Chapter 13: Aakesh's Choice!
Aakesh fell into a dilemma as he saw those clear emotions of pleading in the mother wolf's eyes. He didn't want to lose his quest, but at the same time, he couldn't bring himself to go ahead with the punch and end the life of the wolf beneath his feet.
Aakesh couldn't help but use his basic appraisal skill to check on the remaining HP of the father wolf.
[Silver Wolf
Level 3
HP: 31/300.]
After seeing the remaining thirty-one HP, Aakesh became sure that if his punch went through in this condition, the wolf would surely lose its life.
Howl! Howl!
Suddenly, two immature howls came from behind the mother wolf. The two young wolves had returned to their mother after not finding her following them.
At that moment, Aakesh didn't know what to feel. He wasn't sure whether the wolves in front of him were exceptions or whether every creature in Panagea had such a high level of intelligence.
The father wolf beneath Aakesh's feet seemed to have regained some of its stamina as it attempted to growl at its partner and the two children.
Aakesh didn't understand the language of the wolves, so he wasn't sure what knowledge the growl contained. But if he had been able to learn the knowledge, Aakesh would have gained a secret, which might have helped him.
A sense of struggle passed through the mother wolf's eyes when it heard the growl, but it still stood its ground, pitifully howling at Aakesh.
Sigh! "Can you understand me?" Aakesh suddenly sighed and said as he looked at the mother wolf. The next moment, an awkward expression passed through his face as he couldn't help but cover his face for acting like an idiot.
How would a wolf understand the language of humans? Even if it had high intelligence, it should be able to understand basic gestures made by him, not his sentences.
The thought of cursing himself for being stupid came to a sudden stop as Aakesh's face turned dumbfounded the next moment.
When he asked the mother wolf a question, she nodded. This was the last thing he expected to happen.
Aakesh stood with that expression for a few seconds, as he didn't know what to say. He finally calmed down, as he was on a quest.
Aakesh wasn't in the game for adventure or fun; he was here because he wanted to save his family. He understood that being kind here would ultimately take a large amount of XP away from him when he needed them urgently in the early phases of the game. Despite that, he couldn't bring himself to kill the father wolf and then go for further killings after capturing the three newborn cubs.
"Give me one of your newborn cubs, and then leave this place!" Aakesh spoke after a pause of several seconds. He couldn't kill the wolves, but at the same time, he also couldn't give up on the quest.
The wolf beneath Aakesh's feet growled as it also understood Aakesh, while the same was the case for the mother wolf.
"I don't want to be cruel, but you can't have it all when you are on the losing side. Give up a newborn cub, and then leave this place with your family. I promise you: I will not let any harm come to your child," Aakesh stated. It was the last concession he could make for his kindness.
The mother wolf seemed to struggle at that moment. It then looked at its husband beneath the stranger's feet, then turned around to look at its two young children, carrying the other two newborn cubs.
Howl!
It seemed to have decided at that moment as it howled and pushed the cub below it toward Aakesh.
Aakesh heaved a sigh of relief after seeing the wolf's actions. He didn't know whether he would be able to kill the wolf after seeing those eyes, even if it refused to give up the newborn cub. Fortunately for him, he didn't have to come to a decision.
The wolf beneath Aakesh's feet growled at him as he moved his feet away. The wolf had no energy left to fight back, so it could only growl.
Aakesh then moved toward the cub and gently picked it up. A pained expression passed through his eyes since he had never expected a simple quest to check his humanity.
But soon those eyes turned into determination as Aakesh promised not to let harm come to this cub again to the mother wolf.
The mother wolf howled and then rushed at its husband. It licked the wounds spread over the wolf's head and upper body, and then it dragged the wolf with it.
Aakesh didn't speak as he saw the scene in front of him. Only after the mother wolf and its remaining family had disappeared from Aakesh's sight did he turn around to return to the town.
For getting the reward, Aakesh would have to submit the proof to the town hall since it was a quest collected from there.
Since Aakesh hadn't gotten tired from all the fighting, so it took him the same amount of time to return to the town.
***
"I have completed my quest," Aakesh said with a pained face to the receptionist.
The receptionist looked shocked, as she didn't expect Aakesh to complete the quest at all. She then raised her eyes in surprise as she asked Aakesh about the remaining two cubs.
"They died," Aakesh bluntly responded. Now that he had spared the wolf family, Aakesh didn't want other adventurers/NPCs chasing them around for the quest.
The receptionist didn't seem to believe Aakesh, but she still nodded and then did her part.
System: Quest "Catch Wolf Cubs" completed!
Rewarding 500 EXP!
[Level UP!]
[Level UP!]
[You have got 8 free attribute points!]
"Here are your ten bronze coins." The receptionist handed over the monetary reward to Aakesh.
"Please take care of the cub," Aakesh gently said, turning around to leave after taking the coins.
"You don't have to worry! The cub will be in best care since they would be used for battles when it grows!"
"It's very expensive to care for wolf cubs since once you are found by the silver wolves, they would battle you to death," The receptionist suddenly said with a smile.
Aakesh understood that the receptionist had gotten the wrong idea about him taking the two remaining wolf cubs for himself. But since the misunderstanding might help the wolf and its family, Aakesh didn't correct the receptionist and left after thanking her with a courteous smile.
***
A/N: If I don't get sick or have an emergency, the book will be regular from today.
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