章節 7: The Village
Even if Beta was afraid of adults, he was curious about the outsider's circumstances. He tailed the hunters at a safe distance where he could only barely see them. He followed them until they reached another hunting ground. Beta observed them carefully. How they hunt, their language and even how they move and what they eat. He was able to confirm that the hunters are only mediocre and not strong.
Beta didn't only train in hand-to-hand combat, he also trained with several weapons, just like the bow these hunters were using. After Beta had that battle against the girl, he trained with every weapon that was available in the combat room and his parents' collection. Even though his parents were intellectuals, they seem to have a lot of interest when it comes to hoarding weapons, may it be from the old era or the newest model of advance weaponry. Understanding the weapon not only gives the person wielding it a better firepower but it also gives a better defense. Basically, if you know how to handle a weapon, you also know how to defend against it. This knowledge proved useful many times in the merciless arena he fought in.
After training with his brother for many years, he became proficient in using hundreds of weapons. That's why he clearly understood that these hunters are only at a beginner level. He still didn't get complacent and dared to get close to them though. Beta learned to never underestimate an opponent. That they aren't good at using bows doesn't necessarily mean that they can't use any other weapons or hand-to-hand combat. He still kept a safe distance, not underestimating their perception either. Not to mention that he was almost naked, just one hit will surely blow him away and injured. He only got one life to live without his parents' technology so a lot of precaution is needed.
After several hours of stalking, he realized that the hunters wouldn't stop hunting anytime soon. In the end, he had no choice other than to go back home before it gets dark. On his way, he dug up some herbs he spotted with a big smile and plucked some berries. When he finally arrived home, he put away the herbs and started the fire to roast what's left of the boar. He couldn't possibly preserve all that meat without a fridge after all. But what he was able to do is to marinade them in the herbs he plucked before roasting them. The herbs don't taste particularly good, but it helps preserving the meat a bit longer. After eating dinner, he slept soundly on the, now with dried grass and leaves, improved bed.
Days passed by, Beta strived hard to get by in the ruins, hunting and foraging only when necessary. The tailing he did when the hunters showed up was futile so he gave up on that for the time being and focused on what he can handle for now. It has already been a week, Beta didn't go too far off the ruins again. Instead, he used that time to expand his hunting area and recover. He now had laid out traps all around the water sources around him and he was surprised to find out just how many there were. Many craters filled this area, some were small like a washbasin and some were as big as a lake. There was also a giant lake to the east of him, but he didn't dare to go near it yet because he saw several bones lying around in that area.
Other than boars, he also caught rabbits and something similar to a weasel. Beta skillfully skinned all of the animals and turned their hide into leather. he has finally equipped himself with a leather armor. His bed now had a different look too. It was made of fluffy white rabbit fur. "Now that I have a stable life and a mostly recovered body, it's time to look for the hunters homeplace again. But it's too far away to travel there every day. I'll first create a temporary base which is closer to it.", Beta mused in his mind. He then started exploring the area he has been to before and after a few days he found a cave. It was inhabited by boars, but Beta quickly took care of them by placing traps at the front and luring them out. One of them broke free which he simply finished off with his spear. Beta then aired the cave as he replicated the arrangement of his home on that spot.
It was a rather deep cave with an underground river inside so he didn't even need to go back for water. Since the cave was too deep it was also very dark inside. So, he also made a few makeshift torches and lit them whenever needed. Fortunately, a few days ago, he found fire stones next to a small lake which made that process much easier. Further inside the cave, he was again attacked by hiding boar strugglers, but he was already prepared for it and killed them, leaving only a scratch on him. Now that everything was prepared, Beta started searching for the hunters' dwelling. It took him two weeks to finally track down the hunters' footprints. Beta was especially careful when he found them and slowly started following the tracks left behind. Every ten steps or so he scanned his surroundings like a vigilant deer, before continuing his search further. Suddenly, his ears perked up and he immediately scurried away like a weasel, hiding in a nearby bush.
"Hey, Valsa! Are you sure you saw someone here? We are in the depths of the forest!"
"I'm not sure… I only saw a shadow."
As Beta listened to them, he inspected the man whose name appears to be Valsa. He was a scrawny man with a slightly crooked nose, but what was the most outstanding were his sharp, eagle like eyes. The other man is a small, slightly plump man whose age is similar to the hunters before. Beta held his breath and didn't dare to move.
"Come on Valsa, you probably just saw a bird or something.", said the small man while rolling his eyes.
Valsa sneered at the plump man but didn't say anything. He simply nodded and walked into another direction. Beta finally released his breath and felt the cold sweat on his back. "That was too close! If that small man wasn't that stupid they might have discovered me!", Beta thought while frowning. He went back for now and only came back two days later. His leather armor now was colored a deep green which almost made him invisible in the thick forest. This time he also distanced himself from the path and only walked into the direction the men from a few days ago came from. Beta held his head low the whole time, he didn't want a situation like last time where he almost got discovered again.
When he was about to go home, he suddenly stopped in his steps. Not because he heard someone, but because he saw something. He saw dark smoke rising from a place that wasn't too far away from his location. He was delighted, but he didn't foolishly rush there. He still proceeded vigilantly, making sure that no one can see him. Shortly after, he saw some rooftops which confirmed his guess. As Beta got closer to the place, he was able to take its appearance in completely, widening his eyes. He had never seen something as grand as this. The picture books he saw before, couldn't compare to the feeling he currently has now.
It was a village surrounded by fields. There were several men and women in the fields, plucking out weeds. The houses are mostly made of stone but he spotted a few wooden houses too. Three of them released a thick smoke through their chimneys. The whole village consists of around 40 to 60 houses. "I finally found it! But there sure are a lot of people... I estimate at least 240 residents, but there might be more... This is so much different from my old home! I'll just observe and study this village for now.", Beta said while grabbing his chin with his right hand.
Beta went back to his second base to settle and plan for his trip the next day. This time, he came back to survey further, looking at the village from several other angles, studying the villager's movements, and observed anything that seemed alien to him, to discover more that will be helpful for him in the future integration. He eavesdropped and found out that a carriage would arrive every two weeks to sell wares to the villagers. He also found fields with cattle like cows and pigs.
After a full week of observation, he sincerely learned a lot. "They have no arena and the fights rarely result in the death of one party. It seems that this place looks harmless but I still can't let my guard down though. I have seen quite a few kids and old men on the streets that have significantly worse clothes than the others and are prohibited from entering certain areas. Maybe those are their test-subjects. Some of them look like they are close to death so it definitely is a possibility. I must be careful!"
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