Primitive Man

Nearby, another man, equally battered and bruised, but with a rugged determination about him, stood tall. This man was none other than Moga, who held a handful of iron ores in his hands, his curiosity piqued.

Moga\'s voice was gruff and demanding, "What are these rocks, boy? Are they important? Is that why you\'re digging them?" He eyed Baktou, expecting answers.

Baktou remained silent, his lips trembling with pain, but he refused to speak. Fear and anger swirled in his eyes, but he dared not reveal anything to this intruder.

He was even ready to protect his brother\'s secret with his own life if he had to sacrifice it.

Moga\'s patience waned as he continued to interrogate Baktou. "Who are you people? Where are the women? Why are you breaking these rocks?" Each question hung heavily in the air, but Baktou\'s lips remained sealed.

"Answer me!" Moga shouted holding his head in pain.

Then, the tension in the underground chamber reached its breaking point. In an unexpected twist, Moga abruptly ceased his questioning. A sinister grin twisted his lips as he reached for a nearby stone crusher, his intentions ominous.

Baktou\'s heart raced, convinced that his life was about to end in this dark abyss.

"Do it! I\'m not afraid to die." Baktou taunted him hoping things would end there.

But Moga\'s actions took a shocking turn. With lightning speed, he lunged toward a random miner tied next to him, crushing the man\'s head mercilessly with the stone crusher.

The gruesome sight sent a shockwave of horror through Baktou, and his voice erupted in anger, a torrent of curses and shouts directed at the brutal Moga.

"Stop it! Stop this! Don\'t kill them. I will kill you, I will cut you like a wild animal," Baktou shouted his whole body shaking in anger and fear.

The stone crusher was wet with the miner\'s blood and brain matter, but then Moga\'s vision shifted to the person next to him, who was looking at him with fear in their eyes.

As other miners started to cry seeing their comrade die in a gruesome way, Moga with his cruel grin, turned his attention to Baktou. With the stone crusher still aiming at other miners, "What are these stones for again? Answer or one by one, I will crush their heads."

Baktou\'s heart raced as he felt the weight of the situation. He knew things were about to get messy, and he had to make a critical decision.

He hesitated for a moment, torn between revealing the truth and protecting the miners. However, when Moga made a threatening move towards another miner, Baktou decided it was time to speak up.

"They\'re for making iron and weapons, which are more powerful weapons than the wood and bones we use," Baktou said cautiously, choosing to reveal some information while keeping other details hidden. He didn\'t mention the village or Garnt, wanting to protect those secrets.

"These ores can be used to make these iron weapons. It is a method I found on my own,"

But even with the little bit he revealed, Baktou felt as though he had to cut off a part of his body.

"What about women?" Moga had many more questions, he wanted to ask but he still wanted to know how they survived without any woman in their group.

When the topic of women came up, Baktou felt another surge of unease. He knew he had to tread carefully. "There are no women," he admitted reluctantly, "We men mate with each other to make more people."

It was a lie that he came up with on the spot, but a bad one that would have a lot of consequences.

One of Moga\'s lackeys, clearly frustrated by the lack of women, suggested they should kill the miners and Baktou and hang them, viewing him as useless.

"Moga! Let\'s go and find more women. These people are stupid to break stones," He said in a dissatisfied tone and took his wooden stake to impale Baktou.

Before things escalated further, Moga intervened, delivering a powerful blow that sent the miner tumbling backwards. He called him an idiot and turned back to Moga.

With a calmer demeanour, Moga spoke, "We\'re entering a new place, and this kid here is the key to that." His words hung in the air, the gravity of the situation sinking in.

Moga realized that his knowledge and skills were more valuable than he had ever imagined, and he had a pivotal role to play in this new era that was unfolding before him.

"Idiots should follow me and see where I take you. None of you should give your inferior ideas, next time I will kill you." With a threatening voice, Moga went ahead and grabbed one of the miners and held him.

"Give these two some water! Don\'t let them die. I have something I want to confirm," He suddenly started to drag the innocent miner into an empty wooden hut.

Baktou had no idea what was happening, but then he heard the noises that he didn\'t want to hear.

"I\'m sorry! I\'m sorry! Garnt, help these people." Baktou was dying inside from the guilt he felt, so he couldn\'t but mutter Garnt\'s name like a madman. "Brother, come back, please!

You\'re the only person that can stop this wild animal."

***

"Ayra, I want you to stay here and protect the village." Garnt assigned Ayra\'s new job with a reluctant look on his face. "I can\'t just take everyone in the village and leave it vulnerable to an attack,"

He expected Ayra to complain about it and act angry, but the reality was completely different.

Ayra exchanged a glance with Rona, her new rival. Rona had assumed she would be Garnt\'s chosen companion for this mission since she was the most trusted one in the village.

"Alright, Garnt," Ayra replied, her voice tinged with hesitation. "I\'ll do my best to protect the village, so help Baktou and others."

But just as Rona expected Ayra to lash out, something surprising happened. Ayra stepped forward, closing the gap between her and Rona. With an uncharacteristic tenderness, she embraced Rona tightly. "Rona," Ayra whispered, her voice filled with emotion, "You need to protect Garnt.

I trust you."

Rona, taken aback by Ayra\'s sudden change in demeanour, looked into her rival\'s eyes, searching for an explanation. "Ayra, what\'s come over you? You were fighting with me recently and now you act like this."

Ayra pulled away from the hug, her gaze now fixed on Garnt, who stood with a sombre expression. "I\'ve changed, Rona," she admitted, her voice quivering with vulnerability. "It\'s because of Garnt. He\'s taught me so much about duty, honour, and what it truly means to protect those we care about."

She paused and admitted her mistake. "I was wrong. I was jealous about you taking my place in Garnt\'s life and acting like a child. But now I understand,"

Rona just sighed hearing her words and returned the hug. "I\'m not a violent woman, even though I look like one. I forgive you, Ayra. Let\'s protect our home and Garnt together,"

With thirty or forty other villagers, they followed Garnt in a determined march towards the mine, their footsteps echoing in the dense forest. The tension in the air was palpable as they approached their destination.

As they reached the outskirts of the mine, they took cover behind trees and rocks, peering cautiously towards the entrance. Their hearts sank when they saw that their usual guards had indeed been replaced by Moga\'s ruthless men.

Rona\'s sharp eyes immediately caught the change, and she whispered to Garnt, "They\'ve taken over, Garnt. Moga must have already captured the place."

Garnt\'s face paled with worry as he thought about Bakotu, the leader he had entrusted with the mine\'s security. He couldn\'t help but fear for Bakotu\'s safety, knowing the kind of danger Moga posed.

Rona placed a reassuring hand on Garnt\'s shoulder, squeezing it gently to convey her support. "We can\'t give up now," she said softly. "We\'ll find a way to get Bakotu out of there, and we\'ll take back what\'s ours.

We have the element of surprise on our side, and with You by my side, we\'re stronger than ever."

Garnt nodded, his determination returning. He knew that they couldn\'t afford to falter at this critical moment.

With their newfound resolve, they silently devised a plan to rescue Bakotu and reclaim the mine, their hearts filled with hope and the determination to protect their home and loved ones.