Chapter 370: That language... |
As Haru looked down at the wooden floorboards of the inn he saw what looked like a claw of some kind. It was long and as black as night in colour but despite that, it still managed to reflect light from its glossy finish and there wasn't even the slightest amount of blood on it.
'Could that be the murder weapon? But how is it possible that a claw-shaped object could create such a clean hole?' Haru thought before reaching down to pick it up. As he put his hand beside it he realised that the claw was about the size of one of his fingernails.
It strangely resembled the claw of a common house cat but he wasn't sure if a cats claw was even capable of cutting through bone even if it was shot out of a gun.
He tried to pick it up into his hand put as soon as his finger made contact with it an X shaped pattern carved its self into his skin and caused blood to shoot from his finger for a moment before he covered it with his other hand and used a healing spell to heal the wound.
"What happened!? Did it just cut you with a single touch? Are you okay? It's not got venom on it has it?" Annabeth asked as she panicked for a moment after seeing Haru's blood drop to the ground before the guard also reached out to touch it.
"No don't do that!" Annabeth shouted, stopping the guard in his tracks just before he touched it.
"But we can't just leave it here what if a child touches it or something?" The guard asked as he looked up at Annabeth who seemed to be thinking before Haru interjected.
"Do you mind if I take it?" Haru asked to which the guard looked at Annabeth for her response as she turned to face him with a questioning look in her eyes as if she was wondering what were the possible uses for a super sharp animal claw.
But Haru thought of a few things.
"Sure, I don't mind you taking it. Usually, I would say no since it's evidence as to what happened but since we have to hide the bodies then it's better that there is no evidence left behind at all. Do you happen to know where the workers and other people staying here are?
Have they still not turned up?" Annabeth asked as she looked around. She found it strange that there was no one else there but Haru and Hong Xia but upon asking that question she made Haru remember what the assassin had told him.
"Oh, they should be in the basement. That's what he said when I asked him at least. I was going to free them but it slipped my mind when I saw his head explode in front of me." Haru said before crouching down and taking the small animal claw into his storage ring so he could avoid having it anywhere near him for the time being. He didn't want to accidentally lose a finger or toe while trying not to cut himself.
Annabeth glanced over at one of the guards close to the rear entrance who then opened up the door to the basement without hesitation and ran down into the darkness.
Haru remained still for a moment as he turned back to Annabeth.
"What do we do now?" Haru asked as he wasn't sure what to do. The smartest move would be for him to get a headstart and run into the distance as fast as he could. But he didn't have a single idea about the layout of the surrounding areas or the beasts that lived within them.
The last thing he wanted to do was end up being chased by a five-headed monkey that shot laser beams from its head or something of the sort. He knew that there probably wasn't anything too dangerous nearby or the town would have been destroyed many times over but he knew from experience that it was better to expect the unexpected especial when the situation involved even the slightest trace of Qi.
It was much easier to be prepared than to be caught without any plan at all and die a miserable fate at the hands of a monster hiding in wait for anyone who got too close or a human with a sinister mind.
Annabeth looked up at him yet again but her mind was blank.
"I don't know… My master said that he wanted to see you tonight so I guess for the time being we could wait at the mansion for him to come back and ask him for advice." Annabeth said but Haru had already made plans for himself.
"Would you mind taking my friend here over there with you? There is one thing that I have to do before I meet your master tonight. I won't be long but I have to go somewhere alone." Haru said as he looked back at Hong Xia who quickly grabbed a hold of his arm.
"No, you're not leaving me again. You are taking me with you whether you like it or not. I refuse to be treated like some child that can't do anything. I know I'm weak but I don't need you to shelter me. I had enough of that from my family. I don't need that from you too!" Hong Xia shouted in Chinese to which the guards and Annabeth looked at her with judgement as they didn't recognise the language that she was speaking.
"Well, look what you have just done! You have practically told everyone here that we don't come from this planet. Didn't you stop to think about the consequences that there will be if people found out that we don't belong here? We are exactly like the demon clan that came to earth to these people.
We might look and act the same as them but we are still outsiders. I wanted to do things the right way but you have just ruined that now.
If you want me to stop treating you like a child then stop acting like one. You are too weak to defend yourself against most of the people here and the first time you encounter someone who wanted to do you harm you froze and started screaming from what I heard.
I know that it might be scary to be here and whatnot but you chose to follow me here and if you are going to slow me down and cower in fear at the first sign of danger then yeah I am going to leave you behind. It's better for both of us that way!" Haru shouted back in Chinese as he knew that she wouldn't understand him if he spoke Gaohen she wouldn't understand.
But that only caused more confusion from the others as they watched Haru and Hong Xia speak in a language foreign to their entire star system.
"Well maybe if I knew half the things that you do I would be able to take care of myself better. I don't know a single thing about life other than what I learned on earth. But somehow you seem to be a walking encyclopedia for all things other realms.
How do you expect me to protect myself or even try to fight someone if I don't have a clue what I'm going up against? You already know all this stuff!" Hong Xia exclaimed as Haru sighed in frustration at her stupidity.
"And you think I'm any different? I'm still figuring out this place too. I don't know a single thing about this place other than they speak the universal language of Gaohen, they look human and they are under threat of war from a trading alliance that is trying to gain full control of the star system.
I don't know everything either. For all, I know these people could be masquerading as humans to eat anyone who gets too close. But the difference between the two of us is the fact that I'm not going back down just because I'm surrounded by the unknown. That is the whole point of learning is it not? You have to learn things that you don't know." Haru said in defeat as didn't want to carry on with a pointless argument and the stares they were getting were ones of both curiosity and worry.
"Wait… You really haven't left earth before? I thought for sure that you had seen other realms given that you knew the language they spoke… I'm sorry. I just jumped to conclusions because I thought that…" Hong Xia began to apologise but Haru cut her off.
"Forget it. If you really want to come then I won't stop you. But if you die or get injured it's not my fault. I'm not going to treat you like a child. You're an adult and can make your own decisions…" Haru said before turning his attention back to Annabeth.
"Well, I guess we have to change plans. Looks like she wants to come with me too. Tell your master that I will come to see him later tonight okay?" Haru said before walking towards the entrance but just as he was about to leave Annabeth said something that caught him off guard.
"That language… I've heard it before…" Annabeth said with a concerned look on her face as the guards looked confused by her question.
Haru turned around surprised by what she had just said. There was no way that someone from a different planet could hear Chinese before unless someone who spoke the language had come to the planet before he did.