Session 13. (21/9/05)

This episode rejoins the fight from last week's cliff-hanger ending, with the giant pike swimming back out into the lake, turning, and coming back towards the fighters. Miyoshi (Jim Loder) wades out into the water to hack at the fish, as do Yoshi (Paul Burton), Katchamaru (Anthony Hummerston) and Mineo (Denzil Brown), though only Kachamaru's blow lands. Three of the Ainu poke their spears at the pike but they miss, while Ainu Tomtare hits it with an arrow. The pike tries to bite the bushi as it swims past but misses. The Ainu shaman casts Control Beast but it fails, and Haku (Paul Burton) casts Pure Flesh on Mineo to heal most of his wounds. The bushi standing in the freezing water have second attempts at hitting the fish but again only Kachamaru is successful. The pike turns for another run at the annoying humans. The annoying humans swish their swords and this time only Yoshi connects. All the Ainu miss, but Wakarpa, the shaman, steps forward and casts Control Beast just as the pike comes to the shore. The pike bites Wakarpa, but the spell takes hold and the pike lolls on the surface next to the shore. Haku takes advantage and lands two Darts of Water, stunning the pike further, but all the bushi miss on their second actions. Regrouping, the bushi lay into the passive piscine and Miyoshi, Yoshi, Mineo and Ainu Yeesu cut it into fillets.

The victorious party celebrates then stops to wonder what to do with the enormous carcase. The bushi want to cut it up for meat, but the Ainu just want to get out of the marsh as soon as possible. Their opinion holds sway and the group returns to Shikabe. Here the headman thanks them and soon the five foreigners return to their tasks, learning skills and languages among the Ainu.

Kachamaru goes to see the headman and, with Haku as interpreter, explains how it is not possible for him to equip an army with swords by himself, and needs workshops and a school to train Ainu in sword-making and set up an industry. Henke agrees to build these for him and Kachamaru immediately decides to call the school the School of the Blade. With renewed enthusiasm he returns to improving his swordsmith skill. Miyoshi completes his studies of senjojutsu by reaching a professional level and swithes to Ainu language so he can command Ainu troops. Mineo also studies Ainu language along with herbalism, and Haku studies School of Soil.

Flushed with the success of killing the giant trout, the Ainu decide to tackle the marshes once and for all. A group of hunter/warriors, together with the wajin, are gathered to clear the marshes of all spiders, centipedes and snakes. The hunters break up into five groups of three, one wajin to each group because the Ainu are scared. The groups bet with each other on how many legs they will cut off. After a day's travel up to Onuma Lake and a night's camp, the groups split up and search for creepy-crawlies. It doesn't take long to find some. Miyoshi's group finds two mizu-kumo. Miyoshi kills one with three hits out of five, without injury, while the two Ainu wear the other one down for Miyoshi to finish off. Kachamaru's group meets two Totate-kumo and dispatch them in identical fashion. Next Miyoshi's group meets two Ji-kumo and make short work of them, Yoshi runs into a mukade which the Ainus' four hits and Yoshi's big, medium and massive hits kill without any of its dangerous bites, Kachamaru meets another two Totate-kumo and kills them in a repeat of the first encounter, and Mineo meets four Ji-kumo and takes forever (and three nasty bites) to overcome them. Haku meets three vipers and sets about them with Darts of Water while the Ainu use spears. One of the Ainu is bitten, but throws off the poison (and suffers the effects) before Haku can react. After this he realises these snakes are very dangerous, and tells the Ainu to go first. When one is bitten again Haku casts Pure Blood immediately and cures him. In this way they defeat the snakes. And after Miyoshi, Yoshi and Mineo survive painful encounters with another 13 spiders, they bandage themselves and continue the hunt...

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