***

The next day, I woke up early in the morning. I decided to go look for water. I took out my steamphone, and searched for nearby places where there might be a well.

"Hmm. There's nothing on the map. Well it's no wonder. After all, the offline wasn't updated for a long time. Well, let's just do it manually, just like always."

I found a well, and drank its fresh water.

"Ahh, that was good. Now I feel refreshed. Hey, Donkey. Let's go."

"Huff... Huff..."

We walked through the grasslands. It was a quiet day.

"Ah, there's a camp over there. Let's go there."

"Huff... Huff... Huff..."

We headed towards the camp. We entered it and I looked around. It was a small camp. There were only two tents, and they were made of animal skin. There was a fire pit, and there was a pot with meat cooking.

"Hey, there. You guys aren't bandits, right?"

There were two people inside the tent. One of them was a girl. She seemed to be around my age. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, and she wore glasses.

She said "No, we're not bandits," while shaking her head.

"Aaah, sorry. I thought you were robbers or something. Ahaha."

The other person who was inside the tent was a man. He had a scar running across his face. His beard was long, and he had a big belly. He was wearing a dirty loincloth.

"You don't have to worry about us. We're just passing through. We're heading south, to a place called Sunnyrise."

"Oh yeah? I'm going there too! That's my destination, anyway."

I told them that I was going to Sunnyrise as well. They both smiled happily.

"That's great. So, you are going to participate in the 'Turkey Shoot', huh? We've been waiting for a newcomer for a while now."

"Hahahaha! It's been a while since I last participated in the Turkey Shoot. I'll win this one. I'm sure I will." Said the burly man, Bob.

"Yeah, me too. This is my first time participating in the 'Turkey Shoot' too. I won't lose either."

The girl Lana added, while playing with her hair. Then I heard some noise from behind. It was another woman, coming towards the camp on the horseback.

"Huh? Who is this girl? Hey little girl what are you doing in our camp? Don't even think about doing something stupid like stealing. If you do, I'll kill you."

The woman talked to me. She had brown hair, and was wearing a hooded cloak.

"I'm not a thief. I'm just passing by." I answered.

"Just passing by...? Hmph, you better be careful. Or else you will regret it"

"Oi oi, she's just a little kid. Don't scare her Zofia. Just calm down."

"I'm telling you, she's dangerous. We should kill her here and now. It's obvious she's up to no good."

They argued for a bit, in the meantime I talked with Lana.

"Lana, who is this woman?"

"Zofia. She's my mother. Despite her words, she is actually a very nice person. She's just a bit stubborn, though."

"I see. She seems pretty strong."

"Mother is a skilled gunslinger, but she doesn't like to fight. She's also a beautiful person, and everyone in the town loves her."

"Well, I guess I can understand that. But still, she looks like a tough opponent. Is she going to participate in the 'Turkey Shoot' as well?"

"Yes, she is. Mother is a powerful person. And, she's also a proud woman. She always likes to win."

"Hahh, I see. Well, I'll look forward to seeing how she does. And I won't lose either."

I said with enthusiasm. Lana was looking at me, smiling.

"You are such a bright girl Moon. Your parents must be proud of you."

"Well, I'm not really a... Sigh, forget it." I sighed. "Well, I hope my mother would be proud of me from the afterlife. My father, I never met my father so I don't really know about him. I only know that he died when I was young. He was killed by a bandit gang."

"That's terrible. That means you are all alone in the world."

She hugged me tightly.

"You are a very kind girl, Moon. You seem like you're a lonely child, but you seem so bright."

"Uuuh, thank you."

"Also, if you ever need anything, please come to me. I will help you."

"Thank you. I will definitely do that."

I hugged Lana back.

***

After that, I stayed at the camp for a bit and when the next day came I said goodbye to Lana and her parents. From their words I realised I should be closing in towards Sunnyrise.

I took a different path from before, heading towards the south-east. The reason for that was because the road to Sunnyrise went between forest and the mountain there. I didn't want to get lost in the mountains, so I decided to go around it.

After traveling for some hours, I realised that the weather was getting colder. I felt small droplets of water falling from the sky. It wasn't cold enough to freeze yet, but it was becoming colder. The wind started to blow harder.

"Brrr, it's raining! Quickly, let's find some shelter!"

Suddenly, I heard a loud noise from somewhere ahead.

"Hiii! Is it a thunderstorm?!"

I looked to the direction where the sound came from and saw smoke rising from a distant tree.

"A fire?! We have to hurry Donkey or we will end just like that tree!"

We started running in the other direction from the direction of the smoke. When I looked behind me, I could see a huge pillar of black smoke.

"Such thunderstorms happen once every few years. They are a very rare phenomenon. It's a disaster for travellers."

It seemed like it would take a long time until the storm passed.

"Then, what should we do? Should we keep running?" I wondered aloud.

"No, the best thing to do would be to hide ourselves inside the nearest building. If it's too far away, then we can just wait."

So, we ran as fast as possible. Then we found a small cave. We rushed into it. It was a little dark, but it would protect us from the rain.

The two of us huddled together in the cave.

"What a horrible night. I wonder when will we reach Sunnyrise."

"Snort..."

"But we made it here, to this cave, safely, so we might be fine. I'm sure someone else has been caught in a thunderstorm before. There's no point in worrying about it."

I tried to cheer myself up. I sat down on the floor of the cave and thought for a moment.

"Well, I guess I should eat something."

I tried to eat a bit of dried meat, but I couldn't bring myself to swallow it.

"Well, I'll try again tomorrow."

I put the food away and fell asleep.

***

I woke up the next morning. I opened my eyes and looked around.

"Mm... Mmph..."

Then before I could gather my thoughts an unknown man jumped at me.

"Hiyaaa! What's going on?! Who are you?!"

He was a large man, and his body was covered with muscles, but he was surprisingly nimble.

"Hahh... Hahhh... Such a pretty girl... Hya, hya, hya. We gotta have some fun little girl! I'm gonna send you to heaven right now!"

He laughed weirdly at me. It gave me the creeps.

"What the hell are you talking about? Don't come any closer! I don't know who you are, but stop coming near me!"

I rolled out of the way and dodged him.

"Oh? So, you're not scared? Or you're just pretending. Well, I'm gonna have some fun with you. Hyah, hyah!"

I took my gun and aimed at him.

"Go away or I will shoot! I mean it!"

I yelled at him.

"Hya, hya... you are such an unruly little girl, I really like your type!"

The man licked his lips.

"You are so cute. I want to touch you. Let me touch you!"

He reached out to me.

"Stay away!"

I pulled the trigger.

"Ahh!"

But he avoided the bullet and punched me.

"Wha—?! Wh-what the heck?!"

I was sent flying through the air. I hit the wall of the cave and almost lost consciousness.

"Ohh, ohh, ooohhh..."

I coughed up blood. I struggled to stand up, but my legs wouldn't work properly.

"Whoa, she's tough. But it's okay. You can relax. I won't let you die easily. Not today."

He grabbed my hand and pressed his mouth against my palm.

"W-wait a minute. I'll kill you if you do that!"

"Hya, hyah! Such a lovely hand it tastes so great."

"Nooo! Stop it! That's disgusting!"

I tried to pull my hand back, but he held it tightly. Then he kissed my hand.

"It's so soft. This is the best. My tongue can't get enough of it."

"Let go of my hand! Just stop!"

"How about you try biting it? It'll feel good."

"Stop! No! Please!"

I yelled and struck him with my gun on the head.

"Gwuh?!"

It was a critical hit. The man rolled away and held his head.

"It hurt little girl! But I like that kind of play too! Hya, hya!"

"You pervert! Go away You are scaring me! And besides, I'm a boy, not a girl!"

"So, what? I don't care. I've already decided I love you. I want to make you mine. You'll be my wife."

"Wife?"

"Yes, my precious bride. I'll take you away from all this and give you a happy life. You'll never have to worry about anything ever again."

"I don't wanna become your wife!"

"Why not? Are you scared? Are you a virgin? I'll protect you. I'm strong, so there's nothing to fear. I'll keep you safe. I'll be gentle with you. I'll cherish you. I'll always hold you close to me."

"I-I don't want to be with you! I don't even know you! And you punched me!"

"Hya, hya! You're such a spoiled little girl! How many times do I have to tell you before you listen? If you don't want to be with me, then fine. I'll just make you my slave instead. You'll be my property, and I'll do whatever I want with you. Do you want to live as my slave or my lovely wife?"

"Y-you're scary! I don't want to be your slave! I don't want to be your wife either!"

The man was saying nonsense. He wasn't listening to me. I aimed at him with my gun and shoot him. The bullet hit his stomach.

"Guh..."

He fell over and started to bleed heavily.

"Hyaa... Cough... Love sure is painful. Now I understand why people are all about love so much."

The man laughed. Then Suddenly Donkey came over and hit the man in the head and he lost consciousness.

"Thank you Donkey. A-anyway, we need to leave this place."

I didn't want to be around here anymore. I was a bit hesitant, but I searched the man. He was surprisingly rich. He had 12 goldens, which I took as a payment for attacking me.

I tied the man and ran out of the cave with Donkey, leaving him behind. I hesitated to kill him. I didn't want to do it ever again in my life.

***