Primitive Man

"Brother, is this a new mount?" Touching the mane of the Bison mare carefully, Kiriah asked since he was curious to know.

The Bison mare, proudly standing next to Garnt, had a significantly larger body structure compared to a typical horse in Eva's world. However, its mane covered its face, giving it a wild and untamed appearance.

The animal taming team under Garnt's village had done an outstanding job finding some suitable animals to tame, but they were still not close to making them loyal enough for people to use them for travelling.

However, the ride that Garnt was riding was something special, as she was someone who willingly wanted Garnt to ride her.

"Huta is a good girl. But she doesn't want anyone else to touch her. Look!" As soon as Garnt said those words, she kicked aiming at Kiriah.

Kiriah had fast reflexes thanks to his training, so he was able to avoid the attack before it landed, which would have been fatal for any human considering the size of the mare.

"Garnt, do you think I can also get a mare?" Baktou, standing next to Garnt and watching everything, questioned.

"It's not impossible, but you should try harder. I found her by luck, so you'll also have to actively search for one."

Kiriah also wanted to find a mare, but right now, they had something more important to discuss.

"Ten miners. We can only send ten, but this should be enough to start mining. However, we should be careful not to put them in danger, as most of them are non-combatants," Garnt muttered while surveying the area and marking the locations where he wanted to build some security outposts.

"Baktou, you will take the lead on this project. Make sure everyone is well informed about how things are going to happen and report to me if anything happens." Garnt looked at the dark-haired boy and gave his orders.

As Garnt went over the details, he remained quiet, his disappointment growing.

When Garnt appointed Baktou as the leader of the project, Kiriah couldn't help but feel a pang of frustration. He had been hoping to take on a more significant role in the camp's activities.

Finally, unable to contain his disappointment, he spoke up, his voice tinged with annoyance. "Brother, why can't I lead the project? I'm just as capable as Baktou, and I've been training for this."

Baktou, standing nearby, didn't take kindly to Kiriah's question. He scoffed and retorted, "Kids like you should stay away from serious things. This is not child's play."

Kiriah's temper flared at Baktou's condescending tone. "I'm not a child, and I can handle responsibility just fine! You're not the boss of me, Baktou!"

Their argument escalated quickly, filled with sharp words and accusations. Garnt sighed deeply, realizing that his attempt to delegate had caused more trouble than he'd anticipated. He intervened by giving both of their heads a gentle tap. "Enough!

Stop acting like your sisters and fighting over every little thing. We need unity, not more fights."

He looked at Kiriah with a hint of sympathy. "Kiriah, I have another task in mind for you, one that will come later. For now, let Baktou handle this mining project. We need to work together as a team.

Understood?"

Reluctantly, Kiriah nodded, still frustrated but willing to bide his time.

"I will be going back, for now, Baktou stay here. You have enough food for a whole week and next time, I will send some more people to start proper facilities here." Garnt got on the mare and muttered those words.

"Huta, just let this boy ride for now. Please be a good girl and don't attack him." Garnt muttered to his mare, who neighed hearing his kind words.

Huta, seemingly understanding his words, let Kiriah ride without any signs of aggression.

"Good girl!" Garnt patted Huta's head with care, showing his love toward her while riding back to the village.

As they made their way back towards the village, Garnt couldn't help but notice the marked trees along the path. He wondered if it would be possible to build a proper road to make transportation easier in the future. The idea of a road connecting their village to mine crossed his mind.

"I need more workforce to achieve it, so Rona's people might come in handy. First, they should be given proper training."

With Huta's unbelievable speed, it didn't even take Garnt two hours to return to the village, but he didn't expect to see a huge crowd gathered in the main area as soon as he entered the village.

Startled and concerned, Garnt urged Huta forward, guiding her through the crowd towards the commotion.

As he approached, he couldn't believe his eyes. Rona, who was supposed to be friends with their village was locked in a fierce battle with Ayra, his own aunt. Both warriors were armed with spears, and their clashes sent sparks flying through the air.

"What is happening here?" Garnt wondered since Ayra and Rona acted friendly when he left the village in the morning.

Ayra, with her fiery red hair billowing like a battle flag, had a determined and fierce look in her eyes. She moved with calculated precision, striking at Ayra with powerful thrusts and swift parries.

Rona, despite her opponent's superior techniques, displayed remarkable agility and skill, defending herself with a spear that had been passed down through her parents.

Lying motionless on the ground, was a young girl with wounds on her body and Garnt immediately knew it was none other than Kara. It was evident that she had been caught in the crossfire of their clash.

Garnt's heart sank at the sight, and he knew he needed to intervene to prevent further harm to the unconscious and defenceless girl.

Without hesitation, Garnt dismounted from Huta and rushed towards the duelling warriors.

[Don't take any sides. Just let them fight. If you offend Rona, it might affect her loyalty in the future.]

Eva said worried about Garnt doing something against Rona, but hearing his next words she couldn't help but smile.

"Ayra is family. Of course, I'm going to take her side. Even if she is wrong, I won't abandon someone in my family."

The two girls, Ayra and Rona, seemed completely absorbed in their conflict, their focus solely on each other.

"You ungrateful woman! How dare you attack my daughter right after we showed you kindness?" Ayra shouted, her spear trying to break through Rona's defense.

"You're the idiot here. You won't even listen, just because of your ego; you keep attacking me," Rona shouted back, showing that things were not as simple as they appeared to be.

Garnt had no idea what they were talking about, but he wanted to know and quickly solve things before they got out of hand.

Without hesitation, Garnt dismounted from Huta, his eyes locked on the two dueling women. The crowd around them was dense, their cheers and shouts drowning out any attempt at communication.

He pushed through the throng of onlookers, his tall frame making it easier for him to navigate the crowd.

'Ugh~ they can't hear me. I better stop this right now'

He thought to himself as he decided to quickly jump and stop both of them.

In a desperate attempt to stop their fight, Garnt lunged forward, trying to seize their weapons, but it was too late. Both Ayra and Rona, in the heat of the moment, struck him with the blunt side of their spears simultaneously.

It all happened in a moment, that nobody had any idea how to process things so fast.

Garnt was thrown back, blood spewing from his mouth as the pain coursed through him from the force of their attacks.

The crowd fell into stunned silence, and even Ayra and Rona froze, realizing what they had just done. Panic washed over them as they rushed to Garnt's side, their anger dissipating into concern and fear. Garnt, with blood smeared on his mouth, struggled to speak through the pain.

"Stop... fighting," he managed to utter, his voice weak but firm, as he reached out his hands toward the Ayra and Rona.

"..."

Both of the women look at him and knew they had done something irrvesible. The crowd also started to get concerned about Garnt's health.

Some people quickly ran so they can call Gundo without knowing she would be the worst person to be here, looking at her son's blood being shaken by two women.

[What are you doing idiot? I told you not to do something stupid like this.]

Eva shouted in anger, but Garnt couldn't help but smile.

"Isn't it fine? Now they are not fighting. It didn't even hurt that much." He said those words, but it was rather obvious that it was painful for him.

[Stupid boy!]

Even though Eva said those words with anger, she was impressed by how he took decisions all alone and even refused her idea since old Garnt would have never done something like that.

[Looks like he is improving, but the question is, Is it good or bad?]