The little MCA ATV had seen a lot of use over the past week. It could use a wash and the inside had a definite 'lived in' feel of candy wrappers under the seat, a copy of Koseki's Otory pamphlet tucked beside an armrest.

Mumei'd picked up a pack of some kind of fruity energy drinks and had a holoslate full of mostly useless research notes, but she was still determined to try *something* even if it was just being able to heal anyone that needed it.

She offers what little, depressing, new research she's learned as they drive.

"So there's ways to maybe shoo away all the kami that are revved up for this thing...but that requires a lot more skill than I think any of us have alone and I've gotten nowhere on learning how to link efforts so we could work together on it."

Tsugiharu watched the terrain going by the window, idly wondering if it was all about to suddenly become even more monstrous and deadly.

"I wonder if that was something easier to accomplish when people weren't quite so far apart. Perhaps in a monastery somewhere there is an old monk telling stories of the miracles that used to be possible by shugenja working in harmony." he mused.

Izumi had been quiet so far. Well, quiet for him. He had SRS Fox expression only slightly put off by the blue hair and contacts today.

"Maybeifwe'dhadasmuchtimetoplanasthesecultistswemighthavefoundsomething?"

The Osprey chuckles. "Yeah...I should apologize to you all for not preparing better in my last life."

Tsugiharu smiled a bit, thinking back to their previous conversation about past lives.

"Well, I don't know about the sins of your past life, Nakuichi-san....but I'm glad that whatever you did meant that you were born as yourself. If these are to be our last days in Ningen-do thanks to cultists, I at least had good company." he mused.

He looked over at the Fox.

"I want a rematch before it's over Kitsune-sama. Fox rush needs to be beaten one more time." he said, alluding to the Fantasy Fight competition.

"Yeah. I'm pretty glad to be me, and be here, and to have met you all," and Yul, "even if here is going to go up in a ball of wild laughter as Sakkaku swallows it as a snack."

She listens curiously to the card talk, always an observer since she never could keep equipment or a deck in her possession.

Satoru was there as well he had been mostly quiet as well staring out the window most of the ride.

He turned toward the group "This Miai has certainly proven more exciting than i had ever imagined. Who would have thought we'd stumble onto a secret cult? I certainly didn't have that on my Miai bingo card." He said with his normal bland icy expression.

"At least it will probably look fantastic if the wild life surges with elemental energy and tries to kill us."

"Very comforting thought, Satoru-san," her lips quirk in a smile. "I'm almost positive this thing will be water based. If we're doomed, I'm going invoke them so I can at least watch them tear everything apart. Not that I ever expected to chose a death. But I think I'd pick this over decompression accident."

Mumei scoops Hiroki-plushie from the dash, and arcs it toward Izumi. "You're nominated to keep Hiroki-kun calm, Kitsune-san."

Tsugiharu snickers a bit.

"Well, in a sense we all came here choosing a death, ne? That whole end of your old life, beginning of a new life after marriage. Still, rude of our hosts to schedule literal death before that. Completely ruins the symbolism." he snarked.

Izumi catches the plushie with a grin.

"Atleastoneanimalwillbefightingforus. TheancientKitsunetechniquewillstillworkforme. IdoubtIcansummonabearspiritthisfarawayfromaworldthey'refoundon. Probablyalizard."

He waved the Otori at Tsugiharu as if it was the creatures he was about to refer to.

"IhavetheAncientOrochiandWrathfulYukinoOnnainmyFoxRushnow. It'sevenbetter!!!"

"I will admit that I would have liked that wrathful yuki-no-onna." he offered. "But in the game, as in life, the cards don't always fall how you want them to. Just have to focus on the next game."

He looked out the window.

"Assuming there is one. A snow maiden would definitely help with this heat though."

"Rather inconsiderate of our hosts, to be so literal, yes. I feel we should definitely look extra carefully at any future Phoenix miai invites. Assuming I survive I'll write a letter to that effect to my superiors." Mumei's grin is only kind of joking about that last part.

"AndIalwaysthoughttheastoriesofthePhoenixsearchingforknowledgebeyondwhatwassafeandproperwerejustthat . . . stories. OrevenLionpropaganda. Andhereweare, firstPhoenixplanetI'vesetfootonandthey'repokingatportalswheretheydon'tbelong."

He flapped the plush Otori's wings.

"IthinkHiroki-kunhereisbrighterthansomeofthem."

Mumei nods. "I think that's fair. Can't imagine how this sect made all this sound like a good and sensible idea, you know?"

"Maybe they took out an ad on the late night transmissions. 'Feeling weighed down by society's structure? Bored with knowing that your sandals aren't going to eat your feet? Hi, I'm Isawa Baka, and if you're like me, you're more than ready to give it your all to bring about the downfall of the colony we all live in." he offered.

"Yes well while I am somewhat surprised this is all happening I am not surprised it is happening on a Phoenix world, as Kitsune-sama said they are known for pushing boundaries. Though part of me is still very curious as to what they hoped to accomplish with all this." In truth Satoru didn't mind the local clan's history with dark and forbidden knowledge and secrets, its something he actually admired about the clan but endangering an entire colony? There needs to be a seriously Empire shaking discovery worth that risk.

Tsugiharu stroked his chin.

"Well, based on my research into them, enlightenment. The cult has a very...shall we say rustic view about the connection of man and nature. My assumption would be that they assumed that a rapidly industrializing world would sever their chance to reach enlightenment. I would assume that there was an internal political struggle within their clan for how to best utilize this world. The industrialist faction won, appointing a governor who envisions sprawling cities, and the naturalists gained the right to built their shrine as a concession." he theorized.

He shrugged.

"I guess the cultists thought this would be a much more permanent solution, then say, assassinating the governor and subverting his replacement. 'See, we tried it your way, but clearly the planet's meant to be a world of nature, not machine."

"Industrialisationisgoingtohurttheplanet. It'salreadyshowingsomestresspoints. Rakersinthefarmlandsanddriftersattackinghumansontherivers."

He almost growled.

"Theymayhavetimedthisritultotakeadvantageofthat. Tobehonest, Iexpectedittobetomorrownottoday. WhenthestarsalignforTanabata."

"Yeah, I was a little surprised they were using today instead of tomorrow." Mumei steers them around an impressive-looking hole in the road that's vaguely foot shaped. She doesn't want to think about the size of the creature that made it. "They need to figure out a balance that's not going to keep pushing them to fight like this."

"Even if we stop them today, I imagine they'll keep trying. I need to find a way to get in proper contact with the Osprey outpost here. The Phoenix can ruin themselves hunting after things they shouldn't, but we have enough trouble and few enough people that I'm not keen on letting them go down with the Phoenix."

Not entirely needed, but for posterity reading/following this.

Moving to here http://asakaze.fallenash.com/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=1139