Chapter 0018 - Burning down the House

Fantastic as it seemed, the fastest way to help his Father was to make it worse.

He knew if he yanked it out his Father would lose the use of his arm, the serrated edges of the arrowhead would just not allow it to be backed out. His hands were not fast enough to make a clean cut like it had when it entered so he focused the push spell and slammed against the remainder of arrows shaft. Instantly it came from the other side and through the table. The wound poured down blood like a leaking bucket. His Father was very injured now but at least the would could be managed.

If Wu Hai didn't follow through with his convictions he might have killed his Father himself.

Pressing a few herbs into a mud, he poured the mixture over the wound on both sides and padded it with cloth before shredding a blanket into bandages and securing his Father's life. The blood loss would take a while for him to recover and any internal injuries they would have to deal with as they came.

There were too many things going on to focus and it made everyone's head spin. Zao Lei was still screaming in the backroom.

Panicking, he looked at the things beside the table.

The bloodied shirt from one of the corpses had a long metallic weapon in it that had some transparent portions. The handle was wrapped green leather and looked like it was finely hammered into diamonds. The grip seemed like it didn't want to leave your hand unless you released it completely which was excellent. Although it was roughly the same height of Zao Wu Hai he could hold it in one hand.

"It was so heavy on the way home." Wu Hai was completely at a loss at what kind of weapon it was, at first, the weapon seemed impossible to carry but now it was as light as his own hands.

"Blunt Force Trauma would definitely happen if you smash someone with it." It was covered in swirls of Silver, Gold, Black Gold, Red Platinum and Anadamonium, the strange patterns gave it a myriad of looks but the striking Purple of the Anadamon Ore gave it a very Royal look.

The surface of the weapon was mostly flat and slightly clear. There were a few slots that looked to be the size of the cubes he had left back with his Master on his counter top. Regretting that he had not brought them along, he could only make speculations about their function, if they even had one.

Something about the weapon that made him want to swing it. He almost couldn't help himself but thought about his Father and the fact that very real troubles were coming his way, he ran to his old room and he grabbed the sheath that he was sure it fit into. Without any effort whatsoever, the weapon sank into its holster as if it were two beloved objects meeting again after a long time.

Casting the weapon onto his bed, it bounced before he returned to his parents in the kitchen. Calistown still in grief from the whole ordeal, he had some time to settle her after his Father was in a better condition.

The baby had stopped screaming, a twig broke outside like it had been stepped on. Wu Hai stopped talking, held up his hand to signal his Mother and listened with intent.

"This is the place... " Footsteps could be heard from outside.

Standing outside of their home, a party of scouts for the thugs had started to encircle the house. Wu Hai was beginning to lose his cool. His Father had been shot, nearly died. He had been dragging himself and his Father up the distant Mountains, there was nothing for the thugs to keep after them for, Unless.

Then, he thought to the weapon he had just placed on his bed and more things were becoming clear in his mind.

'The Man from 2 years ago.. the corpse by the falls, the Cubes.' Wu Hai knew his family would die right there and then if the men were to come inside. Not knowing how to wield the weapon was a big deal so Wu Hai passed on the thought. There was little choice and he wasn't sure if he could handle them but blinding swinging a weapon he didn't know how to use was completely out of the question.

That only left a single road for him to travel. A path of bloodshed and pain.

Wu Hai thought about his baby sister and what they would do once they had come inside, his adrenaline began to pump, his heartbeat sped up and then crashed and vibrated with the rest of his body. He was struggling and it showed. His family's life was on the line, there was no reason to hold back.

He dug down deep and used almost all of his energy to summon Infernal Fireballs. In a fit of anger, more than to dozen fireballs spun out of the house and hit the scouts that were surrounding the house.

They danced in fire as the flames incinerated them slowly.

Wu Hai was very weak, he wasn't even sure that the entire group had been stopped. They had followed him home and he didn't even know at the time. At the moment, he was unsure of what to to do but the bodies outside were roasting, the screams were short.

Calistown didn't have the heart to listen and closed her mind off from the noise, she went to find Zao Lei.

The power Wu Hai used for the fireballs was well above average. If it had turned out like one of his training sessions, he might have passed out and his family could have died. There was too much to risk, even if he had to die in that moment, he would have given his mother time to escape. His Father would have also made the same choice.

Old Man Jiang had said that the backlash could happen again but he also made sure to let him know how to handle his rage. 'No man is perfect when it come to the concerns of family, protecting usually comes first, throwing themselves to the backside.' Wu Hai didn't care, he loved his parents and no one would take that from him. His baby sister was safe and in his Mother's arms while she was in a constant state of worry.

The threat of more attackers was increasing, they didn't have much time.

Pulling a Tablet that his Master had given him from his pack, Wu Hai crushed it.

"Mother, Get Lei. I'll grab Father, we must leave this place. More of them will come." Grabbing his boots, he went outside to search the corpses. A spacial bracelet and a necklace with a strange emblem on it were all that remained after the fires. Their clothes and personal items were badly burned or already ashes.

The bodies were like roasted rabbits left too long on the fire, they had cracked open and were oozing on the open ground. It was a bit much to look upon, when Wu Hai was talking to his mother, he had not considered taking anything along but he had found a spacial bracelet and couldn't pass up the chance to save their Family's Treasures.

Grabbing his parents belongings, the babies crib and all the decorations his Mother loved in a scramble was all he could do. Wu Hai emptied his own room and took anything that he thought would be important.

The Weapon, his bed, everything inside.

To conceal their tracks and escape pursuit, he set the House on fire.

Reducing their family home to ashes would have been easy but he wanted it to be a raging inferno with remains left over, a distraction. Calistown was still holding his sister in her arms while he supported his Father, it was a going to be a long night.

They made their way down the mountain. Looking back, the night mountain skyline was died red with the flames from the family home.

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It took almost three times as long to rush back to the City with his Father being injured.

"Master, I'll have to trouble you," Sighing inside, Zao Wu Hai led his parents from the Mountain back to the Old Man's residence in the Capital.

The journey was not short and with the frequent stops from his Father's wound, it really took a lot longer than he wanted to be on the road. The winter would be coming back yet again within another month.

Fall had stripped the trees of leaves and nights grew cold.

Not intending to leave his Master in airs of confusion over the matter, he came completely clean. Wu Hai laid everything on the table, he revealed both Cubes, the Weapon, Compass, Cloth with the name 'Charity' written on it, the Magical Dagger and the strange Token.

It took some time to explain everything but it was overdue.

After admitting everything to his Master, he kowtowed 9 times and begged.

"Master, my Family.." Zao Wu Hai kept his head to the floor in shame for the problems he had brought with him on his return.

The Old Man picked up the compass, "Interesting but first things first, lets get your Family somewhere safe."

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