Behind the door, in front of Skylar was like another world. A world of clouds and stars.
Skylar entered, followed closely behind by Karo who found his reaction exaggerated as indicated by the look of amusement in his eyes staring at Skylar who stood stunned in front of him.
(Chatter "An Animated floor. It is generated with the help of glyphys carved on the floor and a steady supply of energy.") A voice lectured as Skylar stare below him at the floor of the heavenly chamber they entered according to the voice's claim. A floor no human will agree it is, as it is a real sky of white clouds.
The clouds are moving and there is really a world below, but standing on it doesn't really feel like i am standing on the sky, so that means it doesn't affect the sense of touch... If it does, that would have been scary...
(Chatter "Animated walls, just like the floor, they are also created by glyphs supplied with a steady flow of energy.") The voice lectured again has Skylar looked around him at the vast expanse of space that seemed endless above the endless sky the animated floor generated. A sight which shouldn't be possible, as the tree they entered is not even a thousandth of the space the chamber seems to have.
I think i understand now, its just like that black gold chamber in the wolf's lair. There must have been no energy supplied to the glyph on the wall, and that's why it look like that. And also the floor might not have had a glyph since its a floor made from black gold. And this...
Skylar looked up a while later after the voice seized. He looked at the endless starry sea above him overlooking what seems to be a group of heavenly stars suspended motionless and vertically just under it. Also, under the starry sea, other heavenly bodies lay suspended motionless except for four gigantic glowing rods- one white, one blue, one golden, and the last one red; spinning and revolving around the suspended heavenly stars positioned right below one another.
(Chatter "That. We call an inner heaven, created the same way as the animated wall and floor. But there are sometimes a twist to it...") Because of the voice that seem not to return, Skylar look before him at the center of what he will call a heavenly chamber.
In front of him were five figures, the golden guy sitting beside a lustrous black monkey with a scholarly look, the old monkey sitting in front of the duo, and two gray monkey sitting beside them as they all sit in a circle.
What's the relationship between all of them.... Skylar wondered as he gave a polite bow.
Then he looked at one of the gray monkey, one who has been glaring at him since he entered the heavenly chamber. He has been glaring at me since and he reminds me of mr Rabbit...
(Chatter "The row of heavenly bodies in the middle and the rods are real thing unlike the others. And that's the twist.") The voice which has been coming from the black scholarly monkey who points above at what he mentioned concluded.
(Chatter "Young friend, come and have your seat.") The black monkey with meticulous politeness pointed to a space beside the old monkey who has apparently zoned out.
Skylar replied the scholarly black monkey gesture as he approach where he pointed, and sit there facing him in a lotus position just like everyone is. And Karo who followed behind him did the same as he took his seat behind him.
Why is this guy sitting next to me. He is also very close... His fragrance is on another level, definitely beyond those of the flowers on this island. Only if he was female... Skylar inhaled deeply.
Rude invader, give me back my daughter...
Why is this guy glaring fiercer at me, its not like i stole your wife... He glared back fiercer at the gray monkey who has been glaring at him since.
The dimension of the room shifted when Karo sat very close to Skylar in a symbolic position like a virtuous wife attending to her divine duty: The golden monkey smiled as usual at the duo, the unfamiliar gray monkey like he is totally unaware of his surroundings sip from his wine cup. And the scholarly black monkey unexpectedly feeling awkward scratched his head and smile like a famous virgin bachelor.
Then after a while the Scholarly black monkey broke the silence that persisted in the chamber for almost a minute. (Chatter "Young friend we have a proposal for you as regards your departure from our moutain.")
"Departure?" wait, mountain... Is this place the top of a mountain and not an island... Skylar muttered before he got stunned due to the word of the black monkey. If i remember correctly the lair should also have been kind of situated on a mountain...
At Skylar's word and after his brief contemplation, the black monkey continued. (Chatter "We understand how much you want to leave here. So, we have three paths for you to choose from, that will help you leave our mountain, hopefully.")
Its not like leaving here is something particularly difficult again since this is a mountain. All i have to do is just fall off the edge and die, hopefully i will respawn below it... nah, that will be very painful and it may not even work, i have never died in this simulation before, i don't understand how respawning works...
"Sir please tell me" At Skylar's request to the black monkey, Karo who is sitting beside Skylar looked pleadingly at the black monkey.
But the black monkey sighed deeply, nodded to the sides dejectedly and finally opened his mouth. And all this only Skylar didn't notice as he was busy making faces at the golden monkey smiling in his direction in a manner he finds kinda annoying.
(Chatter "The first choice is i take you with me when i descend the mountain, but that will be after seventy seven moon. The second method is to wait for a drifting cloud that can take you to the surface below, but this method depends on luck since the drifting cloud appearance are very random and where they will drop someone is also totally random.")
"What is the last method?" Skylar voiced.
(Chatter "The last method is quiet complicated. It requires you to take one of our tribe's trials that will definitely lead you out of the mountain if you can reach its end") At the end of this words, Karo with a misty eyes beside Skylar tried to pull at him while he process all the three choices presented to him.
"Can i reach the end of the trial?" Not knowing what is going on behind, Skylar raised his lowered head and asked.
Then at his question, everyone except Karo who has his head lowered, acted with a smile like they expected it. Even the zoned out old monkey woke up and mimic the others in smiling while he brushes his long beards.
(Chatter "You will pass if you chose to.") The old monkey replied him enthusiastically and enigmatically. He added (Chatter "Then this concludes everything.")
(Chatter "Young friend you should come to the mountain peak at the next golden hour. That's where the trial will take place.") The black monkey informed Skylar. Then he stood up and walk towards a large scroll hanger that appeared like magic somewhere behind him and pulled out a peculiar white and small scroll.
Another interesting technology. This monkeys are almost at the same level, no, maybe higher than ours... This simulation is getting interesting...
(Chatter "There is this bird in the north that can help you reach your destination in a far shorter time.") The black monkey walked towards Skylar who was about to stand and leave the chamber. (Chatter "Young friend have this scroll, its a map to the bird's location. Just few region from here, you should find it.")
"Thanks" Skylar collected the scroll from the black monkey and glance briefly at its content.
He stood to his feet holding carefully the scroll, walked past Karo who has not raised his head for a long time and left the chamber excitedly.
***
The next golden hour,
The rays of light from the golden clouds were clearly golden as it illuminates the flower mountain, especially the gigantic rock standing on the peak and center of the conical flower mountain, and its foot where three figures wait.
The golden monkey in a lotus position sit on a large boulder resting in front of the gigantic rock.
Skylar with his stuffs packed inside a bag placed beside him lean against this boulder at its side facing away from the gigantic rock and overlooking the basins below and a stair from below that leads to it.
Karo took his seat very close beside Skylar and at his other side are two large sacks containing who know what.
While the three figure wait, two figures could be seen leisurely climbing up the very broad steps towards them. And after some time they arrived in front of them.
One of the figure that now stood in front of them is the familiar gray monkey and the other is unexpectedly a very sexy female monkey about two and a half mitas tall, having a lustrous black fur as dark as the abyss that outline her humanoid incredibly curvy and large figure.
How can a monkey rival a world class human beauty in appearance, look and presence...
Isn't her existence illegal at this point, or this developers just push boundaries as they wish...
Skylar stared thoughtfully at the figure while Karo at the side glared at the exotic and strikingly beautiful female monkey.
Our guest is definitely the best my daughter can get, and her previous condition might have been a blessing in disguise. If she wasn't very ugly before, she would have been married off to some random warrior on our mountain long ago, and would have missed out on this heavenly opportunity...
Just look at her marking her territory already...
But daughter, you are never going to have it easy, our guest is definitely too complicated...
The female monkey staring thoughtfully at Skylar and Karo beside him moved closer to the duo and bowed her head slightly towards Skylar. (Chatter "Thanks for helping my daughter")
What's she talking about... Skylar wondered.
Then she hold out a tied parcel towards the confused Skylar.
"You are welcome" Trying not to embarass the female monkey Skylar collected the parcel. He turned and whispered to Karo beside him who quickly clean off the ferocious glare on his face that was directed at the female monkey "Hey who is she?"
(Chatter "She is my mom") Karo replied monotonously, and the female monkey who seemed to hear their whispers smiled at Skylar who glanced briefly in her direction.
"So the gray guy that glares all the time is your father?" Skylar deduced.
(Chatter "Yes") Karo replied, after which she threw a warning glare at the gray monkey behind the female monkey who has been sneakily glaring at Skylar since he arrived.
Then silence ensues for a while.
And not long after, the old white monkey like he has been around since, appeared like a ghost in front of everyone, breaking the silence. And the odd couple bowed to him in unison and left how they came, through the broad stairs.
(Chatter "Young ones follow me.") Not wasting time the old monkey instructed and the trio followed him to the base of the gigantic rock which is the highest point of flower mountain.
And as they stood in front of the rock, the old monkey placed his palm on it and after some rumbling sound, a passage appeared where the old monkey touched.
Another mechanism, maybe a fingerprint technology...
The old monkey turned to Skylar. (Chatter "Young one i know this might be a little unnecessary. But i should let you know most of your colleague that came to this world together with you are already far ahead of you... You might have to be careful when you meet them")
This old monkey knows about players and users... This doesn't make any sense, we are far from where brave really his. So, how... His he a special npc...
(Chatter "You can go now, the two of them will show you the way") The old monkey added, and this made the contemplative Skylar quickly regain his calm.
Then the golden monkey and Karo- who is carrying two heavy sacks entered the passage. And Skylar followed behind them closely with his own burdens too, into the belly of the gigantic rock.
Two projected voices made exchanges:
(Chatter "Grandfather why put pressure on him?")
(Chatter "You are asking me. Didn't you get him involved with those annoying tribe aiming for that bird?")
(Chatter "But...")
(Chatter "He will be alright, and you should understand by now who they truly are. What i did is not worth mentioning by their standard.") A rumble followed and the passage in the rock disappeared.
...