บท 265: Chapter 257: Return and Origin: The Father of the Void
"Hey…" Travis mumbled over Drake's shoulder, "Don't these cards kind of look like you? And do you just carry these around?"
Throwing down a card and whooping as he raised his hands, Drake turned to his brother, "So what if I do? And, no, I don't really see the resemblance…" he lied.
Drake looked around seeing the bus they had finally gotten in halfway through the trip back filled with his family, friends, and two black wolves in the very back, tongues lolling to the side.
He scoffed, "Did we really have to bring them with us?"
"Juju and Bombe are family now dude," Dillon snapped, rubbing one of the ferocious creatures behind the ear, despite them being several times his size.
"Dillon those are monsters," Drake reprimanded, "You don't even have your base class yet for two more years, they can seriously hurt you."
"Pardon, but we all know you could kill them if anything even remotely threatened your family," Mordred said softly, a low growl coming from the wolf who laid its head on her lap, "You are scaring them regardless, are you not, Monsieur?"
Drake's lips thinned, "I am, but better to prevent it so I don't have to-"
He was cut off abruptly by the sound of two people being slammed against the side of the bus, nearly toppling it on its side, but with a wave of his hand a gust of wind formed outside righting the vehicle.
This was a common occurrence by now. The two people Kalik Tu' and Charlotte being thrown out of the fight with Sah Ul', who wore a wide grin on her face.
Drake sighed, looking out through the window where the teens and Sarah fought along the moving transport, kids and adults alike staring out the windows as well, some with horrified expressions. And some children with wide excited eyes.
Magic, skills, and the clanging of weapons came from the scene. With the occasional teen thrown to the wayside only to slam against the bus as they grunted and then shot back into the fight.
He gave a small smile seeing Kalik and Charlotte basically shake off being thrown against a metal wall only to jump headfirst back into their training with the Orcish-Spartan woman he had grown so close to.
Sah Ul' had abandoned her stick, and replaced it with a dulled ax at this point, paying respect to just how fast the teens were growing and learning.
Over the last few hours, they had gained another level and consumed more of their respective skill stones to fill their skill slots.
"At this rate, those guards back at ReUnite might actually die if all six of them fight at once… even if there are thirty or more," Drake muttered.
"Oh, you have a fight going on between the kids? What's the story behind that?" Bjorn asked from the driver's seat.
"Have to assert dominance through the squad," Drake replied with a smile, "There's a few people still within the city with some misgivings, but after seeing their growth. I don't think it will even be close. At this point, I just hope no one dies…"
"Really? You think those kids are those strong?" Chelsea asked popping her head up behind a seat.
Drake gave her a confused look, "What do you mean? They're obviously strong."
Chelsea thumbed to Sarah, "Yeah but isn't she an Orc like them? They aren't all strong like her?"
"What? You think every Orc is as strong as Sarah?" Drake asked.
Chelsea nodded.
"What kind of city do you think I lead?"
The sound of another pair of teens hitting the side of the bus thunked against the metal frame, a loud grunt eking out.
Chelsea and the rest of the bus looked to the side, "I don't know, some version of Sparta?" she said with a wry smile.
"No, my little party that I brought is different…" Drake said as he stuck his head out, seeing Landin and Atropos, both stuck to the side thanks to their skills, "Having fun yet?"
"Have I ever told you I hate you…?" Landin grunted, blue flames of ice on his arms and head suddenly winking out of existence as he slipped away from the bus's side, a small ice wolf pup appearing out of nowhere.
Atropos ground her teeth a low growl escaping her lips while her dark scythe sizzled against the metal of the bus.
A moment later Atropos melded into the shadow under her, appearing again right behind Sarah only to be snatched out of the air and thrown into the air again.
Quetz was taking aim with a long rifle in the air, only to flap uncontrollably as a screaming Atropos careened towards her. Trying to move out of the way. Unfortunately for them, neither was able to dodge the other and collided in a tangled mess of body parts. That began falling to the ground, screaming.
Sarah laughed wildly, fending off Kalik, Clotho, and Charlotte as they attempted to gain the upper hand on the monstrous woman.
"Drake," his mother said, pulling on his ear and forcing his head back, "Talaga, you are treating those poor children too roughly."
Drake winced instinctively against his mother despite not being hurt.
"Ah, Mom! Why am I being yelled at? It's for their own good! Besides Sarah's the one hurting them! Not me…" Drake groaned.
"Then why aren't you doing it yourself! You are making your wife do all that strenuous work!"
"Mom," Drake said pointing to Sarah, "Does it look like she's working?"
Sarah grabbed Kalik by the ankle, throwing him several yards forward nearly in front of the oncoming bus moved by Drake's elementals. Kalik struggled to get up in time, his eyes going wide in horror as the bus refused to stop.
He luckily rolled out of the way with his increased stats but barely, raising a hand and screaming as it passed only to be flattened by a falling Clotho who landed on top of him.
"Shouldn't we be worried about them falling behind?" Travis asked.
"Nahhhhhhhh, I trust Sarah to keep them safe," Drake scoffed.
"Still you should be doing it yourself, I raised you better than to let others do work that is yours, Drake," his mother reprimanded.
"I can't," Drake said, firmly.
"Can't?" Mordred said from the back tilting her head as she stroked the head of the wolf, "Pardon, but you are more than capable of fighting them, no?"
"Ah, still having problems bro?" Bjorn said, nodding in understanding.
"Yeah, I've had a handle on it for the most part, but those kids are something else. And that last fight with the undead… Let's just say it was hard to keep it reigned in," Drake confirmed.
"Susmareosep, why are you talking in riddles Drake? What is wrong with my boy?" Mrs. Wallen demanded.
Bjorn gave Drake a look and Drake sighed, pulling up his status.
"I thought Travis would have told you by now, but I guess not. During my tutorial, a lot of stuff happened, Mom."
His mother looked over the lines and details, her eyes slowly widening with each one.
"Oh, my boy…" she said with a crestfallen expression.
Drake gave a reassuring smile, "Are you really telling me you didn't notice the long hair and darker skin Mom?"
She gave him a slap on his arm, "I just thought you finally decided to leave your room for once," she huffed, "Talaga, my children would have been so better off as doctors…"
Drake scoffed.
"What's going on? I can't read those screen things," Dillon said walking up to them through the aisle.
Drake waved the screen away, "Basically your big bro turned into a Saiyan."
Dillon gave a lazy but dubious look half yawning, "Oh yeah? Then do the thing."
Drake paused for a minute, then understood.
Standing up he went a little bit more towards the front of the bus.
"This is what they call a Super Saiyan," Drake summoned a small ball of white fire gripping it as his hair turned red.
He smiled, his brother's eyes lighting up slightly from their droopy sleep.
"This, is what's called a Super Saiyan 2," he summoned a shard of ice, "Heretical Endowment Two Fold," his hair cascading from red to white and looping between the two.
Then Drake summoned the rest of his elements, a viscus ball of magma, water, a gust of wind, a shard of earth, and finally an electrified ball of lightning spinning around him in the aisle.
"And this! Is to go further! Beyond! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!" Drake crouched down, fists at his sides as he screamed, releasing mana and aura, crackles of lightning from a separate bolt for added effect, "Heretical Endowment, Septenarius!"
His hair turned golden, the added effects of his wind and lightning magic blowing his hair like there was a breeze within the bus, crackles of sparks attesting to the power build-up.
Dillon looked awe-struck for a moment, then his eyes went back to their half-lidded norm as he clapped, "Wow, so cool."
Drake deflated, "Well that was less than I expected…" he frowned.
"Ah, you are shouting just like you used to in the house!" his mother reprimanded, "Are you still trying to be a streamer Drake? Or houseplayer?"
"Houseplayer?" Bjorn asked confused.
"Cosplayer! It's Cosplayer Mom!" Drake corrected then stiffened, "No, I'm not and we don't talk about the kuro rekishi!"
"Hey," Dillon asked, tapping Travis on the shoulder, "Is Drake stronger than you?"
Travis frowned, "A little… Why twerp?"
Dillon smiled, "I guess it's true then."
"What's true?"
"Having longer hair makes you stronger. Maybe you should grow yours out," Dillon laughed, pointing at Travis.
Drake smirked, Travis diving into the seat behind him to wrestle Dillon into a headlock. But the banter only lasted a few more minutes before they finally came up on the outstretched black wall that was the edge of ReUnite, the bus, and caravan of cages filled with captured monsters coming to a halt.
A few 'ooo's and ahh's' escaped the passenger's lips but Drake began exiting the bus with Bjorn and Chelsea who had already seen this type of magic before.
Waiting for him in a half bow was Rvul.
"I welcome the Patriarch back. I am glad you have returned safely!" he shouted.
"Come on Rvul, you know you don't have to do that," Drake smiled, patting the man on the shoulder.
"It is natural to show respect to your leader, Patriarch. May I ask who these are? And where is my daughter, I do not see her with you?" he asked, craning his neck slightly to see over Drake and Bjorn.
The sound of a person screaming broke the momentary silence from their arrival, a ball of six teens slamming into the jet-black wall behind them.
"Oh, she's training the young ones," Drake laughed wryly as the kids slid to the ground, groaning in protest, chuckling he absently added, "I fear for how traumatized our kids will be…" Drake paused, catching himself and looking to the side to avoid eye contact with Rvul.
The old man was grinning ear to ear.
"I see!" Rvul bellowed, "It is a great day it seems! The Patriarch and my daughter seem to have become closer! Ah, to be young! I look forward to seeing my grandchildren!"
Drake winced.
His mother pulled up the rear with the rest of his family, the entourage of people from the other town, not protruding Rvul in the slightest after seeing Drake.
Turning into his 'head of affairs' mode, Rvul waved the people to the gate, not batting an eye at Lamar as the hulking cyclops lumbered past him stopping at Drake.
"Alright, so you got a forge ready for me? Or am I going to have to make my own?" Lamar asked.
"We don't have many artisans at the moment, so you can have your pick of the lot," Drake motioned to Rvul, "You can ask Rvul or one of the other administrators for somewhere that's free. I'm sure they will be more than willing to help someone of your skill."
Lamar scoffed, "I expect my sister to be taken care of."
Drake smiled, "It goes without saying, my man. There is another weapon smith in the town, he's currently taking care of all the weapons, armor, and maintenance that we need. Maybe you'd like to go see what he's up to? Your sister can take up residence with the other kids if you like in my big house on the island. There's food, snacks, games, lots of stuff from the old world."
Lamar looked down at his sister, her hand in his, "Well?"
She looked back up at him, "I'm fine being close to you, I enjoy hearing the sound of you working," she answered smiling back.
Drake raised his brows, "Wow, didn't expect her to be so wholesome compared to you."
"Fuck you prick," Lamar spat back, only to have his sister frown and slap his large hand.
"No bad language."
"Sorry," he responded immediately.
Drake made a whipping motion, "Wah tschh!"
Lamar growled but was led away before he could voice his opinion by his sister.
Bjorn laughed, "You laugh at him now, but just wait till Claire gets here."
Chelsea frowned next to him, giving Drake a dirty look, "I feel bad for her, you two-timing on her right after leaving…"
"I'll say it again! I haven't touched Sarah!" Drake said, defending himself.
The woman in question fell in next to him a few moments later a smile on her face that she quickly fixed noticing Drake's glance.
"Like beating up on them, huh?" Drake smirked.
"I am simply teaching them how to fight as best I can. And how it feels to receive a strike, no more. Might I also remind you, Patriarch, you have touched me," Sah Ul' said, crossing her arms.
Gasps rang out from the side of them, Rvul nodding his head happily.
"I knew it!" Landin shouted from the ball of tangled teenagers.
"Shut it! I never did anything!" Drake countered.
Sah Ul' looked confused, "We have spared and fought several times," she explained, "You have also carried me when I was injured."
Drake slapped his forehead.
"That's not… Whatever fine, yes I've touched you. PLATONICALLY!"
"For now," Bjorn added from over Drake's shoulder, smiling.
"I-I…" Drake paused, looking at Sah Ul' her yellow eyes glancing back at him a brow raising, "I…won't deny that…"
A slap came to the side of his head, his mother holding a slipper in one hand, her other on her side.
"You didn't tell me you were two-timing on your wife! Punyeta! AH! What kind of monster have I raised!" she yelled, throwing her hands up into the air, the slipper vanishing as it was launched forward aiming for Drake's head.
"Whoa whoa whoa!!!" Drake shouted, ducking behind Bjorn, "I was with Claire before Sarah! So technically…"
The slipper whipped forward, its aim true. Bjorn and Drake's jaws dropped as they saw the slipper curve like a bullet, only to hear a 'pop' Natto appearing on Drake's right shoulder right before the slipper smacked her right between the eyes pushing her off.
Drake, Bjorn, Chelsea, and now Rvul, all looked down, Natto scowling and rubbing the bridge between her eyes.
"Oh hey, Natto. Thanks for catching that stray," Drake smirked.
She sat up, growling, "This is what I get for trying to be here to greet and inform you as soon as you arrive…"
"Oh, tell me of what?"
"One of the spineless dolts from your tutorial showed up, the one with the robots. You and he should talk before you do anything else, it is important," Natto glared up at Bjorn, "I see you brought another problem to our doors. Again..."
"Yeah but you knew Bjorn was coming," Drake said, giving a dismissive wave, "Here, Look what I saved you."
Drake pulled out a pot filled of still steaming stew, filling the air with a slightly acidic smell that tantalized the senses.
Natto immediately drooled, snatching the pot and placing it between her legs as she dug in.
"Savage…" Drake cringed, pulling out a pot of rice and placing it down next to her, "At least eat it properly, you're disrespecting my heritage."
"Obucwn waodn NCown ando fbuabf!" Natto barked.
"What did she say?" Chelsea asked.
Drake couldn't help but smirk, "She said, You disrespect your ancestors enough for the both of us already."
Bjorn nodded, getting a slap on the arm from Drake, "Don't agree with her, you're supposed to be on my side!"
Bjorn raised his hands, "Hey, I'm just an observer here, if it's funny, I laugh bro. Especially when it's at your expense."
"What manners…" Drake's mother scowled, looking down at Natto.
Natto looked up, her mouth still filled and face confused as if saying 'Who is this lady?'
"Natto meet my family, this is my Mother," Drake grinned, "Mom, family, this is Natto. She's kind of like my daughter, in a weird way?"
Natto scowled at Drake, pointing a spoon in his direction.
Drake shrugged, "What? It's true, you're made from my blood which is basically the same as making a kid, just without the fun. Or do we need to have a birds and the bees talk?"
Mrs. Wallen gasped, scooping Natto up and interrupting her meal, "Oh, is this my grandbaby?! Why didn't you tell me! Sige! I will have to teach her properly then!"
His mother walked forward guided by Rvul through the gate, holding on tightly to a struggling Natto who was reaching over her shoulder, with desperate eyes asking for help.
Drake smiled and waved at the helpless construct, then mimed a cross across his chest, praying for her to come back in one piece.
"Hey, Bjorn, have you been to the church yet by the way?" Drake asked, realizing he needed to do something there as well.
"Church? There's a church?" Bjorn asked.
Drake nodded, "Alright, you can come with me…" he looked at Chelsea, "I guess she knows what's going on, so she can come too."
He turned to the rest of the group, "Travis, Dillon, I have my home on the center island in the lake, you guys can set up in there, there's more than enough space although there's plenty of other people in the house. At least until we can get your own houses up and running."
Then he looked to the kids, who were untangling themselves, "All of you get situated and take some time to talk to who you need to. Meet me in front of the auction house in about an hour alright?"
The teens nodded.
"That includes you three as well," Drake said, addressing Mordred, Glenn, and Lucium, "Not sure how combat assistants work exactly but I'm sure we can help you out a bit."
Lucium bowed slightly, "I am grateful for your consideration."
"As for the rest of you, please go through with proper procedure of being screened and we will find you homes, food, and a means to live here comfortably. Mr. Hogue…" Drake trailed off.
"You and your family will be under lock and key until I have dealt with what I need to here and we leave for Sandal within the day. Understood?"
Mr. Hogue nodded following the crowd of other people as he tried to calm his wife, his kids looking around like excited tourists.
"Sarah, can you please bring the cages into where Natto needs them? I'm sure you can ask your father if she isn't available."
She nodded, the rest of the people funneling in through the gate. His brothers gave him an assessing look as they passed.
"Look at Mr. Big Shot over here," Travis jabbed.
"I own the city Travis," Drake said, sneering back.
"I own the city, Travis," Travis parroted mockingly, "Yeah, but you're our brother first, so I still reserve the right to make fun of you."
"We still owe you a prank for your birthday. So watch your back, kid," Dillon said, pointing two fingers at him.
Drake smiled, shaking his head and turning back to Bjorn.
"Looks like Hudson is in town, but I have a feeling we should get to the church first, maybe we'll see him on the way, or. Oh, never mind there he is."
Walking out from the gate against the flow of foot traffic was Hudson, looking left and right spotting Drake.
"If it isn't my emotional support redneck!" Drake said, raising his hands, bringing Hudson into a brief hug, and clasping him on the back.
"Pup, I've never been either of those…" Hudson said uncomfortably, then cleared his throat losing his accent, "W-we should talk."
Drake raised a brow, as did Chelsea and Bjorn.
"About?"
"Little miss, said you and I should talk after I brought up some town names. I didn't get anything other than that."
Drake pursed his lips and then saw a man in a military outfit follow in behind Hudson.
"Oh, so I was right?" Drake said, looking back at the small entourage Hudson had following him.
Hudson scratched the back of his neck, "Guess so," but he tried to put on a smile adding, "Smart idjit ain't ya?"
Drake didn't care at the moment that Hudson had been hiding this part of himself, only happy one of his friends and teammates had come back safe and sound.
"That I am, my emotional support redneck, that I am. I've been through the ringer the past few days, so we can wait to talk until after the fun."
"Fun?" Hudson said cocking an eyebrow.
"Natto didn't tell you? I'm having grown adults beat up kids for the luls," Drake said proudly, then corrected himself, "Wait no, I'm having teens who now look like adults thanks to the system rank up, who used to be kids, beat up on grown adults for teaching and dominance purposes…? Yeah, that sums it up I think."
"That don't sum up nothing. Might as well be fishing for trout in a gas station there pup," Hudson said in confusion, his accent returning.
"Sounds about right," Drake nodded.
"What part of that sounds right?" Chelsea scoffed.
"None of it, so all of it," Drake smirked, "Well, you can relax for now Hudson, we won't be doing anything for a few hours. Hope you've been put up well while you've waited, I'll find you in a few. Bjorn and I have to see a goat man about something."
—----------------
After getting past the gate and traveling through the town that had taken leaps in infrastructure, to Drake's pleasant surprise. As well as Chelsea's touristy surprise as she pointed and pulled at Bjorn to go see shops and buildings on the way, only to be ignored as Bjorn walked in tandem with Drake to the church.
They finally reached their destination.
"So what about this church is so important for me?" Bjorn asked, looking at the impressive building up and down.
"Well, I have to ask Pythanuel a few things to clarify some stuff, but for you. I think it might be good to get a history lesson on Titans," Drake explained walking up to the doors.
Bjorn stiffened slightly shifting on his feet, "This goat guy knows?"
Drake shrugged, "Kinda? When I came here last he talked a bit about the Asurans, so at the very least he can give you something. And we could use all the info we can get with how limited Natto is on stuff like that at the moment," he said waving them in.
The three passed through the massive swinging doors, a few patrons here and there praying to statue pyres as they looked around.
Drake had already seen the building and skipped the ooing and awing as he looked for Pythanuel. And he didn't need to look long as the large-hatted priest found him quickly enough.
"Welcome. I am pleased to see you return Lord Wallen," Pythanuel said bowing slightly, "Are you here to make a donation?"
Drake gave a dismissive wave, "No, I have a bone to pick and can you show me to the Titan's statue?"
Pythanuel paused, a bead of sweat forming on his skin, "Why would you want to see said statue, Lord?"
"Drake thumbed to Bjorn, "It isn't really a secret any more thanks to bounties and I'm sure the Dragon bitch has spread it by now too. This guy is a titan."
A small gasp escaped Pythanuel's mouth as he quivered trying to maintain his composure. A shaking hand raised as he arced it in front of himself into a deep bow.
"This humble servant welcomes one closest to the Originators. Descendant of the Endless Expanse, The World Eater, Father of the Void," he raised his head, his face pale, "I welcome one who shares the blood of the Original Primordial Titan, Marun' Dune."
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Arthur_Inverse
Arthur_Inverse Again the series will be on hiatus for 3 weeks minimum, 5 weeks max as I edit for amazon and try to catch up on writing ahead. I will also be working on another series, that will be a card/deckbuilding litrpg. But due to my worries about AI Scraping I will only post it on patreon. Cheers and I hope you've all enjoyed the series so far.
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