And so, after two more days of hard work, the ship was completed. There it sat, in the bay of theirs, with two tall masts, donned with black sails. The oars were fully extended, with trap doors above them, ready to be sent down so that they would hide the oar holes at a moments notice.
It was a beauty. From an old trading ship, to this vessel of war. It was still small, to be sure. But inside that small vessel was packed so much accelerative power, from both the wind and the oars. It was fearsome indeed.
"Damn… It looks good."
Rokkaku said, slightly awed looking at the finished product. The improvement was insane. It was barely recognizable from the old trading ship that they had before.
"Aha, doesn't it?"
Morojo said proudly – it was one of the most difficult products that he had worked on, and he felt a great sense of fulfilment now that it was completed.
"Alright, lads! Show them how it transforms!"
His boys were on the deck, ready and waiting to receive his command. Within a split second, the transformation began. The sails rolled to deck, and the second mast underwent its changes. The upper mast began to slowly lower itself to the deck, as the flag bearing pole folded downwards along with it.
Below deck was a similar scene, as the lower mast lowered its way down. The boys raced down the stairs, and started to drag the oars inwards, closing the oar-doors as they did so. Within a matter of minutes, the transformation was complete, and it once more became the trading skiff, with its off-white sail strewn high into the air.
"By the gods… It's unrecognizable."
Jikouji breathed. When Gengyo mentioned the idea, it had merely been that – an idea. But seeing it in action, brought to life by the skilled hands of the Morojo's, it was revealed to be genius. After raiding a ship, they merely needed to put distance between them and whatever pursuers there might be, and get out of their line of sight. And then, after the transformation, it would be as though the black-sailed ship had disappeared from the face of the earth, rendering them untraceable.
It was exciting to watch. Not merely because it worked. But because it's completion signified a new beginning.
"Haha, we'll be unstoppable with this, fellas!"
Morohira announced enthusiastically. It was all well and good training, but the true thrill was to be had in battle.
If they could, he would have ordered that they set off there and then, but darkness was already drawing in. Their target will have long since arrived at Toyokawa, so they would be unable to intercept them.
It might have been a preferable strategy to simply target the ship after it had delivered it's haul of iron, so that they could simply return with the gold that they had exchanged it for. But that was laden with far more risk. It was unlikely that they were paid daily with straight gold. It was far more reasonable to assume that they had an ongoing deal with one of the local merchants, and the money for their services had already been prearranged.
"Aye! We'll be the demons of the sea!"
Rokkaku said jovially. He had come to love combat just as much as Morohira.
Even those that did not speak were overcome with excitement. Togashi was one. He was eager to prove their worth to Gengyo, and reassure him that he did not always need to present for them to get things done.
Though he had said nothing, he agreed with the decision to allow Morohira to lead. He and Gengyo were very different in their mannerisms, but his father understood what needed to be done, and he worked as hard as needed to complete it.
Rin and Akiko share a look.
'This is it.'
They thought, gulping. Their first test as women of the Red Feather. If they showed weakness here, then it was entirely plausible that they would not be allowed on future missions. They had both fought in battle before, but this felt different to then. It was more like an exam, than a battle. Before they had fought simply because it was the only option.. Here, there was a path to retreat. They could simply back out. And that allowed thoughts of weakness into their minds.
"This is some bloody good work, Morojo. I hope ya stick around, even though you're done, eh? I imagine the lad will have more work for you."
Morohira spoke honestly.
"Aye, me and him had a talk. I'll be sticking around for a while."
He reassured him. In truth, even if not for the work, he wished to stay a while. He was enjoying the company of the men around him. They had clearly experienced some terrifying things, but they oozed confidence, and he could not help respect them. Despite all that though, they were still easy to get on with, and he knew his lads felt the same.
"Good man! Well, everyone. We'd better rest a bit. We can attack the ship tomorrow. It arrives at noon usually, right Ishi?"
"That's right, yes."
Isabella said with a firm nod. Though she would not be taking part in the battle, she too was excited. The success of this first mission would dictate whether she was ensured a job in future or not.
And so they set aside any training that was going on, and gathered around the campfire to enjoy another meal of roasted fish.
"Are you okay, Akiko? You look nervous."
Rin asked with a hint of concern in her voice. Akiko had been rather quiet.
"Mhm! I'm okay, I just want to do well tomorrow, you know?"
Togashi overheard their conversation, and chuckled lightly.
"Don't be worrying about things like that, lass. Just kill whoever is in front of you, and focus on staying alive."
It was not the most reassuring advice, but it was true enough. Wanting to impress on the battlefield could only ever be dangerous. Rather than scaring her further though, it seemed to help a little, and she smiled and nodded.
"Thank you, Togashi-san."
"Yup. You'll be fine, Akiko. We'll just stick together, okay? It'll be a breeze."
Rin assured her, patting her chest enthusiastically, though she was just as nervous as her friend.
"Mhm. That's the spirit little lass. These small scale battles are nothing to worry about – just stay alive through it."
Togashi agreed.
…
…
They spent the evening resting, and attempted to sleep early. The newer members had trouble sleeping because of the excitement, but when they awoke in the morning, everyone seemed to be rather refreshed, and ready.
Final preparations were made on the deck of the ship, and they did numerous practise runs of the transition, as Morojo and his boys would not be there to help them. It took a good few runs before Morohira was satisified with their speed, and by the time they realized it, midday had already rolled around.
"Heh, this time already, eh?"
He commented, looking up at the sun in the sky.
"Grab your weapons, men. It's time."
With the completion of the ship the evening before, Kitajo had been sent to deliver the message to Gengyo. And he had returned with a cart full of goodies. Whilst they had been busy training, their master had done some small preparations of his own.
In the cart had come their black armour, and their masks. It would not do for them to carry out the raid without wearing the armour of the Red Feather. And, amongst that armour, there had been two sets specially made for Akiko and Rin, with a little more space at the chest, so that they might be more accommodating.
They had received the gifts with excitement, taking great care as they donned them. They were a good fit, and merely by wearing the equipment, they began to feel a little bit stronger.
They all stood by the boat now, fully armed, with their demonic masks placed on their heads. They even unnerved each other because of how fearsome they looked. The Morojos and Isabella watched as they ascended the ramp, and boarded the ship. They emitted the chilly cold aura of experienced killers, and as they gripped their blades, they did so with authority. These were men of war.
The young Morojo men who watched, gulped slightly. They were a terrifyingly imposing sight. It would not do to become their enemy. With the addition of the masks, they were no longer men, but demons, and they fully embodied what they were. Even without words, a casual ruthlessness could be seen in their movements.
"Lift the ramp! We're getting out of here!"
Morohira called from under his mask, and he stood at the front of the ship, staring down the opening of the cove. It was a tight fit indeed, but they had drawn the oars in, and if the lad managed had to align them, then he was able to do it too.
The Morojo men let out grunts as they pushed the heavy ship from the sand, and sent it back into water. The feeling of the deck beneath their feet changed at the sudden transition, and they felt almost weightless.
Atop the water they sat, slowly drifting towards the dark opening, their direction was good, and they were set to make it through perfectly. But still, they could not help but gulp as it neared. It was an imposing piece of rock, and should they make even the slightest bit of contact with it, then their ship would be put in an agonising state.
Darkness ensued as rock surrounded them on all sides, as they passed through the tunnel. Their only hope was the light ahead, and the vast sea beyond it. No one spoke, not wanting to cause even the smallest fraction of change to the boat - it needed to remain completely straight.
But then they passed completely through, and a cheer resounded.
"HELL YEAH! TIME FOR WAR BOYS!"
Morohira called out, grinning wildly underneath his demonic mask, as he pumped his clenched fist into the air, and felt a wave of energy fill his body. They had passed all the obstacles that sat in their way. They were now upon the open water. Everything else was within their control. They simply needed to chase the ship down and slaughter its crew.
"OARS, READY!"
He shouted. The oars – though they would not use them yet - needed to be put in a ready position, just slightly above the water, so as soon as they needed a sudden burst of speed, they would be able to go below deck, and power forward.
"ADJUST THE SAILS! WE'RE HEADING TOWARD TOYOKAWA!"
He roared, above the bellowing of the ocean. This was his domain now. He was the captain of the Red Feather ship. He would ensure that chaos made its rounds.
Rokkaku responded to his order. They had been taught by Morojo how to properly change sails and the like, as they had merely done it based on guesswork before. But now, it was relatively easy for them, and the ship slowly changed direction, spurred on by the wind.
And then, it hit them. They were perfectly inline, with both sails ready, and the wind caught them completely. Their small skiff rocketed forward at such a frightening speed that they almost fell over due to the initial acceleration.
"HOOOOOO! SHE'S A QUICK ONE!"
He chuckled excitedly. All this work had not been for nothing, and the speed their little ship was able to race at was unbelievable. Far faster than it had been before. And they had not even used their oars yet. No one could escape them.