#anongastly

i don’t often go out of my way to go to kitsune forest, and not many of them pass through umibe town except for a select few that i’ve spoken to.

ah, wait... i never asked for that fox spirit’s name. do you think it’d be rude to stick my head out the window to ask?

“it’s a Small Home left behind by People who once Lived Here, thanks to the Folks at victory road and this forest keeping it intact, I live in it alongside Gail. You’d expect a rundown shack but that’s far from the case”

you’re right... i have to stay calm and get out of here as fast as possible. i don’t have time to be loitering here.

[kappa takes a moment to collect his thoughts again, and though he’s reluctant to turn his back to the creature, he puts his trust in the zoroark who seems to know more about it than he does.]

thank you, i... it feels much safer traveling in a group.

[with a clear mind, kappa leads the way down the path less obstructed by trees and underbrush, the more well-worn path being his safest bet leading back to umibe town.]

[even without looking, he can hear the sounds of the creature following them, though its steps are slow and steady, purposely keeping a distance. the storm also seems to be settling down, the thunder reduced to a low rumbling and leaving the quieter hush of rain in its stead. it won’t be long until they reach umibe town.]

[kappa has calmed down, though the hostile spirit continues to follow.]

it’s a pretty common thing. unavoidable, really. but spirits who linger here for too long and let their emotions consume them are eventually transformed by them. whether it’s despair, hatred, or regret... you lose sense of who you were.

...hmm, ‘monster’ might not be quite right. technically, you’d turn into a yokai like me, and we’re not all bad. but once you become one, there’s no going back. you’d get kicked out of yama’s palace if you went, lose your chance at reincarnation. if a yokai gets devoured by a stronger, hungrier one, that’s it. you don’t go anywhere, just ‘poof,’ and you’re gone forever.

[kappa munches on his snack thoughtfully.]

i wouldn’t say that’s something you should worry about, though. you look like a pretty pure spirit to me, so all you gotta do is make it to yama’s palace and avoid any hungry-looking yokai, heh.