Nice People

The map indicated a village about four or maybe five days away from my location. There was a village closer to me, but it was in the opposite direction I was supposed to head in. Since the two masters told me to head north-west, that was the village I headed towards. 'I have some money with me, but I'm not sure what this can buy me. I'd need some bottles or containers for my future travels, and a good sleep would be nice too', I thought.

My parents and others didn't really explain the Human currency to me. I only assumed it was currency, since the pieces of metal looked like coins, with some sort of face pressed into them. Most of them were copper in colour, while only a few were silver. "Anyway, there's a few days worth of travel in front of me. I should look for a source of water though". With that in mind, my boring journey resumed.

On the second day, I encountered a clear path or even a road leading somewhere. '... This road should lead to a village I'm heading for', I figured. The road was winding, but not precisely empty. I encountered more people on my way. Some of them were going the opposite way, some of them the same way as me. Though most of the people I encountered used carts and horses for travelling.

Savala Town had a few horses and carts at their disposal as well. The horses functioned in the same way as Tauruses back in the North. People used them as means of transport, or for help in the fields. Though no one hunted or ate horses, unlike we did with our Tauruses. That was understandable, the Endrosian Empire was full of life.

Horses were not that slow, but compared to our Tauruses, they weren't that great. Though their bodies were skinnier and they could accelerate faster, our Tauruses could keep up a fast speed for a long time thanks to a more massive build. 'My Turry is much better than these horses. He could outspeed all of them. And even pull those carts alone by himself... I wouldn't mind getting one horse as a pet though', I thought.

The people on that road were more civilised, or rather minded their own business. No one tried to attack me, or exploit me in any way. People greeted each other, or simply passed by without a care. When I was about a day away from the village, one of the carts slowed down, and stopped further away. The cart was a bit different, since there was a cloth curtain all around it. "Hey, lady! Are you going towards the Flatstone Village?", the man sitting at the front asked me. "Yes, why do you ask?", I replied, defensively.

"We have some space in the back. You can join us if you want", he proposed. I was about to decline, but then a small head of a girl popped out from the back of that cart. "Travelling by cart is much faster, join us!", she exclaimed, though her voice seemed a bit shy. '...Maybe these people aren't a bad sort. I mean, she's probably that man's daughter'. That didn't mean these people were alright, keeping my guard up was a good idea. Only once the insides of the cart became visible to me, I agreed to travel with them.

There was another kid, and a woman inside the cart. Probably a family on their trip towards a village. The kids were rather young, perhaps ten years old at most. "I don't have much money, but how much do I owe you?", I asked once inside. "Please, we have space and helping you out doesn't cost us anything. You are quite young for a hunter, did you get separated from others?", the woman asked. "No, I'm pretty much alone", I said. "I'd like to be a hunter too! Hunters are respected anywhere they go", the boy exclaimed. "It's not as great as you'd think. There are a lot of drawbacks, you know? Sleeping in a forest, dealing with the wild animals. It's not that easy", I replied.

"I'd like to try anyway… Hey miss, could you teach me something about hunting?", the boy asked. "Hmm, if your mom doesn't mind", I replied while taking a look at the woman. "Kalim, don't bother this young miss. Hunting is a dangerous job, it's safer to be a merchant, like your dad", she replied, reluctant for her son to become a hunter. "Mom…", he complained.

"If I may say something. You are right, hunting animals is not easy or safe. Though exercising and keeping in shape is never a bad idea. Even a merchant can learn how to wield a sword or train his body", I chimed in. The boy's eyes lit up full of hope. "I'm not sure…", the mother said. "Why not let Kalim learn something? Hunters charge a lot for lessons, you know? This lady is willing to do that for free", the father added his opinion.

"Dear, we can't ask a stranger for such things", the woman berated him. "I don't mind. You helped me out, so I can share a few things with your son. I mean, these are no secrets to me anyway", I assured her. "See, she doesn't mind", the father argued back. "Mom, can I?", the boy asked again. "Oh, alright", she finally agreed. "Hey, how about you? You've been looking at me all this time, but didn't say anything. Are you shy?", I asked the little girl.

"I'm not… I didn't mean to stare.. I'm just shocked someone so young could be a hunter. You must be really talented", the little girl replied. "Talent has nothing to do with effort. Anyone can become strong, of course if they have enough determination. Training every day will improve your body over time, no matter who you are. Perhaps being a hunter is not for everyone, but my father taught me how important it is to protect myself, as well as my loved ones. I don't need any other reason for getting stronger", I replied.

"You are rather unusual for a hunter, lady. Pretty much all the hunters I met in my life were lofty and proud. Are you sure you are a hunter?", the father asked. "I'm not really interested in what titles people give me. You can call me a hunter or an adventurer, whichever you prefer. The hunters you mentioned are delusional. There are loads of people much stronger and smarter than them. They are nothing in the eyes of others, so they act proudly in front of the weaker people. I'm simply being me, instead of putting up fake airs", I explained.

"Great words, your parents really raised you well", the father added. "Anyway, anyway! What will you teach us?", Kalim asked. "Before that, what's your name?", I asked the little girl. "I'm Jena, and you?", she replied. "My name is Anna, nice to meet you guys. Alright Kalim and Jena, how about we start from tracking?", I proposed. They seemed alright with it, so I told them everything I knew about tracking.

"Wow, I didn't know so many things were involved when tracking animals", Kalim said. "It's not that hard, you just have to be very attentive. What you do after finding the animals is a different story. For example, a wolf will use its swiftness to attack you. When you face a few wolves, they work in a group making it harder to deal with them", I explained.

"Boars on the other hand, they'll try to charge at you in a group. They bunch together because they feel safer and stronger that way. Stopping or evading one boar is not that difficult, but a few of them is more difficult", I added. "What about bears? Did you hunt bears?", Jena asked.

"Yes, I had to. While threading through the forest, you never know what will appear on your path. One day you might encounter a lone bear, on another day a whole sleuth of them. Bears like to jump at their targets, crushing them to the ground. Wolves can also jump at you, but bears are much, much heavier. Once a bear gets close enough, it will attack with its paws. Sometimes, they might try to bite. They can also charge at you like boars, if they have enough speed for that", I replied.

"Bears are slower and less agile than wolves, but they are by no means slow. They can run really quickly, it's just that they can't swiftly change directions like wolves do. I'd say fighting against a sleuth of bears is harder, than against a pack of wolves. With a good leather armour, a wolf's bite isn't severe, but a bear's swipe can be lethal", I added.

"Miss Anna, what else can you tell us?", Kalim asked, his voice full of excitement. "Hunting is one thing, you have to be able to survive too. You'll need water and shelter. What if you have no tools to make fire? Can you make fire?", I asked. Both Kalim and Jena shook their heads. "That's not true actually. You can make fire without any tools. I can show you, but not inside the cart", I replied.

Jena and Kalim asked their father to stop for a while. They really wanted to see how I can make fire with no tools. "... Guys, it's getting late and we need to arrive at the village today. Spending the night inside the forest is dangerous. You heard miss Anna, how dangerous a forest can be", their father declined. "We are heading to the same place, so I can show you guys tomorrow", I proposed. "Miss Anna, do you plan on staying in the Flatstone Village for long?", the father asked me. "I'm not sure. Perhaps a few days, no more than that", I replied.

"If you don't mind, would you spend some more time with Jena and K...?", before he finished, his wife berated him, "Dear! How can you ask her about such things? Miss Anna already shared a lot with us, stop being greedy". "My bad… I'm a merchant and… Hehe, don't mind me", the father tried to laugh it off. "I don't mind actually. Besides, thanks to you guys, I was finally able to hold a conversation. When travelling alone, you don't get many chances to speak with others", I explained.

"It's settled then! As a thank you, I'll pay for your room and food in the village. How about that?", the father proposed. "Yea, I'm fine with that", I agreed. Both Jena and Kalim were excited about spending more time with me. I really didn't mind, since they were nice people. As long as my help was useful to them, why decline?