3 CH ~ 3#

Gotta say… killing the monster is easier than transporting it. At first some of the others thought about just cutting it up then and there. But that would only make it easier for bugs to get to meat and such. We ended up making a simple wooden sled that we could take turns pulling. Luckily there were some thin trees nearby that were flexible enough to bend but not break under the monster's weight. I ended up mostly walking alongside the others because they refused to let me help. Apparently they thought the thumb sized wound on my arm would make it harder for me to work. Granted they aren't wrong, but on the opposing side I could always use healing touch. Though my thoughts about the possible views of magic quickly came to mind and I pushed the idea of healing myself in public away.

Took us the rest of the day to get back to town. Luckily once we got back some of the locals helped in moving the beast. To say we were the talk of the town wasn't an exaggeration. Apparently some of the other hunting parties came back with their own catches though most of them came back with broken limbs or injured. Though I got injured, I couldn't say I won. When the reward was handed out the members of the party that joined me each received five gold coins. The town celebrated that night with a little party. The local lord allowed some of the hunters to keep one of the meat from the monsters they caught. He only wanted the furs of the monsters in question. Made me curious what was up with him though I honestly didn't worry too much about it.

I sat alone on the edge of a small stone wall outside of the party. The arm that had been gouged open was currently wrapped in a bandage almost like a cast. With a local medical concoction soaked were rags placed against the wound under the cast. I sat there smiling as I enjoyed the music and watching others cheer for the food. Have to say the monster meat tasted pretty good compared to its appearance. You'd expect the meat to be tough and chewy since it came from a more muscle focused animal. But the way the villagers prepared the meat made it soft. The flavor was the kicker, they placed some of the fruit from the trees before on top of the meat.

The open fire burnt away the juice of the meat while the juice from the fruit sank down. I might stay in this village if things keep going like this. Realistically speaking I probably would stay here. I mean if I think about it, I'm in a world that took most of what I've known and turned it around on its head. I'm alive up to this point because I went back to basics of survival. Monsters I've never heard of or seen before. Types of plants that seem alien to me. And fantasy races that most people dream about every night. I mean who hasn't thought of meeting a hot elf, boy or girl. Then there's the fact that how I came here is a complete X factor and unknown. If there are gods in play then what can a simple human offer them? Besides if gods are a thing in this world it's a fifty fifty shot that they're either good or evil. Or downright crazy and should be avoided at all costs.

I was soon pulled from my thoughts when I noticed someone sitting next to me out of my peripheral vision. Looking over I saw it was the female hunter I spoke with before the trip. She held out a small cup for me with a smile. I took it and took a small sip before placing it down on the wall beside me. I then felt something tap against my leg. When I looked over I saw it was a coon pouch. It then struck me as the deal we made in the beginning. I did say I would take her share of the reward.

"Go on… you proved me wrong." She said before taking a shot of her own drink.

I reached into the bag with my good arm and pulled out one gold coin. I looked it over before turning to look at her. I held the single coin up between my fingers.

"There… we're right now." I said before slipping the coin back into my pouch.

She gave me a surprised and questioning look. Before she said anything else I told her my method of thought.

"It sure sucks to be bad at counting… After all, it makes it so hard to keep track of my coin." I said the last part as I leaned forward, faking a frustrated tone of voice.

The female huntress laughed at my antics before taking the coin pouch back.

"Tell me… where did you learn that crazy hunting method?" She asked, seeming curious.

I stayed silent for a moment as I thought. Not knowing the history of this world makes it hard to come up with a cover story.

"Learned it from my family… Granddad would always teach me whatever he could. Heck if we had time I would have liked to build a pitfall trap. But we were a bit pressed for time. And looking at that monster now. It would have taken too long." I said trying to push some of the attention off of me and to the monster.

My eyes drifted around the town before looking back at the huntress. Who seemed to be focused on the town as well as me.

"I just wanted to thank you… after all these kinds of nights are all but fantasy now for this place." She said as she looked out, seeming lost.

"You grew up here?" I was a little curious.

"Born and raised… though… the way things are going I'll be leaving soon." She said she took the last sip of her drink.

"What about you? Are you planning on staying or leaving?" She asked as she turned to look at me.

"If you want my honest answer I'm thinking of staying a little bit. Though you never know what's going to be thrown at you." I said as I looked up at the sky.

"The gods are fickle." She said with a chuckle.

"Maybe they have bigger plans for you than you think." She said before standing up.

"I'll make sure to keep that in mind. Though I won't hold my breath. After all, why should they get all the fun?" I said with a bit of laughter myself.

The female hunter ended up leaving a short month later which was both good and bad to me. Mostly because it meant I lost a potential friend. But gave me more income when it came to hunting. The following days after the celebration were interesting. Some of the other hunters asked for small tips or tricks that I had. I mostly told them about simple hunting traps such as dead fall, pit, and snares. I only know enough to survive; I guess the element of magic in this world seemed to slow development or at least changed what's considered development here. The buildings were mostly wooden frames with stone bases like early medieval structures.

I also learned a bit from the hunters and locals about the surrounding areas. Turns out this town was in what I guess is the boonies of the country. Mostly because it was a few days' travel to the next city. And we were stuck in a large valley between a few mountain ranges that span South West; when looked at on a map it would appear like a long snake that had been cut apart in a few places. Seeing a map of the surrounding land was interesting; I talked with a few trades men that passed by every now and again. Turns out they came to this area to try and gather some monster materials. Bones used for creating weapons, blood used for rituals, and hides that were luxury goods to decorate homes. I might be sounding like a broken record here but running through the information a few times helps one remember things.

That was an unesserally hard lesson I could have learned in school but chose not to. I think the main reason for that was because repeating a task over and over again became boring quickly. It wasn't until much later that I learned that if you do the processes but change it up every now and again slightly, that it keeps one's attention. And now I'm rambling; sorry… getting back on track I did learn something else, turns out after a certain period of time the magic I used to heal myself came back. I didn't heal myself from the Areus Porcus at first mostly because I didn't want to show my hand. When I was alone in my room late at night I did heal it; but this is also when I learned that the current healing spell I have doesn't fully work on larger wounds.

It took two of the Healing Touches to at least fill in the large gash the monster's tusk had caused. There would still be scaring but at least I could operate my arm properly. I still had to pretend that my arm was busted though for a while. Which in itself wasn't all that bad; I mostly got put on lookout duty when it was my time for guard work. You just need to have good eyes for that job. On a lighter note it allowed me to hang out with the townsfolk more and learn more about them. Most of the people here seemed rather simple both personality wise and life wise. Which I honestly like; after all, back in my old world I couldn't tell you the head aches from paperwork, laws, and regulations I had to stay on top of just so I could do my job. But then again the constant need to stay up to date might be helping me survive here.

Late one night as I laid in bed I couldn't sleep and mostly just tried to calm my mind. I didn't want this and yet it happened to me. I know I should be feeling something more but I just don't for some reason. I want to feel angry at whoever or whatever forced me here. I want to feel sad because the chances of me getting to see my family again grows smaller and smaller the longer I'm here. I want to feel afraid of losing my memories of who I was; yet even as these thoughts plagued my mind all I feel is a strange peace that seems to fix me to this exact moment in time.