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Hake was deeply disturbed by the results of his speech. Only five villagers stepped forward to help him fight off the bandits. He shook his head sadly and walked towards the village edge, where the rest of his 'troops' waited. "Cowards..." Hake walked with his hands clasped together behind his back, trying to determine the better strategy here. He had no idea of the enemy's total troop number or their positions. He quickly explained his plan to the men and waited for them to prepare themselves.

The whole thing was simple, the two runners would shoot arrows at the defenders of one gate and then, when the enemy rushed out, they would run back into town. Here, they the enemy would be ambushed from the rooftops by his eight other troops, shooting arrows into their midsts. It wasn't difficult to shoot down people when they were cluttered together in a group like Hake was expecting. He just hoped the entire bandit force didn't decide to rush out at once or they would be overrun in moments. While not the physical type himself, Hake had no choice but to involve himself in this battle.

The eight men climbed the rooftops on both sides of the road coming into town from the mill, armed with arrows and whatever tools they could use to kill. Some had simple wooden clubs, others had sickles but all men had a ranged and melee weapon on them. With another shake of his head, Hake motioned for the runners to start off. They moved as planned. They moved into range of the enemy, fired a single shot and retreated a bit until they were out of arrow range. Once the enemy came out to attack them, they would retreat into town to where Hake was standing while the volunteers on both sides prepared to fire on the unsuspecting enemy.

The sound of battle from the main road could be heard even in the alleys where the small skirmish seemed insignificant to the sounds from the main road fight. While Hake had indeed ordered the men not to move onto the main road, he was glad they had for he knew that, in order to stop a force of that size, they'd either needed an ambush or a trap or an equal force, which meant Hake's troops in the alleys were outnumbering the enemy by two. The archer on top of the roof suddenly got hit with a stone arrow and flung back, hanging over the edge of the roof. The remaining two archers on the roof started aiming for the archers in the enemy's HQ. Well, outnumbering them by one. The five spearmen, four swordsmen, 2 bowmen on the ground and two bowmen on the top focused their attacks on the alley soldiers as they once again pushed forward, towards the sounds of the main battle. If they could push them into the other force they would pincer the enemy and deliver a devastating blow.

On the main road front, the enemies had positioned themselves well enough to receive the troops and they Hake's charging force, under a single volley of arrows crashed into the enemy, the sound of practice blades hitting practice blades and shields echoed through the street. Hake's troops seemed to match the enemy as they managed to gather up enough men and form up their defense properly in the heat of battle. But the enemy's spearmen kept them at a distance after the initial clash and the troops were hard pressed in trying to get to the enemy without having some body part pierced. When the arrows volley crashed into them, the men were not prepared and some went down, dead. 

In the alleys, Hake's initial assault had resulted in little to no gain of ground as both group pushed equally hard. Another of Hake's soldiers went down while cutting down one of the enemy soldiers. Then out of the alley his spearmen unit crashed into the enemy flank, taking lives as they pushed them back further. Just as Hake thought things were going well for him, the enemy commander seemed to rouse her troops with a burst of morale and strength and his alley force came to a halt. While the shout 'For Totomi' also improved his own soldiers, since they were Totomi forces as well, they didn't seem to get the same burst of it as the enemy soldiers.

On the main road front, the same thing happened, outside of Hake's knowledge, as his remaining forces came to a halt against the enemy's defenses. With the main road force having no tricks left, a volley of arrows from the four remaining archers was fired over the front ranks into the enemy while they continued to push forward, doing their best not to trample their 'dead' friends who were crawling out of the way of the main fight.

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Hake's alley force losses: 1 archer (return fire), 1 swordsman(alley standoff); remaining: 5 spearmen, 2 ground archers, 2 roof archers, 3 swordsmen
Main road force losses (volley): 2 swordsmen, 2 spearmen, 1 archer; remaining: 3 spearmen, 3 swordsmen, 4 archers

P3N8eay8
Hake's alley force push back attempt & archer fire on enemy HQ


Hake's main road force push back attempt & return volley fire

(No roll for volley defense as it takes the main road troops by surprise)�

I'm not yet sure how the bandit thing will go as it'll be based on a solo quest Hake is doing now and then the War 2 idea. Depending on how those to end up the bandit hideout quest might change.

As for Keisuke and the flirting, Hake isn't serious about flirting with men but he knows what he looks like and he tends to (ab)use it when he gets a little tipsy. I'll post up the thread and PM you the link once it is done.

Hake registered, at some level of consciousness, that he was being moved. Some bear was most likely nibbling away at him and it was moving him. Or his dead body was being stored in a cave as bear dessert later on. It mattered not to the pale and exhausted man. His body was already beyond help and he would never walk under the sun again. Behind his eyelids, the light changed and things became brighter. He was going towards heaven now, the end of all things good, according to the foreign priests. Hake remained motionless as he picked up words but didn't register them.

His body was basking in a hot glow and he could feel the hard surface underneath his body. If this was the heaven of all good the priests spoke of, it wasn't very comfortable. In front of the fire, registering how the temperature of his body was far from the warmth that came from the light before him, the raven haired man started shivering. His teeth clattered together as he tried to wrap himself around himself. To Jina, it would look only like small movements but both were signs of life. The warmth of the fire was starting to thaw what ice had formed on Hake's face and the droplets ran down his face to the ground.

His forehead felt wet and warm and he could feel how the cold ice was being removed from his face by the warmth that moved over him. His eyes cracked open, barely more than a slit and he saw the flickering movement of the light before him. It took him a while to register it was fire, rather than lights moving around in front of him. Fire didn't sound like much of a heavenly thing. His eyes opened a little further and his vision extended beyond the flames to the wall around the hearth and some of the items that always accompanied a fire. Quietly, barely more than a whisper, Hake opened his mouth. "Thank you."

This single whisper, aimed at the fire more-so than at anyone who might be near him, required most of Hake's energy and he fell asleep again. But if whoever had made the fire had been close enough they would know Hake wasn't about to die yet, although he would need to be warmed up more. There was always a chance for him to die in his sleep if he remained too cold, even in front of a fire. It wasn't unheard of for people to freeze in front of a fire, if things were bad enough as they were.

This was already the second invitation Hake had received from the Daimyo. If he didn't know any better he might have suspected the Daimyo of having some ulterior motive for calling Hake to his castle every time. The horse was calm and meek and Hake enjoyed the trip, sitting sideways on the horse. His long brown robe covered most of his body and the reins of the horse disappeared within the long sleeves of the outfit. With a smile on his lips, Hake turned to regard the twenty men that had been assigned to him for the task at hand.

Somewhere on the border of the Daimyo's territory, a village had erupted into strife after months of disturbing reports. The people had taken up arms and the village was divided between two factions, who now did their very best trying to kill each other while doing any work 'as farmers should do' the Daimyo had said. The twenty men behind him were faces Hake already knew. The same twenty men he had led in his first Mock battle for the Daimyo, after having been invited to visit his castle. They marched like professional soldiers but the ones in front smiled at Hake as he regarded them. He waved at them and some of them returned the wave before focusing back on their marching.

While each soldier carried his real weapon within reach, they all had training weapons in hand, ready to use them. While the Daimyo had been very precise in his instructions, Hake had taken the liberty of making certain arrangements. Fighting farmers were no good but dead farmers were equally useless. As the horse made its way over the next hill, Hake could see the village before him. As the reports had said, there were people in the streets fighting and the sounds of people struggling reached his ears. Slowly he pulled the horse to a halt and brought up his hand, ordering the men behind him to stop as well. "Remember, these are not professional soldiers. Knock them out if necessary but ignore them as long as they don't attack first. We're here to solve this peacefully."

With his twenty trained soldiers behind him, Hake casually rode into town, ignoring the fighting men until he was near the village center. With the parade of troops coming through, the fighting men stopped fighting and started staring at the soldiers, each one with polished armor and deadly looking weapons on their backs or belts. Their unison in marching and halting as Hake halted had the villagers staring in awe. "What seems to be the problem?" Hake's voice was soft and melodious, yet discernible by all on the village's center square.

The fighters on both sides of the struggle had forgotten their conflict on the square and were simply staring at the woman on her horse and the twenty soldiers behind her. "Would anyone be so kind as to get me the person in charge, please?" From both factions, men left the square, to gather the rest of their comrades and to get whoever was in charge. Hake patiently waited, combing through her horse's mane as she waited. The soldiers had their eyes on the villagers but remained in place. While Hake didn't like the Daimyo, he had to admit that his troops were well trained.

From the East, a man entered the square, followed by the runners. A moment later, from the West, another man entered, out of breath, looking from Hake to the man and back to Hake. Then both men started yelling and talking at the same time, throwing accusations at each other and trying to win Hake over to their side. For a moment, Hake let them vent their anger through their voice, then she motioned towards the first two soldiers in the formation. They both stepped forward, one taking the reins of the horse, the other taking a deep breath. "QUIET!!! YOU STAND BEFORE LADY HAKE, ENVOY HIS GREATNESS, THE DAIMYO OF YOUR LAND: KATSUBA-SAMA!"

Hake slowly pulled his fingers out of his ears and looked down at the soldier who had shouted. In complete opposite of the man, she spoke softly and kindly to him. "Thank you." A small smile and then her attention was back on the two men. While normally considered rude, Hake remained seated on his horse, not wanting to give up his image of power by his short stature when standing on his own two feet. "Gentlemen, please cease your sport for today. I'd like to know the location of your best inn for my men and myself and I would like to speak with both of you later. I will send someone to fetch you. Please tell my men where they might be able to find you once we've settled in."

Hake followed a young boy who led him towards the local inn. It was nothing special but Hake was used to worse and the soldiers were soldiers. Every inn was a luxury to a soldier. The soldier who had held the reins of Hake's horse from the square to the inn politely extended his hands and lifted Hake from the horse, carefully placing him on the ground. While not surprised at the soldier's ability to lift Hake up so easily, he was surprised by the gentle nature with which the man handled Hake. "Thank you." He smiled at him before walking into the inn.

They settled in nicely, the soldiers sharing the rooms amongst themselves with one room available for Hake alone, possibly because they thought he, as the superior officer, would prefer private quarters but more likely because they thought him a respectful woman. Or, Hake could only hope, a superior female officer. When the two village leaders arrived later in the day, escorted by two soldiers each, Hake quickly learned that the only well in town, on the square where Hake had arrived, wasn't providing enough water for the fields of both leaders and fighting had started over the well. With this new piece of information under his belt, Hake dismissed both men, inviting them for dinner later in the evening.

While some of the soldiers had drawn the first shift lots, the other soldiers had happily sat themselves in the common room of the inn, where they were joined by Hake and the two leaders for the evening meal. "It's such a waste of energy and people to fight over something you should be sharing." Hake said in his silken voice as they enjoyed the food that Hake had ordered for them. "Why don't you work together to dig a new well for the town? Or dig two new wells, one close to each of your fields? I don't understand why you have to fight with each other over something so trivial." While they enjoyed the food, Hake learned that it the rivalry between the two leader families had been high since their fathers generation. The rest of the information he learned was mostly useless. At the end of the meal, Hake motioned to one of the many soldiers in the room and he went outside, only to come back after a few minutes with a jug which he placed on their table, along with three cups. "Gentlemen, please, let us enjoy a cup together of that which you are fighting over. While neither leader looked at the other, they all three drank from their mugs. By the smacking of their lips, Hake realized that, due to all the fighting, neither of the factions had actually tasted any water from the well in a while but had lived off of the river water and whatever supplies they had in their stores.

After finishing dinner, having talked things over with the two leaders, Hake invited them back for breakfast, so they could start working on a solution to the problem. Then the raven haired man excused himself and returned to his room. Hake was fast asleep minutes after his head had touched the pillow. The following morning, Hake prepared the last part of his plan. There was a soft knock on the door. "A moment, please." While his voice had a sleepy touch to it, it was still as melodious as before. Hake quickly pulled around his robes and let his face droop a little. His eyes became unfocused as he focused them on a point in the corner of the room. He lay back down on his bed and waited for a minute more. "Come in, please." Here, his voice cracked a little and he sounded hurt or in pain.

The same soldier that had brought the water last night walked in and all signs of fatigue and sickness faded from Hake as he sat up, making sure the robes remained closed and his body hidden from the soldier, who averted his eyes to some point fixed on the far wall. "There is a messenger for you. The East leader is not feeling well, stomach pains and unable to keep his food, and he apologizes for not joining you for breakfast today. He will feel better later today and will invite you then." The soldier bowed and walked out of the room only to reappear again minutes later with a similar message, this time from the West leader.

"Send a message to both leaders, informing them that I'm not feeling well myself. My stomach isn't agreeing with me and I would like to move the meeting to dinner tonight. Also, while you're there ask them what they had for dinner yesterday. The three of us sick could only have come from eating the same thing. Or drinking the same thing." Hake smiled as the soldier nodded, knowing exactly what to do. At first he would accuse both leaders of trying to poison an official, then he would apologize for poisoners would not poison themselves, then he would ask them what they had for dinner. He wound find that the two leaders and Hake had eaten three different meals but that some of the soldiers had had the same meals as them but were not sick. Conveniently, he would then conclude that the only thing they had had in common was the mug of water they had shared at the end, which none of the soldiers had shared with them. Hopefully, from there they would be smart enough to 'realize' that the well they were fighting over was useless now that it was bringing disease to the people that drank from it. With a satisfied smile, Hake lay back on his mat and closed his eyes.

Some people had to fake disease in situations like this, Hake just waited quietly until the first bout of coughing came up, followed by a headache. He lay as still as possible as he waited for the day to pass. The soldier-messenger returned, a little out of breath but with the exact scenario in his report as Hake had predicted it for both leaders. A second soldier brought in some rice for their sick commander and Hake gladly ate it. While headaches and coughing were sickness enough, neither of them did anything to lessen his hunger. "Go out to the well, make a show off it. Five men, fully armed, inspect the well while the escort looks mean at everyone. 'Discover' that the well is diseased and useless now. The soldier nodded and left the room, leaving Hake to finish what little rice he had been offered by the soldiers.

Two days later, after both leaders had recovered from their sickness enough to meet with Hake, the three of them sat around a table in the tavern due to one of Hake's outbursts of migraine, which rendered him unable to walk far on his own or stand the sunlight. He listened politely as his head throbbed with every heartbeat. The East leader was talking but Hake picked up only the last bit of his speech. "... we've already started digging new wells, as you suggested, near both our fields. Two of my East miners and a mason are helping to build the West well while we've borrowed a West carpenter to help us install build and install lifting device for the well bucket. Hake managed a smile, but his voice was hoarse with pain as he spoke. "That is so good to hear. What will happen to the center well then?" The West leader answered first. "We will close it off, but leave it accessible in case of fire in the village center. Nobody will be drinking from it, though, as we're not in the habit of getting sick on purpose.

The next day Hake's soldiers were lined up outside, ten of them in front of the wagon, ten of them behind the wagon. The leaders of the village had been kind enough to lend them a wagon to transport Hake in. They thanked Hake for helping them solve their problem, which the two new wells had solved, but Hake was too exhausted and too much in pain to really have any conversation with the men. Under the commands of the soldier that had served their water and who had been the only one aware of Hake's plan, their little column headed out, carrying the news of the village back to the Daimyo. Hake was glad nobody had been physically hurt as he took the small poison vial from the soldier and pocketed it somewhere deep within his sleeves.

Hake was glad that the other woman allowed the quick look around town. All in all, the place was a maze, except for the main street, which was straight and wide and a killing ground for anyone silly enough to walk straight into it. The surroundings of the village didn't help with the defense but Hake's force was nothing more than a skirmish and didn't allow any use of the outlying terrain. Cavalry would have been great with those hills. Hake returned to the main road, where Gabriella was waiting for him. Satisfied with his look around town and a grasp on the general situation, Hake turned to the woman.

Placing the palm of one hand on the back of the other hand, hidden underneath the long sleeves of his outfit, Hake brought both hands up to around chin level, pointing towards Gabriella. With a bow of his head he touched his forehead to his hands. "Please teach me well." Then he turned and walked after his troops, out of the small village. As he walked, plans were forming in his head, formations for his men, paths into town, paths to avoid, things to look out for. By the time he reached his men, Hake had a quick plan together for the first round.

"Form up in two teams. Five swordsmen, five bowmen and five spearmen in each. Form up as such." Hake began drawing into the dirt at his feet. "Three swordsmen up front, keep your shields up and be ready to fight. Two spearmen behind, keep your eyes up front. Five bowmen in the middle, keep your eyes up to the roofs. Shoot the enemy before he can shoot any of you. Three spearmen behind them, keep your eyes on the flanks and protect the bowmen. The last two swordsmen on the back, protecting the rear. As the offensive force I doubt an attack from behind will be happening but keep your eyes open for ambushes." That took care of one team. Now the decision was to be made for the second team. Split them up? Keep them close? Have them do something entirely different?

"Stay away from the main road, it's a killing ground. Move into the back alleys as soon as possible and stay together. No screaming or shouting when you're attacking or ambushing. Shout when you're ambushed or attacked. Your task is to move towards the middle of the village, find the other teams main force and assault them. Who's the most experienced?" One of the fifteen men stepped forward, a long scar over his cheek. "Good, you're in charge of the unit. You decide how to move but aim for the center of the village." When you were not familiar with the terrain it was always good to leave it up to local guides to take charge.

For the remaining fifteen men, Hake had something completely different in mind. "Five swordsmen, form a wall. Shields: Three forward, two upward." Hake showed with his own arms what he meant by forward and upward. The upward shields would be held at an angle above the heads of the forward shields, creating an (almost) complete wall of shields. "Stick together. Three archers behind them, shoot through or past the shields at any soldiers you see, the moment you see them. Don't hesitate, don't scream and shout." Hake focused on the remaining two bowmen and five spearmen.

"Stay together and follow one road next to the main group but stay out of sight and a little behind them. They have no rear guard so you'll provide it when necessary. The moment they're under attack you charge in and take care of whoever is attacking them. If it's less than three people, leave them to the main road team. Who's the most experienced?" Another man stepped forward and Hake assigned the spearman unit and the two bowmen to him. "I will be with the swordsmen group. Should we need to retreat from our road we will move towards the left and the spearman force there." Hake indicated that everyone should get in position. Watching the shadows on the ground, Hake waited for about three-quarters of an hour before speaking again.

"Whatever you do, do not move into the main road. On the occasion that the half force reaches the enemy HQ and fighting starts, we will rush towards them at my command. Whatever you do, do not move outside of my orders as long as you can. Let's go." Hake watched the other two teams move into the side alleys of the village, the large force on the East side of the road, the small force and his own on the left, before he followed his own team into the village. Normally strategists wouldn't move into close combat but the lack of signals and drums and flags and a set system of communication made this a closer encounter.

tac9h_Xj
Offensive roll (OOC: A roll to remain undetected as there is no fighting yet?)

Chimosa Hake was surprised to find the woman was decently fluent in Japanese, although everything about her was far from Japanese. With a smile, his eyes moved over the woman's long brown hair. It looked soft and smooth, much like his own hair. The color made him a touch jealous. And he was just as surprised by the woman's bow. She seemed to know more about Japanese custom then some of the foreigners that had been arriving in Japan of late. "Chimosa-san, indeed. Your Japanese is quite good." He smiled at the woman as he spoke with a soft and melodious voice.

"I just happened to see it when I arrived earlier. The trip was terrible. Not the road or wagon, mind you, but the company... The sign said 'drinking foreigner' so I came here, to the most well known tavern in town, apparently." Hake laughed softly in the same melodious fashion before he quieted down. The mention of payment had slipped his mind but now he figured it wouldn't hurt. "Hmm... Instead of payment, why not a wager? It seems silly to pay me should I be utterly defeated by your skill. 20 Yen, perhaps?" While to most people it might sound condescending or a challenge, for Hake it was simply a statement. His skill was not that high and his experience even less. To him, almost everybody else was a tactician of greater skill.

While she waited for Gabriella to return, Hake mused on her accent and did his best to determine where the woman might have come from. With even his knowledge of Japan limited, his musings were more fantastical than anything else. Not long after, the woman returned, followed by a military man and fifty or so men behind him, who all spread out and lined up in formation. An impressive sight. He looked over the gathered men as they looked at him. It was obvious that most of them were not too happy about their commanders-to-be. Hake leaned in towards Gabriella and raised his hands hidden in his sleeves up to his mouth to hide it. "You'd think they've never seen a woman in charge." He smiled softly before moving back. Then he walked towards the right group and stayed there. "I don't know either group's skill so I'll go with this one." He smiled at the thirty men and saw a few of them turn soft red cheeks.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. Please march outside of town and form into 5-man groups, the archers in the back, and wait there for me." As his troops marched off, Hake turned to Gabriella with a question. "Am I allowed to scout the town for a moment or is that part of the assault?" Then he looked up, lifting one long sleeve to hide his eyes from the direct sunlight. "Late morning, wouldn't you say. Thirty minutes to prepare our forces should be enough, no?" While he attempted to make it sound casual, Hake's voice had more of a painful touch to it. Grimacing, the raven haired man brought one hand up to his head and pressed it against his temple, trying to stem the oncoming headache for a moment. Then the pain flared and moved away, leaving Hake swaying on his feet before he managed to gather himself again. "Half an hour?" Hake smiled, but it was obvious from his eyes and tone of voice that he wasn't so sure anymore.

(OOC: I mentioned 20 Yen as I read that the prices were based in easy numbers. I assume this means 1 yen = 1 dollar roughly, if not I can change the value number.)

I'm so happy to see people so interested.

Ichimura Ryunosuke: Would you be interested in meeting with Hake somewhere on the road(between Ryunosuke's location and Shimotsuke (Hake's current location), a chance encounter, just moments before they are attacked by bandits trying to loot from Ryunosuke and/or Hake's supplies? PM me if you like the idea and we can work on the details.

Zhuo Jina: I'd love to do the winter thread with you if you like. I can have Hake travel up north to visit the Date and get lost along the way. PM me and we can hash out the details between us.

Constantine Lawrence: Would you be willing to do the flirting thread with Hake. I'm not sure if Constantine is a shy person or not but I think, with a few cups of Sake, that Hake wouldn't mind trying his very best to make Constantine as uncomfortable as possible while flirting with him. PM me.

You can't really just pick a strategic aptitude for a general. Some of the NPCs have no tactical aptitude at all. And large factions often have large territories requiring more generals to keep everything under control. It's not as if every Takeda castle has a general of each strategical field at S-rank on standby, right? And the same is true for the proficiencies you already have in place. What is stopping Nobunaga from having 2 S-rank warriors in each proficiency? That way PC factions wouldn't be able to win since they'd face overwhelming odds from S-rank leadership generals while being sniped down by S-rank archers trying to whittle away at S-rank fitness generals while their own commanders men are being cut down by invisible S-rank stealth generals. But all in all, that's fine. It's your world and your decision.

As for the logistics proficiency, I think that would work. Together with leadership it could increase troop command ability once proficiencies are active in game. But again, up to you.

I found the RP request sub board and posted in it. Shou was kind enough to reply to it.

And thank you for the information. So I can wear whatever without having to pay for it as long as it doesn't provide any stats?

Edit: I remembered.
Charisma: (E)D-S: The ability to attract people to your cause. It also helps to attract the opposite sex. (This proficiency would determine the amount of troops you have, while leadership determines your ability to actually lead the amounts of people you have. While not required for making your own faction, obviously it is a good skill to have.)

Chimosa Hake is looking for some people to have some adventures with. I'll post up my ideas here but you're always welcome to pitch me your ideas for threads as well. My PM box is always open.

Social
1. I'm looking for someone to meet while he's happy and snap at them while he's being broody. Thank you Shou

2. I'm looking for someone to flirt and drink sake with in some nondescript but pleasant bar. (Only flirting)(Can be combined with the previous idea.) Thank you Keisuke

War
1. I'm looking for someone to practice his strategical skills against in a mock battle set in a small town. Troop numbers will be decided IC. (Hake has no problem losing, in case you have an ego that requires nurturing.) Thank you Gabriella

2. I'm looking for a fellow strategist to combine wits with in order to fend of a bandit attack on a local village. (Can be the same strategist from the previous idea.)


Random ideas being worked on

1. Hake's village is in danger of attack. An unknown, unmarked force is heading for the village and so far, all farms in their path have been looted and raised. The village elders have sent out a request for help.

2. (coming soon *wink*)

Adventure
1. I'm looking for someone to help Hake out in winter, after he's gotten separated from his group and is in danger of freezing to death or being eaten by a bear. Or both. Thank you Jina

The tavern suddenly erupted into chaos as men fell, cut down by the bandits, and others tried to join the fight or get away from it. From the surrounding tables, a chair came crashing into the bandits as they decided to torch the place. Then men jumped in and tried to wrestle the bandits down. Punches and kicks were thrown and even a dagger was drawn. Some of the people ran out yelling for help as they tried to avoid the fight. The bartender crawled over his counter and approached one of the bandits from behind, attempting to crack his skull with the sake jug he was holding.

How he hated this. This was not Hake's place. His physique made it difficult to simple live in peaceful times. Here, in the middle of the fight, Hake was completely out of his element. Gasping for air, Hake clutched his stomach as he tried his best to keep the nausea back. The bandit stood over him, ready to attack. Panicked, Hake extended his arm towards the man and focused his spirit into the blade hidden within the sleeve. How he hated this.

The blade shot out, seemingly fired from some hidden mechanism, aimed straight for the bandit's chest. The moment the blade had left his sleeve, Hake tried to crawl backwards, away from the fight as the villagers tried their best to overwhelm the bandits, although most of them were unarmed. Some had broken chairs or pieces of a table in their hand as makeshift clubs and shield, one even had a real knife, but the rest were unarmed and did their best to wrestle down the bandits.

(Actions: Hake tries to surprise the bandit with his flying sword. 5 of the ten villagers run outside crying for help. 10 remaining villagers do their best to take down the bandits with whatever they can find.)

Somehow, his victory over the bandits had drawn the attention of one of the many small time daimyos in Shimotsuke and an invitation had been extended towards the man who had defeated the bandits to visit the castle of the daimyo and enjoy the splendor. More at the advice of the elders than out of any desire to go, Hake had accepted the invitation. The trip had been horrid, a trial for Chimosa Hake and his frail body. The pillows had done nothing to ease the bumping of the wagon on the road. At least the wagon had been nice.

The invitation had quickly turned into a challenge as one of the Daimyo's retainers had found some reason to be offended by Hake. Now here they were in the middle of a mock town, barely ten buildings, in a mock battle of 40 men. Hake had not had a good start. A sudden fit of coughing had caused him to collapse. A matter of seconds later, they had been showered with arrows from the other team and half of Hake's unit had gone down. Well, they had been hit and had grudgingly laid down on the ground. Even now 'the dead' where complaining about Hake being the reason they would lose the battle and lose face at the same time.

Holed up in a house, Hake had was trying to visualize what he remembered of the village after having seen it while riding to it. They were in one of the far houses, the enemy somewhere on the other side. Most of his archers were dead so he'd have no cover from those. The ten men remaining were looking at him or looking out for the enemy. The buildings were set up in an odd fashion for a village, most likely designed by some retainer who had never set foot outside of the castle. But it worked in his favor. Hake looked up at the men surrounding him and used one of them to pull himself on his feet.

"We're a touch outnumbered but I've got an idea." He pointed at the two remaining archers of his troop. "Gather the bows from outside, please." As the two archers gathered up the bows and arrows from 'the dead', who handed them their stuff, Hake looked over the eight remaining troops. "One of you will taunt them and pull back. We'll let them pass four of us, who will clash into their flanks as they pass. The rest of you will be on the rooftops with the bows. Who are the two best fighters here? Who is the fastest runner and who are the three worst archers?"

Hake looked around as hands went up, some quickly, the proud runner and the two best fighters, others slowly, the three worst archers. Some of the men chuckled at the sight and got a few friendly punches in return. Hake moved down to the ground, balancing himself with one hand while the other drew his plan. "Just outside, there's three houses towards the enemy. The last one from here will be occupied by the archers on the roof. In between the last one and the middle one we will keep the two fighters and the two non-archers." Hake passed a glance to the bad archers to see their reaction to his naming. At the same time he looked at their faces to make sure people knew what he was talking about.

"One of you will stay with me in between the first houses, here, and take on the frontal charge. This is where the runner will stop and turn to fight. Once five or six men have passed, the two groups of fighters, here and here, will pincer the enemy, cutting them in two. The archers will focus purely on the back end of the enemy. Drive them away from the pincer attack. Shoot close to the their middle first and then outward towards the end." Hake stopped again to regard his ten soldiers. It seemed they understood his plan. "That should do it."

A few minutes later, the runner headed out towards the enemy, moving slowly as he scouted around every corner. The archer were lying down on the rooftop of the house, ready to get up and fire. The two fighter teams disappeared each in their alley and the last soldier stood next to Hake at the end of the road, just outside of their makeshift HQ. Unarmed, Hake stood behind the soldier as he tried to keep himself from swaying too much, already his breathing was ragged and he hadn't even started exerting himself yet.

The attack came but a moment after the runner passed the corner. The sound of stomping feet rounded the corner and the faster ones of the enemy army came in sight. Two at first then three and five and eight and ten and then they were all in the alley. As soon as five enemies had passed the pincer, the four warriors ran out of their respective alleys, clashing into the side of the enemy, killing several enemies and cutting their forces in two. The archers seemed to sprout up out of nowhere and rained death on the surprised forces.

The insulted retainer went down under the first arrow barrage, a good choice of whoever had killed him. The four fighters in the middle turned towards the main host, one of them turning to help dispatch the six they had cut off. With two on six, the enemy seemed rather smug as they advanced further. When the fourth man from the pincer cut two down from behind and clashed with a third, the smug looks disappeared as they found themselves outmatched in skill. The remaining enemies were cut down quickly and the fighter, runner and non-archer turned towards the enemy, reinforcing their friends. Hake halted the non-archer before he could run off too far.

Hake could see one of his troops had fallen in the pincer and two, combined with the four archers from above, where hard pressed on keeping the remaining enemies at bay. With the sudden burst of the other two reinforcing the wall, the enemy was pushed back. The last three enemies attempted to retreat as a fourth turned and fired an arrow straight for Hake. The non-archer Hake had appointed to himself jumped in between him and the arrow and took it right in the chest as two arrows hit the archer who had fired it. The remaining three troops were hunted down by an overzealous force of seven troops already cheering their victory on.

All in all, everything ended well. The Daimyo was glad to see even women could win a fight if they set their minds to it. He ordered his retainer to be satisfied with the results of the mock battle and allowed Hake to leave his castle after they had shared some tea. Not one to offend, Hake had accepted and had willed himself through the dreadful company of the man. How on earth did a man like him get to be a Daimyo?

Later during the day as preparations were made for Hake's departure,he was approached by the twenty men he had commanded. The ten who had died in the first archer barrage and had complained about Hake being a nuisance and a bother approached the wagon he had been lent for the way back. "We would like to apologize for our behavior." The other ten men behind them were poking and prodding their friends while laughter was building up within them. Hake extended a hand and one of the more courteous men helped him get off the wagon. Without much pomp or scene he grabbed the man's head in his hands and kissed him soundly on the cheek. The laughter stuck in the men's throats as Hake grabbed the next closest one and kissed him on the cheek as well.

"I'm sorry you died because of me." He spoke with a soft, velvet voice before smiling at them. The man who had sacrificed himself for Hake pushed his friends aside as he moved to the front. With a dark red blush on his face he looked at Hake. With the same absence of pomp and scene, Hake leaned forward and kissed the man on the lips, gently, and retreated quickly. The nine remaining men in the back looked a touch jealous as Hake turned back to the wagon. Behind his back, the two kissed, 'dead' men held the cheek he had kissed. His savior wasn't sure what to do. Without too much trouble, Hake managed to climb aboard the wagon once more. Under loud hooting, shoving and shoulder slapping, the twenty troops stepped back from the wagon as they congratulated their fellow soldiers on such 'a heroic death for such a beauty'. Under general laughter from the men, the soldiers went back to their own barracks as the wagon sat itself in motion.