Chapter 289 - Bradok's Story

While Vant followed Korvik out of the dining hall, everyone at the table was relishing in the meal. Each other table was already taken down and the servers were gratefully enjoying all of the uneaten food left behind due to the sudden leave of many representatives.

A good amount of time passed when no one spoke, other than single word responses complimenting the meal. It was the ultimate praise to the chef, who was also chowing down on the oversized delicacy.

Suddenly, given time to think and get his brain back into normal function, Oli finished his plate and asked, "Why do people use the word 'ape' as a slur?"

Many people lifted their eyebrows, startled to see the genuine curiosity on Oli's face. Blinking, Donovan swallowed his food and asked, "You really don't know?"

"No…"

"Huuuuhhh…" Sighing, Bradok put down his half-eaten turkey leg and turned his whole body toward Oli. "Simple. We were slaughtered and forced out."

"Seriously?!"

"Yeah… Though Rot Region and Toxic-shadow Prefecture weren't the true culprits…" Bradok smacked his lips together, cleaning his mouth of any lingering tastes before he continued explaining, "A few decades back, the Tempest Prefecture Lord put out a bounty on my kind. Anyone that brought the corpse, hide, or piece of an Iron-body Gorilla was rewarded handsomely. It got so bad, that any ape species became targets in hopes of bounty hunters falsifying their kill for those rewards…"

"But… Why?" Oli asked.

The table was quiet as Bradok took a moment to sigh and chuckle in disbelief. "Because a gorilla won the mortal championship… And that pissed off the prefecture lord he had won it for…"

Remembering the conversations between Lords Treeda and Zrand, Oli nodded slowly. 

Continuing, Bradok took out his own giant wine tankard and began serving himself. "The only gorillas to escape the genocide was the troop of that champion. He made it out of Tempest but the bounty hunters wouldn't stop at the border. That's when regions on the border were flooded with bounty hunters and gorillas in Toxic-shadow became targets…

"That's when my daughter left with that champion and my troop merged with his…" 

That sentence lingered in the air while Bradok downed his entire tankard of wine. It was also the moment when Oli's eyelids ran out of room and couldn't retract any further. 

"I haven't seen them since…" continued Bradok, already pouring his next round.

"I-I'm so sorry for asking…" Oli's lip and body quivered as he tried to take in the new information. He buried his face in his hands, hiding the extreme shock he was feeling.

"Nah… Don't feel bad… It ain't your fault, brat." Patting Oli softly on the head, Bradok drank with his other hand. "That's just life being life. You take some punches and you deal some punches… It was time for my troop to move on anyway. That boy was more suited to lead than I ever was…"

"You know, given all the time that's passed, wouldn't we be able to go find them?" Donovan suddenly asked. "I'm sure my father would help you search for them if you just ask."

"Nah… They're leading their own lives and their own troop now… I just hope my daughter found my idiot son before the hunters…" Eyeing his tankard yet again, Brodak sat in thought. "Add the fear and propaganda to those ancient folk tales, and the people will never forget us apes."

"Well, I'm sure Dad would help," Kraz spoke up, trying to be positive. "At least you'll be able to see them again. Maybe you'll even meet a grandchild."

"HA! That'd be the day!" Bradok roared with laughter, filling his drink once more. "Your old man only wants Ania for her cooking, is all!"

PFFFFFFT!!!

After sitting in silence and taking in what everyone was, Oli could no longer control his reactions. He coughed and sputtered as he failed to drink his wine.

The aging gorilla promptly pounded on Oli's back a few times to help. "Slow down, brat. One day you'll drink like a man and will hold your liquor with pride…"

"... Thank you…" That was all Oli could muster. He couldn't even look the gorilla in the eye anymore, he was so stunned.

"Either way, they've got their own lives to live and I won't be interrupting them," stated Bradok, leaning back in his seat. "Besides, I doubt it would be safe for them to settle down so soon… I'll sleeping underground by the time I have a grandchild…"

Oli coughed again but controlled it slightly better. He wasn't drinking but sipping, and he speedily quelled his throat's coughing spasm.

"That's better…" Bradok chuckled, patting Oli on the back once more. "Anyway, that's why we're falsely labeled as cowards. Because one of us got too strong and pissed off a prefecture lord, even though it wasn't his fault…" 

While Bradok took another drink and Oli did the same, Donovan and Jeminine were curiously staring at them both. Tilgron did as well, and he was the first to mention, "Chef, I've never seen you take to a human before."

"Really?!" Startled into thought, Bradok lowered his tankard. "... You might be right! A reason to celebrate! Perhaps there's hope for humans after all!"

"Excuse me?" Jeminine chuckled and eyed the gorilla.

Immediately, Bradok held up a hand in innocence. "I'm talking about the other humans, not you! Most of them are gullible and easily swayed by money, compared to us beasts that trust our instincts!"

"He's partially right…" Donovan admitted, stealing a sip of his drink.

"I've met and served more humans than I can count, but I've never met a human who genuinely cared about our problems like this brat!" Bradok announced, leaving Oli in silence once more. "For a brat, he's got a good head on his shoulders. I bet his parents were the same! Brat, where are do your parents live? I'd like to go meet them."

PFFFFFFT!!!

Again, Oli couldn't help but spit out his wine. 

"Hey, brat, that's the good stuff! Don't waste it!" Bradok laughed, slapping Oli's back. "Now tell me, where are your parents?"