Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Don’t pet stray cats, please! part

Walking with the battered creature in my arms, I don’t even have time to check its condition, I want to get back home as soon as possible and take care of it there. I think the state of the rest of the group is pretty good considering every stupid thing they did during the battle.

Fortunately, I gave them instructions before things went wrong, I really don’t know if they could have beaten the Jackal without my help. What I do know, however, is that I definitely wouldn’t have been able to do it alone. As soon as I fell on the floor I knew it, if it wasn’t for their help I’d be dead meat now.

Now that our battle is over and we’re walking again. Hiraku is carrying Ayumi, who still hasn’t recovered.

“What’s wrong with her?” Anne asks without the slightest tact.

“I don’t know... she hasn’t said a word. But maybe she’s just scared” Hiraku replies with a gloomy face.

Although we emerged victorious and got a good loot, nobody is happy. I think we all focus simply on walking as a distraction from our own mistakes.

It’s too late to realize this, but we are all absolutely useless in combat. I’m very curious about what on earth was Bob doing, shouting unintelligible chants at the most critical moment, but I can’t work up the courage to ask.

.....

A little further on, I finally find a familiar path.

“We are about two hours away, it took longer than I expected so we’ll be there by nightfall.”

My comment was like pouring salt on an open wound. I don’t know what I was thinking when I said that, maybe I thought they’d be glad they were on the right track, but they didn’t seem too excited to be walking at night.

As we head deeper into the woods, the breeze hitting my face refreshes my memory with every step I take. We’re getting closer!

Wish I could light up everyone’s face with a smile like Ayumi does, but I don’t have her wit and charm. It’s kind of impressive that she, being the oldest of the women in the group, acts like she’s the youngest. I guess I hadn’t given it much thought, mainly because of her short stature and youthful appearance, physically she looks even smaller than Helena.

The small kitten is gasping for air. I’m sure the medicine worked, but it couldn’t possibly be enough. Although it has a small body and less medicine was needed, its injuries were really serious.

I don’t know why I acted without thinking. As soon as I saw it, I jumped without hesitation. Maybe I had a cat before, I’ve never had such a hard time having no memory, at least I never felt like not having memories was that bad at all.

I came to a halt, a few seconds later the sky opens up in an intense cold rain. Water falls with intensity soaking us completely, our clothes are not suited for this kind of weather. But not even the cold water embracing every inch of our bodies manages to break the dead silence of our group. Thick clouds obscure the path to such an extent that I can no longer guide the group properly.

“Anne, you sure can see better than me. We have to follow this path, could you lead the way please?”

Anne nods and steps quickly ahead of everyone. I mixed with the group, now that I don’t have to look at the road I can focus my attention on the others. Bob’s usual energetic steps that seem to trample over everything are now like a gentle tapping on the ground than can only be heard because of his heavy weight.

*thump* *thump*

Hiraku walks behind me with Ayumi still in his arms, Luke walks looking down touching his nose with a hand from time to time, Helena tries to cover herself from the rain with her basket on top of her head. I’m fatigued and my leg is killing me, I feel an intense pain with every step and instead of taking care of my own wounds I used my medicine on the cat.

But, how could I abandon this poor creature?

Anne stops out of a sudden, then runs for cover ducking behing a tree and everyone follows suit

“This!? How is this possible?”

“What’s wrong Anne?” Helena asks, her voice breaking from the cold.

“There’s a house in the middle of nowhere! Be careful! it’s late and the owner shouldn’t be far”

“We’re finally here!”

I go ahead carelessly and open the door. Then I take everything outside Wooden spears, my old harpoon, a small primitive bench and some trinkets. I leave everything outside without caring about the rain to make some space.

“So, this is your house? It’s huge!” Helena says.

Luke’s jaw dropped and his expresion froze.

“Anne, hahaha! and you said he was a savage!” Bob laughs.

“Please come in, don’t stay in the rain. There’s no way to light a fire indoors so it may be a bit cold, but it should be better than being out in the rain. I didn’t make it big on purpose, truth be told, cutting off the logs was too much trouble so instead I simply used them whole.”

Approximately six meters wide and four meters long, the small log cabin stands near the middle of a clearing in the forest. With bark roof tiles and a door made of sticks carefully placed to leave as little space as possible, it now gives shelter to everyone from the merciless rain pouring outside.

Loud noises produced by the rain hitting the roof can be heard, but it doesnt let a single drop inside. There’s only a bed made of boards and at its foot, a small pile of folded clothes, simple pants and a shirt.

“You can put Ayumi in the bed to rest. I’m sorry it’s not much, it’s all I’ve been able to build since I got here.”

“Sure, thanks young Ryu. I’m still amazed you built all this by yourself”

The expressions of astonishment don’t stop as they inspect the cabin curiously, since it is dark they keep the door open so they can see inside.

Only Anne can see properly since she has night vision, a skill only archers possess.

“These clothes! where did you find them?” Anne asks turning to look at me.

“They are mine, of course”

“But, how is it possible? These clothes are from our world! Answer! Who are you? And don’t lie to us this time!”

“Well, to tell you the truth, I don’t know. A little over a month ago I regained consciousness, but with no memory whatsoever. I don’t know where I came from, I don’t even remember my name. It’s not something I wanted to hide, but since I knew it must be hard to believe, I decided to keep it to myself”

“So, you’re also a summoned hero?” Bob asks

“That’s impossible” says Luke “I saw his status, not only he’s weak, he also doesn’t have a class”

“I’ve been curious about that for a while now, how did you guys got your abilities?”

“Someone claiming to be a god brought us all together, then he told us he had summoned us just before the moment of our death. In my case, one moment I was very sick and the next, I was in a white illuminated space with the others.” Helena explains.

“I was run over, I think...” Bob adds

“The important thing is what he told us” Hiraku clears his throat “the world I will send you to is dominated by beasts, magical beings and it’s very perilous. Humanity is doomed to extinction. Your mission will be to save humanity and guide mankind to an era of peace and prosperity. This world is more advanced than yours, not in technology, but in energy. The presence of mana makes possible all kinds of phenomena that you will not understand, so it will be difficult for you to survive until you learn the basics.

To help you in this task, I will rebuild your bodies making you stronger than you’ve ever been. I will be placing you in a safe place full of resources, I cannot leave you directly in the city since I’m certain they will be wary of strangers who appear from out of thin air and that could be dangerous, this world is not as peaceful as yours. Lastly, I will give you a class, this will allow you to gain useful skills that will keep you safe.

A class is not something you can choose directly, it’s something so powerful it can be said that it’s a modification to your soul. It will enhance your bodies and the ammount of energy you can harness, but you will need some time to learn how to make the most of it.

Also, you will be heroes which will give you an advantage over all creatures, although it also means it will take some time to grow stronger. Regarding good and evil, you have total freedom of action, as long as you fulfill the mission you’ve been assigned, I will have no complaints.

When he was talking we couldnt talk nor move, but it felt like he was able to read our minds.”

“you sure have a great memory” I say to Hiraku while I try to process what he’s telling me.

“No, that’s not it, everything that happened was recorded in our memory, I think that even if we wanted to forget it, we wouldn’t be able to.” Anne’s voice resounds as she closes the door and the cabin is completely dark.

It’s not late so we continue our conversation with the rain echoing on the roof of the cabin.

“About my situation, I have no memories at all, although I do have some knowledge of the world. Thanks to that I’ve been able to survive until now in the wilderness. There are things I know, but I don’t know how or when I learnt them, on the other hand, there are other words I know but I can’t associate them with anything”.

“Mmm... intriguing” says Hikaru.

I can’t see it, but I imagine he said it with his usual expression. Who would say this is the same guy who clumsily swung his spear at random screaming, missing, or hitting his own allies. I think my expectations on Hiraku were too high, but I can say the same about everyone.

Someone touches my shoulder and passes me a piece of grilled fish. Instead of eating, I offer it to the injured cat resting In my lap, there’s a faint meowing and it opens its mouth a couple of times but doesn’t seem to be eating. I break off a small piece and place it towards its snout.

Taming 3%

Poor creature, it’s cold, tired and eating with difficulty. Still, it’s condition doesn’t seem to be critical since it tried to eat.

Anne breaks the silence that had fallen as we all were eating.

“How are we going to sleep? I was so tired to share tent with luke!”

“There should be enough space, but because of the bed, it will be difficult to fit us all on the floor, unless bob used the bed”. I answer Anne without enthusiasm, I don’t think I’ll be sleeping with Helena anymore, this weighs me down a bit

“I propose that we settle in the following way: Bob, Luke, me, Ryu, Helena and Anne” says Hiraku “obviously I’d like to sleep next to my wife, but it’s not possible today”

“Hey pervert! You could at least try to hide your smile, there are people who can see in the dark, you know?” Anne says in a nasty tone.

“No, I...” I try to answer but my throat catches.

Bob laughs and it spreads to the rest. We are finally putting aside the heavy mood that accompanied us on the way to this place.

Next day a wet feeling on my face wakes me up, this shouldn’t be possible! I double checked for leaks! But more importantly, with my eyes still closed I can feel a warm hug. I’d like to stay like this a bit longer, but since today is our first day together in here we need to make the most of it.

I open my eyes heavily and discover a strange furry creature licking my face, cheeky cat! In front of me, Helena with her angelic face while she’s fast asleep and, panic begins to take hold of me, when I see that she uses one of her arms as a pillow and the other rests on her hip.

Who’s embracing me then!?

Hiraku sleeps soundly with a loud breath, holding me firmly. I try move his arms to free myself from his hold and, at first it seems to be working, but after getting more comfortable he grabs me again with one arm even tighter. If only he used half this strenght while fighting the jackal!

This is too embarrassing. I’d like to wake him up but I don’t want anyone else to see this show. I get up determinedly, avoiding moving Helena as much as possible.

Before leaving I take a look at the group, Hiraku snores with drool in his mouth, Anne hugs Helena from behind. Luke sleeps peacefully and Bob is curled up as the place is too small for him. The twin tailed cat tries to stand, but it’s still too weak, so it snuggles into Helena’s chest. Ayumi is awake in the bed seemingly judging me with her eyes.

“I saw everything”

“Ah!?”

“He’s my husband, you know? It’s not good to get in the way”

“What are you talking about? Well, it doesn’t matter, it’s good you’re awake. Can you help me?”

Ayumi nods her head and carefully passes between Helena and Hiraku. I’m glad she’s back to her usual self.

It’s a beautiful morning, everything is wet making it seem like it’s shinning. Fortunately, the kitchen is made of stone and mud so getting a fire going should be an easy task, as long as we manage to get some dry firewood. I go to the woodshed, the branches on top are completely wet, but the rest are in excellent condition to set fire.

After geting the firewood, Ayumi extends her hand and the fire quickly lights up. We both stood in front of the primitive kitchen in silence for a moment, my mind is completely blank for a moment, just enjoying the warmth of the fire and the freshness of the morning.

.....

“What did you need my help for?” Ayumi says as we walk together towards the lake.

“Isn’t it obvious? I didn’t have a way to light the fire since everything’s wet”

“So you’re saying I’m as useful as a flint?”

“What do you mean? of course you’re more useful, you’re a lot faster”

“Pretty much the only thing I’ve done since I came into this world has been lighting the fire every time it goes out. I’m scared to explore and I’m not very good at crafting, I’m so bored all the time”

“I don’t know what to say. Right now we need most resources to build, dress ourselves, make daily life more comfortable and also safer. If you can’t go out to collect and you don’t have the ability to craft things, then what else can you do?”

Ayumi lowers her gaze. It’s strange to see her acting mature, she looks so small and young, it’s hard to believe she’s Hiraku’s wife. On the other hand, supposedly the god who brought them rejuvenated them, so it kind of makes sense.

“Hey! can you help me fish? I remember you went with Hiraku last time!”

“It’s not a good idea, when Hiraku and I went fishing, I didn’t do anything. He just used his precision skill to fish. He said he only wanted to take two fish to make the rest believe that fishing is harder than it actually is”.

“And why exactly would he do that? Since I arrived at your camp Hiraku seems to have put a lot of trust in me and I don’t understand why”

“I don’t understand it either, to be honest, I didn’t even want to come. The trip seemed dangerous”

She made a pause and I took it as a chance to wash my face and fill the wooden bowls I brought with me.

“You could have told us you had a house, that would’ve made things easier from the start. If I knew before I would have agreed to come without thinking twice, maybe the others too, we all missed having a roof over our heads”.

“Good morning,” Anne says from behind me, she always brings her basket with her. I’m sure she’s coming to wash up.

“Good morning” we reply in unison, Anne may be nasty at times, but at least she’s well mannered.

We return to the clearing leaving Anne behind, each carrying a bowl full of water in each hand. It’s a pity that I lost my wooden jugs, stupid forest jackal! it broke them while rummaging in the basket.

Once inside the cabin, I leave a bowl of water on the floor for the wounded cat, although it’s nowhere to be seen. Just when I start to worry I look at Helena’s chest. The small cat entered her cleavage and seems to be comfortable. I can’t say I blame him at all... but what am I thinking?

Putting aside any dirty thoughts I used my analyze skill on the little animal.

>Moon Cat 7/20 taming: neutral

It has as much health as i do already! And now a message comes out next to him. Neutral, I guess this means that he doesn’t see me as an enemy, but he doesn’t see me as a friend either.

I hope he doesn’t attack me, if for some reason he plays with me and scratches me a couple of times, he could send me to meet the god that the lazy heroes mention so much.

Speaking of them... Helena is staring at me with a flushed face.

“Er... good morning Ryu” she says stuttering.

This is bad!

“It’s not what you think, Helena, I’m sorry, I...it was unintentional”

“You were looking at the cat, right?”

“Ufff, in that case it is what you think. Sorry anyway, I didn’t mean to bother you”

“What’s all this ruckus in the morning?” Luke growls.

I decide to quietly retreat to avoid waking up his royal majesty the chosen hero. Why does he have to be so cocky and lazy? I’d trade Luke for a cooking pot any day.

A cooking pot! I don’t have the first clue on how to make one, but I came up with a good idea. I approach Ayumi who’s carelessly throwing small twigs on the fire.

“Ayumi, I think i just found a way for you to to be useful to the group, no, not useful. I found a way for you to be indispensable to the group, are you interested?”

“Remember that I voted against coming, it wasn’t just because of the dangerous trip, I don’t think it’s a good idea to have a leader either, we already had a bad experience with that, and I don’t want it to happen again”

“I understand, even so, it’s something that can only succeed if we work together”

“Well, I don’t know what has you so excited but I’ll play along... for now”

So we sit down and start discussing the details.