Farmer and Fisherman

Seti couldn't sleep at night. Shivering in the cold and holding his body together like a baby. Once the morning arrived he felt tired rather than rested.

The wind was blowing the grasslands. There were barely any animals in the vicinity. Only the insects and birds passed by. The grassland was seemingly endless and stretched through the horizon.

He didn't want to stand up as he wanted to sleep during the day. Still, he didn't want to burden Asumi who was mysteriously confident. So he wiped off the bugs and clips of grass on his pink polo and shorts. He raised his upper body and saw Asumi standing in the middle of a field.

She looked in every direction. Licking her finger and raising her hand. She looked back and ran back to Seti. She gave her hand and lifted Seti who looked tired. Seti wasn't in the best conditions. His eyes wanted to sleep but his mindset wasn't. He wanted to inform Asumi so that she could lead the way." Couldn't sleep last night. I can walk but can you lead the way?"

"Alright, Hop on my back."

Ha? Are you serious?!... I can walk. I don't want to lose face as a man… It took his attention. However, he denied her offer."I can walk by myself…" He said in a raspy voice.

"Okay then…Just follow me." She led the way and immediately left the area. They weren't hungry however soon it would become a problem. It's even going to be more troublesome with Seti's lack of energy.

…

Seti followed her lead. He wanted to sleep but slowly he focused on following her. Somewhat distracting him from his somnolence.

They passed through the windy grasslands and found their first sign of a big land animal. They found themselves in a hilly grassland. Bumps made it tiring for Seti to walk on.

The place had less grass and had more animals. There were cow-like creatures who were feeding on the grass. This time they had a single horn on their foreheads. On their legs, their hooves were a bit larger and had more of a sharp edge. Anything other than those two differences, they mostly resemble the cows of Earth.

It was a herd amounting to 12 cattle. There was one who went astray. Asumi followed the stray cow and heard the sound of flowing water. She grinned in excitement and shouted to Seti. "Hey! There is a river here!"

She continued following the cow until she finally managed to get a glimpse of the river. She spoke to herself in a lower voice."Finally, It seems my memory still serves me well. Even though it's not complete."

The cow drank the river water. Many animals also flocked to this area to get their daily needs. The most notable ones would be the giant horses. It moved fast unlike any giant terrestrial creature on Earth. It had more hair and their hooves were wider.

Asumi was glad she finally found a source of food. She immediately signaled Seti who was trying to catch up with her.

He was panting after walking uphill on multiple hills. Once he finally caught up he immediately sat down and laid his head to the ground. He could keep moving however he eventually gave in and tried to sleep. Asumi looked at him and brushed it off thinking he could get to rest a little bit.

At the other side of the river lies the border between a forest and grassland. There were trees scattered around the riverbanks. Some trees had straight trunks while some had jagged trunks.

She picked up a fallen branch. Straight enough for proper handling so that she could pierce the fishes on the shallow parts of the river. She grabbed two stones and bashed them together. One was soft and hard, she used the soft one to sharpen the branch. The edge was pointed for an easy catch.

Asumi folded up her jeans and removed her shoes. She went straight to the shallow waters where she could see the ground. She looked closely under her and saw the freshwater fishes hiding between the stones. Using her instinct and experience, she immediately throws the spear and manages to stab a single fish. She plucked the long fish from the spear.

Later on, she caught more fish, enough to last them for a while. She was exhausted and sat on the river banks for a short while. She took a look at her surroundings and saw a large footprint. Asumi was baffled and surprised as the footprint was recent. Her alertness went up higher and quickly stood up. Running back to Seti so that she could wake him up. I can't believe it! I thought I've gone in the right direction! That monster shouldn't be here!

She repeatedly shook Seti's body so that he could wake up. His body already had enough energy so he woke up normally. He was outraged, however, but soon he saw her face and knew something was wrong.

"What is it!? Who's there!? What happened!?" He instantly thought there was an enemy. When he looked around he couldn't find a single living thing that could endanger him. So he irritably asked Asumi."What's the problem! There's nothing here!"

However, she had a look of worry which made Seti concerned."What is it! Don't wake me up for nothing!"

Asumi quickly informed him."There is a monster! A giant one we must run!"

"There is!? Where?" He was confused but he knew there was a threat. Seti quickly stood up and started questioning her."What monster? Where is it?"

On the sea of tall grass. There was a fast movement in between. Some grass was falling to the ground as a rounded animal passed through. A large rounded plated animal rolling through the grass

There was a constant stream of air being released in the gaps on its front plate.

The worst-case scenario pictured by Asumi had come into reality. Her worries heightened and instantly ran towards the river. Seti, who was ultimately perplexed by the situation, followed Asumi in hopes of finding an answer. Both of them dove into the river. With Asumi still holding the fish in her hand.

Seti swam back to the surface and saw a sight to behold. Suddenly an explosion came from the water and the riverbank. It was so big that a large wave was created due to impact.

He quickly dove underwater but was quickly swept by the strong current. He managed to find Asumi's body and clung to her leg. However, she repeatedly shook her legs to waive off Seti.

He tried to gain his composure and swam back up. The current wasn't as strong as before and he still got himself close to Asumi. He looked back and never saw the creature who attacked them.

What the hell was that?! This is definitely another world! He was stunned by what had happened. They still swam to the river and tried to find a safe spot on the river bank to rest on. He coughed out a lot of water when they reached the riverbank.

He looked at Asumi and was surprised to see her holding the bundled fish in her hands. However, he still wanted to ask her what happened."What the fuck did just happened?!"

"Look it's a monster attack, you've seen it firsthand right? I never thought it would be a fast one." She said this while wringing her hands.

"What type of monster?" He asked more.

"It looked like an armadillo, to say the least. A large one at that." She pointed out what she had seen.

"So then what do we do? I don't know how we can defeat that type of monster nor do we have the abilities for it. We'll just fucking die like ants!" He was frightened of the unknowable future.

"There is one, It needs cooperation between the both of us. First of all, do you know any crop that grows by a week?" She assured him whilst asking questions.

"Are you kidding me? Right now?" He was astounded.

"Don't you want to live?"

"Of course I do! But what do crops have to do with a monster? Furthermore, how do you know how this is going to work?" He was baffled but she kept insisting."Of course, I have a plan. However, that needs your agricultural knowledge."

"Well, shit!... Look, we just got through a life-threatening situation… You know what I'll answer your first question." He decided to answer.

He continued."Do you want a fast-growing crop that grows by a week? Too bad we don't, no such thing exists unless you're talking about Microgreens. The fastest one I planted grew in a month!"

She inquired more."What about wheat? I heard they're pretty fast-growing and a founding crop. I've seen wheat while we are on our travels"

"What? No! They grow for like a hundred plus days. Also unless we find civilization there is no way we're getting the wheat made on a usual medieval farm! That wheat you mentioned? Yeah, those are pretty undeveloped and aren't packed with more grains. Even then the fast-growing I can offer can take like 2 weeks or even a month depending on the environment. Will you agree if that extends to two weeks?" He clarified.

"So what type of plant are you talking about?" She asked.

"Whatever plan you're doing then you're going to need Arugula."