Chapter 4: Shinsogai Land
The remaining walk to the cliff face was considerably easier than before in that there was no longer any danger in their path. San was the first in line for the main power and Ashitaka second for auxiliary and Lady eboshi in back for safety lying upon the wolf right across his back. The wolf, though, didn't seem too happy about the woman on his back and repeatedly tried to shake her to one side when she was too heavy on the other, but San told him not to do that repeatedly as well. A number of times Eboshi nearly fell off, but luckily stayed on her steed as if she were concentrating consciously.
By sundown the party reached the cliff face and climbed to the very top using the quite primitive steps that were carved from the rock. Later, when they reached the top, Ashitaka laid Lady Eboshi on one of the fur blankets and stepped out onto the crevice next to San who was apprently in deep thought.
"Ashitaka, I'm afraid." was all she said at the moment.
"You have no reason to be" Ashitaka consoled.
"But, you see, the Shinsogai Clan inherited that farm around 19 years ago, I was 3 years old." She seemed very teary and weak to Ashitaka now.
"Why? Did something happen there?" Ashitaka was Baffled.
"It all started when I went there, I had just been abandoned in these woods by my real parents, who I regret to say were humans. I looked inside the barn to find all these White Wolves. All of them were pure white, their coats so shiny and neat. I longed to have one of my own to ride. The farmer passed away 3 days later and since I had to fend for my own food, I hardly noticed, I would just continue to see the Wolves neglected. It turns out the Farmer had no imediate family and the wolves were set free. I cried and cried until they took me in as their own. My past was so much fan after that, I even got to see you."
"So you hate humans mainly because they abandoned you." Ashitaka had struck something
San started to sob in her hands and cried out, "I felt as if the human race had kicked me out! That is a terrible feeling of exile I regret to say because I look so tough!"
Ashitaka took her into his arms and cradled her unto the sun had finally fallen and the moon shone brightly in the sky.
"San, is it time?" Ashitaka inquired
"It is." San replied in a courageous manner.
The two of them trudged along the rocky path towards the old barn in a hurry. San guided since her sight was more superior than most human eyes placed together.
"Ashitaka! Please don't lag behind, we're almost there." At the sound of her voice, Ashitaka leapt over a whole crevice and continued strictly behind her the rest of the journey. At the barn, Ashitaka took out his pouch and pulled out of it, a knife. The knife wouldn't cut through the hardened barbed wire no matter what his, or San's, strength was. It was impossible. They squated and walked all the way around the barn to a sign that read "KEEP OUT" with graffiti written over it such as "Lulu is a pig" and "Demon Walker". They both slipped inside and turned the light switch just to check if anything wojuld happen. To their amazement, the generator started to work almost imediately from what they could hear and the lights turned from dim to bright almost at the same time.
San started to cry even more than before. Ashitaka asked once more, "Why are you crying?"
"I'm crying because all of those wolves that didn't leave the barn in time turned to demons and died here." She said it quite fast to get it out of the way and to press forward.
Ashitaka did press forward without having to be told once. Into the small kitchen, he took a 9" knife out of the drawer by the broken refrigerator and unusable sink. As they crept further down the corridor alongside the kitchen, the floorboards creaked and rattled with each of their steps upon it. A demon came from behind one of the crumbling walls. San stepped back and Ashitaka narrowly missed being bitten by the writhing beast! San lunged forward with her dagger and peirced the fiend neck in her fury. The foe dropped to the ground and dissolved into a puddle of reddish-black goo. They both realized now that they had both walked too far during the fight that they were now both lost in the maze of rooms and halls.
"Ashitaka, please don't let anything hurt me" San was more scared after the last battle, but now the she knew what she was facing, it seemed a bit more of an ease to face them.
It wasn't until the last room with the Matzamuto where they had forgotten it was Shinsogai Land and had to steal the rewards from the Shinsogai Farmer's Spirit. Quickly, realizing this, San and Ashitaka turned around to get out of the premises but was there to greet a wall that wasn't there instead. San turned around with a furrowed brow and Ashitaka with a sullen look upon his face. They both gingerly took their first steps forward toward the muffled screams at the center of the empty room while still watching out for missing or loose floorboards. Glints of moonlight shot through the cracks in the barn and made the Matzamuto shine in the dew they were content with being in. The little pools of water in the stalks of the plant shook as a rumble broke out in the room. A small appirition was seen across the room and San gave a rather soft screech, but Ashitaka just gave a deeper scowl for what was to come.
"Ashitaka, I know you won't let it hurt me. We'll be ok."
"CRASH!" "RUMBLE!" It sounded as though someone had broken right through a wall in the hall where the beast was fought before. Like a person hitting frywall and falling into another room...