Defenders of the People

by Rusty Priske

Edited by Fred Wan

Yoritomo Eriko stepped into the magistrate’s office like it was her own. She carried herself as straight as a mast while her gait was as straight as the ocean’s horizon. The magistrate who belonged in the office was not so impressed.

“State your business.”

“I am Yoritomo Eriko. I understand that you requested me as your yoriki.”

The other magistrate softened somewhat. “I am Yoritomo Daishiro, and I did not request you, exactly. I requested some support on the investigation I am working on.” He looked her over carefully. “I will admit that I expected someone with a little more experience.”

“I am certain that I up to the task, Daishiro-sama. I am also certain that you are not questioning the wisdom of our superiors, who chose to assign me here.”

Daishiro rolled his eyes. “Of course not, Eriko-san. I am sure you will be adequate. Do you have any belongings that you need stowed before we continue? I know that you just came from a shipboard assignment.”

Eriko squinted slightly. “I thought you were not expecting me. How do you know my previous posting?”

“It is not too hard to tell, if you know what you are looking for. Do not worry; I do not think any less of shipboard work. Anyone that protects the Mantis from thieves is doing good service, in my opinion. I don’t care if those thieves are pirates or common street thugs.”

“Thank you, Daishiro-sama, but I have already stowed my gear. If it is all the same to you, I would prefer to begin working on whatever investigation I have been sent to assist with.”

“We have had a number of incidents involving heimin owned businesses. Some places have been damaged and there have been some injuries, and even one death.”

“Of heimin only?”

“That is correct.”

“By samurai? If so, has a complaint been lodged?”

“No complaint has been filed by anyone. Further, these businesses are all in the lower city. It seems unlikely that the actions would be by samurai.”

Eriko’s eyes widened. “So, no samurai involvement and no complaint filed. So why are we investigating this exactly?”

Daishiro’s face hardened. “I do not condone criminals. I do not care who the crimes are against.”

Eriko bowed her head slightly. “Please do not misunderstand, Daishiro-sama. I am not arguing the fitness of your work. Lord Naizen has declared that we are to look out for the welfare of all the people of Rokugan, not just the samurai.”

“Then why are you questioning why I am investigating?”

“I only wondered how this matter came to your attention in the first place.”

Daishiro made a dismissive gesture. “I have allies in all manner of places. They report such things to me. I have always found it beneficial to keep a close eye on all parts of the city, regardless of their nature.”

Eriko nodded. “I believe that is a sound strategy. I do something similar out there.” She motioned in the vague direction of the sea. “How do we proceed, Daishiro-sama?”

Yoritomo Daishiro gathered a handful of scrolls and retrieved a sasumata from a rack behind his desk. “I believe there are some people who might be able to give us more information. Let me introduce you to them.”

•

Daishiro stepped into a sake house with Eriko right behind him. Inside, two heimin were repairing a broken table. It was one of many throughout the room. “What happened here?” Daishiro demanded.

Both men were startled by the magistrates’ sudden appearance and they fell prostrate to the floor.

“Whose place is this?”

“It is mine, samurai-sama,” one of the men answered in a wavering voice.

“Then stand up and answer my question.”

The man who had spoken stood, although he kept he head lowered. “I am sorry, magistrate. What was your question?”

Daishiro frowned, “I asked you what happened here.”

“Here? Oh nothing sir. Or rather, just a bar fight, sir. Sometimes they get rowdy down here. Sir.”

Eriko arched one eyebrow. “Bar fight?” She looked around the room. “This must have been an especially noteworthy bar fight.”

“Yes, my lady. A bar fight.”

Daishiro scowled. “Do you know the punishment for lying to a samurai?”

The heimin shook but said nothing.

“Do you wish to change your story?”

“No, my lord. It was a bar fight.”

Eriko put her hand out, in front of Daishiro. “I think perhaps we should allow these men to continue their work, Daishiro-sama. Would you accompany me outside, please?”

Daishiro’s eyes flashed angrily at the heimin, but then he followed Eriko’s lead and led her back out into the street. Once outside, he turned his wrathful gaze on here. “Why did you do that? He was clearly lying to me. I should have taken his head.”

“And we would be no closer to finding out what is behind this. Did you see the expression on their faces when they first saw us? It was relief. What heimin down here in the lower city would be happy to see two samurai?”

Daishiro thought for a moment and then said, “They were worried we were someone else.”

“I would assume they are worried about whoever did that in there coming back to do worse.”

Daishiro nodded. “That also means that whoever did it, it wasn’t a samurai, since they were not worried about us being with them. Perhaps that will make this matter simpler. If we are fortunate, at least.”

Eriko frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Some men can be convinced to embrace hope rather than fear, if their lives are important enough. Follow me.”

Daishiro walked back into the sake house, with Eriko right behind him again. The two heimin immediately resumed their prostrate posture. “Stand up,” he commanded. Once the proprietor was back on his feet, Daishiro said, “Look at me. Hear this. I am going to find the people responsible for what is happening in this city, do you understand that? Whatever is going on here is going to be stopped.” He paused and looked around. “That I have visited your place of business twice this morning will likely cause someone to be greatly concerned, do you not think?”

The heimen paled visibly.

“Whoever is terrorizing you will not believe that you told me nothing. They will assume that you were more afraid of me than you were of them. They will kill you to keep you quiet. Do you understand that?”

The look on the heimin’s face implied that, yes, he understood perfectly well.

Eriko spoke up. “Yoritomo Naizen has declared that the Mantis are to be the defenders of the people. That includes you. If you will help us, we will ensure that what happened here will not happen again. There will be no one left to seek revenge on you.”

“Now,” said Daishiro, very quietly, “Who did this?”

•

Daishiro and Eriko looked at the shack three buildings down from where they stood. It was not in very good condition, even worse than most of its type in this part of the city.

“Apparently business hasn’t been going very well.” Eriko scoffed.

“More like all their profits are going for sake and girls.” Daishiro answered. “We are not dealing with a very high class of criminal here, Eriko.”

“There is no ‘high class’ of criminals,” Daishiro insisted.

Eriko laughed. “I wish that were the case. Regardless, when you are dealing with pirates, at least they cannot allow their accommodations to deteriorate this much. They would sink.”

“I do not think this hovel is far from falling down,” Daishiro observed. “Shall we help it along?” He smiled for the first time since the two had met.

The two magistrates strode down the path, making no effort to go unnoticed. When they reached the shack, Daishiro demolished the door with a single kick, and the two of them marched boldly inside, weapons drawn. “Where is this Kanadzuchi?” Daishiro shouted. “He is under arrest in the name of the Mantis clan!”

There was a confusing flurry of movement as the six occupants of the shack grabbed up their weapons. The quickest was the first to fall as Eriko’s kama severed his hands below the wrist before he could bring a large mallet to bear on the two magistrates. “Do not make this more difficult than it has to be,” Eriko snarled. “Stop where you are and you will not suffer!”

Eriko’s warning was not heeded as two more rushed Daishiro. They were dispatched with no more difficulty than the first. The remaining three brigands dropped their weapons.

“Now, which of you is Kanad-” Daishiro’s question was cut of by a crushing blow to his back, knocking him forward to the floor. Eriko spun around to see a very large man, wielding a heavy hammer. The other brigands quickly recovered their weapons, leaving Eriko surrounded. Eriko had no idea how such a huge man could have moved behind them so quickly and quietly.

“You samurai think you can stop Kanadzuchi? I will crush you where you stand. Disarm her.”

Keeping her attention of Kanadzuchi, Eriko still tried to keep the others at bay as they moved in. They were not samurai but she was outnumbered four to one and surrounded. She feinted at one but then when she moved for a second, their leader started to move in, and she was forced to drop back into a defensive position. And then…

An arrow suddenly sprouted from the neck of one of her attackers. As he fell, the second followed him.

“What is this?” yelled Kanadzuchi as Eriko turned her attention to him. He swung his hammer, forcing one of the Mantis’ kama from her hand when she blocked his blow. Her second kama found its target, however, as she buried in deep under his ribs. It was pulled from her hands as the big man fell but as she turned to face her remaining opponent, she found the he too had been slain by an unknown archer.

“Daishiro…” Eriko knelt at his side to see the extent of the damage done by Kanadzuchi’s cowardly attack.

“Stay with him please. I will fetch a healer.” Eriko spun at this new woman’s voice. In the doorway she saw a Tsuruchi, bow in hand. She was there only a moment before dashing off as good as her word. The look on her face at the sight of Daishiro left Eriko with a realization of who she was.

•

Yoritomo Daishiro sat up on his pallet, the right side of his head and his right shoulder heavily bandaged. The archer, now clad in simple robes, sat cross-legged near by, a smile etched on her face.

A sharp rap came from the door and the archer reached behind her for a hidden knife. Daishiro waved her off and said, “Come in Eriko.”

Yoritomo Eriko entered with a wry smile. “How did you know it was me?”

Daishiro laughed quietly. “Because the only other person who would visit me is already here. Yoritomo Eriko, allow me to introduce Tsuruchi Masako.” Masako stood, with a touch of difficulty as her legs betrayed her weariness.

“We met, after a fashion. Masako-san would not allow anyone other than the healers in to see you until you awoke. We also met briefly before that when she helped save our lives. I wanted to thank you, Masako-san. I am in your debt.”

Masako returned Eriko’s bow. “I only did my duty. Instead thank Daishiro-san for his foresight to ensure that you two had back-up before going in there.”

Eriko arched an eyebrow at Daishiro. “Without telling me as well. Why was that?”

Daishiro smiled weakly. “I was actually hoping you would suggest it before we went in. You have a lot to learn, Eriko. You are smart and fast but there is more to that to being a magistrate.”

“It seems being a magistrate on land is not as similar to being one on the sea as I had supposed. On a ship I do not have the luxury of asking for more support than what I already have, and I need not ask those who already serve with me to watch my back.”

“Things are different here, but you did good work,” he turned to Masako, “Both of you. We will need that manner of cooperation when we address the issues at Mura Sabishii Toshi.”

Eriko’s face darkened instantly. “What of the city?” she asked.

“A number of Lion arrived in the city two weeks ago,” Daishiro said, “and already there have been two duels, each of which as resulted in one of our recently acquired holdings in that city to revert to Crane control. It seems the Lion are intent on killing the city back into the Crane’s domain, and we must find a way to stop them.”

“Were the duels illegal?” Masako asked.

“An illegal duel with a Lion?” Daishiro asked. “Hardly.”

“That makes it far more difficult to address,” the archer sighed.

“Yes, yes it does,” Daishiro agreed. “And yet we have little choice. We cannot allow the Mantis Clan’s interests in the city to be compromised.”

“Well then,” Eriko said, her tone dark, “how soon can you be ready to travel?”

•

 “Kanadzuchi is dead.”

A woman, clad in robes of black with small highlights of red around her collar, turned to face the speaker, a man who appeared to be a peasant. “And what is that to me?”

“He was one of the ones you asked me to speak to.” The peasant fiddled with the edge of his sleeve. “I did so, and he was amenable to your plan, but he was killed by a group of Mantis magistrates.”

“He was expendable. They are all expendable. He leaves a void, which will be filled. Ensure that it is filled with someone else who is amenable to our cause, as you so rightly put it.”

“Yes, great one.”                                                           

“Now, go and bring me back better news.”

The peasant bowed deeply and rushed away, not waiting for a return bow, which did not come. Shosuro Maru rapped sharply on the tabletop. This was a minor setback, but she knew that the Mantis could become a larger one if they continued with this ‘Defenders of the People’ nonsense.

Maru also knew that she might be forced to deal with them more directly.