Chapter 24: Monkey See, Monkey Do

Chapter 24: Monkey See, Monkey Do

Jack stepped into the ice pond first. He wanted to act like a proper leader. Unfortunately, the moment his broken hand touched the water, he screamed like a little girl.

The pain was the worst hed felt so far. It was like someone was using pliers to readjust his bones, except these pliers were ice-cold and everywhere at the same time.

The monkeys watched him from outside the lake, torn between trying to help him and watching the water with fear. A moment ago, it had looked beautiful. Now, they no longer felt like swimming.

Its fine! Jack gritted his teeth and spoke through the pain. This is only because Im injured. Fuck! Just come in.

They looked at each other. They did not want to go in.

The big brorilla, Harambe, stepped forth. With a snort at his fellow monkeys, he stepped into the water and instantly frowned. The cold had reached him, and though it couldnt harm him, it was a unique sensation.

The monkeys watched with bated breath as their big bro took a step forward, then another. Soon, the gorilla was halfway across the lake and still going, but now, his steps were slow. Measured. Careful.

The pauses between each step got longer. Harambe was shivering now. Ice glinted on his fur, shining like little stars. The monkeys cheered him on, ignoring Jack, whose screams of pain had died down by now.

The gorilla took another step, then finally stopped. Jack had needed thirteen steps to reach the waterfall, but Harambe, being larger, had only taken nine. The pond was thirteen feet long, anyway, and Jack resolved to measure it as such from now on. Confusion would help no one.

Dont go further, said Jack. Harambe turned to look, and his face was pale below his fur. His eyes were shaking but still full of passion. The waterfall is dangerous. Stay there for a while, get used to the cold, and Ill help you touch it safely.

He nodded. Jack turned back to the monkeys.

All of you. In, he commanded.

The brorillas were first. They all frowned when they touched the water, but their brohood was too strong to fear a little bit of cold. Walking side by side in two rowsthey could barely fitthey crossed the first half of the pond before slowing down. Eventually, each brorilla made it between the seventh and tenth foot, all of them pushed to their limits.

It was a brave attempt.

Finally came the gymonkeys, who werent nearly as stoic as the gorillas. The moment they touched the water, they began screaming, jumping on top of each other, and making faces. The fact that most were still high didnt help.

It took both Jack and Harambe to convince them to enter the pond. The monkeys werent happy, but they complied, still letting out the intermittent cry. At least the cold washed away the High Speed Bushs effects.

In the end, the gymonkeys reached anywhere from the second to the fifth foot of the lake, with only one of them barely stopping at the sixth foot for a bit.

Their efforts werent for naught. According to Jacks inspection, each gymonkey had gained one to three Levels, the brorillas got three to five, while the big brorilla, Harambe himself, increased in power by a whooping six Levels, reaching Level 34and, if he could enter the waterfall, hed get another few.

Everyone felt the change in themselves and were overjoyed. The monkeys hollered and did their best to advance further, while the brorillas grinned and nodded at each other as they flexed their muscles. The big brorilla, intoxicated by power, stared at Jack, debating whether to challenge him again.

A moment later, he shelved the thought; he was smart enough to appreciate that this increase in his power was only thanks to Jack.

However, it remained that, while all the monkeys had ventured into the pondwhose power seemed inexhaustibleJack himself was only at the shallows, nursing his wounds. The gymonkeys didnt care much, but all gorillas stared at him in question. Would he not surpass them? Was his mind too weak to traverse the pond?

Jack raised his eyes from the crystal clear waters. He took in the gazes of the gorillas, the challenge in Harambes stare. He grinned.

Watch and marvel. Im healed already.

After Jack recovered, he pushed Harambe a bit towards the brorillas waiting close behind. They were fine; they grabbed Harambe and pulled him out, showering him with their worry. All the gymonkeys had exited the pond by now, and they crowded over Harambe, pushing each other for the right to stand beside him.

Jack smiled. These monkeys really adored their big bro. Harambe would be finehe was already defrosting.

Jack then turned back to the waterfall. It cascaded as calmly as ever, unconcerned with the mortal affairs around it. In its endless cold, a gorilla and a human were nothing.

But, in Jacks eyes, the waterfall was many things. It was a mystery, a challenge, and a blessing.

In that endless cold lay the hidden world hed entered, a world in his own mind that he could only unlock through this waterfall. Last time, hed inspected the bald mans punch from all anglesthe scene was carved in his mind with crystal-clear precision, but it was only in that frozen state that he could freely inspect it.

Jack had spent an unknown amount of time pondering on that vision, watching it again and again, trying to discern its secrets. How had that bald man unleashed such power? What did Jack lack?

Unknowingly, the vision had become an obsession for Jack. When he slept, he dreamed of the bald mans punch. When he rested, his mind kept jumping back there, analyzing every tiny movement.

There was something there. Something gargantuan hid just beyond his sight, he was certain. He could sense it, almost touch it, but every time he tried, epiphany escaped like a slippery fish. He wanted to know. He needed to know. It was extremely important.

Unfortunately, his progress was slow outside the waterfall. In there, hed analyzed everything, and despite that, something was still missing. He was trying to solve a puzzle with a few important pieces still in the box, and no matter how he tried, whether in or out of the waterfall, he came up empty.

However, during his fight with Harambe, hed discovered something, a clue in a direction he hadnt considered before. The bald mans punch was clearly magical, in some way. Why, then, would its origins be strictly physical?

This might have been the missing piece of the puzzle, and Jack yearned to enter the waterfall to find out. He needed that frozen state to progress fast.

The waterfall was dangerous, sure, but hed survived it before, when he was three Levels weaker. Plus, he now had a bro to spot him. He would be fine. It was a risk worth taking.

But not hastily.

Jack turned around and followed the monkeys outside. Harambe woke up, eventually, and impressed everyone with his new power. He even considered challenging Jack again, but not only were the circumstances less than ideal, Jack was also busy.

He sat on a rock and stared at infinity, lost in thoughts so deep that even the monkeys incessant howling didnt budge him. Harambe left him alone for now. He even stood beside him, making sure nobody would disturb his bro for no reason. Jack was clearly busy with something important.

An hour later, Jack stood up. All cold had left his system by now, and his body was back in pristine condition. His eyes were sharp, his breathing steady, and he radiated an aura of no chill.

Harambe, he said, making the gorilla turn around. I will go in the waterfall. Spot me.

Harambe nodded. As the rest of the monkeys watched, the two of them headed deep into the pondthanks to Harambes stat bonuses from the waterfall, it was now easier.

They reached the waterfall at the back and stopped before it.

Dont pull me out too early, said Jack. I can probably get out by myself, so act only if you think Im dying. I trust you, Harambe. Okay?

The big brorilla met Jacks eyes and nodded. He wouldnt let his bro die, but hed do his best to delay the saving.

Good.

Jack dived into the waterfall and let the cold consume him. The next moment, he opened his eyes in the plain cyan world of tranquility, where his mind belonged entirely to him.

It was time to solve the riddle.