The Day of Thunder

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

"Could rakshasa be behind the madness that's spreading in our lands?" Ayako wondered. "We've seen some corrupted monsters, and I could easily believe that demons are spawning them somehow. Where would we even get ivory to hurt them with? I doubt there's an elephant within a thousand li!"

[Sugri]

"While few things are impossible I doubt that it is rakshasa. Most demons and asura, spirits of dark ambition, seem to be more closely tied to the land, and people, they call home. A bird or a bear may pluck a fish from a river but if a fish is eaten it is usually wisest to first assume it was another fish that did so for that happens much, much more often."

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

Ayako nodded. "So it'll be a local demon," she said. "I guess that makes sense. Different animals live in different climates, no reason demons wouldn't be the same. My clan mates seem to think jade will help against these monsters, instead of ivory; it'll certainly be easier to get, anyway."

[Sugri]

"Jade? Interesting. I wonder why that would be. Though, then again, I do not know exactly why ivory has the impact it does either."

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

"You know, I'm not really sure why jade works," Ayako admitted. "But the old priestesses say it helps ward off evil spirits, and they don't get to be old people without knowing what they're talking about. I should probably find some, though who knows if they have that kind of thing in this village."

[Sugri]

He nods, "Though one should not blindly follow those who have come before listening to the wisdom they have gathered is important. Plus one should likely gather any tool that may help in a time of such danger."

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

"Well, perhaps... but the older, more experienced people usually know more than I," Ayako said doubtfully. "It's only natural to follow their guidance, at least in the areas that they know about."

"Gathering helpful tools only makes sense, though," she agreed. "Though I think we'd have to be lucky to find any ivory or jade laying around."

[Sugri]

He nods, "Ivory especially. I suspect my bow is likely the nearest source unless for some reason traders from my people have visited this far north already. But I suspect that homegrown problems will have homegrown solutions so hopefully you can find some jade."

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

"Well, we certainly can't take your bow," Ayako said. "It's far too pretty to be broken up, anyway. I'll check the market place, hopefully there'll be jade or something, as you say. Hopefully Shinsei will have some ideas for what we can do, too."

[Sugri]

He looks at the bow, "Honestly I'm not sure it could be broken, at least not easily, it has survived many lifetimes."

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

"Really?" Ayako said curiously. "It is so beautiful. Has it been in your family for generations? There must be some story behind it."

[Sugri]

"Really?" Ayako said curiously. "It is so beautiful. Has it been in your family for generations? There must be some story behind it."

He scratches his chin, "I suppose it has in a certain sense. The bow was handed down not by blood family but by my soul. It is unlikely that she who first picked it up was our first incarnation but the bow has followed us ever since."

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

He scratches his chin, "I suppose it has in a certain sense. The bow was handed down not by blood family but by my soul. It is unlikely that she who first picked it up was our first incarnation but the bow has followed us ever since."

"Incarnation?" Her eyebrows raised. "The bow is connected to your, uh, past lives somehow?"

[Sugri]

He nods, "Right. Sometimes a soul can recognize things from their past lives and sometimes things can even be intertwined. If a child is born under an auspicious sign it is a common ritual to lay out various relics and items from the caste they have been born into - as well as some other, random, items as well so that things are not assumed on chance alone. If that child then picks one of the relics it is a strong sign that they are the rebirth of the linked soul. Chance can still happen, of course, but it is a strong sign. As they grow older they will often find themselves in tune with the item and perhaps recalling events from their other incarnations."

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

"So, you chose the bow when you were a child?" Ayako asked, trying to understand. "What a nice way to literally choose your destiny! I am rather envious; we don't exactly have such a ritual here."

"For my part, my mother consulted an astrologer soon after I was born. The astrologer looked up all my ancestors and checked the positions of the stars and planets at the time of my birth, and from my horoscope he claimed that I was destined for 'Great Things'. But nothing really special has happened to me so far," Ayako said ruefully. "Maybe that's just what the astrologer told every baby's parents."

[Sugri]

"Closer to an infant. The tradition is normally held as soon as a child can walk, however unsteadily, on their own. If anything I think I remember more of those past lives than I do of that day."

"If the astrologer does tell that to everyone that does not mean that he is wrong about you. A false prophet can still accidentally tell truths. One rarely recognizes their true destiny - great, foul, or mundane - until it has unfolded around them. You have many years yet to find such a fate... and perhaps it has already begun. You certainly do not find yourself in usual circumstances after all."

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

"I suppose something may yet happen to prove that old fortune-teller right," Ayako said thoughtfully. "It'd be nice to think so, anyway."

"Perhaps years from now, I'll be able to say, 'Oh yes, my path to greatness began when I met that Ivindi wandering priest all those years ago.' " She grinned at the idea.

[Sugri]

"A strange traveler from a distant land is certainly a catalyst for such things in legends and tales. So perhaps it will be the case. Though I suspect your destiny would await whether I had come or not."