Garden Of The Abyss

"You have defeated our champion in combat, a rare feat; even more so, you showed benevolence in sparing his life," the macaque told him, "therefore, you are now our new champion, Ren."

"...Pardon?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Forgive me, I haven't introduced myself," the macaque bowed his head, "I am Rohan, one of the elders of the Umber Cloud village."

Even with an introduction, it only left him with more questions than answers as he now found himself helplessly perplexed. The injured ape lifted himself back up, standing beside the much smaller elder as the other primates joined alongside them.

"Umber Cloud village…?"

Rohan nodded, "Yes, it is our home in the Bareaminon jungle. It is where all of our kind live together to survive the harshness of this cruel land. We're the 'Velren', we're not monsters of Purgatory."

Before he could ask any further questions, his stomach interrupted his mouth with an audible grumble.

Holding an embarrassed hue to his cheeks, he chuckled as he held his stomach, though Rohan simply laughed with his hoarse, old voice.

"Come, new champion, there is plenty of food in the village."

Just the allure of something to eat was enough to convince him to at least humor the mysterious, intelligent primates.

"Food…? Lead the way, old timer," he replied.

Once again, he found himself in another, fantastical situation in the cruel realm--though it seemed for once, he found a fortunate respite.

Let's see what this village of primates is all about…"Umber Cloud village", yeah? He thought.

Following the primates through the jungle, he was forced into a foreign way of travel as he leapt from branch to branch. It wouldn't normally be such an imposing task, except for the fact the trees of the Bareaminon jungle were exotic, to say the least.

Though they assured him it was necessary to avoid the "awaiting predators" below—a vague warning he listened to wholeheartedly.

Compared to the things I've done in Grandueve…this is no biggy, but my stomach isn't really helping, he thought.

He followed directly behind Rohan, who despite his wrinkled appearance, moved nimbly by using his tail to swing swiftly.

Meanwhile, he was forced to hop with reinforced jumps while feeling the swift monkeys following behind him as well.

"Are we close yet?!" He asked in a yell, having to shout to surpass the howls of the wind in their speedy travel.

Rohan answered without looking, "Just a bit further, yes."

Looking forward as he hopped continuously, he questioned how the elder macaque could even tell the difference between any of the sections of the colorful jungle.

Around him, he couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable by the dozen of primates that traveled alongside of, most of which didn't seem capable of speech like the elder. The entire time, they looked at him with beady eyes, curious of him, though he couldn't exactly blame them as he felt the same way himself.

This is definitely in the top five weirdest situations I've been in here…He thought.

"I imagine you're famished. Don't worry, you will be presented with a proper meal when we arrive," Rohan assured him.

"That's good…" He replied while finding a rhythm to his jumps, "but what's this village of yours like? Just want to know what to expect, you know?"

I can't let my guard down. I don't really feel any bad intentions from them, but it's better safe than sorry. But, the primorelves were nice enough so…I don't doubt a village can exist on the third floor, he thought, if i'm being completely honest with myself though…I probably need to take a risk like this if i'm going to back it through these last five days.

Rohan came to a sudden stop, standing on a flat, moss-covered branch as he turned to look up at the young man who landed on the branch right beside him.

"Well, you'll find that out for yourself by guiding your view upwards," Rohan told him with a soft smile.

"Look up…?" He repeated, slowly bringing his gaze up.

He found himself in awe as above them, the high-reaching trees inhabited a civilization of its own. A series of bridges connected the trees, with dome-like living spaces made out of wood, vines, and sometimes soil were attached to the bodies of the tall trees.

It was impossible to notice without looking up, due to the obscuring nation of the dense foliage of the jungle. But once he saw it, he was enamored by the mystical, natural territory amongst the trees. A whole community existed there; young, old, small, and large--he found himself speechless for a moment.

"Is this…?" He muttered.

"Welcome to Umber Cloud village, Ren," Rohan told him.

As he was busy taking in the view, he witnessed the primates that returned with them to the village climb up the assortment of lengthy trees, returning to their homes in swift fashion.

Rohan motioned for him to follow, looking back at him as his fluffy, sable tail swayed. Of course, the elder macaque was climbing the largest tree of them all within the village, sitting in the center with a thick, verdant trunk that possessed the width of a sports stadium.

"Well, I'm no stranger to climbing at this point…" He muttered, holding his stomach as it growled.

Taking in a breath, he followed Rohan as he hopped a few branches before beginning to climb the grand tree, finding it relatively easy as the protruding bark and vines made it easy to find holds.

With the prospect of sustenance awaiting at the summit of the large abode positioned high on the verdant tree, he climbed swiftly while looking past his exhaustion.

"Impressive, you're a fitting champion for the village," Rohan greeted him once he reached the wooden platform high up.

He pulled himself onto the flooring, huffing a bit as he stood himself up, wiping the sediment from his coat, "So, is this your home?"

In front of him, a domal abode made of orange-wood stood without a door, bearing an entrance lined with a carpet formed of some type of brown animal fur.

"It's the home of all five elders of Umber Cloud. Come, I'm sure they will be ecstatic to meet the first new champion in two years," Rahon said as he waddled through the entrance.

Black symbols were engraved in the exterior, likely a language he didn't have any clue about. What he did have a clue on was the nice scent emanating from the interior, welcoming him with a lavender aroma.

Guided by the emptiness of his stomach, he entered the enigmatic home of the elders. Passing through the initial corridor, he realized the true nature of the abode.

It's not just some cottage...the actual house is the inside of the tree itself. I'm getting some major deja vu right about now, he thought.

Stationed in the lavender-scented hall, chimpanzee guards wearing shoddy, metal armor stood taut and silent with spears pointed upright like statues. There was even art; perfectly made vases, pots, and even paintings of abstract landscapes.

It all felt uncanny, yet incredibly intriguing to him.

Pretty official, aren't they? He thought.

After ascending a brief staircase of smoothly-mended clay, he was led by Rohan into a room filled with the smoky aroma of lit incense.

Sitting in the middle of the large room, which was mostly occupied by art and bedding, four primates sat in a circle, each seated on a cushion. It definitely felt reminiscent of human architecture, but was clearly not; the leaf-made veils that spiraled over the ceiling, it had its own flavor of something not man made.

The only empty seat was filled as Rohan lowered himself onto it, raising his gaze to the young man who stood still at the entrance of the toasty, humid chamber.

"Five elders, today I present to you a momentous figure--Ren, the new champion of Umber Cloud!" Rohan presented.

On the far left, a large, yellow-haired orangutan sat quietly with a smoke-exuding stick between his lips.

"Momo, the chief of hunting-and-gathering!" Rohan introduced the orangutan.

Next to him was a stone-faced gorilla clad in crimson fur that was further clad in white-metal armor. By the corneal scar inhabiting his eye, it was clear he was one well versed in warfare.

"Goroba, the chief of the village soldiers!" Rohan introduced.

In the center, Rohan sat, holding his welcoming, soft smile as he held little presence of his own in comparison to the other four elders.

"I, Rohan, the chief of warfare!" The macaque smiled, presenting his role unfit of his small appearance.

To the right of Rohan was a black howler monkey, wearing a hooded robe that accentuated their dark, beady eyes as they stared intently at the human.

"Yon, the chief of magic development!"

Last, and certainly not last, on the far right, a pale-furred baboon sat with an expression that looked as if he was one moment away from assaulting the snowy-haired adolescent.

"Perrei, the chief of education!"

That guy is the teacher around here?! He thought.

Even knowing their names, he didn't feel any more comfortable as all of the eyes of the primates were locked on him, and sealed behind their mysterious gazes were their thoughts. Though by Rohan's gesture, he forced himself to sit across from the elders as he settled himself on a large, beige cushion.

"...This one defeated Makabar?" Goroba asked, keeping his metal-armored arms folded against his protruding chest.

Rohan nodded a few times, "Indeed. He stepped onto our territory and promptly defeated Makabar with a single stroke of his blade!"

The tiny, black-furred macaque made a motion as if swinging an unseen sword, reenacting the earlier battle with an eccentric smile.

Wait, I trespassed…? I guess that explains why that ape fought me...He thought.

"It's been many...years since a Purgatory entrant has managed to stumble...into our territory, and even longer...since one has been our champion," Momo spoke slowly with a deep, bellowing voice, removing the smoking twig from his lips to speak.

Yon nodded as her hood bounced slightly, "Be it as it may, it's our one tradition we must upkeep for Togae if we inhabit his world. Any who defeat our champion become the new champion during their stay here."

The name caught his attention as he tilted his head slightly, looking at the dark-furred howler, "Togae?...I feel like I've heard that name before."

It was the angry-faced baboon that answered in place of the chief of magic, "Togae is the creator of Purgatory. He created this village for us to live and grow in. We all owe our lives to Lord Togae."

Rohan nodded to further confirm Perrei's words, "He is all-powerful, but not unfair. I believe it is the one condition for those residing in Purgatory to assist the challengers as much as possible."

"...That doesn't sound right," he muttered, clenching his fists.

"Mm?" Rohan looked at him.

He slowly shook his head, whispering, "Nothing. Forget it."

No way the one who made Purgatory is "fair" or "kind"--no way in hell.. Whoever it is that made this place is a sick, depraved bastard, he thought.