Wukong watched the retreating demons, many of them carrying one or two of their brethren with them. As they laid the incapacitated demons down in rows, he observed their leader talking to them while gesturing with his nine-ringed broadsword. When some of them reacted with shaking heads and waving arms, he whacked them with the flat of his blade, moving the heavy weapon as though it was as light as a pair of chopsticks. The leader looked impressive, a cross between a lion and a tiger demon. He would make a worthy opponent.

Wukong gripped his quarterstaff, remembering the many hours of practice he had already put in. As always, he pushed away the sense of dissatisfaction that welled up whenever he held this quarterstaff, telling himself that it was better than a flimsy wooden one. But this one was still too light, MUCH too light! He longed for the sense of solidity, the sheer assurance that only his partner in battle could give, the gold-capped quarterstaff that responded to his will. With it, he could move with ease, a single monkey wielding a whirlwind of metal, weaving through entire armies… Ah! The memories of battle were only making him itch even more for one right now!

“Mistress! May I please go whack them a bit?”

“No.”

“Just a little bit?”

“No.”

“Pleaaaaaase.”

“Wukong, we need you here to-” Trip paused, thinking, her hands still reloading without pause. “Actually, that’s a good idea Wukong. How about this. I still need you here for now. I’m not sure how they’ll attack, and you’re both our heaviest hitter and our best defence.” Wukong’s chest puffed out a bit at the praise, arms akimbo.

“The rest of us may not survive a single hit from those hybrids, and I’m not sure how well the villagers can dodge their attacks.”

Wukong’s chin dropped to his chest. Where was his Mistress going with this? Did this mean he was going to have to stay here the entire battle? Playing defence? This was not his way!

“Mistre-”

“But! Once they attack, and I decide how to respond, I promise you that I will find a chance for you to go over there and wreak havoc. Just wait for my word!”

Still itching for battle, Wukong was puzzled, muttering to himself, “What’s the word?”.

Turning back to the demons, he saw that they had stripped the breastplates off their fallen brothers, stacking them in layers then tying them together to form thick tower shields. The bigger demons, mostly bears, were gathering nearer the front. Standing right behind Scale-tooth, the bears were trying out the improvised tower shields, shaking them with vigorous motions to make sure they were secure. Further at the back, Shi Hu was speaking to a group of smaller, more agile-looking cat demons. Pumas, jaguars, leopards, all nodded and grinned in a bloodthirsty manner at Shi Hu’s words.

Elder Jing hurried forward. “Trip, any commands for us?” he said, eyeing the demons’ preparation while fidgeting.

Trip finally stopped reloading to scan the opposite end of the battlefield. “Smart.” she said.

She turned to Elder Jing. “It’s still the same. Stay behind the barricade, let the demons come to you, remember to always hit and run. Stay alive, retreat anytime.” Hearing Trip’s confident tone, Elder Jing went back to the other defenders to repeat her words, the relief apparent on his face.

“Wukong.”

“Yes Mistress!”

“When they approach, don’t engage the shield wall first. Wait for surprise attacks. No matter what they do, hit them into the fields of stakes, the further back, the better. Only after that, do we break the shield wall.”

“Got it! Then I can whack them?”

“Then you wait for my word.”

“Which word, Mistress?”

“Havoc.” said Trip, continuing to reload the single-shot pistols. In a way, she was thankful the demons were taking their time. It meant that she was almost done reloading all the pistols she had.

“Bajie!”

“Yes… Mistress?” said Bajie in a quivering voice, trying to imitate Wukong’s usual definite response. He was still crouching on the ground, his back facing the demon battalion.

Trip was suddenly reminded of another young, quivering voice, a long time ago, asking her if he could stay at home. A tiny sad smile appeared, only to disappear from her face moments later. “Bajie, come over here.” Trip did her best to sound firm.

“Ah… Mistress, my legs have no energy, I can’t walk… I haven’t eaten anything today…”

“I’m not going to ask you to fight. I just need you to help me stand taller.”

“...Ehhh?”

“And you can face the village if you like.”

“Okay!” said Bajie, waddling backwards, still facing the village. He stopped a few steps away from Trip.

“A few more steps backward, until I pat you on the back. Come on.” This time, Trip’s tone was encouraging. Bajie took tiny shuffling steps backward, until finally, Trip reached out to give him a few pats. “Well done Bajie. Just stand there, and don’t move. That’s all you need to do.”

“Yes Mistress!” said Bajie. He was trying to sound resolute, but the only resolute thing about him was that his eyes were resolutely squeezed shut.

By then, the bear demons had formed a shield wall, the improvised shields high enough to cover the heads of even the tallest bear. The other bigger demons were right behind them, and the smaller ones were even further behind. From the back of the formation, Shi Hu shouted “Advance!”

-- Chapter 40, End --