Tired and hungry, and not wanting to offend the kami of the forest that stood between them and the torii gate, the five of them backed away from the byakko to seek to cleanse themselves first. They didn't fully know what the long-term effects of the blood rain were, besides making them stronger but more aggressive at the same time. But they had seen the madness of the elder's wife, and wondered if the fallen temple they sought was the source of all the corruption they witnessed.
They backtracked, relying on their sense of topography to realise that the river which Hakusa, Genji, Kenji came must have tributaries that fed into it. Instead of keeping to the path that would take them to the nio guardian shrine and from thence back to the village, they veered off into the forest thicket, this time no longer surrounded by the predatory growls of the tigers. The forest was hard to traverse without a track, with the moon hidden by the foliage it was hard to navigate a proper direction. Ikari's lantern, not meant to burn throughout the night, was finally out of oil, and Hakusa had to resort to his torches to light the way so they could see where they were going.
After a spell, best measured by timing of a torch's use, they could hear the sound of running water, not just the patter of the red drizzle, instead of the oppressive silence. Encouraged, they moved towards the sound, confident the stream was not far ahead. Sure enough, after a last stretch of stumbling, the trees parted to reveal the stony bank of a creek. In fact, the gurgling sound came from a low cliff from where the creek originated upstream, not quite tall enough to be considered a waterfall.
The remoteness of the spot made it feel safe to take a rest should the motley crew desire to, and the murmuring stream gave a sense of secluded tranquility. What was dismaying though, was the fact that the water in the creek was also reddish in colour, casting doubt as to whether bathing in it would cleanse them, or worsen their condition. What could be noticed though was that the water above the cliff appeared clearer, clear enough for them to see through the cascading water to notice a dim glint of light coming from behind the falling water.
OOC:
As mentioned, you're out of lantern oil, and down 1 torch. It's probably safe to camp here? You missed your chance to have tiget meat, so we'll see what you can scrounge up. The river is still red! But the water upstream appears clearer.
