บท 7: Ch 6 - Commotion
I am currently climbing a hillock.
It's a small rocky hill with no trees or bushes. This hill was situated at the edge of the forest, away from the town.
But the good thing is that this hill was a source of stream water that runs down from the hill to a lake near the town. This stream was relatively smaller compared to other streams and rivers around our town. Hence no one visited this place very often.
Since this place was secluded, I made this place my training area.
I am 7 years old now and had already started training my body a year ago.
The one thing I learned is that the body of humans is quite fragile.
I already broke a few bones when I first started training and that's when I figured what my limits were.
I had a general idea that humans were weaker compared to demons but never knew they had such a pathetic physique.
After I learned my limits when I was just a 6-year-old human kid, I changed and made a training regiment accordingly.
Today I am doing my daily training like any other day.
The first thing I had to do was drag a log tied to my back with a rope all the way to the top of the hill.
The log was actually a bit heavy. It was about double my size.
It was still quite a struggle to drag this log up the hill.
This was an excellent weightlifting exercise for my body.
It's been one year since I started this training.
The first phase was climbing on top of this hill dragging this log all the way to the top.
It took some effort but I completed it.
It took about 18 minutes to reach the top of the hill.
When I first started, it used to take me more than 90 minutes. So I could tell I progressed a lot in a year.
After I was done carrying the log on the top of the hill, I dragged it to where the source of the stream of water was. The source was near a big boulder on the top of the hill. The water gushed out of the cracks from the boulder and flowed down the hill.
I quickly removed my shirt and placed it on the side on top of one of the rocks there.
When I removed my shirt there was another pair of pouches strapped on my waist. The two pouches were made with the help of dried weeds tied together by yours truly. In both the pouches, there were five pockets each, stuffed with wooden sticks.
Actually, these wooden sticks were throwing knives also handcrafted by me.
I used the chipped flat stones as a blade and tied them to the sticks.
When I was just an infant I couldn't even wipe my own ass but now that I am 7 years old, I can do almost everything. But I am still quite weak compared to an adult human. Even normal adult humans who can't even use mana can easily pulverize me with their sheer strength.
Thankfully, I not only have my memories of my previous self but also have hundreds of years of battle experience as the Overlord. So it wouldn't be easy to kill me.
But I still need some offensive means to defend myself.
Hence I started making throwing knives.
However strong your opponent be, one good strike at the vitals with my throwing knives would be fatal.
There were also a few drawbacks:
-These knives were only good for a sneak attack, once the enemy raises their guard it will be difficult to hit their vitals.
-Not to mention the stone knives weren't as sharp as the actual iron knives, so if your enemy wore protective armor, these knives would be as good as useless.
-A limited number of knives I could carry in hand.
Anyway, I will be using these stone-throwing knives for the time being.
It's not like someone gonna target a 7-year-old kid… right?
After I checked my throwing knives were fully stacked, I was ready for the next phase of training. I pushed the log into the stream of the water and jumped on top of it.
I stuck one of my feet underneath the rope tied around the log to get a firm foothold.
After making a good balance both me and the log started drifting downhill following the stream.
The slope where the stream flowed downhill wasn't too steep but it wasn't easy to rafting through this stream. It took me about six months to just get used to maintaining balance on top of the log.
Today I have already mastered my balance while I can enjoy whitewater surfing.
The journey was wacky and once again my log hit several rocks while going downstream but I didn't fall off the log. We continued to go downwards and the speed of the stream also increased.
After noticing the area around me, I quickly took out two knives and held them firmly.
Just when two wooden planks placed on the rocks appeared on both sides of the stream.
I quickly threw the knives at the two planks, hitting perfectly at the dead center.
"Bullseye!" I cried out to myself rejoicing.
The happiness didn't last for long.
More wooden planks were popping at the sides of the banks when I went further. I took out another knife and aimed at these planks.
These planks were placed beforehand so that I could train my aiming skills.
The first 5 planks were easy targets and I managed to hit most of them dead center.
We soon had left the hill and already were inside the woods.
The stream of water was getting more and more fierce.
Right now I had already entered a river adjoining multiple streams.
Water erupted around me like a fierce beast.
My feet have tightly gripped the rope around the log so I wouldn't lose my foothold.
There was no time to waste, my targets soon approached.
The wooden planks were placed around the trees near the river banks.
I quickly took out my knives and aimed at those planks.
I barely managed to hit the plank.
But there was no time to think, I aimed at the other plank.
Although this time I missed by a hair's breadth.
Agitated, I quickly took out the rest of the knives.
The log took a lot of beatings from the rocks while drifting down the wild river. It was really hard to maintain balance while the log jerked around. I steadied my breathing and quickly aimed at the remaining planks.
Out of the 5 planks placed in the woods, I missed 2 plank targets and barely managed to hit the other 3.
Further ahead the river started to calm down and we drifted peacefully in the woods.
I stood on top of the log patiently waiting.
Soon a long vine hanging in the middle of the river came into view. The vine was tied to a branch of the tree that bends over the river.
I quickly caught the vine and started tying its end to the rope tied around the log.
Then I quickly got off the river and pulled the log with the help of the vine onto the land.
This was my docking area for my log.
The woods here were still just the outskirts of the main forest, so there were no wild animals here.
But soon I heard voices nearby.
I quickly jumped into the river and hid my presence.
The voice seemed to be coming from ahead. It seems there were people near the river bank.
I swam underwater so as not to be discovered by the people. After quickly reaching the riverbank, I hid near the grasses growing nearby to watch the commotion.
I already had some guesses about who this voice belonged to.
Soon I reached the area where the commotion was occurring.
There was 1 little girl surrounded by 3 boys.
The girl was about 6 years old and wore a frilly frock whose color seemed quite faded. She wasn't wearing any shoes, just barefoot. The girl was missing an arm.
With her only hand, she clutched a weird-looking doll tightly as if it was some kind of treasure. The doll looked horrendous and looked like a rotten mushroom gave a spooky vibe.
This girl is none other than Heather.
She was the girl that lived in my neighborhood and we both knew each other.
Heather, despite being surrounded by 3 boys she had a fierce look in her eyes as she glared at them.
The 3 boys also glared back at her fiercely.
The boy in the center was 7 years old, the same age as me.
But he was wearing some nice set of clothes giving off the stench of rich people.
The boy looked quite arrogant as he glared at Heather as if he saw something insignificant.
This boy was none other than Moses, the son of the chief of the Merrian town.
The two other boys standing beside Moses were his bodyguards armed with a wooden staff.
Both the boys looked about 11-12 years old, dressed in plain white clothes.
Seeing this scene I already started to get mild headaches.
Moses stepped forward,
"You crippled girl, dare to defy me. Do you think that just because you are disabled, I will turn a blind eye to your-"
"Fuck off!" Heather replied loudly while sticking out a tongue teasingly.
Listening to Heather's insult, Moses got angry.
"You foul-mouthed cripple! I had enough!" he turned his head to the bodyguards, "Grab that hideous doll and dispose of it at once."
Hearing Moses's commands, the two boys quickly marched towards Heather.
Heather tried to run but was backed to a corner as the two boys blocked both sides. There was nowhere to run and her back was against the river.
She tightly gripped her doll with her hands and then waving her other disabled arm at the boys,
"Back off! I would tell big brother Ben you are bullying me. If big brother Ben knows this, you'll die a death like a swine pig ~ Hey!~ Give back Pepe~"
The two boys snatched the ugly-looking doll from Heather forcefully.
The doll was named Pepe by Heather.
Just when the boy who had the doll in his hand was about to take the doll towards Moses, Heather quickly grabbed her doll and bit the boy's hand.
"Ah!" the boy screamed in pain but still didn't let go of his grip on the doll.
He became angry and shoved Heather back with full force.
Heather was pushed with full force and tumbled on the ground and fell on the muddy riverbank.
Her clothes were all stained with mud and some of them were even splashed on her face.
I was a bit startled because Heather fell just a few steps away from me.
Although she didn't notice me and quickly got on her feet and looked at the boys angrily.
She clenched her knuckles tightly and a few tears rolled down her face.
Moses just sneered as he enjoyed her reaction.
He patted the bodyguard that just shoved Heather into the mud, praising him.
The bodyguard also smiled back and thanked him.
Moses then threw the ugly doll onto the ground.
And then crushed it under his feet.
The doll soon started to disfigure and started to look just like a ball of squashed wool and dirt.
The bodyguards also jumped in and trampled the doll with their feet.
Heather sniffed angrily as she looked at her doll.
"You piece of shit! Your mother is a whore! Your father is just a pig! Your grandma is a bitch!..."
Soon Heather started cursing Moses and bodyguard entire ancestors. She cursed left and right, she yelled every vulgar word that ever existed in the dictionary.
I was also taken back by Heather's behavior.
I knew Heather despite being just a 6-year-old girl had a very foul mouth. But never had I imagined she could use such vulgar words to such an extent.
Moses was also shocked and angry hearing such curses.
"You crippled bitch!" he turned his head around his guards, "Stop gawking, beat her up until she could never ever spew such nonsense!"
The two boys swiftly marched towards Heather armed with the wooden staff.
The two boys despite being just 10 years old had the eyes of the killer as they charged to attack Heather.
Heather was shocked and took a few steps back seeing the two boys charge at her so fiercely.
Just when I suddenly stood up behind Heather.
I was covered with mud and dirt. On top of my head were river weed plants and my face was covered with their roots. There was long grass wrapped around both my arms.
I looked like some kind of river beast.
The two boys approaching Heather were startled and stopped midway.
They fell on their ass and their eyeballs popped out in horror as they saw me.
"Monster!" both the guards screamed simultaneously.
Even Moses who was standing behind lost his composure and his face turned pale.
"A… river monster!"
I glared at the boys menacingly and spread my arms threateningly,
"I am the spirit of Pepe. The doll, you brats just destroyed. And I am here back to take revenge." I screamed in a hoarse tone.
The boys were all scared shitless.
The rancid smell of urine polluted the air.
It was Moses who soiled his pants as he watched me terrifyingly.
The two boys were also scared out of their life as they ran away. Despite being scared, they didn't forget to carry their master away. They dragged Moses and ran away out of the woods. They didn't even care about Heather.
Soon my gaze fell on Heather but instead of being terrified of me.
She was looking at me with bright twinkling eyes.
"Pepe! You're really back!" she stretched her arms and hugged me.
The hell is wrong with this girl?
How come she wasn't terrified as I looked like a river beast while being covered with mud and weeds.
I didn't plan on making trouble with the town chief's son but I couldn't turn a blind eye towards Heather. She lived in my neighborhood and even often visited my home to play with me. She even called me Big brother, so how could I ignore her plea.
So I immersed myself in the mud and weeds to scare away the boys bullying Heather.
My plan worked without a hitch but never expected Heather to be scared of my appearance.
This girl was quite eccentric.
Heather lost one of her arms as an infant due to an accident. Her father was quite abusive and an alcoholic addict. She learned those vulgar words from her abusive father.
Because of her harsh upbringing, Heather was different from other children.
Other parents didn't allow their children to play with Heather because of her foul mouth. The other kids in the village also made fun of her disability. Hence she had no friends.
Meanwhile, I on the other hand had no friends either.
First thing, I was training and studying day and night, so I had no interest in making friends.
The second thing, no kids wanted to be my friend anyway.
The kids in my town were afraid of my house where I lived. The creepy masks and dolls hanging around my house gave a spooky vibe. There was even a rumor among the kids that this was a witch's house and I was some evil offspring.
Hence no kid wanted to befriend me anyway.
Hence Heather started coming to my home to play with me.
My parents were well informed about Heather's background so they would happily welcome her into my home whenever she came to hang out.
Heather's older sister was Martha, who used to babysit me when I was an infant. So my parents were well acquainted with Martha and her mother.
My parents were also worried that I had no friends, so they were quite happy Heather came to hang out with me.
Meanwhile, I just find Heather bothersome.
It's weird, she didn't creep out by the spooky relics around my house like other kids. Instead was a bit clingy to me and even called me a 'Big brother' without my permission.
"Hey! Your dress is stained with mud." I said as I pushed Heather away from me.
Heather was startled and looked at me,
"This voice… Big brother?"
"Yeah, it's me." I cleared the weeds on top of my head.
Soon wiped off the mud from my face.
Seeing my face, Heather's big eyes widened and sparkled even more dazzlingly,
"Big brother Ben! You… you were actually the spirit of Pepe?" she asked childishly.
My face twisted hearing this.
This girl had nuts for a brain or what?
"No silly girl. That was just a joke to scare off Moses and his lackey. Now get up and clean yourself in the river."
Saying so I once again dove back into the river and cleaned myself.
Heather joined me and washed away herself too.
Once we were all cleaned up, we carefully got out of the river.
I had already kept a spare set of clothes hidden in a tree nearby.
Today I wanted to go back to the hill to fetch my clothes but because of the commotion today, I won't be able to go and come back here.
This commotion would surely alert the village elders to scout the area.
Moses and his lackey mistook me for a monster, so I am pretty sure he would ask his father to do a thorough search to hunt that monster.
We must get away before they bring the rest of the villagers.
After getting dressed in the new set of clothes, I took Heather and left for our home.
Heather was drenched wet as she didn't have spare clothes like me. So I lend her my shirt that she wore on top of her wet clothes.
We both quickly took a different trail so that we won't get caught by other villagers.
I held Heather's wrist and dragged along hurrying back home.
This commotion is surely gonna alert everyone in the village.
I won't be able to practice here until this situation dies down.
"Big brother! What about Pepe! You should kick that brat's ass for me. He killed Pepe!" Heather said solemnly with a teary eye.
I can kick Moses and his lackey ass with ease but doing so would surely rise to more problems. The last thing I want is Heather dragging me along with this mess.
"Moses is already frightened enough. He shouldn't be going to trouble you for the time being. As for the doll, I will get you a new one."
Hearing this Heather's eyes shone brightly.
I turned my head forward hurrying our speed,
"Anyway, let's go home first. Also, keep what happened today a secret."
It was not long before we reached home.
There I had to explain to Heather's mother how we were drenched in water.
I made some excuses and told her we fell in the river while playing.
Heather's mother was a very kind person, she believed me and didn't question any further.
But my mother responded very differently.
She was not as kind as Heather's mother.
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