Samurai: Lost in the time Rift 2.4

2.4

Luckily for him one of the slaves was near Teishin when it happened but shock overcame the slave who could not shout out. It was Sori, who called out to him to joined them in the packing that shook him off the shock. He turned to run towards his so called leader and did his tasks without any saying on what he saw.

Meanwhile for a branded coward, Teishin Buke fought hard against his captors restraint. He felt for his katana, but it was too long to draw, and so he focused on the tanto ( small dagger ) that he kept on his left sleeve. He reached for it and slashed at the hand which held his left forearm. The creature cried out and let off the hold causing Buke to fall on his side. During that fall, his other captor also lost balance and both of them fell to the flooring. Once Buke hit the ground, his samurai training came into mind as he jumped up and kicked at the fallen figure. It was a wild kick but he got the mark on the captor face causing the other to screamed out in pain. Buke had then stood up with his legs braced for combat and his katana drawn then. He cannot see far in the semi darkness and then he had also trained to fight with a blindfold. He closed his eyes and focus his mind to the other four senses. He had to lower his breathing to slowed the heart palpitations, and await his opponent moves.

"Buke, your mind is your eyes!' His master, Odu-san shouted out to him many time in training when he had forgotten those words. But not this time.

Alone and tired, and above fear of being eaten alive; the samurai in him surfaced as he thrust the blade to the rear and felt it cut into some flesh. The creature at the rear screamed out in the eerie sound that Buke lost his concentration. It was paid with a heavy blow on the left shoulder by something hard. Buke went down but he did it rolled on his back so that he can avoid the next blow. It was a jujitsu move that he deployed and once back on his left knee, he swung back with the blade felling the cut onto flesh.

"Hai!" Buke shouted out as he rolled to the left before stepping up. He opened his eyes and saw the injured creature there with a bleeding wound on the lower torso and then the other cut on the right thigh. It was the same creatures that attacked the campsite. There was one other who had laid on the ground with gaping wound on the forehead; that could be the one that fell with him.

The Teishin held up up his katana in front of him and await the charge by the creature. It did with the raised mallet but it did not see the rear attack by the Gunso Mita with the yari thrusted into its lower back and then pushed upwards with twist to the left shoulder. Bloods spilled out as the blade cut in deep and the creature arched back in pain. It was then The Teishin plunged his blade into the belly of the creature.

"The belly of any beast is its weakest point." Odu-san reminded him many times. "Go for it like the act of seppuku, and you would killed the beast."

The blade held by the Teishin sliced across the belly and spilled out the innards.

"Are you fine,Teishin?" Buke looked up to see the Taisa asking on his condition. So the samurai still remembered me as his superior. Buke nodded and pulled out his blade.

"I would live to fight another day." Buke replied and then turned to the rear to throw out the undigested rice cakes. This was his first real personal combat and he had won. Taisa Mori saw the samurai clearing his fear there and he moved to joined the Gunso.

"Join me when the Teishin had recovered." Taisa told the Gunso who nodded. As the Taisa walked back to the campsite, he remembered his own personal bout. The first one was against a mad monk who was rampaging the temple. At that time, the Taisa was a Hohei and had accompanied the Lord's young son to the temple. The monk was slashing the temple devotees with the long handle sickle when madness overcame his mind. He had killed three ladies when the Hohei confronted him/

"I am Juno Mori, samurai. Lower your weapon or prepare to die with it." The monk was beyond care as he charged at the young samurai. Juno then braced his feet and drew out his katana. He held the blade with both his hands and said the prayers to steadied his hands. He remember his master's instruction; oncoming force can be deflected with the softness of the counter force.

He did with his katana deflecting the sickle at the upper handle and pushed it off the intended track while his body moved to the side with the right leg moving back in to act as anchor to tripped the charging monk. The monk fell and Juno swung his blade down on the back of the monk's neck. It earned him a verbal lashing from his master later for the wasteful killing.

"You need not take his life. You had won and yet you killed him. What makes you any different from his action?" His master told him. "A life is precious in this world. Learn that and be a better warrior."

His master did not see his fear then as later he drowned himself in sake to hold back the shake on his hands. He remembered every details of the move, and saw the blood that spurts out. But the master was not without a follow up on his disciple. He comfort the young samurai with more words of wisdom and encouragement. He taught him one lesson which he would always remembered.

"A samurai had to do the killings as its his way of life. But pacify yourself, that every time you kill, say them a word of prayers for their spirits to go in peace. That would pacified both yours and theirs."

Soon he was get into more fights but he hardly killed or maimed his foes unless the situation warrants it. When he does, he spoke a word of prayers for them he killed. That act of benevolent caused him to banished here when he did that to an enemy of the Lord.

"A good samurai with the skills, but you practiced restraints in the kill, which made you redundant in my court. I cannot have the enemies surviving to avenged on me again. Nor can and would asked for pardon." With those words, Juno Mori was sent here.

"Did you find your Teishin?" Edo asked of him. Taisa Mori nodded and moved to see to his other samurai. He noticed the slaves are armed with pitch forks taken from the dead farmers. Sori saw him looking and walked over.

"Edo-san offered us these. We would fight now at your side as equal." That statement angered the samurai who slapped the other.

"When I released all of you, you were all our equal. Holding thay pitchfork does not make you any superior, than you were before." Taisa Mori told him off. Sori who then dropped to his knees and begged for forgiveness but the Taisa was beyond listening as he walked off.

Gunso and the Teishin had arrived back and the group was back to its complete strength.

"Bento-san have advised of a breeding site not far in front. If that is truly what it was, then we may had a way out of this place. Pack up and we would proceed to this location." Taisa Mori told the group.

"Hold on, Taisa. Did the two see the way out or was it your own assumption? I know you are living on the hope we can leave here but we do not blindly pursued death without a reason." It was Iza who questioned the Taisa.

"I suggest restraint, Taisa." Edo stepped forth to add his caution to the proposed action. "If there are any young ones, then there would be its adults. And possibly protective mothers."

"If its, then let it those which we can fathered." Iza spoke up in a mocking tone. The farmers behind laughed but not Fudo who stepped up.

"Fools! To think with your manhood shamed me. I have seen these creatures that hatched from the eggs." Fudo spoke up. "They are as deadly as they are young."

That toned down the mood of the group as they all listened keenly then. Iza asked again of his question; was there a way out.

"Yes. I saw it then." Fudo spoke up while pushing his way out to meet the Taisa. He looked towards Bento. "Tell them samurai. You saw it too. The way out."

It was Taisa Mori who gave the command.

"As said by me. We are marching to the breeding ground. Prepare the balance of the sake into smaller containers. We may be in need to burned them. But our main target is to get out of this dark cavern. If we find that, we would leave the cavern."