1st Chapter
“Just try it, I’ll help you when you sink.” Arifin insisted.
“Rif, you know that I’m hydrophobic, do you?” I replied him sternly.
“Okay, okay, no need to angry.” He somewhat mumbled. Technically he was a good friend. A little bit cocky but otherwise okay.
“Man, how long have we been walking? I think my shoulders are cramped.” Riyadi complained. My another friend. A not too tall guy and sometimes a nuisance, especially like our actual condition. This journey was too long, although.
“Hmm… I think we can set up our tents at that clearing.” Arifin pointed at a grassy area in this rainforest. From there we could see the ocean, too.
After the long exhausting walk with our camping equipment on our back, we threw our backpacks, drank some bottled water and built up our tents there. It was truly a spectacular sight. The wind blew across the trees, the palms stood tall across the white-sanded beach, the calm blue Indian Ocean stretched until the horizon and the sun showed its orange color indicating the evening.
'What a colorful view.' I examined the scenery thoughtfully. “Okay, Rif, collect some woods and make campfire and you Adi, guard our tent from wild animals or help Arifin. I’ll refill our water because I believe I saw a small, clear pond while we was walking” I commanded them like a boss.
“Okay, Mr Smart Ass… but don’t fall in the pond, you know…” Riyadi mocked.
“Ha ha… it was only a small pond, what could possibly go wrong?” After that I continued my walk into the jungle while Arifin was collecting the branches.
My actual equipment were: a headlight for light source, ordinary clothes with a vest and boots for some protection against nasty vines and a big sized plastic bottle.
“Hmm… where’s that goddamn pond, I believe that way.” I muttered and kept walking until accidentally stumbled onto something in the bushes.
“What the ... next time I’ll bring a machete, yeah, you hear it bushes! ... Wait… what is that?” I saw something in the bushes and examined the thing that had stumbled me.
From the shape, it looked like a staff. A golden staff which it’s other half plugged in a tree. It was decorated with a gold ring on one of its end, probably on the other end too. There was some Chinese inscription along the body, too.
“Holy hell, a golden staff!" I shocked a little bit, maybe more than a little bit.
“Oh, come on... hrmmmph!” I pulled it with all my power, but it didn't even wince. Trying another position, another and another... but it felt like that the object was cemented in the tree!
“Nooo... I wish... I can pull you out... from that cursed tree...” I muttered hopelessly while was trying to drag it out from it's immovable position.
Surprisingly I pulled it out with ease and stumbled backwards because of it's reaction.
“Yes! Finally, I'm now richer than... before I got you... muhahahahaha!” I laughed like an evil overlord, yeah, I can really good at laughing villainously.
With the staff in the hand, I swirled it around like a child playing with a new toy. It felt pretty light despite it was made out of solid steel (I guess) painted with gold color.
“Okay, stop with the fooling around.” I decided to keep moving to the pond.
I picked the bottle from the ground with my left hand while holding the staff with the other hand. The trek through the bushes and trees wasn't easy when you didn't have a certain big slashing weapon, but finally I found the place of the fresh water.
My first impression about it was very strange because it shaped too circular for a natural pond. Much too circular like somebody created it with very high precision. The water was very clear and I couldn't see the bottom.
'By no means it had been poisoned by somebody or something. The trees and the plants are still grow healthy around it.' I dropped my staff and the bottle and took a sip with my palms. 'Refreshing... aaand... nothing happened.' Convinced, I filled the bottle. Then I stood up to look back only to find a snake hanging on a branch, staring at me and hissing.
“What the...” I was surprised and stumbled onto the staff back. With that I fell with it into the pond and sank like a rock. You know the feeling when you get drowned? Yes just like that. I panicked while the staff was abruptly glowing bright, but all started to turn black because of the lack of oxygen.
…
…
…
“*Gasp*” I opened my eyes and was shocked that I was now lying wet on the side of the pond.
“Owww... my head” I stood up and realized that I was holding the staff in my right hand.
“Wait, why am I in a goddamn cave? And why I feel so hot here?” With that I looked on my body and realized something.
“No, no, no, no! What's wrong with me? Why have I so much blond hairs on my whole body?” I looked at my back.
“And yet the tail...” I mirrored myself at the pond.
“Just like what I guessed...” I started to panic, but my logic told me to do the opposite.
'Okay... calm down, judging about my actual condition, this could maybe work. Wouldn't harm me to try it.' I thought about the certain Monkey King from the old TV show based on a certain Chinese mythology.
'Stand still on the ground.' I looser my grip and the staff really stood still without thrusting the ground! 'Swirl in the air.' The staff obeyed and did exactly do what I thought. 'Hit the rock.' The staff bounced randomly and hit every hard parts of this cave, leaving the clinging sound and echoing around. 'Okay, stop it and come here!' The staff flew to me and I caught it easily.
“Hah, It really works!”
It was actually not serious thought, but I knew that I've been somewhat got his abilities since I got the staff. 'Further tests are required. And think carefully about the staff.' I made a self-note.
After that I examined my clothes. 'Hmm, they are somehow still normal, but it would be better without boots or another unnecessary things for a monkey. With extraordinary powers, of course.' Then I removed my boots (and the socks of course), tore the under half of my jeans, which surprisingly easy and threw away my headlights.
“Okay, get ready strange land, because here come the Dark Monkey King... Muhahahahahaha!... Okay stop it.” 'How unoriginal.' With that I preparated myself to leap over hundreds meters high in the air.
From what I know about his abilities, cloud-somersault was a very useful ability, because with that I can cover a vast distance only with a single leap. Over goddamn 50,000 km! 'Damnit! I can die in space when I jump too high, so, use only a little amount of power to leap.'
"Okay, one... two... threee..." I leaped into the light at the cave opening, which located high in this cavern.
“...Eeaaaaaaaaaaaaa.........”
To be continued...
