Ayame reached the castle. She stood on a hill like indentation, under the
white moonlight that pierced the midnight sky. Taking a brief look at the
map that Eraiyu had given her, she planned her route, looking through the
passages and corridors of Gohda castle by memory.
She let the harsh and cold night wind whip strands of her long black hair across her face, which was pale and delicate, yet at the same time strong and independent. Her black eyes had a fire that burned like wildfire, echoing everything about her beautiful figure, strong and sleek. Hers was the image of an independent and courageous woman. And she would not give up. With that, she took off like a fleeting shadow, nimble and lithe, fast and deadly.
Crouching in the midst of a small grove of arrow bamboo, looking straight at the palace's outer wall. The south outer wall, which she was facing, had a direct secret passage to the dining room, of which had full access to all the secret rooms and passages.
To Ayame's surprise, two guards only guarded it.
'Hah. How Moyotoda even defeated the palace I can't see. Time for some real action.'
These guards were katana guards. Very, very easy to defeat. At least, for an azuma ninja like Ayame.
Running up and purposely bumping into the rear guard, she jumped onto his neck, gave it a quick twist and heard it crack. The guard couldn't even scream. Before the body toppled over with her on it, Ayame jumped off, as silent as ever, did a vertical flip in midair, making her body go head down onto the ground. As she was still about a meter above the ground, she unsheathed both her weapons, with relish, stab them into the dead guard's chest, did a somersault so that she was upright and tugged both kodachis out of the guard, flinging the body so that it gained momentum, and saw it fall heavily on the still unknowing front guard, whose back was turned. The spine of the front guard cracked upon impact, and Ayame simply landed on both feet, noiselessly like a stealthy cat.
Doing a double jump up onto the roof, she looked for a certain tile, of which she pressed down with her foot. Slowly the tiles beneath her started to lower her down into a darkened passage.
'Sigh. Will they ever think of lightings?'
Still, Ayame decided best not to spark up a light, and moved in the darkness. She felt the tunnel go underground, she realised she was travelling below the outside grounds, and soon would be below the building itself.
Soon the passage started to rise, and eventually she came to a dead end. She trailed her fingers across the cool stone, and felt a depression in the sheer rock wall. Pressing it didn't seem to work. The passage was, however, very wide. Standing back, she threw a strong hard kick with her long legs, and immediately a square of the floor elevated upward. She stood on it, and waited until it stopped.
The dining room passage. Following the map she was given, the came to the largest secret chamber, where Lord Gohda was.
Sheathing her kodachis she ran into the room and bowed.
'Lord Gohda.'
'Ayame. I see you have come. Did Eraiyu tell you why I wanted you here?'
'He said something about new weapons.'
'And you fell for that?'
Ayame's head, which was directed to the floor, shot straight up and looked at Gohda.
'If it isn't then what is it, lord?'
'Ayame, meet your new apprentice, Sheoshu.'
Ayame looked at a frail looking young girl who stood next to princess Kiku. Sheoshu? Apprentice? Was Lord Gohda joking?
'Yes lord.'
'She will help you regain control of the castle. You have to go to kill one of Moyotoda's leaders, Komotoya, who currently is the on in charge of the palace. Then search him. He will have the name of another one of Moyotoda's leaders. You will have to extinguish all of them, each time getting the place and area of the next until you find Moyotoda himself. Good luck.'
'Yes, lord.'
Ayame looked up and mentioned to the young Sheoshu to follow her. This was extremely strange to her. She always followed in the footsteps of another, Rikimaru and Tatsumaru. Now she was the leader, and it was new and strange experience. But she held her head up high and carried on.
For Gohda Palace and its freedom.
She let the harsh and cold night wind whip strands of her long black hair across her face, which was pale and delicate, yet at the same time strong and independent. Her black eyes had a fire that burned like wildfire, echoing everything about her beautiful figure, strong and sleek. Hers was the image of an independent and courageous woman. And she would not give up. With that, she took off like a fleeting shadow, nimble and lithe, fast and deadly.
Crouching in the midst of a small grove of arrow bamboo, looking straight at the palace's outer wall. The south outer wall, which she was facing, had a direct secret passage to the dining room, of which had full access to all the secret rooms and passages.
To Ayame's surprise, two guards only guarded it.
'Hah. How Moyotoda even defeated the palace I can't see. Time for some real action.'
These guards were katana guards. Very, very easy to defeat. At least, for an azuma ninja like Ayame.
Running up and purposely bumping into the rear guard, she jumped onto his neck, gave it a quick twist and heard it crack. The guard couldn't even scream. Before the body toppled over with her on it, Ayame jumped off, as silent as ever, did a vertical flip in midair, making her body go head down onto the ground. As she was still about a meter above the ground, she unsheathed both her weapons, with relish, stab them into the dead guard's chest, did a somersault so that she was upright and tugged both kodachis out of the guard, flinging the body so that it gained momentum, and saw it fall heavily on the still unknowing front guard, whose back was turned. The spine of the front guard cracked upon impact, and Ayame simply landed on both feet, noiselessly like a stealthy cat.
Doing a double jump up onto the roof, she looked for a certain tile, of which she pressed down with her foot. Slowly the tiles beneath her started to lower her down into a darkened passage.
'Sigh. Will they ever think of lightings?'
Still, Ayame decided best not to spark up a light, and moved in the darkness. She felt the tunnel go underground, she realised she was travelling below the outside grounds, and soon would be below the building itself.
Soon the passage started to rise, and eventually she came to a dead end. She trailed her fingers across the cool stone, and felt a depression in the sheer rock wall. Pressing it didn't seem to work. The passage was, however, very wide. Standing back, she threw a strong hard kick with her long legs, and immediately a square of the floor elevated upward. She stood on it, and waited until it stopped.
The dining room passage. Following the map she was given, the came to the largest secret chamber, where Lord Gohda was.
Sheathing her kodachis she ran into the room and bowed.
'Lord Gohda.'
'Ayame. I see you have come. Did Eraiyu tell you why I wanted you here?'
'He said something about new weapons.'
'And you fell for that?'
Ayame's head, which was directed to the floor, shot straight up and looked at Gohda.
'If it isn't then what is it, lord?'
'Ayame, meet your new apprentice, Sheoshu.'
Ayame looked at a frail looking young girl who stood next to princess Kiku. Sheoshu? Apprentice? Was Lord Gohda joking?
'Yes lord.'
'She will help you regain control of the castle. You have to go to kill one of Moyotoda's leaders, Komotoya, who currently is the on in charge of the palace. Then search him. He will have the name of another one of Moyotoda's leaders. You will have to extinguish all of them, each time getting the place and area of the next until you find Moyotoda himself. Good luck.'
'Yes, lord.'
Ayame looked up and mentioned to the young Sheoshu to follow her. This was extremely strange to her. She always followed in the footsteps of another, Rikimaru and Tatsumaru. Now she was the leader, and it was new and strange experience. But she held her head up high and carried on.
For Gohda Palace and its freedom.
