"Chirp!" A flame-red monkey tumbled from the treetop, the very Flame Monkey Aflra was after. Seeing Aflra picking their fruit, the monkey grew angry and threw a fruit pit at her.
Flame Monkeys were known for their accuracy in throwing, but Aflra had honed her skills through countless shooting games and was more than a match for them. With ease, she caught the pit and threw it back, hitting the monkey squarely and causing it to fall from a five-meter-high tree. Fortunately, the Flame Monkey was sturdy and, after a yelp, ran away.
Aflra pursued. The Flame Monkey tried to counter, climbing a tree and throwing more fruit. Aflra caught two, bit into the sweeter one, and threw the sour one back, hitting the monkey's head. The Flame Monkey fell again but nimbly swung to another tree, baring its teeth at Aflra.
Aflra spat out the pit and threw it with force. The Flame Monkey, seeing the trajectory, dodged, but the wind whistled, and a snap sounded behind it. Turning, it saw a branch, as thick as two fingers, broken, with splinters bursting like a flower.
Though Aflra's physical strength was only slightly above the average person in this world, her combat skills were solid, and she knew how to focus her power. Her special technique made the pit spin fast, with a stable and penetrating trajectory, as powerful as a war sling. If hit, bones could break.
The Flame Monkey, no longer daring to take risks, ran for its life, and Aflra followed leisurely.
After three kilometers, the Flame Monkey, out of breath, stopped, believing it had shaken off Aflra. It circled back and returned to its group.
"Chirp chirp (Grandpa, a nasty human invaded our territory)!" the Flame Monkey shouted, drawing a crowd.
"What, Seven-Hair, you couldn't handle a single human?" a bulky Flame Monkey mocked.
Seven-Hair, indignant, said, "This human is not ordinary. She can break branches with a single fruit pit."
This caused a gasp. As experts in throwing, they knew how difficult it was to break a branch. Fruit pits were light, and a small force wouldn't harm anyone; branches were resilient, and even stones could only make them sway.
"Seven-Hair, are you sure you didn't see wrong? Maybe it just broke the bark?" a Flame Monkey named Iron General questioned.
"No! Absolutely not!" Seven-Hair insisted, "I saw her eating our fruit, so I threw a pit at her. She caught it and threw it back, not using much force, just making me tumble. Later, she chased me, and with a strong throw, she broke the branch, leaving only a layer of bark hanging."
The monkeys gasped. Just catching and throwing the pit back was impressive.
Iron General still doubted, "Could she have used a stone?"
"No way, I saw her pick a few fruits, eat the flesh, and throw the pits back," Seven-Hair jumped in frustration.
"You..." Iron General started, but a shout interrupted, "Grandpa is coming, make way!"
The monkeys parted, and the old monkey, leaning on a cane, approached, "Seven-Hair, tell me exactly what happened."
After hearing Seven-Hair's account, the old monkey pondered and then exclaimed, "No good! She must have left you alive to report back and lead her to us."
"But I already shook her off!" Seven-Hair protested.
"She's that powerful; how could you shake her off?" The old monkey sighed, feeling a headache.
At that moment, the old monkey's ears perked up. In his youth, he was known as the Four-Ear Great Monkey, one of the four lords of White Tooth Mountain. Though his eyesight had dimmed with age, his hearing had sharpened.
"Who's there!" the old monkey shouted.
The monkeys braced themselves, ears alert, eyes wide, and weapons ready, aiming at the bushes.
"If you don't come out, don't blame me for being rude," the old monkey grabbed a gourd from his waist, drank half of it, and then sprayed a ball of flame toward the bushes.
This was a first-level spell, [Great Fireball], powered by Flame Wine, as potent as a second-level [Fireball], though with a shorter range.
The flame hit the bushes, sizzling, and a mist of water spread, cooling the air.
Something was off. The old monkey's eyes widened, and his ears twitched, trying to discern what was inside.
The flames quickly died down, and a breeze swept through, dispersing the smoke. Ashes scattered with the wind, and much of the grass was burned, with droplets of water glistening everywhere. However, apart from these signs, there was nothing.
The old monkey was certain that someone had been hiding there, but now they were gone. The scene was very unusual: [Great Fireball] should have incinerated the entire patch, yet it only scorched the upper parts, with some leaves merely singed at the tips. Moreover, the ground was not dry; instead, it was unusually damp, even forming small puddles.
"It seems we have an expert on our hands!" The old monkey's eyes narrowed, and he barked an order, "Chirp! (Iron General, prepare for battle!)"
Iron General immediately puffed out his chest, flexing his strong muscles, and responded loudly, "Yes, Grandpa."
He then led a few robust monkeys to the cellar. The Flame Wine was not just a winter food; it was also a weapon. A single sip could allow them to unleash fire magic learned from humans.
Soon, the monkeys carried out a pile of bamboo flasks, distributing them among all members. In no time, over 80 monkeys were fully armed.
With the Flame Wine, the Flame Monkeys were no longer ordinary; they were monsters capable of releasing flames.
"Battle!" The morale of the monkeys soared, their spirits reaching the sky. In this charged atmosphere, the old monkey felt a youthful surge of blood. He had once been one of the Four Lords of White Tooth Mountain, and in the days when the leader was still around, who would dare to harm a single monkey?
"Do you dare show yourself, you coward?" The old monkey roared with authority, though to an outsider, it might have seemed like senseless shouting.
"Chirp!!" A piercing scream came from behind, startling all the monkeys. Turning, they saw a monkey smoking, held by a woman in a black cloak. She extracted a ball of red flame from the monkey, which struggled in the form of the monkey before she sucked it into her mouth.
All the monkeys gasped and backed away. The old monkey's eyes widened; he had spent time in the human world and heard many legends, so the shock was even more profound.
A white mist emanated from the woman, gradually enveloping the surroundings.
"Seven-Hair!" Iron General's eyes bulged. Though he often bullied Seven-Hair, it didn't mean he would allow others to do the same.
Iron General took a swig of Flame Wine, spitting fire onto a stick, turning it instantly into a flaming cudgel. He charged into the white mist, which suddenly transformed into a monstrous head, swallowing him.
The flaming cudgel stood out in the mist, but with a soft thud, Iron General fell, and the flame extinguished.
"Boss!" Several monkeys rushed forward. As the mist dissipated, they saw Seven-Hair lying on the ground, his chest rising and falling slightly, with a charred stick beside him, and Iron General nowhere to be found.
A monkey collapsed, wailing, "Grandpa, it's terrible, the boss has been eaten by the monster!"
The old monkey's heart raced as he approached Seven-Hair, relieved to find him alive, though when he would wake up was uncertain. Remembering the earlier scene, a chill ran down the old monkey's spine.
This terrifying entity likely had its sights set on their family. He recalled the near-death experience of almost having his brain eaten, and this time, it wasn't the brain but the soul!
The old monkey told himself to stay calm, but his hands and feet trembled uncontrollably. Fortunately, his age made such trembling seem normal.
"Seven-Hair is fine, but Iron General..." the old monkey said sorrowfully. Iron General was one of his great-grandchildren, known for his strength and bravery, and was seen as a future leader.
Suddenly, a dark shape dropped from above, landing in front of the old monkey. He fell back, and upon closer inspection, it was Iron General, his ankle bound by vines, hanging upside down from a tree.
The monkeys hurried to free Iron General. The old monkey felt his chest, and finding a heartbeat, he sighed, "It's okay, it's okay."
But even he didn't believe his words. They had all seen Seven-Hair's soul being absorbed, so how could Iron General be unscathed? Several monkeys couldn't hold back and began to wail, followed by the rest.
The old monkey wanted to scold them, but as he opened his mouth, tears welled up in his own eyes.
Just then, a voice came from behind, "Hey, are you done crying?"
All the monkeys froze, turning in unison towards the source. There stood a woman in a black cloak, arms crossed, her hood covering most of her face, revealing only luscious red lips and a smooth chin.
Her red tongue flicked across her lips, seductively. If a man were present, he might have been instantly captivated. But this was a group of monkeys, just scared out of their wits.
They looked at those inviting red lips, thinking of how they had devoured the souls of two of their kin, and fear spread through them again.