Chapter 4: Arise You Who are Abused
"Thieves or bums?" Yoichi asked looking at the smoke rise above the tree tops, it had been so long since he felt the calling of a fight. Although he wasn't too sure if he wanted to fight or he just wanted to see the splatter of blood.
"It's the village across the forest, where the strange ones live. You know, the ones with the long ears that brought you here. They're called 'elf', or so what Takeko calls them", Oda said dryly watching uninterested as the smoke rose even higher. Before Oda could say anything else Toyohisa made a dash for it, running towards the aflame village. Oda widened his one good eye in surprise as Toyohisa took off. Toyohisa's running form slowly disappearing through the darkness of the trees.
"Ah! Hey! Wait! You're going?" Oda called out to him, still surprised at his eagerness to find out what was beyond the forests. He himself had little interest in the strange ones, neither did Takeko. All she did at most was watch from afar on the tree tops when she had nothing else to do. It was only Yoichi who took it up for himself to learn their strange language.
"I have no idea where I am or what's happening, whether this is a dream or reality. That's why, the only thing I can do is charge in!" Toyohisa yelled as he ran forward, his sword was already drawn out as if he knew of the impending fight that he was about to face. With only the moonlight to guide him he weaved in and out of the trees towards the village of strange ones. He could feel the same calling which enticed him time and time again. It was a calling he could deny, and each time it took him tumbling towards Death.
"…That fool. Even though he was just on the verge of death. That guy, with a bullet or something", Oda said with frown but after a moment passed he shared a knowing smile with Yoichi. The two looked at each other for a moment and without saying anything both of them moved out.
"Alright!" Oda cried out grabbing his matchlock, by his side Yoichi took out his bow and the both of them began to run after Toyohisa. Takeko was still sitting on the blankets whilst slowly stretching her body, her eyes following their disappearing forms.
"Why do they go looking for trouble?" Takeko mumbled as she got up and left to retrieve her own weapon. She was in no rush, she didn't want to fight anyone, she was on no bad terms with anyone and neither did she have any ambitions. She didn't have that fire passion which those three possessed. And so she moved at her own pace.
"Slow. You're slow, Oda Nobunaga. What's wrong, Demon King?" Toyohisa said mockingly with a sneering grin, Oda was undoubtedly slower than the two men who ran several meters ahead of him. Oda scowled as he tried to pull his knees higher up, he couldn't help being slower, he was at that age where his body began to deteriorate without his own willing.
'Shut up! I'm already in forties stupid", Oda said while panting. It had been a while since he moved so vigorously and he had already begun to sweat.
"Toyohisa-dono. Your age?" Yoichi asked while running beside him.
"Thirty", Toyohisa stated with a sharp voice.
"What of your age Takeko-san?" Yoichi asked turning his head behind only to notice that there was no-one, "Eh? Where is she?" Toyohisa and Oda both looked around searching for the maiden only to find darkness and trees.
"I'm twenty-one", Takeko called. Yoichi looked up to see her jumping from tree branch to tree branch, her eyes never looking away from her next branch. But every now and then her legs would wobble from the thinness of some branches. The three men's initial surprise quickly wore off considering they had already seen some outrageous scenarios in their life.
Yoichi pumped his fist into the air with a triumphant grin on his face, he was younger than all three of them being only nineteen years old.
"What's with that smug and victorious look!?" Toyohisa shouted at Yoichi, suddenly feeling irritated by his mocking smirk.
"Heeheehee", Yoichi laughed even harder, his smirk widened even further.
"He's completely different from the Genji's war record", Oda said with a wide grin. All of them immediately stopped talking realising the incoming footsteps, from a distance two young children came running towards them. The children upon seeing the men began to shout out at them, however neither of the men could understand what they were shouting out about. Right behind the two children a horse and its rider reared up, the riders gleaming silver blade was all they needed to know. An enemy, two men followed the horse with their swords also brandished out.
Takeko stopped at one tree and gently jumped down but remained hidden. Toyohisa sped up, he ducked down at the very last moment though and from behind Oda had his matchlock aimed right at one of them armed men. Time stood for one moment, there was this almost inaudible click of the trigger, a resounding bang followed as smoke rose from the barrel and a small glistening ball rocketed through the air. The riders head shattered, shattered shards of metal flew in different directions, and explosion of blood painted the nearby trees and ground. Everything happened in a moment and no-one but the Drifters knew what was happening.
The horse reared up in fright, the now dead rider was flung back, the body crashing onto the floor and crumpled underneath the mares hooves. The mare anxiously looked around and pawed the ground with its hooves and once it saw a chance to escape it did so, however Takeko ran after the disorientated horse keen on keeping the horse for their purposes whatever it may be.
Toyohisa took control of this confusion, this was his chance, and his would allow no-one to take it away from him. He ran, dragging his blade behind him, the long sword created great deep grooves in the earth and dust trails. The children stopped in their footsteps, their attention captured by this one man. With one great leap his flew for a moment.
"Hey there brats", he said with a smug grin. Upon landing in front one of the men he swung sword at a terrifying speed and cleanly cut the man in half by the torso. With no hesitation he swung around to pivot his next strike at the remaining man, an ear-splitting clang could be heard as the man barely was able to block to blade, the man's arms trembled from the shock and was surprised by the immense strength that the red clad warrior had.
"Give me you head! Give me your head! Come one!" Toyohisa shouted at the remaining man, he continued to push down harder. The man shouted something out at him but Toyohisa had no clue on what he said, he gritted his teeth in frustration. "Drifters! From the ruins! I don't understand. I have no idea what you're saying. Speak in Japanese! If you can't speak Japanese, then just die", Toyohisa scowled at the soldier and with a final shove he cut through the blade and relieved the man of his head. The head flew past the two elven children, the blood splattering onto them.
The two children cried out in shock as they saw the head roll past them. How could the Drifters be so calm after killing the soldiers, how could they be so indifferent to the bloodshed?! Were they next?!
Toyohisa towered the two whimpering children, the children's wide eyes filled with fear stared right up at him. They were afraid of dying, they had already seen so many of their kind die. They were scared, but at the same time mystified, strange men from a strange world. Fear and confusion ate them. Toyohisa stood still before speaking, "Strange ears. You boys saved me right? This time it's my turn", Toyohisa said with a surprisingly warm smile. They did not understand his words, but his sudden change in demeanour and his open smile made them feel differently. This man was truly terrifying, but at the same time he could make such a warmhearted smile. It was strange.
"You okay with those boys?" Oda loomed from behind with a taunting grin, "They don't speak Japanese either. I don't suppose they should 'just die'…" He snickered at Toyohisa who found himself contradicting his own words. Deciding to ignore the Demon Lord he turned his attention back to the elven children.
"'Tasukete~'. 'Please save me!'. Hurry up! Come on, say it!" Toyohisa suddenly yelled at the children, who were oblivious on what he was saying. Not knowing what to do they repeated the one word that the red clad man had continued to say
"Please save us?!" They shouted out afraid for their lives, the children shouted this one more time with no clue what they were saying.
"Problem solved!" Toyohisa yelled right back at them, trying to force the words into their vocabulary.
"He's really forcing it in", Yoichi said blandly edging away from the shouting samurai. Oda as well edged away from the idiotic brat who shouting his lungs out trying to make the children understand on what he was saying.
"What a crazy one sided persuasion", Oda said with a tired face. How did his father deal with such a stupid child?
Oda crouched down to inspect one of the bodies, they are just too well equipped. 'They are no brigades', Oda thought for a moment picking up one of the swords. 'Soldiers, perhaps? Soldiers under the orders of the lord of the fief?' His lips were pulled into a sinister grin, it may not be the same world but all worlds had something it in to take away. 'Fools!' He snickered, 'They are just inviting me to take everything from them', he thought menacingly. He could feel something within him flare up again. something he felt in their world. Something he would never lose of, ambition.
"Takeko!" Oda called, looking around but was only met with silence. "Where did that girl go off to now?" The men shrugged, "Forget it, she will know where we are anyways. Alright. Well then. The village, let's go claim it".
"Setting wheat fields on fire?" Yoichi asked as he watched the fields go up in flames. The smell was really overpowering and he felt there a waste with burning so much food.
"Precisely. Even without any pride, people can live if they have food. Even without any food, people can endure if they have pride. But if they lose both, then they just don't care anymore. Then they just rely on anything they can", Oda said with a sinister smile. He thought about where this idea originated with a smirk. "This was the tactic used in that Honganji rebellion, and it gave me some hell of a trouble. And it's the best strategy to take over the country!" But then again this child was not from his time so he would not be able to understand where he was referring to.
"Fire is really great. It reminds me of the Ise Nagashime! Hahaha!" Oda said while laughing.
Yoichi gave a snort as he turned away leaving the Demon Lord to his own antics, as he lovingly gazed into the burning abyss, admiring his own handiwork.
Toyohisa's body ached, he desired to fight. He wanted the head of the enemy to proudly show off, he wanted the glory of winning a battle. His entire body craved to feel the warm blood splash against his skin and the coldness of his blade slice through his enemies. It was what he strove for, he couldn't care for money, position, land. He would do as he please, no-one could tie him down.
He ran across the burning wheat fields, making light of any flames which tickled his feet as the ground lit up behind him. His sword heating up from the residue heat around him. He finally made it to the village, catching sight of some armoured soldiers, Toyohisa leapt off the ground to gain sudden leverage and in a split second he brought down the blade of his sword and cleanly cut off the head of the first soldier who had run up in an attempt to stop him.
"First man down!" He cheered happily, now onto the next. Toyohisa himself was enjoying himself, despite his wounds stinging every now and then it didn't really bother him. He leapt from soldier to soldier slicing through them with ease and the power of a bull. But in all that time he was doing that he had his eyes on the big prize, the head of the general. Deciding that he had dawdled enough he side jumped right behind the general's back of the soldier's and decapitated a man who was in his way.
It was pure havoc, the soldier's scrambled to get out of the way of the red clad man. His blade dripped heavily with blood and he had a satisfied smile on his face. He stood right in front of the general several meters away who seemed to be shouting some sort of order but the soldier's payed to mind to him.
"Leave you head for me! Did you hear! Leave you general's head! It's a general's head right?!" Toyohisa bellowed, he pointed his finger right at the general with a wide smile planted on his face. If the soldier's did not give him what he wanted then he would do it himself. Now that he was a little calmer he started to take notice of his surroundings, scattered around him were bodies of the long ears. All dead, he narrowed his eyes. Children, men, all were dead. These elve with now weapons to fend for themselves. He was not a big fool not realise that this was their way of displaying power, childish and only a short term means of keeping serfs in control. Innocent only living their lives as they were told killed with no true greater meaning either than being a nuisance.
Toyohisa scowled, putting on a grimace, "How did you dare to do all that? Thinking twice, I don't want your head at all", he had lost his urge to kill this man. He was not worth to kill but neither was he not worth of a death. So he instead he would grant him a death befitting of him, he readied his blade.
The general seemed to talk of something, it was unknown to Toyohisa, but it fell deaf upon Toyohisa's ears.
Toyohisa took the hilt of his blade and rather slice the general up with it, he launched the sword aimed right at the general's face. Right after that he quickly ran forward right behind the blade as it went soaring through the air. As he predicted the general deflected the blade with a sneer on his face, but the sneer quickly turned into shock.
Toyohisa jumped right up into the air just as the general deflected the blade and took hold of the man, plummeting them both onto the ground. "Here I go!" With a wide grin he quickly secured himself above the general restricting his movements. As he sat atop he suddenly felt superior to the general who was just scorning him a moment before, "Heh! Hah. You are nothing". With haste he grabbed hold of his sheath, he posed the sheath right above his face. There were no words needed for what was going to happen. The commander spluttered out something but right before he could finish his sentence Toyohisa slammed the butt of the sheath into his face. Over and over again. A sickening crunch could be heard over and over again as he continued to ram the blunt end of the sheath into his face. Each time he raised the sheath the commander spewed out pleas, threats and anything to stop the pain. But again and again, Toyohisa relentlessly slammed the sheath into his face.
"With the sheath of his sword! That's part of the Japanese armoured fighting techniques! That's mean!" Oda said with a smirk, he had situated himself on top of one of the cottages roof. Watching from above in fascination, that brat was more sadistic than he had given him credit for. He turned at the sound of footsteps.
"Wow…he is scary", Yoichi said jumping onto the roof to stand next to him.
"Did you finish?" Oda said with a cunning smile.
"Yes, there are no more soldiers feeling from this battlefield", Yoichi said wickedly.
"He is scary, but you are scary too", Oda commented with a smirk. "So...I wonder, what will he do?"
Toyohisa slammed the sheath into the general's face several more times before stopping to take a breather. He straightened himself out and cracked his stiff neck from being in the same position for too long. The general managed to say a few unintelligible words, but it was more like as if he was asking for his death. His face had been bashed up so heavily, that you could not even see a slight trace of his original features. Everything had been contorted and broken.
Toyohisa looked around, the elven villagers had gathered around him cautiously. Some others had gathered around the dead elves grieving over their loss, Toyohisa eyed a particular one who seemed to be crying over the loss of his son. He narrowed his eyes and clicked his tongue, getting up and pulling his discarded sword from the ground he strode past the elf people, his walk purposeful. The elven people all afraid of what he was capable scurried away from way, they all shouted out in surprise.
He stopped in front of one, "Kill." Toyohisa held out his sword to an elderly elf who was mourning over the loss of his son. "Kill him", Toyohisa repeated pointing at the general who lay on the ground. The elf still not understand him shook his head in confusion.
"No, you will kill him. You have to kill him. It doesn't matter where we are and who you are. You will have to exact your revenge. This boy is telling you to avenge him!" Toyohisa yelled, indicating to the lifeless body, which he assumed as the elf's child.
They can't understand his words…yet they understand what he is talking Oda thought from above. "Damn that guy…" Oda said with a grin.
The elf slowly took hold of Toyohisa's sword with trembling hands but after a few moments he steeled resolve. The elves around him took hold of the dead soldiers' weaponry and farming tools around them, they too steeled their resolved. They began encircle around the general, an uprising had started. The general seemed to cry out at them, pleading for them to stop but they did not.
"Gaaaah!" A few gurgled screams and a splattering of blood could only be heard.
"Good!" Toyohisa said with a pleased smile, the elves seemed quite surprised to see the man who only moment ago was bashing a man's head of with a rather smile.
"Hiya! Good job!" Oda said coming out of nowhere, and slapped him on the back.
"Hmm? What the hell were you doing? My wounds haven't completely healed you know", Toyohisa said with an irritated voice.
"Wah, so much blood", the voice filled with disbelief and surprise. The elves parted way for her as she tread carefully, trying to avoid the blood. She quietly pulled the horse behind her, "Look at what I got! A horse!" Takeko cheered happily, she petted the horse softly, parting the mane from the horses' eyes.
"You missed out in all the fun Takeko", Yoichi chimed, "You should've seen what Toyohisa did".
She looked around with wide eyes, "No, I don't", she mumbled as she set her gaze up the many dead surrounding them.
"Well, leaving that aside, I bet you are tired. Please have a seat", Oda said to Toyohisa while gesturing at a wooden box. "I intended to sit there…but I will let you sit there instead". Toyohisa looked at him in confusion but complied, as he sat down on the box the Oda and Yoichi stood by his side behind. Takeko herself stood right behind Toyohisa and rested her arms on his shoulders as being a little drowsy from lack of sleep. And in front the elves had gathered in front of them in awe, they themselves did not know why they did so but they felt drawn to these mysterious people from the other world.
"Feh".
Hey, the fourth chapter is out! Yay! I own nothing but my OC and some other bits, but you don't need to worry about that.