Bear vs. Gorilla

Reinhardt readied his axes, but he knew it would be futile. He has never seen something like that beast, not even in all his years as a mercenary. Not in the northern tribes, where high-step arctic magic beasts terrorized the fjords, and not anywhere in the Pirate Seas, where sea monsters sunk even the most majestic battleships

The silver-white gorilla behemoth was no Silver Tier beast, but it probably was the closest to one before that. A Bronze Tier 10 could still be slain by commoners, but it required an entire company of 200 mercenaries and special preparations, like the poison Daga made us of.

They were only three. No matter how skilled he and Daga were, they could not replace hundreds of men. Sturm could support them, but even if they could dodge all the attacks with his help, a high-tier bronze beast lacked no intelligence.

Once the beast targeted the teenager, nothing would be able to stop it. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so Reinhardt hardened his resolve. The only way out was for them was for him to give in, to let the crimson shroud envelop his mind. If he gave up sanity for power, then the true Rampage Bear may just win enough time for Sturm and Daga to escape.

Giving in to his heritage was a double-edged blade. The crimson shroud blocked off everything except the desire to destroy. In such a state, there was no pain, no worries, but neither were there friends or foes, just targets to quell a boundless thirst for brutalization. Once upon a time, on a campaign with his sword brothers, he had found himself in a similar situation coming to the same conclusion.

The result was vanquished enemies but also murdered comrades that had trusted him with their lives. Ever since that day, no matter how furious he got, Reinhardt made sure never to let his berserkergang take complete control of him. Even when he punished Latif for kicking Sturm, he had never completely lost control, or else only the Overseer would have been able to stop him.

Rage filled the guard captain´s veins while his eyes slowly turned red. His muscles contracted and expanded to the rhythm of his beating heart. If Sturm were not distracted by the giant gorilla, he would see the similarities with the ironmaw bear that broke his arms. The same blood-red steam rose from his teacher's body, and it caught the maclawco overlord´s attention.

A puny human dared to challenge it, even after its display of might? Unforgivable. It had already been chased out of its ancestral lair, beaten like a dog, and stolen of its treasures. Revenge was impossible, as it would never be able even to approach the two that had made it beg for its life and flee. Now, while still recuperating from that nightmare, some puny humans interrupted its slumber, used poison like cowards, and even killed its descendants in front of its eyes?

It should have destroyed all humans the day its only offspring had been slain, but the other overlords had stopped it. The others were no more, and the two new hegemons only cared about their rivalry. Nothing would stop it now; it would unleash all its pent-up emotions onto those tiny, weak humans. But first, it would destroy those four in front of it.

Daga saw the silver-white gorilla get distracted and used that moment to gain distance from Sebastian. The client was the first most priority. He had no qualms about using the guard captain´s distraction to complete his task.

While the gorilla and the bear engaged in a staring contest and prepared to engage each other, the viper escaped with the toad, and Sturm wracked his brain to find a solution.

He hated it. It was not that he was useless; during the wolf attack, his contribution had been significant to the outcome, but all he could offer was indirect support. Sturm wanted to smash his opponents, destroy them with his own hands. Kick them, punch them, feel the adrenaline rush when crushing all opposition.

Why did it have to be like this? No matter how hard he trained, how much he improved, he still felt powerless now. It had to change. If the Art of the Nine Pillars were to be combined with the inhuman strength of commoners and nobles, then even if that giant ape would regret ever engaging them.

<<I am a fighter, damn it. I have beaten hundreds of professional fighters. An oversized primate was a primate nonetheless. No matter how intelligent, there has to be a weakness we can exploit. Maybe it's the eyes? It looks almost blind.>>

Those white, menacing eyes that were staring at…

<<Reinhardt? What is happening to him?>>

Before he could call out to him, the guard captain charged at the beast; both axes raised high over his head. The beast responded in kind, the earth-shaking when each of its four limbs impacted on the earth.

Berserker strength against a Tier 10 Bronze overlord. A giant fist collided with two sharp axes. Reinhardt could match the beast's strength, the crimson power was not to be underestimated, but there was something that could not resist the monstrous fist.

Two axes shattered completely, its fragments shooting through the air. Only two wooden sticks were left of the once imposing weapons, while just an insignificant, finger-deep cut could be spotted on the gorilla's hands.

Reinhardt himself was unhurt as well, but without any weapons to cushion their next exchange, his body would have to face the behemoth's strength directly.

There was nothing Sturm could do. Edgar's incident flashed through his mind. The teenager knew it was no miracle but directly summoned by the merchant. If only he could do the same. With just a little extra time, they would be able to flee far enough.

During Reinhardt´s and the beast´s staring contest, the assassin had already gained enough distance. The client was safe for now, and his obligations were fulfilled. Now, there stood no code in the way of private matters.

The contents of a dark purple bottle poured over a dozen throwing knives. Once all of them pierced into the gorilla's skin, then even if it were a dragon, it would not be able to keep standing.

Daga arrived just in time to witness the clash of metal and magic beast skin. Quick like a pit viper jumping towards its prey, the assassin threw out one dagger after the other. They pierced through the wind, arriving at the giant beast in an instant.

For the first time, the eerily quiet beast howled in pain. A terrible screech almost burst their ears. It was no surprise the beast never roared before. It was probably embarrassed about its high-pitched voice. The shrill sound stunned the three conscious humans, almost knocking them out, each of them desperately clutching their ears.

How did a few tiny throwing knives cause the gorilla behemoth so much pain? It had never screamed before, and even Reinhardt's axes had only left behind shallow wounds.

Slowly the sound stopped reverberating in Sturm's ears, and the boy managed to look at the cause of the beast's agony.