{"sf1_id":8679,"sf2_id":"k1V9VjQn","title":"Chapter one: Conflict","author":"The Roseblack Dragon","words":3885,"posted_at":"2006-01-02T08:03:00.000Z","tags":["Dream","Reptile","Violence (Not In Yiff)"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/8679-chapter-one-conflict","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/k1V9VjQn","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/26/c7/26c77fb2-f6fe-4814-9efb-739f2b81392b","description":"#2 of Tales of Ippon","content":"_Battle fatigue can lead to strange dreams_  \n  \n  \nSwords rang, arrow shafts flew thicker than swarming mosquitoes in summer, and  \nhundred died before the battle ground to a sickening halt, neither side giving way. The  \nattackers rallied and regained their strength for another charge upon the fortified city, with  \nthe Defending army between them and the walls. Every head turned to look as a piercing  \nroar split the heavens like a peal of riotous thunder, scaring the waterfowl away for miles.  \n  \n\"That is Shidomori-san, Lord Roji. She is challenging you directly,\" The Nezujin  \nadvisor spoke softly, his armor unscathed, as he had never spent a second on the front line  \nof combat.  \n  \nTakana Roji, Lord of Saoto, hissed through his front teeth. In his heyday he had  \nbeen called \"Ironbiter\", for the time when he had bitten an opponent's katana in half. He, like  \nhis sniveling advisor, as well as entire army, was Nezujin. Takana Roji was old, though, and  \nhe carried the weight of his age in a drum-tight paunch. He growled, \"To think these simple  \nmountain-folk could be so troublesome... Especially this one... this 'Shidomori'...\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; The advisor hissed quietly, \"The soldiers speak as if she was a ghost, lord, flitting  \namongst them like a cloud of death.\"  \n  \nTakana Roji clenched his gnarled fists, his old knuckles cracking. After a moment's thought  \nhe bellowed, \"Kodori!\"  \n  \n\"Yes sire?\" A lithe, young Samurai who showed great prowess with the Katana  \nknelt at Takana's feet. His armor was red, trimmed in silver, with black inlays in the red  \nsteel, and his helmet carried the horns of an ancient elk.  \n  \nTakana hissed coolly, \"See to that upstart wench.\"  \n  \n\"Shall I slay her, or simply humiliate her?\" The Samurai lieutenant chittered,  \neager for a chance to further himself in his Lord's eyes.  \n  \nTakana waved him away, \"Do as you wish, force her to submit to you if you feel  \nlike. I want Tetsumo's Gates by nightfall!\"  \n  \n\"It will be done, lord!\" The rat hurried away, the army moving aside for their  \nchampion. He stopped at the front line and stared across the hundred-yard gap, eyes  \nseething. Across the breach, stood the tall form of a Jirajin samurai, clad in the Akanti colors  \nof silver and black, with a purple sash across her chest. Her armor was sparse, with only  \nshoulder plates, cuisses and leg guards, and from what he could see the rest was simple  \nclothing. At her waist were the paired Katana and Wakizashi that marked her as Samurai,  \nand in her left hand was a very impressive longbow. She straightened and tossed her copper  \nhair to a more comfortable place.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; She shouted across the gap, \"You are not Takana Roji!\"  \n  \nKodori inhaled and screamed, his voice shrill on the dawning wind, \"I am Kodori  \nHatsaka! I will be your opponent!\" Kodori wasted no time with shouted words. He drew his  \nKatana, crafted personally by Atsuhi Kadomatsu for Kodori's ancestors. The blade had seen  \ncountless battles and he could have sworn he felt the hunger for life the sword was rumored  \nto have. Kodori broke into a roaring charge across the field, but after his fifth stride he felt as  \nif time slowed to a crawl. His battle shout grew thick in his ears as he watched the Jirajin  \nSamurai raise her bow and nock an arrow in one smooth motion. As his momentum peaked  \nhe felt the soul-splintering twang of the bowstring as the arrow neatly leapt the distance  \nbetween its shooter and it's target. His mind registered the danger, but his impetus was too  \nstrong and he could not halt himself in time. He felt time stop as he saw the arrow close on  \nhis eyes... \"Why does this arrow have purple fletchings?\" he thought to himself before the  \nbroad tip of the missile split his forehead between his eyes and his world snuffed out.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; The Roji army gave a collective whimper of dismay as Kodori Hatsaka's corpse  \nwas stopped mid-charge and knocked clean onto his back. The oddly fletched arrow jutted  \nfrom the place between his eyebrows, just under the helmet's visor. Kodori's eyes were filled  \nwith shock, while his mouth was twisted into a vile snarl of muted rage.  \n  \nBack at the firing point of the Arrow that felled Kodori Hatsaka, the Samurai  \nArcheress inhaled before roaring across the field, \"Takana Roji!! You cower behind your  \nunderlings! Come die with the honor you claim to have!!\"  \n  \n  \n  \nIn the command camp of the Roji Army, a very agitated Takana Roji paced  \nangrily. His entire campaign against Tetsumo had been undone in a matter of moments.  \nNone of the options he saw ended favorably. He could accept Shidomori's challenge, but he  \nknew she would slay him with her arrows easily. If he refused her challenge, his Army would  \nsmash itself against her superior defenses. He was not prepared to fight a war of attrition,  \nand he knew that another force of the Akanti Clan would arrive in a few days to assist  \nShidomori's defenses. If he decided to withdraw after such an arduous campaign his honor  \nwould be destroyed, and one of his underlings would have him assassinated. He hissed  \nangrily and pounded the hilt of his katana.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Lord Roji,\" his advisor purred in his ear, \"She is but an archer, Sire. Take her  \nwith your sword and do not allow her the Bow.\"  \n  \nTakana froze as a ray of hope shone through his gloom. He grinned a smile laced  \nwith malice, \"Yes... Send the terms. I shall show this upstart Lizard-bitch that none may insult  \nTakana Roji and survive!\"  \n  \n  \n  \n\"On your victory, our forces shall withdraw unmolested. Should the Lord Roji win,  \nyour forces will surrender the Gates of Tetsumo,\" the footman knelt before the lithe  \narcheress that had felled Kodori without hesitation, and felt his bones chill in fear for his life.  \n  \nUsuyami gave a hissing breath, exasperated by the ambitions of Takana  \nRoji, \"Accepted.\"  \n  \nThe footman allowed a smile to play across his lips for a short moment, then  \nnodded, \"My Lord will face you with sword. He reminds you that it would be most  \ndishonorable to respond with bowshot.\"  \n  \nAn even coarser hiss escaped and Usuyami Shidomori lashed her muscled tail  \nagainst the ground in controlled rage, \"Do not speak to ME of honor!\" She glared down at the  \nfootman and he met her stare, freezing in fear. Her eyes held him in her grasp and he was  \nastounded. Her left iris was black, and the retina shone through the slit of her pupil, reflecting  \nthe dawn's light in green hues. He quivered in fear and nearly soiled himself, but he did not  \nmove, for to move would invite death. She sighed, cooling her temper instantly with an  \nastounding amount of restraint, \"His terms are accepted. Do not make me wait.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; The footman leapt to his feet and ran back to relay the message, hear jumping  \nwildly in his chest.  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \nThe sun rose ever higher in the morning light, baking the blood and viscera that  \nwas strewn about the field. Standing among the fallen, the two samurai faced off. Takana  \nwielded paired katana, on in each hand, and with expertise that was expected from someone  \nhis age. His swords were old, well used, and the steel itself was a deep red, stained by the  \nblood of the many they had killed. Usuyami drew her own sword, the blade's steel crafted in  \nthe method that could only be achieved in Tetsumo. The steel was melted to extreme  \ndegrees, and the impurities boiled out of the molten metal. As the steel cooled to the point of  \nshaping, certain trace metals were added in powered form, giving the blade extra hardness,  \nand other qualities. Once shaped into the blade, the edge took twenty years to sharpen, and  \nonce honed, the edge would hold against any punishment. Several heatings and coolings  \nafter the edging of the blade crystallized the metal, giving it a dappled look when the light  \nstruck it.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Usuyami stared at Takana and gripped her single blade loosely in one hand,  \nwaiting.  \n  \n\"You are audacious, at best, Shidomori-chan,\" Takana grinned icily, \"challenging  \nme will be the last mistake you ever make.\"  \n  \nUsuyami said nothing, waiting patiently.  \n  \nTakana laughed, \"I have taken a thousand men's heads! What makes you think  \nthat you are a match for my prowess?\"  \n  \n\"This is my home,\" she spoke evenly, anger and focused rage dripping from her  \nwords as blood from a sword. \"My blood, my sweat, my tears, as well as all the others who  \nhave stood in your way this day, are in this land. So long as I draw breath, you shall NOT  \npass.\"  \n  \n\"Then prepare for the void, girl!\" Takana pointed his right sword at her  \nmenacingly, eyes ablaze with indignant fury. \"I will have Tetsumo, and the crows will have  \nyour eyes!\"  \n  \nUsuyami rushed in, no longer waiting for the coward Takana to strike. His blades  \nsliced in at her, but she darted aside, his right hand blade skittering across her cheekscales.  \nShe reached in with her free hand and gripped the shoulderseam of his breastplate, kicking  \noff the ground and vaulting clean over him. As she passed over him vertically, she lashed  \nher blade in to remove his chattering head, but he blocked with sound experience and  \nsnarled as she landed behind him, still holding his armor.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"You bitch!\" He flipped his left-hand blade around and stabbed under his arm at  \nher. She bent like a stalk of rice in the breeze, and felt the cold steel slick against the toned  \nhide of her belly. A soft hiss and she ripped free of the blade, tearing open her top at the  \nmidsection, and planting one foot on Takana's back. With a little effort and a swing of her tail,  \nshe neatly backflipped in place, kicking her foot out and tossing the rotund rat lord fifty feet.  \nShe cartwheeled out of the flip and launched herself into a leap that followed Takana's  \ntrajectory.  \n  \nHe landed square on his back, his breath fleeing his stunned lungs. As he tried to  \nsuck in a breath, he caught a shadow over him, but his vision went red as Usuyami landed  \nsquare on his chest, her lightly armored knee caving his breastplate in and crushing his chest  \ninside. With a groaned yelp and a cough of thick blood, Takana died, his heart and lungs  \ncrushed to pulp.  \n  \nUsuyami stood and roared into the sky, her cry of: \"Akanti!!!\" echoing through the  \nsurrounding valleys and mountains. Both sides knew the outcome, and the Tetsumo army  \ngave a weary cheer, adding their roar to their leader's victory cry. The Roji forces, under the  \ncommand of Takana's advisor, turned and withdrew to their lands, marching back down the  \nSaoma Pass. The Akanti forces of Tetsumo marched in exhaustion back through the heavy  \ngates of their town, and the people in the town cheered and welcomed them eagerly. Teams  \nof Eta clad in rough cloth loincloths ducked out the smaller gates to begin clearing away the  \ncarnage that was left by the conflict.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;  \n  \n  \n  \n\"You should have seen her Miyajun!\" the young blacksmith beamed as he hung up  \nhis armor and spear, \"I was on the front line where she killed him, not twelve paces away!\"  \n  \nThe blacksmith's sister sighed, \"Yureitsia...\"  \n  \nBut Yureitsia Hagane was not listening to his Sister. He was busy pantomiming the  \nfight and the killing blow, \"POW! Like that!\"  \n  \n\"Yureitsia, why are you so fixated on her?\" His sister grumbled as she poured him  \na cup of cha, the acrid green tea steaming slightly in the cool of their house. She set the pot  \ndown and brushed some of the soot from her green scales, wishing that she could afford  \npolishing oils like the Samurai women.  \n  \nHe blinked at his sister, \"But... she's magnificent in battle! And she's so pretty...\"  \nYureitsia grinned as he imagined the Lady Shidomori in his bed. He was pulled from his  \nfantasy as a heavy wet rag landed on his head.  \n  \n\"You will never have a wife!\" his sister teased, \"No sane woman would tolerate  \nyour lusting after Shidomori-sama!\"  \n  \n\"I can dream!\"  \n  \nShe shook her head, pointing to the forge, \"Dreams will not feed us! There's work  \nto be done!\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Yureitsia sighed as reality came down on him again, \"Okay, okay...\"  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n\"Lord Futsuyomi requests your presence in Kotumu as soon as is feasible, Lady,\"  \nUsuyami's personal maid, Mido, said as she prepared the robe for her mistress.  \n  \nUsuyami smiled contentedly as her masseuse, Tokko, worked his skilled fingers  \nover her back. \"Mmmm, as soon as the repairs to the south wall are complete, I will make  \nfor Kotumu with all haste.\"  \n  \nTokko, the masseuse, was old. Twice his lady's age and a little more, he had lost  \nhis sight at the age of seventeen, when a wild cut from an ally bit through his eyes and  \nrobbed him of his sight. He had learned the art of massage then, and he was a master. He  \nknew Usuyami was thinking on the battle, and he had known her for so long, he knew her  \nmind.  \n  \nShe sighed. For Usuyami Shidomori, lord of Tetsumo, the battle had been another  \nwaste. The Roji always attacked her town, and they were always repelled. Tetsumo was on  \nthe northern border of Akanti lands. The Akanti clan held five provinces: Katun, Raia, Shijito,  \nHunto, and Futuka. Tetsumo was in Raia, on the border with Eizu, and it was seated on a  \nmassive metal deposit, one of the finest in the lands. Tetsumo steel was high in demand for  \nits purity and durability. Most of their steel and crafted weapons went north to Eizu.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Eizu brought a deal of ambivalence to Usuyami's mind. She loved the province,  \nfor its beautiful forests, and its mist-filled valleys full of rare flowers. However, Eizu's Lord  \nwas most certainly a sore spot for her. Aritseru Kajikuro ruled Eizu, and he was completely  \ninfatuated with her. He had almost attacked the head of the Akanti clan, Sikai Futsuyomi,  \nwhen Lord Futsuyomi had decided to let Usuyami decide whether or not to accept the  \nromantic advances of the Lord of Eizu.  \n  \nTwice a month Lord Kajikuro sent her a new Kimono and a bushel of flowers, with  \na marriage request interlaced with the gifts. He already had three wives, and a large number  \nof consorts. On a diplomatic visit to Eizu Castle, Usuyami had seen the room that Lord  \nKajikuro's consorts stayed in for herself. Two score of voluptuous women, all wearing loosed  \nkimonos, chattering among themselves about previous sexual escapades with the Lord of  \nEizu. Some of them were even nursing small children. To join that number was the last thing  \nUsuyami wanted. So, she would make a gift of the kimono to a random woman from the  \ntown, and the flowers would decorate her household. And, naturally, the request would  \nalways be politely declined.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; A sudden jolt of pleasure rocked Usuyami back to awareness as Tokko worked his  \nsteely fingers over and around her tailbase, stimulating the muscles there as well as the  \nrather sensitive nerves.  \n  \n\"Ahhnn... Careful, Tokko-dono, or you will end up with a very aroused samurai  \nunder those fingers.\" She giggled, looking back at the blind man.  \n  \n\"Aha, Shidomori-sama,\" He grinned, ancient mirth unmarred by his  \nblindness, \"Were I twenty years younger, I would welcome that event. But these days I find  \nmyself cheering whence I manage a steady stream in the morning!\"  \n  \nThe laughed, and Usuyami lightly dismissed Tokko, thanking him as she pulled  \nher soft robe on and headed inside to sleep away the fatigue from the battle. Sleep claimed  \nher the instant her head came to rest on the futon.  \n  \n  \n  \n\"Awake yet?\" the calm male voice asked.  \n  \n\"Nnn... I am now...\" Usuyami grumbled, the breeze ruffling her hair as she nuzzled  \ninto the warm lap her head rested on. Then she wondered why her head was in someone's  \nlap and sat up straight, feeling for her blade, but it was nowhere to be found. In fact, she was  \nno longer in her room, but in a massive field of flowers. She looked at the one who had  \ncomforted her and was faced by a pale ochre Rasagan male, with white-blonde mane and  \nstunning golden eyes. She stammered, confused, \"Wh-where?\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"You are dreaming,\" the equine smiled a little.  \n  \n\"Dreaming?\" Usuyami looked around, the flowers in the field were all her most  \nfavorite. Dragonlillies, mostly, which never grew in large groups, and only grew on  \nmountainsides.  \n  \n\"Yes,\" he reached over and caressed her neck, \"dreaming.\"  \n  \nShe blinked, \"But... who are you, then?\" Her confusion was evident, as she had no  \nclue what the Rasagan would be doing in her dream.  \n  \n\"You are the one who dreamt me,\" he chuckled as his soft fingers tickled under  \nher jaw affectionately, \"So I should be asking you that.\"  \n  \nShe shook her head, pulling from his touch, \"you have to have a name...\"  \n  \n\"What is it?\" he asked, looking at her closely, almost expectantly.  \n  \nShe hissed almost silently and was about to curse his idiocy when he stopped her  \nwith a finger to her muzzle and grinned.  \n  \n\"Rasa is my name.\"  \n  \nShock replaced her anger, as she had just been about to refer to him as 'Rasa'.  \n  \n\"Do you still not believe that you are dreaming?\" he raised an eyebrow.  \n  \n\"Of course not! I do not dream of Rasagans,\" she retorted quickly.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; He folded his arms over his muscled chest, \"Then explain why we are naked...\"  \n  \nUsuyami blinked and felt the breeze caress her bare scales and skin. She looked  \nat herself and her robe had vanished completely! She closed her eyes and sighed, \"Okay...  \nI'm dreaming now.\"  \n  \n\"I told you so,\" the equine grinned impishly.  \n  \nUsuyami eyed him suspiciously, \"wait... if we're naked then that means that you  \nand I are going to...\" she trailed off, her expression conveying her thoughts.  \n  \nRasa smiled, \"Oh, I certainly do hope so.\" He adjusted his position a little as his  \nthick sheathe swelled and sprouted his heavy, slightly mottled maleness.  \n  \nUsuyami blinked at the sight of his shaft and then suddenly found herself deep in  \nthe throes of passionate lovemaking, the Rasagan's heavy cock rutting her with long thrusts.  \nShe whimpered and moaned as his flared head rubbed all along her insides, taking her to her  \npeak quickly. As she felt the wave of her orgasm wash over her, she woke in her futon with  \na startled gasp, a warm, moist feeling between her thighs.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Shidomori-sama, is everything all right?\" Mido whispered from the door.  \n  \n\"Y-yes,\" Usuyami blushed, not that anyone would have seen it, \"Just a nightmare,  \nthat's all.\" She gathered herself up and stepped outside, the chilled morning mist wondrous  \non her opaline scales. The sun was rising over Mount Sufi in the distance, painting the clouds  \noverhead in colors of dawn. She drew in a breath and held it, clapping her palms together  \ntwice and thinking a prayer to Ganta for that sunrise.  \n  \nA small ceramic bell sounded, lettign her know that breakfast would be ready at  \nher request. She headed for the baths, however, knowing that she reeked of spent arousal.  \nThe Sticky feeling betwixt her thighs evidence enough of her amorous dream. Once inside,  \nher bath maids set to scrubbing and polishing her prismatic white scales. After a short soak  \nin the hot water, followed by something to eat, she dressed.  \n  \nA violet top, inlaid with lavender patterns of six-point lotuses covered her ample  \nbosom, which she kept slightly bound, for comfort and ease of movement. The six-point  \nLotus was the symbol of the Akanti Clan, and she wore it proudly. Plain black Hakama  \ncovered her legs, as well as dark gray Tabi socks and black leather sandals that she would  \nwear outside of the house. Her swords were carefully retrieved from the Takonama, a small  \nniche in the wall where an ornate stand held the blades in reverence. She adjusted the  \nsheathed blades in the silver sash at her waist for comfort and looked out the window at her  \ntown. The people were bustling with the shift changes from night to day, as the main forges  \nhad to be kept burning all the time. She smiled and picked up her bow and a small quiver of  \nher purple-fletched arrows and headed out to walk through her town.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;  \n  \nAs she walked the streets, people moved aside for her without question. She was  \nsamurai where they were not. If she wished, she could remove the head of every last farmer  \nin the city without the chance of having her superiors question her. But the townsfolk knew  \nshe was not the type of samurai to do that. She would smile and greet everyone who met  \nher eyes, thanking them for their work before moving on through the streets. Her people  \nloved her, and from that they worked tirelessly for the benefit of the entire town. Seven  \nthousand smiths, farmers, herders, and other occupations all worked with each other to  \nmake Tetsumo one of the most prosperous towns in all Akanti lands.  \n  \nUsuyami's walk came to a halt as a shadow towered over her while she spoke  \nwith a young blacksmith.  \n  \n\"Lady Shidomori?\" The tall one asked, his voice not as deep as one would think  \nfrom his size.  \n  \nUsuyami handed the steel back to the young man and nodded to him, \"Excellent  \nquality. Keep up the great work, Hagane-kun.\"  \n  \nThe young man shivered happily and dashed off, laughing to himself.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Usuyami Shidomori?\" the tower of a man asked, growing impatient.  \n  \nShe rolled her eyes and turned, \"I have that name, yes...\" she stared, but found  \nherself eye-level with his midsection, so she looked up, \"And you are?\"  \n  \n\"I am Waru Gurubiki, a messenger from Lord Kajikuro of Eizu,\" the massive  \nKibajin knelt respectfully.  \n  \nUsuyami sighed silently, \"You are a good ways from home, Gurubiki-san.\"  \n  \n\"My Lord humbly wishes you to attend the celebration of his Thirtieth year, two  \nweeks from the morrow,\" Waru Gurubiki spoke politely.  \n  \nUsuyami nodded, \"Please inform him I sill strive to attend.\" She smiled and  \nadded, \"But remind him that I have no current intentions of accepting his advances.\"  \n  \nWaru laughed to himself. He knew well of Aritseru's infatuation with the Lady, and  \nnow he understood why. She was fiery as the forges she commanded, and sharp as the steel  \nat her waist. \"I will inform my Lord of such, Lady.\"  \n  \nShe nodded, \"Thank you, Gurubiki-san. You must be hungry after such a long  \njourney. Please stay for a meal at my house.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Your graciousness far outstrips the tales they tell, Lady Shidomori,\" Waru bowed  \nlow, \"I would much welcome a meal.\"  \n  \nUsuyami smiled, \"It is the least I can do for a bearer of good news.\" She waved  \nover a Kaga-man, and pressed a coin into the man's palm, speaking to Waru still, \"This man  \nwill lead you to my house. I shall return there after the hour of the pig. I still have the  \nsouthern foundry to inspect, as well as a shipment of rice from Kanna village to accept.\"  \n  \nWaru nodded, \"The mantle of leadership is a heavy thing, neh?\"  \n  \nUsuyami winked and raised a correcting finger, \"Only to some, Gurubiki-san...\"  \n  \n==============================================================  \n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"Tales of Ippon","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/8649-prologue-creation.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/8901-chapter-two-passion.json"}}