The troops parted before Tadaka. He, Tomo, and Tsuke strode up to the gate. Uona circled overhead. All four of them studied the enchanted barrier.
On her tall steed, Kamoko rode up to Toturi and the others. She wiped the blood from her face and frowned. "Well? Every moment we stand here is another moment they recover."
Tadaka turned and walked to where Toturi, Hoturi, and Kamoko sat astride their mounts. "The enchantments on the walls are strong. All of you learned that during the Scorpion Coup."
Toturi and the others nodded.
"I sense a weakness in the spells, though," Tadaka said. "It may be that Fu Leng's presence within the city has eroded the magic."
Though no one could see Tadaka's face beneath his hood, the others present sensed that the Master of Earth smiled. "If the Fortunes are with us, we should have the gates open quickly."
As Tadaka spoke, Isawa Tomo transformed himself into a great wall of water. He crashed against the gates and seeped between the cracks in the enchanted timbers.
"Use caution," Toturi said. The battlefield had grown far too quiet. "All may not be as it seems."
"So right, traitorous ronin," a voice called from the top of the wall. Junzo stood atop the parapet, his stringy white hair blowing in the wind.
Uona arced high over the battlefield, toward the evil shugenja. She dived on him, a powerful death spell forming on her lips.
Junzo merely raised his hand, and the Forbidden City's enchantments rose to protect him.
The Mistress of Air crashed headfirst into the unseen barrier. Bright sparks flew, and lightning flashed from the clouds, striking her supple form. Uona fell from the sky like a wounded bird and fluttered toward her kinsmen below.
"My master will not be confined within these walls for long," Junzo cackled. "His reach extends into the land itself, into the sky above, even into the ranks of our enemies." The evil shugenja's eyes blazed red, and thunder crashed over the castle.
Uona landed beside Tsuke. Her legs shook, and she almost collapsed. She lowered her head and concentrated, calling upon her elemental powers to replenish herself.
Isawa Tsuke spun toward her; his eyes blazed orange with preternatural fury.
Uona looked up, her beautiful face registering the danger a moment too late.
White-hot flames erupted from Tsuke's fingertips. He laughed, his voice cold and cruel.
The wounded Mistress of Air screamed as her flesh sizzled and her hair caught fire. Uona's skin flaked off in long black strips, and her eyes exploded. She fell to the earth, a trembling charcoal heap.
Tomo tore himself away from the gate, his body regaining solidity as he ran toward Tsuke, a cry forming on his watery lips. "Noooo!"
Tsuke turned on the Master of Water and vaporized him. Tomo's cry lingered in the air as his body dissipated into oily white mist.
The laughter of Yogo Junzo and the Master of Fire echoed off the enchanted gates, booming over the blood-strewn battlefield.
Tsuke whirled and pointed his blazing fingertips toward Toturi.
THE FIRE INSIDE
Time slowed to a crawl for the Black Lion. The entirety of the situation seemed unreal. One moment, the Elemental Masters had been assaulting the gates of the Forbidden City. The next, Tsuke had turned on his fellows and slain two of them. All that remained of Uona and Tomo was ashes and steam.
As the Master of Fire whirled toward him, Toturi instinctively drew his sword. Tsuke was too far away to strike down, so Toturi flicked his wrist and threw. The lion-headed katana spun end-over-end toward the renegade Elemental Master.
Tsuke jumped aside, deadly flames flickering on his fingertips. The Master of Fire's attack faltered for a mere moment, but it was time enough for Isawa Tadaka to act.
The Master of Earth stepped between Tsuke and his intended prey. Tadaka called on the power of stone. He grew taller, and his skin turned rocky. The Master of Fire blasted forth his lethal energies once more.
The firestorm broke against Tadaka, scorching his still-transforming flesh. The Master of Earth screamed but did not relent. He fought through the molten assault, each step bringing new agony. "Traitor!" Tadaka's rocky lips hissed.
"Fool!" Tsuke replied. "Fu Leng offers so much more than your pitiful allies ever could. He showed me the power I'll have in the eons to come. He sacrificed the Isawa Library to feed the fires of my soul. He'll give me even more once I've burned your pitiful bones to dust." His words sounded brave, but the flames in Tsuke's eyes flickered with uncertainty.
Toturi turned to a band of archers nearby. "Fire!" he commanded, pointing toward Tsuke.
The archers loosed a deadly volley.
Many shafts bounced harmlessly off Tadaka's rocky skin. Others incinerated before they reached Tsuke. One, though, penetrated the Master of Fire's left shoulder.
Tsuke staggered back toward the gates of the Forbidden City. Tarlike blood leaked from the wound. The blood turned to fire, and the injury quickly mended. Before Tsuke could recover, though, Tadaka came at him again.
The Master of Earth's great, stony fist hammered into Tsuke's chest. The Master of Fire gasped and flew backward through the air, landing just outside the enchanted gates.
Suddenly, those gates opened, and a great Shadowlands horde poured out. They would have trampled the Master of Earth to death, but Tadaka called a stony barrier up around himself. The evil troops thundered around Tadaka's rock-encased form and crashed into the front of Toturi's army.
Fighting for his life against undead samurai, Toturi saw Tsuke slip inside the gates and disappear into the mob. The Black Lion's chest ached as he watched the traitor's escape.
In the midst of the enemy rode Junzo, crimson death flashing from his gnarled fingers.
Toturi's shugenja rose up to meet him. Among them marched Yogo Miyuki, handmaiden to the empress and Junzo's former pupil. Lightning flashed from Miyuki's hands, and several of Junzo's ogres fell dead.
Junzo shrugged off his kinswoman's assault. He summoned a whirlwind of hornets and sent them streaming into the allied shugenja's ranks.
Toturi's sorcerers screamed, frantically forming spells to counter the stinging insects' attack. Junzo laughed.
Hida Yakamo slew two skeletons with one swing of his tet-subo and thrust himself through the chaos of battle. As always, he fought on foot.
An undead samurai swung a long no-dachi at Yakamo's head. The Crab general grabbed the sword with his Jade Hand and broke it in two. He spun, striking with the tetsubo in his right hand. The iron-studded club dashed out the samurai's greenish brains, and the monster fell dead at the Crab's feet.
In the space before Yakamo, a swarm of goblins dragged Doji Hoturi from the saddle. The Crane fought them off with a few deft cuts of his katana. Yakamo smiled appreciatively and waded back into battle.
Nearby, Toturi jumped from the back of his horse to the ground. He kicked a goblin standing in his way, crushing its head with his foot. Another goblin ran at him with a long spear. Toturi stepped aside, seized the shaft, and yanked hard. The goblin lost its grip and sailed through the air, landing on the spears of its companions.
Ten human-faced oni swooped in on the Black Lion. They were little more than rotting heads with bat wings, but their long tongues ended in poisonous barbs.
Toturi spun his newly acquired spear over his head, keeping the bobbing monsters at bay.
Seeing Toturi's predicament, Doji Hoturi appeared at his friend's side. The Crane sliced two of the small oni out of the air before they even realized he was among them. The bat-winged creatures swarmed around Hoturi, lashing out with poisonous tongues.
"They remind me of some courtiers I've known," Hoturi said glibly.
Toturi nodded. "Hai. And some courtesans as well."
Hoturi laughed. "What brings you into the middle of these beasts?"
"I need to retrieve my sword," Toturi replied. "I threw it at Tsuke, but it didn't strike home."
"Curse his eyes," Hoturi said, spitting.
&nbs
p; "When next we meet, I'll put my sword through those eyes," Toturi said grimly.
"The loss of Tomo and Uona will not be easy to recover from."
Toturi nodded. His spear point found the mouth of one of the demons, and he thrust it through, smashing out the back of the monster's skull. The spear stuck, and Hoturi had to slice another monster's tongue off in midair to keep the Black Lion from being hit. Much to the Crane's dismay, the tongue re-grew instantly.
"These oni may be tiny," Hoturi said, "but they're highly annoying."
"And agile," Toturi replied. "They dart around like flies!" He swung his spear, and the head impaled on it flew off and crashed into another flying monster.
Before the stunned oni could recover, Hoturi spitted it on the end of his sword. "We work well together," Hoturi said to his friend. The rest of the battle swirled around them, surging and retreating with the rhythm of their blows.
"We'll die together if we're not careful," Toturi said. "Watch your back!"
Hoturi turned in time to see three new bat-winged oni swooping down on him. Before he could react, two figures stepped from the fighting to protect him. Both, Hoturi realized with some surprise, had once been Scorpions.
Tetsuo sliced the first oni cleanly in half before it could strike its prey. A flash of black fire from Miyuki's fingertips felled the second. The shugenja's face and hands were swollen from hornet stings, but she seemed otherwise little the worse for wear.
The third oni darted aside, avoiding both Tetsuo's cut and another blast from Miyuki. The creature's barbed tongue flashed out toward the Crane daimyo, but Tetsuo stepped in between them.
The young Scorpion gasped as the monster's stung his neck. He pitched forward into the mud. Hoturi quickly ran the monster through.
Enraged, the other oni dived on the group, but Miyuki was ready for them. As Toturi and Hoturi cut the monsters from the air, the shugenja uttered a terrible word of power. The remaining onis' bones turned to dust, and they fell to the ground, flapping like squid out of water.
Hoturi and the Black Lion quickly finished them. No other foes remained close enough to strike Tetsuo. Miyuki knelt at her fallen comrade's side. Toturi and his friend came and stood beside the wounded Scorpion.
Tetsuo's dark eyes darted from one man to the other. "Who'd have thought that I would save your lives?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"I had thought it," Toturi said, "or I would never have let you join my army."
"You're a better judge of character than I," Tetsuo said, sweat pouring down his pale brow. His limbs began to shake uncontrollably.
"Perhaps," Toturi replied, "but not a better man. Domo arigato, Tetsuo-san," He bowed slightly.
Hoturi did the same. "Domo arigato."
Tetsuo smiled weakly. He seemed about to speak, but his strength failed. The poison from the sting was rapidly turning the skin of his neck black.
"If I am to save this man," Miyuki said sharply, "I need him to be quiet."
Toturi nodded grimly. "Do whatever you need. Take him to my pavilion if it will help. You should be safe there from enemy reprisals."
The lady shugenja scowled, the expression making her exotic face seem feral. "Nowhere is safe from Fu Leng." Commandeering several ashigaru to carry her clansman, Miyuki quickly moved Tetsuo to the rear of the battle.
Toturi walked to where the sword of Matsu Tsuko lay and retrieved it. He whistled for his horse, and the animal came, crushing enemies beneath its hooves. In one smooth movement, the Lion remounted his steed.
Hida Yakamo emerged from the crowd. "We're wasting time.
The gates of the Forbidden City are open. We should enter them before the enemy thinks to bar the portal once more."
"Hai," Toturi agreed. "Summon your troops and lead the charge. Take Shiba Tsukune and the Phoenix with you. I'm sure they want revenge against the Master of Fire. They'll fight doubly hard."
Yakamo nodded. "Hai. My evil double is somewhere in the Forbidden City as well. Many scores shall be settled before this day is out."
"Don't forget our true goal, though," Toturi said. "We must reach the throne room and confront the Evil One."
"Plenty of time for that," Yakamo said, turning to go. Calling his troops to his side, he made a push toward the open gates.
Shadowlands warriors still streamed from that maw: undead samurai, goblins, and oni. A few tainted Crab were among them as well.
Reflections of burning buildings flashed in Yakamo's eyes as he gazed at the traitors. He surged forward, killing all who stood in his way.
Shiba Tsukune, the Phoenix general, rode beside him, her katana dealing death on all sides.
Toturi and the Crane daimyo rallied their samurai as well. They pushed the evil forces back to the wall, and then across the threshold of the gates themselves.
Suddenly, the Master of Fire appeared atop the parapet. His deep voice boomed with the power of ancient, evil spells. Fire fell from the heavens and rained down on the allied troops. Tsuke laughed as brave men and women died in his inferno.
"We must kill him!" Hoturi called over the screams of the dying.
"Hai," Toturi said. "I'll climb the wall and take him."
Hoturi shook his head. "No, you're too valuable to our cause. I'll do it."
Suddenly, the ground before them rumbled and split open. Isawa Tadaka rose from the sodden earth like a specter from the grave. Though Shadowlands troops had overrun him, he bore no marks from hooves or claws. His skin was charred and blackened from his fight with Tsuke. The Master of Earth's clothes hung in tatters from his wiry form. He looked frail and worn out. Yet, beneath his ragged hood, his eyes blazed with green fire.
"Neither of you will kill him," Tadaka said. "Leave Tsuke to me. He has much to answer for."
Toturi and Hoturi glanced skeptically at each other. "Go, then," Toturi said. "May Amaterasu guide you."
Tadaka bowed and shambled toward the great wall. Though the Master of Earth looked haggard, he drew new strength from the stones in the wall. He set his hands to the rocks and climbed up the enchanted surface as easily as if he were a spider.
The Lion and the Crane turned and charged into the fray once more.
BATTLE OF THE ELEMENTS
Atop the wall, Tsuke rained fiery death down upon the allies. It was all Toturi's shugenja could do to keep the blaze from spreading. The Master of Fire laughed with sadistic delight. The goblins and undead samurai on the wall laughed with him.
Their laughter turned to screams of terror, though, as the parapet suddenly shook. Tsuke stopped his assault against the allied samurai and fought hard to keep his feet. His evil companions fell from the battlement to their deaths.
Over the wall rose a dark, earthy form.
"Tadaka!" Tsuke hissed. "I thought I had slain you."
"Slain the man, perhaps," Tadaka said, setting foot on the wall, "but not the mission. The souls of Tomo and Uona cry out to me for vengeance!" He cast his hands forward, and the parapet shook like a great rug.
Tsuke toppled toward the edge. He summoned the power of his element. Flames sprang
up around him and kept Tsuke from falling. They lifted him lightly and held him up. His feet did not touch the ground. Tsuke hovered in the air just above the wall, a deadly, living embodiment of the fiery Phoenix itself.
"You are weak, Tadaka," Tsuke said, "as were Tomo and Uona."
"Better to be weak of body than weak of mind," Tadaka said, spitting the blood from his mouth.
Tsuke lashed out with a burst of flame. Tadaka gestured, and a stone wall rose from the parapet to defend him. The Master of Fires assault broke against the rocky barricade.
Tadaka's blazing green eyes narrowed. "Attack!"
The wall exploded into a thousand tiny stone projectiles. Many melted into nothing as they met the fiery aura surrounding Tsuke. Some few, though, penetrated the Master of Fire's defense, tearing his skin and ripping holes in his clothing and flesh. Tar-like blood leaked from Tsuke's wounds.
&nbs
p; Eyes burning, Tsuke spoke words of power, summoning a blazing whirlwind. He hurled it against the Master of Earth.
The fiery cyclone buffeted Tadaka. He chanted spells of protection and drew strength from the stones beneath his feet. The Master of Earth fell to his knees as the conflagration sucked the air from his lungs. His skin blistered and peeled.
Summoning all his strength, Tadaka used a powerful counter-spell to shunt Tsuke's firestorm up into the clouds. The Master of Earth leaned on his hands and knees, his face hanging limply over the edge of the parapet. Blood dripped from his mouth and nose. He tried to raise his eyes to face his enemy, but weakness overcame him. Tsuke's mocking laughter echoed in his ears. The sights of the battle far below burned in Tadaka's eyes.
At the gates, intense fighting raged. Tadaka saw his friends struggling mightily against the Shadowlands troops. Toturi, Hoturi, and the others fought bravely against incredible odds. Sprays of blood and gore filled the air with red mist. As the Master of Earth's sight dimmed, a bright flame darted among the allied troops.
Tadaka's heart fell. I have failed them! Tsuke knows I am no threat, so he has turned his attention back to my allies. He will burn them all!
Sweet blackness threatened to engulf the Phoenix Master of Earth. Then Tadaka realized that it was not Tsuke's magical flames amid his embattled friends; it was a man—a samurai in gold and red. Tadaka smiled, and hope bloomed in his heart. He staggered to his feet.
Tsuke landed atop the wall and bore in, a human torch holding a blade of deadly steel.
The Master of Earth drew his own katana and turned Tsuke's weapon aside, barely.
"Give it up, Tadaka," Tsuke hissed. "You know you were never my match with a sword. I will make your death quick and painless."
"I prefer that you die suffering," Tadaka said through gritted teeth. He beat off another blow and aimed a cut at Tsuke's chest. His katana slipped inside Tsuke's guard and sliced a long gash across the Master of Fire's breast.
Tsuke screamed in outrage as black blood leaked out of his wound. He aimed a quick succession of blows at Tadaka's head, his shoulder, his midsection.
L5r - scroll 07 - The Lion Page 19