James, now face to face with the Minotaur, watched in shock as Grace disappeared into the darkness, her footsteps fading into the night. The Minotaur, its eyes locked onto him, took a menacing step forward, its hooves digging into the earth.
There was no time for James to think about the betrayal, he closed his heart off and focused solely on the threat in front of him. He thanked his past self as he had brought along his fanny pack for emergencies.
Though it was packed for keeping mountain predators off, he hoped it would work here too.
He calmed himself down and his left hand gripped for a hunting knife inside his pocket. The fanny pack contained pepper spray and paracord.
With a surge of determination, James faced the charging Minotaur. The creature thundered toward him, its massive form barreling through the moonlit clearing. He knew he had to use his wits and the resources at his disposal to overcome this–if it was possible.
As the Minotaur closed in, James deftly dodged its charging path, his heart pounding with each evasive move. He scraped himself on his arms, legs, and back, but the adrenaline rush helped him to ignore the pain.
James looked around to formulate a plan and dodged another incoming charge. The moonlight illuminated the terrain, revealing a nearby cliff. He considered it a risky endeavor, but he had no other plans at hand. For his plan to work, he needed a bit of time.
He slowly led the Minotaur to a dead tree trunk and it charged right into it. The momentum of the charge blasted James away, but as a result, the Minotaur was stuck–at least for a few moments.
This was his only chance–with precision, he swiftly rigged the paracord into a concealed snare, spanning the path he calculated the Minotaur would tread. He anchored it securely to two rocks, hoping it would hold the creature's weight. There was no room for error; this was his only chance to survive.
James heard the creaking of wood followed by the sound of it being ripped apart. He knew the creature was now free and ready to charge at him once again.
As the Minotaur charged once more, James sidestepped its massive form and sprinted to the perfect vantage point. With the creature closing in, he aimed potent pepper spray directly at its face and unleashed a blinding stream of noxious mist. The Minotaur roared in agony, and its charge halted as it staggered, disoriented and temporarily incapacitated.
The creature's thunderous footsteps faltered, and in its blinded frenzy, it tripped over the concealed paracord snare. The cord snapped, but it still caused the Minotaur to stumble to the ground. It lost balance and its massive form rolled down the mountainside, dislodging rocks and dirt in its descent.
James watched as the Minotaur disappeared into the darkness, its roars fading into the distance.
Exhausted and gasping for breath, James lowered himself to the ground, his legs shaking from the adrenaline-fueled encounter with the Minotaur. He sat amid the echoes of the recent battle, the adrenaline coursing through his veins slowly subsiding.
As James caught his breath and gathered his strength, a bone-chilling sound sliced through the mountain air, sending a shiver down his spine. It was a bloodcurdling cry, a wail of despair that seemed to pierce the very heart of the mountains.
James recognized it immediately. It was Grace, the woman who had left the scene and betrayed him. Her voice, now filled with agony and terror, reverberated through the night, bouncing off the rocky peaks. A few moments later, it subsided.
'Serves the bitch right. I guess people show their true nature when faced with death.'
He was hurt, exhausted, alone and now only equipped with a hunting knife. With grim resolve, he rose to his feet.
[Oi, kid.]
James stopped his tracks and looked around to determine the source of the sound.
[Stop looking around like a dumbass. I'm taking inside your head!]
"Who are you and what do you want from me?" James asked. This evening has been a chain of life-threatening events. A voice inside his head was nothing compared to earlier.
[Wouldn't you like to know, boy?]
"..."
[Well, I suppose. Behold, for I am the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, the Fighting Buddha–Sun Wukong!]
"Alright, and I am Erlang Shen," James replied with a deadpan expression.
[I'm serious and I can see that you need help. The Banshee is a tricky opponent for a youngling like you. By the way, good job with the Minotaur, I always hated Bulls. Reminds me of the fucking the old Bull Demon, but much dumber. You got very lucky there, the Minotaur was quite young and inexperienced~]
As Sun Wukong commented on the Minotaur, James couldn't help but respond with a hint of humor, given the bizarre nature of the conversation. "Well, I'm no demon slayer, but the bull was dumb enough to make me into one."
[Good, good, kid. You've got a sense of humor. That'll serve you well in the trials ahead. Now, about that Banshee. She's a wily one, but I can lend you some of my tricks, my blessings if you will. What do you say?]
James contemplated the offer. It was clear that he needed all the help he could get to confront the Banshee. The offer was a bit sketchy, but he didn't have much of a choice in regards to the supernatural. "I accept, but why are you helping me?"
[Well, I'm kind of in a tough spot. My domain of influence was relocated here while other deities were assigned to more populated regions. Fuck those heavenly bastards. You heard the prophecy, right?]
"Yes, I suppose." James shrugged and looked at the moon.
['In their company, humanity shall face the darkness,' and the rest of that shit. Well, I can see potential in you and we gods need mortals to fight alongside us to win. As much as I want to claim that I can solo everything, I'm bound by outerversal laws ...]
"So you are really fucking transcended," James said with a gleam of understanding in his eyes. It is said that the Monkey King reached Nirvana and became a being above Life and Death. Thus, there must be certain rules preventing him from coming down and just killing everything.
"And why aren't other gods here to fight? Are they not supposed to descend?" James questioned as he remembered the phrases of the prophecy.
[Well, they're bound by other laws–anyway, stop asking for now. You got an enemy incoming!]
"Alright, Sun Wukong. Please grant this lowly mortal your blessings for he is still needed to perform some tricks for your entertainment." James answered in a slightly sarcastic tone.
The Monkey King liked his new protege's attitude very much. Reminded him of old times.
[Call me Master, ya brat. Alright, here you go. Be prepared, kid. Pain incoming~]
As James accepted Sun Wukong's offer to become his disciple, he mentally braced himself for what lay ahead. The Monkey King's presence seemed to envelop him, and the atmosphere became charged with otherworldly energy. It was as if the ancient deity had transported James to a mystical realm within his mind.
The blessing process was more intense than James could have ever imagined. It was as if every atom of his being had been deconstructed and reassembled, and the pain had been almost unbearable. But as the process came to an end, and the Monkey King's voice echoed in his mind, the excruciating sensations gradually faded, leaving James with a profound transformation he could not fully grasp yet.
With newfound knowledge, sharpened senses, and enhanced physical abilities, he felt like a different person. His vision was keener, his reflexes quicker, and his mind brimming with the wisdom of the Monkey King's Blessing.
[Get ready!]
Right on cue, the air grew heavy with tension, and a chilling wind swept through the clearing, carrying with it the unmistakable presence of the sinister spirit.
Then, from the shadows, the Banshee emerged. Her form was spectral and haunting, and her crimson eyes fixed on James. Without hesitation, she let out a deafening, bloodcurdling scream that seemed to reverberate through the mountains themselves.
The sound was a paralyzing force, carrying with it an aura of dread and despair. James felt his heart race but reminded himself to calm down.
With the Banshee's bloodcurdling scream still ringing in his ears, James knew he had to act swiftly.
As the Banshee advanced, her ghostly form flowed like a wisp in the night.
[Use your eyes.]
James was not sure what he meant by that, but his body instinctively knew. His eyes glowed in a golden-fiery blaze and he could now see through the Banshee's spectral form as if her very essence were laid bare before him. Her movements slowed in his eyes, and he could predict her every action.
The Banshee, unaware of James's newfound powers, continued her relentless advance. As she reached out to unleash her next wail, James was ready. He dodged with lightning-fast reflexes and launched a precision strike with his hunting knife.
The Banshee let out a distorted cry of agony as the blade struck true, disrupting her spectral core. Her form began to fracture, and her powers weakened under the force of James's physical prowess.
James struck for a second time but the hunting knife quickly deteriorated and broke after contracting the Banshee's essence. It was a normal knife, not made from special material or imbued with spells.
James reacted swiftly to the sudden loss of his weapon, throwing the broken knife as a distraction. With quick and focused movement, he twisted his body forward and delivered a powerful punch to the Banshee's spectral form.
The punch connected with an otherworldly force, causing the Banshee to shudder and emit an agonized wail. Her essence fractured further under the impact of James's blow, and her spectral form became even more unstable.
James continued to pummel the Banshee, his fists striking with a relentless intensity. He could feel the disruption of her spectral essence with each hit, and her wails of torment filled the night air.
As he continued his assault on the Banshee, her form began to dissipate, slowly fading away like mist in the wind. James's relentless attacks had effectively dismantled her spectral presence, and she could no longer maintain her menacing visage.
With a final, forceful punch, James struck a decisive blow that shattered the Banshee's essence, leaving nothing but a fading echo of her presence in the moonlit clearing. The battle was won, and the night returned to an eerie calm.
[Good job, kid.]
James smiled at the praise of the Monkey King before his fiery gaze lost its glow and he nearly blacked out.
"Urgh" James grunted as he held his head in pain.
[Yeah, you overexerted yourself. But don't black out on me yet. You need to burn all the dead bodies. They can't be left here since the scent of blood will attract monsters. The aftermath of the fight should've woken a few up.]
With that, James got moved to get the task done. His newly blessed body was recovering at a very abnormal rate, he was already feeling much better.
Under the shimmering silver moonlight, he gathered all the bodies, including Grace's remains, and set them alight.