When Horm sees his friend's blood in his hands is dripping, his face turns pale, and without a second thought.
"Let's go to the Shaman Civ so she can heal your hand."
They ran all the way from the back of the cave to the middle of the camp where the shaman's hut was placed.
"Shaman! Shaman! We need your help." Horm shouted his heart out as tears started showing in his eyes.
"Look at Civ's hands, they are bleeding, please help! Save him!". Horm tears come running from his eyes, begging to save his friend.
Horm is begging, like a father looking at his toddler. Civ holds back his laughter to avoid embarrassing his friend.
"Shaman, my left hand was cut. Please help me tend the wound." Civ calmly reaches his hand and shows the Shaman the cut on his left hand.
The cut was not that deep, but it was a long diagonal cut from his pointer finger all the way to the palm near the wrist.
The Shaman looks at the wound. Civ expected that the shaman would tend to the wound. But the Shaman's face was ashen while she examined his wound.
"Civ, your father said you cannot go outside our camp, right?"
"Yes?" Civ looks confused.
"Then, what kind of animal attacked you? Can you describe it?"
Civ paused for a second and blinked, processing what the Shaman said.
"S-s-sorry, Shaman Mashu, we're inside the camp at the back of the cave."
The Shaman's body jolted, and her eyes widened, and looking back again at Civ's wound lost in thought.
'How Civ can get this wound?'
She took a deep breath.
"Alright, let's tend to the wound first."
Sobbing in the back, Horm asked. "Is Civ going to die?"
Both Civ and Mashu looked at Horm, and they couldn't believe what he said.
The Shaman replied. "Your friend's wound was not that deep, you can go out and wait in front of the hut while I tend to Civ's wound."
Horm slowly walked out while sobbing.
"Good thing that we still have the remaining herbs I used when you were seriously injured."
In the corner, the Shaman pulled a hand-sized leaf that was rolled like a ball. Inside of it was a gooey green substance, and she started putting it on the wound. Civ felt a familiar pain like tending a wound with alcohol, but it eased after the Shaman applied more.
After giving immediate aid. Shaman looked Civ in the eyes and asked.
"Civ, tell me what happened to you?"
Civ looked at the Shaman, and he noticed a troubled gaze from her.
But before he can tell anything. They heard something outside.
"Where is my son?! Civ! Son, what happened to you?!"
It was their tribe leader and Civ's father, Kivrah. He reached his son's hand and looked at the wound. His face was also ashen.
"Son, didn't I tell you not to leave the camp? What kind of animal attacked you this time?"
It was not a question of scolding, but a question of concern.
"My father, do not worry. I was not attacked by an animal."
"Then what attacked you?"
"I think rocks can make us bleed."
"What?" Both Kivrah and Shaman Mashu said in unison.
Civ explained to them about his plan to fight the boar by using a stone if they encountered it again. Then Horm and himself finished the stone-throwing. He started cleaning the area by piling up the stones. But then, he picked up one of the bigger stones that was chipped, and it slipped into his hand. Then his hand it started bleeding. That was the time Horm woke up and then brought him to the Shaman's hut.
Both Kivrah and Shaman Mashu were in disbelief. They didn't think that in all their life a stone could make someone bleed. It is only a stone and nothing else.
"Alright son, since it's already night, let's go back to the cave and take some rest. Bring me to the place where you and your friend throw stones and let us talk more about it tomorrow.."
Civ nodded. "Yes, Father".
Kivrah thanked the Shaman for tending Civ's wound and excused themselves to leave.
"Before you leave. Civ, tomorrow after you wake up. Go to the river right away and wash your hands. After that, come back here so I can check on the wound and apply treatment."
"Yes, Shaman. Thank you!" Civ nodded.
After the father and son leave the hut of the shaman, Horm is still waiting at the entrance.
Before Horm could speak, Kivrah interrupted him.
"Do not worry anymore Horm. Your friend's wound is not that serious. Go back to your hut and get some rest. You will accompany your friend tomorrow for both of you to explain what really happened."
"Yes, tribe leader."
Horm bowed and quickly went back to his hut, while Civ and his father walked back to the cave. Civ just noticed that it is already night.
"Son, I know you want to try something. But please, do not endanger your life. I hope this will be the last time I'll be asking you."
Even though Civ cannot see his father's face properly, he can feel the worry of his father through his voice.
"I understand Father, I'll be more careful next time."
After that, both of them walked to the cave, and, without saying a single word, they slept in silence. Due to the training he had today and blood loss, Civ immediately fell asleep.
The next day, Civ woke up early and went immediately to the river to clean his hands. While walking to the river and eating berries. He tried to move his left hand in an open-close motion, and he noticed that it was not that serious. There is still a little bit of pain, but it is already tolerable.
He can't help but sigh.
'Good thing that the ointment given by the Shaman works. '
Based on the memory of Civ, the average lifespan of a human in this world is from teenage years to adulthood. Your best chance to reach an old age is if you are either a Shaman or a Tribe leader. It is due to the cycle of life, where they need to avoid the giants. If they survive the attack, they will die due to injuries, infection, or hunger.
While he mindlessly wandered around thinking about the original Civ's memories. He has already reached the river. He immediately drank water and took a bath after. Brushing his hands, he expects a wound in his left hand, but instead of bleeding again, he cannot believe it. The wound is already nearly healed with scars. A wound on the palm usually needs to heal for a week or more. But his wound is already closed.
When I have time, I might need to do some assessment to see what this body can do.
Full of ideas, he went back to the camp to go straight to the Shaman.
When he reached the camp, he went straight to the Shaman's hut, and he saw her praying in a lotus position. She was speaking a language that he was not familiar with.
He can't help but think. Do the humans in this world also have their own different languages or dialects? How did the shaman know this language?
While he was in deep thought, the shaman finished her prayer and called Civ.
"Come inside."
He hurriedly went inside and sat in front of the shaman.
"Let me see your wound."
Civ reached out his left hand. The Shaman's eyes widened when she noticed that the wound was already nearly healed.
"I cannot believe it. No one can be healed this fast. No other explanation on this other than you're healed by the Sun Goddess."
The Shaman speaks an unknown language again while both of her hands are raised above her head.
'Looks like she is praising the Sun Goddess again,'. Civ observed while trying to understand the words the Shaman is saying.
After a few seconds, the Shaman applied the ointment-like substance and smiled at Civ.
"Your wound should be healed by tomorrow. Let me accompany you to your Father. I want to know also how you got your wounds."
Civ only responds with a nod, and they leave the Shaman's hut and go back to the cave. While on the way, they meet Horm and bring his friend.
His father was already waiting for them at the front of the cave, and they went immediately to the back of the cave.
Arriving at the back of the cave, the group came across the pile of stones Civ left while in a rush yesterday. When they walk near the piles, blood stains are visible on the stones and some parts of the area.
Kivrah looked at Civ and commanded. "Civ, show me which stone wounded you."
Civ nodded and immediately picked up the stone that was on the ground.
"This one."
When you look at it was just a normal stone. However, upon further inspection, there is a part of the stone that was removed.
Civ just noticed also that this stone is shaped like a triangle, like the shape of a stone axe.
Before his mind wanders again, Civ shows the group how he was cut.
His father crossed his hand and caressed his chin while intently focusing on the stone. The shaman tried to hold the stone and also tried to understand how this stone could make such a wound.
The Shaman gently slid his pointy finger to the edge of the stone, and she felt a sting.
Her finger bled.
All of the people who saw it, except Civ, simultaneously gasped. She immediately sucked her finger to stop the bleeding.
His father immediately grabbed the stone from Civ's hands and pulled some grass from the ground. He laid it down on the tree stump and slid the edge of the rock across the lying grass, and the grass was cut in half.
"This is amazing, I cannot believe we can separate grass by using a stone."
Kivrah tried to use the other edge of the stone, and it also had the same result. He looked at his son with beaming eyes.
"Son, even though you hurt yourself with this stone, I believe we discovered a miracle!"
Civ could not contain his smile.
He said to himself. 'No Father, we discover the next leap in humanity's evolution!'
Kivrah was really impressed by what he saw. He could think of ways their tribe could utilize this new discovery, but he asked Civ again.
"Civ, can you tell me again how you're able to create this kind of stone?"
Civ happily explained to his father about himself and Horm's plan of throwing stones to hunt the boar.
Recalling the sequence of events, Kivrah picked up another stone. He tried to smash it into the stone that he was holding.
Clink!
Another flake of the stone was removed and fell onto the tree stump.
"Shaman Mashu, try to check this stone also."
The shaman followed his orders. She picked up the flake and tried to slide it again with her pinky finger this time. She got the same result, and her finger bled.
Kivrah's eyes lit up. "That's right! We can get this kind of stone if we smash stones together!"
He looks at Civ and Horm. "Civ and Horm, I command you as the Tribe Leader that the two of you look into this stone and see how we can make it. If we can understand how we can make it and how it works, I feel there is something we can create that will help our tribesmen."
Civ can't help but smile, and He and Horm respectfully bow.
"Yes, Tribe Leader".
After Civ and Horm accepted their tribal task. Kivrah and Shaman Mashu left them since they had other responsibilities to do.
Seeing the back of his Father, he cannot help but think. 'Did we become the Research department of our tribe?'. Civ chuckled. He did not expect that his father would let them work on this right away, instead of feeling dread for the stone because of the accident.
Horm felt uneasy and said. "Can we do it Civ?"
Feeling puzzled, Civ asked, "What do you mean?"
"That stone, I don't think we can recreate that."
"You doubting yourself too much Horm."
Civ picked up one of the stones that were in the pile in front of them and got a hand-sized stone.
SMASH
"See?"
Horm saw has almost the same texture and glassy features as the first stone.
"Ho- How did you do it?"