Stuck in the Shadows With You
I have no idea what part we're on now lads, but here we go!!!
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The first thing he does is take the bracelet to Zhīzhū, banking on an old favour.
Macaque visits the spider demon up in the middle of the night, and she opens the door with a bang, her hair hanging in a curtain in front of her face.
“I’m going to kill you.” She hisses out, and he laughs as he embraces her.
“Sorry for ruining your beauty sleep, your majesty.” Macaque grins, and she swats at him lazily with her cane, a dark steel coloured thing with violet webbing etched up the body.
“Not that I need more beauty, but I have eaten demons for less.” Zhīzhū huffs, running her fingers through her hair, and then gestures for him to enter.
“I’m so scared.” He follows her into her lair, and flickering green torches ignite ahead of them, illuminating the corridor.
They settle into the kitchen, him sitting on one of the stone countertops, and her lounging on one of the several stools scattered about the spacious area.
“Why are you here? Did you and Wukong finally fight? Or maybe you two-” She wiggles her eyebrows as she leans forward.
“No, not-” Macaque scowls and waves away the insinuation. “Just the fighting one.”
“Uh-huh.” Zhīzhū laughs, settling back into her stool with a smug look.
“No, no, don’t look at me like that.” He grimaces and pulls the glowing bracelet from his pocket. It warms his palm as he holds it, and already, he’s tempted to delve into the power well.
“See, I came here because of this.” The bracelet jangles in his grip, and Zhīzhū hums as her eyes narrow.
“Hmmm.” She holds out her hand, and he tosses it to her.
“This is…surprisingly new.” The spider demon tilts her head as she inspects the artifact. “Someone’s been tinkering with mixing demon and divine essence.”
“And you can tell how?” Macaque raises an eyebrow.
“I’m an alchemist, a potions master of the highest degree -”
“Alright, alright, I’m sorry I asked.”
Zhīzhū twists the bracelet between her fingers for a few more moments with a small frown before she sighs and tosses it back to him.
“As best I can tell, it’s like a power boost; a small well of energy for the wearer. But I don’t know how much is in it, and I’m… a little weary on how to suggest refilling it.” She doesn’t look at him, but rather the bracelet the entire time, something brewing behind her eyes.
“What else?” Macaque prods. He slips the bracelet on, and he can feel magic seep into his bones.
“It might be a voluntary thing…but the way the magic is contained…” She hesitates, chewing on her lip.
“I think it might be the entire essence of a few demonic and divine entities.”
“Ah. Dead people bracelet. Got it.” Macaque nods, even as a twinge of disgust drips down his spine, and Zhīzhū scowls and shakes her head.
“You idiot.” She chides.
“What? They’re already dead, and I’d rather like not to be.” He shrugs.
Her face twists, but she sighs after a few moments.
“Just be careful, I don’t know how long it’ll last,” She warns.
He grins, and with a final goodbye, slips back to his dojo.
The bracelet lasts him a week. A singular Wukong-free week of rampaging, tearing through the demon underground, repaying old favours and trying to destroy anyone who so much as breathes in MK's direction.
He's in the middle of interrogating yet another faceless whimpering demon when the bracelet flickers for the first time, and he feels his heart sink when the green light dims slightly.
"I don't know, the three eyed celestial told boss, and we-"
"Three eyed celestial?" His attention snaps back up to the demon, and his captive flinches.
“No?” The demon weakly lies, and Macaque scoffs.
“If you’re not going to talk to me, I suppose I can just call up the Monkey King and his successor, see if you won’t spill your guts to them.” Macaque says, a false sweetness coating his words, as he brushes his claws against the demon’s abdomen.
“No! No, I mean-” The demon swallows nervously, and Macaque can see beads of sweat roll down the side of his face before the demon continues.
"He…he came with his dog and told us to cause trouble, for you, for the kid, anything to distract the Monkey King from the affairs of heaven. If we did, he promised us powerful weapons and riches."
"Of course, he did." Macaque scowls and leans back, drumming his fingers on his arm.
"I can't let you leave," he decides, and the demon jerks in his chair, fruitlessly straining against his bonds before outright fainting.
"Huh." Macaque blinks, and drags the chair to his guest room and leaves the demon there, not bothering to untie him.
It's only a short trip from his dojo to the noodle shop: he's still avoiding Wukong, but he and the kid should probably still be told about Heaven's interference.
"Whaddaya want Mac?" The pig growls out, and he makes a face at MK's guardian.
"Firstly, It's Macaque. Secondly, I need to talk to the kid.” He tries and fails to not glare at Pigsy, and the chef raises an unimpressed eyebrow.
“Well, ya just missed him. He’s off on Flower Fruit Mountain, trainin’.”
“What is he even training for?” Macaque mutters, and the pig demon stiffens before advancing towards him with a ladle held threateningly.
“I might not trust Wukong on a lotta things, but his main concern is MK’s safety, and that’s more than I can say for you.” There’s a flash of tusk accompanying the statement, and Macaque just scoffs.
“I don’t have to explain myself to you,” he sneers, and steps backwards onto the shadows just to watch the glimmer of fear spark in the other’s eyes. He emerges from the shadows on the roof of the shop across the street, sighs, and settles in for the wait.
@winterpower98
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