The spears flew like arrows fired from a bow. Fast and wildly accurate due to their point blank range.
They hit the wooden shield, shattering it with an explosion of wooden splinters.
Max and Martha threw their axes as they jumped offsides, dodging the projectiles only barely.
With Martha's extreme physical power, the axe flew like a bullet. All force and no finesse. It flew straight ahead with no spin, causing the metal flat head of the axe's top end to smack into the face of the Mane-ape that belonged to Screamer.
On the other side, Max threw his axe like he'd grown up with it. Probably because he had. In fact, Stinker was one of the first people to see him with it. It was a gift from his dad. And the cause for their first fight. Jealousy, he later learned.
The axe spun twice with a whirlwind of steel and wood before the blade sunk into Stink's veiny left shoulder.
The force knocked him off his mane-ape and sent him tumbling backward on the ground.
At the same time, Max hit the ground and rolled back onto his feet.
The mane-ape roared and threw the entire bundle of spears at him.
Max felt his life flash before his eyes as the volley of bladed pikes flew at him.
This was the difference between man and beast-tamer. Between adrenaline and Psymana bonds. Between strength of unity and weakness of singularity—
A snarl shook the air followed by an explosive popping sound.
Suddenly a tree fell in front of him with an earth splitting thud.
When the madness died down, Max stood up and found the tree was studded with spears on the other side.
"How…." He assumed Martha gained a new tier of strength and threw the tree to save his life but she was off to his right fighting Screamer and her mane-ape.
Max looked up into the canopy again and found the cloaked woman there. Her purple eyes were hard on him, "Follow the howls!" She was off in a flash of snarling dark.
And Max was almost at deaths door once again as a mane-ape jumped over the tree and tackled him. Up so close, he could smell its sour fur. He could feel the heat of its breath reeking of rotten fruit and blood. The massive baboon beast with a wolf snout and double muscled tail hit him like a battering ram.
The two rolled. Max roared as its weight slammed him to the floor.
In its chaos, it moved inefficiently. And Max had experience fighting animals.
He reached up and poked its eyes, he forgot he had a few poison tipped claws left on his hand and flinched as the beast screamed from its eye being pierced by claw.
Bright white eye fluid dribbled down his hand.
The beast tried to turn and run, now partially blinded and poisoned.
Max reached out with his clawed hand and grabbed onto its tail.
The mane-ape flailed and threw him forward, Max went with the action and came flying at Stink.
The sequence was unfortunate as he'd just stood up and ripped the axe out of his shoulder.
It was there— in the air, that Max realized he hadn't seen his old friend in a long time. Almost a year. He'd been busy. It seemed Stink had as well. He was taller— and he'd filled out his frame. He was covered in sinewy lean muscle with an emphasis in his forearms and back that spoke to how much time he must've spent climbing. He still had his tanned bronze skin and matted black hair. It was starting to curl and lock into spiked dreads.
The transformation he'd undergone due to his bond with the mane-ape was one of familiarity. He grew excessive body hair, a tail of his own, fangs and the ability for his lip to flip upward. Which it was when Max collided with him.
The two hit the jungle grounds and rolled, throwing punches and kicks like wild animals until his mane-ape came up from behind and kicked him off of Stink.
Max flew into a tree so hard the wind flew out of his lungs.
He forced himself upright, scanning the ground for his axe. It was on the floor in front of him.
Stink roared as he charged Max, back to riding his mane-ape…. that also stunk.
"Shit!" Max cursed and pushed himself up off the ground. He was headed for the axe. But he knew he wasn't fast enough. Double over, the howls were louder behind him. An hour ago he would've called himself crazy for even considering working with the wolf eyed wolf-woman. But she saved his life.
Better yet, a river flowed behind him.
He turned on his heels and ran around the massive tree he was just thrown into. "MARTHA! THE WATER!" Max yelled as he ran for the river.
The mane-ape Stink rode was hot on his heels. Huffing as it ran like a chimp on steroids. Max could tell they were gaining on him by the scent growing fouler.
He wasn't going to make it.
Max jumped. He was close enough.
A hand caught him by the ankle and slammed him back to the ground so hard his vision went white for a moment.
When he came to, Stink was standing over him with a hand to his throat. He was so close to the river he could feel the mist splashes on its borders above his head.
Max flailed but Stink's fingers were like iron rods. He was solid as steel and unrelenting. All it took was one hammer fist to the face and Max's nose shattered and blood began to leak out of one of his ears.
Stink held him in place and roared in his face.
In the distance he could hear Martha calling out to him during her own battle.
"Stink...S—Seasar…." Max said in a muffled groan. "I'm sorry... I-I'm sorry I left you."
For a moment it almost looked like reason crept into Stink's eyes. Then he blinked again, "No you're not."
His voice sounded like stone collisions.
Max felt his stomach turn, "You're not….youre not overtaken by your beast..?"
"I'm in my right mind." Stink snarled, his lips flexed as he fought off an apish hoot. He continued with a huff.
"….. I get wild because you all left us there. In the forests. This is me. You probably forgot that with all your sleeping and hiding away. You're not the only one that lost a dad, Maximus." Stink spat.
Max clenched his sore jaw. Sure, he wasn't the only one who lost a parent, but he was the only one without closure. With endless questions and anger that he couldn't fully aim. He thought Stink would know that. But then again, Stink was lying. He was only slightly in control of himself.
Martha groaned in the distance and a heavy thud echoed through the jungle.
Screamer suddenly landed beside them with a hammer shaped welt on her forehead.
Stink hooted at his sister.
Max took the opprotunity and reached up over his head to dip his hand in the river.
When Stink looked back at him, Max swung and slapped Stink with a liquid slicked palm.
Stink jumped in terror the moment the water hit him.
Due to the nature of Psymana bonds, Stink's mane-ape also jumped as a few droplets hit its snout.
The two screeched and jumped back from the waters with terror clear in their wide eyes.
Max got to his feet just in time to see Martha step out of the jungles and eyeball Screamer. She stood beside her mane-ape to the left of Max with the river running at her bac—
Before anyone could react, the river exploded as a massive shape pounced from below the waters.
It was covered in green scales, well over one hundred feet long with a set of monstrous jaws, webbed feet and an armored spine.
A Sarcodrachus. Also known as a flesh-dragon, sarco or river-eater.
It bit down on the back leg of Screamer's mane-ape and deathrolled, twisting the limb clean off before lunrching forward and grabbing the ape by the arm and yanking it down into the river.
Screamer looked as she always did in those moments. Angry. Savage. The veins around her eyes bulged. Her long matted dreads were freshly ruffled and falling down her toned back. Her nakedness seemed completely normal. She screamed and lunged after her wounded and drowning partner.
At the same time, another— much smaller, shape lunged out of the water from behind Max.
He watched her blow past him in partial shock. She was tanned like them— but her skin was unblemished and her water resistant skin-suit was visibly high class. A noble with the eyes of a snake and a spotless bald head.
She slide tackled Screamer mid air, causing her to flip and crash into the river.
The noble dove back in and attacked her under water with terrifying speed and explosiveness.
Max moved to do something. Anything. Emotions worked before intelligence. He would've jumped in the water— or came close. But the howls were beginning to split his brain. That combined with his injuries and exhaustion left him falling to one knee.
Stink roared, flashing his fangs and beating his chest before running after his sister.
He hesitated to jump in. He ran alongside the river hooting and slapping the water hesitantly. Then Screamer came up to the surface. Just for a moment.
Just long enough for them all to see how cut up and crushed she was by the noble and her river-eating monstrosity.
Stink and his mane-ape jumped into the river.
They overcame a deep seeded terror— they overcame trauma solidified by Psionic magic for the sake of their sister. For the sake of vengeance.
"Max! We have to do something!" Martha was full on crying.
Max was trying not to throw up.
He pointed back to his axe.
Martha turned around and ran for it. From where she stood, she snorted and wiped her tears before rearing back with the axe with the axe in hand and throwing it down the rivers twisting length, straight at the one-eyed mane-ape as it battled the river-eater.
The weapon spun and flew past them both, sinking into the grounds on the other side of the river.
Martha deflated as the river-eater slammed the mane-ape back into the water.
Max was up and pulling Martha along, "We have to go. That's a High-Tier beast. It would take over a dozen trained men to take that th—"
"THEY WERE YOUR FRIENDS!" Martha spat.
"They were yours too. And they tried to kill us both." Max said as his skull throbbed and his left eye swelled from the hammer fist.
"They were just hurt. They were... they were…" Martha sniffled.
"I know. And that's something I carry alone. But I have to get you through this. Hate me forever after, but right now, you need to move. This jungle is trying to eat us." Max said.
And finally, they got moving. This time, not specifically towards the grasslands.
Max followed the sound of the howls.
All the while, he tried to force back the memories of his time as a child playing in the forests with Stink and Screamer. Back when they were just Seasar and Sasha. Back when they weren't worried about fighting jungle dinosaurs or fighting to kill eachother in a box for adults entertainment and patriotism. Back when Max's dad was alive.