(Moon 10, Aft Deck, Afternoon) Orientation, Group B

[Akodo Jishaku]

With a roar Jishaku charges across the space and leaps through the air, with surprising grace and skill. He rolls when he lands, rising to his feet in between the two archers, so close they can smell him. Having taken away their range advantage he prepares himself for the inevitable pummelling courtesy of his new best friend Dageki.

[Volsung]

Both girls seem fully prepared for the leap and even as Jishaku is rolling to his feet both women have already dropped their bows. Each pulls a knife out and flips it in their grip to make certain that they don't actually stab the Akodo before they attack. Both strike the vulnerable Akodo, but he can tell they are trying to pull their punches some compared to their compatriot.

Jishaku Attack- 14 (Hits thanks to reduced Armor TN of Full Attack)
Jishaku Damage- 2

Touhi Attack- 17 (hits)
Touhi Damage- 2

End of Round

[Isawa O-Washi]

The Isawa, who had so far watched with an interested expression, slid his gaze to the other watchers. He straightened a bit and then barked out,

"Xiao Hua-san! What would you do to help Akodo-san?"

[Daidoji Fuichi]

The Daidoji priest, a quiet presence in the back of the group, seemed a little perturbed at the tenor of the training. Will I be expected to shoot someone? No...impossible. They wouldn't!

Quietly, he shifted his weight from one leg to the other, hoping against hope that O-washi wouldn't be calling on him any time soon.

[Volsung]

As the two archers attack with knives, Dageki moves in again, using the blunt end of his spear he stabs at Jishoki's knee. The blow strikes well on the over-extended Lion and with a simple twist and an application of strength Dageki drops the Lion to the ground with an easy, practiced, sharp movement.

Dageki Attack- 33
Damage- 9

Dageki Strength Roll- 29
Jishaku Strength Roll- 24

Jishaku is up! Well, down...

[Iuchi Xiao Hua]

The Isawa, who had so far watched with an interested expression, slid his gaze to the other watchers. He straightened a bit and then barked out,

"Xiao Hua-san! What would you do to help Akodo-san?"

Seeing the Lion's success, the Unicorn was sorely tempted to tell the gunso that all he could do for a man like that was to mumble a prayer for his departing soul.

"Were he still alive, I could read a quick prayer to give some on my strength to him, sir. Assuming I were not out there, alongside him. Were I there... I would try to engage one of the archers to give man trained to do the job the time he needed for it, sir."

The man replied somewhat awkwardly.

[Akodo Jishaku]

The words in the background were filtered out as the warrior took over. He wasn't going to win this fight but then he knew that wasn't the point of the exercise. Jishaku didn't bother to get to his feet. With Dageki standing over him and clearly pleased with himself for the knockdown there was only one way of salvaging some pride from this fight. "Kiai!"

The bokken lashes out in an apparently vicious attack to the ashigaru's knee, but at the last moment he flicks the blade out and around, coming in behind the leg and pulling Dageki down onto the deck beside him with a knockdown of his own. It was obvious that he could have made it a much more punishing blow but had chosen to control the damage down, unlike his opponent.

Jishaku prepared himself for the beating that was to follow.

[Isawa O-Washi]

O-Washi snorted, sounding not unlike a disgusted horse to the hapless Iuchi. "I see."

He grinned to see Dageki go down and then turned to the quiet Daidoji. "Daidoji-san! What would you do?"

[Yoritomo Kaito]

The Mantis watched the exchange with interest not seeming to mind the pounding the lion was taking by the hands of the heimen people didn't learn from being coddled after all.

[Daidoji Fuichi]

The Daidoji blinked once, paled, and said "I would call upon the air kami to scatter his enemies. Like so..."

He reaches for his scroll satchel just a hair less quickly than he normally would to give the Isawa a chance to stop him. The kami don't exactly have a safety mode.

If not stopped, the youthful Crane unfurls his scroll. A breeze lifts the hems of his sleeves as he extends his hands toward the standing ashigaru. A whispered prayer later, and a gale rips across the deck], tearing at the already-precarious footing on a ship. As his eyes regain focus, his face takes on a profoundly apologetic look.

[[ooc: The note in the roll is misleading. The tn for casting the spell would be 15. The tn to resist knockdown would be 20]]

Damage from the spell=8

[Iuchi Rinzuki]

Rinzuki glances sideways at the Daidoji with an expression of slight disdain.

[Isawa O-Washi]

O-washi made no move to stop the casting and, indeed, seemed pleased. "A useful choice, Daidoji-san."

He glanced at the scattered heimen and Lion on the deck and decided that was enough for that lot. "Right, then, now that you've all seen what it's like, we're going to split into groups. The bushi among you are going to attempt to board once each agains a mixed lot...all of you will defend at least once. If any of you priests want a crack at boarding, too, then by all means give it a go."

Blue eyes fell on the Daidoji for a moment longer than the rest as he went on in a more somber tone. "I know, being a Phoenix and raised to peace, that some of those of us who call the kami don't relish being part of violence. I respect that...but it's not going to keep you from these exercises. There may come a time when there is no choice, when principles have to be weighed against lives. Like it or not, military service may mean you must kill. If you can't accept that, well, we'll be putting you offships when we get back to port."

Then, as an afterthought, he added, "Iuchi-sans, if you two wanted to take a look at the poor sods scattered across the deck I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

[Akodo Jishaku]

Jishaku rolls to his feet with feline grace. Despite the few heftier blows he had received it appeared that the Lion had been able to roll with the impacts and was only lightly bruised. He offers a bow to the ashigaru. "Well fought shipmates." Dageki gets a smile. "I look forward to your yarijutsu lessons, Dageki-san." He gives the Daidoji who had aided him a nod before looking back at the gunso. "So, can I volunteer to be a defender now Isawa-gunso?"

[Daidoji Fuichi]

Fuichi nodded. This was going to be very difficult. But he was here now, wasn't he?

If a Unicorn can do it, I can. He set his jaw and turned to join the defence group.

[Iuchi Xiao Hua]

"Aye, Isawa-gunso." Xiao Hua barked weakly. Making his way to the closest of the fallen sailors, checking their injuries.
Nodding, he took a scroll from his satchel, reading out a familiar prayer, calling the spirits of the sea to ease the pain and sooth the damaged tissue.

/OOC: I'll leave it to the GM's whom this person is, if it matters.

After they had finished healing the injured, the man grasped his bo and joined the group of defenders, next to his fellow Unicorns.

[Asahina Masamichi]

Masamichi's tanlines show he was accustomed to the manner of dress, stripped down to pants and obi. He gives O-Washi a deep bow of respect and apologies for being late. Ready for orders, if he hasn't missed the exercise entirely.

[Yoritomo Kaito]

Kaito nods once at the Isawa's order and moves to collect a few of the practice implements before moving to find a likely soul to try to board against. This might be a bit of fun after all.

[Isawa O-Washi]

"Come over and let me have a look at you first, Akodo-san...Captain'll have my hide if I get one of you recruits knocked out the first day." Grinning at the Lion's obvious enthusiasm, O-washi fished through his own scrolls, scribed on an oddly golden shiny sort of material.

Glancing about until he spotted Kaito, he added, 'You there, Yoritomo-san...since you've got experience, you get to go next."

The latecoming Asahina's tardiness was excused with a nod and a gesture toward the group readying to 'defend'. "Right then...Xiao Hua-san, Asahina-san and...oh...Ikoma-san. You defend first."

The big priest was, it seemed, determined not to let them rely solely on Clan allegiance when making groups.

[Asahina Masamichi]

The Asahina nods, picks up a bow and some practice arrows and takes a spot behind the "defenders".

[Iuchi Xiao Hua]

Iuchi joined the defenders as he was told, holding his bo firmly in his hands. While the wooden stick was not particularly lethal, it was fairly good defensive weapon. It it was easy to come by, with every broken spear being an effective staff.