Samurai Lost in the Time Rift 3.3

3.3

The two slaves that appeared back in the campsite were in tears and sweats as they reported to the Taisa. They told him of the outpost build to the rock wall and may be an exit of this cavern, but Sori stayed back to check the place. Taisa Mori immediately asked the group to packed up and move immediately.

"Did you see the outpost?" Fudo asked one of them. The other nodded and rushed off to carry the supplies. Fudo was not convinced. He ran up to Edo and spoke to the leader.

"Slaves are known to lie. They do that to get favors." Fudo complained but Edo ignored him. He was also slapped to joined the others in the march to the outpost. Meanwhile Taisa Mori was conferring with Gunso Mita.

"We have identified six creatures. Assuming that they are only six of them, but we have to be careful. The last battle had four deads and one wounded." Taisa Mori sighed but Gunso cheered him up.

"In each fight, we learned and we fought better. We would not lose more than four the next time." Gunso patted him on the forearm. "The slaves now joined us and we have more men."

"No! We need to ambush and trapped them. That way we have less to death to contend." Taisa Mori gestured to Edo who approached the duo.

"Edo-san, do your farmer know how they catched the bears during the spring?"

Edo laughed, and replied.

"Don't we all do?" The farmers captured them to move them away from their farms or orchards.

The group of twenty five men; nine samurai, ten able farmers with one wounded and seven ex-slaves, all stared at the outpost structure by the rock wall. The sight that greeted them was not six creature but eight; all armed with weapons. Sori was not seen there and they are concerned if the later had been killed or worse devoured.

"Do you have a plan?" Taisa Mori asked Edo who shook his head.

"We have no wood to build the cages to trap the bears. Here we have are boulders and rocks." Gunso kicked at one large rock at his feet and hurt himself. Taisa Mori looked at the ceiling and then at the flooring. He noticed the rocks here are different. They are some narrow spiral looking ones on the flooring; broken off due to erosions or movement of the ground. He reached down to picked up one small piece and noted that it was heavy.

"I have an idea." Taisa Mori told his men.

It was a long wait but a fruitful one. Four of the creatures have taken off into the dark cavern. That leave four behind of which two have gone inside the structure. The trap was set to go into action. It took courage for Bento to be the bait; he walked out of the cover dressed in his fundoshi.

The two creatures saw him. He looked at them and turned back running to the cover.

They gave chase to the cover of the rocks.

The first one through tripped on the vine that was pulled taut across the path. Once he fell, the group of men rushed forth with three of them holding each a spiral rock formation, and stabbed into in the lower back of the creature. The three men then pulled back the spiral stone before lunging with it onto the injured back, while others have joined in with their pitch fork or yari on the head and neck.

The other was more careful did not tripped but fell on being thrusted the yari at the back of its knees. When it fell forward, the men had the spiral rocks to bring it down hard on the back of the skull.

It was soon over but the screams of the two then wounded creatures brought out the other two from the infrastructure. They could not find the guards but were greeted by the charging of twenty five raging humans with long length weapons in their hands.

"Aargh!" One of the them screamed out when an arrow pierced its right eyes but as it was pulling it out, its belly was sliced open by the Taisa. More followed suit with their weapons to thrust at the wounded creature. The other one managed to swing the mallet hitting one of the farmers on the side of the face. At the same time, Gunso had his yari thrusted into below the swinging arms at its upper ribs, and he twisted the yari to make the wound more deeper into the heart location. Edo was also there to assist as his naginata found the spot to slashed with vigor; the back heel of the creatures. It fell down and Bento there to thrust the katana into its thorax and sliced upwards to the jaw.

"Into the structure! Hurry!' Taisa commanded the men with two of them hand carrying the earlier wounded one. He saw Edo looking at the fallen farmer from the mallet. The farmer was dead on impact but Edo still needed to say his final prayers. Once Taisa joined them, he was shocked when told those who came in earlier and searched the structure.

"Taisa, there is no way out." Gunso told him. "We are trapped."

"Gunso, get them out. We retreat back to the earlier place. Take what food and water you can find." Taisa gave the order and then rushed out. Edo stood next to him and they had the same concern; how far are those other four creatures.

And where is Sori.

"We are cleared,Taisa." The Gunso shouted out.

Both the leaders followed close behind and just in time as the other four creatures came rushing back.

The creatures saw the dead farmer and the guards. One of them stepped forth to checked the bodies. It was the same one who ordered the hunting group earlier in the other cavern. Its name was Senior Leader Tut and it called on the one it trusted; Satui who escaped the battle at the lower cavern.

"Satui, the slaves had followed you here." Tut spoke out in the language that only they can understand. "They are more formidable than any we have ever met."

"What are your command, Senior Leader?" Satui asked of the leader.

"Bring in fresh warriors. Let the Council know too. Mount a search in here, and captured them." Tut gave the command. "You two, stand guard here. Do not move on anything."

Tut stood there as he thought of the time they had such an incident where a large group arrived and the fight was intense. Many of them died but their numbers overwhelmed the resistance. They placed them in the pit and watched them starved. Once they had died, their bodies were removed to the handed to the Guardians. They will feed the young for sometime. His senior perished in the battle and he was moved up the ranks. Once a young warrior but now he command them all as Senior Leader.

It was Fudo who ran the wrong way and too far, until he reached the pit. He almost went over if for his silly feet got tanged up to fall on his face. He got up and heard the whimpering sound. He recognized it as the voice of Sori.

"Sori-san!" Fudo called out and listened. He called out again and the voice answered him back.

"Here! I am here." Sori replied and had gotten up to jumped on his feet. Fudo looked down and saw the depth was more than two man's height, and he needed assistance to get the slave out.

"Hold on. Do not shout anymore. I will get the others." Fudo spoke out and ran off to looked of the others but the other does not want him to go.

"No! Come back. I do not want to be alone...." But the voice of Sori was ignored by Fudo.

Not for long as the farmer was soon tossed in like a bag of vegetable by Satui who bumped into him near the pit. The farmer was no match alone against the creature who grabbed the thrusting yari and tossed it aside. He then pulled the farmer by the arm and flung him against the rocks. The farmer tried to get up but the creature him onto him; grabbing him by the left leg and pulled him towards the pit. He tossed the man in and went back to his tasks. Fudo landed on his back and broke his left thigh, but he was still alive. Sori came to his assistance but the farmer was in pain to reply.

"I failed you, Slave." With those words, Fudo fell into unconsciousness.