Soon enough, a figure burst into view, running full tilt down the street towards them. Jon's eyes widened in recognition. "Li Xiulan?" he gasped, shock evident in his voice.
Li Xin's eldest daughter sprinted towards them, her normally pristine robes torn and muddied, her face contorted in terror. But Jon's surprise at seeing her paled in comparison to the horror that followed.
A massive warthog, easily twice the size of a normal boar, thundered after her.
Its flesh was a sickly, mottled grey, riddled with oozing sores. Snake-like maggots writhed in and out of its putrid hide, leaving trails of viscous slime. One of its front legs was missing, the stump a raw, festering mess that sprayed black ichor with each lumbering step.
But it was the beast's eyes that sent a chill down Jon's spine.
They glowed an unnatural, hellish red, unfocused and mad. Thick, frothy drool poured from its maw, sizzling where it hit the ground.
The creature didn't roar or squeal. It moved in eerie silence, driven by some unknowable, frenzied purpose.
Yulian cursed under her breath, her dagger already in hand. Mei let out a strangled cry, burying her face in her brother's robes.
"This is no ordinary animal. It's a spirit beast, a mad one," Liang Zhi said, his voice cutting through the chaos. "If it's not stopped now, it will kill everyone here with the plague it's carrying."
All eyes snapped to Liang Zhi. Jon's suspicion flared – had the young man orchestrated this? – but he pushed the thought aside. No time for that now.
Jon's instincts screamed to run. What could he do against this monstrosity? Zhen Wu was in the capital, Han deep in the mountains. Only he, Yulian, and maybe Liang Zhi stood a chance.
Li Xiulan sprinted towards them, her head whipping back and forth in panic. The monstrous warthog gained ground behind her, its fetid stench growing stronger. Jon slowly stepped backwards. Don't look here, don't look here, he thought desperately.
But fate had other plans. Li Xiulan's frantic gaze swept over their group, and her eyes locked onto Jon's. Recognition flashed across her face.
Not a stranger, but someone he knew. Someone who knew him. Her father's face flashed in his mind, their past interactions a silent plea.
"Help me! Jon!" she screamed, her voice raw with terror and hope.
Jon felt the word "shit" forming on his lips, but before he could utter it-
"Shit," Liang Zhi said in English, a knowing smile spreading across his face as he turned towards Jon.
Jon froze, taken aback. His gaze snapped to Liang Zhi's blindfolded face, questions exploding in his mind.
How?
The corrupted spirit beast thundered closer, maggots dropping from its rotting hide.
Li Xiulan was seconds away, the warthog right behind. Jon stood paralyzed between the immediate danger and the mystery of Liang Zhi's words, time slowing as the moment of decision arrived.
Jon's mind raced. Li Xiulan, in her desperation, had inadvertently steered the rampaging beast straight towards them. There was no time left to run without being seen.
In a split second, a plan crystallized. He was strong enough to carry someone and run. And he was faster than a horse. If the beast had not managed to catch someone as normal as Li Xiulan, he was very likely to outrun it.
The mountain wasn't far. Han's keen hearing might just save them all.
"Everyone move! Don't attack!" Jon bellowed, his voice cutting through the panic. "Yulian, Mei to safety!"
Without waiting for a response, Jon sprinted towards Li Xiulan.
"Jump!" Jon shouted, arms outstretched.
Li Xiulan's eyes widened in understanding. She leaped, fingertips stretching towards Jon.
Time slowed. The spirit beast lunged, tusks gleaming with putrid saliva. Jon's muscles strained, pushing him the last crucial inch.
His hands closed around Li Xiulan's wrists. In one fluid motion, he yanked her towards him, spinning to avoid the beast's charge. The warthog's tusks grazed his back, tearing fabric.
Jon stumbled, Li Xiulan clutched tightly against his chest. The ground shook as the monster skidded, trying to turn.
"Run!" Yulian screamed, already herding the others away.
His eyes met the smiling face of Liang Zhi, who shouted "The heart! Target its heart!"
Ignoring the young man's shouts, Jon's legs pumped, adrenaline surging. Li Xiulan clung to him, her breath ragged in his ear. The mountain loomed ahead.
Behind them, the warthog roared – a sound of pure, maddened fury. Its thunderous footsteps resumed, gaining ground with terrifying speed. For some reason, it had taken them as targets, leaving everyone else.
Jon's lungs burned. His muscles screamed in protest. But he pushed on, one thought pounding through his mind with each step:
"HAN!" he bellowed, praying his voice would carry. "HAN!"
"Flesh." A chilling voice pierced the air, seeming to emanate from the beast's very core. "Fresh flesh! Thief! You thief!" The words echoed unnaturally, a chorus of spectral whispers that sent shivers down Jon's spine.
"Close your eyes! Hold tight!" Jon ordered Li Xiulan, pushing himself even harder. He could go faster, but the risk of injuring her was too great.
The voice began to fade. Jon allowed himself a flicker of hope-
Something whipped past his head, missing by a hair's breadth. Jon's heart nearly stopped. He risked a glance behind.
The warthog had transformed. Maggots had darkened, elongating into writhing tentacles that lifted the beast off the ground. They enveloped its body, crushing it. Blood gushed from the monstrosity in sickening spurts.
The ghostly voice grew louder, more frenzied. "THIEF! GIVE IT BACK!"
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Another tentacle lashed out. Jon ducked, feeling it brush against his hair. The mountain seemed impossibly far away.
Li Xiulan whimpered, her fingers digging into Jon's arms.
Jon's mind raced, adrenaline sharpening his senses. He couldn't keep running blindly – the beast's reach had become too unpredictable.
"HAN!" he bellowed once more, then made a split-second decision.
"Hold on tight," he growled to Li Xiulan. In one fluid motion, Jon spun around, now running backwards. His enhanced reflexes allowed him to navigate the terrain while keeping eyes on the monstrous warthog.
He scanned their surroundings, looking for anything he could use.
There – a massive, half-uprooted tree, its exposed roots creating a tangle of wooden spears.
Jon veered sharply towards it. The warthog, single-minded in its pursuit, followed. As they neared the tree, Jon's muscles coiled, ready to spring.
"THIEF!" the ghostly voice shrieked.
A tentacle lashed out. Jon leapt, twisting in mid-air. His foot connected with the tentacle, his superhuman strength driving it downward – straight into the exposed roots.
The beast howled as the wooden spikes impaled its transformed limb. Blood and ichor sprayed, sizzling where it touched the ground.
Jon landed hard but kept his footing. He spun back around, sprinting towards the mountain once more. Behind them, the warthog thrashed in agony, momentarily entangled.
It bought them precious seconds, but Jon knew it wouldn't hold for long.
In the heat of the moment, he realized something.
The beast could bleed. It could be hurt.
"Li Xiulan, hide behind that rock," he commanded, setting her down. "Don't look back, no matter what."
She nodded, terror in her eyes, and scrambled for cover.
Jon scooped up a handful of pebbles, his enhanced senses zeroing in on the warthog's writhing form. The beast charged, tentacles lashing out.
He dodged left, then right, feeling the wind of a near-miss. Jon hurled the first pebble with all his might. It whistled past the creature's head.
"Damn," he muttered, rolling to avoid another strike.
The second pebble grazed a tentacle, drawing a hiss of pain. Close, but not enough.
Jon's fingers closed around a jagged stone. Time seemed to slow. He saw the warthog's bloodshot eye, wild with fury.
He threw.
The stone struck true, burying itself in the creature's eye socket with a sickening squelch.
An unholy shriek split the air. Jon clapped his hands over his ears, the sound threatening to burst his eardrums. The warthog thrashed, tentacles flailing wildly in its agony.
Blood and ichor sprayed from the wound. The ghostly voices within the beast wailed in a din of torment.
Jon stumbled back, his ears ringing. He glanced towards the mountain, hope flaring in his chest. Surely Han must have heard that?
But wether or not he did, he could not solely count on the old man's help, not when the beast's agonized thrashing was so dangerous, so imminent. Yet that danger could also be an opportunity.
For a moment, Jon considered fleeing with the girl. But the thought vanished as quickly as it came. The beast's reach was too long, its attacks too unpredictable. Running now would be suicide.
His eyes darted around, assessing his surroundings. His mind raced through possibilities:
Pebbles? He ran out of them.
The ravine? Too far, and the beast was too agile now.
Loose soil? Useless against it.
His gaze landed on a sturdy tree nearby. An idea began to form.
"Wood," Jon muttered. "Strong enough to pierce, light enough to wield."
He recalled Han's lessons on wood cutting, the grain, the technique. Could he apply that with his bare hands? It seemed far-fetched, but what choice did he have?
Jon glanced at the thrashing warthog. Its blind fury could work to his advantage.
"If I can get it to hit the tree," he thought, "weaken it enough..."
It was risky. One miscalculation and he'd be skewered. But the alternative was certain death.
Jon took a deep breath, steeling himself. He'd have to be quick, precise, and above all, lucky.
"Hey!" he shouted, edging towards the tree. "Over here!"
The beast's remaining eye rolled towards him, unfocused and filled with pain. It lurched in his direction, tentacles flailing.
Jon held his ground, heart pounding. Not yet. Not yet.
The warthog charged, its massive bulk barreling towards him. At the last possible second, Jon dove aside.
CRACK!
The beast slammed into the tree with earth-shaking force. Bark exploded outwards as the trunk shuddered.
Jon scrambled to his feet, adrenaline surging. This was his chance. He rushed to the damaged section of the tree, eyes searching for a suitable piece of wood.
There - a long splinter, partially separated from the trunk. Jon gripped it with both hands and pulled. His enhanced strength allowed him to wrench it free, the wood barely scraping his toughened palms.
Behind him, the warthog was already recovering. Jon knew he had seconds to act.
He examined the wooden shard. Its end was jagged but not sharp enough. Gritting his teeth, Jon smashed it against the ground, trying to form a crude point.
The impact sent shockwaves through his arms.
Wood chips flew. Jon's enhanced speed allowed him to work faster than any normal human, but would it be enough?
A roar from behind told him time was up. Jon spun, clutching his makeshift weapon.
The warthog charged again, eye blazing with fury, tentacles reaching for him. Jon's mind raced, assessing angles, weak points, chances of survival.
He planted his feet, muscles coiled. One chance. That's all he had.
Target the heart, Liang Zhi's words echoed in his mind. The young man's eerily accurate predictions were alarming but questions could wait. Now, he had to act.
The warthog continued its frenzied assault, tentacles whipping through the air, its eye rolling wildly. Jon took a deep breath, steadying himself.
Time seemed to slow as he analyzed the beast's movements, looking for an opening.
There - a brief moment when its tentacles retracted before lashing out again.
Jon burst into motion, his enhanced speed carrying him forward in a blur. He weaved between the thrashing tentacles, each miss by mere inches. The beast's eye locked onto him, but too late.
As he closed in, Jon gathered himself for a leap. Just as his feet left the ground, a tentacle whipped towards him. No time to dodge.
He twisted in mid-air, launching the spear with all his might just as the tentacle slammed into his other arm. Pain exploded through his body, but his aim held true.
The wooden spear streaked through the air.
It struck the warthog's chest with a sickening thud, driving deep into its corrupted flesh. The beast's momentum did the rest, impaling itself further as it stumbled forward.
A horrific shriek filled the air as the spear burst out the other side, quivering as it embedded itself in the ground. The warthog's massive form shuddered, dark blood gushing from the gaping wound.
Jon crashed to the earth, rolling to absorb the impact. Pain lanced through his left arm as he struggled to his feet, the limb hanging awkwardly. Broken, most likely.
The warthog stumbled, its legs giving way. A torrent of blood, viscera, and worse spewed from its mouth as it collapsed. Its eye, once filled with rage, now glazed over with shock and agony.
Jon watched, chest heaving, as the beast's massive form twitched and shuddered.
But his reprieve was short-lived.
Suddenly, the black, gooey tentacles enveloped the beast's body once more. In a final, desperate act, one of the tendrils shot out, wrapping around Jon's ankle with terrifying strength.
"Fuck!" Jon shouted, his heart leaping into his throat. He clawed at the ground, trying to find purchase as the beast dragged him closer.
The creature's mouth gaped open, dark blood spilling out as it tried to speak. "Th-th... ie..." it gurgled, the word mangled and barely recognizable.
Jon's broken arm screamed in agony as he tried to brace himself against the pull. The stench of the beast's innards made him gag, fear rising in his chest as he realized he was losing this tug-of-war.
"Thhhh... ieeef..." the monster rasped again, its eye rolling madly.
Panic gripped Jon as he felt himself being inexorably drawn towards the beast's maw. His good arm flailed, searching for anything to grab onto.
Suddenly, Li Xiulan's scream pierced the air. She appeared at Jon's side, her small hands gripping his shirt, trying desperately to pull him back.
"Let go!" Jon yelled, but the girl's grip was iron-tight, determination etched on her tear-streaked face.
The beast's strength was fading, but so was Jon's. With his broken arm and the girl's added weight, he couldn't find the leverage to break free. His mind raced, searching for a solution, but coming up empty.
Just as despair began to set in, a shadow passed overhead.
BOOM!
The sound was deafening, like a thunderclap right next to his ear. A massive boulder crashed down from above, landing squarely on the warthog's body. The impact was so sudden, so unexpected, that Jon's mind couldn't process it for a moment.
The beast's form exploded under the weight, black goo and flesh erupting outwards. The tentacle gripping Jon's ankle spasmed and then went limp, its hold finally broken.
Jon scrambled backward, pulling Li Xiulan with him. They tumbled to the ground, panting and shaking. The tentacles around the crushed beast still twitched, but the threat was finally, undeniably over.
As the dust settled, Jon's eyes darted around, searching for the source of their miraculous salvation. There, on a distant peak, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.
Han stood silhouetted against the sky. Their eyes met for a brief moment across the expanse. Then, as quickly as he had appeared, he vanished from view.