You wake from your sleep to an unpleasant surprise.
Namely, an asleep Blake laying on top of you.
This is a problem for you because of two reasons. The first is that you are currently in your own tent and Blake is supposed to not leave Weiss'.
The second is that Blake is currently naked which some people may not see as a problem.
Weiss' meticulous but gentle care has erased all signs of captivity from Blake's lithe and toned body. All the scars and bruises which littered the catgirl's pale skin has healed up without a trace. Her black hair is no longer a tangled mess, covered in dirt and muck but instead has become soft and smooth like the finest silks.
Blake, much like Weiss, is beautiful.
She is also feral and dangerous. As in 'you would have to check if she mauled anybody on her way to your tent' dangerous.
And she is currently curled up on top of you.
You grasp Blake by her shoulders and try to gently push her to the side.
In response, she sinks her claws into your right arm.
After making sure Blake is still asleep and is not about to tear your face off, you pry her claws out with your free hand. Then as you move your free hand back to your side, your hand accidentally brushes against the sleeping catgirl's back.
"Purrrr..."
Suddenly getting an idea, you stroke Blake's back, gently moving your hand all the way down from between her shoulder blades to the base of her tail.
Blake shudders in response before rolling aside.
It takes a couple of minutes extracting your arm from under the sleeping catgirl but you manage to free yourself. Then you turn to Morena who has been watching all of this and send her to get Weiss.
Keeping an eye on Blake, you check your wounded arm only to find that claw marks have already healed without any trace except some dried blood.
Guess your Aura has finally grown enough to do some work.
After shrugging on a shirt you sit down next to Blake and wait for Weiss to arrive. As you wait, you can't help but stare at the fluffy pair of ears sitting atop the catgirls head.
Before you know it, you find yourself stroking the top of her head, between the ears.
"Purrrr..."
And that is how Weiss finds the two of you.
Weiss is not happy to learn that Blake not only left her tent but also ruined her cloak.
She is relieved when she learns that her friend did not maul anyone to death. That still leaves the fact that Blake not only managed to sneak out of her tent in the middle of the night but she also managed to sneak into your tent.
To be honest, you are a bit rattled as well since you count yourself a light sleeper and Blake still managed to lay down on top of you without waking you up.
"Guess all is well that ends well?"
Weiss shakes her head, "This could have easily ended with either Blake or someone else getting hurt."
"What are we going to do then?" you ask as you finish equipping the last pieces of your armor. "We can't watch her through the night, we need to sleep as well."
Blake, having awoken at some point during the conversation, watches you and Weiss with curious eyes. She tilts her head when Weiss glances at her.
"I... I don't know."
"Well, we have a whole day ahead of us. Hopefully, we will figure something out by the time we set up camp again."
Weiss leaves soon after, leaving Blake in your care. You have been on the permanent catsitting duty for a while now as you are one of the two people who can rein in Blake. Weiss is the other person but since she is busy leading the expedition, it falls to you watch over the feral catgirl through the day.
You usually take Blake away from the main body of the expedition since she tends to get violent in the presence of others. This means you spend most of your days with only the feral catgirl to keep you company.
It is...
...quite tiring.
You thought that 'herding cats' was just a saying but you understand now the meaning behind it.
Blake tends to be very energetic in bursts where you have to rein her in and quite lazy the rest of the time which is when you either have to drag or carry her.
Thankfully, she is very light. What she isn't however is slow which makes chasing after her when she decides to play tag with you a very exhaustive affair... for both of you except you end up having to carry her for nearly the rest of the day afterward.
Today ends up no different.
You walk into the camp at the end of the day with a sleeping catgirl at your back and your clothes all soaked in sweat.
"Long day, Wolf?"
You turn to the side and find Ezra with a friendly smile on her face sitting on a stack of crates.
"Watch duty?" you ask her, feeling Blake shift in her sleep.
Ezra sighs, "Yep. Got six whole hours of sitting around and staring at sand."
You don't envy her. One upside of catsitting duty is that you no longer have to bother with watch duty shifts... Or at least you didn't need to until Blake decided to sneak into your tent.
"I will try to sneak you a cup of coffee."
"You are the best."
"See you later."
"Yeah. Take care."
You find Weiss inside her tent, going over inventory reports. She raises her head as you step inside, giving you a worried look.
"Did she cause any trouble?"
You shake your head, "Nothing aside from usual."
You walk past her and place Blake down on her empty bedroll. When you turn back, Weiss has vacated her chair in favor of leaning on her desk and facing you with her arms folded.
"How was your day?" you ask Weiss.
"Fine. How was yours?"
"Exhausting," you groan before grabbing a chair plopping down on it. "Blake saw a dune lizard and chased after it for a couple of miles. When I finally caught up to her, she decided it was time for a game of tag."
Which incidentally caused you to miss lunch, unlike Blake who decided that reptile meat was good enough to eat.
"Is that why you two were missing during lunch break?"
"Yes."
"I see."
There is a bit of silence as Weiss turns her gaze to the sleeping Blake while you reach for the water cup sitting on the table. Once your throat has been wet, you turn your attention back to Weiss.
"So, did you come up with a solution on how to handle our catgirl problem?"
"...I have a couple of ideas."
You patiently wait for her to elaborate.
"I really don't want to resort to a collar and leash."
Which would make reining in Blake during the day so much easier.
"I also don't want to drug her every night."
You nod. Drugs tend to build up an addiction not to mention the detrimental side-effects of overuse.
"Then what is our best option?"
Weiss blushes, averting her eyes, "Well... you could..."
"I could what?" you ask, raising an eyebrow.
She hesitates for a moment before suddenly blurting out, "Youcouldsleepwithme."
It takes you few seconds to parse that sentence. Then it takes another minute to figure out that no, Weiss is not asking you to have sex with her, rather she is asking you to share her tent.
You of course don't let this golden opportunity pass you by.
"That is rather forward of you, Weiss."
The blush that lights her face is a beautiful sight to behold.
"T-that's not what I meant!"
The red of her cheeks make for a rather sharp contrast with the rest of her pale skin. What is more, this is the first time you see such an embarrassed expression on Weiss' face.
She looks really cute like this.
Gathering her composure, Weiss gives you a furious scowl, "Since Blake seems to like you for some reason I am asking you to sleep in my tent so she doesn't wander off at night."
"Feeling jealous?" you egg her.
She scoffs, "Not at all."
"Well, since you are so nicely asking," your tone becomes suggestive, "I guess I can keep you company through the night."
"I regret asking," she bemoans, her cheeks still red.
When you turn in for the night, you find an extra bedroll set for you in Weiss' tent.
At the opposite side of the tent lies Blake's and Weiss's bedrolls. The former lies empty and the latter contains the two girls snuggled up to each other under a blanket.
Which kinda explains exactly whose fault Blake's habit of sneaking into other people's beds is.
Silently, you strip your armor, leaving you with only your undershirt and pants. Then you crawl into your new bedroll and, after taking one last glance at the sleeping girls, go to sleep.
You wake up to Blake attacking your toes.
Over the following nights, you swiftly learn to tuck your feet underneath your blanket whenever you go to sleep.
You still wake up with Blake on top of you some days but having a feral catgirl with superstrength sleeping on top of you is nothing compared to said catgirl interrupting your sleep by clawing, and biting in one particularly embarrassing instance, at your feet.
On the plus side, your growing aura handles the scratches Blake inflicts, healing them all up without a trace.
Your days are busy with catsitting Blake. What little free time you get, you either spend sparring with Morena or in the company of Ezra and Nines.
Fortunately, you only have to guard your toes for a week after which the expedition reaches Sho-Battai.
You notice there is a notable lack of wretches around Sho-Battai which means Lord Nagata's men must have recently purged the undesirables loitering outside the walls. Experience tells you that it will only take a few months for their population to replenish.
After all, the Empire has no use for crippled slaves.
At the city gates you are reminded that Weiss does hold the rank of a trader noble as the guards immediately clear the way once they identify her. She doesn't even need to bribe them, the guards simply fall over themselves to please her.
Once inside the city walls, the expedition heads for the Schnee Estates. Crowded streets slow the convoy's pace down to a crawl and mercenaries, who are all eager to finally get paid, are none to gentle in their attempts to clear the way for the pack animals. On multiple occasion a fight threatens break out between them and armed bystanders only for Weiss to defuse the situation through words and bribes.
Through all of this, you remain with Blake. The catgirl reacts very negatively to the city environment, becoming skittish and hostile. She hisses at anyone passing close by and it is only your grip on her that prevents the feral girl from running away or attacking someone.
Thus it comes as a relief for everyone when the expedition finally reaches the Schnee Manor and its journey comes to an end.
The Schnee Manor is a large, blocky, three-story building made from stone with a small, empty courtyard in the front. Each floor of the building is smaller than the one underneath, forming two balconies on the right side of the building that are connected to each other by a stair.
Overall, the manor looks like a stephouse glued to the side of an oversized stormhouse.
The whole compound is encircled by a fence topped with barbedwire. While it wouldn't hold against a determined assault, it is sufficient to keep people out and separate the estate grounds from the rest of the city.
Inside the courtyard, Weiss is greeted by a group of servants. A few quick orders from her sends sends all but one, a middle-aged scorchlander, to assist with unloading the pack animals.
"Wolf, this is Ato, my seneschal. He manages the manor while I am away on a business," she introduces the man to you before turning to face him. "Ato, this is Wolf. He will be my personal retainer from now on, as such I want the staff to treat him with respect and obey his commands as if they were mine. The girl next to her is Blake. She is dear friend of mine who is suffering from a sickness. Under no circumstances are you or anyone else in the staff approach her without the presence of Wolf."
Ato gives you and Blake an inscrutable look before nodding, "It will be as you ordered, Lady Schnee."
"Good. Now, is the payment for the mercenaries ready?"
"Yes. I sent Miu to fetch the letters."
"Letters?"
Three of you turn to face Jezka, who marches up to you with a furious scowl, "I thought we were gonna be paid in cats!"
Blake hisses at the woman, her body going tense. Jezka ignores the catgirl and you, instead glaring at Weiss who calmly meets her gaze. The other two squad leaders, lured in by the commotion, come to a stand by Jezka's side.
"The amount of cats you are owed would be difficult and unsafe to transport. Letters would allow you to withdraw your payment from the bank directly," Weiss explains.
"I don't give a shit about that," Jezka snaps. "We were promised cats, not some scraps of paper. Pay us what we are owed!"
Weiss turns to Markov and Noff, "Do you two feel the same way?"
"No offense to you, your ladyship, but we would also prefer to be paid in cats," Markov answers politely with a nod from Noff to indicate his agreement.
"Very well then. Ato, have servants go to the treasury and collect the agreed amount from there."
Ato grimaces at that, "About that, Lady Schnee..."
"Yes?"
"Treasury do not have the required amount."
Turning to face the seneschal, Weiss frowns, "Explain."
"Well, we haven't been able to draw any money from the account you set for household expenses ever since you left," Ato informs her, averting his eyes in shame. "As such, we had to spend from the treasury."
"I see."
"I am truly sorry, Lady Schnee," Ato apologizes, his head bowed.
"Don't, it's not your fault."
Blake growls again as Jezka takes a threatening step towards Weiss. Having to hold back the feral girl, you are unable to move to Weiss' defense as the merc captain walkes up to her.
"Well, that is nice and all but what about our money?" Jezka sneers, looming over the shorter girl.
"You will get your payment," Weiss states, unfazed by Jezka's attempt at intimidation. "I will visit the bank and personally deal with this issue. Until then you are welcome to stay in the manor. Ato will handle your accommodations."
Jezka glares at Weiss in response, unwilling to backdown. But before she can push her luck, Markov puts a hand on her shoulder.
"Lets not jeopardize our pay."
Jezka scoffs, "Fine."
With that, she turns around and marches away. Markov and Noff each give Weiss a polite bow before following after their fellow squad leader.
Valentine joins you soon after.
"Having problems?" she asks Weiss after glancing at the mercenaries.
Weiss lets out a deep sigh, "Probably my rivals acting out in my absence. I will sort it out once the pack animals are all unloaded and stabled."
"I assume you also wish to extend my contract?"
"That is correct."
"Then I will need a proper workplace."
"There are empty rooms on both the second and the third floor. Pick whichever one that suits you and tell Ato to have your equipment brought in," Weiss tells her then turns to face you. "Wolf, go with her and have Blake settled down in my room as well. It is on the third floor with along my personal office."
You nod and the four of you -- Valentine, Ato, you, and Blake -- head inside the manor.
The Schnee Manor is rather bare and small compared to the manors of other nobles you have been to before. That said it also doesn't house an army of servants and its walls aren't covered with gaudy decorations as is the case with the other nobles. As such, Schnee Manor actually feels a lot more spacious and in your opinion is more tastefully decorated.
You note that most of the servants around bear slave brands though none of them carry any collars. That none of them are underfed and/or have bruises clues you to the fact that they are all ex-slaves. Considering what you know of Weiss, it is little wonder they all choose to work under her.
Ato leads you through the manor and up to the second floor where Valentine claims the largest empty room for herself. Then the group moves up to the third floor.
"This floor belongs to the Lady herself. Servants don't come up here except to clean," Ato explains as you exit the stairs. "Lady Schnee's room and office are on the right side. Left rooms are empty and the door right ahead leads to the balcony."
You nod then send Ato away. With no one else around except Valentine herself, you can finally let go of Blake and set her loose. The catgirl immediately takes the opportunity to explore around, leaving you alone with Valentine.
After locking the door to the stairs so that Blake doesn't escape, you and Valentine move to the balcony. Outside, the sun still rests high in the sky, and a quick look at your watch reveals that it is early afternoon.
There is little conversation between the two of you while you wait for Weiss.
You lean back against the railings surrounding the balcony, keeping an eye on Blake as you rest in the companionable silence. Valentine occupies one of the two empty sunbeds set under cloth shelter, lazily lounging on it in a way that is meant to provoke you as much as it offers her comfort.
The sight of her distracts you in a very enjoyable manner.
It also makes you miss Weiss when she finally arrives. You become aware of her when she lets out a surprised shout after Blake ambushes her with a pounce. You immediately rush inside, thinking that a repeat of what happened back when you first found the catgirl is about to occur.
Much to your relief, you see Blake playfully wrestling with her friend instead of trying to maul her. Amused laughter escapes your chest, alerting Weiss to your presence.
Turning to you with a put-out expression, Weiss says, "When you are done laughing, I would really appreciate a helping hand."
With a smile on your face, you walk up to the catgirl straddling Weiss and begin scratching her behind her left ear. Blake immediately leans into your touch, allowing Weiss to get out from under her and climb back onto her feet.
"Blake I knew would die of shame if anybody saw her acting like this," she muses with a melancholic expression on her face as watches the two of you.
Not having a good way to respond, you simply pet Blake a little bit more before walking out to the balcony with Weiss. Your friend raises an eyebrow at the lounging form of Valentine. Valentine smiles in response, a seductive challenge that Weiss refuses to take. Nonetheless, there is a blush dusting her cheeks as she takes a seat at the edge of the other sunbed while you return to your place by the railing.
"Unpacking is all done," she declares before turning to Valentine. "My servants have carried all of the medical equipment along with your personal belongings to your room."
Valentine nods in response before shifting her body a little bit to give Weiss a better view of her cleavage. Latter swiftly averts her eyes, turning them on you.
"I will be leaving for the bank in a few minutes. It will be up to you to keep this place safe while I am gone."
"You are not taking me with you?" you ask, feeling tense.
"No. I need here in case any of the mercenaries decide to cause trouble," she answers before her eyes move towards the balcony entrance.
Following her gaze, you come eye to eye with Blake who is peeking out from behind the doorframe.
"Blake-" the catgirl turns to stare at Weiss at the mention of her name- "also needs someone watching over her as the last thing I want is her escaping or hurting somebody."
You don't like the idea of Weiss leaving the safety of the manor without you by her side but you understand why she wants you here. You are the one person she trusts completely and you know that she holds the wellbeing of Blake above her own. Plus, if push comes to shove, Weiss is capable of outfighting the most and outrunning the remaining few.
"I still don't like this."
She gives you a confident smile, "Don't worry. I can take care of myself."
"I know," you tell her.
Weiss stands up from her seat, "I should be back by sunset, perhaps a couple of hours later depending on the size of the mess awaiting me."
You let out an unhappy sigh before nodding your assent.
"I will talk to you when I return."
"Stay safe."
Barely an hour after Weiss's departure, the Schnee Manor comes under attack.
By the time the sound of screams and combat reaches your ears, the attackers have already made their way past the courtyard and are inside the building. You walk out to the balcony to check what is going on and see a group of archers shooting down servant trying to escape from the manor window.
The armor they wear is distinctive enough for you to easily recognize who they are which leaves figuring out why exactly Lord Nagata, the ruling noble of Sho-Battai, is attacking the Schnee Cartel.
You are about turn around march inside when you hear the muffled sound of footsteps behind you.
You pivot on your right foot and neatly step out of the way of a blade thrust aimed at your spine. Before your assailant can recover his footing, you punch him in the throat with your right hand.
He falls down and starts choking. You get a good look at him while he is desperately clutching at his collapsed windpipe. Wrapped in a dark cloak with cloth armor underneath, carrying short swords crafted with quality steel...
You are facing the imperial ninjas.
And you know that those operate in four-man squads.
As is the case now as the comrades of the ninja you have disabled reveal themselves one by one by dropping down onto the balcony from the rooftop.
In response, you draw your own sword.
The ninjas you are facing employ a basic but solid tactic. One guy pins the target while others flank.
The problem, in this case, is that you are far more dangerous than they think you to be. The brief window in which one of them is facing you on his own is enough for you to eliminate him.
Or it would have been if you had been using your nodachi which unlike your katana has enough weight to force through a parry. The katana you are wielding is much lighter, thus your opponent is able to divert your first swing away from his guts.
Your second swing carves a deep gash into his chest, dealing your opponent a grievous wound but it is not enough to take him out of the fight.
Before you get a chance to correct that mistake, his two comrades attack and force you on the defense. From that point on, you find yourself under constant assault from three different directions. While your opponents are weaker individually, their teamwork makes up for all their deficiencies. Whenever you get an opportunity to attack one of them, the other two force you back.
Yet, their numbers and teamwork aren't enough to get past through your defense either. As such, you find yourself in a stalemate, a situation that favors your enemies as they only need to occupy you long enough for the samurai to finish slaughtering everyone below.
Then it would be you against a whole army.
But then again, you are not alone. There is someone that the ninjas forgot to account for and they pay for that mistake heavily when Blake enters the fight.
The catgirl, having remained unnoticed by both you and your opponents, pounces on the wounded ninja from behind. Her momentum forces the unfortunate man to the ground where she swiftly ends his life by severing his spine.
His two comrades immediately react without hesitation, swinging their blades at Blake, one aiming to sever her neck, while the other aiming to piece her heart.
But just as they swiftly adjust to the appearance of the feral girl, so do you and swiftly intercept both with your own sword. From there, the stalemate is broken as the fight becomes two on two and swiftly reaches its end.
Exploiting the freshly opened gaps in their defense, you manage to wound both of the remaining ninjas heavily. Blake finishes off the female one by tearing her throat off.
The third ninja upon seeing the last of his comrades die, and rather messily at that, attempts to disengage and escape. It only makes him an easy target for you.
Rather than ending his life, you disarm him then knock him out. It will be bothersome carrying his body around but you have some important questions that you want answered.
Now, you just need to escape the Schnee Manor.
Which is easier said than done since you also have to take care of Blake.
The catgirl might have come to your aid in this fight but the fact remains that she is still feral, evidenced by her attempts to eat the corpse of the ninja she has just killed despite your refusals. You can fight or you can herd Blake but you can't do both at the same time.
You need a way to make Blake follow you and stick close.
You grab Blake by the arm and haul her onto her feet.
She lets out a loud yowl followed by a hostile hiss, clearly displeased by your rough treatment of her. Both reactions are that of an animal, but if you are to get out of the manor alive, you need the human Blake, the one that you got a glimpse of back at the World's End deep inside the Last Hope outpost.
'Wolf, the girl I know is in there somewhere. You saw it too. She just needs our help. That's why we must treat her as the person she is rather than the animal she acts like.'
Blake tries to claw at your face with her free hand. You catch her wrist before her nails can reach your cheek. Yet, even if you hadn't, the most you would have gotten would have been a scratch.
And you know that she is capable of tearing your face off.
So rather than sedating her with tranquilizers Valentine has given you, you decide to listen to Weiss.
"Blake," you call out her name and stare the catgirl in the eyes. "I need you to listen to me."
She doesn't visibly react but she doesn't attempt to break out of your grasp either. Taking that as a good sign, you continue, "We are in danger. There are people coming to kill us."
Blake stares back at you and you see no signs of comprehension on her face. What's worse is that sounds of combat from below are beginning to intensify. It is only a matter of time before the attackers overwhelm whatever meager defense the mercenaries can offer.
"Weiss entrusted you to me."
That gets a reaction from the feral girl. You see a spark of recognition in her eyes, the same as back when she was under the Last Hope's care.
"Weiss?" she mutters as if almost questioning.
Elated, you grasp onto the thread of humanity Blake just displayed.
"Yes, Weiss! She told me to protect you. But we have to escape now and go someplace safe," you tell the catglrl, who tilts her head at your words. "I need you to follow me. Can you do that?"
She tilts her head at that and you can visibly see her trying to comprehend and she...
"Follow... Wolf?"
She succeeds.
"Yes. Follow Wolf."
You descend the stairs to the second floor with swift steps.
There you find Valentine holding a bloodied knife with two dead samurai at her feet. The rest of the floor is empty save for a few panicking servants who rush past you to cower inside one of the rooms. It looks like that the bulk of the attackers haven't made their way past the ground floor, yet.
Guess mercenaries are putting up a fight despite being caught off-guard. Still, they won't last long unless you go down and give them a hand.
There aren't any words spoken between you and Val. Both of you understand each other and the situation the two of you are currently in.
Thus, two of you head downstairs.
What you find there is a violent and chaotic melee between the surviving mercenaries and the attacking samurai. You lose little time tossing off the unconscious body of the Ninja you have been carrying aside and ordering Blake to stay back.
Then you join the fight.
Your first swing misses its intended target when an allied mercenary gets thrown its path, forcing you to divert the blow. Your opponent takes advantage and strikes back, thinking you wide-open. You reposition your sword, parry, then gut the samurai with your return swing.
Another samurai rushes at you to take the place of his fallen comrade. You slash open his throat and sever his spine with a single cut.
Your third opponent doesn't even get a chance to resist before you carve him from hip to shoulder.
The fourth one barely gets enough time to comprehend the deaths of his comrades before you bury your blade in his chest, piercing right through the heart, killing him instantly.
It is then both the mercenaries and the samurai battling all around you become aware of your presence. Seeing four of their number slain in such a swift manner gives the Samurai a pause. Mercenaries meanwhile take heart at your arrival, feeling the odds turn in their favor.
For a moment you stand still, a silent challenge to any who dares to face you.
It is met by a warrior clad in decorated plate armor, the leader of the attacking samurai. Stepping out from between his bodyguards, he draws his katana and you can't help but notice that the blade lacks any fault or blemish, clearly the handiwork of the famed Scrapmasters of Catun.
"I am Onigawa! The Blade of Lord Nagata," he declares himself before pointing his weapon at you. "You, Ronin, will fall to my sword."
In response, you meet his eyes and raise your own sword in a dueling stance, blade horizontal with its tip pointing at your opponent, while everybody else clears the area around you.
Onigawa strikes first with a thrust aimed at your throat, right at the gap between your chest plate and helmet.
His blade moves with such speed that it would have been a killing blow against anyone with lesser reflexes. Yet, Onigawa is facing you.
You lower the tip of your katana and sneak it under your opponent's sword. With a twist of your wrists, you hook Onigawa's blade and throw it off-course, leaving him wide open.
You swing downwards, a continuation of the movement you started with your wrists. A loud screech fills the air as the edge of your blade grinds against Onigawa's armor. Your strength sends Onigawa off-balance and you strike him two more times before he can bring his sword back up.
If it hadn't been for his armor, the so-called Blade of Lord Nagata would have been dead thrice over. Instead, he survives with shallow wounds and damaged pride.
"You... You filthy Ronin!"
Furious, Onigawa immediately retaliates. To his credit, his form is without fault and his swing is fast and precise. He is not however strong enough to break your guard.
You push him back with a shove and follow up with a diagonal swing. Onigawa's armor protects him once again, your sword harmlessly sliding off its steel plates. He blocks your second swing, meeting your strength head-on once again.
Two weapons clash with a loud noise which sets everyone's ears ringing. Your arms strain as you find the force of your own strike reflected back at you through your shaking sword, preventing you from pressing the attack.
Your foe takes advantage but is not fast enough to catch you off-guard and you promptly take back the initiative.
Realizing that he can't outmatch your strength, Onigawa adopts a defensive stance. Any strikes you manage to land only leave scratches on his armor. Onigawa's attacks can't get past your guard either, resulting in a stalemate.
Which favors Onigawa.
While you are sure that you can outlast your foe, time is not on your side. You need to finish this duel and drive the remaining samurai out of the manor before reinforcements arrive or you will risk being overwhelmed, something your opponent must be aware of as well.
As such, you put more and more strength behind your blows in an attempt to break Onigawa's guard. He resolutely weathers them all, putting up a defense that stubbornly resists your attempt to break it.
Your arms begin to tire and the edge of your katana's blade starts to acquire chips.
Your offensive turns reckless.
A heavy, overhead swing manages to open a gap in Onigawa's defense.
Seeing a chance at victory, you follow it up with a straight thrust, intending to skewer your foe's guts. He hastily scrambles back in an attempt to dodge but missteps and twists his ankle.
Yet Onigawa's flailing saves him in the end, causing your blade to miss its mark, and instead of dealing a killing blow, it simply slices open a gash at your foe's side.
And having overextended, you are completely left open.
Onigawa capitalizes. Even with a bad ankle, he is fast and skilled enough to strike back before you can pull back. Once again, his form is without fault. Much like you, he aims for a killing blow to finish the fight. Unable to bring your own sword to bear, you try to step out of the path of your foe's blade.
Onigawa's katana cuts through your armor and reaches the flesh beneath. You grunt, swallowing a scream as your foe's blade carves a deep wound into your chest.
Yet despite the pain, you can still move and fight.
Onigawa has failed.
And you don't give him another chance.
Your sword flashes. Once... Twice... Thrice...
The armor of your foe finally gives in, allowing you to return the favor and unlike Onigawa, you manage to cut deep enough to reach internal organs.
You see Onigawa's eyes widen behind the visor of his helmet. He then coughs, spraying blood out from the mouthpiece of his helmet. He takes a step towards you, sword held limply at his side.
Then he collapses to the ground, dead.
There is a moment of silence where everyone stares at Onigawa's corpse, watching blood slowly pool underneath it.
The next moment, all hell breaks loose. With a roar, mercenaries throw themselves at the remaining samurai, emboldened by your victory. Utterly demoralized, most of the samurai conscripts break and run. The few brave ones are quickly overwhelmed by the mercenaries who chase the remaining conscripts to the entrance where they bottleneck themselves.
What follows is a one-sided slaughter.
The two elites who accompanied Onigawa instead charge at you. Perhaps they realize they have little chance or it might be very well that Nagata might be in habit of executing those who run from a fight. Regardless, the two decide to take their chances against you.
Their swords never reach you.
Valentine takes out the first one with a kunai thrown with enough strength and accuracy to punch through his eye socket and stab deep into his brain.
Blake kills the second one... with a tanto knife.
She runs at her target with the knife in hand, her movements graceful and precise. She drops on all four to dodge a horizontal swing aimed at her torso before springing back up onto her feet and jamming her knife into the man's throat. Unlike all the times you have seen Blake fight and kill, this time she has done so with a jarring display of skill and discipline, giving you a glimpse of the warrior she has once been.
With no immediate threats left, you take a second to breathe and assess the situation around you.
Mercenaries have finished driving the samurai out of the manor. Few overzealous ones even attempt to chase the conscripts who make it outside only to get perforated by the enemy archers outside.
Still, you have managed to repulse the enemy samurai and it should take some time for the Nagata's men to muster for another assault. You should have time to prepare and perhaps interrogate your prisoner.
Then, you can decide on how to get past the forces blockading the manor and find Weiss.
Arc 1-4 COMPLETE
Slain Onigawa, The Blade of Lord Nagata. (1 WS, 2 STR Catun-forged katana)
Helped Blake regain a bit of herself. (3 FEL)