Eli wasn't too fond of the new place. Sure, it had a lot of space, and the owners apparently kept it quite clean. But even with all that cleaning, he could still taste something in the air—a lingering scent, like dog—no, not dogs. Wolves.
"Ah, yes," Eli's mother said. "The place was open...but where are you? We'll need the key."
Eli stopped paying attention to her as he rummaged through her bag. She usually carried around some sage—she liked making tea with it whenever she felt overwhelmed. That, or Eli's "ant powder" concoction. His parents still didn't know the formula for it, but if they ever did, they'd probably vomit up a whole seven years of it.
He found the Sage, took it, and hurried to the kitchen. Wrapping the Sage in a towel, he lit it over the stove until it started to smolder. Then he turned off the burner and quickly made his way through the loft, letting the sage smoke trail around him.
His new room had a bathroom attached, which he appreciated. He ran around it, making sure everything was infused with smoke. Through Eli's eyes, the essence in the room began to move, agitated by the sage, rushing around in frantic currents. Satisfied, he went through his parents' room as well, wafting the sage smoke.
As he was about to head into the hallway, he felt something strange, as if someone was watching him. He paused, glancing toward the end of the hallway that led to the main rooms his parents were in. His heart started racing. Muffled laughter reached his ears, shaking him from his daze. His parents were laughing at a joke—a man's voice, too. Eli already knew who it was.
He slowly made his way out to the main living area. In the doorway stood his parents and another man—one he recognized immediately. This was exactly who he had sensed. He looked past the man's skin and saw the yellow form of a wolf surrounding him. As if sensing Eli's gaze, the man looked directly into his eyes. Eli instinctively took a step back, wanting to hide, but it was too late.
"And this must be the strong little guy who protected his mom," the man said.
Eli didn't want to answer, but feeling his parents' expectant looks, he nodded slightly.
"Eli, this is the landlord. His name's Peter. You might see him around here a few times while we're staying," Neil explained, smiling. "Can you believe he's letting us stay here for free?"
Eli didn't reply. His father, too elated, didn't notice his silence, but his mother cast a worried look his way before returning to the conversation. Maybe it was the new surroundings making him feel down, she thought.
They both laughed at another joke Eli didn't hear, while he could feel the gaze of that man on him—no, that monster. Eli felt helpless. His powers were extremely strong, but they required preparation, and he was not prepared now.
He realized this only when he heard the door close. Neil said, "Couldn't he have brought that with him when he was cleaning up last time? It was just a guitar." Lorraine shrugged, then looked at Eli, noticing him staring at the ground, almost frozen.
She said, "The place can't taste that bad."
Eli shook his head. "Can I go back to the hospital until the house is fixed? I don't like it here."
Lorraine could feel his uneasy; she was his mother, after all. Neil answered first, "I'm afraid not. However, this place is fortified, and it's easier for the patrol to protect us here. You'll have to ignore the feeling for a bit."
His father walked over to him, rubbing his back. Eli mumbled a silent "Okay," then headed back toward his room. Both parents were shocked—this was a new reaction from Eli. He would never normally stay down that long. Did this place really feel that bad?
Meanwhile, Peter was feeling better. He hadn't managed to get rid of Eli's parents, but they were under his thumb now. There were hidden cameras everywhere in the loft, allowing him to monitor everything the boy did. He had to be more careful, though; he'd noticed Eli's reaction to him—the fear he could almost smell. It was so different from the rest of his family's reactions—it felt like he was smelling a scream. What a strange feeling. But, in due time...
Eli was in his room, staring at his ring.
Item: Black Ring
Level: 8
Defense: 110/255
Attack: 200/500
Description: A black ring that grants significant strength when attacking and great defense when being attacked. Warning: Any further attempt to upgrade this item past level 8 has a chance of completely disintegrating the item.
It was his only comfort and his only form of defense. Despite that, its progress was moving too slowly, and he couldn't just upgrade it to make it stronger. Now, it was no longer about hurting only himself but possibly destroying the ring altogether. He hadn't known there was something so terrifying so close to him. Was the deputy the same way? Or Lidia?
He took out the vial of Fox Fire.
Item: Fox Fire
Level: 1
Vitality: 3/20
Description: How unfortunate—you don't yet have nine tails.
Hmm. Maybe... He poured a small amount onto the ring, half-expecting nothing to happen. If he needed another vial, the deputy was always outside. Just as he thought he'd wasted a valuable healing potion, a strange warmth came from the ring on his finger.
Item: Black Ring
Level: 8
Defense: 111/255
Attack: 200/500
Description: A black ring that grants significant strength when attacking and great defense when being attacked. Warning: Any further attempt to upgrade this item past level 8 has a chance of completely disintegrating the item.
Then, a new notification appeared.
Item: Black Ring
Level: 8
Defense: 111/255
Attack: 201/500
Description: A black ring that grants significant strength when attacking and great defense when being attacked. Warning: Any further attempt to upgrade this item past level 8 has a chance of completely disintegrating the item.
And then another.
Item: Black Ring
Level: 8
Defense: 111/255
Attack: 202/500