L5r - scroll 05 - The Crab Read Online Free PDF Page A

in duels with other Crab, seemed to work against him at inter-clan tournaments. More often than not, Yakamo was knocked out of competition in the very first round.
    He could hear the students, sensei, and onlookers whispering.
    "Is that the son of the Great Bear? How can he be such a failure?"
    "Can Kisada's son really be useless with a sword? Look how much he seems like his father? Where did all the skill go?"
    "Perhaps this means that the Crab are not as mighty as they claim. If this is the son of their greatest warrior, perhaps they are all bumbling idiots dancing around on that wall like drunken monkeys."
    This last comment hurt the most. The one thing that Yakamo feared above anything else was being unworthy of his legacy.
    Yakamo began to feel haunted. Soon, whatever castle or dojo they visited, everyone already knew about his problems. They talked behind his back before he even arrived. Nowhere did he feel this more keenly than at Kyuden Bayushi—the castle of the Scorpion daimyo.
    As a symbol to their clan's dedication to secrecy and subterfuge, Scorpion samurai all wore masks of one description or another. Some were beautiful, others grotesque. They all obscured the faces of their owners, leaving only their emotionless eyes for the world to see. Those eyes—as near as young Yakamo could tell— were all trained on him.
    That night, he visited his sensei. "In our dojo I was the strongest of our class, but here I cannot even win a single match. Why have my skills deserted me?"
    Yakamo's sensei looked him dead in the eye and said, "They have not, Young Bear." This sensei was the only one who could call him by that name and not risk his anger. "You are learning exactly the lesson this trip is intended to teach. It is most important that you learn it better than any of your fellows. As the future ruler of the clan, you will be called upon to use this lesson every day of your life."
    "But what is the lesson, Sensei?" Yakamo was desperate. So far the only lesson he'd learned was that he was a failure.
    "If you play the game by your opponent's rules, he has already won half the battle," said the sensei. "In the dojo, you can win a fight but lose the match. But when you fight for real, whether it is on the Wall or anywhere else, remember that the only thing that matters is who walks away from the contest and who is dead. Do not let your opponent goad you into limiting yourself. You have the skills to beat these opponents, but they will not let you use your skills."
    Yakamo considered these words long into the night. The next day he would duel for the entertainment of Bayushi Shoju, the Scorpion daimyo himself. Yakamo planned to put this lesson to the test.
    When he arrived at court, Yakamo discovered that Bayushi had arranged a special match, not against a student from another clan's school, but rather with Mirumoto Satsu, heir of the Dragon Clan daimyo. Mirumoto was roughly ten years older than Yakamo and had spent those years building up a reputation as one of the most deadly swordsmen in the empire. The Young Bear did not find that hard to believe. Just watching him warm up, he could see Satsu's incredible balance and skill.
    The court was host to visitors from all the major clans and several of the minor ones. Everyone whispered about the equity of pairing a student against a seasoned warrior. Still, they all agreed there was a certain excitement about seeing two future daimyo facing one another on the field of battle. Through it all, Bayushi Shoju remained silent and unreadable behind his mask.
    The duel, like most on Yakamo's journey, was to be fought with bokken—wooden practice swords. The purpose was to test one's skills, not deprive the empire of the services of its brightest students. A sensei from the Crane clan was chosen as a referee, and he reviewed the very strict list of maneuvers that would be considered legal.
    Crab and Dragon bowed to each other, then to the Crane sensei, and finally—and most