Garden Of The Abyss

Sitting there as he brought his gaze down, he was suddenly greeted by a small, beige-furred capuchin offering him a cup of some kind of freshly-brewed, hot liquid and a triangular pastry.

"For me?" He asked, pointing to himself.

The capuchin silently nodded, handing the wooden cup to him along with the pastry wrapped in a leaf-made wrap.

"Thanks," he smiled a bit.

He didn't know exactly what it was, but the emptiness of his stomach and the dryness of his mouth removed any pickiness from him.

"It's monmon bread, made from sweet wheat," the elder orangutan informed him.

He nodded, looking at the pastry before taking a bite out of it, "...Tasty!"

Though his compliment came from a full mouth, both Momo and Rohan smiled at his satisfaction.

Washing down the bread, he took a gulp of the warm, surprisingly sweet liquid.

"What's this?" He asked.

"Tea made from pika leaves, very tasty," Momo informed.

"It is," he confirmed with a smile.

All it took was a bite of food and drink into his stomach to acclimate him to the unknown village as he finished within the next minute. After finishing his tea, he set the cup down, letting the silent capuchin retrieve it as he looked up at the elders.

"So...if I'm getting this right, this whole "champion" system is not something native to your people, but something Togae implemented?" He asked.

The stern-looking gorilla answered while shoving an entire triangle of monmon bread into his maw, "That's right! Obviously you're not expected to be a proper "champion" of the village, but it's more of an honorary title for a special guest!"

Rohan added, stroking his white mane with his thin digits, "Goroba is correct; as the 'champion', you've earned the privilege of entering Umber Cloud during your time on the third floor. Think of it as a reward for managing to defeat Makabar in combat."

Given his answer, he nodded his head silently as he pondered it, nibbling on another pastry that the wordless capuchin offered to him.

So I got lucky with a random event?...I was always pretty lucky with stumbling across easter eggs in video games. Looks like I really hit the jackpot, he thought.

"...So I can stay here for the rest of my time in Purgatory?" He asked.

"That's right," Rohan nodded, "you can rest easy, Ren."

The words from the macaque seemed to be directly pointed at the dark bags hanging under the young man's eyes.

"Almost sounds too good to be true," he chuckled while ruffling his snowy locks.

It was as he scratched his head and laughed that he suddenly stopped and realized something. Suddenly a cold air came through, followed by the slow crescendo of small sprinkles turning into a full blown rainstorm.

"Looks like it's really coming down outside…" Goroba said, looking up towards the ceiling.

Rohan nodded, looking at Perrei, the light-furred baboon who stood up and turned his attention to one of the chimpanzee guards stationed in the elders' chamber.

"Go out and make sure everybody gets indoors!" He issued his command.

The chimpanzee silently nodded before rushing out of the door in a rush that seemed peculiar to the adolescent human.

"What's going on? It's just rain, right?" He asked.

The elders all held wide-eyed expressions as they looked at him in response to his question--further cementing his perplexion.

"There is only one occurrence that brings rainfall into the Bareaminon jungle," Yon spoke direly, "--the "Stormfallen" are here."

"...the "Stormfallen"...?" He repeated.

It didn't ring a bell to him, but the dire look present on all of the elders' faces equally cemented his own unease.

Goroba coughed, clearing his throat as he stood up, nodding to Rohan who got up with him, "They're a clan of extremely dangerous goblins. They specialize in hunting those who challenge Purgatory, but it seems sometimes they're brought to our doorstep...vile raiders."

"Goblins?" He repeated quietly.

Hold on, it can't be...right? He thought.

"...I think they might be here for me," he admitted, sitting on the cushion still.

After a moment of silence as he stared down at the straw-twined floorboards, a small laugh left Rohan's wizened lips.

"Huh?" He looked up.

Rohan smiled, keeping his hands behind his back, "You're feeling responsible, aren't you? Well, you shouldn't."

All he could do was watch in confusion as the macaque elder strolled past him as Goroba followed.

"Why…?" He asked, standing up.

Goroba answered for him, "The Velren aren't helpless, that's why! This is our chance to wipe out the Stormfallen, once and for all! They've hunted our people for years now--this ends now!"

The red-furred gorilla huffed with his armored-arms unfolding as he marched out of the room. His shouted commands to the stationed, primate soldiers were still completely audible once he left the elder chamber.

"All soldiers, prepare for combat! Go! Go! Go!" Goroba barked.

Looking around, he watched as all of the other elders were already on their feet and setting out.

"I'll prepare…the rations," Momo said, slowly waddling out of the door.

Yon followed, "The Black Clouds will be assembled around the perimeter of the village."

Following her own words, Yon vanished into the darkness without a trace.

The light-furred baboon scratched his head as he began to leave the room, "All of the women and children will be kept safe, I'll assure that."

All with a goal and role, the elders set out, all leaving the room except for Rohan who seemed a moment away from leaving as well.

"Wait!…What do I do?" He asked.

Rohan stopped before he reached the door, looking back as he seemed to ponder for a moment before smiling.

"Well…you don't have to do anything, if you wish. You're our revered guest, after all. I'd sit tight for a while—get some rest."

He looked dumbfounded, "You want me to sit here while a battle is occurring?…A battle I'm at fault for?"

Rohan shook his head, "A final battle with the Stormfallen was always going to happen, one way or another. Don't trick yourself into believing we're fighting on your behalf, Ren. The Velren and the Stormfallen have been enemies for many years now. We've lost countless strong-willed warriors, mothers, and even children. Our homes have been burnt down, our people violated...this is a war we've been waiting for. However, the Velren are not a reckless bunch that act solely on emotion. We may not be capable of defeating those raiders in straight combat, but we can outlast them."

It was difficult to understand what the elder primate's words meant when paired with his wise smile. Even with that smile, however, the oldened rage embedded in the macaque's wrinkles was tangible.

"Outlast?"

Rohan nodded, "If they want what's in this village, they'll have to make it through our walls."

Again, he was left confused as there were no walls he saw when coming to the jungle-formed village, and if there were, they would've been too small to accomplish anything.

Suddenly, a surge of mana was felt, surrounding the perimeter of the village as he stood up, looking at the walls in confusion.

"...Magic? Is it the Stormfallen?" He asked, keeping his hand near the hilt of his blade.

Racing out of the elders' base, Rohan followed behind him as he found his way back out into the outside, being drenched in the downpour as he looked around.

Rohan stopped his earlier assumption, shaking his head, "Those are the "Black Clouds"--the Velren's own mage unit, led by Yon. These are the walls I'm talking about, Ren."

He finally saw it: lifted around the village, colossal walls formed of blackened mud, reinforced by wood, stood around the tree-based village. Greeting his nose was the strong, but pleasant scent of rain coating the sturdy trees.

The mixture of verdant, scarlet, and azure leaves that hung around the village like ever-present walls glistened under the rainfall, yet it wasn't a gloomy sight.

Racing across the bridges that were connected to the magically-formed walls, dozens of armored soldiers marched, carrying bows and arrows, all led by Goroba as he barked commands.

Meanwhile, Perrei could be seen going door-to-door, retrieving the woman and children as he guided them to the elder's hut.

"It's amazing," he muttered.

Rohan smiled, "Now do you understand, Ren? The Velren can handle themselves. You just have to sit tight until their champion arrives."

The words from the knee-high primate stuck out to him as he looked down at the salt-and-pepper furred macaque.

"Wait until their champion arrives? What do you mean?"

"Makabar was injured in your duel with him. While he's recovering in the medical tent, it's impossible for him to battle. As such, Ren, as the acting 'champion', that responsibility will fall on you--when the time comes," Rohan answered.

As they stood just in front of the elder's abode, he found himself conflicted on how to feel about this information.

I guess it makes sense...but why do I feel like this is all according to what Rohan wants? It seems like the old timer was looking for a war with the Stormfallen...then he made me become the champion, as well.

He really is sly, isn't he? He thought.