Before they could fully form, they were sliced in half by a massive, gleaming butcher's cleaver.
The wielder was no other than Kellix the Brave, a young man with a fierce determination in his eyes.
Behind him stood a formidable trio: Hielo, a wise and skilled woman wielding a glowing yellow gracefully struck her saber sending a ripple of Abi that ripped through a dozen of Els with ease.
The Monkey King, with a long pole; and a squad of disciplined monkey soldiers.
The Monkey King swiftly used his pole, flipping and whipping through the bacteria with the fluid, precise movements of a Shaolin monk. Hielo, with an air of effortless grace, swung her saber as if the battle were a casual dance. The monkey soldiers, a blur of motion, used their poles to cut through the El's with deadly efficiency.
"This land is our home, El's!" Kellix roared, his voice filled with righteous fury. "We won't let you take it! I am Kellix the Brave, and I will defeat the King!" Several more bacteria rushed him. Kellix placed one hand on his forearm, a focused look on his face. "Art of the Painter: Clayborne!" Suddenly, several monstrous clay figures appeared, evening the odds and methodically cutting down the remaining bacteria.
KELLIX CLAYBORNES
When the one-sided battle was over, Kellix looked up at the sky, a peaceful smile on his face. "The sun is beautiful."
"Your father would be proud of you, Kellix," Hielo said, her voice soft with admiration.
"So that's it for today?" Kellix asked, a hint of nervous excitement in his tone.
"We must return to the village," the Monkey King replied. "I'm meeting with Deer Leader Father Heart and Nyte Fang."
Kellix's shoulders slumped. "What does the old deer want? He isn't trying to change your mind about us going to war, is he?"
"I hope not," the Monkey King grumbled. "That lizard knows how to put things in the old deer ear."
Hielo leaned over to Kellix, her voice playful. "I hear she's going to be there, too."
Kellix's cheeks immediately flushed red. "Wait, you mean... gosh, why didn't you tell me?! I haven't taken a shower in two days!"
The Monkey King shook his head in exasperation. "Kellix, you're seventeen. I expect you to have better hygiene."
Hielo laughed, unable to contain her amusement. "No woman wants a stinky man, Kellix."
"Alright, don't rag on me already!" Kellix groaned, his frustration visibly mounting.
"All that bravery, and he's afraid of water," a nearby monkey soldier, Ape Monger, quipped, causing the other soldiers to chuckle. Kellix simply pouted, his bravado completely deflated.
The Monkey Tribe village, was a vibrant and bustling settlement nestled deep within the forest canopy. Small, woven treehouses with thatched roofs clung to the ancient trees, their tropical aesthetic enhanced by hanging ropes of ripe bananas. Below, monkey soldiers, their movements disciplined and focused, organized long, silver poles, their weapons glinting in the dappled sunlight as they prepared for the coming war.
In the Monkey King's dojo chambers, the war council was in session. Deer Leader Father Heart sat across from Nyte Fang and the Monkey King, a worried expression on his face. "Monkey King, Nyte Fang, I just want to make sure we've considered all the options."
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"Father Heart, what is there to consider?" Nyte Fang shot back, her voice sharp and decisive. "We already agreed on it! Did you not see how the Deltas broke into our villages and stole our people? If it wasn't for the visionary boy and the Zoner Knights, some of our fellow animals would be up for selection."
"If that wasn't enough the king said it himself when he hacked our important meeting which he confired the selection is still going to take place," the Monkey King added, his voice grim. "What more proof do you need? I understand war is a scary thing, but sometimes it's necessary to achieve freedom."
Father Heart sighed, his antlers drooping slightly. "I know it's just that Leader Sunscales said—"
"You really should stop letting that coward lizard influence everything you do," Nyte Fang cut him off.
"I'd still like to know more logistics," Father Heart said, trying to regain control of the conversation. "Will the war involve innocent royals being killed? Are we just targeting the royal branches?"
"We will avoid civilians," the Monkey King promised.
"But if civilians get caught in the crossfire, that is simply the Art of War," Nyte Fang stated, her tone cold and unyielding. "So no promises can be made to spare civilians." The Monkey King's ears perked up, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes at Nyte Fang's words.
Monkey "Let us prepare to wage war agianst the king in just two weeks, that will give us all time to prepare."
Meanwhile, Kellix was in his room, frantically throwing on a clean shirt. He grabbed a homemade scent potion, a mixture of crushed leaves and wild herbs, and rubbed it under his arms. "Alright," he said to himself in the mirror. "Time for rizz."
Outside the Monkey Kings dojo, two cyborgs, Releyanda and Hidikai, were waiting. Releyanda sat on a log, her serious demeanor a stark contrast to Hidikai's bubbly energy.
HIDIKAI
"I wonder what they're talking about," Hidikai mused.
"War stuff," Releyanda replied flatly.
"Like what?" Hidikai pressed.
"I don't know. Maybe which one of them will kill the King."
"Kill?" Hidikai asked, her eyes wide. "Maybe we could just arrest him."
"Absolutely not," Releyanda said, a fierce glint in her eyes. "After what he did recently, he's a dead man walking, and I can't wait for the war to start. I swear I'm going to destroy everything in his kingdom."
Hidikai chuckled nervously. "Well, maybe not everything... just the bad people, right?"
"All Royals are bad, Hidikai," Releyanda said, her voice hard. "They look down on us. If we punish the rulers, we must punish the civilians too, or else another one will just sprout up."
"Hmm, but are the other tribe leaders okay with that?" Hidikai asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"No," Releyanda admitted. "But Nyte Fang understands the Art of War, and she's got the biggest army, so she's prepared to do what's necessary to eradicate all Royal vermin." Hidikai's eyes fell, her face clouded with sadness.
Suddenly, Kellix approached. He dramatically puffed out his chest, and to his face, he'd glued several leaves to resemble a scruffy beard and mustache. He deepened his voice to an unrealistic baritone, sounding comically like Mufasa from The Lion King. "Well, hello there, ladies. Welcome to the Monkey Tribe."
Hidikai squealed, jumping up and hugging him. "Kellix!"
Still using his deep voice, Kellix said, "Hidikai, it's good to see you."
"Hey, why do you sound like that, and what's this on your chin?" she asked innocently.
"It's my facial hair," Kellix said, trying to maintain his cool. "I'm a man now, since I last saw you." He kept shifting his eyes to Releyanda, who simply gave him a deadpan stare. Hidikai, still smiling innocently, reached up and ripped the leafy mustache off his face. Kellix let out a high-pitched soprano scream, a note as high as the last key on a piano.
"Hidikai, that really hurt!" his normal voice returned. She just gave him a sweet, innocent smile.
He flexed his arms, trying to regain his dignity. "So, Releyanda, how's it going, sweet thing? Did anybody ever tell you, if you were a bacteria, you'd still be beautiful."
Releyanda gave him a comically puzzled look, while Hidikai exclaimed, "Wow, that's a good one!"
Releyanda's face turned to mock anger. "Did you just compare me to bacteria?!" she shouted.
Kellix, visibly shaken by her strong presence, tried to salvage the situation. "Well, what about... um... if you were a parasite, I would let you eat me?"
INSIDE KELLIX HEAD
"Did you just compare me to a parasite?!" she yelled, her voice echoing.
From a distance, Hielo and Ape Monger watched the awkward interaction. "He really is bad with the female species," Monger said with a sigh.
"He's never been good with talking to girls," Hileo explained. "He means well; he just doesn't want to let people down, so he over-performs."
"Releyanda and Hidikai are the only human girls he's ever seen aside from you," Monger mused. "I forget he's human sometimes. He's been living with us all these years. I sometimes believe he's actually a monkey."
Hielo chuckled softly. "His father used to call him 'Little Monkey.'"
"That must be why he chose our tribe to watch over him," Monger said. Hielo simply nodded, her expression serious.
"Do you think he's ready for the war?" Monger asked.
"He has to be," Hielo replied, her tone firm. "Regardless, my duty is to protect him. That is the promise I made to his father, and I intend to keep it to my dying day."
Kellix finally gave up on his bravado and sat down beside Releyanda and Hidikai. Hidikai, ever the innocent, asked, "Kellix, aren't you scared of the war?"
"Heck no, I'm ready for it," he said, his voice now confident and earnest. "My dad was part of the rebellion against King Jiguzo. He fought alongside rebels to take down his kingdom's rule."
"Wow, so you come from a bloodline of artists," Releyanda said, a hint of respect in her voice.
"That's right," Kellix said, his chest puffing out again, this time with genuine pride. "Bravery is in my blood, and so is the painter. With my Art, I can do anything! And together, artists and cyborgs will defeat the King!"