the cold embrace of death come for me so soon?"
"A formal introduction will have to wait but I have been watching your rise to power and have seen your potential." Though Keikoku could not be certain if it was merely his deteriorating condition but it seemed as though the voice emanated from the shadow upon the wall. "And I have come to deliver you away from death's grip."
"Pardon me if I do not jump in joy but I'm sure you'd understand the skepticism of a dying man when faced with a talking spot on the wall."
The mysterious voice simply chuckled before the shadow began to glow ever so slightly, just enough to show that there was more at work than just a trick on the eyes. "Your antics have always amused me. Death shall not be yours today for where your flesh has failed you, daimyo, I shall make anew. In return, there is something of mine that has been lost in your world and you will find it for me."
"Your bargaining position is highly dubious…but the choice between a disgraceful death and a second chance to fulfill my ambitions is not much of a choice."
"Then arise great warrior…and ride forth in the name of ambition! Ride out to Nagashima where a new army awaits to conquer in your name."
Outside in the main camp, activity was minimal at best and morale was at an all-time low. Word of Lord Keikoku's mortal injury had spread quickly through the camp and all suspected that they would continue on with their campaign. Without Keikoku in command, Lord Chinou would likely assume command of the army for the time being…if not permanently. What spread faster, though, was the awe-inspired silence that struck the entire camp population when the soldiers saw their commander stride out of the tent as fit as the day he first rode into battle.
"Get ready to break camp!" Keikoku shouted to his subordinates. "We have a fortress to destroy and I do not intend to keep our enemies waiting on us."
History Behind the Story:
While Oda Nobunaga has been regarded as one of the most brutal figures in the Sengoku Period of Japan, his policies regarding economics helped shift Japan from an agricultural-based economy to one of service and industry. Oda expanded Japan's foreign trade and helped to lay the foundation that would create a flourishing economy in the Edo period.
