Argo couldn't help but laugh before his legs gave out and he fell on his ass. ''Damn, that was too much; it would've killed me if you didn't attack its legs.''
Aslan approached him and licked his face, making him laugh as he ran his hand through his dark fur. That's when Athena landed next to him, speaking. ''I stand corrected, we need more power.''
''That we do,'' he nodded.
Argo was now standing in front of the Great Horned One that he couldn't hope to move or even budge, thanks to it being so much bigger than him. But he shrugged and spoke to himself. ''Let's get the pelt and explore. I know many beasts are lurking in the Western Grasslands and hills.''
He began cutting away the skin as the three tames sat there watching him work. Aslan was dribbling with hunger, making him laugh. ''You can eat in a minute, you're a greedy cat, As.''
The American Lion growled at his words, which only made his smile grow wider as he continued working. Artemis sat there, silently scanning their surroundings, keeping watch for any predators. After an hour, Argo rose, sweat and blood mingling in rivulets down his forearms.
Some time later, the bison's hide lay beside the carcass, a dark continent of muscle and fat still steaming in the heat. Argo had worked fast but detailed: long, clean passes of the Skystone blade, separating pelt from flesh in one unbroken sheet. He was covered in blood from head to toe, making sure to get into everything.
Argo shook his head as the air reeked of iron, wet grass, and spilled entrails. He approached the river, scanning it for any River Beasts before jumping inside. He was instantly refreshed as the cold water rushed over him. After ten minutes, he climbed out, dripping as he wiped the dagger on his pants, and slid it back into its sheath.
Following that, he rolled the hide with care. It was monstrous, heavier than a saddle, thick as his forearm. He folded it once, twice, until it formed a dense, dripping bundle. His pack lay open on the bank, and he knelt, shoved the hide in edge-first. He braced a boot against the pack, forcing the last corner inside.
The seams creaked while he cinched the straps until the buckles bit, then hoisted the whole thing onto his shoulders. Once that was done, he turned to the three beasts, and this time Artemis was drooling as he spoke. ''Eat then, I'll wait until you guys are full.''
Following that, Argo sat down, pulling up the notifications he had turned off thanks to becoming distracting during the Great Horned Ones' charge.
[Level Up: 5>6]
[Experience: 50/100]
[Beast Points: 55>61]
Happy with the upgrades, he activated his status that popped up in his vision just like a game, which never ceased to amaze him.
[Name: Argo]
[Level: 6]
[Experience: 50/100]
[HP: 10]
[STR: 21]
[STM: 12]
[CHA: 10]
[INT: 10]
[BP: 61]
[Skills: Beast Master (0) - Beast Vision (0) - Hunter (1) - Crafting (1) - Beast Realm (0) - Healing Touch (0) Weapon Master (0)]
When Argo saw HP, CHA, and INT were on ten, he decided to upgrade them to twelve using six points.
[HP: 10>12]
[CHA: 10>12]
[INT: 10>12]
[Beast Points: 61>55]
Argo eased the pack to the ground, rolled his shoulders once, and dropped cross-legged beside the river. He dug into a side pocket, produced a strip of dried meat, and tore off a bite. The salt stung his cracked lip; the chew was tough, smoky, alive. He leaned back on his palms and let the scenery swallow him.
They stretched in every direction, a living ocean under the noon sun. Gold-green blades rose chest-high, rippling in slow swells whenever the wind passed through. Here and there, islands of darker emerald marked clumps of ironweed or wild rye; scarlet poppies bled color into the haze.
The horizon was a knife-edge where grass met sky, broken only by the occasional lone cottonwood or the black scribble of a hawk turning lazy circles overhead. He chewed more slowly, memories tugging at him. Glossy illustrations in the books that kept his hopes up back on Earth.
''The Great Plains, 10,000 BCE,'' he remembered with a smile.
Other Great Horned Ones thundered across plains, spear-toting hunters no bigger than grasshoppers. The artists had guessed at the scale, the color, the smell. They'd come close to the world of Arda. It was close enough that the taste of dust on his tongue felt like a signature across centuries.
A grasshopper landed on his knee, iridescent wings flicking. Argo flicked it gently away and smiled. The pictures had been right after all, but just in a different world that shocked him, even now. Following that, he waited for the beast to finish their food, and once it was done, they decided to head home.
Argo began walking back to the Dead Woods as he spotted a trade caravan heading his way. As they got closer, he realized they were Varna, forcing him to sigh as he decided to ignore them as Aslan appeared to his right, and Artemis to the left. The warriors instantly noticed this, but the loud hoot drew their attention upwards.
Athena flew over the trades as he passed by. Normally, they would jeer or do something, but this time the people were quiet. While walking, the American Lion turned to him and lowered its bulk, catching him off guard, but the Grey Owl explained. 'He wants to give you a ride, it's an honor for the Ghost in the Darkness to offer you such a thing.'
''Alright,'' Argo responded and climbed onto Aslan's back.
He grabbed a hold of the black fur before the big cat burst forward and started sprinting across the grasslands with Artemis following behind. Athena flew above them, scanning the landscape, informing him of dozens of lingering beasts, but he ignored them, as he didn't want to hunt anymore.
Argo loved the surroundings as they passed by in a blur; all he could see was green blurs and the sparkle of the river surface. By the time Aslan stopped outside the Dead Woods, it was early evening. Dark clouds covered the sky, casting shadows over Arda, sending a shiver down his spine.
''Night People are coming,' Athena revealed, panic laced her voice. 'From the north, they're rushing toward the cliff, Arg.'
''Damn things,'' he muttered in response and began trekking through the trees.
Following that, Argo reached the cliff path and stood in front of it, deciding whether to cover it up using branches he gathered. With a shrug, he started dragging them in front of the entrance to his cliff until it was blocked from sight. While doing that, Artemis appeared behind him, dragging one.
'Here you go,' she said, dropping it at his feet. 'It should hide home from those creepy creatures but Aslan said he'd stand guard tonight.'
Argo turned to the dark-furred leopared and stroked her ear. ''Thank you, Arty. Now let's get some rest and sort out these pelts.''
They stepped through the barricade as the shrill howl echoed through the air, sending a shiver down his spine. 'Why does Arda have such creatures!' he thought.
He had many questions he wanted to ask Erda, but had no idea when the goddess would talk to him again. Once back on the cliff edge, Argo started a fire and hung out the Windrunners' and Great Horned Ones' pelts on the drying racks he set up outside, just in range of the fire's warmth.
While doing that, he heard human screams coming from the entrance, thinking these were alive, causing him to jump up, readying his spear as he dashed toward the path, as Aslan was already growling as he rushed path, only to see a family climbing through the barricade as the Night People closed in on them.
Without waiting, Argo took out his sling and started slinging stones at the humanoid creatures, the projectiles piercing through their torsos as he missed the headshots thanks to the panic of it all. A mother, father, and older daughter walked passed him, without looking in his direction.
Just then, the American Lion blocked the Night People's way forward, his claws turning them into bloody piles. He continued attacking them using his sling until they all lay dead, and his pathway was hidden once again. Argo let out a breath before making his way to the cliff edge where the strangers were waiting.
''Now who are you lot and why come to a Forsaken's home?'' he asked, putting his sling away and sitting by the fire.
''We are from a village in the north and were heading back there to celebrate the upcoming festival, but our caravan was attacked by those vile creatures,'' the father answered, trying to catch his breath.
Argo glanced at them and grabbed some dried meats, handing them out. ''Rest here until the morning. It'll be safe to travel when the sun comes up.''