Chapter 17

A large group was standing just outside of the Oshan headquarters. At the head of the group, flanked on either side by very dangerous looking red samurai, was a tall man wearing a red kimono with yellow stars. On his head was a black leather jingasa. A few ashigaru popped up from behind the wall and aimed their muskets at the group.

“What are you doing here, Takodin scum? Was Takeshi too cowardly to meet with the boss personally?”

The man at the front chuckled a bit before responding.

“I am here not on behalf of the Takodin, but of my own clan, the Kamado! I am Kamado Yamashi!”

The ashigaru who spoke looked at the man the next to him nervously.

“And why are you here? You wear the colors of the Takodin!”

Yamashi showfully brushed his kimono.

“What, this old thing? Think of it as a memento from a time soon to pass!”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“That is none of your concern, doorman! Let me through so that I may negotiate with Saito!”

The ashigaru briefly considered firing at Yamashi before leaving him post to ask Saito what to do. Despite his hurry, the man kneeled at the sliding door, opened it, and quickly crawled inside and closed the door on his knees. As was tradition of low level members of a samurai clan. Saito was already very serious about turning his Yakuza clan into a proper samurai clan.

“Boss! One of Takeshi’s allies is here! He says he wants to negotiate with you!”

Saito stopped what he was saying to the Baron mid sentence.

“And you wi…eh? Who wants to do what?”

“He said his name was Kamado Yamashi!”

Saito’s eyes narrowed.

“Why would a Takodin ally want to negotiate with me? Maybe a changing of allegiance? Send him in! But tell him he may only bring three men with him.”

The ashigaru nodded and quickly left the room. Satio took a sip of his sake.

“What are your thoughts, Baron?”

The Baron scruffed his chin in thought.

“Well…he’s probably lost faith in the Takodin. Or found new faith in you. Shame that I'm a large part of it, I worry about what becomes of you when I leave.”

Saito chuckled slightly.

“I wouldn’t say you’re a large part, more an important piece. Raijin or Chinmoku could have killed those lieutenants, but since we had you they could focus their efforts on something else.”

The Baron sipped his sake and smiled.

“Good that you noticed that. If you can’t run things without an outsider you’re doomed.”

Saito nodded his head in agreement.

“Yes, not only do we not require you, we don’t require the help from the mainland either. I wonder if they have noticed that?”

“If they haven’t by now, they deserve what’s coming to them.”

The sliding doors opened, revealing Kamado Yamashi flanked by two ronin. Behind him was a small child, most likely around ten years old.

“I am Kamado Yamashi, ah, Yamashi Kamado for you Empiresmen. I have brought with me my young son so he may learn the ways of the underworld. Please, pretend he is not here.”

Saito waved his hand dismissively.

“Consider him forgotten. Now, take a seat and tell me what you want.”

Yamashi bowed slightly in thanks and took a seat across from Saito.

“I take it this is the Empiresman you have used to murder my allies? Wait…are you the Baron?”

The Baron smiled and framed his face with his hands.

“Oh my! Is my likeness well known ever here? Tell me, what have you heard about me?”

Saito waved his hand again.

“No, don’t do that. We have business to discuss.”

Yamashi nodded.

“Yes, of course. Let me get right to the chase. I wish to betray the Takodin and throw my lot in with you.”

Saito took a moment to think.

“Well, I like the enthusiasm. What exactly do you bring to the table? And what do you want in exchange for your betrayal?”

Yamashi chuckled under his breath.

“What do I bring? I can bring you Takeshi on a silver platter! And as for what I want, it is quite simple really. I wish to become part of the Oshan, and to handle your entire drug trade.”

The room was silent for a few seconds as Saito tried to figure out what Yamashi’s angle was.

“You…want to be absorbed by my clan? And you want to be the sole proprietor of my drug trade? Am I understanding this correctly?”

Yamshi nodded.

“Yes. I do believe I was very clear. I wish for my clan to be absorbed into yours so that we may share in your prosperity. And I would like to handle your drug trade so that you can focus on other things.”

Saito raised an eyebrow.

“Other things? Do you mean what I think you mean?”

“Independence for Dokotsu-cho, yes. And your emergence as a real samurai clan.”

“And why do you want this?”

Yamashi shrugged.

“Why not? We already receive little to no assistance from the mainland. Why not go independent. We could become even more prosperous if we stop sending tribute and allow ourselves to properly trade on a wide scale with the outside world.”

The Baron nodded his head.

“Yes, I have found that state supported trade is quite lucrative. And I’m sure that Bickenstadt would quite enjoy the goods you have to offer. All I ask is that you keep the drugs to a minimum.”

Yamashi smiled brightly.

“See? If a statesman sees the wisdom in my logic, surely you do as well?”

“Yes, of course. I have entertained the notion of independence before.”

The Baron spoke up.

“As my son once said, ‘powerful men do not simply entertain the notion of anything’. I say you go for it, though I will not be there to help you.”

Saito bit his thumbnail in thought.

“Well…what exactly can you do to give me Takeshi? And how much of his holdings do you wish for yourself?”

“All I ask is for his drug holdings, and possibly his headquarters to operate out of. As for how to deliver him to you, I have an in person meeting scheduled with him in a couple of days. He wants to ascertain the nature of my loyalty towards him. Him and his sons should be at my headquarters, and during our meeting you can swoop in and kill or capture him, I have no real preference.”

Saito downed the rest of his sake.

“I would be glad to work with you! I grant every request you have made so far! You will become my drug lord and I will become shogun of Dokotsu-cho!”

Yamashi shot up from his seat, as did Saito, and they both walked towards each other and shook hands aggressively.

“Takeshi and his sons are due at my compound at noon in three days. Your men have unrestricted access to my headquarters, all I ask is that you remain unseen until Takeshi is dealt with.”

“Deal!”

The Baron, alongside Raijin, Chinmoku, and a few shinobi, were sitting in the rafters of the Kamado headquarters meeting room. As the sliding door opened, in came a large group of men. At the head was Takeshi Takodin, wearing a red kimono with yellow ukiyo-e style fire decals covering it. Besides him were his two sons, Kazuo and Kenichi. Kazuo wore elaborate red samurai armor. The same fire decals which covered his father’s kimono were present on Kazuo’s armor. On his helmet was a golden sculpture of a plume of flame. Kenichi wore a red jinbei with, again, the same ukiyo-e fire decals covering it.

Alongside them were six ronin wearing undecorated red armor. At the waist of each man in the room was a katana. The group took a seat and the Oshan’s operators got in place above each man. Takeshi spoke, his voice was deep and gruff.

“Yamashi, I hope we can skip the pleasantries. I have come here to request a new oath of allegiance.”

“Of course you’re here for this, I imagine the Oshan can has you feeling rather nervous as of late. Tell me, how many lieutenants do you have left? Two? Three?”

Takeshi shot up and drew his katana.

“Swear fealty to me or die!”

Yamashi smiled smugly.

“No, I don’t think I will.”

He snapped his fingers and the Oshan agents dropped. Chinmoku dropped on Kenichi, their katana piercing the top of the man’s head. Raijin dropped on Kazuo, his nodachi getting deflected off Kazuo’s helmet and only leaving a cut over his shoulder, Kazuo quickly reaching up and tossing off Raijin. The Baron dropped on Takeshi, getting parried as Takeshi noticed him at the last second, grabbing and throwing him aside, the Baron crashing through the paper wall. Three of the six ronin were dropped by the Oshan shinobi, the rest throwing them off easily.

Takeshi pointed his katana at Yamashi.

“How dare you!”

Just as he raised his katana the Baron burst through a different paper wall and slammed into Takeshi, tackling him to the ground. They both wrestled to get on top of the other, landing quick jabs to each other's ribs all the while. The Baron finally got on top and delivered a devastating elbow to Takeshi’s clavicle. Takeshi roared with rage and managed to throw the Baron off, scrambling to his katana and swinging it wildly in front of his to dissuade the Baron from tackling again.

Chinmoku withdrew their katana from the late Takodin heir and turned their attention to a ronin just as he cut down one of the lightly armored shinobi. They exchanged blows, blocking, parrying, and attacking back with blinding speed. These ronin were most likely all gifted ones, seeing as they were holding their own despite being ambushed. The ronin swiped at Chinmoku’s head and hit nothing but air as Chinmoku ducked and quickly rised again, thrusting their katana up through the bottom of the ronin’s jaw.

Raijin raised his leg and blurred forward, hitting Kazuo with the full force of his ability enhanced kick, sending him flying through a paper wall, which the room was quickly running out of. He jumped forward and thrust at the prone man, who rolled to the side and stumbled to his feet as Raijin’s blade stuck in the wood floor of the hallway. Raijin unstuck his nodachi and swung it in a wide horizontal arc, burring forward. His nodachi was stopped in it’s tracks by the Kazuo’s sword, biting into the blade a bit as the force of his blow was absorbed by the katana’s blade itself.

The Baron retrieved his katana and rushed at Takeshi, slashing down at him. Takeshi parried the strike and kicked the Baron in the stomach, using the Baron’s momentum to add extra force to his roundhouse. The Baron grunted as he absorbed the blow and returned with a left hook to Takeshi’s face, knocking him back. Takodin swiped at the Baron, who dodged back and dashed forward, hitting him with his favorite attack: the flying knee. Takeshi stumbled back and tripped over an overturned chair, landing hard on his back. The Baron delivered a flurry of slashes down at Takeshi, who barely managed to block and parry each strike. The Baron reeled back for another strike and Takeshi kicked him in the chest, knocking the Baron back and giving himself time to scramble to his feet.

A ronin sidestepped a strike and slashed his katana through the shinobi’s exposed stomach. He turned and redirected another strike, tripping and disarming the shinobi as he ran past. The shinobi tripped and as he skidded to a stop the ronin javelined the man’s sword into his chest, killing him instantly.

Chinmoku kicked the ankle of the ronin who just killed another two of Raijin’s men, knocking him flat on his back. They quickly stomped his wrist and thrust their katana into his throat, twisting the blade and ripping it out and scanning the rest of the room. There was one more ronin engaged with the last remaining shinobi, surrounded by the bodies of the rest of them. Chinmoku rushed forward and thrust their katana through the back of the ronin’s knee as he raised his katana. The shinobi quickly capitalized on this chance, thrusting his sword into the exposed throat of the screaming ronin.

Raijin ducked under and strike and came up swinging his nodachi. Kazuo dodged back and quickly dashed forward at Raijin, hoping to stay close and use the length of his nodachi against him. Raijin blocked a strike with his handle and parried another wild slash, pummeling Kazuo with the butt of his nodachi. Raijin swept Kazuo pushed his head down at the same time, slamming him face first into the wooden floor. Raijin raised his leg and slammed down on the back of Kazuo’s neck, breaking his spine. Not as skilled as his armor would suggest. Thought Raijin annoyedly.

The Baron batted aside a strike by Takeshi and jumped into him, grabbing his neck and putting him in a headlock. The Baron kneed his chest repeatedly, feeling his ribs crack under the force of the barrage of strikes. The Baron tightened his hold on Takeshi’s neck, feeling his spine creak under the pressure. The Baron stopped Takeshi’s foot and pulled his head hard, ripping it off his neck. The Baron fell back, not expecting the head to come off, and let Takeshi’s head go flying through one of the last remaining paper walls.

After a few moments, Yamashi came back into the door, eyeing the carnage with displeasure.

“This is going to be an expensive fix.”

Raijin sauntered back in to the room, Kazuo’s head in hand.

“Not you’re problem anymore, you’re gettin’ this guy’s stuff.”

He threw the head down on the now righted table. Chinmoku followed after with Kenichi’s head, and the Baron soon after with Takeshi’s. The Baron wiped the blood off his hands onto the red part of his landsknecht’s pants.

“Well, that was fun. I really ought to be getting home now. I’ve been gone for around two weeks now. My son is going to be furious.”

Raijin laughed.

“You’ve got responsibilities? You seem like you should be on the battlefield 24/7!”

The Baron nodded sagely.

“I agree.”

Chinmoku walked over to Raijin and spoke in sign language. For whatever reason, the Baron didn’t understand it.

“Right Chinmoku. We’ve still gotta take Takodin HQ. You coming, Baron?”

The Baron shook his head sadly.

“Unfortunately no. I really must be getting home. The festival is in just one week. I need to say my final words to Saito and leave.”

Raijin shook his head.

“Shame. Fightin’ alongside you is pretty fun.”

The Baron waved over his shoulder as he left the room.

“Thanks.”

As the Baron was at the docks with Saito, he realized something he had forgotten to ask.

“Hey Saito, why did Shirahama go back on the deal? Do you know?”

Saito scratched the back of his head.

“You know, I wasn’t planning on telling you…but…you did a lot of work for me. Ok, I’ll tell you. Just promise not to freak out and cause property damage.”

“I give you my word. There will be no property damage done by me.”

“Ok, thank you. He was paid by your Empress to go back on your deal. And given essentially the same deal you gave him, but for Grossenstadt and Leibenstadt boats.”

The Baron froze, eyes wide.

“...what? The…the Empress?”

“Yes, I believe she is afraid of your power.”

The Baron clenched his jaw.

“She fucking should be! Saito! Give me a fucking boat! I’m going to the Elven Republic!”

“You’re what? You can-”

“I can do whatever I bloody well want! Give me a boat or I renege on our deal! Now!”

Panic was written all over Saito’s face.

“Eh, eh, give me a second. I can’t just-”

“Boat. Now.”