Hostage (1)
Whoever the culprit was, they had landed squarely on Ppareumbo’s hit list.
Mulling over that grim reality, I uploaded a post to the Gallery. It wasn’t a handprint, but a footprint. I could save the handprint pictures for later; the urgent priority right now was identifying the thief. Aside from the fact that Ppareumbo’s staple food had vanished without a trace, the situation posed a grave threat to me as well. Whether they had been watching for us to leave or our timing had just been extraordinarily bad, the break-in had occurred during that brief window of our absence.
If it’s going to be like this, I can’t even leave the house with peace of mind.
Had I known this would happen, should I have built a barricade fence all the way around? I wasn’t sure. Perhaps instead of a simple fence, I should have installed an actual heavy door. It was an issue that warranted serious thought.
[Attached Image: Animal footprint in the soil]
[Attached Image: Another animal footprint from a different angle]
[Attached Image: The desolate, rage-radiating back of Fast Tree Sloth staring at the empty larder]
[Attached Image: Wonmo huddled right beside him, nervously reading the room]
Just got back from exploring today and found my Inedia Pills completely wiped out.
These are the tracks of the suspected thieves. Does anyone recognize them? Asking because there's quite a variety of shapes.
The moment I finished reading her reply, I glanced over at Fast Tree Sloth. He remained rooted to the spot, staring blankly at the hollow depression where the Inedia Pills used to be.
In human terms, it was probably equivalent to returning home and finding that a week’s worth of savory roast meat had vanished into thin air, leaving you with nothing to eat for the foreseeable future but plain, unseasoned wild grass. Thinking of it like that, I’d be furious too. Moreover, this problem didn't just concern Ppareumbo.
Not only did they trespass onto my territory, they had the nerve to loot my supplies.
It was a little embarrassing to admit, but whenever nature called, I made a habit of handling my business around the perimeter. I wanted to establish at least a faint scent boundary to declare my territory. Before that, I used to bury everything with dirt, but since I had to settle here long-term, carving out my own domain was an indispensable necessity.
Which meant, in other words, that some sort of drastic change had most likely overtaken the gorillas.
Whether that shift was an surge in aggression or something else entirely, it spelled terrible news for me.
And looking at these tracks, it wasn't just a lone scout...
There were dozens of prints, and a careful inspection revealed subtle differences in shape and tread. Sorting through them roughly, I estimated at least four or five distinct individuals. Facing even one would be a handful, yet a whole pack had staged an intrusion.
This was something I could never overlook. I had to make an absolute example out of them.
The question is, how?
I had no idea where their nest was located, nor did I know when they might return. For all I knew, they could wait until my animal companions and I left camp again before ransacking the place clean. Setting traps and lying in ambush seemed like the only viable option; marching blindly into their territory was far too reckless.
I never imagined they’d strike first like this.
I was always the one encroaching on other beasts' domains; it hadn't even crossed my mind that wild animals would brazenly raid my home. As I’d thought earlier, I should have taken the hint the moment that raccoon stole an Inedia Pill right in front of my eyes. The fauna of this forest seemed to be evolving along trajectories that thoroughly defied my common sense.
After finishing my banter on the Gallery, I looked around the shelter. Aside from the inner cavern, the camp was completely exposed to the open air. While wooden barricades walled off the main entrance, smaller critters could slip right through the gaps.
And just like the dwarf said, even if I erected a heavy door, a massive beast would just splinter it into kindling.
Palisades could deter smaller creatures, but against colossal beasts, even an iron-reinforced gate wouldn't hold up for long. With so many extreme evolutionary specimens roaming about, no simple solution presented itself. The best option was establishing this entire surrounding area as my firm domain so that nothing dared set foot near it.
Should I comfort Ppareumbo first?
Fast Tree Sloth was still spacing out, radiating pure devastation rather than blind fury. I almost placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but caught myself just in time. Come to think of it, the lazy guy hadn't bathed yet. Quietly withdrawing my hand, I offered a few words of comfort instead.
"I'm furious too, Ppareumbo."
"......"
"We still have food to eat for today, so don't worry too much. But... I can't guarantee we'll recover the stolen Inedia Pills."
I could obtain more through the Heavenly Demon eventually, but the pills that had already been taken were as good as gone. As Allfather noted, gorillas were herbivores. They had probably devoured every single pill on the spot.
"They might come back tomorrow, so just hold out a little longer. We can give them a proper beating then, okay?"
"......"
"Lighten up a bit. Look at Wonmo, he's tiptoeing around you like he's on trial."
Only then did Fast Tree Sloth slowly turn his head to the side, where Wonmo was curled up. Caught making eye contact with Ppareumbo, the baby owlbear flinched slightly before affectionately nuzzling his soft cheek against the sloth's side.
"Kkyu... Kkyuuu."
"......"
Perhaps softened by Wonmo’s endearing affection, Ppareumbo slowly raised a heavy claw and gently patted the top of the cub's head. It seemed he, too, considered Wonmo a cherished pet or little brother. Watching them brought a warm smile to my face, but the brief respite quickly gave way to brooding over how to secure the camp.
Traps are pointless against a coordinated pack... Isn't there something like a magical CCTV?
Since there was an Orichalcum vein right nearby, I wondered if there was a spell that functioned like a surveillance camera. If Relay Magic existed to broadcast entire football matches, there had to be something akin to a security feed. Even if I couldn't prevent a raid, I at least wanted to see the perpetrators' faces.
Or maybe an alarm ward that triggers a siren to scare them off...
That seemed like a sound approach. Princess Chaeng-gu might know a thing or two about magical wards. Just as I raised my fingers to open the Gallery interface and ask—
Rustle.
"......"
The crisp sound of foliage brushing against foliage drifted in clearly from outside.
My fingers froze mid-air. Wonmo, who had been affectionately rubbing against Ppareumbo, instantly perked up his rounded ears, his wide eyes turning circular as all movement ceased. And Fast Tree Sloth...
Swivvl.
He slowly, deliberately swiveled his gaze toward the mouth of the cave. I did the exact same.
Without making a single whisper of noise, I reached deep into my subspace bag. My hand closed around the grip of the heavy-duty crossbow I kept loaded at all times. Had I picked it up from the cave floor, even the gentlest shuffle would have scraped the stone, but drawing it from the spatial fold produced absolute silence. Pulling back the reinforced string posed no trouble at all; with my enhanced strength, cocking the mechanism was practically effortless.
—Ooh-ooh! Ooh-ooh-ooh!
—Ooh-ooh!
Primate vocalizations filtered through the entrance. I couldn't tell whether the calls belonged to small monkeys or full-grown gorillas. To confirm, I had to see them with my own eyes.
Killing my presence entirely, I crept forward on noiseless footfalls.
And just as that fluid nick on the Gallery had predicted, the thieves had returned to the scene of the crime.
"Ooh! Ooh-ooh!"
"Ooh-ooh-ooh."
Two apes—no, two massive gorillas—were grunting at each other just outside the entrance. One pounded its broad chest in an exaggerated gesture of impatience, while the other gestured placatingly, as if trying to talk the first one out of doing something reckless. As expected of creatures capable of premeditated theft, their intelligence was clearly a cut above normal wildlife.
Even so, in the eyes of Ppareumbo and me, they were nothing more than common thieves.
In the unforgiving wild, creatures that steal another's winter sustenance deserve nothing less than death. Besides, you don't steal someone's food without being prepared to pay with your life, do you?
Creak...
I raised the crossbow with glacial care, aligning the iron sights squarely with the nearest ape. Still entirely oblivious to our return, the two beasts continued their guttural bickering. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to squeeze the trigger, but I reined in the impulse with superhuman patience. The closer they drew, the higher the lethality. It was still too early to loose the bolt.
Splash!
"Ooh-ooh-ooh!"
Apparently the Inedia Pills hadn't been enough to sate their greed. One of the gorillas plunged its hairy arms into our water barrel and hoisted out one of the massive preserved river fish. Because of the monster fish's immense girth, even a gorilla had to wrap both arms around it just to haul it out. The moment I saw that, the anger simmering in my chest spiked sharply.
A giant otter had once tried to snatch my fish, and it had died for the attempt. These apes were about to walk the exact same path.
Shhh...
As I maintained my silent aim, Fast Tree Sloth slipped up right beside me. He didn't rush forward to attack; instead, he tucked himself against my shoulder, standing at the ready like a seasoned spotter assisting a sniper.
"Ooh! Ooh-ooh!"
"Ooh-ooh."
The two gorillas, evidently pleased with their prize, turned their broad backs to leave. I adjusted my sights onto the greedy one clutching the fish. Holding my breath completely, I waited until the crosshairs locked dead-center onto its vitals.
—Shoot.
Whether it was an auditory hallucination or genuine telepathy, a voice that undeniably belonged to Fast Tree Sloth echoed in my mind.
The instant the word registered, my finger snapped back on the trigger without a fraction of hesitation.
TWANG!
The bowstring whipped forward, unleashing an iron-tipped quarrel that cleaved the air with a piercing shriek. The heavy projectile flew true, hurtling straight toward the center of the gorilla's wide, muscular back.
THUNK!!
"GWOOOOOOOGH!!"
"OOH-GAAH?!"
Flop-flop-flop!
The quarrel sank deeply between its shoulder blades. The wounded beast unleashed a blood-curdling shriek of agony, the shock causing it to lose its grip on the slippery fish. The massive river creature was thrown into the air, flopping violently as it smacked into the dirt.
Clack-whirrr!
I didn't pause to admire the shot. Smoothly slipping another bolt from my quiver, I nocked it to the rail and drew the string in one seamless, practiced motion. The second gorilla had already bolted into the thicket like a phantom, while the shot beast scrambled forward in desperate flight, completely abandoning any thought of the dropped fish.
An ordinary human would have crumpled instantly under that first impact, but the brute vitality of a wild beast was on a completely different level. Even so, there was always a sure-fire way to rob a four-legged runner of its mobility.
THUMP!
"OOO-WUUUUGH!!"
Target the legs.
The second iron quarrel struck dead-center into the gorilla’s thick calf. Hitting a sprinting target immediately after a rapid reload owed partly to luck, but my honing martial senses certainly played their part. Whatever the balance of luck and skill, the outcome was absolute.
The gorilla crashed headfirst onto the forest floor. Dropping the crossbow, I drew the Heavenly Demon's Sword and unhooked my shield. Fast Tree Sloth hitched onto my back with blinding fluidity, claws tensed and ready to engage at a moment's notice.
"Ooogh... uwoogh..."
The wounded gorilla clawed desperately at the dirt, straining toward the dense brush. But its comrade had long since abandoned it to the wolves. There was no one coming to save it.
I closed the distance, looming over the crawling beast. Feeling the sudden shadow fall across its body, the gorilla slowly rolled onto its side and looked up.
"Oo... Oooo-woogh..."
Terror distorted its ape-like visage. But the moment its gaze drifted upward and locked onto Fast Tree Sloth clinging to my back, its eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. It was an expression of pure, unadulterated disbelief—as if screaming, Why on earth are YOU here?!
Whatever the history between them, they were definitely acquainted.
"Uh... uh-uuuurgh..."
Trembling, the gorilla raised a limp finger toward Fast Tree Sloth before its eyes rolled back into its head. White foam bubbled from its lips as it went completely limp, succumbing to sheer physical agony compounded by overwhelming mental trauma.
Though it lacked human speech, its melodramatic reaction felt uncannily human. Had the animals here truly begun developing higher cognition?
More than that, its reaction left me thoroughly bewildered.
"Hey, Ppareumbo."
"......"
"What on earth did you do to these guys?"
Had he been the local schoolyard tyrant of this entire forest sector? I honestly had no idea.
Though judging by how he acts, it wouldn't be surprising at all.
Considering how shamelessly he’d shaken me down for food from the moment we first met, the theory carried an uncomfortable amount of weight.