Sword in the Mist

Chapter 3: The Girl in the Shed

"Just as the water reflects the stars and the moon, the body reflects the mind and soul."

When I'd finally regained consciousness, I found myself unable to move my limbs, as if bound by a tight rope.

"I see you're awake." A familiar voice beckoned, "Don't move too much now, you're tied up by my silk; if you squirm too much you might get hurt."

Dreadfully opening my eyes, I stared my capturer in the eyes.

"What's with the mean stare? That's not nice you know." She teased

Analyzing the rest of my surroundings, I realized that I was now being held captive in the wooden shed. And not only that, but I wasn't the only one being held here; beside me was a girl that hand her hands and feet restrained along with her mouth covered.

"Why do you have me here?"

"The better question would be, why did you come here? Chasing after this girl, maybe?"

"I have no idea who she is."

"Likely story. Then tell me why you came here, and maybe I'll let you live."

Subtly scanning the room, I managed to locate my sword in the corner. Now the only problem would be getting my hands loose.

Suddenly she teleported over to me, yelling in my face "Silence won't help you!". This time she spoke in a much coarser voice, a high contrast to the gentle tone she'd been using up to now.

Choosing not to talk, I continued trying to bide my time until I came up with a way out of this situation.

"Still nothing, huh? Then it makes sense I just go ahead and kill you."

Recluding to the dark ceiling, she started hanging from what appeared to be more of her string. She then revealed three silk needles nested between her fingers, before darting them towards me; aimed for my head, neck and chest.

Without any time left to spare, I finally managed to free my hands from her silk, ducking and rolling out of the way of the projectiles. In the same burst, I dashed for my sword, unsheathing it and taking a battle-ready stance.

"You fool!" She cackled, taking notice of my left thumb, "You dislocated the finger on your non-dominant hand in order to free yourself of my silken wire and still retain enough dexterity to wield your sword. You're clever boy, I like it."

It wasn't the best option, but in the moment, it seemed like a good idea. Though now I was left with a dislocated and swollen thumb. The sheer amount of pain was staggering considering that it was just my finger. Nonetheless, I couldn't let my guard down for a second around this woman; she's already shown that she isn't any normal swordsman.

"How do you plan on fighting me with one hand? Surely you don't think you'll stand a chance with such a disability."

"I'll take my chances." I groaned

"You'll just end up right where you started."

Pulling out more needles, she fired them towards me, each being barely visible due to the lack of light in the room. Still, I was able to deflect every single one.

"This time won't be like before; you caught me off-guard. This time I'll actually put up a fight."

The shed echoed with her laughter. I watched as she uncovered a long bladed whip, flailing it in the air.

"Meet Jorogumo, my Darling."

Keeping my guard up, I tried my best to zone out the pain inflicted by my other hand and focus all my efforts on her. We both stared each other down, waiting for the other person to make a move. When I finally saw an opening, I wasted no time in dashing in. Moving as quick as possible, I pounced into the air towards her and attempted to strike.