Indeed, the creature that was rising out of the water resembled the three-headed monster of the old movies by quite a lot. Only the size was different. The monster of the movies was hundreds of feet tall, while this creature was a....mere...twenty or thirty feet or so in length.
The collected kumojin had been prepared for fighting a relatively small garrison of human soldiers. They were not, however, prepared for a huge monster with multiple, fang-filled jaws.
Ranma, on the other smirked as he saw the creature stalk onto land and somewhat stupidly pressed on against the horde of fleeing kumojin.
"This is hardly the worst odds I've beaten," the boastful Arachne said as she cracked her knuckles.
Then other heads started to rise out of the waters.
"How about a score of these creatures, Son-in-law," Cologne asked idly as she hopped to Ranma's side.
"Well, Ranma?" Akane asked, her arms crossed and brow furrowed over her multifaceted eyes.
"Okay," Ranma admitted. "This might get a little hairy."
She paused a moment and turned back toward Akane and Ukyou.
"Don't even think about it," Akane said. "I fought the Oroshi too, you know."
"Uh uh, sugar," Ukyou said, giving a likewise answer to the look Ranma was giving them.
"Ranma-Darling!" a shrill voice called from a ways up the beach, nearer the forest at the edge. "We are ready to assist you!"
Collected around Kodachi were a small host of nervous looking former gymnasts. A whistle brought Ranma's head around to see a Kali with a small collection of women and men who were gathering rocks or forming hard balls out of their silk, as they had learned to do over the past months.
"Ever see what a good pitcher can do with something to throw?" the girl asked idly tossing four rocks up and down in her hands.
If Ranma was going to protest any further, she wasn't given time as the hydra moved from a sinuous stalk into a flat out charge.
*****
Weary from the spell, the Norns paused to watch the scene hopefully.
"That's a lot of hydra," Skuld said timidly.
"It must be a bug," Urd panted. "Probably brought up by our spell."
Belldandy started to stand up from where she was sitting, but faltered and almost fell, only being saved by Keiichi's timely catch.
"We should help them," Belldandy said.
"We're spent for now, sis," Urd said. "But I think they've got this covered."
"Stay safe, Megumi," Keiichi muttered as he held onto Bell.
*****
One hydra was usually the easy equivalent of many swordsmen in a fight. They were mindlessly savage and quickly healed what injuries their scales didn't prevent. Twenty of them was a veritable army, even without the intimidation factor of their inhuman appearance.
Had it just been a group of determined civilians below, then many would have surely died, but that wasn't the case.
What the hydra met when it struck into the kumojin were a coalition of heroes that had had many battles with powerful and inhuman foes. Those heroes were further supported by the hampering webs, stinging rocks and whatever other improvised weapon could be found.
The fight was much more even than the hydra's dim animalistic brain could understand.
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(Posted Sat, 02 Apr 2005 04:48)
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