Underground

"Both of you are dismissed, the guest will be safe in my hands," Erina said looking coldly at the two guards covered in bone armor. Both men in charge of guarding the security in the healing area did not dare to go against the words of a future huntress.

Each guard raised a dark metal spear, and after bowing they left the place in complete silence.

As a silent bystander, Rou was thinking what would happen to him now that another woman was in charge of taking care of him. Although Rou didn't know Latisha, at least from her he felt more warmth, unlike Erina who started walking around the room without making a sound.

"Looks like she'll keep her word," Rou thought as the day slowly progressed, receiving every so often a bitter elixir that Erina gave her to drink.

"Aren't you curious about me?", Rou asked feeling his body had a little more strength.

Erina looked towards the torch at the entrance of the room before answering.

"What makes you think that, maybe you eavesdropped on the conversation I had with my friends," Erina said in an accusing tone holding her hips.

"I can't move from this place, besides you guys didn't keep your voices down like the others," Rou thought, but he couldn't say that to his new caretaker. "I didn't do it on purpose, my mind was fuzzy and I still don't know where I am," Rou pretended to cough.

"So that's it...never mind then. Gali, that's the name of the place where you are, and the place where I was born," Erina took a pause before continuing. "Looks like your throat is much better, you're pretty tough for a man," Erina said smiling complacently.

"Is it a bad thing to be a man," Rou wondered in thought.

"My name is Erina, I am a future hunter from Gali's village, what is your guest name, or would you prefer me to call you a traveler," Erina rested one of her hands on Rou's body, watching that the wounds on his body were healing.

"I have several names, but you can call me Rou," Rou said quietly as he sensed movement at the entrance to the room.

"Your perception is quite high, perhaps that was one of the reasons you were able to survive for so long on the outside," Erina said returning her gaze to the entrance of the room.

"I've been wondering for a while now, what do you mean by outside," Rou asked.

Erina didn't answer, instead, Gine entered the mud room, followed by two women with a black veil on their faces.

"Congratulations Erina, it looks like your body has advanced again after this last hunt," said Gine approaching Rou.

"Thank you master, if it wasn't for your protection I would never have made it."

"You flatter me, I am just an old woman with a little more experience, together with your friends you will soon be on my level and we will all fight on the outer front to take care of our families," Gine sat down next to Rou. "So your name is Rou, welcome to my home Rou," Gine said smiling broadly.

" Master, it seems that he doesn't know anything about our situation," Erina said.

"Is that so?" asked Gine.

Rou nodded without uttering a word.

"You must not be afraid of me, since you came to my home we will not harm you...Of course, as long as you do your part," Gine pointed to the two women at her side. "You two, begin the healing," she ordered.

Erina stepped back as both women approached Rou from the sides.

Both women held a dagger in their hands, which they raised in the air as if they were twins and after uttering a few words buried it in Rou's hands.

Rou bit his lips as he felt the pain in his body, still he didn't dare to scream.

"It might be a little painful, so, endure the pain and it will all pass, Rou," Gine watched the dark liquid that came out along with Rou's blood.

One of the women who had her face covered, took out a glass vial and stored the dark liquid next to Rou's blood.

Although Rou felt his strength being drained by his wounds, he slowly began to feel his body getting stronger, slowly recovering to his previous state.

Both women withdrew after covering Rou's hands with a bandage, which were healed by a strange green glow coming from her hands.

"Erina, that should do it. I still have things to do, if the guest, I mean Rou, has questions, I hope you can help him," Gine called to the two women and walked towards the entrance. "See you later."

"Yes master," Erina lowered her face in a bow as Gine disappeared behind the door.

"She's gone now, I can't feel her presence near us," Rou said waving his hands in disbelief that the pain was gone. "How is it possible that my hands are healed?" asked Rou.

"I answered one of your questions earlier, I think it's only fair that you answer one of my questions before we continue."

"Your master had said otherwise just a moment ago, but never mind, if you want to play, I'll play along, but I must warn you that I don't know much, so if I can't answer one of your questions, I hope you can understand," said Rou.

"How old are you this year, you look to be my age even with that bulky body of yours?", asked Erina replacing the blindfold over Rou's eyes. "You'll be able to open your eyes soon, please don't do that until I'm done asking," she added pinching one of Rou's arms.

"I don't know what years we're in, but I think my age must be 18," Rou said pretending his arm didn't hurt.

Erina's eyes widened as she heard Rou's words, no man her age could survive for several hours like Rou did after being attacked by a bone eater.

"Now my question from before, why are you talking about the outside, where are we exactly," Rou asked.

"Don't think because I'm a little younger than you you can take advantage of me, that's two questions, I'll only answer one of them," Erina said pulling a leather scroll from a table near Rou. "We are in the year 499 after the end, if you ask me who names the years like that, I don't know either, I only learned it from my grandmother before she died," Erina lowered her voice.

"Gali's village is underground, as are all the nearby villages that are still standing."

"That must be why I didn't see a single person the entire way," Rou said.

"Underground we have an extensive network of tunnels connecting most of the nearby villages, but even so, every so often we must go outside, that is, to the surface to conduct the hunt, otherwise we would have disappeared long ago."

Rou recalled the colossal shadows that ravaged the surface in just a few hours, at no time did it cross his mind to fight one of those creatures capable of devouring hundreds of people in one bite.

"In the last hunt, a group of huntresses followed the offspring of an earth king, finding you under a rock next to your little pets that did not dare to separate from you, those were the words I received from another huntress."

"That's right, where are the little tigers," Rou said remembering Tsuki.

"Tigers, what thing is a tiger?", Erina asked positioning her index finger under her lips.

"You seem to call them earth kings, but where I come from we call them tigers. Near where I lived, there was a nature reserve where there were hundreds of them protected so they wouldn't disappear."

Erina didn't say a word, trying to understand Rou's words.

"The earth kings, or tigers, as you call them, are protected at Master Gine's house, when you are recovered you can go to her and ask for your pets."

"That's good," although Rou had only been with the tiger cubs for a short time, they took him as one of their family and helped him in the strange wilderness where he had appeared, if it wasn't for their warnings, right now Rou would be charred on the ground next to the thousands of corpses on the ground.

"Your wounds were healed by two huntresses who possess the healing skill, if you want to know more about that you should ask Master Gine or one of them, I don't know much about that either," Erina said in a low voice.

"Ability, what is this girl talking about," thought Rou not believing the words he heard from Erina. "This ability you speak of, are there other people who possess something similar," Rou asked.

The captain's words came back to Rou's mind, the ice shard had a magical power inside it, that would partly explain the strange situation he was in. Still, that wasn't enough, as someone who lived in a world of concrete and large skyscrapers, talking about magic was almost like accepting that he had gone mad, but the proof was in his hands.

Rou clearly felt two sharp weapons pierce the palms of his hands, opening a large wound, where the poison inside him seemed to have been drained. But now there was no trace of the wound and his body even seemed to be stronger than before.

"All the slayers in the villages possess a skill, some possess more than one, like master Gine, she has 4 skills that she obtained after several years," Erina said with a glint in her eyes, longing to be like her master in the future.

"Slayers, you always mention them, what about men," Rou asked.

"So you don't know anything," Erina said before walking to the entrance of the room. "If so, I think it's time to act," Erina put the lock on the entrance, and with a wave of her hands turned off the only torch in the room, plunging everything into darkness.