"He's very rude, but we did break down the door," observes Torra. "We should leave, if Old Megus is dead there's no use staying here any longer."
She starts walking away from the shed and down the path, speaking loudly to the air. "Sorry about your friends, they attacked my friends!"
Torra's words go unanswered, as it appears the ratling has no interest in talking things out. At least at the moment.
"The very first thing I did was politely knock and ask if we could speak with Old Megus. We didn't break down the door until after he attacked us." Teruko is too peeved by the ratling's attitude to pay much attention to how he escaped. Raising her voice, she yells to the general area,
Throwing up her hands in exasperation, she joins Torra in walking away. "No skeletons around here so I doubt he's the necromancer. Let's just go."
Still feeling rather weak after her repeated bouts with nausea, Hana can only meekly agree and walk away with Torra and Teruko. "A-Agreed... I would very much like to get as far away from here, and it, as possible. I've had my fill of rats for a lifetime."
Yuto gasps looking at the air between his hands as the creature just escapes his grasp without him being able to avoid it "Wh-where has it gone?"
As the others comment leaving, he nods "O-ok, it seems we have nothing to gain here... although wh-what if this thing has killed Old Megus?"
"...a uniquely unpleasant creature, is it not?" Seishin adds before following the others.
The group turns away from Megus' shack, heading back towards the Witch's Walk and making their way down the trail, at least a reasonable way away from the hut and its current denizen.
"Well, I guess we will have to find the Blossom shipwreck by our own means" Yuto says while rubbing the back of his head "Any ideas?"
If nothing better, Yuto will just propose to walk in increasingly larger circles to the west.
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"...isn't there that map we retrieved from the goblin chief?" Seishin offers.
Examining the map on the backside of the fan reveals that, if their guesses are correct, the party needs to proceed directly west - either past or around Megus' shack - to get to one of the islands in that direction. It does seem relatively close-by, however.
"Ah! Su-sure Seishin San... mmm... ok, so I do not think we want to cross the shack again... shall we just past around it?" if others convey with it, Yuto will just start walking west, trying to avoid Old Megus shack in their way.
"I don't think he was lying about Old Megus killing herself. It's not like he was trying to make himself seem innocent; quite the opposite really." Teruko starts walking west as well, doing her best to match the terrain to the extremely crude map. "We can let the sheriff know when we get back. If he wants to investigate Old Megus' death he can."
"This map is really very sparse, but I think we can go around the shack to get to the shipwreck."
Feeling significantly better since leaving Old Megus's rat-infested hut, Hana volunteers to make use of her ninja skills. "I'll scout ahead and see if there's we need to worry about," she says seriously before adding, "I've kind of had my fill of being ambushed today."
"Thanks Hana." Teruko's voice is softer than usual. "I really appreciate it." She does. Her and Hana don't often get along, (in large part due to Teruko's own issues), but Hana's perceptiveness has definitely been a boon.
"Anyway, the Blossom should be nearby, according to this map." Teruko squints again at the squiggly lines. "Unless that's supposed to represent a fire..."
The party begins their trek back towards the west, this time breaking off from the trail when they get close to Megus' hut. As they move along into the dense marshland terrain once more, they find themselves stymied by thick puddles of mud and dense patches of vegetation.
The sun rises slowly at their backs, providing a gentle warmth so unlike the heat of several days' past. Hana scouts ahead, but mostly only finds those places that the heroes must go around, rather than any threats. She does spot a webbed clawprint in a slowly drying bit of muck, and guides the party far around it.
Eventually the group reaches the Soggy River once more. Already it is showing signs of slowing back to its meandering flow, and crossing once more is relatively easy.
Yuto splats another mosquito on his neck "Any of you was hoping for a calm picnic at the marsh? This place is awful" the man's boots are by now completely covered in mud "The books never say how actually uncomfortable this is really"
"Do-do you think we can ford the river somewhere around here?" Yuto asks worried at Torra.
The Tian takes a slice of goat cheese and offers the others before eating a large bite. He also takes a sip of water while Torra looks around "If not, we will have to swim again I do fear"
"Once we're finished, I hope to never see this marsh again." Teruko has tried to keep herself as clean as possible, with little success. In that sense the rainstorm of the previous day had been extremely welcome.
"It shouldn't be much farther now." It's not the fan map telling her they're getting close, although she continues to consult it. "Hopefully the Blossom will have some answers."
Though Hana politely waves off Yuto's offer of goat cheese but she does pick up his sarcasm and adds some of her own. "I wasn't expecting a picnic, but undead and rat swarms weren't exactly on my list either. She chuckles sardonically. "How naïve of me."
She looks towards the Soggy River then and gives it a discerning eye. "Fording might not be necessary. The river isn't rushing so we could all probably swim it if we have to." The thought of getting wet usually won't have been all that pleasing to the kitsune but after getting swarmed by rats she was in the mood for something that approached a shower, even if that something was marsh water.
"I'll try to find a shallow place to cross, then."
Torra breaks off a long branch and begins poking it through the muddy waters to try and determine depth.
It takes them a few minutes, but to Torra's surprise, she finds a small, rickety dock with a narrow trail leading back east - and she realizes that they're on the coast behind Megus' shack. Docked on the pier is a small boat that looks sturdy enough, and can easily seat four of the heroes.
"That's convenient. Looks like we'll need to make a couple trips though." Teruko is happy she won't have to try swimming again. "What do you all think of Yuto, Seishin, and Torra going across first, then Yuto coming back for Hana and me?"
"Th-that works for me Teruko Sama" Yuto vows and then throws the backpack on the boat, waiting for Seishin and Torra to come over.
Once that is done, the Tian pushes the boat and jumps over. Once they row to the other side, and provided there is no surprises, he comes back and repeats with Teruko and Hana "I-if not for the skeletons, rats and mosquitos this could be a nice place for a fishing day"
Seishin is being his usual quiet self during the trip, taking in the sights of the swamp with an almost serene reverence.
The group paddles over the Soggy River with ease, making a few trips back and forth, but ultimately, they arrive at the other side fairly swiftly. With that done, the party pushes onwards towards the place they believe the Kaijitsu's Blossom to be. It takes nearly twenty minutes, but they arrive on the far side of the island, where the late-morning light pierces through the trees, revealing a shattered and rotten wreck.
While the Kaijitsu Star was relatively intact, the Blossom is broken practically in half, and doesn't have any signs of habitation whatsoever. Instead, the ship looks like some angry giant tore the thing in two before tossing the sides away without any care in the world.
Despite the apparent lack of habitation in the Blossom, Hana is still not entirely convinced after a cursory look. "Seems pretty abandoned, but I think I should go in first to make sure," she says cautiously, already mentally preparing herself for the infiltration. "I'll do a quick sweep and report back. If I start screaming feel free to nobly come to my rescue."
"I shall endeavour to do so with pride."
While Hana scouts, Torra walks around the wreck a little, poking at the ground and looking for any bits of the ship that broke off the main wreck.
Meanwhile, the rest of the party is left to bask in the late morning sunlight - at least, the parts that reach them through the dense foliage. A brief breeze kicks the scent of wet earth into their noses, and all seems peaceful.
Yuto nods to Hana and let's her go while drawing his katana "Th-the ship is broken half... do you think it was the weather or perhaps o-one of those giants that a-attacked Sandpoint some years ago has survived in the marsh?"
The samurai trembles on the thought while watching expectant for Hana's return.
While seeing a buried skeleton in the muck was a concerning sight, it did not deter Hana from exploring further. The kunoichi moves past the underbrush into the broken remains of the Kaijitsu Blossom itself, looking for something more substantive or dangerous in its confines.
Teruko stands very still, eyes fixed on the Blossom, and gives no indication that she's heard anything her companions have said. She starts to take a step forward, then pauses. "No. Not now."
Blinking rapidly, she shakes herself slightly. "I...sorry, I was rather lost in thought for a moment. Did Hana already go inside?"
"Ye-yes, she went Teruko Sama" Yuto bows and looks at the shattered wreck concerned "Perhaps we should go in too... she is taking a bit already..."
Hana returns to the others with her meagre findings. "Besides a whole lot rotted driftwood I couldn't really much of note beyond this," she took out the piece of wood with the faded Minkaian characteristics and shows it to Teruko so she can read it herself. "I figured you and Ameiko would want this."
Teruko gingerly touches the wood, looking for a moment like she thinks it might bite her. Then she straightens, blinking. "What of the crew? The passengers? Did you see anyone inside?"
She feels like she's slipping, losing the tenuous grip she has on herself. She can no longer tell how much of the desire to press on is hers.
The thought fills her with terror/triumph.
Seishin looks at Teruko intently for a moment before turning back to Hana.
She is troubled, that much is certain... remember to ask her about that when our business is concluded here.
Hana shakes her head at the questions. "Didn't see a living soul in there but I did find part of a skeleton in the nearby underbrush," she answers before solemnly adding, We could go back and bury it if you like?"
"Another Kaijitsu ship?" Yuto looks back to Teruko "This place makes me shiver. If there is nothing in there Hana, then we should think on mo-moving forward"
Pointing at a near location in the fan map he says "Let's explore the cave here"
Down by her side, Teruko's hand slowly clenches into a fist. "Burying them would be a nice gesture, if everyone else is comfortable with taking the time." Each word is crisply enunciated. "Perhaps the skeleton we saw earlier rose due to a lack of funeral rites." She looks towards Seishin with the last sentence, trusting in his expertise on the matter of undead.
"It is certainly possible." Seishin nods. "And part of my duties as Tsukiyo's servant is to quell the restless dead."
"Does anyone have a shovel?"
"I can try to shift the earth and sand enough for a grave. I'm not sure if it will work, but..."
Torra begins searching for a spot where the earth is loose, or the soil is sandy - this will make it easier to move it.
Hana nods to Teruko. "Ok. It's just this way by the wreck." She leads the group to the way to the skeleton, making sure to avoid the various ditches and scattered debris around the shipwreck.
Depending on whether Torra can move the earth with her power all by herself or not, Hana stands at the ready to start digging a hole for the remains. After all, it was hardly the first she had been forced to bury a body...
Hana leads the group into the wreck, where Torra begins excavating the earth with her unusual abilities. Soon, no less than four skeletons are revealed, all human-sized. The dwarf woman discovers she has no problems opening up four graves before refilling them once the bones have been interred.
Seishin performs a few final rites , before the group prepares to leave the area. There is a faint warmth on the wind as they turn and make their way from the wreck back into the swamp. They've done the right thing, and it almost seems as the weather itself acknowledges that.
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"Let's pick the boat again" Yuto offers, and following the fan map he tries to help Torra direct the party to the caves.
"Do we need to heal before continuing our trip? That ratling was not nice at all with these wrecked travelers"
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figuring out the best path from the crude map is challenging, but by now Torra is quite used to the marsh and its features.
"If we take the boat we may be able to get quite close to the cave if we got his way."
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Teruko stands solemnly as Seishin performs the final rites. "Hopefully that will help their spirits find peace, if they hadn't already." It hadn't even delayed them too much, given Torra's talents.
When Yuto asks about healing, she realizes for the first time that several members of the group are still hurt. Hana in particular seems to be bleeding. "I'm sorry, I didn't think about it before. Let me..." She reaches out to Hana, hand glowing with golden light. As the worst of Hana's injuries disappear, she looks around at everyone else. "Perhaps one of Tsukiyo's blessings would be enough to finish healing everyone? Afterwards we can take the boat to the cave."
Despite whatever remaining issues she had with Teruko, Hana could not help but give appreciative smile to the Kaijitsu once her healing was done. "Thanks, Teruko. I'm not back at 100% but I we don't need Seishin to top us all off with his magic," she surmises looking at the others. "At least not yet. Gods only know how much we'll need it in a pinch once we head into that cave."
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Once the skeleton's grave has been dug and the bones have been interred, Seishin bows his head and begins his prayer.
"Lord Tsukiyo, Prince of the Moon and Wanderer of Infinite Paths, accept this lost soul into your flock, that they may find peace as they return to the Wheel. May they be reborn anew as surely as the moon shows its faces to the world, and may the next step on their journey to enlightenment bring them ever closer to true harmony."
Yuto takes the initiative to go after the raft the party left behind earlier. It takes him another twenty minutes to reach the boat, and another half an hour to row upstream to the others. Now the sun is high in the sky, and the rowboat is there, it becomes clear to Yuto that the group could all fit on the boat, but it might be somewhat unstable.