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4

Also that same night, on the heaving seas to the west of the Mochizuki domain Ikkit Claw's flagship Black Coral, along with five others, sat at anchor on the high tide. In the captain's cabin, the rat warlord was surrounded by the captains of the remaining ships. Lanterns filled with fireflies donned the walls illuminating the cabin in a dim glow. On the table directly in front of them were old charts, stained creamy yellow by the onset of time. Claw rapped his metal claw heavily on the tabletop, bringing the meeting to order. "Thank you all for coming. I will now go over the final strategy for the invasion," he began running his normal claw over the drawn ley-lines on the parchments. "Listen carefully; Shraggs and Bloodclaw will take the Sharkblood and the Gabool's Folley and sail to the southern domain of Jinkai. Meanwhile, Venomtail and Drogg will take their ships and take the northern island. That only leaves my ship and the Condor to take the Mochizuki domain."

Shraggs, the captain of the Sharkblood, voiced his concerns keeping a sense of decorum in the presence of his master, "Honoured Claw, would you be able to take the largest island with just two ships of troops?"

"That's where the second part of my plan comes to fruition. When the two smaller islands are dominated I will ask that a garrison of no more than ten score shall remain behind. However, I will require all your wearet scorpion riders to proceed to the Mochizuki domain once the islands to the north and south are secure. With them we'll create a pincer movement and grind down enemy forces behind the Niji gate."

"Can the spy be trusted?" Drogg, captain of the Seasnake enquired. "The ferret? I think he knows what'll happen if he betrays me."

"He does, oh wise one." Mangetail, Claw's seer stepped forward from the shadows, dressed in a sweeping grey robe and a leather skull cap donned with ram's horns. "These fools cannot hope to stand against the mighty resolve of the all powerful Ikkit Claw! If you do not mind me saying so Lord."

Claw features twisted into a maniacal smile at his seer's gutless grovelling. "And you Mangetail, are your visions clear? Will victory be assured?"

"I predict that this kingdom will give great plenty to us. The foraging will be plentiful and all of those left alive will beg on their knees on the same day. Begging for their homeland that they have lost to the powerful Claw," the seer reassured his master.

"I like the way your foul mind works Mangetail. Now my captains return to your ships and proceed with your orders. We shall make sail at sunrise."

As Drogg's row boat headed back to the Seasnake, he uttered nothing but contempt towards the warlord's seer while berating his oarsbeast. Claw wasn't in earshot so his voice returned to searat patois, ripe and abusive. "Row faster, put yer back into it! By the fang I 'ate that Mangetail! It makes me sick ter me stommick to see that tail-end suck up ter Master Claw! What about us, 'is real servants eh? Huh, we're the ones who do all the work!"

*

Sandokhan lay on his futon bed reading the third volume of his great grandfather's memoirs by candlelight. The first book of his great grandfathers' diary was written in the script of the western lands, which he understood fluently as well as Jimanese script. The pages were illustrated with beautiful depictions of rolling lands, mountains, castles, fortresses, vast forests, plants, fungi - there were even maps. The faint sound of footsteps caused Sandokhan to look up from his book. Blowing out the candle he rose to his footpaws and crept to the dormitory door, hoping that his activity wouldn't wake his fellow students. The door slid open with a slight scraping noise.

The next thing Sandokhan saw were the piercing eyes of Master Krinz. The hare was not taken aback even the slightest, "I knew you were awake. I saw the glow of your candle," said Krinz softly. Sandokhan sniffed the air curiously, "Master, I smell blood."

"Yes, some fool thought he could defeat me in single combat."

"Master, who would wan't to challenge you? Every bandit throughout the domain knows facing you is certain death." The battle scarred hare did not answer. Instead his teacher walked further down the corridor in the direction of his bedchamber. If the fox had looked closely he would have noticed the two skinning knives thrust into the hare's waistband.

*

As the sun rose in the east, all six vessels hauled anchor. Two headed northward, another two southward and the remaining ships continued to plow on their course dead east. All of them carrying a deadly cargo.

*

The next morning news had reached the dojo that the dismembered remains of a rat was found in a back alley of Edu village, the nearest town to the dojo. Being infuriated at the news of his contact, Jagee fixed a steel bolt to a small paw-held crossbow. He was going to settle the matter of who would own the Starfire katana once and for all. He heard pawsteps heading in the direction of the dormitory, he quickly leaned against the wall next to the door as he listened to the voices of the passers by. "Come on Shinji, do you expect me to believe that?"

"That's what I heard Masaru."

"That fox? I only thought a blade like that could only be passed on by right of blood,"

"Well it sort of explains why Master Krinz opened this dojo, doesn't it? I mean he has no family of his own, and who knows how many generations have been under his teaching and he still didn't find anybeast worthy. He must see something special in him. Potential or something like that,"

" Yes, but why Sandokhan? He's always seemed so... timid,"

"Who were you expecting to get it? Jagee?"

"Hahahaha! Definatly not Jagee. I mean he's got to be the most horrid student at this dojo!"

"True, however I've seen you spar with him and his skill is considerably higher than yours,"

"I can take Jagee, I'm not scared of him!"

The voices faded away as the two novices walked down the corridor. Jagee sat teeth clenched with furious anger. The fox! The gaijin spawn of a corsair and a thief would inherit the fabled sword from the great Akito Krinz, not him. "I'll kill him," he spat out loud to himself, "I'll kill him!"

Sandokhan was in the dojo's training hall practising his sword techniques, he thrust and slashed at the air while switching his fighting stance with each move as if adapting to fight a real opponent. When his father first left him there when he was two seasons out of infancy, Sandokhan became an apt pupil. He had listened and trained and practised throughout his whole life living there. He had his back turned to the door as it suddenly slid open with a loud thud. Sandokhan at first ignored the sound, but lost his train of thought when a gruff voice bellowed out, "Gaijin!"

The fox immediately knew who it was, "Not now Jagee." Sandokhan swivelled his whole body around only to find his nose a hair length away from the point of the crossbow tip. He froze on the spot like a rigid statue. "As usual you dismiss me like a beggar asking for a coin!"

"What's this all about and what's the crossbow for? If you think you can defeat me then use your bokken," the fox replied. Jagee struck out a savage blow with the crossbow butt that connected sharply with Sandokhan's stomach. He slumped to the floor resting on his side gasping for air, his bokken clenched tightly in his paw. "You idiot," Jagee spat at the fox. "I don't care about warriors' codes, honour or any of that philosophical rubbish Krinz spoon feeds us! I only care about claiming what is rightfully mine."

The fox looked absolutely confused. "I don't know what you're talking about Jagee," Sandokhan protested. Jagee stood over him, crossbow bolt aimed at his head. "You surely must know, the Starfire katana is to be yours on graduation day! That's my sword!"

Sandokhan saw his chance, he swung his bokken as hard as he could against Jagee's kneecap. The ferret released the trigger as he screamed in pain, the bolt missed Sandokhan's head by inches. "Stop it," said the fox as he rose from the floor, "you're acting like a fool."

Jagee raised himself to his footpaws as he pulled his bokken free of the waistband on his gii. He winced in pain as he squatted into an attack stance while continuing to berate Sandokhan. "You're the dishonourable scum born of a corsair and a vixen-thief, you don't deserve to inherit that sword. Die!" Jagee then charged head long at the fox, wooden sandals making clacking noises as they thudded against the hard floor. His bokken was hoisted high above his head then he made a downward slash. Sandokhan mustered all his agility to dodge the attack with a quick sidestep motion. He whirled his bokken making it connect with the ferret's left eye.

Crack!

The bokken smashed with the force of the impact, leaving several large chunks of splintered wood in Jagee's face. The largest of which was the piece imbedded in his left eye socket. For a second rage compensated for the shock of pain as Jagee tried to bring himself to his footpaws. "I going to, ugh, rip you... to pe- Aaaaaaaaaarrrrghhh!" With that, he fell to the floor trying to pick out the large splinters. Sandokhan stood over the ferret, face twisted with scorn, "All this time I tried to treat you as my friend. Well no more Jagee. No more!" With that the fox carried what was left of his weapon in his paw as the exited the training hall.

*

On the western coast of the southern island of Jinkai, the sea otters of the port hamlet of Kimon were busy evacuating all who lived there. Ships had come into the port saying that they had seen a flotilla heading in from Lanka in the west. Everybeast there had heard at what happened in Lanka and were fearing the worst. The head of the otter sea guard, a strong male called Ken, watched the horizon from the crow's nest of his ship the Heart of the Ocean through a spyglass. He scanned the horizon a dozen times until he saw two ships like dots on the waves. The otter crawled down the rigging where he rang the ship's bell, the signal for impending danger.

"Get the young uns out o' 'ere now. I see two of 'em comin' this way! Defence volunteers and otters, to arms," he bellowed over the melee of readiness. Pikes, scimitars, katanas, spears, javelins, yumis (bows) and quivers were given out with haste. Ken saw this delay as enough time to formulate a plan, but it would still be an agonising long wait. The sun was setting by the time the ships got into range of the archers. Soaking their barbed shafts with lamp oil the defenders set light to them as they stringed their bows. "We'll burn their ships ter cinders afore they even reach port, steady!"

Every archer took aim, the heat from the flames made their brows sweat feverishly. "Loose!" The flaming shafts filled the sky like a bright orange cloud, some found their targets while others fell in the ocean. They could see the crew of the ship putting out the flames on the port amidships. "Take us in closer," Shraggs, captain of the Sharkblood shrieked over the dilly dally upon deck. "Stan' by for landin'! All soldiers and crew to arms!"

The deck was soon swarming with armoured Stormvermin troops armed to the fangs with cutlasses, machetes and curved scimitars. The wearets came up from below decks, garbed in full armour. They stood behind the Stormvermin as another volley came towards them from the shore. "Shields up!" bellowed Shraggs. There was a short garbled noise of fumbling metal before everybeast on deck had their shield up in front of their faces. The volley found nothing but metal as all the shafts bounced off the heavy steel tower shields and fell into the sea.

Ken looked on bewildered, his strategy with the fire arrows didn't work and there was too little oil to go round for a third volley. He looked back at all who were present on the quayside, "This is it, archers do everything yer can. Everybeast else get yer blade an' a shield an' prepare yerselves."

Suddenly loud bangs rang out over the waters like a hundred claps of thunder sounding at once and several of the defenders fell down dead simultaneously. The remainder of Ken's force crouched on the floor, trying to make sense of what had happened. "Hell's teeth, what was that attack? It was like molten metal flying towards us!"

The ships were now close enough to make landfall, nets dropped from the deck rails as the Stormvermin started climbing down them at a rapid pace. While wearets jumped over the rails and landed in a clang as they ploughed towards the defensive line. The invasion of Jima had begun.