The next few days passed in a seemingly ordinary fashion.
Each day, Nova endured being the Alpha's punching bag due to his unusual resistance to blows.
Meanwhile, Katya focused on learning more about the Moblings, following the old Mobling in an effort to understand his disdain.
It wasn’t just him; many Moblings seemed uneasy around humans. However, she couldn’t shadow him for long without being spotted and chased away with his cane like a grumpy elder.
Most of her time was spent documenting her research, sketching and photographing other Moblings, and studying their behavior, which closely resembled that of early human societies.
Only when Katya was fully immersed in her work did the old Mobling observe her from a distance, his dull eyes fixed on the notebook where she wrote.
They continued living among the Moblings for about two weeks.
During this time, Nova gained the affection of a young Mobling girl who brought fruit to their teepee daily, offering quiet encouragement from afar, though her mother remained wary of him.
Despite the daily beatings, Nova began to pick up new fighting techniques through trial and error.
What started as torture gradually turned into a learning process, thanks to his persistence. To his surprise, he began to appreciate the fights with the Alpha, sensing that the six-foot demon might be trying to help him improve.
For the first time, Nova felt he was making real progress.
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14 days later...
The warm midday sun illuminated the vast landscape outside the Mobling Cave, revealing a forest teeming with life, all affected by the phenomenon of resonance. These creatures lived in perfect harmony, creating an environment brimming with life and movement.
Two figures moved silently through the forest. One was small and leaned heavily on a stick larger than himself, while the other, taller, appeared to be a young woman.
"You didn't need to come. I can gather medicinal roots on my own. Besides, you should take the chance to leave..." the elderly Mobling grumbled, keeping his focus on the path ahead.
"Tempting, but I'm not leaving without Nova. And I'd like to learn about that ointment—it might be useful when the Alpha finally lets us go," Katya replied with a friendly smile, which only deepened the Mobling’s annoyance.
"Humans... always driven by self-interest. Don’t expect me to teach you anything," he muttered, his discomfort obvious, falling silent for the rest of the walk.
Katya resisted the urge to punch him, frustrated but determined to understand his deep-seated hatred toward humans. Most Moblings avoided her, but this one seemed to watch her with outright disdain.
"Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot. It's hard to please you when you're always so defensive. We should act like adults and talk this out, don't you think?" she suggested, trying to follow Nova's advice and appeal to the old Mobling’s better side.
Her attempt was met with indifference. He simply sped up, forcing her to follow in silence.
They continued collecting herbs, some from tree roots, others sprouting from the ground, and one in a particularly dangerous spot—clinging to the wall of a deep crater in the forest.
"Wouldn’t it be better if I helped with that?" Katya offered, watching as the old Mobling left his staff at the crater's edge and began descending, relying solely on his hands and feet as he clung to the rocks.
"I don't need your help, girl. I’ve done this a thousand times. Just stay quiet." His irritation at her offer only deepened her frustration, making her wish, if only for a moment, that he’d fall and learn some manners.
As the Mobling descended, something stirred at the bottom of the crater, causing a slight tremor. The rocks under his feet crumbled, and he instinctively clung to the cliffside, searching for a foothold, but found none. His grip began to slip.
"Damn it..."
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"Elder Mobling, are you okay!?" Katya called from above, watching his precarious situation 13 feet below.
"Don’t move!" she shouted, but his hand finally gave way.
Acting on pure instinct, Katya pulled a rope from her backpack and leaped into the crater, using the slope to accelerate her descent.
The old Mobling felt a wave of dizziness as his life flashed before his eyes. He saw a young human standing bravely between him and a pack of red wolves. The human moved with precision and courage, driving the wolves away with each decisive strike. Finally, the human reached out a hand, guiding him safely back to his village. The warmth of that protective gesture lingered in his mind.
Reality snapped back when Katya, clearly shaken, hugged him tightly.
"Hang on!" she ordered, urging him to hold on as she hurled the rope toward a rock jutting from the slope.
The sudden jerk of their bodies signaled the end of the fall. The old Mobling, his large eyebrows raised in surprise, glanced at his rescuer, noticing the spiral cut on her arm where the rope had dug into her skin as she bore their combined weight.
Without a word, they climbed back up the rope and collapsed onto the grass, exhausted.
"That was..." The Mobling hesitated. "That was reckless. If things had gone wrong, we could have both died!" he exclaimed, his voice sharp.
Ignoring his own weariness, he crushed some of the plants they had gathered, quickly applying the paste to Katya’s injured arm.
"You could just say thank you, silly," Katya teased, wincing as the ointment touched her wound.
"Thank you," the Mobling muttered.
A warm smile tugged at Katya’s lips.
"That’s better. But don’t get any ideas, I only saved you because I need you to teach me about that ointment for my research. Pure self-interest," she quipped sarcastically, drawing a rare grin from the Mobling, who understood her meaning. After all, no one needed to change over something as trivial as saving a life.
"Typical human," he grumbled, but with a hint of approval, making Katya laugh.
After tending to her arm, the old Mobling held up the three different plants they had collected.
"Dragonsbane is a parasitic plant that grows on tree roots. It’s good for treating burns." He pointed to the plant, which boasted a sturdy, dark green stem interwoven with vivid red streaks, and was adorned with a striking bright orange flower perched atop.
"Feylef grows in clearings and reflects sunlight. You’ll recognize it by its crystal-clear petals." The next plant featured a slender, delicate stem and was adorned with ethereal, transparent flowers that seemed to shimmer in the light.
"And finally, Wyrmwood. It grows underground as blue-hued roots." He pointed to the plant that had nearly claimed their lives. Its dark, menacing hue and lingering lemony scent remained vividly imprinted in their memories.
"Grind these three together, and you'll have a medicine that disinfects, reduces inflammation, and promotes healing," he explained before tucking the plants into the pouch at his waist.
This was his way of thanking her for saving his life, though he wasn’t sure it would satisfy her.
"I’ll remember that," Katya replied cheerfully.
The two walked in silence, heading back to the village. Katya refrained from pressing him for more information, not wanting to make him uncomfortable again.
For his part, the Mobling could feel her gaze on him, like a predator silently stalking its prey.
"You want to know why I don’t want them in the village, don’t you?" sighed the old Mobling, feeling wearied by the situation and still sensing he owed something to the girl.
"Yes, if you’re willing to share. I’d also like to know how you learned to speak our language so well," Katya responded.
"I have my reasons... You see, humans have been a taboo in our community since the beginning of the Mobling people." The old Mobling's words finally connected the reasons Katya had been curious about for weeks, linking them to both the Moblings and himself.
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The Mobling elder recounted the taboo against humans, passed down through generations from the day the first Moblings appeared in the world, blessed with what his people called the "Awakening." This event, known to humans as the Resonance, marked their evolution.
Initially, the Moblings were not hostile towards humans. They began as peaceful beings and even tried to communicate with some. However, humans, reacting with fear, sought to eradicate them, labeling them as monsters possibly created by B-Synchros to destroy humanity.
To survive, the Moblings scattered. Some migrated to other lands, while others chose to hide from humans. Over time, the once-thriving jungle of stone and crystal was abandoned, and human encounters became less frequent.
The Moblings who remained hidden experienced peaceful times. They interacted with the surrounding flora and fauna and lived contentedly. During this period, roads were constructed, facilitating human travel through the area. Occasionally, lost travelers would receive help from the Moblings, who treated their wounds and guided them back on track.
However, this kindness was met with exploitation. Humans began capturing Moblings for slavery or entertainment, believing their bones had medicinal properties. Even worse, every time a decent human stayed too long in a Mobling village, it would eventually die out.
When Katya tried to speak, the elder Mobling stopped her, insisting that while it might sound ridiculous, it was true.
Eventually, the Moblings turned violent towards humans, attacking them on sight to protect their territory and prevent further deception. The once-peaceful Mobling society became a warrior community dedicated to safeguarding their people. They would kill any human who appeared unless he managed to escape the sentries.
However, history often repeats itself.
When the elder Mobling was a child, a traveler saved him from an attack by red wolves. This traveler was kind and well-intentioned, much like Nova and Katya, and the village decided to ignore their old teachings and welcomed him after he saved the Alpha's son. Eager to honor his savior, the young Mobling learned the human's language, practicing diligently with the books the traveler brought.
Tragically, just as he mastered the language, he discovered that the old teachings held more truth than the new ones. On the traveler’s last visit, a beast of nightmarish imagination attacked the village, killing the traveler and everyone in its path. This creature, marked by a glowing stone in its chest, slaughtered the villagers with unmatched strength.
The old Mobling’s voice grew heavy as he recalled hiding and watching his entire village being slaughtered before his eyes, unable to intervene.
It was then that he vowed to uphold the Mobling taboo and prevent any human from approaching his people, and he had success in doing so ever since.
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“The B-Synchros’ hatred for your kind is so intense that they follow you wherever they detect your scent,” the old Mobling said, frustration evident in his voice.
“I keep telling the Alpha that it’s dangerous to have you here, but that stubborn musclehead insists on training with that Nova guy for some ridiculous reason…”
Katya, who had listened to the entire story, averted her eyes in disappointment. Her planned research seemed meaningless if it endangered the Mobling village. Humans were prey to a far greater threat, and if they stayed too long, the Moblings might face the fatal attention of a B-Synchro.
“Tonight, I’ll convince Nova that we need to leave,” Katya said. “I don’t want the village to suffer because of us. I’m sure he’ll agree. Even if it means facing the Alpha’s wrath, it’s the best option for everyone.” The young girl’s words surprised the old Mobling, who couldn’t help but hide his face in his hands, grateful for her kind intentions.
Perhaps if he had spoken up from the beginning and warned the couple, he might have avoided spending so many days applying pungent ointments to Nova to mask his human scent.
Unfortunately, near the crater where Katya and the old Mobling had narrowly avoided a deadly fall, a massive figure emerged from the shadows. The creature advanced with purpose toward the crimson pool that had pooled on the ground, a result of the girl’s self-inflicted rope wound. Its movements were slow and deliberate, driven by an unsettling fury.