Chapter 25: Ironhide Gorillas

The two Ironhide Gorillas closed in under the shadow of the mountain. The air here was colder than the rest of the forest, thick with the same rotten sweetness that clung to every high-level beast Suzy had summoned. Mist curled low around the roots. Distant howls still echoed from the higher slopes, but in this small clearing the only sounds were the slow scrape of iron nails on stone and Nathia’s uneven breathing behind Rael’s back.

She was shaking. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to see them, but tears still slipped down her cheeks. Rael felt every tremor. The shape of the gorillas—thick arms, heavy shoulders, the way they moved on their knuckles—dragged the memory of the ape that had killed Luke straight to the surface. He kept his body between her and the white-eyed creatures and spoke without turning.

"Nathia. I need your help. I can’t do this without you."

For a moment she said nothing. Then the warmth of his back seemed to reach her. She opened her eyes. The fear was still there, but she wiped her face with the back of one hand and answered in a thin, steady voice.

"Okay... buy me a few minutes."

Mana began to gather around her wand in visible blue threads. Rael nodded once. He understood. She had a plan. His only job was to keep her alive until it was ready.

He had brought Lila’s bow with him; leaving it behind had never been an option. He swung it off his shoulder, nocked an arrow, and drew the string fully. It was his first time using a bow, yet the Archer class guided his hands as if he had done it a hundred times.

"Piercing Arrow."

The shaft left the string with a sharp hiss and a thin white trail. The nearest gorilla twisted aside at the last instant; the arrow buried itself in a tree behind it. The second beast charged.

It was too close for another shot. Rael dropped the bow and swept his free hand across the ground.

"Ignite."

Flames erupted under the gorilla’s lead foot. The creature bellowed and leapt back, iron nails scoring deep lines in the dirt. The calm expression never left Rael’s face, but he knew the truth: these skills alone would not be enough.

The situation was desperate. He could not move from his place or Nathia would be exposed, and none of his current skills were strong enough to punch through that iron-hard hide. His mind raced, pulling every scrap of information he had. An idea formed—uncertain, but better than standing still.

He nocked another arrow, formed a small Fireball against the tip, and released. The combined force launched the shaft far harder than before. A thick black trail of smoke followed it through the dark. The arrow punched into the first gorilla’s neck. Fire clung to the wound and kept burning even after the shaft stopped moving. The beast screamed, a raw, metallic sound, and tore the arrow free, but the flames refused to die.

He could combine skills. It was the first time he had tried it, and the discovery opened a dozen new possibilities even as the fight continued.

The second gorilla ripped a boulder from the ground and raised it overhead. Rael put another fire-tipped arrow into its forearm. The creature roared and hurled the rock anyway. He could have dodged. He stayed where he was. Moving would leave Nathia open.

"Ignite. Ignite. Ignite."

Flames burst across the surface of the flying stone, but the mass was too great. The trajectory barely shifted. The boulder smashed into Rael’s right shoulder and arm. Something inside the joint tore free with a wet pop. Pain exploded white-hot up his neck. He staggered, hissed through his teeth, and forced himself not to drop.

He could no longer feel his right hand. With no other options left he turned to the only cover he could still make. His left hand hurled Fireball after Fireball into the dirt at their feet. Thick black smoke boiled upward, swallowing the clearing in seconds. The gorillas roared, blind and furious, swinging at empty air.

Inside the smoke Nathia’s eyes snapped open. Blue light shone in them.

"Water Burst."

The spell left her hands with a force that cracked the air. A concentrated spear of water slammed into the first gorilla’s chest and hurled the heavy body backward through the trees as if it weighed nothing. Nathia collapsed to one knee, gasping. The last of her mana was gone.

The remaining gorilla saw her drop and charged straight through the smoke.

Rael stepped into its path. He forced his dislocated right arm up at the last possible moment. Iron jaws closed around his forearm with a sound like metal shearing bone. The pain was absolute. He screamed, but the scream turned into a single word.

"Fireball."

Flame erupted inside the gorilla’s mouth. Fire roared out through its eyes, its nostrils, the gaps between its iron teeth. The beast’s head became a lantern of pure heat for one terrible second. Then the body locked and toppled forward, jaws still locked on Rael’s ruined arm.

[You killed an Ironhide Gorilla.]

[+78 souls]

Silence returned to the clearing, broken only by the soft crackle of dying flames and Nathia’s ragged breathing. The mountain loomed above them, still full of distant howls, and somewhere higher up the slopes Lila was still waiting—or already gone.

Before he could turn to Nathia, something heavy struck the back of his head. The world tilted. Darkness rushed in.

Nathia’s voice followed him down.

"Rael—!"

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