Morning comes. The light of the rising sun spills into the cave, painting the stone walls in gold and shadow. My eyes open slowly, the weight of the day pressing against my chest before I even rise. The time has come. Today, I will face them. Today, I will try to meet the tribe.
For a moment, a thought coils in my head: what if they already know Karo? What if this body belonged to them once, and they see me not as stranger but as someone returned? Or perhaps they do not know him at all, and my connection to them is only my imagination. I shake the thoughts away. Speculation means nothing. If this is truly my second life, then it will be built by my actions, not Karo's shadows.
I sit up from the stone floor, bones stiff, muscles still sore from the hunt. I drape the boar hide cloak across my shoulders, its weight heavy but reassuring. The horned skull helm settles onto my head, pressing down but filling me with pride. I chew a strip of dried meat, swallow a few tart berries, and lift my waterskin to my lips. The cold liquid slides down my throat, washing away the taste of iron and smoke. Strength returns with every gulp.
When I step outside Ragno's Haven, the world greets me with silence. Yet I feel it, eyes in the brush, watching, waiting. The same eyes that have haunted me since yesterday. They think themselves hidden, but their presence burns on my skin. I glance across the rocks and trees; shadows shift where none should. Still, I pretend not to notice. I will not give them the satisfaction.
At my feet, the dried stains of blood still mark the ground. Bones and scraps from the boar lie scattered, already picked clean by scavenger birds. Massive creatures, almost as large as myself, hop and flap across the stones, their sharp beaks tearing at flesh. They look at me with eyes like cold knives. One day, I tell myself, I will hunt them too. But not today.
Today, I prepare for diplomacy.
I gather the bundle of meat I set aside, lash it together with cord. I sling my waterskin over my shoulder. My spears rest across my back, half a meter each, shafts hardened with fiber, tips sharpened stone. I look unarmed, but I know: to pull one free takes less than a heartbeat. Half a second, and anyone who dares attack me would find themselves bleeding on the earth. Confidence steels me as I take the first steps.
I walk toward the tribe's direction, every crunch of soil beneath my feet echoing in my chest. Behind me, faint sounds follow, leaves disturbed, branches snapping, whispers of movement. They track me, they follow, but I do not turn. Their presence does not frighten me. I am not their prey. I am Ragno, the hunter.
At last, I stop in an open clearing, not far from where I know their settlement must be. The sun sits high, shadows short and sharp. I will not march into their village uninvited, that would make me an enemy before words are spoken. Instead, I claim this ground as neutral. Slowly, I kneel, place the bundle of meat and waterskin on the earth. I lift my hands and extend them forward. A gesture older than words: Take this. It is yours.
The forest holds its breath. Then, the brush stirs. Two figures emerge, the same women I saw before. Naked, unarmed, hair tangled, skin painted by the sun. Their voices are whispers, their steps cautious but not trembling. Their eyes hold curiosity more than fear. They recognize me, or perhaps only the story of me.
More shadows move. Two, then three more women step out, and finally, men follow. They clutch only clubs, rough branches stripped of bark, primitive, fragile. Their faces are masks of shock, awe, and suspicion. They stare at me as though I am a beast that walked out of the flames. They do not know me. They do not know Karo.
Three men step forward, closest to me. Their shoulders are tense, hands ready to strike. I remain still, calm, the boar skull glaring with tusks above my eyes. I point again to the gifts at my feet. My hands repeat the gesture, slow, patient. Take them.
The men hesitate, whisper to each other. Suspicion clenches their jaws. Their eyes dart from my cloak, to my spears, to the bulge of muscle beneath the hide. They expect violence. But then I notice the women. Their gazes are different. Where the men see danger, the women see strength. Their eyes are wide, lips parted, some biting down to stifle emotion. It is not only fear. It is something else.
Time stretches. The air thickens. My heart pounds, but I do not move. At last, one of the men crouches, reaches for the bundle. His hand shakes. He lifts the meat, eyes never leaving mine. The others follow, collecting the gifts. They clutch them close, still staring into me, and then, they step back. Step by step, their bodies retreat toward the brush. They do not turn their backs, not until the trees swallow them whole.
The clearing is empty again. Silence falls, broken only by the beating of my heart. Then, from the edge of the trees, one figure lingers. One of the women, the same who first watched me from the bushes. Her eyes burn into mine. Her lips part, and in the softest of whispers, words cross the space between us:
— "Thank you."
The sound freezes me. Their words. I understand them. I understand her. A door has opened in my mind. I nod slowly, dip my head in acknowledgment. You're welcome. Then I turn, shoulders squared, and walk back to Ragno's Haven.
[+80 XP]
Charisma +1
New Skill Progress: [Diplomacy Lv.2]
Back in the cave, I take stock of what remains. The hanging meat still sways gently against the wall. The waterskin is half full. I have shelter, food, water. Enough for days. The fire's embers glow faintly, warming the stone. Survival, for now, is secured. But my mind is not at rest. I lie down, the stone floor cold beneath me, the hide heavy across my chest. My thoughts circle endlessly: Will they return tomorrow? Will they test me? Will they accept me?
The horned helm rests at my side, tusks catching the firelight. I close my eyes, exhaustion sinking deep. Darkness takes me slowly, pulling me into dreams of battles yet to come, of faces in the shadows, of women whispering my name.
And as sleep claims me, one thought burns above all: this was only the beginning.
Character Sheet Update
[Character Sheet Updated]
Strength: 7
Endurance: 6
Intelligence: 6
Charisma: 5