Starbound: A Space Odyssey 77 Entering The Ceremonial Hunting Caverns 4

"Why would you-." She was about to ask something when realization fell upon her. "Looks like my grandmother was right, you really want to go forward with your plan of winning the Great Hunt without unnecessary killing." Peri helplessly sighed.

"Do you have one?" John was unfazed that Peri realized what his plans were, and asked her once again.

"Yes, I do have one..." She took her her PIPS and started to look for what she wanted. "Here it is..." Peri retrieved an old looking wooden bow from her PIPS. "It was me who carved it..." She let her fingers roam across the wooden bow and she emotionally gazed at it. "Take it it." After admiring the bow for a few moments she placed it on top of the table that was between John and Peri.

The bow had a simplistic look to it. It was completely red colored without any kind of decoration at all. It was crudely made to be a weapon used for killing rather than admiring and exposed.

"Are you sure...?" He just saw how she values the bow.

"Yes, I'm sure." Peri nodded in confirmation. "This bow was made using some rare type of wood that is as tough as a plate of t.i.tanium. I had already forgot about the existence of this bow, i wouldn't even remember that still had this thing if you haven't asked for a bow to me."

"Then... thanks..? I guess." John went forward and secured the bow inside his PIPS.

"My grandmother just sent me a message. You're going to enter in the Ceremonial Hunting Caverns by the morning." Peri said to John. "You should take a proper rest while you still can."

John nodded and stood up. He thanked Peri once again and left for his room

[Tommorow I'm going to enter in the Great Hunt...] He looked at his own hands. He was still able to feel the blood from that a.s.sa.s.sin in the Lunar Base 12 and also the blood from the Syndicate's soldiers at the the outpost.

He wasn't that same innocent person; he already had killed people.

John closed his eyes. Even after all these days, those he had to kill still hunt him in his dreams.

[I have changed... hopefully, for the best.] He thought about what he have to do tomorrow. [They are innocent...I cannot kill them. I mustn't allow myself to become a cold-blood murderer.] His eyes flashed with determination. [There are people who have to die, and there are others that don't.]

John took off his clothes and went to sleep.

...

"The Cultivator fell on the battle..."

"Yes...I can feel that his presence in this universe is slowly disappearing."

"We are the last Ancients...we must do as we were tasked..."

"I know, I have the Artefacts in hand already. We just need to distribute between the races."

"I wonder what the Cultivator did with the Ruin's Worshippers..."

"From what he told me, he banished them to another universe, parallel from our own."

"Those guys are very troublesome. Thankfully the Cultivator had already dealt with them before going to battle."

"Yes. Now that we are last ones to stay behind in this universe, we should carry our duties until our end."

"After distributing the Artefacts, you are going to guard the entrance of where the Ruin's sealed, right?"

"That's the task he gave to me..."

"He gave nothing to me at all besides guarding the structures that we left behind and be sure that our dangerous technology doesn't fall in wrong hands."

"That's a pretty heavy task, you know."

"Yes, I know...then...I think it's our time to part ways."

"Unfortunately...it was a pleasure to meet you..."

"The same...if you need me for something I will be in my workplace, the Dragon Keep Forge, but I don't think we will have the chance to meet again in our lives."

"That's how it is. Well...goodbye."

"Goodbye...may we meet again."

...

John soon woke up. He looked outside through his window and realized that the didn't even had started to appear.

This night he had another strange dream. Different from the previous time, this time there was no images and neither something visual. It was only a conversation between two people.

[They were Ancients...?] John remembered the contents of the dream and frowned. [Are this dreams of mine something that really happened? If yes, why I'm having them?] John placed his hand over his chin and started to think about it.

"Huh?" He felt his hand somewhat itchy. He roamed his chin with his fingers and realized that his beard had started to grow again. "I have to shave it..." John muttered to himself and stood up.

He walked toward the bathroom, retrieved a razor blade from his PIPS and started to shave his facial hair.

...

"So this is the Ceremonial Hunting Cavern..." John looked at the vast entrance made of rock and vines, with his mouth wide opened.

"Yes, this is one of the many entrances for the partic.i.p.ants..." Akna nodded in satisfaction when she saw how surprised John looked.

"I just to walk forward and then I'm in?"

"No. Just a few meters into the entrance you're going to see a metallic structure that you're quite familiar with, a teleporter. When you enter the portal, it is going to transport you to a random place inside the huge Ceremonial Hunting Cavern. If you are lucky, you might even be transferred right beside the place where the prey you have to slay is."

"So... let's see if my luck is good or not..." John had just started to walk forward when Akna placed her hand in his shoulders, stopping him in his tracks.

"I must warn you again." Akna's grip on John's shoulder tightened as she sternly looked at John. "Don't try to be the hero...or else...you are going to die in there..."

John looked at Akna's stern eyes and them kindly smiled. "Don't worry...I know how take care of myself."

"..." Akna released John and watched him enter in the pitch black entrance of the Cavern. She helplessly sighed. She knew that she was unable to change his mind, but she had to at least try.

...

After a slight period of dizziness and blindness, John was finally able to a.n.a.lyse his surroundings.

He was already inside the Ceremonial Hunting Cavern.

All around him was almost completely dark. If not for some torches and other mysterious lights that illuminated the way, he would have been thrown in complete darkness.

*ROARRRRR*

John's eyebrows twitched as he heard the endless roars and screams coming from the distance.

He was able to feel that this place reeked blood and even from a very high distance from any creature or person, he was still able to feel the lingering killing intents that were all across the Ceremonial Hunting Cavern.

"Let's get started..." John retrieved a bow and a quiver filled with arrows from his PIPS.

After he was sure that he was ready, he started to walk forward, deeper into the Cavern.