Origin Seeker

Chapter 6: Shooting

After spilling the truth, the girl in front of Dream titled her head.

"Another world?"

"Yea. Another planet. I got dropped into this endless forest around 2 weeks ago and have been wandering mindlessly for a while. At least, that was until I found you guys."

"So you really have been lost. How were you able to survive so long?"

"That's thanks to this."

Dream motioned his rifle, and the girl looked at it curiously. He still had it pointed at the man, who was the biggest threat, but since these people obviously didn't know what it was, they didn't care about it. He didn't lower it though. He had to be able to react should this man get violent. 

As the white-haired beauty inspected his rifle, the man kept staring with narrowed eyes at Dream. 

"...Sigh, fine. I guess you aren't suspicious."

"I really am just lost. I'm not in my world anymore, and I don't know anything about this place."

"I've heard about people like you actually. Ones who aren't native to this world."

"So there's more like me?"

"Yes. From the stories I've heard, at least. I've never met any of them."

"Oh."

Dream's head drooped a little. Looks like he wouldn't be meeting any earthlings on this planet anytime soon. 

"Anyway. I can give you a map and you can be on your way. If you hike for another few weeks, you should be able to reach one of the nearby kingdoms."

"Wha..? Dad!"

"What?"

The man looked at the girl weirdly as she scolded him. 

"You can't just toss him out there. Who knows if he'd be able to survive that long?!"

"We don't know who he is."

"He didn't lie about any of the things he said. Besides, what harm can he be if he's from another world?"

"..."

"Dream, you can stay with us. We have an extra room and plenty of food, so it should be fine."

"...Uhh."

Dream just looked between the two hesitantly. The girl reassured him though.

"It's fine. Really."

"...Okay then. Thanks."

"Sure. We were just about to go hunting again. Would you like to come with us? Or are you tired?"

"I can go with you guys. Your dad probably wants to keep an eye on me anyway."

"Okay."

"I should grab my stuff though. I don't want too many bugs to get all over it."

"Where's your stuff?"

"In my fox hole."

"Fox hole?"

The girl tilted her head. Dream just put down his gun and walked toward the door though. 

"It's where I've been sleeping."

"Oh. Can I see?"

"I guess?"

Dream chuckled a bit at her interest. After passing by the man and the other fox that hadn't spoken a word, he and the girl walked over toward the fox hole Dream dug. The man and black fox eventually followed as well. 

Soon, Dream was walking up to the tree he dug the hole next to. After bending down and removing some of the rocks that covered the entrance, the fox hole was opened and the girl curiously looked inside where Dream's stuff was piled.

"...You've been sleeping in this?"

The girl spoke dumbly as she saw the hole, as if she couldn't believe it.

"Every night for two weeks I would find a tree and dig one out as I traveled."

"But... It's so dirty! Don't you get hot? Or cold? And what about all the bugs?"

"Yes, yes, and the bugs are indeed very annoying. But it's kept me safe from all the wolves and animals that roam around at night and has saved my life a few times, so I didn't mind."

Dream spoke as he pulled out his bag and the tarp and blankets that covered the moist dirt. After removing all his items, he kicked the rocks inside the fox hole and officially left it behind. 

"By the way, what's your name?"

Dream looked at the girl as he hoisted his huge, heavy backpack and sniper. Hearing his question, the girl perked up like she remembered something.

"Oh! My name is Luna."

"Well, very nice to meet you Luna."

"You too! My dad's na-"

"My name is Riddick."

The man walked up to Dream as he interrupted his daughter. He looked at Dream and his stuff that he only now noticed was very dirty, and then at the fox hole where he had been sleeping. Seeing all that, his hostility and suspicion dropped immensely.

"You can stay with us however long you need to."

"...Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Sure. I'll show you where you can stay, then we'll head out for our hunt."

Saying that, the man turned, and they all went back to the cabin. Dream sighed in relief as he found some people that were nice and hospitable.

...........

The man, Riddick, showed Dream to a spare room they had. This room was used mainly for storage, but after clearing some stuff out, it was opened up enough for Dream to stay in. With that, he set all his items down. He smiled brightly as he now had a single place to stay and wouldn't have to carry all his belongings around. 

After that, since they were going hunting at that tree dome, Dream grabbed his rifle and sniper along with a few extra magazines. After grabbing a small bag out of his big backpack, he put in the magazines, slung the rifle over his shoulder, hoisted the sniper, and was set to go. 

Soon after, Dream, Riddick, the girl, and the black fox who Dream now knew was the other black-haired girl, set off toward the tree dome. 

"...Speaking of names. Black fox, I never did get yours."

Dream spoke as they walked. The black fox hadn't said a word, and would only ever look at him coldly. Even as he asked for her name, she just glanced at him and looked away.

"You never asked."

"That comment was an implied question."

"...You don't need my name."

"...Very well then. I'll just give you a nickname."

After looking at the rude fox incredulously for a second, Dream just smirked and decided to mess around with her. 

"Let's see. Maybe Ice Cube. No, that wouldn't work. Doesn't match your fur. Dark witch? That works better. Although you also use fire, so maybe Scarlet? Oh! That one's a good name."

"I don't have a nickname!"

"I guess it's a good thing that I'm giving you one then. Scarlet."

"Pfft."

"Don't call me that! And don't laugh!"

The black fox snarled at Dream and then Luna who started giggling. He smiled at her hostile reaction. 

"I guess that'll be your new nickname from now on. Unless you give me your name."

"...My name is Iris. Don't call me Scarlet."

"Iris... Nice."

Dream nodded and went silent. Seeing that, the black fox huffed and turned away. 

After a bit more walking, the group traversed a few miles and they eventually came upon the mysterious fog. Dream spoke curiously.

"So what is this fog anyway? And the area inside, it's pretty amazing. Do you have any idea what that place is?"

"You've been inside?"

"Yea. That's actually when I found you guys. I was scouting the place and I found you two hunting a bull."

Dream pointed to the two girls as he answered. Riddick was surprised though. 

"To think you're able to get past the fog. Interesting... Anyway, this place is like an isolated sanctuary. Some of the animal clans around here use the place. We also use it for the bulls. They're our food, and we go hunting almost every day."

"Wow. Why don't you just live inside though? It's a paradise there."

"The clans don't like it when humans intrude. That's why we hunt in the morning. If we stayed there, they cause a ruckus and try to drive us out."

Riddick spoke with a slightly annoyed tone. Hearing him, Dream just nodded. He didn't know about animal clans, but they sounded powerful. 

"Anyway, since you can enter fine, let's go. Hunting shouldn't take long, and we'll be able to situate you when we get back."

Saying that, he walked in. Dream nodded and followed, as did the fox and girl. 

"...I really can't get over that view."

Dream sighed as they climbed the wall and overlooked the valley. The massive trees and serene landscapes made him feel at peace. It was truly an isolated slice of paradise. Even on Earth he would choose to live in a place like this any day. 

After hopping over the wall, Luna burst into a ball of spoke which coalesced back into a fox. After that, her and Iris climbed down and hopped into the green grass, proceeding to track down a bull. Their movements were practiced as this was something they did all the time. 

Riddick though stayed on the wall. Dream tilted his head at that.

"You don't go with them?"

"They need the practice more than me. How about you? I'm curious as to what that weapon of yours can do since you said that it was able to keep you alive until now."

Riddick pointed at the rifle curiously while finding a place to sit. Seeing his interest, Dream smiled.

"This is called a gun. It shoots projectiles."

"Really? I sense no magic from it. In fact, there's an abnormally low amount of magic within in."

"That's normal. The world I came from didn't have any magic. This weapon is from that world."

"A world with no magic... So what does it do?"

"Hmm, I think I'll just show you."

Smiling, Dream went and found himself a spot to kneel down. After getting comfortable, he grabbed his sniper and raised it, overlooking the valley.

Looking through the scope, Dream found himself a bull that was just wandering around. After calming himself and putting the crosshair on its head, he clicked the safety off with his thumb and pulled the trigger.

*BOOM*

An explosion rang out, and the 50 caliber bullet was hurled through the barrel. In only splits of a second, the bullet reached the bull and tore into its head.

<You have killed a level 37 [Short-Horned Bull]>

<You have earned experience!>

<You have leveled up!>

When the shot hit, Dream received a few notifications. He looked at the level and was surprised. He didn't think a bull would have this kind of level. It was enough to bump up his level from 17 to 24 in one go.

'Status!'

Excitedly, Dream looked at his profile as soon as the notifications ended.

|Profile|

Name: Dream 

Species: Human Male

Titles: [Origin Seeker]

Class: (unassigned)

Level: 24

Stats: Strength- F-      Agility- F

           Stamina- F-       Magic- F

Passive Skills: [Visualization] Lvl. 19, [Savant]Lvl. 24, [Copycat] Lvl. 1, [Awareness] Lvl. 15

Active Skills: [Summons From Another World], [Shooting] Lvl. 2 [Erase Presence] Lvl. 1

'Very nice.'

Dream smiled seeing the numbers. Just like a game, it was nice having a sense of progression.

While he was focused on the level ups though, the entire paradise was thrown into a small bout of chaos. Bird scattered in the air, the bulls within the vicinity scurried off, and Riddick who was standing next to Dream felt his eyes go wide.

"...So that's what it can do. No wonder you were able to survive. None of those wolves would be able to take that."

"I didn't use this weapon for the wolves. For them I usually used the pistol or the rifle. Only for large animals would I use this gun. In fact, this is my first time firing this. It's just as good as I thought it would be."

Dream smiled brightly as he dismissed his status and hugged his gun. He really did love guns, especially after being stranded in the forest for a while. They were awesome and useful. 

Riddick just looked at him oddly though. After staring at him and the gun for a few seconds, he shook his head.

"That's an amazing weapon you have, but without magic, it'll only go so far. These are low level animals too. The higher level ones that have higher stats won't be so easily killed."

"This is a low level one? I was able to level up several times just from killing it. Doesn't seem low to me."

"Several times? What level are you?"

"Well, now I'm level 24. The bull I killed was level 37. I level up 7 times."

"...Well, I guess that's bound to happen. That'll start to slow down though."

Riddick thought about it and nodded. Killing an animal that was many levels above you would naturally give you a lot more experience. 

"Hey! What was that?!"

As the two men talked, both the fox girls suddenly arrived next to them. Luna spoke to Riddick.

"We heard an explosion and our bull got scared and ran off. Was that you, dad?"

"No. That was him."

"Him? How?"

Both girls looked over at Dream surprised. He answered their question.

"It's my gun. Those loud noises are normal. Especially for this gun. It's a high caliber."

He pat his sniper as he spoke. Luna tilted her head.

"I was actually meaning to ask. What exactly is that? What's a gun?"

"A gun is a device that fires a bullet. Through an intricate system of levers, hooks, and springs, a cartridge is ignited and a bullet is fired at high speeds. A bullet is this thing."

*Ching!*

Racking the sniper, a large bullet was ejected. Dream caught it and tossed it to Luna, who snatched it out of the air and inspected it.

"...I have no idea what this is."

"It's a bullet. There's some powder inside of it, and when the powder is ignited while inside of this gun, the pointy piece at the top of it is shot out."

"Interesting. How was it made though? It looks really hard to form. Especially since it's all metal."

"Oh, those were produced by the billion on my world. Through a little thing known as technology, something I'm pretty sure is nonexistent here."

Dream spoke with a little pride. From what he saw with the two girls and Riddick, this world wasn't that developed. And knowing how developed Earth was compared to here, he naturally felt a bit superior. At least intellectually. He wouldn't win in a fight with any of these people.

The three just looked at him wierdly though. They didn't really get what he was saying, but when he said it was from his world, they just took it at face value and didn't pry anymore. It would likely be hard to explain anyway. 

However, Luna was looking at him and the gun with very curious eyes. Seeing her gaze, Dream thought for a second before making a suggestion.

"Would you guys like to try? Anyone can use this."

"Can we really?"

"Sure. Just let me set it up."

"Okay!"

Luna smiled brightly after being given the chance to try it and transformed in a puff of smoke back into a human. The gun was an exotic tool from another world. Even Iris, the cold and detached fox, was looking very interested.

Dream quickly had Savant summon a bipod which he attached to the sniper. He then put the gun on the floor, making it so that they could lay down and use it easily.

"Alright, just lay behind it, and I'll guide you through the motions."

"Alright. Like this?"

Luna, who went first, quickly lowered herself onto the rough floor and got behind the gun. She mimicked Dream's actions and brought the stock up to her shoulder, but that was about as far as she knew to go. Dream stepped up and grabbed her hands.

"Yea. Now this hand goes here on the handle. And this hand goes back here under the stock by your shoulder. Make sure it's tight up against your body, and then once you're comfortable, look through the scope."

Giving directions, Dream helped her get adjusted. After some corrections here and there, she was finally settled and took a look through the scope.

"...This is really cool. I can see far away. Oh, there's a bull."

Luna perked up as she saw a bull through the scope that was about 300 meters away. Dream nodded seeing that, and he laid down next to her to help with the firing process.

"When you have a bull in your sight, make sure the cross in the center is on top of it. Wherever that cross it, that's where the bullet is going to hit. Or, I guess you can think of it like an arrow."

"Okay. What comes after?"

"Then you pull the trigger right here."

Dream moved his hand over hers on the grip, tapping the trigger that couldn't be pulled because of the safety. 

"You should be able to hit your target fine since that scope is zeroed in, so long as the cross is over the bull of course. When you're ready, tell me."

"Okay... I think I'm good."

"Then let's click this off."

*Click*

Saying that, Dream threw down the safety.

"Now, it only takes a light pull, and the gun will fire and kick back into your shoulder."

"Okay."

"Then pull whenever you're ready."

"..."

Concentrating, Luna looked through the scope and steadied the cross. After a few seconds, she pulled the trigger.

*BOOM*

With another loud explosion, the gun was fired. Far away, everyone could see a bull go down to the floor.

"I hit it!"

Luna jumped excitedly as she looked through the scope. Although the recoil startled her, seeing her success was enlivening. 

"You did. But... I don't think you got a headshot. Looks like a body shot. It's probably not dead."

"It's not. I didn't get a notification."

"Called it. That's alright though. It's good that you hit the target. Good job."

"Thanks!"

Luna smiled as she was praised, and Dream also smiled seeing her happy face. He then turned to Iris, who had also transformed back into her beautiful human self and was staring at the gun. He could practically see her itching to shoot it.

"...Would you like to try? Scarlet?"

"Don't call me that. And... sure."

"Then lay down like her. Maybe you'll hit a bull on your first try too."

Smiling, Dream had Luna get up, and Iris moved over to get behind the gun next

*Boom!*

*Zip!*

A bullet sailed right passed the head of a bull. Said bull looked up and around, slightly startled by the noise. 

"Argh! Damn! Why did it miss?!"

Iris, who had shot the sniper, angrily watched as the bull continued to stand there, totally unharmed. Dream just smirked though. 

"Headshots aren't easy to hit. Plus, it's your first time. Don't be surprised."

"But I put the cross-whatever on its head! You said it would hit if I did that."

"Hmm, let me rephrase. You just suck. Watch how it's done."

Smiling, Dream picked up the rifle and reracked a fresh round. While standing, he quickly took aim and fired. 

*Boom!*

*Splat!*

The bull that Iris missed was now hit cleanly in the head, collapsing to the floor. Dream smiled as more notifications popped up in his vision. 

"...Whatever."

Seeing him so casually shoot something so far, Iris just huffed and stepped to the side. Dream turned to the man, Riddick.

"You wanna try?"

"Sure."

"Here."

Racking a fresh round for him, Dream handed him the gun. Since he had seen how to do things, he didn't need guidance and hoisted the rifle, looking through the scope. After a while, he had a bull in his sights.

*Boom!*

*Zip!*

"Hmm..."

The man frowned as the bullet missed. Before Dream could say anything though, he racked another round himself and took aim again.

*Boom!*

*Splat!*

"Heh. I knew it."

Riddick smiled as he handed the gun back to Dream.

"That bullet that flies like an arrow. It drops just like an arrow too. So you have to adjust."

"...Wow. That is correct. I'm surprised you were able to figure that out."

Dream's eyes widened at the man's conjecture. He just shrugged a big smugly. 

"I was able to see how the bullet exits the barrel and flies through the air, albeit only momentarily."

"You... could see the bullet?"

"Yes. It's very fast, but if I concentrate I could see it. I must say, this is an amazing piece of equipment you have. A mere pull of a lever results in such a powerful reaction. Impressive."

"It is, isn't it? So, now we have three bulls. How many are we trying to get?"

"Usually we get one for the day's meals and one for storage. But since meat from a bull isn't always salvageable, we have to kill 4 or 5 to get 2 bulls worth. This weapon however just made the process a lot easier. Let's get one more and head home."

"Nice. Want me to get the last one?"

"No let's have the girls do it. It looks like they could blow off some steam"

"Ok."

Hearing that, the sisters transformed and dove into the grass, making their way over to the nearest bull. Meanwhile, Dream spoke to Riddick while packing up his weapon.

"So what goes on after this?"

"We'll get the next bull and go back home. That'll finish our morning. Are you healed?"

"Actually I am. Not just my head, but my arm is fine. Did you heal me or something?"

"Not me, Luna. You're weak so healing those wounds were easy."

"...Thanks for the compliment."

"All the more reason to level up. Did you get anything from those kills?"

"I did. Leveled up some and got some skill levels."

"Good. You won't be able to keep up with those girls if you stay low level. Not that you'll catch up easily, but work hard and it might be possible."

...........

.......

...

Dream and the others went back home after another hour at the dome. At first, Dream thought they would have to drag the bulls back home. But wouldn't you know it, they have spatial storage! Riddick said it was one of his abilities and Dream became eager to get an ability like that someday.

When they got back to the house, Luna and Iris started processing the bulls.

Luna was in charge of cutting the meats of the bull while Iris assisted her. And for food, Iris would be in charge of cooking everything. They made a great duo, being capable of fire and ice magic.

Come time for breakfast, they all sat down and began chowing on cooked meat and fruits. The meat was plain and tough, but the fruits at least made up for the lack of flavor. Though turns out, the girls eat like pigs.

After pounding down several pounds of meat each, he now knew why they needed a whole bull. And when he thought about it, technically they are foxes, so it isn't too out of place to eat more. But that's still more than they should be able to handle. Riddick was at least a powerful guy who needed more energy, so it made sense. But the girls did not.

Anyway, Dream just let it be and began adapting to the new diet. Though he could already see himself getting sick of this every day, so he preemptively looked for alternatives in the catalog. And what he found was... disappointing, to say the least.

--MRE (Italian)

--MRE (American)

--MRE (Cheese)>

....

A long list of military meals popped up in the catalog. Not just American, but from other countries as well. He figured that it was at least good that he had some variety. Worst case, it would spare him the same boring meals of tough meat.

'Guess it's too much expecting them to give me everything. So it's mainly things that are man-made or manufactured. I couldn't just make raw meat appear from nowhere. Wait what about...'

Dream quickly took to the search bar one more time after thinking of a possible life saver.

'Savant! Search the Catalog for Sour Patch Kids!'

[Searching]

Moments later...

"YEA BABY!!"

...A thundering shout shook the heavens with emotion.