Chapter Twenty-five: Proving It
This was a chance that couldn't be wasted. This was their one chance to prove that they were the victims.
As promised, the monsters didn't attack them. They twisted their faces, making goofy facial expressions at the trio. The trio ignored them.
The monsters cursed the trio. The trio ignored them.
It was a leisurely walk in the canyon. The sun shined brighter than Max had ever seen. The river below was calm.
The trio arrived at the end of the floor. The condor awaited them atop its perch.
"Uh-oh," Monica said. "Since we didn't kill any monsters, we didn't get the Giant Meat."
"Mr. Condor, can you take us to the next floor without us giving you the Giant Meat?" Gokuu said. "Just this once?"
"Yes, please." Monica clapped her hands together and held her head down as though she were praying. "The Dragons gave us a chance to prove that the monsters are the ones attacking us, not the other way around. If we don't fight now, we'll have a nice, fighting-free walk through the rest of this canyon."
The condor closed its eyes and shook its head. It flew away. A few moments later, it came back with part of its nest enclosed in its beak. Three chicks inside laid, breathing heavily, on the side of the nest, one with half of its body hanging out. Their bones were visible.
"They're starving?" Max said.
The condor nodded.
Monica turned to Max and Gokuu. "We have to get that Giant Meat. We'll just have to go to the monster that has the Giant Meat and ask it to give it to us." She looked at the condor. "Before we go, I have a quick question. Do the monsters take your Giant Meat?"
The condor looked at the ground and nodded.
"Do they always take the Giant Meat that we give you?"
The condor nodded. Tears welled up in its eyes.
Monica balled her hands. "So, they pick on animals, too? I bet they kill all the animals in the territories they take over. They say humans are selfish, but have they ever looked in a mirror?"
"I'm pretty sure the Dragons know," Max said. "Let's talk to them after we get this Giant Meat."
The trio turned and ran away from the condor. The condor began to cry, its tears filled with gratefulness.
The trio approached a Nikapous. Monica changed into a Himarra.
"You can't fool me," the Nikapous said.
"I know I can't," Monica said. "The monsters all know that I'm a human. Do you have Giant Meat?"
"No. I don't need it."
"Do you know any monsters that might have it?"
"The King Mimic likes it. It says the Meat keeps it big and strong. But I doubt you could negotiate with it since you're humans. I could persuade it for you, but I need help first."
"This is your way of asking for help?" Monica said. "Sure, why not?"
"I used to be a strong monster. I could fight evenly with the Golems and Elfas. But, one day, when the treasure chests appeared, I opened one. They were not placed here until you humans started to walk through this canyon. The Dragons told us not to open them, and for good reason: a Dragon opened a chest once and couldn't fly again. I didn't get the message until after I opened the chest. A colorful human emerged from the chest with two boxes floating around it. It raised one brow and said, 'These aren't for you' and pointed at me. A green beam came out of its finger. Thus, I was cursed with wearing this mask. I can't take it off, and I can't fight evenly with the Golems anymore. This mask slows me down too much, and when I try to defend myself, I get hit across the canyon anyway. Many of the monsters won't fight with me now because this huge mask makes me look so intimidating. If you could find a way to get it off, I would be deeply appreciative."
Monica looked in her pouch. "We're all out of Holy Water. Are there any other holy-type monsters that could purify you?"
"Every week, the Rama Priests try to make us congregate to worship gods. They say that's the gods' will. Most of the monsters refuse to do it because they don't see the benefit."
"I get it!" Gokuu said. "They might be able to get that mask off you!"
"Where can we find them?" Monica said.
"At least two should be coming around this territory to try and get us to congregate," the Nikapous said. "Tell them that a Nikapous needs them.
"Okay, let's go find them!" Monica said.
The trio began to run away. The Nikapous said, "It'd be helpful if you could somehow get them to stop trying to get us to congregate! Every week, they get more aggressive, and it's getting real annoying!"
The trio saw a Rama Priest that had climbed into a Yo-yo Barrel. The Duke Balloon inside was pressed against the back of the Barrel, and the Rama Priest leaned closer to the Duke Balloon's face every sentence it spoke.
"But you must worship the gods!" the Rama Priest said. "That is the gods' will!"
"No!" the Duke Balloon said. "Will you leave me alone, you uneducated bird? You've been bothering me for the past half an hour!"
The Rama Priest jumped down. "The gods' will is more powerful than yours. You will succumb to your fate." It turned around to walk away and saw the trio. It stopped, and its eyes widened. "Humans!"
The trio walked up to it. The Rama Priest stayed in place.
"Can you purify a Nikapous so that its mask comes off?" Monica said.
"That Nikapous accepted help from humans?" the Rama Priest said.
"Can we get past the whole human-monster thing? We'll do anything to get you to purify it."
The Rama Priest turned to the Yo-yo Barrel a few feet away. "Only if you help me get the monsters in this territory together to worship the gods."
"Will you stop trying to push your gods onto us?" the Duke Balloon said. "You all are so aggressive. You ponder why other monsters dislike you!"
"I have a feeling that won't happen," Monica said.
"In that case, I'm afraid I can't purify it." The Rama Priest walked around the trio and away from them.
"If they give you some cheese, will you help them?" the Duke Balloon said.
The Rama Priest stopped. It slowly turned around. "Cheese?"
"Yes, cheese! You haven't had cheese in quite some time, have you?"
The Rama Priest slowly moved its tongue over its upper lip.
Monica looked in her pouch. "We don't have any cheese."
"Neither do I," the Duke Balloon said.
"If we get the cheese for you, will you help us?" Gokuu said.
The Rama Priest nodded.
"The King Mimics like to hoard food," the Duke Balloon said.
"King Mimics again, huh?" Monica said.
"If they get you this cheese," the Duke Balloon said, "will you and the other Rama Priests stop trying to get the monsters to worship your gods every week?"
The Rama Priest nodded.
"That's the best news I've heard all day," the Duke Balloon said. "The King Mimics are tough to get along with. They're a little uneducated like the Rama Priests, so I shall assist you in this endeavor."
Once Monica had told Max what was happening, they proceeded through the floor, Max opening the chests. Max was about to open one chest when the chest opened on its own, grew in size, and opened an eye positioned in the middle of its head. The King Mimic was as tall as Max and Monica.
"You don't have to worry about me," the King Mimic said. "The Dragons told me to not attack humans. Unless you attack me first."
"This isn't about fighting," Monica said. "We'd like some of that cheese you keep in your chest."
"What for?"
"Haven't the Rama Priests been coming along every week to bother you about worshipping their gods?" the Duke Balloon said. "Isn't it annoying you?"
"When they come, I stay closed and sleep," the King Mimic said. "It's easy to tune them out."
Out of the corner of his eye, Max saw a Rama Priest approaching them. He tapped Monica on the shoulder and then pointed at the Rama Priest.
"That must be a different one than before," Monica said.
The Rama Priest walked to the King Mimic. The King Mimic closed.
"Open yourself!" the Rama Priest said, knocking on the King Mimic. "I must talk to you about accepting the gods into your life!"
The Duke Balloon jumped down from its Yo-yo Barrel and whispered, "Let's leave them be. I don't want to hear anything more about this ridiculousness."
Monica and Gokuu nodded. The Duke Balloon jumped into its Yo-yo Barrel.
As they walked away, Gokuu said, "Aren't the King Mimics stronger than the Rama Priests? Couldn't they beat the Rama Priests up to get them to stop?"
"They could, but they're not interested," the Duke Balloon said. "The Rama Priests haven't gotten on their nerves enough. Maybe today shall be the day. And, my, how entertaining that would be! Let us watch from over here."
They stopped, peeking from the corner of the canyon at the King Mimic and the Rama Priest.
"Stop being ignorant!" the Rama Priest said. The sounds from its knocking on the King Mimic echoed throughout the canyon.
The King Mimic remained closed.
The Rama Priest gripped the King Mimic's opening and flung it upwards.
"There!" the Rama Priest said. "Now you will listen to me!"
The King Mimic's head pointed towards the sky. It lowered its head so that it could look at the Rama Priest but didn't close.
"Please worship the gods with us," the Rama Priest said. "Your life will be changed for the better."
The King Mimic bit the Rama Priest's hand off. The Rama Priest hollered as the King Mimic chewed it and then spat it into the river. The Rama Priest's hollering stopped as the King Mimic bit off its lips. It spat them into the river. Then, it clapped its hands on the Rama Priest, smashing it. The Rama Priest disintegrated.
Max, Monica, Gokuu, and the Yo-yo Barrel ran to the King Mimic.
"You see what the other monsters are complaining about?" the Duke Balloon said.
"You betcha," the King Mimic said. "I'm surprised the Dragons haven't done anything to them yet."
"Will you give us the cheese now?" Monica said. "We really need it."
"For the other Rama Priest?" the King Mimic said. "Well, actually, I was just thinking I'd kill it, too."
"It and the other Rama Priests will leave all the monsters alone once we give it cheese," Monica said. "Wouldn't you rather have them all leave you alone?"
The King Mimic stared at Monica for a moment. It reached into its mouth and pulled out cheese. Monica took it.
"Thank you so much!" Monica turned to Max and Gokuu. "Let's go give this to the Rama Priest."
They began running away, the Yo-yo Barrel following them. They came across the Rama Priest, standing in the same place it was when the Duke Balloon first asked if it wanted cheese.
Monica walked to the Rama Priest and held the cheese to its face. When the Rama Priest inhaled, it smelled the cheese. It perked up and took it.
"I must save this for when the time is right," the Rama Priest said. "When my craving is so strong that I cannot take it anymore. Thank you very much."
"No problem," Monica said. "Now, can you take that mask off the Nikapous?"
"Yes, I will," the Rama Priest said. "Please lead me to it."
They found the Nikapous towards the end of the floor with two Smiling Fairies and a Mimic around it. The Smiling Fairies rubbed against the Nikapous, batting their eyes, and the Mimic rubbed the Nikapous's chin.
"We've, uh, brought the Rama Priest," Monica said, looking from the Nikapous to a Smiling Fairy staring deep into the Nikapous's eyes.
"I don't need it anymore," the Nikapous said. "Do you see these wonderful ladies around me?"
"They sure don't look like girls," Monica said.
Gokuu looked at Monica. "You, too? I thought I was the only one who couldn't tell!"
"I never got any dates without the mask!" the Nikapous said, pulling the mask closer to its body. "I'll be keeping this on for a long time."
"You remember our deal, don't you?" Monica said. "As soon as you're done persuading the King Mimic to give us that Giant Meat, you can go back to your girlfriends."
"Oh, that's right." The Nikapous cracked its knuckles and grinned at the swooning monsters around it. "I'll show off a li'l somethin' somethin' to you all. This mask isn't just for show."
They ran to the King Mimic. It was closed, but its snoring was audible. The Nikapous kicked the King Mimic open.
"I thought you were going to negotiate with it!" Monica said.
"This is my way of negotiating," the Nikapous said.
"Ah, I get it. You're trying to show off. It's amazing what women can do to men."
The King Mimic slowly lowered its lid until it looked the Nikapous in the eye.
"I need some Giant Meat from you," the Nikapous said. "These humans want it."
"The same humans from before told you to attack me?" the King Mimic said.
"No, I attacked you on my own. I couldn't get the Giant Meat without fighting you for it."
"Actually, you could have. But now that you've pissed me off…" The King Mimic jumped toward the Nikapous. The Nikapous jumped backward as the Mimic, Smiling Fairies, Rama Priest, Yo-yo Barrel, Max, Monica, and Gokuu ran away from the area.
As the King Mimic jumped toward the Nikapous, it chomped repeatedly. The Nikapous put the two halves of its mask together and then opened them, letting loose a fireball. The fireball hit the King Mimic, and it reared back. The Nikapous got close to the King Mimic and kicked its lid, sending it back farther than before. The Nikapous reached inside the King Mimic and rummaged until it touched the Giant Meat. It took the Giant Meat out as the King Mimic chomped. The Nikapous tossed the Meat to Gokuu. Gokuu caught it.
"We don't need to watch this," Monica said as the King Mimic tried to lick the Nikapous, the Nikapous putting the two halves of its mask together to guard. "We got what we came for." She turned to the Yo-yo Barrel. "Thanks for all your help. We appreciate it."
"You're welcome," the Duke Balloon said. "I'm glad you were able to handle this maturely when the monsters couldn't."
The trio ran away from the fight and towards the condor's perch. When they arrived, the condor was sitting on its perch, its dying babies in the nest next to it.
"Here," Gokuu said, reaching towards the condor with the Giant Meat in his hand. The condor's eyes lit up, and it took the Giant Meat with its beak. It placed the Giant Meat into the nest. The chicks twitched and then sat up. They began tearing at the meat. They chewed and gulped quickly and then went back for more.
"We'll keep getting you Giant Meat," Monica said. "You don't have to worry about that."
The condor flew to Monica and nuzzled her stomach.
"Th-that tickles!" Monica said, laughing. "Hey!"
The condor nuzzled Gokuu. Gokuu was silent as it did so.
The condor nuzzled Max. Max rubbed the condor's head as it did so.
The Dragons flew down and landed in front of the trio. The condor, which was still nuzzling Max, saw them. Its eyes widened, and it returned to its perch, landing close to the nest with the chicks still eating the meat inside.
"We did what you asked us to do," Monica said. "It looks like we'll have to ask the monsters for Giant Meat on every floor, though."
"Yes, you did what we asked you to do," the Dragon said. "But you still caused problems to get your Giant Meat."
"We can't control what the monsters do. But you can. If you tell them not to fight to help us get the Giant Meat, they'll stop."
"My point still stands. Humans are a warlike race."
"Monsters are, too."
The trio and the Dragons looked each other in the eyes for a few moments.
"I don't know if you've realized it, but you monsters are the ones who caused this problem," Monica said. "We wouldn't have had to get the Giant Meat if the monsters didn't take it away from the condor every time we gave it to him. You're the ones who killed all the animals that used to live here just to take over this canyon. That condor and its chicks are the only surviving animals, and the monsters are trying to kill it, even though it's not even bothering them. Do you know how sad that condor's feeling?"
More moments of staring and silence passed.
"Everything will be back to normal tomorrow," the Dragon said. "Monsters will be free to attack you." The Dragons turned to the side and flew away.
Monica clenched her hands. "Damn. Even after all that…" She sighed and transformed into a human. She told Max what had happened. She finished, "It doesn't make any sense."
The trio climbed the condor, Max in front, Monica behind him, and Gokuu behind her. The condor, with its nest in its beak, began to fly towards the canyon entrance.
"I think the Dragons are afraid of being wrong," Max said. "Maybe that's why they didn't have any comeback to your 'monsters are warlike' and 'you can stop the monsters from attacking each other.'"
"I think so, too," Monica said. "But their heads are stuck so far up there that they refuse to listen to anyone else."
The trio was quiet for the rest of the ride back to Balance Valley.