Monarchs of Above and Below (On Hiatus)

Chapter III: Double Dungeon

Corpses littered the ground in several bloody heaps. Some were the various monsters they had fought. Gorillas torn nearly in half. Vulture-like creatures with their wings torn from their torso. Large alligators who have been flattened by some strange force.

But the ones that made Matthew freeze were the scattered corpses of several hunters. Some of them had missing limbs. One hunter, a fighter once donned in shining armor, was torn completely in half; their face still contorted in a plea for help.

Another corpse slouched against a wall wearing mage's robes, was without a head. A broken channeling staff lay only a few feet from their hands.

In the center of the open cavern within the cliffside sat a massive gorilla. The beast was battered in dried blood, even while sitting it was still nearly 12 feet tall. Its body was covered in pitch-black fur that covered its immensely muscular figure. Atop the beast's head rested a white crown. At first, Matthew thought it was a crude collection of sticks and leaves. But he quickly noticed what they were.

The crown was made of a variety of bones, all stuck together by a mix of sinew, leather, and hide.

Suddenly, Matthew felt a tight grip on his shoulder. He nearly screamed when he noticed Luke standing next to him, staring up at the beast. His face was a mix of confusion and amazement. "What is something like that doing here?" He muttered to himself.

Feeling Matthew's eyes on him, Luke looked at his friend. "Ape King; that's a B-Rank boss. No wonder the squad got demolished."

Suddenly, the beast raised its head. Both hunters froze at the sight of the massive ape's face. It was horridly scary with a mix of wounds and what once might have been tribal tattoos. The boss's eyes glowed a deeper red than Matthew had ever seen; a red that seemed to look straight through him.

The beast quickly rose to its feet and roared, the thunderous sound echoing off of the stone walls.

Matthew was abruptly shoved back by Luke, who stepped in front of him. "Stay back, I'll handle the boss." He ordered as he fired three shots at the beast.

Three large explosions occurred as each bullet impacted the Ape King's chest. "Stay put," Luke repeated as he dashed forward, spinning the chambers of his gun as he did.

Matthew simply watched as he the smoke or the explosions cleared to reveal the Ape King still standing. The boss roared and charged forward. As its feet slammed into the ground as it went, the entire cavern rumbled as if it were in an earthquake.

The Ape King raised its arm and slammed a fist down at Luke, however, he quickly dashed to the side and fired a shot at the beast's eyes.

The Ape King roared and stumbled back as the smoke clouded its vision, only for two more explosive bullets to fire into its leg. Another roar echoed through the cavern as the ape began to flail its arms wildly on the ground. One large fist nearly crushed Luke as he jumped from side to side avoiding the massive grey fists.

But then, as he aimed his revolver up to fire at the monster's head, the beast reared back its leg and sent Luke flying across the room, crashing into one of the stone walls.

Matthew's eyes widened, he was about to rise to his feet when a burst of fire erupted from the debris where Luke had landed.

The streak of flame slammed into the Ape King's shoulder, searing away its fur and digging into its flesh.

The boss grasped at its shoulder as it began to cry out and stumbled back. In its rage, however, it slammed a hand into the ground and heaved upward. The stone erupted upward as the boss gouged out a large boulder in its fist.