Well, I'm fully caught up with where I left off the last version of the Story Hour, so updates will inevitably come more slowly. Also, bear with me as I try to regain my writing skills. It's been a while.
Valley of the Spiders, Part 2
The sound of Yagi's hooves echoed like thunder though the canyon.
Fukasu looked down and saw, to her horror, that a dozen spiders, ranging from the size of a large dog to a large horse, were climbing the sides of the chasm. "They're coming!" she screamed to her companions, "Hurry!"
Kakeru focused on the other side of the bridge, and urged Yagi on, but he knew that they couldn't go any faster without the risking the cart sliding off the bridge. "Get ready," he yelled to his passengers, as the spiders reached the top of the chasm.
Just before they reached the end of the bridge, Kakeru pulled hard on Yagi's reins, and the cart skidded to a halt.
***
When Tsurukokan peasants huddle together in their bamboo huts, trying to keep themselves dry during any of the hundreds of rainstorms that wash over the Land of the Crane each year, their thoughts invariably turn to Lord Inazuma and Lady Raimei – the spirits of Thunder and Lightning.
Though they collectively rule the skies from their floating sanctuary in Castle Raiden, Inazuma and Raimei's marriage is anything but tranquil. Both are possessed of a fiery temper and a fierce disposition, so any discussion ultimately devolves into a furious argument. Their arguments always begin quietly, with a quiet rumble and a brief flash of light. As their tempers rise, the sky explodes with bolts of lightning and great cracks of thunder.
Raimei's sonic fury shakes the air while her husband's anger scorches the earth, while, in their huts, the peasants of Tsurukoku quake and tremble. Silently, they pray for the two great spirits to resolve their differences, and to spare them from the effects of their anger.
Eventually, the spirits of Thunder and Lightning calm themselves and make peace once again. The bolts of lightning become bright flashes of light, which flicker and dim, and then fade altogether. The cacophony of thunder subsides, quieting to a dull rumble before subsiding altogether.
In the clam rain that follows, the peasants relax and thank the spirits for sparing them. Some may offer a bit of sake, while others offer a bowl of rice, in the hope that the next time the two lovers quarrel, they keep it to themselves.
***
Like the spirits of Thunder and Lightning, the swarm of monstrous spiders and the group of heroes collided with a sound and fury that shook the earth and rattled the soul. Kyoji, Takashi, and Musashi leapt out onto the bridge, while Fukasu swooped down from above.
One of the spiders jumped onto Yagi, who reared up and swatted at it with his tail. Kakeru grabbed onto his horse's reins in an attempt to keep him from charging off the bridge. As a result, he was completely defenseless when two others jumped up to attack him. "Ancestors, protect us from...aauugh!" he screamed as both spiders pumped their poison into his veins.
Fukasu and Takashi pounded on one of the smaller arachnids. It bit the young hanyo, who suppressed a shriek, and then retaliated with the point of her blade. Takashi followed up with a kick, cracking open the creature's carapace as it tumbled back off the bridge.
Meanwhile, Kyoji and Musashi had their hands full with spiders of their own. The straw-haired monk and one of the smaller spiders traded wounds. He smashed his first into its mandibles, and the spider slashed open his arm with its fangs.
One of the horse-sized spiders lunged at Musashi, who dodged its attack, and then sliced into it with his katana. It clicked its mandibles angrily, and then lunged again.
Back in the cart, Kakeru flailed his left fist at the two spiders surrounding him, and held on tightly to Yagi's reins with his right. The spiders easily avoided his blows, and darted in and out as they scuttled around him, biting and tearing out chunks of his flesh. He grunted as Yagi strained at the reins, himself trying to shake off a spider.
Kyoji cried out as one of the horse-sized spiders pierced his shoulder with its fangs. "Hang on Kyoji-san!" Fukasu yelled as she vaulted several of the smaller spiders to aid her friend. Jamming her ninja-to into its abdomen provided enough distraction that the spider let go of the monk, and turned its attention toward her.
Blades and fists and fangs flew furiously in the morning sun. As several of the smaller spiders swarmed over Kakeru and Musashi, Fukasu and Kyoji finished off the giant spider between them. Takashi summoned all of the fury of Lord Inazuma and Lady Reimei, and was able to pound another of the giant spiders into a mess of chitin and spider guts.
Kakeru tried to keep Yagi in check, even as his vision began to narrow. Musashi felt himself growing terribly weak, between the effects of the spider venom and the loss of his own blood. I must remain strong, he thought to himself, I must not give in.
The sounds of carapaces cracking and heroes yelping echoed off the cavern walls as the party and the spiders slowly whittled each other down. With the biggest, and most dangerous of the spiders out of the way, the party raced against the poison in their veins.
Fukasu began distracting some of the smaller creatures, which gave Musashi the opportunity to make calculated, powerful strikes. Takashi and Kyoji punched and kicked at the spiders still biting into Kakeru, finally succeeding in freeing their friend from the embrace of the arachnids.
As the last of their strength faded, the party was left with one opponent: a particularly tenacious spider the size of a large dog. It had sunk its fangs into nearly every one of the heroes more than once, and half a dozen times into Kakeru. Fukasu attempted to distract it, while Takashi threw a heel kick. His blow was slowed by the poison, though, and he missed wildly, nearly falling off the stone bridge in the process.
Kyoji followed up with a low roundhouse kick of his own, which the spider dodged easily. Fortunately for Musashi, and unfortunately for the spider, it dodged right into the path of his katana. "Die!" he yelled as he slammed his blade into the arachnid's abdomen. The spider paused for a second, clicked its mandibles, and then slid neatly in half.
"Ho. Lee. Crap." Takashi said between gulps of air, as he stumbled over to the side of the canyon.
"I. Hate. Spiders." Musashi panted as he sheathed his katana, "They. Have. No. Honor."
"Wow. I can't believe we didn't die," Fukasu replied as she dropped to her knees.
"Close. We got very close," Kyoji said as he leaned on the cart, trying not to fall over.
"Very. Close. Indeed," Kakeru gasped, and then promptly collapsed.
.
