Xion looks at the plain white spear in his hands, he can feel the connection he had with the spear giving him an illusion of perfect control over the spear. Because the spear already absorbs his overflowed energy, he can feel his control over his body is back and no longer bothering him.
Picking up the spear, Xion stands up from his position and carefully touch the edge of the spear.
'It's not as sharp as metal made weapon but with enough power, I can pierce my target just fine or at least hurt them. This will do just fine for now.'
The spear had a 2.4-meter length with a blunt diamond-shaped end and neat looking head blade. With Xion's height of 1.6 meters, the spear outclasses him by one-third of its entire length. The spear doesn't have any ornament of the sort that signifies it made by master yet it still gives off a feeling of a weapon made by a master.
[Unnamed Bone Spear]
[Lv1]
[Durability: 150]
[A spear brimming with a will of piercing its master enemies.]
Xion never saw anything like it before. Is it the effect of the Interface? Or because it was made by me? A couple of questions appeared in his head.
'It has no name so I will name you Spinewulf.' And the system renews the information on his head.
With one long breath, Xion restarts his mission to get the Over-eat skill.
After the long hours of constant eating, he finally gets what he wanted, the Over-eat.
[Over-eat]
[Store the excess energy you had from eating. The stored energy can be converted into any known energy.]
'It wasn't what I expected. I expect it would give me some sort of boost by eating or make me stronger. But this may come in handy in our current situation.' Xion began to create lots of different plans on his head.
In the span of his frenzied eating session, Xion would transfer his excess aether into the spear to prevent him from getting unnecessary troubled. He would sometimes stab his spear into a tree or rotate it, basically, he did anything he can think of to familiarize himself with the use of the spear. The illusion of perfect control of the spear he had previously was only an illusion he got because his aether was inside the spear.
The training he did with the spear giving him new knowledge and experience of how to control his aether. By filling the spear with aether or coating the blade side increases its sharpness. Despite the thing he did to Spinewulf, stabbing and flinging into the trees the durability of the spear only down by one.
Now, on his way to get back home, he saw a wounded wolf hiding at the roots of some big tree. The wolf covered in mud and blood looking haggard. Seeing the hopeless and weaken animal Xion thought about the kids he leaves behind on the hut. This can be a protein source for the kids. He thought.
Reading his spear pointing it to the frail wolf, with the distance he currently stands Xion can stab his spear forward and kill the wolf. But, part of him prevents his hands to make that stabbing motion. Was it an honor? Or pity? He himself doesn't know.
Taking a closer look, Xion can see that the injury it had wasn't that bad except its hind legs have been broken by what looks like from some blunt impact. It may not be a dangerous or deadly situation for humans or intelligent species in their settlement (city) but in this environment, the wilderness where the weak will be prey upon was a death sentence. Even the wolf already accepts its death by its action of not even baring its teeth toward him and its dimming light on its eyes. Surrendering its life.
"Ahhh… What is wrong with me?" huffing a long sigh Xion kneel beside the wolf but he still tightly holds the spear with his left hand in case the wolf attacks him or any other unexpected situation.
The blood on the wolf body wasn't from its own rather the wound it currently had only the one on its hind leg.
"I don't know if you will understand me but I'll tell you this in case (they said some spirit beast had knowledge equivalent to an adult) I will help you heal your wound and give you chance to live in exchange of protecting my family at least in this forest. Later, when we leave the forest, you'll be free."
Xion looks at the unresponsive wolf, his eyes met with the eyes of the wolf and the wolf closes its eyes again as if accepting the term, he had put out.
At first, when Xion saw the wounded wolf what come to his mind was 'free meat' which influence by his experience on 'Terra' but when it comes to doing the deed of finishing the surrendered wolf his experience on 'Alentia' prevent him to. Xion's self on Terra makes him strong-minded and knows how fickle human mind is, because of his circumstance when growing. While his other self that grows up in Alentia was filled with the story of how honorable knights by the orphanage mother who raises him, not because he doesn't know what harsh is or how filthy the human is rather, he dreams of becoming one himself so he always holds his honor even when there is nothing on his plate.
Another thing that shaped them was how their world works. One with their advanced civilization and technology, and the other one influence by magic with their fairytales which wasn't really a fairytale. One was driven by economics while the other one is driven by power. The circumstances were what had forged them to be what they are.
The forest was already dark from the big and ancient trees shading the light from the dimming sun. Xion knows that with darkness creeping in the nocturnal animal will start their hunts. Means, bad news for him and the wolf. He hurriedly put his hand on the ground picking up the mud he can hold on his hands and rub it to the body of the wolf.
'Now with these muds hopefully the blood scent will be mask by it.'
Xion picks up the wolf and walks into his home by following the weird trail he left behind. Before he can get close to his home the dimming light that shows him the way was gone, leaving him with thirty-something kilo weights reducing his speed and prevent him from running.
Dusk, a gate of the night, a bell of notice telling the whole resident of light it will be officially nighttime where darkness engulfs the world (part of it) and the time for the resident of the night to rise.
Xion stays in his place afraid of losing his way or standing in an open place where an attack may come from all directions. Therefore, he chooses to get closer to the biggest tree in front of him limiting direction the attack may come. He put the wolf down, Xion stance his spear and lean closer to the tree, waiting. He waits for unknown time till the twin moon in the sky appears and gives its light to show the path for the weary travelers.
Resuming his journey whilst carrying a burden and wary of his surrounding really put a toll on his mind. Still, never once his calm expression wavers nor he gritted his teeth to force himself to calm. An influence he got from his otherworld self. Staying calm even in the midst of disaster or death.
Finally, Xion saw the hut bath in the light of the twin moon. The small clearing around the hut gives him a sense of safety. Perhaps its because his high-strung nerve starts to relieve itself.
Xion walks toward the door with large stride and pushes it with his foot.
"I'm back." He said while looking at the three children who look expectantly at something on his shoulder.
The hut was mostly made of wood and some sort of dirt wall mix with bark fibers. While inside of the hut wasn't that big in his opinion, probably 30-meter-wide with no room except one all-purpose bathroom and two separate sunken hearths in the center of the room. The room only had one bed at the side where he sleeps previously, almost an eternal sleep.
"What is that brother?" asked the only boy in the family.
"A wolf I saved on the way home. Sorry, I don't get any meat for you guys tonight. I'll get it before breakfast."
The kids don't even care for their supposed to arrive dinner. Their gaze only focuses on the wolf that Xion put on the floor. The mud on the wolf body dirtying the wooden floor makes him feels bad because, from the looks of it, the floor has been clean by the kids or Aleta.
"It's okay, brother we are fine and I find an apple tree so I brought a lot with me. By the way, where did you get that spear from?"
Xion nodded and said his thanks. He takes off his upper clothes and sits in front of the fireplace which currently boiling a pot of water. After Xion drank his warm water he walks back towards the three kids, they awkwardly touch its head and wait for its response. But the wolf not even responding a bit to the amusement of the children, probably weaken further from the journey.
"I make it, I'll make one for each of you later. Now leave the poor wolf alone, big bro needs to heal its bone. Hopefully, it works."
'Assuming my abilities work by controlling the bone by filling it with aether, my energy, and control or shape the bone how I wish.'
If he can insert his energy to its bone and then reshaped the broken bone without making an incision into the bone so he can touch it directly. There is a chance that the wolf would explode like the previous carcass he found and made into Spinewulf. No risk no gain, they said.
Putting a few plans ahead he began his treatment. First, he touches where the wolf was hurt and gathers aether in his palm. He let the aether on his palm seeps into the wolf skin and then to its muscle and finally the bone.
When he planned to start with the reforming of the bone, he got a bad feeling about it and stop for a moment. Xion ponders about what is or will be the problem that occurs if he continues. Not even in a moment that he thinks his feeling was wrong so he starts to slow down the injection of his aether.
Lots of speculation run through his head. Few times he ran a futile simulation in his head with all of them succeed but he knows it better that's happen because he had too little information, on how aether or how magic works or the most important thing his Ruler of Bone way of works and its rules.
"Brother, he looks in pain and weaker than before."
That was a wake up called from his perceptive little brother.
He resumes the injection but with a different method; he will inject his energy to turn into a thin needle-like rather than let it seeps in slowly costing his time and energy. Afraid of making the same mistake by exploding the body of its target he put his other hand on its body and speed up his energy injection while making sure it won't hurt the wolf or leave any permanent damage.
A bead of sweat began to appear on Xion's face. Yet his calm face still won't leave his face even in this situation. When he felt the same illusion of perfect control of the bone, he stops putting more energy and focused on the broken bone on its hind leg and restore it by copying the other intact hind leg of the wolf, at the same time he also strengthens its overall bone density.
[Contract established!]
[Transaction in progress.]
[Received 200 Value point]
While the 'operation' takes place the wolf only lets out a whimper once before passing out. Is it from pain or other reasons Xion doesn't know but the least of his worry right now was an infection. With his second task of the day complete, he finally felt mentally and physically tired.
Xion felt like he had chronic anemia at the moment because of his almost empty aether and combine with the other two problems, he wants to pass out or at least get some sleep.
"Aleta I'm tired, keep watch of the wolf, and woke me up if something happens or if you're tired. You, three children, should sleep as well."
He drags his tired body closer to the fireplace and finally passes out.
Happy reading and have a nice day.
Note: I honestly feel the quality a bit bad but...