Zayn's heart jumped immediately as he rolled out of the way as the smaller monkey slammed into the ground where he had just been. The force cracked the dirt, leaving a singed and shallow crater in its wake. He scrambled as fast as he could to his feet, but the larger monkey was faster. It collided with his chest like a cannonball, knocking the wind from his lungs and lifting him into the air.
Zayn gasped in pain, trying to reorient himself, but the monkey's claws found him first. They plunged into his chest, tearing down with brutal force. Pain erupted through him as flesh and muscle ripped away, and blood sprayed in a wide arc. The monkey's attempt to slam him into the ground failed due to the difference in their sizes, but the damage was done. Zayn hit the ground hard, landing on his knees with a pained grunt, his vision swimming.
Blinded by agony, he barely caught the flicker of movement in his periphery. The smaller monkey leapt toward him, claws aimed at his neck. Zayn raised his arm just in time, feeling sharp pain as the claws raked down his forearm. Blood poured freely from the wound, but he had avoided a fatal strike.
He staggered back, panting. The monkeys circled him, one fast and nimble, the other slower but devastatingly powerful more powerful. His chest throbbed with every breath, the gouges deep and raw. He shifted his stance, eyes darting between them, knowing that one wrong move could end him.
The smaller monkey darted forward again, claws glinting in the crimson light. Zayn sidestepped and lashed out with his foot, managing to strike the creature's ribs. It tumbled, but before he could follow up, the larger one seized the opening and barreled into him once again. Zayn crashed backward, rolling over rough earth before returning to his feet, fresh pain blooming across his already torn chest.
The larger monkey closed the distance swiftly, its claws reaching for him. Zayn gritted his teeth and ducked low, narrowly avoiding the swipe. He spun on his heel, using his momentum to drive his elbow into the creature's side. The monkey staggered but retaliated instantly, slashing across his shoulder and giving him another devasting wound.
As Zayn recoiled, something strange caught his eye. The monkeys' claws shimmered with his blood—more jagged, more lethal than he remembered. The realization took a second to reach him. He watched in horror as the smaller monkey, now faster than before, zipped around him in erratic bursts. Its claws glowed faintly, absorbing the crimson droplets clinging to its tips.
Every drop he shed made them stronger.
Zayn cursed under his breath, gripping his wounded arm. He pressed his palm to the deep cut in his chest, trying to slow the bleeding. But it wasn't stopping—at least, not as much as he wished it would.
His gaze flicked to the monkeys, and he watched as their claws drank in the red fluid. Was this their plan? To bleed him out as they grew stronger to inevitably kill him.
But why? From how the monkey exploded from the necklace he could tell that they could have attacked him at any moment—why now?
Was it the sickly man's words? Or something else?
He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stay focused. Questions wouldn't save him.
The smaller monkey lunged again. Zayn twisted to avoid it, swinging blindly with his uninjured arm. Luckily, his fist connected with something solid, and the creature yelped, tumbling away.
Zayn froze for a heartbeat. Solid.
He glanced down at his knuckles. Blood smeared his skin, but no burns. His eyes darted to the scorch marks on the hut wall, then back to the monkey's flaming body.
He had already forgotten his first fist-to-body contact with the small monkey. It was the same as then, although due to how quickly it all happened he hadn't thought about it.
He hadn't been burned. Not once. The red flames that he thought made up the monkeys had not burned him, instead they just made him feel the heat.
His mind raced. Was the fire not real? But the burn marks all around said otherwise. He considered the possibility of fire resistance but nearly dismissed it—until he remembered. His Outline.
[Blessed by Red]
He had never gotten to looking over it as he was interrupted by the bald boy thus he didn't know what it meant. All he knew was that it had something to do with the so-called Red Flame this festival was for. He also remembered the boy's mention of it supposedly making him better and stronger in some way.
Could this be what it meant?
It made sense, these creatures were covered in red flames, and whatever blessed him was also named as such.
The question to him now though was, how could that help him kill these things? Or at least survive?
Zayn's eyes narrowed as an idea sparked to life. Wild. Stupid. Extremely deadly to him if it failed, but it might be his only chance.
Zayn barely had time to register the thought before the larger monkey barreled into him with bone-crushing force. Taking advantage of his distracted state to remind him he was in trouble.
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The impact, much stronger than the first few, sent him hurtling through the air, crashing back-first into the wall of a nearby hut. The wood cracked and splintered beneath him, threatening to give way entirely. Dazed, stars flashed in his vision, but the sharp instinct to survive forced him to roll just as the smaller monkey's claws sliced through the air where his head had been.
A dull thud followed as the smaller creature's claws embedded deep into the wall, trapping it momentarily. Zayn gritted his teeth through the pain, his eyes narrowing as he felt he had been blessed with his chance. And he would definitely not waste this chance.
The larger monkey lunged at him again, but this time Zayn was ready. He twisted his body awkwardly, narrowly avoiding the slash of its claws, and lunged at the smaller monkey. His arms wrapped tightly around its waist as he wrenched it free from the wall with a grunt.
The creature screeched and writhed in his grasp, its flames searing against his skin, though—much to his expectation—they did not harm him. His gamble had worked.
Zayn's muscles strained as he locked his arms around the thrashing monkey, struggling to maintain his grip. His studious and hard-working life in the empire hadn't kept him from many fights, and although grappling was far from his forte, he knew had to keep a good hold.
The monkey snapped its jaws, claws raking at the arms that bound it and his legs, but Zayn held fast. Every twist and turn of the creature scorched him with terrific heat, but still, not a single burn came.
His eyes flicked toward the larger monkey, locking it in his sightline. Zayn tightened his grip further. If these creatures held any sort of bond, he hoped the larger one might hesitate, giving him a chance to escape or come up with something better. But as the larger monkey growled low and began its charge, Zayn realized this line of thinking was wrong.
The beast leapt forward, its much larger claws outstretched, with no regard for its smaller companion. Zayn's eyes widened as the massive claws impaled both him and the restrained monkey. The jagged bones drove through his abdomen, pinning him to the smaller creature like a skewer.
Blood spewed from his mouth in a violent cough as the smaller monkey howled, flames sputtering as it writhed in agony. Zayn grimaced but forced himself to stay conscious. His mind raced, and before the larger monkey could retract its claws, he acted swiftly.
He released his grapple on the smaller monkey, allowing it to slump forward, weakened. With a swift motion, Zayn's hands clamped around the bony claws of the weak creature. Gritting through the unbearable pain, he forced the smaller monkey's limp body upwards, driving its claws into what he believed was the larger monkey's face.
The smaller monkey's claws pierced the flickering sockets of the larger beast's flaming head.
A guttural, blood-curdling screech erupted from the larger monkey as blood spurted from the punctured sockets. Its body twisted violently, flames sputtering chaotically around them. Zayn's breath came in ragged gasps, his arms trembling as he fought to keep the claws embedded deeper into the creature's skull.
The larger monkey reared back in agony, violently shaking its head. With a furious kick, it dislodged both Zayn and the smaller monkey from it, sending them sprawling across the dirt.
Zayn's back slammed hard against the ground, fresh pain coursing through his battered body. He coughed, clutching at his bleeding wounds as he tried to rise. The smaller monkey lay a few feet away, its flames flickering dimly, barely able to move.
The larger monkey stumbled, clutching at its mutilated face, blinded and disoriented. Zayn wiped the blood from his eyes, forcing himself to his feet, knowing this might be his only opening.
Zayn gripped the ground, his fingers curling into the dirt as waves of pain coursed through his body. Blood trickled steadily from the gashes along his chest and arms, and the hole in his abdomen didn't forget to add its own share, but despite the searing agony, a small grin tugged at the corner of his lips.
His plan had worked.
When he grabbed the smaller monkey, the goal wasn't just to shield himself. Zayn wasn't foolish enough to rely on the goodwill of anybody, especially the creatures that seemed dead set on killing him. No, his real aim was to get them stuck—restrained, even for a moment. Their speed had been his greatest obstacle, and now, for the first time since this brutal fight began, he was the one with an advantage.
His gaze glossed over the larger monkey, still screeching and clawing at its ruined eye sockets. Thick, dark blood leaked onto the floor, sizzling against the flames covering its body. Then, Zayn's eyes fell on the smaller one, its crimson fire flickering and fading rapidly.
What he saw beneath the diminishing flames nearly stopped him in his tracks.
The monkey's core body had been hidden by the intense blaze. Now, with its fire dwindling, Zayn saw a skeletal-like armor covering the mass of monkey-like flesh, but twisted and unnatural. Red veins pulsed weakly beneath the bone, running across exposed flesh that seemed fragile and sickly. A large, gaping hole in its torso leaked blood slowly onto the dirt.
"So that's what they look like under all that," Zayn muttered, stepping toward the creature. He swallowed the sharp ache rising in his throat, forcing his battered body forward. This was his only chance to level the playing field. He wasn't going to die in this story. Not yet.
Zayn soon reached the smaller monkey, adrenaline dulling the sharp pangs from his wounds. He threw himself atop its dying body, wrestling its long skeletal arms into his grasp as he stomped its face onto the ground. The monkey screeched, writhing beneath him, but Zayn had the upper hand. He gritted his teeth and pulled—hard.
The monkey thrashed violently, but Zayn anchored himself down, using his weight to pin it. He felt the joints straining beneath his grip, bone creaking under the pressure. The veins beneath its skin pulsed frantically as if resisting him, but Zayn poured every ounce of strength into his arms.
Suddenly, a blur rushed at him from the side.
The larger monkey.
Zayn barely registered the impact before he was thrown, his body crashing into the dirt with a heavy thud. Pain erupted across his back as he skidded to a stop, gasping for breath.
The larger monkey stood nearby, its head swiveling left and right. It couldn't see. The damage to its eyes was too severe. But that didn't stop it from prowling blindly, claws twitching.
Although if it could see, it would definitely be shocked to witness its smaller comrade limb and armless.
You have toppled your first...
He heard a voice say in his head, although he was still too dazed to focus on it.
Zayn slowly rose to his feet, breathing heavily. In his hands, he held the skeletal arms he had torn from the smaller monkey. Their long, sharp claws gleamed faintly, stained with his blood that dripped steadily onto the ground.
Zayn tightened his grip, ignoring the deep cuts lining his body. His vision swam slightly from blood loss, but he pressed forward, eyes locked on the larger monkey.
"Round two," he growled under his breath, lifting the severed arms like weapons.
He wasn't dead yet.