Castaway

ON A MISSION

Amaron thought Cart was right. The shadows flew away when they got to the location where they were reported. I thought it is enough that they caught the Abalaki and purified it.

“We should plan ahead before we get to the place next time,” Cart told them.

“Yeah, I’m hungry,” Calyx told them.

“Do you want to eat at our place, Cart?” Amaron almost forgets to call his uncle by his name again, and luckily, he didn’t make a mistake.

“Well, I got some plans,” he smirked.

“Girls again?” Calyx asked his uncle.

“We got to live while we’re young,” Cart told them.

“You’re not that young anymore,” Amaron remarked.

“By the way, Amaron, congratulations on your selection. I heard from Vimeon you were chosen as a candidate. You’re lucky. It seemed to me Runette has her favor on you,” he teased his nephew.

“Shut up. I don’t want to participate in the first place besides Runette, and I was friends with her since we were kids. Don’t get ahead of your imagination,” Amaron told him.

Cart shrugged his shoulder and laughed softly.

“Don’t get too worked up. I’m just teasing you—“ Their conversation was interrupted when Calyx threw his knife over head of Cart.

“What the hell, Calyx!” Cart was surprised by that sudden attack. He turned around and saw a shadow pinned against the wall by Calyx knife.

“I’m sorry, it showed up all of a sudden,” he apologized.

They immediately searched its neck and purified it with the elixir they’ve got from Baron’s storehouse.

“Tell Baron he needs to prepare more elixirs. I had a bad feeling about their unexpected increasing numbers,” their uncle told them as he poured the elixir on its open wound.

“And why am I always interrupted when I’m talking?” Cart asked.

Just when things going out well in their favor, a group of unknown men revealed themselves from the shadow. Cart was walking on a narrow alley. He turned around when he felt a presence, not a demon but not just a human. It hid itself from the curtain of an open window where it’s standing to study Cart’s action. Cart stared above and saw nothing. He started to walk again.

“Well, it doesn’t concern me. I guess,” he mumbled.

-0-0-0-

“I’m hungry. Baron, did you left us some food?” Calyx shouted in front of Baron’s storeroom.

“Yeah, heat it first. It’s in the fridge,” Baron shouted back without opening his door.

Amaron was upstairs taking a shower first. Calyx excitedly went and checked their fridge. He saw a food container and heat it just like what Baron told him. He saw Limo in the doorway of their dining area, standing.

“What is it?” he asked him.

“Well, can you teach me how to fight? I always saw you wrestle with Amaron,” Limo asked him.

“I knew it. I’m stronger than Amaron. Oh ho!” he complimented himself before talking to Limo. Calyx saw Devanna walked around behind Limo looking for something and decided to play a little.

“Are you tired of Devanna’s archery class?” he teased Limo.

“Uhmm… I think I already had a grasp about it,” Limo said.

“You think?” Devanna asked him.

“Who’s that guy I saw earlier who keeps shooting the trees behind the target. He even shot the ground. I feel sorry for them.” Devanna crossed her arms when he reached Limo’s side. She arched her eyebrows, waiting for Limo to clear himself. The microwave beeped. Calyx took his food and opened it immediately so he can eat.

“I think it would be better to take classes differently every day,” Limo smiled at his own suggestion.

Calyx looked at them while munching his food.

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea,” Amaron showed up, getting down the stairs.

“We should teach him everything as soon as possible so that we could take him on a mission. Uncle Cart—“

“Cart, just Cart,” Amaron was interrupted by Calyx.

“Cart told us he could feel the numbers of demons suddenly increased, and it’s alarming,” Amaron told them.

“Does it mean we need more elixirs?” Baron opened his door and joined the conversation.

“Yeah.” Amaron nodded his head.

Baron looked at Limo. Limo knew what Baron was thinking of. Just like what he told him yesterday, Primo’s blood can be used to purify demons. He’s thinking of having an experiment with Limo’s blood. Baron shifted his attention to the one who’s enjoying his food at the dining table.

“Calyx, you’ll be needed,” Baron told him before he shut his door.

“Oh, come on! Give this handsome man a break,” he said.

“Did you heat my food, too?” Amaron asked him.

“Heat it yourself,” Calyx answered and threw his dirty dishes on the kitchen sink.

“Give it to me, Baron. I’ll sanctify every water we have!” he said while pulling his sleeves upward.

-0-0-0-

The Feidon siblings agreed to take turns for Limo’s training. Devanna will have her archery training which includes how to make his own bow and arrow.

“Is this okay?” Limo showed her the arrowhead he sharpened.

“Not too sharp enough. It wouldn’t even get through cardboard,” she said.

Amaron was in charge of his physical training.

“Not strong enough,” Amaron told him when Limo punched him, and Amaron caught it with his hand.

“You look like you’re quite built for a normal person. Aren’t you an athlete or what?”Amaron asked him.

“I played volleyball, but I’m not a student player, though. I just played it as a hobby,” Limo replied.

“Oh, I see. Well, your punches felt like a faint,” Amaron laughed.

Calyx will teach him how to use knives and other weapons he could wield.

“Have you played dart before?” Calyx asked him.

“No,” he answered.

Calyx put his hand under his chin and thought about how he could explain everything without complicating it.

“Well, it looks like Devanna’s archery, but we only have an arrow to throw,” Calyx said.

“If you aim the knife, you need to control your force and adjust it by measuring the distance between you and your target. It also depends on the weight of your knife. Try this one. This is the lightest one I have.” Calyx handed him a small knife with a thin blade and small handle.

Limo took it and positioned himself. Calyx laughed at him for making the same position as what he’d done with Devanna’s archery.

“I won’t necessarily recommend you that position. If we’re on a mission, do you think you can still do that? When you’re injured and couldn’t stand up, would you still stand up just to do that? When the space is limited, I don’t think you could pull that off,” he told Limo.

Calyx took the knife and threw it without fixing his posture. It was fast, but he did hit the target. “You have to be more flexible. Try it again.”

When Limo had time, he went to Baron and watched him grinding and mixing some medicines.

“Why don’t you use modernized medicines?” he asked Baron.

“Wounds caused by demons can be fatal to humans and especially us, hunters. My medicines work well with my healing ability. It fastens the recovery time and increases the recovery rate. Modernized medicines didn’t have any effect on my healing at all. If we used it, it would only cost a lot of money, and we have to wait for it to effect. If we encounter loads of them in which I don’t wish to, I need to stick with the medicines I made,” Baron told him.

“That’s cool,” Limo remarked.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Can I have a few drops of your blood,” Baron told him? Limo was a bit surprised.

“For research purposes,” Baron smiled.

-0-0-0-