Cough
Vir coughed while peeking at him.
Alfred instantly understood that his reaction was a tad inappropriate.
"A-ah, I mean no offense. I got too excited and acted rashly. Please forgive me." He meekly apologized as he lowered himself back to the ground.
"No need; we are here to discuss what is best for the tribe's future," Vir reassured, then he removed his attention from Alfred and turned it to the Elders. "If this is the Elders' decision, I will gladly comply and do whatever I can to make sure this experimentation succeeds."
Surprised by the red-headed Head Hunter, Alfred couldn't help but blink his eyes for several seconds before he got over it. Vir's sudden change in behavior toward his suggestion caught him off guard. Considering how much he disagreed, he had imagined more arguing from him.
'Wait, was he testing me? Trying to see how determined I am about my plan? If he did, then Vir might be smarter than he seems to be.'
"However, I am still confused about something," Vir continued. "I understand that Alfred has joined the tribe, but what about the tribesmen's opinion? I do not think they will like this decision. Also, I know now that he is smart, but that is not enough to permit him to participate in this meeting. Can the Elders please enlighten me?"
Shaman Catori and Elder Ahote seemed to have no inkling of answering as they both looked at the old man between them.
Chief Viren lingered for a few seconds and sighed. "We have already discussed how to deal with our people… Aponi and Alfred are to be betrothed."
Vir abruptly stood and exclaimed. "Father!"
This was the first time Alfred saw Vir call the Chieftain his father and oppose his decision.
"This is final, as both parties have already agreed upon it," Chief Viren firmly declared. "I know you care a lot about Aponi, but this is her choice to make."
Beads of sweat form on Alfred's back.
'Oh crap, is this my fault? Should I say something?'
The towering muscle gritted his teeth. "I have promised my mother and my wife that I would take care of Aponi and ensure her happiness. I am sorry, Father. I can accept anything, but not this one."
Shaman Catori raised her hands in frustration. "You do not have the right to decide. Furthermore, how can you even be sure Aponi will be unhappy with this?" She slid her gaze at Alfred and questioned. "Tell me, young lad, would you mistreat her?"
Alfred flinched upon hearing his name.
'Don't involve me now when Vir is like this. Are you trying to kill me?'
Alfred glanced at the towering man, fearful of his reaction. If he got on Vir's bad side, how would he survive in the tribe?
"It does not matter what his opinion is, as he, too, is a victim of this situation," Vir calmly retorted. "And pardon me for my words, but I think I have more right in this than you do, Shaman Catori."
Alfred's head turned back and forth between Vir and Shaman Catori as if he were watching a tennis match.
'Geez. I'm surprised and a little bit thankful how reasonable Vir is, but the situation is getting too intense!'
The old shaman scoffed. "You? You are not even her re-."
"Enough!" The scarred Chieftain shouted, stopping all the arguments. "Please, let me handle this, Shaman Catori."
Chief Viren stared at Vir with firm eyes and spoke. "I… understand what you feel. You know that I would do anything for our family. However, this arrangement has been agreed upon by us Elders, Aponi, and Alfred. Even if you are her brother, it does not mean you can decide things in her stead."
Vir's clenched fist relaxed, then he slowly returned to his sitting position. "Alfred is not even officially part of our tribe, let alone contributed. What right does he have to marry the only daughter of the Chieftain? Our people will be displeased, especially since he is still an outsider in their eyes. Please, Father, reconsider your decision."
Alfred lowered his head and started to play with his fingers.
'I know they don't mean it, but I'm a bit uncomfortable with the conversation now. The person they are discussing is sitting in the room. Can they at least pretend to care about my feelings?'
"His presence in the tribe alone is already a contribution." The skinny old man leaned his body closer and glared at Vir. "And do you think I will give Aponi to just anyone? You are adamantly dismissing my verdict in front of our new member. What will he think of me as his Chieftain now? Have you forgotten your respect?"
The towering muscle bowed his head slightly and let out a barely audible voice. "My apologies."
Alfred couldn't believe what he had witnessed. The mighty and terrifying Head Hunter was reduced to something akin to a child before his father.
'Perhaps I am fearing the wrong man.'
"Chief Viren, we should act civilized. We are in front of young Alfred; we should not let him see such unbecoming behavior from the tribe's leaders." Elder Ahote interfered.
The scarred Chieftain leaned back and sighed. "Before you reject it, how about seeing what young Alfred can do? This is one of the main reasons why this meeting is happening, after all. If you still think he has no right, then we can think of another way to solve this."
Alfred straightened his back and swallowed his saliva.
'Is this my time? Are we finally ending this unbearable conversation?'
Vir lowered his red head deeper and spoke. "My sincere gratitude, Chieftain." Then he raised his head and looked at Alfred. "But may I know what is so special about him?"
Chief Viren smiled in anticipation. "Why not see for ourselves?" He placed his attention towards the exit and ordered the person guarding outside. "Grab us some monster blood. I want it fresh from the monster's body."
"Yes, Chieftain!" answered the man.
A while later, the blood arrived on Alfred's hand, waiting for him to use it.
He already knew the blood was fresh from how warm it was to the touch.
"Can you start now, young Alfred?" Chief Viren encouraged, staring at Alfred with excitement.
"Of course, I will make Fire Rune this time too, as Shaman Catori and I have already tested it." He replied and then began drawing on the dirt, creating an Active Rune Formation.
Several seconds later, Alfred stopped, panting a bit due to his Spirit Energy.
"Where is the fire?" Elder Ahote questioned in confusion. His eyes were glued to the Rune Formation.
"What fire?" Vir inquired, sharing the same expression as the bald Elder.
"Will you two have some patience?" Shaman Catori retorted. "The ritual is not even finished yet, and it is not like it will escape; we do not have to hurry."
Upon seeing that everyone was staring, waiting for him to do what he had to do. Alfred agilely opened the water skin and poured half of the contents on the Rune Formation.
As expected, the rune illuminated the room with its red brilliance, almost blinding anyone if it hadn't disappeared quickly. Then, the anticipated occurred. A ball of fire appeared out of thin air, warming everything in its surroundings.
Its orange exterior danced in the wind, licking the air with its swaying tongue.
Alfred's eyes widened; he shouldn't be surprised, as he had already seen it before. However, the fire this time is big. Instead of an adult fist size, what emerged was a fire the size of a basketball, almost triple what they had created last night.
He glanced at the old Shaman, and it appeared she, too, was baffled at the outcome.
"What the…!" Vir exclaimed, almost standing where he sat.
Chief Viren and Elder Ahote stood and then slowly walked closer. Their mouths were gaping, and their hands were reaching out.
Shaman Catori, though bewildered as well, chose to remain in her position, letting the two Elders have their turn.
The bald Elder and the scarred Chieftain did exactly what Alfred and Shaman Catori did last night. They touched, smelled, burned things, and did all kinds of experimentation.
"Amazing! Truly amazing!" Chief Viren uttered in awe. "With this, we might have a chance to solve our growing problem!"
Alfred had no idea what the Chieftain meant by his words. The only problem he knew was the food shortage, and he was uncertain if any of his Runes could provide a solution.
Vir scanned the surroundings of the floating ball of fire and uttered. "How can this fire still burn without any wood to fuel it? And how is this even floating?"
Glad that even the strict, towering man found his ability mysterious.
'I hope this can help gain some points. And besides that, I must agree, it is surprising that the fire is still burning this strongly despite it already having been 5 minutes. It appears even the life expectancy has extended with an abundance of Spirit Energy.'
"Can… Can you fuse this Rune to tools or weapons?" The bald Elder asked, his voice shaking.
"I am not sure yet," Alfred answered while touching his smooth chin. "But I have already considered it; I just have no time to try it out."
The green-eyed Elder had halted his examination of the Rune Formation, then abruptly turned to Alfred and held his shoulders with a firm grip.
"Then you must go to my tent as soon as possible! We should immediately see if it is doable!"
Alfred's heart beat rapidly, his lips moving as he tried to keep a disgusting grin from appearing on his face. "In truth, I already have a project in mind!"