-THE CAT IS TALKING! THE CAT IS TALKING! - I was shouting while trying to keep as much distance from the creature as possible. A wooden tray that held all my food now served as my defense against the abomination in front of me. Soon, multiple pairs of footsteps could be heard running to the room. The first to enter was an old man of tiny stature and incalculable age, pick in hand and apparently ready to fight.
-WHAT'S GOING ON, BOY?! WHERE IS THE MONSTER?!- the little man shouted while moving his head in all directions. Soon, more people began to enter the room, all armed and prepared. Gradually, the excitement for fight subsided, and the little old man could follow my gaze to one of the corners where the creature in question was now curled up, trembling with fear. Most of those now present followed the old man's gaze, and upon seeing the situation, the silence that now reigned was immediately broken when multiple laughs erupted among those present.
-Damn Palico!- the old man grumbled as he walked toward what they called Palico. -How many times have I told you not to scare the guests in the middle of the night?!- Once near the cat, the old man proceeded to lift it up by the nape and take it outside the hut.
As all the other people began to leave amid laughter, and the room cleared, I noticed that someone else had stayed with me. Of the same stature as the first old man but without the same build, this small person stood still near the entrance, watching me, a cup in one hand and the other behind their back, their gaze fixed on me. The next few seconds, which felt like hours, we spent in silence, both trying to discern information from the other. After a few endless seconds in silence, the figure began to approach me.
-Good evening, young man. My name is Ardug, welcome to the island,- Ardug said as he extended the cup in his hand toward me.
I immediately accepted the cup, which held some kind of hot drink. -Nice to meet you, sir. My name is Kadir- I said, a little calmer now as I got off the bed and sat down. At the same time, old Ardug pulled a stool and sat in front of me.
-You are far from home, aren't you, boy?- Ardug said as he took out an old piece of rolled-up skin from his clothing.
-Let me tell you that you're not the first one I've seen in this situation- he began to explain as he slowly and meticulously began to untie the knots of the roll. -The last person like you left me this letter, I still remember it as if it were yesterday, the same look of a caged Melynx.-
In front of me was a small piece of skin no larger than a plate with a few lines written in English.
To whoever is reading this:
Welcome, companion, I know that at this moment you must be very confused, believe me, I went through the same. But if you are reading this, I can assure you that you are in a safe place. For the past 40 years, I have been investigating and being a part of this world, and to this day, I have not found a way to return...
I had to stop for a moment after that line. If I still had the slightest hope, those words finished killing it. I definitely wasn't in Kansas anymore.
...I'm not saying this to make you lose hope, but it would be a good idea to keep your expectations low. This world is completely different from the one we come from, and you will agree that it's best for everyone that it stays that way. That's why, just as they did with me many years ago, I ask you now. Learn from this world, interact with all the people, take risks, explore, live, and once you have done all that, help me protect this world. No one understands the dangers of technology and the future better than us. I can't offer you anything more than words of encouragement and this letter.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
P.S. If at any point you feel that this has helped you, I only ask that you do the same for someone else in the same way I did now.
From one hunter to another
Good luck.
I read the letter a few more times while old Ardug prepared another cup of the same drink in front of me. After a few minutes, I was satisfied with the letter, a little confused, I can't deny it, but at least I felt steady under my feet.
The next few hours passed by like water, Ardug and I gazed at the waves through the window as we slowly sipped what I now knew was some kind of tea. Eventually, the first rays of light began to spill into the horizon, and Ardug set his cup on the table as he got up from his seat.
-Well, young man, I see you're a little more focused now. I hope the letter was helpful,- Ardug began to say as he slowly walked to the exit.
Once at the threshold, the old man turned to look at me as he said, -The contents of that letter are yours and yours alone. Anything written there is only your concern and that of that reckless boy.- More than a comment, the exchange felt like a mild threat. -I left a bag of tea on the stove, make sure to take it every day, the Dragons know you'll need it.- And with a chuckle, old Ardug left.
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It has been 3 weeks since my arrival here, and every single day of those three weeks has been hell. Between Ardug's tea and the physical work of the settlement, my body has never been so sore. In the first few days, I was working on the ship's deck, cleaning and moving heavy boxes. One of those days, I saw the Captain leave the settlement with some of his men. The real surprise was seeing their weapons, and specifically their sizes.
The first two men who came out on deck carried relatively normal weapons, perhaps a little more fantastic than their counterparts in my world. One of them had a kind of crossbow, and the other a sword and shield. It wasn't until the third man started climbing the stairs that the real spectacle began. A burly man was carrying a ridiculously huge hammer on his back. I can say without fear of exaggeration that just the head of the hammer was the size of my entire torso. And once the captain emerged, all semblance of logic went out the window.
Captain Osat carried what could only be classified as a gigantic jawbone with an edge on his back, some of the captain's men came out to the edge of the palisade to bid farewell to their companions. Some days later, I had the opportunity of trying to lift the captain's sword after one of his morning practices, and that's when I understood that the Captain was actually an extremely strong person.
The days passed, 3 weeks turned into 3 months. I made a commitment to get to know everyone in the settlement, a total of 80 members in the crew of the Wyvern's Whisper. Within a few weeks, I officially became the chronicler of the place, not so much for my writing ability but for the large number of "fantastic" stories I knew. Before long, the sailors knew about Otello, Don Quixote, the great Beowulf, and also Sherlock.
One morning like any other, I met the Captain and old Ardug outside my house. It seemed like they were talking about something, but when they saw me approaching, they turned to talk to me.
-Good night?"-the Captain asked as he crossed his arms.
-How have you been feeling lately? Still sore?- Ardug continued.
-Good morning, Captain. I was able to rest all night- I replied, addressing the mountain of a person in front of me. -Now that you mention it, I haven't felt pain for at least a few days- I replied to the old man as he approached me, took my hand, and proceeded to make a small cut on the back of my hand. I instinctively tried to pull my hand away, but Ardug's iron grip prevented me. A small thread of blood began to run down my hand and gather in drops at my feet. It was then that Ardug pulled a flask of some kind of thick, green liquid from his clothes, uncapped it, and poured it over the cut. After a few seconds, the pain began to fade, and a soothing sensation spread through my hand, after 15 minutes, there was no trace that the wound had been there.
-Captain, the powder ritual has been successful,-Ardug said this nodded both of us and then he left.
-Um, Captain? Could you explain to me what just happened?- I said, looking confused as I watched Ardug's figure walk away.
-Just the first step, lad. Congratulations. Today, your hunter training begins.-