The Rise of Takao Hitoshi

[genghismike]

Nagato... the province of his birth. Hitoshi found himself crossing over into the territory without a thought as to why he had returned. He simply felt compelled to come to this place, for reasons beyond his fathoming. No where else had held meaning for him, and he hoped to discover perhaps some semblance of a purpose in this place where his life had begun. He certainly had no memories of the place, for he had been too young to have established any clear thoughts as to his surroundings, and as he wandered ever further into the province, he discovered that there was little to catch his interest. It was simply like any other place which he had been. It seemed the strife had spread across all of Japan like a wildfire, the unquenchable flames of war unable to be curbed until it had run its course.

It took him some time, but he finally managed to get the directions to the small village which he sought, and set out to find it. Along the way, everything seemed the same, crops ravaged by droughts and harvested early to supply resources for the troops which campaigned across the land. The peasants were all on edge, discontent with the various Daimyo's and their appointed officials which overtaxed them and took what they toiled for. Starvation seemed the norm, and he found that he had to deal with bandits as he made his way towards the village of his birth. He knew them for what they were, young men displaced from their homes because of the wars, and unable to find ample work to provide them the means to supply for themselves. After defeating a few of their members, they began to follow him in curiosity, wondering what this man who fought like a beast was doing in their province. [-to be continued-]

Recruitment Post

( And for the record, the character limit is way too low. I was going to give 1300 words before Bea reminded me it was "characters" and not words. Otherwise, I'd have typed out a quick book. So I cut it short in order to maximize the efficiency of my recruitment, otherwise I think it'd be a waste of time. )

[Fūma Kotarō [Andae]]

1,300 characters/letters for 4,000 Ashigaru (Meatshields)

Approved.

[genghismike]

As the day waned, and eventually began to come to a close, he decided to stop and rest for the night before heading into the village in the morning. He had become aware of the massive amount of people following him throughout the day, and with each new bandit camp he passed through and defeated a few key members, even more took up their meager armor and weapons, and began to follow him as well. When he finally sat down to rest, he looked back at the commotion behind him, and realized what seemed to be a sea of people were spread out behind him. Some four thousand bandits had begun to follow him, and he was astounded by the sheer numbers. He chuckled to himself, wondering what it was that had made them suddenly desire to follow him. Certainly four thousand men and women weren't following him simply to rob him. He was sure of his capabilities, but doubted he would be able to survive an attack from this mob of people which had taken up procession behind him. Musing at the masses which had gathered, he finally fell asleep leaning against a tree, aware that some of the bandits had set up positions around him, taking a defensive perimeter. As he drifted off to sleep, he heard them talking about watch shifts to protect their new "Bandit King". He scoffed to himself as he drifted off to sleep. 'Bandit King....'

When he awoke the next morning, he discovered that most of the others had already risen, and that fresh game had been caught and were roasting on various fires spread out throughout the encampment which had been laid out. Seeing it in the day, he was surprised at the methodical efficiency which these people utilized. They weren't all simple vagabonds, he realized, for there was some structure to their methods and the tasks which they went about. Some army deserters and men of intellect must surely have been among their ranks to provide them with such tactics. Food was offered to him, which he took without hesitation. If they wanted to supply him with sustenance, then so be it. Who was he to refuse their hospitality. He was, after all, in their territory, even though they were the vagrants of the area, and by no means the ruling authorities. But they did know the land and what occurred within the Province. He found himself talking to some of the bandits, and getting to know them, attaining knowledge that would help him in the area. It seemed that many were displeased with the local governor, and desired to see a change. Others spoke to him in awe of his physical prowess, and wished to be trained under him. He declined their requests to become his apprentice, explaining that he was but a simple warrior, too inept to take on the challenges of becoming a Master. But they persisted in following him, and so set out with him once more as he headed towards the small village where he had been born.

When he finally arrived to the village by mid-morning, he was surprised to find that it lacked any form of military presence. He expected some form of display from the local prefect to assert the dominance of the Daimyo of the region, but there was none to be found. Asking around, he discovered the reason why. Hearing of his approach, and backed by thousands of bandits, the local guards had abandoned the village thinking that he was coming to attack the place. He scoffed at the notion, realizing somberly that such a wild tale could provoke undesired reactions. Even though the bandits following him numbered some four thousand strong, they were by no means an army. They displayed discipline, but lacked the battle experience necessary to be considered elite.

He spent the morning talking to the mayor of the village, and discovered that the place had grown quite a bit since his parents had last been there despite the wars. The population there had grown tired of the tyrannical rule of the local Daimyo, and were on the verge of taking up arms and rebelling, a common enough event which took place throughout the land. They had no strong leadership, though, and the mayor expressed his shock that the local bandits had all gathered together with him. Hitoshi tried to explain that he hadn't come to unite bandits and occupy villages, but rumors spread like wildfire, and soon there was talk that he had come to lead them in glorious battle to take back the lands for the people. Hitoshi wondered why this was happening to him, and figured that the spirits of the ancestors were surely laughing at him and the fate which had befallen him. He, however, found no amusement in it.

As noon approached, more game was hunted from the surrounding wilderness, and the populace of the village brought forth their own contributions for a massive feast in his honor. Once more, Hitoshi was stricken by a sense of ironic amusement that such a thing could be occurring. Here they were, acting as though he were a Shogun come to unite the lands. Once more, feasting upon the food which was laid out before him, the people, and the bandits spread out beyond, he tried to explain that he only wanted to see the Province of his birth. That simple explanation spread forth from where he was, and eventually was corrupted into something along the lines of; "The Bandit King has returned to Nagato to claim the birthright of his land."

Growing tired of his words being twisted to become some sort of dialogue for his "desire to unite the land", Hitoshi finally grew silent and resorted to drinking his Sake. Surely he'd awaken to find that this had all been a dream. What madness would cause people to take up arms in his name? He pinched his arm after a swig of Sake, and found that he wasn't waking up. Before long, the mayor approached him once more, and told him that much of the village had expressed interest in taking up arms for his "Cause". He nearly blew up on the old man, but instead maintained his composure and wondered what in the world he was going to do with all these people. They were going to get him killed.

Recruitment Post

( Alright, well, I'll stop it here, I suppose. Just touched key points rather than getting into firm details. Otherwise I think it'd be three times the length it currently is. )

[Admin]

-1,300 Characters/letters for 4,000 Ashigaru

[Saito Dosan (Ero)]

Dosan, Takamaru, Jigen, and Nobufusa would eventually enter the village of Nagato. The three lieutenants kept silent as their lord walked a few paces ahead.

"We're almost to the port, have the men continue to wait at the outskirts of the village, and do not have them approach until you receive word from me."

Nobufusa nodded and ran off back down the path, heading for the forest. Dosan looked to his other two men, offering a nod to each one respectively.

"We should keep low and head for the docks, see if we can't purchase a boat to take us over to Kyushu."

As they approached, he pointed to the small inn and tavern, then to the market. The city seemed busy, his gaze fell on the lively port in the distance. Boats would be expensive he thought, motioning to the inn and tavern, he would make his approach, rifle slung over his shoulder as always. Entering the small, quaint place, the three of them took a seat at a small table near the door.

A serving girl approached, but she was waved off even before she got close enough to speak. Dosan instead leaned in, propping his rifle against the side of the table, his voice was low..

"Seems we'll have to stay here for awhile, build up some funds so we can buy some boats, I want the men to remain in the camp outside of town. If I find out anyone is harming this town without being provoked, I'll kill them myself, Jigen, go and relay my message. Takamaru, make sure my orders don't get... misinterpreted"

A sly grin formed at the edges of the Viper's lips as he reached up to remove the crimson hood.

"Sake, if you would be so kind."

He spoke loud enough now so that the owner heard him, and sure enough, one of the serving girls approached with a small jug, and a cup.

(Not recruiting.)

[genghismike]

"Lord Samurai, a large body of people have been spotted in the region," one of the bandits said breathlessly, running up to Hitoshi. He stopped mid swig, and glanced towards the bandit, then shrugged.

"I'm not a samurai.... I'm just a wandering warrior. And, why are you reporting to me?" Hitoshi mumbled, then finished his swig of Sake. His jug was beginning to run dry. He'd have to remember to have it filled again. His coin was running low, but then he remembered, apparently he was now the "Bandit King" and the Mayor had practically appointed him as the guardian of the village. Still though, he preferred to pay for what he drank.

"Whatever you say, Lord Samurai," the man responded bluntly. He pointed towards the tavern at the edge of the village. "It seems some higher ranking people went to the tavern. Would you like for us to investigate? We could always take them prisoner so you can question them. They might be plotting to...."

"Whoa whoa whoa, no one is capturing anyone. We don't even know who these people are. Besides, we can't just go accusing anyone of trying to wage war against the people." Hitoshi sighed, then stood up, tying his sake jug once more to his sash. "Tell you what, I'll go find out who these people are, and what they're doing here," he muttered, and walked off towards the tavern. Behind him he heard shouts of joy, and the peasant army cheering him on for his "Victory against the Invaders". Things seemed to be getting crazier by the moment. He chuckled wryly as he crossed the village towards the tavern. What had he done to earn this scorn from the ancestor spirits?

Opening the door to the tavern, he entered and immediately noticed the others who looked slightly out of place, and away from the rest of the people in the tavern. Most were outside enjoying the banquet, but there were still a few enjoying the privacy of the tavern. He crossed the room and took a seat next to the newcomers. "Please tell me you folks aren't having the same nightmare as I am...." he said simply without introduction. He leaned back in his chair, and kicked his boots up on the table before removing his Sake jug and taking a swig from it.

( Not a recruitment post from here on, unless otherwise specified )

[Saito Dosan (Ero)]

He poured himself a cup before looking over to the man who seemed to be adressing him.

"By nightmares, do you mean the rising ignorance of the fedual lords to the east? If so, then yes, it's only a shame that I aided one of them in their rising to power."

At that he downed the small cup of rice wine before filling it once more. He knew the question was going to be brought up eventually, so he decided to beat him to it.

Saito Dosan, The Viper of Mino, Minemaru, Hôrenbô, Matsunami Shogorô, I'm known by so many names.. So take your pick, in my line of work, it's best to have many options open. Especially with my reputation among those in the east..

He paused, that grin remained. His right hand resting on the cup before turning his head to fully look at the one at the table next to him before he continued.

"Those men deeper into the village follow you, don't they? Guess they think I'm with either the Oda, or some other daimyo to the east, hate to disappoint them, but I'm trying to get to Kyushu."

He noticed the looks, and the groups down by the docks, not normal people, their stature and the way they carried themselves seemed to show it, they were on the breaking point, pushed to the point of rebellion.

"Could've launched a raid on the village, but to be honest, I don't like to strike unless provoked, you know?"

He raised that small cup to his lips and took it all in, swallowing quickly before setting it down once more.

"You don't strike me as the type that wants to be in that position, more down to earth with those who consider you a leader?"

The question was blunt and abrupt, which is how he was.

[genghismike]

He decided to listen, since the man obviously was taking the conversation in another direction than he had intended. He just wanted to know if random strangers were following him too, and if so, what the hell one could do about it. He wasn't amused with the situation. In fact, it rather perturbed him. He had enough trouble taking care of himself, much less four thousand bandits and four thousand peasants. Well, all peasants really, only half of them had homes. The other half slept in the woods. And smelled. Like the woods, and unwashed clothes. He shuddered.

"The name and reputation mean very little to me. In fact, around here, you're probably just an average person like the rest of us. Unless of course, you're a "Bandit King" too, in which case you can take these damned people off my hands. They're following me like some deranged lunatics. Either that, or I'm drunk off my mind, and am dreaming all of this. But I don't think that's the case." He sighed, and took another swig of his Sake. "And you can raid all you'd like, but I get the feeling these people would just offer me money to drive the lot of you off. Which, I'd have to take up their offer unless you could offer me more money. Or, perhaps, a solution with what to do with all these people. I just want to drink my Sake in peace. And spend my coin on the tavern wenches. And drink more Sake. And maybe get into a drunken brawl or two. By the Gods, why are the Ancestor Spirits mocking me!?"

He glanced at the man who had addressed him. "Oh, and as for names, I'm Takao Hitoshi. And as far as the 'Down to earth' bit, I'm actually down to the last of my Sake, and just want to do some work to get some more. But apparently everyone wants to give me free food and drink to conquer Japan and overthrow the Shogun for them. This is Madness. Much easier to build boats and cross over to Kyushu."

[Saito Dosan (Ero)]

He listened intently on the man's words, pondering on it before he finally spoke.

"Then we shall keep it that way, if you know what I mean."

He looked about for a moment, examining those around him before he looked back to Hitoshi.

"We could make them, but from what I heard from a local fisherman, around this time of year, strong storms roll inland."

He nodded lightly, motioning to the outside.

"If we were to build boats we should likely get to work sooner rather than later."

He reached into his left sleeve and produced some money, tossing it onto the tabletop. His right hand went for that rifle as he stood.

"I'll go gather my men, meet me in the forest clearing near the outskirts of town."

With that, he up and left.

[genghismike]

He sighed, then stood as well. It was evident that he'd be left with eight thousand people to feed. And with the state in which they were in, they'd need to be attacking somewhere soon. The bandits wanted the spoils of war, and the people needed places to work and a common goal to work towards.

As the man left, Hitoshi returned to the banquet, and noticed that the bandits and the villagers were still feasting and drinking. It was ironic. He was fairly certain that in the weeks and months passed, they had been mortal enemies with the bandits robbing them. And now they were comrades in arms, rallied together beneath the leadership of the "Bandit King" which had come to lead them to salvation. The wild tales people came up with.

He went to the mayor and quickly explained to him that they'd need to build some ships to cross the straight to Kyu Shu. Almost instantly word spread to the rest of the people that their savior was building a naval fleet to assault the other Daimyo's by water, thus beginning the movement to unify the nation. He tried to stop these rumors and explain that he was merely trying to help the newcomers across the water. But word began spreading that these newcomers had heard of Hitoshi's might and their cause, and had come to join the action. It had been merely a day, and already he had achieved legendary status among these people. And all he had to do was defeat a few bandit leaders and the rest seemed to fall like trees before the might of a typhoon.

"Your orders, Lord Samurai?" one of the bandits asked. The rest looked at him expectantly. He looked at those gathered before him, and mentally shook his head. This was madness.

"We build a naval fleet, and conquer the land!" he shouted, although his face remained expressionless. Shouts and cheers of approval rang out. The peasants were ready for action. The bandits were ready for action. All he wanted to do was drink some more sake and find a decent looking tavern wench. "Until then, I suppose we should start chopping down some trees. Let's get some people gathered in the forest, while the rest of you tend to the village. We're going to need to start gathering resources for this endeavor."

He left the peasants then, and retreated into the woods, a good group of the peasant army that had been raised under him following with axes attained from the village. Hitoshi thought he was going to be sick. He needed more Sake. Approaching Dosan, he gestured towards the trees. "Alright then, here are your boats. Growing from the ground, and ripe for the picking. Lumber will be nice, but I think you're going to need some steel, some cloth, and a lot of other things to get them built. We might have to establish some form of order here in Nagato."

[Saito Dosan (Ero)]

By the time Hitoshi had approached, Dosan seemed to be already forming ranks, the men were not wearing armor, but instead, simple clothes, tools were spread out among them even as Takamaru motioned behind Dosan. Turning his head to the side he spotted Hitoshi and nodded.

"Takao Hitoshi, like us, is a wandering force.

He gestured to his men now.

"These men followed me from Mino and Owari, former men from my days as a rebel commander against Oda Nobunaga's father."

He looked back to the rag tag group of foot soldiers. Looking them over carefully before he continued.

"Hitoshi is right, with our combined forces, we need a base of operations, we need ships, food, fortifications. The people here are our top prioity till we cross the channel into Kyushu. We maintain a friendly relationship with them, they let us about our buisness, and we leave them at that.

He contemplated them simply taking the city and building upon it, but the two forces would have to band together as one to do so. He was a general, not a ruler. But this man, since he was here, seemed to be on the same page.

"We have the Oda to the east, if we build the boats, we can escape to Kyushu, fortify ourselves there, or, we could claim Nagato Province, and begin to dig in, in doing this, we can launch out and strike east."

Turning to look to Hitoshi now, he continued.

"I suppose that is the general idea, we either combine our efforts, build boats, and go to Kyushu, or we combine our efforts and take Nagato claiming it for our own."

Hazel orbs examined the man for a moment longer before he added..

"But your men were already planning this before I even arrived, weren't they?"

Leaning upon that rifle now, he awaited an answer from the man.

[genghismike]

He listened as the man spoke of what he had figured would be a good idea to get these people busy and their minds off of their current focus of venting their rage on the other Daimyo's.

"I think these people were planning to do this before I even came along. I just happened to stumble upon this madness. I suppose I'll just go along with what the Ancestors have decided to throw at me as a joke, and show these people how to make boats. And govern themselves. And drink Sake and sleep with tavern wenches. Should be a different change of pace from the norm."

He turned towards Dosan, allowing his dark eyed gaze to rest upon the general. "I don't know about attacking the Oda, but I suppose since I'll have free Sake and tavern wenches, then I'll have to take up this supposed position of "Bandit King" which they have proclaimed me as. Knowing my luck, the next thing I know, I'll be regarded as the "Sleeping Dragon" or the "Demon King" or some other such foolish titles. So... first order of business... claiming the territory...."

"But, Lord Samurai...." one of the bandits said, interrupting him.

"I'm not a Samurai...," Hitoshi muttered.

"Whatever, the people here have already proclaimed you as their Benefactor and Liege," the man continued.

"They what!?

The bandit handed Hitoshi the Seal of Office. "Yeah, the Mayor sent me to give this to you."

"Great," Hitoshi muttered, taking the Seal and glancing it over. "Hm, this should impress the wenches. So, it's decided then, Dosan? We work together and build boats?"

[一人で Aldis]

Aldis yelled at Sparkles, "No! That's my food." Sparkles didn't care. She ripped at the chicken leg with her tiny teeth then dashed away with a sliver of white meat. He glared at the kitten, always stealing his food. She could hunt mice, but why do that when Aldis always cooked his. He picked up his food and ate it as he walked. He was nearing a fairly big settlement of people. Nagato, was his current destination. He'd need to find a way to gather people to his cause, but first he'd have to figure out what that cause was. Kill Muramasa.

He finished his food and found kitten sitting on a small hill, looking a frog right in the face. He didn't know what they were doing, but he scooped Sparkles up and set her on his shoulder next to his long ponytail. She gripped his shoulder with three small paws, her claws now sheathed into his shoulder. He gritted his teeth and ignored her, It was only a small pain, and despite her deviant behavior she was a good companion. As Aldis closed the distance between their small encampment and Nagato he could have sworn sprinkles turned and waved at the frog as they departed.

It took several hours for Aldis and Sparkles to Nagato. Despite how close he thought they were, he had been wrong. He knew how to make some of the finest weapons in this region, but guessing distance seemed to escape him. He stopped in at the local crafting hall. There were many different types of craftsmen here. He spoke to all of them. He appealed to their greed, about how much money they could make from the works they would all design and bring into the world. They wouldn't be soldiers persay, but together, they could possibly build a death machine...

After exiting the craftsmen's market area Aldis saw what appeared to be a tavern. As soon as he figured out what the place was, he realized his throat was dry. "What about you Sparkles, are you thirsty?" Sparkles ignored him, but she wasn't purring. There were people around, and Sparkles might be getting something to drink, this was serious business.

He opened the door and made his way to the bar. Again as he entered a public place he felt it. The taint of foreigner. Do not trust was written on his forehead. Several hands went to their knives as he passed tables. He shook his head and ordered a glass of whatever they were selling. On his way to Nagato he had done some repair work in a forge. The blacksmith had been sick and needed someone to step in for him. It wasn't a lot of money, but It was work he loved, it reminded him of making nails as a young boy in his home village. He was given a cup of cloudy amber liquid and offered some to Sparkles, she sniffed it and wrinkled her knows before licking it. "Good enough for sparkles, good enough for me." Aldis told the barmaid before drinking down a big gulp.

(Recruitment Post)

[genghismike]

As he awaited a response from the Samurai, Hitoshi noticed some movement in the distance. He had begun to get used to such large numbers of people moving about in the area like it was a large city, but was rather out of place being in such a small village. He knew already that they'd need to start making more homes and businesses for people to be able to live and work with ease. And they certainly wouldn't be able to make the boats instantly, so they'd need storage facilities built in order to harvest the wood and shelter it from the rain. Rotten wood wouldn't do well for boats. Being so close to the coast, he figured they could use the oil from whales to coat the wood and make it weather proof, making them far more resilient to degrading from the water.

As his troops set about chopping down some of the trees for various uses around the area, he noticed some people dressed differently than those he had began to recognize in the area. They were dressed as simple villagers, but the styles seemed to be out of place in the area. 'Probably more refugees,' he mused to himself as they approached.

He waved to the lot of them as they were passing by, and one of the group, a middle aged man, approached him. Bowing slightly towards Hitoshi, the man glanced at his sword and sake jug sheathed and tied at his waist, then looked once more at him. "You are the Samurai Bandit King that I've heard talk of in this area?" he asked simply.

"I'm not...."

"Yes, that's him," the bandit that had become a sort of messenger for him said. "Bested every bandit leader on his way to Nagato and united us under his rule. Now villages in the area are swearing allegiance to him."

"But...."

"Wow!" the man from the refugees exclaimed. "I've heard that he bested a thousand bandits in combat single handedly."

"It wasn't that many...."

"That and more!" the bandit messenger replied. "He's like the new God of War, come to unite the land for the people."

"I'm really not...."

"Great!" the refugee spokesman said with a smile. "We've come to join forces with you, Lord Samurai."

Hitoshi sighed, and pointed back towards the village. "You can find food and accomodations that way. Rest your people up, but I'll expect them to contribute to our efforts soon. Have all your able bodied men report to me immediately for work."

"Yes, Lord Samurai," the refugee spokesman replied, then turned to do his bidding. The Bandit Messenger was smiling proudly as this went on. Hitoshi grumbled to himself, and took a swig of his sake, noting that the jug was almost empty. Again.

Recruitment Post

[Admin]

Takao Hitoshi:
-1,300 Characters/letters for 4,000 Ashigaru

Aldis:
-1,300 Characters/letters for 4,000 Ashigaru