The Fall of Daigo - Part 5 - Mental Warfare - Chapter 2

The Fall of Daigo

Book 3 of the Dororo Novel Series

Toriumi Jinzō

Part 5 - Mental Warfare

Chapter 2

 Thunderclouds spread over the Sea of Japan, leaden and ominous. Jukai and Namitarō came to shore near a pine forest, using great care to avoid coastal reefs.

    While Hyakkimaru, Dororo and Ochika had made their assault on Nomitadani Fortress and escaped from the Togashi Clan’s Judicial Office army, Jukai had followed Namitarō’s messenger, Takenōchi Tokuzō, to the mouth of the Tedori River, where Namitarō’s sole surviving ship was docked.

    Namitarō had suffered a terrible loss: two ships, forty men, and most of the gunpowder and explosives he’d bought in China were now at the bottom of the sea. Namitarō and the crew had managed to repair the remaining ship spent time bouncing around the coast to decrease their chances of being discovered and attacked.

    Unfortunately, Namitarō and his crew had encountered part of a naval force led by the branch of the Hatakeyama Clan that supported the Western Army. They had fled before the fleet could engage them in combat. That naval force had no idea that Nomitadani Fortress was under attack and was planning to make their own strike against the Togashi Clan and their retainers in Kaga Province.

    Jukai’s strategy was to force Daigo Kagemitsu out of his castle to give Hyakkimaru an opening to confront him. Namitarō’s losses made such a strategy extremely difficult and hazardous to pull off. The Hatakeyama Clan might weaken the Togashi Clan’s armies, including the Daigo Clan’s, somewhat, but there was no way to know what the effect of the Hatakeyama Clan army’s attack would be. Jukai had received no news about Nomitadani Fortress, either.

    News of the fortress’ fall did not reach Jukai and Namitarō until three days after the dragon battle. Takenōchi Tokuzō had gone to the fortress to deliver a message to Hyakkimaru and Dororo, but he’d been blocked by the advancing Judicial Office army. He’d hung back to observe the battle, so he knew that Nomitadani Fortress was almost completely destroyed--and that a dragon was responsible for most of the carnage.

    Tokuzō had fled the fortress when it became clear who the winner of the battle would be, but the roads and bridges were washed out by the sudden storm, so it took him longer to reach Namitarō and Jukai than it would have otherwise.

    Jukai and Namitarō received Tokuzō’s message in stunned silence. Hyakkimaru had seized his own chance to meet Daigo Kagemitsu, and the Hall of Hell demons had responded by unleashing a powerful water dragon to kill him. Tokuzō didn’t know if Hyakkimaru was alive or dead. There had been no way for Tokuzō to cut through enemy lines to reach him. Making the attempt would have been suicide.

    Tokuzō had heard several rumors about the fortress and the Judicial Office army on his way back to Namitarō and Jukai. Apparently, the front gate had been destroyed by an explosive early in the fighting, before Tokuzō had arrived. The first force to break through was all cavalrymen: mounted archers, but they weren’t part of the Judicial Office army. No one knew who they were. When the dragon emerged to threaten the fortress, the soldiers fighting had lost all sense of loyalty to their generals and had focused only on staying alive. Tokuzō had met several men who’d saved their enemies rather than killing them, choosing to get as many people out of the dragon’s path as possible.

    The survivors from the fortress spread the word about the dragon, but no one believed them. The fighting was thick, the fortress was on fire, and there was a heavy mist and drizzling rain on the day of the battle. Most people assumed the survivors were simply astonished by what they’d witnessed and were exaggerating their experiences. The victorious Judicial Office army searched the countryside for Daigo Kagemitsu for days after the fortress fell, but they found no sign of him anywhere.

    Namitarō sent sailors to pick up Hyakkimaru’s trail at the fortress, but they weren’t able to slip through the Judicial Office army’s vigilant guard. By the time Namitarō’s scouts arrived, all trace of Hyakkimaru had been erased by the passage of many feet.

    Namitarō and Jukai believed that Hyakkimaru had caused the explosion that had destroyed the fortress’ front gates. No one else they knew of had a hand cannon built into their arm. Cannons that powerful were rare, and a large one would have attracted notice before it had gone off.

    “Daigo Kagemitsu must have realized that Hyakkimaru came to oppose him in some way,” Jukai said. “He hid inside his fortress, then used himself as bait so that the Hall of Hell demons could use that dragon to kill him. The dragon didn’t survive--Hyakkimaru probably used Hokushinhiyōken, Seven Stars Demonic Exorcism. That might be powerful enough to destroy a water dragon, even a very old one.

    “But Hyakkimaru never wanted to kill a dragon. The Hall of Hell demons were using it as a shield. Did they attack him after the dragon was dead?” Jukai asked.

    Namitarō shook his head. “The Hall of Hell demons are protecting Daigo Kagemitsu. How else would he have gotten away? The dragon was probably a distraction. From what we know of these demons, they’d want to prevent Hyakkimaru from finding Daigo Kagemitsu no matter what.”

Namitarō paused. “I wonder if he got to see his mother,” he said softly. “Or his other family, maybe.” 

Jukai couldn’t even imagine what Hyakkimaru would feel if he met his mother--or how she would feel, meeting  him for the first time in almost twenty years.  

“Maybe,” Jukai agreed. “His family probably lived inside that fortress city before it fell. Hyakkimaru might have managed to see them. We won’t know for sure until we ask him.” 

Jukai was determined, but he sounded hopeless. He’d been searching for Hyakkimaru for such a long time, without success.

It was possible that Hyakkimaru was dead.

Namitarō’s ship reached the shore and prepared to dock in the failing light of the sun. He and Jukai stood on the deck, looking up at the sails. It was fortunate, in a way, that Genkai Nadaemon’s ship alone had survived the sea monster attack. Nadaemon was Namitarō’s father: he’d been a pirate just like him. Jukai thought he saw something like Nadaemon’s fiery spirit in Namitarō’s eyes.

    “The demons will attack again, taifu. I’m certain of it. We have to be ready for that. As ready as we can be. We’ve still got some gunpowder left. I’m gonna use it to show those Hall of Hell demons that they messed with the wrong man.” Namitarō clenched his fist. His rage would not abate until he’d avenged his fallen crewmen.

    “We know that a small army rushed into Nomitadani Fortress after Hyakkimaru destroyed the gates,” Jukai said. “It wasn’t the Judicial Office army, so it was probably bandits.”

    “You think Hyakkimaru found some other allies, then?” Namitarō asked.

    “It makes sense,” Jukai said. “It would explain why we haven’t found him yet, if he’s in hiding with that bandit army.”

    Namitarō nodded. “Bandits don’t live in villages or cities. They have a hideout somewhere.”

    “This mountain is full of places to hide off the beaten path,” Jukai said. “There are low hills and valleys everywhere.” He was thinking of something like Korikuma’s bandit lair, which he’d seen the remains of with his own eyes.

    “Wherever the bandits are, they can’t be far. Not yet. The battle ended less than three days ago.” He grinned. “Let’s send out a search party again, but stick close to the fortress and look for hidden spots. Hyakkimaru might be closer than we think.”

Jukai smiled back at Namitarō. “All right. But if we’re going to do that, we have to go now. I’ll go out with the search party. Survivors from the fortress are still out there, in the countryside. I don’t expect Hyakkimaru to stay put for very long.”

    “I’ll go, too,” Namitarō said. “We’ll find him.”

 

***

 

    When news of Nomitadani Fortress’ fall reached the Western Army force led by the Hatakeyama Clan, their men withdrew. The Eastern Army had suffered a heavy defeat without their interference.

    Consequently, Jukai and Namitarō were able to approach the ruins of the fortress without meeting resistance. As expected, they found nothing in the ruins, so Jukai and Namitarō fanned out with small search parties, looking for a good place to hide a small army.

    At the top of a steep cliff, Jukai checked his horse and took in the view.  The sun was going down; the angle of the light created shadows in all the valleys Jukai could see. There were no settlements or farms close to the fortress.

    Jukai pointed to a cluster of valleys to the right. “We’ll start there,” he said to Tokuzō and the rest of the search party.

    Tokuzō nodded, then gave commands to the others. They unpacked iron torches, then dug holes so that they could stick them upright into the ground. The torches ignited with gunpowder and were linked by fuses, so that when one was lit, the others would be, too, in quick succession. No one knew exactly when these convenient torches had been invented, but there were records of them in China going back to the 600s. They’d started to be used more widely in the 900s, when gunpowder came into more common use.

    Most people in Japan did not use these torches or know how they worked. Namitarō only had them because of his trade activities as a pirate.

    The torches smoked in steady lines and provided very bright light, so it would be easy for Tokuzō and his scouts to return here if they found anything, even with the world in darkness.

    The scouts also had a number of fireworks that were usually used as flares. They burned brightly incandescent in many different colors. Jukai selected fireworks that burned red and yellow, then had the search party set them up on different sides of the fortress city. He wanted to see if anything in the wilderness would react to the noise and light.

    The yellow fireworks were set off first, arcing into the sky and trailing long lines of white smoke. There was a boom that wasn’t quite as loud as an earthquake, but it would certainly get someone’s attention. Jukai hoped so, at least.

    Jukai gave the signal to light the red fireworks. These ones were louder and rose higher into the sky before exploding in a profusion of red sparks.

    Birds were startled from the trees and wildlife fled, but otherwise, Jukai and the scouts noticed nothing unusual.

    “We have to get higher,” Jukai said. “Climb all the way to the top of these cliffs. Whoever’s out there might not be able to see us from here.”

    Tokuzō and his men acknowledged the order and mounted up or carried more explosives up the cliff. Jukai gave orders to release more fireworks upward, increasing the chance that someone might see their signal from far away.

    The deafening booms of the fireworks shook the cliff face. Everything went strangely still after they went out.

    “All we can do now is wait,” Jukai said.

    It was full dark, but the torches that the scouts had lit further down the cliff were still burning. Jukai and the scouts were just sitting down for an evening meal when two figures on horses rode up the cliffs toward their torches.

    “Dad!” Hyakkimaru called out.

    “Taifu!” Dororo was right behind Hyakkimaru.

    Jukai wiped away the sudden tears in his eyes and went to greet Hyakkimaru and Dororo. They were safe--both of them. He was so relieved and overwhelmed for a few moments that it was hard for him to find words.

    Namitarō had been right. Hyakkimaru really was closer than they’d thought.

 

***

 

    Hyakkimaru and Dororo led Jukai and the search party with him to Eguri Valley that night. Ochika prepared a feast to welcome them. Learning that Namitarō had brought gunpowder restored some of Hyakkimaru’s courage. He was certain that there were still demon battles ahead of him.

    “Namitarō’s been put through a lot for our sake,” Hyakkimaru said to Jukai. “I promise we’ll get revenge for your crew, no matter what.”

    Namitarō had given Hyakkimaru the Muramasa sword. Without it, Hyakkimaru wouldn’t have mastered the Seven Stars Demonic Exorcism technique, and the dragon at the fortress would have killed him and Dororo.

    Hyakkimaru told Jukai that he’d met his mother at the fortress.

    Jukai’s face became solemn. “It’s a good thing, after all, that Sakuzō saved that kimono and made a shirt for you. Perhaps the god of Iwakura Shrine assisted you so that you could see her someday. It would be cruel to let her go on thinking you were dead.” He sighed. “I feel sorry for her. She didn’t know what Kagemitsu was doing.”

    Ochika was looking at Dororo with a lonely sort of expression, but no one noticed. Hyakkimaru had met his mother and knew her name, but Ochika still hadn’t confessed anything to Dororo.

    “And you’re not an only child after all,” Jukai said. His voice was brighter, almost teasing. “You have a younger brother, Tahōmaru.”

    “Yeah.” Hyakkimaru scratched the back of his head.

    The subject turned to Hōichi. When Jukai learned that he’d gone north to Noto Province, Jukai said, “No one knows better than Hōichi what the Hall of Hell demons are planning. I just hope he makes it back here in one piece.”

    “Hōichi thought that Kagemitsu might have fled north with the demons,” Hyakkimaru said.

    Jukai nodded. “That makes sense. If he finds Kagemitsu, he’ll send for us. I suppose there’s not much else we can do for the moment except wait.”

    Jukai and scouts from the ship remained in Eguri Valley for three days. On the third day, Saruyoshi returned from Noto Province and told Hyakkimaru and Jukai about Jiraiya and what Hōichi had discovered on Mount Dankun.

    “What do you think?” Hyakkimaru asked Jukai. “It sure seems like the Hall of Hell demons woke up Jiraiya. He’s probably an onryō, a wrathful spirit. Do you think the demons are trying to lure me north?”

    “The strange disturbances the village has been experiencing lately are almost certainly caused by the onryō,” Jukai said. “But if that was all, Hōichi wouldn’t have sent Saruyoshi back alone. He would have dealt with the spirit and returned with him.”

    “Hōichi seemed to think the demons were planning something else. Something special,” Hyakkimaru said. “But I have no idea what that could be.”

    Jukai nodded thoughtfully. He called together Tokuzō and the rest of the search party and ordered them to return to Namitarō’s ship. He intended to go to Noto Province with Hyakkimaru, so it was best if the ship stayed hidden for a while. Jukai made some suggestions for where the ship should go to ground while he was away, then sent Tokuzō and the other sailors off.

    That done, Jukai made his own preparations to depart with Hyakkimaru--and Dororo, who refused to be left behind.

    Jukai was traveling through the woods picking herbs when Ochika hailed him.

    “Taifu Jukai,” Ochika said, bowing her head politely. “I have a request. Allow us to accompany you on this journey.”

    Jukai hesitated. “I thank you for your offer, but you must understand that we aren’t going north to fight samurai. There might be more demons that are as powerful as that dragon you saw. Besides, you’ve helped us more than enough. I think it’s better for us to part ways here.”

    Ochika seemed not to hear him. Her expression went blank. She got to her knees and said, “Then allow me to accompany you alone. Please. You care for Hyakkimaru as your own son and have saved his life many times. Allow me to do the same for Dororo.”

    Jukai was deeply moved. He understood completely why Ochika was begging to come with them. The days Dororo had spent in Eguri Valley recovering from injuries in Ochika’s care had created a strong bond between them.

    “Dororo is a fortunate child,” Jukai said with a slight smile.

    “I will follow Dororo,” Ochika said. “I don’t care if it’s hard, or if it’s frightening--or even if I die.”

    “Don’t say that,” Jukai chided gently. “Dororo would be devastated if you died. You have done much to help us all, and I would feel bad asking more of you.”

    “Taifu Jukai.” Tears gleamed in Ochika’s eyes. “Dororo...is a girl.”

    “What?” Jukai’s eyes widened. “Why do you think that?”

    “Her mother would know,” Ochika said darkly.

    Jukai had known that Dororo was a girl since their first meeting on Mount Kurama, but he hadn’t told anyone else so far, not even Sakuzō and Namitarō. He’d respected Dororo’s wishes and treated her as a boy, and over time, Jukai had come to think of her as one, as well.

    “Maybe it sounds unbelievable.” Ochika sighed. “You have every right not to believe me, but it’s the truth.” Ochika told Jukai about her discovery of Dororo’s birthmark while Dororo had been recovering from injuries. She had allowed Dororo to have a bit more alcohol than was prudent so that she could confirm what she’d seen. There were three moles on Dororo’s upper thigh placed in a very peculiar pattern. No one but Dororo’s parents would know they were there.

    Ochika also told Jukai about her long separation from Dororo after she’d collapsed in a blizzard, and that she and her husband had chosen to raise Dororo as a boy. Dororo had been taken as a slave, but during the outbreak of the Ōnin War, she’d escaped and reinvented herself as a boy thief in the capital.

    When Ochika finished speaking, her shoulders slumped in utter weariness. She was still crying.

    “I understand,” Jukai said quietly. “You won’t be parted from Dororo. Of course I won’t force you to separate, and you are welcome to come with us. I won’t tell Dororo anything, either. Your secrets are your own.”

    Ochika smiled in relief and bowed her head deeply. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you.”