Scroll 1 - Forgotten Blood Rain

Ikari looks at the exotic weapon with interest, but couldn't imagine himself wielding such a heavy thing.
His stomach groans, having ate last at the Inn and having packed light in a rush, is now out of food.
"This expedition has taken much longer than expected"

Satoshi grabs a second packet of dried seaweed and pickled vegetables to sate the hunger gnawing his stomach.

As Ikari's lantern gutters and the bestial howling closes in on the group, the ninja says "Yes, and we must hurry to the temple. Lest we find ourselves hunted in the dark."

Satoshi was right about being hunted. As they hastened towards the torii gate, the rustle of leaves to their left signaled something of substantial size, which yet moved very swiftly through the foliage. A similar sound on their right, as well as the now-recognisable growl of the beast pursuing them, revealed that there was not one, but two of them.

The one on the right dashed forwards much further than them, and that was when the five of them noticed more dead bodies to the right of the torii. There were three persons, stacked atop each other in a macabre mound. The creature leapt from the bushes towards them, just as the one on the left had circled back to pounce on the five of them.

That was when they saw what was hunting them, who for some reason could not get beyond the nio guardians. (Was the torii gate another barrier to them?) A tiger, twice the size of an ordinary one, whose fur was pearlescent as if it were luminous in the reddish dark of the night, unstained by the blood mist that rolled off its rich coat in beaded droplets.

Kayo paused, then dropped her weapon. Unarmed, she moved towards the beast, her small hands open in a gesture of peace. "No hostility here. We need help from the gods to cleanse us, to purify this place. The blood rain must stop. Can you help us, or at least let us through? "

The leper groaned as he knelt facing the West and offered prayer and supplication. Taking a coin, he offered the metal to the Byakko, two pieces of precious metal for two kami.

Humbly, one faces the western sky, the realm where the setting sun descends. Gratitude is offered to Byakko Baifu of the Western Sky and Lord of Metals, for the beauty of this day and the peace it brings. As the day ends, a night of rest and renewal is prayed for. May one be granted strength, and may the heart remain pure and sincere. May one continue to live in harmony with the great nature, and may one serve and benefit all mankind."

Ikari never being a spiritual man stood mouth agape with the vision of such things before him.
Seeing the kindness of Kayo addressing them, he dropped to his knees in prayer.
Moon tiger, amber eyes,
Lunar light on velvet paws,
Spare our wretched souls.

Satoshi discreetly coats a throwing star in poison, ready to throw it if the spirit tigers did not respond to his companions supplications.

Although Kayo's gesture was one of peaceful supplication, the white tiger, now barely a breathspan away from her, bared its fangs and let out the most fearsome growl that shook the leaves of the canopy above them that echoed through the silence of the forest. Were they to clamp down, they would take her head cleanly off without resistance. Kayo could sense the revulsion emanating from the majestic byakko, and this was further confirmed when the other shimmering beast raised a paw to strike at the nearby pile of bodies. She could see that those that were killed had one thing in common, they were all also tainted by the blood rain, and the byakko did not compromise but instead sent their defiled bodies to a swift death.

This would likely be the fate of the five of them as well, except that both Hakusa and Ikari fell to their knees. The holy priest understood the proper ritual needed to show obeisance to the spirit beasts: to face the west, to offer metal. Ikari was more agnostic, his life revolved around the pragmatic values of society. Still, the poetic atmosphere of his haiku gave a meditative aspect to the moment. But would that be enough?

Both spirit beasts gave pause to their attacks, prompting Satoshi to exhale from holding his breath, shuriken at the ready. They moved to stand on either side of the pillars of the torii. It was to be understood that their tainted lives had been spared, but that did not mean that they were allowed to pass, as evident from the dead ones. They had to find some way to cleanse themselves, for only Hakusa remained unstained; the other four were corrupted by the blood rain.

As the byakko watch, Satoshi approaches the gate, trying to clear his mind. He had made many hard choices as a koga ninja, but he had also followed the unseen virtues for those decisions. How would the celestial tigers judge such things?

He stepped forward and passed through the gate, glancing sideways at the spirits as he did so, half expecting them to leap at him with their heavenly claws.

Genji approaches gate and faces these opponents. He is honored by their strength and pristine images. He kneels in seiza, formally bows with his face to ground, and speaks.

"White tiger, pure strength,
Western guardian, wind's roar,
Autumn's quiet grace."

The watchful gaze of the byakko turned on each of them in turn. Hakusa and Satoshi each received a piercing stare that seemed to last longer in their minds than in actuality. But Genji and Ikari could feel the hairs on their skin rise as the almost luminous gaze of the tiger eyes was accompanied by the baring of impossibly sharp teeth. They had been judged, and not all of them had been determined to be pure enough to avoid their wrath.

It occurred to Genji that they had to cross a river to get to the village, and he remembered that Hakusa had even forded through it to get there. The river's upstream had wended and curved, and disappeared into the thicket of the forest. Was there a different route to get to the temple, should they choose to travel over water instead?

Were they more careless, they might have transgressed the byakko's strict adherence to their spirit duties without realising. But Genji, Ikari and Kayo were honourable in their homage to what little light was left in this world. If these illuminating yokai denied them ingress through the torii gate, then they had to consider respecting the inviolate order of the temple grounds ahead (even if they suspected that Karekurenai Temple had been already defiled).

They could consider splitting up, for Hakusa and Satoshi were clear. Or they could search for another way in. Or look for someone who knew better or had access. Or defeat the tigers in the name of greater good.

Denied entry, Kayo's frustration morphed into chilling confirmation: she was impure, rotting. She groaned and step back. Fighting a good spirit was pointless; she is not a fighter and it would only worsen her corruption.

She found a stone and sat, grimly surveying their options. "Those who can, go to the temple and find answers. For the rest of us, it feels like the taint is inevitable. I don't know what we should do. We can wait for you guys to return maybe? "

"There are few taints that clean water will not cure. There was a stream not far from the fishing village.

All problems here have waited a year. They will wait another hour."

Hakusa was being his manipulative self as always. Attempting to shame the haste of the others and in so save them in the eyes of the kami.

"Haste is waste."

"I lost sight of the stream once we got to the village," Kenji nodded to affirm Hakusa's observation, and thoughtfully tried to visualise where the water trail was. "I think so long as you backtrack eastwards, you can pick up from where the creek joins the river. No need to go all the way back to Itsuno."

"I will remain here. The yurei who came this way is my responsibility. I must determine where and how they are making their way to the temple, and prevent more from reaching the temple." The one-armed samurai still looked very much like the undead they were following, but Kenji sought to put a stop to this inexplicable summoning of yurei to Karekunerai Temple.

"You all will make better time if I remain here. Besides running water makes my lesions ache."

Hakusa was a hard read, his voice sounded tired. But then he always seemed tired due to his stage of consumption.

"You all will make better time if I remain here. Besides running water makes my lesions ache."

Hakusa was a hard read, his voice sounded tired. But then he always seemed tired due to his stage of consumption.

There is hope again in the lady's eyes. - " Really? A simple bath will do the trick? What are we waiting for, lets move please! "

Kayo simply gives a nod to the one-arm samurai, they didn't had time to connect and build a relationship so she doesnt have second thoughts to leave him behind.