Pantheon Book 2: The Way of the Tao

Twin Oni

        "Enough stalling, let's get this over with!" Fujin shouts, pumping his fist into the air. "I'm going first! And I challenge Loki to a fight to the death!" He roars, thrusting a finger at Marcus. Marcus quickly regathers his composure, shifting his attention back to the large man before him.

"How boring," he says, his eyes flicking back to Erlang as he turns, walking back towards the barn.

"Boring!?" Fujin snaps, reaching over his shoulder. He pulls some sort of bag off of his back. It looks like a waterskin, and he aims the spout at Marcus threateningly. "I'll show you boring!"

"Itsuki!" Hinata snaps, making Fujin flinch. She steps forward, glaring at him darkly. "Koji and Melody are still in the way, not to mention everyone in the area. Wait until we're clear before attacking."

"...Fine," Fujin snorts, lowering the bag. "Well, hurry up and get out of the way!"

"Hold it," Marcus says, forcing his brain to return to the issue at hand. "Hey, big red! Let me guess - you're going to challenge Susanoo to a fight too, right?"

"Big red!?" Raijin snarls, raising his club threateningly. Another glare from Hinata makes him pause, and he lowers the club again. "Yeah, that's right! Not that it's going to matter for you - you'll be dead by then!" He and Fujin laugh together, stomping their feet. "Now let's get on with it!"

"If you're in such a hurry, why not make it a team match?" He says, stepping forward. He feels Melody grab the back of his shirt, but he presses on despite her silent protest. "Koji and I will take the two of you on together." Fujin and Raijin pause, glancing at each other curiously.

"He's trying to trick us."

"He's got to be. But how?"

"Maybe he's just stupid?"

"We can't kill Koji, he's part of our Pantheon. Maybe that's his plan."

"Then we just say it's not to the death! We get to kill him either way!" The two turn back to Marcus wearing a pair of wicked grins.

"You're on! But not to the death - we'll fight until one side is completely knocked out!" Fujin declares proudly. "Everyone else, clear off!"

"If I could interject," Erlang says, stepping forward again. Marcus's heart sinks, his shoulders tensing. "There's obviously something else to this ploy. You can't accept."

"Shut it, Earling! You don't know anything about us!" Raijin snaps, baring his teeth. "We're ten times stronger when we work together!" Marcus lets out a small sigh of relief, his heart racing. Everything was almost ruined.

"If you're sure, then be my guests," Erlang replies smoothly, retreating back to the crowd. Marcus spins to face Melody, seeing the terror in her eyes. Of course, he gets his vision back just in time to see her so afraid. He grabs her shoulders, gently spinning her around.

"Go with Hinata. We'll be fine." He assures. Melody tries to say something, but nothing comes out when she opens her mouth. Tears build in her eyes again, and Marcus turns away, squeezing his eyes shut. Even the lingering pain in his eyelids is gone. He makes a mental note to thank her a thousand more times as he turns back to the two Oni.

"Y-you sure you're okay with this?" Koji whispers, stepping up to his side. He has a wooden sword gripped tightly in his fist, shaking uncontrollably. Marcus nods, flexing his fingers.

"It's too late to back out now. Just keep their powers at bay and I'll deal with the rest." He says, flicking his wrists to make his daggers appear. He twirls them around, familiarizing himself with the feel of the weapons. Raijin laughs at him, heaving his club into the air threateningly.