Pantheon Book 2: The Way of the Tao

Battle Plan

        "I started seeing you guys a few days after you left Empire," Emelia explains, leaning against the mast. She brushes her hair out of her face as a gentle breeze blows across the deck. "I started looking into Li Jing as soon as I heard the name, and eventually it led me to Sun Wukong. I had a feeling he would turn on you eventually, so I memorized every legend I could that mentions him."

"So, you know how to beat him?" Melody says, her heart swelling with hope. After her investigation into Marcus's rebellion, she knows how capable Emelia is. But Emelia sighs, shaking her head.

"Not really. He wasn't joking when he said he was unbeatable - in a lot of legends, he's basically a force of nature. But I have a couple of ideas we can discuss," she says, pushing off the mast to pace up and down the deck. From the corner of her eye, Melody sees Marcus slump against the side of the helm, crossing his legs. Oliver flutters into the air, as he usually does when he's feeling anxious.

"First off, he's basically a trickster god," Emelia explains, counting his powers off on her fingers. "He can create clones that are impossible to tell apart from the original. He can shapeshift into pretty much anything he wants, living or otherwise. He can fly, and he's immortal like...five different ways."

"So, weaknesses?" Marcus huffs. Emelia glares at him, and Melody can't help to wonder if he kept his promise to talk to her.

"He's also got armor created by the four sea dragon gods, and a weapon that can change its size and length at will," she finishes, crossing her arms. "His body is supposedly made of stone, but he's indestructible. He can shoot lasers out of his eyes. He's got a bad habit of stealing anything that catches his eye. And that's the good news."

"Oh, good," Melody mutters, sucking on her lip.

"The way he kept showing up to talk to you, I'm willing to bet he was following you in some form or another ever since you left Empire. Maybe even before that. So, he knows everything you know." Emelia says, pointing at Melody with her chin. "Any security measures you've taken to protect yourself or the treaty, he'll know about and be able to break."

"So, weaknesses?" Marcus repeats, his annoyance showing in his tone. "Assuming you found any."

"I found three," Emelia snaps back as she's trying to stab him with her words. "First; he can't fight in the water. Since he's made of stone, he'll sink and be too slow to do anything."

"S-so, all we need to do is lure him underwater!" Oliver says, looking out into the ocean. "Then we can-"

"I'm guessing he thought of that, which is why he said he'll be waiting at Wozhang Shan. There won't be any water there." Emelia interrupts, shaking her head. "Which means that one's out."

"Great," Marcus snorts.

"Second; he's reckless. If we can somehow trick him or get him to slip up, we might be able to make an opening to get past him," Emelia continues. "And yes, I do mean just slip past - this isn't someone we can beat in a head-on fight."

"So, egg him on until he gets sloppy. I think we can do that," Koji says, stroking his chin. "How are we supposed to, though?"

"His eyes," Emelia says, grinning. "That's his biggest weakness, from what I could find. There are quite a few legends about demons targeting his eyes, using fire and smoke to blind him and get the upper hand. If we can do the same, then it could be exactly the opening we need."

"So, we need to make him slip up and take out his eyes, then run away while he's recovering," Melody says, pinching her chin in thought. "I guess it could work. We just need to figure out how to actually hurt him." She hums in thought, squeezing her eyes closed. Several minutes pass in silence, a dozen ideas bouncing around in Melody's head.