Lonely Assault (Invite Only)

[Toku Hirotomo]

"By the Fortunes, Fusashi! You're a trained Hiruma scout! How the hell can we be lost? Toku Gozu fumed at his portly companion.

"I have not exactly spent much time in the Crane lands," the man said defensively, while looking at a map. "We were supposed to join the Crab a day ago! They could be in Kyuden Doji by now!" the younger samurai said rubbing his temples.

The two men lead a small train of supplies and heavy infantry, a gift of sorts to their Crab allies. The Crab were never able to fully feed their armies without assistance, and the supplies of rice and fish might be desperately needed if the Crab ran into difficulties.

"We should be behind them. Lonely Shore is not far to the East. If we hug the cost, we should be there soon."

"Wonderful, perhaps if we spy the Daidoji, they will be kind enough to give us directions." Gozu said sardonically. He raised the pitch in his voice, and spoke like a child "Excuse me, Daidoji-sama, we were wondering where we could find the Crab in your lands, so we can feed them, fight with them, and hopefully burn your homes to the ground. Can you please give us directions?"

Fusashi sighed. "Don't be an ass, Gozu-san. We'll get there."

After another hour of wandering around, they finally spied a samurai in dark blue and steel grey riding. "At last, someone who can help us." Gozu said waving at the man.

The Hiruma, at least Gozu thought he was Hiruma, he was never familiar with all the Crab mons. He'd spent most of his time in Toshi Rando guarding the ambasadors before Kenpachi-sama handpicked him for other duties, and aside from the Yatsuki, and their Hida yojimbo very few Crab came to the Imperial City.

"I am Toku Gozu, Chui of the Monkey. We've come to assist our allies the Crab in the march of the Crane."

The Hiruma looked at the shipment with aproval. "I'm Hiruma Noto, nikutai under Gunso Hiruma Kamakai. It's a pleasure to see allies, Toku-sans. I'm sure you'll be well received. Why are you headed in the opposite direction of the camp though?"

Gozu gave a withering look at Fusashi, who mearly raised his hands. "A misunderstanding, Hiruma-san. Can you direct us to the camp?" The Crab nodded and led the way.

The Crab army was massive. They had more ashigaru than the entire Monkey force that was sent. Gozu wanted to ask for more men, but with the main bulk being sent to assist the Lion, and the Magistrate Corps being sent across the Empire, there were few men left, aside from the Homeguard defending Toku Torid-e.

A Taisa met them, and Gozu bowed politely. Fusashi bowed as low as his stomach would permit. "Three tons of rice, and a ton of salted fish for our allies, Hida-sama. Though we may be few, the Monkey is honored to fight beside the Defenders of The Empire." He said formally. The Hida was brusque, and barked orders to see the supplies distributed properly. Gozu forgot how informal the Crab could be. He could hear sounds of skirmish, they must be close to the front lines. It was impressive that the Crane could mount a successful defense with the vast majority was in the capitol.

The Monkey would now fight on both fronts. Gozu hoped that the allies that Hirotomo trusted to protect their home were that trustworthy. He did not like the idea of trusting Dragon and Scorpion samurai to guard his home, but he had a duty to do.

[Hida Setsuro]

Meanwhile, at Lonely Shore City...

Crab Bushi surged against the Crane defenders with vigor and zeal. Berserkers supported them, rushing between the ranks and then letting the Bushi come in to crush the Crane soldiers in a flanking pincer attack. Two Pincers, One Strike. Setsuro was the first Crab Champion in history to have utilized the berserkers as much as he did. He had some training with the berserkers as well, so he knew just how talented they were. The battle strategy was costing the Daidoji defenders heavily, even if Setsuro did not want to do this. He had respect for the Iron Crane and even called a few of them friend. This war was going to cost a lot more to both sides before it was over, but the champion would do what he could.

Another wave of Bushi and Berserkers charged forward, this time changing the strategy from the front and back to the sides. Two bushi units crushed a unit of Crane in between them while the Berserkers defended them. To their merit, the Scouts began picking off the engaged bushi while they were fighting. Setsuro would have preferred a flat-out surrender to this, but he doubted very much that the Crane would do so.

Arrows flitted out amongst them but out of the Crab ranks rose Kuni Shugenja, conjuring up shards of earth with blasted forth from the middle of the Crane lines and then towards the Crab, shielding them from the arrows. The Crab had been pushing the Crane again and again, before long they would certainly be standing in the middle of the city itself. Seconds later Kaiu siege engines roared to life, hurling boulders, non-flaming and flaming, into the defenses of the city. The battle was now in full swing.

[Kitsune Poxo]

The thunderous noise of the Kaiu siege engines were soon greeted with real thunder. Dark clouds formed out at sea which moved fast and unnaturally. The storm was a downpour with gale force winds that effortlessly flung whatever got caught by it aside. In the eye of the storm appeared a handful of kubune with sails of sea green bearing black mons of the mantis and sea blue hued mons of the kitsune, sailed effortlessly towards the city.

"Remember the plan, Captain," A tower of a man standing at the bow yelled across the deck of the lead ship, Thunder's Fury, over the sounds of heavy rain and wind. "We hit land hard and fast, grab what we can and get out. Hopefully the Kaiu can aim those things and don't put a rock through our ships. We are here to help our allies, not die."

Kitsune Daichi stood at the bow holding his hands outstretched as if holding some invisible reins to the storm around them. He was drenched from the rain of the very storm he summoned. He was still wearing the loose garb of a warrior monk with ashigaru armor over it that clung to him. His red hair pulled back into a warrior's knot. New to his garb was a sea blue hued kitsune mon. He would occasionally mutter small prayers to the kami to keep the storm under his control. Thankfully, he was not alone as a shugenja stood at the bow of each ship powering the spell as well.

Daichi beared his teeth and growled very much like an animal when he spotted a row of crane troops appear on the docks as the ships fast approached. "These things can never be easy?" He muttered to himself as twisted his left arm as if grabbing a better hold on the invisible reins. His right hand produced his gourd, which he promptly took a heavy draw from it, downing enough sake that would knock a normal man on his behind. Tossing the empty gourd into the violent waves and exhaling a breath that reeked of sake, he began calling to the water kami around him.

As the ships got close, the crane let loose their arrows. The winds caught them and turned them effortlessly away and in return Daichi released his spell causing a large wave to form and crash heavy on the docks. Those unfortunate enough to be caught by the wave found themselves in turbulent water as the storm hit the shore.

"Captain, take those men hostage." Daichi yelled as he released the reins as the ship hit the dock, releasing the storm to cover the mantis's aggressive landing. He then lept from the bow of the ship on to the docks, splashing down and soon others followed suit. They were taking the seaside bazaar district by storm.

[Hida Setsuro]

"FIREEEEEEEE!" Setsuro himself gave the command and another volley of siege weapons launched their stones into the city itself. Bushi cleared the path so that the new and improved Kaiu Siege Weapons could be let through. Berserker and Bushi alike guarded the weapons as they proceeded forward. It would only be a matter of time before the Crab siege weapons were through the gate. He would have to remind himself to reward the Kaiu family and it's Daimyo greatly.

At that point, several scouts came up and reported that Mantis ships had been seen approaching. Were they here to help, or had the message the Mantis Champion sent him proven true in the end after all? Setsuro himself would find out once they had stormed the city. He trusted Kourin explicitly, mostly because there was no reason not to trust her and Kourin had always been true to him in the past.

Setsuro ordered the Hiruma to start taking out the archers upon the walls. There were the ground troops, of course, and even enemy scouts, but the archers were killing them the most and he wanted the bowmen taken down. A Hiruma archer ran off to give the command and the Crab archers began firing their own volleys of arrows against the Crane archers upon the walls. It would have to suffice until they could crack the gates.

[Toku Hirotomo]

"By the Fortunes." Gozu said as he saw the hail of rocks fall from the sky. He'd never even heard of these things, let alone seen one in person. He positioned himself and his small band near the front. The City was the prize of the Crab, but he wanted the Monkey's presence to at least be noticed. He barked orders to the Hohei, who were running around, helping deliver arrows, and bringing what small wounded there were back to camp. The sound of the rocks hitting the walls sent chills down his spine. Fusashi sat on a stool next to him, calmly eating an apple. "When the walls come down, do you want to charge right away or wait?" he said, starting to eat the core. "We'll race them. It may be their city now, but they can get there seeing our backsides." Fusashi laughed. He saw the Crab Champion leading the siege engines. He was as big as they said he was.

"Those rocks are the size of horses!" Gozu marveled again. "That's the idea, Gozu-san. I imagine a stone rain is making life unpleasant for the Crane inside. Remember Hirotomo-dono's orders. We help the commoners if we need to. We can't let things get too far out of hand."

[Daidoji Fitsu]

Inside what was left of the city...

The older of two men crouching inside a small merchant's stall spoke. Not much longer, this city was never meant to hold out an army. His tone was calming, though both of them knew he was speaking of their imminent deaths.

Seems short-sighted, if it was built more defensively we might have held them here. The young man spat as a nearby building veritably exploded from the impact of a horse sized stone crashing into it.

Perhaps...I won't pretend to understand the whys of what was done before my time, but I never thought the Crab would abandon their sacred duty without provocation like this. Nor did I expect a minor clan reknowned for its heroes to attack their fellow rokugani with such zeal. Dark times have indeed come upon us. He surveyed the wreckage of the mostly empty city with his remaining good eye grimly.

It was good that we evacuated so many of the heimin before now, though I don't envy them the labor they've been put to. Our deaths will be easier than their tasks, and far more glorius. The young samurai tucked the last pot into the stall and they scampered away trailing a line behind them.

After they'd settled into under the porch of a building across the street they started packing more of the pots into strategic positions. I'll grant you our final showing will be loud, and might take some of them with us, but cripples like us won't be remembered for any noble death, and this is far from noble in any event.

The young man was industriously packing pots and running fuses, he was remarkably industrious for a one armed man. His only response was a nod and short grunt.

They won't be remembered well for their deeds either, but in truth their work is as more important than ours as it is more difficult. He worked diligently alongside the man, feeding line carefully to him.

The junior Daidoji stopped and appraised his older counterpart.I don't follow. They're rerouting all the irrigation systems to the roads and cutting down bridges, are the Crab and Monkey so afraid of mud they won't march through it?

A sigh escaped the older man's scarred lips.No...no. The mud and lack of bridges will not stop the soldiers, it will slow them...a bit. More importantly it will stop the Kaiu's ingenious devices. Their wheels are meant to travel on roads and hard earth, not two to four feet of water and mud. If they insist on bringing them, they won't reach the capitol before Winter, which means they won't reach it before this war is settled.

That's the last of it. Working with you has been an honor Bowing while on his knees beneath a peasant's porch was such a comical sight that the older man couldn't help but laugh.

Our lives have been for this moment my friend. Were that we could have died more honorable deaths on the Wall where we earned these, he gestured solemnly to their long healed injuries. But such was not our fate, instead we die killing as many of the men we once fought side by side with, men we once bled with for a cause worth dieing for.

They separated then, their last shared expressions a bitter laugh and knowing smile before taking positions far apart. Neither would survive the night, but one would survive long enough to finish the destruction the Kaiu engines of war had started.

[Toku Hirotomo]

The Monkey line held, though when strange explosions came from nowhere, it began to falter. Toku Gozu stood yelling orders to keep the line steady. It was though fire flowers were erupting from the ground itself. The Crane were not known for fire magic, this was strange. The walls would crack soon, perhaps the Crab would be willing to give clemency to the defenders. At lease for any commoners that still may be in. The Daidoji were very resourceful, but the walls would still fall.

[Hida Setsuro]

Mud. Mud everywhere. The first of the bushi slipped through and were inside the city, but there was mud everywhere. The cracks in the Crane defensive army were showing and there was little to stand in the way of the Crab army. However, the insides were an entirely different matter. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to sabotage the city. They wouldn't be able to get more than a few groups of bushi in without fixing the mud problem. Of course, the mud was everywhere, so there wasn't going to be much in the way of getting the siege engines in just yet.

The Crane defending this place were absolutely crafty. No doubt they were the Daidoji family. They had to have set all of this up and Setsuro instantly respected them even more than they had before. It would prove to be an interesting day.

Meanwhile, the siege engines in back continued firing. Several boulders flew throughout the city itself, landing and crumbling and crushing various things along the way. Though the Crab had no intention of killing or harming the non-combatants, civilian casualties were to be expected when siege warfare was involved. Some of the ammunition had even ended up near the Mantis ship. If someone had told the Crab that an allied Mantis ship was approaching BEFORE they had approached, he would have been able to direct the siege engines away. Unfortunately, they weren't communicating with them.

Setsuro himself lead a small unit of berserkers and as the rain of Hiruma arrows fell upon the walls, covering their assault, they entered the city through part of a wrecked door. It took them several minutes to get through and a few were struck by arrows as they were stuck in the door, but a total of 10 of them got through, including Setsuro. They slipped their way through the mud, growling a bit at it's consistency, before they climbed up the battlements and started slaughtering archers where they stood. The rush of berserkers than stormed through the ranks of the enemy archers sent a courageous roar up through the ranks of the Crab army, but there was still a problem.

Something needed to be done about that blasted mud.

[Toku Hirotomo]

The wind picked up, as Gozu lifted his sword to order to follow the Crab. It started raining in sheets, and within minutes, he was soaked clear through. He looked at his line, the men were getting pushed by the wind. "Are you afraid of water?" he roared over the wind. "Our Champion fights in the Imperial City! Are you telling me we can't take a port city that's defended by twenty men and fishmongers? Charge!"

First wet, then mud. There were holes in the walls, and the Monkey charged through them. It was a small comfort that the storm was hitting the city just as hard. Fusashi kicked open a door and found a huddled mass of peasants in a corner. Swearing, he started ordering them to the Monkey reserves. They're orders were clear, kill samurai if you must, but don't harm the commoners.

Gozu reached the wall half covered in mud, dragging a young hohei covered in mud. He spit the water that was collecting in his helmet, and then threw it down. It was getting in the way. There were a few Daidoji coming to his line of sight. Damn it. His archers were back at the line. He drew his blade. "We don't have to fight. This city is ours now! Go to your Lords and fight again. Throwing your lives away now does nothing!"

He waited. He knew what they would do probably. He readied his sword in case they stood their ground.