The Guardian gods

Chapter 10: Different

Seizing the opportunity, the flame gorilla gathered momentum and with my help, the branch it held became extra springy. It propelled itself into the sky, a fireball forming in its mouth, having condensed enough it spat out the fire ball towards the falling bird.

The bird noticed the threat heading towards it, it tried to generate lightning around it but only flickers of it appeared, it panicked and tried repositioning itself to recover from the impact it took from the stones. That didn't help because the fireball was already close and upon contact, it caused an explosion

Earlier when the bird attacked, I noticed something about it. It takes time to generate lightning around it so having used up one to destroy my spear it is now left with nothing.

Wooden tendrils spread out from the surrounding trees, catching the falling figure of the flame gorilla and helping it land, a thud sound followed after which is now the scorched figure of the bird.

The flame gorilla approached it but a claw fuelled by lightning slapped it back and at the same time caused a deep wound on its chest. The lead gorilla, seeing what happened roared and hurled a small boulder at the bird.

As the bird attempted to defend itself by covering with its scorched wings, the boulder crashed into it. The lead gorilla, following closely behind, leaped into the air with hands clasped together, rocks gathering to form a spiked ball.

In response to the lead gorilla's leap, the bird opened its mouth, lightning crackling within, and released it towards the gorilla. With no place to hide, the gorilla took the lightning, throwing him back and at the same time scorching him.

The lead gorilla fell close to me and was twitching. The bird followed behind to finish the kill but I summoned wooden tendrils from the ground to restrain it. It made lightning appear around it to destroy the tendrils but it wasn't effective.

I then willed the tendrils to penetrate its body spreading roots inside it and were heading fast towards its heart, when I felt the roots now in its heart, I made a clenching gesture with my hand causing the roots to strangle the heart and in a few seconds the bird was dead.

There was a moment of silence before roars and cheers of different kinds erupted from the cave shelter, with all primates celebrating the death of the bird creature. I could feel the inquisitive gaze of the lead gorilla but I felt no need to explain myself.

Approaching the charred form of the leader, I was about to heal him when the female gorilla that was being protected ran past me and positioned herself in front of the leader. Intrigued by her actions, I chose to observe and await her next move.

Now observing the female primate up close, I noticed that she wasn't distinct from others of her species, except for her peculiar green eyes and patches of light green fur. My observations indicate her affinity for the wood element. As she placed her hands together over the scorched gorilla, a radiant green light emanated from her, enveloping the entire body of the leader.

After approximately a minute, the green light dispersed, revealing the fully healed form of the lead gorilla. Without hesitation, she moved forward and repeated the process for the flame gorilla, who was suffering from severe bleeding

Taking a seat near the healed leader, as connection formed between us, " Is she being protected because she can heal"

The lead gorilla took a deep look at me and said " She heals well and she did this" Pointing at himself and at the other primates.

I was confused at what he was trying to say but seeing him bring his hands together, i understood " You mean", "she was the one that brought everyone together"

That made his eyes shine "Yes, and she...!" It seems he couldn't find the word and gestured with his hand, a gesture that conveyed a sense of awe and astonishment.

"Mind blown," I muttered to myself, feeling a mixture of wonder and confusion. Sensing my uncertainty, the lead gorilla rose from his seat, retrieved sticks and rocks, and gestured towards them, followed by a pointed gesture towards her.

I gazed at the lead gorilla, seeking confirmation. "You're saying she taught you how to utilize branches and rocks?"

The gorilla nodded and started jumping around, excited that I could understand and interpret what he wanted to say. Taking one last look at the female primate, I realized that healing the severely wounded gorilla would require some time, for now I will go back to my tree to rest.

My observations of this group of primates have been truly extraordinary. Throughout my journey encountering various magical creatures, they have demonstrated a level of uniqueness unlike any other. It is remarkable to consider that with just a little guidance from a more intelligent race, they could establish their own distinct species.

It's fascinating to witness how this group has established a functional society on their own. Considering their current accomplishments, one can only imagine the possibilities with a little guidance. I was tempted to guide and lead them forgoing on creating my own. But seeing their crouched form, I understood the limitation it would have if they were to become a race.

Primates like the monkeys and gorillas are able to temporarily adopt a bipedal stance and eventually revert back to their hunched form. Having experienced bipedalism myself, I truly understand the advantages it offers. Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m nov𝒆lb(i)n.c(o)m

In a typical jungle environment, such as the one found on Earth, not being bipedal is perfectly acceptable. However, in a world brimming with magical abilities like this one, having a bipedal or humanoid form is considered highly advantageous. It opens up a multitude of possibilities and opportunities.

A lot of fantasy stories and movies always have these strong looking creatures like dragons and phoenix. However, upon closer observation, it becomes apparent that their robust physical bodies actually become a disadvantage when pitted against humanoid creatures of comparable power.

When fighting, these creatures often meet their demise, and their seemingly strong body parts are subsequently utilized as valuable resources. This explains why every powerful creature at one point evolves to have a humanoid form.

The primates' non-bipedal form may not be to my personal liking, but I am aware that selecting them as my creation would bring me great satisfaction. From what I have seen with crepuscular races, a union of me and a female primate would result in the next generation looking like sun wukong and a D&D race called Apelings.

As I approached my goal, a mixture of anticipation and dread filled my being. The human part of me recoiled at the thought, finding it repulsive, while the divine part remained indifferent. Recognizing that dwelling on these thoughts would alter nothing, I made the decision to let sleep wash over me. Falling asleep on trees had become a comforting habit that I had come to appreciate.

I was woken when I sensed someone climbing the trees where I was but sensing who it was, I didn't react wanting to see how this would play out.

Slowly sitting up from my lying position, the figure made the way to the branches where I was. My brown colored eyes stared into the female primate green colored eyes, still slightly amazed by the intelligence the eyes showed.

Establishing a connection, I began to speak " It seems you are done with the healing"

"Yes"

There was a moment of silence, I was about to continue when she cut me off "You are different"

Hearing her say I was different caught me off guard, I quickly examined myself, searching for any potential mistakes I might have made during my transformation. To my relief, everything seemed in order, and I couldn't identify any visible errors. So, if my physical form was accurate, how could I possibly be different?