The Day of Thunder

Akutou shrugs as he continues to chew on the food.

He swallows his bite and looks at the Spider, considering.

"How all'd you come up t' these parts?" he asked. "F'r myself, it was a long riverboat ride followed by a hike north. Some pretty country on the way, though. Decent food. Better hunting."

"Hm. I had some goods I was delivering in Stag lands, so I took my ship back to port in Spider lands and traveled west in a caravan. The hunting was pretty good, though mainly I was trying to keep my skills sharp. Don't get to hunt a lot on a ship."

"I don't reckon, no."

Akutou pauses, considering.

"You'd said caravan. Fair number of Spider comin' t' town?"

Makes a body wonder, he thinks. But it's not a likely move t' try t' take huntin' grounds s' far removed.

Goju shrugs. "I guess? Our camp seems a little larger than other Clans." Goju motions towards it (player is assuming camp sizes are relative to PC characters unless otherwise noted). "Doesn't surprise me. If we are here about the dream stuff, Hisomu-kami has interest in seeing it stopped."

"What kinda stuff you been runnin' into?" Akutou asks, finishing up his bowl.

"I know we've had game that just weren't right. Had one spindlehorn try t' eat me, among others."

"My trip here, nothing surprisingly. At least that I personally saw. Saw a few things in the see that should be like that. Saw prey fish rip apart predators a few times. A two-headed shark too."

Akutou visibly suppresses a shudder.

"Worse's been th' quiet," he says. "Used t' be, you'd hear birds singin' an' animals goin' 'bout their business. Anymore, ev'n that's muted. Makes a body wonder just how many animals dream."

Goju considers this. "I suppose they all do. Though I do wonder if the corruption is a place in Ymue-do and we just happen to come across it or if it targets people for some reason."

"Hm."

Akutou thinks on that a moment.

"Might could be that," he says. "I know th' O-Iemoto took th' others into a specific part o' Hell back when they rescued Hisomu's own self. Makes sense that other--whaddaya call 'em? realms?--'d have their own geography an' topography an' such. An' it ain't like people don't do things animals won't.

"Now, this a guess, or's this an extrapolation from study?"

"A little of both. I know Nezumi shamans who grow powerful enough can become Transcedants and reside in Yume-do. It sounded like they reside in the same area. But that doesn't necessarily mean Yume-do is similar to Ningen-do having a world." Goju wonder if he made sense as he barely got what he was trying to say.

"If'n that's the case," Akutou replies, folding his arms as he sits, "then it'd make sense the Nezumi'd be concerned about what's happenin' with, well, all this."

He sighs a bit, shakes his head.

"Guess we're makin' f'r a whole heap o' prob'ems f'r 'em. Prob'ly gonna be a prob'em f'r us 'fore too long."

"Nah. This isn't on us. A war between Jigoku and the Heavens would have happened regardless." Goju is full of belief and nothing else to back up his comment.

"Oh?"

Akutou leans in.

"Ain't heard much on that."

"Jigoku is a jealous realm. Of course, it would want the glory of the Heavens. It might have happened in a different way, but it is inevitable." Goju believe in Tengoku supremacy. The idea that the kami did something wrong by coming to Ningen-do was just alien to him.

"Whaddaya mean, 'jealous?'" Akutou asks. "You're more up on all this than I am, so I'd need you t' explain a bit more f'r me."

[Would normally roll Lore: Corruption, but this Day 0 so...]

Goju fishes out a finger of jade. "Isn't that what this is about? To protect us from Jigoku. It wants to take us from Tengoku's light. It's first attempt was to take Hisomu-kami after all" Goju shrugs as he puts it back. "Maybe greed would be better. But I have no doubt Jigoku would do something. I can feel it in my bones."

Akutou holds up both hands, palms facing Goju, and says "Weren't arguin'. Just ha'n't been tol' a lot 'bout this. Jade's protection, yeah, an' I knew that, but th' other stuff, realms an' all, well, I ain't a priest, an' I ain't been set t' much esoteric lore.

"Nope, most o' what I've learnt 'bout it's how t' kill it when it pops up. An' that's been enough f'r me so far."

He sighs.

"Might be it ain't no more, though."

After having had the illogical part of his train thought point, Goju takes a second to organize his thoughts. "I am no priest either, but I did hear tales about the realms from father long ago." Goju sighs. "I do not know what we're here for. Nor do I know how my talk of the Realms play into. Or if I remember the tales with perfect accuracy." He shakes his head as if ridding a bad thought. "I just know the Nezumi better not blame us for this." That he is certain about. He doesn't want a fight with the Nezumi. Especially their shaman.

He should probably think of a good argument for that in case the time ever comes.

"I don' think they'd blame us f'r all that," Akutou replies. "But if you don't hope f'r it, think how much less I'd want t' see it. It's a long way t' your part o' th' world from theirs, after all, an' a lot less long a way t' mine."

Maybe Goju misunderstood him. "Aye." The Stag being the first target brought him no comfort. He shook his head. "Though I suppose I dragged us to an odd point worrying about a war with the Nezumi. I have tendency to speak before thinking."