Primitive Man

"It's gone... it must be gone," she whispered to herself, a fragile glimmer of relief colouring her voice, as the sounds in the background started to vanish, as if everything was peaceful.

With cautious optimism, Yenya took a step forward, peering cautiously from behind the rock formations that shielded her from view. The village stood eerily silent, the aftermath of the chaos. The dense forest seemed to reclaim its calm, and for a moment, Yenya believed the danger had passed and was ready to ask her people to come out from their hiding.

But then, a spine-chilling realization crept over her. The silence was too profound, the air too still. An unsettling feeling clawed at the back of her mind.

"What is this feeling? Why do I feel like I'm being watched?"

She took another peek, her eyes widening in horror. At the entrance of the cave, a massive eye stared back at her, reflecting the fear that gripped her soul. The world seemed to stop as Yenya and the colossal eye locked in a silent, petrifying gaze.

A deafening growl shattered the silence, sending shivers down Yenya's spine. Panic surged once again, and she stumbled backwards, her mind racing. The creature, far from leaving, was now focused on the cave, and the ground quivered under the weight of its monstrous presence.

*Boom *Boom

The walls of the cave started to shake uncontrollably, revealing the damage and power that a giant animal could possibly inflict on a rock formation of this size.

"We're not safe here!" Yenya shouted, her voice carrying a mixture of urgency and despair. "Get deeper into the caves, now!"

The villagers scrambled further into the depths of the caverns as Yenya, her heart pounding, watched the colossal eye retreat. The creature unleashed another thunderous growl, and the village buildings crumbled under its immense power.

"Nooo! Nooo! Please don't destroy them, we worked hard to build them," Yenya wanted to shout and cry, but she knew as a leader she had to stay strong for her people.

Yenya's eyes followed the destructive path, her expression somber. "We need to find a way to protect ourselves from this beast," she muttered, a sense of responsibility settling on her shoulders.

As the creature lumbered away, disappearing into the forest, Yenya sighed, her eyes returning to her people. Fear and uncertainty lingered in the air, and she knew that they had faced only the beginning of a grave threat.

She made a quick decision, her mind racing. "We must inform Garnt about this immediately. He needs to know what we're up against." Yenya turned to one of the villagers, a swift messenger who knew the forest paths well.

"Go to Garnt, tell him a colossal creature attacked the village. We need his guidance and assistance," she ordered, a mixture of determination and concern in her eyes.

As the messenger dashed off into the shadows of the forest, Yenya returned her attention to her people.

"Damn it! Everything we worked hard to build, that damn animal destroyed it all. If I had the power, I would remove scale by scale for what it did to us," Yenya muttered. She obviously knew it was just wishful thinking; after all, even their respected and talented patriarch couldn't face that giant animal. How could she possibly do that?

***

Garnt observed the playful antics of Maro, his loyal wolf companion, and the newest addition to the village—a small dinosaur baby that had found its home among the villagers. He obviously knew this baby dinosaur considered Maro as its mother and he didn't know whether it would be a good or bad thing for them.

[They are cute, but-]

Eva had her own doubts about this, but before she could speak Garnt decided to leave his stance on this matter.

"I think this is fine, Eva. We are taking a risk, but at the same time, we are mitigating a potential future danger. If I were to doubt my decisions, I would regret my life. Thus, I want to be confident about them, even if they turn out to be wrong in the future."

[So what are you going to name this one? It's better to use a name so it will become loyal to you.]

"Hmmm~ let's see, this child thinks Maro is its mother, so I want the name to be somewhat similar to Maro, but also I want to include my own name. So let's just name it Garo."

[That's a good name, I guess this little one will be Garo from now on then.]

Maro, with his gentle demeanour, frolicked around the little creature, creating an unexpected bond between the wolf and the tiny dinosaur. Their playful interactions served as a stark contrast to the news that was about to reach Garnt's ears.

As Garnt watched, a swift messenger burst into the clearing, eyes wide with urgency. Unami and Rona also followed him showing things were not as simple as he thought in the beginning.

"Patriarch! Patriarch! Terrible news from the hot spring village!" the messenger gasped, catching his breath.

Garnt's brow furrowed in concern. "What happened? Speak quickly. Did something happen to Yenya?"

He feared that Amel might have done something to the village, but hearing the messenger's next words, he almost felt like he was witnessing a death threat.

The messenger recounted the tale of Yenya's village, the fleeting relief, the monstrous eye, and the destructive force that had befallen the once serene settlement. Garnt's eyes darkened as he absorbed the gravity of the situation.

"Damn it! So it appeared again, I thought we would have more time, but I guess I was wrong." Garnt muttered, his gaze distant as he contemplated the impending danger.

Meanwhile, Maro continued to play with the little dinosaur, unaware of the unfolding crisis. Garnt's expression shifted between the innocence before him and the devastation in his mind.

"We cannot allow this creature to wreak havoc on our lands," Garnt declared, a steely resolve settling into his features. "Is everyone okay in the hotspring village?"

Rona was eager to hear about the casualties, because she knew Yenya was her best student and she couldn't help but be worried about her safety.

"Luckily, our leader led us into a cave before this disaster, and it really saved all our lives, but all the buildings and new walls we created were destroyed."

Garnt knew it took them a lot of time and effort to build all of these things, and he almost felt bad about this situation, so he knew he had to personally go and help these people and also make sure that dinosaur won't attack again. He had to find a solution to stop this monster.

"Garnt, I will go and help them to rebuild things, since you have Guni to take care of, you should stay here." Rona tried to stop him because she knew Ayra and Guni needed him, but Garnt wasn't feeling it.

"No! I need to see this. I need to make sure everything is safe for my people, as well as my daughter. If I didn't go there because of my daughter, I wouldn't be a good father because I would ignore her safety."

He looked at Maro and Garo duo playing and thought about some possibilities, but he didn't want to be vocal about them, at least right now.

"Rona, stay here and make sure nothing dangerous happens. I will take Mother and Unami with me. Some of them might need some medical help after what they witnessed,"

Leaving those words with Rona, Garnt left and got ready to visit the hot spring village with so many dried foods and emergency supplies, knowing that it would be impossible for them to buy these things. He also sent a letter to Baktou, asking him to be careful, but throughout his journey, Garnt was thinking about how he could possibly kill a gigantic and strong animal like a dinosaur.

[Any animal has a weak point. You should probably go for the leg or eye with arrows. There is a better option to fight these things, but I can't reveal it since the system won't allow me to do that because I think it will be a blueprint that you have to earn.]

"I guess, I will have to work for it then. I want the best option so there will be no casualties in future."

After hours of travelling, Garnt arrived at the hot spring village with a heavy heart. The once serene and flourishing place now lay in ruins, with debris scattered everywhere. The air was filled with a palpable sense of despair, but Garnt knew he had to be a pillar of strength for his people.

As he walked through the devastated village, he noticed Yenya, the leader of the hot spring village, standing amid the wreckage. She looked like she was having the worst day of her life on the verge of crying, and as soon as she noticed Garnt, she started to run in his direction.

"Poor girl! Garnt, make sure you support her. I can't bear to see her like this," Gundo added, as she also personally knew Yenya.