Rebuilding

[Oda Nobunaga]

As an act of good will, your Lordship has sent his men out to rebuild the villages in his territory. Work with the men of the village to improve their living conditions. Not only is it nice - you're getting paid to do it!

Objective: Help rebuild the villages in your territory. This can be building or improving huts, helping to stabilize the local market - anything you can think of!

Other things you can do: Gather water from wells, or the river.
Build Wells!
Assist the blacksmith!

Basically, this is an open-ended SPQ, prioritizing assisting the people of any village in your faction's territory.

Reward: +3 Str

Location: Any village in your faction's territory.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

[[OoC: Apparently it's summer in this post. I don't even know. I'm sorry. xD]]

When one couldn't make any money killing people, they had to go about other means. If there were no targets, then she would do whatever was needed to be done, and apparently that was helping rebuild a village.

Katsumi had a very small build, so she was unable to lug around large logs and do extremely heavy lifting and building. But she traveled back and forth from the well to anyone who needed it. Fortunately, her hat helped shield her face from the sun, and sweat dripped down the back of her neck. Dark locks stuck to her flesh, and the woman was drenched, the sun particularly hot this day. It didn't make the job any the easier, but the pay at the end of the day would well be worth it.

She had been working since nine in the morning, and it was late afternoon. The hottest part of the day was over, but it was still pretty warm, and she was tired after working all day, especially since she wasn't used to this kind of manual labor.

After making another trip from the well, the local blacksmith waved the petite female down, and Katsumi made her way over to him. He had a large quantity of blades to make and needed all the help he could get, and offered her a place to stay for the night and a meal if she helped him finish up for the next few of hours. She readily agreed and brought him a few buckets of water, and helped keep the fires hot, and even hammered at some red-hot swords.

By the end of the day after she had her meal which was prepared by the blacksmith's wife, Katsumi thanked the two and staggered into the barn, where she proceeded to climb up to where the bed was there and collapsed on the surface. After such a long day, she crashed instantaneously and slept soundly for several hours. She needed it after all of that work, after all.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Shinomori Katsumi: +3 Str

[Morei Haji]

"Thanks, kid! You're being a huge help!"

"No problem, sir."

I bowed my head as I handed over the rope that one of the villagers had asked for. He seemed to need it as leverage to hoist one of the walls of one of the village huts up. I allowed him to set things up as I made my way around the village, looking for someone else who needed aid. I witnessed a little girl attempting to use the well, and quickly went to her side, grabbing the rope she was struggling to pull. Carefully, I pulled on the rope, allowing the girl to rest as I pulled the wooden bucket from the well, filled to the brim with water. The girl pointed to a hut where her mother awaited, and I nodded at her as I followed behind her, carrying the bucket of water in my hand. I smiled at the woman as I handed her the water, and she thanked me before hurrying off towards another part of the village.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead as I looked around. I had been at this for a couple of hours, though most of the men wouldn't let me do much of the heavier work once they got a look at me, despite my protests. With a shrug, I walked down the village, trying to see where I could next help. I soon spotted a man who was struggling to move some lumber, and I ran up to him. "Hey, need some help with that?" The guy looked at me, not too sure of me at first, but must've figured it'd be faster with my help. He merely motioned with his head over the the lumber lying on the ground, and without any delay, I bent down to pick it up, hoisting it over my shoulder. He seemed impressed that I went for the entire remainder of it, and admittingly it was pretty heavy, but I assured him that I had no issue with it and merely followed him.

The man explained that the lumber would be used as scaffolding for a new residence. Their village's population was slowly growing, and they needed new lodging. It didn't help that as of late, the village was becoming more popular amongst travelers like myself. It seemed as though I wasn't the only one with the idea of traveling the country, but instead I was one of many. The very idea of it, at the least, made me feel less alone. And the people who I met on my journey were generally really kind to me, which made the experience all the more worth it.

Reaching our destination, I set the lumber down carefully in a pile. From there, I proceeded to help the villagers with setting them up in a square as the foundation for which they could build upon. It took myself and one other villager to line up each piece of wood correctly, but in time we had things set up. From there, using the rope I brought to the villages earlier, it was attached to a makeshift wall, albeit a heavy one. A couple of villagers were struggling to pull the wall up, and quickly I ran up behind them and grabbed the rope as well. Together, after much heaving and counting to three, we manage to pull the wall up against the building, holding it place while other villagers began to bind it to the foundation. It was heavy, and took a lot of strength to keep it up, but we managed to hold out in time. Doing this two more times for two of the other walls, the villagers told me that the front would be made differently due to needing an entrance, telling me I could go rest and get some water. I bowed, obliging to their kindness, and made my way over to the woman who took the bucket from me prior.

I was invited into their home, the little girl happily bringing me a cup filled with water, which I drank thirstily. Feeling that cool water quell my dry throat, I felt a lot better. "It amazes me how the people of this village manage to do this so much." I said to the woman, which she gave a small smile in response. "The men of this village are all so hard working. It's needed if we want to continue to thrive in these times." I merely nodded in response to her statement, looking down at my cup. Times were getting harder indeed, especially with threat of a war on the horizon.

I said my thanks for the drink, and the woman offered me their spare room to stay in tonight. I accepted their kind offer graciously, running outside to help with whatever else I had to do. A few villagers pulled me aside to help with the fishing down by the river rather quickly, so I hurried along with them. I stood in the river with them, reaching down and grabbing fish quickly, where we placed them in buckets afterwards. A few of the fish eluded my grasp, but all in all I caught a fair amount. We managed to haul in a few buckets, the village was going to feast nicely tonight.

Returning home, the construction of the new hut was nearly finished. The villagers decided to celebrate after all of our hard work today. And as nightfall was coming, a great fire rose in the middle of town, where the villagers were cooking the fish and laughing and spreading joy amongst each other. Getting to eat with them and share these moments with them made me realize the beauties of life in the small moments. And as the festivities began to die down, I soon found myself returning to the woman's house from earlier. Laying down in their spare room, I fell to sleep rather quickly, exhausted from all of the work I had put in today.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Morei Haji: +3 Str

[Sanada Yukimura]

"Young master! We weren't expecting to see you visit our village!"

"Of course I would visit. It's precisely because I am the son of the top general of Lord Takeda-sama's army, that I must take care of all the villagers all the more. It would be unjust if I am living comfortably, but all of you are unwell."

"Young master..."

Though Yukimura was not the most muscular, he was still decently strong, and without his armor on, he could move much quicker, as he helped the villagers out. Mainly, he would go chop up wood to be used as building material and firewood, working rather quickly but efficiently, and soon enough, he had a neat little pile right beside him. Helping to carry the logs of wood with a few of the male villagers back to the village, he'd then get to work rebuilding the huts that desperately needed improvements. Though it literally was, back-breaking work, the spirits of the villagers seemed to be lifted tremendously, and to Yukimura, it was worth the work. After the huts had been rebuilt and in much better shape than before, he'd then help out with building a well from which they could draw water, as the well they used previously was quite a ways out of the village.

After the hole was dug, using stones they had cut and shaped into bricks, they would begin lifting and putting them in place, while Yukimura would work on building the structure they could attach a rope and bucket to, allowing them to draw the water with ease. With the new well, it also made drawing water for the blacksmith to use all the more easier, and after he had taken a break, with the hottest time of day now passed, he would make his way through the village, seeing what else what needed to be done, before hearing the blacksmith call out to him, asking if he could provide him with some assistance. He needed to fulfill a request of twenty katanas and twenty sets of samurai armor, but had only managed to complete ten thus far. Having always been interested in the crafting of weapons and armor, Yukimura readily agreed to aid the sword smith.

Though the tasks were menial, such as drawing water from the well to cool the blades after they had been tempered and keeping the fires hot, the blacksmith would also employ Yukimura to hammer the blades while they were red-hot. With Yukimura's help, between the two of them, the blacksmith would manage to fulfill the request, and as a token of appreciation, he would teach him how to make katanas and armor. As the day came to an end, though he was exhausted and worn out from the long day's work, the villagers, in immense appreciation for his help, would provide a meal and a bit of rest, before he took his leave, returning back to his home.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Sanada Yukimura: +3 Str

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro had pulled in some pretty big hauls recently, and as such, he really didn't find himself wanting much of anything. He had money, he had food, he had a place to sleep, he was happy. So, he figured it was about time to pay his dues to the people who helped him, the villagers who housed and fed him when he had nothing and had only a little more. Not only did he plan to disperse his earnings, he planned to rebuild the village he frequented in his travels.

To start things off, Takehiro approached every hut in the village and left them all a decent sized bag of coins. He tried to be fair, leaving larger families with a bit more money. He was sure to leave no hut unvisited, and it left a huge dent in his personal income, but he didn't entirely mind. The monetary contributions he was making seemed to put smiles on people's faces, and that was what he wanted. If he was correct, these people now had enough money to last them the next month easily, the next two if they used it sparingly. Though, he wouldn't leave them wanting for that long. He planned to stimulate their income against by this time next month!

When his pockets ran empty, Takehiro immediately found other things to occupy himself with. Taking off to the woods, he carried only an ax, and brought two men, each with a wheelbarrow. He planned to cut enough firewood to last maybe the next few weeks, along with enough extra wood to reinforce some of the huts. So, he got to work. He would cut down a small tree, and through a long process, end up with a large amount of logs. These logs would be piled into the wheelbarrows and rolled back into the village, and then distributed to the houses for firewood. Once it seemed like everyone had enough firewood, he began to chop logs for building the huts. This work, in all, took several hours, and by the time it was done, the merc and his two helpers were drenched in sweat, and their muscles ached. But, there was still more work to be done.

Heading back into the village, the mercenary took no breaks. He immediately began reinforcing the huts. He would build support beams inside and out, to keep them from falling over in heavy winds, and he would reinforce the walls so they would provide warmth in the cold. He spent a lot of time building reinforced doors as well, since those seemed to be lacking in the place. Shaping the doors specific to each hut was a pain in the ass, but he figured he could bear through it. Once every hut had a new door, walls, and a support beam or five, Takehiro got to work on some flooring in the places. He couldn't do a whole lot, but anything would be better than the overly moist grass ground.

Another several hours passed, and the mercenary was finally done with the huts. He was covered in sweat, dirt, and small pieces of wood, and his body ached, but he couldn't say he felt bad. In fact, it was nice to be able to do all this stuff. And the sun was beginning to set, so it was finally starting to cool down. To end the day on a good note, Takehiro decided to take a few men to the river nearby, and they all sat, fishing and having a good time.

[Takeda Shingen]

Amakusa Takehiro: +3 Str

[Wakeshima Shoji]

This is not what Shoji had in mind when he offered to help the commanding general. He had been expecting to battle, to take lives, to help satisfy his bloodlust, to possibly pillage and rape... but this... this! Helping people rebuild their village? If Shoji wasn't living like royalty with the general, and fucking his middle daughter, there was no way the samurai would be doing this bullshit.

Because of Shoji's tall, muscular form, he was asked to carry wood and to essentially do all of the heavy lifting. The sun beat down on the psychopath, and his top was removed. Sweat beaded down his face, the back of his neck, and the length of his body, and he wiped his brow while carrying a large piece of wood.

How many hours had the man been working? His work started a 7AM, and he began with helping the town blacksmith. There was a low supply of horseshoes, and Sho helped make the pieces. And with his experience with working with horses, the samurai helped reshoe the beasts. It was vigorous work, but fortunately his strong form and domineering personality made it easier to control some of the more aggressive stallions. The geldings were simple enough, and after shoeing about fourteen or fifteen horses, it was noon and Shoji took a break. After lunch, the samurai went with three other men to cut down some trees for wood. This was work Sho didn't seem to mind as much, if only because there was a blade within his hands. A couple of hours passed and eventually they cut down several trees, cut them up, and were carrying them into town. The men bored Shoji with their idle conversation, and overtime it got on his nerves.

His charismatic attitude had drained hours ago, and the man avoided talking to people. He was in a foul mood from having to help these stupid villagers, who he would much rather kill. Imagining their screams and pleas for mercy was the only thing that kept him doing the work, dropping his load in front of the new inn that was being built.

A man waved over Shoji to help him with the building process, and the samurai released an exasperated sigh. Just a few more hours and he would be back with the general. Just as a fuck you to him, he mused that he could be rougher with his daughter later that night. Perhaps mark her. Oh, the embarrassment they would feel, and there was no way she would tell her father just who it was she was sleeping with. It would ruin her even further. He envisioned their reaction if she ended up pregnant, and laughed aloud. That would be just rich!

Such morbid thoughts brought the man cheer and he smiled while helping lift up walls, pulling down on the ropes with the other strong men in the village, and bring up the structure of the building. It took some time and hammering, and there were a few close calls, but eventually the outer-structure was finished. Running low on water, Shoji went into the forest and filled several buckets on poles, dowsing himself to cool down. He continued working, helping the other villagers with more menial tasks, such as helping carry in supplies for the women and elderly into their homes and wrangling in animals for the nighttime to keep them safe from the predators, until sunset, before having a quick drink and mounting his horse to ride off.

Maybe one of these days he could help destroy the very village he had just helped build up, and Shoji smirked. Now wouldn't that be nice?

[Oda Nobunaga]

Wakeshima Shoji: +3 Str

[Kuroshi Maki]

As I was walking near a village I could hear them building something as the villagers and soldiers alike were working. It was something I never saw before soldiers helping villagers building anything. I didn't know in what fraction I was nor did I care. I wasn't really planning on helping them. but for some reason I decided to look. As I came closer I could see them building a well. So the lord of this region did seem to care for his people and tried to provide them with decent provisions. I took place on a ledge and just decided to watch abit. Did didn't seem unnoticed and the soldiers winked at me for help but I didn't move a inc.

As they noticed they just stopped and got back to work. Even the older villagers were helping as a old man walked by holding a large stone. It seemed to heavy for him and it was as it walked in front of me it dropped and the man tried to pick it back up with all his strength but could not, but he didn't gave up and kept going not asking for help or anything. My hearth was cold but not that cold and could not longer watch the man struggle. I got back up from the ledge and walked up grabbing the stone from the ground and it was heavy.

"Thanks son! "

The old man spoke as he smilled friendly at me, I did help him and it was because I felt sorry for him and didn't like to see him struggle but I didn't say it to him ofcourse. They could not see me grow soft.

" I could not watch how weak you are anymore so that's why I picked it up. "

The man kept smiling he could see straight trough my lies and walked towards the well and me following. The soldiers saw me and noticed that I hold a rock and smiled they earlier couldn't make me work yet this old man did. They needed more stones so I didn't really knew how to build a well never learned it or wanted to so I just sticked by bringing them the rocks to build the well. In the mean while it was a good training.

So for the rest of the day I was bringing them rocks, my arms would be sore after this day for sure, my hands would be cut open abit but that was ok, I did feel like my strength would increase by this and all that would help me grow stronger I would take. After a long day it was done and I was about to take my leave but the old man walked up to me holding a bowl with some food.

" You should eat, you earned it. You didn't have to help but you did. "

He was right I was hungry after this day, and I would just grab the bowl of food and find a place to eat the food. It tasted so good, its been awhile that I had a decent meal so for some reason this just made my hearth abit less cold and a small smile would take place on my face. This day was a good day and something inside me changed seeing how my actions help people.

[Takeda Shingen]

Kuroshi Maki: +2 Str

[Yamabara Shou]

Shou rode his horse alongside the captain of the unit he was with as the rest of the unit infantry marched behind them. “Something wrong messenger boy?” The captain asked, causing Shou to look up with a sombre expression at the captain. “Do you know the town we heading to captain?” Shou countered the captain question with his own. “I know of it, I haven’t been here before though. I guess you do then.” The captain stated. “It’s my home town; I haven’t been here in around 5 years. I’ve been avoiding it.” Shou explained, looking out toward the town slowly getting closer ahead of them. “Bad blood then I take it?” The captain said. “Something like that, as normal when I’m  teamed up with you I end up doing something I don’t particularly like.” Shou muttered, as he dismounted his horse. “You do the Takeda a disservice, we’re here to help these people.” The captain admonished him, dismounting as well. “And I will, doesn’t mean I can’t be bitter sometimes.” Shou replied as the pair, and the unit walked into town.


The town brought back memories especially in state it was in, some houses were burned down, other smashed, looted and crops trampled. It was terrible to see the town in such a state, like a repetition of history. Out of the crowd of onlookers a man stepped forward, asking who they were. “On behalf of Lord Shingen and the Takeda we are here to help you rebuild.” The captain informed the villager. “How may we and my men be of assistance?” The captain asked moving off to the side with the villager to discuss matters. Looking around Shou couldn’t help but feel pity for the people, even though deep down he didn’t like them, they didn’t deserve to have their home broken around them and there lively hoods destroyed.


After a few minute conversing with the townfolk, the captain returned to the front of the unit. “Alright men, you lot we’ll be with me. We’re going to help bring lumber in to town to rebuild some of the larger buildings. While the rest of you are going to help the villagers try and recover the crops as best you can. Yamabara you grew up here, help the villagers explain how exactly to help if they don’t know. Alright let get to it men.” The captain ordered splitting the unit in half, leading his half back out of the town to the local forest.


The rest of the unit turned to Shou expectantly. It had been years since he had done any farming but he could remember the basic. “Shoes off and roll you hakama up people we’re about to get our feet wet.” Shou ordered as he crouched down to do the same, before leading the men down to the fields. “Alright in to the water, slow and carefully we don’t want to trample. We’re going to have to get rid of the damaged crops in order so the new ones can be planted. Check each plant over carefully.” Shou said bending down in the water. “If the plant, is seriously crushed it isn’t going to grow.” He explained, digging a hand down into the water and grabbing the base of the plant. Before uprooting it. “If it only partial crushed, see if you can prune off the damage. If it is good, leave it be. Be careful while you check them over to, we don’t want to cause any more damage than has been done.” Shou finished explain. “Does everyone understand?” Shou asked the men loudly, and waited until the man gave comments of comprehension.


Setting off to work, it was a slow. Him and the men making their way forward, checking over plants carefully one by one. Pulling up those that were too damaged to grow anymore. It was sad to see just how many this was, and had it happened closer to when the fields would be harvested there would have been chance or replanting. It was back breaking muddy work, but it wasn’t the hardest part of the day of that he knew. Eventually reaching the otherside of the field a few minutes of the field a few minute before the rest of the men, he tracked down one of the townfolk. “Yamabara Shou is that you?” The man asked. “Yes, but that is not what important, how many spare seedlings are there any left over from the planting season. Are we going to be able replant all this?” Shou asked dismissing the man’s recognition. “There is some, it won’t replace all that’s lost though. Listen Yamabara-san about the past.” The man explained and then tried to change the topic. “Forget it. Take the first few men that finished their rows, and get them to help bring the seedlings. The past is the past.” Shou instructed before walking away back over to the fields, and starting on another row of the field.



Shou carefully tended to the plant one by one, being especially gently through the mist of wet eyes. The location, the scenario and to be tending crops again after many years was too much. Muscle memory led him onwards, and he became engrossed in the task ahead of him. So much so that sometime later he didn’t notice the voice calling out for him, until one of the men tapped him on the shoulder. “Sir?” The soldier asked concerned, as Shou regained his composer. “What is it?” Shou asked wiping his eyes on the shoulder of his clothes acting as if getting rid of the sweat. “We have the seedlings ready.” The solider informed him.



Yamabara waded his way through the field to where the seedlings sitting in tray were. “You men, continue to clear the field, only once your done that get one of the farmer to teach you how to plant the seedlings. I’m going to get started planting them.” Shou instructed picking up one of the few trays of seedlings , and moving back into the field starting with the first row. Proceeding up the line Shou found the first space where a plant had been removed. Carefully removing a seedling from the tray, Shou crouched down, the bottom of his rolled up hakama getting wet, and parted a section of the muddy soil , and planted the seedling so the top of its thin pointed leaves poke through the surface of the water. It was tiring, but it wasn’t bad as planting a field fresh, and eventually the soldier had returned and joined him in the planting. Hours passed and the sun started to set, and Shou continued toiled away, and would do so till the last seedling was in the ground.

[Takeda Shingen]

Yamabara Shou: +2 Str

[Tokugawa Iemasa]

"Alright, get to work. We need this place looking fucking AMAZING by daybreak."

Iemasa ordered a group of men to go around the village, tending to the villagers' needs and fixing any and all problems they saw or thought of along the way. There was no excuse for the place looking so shoddy - they were in Oda territory, the place may as well look like it, and who better to fix it up than Oda's people themselves? The villagers were asked to stay indoors, unless they felt they needed to assist in the rebuilding of their homes. For the most part, Iemasa and his unit would do the jobs, and with no complaints.

First off, Iemasa would start with shoveling snow out of the main roads of the village. This was entirely too long of a process, however, given the pile-up of snow, and how little men Iemasa actually had. The shovel he used was strong, though, making it a little easier. He would pile the snow into wheelbarrows, and then carry the wheelbarrows out to the borders of the village once they were full, dumping them and repeating. It took about two hours to get all of the snow, and by the time he was done clearing it out, his arms and back were sore. But, he still had a lot more to do. No point in getting tired just yet.

Once he was done with the snow, Iemasa decided he was going to get some firewood for the people. The cold would be harsh to them, after all, and they needed to stay warm. So, he had three of his men follow him, two with wheelbarrows, and one with an ax, to the forest on the outskirts of the village. He and one of his men would begin chopping down a tree and shaping the chunks into planks, placing those planks into the wheelbarrows, and having those wheelbarrows carted into town. He would spend another few hours working on that, before they felt they had enough wood. Once they finally did, Iemasa would personally evenly distribute the wood to each home, giving people amble firewood to last the next month at least. By now, Iemasa's body felt like noodles, but he still felt he had things to do.

Taking a pickaxe and a few men out to a quarry, Iemasa came to the conclusion the village needed a well, rather than making trips to the river often, seeing as it wasn't a comfortable distance away. So, he would break stones into pieces that could be lifted easily, and tried his hardest to give them a pretty convenient shape, as well, for placing and shaping the well together. After a few hours of gathering stone, the unit brought it back to the town and began digging up a spot for the well, connecting it to the river. That process took an additional four hours, and building the well itself took another one. So far, Iemasa had spent more than half the day trying to put the village in a better spot.

The last thing Iemasa wanted to do before he headed out was reinforce the houses. He'd brought some materials in a carriage from Owari that arrived just before sunset, and he was beginning to put them to use. Each one of his men would fix a home, reinforcing the walls, roof, and doors. Shaping the materials properly took a good deal of time, but they needed to be sure no wind would pass through the walls, and heavy winds couldn't take the houses apart.

After a long day of work, Iemasa and his unit would share a meal with the village in good-will. They would have small-talk and enjoy themselves for a time, getting to know the people under their care. Once the meal was done, Iemasa took his unit and rode back home to Owari. Just one village was taken care of, and he had a lot more to go after this. It was going to be a long month.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Tokugawa Iemasa: +3 Str

[Zhuo Jina]

Jina wasn’t too far from the village where she had made her home when she passed by a staggeringly large number of people who were picking up the wreckage from what appeared to have been their homes. Nobody appeared to be injured, but just about everything was burned black. Tracks in the ashes showed that all of these people had come back to the village, presumably evacuated before the fires.

Jina stood and watched as people shuffled around, shoulders hanging low, tragedy had struck these people.

There was a man in an army uniform standing near the center of what must have been the road. Jina approached him, knowing that the question she asked would not be an easy one to hear the answer for.

“What happened here?”

The man looked at Jina and sighed. He took placed a hand on her shoulder and led her up the street, explaining the horrific scene that had happened here. It was the war that destroyed the lives of these people. Jina’s heart sank, knowing that she couldn’t just let it go.

“Is there anything I can do to help? I’m a mercenary but my heart aches for these innocent people.”

The man could tell that Jina had a strong will, even if her body was small. He told her that many of the village men were out in the wooded area near by, cutting down trees to begin the process of rebuilding, That would take weeks, he said. In the mean time, huts needed to be assembled and if she was able to help with that task, he was willing to pay her for the work.

“These people need all the help they can get.” The man told her.

Jina agreed to help, knowing that these people had nothing left. She headed off towards the woods, a small saw in hand which had no handle. The local carpenter’s shop had burned, but his steel tools remained undamaged by the flames.

She began to climb trees, testing the branches for flexibility and sturdiness. After discovering the ideal kind of tree, she cut the longest branches off, carrying a small bundle back to the village.

Jina did this for hours, searching for the trees, finding the branches and then carrying them back. By the time the sun crested past noon, she had amassed enough branches to make the roofs for three huts. Her hands were aching, bruised and blistered from using the saw with no handle. She didn’t care.

She enlisted the help of a man who had returned to the village to check on his wife and small daughter. Together, they went to find trees with very straight, long branches. Once again, they worked for hours, sawing, carrying and once again, amassed what they needed.

By this point, Jina’s hands were bleeding. She told the father that she was unable to use the saw anymore for the day, but instead would begin assembling the skeleton for the huts. She used her small dagger to dig holes for the longer, sturdy branches to stand in. She placed them in a hexagonal pattern, large enough for a few families to sleep under. There was space between the branches, so she sent some of the women and children into the woods to collect large leaves off the trees and bushes.

She was too warm in her armor by this point, sweat dripping down her forehead. She removed her breastpiece to just wear the black undercloth. She rested for a short period, eating some local berries to gain some strength back.

Jina had learned some basic knowledge of shapes and assembling things from the neighbor back in her home village. Her neighbor had once even given her a small set of wooden pieces which locked together like a puzzle, so she would be able to create small scenes for her cloth dolls. Using this knowledge, Jina took some small chords of rope that had been woven during the day and patched together the more flexible branches to create a roof for each of the huts. The space between these would suit well to let smoke clear from the huts, but would be a poor shelter in the rain. There was nothing she could do about it.

Unable to do any more for the day, she just gave instructions on how to secure the leaves gathered from the woods onto the sides of the hut. This would at least insulate the people a little better once the sun had fully set.

As darkness fell, she returned to the military overseer with a smile on her face. She had helped people, even if it meant she couldn’t train for a few days. Her hands were aching, the blisters now scabbing over, pulling her skin tight. She thanked the man for allowing her to help. She, having just a small pay in her pocket, returned home satisfied that she had done something for the good of the world.

“Hey, maybe I could do this more often.” She was only half joking.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Zhuo Jina: +3 Str

[Kyoya Naotora]

A village near Oshu had been hit recently by a bandit raid, and the place was left destroyed. Houses were torn apart, crops were ripped up, the well was destroyed, and the people no longer had anything of value. Being the kind ruler he was, Lord Masamune sent a unit of soldiers to assist the villagers in rebuilding it, with enough resources to make everything better than it had been before the raid. The hope was that the people would be able to live in comfort and security, even with something like a raid being a possibility, with reinforced homes, and enough supplies to adequately defend themselves should no Date forces be present in the area.

The very first thing Naotora would do was dispatch her men to the houses in the area, having each man assist one family each with the various things they needed done to have their homes back to the way they were. She would reinstall support beams and create foundations for the broken houses to sit on, as well as build secure frames so they'd have an actual shape and form, rather than just impromptu designs. The woman would spend hours putting up the frame of the house she was working on and hammering the walls in with sturdy planks of wood. Once the walls were all inserted and a roof was in place, she began to reinforce the corners with iron, so that it was less likely to fall due to stress, and less likely to be destroyed during a storm. Once the one house she worked at was complete, she would check all the others, insuring their completion as well, and she would not rest until they were done.

Hours later, the houses were finally finished, and the unit would move onto the next task. Naotora and two of her men would begin to till the soil on the outside of the village, making it suitable for crops to grow. Some of it was tough, after the bandit raid, making it difficult to till, as some of the hoes would rattle and, sometimes, break as they hit the tough soil. Once all the soil was tilled - and this took a good few hours - Naotora and her men would plant one specific crop. Then, they would go and till another block of soil, spending a good few hours on that, before they would plant another crop. The tilling and planting would continue into nightfall, where some men would simply stand with torches to offer light. It took a very long time, but the group managed to secure a good amount of crops to supply for the villagers, and supplement their income from travelers.

At nightfall, Naotora rested at a local tavern, which she and her men rebuilt. Her stay was free for the night, and it was something she truly needed. It was exhausting having done all that work on very little rest, even for a woman of her sake, so even a few hours on a straw mat would be very dearly welcomed. She would not rest for long, however, as she naturally rose at daybreak. Ushering her men out into the village, they figured they would finish the jobs they came to do.

Naotora would build a border around the village, signifying where it ended and where it began, so it could be seen. This border would be made of wood, and each post would be driven into the ground with a large mallet. There were hundreds of posts all around the village by the time it was completed, and that wasn't even counting the pieces placed horizontally to serve as a fence of sorts. She also set up an "entrance" to the town, and an "exit," each marked by a giant wooden arch with the villages name.

Once the gate was completed, Naotora and her men went to the river nearby and would begin fishing, the old fashioned way. The current was not too strong and the water was pure, so any fish that happened to be inside, Naotora could see. She would reach down, snatching several up at a time, and put them in a wooden bucket which would be transported back to the villagers. She would continue this process for a while, until she was sure everyone would have a decent meal for a few nights. Then, it was off to the forest, where she would hunt small critters, or just about anything that came her way that wasn't human. She would return to the village with several birds and squirrels, and she would skin and clean them, prepping them for meals to come. Whatever the people couldn't eat that night would be preserved with salt.

The second night finally neared its end once all of the work was done, and Naotora and her men seemed to develop a sort of bond with these villagers from having worked alongside them. They would stay another night with them, Naotora's men specifically stating they would be their protectors in case another group of bandits - or the same one, even - happened to come by. They would not be defenseless again.

[Takeda Shingen]

Kyoya Naotora: +3 Str

[Oda Nobunaga]

ALL PARTICIPANTS receive: Proficiency: Leadership - D

For those who have done Leadership Exercises as well, you receive: Proficiency: Leadership - C

[Yuy Masahiro™]

I had made this village my base of operations as of late. It was working out pretty well until a bunch of bandits attacked it and I had to fight them off. There were a couple villagers that had tried helping me who had died… I blamed myself for their deaths. So while I was still in this village, I decided to help out. I owed these people… they had sheltered me and I still hadn’t been able to properly protect them. I felt so useless.

“Masahiro-san, that roofs looking good! Do you want me to bring you a drink?”

“No… Thank you. I’ve still got more work to finish before I can take a break.”

”Must be nice to be young and full of so much stamina! Try not to over do it though!”

I nodded politely and resumed my work, wiping the sweat from my forehead. I worked shirtless on the roof top, I had pulled my kimono down. I hammered nails into place, restoring this rooftop. It had previously been wrecked when I had jumped on top of it to out run some bandits. It was my fault and I would fix it. No matter how long it took… I had been working on this roof in particular for about 2 hours now. I had nearly restored it. Placing the last slab of wood in place, I hammered two nails into the top of the plank, and two into the bottom. I continued on and hammered a couple places in the middle just to make sure it wouldn’t be budging anytime soon.

I jumped down from the rooftop and made my way to the town square with the necessary tools. I had set off quite the explosion in this place. The well had been damaged so I had to repair. Luckily none of the concrete had blown into the well, instead it was just needed a replacement bucket and pulley system to fix it. I pulled all of the broken pieces from the well, and slid in the new crank. Screwing on the stopper at the end to make sure that the crank couldn’t be pulled free, I wiped some more sweat from my forehead. After the crank was in place, I tied a rope to the new bucket, making sure it was on tight. I fixed the other end to the crank, once again making sure the rope was attached tightly. I cranked the water bucket down, and then back up making sure it was completely working. As I cranked the bucket back up, I saw a bucket of pure clean drinking water. Instead of drinking it myself, I shouted for the rest of the villagers to get their fill.

I still had more work to do. I wanted to reinforce the town’s gates. I couldn’t allow the town to be attacked by barbarians again like that. I could feel my body getting sluggish, but still I forced myself along. I finally reached the gate, my vision was blurring.

“Masahiro-san. Maybe you should rest. You don’t look so good.”

“Thank you but I-“

Blacked out. I woke up at the village’s doctor’s home. The wounds that I had endured from the bandits were properly taken care of and I awoke with a cold cloth on my forehead.

”Ah, Masahiro-san you are awake. It’s great that you’re so zealous to fix the village. But you should take a break.”

“There’s too much work for me to take a break.”

I stood up, almost falling over again. The doctor caught me and helped me up. Just as I was about to say thank you, my stomach rumbled. I hadn’t eaten or drank anything since yesterday.

“Masahiro-san. The village does not blame you. You are our savior. But if you keep up at this rate, you’ll be dead before you can accomplish anything else. You have greater ambitions than our little village right?”

I did… I couldn’t afford to die here. I had to put an end to this feudal system that destroyed my family. Part of that would be helping this village… but I couldn’t help anyone if I was dead. I was glad to know that the village didn’t blame me for the loss of lives… but I still didn’t completely forgive myself.

“Thank you… I hate to ask you this… but do you think you could help me over to the tavern? Lunch is on me.”

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Yuy Masahiro: +3 Str

Proficiency: Leadership - C

[Miyamoto Kenji]

Things were becoming more complicated for the training camp. First a two-day break, then an optional stealth course on the night of the first day, and now, Lord Mogami had ordered the governor to suspend the camp for an additional day so that he can send soldiers to nearby villages and support rebuilding efforts. Incidentally, Kenji, still being on contract, was also ordered to go and work. Frankly, he had no problem with this: it was for a good cause, that of helping his fellow man and woman, and on top of it he was getting paid. No complaints here. It just seemed like the camp was becoming, well... A side note as opposed to the main event.

Musings aside, Kenji arrived in town on Aoko, having ridden ahead with several other horse-owning soldiers to his appointed village, a quaint little fishing town further up the border between Dewa and Mutsu. The village elder greeted the men at the gate, and Kenji let the others do the talking, instead surveying what he could see of the place from atop his courser. Though not in horrible condition, there were a few areas that could use some rebuilding or reinforcement. Certainly, he'd have to prioritize and see plenty of work done before the day was out. Once formalities had been exchanged with the elder, the men dismounted, their horses seen to the local stables, and off they went. The mercenary made himself scarce and headed off to the docks.

Given that a dock would be well-used in a village specialized in fishing, Kenji found it to be no great surprise that they were worn down and in disrepair. A few fishermen were lounging around off to the side, apparently playing some kind of game with cards. A western import, perhaps? Though curious, Kenji did have work to do, and shoved the thought aside.

"Excuse me," he began, stepping over to the old table the fishermen were using. The group looked up at him, and he continued. "I'm here from Mogami-dono, and I was hoping I could help repair your docks, and maybe the fishery. Could you give me a hand?"

The oldest of the lot cracked a friendly grin and stood up. "Sure thing. We've been meaning to do it ourselves, but we're short of wood and the woodcutter's been ill lately."

"Perfectly understandable. Do you have a cart, horse, and axes?"

In no time at all, Kenji and two of the fishermen were headed out to the woods just northwest of town. Upon arrival, the three took up axes and started hacking away at trees, working together to expedite the process. In this manner, they brought down two trees in record time. Then, under Kenji's direction, they sheared off the branches and unnecessary bits, then chopped what remained up for the dock and piled everything into the cart. After that, they set back off for the village, ready to really get working.

The third fisherman was already waiting to help unload when they returned. The fourth, the oldest man from before, helped Kenji oversee directing his men in disassembling the docks, and even stepped away to get a few other hands on the merc's request, procuring three more young men to help out. Together, the eight cleared up the old, worn and weather-battered docks, and prepped the gathered wood for the new one.

With careful direction and good old hard work, Kenji and the villagers would dutifully assemble the new dock, making sure everything was properly in place, secured, doubly secured, and that it looked clean. Kenji went out of his way on several occasions to switch places with anyone who was getting tired, sentencing them to take a break while he filled in. The merc himself would only break for lunch, graciously provided by and accepted from some of the locals, but otherwise worked himself to the bone to see his task done, and done damn well.

It was closing on evening by the time he and the old fisherman declared the dock finished. Nothing was out of place, everything was set, and it was ready to see a new age of fishing for the village. They had even used some of the remaining wood to patch up bad spots in the fishery itself. The villagers present rejoiced, and Kenji mentally patted himself on the back, smiling at their joy. During all this, he happened to notice the table that the original four fishermen had been playing cards at. It made him think... He could do a little more today, couldn't he?

So it came to pass that Kenji went even further than he needed to, taking what remained of the chopped wood to assemble a new table. This was a task that he accomplished on his own, despite insistence from his newfound friends, for Kenji had often indulged in woodcarving in his teen years, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of crafting something by hand, especially if others could make use of his work. The process took another hour due to his total focus and experience in this arena, and the sun would begin to set by the time he completed his work. Virtually an identical table, but brand new and ready to roll.

It was at this point that the fishermen - as the acquired hands from earlier had dispersed - all but dragged Kenji away for a humble dinner, thanking him for his work. All he could say is, "It's just the right thing to do.

As he rode Aoko out that night, he mused that truly, it was.

He was a horrible mercenary.