Chapter 13: Lunar Encounters

Chapter 13: Lunar Encounters

Priam turned to the source of the shout. He hadn't spoken to anyone in a week. Yet it seemed like years. Tightening his grip on his spear, he ran to the stranger's aid. Using his skills to the fullest, he accelerated quickly, swallowing the distance between himself and the danger. Moments later, the mist gave way to a young woman being threatened by a dog. The beast was impressive, a canine specimen one meter high at the withers. Visibly enraged, with a bloody muzzle, the dog was leaping towards the girl perched on an isolated shrub. Under the blows of the dog, it was shivering. The makeshift shelter would not last long. I recognize this situation! She's a villager, and I can recruit her if I save her from the bad dog, right?

Forgetting that no one had the Age of Empire 3 references anymore, Priam stuck his spear in the ground and charged the beast with his bare hands. He wasn't used to fighting yet and didn't want to repeat a pathetic performance. He had already fought in the street to protect some of his girlfriends. He was confident in his fists and characteristics.

The dog, a variant of an English mastiff, must have weighed more than 150 kg and developed terrible power. The wolves were just children in front of such a monster. Priam was confident. The dog was slow compared to a rabhorn. Terribly slow. Instinctively, like a predator facing its prey, Priam knew he was in no danger.

Two meters before contact, Priam cocked his fist. A final [Kinetic Control] propelled his right leg and brought it into contact with the beast. He touched the dog's chest and then demonstrated his skill again. The animal flew off the ground. Its body was propelled several meters backward and landed on its back. Too bad for it that it is not a cat...

Turning his head toward Priam, the dog whimpered softly, hurt. It sniffed the air and then barked at the girl. It seemed to ignore Priam, too angry at its first victim.

"Maybe you don't want to fight me, but I won't let you hurt this girl. Go away!" he said, shaking his hand.

Priam glanced at his hand. It wasn't broken, but he shouldn't have closed his fist, and he knew it. Hitting with his palm would have had the same impact. His quick thinking was far superior to a normal man's, but there was no point in having a big brain when you didn't use it.

The dog watched the newcomer for a few seconds. Priam didn't know if the beast understood him. There seemed to be a glimmer of intelligence in its eyes, but it was quickly eclipsed by rage. The dog understood that ignoring Priam would not be enough to make him forget it back. The young man sighed at the belligerent attitude of the monster. The animal leaped towards the tree, trying to dodge Priam. In a lightning acceleration, he repositioned himself next to the dog, grabbed it by the neck, and with a pirouette, threw it violently to the ground again. Only a few meters from the tree, the wounded animal struggled to get up. Do I really have to kill a monster that doesn't even attack me?

As Priam wondered what would happen next, the girl slid down the tree trunk. Her feet touched the ground lightly, and she moved toward the dog.

"Watch out!" exclaimed Priam as he stepped forward to protect the girl.

"Thank you very much for your intervention, sir, but I'm not in danger anymore, I think." replied the lady.

A French woman?! Priam froze in surprise. He had thought long and hard about the language problems in Elysium. While communication was less difficult with other humans than with aliens, he had not expected to find a girl who spoke his language directly. Unless the Concepts had grouped humans based on their geographic location when the Tutorial was announced? If so, my family should be close!

Deep in thought, he looked up just as the girl plunged a dagger - in her small hand, it looked like a sword - into the animal's heart. Shocked to see someone kill a dog in cold blood, he couldn't gather his thoughts before she continued.

"You seem shocked? I just got here a few minutes ago, and I've spent half that time being chased by this dog. I'm not even its first victim. The blood on its muzzle is not mine. A rabid dog, ready to kill me and who has already tasted human blood... No, I didn't hesitate to kill it." said the girl, wiping her dagger on the animal's fur.

Priam calmed down. Itis the new world, he thought. A young woman must have the guts to kill a bloodthirsty beast to survive. Her lack of hesitation... I should be learning from her rather than criticizing her.

If he were to be completely honest with himself, Priam had killed a rabhorn just to eat. It was a more difficult action to defend morally than what the young woman had just done. He knew that someday the time would come to kill animals, but he would rather kill bloodthirsty-looking monsters than dogs. Disney and a cognitive bias had taught him that beauty meant goodness. It was wrong, of course, but it was so easy to think that a beautiful dog was always nice and a terrible hyena was always evil. Life was not so Manichean, and Priam was slowly becoming aware of this. Realizing that he was once again deep in thought - one of his main faults - he focused on his interlocutor and apologized for his behavior.

"I was shocked, that's true, but I understand your reaction. Eat or be eaten, right? Anyway, You have to be a fighter if you're out of the dome." Priam replied.

Priam observed the young blonde woman. Seen up close, she must be between eighteen and twenty-five years old. Quite tall and slender, he suspected she must have been practicing a sport before the Tutorial. She had that sharp look common to those who practiced combat sports. With keen eyes, she observed Priam's movements and placement. Rather pretty, she didn't seem afraid of Priam despite his strength and attire. He was aware that he was only wearing a leafy loincloth in front of a girl. I hope she doesn't think I'm a pervert. It's not my fault if I can't sew jeans with two leaves and a rock.

"Yes, I chose to fight in the Tutorial. I've always been a fan of fantasy as well as a boxer. When I saw that I could fly and fight monsters, it seemed like a good idea then..." sighed the young woman.

Normally he would have been happy to converse with her, and perhaps even more, depending on the mutual feeling. But right now, every second seemed to separate him from his family and potential doom. He wanted to get information about them and answers to his questions quickly.

"I understand. I made pretty much the same choice as you did, as you can imagine. The presentation at the Tutorial forgot to mention the danger. Did you see any other humans after the Tutorial? By the way, my name is Priam."

"Claire, nice to meet you. After the Tutorial? I only finished the Tutorial two days ago, so I may not have the answers you're expecting. But yes, I found myself in a new village, lost within a new world."

"A village? That's not bad, I was on my own. Did you manage to adapt? As much as one can adapt in a few days..."

He had always wanted to say that.

"Okay!" smiled Claire. "If you don't have any destinations in mind, I thought I heard some noise over there." she indicated.

Priam turned toward the direction she was pointing. Claire followed him, using all her strength not to lose sight of him. The mist was moving, and danger lurked.

Claire watched Priam's back, her hand on her bloody dagger. The girl needed someone who could distract the monsters. The young man seemed honest, but how could she know in this new world? The dog's master had smiled too, before trying to betray her. She had plunged her dagger into his heart.

Status: (Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0)

PHYSICAL:

Force 58

Constitution 77

Agility 90

Vitality 112

Perception 66

MENTAL:

Vivacity 75

Dexterity 46

Memory 29

Willpower 44

Charisma 36

META:

Meta-affinity 8

Meta-focus 16

Potential: 140

Tier 0The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l--B1n.