For a few minutes, Dewar had been preparing the fire and all additional accessories needed for cooking on the campfire. Despite the fact that he was near a building with an equipped kitchen, he decided to prepare a fire to teach the newly arrived Travelers under his care how to cook outdoors. From what they said, he concluded that they didn't have much experience in functioning outside civilization. Aware that hunters spend much more time outside than inside, he decided to prepare them for life without the most important amenities of civilization. In the end. What's the point of having the ability to fight if you die of starvation or poisoning before the fight?
He prepared an cast iron frying pan, an cast iron pot and a kettle. He made a circle out of stones he found and placed dry wood in its center. Then he placed his favorite kindling, dried moss and wood shavings under the pyramid of wood. He took a smaller bundle of moss and used a flint to create sparks on the moss. After a while, the moss started to smolder. He put it under a wooden roof, covered it with a thin layer of wood shavings, and then gently fed the fire with oxygen by blowing lightly. After a few seconds, the fire flared up and slowly began to consume the wood.
Seeing the flare of flame, Dewar straightened up and added a few pieces of wood to the pile, then turned his attention to the cast iron pot. He picked it up and moved it near the fire, then did the same with the frying pan.
Then he stood up and returned to his canvas backpack, in which he took all the things needed to prepare a meal. He took out several cans, a jar and a piece of salted meat wrapped in paper.
"I wonder if they can hunt game?" The dwarf said to himself as he looked at the piece of preserved meat, checking its condition. "If not, I'll have to teach them how to do it... Although, I'm not good at it myself, so I would prefer not to..."
The dwarf picked up the supplies he had taken out and headed back to the fire, which was now fully lit. While putting down the ingredients by the campfire, he heard a familiar voice.
"Hey dwarf!" He turned back to see Revy, with a rifle hanging on her back, emerging from behind the trees and walking towards him. Rock followed her, obviously tired of weapons training she put him thru. "Is there anything to eat yet?" She asked as she approached him.
"I just lit the fire..." Dewar replied calmly, returning his attention to the kitchen utensils in front of him.
"Shit... I'm starving." She said as she walked over and then sat down on the ground on the other side of campfire, placing her rifle behind her. "We ate almost nothing in the morning..."
"If you had woken up earlier, you would have eaten more than a bowl of oatmeal." Rock interrupted in a tired voice, sitting down next to her. Revy just gritted her teeth at his words.
"Calm down..." Dewar said, wanting their attention. "I would be waiting for you guys to start cooking anyway..." Rock and Revy looked at him in surprise.
"Wait... I don't understand..."
"Rock... He probably thinks we can't cook..."
"Can you do it?" The dwarf asked with a serious expression on his face.
"Of course..." Rock replied. But Revy remained silent. "We're both 27 years old, of course we can cook. Right, Revy? Revy?" Rock looked at his partner with faith in his eyes.
"Rock…" She started, looking towards him. "The pinnacle of my culinary skills is reheating pizza in the microwave..." Rock was speechless for a moment, then put his hands in his face and just choked out.
"Oh God…"
"Well…" Dewar spoke up, gaining the duo's attention again. "It doesn't matter whether you can cook or not... It won't hurt you to learn how it's done in this world, especially in makeshift conditions..." Rock and Revy reluctantly nodded. "Okay, Rock, I need you to go get a bucket of water from the well... Revy and I will start working on lunch now."
"Okay..." He said resignedly and then walked away towards the trees, disappearing behind them and heading towards the wooden building. Revy just sighed as he disappeared from her sight.
"How did he do... You know, after I left you two?"
"With a gun? Not the way I'd like to see it..." She said, reluctant to confide to almost stranger, not being used to it.
"Too good then?" Revy sighed again, then decided to introduce Dewar to her problem, not sure what else to do.
"You could say that..." She said, scratching her head. "Somehow I never imagined him with a gun, I always saw him talking a lot and doing little... And now... He quickly learned the basics of using a revolver and when he is calm, he even shoots accurately..."
"And when is he nervous?" Revy fell silent for a moment.
"Then, for safety's sake, you should seek cover..." Dewar just laughed at that.
"It's not bad... He's not a killer."
"Yeah… And I hope it doesn't change…" Revy said with worry in her eyes, then fell silent for a moment, staring at the flame of the fire. After a moment she turned to the dwarf again. "Never mind that now. Better tell me what's on the menu today..."
"Something relatively simple to start with..." He said, unrolling the paper. "You can call it improvised beef stew..."
"Mmm... I didn't think a simple stew could be so good." Rock said, scooping up the remains of the dish from the bottom of the metal plate with a spoon, and then putting the spoon into his mouth, enjoying the dish. Immediately afterwards, he grabbed a piece of flat bread in his hand and was about to bite it when he stopped and looked at it. The bread was well baked, in some places even too well. Rock, with reluctance on his face, began to break off pieces, black as night, from the bread baked in the pan. Revy just watched from the other side of the fire.
"You know what, Rock..." She said, lifting her coffee mug to her face. "Go fuck youself."
"I'm not saying anything." He replied calmly, continuing to look at the bread and tear off the burnt parts.
"But I know what you're thinking..." Revy, without even taking a sip of coffee, put the cup on the ground. "Fucking princess, she can't eat burnt bread... Fuck you... It's not my fault that I couldn't see bread burning. It was happening on the other side." Rock didn't react, he just continued to look at the piece of bread, and after cleaning it of the burnt parts, he bit into it.
"But I'm not saying anything..." He said calmly, chewing a piece of bread. Revy just gritted her teeth and then she put her mouth to the dark brew in the metal mug, tasting it she squirming at the bitterness of the prepared coffee. Dewar laughed at her reaction.
"I see you don't necessarily like the taste of freshly roasted coffee."
"Roasted? It's burnt, not roasted..." She said before taking another sip of coffee, grimacing again at it, causing the dwarf to laugh a little again. "Besides, I didn't know you could roast coffee in a pan... Especially in a pan where something else had just been roasted..." She added, looking down the cup as if she was looking for something in the black liquid.
"Actually, it's more a matter of improvisation." Dewar, saying this, took his cup in his hand and brought it to his lips. "You either use a frying pan for it or you carry extra equipment with you." He added, then took a sip of coffee with great satisfaction.
"I see..." She replied not releived, looking into her cup. Just then she heard Rock scream.
"God, this is terrible..." He shouted, drawing the attention of Revy and Dewar. "Don't you have something to make it not so bitter?" Dewar just looked at him with tired eyes, then sighed and replied.
"Unfortunately, no, and if you don't like my coffee, you can roast your own next tme." Immediately afterwards, he brought the mug to his mouth again and, clearly satisfied with the taste, drank his coffee.
"I understand you two are going back to practicing." Said Dewar, rinsing the pans and the pot with the remaining water as the fire slowly extinguished.
"Yes, we'll get going." Revy replied, slowly standing up.
"Actually..." Rock interjected. "You mentioned to us that there is magic in this world..." He said with hope in his eyes. "Can you tell us about these?" Revy looked at him in surprise.
"Rock, do you want to be a fucking wizard?" She asked trying not to laugh. Rock just made a disgusted face.
"Maybe... Anyway, it would be good to know more..." He said, wanting to justify his question. This time Revy couldn't hold back anymore and burst out laughing.
"Sure, sure... Gandalf…" Revy managed between laughter. Rock looked at her with embarrassment for a moment, but then he turned to the dwarf.
"Dewar… Could you?" He laughed gently at their conversation, but then nodded.
"Okay, I'll try to explain it to you as best I can." Rock nodded and was all ears. In the meantime, Revy stopped laughing and began to listen to the dwarf's lecture while cleaning her rifle. "All magical skills depend on the so-called magical affinity. Each race usually has a different level of magical affinity. Elves are the highest, humans are the lowest..." Revy suddenly interjected.
"Does this mean humans can't use magic?"
"Not really..." The dwarf said, scratching his head, wondering how he could explain it. "This rule is not so direct, and there will often be exceptions, major and minor. It is not difficult to find a human with an affinity slightly above the average for humans, and, although much more difficult to find, humans with an affinity comparable to elves can still occur… "
"Interesting..." Rock said thoughtfully. "Tell me, does it work the other way? Can an elf have below average affinity?"
"Of course..." Dewar replied, scratching his silver beard. "An elf can be born with a significantly lower affinity, but it is difficult to find an adult elf with a significantly lower affinity than their average."
"Why?" Revy asked, waving the oil-soaked rag she had been cleaning the rifle with a moment ago. "Do elves kill their brethren that are too weak..." She joked. However, the expression on the dwarf's face showed no sign of amusement.
"Hmmm, I've never heard of such a thing, but knowing the elves it would be possible... It would explain the small number of them..." Dewar said with obvious thoughtfulness, much to Rock and Revy's surprise. However, he immediately returned to the main plot. "But that's not the point. Magic affinity can be increased. Of course, there are a few methods and not all of them work for everyone, but elves who live much longer have time for experiments, so it's hard to find one who hasn't found a method for themselves..." Rock nodded. and he muttered something under his breath, as if he was thinking about something, and then he asked.
"If I understand correctly... Magical affinity determines the power of magic..." He wanted to continue, but the confused look on the dwarf's face stopped him.
"Partly yes, but that's not all... Imagine a bucket of water. This bucket is your affinity. It determines how much water you have and how quickly you will refill it. However, how effectively you use this water depends on your experience and skills. Additionally, you may have accessories made of appropriate materials that will artificially increase the amount of water in the bucket... "Additionally, there are also magical arts that do not require magic..." Suddenly, Revy stopped his talk.
"Okay, I think that's enough explaining... Tell us how to measure it, this affinity or whatever you call it." The dwarf laughed at his own eagerness, but did as Revy asked.
"Yes... There is a simple method." He said, standing up and confidently walking towards the backpack and then starting to search it. After a while, he found what he needed and returned to the campfire. "People with different levels of affinity see the world differently..." He said, handing Rock what looked like a short telescope, but instead of being transparent, the glass inside was black. "…However…" the dwarf continued. "The world has too many colors and the magic is not accumulated enough to be visible to the naked eye. That's why what you are holding in your hand was created, the 'Dragon Eye', it blocks the visibility of everything except magic..." Rock looked at the artifact with a mixture of uncertainty and admiration.
"Okay, what should I do now?" He asked with uncertainty in his voice. Dewar just laughed at his embarrassment.
"Put this on one eye and cover the other." Rock looked at the device in his hands for a moment, then slowly obeyed the command. He hesitantly put the telescope to his eye and covered the other one with his free hand. Revy kept looking at him, unsure of the whole situation. Rock sat in silence for a moment, but then his face lit up with surprise.
"Amazing..." He said. At first he saw only darkness, but after a while in the darkness he began to see a flash that with every moment grew bigger and bigger and took shape.
"What do you see, Rock?" Revy asked, putting her rifle aside, obviously interested in what Rock saw.
"Everthing!" He said without hesitation. "Everything is visible. I see you, those trees behind you..." Revy suddenly interrupted him.
"Wait? What? How do you see us?"
"I mean. Not like normal. But I can see your outlines against the background of the trees... As if someone had drawn the entire area with chalk on a black board... Amazing." Revy looked at him in surprise, not really understanding what he meant.
"What color are these outlines?" asked the dwarf.
"Dark blue." Dewar just nodded at this anwser, and then Revy spoke.
"Show it Rock." She said simply and extended her hand towards him.
"Here, see for yourself." He handed her the telescope, which she quickly put to her eye, covering the other. At first she saw only black, and after a while, when her eyes adjusted, she began to see the glow and shapes in it. After a while, from these shapes she was able to distinguish two figures, Rock and Dewar, followed by the outlines of trees. She turned to the other side, where there was a clearing and another line of trees behind it. At first she saw only black, but after a moment she saw a gentle flash in front of her eyes, which then took shapes she knew.
"Wow, that's really nice..." She continued to stare into the distance.
"That's true... But the most important thing is what color these outlines were..."
"Dark blue..." Revy said, looking away from the scope.
"This is the same color as those veins in that strange tree..." Rock added after her, and she noded.
"Aaah, so you came across an elven willow..."
"What willow?" They asked together.
"Elven willow... It is a tree that attracts magic. Its concentration is so high that it can be observed with the naked eye."
"Interesting..." Rock said, then Revy interjected.
"Okay, never mind that..." She said, obviously excited by the magic she could see. "You better tell me what this color means."
"Hmm..." Dewar thought for a moment before answering. "Unfortunately, dark blue means the lowest level of affinity. So there will probably be no mages among you." There was silence for a moment.
"But you said it was possible to raise this affinity level..."
"That's true Rock..." The Dwarf replied. "However, the greatest progress in this aspect is possible at a young age, so I'm afraid you won't develop any further. I'm sorry to say that." Rock sighed at his words.
"Ehh nothing happened. It was worth a try..."
"If you want, I can teach you alchemy. It doesn't require an affinity to use it."
"Thanks... I'll have to think about it..."
Meanwhile, Revy returned to playing with the 'Dragon Eye'. She watched the horizon, trying to see how far she could see with it. At one point, however, on the edge of the forest on the other side of the meadow, she noticed something that she could describe as an anomaly.
"Hey, listen..." She said, wanting to get Rock and Dewar's attention. "I don't know if it's supposed to be like this, but at some spot the vision gets blurry..." Dewar stood up abruptly and walked over to Revu.
"Show me. Where?" He said, reaching out for the Dragon Eye. Revy handed them to him while pointing to a point at the edge of the forest. Dewar put the telescope to his eye and scanned the horizon for a moment. After a while, in a hurry and with uncertainty written on his face, he put down the telescope and turned on his heel. "We have to get out of here. As quickly as possible." He ordered, to the surprise of the duo.
"But why? What happened?" Rock asked, getting up from the ground as a loud high-pitched roar suddenly echoed through the area.
"Too late..." Everyone turned to the forest on the other side of the meadow, where the roar came from. After a while, in the place where Revy had pointed earlier, they were able to see a strange creature. It was standing on a rock under one of the trees. Due to the shadow of the tree, they couldn't clearly see what it looked like, but they were both sure that it was the size of a boar. The thing roared into the sky once more, then jumped forward and disappeared into the tall grass.
"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!?" Revy shouted loudly, taking a step back.
"I'm not sure, but that thing is getting closer to us!" The dwarf shouted, pointing to the moving grass. "Quick! Get ready!" Upon hearing these words, Revy ran towards the rifle she had left by the fire. Dewar drew his shotgun from his backpack, and Rock, who had left his revolver at the shooting range, quickly grabbed a cast-iron frying pan.
"THIS THING IS COMING CLOSE DAMN FAST!" Revy shouted again, preparing her weapon for battle while watching the grass move.
"It'll be here soon!" Rock shouted.
"WATCH OUT!" Dewar shouted, readying his shotgun. "3! 2! 1!" As soon as he finished the countdown, a monster jumped out of the grass. It passed between Rock and Dewar, forcing them to duck, before coming to rest at the forest line, about 10 meters away. Only then were they able to get a good look at the beast.
It looked like an oversized wolf, or more precisely, a cross between a wolf and a bear. Its fur was black with hint of blue, with a series of bone scales peeking out in a few places. The scales themselves were mostly on his back and around his head. On it, it had an uneven, triangle-shaped horn, one edge of which looked sharp enough to easily cut through human flesh. Below the horn were small red eyes, pointing straight ahead. Its powerful but short muzzle was full of sharp teeth, and its canines protruded beyond its jaw.
The monster's appearance caused both Rock and Revy to freeze in fear. Before them stood a monster, a true beast. And they didn't know what to do. The beast itself slowly observed its victims, moving from right to left and left to right, before selecting its target. It dug its claws deep into the ground and then jumped towards the dwarf.
Dewar was lucky enough to manage to jump to the side in advance and avoid the attack. While landing on the ground, he also managed to target the monster with his shotgun and fire two shots. The shotgun pellet clearly hurt the beast because it roared immediately after the shot. However, the damage dealt was so small that it only enraged the creature. But, the gunshots brought Rock and Revy back to their senses.
"Revy!" Dewar shouted as he got up from the ground. "Shoot at the spots next to the scales!" Revy understood his words without any problems. She immediately put the buttstock to her shoulder and aimed at the mentioned place. However, the first shot was a miss. The bullet hit the shell at an angle, causing it to ricochet. The shot itself, however, drew the monster's attention to her.
The beast charged towards her. Revy, however, cold-bloodedly aimed and fired two shots, both bullets entered the beast's body right next to the scales, wounding the creature. But that didn't stop the charge. Revy avoided the monster's fangs at the last moment, throwing herself to the ground so that the beast wouldn't catch her. However, as it passed her, the beast did not stop and ran straight towards Rock, who could barely keep up with it.
"ROCK LOOK OUT!" Revy screamed as soon as she saw the beast heading towards him. Rock heard her warning, but it was too late to dodge.
Rock, seeing the beast's mouth in front of him, grabbed the pan tightly and lifted it towards the beast. The beast easily bit into the pan, bending it and taking Rock with it with its momentum. As soon as they stopped, Rock looked ahead. He was lying on the ground, under a monster that was staring at him with red eyes that could burn a soul, and the only thing separating him from this monster was a cast iron frying pan in the mouth of this beast, which was becoming more deformed with every passing moment.
Suddenly, the sound of a gunshot rang out, and the spot next to the beast's scales spattered blue blood onto Rock's face. Immediately afterwards, two more shots were fired, equally accurate. The beast let go and groaned in pain. Then more shots, both from a rifle and a shotgun, hit the monster in its weak spot. He groaned loudly and fell next to Rock.
Immediately afterwards, Revy ran up and, taking out her revolver from its holster, she shot several more times at the motionless body of the beast.
"Rock, are you alright?" She asked, visibly upset, and continued to aim at the lying beast in a raised voice.
"I think so..." He said, leaning on his arms, only now feeling the pain of his bruised back. "Ouch! That thing beat me up pretty bad."
"It's your own fucking fault... Be glad that's all. You should have taken the fucking gun with you, not fucking left it at the shooting range."
"I'm afraid a gun wouldn't help me much here..." He said, looking at the bent piece of cast iron in the beast's mouth, which a moment ago had been a frying pan. If it weren't for it, Rock might no longer have an arm or a head.
"Congratulations on your first and successful monster hunt..." Dewar said, approaching them, observing the forest from which the beast emerged. "It looks like there are no more monsters, so we can breathe a sigh of relief for a while."
"Breathe a sigh of relief?" She asked not believing what she was hearing. "Seeing this thing, I don't think I'll ever breathe a sigh of relief again..."
"By the way..." Rock said. "What is this? This thing?"
"This is Wexlyng... They have great hearing and smell, and their skin is hard enough that it takes a lot of lead to do anything serious to it. However..." Dewar knelt down next to the beast and began to look at it. "What brought him here..."
"What do you mean?"
"Wexlyngs are very territorial, they avoid going outside their territory, and thoes are often far from people..." The dwarf took the creature's paw in his hand, it was so large that he needed two hands to fully embrace it. "It's a mature male, so it probably wasn't wandering around looking for new territory..." He said, looking at the pitch-black claws. He then looked at the rest of the beast's body and saw gashes running through the beast's body that he hadn't noticed before because of the fur. They were not deep enough to threaten the beast, but severe enough to force it to flee. "He was chased out of his territory... It must have been quite close to us if he came across us..."
"What the fack does that mean exactly?" Revy asked looking at the dwarf.
"Right now there is something much more dangerous than this Wexlyng in this forest..."
AN: Ehhh, late again... I hoped to post this chapter in april, but it took me longer then I wanted... Again. Well I hope it is at least good enought. I will try to keep this one chapter a month thing, so expect 10th chapter by the end of may. I will try to not be late, again.