Tribesman's New Life

Chapter 22: Swift Needle Tribe

One of the Swift Needle tribesmen approached, carrying hollowed sticks that resembled bamboo straws. Aries quickly surmised their purpose. "This is a needleblower, a weapon primarily used by the Swift Needle tribe," the Swift Needle chief explained. "You can load a needle into the bottom and blow, propelling the needle with great speed." He continued, "A single shot from this can put even a giant beast to sleep."

Aries could detect the distinct scent of the material used on the needles, similar to what he utilized in his sleeping bombs. His extensive knowledge of herbs, gained through his time in the forest, allowed him to identify various plants' properties, both for causing ailments and curing them.

"The trade starts tomorrow, and the wolf isn't mine. The kid here owns it," the Forest Guardian chief clarified, pointing at Aries. This offer, while intriguing to the tribe in the past, now hinged on Aries' assessment, as the chief noted his apparent lack of enthusiasm towards the Swift Needle's weaponry.

"How about it, kid? With this weapon, you can capture more of those wolves," the Swift Needle chief proposed to Aries. Aries was well aware that with 2-3 needles, a regular wolf could be subdued. However, he also knew that the potency of the sleeping powder in those needles wouldn't be enough to pacify a dark wolf leader. Against such a formidable creature, his powerful sleeping powder was only able to make it slightly drowsy, necessitating the use of a paralyzing powder bomb to neutralize it. Given this, the Swift Needle weapon held little appeal for him.

"Your weapons wouldn't have the power to capture even one of these wolves," Aries retorted. His words seemed to irk the Swift Needle chief, hinting that despite their generations of refining their weaponry, they had yet to develop tools sufficient for capturing such a beast.

"The dark wolf leader is renowned as one of the forest's mightiest predators due to its wolf pact. However, your wolf stands alone, and it's not as invulnerable as you assume, rendering our weapons ineffective against it," the Swift Needle chief countered. His response revealed their lack of recent experience facing a dark wolf leader. Aries understood that the wolf leader chose to hunt alone, rejecting the assistance of its pact members.

Aries walked purposefully out of the building and headed straight for Wolfie. Upon reaching the dark wolf leader, he skillfully untied the wolf from the carriage. Wolfie responded by wriggling its body to shake off the stiffness accumulated from being tethered to the carriage for an entire day. The mere motion of the dark wolf leader caused a gust of wind to ripple outward, making the nearby tribesmen shiver in its wake. They couldn't fathom how such a formidable creature could be treated so nonchalantly by a young child. How was it that a beast capable of such power would playfully submit to the authority of this boy?

"How about you put your weapon to the test against my wolf? Rest assured, it won't retaliate," Aries provocatively challenged the members of the other tribe. This was akin to throwing down the gauntlet, challenging the centuries-old traditions of their hunting and combat techniques.

"If our needleblower can bring it to its knees, will you give it to me?" The Swift Needle chief inquired, a tone of confidence in his voice. His tribe's weapon had never let them down, a fact they took pride in. This was why their training focused heavily on agility, complementing their ranged weaponry. With their ability to skillfully employ ranged weapons while moving with unparalleled agility, they had consistently outmaneuvered both beasts and enemies alike.

"Sure. However, if your weapon proves ineffective, I doubt anything you have to offer would be sufficient to match the value of my wolf," Aries replied. He understood that the success of the weapon's demonstration would significantly affect its perceived worth.

"This is a thread spun from the silk of a Trapper spider-a small, rare species known for creating non-adhesive webs. Despite lacking stickiness, these webs are astonishingly resilient. Even a hard stone knife struggles to cut through them easily. With this silk, one can weave lightweight yet incredibly sturdy garments," the Swift Needle chief explained. He revealed two spools of the thread, its thinness surpassing Aries's expectations. Evidently, the quantity provided could likely produce just a single shirt.

"That's good enough, I guess," Aries replied with a dismissive tone, downplaying the value of the offered thread.

Even their own chief was taken aback by Aries's nonchalant response. The Forest Guardian chief was intimately familiar with the nature of the thread. In a previous confrontation with the Swift Needle chief, he had relied solely on his physical prowess to defeat his opponent, as even his best tools had proven ineffective against the formidable fabric.

Abruptly, a small dart struck the wolf in the arm. The dart, fashioned from a needle and a twist of fiber, was designed to be expelled from a tube with a puff of human breath. While the wolf exhibited a slight reaction, it swiftly dismissed the annoyance. However, this response was different from what the Swift Needle chief was accustomed to.

Bafflement flickered across the Swift Needle chief's face. In usual circumstances, one dart would be enough to render a creature the size of the wolf immobile. Yet, the wolf displayed no discernible response at all. Glancing toward his fellow tribesmen, he observed an air of concern among them. Undeterred, he loaded another dart and propelled it toward the wolf's arm, this time positioning it beside the previous dart. While the wolf exhibited a modicum of agitation, it calmed swiftly under Aries's soothing touch. This unexpected result was due to Aries's foresight. The treats he had been feeding the wolf were infused with a unique herb he called the "excite herb," which provided a surge of energy and negated any traces of drowsiness. Coupled with the wolf's natural resistance, the herb's effects had been particularly pronounced.

With no other recourse, the members of the Swift Needle tribe brought forth their needleblowers, ready to employ the weapons against the wolf. They were determined to incapacitate the creature as swiftly as possible. Their darts struck the wolf's body from every conceivable angle. To their astonishment, however, the wolf remained standing. The Swift Needle tribe was incredulous. Their entire arsenal had proven futile against a single beast. The prospect of contending with such a creature without the means to incapacitate it was a daunting one. Once again, the wolf wriggled, and the darts clattered to the ground, one after another.

"Let's leave," the defeated Swift Needle chief conceded. The humiliation he had endured was beyond his expectations. The chief had been fully aware that the Forest Guardians were once a force to be reckoned with, even though their strength had dwindled to an irreparable state. However, to lose a wager to a child, it was a blow that tarnished his tribe's reputation even further. The Swift Needle tribe began to withdraw, their defeated posture evident as they reclaimed their needleblowers.

"Leave the thread," Aries commanded, halting the Swift Needle chief in his tracks. The thread was clutched tightly in the chief's hand, as if he were reluctant to relinquish it. This thread, produced by the elusive Trapper spider, was a precious resource that the Swift Needle tribe could only harvest once a year due to its rarity. With each passing year, the task became more challenging. Surrendering this quantity of thread to another, particularly to a rival tribe, was an unbearable prospect for the chief.