6 Chapter 6: A Cub's Path

Kaija was sleeping next to the fire. The area around her eyes were completely swollen. The bottom of her hands were a bright red. It's nearly unbelievable that the same girl who was throwing a tantrum is the same girl sleeping so peacefully now.

After encountering Kaija, Akylus started clearing out the dungeon of corpses.

"What do you want to do now Kaija?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you gonna stay here or leave?"

"...I'm gonna protect mom…"

She held onto her mother's head, pulling her close to her chest. This girl wasn't stupid, she knew the condition of her mother.

(Sigh… I understand she can't let go but…)

"... I see"

Akylus could only give a look of sympathy towards the girl holding her mother. He never felt any hatred towards demons like many others. He lived by the motive of "if I am attacked, I will attack back." A simple motto to live by. Even when conquering the dungeons with the Kingdom's military, he never actively sought out the residents in the dungeon who were not fighters. If he had his way, he wouldn't have even fought against the Lords. All he wanted was to live a secluded life with his family who was still in Tahtil.

(I wonder how they're all doing)

When Akylus took on the persona of The Wolf, he made a mistake. He revealed his home village on accident. He was still young and stupid and never thought far ahead. No one from Tahtil knew who The Wolf was but that Akylus just went off to the main city to become an adventurer. He'd visit a few times a year with money to help the village maintain their daily life. He kept his identity as The Wolf hidden from his family and friends as to not worry them of the work he does. For all they knew, Akylus was just a beginner adventurer that's continuing to grow. After all, he wasn't very extraordinary when he lived in the village.

(Now that I can no longer be The Wolf, maybe it's time to go back a bit more often)

As he got lost in his thoughts of his family, he heard a weird sound.

"Guuuuuuu~"

". . ."

He looked towards the source of the sound only to see a red faced little girl with her eyes starting to water.

"Are you hungry?"

Not a sound. Refusing to even look at his direction, she continued to stare at the ground.

"Shall I make something for us to eat?"

"...nn…"

"Okay, just give me a bit alright. I'll make something for us."

"..."

Stull refusing to look at him, Akylus got up and made his way towards the Ferox Wolf.

Beasts like the Ferox Wolf were edible if cooked well enough. It can't be said that Ferox Wolves were considered a luxury but, that's only because the common rank was around C. Being a more physical-type beast at that rank, the meat was tough, and the odor was strong. It was definitely an acquired taste. But the higher the rank, the better the taste and quality. This was due to the increase in magic within them. Though, not all high ranking beasts were considered delicacies, those with massive amounts of mana typically were.

These beasts however, were not eaten for their taste. It was only an illusion of such a sensation. What was actually "delicious" about them was the feeling of powerful mana running through your body with every bite. Though many have tried, this mana could not be used. It would enter your body and leave with every breath. At first, people tried to retain the mana within them, but no one knew how. So they tried to use it as a battery, casting spells as they ate, but it didn't work at all. After many experiments and tests, they gave up. They believed the beasts mana were just something that was meant to be given back into the atmosphere.

This caused for beasts being caught alive and butchered right before being eaten. In order to retain as much of their mana before it disappeared, adventurers specialized in hunting beasts would capture them alive and bring them back to their requester. Here, they would be kept alive until they would be needed.

Akylus made a small wood fire to prepare the wolf. Leaving the skin, fangs, and bones aside for materials, he made sure to thoroughly cook the meat.

As he let the food cook, he began again, clearing the dungeon of the dead corpses. He took the good looking materials from the beasts and dragged what remained outside. Creating a much larger fire, he threw the bodies on the fire burning them to ash.

"We're not keeping them for food?"

Kaija had a confused look on her face. She couldn't understand why he would waste so much.

"We don't have any way to preserve them. They'd only spoil. Also, if we burn them then they won't attract other beasts or monsters. A few might still come if they have a good sense of smell but, we should be fine."

Akylus continued to toss the bodies as he explained his actions.

When he threw the last beast on the fire, his face twisted a bit.

(We should burn the demons too but…)

He looked at Kaija who was holding onto the end of his shirt. He didn't know when the girl got so close to him but he didn't mind. After everything, company was probably what she wanted most.

It seems she knew what Alylus was thinking about too. She looked up at him with big eyes. She bit her lower lip to stop it from quivering.

(Were kids always this smart at her age?)

Trying to remember what he was like at her age, he felt the urge to bash his head into a wall.

(Aahh… embarrassing… embarrassing…I couldn't have been that stupid…)

Shaking his memories away, they went back down into the dungeon. The smell of food wafted through the air. With very little ventilation, it's aroma easily started taking over.

Deciding it was time to eat, Akylus sat down to take a break. He handed a piece of the cooked wolf to Kaija.

"Make sure to blow on it okay? It's still a little hot."

Kaija just stared at the piece of meat in his hand. She looked reluctant to take it.

(Is she actually not hungry?)

Just as he was thinking that, she slowly reached her hand and, in the neatest way possible, picked the meat with the tips of her fingers.

(Wait… there's no way… is she not just a lower class demon?)

Was she not just a common Val?

The more he thought about it the more it made sense. Even if atera was used, her mother was still quite skilled. It wouldn't be a surprise if she was as well. Especially how uncomfortable she looks eating with her hands. From what he knew, the demon society and human society had more in common than one would normally think, including a class system.

"Fuu..fuu.."

---

After they finished eating, Akylus once again began to clear out the dungeon. After explaining the situation to Kaija once more, she agreed that it was okay to burn the bodies. She said she didn't really know them very well as they all came from different areas. Outside of your own race, you rarely interacted with anyone else. However, the short time they were together traveling as a group and protecting each other, she grew a small attachment towards them. Even if she was okay with it, it was easy to tell from the look on her face that she already regretted her decision.

Then came the hard part.

Akylus walked over to where she lay. The mother of Kaija. Before even being able to take a step closer, Kaija jumped in front of him. Killing intent seeped out of her. The strong look in her eyes not wavering in the slightest.

(This doesn't surprise me but...)

"Oi…"

"Don't… touch her.."

"If we don't do anything about her… there are some things in the forest even I have a hard time dealing with."

"Then I'll deal with it! You told me you were really strong! But if you're so weak then just leave!"

(Oi oi this little…)

"Look. Right now, your mother would want you to be safe. To be protected. If she knew she would cause you harm, how do you think she would feel?"

"..."

"Come Kaija… it'll b-!"

A fist straight to the face.

"Alright you fucking li...tt..le.."

Akylus' voice drifted into the air.

Tears were streaming down Kaija's face. Her arm, which was still in the air, lowered to her side. Her hands clenched into a tight fist making them red.

"It's all… you-..you're.. fault!"

"..."

"If you came-.. sooner! She wouldn't be dead!"

"..."

"You're so strong, yet you couldn't do anything!"

"I..-"

"USELESS! IDIOT! STUPID! WORTHLESS! IDIOT! IDIOT IDIOT IDIOT IDIOT!"

She lunged back at Akylus throwing her fists frantically through the air. They weren't fast enough that he couldn't dodge them but, he didn't. They weren't strong enough to hurt him but, more than likely, hurt her instead.

Akylus didn't move. He took the hits over and over and over again. Eventually blood was on his face but, it wasn't his. Kaija's fists were getting so raw they started bleeding. He should've stopped her. He should've. It wasn't the first time something like this happened though.

In the profession of adventurers, it wasn't unusual for help to be too late. It was a common occurrence at all guild branches. A person requests for help. Then days, weeks, even months can go by without a single person taking the quests.

Goblins spotted by a small village? Too late, the village is already overrun. Boars destroying crops and land? Too late, they already completely destroyed everything the farmers had. Two high ranking quests at the same time? Unfortunately there's only one high ranking party. The guild won't send out under ranking adventurers just to die either. So there's just a high ranking beast waiting to be defeated destroying anything and everything in its path. But nothing can be done. There's just not enough people.

Then the conscience kicks in. "What if…" The question that ruined many lives.

What if I worked harder? Would I have been strong enough?

What if I didn't take my time? Would I have been faster?

What if I didn't try to hide my abilities? Would I have beaten him sooner so I could've saved more people?

What if…

Regret is an abyss that consumes those who look too closely. It is not bad to regret but bad to dwell. You cannot change the past, so you can only look forward to change the future.

There was a chance that Akylus may have been able to save Kaija's mother had he done things differently. But he didn't. He didn't save her and now she's dead. Her daughter, pounding her fists into his legs and stomach, and the blood dripping from her fists was the sign of his mistake. But he did not waver.

(I'm sorry..)

He could only apologize to himself. He knew an apology would do nothing but make her angrier but, it didn't feel right not to apologize.

Kaija's breathing started getting ragged. She was pushing herself too hard just on pure anger. It was getting dangerous.

Considering her mother was able to use atera, it wouldn't be completely uncalled for if Kaija had an innate ability to do so as well. Before things get too out of hand, she had to settle down.

"[Sleep]"

Thud.

Kaija collapsed onto the floor. [Sleep] was a spell that induced sleep on it's target. It only worked on weak minded targets that were already fighting off fatigue. Using the influence that naturally made the body want to sleep, [Sleep] would give the mind a final push to stop resisting the feeling and eventually being completely influenced.

Picking Kaija up and placing her near the fire, Akylus walked back towards the woman laying down. He crouched down beside her reaching out his arms. Before grabbing her he hesitated a bit, reeling back. Gritting his teeth, he picked her up with both arms supporting her legs and back.

He carried her to the surface and stood before the fire.

"Tch… I'll just deal with whatever happens."

Walking towards the nearest tree besides the entrance of the dungeon, he lay her gently on the ground. The birds began to sing as he proceeded to dig a hole.