Alfred turned to where the voice had come from and saw a group of hunters, around seven men. The group consisted of different ages, from teenagers to middle-aged individuals, with varied body structures: tall, muscular, skinny, short, and more. Leading them was a familiar young man whom he had met at the meeting yesterday.
His silver hair stood out among the crowd, and his loud screeching voice had the same impact.
With a confident and mocking smile, the young man named Gunnar sauntered towards him.
'Oh crap, I don't have a good feeling about this!'
"We have met again." He said with a forced smile. "What can I do for you?"
The silver-eyed young man ignored his words and continued walking, halting only when he was right before him.
Intimidated, Alfred leaned back, not wanting to escalate things. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but notice the height of the raging young man. Perhaps due to the distance or because of many things that had occurred yesterday, he had failed to realize that Gunnar was very short, maybe around 5.4 or 5.3 feet.
Although he was in a different body, his height did not differ much, which was 5.7. He would admit that he was not the tallest, maybe even shorter than the average person; thus, seeing someone far shorter than him in the primitive world was a surprise.
Gunnar frowned and stuck out his chest. "I do not like the way you look at me. Did you just think I am short?"
Caught off guard, he answered hurriedly while looking away, wanting to defuse the accusation. "N-n-no! D-d-definitely not!"
'Crap crap crap! Who would believe that?! Even I won't believe myself with that kind of tone!'
The silver young man gritted his teeth, seemingly understanding his odd behavior. "You dare! You are just an outsider, and you dare mock me?"
Alfred raised his hands above his chest and shook them frantically. "No no no, I will not dare! Please just let me go, I don't want any fight."
"Fight? You think you and I are going to fight?" Gunnar scoffed while looking down. "What are you going to do, kick me with that wood?"
The situation was becoming more and more out of control; he had to escape soon, or else he might find himself somewhere he couldn't leave.
'What is the problem with this one anyway? I know people in this tribe don't like outsiders, but isn't he a little too much?'
Alfred stepped back, distancing himself from Gunnar. "Please, I have to go. Elder Ahote is waiting for me."
"Now you are using the Elders for your protection?" The short young man agitatedly rebutted, taking another aggressive step toward Alfred. "I do not understand what the Elders see in a guy like you. Maybe you are strong? Hiding your strength so we will underestimate you?"
Gunnar grinned upon uttering those words. Then, without warning, he kicked Alfred's prosthetic foot, resulting in Alfred's immediate plummet to the dirt.
Bewildered by the sudden shift of his vision, Alfred took several seconds before his mind could acknowledge that he was on the ground. His face reddened, dirt clung to his skin, and his mouth tasted the Aarde itself.
"Hahaha!" Gunnar burst into laughter, his hands on his waist, looking down at Alfred with superiority. "Nah, I do not think you have some hidden strength. So, tell me, what is the point of you?"
The gathering tribesmen murmured on the side, watching the silver young man bully a cripple.
This might be good for him, gaining sympathy and accelerating his acceptance. Yet, in Alfred's heart, he was both afraid and embarrassed.
He knew he had to take advantage of every opportunity. However, for some unknown reason, his heart was unwilling to be seen as nothing but a cripple and received acceptance through pity. If possible, he wanted to prove to himself that even someone like him could become a respectable member of this tribe. He never knew he had that kind of side.
Regardless of his desire, the current situation was too much for his capabilities to handle. Therefore, with the last hope he had, Alfred glanced at the man standing behind him.
The Elders assigned the man to guard and watch his every action; thus, wasn't it his responsibility to at least try to protect him?
However, upon landing his sight, his heart instantly sank.
The guard was looking away as if the situation transpiring in front of him wasn't his business.
'That's right, these people don't want anything to do with me. Would they risk their harmony for some outsider?'
Knowing that the man had no desire to remedy the situation, his eyes began to wander, searching for at least one person to lend him a hand.
First, to the crowd. Some of them were frowning, others were smiling and seemed satisfied with Alfred's dilemma, but most did not react, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Next, his attention moved to the 6 hunters. Surprisingly, a lot of them looked at the silver-eyed young man with disapproving gazes, some even shook their heads, showing their strong opinion. Still, none of them interrupted Gunnar as if helping Alfred wasn't worth it.
"What, looking for someone to help you?" Gunnar mocked, his smirk widening by the second. "You cannot even fight for yourself or talk back. I just do not understand your value."
Alfred's eyes dimmed as time ticked by.
Fight back? Fighting back had never crossed his mind, even in the past when he had been bullied, and that encounter occurred so many times it surpassed the number of his fingers. Why would he even consider it, especially now that he was in a world where people kill to survive?
'He was right, what am I going to do?'
Yet, when Alfred was in the middle of accepting his inability, a voice resounded from the crowd.
"Are you enjoying yourself, Gunnar?"
All attention shifted to the man sauntering towards the commotion. He seemed to be in his mid-20s, standing 6 feet tall, and had seaweed-like hair. His face was similar to a fox's, due to his slit eyes and smiling face.
Alfred recognized the man. It was the person who found him inside the forest.
"Armani. What do you want?" Gunnar frowningly asked.
"It does not matter what I want, but the tribe's wants, on the other hand, do." The green-haired man leisurely answered. "The tribe needs peace in these circumstances, not your unruly behavior. Let me ask you, what do you gain from bullying such a weakling? Do you feel powerful, superior, or… taller?"
Alfred furrowed his eyebrows. He couldn't comprehend what the slit-eyed man was thinking.
'Is he helping, or joining Gunnar to embarrass me?'
Gunnar gritted his teeth and questioned. "Are you calling me short? Do you want to start a fight for this cripple?"
Armani chuckled. "No, do not get me wrong, I am just truly baffled by this, that is why I am asking. And for your question about your height, do I need to answer that if the proof is there for all of us to see?"
"What did you just s-"
Before Gunnar could finish his sentence, Armani wrapped his right arm over his neck, interrupting the enraged young man.
"Oh, I remember why I am here. We do not have time for this. I have to talk to you about the situation in the forest, the Head Hunter's order." The fox-faced man muttered, his smile still plastered on his face. "We should go, I must depart for the mission soon; thus, I need all the information."
The silver-haired young man almost exploded in anger, but upon hearing that it was Vir's command, his face immediately became tame, and he nodded. "Fine, let us move!" However, before Gunnar left, he glared at Alfred and said. "You sure are lucky, outsider, but next time I hope you are prepared."
With that, the dramatic confrontation ended as fast as it started.
Alfred was lost for words.
'Should I be thankful, even though I know that Armani also seems to look down on me?'
The hunters followed Gunnar and Armani, while the crowd slowly dispersed, seeing that the show was over.
He sighed and struggled to push himself up using his crutch.
'In any case, it is good that the situation didn't become even worse.'
Upon standing, he shook off the dirt on his body while giving a sideways glance to his supposed guard. It appeared the man felt guilty as he avoided looking at his eyes. Not that he could blame him, he would probably do the same if he were in his guard's situation.
He sighed once more, and with a heavy heart, he continued his way towards Elder Ahote's abode.