The Day of Thunder

Sora cocked his head.

"Good idea. Look into it. They could be used as signals by sentries. And maybe some slow-burning ways to illuminate the darkness..."

''And could cause diversion and distraction if directly fired into a glut of enemies'' he added

"Hell, if it can be made to work, I say go for it."

''I'll get to that as soon as I can.'' he replied with a nod ''The kids who put kava in the fireworks might be put to good use''

"Sneaky little bastards."

Spoken for a certain approval.

"Well then, Wu-san, it seems like you have your work cut out for you..."

''Seems I do.'' he raised the pot ''I'll finish cleaning this before everything, however.''

He gave a nod towards the inside

''Since you are here do you want a tea or a snack?''

"And spoil my youthful figure? Perish the thought. Besides, having just dropped the weight of a village on your shoulders, asking you to cook for me too seems a step too far."

He bowed.

"But if anything is ready, I would not decline the hospitality. On a similar note, if you need anything, ask. I may not be able to deliver, but hopefully I'll know who to talk to that can."

''Well, I finished baking fresh loafs of bread and I always have fresh butter on hand.'' he quirked an eyebrow ''Does that interest you? It'll also give us the opportunity to talk about what is going at camp. As you can guess I have not visited often''

"You're not missing a great deal, except for people screaming in their sleep, and various daimyo being polite to one another... but yes, we should probably keep you fully apprised."

''There is always more then it appears...come on in'' he entered the abode and headed towards the kitchen for the fresh bread and butter ''What is the mood at the camp? The attack must have rattled many''

"Paranoid, as Shinsei expressly warned us against. And I'll admit, plenty of things about this village strike me as wrong, but... again, I'm trying to balance my misgivings. The kava at the festival yesterday hardly calmed any nerves. At least one samurai seems to have been injured pretty badly, and now there's this frenzy of disconnected activity as people scramble to fortify the camp."

Zhe brought the light treat with two dished to the table beside the fire

''With nightmares making people cranky that must be a fun atmosphere.'' He sliced some pieces ''Can you elaborate about the misgivings about the village? What is the general view of the camp on it?''

Sora blinked.

"A little village where everyone seems more or less happy and content, popping into existence over the last five years as a result of rough approximations of rituals performed by people who vanished? You must admit, it strains one's credulity."

''Says a man who walked into hell to save a fallen god with the guidance of a strange monk who carries a rock around and a blind woman claiming to see the future'' the dragon pointed out

''There are many things we do not know...that does not mean it is evil or nefarious. The people here, the villagers, seems like any other to me. If the location is odd...well it is to be expected for the day of thunder, no? This place might have a connection to Yume-do...perhaps it is fighting back against Yume-jigoku in it's own way?''

"You think so. I may come to think so. Now. Place yourself in the position of a spiritually illiterate and strong-willed person. Imagine you find something that seems too good to be true."

He shrugged.

"Complete trust is a big ask. Particularly when drugs are released without the consent of those impacted. Frankly, had Shinsei not warned us against paranoia, I would likely be much more on edge."

"We often see what we want to see...That is true for both of us. While the kava was bad...is that not the most normal thing to expect from bored teenagers? Disrespect their elders and make themselves to be a pain in the ass?"

"Dosing a crowd of habitually-armed strangers with stimulants? I don't know that it's the most normal thing."

"As much as it is loathed, stupidity remains quite normal"

He passed a plate to the older Man

"We are here for a reason, are we not? These people are different but have ways that help against the nightmares. Why not assume we are here to help them succeed?"

"Because after five years of watching innocents turn into monsters, the entire Empire is afraid, Wu-san. It does not help that many who have come here were not the most trusting souls to begin with, and that every day we find some new strangeness or difficulty with the region."

''Fear is the enemy's weapon Jiyo-sama'' he buttered a slice of bread while speaking this but the knife stopped mid action. The man himself seemed to freeze with his brow showing itself to be the only exception as it furrowed. For a moment the dragon seemed to be debating with himself.

''I see'' he told himself

''There is a misunderstanding of what is and what as been happening, Jiyo-sama. The monsters are a symptom but they are the the enemy's objective. It's objective is to win the heart and soul of the people. Through lies, cajoling, temptation. By exploiting their fears and insecurities. It seeks to make humanity looks like a burden to be shed...to seek refuge in monstrosity. To already treating them as such is to let evil win.''