Chapter 14: Information

Chapter 14: Information

Xiv was scared shitless at the beginning of the fight, but finding Warden blocking the way for most of the wolves, his confidence rose exponentially. Only one wolf, as high as his waist, obstructed his path, the rest of the pack being held by Warden.

Xiv fended it off, swinging his spear at its pouncing claws. Keeping a safe distance away, he flashed his spear to pierce it towards its neck. He missed by some margin, barely grazing its skin.

"Hurry up, kid," Warden urged him. "If it's one versus more, you'd be dead already."

Xiv gritted his teeth, advancing. He let the beast come at him, calming his breath. With a narrowed gaze, Xiv met its challenge, his spear flashing to pin into its head. His strength barely let him end its life, as another managed to break through from Warden to come at him.

Warden watched the boy fight, keeping the wolves busy. From the look of it, Xiv had the basics correct, though his coordination needed some work.

He was a lot on the defensive, but that could be everything he could muster from his father's teaching. Injuries were nothing to scoff at, especially in a common backwater village like theirs, so possibly they inherited a defensive style of combat.

Xiv tussled with to end the wolf as a frown crawled up on Warden's brows. He let go of another wolf as it charged forward to assault the kid.

Now it was two versus one.

Xiv didn't seem to notice the approach of the second beast. Warden had to alert him, or the boy would have already fallen. With two wolves ganging up on him, he became more passive again, fending off their advances, not taking any chances in case one of them injured him while he dealt with the other one.

Xiv's inexperience in fighting became clear to Warden. The boy needed undivided attention to deal with a wolf, but the equation became a lot more disadvantageous to him when there was more than one opponent.

Unlike himself, Liam, or Kiara, Xiv possessed no magical energy, so he needed to put everything into attacking. While even a little graze from Warden's blade could kill these tainted beasts.

Is spiritual energy uncommon to have? Warden couldn't help but wonder. Only one of the villagers seemed to possess it—related to water power—which she used to put off the fire.

Finding him not replying, Xiv felt he asked something he shouldn't have. "Please forgive me, Sir," he was quick to apologize. "I didn't know what got into me. I forgot my place."

"Xiv," Warden scoffed. "What did I ask you to call me again?"

The village boy's eyes widened. "That means you aren't mad that I asked those questions?"

Warden shrugged. "I would be mad if you call me Sir again," he muttered. "And as for your question, I do have those attributes, though some of them were terribly low."

Xiv gasped.

Warden felt like he was missing some knowledge regarding all this, and this kid might not be able to answer them all. Still, he didn't feel it right to ask Liam or Kiara, even though they seemed like good people.

It was not that something was wrong with them. The problem was something was wrong with him, and Warden felt sensitive in exchanging this information with others at this moment.

If he told others of his predicament, he would be way easier to fool. So far, people were treating him fairly, as someone of power, but that might not be the same if they learned of his predicament.

"Don't worry, Warden," Xiv said, finding him deep in thought. "I won't tell anyone about anything."

Warden didn't give any expression that told if he was relieved or offended. He was perfectly neutral when he met the boy's gaze.

"Xiv, I have some stupid questions," he asked. "I hope you can answer some of them truthfully."

Warden possessed no knowledge of how anything worked. Although Xiv might be a clueless kid of some village, he knew more than him. It was about time Warden filled some of those holes.