Setting Up (D13, LM. Open)

[Togashi Saruko]

Saruko shrugged, a gesture that could be heard from the way the fabrics of her clothes shifted.

"Some of it can't be helped. No one has travelled this far before in this part of the world because of the dangers... well, except the Nezumi. Part of the journey so far has been learning from them more of what we face, but, there's not much experience to draw on when it comes to saving gods from a realm. Changes come as we learn more."

Which to her seemed obvious and natural.

[Shoji Haka]

"There has been talk of sealing the portal," she says, frowning. "This one does not know what is intended, but doing so will require great magic, and all magic requires sacrifice. The implications are worrying."

[Togashi Saruko]

"Oh?" she was curious of what White-Hair knew. "I know its something to do with the Nezumi's magic, but... I'm no shaman or anything, so that's a bit beyond me on what the details are. I do know a bit about the spirit realms though."

"Have you... done anything like this before? Sealing portals?"

[Shoji Haka]

Haka nods slowly. "The Shojj have made many sacrifices to keep the gateway to the land of the dead closed. It is not a pleasant process, but it must be repeated to ensure that the world of the living is not overwhelmed."

[Togashi Saruko]

Human sacrifice??

That sounded pretty terrible to her. Well, Haka hadn't said it was human sacrifices, but she... kind of had a feeling that was implied.

"It might be different for the realm of Jigoku. The realms beyond have many different traits and ways to behave..."

[Shoji Haka]

"Perhaps? But even speaking with the spirits requires a sacrifice of blood." A pause. "This one hopea that she is wrong and there is a plan she does not know about."

[Togashi Saruko]

"It's... possible to speak with some spirits without such sacrifices. I'm not a shaman, but I have the power to let my spirit walk through the realms beyond our own."

Another rustling of her clothes as she shrugged. "There's some plan with the Nezumi, last I heard, but... I don't poke around too much with it since I don't understand magic that well. And certainly not their magic."

[Shoji Haka]

"But do the spirits do favors for you while your spirit is wandering?"

The mention of the Nezumi causes her brow to furrow. "Names have power, but this one does not know much of these rat people."

[Togashi Saruko]

"Sometimes. It's more like... talking to people. In a way. You can ask nicely, and sometimes they'll oblige. Sometimes they might decide to pull a prank on you instead. Or show you the way out. It depends a lot on the spirit, and the request made."

She sighed softly. "I'm afraid I don't know much about them either, so I can't answer most questions you might have. But... some in camp probably know more about what the Nezumi's power."

[Shoji Haka]

"Those sound like more friendly spirits than the ones known to this one," Haka replies, a faint smile on her lips. "The elemental spirits can be helpful at times, but the various ghosts are usually not willing to help others. Even my companion will not assist this one, despite having poured a lake of blood into it at this point."

[Togashi Saruko]

She felt a tinge of nervousness creep up now. A reminder of why she almost always stayed away from the realms of the dead. The dead were creepy and terrifying.

"A... lake...?" she murmured. "Uh, uhm, the dead are usually... difficult to speak with. They want nothing more than to be alive, or uhm, often to consume life. Some of them are endlessly hungry."

[Shoji Haka]

"Figurative lake," Haka clarifies, smirking a bit. "She was just saying that she has given her companion a great deal of blood over a long time. Enough that it could fill a lake." She pantomimes a large lake with her hands.

"And yes, many are hungry. Some are only lonely, and some are quiet, but most want nothing more than to feed. Those are the ones the Shoji keep from swarming across the world."

[Togashi Saruko]

She briefly wondered if a blind person would know how big a lake was... then maybe she hadn't been blind all her life, maybe?

"I didn't know there was a portal leading to such in our realm. So, uh..." I'm going to regret asking this, "... how exactly do you keep that portal closed?"

[Shoji Haka]

"The Shoji sacrifice a Kusabi every hundred moons. The Kusabi's spirit ensures that the portal remains closed until the time of the next ritual."

[Togashi Saruko]

"A... Kusabi? Is... uhm... they sacrifice a human?"

Why was she asking questions she didn't really want to know the answer to, but somehow yet was kind of horrificly drawn in by some morbid curiosity.

[Shoji Haka]

Haka nods. "Yes. A Kusabi is a 'wedge' that keeps the doors to the spirit world closed. It is usually someone that is blessed by the spirits, as they make the strongest Kusabi."

[Togashi Saruko]

Saruko was grateful that Haka couldn't see her horrified grimace. I will not set foot there... don't wanna end up as sacrifice...

"But... uh... surely, there must be other ways, instead of sacrificing people?"

[Shoji Haka]

Haka shrugs. "Maybe? But if something new is tried and does not work, then the hungry dead swarm across the world and eat all things. What is one person every ten years compared to all life?"

[Togashi Saruko]

Yeah, she hoped the Kami wouldn't come across these people either. If they want spiritually strong people, she worried what people like that would decide to do with the Kami... or their children.

A shudder passed through her at the thought.

"Maybe some other tribes out there have dealt with something similar. Maybe they know something. I... never really have spent much time in the dead realms, but I know someone who have a better understanding of it than I do."

[Shoji Haka]

"This one has not spent time there, either. Well, not yet, at least." She smiles. "Maybe soon, though!"