Chapter 4 - Old Man [2]

Bundy set up a vine net, standing weaved across a bunch of tall sticks, up to our waist height. From a little pouch in his robe, he took out a slingshot.

"Watch this Siris boy, this is how ya do it." He said, aiming at a large peach hanging twenty meters above in a dense canopy.

"If it falls away from the net, be ready ta catch it." he muttered.

"Wait wai-" Bundy released the band of his slingshot, miraculously the pebble flew through the layers of leaves hitting the loose stem where it hung from, bringing the fruit down.

I gripped my rifle in my armpit, just in case I needed to go catch it. I gauged the fruit's descent, it should fall straight down into the net, looks like I don't need to get involved. That fruit looks heavy enough to kill someone from that height if I'm being honest.

"Hoho, that's how ya do it, remember this lesson." the old man sung.

The net collapsed on itself catching it. Running over, I helped Bundy unpack the wreckage, we retrieved the fruit, it was undamaged albeit slightly dirtied, the old man smacked his lips.

"Here hava bite."

"No, no. You first." In the past day and a half of travelling, I haven't seen the old man eat a bite of anything but the occasional bug. Either he was used to it and fasting was a regular practice, or there was a food shortage. The old man didn't seem to pack anything else except that slingshot in his pouch.

Old man Bundy gave me a smile, taking a large bite out of one side. I heard the squelch of fruit flesh and juices. He seemed to like it, wearing a smile as he chewed. After taking a bite, he nudged me with the fruit. The flesh melted in my mouth, I savoured the creamy sweetness and candy like taste.

"Good right?" Bundy asked.

My mouth was full so I nodded in agreement. In the future, I'll shoot these down away from Bundy's village maybe, don't want to attract direwolves in broad daylight. I have my suppressor packed away.

Unaware of my thoughts, we continued our travels while finishing the peach. The pits were large, taking up a third of the fruit. Old man Bundy told me to throw those away under a patch a bit farther away from the other trees, if the right conditions are met, they'll grow tall and mighty like the other trees in four decades or so. One of the many things he taught me these past two days including how to find a nice ditch to spend the night, climbing the high wood trees, dire wolf evasion, about the local flora and fauna.

We stopped by a cavern, a small alcove carved into the rock of the foot of a hill, an incomparably tall hill compared to every other one I've encountered so far. It opened up a spot sheltered from most hazards, wind, rain, the night's cold and rolling stones from overhead. Unfortunately, not wolves but in the back I could see a small crack in the earth, large enough for a big man to fit through and nothing more, that could be where the treasure was hidden.

I could take this opportunity to rest. With a pair of bull hide I brought along, I gave one to old man Bundy as we sat and talked.

"Ya see Siris boy. This treasure here 's somethin' special, nothin' really valuable. Just an old man's lost item, I used to play around 'ere as a kid. With a girl named Daphne and ar best mate, we called 'im Ironfoot. For one day he stubbed 'is foot againsa high wood while playin' tag. One day he came back years later. Outta thin air! all bloodied and beaten, witout a word. He went in this here cave, never to come back out."

Old man Bundy wore a mixed expression, betraying guilt behind a veil of memories. At some point, I realised he might just be leading me on a wild goose chase, this treasure could even be an old boot. I was barely expecting much but let it be.

After spending time with him these past few days. I started thinking it was just an old man's last play, a harmless prank reminiscent of youthful times.

"Shal' we go then now." Bundy raised himself up.

"Let's go."

I followed him through the gap. Submerged in darkness, navigated by the feeling of my hand and the barrel of my rifle. I retrieved a torch form my waist belt and attached it to the rifle.

"Oh, that's a neat thing." Bundy said.

The darkness parted where my torch shone, revealing untouched rock and packed earth, little roots hung from the ceiling. Surprisingly, a short walk away, we entered an adjacent room. In the middle was a mound of earth, that looked eerily like a coffin. Old man Bundy walked up to the mound and began digging the the top half.

"Siris, help me dig." he waved his staff, he was digging using a single hand.

"Ah, are you sure?" I asked, something about this didn't sit well with me. He didn't say anything and we dug in silence. Eventually, we dug deep enough until dirt-filled eye sockets stared back, a cracked white skull, seeming like it's been pieced together over and over before, I was afraid a single touch might break it.

Bundy paused looking at the skeleton.

"Siris dig up where the chest should be." he said.

I continued digging, uncovering the ribcage. Shockingly, the ribcage was completely hollow, no dirt fell through gaps, in the centre was a murky white pearl, the size of a balled fist. Bundy gasped and tried reaching his hand in to get it, but it cold not pass inside no matter how much he tried, a barrier blocked him.

My eyes widened at the absurdity. Magic, for the first time since coming to this world, I found magic.

"Oh my, it's still like this..." I heard him sigh, Bundy seemed disappointed. "Siris. Can ya try gettin it."

You never know until you try. I dipped my hand under the ribcage, expecting an invisible force to push back. Nothing stopped me, my hand smoothly went under and in and grabbed the pearl, I pulled it out.

"What 's wrong?"

While holding the pearl, I stood frozen as a chilling pain shot up my arm. The pearl was slowly sinking into my palm.

"You alright boy?"

"No. The thing- it's going into my hand." I said through gritted teeth, the pain was unbearable.

"What ar' ya talkin' about? It's gone nowhere. Quit actin' like a fool and give it here." Buddy's murky eyes turned sharp and stared at me in apprehension, he put a hand out. Meeting my gaze then back at my hand again, his eyes widened.

"it's gone!"

"That's what I've been trying to say" I tested my hand. Now that the pearl disappeared, my arm was free again.

"What have you done? Where did it go?" His face looked like a volcano ray to erupt. He grabbed me by my collar.

"Hey, stop. I don't know, it just happened." I pushed him back, something felt really really off right now. Old man Bundy exuded a gut dropping pressure, I felt like a lamb amid a coming slaughter. My instincts screamed in my head to run away. I gripped my rifle, surely aiming into his chest. Bundy screeched, a guttural noise, animalistic, while stumbling in my face.

"Stop!" I shot to his side, the bullet collapsed the dirt coffin. Bundy leapt to the back, shrouding himself beyond the light of my torch. Tens of shapes expanded behind him in the shifting darkness. Cane tossed to the side, he postured on both legs, as his if he never needed it.

I inched my back to the exit, suddenly the pressure ceased. Bundy returned to the old man I knew before. His cane somehow back in hand, I was dumbfounded.

"Siris, let's make amends. Put ya scary weapon down. There's no need for this." He croaked.

I continue backing to the exit, then turning around. I sprinted out the cave. He erupted, horrendous screeches scraped my eardrums as I ran for the high-wood forest. I barely escaped the encroaching feeling that grazed my back. I stopped at the nearest clearing, nine-times out of ten sunlight was the best deterrent for dark creatures.

I opened my goggles to rub my eyes. Whatever he was, I knew I needed to kill him. Crouching behind a bush. My finger rested on the trigger as I focused for any movement from the cave.

BANG-

Wraaaaaaaaa-

"Fucking demon." I breathed, chambering another bullet. The monster that was old man Bundy laid writhing by the cave entrance, dragging it's sorry self across the dirt, bleeding all the way. A horned humanoid figure wrapped in growing black tentacles. It was hard to believe all the humanity I experienced recently came from this gross mass.

Awoooo-

I glanced away briefly, when I came back to my scope, Bundy was gone. Chills ran down my spine, he as still around somewhere, hiding to ambush me. It was time to boook it.

_________

"Do you hear that?" Alita asked, a hand to her ear.

"Yea, it sounded like a gunshot." Atin remarked. "Where do you think it came from?"

"To the North, far out in the frontier." she replied.

For the first time ever, humanity has found other intelligent life. Could be a species similar to themselves too. Judging form the traces they tracked all the way up to now. They even found the remains of a campfire along the way, together with a broken machete. Saphir sealed the machete in a vacuum bag, to send to the labs for forensic reading at a later point.

Dorn agreed with Atin , nodding. It very much sounded like a gunshot.

To his awareness, this. was Federation Of Terra's third new world. One other was a desert, the other an extreme environment occupied by terrible magical beasts. Across them all, never before have they encountered another civilisation, so it made for quite an appealing alternative should one day. If their home world Terra, did fall to the demons someday in the future. Humanity could always retreat to these alternate Terra like planets. If the planet they tried to inhabit already had inhabitants, it could be problematic.

Dorn just hoped that the people back at HQ had a clear enough mind when it came to this. Otherwise, he just hoped things don't come to the worst.

"Dorn. HQ just came back, they're telling us to continue pursuing the target. Note: Be diplomatic about it." Saphir said, she was annoyed by the message.

Dorn grumbled.'Be diplomatic...' those bastards sure need to look in a mirror one of these days. They should be the last ones telling him to be diplomatic.

"Send an affirmitive."