Walking coolly under the shades of the tall bamboo trees, Wilson, a black cloth tied around his head beneath his wild hair like a taekwondo student, whistled a disturbing tune with no sequence or essence. Anyone who heard it would close their ears in disgust. His hands were tucked casually into his pockets, without a care in the world. The dense forest swayed around him as he strolled through it like a par, looking cool like he thought he was. Sunlight filtered through the leaves in patterns, casting playful shadows on the dirt path. The air hummed with the distant calls of birds, peaceful and almost too perfect.
Then without warning, the peacefulness and tranquility shattered.
A guttural screech pierced the air from above, branches rustling violently as a beast exploded from the canopy. It was a monstrous monkey with gray and black fur, rippling over bulging muscles that screamed brute force and raw power. Four sinewy arms ended in clawed hands, each finger tipped with razor-sharp black nails. Two tails lashed behind it, barbed at the ends, coiling and uncoiling like serpents. Its eyes burned with feral intelligence, fangs bared in a snarl that exposed yellowed teeth dripping with saliva.
A Quad-Armed Tailsimian, Tier 1: Circle of Spirit. It was far stronger than Wilson, who was at Tier 1: Circle of Body.
The beast dropped like a thunderbolt, all four arms swinging in a whirlwind of fury aimed at Wilson's head. He barely had time to react, yanking his hands free and dodging with precision.
"Whoa, easy there, furball!" Wilson quipped, but his voice carried an edge of surprise as he ducked under the first claw swipe, the air whistling from the force.
The Tailsimian pressed the attack, its four arms a relentless barrage. Uppercuts flew from the lower pair, slashing overheads from the tops and tails snapping like whips to flank him.
The beast was doing everything to corner and confuse him.
Wilson blocked and parried with his forearms, his headcloth fluttering as he countered sharp and bone-shaking punches. A tail lashed out, grazing his side and tearing through his shirt, drawing a hot line of blood that stung like fire. He grunted, spinning into a roundhouse kick that connected with the beast's midsection, causing it to yelp in pain. But the creature absorbed it, shrugging it off like a minor annoyance.
They circled each other amid the bamboo grove, the tall stalks swaying like silent spectators. Wilson feinted left, then drove a fist into the monkey's jaw, crack!, but the beast retaliated with a quadruple grab, two arms pinning his shoulders while the others pummeled his ribs. Bones creaked under the assault, pain exploding through his chest as bruises bloomed instantly. Wilson headbutted forward, his forehead smashing into the creature's nose with a wet crunch, blood, dark and viscous, splattering across both their faces. The Tailsimian howled, releasing him to claw at its mangled snout, but its tails whipped around, one coiling around Wilson's leg and yanking him off-balance.
He hit the ground hard, rolling to avoid a stomping foot that cratered the earth where his head had been. Springing up, Wilson launched a flurry of strikes, elbow to the throat, knee to the gut, forcing the beast back step by step. Sweat poured down his face, mixing with blood from a split lip, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. The Circle of Spirit advantage was showing; the monkey's movements were fluid, almost predictive, dodging his punches with ghostly grace while countering with claws that raked deep furrows across his arms, shredding skin and muscle in bloody ribbons.
"Damn, you're tough," Wilson muttered through gritted teeth, adrenaline surging as he blocked another tail strike, the barb embedding briefly in his forearm before he tore it free, ichor dripping. The fight dragged on, a brutal dance of dodges and impacts, Wilson's taekwondo forms adapting to the chaos, landing a spinning heel kick that cracked one of the beast's arms, but earning a savage backhand in return that sent him crashing into a bamboo stalk.
Enough was enough. With a roar of defiance, Wilson grabbed the nearest bamboo trunk, thick as his thigh, and channeled every ounce of his Circle of Body strength. Muscles bulging, veins popping, he wrenched it free from the earth with a splintering snap, roots tearing up in a shower of dirt. The improvised staff was light yet sturdy, its green length whipping through the air as he twirled it like a bo staff, the black cloth on his head now soaked with sweat and blood.
The Tailsimian charged again, screeching, all four arms extended for a killing embrace. Wilson met it head-on, swinging the bamboo in a wide arc that connected with the beast's leading arm, crunch!... shattering bone and sending the limb dangling uselessly. The monkey recoiled, but Wilson pressed, jabbing the staff's end into its eye socket with a squelch, popping the orb in a spray of fluid. Blinded on one side, the creature flailed wildly, tails lashing out in desperation.
Wilson danced around it, the bamboo an extension of his will, thwacking ribs, cracking knees, each strike echoing like thunder in the grove. A tail caught him across the back, ripping flesh and drawing a gasp of agony, but he spun, bringing the staff down on the appendage with bone-shattering force, severing it clean off in a gout of blood. The beast staggered, its Spirit aura flickering as exhaustion set in, but it made one final leap, jaws wide for his throat.
Wilson sidestepped, then drove the bamboo upward like a spear, impaling the monkey through the chest. The point burst out its back in an explosion of gore, heart pierced, blood flooding its lungs. The Tailsimian gurgled, claws scrabbling weakly at the staff, before slumping lifeless to the ground, its two tails twitching in death throes.
Wilson yanked the bamboo free, tossing it aside as he collapsed to his knees, chest heaving, body a tapestry of cuts, bruises, and exhaustion. He had held, just barely, against the superior tier, but every muscle screamed in protest, breaths coming in wheezing gasps. Blood trickled from multiple wounds, and he wiped his face with a trembling hand, smirking faintly despite the pain. "Gotcha... you oversized chimp."
...
Wilson slowly stood up, rolling his shoulders with the popping of strained muscles entering his ears. He suddenly stuck a pose; his feet planted wide, one fist cocked at his hip and the other extended forward like he was challenging the whole forest.
Blood streamed down his face, but he smiled widely as he declared in a loud voice.
"I AM COOL!"
He then flicked his hair like a model, tucked his hands back into his pockets and turned to walk only to top after three steps.
"I forgot I need food..." He muttered as he eyed the dead monkey.