5 Tutorial- Weapons! <4>
"Great, should we head there now?"
Before I could say anything, Sarah quickly interrupted me.
"Huh, no wait."
"What's the matter?" Mike turned his head in her direction, seeming confused.
"At least, give us some time to choose a suitable weapon," John added.
"Ah, yeah, sure, take your time." Mike nodded after hearing their reasons.
"It won't take a long time."
The two left these words before leaving to look for their weapons.
"Do you recognize them from somewhere?" I asked after seeing them disappear from our view.
"Not at all, but they were among the few brave enough to leave this safe zone and venture into the forest."
"I see."
Just the fact they were courageous enough to take the risk of entering perhaps the den of monsters is enough reason to help them a little so they could use the system.
I then noticed that Mike was holding a shield with no other weapons.
"Do you have enough bullets?" I asked.
"It depends on how many monsters are out there, but if I have to guess, I would say not enough." He said it after a little pause.
"In that case, I suggest you get a sword. You know, just in case a single bullet didn't do the job; there's no reason to waste them."
"I guess you're right," he said before leaving, probably looking for a suitable weapon.
"Now, what should I do with you, Luna?"
I can't take her with me since I don't know what's in the forest, but I'm sure it isn't safe for a cat to wander around; no normal forest is, and this is far from normal.
Even if she were obedient and stayed near me, which I doubt will ever happen, there's a big chance that she will get in the way if a goblin or another monster attacks us, putting both of our lives in danger.
So what should I do?
Leaving her here with someone seems like the ideal choice, but there's also a slight chance that monsters might come and attack this place once we're gone.
If that ever happens, then I don't think anyone will care about a cat that isn't their own.
Using a threat? Don't be kidding; any kind of threat will be useless in the face of death. Most people will only care about themselves; only a few people will consider helping their relatives; as for helping an animal, that is even rarer.
I don't trust anyone here to leave Luna with.
Damnit, do I really have to take her with me?
Or should I not leave at all?
"Hey, Evan."
Snapping me out of my thoughts was Mike's voice. I looked up and found him waving his hand.
"Come on, let's go."
He was holding a sword beside the shield. I guess he took my advice to heart.
Besides him, John was holding a sword as well, while Sarah was holding a spear, just like me.
I slowly approached them, and once I was almost beside them, I heard Mike saying something to the people who were staying here.
"Others should keep watch while we look around." He quickly gave a few orders, and I can see that he has already talked to a few people, and they seem to respect him enough to follow his orders.
It's the gun. I bet it is because of the gun.
Obviously, some of them seem dissatisfied with the guy with a gun leaving them to go into the forest, but no one says anything. Most likely, they are scared that he will ask them to go with him.
I am not too surprised at their lack of initiative. Any sane person will stay away from it, so they may think we're crazy for going there.
"Look, Mike. I don't think I-"
"Hey, wait up."
Before I could finish speaking, I got interrupted once again. I was starting to get annoyed as the people interrupted me. Can't they see I'm speaking, or am I invisible like some famous wrestler?
"Do you have a spot?" A middle-aged man approached us and stopped right next to us. He had a normal build—not bulky nor too slim—and he seems pretty fit."
"Yes, of course, huh." Mike stopped while offering his hand.
"Luke," he shook it, while he nodded towards us three, to which we returned the gesture.
"Luke, do you really want to go with us?" John asked.
"Yes," he said.
"It's just..." Sarah stopped her words, but I understood what she was trying to say.
Looking at Luke, there's another person tugging on his shirt—a young girl, maybe around twelve years old.
"You aren't thinking about bringing her, are you?" Mike said to Luke after smiling at the little girl who hid behind what I could only assume to be her father.
This is what we were all thinking: letting Luke join us is okay since he's an adult and can be helpful, but there is no way we are going to take a little kid with us.
"My daughter. Of course not." As expected, Luke didn't seem to think about bringing her with him, but...
The girl slightly pulls the shirt off her father, and he turns to her with a smile on his face.
"Don't worry, Sophie. Your dad needs to help some friends; I will come back as soon as possible," he gently caresses her head, and there is a lot of gentleness and love in his action.
However, even though he said those words, his tone still seems to hesitate to leave his daughter.
"How about you leave her with the elderly lady? Old people all like children." It looks like Mike noticed the hesitation in Luke. "Besides, there's a lot of capable people here, so she will be safe." He pauses.
"Even so..."
"I think it will be better if you stay here," I say as he turns towards me with a surprised look on his face. His daughter starts peeking again.
"Why?" Luke asked.
"Even though we most likely won't go too far, there's still a possibility of something happening to us." I continue, "I understand; you want to level up and get stronger to protect yourself and your daughter, but don't forget that we have yet to know what is around us; there's a possibility of another goblin coming here after we leave. Will you trust anyone to protect your daughter in that situation better than you?"
Luke stayed silent, finding the logic behind my words. No matter how much people like the children, they will still like their lives more, so there's no guarantee that someone here will risk himself to protect someone else's daughter in case of danger.
"How about this?" I continue,"Today, let us explore the area; if we find it not too dangerous, I promise to go with you tomorrow and help you level up."
"I..." Luke didn't seem to know what to say.
"Of course, if you're worried about the food problem, then don't be. We will share it with everyone once we find some, right? I said this while glancing at Mike.
"Of course, if we find supplies, we will never take them for ourselves and let the others starve; we'll share them with everyone." Mike assured Luke and some people who were still listening to our conversation.
"Okay, I guess I will take you up on that offer and stay."
Under my and Mike's persuasion, Luke finally gave in and decided to stay with his daughter.
I approached the little girl and bent "Sophie, could you please take care of Luna while I'm away?" I asked, lowering myself to her eye level.
Her eyes lit up, and she nodded enthusiastically.
"Do you think it's okay, Luke? Can I trust you with Luna?" I inquired, glancing at Luke, who gave a slow nod.
"Thank you," I said, handing Luna to Sophie, who held her carefully. "Her name is Luna; she enjoys being patted and sleeping, so she's easy to get along with."
The child completely ignored me, her attention fixed on the cat. With a tired smile, I straightened up and addressed the others.
I certainly didn't try to persuade Luke to stay just for Luna's protection. I'm not that kind of person, and I would never do that.
Kids easily form attachments to cute things, especially something as lovely as Luna, making it the best choice to leave her with Sophie.
I now understand why children in horror movies always bring trouble to adults for the sake of seemingly harmless dolls.
"Alright, let's go."
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