Drifters 16

[1]
(Nobunaga and the elves are behind the barricade. The elves prepare to fire their arrows.)

Nobunaga: Prepare to fire!!
Very well!!
Let's greet them with a refreshing shower!!!

(they shoot their arrows.)

Side note: Kohta Hirano "Drifters" Chapter 16 - Sucker


[2]
Nobunaga: This "Orte"-something
is a country in war, right?
So, those men sent here must be lower ranked, less seasoned soldiers from a locally stationed garrison.
Their morale and their combat skills should be lower as well.
I doubt that they will fight to death.
And I doubt we have to fight them all.
If we kill some 30 or 40 men of theirs,
for sure their lines will crumble
into masses of fugitives.
Hah hah hah!!


[3]
(Fire and arrows strike the soldiers.)

Nobunaga: They won't get any recognition if they slay some petty serfs.
And for them, it will be a dishonor to be killed by them elves.
Poor things.
On the other hand,
it is enough for us to hit them in any part of their bodies.
Isn't this an easy war to be fought or what?


[4]
(Elves dip the arrowheads into something and then shoot.)

Soldiers: Gwoh!
Argh!
Gah!

Commander: What are you doing!?
Get back to your positions!!
If we go for an all-out attack,
that makeshift barricade will be down in a second!!


[5]
Soldiers: Agh!!
Gah!!

Soldier: It's... it's shit!!!
The arrowheads are full of shit!!

Commander: What!?
Bring water to wash the wounds!!
Or else you'll die with tetanus!!

Soldier: Sir...!!
We have no water!!
The well is full of their shit as well!!
And we have spent virtually all the water we brought!!

Commander: !!
So, from the very beginning...
this was the reason why
they threw shit into the well...!!
This whole village was a trap!!
A trap!!
They didn't abandon the village to flee!!


[6]
Nobunaga: Get ready!!
Fire!!

(arrows fly towards the soldiers)

Soldier: N... no way!!
Hey!!
L...
Let's get out of here!!

Commander: D... don't panic!!
We outnumber them by far!!
If we surround them, we can...


[7]
Toyohisa: OOOOOOH!!!

(Toyohisa is grinning amidst the fire.)


[8]
Nobunaga: What a voice.
Sounds like a shrieking monkey.
It doesn't seem like a human voice.

Toyohisa: The head of the commander is mine.
Give me this honor,
will you?

(Toyohisa lunges forward.)


[9]
Soldiers: No way!!
Help!!
My goodness!!

(They open way to Toyohisa.)

Commander: W...
What!?
What the...


[10]
(Toyohisa jumps.)

Soldiers: Aah...

(Toyohisa strikes.)


[11]
(Toyohisa behads the commander.)

Toyohisa: He's mine!!


[12]
Soldier: Aah!
R... run!!
Help!!!

Nobunaga: This Toyohisa guy...
The timing of his attack and the timing of him beheading the commander were simply perfect
to crush the morale of the enemy.
He's really a man born for the battlefield...

(only fire, arrows and corpses remain at the village.)

Elves: W... we...
we won!!
We won!!
Yes, we won!!
We won!!
Hooray!!

Toyohisa: No, not yet!!


[13]
Toyohisa: Not yet!!
I said we would go right to the castle of the local governor and kill him, right!?

Nobunaga: Oh, really? And do you have any idea of how to do that?

Toyohisa: Of course NOT.

Nobunaga: Oh.
It figures.

Toyohisa: If we are to strike, then we have to strike till the bitter end.
Strike and strike and strike, till we crush our enemy and reduce it to nothing.
That's what I learned from my father, my uncle, my other uncle, my another uncle, my grandfather and my great-grandfather.

Nobunaga: What a nasty family!
(Your clan is really insane!)

Toyohisa: WHAT!?

Nobunaga: Hey, calm down, calm down.
I have a plan.
And besides,
the soldiers who fled should be seeing hell right now.


[14]
(in another part of the village, Yoichi and some elves look at a path.)

Elf: It is ready.

Yoichi: Yes.
He is akin to that man.
This... this...
This goes against the Way of the Warrior.
Isn't this a bit too unfair?


[15]
Man (Yoshitsune): "Unfair"?
"Way of the Warrior"?
What's the meaning of "unfair"?
Do you think there is fairness or codes of honor in the battlefield?
Yoichi, you are just too naive.
The Taira clan, the Minamoto clan, even my stupid brother at Kamakura [T.N.: Minamoto no Yoritomo]
are nothing but naive bums.
Just shut your mouth and do what I tell you to do.


[16]
Yoichi: Forget him!
Forget a man like him!!
Forget a monster like him!!

Elf: Are you alright?

Yoichi: Yes, yes, I am.
It's nothing~!


[17]
Nobunaga: Very well.
Everyone donning your armors!?

(Nobunaga and the elves are using the armors from the dead soldiers.)


[18]
Box: Orte Empire, Administrative District of the Occupied Elven Territories
Local Governor Fortress - the "Tower of Preliminary Inspection"

Side text: The Nobunaga party advances towards the "conquest of the country"... what will they face?!

TO BE CONTINUED

Foot note: Drifters 16 end
Continues on the next issue (on sale October 30th).