You Have Been Heard: The Lupen Transformation

EDIT: If you joined the Patreon after 11/29, don't read this, you'll understand nothing.

Those of you who just opened the next chapter are undoubtedly wondering: who the hell is Brock!?

Well, the poll and comments on my previous post were overwhelming. Thankfully, they agreed with my opinion, too.

Therefore, I went ahead and changed Lupen into Brock. I wrote an entire new chapter to introduce him and went through every later chapter to fix all mentions. I added some new stuff, too. All in all, I worked my ass off today to get this done as soon as possible, but I think we have something good. In my opinion, the story quality just rose noticeably.

I apologize if any of you were already attached. I was, too...but I believe this is an overall improvement to the story.

Again, thank you for your patience -- I have never done such a major change in already published chapters before -- and thank you also for your timely feedback, which allowed me to shape this story into something greater. Even the idea for a monkey was given by you guys.

The transition might feel a bit bumpy at first, but I hope that we'll soon get used to it and soar to new heights.

I add below the passage with Brock's introduction. It is after the funeral of the fallen primates, when, just as Jack is about to leave the nature reserve, Harambe wants to show him something. Happy reading!

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“Where are you taking me, Harambe?” Jack muttered as he followed Harambe behind the bananarm tree, where he always liked to rest. The vegetation was denser here; moist bushes with long leaves and vines hanging from the trees above. It looked more and more like a jungle, which had no business being here, in biology’s humble opinion.

The analytical part of his mind whispered that this was ridiculous. Everything else reminded him that, after everything the System had done, a little change in topography was nothing.

Harambe led Jack through thick bushes and foliage until they were a couple minutes away from the clearing. Jack got more and more curious. What could Harambe be hiding?

Another E-Grade resource? His heart sped up.

Eventually, Harambe approached the base of a large tree. Its roots formed an alcove over the soil, and nestled inside them was a gymonkey that eyed Jack warily. He frowned. What was it doing here? They were all supposed to be at the funeral—but come to think of it, he did notice one missing.

Harambe said something to the gymonkey, in a tone Jack hadn’t heard from him before. It was soft, almost caring; not the sound of a big bro, but of a partner.

Then, the monkey moved, and Jack was left staring at the smaller monkey hiding behind. It was as tall as his forearm was long, had short brown fur, big ears, a long, flexible tail, and looked at him with wide eyes. It resembled a child gymonkey.

A moment later, it snarled and jumped at him. Jack raised his arms in surprise.

Harambe growled. He grabbed the little one from the top of the head mid-air and growled something in its face. The small monkey flailed ineffectively for a moment—it was still airborne—then crossed its arms and glared at Harambe.

Jack looked between the two of them, observing the dynamic, before finally managing to say, “Is that your son, Harambe?”

Harambe nodded. He presented the little monkey—still holding it from the top of the head—which stared at Jack as defiantly as it had at its father.

Brorilla, Level 2

A gorilla variant from planet Green. Brorillas usually live with Gymonkeys and train them in the ways of working out. It is due to the Brorillas’ unmatched pecks that Gymonkeys use poop to fight—they consider themselves too weak for anything else.

Brorillas are usually calm, measured animals. However,

if anyone harms their little cousins or invades their territory, they go

bananas.

This particular brorilla is a variant that visually resembles a gymonkey. Though not weaker than other brorillas, the members of this variant are often shunned due to their lack of bulging muscles.

“He’s cute,” he said, leaning in. The little monkey tried to claw at him, infuriated at the name, but he pulled back. “And feisty,” he added.

Harambe nodded in pride. He was so much bigger than his son that it looked ridiculous. The little one could sit on Jack’s shoulder, and Jack could probably sit on Harambe’s.

“Why didn’t you tell me before?” he asked.

Harambe growled, making animated descriptions with his arms. The little monkey flew around, as he still held on to its head, and tried to grab his forearm but failed, making it even more pissed.

“He’d want to join the fight?” Jack tried deciphering Harambe’s meaning.

Harambe nodded.

“I see. Congrats, man. And who’s this lucky lady?”

He approached the gymonkey, who shook his hand gracefully. Her pecs were more pronounced than most of the gymonkeys—probably why Harambe liked her.

“I’m happy to have met your family, bro,” Jack told Harambe. “That makes us real bros. Next time, let’s drink together.”

Harambe chuckled, then shook his head.

“You don’t want to drink?”

More shaking.

“No; it’s something else? What are you trying to tell me, Harambe?”

Harambe looked at his partner. They exchanged a look that was only too human; Jack saw pain, resolve, and deep longing in those eyes. Then, Harambe brought his son before his face and growled harshly. The little one tried to glare but finally succumbed under his father’s hard stare.

Harambe held his gaze at the little one for a while. Then, he simply turned it around and placed it in front of Jack’s feet. Jack blinked in surprise. “What?” he said.

The little monkey glanced at Jack, considering attacking him, then remembered its father’s warning and calmed down.

“What are you trying to say, Harambe?” Jack asked hesitantly.

Harambe reached out and pushed the little one towards Jack with his knuckles. Then, he took a step back and passed an arm around his partner, who looked at their son with sadness.

“Wait.” Jack realized. “Are you entrusting your son to me?”

Harambe nodded. The little monkey’s eyes widened. Suddenly, it wasn’t so wild anymore; it rushed at its parents so hard it tripped, but when it got there, Harambe grabbed it and unceremoniously tossed it at Jack, who had to grab it in a hug. He thought it would go wild, but it didn’t; it rushed out of his arms without hurting him, then jumped at Harambe who tossed it back again.

“Wait,” Jack said, “what is happening?”

Harambe grabbed his child by the head, placed it in front of Jack, and growled sternly at it. He pointed at it, then at Jack. The little monkey tried to complain, but a second growl, even sterner, cut it short.

“Harambe,” Jack said again, putting a little bit of force into his voice, and Harambe looked up. “What is happening?”

Harambe then proceeded to mime a long series of things.

“You are entrusting me with your son?” Jack deciphered. “You want him to adventure alongside me? You think I can protect him and make him into a proper brorilla? Let him see the world?”

Harambe nodded.

“Harambe! That’s…” Jack was lost for words. He looked down at the little one, taking it in carefully. It had understood its father’s words. It was gazing at its parents with longing, but when it looked at Jack, he saw a hidden desire there. The same one he’d felt before the System’s arrival. The call of adventure.

“That’s such a responsibility…” he finally managed to say. “You are putting a lot of faith into me…”

Harambe growled in question. He seemed anxious, hoping Jack would say yes.

“It’s not about me accepting or not. You have to know that my life will be dangerous,” he said. “I don’t know what’s out there. I might die tomorrow and take this little one with me. I might make enemies.”

Harambe’s eyes were resolute.

“My adventures could be painful, Harambe, and they might not end well. Are you absolutely certain that you want to entrust your son’s life to me, knowing you might not see him again soon or ever?”

Harambe nodded. By his side, the gymonkey whimpered, two salty tears appearing in her eyes before she blinked them away. She made sounds of agreement, taking Harambe’s hand in hers.

Jack’s heart was heavy. “Why would you do that?” he finally forced out, unable to comprehend.

He wasn’t planning on anyone tagging along; he would take the monkeys if they asked him, but a child? What did he know about them? Could he protect it? Raise it?

Should he?

He stared deep into Harambe’s eyes and saw the truth. The gorilla wanted his son to become something better than him, to surpass him. At the same time, he knew he couldn’t offer that; and not just because this child was doomed to remain less muscular than other brorillas.

Harambe saw the futility of his existence, the hard limits set on him by the System. He had been created—spawned—as an adult; even if he was never despawned, there was only so much he could progress. But his son was more fortunate. He was still a child; if life treated him well, he could ascend to heights that Harambe himself had no hope of reaching.

And Harambe couldn’t offer that. He didn’t have access to the System. Only Jack had.

Harambe didn’t want to part with his son, give it for another man to raise. Who would? But he steeled his heart and did what was best for it. And he trusted Jack.

Jack had never felt like this before. His heart was filled with equal parts pride, warmth, and weight. He didn’t know if he was ready.

But if Harambe could part with his own son, Jack could at least accept it.

“My bro…” Jack kept his voice even as he held out a hand. Harambe grabbed it in a firm handshake, then pulled Jack in for a hug. The two men—one human and one brorilla—held each other tight for a long moment before letting go. Then, Harambe turned to the side and pulled his wife into a hug, who grabbed the little one, too.

Their family hug was tighter than Jack’s, and it lasted longer. It was a very touching moment; so touching, in fact, that Jack felt guilty, and salt threatened to roll down his cheeks.

Sometime later, the magic was broken. The family slowly withdrew, Harambe pushing the little one into Jack’s hands while his partner buried her face in his fur. Harambe’s eyes were resolute, however—and, surprisingly, so were the little one’s.

Jack stared at it in wonder, giving a smile whose emotions even he wasn’t certain of. “What’s his name?” he asked.

Harambe made a sound, slowly and purposely.

“Brock?” Jack asked, just to be sure, and Harambe nodded. His partner held on tighter.

“Brock…” he repeated, turning to look at the little one. “What do you think, Brock? Would you like to explore the galaxy with me?” It looked back at him. It was a brave one; not only had it tried to attack Jack when he first appeared, despite the size difference, but when it met his gaze now, it wasn’t as grief-struck as a human child’s would be.

Maybe it was because animals were less attached to their parents. Or, maybe, this one had a strong soul. In any case, it stared deep into Jack’s eyes, pouted its lips to keep them from trembling, and nodded despite the tears rolling freely down its face.

“You are a very brave monkey, Brock,” Jack said, petting it on the head. It let him. “I would love to have you along.”

Harambe made an odd sound, and his cheeks tightened. It was time to leave.

“We will go, then,” Jack said, holding a fist to his heart. “I promise to come visit you again soon—as soon as I can. And I vow on my very soul that I will keep your son safe, even if it kills me. No matter what.”

Harambe nodded, his face spasming with effort to stay still. The gymonkey looked at her son, eyes dripping, then at Jack, with a depth of emotions he never expected from an animal. But, then again, that was an outdated thought. These were people.

“See you both,” Jack said. He took Brock by the hand, turned around, and walked away. Brock kept looking back, but Jack didn’t; the sobbing sounds made him think his bro wouldn’t want to be seen like that.

And so, a human and a monkey that barely reached his knee walked into the bushes and faded away, each leading the other by the hand.