By now, the one-eyed storyteller knew that he had the citizens of Iron Town in the palm of his hand. They had been given little tidbits of a tantalizing story over the past three days, but never quite enough to satisfy their thirsts. The man had been deliberately telling his story in such a way that every day left off with some kind of cliffhanger, or at least a disappointing ending that begged to be expanded on. Now, he had power (however small), and knew that the people would forever crowd around him until the tale was complete. It could even be said that this man's story made the tradition famous to begin with, but that was debatable.

And so, after setting his scenery and introducing part of the cast and the antagonistic conflicts plaguing them, the one-eyed man decided to finally quench the desires of his audience. Up until that point, he had mostly kept a quiet story, with plenty of description but little action. Now, though, things were going to change. Things were going to get a lot more interesting--and yet, there was still so much to tell…

"Now, where was I…?"

Mononoke Samurai

Part Four: Spawns of Hell

The morning was the same as always, quiet and chilly with not much activity to it. Smoke and mist rose up in the still air, the leftover precipitation of the previous storm making things foggy and depressing in the small town. The sky was a drab grayish color, with a chill flooding the world and a soggy dampness clinging to the ground. There was a smell of depression, ice, and darkness in the air--a sort of unfriendly feeling, mixed in with the smoke and the chill. Ravens cawed overhead as they flew by, and Jack woke up shivering. Unfortunately, the fires that had warmed Ashitaka's hut the day before had all died down.

Jack stepped outside to breathe in the foggy, chilly air, and shivered again. The morning was anything but bright and happy--it felt more hollow and cold than anything else. The day was drab and cruel, and void of all life, and not at all pleasant. Jack had a feeling that it was going to be a long day, and a hard one.

Quietly, Jack walked towards the center of the town, trying to find one place that offered a bit of warmth. The only place that would suit his needs was the bellows that gave the town its distinct look, and it was off limits for the time being. Taking in a deep breath, and exhaling ghosts that drifted up into the atmosphere, Jack wandered around in search of breakfast, but found little more than cold, hard bread and a glass of water.

The activity in the town was nonexistent, but at such a cold and early hour, could anybody be blamed for not working? Still, despite the dreary atmosphere, the citizens of Iron Town trickled out of their homes to start the day, each one of them going to their place of business. The town slowly became animated again, but the chill of the day and the grayness of the sky still remained. Jack sighed, but there really was nothing he could do. It was just going to be one of those days.

As Jack moved around the town, trying to find some degree of warmth, he heard the sound of a hammer striking metal several times. The sound rang out like an alarm, ringing across the land with every hit. The people of Iron Town suddenly turned from sluggish and sleepy into chaotic and wild, and the entire town was thrown into a violent frenzy! People began screaming and shouting, some tossing their belongings in the air as they scattered, others knocking things over in their path. Jack, who was in the middle of the confusion, could only stand and watch as disorder took over the town.

"What is going on?!" he shouted. One of the townspeople, a panicky man a few years older than he was, stumbled into Jack and stammered out an explanation.

"Run! Run! I tell you, there's a demon coming!"

"A demon?"

"AAAHHHH, run!!!!!!" The panicked man sprinted away with his hands in the air, leaving Jack all the more confused. The alarm grew more and more fierce, and the people more and more chaotic, and slowly, Jack began to piece things together. That alarm had been set up to alert the town to oncoming monsters--the very same that might have come from the crazed necromancer Ashitaka mentioned! Without wasting any more seconds, Jack sprinted ahead to the highest point of the town, preparing himself to face his newest foe.

"Where is it?" asked Ashitaka. The watchman pointed a trembling finger towards the lake.

"There!" Ahead, swimming fiercely in the ocean like a gigantic alligator, was the monstrous demon--or, as it soon came to be, the demons. Three dragon-like heads just barely poked out of the water as the creatures sped towards the town, sending waves crashing and parting as it speedily drew nearer. Ashitaka stared at the monster in horror, but his fear was quickly multiplied by three as the monsters surfaced.

With an enormous flair, the creatures burst out of the water, sending tons of liquid raining down on the chilly town. It had not been three monsters, though, just one--with three heads. The monster looked to be something like a hydra or a dragon, or some reptilian beast. It had three heads, each one as large and immense and ferocious as the other. The heads drew back, as if to exhale a powerful gust of air, and demonstrated the demonic powers entrusted to them.

One of the heads spewed out flames, sending fire and brimstone raining down on the cold town. Relief from the chill came for but a second, then things began to crack and burn. Lava gushed out, incinerating the grass, and one unlucky man ran flailing around, his entire body washed with flames.

The other head brought forth ice and blizzards as it spewed forth its breath, freezing the lands that had been burning just a few seconds ago. Wooden walls and stone floors shattered under the column of ice and snow, and flakes of frozen razors split the ground apart. Another unlucky man had been caught in such a blizzard, and screamed in agony as his body became frozen solid.

The third head, not to be outdone by its schizophrenic fellows, crashed forward in a powerful bulldoze, smashing the walls of the town like a man's hand smashes through paper. Splinters of wood exploded out in a terrifying rain, and the flames and ice that had been spewed out were stirred up in a massive cyclone as the head crashed through anything in its path. This center head was as tough as a boulder, and though it boasted no special attacks like its predecessors, it was just as dangerous.

Together, the three heads of the demonic monster poured out flames and ice and destruction in their wake. Chaos was set free and the dogs of war yipped fiercely as they began to seek out their prey. Ashitaka, enraged at such destruction, unsheathed his sword.

"We have to stop that thing!" he shouted. "Bring forth the archers and gunners! If Eboshi's serious about using those tools, then there's no better time to use them than now! I'm going to see if I can't cut off one of the heads!"

"The gods be with you, young one!" replied the watchman, and he and Ashitaka separated to go their own ways. The prince hastily stormed out of the town through the broken walls, and bravely dashed towards the three-headed monster. The creature saw the small human, and let out an earth-shattering roar before plunging its center head into the ground. The head missed Ashitaka, but the sudden explosion of dirt and debris caused by the crash was much more difficult to avoid.

Ashitaka leaped backwards with all his might, but was still struck by the rain of earth. An entire mound of soil had sprayed on his body, encrusting him with dirt but otherwise leaving him unhurt. If he had not leaped away so quickly, he would have been buried alive from the debris…

"Monster! As you have emerged from the depths of Hell to wreak havoc on our peaceful town, so I shall send thee back to where you belong! Begone!" With that, Ashitaka charged the monster again, his sword singing out as it prepared to strike.

But from out of nowhere, there came a great scream, and a ringing sound so enormous that it was like hearing the very gods forge steel. A flash of white had darted out in front of the prince, taking aim at the beast with a single powerful blow. The movement had been incredibly fast, faster than Ashitaka's eyes could reckon--but the aftermath was so slow and deliberate that it seemed all of time had stopped.

Ashitaka, frozen from the sudden surprise, stood there gaping as he saw Jack kneeling on the ground, a sword in his hand. The creature was paralyzed too, and for a moment, nothing happened, nothing at all. Suddenly, time resumed ticking: the monster let out a scream, and a large scar appeared where Jack's sword had struck. The slice was somewhere on the monster's belly, emitting ooze and a bit of blood. Jack leaped back and got into a defensive pose, and stood there observing his work.

For awhile, neither he nor Ashitaka could say a word, not even as the creature began to wriggle and writhe in pain. The injury was neither deep nor wide, and not even that serious, but the mere shock of it was painful enough. Slowly, it began to stomp towards its attackers, revenge burning in all six of its eyes.

"We should attack the center head last," said Jack suddenly. "If that one is destroyed first, then the remaining two will mix their properties violently, and the result will be a massive explosion that may wipe out the whole city."

"How would you know that?"

"I have fought something very similar before," answered Jack. "Believe me, it would be much wiser to take out one of the other heads first. My suggestion is to destroy the fire head, since its powers are much more destructive."

"Right--or else, maybe we can turn their powers against each other?" suggested Ashitaka. Jack turned his head to smile at the young man, and nodded his head.

"A brilliant plan, but how would you do it? Especially considering that third head…"

"The villagers can distract it," answered Ashitaka. "I don't think their guns and arrows alone can kill it. It's like it's made out of stone. We should be able to draw the attention of the other two heads on our own. Would you be willing to participate?"

"For the kindness this town has shown me, I would be honored." Jack and Ashitaka smiled at each other, and clasped hands in agreement. From there, Ashitaka told a few of the nearby townspeople his plan, and instructed them all to distract the center head. He doubted that all their guns would be able to crack that tough skin, but even so, he advised them to shoot carefully. An explosion was the last thing they wanted to have happen.

"To arms!" shouted Gonza, handing out bows to every able man that came by. "Every man gets a weapon! Women and lepers, take the guns; men, the arrows and catapults! Load up and aim carefully, and may we have the Lady's blessing while she's away!" One by one, the citizens of Iron Town each grabbed a weapon and some ammunition, and set about the massive campaign. Up until that point, they had defended Iron Town through sheer brute force and determination, oftentimes with Eboshi coaching them on, but this time they were "on their own", with strategy involved.

As the gunners, archers, and catapult operators set up, Jack and Ashitaka each ran a seemingly-suicidal course towards one of the heads, Jack taking the one that spewed flames and Ashitaka the one that belched ice. The two heads of the monster scowled and glared, and vomited out their deadly contents upon their attackers, but both warriors were quick on foot and were able to dodge the blasts. The center head, the one without elemental powers, looked on in amusement and prepared to attack one or the other.

"He's going to attack!" shouted Ashitaka. "Fire now!!" Just as the center head lurched forward to plow up more earth, the catapult operators flung dozens of large stones and fireballs on the beast, smacking it on its rock-hard head. With so many objects falling towards it, the monster was brutally stunned and thus abandoned its initial attack. With a scream, it stomped towards its attackers and prepared to annihilate them all.

"Circle!" shouted Jack, and both he and Ashitaka went to the rear of the monster, desperately trying to get the attention of the other two heads. Their swords were produced, and several small slashes were made against the monster's backside. The creature howled out in pain, and since the two heads could not defend themselves by looking forward, the whole monster turned around to focus on Jack and Ashitaka.

Again, the monster spewed fire and ice at its attackers, but the center head was now learning from their patterns. It dug into the ground despite the rain of arrows and bullets striking its backside, and plowed in so deep that a massive crater was formed. A thick curtain of earth was shot forth in all directions, slamming into the warriors as they ran around the beast. Each one was bombarded by raining debris, and sent tumbling back in pain.

"Aaahh!!!" screamed Kohroku, the ox driver. "They've been hit!"

"Then let's hit back!" stated Toki, and the women all fired their guns at the same time. The rain of bullets tore into the beast, denting its rocky head and ripping apart flesh. The beast turned around to spew a storm of frost at them, but at that moment, one of the more clever catapult operators had let a ball of flaming dung and resin loose on the monster. The sphere of fire was sent hurtling towards the creature, and with an aim so astounding that it became legendary, the ball was sent directly down the monster's throat!

The creature gagged and choked as the fireball sank down into its frosty belly, and smoke began to come out of the monster's mouth. Both Ashitaka and Jack smiled victoriously as the ice-breathing monster was forced to swallow the flaming ball, and it seemed as if one of the heads would be out of commission. With a simultaneous nod, they both sprinted forward to finish the frosty head off, and with the combined power of both their blades, they hacked the head off.

The creature howled in agony and began to blindly claw at everything around it. The fire head and the center head began burning and smashing into everything, while blood and ooze flowed gloriously out of the remaining stump. The stuff was acidic, spraying onto the ground in a digestive sting, corroding the grass and soil and anything else it touched. Nobody was in the path; they had all wisely moved away once the beast grew berserk.

"This is looking difficult!" stated Ashitaka to Jack as they hid from the beast's rage. "Without that one head, our plan changes! I don't think we have the resources to make a ball of ice, and even if we did, that creature's smart enough to not get caught by the same trick twice!"

"Then we shall just have to wait for another opportunity!" replied Jack. Suddenly, the beast gained its senses and stormed after the two warriors, causing them to leap away from their spot.

"Maybe we can confuse it!" shouted Ashitaka as he ran. "If the villagers keep their part, we'll be able to overpower the last head! Just make sure you don't get caught in the flames!"

"I shall! Good fortune to you, my friend!" Both Jack and Ashitaka sprinted off, their new plan coming into motion as they surrounded the beast. Jack immediately stood in front of the fire head, and gained its attention rather easily.

"You! Ugly! Do you want to eat me?!" The creature did, and with one of its heads being picked on by the villagers, it was left to lurch after Jack alone. Suddenly, it felt a powerful sting in the back of its long neck, and wheeled around to see Ashitaka attacking it.

"Don't let that center head get an advantage!" shouted Gonza. "Keep firing! This beast is the hardest thing we've fought yet, so give it everything you've got!"

"I'm out!" shouted Kohroku suddenly. A runner was sent back into town to retrieve more ammunition, and it was up to both Jack and Ashitaka to keep the thing from burning up anything else. Suddenly, Kohroku got an idea, an idea eerily familiar to the one that had been used for the ice head. Quickly, the ox-driver called everyone around him, and whispered his plan to them. After briefing everybody, even Toki had to admit that the plan was brilliant.

"Looks like the Forest Spirit spared you some brains after all!" she said with a smile. Kohroku blushed and stammered, but Gonza fiercely reminded him that "now was not the time to get mushy". By the time the runner came back with several large crates full of gunpowder and iron balls, Jack and Ashitaka had worn the fire head out.

"You all know the plan, right?" said Kohroku as he loaded the catapults. The villagers nodded their heads.

"Right, right. What bothers me is that it came out of your head," remarked Toki. The others spared a laughter, and poor Kohroku was left to load the launchers in shame. Still, it had been his idea, and Toki had to admit that it was a good one. As Jack and Ashitaka continued to confuse the fire head, Kohroku lifted his arm up and waited for the right moment. The monster began to yawn, and opened its mouth to spew out flames…

"NOW!" he shouted, and with that, the catapults all flung their contents at the beast. A hailstorm of iron balls, gunpowder, and explosives all sailed towards the monster's gaping wide mouth, into the beast's belly, where fire was produced…

"RUN!!"

Both Jack and Ashitaka saw the oncoming hail, and knew exactly what the others were planning. Knowing just how well fire and gunpowder mixed, the two screamed out and sprinted away as fast as the could. The contents flew into the monster's open mouth, into the producing flames, and the results were both immediate and--no pun intended--explosive.

The powerful blast blew the fire head to pieces, sending flesh and scales splattering out like droplets of rain. It was a disgusting sight to see, and even more disgusting to suffer through, but the cheer that came from the crowd made up for such horrors. The explosion had been so powerful that it sent the center head (and thus the entire remaining body) tumbling back onto the earth, where it remained for a brief time.

"Come on!" shouted Ashitaka as he gripped his sword. "While it's still stunned! Everyone else, wait for us! If we don't finish it, you all should!" The townspeople agreed, and both Ashitaka and Jack made a mad dash towards the remaining head. The samurai leaped high into the air, swinging his blade towards the heavens in a screaming attack, while Ashitaka ran forth like a tidal wave. Jack's blade smashed the creature's neck at the exact same time Ashitaka's sword did, and together, the force of the warriors' attack split the monster's thick head apart.

The monster's head slowly rolled away from its body, and with a final groan coming out of its mouth, the monster died, and faded away into a black mist. The dark fog was thus carried into the wind, where it dissipated into thousands of molecules and atoms. Nothing remained of the three-headed creature, except for the destruction it caused and the memories it left behind.

Both warriors blew out a huge sigh of relief, and took that time to rest their bodies. Of course, the whole town was now thrown into celebration, and both Jack and Ashitaka--and the two men that had helped destroy the other heads--were lifted up into the air. Not even Jack's stoic nature could prevent the smile that came out, nor did Ashitaka spare his friends a laugh. Kohroku was eating up the celebration hungrily, and the entire town cheered and sang and celebrated the victory. Indeed, as Gonza had said, the monster had been the most difficult creature they had fought to date, and it certainly would have annihilated the town if not for the help of Jack.

But no sooner did the people calm down and thank their heroes, did even more troubles emerge. From the very earth beneath them, a dozen impish demons sprang forth from the ground, sending debris and soil scattering about. These twelve tiny demons laughed and cackled madly, and without a hint of reason in their minds, they began to attack the one-reveling people.

Taken by surprise, Jack and Ashitaka were quickly overpowered by the numbers, and even the other citizens were having difficulty fighting off the twelve imps. Sure, one might've been unfortunate enough to be in the way of an errant spear, but these miniature monsters were too chaotic and wild to fight back. Suddenly, as a few of them were about to pounce on Ashitaka, a blade whistled out of nowhere and sliced straight through one of the beasts, killing it instantly. A puff of black mist was all that remained of the beast.

With the surprise attack and subsequent death of a comrade, the imps turned around to see who dared to meddle in their affairs. Both Jack and Ashitaka were also curious to see who their benefactor was, and turned around to look. This new person was standing on one of the highest houses in the village, silent and still as a stone, with the wind brushing past them gently. Two cold eyes stared down at the place where the imp had once stood, and another knife was produced to finish off another. With but one single word, Ashitaka identified this new figure to Jack.

"…San!!"

To be continued…