Session 10. (31/8/05)

Standing amid the Ainu bodies, Tagaya points north-east to the valley he says is their next target. The advance is held up while Yoshi (Chris Dore) gets religion and spends an hour chanting the Lotus Sutra. Tagaya, though bloodthirsty, respects religion and waits. Eventually, his patience wearing thin, he declares it to be lunch time. Yoshi continues to chant while the others prepare and then eat lunch. Eventually Yoshi gets through the seven recitations and the party moves off. Before they get out of the swampy ground they encounter a mukade (giant centipede). Mineo (Denzil Brown), out in front, doesn't see it until it bites him, injecting him with a level 2 fast lethal poison. Fortunately Mineo's strong constitution overcomes the poison immediately and he is spared any harm, apart from the bite itself. Mineo makes a fast draw of his sword but misses the creature. The others arrive and draw their swords, Yoshi and Mineo getting hits, and Haku (Paul Burton) scores with a Dart of Water. The centipede tries to bite its attackers but fails, and at the third attempt stuns itself. Miyoshi (Jim Loder) and Yoshi cut it to pieces.

The party carries on and by mid afternoon comes across some fields of barley. At the far side is an Ainu village. Tagaya tells the others to go in, kill the villages and burn the houses. Miyoshi and Kanemitsu refuse point blank. Katchamaru (Anthony Hummerston) agrees to attack but doesn't move. Haku and Yoshi stand to one side, apparently taking up positions to defend in case the Ainu attack, but really just not committing themselves to one side or other. Mineo just stands there, torn by indecision - should he obey his clan's superior's representative (Miyoshi) or the party leader? The decision is made for him when Tagaya calls Miyoshi a traitor and draws his sword to attack him. Tagaya strikes Miyoshi while he is drawing his sword. Kanemitsu draws his sword and Mineo draws and strikes in one move, inflicting a serious blow to Tagaya. The two level twos, Katagiri and Munataka draw their swords and attack Kanemitsu and Mineo, both scoring hits. Tagaya hits Miyoshi again, who falls and dazes himself; Kanemitsu and Mineo swing and miss; Yoshi draws his bow; Kachamaru hits Tagaya and Haku casts Traitor Ground under the three leaders. While Miyoshi is getting up Mineo protects him from Tagaya. Yoshi puts and arrow in Tagaya and Mineo finishes him off with his sword. Now Kachamaru hits Munataka; Kanemitsu, Katagiri and Munataka all swing and miss. While everyone has their second attacks, all swinging and missing except Kanemitsu, Haku fires a Dart of Water at Katagiri, but he dodges. In the next round the only hits are Kanemitsu on Katagiri, Munataka getting two hits on Mineo, fortunately relatively minor, and Yoshi and Kachamaru getting serious hits on Munataka with arrow and sword respectively. Also Haku hits Katagiri with one of three Darts of Water. In the next round everyone misses with all their attacks except Kachamaru who gets a minor hit on Munataka. Haku heals Mineo. Finally Miyoshi gets a critical hit on Katagiri and Kanemitsu finishes him off, while Yoshi puts an arrow in Munataka, a fatal blow.

The six samurai stand, dumbstruck, as the enormity of what they have done sinks in. They can feel their On draining away to nothing - all but Yoshi who retains 5 On as he was partly under divine influence. He falls to level 1 - but the others crash to level 0, a desperate state of affairs. "What do we do now?" "We'll have to give ourselves up!" "Could we brave it out?" are thoughts going through their heads. These thoughts explode into frantic discussion between the panic-stricken warriors. "What about the Ainu?" The six look round to see a group of 20 or so Ainu standing at the edge of the village, looking on silently. There are men, women and children among them. They don't appear to understand what has happened, and look fearful. Following Miyoshi's lead, the samurai put away their weapons and talk to the Ainu, without response. But this lightens the atmosphere and the Ainu gesture the strangers into their village, jabbering away in a completely unfamiliar tongue. Haku and Mineo go with them, trying to understand them but failing. The others decide they must bury their former leaders and make digging actions to the villagers. At first they don't understand, but when the samurai start digging with their swords and hands the villagers bring out some crude iron mattocks. The graves are soon dug and after a brief ceremony (brief because Kachamaru was trying to remember it from his encounter with the boar spirit), they enter the village and are led to a hut where food and blankets have been laid out. The visitors bow and smile to their generous hosts and respond by sharing with them the rations and game they have brought with them. The villagers seem to be pleased by this.

As it gets dark the villagers leave. There is no light in the hut but the dim glow of the fire, and the ex-samurai discuss their predicament. At first talk is about returning to Hakodate to give themselves up to preserve the honour of themselves and their families, but soon they realise that having killed their leaders they will be dishonourably executed and forever known as traitors by their families. Mineo offers to return and take all the blame on behalf of Miyoshi, while the others remain in the forests and become ronin. This solves one of the problems that they all think is very important, namely how to return Tagaya's possessions to his clan. However, it means a tough life away from human company, and even tougher for Mineo. Finally Yoshi rationalises a solution, prompted by his dream. If they have been forced to oppose their leaders by refusing to attack the Ainu women and children then the only way they can do so honourably is to continue to follow their consciences and join the Ainu, protecting them from the depredations of their countrymen, the wajin. With this consensus comes a renewed feeling of honour, and the On from their first fight on the Ainu side and the dignified burial of their defeated leaders, returning all the young men to level 1. After this, though none sleeps easily, at least they can sleep. Watches are posted but it is quiet all night.

In the morning Ainu women bring food and water to the hut. Following behind them is the village headman. The Headman, Henke, says, "Ainu stay. Ainu live here. Ainu help. Wajin come. Kannariki go Ainu go Yukput!" The guests are puzzled by this, but the headman knows a little Nipponese and manages to translate the first and last parts of his message: "You strangers can stay with us" and "Strangers, go with Kannariki to Yukput." Haku works out that Yukput must be the place they call Shikabe. They start to protest that they must return their slain leader's possessions to his family when Haku notices that Kanemitsu is not with them. Searching for him, they find a note saying he has gone back to Hakodate to face the consequences, if he dares tell. Some of the smaller items belonging to the leaders are missing, though their swords and armour remain. Mineo breathes a sigh of relief that he won't have to take the rap for his boss, and the party decides to go to Yukput.

Kannariki takes the estranged wajin along a well-worn track down the valley to a larger village on a hillside overlooking the sea. The visitors are welcomed by the village headman, Nishtap-Tashum, who explains in broken Nipponese that they are welcome to stay. They are given huts to live in and the hospitality of the villagers is excellent.

After a few days in Shikabe/Yukput, the headman comes to see the guests and says that he sent a messenger to their Chief in Sawara. The messenger has returned with the news that the Chief wants to see them to thank them personally. With an honour guard of three Ainu, the young warriors are taken to Sawara to meet the Chief, Koshamain. He thanks them for their actions and asks them to help them defend their lands against the greedy Wajin. They shall be provided with houses and beautiful Ainu women. The five readily agree and move into houses in Sawara. As it is still winter, they spend their time learning skills and making things. Kachamaru starts to make a sword while Yoshi trains some Ainu in kyujutsu. Haku concentrates on learning the Ainu language, Miyoshi studies battle tactics and Mineo practices swordplay.

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