The Dreamer's POV

I continued my journey, <Haven> with <Elevate> active. The gnats seemed to have welcomed the prospect of getting burnt. They didn't move when they went up in flames, they instead remained still and burned to ashes in that very spot.

I found them to be eccentric, I mean they were the same bugs that I saw earlier ripping each other apart enthusiastically, and they became statues that simply stood while flames consumed them. Seeing as they were intelligent, I deduced that their community was just one where honour, duty and hierarchy was emphasized. One wouldn't just choose to have their bodies go up in flames unless it had been hammered into them the honor of dying in battle at the hand of something or someone stronger.

It was probably why they fought each other so, I had sensed no personal animosity between the gnats of each warring faction, they did the killing out of duty and were simply pawns.

Going further down the jungle, I got to a sunken spot, a canyon that a river fell to. The walls of the fissure were green and laden with plant life, and with <Dragon Eyes>, I saw the bottom that would seem bottomless to those with ordinary eyes and diminished senses. Below, the river ran through, making its way forward as rivers do, but at the walls were something else, less as pristine, they were creeping, and slithery, they were snakes.

Numerous snakes, so many that they overlapped each other and I was repulsed by the sight and undid my dragon eyes.

I moved along. The only way to cross to the other side of the jungle was either to swing with the innumerable vines that linked the trees, or be somewhat capable of flight as I was.

As I mindlessly levitated, I noticed that the plant life of this part of the jungle seemed slightly different. There was abundant life force to them as their others, but the one within these ones seemed rather chaotic and unstable, in an aggressive sort of way.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed, <Immersion> was still active and I was hit with an overload of stimuli.

If the trees of the other end of the jungle could give one super growth and elongate their lives, These ones, while they would do the same, would most likely rein the victim in and drive them either mad or aggressive. There was something to them that didn't sit right with me.

'I can't shake off the feeling that the gorilla was from this place.' It was nothing but an intuition. Also, I hadn't come across the crazy monkeys yet so that meant that they were at this part of the forest and so was the hidden city. Either that or they eluded my senses at the other side of the jungle.

I continued slowly drifting along, <Immersion> and <Dragon Eyes> were active so as to spot anything that might be of interest.

As I zoomed, I met with what seemed to be a web of vines, they overlapped each other in a way that it seemed like it was a wall. I looked at the trees at my sides, and I saw that the vines went even further.

'This could either be natural or be made by some pesky swinging creatures.' I deduced, keeping my eyes out for any.

I seamlessly went through the vines, and got to the other end, and as soon as I did, I heard a loud screech that made me contort my face in irritation.

"What the…" And there I saw it. A monkey I wasn't exactly looking forward to.

Others screamed in response, and the screams followed a certain rhythm. I saw them jumping on the branches they stood on, stomping it to compliment sounds from their mouth.

I clicked my tongue, they were as barbaric and chaotic as I had expected, and they were so ugly.

[Emoni Monkey]

[Emoni Monkey]

[Emoni Monkey]

They were in the hundreds, and they occupied the trees around me, as far as the next twenty trees. They screeched and stomped, like they were in preparation for an event.

The Emoni monkeys were large, so large. They were about my size. They had huge biceps, large legs, and fangs that could tear through a person in a matter of seconds.

"Whoa, I'm in their domain alright." I slowly turned, assimilating their numbers.

"Shouldn't my titles mean something to them?"

I thought to zoom forward just to see their reaction, but they began throwing stick spears in my way, some even swung and hit me with their limbs, but of course, it was no problem for my <Haven>.

Part of me wanted to just ignore this monkey business and go my way, but there were so many of them that I imagined going rampage and slaughtering them.

'That would be euphoric."

I had <Absolute Appraisal> activated to check through their stats. They didn't seem threatening, but I wanted to be sure.

[Status Information]

Name: Emoni Monkeyn/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Level: 6/8

Life Force: 200

Energy Level:32

Combat Ability:26

[Titles]

<Climber>, <Vine master>, <The swing>

[Skills]

<Extender>, <Brawl>

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Current Status: Annoyed and feisty

[Additional Information]

The Emoni Jungle Monkeys are a community of wild monkeys that are very territorial, only those they recognize as their superiors are allowed to go through their turf. They are agile, quick and ill-tempered.

[End Of Information]

The stats of the monkeys were more or less the same, the only threat to them were their numbers, they had a fairly high life force when compared to mine, but of those that I've seen in here so far, they had little. They were fodders.

"Hmm, so my mere presence isn't telling enough. I could activate <Domination> and see what would happen." Chances were that they would be scared by it, and they'll stay away.

"No, that will be much too boring. Besides, I have a quest to accomplish."

Yes, it wouldn't be as fun as tearing through a horde of wild monkeys. My little smile widened to that of a maniac, and I arched within my Haven.

"I am going to enjoy this so very much." I said, undoing the energy projection shield."

Yes, I was going to relish this.