Primitive Man

However, that wasn\'t the sole reason they felt the situation was dire; the scent of death kept spreading around the forest, evidence of the massive massacre that had occurred the other day.

After Garnt and the two girls returned, none of them were allowed to leave the village or visit the scene. They had no idea what was happening until today when Garnt sent some people to collect information. He provided them with the finest gear to prevent any contact with the gases around the forest.

Until that news arrives, Garnt, Unami, and Kara find themselves in Gundo\'s medical area in the village. They sat side by side, each getting massages on their sore backs, still trying to shake off the lingering discomfort from the bizarre incident.

Gundo, with a concerned expression, attended to Garnt while a few other girls did the same thing with Unami and Kara. "The pain should subside soon. It seems like the effects of whatever happened are wearing off, but we need to keep an eye on all of you. This soreness of the muscles is not to be underestimated."

Kara winced from the pain while trying to remember about the incident, but all she remembered was some blurry colours which felt like she was dreaming.

"It was insane! How did this even happen? The last thing I remember was looking at the massacre and then..." She muttered while Unami completed her sentence. "And then we are here once we open our eyes! It was a strange incident,"

As Gundo treated their backs while shaking her head, Ayra stood nearby, studying the reports that came from the warriors that went to search the forest and decided to share the result with Garnt.

"Garnt, it looks like there are so many dead bodies along the way we brought you back from and it is not looking good for our food supply as well as the balance of the forest, also-" Ayra paused for a minute, but then she continued to talk about the consequences of what happened and about the pungent smell that was spreading around the forest.

She told him about how most of their people find it hard to breathe, and many kids have skin problems as a result. For a moment, the idea of moving away from the forest crossed everyone\'s mind. However, leaving behind all the progress they had made in the village felt like something they didn\'t want to go through.

[Garnt, moving away is not a good choice now that we have decided to properly follow the steps to ensure that the meteor will be useful to us. So, I think if you could make more masks to cover the faces, things would get a little bit better. Also, light up the part where the dead bodies are lying around so germs won\'t spread around the forest. The damage will be vast, but our health comes first.]

After nodding his head at Eva\'s advice, he decided to ask about further details, knowing that this wouldn\'t be the end of the report. "What about the meteor? Did our team manage to get close to it?"

Ayra sighed. "No, they were not able to get close. They encountered so many dangerous animals, so I don\'t think unless we have our whole village army deployed, we will be able to get close."

Everyone in the room absorbed her words with a bitter aftertaste, but at the same time, they wanted to see how this situation could affect their village. After all, they knew this would easily change how they viewed certain things.

"Mother, help me!" Garnt muttered and got up with the help of Gundo. With a determined look on his face, he decided to quickly act instead of just remaining on the bed.

Unami and Kara also tried to do the same thing, but both of them suffered way more injuries than Garnt, so they had to remain in bed for a few days. Meanwhile, the village quickly started to act upon Garnt\'s suggestion to ensure none of the villagers would go hungry or suffer.

***

Days passed, and the tension in the village lingered like a thick fog. The once-thriving community of sailors, who had at least worked because they had to keep moving forward because of the seaside village, now moved in hushed whispers, eyeing each other cautiously.

It was as if the village had shifted gears, and everyone began to feel the true tyranny of Baktou\'s control. The disobedience towards him waned, and the willingness to work and support the village dwindled, causing many to attempt to escape. However, Baktou no longer allowed such escapes, as he knew he needed workers to serve him.

He knew if more people left the village it would become nothing but a dream to achieve his goal and the main reason why he left Garnt\'s protection and started something so dangerous.

Telvi who is also a part of all this couldn\'t escape the weight of the guilt and responsibility she felt for Toga\'s sudden act of brutality that traumatized the whole village. As Baktou worked tirelessly to rebuild and expand the village\'s fleet, Telvi found solace in observing his progress.

"I can\'t believe what he said. A fish that big resides in the ocean, and the ocean that attracts them—how are these things real?" She thought with her mind anxious about the future, but she knew that no matter what, she would always stand next to Baktou, supporting him in his task, which he thinks is the most important for them.

One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting an orange glow across the village, Telvi approached Baktou, who was overseeing the construction of a new ship that was ready to extract the liquid they needed to store the chicxulub meteor.

They were not simply ships that looked like fishing ships, rather they had so much equipments that Baktou forced some of the blacksmiths in the seaside village to make, which were the least requirement that he needed to dig the sea bed.

He still didn\'t have any intention to get close to the meteor until he was satisfied with the amount of kerosene he had, but he knew it would soon get even more chaotic for them unless he acted quickly and made sure that the giant wishfulfilling stone became his own.

"Your brother would have been proud of you, Baktou," Telvi said, her voice soft but carrying a hint of sadness standing next to Baktou who was lost talking to another woman called Mia who was inside his head giving him advice on how to act in a situation like this.

Baktou sighed, his eyes reflecting a mix of determination and worry. "Pride won\'t undo what has happened. We need to move forward, rebuild, and regain the trust of our people since we really need it right now. Even people I collected are now sceptical about me because of what they witnessed."

He paused for a minute, but then he said what he needed to convey the most. "They think Toga is pure evil and that he is a product of our actions, which might be true in a sense, but I know that boy is not someone like me. At least, he shouldn\'t be."

Telvi nodded in agreement, her gaze shifting to the partially constructed ship. "Maybe a new beginning is what we all need."

Meanwhile, the villagers remained cautious, unsure of how to interact with each other after the recent upheaval. Telvi felt the weight of their collective judgment on her shoulders, and she couldn\'t shake the nagging doubt about her role in shaping Toga\'s disposition.

One day, as Telvi passed by a group of villagers conversing in low tones, she overheard snippets of their discussion.

"Can we trust them again? After what happened?"

"I heard Toga was always a bit wild, but this... this is different." content-hosted-on-MVLeMpYr

"Isn\'t Garnt a better option for us even though Baktou showed us what humanity is really like?"

"I heard he treats his people better and look what he built up until now? Isn\'t Baktou just enjoying what that person achieved as his own?"

Telvi clenched her fists, battling the shame that threatened to overwhelm her. She understood the scepticism of the villagers, knowing that her family had become a source of unease in the community.

\'Garnt is great, but Baktou is just as great\'

She kept muttering to herself, her heart divided between the man she admired and the man she loved. But deep down all this, she knew there was an unknown force that kept pushing both Garnt and Baktou to achieve something, which she didn\'t understand but wanted nothing to do with.

"Toga, I don\'t want you to end up like us. You should have a better life, loved by everyone, but..." Telvi muttered to herself. As she went back to her house, which didn\'t feel like her safe place anymore, upon arriving, she heard even more shocking news: her beloved son had tried to commit suicide.