Shaiga, Mantis Lands

Kyubei ignored the searing pain in his leg and focused, swinging his tonfa with every ounce of strength he could muster. The Bloodspeaker attempted to evade the blow, but only partially succeeded. Instead of cracking the man’s skull open, the blow instead fell on his shoulder. Kyubei heard and felt the cultist’s collarbone break, and snarled with a furious sense of victory.

The cultists had come from the mountains, descending upon the village like madmen. They were barely coherent, seemingly driven to some murderous rage by something Kyubei could not know. He had been on watch when they came, and he had known in an instant that the village would fall. The Tsuruchi had trained and equipped the men of Shaiga to defend their homes, but there were no samurai within a day’s ride. There was little chance that the Bloodspeakers could be turned away.

The Bloodspeaker hissed at Kyubei and reached up with a hand completely covered in thick, black earth. He grabbed Kyubei’s arm, and searing pain shot through his entire body. Kyubei screamed, but did not falter. His tonfa fell again and again, never missing its mark. The cultist fell dead, his head nearly torn from his body with the savagery of Kyubei’s assault. One more was dead, but it was too late.

The sound of thunder reached Kyubei’s ears, and for a moment he feared that the cultists had summoned some dark storm like the Rain of Blood to curse his people. Instead, he saw cavalry charging up the narrow pass to Shaiga. Scorpion cavalry, carrying the banner of the Imperial Legions and Shosuro Naname, the Sixth Legion Commander. Naname had often been to Shaiga, and Kyubei had just as often helped hide all signs of the gold mine that the villagers worked for their Tsuruchi masters. One day, he had feared, Naname would ride into the village and the mine would be exposed. The men and women of Shaiga would be executed, and the Tsuruchi dishonored. It seemed today was not that day, however.

“For the Legions!” Kyubei shouted. “Do not let them cast their foul magic on Naname-sama!” With an aching arm and a bleeding leg, Kyubei grabbed his battered weapon and lurched toward another cultist.