The Destiny Of Solaris(Book 2 of "The Planets In Exile")

Close To Victory

So far, Ash and Klaus had stopped four monsters, and they still don't have any idea about how many remained.

Ash: What if there are hundreds of creatures? Killing a dozen won't really matter then. I wish I knew the total count.

Klaus: Don't beat yourself on things that are not in your control. Just keep doing what you are good at, and things will work out in the end.

Ash: I hope so. Even though I feel good about helping you here, I miss my parents and friends. The thought of not getting to see them never again is devastating. You know, my parent's love suffocated me. They didn't let me explore the world because they were afraid that something might happen to me. As a result, I missed a lot of precious time. As time passed, I got habituated to it. And just when things were about to get better, I am here. I can't imagine what my parents are going through. The thought of them aches my heart.

Klaus: I think I can relate to your pain. I understand how it is to lose someone you love. I understand how it feels to not say to them how much you love them. Only time can heal your pain, Ash.

Ash: Does the pain ever go?

Klaus: I don't know, but I think a part of it stays with us forever. The pain might lessen over time, but it is never completely faded.

Ash: Who did you lose?

Klaus: Someone who is close to my heart but distant in life.

Ash could now understand that Klaus lost someone close to him and that was the reason for his sadness. Just as he was thinking about this, Ash's senses became intense, indicating that the next creature was close to them.

Since it was night, they couldn't see anything properly. Their eyes began to adjust to the darkness, and they could now see better than before. The trees around them were covered in webs, and they didn't like the ambiance of the place.

Klaus: Did you figure out what we are dealing with?

Ash: As we can see spider-webs all over. I think it is a Jorogumo.

Klaus: A spider monster?

Ash: Kind of. Jorogumo is a yokai with the form of a spider, that can change its appearance into that of a seductive woman when it wants to eat a human. Even when it is in its human form, its reflection will show a giant spider. It can not be killed by any kind of poison. The name Jorogumo is that of the Nephila Clavata, a real kind of spider.

Klaus: Can you see it?

Ash: It might probably be somewhere hiding in the trees. It is difficult to spot it as the vegetation is thick and the atmosphere is dark.

Klaus: Keep your eyes wide open.

Ash: I'm trying.

Klaus: How to kill it?

Ash: Well, there are very few weaknesses and also, surface-level research on this topic; however, her reflection in a mirror will always be that of her true form, and her webs can be cut, though they can not be broken by brute force. One man used this to cut her webs, and tangle them around a tree stump. There's also one case, where Jorogumo decided to spare a man in exchange that he never talks about what he saw when he encountered her, something that's very common in Japanese folklore though rare for this spider.

Klaus: I cannot see any tree stump here. Also, tangling doesn't stop it, it would only delay it. So the only way left is to request that we would keep its identity a secret.

Ash: There is also a dangerous way.

Klaus: I am all ears.

Ash: It is believed that Jorogumo's source of power lies in its abdomen and if you are able to damage its abdomen, there might be a chance for us to stop it. But if you come in contact with its fangs or legs, then the poison it induces in your body would be fatal.

Klaus: Then I'll just have to be careful.

Just as they were walking, Jorogumo crawls down from a tree and stands before them. Klaus immediately drew his sword and started to attack. Jorogumo remained stunned for a moment as it was not expecting an attack such faster, which gave Klaus an element of surprise. Klaus slid under Jorogumo and started to slice off Jorogumo's abdomen. Jorogumo tried to protect its abdomen by covering it with its legs. As a result, its mobility was greatly reduced. Klaus now had the upper hand and kept attacking without giving any time for Jorogumo to settle and counterattack.

When Jorogumo finally realized that its defeat is certain. It started saying, ' Spare me and I'll let you go. '

Klaus and Ash were surprised as this was the first time that a creature of Yokai talked with them. Klaus stopped attacking and stood back.

Jorogumo: I will let you go if you keep my identity a secret.

Klaus: We have no intention of killing you if you go back to wherever you came from and stop feeding the energy to demons. Is that okay?

Jorogumo: Yes.

As soon as they came to an understanding, Jorogumo soon disappeared into the woods.

Klaus: Well, the creature was reasonable.

Ash: It appears so.

Klaus: What do you have on Jorogumo?

Ash: A Jorogumo is a Japanese entity that's an arachnid who can take the form of a beautiful woman. They often feed on men and are believed by some to be formed when a spider turns 400 years old. In spider form, they often start small but can get big enough by eating small birds. They live in a large variety of areas. They are also rather intelligent and known to see humans as nothing more than food.

Let me tell you some stories associated with it.

One day a logger was going to his work. Since logging is an exhausting business, seeing as how this was the Edo period in Japan and the chainsaw hadn’t been invented yet, the man decides to take a short break. He hears the crash of a waterfall nearby and decides that sitting on the stream bank and watching the waterfall would be a pleasant way to spend his lunch break.

However, no sooner has the man settled himself and unpacked his food than a strange something attaches itself to his foot. Puzzled, the man pulls the sticky substance off. He sees that it is something like spider silk. He sticks the stuff to a nearby log. A moment later, the log goes zipping across the stream bank, only to disappear beneath the churning waters of the waterfall. Not a little spooked, our logger decides it’s best to take his lunch break elsewhere and he beats a hasty retreat back into the woods.

Our nameless logger might not know it, but he’s just had an encounter with a Jorogumo, whose name translates to either ‘binding bride’ or ‘w***e spider’.

There is also a variation to the above story where a logger's axe falls into the river. After he accidentally dropped his axe into the water, he dove into the pool to find it; then a beautiful woman appeared and returned the axe, telling him never to tell anyone about her. While the logger kept the promise, he began to feel anxious about the incident. One day while he was drunk, he told his secret and finally felt at ease. He then fell into a deep sleep never to awaken again.

Another variation is the logger falls in love with the woman Jorogumo and starts visiting the falls every day to see her. But as time passes, he starts growing weaker and weaker. A monk from a neighboring temple believes the logger has been trapped by the spider, so he and the logger go to the waterfall together, and the monk reads a Buddhist Sūtra there. While the monk reads the sutra, spider threads appear from the pool and attempt to wrap themselves around the logger, but the monk shouts his Buddhist chant and they disappear. Though the logger soon realizes that the woman was a spider, he cannot forget his love for her. He then asks for help from a Tengu, master of the Yōkai of the mountain, but the Tengu forbids this love. The logger was unwilling to give up his love for the Jorōgumo. While running back to the waterfall he is caught by the silk threads and finally falls into the water, never to surface again.

Jorogumo is said to come to be when a spider, most often a species of orb-weaver, comes to be 400 years old. On its 400th birthday, the spider gains strange powers and becomes the size of a cow. It can then change its shape to a beautiful woman. It uses this shape and its skill at playing biwa(a musical instrument) to lure victims into its traps, where it then binds their feet and stores them away for later feeding.

The story I told above contains the basics of the typical Jorogumo story. The creatures are often, but not exclusively, associated with waterfalls. Many times they are considered malevolent, but in some places, a Jorogumo is worshiped as a protective spirit who saves people from drowning.

Jorogumo's favorite prey is young, handsome men who are looking for love. When a Jorogumo spots a man she desires, she invites him into her home, and he is usually never seen again. They can spin silk threads strong enough to ensnare a grown man so that he cannot escape. They also have a powerful venom that can slowly weaken a man day by day, allowing the spider to savor the long and painful death her victim suffers. They can control other, lesser spiders, even employing fire-breathing spiders to burn down the homes of any who grow suspicious of them. A Jorogumo can operate like this for years and years, even in the middle of a busy city, while the desiccated skeletons of hundreds of youth build up in her home.

Klaus: I would have been a skeptic about all these if had not encountered them now. I wonder what were you thinking when your friend forcefully imparted such wisdom to you.

Ash: No doubt the stories were too interesting, but learning about them and my friend believing in them to exist in the past made us mad. Really, really mad. But we knew how he was so we went with the flow and now I feel so good. My presence matters now. I wanted to play a big role in my life and finally, I am doing. There is a sense of fulfillment in my life.

Klaus just flashed a smile.

Ash: As we are defeating the monsters, my mind feels free as if the pressure on my mind is decreasing. Can it mean that only a few monsters are left?

Klaus: Let's not draw any conclusion, but it is a good sign. If what you think is true, then the demon army must have been reduced to a great extent. I believe we can completely eliminate them if we progress at this rate.

Ash: I sense another one nearby.