Yet another day was spent mucking through the swamps.  Taking turns, Iwata, Kentaro, Lady Anangikage, Ma Zhirui, and Talon Loneblade scoured the bogs in shifts.  Finally, a breakthrough was made, as chronicled by Kentaro:

Friends, it is my responsibility to relay what has occurred the previous night. Although most of you saw the corpse now believed to be Basho-sensei's teacher, you do not know how we came to such a place. I will try to tell the story as best I can.

For three days many of us searched the swamps East of Yanshi with no luck. I am sure you all shared the hopelessness I felt, not knowing if any signs would be discovered. But on the last day, accompanied by the brilliant cartographer Ma Zhirui, we were able to search in the most likely places for a straggler to survive. And as fate turned in our direction, a stumbling man appeared to us. After some water and healing draughts, the man was lucid enough to speak:

"Basho Genji! Is he safe?"

After explaining that Basho-sensei was missing, and then calming a frantic Asoka down, the old man explained what had happened:

"He came to me several days ago, telling me that he had been given strange instructions. He would say no more. He was almost keeping it from me in jest. Only this: 'You will be surprised, Asoka. It is a great surprise!' He had been quite despondent lately, so I was happy to see him like this. He led me to Shoushi and then seemed to prepare a spell. 'You are no magician,' I said. But he followed a recipe, from a parchment. He had written it to himself. How did he learn this? I know not. We went to a shrine west of the city, on the way to an outpost. Do you know the place? I have been there many times, and it is the place Genji meditated at often. It is easy to find. Once there, he began to lay out the spell components. Powders and liquids. Very precisely. I took a seat at the edge of the clearing and watched him. Then, all of a sudden, he raised his arms as one might a lifestone. The light was blinding! And I! I was staring right into it! Then, another voice! An old man, it seemed. The two greeted one another warmly, but, of course, I could see nothing. Perhaps he was assisted in some way, but I did not see the man before the light hit my eyes. I rubbed him, but my sight did not return. I was about to cry out, when suddenly there was scuffling, the swish of blades. There were cries of pain and then, as suddenly as it began, silence. I stood and wandered off for help. I found myself here, wandering helpless. None have assisted me until now...Thank you."

Ma and Kentaro helped the weary Asoka to the Yanshi Inn and contacted the rest of Jojii's Sword.  Soon Anangikage, Akemi, Iwata, and Talon were on their way to join the search party.

 Anxious to aid his new teacher, Kentaro hurried to the Shoushi shrine.  When he arrived, Basho-sensei was not there, but something indeed was.

A corpse was there, freshly dispatched it seemed.  And near it, two scraps of paper threatened to blow away in the wind.  Quickly, the pages were snatched and read over.

 

Someone had taken Basho-sensei!  As the others arrived, Kentaro shared what he had found with them, and a deep concern fell over the group.

"Perhaps west means the abandoned outpost in the mountains?" Ma Zhirui thought.  At least that was somewhere to look, as at that moment everyone was so nervous something had to be done, lest despair take them over.

(Continued)