Chapter 12: Let’s Hunt Part 2

The first thing before coming out of the village, I could only see someone not that happy to see me with the chief. It’s strange but his grump face made it a ridiculous scene, a grown adult making the same face of a vexed child. I could only laugh at it, and of course we are two to laugh. Making what could be a scene that could cold any situation to a cold one from the laugh of two synchronized laughs even Gordak could only shudder to this elbowing me and my clone for us to calm down. But that man didn’t take it too kindly.

“Who are you laughing at, you ungrateful brats! As an adult I will punish you myself!”

Starting to climb down from his high position, only interrupted by Gordak intervention, He wasn’t happy about this situation.

“What do you think you are doing Priam? Are you thinking of using violence against a child shorter and younger than you?”

Stopping his advance he could only muster a soft excuse that wasn’t one.

“But, as adults and warriors, we need to educate children to obey adults, if we let them go the wrong path they could only lead to the doom to the village.”

His answer wasn't right, making Gordak angry against that fallacious mind. He could only look at that man full of vitality being perverted by the hero who could not shut up even once. This hero was more a proselytizer than a warrior, making doubts about gods, good and bad. Gods when they are just a belief can save someone’s mind, but when they exist it leads to fanatics trying to preach in their name.

“I told you several times again! Do not be corrupted by what that lunatic said, gods would become our doom. This fanatic is someone with a mind that does not respect our moral code and gods are the one who choose them. They don’t care about our misery, only their gain is more important. With that attitude, don't even think about approaching my granddaughter. Even if it’s tradition for the strongest warrior to become the next chief and marry the lineage. I would cut this tradition just for you. Now if you excuse us, we need to go hunting. Food would not pop on your plate, everything needs to be hunted.”

They passed the gate with no more difficulty leaving behind a man with grinding teeth, his anger was visible, only looking at Luna’s clone. Still sleeping she let out a giggle in her sleep, clone 1 and 3 were out for this hunt. The same two piece clothes but with boots to compensate for the problem of walking bare feet with dangerous creatures and plants. It wasn’t the most flexible pair of boots, but it protects against any potential cuts. It comes for a price, discretion and mobility. Even those two are compensated for by her special body. Maybe reinforcing her body to become strong enough to not fear pain in the feet could be a good thing for later.

Still walking, she observed her environment, she didn’t pay too much attention to what the region really looked like, jumping to the river and following it until finding a village. It was not the smartest move, but it saved her from becoming a lost child on the first day. Looking around and at the horizon, the forest keeps growing each day, making it a bit of magical touch to it. Far from them, hills growing high enough could be seen from where they were.

At night it was a strange situation, to anyone it would look like infinite darkness but to Luna, it was just a bigger boulder. Even if the boulder was 800 meters, it was just a big hill making it a mountainous zone. Being curious she could only ask the only person with all the knowledge.

“So does anyone else live on this island? With those big mountains there would be a way for people to live in the forest with a lot of people.”

“What you think would be correct, but the original inhabitants died by the monsters and animals. This is why we live secluded on this island, and this is one of the reasons I need you.”

More curious, she could only ask back. Walking in the forest, her two clones were looking around and being ready to attack anything at view. Her ears for now could only hear little insects flying around and some snakes far from them moving to the river.

“It’s something really hypocritical but I need you to hunt the creature and big monster to finally make it more secure. I can’t let my people alone for too long and Priam with my Lucina. His mind became corrupted by the last god who came here and he’s a danger. But he’s also a great warrior. I can’t deny it but I have a weak mind. He gets angry easily and prides himself on being chosen. I still need his help until I can give all my teaching to Lucina, she’s good with mana circulation… I talk too much as her grand-father ha ha!”

With a little laugh he makes his last word disappear, so Priam is that dangerous? I thought that killing him would solve the problem. But he wants me to fight all this creature? But I’m not…

“I’m too weak!” Said clone 1, letting her thought out of her head.

“I know that but I feel potential. You don’t think you can solve this problem, but as a god’s representative you will find your solution if you open your eyes.”

Telling her to ‘open her eyes’ was not really helpful, maybe he was just amused to let her in the unknown. The conversation ended abruptly when her two clones sensed steps on leaves near them. Stopping mid movement, Gordak didn’t move either waiting for her to be in action.

Doing a bit of encirclement she moves as one, clone 1 on the left and 3 on the right. Bow at the ready walking and activating her stealth talent, following the trail. A grove with the river in the middle and over it a deer. Its antlers were big and his four eyes made it a fantasy creature. Something tells me he’s more dangerous than he looks like using my power and felt a bit confused about this feeling.

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[Rank D-]

He was weak, identify did not find anything else, Luna made her choice. She would hunt it . Arming the two bows at the same time, the two weapons made a ‘creack’ sound of a bow being drawn. The deer stopped drinking and looked around, being hidden between the thicket the two clones were like, invisible to anyone not conscious of them. Then.

*fshhhh* x2

Two bows fire at the same time going a bit higher than planned, with a jolt the creature tries to run instantly and two arrows land on its stomach and pierce its left lung. Wheezing in pain, he starts to flee. Already taking 10 meters, Luna could only draw another arrow and fire at it anticipating where it would go. Landing on his other lung and by chance its hind leg, crippling it, the deer felt his strength and balance being reversed.

The two clones could only follow at full speed running as fast as possible to the deer, 50 meter aways, the creature was now on its flank his eyes were a mix of rage and fear. Luna could only feel sorry for the creature, she felt that it was like her trying to survive day after day. But it was before he tried to launch a surprise attack launching its horns at the speed of sound at clone 1. Even while looking directly at it she could only try to dash but with this short distance she could only be impaled in the stomach.

“Argh!” She could not find how it didn’t make sense, clone 3 doing what she was supposed to do and stab the deer in the carotid letting it die the next moment.

“Shit shit! uggghhhh”

Luna on the bed wakes up in pure pain from the information sent to her. It was really not a good idea, this world is shit. While trying to think she let clone 1 disappear and let clone 3 call her again the next moment, the clothes of clone 1 were not a copie so she wore it instantly.

“How does it feel to underestimate your adversary?”

The next moment Gordak was now walking as if nothing happened. Luna could only complain about what he told her.

“You told me you would protect me if it’s dangerous!”

Now angry at Gordak letting out her frustration and pain to the very person who would help her. He understood what she was telling him.

“I’m sorry about that, you weren’t in a real danger, your real body is actually sleeping and from your expression you are awake and not happy. Right?”

“It’s not a real reason you asshole! Why did you not save me!”

Feeling betrayed, she didn’t feel an ounce of happiness from this hunt, only pain and anger. All from someone with always an excuse to everything. This time Gordak felt he was the real culprit to all these scenes and could only surrender to her anger.

“I’m sorry I didn’t think about your feelings, I took the lesson too much at heart. It was my only way to let you learn this lesson the hard way. All your enemies and creatures are never what they look like. It looks weak, but racial traits are recognized by identify. Be always on your guard! He would not have hesitated to kill you if he was not weakened, do not stagger in front of it. Your ‘status windows’ does only see theoretical mesure.”

Hearing him made sense, but she was still too angry to be sympathetic with him in any situation. Maybe this is why people try to kill someone else that contradicts them. Not always, but some want. Gordak, feeling bad for her, could only shrug and say his thoughts.

“It was better than last time, you reacted faster and did the best thing when he tried to flee. But be warned that he could have been faster and you could have not hit it a second time…”

Luna was listening to what he had to say, it was really an objective view. Still telling her she could do better but not outright telling her. She knew it was by a nick, but still wanted to be successful. The bow itself needs more strength, and even if she looks like a child her strength is really incredible, being able to draw this heavier bow. In contrast to what video games make it, it needs someone with a lot of strength. I’ve heard of bows so strong it modifies the user body by drawing it daily. The idea made her chill and was now fixed on the man still trying to find an excuse. Maybe this time he could find something to make her change her mind.

“What about it? I will ask Maria to let you learn everything she knows and let you learn how to make a bow. I should also let you explore at your will around, maybe something would make you turn your head. In the cave shiny things can be seen. Only used in emergencies, there are only hand picked numbers of people who can get in. I know it sounds like an excuse but I think you can find something to help us later. But no one can see inside and torches are dangerous in this enclosed environment. I know it sounds dangerous, but I feel you can find something the tribe would use. Is exploration good for you?”

Listening to everything he had to say, she wanted to scream at him for what he had done to her. Only feeling bitter, still awake with her main body, her emotional feeling made her look at Lucina, she was slowly waking up from the sudden jolt of her outburst. Feeling sorry for her, Luna could only let it go slowly and just patted her head. Back to Gordak she made up her mind to think about what he told her. It was his own way to try to persuade her, his lessons are always a good thing and he has also saved her. While it was still brutal teaching she would not let herself take by surprise a second time now making it a good point.

With all that thinking she could only partially forgive him, he had tried to find a way to change her mind and it was working. She could only become more curious about everything grandpa told her. It sounded like a way to soothe her anger, but it was something more interesting than just still getting angry. Ears being high and her tails feeling her interest, it was natural to her to let her emotion out and she didn’t care about it. Even her outburst and tension were visible, and now? She felt just more curious than angry.

“What could be the thing that could help the tribe? If it’s food, we can just hunt more. If it’s rock we can just start to hit the ground to get more. What do you want from a cave?”

“It’s… Something that could revolutionize our era, getting us back on the move to evolution.”

Luna felt that something was wrong in what he was talking about, it sounded really incredible. But something told her there is more, why is it her? Does it have to be her?

“But why me? You have so many people. What could make me more interesting than someone of your tribe?”

“Touché, it’s not something I could give to anyone. Before being here, neighboring tribes knew of something that would help strengthen our weapon. Copper, and the alloy bronze, it’s something people tried to make. They died while telling me how to make it, to my knowledge no one knows how to make it. And in this cave there is copper and on the mountain tin, it was difficult to extract it. The copper is farther inside a tiny hole not bigger than your head. For fear of stone falling on us I could not let children get in. I know it’s bad to say this after what you experienced but… I need your help.”

It’s confusing that this information was told to her so easily but it was even more nonsense. She knew she was flexible but it looked really dangerous just by hearing it. Bronze is the real first technology evolution for mankind. But something isn’t right, she knows it exists but it’s truly confusing about why she didn’t know about it before. Like losing memory about it and when she hears about it, something makes a ‘clic’ in her head, something is missing when she tries to remember what comes next. For the first time in this world a panic attack with a ragged breath.

She could only regain her ground when Lucina heard her ragged breathing, patting her head and hugging with all her strength. The constriction and heat from her body was the only physical feeling she felt was real.

“It’s alright, it’s alright! It’s just a nightmare.”

Patting her head, Luna calmed down her rapid heart rate and rasped breath to a more stable rhythm, finally calm. Lucina hugging her could only let her sleep stick to her chest, one ear on her calm beating heart. Something Lucina remembered her parents had done to calm night terror. Letting the catgirl fall asleep again in a calm mind.