Despite the nightmare, I had actually slept quite well, leaving me feeling more rested than I had ever been. I rose to the rising sun, the first few beams starting to break into the darkness of the hole I was in. "Let's see what wonders the second zone holds!" I was looking forward to exploring somewhere with a different terrain. I stepped outside and looked around. The land here had more grass covering it. The grass here was also shorter, about knee height, and had a tint of green to it. It seemed this land was a lot more fertile than the previous zone. My stomach grumbled.
I raised my head to the sky and sniffed. I was surprised to catch the scent of barbeque. The fat was dripping from a large chunk of meat, sizzling as it hit the hot coals beneath it. There was a pot of water boiling, the steam rising and cooking a portion of vegetables above. I could feel the mouth open slightly, desperate to savour some of this meal. I bounded towards the smell.
I hit my palm against a sharp rock. It was only now I realised that I had been running on all fours. It seemed the instincts that I had picked up would be more difficult to remove than I had hoped. I stood up and jogged over the camp. I could now hear the sound of people talking as they enjoyed their meal.
"I can't believe we were able to hunt one. The last few groups I've been with were nowhere near as skilled as this!" The man speaking was excited.
"This is the difference between those who train on their own and those who are trained by the kingdoms." The girl's voice was quite deep, resonating with the pride she felt, "Once you join, this will only be the beginning. The elk in this zone are indeed quite tasty, but the bison in the next zone, huah! Now they're really delicious!"
"Quiet!"
"What is it, Ben?" the girl replied.
"There's something outside."
They had spotted me. I licked my palms, and ran them over my head, then straightened the cloth around my waist. I stepped out from my hiding spot behind a boulder just outside the cave. I waved at the group.
"...I," I coughed. It felt weird. "H...i" I barely got it out. I gave up trying to speak for now. I pointed at myself and then at the food.
They had all run to the back of the cave. They stood there shivering with fear, staring at me. I brought my hands out and turned them over in front of them, trying to show that I meant no harm.
"W..Wh...what d..do y.you want?" the man that had been on lookout asked.
I pointed at the food.
"T..take it! P..please, have it all!" He never lowered the spear in his hands.
I sighed, reaching to the slab of meat. I picked it up and bit into it, still hot.
The juice ran down my face and chest. The mouth opened fully, drawing all the residue into it. My eyes watered at the taste. Who knew the world could be so great? It didn't take long before the entire piece had disappeared down my throat. I grabbed the pot of steaming vegetables. The thought that it was scalding hot did not even occur to me. I stuffed handful after handful into my mouth, gorging myself on them. I finished my meal by pouring an entire bottle of water down after the food. I let loose an enormous burp.
I looked back up at the group. They were still in the same positions. If they were truly going to be so cowardly, then I wasn't going to hold back.
"Clothes," I mumbled
The new man immediately threw a bag over. I checked it and was pleased to see that it had a full set of clothing, along with a small towel.
"Map."
The girl pointed down to where she had been sitting. I reached down and picked up the map that was rolled up there. I unfurled it and began to read it. I grew excited by what I saw. There were various points marked on the map that were known to be areas of immense natural beauty. I closed my eyes. The image of the map remained firmly in my mind.
I tossed the map back down and left the cave.
"Is... is it gone? The new member asked.
"Let's stay here a while, just be sure." The man on guard said.
"What the hell was that thing? I though the second zone was meant to be safe!" The new member seemed to be having some sort of breakdown.
"I've only heard of people like that." The girl started to speak, "They say, although it's rare, some people take to the beast genes too much. They grow wild and savage, preferring to live out here with the monsters. They're called Ferals."
"Char, Ferals are one thing, but what was that on his chest?! I've never seen a wound that bad. He must have been completely gored!"
"I don't know! I don't know! Let's just take it easy. We should end this hunt."
I walked until I reached a river, by which point I could no longer hear them. The river wasn't very wide - you could walk across it; but it seemed to go on for ever, weaving in and out of the plains. I removed my cloth and splashed into the water, washing myself again. The dust had built up again. I dried myself with the towel and dressed myself in the clothes I had taken. They were a bit too big for me, but they covered me up. I would have asked for their boots, but no hunter would lug around a spare pair and I didn't want to leave one of them barefoot.
I thought about what I was going to do and was reminded of the meal I had eaten. A small bubble of guilt rose up within me. I had just robbed them, hadn't I? I wasn't a thief. Thievery was one of the things I used to despise the most. The only people who stole were those who were in desperate need, but being so desperate meant that they couldn't steal much. So they focused on the others around them, those who also had next to nothing. To take from your fellow brother -you had to be utterly despicable to do such a thing.
I gained a new objective on my to-do list. I was going to give them an elk.
At the thought of the hunt, my blood began to boil. My nails popped out and my senses heightened. I thought back to the map I had seen. There was a herd of elk that had been being tracked not too far from here. I broke into a sprint and headed over to them.
I quickly spotted their tracks in the grass. It seemed that this herd was really quite big. Just looking at the tracks and droppings helped me estimate there were at least a couple of thousand of them. Not long afterwards, I spotted the group. They were moving in tight clusters, like a giant brown line cutting through the plain. I lowered myself and started to stalk towards the group.
My entire body felt alive. I was looking forward to making this kill! The meat from before had been delicious and now I would be able to eat an entire elk! A great grin was plastered across my face. I could imagine the rush I would have when the blood ran over me.
No! I was no longer the slave I had been before. Any action I took now would be one of my own choosing. I was not a monster. I wiped the grin away. I was now just a short distance away from the outermost elk. I built up my speed, tunnel vision fully focused on one creature. It was the size of four men, with enormous horns on its head. Its back kick could punch through steel plates. The biggest danger came from the rest of the herd. Once you attacked one member, all the elk around would charge at you. This dissuaded most predators, as even if they managed to make the kill, escaping would be extremely difficult. Other hunters usually planned traps far in advance, to pick off some of the smaller ones.
I wasn't worried about such things, though. Those rules only applied to beasts of the second zone. I was far more powerful than any of them. The herd was moving towards the river's shallows. It was deeper here. I ran to the shore and dived in. I swam very quickly; it didn't take long before I arrived at the section where they would cross. I stayed underwater and waited. Not having lungs had many benefits.
The first tentative hoof stepped into the water, then another. I waited. He entered fully. Then another elk stepped in. The first one moved forward to make room for those now following. I pressed my feet against the river bed. With an explosive boom I fired myself out of the water, like an erupting geyser. The elk didn't have time to be startled. I reached out and grabbed hold of its neck and twisted.
I grabbed hold of the carcass and ran as fast as I could. I didn't find the body heavy, just cumbersome. The herd was soon left far behind me. Whew! It was even easier than I expected. I delighted in how powerful I was. I knew that I had hunted strong humans before, but that was only in the first zone. Each zone marked a large difference in strengths. I wondered just how far I could go before it became difficult.
I found the cave the group had stayed in. They had already cleared out. I awakened my beast senses. My eyes picked up their footprints and I caught their scent. I quickly made my way towards them.
"What's that?" Char exclaimed.
I was now close to them. There was no cover in this area, making my approach obvious. The elk carcass really was quite big.
I massaged my throat with my hand.
"Hello!" I called out to them. I had been practicing my speech on the way here. I finally found the correct position for the chest mouth to be opened slightly, allowing air to reach my throat. "I'm sorry about earlier. I was very hungry and had been badly injured. Here, I brought this over as an apology."
I put on my best smile.
"What's your name?" The man asked.
"Rav!" I shouted back.
"What happened to you?"
I had thought up my excuse earlier.
"I was hunting out in the third zone, when I was gored by a monster. I've been in recovery for a few days now. When I awoke I was feeling incredibly hungry, but I'm alright now. I heal very quickly."
I raised my shirt to back up my claim. The mouth was sealed shut, looking just like a horrific scar.
Swiftly dropping the shirt, I spoke again, "I just wanted to give you this elk. You must have worked hard to catch the one I ate."
Although the trio was clearly still on edge, they still allowed me to approach them.
"Here," I dropped the carcass at their feet. "One full elk. Ah, do you mind if I keep the clothes though? My other clothes were destroyed."
Seeing the full size of the carcass excited them.
"Sure, no problem," the newest member said, distracted.
"Well, I'll be off now. Thanks for the meal."
"Yeah," They were still transfixed by my gift. I decided to take my leave.
"It's a full carcass!"
"This is a grown adult! And just look at its body. Only the neck is broken! This is amazing!"
"How strong do you have to be to hunt one of these so cleanly? And he was on his own as well!"
"Thank you, senior!" Char shouted after me.
"You're welcome!" I shouted back.
"I can't wait until I become a Superhuman! Maybe I'll be as strong as him one day! Able to survive nearly being split in half and then still be able to hunt on my own. How incredible!"