Grateful To Be Knocked Out Cold

As long as Raven was alive, I would always be awake, always present. Her conscious state was a shackle, chaining my spirit to her body. And the moment she passed out, the restraints on my soul also faded.

I popped out in my spirit form, dishing out a punch as a greeting to the guard. His hold loosened, cue for my second fist. The attack knocked him aside. A series of further clobbering rained on him like a meteor shower. He tried to grab me, but his hand passed through. His efforts were futile as my spirit form was nothing more than information.

This had gone on long enough. My next strike aimed at the guard’s vulnerable spot; the spring of my fist disturbed the nearby current. I could feel the attack connecting to the guard’s skull; the reverberation sent shockwaves throughout his body. An instant knockout.

The guard collapsed, the strings that were controlling the body severed for the moment. The truck swirled at a turn; though the jacket kept Raven anchored, the guard didn’t have the same luxury. The body slid to the edge like an air hockey puck. Practically diving towards him, I caught the guard by the arm before he fell. His legs were already hanging off the edge.

I saved yet another life. As a reward, I got to pluck the magical rings from his hand one after one. I had used magical artifacts while in my spirit form before, and luckily, it worked for the manmade ones too. With a helpful push from the telekinesis granted by the rings, I dragged the body back up.

An idea ran through my head, and I nudged the unconscious guard up against Raven. Please tell me this will work. My translucent hand reached the magical jacket, hoping that it would take the information I passed along, commands to stick Raven to the guard. It listened.

The guard was glued to Raven like an abstract art piece. With the security guard secured, I tucked the rings into Raven’s pocket for safekeeping.

Now… where is the camera?

My quasi-omniscience was adjusting to the collateral interference, so it could tell me where the wires were. I stuck my hand through the ceiling, and a gentle pull disconnected the security camera from its power source. Guess they should have thought of ghost-proofing their system.

I dropped inside the trailer as if submerging into a pool. Before the other guard could react, I gripped his arm. He let out an unbecoming yelp, but I couldn’t blame him that much; he was already terrified of falling out of the truck.

With the other guard disarmed and shivering, I flew back up the long way, since the rings couldn’t pass through walls the way I could. They slid smoothly into Raven’s pocket, adding to my growing collection. All I had left to do was find the location of the magical artifact.

Time would run out soon. I needed to find it before E.T. came back, and before Raven woke up. Sinking back into the trailer, I threw an ominous glare at the security guard to set up my question, “Where did they put the artifact?”

No answer. I flew closer and grabbed him by his neck. “Tell me, or I’ll throw you out.”

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about!” The guard screamed out. I released him from my grasp. It was an absolute waste of time.

On paper, this truck was delivering manmade magical items. There were no clues about where the artifact was hidden, but I had an inkling of how to find it.

Levitating to the center of the truck, my gaze swept through the surfaces. With my route planned out, I swooped into the floor and cruised along the solid matter, determined to cover every inch of the surface. If my guess were correct, the magical artifact should be concealed in an artificial space, similar to where the Hand of Glory was hidden.

During my heist with Pestilence, I couldn’t pass through the walls of an artificial space even as a spirit. As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Wherever I couldn’t pass might be where the artifact was located.

I was right. A spot near the corner fitted my criteria. I floated back out and glared at the cowering security guard. “If either of the thieves asks you where the artifact is, tell them it is here. Got it, Konagaya Motoki?”

The guard, Motoki, shivered at my words. “How do you know my name?”

I gave him an ominous smile. “Remember. I know where you live. I know you have a wife and a 12-year-old daughter. Oh. You must be inclined to say something like, ‘Don’t you dare hurt them.’ Don’t bother. The only way you can protect them isn’t by making empty threats, but by listening carefully to my instructions. Nod if you get it.”

Motoki bobbed his head immediately after, committing it to his memory. “Yes, I understand.”

“Good. Just remember that I’m always watching.” After that, I faded into invisibility. Even if he told people about me later, there wouldn’t be video evidence to back up his claims. The pieces were in place. I only had to wait for the result to sprout.

E.T. soon caught up with the truck. I couldn’t see his expression under the oni mask, but he rushed to check Raven’s pulse and the guard’s. Once he was satisfied, he descended into the trailer, expecting a fight. But all he found was Motoki, who clung to the walls desperately.

“I surrender!” Motoki yelled once he saw E.T.

“What happened?” E.T. asked with an icy voice.

“A… a ghost… asked me to tell you… the thing you are looking for is over there.” Motoki pointed at the spot with his shaky hand.

E.T. kept an eye on Motoki, while using Cloudie to stab the wall. Indeed, behind that spot wasn’t the outside road, but a small, impossible space that housed a silver suitcase. E.T. sliced apart the lock and inspected the insides of the case. I looked over his shoulder to sneak a peek.

A small, hand-sized wooden mallet carved with ornate patterns, with a decorative red string hanging off the end of the handle. It was the Uchide no Kozuchi, or in my words, the magical hammer that could destroy the economy. No wonder the government was so careful with the security, and no wonder the Robin Hood wanted it.

It was a magical artifact that could manifest wishes.

But there was another object in the suitcase. A certificate to verify that the hammer was the real deal. Signed by someone with power and credibility. A familiar name to me, but to E.T., it wasn’t anything special. He skimmed through the text and shut the case afterwards.

Just when the heist seemed to proceed smoothly, the truck screeched to a stop. The inertia slammed E.T. and Motoki against the wall. This shouldn’t be happening. The driver was ordered to keep the truck moving until it reached its destination in Osaka. No matter what. Unless he got another command…

Swoosh. A figure dropped from the sky at terminal velocity. He braked at the last second for a graceful landing right outside the truck.

He was wearing a bright blue suit that commanded attention. On his back, a pair of wings entirely outlined by streaks of light, fading the moment he touched ground. I couldn’t decide whether his appearance was meant to be serious or ironic. The sense of dissonance intensified once I considered the grimy pole engraved with dull gold and red mounted on his shoulder. His carefree smile declared all my judgments useless.

His name was… his name… unknown. A familiar frustration crept up. At least I could glimpse parts of his mind. Parts? But it seems like I can read his entire mind, so why do I have a hunch that a piece is missing?

For the moment, what I saw was enough. A command to subdue us at all costs. He lifted the staff off his shoulder and aimed its tip at E.T.

E.T. placed the suitcase aside and adjusted his stance. Cloudie bore its edge, ready to slice; the sky darkened at its call. Against an opponent who only had a stick, the outcome seemed obvious.

That was until I realized the identity of his magical artifact. What appeared to be an unremarkable rod turned out to be…

No time to finish the thought. I leaped at E.T. and tackled him to the ground. The staff’s length shot forward until it stopped short before the wall, barely grazing E.T.’s shoulder. The intensity of the attack even made me fret over my own safety for a second before I remembered that I was a spirit.

Though the pole extended fourfold, the man still held it the same way as before, unaffected by the added length. Such was the power of the Ruyi Jingu Bang, the mythological weapon wielded by Sun Wukong.