Crunch.
A branch snapped somewhere beyond the western tree line.
Crunch Crunch Crunch
Each footstep was slow, deliberate, and impossibly heavy.
Connor tightened the straps on his gauntlets.
"I don't like this."
"No kidding," Tina whispered,
Kage narrowed his crimson eyes.
"It's not trying to hide."
Another step shook the ground beneath them.
THOOM.
Leaves drifted from the branches.
The footsteps stopped.
"...Where did it go?" Connor asked.
Kage's eyes widened.
"Above us!"
Everyone looked skyward.
High among the enormous branches, a massive silhouette leaped from one tree to another with terrifying speed. It was nearly twenty feet tall, covered in a dark green fur that blended in perfectly with the canopy.
Its long arms stretched nearly to its knees, ending in claws longer than swords. Four glowing amber eyes locked onto the group.
The creature crouched on a branches
Its lips peeled back into a grin filled with jagged fangs.
A deep growl rolled through the forest.
"GRRRRRRAAAAAAA..."
A translucent window suddenly appeared before all four of them.
Gate Creature Identified
Name: Mossfang Ape
Rank: Enchanted
Class: Monster
Connor stared at the message.
"...We're still at the Base stage."
"Shut up," Mira muttered.
The ape launched itself.
The branch beneath it exploded into splinters.
"Incoming!" Kage shouted.
The monster crashed into the clearing like a falling boulder.
BOOOOM
Rock and dirt erupted into the air.
Connor planted his feet.
"COME ON you Damn Monkey"
The ape's fist swung toward him.
Connor crossed both gauntlets in front of his chest to block the strike
CRAAAASH!
The impact blasted him backward.
He skidded across the moss, carving a small trench nearly thirty feet long before smashing into the base of an ancient tree.
"Gah!"
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
"I officially hate monkeys!"
The ape charged again.
Mira released an arrow.
Thwip!
The glowing projectile struck the creature's shoulder.
Instead of piercing its hide...
It shattered.
"...What?" Mira gasped.
"It didn't even break the skin!" Tina yelled.
The ape roared.
Kage darted forward, his twin shortswords flashing.
He slid beneath the monster's swinging arm and slashed across its ankle.
Screech!
Sparks flew.
His blades barely left a white scratch.
Kage jumped backward just as a massive hand slammed into the ground where he had been standing.
The shockwave knocked everyone off balance.
"We can win this; we just need to create a wound" Tina said.
"We have to locate the ape's weak spot," Mira answered, already scanning the Ape
Connor struggled to his feet.
The ape beat its chest with both fists.
BOOM BOOM BOOM
"