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Out on the top step, Deadpaw had gathered his guard to watch for the intruders. The guards had peered over the top step to see below them but no-one was there. Some stormvermin became impatient and started conversing in hushed tones, "So, why's we out 'ere agin?" "Lordship says there's gonna be an attack," "Attack? I can't sees anybeast down there," "Excuse me chaps. Sorry to be a bother an all, but do you jolly stinkers know where a bod can find a drink, wot!" The front group of guards spun around in disbelief to see George propping himself up against the slumped body of a knocked out guard, drinking daintily from a tea cup. "Wha, where in the name of teeth and blood did you come from?" "Oh, here an' there. Mainly there old bean!" Deadpaw emerged from the entrance hall to investigate the commotion, "What's going on out, who's thi - Gaargh!" Deadpaw fell to the ground clutching his throat tightly with a barbed shaft protruding from the wound in the back of his neck. The stormvermin hesitated for a second before Mattimeo leapt from some undergrowth sword ready, screaming, "Reeedwaaaaaallll!" * Wataru, Sandokhan and Farlo heard Mattimeo's warcry as clearly as a stream in springtime. The trio of Stormvermin patrolling the back door suddenly took up their armaments and ran for the front of the mansion. "Mattimeo certainly has lungs like bellows," said Farlo. Seeing their chance, the three warriors opened the door slowly. Wataru was inside like a shot, checking for activity in all directions. He signalled the others inside with a movement of his paw, urging them to follow. Inside was surprisingly clean and tidy, it seemed that the original architecture hadn't been altered in any way. The trio walked through what was originally the student's dormitory and slid the door open. There up on a balcony overlooking the mansion's hall, dressed in full armour was the beast they were all looking for, Jagee the ferret. All three stepped forward and gazed upwards with hardened glares. "Jagee..." said Sandokhan. "Sandokhan," Jagee said mockingly. "I'm very glad to see you... alive." Wataru drew his katana, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't slice and dice you," the otter growled. "And Wataru! Nice to see you as well, friend." "You're no friend of mine after what you've done!" "Why do you side with the gaijin, Wataru? You have nobility, I was going to seat you high in my council. But since you've sided with the gaijin, well... guilty by association I suppose. Enough of this, let the sport begin." With that, Jagee snapped his claws and a female dormouse slave was paraded in front of them with a Stormvermin escort. Farlo immediately knew who she was, "Glendal!" "Farlo!" The dormouse made a lunge but his wife's escort put spearblades to her throat. "Would you kill to get her back dormouse?" Jagee asked. Farlo nodded dumbly in reply. Jagee now saw his chance, "Then do us both a favour, kill Sandokhan. Kill the fox and your wife will be free to go." Farlo reached for the hilt of his scimitar and looked at Sandokhan. "Farlo, you know he's lying." "Refuse me dormouse and your wife shall die!" Blinded by rage Farlo drew his weapon and made a charge at Sandokhan. Wataru stood back as he watched his friend dodge nearly every advance Farlo made. The fox unsheathed his weapon with lightening speed as Farlo made a downwards slash. Farlo's scimitar met the Starfire katana with a high pitched clang with sparks flying off the metal as the blades grinded together. "Jagee's a coward! Don't you see? He needs you to fight for him because he's frightened of me," said Sandokhan. Farlo saw sense in his new friends' words and submitted, sheathing his sword. Jagee applauded slowly, "Oh well done! I must admit you're more clever than I thought. But there is a flaw in your logic, you assume by calling me a coward that I'll jump down from here and give you a taste of proper skill. But it won't work. My skill far exceeds your own." "Hiding behind a mousemaid? That's sounds like a cowardly thing to me." "Everybeast throughout this domain will tremble at my will, fox!" "If you were half the warrior our master was, you'd..." "I AM TEN TIMES WHAT OUR OLD SWORDMASTER WAS!" Jagee bellowed in rage from the balcony. "Really? Prove it!" Sandokhan said in a challenging tone. Jagee grinded his teeth together in anger, "Rrrr! Then again fox, you're right. Why should I let the dormouse have all the fun, when I could take great pleasure in finishing you off myself! Stormvermin, watch over the otter, the wench and her husband. I'll deal with them later." "Is that panic I hear in your voice Jagee? Don't worry it'll all be over soon." * The two samurai stood before one another in their old dormitory away from the others to ensure of no outside interference and Jagee started with the mind games. "Now Sandokhan you shall suffer as I have suffered!" "What you have suffered is nothing in comparison to the suffering you have made others endure," "Oh really?" Jagee unsheathed his tanto dagger and tapped his glass eye with the point of the weapon. "I still remember the day you gave me this. I will admit it, the finest beating I ever took. The only reason I had to go on living was to ensure your death." "Jagee, why did you send Stormvermin after me when you could've easily finished me off back in the dojo?" "Yes, that was a mistake. I shouldn't have listened to Mangetail," Jagee replied sheathing his tanto and reaching for the grip of his katana. "Who?" "Hmm, almost let it slip. Enough talk, die gaijin!" Jagee lunged at Sandokhan drawing his katana like lightning. Sandokhan managed to dodge the attack while drawing his own katana. The combatants both exchanged glancing blows then locked blades, Jagee tried to push Sandokhan back with his brute strength. Their snouts were almost touching when Jagee got a closer look of Sandokhan's sword and read the inscription on it; 'Challenge me when you're ready to duel a saint'. Jagee's eyes went wide in a gripping sense of fear. "What? No! Impossible!" Sandokhan saw his chance and broke free of Jagee's hold. But the ferret was quicker than the fox, he made a swipe and sliced Sandokhan's leg. Jagee then examined his weapon for the first time. The characters were wrong. "Greet the new day'? What is this?" Jagee demanded. He was so bewildered that the sword wasn't the Starfire, he didn't notice Sandokhan making a lunge at him. Jagee parried, the vibrations of steel against steel rang throughout Sandokhan's paw. He tried to square up against Jagee but the pain became to great to ignore. The fox fell to his knees with his katana slipping from his grasp. Jagee approached his old sparring partner with a murderous gleam in his crooked smile. "Well, I'm surprised. I ruled this domain with an iron resolve and I did it without the Starfire." Jagee grabbed the Starfire katana, "It also looks like I was right all along. You should've preserved your honour and dignity when you had the chance. When I'm done with you, I'll round up Wataru and all your westerner friends and I'll make them tell me everything about this resistance of yours. Don't worry fox, after I'm done torturing them I'll kill them quickly," said Jagee mockingly before stabbing Sandokhan through the armpit with his tanto dagger. As Sandokhan howled in pain, Jagee pulled him closer and whispered in his ear, "Before you die, I want to tell you my little secret; I killed our master!" Sandokhan now used all his strength to ignore every lance of searing pain that pulsated through his body. He drew his smaller wakizashi and ran Jagee through the middle with it. The ferret released his grip on the tanto and the Starfire before he staggered backwards with Sandokhan's blade protruding from the wound. The fox pulled the tanto out and with the skill of an experienced knife thrower hurled it at Jagee. The small blade found it's target, imbedding deep in the ferret's throat. Jagee fell to his knees in pain. Sandokhan retreived his katana and hobbled over towards Jagee, knelt down and pulled the tanto free. Jagee clamped a paw over the wound, hoping to stop the torrent of blood. "Why... why can't I kill you? I had the Starfire... I... was destined to win," Jagee groaned. "I guess Master Krinz didn't teach you anything!" Sandokhan replied sternly. "Just because you posess a sword, doesn't make you a warrior. The only thing that makes a Samurai great, is their perception and will. NOT their blades." The fox then pulled the wakizashi free and cleaned the blade before sheathing it away. "I want to know one thing before you die; Ikkit Claw, where is he?" Jagee spat up blood before he said in a gravelly tone, "Lon's... pagoda below... Southern Cross... To die... by that blade will be... the greatest honour... of my life. Finish it." Sandokhan obliged he took the Starfire katana and swung it back before slicing through Jagee's neck, the head bumping and rolling on the floor. As Sandokhan stared at the headless form he couldn't help shed a tear for his old friend. He shook his head despairingly and muttered, "What a waste."

* Out in the old gymnasium, nobeast was fighting. They were all waiting on the victor of the duel in the next room. Both Farlo and Wateru were anxious with anticpation. After what seemed like an eternity the dormitory door slid open and stood there was Sandokhan. Wataru face beamed with happiness before both he and Farlo unsheathed weapons, "The Shogun's Head-taker is victorious, fight on friend," Wataru yelled to Farlo. As Farlo and Wataru started on the remaining Stormvermin, Sandokhan slumped down next to a corner out of way. Farlo was in a fit of rage, despatching every single rat who tried to get in his way. The dormouse managed to kill the last of his wife's captors and set her free of her manacles. Glendal embraced Farlo and smothered him with relentless kissing. "I knew you'd come," she said. "There is no way in heaven nor earth that I wouldn't come for you, my love." Wataru had killed another rat before rushing over to tend to Sandokhan. By this time Mattimeo, George and Elmtail had ventured into the mansion to see what was transpiring. All three looked around at the gore soaked scene before Mattimeo jumped into the melee. Elmtail helped Wataru with Sandokhan. "Are you alright?" "Not really, Redwaller. Jagee sliced my leg open, I can barely walk on it as it is," Sandokhan explained. Elmtail touched under the fox's shoulder and saw red blood smeared on his paws. "You're wounded," "Just my shoulder I'll be fine." Mattimeo, George and Farlo formed a wall in front of Glendal, cutting down any Stormvermin who dared to venture close enough. All of a sudden a mob of yelling and screaming creatures armed with broken chains for weaponry, charged into the room. Followed at the rear by Flugg and Cheek, the captive slaves looked around for anybeast to take their rage out on. "Cheek, what's all this?" Mattimeo yelled out over the noise. "The slaves," Cheek replied, "We freed them all!" The slaves took great pleasure in exacting their vengeance upon what remained of Jagee's personal guard. As quickly as it started, the battle stopped. Blades were wiped clean and congratulations were given all round. As George and Wataru helped Sandokhan to his footpaws, the slaves all gaped at the fox and bowed respectively. "I'm going to have to get used to all the bowing again," he smiled at Wataru. "I think we should get out of here and back to Takashiro," said Cheek. "Agreed. Let's get out of here," Mattimeo seconded. When they got to the front door George was the first to venture outside. Nothing could prepare him for what he saw next, down at the bottom of the stone steps was six score of Stormvermin archers armed with fire arrows and rifle-rats with their spotters. Down below, mounted on his black scorpion, watching through his spyglass General Gash issued the order. "NOOOWWWWWW!" He bellowed. George bucked and galloped back inside just as the rifle-rats fired their first volley. Everybeast ducked down upon hearing the tremendous bang and the repetitive thumps against the wooden frames. "What's happening?" said Flugg. "It's those flippin' rats, sah! They've got us in a bleedin' trap!" Gash had wasted no resource he had summoned six sturdy trebuches all loaded with rocks encased in dry grass soaked in lamp oil. The gunners set light to their ammunition before hurling it at the mansion above them. Several rocks found their target and set fire to what was left. "Keep firing," Gash shouted. "Raise that building to the ground!" * Inside, billowing black smoke choked warrior and former slave alike. Mattimeo spluttered uncontrollably whilst trying to think of a way out. He then heard a voice to his right, "Psst! Strangers, Wataru, Lord Sandokhan over here!" A trapdoor had opened up in one of the side room and a mouse was urging them to follow him. There was no time to place trust all present followed the mouse down the trapdoor. The door led down to the mansion's cellar where a great boulder was pushed aside revealing a well lit tunnel. The party managed to get through in time to hear the roof giving way with a mighty crash. "Quick, into the tunnel. You'll be safe there. Hey, could some of you freed slaves help me push this boulder back into place? I can't do it on my own." A handful of slaves happily obliged. With a few hard shoves the boulder rolled into place sealing the tunnel from view. Outside, despite the major structure damage Gash still wasn't satisfied. He still urged his rifle-rats to carry on firing at what little remained. Just then, he caught a glimpse of a scorpion with Mangetail, Claw's seer, mounted upon it. Gash was not at all pleased to see the seer, "What do you want?" Gash snapped. "You will withdraw your troops immediately," said Mangetail. "Begone from my sight!" "That is not a request, it is an order. Move!" "On who's authority?" "On the authority of the Honoured Claw. Now cease fire and withdraw!"