Soren moved first
The moment the invisible standoff broke he thrust his hand forward and released the railgun. Condensed blood and mana screamed through the air in a violent red streak aimed directly at the gorilla's chest. The projectile struck with explosive force, a cracking impact that echoed through the clearing as the energy burst across the creature's torso
For a brief moment Soren thought he had landed something decisive
The gorilla's upper body jerked from the impact, its massive chest recoiling as the blast spread across its striped hide. But the creature did not collapse. The railgun carved a shallow groove across its chest, bruising the thick muscle beneath its fur, and then the energy dissipated
The beast slowly straightened and its lungs expanded as it inhaled deeply and its eyes burned with sudden fury
Soren's stomach twisted
"That-that should've done more than that," he muttered under his breath, his voice tight as dread crept into it. "You've got to be kidding me"
The gorilla roared
The sound ripped through the jungle with overwhelming force, shaking the trees and sending birds screaming out of the canopy. Before Soren could even shift his stance the creature lunged forward, its massive frame crossing the distance between them far faster than something that size should have been able to move
A gigantic arm swung toward him
The spikes lining its forearm tore through the air as the fist came crashing down like a falling boulder. Soren's heart lurched into his throat and he threw himself sideways, barely avoiding the strike as the fist smashed into the ground where he had been standing
The earth split under the impact. Dirt and broken roots burst upward in a violent spray
Soren rolled across the jungle floor and forced himself upright, already drawing his sword as adrenaline surged through his body
"Too fast!," he breathed, his voice low and strained
The gorilla was already moving again. Soren rushed forward before it could recover fully from the swing. If he gave the creature space it would crush him. His sword flashed upward in a desperate strike aimed at the monster's arm
Steel scraped across thick muscle and the blade cut through fur and sliced a shallow line across the gorilla's forearm, drawing dark blood. But the wound was little more than a scratch against a creature of that size
Soren's chest tightened
"That's it? I couldn't even cut through"
The gorilla barely reacted to the cut. Instead its planted fist tightened in the soil and its entire body twisted around the anchored arm with terrifying speed
Soren's eyes widened as he realized what it was doing
"Wait-"
The creature pivoted violently, using the ground as leverage as its long, lanky leg whipped through the air toward him
Soren felt the killing intent before the strike even completed. His body reacted instantly, trying to move, trying to escape the incoming blow, but he wasn't fast enough. He barely managed to raise his arms in front of his body before the kick slammed into him. The impact felt like being hit by a moving wall. The force blasted the air from his lungs as his body was hurled backward through the clearing
The world spun
Leaves and branches snapped around him as he crashed into a thick tree trunk. The bark split with a sharp crack as the collision rattled through his entire body
Soren gasped as he slid down the trunk, pain flaring across his ribs and shoulders
"God… damn it…" he hissed through clenched teeth as he forced himself upright
His eyes immediately snapped toward the clearing
The gorilla was gone
Its massive striped body had already vanished from sight
Again
Soren's breathing quickened as he scanned the jungle around him, his sword tightening in his grip. His intent magic spread outward instinctively, searching the surrounding forest for the creature's presence. He strained to sense anything, any movement, any shift in the air but the monster was nowhere
The jungle had gone eerily quiet. Then the ground trembled slightly and heavy footsteps echoed somewhere in the trees. Soren stiffened as he turned toward the sound, his pulse hammering in his ears
Another step followed
Closer
He tightened his grip on his sword as blood magic began condensing at the tips of his fingers again, his voice barely steady as he whispered to himself
" I swear to God… I'm going to kill that fucking monkey"
The footsteps stopped
The jungle went silent so suddenly that the absence of sound felt louder than the chase itself. Soren's breathing slowed instinctively as his senses stretched outward, every muscle in his body tightening
'Where did it go?'
He raised his head slightly and then the air above him distorted
The gorilla reappeared
Its massive striped body materialized mid-air directly above him, both of its enormous fists clasped together as it fell downward like a collapsing boulder. The spikes along its arms glinted through the canopy light as the beast aimed a devastating double-fisted slam straight at him
Soren's eyes widened
'Shit.'
He didn't have time to dodge normally. The moment the realization hit him he dragged the edge of his sword across his palm. The blade sliced cleanly through skin and blood spilled instantly
"I need to move now!"
He clenched his hand and forced the blood outward
The liquid exploded violently beneath his feet, the sudden pressure launching his body upward just as the gorilla's fists smashed into the ground below. The impact thundered through the jungle floor, shattering roots and blasting soil into the air as Soren shot upward toward the lower branches of the trees
He grabbed a thick branch and hauled himself onto it, chest heaving as he looked down at the crater the gorilla had just created
'Direct attacks won't work', he thought quickly, forcing his breathing under control. 'That railgun barely bruised its chest. Its hide is too thick'
The gorilla was already looking up, its head tilted, yellow eyes locking onto him in the branches and it started roaring again and started climbing up the tree to chase Soren
With blood dripping from his hands he raised his fingers again and condensed another railgun firing the attack downward and the red streak struck the creature's shoulder with another sharp crack, but just like before the energy dispersed across its dense muscle. The beast barely flinched and its eyes almost blood shot in rage now started climbing even faster
Far faster than something that size should have been able to move. Its long limbs gripped the bark effortlessly as it began hauling its massive body upward toward him, claws tearing into the wood as it climbed like an enormous predator ascending its prey's tree
Soren's mind raced
'If it reaches me up here I'm dead'
More blood spilled from his palm as he deliberately forced it outward, condensing the liquid around his body
The moment the gorilla closed half the distance Soren detonated the blood
The explosion launched him sideways across the canopy. His body shot from one branch to another as he grabbed hold and immediately forced another burst beneath his feet, propelling himself again
Branch to branch
Each burst of blood acted like a crude propulsion blast, allowing him to move across the treetops faster than the creature could reach him and below him the gorilla ripped through branches in pursuit, tearing chunks of wood free as it climbed and lunged after him
Soren's mind analysed rapidly while he moved
'The railgun has enough force… so why isn't it going through? Its hide… it's too thick. The energy spreads before it can pierce it. Every creature has weak points. Eyes. Mouth. Joints'
Soren eyes now focused now as he quickly turned his head to look behind him at the oncoming beast
'I need one shot. I just need an opening'
As he landed on another branch Soren forced more blood from the wound in his palm, letting the droplets scatter outward through the air around him. The red liquid spread between the branches, floating briefly in the humid jungle air
Then he detonated it. Not to launch himself. To hide
The explosion vaporized the droplets into a thick red mist that spread across the canopy like a crude smokescreen. Branches, leaves, and twisted vines were quickly swallowed by the drifting crimson fog until the air around him turned hazy and distorted
For a brief moment the gorilla lost sight of him
Soren didn't waste it
He steadied himself against the branch beneath his feet and raised his hand again, blood condensing tightly at the tips of his fingers as the railgun formed
The first shot tore through the mist
Then the second
Then the third
Each attack ripped forward in violent red streaks, punching through leaves and branches as Soren fired repeatedly toward where he estimated the gorilla's head would be moving through the fog.
'Don't aim for the body'
His mind ran through the realization quickly
'Too thick'
Another railgun formed instantly
'If the hide won't break then aim somewhere softer'
He exhaled slowly as he adjusted his aim
'Eyes!'
The fourth shot fired
The railgun cut through the red mist and struck true
A wet cracking sound echoed through the canopy
The gorilla's roar cut off abruptly
The condensed blood projectile pierced directly through the creature's eye socket, ripping through the skull and driving straight into the brain behind it
The massive beast froze. For a brief second its enormous body remained suspended between the branches, as if the jungle itself had paused. Then its strength gave out and the gorilla's limbs loosened and its body tipped backward, crashing violently through the canopy as branches snapped beneath its weight. Leaves and broken limbs scattered everywhere as the corpse plummeted downward
A loud thud shook the forest floor as the creature's massive body slammed into the ground below then silence followed. Soren remained crouched on the branch above, breathing hard as blood slowly dripped from his palm and after a few seconds he looked down at the motionless corpse lying beneath the trees
A small, disbelieving smile spread across his face
''I actually did it''