"Cut the crud, lady!" Piper boomed. "We just need some info on herbal medicine."
"I sense that's what you came for. But there's more you must know" she raised a brow.
"What on Earth do you mean?" I asked curiously, wanting to know what she meant.
"You are very special. One who will rid the land of evil."
Piper became flustered. "You serious?! Just give us what we want!"
Piper slammed her fist on the nearest table. The items hopped as she did.
"H-Hang on Piper, maybe she has a point even though she seems...odd. Maybe there could be an end to Tyr's reckoning."
Piper huffed. "Okay, go on."
"You, my boy have a great gift." her eyes went wide.
"Gift? Now lady I think you're making a big misunderstanding here." I said
"You have great potential. You are the son of a legendary hero, Rathalos the warrior of lightning."
I didn't understand what was just said and I thought that it was all a dream but unfortunately, It wasn't.
"So... what you're saying is that, I'm the son of Rathalos?!?"
I couldn't believe it. I thought the Witch Doctor was making it up but when I looked at her she showed no emotions of kidding. I became light headed from all the information that I had to take in. Piper caught me as I became dizzy.
"Yes boy, you are the son of Rathalos. You wield great power within you."
"You saying this... thing--"
"Sergal, Piper." I said, cutting Piper off.
"Is a demi-god????"
"Yes dear Piper, Zenith is the son of Rathalos and Athena."
"The warrior of lightning and the goddess of beauty?!" I exclaimed.
Piper smirked at me.
I then looked over at Piper "W-What's that smirk for?" I stammered.
"Nothing..." she smiled.
I became confused on why she smirked at me that way but then I shrugged it off.
"So what makes me so special besides being born as a Demi-God?"
"You will be the one to restore peace to the land and defeat Tyr! You also have the ability to summon your own weapons out of thin air!"
"Wha... Teach me!" I exclaimed.
The Witch Doctor snapped her fingers at me "ah, ah, ah! Not so fast! You need to figure it out yourself!"
"Oh... Alright." I was puzzled and conflicted.
"If she knows my past and my potential, what can't she tell me how to unlock it?" I thought to myself. I thought maybe she's too old to even teach me. From the looks of it, she probably is over a hundred years old.
"So, how is he supposed to learn?" Piper said sarcastically and waved her paws around.
The hedgehog became visibly angered and she tried to push us out of the hutch.
"This is where I send you two off and you leave my hutch before I curse you!" She yelled.
***
We left the tent and headed back into town.
" I told you she was crazy, Zenith." Piper said.
"I understand... but something about feels right."
She stopped. "Are you serious? You're going to believe that old hag?!"
"But--" I said, getting caught off guard.
"I'm sorry Zenith, but I don't believe in voodoo.Yes, magic is real but it can't just somehow 'tell' your past. Voodoo is something else, man. Now, correct me if I'm wrong." She then crossed her arms.
"Magic and Voodoo are two different things. Yes, but I believe that the Voodoo that the Witch Doctor possesses can help this town and put it back into the right direction for becoming a kingdom once more."
"If you think it will work, go ahead. I'll keep to my weapons." Piper said, clutching her axe she had attached to her belt loop.
***
Later I went back into the hutch but this time by myself. I have a feeling if I talk to the Witch Doctor alone, one on one I may be able to find out more answers.
"Um Hello?" I called out again.
She croaked out: "Yes, isn't Zenith again?"
"Yes, I'm here to find out more info, Piper doesn't really trust voodoo."
"Yes,my child. You can't trust the ones who don't trust in voodoo and magic. If you can't believe in it... what's there to believe?"
" That's not what--"
" Come sit, I have chairs."
She snapped her fingers and chairs came flying from every which way, and I dodged a few.
"What I would like to talk about is... why am I so special? What do I have to do to defeat Tyr?" I asked, referring to Tyr and the other Gods.
"Like I said, you're related to powerful Gods. You see, you were born just the same as any other God, but your family up in the heavens was forced to abandon you because of Tyr! There was a prophecy on your name, you were going to defeat her and rule. But instead she made you mortal by banishing you from the heavens and threatened your parents that she would kill you if they refused to get rid of you. Your God parents sent you down and into the arms of mortal parents."
"How does that make me Demi-God?"
"You still retain some of your powers and strength, you just have to unlock it!" she danced around.
I felt great pride in myself. But I had one question left to ask.
"What other powers do I have besides forming weapons at my will?"
"You'll have to figure those out on your own Zenith. I don't know everything! Now go on I have a lot of stuff to attend to!"
I nodded and left the hutch and made my way back to the village. I left Piper back in town square. I headed there and she was nowhere to be seen. I looked around for half an hour and eventually found her in an open field. She had a stump facing her and she was throwing her axe at it.
She made a few shots before I approached her. The hits made a nice clean hollow sound. When she took the axe out it was swift, not an inch of fight from the log.
"Nice throw." I said, walking up to her.
"Thanks I've been getting better at my throws every day." she said.
She examined the blade carefully and then took out a device to sharpen it a bit. She runned her thumb across it, her paw pad had a slight cut in it and blood bubbled up. She licked her thumb quickly.
"Perfect." she said with a cheerful sigh.
She arched her right arm backwards and her other slightly forwards for balance. She seemed to be in some kind of trance and she had a serious look. She breathed deeply and focused her aim on the stump. She threw with perfect precision and cut it straight down the middle.
She smiled at me "you wanna turn? I'll get another stump."
"Sure, but first I need you to listen to me first."
She raised her brows "Yeah..."
"I visited the Witch Doctor again and--" she cut me off, once again.
"Hold up, I told you not to! And you told me you were going back to the inn!"
I chuckled nervously "well, you didn't say that specifically..."
"But I headed you into the direction of not believing her! I only gave you the choice; either do it, or don't. I thought you wouldn't."
I became angry and I boomed "I only just met you today! How does that make you the boss of me!?"
She huffed "No, I'm not the boss of you. I've seen too many people become sick, injured, or die when messing with that lady!"
There was a long pause between us. She had her eyes locked onto mine, if they were any more intense, she could drill a hole right through my forehead.
"Piper I understand your concern but what she's saying could be true!"
"You still don't get it! Do you!?" She snarled.
"What I understand is that there's still hope to change this around!"
Piper huffed angrily, her eyes gleamed into mine as if they could pierce them with a single glance.
"I just..I don't want you hurt, okay? I don't have--" she cut herself short.
"What...What are you saying? I'm fine handling myself but what were you about to say? You can tell me I'm here for you like how you were trying to look out for me about the Witch Doctor."
"Friends."
"Are you kidding? I thought we've become friends ever since we started to cut up and talk about many things. In any case I'd be more than happy to be your friend if you didn't think so before."
"Really? A lot of people call me hot-headed and stubborn...And a bit scary"
"You can be hot-headed yes, but it doesn't bother me that much and your stubbornness isn't much either. Everyone is stubborn, even me."
"You're Stubborn? Well that makes sense since you disregarded what I said. I guess you're right Zenith, I'm sure we could make good friends and allies."
She smiles and smacks my back with her big paw.
"Now c'mon show me what'cha got!" She exclaimed as she set up a big log.
She hands me her axe, which was really heavy. I reeled back and threw it as hard as I could and it grazed by the top of the log, hitting the tree behind it.
"Huh...Close but not quite." She said
I chuckled nervously "W-Whoops."
"That's ok! You can try again if you want."
I nodded and tried it again and again until I got better at it. I spent most of the day training with Piper and we both quite enjoyed it.
