“WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THEM?!”

The blur leaps into the air, flying towards me.

I roll, narrowly dodging the attack. Coming back to my feet, I squint my eyes and get a good look at my attacker through the rain.

It is a gorilla, but this one is also different. It has grayish, blackish fur, with four arms. Two smaller arms for what I assume is dexterity related tasks, and two larger front limbs. The gorilla is wearing thick travelers clothes.

It looks at me in rage, snarling and revealing it’s large, blocky teeth.

“W-what?” I say confused. It’s the gorilla I saw in Tarna! And it can ta-

The four armed gorilla charges at me again, and I feint to the left. It adjusts it’s attack, but I roll to the right. I send katra to my bandaged hand, the cloth uncoiling.

The beast roars again, turning to face me.

I raise up my hands, “Hey! Wait, we can talk a-” I am cut off mid sentence as the gorilla leaps at me, trying to smash me into the ground with it’s fists.

Sidestepping out of the way, I reflexively throw a empowered punch into the side of the gorilla’s head, hitting right behind its ear.

It staggers for a second, and pain blossoms up my arm from my punch. The gorilla growls, glaring at me.

I think I made it madder.

With incredible speed, it backhands me, sending me flying. I land in a bed of foliage, crushing several plants. I hop back to my feet, soarly wishing I had my spear. The entire left side of my chest is burning and I can only hope that none of my ribs are broken.

The gorilla throws a punch at my head, it’s large fist sailing straight at my face.

I swiftly duck under the punch, slashing my dagger under the gorilla’s arm, and cutting muscle. I barely avoid a grab from it’s second pair of arms, which it had kept folded close to it’s chest.

The gorilla roars in pain, swinging at me wildly. I quickly put distance between us, avoiding it’s attacks.

Those arms are making it hard to stay under it’s guard.

I open my mouth to try and talk again, but am unable to because the gorilla swings at my head again. I duck under, and barley avoid a undercut left punch.

Moving under its massive forearms, I send my cloth tentacles out. I get close and personal with it’s second pair of arms, binding them up with the black wraps.

I duck under a attack, moving behind the gorilla’s back. I need to disable it!

I stay behind the gorilla, trying to keep in the spot it can’t hit, The best lets out a angry growl, it grabs onto the cloth tentacles holding its second pair of arms together, and yanks.

I am pulled forward, and have to duck under a backhand swing. Coming up, I unravel the tentacles, sending them at the gorilla’s head. They quickly slither through the air, wrapping around his neck and face.

Jumping, I clutch onto his back.

The beast grunts, clawing at the strips of cloth wrapped around its face. It stumbles, roaring in rage.

I clamp my arms around its neck, hoping to incapacitate the beast. It’s strong hands grip mine, slowly pulling them away from it’s neck, even with my enhanced strength.

The gorilla stumbles back, raming me into a tree. I cough and my grip loosens, I fall from it’s back onto the ground.

Rolling, I avoid it’s stomp. I stumble to my feet. I can’t win this fight.

The four armed gorilla tears the cloth from it’s face. Growling, it starts walking toward me.

I raise my hands above my head in surrender.

The gorilla slows, and eventually stops a few feet away from me. It grunts, breathing angrily. It’s brown eyes glare at me, filled with pain and anger. In a deep, gruttal voice, it asks, “What did you do with them?”

I furrow my brow, but keep my hands above my head. “I don-”

The gorilla blurs, and then it’s colliding with me. It’s large fists grab my shoulders, shoving me into the ground. It’s second pair of arms holds down my hands, preventing my from reaching for any weapons.

The gorilla learns all its weight onto me, roaring in my face. It’s large teeth inches from my nose, and saliva splattering my cheek.

“DON’T LIE TO ME!” The gorilla screams.

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My ears are ringing slightly, and I look at it dazed, I mumble out, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The gorilla looks even more angry, but doesn’t do anything. I look it in the eyes, not afraid of it. I have faced much worse than this. The deaths of everyone I ever cared about. Inik’s aura of dread, Sol’s pressure. The chimera’s, and even the skeleton man Cereus.

The gorilla looks me in the eyes, glaring at me. It’s gaze is filled with sorrow and anger, but it looks deep into my soul. It’s eyes search my face, it scowls and leans in close, sniffing me. I reflexively move my head away.

The gorilla growls, and lets me go. Hopping off my body, it lets out a roar of anger. The beast punches a nearby tree, fracturing wood and leaving a large indent were it’s fist hit.

I sit up, and climb to my feet. Wary of it, I take a few steps back.

The gorilla continues punching the tree in anger. Every punch sends rain water spraying into the air. After the 4th punch, the tree groans, and keels over. Landing with a crash on the ground, it bounces several times before stopping.

The gorilla, in it’s traveler garb, stand there. It heaves breaths, sucking in air. The rain patters on its shoulders, soaking it’s clothe even further.

I wipe my face with my sleeve, looking at the beast.

After a few minutes of wary silence, it talks without turning to look at me. “It’s scent was on you. That pungent, sickly smell of decay and death.”

It’s talking about Cereus. The thought forms in my mind, an image of his perpetual skeleton grin. The glowing flames for eyes, and the one simple word he spoke to somehow knock me out.

The gorilla looks at me over it’s broad shoulder, it’s face now etched with shame and sorrow, the anger melting away. “I was blinded with rage. I thought you were him, and the rain didn’t help.”

I stay silent, ready to run if this is some trick. Looking at the gorilla’s face, I can’t help but think it might be sincere. “You’re talking about Cereus.”

There is a strange glimmer in the gorilla’s eyes, it turns to look at me better. “You know it? You know who took the villagers?”

The Millwallow villagers.

I shake my head. “I crossed paths with him twice, and only briefly. I don’t know where he took the Millwallow villagers.”

The four armed gorilla seems to deflate. It sits down, holding its head in it’s second pair of arms. The gorilla sits there, it’s shoulder shaking. It takes me a second to realize it’s crying.

They are quiet sobs, filled with grief.

I can’t help but feel the need to try and cheer it up, but I don’t approach, “I don’t think they are dead. Or, not now at least.”

The gorilla looks at me, tears and rain water running down it’s face. “You were in Millwallow? Tell me what happened!”

I look the beast in its eyes. Should I?

There’s no reason not to.

“I entered the village and went to the inn. There was a bard singing there, and after eating I went to my room. I was woken when the innkeeper tried to kill me, and he might have if the bard hadn’t stepped in.

The bard was Cereus, and the innkeeper was something else. Like a green… human with long ears and no nose. Cereus and the innkeeper fought, destroying a good size of the town.

Cereus won, and… I think banished the innkeeper? After that, he knocked me out. I woke up in a pile of rubble, and couldn’t find anyone from the village.” The gorilla had stopped crying now, looking at me with a blank face.

“You… you’re not lying,” It said hollowly, looking at the ground. I stand there warily, trying to come up with something to say.

“What’s your name?” I ask, relaxing a little bit.

The gorilla looks up at me, “Kamar Cal Arntile.”

I now, and approach slowly. I am now confident that Kamar is not a threat, and has calmed down. Sticking out my right hand, I say, “Kardin Amia.”

The gorilla reaches out with his big hand, gripping mine in his. My entire hand is engulfed in his palm. Shaking my hand, the gorilla gets up by himself.

Kamar towers a good two feet above me, his shoulders about twice my own. He has dark gray fur, with deep ebony skin. His brown eyes are filled with intelligence one would not expect from a ape.

“I am sorry, I should not have let myself be blinded by my anger,” Kamar dips his head towards me.

I nod, “And I am sorry that I cannot help you.”

Okay. Now I think it’s time I left. I turn to leave. “Goodbye, Kamar Cal Arntile.”

I start walking, heading in the direction of the road. I will need to reach Coskana soon.

It takes me a second to realize Kamar is following me. I turn around, “Is there something you need?”

The four armed gorilla towers over me. He rumbles in a deep and gravelly voice, “You said you have met this ‘Cereus’ twice?”

I nod hesitantly.

Kamar grunts, “Then I am coming with you. And you can explain to me about this Cereus.”

I glance over my shoulder at where I know the road is. I doubt there is much I can do to help him.

Clearing my throat, I speak loud enough to be heard through the rain. “I am headed to Coskana.”

Kamar nods his massive head, “I was originally going to… stay in Millwallow. But now that it is… ah, gone. My next best option is Coskana.”

I slowly nod along, but am hesitant to travel with a stranger. Especially one that just beat me up. I don’t like the idea of him being able to quite literally crush me at any time.

The gorilla shakes his head, “No, you will explain everything you know about Cereus to me.”

I gulp. It’s like he read my mind.

“Okay, but only till Coskana. Then we part ways,” I turn around and start walking back to the road. Kamar lumbers behind me, matching my pace.

Where I half to struggle my way through the bushes, the gorilla’s huge frame allows him to just trample through them. He walks past me on all fours, taking the lead and clearing a path through the brush.

Maybe this won’t be as bad as I thought.

I follow behind him, thinking about how to phrase to him that I couldn’t really help him find Cereus, and that I didn’t really want to. I am not keen on meeting Cereus again, after the display of power he and the Gith showed.

We walk in silence, the rain pattering away at my shoulders and cloak. My clothes are soon soaked, but it is not a chill rain, more lukewarm.

Coming onto the road, I start walking in the direction of Coskana, Kamar following next to me.

The gorilla looks to the side at me, “Tell me everything you know about Cereus.”