Session 22. (21/12/05)

The day dawns dull, the Ainu army advances, the Kono clan consolidates behind bushi bearing banners. Somebody evidently spotted the advancing army and alerted the authorities. The two armies meet at the outskirts of Hakodate, 2,500 Ainu against 1,500 Kono. Barely an hour of the day has passed before battle commences.

Miyoshi (Jim Loder) commands the Ainu army but at first the Kono commander has both the better strategy and more success. However, the difference is slight and the early skirmishes do not dent either sides' numbers significantly. In the first hour Miyoshi takes five heads, Katchamaru (Anthony Hummerston) seven, Mineo (Denzil Brown) three (and a slight wound), Kanemitsu one and a slight wound and Haku (Paul Burton) two. Yoshi (Jim Loder) takes two heads and then encounters a L3 bushi. His two swords whirring, Yoshi scores a hit with one, ducks his opponents blow, lands another and is surprised to find the fight is over.

During the second hour of the battle, Miyoshi matches the Kono leader, takes one head and encounters a L2 bushi. Yoshi takes six heads and a light wound, Kachamaru two heads and meets a L4 bushi. Mineo takes three heads, Kanemitsu one but receives a nasty wound, and Haku takes one head and encounters a L3 bushi. In the encounters, Miyoshi starts with his customary miss, then a good hit followed by two more misses, while his opponent has three misses and a minor but critical hit. Miyoshi replies with his own critical hit for double damage, just enough to finish the contest. Kachamaru takes a different approach and starts by casting Stage Flash, but the bushi manages to blink in time; however, his first two attacks both miss. Kachamaru tries again (he won't be expecting THAT!) and this time the bushi is blinded. This obviously helps his aim and h manages to land a minor blow on Kachamaru. Our hero then lands a critical strike, doing triple damage and dazing the bushi, then follows up with the killing blow. Haku takes a completely different approach and casts Summon Beast - at this point two vipers appear and throw themselves at the astonished bushi. One viper falls into a hole, but the other lands its fangs in the bushi, who manages to avoid being poisoned. Meanwhile, Haku casts Summon Beat again and is joined by a ferocious tiger. The first viper bits the bushi twice, but both times the bushi fights off the poison, then the tiger badly bites him. The bushi bravely hits the tiger with his sword. Haku tries to cast Darts of Water but fails. Then the viper bites again and this time the poison takes effect, but the bushi's good luck and good health keep him happy by throwing off the poison immediately. The tiger attacks with its claws, landing one hit but stunning itself with the second. The bushi lands another hit on the tiger before Haku's Darts of Water do further damage and the viper finishes the fight.

In the third hour of battle Miyoshi is slightly outmanoeuvred but the Ainu troops perform well and the situation is a standoff, still no major loss of troop points. Miyoshi is slightly injured. Yoshi takes three heads, as does Kachamaru before he encounters a L2 bushi. The fight lasts the length of Kachamaru's katana: a single critical hit ends it. Mineo takes two heads and a light wound, Kanemitsu three heads and Haku four heads and a minor wound.

The first sign of progress in the battle as a whole comes in the fourth hour when Miyoshi executes a brilliant manoeuvre and the Ainu perform well, resulting in a loss of 100 Kono troops. Out of these, Yoshi and Mineo take seven heads each, Kanemitsu and Haku five each and Kachamaru two. The Kono troops fall back towards the town centre and a whole ward is now in the possession of the Ainu.

However, the positions are reversed in the fifth hour. The Kono troops fight back strongly and wipe out a couple of hundred Ainu. Yoshi, Kanemitsu and Haku have encounters with three of the bushi, of L3, L3 and L2 respectively. Their head totals are modest except for Kachamaru who weighs in with six. Yoshi attacks characteristically with the offensive form of ni-to-kenjutsu, landing blows for 8, 4 and 10 before missing. The bushi misses twice, then Yoshi scores a 13 and finishes in style. Kanemitsu's foe is much punier and succumbs to two blows of 13 and 12, though dealing out two hits of 5 damage each, taking Kanemitsu's hit point total to a dangerously low 11. Haku deals with his opponent by summoning first two wild dogs, then a tiger. The dogs fail to land a bite but the tiger lands two claws to take down the bushi.

In the sixth hour Miyoshi again gets the better of the Kono and another 100 bushi are killed. Miyoshi himself accounts for three, Yoshi and Kachamaru five each, Mineo and Kanemitsu four each and Haku one. Miyoshi and Haku receive minor wounds. Another ward of Hakodate is taken.

In the seventh hour the battle turns decisively with a good performance from Miyoshi and an even better one from the Ainu warriors. In a major Ainu offensive the Kono leader fails to minimise the losses and 400 are killed for the loss of 100 Ainu. The Ainu advance through four more wards towards the town centre. Miyoshi and Haku each take one hit (during which Haku received a serious wound), Kachamaru and Kanemitsu took three each, Mineo five (and a wound) and Yoshi topped them all with six. Yoshi also encountered a L3 bushi; however, this was anticlimactic as Yoshi lands one of his first two attacks, the bushi swings, misses, falls over and dazes himself, Yoshi lands two more hits then, just as the bushi is struggling to his feet, Yoshi lands the final blow.

The eight hour continues Miyoshi's success with near perfect strategy while the Kono leader makes a major mistake. Another two hundred bushi are dead, another two wards taken and Lord Kono's mansion in sight. Miyoshi celebrates by taking six heads. Yoshi joins in with five heads, Kanemitsu with four, Kachamaru with three and Mineo and Haku with one each. Haku, Kanemitsu and Yoshi are slightly wounded; Kachamaru encounters a L2 bushi. This fight is even shorter than Yoshi's last one: THWACK (Kachamaru, 9 point hit), SWISH (bushi, miss), THWACK (Kachamaru, 10 point hit), THUD (bushi, hitting ground, dead).

The ninth hour of the battle bring the last chance for victory, as the light is fading and the Kono will regroup overnight. Miyoshi fails to come up with a good strategy but weight of numbers counts and the Kono fall back to the mansion, losing 100 as they go. Miyoshi accounts for three and meets a L2 bushi as they chase through the streets. This time it's Thwack, Swish, Thwack, Swish, Thwack, Thud as Miyoshi's three hits all for 8 damage seal it. Kachamaru, Mineo, Kanemitsu and Haku celebrate with six, five, six and seven heads respectively. Yoshi misses out, taking only one head.

While the Ainu surround the mansion and make the town secure, the heroes sit around the fire in a commandeered house and calculate their battle honours. Miyoshi wins bonus honour, taking his tally to 21 heads, 90 On. Yoshi wins a humungous honour bonus and Koshamain promises him his own farm, taking his total to 40 heads, 520 On(!) and a stipend; Kachamaru gets a big honour bonus and the pick of the captured weapons; he ends up with 40 heads, 260 On and a superior sword. Mineo also has a choice of captured weapons and takes a superior sword to add to his tally of 33 heads and 33 On. Kanemitsu finishes with 31 heads and 87 On. Haku also gets an honour bonus to finish on 25 heads and 96 On. All this honour allows Kachamaru and Haku to advance to Level 4 and Mineo to Level 3. However, it is too early to celebrate: Hakodate is held by the Ainu but the Kono clan still hold the mansion. The Siege of Hakodate Mansion is about to begin.

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