The Day of Thunder

[Kaiu Tai]

Tai's head tilts to the side, eyes like dark pits in the light-drinking fog. "Not sure what life's like on your side of the mountain, but even my youngest grandchild can handle a tetsubo. I've raised enough warriors to consider that job well done, thanks. Keepin' the spirits settled and content's got nothin' to do with who fights and who doesn't."

She mutters to Ayako, "And every one of 'em has the sense to wear clothes in the winter. I take it back...pretty enough for a fling, but that head of his ain't solid enough to bring home."

Louder, she returns to their immediate goal. "Village is holdin' a festival meant to help hold back some of the madness, you know? Only thing we'd be likely to trek down in numbers for."

[Anjing]

Ranmaru's sheer power

Anjing's stare could wither crops in the fields, it could strike a bird from the sky, it focused in on Ranmaru like a mountain cat eyeing a rival riddled with mange.

"Now, I've never killed a half-naked man before, and it wouldn't want to start now. But boy, unless you change your tune and apologise, Fortunes help me I will shove my fist up your ass and work you like a puppet until you do."

And indeed, for a few glorious moments she imagined herself doing just that...then washing her hands very thoroughly.

But it would hardly be auspicious to start their mission with a murder.

"Maybe you do things differently on your side of the hills, and maybe you got some strange ideas about how folks should be treated. But the way I see it, you owe women two things. First, your mother gave birth to you. Second, she clearly didn't smack sense into you, so she sounds like a kind woman. And I wouldn't want to make a kind woman grieve because of some fool act of her son."

She takes a few moments to clench and unclench her jaw.

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

"But who knows? You could be a worthy concubine."

"Concubine?" Ayako gasped, somehow offended at being demoted from a wifely position that she hadn't even wanted. "GRarGH." She struggled to compose herself.

"I... I don't think so," she managed at last, then fell silent as her elders spoke.

[Saru Ranmaru]

Ranmaru's vibrancy faded away as more and more retorts came his way. People on his side of the mountain, as it were, didn't really listen to him either. Plus mentioning his mother was particularly brutal, especially since his butt could handle much. "Well, yes," he murmured. "My mom is necessary. And I would say she's kind." He refrained from telling Anjing that she should be more like his mother. Lenient, apparently to a fault.

He looked down at his body, the so-called pinnacle of masculinity. Of course women could not truly appreciate this. To inspire himself, he flexed his biceps at himself then looked back up at them.

"The corruption spreads not only due to their spirits, right?" He cringed at his last word; this was definitely supposed to be true. "Men who have not realized their potential are at risk."

[Anjing]

Ranmaru's vibrancy faded away as more and more retorts came his way. People on his side of the mountain, as it were, didn't really listen to him either. Plus mentioning his mother was particularly brutal, especially since his butt could handle much. "Well, yes," he murmured. "My mom is necessary. And I would say she's kind." He refrained from telling Anjing that she should be more like his mother. Lenient, apparently to a fault.

He looked down at his body, the so-called pinnacle of masculinity. Of course women could not truly appreciate this. To inspire himself, he flexed his biceps at himself then looked back up at them.

"The corruption spreads not only due to their spirits, right?" He cringed at his last word; this was definitely supposed to be true. "Men who have not realized their potential are at risk."

Anjing glares at him for a few moments more before nodding, apparently satisfied...was he really...flexing to himself?

"Is that what they say? The corruption spreads because of one's spirit and their potential? We saw a corrupt monster on the journey over here, a foul thing and what it did should not have been possible. Have your witnessed the same on their side of the mountains?"

[Kaiu Tai]

Tai does not expect great insight from this Saru. Particularly after watching him apparently flex muscles at himself...she hadn't seen any of her kids doing that since their first year of actual weapons training.

Still, she's had a few students by now, and it's always much more useful to let them spill their misunderstanding out in front of you to correct, vs. saying anything to make them hide it and continue down a messed up path. So she leaves her rough palm resting on the stone knife's hilt, watching Ranmaru patiently. Her expression tries for 'patient and attentive listener,' but runs more toward 'scarred goblin with empty, black eyepits staring into your soul.'

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

"We saw a corrupt monster on the journey over here, a foul thing and what it did should not have been possible. Have your witnessed the same on their side of the mountains?"

"It was a gruesome, huge thing with too many mouths," Ayako recalled, nodding. "Lady Anjing and the rest of us were able to kill it, though it took some doing."

"Well, we killed half of it, at any rate," she amended. "The other half... ran away, kind of?"

[Anjing]

"It was a gruesome, huge thing with too many mouths," Ayako recalled, nodding. "Lady Anjing and the rest of us were able to kill it, though it took some doing."

"Well, we killed half of it, at any rate," she amended. "The other half... ran away, kind of?"

"A horrible thing, Tai and the spirits named it a 'Mad Shaper'. It... was dangerous, some of our number were take."
Anjing frowns to herself, the memory still raw.

"But we drove it away." With a grunt. "And Ayako fought well. But I would say, if you see a similar creature find allies. It is nothing something that should be fought alone."

[Saru Ranmaru]

"Corruption is all over," Ranmaru said. His experience, well, had only been with very minor things. So as the women talked about their encounter, he at first thought that it would have been a trifle for him to manage. But more and more, it became clear on his expression that he realized that this wasn't like cutting down bamboo.

"There is strength in numbers," he admitted. He would have, of course, preferred a similarly hunky guy standing beside him. Alas, he had also already promised to protect these women on their way over.

"Where did you hit this creature?" In the chaos, perhaps their womanly ways would have made them not think about that. Then again, they seemed to be experienced... Perhaps a woman twice his age could match him.

Ranmaru shook his head. Doubt had no place in his mind.

[Kaiu Tai]

"Hit em with everything we had. Blades, arrows, tetsubo, and a big jade rock. Didn't like the jade. Didn't die fast..or at all, really. Half of it ran away." Tai shakes her head. "Definitely don't take one on alone."

With a jerk of her head toward the misty road she adds, "hopefully none on the rest of the trip to this village, eh? You run into anything troublesome on the way down the mountain, Saru?"

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

"Where did you hit this creature?"

"I hacked at its 'arm', and some kind of poison water leaked out, but it barely noticed," Ayako recalled. "I'd have to say Cai's arrow down its throat slowed it down the most."

The younger Crab looked solemn as she remembered the price the archers had paid for their bravery.

[Anjing]

"Anything else, those strikes would have killed it, Ayako with her axe, our archers with their arrows, Tai even dropped a piece of the mountain on it. It's like the thing couldn't understand its own injuries."

Maybe it was simply too crazed to do so, or still obeying the laws of its realm.

"You face one of them, don't expect your swords to just finish it right off. Keep moving. Now-"

With a grunt she resettles her pack and weapon.

"Ranmaru you offered to join our party and, despite my better judgement, it is probably safer for us to travel as a group. How about we start making our way to town? Heads on a swivel."

[Saru Ranmaru]

Unless these women's eyes deceived them, this beast was not to be trifled with. The prospect of fighting one, however, did not fill him with dread. Instead, he thought it a great opportunity to showcase his skills.

As long as he had the support of a few great men, it seemed.

"Your better judgement?" Ranmaru scratched the back of his head and then remembered that Anjing hadn't very much liked hearing his truths about the world. "Uh, yes, I agree. Best not to linger any longer."

[Kaiu Takuma]

Takuma had been scooting ahead, looking for trouble for awhile. "I haven't seen anything of note ahead, other than a naked Dragon roaming around... Which, I see you have found." He said on his armor and tetsubo over his shoulder. Then flipped it around to his other shoulder aiming it towards the Dragon as he swung it. The Dragon looked to be the same old as Takuma, but he looked like he'd never been on the front lines of the Empire like Takuma had already.

[Yoshitsune Ayako]

Ayako offered a quick bow to the returning Takuma.

"Lady Anjing's commanded that we resume the march, Kaiu-san," she reported. "The bare-chested Dragon appears to be friendly... well, friendly-ish, at any rate." She made a funny face at this.

[Kaiu Tai]

Using her spear as a walking stick, Tai starts back to the road, offering Takuma nod as he returns. "Oh aye, found the...mostly...naked Dragon fellow here just fine. Definitely not threat enough to cut your scoutin' short." She keeps an eye on Ranmaru as they move to the road though, but doesn't spot any anomalies that might indicate he's not what he claims to be. Which is honestly a bit baffling. His attitude is so strange, she was half sure she'd see a tanuki tail or something.

"Yep, already late in the day. Rather not stay out here in the fog as it gets dark," she notes the crowd in general. "hopefully this fog burns off in the morning."

[Anjing]

Takuma had been scooting ahead, looking for trouble for awhile. "I haven't seen anything of note ahead, other than a naked Dragon roaming around... Which, I see you have found." He said on his armor and tetsubo over his shoulder. Then flipped it around to his other shoulder aiming it towards the Dragon as he swung it. The Dragon looked to be the same old as Takuma, but he looked like he'd never been on the front lines of the Empire like Takuma had already.

"Good work Takuma. Let us hope there is nothing stranger than Ranmaru here waiting for us. Or at the very least, less clothed."
She nods at the other warrior, glad to have a reliable Kaiu keeping watch.

Ayako offered a quick bow to the returning Takuma.

"Lady Anjing's commanded that we resume the march, Kaiu-san," she reported. "The bare-chested Dragon appears to be friendly... well, friendly-ish, at any rate." She made a funny face at this.

Anjing still manages to fight off any laughter, but it's not getting easier.

Instead she follows Tai, content to let the wise woman set the pace.
"I've seen fog this heavy, but never for this long. Doesn't anyone know if it's common in these lands?"

[Kaiu Takuma]

"You honor me, Lady Anjing. I did not think this man would be anything any one of you couldn't handle, so I left him be." He said with a small bow to her. "The fog does seem like something you would find in a swamp or marsh land. We haven't been through something like that on our travels. There may be one in the South or East, I guess." He walked back forwards the village.

[Saru Ranmaru]

Ranmaru let out a huff before going to fetch his belongings. And since they did not seem to appreciate him very much, he actually ended up covering himself. After all, they no longer deserved to gaze upon his muscles! "My guess is that nature itself is getting twisted by what's going on. There isn't much logic in something getting stabbed and crushed without dying so a bit of fog isn't so surprising."

[Kaiu Tai]

Tai looks back at the odd young man, eyebrow quirked. It's not a terribly hard conclusion to come to, but she's still kind of surprised that he did.

"Yep. If it's corrupted fog, well...been breathin' it for a while now so we're a bit fucked. Ain't seen any signs of corruption otherwise though." Still, she'll feel better with time (and the ability to roll things) to speak to the spirits of earth and water here. Ugh...maybe even the air, though they're usually more interested in being tricky or clever than answering a straight question. "Worth reminding the watches tonight to be extra wary though. Easy for things to creep up in this."