Primitive Man

[Are you sure you don't hate me after this?]

Eva wanted to know Garnt's real feelings, but he just shook his head, indicating that wasn't the case.

"I've already told you, no matter how horrible you are, I can't hate you," Garnt said. Then he corrected himself to ensure Eva wouldn't misunderstand him. "I might hate you if you were to give me wrong instructions that would put my family in a dangerous situation, but I know you're not going to do that."

[Of course, I won't. At this point, you're more than a host to me, Garnt,]

Eva replied.

Both Eva and Garnt were deepening their relationship when Garnt came forward with a question he was curious about.

"What is this item you created that caused all these problems? Does it have something to do with your own experiment?" Eva was surprised by how much information Garnt was able to extract. She knew this boy was growing at an amazing speed, given the significant development in his brain over these few years.

[Good thinking! Yes, this is where it all began for me. Also, this drug had a small amount of chicxulub. To be honest, it is even less than a single grain of soil. It was distilled with water and we made all the syringes with one single grain of that material and animal DNA. In our timeline, we already had performance-enhancing drugs, but this was the first one that actually had immediate effects. This thing is officially called DNA essence collector.]

"Must have been great, but it is not worth it if you end up like that other woman." Garnt was interested in the idea of being able to work extra without getting exhausted, but he quickly removed that idea from his head since he knew it was not worth it if the same thing that enhanced their performance would cause their minds to slowly deteriorate.

[That's exactly why that project stopped and my professor was sent to a government lab where he had to work. Ever since that day we became puppets of the government and they never let us leave because we knew the most precious secret about the most precious raw material in the entire universe.]

"Ohh! It's the thing you came here to find?" Garnt showed he also had some knowledge about Eva's problems.

[Yes. At some point, I slowly lost my ability to see what is human and what is not. That's when I really managed to make some progress in our project, and that's exactly what haunted me.]

Garnt didn't want Eva to look at her old wounds and get hurt, so he decided to change the topic, so he came back to the present and decided to ask what they were going to do with the muscular woman.

[I can't say for sure that DNA essence collector is the real reason for her behaviour, so let's just try to communicate with her. Also, we should take care of Baktou's problem. I feel like all of these things happening at the same time is never a good sign.]

After walking through the village and entering the area where new prisons are built, Garnt approached the muscular woman, her imposing figure restrained by sturdy chains and cuffs. As he observed her, he noticed her vacant gaze, her eyes open but devoid of any apparent recognition.

"What happened to her?" Garnt asked one of his medics who was attending to the woman's injuries.

"It's hard to say, Patriarch. She doesn't respond to anything, and her injuries seem to be a result of some intense physical activity," the medic replied while throwing some random treatment onto her wounds.

Garnt furrowed his brows, concerned. He looked around at his team, issuing orders to ensure everyone was on the same page. "Treat her injuries, but be cautious. We don't know what we're dealing with here."

His eyes scanned the surroundings, and he spotted the guards, their expressions stern. Garnt approached them and delivered a clear directive, "If she manages to break those chains, don't hesitate. Take her down immediately. She is a threat."

The guards nodded in unison, their commitment to the task evident in their resolute expressions. Garnt returned his attention to the woman, wondering about the mysterious essence collector that might be affecting her and also how he was going to deal with his problems.

'I can't really leave the village because of her. Should I send Rona or Unami to support Baktou?'

Garnt was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't even notice the slight tremor of the earth, but soon everyone in the village started to feel the pressure.

"What's happening?" Rona who was close by came running toward Garnt, with her sword hoping to protect Garnt.

Garnt's eyes widened as he turned toward the source of the disturbance, his hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of his own sword.

Rona, still by his side, looked around with a mix of confusion and concern. "Is it another one of those creatures? Don't tell me it's coming for us now."

Garnt squinted into the distance after running to the edge of the wall, and through the trees emerged a colossal shape, its massive footsteps shaking the ground. A dinosaur, unlike anything they had ever seen, was approaching the village with an unsettling determination.

"It's not the same one we encountered before," Garnt muttered, his gaze fixed on the approaching behemoth. "This is something else. This one is different. I can clearly tell because this looks nothing like the earlier one."

He was able to tell them apart because of their necks; the previous dinosaur had a rather short neck compared to the current one that was trying to attack them. Also, the colours were a little bit darker, which really stood out to Garnt among everything around him.

The guards, who had been prepared for a potential threat from the woman, now redirected their attention toward the incoming danger.

Rona tightened her grip on her sword, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Another dinosaur? How is that even possible? Does that mean we are living with so many of those gigantic creatures?"

Garnt's mind raced as he assessed the situation. "It doesn't matter how. We need to protect the village. Get every normal person to safety, Rona. I'll deal with this."

As the villagers scrambled to evacuate, Garnt stepped forward, his resolve unwavering. The guards, momentarily forgotten, joined him, their earlier directive now focused on the approaching dinosaur.

The colossal creature roared, its massive presence casting a shadow over the village. Garnt took a deep breath and shouted, "Hold your ground! We can't let it reach the village!"

Numerous number of people were already operating the siege weapons that they built to defend the villages and they waited for Garnt's order to fire the weapon.

Other warriors also formed a defensive line, readying their weapons. Ayra who came running back to help, positioned at Garnt's side, nodded determinedly. "We've faced challenges before, Garnt. We can handle this!"

"Are you in proper shape for the battle?" Garnt asked since it wasn't long since she started her training back.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me, you should do your duty." She muttered showing, that she was indeed a fine warrior despite being Garnt's wife and she didn't want to hold him back from acting like a proper leader.

The ground continued to quake with each thunderous step of the approaching dinosaur. Garnt, Rona who returned, Ayra and the guards stood firm, ready to confront the unexpected threat looming on the horizon.

"Draw all the ballistas! And load the trebuchet!" Garnt shouted and he made eye contact with the gigantic dinosaur.

Seeing Garnt was indeed trying to consider it an opponent, the dinosaur suddenly started to growl in the village direction hoping to scare Garnt, but he stood without showing any fear or at least movement.

The entire battlefield fell silent for a minute after the massive growl, but suddenly, the dinosaur started to run in the direction of the village without showing any hesitation, thinking that these people were just there to be its fodder or to be trampled.

The ground shook violently with each thunderous footfall of the oncoming threat. The defenders, undeterred by the intimidating size of their adversary, held their ground. Most of them had their trust placed on Garnt and they knew he wouldn't let them down.

As the dinosaur closed in, Garnt signalled for the siege weapons to be unleashed.

"Release them! Attack at the marked spots." With his final shout, all four ballistas released a volley of enormous bolts that soared through the air, aiming for the creature's vulnerable spots. The trebuchet followed suit, hurling a massive projectile towards the oncoming behemoth.

It was a decisive moment for both village and Garnt. It was the first time they actually used their weapon to attack something, and they hoped their attacks would land.

Just like they expected, the projectiles struck true slightly missing the body parts that they aimed, finding their mark on the dinosaur's armored hide. Roars of pain echoed through the battlefield as the creature stumbled, its momentum momentarily halted. However, it quickly regained its footing and continued its relentless advance.

"Draw again! This is not over, it is just starting. We are going to protect our village today and show these gigantic animals why we are able to survive in this forest despite them living here,"

Garnt's words motivated the people, and they started loading the weapons again. It was time for the second release of attacks.

"It's time to end this rumbling sound."