Chapter 6: 05. Resolution, morals, and gaining strength

As Anya promised to help me, I noticed a fierce determination in her eyes, like she was ready to do anything I asked of her even if it killed her. This is a slight problem, as I don't want people dying because I asked them for help and thinking they have no choice in the matter. If she dies, not only will it have been a pointless sacrifice, but it would likely be a long time before I could ever find someone to help me again.

"I appreciate your determination, however, be careful with your life. I do not want you to lose your life so easily or so soon, so treasure it and protect it the best you can. If I ask you to do something and you can only do it by giving your life, tell me you can't do it and I will not hold it against you."

Her eyes wavered, seemingly confused.

"I'm worthless though, and-"

"Don't ever say that again!" I cut her off. "No life is worthless, and all lives should be protected. The only reason to kill someone is if they mean to severely harm or kill you or those you care about. Also, don't hesitate to kill those you must, since it can get you killed. I have been around death long enough that it doesn't affect me as much anymore, but you should never enjoy killing someone." 

The light in her eyes changed, still determined, but for a different reason.

"I understand, I will help you. All I ask is you save others like me, who don't have a place to go and help me get rid of slavery." She seemed nervous yet hopeful when making this request.

"I can do that, as long as it will not put myself or those I already care about in the way of unnecessary harm. Also, you don't need to be so nervous around me, you are a kid so you should worry about relaxing, having fun and playing games. I know me asking you for help like I am kind of goes against that, but once I am strong enough to handle myself, leave the hard work to me. In the meantime, relax around me; you don't need to be so formal to me when you talk to me." I do like to think of myself as a good person and will help people whenever I can, but I also know that self-preservation and caution are the most important things in an unknown world like this one.

"Now, grab whatever clothes and armor you can get out of their gear to keep yourself warm and safe. I would grab the sword and a spear as well. I have a skill that can help you with the sword at least and you should have a spear as a backup weapon in case you lose your sword or need the extra reach. I am going to need you to lure monsters into the cave, or at least to the entrance so I can kill them. I recommend going after monsters you can cook and eat since I don't have any food in this cave other than what's in those bags."

"Mn, I will get some right now!" As she said that, she started putting on a few extra layers of clothes, the armguards and the leather greaves from their gear. Some of it had to be cut down in size or modified to better fit her, but she managed to get it to somewhat work and not get in the way of her movement. Once she was ready, she strapped the spear to her back, which she had trimmed down the handle of, and had the sword in hand. On the slaver captain it was obviously a short sword, but on her it looked like an arming sword or even a smaller longsword. The only issue I can see is that she seems to have forgotten all about the skill I was going to share with her and was raring to go hunt something down.

"You may want to calm down a little and think, you are forgetting about something very important."

She looked at me, surprised at first, then thoughtful.

"Oh! You said something about a skill, right? What is it?"

"Yes, I have a skill that allows me to share skills with others. I can only share a skill with one person at its current level though, but that should be perfect for now since it's only us. I am going to share with you a skill called "Swordsmanship" that will give you a 50% bonus towards learning speed and efficiency with a sword at its current level. Practice some swings for a few hours before going out and get used to it, especially since I doubt you have ever used a sword before." I used the skill-sharing skill while I spoke to her, wondering how effective it would be.

Alert: Are you sure you want to share Swordsmanship skill Lv. 5 with Anya?
(Y/N)

I clicked "Yes" and felt a strange sensation starting to leave my body, yet not entirely. It stretched out towards Anya like a tendril, connecting the two of us through what I assume to be magic. I felt the skill move from me to her before she glowed slightly, the indication that one learned a new skill.

"Was that the new skill you shared with me?" 

"Yes, you should be able to see it on your status menu." I knew she would probably want to see it for herself.

"You can see your status?! Thats something only the chosen people from the ancient legends are said to be able to do!" She started freaking out, which made me wonder where she got that information from. Well, maybe she learned it from her mother since she told me at one point during our talk that her mother was the town's healer and an adventurer before that. I should probably keep that to myself from now on and make sure she doesn't tell anyone else about it.

"This is our secret, okay? You can't tell anyone else, and I am only telling you because I feel I can trust you. Can I?" 

"Of course! I won't share it even if I die." 

"No, if someone is willing to kill you for it then you are allowed to tell them if it will ensure your safety. Now, let's get you some sword practice in before it gets too late out."

After getting everything settled, she got to practicing her sword swings. They started off very rough, but after about 3 hours of practice she was decent enough to be able to defend herself in an emergency. Now it was time for her to lure some monsters my way and I can only hope she is ready.

"Do you have everything you need? Do you have your weapons, rations, emergency fire kit, water?" 

"Yes, yes I do! Stop nagging me already, this is the fifth time you've asked me this." She looked a little annoyed on the surface, but I could tell that she was secretly a little happy if her small smile means anything. I am just glad she has started really opening up to me and being more carefree."

She left the cave soon after, with me having moved enough rocks by that point to allow her to go in and out unimpeded in her human form. The wait was long and lonely, even though I had been alone for far longer than this before she came here. Her presence no longer being here left a hole and a gnawing worry that I didn't know possible. I guess I was more starved for human interaction than I initially thought.

After about an hour I heard her hurried footsteps with two pairs of footsteps seeming to be following her. From what I can hear, it sounds like a four-legged animal. In less than a minute I was able to see her, without her spear, being chased by what looks to be bobcat. Probably the only reason it hadn't caught up yet was because it had a bloody hole in its shoulder where I presume she stabbed it with her spear. As she approached the entrance to the cave, she spun around and moved to the left slightly. This gave me a clear shot on the bobcat monster. The only reason I know it’s not a normal bobcat is because it has two horns atop it’s head, sort of like an equine Bicorn’s horns.

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As soon as Anya stopped running and turned around, the monster was able to catch up to her. Thankfully she blocked it’s bite with her sword, but she began to lose her balance. Thankfully, she still slowed it down and gave me an opening to take it out.

*Thwoomp!* 

One shot was all it took, hitting it right in the neck. The impact caused it to lose its balance and fall to the ground, dead.

Alert: Two-horned Bobcat killed (1); Skill obtained: Agility boost Lv. 2

Agility boost: Increase top speed by 10% per level for up to 10 minutes upon activation.

I looked up from the notification only to see Anya stabbing the bobcat repeatedly, tears streaming down her face. Thankfully, she quickly calmed down and brought it over to the cave, dragging it on the ground. Once she got it inside, with my help from telekinesis, she sat down and just stared at the ground.

“Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?”

“I will be…eventually. And no thanks, not right now…”

I will keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn’t get trauma from this, maybe it was a bad idea having her help me with this. The only issue is that it’s my only choice for right now. All I can do is wait and see.

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It’s been a week since our first hunt, and there sadly hasn’t been many good targets she can lure over here and I do not want her fighting them alone. The only other skill I got was a really rare looking and good skill called “Unstoppable” that I got from a bear that stumbled across our cave one evening. The fight itself is a tale for another time, but it was worth it because I got its skill and can now protect myself rather decently. This is how my stats look right now.