Demon Heart ~ Rebirth of a Slayer

Shattered Bonds...

"What do you need to discuss, chief?" I ask, standing from the chair.

"Do you remember the wolves that attacked our village? Our hunters tracked down their location" Gorou says, getting a map from his pouch.

Emiko and I clear the table for the map. After Gorou spread the map, we continue our discussion.

"You see, while we were fighting 4 of our hunters were coming back from the capital city. They said that they saw small pack of wolves running back to the forest from our village. So, 2 of them followed the wolves and other 2 headed straight to the village. The group who followed found out they went to a nearby cave right here." Gorou says, pointing a place on map. The map reveals a dense forest stretching out to the east, with jagged mountain peaks lining the northern edge. In the center, a faint X marks what seems to be the location of the cave—though it's not officially charted, almost as if the cave itself is hidden from sight.

"But that map doesn't show a cave in there" Emiko enters the conversation.

"Yes, that because I made a that area restricted for the villagers." Old man says, sinking into his past memories.

"Many years ago, people went to that area to gather resources. But because of dense monster population, people began to disappear and lots of others got serious injuries. So, I made a rule, no one will ever go to that area. But I let experienced hunters go and gather resources." Chief says.

"So, why don't we go there and investigate?" I ask without a hesitation. I trained ever since the battle. So, now I'm ready.

"Yes, Haruto that's why we came here to discuss." Gorou continues.

"We already made a 10-person team for the investigation including me. But Chief wants us to bring you too. So, I said that depend on your answer. Now with the question you asked I know your answer."

"Oh yes Gorou, you can't leave me here. I trained all of these days and now I'm ready" I say with a smile on my face.

"Alright, then it settles. Haruto going with the team. Haruto, this is your first mission. Always listen to Gorou." Chief takes a deep breath. "Now then I'm heading home. This old man needs some rest." Chief left the house.

"How long will this investigation be?" Emiko asks with a concerning look.

"I don't know. Maybe 10 days. Give or take. Don't worry Emiko we will be fine. By the way, the young warrior who killed Wolf Leader himself is coming with us" Gorou says, putting a hand over my shoulder.

"Alright but you two must be safe. As chief says there must be monsters swarming in that area." Emiko says with her usual smile. Emiko's usual smile faltered for just a moment as her hand lingered on the table, her fingers tracing the map absentmindedly.

"So, when do we gonna leave? Tomorrow?" As I speak the words, my heart quickens. I've been waiting for this moment, to prove myself in battle again. But still... somewhere deep down, there's a flicker of uncertainty. Am I really ready?

"Hey, hey, slow down, kiddo!" Gorou says with a grin, raising his hand to calm me down. "We can't just rush off like that. This mission will take nearly 10 days, remember? We have to be smart about this."

I blink, realizing I've let my excitement get ahead of me, but I'm still itching to go.

"I know this is your first mission, and I can see that fire in your eyes. But we've got a lot to prepare before we set foot in that cave. First off, food and water. This is uncharted territory, and we have no idea if there are any reliable water sources in the area. We can't risk running out."

His voice becomes more serious as he points to the map again, his finger tracing the faint X that marks our destination.

"We'll need to pack enough supplies to last the entire journey, maybe even more, in case things go wrong. And don't forget about weapons and armor. This isn't some simple scouting mission—there could be monsters in that cave, or worse. We need to be ready for anything." He pauses, looking me over with a slight smile.