Yamata-no-Orochi

[En route, along River Hii, Shimane Prefecture]

'Eyes like red cherries on each eight head on a moss covered body with eight tails, and trees sprouting out of it — a size so huge that it was over eight valleys and eight mountains with a bloody, inflamed body.' Alex remembered the text he read about Yamata-no-Orochi.

All the excitement and trepidation gliding up the isolated mountain from the parked car.

They ventured past a few small groups of crazy winter hikers who wandered off the beaten path along a running stream through the cover of the frost covered evergreen trees in the vicinity forest into the depths only for Alex to taste bitter disappointment.

All the effort to see the human form of Orochi standing before him as a tall man adorning the old Heian style kariginu clothing.

His appearance didn't look scary enough to convince Alex that he is the same ridiculously humongous scary monstrosity put together in the legends.

Alex was expecting a real gargantuan dragon-like serpent, akin to the hydra of Greek legends.

Then again, Orochi didn't look slain according to the legends.

In fact, Orochi was playing go, a strategic board-game with a rabbit sized tree yōkai, known as a kodama, until they entered the cave, hidden away by the trees from human sight.

The kodama bade a hasty retreat while Orochi stood up from his rock seat to greet them. Sounds of a gushing stream were echoing from the depths of the cave.

A yellowish glowing translucent choker clamped loosely around Orochi's slender neck, and attached to the long chain that stretched all the way into deep within some dark, dank, decrepit area of a narrow tunnel-like cave.

The choker reminded Alex of medieval European dungeon chains, only difference was the European ones were metal, but this one radiated a strange energy signature.

Only the birds were chirping in the cold of winter from afar. Not a single creature, but snow found around the treacherous slippery paths on the mountain. Not even a paw print or a claw print to be found.

The way Shamoji fussed over Orochi, who in turn paid little attention to the fawning, including placing a wooden barrel of sake, hinted at Orochi's power and possibly seniority.

"Told you. Not that scary," Shamoji nudged Alex as he placed the barrel of sake down in front of Orochi.

A few sniffs at the barrel and a wiggle of his nose, Orochi ripped the top off the barrel, bound by a thick rope with ease like opening a coke bottle, releasing a sweet rice like fragrance in the dank cave entrance on the mountain by a stream.

The terrible legend himself proceeded to lift the barrel and empty its contents like a waterfall straight into his throat, quenching a seemingly insatiable thirst.

"Where did you get the sake?" Alex asked, remembering only the bottles bought for Akama Jingu.

"When we got the booze for Ōwatatsumi," Shamoji shrugged.

*BURP*

Without a care, Orochi wiped his mouth with the long sleeve of his kariginu coat while his eyes followed Alex's every move with his eyes, a pair of reptilian slit-pupils on the purplish irises, as though waiting for an opportunity to strike.

He moved his neck in a snake-like manner sideways, causing Alex to retreat. Any more similarity to the infamous eight-headed serpent ended with those hypnotic reptilian eyes.

The serpent in the neat looking human guise is a fairly genteel gentleman with a charming yet feminine look. More like those K-pop band members, which girls go gaga over.

Nah, Orochi would have no problem with the ladies, Alex told himself as his mind wandered off to the legend of Orochi's slaying.

Orochi could eat them up in the thralls of passionate seduction, without them even screaming for help.

A pinch on his arm sent a small spark of electricity shocking Alex into reality of the garish X rated thoughts running through his mind.

"Don't gaze too long into his eyes, he exercises control through them," Yata whispered the warning a little too late while Alex noticed from the corner of his eyes noticed the slight wry grin of satisfaction on Orochi's face

Orochi had toyed with him like how a cat would toy with its prey before ending its life abruptly.

"Why are you here, Shamoji?" Orochi asked.

"Off to Yasugi for weapons," Shamoji replied in a certain meekness, like a kid answering daddy.

"Ah, Kanayago, that old witch?" Orochi asked Shamoji as he flicked his dark hair with the same purplish glint in the light as his eyes and stood up tall, towering Alex by a head.

As deep as his voice was, there was a ring of a certain gentle soft spoken soothing feeling about it.

"Yup, none other," Shamoji said as Orochi twiddled his thumbs.

"This one," Orochi pointed to Yata, who took cover behind Alex, using him as a shield. "The spider stands a chance."

"But…," Orochi glanced at Alex. "Him. None. Even with Saburo's charm."

Alex raised his eyebrow at the swift condemnation and, in part, curiosity about how Orochi knew the individual Mishakuji by name while his hand clasped on the charm tied around a belt holder on his pants.

"What are your thoughts?" Shamoji asked.

Orochi glanced at Alex, as his lips pulling back to reveal two long canines dripping small drops of presumable venom, and lifted his hand in front of his neck, sliding it across.

"Tengu food, it is ok just to leave him there and run. That fight isn't yours to begin with," came Orochi's callous answer in a slow, dangerous tone. "He can't even get to Kanayago to deal with her."

"No can do. He has a mark."

Orochi narrowed his eyes as they drifted down to Yasu Mawari's mark on Alex's hand, while studying the wavering Alex carefully. Then his eyes closed and his lips pursed at the thought of Kanghui.

Anyone who could make Arahabaki interested had special abilities in their own right, and she was an old god exiled from her lands. Rumors of her being tied with certain nefarious elements have not escaped Orochi's ears, despite Takamagahara's imposed restriction on his freedom.

As known as Kanghui was to him, Orochi never knew her to be a good teacher.

To his knowledge, many under her tutelage had perished at the hands of others, except for the spider being next to the former human soul.

Even the spider survived through sheer odd luck of meeting the more sympathetic Mishakuji, who became the spider's proxy mentors.

Sharp, glinting scimitar-like claws sprung out, covering his manicured fingernails, and his eyes burst open. Like a flash of lightning, he lunged at Alex who, like a deer in headlights, stood in delayed reaction.

With the sharp glint of claws inches from Alex, who crumbled to the ground, Orochi held back the final strike, despite the growing urge pushing him to sink his venomous claws into the soul and rip him apart.

"Reaction. Too slow," Orochi said, straightening up in front of a trembling Alex while his claws retracted.

"The Tengu strike faster and harder than I've just shown. If not for the chain limiting my agility and my other abilities, his demise would be faster at my hands," Orochi added.

Shamoji heaved a large sigh as Yata pulled Alex's arm to help him out.

"How many are there now in Kanagayo's area?"

"A lot over three centuries ago. Human habitats and deforestation have pushed the Tengu to retreat to the mountains more to avoid contact," Orochi replied as he turned his back on the still dumbstruck Alex. "I mean, just look at my Hii river. Dammed up by the humans and if the dam fails, it will cause a bigger disaster than I ever did."

"H-how do I-I-I become s-s-stronger?" Alex stammered, then gulped and steadied himself. "Do we just wait for me to grow stronger?"

"How many months does he have?" Orochi asked Shamoji.

"Before the Kannazuki at Izumo," Shamoji replied.

Orochi raised his eyebrow at the mention of the gathering festival.

"Can his marker even sponsor with that Yasu Mawari shrine? Last I heard, it is a forgotten ruin?"

"Arahabaki is the sponsor."

Without a response or a warning, Orochi glided up to Alex with one slide of his feet on the slippery surface before Alex could react, and his finger lifted Alex's chin. Shamoji and Yata stood aside, hapless, to free him from Orochi's grip through those eyes alone.

Did Arahabaki offend Orochi before? Panic in Alex's mind gave way to the 101 possibilities. Then Alex remembered Jinwu's training on shielding his mind, especially on never looking at the opponent's eyes directly.

Eye-to-eye with Orochi's hypnotic eyes, Alex tried to squirm and turn away from direct contact.

Alas, Orochi's fingernails dug into his cheeks with such force that his eyes turned back naturally to face the piercing reptilian eyes and a cold snake like watery aura flowing from Orochi's finger tips into his eyes.

Alex felt his body in a trance-like movement, yet his mind remained alert. Was he going to die at the hands of the great serpent being?