Primitive Man

The mining village of Baktou basked in the warm glow of the rising sun as Garnt made final preparations for his departure. It was still dark outside, but the early morning voices of the birds and the mist really added a refreshing feeling to the people.

Huta, his sturdy horse, stood patiently as he exchanged parting words with Telvi and Baktou. There was a bittersweet air lingering, and Garnt couldn't shake the feeling of guilt that tugged at him.

"Take care, Garnt," Baktou said with a firm handshake. "And when you return next time, we'll celebrate your homecoming with the biggest party this village has ever seen."

Garnt's gaze shifted to Telvi, and he couldn't help but feel the weight of his own hypocrisy. "Yes," he replied, forcing a smile. "But the next wedding will be yours, so I will bring the whole family next time."

As he mounted Huta, the conflicting emotions churned within him. The not so secret affair with Telvi weighed heavily on his conscience, and he couldn't help but wonder if the words he'd just spoken were an omen of the choices he'd have to face.

'What do I do if Telvi gets pregnant with my child?'

Garnt kept thinking about the same old stuff because he knew things were not looking good for Baktou.

Before he could dwell on it further, Telvi spoke up, her eyes scanning the area. "Where's Kali? She was just here a minute ago."

Garnt's brows furrowed as he surveyed the surroundings, realizing he hadn't seen the girl. Concern etched across his face, he was about to dismount when chaos erupted.

"She was supposed to be here. I almost forgot about her. She promised that she would come with me to the main village," Garnt muttered and looked around to find the girl, but suddenly something unexpected happened.

A sudden volley of arrows descended from the forest, cutting through the air with deadly precision. Panic seized the village as guards near the entrance fell, victims of the surprise attack. Garnt swiftly guided Huta to cover, shielding himself alongside Telvi and Baktou.

"What in the name of the guardian is happening?" Baktou shouted, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Garnt's mind raced as he recognized the ruthless signature of the assault. "Moga and Amel's faction," he muttered through gritted teeth. "They've come for revenge."

Telvi's eyes widened in fear. "But why now? We thought they were lying low!"

"They must have grown impatient, after all, their captives managed to escape from their places," Garnt replied, his jaw clenched. "We need to find Kali and get everyone to safety before properly facing them."

He then looked at Baktou and gave the orders. "Get those ballistas ready! We will blast them off. No mercy this time."

As they crouched behind cover, arrows continued to rain down, the village turning into a chaotic battleground. Garnt's heart pounded in his chest as he weighed his responsibilities – the safety of the village, the impending threat of Moga and Amel, and the unspoken truth between him and Telvi.

"We can't stay here," Garnt declared his voice firm. "We need to regroup, find Kali, and defend the village. It's time to face the consequences of our choices."

With determination etched on his face, Garnt spurred Huta forward, galloping toward the village centre where the clash of steel and the cries of the wounded echoed from the distance.

For a few minutes, Baktou went in different directions to act on his own and returned back with the news of what was happening.

"There are so many long range archers, Garnt. It looks like they have been working on their new weapons." Baktou spoke in a hushed tone, "Garnt, I've closed all the entrances to the village. We won't let them get through easily. But we need those ballistas operational."

Garnt nodded, "Lead the way. Let's just blast them off."

They reached the area where the two newly-installed ballistas stood tall. However, as they approached, a sinking feeling set in. Garnt noticed the frayed ropes on one of the ballistas. "Something's not right," he muttered.

Baktou examined the damage. "It's not wear and tear. This was deliberately cut. Someone sabotaged it."

Garnt's eyes narrowed, realization dawning on him. "This is no random attack. It's an inside job."

Baktou clenched his fists. "Kali. That lying bitch! She is the only one that could do this."

"Calm down," Garnt urged. "We can deal with this later. Right now, we need to find Kali and secure the villagers."

Garnt and Baktou gathered the citizens, urging them to move to a centralized location. Baktou barked orders to his mechanics, instructing them to repair the damaged ballista.

As the repairs began, Garnt addressed the crowd, "Listen up, everyone! We're facing an organized attack. We need to stick together and defend our home. Stay calm and follow Baktou's lead."

Baktou, fuming with anger, approached Garnt. "We trusted her. I thought she was genuine, but that lying bitch was acting all the time."

Garnt nodded solemnly. "We'll deal with her betrayal later. Right now, let's focus on protecting what matters. She might be inside the village planning something, so we need to find her quickly. Then we can get angry at her."

With the repairs underway, Garnt and Baktou readied the defences. The village was a hive of activity, with citizens huddling together, fear and determination mingling in the air. The clash of attacks and the distant cries of battle echoed, driving home the gravity of the situation.

But one thing looked rather odd for Garnt, as he didn't see Amel or Moga in this group. It was almost like they were waiting for something.

[Be careful, Garnt! I smell something fishy here. Since Rona and the other girls are not here, I want you to avoid direct confrontation as much as possible.]

It almost sounded like he was useless without his girls, but he understood where Eva was coming from. After all, Garnt knew his death would

Garnt looked at Baktou, determination in his eyes. "We'll get through this together. For the village."

Baktou, though seething with anger, nodded. "For the village, but Garnt, did you see where Telvi went?"

***

While Garnt and Baktou strategized, Telvi was frantically searching for Kali without even waiting for Garnt's orders. Amidst the chaos, she spotted the familiar girl cowering behind a stack of barrels. "Kali! What are you doing here?"

Kali stammered, "I-I heard noises and got scared. I didn't know what to do."

"Never mind that. We need to get everyone to safety," Telvi insisted, leading Kali towards the village centre, while holding her hand without knowing who she was leading toward the middle of the village.

Kali looked like she was fed up with Telvi, so she quickly shook off her hand. "Ahhhh~ I'm done with this pretending I'm friendly with an inferior primitive woman."

"..." Telvi didn't understand what she was talking about, but when she saw Kali's face she realized that she was not someone ordinary.

A really bad feeling went through her spine, but before she could run away and meet her two loved people and tell them what happened, Kali acted like a bobcat and quickly jumped on Telvi.

"Get away from me!" She shouted trying to push Kali, but then only she realized how strong this woman was.

"Shut up and come with me! You're going to be the stepping stone for my own love. I need to help my senior Eva to come out of that stupid brat called Garnt. She is trapped inside that horny brat, and I can't stand it. I will take her system into my head and I will support her. She doesn't need anyone else to achieve her goal." Still, Telvi had no idea what she was talking about, but then she felt her vision getting dark, as Kali hit her neck.

"Sleep for now! I will wake you up, when you're useful, my best friend." Kali muttered with a smile and took Telvi onto her shoulder before vanishing.

And outside of all this chaos, Amel was waiting inside the forest for some message. He was waiting for his faithful advisor, Kali to send him a message saying that things were looking great, so he could use Moga to break the wooden walls and enter the village.

"I can't fight, but I will support. While Kali takes down Baktou, you can run around and kill their citizens. We should make it flashy so that when Garnt gets to know about this attack, his legs should be shaking."

Amel muttered showing that he had no idea that Garnt was inside the mining village.

Little did Amel know, the unfolding events were taking a dark turn. Kali had her own agenda, driven by a twisted loyalty to Eva, and Telvi was now an unwitting pawn in a dangerous game. Still, neither Garnt nor Amel knew who really is this woman and how she knew Eva.

"Now! Let's have a fair and square battle, you little brat," Amel muttered and looked at Moga who was tied to twenty different trees and he was ready to unleash him, as soon as he got Kali's message.