Session 19. (5/12/01)

After a three week absence (for an exciting, overrunning live broadcast from the World Go Championships, a screenplay adaptation of a famous book and, oddly, a programme about railroad construction in the United States), The Stone returned to our screens with its usual brand of oriental mayhem. The cast were last seen afloat a boat cast off in the Inland Sea. As we join them, Komako is in a familiar pose, head down over the side of the ship. It appears that the sea gods do not approve of his offering and send a tidal wave, which washes over the ship and washes Komako and Emiko overboard. Both start to drown. Sugiyama dives into the water and heads for Emiko. Mariko takes a moment to tie herself to the ship, then jumps in after Komako. She reaches Komako and helps him back to the boat. Sugiyama pulls Emiko to the surface but then she gets cramp and both start to sink. However, Sugiyama recovers and hauls them both back to the boat and safety^*.

Later that morning the lookout shouts that he has seen an island off to the north-west. This throws the captain into a flat spin because there shouldn't be an island there, or else here isn't where the boat should be. He changes course to investigate the island. As the boat approaches the troubleshooters see that it is about three miles long by one and a half wide, coloured in an assortment of greys and greens but is devoid of trees. The coastline is mostly made of cliffs, but on one side there is a crescent-shaped beach. As they approach, the sea becomes rough, but the boat makes it through to the steeply shelving beach (though Emiko's and Komako's breakfasts didn't make it). The troubleshooters disembark and go to see if anyone lives on the island. The first thing they find is an enormous eel lying on the beach, dead, split down the middle. Komako recognises it as a common moray, but uncommonly large. Kimori looks to see if it has been cut open, but it just seems to have burst at the seams. It smells a great deal, as does the rest of the island. Everywhere they look, rocks are strewn with seaweed. When the party adventures up the beach and over the cliffs they see the interior of the island. It is fantastic. The centre of the island is bowl-shaped, extremely rough and covered in grey rock and green ground-hugging plants. From time to time water spouts spray up high into the air from a number of places. There are frequent mild earth tremors. An unearthly wailing sound is heard coming from behind a small hill in the centre of the island, and a strange clicking noise is heard nearby to the left. The girls decide to investigate the wailing in case it is someone in trouble; the men check out the clicking.

As they approach the noise, Sugiyama conceals himself and enters the rock-strewn gully first. In it is a giant centipede, fully twelve feet long (fifty feet on either side!). Although he is concealed, the centipede feels the vibrations of his footsteps and attacks, biting him for 10 damage. Sugiyama hits back with his sword, doing minor damage to its hard exoskeleton. The centipede bites again and injects a fast lethal poison. Sugiyama hits back and gets bitten a third time. By now the others have heard the commotion and come to Sugiyama's aid. Kimori uses his Beast Killer okuden and finishes it off. Sugiyama recovers from the poison but feels slightly unwell as well as being badly chewed. They set off to warn the girls about the wildlife, not seeing the second centipede approaching from behind...

Meanwhile, the girls' journey to the source of the wailing has been derailed by a giant water spider. They wonder if it is hostile and it obliges by trying to bite Emiko. It misses, but Mariko hits it and Miss Emiko attempts a trance. She is rudely interrupted when the spider throws a web around her, from which she is unable to struggle free. Mariko kills the spider then tries to help Emiko. Urgency is required when another spider approaches, but neither girl thinks to cut the web. Emiko finally pulls the web off just as the second spider attacks. However, this spider misses the Miss and the Mrs and they both hit it and leave it unfed and dead.

We cut back to the other party to see them having some problems; Kimori has been knocked down and stunned, Komako's jo sticks are bouncing off its armoured shell, and Sugiyama, quite weak, has leapt onto its back and is riding round like a rodeo seen through a kaleidoscope. However, from his vantage point Sugiyama is able to use his sword quite effectively, and the blades in Komako's jo sticks start to make an impression, and soon Sugiyama's mount goes down in an off-key ballet of stick-like legs. When he extracts himself, the three dash off to find the girls, who sound like they are in trouble again.

And indeed they are. They have not yet found the source of the wailing, but have run into an enormous sea serpent. However, Mariko gets a critical hit and Emiko also gets a hit, while the serpent misses Mariko and grazes Emiko. It has a go at coiling round Emiko but fails and Mariko finishes it off. Meanwhile, the men have also run into a sea serpent. It strikes at Komako but misses, then Kimori gets a critical hit and dazes it. Sugiyama steps in and finishes it. Then they head off to catch up with the girls. All together once more, the troubleshooters round a small lake and a hill to find the source of the wailing. It is a giant octopus, with legs fifty feet long! Good job Emiko has blessed the party. Kimori, Sugiyama, Mariko and Komako all hack bits off the mollusc, but it responds by blinding three of them with ink and attacking with four of its tentacles. Mariko is struck and Kimori and Komako are constricted. However, the combined firepower of the troubleshooters make short work of the soft-bodied monster.

Catching their breaths, frequent earth tremors prompt Kimori and Komako to realise that the island is just a lump of pumice shaken loose from the sea bed, floating to the surface and incidentally causing the tidal wave. It has carried a number of large sea creatures to the unaccustomed shallows, and some, like the eel, didn't survive the pressure drop. Even now the island is settling back into the water. The small lake have become much larger. With this realisation, the troubleshooters race back to the ship. As they pass the expanding lake they are cut off by a Wani, a crocodile-like sea monster over 40 feet long. But Emiko's blessing is still working and the group barely breaks stride, landing five fatal blows on the poor creature almost before it can react. The diversion allows Emiko to catch up, and together the party boards the ship, now much further up the rapidly disappearing beach. There is a moment of danger as the ship turns in a sea turned to foam by the inrushing water, but it gets to a safe distance from where the crew can relax and watch the final minutes of the islands existence. After it disappears from view, the captain turns the boat south west and heads for Kyushu.

After some much needed rest, the troubleshooters wake the next day to a moderate sea. Once again Emiko and Komako are seasick, and for Komako in particular this is starting to take its toll on his health. The captain sees Emiko leaning over the side and comments "The sea really is no place for a woman." Mid morning the lookout shouts that there are two sails in sight. The troubleshooters ask if the captain can identify them. He looks for a while then turns white. "They are pirates!" he says. "They have been the scourge of the Inland Sea for the past year since they moved from their original home on the far side of the Malay Peninsular. They are the infamous Pirates of Penang^**!" The two pirate boats, upwind and carrying oars, would have the advantage in manoeuvrability. Sugiyama formed a plan to swim under the pirate ships and drill holes in the bottoms. Kimori just loaded up with Ship Arrows, solid metal projectiles designed to pierce ships' hulls, though at the expense of accuracy. Mariko practised naval strategy while Emiko practised navel contemplation, bestowing a blessing on the troubleshooters. Komako just stood and waited for the battle to begin.

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