The Tsuchigumo Lair

Sachi walked in front as Yasu stabbed her back with one of his spider-like appendages, pushing her forward as he illuminated the dark tunnel with his silk ball of light.

Yasu kept Sachi in his sight, refusing to look away to be prepared to strike at any moment.

Sachi continued to walk forward, being painfully aware of Yasu's appendage jabbed in her back. She didn't blame him, she was a trespasser and given the history between humans and the Tsuchigumo his apprehensiveness was to be expected.

Sachi wasn't sure what she could do or say to Yasu to get him or trust her, let alone what she was supposed to do once she came across the rest of the Tsuchigumo. 

The tunnel narrowed ahead, Sachi's footsteps slowed as the walls pressed even closer together.

"Keep moving." Yasu's voice rasped behind her, sharp with suspicion but edged with something else - anxiety.

Sachi stopped moving and looked over her shoulder to Yasu. His appendage stretched as far as it could to reach against her as he kept as much distance as possible from her. 

"Don't stop. Keep moving." His voice lost the previous confidence now that Sachi was looking.

Sachi sighed. "We shook hands, and you said you looked forward to what I had to offer. So, why are you cowering behind me?"

"I'm not cowering. I'm making sure you don't pull anything funny."

"How could I do anything when I don't have magic?"

"That's probably just another one of your human lies."

"What do I gain from lying to you?"

"You're trying to get my guard down so that you can take me out."

Sachi sighed. This is getting nowhere. "If that's really how you thought then why are you leading me to your leader?"

"So that they can decide what to do with you."

"If you think I'm here as a threat then why not just get rid of me now?"

Yasu paused. Voice quivering in response. "I... I don't think you're a threat... Well... I hope you're not a threat."

"Why's that?"

"If you can really change the world then maybe I can see the world before my vision completely runs out."

"Can you not leave here?"

"It's forbidden. Our great leader doesn't let anyone leave."

"Why?"

Yasu's voice became distant. "The great leader likes to be in control..."

"Other people have left though. I've run into a Tsuchigumo before."

"I'm not as brave as those people... I could never go against the leader."

"Well like I said, I'm here to make a change, so I'll free you and your people." Even though Sachi said this, she had no idea what to expect or what to do.

"You would really stand up against the leader?"

"Of course. I'm trying to bring peace to the world after all." The fake confidence didn't protect Sachi's heart from anxiety.

"Well, we'll see what you can do soon enough. The center cave is just up ahead."

-

Yasu kept holding Sachi at appendages length as they moved through the dim narrow tunnel. The stone walls dripped with moisture, and the occasional chittering echo hinted at movement further in. A faint orange glow pulsed ahead - torchlight.

Sachi and Yasu emerged into a vast cavern, air thick with heat and the scent of damp earth and musk. Dozens of Tsuchigumo crowded the chamber, their appendages clacking softly against the stone as they turned to look. The flickering torchlight cast long, twitching shadows across the walls. 

At the heart of the cave, elevated slightly on a natural stone dais, sat a massive figure. Unlike the others, this Tsuchigumo bore no spider-like limbs. Instead, eight muscular human-like arms sprouted from his back, each flexing with unnatural power. His torso was broad, his skin taut and scarred, and four pairs of eyes glinted from his face.

The lesser Tsuchigumo fell silent.

Yasu shoved Sachi forward sharply. Sachi stumbled into the open space before the dais, the eyes of the entire gathering now fixed on her. Anxiety filled Sachi's chest.

Yasu straightened, his voice clear and formal. "Oh, great one, I bring you a human intruder."

The massive figure's eyes looked over Sachi from all angles. His voice booming with intensity. "We shall feast tonight. It has been quite long since we've had human."

The other Tsuchigumo whispered amongst themselves.

Sachi gulped as she forced herself to stand up against this giant. "I am not here to be eaten. I am here to ask the Tsuchigumo to form an alliance with the humans in order to stop the prophecy and bring peace to the world again." Her nerves got the better of her and it didn't come out as confidently as she would've like.

The massive figure burst out in a bellowing laugh. "An alliance with humans. You must be joking."

Sachi reached into her bag, causing the Tsuchigumo to raise their guard by extending their appendages towards Sachi.

Sachi took a letter out of her bag and offered it to the massive figure. "This is a letter from princess Kasumi of Motonari offering her apologies on behalf of her people and formally asking to join forces once again."

The massive figure took the letter from Sachi, looked at it, and threw it into the fire of one of the torches. "We have no interest in working with the humans. No princess. No letter. And no asking will change that."

"I understand the humans have hurt your people before, but don't you want to leave these caves and the forest and roam the lands that were once yours again?"

The massive figure paused. One of his eyes shifted from Sachi to someone in the crowd before quickly looking back to Sachi. "This is our home now and we shall not leave."

"But what about the prophecy? Your people will be wiped out if we do nothing."

The massive figure's eye shifted to the crowd again. Sachi followed his line of sight.

A woman Tsuchigumo emerged from the crowd, not much bigger than Sachi. Her long black hair nearly dragging along the floor behind her. Her spider-like appendages disappeared into her back to exchange with her eight arms. Her four pairs of eyes, forming into only one pair of eyes of black with grey spots. "Daichi, you have given my presence away. I do not appreciate such a failure." 

Daichi lowered his massive body. "My apologies my queen."

The queen Tsuchigumo approached the stone dais. Daichi raised his head and formed a chair out of his large hands for the queen to take a seat.

Once the queen took her seat, the lesser Tsuchigumo bowed their heads.

The queen looked Sachi over. "Why should we work with humans again? There is no benefit for us."

"You can take back the magic that was given to the humans."

The queen started looking at her nails. "We don't need the humans magic. We are plenty stronger than them without having to take their magic."

"Well even if you don't take their magic, by joining forces with the humans, we can stop the prophecy from happening and save the world." Sachi's voice continued to lose its confidence.

The queen didn't look away from her nails. "The prophecy is the downfall of humans. The Tsuchigumo and the Tengu won't be affected by the fall of the islands. We're hidden far underground and the Tengu reside on a mountain that will not fall."

Sachi was taken aback. She wasn't sure what else she could say to convince the queen to form an alliance.

The queen sighed. "So let me see if I have this right. You have come into my home unwelcome, put fear into my people by your presence, you are making demands of me when there is no benefit for me or my people, and the prospects you have brought to me are things that you have no power to stand behind. Even if we wanted to take the humans magic, do you really think they would let us do that willingly? I have strong doubts that a magicless human as yourself would make a very convincing argument to the humans."

Sachi froze. The queen was right. Sachi's argument was basically nothing. She felt foolish for even coming here. Her face felt hot, and her ears began to ring. 

-

"Let's find the strength and courage to try. I believe in you Sachi. I'm sure you can handle this."

-

Himari's words kept repeating in Sachi's mind. 

Sachi suddenly remembered Yasu's words from earlier. She took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves. "Do you and your people not want to see the world before your vision fades?"

Yasu looked up from the crowd.

The queen finally looked back at Sachi. "We care not for the world outside the caves. We do not need to see them."

Sachi clenched her fists. "When you say we, do you mean your people or just you?"

The queen's eyes darkened. "What are you trying to imply?"

"That you force your beliefs on your people. Perhaps they don't want to stay in the caves? Perhaps they want to experience the world for themselves? Why do you keep them trapped here?"

"All I have done is warn them of the dangers of the world on the outside. If they feel trapped and as if they cannot leave, then that is their problem."

Yasu gritted his teeth. With his dark magic and silk, he crafted a sword. Yasu stood from the crowd and charged towards the queen. Daichi saw Yasu approaching and moved his hands to protect the queen.

Sachi saw Yasu lunge towards the queen. She quickly grabbed the handheld fan and flicked it open, hurling a gust of wind towards Yasu. 

The wind struck Yasu before he could strike, throwing him across the room.

The queen didn't acknowledge Sachi's efforts. She only offered a glare at Yasu. "Do you care to explain why someone as weak as you would retaliate against me and make a scene?"

Yasu groaned as he picked himself up. "We are trapped here because you threaten us into staying. I want to go see the world. Run across the grass, see the sky, feel the sun. But you keep us locked up here by creating new tunnels and shifting the old ones so that we cannot find an exit. You warn us of the dangers of the outside but threaten greater danger on the inside if we disobey." Yasu pointed his sword to the queen. "It is you who is the problem."

The crowd hummed in agreement.

"I want to leave too."

"I want to travel the lands."

"I had no idea she was moving the tunnels."

"How could she trap us here?"

The queen looked around at the agreeing faces of her people. "Nonsense! Why would you want to leave our peaceful home for the dangers of the humans?!"

"This human just saved you from me. What makes you so sure that humans are dangerous?" Yasu questioned.

The crowded murmured in agreement again.

"The human looks harmless."

"You said yourself the human doesn't have magic."

"If they want an alliance then they aren't dangerous."

"Join the human alliance."

The queen clenched her fists. "But the humans are dangerous. They killed our people and drove us away..."

Sachi approached the queen and knelt before her. "I promise you I mean no harm to you or your people. I can guarantee the humans out there want to work alongside your people again." Sachi pointed to Banri's silk thread on her wrist. "This silk was given to me by a Tsuchigumo who lives among the humans. He says he loves the people and the village. They don't look at him differently or treat him differently. I know the humans hurt your people before, but the world is changing, and I believe humans and Tsuchigumo can live together again. Won't you give it a chance? For your people?"

The queen looked around at her people. She had kept them in the caves out of protection and duty. But the reality was that she was trapping them from making choices for themselves in hopes to prevent the disasters of the past from repeating.

The queen sighed and stood from her seat. "We shall hold a vote about whether to join forces with the humans. Open to anyone that wishes to participate. And we shall follow the majority rule."

The crowd nodded in approval.

Yasu approached Sachi. "I'm sorry for being so afraid of you before. You're the first human I ever encountered, and I wasn't sure what to think. But regardless of the vote, you gave me the courage to stand up against the leader. I never thought I would dare try to attack the queen. Thank you for making me brave."

Sachi smiled. "I'm sorry for being scared of you too. I really didn't do anything though."

"You gave us a chance to let our voices be heard. And you made sure I didn't hurt the queen, which I'm thankful for. I didn't want to be that type of person." Yasu smiled.

The queen approached Sachi. Yasu bowed his head and went to join the vote. "I owe you my thanks for protecting me earlier."

"I really didn't do anything. It looked like you would've been protected regardless of my interfering." Sachi said.

The queen shook her head. "Yes, I would've been protected. But you, a human, protected me. That speaks volumes and I shall take that into consideration if the vote goes in your favor." The queen turned to walk away to host the vote.