#Episode 9: Thread and Heart

#Scent -- Battlefield at the Fingertips

Wind blew. The fortress was visible from the hill. Wooden walls and stone ramparts wrapped it in layers, and fires burned in the watchtowers. The sun was sinking, and the fortress shadow stretched far across the plain. Heavy footsteps rang inside the fortress. Not human footsteps. Heavy, uneven sounds, carrying the smell of iron.

Ayame sat on the hill. Her legs were folded, her back straight, her eyes closed. She was a girl of seventeen. Her layered kimono had sleeves cut short, leaving the fingers of both hands exposed. Ten fingers spread out in the air. From those fingertips, strings extended. Thin, transparent strings. Strings visible only when sunlight brushed them. They grazed the grass on the hill, rode the wind, crossed the plain, and continued beyond the fortress wall. Behind her, Karakuri Ichi rested a repair case on his knees and recorded the wind and the tremors running through the strings.

At the end of the strings was a puppet named Kazami.

Kage lay flat on top of the fortress wall. Hidden in the darkness, he looked down into the courtyard. Kazami was moving. It had a human shape, but it was not human. Wooden and metal joints, glass eyes, the sound of gears. Kazami was walking across the courtyard. Its steps were smooth. Smoother than a person's. It moved as if its joints had no friction, as if it did not know gravity. A short blade rested in its hand. Torchlight from the fortress reflected off the edge.

Kage saw thin strings leading from the puppet's back into the air. Twelve strands. Strings tied to fingers, elbows, shoulders, knees, and waist vanished beyond the wall. When the wind blew, the strings trembled slightly. Each time, a tiny shiver rose in the puppet's stride, then faded.

"It's in," Kage whispered. There was no way his voice could carry on the wind all the way to the hill, but Ayame nodded. Not because of Kage's voice -- because the feel of the puppet's foot stepping on courtyard soil had traveled through the strings into her fingers.

Ayame's fingers began to move. The index finger of her left hand drew in by a fraction. The puppet's right arm rose. Her middle finger twisted. The puppet's waist turned. Her ring finger quivered. The puppet's knee bent. Ten fingers moved in ten different rhythms, sending motions to the puppet inside the fortress. The distance between hill and fortress was two zones. That was the limit of the strings. When the wind strengthened, the strings shook and the motions blurred. So Ayame was counting the wind. Direction, speed, the interval between gusts. She moved her fingers while calculating all of it.

The puppet crossed the courtyard and entered a corridor. The darkness deepened. Ayame's eyes were closed, but through the strings she felt what the puppet's glass eyes saw. It was not a perfect image. Boundaries between light and dark. The difference between moving things and still things. That much came through the strings. It was enough.

A guard stood at the end of the corridor. A Kooni. It was dozing with a club over its shoulder. The puppet stopped, because Ayame's fingers had stopped. The girl's lips moved. Not words. Breath. On the inhale, her fingers gathered; on the exhale, they released. After the span of one breath -- the index and middle fingers of Ayame's right hand moved together.

The puppet leapt. There was no sound. Wooden and metal feet slid as if skimming the floor. It passed beside the Kooni and drew the blade across. The Kooni fell before it could even twist aside. The puppet was already running beyond it. Ayame's fingers did not rest. As one finger pulled, another released; the released finger pulled again, a motion like a wave. The puppet rode that wave deeper into the fortress.

Kage descended from the wall and moved along the corridor. He was not following the puppet -- he was taking another route. While the puppet drew enemies toward the front gate, Kage circled toward the rear gate. Puppet and human moved in different directions inside the same fortress, splitting the enemy's gaze in two.

The puppet cut down the second guard. A disturbance broke out. Kooni poured out from deeper in the corridor. Three, four. They charged the puppet, swinging clubs. The puppet retreated and raised its blade to guard. Ayame's left hand began to tremble. Defending with the puppet was harder than attacking. She had to adjust the strings in real time to match the enemy's motion. In attack, Ayame led. In defense, the enemy led. That difference strained her fingers.

A club struck Kazami's shoulder. Splinters flew. The strings snapped taut and pulled at Ayame's left shoulder. She did not open her eyes. This was not Backflow yet. While Kazami still endured, only the weight on the strings and the direction of the impact returned to her. But Ayame knew what would come when that weight released all at once.

Kage reached the rear gate. Heavy breathing came from inside. He pushed the door. In the middle of the dark room sat a vast shadow. An oni warrior. A frame two heads taller than a person. Red skin, pitch-black armor. An axe lay beside him. The oni was meditating. Even after hearing the commotion by the front gate, he had not moved. Not because he trusted his subordinates -- because he was waiting for an enemy worth rising to meet.

Kage drew his ninjato. A blackened blade. It reflected no light in the dark. He took one step closer. Two steps. He read the oni's breath. At the end of an inhale -- Kage jumped.

The oni's eyes opened. Kage's ninjato slashed toward the neck. The point aimed for the gap between armor and throat. Blood sprayed. But -- it was shallow. The oni had instinctively pulled his jaw in and hunched his neck. The blade had only grazed him, drawing blood; it had not gone deep.

The oni grabbed the axe and rose. The room was narrow. One swing of that axe, and the wall would come down. Kage retreated and slipped outside the door. The oni followed him out. As the oni stepped into the corridor -- the puppet appeared behind him.

Ayame's two hands moved at once. Her left hand controlled Kazami's lower half; her right hand controlled its upper half. Kazami stabbed from behind the oni. Into a gap in the armor -- the joint between waist and chest. The blade point drove in. The oni roared and turned. The axe swung toward Kazami.

Ayame's fingers moved frantically. Kazami tried to retreat, but it was one beat late. The axe blade struck the center of its chest. Wooden ribs and gears broke together, and Kazami collapsed to the floor. Every taut string slackened at once.

Then the pain came. The instant Kazami was completely destroyed, Ayame's eyes snapped open. She clenched her teeth and swallowed a scream. The senses and will she had sent into the puppet, all the focus she had driven to the blade's point, flooded backward and struck her body. Another self that had stood at a distance collapsed, and the hollow it left returned as a wound.

Ayame's hands fell onto her knees. She could not move a single finger. For the span of one breath, she could neither set her stance nor defend herself. Kazami had already lost all power to move. There was no body left to receive another command.

But the operation did not stop.

Kage moved again. While the oni's attention was caught by shattered Kazami, Kage climbed along the corridor ceiling beams and moved above the oni's head. Kazami could no longer raise its blade, but it served as bait to the very end. The oni pulled the axe free of the wreckage and looked up.

At that instant, Kage dropped from above. The ninjato cut deep into the oni's neck. This time it was not shallow. The motion of pulling the axe free exposed the throat. Kazami held the gaze from the front, and Kage cut the neck from above. A two-direction attack -- the puppet remained bait to the end, and the human struck the vital point.

The oni staggered. The axe fell to the floor. Kage took one step back and reset his stance. Clutching his neck, the oni withdrew into the dark Core Zone. Kage did not pursue. Breaking the fortress front and forcing its commander to retreat had been the objective for the day.

Kazami remained in the corridor. Its broken joints were rigid, and the light in its glass eyes had gone out. The strings still ran all the way to Ayame's fingers, but there was no body left at their end that could move.

On the hill, Ayame lowered both hands onto her knees. Her fingers were trembling. Sweat ran down her forehead and dropped from her chin. Her face was pale. The shock that had returned when Kazami collapsed was still echoing inside her. Ichi did not enter the fight. Instead, he stayed beside Ayame until she found her breath again and recorded where Kazami would have to be recovered.

Kage left the fortress and climbed the hill. He looked at Ayame. At the trembling fingers and pale face. Wiping his blade, he said,

"It's over."

"I know," Ayame answered. Her voice was cracked. "When Kazami... collapsed, I felt it."

Kage looked at Ayame's hands. Red marks remained where the strings had bitten into her palms. Her fingers were not injured, but they still would not straighten as she wished. The Backflow from the instant Kazami was completely destroyed remained inside her body.

"A puppeteer," Ayame said, looking down at her trembling hand. "I thought it meant sending the puppet while I stayed somewhere safe. At first. When I learned from my master, when I first tied the strings. It was strange to see the puppet move -- that one of my fingers could make a puppet so far away take a step. It felt like magic."

Wind blew. The slack strings on the ground swayed with it.

"But the first day a puppet broke completely, I understood. Something returns at the moment it can endure no more. Everything I sent into the puppet comes back. As much motion as I sent, as much sensation as I sent. When the puppet collapses, all of it floods back at once."

Kage did not answer. The puppet was not fighting in Ayame's place. Ayame was fighting as the puppet. There was distance, but that did not mean she was free of danger.

"Even so," Ayame said, folding her fingers. Painful fingers. Slowly. "I won't stop. Wherever my strings reach is my battlefield."

The setting sun sank beyond the fortress. Kazami lay broken inside. It could be raised again once a lull came, but first its pieces had to be gathered and its strings tied anew. Ayame's fingers needed time too. Strings and fingers. Puppet and operator. When one collapsed completely, the other hurt. That was the price paid by beings joined by strings.

#Law -- Session Actual Play

Kuro(GM) / Hana(Kage) / Mei(Ayame)

Kuro: Episode 9. Puppeteer remote assault. War of Strings, control actions, Simultaneous Manipulation, and Backflow. Scent/Law fully separated. Kazami is the combat puppet; Ichi is a support NPC. Sheet check.

[PC]
Ayame (puppeteer 3rd dan): Wisdom+2, Finesse+2, Physique+1, Swordsmanship+0. Energy 12, Wounds 4(3+Physique 1).
 War of Strings(1st dan): 1 Kazami. Wounds 2, Defense 12, Domination +1. String range 2 zones.
 Control action: 0 Energy([Kata]). Each puppet's control action is limited to 1/round; executor aggregate limit 2/round. Ayame pays puppet-technique costs.
 Simultaneous Manipulation(3rd dan): 1/round, execute 1 puppet technique + main-body movement(2 Energy) in one breath.
 Backflow: only when Kazami is destroyed at Wounds 0, Ayame loses 1 Wound + becomes Defenseless for 1 breath.

Kage (shinobi 1st dan): Finesse+2, Courage+0, Swordsmanship+0. Energy 12, Wounds 3, Defense 12.
 Shadow Crossing: Outside Zone↔anywhere for 0 Energy. 1/round. Free Core Zone access.
 Ninjato Straight Stab: 2 Energy, Finesse+Swordsmanship, [Pierce 1], 1 Wound.

[PUPPET]
Kazami (combat puppet, individual unit): Wounds 2, Defense 12, Domination +1, no Energy of its own.
 Puppet Blade: Horizontal Cut 2 Energy(Wisdom+Swordsmanship), Thrust 2 Energy(Finesse+Swordsmanship), Defense reserve 1/improvise 2.

[NPC]
Karakuri Ichi (autonomous automaton, support NPC): logs string tension and assists with Kazami's post-combat recovery and maintenance.
 He is not Kazami and does not use puppet stats or control actions.

Mei: So Ichi is not the puppet, and Kazami is a separate body?

Kuro: Correct. Kazami is the combat puppet that receives Ayame's strings. Ichi is an autonomous automaton who moves by his own will; in this episode, he supports from the hill by keeping records and recovering Kazami. Their rules never mix.

Kuro: Core puppeteer rules.

[Puppeteer — War of Strings (1st dan)]
1 puppet. Wounds 2, Defense 12, Domination +1. String range 2 zones. At 3 or more zones, control is impossible and the puppet stops.

[Control Action] 0 Energy([Kata]) → execute 1 puppet technique. The practitioner pays its listed Energy cost and makes its check.
 Each puppet's control action is limited to 1/round. Even across multiple puppets or other 0 Energy([Kata]) maneuvers, one executor's aggregate cap is 2/round.
[Simultaneous Manipulation(3rd dan)] 1/round → execute 1 puppet technique + main-body movement(2 Energy) in the same breath.
[Backflow] only when the puppet is destroyed at Wounds 0 → practitioner loses 1 Wound + Defenseless for 1 breath.

Mei: Backflow is harsh. If the puppet breaks, I take damage?

Kuro: Not for every scratch. Backflow occurs only at the instant its Wounds reach 0 and it is completely destroyed. Damage before that causes no separate Backflow or loss of function. Let's see the battlefield.

[Zones]
Outside Zone: hill(Ayame, Ichi, Kage). Flank Zone: fortress wall. Enemy Front Zone: courtyard(Kazami, 3 Kooni). Core Zone: oni warrior's quarters.
String range: Outside Zone→Enemy Front Zone = 2 zones(limit). Outside Zone→Core Zone = 3 zones(control impossible; Kazami stops).
 → If Ayame moves to the Flank Zone, Flank Zone→Core Zone = 2 zones. The strings remain; only the controllable range changes.

[Enemies]
Oni Warrior (Elite): Physique+3, Courage+3. Energy 10, Wounds 4, Defense 14. Iron-Axe Smash(Attack A, 3 Energy, 1 Wound+Domination-1). Iron-Axe Crush(licensed, 4 Energy, 2 Wounds).
Kooni Squad (3 Minions): clubs, Defense 11, Wounds 1, Cohesion 2, no Energy of its own. Commanded by the oni warrior in the Core Zone.

Hana: With Simultaneous Manipulation, Ayame can move to the Flank Zone on the same breath Kazami attacks. Then her strings will reach the Core Zone from the next round onward.

Kuro: First round starts. Count 12. Kage waits in the Outside Zone, and Kazami is deployed in the Enemy Front Zone. Ayame's breath.

Mei: Kazami Horizontal Cut through a 0 Energy([Kata]) control action! Ayame pays the technique's 2 Energy, then Simultaneous Manipulation moves her main body from Outside to Flank for 2 Energy. Total 4 Energy(12→8). 2d10+Wisdom(+2)+Swordsmanship = 15 >= Defense 11. Defeat 1 Kooni(3→2).

Kuro: You used 1 control action and Simultaneous Manipulation once. Kazami's control action cannot repeat this round. One slot remains under the executor aggregate cap, but that does not let you control Kazami a second time.

Mei: Kazami only has 2 Wounds, so a heavy blow is still dangerous.

Hana: Kage enters! Shadow Crossing from the Outside Zone to the Enemy Front Zone, 0 Energy. Ninjato Straight Stab with an enhanced ambush, 2 Energy(12→10). raw [7,8]+Finesse(+2)+Swordsmanship(+0)+2(enhanced ambush)=19 >= Defense 11. [Pierce 1], 1 Wound. Defeat 1 Kooni(2→1).

Kuro: On the oni warrior's count 10, he spends 2 Energy on a squad order(10→8), and the remaining Kooni attacks Kazami. Total 13 >= Defense 12, 1 Wound. Kazami Wounds 2→1. Resolve only one squad attack.

Kuro: The oni warrior then spends 2 Energy on a walk(8→6), leaving the Core Zone for the Enemy Front Zone to block the next round's path.

[Ordinary Damage] Kazami Wounds 1. It has not been destroyed, so no Backflow.

Mei: So Kazami keeps moving normally at Wounds 1?

Kuro: Right. It functions fully until its Wounds reach 0, with no additional loss of function.

Kuro: Second round. Everyone's Energy returns to maximum, and control-action limits reset. The oni warrior already stands in the Enemy Front Zone, blocking the path himself.

Mei: Kazami Thrust control action. The technique costs 2 Energy(12→10). [8,7]+Finesse(+2)+Swordsmanship(+0)=17 >= Defense 14. [Pierce 1], 1 Wound. Oni Warrior Wounds 4→3.

Hana: Kage defeats the remaining Kooni with a 2-Energy Ninjato Straight Stab(12→10), then uses a second Straight Stab for 2 Energy(10→8) against the oni warrior. Total 16, [Pierce 1], 1 Wound. Oni Warrior Wounds 3→2.

Kuro: The oni warrior chooses to destroy Kazami first. Iron-Axe Crush, 4 Energy(10→6), hits on a total of 15. 2 Wounds. Kazami Wounds 1→0, destroyed.

[Backflow] Kazami is destroyed at Wounds 0.
Ayame Wounds 4→3 + Defenseless for 1 breath. Kazami cannot act.

Mei: This time it was completely destroyed, so Backflow occurs.

Kuro: Exactly. Ichi does not move in place of the puppet. For the one breath Ayame is Defenseless, he only records the location; after combat, he recovers Kazami.

Hana: The oni warrior is at half Wounds and has lost his squad. Kage blocks the road but leaves him a retreat.

Kuro: The oni warrior withdraws into the Core Zone. There may be more defenses if you pursue, so we close this as a partial success.

[Scenario Result]
Oni Warrior: Wounds 2/4(retreats). Kage: Wounds 3, Energy 8. Ayame: Energy 10, Wounds 3.
Combat puppet Kazami: Wounds 0, destroyed. Ichi: records and recovers the wreckage as support.
→ Partial success. All 3 Kooni eliminated. The oni warrior loses half his Wounds and retreats. Kazami can be restored during the lull.

Mei: Not a complete victory.

Kuro: Victory isn't the core of Episode 9. The point is to feel the structure: control actions and Simultaneous Manipulation extend the battlefield, but when Kazami is completely destroyed, the danger returns to the main body.

Kuro: Three Ways and Six Hearts.

[Three Ways and Six Hearts — Episode 9]
Ayame: 覇(will to expand the battlefield as far as the strings can reach) / 慈 temptation("Can I call Kazami another self and still spend it?") → maintains 覇.
Kage: 忠(loyalty to the party that accepts the bait role) / 虛 temptation("Is this self expendable?") → maintains 忠.

Mei: Ayame is 覇?

Kuro: Not 覇 as domination over others, but 覇 as the will to expand her own reach. Kage's 忠 is very shinobi-like: complete the operation even if it consumes him.

Kuro: Rule summary.

[Episode 9 Confirmed Rules]
1. War of Strings is 1st dan: 1 Kazami, Wounds 2, Defense 12, Domination +1, string range 2 zones.
2. A puppet has 0 Energy of its own. A 0 Energy([Kata]) control action executes 1 puppet technique.
3. The practitioner pays the puppet technique's Energy cost and makes its check.
4. Each puppet's control action is limited to 1/round, and one executor's active 0 Energy([Kata]) maneuvers are capped at 2 in aggregate per round.
5. 3rd-dan Simultaneous Manipulation is 1/round: execute 1 puppet technique and main-body movement(2 Energy) in one breath.
6. Beyond the 2-zone string range, control is impossible and the puppet stops. The strings remain in place.
7. Backflow triggers only when the puppet is destroyed at Wounds 0: practitioner loses 1 Wound + Defenseless for 1 breath.
8. Kazami is the combat puppet. Ichi is an autonomous support NPC and does not use puppet stats or control actions.

Hana: How does Kazami return?

Kuro: After the battle, Ichi recovers the pieces, and Ayame recreates Kazami with an upkeep maneuver during the lull. Tetsu reinforces it in Episode 14. Ayame operates 2 puppets in Episode 15; Kage returns in Episode 11, Night Market of Sakai. That's all for today.

"The moment the puppet is completely destroyed, something returns. Everything sent into the puppet. Even so, the girl spread her fingers -- wherever my strings reach is my battlefield."