Chapter 31: Founders Island
-4 years later-
As time went on, many things changed. The humans finally conquered one of the 4 islands with the help of Blanche, Marceline and Chemy. They exterminated or tamed all the predators, they went through every corner of the island and finished building the city in the center of the island.
On this day, all the humans who went through the wars, the extinction of most of humanity, mutants, vampires and surprisingly unicorns gathered in the largest park in the city, all with smiles on their faces looking at a podium located in front of 3 huge buildings hidden by a large white cloth. They all received the notice that today the island would be officially named and a new calendar would be officially announced as a symbol of a new beginning.
To the ears of a man who was watching through his window at all the people gathered in the park, the sound produced by the excited crowd of women, men and children sounded like the most beautiful melody, this man was considered one of the greatest contributors to the survival of humanity, Tom the leader of the tribe that offered asylum to the hero of humanity, great sage and former teacher
Tom who is currently considered the leader of all humans, like a president but without being corrupt, dedicated all his time since they arrived on the islands to manage all the resources available on the island and help plan the future of humanity, basically humans would not have survived without him in the long term and today he along with those who saved humanity would be immortalized in the history of future generations
A warm smile grew on Tom's face as he looked at the happy men and women, a smile that came from the bottom of his heart and he could not help but let out a small laugh watching the little ones run around the park without worries, these children were born shortly after they arrived on the island or were babies, the happiness on those faces made every minute of suffering worth it, Tom was genuinely a good man and a great leader in everyone's eyes
Tom stopped looking at the crowd and looked at the clock hanging on the wall of his office which was filled with papers with information about the entire island and his ongoing projects, looking at the time he got ready to leave, Tom took his classic brown jacket with patches on the elbows and approached his desk on which rested his old animal hat when he took the hat his own reflection in the window caught his attention, his hair was already turning gray and he had several wrinkles already visible on his face
He was getting older and now almost all the time he asked himself the same question, should he be afraid of death? That question sometimes kept him awake at night, what would happen to humans when he was gone? Luckily Tom's negative thoughts due to his concern for the humans were interrupted by his assistant who entered the office to tell him it was time to leave
"Tom, everyone is waiting for you, it's time to leave"
"It's okay Clarice, I was just fixing my appearance, today is a big day, I need to look as handsome as possible haha, I'll be out in a minute"
His secretary relieved, since the main figure was ready, left the office to coordinate the delivery of the new calendars to the crowd
He looked at his own reflection in the window again, this time he lifted his hat and placed it carefully, whenever he put the hat on he felt more secure, an old residual feeling from the time of the vampires
"Now is not the time to think about yourself Tom"
He straightened his back and walked out of his office with a firm step to the exit of the building, the city hall built shortly after the central town was finished building
the city hall It's in front of the park so once he got out it didn't take him long to get close to the hidden buildings and the podium, Tom walked with a firm step with a big smile on his face and greeted the crowd who greeted him warmly before stopping between the crowd and the huge white cloth
Tom cleared his throat and raised his palm high to calm the crowd, that only worked on the adults but the children not aware of the importance of this event could not remain calm and continued running all over the park and even some more curious ones tried to get under the white cloth
far from bothering Tom it only caused him immense happiness, these children are living proof that all the sacrifices and suffering that humanity has endured were worth it, he approached the microphone on the podium a little closer to start speaking before the angry parents could chase and calm their children
"Good morning everyone, today is a day to remember and a new beginning for all of us, I know the last few years have been difficult but I want you to look around at these little ones running around with those huge smiles, don't you think it's wonderful to see them playing and laughing without fear? They are the greatest reward for all our efforts"
"We are at a time in history where the shadows of the past still haunt us in our dreams, even me, and I know the future is uncertain, however, the words I am going to share now are something that I hope will reach future generations, I hope they serve as a guide and comfort for all"
"We must remember that the greatness of humans does not lie in their number, but in their capacity to reflect, to love and to seek knowledge. Although we are few, we still possess the flame of wisdom that has illuminated our paths throughout history, we live in a time when every action counts and every thought has the power to shape our present"
"Let us not be Consumed by past discouragement, let us seek in our daily actions the reflection of the best in what we used to be; even in our smallness, we can find greatness in kindness, justice and empathy"
"Our legacy is not only in the monuments we build or in the material achievements we attain, but in the way we treat others and ourselves. Every word we speak, every gesture of compassion, contributes to weaving a tapestry of dignity and hope that transcends time"
"So without wasting any more time I present to you a gift for future generations, this gift will be living proof that we never give up and marks a new chapter in the history of humanity, so with immeasurable happiness I present to you, the statue of the founders and protectors!"
Tom excitedly approached the huge white cloth and pulling with all his strength revealed 3 huge statues side by side, in the middle, as a symbol of humanity there was a statue of Tom sitting playing his guitar, to the left a statue of Marceline sitting on a log tuning her axe/bass and finally to the right a statue of Blanche standing with one hand on Tom's shoulder both surrounding Tom as protectors of humanity
Tom approached back to the podium under the amazement of the crowd by the new monuments
"So officially this day It marks a new beginning for humanity, this day will be remembered forever"
"like the founders day"
-Blanche pov-
A big smile graced my face as I looked down from the roof of a building under construction at Tom finishing his speech and revealing the huge statues, I was really surprised when I was approached to pose for a statue, but I figured it would be fun to be immortalized in human history
Tom wanted me to be present with him too but I firmly refused, today was a day for humanity and only humanity
Seeing all those happy people, those families with innocent children now running happily everywhere, it really warmed my heart to see that my actions helped create this scene, I've helped people before for most of my life in this world, but this scene is special, because I know the end of this story
"Hey old man, what are you doing here? I thought you'd be downstairs with your fans, you know those kids adore you"
appearing behind him a young woman interrupted his thoughts, the young woman with long brown hair was wearing a full police uniform modified to suit combat and nature, but the most curious modification was a white hood shaped like rabbit ears sewn to the uniform
he wasn't surprised by the woman's sudden silent appearance, almost nothing could escape his senses and the woman knew it, but out of habit she walked without making a sound
"Chemy my little one, you really have to stop appearing like that behind people, I've already received several complaints"
"people have to get used to me, old man and you have to stop calling me little one, I'm already 21 years old and today I will officially be the guardian of this island, besides, you trained me, remember?"
"I'm already starting to regret it"
"[giggle] you know you love me" (like a daughter, Don't be perverts)
"Yes, I know, come here I need you to see something"
Chemy walked and stopped next to Blanche, both looking towards the park full of happy families
"Look carefully at each person here Chemy, remember their faces well because from today the safety of each one of them will be your responsibility, always remember that each face has a story, each person has someone who loves them and has someone they love, this enormous responsibility from today will be given to you, are you ready?
Chemy looked at each person in the park, each child laughing, each mother comforting her child and father looking carefully at his family and then answered
"Do you really need to ask?"
A proud smile blossomed on Blanche's face as he recalled the 4-year process that led them to this moment. After Chemy passed her first test, Blanche set about developing a rigorous training plan for her to acquire the most essential skills of a hunter.
He formulated a four-year plan in which Chemy acquired 8 skills: knowledge of the terrain, skill with weapons, camouflage techniques, study of the fauna on the islands, survival techniques, tracking techniques, first aid and stealth.
-4 years ago-
Blanche and Chemy were in a small house that served as a library and stored all the books that Blanche accumulated over the years plus the books that the ancient scholars rescued from among the humans on the island, although there was not much variety since only what was considered most important was stored, not counting all the information stored in the technology that currently has no use without a proper source of energy (this is important to remember because it has to do with the next event)
"What are we doing here, you know I hate books, when will you teach me how to kill things the right way?"
"Well I'm sorry to tell you this but you'll spend 6 months here rotting in knowledge, you're already stronger and faster than almost all the humans on this island, so we have a good base, you just need the knowledge, skills and experience, the last thing you're going to learn will be the use of weapons, it's what will be easiest for you so we're going to leave it for last"
"NOOOO-"
"No tantrums"
Blanche closed her mouth with ice
"The first thing to learn is to recognize the terrain and for that it's necessary that you learn to read topographic and thematic maps, recognize vegetation, types of soil, rock formations and use compasses, we're going to alternate theory and practice, you're going to study while we live in the forest, prepare yourself well it will be half a year in the wild"
-3 years and 6 months ago-
Blanche and Chemy practically moved to the forest during the day and returned to the village when night fell, it was time to level up, now that Chemy would not get lost it was necessary for her to learn to survive in the wild
Chemy learned to build a basic shelter using natural materials, to collect water and purify it and light a fire without basic tools, another six months passed like this, living in the wild with Blanche's guidance while perfecting everything she had already learned before and the new knowledge, something she would do with everything she learned during these 4 years
-3 years ago-
After a year Chemy profin introduced herself to the study of animals on the 4 islands, every 6 months she did not stop studying what she had already learned, she only concentrated on the main thing while continuing to study everything she was taught and applying it to her new tasks, the recognition of the terrain helped her to always know where she was and the survival techniques kept her alive while she studied the animals and learned their habits
each knowledge was complemented and combined with the previous, so nothing was left out and was perfected
six months she observed the animals while perfecting what she learned previously
-2 years and 6 months ago-
Chemy had already grown, her hair was much longer than when she started the training and today she began the process of learning a new skill taught by her caretaker and that was going to be integrated into her daily training, camouflage techniques
she learned to use the environment to cover herself using trees, rocks or structures to hide her presence learning to use the terrain to her advantage using uneven ground or dense vegetation to hide better. She even imitated and adapted animal or vegetation movements to simulate being part of the environment for 6 full months, integrating these practices into her daily life
-2 years ago-
Blanche and Chemy were in the middle of the forest in front of an ice animal created by Blanche, today she would begin her tracking training after almost mastering all her previous skills, the animal created by Blanche was an ice deer used as a practice dummy, the deer simulated the real behavior of a deer and let Chemy identify the tracks by examining the size, shape and pattern to determine the type of animal and its direction
In addition to learning to detect signs of animal activity such as droppings, food remains, marks on trees and altered areas on the ground to detect the presence and activity of the animal and identify the usual routes and movement patterns of a certain species
All of this was accomplished by using ice copies of every animal on the islands to practice on
-1 year and 6 months ago-
The newest assignment had been handed over, stealth training, the prey must not know that it is being watched by the hunter, once the prey notices you you have already lost half the battle
Blanche set out to personally guide Chemy for the next 6 months in the art of stealth, the first was the practice of moving slowly and carefully, each step had to be measured to reduce noise and minimize the impact on the surroundings, this was followed by the practice of controlling breathing, Blanche guided Chemy in the art of breathing in a soft and controlled manner to avoid making noises that could give her away, always keeping calm with deep and slow breaths
The next step was the practice of moving with caution, always watching the surroundings on the ground to avoid making noises by stepping on leaves or twigs that could creak and always walking on soft areas distributing the weight equitably
and finally maximize the use of the senses to avoid surprises and always identify the smallest noises and smells, this helped enormously in the hunting process
-1 year ago-
Blanche brought her student to the only hospital on the island, although humans were no longer in constant danger, without the technology of before the war several dangerous jobs can now only be done by hand, which leaves several wounded each month, plus the wounded who went out to explore the forests but those were already a minority
Blanche and Chemy volunteered at the hospital so Chemy could learn to save lives including his own
"Today Chemy I'm going to teach you perhaps the most important skill, how to save people and save yourself"
"Don't worry old man, you should relax a little"
At the hospital they spent 6 months learning to use various instruments available in first aid kits, deal with fractures, stop bleeding, relieve sprains and prevent burns with serious after-effects, only the basics and necessary to save a person until reaching a hospital
-6 months ago-
in the courtyard of the petrikov house there were two people standing facing each other, Blanche with his axe in his hand and Chemy with her bow in her hand and a quiver full of arrows on her back, with a dagger that shone tied to her waist
today begins the last and simplest part of Chemy's training, weapons training
chemy as a trained hunter obviously chose a bow and to use the dagger that Blanche gave her when she was a child
"for the next 6 months I regret to tell you that we will only hunt and fight with the weapons you have chosen, I was never a master of combat with weapons since I never had a teacher, everything I know, I learned on the fly, so you will have to guide yourself with your other skills when it comes to fighting, are you ready girl?"
"Don't worry old man, I'm not going to hurt you too much, it's time to throw you out a window"
"[laughter] good luck with that little one"
-present-
He came back to the present still with a proud smile on his face as he remembered how his protégé grew these 4 years, finally there was someone besides him and Marcy who could take charge of the protection of the island
"I'm glad to hear that you're ready, because it's your turn to appear in front of your people"
They both looked at the crowd and Tom who had already finished his speech but had one last thing to say and was trying to calm the crowd
"Oh shi-"
"Language"
She ignored her caretaker's reprimand and opened her eyes when she realized that she was going to be late for her first day as protector of the island, that would not be a good first impression
"Don't panic little one, I have a solution, come closer and stay calm"
Chemy trying to stay calm and failing in the process obeyed her caretaker
"Please help me! Take me flying or something!"
"It's a good idea, but remember to keep your mouth shut, are you ready?"
"Yes! Yes! Hurry up!"
Chemy didn't notice the smile Blanche was trying to hold back as he grabbed her hand
"Hurry up! Why are you holding my hand!?"
"As you wish"
Blanche with a smile squeezed Chemy's hand and with all the strength he could muster began to spin to gain momentum dragging her and lifting her into the air only held to the ground by the handshake
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!!!? AHHHHH! DON'T LET GO OF ME DAMN OLD MAN!"
"Have a good trip! I'm proud!"
"AHHHHH!"
Blanche let go of Chemy's hand as they both spun like a tornado at full speed propelling a terrified Chemy at full speed towards the podium where Tom was
-Park-
Tom prepared for the final event of the day, today he also had the job of introducing the new guardian of the island to the crowd, he imagined that the girl was hidden waiting to be called so he didn't waste any more time and approached the microphone while signaling the crowd to calm down as he had another announcement
"Before this beautiful day ends, I have one more announcement to make, I am happy to announce that this island has a new guardian! Many or rather everyone knows her, Chemy!...Chemy?"
Tom and the crowd looked around in confusion for the young girl but no one appeared
"[clears throat] it seems we are having technical difficulties, please wait-"
"AHHHHHH [crash]"
an unknown object landed in front of the podium next to Tom (great aim) raising a small cloud of dust that did not allow the crowd to see what fell from the sky
while the crowd whispered and some men came closer to check the situation the dust settled revealing a young girl wearing a white bunny hat lying on the ground complaining in a low voice
"damn old man..."
-10 seconds later-
Chemy in front of the crowd with an awkward smile on his face pretending that nothing happened introduced himself to them
"[awkward laugh] I'm sorry about that, I know you all know me, but I recently chose a surname, so allow me to introduce myself again as your new guardian"
"I'm Chemy Mertens"
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A/N: Hi, I know you didn't expect to see me back so soon, but my cousin was very kind to lend me his laptop and that greatly accelerated my writing speed, I hope you liked this episode