On the moonlit stone platform, the wooden door creaked open softly. Two figures stepped out, treading lightly as they left the cabin behind.
Chuck walked in front, the silver moonlight bathing his powerful, sweat-slicked muscles. He was completely naked, his rear exposed to the cool night air as he looked up at the moon with a calm expression. Janet followed, closing the door gently and staring at the robust back of the man before her. Her face remained a mask of indifference.
Over the past few days, Janet had felt that Chuck was intentionally letting her see him in the act, perhaps trying to use his raw masculinity to rattle her composure. If so, he was disappointed; Janet didn't play those games.
Chuck turned slowly, his chiseled physique looking like a sculpture under the stars. He waited for the red-headed Westerner to speak. Communicating without a translator was a hurdle, but they were managing.
"Fight. When?" Janet asked, pointing toward the shimmering scale armor on the wooden chair and the three bronze spears leaning against the wall.
Chuck hadn't expected her to lead with that. He raised an eyebrow, realized there was no point in lying, and replied, "Tomorrow."
"I go with you. OK?" Janet pointed to her own heavy, bursting chest, then to Chuck, spreading her hands slightly.
"Definitely not OK." Chuck frowned. Hadn't he told her there was a bear? Why was this woman trying to join the chaos? While he had to admit Janet was physically stronger and more capable than most women, she was still a woman—and more importantly, she was Julia's family.
"Dangerous," he added, waving his hand in a firm refusal.
"I take care of myself." Janet didn't back down. She used gestures to explain. "I won't get in your way. I watch from far away. To make sure you are safe."
Chuck rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. He didn't understand her angle, but having a spotter wouldn't be the worst thing, provided she stayed well outside the bear's territory.
He crossed his arms. The cool night breeze brushed against his body, causing his "hot spear"—still messy with white streaks—to hang lower. He asked in a deep voice, "Julia. Know?"
"NO!" Janet immediately crossed her arms over her chest in an 'X' shape. "Don't tell her!"
Chuck shook his head. If Julia knew, she'd never agree. Janet had waited until now to talk to him specifically to bypass her niece. This was tricky. Chuck was a dominant man, but he cared about his women's feelings—especially Julia, who had been with him since day one.
Just as he was about to refuse again, Janet caught his hesitation. Her blue eyes—so like Julia's but with a deeper, more predatory maturity—suddenly shimmered with a seductive light.
"If OK... and you fight bear... victory..." Janet paused, performing an action that left Chuck stunned.
She took the zipper of her tight athletic jacket with her pale fingers and slowly pulled it down. Out popped two massive, creamy mounds of flesh, as round and heavy as oversized loaves of bread, revealing a deep, dark cleavage. She gave her upper body a slight, rhythmic shimmy, causing the heavy weights to bounce before his eyes.
"They. Let you use once."
Use them once? How?
Janet's gaze flicked downward, settling on the space between his legs with a suggestive intensity. The answer was glaringly obvious. In the seconds it took to process her meaning, Chuck's "spear" surged back to life, standing tall and proud once more in the night air.
He looked into her eyes and nodded firmly. "OK."
He didn't want Julia to be unhappy, but he figured a woman as open-minded as her would eventually understand. Besides, he remembered Julia making a similar promise once... a reward for a victory? He liked those odds.
Janet let a sultry smile play on her lips. For her, Julia getting pregnant wasn't her primary concern. If Chuck was a responsible man who truly cared for her niece, then as an aunt, her job was to help Julia deliver the baby safely. But if Chuck was just a lucky, low-life thug who viewed women as disposable toys, then she needed to take Julia away and deal with the pregnancy before it was too late.
To find out the truth, she had to see for herself. Was this man a true protector willing to risk his life for his family, or just a hypocrite with big words?
For Julia's sake, she didn't mind using her body as bait.
The morning came after a peaceful sleep. Chuck woke up, went through his drills, and ate breakfast with the women. The air was salty and fresh, and the sight of the beautiful, scantily-clad women stretching in the sunlight was a feast for the eyes.
Strangely, despite the danger ahead, Chuck felt incredibly calm. Objectively, even with all his gear, fighting a bear in a dense jungle was a coin flip. Subjectively, he simply didn't believe he could lose.
After breakfast, he pulled Elena into his arms for a final, sweet drink of her milk. Once satisfied, he stood as Julia helped him don the bronze scale armor. He strapped the three spears to his waist and moved the heavy fiber drop-net into his storage space.
"Going out. Back before noon," he told Julia, patting her ass. Then, grabbing his bronze halberd, he headed up the slope.
Julia and Elena watched him go with deep-seated worry. They knew the pattern. Usually, he gave them a list of chores. When he said nothing and left fully armed, he was going for a kill. The last time he did this, he brought back a goat. The time before that, he saved a girl from wolves and brought back two pelts.
Julia sighed and walked back into the cabin, praying her "beast" would return as a conquering hero. Shortly after she entered, Janet emerged from behind the house with a bronze axe at her waist. She slipped away, following Chuck's trail.
Chuck crossed the redwood forest and finally reached the edge of the tropical jungle. He had avoided this place for a long time, but today was the day of conquest.
He breathed deeply, gripped his halberd, and stepped into the humid, rotting air of the dense forest. The canopy above cut off the light, leaving the floor in a dim, swampy gloom. He stopped near two large trees, climbed up with agile precision, and set his trap. He arranged the heavy stones and the net on the branches, rigging a tripwire that led down to the ground. One pull, and the net would drop like a falling curtain.
Trap set. Now, for the prey.
He took a spear in his hand and crept deeper. The "Botany Master" buff from Julia triggered constantly, signaling dense resources everywhere. This jungle was a goldmine, provided he killed the guardian.
The air was stiflingly hot, made worse by the bronze armor. Sweat poured down his back. Suddenly, he heard it—a low, heavy rasping breath.
Shhh-shhh.
A massive black shadow emerged from the foliage. Chuck's blood ran cold. He ducked behind a tree, his armor clinking slightly. He held his breath as the bear—an adult weighing at least 450 pounds—sniffed the air. It knew an intruder was near.
Thanks to his 100% mental stat bonus, Chuck had spotted it first. He raised his bronze spear. The first strike was everything. If he failed to wound it significantly now, a head-on fight would be a nightmare.
The bear moved closer, now only twenty meters away. It lowered its head to sniff the dirt.
Now!
Chuck stepped out, lunged, and threw the spear with every ounce of strength in his core.
Roar—!!
The bear sensed the movement and twisted at the last second. The spear grazed its shoulder, spraying hot blood against a tree trunk. The bear let out a deafening roar that sent birds scattering.
Damn it! A graze!
Chuck didn't hesitate. He grabbed the second spear and launched it immediately. This time, his aim was true. The bronze tip buried itself deep into the bear's abdomen. The beast screamed in agony and rage, its eyes turning bloodshot as it charged toward him like a freight train.
Chuck turned and ran for his life toward the trap.