CHAPTER FIVE
Underground Ruins
'Maybe these webs don't have to be such a hinderance...'
I leaped from stone to stone, that were hanging high above the ground. Hiraku and I had made our way deeper and deeper into the ruins, and discovered a few tricks and secrets along the way. One such example- rocks that were trapped in the webs made excellent stepping-stones on which to cross over them and not get stuck. A cherry bomb near the ceiling, a slash, or a strong gust of wind was all that was needed to get them into place, then you could cross.
We'd been traveling for some time, when we came to a room that was full of webs, more than the typical room. I hopped off the last stone and entered slowly, a little wary, seeing only outlines in the shadows and a large statue that was bound by the sticky webs. I heard a creak, and my ears swiveled around. The creaking, groaning sound continued and I turned around. What I had thought was just a statue was actually a Dogu, and it was fighting its way free from its bindings. Hiraku and I leaped into action, he went ahead, slashing through the webs, and I followed, paws aimed directly at the Dogu's chest. I snarled, and we both landed on the animated statue, I started to hit it with my reflector, and Hiraku slashed away at its face. Within moments, the monster collapsed. I shook my fur, I was covered in webs now, and looked ridiculous. I walked forward, and saw that the exit to the room was closed, locked by a door similar to the one out front, except this time there was no key in sight.
"Well, great. Another dead end." Hiraku said very sarcastically. "Well, you know what this means." I said, looking down at him, and he sighed. "Time to go back for the usual rounds?"
"Well..." I said, remembering what appeared under the tree, and taking out the object that had appeared in front of the tree. "Not necessarily..."
"Is that a piece of holy script?" The poncle said, bouncing forward. "I think it is.." I said uncertainly, not having seen one before. The kanji marks on it would suggest it was sacred, and used to ward off evil. "These are used for dispelling curses!" He said excitedly. I looked at him, and he went on. "Remember that curse blocking the bottom of the Dogu statue? This could get rid of it!"
'It would be nice to talk to another god. And this is Tsutagami's home, maybe he could have some advice for us.' I thought to myself. "Well, what are we waiting for?" I barked, and Hiraku bounced up onto my shoulders.
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I ruffled my fur. This whole area felt like it had been a lot of running back and forth doing various tasks- it was tiring, but I hoped we'd come to another breakthrough soon with Tsutagami. The small purple and white object floated and glowed in front of us, soaking up the webs and the curse, before vanishing into thin air. With the blocking curse gone, I crossed through the entrance into the bottom of the statue.
I was anxious to see if Tsutagami was ok, or if the evil beings were perhaps oppressing him, that being why they had blocked off the entrance. As I had feared- his chamber was in ruin. The plants were cursed and withered, and the area itself felt infected with evil. A barrier rose around us, and I looked around, ready to face whatever was stationed here to guard against well-doing intruders.
The monster stepped out of the shadows- it was an imp. Not one that I had yet encountered, nor one my mother had ever faced, but I thought I knew what it was. A Purple Imp. Resembling somewhat of a large Green Imp, instead with blue and purple clothes, and a different symbol on its paper mask. If I was right, than its large wooden flute-sword would be laced with poison, unlike the Green Imps' weapon. According to legends, these imps were known as one of the most dangerous of all imps because of their poison and usage of curses, second only to Black Imps.
I squared off against the giant indigo-colored imp, reflector creating light and illuminating our shadows the walls with its bright fire. It cackled at me in an implike way and broke apart its flute, so that a sharp silver blade showed. It tossed away the unneeded part and hopped towards me, bouncing off its knuckles, sword facing me. I took hesitant steps, keeping the blade in my sight, but not bothering to slow time. I snarled and struck at it, but the imp parried my blow and attempted a counter-attack, which I dodged in turn. I had to be careful with this demon. They are far more dangerous than they appear. It kept its blade raised this time, also keeping it trained on me as we circled. Hiraku stood on my nose, sword drawn, but I barely saw him, my gaze was focused on the enemy. I sliced at the imp with my brush, and while it blocked I leaped forward and battered it with my weapon. It squawked and tried to hit me back, but I dodged and blocked, returning every blow. I used a cherry bomb to blow it off balance, and while it was trying to recover I came down on it hard. Slashing and biting. I grabbed onto one of its long arms and kept a firm grip as I used my weapon, knowing it would be harder for the imp to attack me while I was close. It let out a loud shriek, and fell backwards to the floor. I hopped off, and watched as it sprung into flowers.
"What's up? You normally aren't that hesitant with monsters." Hiraku speculated as he picked up the yen. "The Gods are not immune to poison." I stated, looking at the spot where the imp had vanished into the floor. I looked up, towards the shrine as the fountains returned. I bloomed the dead grass with my tail as I padded closer. 'Tsutagami?' I thought, trying to contact him. 'Tsutagami? Are you there? Give us a sign! Please!' I said more frantically, thinking that perhaps he wasn't here, or wasn't listening. I looked back at Hiraku, unsure of what to tell him, or what to do. I saw his tiny eyes widen, and I looked back around. Two glowing spots appeared on the floor in front of the giant fountain. One was a bag with a green spiral on it, tied with a small string, and the other looked like it might be the key we required. 'Thank you!' I thought.
"Alright!" Hiraku said, snatching up the key and lifting it above his head. "Let's go back to that creepy Dogu room!" I laughed at his accurate description, and nodded in firm agreement.
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It was a quick, and rather uneventful run back up to the room with the Dogu, and when we reached it- I threw the key into place and the door opened. 'Thank you, Tsutagami!' I thought as we passed through the door, grateful for the god's gift. From there, it was a short walk to the edge of the tunnel we'd been seeking. I looked out over the giant main chamber, seeing the back of the giant Dogu statue. Above me, webs waved in a small breeze. There were no logs or stones to link them, but as I looked at them, I thought about the other gift Tsutagami had left for us, the bag.
"Well, now what do we do?" Hiraku wondered aloud as he looked out over the precipice. I grabbed the light tan bag out of my pouch, and opened it- seeing it was full of a multitude of tiny green seeds. Seeing as this was the last step to reach our goal, I threw some of the seeds out into the air, and watched as they scattered up into the webs. I used the brush, seeing the seeds as small green dots, and linked them to eachother.
I watched as the little seeds grew into vines, entwining together and looping down as they grew. They formed a vast bridge, leading from the ledge, over to the statue. I put a paw in one of the first loops as it dropped down in front of me. At first, I could feel it was unstable- but as vines grew and secured it, it became firm and steady beneath my paws. I crossed quickly, admiring the view from the vine-bridge, but soon I reached the edge, that hung several feet above the head of the Dogu. I looked down, the top was removed, hanging from the ceiling by the webs, leaving only a gaping black pit. I shared a determined glance with Hiraku, before diving down into the statue.
(AN: Next chapter…BOSS FIGHT! YEAH! To the next chapter!)