Supernatural: Reincarnated into the Hunt

James got out of the car as Ash parked it in the motel's lot. The flickering neon sign lit up the gravel beneath their feet. Stretching, James turned to Ash with a small smile. "Man, I have to give it to you. Even without any records, you found all this information. How did you manage that?"

Ash grinned, shoving the car keys into his pocket. "Come on, James. I'm not called Dr. Badass for nothing." He gave James a sideways glance, his grin growing wider. "By the way, you haven't called me that even once. What's up with that? Starting to think you don't respect my title."

James rolled his eyes, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Yeah, right. Dr. Badass. But seriously, Noz, how'd you dig all this up?"

Ash's grin faded a little as he turned away, pretending to focus on the motel ahead. In a low voice, he said, "I used some money. A couple hundred bucks."

James raised an eyebrow, his tone curious. "I didn't know Ellen's bar paid you that much. You're always complaining about being broke."

Ash avoided James's eyes as they walked through the motel's creaky wooden door and started climbing the stairs. After a pause, he finally muttered, "It wasn't my money… It was yours."

James froze mid-step, turning to look at Ash. Ash stopped too, glancing back over his shoulder. The two stared at each other in silence for a moment before Ash finally spoke, shrugging. "Come on, man. You've got plenty of money. Didn't you inherit billions from your dad or something?"

James's voice was flat as he replied, "That's my dad's money. What would I even say if he…" He stopped, realizing what he was about to reveal.

Ash tilted his head, looking puzzled. "If he what? James, what were you about to say?"

"Nothing," James said quickly, turning away and continuing up the stairs. His steps were heavier now, like he was trying to stomp away the words he almost let slip. "Let's just get to the room."

Ash followed, still confused but deciding not to push. They reached the second-floor landing, where the hallway stretched out, dimly lit by flickering bulbs. James shoved his hands into his pockets, trying to steady his thoughts. He couldn't let Ash know what he was planning—at least not yet.

When they got to the room, James let out a quiet sigh. If Ash found out he was thinking about bringing his dad back, he'd probably think James had lost his mind. Or worse, Ash might try to stop him. It was better to keep it to himself for now.

Ash unlocked the door and pushed it open with a dramatic gesture. "Alright, Dr. Badass presents your deluxe suite. Pretty fancy, huh?"

James glanced around at the peeling wallpaper, worn carpet, and the flickering bulb hanging from the ceiling. "Yeah, super luxurious. You're really spoiling me here, Ash."

Ash shrugged, tossing his bag onto the squeaky bed. "Hey, it's clean, cheap, and no one's asking any questions. What more do you need?"

"You were a lot more generous when you were spending my money," James complained while removing his jacket.

He sat down on the edge of the other bed, running a hand through his hair. His mind was still swirling with everything Ash had found and the secret he was keeping. "Do you really think Eleanor's ghost is still there? After all this time?"

Ash leaned against the dresser, crossing his arms. "If she's not, then something is. But yeah, I'd bet it's her. All those deaths and the weird stuff happening started after she died...well if we exclude the Arthur going crazy stuff."

James nodded slowly, tapping his fingers on his knee. "Then we have to deal with her. Somehow."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that? One angry ghost is bad enough, but thirty or more? That's insane. And we still don't know why there are so many in the first place."

He rubbed his face and then sighed. "I'm thinking I might need to call in some backup... maybe a couple of hunters from the Roadhouse."

James thought for a moment and then spoke, his voice a little more serious. "Well, if it was before, I would've totally agreed with you. But now... my powers have gotten stronger."

Ash looked at him, clearly not buying it. "What, you think you can take on thirty spirits by yourself? You're not even sure what we're dealing with yet."

James wasn't lying. His powers had definitely improved. Since upgrading his Essence Principle to level 2, his energy capacity had shot up. He could now use the Essence Flame for much longer and burn spirits in a way that felt almost effortless. He could also use Essence Absorption to absorb their energy, making him even stronger. But he didn't mention the leveling part to Ash. That was something he was keeping to himself.

Ash didn't say anything, but his face showed doubt. He needed some convincing. James looked him in the eye. "And you know the less people know about my abilities, the better. Come on, man, you gotta trust me on this."

Ash roamed the room for a minute, still unsure, before letting out a heavy sigh. "Alright..... But if you can't handle them, you better give me a sign, and we'll storm that place together. I've got your back, but you better not go off and get yourself killed."

James nodded, still confident in his abilities. "I'll let you know, but I've got this."

Ash held up his hand, palm open, like he was expecting something. "Now, give me some money. I need to get ready for the hunt. We're starting day after tomorrow."

James gave him a look. "What the hell am I, your personal piggy bank?"

Ash didn't move his hand. He just gave James a look, knowing he wasn't going to let this go until he got what he wanted. After a second, James sighed and pulled some cash from his wallet, slapping it into Ash's palm. "Happy now?"

Ash grinned, taking the cash and stuffing it in his pocket. "Oh, yeah. This is gonna be good." He walked back to the dresser, rubbing his hands together. "Alright, listen up. I'm gonna buy some stuff. Stuff that's gonna be necessary for dealing with a big group of spirits."

James raised an eyebrow, curious. "Stuff? What kind of stuff?"

Ash looked over at him and raised his hands, listing off a few things. "We're gonna need a shitload of salt, obviously. I mean, that's a given. But we're gonna use it to trap and weaken them. I'm talking about surrounding the place, setting up salt lines as traps. It's gonna take a lot, but we'll need it."

James nodded, already remembering how effective salt was. "Got it. More salt. Anything else?"

"Protection sigils," Ash continued, his eyes gleaming. "We'll draw them on the walls, floor, hell, maybe even on ourselves. These sigils will help keep the spirits away or at least weaken them enough for us to handle them. And we'll need iron, too. Spirits hate iron. We'll use iron chains to bind the stronger ones if we can trap them."

"Yeah, I remember iron works. Keep going."

"Okay, next, holy water. It's the old-school go-to for spirits. We'll need more than what we have. And if we really need to get fancy, I've got some blessed knives and ritual candles. They'll help us banish or destroy any spirits that try to get too uppity."

James sat back, thinking it over. "Sounds like you've got it all planned out."

Ash smiled, his grin growing wider. "You've got your powers to fight, and I'll handle things the old-fashioned way. Just take care of your side while I do my part."

James leaned back against the headboard, his arms crossed, thinking hard. After a moment, he spoke up. "Alright, I gotta ask. If we spread the salt around the whole damn manor, wouldn't that screw the spirits over? Like, weaken them orr something? Make things easier for us?"

Ash, pacing back and forth, stopped to scratch the back of his head. "Yeah, no, it's not that simple," he said, shaking his head. "Salt doesn't kill spirits, man. It's more like a damn fence. Sure, it keeps them in or out, but it doesn't do a damn thing to actually stop them."

Ash paused for drinking water from the bottle and then continued,"If we circle the whole place with salt, those bastards are going to lose their minds. Cornered ghosts? That's a goddamn nightmare waiting to happen. Trust me, you don't want to be on the receiving end of that. They'll fight back harder, and with thirty of them? That's a one-way ticket to getting us both killed."

James frowned, running a hand through his hair. "Okay, so the salt is just for, like, keeping them in check. Not to actually stop them?"

"Exactly," Ash said, pointing a finger at him. "We use it to keep them contained, maybe push them where we want them, but we still have to get inside and deal with them directly. That's where you come in, hotshot. Your magical fire is our ace in the hole. You torch the bastards, and I'll make sure none of them get away."

James let out a dry laugh. "Right, and when I get swarmed, I'm dragging your sorry ass into the middle of it."

Ash grinned, throwing on his jacket. "Fair deal. Look, I'm heading out to grab what we need."

"Yeah, yeah," James muttered as Ash left, the door creaking shut behind him.

With the room quiet, James stood up and decided to train his flame for a while. He closed his eyes, focusing on the familiar warmth in his chest. The blue Essence Flame flickered to life in his palm, a steady, surreal glow that lit up the dingy motel room.

For the next couple of hours, James practiced. He made the flame bigger, smaller, shaped it into crude forms, and pushed it as far as he could. His shirt was sticking to his back with sweat by the time he was done.

Two days flew by and finally, the day of the hunt arrived.

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