SKULL DIVISION: LORE — IV
PART 4 OF 7
DARKNESS IS BREWING
As Mono briefed the Apes of his discovery, they sat in silence. The Apes had thought the Monkes their cousins, and were therefore puzzled that the Monkes had even considered hiding the skulls from them.
They thought they would sleep on it, but their dreams were tainted with darkness. When the morning arrived, they began to feel a little indignant. Who were the Monkes, but (they thought) their weaker cousins? Why should the Monkes think that the future of the skulls was theirs to decide? Their bewilderment turned into displeasure, which soon turned into rage.
And, in their anger, an Ape uttered the unspeakable: if the Monkes did not wish to share, then perhaps the Apes should seize the skulls for themselves.
***
As the Monkes razed the rainforest, their fires forged plumes of smokes that billowed like flags. The Birdz deployed their eagles, sharp of sight and mind, to investigate — from above the clouds, they observed the Monkes and their excavation of the skulls, which gleamed like jewels and reflected the sun back into the sky.
Having dominated the seas, the Birdz had no real need for the skulls and thought them nothing more than gaudy baubles. But they were worried about the Monkes’ dogged pursuit of the skulls — would they turn their sights to the cliffs, thinking there were more to be mined there? And, would the Monkes come in peace, or would they bring their might and power?
The Birdz deployed their finches, small and light, as spies across Solaria. And just so they would not be taken by surprise, they quietly began to prepare for war.
***
The Solarians were intelligent machines who had helped build the digital infrastructure that connected Solaria. In doing so, they had programmed into the network codes to which only they had access. Nobody but they knew that, with a few clicks on a keyboard, security systems could be disabled, private conversations accessed, and all commerce and trade halted — powers they had sworn would only be used for good.
They were unperturbed at first when one of their own received word of the Monkes and their skulls; but when their systems detected the Birdz readying their artillery, the Solarians became concerned.
Was everything they had built for Solaria now threatened by war? Were the skulls too powerful in the possession of their more temperamental neighbours? And, if so, should a more benevolent force not exercise power over the skulls?
The more the Solarians thought about it, the more they convinced themselves that there was only one viable solution: the skulls were safest in their prudent and logical hands.
***
Rumours of brewing conflict spread swiftly across Solaria. The news reached the ears of the Monkes, who had not anticipated that their discovery of the skulls would germinate friction, and they commenced their preparations for battle.
Meanwhile, the Grims, Penguins and Aurorians began to panic.
—
This is Part 4 of 7 of the lore of Skull Division, a Solana NFT minting on 18 November 2021.
