19 Red Fur Hood

We met this blue-haired girl with a red fur coat on the way as we travel to Phione, and now ...

"..t...gy.." The girl murmered to herself with her hand held to the chin. I couldn't understand what she was saying.

"Um, does it still hurt anywhere?" I asked with concern, as this was the first time I've used Origin on a person, after all. Those beasts just get outright destroyed after a Marble Sphere hits them. The demon back then was an exception.

"We are strangers. Why did you help me?" After asking that, my gut told me that things weren't good, but I tried to calm myself and hid an orb behind my back and quickly encapsulate us if she ever attacks.

"You look like you needed help, and you were the one to ask first don't you remember?"

"Me? Ask for help? I don't ever recall doing that---"

"Wow, so this young lady just got her life back, was even nursed for a day, and now she suspects our good deeds? Let's just go Kaff. No need to mingle with this ungrateful chick who can't even say a single word of thanks." Aunt Arc's mouth slanted and her eyebrows furrowed. Her eyes even didn't take another look after her after saying that and just walked without notice.

"It was just an act of kindness, after all. You don't have to owe me if you want, but be careful in the woods." I said that and also followed Aunt in a hurry, and I might get left behind from the way she swaggered away from the scene.

The girl just stood there, saying nothing and her hand was still on her chin.

"Aunt Arc surely hates arrogant people huh?"

"That's strange though. I'm not normally like this towards people but I just don't like her."

After that we continued to walk through the trail for hours, and also avoided trouble on the way. A meaningless battle will just tire us after all, as there's still a long way towards Phione.

Dusk came and we started to prepare camp. We saw a place where an old bonfire was lit based from the charred ground, so we also placed our things near the used area. This time I was the one to gather sticks, and also chop off a few branches from trees to make fire.

On the way back, I saw something glowing in faint white, but it looked very transparent. I neared it and it minutely shook, as if recognizing my approach. I don't think it's dangerous because of how it's acting so I just decided to go back after shrugging to myself.

"Aunt Arc, here are the logs. What's wrong?" I can see her frown and her sword was drawn. Her armor was half equipped as we were preparing for camping yet she didn't mind that and looked over one of the trees behind me.

I can see that transparent glowing thingy once again and it also reacted exactly the same as earlier.

"You can see that white thingy?"

"What white thingy? I heard someone follow you towards here."

"Oh it must be that white thingy then. There over the tree, see that there?" I pointed on the direction of the tree and the light shook once again. Is that a fairy or a ghost? Aunt Arc doesn't see it but it doesn't mean that I could actually see ghosts right?

Seeing her agitated, I also drew a bit of Origin in my hand and formed an orb, then put a barrier on us. This way her shoulders relaxed but she still held out her sword, ready to strike.

I left the barrier and formed another one on my own, then went near the tree where that glow was hiding, and it shrank to half its size and a silhouette of a person formed on it.

Seeing it slightly gave me a shock, but I returned to reality in an instant and thought about the things that happened earlier. Realizing that its height was a bit familiar...

"Are you that girl from earlier?"

After saying that, the glow disappeared, then her form blurred and showed fully.

She was smiling yet sweating, as if uneasy. There was a weapon that looked like an ice pick on her right hand, and on the end it has a red orb on it. Now I'm sure what she just used was invisibility since Aunt couldn't see it, but I wondered why can I?

"Your aunt is sure sharp, but you aren't. It's really strange that you can see me, too. Just what is that energy that you're using?"

"Oh this? It's a secret."

"...s...v....w" I can't really hear her murmuring, is she chanting a spell or what? After that she slowly stood up after nodding to herself. She must be really lonely to talk to herself so much.

"Okay, I've decided. I'm going with you."

"Huh?"

"Didn't you hear? I said---"

"No, I mean why?"

"Why, why? I mean... Err..." She fidgeted for a bit, finding words. Her eyes looked everywhere until it focused behind me with a glare.

"So you followed us huh? I bet you will stab us on our sleep so I'd rather end you right now---"

"No wait!"

The girl retreated a few steps and Aunt Arc lunged with her sword. Her half armor clanged as she dashed and pursued the girl. I could just stop them but they're at the heat of battle already.

Two females with their weapons danced within the light of the moonlight, how poetic. One had a armor only on her legs and arms while holding a sword and the other had a red fur coat that held a blade where only the tip was used to stab with.

Aunt used a series of skills that were taught by Dad, and I can see the resemblance. She used a movement technique that was different from Dad's, but it still had that fleeting feel to it, as if feathers were blown with each step she made that made even the armor she wore let out only weak sounds.

The girl however, was nimble enough to dodge every slash Aunt made, as if she could read her movements. If she was that strong then what were those white sticks that surrounded her before that were enough to weaken her?

I instead started the fire and watched them both carefully before finding them at a draw.

Both girls stopped after noticing the light from the fire I made, and then the girl snorted and puffed up her chest.

"I was only holding back, your skills are fine but your strength is lacking. *sigh* One counter from me and it would've been all over so don't get cocky over me with your measly skills."

Aunt also snorted and puffer her chest out, even generating an impact bounce which most guys would die to see and started. The girl's eye also twitched upon seeing that event that seemed to be slightly impossible for her to recreate.

"You WERE holding back? I'm just holding back too because I can see you're too frail to even receive my attack! If it weren't for these heavy armor I'm wearing maybe you wouldn't be able to keep up with me."

"Keep up? Let's see you do just that, shall we?"

"Hah! I'll be sure to bury you nearby these trees as a fertilizer, and they'll thank me by giving me their fruits!"

"This b*tch...!"

"This brat...!"

Both of them are starting to charge up their respective weapons, Aunt's with a white sheen and the girl's with a red glow.

Before they start to really kill each other, I launched orb barriers on both of them and they regained their senses. I saw Aunt Arc even took off her all her armor after the barrier erected. Phew!

Almost had a bloodbath here.

"Don't release her, Kaff! Dissolve my barrier and keep her in!"

"Your name is Kaff? Fine, I'll let you be my ally just this once as soon as you release me, then I'll---"

"Stop fighting! Why won't you two calm yourselves for a bit?" I unknowingly shouted, and forgot myself. It must be from that moment where I scolded kids in my previous life. They're just so similar, I mean.

*groooooowl*

A loud growling sound suddenly came from the girl, and her face blushed as she covered her belly.

"Let's just eat, the night is already getting deep, and we have to put the fire out too."

***

We sat on the fireplace and waited for the soup to boil. I glanced at the two and sighed. Why do they hate each other that much?

"Tell us your name at least."

"Only that kid Kaff deserves to know my name. Shoo, shoo! Go inside your cave or something, Miss Bouncy."

"Miss Bouncy? Oh I bet you're just jealous of my---"

I charged up a large amount of Origin in my hands and put it above my head, bathing the camp in azure light that almost felt like morning came. The two stopped arguing and I could see Aunt smiling at me with sweat on her forehead.

The girl however, quickly hid behind one of the trees as soon as she saw what I did and her face turned pale. Was she that scared of me? But she was clearly saying that she's willing to follow our party earlier.

"Calm down, Kaff. Aunt won't fight anymore. Let me hug you~"

I returned the Origin to my body and the light disappeared, followed by darkness, and then the orange light that lit the place from the bonfire. The girl then returned to her log seat and took a deep breath with her eyes closed.

"My name... is........ Kirl...lia."

What's with the long pause? And why does it seems so familiar to that game?...

"Nice to meet you, Kirl...lia. First time I've heard a pause used on a name."

"Aunt!"

"Fine, fine!" She shrugged her shoulders. So naughty, I bet she needs a spanking with my fly swatter.

The girl didn't seem to be mad from her provocations anymore. Her eyes just stared at her, so Aunt also stopped making fun of her.

"I noticed you were going to Phione, so I followed you. Sorry that I didn't reveal myself earlier."

"You live at Phione? That's good to know. Surely you know about the incoming war, right?"

"Yes. I actually live north of Phione so crossing the fort is quite the hurdle so maybe I'll just stay inside the city until the storm passes."

"I don't know of any towns north of Phione, are you sure that's not a lie?"

"I'm not lying! It's about a hundred kilometers north of Phione."

"A hundred kilometers north... That's far beyond the map I've seen before. Aunt, her hometown must be very far."

Aunt stared at her with her nose pointed slightly upwards, as if examining her.

"If you don't trust me, then I'll hand over this necklace. Return it to me once we get to Phione."

"Huh? Why should I? We don't know if there's some kind of trap on that thing."

I could only give a faint sigh as Aunt rejected her. I instead took a wisp of Origin, surrounded my hand, stood and took the necklace instead. I examined it and its design was like a heart or a pair of wings, with a jewel on the center. The lace used was a material I don't recognize either. It felt like metal but it was cold and soft to the touch. It also reflected light as if having a shiny surface.

"I'll be holding this. You don't mind right?"

"Sure. With that, I give you my trust. Don't lose it either, that's important to me."

I can see her eyes slightly narrow and her eyebrows slanted with worry. She doesn't look lying for now, but I'll also be on the lookout. We still don't know a lot about her anyway.

After that, the food was already cooked, and she quickly gobbled up her bowl's contents within a minute, before asking for another round. I told her to take as much as she likes but also leave us some, so she just took another two more servings and laid her red fur coat on the ground near our tent and lied. That was the only time I noticed that she didn't have any shoes.

"If she hadn't introduced her name, I'd call her Red Riding Hood."

"You sure you want her with us Kaff?" Aunt munched on a boar's leg meat, taking her time eating.

"There's no reason not to, and it doesn't look like she's lying. Only until Phione anyway."

"You're the captain, I'll just follow."

After that she stood and walked near the girl and said something, then the girl stood and lazily walked to Aunt's tent while being cautious. I couldn't really hear what they talked about, but it seems like Aunt let her sleep on her tent. That's unexpectedly kind of her.

I also finished my meal and then put out the fire. Lighting Origin, I made my way back to the tent, only to find out that Aunt was already snoring on the side.

Now I'm pretty sure she planned all this just to get to sleep with me.