Pantheon Book 2: The Way of the Tao

The Monkey King

        Melody stumbles backward, and Oliver helps her find her balance again. Sun Wukong makes a show of raising his foot, taking a slow step forward. Then another, and another, grinning around the group. He hums to himself, rolling his head to the side.

"Let's go with...you," he muses, springing into action. He streaks into the air like a blur, appearing in front of Koji. He raises his staff, his eyes filled with wild glee. "First one down!"

"You're facing me!" Marcus roars, a pair of clones shooting after Sun. One slashes across the Monkey King's back with his daggers, while the other transforms into a boa constrictor, coiling around Sun's neck. Koji pitches himself backward when Sun lashes out with his staff, narrowly avoiding getting clubbed.

"You made me miss," Sun says, looking down at the snake Marcus around his neck. The other clone growls, wrapping his arms around Sun's waist. He grunts with effort, transforming into a black bear. Sun doesn't react to it at all, his shoulders slumping. "Look, if this is all you've got, can we just call it here? I'll keep playing with you if you can make it interesting, but I've only got a few centuries of freedom, and I'd rather not waste it."

"How's this for interesting?" Emelia says, her eyes glowing gold as she raises her bow. She fires an arrow, which slams into the back of Sun's head. Once again, he doesn't react at all to the attack - even his hair barely ruffles. The arrow shifts in place, changing into a glowing hieroglyph. Marcus's two clones jump away as the symbol flares red, then bursts into flames. Koji throws his hands out, calling a gust of wind to wrap around Sun. The flames are sucked into it, spreading into a whirling inferno.

"I guess it's a good try," Sun says from within the flames. Melody feels his power swell and the flames disperse as three copies of Sun dive out of it. One copy flies at Marcus, batting his two clones aside when they move in to intercept him. The second clone lunges at Emelia, who jumps back, launching an arrow at the ground. It turns into another hieroglyph when it lands, projecting a wall of light between them. The last flies at Koji, who shoots into the air to escape.

"I-I can't keep up with them," Melody says, her eyes flicking around at the three blurs as they chase their targets. "Oliver, they're too fast! I can't-"

"Yes, you can," he says, his whole body trembling. He steps in front of her, raising his staff. He squeezes his eyes shut, gripping Caduceus in both hands. "Pick one and try to get rid of it. I'm going to hide us with an illusion," he says through chattering teeth. Melody nods, throwing her hands out. Sun's power presses against her in waves, and she grunts with effort, worming her magic into it. Looking around the battlefield, she homes in on the clone flying after Koji.

Melody imagines her magic digging through the pressure, using it as a tunnel connecting the three versions of Sun together. She shoots her magical threads into the sky, and as soon as they connect to the copy, they stop dead. It's like a brick wall. She grits her teeth, flexing her fingers to dig into it. She has to get through if their plan is going to work. She feels sweat drip down her forehead, the ensuing battle fading into the back of her mind.

She's nearly thrown off her feet when Sun's power breaks and the clone shatters. It crumbles to dust, disappearing in the wind. The Sun attacking Marcus stops dead, blinking in confusion. He looks to the sky, checking for his clone. When he can't find it, he slowly looks down. His eyes land on Melody, and he grins.

"That's a neat trick," he says with a giggle. "Let's see if you can do it again." He throws his arms out, and a dozen copies fly out of him. The one attacking Emelia peels away, joining the group as they surge towards Melody. Oliver whimpers, aiming Caduceus at them.