Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Jorōgumo’s Den

Adam was startled by the woman in front of him.

She had an alluring face with high cheekbones and full lips. Her skin was flawless like porcelain and her long hair flowed freely like ebony silk. She wore a black kimono loosely with her shoulders and cleavage exposed.

Yet, despite her attractiveness, Adam's attention was drawn to her lower body. The rest of her body was a massive spider from the waist down. A pair of pedipalps waved menacingly at him and each of her eight legs was thicker than his torso.

"What do we have here? An intruder in MY forest? One of that bastard's underlings? No, they wouldn't dare come here. And that blonde hair, a foreigner? So, who are you, hmm?"

Adam looked around for an escape route but he could only see spiders in all directions. They were slowly swarming around him and cutting off his escape. With no other choice, he raised his spear. He had no idea whether he could even hurt her but he wasn't about to die without a fight.

He lunged forward while aiming the spear at her chest. Her pedipalps tore the spear from his hands and tossed it aside.

"Fufufu, you are rather handsome, aren't you? It would be a shame to just gobble you up. You would make a fine addition to my collection."

Adam tried to back away but her pedipalps caught him and lifted him into the air.

"Don't be scared. I won't hurt you," she said, caressing his cheek. "You'll father my children, after all."

Adam tried to free himself but his resistance was futile. Her pedipalps clung strongly onto him. His captor spun him around with her legs while spraying him with a sticky fluid from her spinneret. It didn't take long before he was wrapped in a cocoon.

***

The spider-woman dragged him into a burrow of tunnels. After a few twists and turns, he soon lost his sense of direction and gave up on memorizing the route. After what seemed like forever, they reached a cavern lined with torches. The cave was filled with crates and barrels and there were a group of haggard-looking men dressed in rags.

When the men noticed the spider-woman, they dropped everything and gathered around her.

"Ahhh, my love, you've returned! It's my turn, right?"

"No, no! My turn!"

"Me! Let me go first!"

They did their best to compete for her attention. One of them even grabbed onto one of her legs and started grinding himself against her hairy arachnid leg. The spider-woman smiled in amusement at their antics.

"Fufufu, I'm in a good mood today," she said. "So—"

Without warning, her face contorted with rage.

"That bastard Momotarō! Again!? Unforgivable! I'll tear him apart!"

She grabbed the man hugging her leg and tore him in half. She tossed the corpse aside and started rampaging around the cavern. The men surrounding her scrambled away in fear. Screeching like a banshee, she attacked anyone that came within her reach. After killing a few of the men, she finally calmed down and skittered down a tunnel.

While the scene was unfolding, Adam felt a tug and was dragged away. He craned his neck to look behind and saw a man putting a finger on his lips.

"Shh, stay quiet, friend," the man said.

He took out a dagger and started cutting through the cocoon. Fortunately, Adam was wearing armour or he would have received at least a few cuts. By the time Adam was freed, the spider-woman was already gone.

"Thank you."

"Please, follow me." The man led Adam through a series of tunnels and intersections into a small cavern.

There was another group of men here. Most of them were sleeping while a few others were staring blankly at the walls or the ceiling. Those awake looked briefly in their direction but quickly lost interest.

"Pleased to meet you, I am Echigoya, a travelling merchant," the man said.

"Likewise, I'm Adam."

"Edamu-san? Before we proceed with business, do you have anything you would like to ask?" Echigoya said, measuring Adam with his eyes.

"How haven't you ended up like them?"

"Them? Do you mean those who were crowding around her earlier? We've been calling them the enthralled. They... copulated with her."

"They slept with her?!" Adam shuddered.

He couldn't even fathom having sex with her. Sure, the appearance of the human part of her was attractive but her lower body was a spider! Just imagining it sent chills down his spine.

"Look around you, Edamu-san. There's nothing to do here and no way to escape. You'll start finding her comely if you've been trapped here for a while too."

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The mood became quiet.

"...she doesn't know about the people hiding here?"

"She doesn't care about what we do as long as we don't try to escape. It amuses her whether we give in or resist. It's a game to her. Ironically, it's the enthralled that you should look out for. They'll kill others to get rid of any competition. That's why we are gathered here."

Adam pondered for a moment. Judging from the sound of things, this place was safe for now. He could probably get by the next two days safely if he stayed put. The enthralled could be a threat but they were nothing compared to the spider-woman.

He quickly checked his status.

***

Main Objective: Survive 3 days (2 days 4 hours 21 minutes left)

Side Objective 1: Kill 10 yōkai (6/10)

Side Objective 2: Explore the island (78%)

***

He was surprised by how much the second side objective had progressed. At this rate, he would be able to complete the objective without setting foot in the fortress.

"What happens if someone tries to escape?" Adam said.

"Are you thinking of escaping? I wouldn't do that if I were you. Remember how she flew into a rage a moment ago? I am fairly certain the cause for her outburst was the king of Oni, Momotarō. We just need to wait for him to finish her off and it would be our chance to—"

"Wait a second, Momotarō? The hero? Also, what do you mean by the king of Oni?"

"Hmm, where should I begin? I trust you are familiar with the events that transpired at Mount Ōe?"

Adam nodded.

"Well, after Shuten-dōji was slain by Minamoto no Yorimitsu, his lieutenant, Ibaraki-dōji, fled to Onigashima and declared himself the new king of Oni. Unfortunately, the Daimyo of this land was ill-equipped to deal with a powerful yōkai like him. After waging a few unsuccessful military campaigns, the Daimyo decided to let the matter rest and even helped to suppress any news of the yōkai from spreading to other provinces."

"Why didn't the Daimyo request help from Kyōto?" Adam frowned.

"Do you think the Daimyo would want his incompetence announced in front of the Imperial Court? Besides, Ibaraki-dōji was laying low. The Daimyo wasn't desperate enough to do that back then."

"What happened?"

"Everything changed when Momotarō took over. You've probably heard rumours about how the great hero Momotarō defeated a band of Oni and whatnot. What the rumours failed to mention is that Momotarō is an Oni as well and was Ibaraki-dōji's second-in-command. After disposing of his predecessor, he proclaimed himself the new king of Oni and began a reign of terror."

"Hold on, that doesn't explain the feud between Momotarō and that spider-woman."

"I was getting to that. From what I've gathered from that Jorōgumo's ramblings, she too was a subordinate of Ibaraki-dōji. Apparently, Momotarō promised to make her his consort if she aided him in the mutiny. Something went wrong and the pair had a falling out."

"Even if Momotarō went back on his word, that doesn't explain why he's the aggressor here."

"Who knows? Maybe he's just tying up any loose ends?" Echigoya shrugged. "Anyway, we just need to wait for Momotarō to finish her off and it would be our chance to make our escape."

Adam eyed the man suspiciously. He had a feeling the so-called merchant knew more than he was letting on.

"And? Why did you help me?"

"Well, I know a way out of here but I need someone to protect me."

"Let me think about it," Adam said but he had already made up his mind.

Echigoya gave Adam a meaningful look.

"Sure, look for me if you change your mind."

Adam found a corner and sat down.

Echigoya's offer was tempting but he didn't trust the merchant. If the Daimyo went to great lengths to conceal Ibaraki-dōji's presence on Onigashima, how would a merchant find out and even know about the unsuccessful military campaigns? Echigoya had to be either working for the Daimyo or an agent sent from Kyōto to investigate this place. Either way, escaping wouldn't be a priority for him. Adam wasn't interested in becoming his cannon fodder.

He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

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