Standing before Amaterasu and Issun was a huge, spider like creature. It resembled a female due to its long and matted black hair that fell over her face which had no eyes. Her skin was a sickly blue color. Her mouth was wide-set and full of teeth. On each end of her mouth was a horrible fang that oozed poison much like how her mouth oozed drool. Her eight arms were long and human-like but they turned around backwards so the spidery hands with crusty nails pointed in towards her. Her abdomen was the large flower that had been pulled into a bud shape with sinister looking hooks on the outside of each petal.
Issun cringed at the sight of the abomination of humanity before him. The way it moved might haunt him forever. It's smooth yet jerking motions that propel spiders forward. The voice of the creature suited it well with its raspy quality.
"You… you are the one that has been killing my children…" The creature said.
"Oh, those nasty things that attacked us were yours?" Issun asked with mock sarcasm. "Oh well."
"Foolish man! You have no idea upon what you have stumbled! I will not allow you to interfere with my master's triumphant return!" The Spider Queen spat.
"Well then, we're just gunna have to kick your butt and your master's too. We don't like darkness polluting our nice world, okay?" Issun smirked.
"You will pay for your insolence!" the Spider Queen shrieked. "Dog isn't usually on my menu, but for you, I will make an exception!"
"What in the world do you mean 'dog isn't on my menu'? I saw that dog that you ate up! Besides, this here is a GOD!"
The Spider Queen looked pleasantly shocked. "Well then! I'll send you back heaven. Hold still, this won't hurt a bit…"
Her head convulsed backwards and she shrieked, her howling cries echoing off of the walls. With her jaw opened unnaturally wide, she coughed up thick strands of spider web that seemed to have a mind of their own. They twisted and writhed in the air before locking onto Issun and Amaterasu's position. The cords of spider web shot at Amaterasu and Issun with incredible speed, but they were faster. The two of them easily jumped out of the way of her attack. Issun even drew his sword and lobbed off some of the strands.
"Go, Ammy!" Issun called out to her, commanding her for attack. She howled into the stagnant air and sped around the other side of the Spider Queen for an attack from behind. Issun marveled at her new found godly strength. When Amaterasu reached her top speed, grass and flowers bloomed at her feet, livening the dim and evil chambers. It must be the power of bloom and regeneration at work. Issun thought.
The Spider Queen thought Amaterasu quite foolish if the lupine goddess thought that she would confuse her adversary by running behind her. With a wide smirk, the Spider Queen jumped into the air and performed a one-eighty degree turn. Now that she was facing Amaterasu, she began a charge of her own. The ground shook horribly as the Spider Queen crashed over it, trying to crush Amaterasu under her hands.
"Get out of the way, Ammy!" Issun shouted. With a mighty leap, Amaterasu cleared the hands that the Spider Queen flung at her. Once on the ground again, Amaterasu began running back towards Issun. Issun leapt on her back as gracefully as a cat as she ran by.
The Spider Queen let out a shriek of anger and coughed out a pulsing, membranous, egg-type object. Issun felt slightly nauseated by the display but kept his focus.
With a raucous howl, the Spider Queen prepared to throw the object at them. Amaterasu skidded to a stop and faced the Spider Queen, raising her glaive. She used a well-aimed Powerslash that sliced through the air and the object above the Spider Queen. A khaki colored liquid spilled from the object and fell onto the Spider Queen's head. She screamed in pain as the liquid burned her skin.
Momentarily distracted by her own pain, she was blind to the oncoming attack by Issun and Amaterasu. Amaterasu launched herself into the air and landed on the back of the spider queen. With Issun's help, she began to cut at anything in reach. The acidic liquid eventually oozed into the fresh wounds, causing even more pain for the Spider Queen.
"NO!" She screeched. One of her gruesome hands reached back and grabbed Amaterasu and Issun off of her back. She threw them onto the floor and they skidded to nearly the end of the chamber drop off. Issun landed on his back and was stunned by the impact, therefore helpless to the Spider Queen's charging attack. He braced himself as the Spider Queen' hand came down over his head. Amaterasu snatched him up and jumped out of the way at the last second.
"You can't keep this up for long, even a god must tire!" The Spider Queen taunted.
Amaterasu snarled in rebellion.
The Spider Queen lashed one of her great hands out to snatch Amaterasu but she jumped high into the air and did a forwards flip. Issun stared in awe as she landed as quietly as a cat. The second her paws touched the ground, an explosion of plant life from a wave of green light pulsed forth. The vines that had been removed by the Spider Queen ages ago for her home grew back and spread over the floor, up the walls, and all the way to the ceiling. Along the vines blossomed large pink flowers. Issun and Amaterasu both recognized them.
The Spider Queen flew at them in a fit of rage. Her speed and strength increased now that they had ruined her home. All Amaterasu and Issun could hope to do was run. They didn't have much of a plan. That is, until Issun started to do a bit of quick thinking. "That Spider Wench has hooks on her butt! Use that vine power you have to hook her butt. Maybe we can get her to stop chasing us long enough to get an attack in!"
Amaterasu did as Issun suggested, using her godly powers to bring the flowers on the wall to life. The flowers twisted for a moment and then pointed their bright faces at the Spider Queen. There was a loud snap while four vines shot out at the Spider Queen and wrapped themselves around the hooks on her abdomen. The Spider Queen lurched to a stop as the vines pulled her backwards. She screeched loudly as the vines continued to pull.
Something amazing then happened. The vines ripped open the flower on her abdomen, revealing her vulnerable eyes to attack.
"There!" Issun shouted, leaping from Amaterasu's back. He ran over to the monster, his sword drawn, and jumped onto the flower. The eyes looked at Issun in indignation and rage as he smiled. With a swift slice, he cut through one of the eyeballs. The Spider Queen howled in agony.
Amaterasu joined Issun on the flower and began ripping the eyes off of their stalks with her powerful jaws. The two of them cut and ripped their way through the eyes while the Spider Queen screeched and screamed in pain. With a burst of incredible strength, the Spider Queen snapped the vines just as her final eye as pierced through the pupil with Issun's blade.
Together, Amaterasu and Issun leapt from the back of the Spider Queen seconds before she closed her bud. Her wounds prevented her from closing it all the way and blood leaked out from within it. She staggered around blindly.
"Curse you…!" The Spider Queen shouted, wheeling around to try and find them. Without her eyes, she couldn't see. There was only one option left for her. She threw her head back and spat out webbing. Issun and Amaterasu dodged it as the silky stuff fell to the ground. They watched as the Spider Queen felt around on the ground along the webs.
"I bet she's using that vibration thing that the other little spiders used before…" Issun whispered to Amaterasu. "Don't move or she'll know where we are… This place echoes something horrible so I don't think noise is our greatest enemy here, just don't move…"
Amaterasu stood perfectly still.
"Where are you…?" The Spider Queen cooed with malice in her voice. Amaterasu looked around. Standing still wasn't going to get them anywhere, there had to be some way to take the offensive again.
She looked up at the ceiling. It was hard to see because of the darkness, but Amaterasu could make out enough of it.
The ceiling was nothing more than a pile of gravel that had been cemented into place with webs. The Spider Queen had created it so that she could have a dark and dead cave. If Amaterasu wanted to restore the Tsuta Ruins to the way that they were, she would have to get rid of the webs.
"What the hack are you doing?" Issun exclaimed as shards of rock flew over them.
"Aha! There you are!" The Spider Queen exclaimed.
Issun flinched, waiting for the end. Instead of charging at Amaterasu and Issun, the Spider Queen ran head-first towards the falling rocks.
"Look, she thinks that's us!" Issun commented. "Do it again!"
Amaterasu cut away more of the rocks. They tumbled down, some even hitting the already weakened Spider Queen. The more rocks that fell, the more light was allowed into the ruins. The huge bud on the Spider Queen's abdomen began to turn a more healthy color with the light from the sun. The horrible monster began to slow even more.
"You will pay for your insolence, you mongrel!" The Spider Queen hissed.
"How's this for insolence; you got a big butt and not even a mother could love your face!" Issun shouted jovially as Amaterasu slashed the last of the rocks from the ceiling. The huge rocks rained down from above, crushing the Spider Queen beneath them. They seemed almost vengeful at her for trapping them for so long. She let out a terrible scream that was cut short when her body was buried completely by the avalanche of stone.
Once the dust and debris cleared enough and the sun shone powerfully into the room, Issun let out a loud whoop.
"Ha-HAA! We did it!" Issun danced over the rocks, making obscene gestures at the pile that covered the body of the Spider Queen. Amaterasu stood where she was but looked highly excited as she pawed the ground and wagged her tail hard enough to knock a grown man off of his feet.
"What now, you nasty old hag? We own you!" Issun continued to verbally insult the pile of rock.
Amaterasu barked at Issun.
"What's that, furball?" Issun stopped mid-gesture. He climbed back over to Amaterasu. "What's wrong?"
Amaterasu placed a paw on one of the rocks. A pulse of green emanated from the rock as well as a bright light. The power of Regeneration and Rejuvenation were combined in and instant. The rocks formed together to create an almost primitive statue of what looked like a dog while the plant life of grass, moss, and vines flowed over the entire room. The body of the Spider Queen had transformed into a gigantic and beautiful blooming flower, its face lifted proudly towards the sun at the feet of the statue like an offering.
Within the flower laid a helpless dog. Its coat was a read color and on its side were light markings that resembled flowers. Around its neck was tied an orange scarf, suggesting quite plainly that the dog belonged to someone.
"Hey, Ammy… you don't think…?" Issun began.
He wandered right up to the flower and poked the dog once, he was afraid that it had been caught in the attack and hadn't survived. He also assumed that it was Kokari's dog, Ume. How in the world would they explain to the poor boy that they had accidently killed his best friend. Issun held his breath, shaking the dog lightly, hoping for any sort of response. The dog let out a snort and looked up at Issun sleepily.
"Hey! This stupid mutt was just sleeping!" Issun commented angrily. "All that worrying for nothing, this is why I don't like pets."
Ume jumped out of the flower and ran around Issun in a circle happily. Amaterasu followed Ume's example. Ume looked moderately surprised at a wolf so huge, but when Amaterasu slapped her front paws on the ground (which is the canine equivalent of inviting someone to play with you) Ume barked and jumped right into a wrestling match with her. The two looked like they were having a good time. Issun couldn't help but smile too. He knew that there was still many more trials that they had to face, but they had done well for now.