Each of those beasts stood nearly twelve feet tall and had bodies that were swollen with dense, knotted muscle rippling beneath thick coats of black, matted fur.

Their arms were as thick as a silverback’s, perhaps even bigger, ending in fists the size of boulders, their knuckles studded with stone-like growths. Their faces were half-ape, half-demon, with bulby red noses, massive jaws filled with yellowed tusks, and eyes that glowed a deep, malevolent amber.

Across their shoulders and backs, plates of natural, rocky armor jutted through their fur, giving them the appearance of living fortresses.

"Those," Dane breathed, "are Cragfist Behemoths. They’re Level 42. Their hides are armored with mineral deposits they absorb from the rocks they eat. Their fists can shatter steel. And they’re territorial to a murderous degree."

"Charming," Kasto squeaked. "Anything else we should know? Do they breathe fire? Shoot lasers from their eyes?"

"They don’t need to," Dane replied grimly. "One punch from those things and even Metalhead’s plating will buckle. And they’re smart. Smarter than the Macaques. They use tactics."

"Well if they eat rocks then we’re safe, right?" Vera asked, gazing up at the monsters. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Min Tu boredly looked at her. "Do you feel safe?"

Vera glanced at her and gulped.

Lancet, however, had drifted his gaze lower. Near the base of the tree mountain, partially hidden by moss and vines, were crude wooden cages. Inside them, he saw small, glowing shapes huddled together, trembling.

He squinted, trying to make them out. The creatures were tiny—barely the size of house cats—with soft, rounded bodies covered in tufts of silvery-blue fur shining so inspiringly with warm light.

Their eyes were enormous, like bubbles of gold that blinked in the darkness. Delicate, gossamer wings folded against their backs, and from their tiny heads sprouted curling antennae that sparked with harmless, bioluminescent static.

"Luminhares," Dane breathed, recognizing the small, harmless creatures. "They’re called Luminhares. They’re harmless forest spirits that feed on ambient nature energy. The Cragfist Behemoths must have captured them to... to eat their light."

"That’s horrible," Kasto said, his fear momentarily forgotten. "Are they what we’re meant to rescue?"

"Looks like it," Min Tu replied.

Lancet narrowed his eyes. "Rescuing captured creatures awards bonus points. If we free the Luminhares without harming any of them, we could get extra points to bolster us up the leaderboard."

He turned to his squad, his expression sharp. "But we have to be careful. Those cages are fragile. One stray attack, one missed swing, and we’ll kill the very creatures we’re trying to save. The Behemoths will also likely try to use them as shields if they realize what we’re doing."

"So what’s the play?" Dane asked, already rolling his shoulders in anticipation.

Lancet’s eyes swept over the tree mountain, counting the Behemoths. Five of them. Massive. Armored. Territorial. And positioned on uneven, treacherous terrain.

"Dane. Min Tu. You’re up." He pointed toward the base of the fallen tree pile. "Those Behemoths look heavy and powerful, but I don’t think they’re fast."

"You’re right," Dane concurred. "They aren’t."

Lancet nodded. "Your Summons have the mobility to outmaneuver them. Dane, your Ursine’s portals will let you strike from unexpected angles. Min Tu, your Skeleton’s versatility will let you adapt to whatever they throw at us."

He turned to Vera. "They might end up needing you, Vera, so you have to be ready. You’ll summon your Forest Stag and hand back, use its powers to keep Dane and Min Tu buffed—speed, endurance, whatever you can manage. And be ready to heal the moment anyone takes a hit. From the looks of it, those fists will definitely break bones if they connect."

Vera nodded. Regardless of the face that she used to underestimate and disregard Lancet before, she had quickly gotten used to the idea of taking orders from him.

And in the back of her mind, she knew she was expected to apologize sometime, she was only anxious about it and this competition helped keep her busy from thinking about it.

"Understood," she said, already interacting with her Grace.

"So we’re holding back this round?" Kasto asked, gesturing to himself and Lancet.

"Yes," Lancet said. "Like I said before. No one has to jump in if we don’t need to. Too many people fighting at once will most likely cause chaos."

Kasto exhaled shakily but nodded. "Alright. Alright, I can do that. Standing still is basically my specialty."

Lancet doubted that.

He turned back to the tree mountain. The Cragfist Behemoths were still unaware of their presence, their amber eyes fixed on the caged Luminhares, their massive fists pounding the dead wood to warn any nearby creatures of their territory.

Dane threw his arm forward and called out his beast.

"Ursine! Rise!"

A warping effect occurred in the space in front of him. Reality itself seemed to tear like old parchment, the air splitting open with a sound like cracking glass. From the rift stepped a beast that was equal parts majesty and nightmare.

The Astral-Claw Ursine was wolf-like in shape, but far larger than any natural predator—its shoulder came up to Dane’s chest. Its fur was the color of a starless midnight sky, impossibly dark, shot through with swirling patterns that looked like distant galaxies.

Its eyes glowed silver, pupil-less and ancient. Most terrifying though were its claws.

Each paw bore four curved talons. The talons glowed with the brightest silver, but a smoky purple effect with miniature stars simmered around the claws, causing ethereal after-images in the air where they passed.

Those were claws that could tear not just flesh, but the fabric of space itself.

The Ursine let out a low, rumbling growl and pawed the ground furiously, comet-tail snapping behind.

Min Tu raised her hand and summoned the same Skeleton Soldier that had fought in the last battle. The warrior arose once again, rejuvenated and ready for another fight.

"Vera," Lancet said. "Now."

Vera closed her eyes, pressing her palms together. When she opened them again, they glowed with pure, vibrant green.

"Forest Stag, I call upon your blessing!"

The air around her dazzled into stars. Those stars formed bright green leaves twisting and curling around each other until an enormous, emerald, spectral stag materialized in front of her.

Its antlers spread like the branches of an ancient oak, leaves rustling with a sound like whispered prayers. The Stag lowered its head, and from its antlers, streams of emerald energy flowed outward, wrapping around Dane, Min Tu, and their Summons like living ribbons.

Dane flexed his fingers, feeling the rush of nature energy flooding his muscles. "Oh, that’s good. That’s really good."

Min Tu’s Skeleton straightened, its bones seeming to absorb the buff, the flames in its eyes burning brighter. Even the Astral-Claw Ursine’s galaxy-fur shimmered more intensely.

"Go," Lancet commanded.

Dane and Min Tu moved as one.

The Astral-Claw Ursine was the first to engage. It instantly vanished, tearing open a shimmering portal in front of itself and reappearing on the summit, directly behind the nearest Cragfist Behemoth.

The Behemoths, being so high above, were still oblivious to the attack. And the one the Ursine attacked suffered from the element of surprise the most.

Its armor—which should have stopped any mundane blade—parted like mist when the Ursine’s claws connected. The claws sliced through the mineral plating and into the dense muscle beneath.

The Behemoth roared in shock and pain, spinning around with earth-shaking speed, its boulder-fist swinging to try to fashion a rebuttal.

But the Ursine was already gone, leaping through another self-made portal and emerging on the opposite side of the summit.

Meanwhile, Min Tu’s Skeleton Soldier ascended the tree mountain with supernatural agility. The Wind Mage’s power surged around its legs, green sigils blazing as it vaulted from one fallen trunk to another, closing the distance in seconds.

A second Behemoth spotted the approaching undead and charged, its massive fists pounding the wood, splinters exploding with each impact.

The Skeleton didn’t slow. It dropped its cleaver into a reverse grip, raised its free hand, and unleashed a roaring torrent of flame directly into the Behemoth’s face.

"HOOOOOOOO!!" The beast howled, momentarily blinded, its charge faltering. The Skeleton used that moment to leap, the Wind Mage’s power catapulting it high into the air.

It flipped mid-flight, drawing the blackened spear from its back, and hurled it downward with the full force of the Spearman’s Skill. The spear punched through the Behemoth’s shoulder, sinking deep into the muscle. The beast stumbled, one arm going limp.

But the Cragfist Behemoths were Level 42 for a reason.

The third and fourth Behemoths, who had been hanging back, now moved with terrifying coordination. One grabbed a massive chunk of dead wood and hurled it at the Ursine like a missile.

The wolf-beast tore open a portal to evade, but the Behemoth anticipated the move. The moment the portal opened, the second Behemoth was already there, its boulder-fist swinging directly at the emerging Ursine.

The blow connected.

The Ursine yelped as the fist caught its flank, sending it skidding across the wood. Vera gasped, and her Forest Stag immediately pulsed with healing energy, green light washing over the wolf-beast’s bruised side.

"It’s still up!" Vera called out, her voice strained with concentration. "But that hit cracked two ribs. Be careful!"

Dane gritted his teeth. "Okay." He directed his Ursine to fall back, the beast limping slightly as it tore open another portal to reposition.

On the other side of the summit, Min Tu’s Skeleton was locked in a brutal exchange with the wounded Behemoth.

The beast had torn the spear from its shoulder and was swinging it like a club, forcing the Skeleton onto the defensive. The undead warrior ducked and weaved, its Wind Mage-enhanced reflexes keeping it just ahead of the crushing blows.

But the fifth Behemoth had noticed the commotion. It descended from the highest point of the tree mountain, its amber eyes locked not on the Summons, but on the cages below.

The Luminhares.

The beast raised its fist, clearly intending to smash the cages and the creatures inside.

"No!" Vera screamed.

Lancet’s heart lurched, but he forced himself to stay calm. "Dane! Protect the Lumihares!"

"On it!"

Dane ordered his beast and it responded instantly. The Astral-Claw Ursine tore open a portal directly in front of the descending Behemoth and emerged from another portal right beside it, its claws raking across the beast’s legs.

The Behemoth stumbled, its killing blow diverted. It crashed into the tree mountain’s slope, sliding down in an avalanche of wood and moss.

Kasto watched all of this with a frustrated expression. "It’s difficult to just stand here I watch," he gnawed. "I should be helping."

Lancet looked at him. "I can end all of this with just one Summon," he said. "How do you think I feel?"

Kasto glanced at him, understanding the sentiment, so he chose to just stay silent and follow the strategy.