The Non-Human Society

Chapter Ninety Nine - Renn - Someone Who Loves What They Hate

      This mountain was a little... odd to me. It was far flatter than I was used to. Vim and I had been walking for about half an hour now, and honestly we haven't ascended or descended much at all.

For the week it had taken to get here, I had assumed these mountains were rocky and hard to climb... especially since from a distance I hadn't seen much trees upon them.

Yet here we were, walking calmly through what almost looked like a normal forest. Not one covering a mountain.

I'd doubt we were still on a mountain, if not for the massive looming mounting to one side of us and another side showing the world beneath us for as far as one could see.

"I can still smell the smithy," I told Vim as we rounded a large tree. I couldn't see the smoke from the furnaces, or the house, anymore. And that wasn't just because we were walking in a forest. Every so often the trees cleared out enough to give me full view of the sky and its horizon.

"It does have a unique smell," Vim agreed.

I nodded. Today was the tenth day that we've been here, and I still really haven't gotten used to the smell. Sometimes I woke up in the middle of the night, bothered by the smell. Which was funny, since Lellip thought I should be waking up from muscle pains instead.

But honestly I felt fine. The first night I had noticed some aches and pains, but they had faded before I even noticed.

And there were things far more important to worry about than mere body aches and smells...

Vim carried a leather wrap, which was wrapped behind his back. It held a bundle of glistening items. The ones he and Lellip had been forging the last few days.

Swords. Spears. He had also made others, like small daggers and bows but had left them back at the smithy for now.

I gulped as I noticed what was likely our destination. A large field of clovers and ankle high grass. Spacious and even.

Sighing softly, I wasn't sure what to say or think. Vim hadn't exactly been... secretive about what was happening. He had made it clear to others, all the while I stood in the same room listening.

He hadn't exactly told me to my face, but it was clear.

Vim was going to see if I could kill or not.

Or well, if I had the skill to do so properly. In his perspective.

Lellip had been jealous over the crafting of the weapons, but had been genuinely relieved that she wasn't expected to join us this morning. The sight of her groaning in relief as we left, leaving her behind, made me very anxious.

Maybe this would be painful.

Vim walked into the open field of clovers and glanced around. Sure enough he nodded and walked over to a nearby rock. One that stuck out of the earth in such a way that told me it was a genuine part of the mountain. It was probably massive, at least the part that was buried underground.

Here though it was perfect sized for Vim to lay his bundle of weapons up against.

"Vim... I..." I started to speak, to say what I felt my heart needed to... yet couldn't find the words.

I had agreed to learn from him. I had agreed to try. To become like him.

And that very obviously meant I'd need to learn how to protect. In the very literal sense. Not in the form of emotions, or kindness... but with violence.

"You want to learn, Renn. This is one of the things that must be taught," Vim said as he slowly un-wrapped the leather bundle. Its contents made familiar sounds as they clanked against each other. I had heard that pure note in the air many times as Vim and Lellip worked on them in the forge.