The Primal Hunter's
Partner

William listened to the woman talk continuously about the importance of others. His parents were also there, both beside him, a chair that was too wide to be considered close. His mother was still a mess, and his father was stoic.

Her crying mother told her how hard it was, what it was like to lose her two sons. Something that naturally offended William. How can you compare a defective product they call a sibling with? A fully functional and overall very good person.

But he didn't show it on his face, of course. She had never really mastered the act of fake crying, so she just lowered her head and pretended to be sad. He was sure it was fooling everyone, even the boar that slept in the corner.

The woman, a therapist, was the only one who knew what was really going on, what she had done. William has accepted this, because from what he reads, he is not required to report past crimes committed, only alleged crimes in the future.

The fact that her parents insist that she “do not know better” and “do not do it on purpose” is likely also helpful. Of course, he was more than happy to reinforce that misunderstanding, or at least he had tried, but the damn woman in front of him was sharp and had seen through his actions.

He also knew he wasn't really sad at the moment, but he had to show it to his parents, at least, because they were the ones currently sitting in the giant cookie jar. And her therapist has given her good advice on how she should focus more on others' perceptions of her actions. He had to admit that many of his arguments had logical consistency, so he followed suit.

William sees therapists as one of the few people he has ever respected. He is intelligent and, without a doubt, the best manipulator he has ever seen. She can talk differently to him, her parents, Richard sleeps in the recliner, and when she and her parents are together. It was amazing and a great learning opportunity for him.

His father, still stoic as usual, asked while stroking the head of a ferret: “So the medicine works? We want to make sure everything is fine before we take it a step further.”

“Yes, they are very helpful. We were even able to lower the dose recently because we made a big step. I believe William has more tutorial points than Richard, ”the therapist replied with a smile.

William just sat there listening but was still a little annoyed by the insinuations that he was somehow incomplete. Yet he had to accept that to others, he might seem to lack something. He can make up for it by acting as if he does have something, but not always and not for everyone.

"William, do you have anything to say?" he said while looking at her.

He had trained up his response, and with the same sadness, he stuttered. "I'm sorry .. I really don't know how much it would hurt everyone ... I promise I'll get better, and nothing like that will ever happen again."

His mother was crying more and more because of it, and even his father relaxed his worried facial expression a little. If only he could shed fake tears and not be covered in blood, it would be perfect.

"And William, what about the other thing we're talking about?" The good-natured therapist said while smiling at him once more.

A little confused, William wondered...what else? He rarely greeted her doing this session, to begin with, but what else were they talking about?

No, this whole situation is wrong. What the hell is going on? He looked at The Smith with a wondering look that stood beside him, but he simply shook his head, as confused as William himself.

“You know what I mean, William. Another thing we talked about you less, ”next, the smile on his face is now gone. A dark aura began to spread from him as a gigantic ball of darkness tore through the ceiling.

“We talked about how weak you are, William. How sad you are. So broken and weak.. can never really reach for power.”.

As he finished, the door was kicked, a man in robes with weapons rushed towards him. He could not react before he was stabbed in the chest by a bone dagger.

The archer only stared at him as he fell to the floor, completely paralyzed. Those eyes, looking at him as if he was a helpless creature. He could not move; he could not breathe. He felt life slowly seeping out of his body as he was completely helpless. His chest rotted as the poison spread, Casper's laughing face looked at him mockingly from within the dark circle above.

She tried to scream as she found herself sitting out of a makeshift bed in the cabin. His heart was pounding as cold sweat covered his entire body.

Because of her screams, the door opened quickly as she saw the healer Caroline enter. William could not help but tremble. He feels weak.

"William, how are you?" Caroline asked, but she looked and spoke to him in a different way than usual. His voice was not warm and friendly, but rather cold.

William, do all he can to calm himself down. Too shaken to notice Caroline's change in attitude. “You. I'm doing fine. I'm just tired, and I feel like shit.”

He closed his eyes as he tried to gather his thoughts. He has lost. Lost and nearly died in the process. What the fuck is that archer? What happened to him and his statistics? Who in their right mind makes a building entirely centered on perception and defensive statistics? Also, the poison is not purely physical, but magical and much more powerful than the poison of the badgers. Does he even have magic?

As William gathered his thoughts, Richard entered the cabin as well. The young caster did not even think about it, as he was too stuck in his own head. However, he became elated as the barrier surrounded the cabin.

"Huh?" he exclaimed, puzzled as he looked up and saw Caroline and Richard's cold eyes on him.

"So what happened?" Richard asked.

William looked back and forth between the two as he put on his plain teenage mask.

“I went looking for that Casper guy just in case he needed help, bu-“

“Cut the crap; we know you didn't do it,” Richard interrupted. “You went to kill him like you killed so many others. This silly joke is over, so stop taking out the trash and tell me what really happened.”

Once again, William was surprised. What ? she knew? Hows it? Richard has been fooled for so long, Caroline too, when he-she

“I know your type. I'm not a psychiatrist who thinks you're inferior for what it is. You are a brilliant young man with unlimited potential to become the perfect warrior, but every soldier needs a commander - a guide to let you reach your full potential. With your intelligence, you know the benefits of a support system.”

William looked puzzled at the man, perhaps even more so than before. He looks.seriously. Whahuh?

He had never been in this position before.

"When?" that was all he could do to stutter.

“I approached you on the first day we met. Do you think I won't see a living weapon waltzing into my camp? ”

The young caster is not sure what to do at this point. William did not feel they were going to attack him, and to be honest, he still felt too weak to fight, which was strange, since all his resources were full.

"What do you want? You want me to play army? ” she asked, trying to look calm. He should at least put up a front.

“No, I want you to play as a super soldier. I propose a partnership. I'll be behind, supporting you to reach for a higher power, and you'll help me become the leader of this camp - a mutually beneficial deal. I know you want tutorial points and levels and that my death will give you a lot .. But what I can give you while still alive is much more valuable.

William was pleased with the man's attitude. So that's why he hasn't done anything for so long . There is actually someone who is smart enough to recognize its value. The end of it .

"Okay" he agreed. It's good, right?

"Big!" Richard said with a happy smile as he left and patted the young man on the shoulder. “You can't begin to understand how happy I am to have you as a partner. I can't imagine a better person. Caroline, make sure she's in top condition.”

"Of course, boss!" Caroline said with a smile as she went to heal the young man. William didn't feel much of what he was doing, but he felt a little bit of strength coming back. “I've done everything I could; the rest is just tired. It'll be fine in a few hours! ”

“Alright then, let's give William time to rest,” Richard said with a happy nod.

"That's it?" William asked, confused. Are they just going to leave him here unattended?

“We can find out who the idiot who attacked you when you were in top shape. Just find me or send someone. We're partners now; I can't tell you what to do, ” said the soldier before exiting the room with Caroline, the barrier disappeared with her.

William was not so sure of what had just happened. However, he was pretty sure it was a good thing.

Outside the cabin, Richard walked with Caroline; her smile had turned into one of contempt.

Richard entered with one of two goals, and he had already discussed the plan with Caroline before.

The first scenario was to get information from William about who attacked him by acting stoic and suppressing him. Then Richard would take advantage of his still-weak condition and finish off the boy. With him fully healed from before, Richard theorized that he would get all the tutorial points and his full experience. Caroline might as well get some, but that's fine. Caroline is one of them.

The second scenario is what is played. William is vulnerable and open to manipulation. Regardless of how strongly he believed himself, he was shaken from whatever had just happened. The broken child was even more broken than before, so Richard took advantage of it. He stroked his ego and entered. At the last moment, his skill made him aware. William is now 'loyal' to her. His search confirmed the same as well, by up one percentage point.

It's not like he's been unfaithful for a long time. Richard purposely sent the less 'faithful' groups to the areas that the Scouts told him William was in. As can be predicted, William would then kill them. In Richard's mind, this was a win-win. He'll get those who are unfaithful to him killed, or he'll lose the attack dog.

He only needed to do this three times in total before he took his people completely away from William. For a long time, Richard had hoped the idiot would kill himself against Hayden's men, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. William, with all his arrogance, was ultimately still a coward. If he knew of a strong party, he would avoid them completely. It's almost funny how every time Richard came out, William would go in the opposite direction.

Like why did he decide to take William now? Because he's pretty vulnerable. Richard could feel his weakness once he saw it. A broken child, unsure of himself, so Richard gives him the recognition he craves at the time. He begins by first establishing that he is in power by bringing down William and then giving the partnership offer, to make it seem like he really needs it. The boy ate it raw.

His loyalty was fickle, his foundation was in disarray, but that was enough for now.

All the craftsmen were already considered loyal to Richard. Maybe loyalty is the wrong term, but his skills and quests really count. If he had to guess, then he would say it was more relying than loyalty. In the end, he now regarded them as his subjects. The only one who did not give a response was The Smith, but he could handle it in time. It's not that he needs everyone to be faithful.

Jacob is another example of this. He changes loyalty almost every day. It was strange, but Richard never felt any danger from the man. The same goes for Bertram's man who follows Jacob at all times. He never showed any loyalty towards Richard, yet he was clearly a trustworthy man who had an undying loyalty towards Jacob. Again, that didn't really matter, as she obviously cared for Caroline, and Caroline was undoubtedly loyal.

It was necessary for William to repent or die. All Richard has left now is Hayden and his entourage and a possible third threat, aka what attacked William.

Oh, and on the last note about William, while he is a useful dog, he is not a good dog. A little too wild for Richard's taste. A stray dog cannot be tamed that fast. You could feed him and keep him faithful for a while, but Richard was not under the illusion that William would not end up stabbing him in the back at some point.

Against Hayden, William would be a helpful tool. That was the only reason why he had bothered to change it today. But as soon as Hayden and his camp were assimilated or destroyed…

That crazy dog has to be taken down.