#First Combat (First Battle)

On a foggy mountain road, Setsuna and Mina face enemies for the first time.

#Scent — Red Eyes in the Fog

The mountain road was narrow.

Cliffs and forest blocked both sides. Fog lay low, hiding the ground beneath their feet. Setsuna looked ahead with one hand on her blade. Behind her, five ashigaru spearmen held their breath, with three archers farther back. Daichi, Jiro, Saburo, Shiro, Goro. The hands holding their spears were trembling.

"Setsuna-sama," Daichi whispered. "Something is there."

Red points shone in the fog. Two. Four. Six. Ten.

Ko-oni. Little ogres. Five lesser yoma with clubs and stones. Their bodies were no taller than a person's waist, but their eyes were red as coal, and their teeth were sharp as rats'.

Mina stood behind Setsuna. She drew one paper doll from her robe. Eyes and a mouth were painted in ink on the folded paper. Her lips moved — a silent spell. The paper fluttered and rose into the air. Kami. Mina's shikigami.

"Can you go?" Setsuna asked.

Mina nodded. "Yes."

Setsuna drew her blade. Uchigatana. The sword inherited from her father. The blade shone wet with fog.

"Daichi. Set your spear."

The five ashigaru thrust their yari forward. The trembling did not stop, but the spearpoints faced the enemy.

The ko-oni ran in. Their small legs darted wildly as they swung clubs and threw stones. They screamed. A shriek like crying, or like laughter.

Setsuna stepped forward. She lowered her body and raised the blade at an angle. Don't move. Root yourself here. Let them come. Cut the first one that charges.

The first ko-oni filled the width of the mountain road as it rushed in. It raised its club overhead.

Setsuna's blade swept sideways. One short breath. The edge passed through the ko-oni's neck. The small body rolled away into the fog.

"Archers, loose!" Mina cried. Three bowstrings sounded, and the second ko-oni fell with arrows in its body.

The third came from the left. Setsuna caught its club on her blade and let it slide aside, then drove her sword point into the ko-oni's chest with the recoil.

The fourth ko-oni circled along the forest edge toward Mina, but it could not pass the choke point Setsuna guarded and staggered to a halt. The fifth swung its club, only to be stopped by her sword point.

Mina raised a finger and sent Kami into the Front Zone. While the paper shikigami confused the two ko-oni, the archers loosed again. Two volleys cut through the fog, and the remaining ko-oni fell one after another.

The fog began to clear. The remains of five ko-oni were scattered along the mountain road.

Setsuna sheathed her blade. Wiping the blade clean, she turned back. Eight ashigaru. All safe. Daichi's hands were still shaking, but he had not dropped his spear.

"Well done."

Daichi bowed his head. "Because Setsuna-sama stood in front..."

Mina placed Kami on her hand. The paper doll sat folded in her palm.

"Are you hurt?" Setsuna asked.

"No," Mina said. Her voice shook a little. "First time... I'm a little shaky."

Setsuna nodded. "Me too."

The fog cleared, and the mountain road came back into view. Their first combat was over. No one on Setsuna's side had died. This time.

#Law — Session Transcript

Kuro: "Good. First combat. Setsuna and Mina, five ko-oni. The mountain road is narrow, so I'll make the zone layout a little special."

#Battlefield Layout

[Ally Rear Zone] — Mina + 3 archers
   |
[Ally Front Zone] — Setsuna + 5 spearmen (narrow path, Domination cap 5)
   |
[Enemy Front Zone] — ko-oni A~E (independent Minion-grade units, Wounds 1, Defense 11)

Kuro: "Because it is a narrow path, I reduced the number of zones. No Flank Zone/Core Zone. Simple Front Zone versus Front Zone. The five ko-oni are not a squad; each is an independent Minion-grade wandering yoma. Defense 11, Wounds 1 — if they are hit, they die immediately."

#Round Begins

Kuro: "Everyone resets Energy."

Unit	Energy
Setsuna	11 (10+Finesse 1)
Mina	10 (10+Finesse 0)
ko-oni A~E	10 each (wandering yoma without a commander)

Kuro: "Each ko-oni is a wandering yoma without a commander, so it acts independently with Energy 10. They do not share one squad Energy pool."

#Count 11 — Setsuna

Kuro: "The highest Energy is Setsuna at 11. Setsuna goes first."

Hana: "Declare Immovable Formation! 2 Energy. I won't leave this path open."

Kuro: "Immovable Formation [stance]. Spend 2 Energy. Since you are on the Front Zone, Domination +4. Cannot move."

Hana: "Setsuna contributes +1.5, the spearmen +2, and Immovable Formation +4, for a total of 7.5. The narrow path cap is 5, so..."

Kuro: "Right. Reaching the cap = blockade declaration. Setsuna's side has blockaded this zone. As a narrow-path zone property, long weapons such as yari and nodachi get +1, and short weapons such as daggers and unarmed combat get -1. Setsuna's spearmen use yari, so volley attack gets a +1 bonus. The ko-oni use clubs (not short weapons, just weapons), so no modifier."

Hana: "Do I also need to designate the blockader?"

Kuro: "When the blockade triggers, the blockading side chooses one unit and declares it as the 'blockader.' Only that unit gets Defense +1. Who is it?"

Hana: "Setsuna. The 'one holding the bridge' is Setsuna."

Kuro: "Good. Setsuna's Defense is 14+1=15. For a ko-oni to newly enter this zone, it needs Blockade Breakthrough Target Number 15. If it cannot pass, it gets thrown back."

Hana: "Then a horizontal cut. I cut ko-oni A. 2 Energy."

Kuro: "Roll 2d10."

Hana: "8+5 = 13. +Courage(2)+Swordsmanship(1) = 16. Ko-oni Defense 11. Success."

Kuro: "Ko-oni A Wounds 1→0. Instant death. It tumbles off the mountain road."

Hana: "Reserve Parry. 1 Energy."

Kuro: "Breath total: Immovable Formation(2) + horizontal cut(2) + Parry reservation(1) = 5. Exactly the limit. Remaining 11→6."

Setsuna breath: Immovable Formation(2) + horizontal cut(2) + Parry reservation(1) = 5 [limit]
Energy: 11 → 6. Ko-oni A defeated.

#Count 10 — Mina & Ko-oni

Kuro: "Mina has Energy 10, and the ko-oni have Energy 10. Tie, so compare Finesse(技). Mina has Finesse+0, and the ko-oni have no skill value, so 0. Still tied, allies go first. Mina first."

Mei: "I send shikigami Kami to the Front Zone. Command... wait, shikigami aren't squads, they're directly controlled, right?"

Kuro: "Right. A shikigami has no Energy of its own. Mina moves it with a 0-Energy [Kata] control action. That action also counts against the total cap on 0-Energy active maneuvers."

Mei: "And I order the archer squad to fire a volley. 2 Energy."

Kuro: "Mina has Wisdom+2, so squad commands are discounted to 1 Energy!"

Mei: "Oh, right! 1 Energy. Then shikigami control(0) + archer command(1) = 1 Energy. Remaining 10→9."

Kuro: "The 3 archers shoot at ko-oni B. 2d10 >= Defense 11."

Mei: "6+7 = 13. Hit. Ko-oni B is an independent unit, so only that one is removed."

Kuro: "Ko-oni B defeated! The hit-intensity result that removes several squad members does not spill over to independent units."

Mina breath: shikigami control(0 Energy, `[Kata]`) + archer command(1, Wisdom+2 discount) = 1
Energy: 10 → 9. Ko-oni B defeated (archer volley).

Kuro: "The remaining ko-oni C, D, and E act now. Each has Energy 10. Ko-oni C charges Setsuna."

Kuro: "Ko-oni C club strike. 2d10+0 >= blockader Setsuna's Defense 15."

Kuro: "The club costs 2 Energy, so ko-oni C goes from 10→8. 3+4 = 7. Failure. It does not reach Defense 15. The club hits the blade and bounces away."

Hana: "Parry reservation triggers. It attacked Setsuna."

Kuro: "Right. Because it was a reserved Parry, it triggers for 0 Energy."

Hana: "2d10 + Courage(2)+Swordsmanship(1) = ...7+6 = 13. +3 = 16. Defense 11. Success!"

Kuro: "Ko-oni C Wounds 1→0. Defeated."

Kuro: "Ko-oni D aims for Mina and tries to circle through the woods... but this map has no Flank Zone, so it has to break through the Front Zone. Breakthrough check."

Kuro: "Ko-oni D attempts Blockade Breakthrough. It spends 3 Energy, going from 10→7. 2d10 + Courage(0) >= 15. ...2+3 = 5. Failure. It cannot move, becomes Defenseless, and cannot enter this zone until its next count."

Hana: "If it's Defenseless, can I attack it right away?"

Kuro: "No. Defenseless does not grant an immediate attack. It releases stances and applies Defense -4. Ko-oni D staggers to a stop in front of the Front Zone. On the next action, it is much easier to hit."

Kuro: "Ko-oni E also spends 2 Energy on a club strike, going from 10→8. Its 2d10+0 is 4+5=9, short of the blockader's Defense 15. All three ko-oni have finished acting."

#Count 9 — Mina

Mei: "Keep Kami in the Front Zone and order the archers to fire a volley at ko-oni D!"

Kuro: "The squad command costs 1 Energy after the Wisdom+2 discount. Ko-oni D is Defenseless, so its Defense drops from 11→7. The archer volley is 2d10 >= 7."

Mei: "4+5 = 9. Hit. Mina's Energy goes from 9→8."

Kuro: "A hit removes the Minion-grade ko-oni D. Since it is an independent unit, only that one falls."

#Count 8 — Mina

Kuro: "Mina and ko-oni E are tied at Energy 8. Their Finesse is tied too, so ally Mina acts first."

Mei: "Another archer volley against the last ko-oni E. The command costs 1 Energy."

Kuro: "2d10 >= 11."

Mei: "6+5 = 11. Hit. Mina's Energy goes from 8→7."

Kuro: "Ko-oni E is removed. All five are gone. The shikigami used its 0-Energy control action only to demonstrate movement; damage came from Setsuna and the archers' defined attacks. Kami obscuring their view was narration with no check modifier."

Ko-oni C: attack failure → Setsuna Parry reservation → defeated.
Ko-oni D: Breakthrough failure → Defenseless(Defense -4) → archer volley → defeated.
Ko-oni E: attack failure → archer volley on the next count → defeated.
Ko-oni wiped out.

#Lull

Kuro: "Combat ends. Lull processing. Reset Energy, clear Defenseless, reservations vanish."

Hana: "Setsuna's injuries?"

Kuro: "None. The ko-oni never hit her. The squad is safe too."

Mei: "Mina is safe too. Kami the shikigami is intact."

Kuro: "A perfect first combat. No one on the allied side died."

Hana: "...We now have the detail that Daichi held his spear with shaking hands. I like Daichi."

Kuro: "He's a Minion. Getting attached to Minions hurts."

Hana: "I won't let him die. Never."

Kuro: (laughs) "...The GM decides that."

#Rule Summary

Kuro: "Let's summarize what we learned in the first combat.

Count: act in descending order of remaining Energy. If tied, compare Finesse(技); if still tied, allies first.
One Breath: combine maneuvers within the base limit of 5. Setsuna hit it exactly with 2+2+1=5.
Reservation: if you buy Parry in advance for 1 Energy, it triggers for 0 Energy when the enemy attacks. If not bought, improvising costs 2 Energy.
Squad Command: Mina ordered archers to shoot. Because Wisdom+2, it cost 1 Energy.
Shikigami Control: a shikigami has no Energy of its own. Mina moves and controls it with a 0-Energy [Kata] action; damage comes from defined PC or squad attacks.
Independent Ko-oni: the five were independent Minion-grade wandering yoma, each acting with Energy 10, not a squad. Hit intensity that removes several squad members does not apply.
Immovable Formation: stance. Domination +4 on the Front Zone. Cannot move. On this narrow path, Setsuna became the wall.
Blockade: reaching the narrow-path cap → blockade triggers. All blockaders get long weapons +1 / short weapons -1 (zone property). Setsuna, designated as the blockader, gets Defense +1. Enemies cannot enter normally; only Target Number 15 Blockade Breakthrough is possible.
Breakthrough Failure: the ko-oni failed to break through the blockade → cannot move + Defenseless. It does not create an immediate attack, but Defense -4 makes it vulnerable to the next attack.
Minions Die When Hit: ko-oni Wounds 1. Hit = instant death."

Mei: "It was faster than I expected. We rolled dice about eight times?"

Kuro: "That is this game's strength. Combat is short and dramatic. One hit is one death."

First combat. Five ko-oni. No one in Setsuna's party was hurt. The next combat will not be this easy.