Chereads / The God Trials / Chapter 30 - Welcome Home

Chapter 30 - Welcome Home

"I'm home, old man!" Abel yelled his customary announcement as he stepped through the front door of the house. He paused in his movements as he realized his words would not be answered, as Audu had gone missing. It was then...

"Welcome back, kiddo! Took you long enough. I was almost expecting another call for help by now!" Audu's gruff voice exploded from somewhere within the wooden house, shocking Abel from his momentary freeze.

"Old man?" Abel couldn't help but ask hesitantly, although his body was already moving through the house quickly, trying to pin down the source of Audu's voice. He soon came across the old man, if he could even refer to him as that anymore, sitting on the porch that overlooked the expansive backyard. The older man's bright blue hair was packed back in a ponytail, exposing his defined cheekbones and strong jaw. His vibrant blue eyes were focused on the single tree atop the hilltop in the distance.

"You're back." Abel sighed, an invisible weight lifting off his shoulders with that exhale.

"Hmm? Oh, yes I am." Audu replied, his drifting thoughts seemingly reigned in by Abel's voice.

"Where were you? And why didn't you leave a message before disappearing off the face of the earth for so many days?"

"I had some business to take care of. Unimportant stuff." Audu waved his hand dismissively. "The good thing now is that I'm back. I won't be disappearing like that for a really long time to come." Audu's words seemed to have a deeper meaning that Abel failed to take notice of.

"That's good to know..." Abel trailed off.

"Lunch is ready, but it would be best if you took a shower first. I've had to hold my breath ever since you stepped into the house..." Audu suddenly pinched his nose, his eyes roaming Abel's body warily. Abel could only gape at him, very much aware of the insult the older man threw his way.

'Damn old man! Just you wait!' Abel thought to himself as he abruptly turned, marching off down the corridor to go freshen up. Audu cracked a smile when he saw that Abel had left. He would enjoy teasing the Abel a lot in the times to come.

Roughly an hour later, Abel walked back out to the backyard wearing a simple sleeveless top and shorts, his blue hair hanging at the sides of his face. He had taken the liberty of cutting it short, as it was getting in his way during fights. Normally, he would just pack it up and bundle it, but that was when he fought low intensity battles with Ground Rats. Now he was fighting packs of Flame Wolves and much more powerful foes. He didn't have the time to pack his hair in the middle of a fight, so he thought it would be best to just cut it.

"Like what you did with the hair, kid." Audu called out, stretching out a hand containing a suspicious looking flask to Abel as he motioned to his hair. Abel's eyes narrowed a fraction as he took note of the flask.

"Is that alcohol?" He asked slowly.

"Yes, what of it?" Audu asked, bringing the flask to his chest protectively.

"Since when did you start drinking? Don't you know it isn't good for your health?"

"Bah! Since when was that true?! I just wasn't interested in indulging myself back then. Now? I don't care!" Audu flicked his hand dismissively.

Although Abel had his objections, he knew he really couldn't stop the older man from drinking. Even if he tried, he would just end up spurring Audu to drink more. The best he could do was try to make sure the man didn't drown in a puddle of alcohol one day...

"Fine, have it your way. But just keep it in mind that I'm not going into town to buy any alcohol for you. Do your runs by yourself." Abel spoke with finality in his voice before turning away and heading back inside. He could feel his stomach twisting and demanding to be filled, the feeling only growing the closer he got to the kitchen.

"God, what did that old man cook?" Abel could barely keep it together the moment he opened the kitchen door. The barely contained aroma of food burst free from captivity in the room, hitting him smack dab in the face, and threatening to push him over if he didn't get some food down his throat in the next minute.

He shuffled through the kitchen, eventually serving himself a bowl of hot soup. The meat was tender and unknown, but very tasty. He would have to ask Audu what kind it was later. But for now, he put all his mind, heart, and soul into scarfing down spoonful's of soup at a quick pace. Fifteen minutes later, Abel walked out into the backyard, his hand rubbing the slight bump in his abdomen.

"Have a nice meal?" Audu called out, his hands still nursing his flask of alcohol. At this rate, it wouldn't take long for him to be labeled as an alcoholic in Abel's eyes.

"Yeah, thanks. I have to ask, what kind of meat did you use? It was perfect!"

"Eh, it simple. Gnoll meat." Audu shrugged, but Abel stumbled, and choked, unable to believe his ears.

"What?!"

"You heard men. Gnoll meat. It's quite hard, but when you cook it long enough it becomes tender enough to make you feel as though you're chewing on heaven!" Audu explained with a flat look while Abel watched him with unbelieving eyes.

"You can't be serious!" Abel couldn't believe what he had eaten. Although he wouldn't have cared a couple weeks back, he just felt like it was a bit wrong for him to be eating Gnoll meat when he housed an intelligent member of that species in his head.

"Oh, not to worry, I'm just joking. You should see the look on your face!" Audu suddenly burst out laughing. "This is Swamp Serpent meat. I bought it on my way back a few cities away. It can be found both inside and outside the dungeon, but you won't see it outside anywhere that's a swampy area. The name should be clue enough for you."

"You old bastard!"