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Smiling Yoshitomo
Atsu: Someone’s prepared a campsite. Could be one of Smiling Yoshitomo’s…
Yoshitomo: Mm, that smells wonderful. But aren’t you afraid of Smiling Yoshitomo?
Atsu: He’s why I’m here.
Yoshitomo: Ah, you’re a bounty hunter. You should know, many have tried to cut down Smiling Yoshitomo. He’s not someone to underestimate.
Atsu: You seem to know a lot about this Smiling Yoshinaka.
Yoshitomo: Smiling Yoshitomo.
Atsu: My mistake. If you’re so worried, why come to this camp?
Yoshitomo: To… warn you. He’s a dangerous man.
Atsu: All his victims are defenceless travellers. Sounds more like a coward.
Yoshitomo: I am not a coward, I am a deadly killer and you should show some respect!
Atsu: Your bounty’s mine.
Kojiro: They say Smiling Yoshitomo is a devious one. How’d you catch him?
Atsu: Trade secret.
Kojiro: Fair enough. You pay, as promised.
Crow Genzo
Atsu: ‘Clan Eguchi.’ I know that name… They made a lot of enemies in the south.
Genzo: You’re not of clan Eguchi. You’re here for my bounty.
Atsu: That’s right.
Genzo: Clan Eguchi slaughtered my brothers, then refused to bury them. Their bodies were picked away by crows. I am only returning the favour.
Atsu: There’s more to that story. I fought in the south. I remember hearing about Lord Eguchi’s assassination—at the hands of your clan.
Genzo: He deserved to die. They all do.
Atsu: Why? Because your lord said so? He’s dead.
Genzo: A mercenary could never understand. For clan Tsugaru! You will not stop me. Prepare yourself! Clan Eguchi cannot go unpunished.
Atsu: The war is over. They lost—just like you.
Genzo: I will avenge my brothers!
Atsu: May you rejoin your brothers.
Ronin: Not so fast. You here for Crow Genzo?
Atsu: He’s already dead.
Ronin: That bounty was mine.
Atsu: Blinding powder. Useful in a fight.
Atsu: Crow Genzo is dead. He won’t be killing for his vendetta anymore.
Kojiro: Revenge is a cruel mistress. Here’s your reward.
Muneji the Bone Crusher
Atsu: Saito’s men. Muneji the Bone Crusher must be here somewhere. I’ll look around.
Muneji: Faster! Lord Saito despises laziness. The blade is only as good as the one wielding it! Be better!
Atsu: I can use this grass to sneak up on them, make a quiet kill.
Muneji: Focus. Those blades better be sharp!
Atsu: That must be Muneji.
Muneji: It’s you! The woman who killed the Snake! Today is your last day. I will crush your bones to dust!
Muneji: You have no idea who you’re dealing with. I fight for Lord Saito!
Atsu: Muneji the Bone Crusher. You sure think a lot of yourself.
Muneji: Guards! Do something! Kill me now. I die for Lord Saito.
Atsu: Then you’ve failed him twice. You’ll have to live with this defeat.
Settler: I saw your smoke signal.
Atsu: I have Muneji the Bone Crusher.
Settler: Not so scary now, is he? Here’s your cut. Nice doing business.
Lord Saito: Some of you were born to this land. Others—like myself—were forced to make Ezo our home. A home we have built beyond the Shogun’s control. Where anyone can join clan Saito and be named samurai… If they are brave enough to earn it. Clan Matsumae call themselves the ‘protectors of the north’. But this land is ours. And we will defend our home. What is it?
Ronin: One of our camps has fallen. They say it was attacked by… An onryō.
Lord Saito: A ghost? That woman is flesh and blood.
Ronin: Of course, my lord. Only… the people believe otherwise.
Lord Saito: The people believe what they are told. When you call her ‘onryō’, you evoke something greater than a single woman. You give her power. It has taken years to gain a foothold in Ezo. Every camp we lose gives the Matsumae ground. Bring me her head—not excuses.
The Three Terrors
Atsu: He’s been tortured.
Atsu: Poor thing.
Matsumae: Stay back, stranger.
Atsu: I don’t attack wounded samurai. What happened?
Matsumae: Hmph, a mercenary with honour. I’ve been tracking a bounty through the mountains. The Three Terrors. They’ve captured and tortured many of us to curry Lord Saito’s favour. A patrol was sent to find them two days ago. We haven’t heard back.
Atsu: And the Matsumae sent only you?
Matsumae: My clan put up a bounty. As if I’d just sit around and wait. But the Three Terrors had more men than I expected. They killed my horse. Ran me through and left me for dead.
Atsu: Where can I find these Three Terrors?
Matsumae: A cave up on the hill. It won’t be easy. Good hunting.
Atsu: The Three Terrors’ camp.
Kanekichi: Clan Matsumae thinks they’re bringing order to Ezo. This is our land—we’ll make them regret coming here.
Saito Outlaw: This latest batch did not last long. We will need to capture more.
Kanekichi: A lone bounty hunter? In our den? Fool. Rumor is you killed the Snake.
Atsu: You down.
Atsu: Bound and tortured.
Magosuke: Another Matsumae patrol, dead. All because of us. I’ll drink to that!
Atsu: Not a good death.
Magosuke: You cut the head off the Snake.
Atsu: That’s two.
Sougoro: Matsumae pig barely squealed. It’s no fun when they die quick.
Atsu: Come on!
Sougoro: So you’re the one who killed the Snake.
Atsu: The Three Terrors are no more.
Matsumae: Did you find my brothers?
Atsu: I avenged them.
Matsumae: Good. They slaughtered so many of us.
Atsu: You can give their families closure now.
Matsumae: You… are not like any mercenary I’ve ever met. Be careful out there.
Atsu: Don’t let that wound fester.
Kojiro: You took down the Three Terrors! I’m impressed.
Atsu: Does that mean I get more money?
Kojiro: So you do have a sense of humour! How lovely. Keep this up, and I might have a bounty or two reserved for skilled hunters only. Could make us both a lot of money.
Atsu: What kind of bounty are we talking about?
Kojiro: Oh, you know. The deadly kind.
Black Powder Ippei
Ronin: Turn back! Black Powder Ippei is ahead!
Atsu: What happened here?
Ronin: Black Powder Ippei was ready for us. He’s been ambushing Matsumae supply lines for weeks. We tracked him here and brought a dozen men to take him down. But the bastard opened fire as soon as he saw us! Incoming! Get down! We never should’ve come here.
Saito Outlaw: You’ll never get to Black Powder Ippei!
Ronin: Damn you, Ippei! Fight with a real weapon, coward!
Ippei: (Laughing) Me? A coward? You’re the only ones I see cowering right now!
Saito Outlaw: Ippei is going to blow you to bits! Lord Saito will be pleased I found you. You’re worth a fortune.
Ippei: Oh, a new arrival. I see you! Are you another Matsumae lap dog? No matter. I have enough powder for all of you! Hold still! Come and get me! This is going to hurt!
Kojiro: You killed Black Powder Ippei. Saved the Matsumae a lot of embarrassment.
Atsu: Not out of the goodness of my heart.
Kojiro: Of course! Here’s your payment.
Soma the Condemned
Kojiro: How would you feel about taking on a special kind of bounty?
Atsu: As long as it pays well.
Kojiro: It does! You can even help yourself to the bounty’s armour. Consider it a bonus.
Atsu: What’s he wanted for?
Kojiro: The cold-hearted slaughter of men, women, even children if the tales are true. He’s known as Soma the Condemned. They say he was given a cursed flute by an oni in order to become an unparalleled musician. But to keep the flute, he must kill, and kill he has.
Atsu: Won’t be the first time I shut up a bad musician. I’ll take the job.
Kojiro: Figured you would. Happy hunting.
Atsu: Sounds like someone’s playing a flute.
Saito Outlaw: Been two days and we still can’t get that damn gate open. Bet he’s playing the flute in there just to taunt us. Back off, Soma is ours!
Atsu: The music is coming from behind that door. Won’t budge. Don’t see any other way in. That song… maybe I can play it on my shamisen. Guess he liked what he heard. Can’t be far now.
Soma: You must be the shamisen player. You play well.
Atsu: So do you. That was a lovely song.
Soma: It is. But the price of learning it was terrible.
Atsu: I’ve heard. How many have you killed to keep that cursed flute?
Soma: At first I thought it would be worth a life or two. But as the years passed, the number of lives grew and grew. All I wanted was to bring joy to others with my music.
Atsu: Instead you brought pain — and suffering.
Soma: That’s true, but the music is so lovely. And now, it calls for another sacrifice. Your death won’t keep the music satisfied for long. You fight as well as you play. I can’t stop killing for the music. I’ll play you a beautiful song when you die.
Soma: Wait. I know I don’t deserve it, but will you grant me one last request?
Atsu: Why would I do that?
Soma: I’d like to spend my last breath bringing beautiful music into the world, so that at least one good thing comes from what I’ve done.
Atsu: You didn’t grant mercy to any of your victims. Why should I grant you mercy now?
Soma: Because I believe you’re a better person than me, and I’d like for you to play with me.
Atsu: All right. One last song.
Atsu: How did the opening go?
Soma: Just follow my lead. It starts with this. Good. And then… That’s it. And finally, we have…
Atsu: Good. Now we’ll do it together. That was beautiful. Soma?
Atsu: Soma is no more.
Kojiro: Was his song as beautiful as they say?
Atsu: It was. It just came at too high a cost.