Chapter 36: Curse (1)

“This is incredible!” murmured Feynor once again as he held the diary, reading it through who knows how many times.

 

“I’m glad you like it, eldest brother,” sighed Leinor, walking next to him, grabbing his shoulders before he would walk into a tree “But please, concentrate on the road, okay? You can read it any time when we get back.”

 

“You don’t understand, this helps us to glimpse at the old kingdom, at how it was governed and the daily life of the ruling family!”

 

“What is so great about that?” looked back Niji, who was now leading them towards the other tribe of chimpanzees 

 

“Everything! There is a paragraph that describes her dilemma on a new taxation system and by just her ideas we could redo our taxation laws benefiting the whole country!”

 

“Tax?” looked back Niji

 

“Don’t listen to him.” cut in Ren “He is to become Emperor, his mind is full of boring stuff.”

 

“I never knew humans talk this way of their rulers, when I was growing up they growled before their rulers.”

 

“I’m privileged.” giggled Ren “I’m marrying into the royal family, Feynor is my older brother by family ties so I can be informal.” 

 

“You are weird. All of you.” murmured Niji while suddenly stopped, raising his hand and the others cased any chatter and soon other, tall chimps showed up on the trees before them

 

“What are one of you doing in our turf… especially with humans in tow? If Bonecrusher learns about this you will die a painful death.” said one of them, coming down, standing about 10 meters away before them, leaning on a thick, wooden rod, around 3 meters long. 

 

“Bonecrusher?” raised her eyebrows Ren, holding back her laugh, not like Isha who clearly found it funny 

 

“Oh? So, he is dead?” asked, the newcomer, looking surprised 

 

“Yes, and all of the others too.” nodded Niji 

 

“And now you are a human pet yet again, are you not? Oh, how we came full circle!” laughed the other chimp, mockingly 

 

“Olup-”

 

“If you came for protection, forget it, now I’m considering absorbing you all. You must be weak and I think humans won't risk it for our kind, ahaha…” licked his lips, scanning over the others 

 

“He is not here for protection.” walked up next to Niji Ren, still smiling “We are here to make you join us.”

 

“Join? You? Did the pipsqueak really say that?” laughed Olup, turning back towards the others grinning and soon the forest was filled with loud monkey screeching 

 

“This guy…” murmured Ren, grinding her teeth while Leinor came up and pressed his hands on her shoulder.

 

Soon Ren felt as his energies flooded her body, taking a revolution, going back to him, then back again, just like they did it against Boursat, only, now it was seamless, quick and with minimal backlash on their bodies.

 

“You know me best…” whispered Ren, gently stroking Leinor’s fingers on her shoulders, while closing her eyes

 

“Kick him in the balls. That will shut him up.”

 

“Ahaha… this is why I love you~” nodded and when she opened her eyes, she blasted out with a thunderous roar, surprising everyone.

 

The most surprised was Olup, who just raised his stick but Ren’s kick easily shattered it to million pieces, making him stumble backwards from the shock, as purple colored electricity danced in the air around him. After the sudden strike he wanted to find his footing but Ren was way quicker, striking him in the nether regions and soon every other, still laughing monkey shut up in an instant, shuddering as a resounding crack echoed through the air and Olup just laid on the ground, eyes rolled back into his skull, foaming from the mouth.

 

“As we said.” stepped on his limp body with her small feet, looking up to the other monkeys “We came to make you join us. Of course you could refuse. We understand if you are hesitant, but know that… the second time will be when you come to us and ask to join and then, the terms may be harsher than what we can offer now. Also… please, think before speaking. I’m not the best when it comes to temper.” laughed innocently, in a cute voice, playing with her silvery hair. “Let’s go.” said as she turned around while Niji just looked at her trying to read what she was up to.

 

“Don’t worry, they will come to us.” came the voice of Shaman as soon as they were a few hundred meters away from the other tribe

 

“So you did follow us.” said Anya, looking at him with slanted eyes 

 

“I was curious at how you would deal with them. I like her approach.” smiled, pointing at Ren “Also… I invited an old friend.”

 

Soon another ape walked out from the trees, towering over 3 meters tall, full of muscles, wearing a white coat of fur as his eyes were blood red. The giant gorilla’s aura was overpowering, as Anya’s pupils immediately shrank to a pinhole while stepping forward as the others also got ready to fight.

 

“Relax. His name is Kang, the old chief of the Whitestripes.” laughed Shaman as the gorilla slowly held back his dominating presence.

 

“You look pretty strong.” stepped Ren forward “The feeling you gave me was even stronger than my father’s aura.”

 

“You afraid, human the little?” asked, with a deep, heavily accented voice, like if someone is not used to speaking their language at all.

 

“Not really. You lacked malice when you appeared.”

 

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“Small one interest. You right old chimp, need more but... Not convince.” 

 

“What he is saying you still need to prove yourself to them.”

 

“I guess you already have something for us?” said Anya, coming up to her daughter’s side

 

“Yes human. My tribe sick. Women birth dead, no young. Male make babies, no babies born live. We want cure. Want help.”

 

“I checked them out a few times, the whole thing started around… 40-50 years ago.” explained Shaman “At first it was occasional, nothing strange. But it got worse, younglings fell ill then died, bleeding out while sleeping and by now the women’s only births were stillborns...”

 

“Is it contagious?” furrowed his brows Leinor 

 

“Seems not, as the old chief looks fine.” commented Feynor 

 

“The adults have zero symptoms. Nothing is wrong with them, they are healthy.” 

 

“Youngs only. Children sick. They die soon. Lost grandkid. Lot. Help and we join.”

 

“We need to check it out, fast.” said Ren with a serious look on his face, looking up at the giant gorilla, who now reflected a sad and tired expression in his eyes, clearly numb to burying his offsprings. “Anything you find out?” asked Shaman as they started to follow Kang 

 

“Some. It’s not an illness.”

 

“It’s not?” asked almost all of them at the same time 

 

“Curse.” continued Kang “Shaman says curse is.”

 

“I don’t believe in curses.” murmured Ren

 

“You will.” smiled Shaman with a strange expression “They live in an old city, it was a holy city back then, a spiritual home of many, following the… what was it called…”

 

“Twin Path of Life.” added Feynor

 

“What’s that?” asked Poli with a curious expression while Ren put on a serious look, clearly thinking about something

 

“It was written in the diary of the last Empress. It was the main religion of theirs when this was still a human empire. Their names…” started to flip through the book 

 

“Alfina and Oynega.” said Ren in a cold voice 

 

“Ah, yes… yes, here it is. Have you read it?” 

 

“I… only recognized some words, that's all.” sighed, rubbing his temples. “Continue, please. What did it say in the diary?”

 

“Let me check, ah, yes here it is. There are a dozen pages of rambling about some holy days and celebrations… Anyway, it says it was an ancient religion, only going strong and becoming the true belief in the last 3 thousand years or so. The true gods Alfina and Oynega governs life and death. The twins represent giving birth, bringing new life to the land and dying, removing the old to give place to the new. The woman, Alfina gives birth to human souls while the man Oynega embraces those who come to the end of their lives.”

 

“They are both girls. Kind of.” snorted Ren “They are hermaphrodites, it's just one of them acts more feminine the other likes to dress as a man.” 

 

“Really?” laughed Isha “Damn, the freaks!”

 

“They were born joined but separated later when they rose to godhood. Still, they are closely linked with their minds and also in an incestious relationship. So yeah, kind of a freakshow with human standards but nothing major if you check the gods’ mythology through the history books. They have a different outlook on things like morality or what is good and bad, especially considering their powers are dependent on it.” 

 

“You always liked to read…” giggled Anya, stroking her head with a reminiscing smile “I remember you asked us to hoard all of the history books we could… now I see why, you little rascal, ahaha!”

 

“Yeah, I… picked up some things.” smiled wryly “Anyway, what does this have to do with our big, white, muscly friend and his tribe?” 

 

“As I said, it’s a curse. Something happened deep underground. It was fine through the centuries but there was an earthquake around… 60 years ago. There is something under the ruins that has awoken and now his presence is cursing them.”

 

“Why not just leave?” asked Leinor, directly to Kang

 

“We no. Some left. Still bear dead. No healthy. No change. Desperate.”

 

“So it is a curse, we need to stop the source to lift it.” said Shaman resolutely “And in the meantime collect some resources that are only found there, of course.”

 

“Yeah… of course.” rolled her eyes Isha, knowing why the Shaman is so eager to help but it seemed as long as they do help, Kang doesn’t mind it.

 

“Curse… huh?” murmured Ren “Let me see those ruins first… I got interested suddenly…” said, taking a deep breath and speeding up, prompting the others and especially Kang to pick up speed and reach the gorilla’s village quicker.

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