How to make friends

Kato walked to the opposite side of the edge the wall was thicker here then it was in most places. This was because for some strange decision the entrance led into an artificial tunnel, whether this was to better control the flow of movement or as some type of defensive structure Kato didn’t know, nor did it really matter.

As he walked, he played with the blade, faking parries and thrust as he walked forward.

He reached the edge soon enough; it had not been a long walk. Kato gazed over the surroundings it looked really like where he had just come from, distressingly so. For a second, he was worried that this was all there was random walls dotted over a volcanic wasted, but then his eyes caught something comfortably familiar.

A path. Well-trodden, which could only mean one thing, “Civilisation” he breathed excitedly.

“Garaa garahhh garahh” a snotty laugh broke Kato out of his reverie. And his eyes quickly scanned the ground below him, he’d looked right over them. There were 3 creatures, clad in rough fitting hide, chain mail filling the gaps that had somehow been exposed.

A sickly grey hue tinted their loose grey skin. Fangs adorned the sides of their mouths jutting down and over their chins. What was visible of their bodies were covered in scars and old wounds a testament to a lifetime of survival.

‘They look like brutes’ Kato thought then immediately scolded himself, ‘that’s not how you should treat strangers.’

Jagged blades with chipped edges hung stretched across the entirety of each creature’s back.

‘Must be butchers or something’ Kato nodded thoughtfully.

One of the creatures began pantomiming, it mimed running away then made a squealing type of noise, “garahh garahhh garahh” it laughed thumping an old wooden table that the creatures had presumably placed in the middle of their camp.

It was a simple camp; a fire, encircled by stone, burnt in the middle of it. There were sleeping rolls but no tents, Kato supposed they didn’t need them because of the heat, but he probably still would have preferred them. There wasn’t really much else to say a big cage type thing as tall as a human stood off to the side, it was the only well-kept thing in their dwelling it looked shing and new.

In the corner of the caged area was a pile of what was presumably meat mixed with scraps of cloth must be some animal the creatures had butchered. ‘Must have had nowhere else to store it away from scavengers Kato thought blithely ignoring the warning signs, he decided that he must introduce himself.

‘It’s not polite to spy; what would they think of they saw me up here?’ he though firmly. ‘Time to make some new friends.’

A chill breeze swept over Kato carrying the faint scent of ash, decay, and meat. Kato subconsciously shivered, but he ignored it his mouth salivating.

With his plan set Kato jumped off the edge. He immediately realised his mistake and quickly course corrected to aim for one of the creature’s heads. It must have been fifteen feet tall at least, Kato hoped it would soften his fall and not be considered rude by his new acquaintances.

Thunk. Kato hit one of the creature’s hard, both sprawled out over the ground in a tangled heap. “Um sorry about that” Kato said awkwardly standing up and rubbing the back of his neck.

The creature looked back at him unresponsive. Kato waved his hand in front of its eyes and the creature gazed back lifeless.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Kato’s eyes ran over the creature worryingly searching for any sign of injury. There! His blade lodged in its skull. ‘Wait, his blade?’ Panic surged through him, ‘Oh no’ he thought frantically chewing on his lip, ‘this is not how you make friends.’

Kato turned to the other two anger building rapidly on their faces.

‘This is not good I need to defuse this quickly’ Kato thought to himself hurriedly. He looked back to the motionless creature. And gently reached over to it, a low growl came from one of the brutes, his fingers reached its neck and nothing no pulse not even the rhythmic motion of air entering and leaving its lungs.

“Guys I’m really sorry” he began his voice strained, “I know I didn’t know him that well but if you’d let me speak a couple of words over him it would be much appreciated.” The creatures looked back at him wary and with rage simmering in their eyes.

‘How to smooth over killing someone’s friend by pure happenstance the moment you met them?’ it was a tricky question Kato had to admit. They hadn’t even said anything, just stared. Kato felt really bad his heart going out to them.

“Oh god” he moaned into his palms then swiftly collected himself, remembering his company. Although the creatures hadn’t said anything, the tension in the air was palpable. One of them had been in the process of tearing meat off a bone when Kato had interrupted them.

That bone was now actively straining and cracking under the force the creature was gripping it with. Baleful and hate filled expressions regarded Kato.

He felt faint under their accusing vision and turned to the corpse behind him, regarding his blade lodged firmly in the beast’s skull. It was a painful reminder of what happened, and it needed to be gone. Kato reached over to it gripped the handle with his right hand and pulled nothing, he pulled hard, but the blade just wouldn’t budge.

He awkwardly looked back to the two creature’s “sorry I’ll remove it as quickly as possible” one of the creatures stepped forward the meat in its hands dropping to the floor. “No, no” Kato raised his hands “I've got it no need to help” his left hand and right both grasped the handle, and he pulled back his back straining the blade began sliding upwards painfully slow.

Without thinking Kato lifted his right leg and pressed his right foot on the skull for leverage. The blade slipped out; Kato turned to face the creatures his foot still planted on the skull as if he was posing with a hunting trophy.

The creature who had stepped forward snarled, “//??///???///” and screamed at Kato. Kato looked down quickly realising what he had done and lifted his leg, “I’m really sorry” he said rushed bringing his foot back down to the ground.

The creature charged.

Kato held his hands forward trying to placate the charging beast, but it kept running, straight into Kato’s blade.

It was as if its strings had just been cut; one moment it had been approaching Kato at terrifying speeds the next it was lying on the floor bleeding and clearly dead.

It hadn’t even made a sound. Maybe some air had been forced out when it met the blade, but apart from that nothing. Kato looked over towards the second creature he’d just killed by pure accident.

Then his eyes wondered towards the third. “I know this looks back he said pointing towards the two corpses and then to the third, but I swear it was an accident.”

The creature looked back its anger replaced by fear, stock-still. ‘Maybe it doesn’t understand.’ Kato thought and tried to convey his message again.

Kato began miming stabbing the beasts, and then mimed a shocked expression full of remorse.

The creature stared back at Kato terror stricken. ‘Maybe miming stabbing wasn’t the best idea’ he thought too late.

The creature turned and began to run. Getting away from the murderer that had just attacked them for no reason. Kato watched sadly; clearly, he was bad at making friends, at least he hadn’t killed them all he thought, thankful for the tiniest but of silver lining.

The creature ran, slipping over the meat the second creature had previously dropped. It careened into the air and fell to the side, catching its head on the cage and effectively braining itself.

“Well, fuck” Kato stated. “You got all three nice one man” he sarcastically quipped.

He walked over to the beast his blade stuck from and yanked it out. “Really thought, I’d only have to do that once” Kato started then realising the beast probably didn’t care, apologised for its death, and moved on.

Kato walked over to the third one, it was still breathing, “hey let me help” he reached over to it and its eyes now wide open, filled with terror, and the creature began bucking wildly. Its head crashed against the side of the cage again and again till the bucking stopped; its last breath done.

Strange symbols crossed Kato’s vision and he waited for the world to get brighter, but it didn’t. Kato stared at the sight around him blood coated the floor the stench of death now filling the air and what was worse his appetite didn’t even seem ruined; he was starving. But it seemed wrong to take from these beasts it would be like looting a corpse at a funeral.

With a weary shake of his head, he stepped upon the path leading from the camp.