Shingo watched the forces starting to approach the fortress from the side, pondering as to which side he should stand with. Mitsunari was an established force, seeking vengeance for the death of Hideyoshi Toyotomi at the hands of Ieyasu. But he knew next to nothing about the forces trying to defend that fortress down there. He yawned, he could use some excitement, maybe he could find some amusement there before continuing his own quest for vengeance.
He smirked, planning out his course of action.
As Shingo observed the battle and plotted a course of action, the fighting continued, with neither side having a noticable advantage. Inside of the fortress, a hawk with a letter tied around its leg had reached one of the reserve soldiers. After retrieving the message and reading it himself, the soldier decided to notify the man in charge immediately.
"General!" the soldiers shouted, firmly gripped the missive in his hand. "We've just recieved a letter from the enemy commander! He says that we can all go home safely if we just surrender to Mitsunari's forces! Please, sir, just give them this fortress and let us go home!"
"Get a hold of yourself, man!" the general spat back, not budging from his position in front of the base commander. "Do you honestly think that a man known as the Dark King would care for our well-being? Even if they were sincere, surrender to one side just gives motive for the other to launch an offense! This is supposed to be neutral ground, dangit, and no sword-wielding bullies are gonna change that while I'm still standing!"
And so, the battle continues...
Another unafiliated warrior watched the looming battle with mild interest, not so far from Shingo as to be totally out of sight. This was looking to be a chaotic skirmish, lacking the beauty that some battles could have. Yuki really didn't prefer one side to the other and that was his reason for staying on the sideline. Really he'd just been passing through the area before spotting the soldiers on the march and tailing them. Ishida's Toyotomi remnants were distasteful to him, in that they still claimed the fallen Hideyoshi's quest as their own. Conquest for its own sake was not something that Yuki thought worth a warrior's time, and only destrcutive to the land. Something about the Tokugawa also put the man in miko's clothing at odds with the second army. Perhaps he should introduce a little beauty to the fighting personally, in a way not unlike the Date would attempt.
For now he too watched the battle unfold, looking for all the world like a miko who'd strayed too far from her shrine. Except for the tall polearm in his hand, its blade glistening as it reflected what light there was. The moment an oppportunity presented itself, he would choose some way of intervening in the combat.
Avatar from: http://x0whitelily0x.livejournal.com/5953.html N: 5 F, 0/40 SOn a distant hilltop overlooking the battlefield, a giant of a man with a large cleaver strapped to his back could be seen eating a peach and talking to himself.
"Hmm." Akihiro took a bite of his peach. "That fort could use some help. Looks like the attackers are waving the banner of Ishida." After taking another bite, he furrowed his brow. "This might not end well for 'em."
Taking one last bite of his peach, he dug a small hole with his hand and placed the pit inside, then gently covering the hole with dirt. He patted the small mound a couple of times for good measure.
He stood back up and looked out over the battlefield. "Prepare to taste the blade of the Land's Greatest Ninja! HA HA!"
Gripping the handle of his mightly cleaver, he rushed toward the group of Ishida soldiers nearest the fort in a bold flanking maneuver.
Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.In the eyes of the invading forces, the battle had just taken a turn for the better. Now that the enemy had been sufficiently weakened, they were now prepared to deploy their best occupation chiefs, men proficient in aquiring camps through powerful sweeping attacks. From a cliffside a safe distance away with an excellent view of the battle, the enemy commander smiled at how well this operation was going...and then frowned as a fat man came out of nowhere and started batting away his troops left and right.
"Commander!" one of the Western Army soldiers shouted, as he scrambled towards his leader's position. "The enemy appears to have called for reinforcements, and by 'reinforcements', I mean a giant man with a giant cleaver! Our troops weren't prepared for something like this!"
"I have eyes, you fool," the commander said, pointing towards the spectacle below. "Now, unless you have news that isn't blatantly obvious, I suggest you go down there and help the other squads slice that pig open."
"W-well, he called himself the 'Land's Greatest Ninja', though I've never seen a man like him before," the soldier continued. "Also, some of our scouts have spotted a few other men on the sidelines; they don't seem to be assisting the enemy as of yet, but they sure ain't ours."
"...Do our opponents seriously think that resistance is anything but futile? Oh, how absurd. Yet despite their idiocity, with surprises like this, we may actually have to resort to Plan B," the general said to himself, gazing towards some abandoned mine entrances near their target that had been boarded up long ago...
Yuki's interest was piqued when a rather large man with an equally oversized cleaver entered the fray. Judging by the fact that he was attacking the Ishida forces he at least hated them more than the defenders. That made up Yuki's mind as to which side to support in the battle. For now the Tokugawa forces were less detestable than those of the Toyotomi loyalists. He proceeded to speed forward, running on his toes to propel himself faster towards the newfound enemy.
Without a word he launched himself into another Ishida flank, swinging his naginata with graceful and precise strokes. Rather than use pure strength like that large man, Yuki was using speed and accuracy to fell his foes. Different tactics with the same result of wounded or dead Ishida soldiers. An icy calm settled over Yuki's expression as he sliced down another foot soldier; he wondered what these mooks thought of such a feminine presence on the battlefield causing such damage. In the end though, it wouldn't matter what they thought. Yuki raised his weapon again, daring another soldier to come into reach of its deadly arc.
Avatar from: http://x0whitelily0x.livejournal.com/5953.html N: 5 F, 0/40 SAs Akihiro cleaved his way through the fray, he noticed a flourish of white and red in another part of the battlefield. The newcomer's deadly dance intrigued him, so he slammed his cleaver blade-first into the ground and held up his hand to the soldiers that were engaging him. "Hold on a second, guys. I wanna watch this." The soldiers around Akihiro exchanged confused looks, but nonetheless stood down for the time being.
Akihiro watch the newcomer with admiration. Wow, she's really somethin'... He clapped a nearby soldier on the back, nearly knocking the poor fellow over. "See that? The way she moves! She's like the wind! Your guys are droppin' like flies!" At this statement, a few of the braver soldiers shouted and resumed their attack on the giant ninja. Akihiro released a smokebomb and replaced himself with a large log.
Moments later, he suddenly reappeared over the soldiers' heads and crashed into their ranks. Ah well, I guess that's enough gawkin' anyway. Upon hitting the ground, he unwound the chain attached to his cleaver and began swinging it around. Besides, I can't let some girl show me, The Greatest Ninja in The Land, up!
"HA HA! Come and get some!"
edited 12th Oct '11 6:30:56 AM by KarlKadaver
Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.Just a slight step forward from the next soldier and a flash of shining metal later the man fell. Not caring to try and finish the fallen grunt, Yuki stood amidst the others he'd felled, surrounded by still more grunts. By the looks on their faces they were unnerved that someone of his appearance was so dangerous. And also that they wanted to exact some vengeance for the damage he'd done already. Yuki would welcome that, but something he spotted elswhere on the battlefield caught his attention first.
It was a huge man, bigger than any that Yuki had seen in his young life; the same one, he realized, who'd first launched head first into the fight. His weapon appeared to be swinging around now - probably a chain or rope attached to it, that combined with the giant man's strength would be incredibly dangerous. Intrigued Yuki decided that he should meet the man whose actions had inspired his own entry into the fight. In another flash of steel, Yuki struck down a pair of grunts that had started to charge at him before charging ahead himself.
Instead of just fighting the Ishida forces, Yuki now had as his goal cutting a swath through those forces to reach the other interloper. They were fighting the same enemy, the man seemed very capable, and allies were very nice to have on a battlefield. Whether they would remain comrades after the fight remained to be seen. Until then Yuki tumbled, dodged, and sliced his way through the enemy en route to the area where the self proclaimed greatest of all ninja fought.
Avatar from: http://x0whitelily0x.livejournal.com/5953.html N: 5 F, 0/40 SWithin the neutral fortress, the general and the soldier from earlier were discussing the recent developments. "What do you think of this, general? Do you think that the gods have heard our prayers?"
"Doubtful. They're probably from Ieyasu's forces, thinking that we'll have to give 'em the fortress as a 'reward' for protectin' it from the enemy. What part of 'neutral' doesn't the rest of this war-torn country seem to understand?"
"...You're a real spoilsport, you know that?" the soldier mumbled under his breath.
"What was that, welp?!"
"Sir, nothing at all, sir!"
"That's what I thought. Now, be on your guard; just because that fat ninja and the warrior priestess are making a splash at the moment, it doesn't mean they're invincible."
~~~
Meanwhile, the invading forces were deploying less of their occupation soldiers. It appeared that the battle was quickly coming to an end, but appearances are known for being decieving...
At the apex of the cliff's edge, a man wearing blue and black armor of the style typical of the Date Army stood observing the clash between the Eastern and Western skirmish forces in the area surrounding the fortress. Arms crossed over his chest, elbows resting on the hilts of the swords on either hip, he watched as the battle first went as most large army clashes are prone to, and then two figures of apparent talent and notoriety intervened on behalf of the Tokugawa forces.
The shorter wakizashi on his right hip—a plain black implement with no wrappings around the bare metal hilt, and no no accouterments other than the crest of the Nakakami family, two dragons entwined around a crane, carved into the black wood of the sheath—pulsed once, and the figure of a kunoichi appeared to his right, black bangs concealing one eye, the other brilliantly-green one studying the conflict below.
"The battle has at least become even now, de gozaru," the ninja noted, adjusting the mask that covered the lower half of her face.
"Yes, but the question is, which outcome would be to our favor? Should Tokugawa hold the field, would that dissuade Ishida from his campaign? Or if Ishida's forces takes this fortress, would he be emboldened to press against the east?"
The ninja casually strolled up to the very edge of the cliff face, kicking a loose rock over its side as she tilted her head to one side. "Were it only so easy that Kouya-dono's family could be persuaded to side with the Tokugawa, or at the very best, not participate in Ishida's campaign."
"Were it so easy..." the man agreed, settling his left hand around the gold-trimmed hilt of the katana on his left hip, his arm resting on the dragon-wing tsuba. "Surely, the only potential benefit here would come from the East holding this canyon. Come, Kazue, it's time to put the fear of the dragon in the Western Army."
Beneath her face mask, the ninja smiled, reaching back and drawing her ninja-to in her left hand. "By your word, Katsuki-dono."
Leaping clear off the side of the cliff, she seemed to vanish in midair. Meanwhile, the head of the Nakakami clan calmly made his way around toward a path that would take him down into the battle area. He was in no hurry, after all.
As the battle spiced up and the blue armored man entered the fray...
Shingo got a feeling and saw, a long while off, the figure of a man in blue armor. Was that Date? Intervening in battles again and again...but this was a very interesting prospect. If he was attacking both sides like that boy was want to do...the thought excited him a bit.
He got ready, drawing his sword out and spinning it on one finger.
edited 12th Oct '11 11:16:04 PM by NickTheSwing
The general of Mitsunari's forces did not like the sight of Katsuki, his earlier frown evolving into a grimace. "An ambassador of the One-Eyed Dragon is here? Why would he send one soul all this way just to defend a silly...ah, yes; I nearly forgot that the brat once lost to our lord. He's probably seeking vengeance of his own, and wants to make sure that the path ahead won't bore him to death. Well then, if he's afraid he's missed the fight, he'll be glad to know that our backup plan will be clear to all in mere seconds!"
On cue, the sound of an explosion echoed across the battlefield, the entrances to the old mines having been blown open by the Western forces. Like a tsunami, enemy officers began pouring out onto the battlefield, prepared to crush everything in their paths and lower those bridges by any means necessary. The first wave alone almost doubled the amount of invading soldiers trying to seize the fortress...
Huh, she's coming toward me. Rockin'! Akihiro likewise began making his way toward his...what exactly would she be? Ally or Enemy? HA! No matter. I'll cross that bridge when I get there!
Suddenly, an explosion rocked the battlefield and enemy soldiers began pouring out of some old mines around the battlefield.
Akihiro was almost at the other fighter now, they were definitely within earshot of each other. "Looks like things got a lot more interesting! Let's let 'em have it!"
Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.The huge ninja seemed to accept Yuki as an at least temporary ally, which would be good enough. Yuki sliced through another pair of grunts and was almost to the man before the explosion shook the earth itself. Instantly he jerked his head in the direction the disturbance had eminated from, spotting a flood of reinforcements. Ishida reinforcements. As his response Yuki went back to what he'd been doing all along: fighting his way to the cleaver-wielding giant. After deflecting a spear with his naginata's head, then slicing down with lighting speed, the last soldier between himself and Akihiro fell to the ground.
"We should stay together so they can't attack us from behind," he suggested, even his voice ambiguous enough to put his gender in question.
Avatar from: http://x0whitelily0x.livejournal.com/5953.html N: 5 F, 0/40 SIt was true that staying close together would make sure that neither the fat ninja nor the feminine man would be defeated easily, but there were two bridges to defend, and the Ishida troops were so plentiful that it would be hard to protect both while keeping together. It was true that there were other fighters joining the battle, but at the rate that opponents kept pouring in, it seemed that a fortress breach would be nothing short of fate.
Of course, it wasn't as though one bridge getting captured would be the end of everything for the small army that wished to distance itself from the skirmishes between the East and West. The men and women inside could handle a blade as well as any other soldier, and would be able to defend themselves for a few minutes should the need arise.
Akihiro looked around the battlefield and noted the bridges. "Well, we can't do it here, sister! If those bridges get captured, the enemies'll keep pourin' in!" He saw a small squad of soldiers close in on him. "Hey, look behind you!" he shouted at them. "It's the oldest trick in the book!" he finished pointing somewhere behind them. The moment the enemies stopped and looked back, he felled them with a wide swipe of his enormous cleaver.
"C'mon!" he shouted to his ally. "That bridge on the right won't defend itself!"
Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.Yuki could tell that those bridges would be the key to the battle as well. Even if staying together would be best for the two warriors, what would become of the people whom were being attacked by Ishida's forces? He disliked the idea of leaving them to their fate, but the best chance for victory remained combining the efforts of the strongest fighters. That might turn the battle's tide irreverseably in the defenders' favor.
"Lead the way, my large compatriot," he smiled slightly as he followed Akihiro, slicing down another group of soldiers as they got in the pair's path. As he moved and fought Yuki asked, "It'd be good to have your name, my friend. You may call me Yuki."
Avatar from: http://x0whitelily0x.livejournal.com/5953.html N: 5 F, 0/40 SThe gigantic ninja cleaved through a couple more enemy soldiers as he and Yuki made their way toward the bridge. "My name, my new friend, is Akihiro Maruyama, The Greatest Ninja in the Land!"
Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway."Sir!" a messenger working for the invading forces told his boss, who was still situated on that cliffside overlooking the battlefield.
"It appears that some of our men have already reached both bridges," mused the Ishida commander, too focused on his own plans to listen to the newcomer. "Those two buffoons will probably prevent an attack from both flanks from occuring, but a single access point should be all that is required for us."
"Sir!" the messenger shouted again, hoping to be heard this time.
"I mean, our assignment was merely to capture this fortress," uttered the commander, completely ignoring the subordinate once again. "Whether or not we leave opposing warriors dead or alive was not within our orders. In fact, after we've got enough men on the inside, we could probably coax those morons into fighting for-"
"Sir! We are running out of occupation captains, sir! The benefit we get from the enemy prioritizing a single bridge is pointless if nobody's left to take the other one, SIR!"
That time, the general heard the messenger. "What? What?! How can that be? We just blasted open those damn mine entrances mere minutes ago!"
"And if we were against a single warrior of the enemy's magnitude, we'd swarm them easily. But those two working together, plus the One-Eyed Dragon's emissary and who else decides to show up, just means that more men can be swatted away in a single blow!"
"...I will admit that such news is troubling," the general replied, gritting his teeth. "However, Mitsunari will have our heads if we can't even take over a fortress that lacks a lord's protection. We're damned if we keep attacking, and damned if we don't. Hopefully, our opponents are being worn out, and they're not saving their best men for last. Otherwise, when the last occupation captain falls, sound a retreat. We can probably get some sympathy from the nearby Hojo clans, at the very least..."
"Hardly the most humble sort, are you? But I trust that confidence comes from your skill rather than ego," Yuki noted, swinging his naginata in another deadly arc as they arrived at the bridge. After seeing the situation with the two bridges, he smiled and looked to the self proclaimed best ninja on earth, "Perhaps we should consider defending both bridges, Akihiro-san. That way we can spare the defenders the need to take an unnecessary gamble. But if we finish these goons quickly that won't be a problem either."
Avatar from: http://x0whitelily0x.livejournal.com/5953.html N: 5 F, 0/40 S"Humble?" Akihiro scoffed. "Are you kiddin'? I'm the most humble guy I know!"
He cleaved another group of soldiers, then looked toward the other bridge that Yuki mentioned. "Right... This bridge might not be big enough for the two of us, plus all these guys..." He looked back toward the fortress. "Those guys seem like they need all the help they can get, too."
"Alright, Yuki!" He slammed his foot down and assumed a Horse stance, facing the ememy soldiers. "I'll hold off these guys. You see if you can take the other bridge. With my awsome ninja skills and that crazy blade dance that you do, we'll finish this battle in no time! HA!"
He let a length of chain fall to the ground and readied himself to swing his gigantic cleaver. "C'mon guys!" He shouted to the enemy. "There's plenty of Akihiro for alla' ya!"
edited 31st Oct '11 8:20:40 AM by KarlKadaver
Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.As they watched their comrades land at their feet, some members of the invading forces began to lose hope. Others were undaunted, willing to die and be buried in an unmarked grave if it meant that the rest of the men had a shot at victory. The men defending this place out of the kindness of their own hearts were powerful, but the mini-camp that Akihiro went to was already rather damaged. All they needed was just one good opening, and the bridge could be lowered. From that single action, it would still be possible to claim this fortress in the name of the Toyotomi Remnants. They believed that the man in charge of their brigade was confident in their abilities, and that they could become heroes for valiantly succeeding in this operation.
Meanwhile, their general was actually trying to locate Ujimasa Hojo's castle on a map, while a servant readied his horse. He would wait a while longer to see if miracles did happen, but if all hope was lost, he believed his men could find better things to do with their lives than waste them in a massacre such as this. Loyalty to one's lord was important, but every man had his limit.
"Then I'll see you once more after things settle down here," Yuki agreed, smiling pleasantly as they changed the plan of attack again. This was the most fighting Yuki had done in a very long time, and it was thrilling in a way.
He rushed over to the other bridge, snapping the blade down with precision strikes to cut down enemy soldiers who were foolish enough to get in his way. In a matter of moments he stood at the second bridge and sliced through a few more enemy troopers who dared to carry the Ishida banner. After that Yuki stood poised with his naginata and took a deep breath, eyes closed as he prepared to launch yet another counterattack. No thoughts were allowed in his mind, he cleared his person of any outside distractions. Finally Yuki's eyes shot open and he launched himself at the enemy, swinging the naginata with remarkable speed as he looked to defeat the enemy quickly as he could.
"Turn back now and I will spare you your lives! Fight and you will surely die," he threatened after another group of grunts fell.
Avatar from: http://x0whitelily0x.livejournal.com/5953.html N: 5 F, 0/40 S

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If you're the kind of person that loves war, conquest, and large drilling machines that probably shouldn't have actually existed given the era's average level of technology, then you would've been a perfect fit in the world of Sengoku Basara.
First, there was Nobunaga Oda, the self-proclaimed Devil King that perished in the flames of Honno-ji just as it seemed that all hope was lost. Then there was Hideyoshi Toyotomi, drunk on the dark side and plotting to rule all of mankind, who was brought down by one of his own retainers before his ambitions could travel farther than the regions of Japan. And while two catastrophes has been averted, chaos and conflict may cause another to occur in due time.
Mitsunari Ishida, one of Toyotomi's most loyal vassals, has vocalized his intent to seek vengeance for his lord and resume his plans for conquest. Ieyasu Tokugawa, the man who had slain Toyotomi with his own fists, wishes to unite the various regions without resorting to militarism. It is only a matter of time before these two men begin to seek allies for their cause, and the future of Japan may rest on their choices...or, y'know, someone like the One-Eyed Dragon of Oshu could come in at the last minute and kick everyone's kiester for the heck of it. You could never tell for certain in a place like this.
Our story begins in Sekigahara. A land between the east and west sides of the country, it would be the perfect place for a showdown between the two great factions. However, the battles have yet to truly begin, and for now, it is nothing more than the location of a few neutral bases. One of which was rather unique; it was surrounded by an extremely deep ravine, and the only way to enter the fortress was by lowering one of the two bridges nearby. As long as they were guarded closely, it would be an excellent place to launch an attack from.
Mitsunari...or rather, his advisor, Yoshitsugu Otani...has realised how important this place will be in days to come, and has sent a few troops to gain some ground. In the grand scheme of things, this skirmish would be meaningless. But in the eyes of the brave souls guarding the fortress that the Western forces were approaching, it may as well have been the last stand.
As these two forces clashed, some very interesting people just happened to be in the right place at the right time. However, whether they would align themselves with the attackers or the defenders was not yet known, and it was certainly possible that the first great battle they would have in this war would be against each other...