The Race to Volturnum
Crane
Our arrows are slowly becoming spent as the oni hordes throw wave after wave of creatures at our front lines. There is no time to sleep; the demon hordes of the Shadowlands have no need for rest and do not distinguish between day and night. We change the guard, each clan standing the border in turn as the hours pass, hoping to push a few feet farther into this Tainted land.
The Lion refuse to step down from guard duty. Since this battle began, they have stood at the front lines, pausing only when their soldiers drop from exhaustion.
Uji-sama brought down one of the large oni today--a monstrous beast of stone and iron. I do not know how he managed it, but when I asked him of the battle, he answered with only one word: determination.
We cannot falter; we cannot fail. If we stop here--if we do not reach the city--all those in Jigoku will forever be lost, and the Empire will lose all that it has gained. A thousand years of suffering, a thousand years of honor, and a thousand years of sacrifice--lost. Lost forever.
Hoturi, my brother, I will not watch the Shadow destroy your soul.
--Kuwanan