"Men!"
He called out, grabbing the attention his unit, and that of the main. The confidence with which he called out to them made them listen, even if they were not from his unit. And still, each of them had a degree of familiarity with this man, and knew he was not to be taken lightly.
"Grass. I want you to pick bundles of grass. Grab it as low down on the stem as you can, and put it in a pile over here."
He leant down to demonstrate what he meant, picking up a thick wad of the long grass, and placing it in a pile.
The men looked at him as though he had gone mad. They were on a battlefield. What use could a simple plant serve? Was he merely killing time whilst he thought of a plan?
But Masaatsu took a knee, and started to pick the grass as he was ordered. Kitajo followed a moment later. Very soon the whole Special Forces unit were doing as they commanded, knowing their leader to be a man of competence.
With a disbelieving glance toward each other, and after staring at Nakatane, only to be greeted by a look of ferocity that asked: "why haven't you begun moving yet?", they soon joined in.
Gengyo, joined them too, and the pile of grass quickly became rather substational.
'That's likely enough…'
He mused, conveying his thoughts to the men, who stopped and waited eagerly, keen to see what he would do with it.
He glanced amongst his men, wondering who should be chosen for the task he had. It needed to be a man of patience. Someone who was able to move slowly, and carefully, despite the pressure.
"Niiro… Kitajo… Masaatsu. Come over here, I want to try something out."
He selected them quickly. Kitajo might have been an odd choice because of that anxious nature he had, but he was quickly proving himself to be reliable, and Gengyo needed a man that would not miss his shot.
Niiro wandered over, reaching Gengyo first.
"Stay still."
He said, as he lifted the old man's arm and began inserting grass into the various joints of his armour. It was a tight fit, and the grass did not fall out. Very quickly, the old man's arm was a limb made of pure grass, and the young leader's intentions became clear.
"Brilliant… This is brilliant."
Nakatane praised, a devilish grin spreading across his face. If a soldier's entire body was covered with that grass, and he kept his head down, he would be able to make it to the wall with ease.
Even Jikouji abandoned his post by the rear to admire the handy work, shaking his head at the lads cunning.
"You see what I'm going for, then? The rest of you, come over and help Masaatsu and Kitajo get their camouflage too, and then we can get this show on the road."
His inspiration was of course taken from the modern ghillie suit used by the armed forces. And if anything, this looked even more like the real thing, as the grass they used was freshly picked, and still retained it's colour.
By the time they were finished, there were three – vaguely human shaped – grass monsters standing before them. Grass hung low down from their helmet, shielding their faces, but not impairing their vision too significantly. Their bows had been included amongst the grassy mess, as had two arrows.
Even the main unit grew a little excited looking at the final product. With this, they reasoned, it would be possible to get close to the wall without anyone even seeing.
"Good."
The young man said in approval, as he inspected the front and back to make sure there weren't any patches left showing.
"I'm guessing you already know your task, right? But I'll tell you anyway, just to make sure: Get close enough to the wall to make a killing shot on the three people Asano spied earlier. Take it slow. No need to rush. Just make sure, above everything, that you do not miss."
"Masaatsu, take the man on the left. Niiro, head for the man in the middle, and Kitajo the man on the end."
They nodded their understanding, and he motioned for them to begin. They walked quietly toward the edge of the forest, where the foliage grew less thick, before they began to crawl. There was something a little terrifying about seeing them lower themselves to the ground, becoming all but invisible.
Even though they knew what was happening, it still felt odd. It was as though their eyes and brain were out of sync.
They watched with anticipation as the green masses crawled outwards. At times it was impossible to tell where they were, but the odd bending of a grass stalk - that looked completely insiginificant, as though a mouse had trampled it, or the breeze had blown – gave them the chance to follow their progress.
They kept their cool, and did not try to rush. Even Gengyo's heart was beating fast watching them go forward anxiously. It only took a single mistake for them to give themselves away. But it was as Asano said, and the attention of the guards was focused on the battle being carried out by the main forces.
Though even if the guards had been looking straight down, they still would not have seen or felt the deadly forces that were creeping ever closer, intent on claiming their lives.
He saw one of the green masses make the distance, and rise up slightly.
"My god…"
He breathed. He had not expected it to work so effectively. Even when they were stood up in a half-crouch, it did not look unnatural in the least. The power of camouflage was terrifying, and he made a mental note not to overlook it at any point in the future.
The only time at which the guards would have been able to notice something was off, was the instant before their deaths, when the bow string was pulled back, and a solitary arrow was revealed.
But by that point, it was already too late. Three arrows left their bows simultaneously, and as quietly as a leaf falling onto the surface of a pond, three lives were taken, and three bodies slipped to the floor, completely devoid of notice.
The three men had executed their roles perfectly, bringing a thrill to battle that was more akin to a chess match. It was beautiful. A beauty he had not realized existed within war, but one he was more than glad to discover.
He smiled widely.
"Time to move onto the main event."
Time was precious, and they had to move quickly before the bodies were discovered. They had a clear running for the wall. It was an opportunity that demanded they cease it.
"Anyone who believes they are capable of climbing the wall, follow me. Niwa-san – wait for the signal!"
"What signal!?"
He called out as the young boy rushed on ahead, and did not reply. Hot on his heels was every single member of the Special Forces unit. Though the task was relatively difficult – scaling the towering castle walls with merely their hands – the adrenaline that rushed through their veins begged for them to do something, and so it was an easy choice.
They did not worry about remaining hidden, as there was no one to see them, the only thing that they had to concern themselves with was speed.
Seeing them charge over, the three camouflaged snipers also rushed towards the walls, attempting to get a head start before the rest came.
It was only when you stood directly under the 15 metre high walls that you could appreciate their magnitude. The incline that they had was precious little, but it would still make the ascent a tad bit easier.
As they looked up, they could see the small gap in which the enemy archers would shoot. It was only just big enough for them to crawl through.
Gengyo began his climbing immediately, his fingers finding their way between the bricks, dragging him upward. He had planned his technique beforehand, and once he was there, it was quickly set in motion.
He worked his way up to halfway, not daring to look down. Heights had always been a weakness of his, but not to the point where he would allow it to limit him. He began to slow as the footholds on the uneven bricks grew fewer. He took his time to pick out a stable position before moving onto the next.
Those that were unsure how to tackle the obstacle copied their leader, mimicking his technique. They climbed with their bows slung over the shoulder and a quiver of arrows hanging at their belt. It made the going slightly tougher, but it was worthwhile as it gave them more options should their concealment be compromised.
Morohira quickly ascended till he was level with his son, before rushing on ahead eagerly. They slid through the wooden archers cage and landed heavily on the ground below.
They spared not a glance for each other, and instead looked around the compound. The ground beneath their feet was pure stone, and there were only two buildings within the vicinity. No civilians were present, as it appears they had already been evacuated.
Those details were not the ones they searched for however. They looked out for the blue kimono, and brown armour of the defenders, their eyes darting back and forth to make absolutely certain.
None could be seen, aside from the corpses of those that lay nearby.
He dared to look downwards, helping the others up. 23 made it up ahead of the rest, seemingly the more skilled climbers. That was the point at which Gengyo chose to move, and by how things went, it was likely not a moment too soon.
It was only as he tore his eyes from the climbers down below, and looked back toward his intended target, that he noticed a foot step out from the corner of one of the buildings.
He lazily glanced around, before he made eye contact with Gengyo, and with widened eyes he opened to mouth to scream, just before an arrow punctured his throat.
Lowering his bow, the young man motioned for his men to follow, and with a finger to his lips, he ensured that they would remain quiet.
Past the first building, and behind the second, there were another three guards looking out onto the land below. They were immediately taken care of. Some even ended up with three arrows in their bodies as men drew their bows and fired at the same time.
They moved on past that building, glancing down the length of the wall. There were no men in the area – at least for now.
Their time for true action had come. They moved onwards down the steep slope, and toward the gate. It was barred securely with three beams of strong, green wood. Even if they were to set the gate on fire, it appears it would have taken a while to get through.
It required ten of them to lift the first beam upon their shoulders, and heft it to the ground.
As they worked, a few more men made it over the top of the wall, and following the instructions of Masaatsu – who had been posted in case of such an occurrence – they soon joined up with the rest of their unit.
The second beam was then removed, and placed to the floor. Though it almost destroyed their back and hamstrings, they still had to lower it slowly for fear of making too much of a noise.
And then the third was off, and the gates were left bare. Rokkaku strode forth confidently, flexing his muscles beneath his armour. He was joined by the new recruit who had battled Kitajo – Sasaki.
And together the two burly men pulled the heavy gates open. The sunlight burst through, as did they. Gengyo shot forward, moving toward where his men were still climbing the wall. He quietly informed them of the gate's opening, before he turned toward where he knew Nakatane to be.
He waved his arms high over his head, before he turned his palms inwards, and gestured for them to come towards him. He repeated the motion three times, and waited, his heart beating rapidly.
//Author's Note
Nearing the climax. I hope you're enjoying it so far! Thanks for reading c: This week let's aim for 1400 powerstones, and then I'll release 3 chapters on sunday again.