031 Monkeying Around

I wasn’t a frontline fighter, so I scrambled for cover. But, that left Ben as the only one with the capacity to weather aggro.

He fought valiantly, but the gap between monster and man was just too vast. Within the first exchange, he lost a third of his HP. A moment later, his health meter dipped into the red as the monster won a glancing hit with its chains.

Nicola chipped in at that moment, raising a tentacle around the monkey. The scout captain barked orders, and her four surviving companions enacted a well-practiced maneuver. They dashed around the stone spikes and the trees, shooting a plethora of arrows.

All of the normal arrows bounced off the monster’s hardened fur without the slightest effect on HP. The enhanced ones, however, sizzled with auras of magic. Loud booms erupted as the abilities collided with the beast, forcing it to stagger.

The Primal Dread Monkey's health dropped by about ten percent. But with how large that health pool was, it barely even noticed.

The monster roared again, refreshing [Dismay]. It moved with lightning speed and grabbed a rock ball that had formed out of an arrow in midair. It launched the ball at a tree, obliterating a large stretch of the forest in a line.

An elf-woman scurried out of cover—the sole caster left among the Wood Elves. She activated her ability and sent stone spikes into the monster’s torso. It chased after her.

The scout captain appeared out of [Stealth] from behind them and lashed out on the monkey’s back with dual daggers. She did good damage by virtue of being the strongest ranker on our team. Though, good in this case didn’t mean much.

The monkey responded with a swipe of its tail, which left a sonic boom in its wake. The scout captain dodged by a hair’s breadth and fired an ice spear into its butt.

The monster shrieked and turned abruptly, abandoning its pursuit of the earth user. Large hammer hands pummeled the ground around the scout. The great plumes of dust that followed obscured the duo, making me unable to see the outcome of the attack.

But, I hoped she escaped. Asshole or not, she was the lesser evil, and we needed all the help we could get against the monster.

The Primal Dread Monkey emerged from the dust, matted with dirt. This time, it settled on a new target: the fleeing Nicola.

Ben tossed an empty potion bottle aside and raised his sword over his head. He mumbled a technique beneath his breath.

Whatever he did was enough to make the monkey abandon Nicola and race for him. He had drawn its aggro, somehow. A classic tank move. But, that was bad. Ben had used one health potion, which rendered him unable to drink another until six hours passed.

He avoided a head-on clash with the monster, choosing instead to dodge and focus on staying alive. The Wood Elves supplied cover fire, but for all their efforts, the monkey's health meter remained at sixty percent.

Finally understanding my role in the fight, I imitated the scout captain and activated [Stealth]. Our eyes met as I did so, causing her to nod in approval.

We both crept to the thick of the fighting. The monkey had its back to us, bent as it was on tearing Ben to pieces.

This close to the beast, I could see the corded muscles ripple beneath its fur. I could feel vibrations in the air left by the speed of its passing. Dust from its footfalls clogged my nose and throat.

It moved so fast . . . I had trouble perceiving its actions. What possessed me to join this fight? This was above my pay grade and hazard allowance.

As if in accordance (?), the [System] offered another stack of Fear. But, with two stacks already wasted reversing the effects of the debuff, it didn’t do much to help.

Ben stumbled on the upturned earth, leaving him at the mercy of the monkey.

“Now, Dark Elf!” the scout captain hissed.

I was already moving.

We threw ourselves at the back of the Primal Dread Monkey, daggers seeking purchase in the heels of its stout legs.

Even with The Blackreach Dagger’s unique ability, I still felt like I was using a butter knife to cut through granite. The freaking ape also reacted much faster than anticipated. And, I’d put it earlier at thrice my speed.

I ducked between its blows and tail swipes in a half daze, relying chiefly on instinct. Ben raised his sword again and used the skill that forced the monkey to focus on him.

The scout captain and I took advantage of the respite. Our blades raked at the area beneath the monkey’s tail. I didn’t do as much damage as she did, but goddamn it felt satisfying.

The monkey leaped five feet into the air at the triple pinpricks. It landed with an earth-shattering tremor that threw all three of us off our feet. Its powerful tail scythed the air, missing my head by inches, and slammed into the scout captain.

She became an imprint in a tree. Over half of her HP evaporated in that one hit. If the monkey had hit me instead . . .

I hesitated for a half moment, feet quaking in my boots.

“Damien, no!”

Ben tackled me out of the way of a large fist aimed at my head. It left us both at the mercy of the monkey, and I tensed up in anticipation of the strike. But then, a sturdy tentacle coiled around our torsos and threw us to safety.

The Primal Dread Monkey hissed in dissatisfaction and tugged a large stone spike from out of the ground. I made myself scarce with [Stealth], burning with shame at leaving Ben to scamper away on his own.

An unfortunate elf peeked out of cover to take a shot, and the beast bifurcated her with the spike, tossing it as one would toss a javelin.

Ben screamed a challenge. The flames around his sword grew until they threatened to consume him. Steam hissed from his skin as he brutally hacked at the monster’s legs, throwing all caution to the wind. The monkey turned to engage him, and the scout captain surged out of the bushes, throwing an empty potion bottle behind her.

All three clashed with a series of dizzying blows, and for the first time since the fight began, the Sophonts were winning. Ben and the elf fought in tandem, working with such sync that they seemed to have been married for years. Ben’s sword shrieked with righteous wrath, throwing great gouts of flame each time it intercepted the monkey. The Wood Elf darted around them, winning critical strikes with her daggers.

Nicola and the surviving duo of snipers chipped in. I could only watch in stunned silence as they whittled away at the monster’s health. The giant health bar over the Primal Dread Monkey dipped to thirty percent.

If we could continue like this . . . If we could just win this game of attrition . . .

Ben stepped forward for a swing, but rather than a plume of flame, his sword released a weak sputter. He blinked out of his wrath-filled daze as if only just realizing that he had run out of MP.

The monster took advantage of the brief moment of respite. It raised its gigantic hands over its head and brought its palms together.

My ears exploded.

You have been struck with [Deafness]!

All sustained skills and abilities have been deactivated.

You are afflicted with [Dismay]!

Since this is already active, the duration has now been extended.

The Primal Dread Monkey continued forward, though I could barely hear it due to the ringing in my ears. It punched Ben with a heavy fist, then swept the scout captain aside when she tried to intervene. The mild sweep blew another chunk out of her health. But, she vanished into the bushes, [Stealth] covering her movements.

The Primal Dread Monkey placed a heavy foot on Ben’s chest and wrenched the sword free from his arm. It came away with his gauntlet and the entirety of his sleeve. Ben shrieked in agony, suffering a dislocation to the shoulder; a wound made possible by the emptying of his health meter.

One more stomp was all it would take to finish him.

One more—

“Get your filthy hands off him!” Nicola screamed, recovering from the thunderclap faster than anyone else.

The tentacle that followed did little to bother the monkey. But, it provided a valuable window for the snipers to renew their attacks. A dark shadow fell over the monkey’s face, and it rushed through the onslaught of missiles and rocks for the Wood Elves.

[Scaredy-cat] fired at that moment, granting stat buffs.

I dove out of the monkey’s path with renewed vigor, but it raced instead for the bushes.

The earth Mage managed to duck behind a timely wall of stone, but a ferocious punch sent it cascading around her. Her partner wasn’t so lucky. A single slap sent her head sailing into the trees.

The scout captain reappeared with an ice spear in her grasp. Tears and bloody murder painted her face. She targeted once again the region beneath the tail and sent the monkey springing with a yelp. She dodged the retaliatory strikes that followed, giving her sole remaining teammate a chance to escape.

“Just you and me now, bastard,” the scout captain taunted, hacking out the words. Her hair fell over her face, lending her a maddened image when combined with her bulging eyes.

The primal ape pounded its chest. One long roar followed, then another, and then it darted forward in acceptance of the challenge.

If the scout captain fell now, there would be no one left to lead the assault. I had to assist her and provide damage support in the way she had done for Ben.

But, I was weak. Way too weak.

The Pyramid of Rebirth flashed past in my mind’s eye, alongside the old man homunculus who had decided not to fight.

There are times to lay down your arms, Damien. And, there are times to fight.

This is one of them.

I put a single foot down in front of me—

Hey, it seems you are afraid!

+1 has been added to all stats.

The buff triggered a second notification:

[DEX] has now risen from Common to Greater.

You deal 4x base damage using [DEX]-based weapons.

You have gained the [Dual-wielding] perk.

Speed has risen by 2x!

Now, we are talking.

I placed a second foot. And then, I dashed toward the fight, calling shadows out of The Blackreach Dagger.

Rogues weren’t built for frontal assaults, a fact I knew from my experience with the class. The scout captain held her own despite that, using her incredible agility to compensate for her lack of durability. However, the monster was just as fast, and three times as strong.

It swung the chains on its arms, throwing dust and leaving massive craters in the ground. It was only a matter of time before the scout captain made a mistake.

But, I intended to extend that window.

I ran up behind the monkey and scored a blow on its Achilles’ heel. It retaliated with a backkick, but I danced out of reach.

The scout captain formed two duplicates to occupy the monkey's attention. They moved with daggers and minds of their own, tripling the damage she had been dealing.

Their deadly battle turned even more chaotic as all four fighters spun around, ripping into each other. I followed them regardless and slashed the monster’s heels from out of [Stealth] each time I saw an opportunity.

The monkey released a frustrated howl and stomped the ground. Vibrations rippled outward, jamming into my skull. All four of us lost our footing, and one clone stumbled into the monkey's path. She disappeared in a cloud of smoke the next second as a large fist separated her head from her shoulders.

The two scout captains tried to retreat, but the monkey whipped about like a top. Huge chains swept through the air, severing trees and tearing huge grooves into the ground. They sliced the clone into nothingness who pushed her creator aside to take the hit.

The scout captain rebounded with an ice lance, still maddened with rage. But, a backhand from the monkey sent her flying into the bushes.

She didn’t get up, assuming she still lived. But, considering the empty health meter, it was safe to assume that her role in the fight had ended.

I had to run. With everyone else beaten, Nicola and I were as good as dead.

But, I didn’t escape. Not even as the monkey roared into the sky and turned red eyes on me.

I matched its glare with one of my own, making my last stand here in the forest. My arms betrayed me despite my conviction, trembling so hard I almost dropped the dagger.

You know, you’re still very afraid.

+1 has been added to all stats.

I chuckled at the message. With the fifth stack of [Fear], my Strength finally entered the Common tier. I could now hit for two times base damage thanks to that, in addition to the four times I got from Greater Dexterity.

I’d come a long way from the old Damien who would have tolerated any form of abuse as long as it meant he could secure a wage. Even if I fell here, I’d lived more in the past week than I had in twenty-five years of life.

The monster pounced.

I rolled aside, but its arm still managed to clip me. The glancing blow propelled me into an earth spike and then onto the ground.

Blinding pain followed the sinking of my health meter. I fumbled around for a potion in my Inventory, even though I didn’t have the time. Thunderous footsteps indicated the monkey’s pursuit.

My fingers closed around the stopper of a health potion. Fuck. I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to die, after all. But, the monkey loomed just behind me.

Nicola emerged from hiding, mage staff brimming with energy. A sigil expanded on the ground, right in the monkey’s path. The primal ape tried to halt its momentum, but the spell had already activated.

Tentacles bloomed from the ground, as tall as houses and wriggling like worms. They battered the ape with the force of their rising and sent it tripping over itself. The tentacles closed around its limbs.

Nicola swooned, drained from the exertion of her mega spell.

But, even her most powerful ability withered in the face of sheer brute force. The primal ape struggled against its bonds, crushing the tentacles into motes of purple light.

And, finally, its health meter emptied with a zing that resounded throughout the battlefield.

I dashed across the clearing.

The last ice spear formed by the scout captain lay still where it had been abandoned. I grabbed it in both hands and shivered as an unnatural chill seeped into my skin.

[Identify].

Spear of Indifference [Common].

A pure mana construct created from an ability of Apathy. Deals ice-based damage upon attack.

Note: This is a hybrid weapon.

Requirement: Common Strength or Dexterity.

I passed either requirement. And, judging from the text, it also benefited from [DEX]-based damage.

I ran with the short spear to the struggling monster’s back.

It turned as I approached and destroyed the last of the tentacles in a terrific display of strength. I ducked beneath the wild chain sweep and shoved the weapon deep up its pelvis.

The monster doubled over with a whimper. Warm blood showered my hand, clashing with the frost of the spear. I held its pained gaze, even as a hot breath gusted from its nostrils over my face.

“Look at me,” I said with a steady voice, ignoring the sweat falling over my eyelids. “That skill you use; the one that inflicts [Dismay]? I can do that and more. I will teach you real fear.”

The monster tried to rise. I threw my weight against the spear, twisting it violently. It cried out in pain.

[Fear Aura].

Had this been invoked earlier in the battle, the ability wouldn’t have worked given the sheer difference in levels. But I’d learned from a week’s worth of experiences that dying monsters were very susceptible to the aura I exuded.

The monster’s eyes widened as red stared into red. It resisted the first instance of [Dismay]. However, the combination of pain, fear, and death put a brief halt to its actions.

The icicle shattered in my grasp. I pulled The Blackreach Dagger out of my Inventory and went for the throat.