Chapter Ten: An Ancestor
[This family is something.]
Zephyr smirked. "You think so too?" he walked to the living room with an impressed look. He saw his father and uncles laid on the couch and ground.
They worked till they were totally spent. He nodded, they were becoming humans that he might trust and respect one day.
At least, they did something to protect the house temporarily, they should leave the rest to him.
[I researched and found something.]
"Tell me." Zephyr carefully walked over the ones on the ground, before getting to the door. He jumped down and followed a cleared bush path in his mother's garden to go out of the yard.
[The Ryuu family, which is your mother's family, had a mythic host amongst their ancestors. One whose evolution endpoint was Were-dragon.]
Zephyr stopped walking, and turned back to the house. His mother and cousin then? They had the blood of a Were-dragon? "I didn't sense it."
Was that because a Were-dragon was a sorry excuse for a failed human who couldn't be completely dragon?
[It's was three hundred years ago so you wouldn't sense it. His features remained though, the red hair and love for fire. The Zillows had a history with that mythic host as a Zillow was recorded as closest confidant in his logs.]
So that's where the connection was made? Zephyr clenched his fists, entering the forest. "Do my mother know about their connection to a mythic host? My mother is particularly hateful of them."
[No, but their close ancestors had been accused of a connection between a non-human in time past so your family is very sensitive. The Zillows too as that's what probably prompted them to think that the government wants to kill them as mythic hosts are becoming more evil.]
Zephyr nodded. That also meant that the chances of the government accusing his mother and cousin of being responsible for the death of the Zillows was possible.
[You would be the suspect more particularly. You were at the crime site.]
"Even worse." He paused, and checked at his position. "What will I even do to find this culprit? I have no clue. I also need to keep looking for Dr. Leeroy on pause, don't I?"
[It seems reasonable, however the two cases might be related. Conclusion, you need a close confidant. Whether another mythic host or a non-host, as long as they can aid you.]
"Donovan Dio."
[It doesn't have to be him. He is without a system and wouldn't have any further growth.]
"I don't need him, but his wolf's sense of smell. Mine isn't strong enough."
[That's reasonable.]
[Loading quests...]
"Quests?"
[Your temporary account is now available. I'd make a quick quest to acquire Donovan Dio as a confidant. They will be rewards.]
"Neat. Do that." He began moving towards the cave he found Donovan Dio. It was the safest place to be away from humans. "I can un-confidant him in the future, right?"
[Yes.]
"Worth a shot then."
The sun was high for no reason and Zephyr found himself feeling tired from walking through the forest with calculated steps.
Calculated steps because he could smell traces of gunpowder that his uncles and father had buried on the ground.
They really meant business but wasn't it a tad bit reckless? "I don't think they told any of their friends where they live, so they're not expecting visitors."
He reached the cave and stood at the slope that marked the beginning of the valley the cave was within. The place seemed to be hole made by something big.
He took steps back and studied the place. The place was steeper than other parts of the forest... as if a meteor had crashed inside ones.
He held his head as something bugged him. "I think I should stop thinking about it."
[Good decision.]
He slid down the slope and made a short run towards the cave. "Hey, Donovan. I changed my mind and I want—"
He leapt back on instinct and at the same time, the six feet white wolf he once meant charged at him from above the cave. He blocked with his hand and its huge jaw clamped on it painfully.
Zephyr winced as its fangs dug into his skin. This wolf was really a mad one, wasn't it? He struggled to pulled his arm while punching its head repeatedly and harder till its jaw left his arm.
"Inventory! Small dagger! Poisonous darts!"
[Small dagger. Poison darts. Materializing...]
The white wolf lunged at him again but the small dagger descended from above, stabbing on its head. Zephyr gripped it tightly before forcefully removing it.
The wolf howled in pain and whimpered when the dagger went to its neck the next second. Zephyr breathed heavily as his other hand worked to remove the poisonous dart from its wrap. The wolves sensed that and head-butted him before making a run for it.
Zephyr fell to the ground but stood up quickly, glaring at the dragon. "How dare a common wild dog beat me?"
[It's a Werewolf, and you subdued it.]
"After it bit me!" Zephyr threw the poison darts to the ground. "And where the hell is his owner? That guy can tame Jaguars but not his own wolf?"
[The situation is quite peculiar. He might have an understanding with the baby jaguars using a popular skill many mythic hosts acquire, Beast Whisperer. However, the white wolf isn't just any animal or beast but a mythical creature. He'd need more than skills.]
Zephyr huffed. In other words, Donovan who couldn't tame his wolf, and his wolf that attacked anything at anytime were not worth bringing into his team.
He noticed the wolf running back to him and picked up the poisonous darts and readied his dagger. The wolf slid to a stop and sat down, facing him.
Donovan Dio was running from behind it, exasperated and fell to the floor when he finally stopped running. "You... why... why are you here?"
"Don't worry I was leaving." Zephyr took down his hand and turned away. "You can keep playing chase with your wolf."
"Wait!" Donovan left the ground. "Let's really work together. We can share information we have and make this mission faster. I can't do this alone."
Mission? Zephyr clicked his tongue. This was more than a mission to him but he didn't even want to question Donovan on what it meant to him. "I said I wasn't interested, I would like to work alone because I need to be careful with who I trust."
There were many things he still didn't know about the world and the memories of the old body left with the boy's soul. All he had left were the strong lingering pieces of emotions the boy had that may be falsely presented.