Tasakeru

BOOK I, CHAPTER 5

13 Jul 2009 6 Comments

by BHS in 1st Volume: Sword and Flower, Book I: Without a Name Tags: adventure, animal, anthro, drama, exile, fantasy, fiction, forest, furry, hanami, japanese culture, kemono, mammals, outcast, samurai, Tasakeru, web fiction, web serial novel, without a name, zero

CHAPTER 5

Lair of the queen

When all hope seems to be lost

Secrets are revealed

“1549^T2-20

To: Naole
From: Zero

“Dear imouto-chan,

We all made it out of Shinboku in one piece… minus our food, that is. By the way, I’m sorry I didn’t write back sooner, but the past few days have been eventful, to say the least! No sooner had we returned to Tasakeru than Drake appeared, shoving the corpse of a spider at us. The thing had been torn apart, like something really large and violent had tried to eat it. With barely a word of explanation, Drake set us on its trail and disappeared, just melted into the night. I don’t know how he does that… frankly, it makes my fur stand on end.

In any case, we followed the trail until well past nightfall, into parts of Tasakeru even I’ve never explored. Here and there we found signs of the spiders’ work, but still no nests. We were about to turn around and head back when we found the cavern.

I’ve honestly never seen anything like it, Naole. Right in the middle of the forest, a huge, jagged stone passageway leading underground. We couldn’t see more than a few paces into the entrance; it was so pitch-black it looked like the mouth of some giant demon. And that was even before we went inside…”

[From the letters of Zeromaru Takaichi]

Before them lay the entrance to the cavern, foreboding, dark and gloomy. Zero’s hand tightened on the hilt of his sword as he tried to gauge how many spiders could fit down the narrow passage. At first he thought the odds would be somewhat favorable… then he considered that they would likely crawl along the walls and ceiling, and he raised his estimate. Not good. Not good at all.

“Hey, Takky. Maybe we should wait until a bit later?” Faun asked hopefully from behind him. “Like, until after most of them have left?” There was a quiver in the vixen’s voice that sounded strangely out of place.

Ashpaw frowned. “I would advise against it. Any that leave will likely return bearing more victims. We would be remiss in allowing any to escape now.”

Faun cast a furtive glance into the dark cave. “Can’t I just chuck a couple bombs down into there? It’s quick, it’s simple, and it would solve the problem.”

“It would also kill any survivors left in the cavern,” said the badger. “In addition, we have no way of knowing if this is the only entrance.”

Zero finally broke his silence. “What would be your best guess, Ashpaw?”

“Judging by the size in comparison to the spiders we have seen, I would guess that they use this entrance to bring in their prey, and smaller tunnels to travel to different locations.”

Zero nodded. “Makes sense. So, this is our only way in. We should make a torch so we can see where we’re going.”

“Will this do?” asked Hanami. She produced a dry branch that was oddly smooth and straight.

“’Will it do?’ Flowers, this is perfect!” said Faun, snatching it up. “I’m telling you, you’ve got Sakura’s own luck! Next time we go to Shinboku, I’m taking you to the gambling house…” Looking much more relaxed, Faun tapped one of her bombs over the wide end of the branch. The wood promptly burst into flame, and led by its light, the group advanced into the cavern.

“It was horrible inside, like a nightmare. We were only about fifty paces into the tunnel when we found the first cocoons… Zero cut a few of them open, but the bodies inside were so withered that we couldn’t even tell their species. I’ll never forget their faces, like dried-up vegetables… And the further we went in, the worse it was. There was silk everywhere, all over the walls and floor and even the ceiling, and it got tangled in our fur as we passed. But I think the most frightening thing was that all the time we were going down that tunnel, we didn’t see a single spider, not one. Walking down into the dark expecting something to jump out at you at any moment… I don’t think I’ve ever been so tense. And when we reached the central cavern…”

[Excerpted from Hanami’s journal]

“My Gods,” breathed Zero.

The cavern’s rocky surfaces could hardly even be seen, blanketed at every inch by sheets of silver silk. Stuck haphazardly among the crannies were dozens of cocooned bodies. None of them moved, but placed next to each one was a small sac of webbing that squirmed from within. As they watched in horrified silence, one of the sacs split open to reveal a small, shriveled, ugly creature that slowly crawled onto the motionless form of the poor victim imprisoned next to it. Clumsily positioning itself, it pierced the body with its tiny fangs and began to feed.

Faun stumbled backward, repulsed, and nearly fell into a curtain of shimmering threads. “T-T-T-Takkeeeeee…” she croaked, hear ears lying almost flat and her tail fur standing on end. “Wh-what are we gonna do…?!”

Zero opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Swallowing heavily, he tried again. “There’s – there’s nothing we can do for the victims. Even if we could cut them loose, none of them would be strong enough to make it back through the tunnel. All we can do is destroy this place, stop these things from hurting anyone else…”

“Excuse me.” The sound of an unfamiliar voice from above them shook the Outcasts out of their stupor. It was a smooth, melodic voice, one that would have sounded pleasant, were it not for the figure it emerged from…

She came into clearer view as she descended from the ceiling on a line of silk. Unmistakably female, she looked as if some demented creature had combined the upper body and torso of a sentient with the thorax, legs, and abdomen of an enormous spider. She had a coat of very fine, silver-grey fur, with thin crimson hair that grew long, hanging over her shoulders and framing a face with deep red eyes. Her arms were long and slim, and graceful hands ended in three slender, tapering fingers. Splashed across her chest was a bold, crimson hourglass pattern. She lowered herself to the floor, legs touching without a sound as she smiled at them, showing a small, gleaming pair of curved fangs. “Greetings,” she said in that musical voice. “My name is N’Ktane[1]. I assume you are here from the surface.”

Through her haze of shock, Faun managed to stammer out words. “Y-y-you can talk…” she gibbered. “Y-You’re sentient!”

“So I am,” said the spider, as if this were as normal as changing weather. “You are the ones who have been slaughtering my children, yes? I have seen you through their eyes.”

The Outcasts all gathered together closely. Zero drew his sword and Ashpaw his morning star, both taking defensive stances in front of Faun and Hanami. The vixen frantically passed her torch to the doe squirrel, digging into her bomb belt with trembling fingers.

“Your children have been hurting innocent people,” said Zero, his voice oddly strained. Spiders he had been prepared for, but not one that could speak, not one that could think… Fighting an animal was one thing. But fighting a sentient…

N’Ktane tossed her hair back haughtily. “What business is that of yours? We do what we need to survive, as do you all. We need nourishment as much as you do. Nevertheless, my quarrel is with you in particular,” she said, pointing a slim finger at Zero. “You, squirrel, have killed more of my children than any of the others. And since you have been brazen enough to invade my home, I can only assume you have come to take responsibility for your actions.”

Ashpaw growled. “Madam, is it not correct that your children have also killed a great number of our kind?”

N’Ktane merely chuckled. “Killed many, indeed, but you will find that some of them are still alive. Sufficiently poisoned, but alive… for the moment.”

Zero’s fur began to rise on the back of his neck. She knew she was harming and killing sentients, and she didn’t care… “If you’re not killing them, why not let them go?” He dreaded the answer even before she gave it. Behind him, he heard Hanami gasp.

“Because I need warm bodies to nurture my eggs, of course,” smiled N’Ktane, her fangs sparkling in the pale light. “And it would appear that four fine, healthy bodies have wandered into my domain.”

Zero looked down. Closing in a tight circle all around them were dozens of spiders, ranging from smaller than his hand to the size of a full-grown watermelon, with many more appearing from every direction. They called excitedly to one another with eerie chirruping noises, their forelegs raised for attack.

Ashpaw sighed and closed his eyes. “So this is how it must be. I apologize, Lady N’Ktane,” he said, “Sentient you may be, but I am afraid you and your children are far too dangerous to be allowed to continue this aggression.” With that, he lifted his morning star high above his head and began swinging it in a deadly circle, the massive iron ball thrumming as it spun around.

N’Ktane sneered and bid her children closer. “Brave words. But I’m afraid we do have the four of you at rather a disadvantage. Lay down your arms, and I might -”

An explosion cut off the spider queen’s words. Faun had just hurled a grenade into the mass of spiders, incinerating some and scattering others like dry leaves. “Stop talking and kill them!” she screamed over the echoes of the blast.

The battle was underway before the smoke from the bomb had cleared. Ashpaw swept the morning star down through the advancing horde, flattening a few unlucky spiders that had ventured too close, and spearing more with the weapon’s multiple spikes. A few of the smaller legions pounced at Hanami, but drew back in fright from the flames of the lit torch, their dark eyes gleaming in the firelight. Those that managed to retreat fell victim to Faun’s continued volleys of explosives, which left little but charred remains wherever they landed. But for every spider killed, three more seemed to replace it, and inexorably the tide of creatures advanced on the Outcasts, threatening to overwhelm them.

“I think a change of strategy is in order!” Zero shouted above the din. He noticed that N’Ktane was hanging backward, directing her children like a general commanding an army… He vaulted forward towards her, springing off hairy bodies like stepping stones, both hands tightening around his sword. The blade flashed downward in a crescent-shaped arc, but with surprising agility, the spider leaped backward, avoiding the attack. Zero swung again, and this time the edge nicked her arm. With a snarl she swiped at him, and almost too late he noticed the small talons on her fingertips, oozing a clear liquid. He brought the sword up in a defensive position, blocking her hand with the flat of the blade. The two pushed back and forth against each other, neither giving quarter until Zero met his opponent’s eyes…

He saw her irises flash bright crimson, and a bolt of searing agony shot through his skull, like the spider was raking her talons over his mind. The squirrel let out a wounded cry and clutched at his forehead, just as a second bolt hit, knocking him backward. As the attack echoed in his skull, he felt a horrible sensation of his memories being rifled through by a foreign presence…

“father, i’ll make you proud, i swear it,” speaking those words before stepping into the back room

naole out in the snow, barely even four, shrieking with laughter as a snowball hits her

standing in the alley, white armor stained red

seeing the forest for the first time on the horizon

the old white wolf turning and vanishing into the night

Dizzy with pain and shock, Zero staggered backward a few steps. “Wh- what…?”

N’Ktane cackled at his expression. “Never fought a psychic, have you, little buck? Mammal minds are so fragile…” She lunged forward, and only pure instinct kept him stable enough to dodge out of the way, the wicked talons tearing through his sleeve of his jacket.

“Zero!” Hanami’s voice rang out from behind him. The doe swung her torch wildly and tried to move towards him. Faun and Ashpaw were still attempting to keep back the advancing tide of spiders, she would have to go it alone.

Zero struggled to regain his balance, assuming a defensive stance once more. His mind was still burning, his vision out of focus, but somehow he managed to take a step toward the spider. Another step, and his knees buckled as she attacked his mind a third time.

the old sword gleaming in the lamplight, “it’s yours now, keep it well…”

fellow soldiers all around, joking, laughing with triumph

on the hill looking back at shinboku as the sun set

pain, dull and aching as the guard knocks the wind out of him

“congratulations, takaichi, may the shogun watch over you”

“Order your allies to drop their weapons,” whispered N’Ktane. The glow from her eyes became a little softer as she spoke. “Do it. I promise to make your end painless…” The words wrapped around Zero like a fog. Her speech was blanketing the pain, dulling the noise and confusion of battle. It would be good to die painlessly… maybe he should lay down his sword. Some part of him knew it was a lie, but if it meant an end to the pain…

“ZERO!”  Hanami screamed, fighting her way towards him. Several spiders began casting their webbing at her, entangling her legs, slowly pulling her down. “Don’t listen to her!” She wouldn’t be able to reach him in time, the spider was already raising her poisoned talons, ready to bring them down on him.

“Takaichi, that’s your name, isn’t it? Zeromaru Takaichi…” whispered N’Ktane. “It’s all right. No need to keep fighting.” Her voice was inside his head now, soft and soothing, making everything else fall away. Sluggishly, Zero tried to resist, but he had trouble remembering why he should fight back. “Give yourself to me, and there will be no -”

“Leave him ALONE!”

Something slammed the spider back into the wall of the cavern. Zero blinked and turned his head, the fog clearing from him. He didn’t know what he was seeing, it seemed like N’Ktane had been attacked by snakes – but snakes couldn’t writhe in midair like that, nor could they throw someone with that much force. Baffled, he followed the long green things to their source…

There stood Hanami, looking scared and disheveled, clutching the flower from her hair with both hands. Growing from behind the flower’s blossom was a cluster of thick green vines, twisting and dancing in the air around her as if being pulled by the strings of a marionette. Hanami gritted her teeth and swung the flower down, and the vines all moved as one, sailing across the cave and wrapping themselves around N’Ktane, binding her further.

Zero’s mouth fell open in shock, and he could only whisper her name. “H-Hanami?”

“A mage,” snarled N’Ktane, clawing at the vines in an attempt to right herself. All the softness had vanished from her eyes, replaced by pure fury. “You’re a mage!”

Hanami’s hands closed tighter around the flower’s stem. Swallowing her fear, she stared at the spider queen, pale blue eyes set with defiance. “Don’t,” she said quietly. “Don’t hurt my friends…”

“What?” said N’Ktane in disbelief. The girl was clearly frightened out of her wits, trembling where she stood, looking as if a strong wind might push her down… but still she stood her ground.

“Don’t… hurt my friends!” Hanami repeated, louder than before. As she spoke the vines constricted around N’Ktane’s body, tiny creepers growing from vine to vine, fusing them together. The spider queen howled, and her eyes flashed once more. Hanami fell to her knees with a groan, and her grip faltered as N’Ktane’s mind infringed upon her own.

crops in the field, leaves spreading in the morning sunlight

a door slamming violently, she pounds at it, sobbing with grief

flames outside the window, throwing flickering light and shadows on the walls

flowers in bloom

Through the searing flash of pain, Hanami felt a strong hand lifting her up as Ashpaw came to her side. Another arm supported her weight, and she heard Faun’s voice. “Attagirl, Flowers. We’re right here!”

“Faun… Ashpaw…” Hanami breathed. Her hand tightened once more around the stem, and N’Ktane screamed as the vines binding her began to grow sharp thorns, piercing her flesh.

“You filthy little tree rat, how dare you!” N’Ktane howled and cast another psychic blast at the doe, not even trying to read her thoughts anymore, simply enjoying the sadistic pleasure of watching her body convulse. Still she did not fall, held upright by the badger and the fox, her eyes strangely calm.

As Zero rose to his feet, Ashpaw nodded from Hanami’s side. “Zero, Faun – finish it. We need to get Hanami out of here…”

Faun grinned at Zero, raising an eyebrow. “The ricochet maneuver?”

Zero hefted his sword and returned the grin. “Ready when you are.”

With a loud, joyful cry, the vixen hurled one of her bombs towards him. “Hoo-yah! Hit it, Takky!”

“BANZAI…!” The young buck batted the bomb with the flat of his blade, sending it hurtling towards N’Ktane. A resounding BOOM reverberated through the cavern as it detonated, a flash of flame setting the vines ablaze. N’Ktane’s screech of pain was drowned out by a loud rumble, gradually building as dust began to rain down from the ceiling.

Faun glanced upward. “Um, maybe I shouldn’t have been using so many grenades…” As she spoke, a rock the size of her fist fell from the ceiling, inches from her left foot.

“For once, we agree!” Ashpaw shouted over the growing din.

“Outside, now!” Zero barked at the others as he gathered Hanami into his arms. The doe squirrel gave a small sigh and went limp, finally relaxing her grip on her flower. The vines separated from the stem, but quickly took root in the cave floor, keeping N’Ktane pinned to the spot. Holding the doe tightly, Zero took off into the tunnel leading up to the surface, with Ashpaw and Faun close behind. Spiders were streaming past them in a panic, none of them bothering to bar their way as they instinctively charged forward to help their mother. Small pebbles rained down upon Outcast and spider alike, and clouds of dust descended from the collapsing roof. For a moment Zero couldn’t see, but then there was a dim light up ahead; he could see the trunks of ancient oaks just outside the cave entrance, he was almost there…

Livid with rage, N’Ktane clawed at the flaming vines as she watched them escape. The vixen hurled one last bomb over her shoulder, and it rolled up against the cavern wall shortly before it burst, setting fire to the silk covering the rocky surface. The flames spread quickly, much too quickly, and in her mind she could hear the panicked cries of her children. She saw through their eyes as they stumbled blindly toward her, attempting to help their mother even at the cost of their own lives. She knew that even a direct mental order would not stop them, that they would keep coming from all directions until the moment she died. N’Ktane closed her eyes, her flame-blackened body sagging against the cavern wall. Concentrating, trying to block out the noise of the cavern’s death throes, she gathered all her remaining strength to send her thoughts to the four fleeing Outcasts.

“You may have killed me, mammals, but I swear somehow I will make you pay…”

The cavern’s ceiling startled to buckle under its own weight.

“Even if it takes a thousand years, from death itself, I shall have my vengeance!”

Her mind traveled to that of the female squirrel, who had fallen unconscious in the male’s arms. N’Ktane steeled her will, directing her last thoughts to her, the cause of her humiliation… She pictured the squirrel’s golden hair, and inwardly she swore to see that hair stained red with blood…

“Wherever I may go, I will find you again, Hanami…”

With a dreadful roar, the cavern fell in on itself, and all was silent.

“Hanami, wake up.”

Her mind still burned with the echoes of the spider’s mental attack, but there was something pushing the pain away – a feeling of warmth, and safety. Slowly she opened her eyes and saw three concerned faces looking down at her. “Are you all… safe?” she murmured faintly, trying her best to smile.

“Thanks to you, Flowers,” chuckled Faun. “How’d you do that, anyway?”

Hanami’s ears turned back, and she gazed at the flower in her hand, stroking the bright red petals gently. “I-it’s this flower… My Mage Flower. It makes things grow.”

Faun’s eyes widened as she stared at it. For a magic flower, it didn’t look like much, rather like a cross between a rose and a carnation… “Like what things?”

“Well, anything. Anything I’ve touched…” Hanami sighed and waited for the hammer to drop.

“You mean – ” Faun slapped her forehead. “The strawberries, the torch… the privet bush in Shinboku! That was you?! Why didn’t you tell us?”

Hanami turned away, not wanting to look at them. This was it. “I…”

Ashpaw nodded, understanding. “Magic. You were exiled, because you can use magic to grow plants. Is that right?”

“Yes,” she replied in barely a whisper. She felt tears welling up, but fought to hold them back. “That’s right. I didn’t tell you because… I was afraid. Afraid I’d be rejected again. I just wanted… to belong.” She swallowed heavily. “I’ll go, if you want me to.”

“Hanami,” said a voice, with more sympathy and sadness behind it than she had ever heard from it before. Zero gently lifted her chin, his deep brown eyes gazing into hers. “We’re Outcasts. We know what it’s like… We will never, ever reject you, for any reason.”

Hanami’s heart fluttered in her chest; she didn’t dare to believe it…

Ashpaw chuckled. “You will find, Milady, that magic is not nearly as sensitive an issue here in Tasakeru. In fact, I believe you will be most welcome.”

“Hey, yeah! Yeah!” said Faun, beginning to smile broadly. “You know what this means, Flowers? You can grow fruit and vegetables just like that! That means we can eat… We don’t have to go hungry anymore!”

Ashpaw nodded. “A most welcome addition indeed.”

“So, then!” Zero turned to Hanami, raising an eyebrow. “Now what was this talk about leaving?”

“Everyone…” Hanami wiped away a tear and bowed to them all. She tried to say more, and the words wouldn’t come. But looking around at the smiling faces of her new friends, she realized that nothing more needed to be said. She was an Outcast, and Tasakeru was her home.

One a ronin far from home

One a maiden fair

Who wore a bloom of sacred power

In her sun-gold hair

One a thief, of charm and wit,

And one a scholar wise

Whose knowledge hid a champion’s heart,

A warrior disguised

And all of them in exile lived

In wilderness uncharted

These tales are theirs, for you to hear

Their legend only started…

The days of old were filled with bold

And wondrous acts of glory

Come one and all,  and gather ’round

And hearken to the story…

[Traditional fox folk ballad, circa year 1700, author unknown]

END OF BOOK I: WITHOUT A NAME

NEXT…

BOOK II: ETERNITY AWAKES

[1] Pronounced “knock-tān” – BHS

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