BXBX NOVEL Chapter 58: Common enemy
Ayra chuckled softly. "Yeah, I remember feeling like that too when Garnt introduced me to the idea. But trust me, it\'s not so bad once you get used to it. Plus, it keeps us warm during those chilly nights."
Rona adjusted her fur garment and managed a small smile. "I guess you\'re right. And it does feel nice to be a part of the community, to blend in with everyone else. Thanks for letting my people enjoy all these things,"
"Where did you get that scar from? It looks like something an animal would do. Did you fight with some kind of bobcat?" Looking at the scar in the middle of Rona\'s chest, Garnt questioned.
Rona took a deep breath, her fingers tracing the scar on her chest as she began to recount the story of how she got it. "That scar," she started, her voice trembling slightly with anger, "is from a man who came to our village not too long ago.
He was a tall, imposing figure, with a cruel glint in his eyes."
She continued, "He approached me one day and demanded that I join him, become part of his group. But I couldn\'t do that. I couldn\'t abandon my people, my community simple because he wasn\'t treating his people like humans." Rona\'s eyes hardened as she recalled the encounter.
"I refused, and that\'s when he started attacking us."
"He was ruthless and cruel," Rona said, her gaze distant. "He\'d come when we least expected it, and he\'d use my own people as bait, forcing me to confront him. It was a terrifying ordeal, but I couldn\'t let him harm anyone."
A somber look crossed her face as she described the confrontation that had left her scarred. "One day, he ambushed us. But this time, I managed to get close enough. I saw an opportunity, and I fought back.
I remember the fear in his eyes when I thrust my weapon toward him."
Rona continued, her voice steadier now, "I managed to injure one of his eyes in exchange for the wound on my chest. He screamed in pain and retreated, disappearing for a few days and after two days, I met you."
Garnt took her words seriously because he didn\'t want anyone like that close to his village, so he automatically became a target that should be quickly removed for him.
"Why did you join us then?" Ayra questioned, since she was curious.
"Just by fighting with Garnt, I can understand that he isn\'t someone like that man." Rona replied, her eyes softening as she looked at Garnt.
"We can\'t underestimate him, and we must protect our village at all costs and that\'s why we need advantage of the weapons. With iron weapons in our possession, none of them would be able to harm us, so let\'s focus on it for now, while keeping and eye on the man that hurt Rona."
Ayra and Rona both nodded their heads. Leaving them to practice with each other, Garnt decided to go and meet Gundo, who should be waiting for his arrival.
"Eva, are you sure about talking with my mother? If you dislike it, you don\'t have to." One last time, Garnt questioned before handing over the hologram to Gundo, since he wanted to know.
[I don\'t mind. Beside we are not going to be friendly. I\'m just going to give her advice about medicine and that\'s it.]
Garnt sighed upon hearing her words and stepped into the dimly lit hut. He had expected to find Gundo waiting for him, but instead, he saw her sleeping peacefully on the floor. Her chest rose and fell rhythmically with each breath, and the flickering sunlight cast gentle shadows on her face.
Garnt couldn\'t help but smile as he watched her slumber. She looked so serene, so different from the strong and capable woman he knew during their waking hours. He carefully sat down beside her, his rough hand brushing a strand of hair away from her face.
He gazed at her for a few seconds, his heart filled with a mixture of emotions. Gundo deserved all the happiness in the world, and Garnt wanted to be the one to provide it for her. It was in this moment of contemplation that he heard Eva\'s voice inside his head.
"What should I do to make her even happier?" he asked silently patting her head like a lovely son.
Eva replied with the wisdom of an adult woman with years of expierence.
[A woman like Gundo will be happy as long as you are happy, Garnt. Your happiness is intertwined with hers. Show her love, support, and make every moment count. That\'s the key to her happiness.]
"Is that how you felt about your own daughter?"
Eva went silent, as soon as Garnt asked that question and she didn\'t want to answer instead, she jsut sighed and changed the topic.
While Garnt was lost in thought, Gundo began to wake up. She looked at him with a confused expression as she yawned and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Did something happen?" she asked in her drowsy state.
Garnt simply patted her head, and she closed her eyes again, content to enjoy her son\'s company. She knew it was the place, where she felt safest and couldn\'t help but seek more of his warmth.
After a moment of silence, Garnt suddenly asked, "Are you happy, Mother? If you want something I can do it for you."
Gundo looked at him and saw the sincerity in his eyes. She smiled softly and replied without any doubt in her mind, "Yes, I am."
Both mother and son was having their own sweet time, but then Garnt decided to do what he came here to do.
He reached into his pocket and took out a small holographic device that looked like a watch. Garnt handed it to her, saying, "This will be useful to you."
Gundo was initially confused but trusted her son. As soon as she touched the button on the device, a soft, radiant light emanated from it, casting a warm glow over both of them.
"What is this?" She asked in a confused tone.
Just as Gundo uttered those words, a gentle, ethereal voice of Eva emerged from the hologram, seemingly originating from the warm glow itself. "I am the guardian spirit that had been helping your son through out his joureny," it said, its tone soothing and otherworldly.
Gundo\'s eyes widened in disbelief, and she turned her attention back to Garnt, her heart pounding with astonishment. Garnt nodded in confirmation, his eyes brimming with gratitude and a hint of pride.
Feeling overwhelmed, Gundo\'s tears welled up in her eyes, and her voice quivered as she spoke, "Thank you for helping my son, Guardian Spirit."
The voice from the hologram responded with serene grace, "It was my duty, Gundo. I have watched over Garnt since he was a child, guiding and protecting him and don\'t call me guardian spirit, just call me Eva."
Tears flowed freely down Gundo\'s cheeks as she realized the depth of the unseen support that had been with her son throughout his life.
Garnt, filled with a newfound sense of purpose, rose from his seat and turned to his mother with a determined look.
He said, "Mother, now that you\'ve met Eva, there\'s something I\'ve been wanting to ask her. She can help you understand more about the medicine you\'re curious about, and I think you should take her guidance to learn more."
Gundo, still teary-eyed and touched by the presence of Eva, nodded in agreement. She turned her attention back to the radiant hologram. "Eva," she began, "I have so many questions about the medicine I\'ve been researching. Can you help me understand it better?"
Eva\'s soothing voice emanated from the warm glow once more,
[Of course, I\'d be happy to assist you in any way I can.]
Garnt walked over to his mother, and with a loving smile, he leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. "You\'ve got this, Mother," he said, his eyes filled with pride. "Eva will be your guide, just like she\'s been mine."
Gundo smiled back at her son, a mix of gratitude and excitement in her eyes. She was eager to learn more about her new gadget and the world of knowledge it could open up for her so she can help her son.
"I\'m going to visit the mine since I have to arrange things, so if something happens you can tell Eva. She will relay the message to me." Gundo nodded her head, and Garnt left the hut with a satisfied look on his face.
"Eva, don\'t teach her anything weird." Garnt said with a suspicious tone in his voice and Eva felt offended by his remark.
[Who do you think I am? Some kind of a weird pervert? Of course, I won\'t teach her anything.]
Eva promised, but she had a weird undertone in her voice.