"Ha! Mother loves you and it didn't take father that long to clean up the mess." Kamo smiles. "I think mother asks Daikitsu for you to visit. She says you liven things up."
After an enjoyable dinner at the Yuzuki household, you settle down for the night. The next morning at dawn, you mount up and begin to ride along the road southeast towards Karahai. The journey along the banks of the Duyue River is uneventful. Though the skies are overcast, no rain falls, a good sign for a dry and even pleasant summer ahead.
A few hours before you expect to reach Karahai, not long after you leave Gourd Lake behind and are about to emerge into a wide valley that should give you your first glimpse of the Sea of Ghosts with the fortress of Karahai visible on its coastline bluffs, another strange fog descends on you. Unlike the mist that blanketed Willowshore, though, this fog quickly grows unexpectedly and almost supernaturally thick, reducing visibility to a dozen feet or so. The horses grow nervous and skittish as you cautiously ride forward. Then, a few moments later, the fog lifts to reveal you have returned to the spot you just left...
The rolls had turned out perfect, while the curry was hot enough to melt teeth, which was equally perfect in Pagma's viewpoint. Tik agreed and ate considerable amount from the small bowl she brought for him (on the floor since Sakura went white as a sheet when Tik crawled out of her bag to say hi).
Once she got home, she realized he was missing, but she knew he would find his way back some eventually.
Pagma had been grumbling about being on a horse, since horse riding has never been an activity she sought out. The few times she left town, she walked or rode a sensible cart, but never with her legs wrapped around a moving furnace of flesh.
Then the mist came "oh this cannot be good." she whispered, once again speaking loud seemed like a bad idea.
"We are... what" the confusion broke her out of whispering.
"Did anyone else experience what I just did, or am I finally losing it? Does anyone see anything?" Sakura asks, looking as if she's not sure whether to be concerned or fascinated.
Sakura unsheathes her katana cautiously. "If this is another challenge waiting for us, then we face it—as we've faced everything else—together. Jing, prepare your magic for threats ahead."
"I did." the young woman answers. While her voice holds a good amount of worry, it also holds equal amount of curiosity.
"We should test it. Maybe send two ahead, while the other two stay..." she looks over at the samurai, seeing that expression of sharp NO at the idea of splitting up "Okay, well... I know" she slide, painfully, off the horse, and then used her dagger to cut a mark in the ground. The regretfully got back on "We should see if it happens again and if so, we should be right back here."
"Wait. What if." she starts, turning to Pagma, "We send Tik in. If it dies, we know it's not safe and come up with a new plan?"
"Oh! Interesting hypothesis..." Pagma gets back off her horse quickly. Kneeling down, she retrieves her familiar from her bag. "Okay, that way Tik. " she lists out what she thinks is the amount of time it will take to get caught up in it and tells him to come back after.
The spider looks up at its master, then to the fog, then scitters away.
"Oh, I hope with only one, and a small one, the magic will be more focused and mutation will occur." she seems almost giddy "OH, maybe he'll get BIG" her eyes gleam at the possibilities.
Kamo was woolgathering, and barely noticed the travel loop. Talk of a Tik snapped him out of his reverie.
"Maybe he'll turn invisible. That's an interesting thought!"
Tik disappears into the fog. A few moments later, he reappears in the exact same spot.
Repeated experimentation reveals that no matter how many times you attempt to push forward, the fog descends, and you find yourselves back where you started just before the fog’s descent...
Pagma starts experimenting, throwing rocks, at different speeds, asking Sakura to throw one since she is without the noodle arms due to her obsessive sword practice. "Maybe it is localized?" her brain is avoiding Why at all costs, concentrating on What. Cause what is much less scary. "We should travel along its edges to try and guess what it is surrounding." the worry is obvious, that is surrounding their home.
Sakura narrows her eyes at the returning Tik, a bit disappointed that the spider emerged from the fog unscathed. She doesn't voice this, though, given Pagma's obvious attachment to the creature. "Invisible, huh? That's one way to make something I already don't like even worse," she quips.
When Pagma suggests experimenting with rock-throwing, Sakura obliges. Drawing her arm back, she hurls a rock into the fog with a force that speaks to her regular martial training. She watches intently as the fog swallows it up, then glances back to Pagma when it seems to make no difference.
At Pagma's suggestion to explore the fog's perimeter, Sakura nods thoughtfully. "That might give us a clue. If the fog is guarding or hiding something specific, knowing its boundaries could give us an edge. Let's proceed cautiously, though; we don't know what we're dealing with yet."
Mounting her horse once more, she guides the animal to slowly trot along the edge of the fog, her eyes keenly scanning for any signs or patterns that might hint at what they're facing. She keeps her hand close to the hilt of her katana, ready for whatever the fog might be hiding.
The fog doesn't appear when you throw rocks. It only swells up around you or Tik when you try to physically cross over the specific borderline.
As you prepare to ride, you look up at the darkening sky. The clouds that had been gathering all day finally give way, and rain begins to fall as thunder rumbles overhead. Night will soon fall, and with it will come a rainstorm. You could camp for the night here near Gourd Lake or proceed on in the dark and wet...
"Ugh, this is miserable. Let's set up camp and hopefully the fog will clear by morning."
Kamo looks for a good spot to camp.
The phenomenon spooks Jing-De and puts him on edge. The beating of his heart is starting to feel like an enthusiastic amateur is playing it like a drum. He throws Kamo a pained look and nods. "Yes, let's do that. We should light what torches we have, because whatever is causing this seems to be aimed at waylaying us. "
Marshy shores surround Gourd Lake, which is relatively shallow. The lake itself is excellent for fishers. You find a safe place to camp and ride out the rainstorm overnight without incident.
The next morning, you ride south, probing into the forest nearby to try to find a gap in the strange barrier. But it’s no use—you always come to a point where the fog rolls in and deposits you back where you tried to cross. By early afternoon, the border has pushed you back to the south and west. The strange fog prevents you from going any further south here...
Sakura looks at her companions, visibly frustrated by the mysterious fog that seems intent on thwarting their progress. "This is getting us nowhere. Let's change our approach. We could head north into the peachwood groves. I could use some fresh fruit, and it might be good for our spirits."
At Sukura's proclamation, Pagma attempts to stifle her curiosity, even to go as far as bitting her lower lip to keep from suggesting backtracking to dive into the lake and see if the fog continues down into the water or even better dig a tunnel!
And she also REALLY wants to experiment with what happens if someone is already standing where a person would be returned to. MAYBE the two would be merged into a new... wait that would be bad.
Instead of announcing all her thoughts, she brings up "Wasn't there a fog around the town during the attack. Do you think since it is back, something bad is happening back home?" she says this in her typical tone she uses when throwing out ideas, a kind of distracted excitement. As soon as she says it, it occurs her that would be bad as well. Worry explodes on her face, "Maybe we should go back."
Sakura listens to Pagma's words carefully, her eyes narrowing as she considers the possibilities. The similar fog during the attack on Willowshore is something that hadn't escaped her attention either.
"I had the same thought," Sakura says, pausing to choose her words. "The fog during the attack and this one might be connected. But we can't ignore it and hope it goes away. Let's check out the peachwood groves first. We're already here, and who knows, we might find something that helps us understand what we're up against. We'll continue on to town afterward."
You head through the woods, finding the grove of peachwood trees that grows within. The grove seems the same as it always has been. There's nothing unusual here.
You return to Willowshore as the sun sets and report your findings to the elders. Both Old Matsuki and Granny Hu are greatly disturbed by this information.
After resting overnight, both elders requetst to meet with you at the Lady of Souls, the local temple of Pharasma. Here, the two elders set aside their personal grievances to thank you for the services you’ve provided to Willowshore so far—and to then request that you continue your work to determine what has caused the town to become cursed.
"Yes, a curse! There have been too many things happening in such a short time to be anything but one!" Old Matsuki says, sipping from a jug of rice wine. "While the monstrous invasion of Willowshore was certainly an aspect of this curse, it seems to have been largely solved by lighting the Eternal Lantern. Yet, there are still three other mysteries facing the town: the vanishing of Governor Heh and his estate, the strange mists that surround the hinterlands and prevent travel, and the disappearance of the stone spider known as Ugly Cute."
"All three of these disturbing developments must be resolved," Granny Hu says, hands steepled, gaze intense. "The order in which they’re tackled is irrelevant, although the disappearance of the governor seems to be the most pressing matter. If Governor Heh can be found, perhaps he’ll know more about what’s going on, after all!"
Pagma listens to the 'requests', her mouth becoming slightly agape. She knows that they all will say yes, but it seems a little much to lay this all on the four of them, just basically past being kids.
"Well, yes." Pagma says with hesitation. "I mean, knowing what's going on would be Interesting." the curiosity replaces hesitation. "We could follow the footprints for the statue, but how would we go about finding a missing mansion?" her mind does start thinking of possibilities.
"That is a very good question," Granny Hu says. "Examinations of the plot on which the governor's manor once stood have lead nowhere—nothing even indicates that a building once stood there. Both of us have come to the conclusion that some supernatural force with a grudge against the governor must have had some role in the mysterious vanishing."
"We don't know anyone in town who has the right combination of power and motivation to pull something like this off, but there was an incident that happened about three years ago," Old Matsuki begins. "It was the winter of 7105. Governor Heh received a missive from Sze to be on the lookout for 'dangerous fugitives' said to have attempted to curse the imperial family. When one of these fugitives, a singer named Fan Hongrui, showed up in Willowshore claiming to be searching for aid in dealing with a friend’s snakebite, the governor attempted to arrest her.
"Fan Hongrui used magic to distract and injure his guards and then fled. As soon as the guards recovered, the governor led them in pursuit of the woman. They tracked her to Canary Inn, a roadside shelter to the northeast of Willowshore, but in the tense standoff that followed a fire erupted. Officially, the fire is believed to have been triggered by the fugitive, but there are more than a few who claim the governor and his guards started the blaze in an attempt to force the fugitive and her allies out into the open.
"What none contest is that the final words Hongrui sung out as the building burned seemed to unsettle Governor Heh, for she promised that 'All those who serve Lung Wa will soon known how it feels to lose it all!'
"At the time, it seemed little more than the dying oath of a criminal, but in hindsight, with Lung Wa collapsing within a year, I wonder if there was more magic to the oath than the governor suspected. In any case, the bodies of Fan Hongrui’s two accomplices were recovered and buried near the ruined building, but her remains were never found."
Old Matsuki leans back and takes a swig from his jug of rice wine as Granny Hu leans forward again. "I admit the connection to Governor Heh’s disappearance three years later seems tenuous, but it’s the closest thing we've come up with to explain what could have happened. When you're able, you should head to Canary Inn to investigate the site, if only to confirm this strange story is merely a coincidence to the governor’s disappearance."
Jing-De kicks out the worrisome speculative thoughts and attempts to focus on what's practical. "We could start by visiting the area where his estate used to be. After that, we can visit the burial place of Fan's two accomplices."
She turns to Jing-De, nodding in agreement. "I think that's a good plan. We can start with the plot where Governor Heh's estate used to be. Perhaps there are some residual energies or hidden clues that we missed on first glance. From there, visiting the Canary Inn seems warranted to look into this Fan Hongrui."
She then turns her gaze back to the elders. "If the singer's remains were never found, there's a chance she might still be out there. Whether she is a friend or foe is a different question. But it's a lead, and right now, we could use all the leads we can get."
Another examination of the empty plot reveals no further clues. There are no lingering magical auras or anything else that might indicate how the manor disappeared.
As you are leaving the downtown area, you notice that the merchant Shinzo has moved on from Willowshore.
***
You ride out from Willowshore again, this following the road up north along the east bank of the Duyue River, then taking one of the old hunter’s trails further east towards the ruins of Canary Inn.
In the early afternoon, you come to a wide spot in the road that allows for a large clearing of tall grass to grow. Just over the sound of the blowing wind, you can hear strange giggling coming from the grass. There is even a single whispered cry of "help me," that sounds more like a threat than a call for aid...
"What could that possibly be?" With more curiosity than sense, Kamo dismounts his horse and wades into the grass.
As Kamo approaches the grass, three child-sized creatures scurry out towards him! They appear to be humanoid bundles of dry grass and twigs, held together by coils of what looks like glowing blue hair. They giggle as they close in...
Sakura's eyes widen at the sight of the creatures, and she immediately grasps the handle of her sword. "Kamo, get back!" she shouts, her voice laced with urgency. She dismounts her horse in a swift, practiced motion and draws her blade, positioning herself between Kamo and the advancing creatures.
"These don't look friendly!" she warns, her eyes narrowed and alert. Opting for a more direct approach, she lunges forward, aiming her sword at one of the creatures to either disable it or drive it back. "Be on your guard,"
Turning towards the creature shouts "You may not hurt my brother!" as she charges forward, arcing her blade through the air.
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"You worry too much, Sakura. It's just grass," Kamo exclaims as he moves in to flank one of the creatures.
"Well, grass animated by a restless undead spirit."
and
"The grass is trying to kill Kamo?" Pagma finds that oddly interesting. But not interesting enough to actually let the little twig beasts try it.
So she throws a flask of fire at the one Kamo is fighting, after climbing down the horse.
Though the giggling creatures are unfazed by Sakura's threats, she charges in and slices one with her katana. Kamo moves to flank that foe, smashing it with his staff and taking it out! Pagma hurls a flask of alchemist's fire at a second foe, setting the bundled grass and twigs alight! These creatures are weak to fire!
The burning creature rushes straight at Pagma, attacking with its fronds! It then collapses in a smoldering heap at the alchemist's feet, the lingering flames finishing it off. The other one strikes Kamo.
Jing-De moves into a favorable position and then launches a moonbeam at the animated grass and twigs. Think of them as that, not as kids.
The icy beam scores a critical hit, taking out the final thatchling. The clearing falls quiet again, the creatures' eerie giggling silenced.
"Oww!" Pagma winces in pain. The gash on her leg makes her limp a little, but the alchemist ignores it as she does what she has learned to do after after firey explosion. She goes around quickly to douse the flames. Settling fields on fire is not a thing she wants to do Again.
Seeing that the threats have been neutralized and Pagma is injured, Sakura quickly sheathes her sword and takes a quick glance at Kamo's wound. She knows that while he is injured, he can likely tend to himself. After she gets a reassuring nod, from him she rushes over to her friend's side.
"Pagma, are you okay?" she asks with concern, examining the wound on Pagma's leg.
She rummages through her belongings to find her basic first aid kit. She knows it's not as sophisticated as Pagma's alchemical supplies, but she wants to help in any way she can. "We need to clean and bandage this wound.
Kam ignores his wound and pokes around the field, looking for shallow graves or other disturbances.
"I thought we were more careful about burying our dead. If these spirits can from shallow graves, we should take care of the occupants."
There do not seem to be any graves in the immediate area. It's possible the thatchlings wandered here from somewhere else.
After tending to your wounds, you continue on, reaching the ruins of Canary Inn shortly after sunset. The forest road comes to a junction here, just north of which sit several partially burned single-bedroom structures. These half-dozen bungalows once comprised the Canary Inn, but today most of the buildings are burned to rubble, although the surrounding woodland has recovered from the fire. The northernmost structure seems mostly intact.
Three figures sit in the clearing just south of that structure. Two of the figures wear long gray hooded cloaks and sit facing away, their attention rapt on the third figure who stands before them—a young child wearing a red-hooded cloak whose song about butterflies and dreams floats along on a melody that feels much more maudlin and downbeat than its whimsical topic would suggest.
Noticing your approach, the girl stops her song and regards you silently. The other two figures scramble to their feet with the sound of rustling grass and move to stand at either side of the girl. When they turn towards you, you can see that they are thatchlings beneath their hooded cloaks.
Sakura pauses, her hand instinctively resting on the hilt of her katana as she assesses the situation. The hatchlings from earlier flash in her mind, but these seem different—more composed, less aggressive. The presence of the young child, seemingly unharmed, adds another layer of confusion to the situation.
She decides to take a cautious yet diplomatic approach. “Hello,” Sakura calls out gently, making sure not to make any sudden or threatening movements. “We mean no harm. We’re just travelers passing through. Can we help you with something?”
The girl's expression darkens. "You shouldn't be here," she says in a forlorn voice. "Leave this place at once."
Pagma is still testing out her wounded leg, marvelling now and then that Sakura has started taking after her brother in stitching. At the clearing she leans into whisper to the samurai "that's not a kid. Just an illusion, though it is really nice. I like that the red cloak works in addition to hide its blood soaked skin." she nods then blanched realizing what she said.
Sakura gives Pagma a perplexed look, trying to process what her friend just whispered. "Wait, what?" she whispers back, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Blood-soaked skin? Are you seeing something I'm not?"
She glances back at the child and the thatchlings, her grip on her katana's hilt tightening slightly. "Are you saying this is some kind of trap or illusion? Should we prepare to fight, or is it better to just leave them be? Or am I complimenting the cloak?"
"Is it some kind of illusion? I just said it is an illusion!" she teased her friend. She knows the warrior is focused on keeping them all alive. "It is the same kind of creature as the other two, so I think it is a trap, making us think it was a child, then Wham Slink Gobble, we're more of it blood body paint."
Whispering in a huddle is probably making the bad thing suspicious, she raises her voice to ask "Um! Hey kid, while should we not be here?"
Nothing makes Kamo more excited to investigate something than being told not to. He can barely hold himself back as Pagma questions the creatures.
Sakura takes a deep breath, trying to keep her nerves steady as she processes Pagma's explanation. It's clear now that they need to be on guard. She keeps her katana ready, just in case the situation escalates.
"Alright, Pagma, I trust your judgment," Sakura whispers back, giving her friend a determined nod. "Let's be cautious and try to get some answers."
Turning her attention back to the child-like creature, she steps forward slightly, making sure to stay alert and ready for any sudden movements. Sakura asks, her voice steady, calm AND LOUD as she tries to gauge the creature's intentions and be ready for any possible threat.
The girl points at you, and the thatchlings begin to giggle as they move to attack!
Jing-De enchants Sakura's blade and then weaves a protective shield.
"It didn't have to be this way! Now you will regret this!" Sakura says, trying to intimidate them.
Then she charges, her blade infused with Jing-De's magic!
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"Here we go again!"
Kamo looks for an opening on the red-hooded thatchling, but doesn't find one. He moves to one of the minions and takes a swing at it.
for
Unsuccessful, he waits for a counterattack.
Sakura delivers a critical hit that nearly slices the red-hooded thatchling in two! Kamo is unable to land a blow on his chosen foe.
The blood-soaked undead sobs pitifully before unleashing a terrifying scream! She then lashes out at Sakura with a critical hit! The two other thatchlings attack the fighter as well, but neither one manages to harm her.
"Drat, my aching ears. Sakura, watch out!"
Kamo tries to staunch his sister's wounds and eye up her attacker.
"Ugh! Blood everywhere, sorry."
At least I didn't make it worse. I should be more careful!
He swings at the red-hooded thatchling, hoping to protect his sister.
for and
Amidst the chaos, Sakura grapples with the onslaught of pain surging through her body. Her vision tunnels as she focuses on the red-hooded thatchling, her katana rising and falling with two determined but imprecise strikes. Each swing cuts through the air, missing the agile creature as the sharp sting of her wounds throws off her timing.
Sakura shifts her stance, raising her katana with both hands firmly on the hilt. The blade gleams under the waning light, positioned expertly to intercept any further attacks.
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