"Monkey Business."

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[Hrozun 16, 0100 A.R]
[Atherion]

Current in-game time 5:12 PM

Everybody present froze in shock to see the enormous Sea Brute standing on the ship's deck. The entire ship fell silent at the creature's ferocious gaze, a pair of big round crimson eyes glared with the intent to harm, fell on Aster who trembled at the Brute's gaze.

Due to how large it was, about 7-8 feet tall with freakishly huge muscles, a shadow was cast over the dumbfounded mage. It fluidly raised one of its arms, then without a single warning, it swung down its large fist, aiming at Aster intent on killing him off. Seeing the large fist about to collide against his body, Aster reacted quickly and pulled his finger towards the Brute firing a desperate beam.

In just a fraction of a second, the arm which was traveling towards him, went and blocked his shot at point-blank range. The beam of concentrated energy ricocheted upon hitting the Brute's scales, astonishing both Aster and the others at how durable and quick the monster's reflex was. On the other hand, the Brute sent a glare in Aster's direction focusing solely on him as he had provoked its anger.

It gripped the trident at its side and swung with an amount of effort. Yuna and Muzui could only watch in horror as the Brute swung its weapon with incredible speed, the two of them could have probably stopped the attack but their bodies were temporarily stuck unable to move an inch of their bodies. Once again, Aster tried to counter once more but to his surprise, the second swing was much faster than anticipated, before he could even raise his hand or even think about raising his hand, the trident was already inches away from his neck.

Clank! BAM!

The whole ship seemed to tremble from the Brute's strike as the attack collided. People's eyes widened in suspense expecting to see the mage's body impaled by the Brute's weapon. But just when everyone assumed Aster's death, they were left in awe as they saw that the Brute's trident had pierced the deck instead of Aster's flesh.

Again, before anyone could even attempt to provide help or think about helping, the monster swiftly retrieved its weapon and raised it in front of it preparing to block something and that something came in the form of a spear. The polearm bounced upon hitting the trident's shaft, causing it to spin wildly in the air as a hand reached out to grab it while still airborne.

In that small fraction of a second, the Brute jabbed its weapon at the mysterious figure who had seemingly just appeared out of nowhere, aiming its attack directly at the person's chest. Its attack, however, did not land and only ended piercing the air as the figure dodged and went for a counter of their own. With a thrust, their spear went to bore a hole at the monster's skull almost succeeding in the process only to be denied as the Brute jerked its head to the left.

Seeing that their attack failed, the figure adjusted their body for a perfect landing and even striking a pose for extra bravado. "Your attacks don't seem to only rely on strength alone, although a bit crude, you still pose a formidable threat with your spear." Said the person who turned out to be a man judging by their voice. The man was of the Beastclaw race, particularly the Monkey family, as they owned a long tail covered in reddish fur. "That said, I don't think you'll prove to be much of a challenge." They said with a smirk before pointing his spear at the Brute.

To the creature's surprise, its cheek had a shallow thin cut, a sign that it hadn't fully dodged the Monkey's attack. The Brute wiped away the blood and looked at its hand to see that it had been injured, IT has been cut. Seeing this the Brute clenched its fists in anger then released a roar so loud it caused the entire ship to quake.

While it was indeed intimidating now that it was furious, the Monkey only chuckled in delight as it prepared its spear, "Come! Let our spears dance!" It said with excitement laced into his tone. Enraged by the Monkey, the Brute dash forward, thrusting its trident with tremendous power now serious about killing them.

But because it was blinded by its fury, its attack was wider and lacked finesse compared to before. Taking the opportunity the Monkey slid past the attack, avoided the second, then deflected the third, "Yes! That's the spirit! Let your spear pierce your enemy!" Cheered the Monkey, making the creature even more enraged and furious as it continued to thrust even faster and faster.

As it continued attacking, the speed at which it was moving caused a few afterimages to be created, nonetheless none of its attacks hit, not even a scratch as the Monkey evaded all of them by a hair's breadth. Even with Yuna's years of experience playing dozens of games, her eyes had a hard time following the Brute's trident as it thrusts with unimaginable speed and power.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that a single attack going at that speed would be enough to kill anyone in one shot. Even with proper armor on, it would probably not even hinder the Brute's attacks. But even with that said the creature could not land a finger on the Monkey dancing circles around it with a taunting grin.

Even more, enraged the Brute stopped its assault causing one of the Monkey's brows to rise in curiosity as he stopped to look. However, the Monkey would soon regret staring as the Brute took a very deep breath, its chest inflating in size until it was twice as big. Confused and intrigued the Monkey couldn't take his eyes off of the creature, unaware of the looming threat.

What happened next ended up shocking everyone else watching the fight, even Yuna and Muzui who even got the front row seats of the whole thing could only find themselves speechless. Without warning the Brute finished with a stream of water shooting from its mouth. In the instant, it let loose its attack the Monkey's eyes went wide as he forced his body to move away from the water.

Sidestepping away from the stream was the best decision the Monkey made because, after that initial shot, they all bear witness to the destruction left behind by the Brute's attack. A hole appeared on the deck where the water hit, a long trail of broken wood can be seen as the pressurized water cut through the floor like butter. The Monkey shared a surprised look as he glanced at the mark beside him.

If he hadn't stepped out of the way at the right moment, his face would be replaced with a gaping hole, but even with that knowledge in mind the Monkey's smile intensified instead of subsiding. "So you had a trump card hidden for certain situations. Boy, I think I might need some help," he declared with a shit-eating grin.

The Brute let out steam out of its nose as it prepared for another shot, firing two high-speed water projectiles aimed at the Monkey. In retaliation, the Monkey ducked out of the way of the first bullet then using his spear, he struck down the second while dashing straight at the Brute with his spear at hand. Seeing this, the creature went on the offensive trying to intercept the Monkey as he went into range.

In a fraction of a second, the two exchanged dozens of blows as the Monkey blocked and redirected the creature's blows, meanwhile the Brute placed even more strength in its attacks in the hopes of wearing down the Monkey's defenses.

Watching by the sidelines, Aster steeled himself as he tried to help in the fight by firing a shot at the Brute's side. But thanks to how fast the two of them were going, the mage had a hard time trying to find an opening, though it did not take too long for one to show up. Aster quickly adjusted and fired a shot at the creature's head, aiming to take it down or at least give it some damage.

His shot flew towards the beast's head, however, it did not hit as it was blocked by its trident. The Brute glared at Aster for interrupting its fight, giving him cold sweat as he flinched.

"You bozo! Stay out of this, this is MY fight! Don't you dare interrupt me!" Meanwhile, an angry Monkey shouted at Aster who gave them a confused look, as if not able to believe what he was saying.

"I was only trying to help," he said in self-defense, earning a glare from the Monkey.

"I don't need your help, I can handle this thing on my own. If anything, you should be helping those two beside you," he motioned towards Yuna and Muzui lying on the ground sharing the same confused expressions as Aster. He finished scolding the mage after a moment before needing to dodge an attack from behind as he was talking, "Hey! No sneak attacks!" Said the Monkey as he flipped to the side of an attack.

The Brute did not wait for them to finish their little banter and went for the attack, almost landing one only for it to be evaded. The two of them went back to fighting as the Monkey went back to defending and the Brute attacking. As the fight dragged on for a bit, the Monkey would soon feel the weight of the Brute's attacks as he failed to fully redirect a blow, the power sending him flying through the air.

While he was able to block any fatal blows, he still felt the full brunt of the attacks as his body quaked, even feeling his bones vibrate. Luckily he was able to redirect himself midair and land a few feet back, shooting a glance at the Brute, still grinning, "Whew, that was a close one, I felt that one alright. My body's still shaking, see?" He showed his hand which was still shaking from the attack.

The Brute merely grunted in response, looking at him while waiting for the fight to resume. Seeing this, the Monkey chuckled, "Now that's more like it, finally enjoying the fight, are we? Well, you should've done that before because I'll be ending this with my next attack." Confidently he challenged the Brute's gaze before going into a stance.

At the tip of his spear, an orange aura started to whirl and accumulate in intensity, the Brute instantly sensed the strength residing within the spear's tip. Swiftly, the beast shot more pressurized water at him not wanting to wait any longer for the Monkey's next attack as it could tell how much a threat the spear posed. Like a machine gun, it fired bullet after bullet as if it was raining, yet the Monkey slipped through all of them.

In a matter of seconds, the Monkey stood in front of the Brute with his spear glowing brighter than before, power oozed from the weapon as Yuna and Muzui felt the pressure along with everyone on the ship. Seeing the inevitable, the Brute used its trident to block the oncoming attack as a last-ditch effort of preserving its life, however, it ended with a single fluid motion.

People could see the elegant trail of light left behind by the spear as it thrust in a straight line. Piercing through the Brute's trident and creating a gaping hole through the stomach, the creature's heart still beats even though half of it was destroyed by the attack along with most of the other organs. With a loud dull thud, the Brute's body fell onto the deck like a sack of cement.

Then Monkey stood in front of the creature's remains with a triumphant yet solemn look in his eyes as he knelt towards his fallen enemy. "That was a night fight, I hope the next time we meet you'll be stronger," he whispered to it before standing up and walking away.

•∆•

A while later, the crew members were repairing the damage left on the ship while tending to the wounded as they continued on their voyage to Glacier Falls.

Unsurprisingly there were a few people who were injured, none were severely wounded, and some only had minor scrapes. While it can be said that they got out of that mess with only a few bruises, the headache of a fight still left a mark on the crew as it caused a certain tension to linger.

Inside the ship's quarters was a small medical bay which is also the kitchen/dining room since the frigate wasn't exactly spacious, the people had to make do with whatever they have. A warm green glow permeated throughout the medical bay as a mage casts some healing magic on some wounds.

"There we go, all done," said the healer with a cheery smile directed at Yuna. The girl stood up from her seat feeling refreshed before walking in front of a mirror, she checked her body and was delighted to see no cuts visible.

"Thanks, I feel great," thanked the girl.

"Oh, no problem, I'll heal you right up if you ever get injured again but please do be careful," the healer reminded with a wink as Yuna nodded her head slightly then walked to the stairs.

"No promises," Yuna chirped before exiting the bay. As she set foot on the deck, she was greeted by Muzui who had his usual grumpy look while sitting on a barrel, he looked at her for a moment scanning her from head to toe before turning away seemingly unconcerned. "Oi, how're your wounds?" She asks him.

"Don't have any, you?" He shot back in quick response while looking away.

"Nice of you to ask, I got myself healed, and lucky for me there were no scars~" the girl puffed her chest with a proud smirk.

"That's good and all but I was hoping they could fix that narcissistic personality of yours, but I guess even magic has its limits," he grinned mockingly while mentally praising himself, 'Heh, nice.'

"Oh shut it, you're just jealous that I'm stronger than you," Yuna snuck out her tongue as the two of them went on their usual banter for a minute or two before settling down. Not missing a beat, the two of them fell silent after calming down, both stared at the distance only to see the ocean's reflected surface.

In the middle of their trance-like state, while Yuna was almost zoning out, letting her mind wander off, she suddenly reacted as a blunt object hit her on the head. "Ow! What the heck man!?" She quickly glared at Muzui who looked at her in confusion which in turn made her even more confused. The two of them shifted their sights on the floor as they saw the core of an already eaten apple lying there.

Still confused, Muzui also got hit on the head with something, though it wasn't an apple, instead, it was a whole damn watermelon. It smashed against his head causing him to fall off from his barrel as a variety of fruits fell like rain on top of them, perplexed, they stared at the rain of fruits and some vegetables.

The two of them both thought at the same time and asked, 'What the?' As they heard a couple of voices arguing at the top, "Did you just seriously eat our supplies!? How are we –what are we even going to eat!?" A voice furiously spoke up as Yuna and Muzui listened in intrigue.

"Woah Woah Woah, I didn't eat anything, they all rolled off to the side when you surprised me. I was just eating an apple," the other voice sounded a lot more laid back, and at the same time, kinda familiar.

Soon it was clear who the familiar voice was as Yuna and Muzui saw an all-too-obvious browntail sticking out like a sore thumb. Yuna asked Muzui to give her a boost to get a better look at what was happening, not minding the fact that they were eavesdropping on them.

"Aha! So you admit you were eating at our supplies without me knowing!" The captain of the ship, a scruffy old man wearing a leather coat and an assortment of rings decorating his fingers, was accusing the Monkey of stealing food.

"Oh come on, it was one apple, it's not like people are gonna notice an apple is missing," the Monkey defended while rolling his eyes.

"Stealing is stealing, nobody is safe, not me, not them, and definitely not even you, expedition leader Zhiang." The captain firmly stated with a stern look.

The one called Zhiang simply yawned and picked his nose, not minding the scrutinizing glare being sent his way by the captain. "Fine fine I promise it won't happen again, I'm so sorry can you please forgive little ol' me?" Mocked the Monkey as it feigned innocence.

"I–" but before the captain could even scold him, a frantic crew member came running and called the captain.

"Captain! The masts are tangled up, again!" Informed the woman as the ship captain looked at the crew member in disbelief then back at Zhiang who was still picking his nose. In the end, the captain had to leave to tend to other things, not failing to click his tongue as he left Zhiang behind.

"So are you two planning to give me back those fruits?" Zhiang spoke knowing that someone was watching him from behind before turning to look. The two of them flinched upon being discovered by Zhiang's eyes while grinning slightly.

•∆•

"Hehehe, I'm glad these things didn't fall off the edge," Zhiang happily said after receiving a box of fruits. He took an orange from the pile and starting eating, a look of satisfaction lit upon his face. As he was indulging his meal, the Monkey noticed Yuna and Muzui standing while looking attentively at him. "What? Ya want some? I don't mind sharing but can you two not stare at me?"

Zhiang stopped his meal then pointed the two of them towards a couple of crates, "You two can sit there if you want to talk," said the Monkey sensing the tension in the air. Yuna took a seat on the opposite side of where Zhiang was while Muzui remained standing, quietly observing the Monkey. The Monkey, even though it was being watched by the two, remained gleeful as it snacked on the pile of fruits. "You two want some avocados?" He asked only to get snubbed by the two.

"How about some raisins?" He offered again, this time Yuna raised her hand and obliged. Zhiang looked at Muzui next, "No need to be shy, I can't eat all of these even if I wanted to."

"Back then, we heard the ship captain call you the expedition leader," Muzui abruptly pointed out, earning a glance from Yuna who was busy snacking on the raisins.

Stroking his imaginary beard, Zhiang acted as if he was in deep thought, "Yes, I guess I am, what about it?" He shot back.

"When you were fighting that Brute not too long ago, what was that skill you used? The one that causes your spear to glow."

"That one?" He popped a grape in his mouth, "Hmmm, that's a good question. If you're curious about what that was, it's a skill called [Sky Piercing Spear] an attack that uses one's Ki to maximize the damage output of a weapon or attack."

Muzui placed a hand beneath his chin as he muttered to himself about this newfound knowledge. Meanwhile, Yuna chimed in with a question of her own, "Since you're pretty strong, doesn't that mean the place we're going is supposed to be very dangerous?" She asked.

Biting into a kiwi, Zhiang nonchalantly shrugged throwing the remains of said kiwi into the ocean, "Mhm, that's correct. Glacier Falls is a nasty place. Remember that Brute from earlier? I'm going to warn you two right now, that thing doesn't even compare to the beasts on that island."

"You've been there before?" Muzui snapped in realization. "What kind of place is it exactly? Like, what is its nature and that stuff?"

Meanwhile, Zhiang froze from biting into a mango as his expression turned grim. "Boy, even if I tell you all I know about that place, it won't save you from horrors living on that island. My best advice to you is to not ever set foot on it," his eyes sent shivers down Yuna and Muzui's spines as if a blade was being pressed at their backs. Zhiang quickly noticed their expressions and held back his intimidation as he continued.

[To be continued]

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