The New Winds

Haruki volunteers to gather water for everyone, if only as an excuse to get out of the sleeping area for a few minutes. He starts by going back to the forge and looks at the where those things came from last night. Kokyou was going to seal it up, but then pretended like he didn't when asked about it in front of everyone. Something fishy is going on, and he wants to find out what.

The forge area is a bit more crowded than usually, as there are four guards in it.

The hole in the wall/floor is much smaller than it was before, now just a small section opened to the blackness below, small enough only for an animal such as a cat, fox, or raccoon to enter. The earth covering it is not very thick however, only a few inches standing between those in the room and whatever lies behind.

Haruki sees a problem and he intends to find a way to address it, but first he'll need to find Asako-sensei. If anything can close this hole, it needs to be powerful magic.

Haruki will find the Asako near the baths, about to clean herself to start the day.

"Asako-sensei, I don't mean to intrude but I have some concerns I need to bring to light and I figured your advice would be most appreciated. "

"Alright, what can I do for you, Isawa-no-Kaito-san?"

"I know the hole in the forge has been mostly sealed, but it has a small hole in it. Not big enough for those creatures to go through, but it is shaped to allow a small animal through. That wasn't intentional was it?"

"It is not, and neither myself or Shosuro-sama can get the earth to respond to our calls to close it further. It seems that whatever opened it up has ensured it will permanently stay open."

"How do I put this? What if it isn't the one who opened it that made it to where there is a small hole? There are many spiritual connections here, how do we know which one is influencing the fate of the earth?"

"I am not sure what you mean? Both Shoruro-sama and I communed with the earth who informed us they could not fill the space."

"I'm afraid I don't know exactly what I mean. This hole is too precisely small to be a coincidence. What if Sakkaku is trying to tempt another game. There is a possibility for great gain for whomever scouts the area first. With the mask, I would be able to go down there, but that would be a suicide mission right?"

"Indeed, it would. I would not recommend it. It could be that Sakkaku has some sway over the earth there, though that would be quite unique."

"I know the earth kami couldn't help you close the hole, but did they at least give some hints as to what is on the other side?"

"Some sort of city, it seems."

"Thank you for your time Asako-sensei. If I could make one suggestion to attempt to make the hole safer? What if we were to put a shoji screen in front of the hole to block the light from going down the tunnel? If they don't notice a difference in lighting, they might be tricked into thinking we sealed it successfully."

"We will cover it soon, it's just a manner of getting word from the Governor of what they wish to do.