Garden of the Gods

[You are entering the Garden of Gods]

“Welcome to the sky island” says Gilgamesh opening both his arm.

“Shit... what was that?” says Mada cleaning his pants after rolling on the floor.

“What was what?” says Gilgamesh.

“The things you just throw a moment ago?”

“Ah, it called portal. It has many looks but mine is a throwing bomb. What do you think? Pretty cool right”

“It would if I could land on my feet” says Mada.

“Hahaha... well, sorry about that. Anyway, once again I welcome you, to the sky island, the Garden of Gods” Gilgamesh smile.

“Yeah, that’s what Freiya just sa-“but just before he finished his sentence, Mada words were stopped as he once again struck by the view he never saw.

However for some reason, Mada confused to which part that he need to pay attention first. To the blue stone floor with many cracks that fills by the golden roots or a lined building with unique looking horns as a rooftop, or a crowd that walking, running and yelling in front of him.

“What is this place?” he says.

“This is the main city where everyone in this moon trying to claim it themselves. That including me” says Gilgamesh.

“Come on, we might be late” he continue while pulling Mada’s glove.

Mada walk through the crowd as his eyes cannot shut and his nose widely open.

“What a smells” Mada suddenly yell as they crossing in front of a meat shops”

“Must be from there?” says Gilgamesh pointing.

“Can I eat anything in here?”

“Yes, but not now and not here”

“Ah... come on”

“We are late and it won’t even touch your belly”

“I just need the taste” Mada smile then running toward a meat store.

Yet, suddenly, a cart hitting him from the side and makes Mada rolling on the floor.

“Hey, watch it!” yell Mada, but a gentle hand suddenly wrap his shoulders.

“We are sorry, please continue” says Gilgamesh smiling to someone on the cart.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no... Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Cry grandma from the inside of the cart trying to get out with her husband.

“We are sorry dear, are you okay?” says the grandma again looking at Mada.

“Yeah, I am okay. Just a scratch” says Mada after looking at Gilgamesh.

“Oh dear, they are outlanders” says the grandpa yell out loud.

“You stupid machine! Can’t even pull a cart properly! I have pull your tongue, do not make me pull your eyes too” says the grandpa hitting a little machine with his cane.

“Unk... unk!” yell the machine covering its body with its four metal arms.

“I can’t believe I paid five hundreds Roots for this!” he continue.

“Please, it’s okay. Do not worry about it. Just continue your journey” says Gilgamesh interrupting the grandpa.

“Once again we are so sorry, I hope you are okay” says Grandma.

“Don’t worry about me. Look, the brush is already gone” says Mada smiling.

“Okay then we will leave, are you sure you are okay?” says the old couple as they back to their cart.

“Yeah, sorry for interrupting” says Mada

“Please be careful” Gilgamesh whispers to the machine.

****

“That is a little bit weird” says Mada as the cart leaves them behind.

“I never get used to it” says Gilgamesh.

“Are those people real?”

“What do you mean?”

“Them, are they alive? Really alive and not some kind of, you know... the things that Eve keep doing, ah... I don’t remember what you called it.”

“Technology?”

“Yeah, technology, and stuff”

“Hm... Let me think the simple way to explain it” says Gilgamesh holding his chin between his thumbs.

“So you see, there is much kind of things in here, but all you need to remember is only two, which is what we call Divers and Non Player Characters. Simply put, Divers are people like us, the one that enter this world through Tesla’s invention. We cannot be killed, we cannot get old, and we have super human body. Some even reach the level of gods if you would say. Even if you die in here, you can come back after few days of avatar reparation”

“While Non Player Character or NPC are people that born in here, just like that couple before. They are more like us in our world. They get old, they get sick, and they will eventually die. Even though some of them have the super human ability, it is not enough to be compared to us”

“Then, for the question ‘are they alive’ is still in debate. Some people think they are; others, not so much. Yet, what’s very fascinating about it, is that some people from our world actually could get married and have children in here” Gilgamesh smile.

“Really? You could do that?” Mada surprised.

“Yes, it’s pretty normal things to do here. You even will meet someone who did it soon enough” says Gilgamesh.

Mada frowned, wondering who the man is. Then as they walk across the street, Mada eyes cannot stop circling around. From another human with silver hair and split ears that similar to the one he meet before, to a shop owner that feed a small stray animal with meat twice it sizes; which come from a dead blue colours mermaid looking creatures, hanging upside down as their tail were tied to the top of the ceiling.

From a laughing kid that running around with a beast that have many scars on their body; which they pulled with chain from its neck, to thousands of flowers with thousands of colours hanging on the air, decorating the sky.

“I don’t know a place could be beautiful and amazing, yet also disgusting at the same time” Mada says.

“Does it remind you of something?”

“A little bit. They all are slaves right?”

“Some of them”

“Including the machine before?”

“Yes. Those entire machines looking creature did not come from this moon”

“What about those beasts?”

“They also not come from this moon. That blue monsters and a green lizard, they all are habitants from different moon”

“The one those people eat?”

“The one that smells good. Yes.”

“That’s depressing” says Mada.

“You almost eat them” says Gilgamesh smiling.

“I also meet someone similar to those silver hairs. But with flowers all around their body” says Mada.

“Flowers? Ah the wild slave from Garuda. Yeah I saw it a couple times.”

“Yeah, even though when you think about it, if not because their split ears, they are really not so different from you and me” says Mada.

“What? Do you want to help them? Gilgamesh continues after looking at Mada’s eyes.

“What? No. Not my war. I am here for different reason” Mada answers.

“What about you? Knowing you I am surprised you didn’t punch that old couple before”

“I can’t. I will end up killing the slaves instead of helping them. I am just as useless in here as in our real world”

“Well you look pretty intimidating. I bet you could beat me here” Mada smile.

“You have no idea how much real life skills means in here” says Gilgamesh.

“About the one we talking before, maybe after I claim this island” Gilgamesh answers.

“Which one?” ask Mada.

“Saving this people, changing this place” says Gilgamesh.

“Wow. How you going to do that?”

“Hm... I am not sure, but do you see that gigantic pillar in the middle of the island?” ask Gilgamesh pointing his finger.

“Yea, the one that surrounded by four giant fangs, right? Hard to miss”

“Above those pillars there is a palace, and inside that palace there is a man, and that man is someone we all call Race Leader. He is the one that own this island, and control this entire moon. After I get that, I will have enough power to do it”

“That is a lot of power. Do you know him?”

“Only see him a few times on world hunting”

“Maybe you could ask him to do it”

“Hahaha I don’t know if he would. After all, he would have done it if he wants it right?”

They both laugh at the same time. Then suddenly, their chats were cut by a bunch of kids who running with a beast in front of them.

“I envy you, you know?” says Mada.

“Really? Why?” ask Gilgamesh.

“You always want and do big things for other people. I still remember that day when you and your father Daedalus come and bring many things to Bumi city. You gave me my first Radio remembers? Comparing that to myself who come from that hole and know the people very well, yet still think to only save myself and my family...”

“Hm... I never think about it that way. You worked harder than anyone. The fact that your body can protect itself is the proof” says Gilgamesh.

“And on top of that, you also lost your legs and your family right now in danger, all because of a dreams for a better life. Even today, I still look at you as my hero” he continues.

“Damn, you going to make me cry” says Mada.

“You know, for someone that just lost its legs you seems pretty calm” ask Gilgamesh.

“Like you said, we have mission in here, and I’ve lost a lot. If I am not calm right now, I will probably about to lose some more. Legs are the last things I am worried about” says Mada.

“See? That’s why you are my hero” says Gilgamesh punching Mada shoulders as they laugh together.

“I think we are here. It seems they have not started it yet” says Gilgamesh as they stop in front of a giant gate.

“Wow, why it seems like thousands of people in here? And what’s with the banner?” says Mada.

“Because we are going to war brother” says Gilgamesh smiling.

****

Mada and Gilgamesh walk through the crowd, pushing their left and right until finally reach the front of the line. In front of him, stand a majestic gate that hold by two statue of giant with human body but the legs and wings of an eagle, while the head of the statue simmilar with the face of a monkey. Above those statue neatly arranged giant piles of white marble which make the gate much bigger than the sculpture. Under them, on the floor, a mirror with white sands underneath reflects their looks and the sky like a wave on the ocean.

“Took you long enough to get here” says someone who sits on a small chair in front of the gate.

“It can’t be helped. He spawn on Garuda’s territory and a lot of things happens on the way to get here” says Gilgamesh.

“Excuses huh? What about you? Have you adapted to your new body?” he point his chin to Mada.

Mada look at him for a moment as the man looks remind him of someone. Started from the white hair and the long moustache then gloves. But instead of a suit and a cane, a man in front of him wears a dark tank top with a gun on his hands.

“You are the old man before” says Mada with sudden change on his tone.

“Have I not introduced myself to you before? Call me Icarus kid, and careful with that tone. Your family with me”

“Let’s just get this over with. What do you want me to do here?” says Mada.

“First, what should I call you?”

“Mada”

“Hm... I hope your tone compliment your skills. Hey Mino, come over here!” yell the old man.

“What? Are we finally going to attack?” a bald boy with a look younger than Mada wakes up from the box behind Icarus. His spiky hairs climb the box first, then followed by the depressing look on his face.

“You have met him right? Let’s forget the past for a moment, and make sure you could work with him”

“Mino meet Mada, and Mada meet Mino, the one that broke your legs” says Icarus smiling.

****

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