L5r - scroll 01 - The Scorpion

by Stephen D. Sullivan

  Behind the retreating wave came a Scorpion host on thundering steeds. Their red and black mon flapped in the wind. At their head rode the usurper, Bayushi Shoju. He wore a frightful, demonic mask. His red and black kimono billowed around him like an ebony ghost. In his hand he wielded Yashin.

  Beside him rode Kachiko's handmaiden, the sorceress Yogo Miyuki, and on the other side, his brother Aramoro, the Master of Assassins. With them also came Dairu, the heir.

  The Scorpion counterattack had been well-planned. Yogo Junzo's powerful magics had hidden the army from detection until they passed beyond the walls of the Forbidden City. Now the Scorpion force caught the loyalists almost completely by surprise.

  The Scorpion host fanned out as they came, driving the disorganized allies before them.

  Satsume reared his mount, trying to rally his fleeing troops. He could see Matsu Tsuko and her forces being swept away before the Scorpion tide. The Emerald Champion knew he had to do something or the day would be lost.

  Boldly he called to his men and charged his horse into the mass of onrushing Scorpions. Many of his green-armored compatriots rallied to his side. They hit the usurper's forces in the left flank.

  Satsume killed the first two samurai he ran into, lopping off their heads. He pulled a third from the saddle. Satsume's horse finished the job, trampling the man. Around him, the Emerald Champion could see that his men were having similar success.

  He drove for the heart of the Scorpion force. Bayushi Shoju rode there, directing the vanguard of the Scorpion cavalry to meet them.

  Satsume ordered his men back. They would regroup and charge the Scorpion lord head on. Satsume smiled in grim determination.

  The Scorpion sorceress Miyuki did something terrible. She stretched out her hands, and black dust blasted forth like a swarm of insects.

  Satsume heard a hideous cracking beneath him. His steed collapsed, its bones shattered. The horses of those who rode beside him sprawled in similar piles.

  Satsume scrambled to his feet. His men did the same, forming a protective circle around the Emerald Champion. The Scorpion host pressed forward.

  Doji Satsume ripped off his helmet. He tossed his graying head back and bellowed, "Bayushi Shoju! Face me!"

  Miyuki raised a finger and pointed at the Emerald Champion. At a glance from her lord, the sorceress let her hand fall back to her side.

  Shoju dismounted his black steed and strode gracefully to where Satsume stood. Their forces parted before them, allowing each passage. The two men eyed each other, the Scorpion's face hidden behind his frightful mask.

  "Usurper bastard!" Satsume said. "Would that you had never been born."

  The Scorpion emperor said nothing, but merely assumed a defensive posture, his sword raised crosswise over his head.

  With an enraged scream, Doji Satsume charged.

  Shoju parried the Crane's cut easily and danced aside, dark lire playing in his masked eyes.

  Satsume growled and swung around, slashing. His sword found only the Scorpion's billowing costume, and it slid through the robe without causing any harm. The Scorpion's kimono seemed to be woven of shadow itself.

  Shoju's blade flashed and jabbed Satsume's left shoulder. A thin line traced down the Emerald Champion's deltoid and began to leak blood.

  Behind his mask, Shoju smiled. How like his dream this was.

  Satsume thrust and cut again.

  The Scorpion merely danced away.

  "Damn you!" Satsume cried. "Fight like a man!"

  Behind his mask, the Scorpion's eyes narrowed. "What I have done," he said, "I have done for the empire—to save the empire from Fu Leng."

  "To save it for yourself, you mean!" Satsume said, and charged again. He aimed a cut at the Bayushi's midsection, but Shoju easily parried it. Before the Crane could recover, the Scorpion's boot found his gut; Satsume fell back, sprawling.

  "You know I'm right," Shoju hissed, his teeth clenched behind his mask.

  Before the Crane could answer, a cry went up from the crowd. "Hoturi! Hoturi!"

  The champion's son had returned. His forces rode hard into the fray. That broke the spell that had held the combatants' men. Fighting resumed on all sides.

  In the center of the maelstrom stood Satsume and Shoju.

  "Surrender," said the Scorpion. "I will be lenient. You don't have to die this day." He took his sword in his left hand and drew it back across his body, like a bowman readying an arrow. His right hand he held outstretched, as if Satsume might take it in friendship.

  The Crane spat. "Insect!" he cried, charging forward. He aimed his attack at the Scorpion's neck.

  At the last instant, Shoju spun aside, dodging the blow. The Scorpion's blade twisted in his hand and rammed backward into the Emerald Champion's gut, slipping deftly between the armor at Satsume's side.

  For a moment, the two of them stood frozen, almost side by side. Satsume's eyes widened in disbelief. Shoju stood next to the Crane's shoulder, holding his pose like a dancer who had reached his finale. The Scorpion withdrew Yashin with one swift move, and the Emerald Champion slumped to the ground, his blood staining the dirt.

  "Father!" cried Hoturi.

  Shoju turned to find the Crane daimyo mere yards away. The fighting had slackened momentarily as the Emerald Champion fell, but now it resumed, more furious than before.

  The Scorpion emperor flicked the blood from his sword in the ancient shiburi motion.

  "Archers, fire at will!" Hoturi screamed. Arrows blackened the air as the Crane daimyo ran forward, a wild look in his eyes. He charged directly toward Shoju, swinging his sword in a wide arc.

  The Scorpion emperor danced aside, and the Crane's blade found only empty air. Shoju thrust Yashin at Hoturi's neck, hut the younger man recovered from his charge and parried just in time.

  The tides of battle swept all around them, a mass of churning, fighting bodies, swords clashing, arrows flying....

  Hoturi's sword chose targets in quick succession: neck, thigh, gut. Shoju parried them all. The Bayushi Lord danced aside gracefully, a demon-faced shadow in the flickering firelight. Hoturi pressed forward, rage filling him. Behind his mask, the Scorpion emperor smiled.

  Suddenly, a cry went up. "Father!"

  Shoju turned at the sound of his son's voice. Dairu held the body of his uncle, Aramoro—Shoju's half-brother. A Crane arrow had lodged itself deep in the shoulder of the Master of Assassins.

  Hoturi took advantage of the distraction. He thrust his sword at the Scorpion lord's midsection.

  The billowing costume saved Shoju. The Crane's blade traced only a small scratch along his ribs. Shoju spun, fire and hatred blazing in his eyes. Hoturi thrust again, but the Scorpion effortlessly batted the blade aside.

  Shoju twisted and cut. His sword found the armor straps at Hoturi's shoulders. Hoturi's chest plate fell forward, exposing his breast.

  Before the Crane could react, Shoju lunged. Yashin found flesh. Hoturi cried out and reeled back, blood splashing from his chest.

  The fighting crowds surged forward, separating the two. Shoju was swept backward, toward his son and brother. The battle carried Hoturi toward the body of his father. The Crane Lord was not mortally wounded, though he would carry a scar on his breast for the rest of his life.

  So close, Shoju thought, the song of Yashin screaming in his mind.

  He looked to his son, still supporting Aramoro. The arrow had struck the ninja master close to the bone, but it was the Scorpion heir who looked as pale as death.

  Seeing the gaze of his half-brother, Aramoro said, "I'm all right."

  Shoju nodded. "Dairu?" he asked.

  "I'm fine, Father," the boy managed, though he looked sick.

  Shoju glanced toward the fighting crowd once more. Scorpion, Crane, and Emerald Guards whirled around each other in the tides of battle.

  In their midst, Shoju could see the Crane daimyo kneeling beside the body of his father. A fire welled up in the Scorpion's belly. He had been within moments o
f his long-anticipated revenge on Hoturi...!

  The Scorpion emperor pushed the emotion aside.

  "Fall back!" he called to his embattled troops. "To the Forbidden City!"

  "Brother, we could destroy them," Aramoro said, his teeth clenched behind his Scorpion mask.

  Shoju surveyed the situation once more. "Perhaps," he said, "but their reinforcements are greater than ours. See how the thrice-cursed Lion rallies her troops even now?" The Scorpion emperor shook his head. "No," he said. "Our objective has been accomplished with this foray. We have given Tetsuo the distraction he needed to escape the city without detection. Now we retreat, hold our position, and await word from the Crab."

  THE WAV OF THE CRAB

  The death of the Emerald Champion proved a setback to the allies, but not a serious one. Though the loyalists missed his fighting prowess, Satsume's death helped unite the allied forces. What remained of the champion's troops quickly rallied to the banner of his son, Hoturi—though the two men had not been close in life.

  As the Scorpion host fell back, the allies consolidated their position near the High Gate. The next day, loyalists mounted a furious counterattack into the southern section of the outer city.

  Rumiko retreated once again, though without the Scorpion heir to keep her company.

  Twice she thought she would die. The first time, she turned into a blind alley and found herself trapped. Three burly Lion samurai chased her into the dead end.

  She turned to face them and cut the first man across the neck as he charged her. The second she ran through with her katana. The sword stuck in the Lion's ribs, and before she could pull it out, the third man nearly cut Rumiko's head off. She ducked and lashed out with her foot. The man staggered. He stumbled over the body of his dead comrade. Rumiko drew her wakizashi from her obi and thrust the short sword through his eye. She picked up her katana and ran out of the alley the way she had come.

  Rumiko's second brush came when she neared the Temple of the Sun. She fought in the rearguard as the Scorpion forces fell back. Houses burned all around, and falling timbers crashed everywhere. One nearly crushed Rumiko's skull. She spun away from the flames, the smoke stinging her eyes.

  Through tears, she barely glimpsed a Crane samurai-ko charging her. Out of the shimmering black haze the woman came, her katana raised high.

  Rumiko drew quickly and turned her foe's blade aside.

  The Crane countered with a thrust to Rumiko's face. The sword traced a red line down her cheek. As she staggered back, the Crane advanced, swinging her katana in a wide arc.

  The blade connected with Rumiko's side, finding the weak point between the armor plates. Rumiko dropped her sword and fell to the ground. White pain flashed before her eyes.

  The Crane came in for the kill.

  Rumiko groped with her right hand, trying to find her sword. Instead, she found a handful of hot ashes. She seized them and flung the cinders into her opponent's eyes.

  The Crane shrieked, lashing out blindly.

  Rumiko rolled aside, and the blade struck ground where her head had been. She grabbed her wakizashi and thrust it into the Crane's exposed armpit.

  The Crane staggered back but didn't die. The short sword fell out of the wound to the ground.

  Rumiko tried to stand. Her side screamed in pain. Light flashed before her eyes. She couldn't find either of her weapons in the smoldering chaos.

  The Crane raised her sword once more. She jerked backward suddenly, clutched at her neck, and rose into the air. It seemed she had been plucked from the ground by an invisible hand. The Crane kicked her feet uselessly in the air. In the fire and smoke, the thin chain around her neck was nearly invisible.

  Rumiko looked up and saw Aramoro standing on the roof of the Temple of the Sun, holding the other end of the chain. He wrapped the chain around one of the temple's cross posts and leapt to the ground, landing lightly at Rumiko's side.

  "Fall back to the next street," he advised her. "Our people are strong there, and these rabble aren't organized enough to push us any farther."

  Rumiko nodded and said, "Hai!"

  Aramoro disappeared into the smoke.

  Rumiko watched the Crane strangle for a few moments. She found her weapons and resheathed them. Clutching her injured side, the Scorpion samurai-ko limped off after the Master of Assassins.

  xxxxxxxx

  Shoju watched the battles alone from his vantage point in the high tower of the palace. In his soul, he longed to ride forth once more, to slay Hoturi and the other daimyo who stood in his way. Yashin urged him on in this ambition, singing sweetly in his ear night and day.

  At most times, the Scorpion emperor was strong-willed enough to resist the call of the sword. He knew he would not catch the loyalist forces unaware twice. If he rode out once more, chances were good they would be waiting for him. He doubted Hoturi would be so foolish as to face him again in personal combat.

  No, Shoju's chance to kill his enemy man-to-man had passed, at least for the moment.

  As battles raged in outer Otosan Uchi, the Scorpion emperor's forces had no difficulty securing the Forbidden City. With the magic of the walls on his side, the enemies' siege machines could do nothing.

  In each of the five days since the emperor's death, the Scorpion had spoken to the hostage representatives of the other clans. Despite his persuasive abilities, they remained unconvinced of the righteousness of his cause. This irked Shoju, and he could feel Yashin in the back of his mind, urging him to kill everyone who would not cooperate.

  Still, the Scorpion held out hope the other clans could be brought to his side or at least brought to rein.

  The Crab would arrive soon, and their arrival would change everything.

  On the sixth morning after the coup, Hida Kisada and his army closed in on the city. Fighting between the Scorpion and the allied clans trailed off. Each faction gathered its forces, waiting to see on which side the Crab would enter the war.

  As the Crab crested the hills outside Otosan Uchi, Kachiko found her husband and went to stand beside him. She looked out past the burning city to the approaching army.

  Like well-ordered ants, Crab forces swarmed the hills surrounding the city. They were a vast mass of black-shelled warriors. Even from this distance, Kachiko could see their order and discipline. Every samurai knew his place, every man followed Kisada's commands to the letter.

  Look at them, Kachiko thought. Kisada must have emptied every Crab garrison and brought them here. It's a wonder he still has samurai left to man the Carpenter's Wall.

  Kachiko shuddered and pulled her kimono tight around her. She moved closer to Shoju.

  "Perhaps you should speak to Kisada in person," she said, twining the fingers of his right hand with hers.

  Shoju felt a sudden stiffness in his limb and touched the burning tattoo to restore its subtlety. "How would I do this?" he asked. "Parade myself to the gate like some commoner? Ride forth and hope I can slay all those who stand in my way?" He shook his head. "No. Tetsuo has carried my words to Kisada. I trust him as I trust you, or our son, or Aramoro."

  "But if he should fail—"

  "If he should fail, we are doomed," Shoju said. "At least we have saved the world from the Evil One."

  She gazed at his mask. He had chosen a passive, contemplative face for the day. The mask hid his worries—worries enough for all of Rokugan. The two of them stood silently, watching the advance of the Crab armies.

  The Crab forces marched directly toward the western gate of the city, the High Gate. As they came, the allied forces fell back, waiting to see what the Crab would do.

  Shoju and Kachiko both held their breath.

  The flag of the Crab went up. The Crab planted his banner with their enemies.

  Kachiko turned away from the window, blinking back her anger. "Would that you had sent me instead," she said ruefully.

  Bayushi Shoju let out a long sigh.

  "We must try to hold out as long as we can," he said. "Make them see
we are right—the Hantei had to die."

  She turned back to him; tears stained her silken mask. "We should kill them all!" she cried. "All the ambassadors, all the hostages! They're fools! They don't deserve your generosity or your sufferance. You should stain the land dark with their blood and make the rivers run red."

  He put his hands on her shoulders and embraced her.

  "Then who would we rule over?" he asked. "A destroyed world? A nation of the undead? Do you think I am the Evil One himself?"

  She hung her head and said nothing.

  A great hurrah went up outside the city. The Bayushi lord and lady knew the forces of their enemies had been joined.

  "At least," she said quietly, "Toturi will not lead them."

  Shoju nodded. "Without the Lion to unify the clans, we may still stand a chance." He looked into her eyes. "Get word to our commanders. They are to hold their positions as long as possible. Tell them to burn the city if they must to keep the clans from advancing. If need be, they are to fall back to the Forbidden City. The enchanted walls are still under our command. We can hold the palace a long time if necessary."

  Kachiko bowed. "Hai, my lord." As she raised her face, he lifted his mask and kissed her on the forehead. She turned to leave.

  At the door, she was nearly bowled over by a pale, haggard figure. The man stumbled into the room, looking more like a beggar than a samurai. When he crossed the threshold, he fell to the floor, pressing his head to the tatami mat.

  "My lord," he said plaintively.

  In the dirty, unkempt form prostrate before him, Shoju recognized his cousin. "Tetsuo!" the Scorpion emperor said. "Get up!"

  "I cannot, my lord," Tetsuo said. "I have failed you. I have failed us all."

  Kachiko paused as if to stay, but a glance from Shoju sent her away on her errand. She slid the door closed as she left.

  "I spoke your words, but Lord Kisada did not hear them," Tetsuo continued. "I fought my way back into the city, but too late. The Crab has sided with our enemies, my lord. I have failed."

  He looked up from where he knelt. "I beg you, do not let me live with this dishonor. Slay me. I have brought nothing but shame to our clan."