Coyote stepped out of the hole in the side of the restaurant. The black smoke flowing out of his nose and mouth cascaded down the front of his open robes as he talked. “Ah, you're still alive. How surprising.”

Zane responded by summoning a knife and teleporting behind Coyote, burying the blade up to the hilt in their shoulder. He dodged out of the way as the god possessing Eric tried to take him out with a wild swing.

The blade stuck in the big man’s shoulder wasn't immediately fatal. But it did slow him down and restrict his range of movement. This gave Zane enough of an edge to counteract Coyote’s superior speed and strength.

Zane didn't know if Eric was still in there. But the Mayor had promised him a hundred cores for healing Eric, so he was trying to keep things non-lethal.

What followed was a knock down, drag out fight. The rogue cultivator couldn't strike a killing blow, but neither could Coyote. The god might hit Zane hard enough to send him flying, but the young man had more than enough essence to heal himself from anything that wasn't immediately lethal.

“How are you still alive?!” howled Coyote as Zane got up for the tenth time.

The young man snapped his jaw back into place and grinned. “That one felt a little weak. Are you getting tired?”

Coyote felt his steps falter. His divine Essence had been slowly leaking out as they fought, making him weaker with each passing minute. Soon his host would run dry. “Who are you?” he asked.

Zane shrugged and summoned another knife. “I'll let you know when I figure that out.”

Coyote shook his head. This was not how things were supposed to go. He decided to take a different approach. “Your friend’s body can't take much more of this.”

“No, he's pretty strong. I think he'll be fine,” Zane replied, “The last time we fought I cracked his core. If he survived that, I'm sure he can get over a few little cuts.”

The god froze, panic settling in. “You know a dark technique?”

“Yep, at least that's what they tell me. Usually people explode when I use it, but Eric was fine. Or, mostly fine,” Zane shifted awkwardly, “What I'm saying is that he eventually got over it.”

“Ah, in that case… let's call this one a draw.” Coyote made a short bow and departed, leaving his host behind in a bloody heap.

Zane watched the black smoke rise into the air and disappear. “Huh,” he said, “I wonder what that was all about.”

He walked over to Eric and nudged the big man with his foot. “Are you alive?”

Eric groaned and whispered something the rogue cultivator couldn't hear. Zane leaned in close to listen, and felt a hand grab him by the throat.

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“Gotcha,” whispered Coyote with a wicked smile as thick black smoke began to pour out of his mouth, surrounding Zane. “Now, let's see what that body of yours is capable of.”

***

Zane could feel the hostile spirit trying to take him over. The corruption crept in through his nostrils, seeking out his Essence core. As it took root, black veins started to appear along his arms.

“Shit!” Zane swore as he ran towards the main gate. He needed to get as far away from the restaurant as possible, not just to keep his friends safe, but to protect himself from them.

He knew that if Coyote took him over it would attack them. And Zane wasn't sure who would win that fight. Dumpling’s gravity powers combined with Daisy's sticky ooze were natural counters to his super speed.

After he was bogged down and immobilized it would be easy for Lily to fill him full of arrows while Pinky drained his Essence. They would probably feel bad about it afterward, but he would be too dead to care.

As Zane ran, drawing power from his lower core to boost his speed, he tried to think of a plan. He had no idea what Coyote was, or how to get it out of him. But the black veins were slowly advancing across his body like rotten tree roots, and he wasn't looking forward to finding out what would happen next.

If he was extremely lucky, the possession would be temporary. He might even be able to escape it by dying and respawning. But the rogue cultivator wasn't willing to bet his life on it. It was just as likely that Coyote would still be in control when he woke up in the warren.

Zane tried to rack his brain for a solution. Kiel might have an answer, but by the time he got to the warren and explained things it would already be too late. Coyote might even try to take over Kiel, which was definitely not a battle Zane wanted to fight in his current state.

The city gates passed by in a blur as Zane continued to put distance between himself and his companions. He hadn't thought of a solution yet, but at least he had managed to get outside of the city.

In a rare instance of forward planning, Zane dismissed his green robes. That meant he was naked, but at least nobody would recognize him. The last thing he wanted was to come back from Coyote’s rampage and get thrown in jail. He liked working at the restaurant, and it would suck to have to start over again.

The rogue cultivator came to a fork in the road and decided to head up the mountain towards the fog. Zane didn't know if it would have any effect on the creature trying to possess him, but he figured it couldn't hurt. At the very least there would be fewer people who might recognize him.

As Zane used his regeneration to stop the heat from his muscles from cooking him alive, the rogue cultivator noticed something strange. His fight with Eric had left him almost depleted. In fact, he had been on the verge of falling over.

Zane hadn't stopped to cultivate, or eaten something that might replenish his reserves. And yet, despite running away from the city at full speed, he somehow still had Essence to spare.

That was when a realization hit him. Coyote had seemed to gradually weaken as they fought. It could have been a trick to lure him in, but what if it wasn't? What if the creature had been running out of energy?

The rogue cultivator looked inside himself and saw the ugly black smoke filling his core. If the being was made of Essence, or at least something similar, his core might be able to use it to power his abilities.

Zane teleported, keeping a close eye on the black smoke inside of him. It might have been his imagination, but it almost seemed to flicker. He teleported again, and this time the black smoke definitely thinned a bit.

“Alright,” Zane said as he turned to look up at the foggy mountain above him, “Time to play Superman.”