《FLESH: Distorted Soul》 Prologue (CH:0) Hunger, every being feels some form of it. Whether the living or the dead, the hunger persists. Whether hunger for food or the flesh, power, energy or something else entirely, all beings are plagued and blessed by it. Hunger is what drives us to live...to survive¡­¡­... whether you want to or not. Some find it a gift, others a curse. Like how light casts a shadow, hunger is a pain, a discomfort you wish to be rid of, but it is that pain which makes the first bite of your meal so satisfying, blissful. That, of course, is only if you can satisfy it, your hunger, your urge. Those who cannot wallow in that despair without respite; tortured by the very urges that wish to prolong life. Stolen story; please report. To Hunger is to suffer To Hunger is to Live To Hunger is to Die To Hunger is to Kill My life ¡­¡­.all my lives, have more than most revolved around this urge. I am cursed by it, plagued by a savageness, my hunger ever-increasing¡­... but it is also this curse which helped me survive, and live how I choose. Many would give all they have for what I have gained. I don¡¯t know if I should be grateful? But these thoughts are redundant, unnecessary. I am as I am, and this Hunger is me. The base of my soul, my existence, can never change.. ¡­..believe me i¡¯ve tried. Ch:1 Hunger Woman Pov: I¡¯ve been wondering for days, maybe weeks searching for food. Slowly watching my body dry up, becoming sickly and thin... so thin. My body is eating itself, depriving me of my human form. I have become a skeleton wearing human skin, disgusting. ¡°Waaahahhhhaaaaaa¡± the cry of a baby wakes me from my depressing thoughts into a more depressing reality. ¡°Sssshut up¡± I hiss at the child. This little parasite feeds off me, sucking out what''s left of me. I hate it, this selfish little demon attached to my bosom¡­..When did i start to think this way? Cursing at my own child, yes this thing looking up at me is mine. A baby i''m supposed to love and take care of, and believe me i tried¡­.(Sob)..i''ve tried sooo hard (sob). But i can¡¯t take it¡­ the hunger, mine and it¡¯s¡­¡­.just a little longer...i¡¯ll try. Date XXXX My tits have dried up weeks ago, i was sure the little spawn would have died by now, but it seems he¡¯s been weaned and started eating solid foods, if you can even consider the few scraps i find as food. Grass, roots, weeds i scavenge the edge of the forest where it¡¯s reasonably safe, im lucky it¡¯s still autumn, it¡¯s cold but i''m still able to survive of the land, providing enough for us not to die yet¡­.though thinking of the winter that is almost upon us, I wonder why I still try. It¡¯s been a few years since the crops have stopped producing. Everyone is struggling and still the officials raise the tax. How is anyone supposed to survive this. Date XXXX ¡°Hahaha..(cough) ..ha¡± I croak out a laughter i didn¡¯t think i could, my throat is so dry, yet tears streak down my face. Finally I found shelter, An abandoned burnt building stands in a clearing of the forest i''ve walked along for days. The structure looks unreasonably old as the roof is half collapsed, The wood making up the building is splintered and blackened, I have no idea how it is still standing, but i''m thankful none the less. I head into my new residence and inspect the space¡­.frankly it¡¯s disappointing, with most of the roof gone and a few of the walls being broken in, I fare I have little chance of surviving this winter¡­.but little is better than none. Date XXXX Months have passed and it is well into winter...i think, i can¡¯t think straight anymore, my mind is fuzzy and i¡¯ve been hallucinating. I still see the little demon in the corner, i don¡¯t know how he¡¯s still alive¡­he¡¯s only like ¡­.how old now? ¡­...I¡¯ve started eating dirt, i¡¯ve had to eat it a few times these past years but i¡¯ve supplemented with any real food i can get, just eating dirt is definitely not good for me. Date XXXX ¡­¡­¡­¡±Ugh¡±¡­¡­..w..weak..i¡¯ve gotten so weak¡­¡­...i can¡¯t even crawl properly, my sight faded days ago but i can still see him, My child watching me from the corner. I hate him, why does he seem to be ok, while im¡­.im...dieing. Why do i have to die while that parasite lives! Yes i took care of him but that was only as long as i get to live to...i want to live¡­¡­... hungry. Child Pov: She inched closer to me, her eyes were filled with a maddening hate, hate that i was still alive, hate that she would die and she blamed her death on me. When i had first gained an awareness, a sense of self, I was met with the face of a monster, well ¡­. not quite. It was a woman as far as i could tell and how she took care of me would have led me to believe she was my mother if not for the distance she held towards me; I could see it in her eyes, she never saw me as a person, though she probably couldn¡¯t, not in this situation. Every person i saw was like her, a walking corpse barely held together by skin, all muscle and fat had atrophied from their bodies and they just struggled to survive. Zombies was probably the thing they resembled most, still functioning but mentally not all there. Picking up scraps and scavenging for anything edible in the forests. We had passed and gone through a few villages but the people there weren¡¯t any better off than us. Most fields were barren, the weather was too cold for the crops to grow and the attempt to plant rice didn¡¯t seem to solve the food shortage. Many were unfortunate (?) enough to have starved to death, they lie on the roadside at first being eaten by maggots and birds...but as the weeks pass I witness a few people(?) taking whatever meat was left on the bones of human corpses. I would stare at these sights thankful I was still breastfed and didn''t have to worry about surviving like that...for now. My mother always seemed to ignore these sights. She just kept walking, murmuring under her breath. Her eyes were normally void of thought, like she was in a dream, these were my preferred moments with her because whenever she regained her conscious she would look at me with hate. I could tell she thought I was a burden, which I was, but I did my best to behave as thanks for not abandoning me, and leaving me to my death. ¡­..It¡¯s been a few days since her milk dried up, Why must this moment come! My nectar of life has dried and now I must scavenge if I wish to live¡­.fuck¡­... Luckily I was prepared for this to happen, i had been exercising (Flailing arms and legs) and watching what mother(?) gathers for us to eat¡­..besides dirt which seems to be her staple food. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.I have finally gained the ability to walk! I could crawl for a while now but finally becoming bipedal makes me finally feel human. Though I enjoy the ability to walk I only use it when looking for food, I have to be careful and conserve energy during these times. My diet consists of any edible plants or animals I can find¡­..catch, yes that includes bugs, I was grossed out for a couple weeks but eventually hunger made me renounce my disgust. Weeks of wandering until we finally came upon an old burnt down temple of some kind, it was nestled in the forest and seemed abandoned. My mother(?) finally made the decision to settle down for a while, it was probably due to winter being right around the corner and it would be impossible to survive without shelter. You may be wondering why she didn¡¯t settle in a village and try for help. Well thats because we weren¡¯t welcome, people could barely feed themselves, let alone others, the famine had gotten so bad humans had resorted to eating each other. I had seen cannibalism a few times now but not nearly as prevalent as it had been the last few weeks. Humans are dangerous, they are animals. It has been months since we¡¯ve been cooped up in this temple, the winter has come and been harsh, I almost froze to death a few times but made a little fort in the corner and have done my best to survive. I was lucky to find some hibernating rodents in the corner which I eat occasionally...but sparsely. It¡¯s dangerous but I eat these mice raw, i¡¯m too weak to create a fire and my mother is no better. Fire should have been our first defense against the cold and would have enabled us to more easily survive¡­.but mother(?) has been nonfunctional since we got here. She just stopped, her mind has been degrading by the day and she just lays there staring at me. I''ve tried offering her food but she won¡¯t respond and i¡¯m frankly surprised she is still alive. Today something surprising happened, snow fell!....well not quite, it was ash. i don¡¯t know where it came from but it is really beautiful. It¡¯s been a few days of ash fall and i¡¯ve finally realized how fucked we are; it¡¯s cold, really cold. The ash clouds block out the sun and have lowered the temperature significantly. Food became even more scarce, struck with malnutrition and hyperthermia, I will probably die¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.I¡­.don¡¯t want to die¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...i¡¯m scared. Lately the look in her eyes has changed, before when she regained her senses she would just peer at me with hate but now...an insanity has encroached into her gaze, she seems to seek life and her desire to take mine is apparent; but i can¡¯t leave...if i leave i¡¯ll certainly die. The cold and snow has made this temple into my prison. A growl, I look towards the woman who created this bestial noise. She¡¯s glaring at me a primal hate fills her face as it twists into a form i can¡¯t even describe as human. Her eyes bloodshot, teeth bare and lips curled into a snarl a frothy saliva drips onto the floor as she starts to crawl towards me with a morbid hope for survival. I know what she plans to do, i''ve seen this insanity in all those who ate their own kind, who stooped to the level of monsters. Even if she¡¯s so weak she has to crawl she can still kill me; I may be a bit better off but my strength is still not enough to fend her off, but that doesn¡¯t mean i won¡¯t try. She rushes me and attempts to wrap her bony fingers around my throat. I use what little strength I have left to rush back and try to find something I can use as a weapon in this malnourished child''s body. I grab a small piece of splintered wood while that beast lunges toward me in another attempt to strangle me, i stab the splinter into her chest but she barely flinches and lashes out by hitting me against the wall. My head smashes against the hardwood disorienting me as a stinging pain runs through my back, i fall to the floor wondering how the fuck she has enough strength to smash me against the wall when she looks like she could die any moment now. I lie on the floor trying to regain my bearings when i look up and see her staring at me with a smile plastered on her face. Rather than a smile i should call it a savage grin¡­.a shame that''s the happiest face i¡¯ve seen her make, and i¡¯ll be the one to take it away. As her nails dig into my neck, i find it harder and harder to breath but still i stare into her eyes hesitating¡­. am i prepared to fall. With my last burst of energy i stab a sharp branch into her neck and watch as the shock creeps onto her face, her grin slowly inverses, depicting the despair of death as her blood drains from her neck and onto my face. She falls onto me and i lay there with her on top of me as I drift into relief, relishing in her warmth that is slowly fading¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.i¡¯m hungry. CH:2 Escape Day XXX I have been living in this temple for 3 years now. The harshest time was the first winter, when i had to¡­.kill, i thought id take it harder but i got over it, survival took precedence, the whole incident is a bit fuzzy but i¡¯m sure i did not eat her, she was a starved beast and i refuse to stoop to that level¡­..i...i don¡¯t want to fall any lower. Most of my days i spend foraging and hunting, i was fortunate a river was not too far from the temple, otherwise collecting fresh water would have precedence and id have less time to get food, the river also gave me the opportunity to catch fish once and a while, if my fire goes out (fuck you rain) i tend to rely on fish, since i can eat it raw. This area i call home is truly beautiful; it¡¯s surrounded by forest with just one overgrown path leading to the temple ruins. It¡¯s secluded from human strife and although its harsh living alone in the wilderness, anything is better than living with humans. Unfortunately the day I would be re-introduced to humans is the time my brief peaceful life is destroyed. They truly only bring suffering. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ¡°fuck, Fuck, FUCK!, we¡¯ve hit 3 towns and nothing! Even the women are too starved to be considered as such, i ain¡¯t gonna fuck a Fucking half dead skeleton! What has the world come to if even us bandits are no better off than the villagers¡± Bandit A ¡°b..boss why don¡¯t we go after em lords, they got food don¡¯t em¡± Bandit B ¡°......god you''re so fucking stupid. The reason we go after villagers and not nobility is because lords fucking guard their shit, especially now when they are the only ones with food. If we were part of some larger bandit group we may have a chance but we¡¯re a group of two! If we even attempted to rob them, we''d be met with certain death. DO YOU U.N.D.E.R.S.T.A.N.D¡± Bandit A ¡°y..ya, I mean YES boss.¡± Bandit B Bandit A Pov: I used to be part of a larger bandit group only a few weeks ago and was doing moderately well considering the era. I didn¡¯t have to starve and had a roof over my head, things were going great, until everything went to shit. ¡®How the hell did i end up in this situation?¡¯ I know i''m better off than those pitiful peasants, stuck under the overbearing rule of lords who don¡¯t give a shit about anything but their own well being. I realized this distasteful truth when i was a boy but things were tolerable until the famine started to get truly bad. My father and mother were killed for trying to hide some food for us. I escaped and left my village to join in the more rewarding profession of being a thief. Fuck being a farmer; I''d rather be the one taking than being taken from; unfortunately the group i joined ended up stealing too often in the surrounding towns which caused the already meager food supply to lessen further, which upset the lord, as he was gaining less tax. A subjugation was ordered and the bandit group was annihilated. I was able to escape and ended up dragging along some other guy but while we kept our lives, we lost basically everything else. Life still sucks, being on the run while starving was wearing us out and since all the towns were barren I decided living off the land and getting a bace was our best bet to survive, especially with winter on the way. I decided to lead us down some forest roads, hopefully my luck will turn around and we can find a secluded hideout to start fresh. New goal- become the leader of a bandit group Bandit A Pov End. ¡°Am i hallucinating¡± Bandit A questions while peering at the sight between the foliage of the surrounding trees ¡°You seeing what i¡¯m seeing¡± looking towards his companion he asks. ¡°y..yes boss¡± Bandit B replied meekly ¡°YES i''m hallucinating or YES you also see burnt down temple ruins! Start speaking clearly you incoherent idiot¡± Bandit A ¡°...........sorry¡­. i also see the temple¡± Bandit B ¡°Fucking God I swear, how is it a muscle giant like you is soo fucking meek! This is why you always get taken advantage of. Lucky you got me to take care of you¡± Bandit A ¡°....¡­¡­¡± Bandit B ¡°Well come on, we can even start recruiting to create a new bandit group. The location is perfect, with a little reconstruction and defenses it¡¯ll turn out better than the last fort. If we grow big enough even taking from the lords should be simple¡± Bandit A Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Boy Pov: I woke up to a well placed kick in the gut, flung across the room i ended up hitting my back and head against the surprisingly solid wooden wall of my temple abode. Though looking at the two figures towering over my curled up body, i believe they would refute my claim to this wooden structure i¡¯ve been calling home for three years, being mine. Their posture and eyes divulged their intention to claim this space for themselves and judging from their ill mannered greeting, they see me as a pest to be culled from it¡¯s premises. I never take my eyes off them as i struggle to regain my breath, i observe these two creatures, trying to extract their intentions while being cautious as their figures and strength is well above my own. They start speaking to each other, the smaller one is clearly the leader of this two man group, judging by how he shouts to his companion and his arrogant posture. during their brief one sided conversation i notice a problem. I don¡¯t understand them at all. ¡®well that is inconvenient¡¯ though understandable as the only human contact i experienced was that of the woman that raised(?) me, and even then she never really talked. I stay curled on the ground as still as possible as i try to regain my breath, hoping they don¡¯t notice me i look for an opportunity to escape. I concluded escape was the proper choice as the shorter man seemed to have bad intentions and id likely be killed if i stayed. The instant the two mens awarenesses drifted of me i dashed for a small gap in the splintered wood not far from me. I was just small enough to fit through and it would give me a large enough head start to escape them¡­..i hope. I ran, through the trees and brush trying to choose a path that would obstruct any figure larger than my size. My adrenaline pumping, heightening my senses i heard the steps behind me like the beat of a war drum along with the snapping of branches as the two figures behind me started to gain on me, in their pursuit. I had the advantage of topography as i had lived here for 3 years, but i never wandered more than a mile or two away from my temple home. The forest is dangerous and i wanted to avoid getting lost or find myself without water. My home field advantage advantage was lost after the first day of pursuit. I had managed to loose them a few times and rest, but they never gave up in finding me and continued to give chase. ¡®persistent bastards, why can¡¯t they leave me alone, i already left the temple. Do they really mean to kill me!¡¯ My thoughts drifted towards the reason they won¡¯t leave me. ¡®do they see me as sport¡¯ no thats unlikely they looked quite starved they wouldn¡¯t waste energy just for the thrill of the hunt¡­¡­¡­¡­.....s..starved¡­! (flashback) Mindless skeletal beings, barely walking with a look of utter hopelessness. The dead on the road whether rotting or fresh were picked clean not only by the birds and stray dogs but by their own kind. Occasionally that look of desperate hunger flashed across the face of one of these zombies¡­.and they ate. Bile welled up in my throat as i remembered scenes i¡¯d rather forever forget. I forced it down and ran with a new vigor. My mind started to go blank and i could only feel disgust and fear well up inside me. My vision blurred due to my hunger but i continued to run, ignoring the pain of the jagged ground against my bare feet and the cuts that spread across my legs and arms from the branches and weeds id hazardously charged through. My mouth dry and my lungs burned but i continued to run through the dark forest ignoring the shouts of my pursuers. Then white...the light hit me like a meteor, leaving me blinded and disoriented for a moment as my heightened senses made the change painfully apparent. I fell, the adjustment took but a moment, my eyes used to the sun darted around frantically as i tried to gain my bearings, my mind processing the information around me. I was flying¡­.no..i was falling. The line of blue before me became a raging torrent of water in mere seconds. My panic and realisation of the situation felt like an eternity when in reality only moments passed. Then the impact, a splitting pain across my body, my breath escapes me, then darkness. CH:3 Misunderstanding Sorry for late update; I wanted to post two chapters together because I know this one is a bit of a repeat of the last (ill post the second tomorrow of day after). I wasn¡¯t sure if i wanted to post it but¡­..i wrote it so why not. If people are wondering if i¡¯ll describe the looks of the characters in detail, i won¡¯t. The first ark is meant to be vague with the characters. In the second ark (spoiler) where the MC is reincarnated into a fantasy world, I will start describing the characters appearances in detail. The update was also delayed because I got an idea for a new story and was writing a synopsis. Not sure if I like it enough to post yet but i¡¯ll be working on that. Posted/ seeing if it¡¯s approved, I posted a one shot story called ¡°Moons¡¯ Ring¡±. If It¡¯s liked (a lot) I mean if it gets raving reviews and shit I may make it into a series but i really don¡¯t plan on it. ____________________________________________________________________ Bandit A Pov: ¡°This place is perfect¡± [Bandit A] I look around the temple ruins noting what has to be changed and fixed for it to work as a base. Everything is fine until i spot something sleeping in the corner, surrounded by wood piles. I signal my ¡­.minion to be quiet as i inch closer to get a better look, thinking it was some kind of wild animal i could kill and eat, but i wasn¡¯t so lucky. I approach it''s wooden den, finding the structure to be too uniform and architectural, sloppy but clearly it¡¯s man made, the constructed fire pit solidified this idea. So when i saw the creature was actually a young boy i wasn¡¯t surprised, instead i was angry. I slowly walk next to the kid looking down at his oblivious sleeping face and kick the little shit across the room. ¡®Why does it have to be a kid, if it was an animal at least we could eat it, now i¡¯m gonna have to get my hands dirty for nothing¡¯ I contemplated in ire. ¡°W-what are you d-doing! H-he¡¯s a child¡± [Bandit B] ¡°We have to kill it, I won¡¯t let this little rodent go, when it knows this place¡± [Bandit A] ¡°Why? He can¡¯t do anything, just chase him out, w-we don¡¯t have to k-kill him.¡± [Bandit B] ¡°Are you STUPID? That was rhetorical, of course you are, otherwise you would have realized if we let the boy go while we''re starting a bandit group, we¡¯ll have a loose end that knows about the hideout. He could be the reason we get captured, by telling the soldiers about this place.¡± [Bandit A] ¡°......Why can¡¯t we recruit him? We¡¯ll need members anyway...r-right...then we don¡¯t have to kill him.¡± [Bandit B] This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°.......................¡± [Bandit A] Well holy shit, he actually made a good point. The kids young, so influencing him should be easy and judging by his fort he¡¯s been living here for a while so he probably knows the area. ..Damn...i shouldn''t have kicked him. Now it will be harder to get him to trust and listen to me (sigh) well i¡¯ll think about this later. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll recruit him, but if he¡¯s trouble he dies. I don¡¯t tolerate loose ends.¡± [Bandit A] After i finished my discussion with minion 1, I turned towards potential minion 2, or where he should have been but instead i was met with an empty wooden floor. ¡®What the hell¡¯ In confusion i look around in a panic, until the sound of the cracking of wood focuses my attention across the room to one of the side walls. To my alarm and ire I saw the child escaping through a crack he seems to be enlarging. I rush over trying to grab him before he squeezes all the way through...but i was too late. ¡°Fuck!, and why are you just standing there, AFTER HIM!¡± [Bandit A] ¡°Y-yes boss¡± [Bandit B] We chase after him but with his head start and us having to go around the temple, gave him a large head start, we kept chasing and telling him to stop but that just made him try harder to escape. Well i would have done the same in his position but still, It¡¯s fucking exhausting chasing after him. He intentionally uses pathways that hinder us and he even succeeded in hiding for a while, i say hiding and not escaped because i can track him easily, though it takes a while. It¡¯s been fucking days since we started this game of tag and frankly i¡¯m surprised he could continue for this long, unfortunately for him we¡¯ve caught up and i¡¯m soooo gonna kick the shit outa him for making me run so long ..cough..cough..wheeze. Just when we were about to catch him. ¡°what the hell...s-STOP, STOP YOU IDIOT! CLIFF!!¡± [BANDIT A] Of course he doesn¡¯t¡­¡­...and falls. ¡°...hack..cough...cough..All that running for nothing (heavy breathing).....DAMNIT!¡± [Bandit A] ¡®At least the temples secure there''s no way he could survive that fall¡¯ I peer down into the ravine, sharp rocks litter the sides of the cliff walls jutting out in perilous angles, mist adding to the danger as it hides what dangers lurk below. Truthfully it looks like an entrance to the underworld (sigh) well better cut my loses and head back. I need to start refurbishing my new base. Ch:4 Survival Day 1 The Pain!! My chest and limbs pump a liquid lava through my body, agony blinds me from my surroundings. I Scream and cry out which causes me to swallow water. My consciousness goes fuzzy but soon another shot of pain and adrenaline clear my senses¡­.though only for a moment. Limbs flailing in a desperate attempt to reach the surface and fill my burning lungs with much needed oxygen. I burst through the raging rapids and acquire the air I sought. Gasping for breath I fail to notice and avoid a few incoming rocks. The pain of my body lessens as a new sharper agony courses through me accompanied by loud SNAP!! I don¡¯t have time to cry out as my consciousness is again cut short. Day 2 Blood and water spew out of my mouth. My body lies on a rocky surface failing to respond to my meager attempts in directing it. In danger of choking on the blood pooling in my throat and mouth my cloudy mind tries to regain its command over my unresponsive body. My gag reflex acts accordingly and pulls my body out of its stupor and into a fit of hacks and coughs My vision and awareness slowly adjust as I resist the pain. I gaze around doing my utmost to limit my movements. Why? because every time i shift myself to look around me, i¡¯m racked with pain, though I know if I let the pain cripple me i¡¯ll slowly die without even trying to do anything. From what I can feel and see, i¡¯ve seemed to have not broken anything too badly. By that I mean I don¡¯t have bones sticking out of me. I still have a dislocated shoulder, fractured arm, leg, few ribs, and judging from the blood I coughing up earlier I can assume internal bleeding as well. Aren''t i lucky. (sarcastically).........well considering where I fell from, just having internal fractures and mild internal bleeding is pretty good. If any of my injuries were more severe and pierced through the skin, besides the scratches and bruising, i¡¯d have no way to treat myself and would surely die; blood loss, infection I don¡¯t even what to consider my chance at survival now let alone with worse injuries. My injuries are manageable. The problem is winter is only a few months away and if I don¡¯t set up a camp by then i¡¯m dead¡­¡­...not to mention that even if I treat my wounds, getting food will pose a problem without my full mobility and I have no way to defend myself from wild animals¡­¡­...so many ways to die (sigh).......surviving just gets harder the more I think about it. Ok let¡¯s stop with the morbid thoughts. At least my location is decent. Im at the bottom of a ravine which although blocks out a lot of the sun, also restricts harsh weather conditions¡­..besides flooding. I seriously have to stop with the 100 ways to die thoughts. Think positive, I have fresh river water which means I can catch fish¡­¡­....eventually ...and I won¡¯t die of dehydration! I should also be able to survive without food for a while, hopefully until my wounds get a bit better. The cave in front of me also looks promising, oh, did I not mention that; yes, I seemed to have washed up in front of a cosy looking, dark damp ecosystem, full of who knows what; Hopefully creatures, that I will call food for the better part of my stay. Now ignoring the direness of my situation for a bit, I should put together my priorities. First I have to do is treat my wounds. In my inspection of the surroundings, I had spotted some medicinal plants, reeds and sturdy enough looking branches. This is convenient¡­¡­¡­ Im about to attempt to crawl over to my soon to be splints until i am reminded about my dislocated shoulder. ¡°%!^%*##*!%#*^#*! Arg, that hurt!!¡± Falling sideways because the pain in my body numbed the pain of a dislocated joint, I forgot I couldn¡¯t move. Well that''s a drawback. It seems I need to fix this arm before I attempt any more movement. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Since I can¡¯t stand. I staggered onto my knees again, knowing I need force in order to pop my shoulder back into place. I adjust myself trying to get the angle of my arm right to increase my chances of successfully pulling this off. Cringing i grit my teeth and brace myself, forcing my arm to the ground. ¡°AAAAARRRRRGGGGG!! @%#^#@#^ DAMNIT TO HELL! (SOB) FUCK!!¡± It didn¡¯t work. Coupled with low height and weight, I couldn¡¯t generate enough force to pop my shoulder back into place. I lie on the rocky ground screaming, not only did I fail but I ended up causing more damage to myself, reigniting my almost numbed pain sensors. I know why I failed, but I still need both arms functioning to have a chance at survival. When the hurt dulls I look for a ledge or boulder, something to give me enough height to generate the force I need. ¡®kind of ironic how I need to fall in order to fix part of myself¡¯. When I spot my ledge I slowly drag myself over, readjust, and drop. Pain racks my body for the second...or is it the third time?¡­¡­¡­ well i¡¯ve hurt a lot recently. I scream, curse and get over it; luckily, this time my pain paid off as my arm is back on hinge and working. Finally! I can crawl...somewhat. I can ignore the pain of my ribs by not moving my torso much but crawling really doesn''t help my leg and arm fractures. I try to keep my weight off them...but...that doesn¡¯t really help. I make my way over to any solid branches I find washed up on shore and any stick i¡¯m able to snap loose of brush and low enough trees. I was only able to get two larger sticks that can be used alone as a bracer. The rest of the small branches I collected were weaved together with reeds to make them solid enough. I then took the branches and bound them tightly against my fractured leg and arm. The rough wood against my tender skin is really uncomfortable, not to mention the pain I experienced when binding them to my leg and arm but at least this should somewhat protect me from worsening the fractures. Most of the day was spent tending to my wounds, so when I had finished I went right to sleep. I was too tired to even worry about the dangers that plagued my mind all morning, and curled up in a corner of the cave. Day 3 Unfortunately the pain of my ribs made it impossible to gain a good nights sleep. Every time I took a breath, pain would shoot from my chest. I ended up waking up with hot sweats multiple times. I lie on the cave floor motionless, every breath I take strained and shallow as to avoid more pain. I spent my day practically motionless except in altering my position a few times; Going down to the river to drink enough water to keep me healthy and distract myself from my hunger. I did eat any (non poisonous) bugs I came across¡­¡­...who came across me but they barely helped. Two weeks was spent this way. I lost strength due to lack of food but because I rarely moved I was better off than I thought I would be. My dislocated shoulder is almost fully healed, another week and it should be fully functional. The medicinal plants I found really helped with the swelling. My fractured ribs and limbs need a bit more time but the pain has gone down significantly. I probably need at least 3 more weeks before attempting to walk but for now I can get started on making tools to acquire food. ¡®Finally graduating from bugs!¡¯. If I wait any longer I won¡¯t have the energy to do what I need to, before winter comes. The cold''s already starting to settle in......I have to hurry and prepare. Ch:5 Whispers Hey everybody, TriageX again. I probably should have clarified this sooner but I forgot: ¡°....¡±=speech ¡®.....¡¯=Inner speech Post any questions to things I forgot to clarify bellow. ____________________________________________________________________________ Week 5 These past weeks i¡¯ve been frantically trying to prepare and set up a solid base that can help me survive the winter. Collecting long solid branches and sharp stones I fashioned a few spears, they were necessary for protection from beasts and hunting for fish. I could only start really using them a week ago but having them handy kept my mind at ease. Most of my time has been spent foraging for food and materials I can use to build a sturdy and warm fort. I need protection from the cold winds and snow that may intrude on my cave but my main concern has been starting a fire. When I still lived in the temple I didn¡¯t just live off fish. I set up traps and was able to procure quite a few furry mammals. This allowed me to gain the pelts I turned into clothes. I tend to drape and tie the pelts around me as I was missing the proper tools needed in order to create something¡­.sophisticated...but the purpose was served and though messily cut they keep me warm. Pelts however, do not help much in the middle of winter. A fire is essential and if I don¡¯t create one ill die¡­.plus eating raw fish for days gets redundant. A warm meal would be utopic right now. ____________________________________________________________________________ ¡°Finally FIRE!¡± a smile spreads across my face, it¡¯s probably the first time i¡¯ve truly felt happy after the fall...besides graduating from bugs, but still fire means cooked fish! It took a while but I finally found some flint and steel. I had attempted a few other methods in creating fire like the hand drill but the sticks were too damp. (if you want to see fire starting methods click-http://www.artofmanliness.com/2008/04/29/9-ways-to-start-a-fire-without-matches/) The other methods I had tried when trying to start a fire were also too physical, my bones still weren¡¯t quite better and I didn¡¯t want to overexert them. With the spark set in the tinder I had collected, a fire quickly started. I set the burning tinder in a pit and quickly fed it the dryer branches I had found. I had collected a large pile of wood for the fire so it wouldn¡¯t flicker out. I needed the fire to continuously burn since it would be much harder to restart especially with the winter snow dampening everything combustible. That night I quietly watched the fire dance as I snuggled closer, enjoying the heat and warmth it spread throughout my frozen limbs. ¡®I never realized how cold I was until I felt the heat¡¯ I fed some wood to the fire as I also ate the rest of my meal and curled up. The flickering of the flames casting dancing shadows. Even the crackling of the fire acting as a lullaby, wishing me sweet dreams, a warmth my mother never gave enveloped me, lulling me to sleep. Week 8 The cold has finally started to truly set in, I expect snow will probably fall soon. I¡¯ve done everything I can to prepare but i''m still worried about procuring food through the winter. I don¡¯t think the river will freeze over but the time I can spend fishing will be cut short due to the danger of hyperthermia. Collecting animals and insects will also be impossible during the winter so i''m fully relying on my collected supplies of edible plants and opportunity to catch fish. ¡­¡­¡­¡­..I know it¡¯s not enough. Winter is harsh even without worrying about food. Even when I lived in the woods, where I had more foraging options I struggled with survival. Now with being limited to only fish, as there are no large mammals in the area I¡¯m truly worried ______________________________________________________________________________ Week ??? My fears became a reality. Winter hit hard. A white blanket of snow covered my surroundings. Not just the ground even the air seemed to freeze with an opaque whiteness as the wind swept up and swirled the snow into a misty fog. I thought the cliffs on either side of this cavern would obstruct the wind but they only caused a blizzarding torrent of snow that pelted the body like hail. A natural wind tunnel that enhanced the harshness of the environment. For days(?) the storm pestered, trapping me in a cage of my own making. Closing up the entrance enabled me to avoid most of the wind and cold but it also hindered me from acquiring food and wood. I didn¡¯t have to worry about water because i''d melt snow in a rock basin to drink. The supplies I had gathered before the winter ran out a few days ago leaving me with only a large wood pile that I used to feed the fire. I had fashioned the food so it would last as long as possible but I was still malnourished even when I got to eat. You may be wondering, What about the fish you catch? Yes the river allows me to be able to catch fish but that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s easy. Even in summer and spring when I can spend hours in the water hunting I have days i''m lucky and stab a few fish and others when I catch nothing. Now with the weather making it impossible to fish for long, I¡¯m lucky to catch even one a week. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.___________________________________________________________________________ I lie by the fire shivering as I shift my clothes in order to avoid the chilling bite of the rigid stone floor. My sense of time confused, as the heaviness of the storm along with the caves obscurity blocking the sunlight from reaching me. I watch the glow of the blazing fire as the dancing flames are the only source of light in this pitch black darkness. I¡¯ve been watching this spectacle to distract myself from the hunger. ¡®when was the last time I got this ache. The center of my body curling up as I feel myself being eaten away at.¡¯ PAIN! My mind cracks. The sharp tinge of guilt overflows for just a moment¡­.and it¡¯s gone. A fear constricts my movements like a python, squeezing my lungs in a vise as my body restricts me from taking a breath. ¡°........w¡­.what was that?¡± My voice quivers as I was released from the hold of the serpent. I try to remember the crack but my being refuses to let me. So I ignore it. Forget the pain I felt¡­...focus on survival. ¡®Im okay.¡¯ _____________________________________________________________________________ Week???? The flickering shadows are haunting me¡­..whispering. Something about forgetting. I try to ignore them, but how do you escape what''s all around you. The fire is the savior of my body providing the warmth I need to escape the cold¡­..but it¡¯s also the mother of the demons plaguing my mind. I want to leave but the storm continues to lock me in this prison. It¡¯s freezing bite like dogs cornering it¡¯s prey as it howled in victory. I scream back defiant, ¡°YOU WILL NOT DEVOUR ME!¡± my voice hoarse but strong as I used the last of my energy. ¡®I won¡¯t die, I won¡¯t die, I will survive, survive, survive¡¯ ¡°How?¡± a voice whispers They¡¯ve started again. ¡°How will you sssssurvive? You¡¯ve run outtt of ffffood for weeeksssss noww?¡± The voice whispers, or is it voices. Like a resounding chorus the shadows on the walls hiss. Their hums harmonize to create a resounding sound that slithers it¡¯s way into my ear. I try to ignore them, to shut my eyes and seek comfort in the dark. ¡°Weeee know a wayyyy¡± ¡°A way for you to ssssssurvive¡± They cackle gleefully as they watch me slowly turn to look at their flickering figures. I hate their joy, how they find my misery amusing. I want to ignore them and find my own way to live¡­...but i¡¯m growing desperate. Like they can smell my breaking will they speak ¡°Vvventure out of the cave and ffffollow the wwwind ssssss¡± The devil''s whispers grab my attention, shocked I yell ¡°YOU WOULD HAVE ME DIE!! I am not stupid all that awaits me in that cold is a frozen tomb!¡± Angry, I go back to ignoring them. ¡®I should just wait for the storm to pass, when it does i¡¯ll catch some fish, I also need some more wood.¡¯ ¡°KEKEKEKEKEkekeke!! The culmination of whispers burst into a resounding laugh, the cave walls allowing the voices to amplify and echo through the chasm. The unusual loudness of their resonance causes my drifted attention to again focus back on them. ¡°Only Iff you sssstay hhear, willl ssshhurly die.¡± ¡°........Why would you even bother informing me of this. You seem to enjoy my suffering?¡± It makes no sense for them to help me, when they only come out to torment me, strengthening their hold as I weaken but in this state I clearly know they are not on my side ¡°Go wwwith the winddd, only then can you ssurvive¡± The whispers then slowly subside. I try to question them again and again but they refuse to respond. I sit for days pondering about the information the shadows gave me. Skeptical of their intentions I try to hold out¡­.but my body is constantly getting weaker and as my hunger persists my mind wains. Finally I decide to take the gamble. I will do whatever it takes to survive. Gathering my furs, I add more wood to the fire hoping it will persist until my return. Bracing myself I venture out into the storming blizzard with mixed feelings. Though it¡¯s cold and freezing and moving is incredibly arduous my mind is more at peace in this world of white, where shadows cannot follow. I walk. The insidious darkness once again comes alive, watching the young boy venture to their direction. The soft vaporous voices obscured by the winds howling speaks ¡°Jusst like three yyyears ago¡± (Snicker). The sentence out of the boys reach. CH:6 Scar Sorry for late update. Family and moving homes has gotten in the way of me just sitting down to write. Enjoy the chapter, I''ll try to post another one in the next few days. I know my writing style is a bit inconstant but this project is mainly to find my flow and practice. If you want to read another one of my stories (one shot) while waiting for the next update visit: http://www.royalroadl.com/fiction/2400 The story''s called "Moon''s Ring" _______________________________________________________________________________________________ The storm never let up, snow pelting down on me, sapping the heat and energy from my body. I struggled to wade through the inches of snow that obstruct my path. My strength leaving my body with every step. Still I struggle on. Hope, blinding me like the flurry of snowflakes that obstruct my vision. I can barely see three feet in front me and that¡¯s not including the pain brought on by attempting to look. Every time I turn my head in order to looking ahead, i¡¯m battered by the snow pelts that hit my face like hale. Eventually, I decide to give up using vision to decide and correct my path and just follow the wind. When the force of the wind is concentrated on my back I allow it to push me forward, as a guide, directing me along a predetermined path. ¡®Do I have a choice?¡¯ I question my actions ¡®Must I suffer like this?¡¯ My mind spins webs of thoughts that trap me into doubting myself, into cursing my circumstances. ¡®WHY DID I HAVE TO FALL DURING WINTER, WHERE THERE IS NO FOOD!¡¯ ¡®HOW COULD I HAVE BELIEVED THOSE DEMONS!! GOING OUT INTO THE SNOW WILL ONLY LEAD TO MY DEATH, there is no salvation waiting for me, no hope¡¯ My mind cries out due to my foolishness. ¡®What was I hoping for? It¡¯s impossible for me to find anything useful out in this storm!¡¯ About to turn back and take my chances surviving the last month without food, I bump into a wall. I recoil, as the sharp edge of a rock nicks my cheek. I cheak and the wind is still at my back. Confusion then realisation hit me. ¡°IT WAS A LIE!¡± I thought I knew this already, but when a false hope is shoved into your face, the realisation you were tricked is all the more demeaning. Losing myself to the anger that welled up inside of me I use my remaining strength to strike the stone. It shatters and a large chunk falls in front of my feet. I stare, the wind and snow being unable to hit my face and fully obstruct my vision, ¡­¡­¡­.a hand? What I assumed to be a broken slag, was in fact a frozen appendage. My mind blank, I just stand there in the blizzard staring at the irregularity besides my feet¡­...at this oddity. When my consciousness starts to reboot and process the object below me, a wave of denial engulfs me, holding my breath. ¡®I¡¯m just delirious due to the stress of the situation, It¡¯s just a rock similar in shape to a hand, no way it¡¯s an actual hand.¡¯ ¡®I must be imagining things, how can an arm be in the middle of a blizzard attached to a rock?¡¯ ¡®..........at..tached to a¡­..rock¡­¡­.?!¡¯ My neck starts to arch upward as my eyes resist the snow to gaze in front of me. Time seems to slow, as my intuition screams at me to look away but my body resists all instruction and peers at the forms in front of it. I fall to my knees with my eyes still glued to the structure in front of me¡­...or should I call it a pile? Bodies stacked together and frozen into a massive mess of parts. I almost couldn¡¯t believe this mass of frozen flesh once belonged to a human. The weight of the structure caused the bodies at the bottom to break and mesh together. Bones and sinews tangle and meld into each other, bodily fluids ooze out and mix into a putrid mass of rancid gunk that can be seen forming at the base and interlocking the crushed carcasses. The only reason I knew this giant mass of flesh was originally humans was by peering up to the top of this morbidly grotesque sculpture. The bodies at the top of the pile though some partially decomposed still retained their individuality and shape, the pressure having only mashed the bottom beings together. I gag, unsuccessfully trying to prevent myself from throwing up. Bile chokes out of my throat and mouth, no substance was expelled due to the lack of ingested food. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I curl up on the cold icy snow still peering at the monstrous structure before me, tears rush down my face as I wail in horror and grief. My horse through projecting my sorrow and humanity¡­..maybe for the last time. My mind cracking and breaking apart at what I¡¯d have to do to survive as I realized why the demons in the fires shadow were cackling when granting me my hope. ¡°I''D RATHER DIE! Than eat a person!!¡± I scream sobbing I sit in the snow defeated, curled up next to this sculpture of rotting flesh. The last of my energy leaving me as I don¡¯t have the will to go on¡­..I don¡¯t want the will to go on. I close my eyes the cold my blanket, as I embrace and welcome death. The frigid winds start to become warm as the reaper¡¯s scythe inches closer to my soul. Finally I can be at peace. ¡°RRAAAAAAAAAGGHHHAAAAAGHAAGHAAAAA!!!¡± My back feels like it¡¯s splitting as my body spasms. Images flash through my head with every convulsion, each bargaining my mind and body with torturous agony all originating from my back. I struggle with pain, clawing at my limbs, tearing strips of skin and flesh off¡­.anything to reduce the agony. As my body flails about, a maddening recollected cackle reverberates in my surroundings. My mind, weak do to shock and pain puts up little resistance, as the voices invaded my psyche, conscience and soul. Corrupting me further as they latch on and strengthen the memories sealed within me. ¡°KEKEKEKEKEKE¡± A giddy glee undisguised by the voices as they chime in laughter. ¡°Whyyy do you nottttt eeeat boyyy?¡± ¡°Whyyy are you so wwwilling to ddie to avoid committing a sssssin you have alreadyyy partakennn innn?¡± The chorus sings with a joyfully mocking flare. ¡°W..what do you mean¡­.partaken in!? I HAVE NEVER EATEN A PERSON!!¡± I shout in resistance, as a break in the body breaking torture appears. The Pain soon restarting with renewed vigor and intensity after my line was said. A vision forming in my mind. A memory. The voices that inched into my mind hollar in amusement. ¡° Do yyyou ssssstill not rrremember whattt you did tttthree yearssssss ago¡­. or is it ttttthat you ssssstill refuse to acknowledge the acttttt.¡± My mind flickers the pieces and colors that make me up start to morph and form into an image. The day I killed my mother or at least the woman who raised(?) me. My emotions buckl as the pain and violence I enacted and received are recarved into my being. The betrayal, the panic, the resolve. I watch confused and with ire as this scene is reenacted in front of me. ¡®Do these specters realy belive showing me the day I first murdered someone will change me¡¯ I declared in contempt. My mind not fazed much by this sin I have already overcome. I wait for the day to finnish. Her body sprawled on the floor with blood oozing from the fatal wounds I inflicted upon her, the last images I saw before falling unconscious,...............before falling unconscious? To my shock the memory continues. I watch myself stand, a bloody scar running across my back from the earlier fight, sends waves of burning pain throughout my body as it reopened. I watch myself shift the now dead woman of myself and venture outside. My body continues to search the surroundings until it found the object of it¡¯s desire. A sharp edged stone. Appalled, I watch my weary figure draw closer to the corpse, Smash and cut at the body. The mutilation continues, until the body is split into smaller more manageable pieces. I try to look away, shut off my mind to prevent myself from witnessing the atrocity i¡¯m committing. I began to beg for the specters to stop the vision...my memory. It was breaking me, my mind couldn¡¯t handle knowing I committed the act I abhorred and had scorn others for partaking in. But the scene continued to play. Every second I watched demolished more of my already fractured being. Until finally I watched and became the being that so greedily devoured its own mother. I felt the act, tasted the sin and all I could think in my broken state was ¡°How delicious¡±. ¡°I want more¡± CH: 7 Rumor I keep updating late ~(>.<)~ Sorry! I actually had most of the chapter written down at the time I promised to post but...it was written, not typed. I have a little notebook that i¡¯ll write chapters in if i don¡¯t have access to a computer or have a flash of inspiration in some random place. Unfortunately, I wrote the chapter in pen and water ended up drenching my notebook¡­...It died TT-TT. All my writing is illegible, so i scraped it and decided since i couldn¡¯t deliver the chapter in time i¡¯d post late, no use stressing. This is a past time for me, though i won¡¯t quit in the middle. I know it¡¯s been like 2 months, sorry bout that, but RL has been busy. Moving is the worst experience ever, and after all that, i¡¯m put in an area with no internet ~(*o*)~. Though i can¡¯t promise regular chapter releases, my goal is at least 2 chapters every 2 weeks, I¡¯ll try to start that up again. In about a week or two i¡¯ll release several chapters, sorry for the long wait. I also kinda got distracted reading ¡®Stellar Transformations¡¯. Phones are AWESOME! Though not for writing. I posted a link here: http://www.wuxiaworld.com/st-index/ Book 12 can be found here: http://www.translationnations.com/translations/stellar-transformations/ I seriously recommend this story, It¡¯s ongoing and AWESOME!! The summary makes it seem like the MC might be a wuss who doesn¡¯t kill, so at first i was skeptical on reading it but let me tell you, He kills¡­.a lot. IT¡¯s GREAT!! READ IT! CH:7 Rumor The situation in the towns and villages in the surrounding areas has finally started to stabilize over the passing years. The fear of food shortage is receding, as the yield of rice and crops has been on the rise, causing the lords to decrease the taxes on food. The surviving farmers and villagers start to reconstruct their lives, family returning and morning for those who passed on during the famine. With the number of deaths falling every year, an air of normalcy and tranquility forms around the towns and people. The past depravity is avoided and forgotten. People start to fall into the routine of peace, but this illusion is soon to be broken, as a new threat starts to roam the area. ____________________________________________________________________________ A Procession walks through the town. Dark garbs cloaking depressed and crying faces. People follow slowly behind a rickety cart, a cloth of white blanketed over a small motionless figure. The sheet shifts slightly as the cart hits a prominent rock, revealing a partially mauled stub. This bloody chewed up appendage once used to be a young boys hand, but now it just serves as proof to the outsiders viewing this tragedy, that the rumors circulating the village are true. ¡°It¡¯s the demon¡± ¡°The one from the mountain ridge?¡± ¡°The very same¡­¡­.. I heard it lives by the corpses¡± ¡°!?, I heard it was created from the corpses?¡± ¡°No, It must have been feeding on the corpses, It never attacked until we stopped dropping the dead into the ravine, after the famine ended.¡± The Solemn atmosphere disrupted by whispers of villagers. They were afraid, all of them. The rumors of a demon plaguing the surrounding towns had started to flair a few years ago. At first, the villagers thought it was an animal of some kind, A wolf or starved dog. But soon this belief had been altered and molded into a frightening abomination. The first tinge of fear, the villagers felt, came from the staggering amount of children and people spirited away when traversing a few of the mountains. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.When the number of disappearances was still reasonably low no bodies or corpses were ever found, but that soon changed. It was when families looked or hired men to search for their loved ones or the cause of these disappearances, did the death toll sharply rise. The lucky(?) families found a corpse, while the rest could only imagine the deaths their missing relatives suffered. The victims had been ripped apart, limbs tended to be missing and the damage could be so extensive that only a pile of fleshy meat may turn up. It was this extensive damage to the dead that had many assume these killings were done by an animal or a pack, and that the bodies had been left and gnawed on by other such creatures. But as the deaths increased, so did the fear of the villagers. ¡®No animal could do this, It must be a demon, too many have died for it to be anything but. An immortal monster haunting the living.¡¯ As fear increased so did the imaginary monster cultivate, until an exaggerated legend was bound to the mountain. _________________________________________________________________________ A horrid demon lives on those mountains. The story began, a tale told to keep people from venturing to their deaths. A curse has been cast on these lands. A punishment towards the livings disrespect for the dead. We tried to forget the tragedy, the famine, what we did to the dead. As we partook in depraved acts due to hunger, now the dead have come back to remind us of our sin. They eat us, if you venture in the mountains they will eat you to. ¡°Why do they only plague those mountains?¡± That is where the dead reside¡­...that is where we put them. No burial, no service, we left the dead to rot in the ravine¡­.in the abyss and know they cannot rest. The unburied ghosts hold resentment towards us. They are jealous we live while they died. Their resentment congregated into an entity most foul, that hunts us if we trespass onto its land. ____________________________________________________________________________ After the first few groups who were sent to subjugate the beast never returned, the idea they were facing a vengeful apparition solidified in their minds. The story soon became the common belief as half destroyed corpses were found around the area the dead were placed during the famine. People started avoiding the demons territory. Appeals were made to the ruling lords, but a raid against the beast was always delayed or avoided. The lords stating, ¡°we have our hands full dealing with reconstruction, or peasants can handle a simple beast¡±. Excuses were always given. After many attempts to get help failed. The surrounding villages decided to just avoid that area and hope the demon would leave them alone. It was clear the surrounding lords didn¡¯t believe or care about the peasants plight. So years past. The demon lived and thrived with no one threatening it¡¯s reign. Any unfortunate soul who wandered into its territory was brutally killed and rarely found. Lively hoods had stabilized but the fear of the oni had shrouded the villages. The death count was less than it was during the famine but the brutality and terror the villagers lived through was suffocating. Life carried on with the people avoiding associating themselves with the cursed mountains. The villagers lived in fear, but endured, until finally a factor appeared that would spark change. Whether this would bring fortune or devastation¡­..well, you¡¯ll find out. ____________________________________________________________________________ CH8: Boy First things first, A shout out to ''JUSTAWAY'', I watched the anime Asura after you mentioned it¡­...when i had time, awesome by the way. I tried to find the manga but couldn''t find it online TT-TT. My story is a bit like it, though later on it will go down a completely different rout. No goody goody MC mind reform here. Even if at a time my MC finds/regains his humanity he will eventually lose or twist it into the worst of humanity. I hate with a passion, naive little fuckers, thats why i''m gonna kill em all off. MUAHAHAHAHAHA..cough..cough...ahem. I will try to post my next chapter tomorrow or the day after, since i''ve planned how the story will progress. Ty for wolf suggestions, he won¡¯t become a werewolf but the inspiration is derived from that. I hope when I get to the second Arc his reincarnation will surprise you all. Though it¡¯s still a ways off. Maybe another 5-7 chapters. Enjoy! _____________________________________________________________________________ POV: Aki (Village boy) I stared at the thing in front of me. It was the creature that had been terrorizing my village for years, causing us to continue to live in fear, even after the famine had ended. When I first laid eyes on this being, the first word that came to mind, was ¡®boy¡¯. He could have been as old as I but his thin limbs and shorter stature made me think of him as youthful, along with his face being hidden I couldn''t get a grasp on what to make of him, but he looked delicate from afar, but the dirt and grime that clung to his body made him appear pitiful. I soon realized how wrong my first assumption was. The thing I first thought was just some dirty decrepit stray child, not even of age yet, had before my eyes slaughtered three of my friends and fellow villagers. It all happened in an instant. The rest of us still living were frozen in shock, watching this young man?¡­.beast?... mercilessly cut through our brethren with what I assume tools usurped from previous raiders. He swung his tools wildly, without form, but with purpose. He wished for his tools to cut, maim and slaughter and they complied, with an animalistic instinctual precision. Two more of our group of 10 had been killed before I finally broke out of my stupor. ¡°RAAAAWWWRRRR!¡± A roar filled with my agony and grief erupted from my mouth, a horse pitiful shout of resistance and revenge. My anger reaching it¡¯s peak, not only directed at the monster in front of me, but also at myself. How could I just stand there as this thing ripped through my companions, my friends. I sprint towards the crouching figure, adrenaline and furry pumping through my veins. ¡°I WILL KILL YOU!!¡± The monster turned to face me, A feral growl emanated from it¡¯s throat as it recognized my intent to harm it. Blood covered its face and maw due to it ripping out the throat of one of it¡¯s victims with it¡¯s teeth. Tangled black hair sticking to the blood on his face, falling past his shoulders. Dried flakes of blood can be seen on his hands and feet, like he¡¯s stepped in too many puddles of blood to wash it all off. The only part of this beast not covered in that iron smelling liquid, are his eyes. I stare into this murdering monsters eyes and a shiver traveled up my spine, hairs stand on end, as I look, the more confused and terrified I become. It¡¯s eyes are dreadful. An intelligence permeates them, yet is caged in a feral hunger, an insanity and innocence that seems to drive it further into madness. But these thoughts and realizations are all pushed away due to my adrenaline and fury suppressing my fear of this creature before me. I ignore my instincts and terror by breaking the brief moment of eye contact we shared. All my focus is used to direct my spear into this creature''s flesh and destroy this abomination. My speed increases as I adjust the angle of my weapon accordingly. I''m decently proficient in wielding this spear as i¡¯ve practiced for this day. I aim the spear point for the creature''s chest and lunge. The next instant¡­..all I see is red. ____________________________________________________________________________ ¡°Today i''m officially a man!¡± I unintentionally shout into the sunrise. ¡°(snicker) (snicker)¡± I feel my cheeks get hot as I hear my mother and sister laugh, under their breaths, at my embarrassing display. I duck back into the hut, trying to recompose myself. ¡°Mu...why did they have to see that! ¡­¡­...ARG!¡± I swat my hands into my face, trying to clear the embarrassment from my mind¡­.it only partially worked and mostly hurt¡­¡­.TT-TT Like I care if people laugh. I¡¯m a man now! My face regains its triumphant vigor, and I walk back outside, chest held high with a swag in my step. More snickering ensues from the fields where my sis and mom are working. I continue to ignore them but my chest drops a bit. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Yo Aki, ready for the hunt?¡± A baby faced youth with slick black hair and sharp upturned eyes calls out to me. ¡°......man...every time i see your face i don¡¯t know wether to think you cute or frightening.¡± I blurt out my inner thoughts on reflex¡­..totally not intentionally¡­¡­.maybe. ¡°......fuck you to, I thought you got over your virginity already¡± The boy replied calmly, un-angered with a hint of humor in his voice. ¡°!!?? ...w..Why¡¯d you have to bring that up! p..plus i¡¯ll get a girl¡­.. eventually¡± I manage to stammer out a reply, while glancing quickly at my surroundings, ¡®thank god no one heard him¡¯. ¡°You¡¯ve lived 18 years without so much as holding hands with a girl and the only reason you have the chance to even be considered a man, before giving a woman a good fuck, is because of the Ritual Hunt¡­¡­... and please refrain from commenting on my facial features¡­..it displeases me.¡± The boy stabs me multiple times, throws some salt on the wounds and leaves me for dead. ¡°...............¡± I stand stupefied at his nonchalant comments, my body frozen until i¡¯m broken out of my stupor by a question. ¡°So, your hot sis tease you this morning or something?¡± ¡°NO!¡­.not..sorta..kinda¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...I screamed out some embarrassing lines¡­¡­.and¡­...got laughed at.¡± My firm first reply ended up trailing off into a mumble of the embarrassing truth. The glare of my friends gangster eyes are all that is needed to pry the truth out of me. There fucking terrifying. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°No wonder you had the nerve to comment on my face, Getting caught screaming ¡®you''re finally a man¡¯ can do that to a person¡± My face flared up in shame ¡®his comment made no sense and how did he even know what I said, I never elaborated !!??¡¯ ¡°The echo.¡± ¡°What??¡± I reply puzzled at his remark ¡°The surrounding mountains carry loud voices, i''m pretty sure everyone in the village heard your morning proclamation.¡± My face and chest seem to drop to the floor¡­¡­.no.. they actually dropped to the floor, as I curled up into a ball lamenting on my stupid as decision to display my man hood, just to have myself get kicked in the balls for it¡­¡­¡­..that didn¡¯t sound right?................ ¡°Don¡¯t worry man, not like anyone took you seriously in the first place.¡± ¡°.................gguu¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± A grown leaks out of my miserable husk of a self as I try to ignore the subtle humor stuck in Izamus¡¯ voice. In case you haven¡¯t figured out yet Nishimura Izamu is my best friend from childhood, the scary vengeful fucker who i¡¯ve been talking to the whole time. ¡°Well hurry up, If we don¡¯t get there in time, you can kiss goodbye to becoming a man anytime soon!¡± Izamu shouts a warning along with a wry chuckle I get up and make a mad dash after him¡­¡­¡­..reach him¡­..then continue past him, sprinting towards the meeting ground. I hear another soft chuckle from behind me but ignore it. Time to finally become a man. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°YOU WILL NEVER BE TRUE MEN! ¡­¡­..unless you pass the Ritual Hunt. Our ancestors along with the generations before them all completed this hunt. Normally it takes place on your 12 year but due to the passing famine, along with¡­...unknown dangers that have taken root in the forest, we¡¯ve had to postponed the hunt for a few years. But finally today marks the rekindling of our beloved tradition; though for some it has come later than usual, that just means you have an edge over the younger participants. Now before I explain the hunt I will reiterate our village history and¡­¡­...¡± Himura Nobuyuki, our village head and the person speaking before us. His gruff aged voice dominates the surroundings in a manner that demands attention and respect. ¡®I paid close attention to his words for the first 30 minutes but ¡­...he just kept talking¡­..he hasn¡¯t even gotten to what the Ritual hunt really is yet...OMG I think i¡¯m gonna die of boredom¡¯, I turn my head to the still slightly reddened sky and start daydreaming, my eyes becoming heavier. I snap to attention at the next words ¡°So without further or due I will now leave the explanation of The Ritual Hunt to your overseers, Good Luck and may you all triumph!¡± The Village head then briskly walked away, leaving us to the two overseers that stood on either side of him during his speech. The surrounding boys gazed expectantly at them, I am no exception. The excitement and expectation we feel is evident and the atmosphere causes one of our Overseer to promptly start the explanation. ¡°...Ahem...Greetings, as some of you may already know I am Akiyama Nori father of Kazuhiko and Satoshi. I will be one of the Overseers watching over you during this Ritual Hunt, and the man beside me, Matsuoka Masanori, will be your second Overseer. We are responsible for supervising and guiding you during this period, but will not interfere in matters beyond your basic safety. Now I know you all are eager to discover what exactly you have to do for the Ritual Hunt, but tradition states, before the explanation, each participant must state their name and age before the ritual deity. You may not withdraw after you have done this, so be warned. Now step forward individually from oldest to youngest.¡± Akiyama Nori our first overseer spoke gruffly and to the point, he then looked to me and I complied. ¡°Yoshida Aki, Age 18!¡± I spoke loudly but did not shout, my voice held respect for our deity as I knelt and clasped my hands into symbols that signified reverence and pride. I then stepped back into my former place as I watched Izamu walk to where I just stood. ¡°Nishimura Izamu, Age 18¡± My friend spoke with a solid tone as he also kneeled and repeated my actions. ¡°Moto Tadao, Age 18¡± Stout strong shoulders greeted us as we watched the third individual go up. If I had to describe this Tadao I would say he was a rock. I¡¯ve only seen him around, never really interacting with him but just one look and I know to never piss him off. ¡°Akiyama Kazuhiko, Age 18¡± A handsome youth with an evenly proportioned build, His appearance makes me want to hate him¡­..but ¡­..he has the most awesome character. We hang out on occasion, pull pranks and such. If their was one flaw¡­¡­¡­...quirk?...........meh..(shrugs)¡­¡­¡­... it¡¯s his unhealthy obsession with his younger brother¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..well more like he almost sadistically likes to make fun of and tease his him, but this balances out with his overprotectiveness and need to dote on him almost constantly. In short a weirdo. ¡°Fukumoto Ryota, Age 16¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­..A samurai¡­¡­¡­..mmm¡­.maybe more of a Ronin character?? ¡°Kimura Kin, Age 16¡± Like his name, meaning gold empties, this son of a bitch, is a money grubbin, back door dealing thief¡­..well not really, but if you let him he¡¯ll ring you for all your worth. ¡°Akiyama Satoshi, Age 15¡± Kazuhikos¡¯ younger brother, like his older brother he has great looks though much more along the effeminate side. Long dark black eyelashes and hair, plump pink lips, slender legs and ar¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..y..you get the idea¡­¡­¡­¡­..he¡¯s dangerous¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. ¡°Fukui Madoka, Age 14¡± Tall lean stature, brown messy hair, and an adorable set of eyes that can turn vicious in a moment. Satoshi¡¯s best friend and bodyguard¡­¡­.mostly from Kazuhiko. Always thought his and Satoshi¡¯s names should be swapped. After everyone finished introducing themselves and paying their respect, the Overseers nodded and gathered us into a circle. Besides the two Overseers there were 8 of us participating in the Ritual Hunt and all of us were eager for the explanation and to finally officially start. CH9: Ritual Hunt Hey everyone! Sorry for the day late post. I know you all want the MC¡¯s POV to start again, WHICH IT WILL! In the next chapter. This chapter was completing the Boys Pov, which may not seem important now but seeing how he is the spark for some future events, i decided to write it. I know a lot of FF only give brief descriptions/ flashbacks of the first life of their characters and tend to quickly begin their MC¡¯s story in a fantasy/other world. But there are important points to the MC¡¯s character and future development that I plan to show through his first life and death. It¡¯s not like I dislike the story¡¯s that summarize the first life of their characters, I just didn¡¯t want to skimp out on it. The next chapter will have the dark gritty stuff I know you all enjoy!, the last two chapters were a light pause and build up to following events. Enjoy! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ POV: Aki (Village boy) The Ritual Hunt is basically a coming of age ceremony. When a male child reaches at least the age of 12, they are sent to participate in this tradition which is supposed to take place every 3-5 years. Due to the famine and many deaths over the last few years, this tradition was stopped. But with the return of a fragile stability, this age old tradition has resurfaced to allow boys to become men. _____________________________________________________________________________ Our second Overseer, Matsuoka Masanori, then took a glance at all the ritual participants before gruffly clearing his throat. ¡°...AHHMM¡­¡­¡­.As the name ¡®Ritual Hunt¡¯ implies you all will be hunting. It doesn¡¯t matter what kind of profession you specialize in, all of you are required to accomplish the task of surviving in the forest for a week and kill at least one mammal each, fish and bugs are not accepted as prey! Is that understood. We will know hand everyone your spears, you may use these to hunt but you are not required to, any method available to you is acceptable in ¡®The Hunt¡¯! Also be warned, the reason we started ¡®The Hunt¡¯ is a week long is because that is the length of time we the overseers are allocated to protect you. When this time is up, and if you still haven''t managed to procure a kill, you are on your own.¡± The Overseers voice turned ominous part way through his extremely direct explanation. I mean he didn¡¯t even try to glam it up, just straight to the point¡­¡­...sigh...I feel stupid for being so excited earlier, I mean, just a week of hunting? and we only need to catch one animal, how simple can you get. As I was musing over the simplicity of the task, a shaky voice resounded across from me. ¡°..u..um...excuse me sensei? W..w..What d..do you mean by were on o..our o..O..own?¡± A slightly shaky and effeminate whisper was spoke by Satoshi, in question of our Overseers final comment. His voice cracking on a few words. ¡®How is his voice change just happening now?? He¡¯s already 15??......whatever¡¯ ¡°.........Well when the week is up, that doesn¡¯t mean the Ritual Hunt has ended, just that the participants will no longer receive the overseers protection and guidance. The Ritual Hunt only ends after you successfully hunt or die. I believe the tradition is too lax, but it is only meant to help you train your survivability.¡± Overseer Masanori, matter-of-factly stated. ¡° !!...........ha..ha¡­...gulp...I..I see..¡± Satoshi looked a bit pale and shaken. like a deer caught surrounded by a pack of wolves,......... but then again he¡¯s always had that defenseless frightened look. After all the questions were settled, all of us participants followed the two Overseers into the village Armory. Though I call it armory, that pitiful excuse of a shack could not be seen as anything other than a run down storage hut. The wood used as the base support was barely holding up, waterlogged and rotting, I was sure any day now the beams would snap and cause the whole structure crashing down. Luckily, I was certain even if an unsuspecting bystander was caught in this collapse they would not die. The straw roof and mud walls wouldn¡¯t allow for much damage to be inflicted. Inside this god forsaken termite nest, we found a number of crudely made wooden spears and swords. Eight of these spears were placed away from the rest, for what I assume are our use. The Overseers ventured in first and with direction grabbed spears from further in this warehouse, the quality of their spears was better, forged fully from metal and sharpened, an intimidating aura oozes off them. Our spears on the other hand had no mettle present. Only a wooden shaft along with a solid leather wrapping for ease of grip that continued, and bound a sharpened stone spear tip. Now you may be wondering, Why spears? and how come we are all given them even if we may not come from a warrior or hunter family? Well if fact every male of the village is required to train in the spear¡­¡­..required may be too strong of a word, more like guided. From the age of 10 we are instructed to find a long branch and carve it straight. Then we are taught and shown the basic forms of the spear. Whether to train or not is up to the individual. When you reach the age of 12 or if your talent and diligence are noticed you are guided in more techniques and training methods. The Ritual Hunt is meant to train us and have us experience life and death situation or at the very least survival. The creed of this village is ¡®A firm tree does not fear the storm¡¯. So each child is taught strength, because it is only natural for the weak to lose everything, while waiting for the strong to save them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It has been three days since our group has ventured into the forest. The first two days were spent hiking through the mountain. Someone had asked why we had walk for so long and it seems it¡¯s because our hunting can only truly begin after we reach the ritual hunting ground. The Overseers explained we would set up camp there and be guided in ¡®the ways of the forest¡¯ for the next three days, actually giving us only another two days to hunt with the Overseers protection, it seems part of the struggle for those who don¡¯t make the time limit is finding their way back to the village alone. Unfortunately, they only told us this daunting fact after we reached our destination, not giving us the chance to mark trees for an easy return. ¡°EVERYONE GATHER!!¡± The voices of the two Overseers boomed. The other participants and I rushed into neat file lines, indicating our order of our arrival before the Overseers. We learned quickly that those who kept up and arrived first, were assigned the easier tasks when setting camp. Those who lagged behind were forced to conduct the more laborious work, no break in between the day long hiking and their tasks. I being one of the oldest tended to have an easier time, I looked on with pity and mirth at those at the back of the line. They were doing their best to rest in this brief moment of respite, as the Overseers instructed us. To the unwillingness of us all but mostly those at the back; The Overseers kept their instructions brief and to the point, giving little time for us to rest. We all separated and worked at a brisk pace, not too fast or slow. We knew from example that those who worked too slow would be left without food¡­.unless they caught some themselves. The first night many including I didn¡¯t know of this rule and were left to starve. I caught a few bugs to fry over the fire ¡­..but that just doesn¡¯t cut it after hiking for a day, especially when smelling the food you could have eaten if only you worked just a bit harder. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. We only just finished setting up camp when dusk was drawing near. The process took longer than usual as after setting up the basics like a fire pit after clearing the ground, we had to group into pairs and construct a temporary shelter each. Thankfully the branches and leaves were to be gathered by the four slowest, and though the rest of us had to do the construction, we also got first pick of our prospective shelters. The last four would then have to prepare the meal for everyone and were the last to be served. Just as our group had finished eating, our Overseer Nori motioned for our attention. ¡°As you all are aware, tomorrow is your first instruction in ¡®the ways of the forest¡¯.................That is a lie.¡± His words shocked us, partly. We were all too tired to fully understand what he was saying but a dread still overcame each and everyone of us. We waited in silence for him to continue. Praying his task would be simple, as to allow our weary body to rest even a second sooner. ¡°ha ha, don¡¯t worry your task is simple. Set up a night watch, on rotation. Pick an order and have each of you stay up a portion of the night. I¡¯ll leave the decisions up to you, Good night!¡± He said this all flatly but nearing the end of his speech you would hear the sadistic humor in his voice. ¡°.........gggggguuuuuuu¡± We all groaned, yes the task was simple but at the same time it was the most tortuous task he could have given. ¡° I suggest we divvy up the night watch time using who came lined up faster or slower like with the camp set up¡± My best friend Izamu suggested, I thumbs up him in my mind ¡®good job my sly brother!¡¯. He and I both ended up being in the top 4 rather than the bottom. Quickly the other two, Tadao and Kazuhiko, agreed with us. As the oldest not only did we have superior rank but power as well, the younger 4 had no ability to refuse and grudgingly accepted our proposal with a groan. ¡®Thank the gods for juniors¡¯ The first two shift rotations were taken by Izamu and I while the last two were taken by Tadao and Kazuhiko. Our cute juniors were left in picking the middle rotations. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPLASH! ¡°WWAAAAAAAA!!........c...cold!¡± I abruptly awoke to ice cold water being doused on me. Startled I frantically searched around for the cause, my eyes landing on my friend, who had slept beside me, in much of the same state and situation. Seeing my prideful companion in such a state, had me on the brink of tears due to laughter. His blank stare, after witnessing my reaction, had me howling for a good 10 seconds, until Overseer Nori got our attention by whacking me on the head with the butt of his spear. SMACK! ¡°OUCH¡­.what was that for?¡± (shiver) My accusing bark caused him to smirk slightly, but what caught my attention was the narrowing of his eyes, o the tortures I could see in them. Quickly I shut my mouth and stood at attention. ¡°Get yourselves ready, we will be starting your first lessons after breakfast. You have until the sun fully rises to catch it.¡± Observer Nori starts to turn away until I question ¡°catch what??¡± He looked at me with the same piercing gaze he directed at me before, then pointed to a nearby river ¡°Your breakfast.¡± He then resumed walking away. ¡°...........When did we have a river by our camp?¡± Puzzled over never noticing it last night, I turned to Izamu. With a pitying look he silently left towards said river, leaving me to contemplate over my question, and now his eyes. Thrusting the question out of my mind, I was about to hurry after him in order to procure breakfast when¡­ ¡°KYAAAA!¡± ¡°@^@#&!¡± A chorus of screams and curses filled the still dark morn. I looked over and discovered my fellow participants were all being greeted by a bucket of cold water, their reactions much like Izamus¡¯ and mine¡­..minus the humor, they all looked miserable. Erase my last statement, it seems Tadao, who had the last night watch shift, was able to avoid the misfortune, of being awoken through frigid water, and was doing his all to avoid laughing out right¡­..I also seem to see a bucket in his hand. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first and second day of learning how to ¡®live and thrive¡¯ in the forest was pure agony, Not just in body but also in mind. It all started at the lake. Getting breakfast (fish) turned out to be much more challenging than I or any of us expected. It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t know how to fish, but catching them without any of the usual tools was just too hard. At first the fishing was simple, traps, nets and tools enabled us to catch quite a few fish. Unfortunately, the Overseers then confiscated (our fish) their breakfast, and instructed that tools may only be used to catch our Ritual prey but we are free to fish with our spears and hands. I have trained in the spear for quite a few years, but never have I or the others used it to fish, it¡¯s usually only the older hunters who occasionally do¡­¡­¡­.!? ..well that explains some things. After the attempt at spear fishing we gathered in a circle around the Overseers for a lesson on the forest. As village kids, we knew quite a lot already about gathering and picking the edible from the lethal, as well as some basics such as starting a fire; but what the Overseers taught went beyond that. We learnt what bark and grass was edible. How to track prey, recognize and avoid dangerous animal territory. Along with ways to navigate through our surroundings, from finding water sources to tracking the stars. The third day was easier, as our lessons were only repeated, but with us having more freedom in executing them. When the fourth day arrived, we were all decently confident with our skills, though I believe that confidence was only due to the two Overseers presences. This the first day we were actually permitted to hunt, though we would travel as a group. Although hunting in a large party can be detrimental to stealth¡­.well for us. Our lack of experience and skill made us decently noisy especially when compared to the Overseers, who were as silent as large cats. And although we traveled in a group, prey found must be killed alone to count. The one who spotted the tracks has priority and will lead the group in the tracking of the prey. Like this we went into the forest. It took about half a day before any of us found anything. Satoshi was the first to find traces of dung that seemed to have come from a fox. Searching the area, he found the tracks he was looking for. The rest of us were resting and waiting for him due to this being his hunt. The tracks led deeper into the forest, and as the day swept away an ominous red peered through the canopy of the trees. ¡®Dusk the time when evil spirits and demons come out to hunt¡¯ I don¡¯t know why it was that day and time I thought of this ¡­¡­.but something felt different this time and looking around at my colleagues, friends and teachers, I could tell they felt it to. The shivers and fear we felt, like something, like everything was watching us. The breeze felt as soft and sinister as a breath against our throats, the shaking of leaves a heartbeat of the forest. We were walking into the belly of the beast. And then we met it¡­...and died. Not a Chapter! Sorry So Sorry about the Hiatus. It will continue a little longer. I have not dropped this story and still have ideas for it but due to school and HW have not had time to write. I am drawing though. As an apology for such a long break from posting chapters, when I finnish my artwork, I will post it. I am Drawing and inking 14 full pages of this story along with an original cover. So it''s not that i''ve fully stopped the story, i''m just continuing it in another medium. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.I have also revised the first chapter introduction. Please comment on it and tell me if it should be again revised. Im not too sure about it. TY for your patience. CH10: Acceptance It¡¯s the fabled return of the MC Pov! YAY!! TT-TT (may tears of joy grace your faces). I know the last few chapters lacked moody darkness and gore, which I apologize for. I know, I know, reading through mildly happy, un-suffering characters lives is boring, but it was necessary. For those who enjoy analyzing a story''s emotional impact, the past two chapters were for you the readers to relate to some of the MC¡¯s victims. My MC is not an anti-hero, or anything related to a hero. He will kill innocents, and villains equally¡­¡­.when hungry or pissed off. You can think of him like an animal for now, he just doesn¡¯t understand human morality and doesn¡¯t give a shit. This mentality will change and evolve but that is for latter on. Also sorry for how infrequently i update. I work on this mostly during breaks rather than during school, so It may be months before i update. Ill try bulk updates when i can, and i''ll be posting my art and cover after i scan it satisfactorily. I¡¯m trying to create my own website for my art, so until that''s done, you¡¯ll have to wait. TY for Reading! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I drag my numbing limbs through the snow, clutching onto the frozen flesh i painfully acquired. With no tools or clothes protecting my vulnerable hands and legs, it¡¯s inevitable i¡¯d get injured. A few cuts and deeper gashes bleed slowly, staining snow red; An omen to the path i¡¯m now walking¡­.i hate myself¡­.this situation...everything. As the hunger increases my thoughts turn towards an instinctual determination to live. I may hate myself but¡­.i still don¡¯t want to die. Dragging my tired body into my cave, i¡¯m relieved to see the fire still going, though small and vulnerable. As fast as I can manage, I feed it wood and tend to the slowly strengthening flame, setting my meat next to it to thaw, much like myself. My mind and body are exhausted yet I stay awake, eyes glued to the thawing meat as my body rests on my furs. You may assume I stayed awake only to be able to cook and eat the meat as soon as possible but in reality, my sleep deprivation was due to the horrible pain coursing through my limbs ever since getting back into the warmth of the fire. What was once numb now started to fester into a burning and piercing pain. Blisters burst on both my hands and feet, purple bruises, and cuts climbing up my fingers and toes. I was lucky I came back before things got worse enough for limbs to rot and fall from my body. ¡®i''m lucky¡¯ I chuckle through gritted teeth at this thought, though the situation is shit, it¡¯s a miracle or through the devil''s luck i¡¯m still alive. Even if in pain, hunger and self loathing, I¡¯M ALIVE! Silent tears again streak down my face, in grief and relief. ¡°I¡¯m a monster¡± TT-TT With this realization, my tears slowly stop and I reach for the meat, unhesitatingly, I grab and pierce it, letting the flames lick the flesh. (meat on a stiiiick)~get it, LOL The smell of roasting fat reaches me, I blank out, savoring the delicious smell. Barely cooked, I rush to take a bite out of the rare meat. All reservations, if I even had any left, completely cease, as I slowly chew and savor every bite. None of it mattered, nothing matters except survival and this savory sin. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Not even the dull pain and discomfort my stomach feels from being fed something so hardy after starving for so long, stops my teeth from tearing into the decadent flesh before me. For the first time in weeks¡­. months even, a genuine smile graces my cracked lips. ______________________________________________________________________________ My life though still harsh became much better. I¡¯ve fully healed from my past wounds and with a steady supply of meat and the occasional raw fish or animal, i¡¯ve been thriving in this desolate ravine. Wrapping my hands and feet in the newly acquired furs helps out a lot, and due to spring nearing, things have been getting better and better. Those fucking demons haven''t been bothering me either after that night¡­. Life is ...good. ______________________________________________________________________________ Narrator POV The boy thinks this while slowly reaching over towards the cavern wall, an unsuspecting rodent is quickly and efficiently snatched from mid sprint. The boy then proceeds to look into it¡¯s terrified eyes and squeezes. An audible squelch and cracks are heard as the rodent struggles futilely in the boy''s grip. A savage smile appearing on his face as his eyes gain a dull glaze. Still barely alive, the rodent ceases its struggle, not due to giving into the inevitable but due to a broken spine and other internal complications. A week, wheezy squeak escapes through it¡¯s teeth, before the boy brutally bites on to the rodents head, abruptly twisting and pulling, causing the cranium and part of the neck of the rodent to separate from the rest of it¡¯s mutilated body. The boy then calmly places the corps near the fire after impaling the body with a sharpened stick, and chucking the decapitated rodent head into the corner, to later use as bait for some traps. ______________________________________________________________________________ Years pass yet the boy still continues to live in the ravine, feeding of the freshly dead, left to rot in the pass, and of any other creatures and plants he can procure. His mentality continues to degrade either due to the environment and his savage living or because of the effects human flesh has on the mind. He lives in instability yet continues to function, even improve as his mental conditions worsen. A lean muscled beast is all that is left of the boy. Yet his uncanny intelligence and other worldly knowledge persist and integrate efficiently into his new bearing. Life was good, if you could call this a life¡­.he certainly did. But all comes to an end, his brief peace stopped as the amount of corpses delivered to the ¡®grave¡¯, as he liked to call his human flesh scavenging zone, dwindled and eventually stopped. Though he could and did hunt, his most staple food was the flesh he collected from the dropped off corpses, especially during winter. It was how he was able to survive in the more desolate ravine. Now that the bodies had stopped coming he was forced to venture out and expand his territory. Whether he ate beast or man did not concern him, but as one who had grown accustomed to human flesh, was that really true? CH11: Trespassers Along with the boy¡¯s gradual change in mentality, came a change in conduct. He acted much like a beast would. Making and patrolling a territory. He had expanded his activity range due to the halt of fresh meat being delivered to his scavenging ground. Unsatisfied with the small game of the ravine he ventured out, clamming and exploring half the mountain, unable to manage more alone. He strangely never ventured beyond a certain cliff, or left for what was beyond the mountain. A fear clung to his heart, though he did not realize it. These days were quite peaceful, he set up a number of dens around his territory, places for him to rest and recover after a harsh fight for food. As he grew he expanded on his range of animals he could kill. Where once, foxes, wolves and boars could kill him with little trouble, if not for the traps he laid, now he could hunt and kill, if willing to bear the scars and struggle of battle. His life now was simple yet fraught with the dangers of the mountain and the wild. Hunt, Eat, Sleep, Survive, He learned from his prey and other predators how to hunt more effectively and how the mountains were split into overlapping territories. These territorial disputes served as a form of entertainment to the boy, exited to see wolves and other mammals maul each other, as none of it concerned him and he may even be able to snatch a corps or two. After the fall, he had consciously or unconsciously avoided any human contact. (live humans) His, tramas, fear and hatred like shackles tying him to the world of beast. But fate just loves to fuck with people, doesn¡¯t it, so we just got to deal with it. ______________________________________________________________________________ I stalk through the forest unhindered, perfectly camouflaged with the brush, due to the dirt and grime spread across my body. My steps and breathing nearly silent as I stalk my prey from a distance. I know they¡¯ve already noticed my presence, as their senses are finely honed, but they don¡¯t bother to run as i''m a distance away and haven''t made any moves to have them fear me as a threat. I¡¯ve been tailing these animals for a few months, getting a hang of their routine. Where they like to group, how they react to predators, where they like to go. My traps are already set and before long they will wander into the pass. I intentionally made my presence known to them, gently corralling them into a funnel. Careful not to spook them and have them leap over or charge through the branch and bush walls I set up. They should take the path of least resistance and walk into the trap set up at the end of the funnel, right where the brush opening is. The few traps right outside that opening should also catch a few, if i''m lucky. As they draw nearer to the small hole in the brush walls, I calmly urged them to move through. ¡°SNAP!!¡± The vine noose is triggered! Instantly coiling around the front two legs or my first prize, hauling it up into the air. ¡°SQUEEEEEEELLLLLLL!!¡± Panicked cries are heard as the small boar struggles with its bindings but alas, i¡¯m experienced, These ropes won¡¯t send to the will of this insignificant creature, I made sure of that. The rest of the fear stricken lot, start to dart in all directions after the distress call of the first boar. Shrieks and squeals fill the air as they dart through the brush. I hear a few more of my contraptions spring. I wait a few more moments until those who have not been captured dart away and out of sight, their delightfully miserable squeals disappearing into the forest. I walk calmly up to the first boar, a smile creeps up to my face as I watch it¡¯s futile struggle but only for a moment. I quickly slit it¡¯s throat, my handy sharpened rock never failing in its assigned task. I watch as the small boar shudders in pain and fear as it watches its life blood drain from it¡¯s body. It¡¯s eyes grow dull. I turn from it, heading to check on my other traps, even before it¡¯s life is fully extinguished. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. I herd five other traps spring but only two seem to have desperate squeals crying out from them. They smell the blood of their brother and know what is to happen yet still futilely try to struggle. It will do them no good, a pointless act, my traps are secure. I unhurriedly draw near them, once again slitting the throats of my prey. I patiently wait for the blood to drain, then hurriedly sling the three baby boar¡¯s over my shoulder and head to one of my many dens. My steps are hurried as I know the blood will attract many who wish for an easy meal. I may be able to hold my own against most predators on the mountain, but direct confrontations come with two heavy of a cost, especially if I run into a pack. It takes me months to heal from a heavy injury, not to mention how it impacts my hunts. I cannot afford to take damage that could put me out of commission for months if not outright kill me. I run through the trees, swiftly avoiding obstacles while drooling at the thought of the boar flesh I will be savoring tonight. Until I spot them. In the corner of my eye, three bipedal creatures come into my view. A myriad of emotions assault my psyche. Fear, disgust, appetite but what truly blazed over all my other feelings was my ANGER!! They may not know it but they stepped on my territory! THEY¡¯VE TRESPASSED ON MY LAND!! So they must die. I¡¯ve never felt so ablaze, I could barely control myself from jumping out and taking them to the ground. I wanted to eviscerate them as a warning to all, THAT THIS PLACE WAS MINE! The blaze only escaped a moment, my instincts were screaming to kill, but I knew better. I crouched down and decided to observe. They seemed to be armed, though barely, and were making so much unnecessary noise I couldn¡¯t fathom how they would be able to draw upon any animals. One carried a spear, quite clumsily, while another carried a bow and the last was fit with a large curved hunting knife. I observed for a few hours as they transferred MY WOODS! My instinct getting harder and harder to manage. Still I waited, I wished for them to get to the edge of my territory before I acted, As they would be a warning to others. Finally, FINALY they were at the edge of my mountain border. Unable to contain my excitement and fury I pounced. Quickly stabbing my sharpened stone into the throat of the unsuspecting spear wielder. He was unable to cry out but bubbling blood and a loud obnoxious hiss exited his severed neck. He limply fell onto the crackling leaves of the forest floor. His two companions were stunned as they turned and gazed upon the scene, their slow reaction to the situation, left me annoyed at how loathsomely weak they were. They were not fit to tread the woods. I had immediately grabbed the first corpses spear and thrust it into the bowman, as he was still in a daze, the third had only just started to react to the situation but was again too slow. I stabbed again, piercing the knife wielder in the stomach, he wailed in pain and I shivered in pleasure. A curious feeling¡­ I dismissed it and thrust again. Over and over I pierced his flesh with my spear. (LOL) Hacking away at him until he was an unrecognizable mess of flesh. I took a moment to savor my handiwork, ¡®my first territorial dispute was a fun one¡¯ I mused. My Anger had subsided, adrenaline gone, my head cleared ¡°Shit¡­...I dropped my boar meat¡± In all my excitement and anger, I had dismissed my three boars when i started tailing my new prey. I sulked a little but it wasn¡¯t a huge loss¡­.after all I have all this new meat right here. CH12: Battle K, so I tried writing a more descriptive battle scene, I think I did ok but I''d love for comments on how to improve it. What should change or not etc. Hope you all like the chapter. Ill try to get another one done by the end of this week. But I can say my updates will probably continue to be slow until the summer. Sorry about that but school work takes precedence. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ MC POV Along with gaining excess meat, Killing the three humans finally allowed me to procure some proper weapons and tools. The knife was especially helpful in carrying out tasks, like skinning and sharpening wooden spears. Unfortunately, it seems my warning display was quite useless towards other humans. Rather than avoid my marked territory, more and more trespassers started to appear and roam my mountain. Each new batch becoming harder to subdue and kill; either their numbers would grow or their skill would increase. Over time this frustrated me. The pleasure gained from a new hunt had all but subsided; sure, at times I would gain an easy meal and was able to stockpile some handy tools but as time progressed the hunts turned into battles. I would still win but the injuries sustained weren''t worth it. Living in these mountains was already a battle, though I had adapted and thrived, that was only with the condition that I was in full health. Even small injuries would hinder my hunts, slowing my movements, my blood warding of prey; not to mention when I sustained any major wound. Still I carried on fighting...killing, It was a gleeful time as I fully unleashed my fury, my instincts, my hate. No matter the wounds I suffered, I would pay it back ten, no a hundred fold; but after my adrenaline fueled fun subsided and the pain of each new scar burdened my mind and body, I would curse at the situation. I was being driven into a corner. I had for a few months tried to avoid the humans, but when left alone even more had started patrolling my woods. They scared away the animals of the mountain, and the few that remained were hunted by these groups as food. I couldn¡¯t tolerate waiting for them to lose interest in my mountain and leave on their own. They were destroying my territory, my hunt and I didn¡¯t want to leave my home. So, I decided to use their fear, their weakness and bodies to drive them from my woods forever. I liked my lips in anticipation...this would be as fun as it was dangerous. The bodies were left mutilated, unrecognizable hunks of meat¡­.I would always take the best parts of a few for later. They stole my prey so it¡¯s only fair of them to replace it. My methods only grew more brutal as time passed. I came to enjoy using ambush tactics on these unsuspecting squads, the fear they expressed as they were picked off one by one¡­.in the dark¡­. wassss delightfullll! ______________________________________________________________________________ Hunting Team POV ¡°Y..you heard the rumors, i..it has to be a d..d.demon!¡± One of the hunting party members whispers. ¡°n..no a..animals could be that vicious, I...I.. puked when I first saw some of the victims ...b...bodies¡± ¡°I got to agree with the slow coward. This time I think we should just quit while we''re still alive, or I fear we''ll be seeing the yellow river soon¡± ¡°SHUT UP THE BOTH OF YOU!, why can¡¯t you be like Takeo-kun and Shuji-kun here, nice and quiet! The village head specifically ordered us to kill whatever mongrels have been killing people in the area, I refuse to believe a demon is the cause¡­..stupid superstitious crap is only for the weak!¡± ¡°B..but sir¡­.I heard some o..of the body''s have e..e..evidence of weapons k..k..k..killing them.¡± ¡°GOD DAMMIT Kyoshi, FIX THAT FUCKING STUTTER ALREADY, IT''S GIVIN¡¯ ME A MIGRAINE!! Just shut up and do your job!¡± The five men quietly stalk the forest, tension high, an eerie atmosphere prickling the hairs on the back of their necks. Something was watching them. The five were some of the best warriors in the village. From the teams dispatched this time, they truly were the cream of the crop but the strongest rabbit still cannot out fight a wolf. The five men, as if sensing the murderous intent stiffened. They were about to ready their weapons and formation but already one of the five was struck down. That moment, when their bodies tensed was the moment the shadow struck and tore into the neck of the gruff group leader. His eyes still blazing with vitality, the thick, well trained hand of the leader grabbed onto the slender yet muscular arm of his shadowy assailant. Although choking on his own blood, and inflicted with blurry vision and weakness due to the constant blood loss, his grip held tight as a vise. He would not let go until his dying breath. A gruff gurgling shout forced it¡¯s way out of his throat ¡°GGEGGG HT GGHHIM YGOUGHH MAGGHOHTSGGG!!¡± (get him you maggots!) This death cry shocked the four stunned warriors out of their stupor. They instantly pierced their spears towards the trapped and panicking assailant, not minding the body of their leader. They knew he was already dead, his wound and guttural shout said as much. All cowardly thoughts vanished as they struck with well trained accuracy and timing, cornering their prey. The feeling of flesh and bone being pierced was felt by each of them. The four gazed intently forward, expecting to see the bloodied and pierced face of their captains murderer but to their dismay were only greeted to the sight of their spears lodged solidly into their now dead captain. His hand missing as well as the assailant. All this had happened in but a moment. Yet the four instantly got into a defending formation, not minding their dead leader any longer. They strained their senses.... Waiting. The forest had once again gone quiet, a stillness freezing even the wind. But the quiet was far from peaceful. A heavy and frigid bloodlust hung in the air. The four feeling the tension remained at the ready, but were careful not to tense, as they knew it would slow them for a moment, and give this shadowy beast another chance to strike. The silence seemed to drag on for hours, though only a few minutes had passed. Our tension was high as we readied ourselves for the signal that would break this waiting game¡­ and from the shadows a sharp silvery glint descended. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ______________________________________________________________________________ MC POV I had fled back into the dark embrace of the forest, away from the clearing and four remaining warriors. I hid, silent and still as I observed the four. They were in a formation and were well disciplined. I thought them to be like the rest, prey to be hunted...but it seems I found myself in a battle. Truly these men were true warriors, especially the first one I killed. I was right to aim for him...though I paid a price. Even when dying he had held me firmly in place, if not for my quick actions I would have surely died by those four spears. A shiver runs down my spine. His will was truly shocking, he even managed to incite the four out of their shock and into attacking before I could take down another. I crouched there in the dark as I wrapped my wounded leg and arm. Even after instantly hacking off the hand that grasped me, and sprinting into the shadows, still two Spears cut deeply into my flesh. The bone could be seen from the gash on my arm, and my leg had also been cut quite deeply, though not as badly. Even so my speed and attacks had weakened considerably. If I try to run I will surely be caught and subdued. These men are skilled and with these wounds, I have little chance of defeating them if I give up my cover. I calmly analyze the situation, while treating my wounds as best I can. They are bad, some of the worst I have sustained...mostly due to how detrimental it is in a fight to have your arm and leg crippled. I have been stabbed in the torso many times, but as long as nothing truly important is punctured, it¡¯s easy to ignore the pain and continue fighting. Having your limbs crippled on the other hand, doesn¡¯t allow such respite. You cannot will something to move in a way it cannot. Time is also not on my side, though no major arteries were cut, I have no way to stop the bleeding here and my body will give out due to blood loss. ¡®Fuck¡¯ I grit my teeth in frustration, as i''m forced to make the first move in this standoff against the four warriors. I am weakened, on a time limit, and now have to break this stand off and somehow finish of these four¡­..or im dead. ¡®Fuck¡¯ Repeating the dreary curse in my mind, I quickly jump out of my hiding place and swing my sword at one of the four spear wielding men. I was hoping to kill at least one more and lessen my burden but alas¡­ My attack had failed to strike a fatal blow, I quickly readjusted myself to receive and dage the incoming attacks. They had reacted instantly, I was surprised until I noticed how their weapons shined¡­.the moon was out. My shadow was broken by it¡¯s light and allowed them to notice my attack sooner than I would have liked. As steel blades drew closer, I readied myself to dauge and counter attack. My stance low, I jumped and rolled forward, careful not to hurt myself with my own weapon. I had gotten within their guard and swiped at their feet, the unfamiliar action allowed me to catch the closer two off guard and allowed for one two lose a foot, while the other suffered a deep gash on the shin. ¡°AAAAAAAGGHHAAAA!¡± A scream escaped the mouth of the mouth of the one with the severed foot, as he fell awkwardly to the ground. I spared no time in finishing him off with a swift stab to the heart. But as my attention was drawn to him, the other I had injured had taken the opportunity to stab as me. Ignoring his injury, he thrust his spear into my torso. A grunt escaped my mouth as I felt my side pierced, I was lucky his pained leg lowered his accuracy and nothing vital was pierced¡­... yet. Pinned to the ground as he had left his spear in me and retreated, as to allow the other two to finish me off, I hurriedly grabbed the forgotten spear of my second kill. I was in an awkward position, Face down in the dirt and leaves with a spear pinning me there. It would be easy to get up normally, but with the two attacks headed towards me, if I do, I will be unable to counter attack do to my awkward positioning and am likely to get stabbed. Im also unable unable to roll out of the way efficiently due to the spear lodged in my gut. Sighing, I mentally prepare for the two more puncture wounds i¡¯m likely to sustain. In one motion I stand up, the first spear still lodged in me, I prepare the spear in my hand and adjust my body. Two bursts of pain erupt from my back, but I made sure I was pierced In unproblematic spots. Blood escapes from my mouth as one of my lungs was pierced; I ignore it, quickly using this chance to thrust my spear into the gut of one of my two attackers. I see the shock on their faces as they see me move with three spears lodged in me. I had twisted my body with great difficulty after the two had stabbed me, causing them to let go of their weapons. Now weaponless, the two warriors stand in shock. One looking at his pierced chest and the other at my bloodied figure that was somehow able to still attack. They continue to stand in a daze as my weapon draws closer, once again stabbing into the body of the first warrior and then quickly slicing the neck of the second. ¡°Aagg aaa GGHHUAAAAA¡± ¡°Ugg Aa¡± The stabbed one grunts and screams until my second blow silences him, while the one with the slacked throat looks on in shock as a few low gurgling grunts escaped his mouth, and a bubbling hiss out his neck as blood sprayed out onto his friend and then the ground as he keels over and falls. I look on in indifference, until I whip my head towards the last of the men. ¡°D..d.d.demon¡± He mutters insanities and words I do not understand, but he is panicked and afraid. He started running, the injury I had given his shin doing nothing to slow his pace as he escapes from my grasp. I do nothing...can do nothing. My body starting to give out from blood loss and overexertion makes it harder and harder for me to focus, my mind blurring. I let my instincts guide me as I slowly stumble through the forest. I need to get home...home.