The path leading to the cabin forced its way through vegetation that seemed to embrace the small wooden construction. Theo walked with a firm step, feeling the weight of Emma's hand squeezing his; he had asked her name while trying to strike up a conversation to distract the little girl. Stepping into the clearing, he saw a woman standing in front of the door, looking at them with evident concern. Theo stopped dead in his tracks, blinking a couple of times to process the image.
He expected to find the classic grandmother from the stories: hunched over, with glasses and hair like snow. Instead, the woman who greeted them was the very definition of a mature and magnetic beauty. She possessed a figure that time had only served to perfect; her features were elegant, with skin that retained a surprising freshness and eyes that denoted a serene wisdom. Her hair, a deep chestnut, fell in careful waves that framed a face of soft but determined features.
"Grandmother!" - Emma's cry broke Theo's trance.
The girl let go of her savior's hand and ran desperately into her grandmother's arms, bursting into bitter tears. Between sobs, she asked for forgiveness over and over for having disobeyed and ventured into the undergrowth. Blanchette held her tightly, whispering words of comfort, but her gaze immediately settled on Theo, pausing with a mixture of horror and amazement at his blood-stained clothes and bandaged shoulder.
Theo approached slowly, maintaining a respectful posture. The grandmother, after calming the girl a bit, directed a gaze full of intensity at him, intending to ask what had happened.
"Ma'am, I am Theodore" - he began to speak before she could say anything, keeping his voice low and calm. - "I was following the trail of a dangerous beast, but unfortunately, I managed to intercept it just when it encountered little Emma in the forest."
Theo proceeded to give her an executive summary of the situation: he omitted the cruder details of the fight and his dimensional origins, presenting himself simply as a passing hunter who had managed to strike down the beast before a tragedy occurred. The grandmother listened with pressed lips and hands stroking her granddaughter's hair. Her expressions shifted from relief to anger when she looked at Emma, who shrugged with a genuine regret rarely seen in children her age.
"I have no words to thank you, sir" - she said, with a rich and melodious voice that made Theo stir slightly. - "But look at those wounds... they are starting to bleed again. Please, come in. I will not allow my family's savior to leave in that state. I know a bit of field medicine; let me help you."
Theo tried to decline, thinking it was best to leave, but the grandmother's insistence and Emma's pleading gaze ended up disarming his resistance.
Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was warm and homey. She then began her work with an efficiency that is only gained through much prior experience. Using warm cloths, local plant ointments, and bandaging techniques, she treated Theo's wound. He watched her hands move with dexterity; she commented that, although the wound was deep, by a miracle it had not touched the bone. The sensation of the cold ointment on the burning flesh was an immediate relief.
Time passed quickly. Emma, exhausted by the trauma, fell asleep soon. Theo, despite his resistance, after eating a bit, felt how the fatigue of combat and the loss of blood claimed their toll. Blanchette, which was the grandmother's name, offered him the guest bed and he, after a quick exchange of words, collapsed onto the bed, falling into a deep, black sleep.
Five hours later, Theo opened his eyes. The room was submerged in the shadows of the night. He sat up with a dull groan, feeling the sharp sting in his shoulder. His body, enhanced by his stats, already felt recovered from the general fatigue, although the wound would take days to heal.
Looking at the ceiling and then at the window where the moon shone intensely, he thought - 'Well, I can take advantage of this moment to use the Gacha ticket I won.'
Recalling his reward, Theo mentally summoned the System. An object glowed in his inventory: the Gacha Ticket. Without hesitation, he decided to use it. A golden light flooded his peripheral vision as the data was recorded in his consciousness.
[Skill Obtained: Inner Beast (Rank C) - level 1
Description: A physical enhancement skill that awakens the user's inner beast.
Passive Effect: "Survival Instinct," grants an instinct to perceive danger (minor), and allows ignoring mild pain during combat. The effect increases when activating the skill.
Active Effects: Increases physical capabilities (+10%), improved sensory acuity, and a slight physical transformation (yellow eyes, slight increase in height).
Flaw: Increases impulsivity and makes the use of complex magic or precision weapons difficult while active.]
Theo felt a shiver run down his spine. He felt as if a beast were waking up inside him, and it was asking for action. The impulse to activate the skill was strong, but his rational side fought against it; after all, he was still too injured to activate the skill.
"This is incredible..." - he murmured, and despite the clear disadvantages he could see and feel, he was quite fascinated by the skill.
Unable to go back to sleep due to the energy of the new skill, Theo got up carefully and went out to the cabin porch to breathe the fresh night air. What he didn't expect was to find Blanchette there. She was sitting on a long wooden bench, wrapped in a thin blanket, looking at the stars with an expression of serene melancholy.
Blanchette was slightly startled to hear the creak of the wood under Theo's boots, but upon recognizing him, her alert expression transformed into a soft and welcoming smile. The light of the full moon bathed the porch, highlighting the contours of her figure and giving her skin a pearlescent glow that took his breath away.
"Awake so soon, Theodore?" - she asked, tilting her head. - "With a wound like that, I expected you to sleep until the sun was high."
Theo let out a short laugh, sitting at the other end of the bench.
"I have a habit of not sleeping much; it's a hard-earned habit that not even a wound like this can prevent" - Theo replied, without mentioning that his adventurer level accelerated his recovery. - "By the way, how is Emma? Still sleeping?"
She looked at him and, returning her gaze to the starry sky, replied. - "Emma is still resting deeply. That experience has left her exhausted, but thanks to you, tomorrow she will be able to wake up in her bed and not... well, I prefer not to think about the alternative."
The conversation flowed with a strange naturalness. Blanchette asked him about his life, and Theo began to tell manipulated truths, since of course he couldn't tell her he was not from this world and all the rest. He spoke of being a wandering hunter, of how he had followed the wolf's trail from distant lands, and of his desire to become stronger so that no one else would have to go through what Emma went through. He told all this while looking at the stars, trying to create an atmosphere that showed he was telling the truth and not lying.
She listened attentively, nodding at his words, but Theo noticed that as they spoke, the distance between them on the bench shortened almost imperceptibly.
"You know..." - Blanchette said, lowering her voice until it became a velvety whisper. - "I told you before that I have no way to pay you, and it's true. A woman alone in the forest possesses no great treasures."
Theo remembered how he had evaded this conversation before sleeping, claiming fatigue. But now, under the silver of the moon, the atmosphere was different.
"I already told you, Blanchette" - Theo replied, trying to maintain his composure while his newly acquired Inner Beast seemed to purr within him, sharpening his perception of the woman's proximity. - "Knowing the girl is safe is reward enough for me."
He felt like a hypocrite saying that, but he held back.
Blanchette let out a playful giggle and slid along the bench. What was once an abyss of wood was now barely a breath of distance. Theo could smell the scent of lavender and ointment emanating from her. She stretched out a hand and, with extreme delicacy, brushed the edge of the bandage on Theo's shoulder, then moved her fingers up his neck, tracing a slow and deliberate line.
"Such a young man, so brave... and so modest" - she murmured, leaning toward his ear. - "But I am a woman of my word, Theodore. I truly want to show you my gratitude. A gratitude that cannot be explained with words in front of a child."
She moistened her lips, her eyes shining with an invitation that left no room for doubt. Her hand descended softly onto Theo's chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart. Theo swallowed hard. His mind was a mess; after all, he didn't have much experience in this and now, because of his new skill, his body —that new feeling vibrating under his skin— was shouting loudly at him to reciprocate.
"You are injured..." - she whispered, with a mischievous smile as she leaned toward him, closing the last bit of space. - "Don't worry, I will take care of everything. You only have to let yourself be looked after."
Blanchette stood up slowly, without letting go of Theo's hand, and gave him a subtle nod toward the cabin door, while her eyes scanned the young man's body with evident appreciation. Theo, feeling that any resistance was futile before such a woman, accepted the invitation in silence, letting himself be guided back inside while the forest was left behind under the eternal and silent mantle of the stars.
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I considered including an 18+ scene, but ultimately decided against it, preferring to focus on main characters who could actually end up with the protagonist or who at least have more significance than a character who might only appear once.
So I hope you enjoyed the chapter.