บท 12: Scaring the beasts off
After confirming my Origin still exists, I felt a bit ambitious. How far could I reach with this power?
But before all that, we still have to go back to Dad's hometown, which would be probably dangerous.
Within the short time that I tried to control Origin, I could only move it here and there. There wasn't much I can do, and I didn't have any kind of techniques which could make something like a mana bullet.
I tried to circulate Origin within my body and imitated the circulation for the Shant Bullet that I had firsthand experience on, did the necessary calculations, and it just failed. I could only frown while I scratch my head and hope.
This looks like a different type of power altogether from source power.
The techniques I've read from novels and all other fictional stories from my previous life also didn't work, and most of them weren't explicitly stated how were they exactly done either.
I should just try and try until I could invent something on my own then?
From controlling Origin within the body, and then controlling them outside the body. It might seem faint right now but I could see it affecting physical objects, so it's definitely not illusionary.
"Kaff, not done pooping yet?"
"Almost!"
I should probably focus on this on a different time.
The power is translucent but not invisible. I decided to surprise my parents later when all matters are done.
***
My parents currently wore different clothing than usual and it was the first time I'm seeing them like this... They look awesome.
Mom's red hair was tied to a bun with her bangs on the sides. She wore a leather inner wear that was covered with a dark green cloak. She had leggings and had attached various tools and weapons, and her right leg was covered in leather and on it hung a prominent long pocket that measured from the waist and reached below the knee. The handle on the opening served as clue that she was bringing some kind of short sword.
Her sleek figure and clothing outlined her body, and it seemed fashionable too. Her hands were covered with black gloves with the fingers exposed. Wasn't that instead dangerous?
My dad however, wore only the green cloak, and a dagger hung on his waist. Besides that, his clothes look only casual; just a gray shirt and dim pants. These two are quite the contrast, and bringing them together doesn't look like they were a couple.
I haven't measured how far my parents ran during the beasts pursuit, but I realized that we're quite far. The afternoon was quite dim yesterday and I couldn't see over the fog or low clouds in the air.
The forest stretched towards the horizon and I couldn't see the end of the trees. There was a nearby creek where I took a dump, and it was as narrow as our makeshift tent. Behind us was a mountain and it was still a bit far. I heard from my previous life that mountains tend to look good and easy to climb from afar, but difficult and akin to a labyrinth once you enter and hike. If that's true then the mountain at the distance must be as big as a city, but not as big as Phione.
My Dad knew the woods here so he assured us that we're not lost. He also knew that place from earlier and it was his secret resting area from when he was a child. He then muttered that if only the others also knew about this place...
Mom then broke the silence by making Dad laugh, and told him that nothing's sure until we have news.
They were briskly walking and I was sprinting to match their speed while holding on to Mom's hand. Even I was surprised when Dad noticed that I was keeping up well with them as they stride. It seems Origin also improved my stamina? Or did it replace my stamina? There are still a lot of things I haven't consolidated as I only recently acquired Origin.
Mom then let go of me and let me run on my own. They zigzagged, skipped, and jumped through various foliage and I could surprisingly keep up. The feeling was phenomenal, I feel invigorated!
"El, he's born a hunter! A hunter! I told you so!!"
"Fine, fine. I understand."
"I won the bet, so I'll be teaching him how to hunt after all these." Mom happily skipped as we ran, and she got back to briskly walking again.
"Mom... What's the bet?"
"Ask Dad."
"Dad?"
"Mom wanted our first child to be a hunter, be it a boy or a girl. I said no and said to just send you here and choose what you would like to learn."
Dad's hometown, Illa, has lots of industries. Since we're near a capital city, they got to trade with Phione faster and had more access compared to the outermost towns that rarely had the good stuff. Which good stuff Dad was referring to, I'm not sure, but I think it's got to be similar to how provinces and cities work back in my previous world.
Looks like we got to live at Phione at a high price, but my parents couldn't keep up with the unexpected expenses and decided to leave and go back to his hometown after Dad's injuries healed, or after a few years I was born. Carrying an infant during travelling wasn't particularly safe so they'd rather wait and have me grow up for a bit before going back.
But since I learned faster than an ordinary kid, they thought of me as a genius and wanted to go right away. The only thing that really held them back was his injuries, and the fact that I've been accepted to school. They were hesitant to leave by then, yet after learning that I didn't have a source spirit, they decided to just have me learn how to read, before letting me quit school.
Dad told me all that without breaking a sweat, and he's not yet fully healed.
Dad, you're making me suspicious.
Anyway, it looks like education isn't really all that important here besides counting money, since only a few people really know how to read and write. Phione was already the capital city but no one of the neighbors were actually literate.
Or was my world just small at the moment because I didn't roam around outside?
Then he also let out his thoughts about me, being a lucky child.
Me, lucky?
After that, he wore a serious expression on his face.
Either way, we're currently nearing where the flying beasts gave chase, and I could smell a faint stench of rotting meat.
A few more steps later, in the distance, I could see what used to be a thriving town's destroyed image.
With all that story Dad told earlier, it made me frown over seeing the current situation.
"El, take Kaff!"
My mom took her short sword and in a flash, blocked a black thing zooming on me. I couldn't see it properly first because it was on my peripheral but as soon as I glanced at it, I could only see fangs opening and the tail that followed behind it.
By instinct I closed my eyes and blocked with my arms, but I felt a cool breeze waft over and took me quietly away from the incoming attack.
Opening my eyes I saw Dad look at me, and told me 'good kid' with a smile. He then took out the dagger from his waist and glanced at the black beast that's currently entangled with Mom.
"It's a Twin-tailed Black Panther. From a wild animal, it turned into a beast by eating humans with source power. Not sure why there's one here, but thanks to its aloof nature, there are no others."
After giving me a description that seemed like it was read out from a wiki page, Dad blurred and I saw him hit the Twin-tailed Black Panther a few times in quick succession, not even sure where he aimed at but the beast died within seconds.
"Why did you kill it? I was warming up!"
"Eh... Fine, next time tell me if you need help."
"It just so happened that your injuries have slightly healed and you're... HUMPH!"
After Mom snorted a few more times and lightly punching Dad on the chest, she pulled the dead beast, turned it upside down and cut its belly.
Even as an adult, it wasn't normal seeing animals being butchered and I almost felt nauseous at the spot but strangely, there wasn't much blood and the organs were still slightly intact. Mom thrusted the opening on its chest and pulled it. On her hand laid a glowing red core that shined dimly, and its dim light blinked in a certain rhythm.
Then she put it in her pocket.
"First thing in hunting beasts, don't break the core. Weeeeell, you couldn't break them if you can't cut them up anyway."
Mom stood up, swished her sword, removing wet and thick blood. She wiped the remaining almost dried blood after.
I noticed that her short sword had some kind of jagged edges to it, as if it was a saw, while the other side was blunt.
Dad's weapon... Is already back at his waist before I even noticed.
Just what the heck is he?
A few moments later, I saw a flying beast from the horizon, slowly nearing into view.
It's a good chance! Test my Origin power!
I got excited with that and took aim with my hand at the beast.
My parents repeatedly glanced between the beast and me as soon as I took that gesture.
Paying it no mind, I charged up the Origin around me and gathered it at the front of my hand, and two slightly behind...
I couldn't feel how much Origin I've gathered, but I can see azure light faintly forming in front of my hand about the size of the beast.
The flying beast was becoming near already, and I'm still not done casting.
I guess this amount could be enough for me to try?
To create the projectile mechanism, I just imagined and formed a solid V shape before the charging orb, pulling the orb on the center of the V...
And as if two charged heavy hammers swung and hit both sides of the V.....
"Pisa, get down...!"
*BOOM*
Azure light blindingly expanded before a sound of explosion.
I couldn't see how it went but I think I did it. If not then I would just rely on Mom and Dad to kill the beast then?
After that, the light disappeared as soon as the explosion ended, and I saw the surrounding trees shed a few leaves.
On the ground in front a few meters of me, the grass had some crisscrossing patterns as if... a vortex affected them.
I saw Mom and Dad on the side, embracing each other while on the ground.
I looked up and the beast was nowhere to be found, and a few black feathers were slowly swaying and floating downwards.
"Kaff, are you alright?" Dad quickly ran towards me and tapped me here and there to check my body.
I could see Mom in disbelief as she slowly walked towards me.
"Did the Vates taught you that?" Mom asked.
"No."
"Did the Beast God?" Dad asked.
"No."
"Then what the..."
The atmosphere turned silent, and the town was just close yet it also felt far.
I thought I was doing something not really that explosive but...
Just what the heck happened?
Am I more of a scare now instead of a help?
"Kaff."
"Yes Dad?"
He suddenly embraced me tightly.
"You have a lot of secrets, I know. I also have mine."
I couldn't say anything and just hugged him back tightly too, then he continued.
"For now, hide everything that happened today. This isn't a small matter. Mom agrees too, right?"
"Of course."
Then I felt Mom pet my head rather heavily.
"Ugh. Don't use it carelessly. We almost died, no shit."
"No curse words!"
"Oof, sorry! But that was really amazing!! This student greets Master Kaff. Please recognize me as your disciple."
We all laughed as Mom continued to make more humor, and all those bad feelings went away.
I really love my parents, they're the best.
I thought Dad would outright just kill me in an instant after that brief silence though, whew!
After that, I held back on the Origin stuff and just let my parents do the work for now. Strangely though, the beasts seem to be aware and afraid of me, as some were even shivering as if in a tremor before running away. That was quite a sight to behold and Mom just shrugged off her shoulders as she told us that it was a wasted opportunity collecting beast cores.
We reached Illa within two hours as we still wanted to be careful, and we were greeted by an old man walking around. Before that, he looked like he was looking for something.
"Are you the Civil Corps?"
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